The Law of the Battle [PM to join]

[Valclaud]

Valclaud's eyes widened in terror for a second when the woman answered and said that not only was she an Etrurian, but a holy knight as well. For a split second, he wanted to attack this woman, but Lillianne's tone told him otherwise; and from what she could do to bandits, Valclaud was scared of her as well. When the Knight asked him a question in return, he just ended the conversation with [white]"Nevermind."[/white] Walking away and wiping his hands and mouth on a bandit's rag, and went back to looting bodies for more food.

[white]Just my luck,[/white] he thought to himself after biting into a apple. Sour, but still food none the less. [white]I left Etruria to escape people like her, and now I'm fighting alongside her. Does karma just like to make fun of me?[/white] Valclaud's anger rose sharply at that thought, with him then sending flux orbs at various objects across the area; acting like a child having a tantrum. Most of the balls hit corpses, causing various limbs to go missing and holes appear in their bodies. Calming down, Valclaud just laid on the ground and tried to relax by looking at the sky while continuing to munch on the sour apple, far away from the group, especially away from Lillianne and the Etrurian; Lillianne probably wouldn't like him acting out, and Valclaud just didn't like the armored woman.

[Sammi]

Sammi stared down at Alicia as Lilly yanked the arrow from wound. It was particularly bad, however she admired that Lilly still was keeping a straight face. She had seen healers plenty of times and the work they had to do everyday, it was rare if they didn't gag.

The sound was sickening as well, she would admit, but she bit back on her lip, so she didn't have anything to say about the matter. During all of this, the newcomer shaman came bouncing along, talking like this was just another day and there was nothing wrong with this situation. Luckily, Lilly spoke up about it, so she didn't have to. On the other hand, she noticed that he had blood on his face and hands. As much as it sickened her, she decided not to ask.

Alicia appeared ok after that so she didn't worry. Alicia had faith in herself and in them and Sammi did not want to ruin that. As Erica came into view she noticed them and thanked them, but stopped herself at sight of the newcomer. "Do they know each other?" she wondered. She shook the thought away as Erica gave on last look at them, then took to the sky. She followed Lilly and waited for Erica if she had spotted anything.

[Linius]

Linius grimaced. Someone had betrayed them. Someone wanted them to attack the encampment. They were lead here like lambs to the slaughter. The knight kept his thoughts to himself, however. Voicing what was on everyone's minds would not help the situation. Instead, he knelt down to inspect Alicia's wound. "Hold still." he warned her, removing a watertight skin container from his pouch. "This should help the pain." He explained, uncorking it with his teeth to carefully apply the healing salve to the cauterized wound. "I'm sorry, but there isn't enough time to rest. More are on their way." he explained, patting her shoulder. "We don't have time. We have to get this gate closed. Sammi, Lilliane, on the wall. I'll see if I can get the door closed from down here."

Linius stood up and started to search. The lever or turner to the gate would probably be near the entrance. However, the young shaman's acting out caught his attention, and Linius marched up to the young man. "We are currently in a situation that could cost us our lives." he stated sternly. "And your actions are only going to cause everyone more stress than they already have. So if you can't do anything useful, then I suggest you either stay quite or make yourself scarce, because I do not have time for stupidity. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" he demanded, using the same voice he'd used when speaking to recruits in training.

[Deleted]

Lillianne wasn't proud to admit to herself that she honestly didn't know which of the options she would have chosen. Ever the pragmatist, she liked to think that she would have chosen cauterization - her training on the matter had championed it as a efficient and effective solution, and there was a certain lurid beauty to being able to so quickly heal a serious wound. "Heal," rather, and therein lay the catch; not only did the process hurt like hell, involving melting flesh, and boiling away nerves in the vicnity, but it left a blotch on the flesh distinct from the scars of normal healing. Whether one or the other was more attractive was a matter up for open debate - at least cauterization tended to leave semi-uniform blotches as compared to the jagged scars left otherwise - but it could be a mark of either expedience or shame.

