Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 5 Magonsaete Route

[Shin]

Afternoon of 20th May 812 - Magonsaete, south of the Myrcian border

The journey back to Magonsaete had been relatively uneventful, although Cass had ensured that a real drama had occurred after her departure. The south of Myrcia had remained free from Raewald or Deira's tyranny, an almost unfamiliar land of peace. However, the air of civility was soon lost after crossing the border. The wild winds of Magonsaete called out, representing the nation's dangerously free way of life. Whether she liked it or not she had company, and judging who by she was stuck with, it was likely a mixed back. Graham, her childhood "friend", his sly butler, Sebastian, and Alain, a fellow Belialist, had all joined her on her insane journey for peace. Could she truly find peace in such a savage land? Whilst there certainly fewer personal enemies out in its endless plains, there were likely far fewer friends also.

The sun was starting to bear down on the group, the plains offering little protection from its harsh rays. Graham had even resorted to removing his armour for the travel, the bulky metal plate acting as little more than a personal incinerator. With but pair of horses to their name, much of the journey was by foot. Thankfully some clever navigation had helped them avoid the mountainous region that Captain Haddock had been imprisoned in, but it was by no means a pleasant journey.

Graham let out a sigh, allowing Sebastian and Alain to separate him from Cass. It was almost like a dream come true, but it still didn't feel right. No matter how much he tried to think of the positives, attempting to make a move left a bitter taste at the back of his throat. Sebastian remained as content as possible, not having once complained or criticised Cass for her decision to escape.

"Another week and we should be able to reach Magon, accounting for local hospitality of course." he mused, the breeze gently flapping the map in his hands. "There are a few sights along the way if you were interested, but I feel that Magon might be the sole destination on your list, Princess. We should have enough supplies to reach it... give or take a couple of days depending on how peckish our good friend Sir Duhamel feels. Unfortunately our planning had only accounted for three runaways, numeracy proves to be the enemy of all once again."

The path ahead was as non-distinct as much of their journey inside Magonsaete. There were very few signs, if any, and most were crude and animalistic scrawls - the good people of Magonsaete were not exactly known for their penmanship.

Cass and Alain are free to post! The other members of the Magonsaete route must wait for proper introduction!

[Nanami Touko]

Despite Graham's issues with the hot sun of Magonsaete, Cass was quite enjoying it beat down on her. The winds helped, really, this whole place reminded her of summer days in Wyke. It was rather comforting, and would be generously so, were it not for the worry of a bandit attack. Things on her mind at the moment, their target goal of Magon, how the rest were getting along, and how uneventful her birthday had been. Graham had probably tried to say something but chickened out, and Alain hadn't known. So wasn't going to tell him, anyway. If life got better, she could celebrate it properly next year. Eighteen now, though... I bet Father wished I was married by now. Heh. It's funny to think about these things, isn't it? Funny, albeit melancholic...

"We make for Magon. If we're running low on supplies, then there's no time for sightseeing. Perhaps once we've managed to settle there, we'll have the means to make expeditions elsewhere." Yes, settled. Settled and comfortable... That old farmer could use extra hands, surely. Cass was fine with that, as long as she had a soft place to sleep, she'd manage. Hard labor wouldn't cause her any problems. Still, one thing did eat at her. "You can still go back, Graham," she sighed out, glancing back at him. "I'm not your responsibility. And you're Sebastian's. You aren't meant for these lands."

[Vestige]

Alain let out a snort. "A thousand pardons my good sir. Had I known the plan earlier, I'd have packed my own lunches thank you very much," he replied, offering an overly grandiose bow to Sebastian. What he wouldn't do for a steward of his own right now. It's not that he didn't have vassals... he just didn't think to bring them. 

The trek itself had proven to be fairly ho hum. It was a blessing to be sure, but the walking was proving dreadful and he didn't have much in the way of company. Graham was, well, Graham--and Sebastian was a man of few words. Although, among the Wykians he was the odd one out so who was he to be complaining? I should have brought more reading material. Magic tomes could only get so much more interesting after a thousand repetitions. 

"That's awfully nice of you Captain, but I should remind you that just because we all got here in one piece doesn't mean the tin can and his butler aren't going to meet their untimely end on the way back. Plus I'm sure the boy is simply delighted to be here, ain't that right Graham?" he said, winking at the young Herman. It didn't take a genius to figure out why Graham was playing tag along, but he'd been oddly muted since the journey began.

A sign of maturity, perhaps. 

"In any event, I'll agree. Best to find a place to call home before venturing out in uncharted territory for some off-handed sight seeing," he said. 

[Shin]

Making for Magon

Graham perked up at Cass' mention of his name, breaking of his dreary wandering. He hurried forwards, closing the gap between himself and his allies. "I'm here because I want to be, I'm not turning around." he protested, visibly annoyed with how little faith people had in him. "It's just really hot wearing all that armour all the time, I'm managing just fine like this... I think..."

Sebastian smirked, giving his master an almost patronising applause. "Well said, Master Graham. My greatest concern is if Sir Duhamel were to have an unfavourable meeting with a shovel, I am here for your safety as much that of Master Graham and the Princess." he replied, eying the map again. "There is a delightful shortcut through one of the territories here, but I'm afraid that the locals prefer baking their guests into pies rather than allow them free passage. Baron Esclabor may have butchered his entire army, but he did provide some information on the local customs." 

However, it wasn't that they particularly needed Esclabor's intel to view the natives. A group of weather-beaten ruffians were causing a commotion up ahead. There were around two dozen of them, spread out around a pair of young women. Their leader was a robed man, one with a face that was somewhat familiar, but so very forgetable at the same time. He approached the two women, his goons backing him up as he readied his sword.

"There's a toll fer passin' through here, girlies. An' I ain't talking about just sayin' please, if you catch my drift." he menaced, the men around him chuckling darkly.

Graham looked to Cass, fretting that she might jump in herself to fight. Could they really deal with so many people when they were so few themselves? He didn't want to let those ruffians get their way, but were they really strong enough to deal with them?

Sylvia and Naimanzuunnanditsetseg are free to post!

[Ether]

"A toll, huh? Don't remember any booths on this road." Came in reply to the robed ruffian's ultimatum, from a somewhat deep, authoritative voice. Letting her hand rest on the holstered revolver at her hip, the corsair looked over the gathered men around her... well, them, she supposed. The caravan had been sacked, wagon resting in the ditch, the blood of the driver and his merchants staining the grass. They had been killed outright because they weren't worthy merchandise on their own, but Sylvia and the hunter girl that had joined up with them recently, well... that was another story.

