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Taylar frowns and wonders if these kidnappers have some means of manipulating waylines that he is unfamiliar with. When he sees the Evipaun approaching him he will manipulate waylines to increase his strength and charge at the closest one with his bludgeons. He will attempt to maneuver to keep one of his opponents between him and the second to limit their advantage.
Plumeir will launch one of his throwing knives at one of enemies approaching him and repeat his bending to caustically burn both of them. He yells in Markidian. "Come one you bloody sheep slippers. Time to meet your Maker."
The Evipaun are not Benders, but they are enhanced. As with all things magical, the understanding is instinctive if in one is bourn enough innate talent. All three Investigators have enough such talent. While only about 10% of the world’s populace can actively generate a mystical assault, closer to 50% are blessed with some form of enhancement. To everyone’s recollection, these kidnappers are likely the first of such that any of the Investigators has encountered in a nomadic clan.
At this distance from the destination spire, the land is mostly flat and offers nothing of topography that might provide an advantage during combat. It takes five seconds for Taylar and his enemies to reach one another, just enough time for Taylar to enhance his strength and effectively swing his right bludgeon. His enemies prove equally experienced and he is not fully successful in attempting to keep the two from coordinating their efforts. Taylar shifts to his right, flinging out his left bludgeon to block while whipping his right in a downward arc. The right bludgeon collides with the protected chest of the Evipau, cracking two ribs and knocking the breath from him. The second enemy jockeys farther to the right of Taylar, slicing at his midsection with his left tomahawk. The weapon strikes but is unable to cut through the bearskin tunic. Taylar is facing two enemies, but he is unhurt.
As Astarte fires her second arrow and Plumeir launches his second knife, Taylar slaps his stunned opponent with a backswing from his left bludgeon, cracking two more ribs and taking all of the breath from his opponent, who falls backward, unconscious. Only having the one remaining enemy, as Plumeir drops his second opponent, Taylar strikes his second a hard blow to the chest with his right bludgeon, cracking two of his ribs and knocking some breath from him. That one opponent seems intent on continuing.
It takes the two charging toward Astarte 10 seconds to reach her. In such time she is able to release two arrows before being engaged. The first arrow is released at short range. It punches through the leather mantle of the Evipau. The second arrow, fired from point blank, buries to the fletching. After the second arrow, the kidnapper tumbles forward, carried by his momentum, just nicking through the corded vest of Astarte as he falls. He is alive but unable to move. Taking advantage of his flailing partner, the second Evipau leaps the rolling body and swings his left tomahawk, sideways. It makes a nasty cut through the vest and into the flesh. Astarte is injured but only facing a single opponent, who is unharmed.
Plumeir realizes that, for such big men, the Evipaun are much faster on their feet than expected, though he is able to keep his distance and launch 3 knives and perform 3 mystical assaults before they catch him. He spins in a full circle, launching his first knife before either enemy has covered half of the distance. Both men falter in their steps, at that instant, from some unseen cause. Plumeir continues to run and the kidnappers continue to give chase. As he spins to throw his second knife from a much shorter distance, the blade buries into the gut of the same opponent previously hit. The unseen caustic damage more than the blade causes the first pursuer to fall, unable to continue the chase, but he is still conscious. By the time the second opponent reaches Plumeir, he throws a third knife from only one stride away. The knife buries into the throat of the Evipau and drops him on the spot. That enemy is dying. Plumeir finds himself unengaged and running toward Taylar, who is his closest friend. Once he reaches Taylar he should be in range to mystically assault the remaining opponent of Astarte, who is in greater need of help.
Ferguine, Mining Commissioner
4 missing children from Mining
3 missing from Vineyard
Francis, Priest of Dawn at Vineyard (Centrin)
cherry orchard, 1 day north of Vineyard
Rheini village: Grandfather of Maka: Pardal
Kol and party: Maldrog Explorers
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide 2 random rolls.
Once he is able to assess that Astarte will likely need more help than Taylar, Plumeir will continue to run toward her until he can specifically assault her remaining any by bending chemical waylines. He does not want to risk harming his friend by targeting an area instead of a person. He will risk throwing one of his knives, as he gets closer, but not at the distance from which he can mystically target the enemy.
Taylar does not relent, continuing to attack with his bludgeons. He intends to manipulate waylines to increase his speed. If any of the kidnappers tries to flee, he will chase them down.
Taylar can see in his periphery that Plumeir is free of enemies and running toward him. This is registered as a ripple courses over his skin and he slides to his left, swinging his right bludgeon at his remaining enemy. He has become far faster than that enemy. The heavy weapon cracks the sternum and knocks most of the breath from the Evipau, but the man is resilient. Staggering a step backward, the kidnapper leans to his right and swings his left tomahawk in a lateral backswing. Singly, this man is no longer a match for Taylar. He knocks the weapon away and from the enemy hand with his left bludgeon, striking his right shoulder with the right bludgeon. The kidnapper goes down, but he is still alive.
As Astarte drops her bow and draws her sword, her remaining opponent rolls forward on the ground, slashing across her right side as he rises again to his feet. These men seem to be the most aggressive opponents that any of the three friends have faced. Astarte thrusts her sword toward the moving kidnapper, thinking him vulnerable, but he bats the sword away with his second tomahawk.
The dust cloud that Taylar had created is still spinning in its same location. It even seems to have accumulated more dust than before. Because of this Plumeir cannot even see Astarte, on the other side of it, until he is within a couple of strides of Taylar, which is a quarter of the way around the cloud. Trusting his instincts about Taylar in melee, Plumeir waves his left hand at the conflict between Astarte and her Evipau. He is yet too far to throw a knife. The mystical assault causes significant damage.
Unaware that he has been mystically assaulted by Plumeir, the Evipau thinks that it is the enemy he is facing. He is unafraid of a Bender and highly resistant to heat. He growls at Astarte and swings his right tomahawk like he is going to backhand her with it. Just before his arm is extended, he rolls his wrist and slashes the woman across the gut. Astarte reflexively clutches her abdomen as she crumbles to the ground. She cannot move, but the killing blow from her enemy never lands. The readied knife from Plumeir is unnecessary as his second caustic assault drops the remaining enemy, who happens to fall forward, his body laying across the legs of Astarte.
All six enemies have been taken down and only one is dying. Astarte is conscious but unable to move. Realizing that the man laying across her body cannot move either, she is well aware of being able to siphon his life to recover her own.
Ferguine, Mining Commissioner
4 missing children from Mining
3 missing from Vineyard
Francis, Priest of Dawn at Vineyard (Centrin)
cherry orchard, 1 day north of Vineyard
Rheini village: Grandfather of Maka: Pardal
Kol and party: Maldrog Explorers
OOC:
Each character receives 5 DP. State nominal actions and intentions and provide a random roll.
Taylar does not hesitate to end the Evipaun where they lie. He will manipulate waylines to attempt to halt the vortex he created. "Well, that worked," he mumbles to himself. He will check on his companions and render any aid Astarte may require. He will search the Evipaun bodies.
Since he is standing close to Taylar, Plumeir waves a hand and says in Maldrog, "Wait! We should see if it is possible to communicate with them. No I do not wish to spare them. On the contrary, I think we should leave them to cook in the Daylight and be eaten by vultures, but we still know nothing of the missing children. A quick death I think they would consider as the better alternative."
Seeing that Astarte has gone down, Plumeir will walk to her along with Taylar.
When she hears Plumeir, she responds in Maldrog:"I don't think they know anything except that they sold them to the Yenisha. But I agree they don't deserve a fast death" she finishes while opening the water that belonged to the culprit#2 to drink it and then forces him to watch it.