As for her - she liked being pretty, and hoped to never have to choose between them. It was partially petty vanity, admittedly, but so too was it pragmatism at work again; obvious injuries would make her seem less of the perfect ruler, more of a mortal woman who could be hurt and killed the same as anyone else. How much of that actually mattered for now - she was just trying to distract herself from the task at hand, as well as how she knew this was going to smell. Alicia's thanks summoned a grim smile on Lilly's face and in her eyes, serious and pitying and empathic all at once. "Thank me when this is finished and we can all walk away alive. For now - try to hold still."

Lilly's index finger erupted into ravaging heat before she had finished speaking, her voice as calm and soothing as she could manage given the intense focus it took to tone down the spell's effects. It had seemed easier in theory than it was in practice, but the actual process was like trying to contain an Elfire spell with a hug. She pressed on nonetheless, determined to at least pull through... even given the stench of burning flesh. As contained as the heat was, there was little doubt as to what it was doing - or how much it would hurt initially. The only real consolation was that the nerves in the immediate area would burn out quickly enough that the pain would be short-lived.

As soon as the unpleasant deed was over, the mage stepped back, subconsciously noting the magic dissipating from her finger as she inspected the area of the wound. A blotchy mess, but at least using only a finger had let her contain it to little more than a square inch or so of flesh - little more than what the scar would have naturally ruined. "The surrounding nerves will likely be somewhat inflamed, so I would recommend taking it easy when you get the chance after all this, but the bleeding will not be a problem and the pain will be purely irritation." No one said that the whole experience would be peasant, but bandages would still have hurt like hell, and for longer. "Sorry. Wish I could've at least applied some ice, but you'll be in fighting condition." The idea of using Fimbulvetr as a medical tool was actually somewhat amusing, as wasteful as it would be. At least Linius had some water to apply. It would do for the time being.

Standing back, Lilly graced the knight with as sincere a smile as she could manage, given the circumstances - it was less out of a dislike of Etrurians as a dislike of the smell that held her back. "Your fortitude is impressive." And then Erica was there, and Lillianne pivoted on the balls of her feet to face the pegasus rider, patting Alicia on the shoulder before focusing her attention on the woman's report.

Soundtrack begins.

"Well, that's - enlightening." It was all making a disturbing degree of sense. Lillianne's eyebrows furrowed as she pondered the ramifications. "I suspect that they intended to strike at the same time as the force from the fortress proper and the ambush squad. Combined with covering fire from the walls, we would have been assaulted from four sides at once by a force easily triple our size if not significantly larger." Pincer attacks? This was rapidly going from depressing to worse. It was small comfort that the bandits had timed the whole procedure poorly enough that the group had been spared immediate annihilation - that their opponents had even considered such a complex plan definitely reeked of an extremely serious issue. Were some of the bandits ex-soldiers?

...And if so, how accurate was the "ex" part?

Conspiracy theories later. For now, activity. "Thank you, Erica. We are fortunate for your presence, and I speak for all of us when I extend that to being grateful for your aid." Heavily armored? Were there seriously knights coming? BANDIT knights? That was so ludicrous that Lilly couldn't see herself taking it seriously. Maybe Erica had just mistaken some particularly large bandits for knights. Probably. ...Hopefully. Not looking as sanguine as she would have liked, she strode to the entrance of the gates, rightly suspecting the immediate insides to be empty. The room inside was indeed empty of bandits, a fairly large open space filled with what Lilly realized after a few moments were any number of implements of war, all in terrible condition - but many of them in various states of attempted repair.

Mangonels, battering rams, even a ballista lay about, but there was no easy entrance further into the fort. The doors she could make out seemed to be barred shut from the other side, even the larger secondary gate. Emerging a few moments later, Lilly gravitated towards the cluster of humanity that marked her little army. She spoke without preamble, informing Linius in particular of her discovery while leaving the intent of her words open to the rest. "The bandits seem to have barricaded themselves in as best they can, short of closing the gate - while their means of egress are sealed, so too are our routes further into the fortress, and by extension the upper walls. For the time being, we are effectively trapped outside, or at best able to utilize the gate as a chokepoint."

Which would not, of course, be nearly as simple as that sounded. "That said, there is a secondary gate. I suspect that the remaining denizens of the fortress are waiting for the incoming column to attack to sally forth and attempt to catch us between a pincer strike; caught from before and behind, they will expect us to fall." The blunt assessment was, she suspected, accurate; perhaps not exactly so, but it seemed the obvious choice for the depleted forces inside the fort. She would have done the same. That didn't mean that she didn't have a counterplan.

