Eisenhorn

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Rolan could feel the mental tension slowly building in the back of his head, waiting moment by moment for the fae lady's response to their combined words, though the lion's share of the work was all Ser Gerard's doing. What broke the silence, tense as it was, was the woman's laughter, quite literally bent over from how much she was laughing. That was not the expected response, though he supposed it was not a bad one, given he had to suppress the recognition of her already impressive beauty being amplified by the charm that came with her laughing fit. It brought an otherwise aloof being's stature just a bit closer, however slight, and he could not afford to allow himself to be distracted by a beautiful fae lady and her enchanting laughter. Fortunately he was not the one doing the negotiation, and would continue doing what little he could to support in that endeavor.

Largesse was probably one of the more eloquent words Rolan had heard from any of the knights in recent memory, and Ser Gerard was putting in a good effort in keeping himself eloquent in the face of the laughter, though it seemed to be good news all around currently. From scouting for the border of Fae territory, to hunting down a wretched thing he did not keenly recall, to now currying favor from the sister of the likely culprit of the Duke's madness, it seemed that they had lucked into the right approach to solving the matter of the Duke's condition. At least that was how it appeared so far, it seemed to be going far too well, but he wasn't going to say that out loud and invite things get complicated. All that being considered, Ser Gerard seemed more capable than the rest of them combined in continuing to navigate the negotiations with the Fae lady seated before them, continuing onto what was likely inevitable.

Repayment for this act of seeming kindness. Part of Rolan would not have wanted to bring it up, and simply hoped that aiding the Aessyr carried enough weight to cover assistance and meeting, but coasting on hope alone wouldn't have gotten them this far, let alone further still. Ser Gerard did bring up a good point, however, is that none of them had authority to make agreements on behalf of the Order, but they could at least speak for themselves. Depending on the request they need not involve the entire Order and its resources, assuming one was to be made at all, and simply fulfill the terms of their own capabilities and volition. Also worth considering were the two Aessyr he still held, who had been silent after the initial confirmation of their efforts in saving Enfys, and how it would not exactly be fitting to bring them along as well.

"Something else to consider, as an aside, but given the condition of the Aessyr's home when we found it, these two will likely need some help with a new place to call home. I would not want to unwittingly carry them into more trouble than they already found, I suspect they have had enough for one day."

@HereComesTheSnow@VitaVitaAR

Falling Skies

Lieutenant Commander Johann "Rhino" Von Brandt

---

"Solid copy Vulture, breaking off to engage priority target."

Johann throttled the thrusters to max, the one useful thing about space being able to get even a brick like the Secutor up and moving at high speed, and maintaining it, was far easier than in a gravity well. The situation was turning quite decisively in their favor overall, even with the Fafnir unit still highly operational and dangerous. Moving at maximum thrust, he was already calculating what his plan would be when comms lit up once again, Hex confirming that she was going on overwatch for him as he created the most overt signature out of the entire team, throttling the reactor to full power in the process to gain just that little extra bit of energy as he continued fine tuning power distribution. He had a plan building in mind, and that meant getting close enough to Fafnir to make a play, and fortunately he had some overwatch to help make that happen.

"Solid copy Hex, take your time. Secutor can take anything Fafnir thinks it can throw my way."

Throttle fully open, Johann continued burning towards the Fafnir, not even slowing down to attempt to line up a shot with his MAC-011, even as it pinged that loading sequence for HESH was completed and awaiting targeting sequence, which he toggled to manual as he continued burning headlong towards Fafnir. Alarms blared as the energy signature built, but Rhino put full faith in his fellow pilot to prevent the shot from going off, and when Hex sounded off, he felt an almost feral grin flash across his face, locking into a dueling mindset as he continued his approach. Undeterred by the energy signature, his faith was rewarded by the solid impact from Hex's Blackout, 90mm round tearing clean through the ESR Beam Cannon and disabling the building flare on view, and silencing at least a few of the alarms. Rhino kept pushing, alerts notifying of the drone deployments, though none of them pivoted to engage him fortunately. Unfortunately that meant the two pilots he was moving to support were the targets instead.

