A/N: Heyo! Guess who got around to finally making chapter 20?!
In all honesty, I'm sorry this took so long to come out, I had already planned out this chapter in advance but I just never got around to deatiling it.
Also, COVID happened. So yeah, that's a thing.
Anyways, heres to hoping a new cover art to go with the new chapter will mean a new consistency in uploading!
Pleas enjoy the chapter, the next one is on it's way!
o - o - o - o - o - o - o
"So, is there anything that you don't understand?" Robin asked, stretching her arms a little as she finished up her explanation of the plan.
"No, I think I got it," Brady replied tiredly, twirling his staff against his shoulder, "So basically, we wait for an explosion then we charge in?"
"More like cleaning up," The silver-haired tactician explained, "If the structure is anything like the last. The cannon fire will raze that thing to the ground before we can even respond."
"Not being rude, but it might not come up all roses, you know?" The priest warned, leaning forward a bit, "I doubt a few shots will bring a sturdy stone church to the ground. Plus, there musta been a reason the bandits picked this for their hideout instead of the woods themselves."
"Well, even then, we have enough forces to take them on," Robin replied confidently, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, "It's not like we're relying solely on the initial barrage to take them out."
The younger priest seemed unconvinced but said no more, shrugging his shoulders instead. Robin snorted softly at the action, rolling her eyes a little.
"Well, it'll be fine. You'll see," She assured him, walking back to the rest of the group, "Come, we need to move."
Brady nodded, groaning a little as he got to his feet, following behind her.
"Hey... Brady," Robin began, not breaking her pace, "Do you know where your friend might be?"
The blonde man did not reply, his gaze dropping to the forest floor as he walked in silence.
The tactician let the silence hang for a while, stretching lightly before saying, "If you don't know, then it's fine. Just asking so that we can help you find her easier when this is all over."
"No... I do know where she is," Brady replied hesitantly, "Just that our situation is a bit... delicate, you might say..."
A brief pause passed between the two of them, almost as if waiting for a third person to speak up.
"Look, it's complicated," The blonde man blurted out, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I understand," Robin told him, turning around to give him a small smile, "But if there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."
The soft din of preparation tickled Robin's ears as she stepped onto the clearing once more, the sight of men scuttling about as they began to mobilise. Her eyes came to rest on Ignatius, the beefy commander standing in the centre of the clearing, giving orders to those that came to him. On his right stood Noel, the quiet squire giving Robin a nod as he resumed his position by Ignatius' side. Pheros, Elaine and Dalton stood off to one side, watching the buzz as they waited for the command to move out. Their eyes lit up as they saw the tactician approach, moving up to meet her halfway.
"So, Hon," Pheros began, pulling her horse along with her, "What's the plan now?"
"Did Ignatius give any commands to you?" Robin asked.
"No," Dalton replied, spitting off to one side, "As if I'd listen to anything he had to say."
Robin shot the cavalier a glare but said nothing, deciding it was a better use of her energy to get further instructions. She promptly marched over to the big man, giving him a polite bow as she approached.
"So, what's the plan now?"
"For now, we split into small groups to move through the forest. Noel here will be the one giving the signal to fire," The big man rumbled in response, giving the much smaller squire a pat on the back, "Once the barrage settles down, we charge in to attack. Clean up the survivors and we leave before morning."
"Understood," The tactician replied, giving him a crisp salute, "I shall pass this down to my men."
And with that, she spun on her heel, walking back to Pheros and the others to disseminate the information.
"We're attacking now?" Elaine asked after hearing the plan, "Shouldn't we wait for nightfall to attack? That way the enemy won't be expecting us."
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," Robin interjected, wagging a finger, "Night is when they will definitely have their guard up. When camping out at night, one sets up a night watch lest their camp be attacked by feral wolves. In this case though, the wolves have weapons and armour."
"I see," Pheros muttered, leaning on her staff, "Then is there a reason this current time was chosen to attack?"
"Dusk or dawn are the best times to attack as that is the time when one's guard is the lowest," The silver-haired woman continued, brushing a lock of hair out of her face, "That's when shifts change, when the guards are resupplied with ammunition. Plus, we must make our move soon, or else our ships below will lose the daylight to aim their cannons."
Pheros and Elaine nodded in understanding satisfied with her explanation.
"Alright," Robin said lazily, rolling her neck out, "So how do we split ourselves?"
o - o - o - o - o - o - o
Robin's eyes flickered left and right, scanning the underbrush as she carefully walked through the forest. The light of the fast setting sun filtered through the thin leaves of the canopy above, painting the forest floor in a dappled glow. Now more than ever, the silence of the forest made itself apparent, becoming even distracting at times as she strained her ears to perceive even the slightest noise.
They had split up into two groups. With Pheros and Dalton paired together while she herself moved with Elaine and Brady. The silver-haired woman glanced back at the other two, making sure they were keeping pace. Elaine seemed to be doing well enough, deftly avoiding the patches of dried leaves as she followed behind her. Brady, on the other hand, seemed to be having trouble navigating the terrain, trying his best to avoid making any noise.
Suddenly, a muffled snap came from her right. Instantly, the tactician snapped her head forward, dropping her hips as she lowered herself into a full crouch. Her left hand shot reflexively, giving the 'hold' command to the two behind her. A light rustle from behind told her that they had seen her command. The three of them lay motionless, ears pricked to try and detect any sounds at all. Ten seconds passed Then twenty Then a full minute. No noise detected at all.
Robin cautiously began to lift her head up, trying to peek up over the surrounding foliage. The forest was still, not even a leaf falling from the treetops above. The scene felt ethereal, magical even, almost as if suspended in time.
