[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/cd83dc89-6413-49cc-9e8d-a9fba609a17b.png [/img][/center][right][sub][@Hero] [@ScribeOfThoth] [/sub][/right]
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 Kellen did all he could to keep the air circulating through his lungs. He could feel the invisible hand tensed around his ribcage, ready to grip and force the air out the moment he let it. His eyes were darting about madly as he tried to maintain this discipline, and they landed up Imogen throwing her blade and proceeding to tackle one of the robed figures. The strength behind her punches made Kellen wince, and he was relieved when he saw arrows fly into the other standing mage, courtesy of Jorah and Kaira. As the final standing figure beat hasty retreat via a spell that almost made Kellen regret his lack of aptitude with the arcane, he recognized in a detached way that the tide was turning.

[color=ffd700]"Hold it together a little bit longer,"[/color] Auberon said, facing the bandit. [color=ffd700]"I'll watch your back, but you have to calm down and watch your front too."[/color]

It wasn’t much, as far as comforting words went. But Kellen wasn’t used to much in the best of times, nor from the devout Galatea who, based on the sparse impression Kellen had formed of him, seemed more focused on heaven than earth. Kellen’s brow softened for a moment, and he let out a long shaky sigh.

[color=63a2e4]“I’ll, umm. I can make it.”[/color] A bit of colour returned to his cheeks as his eyes set on their final obstacle. The Kalonic siblings struck the large bandit, one after the other. Kellen felt hope begin to grow as he realized that they might be able to take the bandit down on their own.  But it was after Euphemia’s successful strike that the world seemed to tilt. As the bandit wrapped the fingers of one hand around the Golden Deer Professor’s neck, Kellen felt a familiar sense of warmth and weightlessness as the edges of objects began to blur. The cry of fear from Michail, who had otherwise seemed above the danger, only reinforced the sudden softness in Kellen’s knees. He could feel himself begin to buckle when he saw a rounded line of metal rise above Euphemia’s hand, and plunge itself into the arm of the bandit. 
 
Not softly, she fell to the ground. Wounded, but not dead. Kellen felt his knees solidify. In the next 15 seconds, Kellen knew someone would die. He could almost guarantee it wouldn’t be him, if he stayed back. But it also raised the chances that it would be one of his classmates. He thumped his chest with a small fist, trying to regain some sense of warmth in his torso. With what remained of his willpower, he would keep himself together - for those 15 seconds. 
 
As Auberon charged in, Kellen followed. His first thought was to try and extricate Euphemia, but he saw Clarissa had had the same thought and was far better equipped to tend to the professor. While the others sought to bring the brute down, looking for weak points in his admittedly failing armour, Kellen’s eyes never left the axe that had nearly bisected him. If allowed time to fully swing, Kellen wasn’t sure anyone, beyond the professors, would be able to parry the blow. As Auberon wound up to bring the man down, Kellen yelled out a curse and thrust his sword towards the uninjured arm of the bandit and the weapon he was wielding.