"WARNING: Entering minimum safe distance for MAC-011 operations, recommend securing weapon platform."

"Good guns Hex, I'm on him. Rook, Commie, watch those drones."

Rhino ignored the minimum range safety on the MAC-011, turning to take the brunt of the incoming plasma enhanced 35mm on non vital parts of his frame, armor registering damage and several non vital systems flashing alarms on his HUD. Nothing worth writing home about, he treated most of his non vitals as fodder for wasting enemy ammunition and baiting them into less advantageous positions anyways. Sure enough Fafnir was closing in, plasma talons flaring to life as the Secutor's own Plasma Gauntlet lit up, glowing as it spooled up, and to all onlookers it looked like the Secutor would be too slow to catch the incoming blender of talons, but at the last possible moment the Class 3 shield flared to life, deflecting the incoming dive and Johann fired his maneuvering thrusters, putting the entire momentum of his Mech into a deceptively fast backhanded hammer blow aimed directly for the core of the Fafnir. A blow like that would be highly damaging even to a Heavy, and Rhino was gambling on the Fafnir taking the bait and using its own Class 3 to blunt the blow, though the impact would still create a narrow opening between the two of them.

"WARNING: Within minimum safe distance for MAC-011 operations..."

"MAC-011 safeties overridden, HESH on deck, standby."

Rhino kept the momentum of his backhanded swing going, cutting off the automated warning with an override, taking advantage of the momentum carrying him past the Fafnir and using the maneuvering thrusters to control his spin, positioning himself naturally to point blank the Fafnir with the MAC-011 as he snapped into a firing stance, hurtling backwards but still far too close for comfort for any official doctrinal use of his superheavy weapon. The moment the targeting reticule swung onto Fafnir the entire frame shuddered as the HESH shell launched, both energy signatures on sensors and visuals of the magnetic accelerators crackling to life as they caught the conventionally launched shell, sending the HESH shell straight for the core of the Fafnir. At this range he wouldn't waste time recharging another shot in the MAC-011, instead shunting all power from its charging systems to refreshing the Class 3 Shield as fast as he could, MAC-011 swinging back into its mounting on his back as the Rotary Autocannon deployed from his right hand instead, watching power steadily build on the Plasma Gauntlet as well.

"HESH away, standby for effect on target."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Rolan waited as the Fae woman considered their words. Ser Caulder and Dame Yael were probably gauging how well Ser Gerard was doing in discussing matters with the Fae woman who held sway over this particular holding, however large or small it may truly be. The only response that could be even gleaned from the woman was a narrowing of the eyes, however slight, at the mention of the title the Duke prattled on about, and he silently wondered whether or not he should be ready to move. Fortunately for all of them she was not going to simply take open offense to the mention, though he was concerned by the explanation as it went on. He wouldn't call himself faithful of any sort, but that was quibbling over details that would not benefit the explanation at hand so he kept his mouth shut in that regard. The more they learned the less ideal the situation seemed to be, especially since any good faith they might have earned here would be unlikely to aid them in actually aiding the Duke beyond gathering a bit more information.

An Unseelie fae, elder sister of the woman in front of him, and was the only Fae of these woods that had both power and interest in controlling such a title for herself. That...was problematic, though he was starting to piece together a rather broad strokes possibility of what happened. The late night party that he never got an answer on the location of, the one prompting this little foray into the woods to find actual answers, likely trespassed on the Moonlit Queen's domain in the process, and offended her far more fickle sensibilities. Being struck mad for a perceived attempt at usurping her title as Moonlit would explain his state of being, an example for any who attempted to take her place, which meant to restore his mind it would take some sort of way of making matters right in her mind, which he could not come up with a good offering currently.

