Maesanai spied the beast's emerging forms, and with a quick dash of her fleet Eldar feet, she made to spread out from the other Eldar to force the creatures to split up if they were to attack her. She kept her spear ready in one hand, but reached down with her free hand to draw her shuriken pistol and fired a volley of crystals at one of the beasts, aiming for its center of mass and supposed brain. "Better beasts than servants of the enemy! Now, let us make short work of them!" she said, holstering her shuriken and brandishing her spear threateningly in the face of the advance.
As soon as Onvar registered the approaching lifeforms as threats, his warmask snapped onto his psyche, filling his veins with cold hatred. It was time to display his art. In a split-second he analysed the situation and acted accordingly. In a cold voice he spoke into his helmet-vox. "Disperse in groups, preferrably with at least one member skilled in close combat. We have the advantage in numbers, and we'll have to use it." Meanwhile, he himself had followed Maesanai Skyblood, taking cover next to her. "If you don't mind" He fired one volley from his Shuriken Catapult, meanwhile continuing to speak into his vox. "Prepare to retreat deeper into the ruins. The beasts should be disadvantaged if they don't have enough space to move freely."
"No, to higher ground." Talis said, glancing up at the Saurid and taking Avrielle by the hand. "We'll be too pressed in as well inside there!" Talis said, though not having as much tactical training, with the amount of guns and swords they had it made more sense to be able to use them all. Going inside would be disadvantageous to both groups. With that in mind he went to the wall and looked to Avrielle and the Saurid. Taking the animal he placed it on Avrielle's shoulder and smiled at her. "I'll be right here." he promised, drawing his sword and turning to defend her, while helping her climb if she needed. He wouldn't start climbing until he was sure she was safe.
"Youngling Talis, take the Radiotech with you upstairs and seek out a stairway or something else of equal use. Report back immediatly once you find it." While the Youngling did have a point, Onvar himself had of course already considered that option, and seen the flaw, that being the impossibility of their group being able to get to higher ground fast enough, since only the Exodite was experienced in climbing. For now, retreating into the ruins was the one option appliable to everyone, it might hinder both parties, but the enemy would be far more restricted. At this point the beasts had already arrived, so all he could do is pray that his companions made the right choices.
As the creatures came into range, Vella willed it and clamps dropped from her leg armor, fixing her in place. Having the needed stability, she prepared her launcher as the advanced helmet's optics scanned the alien mass for weaknesses. Pressing the mental trigger, mini-rockets left Dark Reaper's weapon and sallied towards the monsters, ready to bring death to these things that wanted to prevent them reaching their prize.
Getting over the initial surprise of facing such a beast, Alo darted for higher ground. Troubles of his mind were numb again when adrenaline was about to start pumping, combat was inevitable. Bringing up his shuriken rifle to shoulder, Winterheart aimed for the easiest shot he could take, hopefully slowing its advance.
"Oh, I don't mind at all!" Maesanai replied to Onvar, flashing the young Dire Avenger a wide grin, before she braced herself for impact with the aliens. She readied her crackling power spear, clutching it in both hands and holding the blade aloft. "We will attempt to purchase time for our friends to enter the ruins, then retreat, yes?"
Suprised, Onvar looked at the Corsair next to him. "Something like that, yes." His voice had lost much of his coldness, just as Onvar felt something weird in the back of his mind. EYES ON THE ENEMY!, he could almost hear his warmask scream. Okay, okay... He would ponder about this later, at the moment only his warrior self was needed.
The little saurid was surprised enough to miss dodging Talis' hand as he picked it up and put it on Avrielle's shoulder. For now, it was content to be on even higher ground, though it clung fearfully with all four paws to her shoulder. Avrielle for her part was nervously scanning the sand and holding her las-pistol ready. beside her, Iktomi struck a dramatic pose. "Fear not, kinsman! We will prevail." Underneath the fancy words the Corsair was sighting up with admirable economy of movement and precision as he loosed a shot at the smallest sand-star below. A spray of sand kicked up, along with droplets of some kind of greenish-yellow fluid. Avrielle's less confident shot struck beside the beast, causing it to lash two of its grasping arms back. Talis himself made sure that the little radiotech was safely on the higher ground before climbing up himself. He perched steadily on the ruins, scanning the sand below and looking out for any others, acting as an impromptu spotter for the group. He pointed out another opening for the last incoming sand-star, and Iktomi took another snap shot at it. Ichor sprayed widely but the sand-star kept coming. He grabbed the outstretched hand of Firnweth as she hitched up her wide robe and vaulted up to the wall beside him, steadying her as the merchant's wife found her footing. Fanekon sighted up and took a careful shot, aiming for the centre mass of the nearest disturbance. He shot a clean kill, the sand-star throwing its arms up in a sudden spasm before convulsing, showering sand and ichor as it died. The Ranger aimed a second shot into it to make sure, and with a last tremor it lay still. Unfortunately, under cover of the disturbance, a second sand-star snaked close enough to coil a tentacle-arm around his high boot. Faenkon swiped at it with his rifle-butt. The grip slacked, but it was clinging on, pulling him towards it centre and a wide mouth yawning underneath. Onvar and Maesanai each had combat training though their styles (and temperaments) were worlds apart. They agreed on one thing: concentration and focus would be the downfall of the enemy. After taking a shot with her shuriken pistol, the Wild Rider was rewarded with a spray of ichor and a thrashing arm falling limp as she struck near the heart of a sand-star. Maesani twirled her spear, not fancy handwork this but warming up for a killing shot. Onvar sighted up with his shuriken catapult, a rain of silver stars peppering the sand-star trying to outflank the group that Iktomi had wounded. It slowed, but was still moving to the attack. The Eldar moved into the shelter of the ruins, many seeking high ground. If the sand-stars followed, perhaps the buried foundations would hinder them? Lysandriax sprinted across a low wall and nimbly swung herself up onto the remains of a partially collapsed arch, turning to take aim at the sand-star that followed her. It reared up, lashing at the base of the arch, but the old stone held. She aimed a shot down at it, but only succeeded in wounding one of its arms. Alo followed suit, his shuriken catapult severing another arm from the wounded beast with its rain of deadly discs. He found a perch on higher ground and sighted up carefully on his next target. A voice in the back of his mind - was it a memory? was it from a dream? - whispered, in words he could not quite catch. Speaking of he peace of all decisions being simply handed over to instinct. To a wilder, inner, ungoverned self. Surely it was time for the true freedom of the pathless wilderness to have its day? Perhaps he could access depths within himself that - allowed him to let go? Vella anchored her feet. She took stock of the situation in a split second, her Reaper's senses seeking the target, her helmet vanes sending readouts to the display before her eyes. She breathed, her heartbeat slowing to the rhythm of Khaine's war-drum. And then she fired. The rocket streaked from the launcher with a crack of displaced air. Sand sprayed wide, and the convulsing arms of the sand-star stiffened and fell limp in an instant as its centre was obliterated. The shock of the impact left a crater edged with flesh and gore. Onvar and Maesanai formed a rearguard with the stalwart Reaper and prepared to face the incoming enemy. Two larger sand-stars remained, both wounded, and the smaller one with a slowed and limping attack. The other two lay dead, seeping ichor into the sand. The adrenaline of combat found its own outlets, sometimes shading into the pulsing drives of life. Or so one might think, observing the bright soul of the Saim-hann girl. Perhaps she was more akin to Kurnous than Khaine?
