Return of the Emblem Chapter Thirteen: Flight

[Mercakete]

"You're an earth dragon, right?" Norbert asked, "So why don't you just set them off from a distance with...whatever it is you dragons do? Cause a small earthquake, or whatever. Maybe we can cause a landslide and knock over the entire base that way, depending on how close-together those mines are, and if the base is on a rise of some sort... Not right away, of course, but after we get the pegasi and their riders airborne...unless there's some way to activate some of the mines and not all of them. It'll be an easy way of knocking down the wall, at least, if we can't just head in through the main entrance once everyone's watching the dragon."

[Nanami Touko]

"Any chance Sasha, myself and two other people could fly over and in while we're attacking; start working on the fort from the inside?" Eva ignored Bert's ideas about Sonya taking it down with her earth dragon magic. Why would she be here, asking for help, if she could've done all of that by herself? Explosions or not, and drawing attention or not, if she could've removed all those mines that quickly, Eva had a feeling she would've already. "I mean, I don't know how many balliaste they have, but if it's not that many, I'm confident I can get Sasha in before we're taken down, especially if they're contending with a ground forcing coming at them, at the same time."

[Mercakete]

He didn't say anything yet, but Norbert did agree with flying over the wall ahead of the ground forces. It had been part of his plan before they even entered the woods, after all, and if the ballistae could only turn so far either direction, then the safest place from them was behind the walls. The trouble was just how many people would be focused on Sonya if they flew in too early. They might choose to deal with the easier threat first, and then they'd all be dead or captured, along with their mounts.

"If there's a gate or something we can open from the inside, then knocking over a wall guard or two might be our best option," Norbert agreed, "but if we fly in too early, then we'd be putting the plan, our mounts, and ourselves in more danger than it's worth. So, I'd still wait until everyone else is at the door and then just let them in through a gate or something. If these bandits are as well-armed as the dragon says, their base is probably big, and there's probably a lot of bandits. Getting overrun too quickly isn't going to help us."

[Phoenix]

Planning Phase

"Is not safe," Sonya replied to Norbert, "I am not knowing exactly where mines are. Sending shockwave through ground is maybe setting all of nearby mines off together. No telling what is happening, then."

"The commander would want this place left in tact, anyway," the guard captain chimed in, "at least for now." A free outpost was nothing to sneeze at, though the imperials obviously already knew about it. It would need some massive refortifying if it was going to serve in any useful capacity. They would also need to capture a bandit that could point out the remaining mines. Lastly, they would need to establish a quick and safe route from Ursaea all the way to this new outpost if they were going to make full use of it. It was a lot of work, but it would be might be worth it in the long run.

"I am recalling four ballista," Sonya noted after Eva, a grimace forming on her face, "but ... there is ... possibly more, here and elsewhere."

A lot of the patrolmen were surprised their imperial partner here was willing to take on that many ballistae at once, even if it was as a mere distraction. Putting it plainly, the bandits had anti-air power befitting a military outpost, even stronger if there were more than four individual platforms.

"Maybe you are seeing base for yourself, then planning specifics?" Sonya added after hearing Norbert's next suggestion. "Mines are protecting base, but it is bad idea putting them near walls, so I am doubting they are doing something like that."

Troubleshooting Phase

"By the way, Greta," Glen kept his voice low as he called to the merchant, "we're a little ways past Ursaea." As Greta flinched, he added, "I'm sorry, I forgot you needed to head into town, again."

"Merz," Greta groaned as she hopped out the back of the moving wagon. She had half a mind to run over and grab Luca, but she wasn't confident she could rein the horse in without his actual rider around. When she saw that Ursaea was a quarter mile northwest, she started to reconsider trying her luck with the nomad horse.

"Come on," she gently encouraged Luca as she approached, "it's just for a short ride into town." He didn't appear threatening or even a little hostile at the moment, but Greta was still slightly wary of him, not knowing the depth of his training. She managed to mount him easily enough, but it soon became obvious that he wasn't interested in following Greta's directions past the point of convenience. "Urgh ... this might not be the right horse," she muttered, as Luca ignored the rein movements. He didn't want to leave the group since Nadya hadn't returned. There was too much chance of being permanently separated. "How am I gonna rein this guy in ...?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Four or more? You're kidding..." If it had been one, two, maybe even three, Eva would've risked flying through them, but four with the possibility of there being more hiding elsewhere in range meant that no amount of Nyx delivered flying knowledge was going to keep her safe forever. And making Sasha into a pin cushion was not her biggest priority. "Scratch that plan, then. I'm surprised you're even willing to do this with that many sitting around. Dragon or not, that... <You could seriously die, Sonya.>" How worrisome. Maybe this dragon shared Eva's penchant for danger, but to this level, it seemed almost not worth the risk.

