"Tsuter kov," spat Bronsom.

The burly Red Crow circled his enemy, a lanky Yellow Eye, with murder in his eyes. It was market day, and Kingsway Market was bustling with activity, as most factory workers and galdori had the day off. But Bronsom didn't care; he was apoplectic with rage, barely pushing out coherent thoughts, let alone worrying about the consequences of his actions.

"Wanna die, mungo? Wanna riff to the 'eart?"

"Your daoa was a tumble!"

"YAAAH!"

With bloodcurcling yells, the two men lunged at each other. Hacking and slashing, all pretense forgotten, it was not long until the Yellow Eye was bleeding on the ground. As the light faded from his eyes, the Red Crow, Bronsom, collapsed, bleeding in seven different places.

In an instant, the market place was filled with yells and screams as Red Crows and Yellow Eyes came out from their stalls and attacked one another. Some humans were unfortunately caught up in the brawl as well, some defending their stalls, others merely for the pleasure of the fight.

The galdori in the marketplace began to panic, and rushed en masse away from the scene of devastation. Some stayed to fruitlessly cast into the crowd; several humans were hurt by their offensive spells, and the crowd began to turn its vengeance on the galdori, tearing their clothes and punching wildly. The din was unimaginable.

Fion had been idling through the markets, picking up cheap and interesting cloth, when the fight hit. It was as though someone had flicked a match against a piece of flint, transforming what was once quiet and serene into a burning flame.

A man was stabbed in the thigh right in front of her. Blood welled and flowed down his leg. He went down like a tonne of bricks, his attacker right behind him, clutching at his throat. Fion let loose a startled half-scream.

"Stop it!" She shouted, flight or fight response triggered by the horrible noise and the coppery scent of blood in the air. "For the God's sakes stop!"

She grabbed the nearest solid object, a cheap and flimsy pot, and slammed it down on the stabber's head.

Bear entered the markets with a fresh supply of deer and badger skins, on his journey back from Dorhaven he'd sure to visit his favorite hunting grounds. The money from the skins and antlers would ensure a good time in his favorite city of Vienda.

He spotted a good spot to set up shop when carnage descended on the market. A brawl turned into a full melee with galdori spells hitting innocents and people being stabbed in full day light.

"Quinn, stay out of this, last thing we need is you getting into trouble. Stay with the goods, I'll try to make heads and tails of..." Bear was shocked into silence. His little friend Fion had just hit an attacker with a pot.

Bear's cheery countenance vanished, he dropped his cloak and jacket next to Quinn and quickly removed his good shirt. Fion was handling herself for the moment and his nice clothes were his livelyhood in the big cities. Bear's bare chest was criss-crossed with scars showcasing his hard life in the wilds. His massive fists clenched and he charged into the fray. It'd been a good long while since he'd hit someone in anger. "Abby" stayed sheathed at his leg, she didn't come out to play until she was needed.

His huge shadow fell over the crowd, his huge arms pistoning punches at would be attackers. He roared a powerful battle cry as he fought his way to his friend. This crowd of rioters would feel the wrath of the formally gentle Bear.

Khymarah had been shopping. Nothing to extraviagant, just food stuffs and some new brushes for her paintbox. She had come out of the shop just as the two fighters had stopped. Gasping, and automatically beginning to come to the injured men's aid, she was forced to stop as the brawling broke out all around her. Turning, she tried to make her way out, thats when some of the idiot galdori in the crowd started casting. Trying to get away from the fools, she was suddenly being shoved quite roughly.

"No, please! I'm not part of this!" She said as she tried to get away from the fighting bodies. Arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind. A man had appeared in front of her, and without warning he backhanded her across the face. Crying out in pain, she dropped her shopping and struggled against the captor. The hitting man in front of her grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head to face him gruffly.

"Your all part of this, you clocking golly!" He spat at her, raising his fist for the next blow. Helpless to cast, frightened for her life, the ruby haired galdor did what any woman would do. She screamed.

(( Why does the bar brawl in Tortuga from PotC 2 come to mind??? ))

"Lalala~ Dum dee dee~" Tito walked casually through the field of fists and feet, easily sidestepping any blows that came his way inadvertently. Even once ducking under a thrown man and snatching his coin-purse as he flew by.

