Completed [The Bronze Wood] The Road Most Traveled

[Aoren]

The impact of the Drykas man’s skull slamming against his own made Aoren stagger backward. Sparks of white flashed across his vision as his head spun briefly. He was practically knocked off of his feet when his opponent sent a vicious kick to his knees. The young man dropped barely able to catch himself as he struggled to fight the dizziness. Coughing slightly he could tell that his injuries were a bit more severe than he was feeling at the moment. The adrenaline pumping through his system, the drive to stop what to him just seemed utterly wrong was likely the only thing keeping him on his feet.
His whole head was spinning.

It was difficult to draw breath. His vision was blurry but as it cleared he saw the Drykas warrior lumbering toward him with lethal intent. For a moment Aoren looked up into the eyes of his opponent. He was scrambling in his head to get himself together but no matter how much he berated himself, his body simply didn’t want to react as quickly as he willed it to. As the Drykas man loomed over head readying himself to finish the fight while Aoren was vulnerable, the young man’s eyes drifted to the woman who he had risked his life to save.

Aoren spotted her dragging herself toward the both of them. Before he could react she latched herself onto the Drykas man’s legs squeezing them together. Seeing the warrior flail as he was caught by surprise Aoren wasted no time in capitalizing on this opportunity. He pulled himself up as quickly as he was able. His left leg ached from where the warrior had kicked him expertly. Gripping his quarterstaff he rushed forward ignoring the ache in his leg and the throb of his wounds. Aoren brandished his staff jabbing outward with as much strength as he could to knock aside the tulwar that would undoubtedly swing his way. He then spun his quarterstaff in a windmill pattern before planting one foot and jutting outward going in to thrust the butt of his staff into the Drykas warrior’s gut.

Would that be enough to wind him? Would it be enough to have him double over in pain? Aoren didn’t know but he didn’t stay still long enough to find out. Using this opening to its full advantage he pulled his staff back planting it on the ground beside him before rotating his hips. Aoren spun on his right leg bringing up the end of his staff to slam it into the side of the man’s head. Hopefully it was with enough force to knock the man completely off of his feet. Better yet, it would knock the man unconscious. If luck were on his side, and he prayed that Ovek was, he would be successful.

NoteSorry for the very long overdue response!

[Radiant]

OOCAlright, Aoren, I'll be continuing this thread.

Just PM me if I miss something that needs altering.

Roman cursed as he lost his footing, the petching little bitch had managed to sneak onto him and grabbed his leg, what an embarrassing failure for a proud warrior. Nevertheless, gravity took him down, he found himself falling face-first on the hard ground, the man tried to recover by kicking away Lenne. His opponent wouldn't let him though as Aoren unleashed his blunt force strikes upon his body, including his gut, which caused the warrior to bowl over in pain, cursing at them both. Aoren didn't stop there, he continued with a firm blow to his skull, even for a seasoned warrior, a strike to the head was enough to cause his vision to blur, followed by the loss of consciousness. The man then slumped over, knocked out.

"Ha... ha..." Lenne gasped as she scampered away from the outcold man, fumbling to a standing position then held herself close to Aoren, the girl then tugged at his clothes, muttering a thank you and a bow of deep gratitude. She didn't think she would be kidnapped so close to the city of Knights, and of course, she didn't think someone who was not a knight would be the one who saved her. The worst wasn't over yet for Roman said his comrades would be arriving soon, Lenna grabbed at Aoren's cloth again, "W-we should get out of here, now!" The girl urged.

However, Roman let out a pained groan as his body shifted slightly, a trail of crimson trailed from the place where Aoren hit him, the seer must have caused a crack in his skull with that powerful blow, without any medical assistance, the man would definitely die. It should be a good thing, right? He was an enemy after all, he kidnapped innocent souls, he deserved it, but Lenne couldn't help but spare him a pitying glance at this crumpled fallen warrior.

