With everyone rested up, they set out for the day, ready to leave this cursed city behind. It was decided to travel together a ways until they had to part.
It was slow moving with those from Ith who were too weak to move, but they were carted along by the one who could move. Isidro was near the back of the group with Schierke and Isma, the fairies fluttering around almost carelessly. For once Isidro wasn't as jubial as normal, the atmosphere of Ith really bringing him down, and the fight in had been easy, much too easy. He just knew the way out wasn't going to go the same way. Their group, the original one he didn't worry too much about, they had made it through some hairy stuff, but these people… The only reason most of them survived as long as they did was because they hid.
Not that tricks didn't work, or weren't useful, but for your entire strategy to be bluffing? It was risky to say the least.
Schierke cast another concealment spell, and Isidro hoped she didn't pass out like last time; magic was weird like that. He was lucky his knife didn't draw power the same way, no with his knife it was more about becoming in tune with the little salamander fire spirit things.
Making their way towards the docks, there would be a gate near there where Guts' group could separate and continue inland. It was risky to split up, as most of Roderick's group weren't able to fight or move around very easily, and it would be harder for the charms to work without a skilled magic user among them. So far there was one boy who had some aptitude for magic. There was a little battle over such a large responsibility being given to one so young, but he was the only one really able. Although all he really could do was maintain the spell, he couldn't cast or fortify anything.
Isidro thought it was sort of dumb there was even a conversation about it, but then he guessed these people didn't know much about magic. Not that he knew much more admittedly, but enough to know Schierke despite her age knew her stuff.
They mosyed through the streets, everyone starting at the slightest movement.
"So who exactly is this Rickert guy?" Isma asked him, quietly so as not to put a strain on the concealment spell.
"He was in the Band of the Hawk." Isidro explained, "I think he was like, a commander or something, I don't know." Everybody knew the Band of the Hawk, the White Hawk Griffith, the Lady Commander, and of course the Captain of the Raiders, the Hundred Man Slayer, everyone else… Well it wasn't Isidro's fault there weren't more stories about them.
"So he must be really strong." Isma concluded.
"I mean, I guess, he must've survived whatever Guts and Casca did."
Before Isma could say anything more, one of the people on the carts was snatched into the talons of one of the harpies. Spears were stabbed, but the only thing that caused it to let go of the woman was the shot fired from Guts' cannon arm. The boom from the cannon echoed throughout the street, causing everything to become very quiet, very still in the moment that followed. And then all hell broke loose.
Harpies dive bombed the traveling party, letting out terrible screeches.
"What happened?!" Isidro asked Schieke, drawing his knife and sword.
"I don't- I don't-" She tried, but a harpy dove at her, the golem she had summoned just moments before punching the thing out of the air. Isidro finished it off quickly, keeping an eye on Schierke and Isma. They didn't really need his help, but out of water Isma's abilities were not as applicable and Schierke generally needed time for her truly powerful spells. It was the people around them that really needed help, but Isidro didn't know what more he could do for them. They were fighting as well as they could, but they weren't fighters, most of them at least.
From across the way, Isidro could see the old lady, Bagweatha, fending off two with her spear, and her grandson wasn't too far away, protecting a younger looking child.
"We need to keep moving!" Casca yelled over the chaos, "the boats aren't that far-" She had been fighting a harpy when something new entered the stage of battle, charging right into her. Isidro couldn't see exactly what happened, but when she went down everything went from bad to worse.
A strange creature, it looked almost like a whale, but with feet and monstrous teeth charged through smashing into the buildings on the narrow street. Casca must have been flung to the side, not trampled completely, as she seemed to be in one piece, but she still wasn't moving.
Guts, who up until this point was swatting the harpies out of the sky like flies, let out an almost animalistic yell.
"Casca!" Farnese yelled. Serpico's cloak and sword seemed the perfect weapon against the harpies, as quick and agile as they were, he was protecting a group of them including Farnese who seemed to be trying to erect another barrier. Although it was Roderick who held her back from rushing to Casca's side. Puck was already there, although Isidro couldn't tell what the exact situation was.
"Guts!" Schierke shouted, trying to get his attention. Slicing another harpy, Isidro turned to look at Guts whose movements were becoming even more erratic. Oh no, he was going full Berserker again, and without Schierke to keep him sane. The helm kept creeping up his neck, but then Isma let out a scream.
A harpy had grazed her, letting loose a ribbon of blood on her shoulder. Her eyes caught his and widened, "Isidro! Behind-"
Before she could finish her warning, Isidro was already dodging the talons of the nasty bird monster woman. However all he could return were some singed feathers.
The whale monster was still rampaging, so Isidro and his group did as much as they could to avoid it and get to the larger group with Farnese. They were moving at this point, getting close to the docks and to possible freedom from all these attacks. But Casca- they couldn't have-
Guts surpassed all of them in running, it shouldn't be surprising, but he was wearing full armor and had Casca slung over his shoulder.
"He didn't lose himself." Isidro noted.
"I wonder…" Schierke started, but there was little time for talk as they had reached a small overpass, hiding under it they had lost the monsters, temporarily.
"This is the point we would have separated, that intersection up there." Wemba said, pointing forward. "Take the right, you should get to a gate out of the city."