With his large guitar-case held on his shoulder, the thief simply went from table to table snatching trinkets while the owners of the stands were too distracted. He paused at one momentarily, a mask stand, and selected a good looking one before moving on. What? He's a discerning thief.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed someone vaguely familiar get backhanded. Oh, what's that golly's name? Kitara, no? Kimmari, no? Chimera--oh dash it all! All the while as he struggled with her name, he moved closer. Just as the man pulled back his fist, Tito swung his steel-lined guitar case for the back of his head. Oh yea, that's right. "Khymarah!"

Bear reached Fion finally after a few minutes and more than a few busted heads. He stood before her making sure no one approached her. "You alright, love?" He bellowed over the noise. "Don't worry lass, ol Bear is here to help ye!"

Tito's guitar case came in full contact with Khymarah's assaulter, and the man crumpled to the ground, dazed but not dead. There were a few screams from nearby galdori women, and one of them tried to whack Tito with her purse, but it missed; in the confusion, they were swept away, only to be replaced by a very angry-looking Yellow Eye.

"You Crow," he spat, glaring at Tito and raising a blunt mace. "Protectin' a golly, eh? Figures." He prepared to bring the mace down on Tito's head, his face livid and his eyes bloodshot with anger and hatred.

---

A spell grazed Bear's ear as he approached Fion. It was some sort of electric charge, and it would have stunned him if not for his impressive fortitude. It sped past Khymarah and hit a passing Red Crow in the back, causing him to cry out and fall over.

Fion was pushed forward into Bear by the surging crowd, which pressed in all around her and made it nearly impossible to move.

Tito's eyes flashed dangerously as his next adversary approached. Spinning aside to try and get out of the path of the falling mace, the wick let the momentum give force to his swing as he brought his guitar-case in line with this one's head as well. "Bloody bugger, I'm no Crow! My Hands are Black! I just dislike seeing a lady get hit on by a bloke not as good looking as me!"

The spell had shaken him up, fists and steel he had an answer for, magic scared him. Bear wrapped a meaty arm around Fion and braced her with his hand. "I think the time for fighting is over Miss Fion, time to make our exit." Bear yelled over the din.

Bear did his best to fight the surge of the crowd around them and protect his friend, and himself, from being trampled.

The galdor shrieked slightly as the punching man fell in a heap under the powerful guitarcase hit. She looked up to see who it was.

"Tito!" She cried, thankfully. The man behind her still held her fast, and she struggled in vain, physical fighting was just not in her, and she needed her hands to cast.

"Let go of me, you stop-clocker! Help! Help me!" She yelled, desperatly yanking herself in the mans arms, hoping to break free. Her face throbbed painfully.



Looking up at the man, she screamed again.

"Look out!"



Watching the wick move like he did, Khymarah wished she could do the same. Why wouldn't he let her go?

Scuro was doing her rounds when she heard a ruckus down the street. She kicked her chrove into a trot. Her eyes widened at the riot in the streets. She watched as wick spells went flying, along with fists, feet, and other objects- was that a guitar case?!

In all honesty she would have loved to sit and watch the blighters tear themselves apart. She nearly did, until she felt a stronger field in the mass of writhing bodies. Her eyes darted over the crowd until she saw a ruby-haired woman held, obviously against her will, by some stop-clocker.

Her wrath bubbled up, and she kicked the chrove into an instant gallop, charging at the mass, reciting the monite for magma, planning to scatter the shot over the crowd, but avoiding the galdor among them.

Having spent the previous day at Dem's shop garnering the prettiest silks she could Alia was spending this morning buying various accessories before approaching the seamstress Demkaih had told her about. Walking through Kingsway Market she suddenly heard a woman's scream and dropped everything, she stowed her basket full of silks behind a merchants stall, and took off in the direction of the scream.

She could hear moans of people hurt and when she arrived at the scene she saw one man was already dead. A galdori woman was being held by a large man and could not get away. She reached the nearest person and began a triage on him, not caring what race he was. After using her spells to fix his minor scrapes and bruises she moved quickly on to the next, near oblivious to the things happening around her, her only thought was to help those that had been caught in the crossfire. At one point she looked up from a little boy with a broken leg that had been trampled beneath the riot of people to a man standing over her.

