[IC] Swords Beneath the Starlight

"Softies!? I'll have you know, I'm a full-blooded warrior of the Azutai Hawks!"

Bowing her head, Mazelina smiles brightly. Gotta make a good first impression.

"Mazelina, acolyte of Dore. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir! I apologize for being green, but am very much doing my best to learn and help wherever I can!"

Barnabas flinches. But... Saya's words after Dermid's helps. Their confidence.



"We can handle ourselves, but thank you for your welcome and protection."

"Mm... We really hitchin up wit these guys jus like that?" She shifts and rubs her chin. "I'm not sure I'll stick 'round when we get there but I'll agree to travel."

"HAH!" He ruffles Saya's hair. "A WEE DUCK, MORE LIKE. YE'LL LEARN TAE FIGHT IN TIME, I TRUST, LONG AS YER IN MY ARMY, DINNAE WORRY LITTLEUN!!! AN FER YEW, YA LARGER BEASTIE - I APPRECIATE THE CONFIDENCE! YE'LL NEED IT IF YER TAE GROW!"

He turns to Mazelina. "AS FER THE LIT'L HOLY LASS, DORE'S LIGHT BE WITH YE, I IMAGINE WE'LL BE NEEDIN' ONE TA DRESS OUR WOUNDS AS WE GO ABOUT THINGS - ASSUMIN' ANY OF THESE NOODLE-ARMED REVOTRIAN BASTARDS CAN GET A BLOW PAST M' ARMOR, HAH!!!!"

"LASTLY, REGARDIN' TH' FOLK OF RENAULT!" He coughs, lowering his voice to speak gently, seriously.

"While I was bashin' heads an' turnin' back what I could of the little expeditionary force they had out, I saw a contingent of the Knights of Renault out. They had a lad I recognized right on the nose, too - the crown prince, if ye'd believe it. My guess is Renault is goin' tae fall soon. If we want t' be savin' any of it, we'll want to meet with that wee band o' bastards."

"..."



"Goddess, that was fast. They really pulled no punches, eh?"

He shuffles in place, a bit uneasy. He knew Renault was going to fall in the "immediate future," but this was still too soon for him.

"Guess that be the power of Progress. Wonder how's the Peasant Federation be doin'."

Beasts? Laguz? Were those two not with Lien, if Dermid seemed surprised by them?

It suddenly clicks to Milo, between the sounds of the animals in the forest earlier and literally everything said by and to them at this point that Barnabas and Saya are not human. He instinctively goes to take a guarded step back, but... weren't the laguz supposed to be vicious, helpless savages? He wasn't 100% confident, but Revotria didn't exactly have the best record for honesty towards their people, and they weren't trying to attack anyone so far, they were probably alright. Maybe he'd keep an eye on them a little, just in case.

He mentally shakes his head. He was still exhausted, and assumed most of the rest of the people here were as well, but it seemed like they wouldn't have any time


"Where are they now then? How far behind are we?"

Wait... Laguz?

At the mention of that name being brought up, Sunny perks up, suddenly interested. She looks around their group, and finds the two in question when Dermid ruffles the hair of one of them. Ah, so that explains a few of the questions she had about their previous fight... Sunny takes a mental note to talk to them later.



"Hmm..." Sunny hums aloud, then taps her chin. "Though we have just finished with this fight, I'm guessing that time is of the essence here." She turns to address Dermid properly and smiles. "How soon do you think we should depart, if we're to assist?"

"Can't rightly say how far out they'll be by now! Day's travel if they're comin' our way; more if we're catchin' up. Cannae imagine they're untrackable, though, with all the godsdamn'd horses. That said, we should be movin' as soon as possible if we're tae get on 'em before the Revotrians are."

There's a small flush to Mazelina's cheeks at the attention paid to her. Sure, she's supposed to be humble and modest and do good regardless of appreciation-- and she does! It's just...also nice to be appreciated.

