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CARAVAN ROAD - MID-MORNING
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Piper sits in the back of a covered wagon, feeling a little less bad than she had initially. The stallion who was to tote her and Sammi along looked apprehensive at first when he met the passengers, but certainly seemed up to the challenge by the time they left. Still, she wordlessly hopped out of the covered cart whenever a particularly steep hill loomed ahead. Their current heading didn't need it, thankfully, leaving the croc slightly dozy as they bump along, her eyes locked on the road ahead through the front opening. "Five days down. How many more?"
Sammi was sprawled on the top of the wagon, and she flopped down into the wagon interior "I dunno..It's all just ...land..." She grumbles "At least on the boat I could go for a swim, and the horses don't like me either. I think they talk behind my back too" She gives a slightly paranoid look to the horse drawing the wagon "Buut, nearly home! And met lots of people, and got to tell stories! I like telling stories"
Gareth has been crouched atop the same wagon as the others, just keeping watch on their surroundings for the past while. He leans over a bit as he hears Piper and Sammi chatting inside. "Soon, I think. Caravan's makin' good time, so we'll probably be there within a few more days or so. Last time I came out here, we took about a week and a half out o' Bairnell."
Piper nods to Sammi, giving her a toothy smile. "Listened to your stories. Very entertaining. Agreed about water. Not a day of rain, very dry for woods." She looks to Gareth with a nod. "Might look for a creek tonight, then. Know any spots?"
Sammi: "Uhhh..." She points a head tentacle vaguely in a direction "There was a little stream in a cave over there, but..it was a bit far back. It was nice though. Some fishies that reminded me of home" She ponders "Hmm, I might be able to guide people there?" Just the edges of a little hill could be visible where she was pointing "Realllly cold though. I don't think you'd like it right out of the water"
Piper chuckles three gutteral notes, shrugging. "Cold. Hot. Wet is wet, wet is refreshing." She looks to the road with a quiet yawn. "If it were hot, would sleep for trip." A rut rocks the cart, moved a bit more than others by Piper's weight shifting against the vehicle's will. She rights herself before the movement becomes dangerous, giving Sammi a vaguely embarrassed smile.
Gareth rocks with the movement of the cart, his grasp on the raillings on top tightening a bit for stability. "There should be a couple o' small creeks nearby. Ye best make use o' them once we stop fer the evenin', too. Once we're out on the plains proper, things get warm really fast."
Sammi: "We'll get you something, I'm sure!" She gives an encouraging thumbs up, settling back into the wagon, instinctively finding shadows to lurk in "We should stop. We've been out in the open for a while, everyone looking at me..it's so ehhhhh. Even if the little bits of hero feel makes it nicer" Sammi is highly influenced by the opinions of people around her, so being around so many people..it makes her feel 'wiggly' as she's described it. Settling close to Gareth helps, since his opinion is pretty firm on her.
Piper nods. Her own opinion of Sammi is vague indifference, however that may affect the old one. Not that she doesn't like the peppy ocean dweller, the croc is just a bit tepid on her attachment to this group. After all, they're a means to an important end, right? She lets out a slight grunt, keeping her smile on for now.
Sammi: Well, a smile means that Piper likes her, right? Sammi is satisfied with that at least, and hums happily to herself, opening up her storybook to 'find' a new tale to tell.
Gareth smiles warmly at Sammi. "Don't ye worry, lass, we'll be stoppin' fer the evenin' soon enough. We've got a bit more space out here, now that we're gettin' out o' the main parts o' the forest, too." He nods at Piper, "And that usually also means creeks are a bit easier to find."
Narrator: As the caravans move into the flatter lands, some whistling seems to float upon the wind, from around the small hills around the trail.
Piper crosses her arms over her knees, resting her chin on the crossed forearms as her eyes look toward Gareth. "That sounds good, ay." She closes her eyes and listens to the breeze, wondering if she could manage a nap with the shaky cart. Not that she needs to rest, really. "What about game? Anything worth hunting?"
Sammi: "Uh..." Sammi's not a hunter type. While previously she didn't really 'eat' persay, once coming to Respite, she's slowly transitioning to be an obligate snack-avore "That does sound more like a Gareth question" Oh hey, that's a totally innocent bird whistle. Sammi may be curious about why it's so particularly innocent, but it wouldn't do to comment on it.
Gareth nods, his ears flicking a bit as he hears what sounds like birdsong off in the distance. He looks around towards the source mostly out of curiosity, maybe to spot the bird that made it. "Aye, I've heard there are usually some good game creatures around the forest and northern plains. Shouldn't be too hard to track them down, though, since most o' them bunk down fer the night."
Piper chuckles, shrugging. "Only time for me. Can't hunt in day. Things run." She catches a faint note of the whistling, though it doesn't really bring much of her attention. "No bow, either. Try punching deer." She gives Gareth a look of challenge after a few seconds. "Yes, would like to see that. You hunt by fists."
