The Only Good Bandit {Open, 4 slots}

[Alos Ryndoa]

Alos looks back at Hadrian with a worried look on his face.

"When you said there was no time I didn't think you meant no time to think of strategy. Good thing I know a thing or two about strategy..."

He turns around and looks at Berg and Fuchs.

"I want you two to scour the stronghold and see how many you can get to surrender. Like I said before, we need to keep casualties to a minimum. Disarm them and tie them up with this."

He reaches into his bag and pulls out a long coil of rope, tossing it to Fuchs. He looks over at Dietrich.

"I want you to come with me and look for the leader. The two of us should have no problem taking him down."

He steps forward and looks back at Hadrian, a slight frown on his face.

"You can come with me and Dietrich in case we need healing. In fact, see if you can do anything for Dietrich's arm. Just try and stay out of trouble, would you? And don't hold us back."

[Dietrich Landrik]

Landrik grabbed the map from the priest with his left arm to prove a point he could still use it, trying to be understanding that Hadrian wouldn't know much about fighting on a battlefield. Looking it over, the "fort" wasn't as daunting as the man made it out to be, so that gave him a bit of ease. The mention of it being a church made his heart sink a little. 'How could these rapscallions dare use a house of St. Elimine for them to carry out such acts?' Landrik thought. He may not be a Holy Warrior or anything of the sort, but he had plenty of respect and admiration for the Holy figure as she has protected him so far. Hopefully he didn't have to fight inside of the church itself, but then again, St. Elimine did drive out desecrators with a whip and fury, tipping tables to oust the intruders. Very well, it may have to come to that but with the sword.

Turning to Alos, he was sure the liquor went to his head. "Hey, listen here. Splitting us up like that will just get us killed. Fuchs is a very good fighter and Berg will serve us best by being outside and filling anyone trying to escape or come up on us full of arrows. I won't doubt that you are good with that lance and shield, but I'll be damned if we're going to split up to find this guy where we can easily get separated and fall into a trap. We work together and fight together and we come out on top. Let's leave all the sneaky stuff up to Near. We'd probably just get in his way if we tried bum-rushing after their leader." Landrik kind of went off on Alos, but he knew he had to do it to protect everyone's skin from a plan that really could leave them dead on a cart headed back to a village cemetery just outside Laus.

Taking a bit of a sigh, he regained his posture. "Hadrian, I see you have a satchel for tomes. I trust you can use Holy Magic with some skill? We could absolutely use it in battle. We'll have to bless the church afterwards as well."

Looking off towards where Berg and Fuchs were providing overwatch, he did a small hand signal to catch their attention and bring them over. Berg smirked under his huge beard, trying to hide it a little. It was good to see he wasn't as worried as he was. "Alright, I hope that didn't catch their attention. Berg, I need you to take out that guard silently so we can bust right in. You're going to provide overwatch. Be prepared to be stumbled upon by that patrol, yet ultimately you need to be watching out for their leader in case he tries to make an escape out of some little hatch or something. He can't get away." Berg nodded, moving forward slowly with his bow drawn as Landrik turned to Fuchs. "You'll be with myself and Alos. Hadrian would work best just moving around wherever he fits in. We need a proper shield wall inside the tight spaces in there, so you'll be working right alongside Alos here. Since I've got my pretty little sticker right here, I can plug gaps and watch your flanks, as well as finish anyone off that y'all have poked. Taking prisoners would be nice, but don't let it get you killed."

Fuchs shrugged, honestly fine with whatever plan Landrik had cooked up since he trusted his judgement. "Sure. Let's make this quick Herr grumpenfuhrer." he teased, making fun of his overly serious attitude.

[Hadrian]

[OOC: Bandit's perspective on all this!]

The mage sat down on the tree stump, sneering at the miserable members of the patrol. He was above them all. These bumbling country fools, who could barely wield the Iron Axes that Helix had given them. Smirking a little, he stroked the binding of his Thoron tome, simply lounging around the patrol guard. These incompetent fools couldn't handle a single intruder without me... he thought to himself, picturing the entire troupe falling over themselves trying to catch a measly pupil. "Right men! Get a move on!" he shouted, hitting the nearest bandit on the shoulder. He flinched at the contact, as if the mage's hand was still imbued with the electricity that he wielded so ruthlessly. The mage laughed, and the bandits got to their feet and began to walk.

