Pretty. [Blanche sounds utterly incredulous. I mean she's also incredulous that Alaric is laughing at a time like this but still!!] Have you seen all of those wretched little legs on them? They are horrible as any other bug. I suppose the fact that they do not try to use you as a meal ticket is a point in their favor, but...
[...Ohhhhh hi there, you are getting a little too close to the gated property there, butterfly friend. It's flying almost directly into Blanche's face and. Well, if nothing else the Miasma is gone for the moment. But hoo boy.]
[Her savior...don't worry, the butterfly does get the hint and shoos out of the way, going off elsewhere. Blanche very notably eases at that much, expression settling back to it's usual.]
I see. We didn't exactly have any of them around the castle, growing up. Not that mother nor father truly cared about maintaining anything that may have attracted them...
[...]
What was your village like?
[It's a minorly curious question, if nothing else. Blanche surprisingly isn't exactly well traveled despite her status, and she's never really bothered to ask before.]
[Not a surprise there, Blanche's parents only cared about one thing, after all.
That question earns a small shrug from him, but it doesn't seem to bother Alaric as he continues to walk.]
One of those small, out-of-the-way towns with not much importance. It's pretty far from the castle.
[In other words, a place on the map Blanche has probably never paid any attention to.]
It's located in a forest much like this one; there's a mountain range close by, where bandits often holed up. For awhile there was a lot of trouble with them; I learned to fight because the town needed everyone who could to pitch in.
The nobles finally did something about it, but only after several requests for assistance.
[He shrugs again after a brief pause, though.]
Got a little distracted there, but it wasn't a place I was all that fond of.
In hindsight, Blanche should have expected this much, really. Her face doesn't change much from it's usual, but there's a definite darkening of her look. None of this is a surprise; the nobility are never able to get off of their duffs when the people truly need them, and likely only did it to shut the village up.
But it disgusts Blanche.]
...I see. I suppose I should not be surprised, but ignoring the pleas of the people...they should be ashamed.
[Ah, but--he's said he's not fond of it. And he likely doesn't need her telling him that it's reprehensible and all sorts of colorful synonyms about how useless the nobility are. He knows better than most anyone.]
It's quite fine; I understand your disdain. [...] I apologize for prying. If I had known...
Don't worry about it. It's not something that bothers me.
[That does seem to be true; while he didn't look very pleased while talking about it, now that they're done discussing it, he's back to looking as relaxed as ever.]
Things were rough for awhile, but that's all in the past.
[That's like asking her not to breathe and you know it, Alaric. Still, Blanche does nod her head at that; she's more than inclined to drop the subject.
She doesn't want to upset her (friend, confidant) knight if she can avoid it. And once everything is back to normal, she'll redouble her efforts of ensuring that all towns are given adequate defense.]
...Indeed. And such things are better left in the past.
[...Still, she looks out to their surroundings--mostly as a way to keep an eye on things, but...]
I was mostly simply curious. [She thinks for a moment, but...] The only time I had any sort of experience in this sort of environment is when my father attempted to take my siblings and I hunting, once when I was young.
...We did not have to deal with many of them, but once my siblings found out I had a distaste for them, they would not stop attempting to find some simply to try and stick them on my face.
[It was awful!!]
Edited (mmm wording, this makes a lil more sense) 2021-01-05 22:28 (UTC)
Can't say I'm surprised by that; your siblings always seemed to be a handful.
[More than that, really. Alaric never really had any reason to talk to them or get to know them, but he never had a good impression of them to begin with.]
I'm guessing the trip was a bad experience all around which is why it never happened again.
Oh, believe me, they were. Be thankful you didn't see the worst of it.
[...They stopped being too explicit of shitheads when Alaric entered the picture as Blanche's knight, let's put it at that.]
It was, yes. [Or at the very least, they stopped inviting Blanche along for those trips. But she's not going to bring that up.] ...Not that it matters much. I always did prefer my own little trips around the city over anything they could have set up.
[It was freedom, in a way that certainly got her in trouble more before Alaric arrived and they stopped making such a stink about it, but her gaze softens just a touch upon saying that.]
Edited (clarification i should'a added earlier jfc) 2021-01-06 00:26 (UTC)
[It isn't a surprise they treated her awfully, but it is irritating that they only stopped when there was someone else around consistently who could catch them in the act. Alaric has never doubted his decision to serve Blanche, and killing her siblings, but this only makes it even more clear how right that decision was.]
