Crimson Paladin

Epic of Beginnings - Dawns Cradle

Novak

Novak considered the rat-woman's offer. On one hand, it would be a good idea to find shelter, as he wasn't exactly dressed for snowy weather. If Novak didn't find shelter when the snow fell, the Krysa may be the least of his problems. On the other hand, this was an intelligence officer of a nation that had attacked Mie's group unprovoked, who had admitted to searching for a person of interest out here. Additionally, a Krysa town might also provide the information he was looking for, such as why they're attacking Mie's caravan and what happened to the Oni that tried to break out.

On the other hand, this woman was clearly quite dangerous and her motives were not entirely clear. She was an intelligence officer, seeking out some person of interest, and Novak couldn't be sure that she wasn't talking about him. There shouldn't be any reason for her to suspect him to be with Mie, but she still might realize that something off about him. She hadn't ordered her bodyguards to arrest him, but perhaps she was just playing it subtle for the time being. Most importantly, why would she be returning now, when she clearly hadn't found anything other than Novak?

At the same time, however, if she did let him go on his way and continue her search, there was a chance she'd follow his footprints back to Mie's encampment, which would prove beyond a doubt that he was with the Krysa's enemy. Not to mention if he insisted on going his own way, that'd incur more suspicion. Yes, he concluded, it'd be best to play along and not give her any opportunity to suspect him of anything.

"Alright, I'll take you up on that," Novak answered her, getting up to his feet. "From the look of those clouds, it will be a good idea to head someplace warm."

Novak would continue to take note of the weather. If he needed to cut and run at any point, the reduced visibility from snowy weather might prove opportune.

@Rune_Alchemist

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri rose to his feet after tumbling off the griffin and removed his helmet. He was fortunately unharmed aside from being perhaps a little dinged up hitting the ground. One of the "wings" on his helmet had been notched by that one bandit's spear, but he didn't see any other evident damage.

They had won and defeated the bandits, but it had a cost. Sir Rickart was dead, killed in such a horrific manner that they'd have to bury him in pieces. Fleuri hadn't interacted much with him, but he knew that Rickard had been fine veteran knight, and a good inspiration for the younger ones. It was not unexpected for Iron Roses to die, and those who picked up the sword did so with the knowledge that they may die very suddenly and violently, but it was still a mournful event when it happened.

The griffin had been slain too. In truth, Fleuri had hoped to merely subdue it into unconsciousness, and it could have lived, or at least be stabilized with healing magic, even with the wounds from the other knights and injuries from flailing about, but Serenity was determined to put it down. He didn't question her choice to do so- after all he had rather foolishly jumped on its back, an act that nearly ended in disaster at multiple points. Besides, from what he heard, griffins were proud creatures and he couldn't help but wonder if it would have sought to avenge its shame if it recovered.

In any case, it was very clear that Fleuri would need to learn to cooperate with the other knights, because this fight was a hectic, arguably self-sabotaging mess. He evidently still hadn't completely shed his tournament fighting mentality, but he knew he needed to. This wasn't a game, and Sir Rickart was a nauseating reminder that there were real and gruesome consequence for making any mistake. He also felt that it'd be important to set a better example for Lucas- he didn't want the young, impulsive knight to get hurt due to Fleuri's own failure to demonstrate common sense.

Still, they had won, by either divine intervention or freak luck his crazy actions hadn't gotten him injured, and there was one less horse-eating beast out there, he mused as he plucked a few fine-looking white feathers from the griffin and took a moment to attach them to the wings on his helmet, as a memento of the battle and to honor the beast that very nearly broke him. If he ever faced another one of these creatures again, he would play it much more safely.

