All the time scratching at her face like some mad, delusional witch, she wobbled up the cliff top path, at times using the fauna around her to pull her up just that little bit further. Sensing them, and of course him, she could tell he was hurt, but not too badly. But they were closing in on his position. She had to move, move faster. But the pain was out of this world, with her face feeling like it had been torn off. Spitting out yet another mouthful of blood, she caught her breath next to a thorny little bush, just for a few seconds, before once again pressing on, knowing time was of the essence.
Eyes firmly closed, he stretched out with his mind... and found them. Now within fifty yards of his position, two were together, two were on their own, wading through the surrounding undergrowth, clear of the path, no doubt fearful of a trap. Taking a breath and then exhaling slowly, he threw a stone up over the rock he was sitting behind, high up into the air, satisfied with the trajectory it was on. Leaning his chin on his chest, he grabbed another stone and waited for the mayhem to begin.
Eight was stationed directly behind Nine as they moved through the scrub on top of the cliff. Abruptly Nine's closed fist sprang up into the air. They both stopped stock still, tense and on the lookout for danger from every possible angle. They were good, that's for sure. But neither noticed the solid, dark object dropping upon them from directly above as the wind had cancelled out any sound that might have given them a clue. And then it was too late. BOOOOOOMMMMM!!! The explosion tore the earth apart right in between them both. Fire and intense heat scorched the surrounding area, with stones acting as projectiles, peppering the two Crimson Guards with holes, while the kinetic force tossed their ragged bodies yards into the air, both finally landing face down, suffering massive trauma. Just outside the blast radius the two remaining guards looked on in disbelief, a tiny trickle of terror running through each. Both reaching the same conclusion at pretty much the same time, they were sitting ducks for whatever had just taken out two of their team. They had to act now. And so, in unison, they did, taking off, heedless of the risks, at full pelt towards the rock which they knew was sheltering their target.
About to throw the next stone that he'd prepared, he realised just a fraction too late that they'd done the last thing they were supposed to. By the time he'd reacted, they were too close to use the stones. He was on his own. Leaping to his feet, ignoring the blossoming pain in his stomach, he prepared to meet them.
Cresting the rise of the adjacent cliff top just in time to see the explosion go off and bits of dragon guard go everywhere, she smiled at the ingenuity of her husband, the feeling of pride soon turned to horror as she watched the two remaining guards break cover and head towards her husband at a sprint. Thrusting out her right arm, she tried to aim her magic somewhere in the guard's path, a series of terrifying electrical charges leaping from her not quite instantaneously. The surrounding air crackled and hummed, filled with electricity, but she was too far away and her desperate efforts were very wide of the mark. Starting to run, her momentum was helped by the slight down slope, but by now the dragons clad only in black had disappeared behind the craggy old rock.
On him in an instant, he blocked an oncoming blow by the first one, surprised at how his body remembered to fight, almost on its own. The second came in, snapping a low kick towards his left leg. Jumping and turning both at the same time, he aimed a well placed kick towards the guard's knee. But he didn't fall for it, instead opting to somersault back out of range. Closing him down, both Crimson Guards knew he had nowhere to go. His back was to the rock that had provided him with cover. To his left, there was a sheer drop into the darkness, with the beach and a quick death waiting. Knowing that if he could get them to commit to an attack, he just might be able to use their momentum to his advantage and force them over the cliff, he put on his best demeaning sneer, almost as if to say, "Bring it on." But these two knew what had happened to the others and recognised a serious threat when they saw it. And so with the coordination and teamwork that comes only with years of experience, they moved as one, launching themselves at him simultaneously. Ducking his head to one side, he let rip with the most powerful punch he could under the circumstances. It wasn't enough. The first Crimson Guard had got well within his defences, while the second had countermanded his punch. After that, it was all over. A head butt struck him first. It wasn't full on, as he'd pulled back his head, but it was a powerful glancing blow, enough to momentarily stun him, making his head ring like a church bell. While blocking the punch, the second guard spun slightly on his heel and then planted the sole of his other foot straight through Earth's husband's knee, causing him to bellow in pain, as the CRACK of snapping bones rose above the gale.
Hurrying down the rise, crashing through bracken, the wind whipping her hair into a Medusa-like appearance, the sound of a loud CRACK resounding over the wind forced her into running faster. Pride in her husband's work and the thought of yet another dragon badly wounded sent a jolt of excitement through her. During the years that they'd been living in the cottage, she'd missed the thrill of the fight. Often she'd thought about it, those that she'd betrayed, captured, tortured, killed. Not a hint of remorse had ever shown its face, in fact quite the opposite. It thrilled her to think about the power she'd held over others. She missed it. Now... she was making the most of it, living off it, letting it course through her veins, powering her on to something greater.
Spent, he dropped unceremoniously to the ground, the two guards looking like ninjas towering over him in their all black outfits. Instinctively he curled up into a ball, willing his mind to conjure up something in the way of protection as the kicks from each of them smashed into him. It was, however, not going to happen. The pain from his gut wound alone was almost enough to make him black out, and that combined with his fractured knee cap and the onslaught he was now taking left him vulnerable, defenceless, incapable. Leaning down, the first dragon guard grabbed him by the neck, forced his hands away from his face and then hit him with a wild punch, bursting the skin above his right eye, sending blood and bone fragments hurtling up against the craggy rock they all found themselves in front of. Just as another punch was incoming, a bewitching, insane figure, lit up with magic, powered by rage, came flying round from the other side of the rock, forked electricity sizzling from each of her fingertips, death to all written in her eyes.