Leon Brandeau

The day had finally come for them to set out on their hunting mission. Upon setting out, they were faced with the conundrum of choosing a leader for their group. Leon wondered if a leadership contest like this might not drum up some bad blood between the others, but he chose to assume they were close enough not to be overly concerned with such petty squabbles. Clean's little spiel was just plain bizarre in his eyes; was he trying to lick the princesses' boots, or make some probe into her character? Leon supposed if there was one person he would absolutely object to being made their leader, it would probably be Clean. The man just tended to unsettle him.

Tzi questioned if they shouldn't set up the camp before voting, and Leon was inclined to agree. He wasn't really interested in making a choice of leader as much as he was getting down to business. The sooner they found and killed this monster the better. Althea also piped up about establishing who was interested in being leader, which made Leon decide to speak up. "Just thought I'd mention I'd rather not lead." Brandeau's were soldiers, not officers, and Leon had no desire to lead anyone. Besides, between all the officers he had dealt with most recently, he was starting to wonder if the position wasn't reserved for the most disgusting and offensive of soldiers. "I'll go gather water, if no one minds." Leon was much more eager to get their tasks done than vote. In fact, he wouldn't mind if they settled the leadership position without him, as long as no one too ridiculous was chosen.

---

Esther was soon joined by another cadet in the bathhouse; a brown-haired girl by the name of Regina. Like Szeren, she belonged to the Princess' escort so she didn't really know much about her, if, at all. But when she declared loudly how she missed being in a place like this, Esther relaxed her guard. It seemed they shared the same sentiment after all.

"Ah, hello, Regina," she introduced herself to her. "I can vouch for that too. It's been a long while since we have the opportunity to relax like this."

Eventually, any conversation that might have happened between her and the others ended, and she drifted back to her half-dozed state.

Which was the perfect time for Leblanc to strike.

Without any warning, Esther felt herself being pulled down to beneath the waters. Panicking, she tried to kick around but the green-haired girl's grip was too skillful and strong for her. She could only try to hold her breath as Leblanc had her way with her.

N-no! D-don't touch me there! A-aaaahhnn!

And so went Esther's relaxing bath session. It was only relaxing halfway through. The other half was spent with her eyeing Leblanc suspiciously as she didn't want to get caught off guard again.

Poor Esther.

---

The next morning, the Captain gathered the cadets in front of the fort, Esther included. It seemed she wouldn't be joining their mission with the princess, which made her a little sad. The Captain had been such a reliable leader for all this time, and she felt a little insecure if she wouldn't be there in her mission.

And speaking of leaders, the princess was asking the group to vote somebody to be a leader. Esther had thought that would be the princess naturally, but she thought otherwise, not wanting her status to be determined who to get to be the leader.

"Umm... Gradon would be fine..." she referred to Leblanc's choice. "But I think Althea would be fine too, i-if she doesn't mind, that is," she added, not wanting to offend the medic.

Really, this whole voting thing was confusing to her as she was used to taking orders from the Captain. And judging by the non-answer of some of the other cadets, she was clearly not alone on this.

@DracoLunaris@Lonewolf685@KoL@Bushman501

The man in the church raised his hands up as if to give up whatever he was planning; assuming he had been planning something to begin with. “Whoah, whoah, there’s no need to start getting violence involved kiddo! I wouldn’t wanna mess with a Cadet who’s way too knife-happy with the stabby, stabby!” he said as Natus left him alone with Clean. “Good luck with that one pal. He’s got a real nice head on his shoulders,” he said to Clean, chuckling to himself and wasting rest of the night away in the church.

In any case, the next day came by quicker than anyone would have perhaps liked or expected. Or at least, that was the case for Gradon, though he had to be honest that the early sleep had done wonders for him. Rejuvenated and back in action, he waited with the other Cadets for this mission to go underway, the contents and details of which were informed to him by Viola. Before leaving the inn however, he was approached by Althea.

“Feeling much better, thanks,” he said, rubbing his head with a smile just to show it was no longer ringing. “But I guess I should be thanking Leblanc for dragging me out of there.” With that said he followed her outside to the meeting spot. It was a few minutes later when the Captain gave her final farewells and the Princess herself marched them onward-which of course he made quick order to salute to her-it wasn’t long before they reached their first destination.

The ruins their group found themselves made for the perfect opportunity for them to rest and set up a temporary camp. While some of them began to gather up supplies or just prepare for their temporary stay here, others were beginning that vote Ires had mentioned for team leader. Gradon perked up whenever his name was mentioned, not sure if that was the smartest choice to be making. Before he could comment on it though, Althea made her piece known.

