Blacky and the intruder began exchanging blows with one another. Both of them landed a few blows, but the other man definitely seemed to be taking the worst of it. After a few more punches, he fell to the ground.
Echo darted after the half-elf and Lytern. Tauster continued cursing and threw a volley of magic missiles at the woman's retreating back. She screamed in pain as they struck, but did not stop running for the door. Echo followed them out, dagger in hand.
Kuiper finally came out of the confused state that he was in and looked around to find both Gala and Johnt unconscious. He growled in rage even as Tauster quickly assured him, "They'll be okay! Go get the wizard!" He had hardly pointed to the door she had gone out before Kuiper tore out of the room and onto the village streets.
The sounds of battle from the back of the house continued. Tauster headed in that direction.
At that point, Gala, Azrun, and Johnt came awake again.
"Try ta tie these 'uns up," Johnt told Azrun before he rushed out the front door, leaving Azrun with the four held and one knocked-out men in Tauster's living room.
Tauster, Blacky, and Gala arrived in time to see Jana cut down one of her two oppenents, a man wearing no armor. A second man, injured, still fought her. Jana was injured as well, blood covering most of her left side. Another intruder, this one burned, lay at her feet and by the back door, Aloysius lay in a burned and bleeding heap on the floor.
Tauster saw that between Gala, Blacky, and Jana, the situation at the back of the house was under control. He went back to the front and out the door.
Blacky succeeded in burying his axe in Jana's remaining oppenent, sending the already injured man sprawling to the floor in a gush of blood and gore.
"There, now we're even, two apiece. 'course I've got one up on you if we count the fight in the stables." Blacky said with grim humor after dispaching the last man.
Gala hurried to Aloysius' side and began praying over the fallen mage. His bleeding stopped and his breathing calmed as he lay on the floor.
From somewhere outside in the village, a woman screamed.
Echo, Kuiper, Johnt, Tauster, and a man carrying a smith's hammer came back into Tauster's house after a couple of minutes. Kuiper and Echo both looked very injured. Tauster looked very angry.
As soon as Aloysius was stabilized, Gala saw to Kuiper's, Echo's, Jana's, and whoever else was woundeds' wounds. It being too long after the battle to heal them, she could at least stop the bleeding and ensure that they would heal more rapidly with rest.
Jana came tearing around the corner, bloody sword in hand. She skidded to a halt, no targets in sight. Her left side was covered in blood from torso down. "Where's Lytern?"
"Is he going to be okay?" Echo asked about Aloysius. She fidgeted as Gala dressed her wounds. "I want to go get Lytern out of there. Who'll come with me?" she asked anxiously.
"I will," Jana said quickly. She took a moment to wipe her sword off with a semi-clean section of her already blood-soaked shirt and return it to its sheath. "Where is he? Let's go!" Jana shifted her weight from side to side impatiently.
Gala smiled fondly at the injured mage. "He'll be fine. I got here in time. I'd love to go with you, but I can't see leaving Aloysius alone here on the ground. Besides," she looked at her currently armorless self, "I'm not much good in a fight right now anyway. Not that I don't appreciate your loan, Jana."
Seeing Jana take off, Blacky spares a glance at Gala to make sure she has all well in hand, and follows after.
"Where is he and who screamed?" Blacky asked "And when can we get some answers from these men?"
"In one of the houses over there," Echo pointed to the east side of the village. "I guess it was one of the village women screaming. They killed two of the men when they tried to help us. And who are you?" she asked the man with the hammer who had followed them into Tauster's.
"Will," the man replied, gripping his hammer tightly. "I owe those men fer what they tried ta do ta my daughter last night, so if you don't mind, I'll come along too. I'm glad ta see someone not scared fight 'em"
"The priest that Gala told us about is in there, and the witch who took Lytern, and at least one guard. I'd guess more." She looked around at the held men in the room, "How long will that last?" she repeated Blacky's question to Tauster.
"Probably ten more minutes, give or take some," the old mage replied. "Who else is coming?" He walked toward the door and waited. Kuiper and Johnt also indicated that they were going.
Jana paced impatiently as she waited for the others to get moving, flexing her left leg to keep it from stiffening. "How'd they get Lytern?" Jana asked while she waited.
Azrun sat up off the floor. He looked around blinking his eyes hard in a daze. "Ummmm....hello?...I'm having a little trouble here focusing...all I'm seeing is colors.....damn witch...." He muttered for a few minutes as he tried to stand. He squinted for quite some time listening as he tried to make the world around him come into focus. "What kind of building do they have him in? Does nayone have a plan here?" He looked around still squinting a bit.
Echo gave Azrun a confused look and repeated, "He's in a house on the east side of the village." She turned to Jana and added, "Gala said the woman put a charm on him."
