splattered with quickly-forming red holes as if he'd been thrown into a spike pit. And for the minotaur specifically, he felt as if his body violently screamed at pins and needles placed inside his ribs.

The only reason why it wasn't excruciating is because he's survived this many times before.

And like he'd done before, his right hand reaches out behind him, grabbing the Disoriented cultist's head before it could get away. The minotaur's turned head gives an utterly hellish glare at the Caught Off-Guard cultist before violently flailing4df+3 was rolled to get 2 ([-1, 0, -1, 1] + 3) it around, smashing into every remaining and distracted enemy in reach. And just when the Maneuverable Drallic looked to be done, he throws4dF+2 was rolled to get 4 ([1, 1, -1, 1] + 2) the cultist with all his might, using what's left of his Strengthened Momentum to empower the swing at the enemies behind him. Only air cultists could fill the captain with the fury of a demon lord.

He didn't look at whatever mess he made as he picks up Yalnic carefully. He hopes that the path out of the battlefield is clear now.

Looking up from grabbing Yalnic, you see that the shock of the dome falling and the sudden surge of cultists has blasted holes into the battlefield. The cultists have started pushing the guards back toward the walls, and there are places where the battlelines have essentially been pulled apart, leaving lines of emptiness allowing you to clearly see the docks.

You are happy to see that there is little fighting at the docks, and that ships are able to leave the skyland virtually unhindered. But, there is still a far distance from the battlefield to the docks, and anything can happen.

Looking ahead at the docks was the first real bit of good news that Drallic has seen in the past few hours. A series of bad ideas have left him more agitated than usual, to the point where he wasn't particularly aware nor concerned that a cultist had slammed through him. To see, finally, the docks in distance was like seeing his efforts come to fruition, almost. It looks like a clean run, and he hoped it could remain so.

"C'mon! Docks are in sight!" he shouts to his crew, hoping they were all holding up a bit better than he was, as he clutched Yalnic close to the minotaur's own bloody chest and got his hooves back running. He couldn't stop now. He's a minotaur, after all. Minotaurs do not stop until they're dead in the ground; and no air storm has, or will, put him down.

Though he thought, briefly, about Argenta, with the shattered dome, the torn land, the practical holes made within the ground... Is there even going to be anything left of the city to save when they do make it to the ship?

You have now broken through the main fighting. The allies behind you, while having to still take the occasional shot, are now mostly following close behind you. Their faces seem to mirror yours, the same thoughts running through their minds.

At first, it is a surprise that you are unaccosted as you pass through the dock's checkpoint. However, you soon see why: the cultists are starting to break away from the city and the fight outside the gates. Close behind them are the air creatures that came in after the dome's destruction.

Which is wierd, as the city, while damaged, is still standing. If a simple assault was their goal, they are leaving early. Yet, there they are, leaving without destroying much.

As you watch, you see a gleam coming from one of the creatures. But you only get a glance before you realize that before they leave, they have one more goal.

A sizable force of them descend upon the dock, ready to destroy it and any ships still moored.

Drallic had dealt with cultists before, but he'd never been in the middle of one of their invasions. Many of their decisions in attacking Argenta would've been weird from a pirate's perspective; why not just invade, crush everything, and pillage to your heart's content? Even now, he couldn't tell their intent in taking the effort to destroy Argenta's dome.

That changed now. The stale, harsh air went in and out of the minotaur's nostrils as he saw the force reach the docks. "T' hell with these things," he cursed in his rough tone. "We be trapped 'n dead rock if they tear 'part the docks!" Drallic didn't see any option other than to engage and stop the airy creatures. Even simply making a dash to disembark would be potentially too risky.

He looked back at his crew, hoping they all made it through better than he did. "This'll get a bit messy an' I'll want both arms. Any one o' ye can stay back, hidden, an' take care o' Yalnic while we clear the docks?"

Chucker immediately moves forward to grab the injured half-orc, but El'lans and his eidolon reach him first. However, the reborne captain gives the goblin a nod and smile, "Follow me, Chucker. We'll get Yalnic to the ship."