Sounds like you enjoyed it frequently too. Some of the other knights joked that even I wouldn't be able to keep up with you.
[That gets...honestly, that gets a very short, almost mirthful bit of a chuckle out of her. Alaric's certainly not wrong, at any rate.]
Is that right? I suppose I should not be surprised. But I did try to get out any chance that I could, that much is true. I began memorizing the knights guard rounds so I could make a hasty exit without them knowing. But I always tried to keep my own escape schedule erratic so they couldn't be sure unless they checked my room.
[Blanche sounds legitimately smug about that. It was the greatest of fuck yous to her parents, but...well, she looks to Alaric and the smugness dies down and is replaced with something that most would still consider stony, but is about as close to being pleased as she gets.]
And yet, when you joined the knights, you became good at keeping up with me quite fast, didn't you? How did you manage that?
[That gets a short bark of laughter from him before he turns to flash her a grin.]
You definitely gave me some trouble at first, but I wasn't going to lose. I'm competitive, you know. If you were going to outspeed me, I'd just get faster. If you were going to outsmart me, I'd just get smarter. I learned how to keep up with you both because I couldn't stand being outwitted by you, and because this job's an important one.
[For different reasons back then than it is now, but he's always taken pride in his work.]
[Blanche listens, and honestly, she can't help but be amused. There's something amusing as hell about him getting so competitive, and yet more than anything, it's that dedication that Blanche appreciates about him. Even when the going gets tough, he gets tougher to match.]
When you put it like that, it's almost a shame that I could not continue to challenge you, Alaric... [But Blanche doesn't sound disappointed in the slightest.] But objectively speaking, I had played just about every trick I could muster, and you learned every one of them. It certainly proved that you are not one to be underestimated.
[She also just kind of appreciates that someone was willing to go the extra mile for her, but she's not sure how to express that.]
Besides, I can certainly say that I have learned plenty of new things from you. And I can appreciate that.
[For what it's worth, the next several days of travel go off without much of a hitch; for what it's worth, Blanche keeps her complaining further about bugs to a minimum in favor of forging on ahead. They have to, if they want to get to Miramas before this horrible mage moves on. The path is certainly more treacherous than expected, but Blanche can and will persevere. She has to; as Queen, nothing less will be acceptable.
...She's not really doing great at resting unless told to by Alaric, but that's besides the point. And it's all the more proof that she's happy to have him by her side. So they settle into something of a routine; travel during the day, set up their separate tents at night, and repeat until they're close to the city.
Of course, it can't be that simple. And today, the air is almost uncomfortably still and tense, and it's so quiet that you can practically hear a pin drop.
Blanche does not like this, to say the least. She's sticking close to Alaric today, keeping a steady pace, but...]
Is it supposed to be this quiet?
[Blanche is not sure if they should prepare for battle yet, but she's definitely considering it and looking around.]
[Travelling like this is sort of nice. Sure, it's not as nice as living in the castle in comfort without having to worry about managing supplies and all that, but it's nostalgic and Alaric finds he can't really hate it. He spent a lot of time traveling on his own, and there's something nice about having Blanche by his side now.
So even though the path they're traversing through the woods isn't easy, and Blanche herself needs to be reminded to rest, it's not bad at all. Not quite as great as their usual routines in the castle, but certainly not as bad as it could be.
Something's different today, though. There should be plenty of sounds in the forest, and yet it's unnaturally still.]
It isn't. Something's wrong.
[It's a clear day, so it seems unlikely there's going to be a massive storm or something that would be causing this sort of reaction from the wildlife, so it's something else. Alaric has his sword drawn already.]
Stay close and keep your eyes open.
[Something's about to happen, he's just not sure what.]
[Blanche keeps her eyes peeled as they transverse; for what it's worth, they get a few more steps in. A few more steps before something happens, and--
Arrows whizz by the both of them, only barely managing to dodge them before some rather shady looking characters come out. They're almost certainly bandits, but they look organized; they're all dressed in black, though they aren't armored in the slightest. There's a few axemen, a couple of archers, and even a mage among them.
"Well, well. Looks like it ain't your lucky day, huh?" One of the bandits speaks up. "Tell you what! Give us all your valuables, and we'll consider sparing your life!"]
