Aera felt the knot in her stomach as she stood there, bow levelled at the trio in front of her.

She'd captured them before.

She was a strong hunter.

She could beat them again.

But still, she called out in her mind, sending images of the three in bursts to whoever could hear her calling.

A string of words, a menagerie of voices, yet one rose above the rest. Father.

Aera! Run, We're on our way!

Part of her knew she was right, part of her whispered that word, run, in her mind. Though it was a weak voice that was quelled by the rage and confidence that filled her.

"Die humans!"

She pulled the bowstring back, the nock of her arrow between her fingers. She loosed it and it soared, screaming towards the chest of the large, dark-skinned human in the centre of the three. "Multi-Shot!" The arrow hummed and split, too high to strike the goblin, but the other two found their prey. The wizard let out a pained scream as his palm stretched towards her; though the arrow that sank into the dark-ones skin found it's target and buried deep into his shoulder, too slow to avoid it completely, but fast enough that he likely stopped his heart being pierced. That man didn't yell. His eyes burned as they narrowed on her, and her own eyes fixed on the thick, heavy blade in his hand.

She was a good hunter.

She could do this.

She reached for another arrow as the goblin and dark-human advanced on her. She could see them charging, she could see them coming.

"Spatial Swap!"

Now all she could see was a stone wall, she span on her heels and turned around to see the blonde human stood where she was. She was so shocked she almost didn't notice when a fist the size of her head rammed her in the stomach. Her breath left her after that, her thoughts lost focus. She grabbed her bow in both hands, trying to swing it down like a club on her assailant.

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The wood splintered on the man's dark body, cracked and bent as it slammed against his back. Another fist. Another pain that brought her to the ground. She coughed, cried, desperate for breath.

She was strong.

She had already caught them.

Why-

Her thoughts were cut short as something heavy slammed into the back of her head and brought her face to the stones.

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The elven woman lay at his feet, dashed against the cobblestone of the plaza. Kelvin was behind him and the goblin was cackling as his green legs shuffled himself towards the girl, clawed fingers gripping the crude beaten-iron dagger in his hand.

Kor'Ak spoke. "Get me some rope or something!"

Kelvin spoke back. "Why? She tried to kill us, just finish her off, you said we were in a hurry!"

The Djaal growled, he'd killed the bandits that attacked them earlier, and it still weighed on him. Especially the ones that ran. He was scared, taken lives he didn't need to. The warrior wouldn't blame himself for the lives of those he had taken that never stopped attacking him until he killed them. But he would blame himself for killing those that didn't wish to fight him anymore, and he wouldn't kill what couldn't fight him. "Just do it!"

His hand shot out as he heard something whip through the air, a long vine had been tossed towards him and he caught it in a bundle, kneeling down and gripping her arms, using his knee to keep them together as he tied them behind her. He pulled the vine tight and knelt down next to her, mouth beside her ear. "We're going west, back to Veera. Tell your people not to follow us." His voice took on a colder tone, sharp and heavy, like a battering ram finally tearing down a gate. "Or they will die."

He stood up, left her there, to wallow in the blood that spilt from her nose and the pained tears that fell from her eyes.

"Kelvin, let's get going, we have to head west back to Veera, get another caravan or something."

Naturally, the blonde protested "No no, We can't do that, I need to get to the capital as soon as possible!"

Kor'Ak moved towards him, rose a hand to shush him pulled him close, his voice quiet, but still sharp as a dagger. "Be quiet and follow me."

The Djaal stomped off, his fingers found purchase on the arrow lodged in his shoulder. Then he pulled. Hard. He could stop his yell, but he couldn't hold back the scowl across his face as the barbed arrow took strips of his flesh with it as it left his body, he dropped the bloodied projectile and let it clatter against the stones, hitting the floor as hard as it's shooter had. "And take that damned arrow out Kelvin, knowing Kitt it's smeared in shit."

A shrill feminine cry hit his ears.

Kelvin had pulled the arrow out.

The trio scurried off, making their way up the stone stairways as fast as they dared. The magician and the monster filed in behind Kor'Ak, following along without complaint; though he could tell they were exhausted, none of them had slept or eaten, and they'd been doing nothing but fighting, running and getting hurt for too long.

Ragged breaths, stumbling footsteps and the occasional trip or fall.

None of them could outpace a band of Kitt that were in hot pursuit.

Which is why he was marching them east.