rokubiraijuu

Ferdiad nods to indicate he'd made note of the instructions, then set about unloading the wagon, taking care not to drop anything. If they were caught with these, the situation would be even stickier than it already was. It makes him think back to how he had come to be here in the first place... "Hehe, so different from everyone back home," he says, half to himself, half to Kane, with a tone of compliment. "I'm not sure I'll ever adjust."

Though the chaos is over for the moment, Ferdiad doesn't immediately relax. He dismounts from Bradwr's back, giving the panting horse a bit of a break, but holds on loosely to his reins as he surveys the nearby area, doing a sweep of the trees and hills to make sure there aren't any remaining hostiles left to ambush them. Only when he's sure they're in the clear does he move back to the others, removing Bradwr's bridle and securing it to let him graze. "Need a hand?" He approaches Kane with a small smile, beginning to assist with the unloading without waiting for an answer.

Kane to O9 shank Archer B.

The chest clicks open easily enough, the padlock smooth and the hinges silent. Inside is a tome wrapped in some storage paper, resembling the ones the mages in the castle halls thus far have been carrying. It must have been placed here as backup equipment. Kris receives Thunder tome! Argos' new blade slams down on the archer, winding him severely, but not completely knocking him out yet. Ceridwen's strike brings the swordsman to his knees, and he drops the blade, holding up both hands. "All right, all right! Fair enough." Cheat Sheet:

Hati levels Naomi an unimpressed look. "... Let's see if you live long enough for that." She ignores the offered hand and takes a step back, raising her voice to the others nearby. "You heard me! Put these mice through the gauntlet!" This just might be their ticket out of here. Hati is now an NPC and will not attack. Rhian's bolt connects, staggering the myrmidon with the force of its impact. Cheat Sheet:

She couldn't tell if this half-whelp is stupidly trusting or just senseless. But maybe this can work for the benefit of herself and the other laguz. "First condition. I've got to see if you're good enough to kill Oppenheimer. I won't lift a finger, but the rest of my guys'll test you. If you don't make it past them, then... well." She grins, somewhat toothy. "I say 'test', but they're not messing around or sparing you if you're weak. If you do prove to be some pretty capable mice, then condition two. Someone named Greyson should be locked up in a room around here. Set him free. Do that, and we'll be out of here, and you can do whatever you want to the General. Deal?"

'My humans'? "Someone like you is leading this band of mice? I find that hard to believe." The girl doesn't make a whole lot of sense with her blabbering, and Hati can't say she sees any sense in her decision not to kill any of them just because they're laguz. Does loyalty to some polluted bloodline trump duty to everything else? If they start killing the rest of this 'Allied Guard' for being invaders, is she still going to refuse to kill them in return? The thought is amusing, and it's almost tempting to test out. But something she says stands out. Laguz, no reason to fight human battles, huh? "If it were that easy." She scoffs, then raises an eyebrow. "Listen, I'll tell you something because I pity you, half-whelp. I don't know if you're familiar, but the lord of this castle is a stinking half-wit with a personality to match. I'd rather eat him alive slowly than take up arms for him one more day, but as it is, my paws are tied. You guys are here to take him out? I'd be happy to see that asshole bite the dust. But here's the thing. If you don't end up being strong enough to pull it off, my guys here and I'll all suffer for failing to stop you. So I'll think about it, on two conditions. Want to hear them?" Static pops and cracks from the opened pages of her tome to her hand in unspoken indication of what'll come to pass if Naomi isn't.

A triumphant smirk on her face from watching one of the invaders go down, Hati blinks when she hears rapid footsteps behind her. Anticipating a surprise attack, she turns around, pages of her tome already open and a hand poised above them, electricity crackling between her fingers, ready to strike— And the girl doesn't look like she's ready to fight her at all. In fact, she starts blabbering... about her ears? Said ears flatten down against her skull in annoyance and confusion, and she growls. Half dog? "Don't fucking insult me, hu—" Suddenly, she pauses, then sniffs the air. Narrowing her eyes at Naomi, she sniffs again, then the bewilderment grows. "... Hah. You're kidding." The look of fury turns to one of smug derision and amusement. "Well, don't I feel sorry for you. What the hell is someone like you doing here?"

Kerr to AC16 Argos to AC15 Johanna to AB16 and Dismount Michi to AB13 Fallon to AC14 Dulcie to AD14 use vul Verden to AA14 heal Ceridwen Ceridwen to AB14 [ ENEMY PHASE ] "Looks like the mice finally scurried out. Snack time." Move to AC18 and attack Kerr with Killer Thunder. A bolt of thunder crashes down on Kerr, injuring him badly. Myrmidon 3 to AC17 and attack Kerr. From the left, a laguz swordsman rushes in to follow up on Hati's attack and brings Kerr down. Archer 1 to AB18 and attacks Naomi. An arrow whizzes out of nowhere, embedding in Naomi's robes. She answers with a blast of Lightning, crippling the archer in turn. Soldier 2 to AD18. Scholar 1 to AE19. "Start saying your prayers." Turn 7 Cheat Sheet:

Canto to M6.

"Excellent work, K- Phoenix. Let's clear out the rest of the rabble." N7, stab Archer C or try to.