Really, only consideration? The nerve... [Blanche's hands are cloaked in dark magic now, ready for a fight.] Alaric, shall we eradicate them?
[She's ready to put these dastards in their place.]
[The arrow whizzes just by them and Alaric holds out an arm to stop Blanche, readying his sword as he locates the group. Bandits, unsurprisingly. It figures that there would be more of them out here; this is a good area for this sort of group. Points for their matching attire, that's not something you see every day.]
I'd like nothing more.
[With a flash of a smirk, Alaric leaps into battle. He's fast and ruthless, and while he may not be able to get at any archers right away, he trusts that Blanche will have his back. The closest axeman doesn't stand a chance; Alaric is on him in a blink of an eye, sword darting up and out, delivering a swift and fatal blow deep across the neck. It doesn't stun the others, though; they're immediately on the move. The mage and archers are going to move to put some distance between themselves and Alaric, and the other axeman rushes him. He's not going to be as lucky with the second one now that this guy knows what to look out for, but Alaric can certainly hold his own against this guy for the time being.]
[The battle is off like a shot, and Blanche is more than ready to begin. Alaric leaps into the fray easily and takes out one of the axemen, and clashes with another almost instantly; one of them attempts to sneak by to have his shot at Blanche, but she dodges his attack and blasts him away with Miasma. Two down, more of the dastards to go.
Blanche is definitely on the move, once that's taken care of; Blanche is more than willing to have his back, and she sees those archers and the mage backing up. If they get to much of a distance while they clash, they could easily pick him off.
Blanche won't let that happen; she can't quite get to them all now, but she can dash towards their more distanced foes. And at the very least, she'll cast Banshee on one of the archers; it should weigh them down enough to disorient them, but she has to wait for her damn spell to charge again, which is going to leave her open to an attack.
Especially since the Archer didn't die from that. Drat. The mage is definitely seizing the opportunity to attack, hitting Blanche with a wince from the queen--the other, unscathed Archer attempts to fire on Alaric while he's distracted.]
[Unsurprisingly, Blanche's spell hits and kills one of the bandits quickly, and she's on the move to chase down and eliminate the others. It's a bit difficult to tell exactly what's going on where she is, but Alaric trusts she can handle herself against them. Besides, this guy's a bit tougher than Alaric was expecting. He picked the wrong axeman to go after first...
It's not like he's having difficulty, exactly. The guy's strikes are far too slow to hit Alaric. The problem is that the guy is built like a brick wall and barely seems to register the cuts Alaric's managed to leave in his wake. The guy's slow when swinging that axe, but surprisingly adept at dodging. He'd be impressed if this were a sparring match or something, but it isn't, so this is just mildly irritating.
Blanche's shout draws his attention, which just so happens to work out in his favor. The archer firing on him has a good and clear shot - but unfortunately it's also a bit too close to the axeman as well. Alaric seizes the front of the guy's shirt and yanks him forward and around, effectively using the bandit as a shield from the arrow. It's not enough to kill the man, but it does stun him temporarily, which gives Alaric all the time he needs to finish him off with a well-placed sword thrust.
It certainly took more effort and time than he was expecting, but there's no time to rest just yet. Where have Blanche and the other bandits gone, and how's she doing?]
[Don't worry; Blanche is in sight, at the very least. The main problem is that it seems between the injured archer and the mage, she's having a bit of a rough time trying to shrug them both off to get a kill on either one of them.
And they're fast, compared to Blanche's rather slow speed. The mage is slowly chipping away at her and being rather distracting, and Blanche's magic is only barely keeping up with the healing.
"Aw, what's the matter, lady? Can't keep up? Maybe you should just roll over and die! You'll make a nice, pretty corpse!"]
Keep your insufferable mouth shut--!
[Blanche does finally manage to get a hit off on the mage. The problem is, that the injured Archer has a shot lined up, and it's being aimed right for Blanche.
[It doesn't take him long to pinpoint Blanche and the state of the battle over there. He inhales sharply and takes off running, but there's no way he's going to make it in time. It doesn't matter how fast he is, he's simply too far away to make it to the archer before the man fires on Blanche.