Narrator: The bird whistles continue a while longer... then abruptly stop. The signal given, and now the first real signs of danger begin, as the distant whistle of arrows come towards the caravan, the raptors coming up over the hills and beginning their swift dash towards the wagons, nets and hooked spears at the ready.
Gareth chuckles as he takes a moment to flex the fingers on one hand, only to catch the telltale sound of whistling arrows before he responds. Moments later, his reflexes from decades of combat kick in and he yells out to the caravan at large as he leaps down from atop the wagon, pulling the driver off with him to save them from becoming a pincushion. "Arrows incomin'! Take cover!"
Sammi does little 'punchy' motions with her head thingies "I could totally do thaaat.." She blinks, and when the threat went from passive, to active "Down!" She dove backwards, and scrambled further into the caravan "There's..an attack.." She screws up her head "Ah.." There's so much choas, that she's stunned for a moment trying to process it, so many people now thinking about what's going on, and what the caravan represents..
Narrator: The Bairnell Guards are a little more on the ball then before, these ones having already been briefed of potential hazards after reports of caravans going missing to unknown assailants. Shields are up quickly, and unlike the first Caravan Usid assaulted, there's far less easy marks to take out.
Piper still takes little note of the bird whistles, even as they vanish, but a far more familiar whistling fills her body with a combination of dread and adrenaline. She watches Sammi's movements as if in slow motion, letting out a growl as she moves for the deep one. Her belly and legs might obscure Sammi's view for a bit as the arrows fall, not making much impact on the thick hide of her back. The platform Sammi had moved under provides less protection, arrow heads thunking to stick through where Piper hadn't covered. The cloth top of their wagon is left tattered, leaving many small 'windows' for the hesitantly rising croc see out from.
Sammi oofs, and whatever help being semi-flattened by a large crocodile gives, the real help is the provision of a single strong thought of 'protect'. Piper had given her a little 'cover' of emotional security, enough to centre her, and let her focus on what to do next..which was her little story circle, all those kids, probably somewhere near the back. Thanks to Piper being so protective, Sammi didn't get hit! Indeed, even if she factually had been hit, Sammi still didn't get hit, and reality wasn't going to be able to overcome that surety. "Gonna..get the kids" She wiggles out from under the large reptile, and starts towards the back of the caravan train. She'd cast herself as their protector, and that's just what she was gonna do!
Gareth lands behind the wagon with a slightly dazed wagon driver in tow. He pushes them against the side of the wagon, against one of the thicker parts of the wood so they have some cover. He stands up as he draws his pistols and steps around to the side the attack is coming from in order to get a good look at their attackers, while cautioning the driver to stay in cover.
Piper gets a sense of Sammi's determination, looking at the old one as she hears Gareth and the driver thud on one side. She figures the attackers must be coming from the other direction, then, moving aside for Sammi. She's a bit slow, a few rivulets of blood trickling in the valleys between her scales from four arrows that struck true, though thankfully not deep. Her dark colored coat hides them well as the croc grunts, digging under the abandoned seat and drawing her case out. "They poked first. GARETH. Do. Not. Pay."
Narrator: A second wave of arrows comes in, just before the raiders strike the front line of guards who are rushing ahead to defend the caravan. The Raptor mounts, being ridden by a host of various dinosaur species, cut into the resistance, some pushing past the limited guards and into the line of caravans, seeking targets to net and drag off as prizes.
Usid himself rides casually behind the first wave, eyes scanning the wagon for any signs of a worthy hunt. He gives a few whistles to stop the arrow barrage, ordering the archers to stow their bows and ride in to aid now. He smirks at the resistance, knowing his forces will prevail if this is all the Ignorant Ones have to offer.
Gareth leans against the wagon as arrows pepper the wood, hoping that none of them have the necessary weight to pierce all the way through. Once it's clear the incoming barrage has stopped, he swings out and aims high, immediately noting the guards engaging in melee against... raptor-back riders. Okay, unexpected, but an enemy is an enemy. Steadying his hands, he picks two mounted fighters and fires one pistol after the other.
Sammi could move fast when she needed, wiggling and ducking through the caravans, until she reached the back, and wiggled into where the kids were, snagging a few that were outside along the way "Hey now~" She gives them a smile "There's some scary stuff out there right now, and I want all of you to stay here, and realllly quiet, okay? I'm here now~ and I'm gonna keep you all safe, okay?" She stands up a little straighter "You've read the stories. I'm the silly little girl who nobody takes seriously!" She winks "We all know what happens when they get serious, right?" She takes a breath, and feels a twinge. She knows her own 'rules', and she's pushing at them, but damnit, she'd pay for any costs later. Regardless, she sits at the front of the caravan, and waits, feeling the gazes of little eyes on her back.
Piper lets out a frustrated howl as the second barrage hits the caravan, not so much from the pain, though the two new friends to her four visitors are as unwelcome as the first. She looks out in the direction Sammi had gone as she slips the second leather gauntlet over her free arm. Glaring out the holes in the side of the cart, Piper disregards the damaged property, leaving the cart through that tattered cloth and onto the nearest raptor and it's rider. The creature might not have been built for this new load.
