<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-style: italic"><div style="text-align: center;">A new threat emerges</div></span></span></span><br/><span style="font-style: italic"><div style="text-align: center;">Collab between Eggs and Nariata</div></span><br/><br/><br/>The lone assassin beat a desperate path through the woods as he attempted to gain some distance from Anora, who followed close behind with an arrow drawn as a look of anger befell her face.  This man was quick for a normal soldier, and as Anora chased him she figured him to be more of a scout than anything else.  The way he darted from game trail to footpath and in-between the tree's like they were his home.  Yet Anora knew she should be quicker than he, yet something was making her movements slow, her form sloppy, as she attempted to dance between the trees and gain a clear shot.<br/><br/>Luck befell her however as the man attempted to cross what appeared to be a clearing.  As he attempted to leap over whatever path be in front of him a root from a nearby tree sent his form falling to the ground, impacting with a solid thud.  His body skid for just a brief second before he began to ready himself to run again, but he was too late. A soft twang nearby indicated that his fall had allowed Anora to line up her shot, and a soon after thud made it clear that her arrow had found it's mark.  The last gasp of a man soon filled the air, followed by a second thud as his body fell limp to the ground, arrow sticking out of his back right above where his heart had been.<br/><br/><br/><br/>Anora quickly covered the distance from where she had shot and where the unknown assaliant had fell, and quickly began to retrive her arrow when he eyes quickly darted from her hand which grasped around the arrow as she sized up the small group traveling on the road.  A look of surprise fell upon her face as she looked at the man at the helm of the group, foot on top of the carriage in all.<br/><br/>"Magnus?"<br/><br/>Seated atop the carriage's height, the quiet call nearly escaped Magnus' ear. His brow furrowed, thinking it a strange gust of wind at first. While distinct enough to draw attention, the sound was muffled below the creaking of axles and the heavy steps of hooves. Turning his attention from the mercifully straight road they were on, he turned his head in the general direction the sound's source was, eyes scanning carefully to catch a glimpse of who it might have been.<br/><br/>All signs of surprise quickly darted from her face as her arm was pulled upwards with a strong enough pull to break arrow from bone as she quickly readied herself to her feet as the chill from the muddy ground began to set in on her legs.  She knew Ardur was still in the woods, and any assistance in the matter would be met with great appreciation.  She raised her crimson armor towards the sky in an attempt to grab his attention as he kept moving down the road.<br/><br/>A glimpse of red caught Magnus' eye, and the sight of an old companion, however temporary she may have been, above a corpse raised immediate worry. Tugging the reins he held, his carriage moved toward her direction, and upon reaching the edge of the road, stopped with another backward tug. He wasted no time in standing up, hopping off the edge of the footrest below his seat, and grabbing his hammer from the travel pack hanging off the side of the carriage. A precaution, as the day before had proved there were often reinforcements close behind.<br/><br/>He jogged off the road and into the field, slowing down once he was close enough to see Anora more clearly. Normally, he might have offered a smile or some other sort of greeting, but the dead man below her was a cause of alarm. "What happened?" He asked, lowering himself to examine the corpse. His search had an obvious target, one of those bronze amulets that the other assailants had worn. He found none, equally a relief and a source of new concern. Who were these men, and what was driving them to attack the others?<br/><br/>"We were ambushed on our search for the missing man from earlier" She panted out.  Something was wrong, her breathing was heavy and a sharp pain had entered her side and back.  Brushing it aside she continued "Ardur and I were in the forest, following his tracks"  Pausing to catch her breath, her eyes darted down to the midsection of her armor.  Cloaked in the crimson color of her armor lay a steady stream of equally crimson colored blood that was rushing out of a small hole in her armor.  She could not comment nor confirm what had caused the wound to form, yet she knew this was like nothing she had ever experienced.  Her arm flew to her side in a lightning motion, the impact sent waves of pain through her body resulting in a groan of pain from her mouth. Her eyes filled with both pain and surprise, the pain from that wound was unlike anything she had ever experienced and tears began to form on the corner of her eyes.  With another grunt, and a cough, she pushed through the pain to speak again "These men came out of nowhere and surprised me" Anora looked deep into Magnus's eyes and spoke with a tone without a single shed of doubt continued.<br/><br/>"And i never get surprised."<br/><br/>Her arm swung backwards with enough force to make her stumble just a slight bit, nothing extreme yet still noticeable enough, and with an outstretched finger she pointed backwards towards the direction she had just ran through.  "Ardur chased another through the woods, he may still be in trouble."  Her eyes quickly darted to the cart and noticed the drunken festivities being held within.<br/><br/>"Magnus, i need your help."  She pleaded as the pain shot though her body once more, forcing her to grab even tighter on her side.