Crimson Paladin

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

The wyvern wasn't killed, but Ethelred was content to call this a victory. Even if it managed to crawl away to safety, Ethelred was confident that it would not recover from its wounds. If it didn't bleed out, the frostbite would surely prove fatal, probably after extended agony as its frozen flesh expires. The merciful thing would be for Ethelred to finish it off once the battle was over, but that would have wait until the third wyvern was taken down.

Grainne was still as impolite as ever, although given the situation, she could be forgiven for being deeply upset. He'd need to correct her on his name once this was over, though. They still had one wyvern to go, and they needed Ethelred to keep it busy while they prepped the ballista.

"Alright, I'll take care of it. Just be careful where you aim it, I don't want to get hit."

The Frozen Knight descended the stairs of the wall down to the courtyard, where he approached the wyvern. With Elnith's sword in his shield-hand, he swung the weapon at its belly as he drew nearer, taking note of the space-warping enchantment. He always did want to see what it was like to use Elnith's weapon.

I'll have to thank her for letting me try it out. Considering how closely Ethelred treasured to his own lance, he found it quite touching that Elnith would entrust him with her sword. It was a slight disappointment that it didn't turn from red to blue in his hands, though, but no weapon was truly perfect.

"Prepare yourself for death, beast!" he shouted at the Wyvern as he approached, brandishing both lance and sword. As much as this was only meant to be a distraction, he was intent on using what time Grainne and her soldiers afforded him to do as much damage to it as possible. This monster had murdered many soldiers, and even if it was just a simple predator with no sense of right and wrong, Ethelred wanted to make it pay.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri nodded at Lucas as he heard the young man's plan as he looked up at the watchtower. It was a crazy plan, to jump from the watchtower onto a griffin. It was also quite in line with the impulsive, foolhardy boy's previous actions. All the more reason, Fleuri thought, to do whatever was necessary to keep the boy alive.

Fleuri followed Lucas to the tower, coming up with a simple plan on the move. As he made his way there, he unlatched his white cape and wrapped it around his arm. The slightly dirtied white cloth was stained red as it came into contact with the blood that had splattered on him. It didn't bother him too much- if he wasn't willing to get bloodstains on a white cape, he wouldn't have worn it into battle, and with what he was planning, he'd probably have to replace it regardless. He then put away his greatsword- he wouldn't need it at the moment, and couldn't easily climb the ladder with it in his hands.

Upon reaching the watch tower, Fleuri climbed part of the way up the ladder, but instead of making his way all to the top like Lucas did, he stepped off the ladder onto a horizontal wooden beam, holding onto the wood above to maintain his balance. The top of the tower was a bit too high for him to jump, he needed to get over the griffin from a lower point. The beam creaked audibly under the weight of the armored knight, and Fleuri had to exercise caution as he made his way through the tower's underside to above where the griffin was.

By all accounts this a risky plan, but he couldn't let Lucas down.

Speaking of which, Lucas had used the chain to lower himself from the top of the tower, and now the two knights were almost at the same level. It'd at least make communication easier.

The knight took a second to assess the situation. The griffin was facing off against Serenity, striking against her spear with its claws. It appeared to be holding back- it seemed to target the spear itself rather than the wielder, and it made no attempt to lunge with its razor-sharp beak. Not wanting to risk being noticed by the powerful predator and its armor-crushing jaws, Fleuri opted to wait for a moment when the griffin could not afford to split its attention, a moment where looking up or turning around would jeopardize its well-being.

"Be ready to jump," Fleuri said as he prepared himself. He used his free hand to unwrap his cape as he watched for an opening. The moment that Serenity lunged her spear at the griffin's chest, Fleuri jumped down, aimed at the beast's back. His goal would be to pull his cape over the griffin's head, covering its eyes.

@Saiyan

Epic of Beginnings - Dawns Cradle

Novak

Novak noted the woman leading the Krysa procession. Judging by her escort, she must be important, and if she was important, those papers might have some rather enlightening information written on them. Unfortunately, he'd be no match for them all by himself. Krysa weren't known for being great close-range fighters, and males in particular were quite devoid of stature, but they were still well-equipped and greatly outnumbered him.

Perhaps, however, Ayumi could retrieve some of those papers.

