Road to Knowledge

In contrast to the dismay that the others had shown at the two approaching dots, Amelia had shown excitement. Here she was worried that the bulk of the trip would be idle - or, worse, have a fight against monsters that she would be helpless against. Instead, there were human opponents, and she was secretly pleased that the attackers had managed to board.

"You're all men of battle, warriors of a spirit and skill leagues ahead of these vultures of the ocean!" she spoke, drawing her Pompeianus sword in anticipation. "If you allow your charge to die to a pirate raid; then know that you'll all be responsible for the most embarrassing failure to ever befall men of battle!"

As the ship rocked under the impact of the first vessel slamming into the side, she avoided the shaking by releasing her wings and taking flight so that the men who she led could see the maiden of war, confident, even contemptuous in the face of such an enemy, and that their opponents could see that the maidens of of the mysterious warriors of the north sailed with the ship they were attacking. Making sure she looked suitably heroic, she raised her sword.

"Send these sea scavengers back into the abyss!" she shouted, flying right into battle, being an inspiration to the troops, who would probably have their morale raised at the sight of a maiden of war leading their charge and assuring them of victory.

Silence is Golden
Aelia followed closely behind Sanngridr. This mission was hardly one she would choose to take normally, but she would see it through regardless. It was good that it at least gave her reason to remain in Rome, as opposed to travel.

She returned from her thoughts to respond to Sanngridr's familiar, awkward though it felt, perhaps that would wear off soon, "It would probably be best if we took this cautiously. If we press the issue too hard or ask the wrong people Flavius might find out about us. Then he'd probably hide or hire someone to try and deal with us." She paused and glanced about, taking in the crowds and the temples. "If you still want to ask around though, perhaps one of the priests know."

Road To Knowledge

Godelvia was partially happy that pirates had taken an interest in them, it ended the awkward conversation. She would have to get her elite army of animals ready by the time they approached the boat, as well as make sure Revi was in a safe location. Jocasta, well, she could fly so she was probably fine.

With Revi safe below the deck, and her lions and boars brought to the surface, Godelvia felt it would only be appropriate to pep her soldiers, just the same as Amelia rallied her own.

" This is a bit different than the usual battleground, but I believe in your abilities! You can't be beat by these pathetic pirates! Now go, attack those who have just entered the ship! Fight like my life depends on it! "

When the pirates began to board, 3 boars and 3 lions headed into the fray of combat, looking to maim all those who would had recently entered the ship. Hopefully, they weren't prepared for this kind of backup. Godelvia herself released her wings, and took flight high above the ship. She had no problem actually fighting, but she wanted to compare the enemy forces to their own, as well as see what the second ship was loaded with.

The Wild Goose Chase (Britannia)

Emerging from the lower deck and onto the "main" deck of the trireme, Titus excused himself past the hustle and bustle of the crew as he made his way towards the bow of the ship. From what chatter he could overhear in excited Latin, it seemed that the small convoy might be coming within sight of the coast of Britannia within a matter of minutes; he'd have to ensure that he collected the rest of his equipment and his pack once they made land-fall.

As he drew to a stop beside the starboard-side edging that lined the perimeter of the ship's deck, he spied out of the corner of his eye a tall, well-armoured figure leaning against the ship's mast - a so-called "Priestess of the Gods". Hhe hadn't learned a lot about them since he had joined the legions, but according to camp-talk and rumor, they were supposedly young women and girls who had been blessed by the gods. However, despite his own legion currently having a cohort's worth of these girls in his 19th Legion (the so-called "XI Cohort"), he couldn't lay a finger on why these women had been so augmented by the powers-that-be. Even more alarming, however, was that reports had been circulating that other civilisations had such Priestesses of their own! Mars above, there was one among their ranks right now - what further proof to such speculation would he have needed?

Deciding that there was nothing much he could do to help the crew, the Decanus approached the foreign-looking girl (Ari) and greeted her with a casual, yet equally reserved, "Ave."

Road to Knowledge

Kára was about to tell her new companion that, no, she did not find ravens to be boring (she actually found them to be quite cute) when something unplanned occurred; an enemy ship had rammed into the side of their own. When it happened, Kára was knocked off-balance for a split-second before she regained her composure and realized what was going on. Almost instantly, her persona changed from that of a cute, meek girl to something a bit more frightening and serious.

