---

It was a somewhat surreal experience returning to sleep in accommodations where a small-scale battle had been fought, but that was not what bothered Éliane. Between overconsumption of coffee and the paranoia of wondering if there would be a follow up on the failed Valheimian attack, the Skaelan did not manage to sleep. It only took a few minutes of lying awake in bed for her to think to hell with it, and rose again. It didn’t sit right with her to leave her fallen compatriots to the tender mercies of an Edrenian cleanup crew.

She returned to her original, blood-stained room and sorted out their belongings, and coordinated a proper repatriation effort with the guards that ended up bringing the bodies to the morgue. There was little more that she could do on short notice, but by the time she was done, dawn began to break.

In the end, Éliane had to appropriate another carafe of coffee from the castle kitchens to get her through the coming day.

Nonetheless, in this vague, zombielike state, she managed to find her replacement team and the chocobos they had been designed, although she was none too amused with their color. Unlike her Viera counterpart, she as displeased not with looking unassuming –there would be little of that when she kept wearing her fancy uniform—but the fact that they were Leonhart’s colors. A proud member of the Guards, mounted on that? How scandalous!

She moaned and grumbled about it, but she took the gift like everybody else. She wasn’t going to look a gift chocobo in the beak, in the end, especially when the entire quest was ostensibly a multinational effort. She was also apprehensive of the wagon and its driver, having almost exclusively operated with a small, mobile team not unlike team Kirin, but she had to recognize the need of a small logistics train on a long-distance quest like this.

Éliane was mostly silent on the journey itself as she managed her all-nighter, although she idly listened into the conversations around her. Team Kirin had more of her countrymen than she had originally thought, and she couldn’t help but to overhear the one Arton had with the woman that had recruited her. It was an interesting tale that explained much of what she knew of Izayoi and her demeanor. Her opinion of the invading foreigners fell further, even as she anticipated seeing her fight alongside her in combat with the barbarians from Valheim…

As the surroundings changed, Éliane kept up her guard even as she was reminded by the small moogle. She polished off the rest of the coffee, though long cold, leaving her wanting more. Leifur, who she had immediately recognized as a fellow gunbreaker from Skael upon meeting, suggested they make a stop at a nearby Edrenian town, and she was inclined to agree. “Good idea. I’d rather not go into hostile territory blind and without intelligence, although I doubt information crosses the border overmuch. There is only so much of a border that can be patrolled, so I’m not too concerned about entry yet,” she replied sleepily. Nonetheless, she turned to Mystel from Osprey expectantly for any helpful information.

---

A busy night brought a busy morning, as the remaining members of Team Kirin saddled up, with chocobos courtesy of the Castle- and Leonhart by extension. Having learned from their prior experience, Galahad spent the night resting in his armor- or at least part of it. The plates still came off, but at least for the foreseeable future, it appeared that Galahad would be living in his dragon-leather under armor. It was lucky then, that he had two sets of the leather armor, though its original purpose was to have a spare set if one was damaged, not to be nightwear.

While the rest of the remaining Kirin members mounted up on their new Chocobos, Galahad was greeted by his ever-present companion, Korin. Like many of the chocobos afforded to nobility and Leonhart’s warriors, Korin was a bird of the silver-gray variety, a crest of patchy grey and black, and its slightly more soft feathers noting it as a creature born of Edren’s north instead of its southern heart lands. Like Galahad, Korin bore plates of blued steel on its head and chest- though this was more for display than actual protection. Korin, while brave and steadfast in its own right, was no fighting mount.

The roads eventually gave way to a familiar sea of tall emerald grass, the mountains of his home bordering the edges of the earthen sea. Galahad breathed out a sigh of relief, almost glad to be back on the road again. As much as he loved his cousin, visits to Balmung were always a bit exhausting. Far too busy for his liking- ironic because Midgar was often louder and just as bustling with activity.

As both the newly appointed leader of their little expedition- and most familiar with the path back home, Galahad found himself at the head of their party, occasionally glancing back at the others. Their number had dropped from its original ten, which was both a curse and a blessing. A small group moved faster and more quietly, and was easier to maneuver both into and out of trouble, but now they had considerably fewer blades and resources at their disposal. Still, they’d have to make do with what they had- at the very least they hadn’t been beset by disgruntled members of the Unicorn party as soon as they left the gates. Not yet anyway.

Galahad looked down at his mount as the bird began coasting off to the side, a bit concerned at Korin’s sudden lack of focus, but relaxed as he saw what the bird was doing. The large chocobo was apparently curious about one of his new traveling companions, or maybe he smelled something- as the creature began poking its beak at one of the saddlebags of their resident White Mage.

”Korin.” Galahad chided the chocobo, ”Stop being nosy.”

To Neve, Galahad offered a small chuckle. ”I think he likes you. Or maybe he's hungry.”

”How are you holding up?” Galahad asked, frowning slightly. It wasn't hard to see the concern on his face, the white mage seemed tired- understandably so. ”Last night was busy, wasn't it? ”

Neve pulled her gaze away from the scenery in front of her and towards the armored chocobo that had strafed near hers. She blinked as the bird prodded its smooth beak against her saddlebag, a motion that had drawn a strained giggle from her lips as she reached forward to stroke its head. For some reason, his feathers felt abnormally soft beneath her fingers, at least, compared to her own chocobo. She wondered why that was so.

A more hearty chuckle left her as she reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a small clump of greens. ”Sharp little chocobo.” Neve smiled at Korin and held out the bushel of gysahl greens towards him. Of course he was hungry. He had been walking for a while, after all.

Galahad’s words made her jump a little; she didn’t expect to be spoken to. Nevertheless, her smile became more warm in the face of the dragoon’s presence. ”I’m alright… last night was busy, but it isn’t something I’m not used to.” She glanced away, her smile fading for just a moment, before she returned her gaze to him. ”How are you faring? Well, I hope.”