“I have to agree with Althea. If we want a leader, they should at least have a deputy for a backup. You know, someone to keep them on track in case they lose their way? Stuff like that,” he added to the conversation before pausing. “That being said, I really think Ires should be leader…and I guess I can be deputy?” Well, it was as good a plan as any. Like hell someone like Clean or Leblanc should be leader; not with their creepy behaviors.

Yet all conversation would be intruded on by a loud screeching that pierced the air. Startled, Gradon looked up to the source of it, only to make out several festering, swarming shapes above them. Where had they come from? Had they disturbed a nest nearby with their activities? Or…had something else spooked them into a blind instinct? Whatever was the case, Gradon held his sword at the ready as the flock of Rocs descended upon them. The campsite would have to wait.

---

---

"Thank you for that," Viola said to Tzi as he began to help her unpack. As soon as the knightly girl placed her backpack on the ground its weigh became evident. Viola was easily carrying at least her own weigh in gear, not counting her armor and weapons, yet she didn't seem to be particularly tired even after nearly half a day walking through these desolate hinterlands.

"I thought that it would be good if we didn't have to delay our travel to spend time hunting, so I packed some smoked lamb," Viola said while rummaging her backpack, "the problem is, that I don't knw very much about cooking. Growing up in an orphanage doesn't help with this kind of thing, y'know? Anyway," she said as she finally found a tightly wrapped pack which exhaled a faint smell of smoked meat, "here it's! If there's any of you guys who can cook this I would be thankful."

Meanwhile, Ires found a place in the shade of a ruined house and sat by it. She observed the Cadets with curious eyes but seemed hesitant to try to interfere with their activities. At times it did look like she was trying to say something only to hold herself back, resting a hand over her chest and sighing. The displeased tone on both Clean and Leon's voices didn't escape Ires, just as much as Natus' brooding isolationism.

For a moment Ires wondered what Sonata had seen on most of this group? For cadets that studied at the crown jewel of the Empire's military, most of them had quite unbefitting personalities. That said, some of the others, like Tzi, Esther and this Gradon that everyone was talking about really looked like they could shoulder the future of the Empire.

"I am neither," Ires said as soon as Clean's words snapped her out of her revelry. "If possible, I would like to avoid such subjects. An opportunity like this one is rare to come by. At least during this journey, I would prefer to be treated as any other of you. I know that it's a big request, but you would understand it if you were in my place."

Once Gradon, or the one Ires thought to be him, said his words, the Princess got back to her feet and walked up to him. "Very well, then. I'll lead if that's what you all have decided." Ires extended her hand to Gradon, pulling him for a forearm handshake. "I hope that we can work well together," she said, smiling confidently.

However, their greeting out have to wait.

Dark shadows crept across the ground of the ruined village as a flock of monstrous rocs swooped above, screeching as if they preparing to attack."Uh oh, guys. I guess that the lunch break is over," Viola said as she reached for her sword and shield.

Now, was time to fight!

@KoL@TheWindel



Tzi gave Viola a thumbs-up as he got to work, helping her remove the myriad contents of her pack.

"I'll always give a mate a hand," he replied with a laugh, taking the gear that she handed to him and placing them down on the slightly-damp grass in a reasonably organised grouping. His brows did raise slightly upon realising how much everything must have weighed inside the pack. That was a lot of stuff for somebody like Viola to carry for so long! Even a big guy like him would have some trouble. "Though looks like you're a pretty strong girl yourself!"

The sight of the smoked lamb immediately caught his eye, and the moment Viola asked the assembled group who could cook it, he was the first to respond. This was what he was born to do (beyond fighting, of course), and the self-satisfied smile present on his face was an obvious sign that he was going to have fun with it.

"I can take care of it," the tall young man added, removing his portable grill from where it was safely tied to his back and setting it up in front of them. "You guys fine with barbecue, right?"

"Anyway," he continued. "If we want Ires to be chief, then I'm down wi-"

Rocs.

Big birds swooping from the sky. Tzi immediately pulled out his carving knife and carving fork, the two utensils fusing into the form of Retiarius as the enemies closed in. No time to talk cooking right now, unless they wanted to talk about how tasty the birds would taste if barbecued. He'd never eaten a roc before. Maybe they could try one out.

But it was fighting time.

Everything else could wait for now.



Power pulsed, and from the tips of his trident burst the net of heavy magical fibres, flying up into the air and seeking to bring down one of the army of angry avians assaulting his associates.

---

Regina took note of Esther's words and agreed with a nod and a smile. It was indeed a long time. However, Regina also had the unfortunate side effect of being a witness to Leblanc's schemes on Esther while in the baths. Watching as Esther was pulled under, but being perceptive that Leblanc was the one at fault, Regina shook her head at the entire situation. Why this was being done right before her eyes was a mystery to her, but whatever it was it was she was not going to be a part of it. Quietly and with a sigh, she stood up and grabbed her towel leaving the baths with little care of who saw her in all of her glory toward the locker room. She was definitely refreshed, that was for sure.

