Faith
Squire
Posts: 23
Profession: Ilian Soldier
Affiliation: Ilian Military
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Faith
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Faith on Nov 27, 2016 17:55:08 GMT -6
The air was crisp, cool, and calm, the first few rays of dawn beginning to peek over the horizon. The trees were still, no wind disturbing their boughs, and the snow hung upon them in light blankets that just began to bend each branch towards the earth. A light dusting of snow was falling, the small flakes gently swirling downward and collecting in a fine layer upon the armor of six young women and their mounts. These warriors, the Squires of Ilia's Seventh Unit Experimental Tactics Squadron, were preparing for another mission, a reconnaissance operation intended to take stock of the Etrurian front near Remi.
The Riders were preparing to move out; their campfire was burning gently, and a breakfast was cooking over it as they geared up, donning their armor and sharpening their weapons in case of trouble. Each was stretching, limbering up and preparing to ride, and took turns watching the food and coffee as it warmed. One in particular, though, had moved far away from the group and was practicing movements, drilling forms with the lance. Her comrades took no notice; this was normal for Faith. She always ate last, after she had finished her morning ritual.
All was quiet and still in the forest, and the faint light betrayed the impending explosion of light and warmth that dawn would bring. Soon, they would take to the air, soaring on silent wings above the motionless expanse of fir and spruce, their trained eyes noting every detail of the forest and its inhabitants.
But for now, they relaxed. The food was distributed, and the coffee was poured, piping hot, into hammered brass mugs. The women gathered by the fire, Faith straggling over late, as always. She filled her plate and her mug, and they all stood, at ease, talking quietly and enjoying the morning meal.
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Fargus
Hunter
When life chooses to give you lemons, you shoot arrows at your lemons...
Posts: 31
Profession: Mercenary bowman
Affinity: Thunder
OoC Alias: jjmyers0199
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Post by Fargus on Nov 27, 2016 19:01:18 GMT -6
In the cool forest, Fargus carefully walked among the trees. He saw the group of people camping nearby and not so far away, he noticed the young women practicing. She didn't look much older or younger than Fargus, but he remained behind, far enough to not get spotted. "What is this? Either this camp is a band of mercenaries, a military camp or..."he then paused, then angerly spat out silently "Or a camp of bandits..." Fargus looked ahead in the direction of the woman practicing in the distance. "Well...it wouldn't be wise for me to go in blindly and assume they are bandits...besides, even if they are, they greatly outnumber me. Granted I could take out one maybe two if I'm lucky, but they would be upon me quickly. Besides, I don't want any trouble this early in the morning. I'll just try and sneak around and be on my way... Fargus said silently to himself.
He checked on his bow, seeing it was in good shape, he silently walked around the group towards the lone woman. He then stepped on a twig which made a fairly loud snap. Fargus froze in place, looking around nervously. "Dammit...please don't hear that...please don't hear that..."he silently said to himself. He silently continued to look in the direction of the lone women practicing, seeing if she noticed. He gripped his bow tightly, ready to defend himself if they attack him. "I just hope they don't take my other eye...like what happened years ago..." Fargus muttered to himself.
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Faith
Squire
Posts: 23
Profession: Ilian Soldier
Affiliation: Ilian Military
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Faith
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Faith on Nov 28, 2016 17:46:07 GMT -6
There was a crack. A loud snap, a sharp sound, which caused quite the stir among the ranks of the Seventh Unit. Almost as one, six young women put down their food and drinks, raising lances to the ready and swiveling to all face outward, creating a ring of bristling spearpoints. There was silence once more, and each looked outward, until Faith spoke, her tone crisp and clear.
“Bowman. Not in a hostile stance. Watch for potential arrow fire.”
She broke from the ring, walking forward and leveling her lance at the bowman, who she analyzed briefly. Sacaean, clearly, missing an eye. Bow is not drawn, no arrows nocked, stance is not combative. In fact, it looks as if he was trying to run around them, not at them.
