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"Trying to be an optimist helps to take my mind off of Serra," Tyler says, his enthusiastic tone gone. As he says her name her face flashes in his mind. "It helps," he says, as if trying to give Ellie advice.

After a short while(that feels like a much longer while), Matt speaks up, walking slower and quieter, "We're here," he says. Several hundred yards in front of them is a large clearing with a large stone fort. Several guards patrol near the front, each wielding a bow. "So...strategy?" Tyler says. "Slow and quiet or..."

Ellie smiles, though it seems more of a grimace of sadness than a true smile. Just as he mentions Serra, she pops into her mind and she suddenly feels like more weight has been piled onto her back. She nods at his words, agreeing kindheartedly, but says nothing about it - she prefers not to.
Once they reach, she thanks Matt before looking toward the camp. "Strategy'll work. We should go to where Dorian may be and try to meet with him again. It's likely that he'll be around where most of the violence is going on - if he is here, that is..."

Dorian being ever paranoid he finds that there is a mountain along one edge of the tent, he doesn't risk cutting a hole in the fabric, he opts to climb out underneath the tent to the outside then goes around the side to see that archers have surrounded the tent and all at once for into the tent, had he been in the tent still he would've been turned into a pin cusion. He draws his swords and runs behind all of the archers on that side of the tent severing their spinal cords as he goes "Now it's getting interesting Seluné!" Dorian yells before charging the rest of the archers as they try to either nock another arrow or draw their swords only to fall dead at his feet. He turns to see a full battalion led by the general marching towards him weapons at the ready. "Son of a.. Well at least I'll die with a smile." Dorian says before pointing his swords at the general "You die first!" He yells before running towards the soldiers.

"Yeah...it looks like a big camp," The guards are alive...so either Dorian's not here or he found another way through... "We can take these assholes out...get farther into the camp," Tyler says.

He slowly sneaks around the clearing, staying behind the cover of trees. The guard patrols around the clearing and with each step he is closer to death. Now! Tyler smiles and grabs the guard by the head, covering his mouth and tugging him into the forest. "Mmmnngghhfffff!" The guard tries to scream through Tyler's hand. "Did a guy come through here? Two swords, head full of crazy?" Tyler explains Dorian. The guard nods quickly. "I'm going to let go of your mouth and you're going to tell us where he is," Tyler says, slowly letting go of the man's mouth. "He's in the back of camp," the guard says, taking a deep breath, "HELP! OVER-" The guard yells, getting cut off by a sword in his heart. Tyler turns to see the other patrol guard start walking his way.

While Tyler takes care of the guard he is currently mutilating, Ellie shifts her attention to the other guard that is nearing them. Her eyes shine with mischief as she pulls out her sword and holds it out in front of her. "This 'ought to be fun." she mutters under her breath before launching forward and attacking her opponent.
Meanwhile, Matt is a nervous wreck. His beady eyes shift from the two obviously occupied beings, before looking over his shoulder. I could leave. I could get away from this place. He moistens his lips as his anxiety increases, slowly taking a step backward near the opening of freedom.

Dorian charges the soldiers, more specifically the general and slashes his jugular before jumping into the other soldiers and slashing and stabbing wildly. Soon he scares the soldiers enough that they form a ring around him just out of striking distance but he continues to get close enough to inflict a minor wound here and a random fatal wound there until there isn't much left of the soldiers and they flee. Dorian can barely lift his arms from exhaustion. He drops to his knees laughing before telling in anger and frustration at the top of his lungs until he loses his voice. He pulls out the letter and holds it to his chest. He seems oblivious to the world around him, as far as he's concerned it doesn't exist. Even though his voice is coarse and it hurts to speak he just keeps saying "I'm sorry."

Tyler turns and sees that Ellie has her eye on the other guard. "He's all yours," Tyler says, ducking behind trees until he is clear out of view. He climbs into a tree and perches on a branch, smiling joyfully at the thought of the scene that is about to unfold.

As the smile creeps upon his face, he looks up to see Matt backing away. They lock eyes, seconds seem like minutes as they just stare. This is my chance...he escapes and I don't have to kill him. He's just a kid... Tyler waves goodbye to Matt and mouths the words, "Don't die." Tyler hopes Ellie saw nothing, not wanting to be taken as a coward.

Matt feels like he is going to be sliced in half the moment he sees Tyler stare at him. He tries to show no fear whatsoever and blatantly stares at him back, his lips pressed tightly together. Then something unexpected happens - he lets him go. His eyes widen, and he's not sure of what to do at the moment. Then he smiles, a thanking one, before turning around and escaping for his life.