With her wings expanded and her face so serious, Kára would have been adorable if she weren't so intimidating. She leapt from her current position and flew the short distance to a point above the enemy vessel (there was no way she would transform aboard a ship containing comrades she may accidentally eat). While in the air, her form morphed from that of a girl to that of a monstrous beast, a velociraptor. Though the beast was hardly larger than a normal human, its speed and strength were unmatched by anything remotely the same size.

The dinosaur landed on the ship not gracefully but rather alarmingly. It exuded an aura of fear meant to scare its allies into action and enemies into inaction. A horrendous bellow escaped the opening full of razor-sharp teeth that was this creatures mouth as it stared down its enemies, ready to rip each and every one of their throats out.

Silence is Golden

"It doesn't matter. Its easier to find him if he does send people after us."

Extremely easy, if she was sent alone. But with these two along, there would be a whole lot more to worry about. For one, she doubted any of them can conceal themselves if it becomes necessary. Hopefully them being sent on this mission meant they were at least competent, and able to at least carry their weight.

The barbarian priestess was most likely to bring down the whole mission especially if they bring their whole pack of wolves with them.

"The merchants may help.... help, with maybe an offering of coins..." The wisp offered, floating lazily around Tulia.

"Hmm... Let us go then. Nothing will come of us standing around here like fools." She started walking, hesitating for a moment before putting on the mask, hiding her presence. She took great care with holding her cape near her body as she walked close to Aelia. A young girl wandering about with red eyes and fine clothes wouldn't exactly go unnoticed, especially in this place.

Wild Goose Chase

Agripena glanced at Titus. The Legionary seemed to be at ease on the sea in a way that she simply wasn't. She went up to him on unsteady legs. "I've never been out to the lands of the barbarians. Do you have any advice, or is this your first time in Britannia as well?"

Wild Goose Chase

Agripena glanced at Titus. The Legionary seemed to be at ease on the sea in a way that she simply wasn't. She went up to him on unsteady legs. "I've never been out to the lands of the barbarians. Do you have any advice, or is this your first time in Britannia as well?"

A voice piped up beside Titus and, diverting his attention to the owner, the Legionary found himself staring at the second Priestess accompanying the expedition. Placing the edge of his scutumn shield against the wooden deck and leaning unsteadily against it to counteract the waves below, he answered, "Well no, I haven't been to this new land before. But I have been serving in Amorica for a little over a year, so I have some experience with the barbarian hordes in battle."

He shrugged. "All I can really say is that it is likely that no two barbarian tribes are the same; the moment you start underestimating what a tribe can do when backed into a corner, you're as good as dead. As I heard it, that's what happened to another legion's VIII cohort after a patrol was ambushed. After they were returned, battered and undermanned, to their camp, their centurion - in a fit of anger - carried out a summary decimation. The results ... weren't pretty."

"Sir, please wake up. We are nearing the shores of Brittania."

A stern, serious voice woke Decimus up. He grumbled. He wanted five more minutes but he knew time was not going to wait for him and so rose from his bed. The Legatus was still groggy and began questioning why he was here and not back in Germania watching walls all day. He knew the answer, it was an order to protect the Roman people. Or more particularly, the Roman people of Octavian. As the world began making sense to Decimus, he realized he was in the flagship of the transport fleet of the Legion he was currently commanding. "Uhhhh..."

Decimus tiredly stood up and started gearing up. As he did so, more details surfaced. Apparently, there were other people involved in this little expedition. People who were not, at all, aligned with Augustus. Decimus could not care less personally but if these people were going to have trouble following him, then he would care. A kind of 'care' that often leads to trouble. He had finished dressing himself up and next thought about his forces.

His best friend was in another ship, whom he put there to assume command just in case his ship gets destroyed somehow. He remembered there were some foreign magical girls in the force and they were in other ships. There was also a Legion ready to be mobilized back in Gaul in case things get dire. Which was a good thing since Decimus felt he, along with his Legion, was not going to have the time of their lives in Brittania.

Ari
The Wild Goose Chase

"Ave."

