"Who are they?"

"Bad guys." she said vaguely. "Watch your head."

Trees rustled in the distance, heading their way.

"That man had his intestines hanging out. How is he still riding?" Giovanni dropped his voice low, not wanting to alert their pursuer.

"They're near impossible to take down." she advised breathlessly. "But they can be slowed-- Gio, you're taller than me - keep an eye out for light like the one from my bottle. That's where Rhea will be."

"There," he pointed off into the horizon.

"Okay, let's keep heading--" she cried out as the woods in front of them toppled over, revealing another rider with his snarling steed and, this time, armed with what looked to be a long pole with a metal ball on the end. The horse reared back, front legs swinging, as Roo and Giovanni slid to a stop.

Giovanni swiveled quickly out of the way, eyes darting around the woods looking for an escape path. Was it worth breaking his cover in front of a Lumanlisc? If they wouldn't live through the night, it wouldn't exactly matter.

Roo dived as the creature wheeled towards her, weapon swinging wildly in one hand, and raised her arms defensively over her face as it smashed into a tree. As it wrestled the mace back into its hand, she rolled over and took shelter behind a nearby stone, hollering to Giovanni, "Run!"

Instead of following that advice, Giovanni's hand flashed out-- the gleam of a knife in his fist glinting in the dim light-- and slashed viciously through the flesh on the rider's wrist, hoping to sever some tendons. If he could arm himself with the mace, he could start doing some real damage.

The rider's wrist did indeed fall limp and the mace clattered to the ground; this did nothing to deter the rider himself, though, and his steed, which lowered its head and charged towards him.