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Daxia

As her blade -- imbued with the Wrath of her Goddess, a Wrath that seemed to burn with the fire of the Sun Herself -- clove through Marin's chosen one, the newest Verchovai of Dayala could only trust in her own training as the brightness of her Lady's Light caused stars to shimmer behind closed eyelids. But when the deed was done, when eyes could once again see clearly, and see clearly that the fire of her Lady's Wrath left her sword as clean as if she herself had spent the better part of an evening meticulously polishing it, Daxia returned the sword to its scabbard at her side and looked around.

The Avatar, His hellsteed and His outriders... dead.

She took the handful of steps to the Squire, held out her hand to him, helped him stand. She spoke no words, but her eyes told of her gratitude. Another handful and three steps to the Jvrillian; again, no words did she speak, only the same look of gratitude as she clasped his arm for a moment.

Then a look up, to the top of the tower... a raised hand to beckon those above.

A glance, so brief, at the well and then a study of the night sky... a fullhand of heartbeats, perhaps more. Not yet; there is no new star in the sky yet... but Verchovai Tashka of Darkdown died her true death in battle three hundred and fifty years ago. She trusted that star would appear once the Goddesses sorted things about between them.

Finally, she looked down.

Down at an outcropping that was no longer there.

"ROMANA!" she cried, as she ran towards the slope leading down to the field of chaos.

Her friend... she had to find her friend...

At that Kadri looks like she is ready to charge down the tower Andyonto the field herself unless stopped.

Romana was a friend. Friends were not abandoned.

The Heartwood
The Last Midnight
The Temple on the Borderlands

A glance, so brief, at the well and then a study of the night sky... a fullhand of heartbeats, perhaps more ...

Not in the field of stars.

No.

But there, a shimmer, a sparkle, a touch of light against the night.

Glittering silver, defiant in the Dark Path itself.

Not one ...

... but two.

Cesare

It is hard to have an overview in a battle. Maybe a general removed from the scene can watch the bigger picture. All Cesare can do is to glance around, identify a threat, a target and then try to do something about it.

He looks around now, sees a rider and then watches in astonishment as the man dies by his own sword. His eyes dart around, mentally counting off the rest of their group who all seem remarkably to be alive. Nods to Daxia raised hand. It seems to be over.

At Daxia's shout, he spins to look at where Romana had been.. and fears the worst. Daxia is already heading that way, so he takes a moment to use the vantage point of the tower, crossing the top to look more closely in Romana;s direction and also to see how the town is faring, hoping it is over for them too.

And he spares a thought for the two women below.. it should finally be over for them.. and that feels so right somehow.

Daxia

She skidded to a stop at the edge of what should have been the top of her temple, looking down, searching desperately between the bits of fire still burning on the slope. No sign, none that she could see, of her friend. Her fingers curled into fists, then flexed out again.

Turning toward the tower, she called up, "Need Hunter, Hound, Healer! Now!" Daxia wasn't panicking, not in the least, but she definitely looked worried.

She turned to the two men behind her and pointed to the well. "Lady Kay is going to need some help up. If you two could get that... that... THING off the stone and rig a sling for Lady Kay, I'd be grateful."

The Dayalan took note of the unicorn this time, but simply blinked before turning back to look down the slope, fingers curling and flexing... curling and flexing.

Bekkah

She hadn't waited for Dazi to call her down. Her duty was to those who had been injured, including Romanas so when it had looked like the battle was suddenly over, she'd already started down the stairs, raising her skirts so as to not fall as she ran downwards. Once outside, she ran to where Dazi had gone.

Daxia

Daxia looked at her sister, worry in her eyes, when Bekkah appeared at her side. "Darian, Longtooth come?" She turned back to the slope, sweeping her arm out, gesturing to the expanse before them. "Dazi not see Romana, can't find in dark. Need Hunter."

The young redhead was silent for long heartbeats.

"Romana Dazi friend. Dazi not have many friend," she whispered. "Dazi not..." A breath, than another, and a third. "Dazi need help find friend."

Looking back at Bekkah again with a wan smile, she said with certainty, "Bekkah heal Romana if Romana hurt."

