Rush forward towards Reno. As you do, try to hit the bolt with your arm or your body. Don't stop to calculate, just focus on making contact with the arrow before it reaches its target.

Take her away from the bolt trajectory, look for your equipment. Your sword and shield, no time for clothes.

>>976277
Catch it like a badass
Listen, that's stupid and risky but like, I don't know if you have the time to do anything else like push her or get in the way.

Also, come on, the universe is setting you up for this catch anyway. It wants you to catch it with your bare hands.

gotta take the shot bb. that's medeival bodyguard life.

Push her out of the way. Hopefully it won't hit either of you, but there's no way to redirect the bolt so you'll have to move her. There really isn't any other option here. However, be aware that if the first strike takes you out of the fight rather than killing Reno, the assassin is likely to succeed anyway. Be ready to fight even if you take a hit.

>>976288
My thoughts too. Easy to grab, no aim necessary, just an apology required after you save her life.

>>976277

Yank her down atop the bed; the bolt should sail by nigh harmlessly (and ruin the curtains and probably a section of wall).

Then, with ourselves between Reno and the origin of that shot, determine whether we should confront her assailant or flee to safer quarters with her (possibly whilst calling for the guards proper -- we are only a trainee).

>>976328
'tis true, the best landing is to swing the body back into the bed. It follows the natural curvature - and gravity - and provides a soft landing to an abrupt move.

But pulling by the hair, methinks, is unnecessary. Shove or yank by the shoulder with your free right arm.

Then deliver a hot cuppa to the assailant who dared.

You don't have to move her much. Just enough. Shove with all your might as fast as you can.

Well it’s a crossbow bolt, so even if you could move fast enough to catch it you wouldn’t be able to stop it, too much power, c it would fly right through your grasp. Honestly, I doubt anything can be done given how fast it is, but try to get your hand in the way of the bolt, your flesh and bone might be enough to slow it down.

>>976432

My dude, crossbows were made for stopping power. They often had less range than a bow, but could penetrate armor with ease due to the absurd force with which they were fired (to say nothing of the draw of a crossbow). Their lethality was not from the head lacerating flesh upon entry and removal, as with a traditional arrow, but from the sheer damage they could wreak on impact and the depth to which they could puncture a body.

A hand would be lucky to not be pierced through completely. Eth would be even luckier to have use of it afterward.

>>976443
A crossbow has a less energetic projectile than a proper warbow, at least one that isn't made out of modern materials. A crossbow's sometimes extreme draw-weight is counteracted by its much shorter draw-length. While a warbow will have its relatively piddly 200 lbs of draw-weight accelerating a heavy arrow upwards of two feet, a 1000 lbs draw-weight crossbow will have around and probably a little over half a foot to accelerate its shorter projectile. Even if the relationship between energy imparted and the draw-length was linear, it'd still be a quarter as efficient of imparting its draw-weight into the projectile.
For that matter, a powerful bow can punch through most things up to well-made metal armour.
But that's irrelevant. The fletching is for a bow; crossbows have two fletches as it would otherwise get ruined by getting forced against the body of the crossbow, rendering the arrow completely inaccurate. It's likely a small bow, to be more easily carried up to the window and loosed.
Kick the princess out of the way; it's the fastest motion, and doesn't put her at-the-moment only protector in danger. Yell "Assassin". Use the momentum from kicking the princess aside to launch yourself towards the window, grabbing whatever's nearby to use as a weapon. An actual weapon would be preferable.

>>976277
Push us both or punch the arrow

Your cup is ceramic or glass? A crossbow bolt is sharp and has a lot of force behind it, but the tip still need to cut to pierce. A cup in its path will catch, blunt, and hold that point. The cup and bolt will continue forwards at speed giving Reno a nasty smack to the head, but it will not be a fatal one.