“Halt. Who are you, bowman? Why have you come here? Are you alone, or with a group?”
The Squire gazed at the Hunter, her eyes cold and expressionless. It was like looking at a stone – there was nothing there but the flat expanse of her blue eyes. In fact, Faith seemed almost a living stone, lifted from the ice of a frozen riverbed, such was the sharpness and coolness that surrounded her.
Not a bit of her body moved as she held her stance, yielding nothing and waiting for the Sacaean to reply. It was rare that Sacaeans came to Ilia, and rarer still that they were found wandering in the cold, alone, in the forests. But Sacaeans never lied, so she was sure that she would soon know his purpose and goals.
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Fargus
Hunter
When life chooses to give you lemons, you shoot arrows at your lemons...
Posts: 31
Profession: Mercenary bowman
Affinity: Thunder
OoC Alias: jjmyers0199
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Post by Fargus on Nov 28, 2016 20:59:57 GMT -6
"Halt. Who are you, bowman? Why have you come here? Are you alone, or with a group?" Was all Fargus heard when he was suddnely surrounded by the camp. He looked at the members of the group with his good eye with slight fear. "I'm alone, I was mearly passing by and I intend no harm to you or anyone in your company. My name is Fargus...I promise you, I mean no harm to you and I'm not a bandit or an enemy"he said trying to hide his fear.
He took a closer look at the one who spoke to him. She and her company looked to be a military group from Ilia. He tried to calm himself and sighed. He looks at the speaker with determined eyes. "I do not wish for a fight with either of you, if you want to take me as a prisoner, then so be it. But..."he then paused, then sighed. He remembered too well the pain he felt when he was left alone. "Never mind...I'll be taken as your prisoner if you'll spare me. As I said, I do not wish for a fight with you or your people...but if you choose to have me with your group, perhaps I can help? Granted I may not be on par with most of the bowmen of Sacae, but I can still hold my own"He then smiled, more confident, he held his hand out to the girl who spoke out to him as a sign of greetings. "Don't let my looks fool you, I may have only an eye to look with, but I can easily help you if you'll have me, so what will it be? Besides, I can somehow feel that you need as much manpower as you can get, right?" he said, trying to sound confident. Don't screw this up Fargus, if they think your a bandit or one of Ilias enemies, you'll be joining your parents earlier than you'd like too he thought to himself.
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Faith
Squire
Posts: 23
Profession: Ilian Soldier
Affiliation: Ilian Military
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Faith
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Faith on Nov 28, 2016 21:40:18 GMT -6
"I'm alone, I was merely passing by and I intend no harm to you or anyone in your company. My name is Fargus...I promise you, I mean no harm to you and I'm not a bandit or an enemy."
Faith examined the young man. He looked to be a tribesman, a young one, clearly previously injured. He was quick to offer to help, however, which made Faith leery. Perhaps he had been bought by Etruria and sent to eliminate them. But that was a long shot, as well – no one knew they were here, except for the commander and those higher in the ranks.
“Fargus of Sacae. I trust the honor of the tribesmen, who are known not to lie. If you say you did not come here to fight, I will not hold you to the test of the lance. But I cannot allow you to continue through this area. An operation is underway. You will travel with us until the conclusion of the operation, and then we will deposit you either back here, or at a nearby town. You will ride with me… Hopefully you know how to fight from on mount. We will not be fighting on the ground.”
The Ilian soldier finished her coffee, cleaning her mug and storing it, then checking her saddle and bag. All was ready. She nodded to her fellows, and the Seventh Unit mounted their Pegasi.
“Fargus of Sacae. Mount. You will be behind me; get on, and maintain a grip upon me at all times. I may need to undertake evasive maneuvers. If you are prepared, we shall depart. Let us hope that all goes well.
It is loud in the sky, so if I do not answer, speak up, so that I might hear. Also… you may call me Faith.”