Narrator: Two riders drop as Gareth opens fire, and a third collapses beneath Piper as the mount makes a sharp 'crack' noise, and the rider goes rolling. The second wave of riders is moving towards them now. The rest of that first wave continues towards the other wagons, hooked spears cutting through the wagon canvas in search of the occupants. A few ride straight for the wagon which Sammi is now protecting.
Usid rides towards the Caravans, having seen the battle joined by some rather... interesting fighters. He smiles beneath the skull helm, flexing his claws.
Gareth stows his two pistols after dropping two of the riders, hoping that buys the guards enough of a reprieve as he stoops down draws a wicked-looking dagger from a sheathe strapped just above his boot, as well as his cutlass as he stands back up. Letting the guards deal with the main force, he makes a dash to the side, chasing after the riders actively targeting the wagons.
Piper growls, glancing back along the line, then ahead to the next wagon. "Gareth. Checking on Aelia. Cover." She turns away from the leading wagon, heading for the one that had been trailing hers, letting out a gutteral shout as she raises the forearm-bound Orelan spearheads in front of her. Her sprint is nothing to write home about, but the weight behind the punch thrown in a raider's direction is a different story.
Sammi can hear the riders coming about the wagon, and she looks out, looking back to the children tucked in the back. She gives them another little smile, before taking a breath, and coming out in view. She's got her bag by her side, almost like it's a sheath. She doesn't draw attention to herself for the moment. The story was to use stealth, before anything else, but at the same time...that was for the kids. She needed the raiders to see her before anything else about the raiders.
Narrator: Two of the raiders have cut open the wagon, spear hooking around Aelia's leg and pulling her close enough to get a net over her, along with a few of the other occupants of the wagon she was riding in. The deer seems utterly terrified, in turns sobbing and screaming and unsure what else to do. More are moving towards the center wagon, weapons raised. The ones reaching the wagon where
Usid: the children are held seem to slow, as their mounts protest getting any closer to... something. A darkness lingering at the head of the wagon. They snarl at the mounts, urging them onward.
Gareth only vaguely notices Piper rushing along the wagons with him as he focuses on one of the riders starting to haul someone out of the wagon Aelia was riding in. He slams into the rider, driving the dagger up to its hilt in whatever bit of flesh happens to be in the way, a moment later and he gives a vicious pull, ripping a big gash in his target, mount or rider, since either serves his purpose.
Maximillian and his crew hadn't yet been seen in the whole fray, the four of them pretty nondescript when it comes to caravanners. One might notice that their wagons have no one at them at the moment, all of them seemingly having gone somewhere. From farther up in the caravan, the pained screech of one of the mounts can be heard as it's bowled over by a giant of a bull that stands as tall as beast and rider combined. There's a sickening crack as one of the beast's legs snaps cleaning under the bull's charge. Before the rider can do anything to save itself, a heavy spiked mace weilded by the owlbear impacts the back of the raptor's skull, knocking it senseless if not dead.
Sammi: Then, of course, you try to talk them down. She looks up to the raptors, and their riders, "Please. Stop now, I..don't want this to come to a fight" She's following the story. The small girl asks to stop, but only to spare -them-, rather than herself. She continues to feel those expectations, those hopes in her behind her, as well as the derision, and the disregard for her in front. It was a balance, the more she leant into what
Sammi: was behind her, the more that she could help them, and the more she could try to draw those raiders into telling -her- story.
Piper bears down on those attacking Aelia's wagon, hoping Phoebe is at least doing her part from inside, as she hadn't noticed the wolf outside yet. She lets Gareth get ahead of her, grunting, though in amusement. "Cover you, cover me." Her arms hurl club-like fists at the nearest rider, crushing blows augmented by sharp spear points. "All the same!"
Narrator: On the other flank of the caravan, a larger rider almost falls off its mount, slumping back with a crossbow bolt in its throat followed by another into its chest. The shooter than charges in, a wicked blade finishing off the rider before being plunged into the mount's side to keep it from causing havoc. The skunk then retreats, lost in the crowd once more.
Gareth follows up on his stab with a wide swing of his blade, catching the rider in the small of their back as the mount tries to back away and gain a bit of space. He laughs and grins at Piper for a scant moment as he goes to finish the rider off. "Stick close, stay safe, aye?"
Narrator: The mounts facing Sammi continue to struggle to move forward, sniffing something disdainful, feeling something bad, but the riders urge them forward, drawing weapons towards Sammi, nets raised, "All shall serve for the glory of Yzzayt."
Narrator: The tall hound darts around quickly, doing her best to get those unprepared to fight out of the fray. Nearby her, there are occasional flashes of magical light as hasty shields deflect arrows and projectiles coming for her and those she's herding.