[Aoren]

Aoren stood there looking at the Drykas warrior that he had defeated. The man had put up one hai of a fight. Aoren’s breathing was still elevated. His head ached from where the man had landed a blow. His wounds were still bleeding and if Aoren didn’t get some sort of medical attention soon he knew that there was a strong possibility he could get an infection. That was the least of his worries at the moment though. He took a deep breath though it was no easy task given how much his lungs burned. As the young woman tugged at his shirt he looked at her. She was just about as worse for wear as he was. His cobalt blue eyes scanned her for injuries. He noticed the bruising around her ankle. Ignoring her pleas to leave immediately he lay a hand gently on her shoulder.

“We can’t just leave him.” He cast a glance back at the unconscious man. While Aoren didn’t feel pity for him he did feel a sense of duty. “No man, no matter how great his crime deserves to be just left out in the wilderness to die.”

Aoren could only imagine the sort of fate awaited someone left in this state outside the safety of the city. It certainly wasn’t a pleasant thing to think about. He took a deep breath steadying himself. He was still feeling the edge of the fight he tried to calm himself down. Removing his hand from the woman’s shoulder Aoren knelt next to the man he’d rendered unconscious. He looked up at the woman.

“I don’t know a lot about medicine but I know a few things about basic anatomy.” Aoren looked closely at the man’s skull where he’d struck him with the end of his staff. The Drykas man a streak of blood running down the side of his head. There seemed to be redness and swelling next to it. That came as no surprise considering the amount of force that Aoren had put into the blow. He looked up at the woman.

“It looks like that blow to his head did more damage than I intended.” He stopped himself from reaching out to touch the man’s injury. He wasn’t certain whether he could actually help him or he would do more damage. All Aoren knew was that he couldn’t just leave him there to die. The Drykas man was wrong for trying to kidnap the woman that was now in his company. He was wrong for stealing a life in order to build life. There was no honor in that.

“Is there anything you can do to help?” He looked up at the dark haired woman. He knew that she wouldn’t be eager to aid the man who had almost abducted her. “I know you’re scared. I know you probably don’t want to help this man but if we leave him here we’re no better than him.”

It wasn’t much of a convincing argument but it was all he had. He didn’t know the life the Drykas man had come from. He didn’t know what it was that had driven him to this. All the same, a life was a life in Aoren’s eyes and no life deserved to be abandoned.

[Radiant]

The Drykas man kept groaning and trembling, he likely had a concussion, in which could prove fatal without medical treatment. The girl was about to pull to Aoren away, but stopped when she heard his voice and reluctance to leave, "..." Lenne gave him a half-hearted 'are you crazy?' look, but some semblance of her being empathized with Aoren. Though offended by the man's vile kidnapping act, he was still a human and no one deserved to die abandoned on a road, only for his corpse to be eaten by carrions. Lenne slowly nodded at him, but looked down, whispering just for him to hear, "What if his friends come? We won't have time..." She let him ponder her words for a moment, if he stayed fast to his decision, then Lenne would stride off to gather some herbs in the Woods around them.

About ten chimes later, Lenne came back with common herbs used to staunch off bleeding and cover wounds, easing the pain. The girl was a decent herbalist and Aoren knew the basics of anatomy, if they worked together, they could buy Roman a few bells, after that, he needed a real doctor. "Alright, I'll make an ointment, you uh... uhm... do whatever you can to keep him breathing." Lenne would begin working immediately, procuring a mortal and pestle from her pack. She silently agreed that leaving him would make them no better than him.

After Lenne was done, she would begin cleaning his wounds then apply her yellow-colored ointment on his head, then she would help Aoren in wrapping a bandage around his head, "I'm no doctor, but... I don't think this will be enough in the long run, he'll still die..."

