The operation had gone completely not to plan, things were going wrong left, right and centre, and yet the dark skinned man still forced the small team onwards. Robert knew he should have stepped up and said something, but he didn't know exactly what this man was capable of. He didn't want to wake a sleeping dragon and get the whole team killed, they had already lost one man and Robert didn't want to become the second, especially not at the hands of the man, whom they all only new as Lycas.
Robert new nothing of the man, only what Kristof had told him, and you could probably write all of that on the back of your hand. He looked towards the burly man to his right, they were crouched trying to remain hidden but he was sure that their targets knew perfectly well that they were there. He nodded to the man, the signal that would be passed along the line, letting the rest of them know that they would be moving any minute now.
Robert glanced over his shoulder and into the black eyes of the man that was responsible for all of this, Robert knew that this was their last attempt and if they were not successful then Lycas would not be happy and there would be trouble. Trouble, that Robert was sure would not end pleasantly. The man nodded his head and Robert was the first to move quickly followed by the other few men.
The attack was quick, spells were shot with precision, but seemed to cause no damaged to their targets. The beasts raised their heads and roared, rounding on the small group of men. Jaws snapped and snarls echoed from their chests while they tried to get between the men, single them out, bring them down separately. Suddenly one of the viscous creatures raised onto it's hind legs and bellowed out a roar, it shook the trees and earth around them.
This part of the Scandinavian mountainside was known to have magical blind spots, where no apparition was possible, it was why it had taken the team so long to track down the creatures that now surrounded them, they had been tracking old trails in the simple hope of finding just one. But when they discovered what they had tonight, they would never have believed that it was possible to find so many in one place.
"LYCAS!" Robert growled at the hooded figure. They were surrounded without anywhere to go, their continual sea of spells did nothing but keep the beasts back, they were hopeless, and yet Lycas remained out of the fray, he stood motionless watching. With a small mutter the man raised his hand and reached inside his robes and in a split second he was gone. "NO! A PORTKEY! YOU - "
Roberts words were lost as one of them men let out a scream, as he was grabbed and launched at a tree, slumping to the ground. Soon enough more of the creatures began to emerge from the trees; Robert could see the fear flash through the eyes of the team. They needed to get out of there now, and they needed to get out alive. Screw Lycas and his plans for them, he had abandoned them to fend for themselves and there was not a lot that they could do.
Another man made a run for cover in the trees, this drew several of the creatures away from the other group of men, giving Robert enough time to give them all a look that said 'good luck' and a quick nod. The screams of men, as they were torn from the group, rung through Robert’s ears as he led the group through the trees. They just needed to be faster, just for a short while. They had their own portkey waiting for them, well Lycas had claimed it was a portkey, Robert just hoped that it wasn't a fake; otherwise he may as well lay down now and die.
Robert leapt over tree debris and rocks as they raced through the shadowed trees, sending random curses over his shoulder. There was another yell of fear and pain and glancing behind him he saw another man get dragged away. There were just three of them left now. Not facing the right way, Robert lost his balance and fell banging his head hard against a rock, he tried scrambling to his feet with the aid of Kristof's hand beneath his arm, but he shrugged it off.
"Leave me be!" he growled, he wasn't going to allow anyone to help him, no one helped anyone any more they were all out for themselves. But Kristof ignored him and grabbed the stubborn man's arm again, dragging him to his feet and towards the opening, which had the broken bottle. The broken bottle that would take them somewhere safe or at least a lot safer than it was now.
The scratching and scrabbling of the beasts behind them only grew louder, and the pounding in Roberts head and the blood that run down his face, only made it that much more difficult not to just give up lay down and die. But these two other men seemed to be relying on him in some way, he didn't like it. Robert was not a reliable person, he was a cheat, hell they were all cheats for even being here. He didn't like the responsibility that had been put on him during this operation but he had taken it not wanting to show any sign of discontent or weakness.
As the entered the clearing they were met by one of the waiting predators, it snarled and snapped it's jaws. It was all that was left between them and safety, with the other creatures close behind Robert knew that they needed to act fast. He took a step forward and unleashed a series of curses, calling on even the dark magic that he knew. The beast took several steps backwards but reared up onto it's back legs, Robert continued his onslaught, the other two men following his lead, surrounding the beast and giving it all that they had. The smell of burnt skin filled the air as Kristof sent a mean Fiendfyre, setting the beast alight, but it didn't seem to stop it. There was soon enough space for the three to hope for the best and make a run for it, but hope for the best was all they could do. As Robert made one final charge at the creature, he sent a blaze of curses, but the beast leapt forward knocking him to the ground, Robert scrambled away as best he could but it was hopeless. The teeth were like hot knives in his leg, he let out a final growl sending a strong curse and felt his body collapse on the ground.
He could see nothing, only the flashing of red, of the pain, that seared at the back of his eyelids. He could hear nothing as if his senses had been cut off. When he thought that he was gone, he felt a hand on each of his arms that lifted and dragged him. He had no idea where they were dragging him all he cared was that he could at least feel something. Those two hands on his arms were what kept him conscious, but soon the pain was too much and blackness enshrouded him.
