Fable - Ask The Long Road

[Elise Virak]

Lir Highway

Elise sat back in her carriage, eyes cast out of the small window within the door.

A Dreadlord Initiate stood there, his back straight, his shoulders square, and his face desperately attempting to hide the nerves he must have been feeling in that moment. She didn't know his name, though it had been said more than once around her. He was part of the 'honor guard' that had been sent along with her to Alliria.

Just a year ago this would have been an insult.

A couple of Guardsmen, a handful of Initiates, one of those disgusting Forsaken.

There would have been riots in the streets if she'd been treated this way before the 'revolution'. Now she'd practically begged for this sort of an escort. It was not because they hadn't offered something else, no. Originally they had wanted to send her with actual Dreadlords, but Elise knew better.

This was a new world, and a new world called for a new image.

So she had made a point. Demanded that she receive a guard befitting any other Ambassador, insisted that it would be this band of ragtag misfit nobodies that would see her to Alliria. In truth, the group had not been so bad. They were young, stupid, but most of them at least still held the respect that was befitting her station. She'd not had to offer any true rebukes as of yet, though with that thing escorting the children she was sure it would come eventually.

Her father had never liked the Forsaken, never truly trusted them. It was something she could not blame him for. The magic binding them had been powerful, but it always felt...off. There were better means of control. Better paths to take. The half-lings were variables House Virak had never desired, least of all now when their collars had been loosened.

A sigh escaped Elise's lips as she let the curtain fall back into place in front of her window.

These new days presented nothing but problems.

 

[Maseno Luana]

The change in his life could not have been more unwelcome. Emryc had only just settled into a routine in the undercity that felt comfortable. He knew his place, he knew his job, he did it well, he was left alone. Solitude and small comforts, like his own hovel to call home, and the respect of his fellow Forsaken were big. He even had his own horse - illbegotten as it was for a life underground was no life at all for an equine - but it had been well trained, well mannered, and his. He'd even started a small collection of books, nabbed from the surface on his missions and hidden away from his Handlers. Gods forbid a Forsaken get ideas or find escape - that was why most of them weren't educated.

Then the overcity got uppity and decided it didn't like the way of things. Would have been perfectly fine if its fit of rebellion hadn't also reached those dwelling below. His entire world had been turned upsidedown, literally. Everything he knew was gone: his hovel, his horse, his books, his routine, the entirety of the life he'd been beaten into accepting.

The sun peeked out from behind the clouds above, casting a brilliant sheen of gold across the landscape and the small caravan in motion on the highway. Emryc winced into the light with eyes that had spent the last 30 years well adjusted to darkness. He breathed in the fresh air from atop his new horse and silently adjusted the layers of his new leather armor. It wasn't broken in and molded to him like his old set and it smelled strongly of leather oil. The horse was young, fresh, and flighty. His linen base layers were stiff and scratchy. The woman in the carriage kept leering at him as if he were a shitstain on the grey mount that someone had forgotten to clean off. The children traveling with them were constantly sniping at one another and himself as if they had nothing better to occupy their day - like doing their job.

He hated all of this.

"Hold!" called one of the guards from the front of the group, "Stop the carriage," and reined his horse around to walk over to the carriage, purposefully ramming his into the grey upon which the Forsaken sat and sending it squeeling backwards in a tither, "Out of the way, beast. Bah -" and quickly rapped his knuckles on the carriage door, "M'Lady, there's a problem. The bridge ahead is out. Looks to be destroyed in the last rain floods."

Emryc tightened up his own reins as his horse snorted in a fit and pulled it in a tight circle, eyes trained on the guard and ears straining to hear. He couldn't very well provide protection if he didn't know what was going on.

 

[Noel]

They’d been briefed at the academy on the presence of a half-orc for this assignment. It was a fact that outraged some of the other students. That a mixed blood would be allowed so close to Lady Elise, the head of House Virak. Of course, Elise’s presence caused another ripple of rumors among the Dreadlords in waiting. Being so close to a noble had to have some hidden meaning, right?

