[hider=Dude. He's THE Bulwark]
Vani's eyes were racing from Carpenter to the sword gradually melting through the horned girl's fingers. What...the hell was happening anymore. Nothing made sense. And, now that he got a good look at him...that scout was wearing armor that looked like it definitely wasn't from the Empire. Were...were they fighting the King's men? They were beyond screwed. BEYOND dead. They were completely, and utterly, without a doubt or shred of objection, dead as a doorknob. But, maybe a doorknob could get them out of this situation. At least, that's what Kaze's statement about Vani's shield being a "bulwark". The word "bulwark" rang in Vani's head for a moment as he looked to his battered and pierced shield, and, just as Kaze started pushing the lot of them, he came to a realization.

...Bulwark...was a pretty fancy title. One that made him feel really, really important and confident. 

Not because his shield was needed. Because VANI felt needed. 

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ZG8ChJw.png[/img][/center]
[color=FFDEAD][b]"Leave it to me!"[/b][/color] he would say, bolting from Kaze's reassuring (and rather forceful) push on the back and dashing forward in order to follow the path that Yeena and Sarafeye had blazed, charging forward beside Annabelle just in time to see the soldier's leader smack that poor girl across the face, only to...

to...do absolutely nothing. Vani was quite confident in his ability to take hits, but...that looked like he'd just fakely swatted at her. But the way his arm moved, and stiffened at the end, that blow was full-on, and met as if he'd just slapped a boulder and acted surprised. Vani was not confident in his boulder slapping ability, but he was pretty sure that [i]nobody on the planet could take a slap to the face that easy.[/i] Maybe this girl was some secret powerhouse, with a physique so strong that she broke grown men over her knee, and ate mountains for lunch. 

...Man, that concussion was making Vani's internal omniscient narration really strange. But, they were still surrounded. Looking to the demon wielder at where she stopped, Vani immediately stepped back behind the corner while the soldiers' eyes were on Yeena and Serafeye. He didn't like these odds...but it seemed that Annabelle had a plan of sorts. But instead of having Kaze toss her up, Vani made a "shh" motion and pointed to his shield, crouching and hanging it over his head for her to step on. He'd launch her up with it as a springboard, letting her make a softer landing than she would have falling from the height that Kaze could throw her. He assumed. Kaze looked like he could throw Vani in full plate down an alley and bounce him off the wall so hard he came back halfway. ...He just hoped that the two girls in the alley were safe. He was certain that the fair elf with the attractive features wasn't some immortal un-slappable mountain of a woman, and his hands shook a little imagining innocent women getting hurt in this.

[color=FFDEAD][i]"Lolan, if you can hear me...please...let the innocent make it out unscathed, and let the wicked fall to your judgement. I am ever your sword, and my strikes shall call your voice down,"[/i][/color] he prayed, head bowed in silence while waiting for his spring-bulwark to be used. 
[/hider]