Chapter 10 - Falling Feathers
"You want me to come with you? Why me?" Ricken looked at Cordelia, not really understanding.
"Because Sumia's busy, and you're the only other one I can trust. I don't know the other Shepherds."
"But don't you want your pegasus?" She shook her head.
"Not by myself. Never by myself again." She took a deep breath. "I'd rather walk through the desert, with you. It may slow me down, but that's a small price to pay."
"But why do even want to go scouting? Isn't it better just to stay here?"
"I can't. It's more waiting. I don't want to do nothing. I can't take it."
"Cordelia..." She sighed.
"I know you probably think me to be a fool, Ricken. But I guess that's what I am. Impulsive and foolish because of it." She gave a pathetic smile.
"I'll think about your offer." He paused for a moment. "I'll let you know tomorrow." She nodded at him.
"Thank you."
Cordelia blinked, forcing herself to wake up. She was stiff and store, exhausted from everything, but she made herself get off the ground, standing on her own two feet. Looking around her, she made her way out of the tent she was in, heading to see if Ricken was awake yet. She wondered if he was busy making potions, and suddenly realised that she'd never really gotten to learn that from him - they'd been traveling, and once they'd gotten back, more important things had taken over. She wasn't sure how much she really wanted to learn, but there was a little curiosity in her brain. Perhaps once they'd gotten out of Plegia, he could teach her. That made her smile a little, as she flicked her eyes around her. There was no sign of the young mage, and she wondered if he was still asleep. Moving around the camp, she spied Lissa and went over to her.
"Do you know if Ricken's awake yet?" Lissa shook her head.
"I don't think so."
"Thank you." Cordelia smiled, before turning, going back to her tent.
Cordelia had waited an hour, and just about to go and try and find the young mage again, before he himself had turned up. He greeted her with a smile, inviting her to come outside.
"Ricken. Have you made up your mind?"
"Yeah. I'll come with you. We should leave soon, though." Cordelia smiled back.
"Thank you."
"Where will we be going?"
"Just north of where we are now. We need to see if the escape route is clear for the Shepherds."
"Right. I haven't packed yet, but I should be ready in a few hours." She nodded at him. "I'll come back when I've done, I suppose." With that, Ricken left, and Cordelia smiled, getting ready to wait for a little bit.
As Ricken had said, it only took him a couple of hours before he came back to Cordelia's tent, once again asking her to come out. She did so, smiling at him, a few bags around her waist - bags she usually used for her pegasus, filled with what she would need. Saying goodbye to the Shepherds temporarily, she made sure that her pegasus was in safe hands before getting ready to leave, heading out into the vast sandy expanses, away from the repetition of the camp. As she was saying goodbye, she wondered where the Feroxians would be - she was tiring of Plegia, and wanted to return to a fresh Ylissean soil again. Sighing, she moved forwards, not for the first time feeling overheated in her armor. Giving a faint smile to Ricken, she prepared to step outside the boundaries of the Shepherds' small camp, into the large wasteland of Plegia. Her lance was in her hand, just in case of ambushing, and she had what she would need with her.
The first day of traveling and scouting was peaceful - though not happy. Both Cordelia and Ricken had vastly underestimated how hot it would be whilst walking, especially as the temperature seemed to have risen since they first got to Plegia - they wondered if they were reaching the summer seasons. The thought of that sent a little bit of fear into their hearts, as they feared that they might not be able to cope with such a rise in heat. But despite this, they knew that they had to keep going, moving across the blistering sands beneath them. On the first day, though they were alert, they were not as alert as they could have been, mostly due to the fact that they weren't too far away from camp, and knew there couldn't really be too many enemies around. As such, they just walked north, determined to keep going.
It was a few days until Cordelia swore that she could smell smoke. She was traversing through the sand, looking around for any signs of enemies when a strange smell assaulted her nose. Wrinkling in distaste, she immediately turned to Ricken.
"Do you smell that?"
"The smoke? Barely. But it's there."
"I think there's enemies in the distance. Call it a hunch. But we have to go and see." Ricken nodded at her as they started readjusting their course so it led them to where Cordelia thought the stench was coming from. As they ventured that way, they kept their eyes open for any signs of an ambush - or just Plegians in general. Cordelia felt worried about this, as she wasn't sure where or when there would be enemies, but her mind was determined that there would be Plegians somewhere, just waiting to attack. As her and Ricken moved forwards, she was sure that something was preparing to strike. She didn't tell her friend about this, instead just leaving it to fester as she neared the source of the smog.
