Zelda and Kazu move further into the alley in the moments before Lelith's arrows strike their target.  The first jams into the socket where one of the Guardian's legs were attached and breaks it free in a shower of sparks.  The second arrow hits the gap between the cupola and main frame of the Guardian's body, and then the thing explodes...

The Flying Guardian banks up, getting some altitude...

     Ducking and dodging and coughing a bit from being caught near, if not actually in, the explosion, Judal is relieved to have one threat over but is now focusing on the guardian that is starting to rise higher and higher.  Loathe to allow it to leave unscathed Judal first (bonus action) moves his Hex on the thing and then follows that up by pointing his sword at the construct and sending to beams of eldritch force along it's length and flying off towards the thing...

Eldritch Blast beam 1: 16 nope, Bless, so 20 to hit for 11 damage

Eldritch Blast beam 2:  19 to his for 13 damage...

Both of Judal's beams hit hard, sending sparks and busted stone falling from the flying Guardian.  It sounds a deafening alarm, just like its grounded counterpart, and then somewhere nearby, a similar alarm answers.  

Bringing her thumbs and pointer fingers together in the shape of a diamond, Thea puts the final foe in her sights. With a celestial command beneath her breath she fires her own beam of crackling radiant energy towards their threat.

Concentration: Bless

Attack: 22 Damage: 9 
Bless: 1 

Naturally her eyes pan to where the new alarm sounded, however the bird and the princess keep moving further away… Where are they going… Thea would adjust to keep them within her range of view.

Movement: As required

The flying Guardian peels off, but the baleful call of its horn continues to sound.  Two separate horns begin to answer it nearby, and it becomes clear pretty quickly that it's calling for reinforcements.  

A glance of the city around them reveals a handful of civilians on the smoldering road to the coast who watched the fight.  Among them is a wide eyed Tiefling woman in a kimono with an infant in one arm that waves toward the Answer, her terrified face the only message they needed; she was encouraging them to follow her as she turned, running as quickly as she could down the main thoroughfare toward the north eastern docks along the banks of the Summer Sea.  

Zelda looks on from the alley, her chest heaving as even she tries to catch her breath after the fight.  Kazu shifts nervously, his feathers a charcoal gray in color.  Both of them look like they've seen enough for the moment.  

The sound of mechanical feet tell the story; the Answer only has minutes to decide what to do before the flying Guardian returns with reinforcements.  

     "I think that Tiefling is stealing a child!" Judal exclaims, pointing so that everyone can see who he means.  "We should pursuit!  And before the reinforcements arrive..."  In truth Judal wasn't too worried about the reinforcements as these foes didn't seem like much of a threat but even a avalanche of Kobolds can be deadly if they fall from a high enough mountain.

     Judal indeed heads after the Tiefling, curious but wary.  These people have survived this long so they may have some much needed answers and information.  On the other hand, these people have survived this long and may be complicit in the plague that covers this land.

Thea blinks at Judal’s exclamation then squints to look closer. Her first impression was that it was a woman with her own infant calling for them to follow her, not someone stealing a child. There was no doubt that they needed to act, but do they go their own way, or follow these people in trust?

(‘Instincts check’: 18 +8 if perception or +5 for insight)

The Princess wheels Kazu around in the midst of her new friends and looks after the fleeing civilians.  It's the first moment any of them have had to realize that Zelda looks...distraught.  Sad.  And it's clear why; this city, King's Landing, has long sworn fealty to her family.  These are her people.  And she was powerless to do anything in the moment to help them.  

A flicker of red light shimmers from between buildings, bathing Princess Zelda's face for a moment in a hue of red separate from the many burning fires around them.  Then, there's the sound of a laser weapon firing, and someone screams in the distance.  A terrible, mortal scream.  

She looks at Thea for help, then around to the others.  Judal.  Malenia.  Riair.  Lelith.  

"We can't fight them."  She says while Kazu's feather's shift in color beneath her.  She's obviously torn.  "We should fight them.  But we can't win.  Maybe though if we can get to Bavmorda..."  

She trails off with her comment.  

"Do we follow her?"  She asks.  "The docks are that way."  

"Yes, we follow her." Thea looks to Zelda, "And we do what we can along the way." She motions for the Princess to come back to her to follow the people. "Help who we can, protect who we can, and destroy what we can (of the enemy) along the way." Then pressing a hand to her chest, Thea looks to the light to bathe in it for a brief moment, and with a word whispered under her breath, the light refracts and simmers along her skin.

Casting: Mage Armor on self

"Let's go." Thea motions with her head for the Princess, and any of the others, to follow. They should catch up to Judal before he does something silly, and reinforcements arrive.

Zelda nods at Thea, then reins Kazu in close to her.  As she does this, a laser blast gone wide somewhere off in the distance streaks overhead and out into the sky, a clear sign of the battle around them.  And then of course there is the sound of encroaching feet...

"Right.  Help who we can."  She says, suddenly inspired by Thea's words and sounding more determined.  She still looks around as she says this, though, and seems saddened by the prospect of having to leave so many around them to fend for themselves.  

They began to move quickly down the thoroughfare, staying close to the buildings as they went in case they needed to duck in somewhere.  The sounds of fighting as all around them as they went, and sounding closer and more frantic all the time as the cities defenders did what they could to get as many civilians out as possible while the boats were loaded.  

In the distance, they started to see the masts of ships in the harbor...