"The way I see it, y'all already took a toll from them there folks, don'tcha think? Y'see, in Myrcia we're pretty used to dealin' with the tax man. Sometimes he gets greedy, see? Dips his hands too deep into yer pockets." Sylvia replied, her voice steady, as she watched the encroaching bandits like a hawk.

"And see, when he does that, Mr. Tax man gets his hand chopped off, see? Sometimes the whole arm, iffin' yer feeling vengeful that day. So what I would recommend, see..." The hearty woman continued, pausing for a moment as she drew her Culverin, and leveled it between the eyes of the man who appeared to be the ring leader, looking behind him over the horizon at the approaching group... they didn't look like bandits, too fancy. Maybe they'd have a chance to do more than kill as many as they could before going down if they were gifted a bit of intervention.

"...Is that you and yours scurry along before you get into some trouble." Sylvia concluded, detaching the lance from her back and holding it defensively. A sturdy cedar shaft and steel head made it more than sufficient to deal with whatever kind of blade this sort was likely to bring into battle. Giving a light nod to the girl next to her, to indicate the group nearby. It was unlikely they didn't see the commotion, but a signal of some sort couldn't hurt.

[Nanami Touko]

Sebastian seemed off, and of course, Graham said he was staying. What a mess... Even more of a mess was the sudden disturbance they'd happened upon. A small group set upon by bandits. Such were the wilds of Magonsaete, were it a worse situation, the groups would be reversed... Could they do anything? Cass waved for everyone to get down, were one of the bandits to turn around. Was one of the other group looking towards them? Down on one knee, Cass sighed quietly. "What do you think, Alain? Should we try to help? It looks to be a large group, but... Maybe the two have some supplies we could ask for, in exchange for helping. If we keep our lives..." The smarter thing to do would be to turn and run, make their ways away from this, as much as Cass would chide herself for it later.

"If we charge now, we might be able to take one of them down in the surprise, but you'd have to lead us off, Alain. Your magic will get there faster than any running soldier would. I..." Cass grumbled. "I'd like to help, if we can. But these things, this isn't just my life, so... Please, the rest of you, thoughts."

[Vestige]

"Woooow! Real nice shortcut you picked out for us butler. I'm sure we'll be able to shave off a couple hours now." From what he could see, they'd landed upon the classic scenario of bandit meets girl. Well, bandits meet girls really. Looks like there were a lot more people with them at one point...  

Cass seemed like she wanted to help, but perhaps a bit surprisingly she wasn't too sure one way or the other. He sighed, quickly trying to deliberate the best course of action. Admittedly, their odds weren't too good. The enemy had about three men for every one of their own. It was a tad worrying to say the least. That being said, they had just gotten done fighting Deira's trained soldiers so perhaps a ragtag team of bandits wouldn't pose too much of a problem. Hopefully.

"It's a pain in the ass, but I think I speak for everyone when I say it'd leave a sour taste in the mouth to just turn back now," he said, turning to his companions. "We'll see if we can't give them a hand. If things start to go south though, we're leaving. No questions asked. I'm not here to play the part of the Justice Jokers," he muttered. He could live with the guilt if it meant getting to keep his head. 

"Cass brings up a good point, so I'll lead off. I doubt these guys have seen a lick of magic in their life--hopefully the two ladies make good of the chaos and create some distance. We'll rush in and back them up. It's not much of a plan, but judging from the circumstances it's probably as good as we're going to get."  

He looked back at the unfolding scene and noticed the older woman had the bandits enthralled in some sort of monologue. It seemed like she'd caught on to their approach. That was good, but it also worried him a little. "They seem fairly occupied now, so get ready. Just keep one thing in mind. Don't assume they wont turn around and gut us once we're done dealing with the bandits. This is Magonsaete after all."

With all that said he stood up, snapped his fingers, and brought the sky crashing down. 

[Ether]

It seems intervention was at hand, one of the approaching group had conjured some sort of magic... she had seen mages before. Scary when left unmolested, but they tended to crumple under pressure. That didn't matter though, as the crash of thunder and lightning came down, Sylvia depressed her finger on the trigger of her Culverin, aiming to take off the leader's head...

[Shin]

Songs from the Sky

"Yer didn't look hard enough, girlie." their leader snarled, unimpressed by any of Sylvia's taunts. "You know what we do with people who try to talk their way out of trouble? We cut their lips off and fry them fer dinner. This ain't Myrcia, doll, people who are strong strive here, yer can save yer yapping for after we've cut you up! Boys! Get them both, I'm in a bad mood! First Cousin Lanval then this!"

The large bolt of lightning certainly caught their attention, striking the centre of the crowd and completely frying one of the bandits. Unfortunately it mostly alerted them to Alain's presence. Their leader pointed angrily at the mage, almost foaming at the mouth as he raged. "Get them too! If I see another turdhead turn up to interrupt this robbery I'm cutting their face off and using it as a toilet seat cover!"

Sylvia's shot was just wide of the man's head, but it conveyed the message perfectly. Intimidation was a tactic that hadn't gotten the bandits very far, a full out attack was their best option. He glared at the woman, pointing to her head and the tip of his blade. "I shall use your skull as a sword holder. You've become my least favourite person, punk."

Sebastian smirked, drawing his sword. "Forgive me, I haven't had time to fashion matching uniforms. I'm afraid the Justice Friends are still one step ahead of us." he remarked, giving the blade a twirl. "You remain as affable as ever, Sir Duhamel. I can now see why you got along so well with Miss Constance."

Chapter 10B - Barbarian Fever
Objective: Rout all enemies

SPREADSHEET

Edited January 12, 2018 by Shin

[Ether]

A miss... that was unfortunate. She'd just have to splatter that numbskull's brains on the grass a bit later on, it would seem. Still, with one of the nearby men being burnt to a fine crisp, they should have a slight opening to take cover.

"Aye, Naima... Naimanz... fuck it. Daisy, if y'want to live, you'd best follow me and join up with our new best friends!" Sylvia noted, sprinting towards the newcomers, Culverin still drawn, stopping after making a bit of distance. Letting her guard down wouldn't do at all, lest one of those quicker folk with a dagger literally stab her in the back.

"You've got no idea how glad I am to see a face that ain't wantin' to skin me, y'hear?" She noted to the group, hoping they would move in a bit closer to cover them and regroup, and not leave them to dry with a small distraction.