(All he can think about is the lightning strike, that horrid moment he thought for sure that she would—)
Alaric frees a hidden dagger from his coat as he moves, and flings it with scarcely any time to aim - it's a long shot and one that isn't likely to kill at all, but he doesn't need to. All he needs to do is distract the man for even a moment to throw off his aim and maybe then he'll miss. It's the only chance they've got.]
[Alaric may not make it there physically, but it seems like the dagger was just enough. Or at the very least, enough for the archer to scream and promptly miss his shot, startling enough to cause the Archer to fall right over. And perhaps luckily for Alaric, the man's gotten his leg caught up in some of the brush. Killing him should prove easy.
Meanwhile, the mage makes the fatal mistake of trying to take aim for Alaric instead--it's enough to let Blanche promptly blast him to bits in anger, fury taking hold of Blanche until there's nothing left of the bastard mage.
...Of course, the other Archer is nowhere to be found at the moment, but that's probably fine. At least, their position isn't obvious at the moment.]
[It's enough. It means she isn't hit, and it means Blanche is fine. That's all he can think as he rushes the archer, and stabs him. The man doesn't need to be stabbed repeatedly in order to ensure he dies, but that doesn't stop Alaric - the archer's scream is thankfully cut short immediately, but he doesn't stop until he needs to catch his breath.
It's silent. Blanche is fine, Alaric is fine, and for a brief moment, it seems all is right with the world.]
You're unharmed?
[He frees his sword from the man's corpse and drags it across the man's clothes to clean it. Alaric's expression hasn't yet shifted back to his usual calm one; the adrenaline is still pumping, after all. They made it through this just fine, but it feels like he's forgetting something...]
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no subject
Hey, c'mon, butterflies won't harm you. They don't bite or sting or anything, they just exist and look pretty.
[is there a point to butterflies?? probably, but he doesn't know much about insects so like, whatever.]
It'll just go on its way, it won't even try to get in your face.
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Pretty. [Blanche sounds utterly incredulous. I mean she's also incredulous that Alaric is laughing at a time like this but still!!] Have you seen all of those wretched little legs on them? They are horrible as any other bug. I suppose the fact that they do not try to use you as a meal ticket is a point in their favor, but...
[...Ohhhhh hi there, you are getting a little too close to the gated property there, butterfly friend. It's flying almost directly into Blanche's face and. Well, if nothing else the Miasma is gone for the moment. But hoo boy.]
You sound like you're so used to them, Alaric.
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You see a lot of them out in places like this. I used to see them all the time in the village I grew up in.
[That and every other kind of bug, so he's not particularly bothered by any of them at this point.]
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I see. We didn't exactly have any of them around the castle, growing up. Not that mother nor father truly cared about maintaining anything that may have attracted them...
[...]
What was your village like?
[It's a minorly curious question, if nothing else. Blanche surprisingly isn't exactly well traveled despite her status, and she's never really bothered to ask before.]
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That question earns a small shrug from him, but it doesn't seem to bother Alaric as he continues to walk.]
One of those small, out-of-the-way towns with not much importance. It's pretty far from the castle.
[In other words, a place on the map Blanche has probably never paid any attention to.]
It's located in a forest much like this one; there's a mountain range close by, where bandits often holed up. For awhile there was a lot of trouble with them; I learned to fight because the town needed everyone who could to pitch in.
The nobles finally did something about it, but only after several requests for assistance.
[He shrugs again after a brief pause, though.]
Got a little distracted there, but it wasn't a place I was all that fond of.
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In hindsight, Blanche should have expected this much, really. Her face doesn't change much from it's usual, but there's a definite darkening of her look. None of this is a surprise; the nobility are never able to get off of their duffs when the people truly need them, and likely only did it to shut the village up.
But it disgusts Blanche.]
...I see. I suppose I should not be surprised, but ignoring the pleas of the people...they should be ashamed.
[Ah, but--he's said he's not fond of it. And he likely doesn't need her telling him that it's reprehensible and all sorts of colorful synonyms about how useless the nobility are. He knows better than most anyone.]
It's quite fine; I understand your disdain. [...] I apologize for prying. If I had known...
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[That does seem to be true; while he didn't look very pleased while talking about it, now that they're done discussing it, he's back to looking as relaxed as ever.]
Things were rough for awhile, but that's all in the past.
[There's no point in dwelling on it, anyway.]
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She doesn't want to upset her (friend, confidant) knight if she can avoid it. And once everything is back to normal, she'll redouble her efforts of ensuring that all towns are given adequate defense.]
