Sent: 1/10/99

(13.7-13.8)

The soldier opposite Storm attacks the Dwarf with his sword, which connects with Storm. He flinches, but stands his ground: this warrior will not give in that easily! (2 hp damage). The hit, however, infuriates Storm, who in one swift movement unleashes the sword from his back and skillfully attacks his opponent. He strikes the man hard--so hard, fact, that the man falls, screaming briefly in pain before letting out a pathetic last breath. Storm howls a blood-curdling war cry before moving on to the next nearest enemy soldier: the strongest/wisest man, who had just leaped the stone wall. Catching him before he could secure his footing, Storm lands a solid hit on the man, who grinds his teeth in pain, but does not fall.

In the meantime, the enemy attacking Guilliam swings his sword around for an attack, slicing the bard's arms at the surface (1 hp damage). The young entertainer recoils in pain, but controls himself, calling out: "Fools! Do you recognize me! I just waltzed into your mill, burnt it down and walked away with your prisoner. I'll only be truly contented when I piss on your fallen bodies though. Come on! I'm the leader of this party! Take me out and you'll be a hero!" He then moves forward, attacking the man who just wounded him, and plants his scourge deeply in the man's abdomen. The soldier screams in pain, the blood visibly seeping out of the lacerations and staining his tunic and armor.

The second soldier to jump the wall prompty attacks Crayne with his sword, catching the mage's arm. (2 hp damage) Crayne reaches for the wound, which is painful but does not slow him down.

Meanwhile, the third soldier who had been approaching also leaps over the wall, this one going after Cy. Still armed with his bow, Cy manages to deflect the attack by taking the end of his bow and pushing the man back so that his sword misses Cy's body completely. As the man is stumbling, Cy takes quick aim at Crayne's opponent, launching a war arrow which hits its target right on. He then takes another quick shot at Guilliam's opponent, whom he hits as well. Cy then drops the bow, reaching for his sword, and prepares for close combat.

Crayne then leaps over the wall and moves toward the four men whom he struck unconcious with his Color Spray spell. Kneel at their sides, he removes his knife and begins to slit their throats. He manages to slit two throats before he looks up to see three of the men who had been hit by Cy's arrows escaping the mill rise from the grass and begin to head in his direction...

Edryd, still casting his healing spell on Canter, sees Crayne's actions on the other side of the wall, and turns his head to call to the mage to stop, but he then sees Crayne rise, looking at the approaching enemy soldiers. Turning back to his spell, Edryd tries his hardest to continue the healing so that he may join the fight.

(13.9)

Then, the front door to the house opens, and from it emerges the runner, accompanied by a tall, gruff man from inside. They take a moment to adjust their eyes to the darker light of the night and then survey the scene...

As they are appraising the situation, Guilliam's opponent presses his attack. Guilliam manages to jump aside, and the soldier's sword instead strikes a stone, sending sparks into the grass.

Cy's opponenent, now reassured of his balance and footing, attacks the armorer archer. He swings his sword hard, but Cy is prepared for the attack, and parries well, meeting the enemy's sword in the air with a loud, audible "clang."

At the same time, the enemy soldier attacking Storm continues his assault. He, too, is unsuccessful at hitting his target; Storm jumps aside escaping the attack, while managing to spit in the soldier's direction.

Meanwhile, after being severely hit by Cy's war arrow, the enemy attacking Crayne begins to retreat toward the house, holding the arrow in his chest and crying in pain.

Cy, taking the offensive against his opponent, swings his mighty sword, hitting the man's shoulder in a well, placed hit. The man grunts with the impact, looking briefly at the wound, but does not fall.

Storm also attacks his attacker with his swords, but, frustratingly, neither of his blades find their mark. Though maintaining complete control of his focused rage, Storm quickly brings the errant swords back into a defensive position, anticipating his foe's next attack.

