With his shield strapped on and poised for battle, Woe prepares to make his move when Tander comes hustling into the bushes behind him.
“Oh, hey buddy,” he whispers with a grin. “The new guy stepped on a twig, I think, and the beehive started buzzing.” A new consideration suddenly occurs to Woe. “Let’s hope it’s safe to leave Neera with Mr Trigger Happy.”
Shortly later, cries of pain are heard and Atreus comes shuffling into cover on the other side. The merc looks him up and down, raising an eyebrow.
“So good of you to join us,” he whispers without the slightest trace of sarcasm.“No bleeding on the rug. You kids play nice while I’m taking a little stroll.”
Woe creeps past and into position at the perimeter of what will still keep him reasonably out of sight. Noticing the opposition to keep their distance while Palindrome takes pot shots at them, Woe patiently keeps ready with a foot braced against a stub behind him until the timing is right to rush into the fray.
[sblock=Actions]Woe creeps through Atreus’ square and into AE-11, thus keeping within the square closest to our foes that still provide him total concealment. He readies to charge the first enemy to come within range – that is, any foe moving south of X and west of -4.[/sblock]
As Woe crouches down in the bushes, a creeping sensation slowly slides in as his subconscious mind registers this scenario to be altogether reminiscent of a crucial memory. He doesn’t see the déjà vu coming before it’s far too late.
These are not the shrubs of a Daunton mansion – this is the wild forestation of Dylanthas. He’s no longer lying in wait to ambush elves and their lackeys – no, the elves are hunting him to finish the massacre. Corex is dead, Byruck is dead, and Jaera is slowly bleeding out with a punctured lung and all her limbs penetrated of arrows. She’s so close Woe might be able to reach her in time, if only the mutilated corpses of settlers weren’t piled to form a blockade around the burning village…
The moment passes and Woe comes back to awareness of the present. He looks down to find his left hand clenched painfully around the shield grip in a new shaking fit, almost turning into a spasm. Surprised and confused, he blinks repeatedly and focuses on the task at hand.