Alpha finds a small grin appearing on his otherwise serious expression as he coolly watches Yassen's associates leave him behind. Well, perhaps they aren't as foolish as he thought: after all, having him die in such a hopeless battle can be much, much worse than the simple punishment that his fellows were probably contemplating. 'I may have to reconsider my opinion of this group . . . when I have enough time to think about such trivialities.'

Not one to waste time, especially not the middle of a fight, the Sheikah charges forward, feet colliding with the stone pavement of the area as he allows another sphere of pure energy to form in his hands. The ever-shifting coloration of the ball should once again remind Yassen of the Elemental Explosions the Mage has proved himself to be so efficient at wielding, and Alpha isn't one to disappoint.

Well, he isn't one to disappoint himself, at any rate. His enemies are an entirely different story. This ball is much smaller and much more easily controlled - and much more efficient, now that there's only one foe to target. 'Let's see . . .' he thinks as he raises his eyebrow, glancing at the man very quickly. 'Looks like a Human . . . well, no weakness, but I suppose I could use my personal favorite anyway. Shadow it is.' Even as the mental thought treks through his mind, the sphere stops its changing: it is now as dark as night, black as the clothes on Alpha's back.

Alpha releases it once he gets in range, watching with his usual pleasure as the ball of blackness penetrates the night air and speed blurringly fast towards the man.

Suddenly, the symphony of a morning flute shot through the vagabond's ears. He awoke from his trance, and looked around the room. He didn't know where he had been, or why. He had completely drifted off, one thought linking off into another, until lastly, he couldn't recall his first thought. He pondered, and remembered that he was lacking a bit of sleep. His eyes were half witted, until a crazed scream shot through his head. He awoke to a pair of glowing eyes. He was in the darkness for a moment, before again he snapped to reality back in the Inn. He finally placed two hands together, letting the energy flow through his body in a circular path. This helped him to concentrate in times of confusion. Regathering his senses, he watched as Blank held the Inn-keeper by the collar. The samurai would have put in a few words of his own, if it weren't for Saber taking it from Blank's hands. The Inn-keeper obviously had retained a bit of information, and his stammering only made that fact all the more clear.

Dogura made his way across the room, and stared at the man, as he scrambled over to the desk, and picked out a leather book from the rest. A single name escaped his lips... or was it a name? Dogura began to question the truth of such a name. Suddenly, Saber's shout sullied the silence(XD say that 5 times fast). Dogura turned his attention to an elderly woman, who was clearly frightened. It wasn't good for someone of her age to undergo such a fright. He sighed, and remembered that Saber wasn't exactly caring about anything else right now. He looked back to the Inn-keeper, only to let his mouth hang open. When had it happened? How? Where from? Why did he not sense the presence? Dogura watched the handle of a dagger sit comfortable in the man's chest. He couldn't make sense of this. Suddenly, the name burrowed into Dogura's mind. Yasunk. That's crucial to tracking the murderers. The samurai made a mental note of it, sure to never forget the name. Finally, Dogura turned his attention the man who had most likely killed Polka.

Next to him however, stood one more figure. Two of them, and they were in sight. This was more than Dogura could have hoped for. He knew not to kill them, for they no doubt contain vital information. It could be tortured out of them if need be. While Dogura was no expert in torture, he knew a guy who was. Dogura placed a hand on the hilt of his blade, and watched the men carefully. "Close one." the man stated, his hand held out as if he had just released the deadly weapon. "Dammed fool never gets the job done right." he spoke once more, as he lowered his arm, and approached Saber. He revealed a sword, and looked around at them, once his eyes landing on Dogura. The samurai gritted his teeth, as the other man escaped out the doorway. There was still one left. One chance. One fight. Suddenly, war erupted. All the attacks that were launched at the man were dodged gracefully- and at that he had darted towards Saber, and disarmed him. Dogura had seen enough. He was the only one who hadn't attacked yet, and he aimed to change that.

Dogura shot from his position, removing both his dagger, and his sword. Time seemed to slow, as Dogura swiftly passed Saber, handing the man his own Wolf-head dagger. Now his friend was armed in case of another attack. However, the samurai didn't plan to let this happen so soon. He gripped his sword tightly with both hands, and shot forward straight for the assailant, aiming for his gut. He positioned his sword just so that if the man murderer dodged, he would be able to rebound off the floor, and catch the man again. [WILL:3]
OOC: Sorry Saber. Wanted to make this a long one. Hope it was worth the wait.

Yassen alone, ditched by his comrades, lacking confidence made Victor realize, with some measure happiness and some pathos, that the battle was over for the single assassin. And this was even before Alpha released his energy orb, and though he didn't look at the Mage while he was preparing the spell the Bard knew that it would be of Shadow, it was typical of the Sheikah.

