Rilienās usual arsenal was not especially conducive to ranged combat, and he was well aware of the fact that heād never had much use for bows or crossbows. He had, however, learned to use a sling, something which was of rather limited utility until one considered the fact that he was also an alchemist. Not the expert horseman Lucien was, he could nevertheless aim well enough mounted, provided the horse wasnāt moving too quickly, and so it served him quite well to slide off to the right before the wyvern noted their presence. When it did, Lucien engaged immediately, and he assumed that if anyone could keep a wyvern engaged and also consistently outmaneuvered, it would be a chevalier on horseback.
Flipping open his saddlebag, Rilien withdrew a glass sphere about the size of his palm, the material thick enough to be weighty but also still relatively fragile. It was packed with a special blend of lyrium, which, when agitated on impact, would cause a small-scale combustion phenomenon. Not so much to blow off a wyvern's limbs by any means, but enough to be decently distracting and damaging to the thing's thickened hide. Loading the first sphere into the sling, he raised his arm and swung the apparatus around in a circle several times, establishing a steady centripetal force. Waiting until the wyvern had slowed in order to turn itself around and lunge at Lucien again, he released at the apex of his arc, and the projectile flew through the air, crashing into one of its flanks with a bang. A plume of smoke wafted up into the air like a grey ribbon, and the sizzle of the wyvernās hide was a muted, bubbling hiss.
Knowing it was unwise to remain in one spot, Rilien moved while he reloaded, edging the clearing counterclockwise.
With the wyvern occupied with searching out where the lyrium bomb came from, Michaƫl chose it as the most opportune moment to strike. Rearing his courser around, he positioned his steed so that they would ride at the creature at an angle. He jabbed his horse in the flanks, urging it forward as fast as it could go in the snow, and plucked one of the javelins. They came at an angle from behind the wyvern and once Michaƫl drew close enough to the creature's flank, stood and hefted the javelin with all of his might into the opposite flank than the one Rilien had struck. Without pausing the horse carried him right past the creature's ire, though he made sure to turn their path somewhat circle so as not to be a straight shot for the wyvern.
Aurora, on the other hand, was not well versed in horseback riding. There were very little chances in the Circle to ride a horse, so she never had the chance to practice the skill. Still, it was better than trying to wade around in snow, so she stood up in the stirrups, one hand clutching the reins, the other forming a spell. She dipped into the fade and thrust out her hand, a bolt of lightning shooting from her fingertips and striking the wyvern. The sudden lightning bolt sat ill with the horse, however, and before she could rebalance herself in her saddle, the horse kicked and Aurora was thrown off of its back, face first into the snow.
Michaƫl saw the sudden display of magic and turned toward Lucien. "A mage? That is unfair, is it not?" He asked, hand clutching another javelin.
"No more than deadly spit." Lucien's reply was only brief, as he was attempting to draw the wyvern in the opposite direction from Aurora's fall, just in case.
Fairness was a bit of an odd concept, Sophia thought, when in life-or-death scenarios such as these. She certainly didn't give the wyvern a fair chance to see her attack coming before she aimed and loosed a crossbow bolt into its back flank, figuring enough wounds to the limbs would slow it and hopefully leave it less dangerous. The beast seemed not to care, however, honing in on the hunter that had fallen off of her horse, Aurora, the least mobile and easiest target, in its eyes. Quickly loading another bolt from the satchel strapped to her leg, Sophia kicked her heels into her horse, taking off at a gallop for Aurora.
Along the way, she took a carefully aimed shot, the bolt hitting the wyvern in the side of the face, making a mess of its snout and several teeth. It recoiled from that, momentarily turning away and scratching at the bolt in its mouth. Sophia used the moment to pull up beside Aurora, extending a hand down to her. "Come on, with me!" she urged.
Pulling her face out of the snow and wiping what she could out of her eyes, Aurora took the offered hand and clambered onto the horse behind Sophia. "I don't like horses," she muttered under her breath as she tried to regain her focus.
While Aurora was getting herself resituated, Lucien was taking the opportunity granted by Sophiaās last shot. Given that the wyvern was remaining basically still, he hefted his second javelin and took aim for its head. The quicker they could bring it down, the less likely it was that anyone here would sustain serious injury. His aim was slightly off, and rather than hitting the eye as heād intended, the heavy projectile hit the hollow of one of its cheeks, on the opposite side from where Sophiaās crossbow bolt had landed. With an enraged shriek, the wyvern wheeled itself around, beelining for Lucien, who spurred his horse into a gallop just in timeāthe creatureās claws just barely missed his arm.
His third javelin was in his hand, but he was without an opportunity to throw it, considering that most of his focus now went to getting out of the wyvernās immediate path. It stayed close on his tail, however, and even attempts to angle off were less than successful: too narrow an angle and it could succeed in keeping up, but too wide and he was offering it a free chance to knock him out of his saddle. So he urged her into a dead sprint, heading right for the hill theyād crested to come in, veering to the right at the last possible second. The horse made it with a jumpāthe wyvern did not, and crashed into a snowbank piled against the side of the hill.
