Octo

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

The Hundi patted Lirrah's head, helped her to her feet, and then wandered off. Lirrah would marvel at her lack of social grace if she was in any mind to, but she really wasn't. Still in shock, she wordlessly took Cadmon's... wound rag? He was right, it certainly wasn't a nice handkerchief, but what else could she expect? As she dried her tears and blew her nose, staining the rag with blood from the raw tips of her fingers, Kayliss approached. Before she could reply to Cadmon, the woman interjected with something about bringing civilians along to battle. A small slight against Lirrah. She knew it.

Lirrah bit her lip. Even if she wanted to list all the things she had helped with, every last accomplishment would be dwarfed under the words "desertion" and "cowardice". She had been huddled over crying, and nothing she'd done before and nothing she might do after would change that. As far as her latest client was concerned, she was a poison supply.

As Lirrah was searching for words, which for once wouldn't come, Irian approached as well and tried to reassure her.

Lirrah wanted to be reassured. She wanted to feel better. But she was feeling crowded. Usually she thrived on attention, but now it felt patronizing. Her eyes began darting again, from person to person, wondering what they were really thinking on the inside. It was hard to feel like they weren't all really looking down on her, even if they weren't. Even if they were only trying to be nice. Lirrah started breathing heavily again, and then shook her head roughly.

"I... I have to get out of here," Lirrah choked, turning to bolt. She was an excellent runner. Even the Juyuem could scarcely keep up with her. It was something she could normally take some pride in, only not now.

But at the very least, her legs would carry her away from her shame.

...If they didn't still feel like gelatin.

Lirrah got only a few paces away before she tripped over herself and set to skid across the rough, dusty stonework.

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

Lirrah only cried harder as the emotionally unavailable Hundi answered her distress in a dismissive deadpan. Her tears and snot seemed to magically evaporate before they even reached Gisela's robe, as if the woman's garments were a symbol of her inability to be phased by the little Nem's plight.

Ila-Nem, she was the worst at emotions.

Lirrah shook when she heard a voice address her from outside of her magical cocoon, and turned quickly to regard Cadmon with a pathetic teary-eyed, snotty-nosed, hiccupping countenance that she would show to no person by choice, but there it was. Even the lethargic noble that felt fit to use her as bait was concerned for her well-being, if he wasn't being sardonic. Could she get any lower?

"I... I..." Lirrah managed to choke out before she heard a loud CRACK from the other room. Then, the sounds of battle died out, leaving only an eerie silence. A good deal of the terror animating her body with the nervous rigidity of a scarecrow left in an instant, and her limbs turned to gelatin as she collapsed in a mess on the cold floor.

"Some fresh air... would be nice..." she croaked.

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

The Hundi's terse question snapped Lirrah out of her anguished reverie, and she jumped in surprise like a cat that had just noticed the world's most terrifying cucumber. She landed on her butt, but managed to catch herself before she fell completely backwards, her arms shaking as if the hands that propped her up were the only things between her and a great fall.

A mountainous fall.

She whimpered as she looked up at the Hundi, her red eyes constantly tracing the room, pupils massively dilated. She wanted to ask if the fight was over, but she knew that wasn't the case. She could still hear the sounds of battle. Could she even speak? Lirrah tried to say something, but her throat closed up. She just looked at the mage, mouth agape like an imbecile, looking for all the world like the coward everyone knew she was.

Then, crying like a lost child, Lirrah desperately grabbed for the hem of the Hundi's robe, and would go on to sob on Gisela's clothes if not pushed away.

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

Lirrah couldn't much answer Irian, and could only sputter unintelligibly in response to his trying to comfort her, but she appreciated it all the same. She wanted to close her eyes. She wanted to deprive herself of one sense to mitigate the flood of information that was turning her brain into soup, but every time she tried, she imagined that danger would pounce on her and catch her unawares. Her eyes were her only weapon against the fear, but also her greatest weakness.

The Lamia, it appeared, was looking back at her on occasion when there was a lull in the combat. What did she want? Maybe she was looking down on Lirrah for being a weak coward. Perhaps she was disappointed in how pathetic the tiny merchant really was.

Well, Lirrah had come all this way. She'd helped out a lot. She'd done more than anyone could have expected, so ducking out now should be completely acceptable, right? Why was everyone always looking down on her?

Lirrah's perfectly polished and manicured nails raked the stonework beneath her, roughly chipping and grating as tears fell from her eyes.

