Giovanni jerked immediately to the side, yanking the Lumanlisc along as he made an attempt to evade their attacker's pursuit. Losing them in the thick copse of trees would be their best bet, as there was no way either of them were going to win in a straight-up foot race against a horse.

As he pulled her, she raised her arm and threw the storm bottle at the demon with as much force as she could muster, yelling at Giovanni to turn away. The bottle shattered upon impact beneath the steed and a tinny, pitched note sustained in the air. Then the world imploded, a force billowing out and throwing them forward.

It was all he could do in the moment to throw his hands out in front of him to catch himself against the forest floor. What the hell? That was the strangest bomb he'd ever seen, if that's even what it was.

Roo covered her head as they rolled down a forest floor covered in damp leaves and rot, gasping in pain as her back slammed against a root. A distant shriek of pain echoed along the ringing in her ears as she struggled to rise, coughing into her shoulder. The storm wouldn't hold it for long.

"What was that?" Giovanni hissed from a prone position just a few feet away.

"Bottled lightning." she said through grit teeth, easing herself onto her knees. "It'll only hold them for a moment. We need to... we need to go."

He got to his feet and offered her a hand. "You want to tell me what's going on here?"

She looked up at him, brushing leaves out of her hair, and reached out to take his hand. It took moment to muster the energy to stand. "Nightriders. They're persistent. And there'll be more of them. I was supposed to lead them to Rhea, but..."

"Just how many more?" He pressed as they set off.

"Five, seven, maybe twelve? It really depends."