rokubiraijuu

"You were going easy on me!" Sharon blurts out before Futch can get a word in edgewise, jabbing a finger at Ceridwen accusingly. "Futch! She wasn't taking me seriously! And you said we were supposed to take this mock battle seriously, like a real fight!" "Uh huh. And in a 'real fight', a rider listens to his commanding officer's orders and doesn't go rushing in to prove themselves at the first sign of an enemy." "Mmmrr... why do you always have to make this about what I did wrong." Ignoring her, Futch looks back to Ceridwen with a grateful, weary smile. "Thanks for doing your best to handle that. I'd say maybe what happened would teach her something about being more careful, but... she's Milia's daughter, so she'll be fine. How was it for you? The Allied Guard's a big first assignment for a new Knight."

It's the low, threatening vibration of Idriss' growl that alerts her to someone's approach, and Johanna sits up a little and looks over to see a familiar face coming her way. Resting a hand on her mount's thick neck to urge him to calm down, she greets the other with an embarrassed smile. "Oh, haha... sorry, I didn't mean to give that kind of impression." A marked difference from the assured, confident way she had projected herself on the battlefield, Johanna's demeanor and tone is much more self-conscious. She doesn't quite meet his eyes, instead busying herself with stroking Idriss' neck, as the large red dragon hasn't stopped growling, fixing Argos with a challenging stare. Feeling the burn of a stifling silence now that he's broken the bit of sanctuary she'd carved out for herself, Johanna stuffs another piece of bread in her mouth and chews slowly, so she'd have an excuse for not saying any more. ---------- Catching sight of Ceridwen out of the corner of his eye, Futch straightens up and nods her way, indicating she's free to come over. He has a few more quick words with Sharon, the tail end of which she would catch as she drew closer. "...would say if she saw all that. I can't have you putting yourself in danger under my account anymore, understand?" "Mmrrr... I know, okay." "Okay. Then I'm not going to say it again. The sooner you can stay on task and follow orders, the sooner I can make a case for you to start riding Rulodia. Hey there, Ceridwen." With 'the talk' over for now, Futch turns to greet the other rider with a small wave. "Something I can help you with?"

A clean shot from Dulcie's bow is enough to send the swordsman tumbling off the hill. Just having finished picking himself off the ground from where Rhian's powerful bolt had launched him right out of the saddle and rearranging where the impact had dented his breastplate, Futch looks up at the call of his name and frowns at Ceridwen's warning. "Sharon...?" His brow furrows, concern growing in his voice. "She wasn't supposed to—" "There you are, Futch!! Ugh, making someone really do the run-around looking for where you went, huh?" At the sight of the disheveled and roughed-up — but no less energetic — apprentice jogging through the trees towards him, some of the tension leaves Futch's shoulders, and he sighs heavily. "Looking for me? Sharon..." He trails off tersely, fully aware of being within earshot of the others. "...We're going to talk about this, later." Ignoring her offended pout and attempts to protest, he turns and waves for the remaining men to stand down. "Training is concluded! You all did well." He turns to the members of the Allied Guard with an approving smile as the remainder lower their weapons and the tension of battle -- even if only staged -- lifts from the air, replaced with friendly relief. "It seems like you all know what you're doing. It was an honor to test that firsthand." "I helped too! Don't think you can just forget about what I did!" "Sharon, I need you to go and assist anyone who's been injured. And if I hear that you've run off to play hooky again—" "Yeah, yeah... ugh, boring..." As she huffily pivots on her heel and stalks off to do as told, Futch can only watch her go with the beginnings of a headache. [ VICTORY ] Final Results: ---------- "So what was so important you pulled me from the training, Farrimond? You know this mock battle was crucial to evaluating the state of the Allied Guard, and of Johanna as its acting commander." "I'm sorry, Captain—" At Joshua's weary hand-wave, he corrects himself and adopts a more personal tone, "—...Joshua. Milia and I received disturbing reports of movement at the base of the mountains near the Fogwood. These aren't the ordinary comings and goings of local bandits. We couldn't make out their identity, but these men were moving with practiced purpose a ways south of the fort." For a few seconds, Joshua studies Farrimond's expression, then frowns and looks down in thought. "Coming from you, this must be something you think may be serious." "I don't want to jump to conclusions... but you know I wouldn't distract you if it were trivial. What would you have me do? I can investigate further when the fog lifts." "...No. We'll proceed as we've trained. I want you to secure the Goya area, and I will speak with Milia and hear what she has to say. Send in Gareth to me. I will have him fly down under cover of nightfall to find out what's going on." "Sir." ---------- A couple of hours after the conclusion of the training battle, both Allied Guard and the mixed Calissian-Knight forces have collected in the even, rolling meadows just beyond Antei's walls. The alabaster gates to the city stand nearby as men and women rest from the morning's work, having sectioned off naturally into small groups of comrades and friends to free themselves of heavy armor, nurse bruises, tend horses, and chat with those around them amidst the waves of grass rippling in the afternoon breeze. "Lunch is served! By the generosity of the Antei mayor." Johanna comes down the path to join the rest of the Allied Guard, pulling a cart behind her filled with various grains, fruits, and salted meats and vegetables well-known in this area of southern Caliss, along with satchels and cases of water, light spirits, and flavored drinks. Around the makeshift camp, other soldiers are also receiving deliveries of a similar kind. She selects a few items for herself, then retires off to the side, a little ways away from the rest of the group, to rest against Idriss' side. With the heaviest parts of her plate removed, she looks smaller than she had during the battle, the commanding lines of her face softened out. As she breaks off a piece of dark bread and exhales, sinking against Idriss' scaly side, she seems to be unloading some invisible burden. Not far away, Futch and Sharon also stand. She scuffs the grass with the toe of her boot, looking rather put out, clearly being scolded by her mentor, though his exact words are inaudible from the distance. Bright rests beside his rider, enjoying a bucket of choice cuts of raw meat. [ INTERLUDE START. Johanna, Futch, and Sharon are interact-able. ]