The night, as a whole, stretched her thinner and thinner over the proceedings, and this was the breaking point. First, she was only illuminating the enemy. Then, she was shooting them in the back while they fled. Then, staking her life in a potentially trapped tomb. The Witch? Ridiculous. It was too much for her tiny Nem heart, especially after all of the other things. She'd snapped, and now all she could do was claw at the ground as paranoid thoughts ran through her head about how everyone she had gotten to know in the Lions would hate her. That is, if they got out alive at all.

How could they all be so brave? How were they not clawing at the ground in anguish? Not rolled up in a whimpering ball? It made Lirrah feel like the odd one out, but this wasn't normal. There had to be some madness behind their courage. Some failing that somehow made her cowardice acceptable. But the woman who saved her life was heading up the charge, so if they were the flawed ones, what did that make Lirrah?

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

Lirrah's body practically vibrated, twitching like a nervous rodent as Irian prepared himself. Lirrah tried to catch her breath, but couldn't. She breathed in and out rapidly, but somehow felt like she was suffocating. As Irian's quiver glowed, however, a small part of her panic was assuaged. He weaved magic into his archery. That would surely be a boon. More than Lirrah could do, certainly.

Her surprising speed, and Irian's swiftness in turn, would bring then quickly back near where Lirrah had fled. Her arm trembled as she pointed towards the chamber, where the sounds of combat still echoed. She tried to explain the situation better on their short trip back, but mostly ended up crying and sputtering. Then, as if she had just run twenty miles without rest, Lirrah collapsed to her knees well outside of the combat area.

Despite her selfishness, her manipulative nature, and her cowardice, she really did want to stand with the Lions.

But her legs did not listen to her heart.

"T-this... a-as far as I... I can g-go," Lirrah wheezed through her pained hyperventilating, "h-help them... I would... g-get in the way... t-this time."

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

Lirrah swallowed heavily as the Witch giggled, but the smile never left her face. What did she mean by that? If she was going to make any Nem into a doll, she'd want Lirrah, wouldn't she? Lirrah was simply too cute and amazing, and would make too fantastic of a doll to pass up. Lirrah slowly backed away. Her negotiating didn't pan out quite how she wanted it to. If anything, it probably made her seem an appetizing plaything.

As Velvetica and Tabitha continued to talk, a few things came to light, but Lirrah was a bit more concerned with making herself look very small and non-threatening to give the words much credence. These tidbits were thoughts for later. Thoughts for when they weren't right in front of a super powerful doll woman. Still, things seemed to be calming down.

And then, when things were at their calmest, the storm broke out.

Sworn to Velt? Test your resolve? Lirrah nearly had a heart attack creeping through an empty tomb.

And Lirrah was no Lion.

The moment Tabitha's murder-doll sprang forward, Lirrah bolted. What could she do? A few plans ran through her mind, but they were all filled with so many uncertainties that she dare not even try. Acid was the only thing she had that might work, but the splashback might hurt whoever was engaged with it. Her experience in Nem archery made her a prime candidate to gum up the doll's joints with arrows, but she didn't know if she had the power to put an arrow into what she assumed was some sort of magically-enforced material. She was a slightly above-average archer with average gear.

But she did know of a better archer who might have better gear.

When Lirrah sprinted, it was glorious. Her stubby legs somehow carried her farther and faster than almost any Lion. Lirrah was always very proud of her speed, though that speed couldn't really be turned into power or competence on the battlefield. She jumped, slid, and rolled across the ancient debris like water flowing through a creek, never losing speed, and called out for Irian so as not to lose any time. They needed his help, not hers.

"IIII-RIIII-AAAN," Lirrah's terrified squeak echoed through the hallway, bursting through the entrance where the Elf was keeping watch, "THERE'S A WITCH! NOT FIGHTING! MURDER DOLL IS FIGHTING! SHOOT! SHOOT SCARY BLADE DOLL! NOT WITCH! NOT SHOOT WITCH!"

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

Lirrah trembled as she made her way into the tomb. Irian would need people more skilled than her in the case of a counter-ambush, and though her eyes would be of good use in that respect, she personally suspected a higher likelihood of a trap inside than a force that Roger hadn't detected from the skies. In that way, she considered that she'd be of better use spotting for the explorers. It soon became readily apparent, however, that there were no cultists and no traps. In a way, that put her on edge even more. She'd hoped that the third party, whoever they were, was somehow swift enough in their machinations to have cleared out before the Lions reached the heart. Lirrah didn't particularly sense any magic about the place, but she was untrained in the mystic arts, and Velvetica seemed to agree with the mage. Well, if there was magic, and it wasn't of the expected type, then it might have belonged to Lirrah's suspected third party. Theories could harmonize, after all.