Kadri:

"I will search. Come."

Darian

Arrow after arrow flew as needed until there was no need. The sudden brilliance caused her to drop back from her perch atop the battlements, squeezing her eyes tightly. There were still the sounds of battle, but it was different, and when she took the occasion to peer over she saw that the enemy had turned upon themselves, like a pack of rabid beasts.

Still, she regained her perch and looked for any more who might threaten them, bow at the ready. This was where she stood when Dazi's shout rang out. With a hop down, she grabbed up the rope she and Cesare had set and tossed the loose end down the side.

She rappelled down the tower walls more quickly than she could have run down the stairs and dropped to the ground. With a chuffing sound she called to the snarkhound that was her companion and went to Dazi, her bow once again in her hands and ready.

"Dazi?"

Daxia

She looked at Bekkah, then Kadri, then Darian and Longtooth.

"Dazi not see Romana. Need help find. Maybe Romana hurt, we help her."

Darian

The Huntress looked down to the Hound. "Longtooth track, aye?"

They went off at a lope towards the spot where she had last seen Romana and began to circle looking for signs of the girl with Longtooth scenting for her.

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Midnight
Hasday, The Twenty-Second Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Daxia, Mikal, Cesare, Darian, Longtooth, Bekkah, Dean, Kadri, Romana and Morning Star

It did not take long for those assembled in the tower to make it down to the temple top, to follow Daxia and Kadri along the edge of the high platform. As they did the fires still blazed; so it was not dark per se; but the light was ever shifting and treacherous.

In a few easy lopes the tawny snarkhound took the lead, easily out distancing his two legged companions. He paused, there, on the outcropping, and it was as if he were truly looking over the brambles and not just instinctively following a scent.

It was a then a bound, followed by another and another, down the broken temple-side, into the underbrush, heading between the torn stone and charred brambles heading towards a straggling of trees below.

And there he stopped and howled ... howled and yapped.

There, broken and torn, and proof that sometimes armor is not the best of protection, was the outrider. His plunge must have been deadly, falling fast, hitting hard, heavy enough to pass through the gnarled canopy, shattering the branches until he hit the ground and the ground shattered him.

Longtooth, however, was looking higher.

There, in the branches, high above, in a very awkward and tangled sprawl, was a Romana. She looked torn; her tunics were slashed from her fall into the tree, and a swath of blood had splashed across her face. She was obviously stuck, one hand was wrapped around a straining branch and held by the wrist with her other hand. She was upside down.

One could almost hear the overburdened branch creak.

"Romanas do not know how to fly very wells ..."

She weakly admitted, from about fifteen feet up.

"Romanas stuck-ted."

It is then, that with a surprising grace, hooves of black danced down in their wake. Upon the little terrace the black destrier walks up, shouldering past those between him and Daxia's. Stepping close enough to Daxia that his head and neck extend over her shoulder he observes the current predicament. The black unicorn looks between Daxia and the easterner and then to Daxia again, ducking his head once with a well satisfied whuffle.

Romana's eyes went wide and she clutched at her branch even harder.

"M-m-m-m-aybe being stuck-ted is no so bads ..."

Darian

She followed, less swiftly than the hound but more swiftly than the others. Her gaze followed his, and she pointed.

"She be here, Dazi. Up tree."

Daxia

Daxia looked up at Romana, then to Darian, and back to Romana. "Yah, Romana stuck."

And then the unicorn shouldered past everyone else, looking between her and Romana.

Blue eyes blazed with fury as the Dayalan twisted to put the entire weight of her body in her swing, and slammed the unicorn in the neck with her shield.

"NO!! BAD, BAD, BAD UNICORN!!

She glared at Morning Star for a heartbeat, then stamped a foot and shook a finger at him.

"Romana Dazi FRIEND! Long time more than Morning Star. Dazi not like ANYONE hurt friends. Bad, bad, bad, BAD unicorn! No presents for bad unicorns! No, no, no! No presents at least two fullhand days for BAD unicorns!"

Daxia looked up at her friend stuck in the street.

