"...I knew it. We let our guard down too easily." Irene pondered as they scurried faster. Malnourished they may look, their capability to anticipate and plan early combined with a persistent will to survive were truly fearsome attributes to possess. Their numbers were great, like a mob pursuing kittens.
"Vasilis! To me!" She yelled out, letting go of Aerith's hand afterward and turning around.
They stopped in an area where there were no narrow alleyways nor openings in between the neighboring structures. Devoid of space for a surprise attack, she swiftly analyzed the still far-off pursuers on the male and female foreigner duo's tails.
"Stay behind me, alright? Please worry not. I won't let any harm occur to you." She declared, with a calm, assured smile.
As the two passed them by, Irene's knight had already landed on her side, denoted by the quaking of the earth.
"There you have it, Vasilis. No less than twenty of them, in total."”You say that like it’s an impressive number.” He adjusted his grip on his axe.
”But I’ll take it down to zero.” "To my front." Irene ordered, as she slowly closed her eyes. She had already imprinted them on her mind; the lay of the land and the vulnerable positioning of their enemies. Perhaps she may have overestimated them, but having failed their ambush earlier must have placed desperation and fear on their hearts. Her focus was unyielding as the milliseconds passed by, the vagabonds drawing nearer and Vasilis taking a battle stance. Her right palm stretched forward, in perfect alignment and poise.
"El... Her ruby-hued orbs peeled open.
...Shamak."The incantation she uttered chained down on the opposition instantaneously, perceivable by their next course of action, or the lack thereof. The bandits ceased any form of movement, paralyzed entirely. Their assortment of blunt and sharp weaponry had fallen with an audible clang to the ground. Some of them, unfortunate enough to lose their balance the moment they lost control of their bodies, tumbled face first onto the unforgiving pavement. Irene took off with Vasilis, slowly approaching their immobilized adversaries.
"I pity you rebels... I commiserate with your very unforgiving struggles and experiences, and mayhaps it is due the kingdom's insufficiencies that lead you astray. But to drag down the innocents who are suffering just as much with you is reprehensible."Vasilis was already running towards the group before Irene finished her speech.
”For my next trick...” The knight started a fire under his feet, just enough to let him hover off the ground. Without the earth under him, he floated towards the vagrants. Even though they were all momentarily stunned, it seemed like they were already starting to regain the ability to move. That was when Vasilis triggered an explosion on the head of his axe, causing him to spin. His axe was spinning in such a way that the bladed head wouldn't hit anyone. However, the sheer weight of his weapon was strong enough to throw anyone it struck to either side of the street. One unlucky thug was hurled into at least four of his companions, and was knocked unconscious when he struck the brick building on the side of the street. In just a few seconds, the entire group had been dispatched. Those that were still conscious were writhing in pain. Vasilis himself had landed on the ground, but he was stumbling around in a circle.
”I keep, forgetting, about the vertigo.” He fell onto one knee and grabbed his head.
”Okay, okay.” With a sigh, he looked over his shoulder at Irene. He quickly winked, forced a smile, and gave her a thumbs up.
A sigh of relief and triumph escaped her, having managed to deal with the sly threat that could have taken their lives today.
"There's probably more of them, but I would like to think that we've greatly thinned their numbers." Raising her right hand, the unconscious had been pulled together in a big circle, bound by dark, ethereal chains that materialized around them. After observing the area around them one more time, the denizens, unable to go out and could do nothing but peer through the windows, began congregating outside.
Returning to the trio with a gentle smile, she resumed.
"This was made possible with your assistance. Had it not been for you, we would have been encircled back there. I offer you my sincerest thanks." She bent her knee and raised the hem of her dress slightly; a curtsy of gratitude.
"My name is Irene. My partner's is Vasilis. If it isn't too much trouble, may I know your names?"