It took about four hours before Cordelia could see fire on the horizon - a fire that was rapidly growing bigger and bigger as if a tree growing in this lifeless desert. She doubted that it was very far away, and turned to Ricken, making sure that he was ready just in case the Plegians were nearby. Her lance was firmly in her hand, and she was alert, ready to fight as soon as danger presented itself. Slowing her pace down so that she could move more cautiously, she moved through the sands, trying not to breathe in too much of the choking smoke. Dashing her eyes from side to side, she kept an eye out on the flame in the distance, just in case it illuminated any figures that were near it. It wasn't long before she could almost taste the ash on the air. As the unmistakable sound of the fires entered her ears, she swore she could hear something - something human.
Plegians. Cordelia felt the familiar surge of anger that rose within her whenever she thought of them. She was fairly sure they hadn't noticed her, and she silently signalled to Ricken to prepare for combat. Grabbing a javelin, she took careful aim, trying to steady her hand that was shaking without permission. Throwing it, she struck through the neck of one of her opponents, spilling blood. Quickly equipping herself with her lance, she prepared to fight against the rest of the camp - there were about seven or eight Plegians there. An unsmiling man charged at her, unsmiling axe in his hands, and she blocked, but was forced backwards. Grunting, she tried to balance herself on the slippery sands, before managing to dodge the next attack, seizing her opportunity to strike at his stomach. A gust of wind ripped past her, knocking down the two Plegian swordsmen who were about to charge at her. Taking this opportunity, she went towards them, giving them no mercy as she stabbed into their bodies on the ground. An arrow flew at her as she did this, but though it hit her armored stomach, she paid little attention, instead focusing on killing the wounded. Once she was finished, she turned around to see another shot hurtling towards her. Quickly moving herself out of the way, she held back on going to attack, knowing that another Plegian was coming towards her. She might have had anger fuelling her veins, but it was not overwhelming her yet. Guarding herself from an attack, she pressed against her aggressor, allowing her to force a lance through his stomach, bringing it out his back. Wind smited the bowman, ripping him apart, and she smiled as she stepped forwards, the final couple of Plegians giving her more of a scared look than an angry one. However, this didn't really phase her as she stabbed forwards, impaling one of them on her lance, a grim look on her face. The other charged at her, raising his axe high, but she managed to manuever out of the way in time, allowing Ricken to defeat him with a wave of wind.
Anger on her face, Cordelia strode past the dead Plegians, not paying any attention to anything that might be in the camp. Trying to calm down, she took a deep breath with every step, and slowly a normal expression came back to her. As she did this, she heard a voice from the side of her and looked at Ricken.
"Yes?"
"Some of the Plegians were scared." Ricken gulped, looking nervous. "I don't think they wanted to fight."
"Of course they wanted to fight. They're Plegians." Cordelia stopped, as she heard her words. What the hell had she just said? "We had to kill them. In case they warned their masters. It's harsh, but it's what we had to do." She was a little shaken at what she had just said - she'd seen Plegians a few days ago without reacting like this. Was she slowly losing the fight with her anger? She couldn't allow that. "It's not worth worrying about. We should carry on."
"But-"
"Ricken. Don't dwell on it. Trust me." Cordelia's voice, though underlined with sadness, held enough steel in it to silence the young mage, and as such the two of them continued in a bleak silence.
It wasn't long before Cordelia saw something else on the horizon. A building, made from what looked to be stone bricks. It certainly wasn't a village. Regarding it with both curiosity and fear, she made sure to head towards it, wanting to know what was inside. Though she fatigued from the fight earlier, especially due to the heat constantly eroding at her energy, she felt a pool of adrenaline within her body, possibly from the recent battle. Using it as her strength, she forced herself to move towards the strange structure, her eyes scanning it to see if there was anything indicating what it was. From what she could see, there seemed to be what looked like windows within it, but she could make nothing else out apart from its' shape.
After a while, Cordelia finally made it to the building. As she was heading towards it, she could see that the windows had iron bars lining them, as if trying to block out the sunlight. The stone it was made from was a dull grey, staring blankly down at her. She didn't know what it was, but its' wooden, creaking door looked uninviting. She wondered if she would be better off leaving it alone, but decided that it had to be something important.
"Cordelia?" Ricken looked at her, and she offered what smile she could. "Do we go in?" There was a brief silence, whilst she figured through her thoughts, before eventually nodding.
"There's nothing really to lose, apart from time."