Suddenly, a glint of light caught Robin's attention as something came flying out from the bushes on her left. The tactician reacted instantaneously, making a dive onto the forest floor. The smell of dirt and mulch filled her nostrils as she felt her arms slide across the ground. A burning sensation burst forth from her shoulder, causing her to wince in pain. Apparently, she had not been as fast on the draw as she thought. The sounds of boots crashing through the underbrush shattered the silence prior as she tried to regain her footing, drawing her sword from its sheath.
Her eyes darted upwards, just in time to see a scruffy man burst through the bushes to her right. He glanced down at her, promptly swinging his axe onto of her. She threw her blade up, the axe clanging off it as coming down. The impact from the blow forced her back on the ground, knocking the wind out of her.
With a grunt, her assailant raised his weapon once more, ready to strike again. However, he only found the shaft of a brand-new blessed lance buried into his chest as the cyan-haired girl sprung forth from her cover, a fierce look on her face. Blood burbled from his mouth as he dropped his weapon, trying to wrench the sharp point out of his body.
"Get away from my friend," She growled, giving her weapon a sharp thrust.
The man let out a low groan as the lance sank deeper into his torso, pushing back and onto the ground as Elaine continued to press her weapon into him. His teeth gritted together as he kicked the earth, his struggling weakening with each passing second.
Just as they seemed to have control, a sharp cry came from the cyan-haired pegasus knight as she lurched hunched over, a fresh arrow sticking out of the shoulder.
"Elaine!" Robin gasped, quickly scrambling to her feet.
Without preamble, she raised her hand in the direction of the shot, feeling the mana course through her arm. A small fireball burst forth, scorching through parts of the underbrush before impacting with a tree in the distance. In the split second of light that the fire provided, she caught sight of a hooded figure ducking down to the side.
'Not so fast!' The tactician thought to herself, casting an elthunder spell at him.
The twin lightning bolts shot towards him, the man struggling to get his feet under him. Robin bit her lip in frustration as the spell barely missed his head, streaking past him and striking yet another tree. She began to gather magic in her off-hand yet again, feeling the warmth spreading through her arm.
Her eyes quickly darted over to Elaine, her concern getting the better of her. She watched as the pegasus knight clutched her shoulder, grimacing as she pulled her weapon out of the bandit's now lifeless body.
"Brady, we need some help!" She called out, shooting a spell at the fleeing archer, "Where are you?"
"I could use some help myself!" Brady retorted, his voice strained.
The silver-haired woman whipped around to see the priest locked in combat with another bandit, the latter's face twisted into a sickening grin as he attempted to push his sword through Brady's staff.
Robin quickly dashed towards the two of them, her blade flashing like a stream of mercury as she whipped around and thrust at the gruff thug. The bandit yelped in pain as she buried the longsword partway into his shoulder, forcing him off the blonde priest. Without a moment of hesitation, she withdrew her blade, lunging forward to take his head off with a lateral slash. However, her enemy was ready this time and brought his shoulder up to block it. The steel sword dug deep into his leather pauldron, the blade being held fast inside it as Robin attempted to pull away.
"Watch out!" She heard Brady call out as she felt something sharp pierce her side. What? That archer was still alive?
The pain coming from her side was quickly overshadowed by the one coming from her stomach as she felt a booted foot kick her square in the abdomen. She felt herself lurch backwards, slamming into Brady as the two of them collapsed down in a heap. The taste of blood began to fill her mouth as she winced in pain, squeezing her eyes shut. Gods, she really needed some proper armour. A shout rang out from above her, reminding her of the current situation. Her eyes flew open to see her enemy standing over her, his sword raised high. She instinctively threw her blade up in front of her, averting her gaze as she braced for impact. But it never came. Instead, she heard a gurgling noise coming from the bandit in front of her.
She lowered her sword to see the thug stopped in his tracks, a sword sticking out of his mouth. He went limp, dropping his weapon as he slumped over to one side, revealing another man standing behind him.
"Well, that's no way to treat a lady," She heard him say, offering a hand towards her, "Here, let me help you up."
"There's one more!" Robin blurted out, disregarding the hand offered to her as she tried to get to her feet.
Almost as if on cue, there was a strum of a bowstring as another arrow came flying directly at them. The man's head snapped towards the source, deflecting the arrow with his blade as he cut it twain. Robin seized her chance, rolling onto her knees as she launched another elthunder spell at the archer. This time, she hit her mark, the bandit being illuminated in a bright yellow light before collapsing.
"Is that all of them?" The man asked from behind her, flicking the blood off his sword.
"Yeah, I think so," Robin replied, panting as she got up, "Thank you for your help."
"Don't worry about it," He said, "Anyone would've come to the aid of a maiden such as yourself."
The tactician perked up at the last sentence, peering behind her curiously as to who would even say such a corny line. The first thing she noticed was the coy smile on his face, above which sat two brown eyes that glinted with a charm not unlike Virion's. His grey hair was tossed back in a wild fashion, further adding on to his playboy aesthetic. The metal accents on his leather armour glinted in the fading sunlight, framing him in a way that made him almost look like a prince that had come to save a damsel in distress. Almost.
"Robin, are you okay?" Elaine asked, quickly jogging over. She paused upon seeing the newcomer standing there, her grip tightening around the shaft of her weapon. Seeing this, the man took a step backwards, not wanting to upset her.
"Relax, he's not one of them," The tactician assured her, rising to her feet. A throbbing pain in her side, reminded her that she had an arrow buried in it. Gritting her teeth tightly, she swiftly snapped the shaft off, choosing to leave the rest of it in until she could meet back up with Pheros.
