The Cipher began the fight by quickly pulling out four
pieces of radia from a pocket in his robes. Each one had different facets cut
into them like puzzle pieces or the teeth of a key. The Ithilian’s slender
fingers deftly snapped the four pieces together in the form of a small box. The
box flashed for a moment and an invisible beam of energy whistled through the
air catching the mercenary off guard. The blow struck him square in the
breastplate and knocked him back a few steps.
The glaive knight ran toward the urchyn with surprising
speed. Even with her armor on, she was fairly mobile and somewhat nimble.
Shutting out the fact from her mind that he was still a boy, she slashed with
her sword as she ran by the urchyn. The boy
cried out in pain, but she was already past him. Ceylina ran a few more strides
then tucked into a roll so she could pop up and protect her brother if he were to be
attacked next.
Running away from the knight, the urchyn found himself
standing next to the mercenary. Fretly took out two glass phials of an elixr
that looked identical to each other. When he drank one, his wound stopped
bleeding and he looked a little less pained. Seeing that the burley mercenary
was watching him, Fretly smiled at the brute and offered him the other phial.
Balto was not one to refuse gifts, even on the field of battle. The Kirzan took
the phial from the boy’s small hand and drank it in one swallow.
“Fool,” cried Xela at Farley. “That is not healing!” Sure
enough, the mercenary immediately felt a little ill and weak. This was not
Xela’s immediate concern, however, as the anvyl was stomping towards him, pounding
one huge Kirzan fist into an open palm. The savant’s sister, in position to
protect her brother, whirled in a circle, and, with a grunt, slammed her sword
into the anvyl, piercing his armor. Even though this was a heavy blow that drew
blood, it only worked to enrage Farley. The anvyl grabbed Ceylina and in one motion
turned her upside down, forced her head between his legs and dropped her in a
pile driver move. The two rolled away from each other and the anvyl got back
up, but Ceylina, dazed, felt a little afraid of the anvyl’s power and stayed down. Balto came to the aid of his comrade by bringing his heavy
battle axe crashing down on his Kirzan brethren’s head. Farley was able to
parry the blow a bit, but it still cracked the side of his helmet knocking him
out.
While she was dealing with fear and doubt, Quar’goth snuck
up next to Ceylina. This time, he pulled five pieces of radia from his pocket, snapped
them together in the form of a pentagon that surrounded his wrist like a
bracelet and punched Ceylina with that hand. The pentagon bracelet gave the
cipher preternatural strength and the blow knocked Ceylina’s helmet off her
head.
Xela clenched his fists and concentrated, thoughts shot
through his head at lightning speed. He decided to bluff, then try and heal his
teammates. He feinted like he was going to attack all three of his opponents,
but only whirled around them without making contact. The glaive knight and the
mercenary knew this was a signal to drink their own healing elixirs while the
enemy was confused by Xela’s actions.
Strangely enough, Farley Strongheart who had just come to,
saw through Xela’s tactics. Instead of attacking, the anvyl pulled his
teammates together to give them a chance to heal, as well. Farley paid for this
decision, however. Ceylina again spun towards him and thrust her sword hard
enough that she again pierced Farley’s armor.
Quar’goth thought he would take advantage of the glaive knight’s attack
and punch her again with the pentagon bracelet, but Balto swung his shield up
in time to absorb the blow, a blow that knocked the shield off his arm and stunned him for a moment.
Xela, who remembered where both the urchyn and the anvyl had been
wounded, ran up to each and lashed their wounds with the sharp edges of his
robes, causing them to bleed more. Just before he was hit by Xela, the urchyn
was able to get off a shot from his bow that he had been carefully aiming. The
arrow hit the blade of Balto’s battle axe and split in two striking both Balto
and Ceylina. The half that hit Balto jammed in the crook of his armor between
his neck and breastplate, locking his helmet from moving.
For the first time, Xela thought, “We’re losing. I’ve got to
heal my team.” He quickly mixed liquid from a few different smaller phials to
make something stronger. While Xela mixed his concoction, Balto tore off his
helmet allowing Quar’goth a clear shot at his head. The cipher snapped two
pieces of radia together like one was a key going into the lock of the other. A
pulse of energy blasted from Quargoth’s hands smacking Balto in the side of the
face.
Xela ran to his teammates and gave them both sips of the
healing elixir. His head filled with a storm of thoughts and again he tried to
confuse his enemies and heal his teammates. “If I can keep them confused and
allow Ceylina and Balto time to recuperate, I might turn the tables and gain
the upper hand,” he thought.
This time, the urchyn saw through Xela tactics and healed
himself amidst a flurry of the savant's orange robes bobbing and weaving. The boy shot
another arrow that struck the mercenary. Xela saw something shift in Balto’s eyes,
no longer was he for hire, he was now fighting for himself. The Kirzan charged
at his three enemies and shouted the most terrifying shout at them. Quar’goth
and Fretly both stood stock still in fear after Balto’s violent bellow. Farley,
on the other hand, being Kirzan himself, was not intimidated by Balto. The
anvyl grappled with the mercenary, eventually gained the advantage and held
Balto motionless in his powerful grip.
Xela predicted what they were going to do: immobilize Balto
and beat the oher two of them down. “Quar’goth is hoping that if he can get us
out of the way, the mercenary will not have as much motivation with his
employer dispatched.” The savant carefully considered his next move as he mixed
more of the healing elixir. “I must focus on taking out the cipher. Without
him, his team will have no leader, but it will have to be up to me and my
sister to win this battle, Balto is no good to us now.”
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