VG Rumble

Ilum watched as Raven just dodged an arrow. That's when he saw two more ready to fire. He quickly raised his hand. He created an ice shield just in time to block the arrows.

Looking to his left a goblin jumped out at him. he was about to make contact when Luke parried the move and thrusted, "Don't lose focus."

Ilum drew his sword and spun blocking another goblin attack to Luke's back. He parried the next move and sun around cutting it's shines. It fell down at him, but he brought up his sword, "You need to watch your back."

Karana

I kissed my arrow as I put it to the string, drawing it back until I had anchored my hold next to my ear.

Focus, Karana. Focus.

I settled on my first target quicker than I thought; the goblin clear across the clearing had not been noticed by the other, and I saw him ready another bolt.

I fired, and my own arrow soared to hit him in the center of the head, killing him instantly. He fell out the tree's boughs, landing right beside Raven.

This is working! I thought, fixing another arrow to the string. Falling in love with you has made me focus, Ilum!

I fired again, hitting my target fatally once more.

Raven

I stumbled back a step, losing concentration as the Goblin archer dropped in front of me, arrow through the head. Karana's work. Nicely done. Now concentrate. I slipped deeper into the trees towards my target and the goblin retreated further back as I approached until I was running and still he stepped back; slow, precise steps. Then he notched an arrow to a bow I had not noticed. I was too close for him to miss so there was no option but to hope I could out-run his arrow. By running forward. He pulled the string taut and I charged forward with my mace before me. We collided.

It took a few minutes for my disorientated mind to realise what had happened. Just as he was about to release the arrow, I had crashed into him, my mace smashing through the bow and into his side. But the arrow and all that energy had to go somewhere and they'd been transferred into pain as it plunged through my shoulder. And to top it all off, the goblin was merely injured and now struggling beneath the weight of my body. I shifted so that I could take hold of the mace with my other hand and brought it crashing into his skull but with so little room to manoeuvre it didn't do enough damage and still he stared up at me with those sickly, green eyes.

Karana

"Raven!" I yelled.

This can't be happening! Not Raven! I thought as I quickly drew my short sword and bolted, darting through the brush and out of the shadows. I crossed the clearing before I realized it, and I found myself standing over her with my sword buried in the goblin's neck.

"Let's get you out of here," I panted, looking down at her as I readied my sword for another round of attacks.

Raven

I carefully extricated myself from the limbs of the dead creature and looked up at Karana steadily. As steadily as the blood dripping from my shoulder. Drip. Drip. Drip.

"Thanks," I mumbled, feeling much less inclined to rush out into battle. My shoulder hurt like hell. In fact it burned like hell, the arrow digging deeper and deeper with every breath of wind, every breath of life.

"Come on," she said, heading back to the others, walking slowly and looking in every direction.

"How many more?" I heard Warren's voice before we reached him.

"One archer, one scout," Luke responded as we came into sight. Ilum looked relieved and I felt terribly guilty. To think that I had endangered Karana. What was I thinking?

Karana

I saw her expression: guilt. I knew why she felt that way, though, but I still couldn't let her suffer emotionally as well as physically.

I closed my eyes, "Raven, it's okay. We're not mad at you; I'm not mad at you. Friends protect each other, right?"

I didn't hear her response. I had cleared my mind of all thought, of all sensations. Now I could find out two elusive attackers...a twig snapped somewhere behind me; something was moving around...probably the scout. A tree shuddered somewhere beside me...the archer.

Using just a single finger and not moving at all, I pointed to my right and then to my back. I hoped they would understand my gestures.

Ilum and Luke saw her gestures. Luke motioned to Ilum suggesting finishing them off quickly. Ilum nodded slightly and began to focus. he placed his hand upon the ground and pillars of Ice shot out impaling the final two goblins.

Ilum sighed has he stood up again, sweat upon his brow, "I guess I'm not quiet used to that level of magic yet."

Luke gave him a pat on the back and Karana came up and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Nice work."

Karana

I turned back to Raven. She didn't look too great, as I was sure she didn't feel great either.