With the eidolon carrying the body, the three of them start hustling toward your ship. "Just hold for a few minutes!" The other captain yells back to you, "I'll get whatever crew is around ready to fight!"

The cultists that are rushing the docks see you and your crew getting ready for battle, and seem to hesitate for a brief moment. Then, with a collective scream, rushed forward toward you.

Drallic let El'ans, his eidolon, and Chucker take the half-orc to safety... the safety of a ship that cultists were rushing for. Drallic, as he often was, didn't have a plan.

He looked over at Gellya, being the remaining crew member able to help. "'fraid this ain't what ye best at," he said with a shaky, but hearty smile. "But leas' we can think on the fly. Stay close now, ye hear?"

He brought one of his heavy hooves down on the ground; his eyes and snout aimed outward at the cultists. After a brief, focused4dF+3 was rolled to get 2 ([0, -1, 0, 0] + 3) moment to psych himself up, the minotaur charged forward at the cultists, picking up a long triangular piece of stone from the nearby tower. What could he do with it? He had no idea himself; but it might've come in handy.

Behind you, Gellya snorts, "Better than you, Punching Bag." That more than anything gets you [i]Psyched[/i], but it won't last long.

She then moves faster than you have seen her move in a while and practically shoots herself into a mass of the cultists. You understand the faces of utter confusion at the woman's apparent idiocy, but you at least know that it is anything but stupid. And she proves it as she seems to just appear behind the cultists, the air around her seeming to swirl with her blade slices4dF+2 was rolled to get 1 ([0, 1, -1, -1] + 2). Dark eyes dart between all of the cultists who just then start turning back toward her. It seems like the force of the turn sends the wind roaring toward the duelist, cutting at her light armor4dF+2 was rolled to get 3 ([1, 1, 0, -1] + 2).

The other group, still somewhat surprised at the woman's speed, instead turn toward you. Seeing your massive size, they swarm and surround you in a familiar dome of piercing wind4dF+2 was rolled to get 4 ([1, 0, 0, 1] + 2), overwhelming you instead of just attacking.

Oh, he remembered this damned tactic. It's just like them taking down any ship: surround it and shred it apart in a series of ferocious winds. He'd seen that happen to an old ship he was on; he'd seen it happen to him before, when they had tried shredding him to pieces like the rest of the crew he had once been working with. And, fortunately, he remembered how to get out of that. His huge body spins and weaves around in the same direction as the wind, moving with the piercing winds rather than against it. Whatever winds would strike at his heavy muscle and fur instead lightly prickles instead of tearing through like a blade.

Though he was doing better here than he usually has against a dome of wind. He was, after all, quite Psyched Up. Really, Punching Bag? Is that what Gellya saw him as? He always thought himself better at evading than taking attacks.

He would be certain to show her wrong as he quickly4dF+4 was rolled to get 3 ([-1, 1, -1, 0] + 4) swung his left arm in the opposite direction to collide with the wind and cultists coming the other way. The stone piece crumbled quickly from the piercing air, by comparison, but he hadn't been relying on it. The nature of on-the-fly planning was that sometimes it didn't work out; make do with what your body and skills can do otherwise.

You are getting worn out. The constant battles, strain from worrying about your crew, and just physical exertion that you've had to put out just to get to the dock, is wearing you down fast. Your fist, now stone-less, finds nothing but harmless air as the cultists whip and wind their way around you.

Gellya subtly shifts her balance, putting a lot of her armor in the way of the attack, and letting most of the wind pass by her. Yet her eyes never stop moving, her brain obviously calculating every detail. She then suddenly rushes forward, her blade darting left and right4dF+2 was rolled to get 3 ([1, 1, -1, 0] + 2). The cultists spread out4dF+2 was rolled to get: 1 ([0, 1, -1, -1] + 2)

NOTE: Was Added/Modified From Editting! in response, seemingly more reactionary than planned.