Meanwhile, Ellie fights until she sees blood being shed. Her sword stealthily hits the guard, instead of his sword. It doesn't take too long before her sword cleanly slices the guard's head off. She averts her eyes as she hears his scream run short, and his head topples to the ground. She regains her breath as she witnesses more guards coming from all directions, and she looks to Tyler to see how he is doing.

Dorian puts the letter away and picks up his swords and starts walking towards the entrance to the camp he sees Tyler and Ellie and Matt. He lifts his swords as high as his exhausted arms would allow him "Last one Seluné." He continues waking towards Matt hoping Tyler and Ellie won't stop him because right now almost anyone could stop him

"You good?" Tyler asks, hopping down to rejoin her. Tyler smiles, although his victory is short-lived as more guards swarm. "Goddamnit!" Tyler whispers, quickly getting high into a tree. Before Ellie has time to react, Tyler tugs her up into the tree. Tyler hops back to the two dead guards, quickly snatching their bows and quivers. "Good with a bow?" Tyler asks, his voice not as angry as it should sound. Tyler hands a bow and quiver to Ellie, then looks around. "All these guards for one scream of help? I bet you Dorian is nearby."

Matt stumbles backwards, his hopes decaying as he sees Dorian walk toward him, sword drawn. No...no no no no... Matt can't think straight, resulting in him tripping over a wooden log. "Please don't kill me," he pleads, voice weak with fear.

Tyler scans the area and grins wide, "I found-" the grin disappears and Tyler interrupts himself with an, "Oh shit!" Tyler's eyes open wide as he sees Dorian walk toward Matt. Without a word of warning to Ellie, he jumps onto the ground and recklessly runs toward Dorian and Matt, catching the attention of a few guards along the way.

"Yeah, I'm fi-" Ellie's words get cut off as an arrow whizzes past her, it brushing against her cheek. She hears the thunk of it hitting the tree behind her, and her injured cheek sears with pain. She curses loudly and holds out her sword, baring it before she gets pulled up into the tree. Before she lets out a startled scream, she realizes that it is Tyler who pulled her up. "Thanks." she says, feeling blood drip down her cheek. She wipes it away carelessly and grits her teeth, as she takes the bow and arrows without hesitation. "I'll kill 'em all, don't worry about me." And with that, she pulls an arrow back and shoots one guard right in the knee. He goes toppling down, and she grins with satisfaction. However, that grin subsides as she hears Tyler's shout of surprise. In an instant she turns her head and sees Matt on the ground, Dorian nearing him. "Tyler!" she shouts after him as he escapes to save him. Her blood runs cold and it takes her a lot to turn around and continue shooting at the guards.

Matt groans in pain as one of his wounds ache in pain, clutching his leg as he is on the ground from tripping on the branch. "Damn it, damn it..." With no hope, he begins to scurry backward away from Dorian. "Please, please, please..." His voice grows weaker as he nears, knowing that he is about good as dead at this point.

Dorian hears the soldiers running behind him, he turns quickly using the momentum to fling his arms to fight the guards since he's too exhausted to fight properly. He kills one soldier before getting hit with an arrow in the chest, droppig him to the ground motionless.

[OOC: That guard you shot used to be an adventurer like us, then he took an arrow to the knee! Did you do that on purpose? I was laughing so hard when I read that!]

Everything happens so fast, the guard infestation, Matt almost getting killed, and now Dorian taking an arrow. Tyler breathes deeply, his head spinning. "Run. Run, Matt. Run!" Tyler says, his voice escalating louder and louder with each word. Matt does as he says, getting up and hobbling away from the scene. "Goddamnit Dorian, why couldn't you just leave him alone. We don't kill kids. We're not them," Tyler whispers, after tugging Dorian back into the forest. He pulls the arrow from Dorian's chest and winces in pain. Tyler cuts off part of Dorian's pants and puts it over the wound.

"They're coming, Tyler. The guards are coming for you. Hurry!" Serra's voice speaks.

"S-Serra?" Tyler asks, looking around frantically. It sounded so real, so clear... As Tyler looks up, he sees a short girl leaning against a tree, her blonde hair covering her face completely.

"Your shoulder..." The girl says, before vanishing into thin air.

"What the hell is going on...?" Tyler asks, knowing what he had seen. He looks down at his shoulder as instructed to see an arrow sticking out of it. When did that happen? The pain comes as soon as he notices, but he rips it out, running straight at the guard who shot it. The guard tries to nock another arrow, but Tyler is too quick, a blade quickly ripping through the man's stomach. When he is sure no other guard sees him, he perches into a tree above Dorian, ready to snipe the guards one by one.

