Snippet #2056645

(Post written by Tiko, and Script)

Scarcely a wing beat behind Klo, Adriaan cleared the cave entrance, but was swiftly cut off as two men descended upon him, swords slashing viciously. The resounding clang of metal against metal split the air as Adriaan caught a blade against his gauntlet. Twisting about to contend with his own attackers, he could only hope Klo could handle herself.

As the fey girl charged, Ira watched her departure from the cave with a raised eyebrow - so much for the defenseless refugee he'd expected. He didn't have time to think on her ferocity for long, however, as the sound of footsteps came from his left. Turning sharply, he brought his glaive up to catch the falling sword of a soldier who had approached from the side of the cave. The metals clashed with a burst of force that knocked the man's sword arm up and away, leaving him reeling for balance. It was a balance he'd never regain, as Ira's glaive sliced brutally across his throat, dropping him like a ragdoll. A second man was given pause, staring with horror at his quickly dispatched companion, and Ira lifted his weapon to take him out similarly.

Meanwhile Adriaan was summarily handling his own attackers. Ducking the sweep of a sword, Adriaan twisted around behind the soldier, dropping him with a swift kick to the back of his knee. Fluidly disarming him, Adriaan tossed the sword up, catching it in reverse as it fell back down. Sweeping forward, Adriaan slammed the hilt of the sword into the nose of a second soldier, discarding it a moment later.

It was then that the arrow flew from overhead to hit Klo in the shoulder. Ira spared the girl hardly a thought for her safety, but recognised the threat of the archers' advantageous position. He knocked the man near him back with a pulse of force as he set eyes on them overhead, and with a sweeping beat of his wings lifted off, soaring into the air to soar around towards them. He closed on the first man who had fired the shot at Klo before he had a chance to reload, but the second was already taking aim. "Eyes this way, monk!" he yelled as the man prepared to fire.

The shout drew Adriaan's eyes skyward to spot the glint of a crossbow leveled at him. As the mechanism was released, Adriaan contorted his body to the side while leaning back. Deft movements left the arrow grasped within his gauntlet, scarcely a finger breadth from his shoulder.

In the same moment Adriaan was catching the arrow of the soldier, Ira was upon his companion, foot catching him in the face before he had his sword free of its scabbard. The man staggered backwards and landed hard on the rocky ground, finding Ira's glaive thrust through his chest before he could stand. The other archer had his sword drawn as Ira turned, slashing viciously towards his upper body. Ira caught the strike on the haft of his glaive, lifting a leg to kick the man in the stomach before he could recover from the parrying. The blow winded him, sending him staggering backwards before a single pulse of force from Ira toppled him over the edge of the ridge to fall the significant distance to the ground below. In chainmail armour, that was going to leave a mark.

Nodding his appreciation to Ira, Adriaan was caught off guard in his moment of distraction as the remaining soldier moved in, landing a raking slash down Adriaan's arm. Reflexively grasping the wound, Adriaan twisted away to re-stance off. To his side, the wounded soldiers were dragging themselves back to their feet. A swift roundhouse kick dropped one back to the ground, and with a sidestep, he evaded a bull-rushed tackle from the second. The soldier's momentum subsequently plowed him into remaining soldier at Adriaan's back. Stepping in, Adriaan pinned a sword to the ground under his foot. Raising his brow, he simply watched the two unarmed men scrambling back before they turned tail and fled into the desert.