Stepping into the building, Cordelia was immediately hit by a rush of darkness, her eyes having to constantly squint in order to try and get used to the lack of light inside. She felt unreasonably cold, despite the heat outside, and despite the armour that she was wearing. It was like the cold was inside of her, instead of outside, and she wasn't sure why. Trying to overcome this by moving forwards, she kept her ears open for any sounds - it didn't take her long to hear footsteps reverberating from up above. She wasn't alone. Moving forwards quietly and cautiously, she kept her hand on the smooth wall so that she didn't lose her way due to the blackness. She was made aware of Ricken's presence by her by only two things - the sound of him walking, and the fact that he was gripping her hand, as if a child gripping the hand of its' mother. They walked like this through the structure, all the while aware that there was someone - or something - else with them.
Torchlight. A corridor of blazing, flickering lights leading the way, offering a small hope. Cordelia blinked as she stepped into the hallway, her eyes no longer having to repeatedly adjust. Instead, the way was clear, and although the light was dim it was a welcome relief from the inky darkness that had been consuming her earlier. No longer did she have to trace the wall in order to make sure she wasn't lost, and Ricken's grip had slipped, giving her a freedom - a freedom that was enchanced by the lack of blackness in her vision. Walking through the path, she looked around her for any signs of enemy presence, or any signs of where to go next, but she found no hidden passages, and as such carried on in a straight line.
The sound of footsteps that Cordelia kept hearing whilst in the building eventually became meaningful. She was still in the corridor of lights when she, out of the corner of her eye, saw a shadowy shape move, seemingly towards her. Grabbing her lance, she turned to Ricken to instruct him to ready for combat - she didn't trust the mysterious figure, thinking that it was a Plegian. It didn't take long for her suspicions to be proven correct. A guard shambled from out of the darkness, and snarled at her once he saw her, moving towards her with his axe in hand. She stood her ground, dodging the strike that came for her, giving Ricken time to create a burst of wind to knock the guard back, allowing her to go for the throat. Ripping her weapon from the dead man's corpse, she looked at Ricken.
"There's bound to be more enemies around here. I don't know what this place is, but it's going to be important. We have to find out why." She paused for a moment. "We should split up. I know it's going to be dangerous, but we need to be able to cover ground quickly. It'll be easier to go undetected if we're separated." Ricken looked at her, before nodding, seemingly reluctantly.
"Alright. But we shouldn't leave each other until we see some sort of branching path. Until then, we stay together."
The path branched after what Cordelia guessed to be nearly an hour of wandering. In that time, they had little contact with foes, and the few guards they saw, they effortlessly dispatched without any alarms or signals being sent. They simply moved through the building, often times returning to the darkness that Cordelia detested so much. Talking little so as not to cause unnecessary and possibly dangerous noise, they eventually came to a fork in the corridors they were following - one led upstairs, and the other led downstairs.
"Now we split up." Ricken nodded at what Cordelia had whispered. "Which way do we take?"
"I think there's likely to be important documents upstairs."
"So you go that way. You'll be much better at sneaking than me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I trust you not to get caught." Ricken managed a small smile at that.
"Meet back here safely."
"I will."
Moving down the stairs, Cordelia shot one look behind her as she watched her companion walk off. She was alone now. It would be some time before her and Ricken were re-united, but she tried not to let this bother her as she followed the stairs to their destination. Stepping into a large corridor, she could smell something strange in the air, though she had no idea what it was. It assaulted her nose as she tried to travel forwards through it, making her cough slightly. The darkness was still cloaking her, but she was able to slightly see through it now, whether or not that was from her eyes adapting or from the light level subtly rising, she didn't know. But it made her feel slightly more at ease, although her lance was still at hand, in case she came across more enemies to kill - although she wanted to avoid as much combat as possible, in order to stop herself from being spotted. Looking around, creeping forwards cautiously, she kept going. It was about twenty minutes of her going straight in one direction, with no indications as to anyone else's presence, until she could hear footsteps, near to her. Fear jolted up her spine, as she realised that they were likely hostile Plegians, but she forced herself to swallow her emotions, not wanting to fail in her mission. She would fight them if she had to. She would fight them if she saw them.
Ricken looked around him, his heart racing. There didn't seem to be any enemies as far as he could see, which was a relief. Then again, he could barely see - though there were some faint flickering lights way off in the distance, he was mostly relying on hearing to help him detect foes. Still, there was no indication that he was in much danger, and as such he kept going forwards, a hand wrapped around his magic tome, just in case. Hoping that soon there would be some light, he kept a hand on the wall, feeling around it for a hidden passage or a door - if he was looking for documents, then they would likely be stored away somewhere safe. Turning through a maze of corners, he hummed a small tune to himself as the darkness around him worsened, almost making him feel scared. But he wasn't going to fall prey to his childish emotions just yet. He would keep going, even if it was just to prove to Cordelia and the rest of the Shepherds that he could.
