Chapter 6-1

Chapter 6: Fly and Stand

“It is not always wise to fight. Some battles are not worth the cost, others are born entirely of folly and lead to nothing good. From such there is no dishonor in turning away.”

“But in every life there comes a battle from which there is no flight. Not always is this battle fought with arms or spells. Oft it is a battle of words, a struggle of opinions, in which one must hold to that which is true in spite of the pressures applied. There are some, however, who must defend that which is good with steel.”

“And then there are some who seek out such times, that others might not need to fight battles of blood and iron. I am such a one.”

--Garkhen

Almonihah didn't wait for the Javni'Tolkhrah to jump. He took off as quickly as he could, awkwardly climbing into the air while cursing his lack of practice with flight. He could hear some of the monsters following him into the air, but at least he'd leave the ground-bound ones behind.

Below, the surviving Rangers took a moment to catch on to what was happening. They'd been pressed hard during the battle, and many lay dead. But when the Commander saw the glint of metal in Almonihah's hand, he shouted, “Fire on them! Help him win free!”

A few arrows shot upwards at the Madness-Touched, and while this first volley had little effect, it was something. Garkhen, meanwhile, quickly reviewed the spell-prayers he knew, trying to think of one that would aid in this circumstance. For lack of a better idea, he again channeled divine power into his symbol, then exhaled a bolt of lightning through it, striking one of the low-flying monsters with sacred lightning. It wavered in its flight as the lightning seared it, but did not turn from its pursuit.

The first problem with his flying, Almonihah realized, was that he was going the wrong way. Deeper into the Madlands wasn't going to help him. He had to turn, even if it meant giving those Javni'Tolkhrah a chance to catch up to him. Well, he could make it gradual. He started to make a wide, shallow turn... then saw one of the monsters coming up on his flank far too fast to evade. 

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Yeah, I spent too much time having fun this weekend and not enough writing. :D