Ser Gerard was careful in how he broached the subject of parlaying with the Moonlit Queen, risky as that endeavor would no doubt be, and played to the rules of hospitality, at least as best as Rolan understood them. Perhaps the best they could learn here was the location of the Moonlit Queen and depart for her from there, or perhaps reconvene with the rest of the Order. Though given the circumstances, the longer the Duke remained mad, the worse the damage, mostly reputation and metaphorical, but he was no master of magic and there was a possibility it was doing real damage to the man. Either way it needed resolved sooner rather than later, but he couldn't go trying to rush anyone present, he knew that was unwise. "We would not want to cause any undue conflicts, and ideally resolve the matter that occurred between the Duke and your elder sister amicably."

@VitaVitaAR@HereComesTheSnow

Wardens of the Glade: A Light Fantasy RP

With holidays over, I'm hoping to reconvene, assuming everyone is still about it.

@mickilennial

I'm still on board, sure as sure.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

The good news was it seemed the surroundings were confirming they were heading firmly into fae territory, whether it was influenced or just their realm completely was beyond what Rolan could determine. The bad news was he was walking, quite contrarily, headlong against any and all advice and warnings he had received throughout his life in regards to dealing with the Fae, that being simply don't. Well, one person had instructed him on their usefulness if you could keep your end of a bargain, but that was not a man he ever intended to take life lessons from so that was safely ignored. He had to question the decisions he took in life that led to this moment, but all the questions in the world would not change what was to come next, so he kept his mind on the task at hand, as best he could at any rate.

Everything was natural, of course, but it was the wrong kind of natural. Everything was incredibly uniform and closely controlled, despite having none of the signs of man made tools or keeping of the area, it lacked the crudeness of even the most skilled of gardener's reliance on tools. It also all felt wrong, and the worse part was it wasn't an unpleasant sensation, but it was very much wrong, something he latched onto to keep him focused. Keeping himself focused on the task at hand was good, as the shadowy guards stepped out, cloaked and armed with darkness. Fortunately not the hungry kind of darkness, but it was a small comfort given they were at the complete mercy of the hunter's Lady. One of them might be able to slip the hunt should the rest fall in exchange, but that would be a dire prospect should it come to that, and if fortune held it would not be necessary.

The throne was something Rolan suspected more than a few he had met would covet greatly, a single grown piece rather than assembled or insulted with being forced into shape. This had been simply grown as such, in a way that let nature itself, such as it bent the knee here as well, adorn it with a natural form of beauty. Though most would not be looking at the throne, given the Fae ruler that seated herself upon it. True to the stories, stunning beauty that threatened to sear itself into his memory forever should he allow it. He appreciated those who were attractive, he had done so prior, but he knew better than to even entertain the beginnings of such musings here. The sooner they were done, the sooner they could be back among the normal woods, even if they were just a bit more unremarkable now that he was party to what they could have done to them with a deft will.

Rolan was third to kneel, though he was last in the procession of knights, still carefully holding the two Aessyr as to not rock the one who was still recovering, deferring to Ser Gerard as he began to speak far more properly given the circumstances. What he knew of diplomacy and the like was learned discussing contracts for those who had bounties on their heads, even with local authorities in a village or town it was very transactional. Even as old lessons crept up at the back of his mind, they were purely for the purpose of gaining every advantage one could and giving as little as possible. Not ideal for this situatio neither, but he would back Ser Gerard in his diplomatic efforts, though unlike him his gaze was level, staring at nothing when he spoke. He lacked the finer polish that Ser Gerard showed in his own words, and was far more direct, but he would not let a fellow stand alone, be it in combat or diplomacy.

"I suspect the Duke has transgressed, knowingly or not I cannot say with certainty, rather recently before the sudden onset of his complete loss of wits. The sooner our order can determine the transgression, the sooner we can do what is in our means to make it right to restore his mind."

@VitaVitaAR@HereComesTheSnow

Falling Skies

Lieutenant Commander Johann "Rhino" Von Brandt

---

"Vulture, Rhino, solid copy. Syncing CIWS system to provide cover while your in range, swapping to the main gun."