Sylvia moves to 10,5, equips Culverin

Edited January 12, 2018 by Ether

[Balcerzak]

Naimanzuunnadintsetseg sighed in response to the ruffians' thinly veiled threats. What was it that had betrayed her? It must have been something in the way she'd been carrying herself after joining up with the caravan. Sylvia's influence perhaps? She'd initially simply planned on offloading the spoils of her latest hunt and continuing on her way, but there'd been small talk during the transaction, and the topic had come up about how they wouldn't mind adding another guard to the roster--for all the good it had ended up being in the end. At this point in exchange, something told her plainly that a lecture about how she was the proud son of Altan, and a brave warrior of the Ulagan tribe, would be too late to correct the raiders' opinions. Perhaps their mistake was, for once, in her favor, as Naimanzuunnadintsetseg contemplated the fates of those who had already died. At least she had this extra time to seek a finish with dignity, taking down a handful, maybe more, before she fell.

For some reason, Sylvia even bothered attempting the smooth talk route. Fine, let her try, the young nomad thought, discretely checking that her knife was loose in its sheath, and listening to the comforting rattle produced by a slight shrug of her shoulders--informing her that, yes, the arrows in her quiver were within easy reach. "Taxes, tolls... horseshit," she turned her head to the side and spat, not bothering to hide the contempt in her voice, whose normally lighter tenor tones were darkened by disgust. "Needn't bother dressing it up pretty-like, the ugly business you're really after." That was probably more words than they deserved, and certainly all she'd give them. Fortunately, her lancer companion's signal had not gone unnoticed, and thus the bolt from the blue did not come as entirely a surprise. Even so, when the nature of the potential aid on the horizon had been revealed as foul wizardry, it prompted a quick ritual gesture to ward off evil spirits. With any luck this wasn't going to be a frying pan into fire situation, because these saviors were far from ideal... Still, beggars can't be choosers.

The privateer's follow-up shot had missed its mark, sadly enough, but between the pair of commotions, they'd purchased some wiggle room at least, and a better glance at the approaching party. Her companion's continued inability to pronounce her name did not fail to disappoint, but Naimanzuunnadintsetseg was beginning to become resigned to this, it only warranting a slight roll of the eyes this time as the woman picked whatever flower came to mind to replace it with. No time or energy for a lecture really. "It's not that hard," was all the effort she expended as she kept pace and drew her bow. Then pausing slightly, she fell behind Sylvia to pepper one of the rogues with some arrows, covering their retreat.

Naiman to 11,6, shoot the thief on 13,6 with her bow
Graham to 10,6, Rescue Naiman, equip Partisan
Sebastian to 9,6, take Naiman, drop her on 9,5

[Nanami Touko]

Back into the fray... At least their sneak attack seemed to be paying off. While it had looked like Alain's thunder missed, when the magic cleared the charred corpse of a bandit came into view. One down, more than too many to go. Their new 'friends' found enough trust to head towards them, even offering some thanks, despite the... Odd accent. "Yes, quite. Er... I'm, Cass. We can do proper introductions later, I suppose. Just keep your wits about yourselves, and we'll see about making it through this nonsense alive!" Hopefully that was a decent enough first impression, those were important, and it'd give these two enough reason to not think her or her group as other bandits.

Approaching everyone else, Cass noted their new allies, glad that they seemed well enough to fight. Strong to boot... Hopefully I can be just as strong. She wouldn't be worrying about these bandits so much if she wasn't resting on do much doubt. "No more second chances, Cass... Do or die, now. Come at me, brigands!"

Cass moves to 8,4 and gets emerald with it (takes out the Gaffney sword)

[Vestige]

Pursuit of Darkness

Spoiler

Awaken boy... 

For the pawn doth hide from the king... 

Listen closely, and forevermore shall the darkness sing... 

It didn't take long for Belial's maddening prattle to stir Alain from his sleep. He muttered a curse under his breath as he reached over to his bedside. By now he'd grown accustomed to such abrupt awakenings, but tonight he felt more lucid than usual. Still, he dared not deviate from his route. His first course of action was to determine whether or not he had awoken to the sound of an ordinary night, or if he was on course for another unholy journey courtesy of the arch-demon himself. 

There it is... 

Within moments a warm glow danced across the room, bringing to life familiar shapes and shadows that put his heart at ease. Yet as his heart slowed, his mind stormed onward with the talk of kings and pawns. And hidden within the eye of the storm was simply: "Cassandra." 

He stood up in bewilderment--the princess' name fresh on his tongue. Of all people, and of all things, why had he suddenly thought of the princess? He shook his head, and tried to settle himself. "You're losing it Alain," he mumbled quietly. He'd reached the point in his route where he was supposed to settle back into bed and carry on with the rest of his night. But tonight of all nights he felt a peculiar sensation nudging him forward. A compulsion the likes of which would certain keep him from his mistress should he have chosen to ignore it. And if that was to be the case then... If nothing else, I suppose I ought to at least check on the girl. Perhaps Belial had taken a keen eye in tormenting the poor girl tonight. If that was true, then the least he could do was carry her through it. 

Quietly, he picked up his lantern and slipped into the hall. As he began his walk, he made sure to recognize the absurdity of what he was doing. Belial or not, the hour was past midnight for certain. Yet here he was, going to "check on her". If he happened upon someone, what sort of explanation was he supposed to give them? Unfortunately, he wasn't left with much time to ponder on that particular point as he'd made it face to face Cassandra's door. Surely he was beyond the point of no return now? True, it would be easy to simply turn back and return to his chambers, but that would mean a lot of effort gone to waste. Right?

This is preposterous...

Preposterous as it was, he ushered a few gentle knocks on the door, calling out to her. "Princess Cassandra it's me, Alain," he whispered, tugging at the door handle.

It's unlocked? 

That was a tad surprising, but he didn't consider the princess a particularly mindful girl. Surely she'd just forgotten. A stroke of good fortune for him, if nothing else. A quick peek, and he could carry on with the rest of his night--his conscience abated. He pulled down on the handle and began to push open the door, but not before being overcome with a flash of embarrassment as the vivid detail of his prior encounter with Accolon came rushing back to him. If not for the pull of demonic coercion, he'd have left then and there. But instead, he steeled himself for a flurry of harsh rebukes and thrust his lantern inside.

Empty.

The room was completely empty. In fact not only was it empty, but it looked like it hadn't even been touched for the duration of the night. Had he spent the time to examine the room further, he would have come across the letter left behind for Owen. But for his purposes, such information was entirely irrelevant. Even without understanding Cass' intentions, he'd become sharply attuned to the fact that not only was she not in her room, but she likely wasn't even in the village any longer. 