Narrator: The Raptors of the first wave are falling faster than anticipated, with the particularly fierce warriors defending the caravans, but the second wave comes crashing in, with their commander at the fore, these warriors make no pretense of nets, targeting those defenders specifically, with Piper and Maximillian's guards being targeted specifically.
Usid grins, and whips the bridle in his hands, "Heeya!" He rushes his mount forward, straight for Gareth, the wolf out in the open and making a pain of himself. He lowers his spear, driving it forward as, in the rush of the second wave, he swings it into Gareth's legs, spearing the hook into him and dragging him behind his mount.
Piper grins back, sinking the rider's lost spear into the riderless mount's neck, piking it to the ground. "Ay! Clear OWH-" She turns sharply, stepping away from Gareth to tackle a raptor to the ground, the croc not terribly appreciative of the stabbing blow that had thankfully glanced off almost harmlessly. She sinks his chest with a punch and moves on to the next unfortunate target, a few more steps away from the wagon, her attention rather taken for the moment.
Gareth silences the rider's struggles with a swift dagger stab to the neck, before he chases the mount off with a slice across its scaled flank. He's about to turn to face the oncoming second wave when he feels something tug at the hem of his overcoat. Moments later, he staggers and shouts as he's suddenly dragged over and pulled away from the wagons, the sudden jerk making him drop his cutlass. "Agh! You bloody, son of a--!"
Sammi: "No, I don't think so" She takes a breath "You might serve him, but I don't" She puts her hand into her bag "I serve those that can't serve themselves" With that, she reached in, and drew a sword. It was highly ornate, with little filagree over the blade, and pommel, and it even glowed, with a soft golden radiance. It was the sort of sword that any story would have stuck in a stone, or only usuable by the chosen one. "And if you
Sammi: want to get them, you'll have to go through me"
Maximillian and his team spot the new threat quickly, and the four fall back together on the hound, forming a loose wall in front of the defenseless caravanners. He looks to the other three, gives a short series of whistles, and the team rushes into action, all working together in concerted effort to take down the new riders as they come, not letting themselves get flanked if possible.
Narrator: The riders facing Sammi struggle, but at last one urges his mount into action, letting out a battle cry as he drives his spear straight at Sammi, sword or no, he's determined to gut her and take his prize back.
Piper is losing her temper with the constant pokes and hooks. Her tail does almost as much as her fists, driving one, then two riders from their mounts. Each finding themselves with broken bones moments later. She spots Gareth during one of her turns, but has only a moment to shout incomprehensibly after him before she starts backing toward Aelia's wagon again. She doesn't take much care to not step on the legs of a fallen raptor.
Aelia is sobbing as she struggles to get out of the net, doing her best to get underneath the wagon as her attackers are killed in Piper's rampage. The Deer is hyperventilating, reaching into her dress and pulling out a knife that looks and feels so unfamiliar in her hands, she shakily cuts the net and gets into hiding.
Gareth manages to loosen up his coat after getting dragged for a few dozen yards on Usid's spear, then shrugs free of it. Momentum sends him rolling a few times end over end, but he stands back up with a feral snarl clear as day on his face as he turns to face Usid properly.
Sammi: There was a gasp from the back of the wagon as she took the spear full in the chest, a little bit of purple ichor pulling down. She seemed shocked for a moment herself, before taking a breath. She only had to withstand it for a moment, but..the hero doesn't just die like that, there's always a trick...wait! Of course. Sammi grins, and slowly pushes herself back up "Good shot" She brings her sword back to the guard position "And if
Sammi: I had been a mortal creature, that would have meant something" She pushed herself up the spear, and drives forward with the blade, to return the favour "Lets see how well you do" The tricky thing about spears is that if you stab someone, and it doesn't work, it makes you very vulnerable to what comes next!
Usid drags Gareth along until the wolf doffs his overcoat. Feeling the weight fall from his spear, he turns his mount in a tight loop and levels the spear with a grin, "Quick thinking. Good prey, you are." He charges with spear pointed, twisting the point in a flashy bit of cruelty.
Gareth is definitely not in the mood to banter as he stands in place, waiting for Usid to draw closer. The moment he sees Usid drawing back to stab again, he deftly sidesteps and pushes forward, dagger aimed low as he closes the gap. Using the mount's momentum against it, he sinks the dagger deep into its chest before it barrels past him.
Narrator: The Saur who's driving his spear into Sammi has true fear flash across his face before the blade goes in. Behind him, the other rider turns to flee, screaming out prayers and warnings against the darkness as he flees. The rest of the second wave is busy, with Maximillian's forces moving to prevent a flank and fighting alongside the Caravan Guard to take far better than they get, the assault is suddenly on very shakey ground, with well over half the force dead.
Piper manages to get a few seconds to breathe, quickly adjusting the spearhead on her right arm as she calls to the passengers of Aelia's wagon. "Stay down! Out of sight. Am here!" She sidesteps a rushing spear, lifting the raptor with a crunching uppercut. The nice thing about her improvised weapon is she doesn't need to follow up on many blows, as the lifeless body exemplifies when it lands a moment later.