"However, I believe that will be our opportunity to finally gain full access to the fort - if we can quickly dispatch of the garrison force, we can all back into the fort proper through the new entrance if needs be, or hold it with a token force while finishing off the outside attack." Pulling herself together to hide the uncertainty in her tone, Lilly continued - she had to sound certain of their chances, of her plan, or morale would be an issue... and rightly so. This was not exactly an optimal situation. "The chokepoint is our best route for grasping victory from the jaws of defeat." The volume of her voice rose, a subtle suggestion to anyone in earshot to pay attention and voice their issues with the plan if they had any. "If you have constructive criticism, now is the time to speak up. We will not have much time to prepare our defenses."

[Selk Mar]

Selk was a newer arrival to this little group, so he felt that he had little say in the matters of their mission. The first thing he heard from their apparent leader was that they had been betrayed by one of the people that had supposedly given them this job. So they had been payed, or were going to be payed rather, to remove these bandits? That sounded about right. Selk half wondered if he'd get a share of the pay for helping if they got paid at all. If one betrayed them it was possible that the others did as well.

Still, now wasn't the time for such negative and depressing thoughts. He kept his smile up and nodded at Alicia, Erica, and Lillianne. His eyes shifted to each member of the group slowly so he could see who was on his side. "You don't have to thank me, but I am glad to meet you all. My name is Selk Mar."

He listened to Lilly's comment about gaining a couple of potential allies and he glanced to the shaman, then back to Lilly, "I'm no noble if that's what you're asking. As for my fighting skills, I do have the basics of that sort of training." Shortly after his words he heard the disturbing sound of searing flesh. He knew the feeling of a burn a bit better than he'd like to. Red hot steel against flesh was far more than just painful.

He watched as the Shaman, who wasn't for certain an ally, act rather childish. Selk couldn't place what he was angry about, but the dark mage was certainly upset about something. Selk decided that, while the others were talking he would have a word with this hooded fellow. As the Shaman lay on the ground Selk knelt down next to him and spoke, "I think you should rethink what you're doing here, fellow. If this group did get betrayed, these thugs that we're fighting won't leave any witnesses. Since you aren't one of their group already, you won't be getting out of here alive if we don't. I can't force you to help us, but it's in your best interests to. Truth is, we probably need your help" He nodded at that, standing back up and walking away. He'd said what he felt was necessary. It was up to the young dark mage to decide what to do now.

He overheard the potential battle plans as well. He wasn't a master strategist so he had no objections. Given what Lilly was saying their odds of success were slim. Her plan sounded like the best bet right now. "Erica, was it," he half questioned while motioning toward the Pegasus rider, "mentioned something about enemy knights. If there are knights they'll try to spearhead our defenses and push through. Blocking them won't be easy even at a chokepoint."

[Valclaud]

Valclaud's mood changed a lot from having a "conversation" with the other two knights about his behavior. [white]That was somewhat needed[/white] He thought as he finished eating the apple. [white]I mean, sure. I don't like Etrurians, but everyone else is putting up with it. Maybe I should just accept it and swallow my damn pride, then I wouldn't be scolded like a child.[/white] Getting off the ground and hearing that more soldiers were on the way from Erica, Valclaud's face turned from a dull, boring attitude to a very happy and very creepy face at the mention of armored soldiers. [white]material weapons can bounce off and break off heavy armor, but magic isn't limited by that restraint; Oh how the tables have turned.[/white] Valclaud thought as he listened to Lillianne's plan for the new arrivals.

Not really one of smart tactical ideas, Valclaud remained silent through out the entire planning of their next move. [white]With a situation like this[/white] he thought [white]It's sometimes best that certain disagreements and matters left untouched. I'll just let it go for now and help fight since there are people I know and could get used to.[/white]

[Alicia]

Alicia's training had been tough; from dawn to dusk, the instructors had drilled them, building up the recruits' fortitude, that they might better serve Saint Elimine. She had endured pain before.

Just, not quite like this one.