So now, without much in the way of options, he figured it was up to him to deal the final blow. This was never a pleasant job for the Bard, one he usually avoided either by leaving it up to someone else or simply not doing it, should he get the chance to give a chance himself. But the job fell on him tonight, and Victor reluctantly accepted the terms. In the back of his mind thoughts quite the contrary to what any other adventurer might think were circling, things like "Maybe I won't hit, and he'll manage to escape," or, "Maybe I'll only wound him, and he'll turn himself in without dying."

Yet even at these considerations the Bard found himself cocking another arrow. Should both his and Alpha's attacks hit, the man would fall. A man he hardly knew, yet an enemy. Perhaps the saddest truth of any adventurer's life was that he would have enemies for no apparent reason, people he had to kill only because they were a threat, sometimes without knowing exactly why they were just that. Victor thought of this briefly, as well, and his taut bowstring faltered for a moment, but only a moment.

With a sad sigh and a quick pull, another of his arrows was launched towards the assasin...

OOC: Okay, I think that after the last round, we've established that Lerick has 22 defense. So I'm not going to put in that part of the equation anymore, as I enjoy getting more than a half hour of sleep. Especially since I have tennis practice in exactly twelve hours.

See? I'm already learning...*yawn*...Now then...To work...!

IC:Lerick cursed to himself as the lithe Hylian flung himself into an attack once again; He had barely noticed the movement until he was close by, he had been so deep in thought. I can't let that happen, must stay focused during combat! He lectured himself mentally as he shrunk backwards and twisted to minimize the chances of Pyre's strike landing.

PYRE: 5 + 6 (Roll)=11

The last minute maneuver worked, as the scimitar grazed harmlessly by his side, even the dagger that he hadn't seen because of the crafty maneuver only glanced his abdomen, and he didn't feel it through the armor. As the Hylian passed him, he heard a sound behind him, and whirled to see the strange looking kid from before taking another swipe at him.

WORRU: 6 + 13=19

OOC: Sorry, that stabbity death coupon expired, I suppose Lerick could redeem yours though.

IC: Just as before, Worru's strike was parried, the katana knocking away Swiftspirit roughly, and the child's dagger hand grasped by Lerick's free hand as the assassin brought his katana back viciously. This kid is starting to annoy me. He shouldn't play with the adults if he isn't even near their level yet. It's time for a little discipline.

LERICK: 2 + 19 (Roll)=21
WORRU:19

The straight blade cut through Worru's jerkin, although the armor did slow the blade slightly and stop it from cutting very deep. 11 damage was dealt as Lerick kicked the boy in the chest to push him away and released the wrist from his grip. He looked around for another one of the quick blind strikes this group seemed to enjoy pulling off, only to meet the gaze of a firey-haired Hylian. He held the gaze, eyeing the man as he twirled his wooden weapons of choice. Is he actually going to try and engage me in a duel instead of using hit and run tactics? He wondered to himself. After seeing the battle so far, anybody who desired to duel Lerick mano e mano was either stupid or extremely confident. Or both. However, the Bomad ended up charging forward at breakneck speed just like his comrades, and Lerick brought his katana around from the left towards his foe as he hopped to the left, trying to block out the blades so he could get a shot at the new threat's back.

BLANK: 4 + 7=11

The plan succeeded; Both Deku blades collided with the katana and were held away from Lerick as he got out of the way of the Nomad's charge, the vibrations from the powerful strike causing him to wince a little. As he squinted from the unpleasant feeling in his arm, he saw a flash out of the corner of his eye, and out of instincts threw himself backwards to dodge the projectile.

KASEI: 7 + 8=15

Lerick's training taught him well, as the projectile flies over his horizontal airborne body, thudding into a picture frame that says "Home at last, peace at last" behind the counter. The frame shatters and glass fragments scatter across the floor, and more commotion is heard upstairs and in the hallway, where what few customers Polka had are waking up to a brawl. As Lerick rolled swiftly back to his feet, beginning to get a bit tired from the constant dodging, yet another sudden attack came from a dormant fighter. The purple-haired samurai rocketed across the room, tossing a dagger towards the fallen mercenary on the run and then struck at Lerick.

DOGURA: 6 + 15 + 3(Will)=24

The blade hummed as it flew towards the assassin's gut, his katana coming down too late to stop the samurai from dealing 9 DMG and sending him reeling. The chainmail had stopped the blade from cutting, but he was undoubtedly bruised on the spot and winded. He stumbled backwards, towards where his allies had arrived, although they seemed to have disappeared. That's when all hell broke loose.