Cordelia heard a scream. It was close to her, and she worried that it was Ricken. Part of her wanted to turn back, but there was another, more commanding part of her that told her it wasn't him. And though she wanted to go and find him, just in case, she realised that such an act would most likely cause her to become lost. The best thing for her to do was to continue. Besides, the scream sounded feminine - was there someone else down here? She had to know. Continuing onwards, she could still smell something horrific, and she began to wonder if it was some kind of rotting meat. She half expected to feel rats scurrying around her feet. But there was no sensation near her legs, and the ground beneath her was the same texture it had always been. It was as if there was someone near. Maybe a person lost and scared? Again, there was another scream. It sounded like the person was in major pain. Was it Ricken? She didn't know anymore. But she found that she couldn't turn back. Her legs forced her to keep going through the corridor. She was almost drawn to keep progressing to the end.
Ricken travelled as lightly as he could, walking on tip-toes. He kept looking around with paranoid eyes, every sound making him want to run and find Cordelia more and more. Every noise sounded like someone's footstep to him, and he couldn't tell if there were shadows in the gloom approaching. Plegians could have been anywhere, and there was no way for him to tell. There was no way for him to tell which way to go. Moving forwards, he kept his spell tome tightly gripped, ready to cast a spell in case of enemy contact. He still held out some hope for there being a passage he could slip through, as he moved in one direction. What was he even looking for? Documentation. But how was he going to figure out if what he found was even useful? Unless there was some light ahead, it would be impossible for him to be able to read it and find out how useful it was. He sighed. What had he gotten himself into? Shaking his head, trying not to panic, he kept going, walking through what seemed like an endless corridor. He was beginning to tire now, but he couldn't turn back just yet. Cordelia would be disappointed in him. She'd think him a failure.
Definitely noises. Though Ricken hadn't been sure earlier, now he could definitely tell that there were people somewhere. Ready to attack. Would they notice him in the darkness? He didn't know, but he didn't want to find out. Looking around through the oppressive shadows, he hoped to spot any approaching figures before they found him. There weren't any that he could see, but the constant sound of feet hitting the floor over and over again didn't fill him with confidence. Breathing heavily, he kept going forwards, no idea of how long he had been here. Something inside him told him to flee, but he silenced that thought. There had to be something important here. There had to. All he had to do was keep moving, keep going forwards, ignoring the fear in his heart that would otherwise expose him. He could do this.
Cordelia felt her sense of smell start to become smothered by the stench. It made her want to throw up, her throat fighting back bile. She'd heard screams multiple times now, and it almost sounded like they belonged to different people. What was going on here? She almost didn't want to know. But despite this, she forced herself to keep going, determined that she wasn't going to fail. Her body was weak, and she felt like she was going to be sick, or that she was going to collapse, but she tried not to pay attention to this, instead focusing as hard as she could on what she could hear around her. She almost wanted to hear the scream again, just so she could try and figure out what was going on. What was this place? The only thing keeping her going was the desperate need to figure out what the Plegians were doing, and the need to stop them. There was something inside her that didn't let her run away. She had to stand her ground.
A tear of fear ran down Ricken's eye. He was sure that somebody was nearby. Was he about to be attacked? He tried to look around, but he could still see nothing but the darkness. All he could hear were footsteps, seemingly moving closer to him. Part of him wanted to call for Cordelia, but he knew it was best to maintain what little cover he had. There was a chance, a small chance but a chance nonetheless, that he would be able to go without being spotted. Did he move? It seemed the most sensible option, but he found that his legs resisted him. The noises were getting closer now. At least, that's what it felt like to him. He could feel wetness on his cheeks as he clutched his tome in his hands. His hear beating so fast it felt like it was going to explode, he forced out a blast of wind, and heard a yell. Sending out more magic from his hands, he desperately tried to fight off what sounded like a horde of Plegians. He just wished that there was some light, so that he could see what was happening. Was he about to die? There was a shout. A shout that he could almost feel. Letting wind fly from his fingers, he prayed that this would be enough to save him. But as he heard a low, rumbling laughter, he knew that it would not. Gulping desperate breaths, he prayed again, his face an utter mess of tears.
