[hr][hr][indent]The rest of the bandit's forces stood towards the now decimated ruins of what was left of the other half of the village. The first explosion had taken everything out--even the buildings that still stood looked more like an assembly of broken walls than anything else. The few bandits that were there largely ignored the destruction, focusing on pulling a large, heavy cart filled with a multitude of barrels. At a glance, there seemed to be something scribbled onto them in a variety of different patterns. Once they reached their destination, the cart was abandoned as four cloaked mages took their place around the cart, muttering an incantation in unison. Light burst from the ground, slowly carving out a circle.

A pair behind them differed from the rest. One was clearly a leader, with his armor decidedly less tattered as he carried an axe that was considerably more bloody than the rest. He towered over the rest, a combination of size and muscle that let anyone who laid eyes on him know that he would not go down without one hell of a fight. Next to him stood another cloaked mage, albeit they carried a staff adorned with a skull. The pair spoke in low voices, observing the other mages. The leader gave an order and the small group of bandits split into two, with the first continuing into the village and the rest leaving.

Euphemia stayed a distance away, eyes trained on the leader. Her horse had been stowed away and she remained on foot with bow in hand, blending into the ruins of the village. While the nature of the destruction bothered her greatly, she paid no mind to it. If she could get in a clear shot, she was sure she could end the rampage. As she got closer, however, the magic in the air was electrifying, tingling the skin on the back of her neck. It was difficult to ignore, the pull of the incantation letting her know that a decision needed to be made. On the one hand, she had no doubt she could lodge an arrow in his neck to kill him, but she wasn't a fan of that magic business right there. 

Readying an arrow, she made her decision. Narrowing her eyes, she waited for him to take in a breath before letting the arrow go. To her surprise, a shield erupted around the pair. She didn't let that discourage her, however, as she hastily drew back another arrow, this time her hit landing on a mage as her arrow pierced through their neck. The incantation broke immediately, and that was her queue to go. The feeling of lighting in the air resulted in a thunderbolt colliding with the wall in front of her. She took aim at a stunned mage, ending his life with an arrow, though instead of preparing another arrow, she chose to sling her bow around her arm, withdrawing her sword from its sheath as she ran.

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It came a little [i]too[/i] naturally to Derec, or at least, the thought came to him as he stabbed his spear through the bandit. Maybe it was the fact that it was for the service of others as opposed to the much-less-noble cause of self-defense. It had been a while since Matlock had gotten invaded, but getting raided once was already a harrowing experience as it was. What he couldn't help but wonder, however, was why the bandits were outright destroying the village. Sure, there were men who simply wanted to watch everything burn, but most bandits simply wanted to pillage. They wanted jewels, precious metals, women--here they were just destroying [i]everything[/i]. 

Pulling his spear out, he watched Michail dispatch a pair not too far ahead. He made it look so [i]effortless[/i]--Derec was genuinely impressed. Then again, out of everyone there, Michail was a Knight. He supposed that the silly, goofy personality betrayed the skill he had. Auberon was the right choice for the front line as well, his swings practiced and effective. Isolde was slowly coming out of her own shell as well; while she struggled with multiple enemies and her fear was plain all over her face, it was obvious that she held some sort of skill. Melee combat wasn't something he expected out of the timid girl, but boy, was she [i]fast[/i]. 

There wasn't much time to compliment or even think too hard on it, as he turned back to check on the rest of the party. As soon as he had turned back, however, he realized he had made a mistake, every sense in his body screaming at him to look back ahead. When he did so, however, it was too late: an axe was already swung at him, fully intending to part his head from his body. Whether it was dumb luck or the divine grace of the goddess, however, said axe was practically tossed aside. Blinking, he watched as Isolde stood, armed and ready as the bandit picked himself up. That was one [i]hell[/i] of a flying kick on her side, the close call leaving him shocked for a moment. He shook it off, however, repaying the favor by deciding not to give the bandit the chance to get back up as he drove his spear into the man's calf. 

Meanwhile, Tomai had made sure any bandit that was stupid enough to get too close was promptly cursed and killed on the spot. As he spotted the incoming back attack, he turned, fully prepared to strike them all. However, the prince decided to dive in, much to his annoyance. [color=red]"...hm,"[/color] He hummed in disapproval, watching as the kid was struck. Fortunately for the prince, both Clarissa and Kellen came to save the day, and Tomai decided he may as well act like a professor as he rummaged through his pack.