---

With their long march, Regina actually felt at home. The trees, the wildlife, the wind...everything in the forest felt wonderful! Her father always took her out into the forests and they even had to tackle a bit of dangerous wildlife here and there, mostly wolves and a bear or two. It was during those trips that she was taught everything about concealment and how to be a survivor out in nature. If one observed Regina they would see her relaxed and possibly even with her guard down, but the opposite was true. Regina was very much aware of her surroundings, having been taught by her father to always be aware, but not to let anything watching her know she was aware. It was deception, sure, but it was something her father pressed into her. As a result of her father's teachings, constant forays into the forest and being generally light in her packing Regina was not exhausted either. In fact, she felt fresh aside from her feet feeling like they need a massage.

Though Regina thought it was a poor decision to not choose their commanding officer while they were in the relative safety of home territory, she did not voice her opinion because she did not feel her own opinion would be valued as much as the rest. She had no position within the friend circles nor did she wish to break her silence. After all, she mostly left matters like that up to the self-proclaimed more 'qualified.' Not that Regina cared, but most of the nobles hated her father and by extension herself, because he was a commoner one day and after rescuing an important VIP which was classified even to herself he was given a title and land on the next. Her father often told her and every other noble that at least he earned his title, unlike the lot of them. With the weight on her shoulders to prove herself and her father worthy of such titles, she did not know whether she would even want a position of leadership. She listened to everyone's statements, but noted the favor for Gradon. It seemed she was slowly but surely learning everyone's names just by watching their interactions with one another at least, but her opinion about Gradon so far? He seemed at least a capable fighter judging from how he stood. That was all she got out of him so far, but looks can be deceiving as well as pleasing. She noted she will have to get a more detailed opinion of her classmates before she thought of anything for a vote, if she voted at all.

So far, Regina saw the Princess as a person, just like what her father taught her. She didn't want to treat her any differently despite her being royalty, but not doing so would get one killed in any other instance. Making a note of Ires' words, she decided that she will take full advantage of the princess wanting to be treated like the rest of them, though not this instant. Viola was also a person to Regina, not knowing her all that well either.

Leblanc's statement about a leader needing the ability to essentially take punishment was one that Regina thought was false. That was the linemen's job, not the leader's. Though it is nice for one to be able to do so, there was no requirement for such, though her statement did give valuable information about Gradon. One shouldn't ever present themselves as the target, ever, especially if they were the leader. It'd be best for the leader to stay behind the lines or blend in with the rest of the group in order to avoid presenting a target.

Althea's suggestion was actually a good one to Regina. A bush-sergeant would prove invaluable and even allow them to split up into two groups in a more orderly fashion. It was how the militia her father maintained handled itself back home, even going so far down as two-man teams, though she doubted that would work here.

As for the blonde haired guy's statement, Clean she thought, she also dissented in her mind slightly. A leader did not require to be so ambitious even though some ambition wouldn't kill anyone. However, the leader in charge must be able to drive them toward a purpose: if that purpose was recon, so be it but if they decided that they should grab the glory on a suicidal run when their purpose was far from that? Regina would not follow such a person. It was a one way ticket to the grave, somewhere that she'd not like to be in.

But perhaps the most precious value a leader should have in Regina's opinion was trust. Trust their comrades, allow them to do what they do, and their comrades will trust their leader to lead.

Before Regina could get any deeper in her thoughts, she heard a screech, followed by big shadows on the ground. Looking up, Regina's eyes widened in fear as she saw the flock of Rocs looking at them like they were tasty morsels, and they were not waiting. There were only a few words that came to mind in the young woman's head. Crap! Get to cover now! However, her fellow students were in the back of her mind as she started to make a run for the nearest building with at least some kind of cover against a flying beast that could probably tear this village apart. "Take cover!" she shouted as she entered one of the more stable houses and activated her vessel, Irregular's Life, the activated vessel coming from her bracelet to her hands in a moment.

The rifle was grey with dark blue lines running through the weapon that could easily be concealed and looked like a large but still maneuverable, for a long range weapon, sniper rifle with a scope attached to it to allow her to zoom onto a specific target or location. The lines would light up when she fired, sending a magical bolt straight toward the target. Although it was ineffective at close encounters and potentially against these fliers, the rifle would pack a punch at least if she did hit.

Finding a vantage point at one of the cracked walls that'd allow some form of cover, Regina took her position and aimed toward the sky, marking one of the Rocs to track it and give its position away and waiting for one of the Rocs to attempt to swoop down on her or someone else before firing, careful to allow a small amount of time for cool down before firing again, and moving to a different location using her agility and smaller frame to her advantage both fear and adrenaline filling her head and body respectively.

