Return of the Emblem Chapter Thirteen: Flight

[Mercakete]

Oh yeah. He'd noticed. Assuming incompetence was part of why he was being so specific and pushy in his advice so far. The rider doubted that any of these people had lived out in the woods like he had, so he didn't know what kind of mistakes to anticipate for sure...so he just anticipated all of them.

"If we kept going, we'd probably be spotted and shot down," he quietly informed the captain. "The closer we get, the more eyes and ears we have to avoid...and when they're feeling murderous, bandits like heading out at night. It's always better to catch one and learn when they'll be away from their base, but we don't have that option. So best to keep out of their way until we can get close enough to surprise them at home. So here's a tip: if you find good cover before the day's up, take it, then press on when you have more hours between you and dusk."

He glared in annoyance as his gaze swept around the little conversations that were beginning to bubble up. "And you might want to tell people that just because we've stopped doesn't mean it's safe. No talking, no fire, no flying, and no surprises. Someone should keep watch in each group; I don't care what sort of shifts people take, but I'm not dying just because someone wasn't paying attention." In particular, he glared over at Doran and the map soldier. "And if you can't keep the roads around your own city safe, I don't advise spreading yourselves any thinner. 'Course, that's not my job...but carving this route into a path and telling the bandits just how you got to their base will make them impossible to root out next time since they'll look for similar routes to guard, and you can bet a fragment of these people will regroup later on. Always do if the area isn't scoured for 'em after the hit to their main base."

He didn't bother with any more advice since anything else would just be unnecessary. Instead, he walked back over to Rizen, expecting the captain to follow. Once he reached her, he took the pegasus' reins and led her the relatively short distance to where he'd seen the hiding spots. To the untrained eye, there actually weren't any hiding spots. Just a lot of trees, a sheer face of stone about twelve feet high, and some scattered ferns, tall grass, and other similar plants. To Norbert, though, the lack of clear hiding places made this spot perfect.

"You can direct people however you want," Norbert quietly told the captain, "I'll just show you the hiding places here."

[Phoenix]

Woods

The captain smirked a couple of times during Norbert's rant, particularly at his 'no flying' rule, as it only really applied to his colleagues. The commander wasn't sparing any of the pegasus knights they had left for this no matter what, and since the number remaining could be counted using just one's fingers, the Captain understood the sentiment. The second part he found somewhat amusing was the mention of spreading themselves thin. While it was true, the city guard was severely understaffed at the moment, that would change once the war ended and enough transfers occurred to turn this skeleton force into a living, breathing city guard, again. In the meantime, snuffing out the bandits was going to require merciless strategies. "Lead the way," the captain said as he began following after Norbert. One of the guards nearby, having overheard the exchange, headed toward the group to pass along some of the pegasus rider's advice.

[-Cynthia-]

Camp

"We're doin' well enough so far, but we're runnin' from the Ursian army and into the Fallen. That don't leave much time for shootin' each other in the leg so to speak. I know we've fought demons a few times before, but...it's on a whole different level in Kigen itself. Not to put more pressure on ya, but most folks in this group don't know that we're gonna be gettin' into our roughest fights yet, no doubt," Nadya said to Amon seriously.

Liam put his hand on Joanna's shoulder. <"I believe in the wisdom of Lady Isolde and Lord Luminous for sending you on this mission, I believe that Mercy will watch over us...and I believe in you, Joanna. It will be a long road, but we will find a way to reduce the suffering of these people. I'll leave you alone to your thoughts for now, if you need anything do not hesitate to ask me,"> he said, getting up and beginning to walk away.

Edited May 20, 2015 by -Cynthia-

[Mercakete]

As he'd mentioned before and indicated, there were a few hiding spots in the area, all with roughly the same features: relatively clustered trees, fair undergrowth, and none of them looking particularly like hiding places. Norbert first showed two of the smaller hiding spots, which would conceal about five people and a pegasus well enough from most angles, and both showed and explained how concealment worked, placing some of the growth between himself and the captain.

"We're still going up against humans," he explained, still keeping his voice relatively quiet, "Even if they're used to fighting in the dark, they can't make out very many details, especially at a distance. That's all we need. So, we'd just have to stay still and stay low, but that's what you do when you sleep anyway. Pegasi blend in better than you'd think, too, even if they move a little. We're in the woods, so the bandits will already be expecting animals like them to be around. You get used to things like that when you live in a place like this."