It was the best opportunity they were going to get to deal it some heavy damage, most likely.
Rilien was certainly not one to let an advantage go to waste, and the next round of lyrium shells hit two at once, both concentrated on the back left leg. He brought his horse in closer, deciding that increased accuracy was worth the risk, since it had hobbled itself fairly effectively for at least the next few seconds. A quick reload added two more to the tally, each hitting almost exactly the same spot, and he watched dispassionately as the limb in question buckled, no longer able to support its share of the wyvernās weight.
He also noted, in a passive sort of sense, that it had begun to snow, fat white flakes falling from the now fully-clouded sky overhead to the ground. It looked like it would be getting heavier soon, too.
Michaƫl rode in next, bringing his courser in as close as he dared. He stood in the stirrups of his saddle, a javelin cocked over his shoulder. Judging that drawing any closer to the beast, even if it was hobbled, would be foolhardly, he aimed for the back right leg when he launched the javelin. He threw every bit of power he had in body in it, becoming parallel with his horse's neck at the end of the motion. At such a short range and with the amount of power he put into it, the javelin tore through the creature's leg until the tip protruded out the other end.
At the very least, it would make movement very difficult for the creature, which would make things easier for them.
Sophia wheeled about, meanwhile, moving a little more slowly considering that she had a passenger who was not experienced in riding. Keeping at a safe distance, but close enough for an easy shot, she lined up her next bolt at the wounded wyvern. The shot thudded into the side of the creature's neck, burying itself in deep, and clearly obstructing its breathing to a severe degree. It would not last long now.
Holding on to Sophia for all she was worth with one arm, Aurora leaned out of the saddle while the other was layered with stone. When Sophia drew near for her shot, Aurora concentrated for her own. Winding back, she threw her arm forward and summoned a large stonefist, which careened toward the same place Sophia's bolt did. The stonefist struck soon after the bolt, but due to its size and velocity, it stuck with much more blunt force. Enough that upon impact, a loud crack echoed through the snowy glade. It remained on its feet for only a moment more before collapsing into the snow.
By this point, the snow was coming down very thickly, and heavily, more like sleet than anything. It would make travel back to the chateau extremely slow going, and if it got much worse, Lucien wondered if they might not have to take shelter until the worst had passed. For now, though, he took one of his remaining javelins and staked the ground near the wyvernās head, tying to it a bright strip of green cloth, marking the location for later retrieval. Wyverns didnāt make especially good eating, but they could be used to feed dogs, and the other parts were extremely useful, including the venom. Though hunting was a common sporting pastime in Orlais, it was not a wasteful one.
"Well done, everyone. But I suggest we leave the celebration for when weāve returned to the chateau. I donāt like the look of this snow.ā
Flipping open his saddlebag, Rilien withdrew a glass sphere about the size of his palm, the material thick enough to be weighty but also still relatively fragile. It was packed with a special blend of lyrium, which, when agitated on impact, would cause a small-scale combustion phenomenon. Not so much to blow off a wyvern's limbs by any means, but enough to be decently distracting and damaging to the thing's thickened hide. Loading the first sphere into the sling, he raised his arm and swung the apparatus around in a circle several times, establishing a steady centripetal force. Waiting until the wyvern had slowed in order to turn itself around and lunge at Lucien again, he released at the apex of his arc, and the projectile flew through the air, crashing into one of its flanks with a bang. A plume of smoke wafted up into the air like a grey ribbon, and the sizzle of the wyvernās hide was a muted, bubbling hiss.
Knowing it was unwise to remain in one spot, Rilien moved while he reloaded, edging the clearing counterclockwise.
With the wyvern occupied with searching out where the lyrium bomb came from, Michaƫl chose it as the most opportune moment to strike. Rearing his courser around, he positioned his steed so that they would ride at the creature at an angle. He jabbed his horse in the flanks, urging it forward as fast as it could go in the snow, and plucked one of the javelins. They came at an angle from behind the wyvern and once Michaƫl drew close enough to the creature's flank, stood and hefted the javelin with all of his might into the opposite flank than the one Rilien had struck. Without pausing the horse carried him right past the creature's ire, though he made sure to turn their path somewhat circle so as not to be a straight shot for the wyvern.
Aurora, on the other hand, was not well versed in horseback riding. There were very little chances in the Circle to ride a horse, so she never had the chance to practice the skill. Still, it was better than trying to wade around in snow, so she stood up in the stirrups, one hand clutching the reins, the other forming a spell. She dipped into the fade and thrust out her hand, a bolt of lightning shooting from her fingertips and striking the wyvern. The sudden lightning bolt sat ill with the horse, however, and before she could rebalance herself in her saddle, the horse kicked and Aurora was thrown off of its back, face first into the snow.
Michaƫl saw the sudden display of magic and turned toward Lucien. "A mage? That is unfair, is it not?" He asked, hand clutching another javelin.
