Another strange thing that had been happening to Kaitlyn was that sometimes, when there was imminent danger, things slowed for her. More precisely, things around her slowed down. Though for the most part she could only watch, amazed.
Although not the first to move, the bartender at the other side of the bar was the first to attack. The crossbow bolt was aimed squarely at the elf. The mercenary, Bob, while drawing his sword took a step toward the nearest soldier, directly in the path of the quarrel. The projectile shattered harmlessly on his armor.
Bob knew something was definitely wrong when the quarrel hit his armor, it had come from the opposite side of the room. This was not an ordinary bar fight, these people were fighting as an organized group. He swung at the soldier but the man parried and reposted his swing, which he parried and reposted himself. Four more swings and neither had hit. He realized another two things, that the soldiers in the good armor were not just recruited farmers and that there were more piling in the door...
Damion Grey cast a spell.. and nothing happened. He turned and realized that there was another mage in the room, standing at the top of the stairs, smiling as he was starting another spell. Two soldiers would reach Damion before he could cast his own spell and he had no where to run..
Wolf Domain saw the soldiers head directly for the two mages, he did not know what was going on, but the monk had said something about magic and he knew what was on the soldiers' mind. If nothing else they would need the mages alive to sort things out. He intercepted the soldiers that were going for Damion Grey, no hint of recognition in their eyes. Yes, definitely magic...
Magicus Tyrasbane cast his sleep spell at the soldiers that were running at him, the spell did not affect them in the least. He had been right and he was about to die with that knowledge...
Mac Congline was looking at Kaitlyn who was staring around as if in a daze. But elven bodies are supple and it was a surprise to the soldier that the short sword which had been in Macs' sheath was now being pulled from beneath his arm and out of his heart...
Hu-Su saw what Bob saw. He also realized that the young wizard was in trouble. A flying kick sent one soldier flying into the other and both crashing into the wall. The young wizard was now staring at the stairs and starting to cast a spell. Another wizard. The monk looked at the wall again...
Nyx was a little over a half mile from town when she felt the magic. The visual image of the people talking to the girl in the inn formed clearly. An overwhelming sense of fear and hate consumed her. At a full sprint she headed for town ..thirty seconds ... one minute.. in less than two minutes she was behind the inn. Soldiers and townspeople alike were piling into the building. She too was going to attack these villains before... out of sheer mental discipline she asked herself what she was doing and why? She stopped...
The sight of the mans' blood on Macs' blade spurred Kait into action.. "We have to get out of here, NOW!" She yelled.
Bob heard the womans' words. The soldier was a better fighter and Bob was already on the defensive. But this was *not* a training session. He called on the strength of his gloves and, though the soldier parried a sideswipe, he did not have the strength behind it to deflect the blades' deadly path. Too many people were coming in, Bob had to get to the door and block it off. He fought, shoved, sliced and bludgeoned his way through the crowd toward the door, the magic of the gloves and his armor enhancing his strength. He caused his sword to burst into flames. Some of the unfortunates he flung aside much like rag dolls, others felt his blade and its' flames. The elf would protect the woman. As he got near his objective he found himself facing a priest who pointed a finger at him. "NO!" but his body would not respond, would not move...
Damion Grey saw Wolf Domain leap in front and upon his would-be attackers. The man was a demon with a blade but the soldiers were no slouches. Damion Grey was just about to cast his special magical missiles when Magicus Tyrasbane cast his own, standard magic missiles which dissipated harmlessly just before reaching the wizard. "Well my young friend you may have just saved us all", Damion thought... If the opposing wizard was worth his salt, then Damions' spell would also have be dissipated harmlessly, if cast at the man that is. Damion cast the spell at the supports of the stairway the wizard was on, they splintered and the stairwell lurched. The enemy wizards' spell was interrupted as he tried to maintain his balance. And .. trouble, he sensed an up-well of clerical magic coming from the front of the inn. A priest!...
Wolf Domain swung leapt forward, back, to the side. He could not believe these people did not recognize him, let alone were attacking him! He tried to only disable those he knew...
