[When Liem heads back toward Sebastian, he’s intending to slip past him, to put his startling strength and resilience between him and Amos. Perhaps that seems callous, but he’s seen already how much better equipped the demon is than himself to contend with the rage the man is in. Within seconds of his arrival, he’s already kicked the man into a wall, met an attempted grab head-on, and knocked him down, apparently without even breaking a sweat. For Liem, a grapple with Amos would only mean his death.

He isn’t expecting Sebastian to intercept him and scoop him off his feet. This is the second time in Horos that Liem has been picked up in this manner, but at least the first occasion was while he was barely conscious. Now, the effortless lift is met with sudden and perfectly alert bewilderment, particularly as his rescuer continues his momentum and uses Amos as a springboard to sail back down the alley the way he’d come. Liem doesn’t even have to peer around him to look back at the berserker, since only a moment later Sebastian turns to face him directly.

Adrenaline kicks in to compensate for the startled lock of his brain, aborting his fruitless attempt to understand why he has been gathered into the demon’s arms like an invalid. Instead, as he almost always does when circumstances exceed his own experience, he falls back on his training. Tactics now; gormless wonderings later.]

If you need the speed advantage, I can target his legs. Otherwise, I’d prefer not to harm him. He isn’t in his right mind.