”Well, we’ll doubtlessly be relying on you a lot as we move along.” Galahad replied, pulling off his helmet to get some air. ”Healing artes are incredible, my brother had a knack for magic, myself well- not so much, so I just stick with this big stick here.”

Galahad chuckled lightly, sighing a bit as he looked out at the emerald green grasses ahead of them. It shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise that the mage had seen her fair share of hardship- he’d expect not much else from a group of individuals brave- or foolhardy enough to embark on a journey far from home to fight an enemy they didn’t know the nature of. There was a short silence for a moment, as Galahad took a glance back at the rest of their party.

”I’m a little anxious, to be honest with you, the responsibility of a half dozen disparate personalities weighs heavy.” Reaching beneath the armored cap on the top of Korin’s head, Galahad scratched at the top of the large bird’s headfeathers. ”It's easier to coordinate folk when they all do what I do. Nowadays, I’m more used to just telling Korin what to do- at least the bird always listens to me.”

Neve nodded solemnly at his first statement. She was an invaluable asset merely because of her ability to use white magic. People told her that nearly her entire life. When he mentioned his brother, she perked up a little. His brother knew magic? She wondered what kind of spells he knew. Perhaps he was even a mage– or even a white mage like her. What would the odds be? She bit her tongue when he continued speaking and announced his anxiety over his position. That was right… they had assigned him as a sort of faux leader for the time being. That was what she remembered.

”I don’t blame you. Responsibility such as yours would weigh heavy on anyone’s shoulders.” She gave him a more genuine smile as she continued with a light-hearted voice. ”Just don’t let it get to your head too much, lest you get yourself sick with worry. If that were to happen, I’d have to shoulder your burdens, and it’ll be quite a messy situation.”

She tipped her head at him as she pondered what he had said before. ”Your brother knows magic?”

Galahad chuckled a bit at Neve's comment, nodding in good humored agreement, though he grew quieter as the white mage brought up his brother. It was less an upset quiet and more a wistful one, as Galahad shifted in his seat.

”Yes, my younger brother, Gerant, was part of the Edren Hospitalier Corps- heavily armored medical troops. He was a bright one, a bit eccentric.” Galahad grimaced a bit. ”I never really appreciated him or his abilities when we were younger. Now he's gone. He was lost in the fighting with Osprey.”

Her face immediately fell at his words. ”O-oh, I’m… I’m so sorry,” Neve murmured as she turned to face ahead of her. Already, she could feel her face grow hot as she swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. War really was a cruel thing. For a moment, she wanted to tell Galahad that he should take comfort that his brother was at peace and rest within the lifestream, but she remembered that most people didn’t take solace in such a fact. ”I didn’t know.”

Galahad offered Neve a warm smile, even if it had hints of sadness behind it. ”I know. That's why I told you.” Galahad chuckled reassuringly. ”I miss him, but then I meet kind hearted folk like you and Arton, and I start thinking he never really left. I think Gerant would've liked this party- mostly.”

His kind words were enough to allow her to settle down. Neve softened her grip on her chocobo’s reigns and her knuckles ached in gratitude. ”Such kind words…” Neve’s smile returned, albeit much more muted than before. She kept her vision on the horizon, not daring to look back at him as of yet. ”I’m… glad you appreciate my company. The last thing I want is to be a bother.”

”No bother at all, I'm glad to have been able to catch your ear while things are still calm. Better than trying to find you while I'm hurt.” Galahad replied honestly. Spurring Korin slightly faster, slowly bringing him back to the lead of the party. He turned to glance back at the young white mage, a faint, soft smile on his face, helmet held above his long head of hair, ”Don't be afraid to call out if you require assistance in the future. I'm but a leap away.”

Galahad snorted lightly, obviously entertained by his own pun as he slipped on his helmet. Tuning into the conversations of the others in time to hear them mentioning Midgar as a next step. While it felt weird returning home so soon, it was a good place to gather up information on Valheim held Osprey in relative safety. They wouldn't have to worry about the locals being unwilling to aid them either- his family had lorded over the town for generations now. Incidentally, Galahad made no adjustments to his course. He may have been subconsciously leading them towards Osprey by way of Midgar already.

Izayoi's ears twitched slightly beneath her hat upon picking up the moogle's words. Yes, that would be a problem. When she trekked south through here to reach Balmung, she'd simply laid down in the tall grass at night and covered herself with a tarp. A full party and camp would be nigh-on impossible to conceal out here, even without the obvious mistake of starting a campfire in the midst of an extremely windy area with nothing but tall grass surrounding them.

That in mind, Izayoi urged her chocobo forward a few more steps ahead to where Galahad was riding, with the Skaelian woman she'd offered a place in the group to not far away.

"Dragoon," Izayoi said tonelessly, staring out at the sea of grass. "How do Edrenians typically set camp out here?

"With a machete." Galahad called back in reply, his head turning back to face the approaching birds and riders. "Once we find a particularly tall patch of grass, we can cut a clearing. People won't see us until they're practically on top of us."

Looking back at the wagon behind them, which while drowning in the emerald green, was still poking out well above the tops of the grasses, Galahad grimaced. He was used to traveling alone at this point- the wagon, while a useful tool for storing material and supply, meant they were considerably more noticeable than a small group of riders.

"The wagon adds a challenge, but we can tie the grasses we cut around it's top for camoflauge. If we're concerned about people spotting us, we'll likely have to go without a fire."

Overhearing the conversation, Éliane nudged her chocobo closer. Like the Ospreyan, she was unfamiliar with dealing with this sort of environment. "I'm not enthusiastic about the wagon either, it's a liability."

"Very well." Izayoi nodded. Her sword would serve well enough in place of a machete. Though the mention of the wagon did have her frown. If it weren't for the free supplies, she wouldn't have even consented to taking it along. They weren't even large enough of a party to require an actual supply train, anyway. And once they were closer to Osprey, well...