---

Esther listened as the cadets discussed whom they should pick as their leader. There was an idea floating around that they should also have a sub-leader, proposed by Althea, and she could definitely see the benefit of that. In the end, however, the Princess ended up leading them after all. Esther couldn't help but think that that had been a waste of time.

Well, at least now that's over, they could properly rest and--

"Kreeeeeeeeek!"

Esther looked up and saw just what had made that terrible screeching noise.

Rocs. Giant eagle birds. A flock of them.

She didn't need her textbook to tell just how dangerous they were. One of them was dangerous enough, but with a flock of them suddenly appearing like this and ambushing them? This was definitely a dangerous situation.

Esther quickly reacted by leaping backwards a distance away from their shadows. Remembering how her textbook told her that fighting a roc in an open field like this was tantamount to suicide, she quickly looked around before leaping towards the nearest ruined building she could take cover with. She heard Regina's voice, telling everyone to take cover. Nice job, Regina!, she said to herself. Her shout should be a wake up call for anyone still standing out there.

She landed at what seemed to be a second floor or a house, only the ceiling wasn't there at all, allowing her to snipe the birds with her wind blades while still having cover from the remnants of the walls. Well, snipe might be the wrong word, as she quickly found that the rocs could easily dodge her wind blades, what with them being able to sense the change in the wind pressure easily. One of them even countered her attack with a flap of its wings, sending an equal amount of gale towards her compressed air, nullfying it.

Oh, so annoying! I have to wait until they're in a position where they can't easily manuver themselves!

However, she then noticed how Gradon was still on the field with his sword drawn. She almost shouted to him to take cover, but realized that he had to fight that way since he was a melee fighter. She then had to stop herself once again, this time from jumping to his aid. There would be no point in erecting a wind barrier. She was sure the rocs would be able to break them easily with their strength. She just had to trust in Gradon's finesse in dodging and wait for that chance to send her wind blade to the attacking roc. When they swooped down, it should be difficult for them to go up instantly.

@TheWindel

Well there went one candidate out of the equation with Leon’s abdication. She was a little surprised, with how he acted yesterday she thought he might have leapt at the opportunity to lead in the way he wanted the captain to. Perhaps he simply wasn’t the leading type then, but had high expectation of his superiors.

She was touched by Esther suggesting. She might have stepped up to the roll were it not for her duties as a doctor. However:

“As our medic I cannot also be the leader, because if someone is hurt I will be unable to help them and have suitable battlefield awareness to give orders simultaneously. If I am second in command and the leader gets hurt the same problems apply.”

At this rate it looked like they were in relative agreement with the idea of Gradon being in charge being a good idea. Most of the other sane options either did not want to apply or where not well know enough to be evaluated by the original group. Unfortunately Gradon himself didn’t appear to be up to the burden of leadership just yet and recommended Iris lead and he serve as her second in command. It irked her a little that this was taken as the final decision by the princess however. That hadn’t exactly been a vote.

There wasn’t enough time to voice her concern however as the rocs announced their presence and swooped towards the group. She could definitely see why setting up settlements up here was impossible, even with Vessel she did not think their odds of surviving this unharmed where high.

One of the cadets who had joined them with the princess seemed to have her head squarely on her shoulders at least, yelling for them to get to cover. While those with pole mounted weapons might be able to fend the beasts off she worried that those with shorter blades would have a lot of difficulty. She added to the girls shout:

“Get inside or they’ll just carry you off into the sky!”

Lacking any orders from their actual leaders she hurried after the person she believed was known as Regina into the relative safety of the housing. She watched as Regina unveiled some kind of rifle as her Vessel, heading upstairs to snipe the birds. Judging by the wind blasts coming from another building Esther had had a similar idea.

Althea meanwhile needed a it more space to take her shots and so stuck near the ruined entryway to Regina’s building. She channeled manus, green lines of power circling the gem on the back of her hand, weaving their away up her fingers and flowing into her palm. All this magic resulted in a vial of mercury forming in her hand. She wasn't going to use acid or gas this time, as there was the danger of it coming down on her comrades, instead she was going to take the old idiom about birds and stones a bit literally. Only it was a vile of mercury weighing about the same as brick being used instead of rocks and the birds were the size of elephants. She probably wasn’t going to take down two with a single throw.

