Rowan didn't mind being the new target.

In fact, he loved it.

The child was being rescued, and Rowan himself could take more of a beating than this old fuck was likely prepared for.

As the blade came in toward him, Rowan's body would harden, quite literally. The man could see Rowan's skin take on a bit of a stone-like texture as he turned and the sword pierced his shoulder, and he fell upon it willingly. Using the man's own attack to put them in a closer situation, he would seek to lock one arm around the man's own and use his other hand to grab the man by the collar.

Additionally, Rowan would kick out at the side of the knee opposite of the one Runa threw the shield at.

With Rowan's own hardened skin and the support he could feel from the woman he'd never met, Rowan knew he could buy enough time.

"You sick fuck," Rowan growled as he did his best to hold the man in place.

STR|DEX|CON
10|15|33[35]
WIS|INT|CHA
10|07|07
ABILITY: 14

CON = 55 (Staunch Defender used 1/2)
CHA = 17 (The Voice from Eslia)

Anora had managed to get the injured man onto a makeshift operating table assembled by pushing two outdoor tables together. He was bleeding from in his chest– a wide gash that fortunately missed any vital organs, with no notable punctures. Despite that… he was losing a significant amount of blood. She wasn’t skilled enough in necromancy to bring him back if he passed, but she had little experience treating live patients… but if there wasn’t a proper healer in the vicinity, then she’d just have to do what she could.

She would begin treating the wound– cleaning it with water, absorbing some of the blood and applying gentle pressure to stem the flow, preparing to suture the wound the best she could. She was completely in the zone, oblivious to the goings-on right down the street as her attention was fixed solely on stitching this man up. She was in her element. “You’re going to be okay,” she told him, as if suddenly remembering that bedside manner was a practice. “I’ve sewn wings back onto undead butterflies. Now that’s difficult– they’re so fragile that the slightest pressure can damage the wing's membrane permanently, and they never grow it back– doubly so if they're undead. And try telling a morpho to stay still– they’re so temperamental…” She would go on and on, her talk of critter corpses probably doing little to assuage the man's present stresses and anxieties, but working wonderfully at assuaging her own. She would attempt to suture the wound to the best of her ability.

Potage would be able to charge their ability without any interruption, though they were not heard by anybody due to the commotion going on down below. They would have a clear view of everything going on at the street level.

Shouichi would be able to get the child out, and Tom would make it to Shouichi without any issues. They are currently safely away from the conflict, and it is up to Shouichi to decide what to do about the kid and if they trust the funky ghost man.

Yeva would find a relative treasure trove of goodies in her search. A few hundred Ducats (in-character only, to pocket for flavor reasons), a nice length of rope, and a very fine knife. (For this thread only: Yeva gains +10 STR when attacking with the knife.) Holding the knife, however, was a strange little creature ( sneeze ), who seemed to be scouring the trash of the dead for some reason.

The combined assault of Eslia, Rowan, and Runa would prove fruitful. Eslia's ability proved to be a great distraction as she helped overwhelm the assailant, combined with his surprise at Rowan not reacting to the stab, and Runa's shield toss in tandem with Rowan's own sweep would succeed in destroying the man's balance. He would be slammed onto the ground on his back, the fire in his eyes lighting up as he realized these "children" might be a challenge after all.

"The tenacity of youth... It seems I shall eat well this night!"

In an effort to break free and regain the advantage, the man's mouth would open wide as a great set of sharp teeth were visible, revealing himself as a Ghoul! He would attempt to lash at Rowan's shoulder, trying to chomp down on it and sink his teeth in.

Anora's rambling did not seem to have the intended effect, as her patient started freaking out amidst their blood loss, convulsing on the table before her and making treatment nearly impossible.

"I hope you enjoy your meal with one friggin' eye!"

Rowan's skin would harden once again as the man leaned up to bite him. It might still break skin, but Rowan could power through it. At the same time, he would grab either side of the man's head, and attempt to push his thumbs into either eye socket. Any luck, he might grab one. Or both.

Unfortunately, he was totally oblivious to everyone and their mother throwing blasts his way. If they hit him, they hit him.

STR|DEX|CON
10|15|33[35]
WIS|INT|CHA
10|07|07
ABILITY: 14

CON = 55 (Staunch Defender used 2/4)

The man was downed successfully from the combined assault, and Runa breathed a sigh of relief as it worked, calling their shield back to their arm as they caught it and continued running towards the others.

It seemed some other person had jumped in to help, making their presence known rather loudly. With the two of them focused on attacking the man's face, it meant that Runa shouldn't throw their own attack into the loop in case of friendly fire or blocking what they were capable of. Instead, they would do their part to ensure it went off without a hitch... hopefully.

Channeling their light through their body, their shield would glow brilliantly, culminating in a bright, powerful ball of energy. Runa would run towards the man's legs while the others had him pinned and busy, and crouching low, would send their shield down as hard as they could at the man's legs in an effort to destroy or disable them in this burst of light. It was plain to see he were a bloodthirsty Shade with no remorse for the lives he took, which meant it was him or everyone else. And for that, Runa couldn't hold back if any innocent lives were on the line.

(OOC: Tier 1 - Back Off!: Runa channels light energy into their shield arm, allowing it to coalesce into their shield before striking their enemy, resulting in a heavy shield bash charged with explosive light. Deals 125% of Runa's Ability Power in damage. 1/4 used.)