"Stopping in Midgar was mentioned earlier, and I concur. Moreover, we can discuss whether we wish to continue with our current travel arrangements as we are. I can tell you right now that continuing on with silver chocobos and the wagon will bring more trouble than it is worth in Osprey."

Éliane gave a thin smile at that. "I'm the worst person you could get for covert operations, but even I can recognize mounts and organized parties in occupied territory isn't going to work out." She glanced over at the wagon, and the small moogle that sat in front of it. "Yeah. He'll be a liability in combat even without the big thing."

"I suppose it wouldn't be in Valheim's nature to just let us wander into Osprey unmolested." Galahad sighed, nodding in agreement. "My cousin is good with pen and blade, but subtlety was never his strong suit."

Éliane grinned at that. "Nor I."

Glancing around at the party behind them, he frowned. The silver chocobos were a dead giveaway certainly, but chocobos would allow them to travel faster and with less exertion than they otherwise would on foot. Galahad himself felt plenty fast on his feet, but the others might not agree- especially once their journey started in earnest.

"What type of beasts of burden do they use in Osprey?" Galahad asked, "If it comes down to it, it shouldn't be too difficult to source enough plain chocobo for the journey- though I admit I am a bit attached to Korin here."

"Yellow chocobos are common enough. Although a rarer sight among the populace now with Valheim's ruinous taxation. You are a lord, are you not? Purchasing a half dozen chocobos should be of no difficulty to you. If you are concerned with offending your illustrious cousin, simply have the silver chocobos sent back."

"My family owns a stable of chocobo, mostly for use by the city's defenders." Galahad nodded in agreement, chuckling a bit. "I'm sure plenty of them would be thrilled to trade their mounts for one of Leonhardt's silver birds."

"Not sure about that," Éliane replied as she shook her head. "They might be useful in the future. I'd rather borrow some normal chocobos and have the silver ones stabled somewhere safe to be collected later. Midgar, maybe?"

"If you insist." Izayoi sighed. She couldn't quite deny that the silver chocobos might be useful somewhere down the line. If they had to operate further in Edren, mostly. "Any supplies in the wagon we cannot carry with us ought to go some way towards covering more necessary costs in the future. Though that brings up the question of what to do with the moogle."

"He would be perfect for looking after the birds, wherever we keep them," Éliane pointed out. Although he had been a reasonable guide so far, as far as she could tell he was a civilian. No way did she want him tagging along into a warzone.

"I don't suppose anyone has asked if the moogle if it's any good in a fight?" Galahad shrugged, "The creature is small, but those things generally seem to find their way through trouble unscathed."

"We can inquire when we make camp." Izayoi remarked, her tail beating against the back of her saddle briefly as she glanced between her newfound companions. "I would know. What drives the two of you to embark on this quest? Both of you are aware that I am here solely to take vengeance upon Valheim, but I am unaware what motivates either of you."

"Well, Blighted monsters have been driving dragons ever closer to Midgar's surrounding lands, and after the war we lack the adequate number of dragoons necessary to hold them off." Galahad said with a bitter sigh, "Besides, my cousin called for me, I'm not exactly in the position to decline him."

"I could talk at length about how it's the noble thing to do, or how it is for the good of all people," Galahad chuckled, his armored shoulders clinking as he shrugged. "It's certainly both those things. But really, I just don't like sitting still."

Éliane replied after a moment of thought. "A few reasons. I want to put a stop to this before my homeland is destroyed, and I'm not going to wait until Skael is the last man standing." She looked almost thoughtful, before adding with a grin, "Not much fighting to be had at home, anyway."

Izayoi processed these claims for a few moments before simply nodding.

"Good. I was hoping for less...idealism. Easier to tolerate." She commented, continuing to look out over the extremely grassy plains. "I assume we'll be making camp at your discretion, Galahad. We'll have further words later. There are still issues to resolve between us." Her piece said, Izayoi let her chocobo fall back a few paces, clearly finished with speaking at the moment.

Neve cast her gaze around the group once more, making sure that everyone was safe and comfortable as they coursed through the long grass. The sight of them conversing, such as Izayoi, Eliane, and Galahad did, was sufficient to bring a light smile across her lips. However, even that faded away when the swordswoman’s chocobo leaned a little too close in her direction. Before she knew it, she rode alongside her, and the sheer thought of such a fact made her bristle. It wasn’t that she disliked her– in fact, it was the complete opposite. Izayoi was a strong woman. Then why did she feel so uncomfortable around her?

It took a moment for her to realize she was staring. Neve ducked her head and gave her an embarrassed, slightly terrified upwards pull of her lips. ”It’s… a pleasure to have you along, Lady Izayoi.”

Izayoi had been wondering when the girl would stop staring and start speaking. If the healer had been any more terrified of her, she would have smelled it. But Neve’s words brought a sardonic quirk to her lips.

”Is it? I wonder.” She replied, looking the Dranan woman over. Evidently, the girl hadn’t bothered to heed her advice overmuch regarding how much she exerted herself the previous night. Would that it would surprise her.

”There’s no need to lie to me, girl. If my presence disquiets you, say so. I will fall back.”

”No, no! It’s fine.” Neve shook her head rapidly. If there was anything she couldn’t afford, it was to upset someone in the party, especially someone as infamous as the mystrel. She had only heard rumors of her ferocious acts, but she knew that it wouldn’t be smart of her to cross her. Neve blinked, then nodded again. ”I don’t mean to anger you. I’m just… not used to traveling alongside someone with so much prestige.”

”I am not angered.” Izayoi said as calmly as she could, resisting the urge to sigh. The Mother take her, it had been years. How had the realm not forgotten her by now? ”The tales only speak of what I do to my enemies. I give you my word that so long as we share the same foe, I will not intentionally bring harm to you. Verbal slights mean little to me, regardless.” A pause as something occurred to her. ”You know my name, but I believe you have never so much as even mentioned yours.”

Her words brought her some comfort, though Neve still felt her shoulders tense when she spoke again. Had she not introduced herself? It wouldn’t surprise her; the previous night had been hectic and she still felt the fog weigh heavily on her exhausted mind. A light blush crossed her cheeks and she dipped her head in respect.

”Neve Shadesbough, though you can just call me Neve,” she said, ”I was raised in Cascona Landing.”

”Hn.” Izayoi simply nodded in response, pretending like she had any idea where that was. Not that she could reciprocate. Even had she remembered where exactly she was born, that hadn’t mattered to her in decades. Until she’d fallen into Kaien’s service, the road had been her home more often than not, throughout all of Osprey. Though there was one thing she could offer in response.

”I do not recall the place of my birth, but my home for the last few years had been the village of Atsu. It is- was on the way down from the mountain pass we will use to cross into Osprey.”

Neve wasn’t sure if what Izayoi said was a good thing. Uncertain, she bit her lip and bunched her hand around the hem of her robes as she pondered what to say without toeing a line. ”I heard Osprey is pretty,” she began with a beaming smile as she continued nervously. ”It’s much warmer than other places on the continent. I can’t wait to see it. I haven’t left Drana Asneau much, and I don’t think that I’ve even gone further than Balmung or the Chocobo Forest…”

”I have never been to your lands, but from what I have heard, it will be something of an adjustment.” Izayoi didn’t visibly express any emotion, but at least didn’t seem disapproving. ”Osprey is beautiful in its own way, even once you head north of the plains. Or was, rather. The occupation has not been kind to the land.” An understatement, if anything. Though best not to dwell on it too long before making the girl uncomfortable.

”And what of you? I have never heard of this Cascona Landing before. What sort of settlement is it?”

That was right; Osprey was occupied. Her temporary excitement dwindled as she turned to face the path again. Dread pricked the corners of her mind. What would they find there? Neve hoped that there were healers there, or at least people who knew how to tend to the fragile and ill. Then again, she hadn’t seen enough of Valheim’s presence to deduce that for herself. She blinked at Izayoi’s next question. ”It’s a fishing village not far from Costa del Sol, a large river cuts right through the middle of it.” Her voice became slightly lighter as she thought back to the time before the forests began to whisper to her. ”My father is a popular fisherman there. He taught me how to fish too, and did the same with my siblings.”

”Oh?” Izayoi’s ears and tail perked up slightly. ”You fish? I do as well. My teacher cared little for food in my youth, and it fell to myself to supplement our diets beyond the basics. That, and my husband was always fond of whenever I caught dinner from the mountain stream.” A slight upturn of her mouth, for just a moment. As pleasant as the thought was, it was still marred by the thought of the loss of both of them. Her own negligence, as always.

It surprised her to see that Izayoi took such an interest in fishing. It surprised her even more to see that they actually had something in common. Neve didn’t expect a genuine smile to cross her lips as she spoke. ”Maybe… we could fish together one day?” she asked hesitantly. ”You can show me your technique, if you would like.”

”If the opportunity arises. I’ll not begrudge more helpers trying to catch our dinner. Trail rations grow tiresome as a meal quickly.” Izayoi simply shrugged in response to Neve. ”Though I’m afraid I have little in the way of technique to speak of. Only cobbling together what has worked since I was a child.” An understatement, if there ever was one. Before she’d worked out how to use a rod and line, a sharp stick and and good timing had sufficed in shallow waters.

”Chin up.” She practically ordered. ”Nervousness and fidgeting ill become you. There is little reason to fear speaking with those you’ll be traveling with for the foreseeable future. I doubt this will be a short campaign.”

Neve brightened up at Izayoi’s agreement, no matter how confused she was. Izayoi, fishing with her? It was hard to imagine, but at the same time it was quite nerve-wracking. She wondered what kind of fisherwoman she was… though it wouldn’t be surprising if she was the intense type that people in Cascona Landing weren’t accustomed to.

She flinched a little at her suggestion. Fear? She didn’t fear anyone in their group. They were good people. It was just that some of them were… a bit too intense for her, Izayoi being an example. Oh well, she might as well become used to it. What she said was right– they were on a journey and who knew how long that was going to take. ”Okay,” Neve bobbed her head slightly, though she avoided the mystrel’s sharp gaze. ”I’ll try to do as you say.”

”Do not do it because I demanded so, do it for your own well-being.” Izayoi huffed as Neve refused to meet her gaze, but let it go as they continued to ride on in silence.

---

Blightbeasts came out of nowhere. It wasn't difficult to predators to hide in the tall grasses, it was like hiding in an ocean. Galahad supposed they should've been lucky not to have walked on top of them before they struck. Galahad barely had time to register what was happening before he saw a blur zipping through his peripherals. Throwing up the staff of his Halberd, only sheer training and reaction time allowed Galahad to lift his weapon to block the incoming gnashing teeth of one of the blightbeasts before they tore out his neck. Armored man and beast alike tumbled off the back of Korin and into the grasses below as Galahad kicked the beast away from him. The beast was a creature of eyes and teeth, roughly primate in shape, but small and muscular. There were also a lot of them. The beast Galahad had kicked disappeared into the grasses, likely to regroup with another beast and catch him unaware.

"Form up!" Galahad barked into the grass, "Don't let them surround you!"

Galahad's attention was drawn by the snarling of a few more beasts, turning his eye in time to catch a glimpse of flashing light and a head of blonde hair between the grasses. Dashing towards the noise, Galahad leapt into the air, his eyes spotting a pair of beasts harrying the party's white mage. Focused enough on the seemingly defensive white mage, the beasts didn't notice as Galahad's armored form came crashing down on one of them, the spike of his weighty halberd driving into its neck, the weapon crackling slightly with some sort of electricity. Black ichor like blood spewed from the creature's neck, painting Galahad's blue armor and halberd with black blood. Seemingly uncaring that its companion had been struck, the other beast jumped at the dragoon even as he grabbed Neve, sharpened teeth digging into the steel and leather on his forearm.

Galahad felt the heat of blood seeping into his leathers, but ignored it, grimacing as an armored hand struck the beast on the nose repeatedly. The creature was probably trying to tear his arm off, but a third strike to the head encouraged it to release its grip and jump back, rethinking its attack strategy, disappearing into the grass. Galahad panted with the exertion, his forearm tense and armor dented, small pools of red beginning to seep into the dark leather. It'd be difficult for the party to be able to spot these beasts from ground level, it was dark, and the tall grasses provided too much cover, making it was easy for them slip back and regroup. He needed to get above them, they couldn't fight the beasts if they couldn't see them.

"Are you alright?" Galahad grunted to the white mage, wincing slightly as his injured arm took hold of his weapon once more. Without waiting for an answer, his arm grabbed the young mage and he jumped into the air again, though not quite as high. They landed on the wagon, next to the moogle driver, where he deposited the white mage. "Safer for you here. Keep an eye out for us, don't move alone."

Despite the exertion, Galahad jumped again, rocking the wagon as he leapt high into the sky, his armor reflecting the light of the dimming sun as wind rushed around him. He couldn't fly, but he could certainly get higher than anyone else in the party. His eyes scanned the grasses below as his leap began to reach its zenith. While he couldn't make out individual beasts, he could see the trails in the grasses as they bend and folded underneath the weight of the blight beasts. A bit over a dozen of them, moving in groups through the grass, forming small attack groups to ambush his party members.

"Look for the lightning!" Galahad bellowed to his party members below. His halberd crackled as he pulled a bolt of lightning from it, throwing them at the packs closest to his party members. He wasn't a crack shot, he didn't expect the lightning to hit any of the beasts directly, nor kill them if it did hit. But in the dimness of the afternoon sun, the bolts were a beacon in the dark, notifying his party of the locations of the beasts.

---

Arton had trotted up to the front of the caravan after finishing speaking with Izayoi, his curiosity sated from their exchange. His ears barely managed to catch some parts of the conversations behind him, but he didn't care to eavesdrop even if wasn't an explicitly private conversation. Everyone seemed to be getting along well enough, and that was all that concerned him. That was until the motion of setting up camp came up. Arton was an experienced outdoorsman used, spending countless nights underneath the watchful gaze of the stars. He had used a tent for awhile but it was ruined after a night-time attack from a blight-beast. After that, he typically would set up shelter either on a cliff-side or in a tree. There's no one to keep watch when you're alone so extra steps are needed to hear something approaching.

Despite the rising danger of the blight-beasts, Arton found himself more at ease in the countryside. The common folk out here were more honest, for better or worse, and were just trying to survive. There was no need to pretend and you were less likely to get stabbed in the back when shaking another's hand. His lips turned up into a smile at thought of passing through villages he had helped out. There was a few folks that could probably help them out with lodging for a night if they needed it.

Exhaustion had yet to reach him as they entered the tall grass, but the features of his face grew tense. His left hand rose to his right shoulder, squeezing the pauldron as he felt old scars begin to ache. Arton let go of his shoulder and slowly reached for the hilt of sword next, eyes scanning the area in front of him while carefully listening for movement. The moment he heard the grass tearing up he turned back to the rest, but the experienced Goug had already made the call. Blight-beasts.

"Neve!" He cried out as the beasts went directly for her and her chocobo. The swordsman had drifted farther than he intended from the caravan and was in no immediate position to protect Neve from the assault. Arton cursed under his breath at his mistake and had started to unmount when a larger one of the creatures leaped into the air, tackling him off the chocobo. The Sollan fell down a small embankment and disappeared into the tall grass. Arton fell into a patch of mud holding the creature by the neck that wasted no time trying to claw through his armor. His head twisted and turn avoiding razor-sharp teeth before he summoned his strength to roll the creature into the mud and position himself on top. One hand pressed against its neck into the mud as the other reached to a small hunting knife sheathed on his chestplate. He plunged the knife into the upper chest of the creature, just below where he was desperately holing it back. Pitch-like blood seeped from the wound and mixed with the watery mud, the gurgling growing muffled as its head sank completely.

Arton spit dirt back into the earth from whence it came as he stood up, leaving the dagger lodged in the beast. There was no time to retrieve it if he were to make it back to the rest in time. His slightly ringing ears could hear Galahad in the distance so he quickly oriented himself towards that direction. The grass was too thick and folded over to see through it. Lighting streaked across the sky as he heard Galahad's voice once more. However, he had no time to focus on the direction it came from this time. Arton's hands simultaneously took hold of his shield and sword, his feet tying to find solid ground as he glanced around him. Five lighting bolts had cracked in his immediate vicinity revealing five shadowy figures and five pairs of red eyes blocking off his routes of escape.

No fear shown in the swordsman's eyes as he stared down the beasts that closed in around him, even as his right shoulder began to burn. Five of the beasts here meant five that weren't after the caravan. Arton began to tunnel-vision on the enemy, lifting his shield close to his chest and drawing his sword back "WHAT ARE YOU WATING FOR?!?" Arton screamed into the night, taunting the creatures. Besides fighting better defensively, Arton did this to announce to his allies his position. The beasts, however, did not wish to wait and began to charge to answer his question with fang and claw.