Her projectile compleat she ducked out the door, took aim and hurled the vile like a baseball pitcher at the closest bird before ducking back inside and prepping a second vial. 5 seconds later she popped out and threw another. She kept doing this as long as she wasn’t attacked. Some missed, some thumped into the bird’s torsos, causing minor annoyance at best, but some managed to thump into a wing, breaking the shafts of the enormous feathers with their impacts. The Rocs didn't exactly fall from the sky as a result, but the ones hit where slower and wobblier in their flight than the others.

---

---

"Well, it seems that this will be our first test together. I'm counting on you, Gradon."

Ires had a confident smile on her face as she let Gradon's forearm go. The Princess was seemingly unshaken by the rocs swooping above. Instead, she took a moment to analyze the battlefield as well as assess the capabilities demonstrated by the other Cadets. Having those details in mind, Ires quickly came up with a strategy.

"Regina and Esther, right? The two of you get over there," Ires shouted while pointing to an old church. Despite the state of disrepair of the old stone building, its steeple still rose tall over the rest of the village.

The bigger problem in getting there from their current location would be traversing the large open space of village's square without being taken by the monstrous birds. Thankfully, Ires had an answer for that too. "Tzi and Viola, the two of you cover them. Once you pass through the well, be sure to grab its rope. It may be old, but we can use it to our advantage. Once you reach the steeple, have Esther throw the rope over there using her wind magic. Gradon and I'll be there to catch it," Ires then pointed to the city hall, the second tallest building around, right across the square.

"After we have done so, we will need someone to volunteer to stand on the square as bait. On my signal I want the two of you to pull with all your strength. Everyone else, please, support us to the best of your ability. These rocs may be gigantic, but they are just adolescent, if we kill one of them, the others aren't going to bother us."

Once Ires spoke her plan, she summoned her lance and got ready to charge ahead as soon as everyone else was in position.

"By the way, where are Leon and Natus? If they keep isolated like this, there's no telling what can help to them," Ires asked of Gradon as she waited for the reply of the other Cadets.

Natus hide once the attack was evident, in order to try to get a sneak attack against the attackers. However giant monsters were something that heros in shiny armor was suppose to handle, but while his stabbing Rocs with a dagger would likely not be able to pierce an artery, there was a way for him to help. He was nimble and quick, meaning that he could best distract the Rocs and lure them into the trap.

He quickly took some rocks he found on the ground and some paper from his book. He folded the paper and made green marks on it with his dagger, and then placed it into the folds of his clothing in such a way that the lines would not be touching his body and thus hurt him. He then took the rocks and quickly painted them red.

He emerged, and readied himself to run at a moments notice, before taking the rocks and throwing them into the air causing an explosion to get the Rocs attention. He look over his body and cause the lines to glow bright green and try to imitate the sound of an elephant to the best of his ability.

As the giant birds attacked she dove into cover, just as quickly leaving again under a cloak of shadow. A shot from her crossbow did little but startle one of them as it sailed wide of it's target. Szeren hung the weapon on its sling instead of reloading. Such a light crossbow wouldn't have the range that was needed here unless the Roc was already diving towards her.

Instead she slowed her pace, moving from cover to cover through interconnected shadows until she reached the group. Her cloak faded until she was just recognizable from close by.

It looked like a plan was in progress. She reloaded the crossbow and moved to stand against the shadowed wall of a building, blending in with a practiced ease born of necessity. With the weapon shouldered, her eyes scanned the sky as the others moved.

Her hands came to rest idle beside her as the votes were cast, tallied, and taken as the suggestions they were when Ires and Gradon rose to helm the adolescent unit with an air of...disappointment? Disdain? Even with her eyes focused upon the Princess it was hard to discern exactly what it was but it seemed likely the future monarch was eager to witness the command of others and was left wanting as responsibility was left unclaimed.

Not like Leblanc could alleviate this, as the sorts of people she could consider amicable with were a far rowdier crowd and more prone to trying to gouge her with a hidden knife then offer a bowl of venison. She sighed and averted her gaze to take in the greenery overwhelming the remnants of civilizations failed conquest and felt herself wishing for the tension of tight packed alleys and the clamor of crowds milling down highways with not an inkling of what occurred beneath their feet.

"Hmm?" Dour thoughts were dispersed as smoke on the wind stirred by the arrival of avian death, colossus of the sky circling above them with ill intent transparent. "I'm not one for animals, but this is worthy of an exception."

People scattered and ran for cover, marshaling their Vessels and preparing for the attack of the titanic Roc's- juvenile age not withstanding, a large bird of prey was still big- while Leblanc drew forth her primary knife and dipped it into her jar of paralytic poison, not bothering to do the same with her throwing blades as she doubted they'd pierce the bird's hide's, let alone cripple the birds with any relevant speed.