---

Hadrian turned to Dietrich, and nodded at his plan. He sensed the Mercenary's exasperation at Hadrian's own weakness, and Hadrian felt deeply ashamed for being so ill-equipped to deal with this situation. "You're right, Dietrich, I can use Light magic pretty well. I'll just move around, healing those that need it and giving support to those who are being targeted. Though, if Near's distraction works out we shouldn't encounter the patrol guard when we cross the open."

Hadrian immediately brought a finger to his lips, he heard something in the forest. The patrol was moving past their own location, on their way around the perimeter. It wouldn't take them long to move past and onto Near's location. Their loud boots clanked as they walked, obscuring what they were saying. When they had passed, Hadrian took his finger from his lips. "As soon as we see their mage's signal, we move. Is everyone ready?"

[Ryuzaki]

"Yes... Closer... Come right into my ambush."

Ryu stood hidden in the undergrowth, watching the patrol move past him. He'd circled all the way around the building, only to find that the patrol was moving past their original location. As he snuck through the forest to catch them, his feet sliding almost noiselessly over the soft earth, he came across the group still standing and discussing. His eyes rolled in disappointment almost subconsciously.

"No, no," he whispered. "There will be no signal. Now that the patrol is past you, go! Get inside. I'll..." His voice trailed off as his hands flickered under his cloak, reappearing with two throwing knives. "handle this. Go!"

Moving into a run, Ryu emerged from the forest and used the patrol's blissful ignorance to demonstrate his skills to the rest of the team. His hands twitched, and both knives shot off, one embedding itself in the mage's neck, and another hitting his back. But the thief wasn't finished. He had launched himself into the group of guards, drawing his scythes and swirling them as he assumed an attack stance. Hopefully, the rest of them would hurry up and get inside. He'd handle the rest of these pitiful bandits. With no mage to signal for them, they'd be completely at his mercy. Only a fool would let the opportunity he'd created go to waste.

[Alos Ryndoa]

Alos catches a blue cloak fading into the shadows out of the corner of his eye. A smirk slowly spreads across his face.

"That's our cue. The door doesn't have a lock, but it's probably guarded."

He looks back at his companions, smiling back at them.

"Normally I would just bum-rush him, but I suppose that won't be a problem since we have an archer with us."

His gaze falls on Berg.

"Whenever you're ready."

[Dietrich Landrik]

Berg didn't look back as he heard the scuffling in the woods past them when Near was cutting into the crowd. That was enough of a signal for him. Calm and collected, he pulled the drawstring back and let the arrow loose with the skill as if he were smoothing out a hide on a tanning rack. The arrow found its mark in the man's neck which caught him completely by surprise as he choked on his own blood, trying to figure out what happened. The second shot came just after and penetrated through the man's unarmored chest.

Landrik and Fuchs sprinted full force ahead, holding onto their equipment that hung from their belts so it didn't jingle as they ran. The swordsman practically jumped on the dying man as he ran to grab the keys from him to unlock the door. Finding what he needed, he tore at the man's belt and jumped up to the lock, opening it up. Immediately Fuchs burst in with his Bardiche, ready to stab or slash at anything at a distance across the small room taken over as a mud room. There wasn't a door that led into the chapel itself, but Fuchs held just outside of it waiting for Landrik to get ready in position. The swordsman quickly drew his sword and took a peek inside the main hall, unsure of what awaited them.

[Hadrian]

[OOC: Bandits]

The mage slumped to the ground, his Thoron tome falling with a heavy thump. With their patrol leader killed, the remaining bandits were at somewhat of a loss. Those with enough presence of mind even thought to pick up their axes and swords before turning to face the thief responsible for killing the mage. But Near had made a critical error, something which would make the other group's ascent more difficult.

Killing the mage first meant that a signal was never sent, so bandits inside the stronghold never went out to investigate. This meant the inside of the old fort was going to be as heavily guarded as it would be normally. Near would have no problem with the small and incompetent patrol guard, but the stationary guards at the doors of the fort would provide more of a problem for the other group.

