Perhaps we did, but it was no less than what the lot of them deserved.
[Oh Alaric. Blanche is at least in agreement that this stuff is nasty and they could stand to get cleaned the hell up; at the very least she'll follow along to the river. Cleaning up will be nice and easy, and they can get on the road again in no time at all.]
[It doesn't take them long to find the stream and clean up, and their trek through the mountains begins. Thankfully, they don't need to travel too high up through the mountains, and even more thankfully, they don't have to travel too far. After only a day and a half, they're able to see where the mage's base is likely located, though that's where their luck runs out.
While there aren't any towns around here, there is an old military outpost. It isn't listed on any more recent maps, which is why they missed it, but this area must have once been somewhere important to the kingdom. The base is built into the mountain itself, with stone walls and a tower for looking out on the surrounding plain and distant forest. Much of it is crumbled and unusable now, but that hasn't stopped the mage and her lackeys from renovating the place. From their viewpoint, Blanche and Alaric can see that they've been rebuilding; there's only a couple of former small houses that look potentially livable, with plenty of tents set up in the area surrounding it. The main building of the fort is made of stone and mostly intact, and the walls are manned with archers and other mercenaries. It's difficult to get an exact number from here, but the place is definitely not short on soldiers.]
I had no idea there was a place like this out here... Seems like a good spot for them. It'll be difficult to break through.
[The front gate is the one looking out on the plains, which is obviously not the best way for them to approach.]
If we continue around like this, we can likely sneak in tonight.
[The walls of the settlement would be easy to get onto from the mountain, so getting in won't be a problem. It's just everything else...]
I'm guessing that mage is holed up there, in that building.
[He points it out - it's the main stone one that likely housed most of the base's military might a long time ago.]
[It is perhaps a blessing that they don't need to go too far out of their way in order to find the mage's hideout. Honestly, Blanche is impressed that they've managed to find it this quickly; of course, the problem lies with everything else here.
This old base is definitely something the bandits have made good use of; built into the mountain, it's certainly an excellent strategic point to renovate for one's own uses. And they've certainly done a good job with it, which makes it all the more frustrating. If Blanche had known about this area, she would've ordered something to be done about it before these bandits could get their grubby mits on it.
But from what they can see, there's houses and tents set up, and there appear to be archers and other mercenaries lining the walls. This mage is far more powerful and influential than she expected...]
I hadn't the faintest idea that this was near here either. It's certainly a troubling thing to not know anything about.
[Blanche doesn't let anxiety or anything else color her words; she looks coldly at their adversaries, thinking of all of the ways they can take them down quietly.]
But yes. We will likely need to be cautious as we sneak in; who knows what kind of traps or the like they possibly have in store. We must exercise caution.
[Of course, Blanche looks at the building where the mage likely is--and nods her head.]
I do agree with you, though. It's a strategically sound place for her to place herself. If her range is truly this long, we could be in trouble fairly fast.
[Hmm...]
I sincerely doubt she's hiding behind that building for no reason, however. Typical magus are trained in the mind, but not the body; if we can get close enough to her, we should be able to take her out quickly.
[Not that it'll be easy. It really won't, especially as Blanche looks up. There's clouds overhead, but they don't seem to be anything too stormy. Not yet, anyway.]
...The rest of them may pose a problem, but so long as we're careful, we should be able to keep ourselves alive and take them out.
[Alaric nods at that and moves to take the lead. The paths through the mountains aren't as well-worn or safe as the ones through the woods, but they aren't terribly difficult to traverse either, and by the time night has properly fallen, they're in position to move. From here, it's just a simple climb down to land on the wall, and once they're on there, they should be able to make it down and over toward the main building easily enough.]
If we're quick and quiet enough, we should be able to get in there without any problems. Like you said, the mage probably won't be as much of a threat if we can get close to her. They're going to be on edge waiting for us, but I doubt they'll expect us to try to slip in like this.
[It's still not a perfect plan, and there are so many ways it could go wrong. Still...]