"Ah, no", says he, "it was not to be
On a coffin ship I came here
And I never even got so far
That they could change my name"

     Judal couldn't help but let the lyrics slip faintly from his lips as he saw the masts of the ships that hold so much promise... As much promise of misery as delight.  That is for later though, for now he follows the Tiefling baby napper, or more likely baby savior who is now looking to help us as well.  "With luck our ultimate victory trickles down and saves these people as well," he notes in a meager attempt to ease Zelda's heart.  As the continue on trying to avoid the danger and mayhem Judal occasionally taps the black pearl nestled in the pommel of the dagger strapped to his chest.  Judal need not do this as he has his Blindsight at all times but in tense situations it is a bit of an unconscious tick he has developed.

Thea felt alert, hyper vigilant. It was the adrenaline coursing through her veins from the sense of danger and an hint of excitement all rolled into one. Her heart pounded, skipping at the scenes and sounds enveloping them. It was indeed tragic. However, to her, it was the looming sense of helplessness that was the real threat. She must do what she can. There’s always hope. “A community is where the people are...” Thea says quietly beneath her breath as a reminder. It wasn’t about the city, or the buildings. 

Vibrant eyes scan every sun lit place, and every darkened shadow. Her ears twitch, listening for the muffled cries and scratching of nails against rubble. She feels the walls as she passes for the thumping of life. Thea sifted and wove through the chaos, using it as a cloak to shield her from the sentries which hunt them. She sought out people, and guards alike, to retreat and regroup, as well as ways she could weaken or misdirect the enemy. The more efficiently, and effectively, they can collect and round up the innocent along the way, the better chance they have to resist those trying to keep the people from fleeing. 

Gamelog Dice
(Rolled 19+8 for 27 Perception)
(Rolled nat 20+4 for 24 Stealth)

As Thea scans the city around her, she finds a band of samurai, the city's stalwart defenders, making a tactical retreat up an alley in the direction of Andromeda's Answer.  

As the samurai approach, it's Lelith that points out the sail.  

"The Scorpion."  She says, pointing to one tall mast with a black sail on it.  Emblazoned on the sail is a red scorpion.  "That's the ship that carried the Twilight Embers from Cloverese to Zora's Domain.  He said he'd meet us here.  I guess he tried to stick to his word."  

Upon seeing the samurai, she looks back toward the port.  

"He still owes us transport.  But since the Twilight Embers are no longer a band, perhaps he'll extend it to Andromeda's Answer instead.  If he need persuasion, we do have a Princess amongst us."  

"The Scorpion."  She says, pointing to one tall mast with a black sail on it.  Emblazoned on the sail is a red scorpion.  "That's the ship that carried the Twilight Embers from Cloverese to Zora's Domain.  He said he'd meet us here.  I guess he tried to stick to his word."  

Upon seeing the samurai, she looks back toward the port.  "He still owes us transport.  But since the Twilight Embers are no longer a band, perhaps he'll extend it to Andromeda's Answer instead.  If he need persuasion, we do have a recognizable Princess amongst us."

A hint of mischief danced in her eyes as she added, "Though, I would prefer to not flaunt our charge unless necessary. And if that doesn't convince him, I have other non-conventional ways. One way or another, Andromeda's Answer is going to get on that ship. I promise you that." Her assurance held a lot of confidence behind it. She was challenging anyone who dared stand in the way of their passage, of the Princess' passage, to reconsider their stance. With that casual promise she made to the party, she could not go back on her word.

Thea’s ears twitch. She pauses abruptly. “Someone’s trapped.” Without much thought she grabs onto the wrist of the closest to her. “I need muscles…” She moves as if tugging them along. If met with any resistance she’d let go and just keep going. Thea would then snap her fingers. A radiant magical hand springs forth and follows her, plucking smaller hunks of debris along the way and moving them, as she looks to see if she can find something she can use to leverage what weight she could apply, to pry away heavier rubble.

     "If the Twilight Embers no longer exists then who would they be to claim that we are not the current roster of the Embers?" Judal proposes with a grin.  Before he can go further down this course of misdirection he hears Thea ask for assistance and move off.  Judal is by no means the brawniest of knights, more likely to be compared to a paper towel than... Well, a paper towel with a lumber jack as it's spokesman...  but he is not one to refuse assistance when requested.

     "Trapped?" Judal calls out as he follows.  "Where?  How?"

     As he follows Judal concentrates on his Eldritch Sight to look around where he is being led and try to be sure there is no magical surprises awaiting them. (Detect Magic is up!)

“Beneath rubble… in here…” Thea practically encircles the space as she investigates how she can pry rubble away. Her brows furrow. “I don’t know, magic?” She answers Judal’s ‘how’ a bit sarcastically. She didn’t know how, just that they’re trapped under rubble. A good guess would be the collapsing of buildings due to the attack. 

     Judal notes the sarcasm and is curious about it but shrugs and does what he can to help, digging as quickly but carefully as possible where Thea indicates.  

Malenia, keeping towards Zelda and Kazu during this time. Often brushes her metallic fingers along Kazu's shifting plumage, Praising the avian creature for its courage while also giving Zelda a reassuring smile. "You've a kind heart Princess, Of course we will help who we can" 

No sooner had the sentiment escaped her lips did Thea call for aid, glancing over at the pile of rubble and the need of strength to move the rubble. Being someone more inclined with acrobatics than feats of physical strength, she knew there was little chance she would be able to move the rubble......however. 

With her unignited weapons in her hands, she steps forward and holds out the palm of her hand towards the rubble. A dull, wooshing wave of energy ripples from her outstretched hand, colliding with the rubble. 

Before Judal, Thea, and the others can begin to dig through the wreckage, Malenia waves her hand.  Brick and mortar, lumber and furniture shifts, and then, as the whole of the mess rises into the air, the others can see an adult form curled over someone else....