[ TRAINEE FINAL LEVEL ] Verden

Fallon's dark magic makes short work of the rest of the archer's strength, and he lays down his bow in surrender. Cheat Sheet:

(...) Cheat Sheet:

Ceridwen's lance strikes the archer, staggering him. Argos goes to face down the other fighter. This time, he's able to swiftly outmaneuver the axe swing and counter with a finishing blow of his own, dropping the axeman out of the fight. Johanna colors at Argos' good-natured comment, and gives a tentative smile. "Right, of course." Her smile widens a bit as she watches him soundly defeat the fighter, recalling his mishap from earlier. "Hehe, maybe I shouldn't have said anything that time. I probably distracted you." Cheat Sheet:

He'd had a sinking feeling even before they'd stepped into the room. The Iron Maiden wasn't a place people went without reason, and seldom good ones. But what last remains of tentative optimism he'd nursed evaporate wholly at the look on Claudia's face and the words 'it isn't your fault'. She needn't have even said any more or tried to make excuses for him, though he appreciates the effort to spare his feelings. A decade in this profession has showed him that their lives, like the fantasies they conjure and the wonders of their performances, are too fleeting. Too often people appear and disappear seemingly without warning, removed from one troupe, or even just from the spotlight. It was easy for one act to be the talk of Wands one month, only for people to wonder a few months later, long after focus had shifted to someone else, what had happened to that Magician after the fact. Most have just gotten used to the mercurial nature of the business, becoming jaded like Claudia or even nihilistic. At some point, the small tragedies become so quotidian that even the most sympathetic of hearts stop noticing them. He can only brace himself for the expectation of what Claudia might say, but it's not for himself that he fears. Her words had filled him with an altogether different sense of dread and anxiety. "Christine, too... I don't know what the news even is, but, before she gets here, isn't there anything I can do to spare her?"

Seymore's hatchet strikes true, even if it doesn't do much more than lightly dent the armor. Kris lashes out at the swordsman, dealing a solid blow. He tries to retaliate, but she proves too elusive among the trees. Cheat Sheet:

[ TRAINEE LEVEL 4 ] Verden

[ ENEMY PHASE ] Archer 7 to S13 and attack Johanna. Seeing that Johanna is still mounted, he stuns her with one sure shot, piercing through Idriss' scales. Knight 4 to S11 and attack Johanna. Seeing his chance, the knight attempts to bring the acting commander down, but she sees his arrow at the last minute and narrowly avoids it. Fighter 7 to R13 and attack Ceridwen. Ceridwen manages to dodge the incoming strike from the axeman and retaliates soundly, putting him on the back foot. Soldier 6 to R14 and attack Rhian. One whack of the spear shaft knocks Rhian into the grass. Fighter 8 attacks Argos. A little overzealous from the last matchup, the fighter lashes at Argos again. This time, however, the swordsman is able to redeem his earlier blunder, and the axeman is forced to retreat from the field. Merc 6 attacks Argos. The two swordsmen trade blows, each landing a strike on the other. Merc 5 to R11 and attack Johanna. Thinking himself well-concealed in the forest, the swordsman strikes Johanna, but she quickly makes him think better of the decision, sending him off the field to tend to his injuries. [ ALLIED PHASE ] "Ugh... that was a little more of a beating than I'd have liked to take..." Wincing from the bruises beneath her armor, she considers her options and decides to play it safe. Dismount. [ PLAYER PHASE ] Turn 12 Argos recovers 2 HP. Cheat Sheet:

Seeing Helena struggle with another of the winged horses, Idei rides up behind her. "Let me have a shot." Move to R13, shoot Peg 3 with Iron Bow, Canto to T12.

