What Can One Grey Warden Do?

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WHO: Hercules, Jamie, Kain, Rachette, Alistair, Kaidan, Bethany, Dorian, Anders, and Nathaniel.
WHAT: The ambush and capture of Lord Livius Erimond
WHEN: Drakonis 4
WHERE: The Western Approach
NOTES: Info on this post. Feel free to start your own mingle threads for the journey there and back. Warning for violence.

It doesn't really rain here. The skies are blue and the sun is glaring, the sands shifting only when a merciful breeze blazes through, which isn't often. It's hardest on Team D, which has no shade or shelter. The other two teams are tucked away in the shadows, impossible to see as Erimond's party enters the gorge.

They had seen the demons from afar, Nathaniel peering through a spyglass. There are eight of them, each bound to a mage, and Nathaniel has chosen to continue with the plan, though he has urged everyone not to try to fight, only to push through with the plan as-is and get out. They are all very much outnumbered, but all they need to do is take one man.

So stay hydrated and move quickly, team. Anything can happen in the next few minutes.

[OOC: I will tag into each team thread as the action reaches each team. Feel free to mingle on team threads before then and react to the action in other threads. Also, please start your own threads for travel mingling, if you want that sort of thing. This will keep everything organized for everyone's AC purposes.]

Comments

Just me and Herc from here on

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The demon is a fierce one, and Herc's attacks may stagger it, but it presses on. Its next swipe connects with Herc, though only the ends of its long fingers, dealing no damage but setting off his balance. Its long tail lashes out to wrap around Herc's ankle and yank him to the ground.

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Damn it.

Herc's halfway to taking another step back to correct his balance when the demon's tail strikes. He's doing better than before, but he's still not up to his normal form and his body is protesting the lingering injuries. Landing at an awkward angle, shield caught between himself and the ground, Herc's arm takes a beating and sand meets his eyes and his mouth. Without looking he swings his sword to try and catch the demon's tail, flame still enveloping the blade.

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The angle isn't ideal, but the blade hits, nearly severing the tail. The demon screams in Herc's face and grabs him with both hands, lifting him two feet from the ground before slamming him back down. The whiplash causes near-immediate unconsciousness.

He's not out for long. When he wakes, his hands and feet are bound. A Warden mage kneels before him, eyes glowing strangely. He removes his healing hands from Herc, then tilts his head, as if curious about what he is seeing. Behind him, a few mages watch, their numbers dwindled from what it was.

"Where are you in pain?" the healer asks in a monotone voice.

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All in all, he'd say that potentially dying would have been an easier out that being trapped like this. Herc eyes the mage warily. Warden against Warden wasn't how it was meant to be, and on another day, in another battle, the guy patching him up might've been a friend.

As it is, Herc considers a long moment before responding.

"Everywhere," he replies, and it's mostly true. Eating sand wasn't fun, being slammed into it by a bloody great demon wasn't high on his list, either. Still, some pain and tension is potentially more worrying. "Neck's not great." A little shift, testing, and he winces. "Right collarbone and arm aren't much better." He's not looked, but breathing and shrugging made his shoulder yell a mighty protest.

And speaking of arms, he's guessing his sword and shield are gone, left back in the Approach or requisitioned to these bastards. His head is foggy, but he manages a rough, "Where are we?"

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The mage doesn't answer, only reaches out to deliver healing magic to Herc's neck. After a thoughtful moment, he gives a nod to himself and stands.

"He can travel without dying."

Three other mages approach and begin to load Herc onto a horse, completely heedless of his pain. Something shifts horribly with the pain in his collarbone, and the movement will be agonizing.