Cordelia stumbled forwards, and it wasn't long before she was attacked by what seemed like water. It trickled in through her boots, getting at her bruised feet. After a few minutes of this, a faint light shone, in the distance, and she winced at it, her eyes having to get used to the intensity of it. Following it, as if a child drawn to it by curiosity, she readied a hold on her lance, her paranoia allowing her nothing else. It shone on to the floor below, revealing no reason for the stench. The walls around her looked the same as they always had been. There seemed to be no signs of any Plegians. What was this place? She turned a corridor, and heard another scream. This time, it sounded close - very close. She took a deep breath. The liquid beneath her had mostly subsided, however, the light hadn't, allowing her the chance to look around. There was nothing that seemed unusual - no cracks in the walls or hidden passages - however, she kept going forwards anyway, guided by the glow.
There were cells. A horde of cells surrounding her. Cordelia could see that the doors were shut, and they seemed locked. A repugnant stench was emenating from them, and she was almost scared to go and investigate, her stomach churning at the mere thought of it. But she had come too far to simply cower now, and, taking a deep breath, she forced herself near one. The sight wasn't pretty, and Cordelia immediately had to inhale to stop herself from puking. Steadying herself, she found that she had to look again, just to make sure that her eyes weren't deceiving her. But as much as she hated it, the image was still there, as real as could be, surrounded by bloody feathers. A great mix of emotions suddenly burst inside her, and she found it hard to stand up, her body overwhelmed. Tears trickling down from her face, she approached the corpse.
It was the body of a dead pegasus knight, and it had been horrifically mutilated, as if to send a message. She had a horrified expression on her face, and her eyes looked terrified, drying tears still on her cheeks. Quickly looking around her so as not to be caught by any Plegians, Cordelia gulped, stepping closer to the corpse, kneeling beside it.
"Oh Naga, what happened to you? What did those bastards do to you?" She gulped, feeling a hot surge of anger flush to her cheeks as they became red, a contrast to the deathly white of her hands coiling around her weapon. Forcing herself to stand up, her body shaking, she looked around her, mustering up the resolve to check the other cells. More dead bodies. How many were there? How many more bloodied corpses were there? They could have been her fellow comrades. A tear rolled down her cheek as she realised this. Wiping it away as best she could, she forced herself forwards, although she wasn't even sure where she was going at this point. She didn't truly believe that there was anything else here, but she found that she could not, for some reason, just turn tail and flee. It was almost as if she was spellbound to stay here. A determination burned through her body, and she felt the urge to fight.
Plegians. There were a group of Plegians in front of her, and Cordelia felt a surge of energy in her body as if a cannon had gone off. Making sure that her lance was in her hand, she ran at them, her eyes blazing with fury. Stabbing out repeatedly at the enemy fighters, she made only a token effort to dodge, instead being more concentrated on rapid attacks, thrusting her spear through as many weak points as she could. This violent assault left her open, however, and she was struck in the side by an axe blow, causing her to be knocked away. Grunting, she turned to face her attacker, dodging his strike, before stabbing him in the eye, twisting her spear as she did so. Ripping her weapon out, she took a deep breath, spitting out blood as she prepared to block a brutal assault from another Plegian, standing her ground as best she could. Ducking under his strike, she managed to force her spear into his leg, bringing it up, crippling him. Unfortunately, another fighter struck her when she did this, smashing into her armour, and she bit back tears of pain as she turned to fight him. Raising her spear to block his attack, she tried to push him backwards, although she barely had enough strength to do that. Taking in what breath she could, she dodged his blow, looking for an opportunity to strike. Her eyes burning with a hate, she thrust her lance into his throat, spilling blood as she cut it open. Dropping to her knees, she panted, sweat and tears pouring down her face, mixing together as they dropped on the cold, wet below.
How long had she been wandering? Cordelia's muscles ached as she forced herself forwards, heat building up inside her armour as she trudged onwards, hate and rage building up in her throat and her mind before quickly being dispersed by fatigue, long before they had any chance to act on her physical state. She sighed. The torches in front of her flickered. Had she been this way? Stifling an urge to shout or make some kind of noise, she closed her eyes, trying to think. Where was Ricken? What was this goddamned place? Where did she go? Questions burned through her mind as they relentlessly tore away at her confidence and her will to go on. The corpses of the dead pegasus knights flashed through her brain as she turned yet another corner into a familiar-looking corridor. She could still smell the stench of rotting bodies. Fighting off the urge to be sick, she marched through the building, her footsteps failing at stealth. Her lance was bloody, as was her armour, but she could do nothing about that, instead focusing on trying to navigate the maze of like hallways that seemed to make up the place.
