She looked at Moon's back, then at the others. "And the horde will follow us when we run. Less than twenty beasts we can handle. We thin them out, gain the lives and the experience, and come back stronger instead of dying uselessly here."
Vela didn't waste time debating it. There wasn't any to spare.
"Understood." She hefted her hammer and jerked her head toward the others.
"Moon. Take care of yourself. Do not die on us." A grim, tired almost-smile on her face before she said, "We'll handle the beasts. Regroup when you can."
The team broke away, retreating fast across the snow.
Moon didn't wait for the archer to react.
The instant his team turned to run, he rushed the elf, blades blazing with ice and lightning, throwing himself into its space to seize its attention and deny it the chance to loose a volley at the retreating team's backs. If it wanted to command its horde, fine. But it wasn't getting a free shot at his people while they were exposed.
The archer simply smiled.
