• Event • Through the Fire and the Flames [Ymiden Seasonal - Group 1]

[Nir'wei]

He mustered a half-smile as the knight thanked him and slipped away once more. From the corner of his eye, he watched her disappear among a crowd of armoured men and women, chattering and readying themselves before they were given their marching orders. Off to hunt down the last attackers that had fled at the start of the battle. Some distant part of him longed to stand up and chase after them, to hunt and chase and kill the prey, but the caged beast's howl was a cub's roar in truth, and he snuffed it easily with a glance back down to the fallen Priestess. It felt cruel that the world should continue to move while she lay dead. Soldiers forced to abandon their fallen friends and loved ones to the kindness of strangers, like him, to care for them when they no longer could. Strangers without any loved ones left of their own to tend to.

"Your melancholy is giving me a migraine," Greyhide muttered from over his shoulder in a tone that somehow still sounded respectful. Maybe he did have a few. Myrth still stood at his side, lowering her head to sniff at the Priestess' hand and lick over her limp fingers. Her shoulders were slumped, ears pinned back and tail draping low; this was bringing back some painful memories of her own, of an unmarked grave somewhere in the Desnind deepwoods, of a mauled corpse in a worn leather jerkin. He pressed a hand into her cheek and she rubbed against it half-heartedly, but those chilled eyes never wavered. Though seasons had passed, though it still brought her pain, he could never remove His presence from her, and he'd never want to - all he could do was be there, the comforting touch on a cheek that let her know that she was still loved. Cold still lurked close to the Shadowhound, pacing and leaving trails of dribbled blood from his thickly-stained muzzle. The chained demon in his chest had the taste of blood now, and thirsted for more, pulling him back to the direction the knights had run off in, longing to pull him back. The only thing stopping him was Nir'wei - a leash of control wrapped tight in a white-knuckle grip at his throat, as long as he was around to hold it.

This was the truth of what it meant to be the Alpha; the nature of his relationship. He was the rock. The grounding force that held back the pain of loss in Myrth, the feral rage of Cold... the willing sacrifice of Greyhide. The commanding hand in the leaderless Traveller, the caring brother in the lonely Jasper. The more he held, the heavier he made himself to hold them together and within themselves, and yet sometimes he felt like even he shouldered his own weight.

Times like now. When something tugged at him, and he met the eyes of the cat. He saw the pain of Myrth and the rage of Cold in those eyes... for a moment he swore he even saw Greyhide. A willing sacrifice, to leave it all behind... he saw his whole pack in her. And he knew it was time to make himself heavier still.

"Then you'd better keep some bandages close," he warned her back as he reached to his belt and undid the buckle, letting the empty sheath of his sword fall to the cobblestones. The last weapon he had to his name, a short but extremely well-made hunting knife, he placed next to it, before standing and leaving them behind. "Greyhide, stand back. Take the others with you... and no matter what happens, you stay back. No matter what happens." He wasn't stupid. This had to be the most dangerous creature he'd ever come across in his short life and approaching one under any other circumstance with absolutely no armour and no weapons would have been a one-way ticket to Moseke's arms. But he put his trust in her. As his wolves backed away, he stepped forward. The pain she felt, he knew he couldn't understand, but he offered himself all the same. Even as he felt his hands start to shake under her raw stare. Cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck like the fingers of Vri as hot tears traced lines over his face and dripped from his chin. One errant swipe of her claws could slash through his stomach and he wouldn't have time to raise a hand to stop her. All he had were her eyes locked in his own. Human eyes that had seen her pain and anger, and knew the sacrifice she offered.

For the second time that day, he stared death in the face. But this time his shaking hand reached out towards it, waiting for its blessing.

[Lynessa]

The bank had been ravaged, ruined. A fire was burning, she could see the plumes of dark smoke rising into the air. There was no one else in sight, no knights, no one. It was a rather disturbing sight and a shiver went down her spine as her gut told her to pay attention. Lynessa had been expecting for the entrance to be burnt or ruined, yet it stood open, like the criminals had somehow just slipped right in. Not a good sign. Was this an inside job? Did they have some sort of support from inside the bank.

