[ The chaigon's sudden change in trajectory and Ciri's precarious perch with her sword stuck in its armor make for a bad combination. It charges, and she nearly loses her balance, managing to yank her sword free and jump off before it can throw her completely, just as she's shouting for the newcomers to this chaotic scene to get out of here.
When she lands on the hard earth, rolling into a crouch, and looks back up to make sure--
What the fuck? This not at all what Ciri expected when she saw two men just ambling around in the desert. (This isn't even a main road on the way to the outpost. What the hell are they doing out here?) The glint of metal catches her eye, and she notices one of them is holding a sword -- but it's the other one who shoves him out of the way, sending the actually armed man careening away, with apparently very little idea of how to land gracefully with a weapon. They look like they're about to be people jam smeared across the dirt in about three seconds, honestly. ]
Get out of the fucking way!
[ The unarmed man ignores her. And then, he does the most unexpected thing. He stops the chaigon, grabbing it by the edge of its shell and forcing it to a standstill. And then he flips it. Like it weighs about as much as a heavy pot.
Okay. Point taken. At least one of these guys can take care of himself.
Satisfied she doesn't have to figure out very quickly how to take on two of these creatures at once and protect a couple of helpless bystanders, Ciri lets the exceptionally strong fellow do whatever he will with the other chaigon and turns her attention to the frenzied, bleeding one trying to lash her with its tail. The thing has curled into a spiked armor ball with a tail like a club and all other fleshy bits tucked under, but she's killed a few of these by now; she knows the tail is powerful and thickly scaled, but softer than the shell by necessity.
Ciri ducks under the lashing appendage, rolling and coming up on the other side to spin immediately back around, letting the momentum carry through her sword arm, around and back-- just as the chaigon swings toward her in response. It hits her sword in motion, and practically cuts its own tail off. ]
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When she lands on the hard earth, rolling into a crouch, and looks back up to make sure--
What the fuck? This not at all what Ciri expected when she saw two men just ambling around in the desert. (This isn't even a main road on the way to the outpost. What the hell are they doing out here?) The glint of metal catches her eye, and she notices one of them is holding a sword -- but it's the other one who shoves him out of the way, sending the actually armed man careening away, with apparently very little idea of how to land gracefully with a weapon. They look like they're about to be people jam smeared across the dirt in about three seconds, honestly. ]
Get out of the fucking way!
[ The unarmed man ignores her. And then, he does the most unexpected thing. He stops the chaigon, grabbing it by the edge of its shell and forcing it to a standstill. And then he flips it. Like it weighs about as much as a heavy pot.
Okay. Point taken. At least one of these guys can take care of himself.
Satisfied she doesn't have to figure out very quickly how to take on two of these creatures at once and protect a couple of helpless bystanders, Ciri lets the exceptionally strong fellow do whatever he will with the other chaigon and turns her attention to the frenzied, bleeding one trying to lash her with its tail. The thing has curled into a spiked armor ball with a tail like a club and all other fleshy bits tucked under, but she's killed a few of these by now; she knows the tail is powerful and thickly scaled, but softer than the shell by necessity.
Ciri ducks under the lashing appendage, rolling and coming up on the other side to spin immediately back around, letting the momentum carry through her sword arm, around and back-- just as the chaigon swings toward her in response. It hits her sword in motion, and practically cuts its own tail off. ]