[Aoren]

Aoren could tell that the woman was conflicted. He couldn't blame her. The threat of being ripped away from your family, away from everything you knew was a frightening thought. He smiled lightly when she relented and agreed with him to try and save the Drykas mans life. Aoren was very aware of the possibility that there were more Drykas raiders wandering around the outskirts of the forest. What amazed him was their close proximity to Syliras itself. The fact that they had wandered so near spoke volumes about how desperate their situation must be...or how sinister their intent was.

Turning his attention away from his thoughts on why the raiders were stealing people, Aoren examined the man in front of him. He was barely conscious. There was dark bruising on the side of his head lending credibility to the theory that he had a head injury. Taking a deep breath Aoren drew upon his very limited grasp on the field of medicine. He didn't have much to go on. He knew enough to get some basic anatomy down and how to treat a minor injury on the abdomen. He knew next to nothing about helping with a head injury though. Taking his queues from just what he could observe he gingerly aligned the man's with the direction of his spine.

"He's breathing fairly steadily. I don't think that's going to be a problem." Aoren watched the rise and fall of his adversary turned patient. He glanced up acknowledging the woman's suggestion of an ointment. He watched her limp off noting her injured ankle. If they didn't bind it she would cause further damage to it. That was something to worry about later though. As he waited for the woman to return Aoren was diligent in his observation if the Drykas man. He didn't seem to be getting worse. He wasn't improving either. When she returned he gave her a nod.

"He's not coming around. I don't think he's improving either." Aoren sighed shaking his head. He hated that so much force had been necessary to save the woman. He watched as she crafted her ointment then gently helped her apply it. Aoren tried not to move the man's head too much for fear of causing more damage. When the ointment was completely applied he lay the Drykas man's head back onto the ground softly.

Looking up he listened to the woman with a furrowed brow. He wasn't a physician either. There wasn't a lot he could do beyond what they had already done. It bothered Aoren. He had never killed a man before, inadvertently or not. That wasn't something he wanted on his conscience. As he knelt there observing the man all he could do was hope for the best. Aoren turned his attention to the woman.

"My name is Aoren. Here..." Reaching down he grasped the hem of his shirt tearing off a strip with a grunt. Making a makeshift bandage he extended a hand toward her ankle. "You're hurt too. I need to bind your ankle otherwise it will swell and only grow worse."

Not really waiting for permission he gingerly took her foot in his hands and began the process of bandaging her ankle. Carefully he began wrapping slightly above her ankle then wound around the heel making a figure of eight pattern around the rear of her foot. As he wrapped he was outwardly silent but inside he was reaching out for help. He did not pray often. He did his best to honor the gods by his actions as opposed to simple words but now he knew his actions simply wouldn't be enough.

"Rak'keli. Sacred Sister of Blessed Avalis, I do not often ask for your help. I wonder now if I am worthy of it. I have never been a violent man. What lives I have taken have been only animal in nature and even then I have taken them only to survive. I am reaching out to you now because my skills alone are not enough to do your work. Day after day I live in service to heal the sick in my own way. Right now? I have reached the limits of those skills. Help me, goddess. Please. I don't know what else I can do. " Aoren had no idea whether or not he would be heard. People died from worse every day. There were certainly far more skilled medicine men and women than him. Surely they were far more worthy of Rak'keli's attention than him?

[Radiant]

"I am Lenne..." The girl sheepishly fidgeted with her fingers as her savior introduced himself, Aoren, what a pretty name, as blue as his eyes and soothing presence. The girl then watched as the man tore his shirt, using it as a bandage of some sort, she gave a glance at the wounded kidnapper of a warrior then back to him, nodding silently. The late teenage girl let him took her foot then wrapped it with his 'bandage', which was a torn fabric from his shirt. Lenne then shifted slightly as awkward silence fell over them, only the calm forest winds, chirps of birds, and the groans of Roman filled the area.