"Once again, thank you for your assistance," She said, sheathing her sword "I'm Robin."
"A pleasure to meet you, Robin," He replied, giving her a full bow in response, "My name is Inigo, a travelling swordsman."
He tilted his head to the side, getting a better look at the silver-haired woman's wound.
"Is it alright to leave that alone? I have a vulnerary if you need it."
Robin waved a hand dismissively, saying, "It's fine, we have a healer with us."
Inigo nodded, still side-eyeing the injury as he turned to Elaine.
"And may I have the joy of knowing your name as well, fair lady?" He asked, bowing once more.
The pegasus knight's stern look melted away, giving way to a kind smile more befitting of the jubilant girl.
"Of course," She told him happily, "I'm Elaine. Thanks for saving my friend."
"Inigo? Is that you?" Robin heard Brady ask, the poor priest stumbling out of the nearby bush he had been pushed into.
The swordsman turned to see the priest, his face lighting up as he did.
"Brady!" He laughed, clapping the blonde man on the back, "Ha! What are the odds?"
"Gah! Not so hard!" Brady complained, rubbing the spot which Inigo had hit.
"You two know each other?" Robin asked, slightly bewildered as her eyes darted between the two.
"Of course, we do!" Inigo declared confidently, throwing an arm around the other, "Why, Brady and I are pals. Brothers even!"
"No, we ain't, ya crazy skirt-chaser!" Brady protested, shrugging his arm off, "We just know each other!"
Robin nodded her head slowly, eyeing up the swordsman. From what had just transpired, it was clear he was skilled with a blade. Furthermore, he knew Brady, which would make him a possible ally by extension. Her gaze wandered over to Elaine, the cyan-haired girl looking back at her for instructions on how to proceed.
"Anyway, c'mere," Brady called out, beckoning to both Elaine and Robin, "Lemme heal ya."
They both nodded, moving over and showing him their wounds.
"Anyway, Robin," Brady called out, his hand hovering over their injuries with a green glow, "We were supposed to be quiet right? Haven't we just ruined the plan then?"
"I don't think that's too much of a problem," The tactician replied as more shouts began to echo from the forest around, "Looks like these weren't the only bandits on guard."
She turned her attention to the grey-haired man, who happened to be looking intently at her with a smile on his face.
"Inigo was it?"
"The one and only" He replied, puffing his chest out.
"Okay, I'll keep it short," She continued, "We're currently trying to route a group of bandits up ahead and you look like you know your way around a blade. Would you be willing to join us?"
The swordsman glanced over at Brady momentarily, his expression unchanging as he did.
"Of course," He replied flamboyantly, giving her a light bow, "Why, what kind of man would I be if I ignored a lady in need?"
The tactician's heart skipped a beat… or at least it would have, had she not met the sovereign of seduction beforehand. Instead, a wry smile found its way onto her lips as she could not help but think how ridiculous it was that someone so similar to Virion existed.
"Alright, let's keep moving," She declared, dusting herself off, "I'll brief you as we move."
o - o - o - o - o - o - o
Robin dashed through the underbrush as she caught sight of the clearing ahead, the smell of the forest floor thick in the air around her. Fortunately, they had not run into any more bandits after their initial encounter, though the noises in the forest around her told her that the rest of Ignatius' men were not so lucky. She made a silent prayer for Pheros and Dalton's safety as she came to the edge of the clearing, hiding herself behind a thick bush. The distant sounds of battle were beginning to rise from the forest around her, making her slightly anxious as to whether their plan would work despite blowing their cover.
"How's it looking?" Elaine asked, catching up to her, "Are Pheros and Dalton here?"
The tactician held up a hand, signalling that she would check. She peered out of her hiding spot, taking in the terrain of the area. The sky took on a blooming orange hue as the sun began to disappear over the horizon, casting a yellow almost golden glow over the entire area. The clearing looked out over the sea, allowing a cool evening breeze to blow through the area and rustle the leaves of the trees at the other side of side.
In the centre of the clearing, Robin saw the church ruins plain as day. Its weathered stone brick walls stood tall over the flat ground around it, albeit damaged and cracked in many places. Almost as if acting as a support, Vines and moss ran along the sides of the walls, holding it together in many places where the damaged seemed the heaviest. Despite its dilapidated condition, the structure of the building itself had truly withstood the test of time. Compared to the temple where they met Brady, the general shape of the church was still intact, save for a few holes in the roof where the vines burst through. Apart from a few sparse trees, there was hardly any cover between the treeline and church. They would have to charge in head on.
Looking around, she saw small patches of Ignatius' men peeking out of the treeline, trying their best to hide with whatever cover they had. However, Pheros and Dalton were nowhere to be found. Neither were Ignatius and Noel. Robin hoped that this was due to them having better hiding capabilities rather than a result of them not making it.
"Not sure," She breathed, turning back around, "But knowing them, they probably are or will be soon."
Just then, a piercing whistle echoed throughout the area, cutting through the din from the forest. Robin winced slightly at the sound, reflexively bringing a hand up to cover one ear.
"Gods, what was that?" Robin heard Brady moan. She looked up to see that her other companions had just arrived.
"Indeed, that was a most unpleasant sound," Inigo agreed, shaking his head a little, "A far cry from the sweet melody of a singing maiden."
"I think that was the signal," Robin muttered, peeking out of her hiding spot once again.