Seeing the men rise from the grass, Crayne narrows his eyes and begins to intone the mysterious words of arcane magic. Within seconds rays of flames shoot forth from the mage's hands, which strike the three approaching men. Two fall immediately, the pain of the arrow wounds and flames overwhelming their bodies. The third screams in pain, falling to his knees, attempting to smother the flames before they consume him, too.

Guilliam tries again to hit his opponent after dodging the last attack. But the soldier, too, is light on his feet, and manages to avoid the bard's attack. He narrows his eyes and bores into the bard, who, in response, simply narrows his and stares back in defiance. "You will not frighten me away!" But then the enemy begins to backpedal, trying to reach the wall and moving toward the safety of the house.

Cy's opponent, in the meantime, attacks again. This time, the attack is successful, hitting Cy hard (5 hp damage). Cy lets out a quick gasp in pain but then just as quickly supresses it, clenching his teeth and pressing on with the battle, reminding himself of its importance and the importance of their victory.

Storm's opponent, too, attempts another attack, but unlike his comrade, fails at the task: Storm manages to block the sword with his own, the familiar sound of swords in battle piercing the night.

The men at the house, in the meantime, are joined by another man from inside, and begin to move in the direction of the battle. Though still a ways off, Guilliam (aided by the fact that his opponent is retreating) steals a quick look. He announces: "There are more coming, but it's not the mage or Mazen! They must still be inside!"

The next round is round 14.0.

Sent: 1/11/99

With the grass stained by blood and the cool night's silence pierced by the loud clang of metal swords and moans of pain, the battle continues.

(14.0)

Guilliam quickly hops the wall, moving toward Crayne. He horsely whispers to his companion, "Shall we kill for the sake of death? These men are not necesarily evil, just misguided. What you do is a heavy weight to burden your conscience with!" But despite his slight disappointment, the bard holds a defensive position, guarding the wounded mage, who begins to retreat toward the stone wall and the lightly wooded area beyond, armed with his bloody knife.

Meanwhile, behind the stone wall, Edryd begins the final words of his prayer for healing. The words are flying out of his mouth faster than he knows how to pray, but does not stop to question. He focuses on Canter's weakened body in his efforts to channel the healing power of Anhur. Canter wraps his fingers around the handle of a sword, preparing for the soonest moment when he may, all healed, join in the battle to aid the comrades who have risked their lives for the sake of his.

At the same time, close by, Storm presses his attack on his opponent, wildly swinging his long sword and bastard sword at the "strongest/wisest." In a fantastic maneuver, first the bastard sword hits, then the long sword, spraying blood on the rocks and slicing deeply into the soldier, who screams in pain (but still does not fall).

Cy, too, attacks the enemy soldier with whom he has been dueling. He scores an excellent hit, driving his sword skillfully into the man's stomach. As he removes the sword, the man's lifeless body falls to the ground. Cy quickly grabs his bow from the place it was resting near the stone wall, and aims at the men moving toward them from the house. His first shot misses, but his second hits one of the men, who winces in pain, but continues moving, sword drawn.

Suddenly, the enemy soldier who had been extinguishing his flaming clothes charges at the retreating Crayne. He attack, however, is met by Guilliam, who manages to halt the man's momentum, but is sliced by the man's blade at the same time (3 hp damage). Guilliam lets out an audible "hmf!" with the impact, and gives a quick glance over his shoulder at Edryd and Canter in a silent plea for assistance.

Meanwhile, Storm's adversary, visibly weakened, continues in what becomes a futile attack. Slowed by his open and bleeding wounds, he attacks Storm quickly, swinging his sword at the agile Dwarf. He fails at two attempts.

Still, the three men continue moving away from the house in the direction of the melee, and then the door of the house opens again, this time allowing three more figures to step out. Crayne, whose attention was drawn by the light from the open door, glances over his shoulder during his careful retreat. "That's the mage!" He screams loudly. Cy concurs, "and the leader from the woods." Then Guilliam chimes in: "And Mazen!!"