The trip back was without any incident, and fortunately for Fleuri, if he had gotten any griffin scent on him from his stunt, his horse didn't seem to react. The knights made their way through the capital city of Aimlenn like a grim parade consisting of blood-stained knights, wounded and rescued men and women, and carts of doomed criminals. The surviving bandits would no doubt end up being hanged for their crimes, and Fleuri couldn't feel sympathy for them. These weren't down-on-their-luck woodsmen and poachers who turned to robbery to make ends meet. They were traitors who refused the mercy of the crown and continued to shed blood for a lost, dead-and-buried cause.

When the knights returned to Candaeln, there were a number of tasks Fleuri needed to do before the day was through. The first thing Fleuri did, however, was walk along the hall looking upon the weapons and portraits of past knights. I wonder if Sir Rickart will be honored here, he wondered. His gaze eventually came to a specific portrait, a painting of his ancestor Armand Jodeau, the first of the family to dedicate himself to Reon, and supposedly one of the first Reonites to join the Iron Roses. There was no display case for his armaments, for they had not been seen since the day he ventured out on by himself on a quest that he never returned from. The Jodeau family had at times sought to find out what happened to Armand and even set aside a place in the family crypt in hopes of someday properly interring his mortal remains, but they lacked the wealth to fund a thorough search, and to this day no Jodeau knight had managed to pick up his trail.

I know I've made some bad mistakes, but wherever you are, I will strive to live up to your example.

Following his contemplations, Fleuri made his way to his quarters after fetching a rag, some soap, and a bucket of water. Due to his family's relative lack of wealth, he had learned to take basic care of his own armor, and it was something he never really stopped doing. The dark gray, almost black armor was something he had purchased during his tournament days, and even if he regretted many of his actions, he recognized that raising the wealth to purchase proper equipment was not something to be ashamed of. He undid the straps on his armor and removed the protective plating piece by piece, and carefully washed the dirt and blood from each part. He would later send it over to the blacksmith to be looked at by a professional, but this should suffice for now. He also took the helmet and fiddled with the griffin feathers, taking the time to ensure his new adornments were symmetrical, clean, and wouldn't detach from the helmet's wings.

Fleuri changed into his casual clothing- a shirt, pants, boots, and white surcoat bearing his heraldry- and made his way to the mess hall to feed himself. It was to his fortune that Sir Lucas- the very person he wished to speak to- was already there. After obtaining some food, assembling a meal a bit smaller than that of the younger, still-growing knight, he headed over to where Lucas was and sat down.

"Sir Lucas," Fleuri greeted him, "It's good to see you're unscathed. That battle got rather hectic, didn't it?"

@Saiyan

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

The wyvern did not manage to reach the fort, but it appeared that Ethelred was right where he needed to be. Elnith, now fully armored (as much as her rather revealing combat attire could be called "fully armored"), leapt from a tower onto the dragon's back and called out to him for her sword. In front of the wyvern, both Elias and Lonan called to him to lend them his aid.

Their foe was clearly quite injured, and Elias was in the process of attempting to rip its wing off. It would not be able to escape this time, now was the time to finish it off once and for all. It looked like Grainne was too badly injured to join the fight, but it was possible that her ballista team might be able to ready another shot.

"It's coming your way, Elnith!"

Ethelred put his lance down just long enough to take the sword in his right hand and toss it in her direction, trusting in her ability to catch it without injuring herself. With that taken care of, he retrieved his weapon and jumped down the stairs, making his way to where Sir Lonan was. His guess was that the Harzel knight once again wanted them to combine their respective powers of water and cold against the dragon's fire. Or perhaps Lonan just wanted another warrior backing him up in order to strike at the beats with his sword. In either case, he trusted in whatever this Harzelslack knight had in mind.

"I'm ready to give you whatever assistance you need, Sir Lonan," Ethelred spoke, channeling his freezing powers and causing a thin layer of frost to form on the ground beneath him. He wasn't sure if the unclothed Elias would be close enough to feel the effects, but if he could handle being burned to nothing but cinders, the dragon slayer's heir could surely handle a bit of cold air.