...Indeed. And such things are better left in the past.
[...Still, she looks out to their surroundings--mostly as a way to keep an eye on things, but...]
I was mostly simply curious. [She thinks for a moment, but...] The only time I had any sort of experience in this sort of environment is when my father attempted to take my siblings and I hunting, once when I was young.
...We did not have to deal with many of them, but once my siblings found out I had a distaste for them, they would not stop attempting to find some simply to try and stick them on my face.
[It was awful!!]
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[More than that, really. Alaric never really had any reason to talk to them or get to know them, but he never had a good impression of them to begin with.]
I'm guessing the trip was a bad experience all around which is why it never happened again.
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[...They stopped being too explicit of shitheads when Alaric entered the picture as Blanche's knight, let's put it at that.]
It was, yes. [Or at the very least, they stopped inviting Blanche along for those trips. But she's not going to bring that up.] ...Not that it matters much. I always did prefer my own little trips around the city over anything they could have set up.
[It was freedom, in a way that certainly got her in trouble more before Alaric arrived and they stopped making such a stink about it, but her gaze softens just a touch upon saying that.]
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Sounds like you enjoyed it frequently too. Some of the other knights joked that even I wouldn't be able to keep up with you.
[Not that he's bothered by that any, obviously.]
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Is that right? I suppose I should not be surprised. But I did try to get out any chance that I could, that much is true. I began memorizing the knights guard rounds so I could make a hasty exit without them knowing. But I always tried to keep my own escape schedule erratic so they couldn't be sure unless they checked my room.
[Blanche sounds legitimately smug about that. It was the greatest of fuck yous to her parents, but...well, she looks to Alaric and the smugness dies down and is replaced with something that most would still consider stony, but is about as close to being pleased as she gets.]
And yet, when you joined the knights, you became good at keeping up with me quite fast, didn't you? How did you manage that?
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You definitely gave me some trouble at first, but I wasn't going to lose. I'm competitive, you know. If you were going to outspeed me, I'd just get faster. If you were going to outsmart me, I'd just get smarter. I learned how to keep up with you both because I couldn't stand being outwitted by you, and because this job's an important one.
[For different reasons back then than it is now, but he's always taken pride in his work.]
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When you put it like that, it's almost a shame that I could not continue to challenge you, Alaric... [But Blanche doesn't sound disappointed in the slightest.] But objectively speaking, I had played just about every trick I could muster, and you learned every one of them. It certainly proved that you are not one to be underestimated.
[She also just kind of appreciates that someone was willing to go the extra mile for her, but she's not sure how to express that.]
Besides, I can certainly say that I have learned plenty of new things from you. And I can appreciate that.
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[Sure, it wasn't necessarily easy catching up to Blanche and learning her routes and routines, but honestly, it was fun.]
Pleased to be of assistance as always, Your Majesty.
[He stoops into a bow for a moment before straightening up with a smirk.]
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...She's not really doing great at resting unless told to by Alaric, but that's besides the point. And it's all the more proof that she's happy to have him by her side. So they settle into something of a routine; travel during the day, set up their separate tents at night, and repeat until they're close to the city.
Of course, it can't be that simple. And today, the air is almost uncomfortably still and tense, and it's so quiet that you can practically hear a pin drop.
Blanche does not like this, to say the least. She's sticking close to Alaric today, keeping a steady pace, but...]
Is it supposed to be this quiet?
[Blanche is not sure if they should prepare for battle yet, but she's definitely considering it and looking around.]
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So even though the path they're traversing through the woods isn't easy, and Blanche herself needs to be reminded to rest, it's not bad at all. Not quite as great as their usual routines in the castle, but certainly not as bad as it could be.
Something's different today, though. There should be plenty of sounds in the forest, and yet it's unnaturally still.]
It isn't. Something's wrong.
[It's a clear day, so it seems unlikely there's going to be a massive storm or something that would be causing this sort of reaction from the wildlife, so it's something else. Alaric has his sword drawn already.]
Stay close and keep your eyes open.
[Something's about to happen, he's just not sure what.]
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[Blanche keeps her eyes peeled as they transverse; for what it's worth, they get a few more steps in. A few more steps before something happens, and--
Arrows whizz by the both of them, only barely managing to dodge them before some rather shady looking characters come out. They're almost certainly bandits, but they look organized; they're all dressed in black, though they aren't armored in the slightest. There's a few axemen, a couple of archers, and even a mage among them.