Lenne then leaned her body as she put her head beside Aoren's shoulders, seeking comfort in the tall man's presence, the girl wasn't short herself, but Aoren's height just make it so, she absently twirled a strand of her long dark hair, green eyes filled with uncertainty, "I... I know that helping is the right thing t-to do, but uhm... don't you think he's a c-criminal?" Lenne looked up as she stared at his azure pupils, "I-if you are a Knight, I... I think they will k-..." She struggled to say the word, but plowed on, "Kill him, right? T-that's justice, that is the right thing to do, s-so w-why?" The girl stuttered. Part of her mind agreed with Aoren, but of course, some side of her still sought vengeance and the Knight's law would deem this man fitting for the sword.

Lenne would hear about Aoren's answers, then wanted to ask more about him, however... fate had other plans, the sounds of shouting men could be heard along with the thundering hooves of horses, Lenne raised her head as she turned it towards the general direction. Past the tree line, they could see the silhouette of men riding on horsebacks. "T-they are h-here... w-what should we do?!" Lenne was starting to panic, she gripped Aoren's arm with both of her hands like a vice, they both weren't on horseback and from the sounds of it, they were at least four of those men, unless Aoren had some kind of miraculous powers she didn't know of, this would be their end. She gave a final look at Roman, then back to Aoren as she begged him for leadership. The sounds got nearer... and nearer...

Of course, fate's ever whimsical hands played another part, the duo of seer and herbalist could hear another ominous sounds accompanying those men, the terrible heavy sounds of flapping wings, huge wings from how heavy the air shifted above them. As those men approached, they could see that they were, in fact, not chasing after Aoren or Lenne or even Roman, but running away... from something, something enough to make four men and horses ran away with their tail between their legs. Suddenly... *SPURT!* A heavy sound of something spraying from above could be heard, a tick later, a spray of ghastly oozing green liquid splayed over the ground, coating one man and his horse in it. *PSSSH!* What came next would be one of the most ghastly events they ever witnessed, the man and horse's flesh literally melted with the acidic spray, then their bones fell onto the ground in a sickening cracking sound.

A heavy mighty roar echoed in the trees and sky as the shadow of something... large, sinuous, and wide passed over them, it was the infamous monster of Syliras, a Balicani. The horsemen all decided that running away would not solve the problem, one of their leaders, a man named "Bellic", a tall man and expert archer, gave a glance at Aoren, Lenne, and Roman, his eyes widened when he saw his comrade groaning on the ground with a bandage wrapping around his head. He had much to assume about this situation, but priorities first, they got this monster flying over their heads, "You! Hide! Monster! Breath, terrible! Don't run!," his eyes then shifted to Roman, "Protect him..." He spoke in broken Common, driven by the mutual need of fellow humans to protect each other.

He gestured in Pavi then his remaining two comrades, to disembark from their striders then took cover behind the trees, their loyal striders followed closely to each of their riders then also made themselves as small as possible to hide, Bellic then gave 'sssh' gesture to all of them as another roar shook the leaves, the shadow of the Balicani circling above them, prowling, stalking, searching for these amusing preys it found.

[Aoren]

"It's nice to meet you, Lenne." Aoren gave her a kind smile. He found himself turning his attention back to the injured man. The question that stood our most in his mind at that point in time was the dilemma of what to do with him. He listened vaguely to what Lenne had to say. He couldn't deny that the knights would put this man to the sword. The Syliran Order was furious with the horseclans. The desire to seek retribution was strong within the city. They might view this as an opportunity to deal out death and judgement for the incursion onto their lands. It seemed Aoren was faced with a choice. He looked from Lenne to the unconscious man. He silently nodded his head as if acknowledging something.

Aoren reached forward with his right hand revealing the Seers Lily on the back. He lightly placed his hand upon the mans brow. He took a deep breath focusing on his breathing willing himself to empty his mind and open his eyes to a world beyond the world before him. For a moment it seemed as if the whole of time stilled. Syna's radiance shone brighter. The winds sweeping through the trees sang a gentle melody enticing the branches to dance. Every breath slowed until with a blink of his eyes Aoren was no longer surrounded by the world of the Mundane but the realms of the Divine.