The man whom Guilliam called Mazen then responds in a gruff, booming voice. His body is obscured by the light from inside behind him, but the voice is unmistakable. "So it is me you are looking for!" He lets out a long drawn laugh. "It doesn't look like you've gotten too close!" After a brief look around, he orders to his men (those still fighting) "kill them all! Pursue any retreat!!"

(14.1)

Crayne continues his retreat, shouting, "Right! I think we've done what we came for! Lets get out of here! Be careful though, never relax your guard for there may be more about than you think!" Hopping over the wall under the cover of Guilliam, he begins to move toward the lightly wooded area beyond, as directed by Cy, who says after his arrow shots "take cover over there!" while pointing with the bow.

Guilliam, in the meantime, is under attack from the burnt but attacking soldier. He does his best jumping aside at the man attacks, and is thankful when over the wall leaps Canter, who appears still bruised, but much stronger. "Go!" Canter yells to Guilliam, who turns and runs, leaping over the wall. Canter, meanwhile, attacks the soldier, landing a good blow with Storm's sword. The man stumbles, but does not fall, instead backpedaling toward his leaders.

Storm, fed up with his adversary, swings his swords in a large arc, culminating in a strong slice at the man's neck. The soldier simply slumps to the ground, spurting blood on Storm's shoes, in a heap of dead flesh.

Edryd, in the meantime, grabs his weapon and jumps to his feet. He takes a defensive posture, covering Crayne's retreat until he is a safe distance from the battle area.

Cy, still armed with the bow and prepared to fire, takes aim on the mage in the doorway. He takes two shots, both of which hit their target. The mage flinches in pain, bending over to reach for the wounds which are on his thigh.

Then the first group of enemy soldier who emerged from the house reach the group. The runner with them moves quickly to Edryd, swinging his sword. Already in a defense stance, Edryd steps aside, pushing the charging enemy aside with ease.

The first of the fighters from the house approaches Cy. He swings his sword, but his blow is deflected by Cy, who manages to catch the man's arm with his bow.

The other fighter attacks Storm. His attack, however, scores a hit; the blade manages to catch the Dwarf's lower arm. Storm doesn't let out a scream, but Crayne and Guilliam, having retreated and watching the scene, can see the pain in Storm's face. (6 hp damage)

The Leader, the Mage, and Mazen then begin to walk calmly from the doorway (though the Mage limps slightly from his arrow wounds). Mazen turns his head to speak to the mage, but his words are too quiet to hear over the sounds of the battle.

OF THE PARTY:

CRAYNE is in the lightly wooded area beyond the wall, partially hidden behind a tree.

GUILLIAM is with Crayne in the woods, watching the battle.

STORM, having just nearly decapatated one enemy, is now being attacked by another.

CANTER, having been healed (not to 100%, but enough to fight), is now fending off Guilliam's opponent, who has just turned to retreat.

EDRYD, who completed his spell, has covered Crayne's retreat and is now being attacked by the runner from the house.

CY is still armed with his bow, but is being attacked by one of the fighters from the house.

OF THE ENEMY:

-The three guards are still tied to the tree unconscious.

-One enemy soldier, after being hit by Canter, is retreating to the house, where two others are presumably taking cover and tending to their wounds.

-Of the three who first emerged from the house (one of whom was the runner from the mill), one is attacking Edryd, another Cy, and the third Storm.

-The Mage, the Leader, and Mazen are calmy walking toward the fray.

WHAT DO YOU DO? Edryd, Storm, and Cy are actively being attacked. Crayne and Guilliam have safely retreated. And Canter stands without an opponent nearby. Do you continue to fight or withdraw and regroup? Mazen has ordered you tracked and killed, will you try to take him out or hide and return later?

HP STATUS:

Canter: 12, Storm: 7, Edryd: 10, Guilliam: 5, Crayne: 4, Cyveiliog: 19.

The next round is 14.2.