Almost as if on cue, the sound of distant cannon fire rang out one after the other. After a short silence, the tactician watched as a black blur whizzed upwards, over the cliffside. It slammed into the side of the ruined church with a thunderous boom, shaking the earth beneath her feet. A second cannonball crashed into the wall in similar fashion, sending bits of stone and debris flying everywhere. Then another… and another… and soon the structure was being assailed by a barrage of solid iron. The church swayed under the impact from the bombardment, with parts of it crumbling and cracking apart.
"Wowee, look at those cannons go!" Elaine exclaimed, practically shouting to be heard over the loud din, "That ol' ruin doesn't stand a chance!"
"Doesn't look that way to me," Brady muttered, squinting out at the spectacle.
Robin did not want to admit it, but the priest was right. Despite the iron shower that was pelting into the side of it, the church still looked relatively unchanged. She had expected the initial barrage to at least destroy half of the structure, if not outright levelling it.
Suddenly, the doors to the church were suddenly flung open. A swarm of bandits began to pour out onto the clearing, all whooping and shouting as they brandished their weapons overhead. However, they clearly were not prepared as some of the stray cannonballs peeled off towards them, decimating their forces. Robin felt the tension in her cheat ease a little. At least they had done some damage to that huge army from before.
Just then, loud whinnies could be heard coming from the interior of the ruined building. The noise was so loud and unique that it could be distinctly heard over the raucous barrage. A shiver ran down Robin's spine as one of the cries rang in her ears. Instantly she snapped up to look at the roof of the church, her eyes widening in disbelief. No. There was no way.
"Elaine?" Robin asked tentatively, "Is that what I think it is?"
"No mistaking it," Elaine replied, a similar look of concern on her face.
"What's going on?" Brady cried, crouched over with his hands covering his head.
Almost as if to answer his question, a black stream burst forth from one of the holes in the roof. The stream quickly separated once in the sky, splintering off into individual shadows. Each shadow spread its wings wide open, the setting sunlight glinting off its jet-black feathered wings. Soon, the shadows began circling around the top of the church, their equine silhouette broken by the form of a rider on their backs.
"Why do they have pegasi?" Robin groaned inwardly, readying an elwind spell in her hands.
The swarm of black pegasi all turned and began to make a dive in the direction of the cannon fire, giving a wide berth to not get hit by the barrage.
"They're going for the ships!" The silver-haired woman shouted, launching a blast of wind magic at the flying beasts. The spell shot forth, shooting through the sky before hitting one of the many creatures. The winged horse let out a whinny of pain as the wind whipped through its feathers, knocking it off balance and sending it tumbling down. However, its rider managed to quickly right it, pulling it into a deep dive and rising back up into the sky… and straight into the barrage of cannon balls. Robin looked away as the gruesome scene played out, making a face as she gathered the mana for another spell.
However, it was not enough. The sound of cannon fire ceased after a while; the unyielding barrage of iron was no longer present. The bandits yelled in celebration, charging out towards the forest despite their losses. Almost as if in response, Robin could hear an even louder battle cry coming from the forest as the soldiers of Laguna burst forth from their hiding places with Ignatius heading the charge somewhere off to the left.
"Let's go!" She shouted out, charging out of the bush with both blade and mana in hand, "Follow me!"
Elaine rushed after her without a second thought, twirling her bright blue lance above her head. Inigo followed shortly after, a short chuckle leaving his lips as he drew his blade.
"This is nuts," Brady muttered, struggling as he chased after the rest of them.
A cacophony rose from the clearing as both forces charged towards each other, meeting head on as steel clashed against steel. Robin let her magic fly as she closed in on the frontline, the fireball crashing somewhere in enemy forces. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a bandit charging towards her, shouting a battle cry with axe raised. She grasped her sword with both hands, bringing the hilt close to her chest. With an explosive lunge, she propelled herself towards the bandit, moving out of the trajectory of his attack and plunging her sword into his abdomen. She felt warm liquid splatter onto her back as the thug gurgled, grabbing her by the scruff of her collar. As she felt him pulling her away from his body, she lashed out with her sword once more. The blade caught him in the neck, sending a spray of blood over the area in front of him.
A shout from behind caught her attention, causing her to spin around as she began pooling mana in her hand. She caught sight of another bandit, the man rushing towards a downed soldier. Instantly, she fired an elthunder spell at him, the man crying in pain as the lightning magic coursed through his body. The soldier quickly got his feet, finishing off the armed thug with a swift blow to the stomach.
"Robin!" She heard Elaine shout out, "On your left!"
She turned to see a hooded man covered in black robes alarmingly close to her, twin blades drawn and aimed at her neck. Reflexively, she threw herself away from the assailant, her body moving faster than she could think. Moving like grey blurs, the blades struck the space she had just been, sparking as they clashed against each other.
Robin's mind began to race, adrenaline pumping hard and fast through her veins. Everything began to move in slow motion as she locked eyes with her attacker, his green eyes, staring into her soul. Was this the same assassin she had seen that night? How did he manage to slip through her guard? What attack was he going to do next? How was she going to avoid it?
Suddenly, a piercing whistle broke her out of her thoughts as a lance descended from the sky, forcing the hooded man away as it plunged itself into the dirt between them. The man Robin recognised as Jamil expertly landed on his feet, his eyes still locked onto the falling tactician. As she landed on her rear, he surged forward to strike at her again. Before he could attack, however, a blue blur dashed to intercept him, expertly deflecting his attack. The assailant growled at the interference, disappearing into the crowd once more.
Robin felt someone pull her up from behind, coming face to face with Elaine as she came into view.
"Are you okay?" The pegasus knight asked, concern evident on her face, "Did you get hurt?"
"N-No… No, I'm fine," Robin replied, still taken aback by what had just transpired, "What was that?"