"Bait, you say?" Her ears perked at the Princess' words and she leapt horizontally on hyper coiled muscles, her Vessel working overtime to enhance her muscles beyond normal elasticity, to skid along the grass with excitement flashing on her stolid face. "I'll volunteer for that duty. Worst comes to worst, I'll be curious to see how far of a fall I can survive."

Blinking, she turned to Tzi as she darted for the square, making a show of ignoring the dangers as she cupped her hands before her mouth and shouted. "Hey Tzi, be careful when you cook anything I stab here unless you want us to fall over for a day or so. Cook it thorough and we should have no problem, okay!?"

---

Regina listened to the plan that the Princess put forward, having noted that the obvious medic of the group, Althea she thought, followed her into the building and Esther from earlier was in another. However, something in the back of her mind nudged at her about the princess's plan. The plan's outcome would be interesting, but the more Regina went through it in her mind the worse it got. Whether the end result was to rodeo a Roc or have it hit the piece of rope, there was simply too much risk especially with collapsing village buildings and a rope that may not even be strong enough despite what the princess said. Furthermore, she was underestimating nature, at least to Regina. Adolescent Rocs were fast learners, but may simply just learn to not do something that a late member just did and attempt a different approach instead of retreating. They also had their own feelings and bonds, just like any living being would. No, Regina had a extremely bad feeling about this plan. Too flashy, typical of royalty and "higher" nobility than her own family.

And she is said to be one of the highest ranking officers in the military. I fear for the rest of the Empire...

That was it! She was going to take action. If no one else was going to stand up to this, she was if only to not get killed. "Princess, your plan is terrible!" Regina shouted back to her. No doubt she was going to get some evil eyes and dissent. She was, after all, the new girl to this entire cadet squad and she was just now telling the grand princess that everyone practically worships that her plan was stupid. Remembering what she knew about Rocs, mostly on how to avoid them, she began to conter the Princess's plan with her own. "We don't have to kill any of them! All we have to do is escape or make them believe we escaped!" Regina was quickly looking around from outside the building she was in as she was looking for something that could help them with this improvised on-the-spot but simpler plan. It took a bit of quick surveying, but Regina saw a ruined aqueduct that could be used. "There is an aqueduct and a few buildings that can be used over there for such a purpose, as can the well! Lots of trees and cover to move without detection from the sky! Some improvised cover and a huge distraction to draw the birds' attention or blinding them for a few seconds would also do wonders." With the sun out, the Rocs will have an easier time spotting them, so they had to take that into account. Still, they'd be exposed to fewer opportunities to become bird food than following the princess's plan. A smoke bomb or something similar could work to blind the birds and give them enough time to hide.

Now, was the time where she did mention a portion of the princess's plan that at least sounded somewhat right with someone acting as bird bait. "Bait will be good as a backup plan to lead them away!" It was a plan that she made on the spot, albeit ducking into cover from the giant birds. She'd make a much more concrete plan, but as it is there would be confusion between to either follow her own plan or the princess's plan and Regina did not know what everyone was capable of. If this didn't work out, well, there was always run into the church and another intact building, make a last stand, and punish any Rocs that fly near them. Either way, Regina listened to the reactions that everyone else had and kept to the cover of the building.

Little time could be spent for Gradon to return the Princess’ words and gesture of unity towards him. By the sounds of the screeching above, the Rocs would not give them such luxuries anyway, swooping down upon the cadets out of spite and anger. Regardless of what was causing these monsters to behave in such a way, their intent was clear. Naturally, the cadets reacted by splitting up, running to the nearest cover they could find thanks to Regina’s warning.

That left Gradon in…the wide-open space. “Maybe it was a bad idea using a sword Vessel,” he said to no one in particular, staring down a Roc that began to charge at him. “Really, really regretting it now…” With a swing of his blade, he blocked the massive bird’s talons, being dragged against the ground slightly before using its momentum to throw it off in some other direction. The Roc sped back into the air, though not before screeching in pain; a fresh score had manifested over its left foot, a result of Gradon’s abilities.

No sooner was one cast aside that another took its place, ready to gouge Gradon with its bared claws. Likewise, the young cadet prepared to dodge to the side, only to see the bird be hit by an invisible attack; of course, wind! He turned right back around and ran to whatever shelter there was left, seeing the rest of the cadets do the same; sticking it out there would only get him killed eventually with one wrong move.

The long-ranged cadets would have the better advantage in this fight, bullets, gusts of sharp wind, and even vials flung about to keep the creatures at bay. Once the entirety of them had regrouped, Ires was already formulating some kind of plan. He didn’t know what the Princess had in mind, but a crazy plan was better than no plan right now and he watched the others depart to their duties. He would have to remind himself to thank Esther for saving him later.