Hisses of death cries reach your ears as some of the cultists fall to your crewmate's blade. However, you have your own fish to fry as the dome around you starts closing in slowly4dF+2 was rolled to get: 4 ([1, 0, 0, 1] + 2)

NOTE: Was Added/Modified From Editting!, as if trying to suffocate you where you stand.

Damn it, what was Drallic supposed to do? He hadn't thought of himself this worn out already. He had been fighting for... hours... in the middle of a siege... Perhaps, instead, he lost track of time and lost track of how long he's been fighting for. Hell, it was hard to perceive time and space outside of the closing dome of wind that he'd been trapped in.

And with the air beginning to sap out of his strong lungs, he needed an out, now.

Following his experience from long ago, the minotaur quickly held his breath to hold whatever remaining oxygen in him. His body kept moving, albeit with less-and-less space, in the circular direction of the cultists. A mixture of quick weaves and hoof-work keeps the worst of the winds ruffling around his fur instead of sinking right into his muscles. But he didn't have the time to keep dodging, and his weariness, in hindsight, caused him to act counter-intuitively. He suddenly turned his body around, charged forward and forcefully threw his strongest haymaker against the dome's wind, as if using his sheer strength to halt the dome's momentum, or at least break out of it and force the cultists to chase after him.

Your arm feels as if it is hitting nothing. Yet, the air around you screams out in agony as you thrust your arm forward, as if the force of your attack is disrupting the cultists at their core. With the blow, you throw cultists across the dock, allowing you a chance to leave the dome.

As you look out, you see Gellya holding her own4dF+4 was rolled to get 5 ([1, 0, 1, -1] + 4) against the blows4dF+2 was rolled to get 0 ([-1, -1, 1, -1] + 2) of the cultists. So much so that she has [i]Read the Cultist's Moves[/i]. She now knows how they act and how they move. She uses that advantage to riposte4dF+2 was rolled to get: 4 ([1, 0, 0, 1] + 2)

NOTE: Was Added/Modified From Editting!, thrusting through the cultists' defense4dF+2 was rolled to get: 2 ([1, -1, -1, 1] + 2)

NOTE: Was Added/Modified From Editting!.

After being dispersed from your awesome blow, the cultists fighting you fly away for a bit to regroup before floating in the air out of your reach, [i]Preparing to Charge[/i] at you.

Drallic kept his hooves down on the ground as he saw the cultists disperse before regrouping. His head and snout looked upward at the group while his large lungs got some much needed oxygen through his body. It was crucial to earn and keep any sort of space against air cultists, else they leave you without room to move and without anything to breathe in. And what he also learned is that they can't be given the time to act either; not easy when they're flying.

But a harrier always knows how to reach their target. And Drallic did have a way.

Close by to one of the castle walls, the minotaur quickly stomped his way over by a small rubble pile with a large, half-broken stone pillar right next to it. With ample agility for his size, he crushes his hooves atop the rubble pile and leaps up over on top of the pillar. With some additional height, now, Drallic used his mighty, furred legs to carefully4dF+3 was rolled to get 0 ([-1, 0, -1, -1] + 3) aim and leap off the pillar, diving forward in an assault4dF+2 was rolled to get 1 ([-1, 1, -1, 0] + 2) with his horns and his large arms to scatter the cultists from their position.

While your attack was impressive to look at, essentially a furred cannonball aimed right for the cultists, it was unsuccessful. The cultists grouped together, using their bodies to block your attack, and when your momentum finally dies down, they send you back to the ground forcefully.

As you tumble through the air, you watch Gellya take a couple of steps back, backpedalling4dF+4 was rolled to get 4 ([1, 1, -1, -1] + 4) from the culitst's quick response4dF+2 was rolled to get 1 ([-1, -1, 0, 1] + 2) of blade and bolt. Despite the odds against her, she seems calm, not much emotion showing on her calculating face. She is [i]Focused[/i] solely on her enemies, clearly knowing exactly how to move with and against them. Her next blade swings are accompanied by some rather insulting backhands and kicks4dF+2 was rolled to get: