---

Knowing well Amaris could do little to help on that negotiation, she simply focused on gathering as much information as she could about their surroundings and the movements of the other soldiers. In case the negotiations failed, violence would be the only outcome and she wanted to be ready for that possibility.

If one observed the camp thoroughly, it seemed to be populated by no less than 60 soldiers, judging from the amount of tents. Its wooden fortification was two and a half meters high, made of logs with pointed ends, and no wall-walk at all. The sentries in the tower had focused all of their attention on the parleying party, but no weapons were raised yet.

Curiously, nearly half of the soldiers stationed there did not look as combat-ready as the rest of their peers. They were poorly armed, seemed physically less sturdy, and some could be seen doing menial tasks like unloading the rotten grains and cleaning swords and boots, all while the better-equipped soldiers busied themselves with dinner or recreational activity. Though some of the common grunts could be seen observing the party from the distance, they could only go as far as the three bloodied logs at the center of the garrison, where the poor ealdorman was shackled, waiting for his cruel executioner.

And when the lashing began, the number of spectators multiplied. Apparently, the news about the subtraction of their provision was a bigger issue than a bunch of nobles causing troubles in their governed land.

So, if one worried that the negotiation would turn sour, safe to say that it would take a while for the red stripes to completely swarm them. However, the sentries in the towers might need some sophisticated work to take out, and regarding the commander, none of us knew what he was capable of yet.

Mirielle said nothing even as Carmen addressed the first grunt, and still no word escaped her at the snide comments. She did, however, glowered the entire time. They may dress up as soldiers, but the lack of professionalism revealed their true nature as well-equipped brigands. If an annoyingly perceptive one.

"Easy now, dont bite him." She reminded, completely serious as they strolled past the wooden gate. She saw the camp for what it was, a place that could probably be called fortified if one had never seen actual fortifications before. Only two watchtowers to begin with, not even enough to properly cover all directions. Lack of platforms for the defenders to get atop the walls, the construct will hinder them more than any dedicated assault force and turning it into a deathtrap for themselves. Not to mention how sloppy the men were, half of them didnt even keep up the soldiery appearance. It all worked in her favor for once, but her judgment over their potential enemies had reached rock bottom.

Or at least it was rock bottom, but then the redstripes started to dig themselves deeper.

The earldoman, who looked just as destitute as the peasant hunter from earlier, was allegedly punished for sabotage. Now Mirielle wasn't unfamiliar with the concept, but the way it's carried... unilateral decision with zero investigation. On top of that she had strong suspicion that the deal was closer to a racketeering scheme rather than anything.

Her hand clenched around the shaft of the spear resting on her shoulder, outrage barely held in. Carmen and the noblewoman will be the spokeperson here, not her. But this oppression will be addressed sooner or later.

"If the worst is to come, get behind me." Mirielle casually whispered at the penitent, inching around as if she's interested in the lashing to get between the (perceived) least durable member of their little quartet and the marksmen.

---

The plan was set, and the sun was down. As Carmen and his small group of distinguished women back tracked down the trail, Osric patted Lynx on the shoulder before moving himself closer to the treeline. He raised his rifle up, shouldering the stock, his gaze focused down the sights. He kept still, his eyes focusing first on the guards that stopped Carmen, and then slowly to the others. He remained as still as he could. His ears listening to the conversation between the two parties and his eyes watching the reactions of the red stripped men.

It was quick, but Osric kept his hands steady and his reaction in check. The moment the enemy muskets rose, Osric has his own rifle trained on the one with what he could perceive as the cleanest shot against his comrades. His finger rested just over the trigger waiting for the moment the sparks flew. Luckily it never came down to that. Carmen was granted entry. With the horses tied outside, and the gate closing slowly behind them, Osric lost sight of Carmen and his entourage.

“Now you’re on your own. I’ll do my best out here.” said Osric quietly to himself. He lowered his gun, letting his posture relax. But he wasn’t ready to stop his overwatch all together. He turned to the others, “I’m going to move into a better position. Rezello, I trust you and Amanita to keep anyone from approaching. If I have to fire, the noise will alert them. Lynx be prepared to detonate those bombs. If they walked into a trap, they could use the distraction.”

Osric nodded to the others and then moved deeper into the treeline. He found a position among the trees that gave him a clear enough ling of sight to the gate and its sentries, while also being close to quick cover to avoid any return of fire. He wasn’t near the compass enough to hear anything else that was going on, instead would rely on any commotion coming from the fort itself to judge whether he needed to intervene on the outside.