Sammi groans, as she pulls the spear back out, and tossed it aside, she felt that, but for now, there were still little ones that needed her. She starts moving out a little, using the energy she had left, to try and make as much of a difference as she could, her form was shadowy now, just a vague outline of shadows, tentacles, and the glowing sword by herself. The Raptors fleeing from her had cast her as something to fear, something that could, and would, hunt them down. All their warnings would be true, spreading around what she 'was'.
Usid's mount falls forward, roaring in pain as the dagger sinks in and slides down. Usid, though, is far more capable and nimble than the average warrior. Dropping his spear, he pushes up to leap from the mount as it falls. He lands with a surprising bit of dexterity some way away from Gareth. Laughing, he unsheaths his bow, pulling out a strange looking arrow from his quiver. Flicking it against the stone flint upon his side, igniting the arrow, he takes aim for Gareth, launching the arrow at the wolf. "Hah... go Boom."
Gareth 's senses, already sharpened by combat and adrenaline, go into overdrive as he starts to tunnel vision onto Usid. He spots the arrow taking flight and takes a step to the side, probably faster than expected, and begins to stalk towards the small raptor with murder in his eyes despite being unarmed.
Usid only seems more excited as the wolf manages to sidestep the arrow. The explosive powder detonates not far behind Gareth, a loud explosion that surely causes some ringing in the wolves ears. Usid reaches back to pull out another arrow, "Lucky, but I never miss twice."
Gareth 's clothing ripples from the shockwave, and his ears flick on reflex as they indeed start ringing. It's a familiar sensation, though, reminding him of cannons going off on the deck of the Victory North. He makes no response other than to growl as he continues to close the gap at that same determined, fast-walk pace.
Piper is not designed for extended fights, especially ones she was absolutely not prepared to wade into. Breathless from fighting, and the wounds catching up to her, Piper stumbles to a knee for a moment when she moves toward the next advancing group, trying to cut them off from entering the gap between Aelia's cart and the unknown one behind it. She succeeds in getting in the way of the raiders, taking the lead one down in two devastating punches. There are too many for her to take unarmed, though, with her clearly making an effort to remain upright as they barely hesitate. She gives them a toothy grin, glaring in their direction. "Come, little stabbers."
Usid flicks the arrow across the flint, and takes aim. "Worthy prey indeed. Face death with honor." He first once again, dodging this arrow that much harder as Gareth moves closer.
Gareth attempts to sidestep the next arrow, but he doesn't move fast enough this time around. His expression barely changes, even when the arrow finds its mark and detonates, enveloping him in dust and smoke. Any shouts of pain are definitely lost amidst the explosion's report.
Maximillian and the guards have broken the main body of the raiders, enough for the Bairnell guards to handle, anyway. His specialists fan out once again, and before she knows it, Piper has someone even bigger than her at her side. The large bull glances over at her, gives a small nod and a snort, and then focuses on the saurs in front of the pair again, ready for more violence.
Usid laughs as the arrow detonates. He lowers her bow, watching the smoke clear. "Big boom. You'd have made a strong slave, but I give you glory in death instead. Honor to the fallen prey." He glances towards the caravan and snarls in displeasure, seeing the chaos of his own forces. Clicking his claws upon the ground, he prepares to turn his arrows upon his next target. The large
Usid scaled thing shall do, another worth prey.
Sammi: While Usid and Gareth did their thing, the rest of the raptors that were around were..not having a good time, Sammi was targeting any that were fleeing her, a smokey form, only really illuminated by the sword in her hand, any time one of their strikes missed, or seemed to miss (It was hard to tell where the smoke ended, and Sammi began) the effect intensified. Her strikes weren't actually nearly as deadly as might at first appear. Actually taking a life was difficult, and she was still a 'hero', and heroes only kill in the gravest of scenarios....but there would be a lot of raptors gaining a new fear of the dark after this.
Gareth: [As the smoke clears, Gareth is indeed missing from the point of detonation. Of course, an explosion that powerful, he'd have been lucky to leave even a few bits of his extremities around to find.
Piper is left in a shadow for a few moments, glancing twice at the bull that has stepped up to her side. While she's certainly not standing straight, Piper might still not clear this one. Her gaze returns to hesitant attackers who seem less up for vicious challengers than their distant leader. Her attention is taken from them as the crack of a second explosion rings out across the field, eyes darting to the smoke cloud. She has no idea who's involved though as her attention is only momentarily diverted from the immediate threat.
Usid pulls out another explosive arrow, whistling to the remaining forces, his raiders in chaos at the unexpectedly savage defense, and orders them to form up on him. He walks through the smoke where Gareth had been standing only moments before and begins to take aim at Piper, preparing to ignite the arrow. Prisoners be damned, at this point. He'll burn it all down if he has to.