It was the effigies being destroyed that really sealed the deal for Lirrah. Only someone not affiliated with the cult, and certainly not whatever they planned on summoning, would have done such a thing.

It turned out she was probably right-ish and probably wrong-ish.

Lirrah had assumed that someone close to the Lions sold the information and coordinated with a party that wanted something with the cultists, but didn't have a large enough force (or not enough drive to get a bunch of their people killed) to do it without a big, distracting murder party. For that, Lirrah was probably wrong on all counts.

Because they were apparently dealing with a capital-W-Witch.

She'd only really heard legends about such things. Legends so infamous and wide-spread that some had even reached her homeland. She was certain that such a creature could have figured out anything about their plans through any number of magical methods, if she had the inclination.

There were too many unknowns, but since Lirrah wasn't dead yet, the Witch probably wasn't hostile to them at the moment. It might have been safest to remain quiet, but Velvetica seemed to want to talk. It was Velvetica's duty to find out what was happening in these lands, and it would be at their peril. Well, if that was the way it was going to go, Lirrah would have to assist. If she couldn't be counted on to talk, then what use was she?

"S-safas ma tasu, miss Witch," Lirrah greeted, smiling pleasantly. If the Witch could understand those words, it would likely make her feel in-the-know, and build some immediate rapport. If she didn't know them, and she was the curious type, then it might engage her.

If it made her feel small and stupid, Lirrah would probably be dead soon. But 'probably dead soon' seemed to be the order of the day. At this point, she could only gamble and take her shot.

The doll body, Lirrah noted, seemed to be very detailed and well-made. She had on a frankly beautiful dress, with ribbons and frills, and had coordinated her entire person with cool colors that went well together. This was a person that lovingly chose every aspect of her appearance, and due to being a Witch, probably didn't have a lot of people to compliment her work. In short, she was probably pretty vain. None of her choices served any practical purpose, and Lirrah understood this well.

"My name is Lirrah. I love your dress, py the way. You look radiant today~"

Lirrah hoisted her biggest, sweetest smile over the fear on her face.

"It seems you have done us a service! L-less work for us, of course! We were merely wondering why. If it were me, I'd pe afraid of getting too much plood on my nice dress. Forgive us this curiosity, put might you sate it?"

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

Lirrah's body was still on high alert, despite the fact that the fighting was over. Almost everyone that wasn't ripped apart, stabbed, or exploded, Lirrah was relatively certain she had killed while their backs were turned. Or, had she accidentally missed a vital and left a few alive, they were probably taken care of by the other Lions on the way to the cultists' hideout.

Lirrah did not particularly care to look, if a few needed to be finished off.

Once they got to where the group supposedly made their dwelling, however, they were greeted with an unexpected sight: destroyed effigies and barriers. Ones that they hadn't seen to. There was a lack of manpower, and a good deal of blood at the entrance. The blood was fresh, but there were no dead bodies in sight. Lirrah's eyes wildly scanned everything she could see, because she was still under the dominion of her adrenaline-soaked brain, but she heaved the sort of not-at-all-bothered smile onto her face that she was used to affecting. She was a Lion, for the moment, and Lions weren't bothered by all the things that tore into her own little Nem heart.

"I-it would have had to pe near-simultaneous, wouldn't it?" Lirrah mused, smiling with an almost disturbing amount of calm for someone's first sortie, despite the shaking words nearly getting caught in her throat.

Lirrah dare not go further than anyone else to investigate. That was for the tough ones. The brave ones.

"A coincidence of such enormity that it must pe elevated to the level of a miracle," she went on, trying to figure out how and why such a thing might happen, hoping to be of at least some use as long as she was going to be there, "which is to say, something like an impossipility. At almost the exact time they left to take our pait, a different force rushed in to take their hideout. However, since I cannot pelieve in such miracles, the only explanation for that is that the other force somehow knew our plans to the moment. A most disturping thought, put that is only one theory. If that was the case, though, then the other force must want something that they think the cultists have. Something that we might take if we were the ones raiding. Otherwise, why put their own lives on the line if we were just going to take care of it?"

Though Lirrah's response was an extension of Velvetica's initial confusion, she spoke to anyone who might listen. The longer she was talking, the more likely someone else was to get closer to the entrance and not her.

In a way, this theory may have been a reflection of herself. She could come up with it, because under different circumstances she could see herself selling the Lions' information for coin and collaborating with a third party. Cultists get killed either way, less strain on Lion resources. Everyone wins! Only, Lirrah would not do that. Information like that is precious, and could easily be sold back to any number of people who intend the Lions harm. Or maybe the group she was collaborating with were very good liars.