"Let us not forget, Commander, that when Westernant opened its border to accept refugees of your Civil War despite our status as enemies, Tretagor repaid that gesture by sending in spies along with the refugees. But, just as I am sure you are about to say that you had nothing to do with that, so do we have little to do with that debacle. So why not we put the past behind us? As for our intent, I would like to point out that we did attempt to de-escalate, only for your men to shoot at us. But even disregarding that, we do not cause any further harm than necessary, one of our own even helped heal their wounds. We could also continue to avoid law enforcement, but here we are to clear the misunderstanding. I'd like to think that proves we are coming in good faith. That said, it was undeniable that our side started the conflict, it was a rash decision by some among our numbers. For that, we do apologize."

"Bless the great Czarnia!" scoffed the commander. "Westernant sent out someone so naive I almost believe this entire farce! Lady, in war, all is fair among the combatants. And both nations employed some of those lousy tactics for information. Still, the entire enterprise of shooting civilians must not be justified, nor your role in intervening in the proceedings of the local law and trespassing or domain."

It was Carmen next who responded, for whatever mental burden the Redstripes Commander had caused by reminding him of that last accident, the Inquisitor was trained to temporally set aside guilt to focus on the task at hand.

And for Carmen, being a noble himself granted him an additional advantage in diplomacy.

"And we are here to amend that, Commander Melnik. I think that should be clear enough at this moment. And I too humbly apologize for the misgivings we caused earlier." pausing to eye at Carnathia, he added. "Though I shall not address the accident you mentioned, for We are not the actors of that past accident, and we are here to discuss matters of the present time."

The commander rubbed his chin and laughed and boomed at the same time at one of the conscripts. "Hey, you! Drag some chairs and table for our guest!"

A long table, a bench, and four chairs were dragged away from the neighboring tent that seemed to be the place where the commander kept his belongings. He was the first to sit at the bench, placed too conveniently at the south side of the table, facing Carmen and the other, who sat in the opposite direction.

"Sit down, will ya! Can't say I hate our little banter so far, so yeah... time for us to be the bigger men and show you some amount of proper hospitality!"
Seeing the reluctance, he winked at Mirielle. "Please, don't be so tense. Come in peace, aren't you? At least none of us here is having their hands on the pommel of our weapon. Yet. Or... handle, or whatever."
Letting the particular guest choose for herself, The Commander returned to Carmen again, who at least appreciated the hospitality by taking a seat for himself. "Say, Captain Carmen Andario Friston. Are you allowed liquor in your new... guild?"

"It is allowed."

Melnik clapped his hand again.

"Beer then!" He called. "And ladies, don't be too shy!"

When the beer arrived it was frothy but a bit tasteless. "There used to be a decent distillery around these parts, but the owner was on cahoots with those damn rebels... well before we split anyway. So we hanged the owner and burned the place to the ground. A terrible mistake. Really! But Order is much more important than a stiff drink, don't you agree?"

Carmen nodded, while Melnik took a deep gulp from his tankard.

"Well, not here for a small talk I see. Alright! Alright! I will start then. I know you are from Westernant, you bunch crossed the border some fifteen days ago. There were nine of you, but somehow I only see four tonight. Can't blame your friends if they find a military installation an unsettling place to visit. Just ask Leroy there," turning to one of the conscripts, he barked. "Roy! Do you like working here?"

The young man, battered and rattled, answered reluctantly without even looking at Melnik. "Of course sir. I like it here!"

"Course you are! Cheeky bastard, I will give you five less lashes when you mess up!"

Now returning to Carmen and Carnathia, he continued. "Back to our little talk. Where were we?! Ah, on why you are here. And that would be to find your most beloved Paladin Thomas, correct?"

Carmen, again only responded by nodding, seemingly saving his energy to deal with more hammy exposition from this commander.

"Ah, bingo! Now, before I let you ask me to divulge what I know about your itinerant cleric. Allow me to ask you one thing; did you get anything useful from that charlatan? I hope you did, really, considering the price..."
At that shallow jab, Carman did not bother to utter any word of defense. He seized the opportunity to be on point, and remembering it almost made him lose his calm. "Plenty, we found corpses of our brother in sisters in faith, tied in a log, burned to death, and left to rot in the wilderness. The site is just six leagues southeast of your garrison."

Melnik bared his teeth in a smile. "Ah, so we are your prime suspect then?"

Carmen gulped his tankard and adjusted his hat upon realizing that his emotion was showing. "No, but since it is within proximity to your garrison, I reckon the commander should at least know something about it."

"Maybe, or maybe not..." Melnik shrugged, but then it seemed he finally toned his faked joviality a bit. "Tell me, Captain, what is your mission, really? To find Paladin Thomas or investigate the death of your 'brother and sister in faith'?"

"We believe knowing anything about the death of our brethren could lead us closer to Paladin Thomas."

"Fair enough," murmured the Commander. "All I know is it was the work of the rebels. But they are not here anymore. We drove them out of this region and pushed them to the mountains three months ago. But it seemed some of the charlatans from their ranks still wander about in our territory like damn rats. Can't have my men patrolling every corner of this region, you understand? We have a lot of firepower but not enough hands to use it."

Come to think of it, the number of soldiers equipped with firearms in this God-Forsaken land was indeed unusually high, but Carmen decided to put that aside for now.

"You say it was the work of the rebels. Do you have any evidence that supports that?"

"Aha!" Melnik smacked the table and smiled jovially. "That's why I love this talk! You just don't give up, do you? Listen, Captain, if I am going to answer your question, then it is only fair if you answer mine too. For example, why don't we start with a little background? Who sent you? Who do you report to? Assuming you have no problem answering that... of course."

Carmen sighed. He knew from the start this Melnik would be a pain in the neck, but his back-and-forth has eroded a fair bit of his patience.

"We departed from Helvetia. It was the Order of the Sun, Melnik. The Order sent us because they care about our brethren." as the Captain's zealousness began to show, the more it seemed that Melnik was making a mental note. But why should he care? Carmen thought. All he was going to say was the truth and the truth only. "Now, do you have that evidence or not?"

Smiling, Melnik rested his elbow on the table and massaged his palm. "To be honest with you, Captain. My words are the only evidence you can get. Whether you believe it or not it depends on you, we trade words with words, and the way I see it the quality of my words is no less invaluable than yours. It's my turn then? That's a long way from Helvetia to Sielse, was your journey sponsored by any nations? I remember you looked pretty offended when I recalled the accident 7 years ago. And why enlist a Westernant noblewoman in this... rescue mission, if you don't mind me asking?"

Melnik glanced alternately between Carmen and Carnathia before raising his mug again, this time, sipping it slowly.

---

"Bless the great Czarnia!" scoffed the commander. "Westernant sent out someone so naive I almost believe this entire farce! Lady, in war, all is fair among the combatants. And both nations employed some of those lousy tactics for information. Still, the entire enterprise of shooting civilians must not be justified, nor your role in intervening in the proceedings of the local law and trespassing or domain."

"If all is fair among combatants meant disguising spies as refugees, you have no grounds to lodge a complaint for Westernant shooting down possible saboteurs. Therefore, for the sake of a productive discussion, let us agree that both Westernant and Tretagor did what we had to do during the war, and let the past be the past. Otherwise, I suspect we will each bring up a litany of our umbrage against each other with no end in sight."

As Carmen then took over the negotiation, Carnatia followed his lead, cautiously accepting the hospitality offered. Watching the callous way the man treated one of his conscripts, as everything else it seemed like in this land, reinforced her belief that it was indeed a failed state if these were the sort of men in charge, publicly breaking decorum and flaunting a despotic rule.

Still, Carnatia was a noblewoman, one who was born to one of the foremost houses in Westernant, even. Keeping her face neutral during diplomatic negotiation was a skill she had cultivated since she could remember, and so, not betraying her thoughts, she replied to the commander's question with a polite smile,

"Well, it would be a lie were I to say that Westernant was not one of the stakeholders. However, it wasn't quite as a sponsor. Westernant merely agreed with the proposition of the order to send a team to ascertain Paladin Thomas' whereabouts. Considering that we count many of the Church's faithful among our citizens, you can imagine why Westernant had a stake in the whereabouts of one of the faith's great exemplars. I happened to work as an Adventurer for a while and was successful in an expedition to the Land of Twilight a couple of years ago. Westernant's government thought that the order could use my help and thus sponsored me. Hence, my presence here. Now then, if you would allow me some questions of my own? We overheard some of your men mentioning 'rebels' and 'a witch', may we know exactly who these people are and how much of an issue they pose in Sielse?"

Carnatia chose her words carefully, specifically emphasizing how she puts the rebels and the witch as an 'issue' for Sielse. While her personal feelings for all of the factions so far were neutral, in negotiation, it was always good to at least present the facade of being sympathetic to the other party, hence her designation of the rebels and the witch as an 'issue', hopefully placing herself and her group as a 'possible ally against a shared issue' for the commander.

The commander made an upset expression upon realizing his mug was empty but did not ask his henchmen for a refill. In the end, he just shoved his mug aside and leaned forward.

"Interesting, so you are really sponsored by the Westernant government, our old friends." he grinned. "Well, then. To your question. The rebels! Ah, those pesky traitors. We had a pretty good run for the past 20 years. After Feredin kicked the bucket, the top Commissars in Vesnaggrad thought it would be a great idea to involve the locals, make them join the cause, to give them purpose... ideas that liberation is something you have to fight for. I'd say it worked, and it worked too well even. We squashed the loyalists like cockroaches, and we maintained that status quo for nearly decades. But all good things must come to an end. Yesterday's recruits are tomorrow's enemies, infighting led to a full-blown civil war, and they are the traitors of the cause. Sorry, but I cannot say anything more. Military secret you see."

"About the witch." Melnik paused and clicked his tongue in mild disgust. "Turns out the crone has been here before the revolution in the capital took place. One of the old relics from Feredrin's tyrannical regime who was smart enough to foresee the sinking of the old empire. Why you want to know about the harbinger of plague and chaos is beyond me, but the deal is the deal. I've been here for 15 years at least and the story about her crimes has only been prominent enough to earn our attention since five years ago. Kidnappings, experiments, and Hexings... just to name a few. What we know today is that her hut is deep inside the rebel's territory, and sadly we don't have enough manpower to deal with that cursed woman."

The commander returned to Carmen again.

"Anyway, aren't we a bit sidetracked now? I thought your mission was to find this Paladin."

"Yes, but every bit of information could help us greatly," answered Carmen.

There was a brief pause as if The commander was trying either to refresh his memory or memorize this entire conversation. Not long after, he looked at Carmen in the eyes. There was no smile, or joviality this time.

"Captain Friston. I have seen this Paladin of yours and I know what he looked like. What I am going to tell you might be something you don't want to hear, but it is definitely news you seek."

Melnik gestured for his quartermaster to fetch him something from his tent, meanwhile, Carmen's previously deadpanned expression now turned stern.

"What are you talking about?" Carmen hesitated, with brows already furrowed.

"I am talking about this. I am sure you are familiar with it."

The quartermaster returned with a wide object covered in white clothes that once its covering was removed revealed a heather shield plated with gold and adorned with the ornament of the golden sun. It had bloodstains on its handle, and the surface seemed to be scarred by dents from musket balls, sword bites, and spear thrusts. Melnik placed the shield on the table for everyone to see, and it was the moment when Carmen felt his blood freeze and his own tongue had sunk and blocked his throat.

"Captain Friston. I am sorry to be the bearer of this ill news, I know it must be hard for you, but I have to say it to honor our agreement. Paladin Thomas is already dead."

@Randomguy

Melnik seemed to be whispering something to his quartermaster, who after retrieving the shield, then left the premises with brisk paces. Soon after Amaris broke the silence between them.

"We are very grateful for the valuable information you have provided us, commander. I am sure you are aware that the death of a paladin, especially one that came to offer help and relief is a very grave matter. If you don't mind, we would like to know how exactly you came to possess such shield and how are you sure Paladin Thomas is already dead. Any information would be of great help. Where did you find it, in which state it was... Anything."

"It is a military secret," Melnik said again his trademark refusal, at least this time uttered without a smile or manipulative body language.

"Melnik," interjected Carmen, glaring at the Commander forebodingly. "Where did you find this? Tell me, and don't hide behind your military code."

"Captain Friston, I understand your grief and there are no words worthy enough to ease your pain."

"Just tell me, damn it!"

"Now everyone calm down." Melnik raised his both hands and shook his head. "See? Not so wrong, am I? What would you do If I tell you, I wonder? Seeking retribution? Find those who are responsible no matter the cost? Ain't that just pushing it?"

"I don't care!" Carmen blustered as anger and frustration rose inside him. He had prepared himself to hear the news, but unbeknownst to him it was this... much, and it turned out he wasn't ready.

Who would?

"I don't believe you. Not until I see his remains myself!"

"Then after you see his remains you will leave back to Westernant, in peace?" Melnik laughed, behind him, eight soldiers approached the premises with their weapons ready.

And Melnik stood up, shaking his head gloomily. "I am sorry Captain. But this is the reason why I can't let you go. I hereby declare you and your friends persons of interest! You may not leave my garrison until the Governor Lieutenant decides what to do with you. Hopefully, he will deport you back to Westernant."

Carmen's eyes widened when the soldiers started to surround them, and he got up from his chair. "This is an outrage! You have no right to detain us!"

"I do have!" Melnik badgered. "Listen, Captain. You've got what you are looking for; the fate of that Paladin. And I have retrieved you the memento to prove my words. But since you are thick-headed and know nothing better, you and your friends are a threat to our operation. I have to lock you up! Not only it is proper to conduct according to the military codex, but it is also the wisest option considering your ties with Westernant. Please do not resist!"

Carmen unsheathed his sword and pointed it across the table. "We will not be held captive!"

"Look around you, Captain Friston. I want you to consider your position carefully. Comply and you will be treated humanely. Resist and you and your brethren die!"

---

Carnatia thought over the new information provided by the Commander. While the fact that Paladin Thomas seemingly had died was regrettable—though she imaged that Westernant's government would be happy to have an indictment of Sielse's instability and the incompetence of its government to secure the region—it was still within the scope of their mission.

There were also a couple of interesting tidbits that the Commander had dropped.

First, she was right in thinking that there was a new third faction besides the Loyalists and the Revolutionaries, rather she was also right that the Loyalists had been defeated and instead a new faction made up of rebels from the Revolutionaries had risen, which indicated that the information they had of Tretagor was outdated.

Second, the fact that the 'Witch' was known to do experiments suggested that she was the one who was responsible for the Paladin's death, considering the vision we saw from the lantern.

As tension started to rise between Carmen and the Commander, Carnatia spoke up, "May I speak?".

Turning to the Commander, she continued, "You are quite right, Commander that we do wish to see the body to confirm Paladin Thomas' death, if you have it. Contrary to what you may believe, our mission directive here is not to deliver retribution but merely to bring Paladin Thomas and his entourage back, or if he is dead, to bring back a report of what exactly happened. That is all. Once we have confirmed his death and the situation surrounding his death, we will, of course, return to Westernant. From our own investigation, added together with what you said about the witch having a history of doing experiments, we have grounds to believe that she is the one responsible. If you can assist us by giving us any evidence that confirms or denies our suspicion and have us confirm Paladin Thomas' death, that would be ideal. We can finish what we came here for, and we will happily return to Westernant," turning to Carmen, she then added, "Isn't that right, Captain Friston?"

---

Mirielle loathe the idea of taking a seat on the same table as the local tyrant, but she's left with little choice with Carmen taking the lead. At least she could still refuse to partake in the tainted bounties offered by her host, undoubtedly procured with illicit means.

She let Carmen do the speaking, inwardly reciting scriptures after scriptures to keep herself in control lest she flipped out and run through the brigand then and there. Words barely get through to her in this state, likely for the best considering how much the outpost commander tested her nerve just by existing.

This lasted until a decorated shield was presented before them, ornately functional in similar vein to her own spear. The Order's color adorning it and the traces of battle use made it a highly likely armament of the illustrious paladin. It did not bode well that it was separated from the owner in some manner, but that didn't necessarily mean Sir Thomas was dead.

All in all, Mirielle found herself in an odd state of detached calm. A rare reversal compared to Carmen's current outrage. Even when it rapidly escalated into impending violence, she only shrugged as she stood from her seat.

Was it because it's well within her expectation for a fight to start, one way or another? Or perhaps she's glad to return to familiar ground. At the end of the day, the once-inquisitor preferred direct action to words.

"I see where that - what's his name, Yakult? - got his blind confidence. Did they forgot to pass the message? The Order of the Golden Sun does not recognize your authority over this land." Stepping to the side to interpose herself between the watchtower and Amaris, Mirielle took a deep breath as divine power roiled in great waves within her veins. "We are not trapped in here with you, blackguard. You are trapped in here with us."

With a flex of her willpower the divine energy flared, forming the glowing suit of golden light over her being. Protection aside, with her party members focusing on the commander, they'll be mostly spared the debilitating effect of staring at a sudden bright glow in the middle of the night. Hopefully enough to debilitate the marksmen long enough for someone to take them out. With a flourish her spear lashed out, going from resting to threateningly pointing at the approaching soldiers.

It had been a while since she wielded the spear against an actual adversary. It's almost... nostalgic.

There was no room to talk anymore, the commander had made up his mind, and so did Carmen.

The fight was on. Melnik lunged into action and rushed forth like a raging bull, breaking the table with his bare hands in a single smash and throwing a powerful punch toward Carmen.

The shield endured albeit with a protesting twang, but the recoil was immense the Captain felt his bones were twisting from the inside. It was like the Commander's fist was a sledgehammer.

"You are not walking out of here. None of you can! Until I say so! You've made your choice, Captain, a regrettable one! Men! Slay them all!" he taunted.

The hornet nest had been stirred awake. The soldiers on the west side of the camp started to arm themselves. The sentries were fully alerted and their Muskets had already been aimed at Mireille, who maneuvered toward the nearby watchtower and called upon the light of faith. Two soldiers who followed her were stunned, shielding their faces with their hands. One soldier on top of the nearby tower staggered and fell from the nest, while the other one hid like a literal bird.

Meanwhile, Carmen took a step back, taking advantage of the small windows in Melnik's onslaught by gaining more distance. The commander retreated, typical of him to let his men have a taste of their adversary first. The first soldier had his faceplate caved in when enraged Carmen bashed the side of his Mentor's shield into his face, knocking him down instantly. After that, his blade would clash with another soldier's longsword, who had a very poor stance Carmen could easily slip his sabre through his defense and slash his torso open.

Six more remained. Two were at Carnathia, attempting to strike her from a blind spot with their swords. Meanwhile, the two were attacking Amaris using the same strategy.

While Mirielle had 2 soldiers stunned, one fell and another in hiding, the soldiers from the west tower were still aiming for the party. If Mirielle was too bright to shoot, then they would only need to shift the muzzle of their rifled muskets toward the kingpin of the enemy's party.

---

Linceleste decided to detonate the planted bombs as the situation went to south. The bombs went to active and created a devastating explosion that may breached both sides of the northern walls. If the wall is torn down, she will try to blindly steer the drone toward the center of the garrison, relying on pure instinct.

"I'm going in. Please someone ride with me, I will make a passage way out for our comrades inside!" Linceleste spoke for the remaining party. Mounted herself on her horse.

---

Seeing the chaos that unfolded, Carnatia sharpened her mind, making sure her divination magic-derived defensive precognition was active, ready to respond to any attack.

Seeing flashes of images depicting two of the soldiers attacking her from her blind spot, Carnatia attempted to sidestep out of the way at the last minute, hoping to use the momentum of them suddenly missing their target to unbalance them. At the same time, she focused her mind on seeking their vital spot, looking to kill the two with a riposte.

Now that it had come to this, there was no longer any need to hold back. She doubted they would be open for cooperation after this.

---

Osric waited, occasionally glancing to his left, seeing if his allies were still in their position or, if like him, decided to move somewhere more advantagous. He couldn’t see most of them, but it appeared Amanita and Lynx remained in place at least. It made sense for the young merchant girl. It looked like her drone would be adequate enough at range. A useful tool to be sure. The guards lingering about the gates returned to their usual banter, their words partially drowned out from distance. Though he was ready to take up arms, he remained relaxed. He saw no point in tensing up before anything even happened.

It didn’t take long. Carmen and his entourage were not immediately detained or at least executed. At least Osric surmised as much given the lack of commotion. Perhaps these military folk were a bit more reasonable despite the disrespect shown to the ealdorman. But the time to imagining the talks being held inside was soon halted. He saw the men on the towers quickly lift their weapons aiming somewhere down the east side of the fort.

Osric quickly raised his rifle, positioning it quickly to the east tower. Before he pulled the trigger, he noticed the men there ducking down, covering their eyes. Something must have either caught them off guard or blinded them. Either way, the men on the west tower didn’t seem as affected, so Osric quickly shifted focus. He took a shot at the first red striped man he saw. Letting out his breath, he cranked the lever of his rifle. The barrel spun and locked into place, the weapon primed to fire so soon after the other. He adjusted his aim to the second person, or the first, depending on how they reacted to being shot at from behind.

In his peripheral vision, he took note of the men on the outside of the fort walls. Muskets were not quiet weapons, and no doubt gun fire coming from the outside would alert them. Until they get close, Osric decided to stay where he was, only opting to move after his second shot. He trusted Rezello and Lynx enough to hold some if not all of their attention should they storm the treeline. But then distant explosions. Maybe Osric wouldn’t need to worry. Fire erupting from inside the fort might leave them scrambled and confused long enough to Osric to cull their numbers enough to force a retreat.

[quote=@Soldat Elf]
Linceleste decided to detonate the planted bombs as the situation went to south. The bombs went to active and created a devastating explosion that may breached both sides of the northern walls. If the wall is torn down, she will try to blindly steer the drone toward the center of the garrison, relying on pure instinct.[/b][/i]

[/quote]

A fiery explosion erupted at the north of the camp, blasting the wooden structure and everything that held them together. The blast attracted the soldiers' attention, who were ready to swarm Carmen and the other, but now halted to prepare for an incoming invasion.