If only I had some of the others with me, we'd be able to capture her and give Mie a bargaining position, Novak noted. He had only a few moments to react: if he attempted to hide, it'd appear suspicious. More worryingly was the fact that because of the snow on the ground, they'd probably see his tracks. He'd probably cast a less dubious impression of he approached them directly or otherwise made no attempts to hide, but he couldn't be sure that they would be friendly to him. Without knowing why they were attacking Mie's party to begin with, he couldn't be sure how they'd react to a stranger.

Perhaps, however, he could keep out of sight without actually looking like he's trying to keep out of sight. Novak figured that's what Mie would do if she was in this situation. Using what little time he had, he shuffled towards a tree, sat down on the side faced away from the procession, then as if attempting to further emulate Lady Mie, opened his flask of sake and took a swig. If they didn't notice him, he might hear something relevant to what was going on. If they did notice him, he'd hopefully just cast the impression of being nothing more than a traveling sellsword, resting in the copse and enjoying breakfast and definitely not trying to stay out of sight.

Novak wasn't alone in this, though. He had Ayumi at his side, and the fox's penchant for thievery and mischief might provide him some interesting opportunities here.

"I wonder what's in that basket of hers," he whispered to Ayumi, not entirely sure how well she'd understood what he was saying. "Judging by those guards, she doesn't look like she's out here for a picnic."

@Rune_Alchemist

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

For a moment it seemed to Fleuri like the knights had control of the situation. Suddenly, however, a massive tree burst into flames and fell, splitting the camp in half. This had to be the doing of one of the bandits- probably Jeremiah himself. Fleuri noted that Fanilly had been on the other side of the tree- if he had to guess, it'd be that Jeremiah was moving to try and decapitate the Iron Roses' leadership. It'd be up to her and her accompanying knights to stop him. With Tyaethe's group cut off, there wasn't much they could do for them. He dearly hoped that they wouldn't lose their captain so soon after her ascension to the position.

This would not be the only consequence- as if some higher force wanted to complicate things further, a piece flaming wood was launched from the impact into the cage, causing the inhabitant within to muster enough strength to break free. Any chance of him and Lucas slaying the creature before it escaped was dashed by this freak occurrence.

Fleuri was in awe of what emerged from the tent- it was a griffin, a powerful flying predator commonly depicted in heraldry. From what Fleuri had heard, they preyed upon horses and other similarly sized creatures. This one was clearly quite agitated, and would pose a threat to everyone in the camp, be they knight, bandit, or prisoner. It was also probably quite hungry too, if all the bandits fed it were rabbits. In its current state, it was going to pose a threat to everyone present, be they knight, bandit, or prisoner.

The simplest plan of attack would be to battle and inflict wounds upon the creature until it fell or retreated, but there was another complication to consider- the knights' horses were nearby and undefended. There was a chance that the griffin, upset and presumably starved from its diet of rabbits, might lose its nerve and flee. If it was allowed to get away, Fleuri feared that it could prey on the Iron Roses' horses, and the knights wouldn't be able to do anything about it while the battle in the camp raged. Even if its wings were crippled, its feline hindquarters would no doubt allow it to outrun the knights on foot.

Fleuri's conclusion was that this thing had to be subdued. Whether they'd kill it or not, they had to ensure that it doesn't get the opportunity to fly away. Fleuri had an idea of how to accomplish this. As a noble, he had a bit of knowledge of the art of falconry, and how to pacify a falcon and ensure it couldn't fly off on a whim. In theory, with the griffin's avian head being so similar to that of a falcon, the same concept ought to apply here. If someone forced something like a falconry hood into the griffin's head, it would make the beast easier to subdue or kill.

But first, however, they'd have to get past a very tough-lookin group of bandits. Their worn armor marked them as soldiers, veterans of the recent war. Holdouts who refused to give up when the rebellion was crushed and its leader slain. Any pretense of fighting for a cause was gone, they were now nothing more than brigands who murdered and enslaved innocent people.