Beauty the likes of which could not be described in mortal words unfurled before him. A tapestry of infinite brilliance where every thread told the story of a mortal's life. Separated from his worldly shell, Aoren ventured forth into the never ending weave laid out before him. Countless strands begged him to peer into the depths of their mysteries but as he was physically connected to the man whose thread he searched for in the tangible world the ethereal one which he sought was quickly found.

Years stretched forth before Aoren's eyes though it couldn't have been more than a few breaths. Aoren searched only for a glimpse into the Drykas man's life if only to gain a little insight into who he was. When he had seen all he felt was necessary Aoren pulled himself from the bliss of the Divine Realms where truth rang clearest.

As he roused himself from his trance he took in a deep breath as he pondered what he saw. Blinking a few times he took a steady breath. He looked between the Drykas man and Lenne.

"No man's life can be summed up in the span of a single moment. Justice will be done for the wrongs committed today but death is not the answer. " He removed his hand from the man's brow. "Remember that your life is still your own. Take heart in the fact that you have a home to cherish."

Aoren glanced down at the unconscious man.

"Some of us are not so lucky." Whatever response Lenne might have had to that was lost in the confusion of the next few moments. Aoren immediately went on the defensive. He felt Lenne grasp his arm tightly. He resisted the urge to wince. He was still wounded but he did his best to ignore those injuries. The flying death that was the Balicani had come to visit them. He glanced between Lenne, the Drykas raiders who urged him to protect their comrade and the beast that was bearing down upon them.

Aoren was exhausted.

He was wounded.

He was afraid.

But he would not leave them all to die.

As quickly as he was able he urged Lenne to head for the bushes. He gestured for her to hide. When he was certain she understood he looked between the Drykas man and the impending Balicani. There was no way to safely move him. So Aoren resorted to the only skill he knew that might save them: Reimancy. Weaving his hands together he conjured his Res forming a plan in his mind. He called upon the element most familiar to him, the Air. He commanded his Res to draw in the Air, to attract it and spiral it rapidly he willed his Res into motion.

"Come on beastie, let's see what you've got." Death was staring Aoren in the face and despite himself...Aoren smirked.

Come what may.

[Radiant]

The Balicani's roar sent shivers of terror upon the Drykas men and Lenne, who wouldn't be afraid? Fear was normal, fear kept the human race alive for centuries, but by the Divines name it felt like shyke each time fear decided to rear its ugly head. Bellic, as the leader, kept his composure, driven by his sense of duty to protect his men. The Drykas was stricken by a plague that took a good portion of their population, anymore casualties and he was just making things worse, his conscience as a human being was already screaming at him for taking part in this unjust raid for women and children, this was wrong, but he convinced himself it was necessary to save the Drykas, he would curb down his morals in an attempt to save the horse clans from extinction. However, did the flying serpent above them care about all this? No, it was just a simple predator in the end, it was out for food and hunt, the matters of puny humans didn't mean shyke to it.

Mighty flap of heavy wings kept echoing in the forest as leaves and trees shook under its draft, another guttural low roar as the Balicani peered down the trees with its slitted reptilian eyes, the Drykas would prefer to not fight this foreign monster, the Sea of Grass had glassbeaks and they were dangerous in numbers, but... this beast, this beast could tear a whole group of trained warriors apart by its lonesome. Fate seemed to play its ever mischievous hand as the Balicani suddenly changed its course and dive-bombed into a clearing near the group, landing its sinuous body. It must have decided to root out the hiding two-legged creatures, with its keen sense of smell, the Balicani located the humans then reared its neck as a heavy choking sound could be heard.

