Lion's Way

After her focused display of druidic, arcane archery with a shot of shattering ice, Stella's eyes widen with fear once more taking in the scene.

It was all happening so fast!

"No!!" Despite Kregguk's valiant attempt to protect the boy, there would be no saving Dieter from a such a crushing blow. Sheemish collapses, but Aiwë quickly gets him back to his feet. Rift becomes free as the web dissipates, replaced by a cloud of darkness.

Now they could run. But why didn't she listen to her instincts? Why didn't she follow Kregguk's first orders and try get the others to follow?!

The black stars in Stella's eyes flash orange as she looses an arrow into the remaining archer's neck.

(Archer 2 takes lethal damage.)

Tears begin to flow and her eye-stars fade to a flickering, dark blue as she turns to flee.

HP: 3/8
AC: 13 (15 w/ cover)
Back, fleeing

The young knight's body slams into the tree, and Wirrow winces from where she stands, then again at Stella's sudden cry from right beside her. The size difference made it look like a cat batting a mouse around; except in this case, the mouse had managed to kill the cat too. At least he was true to his the rallying cry she'd heard from inside the darkness; he had, in fact, died here.

Wirrow doesn't exactly want to follow suit, or let the same happen to any of her friends. This time, her attempt to disrupt the figure in the back strikes true: an arrow skims the edge of the cloud of blackness and connects with the head of its creator. It's unfortunately not enough to fell then, however.

(Hooded Figure takes 13 damage)

There wasn't anything more she could do. Not even checking to see if the darkness fades, Wirrow turns to grab Stella by the wrist and pull her away to run from the fighting if needs be, but thankfully the other white-haired girl is already stepping away to retreat.

Briefly, Wirrow wonders if Aiwe or Keggruk will be unhappy later about having to run; wasn't a bloody fight something orcs typically wanted to see to the end? She shakes the thought out of her head. There would be time to think of things besides survival later.

HP: 12/12
AC: 14 (16 w/cover)
Back, fleeing

Ossein, covered in darkness, lying in the grass, imitates to the best of his ability, an Orog roar.

"Roar! I'm mean, take this you filthy metal covered meatsack! I Keggruk will slay you!"

The sphere of darkness grows tentacles, which turn inward.

The party scrambles away while Keggruk and the armored man continue their duel within the sphere of darkness (Keggruk deals 13 dmg to the Armored Figure). Parting volleys are fired, and the last archer drops - though not before planting an arrow each in Wirrow and Runeson (Wirrow takes 7, Runeson takes 8).

Aiwe can’t see the hooded figure, but she feels malevolent eyes upon her. Then the golden nimbus around her flares, and the feeling goes away.

Abruptly there is a squelching *schink* and Keggruk’s cries to Torm cease. A heavy body hits the wet ground with a splash and the rattle of plate armor. The sphere of darkness lifts, and there stands the armored figure over Keggruk’s still body (Keggruk fails a save vs insta-death and dies).

The last thing the party sees as they flee is the horned helmet and yellow eyes turning to follow them.

Aiwë feels like an idiot. Keggruk was covering their retreat. She knows what that means.

Everything is too loud. Will the ambushers find them? What's wrong with her breathing?

Finally they stop. It's been hours. Where will they go? She looks to Keggruk for her instruction. He isn't here. She already received it.

"Get them out."

She listens to Runeson explain what he knows of the area. Why are his words all... swimmy?

"To the Inn," Aiwë says, and jumps at how loud the sound is. She quiets her voice, not knowing that it's almost too quiet now for her companions to hear. "I don't think most of us know how to cross a river that isn't frozen, and I don't want to learn now."

She checks her compass. "Head North. Go as fast as you can, and stay off the paths. I'll meet up with you in about a day."

Aiwë looks around at her location, judges where the ambush site is, and begins to head back toward it, taking a slightly different way than they arrived here by.

The young knight, who she couldn't even remember the name of. Keggruk. Nearly Sheemish. None of them pull on her heartstrings so much as seeing Stella valiantly trying to hold in tears over them. A dark thought whispers... that it's not a very hard measure to top, if none of them pull on her heartstrings at all...

Wirrow's thoughts are promptly forgotten when she realizes Aiwe's plan. She sighs.

Of course she's doing that. Is it an orc tradition thing, or something else?

Now she had to pick. Based on depth of familiarity, she wants to be present with Stella, but Aiwe going off on her own would most definitely be in more danger than Stella surrounded by all these other people. And of course, if Aiwe got killed too, as this night seemed to lend itself to? That would hurt Stella even worse, and herself.

It's that thought that makes up Wirrow's mind. Better to be safe and not let anyone else go alone; Sheemish's weird ball of metal didn't count.

As Aiwe leaves the group to head off into the woods, Wirrow breaks away as well to follow her. She hangs back as she tails the orc-elvish girl, outside of Aiwe's vision range to give her space to... do things herself, sort of? Whatever that feeling is called.

Upon hearing Aiwë's plan to leave, Stella's eye-stars flicker between black, an icy blue, and a fierce orange—a confusing mix of emotions. Still, she can't get herself to speak, instead clutching her arms to her silently, gritting her teeth while trying to hold back tears.

Despair. Fear. Rage.

Mostly toward the brutal attackers. Partly toward Aiwë, who might as well be abandoning them to join Kregguk and Dieter. Partly toward herself for not trusting her instincts when the foes first appeared.

When Wirrow decides to follow, Stella silently stops the girl with deadened eyes and quickly tends to her wounds with herbs and bandages. (Wirrow regains 1d6+6 HP)

She then tends to her own wounds, where an arrow struck her.

Aiwë's smile for Snitch and Sheemish is distant. "He wasn't there when they fought the dragon, but the heroes made it to you because Keggruk helped. Thank you. We'll be back."

She looks at Stella, her calm brown eyes taking in the colours swirling in her friend's. Stella is nearly her cousin. Had she paid attention, when she visited those summers? Aiwë isn't sure. But she knows Stella doesn't understand.

"I'll be back," she repeats.

She continues into the dark woods, ignoring the ranger at her back.