He was already on his way to the rock face and showed the captain around some of the trees. This was the biggest space yet. "And the wyvern could probably make himself look like part of the rocks here, especially with the plants obscuring any details. This is the third spot I think we should use. The same rules apply to the people here, though: keep low, keep still, keep quiet. We can keep searching tomorrow. And whoever's on watch should only alert people if the bandits obviously see us and can tell what we are. If they're just passing by, it's better for us if they just keep on walking. Odds are they'll be heading from or going to their base, so we'll just go whichever direction is further up the mountain."

[Phoenix]

Woods

Norbert's approach was better suited to a lone hunter, or a very small group of individuals. His people could handle keeping their mouths shut for a while; countless assemblies proved that much. He was more concerned with the interim. "Fair enough. Now what if someone gets stepped on?" he asked half seriously. He quickly added, "I know we should leave them be if there's only one ... better to catch them by surprise than risk word getting back, but what if there's a large group heading down the mountain to find their next victims? You don't honestly expect us to ignore that too, do you?" The tone in his voice was more serious with that inquiry.

Shadrak glanced at the two men with the map, mulling over whether he should have a look or not. Having traveled quite a ways on foot, he was quite familiar with basic navigation on land. This situation was a different from what Shadrak was used to, but he'd still managed to make it out of worse situations. One incident that came to mind was his training in a swamp. Having to deal with normal carnivores and blood sucking insects was one thing, having to content with Chie's tamed animals was worse. They knew who and what he was and to make his life difficult in that swamp.

When Shadrak decided to have a look at the map, he took a step forward, and that was when a light breeze brushed past his left ear. "Carlos Lich," came a whisper so faint, Shadrak wasn't truly sure he'd heard anything at all at first. He looked around, quickly, hoping to catch the culprit, but the only people nearby were guards, who weren't paying attention to him, Ingret, who wasn't quite close enough to whisper anything to him unnoticed, and Fizza, who was close enough, but was on his opposing side. The whisper couldn't have come from her, either. "Hmm ..." Who is Carlos Lich?

Camp

Amon knew quite well how dangerous it was to fight against the fallen. To even face them directly required getting past their demonic pets, and that was a horrific ordeal in and of itself. He had every intention of learning what he could from the Kigenese once they were in their country in order to better their chances. "I'd hoped the fighting in Europa would have been warning enough. Most of them were there ..."

Finally. Glen was elated to see Liam, seemingly, parting ways with Joanna for a moment. Maybe now he could have a word with her and see how she was doing without feeling threatened. He tried to appear as if he was casually wandering the camp, but the fact that he was making a beeline straight for her, coupled with his inexperience in acting in general, made his intention painfully obvious. Fortunately for him, Joanna hadn't been paying attention to him or anything else since Liam had left. Now ... how to strike up a conversation ...

[Mercakete]

"Stepped on by bandits or each other?" Norbert quietly questioned, arching an eyebrow. The reminder of just how many inexperienced "hunters" he was bringing along was nothing short of annoying, but it was better to deal with it than to ignore it. "If they're not moving, then they shouldn't step on each other. If one of us gets stepped on, then we've already been discovered, and we'll only find their base at that point if they decide to take prisoners, which isn't as likely as them just killing us and taking anything of value we have on us. If they somehow don't notice us until they step on someone, if they're smart -- and I'm assuming they are -- then they'll kill whoever they stepped on before the rest of us can be woken up. And then, the rest of us never will."

Moving on to question two. "And yes, I do expect you to 'ignore that.' If there's more than one, then there's more of a chance that someone will get away and warn the others. From what we can tell, this is a massive group of bandits. Raiding parties are probably sent out in shifts, so there'll still be bandits at the base. A lot more than they'd send out, actually, if my guess is right. Besides, us mercenaries were hired to find their base. You soldiers came along to flatten it. The guards you left behind can take care of any attacks the bandits make while we're up here, right? 'Cause they'd better be able to. Any fighting done elsewhere can only help us up here, and we'll be doing our own part by preventing reinforcements, right? So don't mess things up. If we're caught by surprise, or if we attack while we're in their territory, then they;ll be alerted to us, maybe move their base if they can, call for reinforcements, and we'll be overrun, and I won't stick around if things turn that ugly."