[It's in this moment that Blanche is deeply thankful she opted for pants rather than a dress; these paths are definitely harder to transverse, but at least she doesn't have to worry about one of five million layers of skirt getting caught on something. All they need to do now is get down, and set the plan into motion.
It could go wrong in so many ways, and yet...this is their best option. They need to succeed. It's life or death, now.]
I am. Onward, at once.
[Her voice is quiet, but perhaps thankfully, they're able to make it down to the wall easily enough without being detected. So far, so good at least, and not even a scratch on them. It doesn't look like there's anyone down there, at least, so they can start climbing down and try to move over towards the main building--
There's only one problem with this, so far at least. It looks like we've got people up ahead; there does seem to be some people scouting around this area, and unfortunately, they've at least heard some footsteps. An axeman and a mage man look around, clearly suspicious.
"Oi, you hear that?"
"What don't I hear, you big lug? Come on, let's see what it is."
Shit. Blanche looks to Alaric; her magic isn't built for stealth unless she gets up close, and if they get spotted, there's going to be big trouble. What do they do?]
[The descent is quick and easy, but traversing this place is going to be more difficult than he anticipated. Once again, Alaric underestimated these mercenaries. Maybe he's grown soft serving so much time in such a cushy environment...
Anyway, he inclines his head a bit, indicating that Blanche should remain behind him and hidden. Her magic is powerful and could easily take out both of these goons, but it will draw far more attention than one swordsman will.
Alaric's greatest asset is his speed, and he puts that to use. He unsheathes his blade and dagger and lunges forward in a single motion - the element of surprise is on his side and he's able to toss the dagger at the axeman out front. It drops the guy to his knees for a moment, which gives Alaric all the time he needs to finish off the mage. By the time the axeman is ready to counterattack, Alaric's darted around to his side and finished the job with a stab in just the right location.
It's swift and quiet, which is in their favor.]
Let's go. It won't be long before they find the bodies.
[Trying to move them will only waste more time and likely draw more attention. Best just to keep going. He retrieves his dagger and moves to check the path down the wall and into the fort itself; he gestures to indicate Blanche should follow him.]
[Blanche nods her head; she gets it. He's definitely more suited to assassin-like business like this, at any rate. Blanche does as she's told, remaining hidden while Alaric takes care of the dirty work and keeping her eyes and ears peeled. None of them were able to get off any sort of distress signal before being taken care of...good.
It means that they're in the clear to keep moving. Blanche comes out of hiding to nod at Alaric.]
Yes, quite. Let's go.
[Blanche follows easily; the path down the wall and into the fort isn't exactly easy to transverse, but by some stroke of luck, they'll manage to get to the building undetected. It's giving Blanche hope; they can do this. They will do this, damn it. They won't fail.
It's definitely surprisingly well intact after all of these years, but it looks like they've got a clear ticket inside; turns out these people aren't so good at keeping their windows locked. How could one be so short sighted not to close that? Ah, well. It's to their benefit, and doesn't risk getting them immediately spotted; into the window we go, Alaric.
They'll be able to get inside fairly easily; it seems they've gotten themselves into a fairly unused room, but there's definitely people just outside of the door. Doesn't sound like a lot, but...
Well, ready when you are, Alaric. Let's do this shit.]
[It makes sense that there aren't many people patrolling the grounds here; they wouldn't expect anyone to be able to get past the front gate, and coming around the back is certainly odd. So they're in, and while this isn't exactly the best position, things are certainly going smoothly.
Alaric nods at Blanche and moves to the door, listening in. There's at least two people on the other side, but likely not more than that. One of them is likely asleep given the heavier breathing and regular pattern, while the other shifts here and there occasionally. Guard duty, then. Why are they guarding this room? Well, that's not the point, and Alaric steps back. He doesn't bother drawing his sword, instead he opts for two knives - he kicks the door down and both knives find the necks of both mercenaries before either have the chance to raise the alarm.
There isn't any time to waste, their element of surprise will undoubtedly be gone soon. He gestures for Blanche to follow him as he puts one of the knives away and draws his sword.