Sent: 1/14/99

(14.2)

While squaring off against his opponent, Cy executes a brutal maneuver: grabbing his opponent's sword arm, he smashes it against his own armored thigh. The soldier screams in pain, clutching his broken arm, and begins to backpedal, dropping his sword on the way. But Cy wastes no time. He quickly grabs his bow and aims at the Mage, who appears to be preparing to cast a spell. He launches two arrows, both of which leave the bow with a shriek as they cut through the air with speed. And both of them hit their target. The Mage reels backward with the impacts, letting out a roar of frustration, his concentration broken.

Crayne, standing in his position in the trees, calls out to the group: "It is time to retreat! We must quickly get out of here! The odds are getting out of hand!" The weakened mage shouts out, "Come on! Lets go! Lets go!"

Guilliam, who had been watching the battle from nearby to Crayne (and was only half listening as Crayne explained his motivations for slitting the throats of two of the soldiers), seems to block out Crayne's call for retreat completely. Instead, he comes running out of the woods, flailing his arms about in apparent joy. "Victory is upon us! The Knights have arrived! Victory is upon us! The Knights of Rinder have arrived! Mazen has been caught in our trap! Long Live Rinder! Long Live Rinder!" As he yells, he rushes to Storm's side and attacks the soldier opposite the dwarf, though the soldier manages to jump aside, avoiding the sharp edges of Guilliam's scourge.

The message, however, seemed to have some effect: both the man with the broken arm, and the leader from the ambush in the woods (now standing beside Mazen), begin to retreat to the house. Mazen, however, stands his ground.

Meanwhile, Storm, too, lashes out at his opponent, after a disguised call for assistance. With a toothy smile, he swings his swords at the soldier. Though the first attempt fails, he does manage to strike the man on a second try, and the man stumbles backwards from the impact.

Edryd, at the same time, calls out, "Go..., go-go-GO! Get Canter clear!!!" in an effort to speed the withdrawl. He then begins to mumble under his breath, perhaps a prayer for his god's assistance. He attacks his opponent, striking the man twice in brutal blows which send the soldier reeling.

Canter, arriving at Edryd's side, tells his comrade: "You helped save me, and I will not let you die without the chance to return the favor! I'm alright! I can fight!" With that, he swings Storm's lended sword at the same soldier Edryd was attacking, finishing him off with one brutal blow. Edryd's eyebrows rise, "my, Canter, I must have healed you better than I thought! Anhur be praised!" Canter winks as his religious friend, but quickly moves in Storm's direction, attacking the dwarf's foe and landing a hit on that soldier.

Stumbling from Storm's attacks and having just been hit by Canter, the soldier gives a quick look around. An air of desparation comes across his face, seeing Storm, Guilliam and Canter in front of him. Recognizing that his escape is unlikely, the man jumps forward again, attempting to fight his way free. He strikes first at Guilliam, judging him to be the weakest, but the bard, agile as ever, jumps aside effortlessly. The man recovers, though, and with a sideswipe manages to hit Storm with his sword, slicing the dwarf's skin (2 hp damage).

The Mage begins to move his arms again, apparently beginning to cast a new spell. He fixes his eyes on Cy.

Meanwhile, the broken-armed enemy is retreating toward the house, both in pain from his new injury and fear of the Knights of Rinder. The "Leader," too is retreating, but Mazen calls out to him: "You coward! Stay and fight!" Then, turning to the party, Mazen calls out into the night: "You have come for me! I know what you're after! You may scare away those stupid boys with your fire tricks and your deception, but you won't scare me! If it's me you want, you're going to have to fight me first! I will not bow to your petty tricks. Are none of you warrior enough to attack me?!"

(14.3)

Though Mazen's words echo through the night, much of the party are still occupied by closer and more pressing foes. Guilliam, Storm, and Canter all face off against one soldier, and launch their attacks on the man, who is still fighting despite the three-to-one odds.

First Guilliam lunges at him with his scourge. But the soldier manages to parry the attack, intercepting the scourge with his sword. He then spinds around, just in time to block Storm's swords as the dwarf closes in for the kill. But, as they say, the third time is the charm; as the soldier blocks Storm's attack, Catner siezes the chance, driving his sword into the man's upper back. The man screams briefly in pain, then slumps to the ground below, his eyes wide open with death.