[Mercakete]

Norbert shook his head. "Depending on how the ballistae move, we could be in just as much danger on the ground as in the air. The sooner we can get behind them, the better, provided they can't turn all the way around and face inside the base. And it may be safer to plan further away from the place, but yeah, seeing it for ourselves and looking for hidden ballistae is probably a good idea. It takes time to reload them, yeah, but the fewer we have to deal with on the whole, the better."

[-Cynthia-]

It was rather difficult to argue that the lives of some murdering, war mongering bandits were really worth the risk saving. Am I a poor follower of Mercy for thinking that? Perhaps I am being a little hypocritical in judging these humans.

"I'm afraid I won't be of much help there- riding horses is not a common pastime in Aquila," Liam noted to Greta.

[Phoenix]

Ballista Problems

"Maybe now you are all seeing how much I am wanting bandits punished? ... and yyyes," Sonya paused, momentarily, feeling uncomfortable about what she was going to have to explain. At least once she did explain, they would all understand why she needed to distract the bandits for them; it wasn't merely an overwhelming desire to see them dealt with. "They are using mostly imperial ballistae, newer ones. They are shooting at targets on ground, too," she nodded dejectedly. "That is why you are needing me. I am distracting them so you are surprising them."

"Imperial ballistae ... really?" Doran cringed. Sonya seemed sincere in her desire to remove the bandit problem, but gods, did it ever seem like the rest of her people were backing these criminals up to no end.

"Yes, really," Sonya said, her eyes closed and her tone somber.

"Let's see if we can't come in through a wall, then," the guard captain spoke up. "It's not as fast as flying over or taking whatever passes for the main gate at this place, but if we can use their facilities for cover and not get pinned down at the entrance, we might have a chance of overwhelming them. There aren't a lot of mounts, either, so we shouldn't have to worry about mobility issues ... it's just a matter of whether or not the wall can be breached with magic." He glanced over at the two people he knew were mages, Shadrak and Angelica.

Shadrak seemed to be contemplating it, but without knowing what the wall was made out of, he couldn't really make a judgment call. While stone should really be the only thing that would take too long breaching to have that be a practical approach, it seemed unlikely the bandits could put up fortifications like that without someone noticing, even all the way out here. There would have to be a boatloads of supplies coming through on a weekly basis. The guard captain and Doran, as well as some of the other Ursaean guards, were thinking the same thing.

Transportation Problems

"Well does anyone have a more cooperative horse? I don't wanna have to start bribin'em just to get'em goin' the right way."

"Well, the wagon horses are ... reasonable," Glen said, knowing full well they weren't going to untack either of them just so Greta could have a quicker trip to Ursaea, a trip she could likely complete on foot by the time the horse was untacked and fitted with a saddle. Did they even have spare saddles? Glen was stuck wondering about that for a moment while Greta considered her options, a wagon horse not being among said options.

[Toogee]

"Four or more? You're kidding..." If it had been one, two, maybe even three, Eva would've risked flying through them, but four with the possibility of there being more hiding elsewhere in range meant that no amount of Nyx delivered flying knowledge was going to keep her safe forever. And making Sasha into a pin cushion was not her biggest priority. "Scratch that plan, then. I'm surprised you're even willing to do this with that many sitting around. Dragon or not, that... <You could seriously die, Sonya.>" How worrisome. Maybe this dragon shared Eva's penchant for danger, but to this level, it seemed almost not worth the risk.

Norbert shook his head. "Depending on how the ballistae move, we could be in just as much danger on the ground as in the air. The sooner we can get behind them, the better, provided they can't turn all the way around and face inside the base. And it may be safer to plan further away from the place, but yeah, seeing it for ourselves and looking for hidden ballistae is probably a good idea. It takes time to reload them, yeah, but the fewer we have to deal with on the whole, the better."