In the midst of the engagement, Johann flipped a switch under the CIWS display, syncing it to the smart targeting system that had synced with his own systems. Anyone in the same system net would be able to benefit from the Katar micromissiles now, meaning he could intercept longer ranged strikes than his own targeting systems would allow. One of the Fenrir units disengaged from Vulture and kept engaging him, 35mm shells failing to find any purchase in the dense layers of armor before firing another pair of sledgehammer missiles his way. Another twin thumps from the CIWS, and two more Katar micromissiles launched, the smaller, more agile munitions intercepting the incoming ordinance before they could even begin to threaten the Secutor, but with a sudden burst the thrusters launched the Secutor straight into the Fenrir's path, Plasma Gauntlet flaring to life as the Secutor punched through the cockpit of the hapless Coalition MAS, but rather than immediately discard the cored frame, swung it into the path of the incoming 85mm shells. The uparmored Fenrir couldn't take the hits normally, but since he was just using it to augment his own (and the survival of the MAS wasn't a concern to him) which would buy him time against the 85mm. The encroaching Scattercannon, however...

<<7th Squadron. Notice from the Ronaoke.>>

<<INS Roanoke preparing to fire, clear firing lanes.>>

The majority of Rhino's HUD flared brightly as he was squarely in one of the firing lines, and he began burning thruster's at full speed, tossing the disintegrating carcass of the Fenrir as he baited the Skollr into the center of the firing line as he swung the 170mm out from its mounting, multiple display alterations occurring simultaneously as he began shunting all unnecessary power to the gun itself. That included life support as several alarms began flashing on his HUD, though the life support in his suit took over without a moment's delay. Breathing much staler air, Rhino was at ease as the volley from the Roanoke tore through the void, turning the unfortunate aggressive Skollr into not even atomized scrap, and cutting off the line of fire from the other for a few moments time. Plenty enough to ready the MAC-011. One perk of firing in space is he wasn't locked down nearly as much when preparing and firing the superheavy weapon, and compared to the various plasma and hybrid systems, the MAC-011 was practically stone age. But a sufficiently fast moving rock could take out anything.

APFSDS Loaded....
Target Locked....
Charging Sequence Check....
Charge Complete....
Trigger Safety Disengaged....

Rhino took careful aim, verifying the target lock as the Skollr worked to reaquire his target, seeing the Secutor had launched itself above where the Roanoke's shot came through. Grinning to himself, he fired the MAC-011, the entire frame shuddering as the APFSDS round was sent hurtling down towards the stationary Skollr, the 170mm sabot dart combining ballistic and magnetic acceleration to punch violently through the shield and armored core of the Skollr, overpenetrating clean through to the other side, sending a spray of electronics and vital internals scattering across the breadth of space. A sobering reminder that all the armor in the world didn't matter in the face of a sufficiently large gun. Opening comms, Rhino was professional in tone, though that pleasant casualness was still there in spite of being the focus of several MAS units at the same time. The only realistic threat among the Fenrir and Skollr would have been the missiles or scattercannons, and neither could have been effectively deployed against him, it was proving to be a fairly standard operation so far, despite the fleet damage in place currently.

"Skollr units down, moving to provide fire support..."

The destruction of the one destroyer caught Johann's attention, glancing at the HUD as the info scrawl proceeded. Heavy unit, overcharged flight systems, superheavy platform capable of keeping up with lighter frames and putting that class of weapons to work. He'd heard talk among other pilots about some cutting edge super MAS being encountered in some fights, but that's neither here nor there. Right now he had a valid target, and as the loading system spooled up to select the next shell type, he began moving into effective range to engage the Fafnir. Granted, effective range for him was a long ways off but with the bulk of the MAS forces suppressed or destroyed, but with how agile the unit was he would have to watch for an ideal moment to strike, or get in dangerously close. Either suited him fine, but for now he would work at standoff range.