The lock clicks open easily to Kris' experienced hand, and the door swings open to reveal a storage room. Boxes and crates are stacked up against the bare walls, wooden and iron shelves housing various knickknacks: clothing, utensils, household items. It looks somewhat dusty, like things in here aren't moved around very often. Near the center of the room, as Kris looks around, she'd find three treasure chests scattered about, locked to seal their contents. Cheat Sheet:

BASE LEVEL 4 PCs: NPCs:

[ ENEMY PHASE ] Hati attacks Ceridwen. This time, the icy tempest bears down on Ceridwen, shards and biting cold lashing at her armor. Turn 6 Anthropomancy wanes completely. Argos recovers 3 HP. Cheat Sheet:

Kerr's attack takes the myrmidon off guard, causing him to miss his footing and swing completely wide on his desperate counterattacks. A scorching flame from Michi's attack brings down the guard at last, a loop of keys jangling as they fall from his belt. Out of nowhere, an unexpected beam of light magic strikes the swordsman, knocking him down where he stands. Cheat Sheet:

"That's why the rest of us are here!" Ferdiad exclaims in response to Lenore's remark, engaging the rival rider with a 'hah!' to spur on his horse. Attack Cav B, Canto to N6. Kane to M8, knife Mage.

Ceridwen's aim is sure, once again causing the soldier's shot to miss. He lands his second strike, though. Riding by, Dulcibella fires off two shots, both of which meet their mark in the tactician's robes. He manages to blast her with thunder magic before she's able to get to safety, however. A moment later, another arrow embeds itself alongside Dulcibella's. The tactician answers with another bolt of magic, though this one's weaker. "Have at you!" Move to AB13, chuck hatchet at Tactician 1, Canto to AD13. With a last blow, Johanna finishes off the injured mage with a hatchet toss. She maneuvers Idriss' large bulk out of the way afterwards, landing next to Dulcibella and letting out a breath. "That would have been ugly if it hadn't worked out." Cheat Sheet:

[ ENEMY PHASE ] "Heh. Well, come around and play, then, little mice. Either way, you're not getting out of this alive." She thinks she'd picked up something about her 'cutie'? What the hell was that supposed to be? Whatever. Not worth wasting the time to think about. Attack Kris. Kris manages to avoid the blast of arctic wind this time around. Myrm 2 to AA14 and attack Dulcibella. Targeting the horseman that'd shot at him, the myrmidon rushes down the hallway to retaliate, dealing a swift blow. Soldier 1 to Y11 and attack Ceridwen. The soldier, seeing hostiles coming his way, engages Ceridwen. She answers his javelin throw with a stronger one of her own, and the impact throws him off balance enough that his second throw misses its mark. Tactician 1 to AC12. Turn 5 Anthropomancy wanes further. Argos recovers 5 HP. Cheat Sheet:

The arrow pierces the perplexed Myrmidon's arm before Dulcibella retreats a few paces. X13 and Hold. Cheat Sheet:

Vuln Rhian and Hold. [ ENEMY PHASE ] "I can smell you hiding out behind that wall. Going to scurry like mice forever? I don't like to play with my food." Attacks Rhian. Another blast of arctic wind pummels Rhian from afar, relentless in its assault. Turn 4 Anthropomancy wanes. Argos recovers 2 HP. Cheat Sheet:

A last shot from Dulcibella's bow knocks the horseman off his steed, downing him. Fallon follows up seamlessly, leaving the other cavalier in his wake with a finishing blow of dark magic. Cheat Sheet:

Taking aim, Rhian looses a bolt that strikes the horseman dead on, crippling him. Nearby, Naomi blasts the other cavalier with her light magic. Cheat Sheet:

(...) [ ENEMY PHASE ] Cavalier 1 attacks Kris. The cavalier strikes out with the mace, intending to finish Kris off. Luckily, she manages to evade him, slashing at him with her knife in response. Cavalier 2 attacks Kerr. His compatriot has more luck, bringing Kerr down in one more blow. Hati attacks Rhian. From out of seemingly nowhere, a frigid blizzard ensnares Rhian in a howling whirlwind, ice shards like daggers slicing past the layers of her armor. "The wolf! She's here too?" One of the cavalier's horses rears in fright at the blast of magic. "Hell, the General let her out of the cage." Both riders look disdainful, but more than that, there's a tangible undercurrent of nervousness in their faces. "Ugh, dogs should stay on leashes. All we know, the bitch might just 'accidentally miss' again." Turn 3 Anthropomancy wanes further. Cheat Sheet:

From in front, the sound of hoofbeats and a glimpse of movement beyond the hills indicates a frontal assault by cavaliers. But a glance at the rear, near Kane and Baldur, tells him that the enemy has opted for a pincer movement. A flash of white feathers and the gleam of the dim sunlight off the curved edge of a bow. So this is their tactic, is it? It's not too late to throw a proverbial pebble into their gears. "Towards the horsemen, everyone!" he calls, spurring Bradwr into a slight rear before cantering for the western treeline opening. "We'll group there and stop their advance. Let those approaching our flank come to us, and we'll strike back when they're within sight!" Move to J8.

The myrmidon is swallowed in a blast of dark magic. After it dissipates, their lifeless body remains on the ground. "Everyone, we must push through! Rally your strength, for the sake of the Dragon Knights, for the sake of the alliance!" Move to U12, drop Rhian at U11. Cheat Sheet: