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"Got it." He begins running off to the southeast. His exhaustion is beginning to really get to him. The weight of the sword, and his lack of rest take their toll on his body. He sighs. "This better be worth it."

Not long after, he ends up confronting the noblewomen as he runs out from a bush. "Hey! Come with me! I'll lead you to safety!" He shouts as he beckons for them to follow.

Adelbard feels a surge when the beast responds to being stabbed in the eye hole... though it doesn't seem to have any lasting effect. Regardless, it gives him confidence. The blast of wind cast off from its beating wings nearly bowls the knight over. He struggles for footing and squints up into the sky to follow its path. A few more softly muttered curses and prayers leave his lips. He tries to twist out of the way as it dive-bombs him, but it can track his movements too precisely. Sharp talons rake across his breastplate and catch the flesh of his upper arm. "A-AH!" The knight staggers against a tree trunk and tests the patch of blood blooming upon his shirtsleeve, trying to stay under the thick branches to protect him from the creature above.

Zeki was a bit confuse on what to do, either chase the princess down or help the knight fight the monstrous bird. It took him a few minutes and after seeing the carnage done on the knight, he made his decision. He charged out of his hiding, with his rusted chest plate and miss match gauntlets with a sword on his side. He picked up a rock and yelled "Oi bird brain! Over here!" He then throw the rock at it and placed his hand on his mask ready to turn the beast into stone with his power stone sight ability.

Utterly impossible.

Helena's hands began to slack in their struggle, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She would be trapped here, in the brush, never able to escape. The pain kept on stinging; there was no escaping it! Slow with terror, she turned her hand over to see it spotted with black hooked thorns. She whimpered, and, cracking, began to weep.

"Hey! Come with me! I'll lead you to safety!"

The shout rang through her ears, broke through her despair. With wide, searching eyes, she caught sight of the man that beckoned to her and Marianne, and cried out to him in kind. "I cannot come! I'm stuck! The thorns have me caught! Please, oh please, help me!" She pulled at the fabric of her dress, and it began to rip.

No! She loosed it, let soft velvet be trapped again by the branches. It was enough that she had been thrown from her own castle, but to lose her dress and be exposed in indecency? She would sooner die than let that happen!

Arnold rushes to Helena's side, drops his greatsword, and pulls out a dagger from his jacket. "Hold still!" He strikes at the caught dress till in time, it rips, allowing her to proceed. He shoves the dagger back into his jacket and picks up his greatsword. "Alright, come this way you! Stay close!" He hissed as he turns and bolts off, provided the nobles follow after him.

Her poor dress! In horror, she watched the knife mutilate it to ribbons. It fell like a corpse against her knees, shortened.

"It could be worse," she murmured to herself. "Come now, keep your head up."

The tears blurred her sight, and she staggered after the stranger, wincing every time her legs were scratched by the underbrush. Only fear of death kept her going, else she would've fallen in a heap and lay there weeping for the pain she felt.

"Who are you?" She called after him, pushing off the rough bark of the trees. "Where are we going?"

Arnold, although heavily exhausted, kept at a brisk pace as he charges through the undergrowth, the twigs and leaves catching on his puffy looking clothes. "Arnold." He mutters under his heaving breath. "Some place safe... I hope..." He says wearily as his vision begins to blur, and his limbs beginning to ache with fatigue.

Safe... Ha. She thought she'd never find the meaning of the word again. Her family thrust into conflict, that sudden betrayal, and where to run? What power had her aunt that she could send that demon after them?

Helena's step was uncertain, bending and swaying, but when she looked ahead, and saw the man walk with lagging gait, she forgot her fear and reached out her hand to him, touching the crook of his arm, her touch light as a feather.

"Sir Arnold, you are brave to come and help us against such odds. I thank you," she meant to encourage him. Though he had slain her dress, his appearance out of the woods had been a beacon of hope when she thought there was none left. Though she studied his face, she did not recognize him, nor did she know his motives, but she was just glad to have someone to follow. "Are you injured? If you so wish, you may lean on me, though I know not if I have the strength to hold you for long."

He stops in his tracks and turns to see her touching his arm. He smiles through his thick beard. "My absolute pleasure m'lady." He spoke in response to her thanks. Damn... He thought. This'll be harder than I thought...

