It had been nearly a year since Felix had joined the militia, though the young man could hardly believe it as such. Of course, the entire thing had become incredibly humdrum. Not that he was complaining. Humdrum meant there weren't any brigands causing havoc, which meant Felix wasn't putting his neck on the line.

Again, not that he had an issue with that. If he did, Felix never would have joined the militia.

He was, after all, a simple country bumpkin. He grew up next to a farm, where he often spent his days play fighting with the girl who lived there, or else helping on the land. It was a plain and peaceful life, and he eventually decided to take the play fights and sparring and turn it into a career.

Thus the militia. Felix noticed some smoke from the Militia HQ. "Hm?" The young man looked up. "Ah... Uhm... What was that message...?" He stood stock still, hand resting on the hilt of his iron sword as he stared at the smoke, trying to decipher the message being sent out.

~~~~~

Outside a farm to the east of Prima, a group of rowdy men approached from the mountains. The group appeared to be 20 strong, and they looked hungry and mean.

"Alright, boys..." A man with a pot belly and a number of scars growled. "We're gonna take all the food we can get out of this lil' ramshackle, and then we're gonna burn it to the ground!" The man was loud as he was ugly, but the others with him cheered. "Anyone get in our way, we're gonna show em the business end of our hatchets!" More cheering.

Katherine was out putting some finishing touches on her chores. She liked to double check everything to make sure they were juuuuuust right. Once she was satisfied with her work, she straightened and nodded to herself. She had a bit more to do later, but that wasn't until close to nighttime. So she decided to give herself a break for awhile. Well, until she saw the smoke signals. She didn't know what they all meant, but Felix had taught her a good bit of them. Something about danger, it seemed. Perhaps bandits?

As if on queue she heard one of them shouting, although she couldn't make out his words. The cheering after was understandable enough, however. In a panic, Kathy hurried inside to grab her tome and staff. Granted that wouldn't be of much use here, but she could block with it! She also grabbed a Vulnerary, just in case.

"Father! Mother! Bandits are comin'! Please hide! I'll try to chase them off!" she said, before rushing out the door towards the direction she heard the yelling from. She hid in the crops where she could get a good veiw of them without seeing her. They were still a bit aways, but she could tell there were quite a few of them. "Sheesh, did they really need that many to attack this little farm? I'm not sure I can take them all alone. If that smoke is up though, that means help should be on the way, right? Guess I'll have to just buy time..."

She stayed hidden as she tried to come up with a plan. Mostly coming up empty, though. There were just too many for her to outsmart. Maybe if Felix was here. He'd know what to do...

The time it took the brigands to reach the outskirts seemed to drag on far longer than should have been real. The leader, though, decided to sit down with a smug look. "Alright, then lads, hop to it!" He said. "Take care of anyone who makes a fuss, yah?" He asked, pulling a flagon from his belt and taking a drink before starting to sing an off key ballad of conquests and destruction.

As the men fanned out, though, one walked near where Katherine was hiding, though he seemed not to notice her presence. He grumbled something about being hungry and started to kick around the field he was walking through, ruining some of the crops he was supposed to be collecting. "The hell is this crap?" He asked, plucking a plant from the ground. "Where's the meat? What kind of idiots grow this stuff?" He took a bite of the dirt covered root and immediately recoiled. "Bleh... Nasty..." He groaned with a few coughs, before starting to smash his axe into the crops, seemingly to spite the potato he'd bitten into.

Katherine frowned as one passed by her, she watched as she readied a Lightning spell. Once it was ready she popped out from her cover and blasted him in the back with a spell, "First off, ya troglodyte, meat doesn't come from the ground...it comes from animals. And a lot of vegetables are better when they're....ya know, ripe....and actually the food part." she growled before blasting him with another spell. That should be enough to take him down for awhile. She sighed as she looked at the destroyed crops she had just finished tending to only moments ago.

She looked back up and around before heading back into the coverage of the crops as she headed towards more of the bandits.

Of course, the sound of conflict was one that wasn't missed. Two of the brigands sauntered over, complaining about carrots. They stopped, seeing the man on the ground.

"Oi... Looks like someone just shot Marvin in the face!" One of the men said with a frown. "Oi! We got either freaky nature shit or a mage on this farm! Get yer asses over here!" He called out as his buddy started looking around. "And you, don't just look, swing yer axe or something! Tricky git is probably hiding. Cut him down!"

