The crossbowmen blinked and halted their cranking, save for one of them who still had the frame of mind to look up and widen his eyes at the stumbling woman that had fled the treeline. Even the prisoners, their lives destroyed in all but name, looked up in bewilderment at Emmaline. Her womanly charms barely contained by the drab garb she wore, she didn't have to act too hard on keeping herself small and losing her footing. The ground was laden with fallen debris, weapons, and the unforgiving rocks that would pepper the dirt road regardless. Luckily, due to the efforts of the group and Emmaline's earnest cries, they didn't notice anyone else within the wood. 

One of the men pulled a pocket knife, though he was kept at bay by the hand of another. "Wait! You'd gut something so fine? She'll be fun for days!"

"But where'd she come from?" Another asked, however it was clear suspicion was only half his thought. Clearly he wanted to know if there was a sister or another like her he could have all to himself. None of them saw the cloaked Migi right beside Emmaline, eyeing them like a threatened badger. 

"Hey! You-" A strong voice called, revealing himself to be the one eared man. He stepped out of the ruined house again, but halted his speech as soon as he saw Emmaline on the ground. Next, Lorcan's not so subtle movements caught everyone's attention. They didn't see him, crouched as he was, but the snap of a tig and the crinkling of the leaves clearly got their attention. All heads turned that way, and his yell of the pursuer erupted from the tree line. The leader, though confused, obviously had a good head on his shoulders. "Kraf, Grig, Lochlan, you three check the trees." He said as one of them slapped a prisoner that had started whispering to another. "You two, keep an eye on-" 

Of course, nothing was ever that simple. Raddek made his move. The rugged man stepped out of the trees further down the street, and though he was clad in his prisoner attire, he moved like he was in armor. He didn't even announce himself. Surprised and seeing a seemingly unarmored man, the crossbowman aimed at him and pulled the trigger. Raddek had figured that was the next move, and he had stepped out right where a fallen door had lain. He pulled the door up just in time and the bolt hit the door, quivering from the force of the shot. 

"Crank up those crossbows," the leader ordered and unsheathed his langmesser. He stalked toward Raddek, though another set of mumbles came from one of the prisoners. With barely a glance, he turned and chopped at the neck of the closest hostage, beheading the mumbler in a gurgle of blood, causing the others to cry out in horror. He didn't pay them any more notice, turning to Raddek again. "Who in the hells are you!?" He asked, stepping close to Emmaline and Migi, weapon point half a meter from the blonde woman's face. "Answer me or I'll kill her!" 

"She's mine." Raddek said quickly. "I was going to tell you that until I got shot at." 

"Well, she's ours now." 

It seemed everything was devolving by that point.