Ethelred raised his lance and shield, readying for an attack. He would follow Lonan's lead- whatever the Harzel knight wanted them to strike at the dragon's head with their weapons or blast him with their combined powers, Ethelred was ready to lend his support.

@Rune_Alchemist@Guy0fV4lor

Epic of Beginnings - Dawns Cradle

Novak

Novak hesitated at her request. Normally he'd have no trouble sharing a bit, but there was one considerable complication here- the contents of his canteen weren't exactly a local beverage. If this intelligence officer recognized the taste of sake, she might be able to deduct that Novak had been in contact with Lady Mie's group. He could fight, but he didn't like his chances of fighting four or five of the rat-folk at once, and the thought of being interrogated by the Office of Internal Peace didn't particularly appeal to him.

"I'd recommend against a drink," Novak replied after a pause, "Your work sounds like it's of the utmost importance, and I would not like to be held responsible for dulling the senses of a Krysa intelligence officer on a mission."

She might not believe his flimsy excuse, but being stingy with one's alcohol was hardly an expected sign of being an enemy of the state, right?

"Speaking of which, it is not my place to know the details of why your organization is hunting this person of interest," he continued, changing the subject, "But might you tell me what they look like, and just how dangerous they may be? I'd appreciate knowing what sort of danger might be lurking about as I hike through the snowfield."

It'd be helpful to know who this woman was looking for, especially if it might be Haruno or one of the Oni. Even if it wasn't, Novak wasn't lying when he asked to know about the dangers of the snowfield.

Up ahead, it looked like the Krysa soldiers were recovering their stolen stuff, which means that the Krysa procession would soon be resuming their patrol. Novak dearly hoped that Ayumi was unharmed- he couldn't bear the throught of the fox being hurt because of him.

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

He wasn't entirely unscathed by this scuffle, but Ethelred had managed to do his part, and the Harzel soldiers had done theirs. The ballista bolt had struck true and broken the wyvern's neck- it wasn't going to get back up from a blow like that.

It was a costly battle, but they had won, and even Grainne seemed to be in a good mood with their victory. Ethelred, meanwhile, looked down to examine the damage to his armor. It had been scratched and smashed by the wyverns, but was still holding up. Now that the wyverns were defeated and Elnith was freed, he'd be able to look around for that elf in case he was injured, find Lonan, and discuss plans to deal with the big wyvern.

Or at least that was Ethelred's plan before Grainne alerted them to the black wyvern's approach. He wasn't too surprised that it had recovered and was ready for another fight. However, nothing could have prepared him for the sight that awaited him when Lonan rode into view.

What the...?

Riding along with Lonan was what looked like...Elias...naked. Ethelred took a split second to check if he was seeing what he thought he was seeing due to just how unexpected this sight was. In calmer, less strange circumstances, he would have initially assumed it to be an Unseelie illusion meant to offend his sensibilities. But in the current circumstances, with their formidable adversary approaching and the fact that Elias was with Lonan, the Frozen Knight was willing to entertain a much more optimistic possibility.

Could it really be him, somehow returned from having his physical form obliterated?

If he somehow returned from being disintegrated, it'd explain his lack of clothes. The fact that he hadn't grabbed any clothes suggested either that he didn't have the time or was too single-mindedly fixated on slaying this dragon to worry about armoring or clothing himself.

Ethelred didn't have time to muse on Elias' wardrobe choices, however. A beam fired right past the fort, completely destroying a hill. Their enemy had arrived, and its powers were as strong as ever. In fact, it was heading straight for the fort, and it wasn't slowing down.

"Watch out, that thing is coming right at us," Ethelred shouted. The Frozen Knight dashed up the stairs, not wanting to be in the dragon's direct path, and desiring to get a better point from which to strike at it once it got closer. He had many questions to ask (such as how Elias survived being disintegrated) and many updates to give (such as Elnith's escape and the elf's unfortunate wyvern-powered departure), but this was not the time for such matters.