Gareth finds himself unable to see much for a few moments immediately after the explosion, but as he blinks, his vision begins to resolve as though he's stepping out of some extremely thick, dark smoke. He glances around in confusion upon not seeing Usid in front of him, and at the fact that he seems to be displaced several yards to the side. The first thing he sees is Usid's fallen mount, his dagger still buried deep in its neck. He bends down and removes the dagger at the same moment he hears Usid whistling behind him, causing him to turn and continue his (now much more aggressive) approach to the tiny raptor.
Usid hears the sound of a blade being pulled from flesh before he has the chance to ignite the arrow. He turns, spying the form of Gareth... reforming? A shiver runs down his spine as he sees the wolf surrounded in black smoke, charging him through the very same smoke he had just passed through. His eyes go wide. "Im... impossible!" In a panic, he nocks the explosive arrow without
Usid igniting it and fires as fast as his reflexes allow.
Gareth takes the shot right to the shoulder, the momentum only providing a slight hitch to his full-blown charge as his hit shoulder rocks him back.
Usid takes a step backwards as the spirit of retribution comes at him, the arrow failing to explode as he expects, not even stopping this magical entity... "You're dead! You're... You're..." He snarls in frustration, and in a fit of panic... Usid the Swift lives up to his name, the tiny raptor proving to be quite fast when he needs to be.
Maximillian and the rest of the other fighters harry the remaining raiders as they try to fall back to Usid, punishing every pause and every misstep with blood. A murmur among the defenders becomes a rumble and soon becomes a mix of battlecries as they all but force the defenders into a retreat and probable rout.
Narrator: With the savage pressure coming from the caravan defenders, and seeing their commander flee, the remaining raiders, those with mounts, break into full retreat. The rest running on foot as best they can as well away from the failed assault.
Gareth switches the dagger to his good arm and takes a vicious swing, but Usid proves faster as the dagger finds nothing but thin air. He slows to a stop, breathing hard as he watches the little raptor retreating, finally regaining enough of his senses to shout after Usid. "If I see ye again, ye scaly little bastard, ye'll wish ye killed me good and proper." He stares after Usid for several long seconds, then gathers up his dropped gear and starts to make his way back towards the wagons.
Piper blinks as those in front of her and her temporary partner turn and flee, deflating slightly in relief. Her knee bends, the croc huffing for a moment before looking about her. She doesn't see anyone familiar among the bodies circling the wagon, not looking to her own bloodied fists as she shakily stands and approaches the wagon. "Hello? Who is okay?"
Aelia slowly peeks out from beneath the wagon as the sounds of combat seem to have died down. The deer has been clutching the knife in fear, but now manages to emerge. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh... m-my hands are shaking. Wh-what just happened? Gareth? S-Sammi?" She glances around to look for anyone nearby.
Maximillian gathers up his crew, conferring with them around their wagon, also double checking that the large crate wasn't damaged in the fracas. Max stays by the cart while the others fan out, moving to help folks as necessary. The large bull ox begins hefting dead attackers and mounts out of the caravan area while also making sure that they're all truly dead, one way or the other. Soon, a sizeable pile of riders and mounts begins to form as some of the stronger Bairnell guard join in the task.
Sammi was still flitting around, just a vague shadow, and suggestion of tentacles, almost methodically hunting down any that hadn't gotten fully away yet. It..wasn't terribly fun anymore
Piper looks down as she hears a voice from under the wagon. She lets out a grunt of relief, speaking to hopefully pull Aelia's attention away from the scene around them as she leans against the wagon for support. "Mf. Good hiding place. It's safe now, come up. You okay?"
Gareth grunts in acknowledgement as he confirms to the guards he's one of the caravan's defenders and not one of the attackers. He immediately beelines for the back end of the wagon train, searching for Sammi and Aelia both, to ensure they're okay. He quickly spots Piper and Aelia, then quickly shifts his attention to search for Sammi. "Piper, did ye see Sammi anywhere?"
Aelia nods to Piper, knife held against her chest as if it were a safety item. "T-thank you." She glances around, looking for the sea creature, and spotting the tentacled... thing off at the edge of of the perimeter. "Sammi?"
Piper turns at Gareth's voice, noticing his sooty appearance and bloody shoulder. She opts to ignore those for the more important question. "Ay, at the start. Went for the children, to protect. Ah... What is that... Smoke?" She's spotted something strange moving around beyond Gareth.
Gareth looks over towards the smoky figure flitting about, then starts heading towards it as he calls to it. "Sammi? Is that you, lass?"
Narrator: The lanky greyhound comes up to Piper and Aelia, what looks to be some sort of medical bag slung over her shoulder as she eyes them up. "Any injured in your party? Anyone missing? Or worse?"
Piper turns to the hound, glancing toward Gareth. She doesn't turn her back toward the hound as she responds. She glances at Aelia briefly. "One dead in cart. Wolf out there has an arrow in his shoulder. Phoebe isn't around, is she, Aelia?"
Aelia has several scrapes and bruises from being forced out of the wagon, but shakes her head when the hound examines her. She blinks then glances at Piper, "Uh... N-no. She gave me this knife and... must have gone... hunting? W-who can say where she ended up... but I'm sure she'll be back."