"An assassin," Inigo answered, "It would be best if we stick together, in case he should strike again."
Just then, a yelp came from the crowd behind her.
"Oh, Naga," Elaine cursed, "Brady!"
"Shoot," Robin muttered, pulling herself to her feet, "Let's go save him!"
She started scanning the battlefield, trying to find the blonde priest. She caught sight of him a short distance away from them, trying desperately to fend off a bandit.
"Fire!" The tactician shouted, hand outstretched. The ball of fiery magic hit the thug right in the face, causing him to scream as he covered his face with his hands.
She ran towards him, ducking under an arrow as it flew over her head. Dirt and blood flew left and right as she manoeuvred her way through the battlefield. She quickly swung her sword at the curled-up bandit, gutting him like a rat.
"Are you alright?" Robin asked, offering a hand to the downed priest.
"Well, I ain't dead at least," Brady mumbled, taking her hand and pulling himself up, "Ya know, aren't priests and priests like me supposed to be on the backlines?"
"Well…" The silver- haired woman said hesitantly, "That's my bad, I forgot that you were a non-combatant."
She quickly spun around, raising her sword as she kept scanned the battlefield for any immediate threats. Sure enough, two bandits were rushing towards her, yelling and brandishing their weapons.
"This one's mine!" She heard Inigo call out, clashing blades with the thug on the right.
Robin dashed towards the other, deflecting his blow to the side. The bandit growled, dropping his weapon to throw a punch at her. She leaned heavily to the right, using her momentum to throw a kick at the bandit. The brigand grunted as the blow caught him in the stomach, sending him onto his back. The tactician followed up with a quick elthunder, the spell electrocuting the downed man.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Inigo fighting with another bandit, already having defeated the previous one. She took a second to observe the mercenary's fighting style, something about it catching her attention. He held his sword in his right hand, his other hand open behind him. His posture was straight, noble, vastly different from the way his opponent was hunkered over. Each time his opponent made to strike at him, he parried the blow, then struck with his own. It was a very patient type of swordplay, much unlike the style of the Valmese. She was used to the gritty fighting style that was taught in Valm, to use all at one's disposal to gain an advantage over their opponent, so watching him fight was a breath of fresh air for her. Suddenly, when his opponent staggered for a moment, Inigo lunged forward. His blade glided through the air and through the bandit as he gracefully rushed past his opponent, his movement similar to those of the dancers Robin had seen in town before. The swordsman assumed his elegant pose once more as the thug fell over, confident that his blow had slain his foe.
'I need to ask him about that fighting style once all this is over,' Robin thought to herself, turning her attention back to the battlefield where yet more bandits were charging towards her.
"Robin, duck!" The tactician heard her friend call out from behind her, taking heed and crouching low to the ground. A lance tore through the air over her head, flying at such speed that one would have thought it was launched from a ballista. Robin winced a little as the weapon pierced through a bandit in front of her, going clean through leather chest plate and skewering another brigand behind him.
"Ooh, that's nasty," Robin whispered to herself, springing forward from her crouch and thrusting her sword at a charging thug. She felt her blade bite into his flesh as it stabbed his arm, cutting the wound wide open as she drew her weapon back in a wide arc. The man cried in agony, swinging his axe in retaliation. The tactician quickly took a back step, dodging out of the way as the blade of the axe flashed before her face.
Once the attack had passed, she threw up a hand in front of her as she shouted, "Elfire!"
Twin fireballs burst forth from her palms, crashing against the bandit in front of her. The man let out a groan as the magic burned him through his armour, collapsing onto the ground with a muffled thud.
Just then, a shiver ran down Robin's spine as she remembered that Jamil was still around. She quickly snapped her head right, just in time to see a hooded figure surging towards Inigo. Instantly she made a mad dash towards him, mana pooling within her.
"Elwind!" She shouted, casting the wind spell at the assassin's feet. Jamil noticed, jumping away as the blast of magic scattered the dirt and grass beneath him. The spell missed but it had done its job. Inigo turned his head in the direction of the small wind explosion, catching sight of the airborne enemy. Instantly he darted over to him, striking at him with a series of thrusts. Jamil, however, proved his prowess with the blade, deflecting all the attacks as he landed in a roll. Inigo pressed his advantage, surging forth with an elegant upward slash aimed at his neck. Moving as if he was liquid, Jamil leaned out of the way of the attack, even managing to strike with a slash of his own. The attack caught Inigo off-guard nicking him across the cheek as he was forced back. The assassin seized the opportunity, slipping away once more. The grey-haired mercenary cursed, wiping the blood from his face as he made his way over to the tactician.
"Sorry, he got away," He apologised, flicking the blood off his blade.
"It's alright," Robin assured him, "We'll get him eventually."
She took a moment to catch her breath, looking up at the sky. Given the little remaining daylight they had, there was not enough time to free the cannons for another volley. She wiped the grime from her forehead with a sleeve, only to realise that her sleeve was far filthier than her face. Snorting in dissatisfaction, she turned to look for the other members of her group. Elaine yanked her polearm free from an impaled corpse. She could not help but let out a small chuckle as she saw Brady, the poor priest was looking about the field like a lost sheep in a crowd of wolves.
"Are you all doing okay?" She asked them.
"I'm good!" Elaine called out, raising her lance in the air.
"I'll be better once this is over," Brady grumbled, clutching onto his staff for dear life, "What happened to the cannons?"
