Having underestimated the skill that Dmitri would have, Mattief had struck out with a clumsy but powerful blow designed to quickly incapacitate a lesser opponent. When Dmitri deflected the blade and made an attack in the same movement, Mattief realised just how dire the situation had become.

Swinging his sword with a powerful two handed stroke, Draycott found that Wayte was defending too well for someone that had only trained under his command; someone must be helping him! Draycott looked around; Dmitri was too busy with Mattief, so it wasn’t him, then his eyes locked onto Claudia. Yes, it had to be her, had she not already defied him with her magic once before? Time to level the playing field, “Archers!” he bellowed.

Mattief had been able to defend against Dmitri’s onslaught by a hair, but it had begun to wear on him, and he’d began to think that Draycott had forgotten the other guards he’d had hidden until the madman had called out for archers. Seeing the archers arraying themselves on the battlements, Mattief’s confidence returned and he waited for Dmitri to strike again. This time, instead of blocking or deflecting the blow, he stepped aside from Dmitri’s attack and he sailed past. Mattief swung his blade as Dmitri passed and caught him with the tip of his blade, scoring a wound across the back of his shoulder.

Wayte had been defending steadily against Draycott until the madman stopped and began to look around. When he had bellowed for archers, Wayte knew that he had to step up the assault, between the archers and the guards with buckets of water, it was only a matter of time before they were overrun.

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During this time, Claudia had not been idle, as guards approached the flames with buckets of water, Claudia attacked them with some more potions, enhancing their fiery defence. Reaching into her back for another potion after Draycott had called for archers, she found to her dismay that no potions remained. Tossing her bag to the ground, she focused on the magic taught to her by the druids, hoping that this far out from the centre of the keep, the dampening field might be weaker. She envisioned the wind whipping up the dirt and sand in the courtyard, a whirlwind consuming everything in its path as it sought to grant them the freedom they fought for. When she opened her eyes however, all she saw was a small burst of air that kicked up a small patch of dirt and sand. An archer, seeing the Frenchwoman focusing on the dirt and seeing it move in return took the opportunity to prevent more deaths of his countrymen and loosed an arrow at her. The arrow punched into her abdomen and she fell to the ground with a yelp.

Dmitri, hearing Claudia’s yelp of pain turned to see her collapse to the ground. Seeing the woman he loved hurt on the ground drove him into a frenzied state, his vision filled with a red haze and he attacked Mattief with a deadly vengeance in his eyes. Mattief fell back against the mad attack, but Dmitri didn’t falter. Channelling the strength of two men, and the anger of a man in pain, Dmitri struck again and again and Mattief fell back onto the ground, and looked up at Dmitri, his eyes pleading. Without mercy Dmitri took a final swing and Mattief slumped to the ground unmoving. Searching the courtyard for another worthy of his unrelenting vengeance, his eyes locked onto Draycott. He strode over and began to attack. In the first swing, Draycott took a deep wound to the shoulder of his off hand before manoeuvring into such a position that he was able to defend against both men. Dmitri pressed his attack, giving no quarter to the man that had destroyed Claudia’s life.