Then there were the usual complaints related to the Anirian Guard. The initiate Dreadlords would have to get used to being subservient to military rule. Naysayers upset about taking orders from the Guard on this excursion were in for a lifetime of heartburn.

Noel wasn’t bothered by the half-orc. Nor was she nervous about the Virak baroness. And she’d grown accustomed to listening to the Guard’s orders months ago.

Her chief complaint was all of the horseback riding.

It made everything ache. Her lower back, her legs, her tailbone, basically everything below her shoulders felt like it had been engulfed in ravenous flames. Forget about the tortures of the academy, just have students ride on horses for a spell.

She traveled near the front of the entourage. Just in front of the half-orc and sandwiched between a guardsman another initiate.

Her face wouldn’t show it but outward hostility to the pig-faced Forsaken seemed pointless to her. A glance was paid to the wretched thing, half pitying, before her gaze focused back on the guard tapping away at Elise’s carriage.

”Perhaps we’ll need to proceed on foot.” Her words were a whisper of foolish optimism motivated by the numbness in her backside. Still, carriages couldn’t cross flooded roads so maybe...

 

[Dorian]

"Maybe the river can be forded," Dorian, who was closer to Noel than he would've liked, offered, "Or maybe they'll let me turn around and head back."

The Guardsmen at the Academy had said seeing new parts of the world would be a good experience, but Dorian wanted to tell them to bugger off. He'd been rather invested in a personal arts and crafts project back at the school, something he started recently during their free periods, and being pulled away from it landed itself between mildly and moderately on his spectrum to measure how annoying things were.

Also, there was the lingering concern that Edric would happen across it and toss it over the battlements.

The Apprentice leaned back in his saddle and watched in smug amusement as the Guardsmen scurried around to handle the problem.

"Just me, though."

 

[Elise Virak]

Elise let out a sigh, fingers twiddling through her hair as she gave the Captain an annoyed glance. "Of course."

She had no idea why she'd agreed to this little trip. It would have been so much easier to send one of her cousins, or perhaps the multitude of sniveling little rats that now crowded around her in hopes of some sort of elevation.

This new world of politics was much like the game of Houses had been, but different enough that her own actions mattered so much more.

Elise had barely managed to escape the shadow of what had happened at Stratholm. Aided mostly by the fact that she'd killed her own father and added the considerable weight of her House Guard to the Revolution. That and the ludicrous ideals of the new government who seemed utterly hellbent on stabbing themselves in the foot.

"Well Captain, it seems you have a problem to solve." The Baroness mused, reaching out and unlatching the door to the carriage. She pushed it open, letting the calm breeze of the road wash over her. As she stepped outside she surveyed her party. "Perhaps the children can help."

There was an unnerving optimism and cheer to her tone.

Nobles were not supposed to sound like that. Certainly not when there was a problem. "I was told they were most industrious."

The Baroness flickered her gaze over the party.

"Or." She mused, a smile drawing at her lips. "Maybe our green friend has a solution?"

Elise managed to hide the rise of bile in her throat quite well.

 

[Maseno Luana]

He'd maintained his stoic silence as everything unfolded, steadying his agitated horse with a loose rein and a quiet seat. This was a test of his ability to adjust and evolve, Elouise Libelle had told him when she'd sent him on the mission, as well as a test for the various generations of the city. From young upstart to weathered noble Lady, each and every one of them would need to find a way to adjust and evolve.

The Forsaken were perhaps a bit more well prepared for such things. They'd already spent their entire lives living with things they hated.

Emryc watched the proceedings from his peripheral view, making no form of eye contact with the Lady as she disembarked from her carriage to snipe at the Guards and unnerve the children.

Unless one of those children happened to be talented in the architecture of building bridges from nothing, or perhaps a command of telekenesis so strong they might float the lady and her very large dress to the other side, there was very little solution to offer. Emryc had been patiently waiting for someone to make a decision when the opportunity for one was given to him.

The half-orc's jaw set, a line visibly forming over his two-toned face.

