[h2][center]Byron Cauna[/center][/h2]
As he watched the three others that had failed to join the fray immediately begin to move off in different directions with plans of their own, Byron let out a single sigh. He had expected some manner of deviation, to be frank, but for his own suggestion to be outright ignored...

Well, at the very least, moving in alone could be managed to some degree. Though proceeding into their base of operations as the two (now three) others at their gates caused chaos was just as much of an option as letting them handle the job, it was only a matter of time before the bandits realized their folly. At that point, breaking through existing barricades would become a hindrance to the rest of the group.

With that in mind, the beastman simply moved forward, making sure to avoid the bulk of combat as he slipped through the opening that Izel's show of power had provided. The number of bandits had already thinned considerably, and the hesitation of those remaining made it clear that their initial resounding defeat had already begun to take its toll.

[i]"Hmm... Well, letting them retreat to their base proper would be an issue..."[/i] Byron mused to himself as he anchored the gates in place discreetly before proceeding further into the compound. Seeing that the leader of those at the front was already beginning to pull back, though, the beastman simply began to manipulate the friction of the path forward ever so slightly. That, coupled with a few unexpected bumps in the road, would likely deter their retreat long enough for the rest of the team to clean them up without much issue. Of course, he had a few personal qualms about the wanton killing when capturing these bandits was very much possible, but crossing the demigod in one of her moments of bloodthirsty euphoria seemed like an inherently suicidal idea at best.

With that done, though, Byron turned his attention towards the fortified mountaintop, which, compared to the shoddy defenses near the bottom, had at least a few more options to handle matters. Other than the cave within the mountainside that obviously housed their prey, the various sniper perches had already begun to be filled by other bandits. If the initial defense force was any indication of their actual ability, though, breaking through even that would prove to be a fairly simple task.

[hr]
If the succinct execution of the first few bandits had not been enough to warrant a retreat, then the show of unbridled magical potential was more than enough of a reason to call for a retreat. By this point, the leader of the force (and what remained of his men) were struck dumb with terror; it took but mere moments before the chain of command fell into complete chaos. A few of the bandits charged forward at the group (the new metal man included) in an attempt to break through and run away; others, still in fear over what had come to collect their souls, were anchored in place by sheer terror. Those who were able to retain enough sense about them despite the situation immediately began to retreat, only to begin tripping and falling over one another as they began to hastily scale up the mountain.

It was a complete defeat in many was for these bandits, but it seemed that simple surrender was not an option for them. Though the reason for that remained unknown, their actions made that much clear.