Lynessa raised a hand at the knights following her, signaling them to slow down as she went ahead. They had taken nearly half a bell to get here, running as fast as they could. The Ring had a head start, a very long one as they were still scrambling to understand what’s going on. People attack banks to steal the money, to gain as much gold as they could, yet there was no sign of them leaving. They probably had enough time to grab what they need and go before Lynessa arrived.

So what did they want then?

“What should we do Priestess? The young knight’s question brought her back to reality. The questions… she should consider them later. Right now, she needed to locate the group.

The young priestess turned to group and eyed the men and women accompanying her. They were certainly no battle-hardened warriors. Their faces were mostly unfamiliar, which meant they might be only recently knighted. It didn’t bode well for them, but she would have to make do with what she had.

Eyeing the building once more, Lynessa tried to plan for their mode of entry. There. She saw it, a hatch on the roof. She was trained in stealth, did best when the element of surprise was in her hands. As straightforward as barging into the front door could be, she preferred a chance to catch them unaware. Perhaps even gain more time to study them, to learn about their true intentions.

“We’re going up the roof,” Lynessa said firmly as she eyed the group. Some wore leather armor, while the rest was clad in the iconic armors of the Lightning Knights. All clunky steel and chainmail. “Those wearing plate… Take it off or do try to be silent. We can’t let them know we’re already here.”

Wasting no more time, the young woman led the group once again. She climbed up the ladder swiftly and jumped onto the roof lightly, slinking towards the skylights. She peered in, trying to see if she would be able to spot the people she was looking for.

[Oracle]

Nir'wei
A low growl rumbled from the Zephyrus’s throat that Nir’wei could feel to his very core. Her bright gemstone hued eyes glinted at him with a dangerously predatory gaze. Vabina never once broke eye contact with him, she stayed right there, her pupils tensing and shrinking in size while she focused on him.

Vabina stretched out her neck until she was nearly touching Nir’wei with her soft velvety nose. Her fangs were bared and she seemed to be drawing dangerously close to the Sev’ryn’s throat. There was pain in her eyes, an unknowable loss that few could understand. Karliah had been both a sister and a mother to the massive feline. All Zephyrus were raised by hand, by their riders from the moment they were captured. They ate together and often the cats slept in the same room as their rider until they grew too large to be indoors. Karliah was gone and she had left Vabina behind. Perhaps it would have been better if the Zephyrus had died in the fray with the shadowhound but now Nir was left to pick up the pieces.

The feline snarled once before her eyes softened and a soft whimper escaped from her toothy maw. She stepped closer to the man until her nose was touching his forehead and his outstretched hand was tangled in the fur at her neck. She stood there for a long while, her breathing slowing until it was once again steady and even.

Vabina stepped back, eyeing Nir closely. She turned to look back at where Karliah’s body had been laying, a low growl escaping her throat before she went quiet and turned back to the Sev’ryn. The Zephyrus then knelt down on her forepaw, seeming to indicate that Nir was to climb onto her back. She was outfitted with a harness and light leather saddle. There were no reins or method of controlling her, there was only a large leather grip near where a pommel might be. Vabina’s whiskers prickled with anticipation as she sniffed the air. She had the scent of the men that had caused all of this violence, and she would find them. Her newly forged bond with Nir’wei would depend on him choosing to join her in her hunt or not.

Lynessa

The Lightning Knights under Lynessa’s command climbed up after the Thunder Priestess as they made their way to the roof. Many of them had removed the loudest portions of their steel armor or had packed spare scraps of cloth in between the metal plates to muffle any noise.

After a few bits the entire team of Knights and Lynessa were arrayed along the rooftop of the Rharne Bank. The scent of smoke was strong here and from the hatch in the skylight the group was able to see that the marble lined lobby of the bank was decimated with damage. The corpse of a single Lightning Knight who had been standing guard was laid out below them in the middle of the chamber; blood was pooled under his armored body. A young human woman, perhaps a bank teller was huddled up in a corner against the wall. Her leg was bleeding and it was clear that she couldn’t walk. She looked around frantically, her eyes looking over to the dead knight before looking upwards to catch sight of Lynessa and her team. Hope alighted in her eyes just as a middle aged woman with a long thick red braid walked into view and smirked at the woman. She wore a studded set of black leather armor and was armed with a wicked looking long knife with a serrated blade.