You must speak when spoken to, Libelle had also said. This silence of yours will no longer do.

Right.

"Take the southern road," Emryc offered flatly and without looking at the Lady in question.

"The southern road he says," scoffed the Captain, "an wild footpath through the territory of knife-ears. It can hardly be called a road at all. The northern highway would be better. It is well maintained with civilized townsteads along the way."

"It would add three days to the journey," Emryc refuted to the Captain, brow setting as he ventured a short glance toward the man, "to take the north road."

 

[Noel]

Noel rolled her eyes at Dorian's suggestion of turning back. How he had made it this far through the academy was a mystery. Spending his free time playing at being an artist instead of bettering himself. "Perhaps you can paint a picture of us fording the river," she said with a sneer just as Elise arose from her carriage.

The initiate perked up, straightening her back and keeping her attention focused on the noble woman. She hadn't been exposed to Anirian nobility, and now that the Dreadlords were to serve under the Guard it was unlikley she'd spend any significant amount of time with them in the future. But Elise was... not what she had expected.

In the early days of the academy members of the seven Great Houses were spoken of like legends. As if they commanded authority and purpose. She had anticipated them to be brave, powerful, and possess leadership skills that rivaled some of the great conquerors in the history lessons they'd had as children.

Elise Virak's words felt like she was talking down to her entourage. It felt like she was deflecting her responsibility. Noel hid her disappointment but found it more difficult when she kicked the can from the initiates to the half-orc.

Briefly, she considered speaking up. It was possible that she could use the entirety of her platinum armor to form railings that the carriage could travel over and maybe the waters were shallow enough for the horses to get across. But the thought of continued pain on this journey while covered in muddy armor made her think better of it.

"The journey south is quicker," she said, astonishing even herself as she supported the pig-face. "We can keep Lady Virak safe," her words were cold and confident. "No sense wasting her time for fear of a few elves."

In truth, Noel had never fought elves before, though she doubted they could hold a candle to Proctor Pallatrix.

 

[Davi]

Davi kept himself to himself as he always did. Or at least tried.

"You just stick with me, lad," the greying Anirian Guard Sergeant said for the fourth - or was it fifth? - time that trip. The youngster was still sporting the nasty black eye from his scuffle with other initiates from his year group. As usual they had set on him in a group, and as usual it had only been sheer numbers that had in the end won them the day. He flexed his scabbed over knuckles on the reins as his horse frisked to the left when the party came to a stop; at least he had given as good as he could before they had pinned him and beaten him. They would certainly hesitate next time. There definitely would be a next time for this hadn't been the first time. Just this time they had all been unlucky enough to be caught by Sergeant James Delphine.

As if the humiliation of having an older guard reprimand his bullies for him hadn't been enough for dear old James, the Sergeant had then decided to take the young Dreadlord under his unwelcome wing.

Now Davi couldn't fucking get rid of him.

The young initiate glanced over to where James was standing up in his stirrups to get a better look of the land and then secretively rolled his eyes when the old man wasn't looking.

"Surely the quicker route is best," he piped up. "Anirian's aren't scared of Knife Ears after all, are we? No offence," he glanced at the half-orc. Orcs hated elves too, right? His eyes lingered on the fellow curiously and not for the first time Davi wondered just how many bottles of Kazara you had to drink to climb into bed with an orc.

 

[Val Pirian]

Some awkward squawking and shuffling could be heard from behind the group as another mounted figure strode in nearly a serpentine fashion to catch up with the rest. Val Pirian had chosen to accompany the ever enigmatic Elise on this particular journey, though, quite prone to boredom, he'd decided to make things decidedly more interesting. Well, perhaps 'interesting' was being too generous; 'frustrating' and 'embarrassing' had thus far been better descriptors for this particular venture.