The Recon cronies hadn't been attacked the entire time, unnoticed by the adventurers as they got into position, ready to unleash one of the stratagems they were able to perform without verbal communication. Then, as the samurai would most undoubtedly have the chance to finish Lerick off with a flurry of blows while he was winded, two daggers launched at every adventurer in the room besides Sabertache, who wasn't considered a threat at the moment.


RECONS: 8 + 20=28 (I feel sorry for whoever is randomly selected to be this target..)
1=9
7=15
2=10
12=20

OOC:The way I'm doing this is rolling a five sided die, Pyre has 1, so on, so forth. I'll change the sides to even it out after each one.

IC:TARGETS:
WORRU(I'm so sorry ):19 (HIT)
KASEI: Undoubtedly above 9, I'm not even gonna check. (MISS)
BLANK: 21 (MISS)
PYRE: 21 (MISS)
DOGURA: 20 (HIT)

If Worru had finally been starting to recover from Lerick's retaliation, he was only going to be occupied even longer as the two daggers found marks in his right forearm and left shin, causing another 12 DMG to the boy. Kasei nearly had his bow's string severed by one of the blades, but escaped the weapons unharmed, as did Blank and Pyre. Dogura, however, was caught after his attack and dealt 12 DMG as well from the metal projectiles. Lerick caught his breath as the party dealt with the sudden strike, and gave an approving nod to his allied; they very well could have saved his life there, and he knew enough not to make them do it again, as even the best make mistakes...

_______________________

Yassen's eyes widened when he saw the mage form another ball of energy, and he knew that it was over before the attack had even been launched. As the Sheikah charges him, he throws his hands up as though to form a barrier between himself and the Shadow magic.

YASSEN: 1 + 15= 16

Yassen is thrown backwards as 18 DMG is dealt by the black sphere, horrible emotions washing over him, emanating from the pure despair that the magic is made of. He rolls several times as he tries to remain conscious; He's nearly at his limit, and it's as he's struggling to push himself up that an arrow whistles towards him, and he throws himself aside as he hears it coming, hoping his reaction training will pay off.

VICTOR: 3 + 7= 10

The arrow clinks on the ground and skitters off down the alley as Yassen succesfully throws himself out of it's path. As he lands, he hears another clinking, and turns his head to see a vial rolling across the alley floor in front of him. "Of course!" He murmurs to himself, reaching out and grabbing the container that had fallen from his robes. As he holds it up, there is enough dim lighting to see that it is filled with a translucent blue liquid, and gives off the slightest glow. Or is it absorbing the light? It's certainly a strange phenomenon, and it probably only got stranger when Yassen popped the cork out of the top of the vial and took a small sip of the liquid, grimacing but still choking it down.

It's apparent that it has an almost immediate affect on him. He jumped to the ground rather quickly, and seemed to have recovered ever so slightly. Not only that, but he seems to be moving faster than before, and his eyes have gotten ever so lighter. He twirls his two daggers expertly and takes off towards the duo, hoping to get close enough to where the mage won't cast any more spells for fear of hitting his friend. By the time he gets to them, however, they would definitely have attacked again, but he is confident he can dodge those now. In fact, he's confident that the battle is his. Nothing can take him down now; He's at the top of his game! His eyes darted back and forth as he ran. Not to mention that I can already see more backup coming! He snickered to himself as he neared his targets. They're finished! The Boss is going to love me after this!

OOC:This isn't a cheap deus ex machina, this was a planned out event. It definitely had nothing to do with the fact you were whaling on him. Nope. Not at all.
Seriously though, it was planned, and this won't be the only time you see that happen. It gives a +5 buffer to AGI and +3 to INT and SPI. The round after that it's +3 to AGI, +2 to INT and SPI, then +1 to all three next time. So yeah. It also heals half of the health. Each vial has 3 doses, and more than one can be taken at a time, with...interesting...effects...

___________________________

IC:Saber eyed the dagger with surprise. He had been a little dazed after Lerick's last blow, and hadn't even realized Dogura had passed until his trademark dagger lay in his lap. That's when he realized something; He didn't know how to use it. I haven't trained in anything besides my saber...He thought bitterly as he recalled seeing almost every other adventurer he could think of striking with two weapons at once at one time or another. That's a vital skill, and I've completely overlooked it. I'll have to work on it before I get to the Hideout...

He stashed the dagger in his belt for the time being, and hopped over the counter to retrieve his blade. It was lucky he did so, as it removed him as a possible target. As he grasped the saber, he heard the smashing glass above him as Kasei's attacker missed his mark. He covered his head and rose, taking in the new situation; Lerick had finally been hit by Dogura, but now both the samurai and Worru were injured, Worru getting the worst of it as far as he could tell. "Don't just attack him, get his support!" He shouted to his comrades, hoping to prevent any similar traps. He hefted his saber, glad to be reunited with it's familiar grip, as he vaulted back over the counter and prepared for whatever Lerick and his cronies would bring next.