Though it made her nauseous, Lirrah knew well that there might be a world in which she did just that and counted her coin as her compatriots got slaughtered in a counter-ambush. Lirrah, looking slightly sick, shook her head.

"But I didn't, and wouldn't, do that."

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

Lirrah's expression was utterly ineffable to all. Even she didn't know what the feelings on her face were meant to convey. A strange cocktail of terror, excitement, and outright mania coalesced into something like an enormous smile as a third flask ruptured inside an enemy formation.

It wasn't her own actions that rampaged through her mind. It was that of the other Lions. The ones who were competent at killing. For a moment, Lirrah nearly mistook István for a monster. He descended upon the mass like a fearsome Djinni right out of the bedtime stories of Near Eastern children, but she doubted your average storybook Djinni could possess the sort of bloodlust that István seemed to relish.

Your wish is granted.

István had ruthlessly rammed his heel into a cultist, stomping him into the dirt like a cockroach, illuminated in flame. He had normally seemed so calm when purchasing his coffee beans. Gruff and big and scary, but relatively even in temper. She had never really imagined him like this.

But they were all answering her call. All wish-granters, delivering on her plea. Lirrah might have been rendered catatonic if she hadn't seen similar slaughter before, when Velvetica had rescued her from brigands.

Ah, Velvetica. Lirrah could not help but think that the way she killed people was so beautiful that it might have been a harmless, expertly-choreographed dance. The blood spurting from that man's throat might as well have been a quantity of ribbons they had prepared beforehand, for effect. It seemed like he might get up after Velvetica was all done, and take a bow with her other victims.

But of course, Lirrah knew that wasn't going to happen. She could ruminate on the fighting styles of all the Lions, but was thankfully jerked back to reality by Kayliss, her newest customer. Cover her. That was something Lirrah could do. She had illuminated all the cultists who had been in the back by now, and they were swiftly being taken care of by Irian. The least Lirrah could do would be to look out for her newest prospect.

Lirrah shook her head, and concentrated on Kayliss, who had taken to the very edges of the battle. There was no doubt in her mind that Kayliss would avoid most detection even without Lirrah's help, what with the darkness and the confusion of battle, but some of the enemies had started backing off. The Lions struck like lightning, so it was easy to imagine the tripping of the fight-or-flight switch. It was the fliers that Kayliss was probably worried about.

Lirrah had her bow at the ready. Her hands were shaking, so she smacked her own cheek.

"Get it together," she thought, "no one will come to hurt the Nem merchant in the back. Everyone else is too dazzling for them to see you. You're safe. Calm down... and shoot."

Lirrah re-steadied herself just as a fleeing cultist began to bolt in Kayliss' direction. She might not have been as practiced with the bow as Irian, but Lirrah's night vision was amazing and fleeing enemies were relatively predictable in trajectory. She let loose an arrow, and one cultist fell.

Ah... now this was something she could do. Pick off the runners. It didn't seem very knightly, but Lirrah was no knight, after all.

Pull, aim, release.

With the added benefit of not needing to shoot into melee. She wasn't confident enough in her skills to not hit an ally this far away.

Pull, aim, release.

She hoped everyone would want to try her food later.

Pull, aim, release.

The Lion's Banner: A Fire Emblem-Inspired Anime Fantasy RP

Lirrah nodded at the Steel Princess as she packed an explosive flask into her sling, and began swinging. Light up the back and kill them all before they can join the conflict. Lirrah had thought about how to put her vision to use, and she was glad that Velvetica approved. She wasn't very experienced in this sort of conflict, but it was easy enough to not feel too bad about the blood that would be on her hands. Necromancers? Hadriyu. Savage creatures that only killed and consumed and caused havoc.

Lirrah had killed Hadriyu before. Marking a few cultists for the archers and mages to slaughter was little different. There would be no hesitation in her throw.

One good thing about the sling was that it didn't take a strong arm to use one effectively. Most of the force came from the swinging, so even someone as small as Lirrah could throw a good distance. She was only accurate for so far of her maximum range, but pinpoint accuracy wasn't required of her now. Just a general area.

And when Velvetica called down the storm, a general area is what she got. What must have gone through the blackguards' minds when the world exploded into bright flames all around them? With one last swing of her arm, Lirrah hurled the flask and lit up the cultists who had waited in the back like the midday sun. She loaded up another, began swinging, and when the fear and confusion was at its peak, she let another fly into a second group.

"Kill 'em, kill 'em, kill 'em," Lirrah squeaked, her little heart nearly pounding out of her chest with the excitement and stress of a battle joined.