See, House Pirian wasn't just the agricultural house. On the contrary, his mother had always had a soft spot for animals, and thus a fair bit of husbandry was not unheard of within the House. Of course, Lady Henrietta especially liked the more exotic breeds, and one particular handler had convinced Val that a simple horse would be boring on a long trip like this. Instead, the Pirian heir found himself atop a Candenordic gryphon; they were a relatively small, sleek breed, with intelligence rivalling the that of the smartest dog breeds. Their plumage was a warm brown and a striking red, but the most unique thing about them was the total lack of wings. Val had heard that the beasts were more built for prowling the craggy badlands of Candenord than anything else, and were quite fast on the ground.

This one, however, was being a bit of a bellend today. Val had gone through all the trouble of copying magic that would let him talk to the bloody thing in the hope that that would make the trip smoother, but the handler had neglected to tell him that it was basically still a foal and was quite willful.

"Bloody hell, Astraeus, would you please behave yourself for five minutes?" Val griped to the groundborne avian as it zigzagged about. Thankfully, Astraeus relented at last, and Val finally caught up to the others. Just in time to overhear the talk of choosing a direction, too!

"Elves, eh? We have been attempting to establish more...cordial relations with them in our wonderful new republic, Elise." The noble divulged with a smirk, tightening his grip on his reins to prevent Astraeus from running off after a nearby butterfly. "What do you say? A shortcut and a bit of the old diplomatic approach never hurt anyone."

 

[Dorian]

"Great idea, Schwarz. I'll call it..." Dorian made a rectangle with his outstretched hands to capture the scene in front of them, "Anirian Might."

Looking through his finger-frame, he saw a pair of Guardsmen bickering about what they should do.

Speaking of Anirian might, out came the Virak woman. Dorian frowned and lowered his hands. Her appearance meant many things, none of which would be beneficial to the lithe Apprentice, so he decided to idly pick at his nails rather than listen to what the noblewoman had to say. Or what anyone had to say, for that matter.

"They say Elven blademasters spend centuries honing their techniques," Dorian suddenly whispered to Noel, still tending to the dirt under his nails, "You've got all of - what - ten... eleven years to boast? Shouldn't underestimate a few elves."

Noel was intimate with underestimating her enemy, as she had looked down on Dorian before during a spar, and had been looked down upon in turn by the younger Apprentice after he laid her flat on her rear.

Not that he would remind her of that.

 

[Meredith]

Meredith was another student that inevitably kept to herself. Moat of them chose to, because well why would they trust each other? She sat atop her mare holding her in an easy gait as she followed the carriage.

She didn't care there was a half-orc, in fact she was rather intrigued. It was the noble that irritated her. She didn't like people that thought they were better than others. It irritated her to no end.

She pulled her mare to a stop as it was revealed the bridge was out. Of course it was, nothing could be easy, could it? She huffed to herself as she glanced at her traveling companions.

Already they were all arguing, and she sighed. The half-orc had a point, but personally she didn't want to spend the extra time. "I say we take the southern road. Emryc is right." She shrugged and fell silent, nothing else for her to say until the moment presented itself.

 

[Elise Virak]

A cacophony of opinions began to rain down, most of them seeming to point south. Elise glanced towards the Guard captain, the man clearly displeased at the voices joining behind Emryc's. Amusement flickered over Elise's features.

She had no love for the beast, obviously, but she couldn't help feeling a slight hint of satisfaction seeing the Guardsmen rankled.

Were it not for them none of this would have happened. The ungrateful louts had taken everything House Virak had given them and had the audacity to turn. Some of the Dreadlords might have made the revolution possible, but it had been the Guard that had started it all.

A fact Elise would never forget.

"Diplomacy?" Elise mused, glancing over to Val. Her friend had decided to come along on this journey, a welcome thing. Until he'd mentioned that he would be riding on one of those...beasts. She had looked forward to conversation, jests, like the old days. Instead he'd been making a spectacle of himself.

Oh Val. She mused quietly in her head. "Sweet simple, Val. Still insisten the lesser races are worth our time.

Elise thought. You take too much from your parents.

Lessons that she herself had disposed of during the Revolution.

A few more moments passed, and then finally she spoke. "We'll take the southern road, then. I trust my new Guardians. They seem quite capable."