"No more than deadly spit." Lucien's reply was only brief, as he was attempting to draw the wyvern in the opposite direction from Aurora's fall, just in case.
Fairness was a bit of an odd concept, Sophia thought, when in life-or-death scenarios such as these. She certainly didn't give the wyvern a fair chance to see her attack coming before she aimed and loosed a crossbow bolt into its back flank, figuring enough wounds to the limbs would slow it and hopefully leave it less dangerous. The beast seemed not to care, however, honing in on the hunter that had fallen off of her horse, Aurora, the least mobile and easiest target, in its eyes. Quickly loading another bolt from the satchel strapped to her leg, Sophia kicked her heels into her horse, taking off at a gallop for Aurora.
Along the way, she took a carefully aimed shot, the bolt hitting the wyvern in the side of the face, making a mess of its snout and several teeth. It recoiled from that, momentarily turning away and scratching at the bolt in its mouth. Sophia used the moment to pull up beside Aurora, extending a hand down to her. "Come on, with me!" she urged.
Pulling her face out of the snow and wiping what she could out of her eyes, Aurora took the offered hand and clambered onto the horse behind Sophia. "I don't like horses," she muttered under her breath as she tried to regain her focus.
While Aurora was getting herself resituated, Lucien was taking the opportunity granted by Sophiaās last shot. Given that the wyvern was remaining basically still, he hefted his second javelin and took aim for its head. The quicker they could bring it down, the less likely it was that anyone here would sustain serious injury. His aim was slightly off, and rather than hitting the eye as heād intended, the heavy projectile hit the hollow of one of its cheeks, on the opposite side from where Sophiaās crossbow bolt had landed. With an enraged shriek, the wyvern wheeled itself around, beelining for Lucien, who spurred his horse into a gallop just in timeāthe creatureās claws just barely missed his arm.
His third javelin was in his hand, but he was without an opportunity to throw it, considering that most of his focus now went to getting out of the wyvernās immediate path. It stayed close on his tail, however, and even attempts to angle off were less than successful: too narrow an angle and it could succeed in keeping up, but too wide and he was offering it a free chance to knock him out of his saddle. So he urged her into a dead sprint, heading right for the hill theyād crested to come in, veering to the right at the last possible second. The horse made it with a jumpāthe wyvern did not, and crashed into a snowbank piled against the side of the hill.
It was the best opportunity they were going to get to deal it some heavy damage, most likely.
Rilien was certainly not one to let an advantage go to waste, and the next round of lyrium shells hit two at once, both concentrated on the back left leg. He brought his horse in closer, deciding that increased accuracy was worth the risk, since it had hobbled itself fairly effectively for at least the next few seconds. A quick reload added two more to the tally, each hitting almost exactly the same spot, and he watched dispassionately as the limb in question buckled, no longer able to support its share of the wyvernās weight.
He also noted, in a passive sort of sense, that it had begun to snow, fat white flakes falling from the now fully-clouded sky overhead to the ground. It looked like it would be getting heavier soon, too.
Michaƫl rode in next, bringing his courser in as close as he dared. He stood in the stirrups of his saddle, a javelin cocked over his shoulder. Judging that drawing any closer to the beast, even if it was hobbled, would be foolhardly, he aimed for the back right leg when he launched the javelin. He threw every bit of power he had in body in it, becoming parallel with his horse's neck at the end of the motion. At such a short range and with the amount of power he put into it, the javelin tore through the creature's leg until the tip protruded out the other end.
At the very least, it would make movement very difficult for the creature, which would make things easier for them.
Sophia wheeled about, meanwhile, moving a little more slowly considering that she had a passenger who was not experienced in riding. Keeping at a safe distance, but close enough for an easy shot, she lined up her next bolt at the wounded wyvern. The shot thudded into the side of the creature's neck, burying itself in deep, and clearly obstructing its breathing to a severe degree. It would not last long now.
Holding on to Sophia for all she was worth with one arm, Aurora leaned out of the saddle while the other was layered with stone. When Sophia drew near for her shot, Aurora concentrated for her own. Winding back, she threw her arm forward and summoned a large stonefist, which careened toward the same place Sophia's bolt did. The stonefist struck soon after the bolt, but due to its size and velocity, it stuck with much more blunt force. Enough that upon impact, a loud crack echoed through the snowy glade. It remained on its feet for only a moment more before collapsing into the snow.
By this point, the snow was coming down very thickly, and heavily, more like sleet than anything. It would make travel back to the chateau extremely slow going, and if it got much worse, Lucien wondered if they might not have to take shelter until the worst had passed. For now, though, he took one of his remaining javelins and staked the ground near the wyvernās head, tying to it a bright strip of green cloth, marking the location for later retrieval. Wyverns didnāt make especially good eating, but they could be used to feed dogs, and the other parts were extremely useful, including the venom. Though hunting was a common sporting pastime in Orlais, it was not a wasteful one.
"Well done, everyone. But I suggest we leave the celebration for when weāve returned to the chateau. I donāt like the look of this snow.ā