Piper hums. "She left before attack? Hope she returns, too."
Sammi could feel the people looking after her, the worry, all people who didn't see her like she was. She groans, as she slows down, and staggers, stumbling, before coming to a shaky halt near the gathered folks "..Ah..I.." She falls down, the sword artfully sticking itself in the ground blade down, the shadows slowly unfurling "That..just..wasn't..very..good" She's amassed a lot of wounds in the meantime. "I..feel tired" The
Sammi spear wound in particular was still oozing..blood? Something anyway
Narrator: The Hound glances to the cart and frowns, then looks the pair over. "All right. I'll swing back around in a few, take a look at the wolf then..." She then nods to the two and departs to speak the residents of the next wagon up the line.
Aelia spots Sammi falling and cries out, "N-no wait! Over here!" She rushes towards Sammi, dropping the knife in the process. She feels sick at all of the death so close, the first time she's ever even seen a single death, let alone this much, but adrenaline and concern for her friend drive her as she moves to her friends side. "S-Sammi! Sammi!? P-please be okay, y-you're the only friend I have right now!"
Sammi: "It's..only..a flesh wound"
Gareth smiles a bit as the smoky figure resolves into the familiar shape of Sammi, only to slowly realize with dawning horror the injuries she's gotten. He rushes up with Aelia, calling over his shoulder at the guards. "Oi! We have someone wounded here! Badly!"
Hannah , the hound, comes rushing back at Aelia's cries and moves up next to the... squid... thing? She starts pulling a few supplies out of her bag and looks at Sammi. "I'm here to help you, all right? She then starts applying bandages over the spear wound and has one of the others there apply pressure while she pulls out cloth to bind it down with. "Keep up the pressure!"
Sammi: "Ah.." She bites her lip as someone who knew medical theory saw her "Really. it's..not bad as it.." She wince, getting cut off from trying to convince people of anything directly. At the very least, her own lack of knowledge of how stab wounds worked was helping here, as applying pressure, and other simple enough techniques would be as effective as would be believable as could be expected "Thanks. You're a great help"
Sammi: "Are all the kids okay?"
Piper watches Aelia run off for Sammi, huffing tiredly as she sits on the step of the wagon, staring down at the blood caking her fists and gauntlets for a long moment before she numbly undoes the leather straps and sets the gauntlets on the floor of the cart. Her elbows rest on her knees, the croc hunched and staring at the trampled grass in front of her.
Hannah is too focused on tending to Sammi's wounds to answer her questions.
Sammi was a decent enough patient, and was able to sit up before long "Ah, don't worry Dearie~ I'm tougher to hurt that I look.." She gives a tight smile "That which doesn't live can never die and all that"
Aelia turns her head as Hannah and Gareth patch Sammi up, her rising sickness finally overcoming the adrenaline, and she turns away to throw up from the sight of the gore, even if it isn't blood. She sniffles, coughing for a moment. She is shaking, but nods back to Sammi. "G-glad you're okay, then. Oh golly..."
Piper doesn't catch Gareth's words at first, a long pause before she looks toward him, then down the line. She gives an empty nod, standing up from the cart and trudging along a few steps before picking up into a jog. She arrives at the cart that Sammi had been protecting, looking over the edge to check on the children.
Hannah nods to Sammi, then turns her attention to Gareth. "All right, let me get a look at you..."
Gareth leans in and gives Sammi a soft hug once she sits up, being gentle just to avoid aggravating her wounds. "Ye'll be fine, lass... ye might just need some rest to recover." He holds the hug for several seconds before pulling back to let Hannah look at the arrow lodged in his shoulder.
Sammi gives a little wiggle happily at the hug, before letting him get tended to "Well. I got a few little scratches, I..um..I think I lost the run of myself there. The raiders got scared, and..well..if you run from the monsters, they always chase you down"
Sammi gives Aelia a wry smile "And, I'm nice, but..I'm..still one of the monsters"
Sammi: The smile wasn't really that happy though, just..trying to be. She didn't like what she was back there.
Aelia shakes her head, tearing up. "N-no. I don't believe that... i-it was... I don't even know. They tried to take m-me! You all risked your lives to save me... to save everyone here! No monster would do that." She glances at Gareth, looking back towards the other caravan guards and Piper assessing the survivors.
Hannah frowns at the arrow and pulls out two pairs of forceps with fine, curved ends. "You look like you know how this goes," she says impassively before inserting the forceps into the edges of the wounds and after stretching it open with the forceps, used them to grasp the arrowhead and slowly pull it out. "Lucky it didn't stick in the bone..."
Piper sees that the children seem to be all well. For a few seconds, her expression remains empty before shifting to the kindest smile she can manage. "Stay here, kids. We'll get you home." She gives them another nod before turning back toward the others, her step a little smoother as a spark of life returns to the croc. The wounds are worth it, for that wagon's passengers. "They're alright. You two?"