She said with a smile, quickly adding.

"And Captain fetch me a Horse." Elise motioned, but before she could finish the man spoke up.

"My Lady! I ca-"​

Almost immediately Elise's voice spike in anger. "You can't!?"

Two words, that was all it was, but it seemed to be enough. A lifetime of deference was hard to unlearn. Elise might no longer have been one of the rulers of Vel Anir, but she was still the head of House Virak. Still the Baronness of Velstrad.

Without another moment of hesitation the Guard Captain called to one of his soldiers, the man quickly dismounting for Elise as the party began to head south.

 

[Maseno Luana]

There was a great deal of dismissive talk about elves that Emryc made no effort to refute. He'd traveled plenty outside of Vel Anir for various tasks and missions, and he'd consorted with the elves before. Taking lives, stealing relics or hostages, or simply making a statement at the behest of whoever-the-fuck felt it needed doing at any given time. Indeed, send the Forsaken to do the dirty work. If it dies, they'll just send another until the job is done.

Emryc tried not to think of the fact that there was a very strong possibility he'd be recognized. The Elvish Kingdom of Loriden, of whose outskirts they would be passing through on the southern road, was terribly unforgiving and just about as racist against humans as Vel Anir was against everything else that wasn't human. Loriden also hated orcs, but at this point he would rather deal with their spite over present surly and prepubescent company.

The half-orc lingered back while the Lady hoisted herself and her oversized skirts into the saddle, wondering briefly just how well a rider she truly was. Time, and the likely volley of arrows they'd encounter from the trail sides, would be telling.

"Lead the way, brute," the Captain stuck out his jaw at the half-orc and gestured with a nod of his head, "you can take the first arrows, that's what you're here for, ey?"

"With pleasure," Emryc's deep baritone rumbled in reply, the dour expression on his face not at all a match to the words. He reined his horse around, pressing it forward between the mounts of the children. The redheaded Meredith got a glance to note, being the only person here to have referred to him by name, before he took up the lead back the way they came and to the crossroads where they would embark upon the southern road.

 

[Noel]

"Dorian," she spoke softly and quietly, "we are Dreadlords. What the hell do you think we were - you know what, never mind. I'm going to go do my job and I'm going to hope you stay as far away from me as possible." Noel guided her mare towards the center of the column, simply nodding in agreement as the consensus was reached and the noblewoman ordered them to head south.

Despite her dismissive tone there was likely some truth to Dorian's words so when the half-orc was ordered to lead the group she felt a weight lifted from her shoulders and took up a position a bit further back. Of course, Noel only did this to ensure she was closer to Elise who was the person they were ordered to protect. Now that she was on horseback it only made sense for Noel to ride her own steed a bit closer to the leader of House Virak.

Although that proved a different challenge unto itself.

Dorian was someone she wanted to try and position herself away from. If he kept talking she couldn't entirely be sure that she'd be unable to resist impaling him with five feet of platinum. But if she rode too fast she'd be just behind the pig-faced vanguard and for appearance's sake alone that wouldn't do (not to mention the whole elven arrows problem).

So instead she guided her mount as close to Elise Virak as possible which ended up being directly beside Sergeant James and his shapeshifting Guardsman's pet Davi. If she just stayed completely silent maybe the rest of the trip would be somewhat tolerable.

 

[Davi]

Being sandwiched between Elise Fucking Virak and Sergeant Bastard James was not a situation Davi had ever wanted to imagine himself in. He sat so stiffly in his saddle he thought his back might snap from the pressure of keeping it so iron-rod straight. Worse was the fact the Sergeant seemed to be rather proud at how his new protege was behaving around nobility. He might have stopped just to piss the older man off if the woman didn't scare him so much. There was just something about her that raised every hair on the back of his neck...

The orc begun to lead the way and the rest of them fell in behind.