It was a sensation of nostalgia and foreboding all wrapped into one. He cursed himself for not having noticed it earlier. He'd have been able to save himself the journey, at least. The feeling was much like what he'd felt during his visit with Tarasque. The Raewalden army was home to a fair handful of Belialists already, and his skill in sniffing them out had matured without him even realizing. Had he chosen to, he didn't doubt that he'd have been able to pinpoint at least a few of them. Perhaps it would have paid to do just that. But Cassandra was different. Though he'd played his card, her link with Belial was tenuous at best--it still required care and nurturing. But it wasn't just her aura that he'd become attuned to. For the first time perhaps, he felt acutely aware of the aura that he himself had been carrying for so long. 

And what a wretched aura that was.  

Still, he couldn't help but smirk. Who knew a single page of his tome would amount to so much? But with one question answered, another question arose. If Cass had gone somewhere, where exactly had she gone. Or rather, where was she going? He could feel the ebb and flow of their combined auras gradually getting weaker, which signaled that perhaps she was still on the move. Cassandra was a fairly eccentric woman, so a late night excursion wasn't entirely out of the question... but his more rational side demanded another explanation. Was she traveling of her own volition, or had she been captured somehow? Her room had been almost entirely cleared out... so perhaps it was the former? 

He returned to his chambers, more perplexed now than before he had left. Was the fact that her room was empty simply a red herring? Was it possible that she was in some sort of plight--captured by the enemy perhaps? Common sense dictated that he at least alert the guardsmen--the Prince even. But he felt hesitant. 

More to the point why do you care? 

A fair question, if nothing else. He wasn't her brother, nor was he her retainer that he should go gallivanting after her in the dead of night. The Princess of a ruined kingdom was hardly worth the amount of trouble he would have to go through and he'd done a fair amount as it stood. Not to mention he had an oath to the Queen to uphold. He was supposed to be the darkness that smothered the light of Deira. The man to ruin King Olaf's ambition. At least, that's what Ethel had told him.

So then...?

-:-

A mistake, if it could be called just that. Sebastian, ever vigilant in his watch, much as he likely abhorred her by now, had managed to catch her leaving. The argument that had ensued has roused the last person that Cass wanted to see, Adele's unfortunately smitten brother. Of course, he agreed to come with her in an instant, upon learning what was going on. Cass hadn't even posed the question, and really, she wished she had it in her to deny him. She still felt bad that he seemed to care about her so much, or maybe that he had hopes for something impossible.

Thus she stood, against a horse, leaning gently against the quiet beast. Graham had said he'd collect his things as quickly as possible, and Sebastian had left with the man, perhaps to watch him or to try and convince him not to do this. Cassandra didn't care much either way, what she really wanted to do was leave now, without them. Sebastian could likely find her again, covering tracks and all of that nonsense wasn't a skill she had, but just the feeling of being alone with a purpose, the dream of it was rather liberating...

She couldn't. She knew that enough hearts would be broken at this, of the few that remained who could tolerate her. Owen, Gewaint, Claire, perhaps Alain and Sidney... They'd be confused, upset. "Maybe some of them will be glad. I'm helping, in a way, aren't I?" Cass chided herself with a dry chuckle, fiddling with the paper in her pocket. "I suppose it's time to say goodbye to this too, isn't it? Goodbye to magic, and any of those dreams. A sword and some small plans, that's all I get to leave with. No Claire, no Alain, I suppose the banditry of Magonsaete isn't up for giving favors, is it?"

Cass smiled at the horse, wondering if it had ever worried like this. "Or is all you care about running around and eating when you're provided? Animals are simple creatures... Lucky ones." To have that level of responsibility would be wonderful, but not very fulfilling, would it? Cass crushed the page in her pocket and shoved it deeper in, thinking about tossing it away, but finding herself unable to do so. "It really is hard to let go..." That's why I'm not running off right now, isn't it? You don't want to be alone, even if it's with Graham and Sebastian, even if their reasons are misguided. What a foolish girl you are, Cassandra. You're going to get them killed, you know that? You were hoping to get yourself killed, leaving alone... I hope this doesn't turn into a mistake.

-:-

An hour ago he was sleeping quite peacefully in his borrowed bed--resting up for what was to likely be a long day of marching. Half an hour ago he was scrambling around in darkened hallways trying to make sense of questions that shouldn't have even been asked in the first place. And now, an hour later, he was riding along moonlit roads chasing after a princess who liked making the worst decisions at the worst times possible.

Your damn brother ought to thank me one of these days. It seems I do his job more often than I care to admit...

Luckily, Cassandra had stopped moving some time ago--else he'd likely be playing catch up until the sun broke out. Horse-riding wasn't exactly his forte. Then again, consoling princesses wasn't exactly top of the list either but he seemed to do that often enough. 

It wasn't long before he came to a clearing--the distance between him and Cass had noticeable shrunken in the interim. She'd come to a stop there. He was certain of that much at least. Still, he had no idea what the circumstances were so he figured it was best to err on the side of caution. Peering through the darkness, he thought he could make out the silhouette of a few horses. He circled around the makeshift camp as best as he could, counting up the numbers. Three I think? 

So then, in the worst case with two people per horse, there's about six people I'd need to worry about give or take. Maybe Cass could occupy one of them? Still, those odds weren't exactly the greatest. But he was getting ahead of himself. There was always the chance that this was some unknown Wykian ritual and he'd come out of all this looking like quite the fool.

...Right?

In any case, he'd need to get closer if he wanted to gather more information. As he closed in, he could make out three figures shuffling about the makeshift camp. It wasn't until he got a little bit closer that he could truly discern their identities. 

Wait is that...? 

The boy was the odd one out, but he was certain that he could see Sebastian alongside Cassandra. It was likely that the steward had noticed his approach as well. She didn't appear to be bound or anything, so that at least was a good sign--but as always it was best to remain cautious. 

His tome at the ready, he drew in closer to the motley crew and announced his arrival. "A poor time to go out camping, if I must say. I trust the two gentlemen have pure intentions?  I'd hate to have to stain my hands tonight," he glowered, turning to Cassandra. She seemed shaken, and not just by his arrival. Her demeanor seemed to be a symptom of something much deeper. 

"Good to see you're okay, but I'm going to need some answers Cassandra."

"Now."

-:-

The shuffling of feet and the words that followed brought Cass to a rather alert stance, releasing her grip on her sword as she realized who was speaking. That didn't make hearing him any better, though. "Alain... I'm surprised you've followed us. I would've thought my brother to send someone more... Pardon the insult, but, able bodied. Perhaps Angus or Nelon. Someone to convince me, and, failing that, drag me back no matter what... So, he didn't send you, did he?" Cass sighed. Getting Alain wrapped up in this felt wrong, but he was her friend, at the least. She could give him somewhat of an explanation.