Jam caught wind of Eva's plan to sneak behind enemy lines to open the gate was a terrific plan. She seemed hesitant after hearing about the number of ballista. Strangely, Norbert was still somewhat supportive of the idea. How strange, Eva being more hesitant to rush into battle than Norbert. The dancer decided to step forward and talk to Eva.

"He's right, you know," Jam began. "We need to get into that fort quickly. You just need a wind mage to deflect arrows and me as support when you get down there. My magic can take care of those arrows too. You just need to focus on flying."

Admittedly, Jam wasn't exactly a tactical genius. She made no mention on what they would do once they reached the fort and were surrounded by foes. She pretty much assumed they would just kick butt afterwards.

[Mercakete]

"We should get going, then," Norbert commented as he began making his way over to a still-suspicious Rizen, "Once we see the place, we'll have a better idea of what we're up against. Then we'll be able to discuss what to do about it and actually make some progress with our planning, rather than spending all day making guesses."

He mounted up when he reached Rizen. She wasn't nearly as jumpy as before, but she still didn't want to get any closer to the dragon. "Hey, Sonya, do you think the bandits have ballistae hidden around the base, and not just mounted on it? 'Cause if they do, I think those should be our first targets. And you'll have to show us where the traps are on the way, 'cause I'm sure there's more where these" he indicated the disarmed bear traps that were in plain view "came from, and not only outside the base."

He was sure that, being a flying animal herself, Sonya understood this, so he directed the note to those who probably never dealt with flying mounts before. "And keeping pace with you over the mines is probably not going to happen. I can't direct every step Rizen takes, and if we're staying low, I can do that, but we'll still be gliding. Not enough wind this close to the ground for anything else."

The rider's eyes shifted to Sonya again. "But if there are hidden ballistae, and we find them, those of us with wings could attack those while you cross the minefield." He looked back to the captain. "We'll have an easier time catching up than those of you on foot would."

Edited September 5, 2015 by Mercakete

[Nanami Touko]

At least Jam seemed chipper enough to deal with this. "If you're sure you and Angelica can handle it, then we should at least try. Alright... Angelica, I know you don't like flying, but, do you want to hop on so we can all get there quicker?" Perhaps this wouldn't be that bad. If they could get in and provide a disturbance for the group attacking against the wall, even take out the ballistae... Things would get a lot easier, a lot faster. And then Sonya wouldn't be in danger, either! And that'd be great. So Eva once again agreed with Bert, waking her sack of scales up, and getting him to start moving. "Let's be off towards this fort."

[Phoenix]

One More Thing

"Wait wait," the guard captain said, waving at the fliers before looking to Sonya, "regardless of what our plan is, how are you going to know about it? If you get too close, they'll know you're coming from a mile away." Her arrival here hadn't been very subtle, either. "We at least need to decide which side of the base you'll be running interference on ahead of time."

"Base entrance is facing west," Sonya replied, "you are going in western side, either through gate or through wall. Rest is up to you; I will be keeping their attention from east side. Hopefully weapons are all turned that way when you are arriving." That was ... good enough, the guard captain supposed, but there was also the matter of timing. "It will be taking you maybe three hours before reaching mines on foot. I am beginning decoy mission in three and half hours. This is giving you time to plan. Okay?"

"We'll be sitting around waiting if we get there early," Shadrak noted, "and the bandits will have fair warning and ample time to prepare if Fizza doesn't catch those stragglers, but that's all I have to say about it."

Bribe Successful

Greta decided to just bribe Luca to get him to cooperate, which meant retrieving some food from their supplies. By sheer luck, she chose an apple, and that instantly got the horse's attention. "See this?" she asked, "it's yours if ya give me a ride. We won't be gone all that long."

Luca didn't really care about what she was saying. He just wanted the apple, so when she mounted up again, he turned his head slightly, glancing back at the delicious fruit and ignored everything else, including the direction she was giving. After a little while, he began to realize that she had no intention of handing over the apple until she'd gotten what she wanted ...

"Come on," she said, her waning patience well hidden behind a calm expression and gentle words.

Luca was annoyed but took a few sniffs at the wagon then turned around to head for Ursaea. If he had to find his way back to this moving thing and the others, he would, but he didn't like wandering away from the herd for no discernible reason. "Finally," Greta sighed in relief, "I'll see ya'll later. Tell Nadya I promise I'll bring him back no worse for wear and that I'm sorry," she added, smiling guiltily.