The South Road - if it was really deserving of the name road - wound like a lazy fat snake from the main road and into the stark winter-gripped Falwood. With most of the trees without its leaves and only fat ferns and evergreens provided any signs of colour, the forest was far from its usual beauty. It also provided far less cover, which was what was occupying Davi's mind more. Such a thing was both good and bad; bad for it meant their group was out in the open but good for it meant anyone who wanted to stalk them would be in a similar position.

Unless of course they used magic.

Cautiously the young Dreadlord used a little of his magic to change his body on such a minuscule level nobody would be able to notice it, heightening his hearing and his sense of smell. The proctors of old would have had a fit if they had known he had been using such a trick for many years and truthfully it was still all Davi himself felt comfortable changing into that of a beast. It did come in hand though, these senses. Especially when the wind blew the scents of an old fire from upahead towards him.

"We might have company, soon," he said in a low murmur.

 

[Dorian]

Dorian smirked and shrugged as Noel peeled off from Dorian's side. He watched her to the carriage before shifting his gaze to Davi, who found himself in an unenviable spot.

"Heh. Lapdog," Dorian snickered to himself and pulled ahead in the formation to Meredith's side.

"Afternoon, Mer'," his greeting was pleasant, "Say, you scored higher on that last Thaumodynamics exam. Did you cheat?"

The idle chatter didn't distract him from the situation. Dorian shot wary glances here and there as they continued onward.

"You cheated, didn't you."

Of course, he knew she didn't cheat, but it had become something of a tradition to pester her for scoring higher on tests and written assignments.

 

[Val Pirian]

While some of the guard seized up at Elise's little flare of temper, Val simply chuckled. She had always been a bit spoiled, but more than that she had always known what she wanted. Damned was anyone who stood in her way.

So, the southern road and a horse for Elise it was. Astraeus still staying in line for the time being, Val urged the beast to come astride the Virak noble's new mount. He nodded towards the strange, bickering entourage that the woman had assembled with a smirk.
"So, you trust these ones, then?" He spoke to her, and just her as the little caravan sauntered forward. "Hardly seems to be your usual flavor, especially given everything that's happened in the last year."

He couldn't resist the opportunity to poke a bit of fun at her, especially since they'd hardly had the opportunity to talk thus far on the trip thanks to this infernal chimera beneath him.
"If I had to hazard a wager, I'd say the great Lady Elise Virak, matron of her House, has something up her sleeve. Unless you just wanted to get me out here on another frantic run through the forest again, but really Elise, there are much simpler ways of getting me alone." Val razzed his old friend, a knowing grin displayed wide and proud across his countenance.

 

[Meredith]

The Captain was pissing her off with his comments to the half-orc. Meredith was respectful, of everyone. She made her likes and dislikes through personality, not appearance.

They were all forced to wait as the noble decided she wanted to ride. How obnoxious. More comments from the Captain, a little arguing, and they began on their way again. Emryc glanced at her as he passed, and she gave him a slight nod. She followed suit, keeping her horse just behind.

Soon enough, Dorian decided to join her. Apparently he'd had enough of Noel. She rolled her eyes as he tried to tease her about her scores. "Just because I spend my free time studying, doesn't mean you get to tease me about it. Maybe if you spent more time with your nose in a book, you wouldn't nearly fail every time."

 

[Elise Virak]

Elise let out a long sigh, shaking her head. "No, Val. No flight through the woods."

In truth though, a part of her harkened to that week she and her two friends had spent in isolation. Sure they had spent the entire time being hunted, hungry, and exhausted, but there had been a simplicity to it all.

For the first time in years she'd been allowed to spend time with her friends. They had shared stories of the old days, told truths that had haunted them since childhood, and gotten a glimpse of another life. A part of her craved that life, yearned for it. The simplicity of being on the run. Of having no control of her life, but she knew it wasn't to be. Not anymore.

"There isn't room for that." Not after what they had done. Not after the revolution. "Things are different now."

Slowly she looked over towards Val. "I am the head of my House. Our position is still tenuous at best. Many in the Government still clamor for our heads. My head."

She frowned for a moment before continuing.