The Reonite knight lagged behind the others as they advanced and slew the bandits. Before he could come to aid Lucas against the halberdier, Fleuri was intercepted by a veteran spearman, who sent a flurry of thrusts at the knight. Fleuri attempted to cut the blade from its shaft, but this warrior had clearly fought swordsmen before, and handily deflected the sword with the winged spearhead, the lugs helping to catch the blade and push it aside. The ex-soldier then followed up with a riposte aimed straight at the eye slit of Fleuri's helmet. The knight managed to move his head to the side and narrowly avoid the attempted killing blow, and could hear the spear's blade slightly scraping against the "wing" of his helmet.

The spearman attempted to withdraw the spear, but Fleuri wasn't going to let that happen. A dark gray gauntleted hand grabbed the shaft of the spear and held it in place. The lugs on the back of the spearhead, intended to prevent skewering too deeply when used against men, and to stop defiant boars from pushing their way up the shaft, now prevented the spearman from pulling the weapon free of Fleuri's grip. It was a little trick that he had learned in tournament combat, to grab an opponent's weapon, and while it was a bit riskier against blades that weren't blunted, the shaft of a soldier's spear was just as safe to grab as that of a tournament fighter's spear.

Not this time, traitor.

Before the brigand could come up with a counter-move, Fleuri swung his sword, cleaving into the man's neck but not managing to decapitate, due to being swung with only one hand. Nevertheless, it proved fatal, and the man fell to the ground. His opponent dispatched, Fleuri followed after Renar and Lucas towards the griffin.

Up ahead, the two younger knights already found themselves intercepted by more bandits. By the time he got there, Renar had managed to slay one and was engaged in combat with the other. Fleuri flanked the remaining bandit, swinging his claymore at the man's legs with the intent to hamstring him. They didn't have time to play with these bandits, they needed to reach the griffin before it could hurt any innocents.

"Judging by that chain, I take it you have a plan to deal with the griffin," He spoke to Lucas, noting the chain he was carrying. "I have an plan of my own. If I can get on its back and cover its eyes, that ought to greatly hinder its ability to fight or fly."

They couldn't just rush at the massive creature with a bunch of different plans, such would only likely end in disaster. They would need to work together as one if they wanted to prevail.

@Psyker Landshark@Saiyan

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Ethelred's gamble had worked; the wyvern seemed unable to dislodge him from this spot. He didn't know if he hit anything vital, but even if he missed, the freezing would reach its organs or muscles so long as he held on long enough, and even if he didn't, Grainne and the soldiers might be able to use this distraction to attack it.

The wyvern had other ideas, however. In the face of this attack, its reaction was to try and fly away. As soon as he felt his foe lift up higher as it attempted to become airborne, Ethelred knew he needed to separate himself from his opponent. As interesting as it'd be to take a ride on a wyvern's back, it'd be a bad idea to do so on one that might be suffering sudden, deep frostbite. Ethelred compelled the ice to release his lance- and himself- from the wyvern, and dismounted the wyvern just before it could take him plummeting off the edge.

It was certainly different from dismounting a horse.

As the Frozen Knight landed back on the fort wall, he took a moment to regain his balance from the jump, using his lance as a makeshift walking stick to steady himself. After regaining his bearings, he took a moment to assess the situation. This had actually gone better than he had anticipated. Grainne was still alive, the ballista was intact, and he had managed to actually kill something, even if it wasn't as prestigious as confronting and killing the other one solo. If he was wrong and the wyvern had survived the fall, it was at least severely injured, no longer able to fly, and would be a simple matter to finish off.

"Grainne, are you and your team alright?" he asked the Harzel squire. "Are they able to fire on the last wyvern?"

Epic of Beginnings - Dawns Cradle

Novak

Novak took a sip of tea as he pondered Mie's proposal, and to help mask his unease at her request. It would be a dangerous undertaking. They were surrounded by enemies, greatly outnumbered, and aside from an initial offer, the foe made no sign of willingness to parlay or negotiate. If something happened, nobody would come to Novak's rescue.

On the other hand, what other choice did they have? They couldn't stay like this forever. They had only a limited supply of food, and even with a defensive advantage the ratfolk and dogfolk would eventually outlast them. They were too few in number to break out, and the gamble to try and get help had left them short five warriors. With no clue as to whether Haruno and the other oni had gotten through, he suspected that Mie chose him because of the potential for getting out with guile rather than force. They had to get help, or they were all dead.