Bringing out a concoction, he popped it open and raised his staff. A surge of magic surrounded Kayden and pulled him back to Tomai. [color=red]"Drink up, frontline's just about finished,"[/color] He stated, presenting the drink to Kayden.

Kaira let out a tiny huff of frustration, feeling a little useless. Maybe she should have taken a sword from the carriage after all. The students were doing well for the most part, with Tomai's power amplified by the staff and making easy work of the bandits. She honestly couldn't believe how straightforward this was, even if the air was still electrifying. Or was it? Something had changed somewhere, the magic in the air considerably thinner than before.

An arrow shot through the air caused her great alarm as she noticed Jorah wasn't standing. Oh Michail, telling Jorah to just do the thing instead of helping out! Clucking her tongue in disapproval, Kaira cautiously hoisted herself up the side of the carriage, slowly climbing up. Thankfully, aside from a cut on his cheek, he didn't look hurt. She sighed in relief, focusing her magic onto her hand as she carefully crawled up next to Jorah, placing her hand on him to alert her to his presence and sending a tiny heal to stop the bleeding from his cheek.

[color=palegreen]"If Euphemia was here, she'd say you're doing well,"[/color] She offered him some encouragement. [color=palegreen]"I'm going to draw the archer's attention, when you see them shoot for me, make sure to shoot them back, okay?"[/color]

Patting his shoulder without waiting for a response, Kaira stood up straight on the carriage, looking around. She couldn't see the archer, but she was sure Jorah would whenever they'd loose an arrow. So instead, she closed her eyes and concentrated as she formed a small ball of light in her hands, promptly squeezing it until it burst. A wave of healing was blown around in a circle around her, recovering the students' energy and invigorating them.

As soon as Michail felt Kaira's spell, he continued forward. [color=00aeef]"Let's go!"[/color] Michail called, running forward. Through the smoke, he suddenly came to a halt, a glyph glowing from his free hand and banishing the wind altogether just in time for something to come flying towards him. He was nearly knocked over, but he managed to catch the flying Euphemia, skidding backward a few feet. To his surprise, the behemoth of a bandit came charging forward.

[color=yellow]"Move!"[/color] Euphemia scrambled to her feet, the Kalonic siblings immediately leaping away as the axe came down. narrowly missing the pair.

Derec was shocked that someone so big was there, but his size worked to his disadvantage--his swings were wide. When the man lifted his axe, Derec saw that as his chance, deciding to slip in and relieve him of his arm. Unfortunately, he didn't account for just how [i]fast[/i] the massive man was as he was nearly gutted, the timely entrance of Isolde delivering a swift kick to change the swing's trajectory saving all but a few of Derec's red locks. The bandit leader took a hold of Isolde, the girl letting out a shriek as she was easily tossed into Derec without so much as a second thought, sending the pair flying to the side.

Euphemia gripped her sword in hand, standing next to Michail. To her dismay, the three remaining mages were back at it again, the light forming the runes once again. [color=yellow]"Those mages back there are going to cause those barrels to explode,"[/color] She informed him and the rest.

Michail narrowed his eyes, spear at the ready as the bandit leader sized them up. [color=00aeef]"Then I hope someone's fast enough to get past them and stop them,"[/color] He noted, leaping backwards as the axe came down again. [color=00aeef]"Great Goddess above, a speedy boy, are we?"[/color]

[color=yellow]"I haven't been able to get past him,"[/color] Euphemia admitted. [color=yellow]"I took out two of the mages and slowed down the process, but..."[/color]

[color=00aeef]"You did what needed to be done,"[/color] Michail replied before raising his voice. [color=00aeef]"Keep your wits about you, we need to stop that spell from going off or we're [i]all[/i] done here!"[/color]

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The small group of bandits departed from the village, intent on retreating for a while. They traveled along the river for a distance until they spotted the carriages in the distance. After some deliberation, the decision was made to liberate the Knights of Seiros of the carriages. It was clear that the battle in the village was going poorly--at the very least, they could take their spoils and get away with their lives intact. And so they kept riding, intent on taking the carriages that had been seemingly abandoned by the knights...

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