Sammi shakes her head "There's...nothing to be ashamed of. It's just..that's what I am, I'm the monster that keeps all the other bad monsters locked up" She gives Aelia a delicate, shakey nudge with a head-tentacle "You need to listen in to more of my story circle. I've covered that bit" She nods a little to Piper "I'm..fine..I..ah.." She winces a little "I'll need to be careful is all" She's worn down, her chipper mood a little beaten for the moment.
Aelia reaches out to take Sammi's hand gently and nods, "I'll be there for the next story, I promise."
Hannah finishes patching up Gareth's shoulder and then walks back to check on the kids in the last wagon, helping to soothe them where she can.
Piper passes the group, walking straight to the wagon she'd been in when this all started. Without much fanfare, the croc crawls in and lays face down with a pained huff. The shallowly-stuck arrows in her back and shoulders rise and fall with her slow, sleepy breathing.
Sammi gives her hand a squeeze "Sure~ The kids have to be the ones allowed to get close, that's how it works" She pauses, and considers the blade that's left stuck in the ground "Though, I've no idea what to do with that now..."
Sammi: "Uh..if anyone feels worthy of it, they're welcome to take it"
Aelia glances at Gareth strangely, then towards the blade, "I... I never even held a weapon in my life before today... s-so it's definitely not me who's worthy of anything..."
Gareth sits quite still during the treatment of his wound, indeed having dealt with worse, even if the treatment is still something of a painful experience. Once the arrow's out, though, he sighs and nods at Hannah as she heads off to tend to the others. Rubbing at his shoulder for a moment, he tests the amount of movement he has, then nods again, satisfied as he directs his attention towards Aelia and Sammi. "Ye were the one wielding it, Sammi... doesn't it just go back into yer bag?"
Sammi: "I.." She looks at it "I..don't know, it's a hero's sword..I ..don't know if I can just put it back. Maybe I can...it's..from a storybook, and the story isn't over. It won't just go back"
Gareth glances towards the sword, then smirks at Sammi. "And yet, only a hero is able to draw it, right? Ye drew it, didn't ye?"
Sammi: "Yeah, but..I don't really feel terribly heroic right now. More, sorta...beaten and bruised"
Aelia swallows. "You all fought to save folks... I just hid. All seems h-heroic to me..." She avoids looking in the direction where she threw up. "But... horrible too. I guess... I get it."
Gareth shrugs a bit. "Even heroes need some time to recover after a fight. Fightin' is rough on everyone, and not everyone has the stomach fer it." He gestures at Sammi, "Ye did what ye thought was right in the moment, and ye saved lives doin' it."
Sammi: "I know..but.." It was mostly the whole shadow wraith phase after that had her shaken. "Well, I don't think we're going anywhere for a bit, so it can stay there. If anyone can take it..well, they'll do something with it, I'm sure"
Aelia nods, still holding Sammi's hand. "C-can't imagine wanting to stay out here tonight... d-don't know how we can push on though... W-we'll be safe though... I uh, think?"
Sammi slowly leans against her "Yeah, hopefully, I think though for now, I'm gonna have a nap" And like that, she was out like a light. Sammi wasn't aware of the concept of needing time to fall asleep...
Gareth looks around at their surroundings, the adrenaline slowly draining away. "We should be safe fer the next couple o' days o' travel, at least. Guards are goin' to be on high alert, and the attackers lost a lot o' troops. We should be in sight o' the town around then." He smiles a bit at Sammi as she quickly falls asleep, "Then... good night, lass, even though yer already sleepin'."
Aelia chuckles nervously at Sammi's sudden sleep, and Gareth's words bring her... little comfort. "D-doubt I'll be able to sleep at all... b-blessing and a curse, that." She slowly releases Sammi's hand and stands up, clutching her hands close to her chest as if defending herself.
Gareth stays sitting on the ground with Sammi as he carefully transfers the sleeping squid-girl over so she's leaning on him. "Well... I might doze off sooner or later, but if I'm awake and ye need someone to chat with once camp's set, feel free to do that."
Aelia nods. "I... I need to go sit down... t-take care of her, alright? I mean... I know you're already... I just... y-yeah."
Gareth nods, smiling kindly at Aelia. "Aye, go and get some rest, lass. I doubt we'll be movin' much farther than where we're at, right now, fer the night."
Aelia gives one last look at Sammi and then at the strange sword before she walks back towards the wagons, feeling a bit empty and sick, and maybe for the first time ever wishing that if she could just go to sleep, she might wake up with this nightmare weeks in the past, though she suspects the memory won't leave her for a long time regardless...
Gareth nods at Aelia as she wanders back towards the wagon, though he quickly redirects his attention to Sammi, sleeping against his leg as he sits on the ground with her. He sighs a little as he looks at the various wounds she'd taken during the fighting and just sort of lightly brushes a hand against her hair-tentacles as she rests, not wanting to disturb her before camp is set up and ready.