"I think I see where this is going. I might be able to get through if I don my original attire. They would not recognize me as one of your subordinates if I was not dressed like one." Novak suggested, placing the teacup down. "And...if I'm wrong, if I can't don't make it out, it's been an honor to serve you, Lady Mie. I don't know if I'll ever figure out who I was originally, but...this last year of working this caravan has been quite meaningful."

Novak suspected that was why Mie chose him for this- he was clearly not a human from Chagawa, nor was he one of its unique demi-humans. As long as he could avoid being seen with or near Mie's people, they should have no reason to suspect him if he wasn't dressed like one of the caravan guards. Of course, there were quite a lot of potential dangers out there like beasts and the weather, but at this point, his combat attire would only further the danger by marking him as an enemy to the besiegers.

Before trying to head out, Novak would see if Chohei was still up for a sparring match. He needed to be sharp for this mission...besides, he couldn't be sure if he was going to make it back. Afterwards, whether or not he had the opportunity to spar, Novak would change into his old attire, equip only his old sword, and, after ensuring he wasn't showing any sign of being seen, he'd try to slip out, trying to avoid any enemy patrols or encampments. He would not head in the direction of the village (which he assumed would be heavily guarded), but rather would endeavor to head in another direction as to not catch too much attention. If he managed to put enough distance from the besiegers and not run afoul of any traps, only then would he start to make his way towards the village.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri listened attentively to Fanilly's orders to attack the camp. There were several considerations. First, there was a watchtower from which sentries could see trouble coming and rain arrows down from. Fanilly's plan was to have the archers and mages attack it, taking out the sentries before they could warn the others. There was a chance that killing them would itself alert the bandits to the attack, but without eyes up in the tower, their ability to respond effectively would be limited.

The second concern was the fact that from what he could gather, they didn't have Bandit King Jeremiah's exact location. The solution would be simple enough- they'd have to fight their way through the camp to find him. He had to be in there somewhere, Fleuri reasoned, but without knowing where he was, Fanilly didn't have the option of putting together a team dedicated to take him out. They'd have to improvise and adapt depending on when and where he opted to show up.

The third matter was the palisades. The bandits would have a defensive advantage, and being war veterans, they will probably know how to make use of their fortifications. Fleuri could probably smash his way through the wooden fortifications, but he wasn't entirely sure about any specific countermeasure. Hopefully the surprise attack would catch them off-guard and prevent the bandits from hunkering down before the knights were upon them.

When Fanilly ordered a three-pronged attack, Fleuri didn't need to think too hard on who he'd go with. He headed to Dame Tyaethe and took up his station with her group. The First and Youngest was known for aggressive combat, and Fleuri's own preference for hitting hard and fast would be put to its best use following someone like her.

Plus, Tyaethe was an unliving legend, and getting to fight at the side of the companion of Elionne herself would be an honor.

Lucas, the impulsive young knight from before, and Renar, the bastard knight, also had joined Tyaethe's group. No surprise that they had chosen to be with her. Fleuri had already seen Lucas in action, and he had heard of how Sir Renar had won his spurs pushing through an orc raid to slay its leader. Between that and the resulting acceptance into the Iron Roses, Fleuri wondered why Renar Lord Brias didn't legitimize Renar. Perhaps Lord Brias viewed his "legitimate" bloodline as threatened by this bastard knight's success. In any case, the whole situation seemed rather unjust to Fleuri, and made him all the more resolved that if his own irresponsible past actions ever came back to haunt him, he would not dodge responsibility like Renar's father.

When the attack began, Fleuri took up the rear, largely because his reminiscing had caused him to fall behind. being in the back didn't spare him from combat, however- as soon they made it to the palisades, suddenly something metallic struck the upper part of his breastplate. Fleuri looked up to see a crossbowman, armored in brigandine and a kettle helmet, standing behind a shorter section of the palisade. He was fortunate that the quarrel had merely glanced off due to the angle of the shot, and had not penetrated his armor. However, he could not let the man get another shot off.