"I'm leaving. Graham is a fool and forced himself along with me. Sebastian wouldn't dare to leave the last able heir to house Herman alone, so he came with him... To put it lightly Alain, I've made too many mistakes. I can't... I can't be here, anymore. Even now I'm still arguing with my brother like I know any better than he does, and I just... I can't deal with this war nonsense. I can't watch people I love die. So I'm... I'm heading to that lovely little village, Magon. See if I can start something of a new life there. Away from all of this, and away from people I could hurt, or any more mistakes I could make. You, too. You should head back and just... Pretend you never saw me. Never raced out here with... Why are you here, if Owen didnt send you?"

Cass eyed Alain curiously. He was an envoy of queen Ethel, he held little ties to the royalty of Wyke, not anymore, at least. So why was he out here chasing after her? The thought if infatuation sprang to her mind for a moment, and she was more than ready to shoot that down. Hopefully it would take affect, unlike a certain other helpless case... But if it wasn't that, then...

"This wouldn't happen to be some nonsense involving Belial, would it? What, you need a princess for some ritual?" She snickered at her mock suggestion, but at the same time, felt herself gripping her sword's hilt again. There's no way, surely...

-:-

"Trust me, between the two of us, the one more surprised is myself." He dismounted from his horse, getting a little closer to the trio. "I'm ashamed you have such low faith in my capabilities though," he continued, "but relax, I'm not here on accord of your brother--or anyone else for that matter," he said, relinquishing his tome back into the folds of his robes. 

He was keen to listen to her tale, but a lot of it was the same old thing he'd been hearing for a fair while. It was her father who ultimately had warned her to stay away from such matters, was it not? Perhaps he had been overbearing in nature, but could he be blamed for wanting to protect his child from the crushing realities of the world? He couldn't particularly blame Cassandra for her rebellion, but if she was expecting those freedoms she should have expected the good along with the bad. And if she thought she was now doing some grand favor to her peers, she was vastly mistaken. In fact, her childish behavior was fairly off-putting if he had to be honest. It was too late to return to a life of ignorance.

But he doubted imparting any of that wisdom would have any effect on her now. 

That being said, Cassandra's misattributions elicited a hearty laugh from Alain. Though he had to concede that her conjectures weren't entirely misplaced. It was less that he needed her for a ritual, and more so that he needed her as insurance. If even the whole continent was to turn against him, she was supposed to be his trump card.

A pawn was too discourteous of a term for a piece like Cassandra. 

If what Belial said was true, he couldn't be caught relying on Ethel forever. All he needed was for Cass to reach the end of the board, and she'd grow into a powerful Queen. She had that potential, that much he was sure of. But with the way things were going, a guiding hand would be required. And if in time she should grow to desire that end for herself, then it was all the better for the both of them. 

"Awfully testy tonight, aren't we? I must say, I'm a bit disheartened Cassandra. I'm not one to bring up old scores, but I feel as though I've done a fair bit for you already. As a friend ought to, of course. But if that's the impression you have of me after all that's happened so far..." he wore a pained expression that was soon replaced with a more shrewd look. 

"In any event, we may be friends but I'm not your brother. Frankly, your presence at the war-front means very little to me, or anyone else for that matter. Ultimately I had no real incentive in coming here. I just wanted to make sure you weren't being paraded off by the enemy is all," he said. 

"More to the point, however, is what do you plan on doing now that I've discovered your cute little plot? I could return to Clapcot as you say, but I'll be damned if I don't warn your brother of this fantasy of yours. It's not every day I get the opportunity to curry favor with a would be king after all," he said. "Tarasque might not care much for your antics, but if it's to keep your brother on task I don't doubt that she'd be willing to spare a few of her men in order to bring you back."

"It may be true that I'm not as able bodied as you say, but I do have my doubts on Sebastian's effectiveness, and I'll not comment on the boy," he scoffed. He narrowed his eyes on her, curious as to how she'd respond. Broken as she was, she certainly hadn't spared any efforts remaining guarded. At least she'd learned something throughout all of this. 

He raised his hands up in the air, and shrugged. 

"Buuuuut. I suppose if I was caught defenseless without much of a choice in the matter... then could I really be blamed for not reporting back? The odds aren't looking too good for a diplomat like me, after all..." 

-:-

Just what, exactly, was Alain driving at? Cass wasn't sure if he was mocking being hurt from her apprehension, or if he actually felt like their friendship had been betrayed. It was difficult to tell with him sometimes, he did care for her, she couldn't deny he'd helped, but he was still a smooth talker through and through, and... Cass, what are you doing? She let her hand off of her sword again and sighed, going to speak, but as Alain continued, his manner changed enough to concern her once enough. Not enough to take up arms, but enough to continue wondering, what is he driving at?

It was only when his last statement came to bear that he revealed his hand. "You... You really want to come with us? I..." Her first instinct was 'no, leave', but a part of her wanted someone she actually cared about following her. But, why? For what purpose? "I'm sorry for being so guarded Alain, but you must understand, this is very confusing to me. We're friends, yes, but to relinquish your services to the queen all to follow my meandering through the deserts and plains, I can't understand it... If I'm to remain trusting you, you're going to have to give me a believable reason. Please. It's... I don't want to deal with anymore closed curtains dealings if I can avoid them."

Did she trust him to reveal his hand? Not especially, but if there was even a hint of truth inside what he said, she'd give him the benefit of the doubt. She couldn't entirely distrust his backings as a Belial worshipper, not yet. Engel had brought nothing but pain for her, but this, apparent 'dark god' so far less heard of, and barely a whisper in her ears. What Belial worshippers brought to a table, she didn't know past Constant and Alain, old woman be damned.

"I... I will make a concession. Since we're friends." Cass sighed, leaning back against the horse again. "If you can't give me the truth to your following me, because I can't bring myself to believe you tossing your station for nothing... Then you must at least give me a reason why you can't say, if you find yourself unable to. Is that fair? I need something, at the least." Hopefully that would make things just a tad more agreeable.

-:-

"Very well, I can appreciate your concerns on the matter," he said, lowering his hands. "But you are somewhat misunderstanding my intentions. I'm neither throwing away my station nor my service," he added.