Meanwhile, Cy, still armed with his bow, realizes that the mage's forthcoming spell is directed directly at him. In a rage, perhaps of fury, perhaps of desparation, maybe even of heroism, he lets fly two more war arrows from his bow. They fly straight at true, striking the mage fast and hard. The mage recoils with the first impact, but cannot recover from the second one and falls slowly to the ground, spitting blood into the grass. Within seconds he is dead in the grass.

Crayne, watching from his position in the woods, lets out a hollar of pure joy, seeing their greatest threat (in the magical sense, at least) eliminated. Taking the opportunity while in a good defensive position, Crayne looks to his wounds, ripping a piece of cloth from his sleeve to bandage his wound and stop his own bleeding. He also gets a good look at the battlefield: A smile begins to shine on his face as he realizes that the Leader and Mazen are the only enemies still remaining (though there are some who retreated, still in the house). The smile disappears, however, when he notices two soldiers who had been knocked out by his Color Spray spell begin to rise, wiping their eyes. (If you recall, the spell originally affected four soldier, and Crayne slit the throats of two, leaving two in the grass.)

Edryd, meanwhile, slowly walks in the direction of the house and Mazen. Standing as straight as he can, and in a bellowing and echoing voice, he addresses Mazen: "Mazen! We are, indeed, here for you. You have committed great atrocities against the Kingdom of Rinder, the innocent people of Rinder, and, by working in league with Orcs, against all men. We must take you back to Rinder with us.

"If you choose, you can come with us now. We will kill you if we must, but by Anhur your reign of terror will end tonight! Do you surrender?!"

There is silence for a moment, and all eyes turn to Edryd, then to Mazen, standing in the middle of the yard. Surrounded by dead and dying bodies, the stench of blood and fire and sweat all around, the tall man grips his broad sword tightly. After a pregnant pause, he replies: "The great Mazen will never surrender."

OF THE PARTY:

Edryd is positioned closest to Mazen, though not within immediate striking distance. Cy, still holding his bow--an arrow cocked--is standing just behind the wall at the ready. Guilliam, Storm and Canter are on the "enemy" side of the wall, standing over their last foe's dead body, perhaps ten yards behind Edryd. Crayne is the farthest, just within the treeline beyond the wall, tending to his wounds.

Canter: 12, Storm: 7, Edryd: 10, Guilliam: 2, Crayne: 4, and Cy: 19.

OF THE ENEMY:

The two dazed soldiers recovering from Crayne's Color Spray spell are between Guilliam/Storm/Canter's position and the wall. They are sitting up, but not standing, their weapons out of reach, but nearby in the grass, watching the scene. The Leader is slowly backpedaling behind Mazen, scared by the "imminent arrival" of the Knights of Rinder (as announced by Guilliam) but not wanting to desert his leader. Mazen stands in the open, his broad sword ready. There are at least three, perhaps four, retreated enemy soldiers in the house, all wounded to some extent.

WHAT DO YOU DO NOW?

Sent: 1/17/99

(14.4)

As the ultimate battle with Mazen is about to begin, there is an eerie sense of stillness in the night air, like the calm before the storm. For many of the party, this has been the most difficult, and is the most important, battle of their lives.

Cy begins shouting orders: "Guillium! Kick those weapons away! Those me must nay join the fray!" He then looses an arrow into Mazen, the arrow flies fast, cutting through the air, but misses its target, flying a hair too high. Cy shouts to Mazen, "Come ahead! Only a coward leads his men from the safety of a house!" He then looses another arrow into Mazen, this one hitting the infamous soldier, slicing into the surface of the man's skin. "Fight him warriors! For the downtrodden of Rinder, this man must die!"