The Squire was ready to take off; once she was sure her passenger was on board, she gave a signal, and as one, six Pegasi rose into the air, forming into a tight cluster.
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Fargus
Hunter
When life chooses to give you lemons, you shoot arrows at your lemons...
Posts: 31
Profession: Mercenary bowman
Affinity: Thunder
OoC Alias: jjmyers0199
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Post by Fargus on Nov 28, 2016 22:02:36 GMT -6
“Fargus of Sacae. Mount. You will be behind me; get on, and maintain a grip upon me at all times. I may need to undertake evasive maneuvers. If you are prepared, we shall depart. Let us hope that all goes well."
Fargus nodded, then sighed a sigh of relief. Very well Faith, I trust that we will be ready for whatever lies ahead of us then" he said as he mounted her pegasi. He gripped his bow and looked around. He saw that the squadron was very well trained. He was tempted to ask what the operation was for, but he stayed silent, he figured that he would find out soon enough. He didn't like to pry anyways in peoples business, especially if he felt it would be dangerous.
He nocked an arrow to his bow in case he had to fight. I have no clue what I got myself into here, but I suppose it's better than meeting the better end of a lance...He thought to himself. He then looked up with a determined look. Let us go, whatever it is that you want me to do, I'll be there to help"he said determined. He looked at Faith with a now more confident look. He then nodded at her again, telling her that he is ready to ride off to do whatever they needed to do with the squadron.
He closed his eye briefly, then opened it again. Just watch my back mother, father. Whatever happens, I hope to someday do it to grow stronger
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Faith
Squire
Posts: 23
Profession: Ilian Soldier
Affiliation: Ilian Military
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Faith
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Faith on Nov 29, 2016 13:43:37 GMT -6
The young bowman’s words were drowned out by the rush of wind and the drumbeat of pulsing wings as the Pegasi rose into the air. The cluster of mounts settled into a tight “V” formation and they rose, higher and higher, until they would be mere specks if viewed from the ground.
Faith roared out something unintelligible, as her message was ripped away by the wind, leaving nothing to be heard but a jumbled collection of sounds. Shaking her head, she motioned with lance signals, and her comrades replied, all six spurring their Pegasi forward and beginning to soar over the forest.
The Squire craned her neck back and yelled to Fargus, her voice loud in order to compete with the many other sounds of flight.
“Keep watch on the ground! We’re looking for an encampment!”
Indeed, their mission was to scout the Etrurian position in the forest, and, if they found a skirmish party, to defeat it if reasonable. They were not to engage a large force, and were to avoid any contact with the main Etrurian host. Faith recalled the words of the Commander as she had sent them forth – “We suspect the Etrurians are moving engines of war to prepare for their next assault. We need to know where they are so that we can eliminate them. Find them, Seventh Unit, and if possible, destroy them.”
The six Pegasi raced through the sky, the ground sliding by far below. So far, no clearings amid the trees were visible, no smoke trails from fires, no glints of armor or siege machines. It was empty forest, bare, nude, and clean. The Seventh Unit would carry out its mission - Faith was sure of that. They would find whatever advance force the Etrurians had sent, and they would strike them down. The invaders would see the wrath of Ilia.
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Fargus
Hunter
When life chooses to give you lemons, you shoot arrows at your lemons...
Posts: 31
Profession: Mercenary bowman
Affinity: Thunder
OoC Alias: jjmyers0199
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Post by Fargus on Nov 29, 2016 17:18:47 GMT -6
“Keep watch on the ground! We’re looking for an encampment!”
Fargus nodded while he kept his eye on the terrain. He aimed his bow at the ground while keeping an eye for anything suspicious.
Nothing but forests so far...but I suspect that it won't be like that for long...I just need to make sure that I don't get myself killed...and I suspect Faith would prefer if I didn't let her or her company die either... he thought. "No sign of movement yet, but I'll keep my eye open for them still"Fargus tried to yell out to Faith. He kept his arrow nocked in case someone...or something tries to take them down. He looked around, but all he saw were nothing but forests as far as his eye could see.