After all that he had worked towards, settling down for a quiet life in Magon wasn't exactly the type of future he was looking for. Ultimately, if Cassandra ended up becoming irreconcilable he was prepared to accept his loss and move on. He was sure he could spin a convenient tale for both Ethel and Tarasque so he wasn't too worried in that regard.

He just hoped he wouldn't be returning to a lost battle. 

"I'm not particularly keen on following you forever Cassandra. Eventually, I plan on parting ways with you," he admitted. "But you're right, I'm not planning on accompanying you based on a fleeting whim. A wise assessment," he admitted.

It would be a trivial matter to reveal to Cassandra that he was in pursuit of a strong political ally. But she was completely enthralled with the idea of abdicating her title. The entire premise of his involvement rested upon the idea that she would eventually renounce her misplaced sentiments and return to the world stage. 

But as it stood right now, it was far too early to be questioning Cassandra's resolve. 

"As I said earlier, it's not everyday a man gets to curry favor with a king. I could ride back to Clapcot now and inform Owen of your plot--but that would be doing a disservice to you. Alternatively, I can return to him at a later time and inform him of your safety and well-being. A win for me, and a win for you, wouldn't you say?"

"And in the meantime, I also happen to have some personal matters to attend to. The land is home to a fair many heretics as I'm sure you're aware. There's really no better place for me to gain the knowledge I desire than from Magonsaete. This scenario happens to present me with an opportunity to do just that," he said. I doubt even Queen Ethel could blame me for that. 

"I hope that will suffice." 

-:-

"I would say. I... Yes. It would be." Her worries about Owen were still very present in her mind, thinking over what he would think, especially if he found her letter. She'd hidden it underneath the bed out of fear, but, it was still there... And with her gone, someone would surely search the room. What folly. I should've torched it. Too late now. Going back would chance someone else seeing her.

Alain's case was well presented, as expected, and it made sense. Cass sighed, she wanted to turn him away, but if he truly had things to attend to here, then he'd be on his own. At least together their little motley crew could do better against any surprises that made themselves apparent. Cass smiled, just a bit. "Alright, Alain. You can come along with us... Thank you for being so kind." Do I deserve it? Probably not. Still, I can't deny that another helping hand around here would make life easier. Especially with Graham so focused on all the wrong things. Ugh...

Cass turned to her horse, and got herself onto it, ready to leave, patting the spot behind her. "Hop on, then. Graham should be finished getting himself prepared in a few moments... And then we ride, until the horses tire. We walk from there. You're fine with some hiking, I presume?" Maybe this could be fun. As long as they weren't besieged by bandits. The plains of Magonsaete were quite the treat to explore with the danger aside.

I pray this works out. For all of us.

 

Alright, that takes care of one. 

It was a solid hit, but it hadn't sent the bandits into as much of a frenzy as he'd have liked. Luckily though, it had still given the women enough time to break away from the mid-ground. He raced forward, curious as to the nature of their two newest "comrades". They were an odd duo to say the least, but that was par for the course in a place like Magonsaete. The younger of the two seemed to be a native, and nothing about her particularly stood out to him at first glance. The older woman on the other hand had him positively intrigued. It was hard to ignore the odd contraption she was clutching, and some guesswork led him to conclude it must have been something of Toulousian design.

He'd heard rumors at the college about a group of mages from Toulouse who didn't need traditional tomes to conjure magic--"black iron mages" they were sometimes called. It was all hearsay of course, but it stood to reason that Sylvia could be one such iron mage. But then, that begged the question... 

What the hell is a Toulousian doing all the way out here? 

Alain to (9,4) ; Equips Thunder

Edited January 13, 2018 by Vestige
I hate this website

[Shin]

Sylvia moves to 10,5!
Sylvia equips her Culverin Revolver

Naimanzuunnadinsetseg moves to 11,6!

Naimanzuunnadinsetseg attacks Thief #1 with her Steel Bow!
19 Atk, 72% Hit, 3% Crit
(9 38)
Thief #1 takes 19 damage! (12/31 HP remaining)

Naimanzuunnadinsetseg gains 9 XP!
Naimanzuunnadinsetseg gains 1 Bow WEXP!

"Get behind me, miss! My armour should keep them busy!"

Graham moves to 10,6!
Graham equips his Partisan and rescues Naimanzuunadinsetseg!

"I was always hoping you'd make new friends, Master Graham."

Sebastian moves to 9,6, takes Naimanzuunnadinsetseg and drops her on 9,5!
Cass moves to 8,4!
Cass equips the Gaffney Sword!

Alain moves to 9,4!

ENEMY PHASE

Brigand #1 and #2 stay put!

Brigand #3 moves to 8,5!

Brigand #3 attacks Naimanzuunadinsetsug with his Steel Axe!
17 Atk, 59% Hit, 0% Crit
(43 84)
Naimanzuunadinsetsug takes 17 damage! (20/37 HP remaining)

Naimanzuunadinsetsug gains 5 XP!

Brigand #4 stays put!

Brigand #5 moves to 8,3!

Brigand #5 attacks Cass with his Halberd!
9 Atk, 36% Hit, 0% Crit, 13% Adept
(75 93)
He misses!
(10)
He swings again!
(6 11)
Cass takes 9 damage!(28/37 HP remaining)
Cass strikes back!
15 Atk, 100% Hit, 8% Crit
(95 98)
Cass deals 15 damage! (22/37 HP remaining)

Cass gains 10 XP!
Cass gains 1 Sword WEXP!

Bandit #6 moves to 12,9!

Brigand #7 moves to 11,6!

Brigand #7 attacks Graham with his Steel Axe!
Nihil deactivates Graham's Hit+20
9 Atk, 84% Hit, 0% Crit
(96 61)
Graham... dodges?
Graham counters!
19 Atk, 41% Hit, 0% Crit
(6 58)
Graham defies the odds for 19 damage! (17/36 HP remaining)
Brigand #7 tries again!
(99 33)
Is it luck... or love?

Graham gains 10 XP!
Graham gains 1 Lance WEXP!

Brigand #8 stays put!
Brigand #9 stays put!

Hunter #1 stays put!
Hunter #2 stays put!

Hunter #3 moves to 7,3!

Hunter #3 attacks Sebastian with his Gattling Bow!
3 Atk, 53% Hit, 14% Crit
(80 45)
Miss!
(72 5)
Miss!
(68 64)
Worth it?
Sebastian strikes back!
8 Atk, 91% Hit, 19% Crit
(51 6)
Critical hit for 24 damage! (10/34 HP remaining)

Sebastian gains 7 XP!
Sebastian gains 1 WEXP!

Mage #2 moves to 8,7!