Deer 2020/11/20(Fri)14:14 No. 981492 ID: 3e8537
File 160591049003.png - (55.74KB , 900x700 , 09.png )

Distracted momentarily by ideas of throwing yourself in front of the bolt, you instead simply barrel into Reno, throwing her down onto the bed, grunting as her shoulder drives into your throat. You smell blood, and hear a cacophony of clattering and rustling as your cups smash to the ground and Reno's blanket flutters around the pair of you.

You have mere seconds.

>>981492
Interpose yourself between Reno and the direction of the shot. Do you sense a presence behind you? Come up swinging.

>>981492
Face the intruder and grab... something to use as a weapon.

Let hope that is just a scratch! Get between her and the assaulter, grab something to defend yourselves! Where is your sword?

Shove Reno underneath the bed, then throw something at the assassin before they can reload.

>>981492
The threat is still active, if your gear is to hand grab your sword, if not, the plate your coffee was on might do for a decent distraction to toss at the attacker as you close the distance with them.

Get up and grab a weapon, or whatever's close enough. Be ready for a follow up attack, this isn't over.

Scream. Whatever else you do, you should make enough noise that backup will be on the way in case you fall. Even if you win, it might be a good idea; you have no idea if Reno is seriously injured and no time to check right now, so help with her injuries might be required.

>>981492
Try to shield Reno and get out of shoot angle while sreaming "GUARDS, INTRUDER"

Scream for the Guarda as you face your opponent, while shielding Reno. Keeping her safe if your #1 priority, and reinforcements is necessary

Deer 2021/01/03(Sun)12:43 No. 984738 ID: 8b3eff
File 160970662413.png - (32.50KB , 900x700 , 10.png )

A sort of trance washes over you, and you feel your instincts take over, painting the world in vivid colours. Reno is safe under you, under a blanket, and you feel like she's not dead. In the heart of your heart you know Reno can never die, will never die, not while you're here. Or what's the point?

You bark for help, an echoing, bellowing noise that rings in your own ears. Your snout tastes blood on the air, fresh hot blood, coffee, and a strong, musty smell; a steppe smell, sun-baked soil and heavy herbs. Seems like having to bear that stench for long would give you a headache, that stale and ugly smell, standing water in a puddle in the great and terrible and barren bariia.
Your hackles raise. Your mind races. You don't have a weapon in here. Stupid not to bring one, but it's forbidden to take arms into the chambers of royalty unless bidden to do so directly. Not that Reno would have cared... Shit. You can feel time crumbling away. How long until that creature shoots again? Are there more than one?

You can think of only three options. You could assault that thing with nothing but your claws and teeth, you could attempt to dislodge and launch one of the ceramic bedside succulent-baskets, or you could try to locate and throw the coffee-tray. Either way, you'll have to move fast. If anyone heard your barked order, they'll take too long to mobilize.

Swiftly dislodge one of the planters, and throw it.

Coffee Trays make good shields and boomerangs!

Coffee tray was right next to Reno.

Take the coffe try, attack the one confirm assaulter, push him of the window, or beat the fuck out off him.

Searching for the coffee tray will waste seconds you don't have. Throw the plant to delay the assailant, even if only for a moment. Use that time to gather more information: Can you see the coffee tray? Is the assailant armed, armoured? Can you disarm them if you rush them now?

Go for speed and use claws and teeth, the other items aren't much of an improvement but much slower.

>>984738

Honestly, moving on your own might be the best bet. It'll keep Reno shielded and your assailant may be thrown off-balance by having you launch at them. Go for their helmet when you do.

Shield your princess. Take no prisoners.

Deer 2021/01/03(Sun)18:19 No. 984789 ID: 3e8537
File 160972679241.png - (44.13KB , 900x700 , 11.png )

You clamber off of Reno, and grab one of the planters from the bedpost. You're about to launch it, when a clatter catches you off guard and look up in alarm.

Immediately, something feels off. The assailant, whatever it is, has dropped its gastraphetes, a second bolt already nocked. It rolls from the string when the bow hits the ground. It's a steppe nomad, that much is clear, an ibex or a goat, with coarse matted fur and deepset eyes. Its face is hidden by a rag, a tshadra, and there are strings or strips of hide decorated with beads tied around its curled horns. It looks at you with an illegible expression. Is it hatred? Disgust? Envy? You can't say.