<br/><br/>With a frown, Magnus considered his chance of surviving any possible encounters. He was without any armour right now, not even a shield. But leaving someone who had aided him was not an option. "Alright," He said with a nod. "But first things first." His free hand was brought near his chest, above the wooden talisman he wore. A small amount of holy power transferred from it to his palm, a soothing gold glow that gave off a small warmth. He held this palm near Anora's own chest, and focused its power into a healing miracle. A small one, but enough to help soothe her pain and mend lesser wounds.<br/><br/>He then stood, taking his hammer up with both hands. "Everyone," He shouted back to the carriages. "We'll only be gone for a moment. Be back soon." His attention once again shifted to Anora, to whom he gave a simple request. "Lead on."<br/><br/>In an instant the pain that had sent her from her normal, composed self to that stumbling mess had ceased.  Whatever magic Magnus had worked had the intended effect as Anora felt as good as she did before the earlier encounter.  With a quick nod, and a silent thank you, she quick turned around and burst with her normal speed back into the forest, eyes trained for movement and every other sense trained for anything that would give away Ardur's position.  The noises of the forest, however, limited her hearing as the birds sang their songs and the animals moved along their paths.  No sounds of battle, no cries for help and above all else no begging for mercy.<br/><br/>Her pace was quick as she quickly moved left and onto an older game trail.  Her head was on a swivel as it turned from side to side, observing any slight bit of motion while looking ahead to avoid running into a tree.  As she rounded a corner, a faint scent filled the air off to her left.  To most this would have been the smell of an early morning campfire roasting some form of animal.  But to Anora, the smell that filled the air was an all to clear indication of where Ardur was located.  Burning flesh was a hard smell to forget.  With a sudden motion her body jerked to the side as she increased her pace to an even faster rate as she raced towards where the smell had originated.  As she approached a large clearing, the sounds of Ardur's voice yelling at something quickly filled the air and Anora readied an Arrow in response.<br/><br/>Her pace came to a stop as she entered the clearing as she aimed her bow left, right and center scanning for any form until finally she rested on the all too clear armor of her friend, kneeling over-top a defenseless body laying punch after punch at the man's body.  His voice filled the air as a question demanded an answer.<br/><br/>"Who sent you?"<br/><br/>Following as closely as he could manage, Magnus ran alongside Anora, shifting his weight to compensate for the awkwardness of the pole weapon being held in front of him. He hopped over tree roots and avoided whatever else got in the way, whether by ducking or simply stepping out of the way. Without his armor, he moved quickly enough, but clearly had less agility than Anora did.<br/><br/>His turn, and the stop that followed, was less than graceful. A hand went out to grab a low branch, keeping him from slipping on the forest's fallen leaves. The scent of fire and burning meat was on the air, unmistakable and clear. Worry flooded him. Ardur's magic, displayed the night before, had been impressive enough to be memorable. He hoped that he'd been the cause of the worrying smells, but not the source of them.<br/><br/>He moved again, keeping low and tightly gripping his hammer. More sounds, interrogations and punches, overpowered the birds and winds. While he cringed at the state of the dead bodies in the clearing, another focus soon took him. He entered it, making his presence clear while doing so. "Ardur!" He called out, weapon at the ready in case the man below him tried anything. It wasn't clear what was going on just yet, but he had a feeling that simply punching the person wouldn't be the solution.<br/><br/>Ardur's hand was stayed by the sound of a familiar voice, one he had not expected to hear.  His head turned towards the source of the voice, his hand still curled in a fist as tight as two thieves.  The first sight was Anora rushing from the edge of the clearing placing an arrow back into her holster with the man who they had assisted in the earlier encounter shortly behind.  "Anora-" he began to speak as a sharp pain screamed out from his abdomen as the bloody body of his enemy raised his leg and stuck him square in his family jewels.  While the impact was minor, it still caused him to lose his ability to fight allowing the hurt and dillirious man to push Ardur over and attempt to escape.<br/><br/>As he limped along his legs gave way underneath him, the obvious trauma he had received on the end of that savage beating was evident.   His body was not moving as one, an arm would flail before a leg failed, all this allowing Anora to close the gap and deliver a bone crunching blow with the base of her bow to the side of the man's skull, knocking the light from his eyes and sent him to a temproary sleep.<br/><br/>Ardur rolled onto his side and spoke "Going for the-" Ardur paused as his eyes caught the sight of a bloody pool forming beneath his body.  His eyes scanned quickly and found the source to be a four inch gash along the side of his armor, in between the plates and cut deep through his skin.  His eyes froze for a second as he tried to remember what had happened.    He looked back towards the man who had followed Anora and spoke in a joking, if pained filled tone.<br/><br/>"What took ya so long?  We had all the fun already!"  He said as he rolled onto his back, and used his free hand to apply pressure to the wound sending waves of pain coarsening through his body.