the heat was hot and the ground was dry

[seesobserves]

WHO: Sherlock, Katniss, Thranduil, and Jamie
WHAT: There's a bunch of weird Chantry symbols leading to somewhere. Let's see what it is!
WHEN: Bloomingtide 16 - 19ish
WHERE: The Western Approach
NOTES: Gonna be some violence since we gotta fight through the White Claw troops.

First there was one symbol, then two. Two was the beginning of a pattern — so long as they could find the third, they'd know they were on to something.

They set out into the desert with plenty of water, and with only the sun and their eyes to guide them.

Comments

White Claw Troops

[seesobserves]

The remaining symbols are found with plenty of patience and attention to detail, but without much incident. The seventh pillar points toward the mouth of a cave, which shimmers with a magical barrier. More than likely, that's their destination...

They'll just have to fight through the White Claw raiders who've made camp between them and the cave.

[rowancrowned]

"Katniss! I need cover-" He's never fought with so few archers before. Sherlock is- he's not sure what Sherlock is, but he's not currently in Thranduil's field of view. They're outnumbered three? to one. He's not fought with any of them before, and the Raiders have been in one another's company for moons-

He can manage himself, but he'd prefer not to have to explain to Cassandra how he lost a member of the Inquisition whilst out in the middle of the wilds.

He needs to know where the other one is, the other Rifter, and he can't remember his name, because there's a mage off on his right waving her hands and that cannot end well.

[the_effect_she_has]

The mage waving her hands suddenly has an arrow sticking out of her chest, and Katniss twists just enough to start laying a steady stream of arrows, her arms a blur of movement.

"You have cover." She states grimly, not taking her eyes off the field. "Go, Thranduil!"

She shifts on one heel, pivots, and yells out, "Jamie, whatever you're planning, do it now!"

She isn't about to give away Sherlock's position -- she has a feeling he's going to pop up and things are going to explode.

[seesobserves]

The rocks jutting out of the sand at this location provide an effective cover. As soon as the fighting started, Sherlock had darted away, positioning himself to one side, preparing to attack the raiders' flank while the others distract them.

Katniss' prediction is not at all off-base. Before Thranduil reaches the raiders, a Combustion Grenade is hurled toward them from the side. It explodes, setting the nearest raider's hair and clothing on fire. While that one screams, another peels off from the group to try and find whoever threw the grenade. The others stand their ground, prepared to face Thrandiul and Katniss.

[wontforgetyou]

From off to one side is a yell - Jamie, letting out his usual battle cry of 'Creag An Tuire' as he pops up from behind a large rock that's kept him mostly hidden until now. The cry is loud, meant to distract the raidersand draw their attention towards him and away from Thranduil and Katniss.

Just in case that's not enough, though, he also adds in a rather large rock, hurled directly at the mage that's waving their hands about in that way that he's interpreting as 'going to cast a spell at someone'. Katniss's arrow's likely already done the trick, but a little extra insurance can't hurt. Jamie doesn't wait to see what happens with that, though, instead stepping out from behind the rock, to close with the enemy, his red kilt easily setting him apart from the raiders as he brings his sword up and readies it for the fight to come.

[rowancrowned]

He thinks, rather abstractly, between watching the mage fall and raising his sword to parry a strike from a raider, that whatever Jamie has said sounds-- familiar. The difference between it and Sindarin the call of two different species of songbird. He'll mention it when they make camp.

Thranduil is too busy to allow his attention to drift from his own task, minding only the raider he's fighting. Now that the mage is down, it's all he needs, and he cannot help but think of mercy. It will be a little more work to disarm his opponent, but with all the death around them already--

Sherlock has commanded leadership of their little party. It will be his choice, in the end.

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss has little thought for mercy, considering what these bandits had done to innocent scholars and students for the Venatori. Her aim towards the next raider is proof of that - taking him in the chest and then in the throat once more.

The third raider, however, gets around her arrows and heads for her directly, slashing her across the chest. Her armor takes the brunt of it, but she knows she is bleeding, and so out comes the daggers, and she begins to dance around him, a blade in her hand as she looks for an opening.

[seesobserves]

What matters first and foremost is ending the fight. As far as Sherlock is concerned, if any raiders remain alive and surrender, they're welcome to become the Inquisition's prisoners... or pick a direction in the desert and start walking.

For now, he's being stalked by one of them, who is able to blend in with their surroundings and mask their footfalls in the sand, effectively enough that for a second or two, he loses sight of them. But then — a flicker of motion to his right, and Sherlock darts to one side and away, flinging a second grenade. This one explodes into sticky black tar, forcing his opponent to slow down.

After that, his own daggers come out. Looks like it's close combat after all.

[wontforgetyou]

Close combat seems to be Jamie's preferred method of fighting as well, as he steps up to go toe to toe with one of the raiders. The raider is larger, but Jamie seems to be quicker, dodging a swing from the rather cumbersome looking weapon the raider is carrying. If that hits, it's sure to do some damage, so Jamie is determined not to let it hit. Instead he sets up a pattern of dodging and striking, moving around so that the raider has to move too to keep up with him. Not all of his blows hit because of that, but the ones that land are having an effect, slowing the raider down and making his part in things that much easier - at least for now.

One of the other raiders who'd originally gone to face Thranduil and Katniss moves away from them and towards Jamie. It's not one of the ones that can blend in with their surroundings, but like Jamie, they're a smaller and more mobile fighter, and seems to have every intention of going in and making things more difficult. But Jamie is just as determined to get through his fight, so he switches his fighting style accordingly, adjusting for two attackers and doing his best not to let either get through his guard.

[rowancrowned]

He finishes his opponent with a hard blow to the back of the head. Not dead, or so he suspects, but it's enough. Across the field, Sherlock dispatches his enemies with knives; Katniss shoots; Jamie- struggles with two opponents.

"Katniss-" He'll have to thank her, after, and she probably sees anyway- they're down to three opponents, but it doesn't hurt to remind her. A drink in the tavern- two drinks to thank her, he thinks, even as he moves to help Jamie.

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss is dancing with one of the raiders who can also fade into the background - he leaps for her and she parries him, before shifting around to stab him with both knives in the back. He gurgles down to the ground, and she turns at Thranduil's voice, looking where he is looking.

She pulls one of her knives free and throws it across the field into the larger of the two enemies, hoping to slow him down a little more as she pulls her bow from her back once more. "On it."