She screamed, fighting to stay still; her body tried to move away instinctively, but she clenched her hands and bit the inside of her cheek, shutting her eyes tightly. A second stretched out into minutes, and tears welled up in her eyes; she did not try to fight them this time, cutting her voice off with a raspy gasp. The coppery taste of blood reached her tongue, and she realized dimly that she might have bitten too hard, but she was beyond caring. The flare of pain from her side dimmed away ever so slowly to a dull throbbing; whether it was because Lillianne had finished, or her nerves had gone numb, she could not tell.

She sighed as a cool, soothing sensation spread over her tortured skin, the sudden shift causing her to shudder as she opened her eyes. She smiled at Linius as she listened to the liaison's instructions, before shaking her head. The smell that reached her was unpleasant enough to make her grimace before speaking. "No, there is..." She paused, turning her body slowly, the pain she had felt before when walking now dulled to a light ache. "There is no need for apologies, liai-ah, Lillianne." She smiled apologetically at her slip, bowing stiffly, unwilling to bend fully quite yet for fear of tearing her wound open once more. "'Fighting condition' is more than well enough for now." The hands on her shoulder surprised her, and the compliment caught her off-guard; the mage and her knight friend were not as hostile as the earlier hours had led her to believe.

Alicia knelt to pick up her lance, discarded and forgotten in the heat of the moment; she would need it soon, and it gave her a moment of respite to compose herself. She breathed in deeply, closing her eyes. When she rose, however, Lillianne was nowhere in sight. She looked around, perplexed; Linius and Selk seemed to have busied themselves with the blood-stained teenager. Ah, there she was; just returning from the gates. Her news, however, were not particularly uplifting.

The Etrurian pursed her lips, the grip on her lance tightening as her heartbeat accelerated. Their situation was...bleak, to say the least. Selk's assessment was probably correct as well; the enemy knights would attempt to break past their position, just as Linius and herself had done earlier. Only...they had to consider the secondary gate, as well. "Lilliane. I have battled knights before." In training was left unsaid, her worried expression undermining her confident tone. "A knight knows best where to strike at armor. Their weaknesses are the same as mine." A double-edged sword. "Allow me to stand at the front."

[Sammi]

Sammi reapplied another layer of cloth to her foot, and slipped her boot back on. It hurt terribly when pressure was applied, but after seeing Alicia's wound and the pain she was in, the her foot didn't seem so bad anymore. The young women was tough though, she had to admit.
Sammi's attention turned the gate where Lilly was approaching. Had Erica spotted more bandits.

No. Knights apparently. Sammi tried to remember the vague portion of her training that delt with striking armor. Alicia apparently had known, and she figured that she could probably pull it off. The others seemed to be in their on little world chewing off the shaman. Fine she figured.

"Lilly what weapons are they carrying?" she asked. It would be best to know now then to have that unpleasant surprise. The situation seemed to be more serious than she thought.

[Laertes]

"So A final stand, is at hand?"He finally emerged from the surroundings. His gauntlets were slightly tarnished from the scraping of the armor between the bandits weapons and his armor. The outer portion of his left arm had been nicked a little. The wound wasn't deep enough for serious injury to follow, or so he thought but he did have to at least cauterize it before it allowed infection to spread. He moved closer to the group, but more importantly the magic woman.

"Sounds frightenly charming" He laughed approaching Lilliane. There wasn't much they could do at this point. Laertes did his best to stay away from the core of the argument, and quite frankly he tuned everyone out. His job wasn't to necessarily think. Rather, it was the impulsion. The act he had to accomplish in his certain, yet limited time amongst these strangers.

He was fighting for a pay check.

The ideas of strategies were home to him. He had been versed, at least to a moderate degree within his studies. He never necessarily enacted any of these ideas in combat. Rather they were concepts he familiarized himself with. In a sense, he was nothing more than a novice at such tactics. What could one do without failure? He hadn't tried to at least enact these very ideas. Aside from that, his role was solely based on his physical talents.

"So then, the leader of the common. Who takes which side of this pincer?"

That was the only answer he wanted.

[Deleted]

Surprisingly, this time people actually spoke up with suggestions. That was a welcome change from earlier. It didn't hurt that they were right - if there were indeed knights incoming, it only made sense that they would be used as linebreakers. "Yes... you're right, Selk, Alicia." She was pacing, briskly, her hands behind her back as she pondered the tactical situation. "To break a charge like that, we will need to commit our own heavy armor. We do have a few advantages to keep us safe, though; their superior numbers will avail them less at a chokepoint, our armor should be able to stymie theirs, and you'll have magic support. If the three of you can halt their advance, the young man and I should be able to take them out."