He sighs and takes a few breaths. Sure he may have been drafted as a former criminal, but is this worth a home coming? He looks down and responds briefly. "Aye, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, I'm just... tired..." He mutters as he turns back around and continues running.

A fine and strong young man was he! Helena felt new courage rise up in her when the bearded knight broke into a run, despite looking so exhausted. Perhaps there was some hope, after all. Adelbard may even defeat that demon, with his mighty blade and skillful footwork. And they could all meet, happily, in a little cottage -- that's all she would hope for, a little cottage -- and rest by a warm fireplace.

A smile playing on her lips, Helena kept pace behind Arnold, spurred on by such happy thoughts.

The Night Raven tries to fly into Adelbard again, but it hears the insult from Zeki(?) and takes a U-Turn towards him, all the while screeching monstrously.

Meanwhile,..

Kraven continues to watch them through the remainder of his crows and ravens... He thinks to himself. "...Damn it... ...that lass looks like she wouldn't hurt a fly... ...no matter, probably just a malicious facade, per usual..."

One could say he felt a bit of guilt, but was then reminded of what the maiden supposedly done on the contract...

He leans on a tree, where it's shadow covers it... With eyes ever glowing through the holes of his mask... plotting and thinking...

Seeing that he got the monsterious bird attention he started to slither a little backwards making sure he truly has the birds attention and once he does, he unmasked his face, showing his powerful gaze upon the Raven, intent to turning it into stone. Positioning himself so the knight that the Raven was just fighting won't see his face.

The Night Raven rapidly turns to stone in midair, though it keeps it's crash course toward Zeki, diving toward him through the air. Several birds hidden in the trees fall out of their branches, now only stone statues, which quickly evaporate away.

"Oh sh-!" he exclaimed as he saw the large stone bird falling towards him. He dashed to the side as quickly as he could, his tail almost getting caught between the crashing bird and the ground. He quickly put his mask back on not to turn anyone else or thing into stone. He looked around and he saw the knight over yonder. Seeing that the Raven is not getting up anytime soon, he started to slither his way towards the knight, thinking on what to do.

"....What in oblivion was that?" Seeing that nearly half of his sight through his birds just dissapeared made him wonder what just happened. "Eh..." Blue and violet flame forms in his hands, and he generates more birds from thin air, after about twenty or so were made he realized that the Night Raven had somehow been killed. ".....Damn it.... Screw it, i'll just send some birds after them in a bit..." The flames vanish and he goes back to leaning on the tree.

(I'm gonna try to post early tomorrow, but we'll see how it pans out. Convention weekends are super hectic for me! Sorry guys )

Adelbard groans and again tests the patch of blood forming upon his ripped shirtsleeve. Though it hurts, he has felt worse before, and so he shrugs it off, rolls over, and clambers up to his sabaton'd feet. Immediately he notices the lack of whooshing wings, and then, further off in the trees, the great stone form of the bird. "What ... what happened? ... my ladies? Lady Helena! Lady Marianne!" But his voice would most likely go unheard. Soon after, he sees the figure of Zeki striding--no, *slithering!*--towards him. With a half-yelp, half-snarl, the knight brandishes his rapier at the serpentine abomination. "Stay back! What happened to that ... that aberration!?"

Zeki did as the knight to him to and stopped moving to his position. He looked at him with his glowing yellow eyes from his mask and said "I am the one who turned the giant bird into stone, but if you wish to fight I am more than gladly to give you that wish" he then unsheathed his sword which was slighty rusted and curved like a kukri blade.

Adelbard's clever dark eyes flick across Zeki's form, spotting the glowing eyes and rusted blade. With enough force a corroded weapon would break, but the knight knows his rapier isn't meant for such a task, and who knows what other magics this monster has hidden away? Adelbard doesn't lower his weapon, though he doesn't pursue a fight. "... then it is yours to do with as you please," he cautiously says, starting to back away into the woods. He doesn't dare mention that he has two companions that the snake might consider a tasty meal.

Zeki hearing his response sheathed his blade and said to the knight "Now, sir knight you better go to your companions who I saw running in that direction" he pointed in the direction the two women ran. "I'm not the only monster of the forest you have to worry about" added as he gave his ominous warning to him.