"The rebels! The rebels are attacking! To arms to arms!" Cried some of the soldiers who scrambled for their weapons and equipment. But no swarm of the enemies were coming. Instead, another explosion blasted the northwest wall, adding to the fire that had started to spread, it ignited the trees in the northwest and was already gnawing the tents in the northeast.

Meanwhile, the only invader would be Lynx's semi-transparent drone, which had stumbled its way through the fiery remains of torn-down fortifications and currently stood unmoving right in the middle of the garrison.

It still had one bomb remaining, and it waited.

______

Seeing the chaos that unfolded, Carnatia sharpened her mind, making sure her divination magic-derived defensive precognition was active, ready to respond to any attack.

Seeing flashes of images depicting two of the soldiers attacking her from her blind spot, Carnatia attempted to sidestep out of the way at the last minute, hoping to use the momentum of them suddenly missing their target to unbalance them. At the same time, she focused her mind on seeking their vital spot, looking to kill the two with a riposte.

Now that it had come to this, there was no longer any need to hold back. She doubted they would be open for cooperation after this

Carnathia stepped aside and turned toward her opponent as they lurched forward. A strike parried, and she thrusted her sword at the first soldier's collarbone, killing him instantly. The second soldier came in, and again she dodged him flawlessly, although the angle for the counterattack was not as perfect as the previous, the blade still bit deep into the second soldier's back, and he fell, face grazing the grass.

With the soldiers already closing in on her, Amaris gave them no time, waving her hand as she spun around making a chain of thorns materialize and spin around herself, forcing whichever enemies might be around to give a step back or be struck by the chain, rapidly spinning around her.

While she could make the chain spin in a wider arc, being amidst enemy soldiers might be the only thing avoiding the enemy musketeers to begin shooting at them in the very moment Mirielle's light faded down and they recovered themselves. As such, Amaris intended to use the other soldiers as cover for musket fire while dealing with them. The smaller, more contained attack perfect for that situation. Enough to hit those too close to her or forcing them to focus on dodging her quick attack instead of attacking her, still keep them close enough from her so that the musketeers might have some trouble hitting her and also not forcing her own allies to have to dodge her own attacks.

"It's been some time since I was allowed to go all out like this! How fun~!" she said with an amused smirk and a blood-chilling chuckle as she spun around together with her chain.

A thorny chain danced and whirled. A small circle now, but wide enough to warn the incoming soldier of the danger she exhibits. One soldier decided to be a fool and charged forth, flaunting its sword only for it to be caught by the whirling tempest and be flung widely toward Melnik's tent, creating a tear on the canvas. The unfortunate Soldier tried to retreat, but the chain started to tear his skin and muscles, blood started to conjoin with the whirling air and finally, his leg gave in, and he dropped himself to the ground.

"I yield!" he cried.

The other soldiers retreated toward the grain wagon, likely planning to join his friends, who weren't distracted by the explosion earlier. "Protect the captain! Here they are! They were with the rebels. Witch! Th-They ha--"

Amids the chaos, one unlucky soldier stumbled upon Lynx's semi-transparent drone. It reacted by pouncing that soldier and dropped the grenade from its hidden storage.

A moment later another explosion detonated, taking out the drone and nearby soldiers with it.
Chaos gripped that garrison and yellow light washed over the tent and remaining fortifications. The untrained recruits ran like headless chickens, some tried to arrange a formation toward the fiery opening, while the rest scrambled to assist their commander.

Only a few who were not unfazed by the chaos. The Redstripes sharpshooter was trained to remain calm under the mounting stress, and today they will demonstrate that calmness. The Sharpshooters in the east tower shouldered his rifle, aiming at the enemy in the far east. Even if the land beneath them turned into flames they would not be distracted. Even if their tower was burning, their aim must not be compromised:
they already had someone in their gunsight.

Their unshakable focus would be their undoing, however.

Osric quickly shifted focus. He took a shot at the first red-striped man he saw. Letting out his breath, he cranked the lever of his rifle. The barrel spun and locked into place, the weapon primed to fire so soon after the other. He adjusted his aim to the second person, or the first, depending on how they reacted to being shot at from behind.

A bullet hit the first sharpshooter on his neck, right when the last explosion from Lynx's drone occurred. The second sharpshooter, already aimed, pulled the trigger before he could be any more distracted by his slumping friend.

The bullet from the surviving sharpshooter flew straight. And he watched how the shot seemed to be hitting his mark. It was at that moment when the smirk had to stop and he had to see his friends, now gurgling blood on the floor. Hastily he picked up his friend's musket, scanning the general direction where he thought the enemy fire was coming from. Unfortunately for him, Osric's rifle had already been rechambered seconds later, and a follow-up shot pierced him in the chest, killing him.

