smartass_captain

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The explosion and the roar that follows it sound like an avalanche. A torrent of mud and debris just to the south of his current position, and it's enough to momentarily distract Illario from slitting the throat of the undead monstrosity trying to eviscerate the refugee child from the horse farm. He could curse Dennet's stubbornness, passed on to his children who had opted not to leave their horses and druffalo - until it was almost too late.

The little one is screaming and crying as he grabs her up, shields her as best he can with his larger frame, and frantically looks about the ruins of Calenhad's Foothold—but it's free from Blight, and the majority of the Darkspawn are rushing down the hill, which gives him precious seconds.

"You'll be just fine, bambina." He says as he tucks her closer into his chest before he makes the desperate charge across the open space towards the only structurally sound tower. Darkspawn grab for them, but force of will keeps him going- before he launches himself up onto a ledge and catches it with his fingers. He's hauled himself up walls one-handed before, but not with the added weight of the child and for a moment he isn't sure his grip will hold- but then with a scrabble of feet finding holds in the ancient stones, they're up. Feet move fast across the narrow ledge, until he can clamber up onto another tier of stonework, up to the very top of the tower. Both he and the girl toss themselves behind the ruined battlements just as a projectile catches him in the thigh. Not an arrow, just a piece of the tower one of the big ogres has slung in their direction.

It takes him a moment to breathe around the pain of it, drawing the girl up to him again and murmuring some reassurance, before he sits up and looks towards the source of the explosion, expecting to see a horde of undead and darkspawn spilling out of the mountainside. But that isn't what he sees at all.

Jim. His Jim. Here. Even though Illario told him to stay away. He could curse him, watching and unable to do anything as Jim launches himself from his perch, crashing into one of the biggest darkspawn and stabbing that ogre in the face.

Illario almost feels the impact as the howling monster throws Jim to the ground. The world seems to stop, not moving for several long minutes, although it's probably less than a second because Jim is moving, getting to his feet.

"Get up, get away amore, come on, come on-" He repeats under his breath, but then there's the child's sharp, terrified cry from behind them, and he wheels around to see a darkspawn appear over the ruined battlements. There's no more time to watch Jim. Illario moves, a long, wicked dagger in hand, as he moves to put himself between his charge and the darkspawn, slicing at limbs and faces, taking a wicked pleasure when they shriek and drop down onto their brethren below.

The first wave, never more than a couple at a time, he can deal with, but it doesn't stay that way. Soon, there are half a dozen, and he feels the exhaustion in his limbs begin to slow him down. He knows he doesn't have many options left. And the Crow emblem remains pinned to his armour, a pretty decoration with a dark purpose.

He doesn't even have to debate the choice. Fingers move across the metal, the wings as sharp as the blade in his hand, scoring through skin and into the pads of his fingers, old magic stirring with the taste of his blood, freely given, and he feels the power in his life-force begin to gather in his hand. Half a heartbeat more, the tiny fog of blood pulses in his hand, full of raw power and like a true mage might throw fire, Illario throws the energy forward, knocking the darkspawn off the tower with a yell.

It won't keep them away, but it gives him half a second more to breathe, look over his shoulder, and find Jim in the chaos.