It was an hour of wandering, of brief and light skirmishes that ended with her foes slain for the little cost of a few minor bruises, before Cordelia reached a corridor where she was hit by a strange smell. Blood.
"Don't let there be more cells..." She whispered, almost whimpering, throat too raw and ragged to raise her voice any higher. Stepping forwards carefully, fighting the resistance in her legs, she made sure that her lance was in her hand, as if it was a security blanket for her. The handle was cold to touch, but she gripped it tightly still, as the stench of crimson filtered into her nostrils. "Please Naga, don't let there be more..." Her prayer floating into the air, snatching away from her, she plunged deeper into the depths, following the light acting as her guide, too far to turn back now, as if stuck in quicksand. Unable to resist its' pull, she let herself be dragged in deeper.
"No!" Cordelia screamed before she could stop herself. "No!" She wanted to collapse on the floor, but she found herself unable to fall, her legs held in place by some unknown force. Clenching her fists, she felt bile surge out of her throat, unable to stop herself as tears leaked down her face. The corpse of the mage was ravaged, flesh and bone scattered around like some offering to a sick god. "Ricken..." She spoke softly, her voice forced out despite her swallowing harshly. "Please, Naga, don't let this be real." Tears flooded down from her face, raindrops hitting the mangled body below her, a constant rhythm of drips and drops breaking the silence, accompanying her gulps and sobs as she folded in on herself, her head buried in her hands, her back stooped low as she clutched and clawed at her tender face. She could barely see his eyes, transfixed in an expression of abject terror. As she sat there, weeping and scratching at herself, she heard a noise, and her base survival instinct took over as she glanced around, scrambling for her lance. Barely able to see past the veil of tears that threatened to suffocate her, she coughed slightly, pain bubbling in her throat as she felt a scraping sensation in her neck. A heavy dose of adrenaline beat through her veins as she shuffled backwards slightly, unable to convince her leg muscles to let her stand. Stifling her breathing, she prayed that she wouldn't be found here.
It was five awful minutes of immobility before Cordelia managed to force herself upwards, standing on shaking legs. Her tears had dried, dead in the eerie glow of the faint torches, and her screaming voice had fled, leaving her almost able to function. She still swore she could hear footsteps, but the despite the path of light in front of her, it felt like there was an impenetrable veil of darkness ahead, and though her sense of duty told her to carry on, there was a magnetic repulsion to that idea. Glancing one more time at Ricken's barely-recognisable corpse, she took a deep breath. There would be no chance of a proper burial for him. Part of her wanted desperately to lash out at something. The walls, the floor, Plegians, anything! She closed her eyes, trying to let the anger flow out of her, as if she were some kind of human conduit. No chance of a burial, but perhaps a funeral. She didn't know anymore. Turning her back on the body, unable to stand the strain on her heart any more, she began to walk back in silence, fear and grief managing to overcome her urge to take revenge.
Cordelia had almost managed to escape the building (which she had figured out to be a prison), some miracle of navigation allowing her not to take too many wrong turns, when she saw a couple of figures in her view. Plegian scum. Their axes were not bloody, or even particularly well-kept, and they studied her as she approached, her crimson-coated lance in her hands. She had blood on her armour. It was practically soaked with scarlet stains, and she was faintly aware of the dents to the plate that covered her.
"Miss, are you with the Ylisseans? Are-are you with Prince Chrom?" One of them spoke in a pathetic whimper, taking a step back from the redheaded pegasus knight.
"Yes." Her voice was quiet and terse, no emotion or movement on her face displayed.
"Could-could you direct us to him? We want to desert..." She shot back a blank look of incomprehension. "We think the Ylissean army... Well, we're sick of Gangrel and want to serve Prince Chrom. There's rumour he's looking to end this war as fast as he can."
"Don't lie to me..." Taking another movement closer to them, she glared at them, hatred burning in her eyes. "Don't even try to trick me, you Plegian filth."
"We-" The man's words trailed off into a gurgled shout as a lance found its' way through his stomach. As Cordelia glared at the other Plegian, she watched as he took a step back, not even trying to fight her, and, with one swift movement, thrust her lance through his neck, killing the defenseless deserter instantly. Seemingly unaffected by the corpses falling to the floor, she stepped over an extended arm, heading towards the exit, expressionless as she looked towards the darkness, letting it embrace her.