“Such sloppy work, my boys must have missed you my dear.” She knelt down in front of the younger woman and roughly grabbed her chin to hold her still. Her victim whimpered before going silent with terror.

“It’s not as though we are even in a rush, we practically had the keys given to us, but you know how men are....always in a hurry.”

Within trills she had unsheathed a serrated longknife and slit the bank teller’s throat, not even bothering to see what the woman had been looking at. The woman with the red braid stood, kicking the body of the dying bank teller as crimson liquid gushed from her throat and across the marble floor. The life left her just as she looked up towards Lynessa one last time with a plea in her eyes.

Further into the bank they could hear the sound of a massive door unlocking along with the departing footsteps of the aukari that had killed the girl.

“It’s about time you got it open!” The woman said with a satisfied cackle. Presumably they had managed to unlock the bank vault. Within two bits she had gone and the lobby was now empty save for two corpses.

The young knight from before produced a length of rope and wordlessly indicated that he was going to lower it down on Lynessa’s command. He and another Knight would stay on the roof to let them down and to stand guard incase more help arrived.

[Nir'wei]

He swore he could feel its breath on his throat as it drew close. It burned against his cold sweat, somehow smelling metallic, like the edge of a sword ringing against his senses. He knew what it was, the blood of the Shadowhound still dripping from its chin and caked in the fur of its front paws; like many things, knowing this didn't make it any less terrifying. All he could see was pain and loss and anger and anguish, so much more than he could possibly know. How could such a creature ever come back from it? The truth was, he couldn't bring it back unless it wanted to. All he could do was offer some piece of hope, an alternative, a better route, and hope that they saw it. A comforting embrace. A new friend to lean on. Take it, he pleaded. Please, take it.

It leaned closer than he'd hoped, snarling, huge saber-tooth fangs bared threateningly. At least if it decided to kill him, he'd die fast. Another breath washed over his neck, burning and acrid. He tried not to cough, he was barely breathing at this point and if it drew any closer he might pass out.

But just like that, it broke. The anger faded, and it was just a cat again, hurt and scared... and alone. It pressed against him, seeking comfort, and he tangled his fingers in the thick mane of its neck. "It's okay, it's okay... it's okay." Somewhere behind him he could feel Greyhide trying to approach again and he sternly pushed him back - this was something he really didn't want to rush. Not while his whole body still ached in fear. He just wanted to enjoy this moment. A little bit of peace in the middle of a battlefield.

Soon it pulled away again... and with a sinking feeling in his stomach, he swallowed nervously as the beast lowered itself before him. "You're really going to make me do this all over again?" It didn't reply. "Greyhide." The wolf knew what he wanted, and padded to his side with the leather-wrapped handle of his longsword gripped in its jaws. "Scout ahead and tell me what's waiting for us. See if you can find that woman and the knights." The wolf nodded, but hesitated, glancing to the kneeling cat meaningfully. "It'll be fine." Greyhide glanced again, silent. "Please." He felt something like a cold nose rubbing against his cheek, warm fur pressed to his face. I need you too, it reminded him. Be careful. Then the wolf spun on its hind paws and darted down the same path of the knights.

Sword clutched in his free hand, he scrambled up the side of the Zephyrus, taking a few attempts before finding a good footing... and really not liking what he saw when he finally made himself semi-comfortable. One last glance behind him saw Cold still lying over the cooling body of the Shadowhound, Myrth lying next to Karliah's corpse. "Stay." He'd promised that woman they'd be waiting for her return and he wholly intended to keep at least part of his word. One last look into their waiting faces and he turned back around, pressing his hand back to that same spot on the giant cat's neck. "Come on then, let's go. For Karliah."

[Oracle]

Heaps and heaps of gold nel were being unloaded from the bank vault before they were transferred into sacks and carried swiftly out of the building by one of the Aukari men. There was no telling how much they would make off with as no one had yet appeared to stop them. Thousands of golden coins vanished into obscurity just like that and the Ring of Fire was made all the more richer.

