>>22505477>>22505533>>22505534>>22505559The bodyguard was a soldier, and thus he knew to keep low and move between cover. Even so those were mighty big bullets, and that soldier was very accurate with his piece. It was inevitable that some would graze Erco, and do more than graze. But he strode through that without a hint of pain, even though his coat and uniform were dabbled with blood and blackened ash from the lightning strikes prior.
None of them would come out of this well.
The counter sent down excadrill, and it was recalled right before he got to Emiko. He flung himself at Garland when he had the nerve to pick her up...only to disappear in a flash of light after picking her pocket a second later? For now adrenaline kept him from putting 2 and 2 together why, now he had to keep her alive and little else mattered. On the plus side he did catch the girl before she could hit the ground and worsen her condition. Erco held the child to his bloodied chest and turned away from the machine gunner, sending out his trusty hippo to use it as further cover too.
Sand immediately picked up.
"Smash them all!" Erco called, ordering out a powerful earthquake to, hopefully, end both that soldier, the wobbuffet, and anyone else hidden nearby. Emiko would of course be safe with him.
The resulting shockwave would tear up the oppressive, ghostly terrain and those within it. An ancillary hope was it might help break this spell.
> Sandstorm, with smooth stone. 