"You're not killers. You're not here to murder families. There are innocent children in that building. They're scared of you."

"There are no devils here, and any man who scales the fence will die. Do you think the Church of Iomedae is here breaking bread with devils?" It's almost too noisy for anyone to hear him. This is hopeless. But it's one of the first teachings, one of the most important ones, that before you kill people you try for something better. If the Goddess were here she could do it, but knowing that doesn't tell him what to say.

....that's just embarrassing. Are you supposed to shoot people who break their ankles in the act of scaling the fence? Anyone? He's not going to do it first.

"Should I -" says Dídac.

"He's busted his leg. He's not advancing like that. Give it a minute. You'll've heard we're supposed to be Good these days," mutters Aniol.

Fuck. 

Narikopolus opens fire, and kills two before they take another step.

"Ice 'em. Saving the arrows for when they're thicker."

"Ray of Frost. Ray of Frost. Ray of Frost -"

Llei is already aimed at the man with the broken ankle. He lets the arrow go.

"Iomedae forbids this! This home contains innocent people. There are no devils here. We will not let you sack it. You'll be shot if you try."

"MURDERERS!"

Another two men over the fence before they realize the people who haven't crossed aren't getting shot yet. The next one tries to turn back from the top of the ladder, but the people behind him haven't stopped and he falls. Head-first onto the ground. No need for anyone to waste an arrow.

The bench-bearers push through the crowd and slam their makeshift ram into the gate. It shakes but holds. Over on the west side another ladder's gone up, but nobody's climbing it yet. The next house over doesn't have a fence and its doors and furniture are being commandeered as makeshift shields and arrow-cover. Also, now that those doors are out of the way its valuables are being commandeered with no particular use in mind. (The occupants have fled out the back. Nobody bothered to surround the other buildings.)

"There are no devils here! There are children here! You will all die if you continue on this course!"

No firing into the crowd. No firing into the crowd. He shoots each man almost the moment their feet touch the ground on his side of the fence.

Aniol orients toward the ladder, nocks, aims, waits.

At this point it's really doubtful that anyone can actually hear Marit over the dozens of other people shouting. They ram the gate again. Again. Again. The fourth time, the lock snaps. The front of the crowd rushes through.

Dídac's sparrow has reached the palace and is trying to find an open window or somebody going inside that he can tailgate.

Marit is trampled by an angry mob and is reasonably swiftly dead of it.

Xavi keeps Aniol's quiver full of an endless supply of arrows and they fly into the mob along with the Rays.

He fires as many arrows as he can. Between him, and Llei, and Aniol, and all of the retainers who can use a bow, they can fell two men every second. It is enough to keep them from advancing very far past the broken gate, at first.

He Sleeps the first close-packed group of four who haven't been shot yet, and then joins Aniol's valet in repeatedly casting Ray of Frost.

Shooting people is easier than shooting demons. Worse in every single other way, but a lot easier.

... he's an idiot. He has Status active—his bodyguard cast it from a wand before they arrived at Charthagnion Manor—and he doesn't actually have to wait for the mob to injure him to trigger it. By that point it will almost certainly be too late.

He tells Narikopolus about this, then draws his dagger and stabs himself in the leg.