[i]*Incredible… it worked.*[/i] Vordan had gotten back up, inspecting himself. He took deep breaths, rubbed the skin of his neck. Nothing seemed to have changed. It was great news, as he felt great and rested even being awake all night. His mixture and magic had worked! This was great news, meaning that head probably created something that could replace those dry rations that he was used to when he traveled. It would probably become a quality sell in stands and by merchants… Of course, he wouldn’t call it a total success yet. He needed to go through the whole day first and see if there would be any side effects. This now behind him for now, he closed the book in his hand and stored it back in his backpack. Was this day going to be different? He so dearly hoped so. The Aavikanian seemed to be warming up for the day. Not a bad idea, but Vordan had already done his inspection of his weapons and they were all ready for battle… If they would see any kind of battle anyway. These woods didn’t seem particularly dangerous, although he still wondered what the wood elf had done the night before. She was clearly hiding something, that was for sure. What exactly? He wished he knew, as it was certainly something that would concern the lot of them. Maybe she would be honest enough to admit it? Probably not. With that done, he set himself up for their departure. Elrithos him was glad to hear that the young man would want to learn his teachings. It was truly a rare thing that a human would be taught anything from one of them, especially since the war. It would be a good beginning for him. The sword and the shield, that’s the style he practiced. Very common for humans to use this specific style as it was the most efficient and well-rounded style for combat out there without needing years of training. Hopefully, he would be able to teach him that killing is a necessity and should never be enjoyed… Which brought him to think of Tirian. It was sad to say, but already, he could tell he was a man who knew death all too well. Hopefully, he wasn’t one of those monsters. With Rudolf’s announcement, Elrtihos got his horse ready and Vordan went to the back of one of the carts, this time simply relaxing. --- Elrithos had decided to stay on one side of the carts, whistling lightly as he admired the woods. Being of the desert, he wasn’t exactly accustomed to the woods. Yes, he has seen it MANY times; being a messenger, but it was such a great difference from the barren wastelands of sand. It was filled with life and color, a much more pleasant sight. He couldn’t help it every time. He stayed alert but still, he had a little bit of wondering eye effect on him. He had this simple smile on his face. Vordan, oddly enough seemed to be quite happy two, laying in the back of one of the carts and simply looking at the sky. Everything seemed to be going fine really… And so, it came to the three men. Elrithos had spotted them from afar, wondering what three men were doing in the middle of nowhere, sitting near the road. He had a pretty good guess of what they wanted, yet was skeptical that it was actually true. Nonetheless, he had hopped off of his horse and began a casual stroll beside him. He would be ready for the worst, but really, this could probably be taken care of pretty easily. They had approached and immediately, the way was blocked by the three men. This was going to be a bad situation, Elrithos could feel it. The desert elf approached his horse closer to the carts and whistled oddly to him, basically telling him to stay put. He then proceeded to make his way towards the front, but would not intervene. Vordan had found it odd that they had stopped and sat up to see what was happening. Of course, he jumped out of the cart, making his way to the front and scratched his head… Three people had started talking about the parchments for the job. Ok, big deal. They wanted in? Like the old dwarf said, just join in… Although he doubted that was likely to happen. These, easily enough, were bandits. What did they want? Their heads probably. And their things. Great, so much for a peaceful day. Vordan had rushed back to the back of the cart, equipping himself as needed and pulling out a mix he wanted to test… The one with the blue flame inside. He slipped it into his belt and then pulled out his six shot crossbow, waiting to see things unfold… Well, inspecting things more than paying attention to the main event. They were clearly not alone and Vordan could tell even before the call they made that they were surrounded. How? Bandits never worked in so little numbers, especially for something like this. They would be at least a dozen for this kind of ambush. And what did you know, he was right. He looked around as the bandits came out of the woods… They were MUCH MORE than twelve. This was a lot worse than he had anticipated and it means better management of his resources. And Aaerynn didn’t need to speak out for the archers… He was way in front of that. They would be his first concern. A quick disposal would be easy, as being in trees; they were easy, immobile targets. Vordan raised the stock of his weapon up on his shoulder, ready to shoot… He didn’t want to start the fight, but it felt like this would be their only option. Elrithos could already see it happening and pulled out his double bladed weapon, readying himself for the worst case scenario… What came next would almost sickening for the Aavikanian. Tirian had gotten involved, giving a chance… Then proceeded to do what seemed to be completely monstrous. Cut up like a piece of meat… This had startled the warrior, as it seemed so… Barbaric. Maybe it was only his view of things, but it was a very unpleasant sight. --- The fight now engaged, Elrithos dashed to the bandits on his side of the cart… Six of them, and archers in the trees. Not too bad. The bandits had come forth with their weapons at the ready, but the first action taken of the elf was something most would think otherwise of him… He jumped off the ground, deflecting the blade that had come for his mid-section and just knocking the first man down. This put Elrithos in what seemed a bad position: Right in the middle of the group who surrounded him. They seemed to be quite happy with the result as they tried to come down on the solitary man. Poor mistake from their part, as Elrithos deflected the first blade to the ground, and in the same motion, had deflected two other blades that were heading in his back. What followed was probably impossible by human eyes, as no one could have such precision in his movements and the way the blade cut through the air. The blade of his weapon sliced in a single vertical motion, cutting the mid sections of two bandits, then had turned to evade another blade that was going to pierce his ribcage… The curved blade came right back up towards the attacker’s jaw, slicing through like butter. The others backed off a little, now hesitant to continue… Even the man on the ground didn’t seem to want to continue. --- Vordan, as soon as he heard the threat had his plan in action. He awaited the clear opportunity, waiting for the archers to turn towards what was happening to the leader. When it came to… The trigger was pressed. A noisy push of air came from the stock of the crossbow, releasing a bolt that ripped through the air in an unimaginable speed for a crossbow without a string. The first target hit, right in the neck as he fell from the tree… Then, a mere second later, a second shot was taken, tearing through the chest of another archer… The last shot, to the stomach of the archer on that side. His sights turned quickly to the man that had been holding Serna beforehand, shooting a single shot towards his knee… He kept turning, shooting one of the bandits attacking Elrithos, downing him and then, his last bolt, for the bandit trying to head for the little girl. Straight in the eye. Moving forward quickly, he went towards the young elf, dropping his weapon and some bolts near her as he then drew his sword for the upcoming attack. [b]“Faith, I need you to put the bolts in the holes. Do it quickly.”[/b] An arrow came ripping through the air, nailing Vordan in his chest… Yet Vordan showed no sign of pain, but certainly discomfort. He clenched his jaw as he saw that some bandits were coming for them. [b]“I’ll keep you safe for now.”[/b]