"Well, well. Looks like it ain't your lucky day, huh?" One of the bandits speaks up. "Tell you what! Give us all your valuables, and we'll consider sparing your life!"]
Really, only consideration? The nerve... [Blanche's hands are cloaked in dark magic now, ready for a fight.] Alaric, shall we eradicate them?
[She's ready to put these dastards in their place.]
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I'd like nothing more.
[With a flash of a smirk, Alaric leaps into battle. He's fast and ruthless, and while he may not be able to get at any archers right away, he trusts that Blanche will have his back. The closest axeman doesn't stand a chance; Alaric is on him in a blink of an eye, sword darting up and out, delivering a swift and fatal blow deep across the neck. It doesn't stun the others, though; they're immediately on the move. The mage and archers are going to move to put some distance between themselves and Alaric, and the other axeman rushes him. He's not going to be as lucky with the second one now that this guy knows what to look out for, but Alaric can certainly hold his own against this guy for the time being.]
no subject
Blanche is definitely on the move, once that's taken care of; Blanche is more than willing to have his back, and she sees those archers and the mage backing up. If they get to much of a distance while they clash, they could easily pick him off.
Blanche won't let that happen; she can't quite get to them all now, but she can dash towards their more distanced foes. And at the very least, she'll cast Banshee on one of the archers; it should weigh them down enough to disorient them, but she has to wait for her damn spell to charge again, which is going to leave her open to an attack.
Especially since the Archer didn't die from that. Drat. The mage is definitely seizing the opportunity to attack, hitting Blanche with a wince from the queen--the other, unscathed Archer attempts to fire on Alaric while he's distracted.]
Alaric, look out!
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It's not like he's having difficulty, exactly. The guy's strikes are far too slow to hit Alaric. The problem is that the guy is built like a brick wall and barely seems to register the cuts Alaric's managed to leave in his wake. The guy's slow when swinging that axe, but surprisingly adept at dodging. He'd be impressed if this were a sparring match or something, but it isn't, so this is just mildly irritating.
Blanche's shout draws his attention, which just so happens to work out in his favor. The archer firing on him has a good and clear shot - but unfortunately it's also a bit too close to the axeman as well. Alaric seizes the front of the guy's shirt and yanks him forward and around, effectively using the bandit as a shield from the arrow. It's not enough to kill the man, but it does stun him temporarily, which gives Alaric all the time he needs to finish him off with a well-placed sword thrust.
It certainly took more effort and time than he was expecting, but there's no time to rest just yet. Where have Blanche and the other bandits gone, and how's she doing?]
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And they're fast, compared to Blanche's rather slow speed. The mage is slowly chipping away at her and being rather distracting, and Blanche's magic is only barely keeping up with the healing.
"Aw, what's the matter, lady? Can't keep up? Maybe you should just roll over and die! You'll make a nice, pretty corpse!"]
Keep your insufferable mouth shut--!
[Blanche does finally manage to get a hit off on the mage. The problem is, that the injured Archer has a shot lined up, and it's being aimed right for Blanche.
What will you do, Alaric?]
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(All he can think about is the lightning strike, that horrid moment he thought for sure that she would—)
Alaric frees a hidden dagger from his coat as he moves, and flings it with scarcely any time to aim - it's a long shot and one that isn't likely to kill at all, but he doesn't need to. All he needs to do is distract the man for even a moment to throw off his aim and maybe then he'll miss. It's the only chance they've got.]
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Meanwhile, the mage makes the fatal mistake of trying to take aim for Alaric instead--it's enough to let Blanche promptly blast him to bits in anger, fury taking hold of Blanche until there's nothing left of the bastard mage.
...Of course, the other Archer is nowhere to be found at the moment, but that's probably fine. At least, their position isn't obvious at the moment.]
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It's silent. Blanche is fine, Alaric is fine, and for a brief moment, it seems all is right with the world.]
You're unharmed?
[He frees his sword from the man's corpse and drags it across the man's clothes to clean it. Alaric's expression hasn't yet shifted back to his usual calm one; the adrenaline is still pumping, after all. They made it through this just fine, but it feels like he's forgetting something...]
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