@Guy0fV4lor

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri had a split second to realize what the griffin was doing, and that he had made a rather glaring mistake. It wasn't going to try and pull him off using its claws, it was going to slam him into the ground. He knew immediately that he had to get off of this beast before it crushed him. His armor wasn't made to stop something like this.

Getting crushed was a risk when riding a horse, too, but this thing was much heavier, and he didn't think that the feathers on its head were going to cushion the impact. However, there was one thing going for him compared to a horse- there were no stirrups to hold his feet in place.

Using the arm that was still holding onto the griffin, along with the leg on that side, he flung himself to the side, away from where the creature's body was going to hit the ground. Simultaneously, his other hand let go of his sword so that its not-inconsiderable weight wouldn't slow him down. It was a risk disarming himself like this but it was a much bigger risk not shedding the weight, and he didn't have enough time to think it over.

Epic of Beginnings - Dawns Cradle

Novak

Novak recognized the rat-woman's organization. According to what he had heard from the Oni, it was an intelligence organization that investigated crimes and rooted out dissidents. This was simultaneously an opportune and extremely dangerous situation that Novak put himself in. They would know exactly why Mie and her caravan had received such an unwelcome welcome. They may even know what happened to Haruno and her group.

Whatever she's doing out here must be very, very important, if she is carrying orders straight from the Tsarita.

"Yes,, I have heard of your organization," Novak replied to her question. "Never crossed paths with them though, at least not to my knowledge."

Regarding the woman herself, she seemed pleasant on the surface and easy on the eyes, but given the organization she served, this Krysa was almost certainly quite dangerous. He didn't see a weapon on her, but suspected that her dress was concealing a dagger or some other hidden weapon. Even disregarding her presumed ability to fight, an intelligence officer like her would be quite good at gleaning information out of people through charm, through trickery, or possibly more forceful means as well. She was probably skilled at detecting lies or sensing if a story didn't add up, so Novak would need to be careful with what he said.

"As for myself, I am Novak, a traveler and sword-for-hire on my way to seek opportunities in Dawn," he introduced himself as he took another short swig from his flask. "I had just stopped here to briefly rest and have a drink before continuing when you came along."

If he was too eager to leave, she'd get suspicious. If he asked too many questions, that'd also rouse her suspicion. But what about the possibility of earning her trust or at least endeavoring to lessen her distrust?

"Unless, of course, there is anything I can do for you, to make up for my clumsiness getting in your way."

The Storm Cycle: Reclamation

Ethelred had only a moment to realize what it was doing in the air- it was going to stomp down on him with its claws. Clearly his frozen, jagged armor did not look as appetizing as that unfortunate Harzel soldier, and it was determined to do some damage. As it bore down, Ethelred leapt back out of the path of its descending talons. Given the sheer momentum with which it was coming down, it'd be best to not take this attack head-on.

Once the Wyvern landed, Ethelred would rotate his lance into a reverse grip and bring it down on his opponent's foot like a stake. Once he embedded it as deeply as he could, he'd freeze through it, intent on holding the wyvern to this spot of ground. If it kept flying around, the ballista wouldn't be able to hit it, so it was imperative that he prevent it from moving around long enough for them to line up a shot.

With his lance being used to try and stake the wyvern in place, Ethelred placed both of his hands on Elnith's blood-red sword and readied it to deflect or counterattack any incoming blow from his foe's jaws or wings. Even if if it was rooted to this spot, almost every inch of this monster's body could constitute a weapon.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri landed on the griffin with a thud, right onto its upper body behind the griffin's neck. Even with the beast's feathers somewhat cushioning his fall, it was quite an impact, but he had managed to stick it. He wasn't able to see Lucas, but he heard the younger knight successfully landing behind him.