"Compromised," Robin replied flatly, beginning to walk in the direction she had seen Ignatius earlier. "For now, we need to find Ignatius. Then we'll know how to split up our forces."
o - o - o - o - o - o - o
Robin heard Ignatius long before she even caught a glimpse of him, the loud commands he barked out cueing her as to where he was. As she approached, she could see that the man's brawn was not just for show. The bandannaed man swung his massive halberd in an arc in front of him, brutally carving into two bandits and decapitating a third.
"Push forward!" He roared, raising his weapon, "We flush these vermin out today!"
As if to punctuate his statement, he deflected an incoming blow with a plated forearm, retaliating with a kick to the attacker's stomach. He then impaled the downed bandit with his weapon, ending his misery. The nearby soldiers shouted at the rallying cry, spurred onward by their leader's display.
The tactician quickly gathered that most of the fighting had gravitated to this part of the clearing, due in no small part to the commotion Ignatius was causing. However, Dalton too was a major factor, showing that he too was a force to be reckoned with even while dismounted. The Valmese soldier guarding the area between the forest and Ignatius, striking with his sword every time a bandit strayed too close.
Within said area, was Pheros and Noel, the former of which was doing her best to tend to the injured while dishing out injuries herself. Noel on the other hand, was trying his best to threaten a shot at the bandits, though his knocking knees were not doing him any favours in that department. Together with Dalton, the various other Lagunian soldiers held a loose circle, however, the bandits were gradually closing the perimeter around them
"They're over here!" Robin shouted, beckoning to the others as she began gathering mana in her hands, "I'm just going to help clear out some space!"
The tactician began running towards the circle, ducking under the arrows that flew overhead. Suddenly, an axe entered her periphery, threatening to take her head off as she continued running towards the others. Instantly, she sidestepped the attack, twisting her body to the side so as to not get caught by the after swing. Ignoring her assailant, she continued dashing forward, kicking up dirt and grass as she continued to run. When she reached the edge of the circle, she spun around to aim at the bandits, digging her heels into the soft ground.
"Arcfire!" She shouted, raising her arms up in front of her. A cone of intense flame spewed from her hands, incinerating all that stood before her. Sweeping the cone left, she ignited and few more bandits before the spell ended, their scream no filling the air as many of them attempted to put themselves out.
The tactician leaned forward as her breath came out ragged, her arms throbbing in pain as if she had just done her usual training regime with Cervantes.
'Must be the strain from casting too much magic,' She thought to herself, remembering the first risen attack where something similar happened to Pheros, 'I guess spells are off the table for the time being.'
Just then a shout came from her right, accompanied by the sound of heavy foot falls. Robin snapped her head towards the noise, deftly drawing her blade as she caught sight of the approaching bandit. The thug charged at her with his axe raised overhead, swinging the weapon down at her with all his might. The silver-haired woman let out a chuckled as she easily dodged the straightforward attack. Hopping to the right of the bandit. She then launched her counterattack, lunging forward and stabbing him in the chest.
Or at least that was what she intended to do. The tactician felt her vision suddenly tilt as she sank to one knee, her legs giving way beneath her.
"Dammit!" She cursed, the lack of sleep beginning to hit her, "Why now?!"
The bandit grinned at the turn of events, clocking her across her face with his left elbow. She reeled back from the attack, blood flowing freely from her nose. He followed up with an axe swing, however, the silver-haired woman was ready for it, barely deflecting the blow with her blade. Unfortunately, she was not ready for the shoulder check straight after. The bandit slammed his metal shoulder guard into her chest, knocking the tactician onto the ground.
Robin coughed as her body slammed onto the damp ground, her pain from her cracked ribs renewed. Her eyes flew open as she desperately gasped for air, watching the thug raise his axe above her. She could see the evil glint in his eyes as he savoured the moment, grinning evilly as he knew what he was about to do.
But suddenly, the man's head exploded, a cloud of blood and viscera erupting from where it had once been as a lance smashed right through it. Robin shielded her face with her arms, blocking the bloody aftermath from splashing onto her face as the bandit's body fell backwards onto the ground.
"Robin!" The downed tactician heard Elaine cry as the light blue weapon was yanked back in the direction it came, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, got a little careless," She replied, pulling herself up into a sitting position, "Sorry about that."
Using her sword to support herself, she stood up, keeping an eye out for any incoming enemies. Elaine dashed over towards her, standing back to back as she pointed her polearm at anyone who dared approach them.
"Where are the other two?" Robin asked, gripping her sword in both hands.
"I'm here fair lady!" A jubilant voice called out.
Robin turned to see Inigo quickly making his way over, only to be stopped by a couple of Lagunian soldiers who pointed their blades towards him.
"He's with me!" The tactician called out, giving a nod to the flamboyant swordsman. The soldiers grunted in response, allowing him to pass as they moved to assist the others.
"Is Brady with you?"
Inigo gave her a half smirk and pointed behind him with his thumb. She could hear the sound of panting from behind him, craning her neck to see Brady hobbling over on his staff, out of breath.
"Hold up…" He wheezed, "You folks… aren't human…"
"What? Winded from a light jog like that?" Robin asked teasingly, "You're gonna need more stamina if you want to travel with us."
"Weren't you… the ones who recruited me?" The winded priest groaned, resting a hand on his knee as he caught up with them, "Ya gotta… accommodate for the more delicate role like healers… we can't fight like- look out!"
Robin whipped around to see Jamil surging towards her, moving through the crowd like a black liquid. She quickly brought her sword up, widening her stance in preparation for the incoming attack. However, as the hooded man lunged to make an attack, a pair of twin fireballs blindsided him, glancing off his shoulder as they shot past. Robin took a step back as the man tumbled on the ground in a roll, grunting in pain as he pat out the flames on his person. After recovering from the initial surprise, she lunged forward with a thrust towards him. He saw the attack coming, however, parrying the thrust with a blade as he ran back into the crowd. Her eyes darted in the direction of the spell, catching sight of Pheros striding towards her.