Mage #2 attacks Sebastian with Adhan!
19 Atk, 66% Hit, 0% Crit
(83 87)
Fate seems to be against the bandits!
Sebastian throws a cheeky knife back!
11 Atk, 92% Hit, 16% Crit
(33 85)
Mage #2 takes 11 damage! (25/36 HP remaining)

Sebastian gains 7 XP!
Sebastian gains 1 WEXP!

Thief #1 moves to 10,4!

Thief #1 attacks Alain with his Hunting Knife!
4 Atk, 74% Hit, 0% Crit
(4 21)
Alain takes 4 damage! (24/28 HP remaining)
Alain zaps him in return!
19 Atk, 81% Hit, 14% Crit
(77 29)
Not worth it.

Alain gains 22 XP!
Alain gains 2 Tome WEXP!

Thief #2 moves to 7,4!

Thief #2 attacks Cass with their Gutting Knife!
Nihil deactivates Cass' Avoid+10!
3 Atk, 69% Hit, 12% Crit
(59 83)
Cass takes 3 damage! (25/37 HP remaining)
Cass counters!
18 Atk, 93% Hit, 21% Crit
(77 49)
Thief #2 takes 18 damage! (12/30 HP remaining)
Thief #2 attacks again!
(40 46)
Another 3 damage! (22/37 HP remaining)

Cass gains 9 XP!
Cass gains 1 Sword WEXP!

Thief #3 moves to 11,5!

Thief #3 attacks Syvlia with his Hunting Knife!
8 Atk, 67% Hit, 0% Crit
(3 79)
Sylvia takes 8 damage! (26/34 HP remaining)
Syvlia shoots back!
20 Atk, 76% Hit, 3% Crit, 19% Adept
(16 94)
Bang! 20 damage! (11/31 HP remaining)
(98)

Sylvia gains 9 XP!

Chapter 10B - Turn 2

SPREADSHEET

The initial defense had gone well, Cass' group had managed to offer their aid to the two travellers. However, Danval's forces weren't going to let them escape that easily. The leader was barking orders to his men, pointing furiously at Cass and her friends. They were surrounded by an assortment of ugly thugs, but so far none of them had proved too menacing. Graham looked back at Cass, glad to see she was holding her own. He was surprised with his own performance too, had all that training under Thwomp really done that much? He could feel his heart racing, he wasn't going to be a burden for Cass or any of the others.

"A splendid performance, Princess Cassandra." Sebastian remarked, clapping his hands together gently. "My eye has spotted a pair approaching from the south. It is perhaps a little unusual to see a wyvern in Magonsaete. Perhaps it could be one of those reliable fellows?"

Astaroth and Hiero join the fray!

[Poimagic]

Hiero had been hired by Astaroth as an escort for him. So, when Astaroth decided to join the fray, Hiero had to join the fray as well. And of course, Astaroth had to join in a spot where they were up against three guys. The only thing Hiero saw good coming out of this was picking up a date as the group far off seemed to include some girls in it. “So then.” Hiero turned to Astaroth. “I’m assuming we are helping them. Oh well. I’m sure some good could out of this.” Like me getting a date, Hiero thought. “Well then, let’s go!”

Hiero moves to 18,12; attacks the hunter there using the iron axe, then moves to 19,15 after combat with Canto.

[Moblin Major General]

Astaroth heard a sound like thunder north of where his entourage was camped on the road to Magon. Soon after, a lightning bolt dropped from the sky, even though the sky was as blue as the violets growing alongside the road. "What in the hell was that? Hiero, I think we might've stumbled onto a situation. Mind coming along?" Astaroth crossed into the clearing to see a sizeable bandit group accosting a much smaller group, probably pilgrims or refugees. In front of them were three of the bandits, one archer and two common thugs. "I have a feeling that archer would come after you if we don't deal with him now." He thought about shooting at the Hunter, but then it dawned on him that he needed to fend off the thugs. Worse, he saw two thieves, both of which held a distinct advantage over him. He pulled his sword from the saddle and charged at the hunter.

Astaroth moves to 17,13 and attacks with Steel Sword, then moves to 17,15 with Canto.

[Shin]

Hiero moves to 18,12!

Hiero attacks Hunter #4 with his Iron Axe!
20 Atk, 69% Hit, 4% Crit
(29 62)
Hiero deals 20 damage! (14/34 HP remaining)

Hiero gains 10 XP!
Hiero gains 1 Axe WEXP!

Hiero cantos to 19,15!

Astaroth moves to 17,13!

Astaroth attacks Hunter #4 with his Steel Sword!
18 Atk, 90% Hit, 11% Crit, 20% Adept
(58 30)
Done!

Astaroth gains 27 XP!
Astaroth gains 2 Sword WEXP!

Astaroth cantos to 17,15!

[Nanami Touko]

Perhaps some more proper practice with a sword was in order. Cass wasn't finding herself having any trouble striking with it, but when attacks came down, parrying them aside or getting out of the way quick enough were rather difficult. Sebastian's praise after the first assault felt rather empty after she'd taken such weathering hits, but she was still standing, and it seemed like everyone else was. "Keep it up! Cut them down!" There could only be so many of them.

Cass stays put and stabs the ol' thief. Let's go 87%!

[Vestige]

"Like moths to a flame, huh? I'm really not in the mood of dealing with those Reliants guys right now," he sighed. He was sure he'd killed enough Reliants to last him a life time already, but it seemed like they just kept lining up for him. Perhaps a more subtle spell would have sufficed... In any case, they had an ever encroaching bandit problem to deal with first. The rest was for later. 

"Hey sorry, boss lady wants you dead. Nothing personal," he muttered. 

Alain teleports to (7,4) and brings down a storm on Bandit #3

 

[Ether]

Well, so far so good, They seemed to have the upper hand mano a mano, and the brigands that couldn't immediately reach them had stayed back... looking over the enemies around them, one in particular stood out. A mage... probably best to make sure that guy didn't get a chance to put anyone down.

"Aye, I'm gonna take care of that caster, cover me." Sylvia noted to her newfound allies, before giving the dark magician a tasty mouthful of lead.

Sylvia to 8,5, attack Mage 2 with Culverin

[Shin]

Cass attacks Thief #2 with her Gaffney's Sword
(76 16)
El dead.

Cass gains 22 XP!
Cass gains 2 Sword WEXP!

Cass grows to level 18!
(74 21 60 53 12 30 4 23)

Strength up!
Speed up!
Luck up!
Defense up!
Resistance up!