The hallway opens into another, larger room. It looks like a dining hall. There are some tables and chairs scattered around, with a few mercenaries still in here. There's three of them - two with swords and one in the back who seems to have been in the process of making drinks who's reaching for something underneath the bar. Time to move, Blanche.]
[Sleeping on the job...what a sorry bunch of mercenaries this woman has. That shouldn't be Blanche's first thought, but even she can hear the breathing from where she's positioned. Such a shame. Maybe if they didn't turn to a life of crime, maybe this wouldn't have to happen to them.
Either way, Alaric takes out the two guards at the door easily after he kicks down the door--an impressive display that certainly makes Blanche proud, but she's not gonna dwell on that for long. She follows Alaric quickly, magic already crackling in her hands as she prepares to take on whatever comes next.
And apparently, they have a rather nice looking dining hall. With a bar? If this were any other time, Blanche could almost appreciate this mage's taste, but they've got bigger things to worry about. One of the swordsmen goes to clash with Alaric, while the other attempts to run at Blanche. He misses in his attempt, prompting a smirk from the woman before bypassing him entirely, aiming for the man in the back before he can grab whatever weapon he intends to grab. It's an easy hit, and one that kills the bartender easily.
Of course, the swordsman isn't exactly backing down, and he's even more pissed now that the bartender is dead. But his strikes are predictable, and Blanche chances a look over at Alaric's fight as she charges another spell; how is he faring on his side?]
[Blanche's spell hits and the bartender's down and doesn't rise. Good, because Alaric's got his hands full with this swordsman. The guy's actually pretty damn skilled for a simple mercenary; his strikes are hard-hitting and quick, but he wields his blade with training that seems more in line with the knights than something some random bandit would pick up. Well, no sense thinking too much about it - that's a good way to get himself distracted and killed, after all - and Alaric's able to get in close, block the guy's sword, and slip the dagger between the guy's ribs before he has much of a chance to react. Another slice finishes the job and Alaric takes a moment to catch his breath.
He's sporting a mild scrape down his arm (which has once again ruined his coat, dammit) but thankfully that's the only injury he has. This is going pretty well, all things considered. You need any help over there, Blanche?]
[Excellent as always. Not that Blanche would expect anything less from her knight, but don't worry, she's good. Once she sees that Alaric's doing just fine, Blanche is able to duck under the swordsman's swing and promptly obliterate him with a well timed Miasma, ensuring that he won't be getting up ever again.
So don't worry, Alaric, she's all good. She is going to go back over toward him, though, white magic cast out towards him so that little cut can be healed. May as well keep him topped off; gotta get that extra EXP somehow!!]
Excellent work. And do not worry; I will patch you up the rest of the way when we are done dealing with these miscreants.
[Not if. When. Blanche sounds assured, which is definitely a contrast to the spikes of stress she'd been feeling since this whole mess started.]
Let's go.
[Once they manage to get out of the dining hall, there's a hallway going down towards what looks to be the end of the building. It's a pretty damn fancy door, all things considered; that must be where their target is hiding out.
Not that they're alone; there's a few more mercenaries in here, and this time, they're greeted by two lance users, a mage, and a cleric. It's gonna be a little tight, given the size of the hallway, but the lancers are already charging at them both; one tosses a Javelin over at Alaric, and the other starts to charge at Blanche as she preps her next spell.
[That's good to hear and Alaric grins at Blanche's words as she heals that cut.]
Glad to hear it. Let's finish this.
[And off they go! This definitely looks like the door that'll lead them to the mage, and the security here is tight. Four people and a weapons triangle disadvantage cleric... that's going to be fun.
Alaric dodges the javelin easily, rushing forward to catch that guy before he can manage to throw any more of them. He takes the hit and the cleric's magic kicks in shortly afterwards. Alaric sighs, irritated, but it's nothing a slash across the throat won't put a stop to.
Of course, the cleric isn't as much of a threat as the second lancer, and he turns to check on Blanche. Do you need a hand?]
