Turn 15.0
Sent: 1/20/99
(14.7)
Seeing the end of the battle drawing near, Cy presses his attack. He can tell that all will soon be over, and when it is, either he or Mazen will still be standing, but not both. He swings his trusty sword hard, striking the enemy with a loud clang. Mazen stumbles backward with the impact. Cy attacks again, but Mazen swats his sword away with his own weakly.
Mazen then begins to move toward Cy, pressing the attack. But no sooner does he take two steps then from behind, Guilliam leaps through the air, knife in hand. The agile bard lands on Mazen's back, driving his blade deep into the man's chest. Mazen's mouth opens wide, and seeing his own defeat, looks up to the sky in a final plea to the gods. But he receives no answer, and within moments, his body slumps slowly to bloodly grass beneath, his eyes still staring eerily toward the sky.
Meanwhile, Storm, slowly moving away from the Leader, turns his head aside, spitting his own blood into the grass. "There still be fightin' we can do. Look o'er them there foes that be down and find me some daggers! And ye can be throwin', too..." he shouts toward Guilliam and Crayne. Crayne begins to search the ground and bodies around him, not letting his attention wander too far from his prisoners. Storm reaches into his boots, retrieving two daggers. He throws them both at the Leader, gathering all the strength he can muster. Miraculously, both blades reach their target, striking the Leader in the leg and stomach.
Edryd, too, attacks the Leader, keeping the enemy away from Storm. Edryd swings his sword in a large arc. He connects with his target, drawing blood from Leader. The Leader screams in pain, but spins around in enough time to block an attack on his other side by Canter.
The Leader, then with a good view of Mazen's lifeless corpse in the grass, turns on his heels and flees, heading around the house and toward the river as fast as he can.
Crayne's attention is drawn, all of a sudden, to the tree where the three guards were tied. To his surprise he sees the rope, but no men. Surmizing that they must have escaped during the melee, the mage is almost glad. Looking over his comrades, he comments to himself that he doubts they could handle another battle at the moment!
Then, all is silent. Cy and Guilliam stand over the body of the man the party was sent to kill or capture, the infamous Mazen. Edryd and Canter stand where the Leader was, looking off in the direction in which he fled. Storm is kneeling a short distance away, spitting blood into the grass and grimacing in pain. And Crayne stands near the two prisoners.
WHAT NOW? Do you follow the guards and/or Leader? Or let them get away? Will you go into the house? Collect loot? Look for anything that might be useful to the Knights of Rinder?
HP STATUS:
Canter: 6, Storm: 1, Edryd: 5, Guilliam: 2, Crayne: 4, Cy: 8
What a battle! "As far I'm concerned, what doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger!" and on that note: XP receipts will be along shortly, after treasure/loot/equipment has been sorted out.