Of course, the issue wasn't that she was worried about the knights breaking the line. It was possible they could, but in such confined spaces, without any way for them to dodge, Lilly felt that she and Valclaud could remove the threat without serious trouble. "The problem is that I suspect we will be attacked from behind simultaneously, or shortly after, but if I allot too many forces to pre-emptively preparing for that assault, our front line may be overwhelmed, or worse, the defenders may not sally forth at all. We need them to come out if we are to gain entrance, even if it means offering a perceived weakness to exploit."

Which meant... Lillianne considered her options, few as they were. They would have to at least appear to commit all of their forces immediately to lure the bandits out, but be flexible enough to switch some of the group to offense at the drop of a hat. Or rising of a gate. Whatever. Screw metaphors. "Given that these are bandits, I suspect that the timing of the two attacks will be imperfect - the defenders will likely actually attack shortly after the initial wave hits out defenses. If we strike quickly and decisively we may be able to blunt the assault in time to rally and detach part of the group to deal with the assault from behind. Given that the defenders have yet to come out, I suspect that the incoming column will be the primary threat, so we should focus our forces there. Perhaps break one knight off from that defense to help stop the second..."

Lilly trailed off, pondering it again. Splitting up their forces was a risk, but one that she felt they would have to take. She would have to head the force dedicated to taking the gate. ...While she would have preferred to take Linius with her, he would be more useful in command of the other group if they got too seriously split up. Also, the idea of leaving the shaman anywhere near Alicia didn't seem particularly safe. He seemed to be behaving, but Lilly didn't want to deal with an incident of "friendly" fire. "...Alicia, Laertes - you and I will stop the secondary attack. I need at least two knights holding the chokepoint with ranged fire support, so thatd be Selk and Linius. Linius, if anything happens to me, you're in charge. The shaman should stay with them, and - Sammi, can I rely on you to focus targets of opportunity? I saw some arrow slits in the other wall that can be reached from the ground, so you should be able to contribute to either front."

Maybe this time, the plan would even work! Or maybe bandits would tunnel up through the floor and turn out to be magical dragons made of death. That was a comforting thought. "One other thing - I suspect that the archer sentries will be in the attack from inside. Shaman - what -is- your name, anyways? - and Sammi, you two especially should make use of cover from the broken siege weapons in the room. That goes for the rest of you if either of our lines break; putting your side or back to a solid object will help deal with superior numbers much better than attempting to do so in the open. Worst case scenario, we all regroup behind the best cover possible in the room. Understood?"

[Selk Mar]

Selk had only been with this group of combatants for a short while and already the situation had gotten heavier than it was when he arrived. He merely listened to each member of the group as they spoke. His mind slowly pieced together their conversation as it came, particularly focusing on Lilly's strategy for their survival. If they were going to make it he would have to be ready to turn and fall back into the fortress at a moment's notice.

Amongst the small swirl of chaos and rising tension before the coming onslaught, Selk spotted something in the dust beneath one of the broken siege weapons. A faint twinkle of something with a glossy shine broke through from the dust and caught his eye. He knelt down for a moment and reached through one of the broken Ballista wheels to pull out a small, transparent red orb. It put a smile on his face. Even though it was slightly larger than a walnut, the gem would undoubtedly fetch a hefty price. The real reason he smiled, though, was that this small red stone was a sign of good fortune. It was a bit of a folk superstition, but Selk believed that good omens came in threes. He had been there when the group needed him and now he'd found this little treasure. That could only mean there was one more to go.

With his resolve and hope bolstered by this little incident, Selk positioned himself to block the assault from the outside at the gateway and finally put on his helmet. He readied his lance in both hands and gave a nod over his shoulder to the group. Even without saying a word he would still make sure they knew he was ready and that he understood the plan of action.

These people put absolute trust in him by fighting alongside him, and he them. He refused to betray that trust. Even if he didn't know them, this bond put them as close to him as family. They might not think that way, but Selk did.