Lerick: 51/60 HP
Yassen:24/40 HP 1st Vial: THREE TURNS LEFT
Recon 1, 2, 3, 4:12/30 HP
Recon 5:30/30 HP


Victor:20/41 HP
Alpha:40/54 HP, 12/40 SPL
Saber:30/41 HP
Pyre: 61/61 HP
Blank:51/51 HP
Dogura:49/61 HP
Kasei:40/40 HP
Worru:38/61 HP
Kesmi:23/23 HP
Orpheous:20/20 HP, 9/9 SPL
Matt: 42/42 HP, 52/52 SPL
Simon: 33/33 HP, 33/33 SPL

Worru sat with his back at the wall, hand on his shoulder, and he was...he was smiling. "I'm no physician, but there appears to be a dagger in my arm, heh heh..." he mumbled under his breath, taking the dagger from his arm, stabbing it into the wall next to him. He reached down, gripping the one in his shin tightly, then ripping it out, and lodging it in the wall as well.

"Man, it might've been better to do this to someone who would back down." he said, speaking to Lerick as if he could hear, or care, for that matter. Using the wall-lodged daggers as help, Worru was able to stand up, smiling all the while. "Now then, my friend, I am tired of missing you, so, I'm going with something a little...different." he said, holding out his uninjured arm at Lerick. "Elemental Burst - Fire!" he yelled, the flames shooting down from his shoulder and winding down to his palm, where the ball of fire formed. Once he had gathered a good bit of it, he shot it at the mercenary, just hoping for a hit this time, as he slumped back on the wall.

As his arrow missed, Victor let out a sigh of both disappointment and relief. It seemed that blood would not be on his hands for now. And yet, the battle would continue; surely he was torn as far as what to feel. His thoughts, however, were quickly interrupted by a certain strange occurence.

Yes, it seemed Yassen had found a way to revitalize himself. Moving now with more power than ever, the assassin was a newfound threat. Victor 's eyes grew wide: he hated threats, they were mean! And yet the man was coming straight for them...

How do these people manage all these crazy things, thought Victor. Potions and whatnot, why don't we adventurers ever hear about them?! Why do we have to rely on magic.... magic!

At this final thought, the Bard realized that there was still a chance to end the fight, and quickly. His hand rising abruptly, he pointed at Yassen, almost accusingly. But it was not meant to incriminate, oh no. It was meant to attack, for Victor had formed an Elemental Burst around his extended hand. The cycling offensive spell splashed its frenzied, flashing lights on the alley walls, and for a moment the Bard basked in the glow, for he could see clearly again.

But then he fired, and the orb shot towards his assailant. Victor seriously doubted the man would be able to dodge, even with the assistance of potions. He could be wrong, though...

Blank gasped aloud and heaved all his energy into pushing the swords past Lerick's guard, but he was highly unsuccessful and finally gave a disdained grunt as the assassin rolled back and lessened the proximity between the swordsmen. By the look he had been given by the gang member, he was not the highest in regard of the adventurers gathered in the inn. He had hoped to change that with his charge, but had failed in this attempt and was forced to back away as Lerick continued to dodge and strike. This man was a professional, and Blank knew terrible things were in store for the investigators.

As he watched miserably the assassin in action, the recon fighters bolted out as though from nowhere. Without warning, Blank uttered a loud “Whoa!” and brought his swords up to strike the nearest rogue, who had just finished an assault on the young man named Pyre. Thinking twice, he instead turned from the recons. He appeared to be out of harm's way for now, and so the nomad focused his sights on Lerick. The assassin was beginning to annoy Blank, what with his quick movements and overwhelming strength. Blank was actually feeling a pang of envy towards the evil man. Integrity was something the Hylian saw in Lerick but not in himself.

The time for seriousness had arisen, and the nomad knew that Lerick was not going to back down, nor would he pull one of those favorite villain moments: “I've had enough of you people; I'll be back at a later time!” Due to the absence of this scenario, Blank urged himself to attack, and staying true to this urge was no difficult task in itself. Quickly bolting after the gang member, he crossed his arms over his chest and crouched as he came within range for a physical attack. Both arms lashed out dangerously at Lerick, extending out and and uncrossing as the swords moved with them, humming in the air as they flew and cutting through whatever manner of dust was present in the room. All to find the intended target: Lerick's chest, particularly below the sternum. And in this attack Blank placed great effort; he would not be made a fool of in front of this evil person.

Will Used: 4

Kasei cursed under his breath as his arrow missed, and put his bow away as the other adventurers made there attacks. It was time to show them why he was called the rebel flame. The shiekah prepared and gathered fire magic into his hands, creating a moderate-sized fireball. When he felt it was ready, Kasei launched the inferno at his opponent, not really caring about who might get injured, he had his own agenda.

OOC: No, this does not mean he's evil, Kasei just has more important things to worry about than all you lesser beings.

Alpha grimaces at the sight of Yassen suddenly appearing to regain - and perhaps enhance - his strength, all because he'd taken a drink from some vial. 'Must be some rather potent stuff,' the Sheikah thinks to himself. 'Wouldn't mind getting a bit of that for myself . . .' Unfortunately, unless this guy dies quickly, it's doubtful that he'll be letting his opponents get their hands on the special medicine - medicine that appears to do more than just heal him up.

Suddenly the assassin is charging forward, a pair of daggers appearing in his hands as he charges towards Alpha and Victor. His speed has obviously gotten faster, and there are probably some more effects that been unnoticed as of yet. Not good, not good at all. 'What else could it have done to him? Increased his speed, obviously, but what about his defensive capabilities, his attack strength, his magical resistance?'

So lost in thought is the Sheikah that he is only stirred from it when Victor decides to test that last one - the magical resistance - for himself, firing off an Elemental Burst at the charging Human. Alpha grins at the sight of the swirling force of changing colors as his hands ready his own magical assault. Victor's attack could miss, but even if it does hit, there's no guarantee that it will be enough to deal the finishing blow. After all, his companion is a Bard, not a Mage, and it's only in recent days that Alpha has seen him even considering using magic-based attacks. He lack experience with it, to say the least.

'You line him up, and I'll knock him down, Vic,' he thinks as he hurls the Burst like a bullet, this time opting for the element of justice: "Elemental Burst - Light!"

(((OOC: Sorry if this contains any useless words, I'll try to make my posts crappy one paragraph ones with bad grammar and spelling from now on. Please just skim over the use of detail and metaphor below. Besides, who wants to know a characters thoughts. Pshaw.)))

~Everything seemed to slow down as the ranger's attack neared its target. Just as when one falling through the air over a long distance, unable to do anything except hope it won't hurt to bad to touch the ground, and time seems to slow so every moment of rushing through the air seems like an hour, so did time seem to slow for Pyre. He wanted this attack to hit its target and badly. He may well be young, hardly older than a boy, but he had enough respect for himself to be angered when his attacks are foiled over and over again. In fact his very youth only added to his speed, and should make it even easier to strike his target, but it seemed like he was about to be dissapointed a second time, and sure enough, Lerick escaped his carefully planned strike with ease. Well, the man probably knew some fear and agitation as he dodged the attack, and the dagger didn't miss its target by much, but he made it seem easy to those watching, and from that position went to block more attacks aimed at him. None but a skilled warrior could ever perform such a feat and the hylian only now grudgingly accepted that this would be a much more difficult fight than it first appeared. Despite a overwhelming disadvantage of numbers, Lerick was still viturally unscathed.

Only a moment after he thought this, a storm of projectiles were whizzing through the air towards them. Time seemed to shift to an even slower rate, if that was possible, and now it was not because of fear or expectation, but because of pure instinct. The same way in which bloodlust clearly defines every detail of every sense, the hylian's sheer instinct enhanced his perception to an amount that far surpassed the regular level. Even with this heightened perception, the very number of the weapons coming towards them was staggering. It was always a dangerous situation when faced with so many sharp objects flying through the air at high speeds. Pyre did not allow fear to constrict his movements however. He rolled forward, and felt one projectile strike the floor where he had just previously stood. A moment later, he was moving once again, barely dodging another attack, the blade coming so close to his face that he could practically hear the subtle vibrations of the hard metal that made up the projectile as it flew past his ear. Despite having sucessfully evaded those two particular attacks, his senses did not lessen; it was a definite possiblity that he had not accounted for all the weapons, and that another was about to strike him, but he was able to dismiss not a moment later, the rush of air that the flying daggers caused having receded.

Only then, not only after his own attack failed, but his opponent's attack was foiled did time return to its normal speed. If he wasn't currently engaged in a fight, this would be welcomed, all immediate danger had passed, but this was not to be the case. He didn't have to worry about danger, but he had to plan and act all the same. It was time to switch the rolls, and go on the offensive once more before Lerick had any more time to recover. Every second was a precious moment in which his opponent might strengthen his guard, and this could not be allowed. Even without Lerick on guard it would take much cunning to strike him, and the ranger didn't want to stack the odds any further againts himself and his companions. This particular adversary was not to be taken lightly.