"Any and all help at this point is welcome. I'm sure with time we'll find common ground and ways to set aside our differences." Brave words she hopes to truly believe soon. Even if she is wary. And scared. Hell, she's wary and scared of other humans at this point, too. Everything is upside down. Maybe she's right to just be afraid of everyone. "I'm ready to move when you are, sir. The quicker we can get there and help any survivors, the better."

"What are we waiting for then? We should leave as soon as possible if they're being hunted."

"The sooner the better! I know I'm ready!"

Barnabas leaned forward slightly at Saya's hair ruffling, but it was nothing. He just locked his jaw and tilted his chin briefly up at the Knight in a look of recognition at the words, even if he was fighting to keep his knees shaking.

As they discussed chasing after to rescue knights of Renault though...



"Should we... What do you think about them Saya, this lot seem... Good hearted but..." He murmured closely to Saya.

"I have to prove myself, so I won't back down from a challenge like this. But apart from my selfish reasons..."

Saya looks downcast.



"What choice do we have? We haven't found our people yet, and the longer it takes us the more worried I get. I don't know much about the knights of Renault, but maybe, just maybe, they'd protect defenseless Laguz as well?"

And so your journeys begin, as you follow the mysterious Lien and her band of comrades further into the haze of war...

Renault is a newborn kingdom, its meteoric rise led by the brave and prodigious King Leor the Lionheart, then only age 16. Leor's father, a mere baron, built a duchy out of a single city. His untimely death at the hands of assassins sent by his rival, the Duke of Cheswick, left the kingdom in Leor's hands. Inheriting an army of knights and a heart of fire from his father, Leor led a campaign - half diplomatic, half military - to conquer the rest of the feuding lords of the region and establish the Kingdom of Renault.

That was thirty years ago. Peace has prospered in the newborn kingdom as its king fought against the privilege of the nobility and exalted the rights of the common peasant. Renault's military might is unquestionably supreme among the lords of Ilya. Its knights are known for chivalry, fearlessness, and a certain doctrine of individual heroism which encourages personal skill and independent thinking over rigid tactical obedience.

All that is gone now, though. Renault has been laid low. As you all pass through, you find more and more scenes like the one you saw at the Captain's village mere days ago, and with each passing day the situation seems more and more hopeless. Luckily for Renault, a new sun rises just beyond the horizon...

--

You have nestled yourself between a few hills to camp for the day. Dermid says it's safer to travel by night so long as Revotrian patrols are active. As you all sit down to eat, Lien seems exhausted.

"Goddess above, the extent of the Revotrian advance is greater than anything I could have expected. What infernal power fuels their unholy war machine...?"

Sunny plonks herself down onto the ground a good bit of distance from the bulk of the group, a flat look on her face. To see the gifts of her God used in such a blasphemous way... it truly pained her soul. She hated seeing this exploitation... Progress deserved to be far more than a figurehead for such a crusade...



"This is most horrific... I shall offer a prayer..." She clasps her hands together and bows her head, speaking under her breath. "Progress... as your humble servant, I pray for a way to relieve you of this sacrilege. Offer me but a sign and I shall act upon it..." Sunny trails off, shifting into a more internal prayer.

Airitech was eating his meager portion rather quickly, almost inhaling. Almost as if he was part dog. Because he is part dog.

"I dinnae, Lien but if ye ask me - certainly not Progress himself. If Progress be a God, shorely he'll have better things t'do than grant us mortals magical war machines. At least some of us. Ha!"

"It's probs somethin' material and v'real. Fantastic? Yeh. Divine? Deffos not."

Barnabas squinted at Sunny's prayer, odd. Odd one that.

He chewed at some meat, tearing off small strips at a time to make it last and savour the flavour. Gods he wanted to just tear into it and devour it in one go, but, better to make it last. His ears were flooped down, sad and irritated.



