-----Sol tries a spin, but again his sword slams into the barrier of the shield.
-----The hawk flaps above the fight between the orc, the Gorian and the Hunter. It dips down but can't find another opening as the orc now begins to try to back away up the stairs.
-----"FEAR THE RAGER!" Lovan yells, though now he holds his hammer differently as if merely taunting the enemy. "YOUR OWN HAVE EITHER ABANDONED YOU OR ARE DEAD!"
-----A host of nearly two score remains defiant on the floor of the stronghold in front of the storm priest. As the last of the fear affected humanoids dash from the main hall, they snarl at Lovan while some turn their attention to the stairs.
-----A competent foe, yet one who only defended. It mattered little to the broiling sea of Sol's current mental state, and he savagely hacked at his opponent's head and shoulders with a pair of overhead swings.
-----Atop the stairs, the hawk continues to flap above the orc's head and snatches once at the foe. It misses, but with its second claw it slashes across the orc's face nearly taking its remaining eye.
-----Raven leaps forward up a few steps attempting to flank the orc as it weakly bats at the hawk with one hand. His sword slashes in, but he misses the weakening enemy.
-----Angered, the Hunter gathers his strength and leaps into the orc, finding an opening past the shield. Both short swords sink in deeply into the orc's chest and the orc is killed before it falls back against the steps.
-----Sol spins to meet a dozen or so orcs that are swarming up the stairs behind him. With two swings of his sword, he sends two of the humanoids back crashing into those behind them. The assault momentarily delays them as more orcs try to get at Sol and Raven.
-----"Mistress!" Caranip cries as she watches two of the orcs attack Lovan. Both orcs miss as Lovan readies a return with his warhammer. The gnome looks helplessly about her as she tries to guard the prone Garrison. The woodsman weakly raises himself up into a sitting position, one hand on his axe.
-----Lovan swings his hammer, but it misses an orc's head by a foot or more. In a moment, the storm priest looks as if he will be outnumbered.
-----Meanwhile, the dark sphere that the unicorn disappeared into moves slightly in front of the stairs.
-----Raven looks down at the dead leader and spits at the orc, "Even your blood tastes foul." He swings his gaze to the orcs running up to them. Raven moves to stand by Sol to face the wave of orcs. Breathing hard, the fire in his eyes has not weakened at all. Raven yells at the orcs in their own language a challenge.
-----Sol's eyes flare as he looks around at the pandemonium of the battle, his teeth gritted a furious grimace. His hungry stare lingers on those attempting to scale the stairs before shifting to the larger battle below.
-----Just as Raven moves forward, Sol moves to his left skirting behind Raven. The young warrior then jumps over the railing of the stairs to the remaining mass of orcs below.
-----The Hunter immediately slices downward taking out the throat of an orc. Just a moment later, Sol lands on an orcish soldier, killing it on impact. A few surprised humanoids turn to face him.
-----In front of the stairs, the dark hemisphere suddenly vanishes leaving a very beautiful unicorn pausing momentarily to get her bearings. Seeing a small squad of orcs between Lovan and a newly arrived Sol, she charges. With the clap of golden hooves, a few orcs look to see her in time. They part their ranks just enough to avoid the unicorn's deadly charge. The unicorn rears up, but misses the snarling orcs with her hooves.
-----Back on the stairs, Raven swings his swords as if he were cleaving grain in a field. Two more orcs fall back, their dead carcasses slowing the orcs behind them.
-----With a loud smack, Lovan plants his warhammer into the face of a menacing orc. The impact almost drops the orc to its knees. "To me, all you ragers!" he oddly yells above the din of battle.
-----The hawk stays above the stairs with Raven. It dips down toward the orcs trying to assault the Hunter. It misses once, but then rakes the face of one orc.
-----The Lathanian blade rises once above the heads of the humanoids on the floor and slices through the air. The orcs jump back from the magnificent blade.
-----In the ensuing chaos, only one orc comes within striking distance of Raven. The orc raises its axe only to suddenly drop it. It then shies away from the Hunter, scrambling to recover its weapon.
-----On the floor, three humanoids try to square off against the Gorian. The orcs curse and snarl as Sol each time repels their stabs and slashes.
-----A few feet away, four orcs practically scurry over each other to attack the unicorn. Three of them miss, but a fourth delivers a small scratch to the unicorn's white hide.
-----Amid gasps from Caranip, Lovan fends off two orcs trying to take his head. "THE RAGER SHALL DESTROY YOU!" he yells into their faces.
-----Heeding the call, Sol plows straight into the orcs in between him and Lovan, aiming to fight by the priest's side.
-----Immediately Sol takes down two attackers, slicing an opening into the now surrounded troop of orcs. The unicorn lowers her head and butts her horn in, stabbing an orc who drops badly hurt. She rears again and flails out with a hoof. Even though she misses the foe around her, the move causes the humanoids to back away from her.
-----Up on the stairs, the hawk drips down and misses the face of another soldier. Just below the prey of bird, Raven stabs into the neck of a stair climbing orc and kills it. The Hunter then prepares himself to spring. Meanwhile the hawk misses with a searching talon, but it careens into an orcish face beak first. Square into the eye of the humanoid the beak goes and the orc screams as it falls to its knees in front of Raven; one of its eyes gone as the hawk releases it.
-----Sol slashes through another orc before it can raises its weapon against him and suddenly he is very close to the magnificent unicorn as she moves about.
-----Raven leaps over the orc with the missing eye and sails down into the remaining quintet of orcs on the stairs. His twin swords flash out to either side as he jumps poised for killing. He lands into two of the orcs, destroying them as his short swords find their black hearts. Their dead bodies fall back taking another attacker with them. Raven pulls up and finds his footing as he watches the tumbling mass of orcs roll down the steps. Two other orcs stand to either side. They look at the bloodied Hunter for a moment before running down the stairs in retreat.
-----Less than a dozen orcs are left between Sol, the unicorn and the storm priest. By now the floor and the stairs are littered by humanoid bodies. The orcs blink hesitantly about them. Suddenly, they scramble, running off to find the darker recesses of the stronghold. Most of them run into two darkened passages on the western side of the room below the stairs.