And so, when Blank rushed forward to attempt to strike once again, Pyralin's mind whirred into action, quickly going over different possiblilties and forms of attack. He could of course attack with another dagger throw, or cut through the air with his scimitar to smite his enemy, but this would be predicatable and he needed a new approach. This did not mean to use different weapons are different forms of attacks. Indeed, the scimitar and dagger were the only weapons he could use proficiently, and they were the only ones he had on his person, so the choice of weapon was limited, but the median for his attack could be any of a number of things, with many different factors, the foremost of these factors being the environment; what around him could he use to help him attack in a more crafty and effective manner?

The first answer that came to mind, and the one that he acted upon, was simple: blank. Blank not referring to an abscense of an answer of course, but to the nomad that was attacking at that very time. He was quite a good swordsman, and surely his attack would cause trouble of Lerick. This would be the perfect time to strike, especially if he could use the nomad to cover his own attack, and thus make it harder to evade. It might even go completely undeteced and strike his opponent no matter what, but the hylian doubted this would be the case. Lerick had already proved that he would not be defeated so easily, and Pyre had already resolved to go all out.

Without sparing any more time to thought, he acted upon his idea. The plan was quite simple; use Blank to hide his attack, and use the nomad's own attack to augment his, and make it more effective. This was one of the most basic principles of swordsmanship. Always use the resources avalible to you, and Blank was the perfect source of such aid to one's attempts to kill the man that had assailed them. Pyre sprinted forward, keeping low to the ground to move at maximum speed, and not fight the air, and also to keep himself concealed behind Blank until the last possible moment. Then, as the nomad launched his attack, the ranger leapt into the air, aiming for the air just to the left of Blank, lest he accidentally crash into him in midair. It the middle of this great leap, he sheathed his scimitar and drew two throwing daggers at an almost unbelievable speed, rivaled only by that inherant to the sheikah and deku races. With twin pumps of his arms, these sharp tools of death were twirling through the air, heading straight towards their intended target, this phased of the plan being, of course, the easy part. The uncertain part was if the blades speeding towards Lerick would strike true, or, like before, simply be rendered uneffective. [Dual Wield]~

Impact. The sheer feel of it made Dogura grin. But then, the lust for blood was not quenched. Instead, his adversary's thick chain mail had nearly swallowed the blow. Still, the vagabond felt that he had accomplished something. At least he had made contact. He knew from experience that even if a laceration is not dealt, a bruise in a vital area could later prove to be an advantage. Dogura landed in front of the man, and his blade swung up from it's lower position in a clean arc. He was following up his failed attack, hoping to make up for the lack of blood.

*fwip-fap*

Impact. This time, not the kind of impact he enjoyed. He had been foolish enough to concentrate only on one opponent, and had left his guard open to another opponent. The samurai squinted from the pain in his abdominal area. Throwing knives. He thought, as he was thrown backwards from the force. They were thrown hard enough to lift him off the ground, which did impress the warrior. He turned his weight over, and flipped upside down, catching the ground with his free hand, and landed on his feet with a backward handspring. Upon landing, a surge of pain greeted him with open arms. Wincing in pain, he looked down at himself to survey his condition. One knife made contact with his armor, and had pierced it. Fortunately, it had not penetrated the armor. Still, the other projectile had slithered through his armor, and had struck his side. A trickle of blood ran down the hilt, and hit the floor.

"Hrk!" ... This is the price I pay, I suppose. He thought in acceptance. My training is not harsh enough. I'll be sure to come up with a tougher program upon returning home. That thought alone proved one thing. He wasn't anywhere near dying here. Standing, he smiled a bit. Being struck. It provided a sense of excitement that he had nearly forgotten. He removed the knife that had made his body it's home. Grabbing the other dagger from his armor, he clutched it in his left hand. It certainly wasn't his accustomed dagger, but it would have to do for now. It's hilt felt a bit foreign in the ranger's hand, and he didn't exactly like the feeling of it. But in times like this, it didn't come down to likes and dislikes. It came down to requirements, and he knew it. "Lucky shot I suppose. Well planned out, but not enough!" He said aloud, not caring exactly who caught an earful of it. Dogura raised his left arm, and brought it forward, releasing his awkward grip on the knife.

It sailed straight for Lerik, and fast enough to deliver a side of surprise. Not expecting the projectile to meet it's mark, Dogura reached into his satchel, and removed a bit of cloth. Placing it over his wound, he winced a bit. It was still fresh, and was a bit numb to feeling. Still, he felt the cloth grow soaked with his own fluids. Ignoring it, he let the cloth rest on the open wound, and pointed his sword towards Lerik. "You're mine!", he cried as he darted forward, and sank into a shadow about ten yards from the man. In one of his favorite maneuvers, he shot out of the earth beneath Lerik, blade pointed upward. He loved using his clan's special ability to trick the foe. He loved using confusing tactics to gain the upper hand. This time, the entity that was his other being yearned for only one thing: blood.