Fargus continued to observe the ground, but all he saw was nothing but forests. Is she certain that there is an encampment somewhere out here? I know that Etruria has some beef to pick with Ilia, but you'd think they send perhaps the whole blunt of their army in? Fargus thought. He shook his head and kept his eye pealed, keeping his free hand on his bow. He searched to his left and right until he saw something out of the ordinary. "I think I see some smoke to the West of us!" Fargus shouted. "You think it's the encampment we're looking for? Then again, it could also just be another traveler coming to or coming from Ilia" Fargus shouted out.
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Faith
Squire
Posts: 23
Profession: Ilian Soldier
Affiliation: Ilian Military
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Faith
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Faith on Nov 29, 2016 22:51:44 GMT -6
The bowman shouted something from behind her, but the message was mostly lost in the shrieking wind and hammering wingbeats. However, his message caused her to turn her head, and as she looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes caught a thin wire of smoke. Aha. Pulling ahead of the others, into the point position, she waved her lance and began adjusting her course to run a pass over the smoke column.
The six Pegasi swept over the area, and Faith knew without looking that six pairs of eyes – seven, including Fargus of Sacae – were analyzing the ground. Faith saw all she needed to see. It looked like there was a small group of Etrurians, moving along a tiny forest path. They were now in a clearing, and it looked like a campfire had been lit at night and was now little more than embers. Probably, they were all still sleeping. And there, in the camp, were engines of war – rams, ladders, and a ballista. Exactly what they needed.
The group cut away, sharply banking until they were out of eyesight, and then grouped up, the six making two rows of three tight together. It was easier to hear, now, though it was still difficult. Faith yelled to her compatriots, and they formulated a plan together.
“Looks like we have a skirmish party on the ground. From the state of the camp, they’re resting. It’ll be hard to take them on from the air, so we’ll need to do a drop attack. Any suggestions?”
“You’ve got the bowman, so let’s keep him out of direct line of fire for as long as we can. We’ll all drop in, using surprise, and you can keep the bowman on board. Run some passes from above so he can fire, huh?”
“Sounds good to me. So you five will drop, and I’ll provide support from the air. Let’s do this, ladies.”
“Seventh Unit… Attack!”
The six Pegasi shot downward, six riders gripping lances and focusing on the task at hand. As they leveled out, directly above the treetops, they formed a line, and each Pegasus dipped into the clearing, depositing its Rider, who leaped down and rolled before rising and charging into battle. The five members of the unit who were dismounting were on the ground in less than half a minute, and they gave a collective battle cry, attacking the slumbering soldiers and the dozing sentry. Faith banked, staying low and flying as smoothly as she could near the clearing, in a wide circle.
“Fargus of Sacae! Shoot well!”
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Fargus
Hunter
When life chooses to give you lemons, you shoot arrows at your lemons...
Posts: 31
Profession: Mercenary bowman
Affinity: Thunder
OoC Alias: jjmyers0199
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Post by Fargus on Nov 29, 2016 23:17:57 GMT -6
“Fargus of Sacae! Shoot well!”
Fargus lifted his bow in a shooting position on the Pegasus. "With pleasure"he said, sending down arrows at the sleepy soldiers.
He carefully pulled back the bowstring on his bow and aimed. He fired, causing the arrow to sail smoothly through the trees and hit one of the soldiers in the shoulder. He then nocked another arrow on his bow and took aim again. Wasn't a lethal strike, but my next one certainly will be, just got to make sure that I don't hit any of the dismounted pegasus knights. he thought as he then fired another arrow. He then swore to himself as he barely saw the arrow miss the target.
He kept his eye on the targets which looked to be in disarray from the surprise attack. "My main priority targets will be the enemy bowmen down there, if they figure out that we're up here, we're bound to be in deep trouble" Fargus said as he released another arrow from his bow. And I'm saying that as an understatement...