[Nanami Touko]

Well, Bert was going on about strategy, or something. Eva wasn't quite sure. She couldn't really hear him, all the way over there with the captain, as he was being kinda quiet. So she just followed along, leading Sasha after her. The giant green wyvern was super ready to rest, because he was of the lazy sort, and that was something he enjoyed. So when they came to their 'hiding place', Eva directed him towards the rock as that seemed to be the biggest thing to hide a wyvern behind. "Right, so, we'll be over here if you need us," she called over, as quietly as she could manage, before letting the lump slump against the rock, leaning against it herself. "Feel free to get off now, Jam, Angelica... Seems we're sleeping here, for the night."

[Toogee]

As they arrived at their predetermined hiding spot, Jam obliged Eva and dismounted. She took a moment to stretch her arms upward; they had been sitting for quite some time. The dancer took a look around their spot and began missing their wagon. She was a bit apprehensive of the lack of four walls around her, especially with all the strangers they were traveling with.

"This will be the first time I end up sleeping outside. I'm usually in the wagon." Jam commented, her apprehension evident as she looked around to her potential bunkmates. She attempted to speak as softly as she could to Eva and Gelly, less she incur the wrath of the Crusher.

[Nanami Touko]

"If you're worried about the ground, you can sleep on Sasha. He's pretty much a rock, once he falls asleep. Doesn't roll around, or nothin'." Sasha padded the grass some, and then collapsed in a lump of lizard on the ground, Eva doing the same, sliding down the rock face until her butt hit dirt. She stretched her arms up and sighed. "Mmmmmmm, I just wanna sleep... All this walking and riding and nothing happening. I'm sooooo tired..."

[-Cynthia-]

Camp

"Well that's enough doom and gloom for one evenin' I think. How are ya holdin' up Amon? Anythin' I can do ya for?" Nadya asked him.

Liam looked back briefly to see the wagon driver heading straight towards Joanna. He must have some sort of important business with her... Sitting down a fair distance away, he decided to watch the pair in case the human decided to start some kind of trouble.

[Phoenix]

Woods

"We're guarding Ursaea and the people inside its walls. We don't have enough manpower left to handle much else. Ever since the 'skotians started hitting our patrols, we haven't been able to maintain a strong presence on the roads, and with so few pegasus knights left we can't see a whole lot coming, so if a whole raiding party gets past us, it's a safe bet they're going to get whatever they're after. That's why we're trying to take this fight to them and end this nightmare." If only Ursentius and Europa hadn't been siphoning off so many divisions, it might not have ever gotten this bad.

Camp

"I'm fine. Thanks. Though, now that you mention it, is there any way to cook without a fire," Or fire magic? "because we can't go for too long without a real meal or we'll be in no condition to fight if the wrathites or someone else come after us." Those who went with the patrol would likely have the worst of it; they would have to do all that hiking and come back to basic rations if nothing better had been prepared.

"Joanna?" Glen finally spoke, "Erm ... just wanted to see how you were doing. We haven't talked in awhile."

That was true, though she wasn't really sure why that had been the case. Only adding to her confusion was Glen's nervous demeanor. No one needed to walk on egg shells around her but he was certainly was. "What's wrong?"

What's wrong? Besides having to worry about that bodyguard of hers ... "Well ... err ... never mind. It's nothing. I just wanted to make sure you're alright. No need to worry about me. I'm fine."

"I don't believe you," Joanna admitted, "but if you would rather not say anything ..."

Sorry, but I'm not really comfortable talking about myself right now, out in the open like this, Glen apologized. Joanna refrained from reading the thoughts of others, so naturally, she hadn't caught his apology, and he knew that. Still, it had to be said, even if only as inner dialogue.

[Toogee]

"If you're worried about the ground, you can sleep on Sasha. He's pretty much a rock, once he falls asleep. Doesn't roll around, or nothin'." Sasha padded the grass some, and then collapsed in a lump of lizard on the ground, Eva doing the same, sliding down the rock face until her butt hit dirt. She stretched her arms up and sighed. "Mmmmmmm, I just wanna sleep... All this walking and riding and nothing happening. I'm sooooo tired..."

"Thanks," Jam replied, very weary herself. She couldn't see herself balancing herself on top of the wyvern in her sleep. The dancer opted to sit against Sasha, her back against the wyvern. There wouldn't be any fires for this stealth mission, so Jam would take warmth wherever she could get it. She patted the wyvern's side in thanks, allowing the creature's breathing to rock her back and forth. It was far more pleasant than one would think sleeping next to a giant lizard would be.

