[Liem meets Dextera's communion with no comment but a brief feeling of confirmation: they have at least one more ally, if he is able to catch up to them. Though Liem has no personal familiarity with the young man, he is aware of his part in purifying Manon's shard. Perhaps he'll be helpful if any of the unfamiliar men pursuing behind are inclined to force Manon's return to Highstorm.
The steep turn downward that the tunnel takes gives Liem pause; Hayame will navigate it better without him on her back, and he'll likely be faster besides over such terrain. But she gives him no opportunity to get clear. When the hand grips his leg, Liem flattens himself obediently over her back, gritting his teeth against the impacts he can feel jolt up through her body. Still, he can tell why a jinba mount would be so prized by the slavers of her home country; she leaps more confidently down the incline than any ordinary horse could manage, and they lose less speed than he'd expected, coming quickly to the bottom of the descent.
It's there, once she releases him to extend her bow to its full length, that Liem takes advantage of her pause to leap down from her back. He has no cause to be there if they are not mid-flight, and even if Manon continues to run— With magic quickening his limbs, he does not need to impinge upon Hayame's dignity to give him speed. He adjusts his grip on his crossbow.]
no subject
The steep turn downward that the tunnel takes gives Liem pause; Hayame will navigate it better without him on her back, and he'll likely be faster besides over such terrain. But she gives him no opportunity to get clear. When the hand grips his leg, Liem flattens himself obediently over her back, gritting his teeth against the impacts he can feel jolt up through her body. Still, he can tell why a jinba mount would be so prized by the slavers of her home country; she leaps more confidently down the incline than any ordinary horse could manage, and they lose less speed than he'd expected, coming quickly to the bottom of the descent.
It's there, once she releases him to extend her bow to its full length, that Liem takes advantage of her pause to leap down from her back. He has no cause to be there if they are not mid-flight, and even if Manon continues to run— With magic quickening his limbs, he does not need to impinge upon Hayame's dignity to give him speed. He adjusts his grip on his crossbow.]
We will not allow them to take you.