“I don’t know where Natus is. But if he’s survived this long with his hit and run tactics, he’ll survive this,” he told Ires before turning to Szeren. “Can you provide cover fire for our distractions? All of them use short-ranged Vessels so we’ll need someone to make sure they don’t die on us-” Suddenly, an outburst cut off his words and he, no doubt like most others still in the area, turned to the source of it.

Gradon listened to Regina’s words before frowning. “Regina, turning around and running isn’t the best course of action now. As Imperial cadets, what good are we if we can’t even face this one threat?” he said. “Princess Ires has more experience in combat than any of us so I think she has something up her sleeve. And we all voted for her as leader, right? We don’t have time to be arguing about which plan is better. We follow what the leader says because we trust them, alright?” He glanced at the Princess. “And this is as good a time as ever to see if she deserves our trust.”

@Lonewolf685@KoL@Hammerman@DracoLunaris@TheWindel@Mercurial



"Then we'll just have to kill more of these birds than you!" was Tzi's boisterously cheerful reply to Leblanc, even as he fired the anchor hanging from the back of Retiarius, the grey chunk of metal rocketing through the air in order to stab through the wing of one of the rocs. "Sometimes you just wanna bit of pink, yeah?"

He fired off another magical net from his trident with a large roar, hoping to grab another one of the flying birds with the heavy, dangerous fibres. Tzi Ti'amtum grinned, blood pumping through his veins as he watched the sky, hands gripped tightly onto the shaft of his Vessel. If they wanted to attack him and his buddies in such huge numbers, then he'd make sure to give them a real bloody pounding. It'd mean he wouldn't need to do so much of that when he was cooking them, too!

It wasn't wrong to say that the tall young man was certainly having fun, even if the birds were certainly way out of his league.

"While you guys are cooking up plans," he called out, legs already moving in the direction of the square, "try and get these guys in the wings while you can! If I were a bird, I'd try and pull back if somebody was hitting them!"

He didn't know which approach they were going for, but he could do the basic thing at least, and that was cover Esther and Althea. It wasn't cool to let some mates act like vulnerable lambs being attacked by eagles (or in this case, super big birds), so he was closing in on their position pronto.

If his nets nabbed any of the rocs, they'd certainly be feeling his pain if they went for the attack. And if that anchor wedged itself into a bird, he hoped he could pull harder than it could.

"Somebody get Leon to do that earth thing!" he shouted out as well. "Some sudden pillars could take them off guard!"

A small smile that looked uncomfortable on Clean's face could be glimpsed for a moment. He might not like the Princess, but he can at least respect her and the answer Ires gave spurred the feeling in Clean. Nodding Clean accepted their leader and was about to find something to eat when he thought he heard something...

Avian screeches pierced his ears, and the flapping of wings causes a strong breeze to gust past Clean making it quite the shame he lacked a cloak or mantle to flap dramatically behind him. The group scrambled to battle positions whereas Clean was almost obnoxiously casual about the situation. Straightening his clothes, the crimson tie unfurled and took on the sheen of a polished blade, golden basket hilt blooming around his hand with a delicate pattern. Catching the light, Clean could see his reflection stained red in the blade.

"Swords don't really work well on giant monster birds. At least until they get closer." concurring with Gradon on the particular choice of Vessel, Clean angled the blade to see the Roc's approaching and the reflected light glaring into a diving Roc's eyes as he quickly sidestepped and took a passing swipe with his blade at the creature. The complaints against the Princess' plan grated on Clean's ears however, even as he silently admitted the validity of the suggestions.

"Regina. I respect your opinion, but Ires has been elected leader with Gradon as the vice captain. We're mere cadets so all we can do is try our all to make certain that our leader's plan succeeds. Next time we elect someone, I'll vote for you if you wish to lead, but we need to be unified at this moment and make a clean getaway from this mess. I'm of limited use since Farris volunteered to be the bait, admittedly given her agility she's more likely to survive such a role." Moving into the cover of a building, or at least what was one, Clean's lighter blade was raised up alongside his cheek, point aimed at where Leblanc was to be the bait and preparing to dash out at a moments notice. His immediate goal being to shred one of the Roc's wings so that even if it does escape the bindings mentioned in Ires' plan it can't escape. Good plans have back ups. Good soldiers make a leader's plan succeed. Clip its wings. Ground it. Kill it. Maybe have a nice roast Roc for a meal. A stew? That might take longer, but could make less of a mess.

Natus realized that he failed to distract the birds. Apparently, he was to small to draw the bird's attention. He dispelled the sorcery on the pieces of paper awkwardly hanging on to his clothing, and used his hand to brush them away. He quickly regrouped with the others, being only a few meters away from the center of where everyone was. He decided that hiding was probably unnecessary as the birds did not seem to notice him, and even if they did, he could easily evade their attacks.