<br/><br/>Magnus cringed at the impact, feeling a sort of sympathetic pain when Ardur took a knee to the groin. He was about to give chase to the man who was now attempting to escape, but wounds and gravity worked together as an effective stopper. When he fell, and when Anora's bow struck him and took his consciousness, Magnus' run slowed and stopped.<br/><br/>Releasing the upper part of his hammer's pole, he let his arms fall, giving a quiet chuckle of relief. At Ardur's joke, he shrugged apologetically. "Ah, you know. Things," He began. "Long story short, after the fight at the shop, the one that got away attacked my house. Burned it down. We got everyone who was still around together, ended up bringing along a new face. Busy day."<br/><br/>Ardur began to attempt to laugh at the comment, yet a cough took it's place.  At first this seemed like a cough of exhaustion, little sleep combined with a full night and morning of hunting would take it's toll on all but a ranger.  Yet this cough was different as blood came with it, and the confusion from how it got there soon took over.  His eyes widened with shock as the rage he had used during his encounter began to wear off.<br/><br/>"That prick sliced me"  He coughed out with a slight grin.  Anora slid in from the side and her hand quickly raced to the site of the wound, over top Ardur's hand and forced pressure on the point. Ardur winced as the pressure was applied, yet attempted to let himself up as he knew they were not safe in this area.  Even with Magnus, the trio could be defeated by whomever had cut him.<br/><br/>"I don't understand, there was only two who attacked us"  Anora quickly asked<br/><br/>"They had friends"  Ardur quickly spat back.  "Three others nearby, one very good with a blade.  Better than I."<br/><br/>Anora motioned for Magnus to come over to assist, if his magic had helped her than it could help him.<br/><br/><br/>Wasting no time, Magnus dropped to one knee beside the other two. He placed his hammer on the ground, and given the amount of blood being lost, figured the wound was more major. "Hey, hey, take it easy. We can worry about that once you're feeling better, alright?" He asked, giving a reassuring pat to the shoulder to Ardur. "Right now, try to relax. And don't talk so much," He teased.<br/><br/>Withdrawing his hands, he took a deep breath, holding both near his heart. They overlapped, and from his necklace, the familiar gold glow came forth. He focused more power than before, changing the position of his hands so that the palms faced each other. A small, glistening orb of light hovered between his palms, encased in light and giving off a stronger warmth. Carefully, Magnus guided it forward, turning his palms outward and directly above Ardur's wound.<br/><br/>The orb floated forward, and on contact with its target, 'popped' and began to spread over the site of injury. He was not sure it would heal a deep blade wound completely, but at the very least, the bleeding would be reduced. Warmth flowed from the point of entry throughout the skin, and as the miracle took effect, a strangely soothing feeling of flesh being mended would be felt.<br/><br/>Ardur gasped at the feeling of the magic taking hold.  His right hand squeezing tigh on a trunk that was nearby and his left arm shot up and grabbed Anora by her arm and squeezed as tight on her arm.  This was a strange feeling for him, as he has never been wounded so he has never had the need for healing magic before.  In an instant the feeling of dread that hung so tight over him had faded and even though he knew the worst was still to come for this healing, the path to a safer place was now open now that the wound was now contained in a way that would allow him to walk.<br/><br/>Anora offered her free hand to Ardur to help him up, which he gladly accepted.  "You get the other one?"  He quickly asked as he dusted off his clothes.<br/><br/>"Yeah, i got him."  Anora smirked back.<br/><br/>Ardur's eyes darted over to the attacker and back to Magnus.  He spoke with a slight tone of control in his voice "Grab him and bring him along."  He paused as he looked down at his now healed wound and marveled in how quickly it healed "He might let us know whom is after us, they are no assassins nor are they bandits."<br/><br/>Snatching his hammer, Magnus stood as Ardur did. He was glad that his little touch of holiness had worked well enough to get him moving, but more study would be needed to achieve his full potential as a healer. Still, progress was progress, and Ardur seemed to be doing well enough.<br/><br/>"Right," He responded, turning towards the unconscious man. He knelt to heft him up, and spoke. "You picked the<span style="font-style: italic">worst</span>people to go after, you know?" The inquiry would be met with deafened ears, but the sentiment was accurate. With a grunt, Magnus stood, carrying the unconscious man over his shoulder. His hammer was slung over the other one. While his balance was a little off, he managed to walk well enough, and stuck close to the others on the way out.<br/><br/>Anora drew an arrow and notched it in her bow as she led the group through the forest, although at a much slower pace than before.  Not only was her ears and eyes scanning for anything that could way to a possible attacker the wound that Magnus had healed had begun to manifest itself on their journey back.  Pain was coming in constant waves now, with every step and every twist of her body sending more and more pain shooting through her body.  Not wanting to risk slowing down their already slow pace Anora kept this to herself, and trudged on eventually making it back just ahead of where her and Magnus left.<br/><br/>Ardur limped onto the road, hand still covering the wound he had suffered and spoke in a cocky voice to any that would hear.<br/><br/>"Anyone have a drink?"  He spoke quick "I got a story to tell to anyone who gives me a drink."  To which Anora gave a deathly stare.