Guts was still panting, and nodded, the wild look not having left his eye. He started to walk that way.
"The docks are straight." Wemba continued. "Wait where are you- surely you're not going to brave the wilderness…" He trailed off after having met Guts' gaze.
"We really wouldn't be opposed to you joining us." Roderick said. And as much as he was talking to Guts, Isidro could tell he was talking to Farnese as well, almost pleading with her. She shook her head slightly.
Guts still hadn't responded, looking off into the distance, adjusting his hold on Casca to something less like a sack of potatoes, more bridal style. Then the whale monster rumbled form around the corner, making their decision for them.
"We get out of here." Guts said roughly, and left. He was single minded and it showed. Nothing could lay a hand on him, or nothing would've in a normal human battle, that's for sure.
Isidro was pulling Isma along with him, Schierke close behind. Farnese and Serpico were right on their tails, granted pulling ahead because of their adult bodies.
The arch way was smashed casing rubble to fly everywhere, and the monster to crash into more buildings in it's blind rage. It seemed like a whole wall was coming down. Their group separated from the natives of ith and took the left path. And they just kept running. Guts was tireless, soon out pacing the rest of them.
They kept running until they were out of the gate. Miraculously the seals must've held on Casca's and Guts' brands. Once he'd had time to think about it, Isidro realized the reason for their uninterrupted escape, the people of Ith were weaker, were easier to pick off. And there were more of them. They had abandoned them essentially to die. Isidro didn't know how he felt about that. Bad, obviously, but also what could he really have done; he could barely watch out for himself, much less all of those people, but maybe he could've-
It was moment like these that Isidro realized how hard it must be to be a truly good person. To be a hero who always thought of others first.
Eventually they came to a stop in the middle of an abandoned field, crops and weeds growing together in the unkemptness of the past years.
"How is Casca- is she-" Farnese asked, rushing to Guts' side. He was cradling Casca in his arms, trying to be delicate. He looked scared and tired.
"She's still breathing." Puck answered, hovering near her neck, a hand on her pulse. "Her heartbeat is strong too. I've already used some dust, but I'm no doctor."
"It only you paid attention in elf school." Ivalera huffed.
"There's no such thing as Elf school."
"Well if there was you'd be a dropout." She declared.
"Enough." Farnese said. "Guts, could you put her down?"
At the sound of his name, Guts looked up finally, as if just realizing where he was. Silently he place her on the stepped down grass.
Schierke made her way over and held her staff over Casca, closing her eyes. After a few moments she said, "She should be fine soon, her odd is still strong, however…" Schierke trailed off.
"However what?!" Isidro asked.
Schierke opened her eyes and blinked, "Uh, nothing, she just has a broken rib and minor head trauma."
They all let out a collective sigh of relief.
"That's… good." Serpico said, glancing at Guts who was still obviously freaking out. "I don't think anything in the city will follow us out of it, at least that was my impression."
Farnese nodded, although her face was sad. "I- I didn't see what happened to the others, do you-" The grim look on their faces seemed to confirm her fears.
"I just, all I could think to do was run." Isma admitted. "And then it was only because Isidro reminded me." she turned to him, "Thank you for that."
"They were close to the docks, and the boats had more charms on them." Farnese said, perhaps trying to convince herself. "They must've…"
"... I hope the boat stuck around." Isma murmured, "They seemed nervous."
"But the oceans seemed safer." Schierke argued, "Perhaps the Falcon of Light's influence hasn't reached that far."
"Griffith never did have any ocean battle experience." Guts said, surprising them all. His eye was still fixed on Casca, an odd smiled fixed on his face. "It wouldn't surprise me if he planned to conquer the land first before even thinking of the sea."
They all were quiet for a moment, letting everything catch up. Isidro's mind was still running wild, as fast as his feet had. "Hey, Guts?" Isidro asked, "Uhh… how come you, like didn't go all berserk?"
"What?" Guts asked, gently he moved a piece of Casca's hair out of her face. "Oh, I don't know exactly." He said gruffly. "I just, saw her and remembered a promise. I'm tired of being weak."
No one was sure how to respond to that. Weak was not a word any of them would use to describe Guts, not that they would really argue with him. It was then that they noticed the blood seeping from his arm, well his partial arm.
"You're injured." Schierke said, rushing from Casca's side to his.
He looked down to his arm as if just noticing it. "Must've been from the cannon… but I think Casca should-"
"Farnese can continue that, it's really not that bad."
"Oh wait," Isidro said to Isma, "Your shoulder."
He noticed while her shirt was still torn, the skin under seemed almost fully healed.
"Oh, Ivalerra took care of it."
"That's good."
The sun was getting low in the sky and the night chill was already creeping in.
"We need to find some shelter soon." Farnese said.
"There's a well nearby." Isma said.
"How do you know?" Isidro asked.
"I don't know." She said, "I just did. Like the water could call out to me."
"And where there's a well, there should be some sort of human settlement nearby." Farnese finished.
And so they set off into the coming twilight, leaving the ruins of Ith behind. Isidro couldn't help but look back, and glancing at Isma, he had a feeling this wasn't the only time he would see the ocean.