She'd leapt off her chocobo the moment she knew there were Blightbeasts, having always been more comfortable fighting on foot than birdback. Izayoi snarled in frustration as a pair manuevered past her and aimed for Neve first, knocking the healer to the ground. Before the samurai could intercept, another two leapt for her, and Izayoi was forced to draw her blade, warding the Blightbeasts' attacks off. Both her sword and her gauntlets served on the defense, warding away fang and claw until there was space to dodge. She ducked and weaved through their frenzied strikes until an opening allowed her to knock one back with a roundhouse kick, stunning it for long enough to focus on the other. Izayoi bent low and dashed forward, moving up to flip the second Blightbeast over her shoulder in a jujutsu throw before her blade pierced its throat.

Free to focus on only a single beast, Izayoi launched a pair of slashes, carving into its chest and spilling ichor across the grass. With the immediate distraction out of the way, she chanced a look back to where Neve had been assaulted, only to find Galahad in the process of saving her, leaping back to the middle of the formation with the mage in tow. With that worry assusaged for the moment, Izayoi sheathed her sword and charged forward, preparing an iai strike.

The dragoon proved his worth again, lightning marking the oncoming rush of beasts. Arton's cry barely registered in her mind, with an aside glance showing him about to be beset by five at once. She'd have to even the odds somewhat. Izayoi dashed right past Arton, lunging into the grass with abandon now that she knew where the Blightbeasts were approaching from. The speed of her iaijutsu took the first one by surprise, allowing her to outright decapitate it. The one immediately following it took poorly to the death of its packmate, and leapt at Izayoi, forcing her to raise her blade to defend even as it pressed down on her. She hissed in irritation as the remaining three Blightbeasts dashed past her, still focused on Arton's taunt.

Fortunately, rabid animals didn't quite understand proper footwork, allowing Izayoi to hook her foot under its left leg and take it down. Her sword cut deeply into the Blightbeast's head on the way down, and it was dead the moment it hit the ground.

"Tch. Enough of this." She murmured, her demeanor distinctly less aggressive than it had been when she'd faced soldiers of Valheim. Izayoi drew her sword back with both hands, the materia embedded in her gauntlet glowing. She spun out, channeling the materia as she did so, and blades of wind rotated outward, cleaving through the grass surrounding the party and the wagon to more clearly reveal the Blightbeasts surrounding them, as well as cut into the few that were leading the large.

"The enemy is fully visible. Fight onward!" Izayoi called out to the remainder of the party before doing so herself, taking up her blade and dashing into the fray.

---

Éliane had been on guard ever since they entered the tall grass, fully aware of the ambush potential from both apex predators and other opportunistic creatures even in the daylight. In fact, she was about to further inquire about the potential threats the local fauna might pose when her question was answered for her. She had never seen a blightbeast before; they were not native to Skael or the places that she had traveled, but she immediately reacted the moment she saw the monkey-like creatures bull through the tall grass and into their midst.

Unlike some of her companions, she didn’t immediately abandon her chocobo, preferring to cling onto the higher vantage as long as she was able, but she wasn’t an expert rider, either. With only seconds to react, she drew her weapon even as a beast flew at her—it seemed the things liked the tactic of trying to knock riders off their mounts. Had she been simply wielding a sword, remaining on the chocobo might have been a liability, but a snapshot from her gunblade took the creature out from the running, even as she slashed out with the blade to divert the falling creature’s momentum elsewhere. That… only partially succeeded, and she had to wildly dodge the falling body so that she wouldn’t get knocked back by it, to her chagrin.

A ding to her panache aside, confident that the immediate threat to herself was dispatched, she quickly scanned the new battlefield. She was satisfied to see that nobody had died yet, though Neve had gotten close before Galahad had intervened. With the ambush mostly broken for the moment, she took to shoring up where help was needed. Finally leaping off her chocobo, she counter-charged the blightbeasts that had taken after Arton, falling into concert with Izayoi as she took on the two beasts that had slipped her grasp. She placed two shots into the side of one; the other quickly wised up and evaded as she tracked it, before leaping at her. Expecting this, she dodged to the side as it entered her personal space. Her blade cut through its fur before its claws could tear at her exposed throat; with a frown, she kicked it away before its blood could soil her clothes too much.

Then, Izayoi’s spell cut through the grass, revealing the remaining ambush. “Right! On it!” Briefly acknowledging the samurai, she let a small grin creep across her face at the challenge. She sprinted forward, already shooting as she engaged the remainder of the pack, using her own little wind spell to propel herself all the faster.

"Rend!" She screamed on instinct as her blade bit into one of the smaller stragglers. "Kill!" Izayoi drove it all the way through the Blightbeast's chest before savagely ripping it back out as she continued her charge, Eliane still at her side. Judging by the sound of footsteps behind them, it seemed Neve had recovered and caught up as well. Fine by her. The others were too busy with their own battles to keep the healer guarded well enough anyway.

Unfortunately, the Aero spell that followed serve to only irritate the apparent leader of the pack. And now it was making a beeline straight for them. Unfortunate. Neither herself nor Eliane were exactly sturdy enough to take such an attack head-on. Well. Most of her finishing attacks were designed to decimate such a head-on charge. But Izayoi knew for a fact that the majority of those were too much for her body to handle after years without serious practice. The only one she could reliably perform was...

___

"Listen well if you want to live, girl." Her master stared down at her with his typical unfeeling stare, the relic blade he held glinting in the desert sun. "I will show you this technique but once. If you move, you will die." The man sheathed his blade, took up his stance, and surged forward.
___

"Massacre the others. I will blunt the large one's attack." She murmured aside to Eliane before stepping forward.

Izayoi sheathed her blade, took up the same iaijutsu stance she'd known for over twenty years, and met the beast in a head-on charge.

"Shin-Zantetsuken!"

___

"It is a delicate dance." He explained after he finished performing the technique, the teenage girl's eyes wide at how close she'd come to death. "The stutter-step in the midst of the charge accelerates your first slash. This creates the vortex and fuels your spin for the second strike. Now," The man drawled lazily as he held his sword in a defensive stance, his gaze glinting with amusement.