OOC: I'm tired of writing out that long formula for every attack. You'll just have to trust me on the rolls.

IC:Lerick grinned as he surveyed the aftermath of his allies' stratagems. Two targets hit heavily, and the rest shaken, with the exception of the scimitar-wielding mercenary who didn't even seem to notice the attack. Somebody must have been far off with their aim... He thought to himself as he eyed the annoying boy. He had been hit hard by two of the projectiles, yet he was getting up to strike yet again--and he was taunting. "Damn, he's persistent." He mumbled grudgingly. Then the boy employed a till-now unused tactic; Magic. The blast hit him head-on (6) and he felt a blast of heat similar to Yassen's burning sensation earlier, taking 14 Damage and barely remaining upright. He clears the smoke with a sweep of his katana, and murder is in his eyes as he starts towards the child again, who has collapsed against the wall once more.

He is, however, intercepted by the twin-bladed nomad, who unleashes a deadly cross slash at Lerick's chest, a strike backed up by sheer willpower. (You got a 4 roll, I'm sorry...12) It is only by jumping and raising his center of gravity that he is able to soar over the blades, placing a hand on the attacker's shoulder to push off for extra lift. In midair, he is hit by another ball of flame, this from the Rebel Flame, and falls to the ground flaming, taking 16 DMG and rolling upon landing, stumbling as he rises.

The moment he rises, he is once again set upon by Pyre, but he managed to deflect the blades aside at the last second (14) with another flick of his katana, and swept a foot underneath to round out the maneuver, trying to trip the Hylian. As he turned to face the samurai who would inevitably take another swing at him, he raised the katana to get set for another parry. However, he wasn't greeted with a flashing sword this time, but a flying dagger. (17) Thankfully, his quick reflexes saved him again as he jumped to the side, and when the samurai DID strike out with his blade, Lerick had already set himself and blocked the Purple-haired Hylian easily, pushing him aside. That should be all of them... He thought, reflecting on the past attacks and the faces and styles associated with them.

Then, from behind, a familiar saber descended towards his shoulder (21) But unfortunately glancing off the well-crafted armor. The mercenary yelled as he grasped the hilt with both hands, and swung it horizontally. Lerick caught the blade on his, and they were deadlocked, pushing back and forth, Saber obviously being overpowered by the highly trained assailant. He started to push back slightly, getting some breathing room.

Lerick was burned and weary; He didn't want to waste any more energy in something stupid like this. So, using his finely honed criminal mind, he deployed the most fool-proof plan known to man. To be precise, he kicked Saber in the balls.

The mercenary fell to the ground on his hands and knees, obviously stunned and injured (I'm giving this the effects of a normal stun attack, even though he didn't use his sword. As all Hyruleans had a habit of seeing a life bar above other's heads, it was apparent to all that he had just lost 11 DMG along with the chance to father a new generation of his bloodline.

Recon launched another offensive, and the fact that they had had even more time to find a good spot only increased the deadliness of their stratagem. (+3 to hit) Once more the twin daggers launch from every direction, blazing towards their targets.

1:16
2:19
3:23
4:24
5:23

Targets:
Kasei:Miss
Blank:Miss
Worru:Hit(Gah, the dice hate you )
Pyre:Hit
Dogura:Hit

Kasei and Blank maintained their lucky (Or agile) streak as the blades barely skimmed past them, rippling their clothing as they ricochetted off the walls and floor. Worru, as he was laying immobile against the wall, was an easy target and nailed once again, the poor child suffering another 12 DMG, the daggers penetrating his unarmoured legs. Dogura had been pushed towards one of the Recon by Lerick, and the assassin didn't waste the chance, planting two more daggers in the Samurai's sides to deal another 12 DMG. Pyre was also injured, the blades digging into his back, sent from the assassing who had crept around behind the Hylian. Once the projectiles were launched, the Recon squad took off around the room again, finding better vantage points for their next strike. As long as they went unopposed, they would continue to cause hell for the party.

_________________________

Yassen felt no signs of weariness as the double Elemental attacks rocketed towards him. He launched himself towards the other wall, and winced a little as the first one, now made of a blinding light which helped him to find a foothold before landing, glanced off his leg (21), dealing 7 DMG, whereas the second one (26) missed him completely. When he landed on the other wall, he launched himself immediately at the Bard, definitely the weakest target. Drawing his daggers expertly, he twirled them as he approached, soaring towards the unlucky victim. He plunged both blades into Victor's chest, dealing another 14 DMG to the hurting Bard.

