rokubiraijuu

An intangible chill runs down her spine as she watches the fight progress, waiting for a good opening to jump in and help. But the sense of unease isn't about the enemies in front of them. Where...? She looks around, grip tightening on the lance, half expecting something to jump out at her from the marshes. Beneath her, Iba stamps his hooves in the muddy ground as though to ask what she's nervous about. "I don't know... it's... hmm." But the gut feeling is strong, and she's never been one to doubt her intuition. It's usually led her right. Her gaze settles on the old, run-down house a ways behind her. Is it coming from there? Ugh, spooky. "Oh man... really not okay with this. Really, really not." Did she have to go check that out herself? "Just my luck, I'm going to end up rushed by a bunch of flesh-eating spiders or who knows what..." she mutters to herself as she lifts into flight again and moves to investigate. M5, investigate house against better judgment.

Such... anger. Ferdiad finds himself at something of a loss in the face of it — that kind of unbridled rage is unknown to him, and he can't imagine what this man must have been through to have accumulated so much of it. A shadow of sadness crosses his face briefly. What suffering he must have known... "Crimson? I heard others referring to you by that name. Come, our allies will do the job that needs to be done. We may see better use elsewhere." Rescue Crimson, Canto to D5.

Seeing everyone moving in through the doorway to engage the remaining prison guards, Ferdiad spurs Bradwr into a canter after watching the small archer of the former prisoners duel with a mage. "I'll draw fire! Take cover!" Turning sideways as he rides up in front of Mim to serve as a wider target, Ferdiad swings his spear with a shout. "I'll be your opponent!" C5, Stab Monk B.

F8, Stab Archer.

Marching forward, Rhian takes advantage of the spearman's distraction to get a clean shot. Kerr joins Rhian, trading quick blows with the enemy spearman, who manages to hold his own, though he looks much worse for wear now. Cheat Sheet:

Riding up, Dulcibella lands a chip shot against the soldier even through the thick of the foliage. Johanna to Z23 and Hatchet Soldier. Following up, Johanna lands another solid blow, causing the spearman to stagger. Verden to AA22. [ ENEMY PHASE ] Scholar 2 attacks Argos. From behind the trees, a warping blast of dark magic envelops Argos, bringing him to the ground. Soldier 3 to X23 and attack Naomi. Slipping into the trees as well in the commotion, the spearman strikes out at Naomi, knocking her out as well. Turn 10 Cheat Sheet:

"Huh?" What kind of... horse is Iba? She blinks at Galen for a second like he's grown a second head, but then realizes that that's probably rude and amends her expression. "Oh, uh, he's a... pegasus—" Nicolos' shout reminds her that they're in the middle of something and now probably isn't the time for chitchat. "—And I'll tell you more about it later!" Bringing Iba back around, she aims a second blow at the Cursed. "Haahh!" Stab the Shaman again, Canto to L6.

... Shit. Looking at the numbers advancing on them from both sides doesn't give her a lot of hope. "Dying here on our first mission would be really underwhelming, huh," she mutters dryly under her breath, gathering the reins in her hands and quickly assessing where she'd be most useful. "All right, you wanted a fight, Iba, so we might as well give it all we've got." K7, attack Shaman B.

C11.

Vivi N8, Heal Galen. Nicolos J7 and Vuln. Wincing, Juliett glances down at the tear on her leg from the Cursed's attack, breathing out through her mouth. "Damn it, damn it..." These guys hurt more than she'd anticipated. With an expression of uncertainty, she looks out across the bridge again where a couple new ones have come to the take the places of the ones who've fallen to Nicolos' attacks. She wants to go help him out, but in her state, she'd be more hindrance than anything. Probably shouldn't get in his way. "Iba, let's fall back a little and wait for the next opportunity." The stallion strains against her tug on the reins and flaps his wings hard, rearing up with a snorting whinny as though in offense at the idea of retreating. "I said wait for the next opportunity. Come on, we're not running away." L6 and Vuln.

Rushing forward, Argos strikes out at the fighter with his newly acquired blade. The two trade blows, and the axe wielder puts up an impressive resistance, but is eventually brought to the ground by Argos' swordplay. "All right, all right! You're good." Cheat Sheet:

Elizabeth to J20, Heal Bradwr. "Hey, I don't know what you're doing in this castle, but back off!" J23, attack Axe B with Black Axe.

Naomi launches a blast of light magic, but the scholar manages to use the cover of trees to duck out of the way. As the trunk is singed, she retaliates with a fierce strike of her own. Cheat Sheet:

He... He wasn't sure what to make of all this. Everything happened so quickly — he hadn't even had a chance to parse through how Crimson's surprisingly caustic comment at his arrival had made him feel before the scene in front of him turned to chaos: Baldur, Lizaveta, the escaping prisoners, even Kane getting involved. All he could do was raise a hand weakly from Bradwr's reins and make a couple hesitant sounds like he wanted to interject, but they're utterly drowned out by the bedlam, and after a few seconds, he falls quiet until, just as quickly as it'd started, the tumult dies down. The raging man in the red cloak turns away, evidently seething, and tensions are high enough that Ferdiad feels the discomfort physically. He glances from Baldur to Lizaveta to the man in red, a look of dismay on his face. Dissension, even outbursts and outrage like this, in the ranks isn't a stranger to him, but he had thought that their arrival to help these people would be welcomed. Who would turn down assistance in such a time of need? Even if these people felt themselves capable enough on their own, who ever complained about willing reinforcements? Had such an idea been too naive? Beneath him, Bradwr snorts in the new, stony silence and scuffs at the floor with a hoof. Despite the chaos, he's remained apathetically calm. "... We ought to advance. Let us not give our enemy too much time to prepare." C14.