The firing sound, loud as it may was perfectly masked by the explosive commotion inside. With faces as pale as a dried turd, the patrolling soldiers hastily retreat inside the garrison. As far as their perception was concerned, the attack was coming from the north side of the base.
____

Carmen was ready to press the attack when a bullet struck him on his forehead. The impact felt like something punching him in the side, yanking his right eye socket, and dragging him down to his left side with a sudden force. The captain found himself downed on the grass, disoriented, but soon his dizziness turned into a sharp pain as the blood started to drip from an elongated wound on his forehead.

It felt like someone was ripping his forehead open, he clutched his wound, screaming in pain as the pain started to radiate to his scalp and face. It felt like the fresh wound was touched by burning coal, and the pain was so unbearable Carmen was writhing on the grass.

"Arrrrrrggghhh!"
____

Meanwhile, Captain Melnik ignored the downed captain and walked into his tent, only to return back into the fight with a nasty-looking Warhammer. A fire, almost as bright as the fire burning his wall flickered in his eyes and he focused his attention on Mirielle.

"Suka blyat! You will pay for this!"

The party quickly proved that their confidence were not misplaced, dispatching what must've been the best of the commander's men. Mirielle allowed herself a sliver of grim satisfaction at the bloody spectacle, yet it soon was apparent that their foe weren't completely toothless after all.

A shot struck Carmen, and for a brief moment her heart stilled as the captain stayed down for a second longer than he should. Then he began screaming and thrashing, ice spreading in her veins.

Something unnatural was in that bullet.

"Carmen! Get ahold of yourself, your work is not done yet!" Her voice boomed through the chaos, blazing aura flared in full force. Carnatia and even Amaris would feel an invigorating resolve welling from within, not to mention fellow faithful like Carmen. Hopefully enough to get him back to his feet, the man was quite adept at combating foul magic as long as he's not incapacitated.

Mirielle barely took note of the marksmen falling, her attention taken by the Tretagorian commander emerging with a brutish weapon befitting his nature. Even with the burning aura licking his skin the man remained stalwart, most definitely one of their traditional self-empowering magic user if the unnatural strength he struck Carmen with earlier wasn't enough of an indication.

Pale yellow eyes peered into the man, wary yet confident in her own inevitable triumph. Bracing into a low stance, Mirielle flashed a feral grin as her muscles tensed and coiled like a taut spring, ready to dart forward with deadly force.

"Your tyranny ends today, blackguard."

And with that she lunged forward, her fading divine armor scattering glimmering gold in her wake, spearpoint poised to impale the commander's face clean through. Yet all was a feint, for at the last moment the broad spearhead pivoted to cleave along the shaft of his warhammer and take off his fingers in one clean sweep.

Still need him alive to cough out what he knew after all. Carmen will get him to talk eventually. They always do sooner or later.

Rezello

---

At first, the diplomatic approach seemed to be going surprisingly well; despite recognizing Carmen and the others as being involved in the incident earlier in the day, the sergeant that first confronted them as they approached allowed the group to enter the outpost and speak with the commanding officer. There was some tension when the commander brought up an incident that had occurred on the border several years back, but they managed to shift away from that topic and on to matters more at hand.

Listening to their discussion over the communicator Carmen gave them, they learned the status of the major factions in the area; who the rebels were, some details concerning the identity of the "witch" they had previously heard of - the one behind the experiments they had witnessed earlier, apparently - and the fate of Paladin Thomas... dead, if they could take the commander at his word. Rezello glanced at Linceleste as that detail came to light, as she had previously mentioned that Thomas was her uncle; whatever she was feeling, she didn't seem to be showing it. Refusal to believe the commander's claim, perhaps.

Regardless, when the commander was pressed for evidence or details of the paladin's demise, he refused, instead declaring his intent to have Carmen and his entourage detained. Obviously, that was not an acceptable outcome, and it wasn't long before fighting broke out. Even without the communicator, the sound of combat could be heard from their position outside the outpost; Linceleste took that as her cue to detonate her drone's explosives, blowing open holes in the northern wall of the outpost and escalating the chaos occurring within.

"I'm going in. Please someone ride with me, I will make a passage way out for our comrades inside!" Linceleste spoke for the remaining party. Mounted herself on her horse.

Rezello nodded, spadone appearing in his right hand with a flash of silver light as he rode his horse alongside her, acting as her vanguard as he readied himself to strike down any stray soldiers still outside the outpost as they made their way towards it.