"They fear me. So I must show there is nothing to be scared of." A lie she was carefully crafting. "A relationship once based on fear must now be rebuilt with trust."

Elise slowly looked around at the Guardsmen and students who were surely listening. Her gaze lingering on the Forsaken for a brief moment before she turned her orange eyes back to Val. "The Guard has asked me to trust in them, and they trust these children."

Her shoulders raised in a shrug.

"So I shall trust them in turn." Because it suited her. Because it played into her hands. "I am sure they will prove more than capable of doing what is required of them."

At least she hoped so. If they all died then she'd ordered the bridge destroyed for naught.

 

[Maseno Luana]

Much to Emryc's deepening distaste, their journey went on along the South Road for nearly an hour with not but the passing of several deer and the following calls of crows. It had begun to snow and he watched their surroundings slowly turn white as they moved along the pathway and into the woods. Bare trees sparsely growing soon became a thicket of old forest that, even despite their seasonal nakedness, still set a dreary shade over their path under a bright, overcast sky above.

Though it had been quiet, he could not shake the sensation that the entire group was being watched.

And then it happened, but just not in the way he expected.

Up ahead on the road a figure stepped out from the trees, hooded and darkened in layers of black and gray. Emryc could not tell if it was an elf or perhaps just a Highwayman looking to gain a few quick coins from unsuspecting victims.

Emryc brought his horse to a halt and angled it on the road to block the two riding directly behind him.

"Wait here," he intoned to the children without looking back and ushered his horse forward toward the lone stranger. At a distance of several yards he stopped his horse again and straightened in the saddle, "Are you of Loriden?"

No answer.

["Loridennsa?"] he asked in rusty elvish, it had been years since he'd learned it and nearly as long since he'd needed its use, ["Peace. Safe passage."]

The stranger tipped its head, ["...you look familiar."]

Emryc blinked, glanced about and noticed the shadows among the trees filtering in, "...fuck, ARROWS!"

They flew in from all sides and a band of elven riders drew in from behind.

 

[Noel]

Dealing with students like Dorian or Liliana's little gang of misfits had trained Noel to simply drown out the chatter of others when she was focused on a task. For this reason she kept to herself as the party rode onward, trying to keep her shivering to a minimum when the snow began to fall.

Of course, the two nobles were having a discussion just near enough for her to catch all of it. She briefly pondered if the Pirian noble and the Virak noble had been old friends or if there was some romantic fling there. But perhaps that was just her mind being insatiably bored. Although, their matron in charge of this mission spoke highly of them which was a nice change of pace. It always felt like Proctors and even some of the Guard looked down on the initiates so being given a modicum of respect from a noble was a huge bolster to Noel's confidence.

Eventually the orcish pigman went to address whoever it was that blocked their path. They spoke and then chaos erupted.

After the first arrow zinged by Noel she went into action. They had been briefed on the priority of this mission, to keep Elise Virak safe. The back of Noel's armor exploded outwards, expanding and forming a wall between Elise and the treeline. It took nearly all of her focus to keep the metal floating and moving with the group as the volley of arrows dinged against it one after another.

Once the noble lady was safe from harm Noel's wristguard expanded itself into a large tower shield to keep herself safe from the onslaught. "I've got Lady Virak protected, do we fight or flee?"

It was too difficult to tell how many there were and with Noel committed to defense she was skeptical if her classmates could handle their attackers.

 

[Davi]

Davi's magic might not have been that obvious until it was but that didn't mean he was a weak link in this guard. The rigorous Dreadlord training meant even if he one day found himself without powers he would still be a formidable opponent. As arrows whizzed through the air he casually lifted a hand and grabbed the shaft an inch before it would have hit his eye. With a casualness that belied the true threat of the attack, the young dreadlord snapped the shaft in his hand and let it drop to the ground. His horse pawed the ground, the war beast eager to enter the fray but he kept his hands light and relaxed as he turned to Noel.

"Given numbers, fleeing seems the quicker route to failure," and if they were elves they would be able to keep pace with, and overtake, their horses easily enough. Staying as a group would provide them with a greater chance of surviving.