[Yeah, Blanche is right there with Alaric on this one; the lancer is smart, unfortunately, is the current problem at hand. Try as Blanche might to keep slinging spells, the lancer keeps getting up again to close more and more distance between them. What the fuck, did this guy side-class as a goddamn pegasus knight or something??? Why isn't he dying?
The mage...well, the mage is doing her best. Her best is currently very shit and barely even being registered by Blanche. Someone get this girl a strength growth. But to at least a relevant point, Blanche could use some help, and the other Lancer is so distracted by trying to back Blanche into a corner that he's not focusing on anything else.]
[Well, that works in Alaric's favor. Part of the problem of their battle styles is that Alaric can end up in the way of Blanche's spells so it works better to separate out, but if the guy's so focused on her he's forgotten about Alaric, then he can simply impale the guy from behind without risk of being hit by a spell.
Which is precisely what he does, and he'll fling the guy to the side as he frees his blade so Blanche doesn't have to deal with him falling on her. Go get that mage!!]
[Ah, well. That certainly takes care of that; the man is impaled easily as Blanche backs away again, her look shifting easily back to something assured.]
Thank you.
[And with that taken care of...well, that mage is just kind of looking between the two of them and not even close to sure what to do, which is more than enough time for Blanche to run up and unleash Banshee on the poor mage. Rest in fucking pieces.
And the cleric...well, she's just there, uselessly. What the fuck does she do now that everyone's dead, uh, uh--maybe try hitting Blanche with the staff?? That's her final attempt at anything. Finish her, Alaric.]
[That. That literally did zero damage. Of course Blanche is fine, just kind of bewildered that this damn girl didn't do anything useful with her last seconds?
Anyway, now that we've totally not committed a war crime--]
Yes, I am ready. Let's give this woman a rude awakening.
[Perhaps surprisingly, Blanche is the one taking initiative to kick down the door this time; even more surprisingly, it actually opens, to a rather...
...Well, opulent looking office space, but the problem is that there's nobody inside.]
What--but how? Where on earth is she?
[There's all sorts of things in here--it's not CLEAN by any stretch of the imagination, what with all of the clutter and shit everywhere, but some of it's organized. There's a shelf with alcohol in it, there's some various pieces of expensive jewelry, there's even some rather well-maintained weapons in here, and really, an unholy fuckton of tomes? Holy shit.
But there's not a single person to be found in here, and Blanche does not like this.]
[Blanche kicks down the door (you go girl, he's proud of you) and...
There's no one inside. The mage should be here. Why isn't she? Why would this hallway have so many guards if she isn't here? The whole point of this was for them to question her (or worst case scenario, just kill her outright, which would have been perfectly fine in Alaric's book) but now...]
...I guess we go looking for information.
[He doesn't like it. That much is obvious from his tone of voice and expression, but even his words aren't as confident and certain as they usually are.]
There must be some information here that points us somewhere. Maybe she escaped when she heard we'd be coming?
[But then why station guards? Were they not aware she ran? Did she warp or something? This really isn't what he was expecting...]
The point of coming here was to learn more about the weather magic, so there should be something about that in one of these tomes.
[..........but he is not a mage so uh, good luck??]
[Alaric sounds worse for wear. It makes sense; neither of them could have planned for this. Did they simply come in at a bad time? Were they detected? Maybe they were. It wouldn't be a surprise if she heard them and dipped out, but it's deeply confusing. Especially if this woman was apparently looking forward to their arrival.]
...Perhaps she did. At the very least, I would not have put such a thing past her.
[None of this is adding up, but--she'll go over to the tomes, then. They're all of various different sizes and levels, but they are pretty much solely dealing with thunder magic. Nothing on creating storms or the like, but there does at least seem to be the basis of such magic here. Notes tucked into the pages, and the like.
...But there is something interesting that Blanche notices, as she peruses through the books. She's trying to be quick about it at least, but--]
It's highly likely that she's keeping the tome that causes weather magic on her person. I have at least been able to find some notes that suggest that she was experimenting with such magic, but...none of it would have the power needed to cause a storm like the one we faced. It could perhaps be attributed to early experiments, but...