"Let's see that wound," I said as I stepped forward. The arrow was in pretty deep, but it was no where near anything vital. It was buried in the fleshy stretch just beneath her collar bone, which I was sure was very painful. Any movement would strain that wound, driving the bolt deeper. Unfortunately, I didn't know much about goblin arrows.

"Luke, you got any suggestions?" I asked as I pulled out a spare cloth and put a slight amount of pressure against her wound, making sure I didn't do more damage as I tried to stop the bleeding.

Raven

I flinched away from Karana but she seemed determined to halt the flow of dark, scarlet blood. Blood. Blood as red and deep as betrayal. If betrayal were a colour, it would be blood.

"Just pull it out," I mumbled.

"We can't do that..." Karana protested, "...can we?" She turned again to Luke who still seemed to be deep in thought. Probably wondering if my life was worth saving. Again. That would make it three times in one battle.

"It might be for the best actually," Luke mused. "If we pull it out quick enough, it shouldn't do too much more damage and then she can heal it. Do you think you can manage that, Raven?" As if I were an incompetent child. Wasn't I though? I looked up into those liquid, silver eyes and nodded numbly.

Ilum bent down, "I can do this at least." He gently placed his hand near her wound and let a cold breeze flow over it.

Raven flinched "That's cold."

"It may help numb the pain. Now lets see." Ilum took a firm grasp on the arrow without moving it. "One, two, three," He yanked it out as hard as he could without moving it around to much. He tossed the arrow aside as raven began to heal herself.

Double post. Forget about this one.

Karana gained Level 2 Fire!
Raven gained Level 3 Healing!
Warren gained Level 2 Wind!
Luke gained Level 3 Lightning!


Current Abilities:

Ilum:
Level 3 Ice
Level 1 Gravity (Adv.)

Karana:
Level 2 Fire
Level 3 Lightning
Level 1 Meteor (Adv.)

Raven:
Level 3 Healing
Level 1 Holy (Adv.)

Warren:
Level 2 Wind
Level 1 Lightning
Level 1 Time (Adv.)

Luke:
Level 3 Lightning
Level 1 Earth (Adv.)

Raven cringed with pain once the arrow was out. It seemed it took her a lot of effort not to cry out. She placed a hand over the wound and used her magic. The wound healed almost instantly.

Luke kneel down beside Raven and offered her his hand. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She took his hand and used it to get to her feet.

"Good, because we're leaving right now," Luke said.

"Leaving?" Warren asked. "But we just set up camp!"

"Goblins usually travel in groups of thirty or more." He looked down at one of the corpses and kicked it. "These were just scouts. We still have time to leave before the rest of them get here if we go right now. But, if you'd rather stay and fight all of them be my guest."

When no one else complained, Luke said, "Warren, put out the fire before it compromises our position. Ilum and Karana, ready the horses. Raven, you and I will hide the bodies to make it difficult for the Goblins to track us. Once we're finished we will make our way to Crystal Lake in the east."

Raven

I helped move the bodies absently, my mind completely blank - an abyss in my head. Blood. Body. Rough, scratchy goblin skin. Soil. Leaves.

"That's all of them, let's go," Luke announced and I methodically accepted the reigns of my horse from Karana and climbed into the saddle. We rode out through the forest until the trees began to thin and we reached a heavily trodden dirt path.

"It's getting dark," Warren commented, "shouldn't we stop for some food?"

"A little further," Luke insisted but he slowed the pace and started searching left and right.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

"A stream. Somewhere the horses can drink and we'll need to re-fill our water bottles soon," he answered.

Ilum started looking around too, as did everyone else. After about twenty minutes Ilum gave up searching and focused on his hearing. In training he learned to use sound to determine the position of the enemy. Stilling his breath he listened.

He could here the hooves of the horses as well as their whine. Raven was still breathing heavily and Karana whispered something to Warren. After a few minutes passed Ilum thought he heard running water. "Over there." He pointed to the left.

As they made there way through the brush the came upon a small brook. They dismounted and let the horses drink. Warren asked, "How long until we get to the lake?"

Luke pointed, "Just down the stream."