Once the deer was obtained and processed the group quickly headed back to the meeting spot. However as on the former time once they reached the expected spot the caravan was not where it was expected. Moritz had hoped that arriving earlier they would make it before the caravan was to run into trouble, but it seemed that was not the case. With worry in mind the group consisting of a skilled hunter ad woodsman, his young son, a dog, and Moritz, headed off in the direction the caravan was to come from.
Alarmed by the possible threat, both Moritz and Anders moved with their bows drawn and a arrow ready to be nocked, but not yet pulled over. He also did his best to be quiet while moving fast, easier since they were on a road and not travelling within the wilds but not completely possible as barring some masterful ability there was going to be some trade off between speed and stealth.
His Iraso sight active Moritz focused on the road before them, hoping to see some sign of the threat. Alas no matter how much he looked about he did not find anything odd within his ability to detect, just what seemed to be normal markings of travelers and caravans moving back and forth. It was a well maintained and traveled road, so there was not an insignificant amount of markings even in its recent history.
As before the group rounded a bend, and as they did a bit off the caravan could be seen. This seemed to indicate that it had been attacked the same as the day before, Moritz realized as he examined the area and did his best to remember it for later. The location of the attack could be of use, he reasoned. However where before when the caravan was found they only saw the dead and blood, now was not the same case. There were still quite a few dead people, but there were also alive people. The ones that drew Moritz interest were the three or four men rooting through wagons and carts, tossing some items aside while stowing other things. Along with that were a pair of woman, alive, in chains and being pulled away. All of the other people of the caravan seemed dead or gone, which meant these were apparently the stragglers of the group... Who had attacked the caravan... Slavers... bandits... Or some combination of the two. Not a monster. Not some bloodthirsty beast. But bandits. Humans. Humans preying on other humans.
Seeing this a rage welled up inside of Moritz, someone who was normally quite calm, that someone would do such a thing to another living being. While the Kelvic had been mad before, he could not recall ever being filled with such rage as this.
While Moritz went through this Anders acted, motioning Axle into the treeline before taking a knee and in one smooth motion readying and drawing an arrow... And then firing. The distracted men a short distance away stood no chance, as one received an arrow right in the neck, a lucky hit. This man fell clutching at his neck, while the others were alerted to their presence.
As one the men took up arms, drawing swords, daggers, axes, and one even taking up a crossbow which he fired wide sending a bolt into the woods. As he rearmed the melee weapon wielding men all came charging in. Moritz did his best to react, having calmed for the moment while a bit of rage seethed within him, knowing he needed to act. Doing as Anders had done he steadied himself, drew back and nocked an arrow, and holding his breath aimed... And then released, aiming center mass at the lead attacker waving a sword.
Coming directly at him the man should have been an easy target, but Moritz aim was off and the arrow barely hit, striking the man in the shoulder. While this seemed to slow him down it did not stop him, and not being in the arm holding his sword it did not even disarm him. Perhaps, Moritz reasoned, the man was so charged up he did not even notice the wound. In that time Anders had readied and fired another arrow, striking an axe wielding man in the gut. This sent the man stumbling and falling, not dead but incapacitated by pain and the wound.
Not having time to shoot again Moritz stowed his bow and dropped his things, namely his pack and quiver, giving himself more freedom to move. Then focusing on his coming foes Moritz made all of the preparations he could. Tapping the gnosis on the back of his neck he expanded his Evantia Aura, focusing within it to sense two of the oncoming men aiming at him. Once this was done he also focused on the star embedded in his left hand, willing it to expand outward. As he did colored sand seemed to pour out of the star and his skin, covering and encasing his entire arm in a armored sand gauntlet. Lastly with one final willing he willed the blades to extend, and a pair of claw like hook ended blades extended outward from it.
As battle ready as he could get Moritz waited for the men to come to him, watching and waiting... And then two did reach him, one holding a dagger and axe, the other a sword. Holding up the bladed gauntlet he blocked the first one, the swordsman, being knocked back a step as the blades clash in a heavy blow. But seeing the blade coming and knowing its route he had been able to prepare. Soon after the other man came at him, thrusting with the dagger in the lead while holding up the axe. Taking a step back out of reach the thrust seemed to fail, and Moritz without thinking punched in with his gauntletted hand. But as he did he recalled the blades on it, and saw as they nicked the edge of the mans hand only to plunge past and sink into the mans chest. It had not even been on purpose, but thinking himself empty handed he had moved to punch the man only to end up stabbing him...
With a cry the man brought up the axe and tried to pull free, but using his other free hand Moritz moved to grab at the mans wrist. This time it worked and the man was left with a blade in his gut and struggling with a bare handed man on the other side...
This did not last long though as the swordsman returned, swinging his blade downward to hack off Moritz limb. Moritz could see it coming, the man being within his Evantia Aura, but he could do nothing in time. Lucky for him said limb was covered in his sand gauntlet. Though the impact hurt and could be felt, it did not cut through him, instead ripping the hand out of the mans gut along with Moritz blade which was launched downward into the ground.
Taking a few steps back for space Moritz watched as the axe wielding man clutched at his guts with blood pouring over his fingers, only to fall to the ground with even more blood coming out. The swordsman seemed unfazed by this, and began to pace about and use his superior range to good effect... Only for Moritz to feel a sudden strike from his other side, knocking him over. Looking up he saw a arrow stuck in his side, similar to the one from the time before when he found the caravan empty... Off in the distance he could see a man among the treeline, having clearly returned and aiding his companions...
It was thoughts of this, and that perhaps this was what had happened to him the day before, as he laid there painfully unable to move. This did not last long though as the swordsman quickly moved forward and brought his sword downward with a heavy lopping strike aimed at Moritz neck... And then, blackness....
WC: 1,351