"Show me if you can meet my expectations."
___

At the very least, she hadn't forgotten how to perform the first of the execution techniques she'd been taught. Her timing was perfect, the stutter-step on her draw accelerating her charge for that brief, crucial moment. Izayoi's blade was a blur as she performed her limit break, the first slash outright carving off the arm of the large Blightbeast as it tried to grab her out of her counter-charge. She whirled around, the sheer force and speed of her slash forming a vortex that drew the Blightbeast in even closer and took it off-balance, and then she struck once more. The second slash, empowered as it was, rent a colossal gash through its chest, sending it crashing to the dirt as blood and guts spilled from the wound.

Meanwhile, Izayoi came to a stop, panting slightly from the exertion of her technique as she tried to collect herself. The strike had still been without error, but it took more out of her than she'd expected. Hopefully, Eliane and Neve would be able to pick up her slack while she caught her breath for a slight moment.

---

Arton's eyes had briefly looked to his side as Izayoi had darted past him, barely registering in his vision before he refocused on the beasts before him. She did him the favor of taking out two of them when the rest decided they were done waiting. Two were behind him and one came from the same direction that Izayoi had struck down the first two. Arton made the decision to face the two charging his flank, trusting in her to eliminate the other one. He was about to turn his back to faced them two shots ringed in his ears. One beast fell immediately and the other dashed off leaving Arton free to move. The steady burning in his shoulder told him the battle was far from over.

He had begun to move to regroup with Eliane and Izayoi when he noticed Neve take to the field as well. Arton had no lighting bolts or blades of wind to offer...just his flesh and blood. He felt himself humbled even further when Izayoi took down the largest of the creatures with both power and grace. A living work of art. The attack seemed to take a bit of her breath away so while Eliane moved to intercept the rest. Arton pressed up and positioned himself next to her. It was presumptuous to think she would even need his protection, but it was he knew.

Arton's eyes caught sight of a blight beast that weaved and practically skimmed across the ground towards Izayoi, likely sensing the momentary lapse in her defense. Whether or not it was true, he placed himself in between them and braced for the attack. The creature crashed into his shield and using its momentum Arton hurled it over his head. In the same motion, he plunged his sword into its stomach and cut a large gash along its length before it fell back onto the ground motionless. He had barely enough time to react to the second which appeared suddenly. The edge of his shield smashed into the beast's neck just in time to avoid a fierce bite. Arton kept the beast pinned which squirmed and twisted trying to free itself. The tip of his sword plunged just below where the shield held the monster and twisted in place. These attacks were far more savage than the ones he had dealt with deeper into areas afflicted by the Blight. They were lucky.

---

Galahad breathed hard as he landed once again- the fight, while seemingly going their way, did not have an end in near sight. Izayoi had cut down a large swath of the grass before them, granting them at least an undisturbed view of their immediate surroundings, though it didn't stop the beasts from disappearing into the edges only to spring out again from other angles. Still, the rest of the party seemed to be holding their own well, Arton had regrouped with the others while Elaine and Izayoi struck out at their foes. The samurai presented an impressive- if almost imperceptible vortex of speed and razor blade, while the swordsman guarded her rear and the gunbreaker charged their foes. The beasts were still attacking even after several of them had been slain- Galahad supposed it was too much to expect blightbeasts to act like regular pack predators. A pack of wolves would've long dispersed by now, but these unearthly beasts seemed to have no such fear. It looks like they would have to strike down the beasts until there were no more.

Springing forward, Galahad ignored the screams of his muscles as he forced himself to jump further into the fray, joining the gunbreaker as she took the attack to the blightbeasts. Her shots harried them as a small group charged at her, Galahad countering their charge with one of his own. His halberd held in front of him like a lancer, Galahad dove headlong into the nearest beast, the weight of both the weapon and Galahad's armored form crashing into beast like a charge from heavy cavalry. With a flourish of his halberd, he threw the body off of the tip of his weapon before he swung it forward and a wide, low arc. One of the beasts dodged back in time, but another had its legs taken out from under it as the hefty blade cut across.

The length of Galahad's weapon meant it was easier to keep the enemy at bay. The beasts were single minded in their desire to kill them, but they were not so foolish and single minded as to throw themselves onto the bloody point of Galahad's halberd, unfortunately. That also meant, he could create space for himself and the gunbreaker to engage the beasts on their own terms.

"There's no end to them." Galahad cursed as he glanced over at the gunbreaker, ready to follow her back into the fray.

---

With the entire party now truly in the thick of battle, Éliane was in her element as she slashed aside another blightbeast, casting the creature aside in a rip of red as she continued to advance alongside her counterpart from Osprey. Unlike Izayoi, she was quieter warrior in the heat of battle, saving her breath in the favor of ruthless efficiency as they savaged the pack of beasts. The ambush had been long broken, and now it was time to show these little beasts just how mistaken they had been for their transgressions.

Éliane noticed the pack leader at about the same time as Izayoi had. The Skaelan was tempted to take that challenge on herself, but she knew that she wasn’t equipped to meet that sort of attack without some heavy maneuvering. Before the other girl began to speak, she could tell from her body language that she had a plan.

“Okay,” she responded with a nearly casual tone, trusting her to her job. “I’ll take care of the rest.”

Her muscles tensed as she her attentions turned to the remainder of the pack. Her bullets were freshly chambered into her gunblade, and with a grin, she struck out as she met the rest of the creatures with a flurried attack. Rather than shooting from afar, where the jumpy creatures were more likely to successfully dodge, she quickly closed the distance in a blitz, shooting at one point blank and hacking at another. Pressing forward, she continued to advance, not giving the beasts the chance to recover and regain their momentum and disrupt Izayoi’s attack and recovery.