Edryd lofts his sword and calls Canter and Storm to his side, expecting Cy to loose a couple of arrows before joining the melee, and begins to speak to Mazen as the scum approaches. "It is a multitude of blades you face, and the wrath of Anhur comes against you now. You see yourself strong, but I see true. I see the weakness of your character that would incite you to harm others. I see the weakness of your spirit that would allow you to ally with Orcs, the children of Hell, because only the most twisted of men would have you. I see that you do not fight with an even hand and a steady mind, for you have stepped off the path of reality and truth and have turned your mind to your own perceptions. You have lost yourself, barely a fleeting form in a broken and clouded mirror. You have convinced yourself that right is left, that day is night, that evil is good. When you should feint you will charge, when you should parry you will thrust, and you will find your lifeblood watering the ground at our feet."

Edryd maintains an even steady tone, then gives a slight nod to Cy before moving in to attack Mazen. His attack is preceded by a quiet prayer, at perhaps the prayer was heard: Edryd's attack is successful, his sword striking his foe, drawing blood. Mazen grunts with the impact but shows not signs of pain. Edryd tries another attack, but finds it blocked by Mazen's sword.

Canter, moving alongside Edryd, also attacks with his sword. His first attempt is blocked, too, but he manages a second, this one driving deep into Mazen's side. Mazen growls with the hit, getting angrier. There is fire in his eyes, and it looks as if he's about to attack Canter when from behind, with a loud, blood-curdling scream, Storm leaps onto the man's back, driving his dagger deep into the man's upper body. Mazen arches his back, attempting to throw the dwarf. He does, and Storm stumbles to the grass, regaining his balance; the damage done. Mazen yells, his voice horse with combat, to his sidekick, who is standing by the door, spellbound by this massive assault on his revered leader. "What do you think you're doing?! Fight them! Fight them!"

Meanwhile, Crayne looks over the battlefield with a suspectful air. He squints his eyes, trying to discern the legitimacy of the images before him. The yard in front of the house is illuminated by the light from the open door and the tall, high flames from the burning mill, so that Crayne can determine to the best of his ability that the image of the dead Mage's body lying in the grass is, indeed, a true one. Crayne then looks up to the window on the second story of the tower. Though the candle is still burning, he sees no other shadows moving about. His attention is then directed to the grass beside him, as the movement of the two disoriented soldiers commands him to attend to them, just as Cy's direction compells him to attend to them. "Now friends! I suggest you stand up and put you hands to your head. For otherwise I will be reduced to knocking you unconscious again. It is your choice!" Crayne smiles and holds his staff slightly above the ground with the crafted shooting star pointed towards them.

Guilliam, steadying himself after dropping to his knees, struggles to join Crayne in guarding the two soldiers. The bard is obviously very weakened. His knees shake and his face is white. "Do no more than rub your eyes" he says to the recovering men, "else your death will come swiftly." Looking up, Guilliam is happy to see Crayne at his side.

Mazen then takes the offensive, finishing his (desparate) commands to the Leader (from the woods). He swings his sword hard, slicing Edryd's arm. Though the wound immediately begins to bleed, Edryd hardly seems to notice it. (2 hp damage) Then, in the same movement, Mazen's sword comes down on Canter's shoulder, striking the figher hard. Canter lets out an "oof!" with the impact, but does not fall. (3 hp damage)

The Leader, seeing that the Knights of Rinder have not yet arrived, begins to move toward the action, more sure of himself. He goes straight for Storm, who is closest to him. He attacks right away, but the dwarf, uncharacteristically agile for his race, manages to dodge the attack.

(14.5)

Cy, seeing that the melee has begun, and not wanting to accidentally launch an arrow into one of his own party, drops his bow, charging into the fray at what he deems the best possible angle. His sword is met by Mazen's, but he is not fazed. Heroically, and in a move practiced in many such scenes, Cydisentagles his sword and attacks again, this time landing a crushing blow on the Orc-allied scum. Mazen lets out an "Arrr!" as Cy's sword stikes him, opening up a sizable wound.

