Gertrude snorted, and side-eyed Rolan when the man spoke up.

"Flying into anything less than a sodding dragon's maw should be fine, but only a mad bastard would ask me to do that."

When Fanilly requested some basic enchantments, Gertrude obliged. One by one, she took weapons in hand and imbued them with magic. Enough to pierce the natural resistances that some creatures had to mundane weaponry. In this case, fey. It was a bit plain, but it would have to do at a moment's notice. It was frankly bizarre that they'd all come as far as they had without any runic enchantments. They were rare and expensive because it wasn't a common skill, but the carving process itself required more time than money.

As someone with that skill in the Roses' employ, she would have to offer her services once this battle was over and done with. If taking on the goddesses-damned Midnight Hunt was the sort of thing they'd be doing going forward, they'd have to be better equipped. Not that any of them expected this particular turn.

Hell of a first job.

---

Gertrude let out a sigh as the Midnight Hunt approached. She needed to collect herself. The deathless safety net was gone, and while she was confident about her chances in the air, the Hunt presented quite a force. Rozenalt, four generals, and a countless number of magical creatures with no fear of death. Thankfully, the larger threats didn't seem to have any immediately recognizable ranged options, and the other knights were already fighting over which they'd get to do battle with besides.

Daft bastards, all. But they were [i]skilled[/i] daft bastards that had just survived legendary training. They'd probably be able to keep the generals busy, which meant she could focus on maneuvering, keeping a shield up below her just in case. One good thing about flight was that you could control the vectors through which you could be attacked, and therefore spend less mana and concentration on defenses.

She was in a good position, despite overwhelming odds. Not that she'd ever let anyone know she was nervous.

She took a seat on her broomstick, beckoned Rolan, and took to the skies as Tyaethe burst through lines of terrifying creatures in order to reach her goal. She'd known the woman for only a short time, but given everyone else's reactions and her own impressions, this behavior was an oddity.

Well, one more distraction.

Gretchen had already started chanting, though she was all the way back at Candaeln. It freed Gertrude up to speak, and made her seem like significantly less of a threat.

"Try not to fall," Gertrude warned Rolan, "because I can't guarantee I'll catch you. We can take it easy as long as they've got other targets and my shield holds. For now, you should be able to concentrate on your shots. If things get rough, I may have to speed up. In that case, be prepared to brace."

With that warning out of the way, Gertrude grinned smugly.

"Enjoy taking advantage of the magic of flight. A marksman should be so lucky! Just direct me if you've a position you'd like to get to. Weep at the novelty, if you must."