[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/c5cedc3e-5664-4d87-8f61-534ccf5c77c5.png[/img][/center][hr][hr][indent]Letting out an irritated sigh, Veronica pulled her skirt away from another bush that decided to grab the material as she walked past it. Nature had always been something she ever only wanted to experience from a distance. She had already deemed her shoes a lost cause as the forest's mud had practically engulfed them, and she'd be lying if she said she hadn't made a vain attempt to clean them. But after the fourth time getting her foot stuck, she abandoned that effort and focused more on making her way back.

Not that she was in any particular hurry, of course. She doubted Lienna missed her, and their riveting conversation wasn't something she was looking to continue, either. At the very least waiting in a carriage was more comfortable than trudging through the forest, so she used that as her motivation. A nice, hot bath would do when they would return. She pitied her poor skirt as she frowned at the tiny holes. The uniform wasn't anything to write home about, but she did admire its simplicity and material, and nothing deserved to get caught repeatedly by thorns.

As she neared the exit, she was surprised to see fog. An odd thing considering that the sky showed no signs of such weather. It was also confined to the area where she thought the carriages were. No, that wasn't natural, that must have been the wand Michail had given to Lienna, which meant trouble. The Goddess must have enjoyed the idea of the pair getting attacked, and of [i]course [/i]her bow was inside the carriage. Who knew how many enemies there were? And who knew where Lienna was in all this. Had she fled to the forest, she was certain she would have seen her by now. The wise thing to do was wait where she was, but on the off chance Lienna lived, she would likely never hear the end of it.

[color=salmon]"I'll bet you're worried now,"[/color] She couldn't help but mutter as she tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible, approaching the scene.[/indent][hr][@Obscene Symphony][hr][hr][indent]Derec was all too glad to follow Clarissa's instruction. While he made sure he was as gentle as he could be when he put Isolde down on the ground, the muscles on his shoulders and legs began to protest. Now that he was out and away from the danger, the adrenaline seemed to wear off, and while he initially knelt down to take a pause, he was just plain finding it hard to get back up. Why did it take so long for him to realize how breathless he was?

At least watching Clarissa heal had distracted him from how much his body ached. He was relieved to see the tension leave Isolde's expression, her eyes fluttering open shortly after. While it took her a moment to sit up properly, it seemed the worst had passed. There wasn't any holding back his sigh of relief--he wanted them all to make it out of this alive, regardless of house. A silly thought, but unity was what had led them to their successes so far.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Clarissa healing him, and he had to chuckle a little at her words. [color=turquoise]"And here I thought I had made a fool of myself,"[/color] He admitted that much, watching as Isolde slowly tried to get to her feet. As she winced and sat back down, however, he put all jokes aside. Clarissa's magic was strong, so he wasn't sure why she was in pain.

[color=lemonchiffon]"I think he hurt my ankle..."[/color] She said quietly, her hands on her leg.

He as in the bandit's leader? Derec wasn't entirely surprised--the behemoth of a man looked like he could crush bones with a squeeze. The redhead got to his feet, feeling entirely invigorated as he offered her a hand. [color=turquoise]"Then let's get you to the backlines."[/color]

Meanwhile, in the backline, Kayden's successful dispatch of the bandit had left that loose end all tied up. Once Kaira caught Jorah's eye, the pair were in sync. There wasn't a need for any confirmation as she followed his lead, their initial arrows firing off one after the other. Sure enough, Imogen's sword attacks had occupied the barrier long enough for their arrows to sink into the unfortunate mage. The other mage let out a scream of terror as Imogen tackled them to the ground.

[color=palegreen]"We did it--!"[/color] Kaira cut herself off as the mage with the staff slammed his weapon to the ground, though rather than an attack as anticipated, he was surrounded by a flash of violet light that shot into the sky. He was gone, likely having fled the battle. [color=palegreen]"He...abandoned them?"[/color]

Tomai scoffed, crossing his arms. [color=red]"Hired help is only loyal to the coin,"[/color] He shook his head as he turned his attention to the scene in front of them.

Auberon's feint had caused a second of hesitation that Michail was all too happy to follow up with. Having learned from Derec's mistake, he made sure to keep his distance as he swung, albeit the only thing he managed to do was cleave off the leather strap of his armguard. The bastard was faster than expected, albeit at the very least he now had a vulnerable spot if they could get to it.

However, the bandit leader made a second mistake in focusing on the Blue Lions. Despite being his initial victim, Euphemia had also gone in at the same time. She went in much closer than Michail, thrusting her sword upwards and successfully knocking off the bandit leader's helmet, sending it flying away a good distance. To her surprise, the loss of his helmet didn't phase him at all, even though the trickle of blood showed that she had definitely struck him.

To Michail's horror, the bandit grabbed Euphemia by the throat, and he promptly halted his assault. [color=00aeef]"Euphie!"[/color]

His grip tightened around her throat, and Euphemia was sure he was going to make sure to crush her neck. Her chest was already feeling tight from the sudden lack of oxygen, but she'd be damned if she was going down without a fight. Even as she was lifted in the air, she clumsily changed the grip of her sword as she used both arms to raise it above her head as high as she could, eyes wide with rage as she plunged it deep into the exposed arm. A low howl escaped the bandit as the sword went through, his grip around her loose and she fell to the ground.

It was now or never to finish the job. [color=00aeef]"Now!"[/color] Michail called to everyone, taking the initial charge forward.[/indent][hr][hr]