Alain smelleports to 7,4!
Alain attacks Bandit #3 with Thunder!
(39 91)
(10 29)
Someone find a shovel... to bury him!

Alain gains 30 XP!
Alain gains 3 Tomes WEXP!

Sylvia moves to 8,5!
Sylvia shoots at Mage #2 with her Culverin Revolver!
18 Atk, 94% Hit, 7% Crit, 19% Adept
(28 69)
Sylvia deals 18 damage! (7/36 HP remaining)
(52)
Mage #2 attacks back with Adhan!
25 Atk, 53% Hit, 0% Crit
(67 10)
Miss!
Sylvia finishes!
(85 71)
Bang!

Sylvia gains 36 XP!

 

[Balcerzak]

Naimanzuunnadintsetseg had connected, feathering one of the annoyances pretty well, but her footwork on dodging apparently needed to up its game, as one of his fellows closed in and scored a bit of a nasty hit. Grunting and pressing a hand to the wound, she applied enough pressure that her clothes would stick to it and hopefully keep it staunched for the rest of the battle. It would obviously need to be looked at after, but there were more important things to handle for the moment. At the very least, the band they'd met up with were quite competent. There was a bit of conversation here and there, not much standing out as more than steeling themselves for the fight to come, or keeping allies apprised of changing circumstances. Not much, that is, until the word 'princess' was uttered. That certainly caused Naimanzuunnadintsetseg's ears to prick up. It wasn't every day one ran into foreign royalty. Curiosity sufficiently piqued, it was unfortunate that the details would have to wait until after the life and death situation was taken care of. Hopefully the newly approaching pair from the south would side with them against the bandits. If not, well... a bow was generally a good counter to a wyvern. With luck it wouldn't come to that, though.

Circling around some of the ruffians with a wide berth, she pulled another arrow from her quiver and let loose at one of the knaves threatening the princess. It never hurt to stay on one's good side, and at very least it would erase some of the debt incurred by requiring her group's aid in the first place. "Doing well, everyone, after this we should have at least bought a little breathing room." Mostly empty words, but they helped to keep spirits up, and distract herself from the pain of her wound.

Naiman moves to 7,2, shoots bandit #5
Sebastian moves to 9,5, throw a knife at the thief
Graham moves to 9,6 and Steel bows hunter 3

[Shin]

Naimanzuunnadintsetseg moves to 7,2!

Naimanzuunnadintsetseg attacks Brigand #5 with her Steel Bow
24% Hit, 95% Hit, 9% Crit
(88 33)
(80 37)
The dead!

Naimanzuunnadintsetseg gains 33 XP!
Naimanzuunnadintsetseg gains 3 Bow WEXP!

"Allow me to provide cutlery."

Sebastian moves to 9,5!

Sebastian attacks Thief #3 with his Throwing Knife!
(57 38)
And cut!

Sebastian gains 7 XP!
Sebastian gains 2 WEXP!

Graham moves to 9,6!

"Time to show what I can do... I hope she's watching..."

Graham's Power of Love activates!

Graham attacks Hunter #3 with his Steel Bow!

20 Atk, 96% Hit, 0% Crit
(52 45)
Right between the eyes!

Graham gains 33 XP!
Graham gains 2 Bow WEXP!
Graham gains 1 LEXP!

 

ENEMY PHASE

"What are you all doing! Do I have to go in and do it myself?"

Danval has been provoked!

Brigand #1 moves to 11,1!
Brigand #2 moves to 13,2!
Brigand #4 moves to 12,5!
Brigand #6 moves to 13,13!

Brigand #7 moves to 10,6!

Brigand #7 attacks Graham with his Steel Axe!
He cannot disable the Power of Love!
8 Atk, 59% Hit, 2% Crit
(44 16)
(69 6)
Graham takes 8 damage! (34/42 HP remaining)

Graham gains 5 XP!

Brigand #8 moves to 15,10!

Brigand #8 attacks Astaroth with his Hand Axe!
13 Atk, 57% Hit, 3% Crit
(55 63)
Astaroth takes 13 damage! (20/33 HP remaining)

Astaroth gains 5 XP!

Brigand #9 moves to 19,11!

Brigand #9 attacks Hiero with his Steel Axe!
9 Atk, 65% Hit, 8% Crit
(52 43)
Hiero takes 9 damage! (16/25 HP remaining)
Hiero attacks back with his Iron Axe!
17 Atk, 47% Hit, 2% Crit
Nihil disables Avoid+10
(75 89)
Hiero misses!

Hiero gains 5 XP!
Hiero gains 1 Axe WEXP!

Hunter #1 stays put!
Hunter #2 stays put!

Thief #4 moves to 18,14!
Thief #5 moves to 11,7!

Mage #1 stays put!

Chapter 10B - Turn 3

Spreadsheet

The number of bandits around them had decreased dramatically, the party's tight formation giving their foes very few chances. Sebastian appeared content with how things were going, having effortlessly dispatched another foe. "May I recommend a venture south? The enemy commander's tactics are a little lacking, unless he intended to leave himself alone out in the open." he commented, flicking a few specks of blood from the tip of his blade. "As for the rest, it seems they are more interested in our mounted friends. They may require aid if Master Graham and Princess Cassandra are feeling charitable. I suppose I should be grateful that you're not the ones causing the trouble this time."

"What do you think, Cass? We are fighting against the same bandits... maybe they'd want to help?" Graham suggested sheepishly, unsure that Cass would want to get involved with any more strangers - their group was starting to get larger already. "They might know the area better than we do."

[Moblin Major General]

Astaroth looks down at his horse. He's starting to tire. Neither of us can take too much of this, and we're almost surrounded. Remembering Hiero's admittedly asinine comment, he looked to him and saw he fared little better. "Hiero, we must head west. I would go back for help, but if we don't deal with this lot now, all of us are going to die." He pulled out his powerful bow, hoping to hit a vital area of the body of the cutthroat. "Engel help me. Guide my arrow to the wicked, or my soul to your embrace." Astaroth loosed the arrow in the direction of the thief. Not waiting to see what the result was, he retreated west, only to meet the gaze of another brigand. "Oh, fuck me."

Astaroth attacks Thief #4 with Killer Bow, cantos to 12,15.

Edited January 19, 2018 by Hylian Air Force
I didn't check terrain

[Vestige]

"Well if he may be so bold, Sir Duhamel thinks that our mounted friends should just scurry away on their mounts if they're really in that much trouble." 

Graham moves to 11,4, Steel Bows Killer Axe Man
Alain moves to 10,5, Thunders Killer Axe Man