[Linius]

Linius stood at attention and saluted Lillianne. "Understood, my Lady." The large knight looked to Alicia and Laertes. "I'm trusting the two of you to protect Lady Lillianne. Please, do not fail." he said. The knight turned his visor down once more, and turned towards the gate. "Selk, was it? You're with me, son. Stay close, and watch my back." he instructed, patting the young mans pauldron.

[Sammi]

Sammi stood attentively at Lillianne's commands and nodded. She looked around at the broken siege weapons, but unfortunately found nothing that she could use to her advantage. The shaman's attitude towards Alicia confused her, and she hoped that it wouldn't effect the battle. She wasn't about to worry though. It would only hurt her and the group. "Understood, Lillianne," said Sammi. "At your command."

[Alicia]

Alicia nodded, pleased at the acknowledgement of her advice. Still, it did nothing to calm her nervousness; the coming battle would be a lot harder than the first one had been. These were no barbarians armed with rudely crafted axes and second-hand swords; these were trained knights, and that spoke volumes of the so-called bandits' preparation.

Lillianne's plan was sound...and yet, Alicia couldn't help the wave of irritation that rose up in her at the arrangements, cutting through her previous thoughts. She should be at the front as well, she had volunteered. Did the silver-haired mage not trust her? Or, perhaps she did not trust her abilities. The Etrurian scowled. Yes, she probably thought her knight friend more capable, more experienced, more suited to the task of fighting enemy knights while Alicia hid at the back like a child. The Etrurian knights were peerless. She had shed blood for their victory earlier. Her side still ached, where her wound had been cauterized. Did she not deserve the honor of fighting at the front?

The thought rankled, twisting like a knife inside her mind. She was the best. Her instructors had said so. Even her superiors had told her she would go far, given her faith remained strong. Her devotion to Saint Elimine was unrivaled; she was clearly the best suited to fight the two knights. And yet, she had been wounded, while the other two had not. She had been knocked down, while the two of them stood their ground. She had almost died. Selk had saved her. Her gratitude towards him remained, but she could not help the conflicting anger that rose within her as well, burning into the feeling of solidarity and concern for her companions she had experienced earlier. She was not a rookie, she was a holy knight of the church. It was disgraceful...no, it was downright insulting that she had required saving at all. Her former classmates would have laughed at her. The great Alicia, beloved by all the instructors, saved by a foreign knight like a damsel in distress. Preposterous! And now the Lycian mage proposed that she hide behind the rest of the group while they fought. She could not abide by those orders. She would not. Her anger spiked, burning like a bonfire. She opened her mouth to speak, turning towards Lillianne.

...And closed it in an instant as she looked around, her eyes gliding over the figures of her companions, suddenly ashamed. Yes, she could not deny the truth of her previous thoughts, but...was their survival not more important than her pride? She tried to cleanse her expression of emotion, succeeding only partially. It scared her that she had been so close to losing control. She tensed, tightening her grip on her lance. Yes, she could feel the anger smoldering inside...but it was directed at herself. It was one thing to prove her superiority in training, at the Etrurian barracks, and quite another to do so when their lives were in danger. This was hardly the moment for introspection, but...she could not help but feel as though something was fundamentally wrong with her previous line of thought.

"Understood." Her tone sounded dead even to her ears, and she took a deep breath, suddenly feeling exhausted. No, she had to stay strong. Alicia nodded in acknowledgement at Linius' words, not trusting her voice. Perhaps the older knight would have preferred to stand at his friend's side; it struck her as ironic that she had wished for the opposite mere moments before, to stand at the front line in his place. She regarded him seriously. The man before her was utterly unlike the recruits that had been her classmates. He was not motivated by a desire to overcome her, to show off his prowess or humiliate her. She pushed the whirlwind of emotions that threatened to spill out aside. She had her fair share of thinking to do after the battle, but now was not the time.

[Valclaud]

[white]"My name is Valclaud, sorry I didn't tell you earlier."[/white] He told Lillianne, adding a smile into it to seem friendly, despite eating a rabbit raw a moment ago. Looking around for any terrain that could be to his advantage he noticed a small hole in the rubble of a catapult; wide enough for him to get in and hide while fighting. [white]May be unconventional, but it works.[/white] he assumed as he crawled in.