[center][h1] [color=00aeef]The Bandit Attack[/color] [/h1][/center]
collaboration with [@king tai][@caits][@dabombjk]

Darius was sitting in front of the campfire, eyes closed and mind calmed. He had, for the last small stretch of time, been going over what he had read in his small leather bound journal. He did not know if anyone else knew about it and for once he actually hoped they did not. Throughout this entire trip he had made no illusions of secrecy, or at least never out rightly lied. He may not have told the entire truth on some things and he may have refused to say some things but he never lied. Darius felt a small sense of pride on knowing he did not lie. He hoped he would not have to lie about his small leather bound journal because he would if someone asked about it. And what it said........Darius felt uneasy. 

Darius felt the air slightly change when Jamie sat next to him. A useful skill he was taught, being able detect small changes in the air around him. He did not look over, but he could tell it was Jamie. From the small but light thud she made when she sat down, to the slight fragrance she carried on her person. The biggest give away though, was that she sat next to him. The only person who would sit next to him would be Jamie, the only person brave enough. Darius lifted his left hand and placed it on Jamies leg. He squeezed once and let go.

Darius tensed suddenly. There was a sudden nip in the air, and it made him uneasy. He had felt this before.....Darius opened his eyes and looked around. Why did he have such a bad feeling? 

As silent as a nights breeze and as quick as the speed of light Darius reached out in front of his and Jamies face with both his hands and caught an arrow aimed right for their foreheads. He leaped up and tossed both arrows back in the direction they came from, landing with a slicing sound followed by two thuds as two bodies hit the ground. Darius unsheathed both blades from his person and yelled loud enough for the group to hear.

[color=004b80]"EVERYONE TO YOUR FIGHTING STANCES! WE ARE BEING ATTACKED."[/color]

Darius looked over at Jamie.

All around The Shadow everyone had started to stir and started to defend themselves. Bandits, dressed head to toe in leather and other such materials, had started to appear almost put of the shadows it seemed like. But they did not fight like normal bandits. They had such skill, that everyone in the camp seemed to have trouble fending off the horde of attackers. They swarmed the caravan, the area around the camp, and the tents propped up.

As Darius tensed, Jamie put her whetstone down, holding her sword, glancing about. Out the corner of her eye, she saw the arrow coming, but couldn't do anything about it. Darius's lightening quick move stopped the arrow, and she quickly rose to her feet. Stationary for a moment as the bandits swarmed the camp, it seemed impossible to count their number, but it was clear they meant business. Even with their new numbers, Jamie figured they would struggle slightly against them. So, best to get to it. She glanced about, knowing she could do more damage with her bow, she searched for slightly higher ground, that would be easy to defend. Wondering why they had camped where they were, she sighed softly, catching Darius's glance, she gave him a smile. 

[color=f7941d]"Lets go"[/color]

Then she was off, targeting a group of bandits, making her way towards the caravans. 

Elyra had just started to relax when Razer jumped up and knocked her over in the process. As he moved her eyes opened and she saw masked men attacking the camp. Elyra looked to her gear and it was in the caravan. She pulled the slingshot out of her pocket and the dagger out of her skirt.  Someone fell against her and she was sent sprawling. She lost her slingshot in the attempt to get under the caravan cart nearest her.

Maren and Aelar were in the tent and Elyra darted out dodging her companions as well as the enemy. She noticed that there were several gargantu among the bandits. One of the gargantu caught her as she ducked around a horse and she stabbed him in the neck. He dropped her with her at least four feet to the ground and she yelled. [color=0072bc] "MAREN, AELAR." [/color]She could hear them getting ready to come out. Maren poked her head out first and she shot an arrow at one of the gargantu's. When it missed, Elyra grabbed her and she pulled her into the forest. [color=0072bc] "Shh,"[/color] Elyra said. [color=0072bc] "We can't fight hand to hand so we are staying safe."[/color]  She whispered. [color=0072bc] "Let the fighters fight and we can work on them after. We aren't doing them any favors if they are trying to save us repeatedly."[/color]

Darius scanned the horde of bandits. He dodged and counter attacked as best as he could but he was having a hard time launching a full on assault. The skill the bandits showed was no joke, and their numbers made them disturbing. But there was something else. He kept looking backwards and keeping an eye on Jamie. Every so often when an enemy had gotten behind her he would leap backwards and take care of the bandit. But every time he did this it left him quite open. 