Two...she could take two...Maybe. She'd have to keep her distance, though. The brutes had given her an idea though. She could just hide and take them down from her cover. Katherine would have to immediately find another spot though, now that they were looking for her. It was less risky than trying to get all their attention anyway. She wished she could've saved more of the crops, though. Her family was pretty reliant on them. Oh well. She figured her life was more important to them, right? She hoped they were okay.

As the two approached her hiding spot, she prepared another spell and fired it right at his eyes. She'd then ready another and do the same to the other. Kathy hoped to blind them, and then she could finish them while they were recovering.

"Glarhgheco" The man hit with the spell sputtered loudly as he fell over, writhing from the shot to the head, but unfortunately still alive. His buddy, however, was right pissed at this point. "Oi! Ye fat bastards get over here! They got some mage runnin about!" He said as he approached where the spell came from. All the while, their buddies were starting to congregate around. "That's it, you daft bastard, time to die!" The man raised his axe and swung down at where he thought the mage was.

Katherine scrambled out of the way of the axe and ran away a bit through the crops. Or at least as fast as she could through them, although she garunteed she was faster than they were in them. She turned and sent a spell at the one that had almost hit her before running again in a different direction.

"Well, at least they're....focusing more on me....now, rather than ransacking the farm...." Katherine huffed between breaths. She knew she couldn't run too far though, they basically had her surrounded. She could probably slip through a pair of them, though.

As Katherine started to back away, one of the bandits she'd struck began to recover. Apparently he was raring for more, and the odds seemed to be shaping up to be rather foul for the young woman.

"Hmph. What rabble is this?" Came a somewhat gravelly voice. A man in his fifties approached, riding a red horse, silver blade in hand. "Are you such heathens to attack a young lady?" He asked as he cut the bandit who'd stood up, definitively finishing him off. "Katherine, are you unharmed?" The man asked as he reigned his horse. She would easily recognize the man as Emmerich, the commander of Prima's militia, and Felix's boss. "Come then, you rabble! I will stand as your opponent!" He addressed the banditry. "... And where is that lethargic lout Felix... Surely I'd thought he'd be more conscientious to the safety of his childhood friend."

Katherine looked delighted to see the old man, "Commander Emmerich! You have no idea how happy I am to see you! And to be fair I don't think they knew I was a lady. In fact, I think they thought I was a male. They haven't gotten a good look at me yet. And I don't know where he is, probably off napping or chasing skirts if I had to guess, but I wish he were here. Maybe we could've saved more of the poor crops. They've already destroyed a good bit of them..."

"How disrespectful..." Emmerich shook his head in disgust. "Honestly, is this what young people are getting onto these days? Causing a ruckus and disrupting livelihoods?"

"Oi, are you talkin' down to us?" One of the bandits asked.

"Honestly, do mind your manners..." Emmerich sighed. "Now, then, listen up you louts. Any of you who wish to live, surrender now. Those who would stand and fight, do so at your own peril."

The man was as no nonsense as ever.

"Hm?" Emmerich looked around. "Ah... We're surrounded... Miss Katherine, are you able to continue fighting? I do apologize for putting such a burden on you, but, even as I am, I think this many opponents may prove much more a challenge than I could handle on my own."

Katherine nodded, though she found it a little funny that Emmerich would trashtalk and then realize how outnumbered he is, "Of course. I was going to anyway. I'll watch your back if you watch mine, right? Keep me safe and I'll keep you safe. Gimme a shout if there's something specific you want me to do, though. I'm not the greatest at strategy."

The old soldier grimaced as he twirled his blade. He fell eerily silent in spite of the situation. This may have been standard fare for him, though. A large boast to rattle the enemy, and then stoic silence while he formulated his battle plan. Experienced as he was, though, the silent period never lasted long. He struck down an enemy to Katherine's side, positioning his horse behind her. "If you fall injured, retreat. Do not attempt to fight any longer than you need to. For now, we stall, least until reinforcements arrive.

As Emmerich spoke, a figure arrived nearby, in a huff.

"Bandits!" Felix shouted, ever the timely young man. "Ah... Well... Yeah, guess you guys know that, then! Kate! You alright?" He asked, drawing his iron blade and charging forward, slashing one of the bandit's axe hands as he moved in to form a close triangle between himself, Emmerich, and Katherine.

"... You're an imbecile!" Emmerich said. "Why would you come right here!?"