The woman with the thick red braid stood watch outside the Vault door with her eyes kept squarely fixed on the entrance to the bank. She had expected resistance by now but so far none had appeared. Her “boys” were half a dozen men who worked ceaselessly to empty the vault as fast as possible. It wouldn’t take her team much longer to finish getting what they came for.

____

While Lynessa and her Lightning Knights had paused, Nir was now taking action. He sent Greyhide ahead to scout for what was transpiring at the bank. Once ascending up the slopped cobbled streets to the Glass Quarter of Rharne the wolf would discover the Bank smoking from a fire somewhere within and the front doors slightly ajar. It was as if someone had just let them in. Up on the roof, Lynessa and her team of Knights were perched, seeming to hang there waiting to make a decision on how to gain entry through the skylight.

If Greyhide peeked inside the door he would find the beautiful marble lobby vacant of life, with the body of a bank teller lying out for anyone to spot. The bank sloped up to a set of low stairs that led to a mezzanine where there was the impressive door of the bank vault. The door was wide open and Aukari men were retrieving bags of money from within its depths. A woman stood guard, as if anticipating that someone would try and interfere.

__

It would take Nir a couple trills to seat himself comfortably on Vabina’s back. The saddle was simple and meant to be little more than a place for the rider to sit and hang on for dear life. It was clearly built to be comfortable to the animal. With supple leather making up the general structure and a thick layer of wool padding that sat beneath the seat. There were no reins, only a broad leather handhold for Nir’wei to grasp.

As Nir spoke the Zephyrus snarled, the rumble of her voice cascading through her entire body. Her new rider would be able to feel her breath as it passed through her lungs and even the beating of her great heart. They were connected now, and he was her rider. For now and always.

A roar ripped through the decimated market and Vabina flung herself and her rider forward. Her impressive musculature rippled beneath him as they tore up toward the Glass Quarter. The feline darted through streets and made hair pin turns like they were nothing. She obviously knew the landscape of Rharne exceedingly well and Nir would be able to hear her sniffing the air from time to time as she hunted for her quarry.

In half the time it had taken Lynessa to arrive at the bank, Vabina and Nir had arrived. The Zephyrus loped up to the smoking building and her muzzle bristled in rage as she detected the scent she had been chasing. Her ears were laid flat against her gigantic skull and her azure body was tensed in preparation for a fight.

Nir had a choice now. He could try and coerce Vabina to approach with stealth or he could let her come tearing into that building with all of her pent up need for vengeance. He only had trills to decide and the cat beneath him was growing impatient.

!	Message from: Oracle
	Sorry for the delay, had to take a bit of a break. Lynessa feel free to hop back in.

[Lynessa]

Lynessa stepped lightly as she approached the skylight. The interior of the bank had been ruined and she could see the dead body of the knight. It was odd. Their bank wasn’t supposed to be guarded so loosely – heck, any bank in the entire world would put more effort than a single knight to protect it. The young woman tucked the thought in her mind, making note of it. Trills later, she noticed a young woman, looking up to her. Only mere moments later a redheaded woman slit her throat. The priestess gritted her teeth as she saw the light leaving the woman’s eyes. She might have been able to save her had she came quicker. Too late for that now.

“It’s not as though we are even in a rush, we practically had the keys given to us, but you know how men are....always in a hurry.”

Her blood ran cold at the words. They practically had the keys given to them? What did that mean? Had someone from the inside gave them access? A bleak thought entered her head… She remembered the raids on Mistral Village, all done by using horses purchased by the name of Clara. The image of the beautiful sister came to mind and Lynessa thought about how brutal she had been with the Aukari man back when they investigated about the shopkeeper murder.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lynessa looked at the knights. “One of you, go find your commander and ask for some backup. Tell him if he didn’t do so, Rharne will lose all its gold. The rest of you are with me.” Having nothing else to say, the young woman climbed onto the rope and swiftly lowered herself into the bank. Her heart was pounding as moments passed, but no one returned to the room.