Davi watched with detached interest as the guards settled into their formations like a well oiled dwarven machine. Or, at least, how he imagined they ran from the books he had read. Despite Dreadlords sneering at them the Anirian Guard were a formidable force and they didn't go easy when met with a foe. Was this the future? Dreadlord and Guard side by side in the ranks? He wasn't sure. His eyes flickered to Eiise and Val.

"Technically, I suppose, we should listen to our superiors."

 

[Dorian]

Dorian scoffed, "What was that? Look, it's better for you that I don't, okay?"

What was amazing, actually amazing, was that somebody who tried so hard couldn't get the better of him a hundred percent of the time.

Then that green oaf- no, well, that wasn't fair. That beast of a man wasn't an oaf, or at least didn't seem like one. An oaf wouldn't know elvish.

They were attacked before he could make any more sense of it all. With large, circular motions with both of his arms, the arrows that rained down around Dorian were all blown out of the air, protecting him, Meredith, and whomever else was fortunate enough to be near the pair.

"You know I-" a sharp wave of his arm blew another smaller volley of arrows out of the air, "-really don't like sitting here like this."

Dorian glanced over his shoulder then back to the redhead, "Noel has the Lady secure. How about we take it to 'em?"

Without waiting for an answer, Dorian threw himself over the saddle, drawing long daggers from behind his back, and before his feet touched the ground, the wind carried the Apprentice towards the treeline with blinding speed.

 

[Val Pirian]

Val listened intently as Elise gave her answer, nodding occasionally as she explained her situation. He'd gotten much insight into her life in the last year, and he did have a degree of sympathy for her given both her circumstances and her new position. Val couldn't imagine what he'd do if both of his parents suddenly keeled over dead tomorrow. Probably experience every step of the grieving process simultaneously.

"Responsibility is all well and good, my dear, but please do remember to take some time for you every now and again. All the power plays and publicity stunts in the world won't help if you're driven to madness or an untimely death along the way." He offered fairly genuinely, his attention only divided by the scratch on the back of the head he gave his mount. "When we get somewhere civilized you'd really ought to let me treat you. We can have a nice day on--"

"...fuck, ARROWS!"

Oh bollocks, not again.

Suddenly everything came to life in a burst of activity and magic and motion. Val could see a volley of arrows flying in, then saw the big, metal barrier materialize in front of Elise.
"...Well, what am I, chopped liv--never mind, WHOOSH!" With a thrust of his hand a powerful gust of wind burst up and out, knocking away any stray arrows that had threatened to sink themselves into Val or his gryphon. Once again, he'd have to thank dear old dad later for having that trick on standby at any given time.

As the Pirian noble struggled to get his bearings, he called out to Elise:
"Some things never change, eh? Perhaps diplomacy was a bit of a pipe dream!" Before promptly yanking the reigns of his mount and directing the beast to get the hell out of dodge. If Elise wanted to trust these initiates, guardsmen, and forsaken, Val wasn't about to step in on any of their behalf.

 

[Elise Virak]

Elves. She mused. So very predictable.

For a species that claimed to be so superior to humanity, they had a tendency to act in disturbingly similar patterns. It had been obvious this would happen, even without her additional assurances in place. The elves wanted any human dead, and her in particular.

A flash of fear mocked over her face. A mask worn a dozen times over as the sound of arrows rained against Noel's metal shield. Elise whipped her head around to the girl, ears following the call of Initates and others as the attack began.

Bright yellow eyes followed Val as he yanked on the reigns of his strange mount, the beast burst into a sprint that lead into the opposite wood. "Pull back."

She hissed.

"Get out of the open and draw them into more favorable ground." Elise was loathe to retreat, but her father had taught her enough strategy to know that staying on the road was a fools gambit. They would be best served in ensuring their foe would fall into a chase.

"Stay with me." Elise commanded, motioning to the Initates and Guardsmen. "Stay close!"

Her hands pulled at the reigns of her horse, dragging him into a gallop towards the forest.