"Watch ouuuuut!!" Bellic suddenly leaped from his hiding spot and time seemed to slow down as the Balicani launched its terrible acidic venom from its gaping way, the ooze traveled fast to the humans, heading to tree where Bellic hid. All of the Drykas raiders scurried away as the acid literally melted the bark, causing the tree to fall down like timber, thankfully, Roman was not in its way, Lenne was frozen in place, in a dilemma whether to run or stay. When - if - they managed to defeat this beast, what stopped the Drykas from kidnapping her and Aoren next? It would be all for naught, but if she ran, the beast would see her as an easy meal. Granted, these warriors could buy her some time, but she didn't want to take that risk.

Bellic nodded to his comrades, also to Aoren, one simple nod that meant 'Enough!', he was tired of fleeing, no more running, they would show this serpent about Drykas' might! With a swift commands in Pavi, two warriors spread as they prepared their bows, while Bellic stayed with Aoren, "Magic? Good, useful, help us." Bellic spoke in broken Common, they would need everything to defeat this monster or at least, intimidate it to leave them in peace. With a warcry, Bellic raised his bow, aimed an arrow, and loosed it against the Balicani. *THUNK* It landed square on one of its horns, but the powerful bone deflected it, Bellic cursed as he commanded in Pavi then back to Common for Aoren, "Horn, Hard, Hit eye, neck!"

Three more arrows sang through the air, catching its wing membranes and body, the Balicani roared in anger as it reared its head once more, this time facing its head at the man with air swirling around him, and then... *SPURT!* Another bile of thick acidic venom launched from his jaw. And thus, the battle had begun.

[Aoren]

Aoren was concentrating on getting the Air he was attracting with his Res to pick up as much speed as possible. If he wasn’t careful the maneuver that he had in mind could wind up being more harmful than helpful but it was worth a shot. At the moment the beast seemed interested in the other prey around the field. The Drykas raiders were huddled behind trees, ducking for cover or spreading out to make themselves less obvious targets. It was giving Aoren the time he needed to gather the power behind his spell. He split the Res in front of him into two separate spheres directing the flow of Air to collect around the sphere in his right hand. Mindful of the events transpiring around him he quickly envisioned a spear willing the sphere in his right hand to assume that shape. The Res rippled before taking on the shape of a rudimentary spear that hovered slightly above Aoren’s upturned palm.

In his other hand Aoren envisioned a raging inferno. He divided the Res in his left hand into two separate layers then felt the outer most layer heat up before igniting into azure flame. His spell was almost ready. It was then that the Balicani swept down landing in the clearing spraying a tree with its acidic sludge. Aoren’s heart was pounding in his chest. For a moment all he could see was himself being doused in that volatile liquid. He could see his flesh melting. He could imagine the agony of being boiled alive and reduced to a puddle of noxious ooze like the raider who met that very fate not moments before.

Aoren shook his head, snapping himself out of his dread. He needed to work quicker. It had only been a few seconds before he made eye contact with the apparent leader of the raiders.

He read the man’s signal loud and clear. The Drykas were going to help. He only hoped that their help would be enough. Nevertheless their actions would go him enough time to finish the weaving of Djed needed to complete his spell. He was almost there. The winds had picked up around Aoren. The air spinning rapidly around the spear in his right hand was simply aching to be released. The fire whipping out from the fireball in his right hand was causing Aoren to perspire. Or perhaps that was the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach?

He ignored that feeling. It was then that the Drykas men sprang into action. Aoren glanced at Lenne who was still rooted in place beside him. She was standing frozen with fear. He could read it on her face. He couldn’t blame her. Parents told their children stories of this monstrous creature to get them to behave. It was a thing of nightmares. If they survived this encounter, Aoren would be happy never to see another one in his entire life.

The leader of the Drykas along with another one of his companions darted forward drawing their respective weapons. It was now or never, that much was clear. The leader took his place next to Aoren. Maybe Aoren wasn’t a Drykas by way of how he lived. Maybe he had never been to the southern lands of Cryphrus where roamed the Striders of his people. He was however, a Drykas at heart. Maybe that was all that mattered right then. The next few moments would see whether or not those imagined ties to his father’s people would hold true. As the great beast swung its head around, angered by the arrow that failed to pierce its horn, Aoren took a deep breath. He widened his stance. He planted his feet and he sprang into action.