Its chest is bare, and you can see a few deep gouges and patches of raw skin. It looks lean and strong, like an old knotted root, complete with the clumps of clay still clinging to it.

It stands in the open window, looking at you, saying nothing. You feel blood rushing through you, parts of your body shivering. It isn't making any moves at all now; Just looking at you. It doesn't have any other weapons to hand, that you can see anyway.

>>984789
Go smash his face in and take the crossbow. Then when he's good and disabled you check on Reno.

Get that weapon away from it, then we have some options. The "safest" would be to disable this assailant before any accomplices can show up. Alternatively, we can hold the assailant at crossbow-point and wait for more guards to show up. This would allow us to question our assailant or their motives, but would risk us losing control of the situation if more turned up.

I prefer simply disabling the assailant as quickly as possible, then we'll have time to think about questions like "why did it drop its weapon rather than follow up." This one in particular disturbs me: Why would an assassin drop its weapon? Maybe it believes its job is already done, and that Reno is already dead. It might have seen more of the injury that Reno took than we did. We need to get that blanket off her and inspect her wounds, ASAP. And ASAP means as soon as the assassin is disabled.

Throw your weapon at his face, drop-kick (or otherwise throw) him off the balcony while he's dealing with that.

Oh, and try to keep him from falling out of the building, I feel like an interrogation is in order here.

>>984798
I like this, not sure if we can interrogate him.

>>984789
that thing looks like a zombie

Walk up to the assassin. Ask why he's doing this. Get as close as possible while talking, then throw the planter when he draws his weapon.
The closer you get to a ranged attacker, the better.

Deer 2021/01/04(Mon)05:17 No. 984829 ID: 3e8537
File 160976624222.png - (44.41KB , 900x700 , 12.png )

>>984798
You ready the missile. The hoarse one doesn't budge.
You launch it. Your muscles tense. Your aim is excellent; the heavy earthware pot, the soil, the pebbles, the succulents, they all hit it square in the stomach.

Deer 2021/01/04(Mon)05:19 No. 984830 ID: 3e8537
File 160976637043.png - (42.38KB , 900x700 , 13.png )

The pot shatters against its chest. It staggers backwards, and makes a rough grunting sound, slipping off the stonework, plummeting down the tower. A lethal drop.

You feel burning in your veins, and there's a knot in your throat, heavy and hard. But you feel like the threat has passed, for now.

No one's that calm after a miss. Whatever his job was, he didn't think it still needed doing. Need to check for poison. Doctors, now!

>>984833
Agreed, whatever was in that arrow could finish the job. Make sure to pocket the arrow used as well, it could give clues as to what the assassination was intended to accomplish.

A sapient assassin does not just stand there waiting to die. They keep fighting, flee, gloat, or even commit suicide to prove their dedication to their cause, but nobody just stands in place waiting to be shot down without an explanation or a final act of dedication. I'm thinking this was a manchurian agent - programmed to perform this one task and shut down entirely.

We need to check on Reno now, put on some clothes on and take her to the doctors, if we are lucky it was just a scratch. Take the arrow as well.

There is an unused bolt right by their crossbow. That bolt will provide more conclusive evidence on whether they were poisoned or not.

Take both bolts and the crossbow in case you need them. Save at least one bolt.

You need to get the royal physician now! Seconds matter!

>>984829

Something feels ... wrong.

Why would he just stand there and take the hit like that? Any would-be assassin should have fled once he knew his mark was either finished or no longer assailable.

... and in this case, he already had a second bolt prepared.

Either the other suggestions are right -- and the bolt was laced with a poison or similar -- or he wasn't necessarily acting of his own volition. Could dark magics explain this?

(To Deer: This latest sequence was excellent. Really love the tension in the lines and shading, as well as the use of color for emphasis!))

>>984834
>manchurian agent
took the text right out of my post

>reboot
>dies 14 posts in