As such, Darius's situation went south quickly. Darius quickly twirled around, blocking a blade from Jaimes neck, when an arrow suddenly protruded from the bottom left spot of Darius stomach. Darius was staggered, but quickly turned around and threw a knife at the archer, killing him.

Fighting was always chaotic, and yet it often had a clarity to it. Often about acting and reacting, Jamie tried not to keep herself exposed, but there were so many of the bandits, it was quite hard. She started to turn, as Darius blocked the blade that probably would have severed her neck, earning himself an arrow. 

It caused Jamie to stop a moment, before she spun back around, slashing out with her blade, before slipping it back into her sheath, and bringing out her bow. Stepping back towards Darius, she began to rapidly fire arrows, not really stopping to aim, just seeking to take down as many as she could. 

Romarod continued to sit at the campfire thinking about this music thing that was explained and demonstrated earlier by both Elyra and Jamie. It sounded nice but there had to be more. He wanted...more. Looking at the campfire as the flickering flame continued to hypnotize Romarod for a moment, his concentration was broken from Darius warning of an attack, looking up to the arrows being shot at some of his comrades. 

He stood up as 3 bandits noticed him, aiming for the giant, shooting their arrows towards him as he brought his palm up pointing it towards the arrows as his force pushing magic deflected them, braking them into smaller sticks. The moment he did that he felt a blunt force from behind, as pain started to form on his back by the blindside hit he took from another Gargantu who used a war hammer, swinging it to smash into Romarod's back, causing the big guy to fall to one knee. 

This was the opening the bandits needed as two rushed him and the third stayed behind to aim once again with his arrow. The first fight Romarod is in and already in a tight spot. He looked up and noticed he couldn't defend his front and rear at the same time without having to sacrifice another hit if he was to try and turn and pull a double force palm on each side. So, with his size, he knew he had the power but he wouldn't be fast enough to counter all of that but that would be if he was a non-magi. 

Before the other gargantu could attack once again, Romarod used his kinetic acceleration to become a living cannonball/battering ram. Escaping the gargantu behind him with his propulsion, he shoulder blocking the three bandits in front of him knocking them down and possibly injuring them, taking them out of commission before getting hit with a countering punch while still in acceleration after taking down the bandits by another gargantu. Dazing Romarod and bringing him to his hands and knees, now...the gargantu magi had two from his own race to deal with.

Elyra saw her slingshot and told Maren to stay there. She darted out into the fray once again. Her dad gave her that and if he was really gone....she had to have it back. She kept low to the ground and ran as fast as she could. She just got her hands on it when someone grabbed her by her hair and hoisted her into the air. She shrieked and no matter how hard she kicked she couldn't get away and they were big enough to keep her from stabbing them with her dagger. 

Maren saw Elyra hoisted into the air like a rag doll and she grabbed her bow and arrow and shot the gargantu in the shoulder. he turned around and as he did Elyra was flung around by her hair. The pain from her head was ridiculous and Maren decided that there had to be another way. She ran out to the fire. She picked up a branch out of the fire and she advanced on him burning him. Unfortunately, Maren set Elyra's dress on fire in the process. The gargantu threw Elyra when her dress caught fire. She rolled and put the dress out but her legs were burnt. Adrenaline made her get up and run. She grabbed Maren and back into the woods they went. Once out of sight Elyra raised what was left of the top skirt and took her shoes off. She quickly looked at her legs and assessed the situation. She decided they needed to stay hidden no matter what.

[@ashevelendar][@venku][@shadow daedalus][@gareth][@dustyoldcrow][@canaryrose][@vas khaleen][@blackpanther]