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Jesslyn...
The archers ran into the fray, and Jesslyn regretted her decision the second her blade hit a Wild Man's steel. The force of the impact shocked Jesslyn, sending vibrations through her sword that nearly numbed her arms. The man was huge -- Jesslyn wondered why she ran so blindly into battle and just took a swat at the first enemy she saw. It was foolish, and even though Jesslyn had taken note of the Elven brother's watchful eyes upon her, Jess couldn't help but doubt her chances with the Wild Man before her.
Jess got a good hit in once or twice, but it seemed of little concern to the big, burly man. Gashes that would be fatal to Jesslyn were like slightly annoying cuts to the Wild Man. His strikes shoved Jesslyn away, like a hand would swipe away a fly. Still Jesslyn fought on, because it was cowardly to run from a battle even if you were certain of failure.
And failure did come for Jesslyn. She took a daring aim with her sword to the Wild Man's head, which left her stomach uncovered and unprotected. The Wild Man knew his chance had come. Without hesitation he shoved his hand dagger into Jesslyn's stomach. It happened so fast, too fast for Gorath or Galain to help even if they'd noticed or had been near enough in the first place. Jesslyn's eyes widened, half full of surprise and half in agony and defeat.
Nothing was worse than when the Wild Man grinned with his nasty teeth and wrenched the dagger from Jesslyn's stomach. As she dropped her sword and staggered to the ground, the man laughed and kicked dirt on her. He mumbled something in humour and left her there...
Soon the pain was gone, and all Jesslyn could do was wait for her battered body to catch up with it all. Jesslyn didn't want to be around when Cartil or even Laurel found out that she'd been struck down. She didn't want to be alive to see if they'd be disappointed or worried. Jess just wanted to join the other poor souls that had fought for Alphirion. For the first time in her life Jess realized that just maybe she wasn't meant to be a warrior, or wasn't meant to fight.
So Jess closed her eyes, and let her body rest.
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Cartil...
His breathing had become heavy and laboring, but somehow Cartil managed to take down another Wild Man. He was so exhausted, and looking up he began to wonder how long the battlw would go on. As he looked up, he managed to see a familiar face--
It was Laurel, but she was not battling heroically or bringing hope to the rest of the people fighting for her. With a panicked look on her face and a hand clasping her mouth shut, Laurel was being carried away into the trees by her captor.
Alarmed, Cartil sheathed his sword and ran across the battlefield to follow. They ducked into the foliage, and Cartil followed along until he almost got lost in the brush looking for Laurel. He remembered his promise to Laurel..."Laurel, I won't let you be taken by Cuor. I won't live to see you become some toy for a disgusting Wild Man."
Was it Cuor? Cartil could not tell, but he ran on despite, looking for any sign of Laurel or her captor.
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