[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/D9OBI9j.png[/img][/center]

[Colour=Green]“Here, hold this?”[/colour]

[Colour=Pink]"Of course."[/colour]

After taking the bag of medical supplies from Barracker, MacKensie helped herself to some stretches of bandage and a couple of antiseptic pads.  James had offered her first refusal, and she had stoically declined, not wanting to hold everyone up, but now that Barracker and Zell were taking the time to patch themselves up, she thought that she might aswell.

[Colour=Pink]"You are right,"[/colour] she said to the party leader.  [Colour=Pink]"There is no sense in not being on top of our game for the final battle."[/colour]

She hoped that the next battle would indeed be the final one.  Second Chance had endured two already, and injuries were beginning to mount up.  Staying next to James in case he needed some help standing, she carefully unstuck her clothing from her lacerations then rolled up her sleeve to pad and bandage her first wound.  After that, she lifted her tunic and undershirt a little so she might pad and wrap her waist with the rest of the bandage roll.  Once everyone was finished, she helped James hook his bag onto his person and they were off to the next room.

As everyone grouped up behind Adam while he found the right book to open the hidden door, there was a small interval of silent tension.  MacKensie looked to her right to see the face of Fenna and whether the woman looked back or not, the frenchwoman pursed her lips in a solemn and determined smile.  They could do this.  Gold mission or not, the power of their bonds would see them through.  Warrior bonds.  Friendship.  Strangers brought to an even stranger world.  She [i]had[/i] to believe there was a deeper reason for all of this.  She [i]had[/i] to believe that Fenna would hold her little boy and girl again. This belief she held fast so that she would not drown in the sea of anxiety that was constant danger.

The atmosphere changed as they passed from the relatively cozy and colourful library to the dark and dreary ritual chamber.  Before she'd even laid eyes on the cultist and the Greater Wraith, she'd drawn her crossbow and dropped a bolt into it.  Just the oppressive and foreboding air, in this room, alone was enough to make her ready herself.  But even with the heavy weight of anxiety on her shoulders... even with the fear in her heart of potentially losing one of her comrades to an unthinkably powerful foe... even with the gravity of the situation before them, she couldn't help but smile - almost laugh, even - at the verbal exchange between the robed man, Zell and Barracker.  She felt much lighter for it.  It annoyed her - pained her, in fact - to say it yet again but, [Colour=Pink][i]Thank God for macho dummies.[/i][/colour]

Aloud, she said, [Colour=Pink]"Oh dear.  Now there are two of them,"[/colour] as she looked from Zell to Barracker.  She took a few steps to take a position on the flank, drawing her dagger with her free hand.  [Colour=Pink]"Would you two [i]kindly[/i] take this seriously?"[/colour]

When the fight started, she managed to let fly two bolts before requiring her dagger.  The two bolts in question hit the same target, the first cracking the bridge between the eyes of a skeleton, before the second punched the exact same spot right through, creating a giant hole in the skull of an enemy that collapsed to the ground.  Another rapid reload of a bolt that sat between the fingers of her dagger-hand's grip, then she cocked back and instantly switched from 'southpaw' to parry a sword that swung her way.

Her speed, agility and reflexes were far more than a match for the single skeleton in front of her, but what was more concerning was a Lesser Wraith drifting around to her flank.  Even more concerning was the cultist and Greater wraith who were out of reach.

She dodged two follow up swings until the skeleton tried a high arcing downward strike, then caught the blade on her dagger and pulled it to one side, throwing the skeleton off balance and into her grasp.  Seizing the bony enemy in a chinlock, her forearm under it's chin, she found time to aim over it's shoulder, right through the crowd and at the Leader Cultist, then fired.

Before she could see if her shot hit the mark, the Lesser Wraith attacked and she was forced to let go and hop out of reach of the ghost blade.