[Toogee]

Jam wasted no time with getting onto Sasha. This time, she was facing the tail end of the wyvern. At this position, the dancer would be able to cover any arrows coming from behind. Her hands grasped the edges of the saddle to keep steady for takeoff.

"I've got your back," Jam said to Eva. She was hoping she didn't need both hands to hang on the whole time or she would be entirely useless.

[Phoenix]

Updates

It didn't take Greta long to make it to the southern gate; she was thankful she'd headed out sooner or it might have been a needlessly long trip back. There was still the question of how to keep Luca cooperating with her, but for now, he was behaving like most any trained horse. She arrived to find the southern gate a bit less heavily guarded than before. She wondered if some of the men had been diverted to the bandit hunt yesterday. Another thing she noticed, something that immediately worried her, was that the wanted signs had been updated. Of course, her face wasn't there, but she recognized a few of them ...

"Oh dear." She dismounted and led Luca over so she could take a closer look at the new signs. There were some warrants posted with no pictures, as well, just vague descriptions, but the new ones were definitely for their group. The ones that had rough pictures were the ones of Valter, Liam, and Angelica. There was a decent description of Shadrak in one of the others, but without a picture, he could probably get away with a simple change of clothes. Angelica solved her issue before it even became an issue, but the former two would likely need some help. She didn't look over all the new wanted signs since she'd seen enough to know that they needed to focus on getting out of Ursium altogether, not just disguising themselves.

"Come on, Luca," she gently tugged on the horse's reins, "You'll get your apple once I get ya hitched up at the barracks ... though I'm not sure I wanna head over there all of a sudden. I know I'm not in trouble ... yet, but now that words gotten this far, I'm feelin' nervous."

Luca could tell Greta was nervous, which was somewhat baffling to him. Why were they here if this place was so dangerous? She should have brought one of the males along if she felt there was danger, though, again, why come here at all if it was so dangerous? This was not the best human to be leading him around, he felt, and he sorely missed Nadya.

[Ether]

"Breaching it with magic, huh? It shouldn't be a problem, but depending on what it's made of, it might take a little while... and it might be loud. If we're lucky and it's just some reinforced wood, then there'd be no problem, but if it's stone or solid metal, I can still get through it, but they're gonna know it's happened." Angelica replied to the query on their ability to break and enter, as it were.

"And as much as I don't like it, I suppose I should. No use in wasting energy along the way." Angelica replied with a shrug, walking over to Eva as she spoke, stopping at the side of Sasha.

"What's easier for you, if I'm in the back, behind Jamilla, or in front of you?"

[Phoenix]

Taking Flight

"You are handling wall problem, then?" Sonya asked, though it was somewhat rhetorical, as she wasn't exactly waiting for a response, "very good. I am heading off. Be remembering enemy mines," she called down as she took off, shredding through numerous branches as she did. It seemed like Sonya was through with walking for the time being.

"The mines, right," the guard captain rubbed his chin as leaves, twigs, and a few large branches rained down all around them. "We're supposed to keep our eyes on where the animals are going. Only the small ones bother to get anywhere near the mines, and apparently they find their way around the bloody things."

The captain remembered the details from the sound of things, so that was good. Angelica seemed prepared to deal with the wall, even if it was fortified, so Shadrak likely wouldn't have to worry too much about that, either ... although, he might be able to help quietly soften up a wall for a finishing blow if it came to that. He doubted the bandits had anything a simple wind spell couldn't obliterate in one go but one couldn't be totally certain of anything these days.

"Hey, Bert," one of the guards called over to the rider, "we could use one of the pegasi on the ground so we know when we're getting close to the mines. That scent thing, right? If we set one off by accident, we'll be down at least one man and the bandits will know we're coming. Just a suggestion."

[Mercakete]

Norbert looked over to the guard when he was addressed, having already gotten far enough away from the dragon that the branches she broke through weren't directly overhead. The man's idea wasn't a bad one. He wasn't entirely sure why he was the one the guy informed about that, but his biggest guess was because he, himself, had a pegasus. Thinking about it, Rizen was the most in tune with her natural instincts of the mounts they had. Was she the best option, though? Lumi never fought on Star...but would he obediently follow along, even when there was a minefield ahead? The rider just didn't know the black-coated pegasus well enough to be sure. And then there was the potential of hidden ballistae to disarm.