"You healin' a crow?" He raised his hand to back hand her. She simply looked up and smiled.

"He a tekaa ent' he? Last I aheard we take care of our own. I warn you now strike me and you will find yourself with a new eyehole in yer forehead come a tommarow, laoso." Her accent was thick while using tek, and anger was evident.

Blatantly she turned from him and continued to administer to the boch. Using levitate she lifted the boch off the ground to straighten his leg.

Fion coughed as the air was momentarily forced from her lungs, colliding with Bear was somewhat like hitting a brick wall.

"Wait!" Fion shouted over the din, "I need to get to Khy!"

She could see Khy still struggling against the man that been attacking her. Fion was closer to her than before, thanks to Bear, and she struggled against the crowd to get within striking distance.

"Are you ok?" She said, reaching out to touch Khymarah's face in a motherly fashion. "I'm sorry about this."

Fion pulled her knife and cut off the section of hair that was within the now unconscious man's grasp. She pulled Khymarah up with her, knife still in hand. She saw the man with the mace right next to her and winced as the guitar case collided with his head.

"Hi Tito." She switched the blade into her hand so that the flat was against her wrist. She ducked down and nicked a screaming wick's Achille's tendon as he ran frothing at the fighting singer.

((Man I am SO tempted to thow Ilyia out there right now... Gr. I might in a bit.))

Khymarah could feel Scuro's field like a hot blaze, and tasted the widespread spray of Magma. It showered down on the crowd, both wick and galdor. She tried to avoid the spray, pushing against her captor. One piece landed on her shoulder and she shrieked at the painful burn.



Khymarah looked at her, stunned for a moment, watching her pull out a blade to cut her hair free of the fallen mans grip. She didn't know what to say, but she did feel the fellow holding her from behind loosen his grip. Then he was gone. Desperatly, she reached to her shoulder and brushed away the hardening Magma, slightly burning her hand as well. Looking up, she saw the possible reason for her release.

"Clocking hell!" She exlaimed looking up, up and up at Bear. Turning her gaze to Fion, she burst into tears. Face swollen and red on one side, shoulder and hand hurting, she shook her head.

"Thank you! No, I don't think I am really. They are trying to kill the galdor, and each other." She sobbed. This was a mess. Cowering closer to Fion and Bear, she sniffed.

"I need to get out of this, I can't cast in here. I...I need to get to Doctor Mottoni." Her voice was feeble, head jumbled from the blow. She looked over at Tito, feeling guilty that she was useless to help her friends. What a stupid girl she was. How could the resistance rely on her? Her tears came a little harder out of shame.

Fion wrapped her arms around Khy, keeping her eyes open for more people that were looking for a fight and avoiding Khy's burn.

"Shh, it'll be ok, doll." Fion looked up at Bear, "Can you help me get her out of here?"

She gave Bear a look of quiet determination. She could probably sneak out herself but if she wanted to get Khymarah away she was going to need his help.

"Tito!" She called out, "You coming with?"

Swinging his case at another wick that had gotten too friendly, Tito nearly growled his reply, "Aye, this is getting a little too hot for my taste, and I never did enjoy large brawls."

Backing away and becoming more defensive than offensive, the wick turned to the large man Fion had brought. "Think you can clear us a path? I'll protect these two from any backstabbers."

Alstair surveyed the scene with disgust. He knew the wick tribes that had started this were nothing more than a simple echo of the riot Dom had started a few days back.
With a sigh he strode forward and drew his longsword.

"It seems I must clean up after myself. I really had expected Dom to be more subtle." He growled as he strode into the foray. His mind already going into combat stance. He was ready for a fight anyway. To much stress from treason he guessed.

Mue was not happy.

She had been enjoying a nice quiet stroll through Vienda in the pleasant company of Tonan, and had absolutely nothing planned for the day, apart from spending the evening in an inn somewhere with the boy and talking over drinks and food.

And then they heard it.
A blood-thirsty scream pierced the relative silence, followed by the sounds of metal clashing, stalls being knocked over, an out-of-place sounding pot being smashed, a metalic case of something-or-other connecting with some unfortunate souls head, and other such oddities.

Tonan had set off running, but was stopped extremely quickly by Mue latching onto his arm and digging her heels in the ground. When she realized he wasn't going to give in, she had quickly come up with a new plan; the rooftops.