Felix looked around for a moment. "Ah... Yeah, we're surrounded, then, huh?" He blinked. "Eheh..."

Katherine looked around and chuckled lightly, "Retreat to where? Every direction leads to more bandits. And if I was that injured, I doubt I could move that well."

She smiled and waved at Felix as he ran to them, "Felix! You came! I was wondering why you didn't show up with Commander Emmerich. I suppose it was just because he had a horse? Right? Not busy oggling the girls?" she noticed a bandit charging her and dodged an axe just in time, then retaliated with a Lightning blast to the face. She supposed she was the most enticing target here. "And yeah, we are, but with you here too, I think we can manage ourselves. Just keep the lady safe, and I'll keep you safe." She whacked another bandit that came too close to her in the temple with her staff. It seemed she struck well, as he toppled over into a rock and heap on the ground.

Kathy smiled, "Didn't expect that, didja?"

"I was on a patrol, give me a break!" Felix said in an exasperated tone. "Besides, Old man Emmerich-"

"Sitting right here, you know."

"He has a horse! How do you expect me to keep up with that, huh?" Felix did a twirling motion, parrying an axe swing at Katherine's back and kicking another bandit as he did so.

"Felix, short motions. Don't let the enemy see you're moving. When you grandstand you telegraph too much, and you're going to get yourself hurt!" The veteran horseman spoke, slashing down at two who were surrounding him.

By this point, the leader was getting irritated. "Oi, oi! What's the hold up! It's an old man and two brats!"

"Hey! Why don't you shut up and say that to my face!" Felix shouted across the field.

"FELIX. FOCUS!" Emmerich said, getting annoyed.

"Right, right, sorry, Captain..." Felix sighed. "Uh... Kate... You're doin' alright, right?" Felix asked.

"FELIX."

Katherine chuckled again, "I'm fine, Felix. And as amusing as this is, why don't you save the chastising for after this is over, Commander? The distraction could be the end of us, too. Do let me know if you get hurt though.+"

She blocked an axe with her staff, but knowing that his strength was most likely higher she knew it was better to not try to lock weapons with him. She twisted her staff to let the axe slide harmlessly along it. After, she kicked him in the stomach to push him back, and then blasted him with a Lightning. Katherine moved back closer to Emmerich and Felix to protect her.

"That would be the point I'm trying to get across," Emmerich sighed as he cut down a brigand.

"Look, I'll be fine, just keep your riding pants on, will you?" Felix said. "I'll be fine! We're all going to-"

"FELIX!" Emmerich was forced to dive in Felix's way. He tried to use his sword to parry a blow to Felix's side, but the axe slid down, cutting into the tendons on his arm, and forcing him to drop the weapon.

"Old man!" Felix exclaimed, quickly cutting down the bandit who'd hit Emmerich. "Shit, this isn't good..." He muttered, making a few quick strikes. The bandits weren't expecting the sudden moves and those that weren't down by the attacks were easy pickings for Katherine and even Emmerich, who wielded his spear in the off hand.

Before long, the circle of bandits was cleared, leaving no more than the leader. "Kate, I'm going to cut off the head! Can you attend to the old man?"

"Ugh..." Emmerich groaned. "You're an awful child, you know that?"

"Whatever, just let me handle the rest!" Felix said as he ran forward, dodging a throwing axe twice as he moved in.

"Of course...." Katherine quickly went about healing Emmerich's arm. She always wondered the extent of what healing could do, though. Technically, so long as they weren't dead a staff could heal anyone up right as rain. But did it really go as deep as the tendons? She just worried if he could still use his arm, even after her healing. It was rare she got to heal actually serious wounds, "There, that should do it. How does it feel? Can you move it?" she asked, her face etched with concern for the old man.

Emmerich grunted slightly as he was healed. "It should be fine," he mused. "Just need to rest it for a day or two and it will be fine." He surmised, flexing his hand with no sign of difficulty.

Of course, the same could not be said of his little protegé facing down the bandit leader. He may have gotten a few swings in, but Felix was clearly being pushed back. In fact, he was on the ground. And the bandit was facing away from the others. His back like a big old target.

Katherine smiled, "Good enough." she turned to check on Felix and gasped, surprised to find him floored so quickly, she immediately launched a Lightning at the bandit leader's back. She'd fire off more if the leader didn't go down. "Never thought I'd be saving you, Felix! You really are careless..."