“Brace yourself.” Those were the only words he spoke. Whether or not the Drykas man standing next to him understood them, he could only hope he did. The gurgling choke signaling the release of the acid was all the warning Aoren needed. He yelled loudly and with a mighty thrust launched the Air Spear directly into the line of fire aimed at the Balicani’s open maw. Aoren then spun on his heel hurling the fireball to follow behind the spear in rapid succession.

If all panned out as he planned, the Air Spear would rip through the stream of acid splitting it down the middle. That would divide the stream causing it to divert outward and away from himself, Lenne and the Drykas leader who stood next to him. Not to mention that as it sliced through the acid, if the Balicani didn’t move swiftly it would be met with the full strength of gale force winds straight to the jaw. Failing that the fireball might just have been hot enough to evaporate the acid and would most certainly slam into the Balicani burning it.

Aoren watched his two spells rocket forth. He could only hope this risky maneuver paid off.

[Radiant]

Bellic moved away from Aoren, took a spot, then aimed another arrow as The Seer Reimancer launched his two spells of air and fire, the spear of wind and sphere of fire blazing fast to the guant winged-serpent monster. As the spear clashed with the Balicani's green acid, the mighty wind tore through the ooze then shot straight to its open maw, causing the great serpent to hack and cough in pain, its scales were tough as iron, but the inside of its throat was another matter, Aoren's wind spear would surely tear a wound in its oral cavity. The Acid spray was divided in two as it splashed on the tree barks on both of Aoren's sides, causing the two trees to fall like timbers, but thankfully, no one was hurt, but if they noticed, Roman's life expectancy was gradually waning with each passing tick.

The Balicani was stunned as its head hunched down, giving time for the fireball to slam into its horns... its oily horns, the inflammable substance coating it began to catch fire, causing the Balicani to roar in panic. As with most wild animals, it feared fire and getting one's horns on fire was definitely a terrifying even for any sentient creature that was not an Azenth. The giant serpent then roared as it went berserk, desperately trying to extinguish the flames on its horns, in its adrenaline-fueled fury, the Balicani purely acted on a whim as it charged towards the party, horns blazing. "?!" Roman didn't have time to issue a retreating command from the approaching monster, but he hoped all of them would be sensible enough to dodge.

Lenne snapped out of her trance as she moved out of the way, Roman was back so he should be safe... for now, Bellic jumped out of the way followed by a companion of his, however... the last Drykas moved too late as the flaming horn slashes his waist, causing a deep gash wound, he screamed in pain. The Balicani's charge was stopped by the trees, leaves and pieces of bark flying everywhere. Then something seemed to flash in the reptile's slitted pupils, in its limited intelligence, it knew that this cursed flames were afraid of the cool liquid it used to drink, water, and so, The Balicani opened his wings wide then quickly flew up, charging straight into the nearby Avitar River. A terrifying roar of panic was the last sign of its presence.

.........

.....

...

It was done... by the combined efforts of Seer Reimancer and Drykas, they managed to drive off the nightmarish monster, but now... they had two men in critical condition, Roman was still groaning due to his head injury and, "No! Narak!" Bellic ran to the injured Drykas archer, he was bleeding all over the place from his deep wound, without any kind of competent help, he would surely die, Bellic knew of it. "No... no no no!" The Drykas leader shouted in vain as he bent down to hold Narak's trembling hands, "Help! Help!" He shouted in broken Common, he was an expert rider and archer, but not a doctor, in times like this, he cursed his inability to treat the wounded. He looked back to his remaining healthy comrade, Aoren, then Lenne, a look of begging on his normally proud warrior features.