Ari looked up towards the source of the voice. It was one of the soldiery looking person that was supposed to come along on this mission. Judging from his demeanor and how he approached her, the previous word seemed to be some sort of greeting. Not that she really knew; it could be an insult towards her mother for all she knew.

With a gesture to acknowledge his greeting, she leaned back again against the mast. The other girl had taken the man's attention, so there was no real need for her to even attempt a conversation. Not that she even understand the language to hold a decent conversation about anything.

"What, who's that lowlife trying to speak to you?" Sigrun flapped down and perched on her shoulders.

She shrugged. "One of the soldiers on this mission. There's no real need to know their name as long as I can finish my mission, and perhaps find souls worthy to be sent to Valhalla."

Oriana
Road to Knowledge

"Ohh~. I never saw so many people who wanted to play with me before~."

It had appeared there existed challengers to the current mission. Even if they did know not their status as "individuals who wished to preform a task for the 'true' leader of Rome", they still existed as obstacles. As such, they "played" the role of the "enemies" in this game. Although one might say that children were innocent, therein existed cruelty within the heart of man at base; a state which only reduces it's existence then after though the morals of "society".

However, cruelty is not "evil" at base. At least, Oriana's cruelty does not stand from such notions of "good and evil". Instead, she merely does not understand the distinction between her actions as "bad" and "good". A childish innocence. That does not mean that a childish innocence cannot harm others.

"What should I do~. I wanted everyone to play with toys, but I guess these people brought their own toys~? I think that can work. You are all having so much fun together~. Maybe I should join, too?"

There existed no form of malice within Oriana right now. Perhaps there existed a bit of anger against those who would stop her from playing with other girls around her age, but not true malice. After all, it wasn't as if she understood what such emotions meant in the first place, nor could truly inform someone of her current feelings toward those who had joined on ship to "play" with her little troop. They were merely being really rude, and as such, she could not allow their transgressions to take shape any longer.

Cruelty without reason other than "play".

One of the boarded individuals from the other ship had attempted to attack Oriana, his axe meant to bisect his opponent.

Casting upon the deck was Oriana's own shadow as it just then appeared to twist and move based on her words, becoming a weapon of sorts which Oriana had ability over.

The first to go was his arm; what had been holding the weapon to begin with. With the precision of a surgeon, she had "removed" completely through the bone in a single swoop of this "shadow entity" what was once his arms from his body.

The legs were next. Of course, one could say he had already been pacified, so removing his ability to utilize his legs was a pointless act, but one that Oriana seemed to take a bit of pleasure within. Then came the eyes, his shrieks of pain and terror seemed to fill the ears of those around her. This was then followed after a short while by his eventual execution through bisection as he had once tried to do to her.

"Fun, isn't it~? I want to play more~."

The Road to Knowledge

The speeches given by the war maidens had the desired effect, the crew and Cuinte's hired hands quickly surged back into battle with renewed vigor. However, the battle quickly became less than that, it had become pure chaos. Pirates and crewmen alike screamed in horror as lions, boars, and some great reptilian beast began to tear men apart. Such a sight was more than enough to break merchant sailors and simple thugs. One poor soul was pounced upon by a great cat, his throat torn out by its mighty jaws, while another man was rammed into the edge of the ship, gored on the tusk of a boar. The latter of these two was however quick and still strong enough to thrust his dagger deep into the swine's eye, a hateful blow to assure mutual destruction. Indeed, the confusion caused by the savage beasts had stirred their own 'allies' to attack them, fear of life and limb clouding judgement. A great cat fell to many blows to its head by the clubs of the ship's oarsmen as the beast maimed one of the raiders. Soon both oarsmen and pirates were attempting to slay the beasts just as eagerly as they were trying to slay one another, survival driving them to fight in the face of no escape. Throats were slit, bodies maimed, one poor boar was impaled by a spear and pinned to the ship on its side. As it struggled to free itself, the would only grew and grew, the hog's intestines beginning to slip and pour from the gigantic gash. It eventually stopped struggling.

In the presence of the great lizard, many from both sides deemed it worth the risk to jump ship, jumping either to the mercy of the sea or attackers. Both seem preferable to being ripped apart by the reptile's claws and teeth. Those of greater will and confidence circled the beast, what few spearmen the enemy had keeping the beast at bay.

