The Bravos are overwhelmed by the relentless attack

Within an instant, the creatures were bearing down on them, shields raised in front of them and the barbed points of their long spears poised to strike. With quick, athletic strides, the lizardfolk closed the gap with their foes, hacking and stabbing at anything that happened to be in their way.

Fuu held firm, dispatching a pair of them the instant they got close-- their spears might have matched her reach, but it was clear in an instant she had been far better trained. Still, slaying two of the creatures was nowhere near enough to swing the tide of battle in their favor, and Fuu found herself faced with even more of the monstrous men charging toward her. Her greatest strength was her nimble footwork, but as Fuu started to dance out of the way, she recalled the woman she had stepped in front of, still weeping on the ground in a panic.

The sudden dilemma caught her off guard, and in the instant it took Fuu to decide to stand her ground, one of the wickedly tipped spears cut across her shoulder, sending shocks of pain shooting down her limb. Her grip felt weakened, but she just grit her teeth, only showing the twinge of pain on her face more a moment. Her resolve was little comfort, however, when the blunt end of a spear came swinging toward her head. Her arm just couldn't seem to move quickly enough to block the attack and moments later, Fuu felt herself slamming into the ground.

Nearby, Emmaline unleashed her ball of flames from behind the safety of three armored guardsmen. It flew out like a compact ball, growing larger and larger with every second until it blasted into the sand beneath the feat of several charging warriors, sending dirt soaring through the air and throwing them back in an explosion of fire. The men in front of her gave a cheer, and Emmaline let out a sigh of relief as she breathed more flame into her hands.

The victory was short lived, however, as the chorus of victorious cries suddenly gave way to a clang, then a sickening crunch. The Lizardfolk champion himself had come hurtling forward, bolting through the cloud of smoke and dust kicked up by Emmaline's spell to close ranks with her protectors, catching the group of them unaware. His axe swung in wide, powerful strikes, tossing two of them aside like dolls before slamming into the chest of the third, dropping him where he stood.

Emmaline threw her hands out, the flame extending into long whips as she twirled forward. The fire licked up a the champion's armor, singing it and causing him to bare his teeth wicked-looking teeth in pain. With one rope of flame wrapped around each of his shoulders, Emmaline began to tighten them, drawing the fire tighter and hotter until the metal began to glow red, then white.

The champion gave out a howl of pain, and when he charged forward, Emmaline was ready, but not ready enough. He moved with lightning speed, and before Emmaline could put more than a step between them, his hand closed around her throat. The fire of her whips faded as he shoved her backward, pinning her to the ground and cutting off her oxygen supply with a single hand.

"Everyone stop! Please!" through the chaos of the battle, Robin's voice rang out clear as the dawn. Several lizardfolk lay dead around her, but with nearly a dozen watching her wearily and none of the guards left standing, it seemed unlikely she would be able to somehow turn things back in their favor. "I... we surrender." Robin swallowed hard, bending down and placing her rapier on the ground in front of her. Several lizardfolk immediately rushed in to seize her arms.

Robin kept her eyes on the champion, who met her gaze curiously, though it was impossible to say if he could even understand a word she was saying. "Please, take mercy on us, we were only trying to do what was right and meant you no direct harm! If you have any empathy at all, please just let us go and we will never bother you again!"