Quietly, Lynessa dropped down on the lobby’s marble floor and surveyed her surroundings. She was only mildly familiar of the bank layout, but she knew where the vault was at least. She waited until her knight companion had descended and then gestured at them to unsheathe their weapons slowly and follow her. Lynessa did the same, pulling out Stormsister – still stained with blood – and secured her spring-loaded dagger on her left arm.

Heading towards the direction of where the woman had disappeared, Lynessa crept stealthily. She still wasn’t sure how many people were inside, whether they were outmatched or not. Right before they reached the vault room, the priestess would peer from a spot behind the wall and plan her course of action.

[Nir'wei]

He was no stranger to riding animals. Traveller was his beast of choice, but he'd ridden a horse before, too - and even before that, he'd trained Volareon mid-flight. He'd felt it all before, the rush, the heat, the feel of a live animal underneath you charging with inhuman speed. Never like this though. He didn't even have the illusion of control as he grappled the saddle with all his strength, the Zephyrus speeding around corners like it was running on the walls. The rounds of explosions had cleared the streets in the panic, and all he could think was how lucky they were, because they wouldn't even be able to jump out of the way fast enough... and Vabina sure as hell wasn't slowing down for anything. Her roars shook his core and left echoes bouncing off the walls, reverberating back as high trills.

It was more than that, though. As they sped through the maze of a city like a bolt of arced lightning, it was like a whole new body's sensations slowly washed over him. He could feel her heavy breathing, the pounding of her heart, his body rocked and jerked in time with her paws beating on the cobblestone streets as she surged ahead with another burst of speed as the road briefly opened up before them. "Faster," he whispered, and he swore he saw one of the big cat's ears twitch before another deep rumble sounded a burst of power as they flew down an alleyway so narrow he could feel his knuckles scraping over the brickwork of either wall, wrapped as they were around the cat's shoulders, the leather handhold briefly forgotten in that brief embrace.

Another harsh corner and he nearly toppled. Vabina's mane wasn't as solid a handhold, and his grip returned to the saddle's grasp just as they burst out into the final stretch.

In the end, it wasn't Nir'wei who stopped the cat. A shadow flickered over them both and that high trill sounded again, but it wasn't the aftershock of Vabina's roar. "Where the hell have you been?!" Nir almost yelled as he settled a calming hand on the nape of Vabina's neck, trying to calm her from the inevitable spook of a Sohr Khal descending before them both. Had the explosions rippling through the city alerted him? Or perhaps Vabina's roars? Traveller only warbled, eyeing the Zephyrus with suspicious eyes as he shifted uncomfortably in place and backed away a step. "Woah woah woah, easy. Both of you, eeeeasy." Again he embraced the Zephyrus for a moment, gripping tight around her neck, feeling her pulse through it as he attempted to soothe her frayed nerves. "He's a friend. He's my friend. Shh, it's okay. You'll get your revenge soon enough." That tenseness in her muscles, the rushing urge to claw and bite, he felt it too. Maybe it was the rush of the fight lingering in the base of his skull, but it didn't matter, he didn't care.

"Hold on, is that..." He'd not realised it before, but Traveller had something in his mouth. "You didn't! How long have you been up there watching, and you didn't... okay, you and I are having a long talk about this when we get back." Traveller growled, but it was more the sound a petulant child makes when he's been caught with his hand in a cookie jar. "Don't give me that. Hand it over. OUT!" After a moment of hesitation, almost turning his head away, he gave a final warble and leaned over, dropping the shortbow and full quiver just within reach for Nir'wei to lean over Vabina's side and catch it before it sailed by. "Now, UP. TRACK." The Sohr Khal trilled and stepped back, spreading its wings, and took off with a blast of air.

Sohr Khals could be a right piece of work when they wanted to be, sitting just out of the reach of danger in the heat of a battle like that. "Alright," he said, settling the shortbow and quiver over his shoulder and drawing his long sword in one hand, "no more playing." His free hand wrapped around the leather handhold and gripped it tight. "No more running!." Greyhide, back from his scouting, materialised at the cat's side and mentally shared what he'd seen through their bond. One person stood between them and the open vault. "NO MORE HIDING!" They were going to charge head-first, straight through the lobby, through the mezzazine, through HER, they were going to RIP them to BLOODY SHREDS.