Mac saw the man in the black armor wade through the crowd as though a scythe through a wheat field on his way to the door, this was a tactically astute man. Sword blazing, he had reached the door only to fall prey to a priest that had cast a hold person spell. Bob stood as a statue, his blazing sword successfully blocking the door against all but the most foolhardy. The priest turned to Mac and cast the rest of the spell. Mac felt the magic but his elven blood would not give in to such magics so easily. His dagger whistled as it took the priest through the eye. As a general rule, Mac did not trust mercenaries, but this one had done his job more than well. He took Kaitlyn by the hand and both made their way to Bob. He easily dispatched any that got in his way as they were still recovering from the mercenaries' onslaught.
Mac Conglinne was dragging Kaitlyn by the arm. She saw how the mercenary fought, no style, just gruesomely efficient, relying mostly on brute strength of which he seemed to have plenty. The soldier he had faced had been a much better swordsman, skill-wise, but had not had the strength. Wolf Domain had a different kind of efficiency, he combined timing, movement, speed and swordplay.. to great effect.
Hu-Su also heard Kaitlyn and had decided on the best way out was through the wall of the well constructed inn. The monk spun around gathering momentum as his foot lashed out and connected solidly with the 10 inch thick beam. A sound like the cracking of a ships' beam of resounded throughout the building...
Nyx was startled by the loud "crack" and saw the outside layer of planks fall away from the large, now outwardly broken main beam. What could do that?...
Now that they were on equal footing, almost, Damion Grey would end this contest. The other wizard pointed a ring at them while Damion pointed his staff at the wizard. At the same time Magicus Tyrasbane cast magic missiles at a man who had gotten past Wolf Domain. All three spells occurred simultaneously. The lightning bolt from the wizards wand caught Magicus, Damion and the Monk squarely, but all survived, barely. The much more powerful bolt from Damion killed the other wizard instantly. The thunder from the bolts also echoed around the room.
The bolt caught the Monk in the back and continued through to hit the weakened wall and blast a hole through it. He was still alive. He spat out: "THIS WAY!"
Kaitlyn and Mac reached the held mercenary. Mac fended off those trying to get past the mercenaries sword when a crossbow bolt took him in the shoulder. The Bartender! Without thinking, Kaitlyn threw her dagger at the bartender, she missed but the bartender dove behind the bar, they had not much time.
Mac was wounded but a long way from being disabled. He pulled the charm out of his belt and touched the mercenary. The mercenary grunted thanks as he was able to move. Bob did not waste any time, with a mighty swing, he cut the small timbers that made the door frame, igniting the falling wood in the process.
They all heard the monk and headed toward the back. The mercenary barrelled past the monk and through the hole and the weakened timber, the now glowing armor taking most of the impact as he burst through into the night. The hole was now big enough to escape through. Kaitlyn and Mac went through. Then Magicus and Damion. Wolf and Hu-Su were last.
Nyx dove to the side as she heard the thunder and was not surprised to see a lightning bolt further blast the weakened timber. "So that was what had broken it" she thought. She was surprised to see a man in black armor burst through the wall, followed by the rest of the people she had *seen* in her mental image. Yet they would not be alone much longer. There were over a thousand people in town, let alone in a distance from which she had been *summoned*. Nyx did not like being compelled to do anything and for that reason alone decided to help the group. She simply said: "we have to leave this area quickly, the humans looking for you received a mental image of your group".
A dim thunder could now be heard, the screams of humans coming from the left side of town.. the angry cries of many coming from the right side of town. A cow appeared around the left, the first few humans on the right. A cow? Kaitlyn thought.. then two, four, ten, a herd. Not just a herd, a stampeding heard of cows, bears, wolves, deer that were charging into town and attacking anything human...
With a calmness belying her utter horror, she firmly said: "There is more here than meets the eye. We separate here, meet me at Elsies' Spire in seven days if you wish to help me. Let us scatter now!"
Had these been novice adventurers they would have stood and argued. But all knew full well that they could not fight over a thousand people, a garrison, and who knew how many animals. As a group they were easily identifiable. And there was strong magic at work. Most did not like splitting apart but realized that was their best chance...
Attempting to loose themselves in the confusion of people and animals, the party separated and attempted to escape into the night. Some succeeded...