"Hon, are you alright?" The blonde woman called out, making her way over, "I've been worried sick about you!"
Robin gave Brady a smug look over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow as if to say, 'You were saying?'
"I'm fine, Pheros," The tactician replied, casually opening her arms wide in a hug motion, "How are y-"
"WHAT HAPPENNED TO YOU?!" Pheros screamed, cutting her off mid-sentence.
Robin gave the cleric a confused look as her head was basically torn off to face her. She could see her own reflection in Pheros' worried eyes, already beginning to well up with tears as they flickered about the tactician. She could feel the cleric's hands trembling on her face, the smell of medicine stinging her nostrils… wait… she could not smell anything at all. Oh right, because she had a bleeding nose. Slowly, she began to put together the situation, the gory display on her face probably making her current condition look worse than it truly was.
"It's alright Pheros," Robin said calmly, clasping the woman's shaking hands in her own, "Just a nosebleed. I'm fine. Brady's been taking good care of me."
The cleric's shaking slowly dissipated as she calmed down, taking in what her friend has just said. She nodded slowly, letting out a sigh of relief. She raised a hand to the injured woman's face, a green glow surrounding her hand.
"Just to be sure."
As her nose was being healed, Robin's eyes began to scan the battlefield around her. Fortunately, the Lagunian soldiers followed up after her magical display, occupying the area that had been left in the wake. Judging by the sheer number of remaining bandits, she guessed that they were still outnumbered by at least seven to one. However, Ignatius and Dalton proved to be worth at least 10 other men in a fight and thanks to Pheros' efforts, they had yet to lose a soldier. She also caught sight of a timid archer making his way over towards her, an arrow knocked to his bow but his quiver still full.
"G-Glad to see ya still okay, l-lady Robin," He stuttered nervously, "A-Ah'm sorry. Ah s-still haven't been able ta fire m-mah dang bow."
The tactician gave the poor boy a warm smile and an understanding nod. It was definitely going to be a long time before he was going to be combat ready.
"Pheros!" Elaine called out, rushing over, "Glad to see you're okay!"
"Elaine!" Pheros replied, "Same here, when I saw those assassins amongst the bandit, I was worried the both of you would be caught off guard."
"Actually, Robin-" Elaine began, however, a pleading look from Robin told her otherwise, "…handled them quite spectacularly!"
Inigo and Brady came running up, following after Elaine. Pheros immediately narrowed her eyes at the new mercenary, pulling Robin closer with her free hand.
"Uh, he's with us!" Elaine explained hastily, pointing at Inigo, "He really helped us out in the forest! He's skilled with a blade and he's super nice too!"
Inigo raised his hands in surrender, backing up slightly so as to not push the situation. Pheros nodded in understanding, still keeping an eye on the newcomer.
"Ignatius is on the frontline right?" Robin asked, released from Pheros' grasp now that she had been healed, "We need to head over there, I need to consult him on our next course of action now that the cannons have been compromised."
"Yes, he's been holding the front for us," The blonde woman replied, "Frankly speaking, I had underestimated his abilities. A lesser commander would've been overrun in no time, but the fact that we are still holding without a loss in an incredible feat."
"Alright, I'll head over then," The tactician declared, before turning to the others.
"Brady, Elaine, stay here to help Pheros and Noel. Inigo, you're with me."
"I'm coming with you," Pheros said firmly.
"No, Pheros, they need you here," Robin said, turning to the cleric, "We can't have anyone dying here, especially since they're not our men."
"Brady over there is a perfectly fine priest, isn't he?" The blonde woman pointed out, motioning to the man in question, "That's why you brought him along with us right? And I'm sure he's capable of managing the wounded here."
She shot a look over at Brady.
"Right?"
"I-I can manage at least this much," He stammered, slightly caught off guard by Pheros' assertion.
Robin wanted to counter with another argument but suddenly found herself losing her balance, leaning backwards. She stuck a foot behind her, catching herself as Pheros grabbed her by the shoulder. The blonde cleric looked deep into the tactician's eyes, a pleading look on her face as she whispered, "Hon, I know the lack of sleep is beginning to take its toll on you, it's affecting us all. Please at least let me help you with your plan."
Robin took a deep breath. Pheros was right. As much as she wanted Pheros back here to take care of the injured, she was definitely going to need the help in her current condition. That was the main reason she was taking Inigo with her; a fresh soldier would fare much better than a sleep deprived one. She let out a sigh, her shoulder sagging slightly as she exhaled.
"…Alright… follow along then."
o - o - o - o - o - o - o
"Ignatius!" Robin shouted, making her way towards the large man, "I need to speak with you!"
By this time, the sun had set over the horizon, leaving only the faint light of the evening sky to light the battlefield. The dimmer light making it tougher for both soldiers and bandits to find their footing, slowing down the previous melee as both sides took a more cautious approach. Dalton had done a great job capitalising on Robin's earlier assault cleaning up the area behind them such that the only bandits remaining were the ones between them and the ruined church. Ignatius himself was once again at the head of the frontline, keeping the bandits at bay with his massive halberd. The large man's ears pricked up as he briefly checked over his shoulder for the silver-haired woman.
"Robin," He rumbled, turning his attention back to the enemy before him, "I see you're still in one piece."
"That I am," She said, coming to a stop on his left with her weapon at the ready, "These bandits don't seem to be giving up anytime soon, huh?"