Berg's arrow immediately gave away the position of the other group. Although he managed to kill the guard, an archer appeared from the doorway, an arrow already notched on his bow. Dietrich, Fuchs, Hadrian and Alos were all running to the door, and he was preparing a shot. One would certainly be hit if no-one did anything about it.

---

Hadrian held his Light tome ready, in case the patrol guard had split, or in case Berg missed the guard at the door with his arrow. When everyone began to run, he followed them, but he noticed the absence of the mage's signal. I thought the plan was to draw them all together...? Hadrian silently berated himself for not being clearer.

His worries were confirmed when an archer stepped from the doorway and confronted the four intruders. Fortunately, Hadrian was faster than the archer was, and magic traveled faster than arrows. A bolt of light shot from his hand as they crossed the field between the forest and the fort, striking just behind the archer. Pieces of masonry flew off the wall with the impact, giving Fuchs, Dietrich and Alos time to accost the distracted archer.

With him dealt with, Hadrian followed the group into the sacristy. "Wait a moment." Hadrian said, bringing his ear to the door. Raucous laughter emanated from the hall, loud enough to conceal their entrance. Hadrian held up a hand, indicating to the others to hold back. They needed to make fewer mistakes.

[Ryuzaki]

"Right. Now, if you want to keep your lives... Throw your weapons in a pile, right here. Then run as far away as you can. Quickly, now. I'm not usually a lenient or patient man. Leave now with your lives, or die now with your blades."

The patrol moved faster than Ryu had ever seen any patrol move, all but one fleeing. The foolish bandit raised his axe with a determined expression, stepping forward and roaring. Ryu shook his head and chuckled, watching his expression turn to shock as Ryu raised his scythe as if to do battle, but instead sidestepped and neatly sliced through his jugular vein.

"Bye. See you in hell."

Throwing the weapons into the brush to somewhat hide them, Ryu dragged the two bodies out of the way and retrieved his throwing knives from the mage, keeping his tome as a souvenir. Maybe he'd pawn it off somewhere.

With the patrol out of the way, Ryu was strictly on support duty now. So what to do? A quick look revealed that the rest of the group had gotten inside, although a smash mark on the side of the building indicated that there had been a scuffle.

"So maybe they need a distraction, mmm? Or someone to save their skins? No, Landrik and his buddies can look out for the other two. I'll... Make some noise."

Running around the building, Ryu kept in the open. He had no fear of a bandit attack now; there was no patrol, and no bandit could see through stone and mortar. Arriving at the large stained-glass window, Ryu analyzed it as he caught his breath, locating a spot where the boards didn't completely cover the glass. Taking out his scythes, Ryu used the heads to smash a gaping hole in the window taller and wider than he, walking in through it and slamming his scythe butts into the stone floor, holding them vertical, ready for attack.

"I am Death. Death is Near."

This should serve as enough of a distraction for the group. And if things got too heated, he had multiple escape routes. Time to kill...No, disarm some bandits.

The specter stood still, waiting to see if anyone would attack.

[Alos Ryndoa]

Alos stands over the wounded bandit and thrusts his lance through the downed fighter's chest, slaying the man. He walks up to the door where Hadrian was and listens to the sounds of chaos coming from beyond the door.

"Sounds like he's got it under control. I say we move on. Near can handle himself."

Alos turns away from the door and leaves the sacristy, allowing Near to focus on the situation in the mess hall. He leads the troupe, walking towards one of the larger "camps" within the fort.

"I say we split up and go for a pincer attack. Dietrich, you take your men down this hallway. If I'm right, it'll lead you to their main camp's right flank. Me and Hadrian'll head up the left side. If we catch 'em by surprise, they'll be more likely to be disoriented and more likely to surrender. From there we can move on and take out the boss."

He turns around and smirks at his teammates.

"Any comments?"

[Dietrich Landrik]

Although he didn't like the thought of leaving the shady man to take on a room full of brigands on his own, he knew they had to accomplish their mission of capturing Helix. Hearing the brief plan from Alos, the marine was impressed. "I'm glad you've got a tactical bone in your body. It sounds like a good plan, but we can also get torn apart like this if anyone of us get overwhelmed. We're spreading the lines right now." Dietrich warned, kicking the man on the ground to see if he was still responsive.