Fleuri charged at the palisade while the bandit wound his crossbow. The knight could probably cut it down, but that might take too much time, as would going around it. No, he preferred to tackle problems head-on. As he got closer, the knight used his free hand to draw a dagger from his belt and stab it into the palisade. The bandit took a few steps back as to not be within range of Fleuri's sword from the other side of the barrier. This would not stop him- using the dagger as a foothold to step onto, he jumped over the palisade and plunged his sword into the bandit's upper chest. Sometimes attacking head-on was what the adversary expected, but other times it wasn't.

Fleuri's next task was to fight his way back to his group. A nearby axeman tried to stop him, but the knight's greatsword cut right through the man's wooden shield and into him. The voulgier proved a bit more of a challenge, fighting defensive to keep Fleuri cut off. After a few feints, Fleuri managed to deflect an incoming thrust which gave him a window to rush up along the shaft and skewer the man on his sword.

Fleuri had little further resistance as he made his way to where Renar and Lucas were. As he got closer, he could hear that they were conversing about the Bandit King's seeming absence. It was definitely odd to Fleuri- why would he be absent while his camp was being slaughtered? And the cage- just what was the bandit king up to?

"I say we do as much damage as possible before he appears," Fleuri interjected. "If you need someone to cover you on your way to to cage, Lucas, I'm with you." They might not know where Jeremiah is, but they knew where the caged beast was, and they definitely needed to kill that thing.

@Saiyan@Psyker Landshark

Epic of Beginnings - Dawns Cradle

Novak

Novak sat up after being awoken by the fox's prodding, taking a moment to gain his bearings after the strange dream. The situation he found himself in the waking world was a rather poor one- they were still under siege, still hunkered down in an old Krysa domicile as their food supplies steadily shrunk. An attempt to break out and get help had left them short five warriors, with no clue as to whether they had made it through. Novak had no idea why the beastfolk had attacked them, or what they wanted.

It had been an eventful year- in fact, it was the only year Novak could remember. He had no idea who he originally was, or how he ended up waking up with no memory but a name. For someone as completely unprepared to face the world, he was very fortunate that Lady Mie's caravan had been passing by, or that the kitsune merchant would allow him to join them. In that year he had learned so much- he had been taught to fight in the manner of the Oni, he learned much about the world, and he even picked up some things about how not to be taken advantage of in business. All in all, things were going pretty well, right up until this siege.

Novak looked up at the Oni. Despite the gross injustices that they suffered at the hands of humans, they had taught him the ways of the warrior. Perhaps it was because he clearly wasn't a native of their home province.

"As much as I'd like a bit of sparring, I'd better not keep Mie waiting," he answered the horned warrior as he hurriedly put on his swordsman attire, armor, and weapons. "Perhaps afterwards." He didn't need to be armed and armored for his meeting with Mie, but with the siege going on, he needed to be prepared to jump into the battle at any moment if the dogs and rats opted to attack. Once he was fully geared, minus his helmet, faceguard, and straight sword, he would head to Lady Mie's quarters.

He didn't know too much about Mie's background. From what he did know of, she's a rather influential merchant from Chagawa. She was a Kitsune, but evidently wasn't on good terms with the rest of her people- she didn't do business with them, and according to some of the Oni, she was exiled from both of the Kitsune clans. As a caravaner, she was a decent person to work for, and despite her tendency to greatly overstate the quality and worth of some of her merchandise, she was for the most part a pretty fair businesswoman. He had no idea what would have whipped the Yaga and Krysa into a frenzy over her, because surely this was far too violent a reaction to be over a few overpriced trinkets.

Lady Mie?" he asked as he stepped into his employer's quarters. Upon seeing her, he bowed respectfully. "I was told you wanted to see me."

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Ethelred looked down at the decapitated head that had moments before had been lunging at him. If he learned anything here, it was not to take advice from Sir Elias. Not that he'd expect to ever run into Reinhardt again, rest his soul, but clearly no more of this talk about crippling an opponent's limbs to send them into a panic. Maybe it worked for a great hero like Sigurd, but from now on, Ethelred was going to stick to what he was good at- freezing things until they couldn't move, and stabbing them in the vitals until they ceased struggling.

At least Elnith had been here to get him out of this particular mess. He was grateful for both her help and being lent her magic sword, although he harbored doubts that he was capable of using it to his full potential.