"You sure you're OK next to that rock? You're missing out over here."

[Nanami Touko]

Sasha almost purred as he was patted, calming his breathing to accomodate the new warmth resting against him. He didn't move an inch, after that, enjoying his rest, and probably falling asleep soon. Meanwhile, Eva figured Jam was right. The rock wasn't uncomfortable, but it definitely wasn't pleasant. Even if Sasha was like sleeping against leather, he was a lot softer than solid, solid earth. Eva slowly picked herself up, and re-collapsed against the wyvern, a few feet away from Jam. "Mmm, he is better than a rock... Probably would make a better rest if he was a pegasus, but, I can't be too picky, can I?" she smirked, and tapped her hand against him. He didn't move, but he snorted. Eva snickered. "Ahhh, he's a dumb lizard... But he's my dumb lizard."

[-Cynthia-]

Camp

"There are nuts, berries, mushrooms, roots, that kinda thing all in the wilderness. Might almost seem like a real meal with some dried meat. Ya might be surprised how long folks can go without food- it's the water that's the real concern. Once a horse or person is thirsty, it's gonna be over for 'em pretty quick. We stocked up here, but not sure if we got enough to shoot straight to a town in Kigen. With Nature's blessin' we'll run into a stream or somethin'," Nadya speculated, putting a hand on her chin.

[Ether]

And it was about time to set up a meager camp for the night, as Norbert was going around with lectures of how not to get caught doing such a thing... the actual answer to such a query would be don't bring a group and don't bring amateurs, but Angelica was in no mood to argue with the rider. Instead, she lifted herself off the saddle, stretched a tad, and plopped herself up against Eva, wrapping an arm around the larger woman's stomach, and nestling her own head in between Eva's shoulder and neck, pressing her soft cheek against her.

"And you'd make a better rest if you were a bit more... cushion-ey. Oh well, still better than a rock or a wyvern."

[Nanami Touko]

"Oof!" Suddenly, there was a rather bouncy mage on her lap, causing Eva to blush, but... Well, she sighed, and smiled. "Sorry that I can't be the perfect pillow, out here in the wilderness, but I hope I'll suffice, oh great Angelica." She chuckled, wondering if that would get her in more trouble, but she was far too tired to care right now. "All this extra heat might make me doze off quicker than I'd planned, though... If no one minds." She yawned away, leaning her head back against Sasha, and closing her eyes.

[Mercakete]

"What's your point?" asked Norbert, still keeping his voice down, "Because I can't tell if you're saying you want to stop raiding parties before they turn hostile towards us or not. We're out here to find the bandits' base, right? If you wanted a stronger presence in and around Ursaea, then you should've just stayed home and reinforced the place. If you can't keep your goal in mind, you're going to undermine it. I already explained what'd happen if you let those bandits know where we are if a raiding party passes by tonight: you may even turn away or hurt a lot of bandits, but they'll just come back stronger, and we're not only in their territory at night, but we don't have any reinforcements of our own. And you know what? I don't plan on dying over someone else's stupid decision, so at the very least, that'll be one less pegasus and rider helping you fight them. Stay focused on why you're out here: not to turn away raiders, but to uproot them! ...And from the sound of things, you can't have both."

[Ether]

"I suppose you'll do... unless you have any softer friends you\'d like to introduce me to, hmm?" Angelica replied teasingly, sticking her tongue out for a moment in emphasis, before pulling herself in a bit closer, and relaxing. Definitely better than a rock.

[Phoenix]

Seeking the Third Option

The captain needed to come up with a third option. The guardsmen were well disciplined for what they were expected to do and achieve, but there were few among them who would readily leave potential victims to their fate for the sake of a mission that wasn't guaranteed to succeed. While Norbert was right in that they would be hard pressed to address a known raiding party, they were much better equipped than the bandits. If not for the terrain, they would win any engagement against them with minimal casualties. Of course, there was the terrain. The bandits had the edge by default in these parts, and they would likely have the high ground during any ensuing violence unless they managed to flank them and quickly. The only things about the terrain that worked to their advantage once a fight started was that the trees made for half decent cover and would limit the effectiveness of any archers. All in all, their chances of taking on a fort full of bandits was only 'decent'. If they split their numbers to go after a raiding group, they would be risking both goals to some extent ...