Moving through the corridor, he made a final comment before stepping off. "Let's make this quick and dirty. That way they can't react. Let's go." he briefly ordered before he opened a door off to his right and stepped inside with Fuchs.

[Hadrian]

Near would find himself interrupting what appeared to be a feast for the bandits. Raucous laughter echoed through the stone walls of the once holy building, and the clink of tankards resounded like the clashing of blades. Scantily clad women served the tables, their unhappy faces betraying the true nature of the scene. The tables were arranged horizontally across the room, the design obviously intended to stop those like Near, who came through the window, from getting to the other end of the room easily. Helix was obviously cleverer and more careful than they realised.

There was a second of silence before the panic started after Near made his entrance. At once, a man in a long red coat with a katana at his side got up and left through the far door, accompanied and shielded by two bandits. The women who were serving the tables cowered in fear, clinging to the men that they were closest to. Those who were not too inebriated with the drink picked up their weapons. There were about 6 who were in a state capable of fighting, two of them looked as if they even had a bit of experience. The first of these, a sword user, engaged Near immediately, attacking him with a basic iron sword. His attack was precise, a well-placed stab that kept him out of reach of Near's shorter swords, and would strike Near in the heart if he wasn't careful.

While Near was distracted by the the sword user, the axe user came up on his right hand side, and at the same time executed an attack that would slice through Near's neck if he wasn't able to deal with it. While Near was certainly faster than the axe user, the sword user would give him a run for his money. How fast could Near react to such an attack after jumping through a window and landing in a completely unfamiliar situation?

Meanwhile, as soon as Dietrich opened the door, it collided with one of the bodyguards who had been guarding Helix on their escape from the main hall. Luckily for Dietrich, the door was on his right hand side, the feedback from it colliding with the bandit was not inconsiderable. However, Helix and the other bandit were past before the others could react, and were climbing the spiral stairs in the tower, attempting to get to the top. A displeased grunt came from behind the door. The bandit who had collided with it was not happy with the situation. Unlike the other bandits, this one was surprisingly well equipped, armed with a Swordreaver, an axe designed specifically for dealing with swords.

---

Hadrian stepped away from the door as soon as he heard the commotion from Near's entrance. He nodded as the others discussed tactics. It was not his place to contribute, the others were more experienced in this area than he was. He understood the principle of the attack though, swarm them from both sides and take as many down as possible before they react. However, the door Dietrich opened led to the main corridor, linking the hall to the tower. A jarring thud indicated that the door collided with something as it opened.

There was a flash of red as something darted past the door. "Helix?" Hadrian muttered. If he went to the tower, they couldn't catch him there with their pincer attack. However, the axe wielder that was accompanying him now blocked the door. With the narrow doorway and corridor, swinging weapons would be difficult. So Hadrian took matters into his own hands. Flicking open his tome and waving his hand, a wave force knocked the berserker back, leaving his chest open for a stab from one of the others. "Now!" Hadrian tried to shout, but his infirmity meant his voice didn't really exceed speaking volume.

[Ryuzaki]

Instantly, Ryu's eyes flew over the entire scene, and he broke into action as a man stood up to leave. A throwing knife shot through the air, embedding itself squarely into the doorframe the man had just passed through. What a pity. His mark had run like a coward. Well, at least now he knew who to hunt down. But first, there were these pesky obstacles to overcome. Making an executive decision, Ryu spun like a top, the crook of his right-hand scythe hooking onto the bandit's axe as he turned. Finishing his maneuver, Ryu yanked, and the axe jerked out of his assailant's hand and went sailing, crossing the entire hall and landing with a clatter in the doorway the man had just left through. Impressive. Centrifugal force at work.

Meanwhile, the swordsman's first stab, which had been duly noted by the thief, had ended in failure. Not utter failure, but considerable failure. While it had indeed punctured through soft membranes and let loose a flood of red liquid, the swordsman had managed only to impale the small wineskin on Ryu's side, which had been exposed as he turned. A lucky break; he'd underestimated the man's strength.