"GO GET 'EM!" he screamed, blood roaring in his ears, as they charged together, Greyhide breaking away as they reached the mezzazine to flank them from the right side.

[Oracle]

As soon as Nir’wei gave the command Vabina practically threw herself forward with an ear shattering roar that made the windows of the building shiver. The massive feline plowed straight through the impressive gold inlaid doors of the bank, throwing them off the hinges and into the blood soaked innards of the bank.

The acrid tang of blood permeated the area, and figures could still be seen moving up on the mezzanine near the vault. In the center of the room figures in azure embellished armor could be seen slinking down a rope from the ceiling being led by Lynessa.

Ahead of the Thunder Priestess the women with the red braid and the serrated longknife turned, hearing the crashing of Vabina as she came thundering through the doors. Surprised raced across her face just before a grin danced across her lips.

“You lot aren’t supposed to be here.” she cawed darkly upon sighting the Lightning Knights in tow behind Lynessa. It was as Vabina tore up the messanine that a glowing amber hued mark could be seen flashing with light on the woman’s upper arm. It was a fiery brand that gleamed like red hot iron. The woman reached her open palm forward toward the approaching Zephyrus before flames blossomed from her hand and rushed toward the azure cat.

Vabina nimbly danced sideways as if she had found a Faldrun Marked before. Likely she had when Karliah had been her rider. The cat snarled before setting her sights on the men at the vault door and threw herself at them. The first died almost instantly as she snapped him up in between her jaws and threw his bloodied corpse to the side. Sparks and lightning crackled from the tip of her horn before the Zephyrus launched a barrage of lightning toward another of the half dozen men, sending him to his knees with the powerful stun.

While Vabina was engaged with the vault thieves the woman with the red braid had turned her attention fully to the Knights, Lynessa, and Nir’wei. Her eyes glowed like embers as she sauntered forward with total confidence. Sparks erupted from her free hand before she leaned forward to throw a fireball straight into the group of Lightning Knights. The familiar scent of burnt flesh and smouldering blood filled the chamber as four of the dozen Knights under Lynessa’s command now lay on the ground as naught but smoking corpses.

“Come on now, make this distraction worth my while!” The Faldrun Marked hissed with rage.

!	Message from: Oracle
	You have five enemies in the room. The nearest is the Faldrun Marked woman, then there are four men behind her that Vabina is busy fighting. You have roughly ten trills to act. Lynessa, feel free to control your remaining Knights for now. You have 8 left.

[Lynessa]

Expect the unexpected. A common saying repeated by her seniors to her. Missions usually never go according to plan and it had been instilled in her mind early on to calculate how a plan might go wrong, what unexpected elements might disrupt her. However, nothing in her training would have prepared her to imagine a full-grown Zephyrus slamming through the doors and bounding towards the criminals with a thunderous roar. Clearly stealth was not an option anymore.

The braided woman, the killer, turned to face her, eyes locking onto her figure.

“You lot aren’t supposed to be here.” The violence was thick in the woman’s voice and the priestess’s every fiber stood in attention. She saw the reddish mark, glowing like a small firelight. Lynessa had learned enough about Faldrun and his followers to recognize the Al’deurn.

So, the priestess wasn’t surprised as a blaze shot out of the woman’s hand towards Vabina. She didn’t even need to shout out a warning for the Zephyrus bounded out of the way nimbly. Lucky her. Lynessa wouldn’t last long if she didn’t think of something soon. An opponent shooting out faming balls… Her skills in unarmed combat and bladed weapons became extremely useless. Shite, I really need to have something better than a dagger. Oh how she wished she could shoot thunder out of the palm of her hands.

Bracing herself, the young woman locked her eyes on the woman’s arms, trying to catch the slightest movements. It might not be much, but it might buy her a tick if it came down to it. As she saw the muscles of her arm twitch, all she could do was cry out. “Watch out!” But it was too late.