"Who can predict the Gods actions, if this is the work of one. Seems unlikely though, that some divinity would suddenly be able to grant such power to it's people whilst the others stand by." He mumbled. "We can only hope it isn't the work of the gods lest it bodes poorly for their judgement on us."

"Ach, if it reflects poorly upon t'gods...well, I would fight'em on that! 'Cuz they ruined me life if they did all this!"

Whether it was the rampant destruction distracting him or just the passage of time and having already gotten used to blending in with strangers, Milo was starting to get a little more comfortable with Lien, her cohort, and the laguz.  Well, except for Dermid, who still left Milo feeling like it was only a matter of time before everyone found out about him.  Still, the old knight was more a comfort than not on the off chance that Revotrians actually do manage to find them.

He is sitting with the rest of the group


"Not a god, I'd hazard.  Not a kind one, at least.  Ambition and ruthlessness I'd say.."  He pauses, remembering what got him to sign up for that dread engine himself.  "An undeserved sense of superiority as well.  Dastards actually believe that they're doing the world a favour by paving over everyone else."

He looks at Sunny as she prays.  It seemed so much more serene and peaceful than what he was used to.  It was a shame it was wasted on what was as much a god of war and blood as anything else.  "I'd say we're acting, chasing after the heir to one of the last kingdoms."

Unless we're talking about the endless success of Revotria being that sign, he goes to say, but he thinks better.  Instead, he turns towards Lien, and Dermid if he's nearby.

"How much further do you think we are?"

"Cannae know fer certain - don't know where they were headed, just where I saw 'em and where m'gut tells me tae be goin."

Lien stares uncomfortably at Sunny, thinks for a moment, and thinks better of it. She closes her eyes and sighs.



"...The realm of the gods is far beyond our grasp. Whatever they're doing, it's up to us to fix things. To bring peace to this shattered land..." She looks to the Laguz, her eyes pensive, full of that odd mix of apprehension and certitude.



"And... perhaps I speak too soon, but I'd like to see peace built between our people as well. I cannot command the members of the league, but I can implore them. Once things are settled, at least."

Carlyle seems aggravated over something she said. He butts in.



"Let's leave the talk of gods behind before we give a certain someone the idea to start proselytizing. What do you all want once this war is over?"

Casey's been paying close attention to Carlyle since their departure. The man seems the most tense of all of them, and unafraid to speak his mind. Casey rolls his eyes as Carlyle openly begrudges their current company. It feels especially rude, coming as it does after Lien's insistence upon her desire to foster peace. Even so, Sunny's frequent prayers to the enemy's deity seem to be setting off more of their band then Carlyle alone, and so Casey elects to carry on by simply answering Carlyle's question.



"A home, I suppose," Casey answers. He doesn't see fit to explain any further, hoping simply to keep conversation from turning hostile.

Barnabas ate the last scraps of his meat, wishing he could hunt for more.



"Peace would be good, but who knows how long it would last even if it came about between our people." He chewed a bit, cleansing the last bits of taste. "I don't see it truly, but back to the way things were, except with more... Respect. Respect for my people, I would wish. Failing that, discovering the survival of my family."

"I dinnae, peace and prosperity. I guess."

Airitech finished the last of his meal. The pause was long and awkward --"

"Would t'be selfish to say I want Ossory to be back to ways they were? Before t'conquest. 'Not sayin' Ossory was so perfect and ideal-lyc 'fore the Revotrians came. But 'least problems back then were more easy to handle!"

All of this prayer has Mazelina a touch uncomfortable. Still, hope in these trying times is hope, and she's not about to yell at Sunny for her worship. The other woman had more than proven that she was willing to help when it really matters. That speaks far louder volumes than any mumblings to a god that may or may not even exist.


"I would want to help all the injured, I suppose. Perhaps start some sort of...something. Travel around, offer hope and talks of peace and comfort. Something of the sorts." It all feels so far away now. Shifting, she crosses her legs beneath her, tucking hair behind her ears. "What about you, Carlyle, Lien, Dermid?"