Quickly using his scythe blade to chop the strings holding the skin to his cloak, Ryu hopped backwards and spoke up in a quiet yet commanding voice, full of icy menace.

"You have been allowed to live. Drop your weapons, this bandit party is over. Your leader will be dead, and you all shall go about your business. If you do not resist, I will let you all leave with your miserable lives. I've been told you have been coerced into this enterprise. However, the choice is yours. If you would prefer to cross blades with me, I will happily slice you into ribbons and feed your flesh to the carrion birds that circle the corpses of your guards outside. That fool of a mage never stood a chance. The others prudently chose not to test my steel. But if you insist... I will demonstrate for you my power. I am Death. Death is Near."

The vicious thief hooked his scythes back on his back and drew Gemini, his right hand staying hidden inside his cloak as he moved through the center of the room. If any would dare attack him, he would be quite ready to end their threat. But for now, he would limit his bloodlust and move toward the portal the target had fled through. The hunt was on.

[Alos Ryndoa]

Only a split second after Hadrian knocked the berserker away, Alos rushed in with his lance. He feinted an attack for the chest, instead using the shaft of his weapon to sweep the bandit off his feet. The berserker fell with a grunt, and Alos took this opportunity to kick his axe away before pulling a coil of rope out of his bag and binding the man's hands and feet.

He turned back to his teammates with a cocky smirk on his face.

"I doubt this one'll give us any more trouble. I saw two more go down this hallway, so I guess that's our next destination."

The bandit at his feet let out a low moan, but Alos silenced him quickly with a kick to the head, knocking him unconscious.

"What, don't look at me like that. Nobody said I couldn't rough him up a bit."

[Dietrich Landrik]

Dietrich didn't hear any orders from Hadrian, but he was a little shocked about the man behind the door as he stumbled back from the direct force against it. Hadrian stunned the man in return and Alos was quick disarming strike. While the soldier tied up the berserker, Landrik rushed up the spiraling staircase for better or for worse. "Fuchs! Come with me! Alos! Make sure the church doesn't get overran by any reinforcements!" he didn't get much time in to give any orders as Fuchs rushed past him up the stairs. Following shortly behind, the narrow staircase would be trouble if they were caught inside of it when they had to deal with them up at the top.

[Hadrian]

Near's scare tactics worked on the vast majority of the bandits, causing them to drop their weapons and flee. However, the more experienced sword wielder and his friend, the axe wielder remained. "Sowy Mish-tah Thief." said the bandit, his lisp making him sound quite childish in spite of his massive frame. "Them sca'e tacticsh don't work too well on ush." The swordsman remained silent, quietly surveying Near. Suddenly, the axe user came in with a large, looping swipe. The attack was clumsy, almost... too clumsy. Near could easily avoid it and swipe at the man, but that would be made impossible by the actions of the swordsman. While Near was busy avoiding the attack of the axe, the swordsman came in with a piercing stab, like a fencing lunge.

His blade was longer than any of Near's, making it impossible to hit him at this range. However, Near could not hope to counter-attack the axe user while avoiding the stab of the swordsman. Who would he decide to target, what would he do?

Meanwhile, Alos had restrained the Berserker, and the path was now clear to follow Helix and his remaining bodyguard. If the group pursued them up the stairs, they would encounter a slight problem. They could only ascend one at a time, and the movement of their right arms would be limited. If they met the bodyguard on the stairs, he would have a considerable advantage, being able to pick them off, one by one. He would also have more space to swing a weapon. The second person wouldn't even be able to see the confrontation, let alone interfere in it, due to the curve of the staircase. Spears and other long weapons would be incredibly unwieldy in this situation as well. They would need to think carefully about how to proceed.

---

Hadrian watched as Alos swiftly knocked the bandit to the ground. It was all over so quickly, Hadrian had barely realised it had begun. Stowing his Light tome beneath his cloak again. "Is anyone hurt?" He pulled out his healing staff regardless. He had seen the door slam into Dietrich, but it seemed to be nothing more than just a bruise. Hadrian stepped through the door, ignoring the now unconscious bandit. "I don't mean to state the obvious, but we should probably follow them up. Who is the most capable indoor fighter here?"