Cassana PoV [https://i.imgur.com/cGEhRPG.jpg]
Cassana was already about to reach the dagger from Ashvell's hips when he grabbed the thick book and stood up followed by two giant steps. He then tossed the book at the female drow, knocking her off her seat. "Bonnie, run!" he shouted to the young lass.
From his peripheral, he saw the archer nock and shoot an arrow that he managed to dodge without a problem. Unflinching, the young driver rushed the drow archer who was just about to nock another arrow. He landed a straight hook to his face, followed by a body blow. The archer evaded the third punch, and quickly changed his stance by dropping his bow and facing Ashvell with his fists above his chin.
Cassana crawled underneath the table, frustrated for failing to grab Ashvell's dagger on time. She crawled towards the other end of the room, crouching from table to table, hoping to incapacitate the tall drow with two axes. She could tell they were searching for her before immediately realizing a mistake in her action. I should have gone down to the cellar to grab my staff instead.
Too late to go back, she continued creeping on her way. "No use hiding from us, you know we can see you in the dark," the boisterous drow screamed. Of course Cassana knew that, but she also knew that drows can't see through solid objects, so if there was any time to be thankful for not wiping the floor, this will be that moment. Since she forgot to clear the tables and chairs to the side of the room yet, there was plenty of space for her to hide.
She finally reached the end of the room, and watched the drows moving about, kicking and tossing the obstacles on their way. She could see Bonnie, also hiding under the table, shaking and crying. She noticed the tall drow moving towards her position and she moved sideways to avoid being seen. Are they too stupid to bend down? She thought.
As the drow turned away, Cassana sprung up from hiding and immediately grabbed him along his belly. She used to do this with Ashvell when they were horsing around as kids, and something she does with Otheric as they play around the bed. She then lifted her legs from the ground, changing her center of weight and knocking the drow off his balance.
The tall drow landed on his back with a loud thud. She twisted her leg around his thigh, and reached for his helmet. With a quick incantation, she casted a spell. Heat metal. A simple spell that any child can do; it'll only last for a short time, but it also won't drain too much energy from her body. She knew she didn't have enough physical strength to keep his opponent at bay, but his red-hot helmet should be enough to keep him occupied while she deals with the short drow.
The tall drow let out a painful scream and dropped his weapons on the floor. Cassana watched him squirm on the ground, desperately trying to remove his helmet. She grabbed one of the axes and faced the short drow. "You're looking for me?"
If she had it her way, she would cast a charm on the axes and have them fly around and attack her opponents by themselves. But she would have pass out even before she finishes the incantation. I could really use that staff right now. The short drow ran towards her screaming, right arm raised with her dagger. Cassana met her at the center of the room where the tables and chairs had been cleared away. For somebody who used daggers, the short drow was not very good at concealing her attack. Cassana easily grabbed her wrist and pulled it to the side, before making a swing with her axe.
Her blow was not strong enough to penetrate the drow's armor. She chuckled at her failed attempt and before Cassana could even pull her arm back for a follow through, the drow had already slashed on her belly with another dagger on her left that the redhead was sure wasn't there earlier. She glanced down to where she was hit and saw tattered parts of her blouse falling on the floor.
Still grabbing the drow's right wrist, Cassana shifted her weight and threw a kick that landed on her groin. She freed her opponent's wrist and she used the same arm to punch her on her breast. "Bitch!" the drow shouted, staggering backwards.
Cassana wiped her belly with her hand, which only bloodied her palms. "Cunt!" she hissed at the drow in reply.
Meanwhile, the archer found himself under Ashvell's grapple. He turned his back against the wall, and started running in reverse. A loud thud echoed as Ashvell hit the wooden wall. The drow took a few steps forward and started doing it again. This time, Ashvell landed on the closed window. The archer leaned forward to brace his momentum, then made one last swing with his body, smashing Ashvell through the frame, throwing him outside the inn.
The archer picked up his bow from the floor, and pulled an arrow from his quiver. He looked around the room and saw Bonnie trembling in the corner. Dismissing her, he nocked an arrow and took an aim at Cassana. He hesitated, remembering that the order was to bring her alive. Yet he went on ahead and released the string and its projectile flew towards her head.
Cassana had less than half-a-second to see the archer aiming at her, but there was not enough time for her to move away. There was not even enough time for her eyelid to react instinctively and blink before the arrow pierces through her eyeball, killing her instantly. But as she braced for the inevitable, an invisible wind knocked the arrow off its straight course. She glanced at where the wind came from and she saw-
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The young boy Robb, standing by the kitchen door, holding Cassana's staff that were inches taller than him. "Robb!!" Cassana shouted. The young boy focused on the staff once more, the sapphire glowed and another invisible force launched from him towards the archer. The drow got knocked off his feet, dropping his weapon on the floor once again. "The staff, give it to me!" The redhead ordered.
