Walking was nothing new to Meirin. Walking long distances less so; she did used to protect caravans through Djarkel after all. She let the others take turns on the wagon's footholds as she simply walked alongside keeping pace with the wagon. Despite the dark and desolate landscape, Meirin felt at home. She was familiar to these lands, and for their lifelessness, there was a certain serene beauty to it. Plus, these open plains were perfect places for open warfare. Meirin couldn't help it; she's heard stories of great battles and could see them all here. War was a terrible thing, but a sight to behold nonetheless.

As the caravan was moving along familiar dirt roads they came to a stop. Two men fighting a pitch battle in front of a bridge. Meirin's adrenaline flared up. This was a perfect spot for an ambush, and she'd know it. It was a bait-and-switch: caravan gets blocked by a scene, and the bandits would move their men into position to maximize their surprise attack. The tall grass makes it difficult for the wagon to move, and there was no way to go but back if they weren't going to fight. The fighters were blocking to bridge so they couldn't go forward, and no doubt these men had others hidden in the grass to ambush them. Meirin looked around, trying to find some sign of where the bandits would be lying in wait. Ssarak mentioned trying to talk to the fighters and avoid fighting, but Meirin knew it wouldn't be that simple. At best they'd have to pay the bandits a toll to pass, but that's not what they were hired to do. And that was if they were even going to be willing to just allow them to go free afterwards and not attack them when the caravan shows them their backs. No, a fight was going to be expected, and Meirin was going to get ready for a fight. She gripped her Monk's Spade firmly, ready to flourish it at a moment's notice.

"This is a trap. Ssarak, speak to the fighters if you must. The rest of us should keep an eye out for their allies, who are no doubt aware and waiting for us." If these bandits knew what they were doing, they would be hiding in the tall grass with crossbows ready to shoot them. If she could figure out their location, she could expose them with a wind burst, or maybe use the burst to close the distance and take out a bandit before he could reload his crossbow or draw his weapon. Meirin narrowed her eyes and looked into the tall grass, ready to take the initiative.