The second ship had forgone ramming their target, and simply pulled along side the merchant ship to contribute to the boarding action. Though these raiders were met by a fierce wall of roman legionaries, the trained soldiers easily dispatching the pirates that dared to charge their formation. Wiser assailants used their more brash allies as a distraction to sidestep the bodyguards and join in the main melee, while others attempted to strike at them from the rear. One soldier fell in defense of his others, dragged down by three assailants and a knife thrust into this throat. The three attackers were quickly dispatched by a group of oarsmen, heads cracked open and ran through by long knives.

All the while, Cuinte sat below deck, whispering to himself as he read through his book again for the countless time, his bodyguard quickly strapping on his armor and ever vigilant for intruders.

The Road to Knowledge

Amelia was usually a calm, rational person who enjoyed a good battle, and this was originally supposed to be a very nice way to let loose and get some good old fighting in her daily schedule. However her lightness and excitement vanished quickly as she watched what was supposed to be a simple battle disintegrate into a mess of chaos and fear.

"Hold your bloodlust, oarsmen the beasts are with us! Don't - damn, call the beasts back! Godelva, call them back!" she shouted, taking advantage of her wings to distance herself from the battle temporarily so she could call out that suggestion to her fellow war maiden. "They're doing no good out there!"

She was somewhat upset that her fellow war maidens saw fit to make such grandiose moves, but she did not chastise Godelva for her mistake. She knew that the tamers of beasts could be quite close to their animal companions; for them to have been killed in battle would surely be causing her enough stress, no less than the fear of seeing a close friend fall in combat. As such, she hoped that, for now, this emotional impact would be enough of a lesson for her. Hoping that would suffice, she then flew right back into the battle, towards the encirclement that surrounded Kara, making a point to cut down one of the enemy spearmen.

"That's enough, men! Leave this one to me!" she shouted, hoping that the other Meguca was at least listening and get the hint that she wasn't really contributing to the battle in a good way.

Silence is Golden
Sanngridr grunted in response to the comments of the priestesses of the flower god and death god.
"I still do not see why we cannot just go straight into the mansion. Leaving a message for those who would oppose our... employers is likely the point of this. If they cannot dare face the condemnation from spilling blood, they should not ask for it," she said, an animalistic edge accentuating her accented Latin, thick with the harsh syllables of the tribes of the north.
Quoth gave a disapproving squeak and quickly replied to her owner's words.
"As much as we'd like it, Sanngridr, a job is a job, no matter how boring, and the requirements must be fufilled. What I suggest is that we state our entirely truthful business as emissaries of, say, Antony, and ask to stay a night in his manse. He's obligated to be a host, and it looks poorly on his character if he doesn't, not that it shall matter for long."

Road To Knowledge:

. . .

Three of her animals were killed.

This took a Godelvia a moment to process. There was no reason for them to die, especially in such a brutal fashion. She was sure they'd become well respected in death, but it couldn't bring them back. A tear would have been shed if she wasn't in the middle of battle. The pain only became worse when she realized they would have lived if only the oarsman and hired help weren't incompetent. This was enough of a case to kill them, but she couldn't do it. They were needed to survive the attack, and doing anything too bad to them would only make the mission more difficult. Once the mission was over however, she'd dedicate what she could to make their lives miserable.

She would make sure a grand funeral was had.

After taking a moment to regroup herself, and listening to Amelia's order, Goldevia took command of her three renaming animals, pulled them back, and began to reassess the situation. There was a second ship, and while the trained soldiers were impressive, she was sure they couldn't last forever. The first ship was already a mess, and she wasn't willing to risk more of her pets. She couldn't let more of her precious pets die for something so idiotic. She would assist the soldiers, at least making sure the pirates on that side didn't go out of control. She flew back down the deck of the ship, and began to bark orders at her animals. Her voice was far more shaky than usual, but she hoped the message would get across

" I am sorry for the loss of your comrades, I expected better help! We will avenge them by killing all of these pathetic pirates! I want you to cover the soldiers on that end! If anyone slips through their protection, rip them apart! I will be there fighting with you this time! "

Godelvia followed after her animals, wielding her lance tightly in her hand. She wasn't the best in combat, but a Valkyrie could never lose to this kind of scum. If anybody got through the legionnaires forces, they'd have to deal with her, and her pack of animals. Hopefully, they'd win this battle by attrition.