"Of course not," Ignatius scoffed, "Why would they? They have the advantage in numbers. They will think that if they keep throwing bodies at us, we will eventually break."
"Not like that will ever happen though," Robin muttered, "Anyway, I have a plan on how to resolve this quicker."
"I'm listening,"
"Look, these bandits seem to have some respect for their leaders, especially the ones I saw that night," The tactician explained, "If we can get our hands on one of their heads, I think the rest of these thugs will surrender."
"And if they don't?" Ignatius prodded.
"Well, then we would still be in the same situation, won't we?" Robin answered, shrugging her shoulders, "I think it's worth a shot."
"So, your plan is to charge in alone and take out the leader?" The bandanaed man asked, fronting an attack with his weapon to keep the bandits away, "That's suicide."
"Of course, it is," The silver-haired woman agreed, rolling her eyes, "That's why I intend to bring Pheros and this swordsman with me."
Ignatius' eyes narrowed at the mention of Inigo. His eyes darted towards his left to see the new mercenary give him a light wave.
"And you think he's trustworthy?"
"He's Brady's friend, so I trust him," Robin replied confidently, "Plus, he's plenty skilled with a blade."
"I hope your naivety doesn't bite you in the rear," Ignatius rumbled, grabbing his weapon in two hands, "I'll buy you that opening, but you'd better make sure to bring me both of their heads."
A grim smirk crept across Robin's lips as she nodded her head, her grip tightening around the hilt of her blade. Boy, she had just signed herself up for one big task.
"Proud soldiers of Laguna!" The big man roared, his loud resonating throughout the clearing, "Force these filthy scums back! They meet their makers today!"
The Lagunian soldiers around rallied at the cry, following their commander as he rushed forward and carved a swathe of devastation into the enemy lines. Robin charged forward as well, beckoning for the other two to follow her.
"Dalton! I need a path!" Robin cried out, praying to Naga that he heard her.
Ignatius smashed through the enemy's position like a cannon ball, smashing through their formation and wreaking havoc on anyone unfortunate enough to be within striking distance. Robin quickly dashed through the opening he had just made, plunging her sword into a bandit's neck as she did. Not wasting any time, she yanked her weapon out of the limp thug, continuing to charge forward. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Inigo dancing through the crowd of bandits, skilfully evading attacks and striking where he had the opportunity. A couple of bandits came charging at her from the front, only to be set ablaze by an elfire spell that flew overhead. Robin smiled as she continued forward, sliding under an incoming axe swing. So far so good. She pushed herself off the ground as she skidded on the damp ground, carrying her momentum forward. As she did so, she swung her sword in a large arc in front of her, slashing through a good number of bandits in a rising motion. She took a moment to gauge their current distance from the entrance of the church, her eyes darting upwards to scan the battlefield. Her heart sank when she realised they were only halfway there. Furthermore, the bandits in front of them had tightened their formation. They were going to need something more to break through.
And as she thought of that, she heard that very something come charging from behind. With a thundering gallop, Dalton charged past her, his longsword drawn and dripping with blood.
"Back you filthy curs!" He shouted, his horse diving into the clustered enemies ahead, "I'll paint these fields red in your blood!"
His blade flashed from one side of his horse over to the other, sending gouts of blood spraying with each slice. The thugs quickly dispersed, shrieking in terror as the struggled to flee from the ferocious cavalier before them. Continuing to press forward, the ponytailed man ran through the bandits like a hot knife through butter, leaving a trail of corpses and trampled earth in his wake.
Robin made a mental note to thank Dalton later as she ran down the path he left behind. Closing in on the church. Soon, they were within reach, Dalton having cleared out most of the way before peeling off to regroup with the others. The silver-haired woman jumped over a dead bandit, quickly diving under a stray arrow as it flew overhead. As she rolled to her feet, she looked up to see a bandit standing before her, seemingly taken aback by her sudden appearance.
"Almost there!" The tactician shouted, slashing his neck, "Press on!"
Looking ahead, she could see the entrance to the church; A large set of stone doors with a set of stone steps leading up to it. She took one last look back, just to make sure that Inigo and Pheros were not in any trouble. Pheros was right on her tail, slightly out of breath with mana smoking off her arms. Inigo had fallen back to cover their rear, cleaning up any bandits that tried to chase after them. Satisfied with what she saw, the silver-haired woman made a mad dash towards the door, grabbing a dropped axe from the ground.
As she ran up to the entrance, a nearby bandit swung at her with his sword, froth and spittle flying form his mouth as he did. The tactician swung the axe in the left hand at him, deflecting the attack as both weapons clanged off one another. She ignored him, dashing into the temple where she pulled one of the doors shut. Pheros ran in after her, turning around to cast a couple of thunder spells to pick off the bandits that had noticed what they were doing.
"Close the door!" Robin shouted to Inigo who had just reached the base of the steps. The mercenary nodded, grabbing the handle of the other door as he ran into the church. With a heavy slam, they closed the doors on the bandits, dust and bits of stone crumbling from the ceiling as a result of the impact. The tactician quickly wedged the axe she had brought into the handles of the doors, barring them shut as the bandits outside banged on them to try and get inside. The three of them backed away from the doors, watching carefully and the bandits slammed and yanked on the doors.
"Will that hold them?" Inigo asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"It's enough," Robin panted, resting her hands on her knees as the adrenaline began to fade, "Pheros, are you alright?"
"Just give me a minute," The cleric replied, leaning back against a wall, "We can continue moving deeper. This place isn't safe."
Robin nodded as she sheathed her blade, turning to face the dark hallway ahead of them.
"We're coming for you."