Tonan, being slower and less skilled than Mue on the roofs, had slowed her down whilst traversing, but regardless, the distance was short so they arrived within minutes. Just in time to see a flaming chunk of magma go hurtling over the edge of the roof, causing Mue to stagger back in surprise.

Upon peering over the edge, Mue and Tonan beheld a terrible scene.
Wicks, galdor, humans, strange-guy-with-guitar-case, Khymarah, huge-guy-resembling-a-bear..
What a weird bunch. She thought.
Hey wait. Khymarah?! Her heart skipped a beat as the galdor was being dragged away by 2 others with a terrified look on her face, one of which was the huge-guy-resembling-a-bear.
The strange-man-with-guitar-case was following close behind.
Were they friend or foe to Khymarah?
Regardless, they look like they could do with the extra help.. But there are casters down there, I don't feel like getting hit by a fireball or being struck by lighting thank you very much.

"Don't get any funny ideas, if a caster see's you, they will try to knock us off this roof. Just stay and watch for now.." Mue hissed into Tonan's ear as he was reaching for his bow.
Mue herself readied two throwing knives, just incase they were spotted, but for now she watched the scene unfold.

The whole place was an absolute mess. Scuro fought to stay mounted as she cast spells left and right. Soon she had drawn a sword (as messy and out of control as it made her appear) which she wielded left-handed, using her other hand for spells. Suddenly she saw the panicked galdor being abducted by a massive human and a small, feminine one. She couldn't stand for that- it was outrageous!

She put all her mind and effort in expanding the effect and range of her next two spells: stillness and calm. If she could just get these clocking, bloody luggers to be still...

Glaring at the chaos Alstair tried to restrain the urge to attack. He didn't need to start a massacre. He held his longsword in his right hand. The sensation was odd it felt wrong but, it would catch people off guard should they try to attack him.

"Dammit. If only I knew a way besides war..." he muttered as he pressed deeper into the fray, trying to avoid getting caught up in the fray.

Advancing along the rooftops, Tonan watched with bewilderment the brawl below. He watched the wick with the guitar case whack a few people around the head with the case. "Hah, see that?" he snickered to himself. He saw Bear running away from the scene with another Human and a galdor.

Tonan kept pinned to the roof. Holding his bow, is was tempting to cover Bear's back. The short meeting between back on the 8-I them had give Tonan a good impression. The galdor he was escorting out with another human must be a 'good' galdor. Mue had a point, though. If they were seen by a golly, they were as good as a hingle amongst a starving crowd of Bander Wolves. Especially if that crazy one on the Chrove saw them.

He saw another wick approaching from the roofs opposite.

Khymarah accepted Fion's protection with incredible gratitude, dizzy from the blow to the head and the searing pain in her shoulder. She heard Tito taking up the rear, and promised herself she would thank him profusely later. Allowing herself to be led, she tried to gather her field, but she couldn't concentrate enough. Her cheek and eye were already bruised and beginning to swell. Then something came to her, a powerful galdor was gathering their field for something strong and widespread. She lifted her head and steeled herself, concentrating on her field and nothing else. She had to protect them from the spell, but what to cast?

"Fion, wait." She said hesistantly, and put out a hand in the direction the field was coming from. She started to speak, intoning the monite for wall, asking the monite to protect them from the spells rather than a physical attack. Her head felt like it was going to shatter, and she couldn't keep it up. Putting a hand to her head, she leant heavily on Fion.

"Run! Run!" She said urgently in a pained voice. She was feeling lightheaded and wanted to get to Ivan before she passed out.

Kynth clambered quickly over the roof, he'd heard the noise from the other side of the city and saw the rush of a few seventen troops.

Getting there, he saw the two humans on the other side of the chasm, one weilding a bow. The other hissing into his ear. They quickly ducked and lay low.

Looking around the market place, he saw people hitting each other with guitar cases, pots and knives.
"Looks fun!"
Looking around below him, he saw a small cluster of people. Further on down the market, he could see Scuro casting spells and waggling her sharp steel sword. He had an idea.

He hung off the roof, and dropped, aiming to land on one of the crowd member's shoulders in a sitting postion, probably scaring the victim to hell and back.