Niya was overseeing the chaotic close quarters battle, witnessing the champion become injured as he turned and incinerated the offender's skull. The healer sighed quietly to herself, seeing the damage that the champion had suffered, and also saw the fact that the soldiers defending the young man had fallen and she urged her horse forward, moving close enough to the young man to prepare her staff and cast another healing spell, with the intent of reducing the damage as best she could. She would tend to the two soldiers with pinned feet as soon as possible, but priorities had to be made and the young man's injury was far more severe than the punctured feet of the other two soldiers. The one who took the axe blow, she could not assume whether he was dead or alive right now, but either way, another healer would prove most useful at this particular moment. She could only do so much. [color=0076a3]"The archer flees, sacrificing his men to escape."[/color]

The soldiers that failed to attack the axe wielder that was not having their skull cooked did do one key thing. They left Jerod an opening to carry his battle momentum forward, blade flashing as he locked against the axe of the fighter he was squaring off with. Unlike the others, element of surprise was not in his favor nor was the man nearly as unskilled, so they traded blows and Jerod barely avoided a vicious sidewards swing, leaving more permanent damage on his scale armor as several scales were sent flying from the strong blow. However, this left an opening for Jerod to strike out to leave a gash across the man's torso, ripping through what armor was there with the blow, but did not fell the man. However, he was driving him back and created a clean opening for the lad champion, or anyone else who intended to aid the lad, to head after the archer or consolidate the position.