As he withdrew the blades and flipped behind the two, he saw three more men clad in robes descend. He smirked and laughed, holding a hand up towards the new arrivals. "Gentlemen." He began, addressing his enemies. "Retrieval has arrived!"

RETRIEVAL

Level 5 Hylian Mercenary

HP 45
STR 3+5(Sword/Dagger)=8
DEF 3+12(Armor)+1(Human Defense)=16
AGI 2+2(Deku Agility)=4
INT 1
SPI 1
SPL 7

Human Defense Level 1
Deku Agility level 2
Disarm Level 1

Lerick: 21/60 HP
Yassen:24/40 HP 1st Vial: TWO TURNS LEFT
Recon 1, 2, 3, 4:12/30 HP
Recon 5:30/30 HP
Retrieval x3:45/45

Victor: 6/41 HP 11/17 SPL
Alpha:40/54 HP, 6/40 SPL
Saber:29/41 HP (STUN)
Pyre: 49/61 HP
Blank:51/51 HP
Dogura:37/61 HP
Kasei:40/40 HP 16/22 SPL
Worru:26/61 HP 21/25 SPL
Kesmi:23/23 HP
Orpheous:20/20 HP, 39/39 SPL
Matt: 42/42 HP, 52/52 SPL
Simon: 33/33 HP, 33/33 SPL

OOC: Alright, good to go.

OOC: You're the GM here! Try and fudge the results!

IC: Worru gritted his teeth, hissing from the pain that came from another set of daggers hitting his legs. "Man! What do you have against me!" he yelled at him, the pain now being felt, but still, he wouldn't let that get him. He pulled the daggers from his legs, putting them in the wall to keep him up. "Now, then, time to repeat something that can hit you!" he roared, as his free arm pointed at the man, the fire from before not there, but rather the strange element known as Nature. "Elemental Burst - Nature!" he bellowed, as the orb shot at his enemy.

OOC: Saber, why do I only have 9 SPL as a maximum.

IC: The first thing that Orpheous noticed was the dagger that flew through the air. He let out a concerned moan, because he didn't have time to say, "Your about to be struck by a dagger." But it was to late, the innkeeper feel over, dead. Then, he turned to see the killers. The rest was a blur. Until it stopped being a blur of course. Orpheous was trying to catch up with the scenario, and while he was doing so, he prepared his staff. He struck out at Lerick, aiming at the chest area. Simon ironically struck at the same time, aiming at the legs. Matt unleashed an element burst, light at Lerick as well, once Orpheous and Simon had cleared the way.

OOC: Yeah, I'm with Worru on this one Saber. One of the reasons I haven't posted in so long is because I simply cannot believe Yassen was so lucky as to dodge both mine and Victor's shots. Hm, wait . . . maybe you are fudging the results . . . so that we'll loose! . . . huh. Maybe I should consider doing that sometime for FoG . . .

No, wait, the generals are already too freaking powerful. No fudging required for them to cream everyone.

IC:
'What in the name of Nayru's Love?!' Alpha cries out as his Burst sails directly past their assailant. Beating an inexperienced Bard's magical attack is one thing, but besting an experienced mage's power without so much as a flinch? Something very odd is going on here, and the Sheikah knows that if he's going to learn what he'll be needing to swipe a bit of that vial for himself. 'Heh, maybe I could make Gorodo do some work with it and find out what it's made of . . .' The thought of forcing that old idiot into doing some more dirty work for a man who wants him dead only brings a smile to Alpha's face.

Though the smile doesn't last long at all. Three more opponents already? 'Great, I'm low on magical power as it is . . . and my physical abilities aren't exactly what I'm known for.' He raises an eyebrow at that thought; quite frankly, he wishes he wasn't known for anything - heck, he really wishes he wasn't even known! Can't be helped now, of course, but . . .

Back to the matter at hand. Four assassins against a near-death Bard and a magically-weakening Mage. Well, maybe he'll get lucky too, just like that Yassen character . . . if Victor bites the dust, he might be able to use the lack of witness to instigate a few more . . . potent . . . techniques. His fingers nearly flex in the manner that will release some of his ever-useful poison darts, but he decides to hold off on those for the time being.

'Well, physical strength may not be my forte, but I'm willing to give it a shot,' the Sheikah thinks with a grin. His staff twirling through the air with one hand, Alpha suddenly darts forward, hurtling directly towards Yassen fully ready to strike. He leaps . . . and suddenly goes straight past their first opponent, barreling instead towards one of those Retrieval guys. His aim is set squarely on the first of the trio, and he anxiously hopes to hear the satisfying sound of pounding wood against idiot sometime in the very near future.