"They're not going to sit quietly knowing our inaction cost innocent travelers their lives, even if the long term benefit is clear as day. Okay, scout boy, I need to have a quick word with my men before we settle down for the evening. We'll prioritize taking out the bandits where they operate from over raiding parties, but if there's a way to deal with raiders without compromising the mission, I want to hear it."

Seeking Sustenance

They had stocked up before leaving but they would definitely need to do so again in the next town or sometime before attempting to cross over into Kigen. While Amon didn't have ample personal experience in the desert, himself, he did grow up in a society that had plenty of knowledge on it, and was well educated on the subject. Because of that, his appreciation for water was greater than most. They appeared to have enough stored to get them as far as Sergio, but that was assuming they didn't spend an entire day out here at Ursaea and were at least back by morning. Otherwise, they would do well to get more water in the city before heading any farther south.

"We saw so much coming up to Ursium by air, but I don't remember any streams," Amon said, trying to recall some of the long flight, "just the straits and other rivers leading into them." There might have been fresh water coming down from the nearby mountain range, but it would be difficult to spot through all of the trees. "If the others don't make it back by this time tomorrow, we should probably send people back into Ursaea for more water, honestly. It's not worth the risk of trying to get too far without it. We'll just have to hope the wrathites haven't caught up to us by then."

[-Cynthia-]

Camp

"We're gonna have to find a way to haul it all too- remember it ain't just the people we gotta worry about. Not sure how much a wyvern drinks myself, Haythem and Eva would know that I guess. Could have the wyverns fly around, but that could lead to trouble," Nadya said tentatively.

[Mercakete]

Norbert nodded. "If you come up with an idea that guarantees that the bandits can't call for reinforcements, that we can catch all of them so no messengers escape, that won't lead to damages or exhaustion on our side, and that won't attract attention to us in the long term, then go for it. Otherwise, it's just going to be a choice between stopping one raiding party -- if we can even achieve that -- and what we originally set out to do. And once you choose one, you're out of luck for the other. So, good luck; hope you all can figure something out. ... And I told you, my name's Norbert."

Well, that quiet conversation was over, and the captain knew where the hiding places were. So, Norbert figured he'd tell the other mercenaries just in case the captain wasn't going to spread the word that far. It seemed that some of them had already settled down. Luckily, they were in the hiding spot he'd picked out specifically for the wyvern. He'd give them the warnings he'd given the captain later. May as well find Lumi and make sure she knew where she'd be for the night. So, he began looking for his fellow rider while Rizen followed.

[scorri]

Lumi had still been circling in the air, and now landed near the rest of the group. Dismounting, she patted Star on the neck, and fed him a carrot from her pocket. Looking around, she spotted Bert, and gave him a slight wave.

Crunchy orange thing! Star happily crunched away at the carrot, before noticing that the pretty lady pegasus was around. He pranced over towards her and placed the half of a carrot that he had left at her feet. She could have crunchy orange thing if she wished! He was a mighty pegasus who could supply such things after all! And he could protect her from the monsters that were around! Surely she would be impressed this time!

[Mercakete]

No wonder he hadn't seen her! Norbert's face paled, horrified. "Y-you..." He almost yelled the next part, barely remembering to keep his voice down. So, he whispered, "YOU WERE FLYING?!!!" Why in Sardius was she FLYING?!!! They'd landed a long time ago and had been carefully, quietly, and slowly making their way along the ground. It wasn't even sundown yet, so her pegasus stuck out like an ink blot on paper. Not only that, but considering how thick the branches were here, she had to have broken through quite a few to land here. Whatever hope they had in secrecy was absolutely gone. He was so stunned and so incredulous that he could hardly think, let alone speak.

Edited May 26, 2015 by Mercakete

[Nanami Touko]

"I'm not sure Jam wants to take over on pillow duty," she joked, chuckling a bit, and letting Angelica get herself comfortable. "We actually can sleep, right? I don't want Bert angrily whispering at me if I decide to take a nap." Things were finally starting to look up, so she didn't want that ruining it.

[Toogee]

Meanwhile, Jam watched the interaction between Eva and Angelica. Despite Eva's earlier complaints, they still seemed good with each other. She guessed they kissed and made up (out?).

Just when Eva asked about sleeping, Jam heard the angry whispers of Norbert. Instinctively, the dancer scooted closer to Eva and Angelica to avoid blowback.

"I think he's busy with Lumi," Jam replied. "Better get that sleep now."