Fargus took aim once more as he aimed at a mage about to attack one of the pegasus knights. I don't think so!He thought as he fired at him, hitting the mage square in the back of his neck. Fargus then took out another arrow and took aim when suddenly a giant arrow wizzed right past him. He nearly lost his balance, but managed to look at where the shot came from. The ballista, seems the've busted that thing out earlier than intended. Time to make them die. Fargus thought as he fired another arrow at the Ballistician.
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Faith
Squire
Posts: 23
Profession: Ilian Soldier
Affiliation: Ilian Military
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Faith
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Faith on Nov 29, 2016 23:55:17 GMT -6
The women on the ground got to work, the five Squires immediately eliminating targets as they shook the mantle of sleep from their backs and tried to get focused. The more fortunate ones, or the more prepared, were able to survive the onslaught and erected a stiff resistance. There were swordsmen, a few soldiers, and a handful of light mages. And, as the hum and whirr of the giant projectile proved, someone to man the ballista.
Faith shook her head. This was too dangerous. She wasn’t going to risk getting shot down. She’d have to protect the bowman on the ground.
“Get ready! We’re going to drop before the –“
A ballista shot forced the Squire to take drastic evasive maneuvers, banking sharply and nearly throwing them both off, before she leveled her course and finished the thought.
“We’re dropping! Now! Before the ballista drops us!”
Faith sent her mount downward, as fast as she could muster, and they shot down until they were directly above the treetops.
“Get ready to jump!”
Then they dropped, plummeting towards the ground until Faith sent her Pegasus banking upward. As it began to rise, only a few feet from the ground, the Squire yelled out.
“Jump!”
Faith abandoned ship, landing and rolling before rising to take stock of the situation. When Fargus was ready, she motioned for him to keep firing, and took up a defensive position in front of him. There wasn’t long to wait before an Etrurian came forth, brandishing the power of the light. He yelled something that sounded like “For the glory of Steak Elmo Vine” and hurled a bright flash at her, running straight towards her all the while. It was fairly intuitive to Faith that one usually tries to avoid flashes of light that come flying towards you, so she ducked, and then stood up to see him almost in her face, his hands above his head as he charged up another ball of light. With him too close for stabbing, the Squire swung her off-hand in a haymaker, punching the acolyte in the mouth and staggering him. She then smacked him with the butt of her lance, swinging it sideways like a bat, and, once she had dropped him, began beating him with the lance haft, smashing his face in. There was a sudden flash of light, and she crumpled backwards, feeling as if she’d just been hit in the gut. Through stars dancing across her eyes, she saw another light-wielder aiming at her. The one she’d been mauling was dead, blood pouring from his shattered face, but this one was perfectly healthy and angry.
Damn. Magic hurt.
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Fargus
Hunter
When life chooses to give you lemons, you shoot arrows at your lemons...
Posts: 31
Profession: Mercenary bowman
Affinity: Thunder
OoC Alias: jjmyers0199
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Post by Fargus on Nov 30, 2016 9:35:02 GMT -6
Fargus jumped down from the Pegasus right as Faith yelled out to jump. He landed nearby and drew his bow. He saw the second spellcastor attack Faith. Fargus fired an arrow from his bow and hitting the spellcastor in the shoulder. He saw Faith get hit by the light magic attack that the spellcastor sent at her. Damn, that must have hurt, I should be careful not to get hit by the attack myselfhe thought. He fired another arrow at the spellcastor hitting him in the other shoulder, which brought him down.
To his left, Fargus spotted an enemy archer getting ready to take aim. He quickly turned and fired off another arrow at the archer only for it to narrowly miss. The archer fired and hit Fargus in the shoulder. He gritted his teeth together and pulled the arrow out from the wound. With a grunt, Fargus fired another arrow at the archer, hitting him in the neck. Keeping a tight grip on his bow, Fargus looked around. He saw the Ballista getting ready to aim at Faith. Too far away for me to hit the ballistician... Fargus thought as he glared at the enemy ballistcian in the distance. "We've got to take out the ballistician and quickly! Fargus shouted out to Faith.