Lynessa flinched as the fiery missile hurtled straight towards the knights behind her. She could feel the passing heat rippling across her skin. Then the screams followed as the flames slammed into the knights. She didn’t even dare imagine how hot it had burnt for the noises quickly died down and all that was left were their charred corpses.

And the smell… Lynessa nearly heaved and threw right then and there. It reminded her too much of her father’s burnt body. Her own charred flesh. For arcs she had begged Alia to assign her to missions involving the Aukari. Every time her mentor had said no. That she wasn’t ready. At the moment, she realized the older woman might be right. The fire… She still feared it.

But it was a familiar fear and she had spent her whole life handling it.

The priestess didn’t dare turn away even for a moment, but she recalled that at least three of the knights had brought along their bows. “On my mark!” she called out, hoping that they heard her order and started stringing their arrows. Did she have any plan? The answer was no, but her ideas usually came when death is more… imminent.

Tightening her grip on the hilt of her daggers, Lynessa launched herself towards the Faldrun-marked. “Shoot now!” She hoped that the woman would be forced to use her flames on the incoming volley, giving her enough time to close their distance without being scorched to death. “Swords, with me!”

Instead of using her daggers first, the priestess dropped to the ground and swung her leg underneath the redhead, hoping it would knock her off her feet. Her blade followed suit, slashing upwards in an effort to injure the criminal as she fell. “Why are you here? What do you want with the gold?” Lynessa demanded.

[Nir'wei]

Emotions flared bright, blinding his senses under a dull roar as the three of them charged through the ornate doors, into a scene of chaos. Knights had already arrived, but his attention slid by them all and locked onto the woman at the far end of the room. Unfortunately, Greyhide's scan had missed out the other people further back, but it didn't seem to matter; she stood between them and the vault, and that made her just as much a target as the others. Vabina seemed to take it in her stride, launching forward beneath him without any further prompting, aimed directly for her, past the knights in a blur of motion. They'd charge straight through her and bulldoze the workers behind, bring this damn mess to a swift end, and show them all exactly what happened when you messed with Rharne and its people!

His mind was too far ahead, too muddled by the violence. The fireball skimmed past them both, but on different sides; his one-handed grip wasn't nearly strong enough to handle such a nimble mid-stride course correction, and he'd never seen the flames appear, never adjusted his weight to match the twist of the cat's body. It was one of the most graceful dismounts he'd ever made, accidental or not. However, the landing left something to be desired. He slammed into the floor on his left side, rolling over a few times as his momentum carried him forward, before drawing to a stop on his elbows and knees, the world around him still spinning. Okay, he thought to himself, at least I'm not dead. Not yet at least. He could be in the next second, if he didn't get up and do something. Hide behind the knights. Run away, maybe. Needless to say, all that bravado was fading fast now that he'd struck a glancing blow with instant death. What was he even doing here, anyway? What made him any more qualified to do this than any of the poor souls who's blood stained the walls and floors?

"Nothing," replied Archailist.

Really? NOW he talks? "Oh fuck off, you overgrown sewer rat," Nir'wei snapped, making a snap decision and dropping his sword in favour of reaching back and pulling the shortbow from off his shoulder. Oh yeah, this was the stuff. Now he could actually do something! Though, glancing between the knights already pushing into a frontal assault on the fire-mage, and her accomplices, the real question was where to do it. "Sorry lady," he muttered under his breath as he drew his first arrow and notched it, "but if eight soldiers isn't enough to deal with that woman, one more isn't going to make a difference." Putting his faith in the knights and their ability to distract the distraction, he turned, picking out one of the small scrabbling crowd of accomplices and firing the first of many arrows towards them. From down below the platform wasn't a good angle, and he loathed to step any closer in case the fire-mage caught him picking off her crew-members, but as long as he kept them from making it to the exit while the Zephyrus slaughtered them so mercilessly, he'd count it a success.

Greyhide, already sent out earlier, worked alongside Vabina, corralling those at the vault's entrance to almost herd them into the snarling Zephyrus, claiming the right-most exit of the mezzanine to prevent their escape.