"Vulture, Rhino: You got things here? They are going to need help putting that thing down if the specs are to be believed."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Rolan allowed Ser Gerard to say his piece as he listened and observed the fae hunter, noting that they were focusing back on their original goal for being here to begin with. His fellow knight had a better grasp on how to speak with and negotiate with the fae, his dealings with business prior to finding a place among the Knights was often hunting those who either broke the law or otherwise took advantage of those who could not protect themselves. Negotiating the restoration of a man's mind after unknown trespasses against some 'Moonlit Queen', even after earning an audience with 'his lady' as the fae hunter mentioned, was a bit further beyond his capabilities. Still, he had an obligation to see this through and he couldn't let his fellows left hanging in the breeze, as it were, and he stood, still carefully holding the two Aessyr. "Aithne, Enfys, we are about to depart. Would you prefer to rest longer, and come along, or do you have other preferences?"

Rolan did not intend to simply dump the two Aessyr on a flower or something and leave them to their devices, and given how slowly Enfys seemed to be recovering, perhaps a meeting with this Moonlit Queen would benefit them as well. Besides, having witnesses to the rescue efforts, doubly so when they had made no request for reward in return, might provide them some manner of consideration that would not otherwise exist. Assuming that very consideration wasn't being used to even gain a meeting with the Moonlit Queen, or however the hunter's Lady preferred to be addressed, but that was a bridge to be burned later. For now they had a destination, a way to progress the order's efforts in the area, though they would not be able to split any of their number off to go inform the bulk of their number. Assuming they were still, somehow, sitting idly in place entertaining a madman. Something he greatly doubted.

"Then we can depart immediately, if nothing else reporting this hunt concluded should not be postponed and I would not wish to keep your Lady waiting." Rolan hoped that Ser Gerard had some hidden savvy at negotiation, or perhaps Dame Yael or Ser Caulder might prove deft experts at such things. Otherwise he would have to rely on his experiences, and those were a massively far cry from dealing with the Fae. If he could, he would have surrendered his position here to allow Ser Fionn to take the forefront of the impending negotiations. Then again, if hope solved all the world's problems none of them would be needed for their martial prowess. He would have to carry this out to the best of his abilities, and handle the backlash of any missteps from there. By their combined efforts they might come up with a tenable agreement to free the Duke's mind from the grips of madness.

@HereComesTheSnow@VitaVitaAR

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Mentally noting Ser Caulder as fine enough, Rolan was focusing his attention on the unconscious Aessyr in his grasp right now, gentle as he was being. It didn't take long to be joined by the one who had asked for their help, who was quick to try and rouse her friend rather than allowing him to continue getting the worst of the grime and ichor off the unconscious one, and a sinking feeling in his gut began to mount. Rousting someone unconscious was the realm of smelling salts and the like, but anything in his kit was meant for a fully grown adult. Even treating a child was easier since one could reasonably estimate how much to reduce a treatment by, but an Aessyr that literally fit into the palm of his hand? A few drops at most, which even then seemed excessive, and he was about to answer Ser Gerard's request for her condition negatively when she started waking up, almost missed due to how slight it was. "Seems she is coming to, fortunately."

Given he was preoccupied with the two Aessyr, Rolan had to let the others handle watching for trouble or something else coming into the clearing to investigate the sound of combat and noise. The tearful reunion going on in his hands made him feel a touch awkward, he never was one for wearing one's heart on their sleeve, and it kind of left him unable to respond quickly should something come up. He didn't have the lack of heart to interrupt the two Aessyr, however, not at this juncture when there was no overt threat, or even anything he could sense hiding in the underbrush. Of course he was wrong, but at the appearance of the clearly fae hunter, his instinct was to move one of his hands to his blades, or satchel, but given the circumstances he made no such move. The hunter could have struck any one of them down should he have wanted to, and casually wielding a great bow as he did meant that armor might not have put up as much of a fight as one might hope.