(OOC: Of course I did that on purpose! )

After a few short minutes, which felt like endless hours, all of Ellie's arrows are gone and her fingers are numb. Dead guards lay scattered among the fields, but she knows that more are coming. "W-We're not gonna make it..." she mumbles to herself, resting against the tree with short breaths escaping her. As if someone had seen her right then, another arrow whizzes past her and pins her shoulder to the wall. Her mouth opens to scream in pain, but nothing comes out. More guards are approaching. She turns her head the slightest bit to see Tyler and Dorian by the tree, both of them severely injured. I have to go help them...I have to... Exhaustion overwhelms her, and she curses herself for being so weak. I'm...so sorry. Then she closes her eyes and she falls unconscious.

Matt watches as Tyler drags Dorian to a nearby tree, the sight of seeing two of his 'companions' getting shot chilling him to the core. He runs quickly over to them, before turning to see a few guards coming their way. "G-G-Give me a weapon, anything. I-I'll try and kill them." His voice is weak and raspy, but he knows that he has to do this - or he would live with the guilt of watching people die in front of him once again.

Dorian groans and is only halfway conscious. He holds up his swords as if to defend himself from some unseen enemy muttering random obscenities.
Matt grabs the swords from Dorian and meets the soldiers and fights them. Matt actually kills a couple before they realize he isn't on their side, his armor throwing them off. "Everybody charge!" Matt yells making the soldiers believe an army lied in the trees awaiting the command to attack. The soldiers run and Matt turns and walks back to Dorian.
Dorian looks up at Matt "Finish it... Here's your chance... Finish it." Dorian says weakly but Matt just lays the swords next to Dorian and calls to Tyler and Ellie "they're gone!"

At any other time, Tyler would laughed at the guards reaction to the fluke "Protect him," Tyler says to Matt, "we are getting the hell out of here." There is no way in hell this distraction is going to last long.

"Ellie!" Tyler yells. He looks up expecting to see a blood-covered warrior, nailing guards with arrows left and right, however that is far from reality. Without hesitation he sprints toward Ellie's tree. Unfortunately the fake army distraction has worn off, and arrows once again rip through the air. I shouldn't have left her! How STUPID am I? Tyler climbs the tree, screaming in pain as he uses his left arm, shoulder dripping with blood, to pull himself up. "I'm so sorry. Goddamnit I'm sorry. Please don't die, please," Tyler pleads to Ellie's unconscious body. He closes his eyes as he pulls the arrow out of her shoulder, "It's time to go," Tyler says, throwing Ellie over his shoulder.

Usually when people pass out and stuff like that, they would experience a dream from the past or perhaps from the future. For the stubborn Ellie, this was not the case. Her mind was dark and eerie as she sat in the middle of it - literally. She rocked back and forth on the wooden chair, sighing loudly. Her sigh echoed into nothingness.
"When the hell am I gonna get out of hereee?!" she yelled, poking at the wounds on her body. Surprisingly, they didn't hurt.
"Patience, child." A small girl appeared in front of her, its aura shining the room into a bright white. Ellie jumped back and muttered a bunch of profanities. The small girl frowned in disapproval.
"Who the hell are you?" Ellie asked, scooting backward on her chair.
"Silly girl." the girl murmured. "I am you!"

Dorian wakes just long enough to see the soldiers shoot Matt with a few arrows and he curses them before they grab him and club him over the head. He sees Seluné comforting him, they are both children again. Even though he is unconscious he smiles, at least she is with him in his dreams.

"I can't carry them all away!" Tyler groans, his shoulder in excruciating pain. Tyler bites his lip hard as he repositions Ellie on his shoulder. "I'll get you to safety...then I'll come back for them," Tyler whispers to Ellie, pretending as if she is awake. "Kinda hard to be an optimist right now," he says. Tyler descends into the woods, staying quiet and sneaky. I can't risk our lives for two people who might be... Tyler tries to convince himself that what e is doing is right.

He comes across a small pond and lays Ellie down. He pours the water onto her cheek, washing off the blood, then washes her shoulder off with water. "No bleeding out," Tyler says, he cuts off more of his shirt and presses it to her shoulder. "I left them behind..." Tyler says. He stands up as if he was going to walk back, then immediately falls backwards, laying on the ground in what seems a mixture of physical and emotional pain.

[OOC: I go to summer camp for my church (despite not believing in God ) and probably won't be on here much. So, if you're up for it, Xion can take over my character and get as far as you can. I'm sorry for this problem V.V]