He turned his attention to the guard captain. "So, are we going to be looking for any ballistae the bandits might have hidden in the wilderness while those on the ground head to the base?" Then, he asked Lumi, "If we are, do you think Star would let you know if you get close to the minefield? I know you don't like fighting with him, but you might have to help look for ballistae if Star can't smell the mines. Riz and I will stay down if you want to go up or if you think Star can't smell them."

[scorri]

Lumi frowned and shook her head. "I'm going in on foot. Star's staying back here, I don't want him anywhere near any of this fight. I don't care if you call me selfish, I rescued him from a military life to help save him, not risk his life looking for mines or ballistae. He's not getting involved. End of story."

[Mercakete]

Norbert sighed, but he understood. It was annoying not having more wings in the air, but there was only so much they could do, and if Star wasn't used to combat, he'd only be endangering himself. So, Norbert dismounted and took up Rizen's reins as a lead. She tended to react more instinctually when he wasn't on her back, and in this case, that was exactly what they needed.

To Eva, he called, "Looks like the sky's yours, once we get moving. Good luck."

With the dragon gone, Rizen, though wary, was willing to venture into the newly-made clearing. Her rider informed the captain, "If you'd like, once we have a direction to go in, we'll lead the way. Rizen'll let me know if she doesn't want to go somewhere, and that should be our minefield."

[Nanami Touko]

Sasha curiously kept looking at all of the people mounting him, not doing anything more than giving them said look, before settling down. He was getting used to having more people than Eva on him, but it was still confusing as to why it had become to often. They seemed nice enough, so he didn't growl or make any bother. The only thing that was threatening him had left, anyway, so he was calm.

Eva gave Bert a simple nod, not really feeling up to talking to him. As for Angelica, "get up in front. If I have eyes on you it'll... Ah, uh... W-Well." She blushed, just a bit, and scratched at her face gently. "<Give me some peace of mind, during this whole thing. If you don't mind.>"

[Ether]

Smirking at Eva's reaction, Angelica quickly mounted up on Sasha in front of Eva, and pressed herself back against the rider for support.

"<Just make sure to pay enough attention to the air so we don't crash, hmm?>"

[Nanami Touko]

She always gets so close... Eva kept blushing a bit, shaking her head some. "<Come on, you think I'd get distracted enough to endanger us all, let alone you? Give me some credit.>" She snapped Sasha's reins and the big beasty started to move himself, getting him wings ready for flying. "Both of you sitting tight, there? We're gonna take off and get moving.

[Toogee]

"Ready when you two are done saying inappropriate things in foreign languages," Jam cheekily replied, turning her head to look at the two. Granted, she had no idea what they were talking about, but Eva's blushing told all.

[Ether]

"Oh don't be silly, Jamilla. I was just telling Eva to make sure we don't crash." Angelica replied to the dancer with a smirk, pressing back tighter against the rider as Sasha began to move.

[Phoenix]

Huntress

The bandits were quicker than Fizza had initially given them credit for, but she wasn't worried. They were in such a blind rush to make it back to their hideout that they were leaving a trail fairly easy for her to follow. Footprints in the soft soil, broken twigs, disturbed bushes, and the general paths through the woods that they were taking, made it easy for Fizza to close the distance. They were following the path of least resistance in getting back to their fellows and were being anything but subtle about it. She would catch one of them, and any others would likely run, having no doubt convinced themselves that if at least one of them made it back to warn the others, it would be worth it.

It wasn't easy to actually plan her attack, though. Fizza had a craving for violence that didn't mesh well with her training as an assassin. It was a weakness she would have to overcome eventually, otherwise she might be lured into an open brawl and defeated. While she was a very capable fighter, her training revolved around minimalist methods and quick and decisive attacks. Her instincts on the other hand wanted nothing more than to fight an enemy face to face, defeating them only after everyone involved had brought their best into the confrontation. If the bandits didn't leave one of their own for Fizza to kill, realizing that the rest of them would be run down before they made it back to the base, she was going to have a difficult time restraining her urge to let the confrontation descend into a bloody brawl.