He didn't have time to worry about it, however, because the most immediate concern was the two wyverns left. One had just finished making quick work of a group of Harzel soldiers. The other was in the process of attacking Grainne and the remaining ballista. It was a bit of a dilemma- if he attacked the closer one on the ground, he might be able to obtain one victory, one worthwhile kill under his belt in this disaster of a mission. He had already failed to land a fatal blow on the arcane archer, the cyclops, and both wyverns that he had previously faced, and there was no prestige or glory to be had in killing the few pitiful bandits and lesser Fomorians along the way. And now, that abrasive little brat that called him "icicle" and "frosty" and confidently told him that she could best him in a fight was up there and in need of help. She deserved to be left to her own devices, after all, if she fought half as good as she talked, she'd surely be fine. Furthermore, the destruction of the ballista and the deaths of the soldiers manning it would make it easier for him and Elnith to make their escape if the surviving Harzel forces' displeasure at her escape eclipsed their gratitude for the help fighting the wyverns.

But like Elnith had said, Ethelred was too kind. His body may be cold and icy, but his heart was the one thing that wasn't frozen. A gust of icy fog emanated from his helmet as he cursed under his breath at what he was about to do.

I am going to hate myself for this...

With his lance in his main hand and Elnith's sword held in his shield-hand, he rushed up the nearest staircase and made his way to the ballista. He looked down at the second wyvern- there was still the opportunity to forget about that nasty, foul-mouthed squire and instead plunge his lance into the monster's skull from above.

Ethelred looked away, trying his best to banish those thoughts as he approached the wyvern. As much as he wanted to chill the stone masonry beneath his feet, he felt that with what he was about to do, it might be better not to. To avoid its tail, and get a better angle, he climbed atop the battlements and took a flying leap at the wyvern, intent on embedding his lance into the beast's back while it focused on dealing with Grainne. Assuming it landed, he'd cling to the wyvern's back and invoke his powers to freeze the lance to the wound, and freeze his armor to the wyvern's flesh. This one would not be allowed get away.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri watched as Morianne cast a spell of charming on the bandit. Any resistance the prisoner had seemed to disappear as he explained the fortification that lay ahead. Fleuri was impressed at this feat of magic, but found himself a little unsettled at the notion of playing with someone's mind. Would he be able to resist the effects of magics, if they were cast upon him? A few years ago he would probably would've been easy to put under such a spell. In the present day, by contrast, he hoped that his rediscovered piety would serve him well enough.

Fleuri wouldn't be standing around to think about it- Tyaethe ordered Fleuri, among other knights, to dispose of the corpses. As he began to look around for a body to move, however, Morianne asked the knights for help moving the now-unconscious prisoner.

"I'll help you out, Dame Morianne," Fleuri answered as he picked up the bandit and threw him over his shoulder. He'd much rather handle the living than the dead, and Tyaethe had already gathered plenty of corpse-movers from among the Iron Roses.

"Speaking of him, that was a rather impressive trick, getting him to talk like that," he complimented her.

Morianne was an oddity among the knights. She was a wood elf and troubadour, neither of which were particularly common in the order. She wasn't known for having a particularly pleasant personality, as evidenced by her subduing of the bandit as soon as she had gotten what she needed out of him. Still, Fleuri never made a point of antagonizing her- as an ageless elf and a bard, it was quite likely that if she didn't die in battle, she may very well live to write songs, romances, and poems of the Iron Roses, and to become her enemy would be to risk being portrayed in a less-than flattering light to future generations.

As Fleuri carried the unconscious prisoner to their rear rank to be bound, he noticed the corpses being piled up. As the pile was built up, Fleuri thought back on his past. During the War of the Red Flag, he and his mentor visited the aftermath of a few battles. During this time, the duo witnessed firsthand what could happen when the dead of a battle were left unattended. He learned the importance of cleaning up the fallen, even those not judged worthy of a proper burial. There were many reasons to do so- to prevent the spread of disease, to give the most basic dignity to their enemies, to keep potentially dangerous scavengers from amassing in the area- but the most important one was to ensure they didn't get back up as undead. The Iron Roses were more than capable of handling a few shambling corpses if the need arose, but was much better to prevent the raising of the dead than to undo it after the fact.

@Psychic Loser