Luckily for Ferdiad, he misses Lizaveta's angry outburst at the shaman, as he's carefully listening to Kane's instructions. "Then I'll go onward. Forward, everyone!" Turning around, he smiles down at Lizaveta. "In the event there's more enemies ahead, it'd do well for me not to go in alone. I'd feel safe with someone as skilled as you at my side. Will you ride in with me, Scarlet?" F22, Rescue Lizaveta, Canto F17. A clatter of hoofbeats on stone, and Ferdiad heads deeper into the open space of the prison. The sound of fighting and voices had come from here, somewhere. Ah! There, a group of prisoners, armed somehow with weapons, perhaps stolen, are fighting back against the guards. It's thanks to their efforts that our load is lighter. From the state of things, they seem more than competent, as well. How coincidental that Virtuous' entry should have been timed at the same moment as these prisoners' decision to escape. He wonders if Kane had planned this and simply not told him. "Good fighters of freedom!" he calls out as he appears in the intersection of the halls with Lizaveta in the saddle behind him. "Take heart. I'm no prison guard, but a soldier of Virtuous. My allies are behind me and opening the path for your escape as I speak. Our leader offers you our assistance if you will aid us in ridding this prison of its warden. If he falls, you will see your lives safely returned." Crimson F16, take Lizaveta, drop to F15.

Her jaw tenses as she looks on at the shambling hulk of decaying skin and hanging limbs that's advancing on them from across the bridge. The tattered remains of its robes do little to hide its grotesque appearance, and she feels her throat close slightly if she looks at it too long. Any other enemy soldier. It's any other enemy soldier. I6, stab Shaman, Canto to K6. Vivi L7, Heal Arissell.

Vivi to L8.

Kris opens the chest and receives Vulnerary! (Kris' inventory is full. Choose an item to send to the Convoy.) Cheat Sheet:

Rhian takes aim, but the trees prove a frustrating obstacle, and her bolt embeds in a trunk instead. Cheat Sheet:

(...) [ ENEMY PHASE ] "So Hati wants us to see how good these guys are?" "Ugh, haven't they already shown that enough? I'm tired of this. Can't we just get out of here?" "Don't be such a spoilsport! I think it's kind of fun to play battlefield with a bunch of humans for a change!" Scholar 2 to W23. Soldier 3 to Z25. Fighter 2 to X23. Turn 9 Cheat Sheet:

"Calm— calm down, will you? Fucking— crazy little—..." She's been wrangling with the stallion since they started traveling. He's a large animal, muscular and daunting, larger than even most other stallions, and he seems to know it. For better or worse, horses have always been keen sensors of social atmosphere, and Iba has always known the particular tension of a battle on the horizon without having to be told. For days, he's been restless, ears forward and tail high, and Juliett knows by now the signs that he's going to be a handful. He never disappoints. The moment their enemies show up, peeking out from the shadows of the marshland trees, she doesn't have the time to think about how she feels regarding this mission. Her hands are full just getting into the saddle and gathering the reins from Iba's straining and stomping, flapping wings beating impatiently at the air as though to say 'aren't you ready yet?' "Okay, okay, there, I'm in, now— ah!" Someone bursts from the trees to her right and Iba, without her command, pivots around and rears with a shrill neigh, front hooves lashing out just a few feet from the woman who arrives to join them. "No! No, Iba, stop that right now!" This... is Vivi? The ally Nicolos had said was going to join them? Spirits, and Iba had almost planted a hoof in her face. "I'm so sorry. He's riled up. Please—" Another yank on the reins to reel him back, "—forgive him. Iba, this way, you lug." The pegasus' ears flatten briefly in apparent displeasure at the insult, but he's more excited to see battle again, and takes to the air at Juliett's command. K6 and Hold.

Releasing a long breath, Ferdiad readjusts his grip on his lance and steadies his horse. Most of the immediate threats have been cleared from the area, and it seems that things are under control on their end for the time being. As loathe as he is to leave behind his allies, he's been hearing signs of a skirmish further ahead, and from what snippets he's caught from the guards, it appears some of the prisoners have broken loose. Perhaps the very prisoners Kane had been meaning to liberate. "Ka— Phhhoenix! Rats." He clears his throat, pulling Bradwr up alongside his leader. "There's commotion up ahead that sounds like the prisoners have escaped. Permission to ride ahead and extend aid to them? What message should I bring?"

F22, attack Fencer C, Canto to F23.

Kris opens the chest and receives Focucyng Drug. (Kris' inventory is full. Choose an item to send to the Convoy.) Ceridwen's blow, though nonlethal, knocks the young mage backwards, and she sprawls in the grass with a high-pitched yelp, followed by a quiet "owowow." Cheat Sheet:

"Oh..." Not that she doesn't like him, necessarily, but... this is definitely not what she had signed up for. Standing near the wall to put some physical space between herself and the confrontation going on not several meters away, she lets out a long breath through her nose and observes quietly. It isn't unreasonable for Nicolos to be frustrated; she'd be, too, if two really peculiar people showed up at an important meeting she was holding and tried to force themselves into it. There was no way of knowing if these two had any actual interest in the cause, either. On the other hand, Ari makes some good points too, especially about manpower. She's glad she's not in Nicolos' position right now. She looks over at him to see what he'll decide.