[color=00aeef]Chapter 25[/color]

11:59 AM - Tonsina River Lodge

“WE CAN’T KEEP THEM AT RANGE!! THEY’RE MOVING IN FOR THE KILL!!” Claire yelled out as the Lythropes  rushed to close the distance between the Rangers losing a number of them to gunfire. They screamed “For the honor of Fenris!!!” each abandoning self preservation to overwhelm the Rangers on the grassy field just outside the Lodge.

In droves they circled both Claire and Jonathan, warriors with bare feet in the waist high grass, Claire cradled his revolver in between his hands looking left and right for an escape route. While Jonathan unclasped the snaps of his knife sheath drawing it into his left hand flipping it into a saber grip. He also drew his hand axe from his back that was dangling in a belt loop. The Lythorpes whooped and hollered as they dashed without care or concern for their well being one swung his right arm which had a blade mounted to some gauntlet high towards Claire's’ left shoulder; Claire stepped back to his left trying to avoid the blow. But the Lythrope wouldn’t let up so easily, he swung and slashed relentlessly forcing Claire to take the defensive by dodging. 

Jonathan had his own troubles to worry about though he knew he needed to protect Claire who was being driven back towards the edge of the circle the Lythropes formed. Jonathan’s massive frame and overpowering presence that was his Psyker ability drew the already crazed Lythropes closer all seeking to prove themselves unto their deity. They charged and Jonathan hacked downwards from a right angle into the stomach of a charging warrior; his hand axe dragging the innards out with a pull. 

As Claire is pushed back towards the ever growing numbers of Lythrope warriors he sidesteps forward hoping to break his retreat. He glances back to see the warrior that was slashing at him sliding forward as he stops his charge to shift his attack. Here is where Claire has his chance. Cocking the trigger of his revolver he fires his first shot into the warrior’s left leg; his revolver slightly jumping as the smoke clears. Claire takes aim again noting the blood and apparent agony the warrior is suffering. The warrior clenches his leg and begins his charge anew with seething anger; teeth bared. But as other warriors wanted glory and bloodshed they became less patient to keep their formation - more and more broke from the circle and the battleground became a clustered mess under the afternoon sun; sun flashing in the eyes of everyone trying to spill blood on the battlefield in the open lot just outside the lodge.  

Warriors driven into a blind zealous rage to prove their worth to their god, the Warriors now only twelve strong had abandoned all form of tactics swinging their weapons wildly. Although the battlefield was chaotic both Rangers kept to their training and personal experience, Claire tried to slip out of the battle to distance himself from the Warriors, he was a crack shot at range and though his skills with a revolver were impressive it was far too difficult for him to aim when his enemies were pressed up against his chest. 

Jonathan reveled in battle, the perils of being so close to death, the dripping of sweat mixed with blood. He let out a chuckle as he drove his axe deep into the chest of a Warrior from his left clavicle down to his ribs, Jonathan yanked back his axe hard as he could to free it from the flesh it had bit into and turned his attention to another. 

Claire meanwhile had gained some breathing room, not as much as he’d like but enough so to make his shots count as he cocked back the hammer and fired off a round towards a Warrior’s right eye as it struck just below and tore through his check. Each Warrior that fell allow Claire to gain more distance until he reached medium sniping range. He knew that it wasn’t long before more charged him and that he needed to pick those circling Jonathan off so he could bring out his big guns. Claire reached for his  Dragunov and squeezed the trigger firing off two shots one only a few seconds after the others as Claire adjusted his aim. The first ripped through a warriors jaw the other smacked into another's skull, Jonathan glanced over and proceeded to strike another down as Claire attracted the remaining Warriors his way. As but one remained to deal with Jonathan he dispatched it quickly trusting his knife into his throat and took this chance to switch over to his Shoulder Mounted Machine Gun, as the Warriors now realized they just found themselves caught between a sniper and a machine gunner with no easy way to reach either of them; Jonathan mowed them down as Claire picked off any stragglers. 

As Jonathan stood letting his gun wind down, Claire walked over through the pile of corpses. “Wild bunch, good thing they have no love of tactics or self preservation otherwise we could have been overwhelmed.”

“We should check the Lodge, see if there’s anyone else inside, maybe a survivor or two they snatched up along with the girl.” Jonathan said whilst he and Claire moseyed on over tried from the battle. They had spent a lot of energy dodging near random attacks, a little scratched and some small wounds here and there but just fine otherwise.

Following a thirty minute search, they turned up more sacrifices nearly eaten to the bone. “Nothing that could be done about it now, no children from the Lythropes, these must be primarily warriors serving under a priest.” Jonathan said as he tossed a sack of strange meat into a fire to burn. “We better get a move on then,  we’re nearing Gellenalen.”