Moving Out

The guard captain nodded to Norbert and then motioned for his men to get ready to head out. He was glad that by the end of the chat with Sonya, the runners from the initial encounter had sneakily come back to see what was going on. A few of them would need filling in, and maybe a bit of convincing, which he would leave to the rest of his men. He was just thankful that he didn't have to send people out to go and find them. They were already pushing their luck with the numbers they did have.

There was still the matter of that whisper, Shadrak thought to himself, the one that kept warning him about various things. He likely wouldn't be able to bait them, or perhaps it, into exposing itself. It was going to be a long walk, and a he knew this little mystery was going to be bothering him the entire time.

So it was back to following Norbert around and hoping they didn't die suddenly. Not exactly an improvement in Doran's eyes, but at least they knew where they were going, this time. He was more worried about the battle itself, as well as the aftermath. What if the captives were somehow killed in the fighting? What if some of the men tried to man the ballistae at the fort to try and bring down Sonya? He couldn't blame them for wanting to ... they'd be heroes, never forgotten by history, but still ...

Catching Up

Eventually, Isis arrived at the road where the scouting party had spent the night. A thorough search of the area revealed two fresh graves near a small clearing that must have been fresh, as well. The area was also littered with steel traps, all of which had been triggered. The whole thing was rather odd looking in general, but what took the cake in Amon's eyes, was the massive arrow carved into the dirt at the center of the clearing. It pointed almost exactly northward. A sign left by the scouting party, perhaps? But why would they leave a sign for others to follow if they didn't know they had reinforcements coming? He supposed Joanna might have taken his advice, explored her abilities a little further, and found a way to alert the scouting party. It did seem like it would be within the range of abilities the emblem would grant her, but if she didn't begin to lean on it more the way Raquel did, those abilities would never manifest.

Haythem opted to fly lower from now on so that they would have an easier time avoiding any ballistae that happened to be hidden around the area. Still, the only reason he was even willing to consider going any farther into such dangerous territory with his precious wyvern was because Nadya was with them and would be able to heal any minor woulds Isis suffered in an ambush. If she could stay airborne despite taking a couple of hits, then they would be fine, regardless of what the ballisticians tried. Flying low would also make it easier for the scouting party to contact them, as the very act of flying low and kicking up dirt and rustling the treetops would act as their own signal. The only thing that might go wrong here was a vicious surprise on the bandits' part.

Best Laid Plans

Things hadn't gone exactly as Fizza had planned. She effortlessly caught up to the fleeing bandits, but she found that the stragglers from the ambush that morning had linked up with a somewhat larger group on their way back to the fort. Fizza killed the first one before the group even knew she was there, and she would have struck down another if the realization that she was grossly outnumbered hadn't suddenly donned on her as she was moving in for the next kill. Instead of driving her blade into her target's neck, she kicked him into a trio of his fellow bandits and then leaped back. Her instincts took over and she drew her other blade in preparation for a no holds barred brawl as the bandits staggered to their feet.

Three more cut off her retreat, but she didn't plan on going anywhere. Some of them were smiling, a sign to Fizza that they were a little too sure of the outcome. She hadn't noticed any traps, so she was sure they were only confident in their numbers and personal abilities. That was when Fizza heard one bandit tell another that she would make a good catch for their boss. The one remaining straggler from the morning's ambush was wholly against the idea, and was quick to point out his dead partner on the ground behind her. Still, they had the advantage of numbers and didn't plan on being frightened off by some woman with a couple of flimsy looking dirks poking out from her wrist guards.

Fizza knew that the situation wasn't as simple as just killing everyone. If she proved that their numbers advantage wouldn't do them any good, they would scatter like roaches and take different routes back to their base. She wouldn't be able to catch them all, not on this lousy terrain. It wasn't just the sadistic urge to kill everyone driving her, the whole plan hinged on the scouting party arriving without the bandits knowing about it. She had to make sure none of them made it back to their boss, which meant she had to carefully orchestrate this fight, and make certain that they held onto some hope of winning right up until she was in a position to finish them off before anyone could escape. She didn't like the idea of allowing herself to be smacked around, but it was necessary to sell the deception. Hopefully the bruises wouldn't last too long ...