Storm, after dodging an attack by the Leader, gladly engages this new foe. He swings his swords intimidatingly, hitting the soldier hard. The man is physically moved by the impact, though remains standing, still in the game.

Edryd, then, attacks Mazen with his trusted sword. He hits Mazen well, on the upper thigh just where the armor ends. Mazen lets out a screech of pain, his bloodshot eyes opening wide.

Canter then moves in for the attack, but find his blade met in mid air by Mazen's, who calls out, "you will never defeat me!"

Mazen then turns on Cy, eager for revenge. His blade strikes the warrior, drawing blood, but not removing Cy from the battle. Cy grinds his teeth, numbing the pain. (4 hp damage) Mazen then turns on Edryd, but the Paladin jumps aside, avoiding the blood-stained blade.

Meanwhile, the Leader attacks Storm, this time scoring a solid hit. Storm reels in pain, the images and stars spinning around him. (6 hp damage) The Leader attempts another attack, and Storm swats at the sword with his own, barely stopping it from reaching his person.

The two men by Guilliam and Crayne begin to move, seeing their leaders hurt. They are met, however, by the pointed end of Crayne's staff (digging into the neck of one) and by the sharp edge of one of their own swords, wielded by Guilliam. Frustrated, but not willing to die in vain, the men rock back on their knees, folding their arms at their chests.

(14.6)

Cy attacks again, striking Mazen hard and with precision. His attack is quickly followed by two from Canter, the first of which is blocked, but the second hits their enemy, slicing at his abdomen. Cy then eyes Storm, backpedaling in pain. Edryd sees Cy's eyes move and knows what he must do. He breaks off the attack on Mazen, moving to intercept the Leader's attack on Storm. He does so, surprising the Leader with a solid attack. He attacks twice, brutally hitting him with both attacks. The man begins to step backwards, but narrows his eyes, collecting his thoughts for another attack.

Guilliam and Crayne, in the meantime, keep an eye on progress by the house, but keep a close watch on their prisoners.

Mazen, enfuriated, wildly attacks Cy. He lands another solid hit. This time, a wound is opened wide, and Cy begins to bleed badly, though he does not allow himself to be distracted by the pain. (7 hp damage) Mazen also turns on Canter, hitting the rescued young figher, who grunts in pain. (3 hp damage)

The Leader, meanwhile, springs forward at Edryd, who carefully blocks Storm. He attacks, striking Edryd's right arm with a backhanded swipe of the sword. (3 hp damage)

OF THE ENEMY:

The LEADER is busy hacking away at Edryd, hit but not fatally.

MAZEN, meanwhile, is fending off Cy and Canter. He has taken a beating, looking more hurt than his sidekick, the Leader.

There are still at least four wounded enemy soldiers in the house, though they have not reappeared.

OF THE PARTY:

GUILLIAM is very weak, but managing to guard the two soldiers in a somewhat menacing manner.

CRAYNE, though hit, is not as weak as Guilliam, also guarding the two soldiers previously affected by his Color Spray.

CY is hit, but is still fighting. He is engaged with Mazen in a bloody duel, focusing on mustering his best for the remaining battle.

STORM is seriously wounded (down to only 1 hit point left!), stumbling backwards away from the fray.

EDRYD, seeing Storm's condition, has positioned himself between the Leader and the dwarf, attemptying to fight off the Leader and save Storm in the process.

CANTER is in fair shape, looking beaten and tired, but still fighting Mazen at close range with his borrowed sword.

WHAT DO YOU DO NOW? Do you want to offer Mazen, and/or the Leader, and/or, the captured soldiers the chance to surrender? Or do you not trust them at their word, if they agree? Does Mazen deserve to die here for his crimes? If Mazen and/or the others fall, what will you do first? What about the injured men in the house, and the burning mill, the flames of which now reach high into the night sky.

HP STATUS:

Canter: 6, Storm: 1, Edryd: 5, Guilliam: 2, Crayne: 4, and Cy: 8.

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