The axe-armed twins were unimpressed by Fiona's threat, and began their attack, immediately forcing Fiona on the defensive. Their axes were light enough to be swung with one hand, the attacks swift enough that Fiona couldn't reliably dodge them, forcing her to block instead. Each [i]clang[/i] against her sword sent rippling pain up her forearm, and her enemies quickly took note of the pained expression on her face, not to mention the blood dripping from the bite wound.

They were done with their taunts, all business now, but so was Fiona. Arming herself with her dagger in her off hand, she found a loose and light branch on the ground, subtly hooking the toe of her boot under it, and kicking it up into the face of one of the twins. It struck him near the eye, and he recoiled, giving Fiona a brief opening to dart away from the swing of the other, and assault the distracted foe. His armor was solid, but there were weak points, and Fiona was quick. Her first knife stab found the side of his leg, drawing blood when she ripped the blade free, the man's pain allowing her to shoulder him to the ground, where she descended on him, stabbing again near the armpit, going for his heart. She missed slightly, but certainly got a lung instead, judging by his wet wheeze of a breath he tried to take.

Anticipating the other brother coming to the rescue, Fiona lashed out with a wide slash of her sword, nearly catching his throat as he jumped back. Wounded as the one beneath Fiona was, the brief break in her attack was enough for him to retaliate, bringing his knee up into the middle of her back, pitching her forward onto her face and off of him. Without thinking she tried to rise by putting too much weight on her injured arm, the sharp shock of pain making her waver for a moment. Next thing she knew, a heavy boot kicked into her side, sending a jarring pain through her ribcage as the force rolled her over.

The injured brother was unable to rise, but the one that had kicked her was quickly on her, striking down with his axe with rage. Having risen to her knees, Fiona deflected the blade aside, at the cost of her sword, which slipped from her grasp. The man's free hand went straight to her throat and clamped down tightly, picking her up to her feet and driving her back until her back slammed against a tree. His next axe strike she managed to block with her right forearm, the plated guard there protecting her from most of the damage.

His knee thudded hard into her abdomen, weakening her further, and immediately she was shoved back against the tree, the grip constricting her windpipe again, and while she still had the man's axe locked up with her dagger, she knew she wouldn't hold out for long. It was extremely fortunate, then, when her attacker was entirely distracted by the large flaming pillar that burst down from the sky nearby, incinerating two of his allies. He looked away, unconsciously loosening his grasp, and immediately Fiona took the opportunity to stab her knife up under his chin, the blade sinking in to the hilt and killing him instantly.

She gasped in a ragged breath when she was released, falling forward onto her hands and knees. The other brother had stilled, appearing to have bled out, or his lungs had failed from being filled with blood. Regardless, he was dead. Groaning, Fiona sheathed her dagger, picked up her sword again, and then slumped her shoulder into the tree for support, while she caught her breath.