The griffin wasn't going to have any of this, and it bucked and struggled to dislodge them. It wasn't really surprising- even horses would refuse to be ridden if they had not been broken and trained, and griffins were notoriously proud creatures. Fleuri held on tightly, digging his heels into the beast's neck and using his arms to hold on. He had competed in enough jousts to know a thing or two about avoiding being unhorsed, but this was almost nothing like that. There was no saddle or stirrups to hold him in place, but on the other hand, at least this time he could use his hands to hold on.

Even with the beast's struggles, he was able to see a rather alarming sight further ahead. Katerina, the half-elven witch-knight, was preparing a rather powerful-looking fire spell, and was probably going to fire it right at the griffin- with Fleuri and Lucas still atop it. On one hand, she could certainly be forgiven for assuming that she wouldn't need to worry about hitting anyone riding the beast, because by all means this was a crazy stunt that the others couldn't have anticipated. On the other hand, if it hit, it was probably going to hurt a lot.

Suddenly, the griffin stopped and turned. Something else must have caught its attention, and it wasn't the impending blast of fire or the archer Cecilia. As it turned its head, Fleuri saw what the subject of its focus was- it was Lein, a Hundi knight, bow in hand. There was little doubt in Fleuri's mind what had happened- Lein had fired an arrow at the griffin, and the pain of the shot was more noticeable than the weight of the two unwanted passengers upon its back.

The Reonite knight maintained his tight grip as the griffin bounded towards its target. It was a relief that this distraction had spared all three of them from the fire spell, but for a moment, as it began to descend, Fleuri's grip slightly weakened and he was worried that he might be thrown off. This was unlike any horse I've ever ridden, he thought to himself as he felt the considerable impact of the landing. From the sound of it, Lucas had dismounted the griffin, but he dared not distract himself by looking behind him to see what the other knight was doing. Nor did he pay too much attention to what Lein was doing- assuming, as Fleuri hoped, that the Hundi knight had gotten out of the way.

This was his chance- while it was focused on another opponent and not jumping around, Fleuri took his cape and pulled it over the griffin's head, covering its eyes. He brought the ends of the cape together under the griffin's jaw and tied them together. If it couldn't see, it should diminish its ability to fight effectively. Not to mention that it wouldn't be able to fly away- or in the very least, Fleuri dearly hoped that it wasn't going to try and fly while its sight was obstructed.

After his cape was wrapped, the knight would resume holding on with his left arm, and draw his sword with the right. The griffin would likely fight and struggle with all its might upon having its sight obstructed, and Fleuri anticipated that he would have to fend off its front claws.

@PigeonOfAstora@Raineh Daze@Saiyan@Richard Horthy

Epic of Beginnings - Dawns Cradle

Novak

Novak listened behind the tree to the rat-folk converse. In particular, they made mention of someone's life being threatened, someone with a title. Was this the reason why they were hostile to Mie, because they believed she threatened the life of an important Krysa, or an unrelated matter? He managed to catch the name of the woman- Marushka- and the very relevant tidbit of information that they had proof of this aforementioned threat.

Before he could overhear anything else, Ayumi finally made her move. Novak remained behind the tree, not actually watching it play out, but he was quite amused and satisfied at the fox's understanding of his words. One of the reasons the fox was such a valuable asset to Mie was that it was easy to assume she was just a wild animal looking for food. He had a little concern that she wouldn't get hurt, though- the Krysa, after all, were famed marksmen.

Ayumi ran right by Novak, basket in its jaws. Evidently she had been successful in procuring it. The Krysa woman pursued, but tripped and fell over him. It wasn't the introduction he had anticipated, but he should be able to roll with this.

"Are you alright, my lady?" Novak asked as he sat there. "Are you hurt? You seem to be in distress- do you and your friends need any help?"

From what he had heard, the basket was carrying the Tsarita's orders. This was an interesting piece of information, and he was curious as to what these orders might be. His primary objective was still to find Haruno, but he knew that it was of vital importance to figure out what was going on that had compelled the Krysa to attack Mie's caravan. If he could endear himself to them, it'd make things all the easier.