Robb tossed the staff towards Cassana, she dropped the axe and quickly caught it mid-air. Without missing a beat, she recited an incantation and a yellow spectral circle hovered above the gemstone. A similar circle appeared around the boisterous drow's wrists and ankles, and with a twist of her staff, she pushed the drow towards the wall, locking her in place. "Go get help!" Cassana ordered the young boy.
Meanwhile, the tall drow managed to removed his helmet and after squirming in pain, picked up one of his axes on the floor. Cassana turned her head towards him, slammed her staff on the wooden floor, closed her eyes and recited another incantation.
The first requirement for passing the Ranking Exam was to hold two spells at once. She wasn't able to pull it off before, despite weeks and weeks of training. Trainings that were cut off because of her mother's sickness. As she finished reciting the incantation, a frosty gale started blowing from where her staff touched the floor. The gale transformed into a tiny blizzard, which slowly turned everything it hit into solid ice. Cassana screamed with all her might as the drow started running towards her, swung his axe, and then inadvertently froze in place.
The amount of magic Cassana was concentrating on should have been enough to make her knees week. She felt her arms starting to get numb. She wished nothing more than for this fight to be over, but she glanced and saw the drow archer get up on his feet, and reach for his weapon once again. He pulled another arrow and started pulling on the string.
Just then, a loud crack echoed throughout the room. Blood gushed from the archer's waist as an axe lodged itself on his side, piercing through his armor. The axe pulled away, and the archer turned to take a look and saw Ashvell standing by the entrance, holding on his double-bladed axe as if he was chopping down a tree. He took another swing towards the archer, which he blocked with his bow. The bow broke in half, and the archer managed to dodge away. Ashvell took another swing, and then another, unfortunately he already lost the element of surprise. His enemy was too quick and agile for his big weapon and wide attacks.
Despite what was happening, Ashvell was not as stupid in fighting as he was in other aspects of his life. This Cassana knew. Sensing that the archer already figured out the rhythm of his blows, he made another swing, which he turned into a feint. The archer tried to dodge, as Ashvell anticipated him to do, so he greeted his face with his elbow. The impact was enough to knock him out black for a quick second, but he landed a right hook and an uppercut for good measure. The drow fell limp on the ground.
With the tall drow frozen in place, and the short drow hanging on the wall, Ashvell checked up on Cassana, who still managed to give a wry smile.
"Bonnie," she remembered, and the young driver went to the corner where the lass was hiding. He placed his axe on the side and reached to her. As he pulled her out, he found her eyes white and her mouth frothing.
"Cassana!" he screamed for help. The redhead turned to see and began to realize what was happening. That was why her arms were feeling numb. She started to feel her grip loosening, until she finally dropped the staff, undoing her ice spell. Her mind was drawing blank, and she found it harder and harder to concentrate. She tried her best to remember her training, types of poisons, types of antidotes. What could this be made of, she had to know, but she had no time.
The short drow started cackling. "Oh, did I forgot to tell you about the poisoned daggers? Cause that's really my specialty, you know."
Despite her numbing arms, she managed to grab her purse and pulled a bottled liquid from it. "Ashhhvvvllllll!!" she shouted with her paralyzed tongue. Reaching out the bottle to him. "Bah-neeeee." She dropped down, facing the ground.
The magic that bound the short drow in place waned, so she hopped down from where she was hanging, while the tall drow started hacking off the ice that encased him.
"Fucking bitch. We were just having a conversation, why are you like that?" she started screaming hysterically. "I was just trying to give your friend a make-over, so that Ashvell would love-" before she could even finish, Ashvell's axe met her face, slicing through half of her skull. The axe and her head got lodged onto the wall behind her and a lock of her silver hair fell down into the pool of blood that was forming at her feet.
"Sorry." Ashvell apologized sincerely, "but you're just too loud, and I need to think." He moved to Bonnie and gave her a gulp of the antidote that Cassana handed. He carefully placed her head down on the floor and returned to Cassana who was slumped with her face drenched in blood. "Can you at least tell me what poison it was? I know how to make an antidote. Cassana!" Her mouth started frothing as well, and her eyes went white. Ashvell stood up, not knowing what to do. He looked at the short drow and regrettably shook his head.
He paused for a moment, ignoring the last standing drow recklessly hacking himself free from the ice. He then walked to the corpse of the short drow and started checking on her pockets. "I remember you said something, a poisoner always got their own antidote. See? I listen to you sometimes." Ashvell remarked, unsure if Cassana could still hear him.
"My, my..." a female voice rang from the door, followed by a footstep.
Ashvell turned around, but before he could even react, arrows started flying from the fallen archer's quiver hitting him all across his body. Twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. He dropped to his knees on the floor, unmoving, his muscles stiff and solid from exhaustion.
"When I was told she came with you I knew this job is botched," said the drow mage from the manor. As the red glow from her staff dissipated, so did the red glows from the flying arrows.
"Sorry." answered the tall drow, who was just breaking free from the ice.
"Are those the notes she needs?" pointing towards the scattered paper in the room.
"I think so."
"Grab the girl, grab everything else in the room," she ordered. She then kicked the drow archer awake. "Burn the rest."