The Road to Knowledge

The raptor eyed the other Valkyrie. At this point, it was hardly human; more a weapon of war than anything else. The beast's bloodlust was evident. It shuffled slightly on its claws for a moment before letting loose another roar. It remained eye contact with Amelia for a few more moments. It appeared as though the message either had not or would not get through to Kára. She was merely a machine of war. The beast leapt in the direction of one of the spearmen.

However, instead of a monstrous reptile viciously tearing out a brigand's throat, an onlooker would rather see a seemingly young armored girl with her sword stuck halfway into said brigand. Upon pulling her bloodied sword out with a sickening schlick, the girl flapped her wings a single time in an attempt to get the other spearmen to back off for a moment before folding them back up.

"I'm sorry. I guess my animal form was going a tad overboard, excuse the pun," Kára said to Amelia. She had not intended to frighten her own allies off the edge of the boat. It seemed her fear-based tactics did not always succeed in the presence of untrained warriors. Luckily, they'd probably be able to swim back onto the ship. But it was still slightly annoying that they hadn't been frightened into fighting harder.

She shook excess blood off of her blade and gained a battle stance in a single, fluid motion. "Shall we?"

"A decimation? Must have been a real bad defeat." Agripena shuddered slightly. She had always thought that executing men was a bit too harsh. A flogging, sure; but Rome needed every man she could muster. And every Priestess, too.

"In any case, I don't think such extreme measures will be necessary. The men seem to be in good shape and good spirits, and should things go sour, there's always me and that barbarian Priestess we hired. I think we can complete our objectives without too much trouble."

Road To Knowledge

"Of course." Amelia nodded, entering her own stance again and glad that most of the main chaotic elements of the battle had been dealt with. After this, it should be a relatively straightforward fight against these pirates who clearly had no idea what they had stumbled across and tried to attack. Honestly, they didn't even need three maidens of war; just one of them would have been enough to ensure a complete rout. This was just overkill - and it went much too far.

"Next time, just keep in mind that some of these Romans are too soft for your style of shock."

And with that, she charged right into battle again, making sure to let out a triumphant shout as she fought her way through to the main line of soldiers.

"Come on, men! The beasts that served as the only real dangers to you are gone! What are you all standing around for; these pirates aren't going to kill themselves!" she shouted in a both jovial, comedic and excited tone, both to feel her own excitement of battle and to reinvigourate the men from the ships and try to restore their faith after Goldevia and Kara had shattered their will and courage.

The Road to Knowledge

"They don't make them as strong down here as they do back home. My fear may be a little too much for them to handle."

Despite saying this, Kára continued to make use of her fear-based magic. Hopefully, in this more human form her aura of terror would not be too much to handle. Even so, in spite of her no-longer-a-dinosaur shape, her combat style was somewhat unorthodox. She moved in a way that retained the velociraptor's strength and speed. She made her strikes with a sort of primal, animalistic force. Such was the way of the berserker. If all went well, her allied onlookers would see her vicious methods and, in fear for their own lives, would battle even harder than before. Similarly, the enemy forces were expected to gain at least a shred of cowardice; a girl that was seconds before a reptilian beast that had never entered their imaginations was now facing them down and slaying them one by one.

She followed after Amelia, cutting down enemies with the same furor and enthusiasm as her comrade. Knowing how Kára usually acted, one would never guess that she would be the one with a grin plastered on her face as she sunk her blade into enemy flesh. Once again, such was the way of the berserker. In battle, Kára was an entirely different force to be reckoned with; the meek, innocent girl was gone, replaced by a hurricane of steel, blood, and torment.

Silence is golden

Aelia found herself agreeing with the raven. It would be wisest to hide in plain sight, right under the enemy's nose.

"If he allows us to stay in his mansion, we can wait for him to leave, perhaps even get him to trust us," she said. "Then we can perform "the task" on the road between his mansion and Rome, out of sight, and making us look less suspicious." Aelia was unsure of whether the other two would agree with her, but it was an idea, more to prevent the discovery of the "assassins" than anything else.