The Rocs did not seem to be an actual threat, they are giant birds. No matter how large they are, they are still just birds. While a single attack from one of their talons would be devastating, they was unorganized and they did not have much intelligence in how they attacked. Rocs are not adapted to fight creatures that fight back. In fact, the only reason that they have not already fled is because the lack of any meaningful ranged attacks. Killing them would likely not be required if they could only seriously maim one. However, like Crispin he was a bit curious to how Roc tasted.

He noticed his team was bickering over the plan of action. His small-size seem to have disqualified him from being a distraction against such large and hungry opponents, and his dagger has even shorter range than most everyone else. However, he drew comparisons of how both the Rocs and his team were unorganized and as such could not do much damage to the other side.

He decided to stay in standby, not being able to do anything at the current moment, however he was actively looking for avenue of attack or a moment of weakness to exploit.

---

Esther managed to catch the princess' order even as she was kicking her wind blades towards the rocs, simultaneously dodging one of two who descended and tried to grab her with their claws. She took a short glance at the church she pointed at, and realized it would indeed be a better place for her to strike. This building was simply not high enough for her to get an accurate strike at the rocs circling in the sky. However, she then heard Regina arguing against it, saying that the plan was terrible. Ooh, this isn't the best time for that! she thought to herself as she took cover against another roc. They couldn't afford to be divided at a time like this! In the end, she decided to follow the princess' order as she was their leader after all.

"Kreeeeeeek!"

One of the rocs swooped down towards her position. She decided this would be the best time to move. So right before the roc connected to her, she switched her vessel to its normal state and used it to do a long and fast leap towards the well. She then grabbed the rope there, somewhat struggling to pull it out as she wasn't really that strong physically. To make matters worse, the roc from before followed her and descended upon her once more. She quickly summoned her wind barrier, bracing for impact as there was nowhere she could hide in a wide open space like this.

And the impact was strong indeed.

At contact, Esther could feel the sheer force of the roc weighing down on her. She could feel the ground cracking beneath her boots as she gritted her teeth, channeling all her strength to maintain her barrier. They had a contest of strength, even for a short while as soon enough, their battle ended with Esther being thrown to the ground and the roc's flight path being redirected away from her. It crashed to a nearby two-store building, destroying what was left of the bricks and stones making the building. This would be a perfect opportunity for her to counter attack, but unfortunately, she was now laying down on the ground, her entire body aching from the blow.

Thankfully, it didn't take long for her to recover, as she soon got up, grabbed the rope, and leaped towards the top of the church from the outside.

"H-here's the rope!" she shouted as she threw said rope to the top of the city hall after she was up top, kicking it a great distance using her vessel. She then grabbed the tip and tied it on the nearest available pillar she could find, with her hands still shaking from the attack she just received. Then, she took cover behind it, as she tried to calm herself and her wildly beating hard.

T-that was close! T-too close!

@KoL

---

Regina heard the responses of her fellow cadets and couldn't help but frown in disappointment and adjusted her glasses. Battle experience or not, relying on such a flimsy plan with a low chance of success and relying specifically on the birds getting the right angle and height at the right time without any indication of some kind of contingency was not good in her book. Even less so when it showed that Gradon made a point of being "Imperial Cadets." In the end, it didn't matter. Imperial cadets or no, Princess of not, leader or not, their plan had a lot of holes in it. So much so, that Regina felt any other plan was better than this one. After all, her father told her that no plan ever survived contact with a hostile, or anything really.

However, before Regina could make any other arguments in her fearful state, she noticed Esther start to make her movements. Immediately, whatever reservations that Regina had were gone as well as any physical sign of fear. Instead, her mind went toward saving her comrade from the high-risk low-potential to work plan. Despite the rocs outside and the arguments of any of the cadets Regina bolted outside the door, sprinting past Althea who was near the door in what could be a dangerous speed for indoors. It was only thanks to her agility that she did not get hurt, but right now she only had one priority in mind even if anyone else didn't know it. On the way, she barely noticed Szeren firing her light crossbow at the Rocs.

She watched, sprinting, as Esther battled the Roc. Regina was not as quick as Esther with her wind magic, which was why she was behind. The battle ended with Esther on the ground and the Roc crashing into a nearby building. It would not be long before the Roc came back to its senses and further pestered them. She heard the sound of Rocs screeching and already knew that one of them found her and would either be swooping in for its skinny meal or about to be. On the other hand, the Roc on the ground needed to be taken down and this was the best time to do so. Regina made a snap decision to stop, aim down the sights of the rifle quickly and pull the trigger out in the open with a snapshot. The shot may not even connect with the downed Roc, but Regina was ready to meet her fate whether that was to keep running or to be in the stomach of a Roc.