[center][h3][color=6B8E23]Malboro, Hero turned Highwayman[/color][/h3][/center]

The electric display from Gaius caused, much to Malboro's delight, pandemonium.  He didn't even care too much about the fact that his own swing hadn't been effective, since Dylan had courteously hit his teammate for him.  He took a step back and waited as the Pegasus Rider transitioned to the offensive, heading straight for him and attempting a lance thrust.  The former hero smirked and raised his axe to defend himself.  Even still, Dylan's lance struck him, but with not nearly the effectiveness that he had hoped.  Instead of running Malboro through and ending the fight with a single move, the lance slid off-center courtesy of the axe and landed a paltry, glancing blow.  It was clear that Malboro had some experience under his belt—that he was fighting at an advanced level, just as Hugh had cautioned.

Next came Gaius's melee attack.  As the tactician charged him, Malboro switched out his axe for his sword, neutralizing the weapon advantage.  He took the first slash from Gaius's blade, though the cut it left behind did not seem to faze him much altogether, and blocked the second.  “No way you pups are going to be able to beat me.”  Now able to counterattack, Malboro stepped forward and performed a rising arc slash aimed at Gaius's head.

The next instant, the air began to heat and ripple.  Having already fallen victim to a corrosive, painful Mire once, Malboro was not about to let himself be humiliated in such a manner again.  He dodged backward out of the caustic spray; while its range was excellent, Mire's accuracy left a serious something to be desired.  Mercifully, the acidic spew did not come close to any of the other Reclaimers currently in the guard tower roof.  Beneath them, the roar of fire was growing.  There wasn't a lot of time left.

[center][h3][color=DC143C]Sanguin, Westroad Village[/color][/h3][/center]

Sanguin looked around.  Thanks to the efforts of Kuur, Lilith, Jeane, Jakobe, and herself, the remaining soldiers were now wiped out.  All that remained was the guard tower itself, burning like a beacon of destruction, with the sounds of clanging metal and impassioned yells echoing from the top.  As much as Sanguin wanted to race to the pinnacle and help, it seemed like a bad idea to scale a rickety ladder in the midst of a fire.  

Instead, she turned her attention to Jakobe.  “Yeah, good work there, I guess.”  Her metal mask reflected slightly the raging inferno.  All around, the ambient temperature had risen.  “They need our help up there,” she decided.  “But I dunno how we can get up there.  The only flying guy is already up.”