Inglorious Victory

The fight was over in less than two minutes, but it hadn't been fun. Neither Fizza's pride as an assassin, nor her killer instincts had been satisfied by that bout. She'd passed up numerous opportunities to defeat these people in more satisfying ways, passing up glorious death blows, for clumsily executed, overly feminine looking swings and thrusts that left the men rattled, but unafraid. She'd been kicked, backhanded, slammed into the tree she was certainly sitting under, and conked on the head nearly hard enough to cause her to lose consciousness. Even now she was still seeing stars, but all of her opponents lay dead, strewn about a few meters in front of her. Not one of them had thought to flee until Fizza had dropped her act and driven her blades home with devastating efficiency. They tried to take her alive, the fools. It wasn't the first time a group of fighters had tried that on her, but it was the first time Fizza had allowed herself to be so thoroughly clobbered by her would be captors. It was for the sake of the scouting party and Sonya's plan, though. Next time, she told herself, next time, she would do things her way. She'd be wiping the enemy's blood from her lips, not her own.

As she promised herself a better fight in the future, she heard a group approaching. They were coming up from the south, so it likely wasn't another group of bandits. It must have been the scouting party. Fizza wondered how long she'd been sitting there thinking to herself. She used the tree to support her weight as she hauled herself up. She'd taken even more damage than she'd first realized. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, she was hurting more or less all over. She could still fight, tuning out the pain to regain her speed, power, and precision, but she would prefer it if she could just get healed like everyone else.

A thought occurred as Norbert and Rizen came into view ... they weren't at the minefield just yet. For a little while, Fizza had wondered if she had wound up following the stragglers safely through the mines, but she was sure that wasn't the case, anymore. Still a ways to go, but likely not too much farther, as the bandits thought the area safe enough for a wrathdamned discussion about things other than the approaching Ursaeans and mercenaries.

The Wait

Greta arrived at the barracks to find the place nearly deserted. She supposed it didn't matter, since the guards that were there looked intimidating in their heavier armor, as if they could hold down the entire district by themselves if they had to. She went inside to see the commander, hitching Luca just outside the grounds. She just wanted some assurance that he would keep his word before she went back to waiting, and she'd gotten it. The commander went so far as to sign and stamp a special document before handing it over to her. It was a requisition form for this little task Greta's associates were performing for him. She would have her pick of the wagons on the grounds once the job was done. She supposed with a requisition form in her hands, she didn't need to stick around all day, and left the barracks. She'd promised to return in a little while to check on the mission's progress, though if the patrolmen hadn't returned by the time she had, there wouldn't be any news, whether or not the job had already been finished.

Once outside, Greta unhitched Luca and began to lead him along. She'd already given him the apple for bringing her this far. Her good faith had paid off, though not for the reasons she'd thought. She thought Luca was being grateful for her finally giving him the treat, but he was waiting to see if she was going to eventually take them to the markets. If she did, then he would be able to pester her into buying him even more treats. He wouldn't pull something like this with Nadya, but Greta was a different handler and dammit, he was not staying away from his true caretaker for any longer than necessary without some sort of incentive.

Two Paths

Glen stopped the wagon once the fork in the road came into view. It wasn't an ideal place to make camp, but they hadn't decided whether to go to Urquium, or to Sergio. Both were port cities which would likely have some captain willing to ferry them over to Kigen. Urquium was closer; they could get there sometime tomorrow evening if the group reunited and headed out by early morning. Sergio was still a few more days away, but was at the very edge of Ursian territory in the south. Kigen was a very short trip from there. If not for the wagons, they could probably even raft their way across safely.

Tired, and a little bored, Glen sat down inside the wagon, using a crate as a backrest while he absentmindedly thumbed through a random tome, hoping to bore himself to sleep. A nap would do him a lot of good right now.

Joanna meanwhile was monitoring the situation with the various group members. Since the scouting party's reinforcements had left to go and rendezvous with them, Joanna had tried to locate Greta. She found that the woman was doing just fine. Next, she checked on the scouting group, and found that they were fine, barely held together, anymore, but fine. Lastly, she found the reinforcements, who were riding on Isis to reach their destination. Everything seemed to be fine, but she was still worried. She continuously checked in on each of the two groups, as well as Greta, only stopping once to eat, and again for a short nap to revitalize herself. By the time Glen had stopped the wagon, she was ready to resume watch. If only she could do more than that, she thought to herself.