(...) Cheat Sheet:

Having exploited the knight's weakness to magic, Fallon is able to take him out of the fight with one hit. Cheat Sheet:

Argos overreaches on his first blow, leaving him open for a counterattack from the fighter's axe. Fortunately, he manages to right himself and land his second one. Michi's spell knocks the remaining nearby knight off balance just enough that his counter whistles by her, close but harmless. "That's the spirit, Argos!" Johanna smiles at his exuberance. —And then, softer, as she watches his sword swing wide and the axe come down on him: "...well, kind of." Cheat Sheet:

Naomi fires two blasts of light at the knight, staggering him greatly. Cheat Sheet:

After the beating from Johanna, the knight falls easily to Seymore's attack, and falls back from the line. Cheat Sheet:

Two shots of light magic bring the knight to his knees at last. [ ENEMY PHASE ] Knight 3 to Q15 and attack Kerr. The next armored knight walks up to Kerr and delivers a crippling blow with his axe. The counterstrike bounces off the steel plate. Fighter 8 to R16. Merc 6 to Q17. Futch to S14, attack Kerr, Canto to T15. A spinning hatchet from the base of the hills follows up and strikes Kerr as well. Fighter 7 to S14 and attack Kerr. A last blow from an approaching axeman knocks Kerr to his knees. Knight 2 to R13 and attack Ceridwen. Another armored knight approaches Ceridwen and lashes out at her with his lance. She retaliates in kind, though the armor absorbs most of the impact. Merc 5 to T12. Soldier 6 to T14. Archer 7 to U14. Knight 4 to U13. [ ALLIED PHASE ] The sound of soft, rhythmic wingbeats drawing close takes Joshua's attention from the last skirmishes of the training battle to the sky overhead, where a shadow blankets the treetops briefly before a familiar dark-scaled dragon descends through the canopy and onto the cliffside beside him. The dragon rumbles low in greeting to him and his own mount, but he knows from a glance that this is not a pleasantry visit. "Joshua. I have need to speak with you at the Hold. It's urgent." The Captain casts one more glance at the faraway battlefield, then back to the other, and nods. "Very well." He sits up straighter in his saddle, and they both lift back into the air, becoming no more than specks against the clouds within a minute. ----- "This is the last push, everyone! Don't give up just yet!" Move to R12 and attack Knight 2. Turn 11 [ PLAYER PHASE ] Cheat Sheet:

Michi follows up with a flash of fire that further winds the knight. Cheat Sheet:

"Hell yeah." Feeling invigorated again, Beatrix nods emphatically at his acceptance. It'd been years since she'd done this. Brings her back... Ugh, kinda, anyway. But she brushes aside the internal wince and focuses instead on the good things. This would give her a chance to prove herself, to really stand out and show how capable she is. "Don't let me down! I've got to best a worthy opponent or it doesn't count."

Fallon strikes at the knight with a burst of dark magic, chunking decently through his armor. Cheat Sheet:

"Sparring? Hmhm, that's small fry to what I have in mind," she replies with a sly twinkle in her eye. "Next time we're on the battlefield together, we'll see who can bring down the most opponents. How's that for a destined face-off!" Despite the fact that there was no indication they'd even be seeing each other again past this supposed audience with the king, she seems assured in her plan. "And if we end up going our separate ways, we'll tally up the results then and see who's really the best mage around here." She folds her arms across her chest, standing up a little straighter. "You better be ready. You're my rival now, and I don't go easy on rivals."

"Heehee..." Seeing Cassidy so lively and full of energy never fails to pick up her own spirits. With her and all her antics, gesturing, and theatrics, it's easy to forget where they are or who they're going to be talking to soon. "You got it. Cassidy'n and I've been through thick and thin. Er, well, at least since we met each other, anyway." This moment feels almost deja vu, and not in a comforting way in the slightest. But she doesn't let it show, maintaining a cheerful smile even as a sinister doubt lurks in the back of her mind. "Aaanyway, Cassidy, I was just about to challenge Aidan here to a destined face-off between mages!!" She clenches one fist close to her chest, the grin on her face almost mischievous. "I can't have an anima mage showing me up, after all."

A mage in the Opus army. Beatrix feels a jolt run through her, as though it was her days on Emries again, and she'd been struck with a Thunder tome during training. She regards the guy hesitantly, as though trying to see something about him. "...Then... do you know—" She catches sight of a shape coming up behind him, but doesn't even get a chance to think about whether she wants to warn Aidan or not. "Ahh...!" Though not startled, Beatrix staggers back a little as Aidan lurches forward with a yell, hands out half to keep him from falling onto her and half to catch him if he did end up toppling over. Thankfully, neither ends up happening. "Oh, hey Cassidy." She knows that, with Cassidy's appearance, she's lost the opportunity and momentum to talk to the anima mage a little more, but a small part of her is almost grateful for it.

"Huh?" Standing in a little nook in one of the manor's halls, Beatrix hadn't exactly expected to be addressed. She'd wandered away from Cassidy and Yuel for a while to have some time to collect her thoughts, and it wasn't as though any of the others knew her. "Oh! You're... that guy— " Her eyes flick to the tome in his arms. " —The anima mage! Aha!" What trepidation she'd been harboring seconds before vanishes entirely in light of this ( for which she'd be grateful, later ), and both Aidan's modest thanks and the fact that she doesn't even know him seem to fall to the wayside. "Well, of course my dark magic was incredible! Hehe, bet you've never seen anything like it." Though her words are boastful, her tone is bright, confident without being belittling. "I'm Beatrix. Everyone just calls me Bea, though."