He then spotted an enemy swordsman charging at Faith. Fargus fired another arrow at the charging swordsman, hitting him in the shoulder. Right as he drew another arrow and nocked it, Fargus was hit by an light magic attack. Dazed, Fargus looked around to see an spellcastor right behind the swordsman, clearly looking angry. Fargus nocked another arrow and pointed it at the spell castor. With a grunt, Fargus fired at the spellcastor, hitting him in the leg. Looks like we've got a fight and a half ahead of us here...Fargus thought.
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Faith
Squire
Posts: 23
Profession: Ilian Soldier
Affiliation: Ilian Military
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Faith
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Faith on Dec 1, 2016 23:51:34 GMT -6
Fargus yelled something, and Faith half-heard as she rose up, using her lance for support before breathing out, steadying herself, and regaining her combat composure. The ballista? But it was far too close for a shot at any of them; after all, the ballista was a long-range weapon designed to smash enemies from a distance. It certainly couldn’t be used for precision work.
When she looked at the ballista, though, she realized why Fargus had been concerned. The ballistician had abandoned his siege weapon and was now drawing back a longbow – or at least what looked to be a longbow, with how big it was – and had it trained on one of her comrades.
Faith bounced once on her toes and then charged, sprinting and then leaping at the man, extending her lance and using the snakewood haft to snag the archer by the neck and drag him to the ground with her. She took advantage of his surprise and stood, crunching her boot on his neck, and the man gasped, trying desperately to scream as he saw a lance point soaring down towards his face.There was a crunch, a whimper, and Faith ripped the lance free, raising it and backing herself up to the ballista so that she could gauge the battle without fearing an attack from behind. Fargus was near another of the Seventh Unit, all of whom were holding their own. The Etrurian advance party was in sorry shape, trying desperately to fight but falling back, starting to clump together in an attempt to not be picked off by the six Squires and the Hunter. Faith smiled, the cold, hard smile of a fighter who sees a victory.
She moved, taking on an Acolyte with a threatening gesture of her lance. The man nodded to her, hatred coming over his face as his palms glowed with light. Suddenly, there was a bright flash, an explosive beam of light that hit Faith and sent her down to the ground in a heap. This was not the same type of basic light magic she’d felt before. This was even worse – it was like the light had been concentrated, focused into a blast of bright, hot radiance.Faith groaned, struggling to get off of the ground. That had hurt. As she got to her knees and then pushed herself to her feet, she was immediately hit with another blast, and crumpled backwards once more. This was absurd. The man was simply too powerful. Faith stared at him balefully, malice and viciousness in her eyes, as he smiled, bringing another bolt of light into being. Faith refused to close her eyes and accept the pain; she would face it head on.
Then there was a beat of wings, and the man released the blast of light magic, which slammed into Faith’s Pegasus. The Squire’s eyes widened, and even more rage filled her. Her faithful mount had taken the blow for her! That probably had done a great deal of damage to her…And then Faith saw the winged steed arcing, its hooves kicking as it trampled the man, slamming him to the earth and treading him down, hitting him furiously and giving an angry, protective call. With the ballistician down, the other Pegasi descended as well, and the battle turned in the favor of the Ilians.
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Fargus
Hunter
When life chooses to give you lemons, you shoot arrows at your lemons...
Posts: 31
Profession: Mercenary bowman
Affinity: Thunder
OoC Alias: jjmyers0199
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Post by Fargus on Dec 2, 2016 8:51:26 GMT -6
Fargus gapped at what just happened to the enemy Acolyte as he was trampled by Faiths Pegasi. Well damn...am I glad I'm on Faiths sidehe thought. He then nocked another arrow on his bow and took aim at the enemy swordsman that was about to charge at him.
Fargus fired and the arrow hit the charging swordsman in the neck. With a gurgling sound coming from the swordsman, he dropped dead. Fargus looked up to observe the battle quickly. Seems like this battle's just about won for us. All that's left is to deal with the remaining stragglers Fargus thought as he nocked another arrow on his bow. He then smiled and raised his bow at an enemy lancer whom was engaging in battle with one of the other women in the squadron. Fargus fired as the arrow soared in the air and punctured the lancer in the back. The lancer quickly turned with a gritted teeth and tried to charge back only to be finished off by the woman.
He nocked another arrow on his bow and looked around. The remaining enemy were either fleeing or already on the ground, dead. He lowered his bow and clutched his shoulder where he was hit by an stray arrow from one of the now dead archers. I'm really going to feel this the next day...and the day has barely just begun too!Fargus thought, still clutching his shoulder in pain. He looked up and hid his pained expression and gave a nod at Faith to let her know the battle is all but won.
He then saw a movement to the side of Faith...an enemy assassin! "Oh no you don't! Fargus yelled as he quickly ran up and fired an arrow at the assassin. The assassin got hit in the leg, but still continued to run at Faith, weapon drawn to attack her.
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Faith
Squire
Posts: 23
Profession: Ilian Soldier
Affiliation: Ilian Military
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Faith
OoC Alias: Ryu
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Post by Faith on Dec 3, 2016 20:56:00 GMT -6
The Squire motioned to her mount, giving a sharp whistle and holding her arm out. The Pegasus ascended quickly, rejoining the others in the sky above. Faith nodded, pleased. She’d forgotten that Pegasi were more resistant to magical assaults than they were to physical ones. Another quick survey of the battlefield showed that the enemy was nearly defeated; the other members of the Ilian unit were cleaning up the last few stragglers. The ground was stained red, and the bodies of Etrurians lay in various grotesque poses, resting where they had been felled. Faith nodded, satisfied. The skirmish had been successful, and the mission was accomplished.
And then the trees parted and a large, armored man marched out, with what looked like an acolyte of sorts at his side. The man moved into the center of the clearing, untouched, and then scoffed, looking around at the six Ilians and the one Sacaean.
“You did well, girls. You killed a ragtag Etrurian scouting party, a group of useless dolts they gave me. But can you kill the man who led them, and groups before them? When my men die, somehow I live… I live and wreak more havoc. Many have tried to kill me. Assassins, political rivals, enemy soldiers. They have all tried. But none have succeeded in killing the Lynx!”
The man laughed, drawing forth from an ornate scabbard a sword whose blade seemed to shimmer, almost as if it was flickering in and out of existence. It was most peculiar, but Faith was already thinking. The Lynx. A well-known Etrurian agent, who had played a part in the fall of Remi. As he had said, a previous target of Etrurian political assassination by his rivals. Always seemed to cheat death. Skilled swordfighter, expert tracker and hunter, and a true woodsman.
One of the members of the seventh unit spoke, her voice firm and unafraid.
“Lynx. You might always live when your men have died… But is that because you are a skilled survivalist, or because you abandon your men, hiding in the shadows while they fight and bleed for you?”
Faith stepped forwards, twirling her lance and passing it from hand to hand before slamming it down, smacking the haft on her open palm and leveling it into a ready stance. Her unit members did likewise, forming two small groups of three soldiers apiece and targeting the Lynx. The Squire trusted that Fargus of Sacae would be able to fight well; she had no time to waste protecting him.
And then it began; the Lynx charged forward, twirling his sword and parrying an initial thrust, moving inside to try and strike at one of the members of the Seventh Unit. However, with six young women all working together and looking out for one another, he was unable to follow his strike through, instead having to retreat, parrying more jabs as he tried to circle around the Squires to attack from their rear.
OOC: Treat this as any Boss NPC fight; I’ll control the Swordmaster, so write all attacks as you would for a PvP fight (i.e. no autohits)
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