The Value of a Heartbeat

That counts as two

Reilyn and Garrin jumped out front, Jac, Emyr and Catrin leaping to their sides. Nia and Daffyd positioned themselves in the back. Reilyn scanned his eyes across the enemies, he counted fourteen using physical weapons, plus their commander behind them, readying himself to cast magic. 

“Dispatch them quickly.” The caster ordered. Reilyn glanced at the man’s hands, trying to make out what he was about to cast, but before he had the chance, four attackers rushed forward. 

Two swords and two axes aimed for Reilyn and Garrin. Jac and Catrin stepped forward, crossing their lance and halberd in front of the large man and the Eyll, protecting them from the enemy blades. Nia fired a couple arrows, they flew past Reilyn, one missed entirely while the other hit one of the attackers in the shoulder. 

The enemy man cried out, dropping his sword and gripping his shoulder. The other three paused and looked for the source of the arrows. Reilyn raised his casting hand. “Kygniss!” He cast a blast of flames at the four, dropping a couple. “That’s two for me.” Reilyn smirked up at Garrin. 

Jac and Catrin swung their weapons outward, away from Reilyn and Garrin, catching a couple lance users who attempted to attack from the sides, pushing them back. Emyr burst from beside Garrin and jumped one of the sword users in front of them. “Mine’s bigger!” He grinned and swung his massive blade down on the woman, slicing her to the ground. 

The remaining one, an axe man, raised his weapon to attack Garrin. Garrin twisted his own axe, driving it into the man. Swiftly, the man groaned, sputtered blood, and fell to the ground as Garrin’s axe sliced through his innards. “One for me.” The large man nudged Reilyn. Emyr chuckled as his opponent whimpered and bled out. 

Four down. Eleven to go.

The lance fighter dueling Catrin lowered her weapon and angled it upwards, catching Catrin in the gut, stabbing into her, damaging her chainmail and her flesh. Catrin wailed and shakily stepped back. Garrin leaped in front of her, ramming his axe through the handle of the opponent's lance, snapping it in half and getting his axe stuck in the ground. 

“Didn't think that one though.” The lance woman laughed and reached for a dagger she kept on her belt. Garrin rolled his eyes and ducked out of the way as she lunged at him with the dagger. He grabbed the broken metal pole, pivoting beside the woman before she could reach him, he skewered it through her exposed neck. 

“Two.” Garrin wiped the blood from his face and pulled his axe from the ground with a grunt. 

As Catrin retreated, Daffyd ran to her and mumbled a healing spell. “It w-will be ok.” He patched her up, stuttering a few more comforting words. 

“Thank you.” Catrin wiped her bloody hands on her tunic, panting as her injury was treated. 

A couple enemy arrows flew into the group, one almost hit Jac. “Whew!” He whistled as he dodged. The other arrow lodged itself in Emyr’s thigh. Emyr gritted his teeth and raised his sword to block the axe man that ran towards him. 

Nia cursed and carefully aimed a shot at one of the enemy archers. She fired, catching the bow woman in the bicep. The woman yelped and dropped her weapon. “One down…” Nia aimed at the other archer. Before she could even fire, her vision was obscured by flames as the enemy leader, the caster, blasted fire magic at the group. 

“Get out of the way!” Reilyn saw the flames coming. He shoved Emyr and Jac, not strong enough to move them, but they took the hint and ducked out of the way. “Kygniss!” Reilyn felt the enemy’s flames’ scorching heat on his back as he turned and cast his own at the lance fighter and axe man that were upon them. The axe man was hit directly, stumbling back into his own commander’s fire, screaming as the agony overtook him. “Three.” Reilyn grunted.