Tall, well built, incredibly underdressed but that could be overlooked given the whole 'being a fae' fact. His tone commanded presence in the woods they were currently in, addressing them as children of men and speaking that he was hunting the abomination they slew. Convenient that he didn't reveal himself until after his prey was dead, but he wasn't going to attempt to puzzle out the thought process of a fae. Possibly waiting to see how they collectively responded to the Aessyr fished from the remains of the Gannek in case they proved hostile to the fae overall as well, that made sense from a certain perspective. A shared enemy did not make for allies, and landing a killing shot when the fight was up close and pitched as it was took a steady hand. Doubly so when trying to not injure swallowed fae, so he did not question or even bring up the wait to reveal himself until after the hunt was done. "We did as we were asked, free the Aessyr from the thing's guts. Hunting the creature down in the process makes the woods better for all parties with a vested interest in it's health."

@VitaVitaAR@HereComesTheSnow

Falling Skies

Lieutenant Commander Johann "Rhino" Von Brandt

---

"You know how it goes Vulture, we've made the mistake of being competent, so we get tossed headlong into it. No one's immune to it."

Johann had an easy going, friendly tone even as they were waiting to launch, though he did wince at the sheer volume of the FNG sounding off at full volume. FNG with bleeding edge tech, hope it kept him alive and well was all the consideration that he could afford for the kid. Lot of light to middle weights overall, something that suited him fine as far as possible tactics were concerned. Too much of any one thing left glaring weaknesses in such groups, even if none of them could appreciate standard issue. Wouldn't have gotten this far if any of them were, even the new blood's toy, and he kept relaxed as he waited patiently for his time to launch. Misfit sounded off last, another medium MAS pilot for the team but one that seemed like the perfect foil to the rather loud energy of the FNG, but they finally, at long last, got the green light to launch. Finally, even if it wasn't his preference of combat zones.

Rabbit and Hex went first, and it seemed the launch teams decided they wanted to get the Heavy MAS off the deck and out of the way. Decoupling fully from the Roanoke power grid, the far heavier tread of the Secutor locking into place made him mentally brace as he waited for the launch. He hated fighting in space, no proper orientation, no bracing against the ground, and the Secutor has been, at its most charitable, been described as 'a quite aerodynamic brick'. Even in space, maneuvering to evade was not the most practical strategy for him to employ. Fortunately, he didn't have to, and he was already preparing to fire off the thrusters the moment they sent the Secutor hurtling into the void, correcting his facing as soon as he was clear of the hanger, evaluating the situation as he got out of the way of the rest of his fellow pilots, moving as per protocol for the moment as to not entangle the remaining pilots in possible emergency maneuvers.

Ibara had been gutted by incoming fire and strike formations, MAS and more conventional craft alike, as a plasma shot rolled in to put the final blow into her, marking another casualty in the war, not much he could do for them. Pair of destroyers were working to try and make a run on the carrier, but their own compliments of MAS and fighters were in a losing battle as well, and too far away for Rhino to effectively cross the distance and engage. That left the 'front', quite a number of Fenrir II and, more concerningly, Sköllr Heavies, which could not be allowed to approach. The flanking Garmr squad was moving fast through the debris field to pincer them, while both Rabbit and Hex were already deploying to fight. Rabbit forming into a fighter configuration while Hex opened up and evaded missiles. Speaking of, system alarms alerted him of incoming ordinance, thrusters flaring to full life to evade the dumb fire, while several micro missiles from the Katar CIWS launched from his back shoulder, the smaller missiles darting out and causing the space between him and the debris field to light up with intercepted munitions detonating well and truly prematurely. Engaging the Sköllr units anywhere close was dangerous, but the debris field was too much cover to risk his limited 170mm ammunition.