"Romanaska not worry. Dazidazidazi not let bad unicorn hurt Romanaska. Gilly always say give Brighteyes pink ribbons when naughty. Dazi buy every pink ribbon in Bordertown for bad unicorn try hurt Dazi friend, yah?"

She looked at her other two friends. "Darian, Kadri help Romana down, yah? Need Dazi help? Dazi catch Romana like catch Darian?"

The redhead looked once more at the unicorn before attending to the task of getting Romana out of the tree.

"Gilly not nice. Should warn Dazi," she muttered. "Dazi go learn sewing better, be seamstress. Dazi have words with Gilly!"

Kadri:

She ... Glares ... At the unicorn.

"You should be smarter than that. Tcha"

Kadri climbed up, being the lightest and began to survey how to work on getting Romana down, and once others are in place begins ...

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Midnight
Hasday, The Twenty-Second Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Daxia, Mikal, Cesare, Darian, Longtooth, Bekkah, Dean, Kadri, Romana and Morning Star

The shield hit hard, and the sturdy destrier just turned his head to look at Daxia.

It was a stern look, serious and cool.

But he did lift his hoof off of Daxia's boot, allowing her to go and help retrieve their fallen companion.

[Did I miss something? From over here it looks like Romana is still in the tree.]

no .. as i already told you ... she fell from the outcropping into the tree

Darian

She pulled her cloak from her shoulders, holding out part to Daxia.

"Catch in cloak, like falling bird."

Cesare

As most of the others head off to find Romana, he knows that there would be little he could add that the others could not do. He sees that Mikal and Dean are trying to clear the well.

So for the moment he stays at his current post atop the tower, watching all around, keeping a close eye on both groups. Lookout is something he is good at.

Mikal

He spins and stabs with his sword at the Avatar, grunting as it blocks his blade. In a continuous motions he slides off the block, ready to stab again, but an explosions of light and Daxia's blade slips past the Avatar's late attempt to parry and in a flash it is gone.

He snorts derisively, and turns to observe the rest of the battle, trying to determine how best to help the Heavy Horse. He is toying with the idea of getting Talia out of the stable to ride her down there when all of a sudden the Chaos Hordes turn on each other. As they'd hoped, the battle for supremacy amongst their own wins out over hatred of their foes.

With that, he feels that the discipline of the Horse should see them thru. He nods to Daxia's request and moves over to the well, trying to find the best way to pull the horse off the edge without risking it toppling down.

[[... permission asked, permission granted to use a Romana ...]]

Daxia

Daxia seemed to consider Darian's suggestion for several moments, then nodded, set her shield down, and gripped the other side of Darian's cloak. "Large bird, smart Hunter," she said with a smile.

She looked up to see Kadri had done her best to help Romana.

"Romanaska, you jump... Dazadazidazi, Darian, we catch, ok?"

Daxia watched, waited patiently for Romana.

With a swallow, Romana closed her eyes, took a breath, and then... let go.

Strength of Hunter and strength of Swordswoman broke her fall, though she was a jumble of arms and legs.

"Bekkah! Come help Romana, yah?" she called up to her sister.

"Romanaska stay, wait for Bekkah, yah? Dazadazidazi talk more with unicorn, ok?"

But first the Dayalan reached out a hand, and lightly, barely, touched one of Romana's fingers with one of her own. "Dazadazidazi very much glad Romanaska not get dead. Pancakes," she said, smiling.

Then she stood and walked back to Morning Star, and hesitantly ran her hand along his neck, and a moment later rested her head against his.

Bekkah

She did not need to be told what to do as she moved next to Roamanas.

"Let me see you now. Start by telling me if anything is broken?"

She looked over the girl carefully, and called upon her Lady's mercy to heal her wounds.

When she was done with her, she wanted to look over Dazi, but she was busy, so she turned to squire Dean.

"Squire Dean, I would see you now." she said in an unusually commanding tone. It seemed when it came to healing, she was far from a quiet wallflower.

Dean

Without hesitation Dean turns to Lady Bekkah and starts toward her. He pauses briefly to give a chagrined look to Mikal and to silently wish him luck with the horse. Dean stops a few yards from her, bows his head in acknowledgement of her command and asks, "What may I do for you, Lady?'