With the number of blightbeasts around her, she made sure to count her shots to not be caught off-guard. As she continued her small crusade against the pack, she became aware of Arton and Galahad’s presence in addition to Neve, appreciating their support now that she had it. She was confident of her position, but with the pack continuing to swarm, the extra help was appreciated. The sheer weight of numbers meant that some of them had finally been able to properly respond to her frenzied charge; only Galahad’s timely counter-charge had prevented her from being put into an awkward position. She gave him a nod. “They have no sense of self-preservation. Not that it matters.” At the very least, they’d make this path safer for future travelers.

With another step, she rang out another shot at an approaching blightbeast, before she reentered the fray.

Neve felt as if her feet had been frozen to the floor forever. Eyes wide, she watched as the beasts rushed closer and closer. How were they to deal with them? There was no way they would meet the Blightbeasts’ charge with the same type of vigor. Biting the inside of her mouth, she fully faced them with the intent of forging a shield around them. That was, until Izayoi tore towards the creatures with all of the ferocity of a tempest. Neve stared in awe as blood and intestines gushed into the air and the two halves of the beast slumped to the ground. The other Blightbeasts released a high-pitched cry, and the small cluster of them swiveled on their heels, pelted for the grassline, and disappeared into the fronds.

So they do feel fear. Good. Neve let out a sigh of relief.

The rest of the horde still lingered. Arton and Galahad clustered close as well, which brought her comfort in the face of the ruby-eyed creatures. Gritting her teeth, Neve raised her staff once again. Exhaustion brimmed in her in the form of a heavy fog that weighed her down, though the wild thumping in her chest gave her the strength to stay standing. Her staff glowed a warm golden hue, the light poured out and sworled around the figures of her teammates before the aura evaporated into the dusk. They would be able to drive back the remnants of the beasts with her haste-- all they had to do was give one last, final push.

She couldn't afford a longer respite from the fighting. Despite the fact that she was still fatigued from her limit break, Izayoi forced herself back up to her feet as Arton defended her and prepared to rejoin the battle. The familiar sensation of time magic washed over the samurai, and she simply nodded to herself as she recognized the haste spell. Magics from a genuine mage almost always exceeded those cast from materia, and the difference in haste from Neve's cast and Izayoi's own usage of time magic in the past was noticable.

Izayoi drew in one last deep breath, took up a high stance, and charged. Empowered by a mage's haste, Izayoi approached the speed she was capable of in her prime, and practically disappeared from vision as she dashed forward with a war cry on her lips. Heads and limbs practically flew off of the first grouping of Blightbeasts Izayoi lunged at, ichor practically raining down from the amputations. Despite that, she still tsked to herself in irritation as she stepped out of the way of the ichor shower, searching for more engagements. While better than when she'd first picked up the sword again, her strikes still lacked the precision and strength she'd spent two decades developing. Galling for someone that was once the pride of the nation and the Emperor's chosen warrior. While there was nothing to be done for it other than to slowly recover that might and experience, a large part of Izayoi still felt shame over how far she had fallen out of guilt and failure.

Forcing the thought aside for the moment, Izayoi drew herself back up as the battle was just about winding down, the combined efforts of the party having finally driven off the last of the Blightbeasts. A flick of her blade flung the ichor off of it, and Izayoi sheathed her sword as she regrouped with the others, still catching her breath.

"It appears that we are victorious." She nodded briefly to Arton. "My thanks for your assistance. Now, is everyone still accounted for here?" An aside glance to Galahad, waiting for any further order from him for the moment.

---

Bolstered by Neve's magic, the few gaps in Arton's defence disappeared as sword and shield moved like natural extensions of his body. His shield slamming against one of the monsters was enough to fracture a few bones and disorient them long enough for his blade to finish them. The swordsman favored drawing the enemy in close and overwhelming them with firm defense and raw strength. It was thanks to the artifacts he inherited that he had no trouble trading blows and coming out on top. Arton looked around the battlefield as the fighting appeared to die down and the remaining threats were either fleeing or being dispatched by the rest of the party.

Arton lowered his stances and took a few deep breaths"Anytime." He responded to Izayoi. He took the moment to glance over himself for any wounds that adrenaline might have hidden from him. His clothes were mildly damaged and drenched in the beast's blood but far as he could tell it was the typical assortment of scratches and bruises. The ache in his shoulder was dying down as well which put him more at ease. It was a uncomfortable warning system to put it mildly, not that it was always reliable to begin with.

"No one appears to be missing..." His head swiveled around the field in case anyone was injured and were laying on the ground "Where is Goug?" Arton asked to anyone who might be able to answer, nearly forgetting their caravan driver. With the daylight quickly fading, they would need to find a place to camp soon or they could be facing something worse in the dark.

---

As much as Éliane enjoyed the thrill of battle and the enjoyment of the hunt, the way the blightbeasts continued to come almost gave her pause. Almost. As dumb as the creatures were, she was sure that most social animals would have cut their losses long before it had gotten to this point. As much as the creatures continued to put up a fight, it was clear that the tide had long turned against them, and they were being slaughtered. Even now, Éliane continued to cut and blast her way through the formerly murderous creatures.

Finally, though, they broke. If they were men, they would have quit field long before this point. As is, she was sure that whatever social structure this pack had, it was as good as dead; the beasts had misjudged their mark terribly, and they would pay for it. Well, that really wasn’t her problem, was it?

“About time,” she exhaled, slightly winded herself. “But there’s nothing like being kept on your toes every so often.” Satisfied with the outcome, she checked over herself and her fellow companions for their condition. She frowned as she searched for their chocobos, which had been scattered during the battle. It would be very inconvenient if they lost any. She noted Arton’s concerns, adding Goug to the list of missing elements to their party.

Groaning, she spoke up. “I’ll go look for him. We need to round up the birds anyway.” At that, she began to double back towards where the ambush had started to search, her weapon still out in the event of needing to dispatch any straggling blightbeasts that got in her way.