"Vulture, Rhino, moving to intercept and tie down the main Coalition MAS force. Can't let those Sköllr get close." Having informed their leader of his plan, Rhino pushed the thruster to carry him increasingly towards the encroaching Coalition MAS units. Incoming fire from the 35mm autocannons was ignored, munitions that hit doing little more than scratching the paint of the dense, uparmored frame moving steadily towards the enemy. With his MAC-011 secured, he instead deployed the M81 out of the Secutor's right gauntlet instead. Tracking incoming targets, Rhino let loose a short burst of 30mm rounds, forcing the lead elements of the Coalition MAS units to either take cover or run the gauntlet of incoming fire. One Fenrir II was feeling bold, mistaking the Secutor's automatic fire for a Sentry's more modern assault autocannon perhaps. Breaking free of the debris field, more 35mm rounds deflected off the sloped armor that the Secutor boasted, and now that he had coaxed the Fenrir out of hiding, Rhino held nothing back.

The steady, shuddering barrage of 35mm ammunition steadily tore apart the Fenrir as it attempted to engage in evasive maneuvers, though it exposed its flight boosters which got torn apart by the Armor Piercing Incendiary rounds, taking out the bulk of its maneuverability and allowing the walking fire to tear apart the rest, sending it spiraling out of control back into the debris field. Dead or disabled, it didn't matter to Rhino as he began maneuvering the Secutor, screening his lesser armored allies from the encroaching bulk of the MAS forces. He would have to leave the flanking lights to another, but short of them trying to get into metaphorical knife fighting range and go for the joints, he was confident they had nothing that could do any lasting damage. His strategy was simple, block the Coalition forces, force them to engage him, and bring them out into strike range of his allied pilots.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Ser Gerard was practically deafening in his battlecry, moving deceptively fast to bring that blade around to finally rend the wretched thing's head clean from its shoulders, and Rolan would step back, narrowly avoiding the onrush of shadowed bile and ichor. The length of the cut seemed to have been more of a point of no return for the thing rather than the whole wound, watching the thing hemorrhage its insides out onto the ground. The utter lack of organs was unsettling, even as the gnawing hunger and pressing darkness vanished almost immediately. He kept his eyes on the dying, fading corpse of the Gannek as it withered away into nothing, half expecting one last desperate grasp at survival or, barring that, not going alone, but no it seemed well and truly dead, much to their collective good fortune. Glancing at the torch in his hand, it had sputtered out while the thing died, and once ensuring it wouldn't start a blaze, discarded the spent torch onto the ground. They had plenty of natural light to work with now, no need to start another improvised torch yet. He instead fetched a rag from his bag, cleaning the blade of his sword before sheathing it once more.

Scanning the guts and ichor, there was a lot of grim tidings. Bone fragments, chunks of...meat he would assume, but a first glance revealed nothing of the Aessyr. Rolan was about to comment on the matter when something caught his eye, a small figure in a pile of bile. Shoving his own distaste back, he stepped into the ichor and bile, squatting down to carefully fish the Aessyr out of the bile. Faded clothing, drooped wings, but the slight motions showed she was still breathing. Using the rag from before, he carefully began cleaning the black bile off the tiny figure. Dexterous and careful were two things Rolan could consider himself good at when it came to handling delicate things, he remembered more than his share of burns and injuries learning alchemy from being even a touch too heavy handed. Being careful now was practically second nature.

"Still breathing, fortunately for us. Hopefully once this bile is cleaned off she can begin recovering. How's your head Ser Caulder?" It was indeed a hope more than anything else that once the bile was gone she would recover naturally, or as naturally as a fae might. He was no expert on treating any of their kind, and while if needed he could likely come up with something to ease Ser Caulder's no doubt ringing head, waking the Aessyr would be another matter completely. If a simple clean and rest didn't sort matters out, they would have to ask her friend about restoring her health beyond simply being freed of the Gannek. As if calling that hunt simple did it any credit, but he would be putting the memory of the wretched thing and its hungry dark firmly in the past and out of mind if he could help it.

@VitaVitaAR@HereComesTheSnow