[Blanche shakes her head. They can't afford to get distracted.]
Never mind. What's interesting is the name involved here. A "Gretel E. Vernier" appears to be credited to these notes, and is written on the inside of these tomes. [She turns to Alaric.] We may have just found a name for our adversary.
[While Blanche looks over the tomes, Alaric heads on over to check out the weapons. Don't mind if he helps himself to one of these swords!! Maybe he'll also inspect this jewelry, just to see if it's magical. Yep.
Anyway, he glances back over when Blanche speaks up. His eyes narrow at the name.]
Vernier. [He doesn't need to tell her why that's particularly irritating.] I'm not familiar with a Gretel from that family.
[But honestly, he only knows a few names from the family, and that's only because of passing gossip. It's not like he's an expert on the family or anything.]
That gives us a direction, at least. If we can't find her, we can at least head over there and see what we can learn from the townspeople.
[Not that he likes that idea any, but the most important thing is figuring out who caused that storm and putting an end to them.]
[It's not, but feel free to take it!! It's not like it's gonna be missed, or anything like that. Certainly not, just time to add to the list of crimes we're committing here.
...But yeah, he certainly doesn't need to remind her why that's irritating. The Vernier's certainly aren't very highly viewed in Blanche's eyes after all she's heard from Alaric. She'd certainly kick their asses herself if she had the ability to do so, those no good, irresponsible, absolute assholes--]
Nor am I, unfortunately. [It's not as if she knows all the Verniers, but she has at least heard a few names in passing from her parents.] But yes, I am in agreement. We will need to be cautious, but if we can learn anything from the townspeople at all, it may indeed prove to be a boon.
[...Blanche is going to take a tome or two with her, though--she doesn't have a lot of experience with black magic, but at the very least, she can learn and add a few more spells to her repository.]
Come. We should get out of this room, at the very least. Perhaps we can pick them off as they come...
[...Of course, that's going to be a problem. Sure, they can exit the room fairly easily, and they can likely go down the hallway easily enough--sadly there's no alternate escape routes except the way they came, but they can at least get back to the dining hall easily.
...The problem is that they have company, and lots of it. And chief among them is their old friend, the archer. There's at least twelve people here, and one of the axemen looks to the archer with a grin.
"Oi, Maeve! These the guest of honors you were talkin' 'bout?"
"Oh, the ones in the same!" Maeve, apparently, grins easily at Alaric and Blanche. The group is blocking their way easily, and all of them have their weapons close at hand. Swords, lances, axes, bows, magic... "So nice of you two to join us, and so early too! It's almost a shame Lady Gretel isn't here to see you now..."]
[Alaric nods at that; there's no point in getting worked up about that right now. They've still got to get out of here, after all. The way back is easy enough, but...
Well, if their luck was bad before, it's gotten a whole lot worse. Alaric quickly counts their number - twelve? seriously? - and begins considering their options. The room here is well-fortified and windowless; there wasn't any way to get out back the way they came. The door is on the other side, blocked by the vast majority of these goons. Fighting their way through simply isn't an option. There's no way they'll survive.
Their other option is surrender, but in all honesty, that doesn't look any better. They invaded this place and they stole from the boss. Best case scenario, they're well-dressed thieves. Worst case, they're opportunistic assassins. Regardless, the people here have every reason to kill them before the mage returns.
So really, there aren't any options here at all. They're going to die. There isn't any way out of this one.
Alaric exhales slowly and finally turns his attention to Maeve.]
Shame she's out, I would've loved to meet her.
[But there isn't any point in standing around and talking. He glances back at Blanche and he hopes to whatever deities may be listening that she'll understand when he shoves that spare sword he stole at her and unsheathes his knife and lunges at the closest mercenary. There's no way for them both to make it out of here, but damn if he can't try to cut a path for her.]
[Blanche is terrified by all of this. Two against twelve are odds that the queen would never humor even slightly--there's really no way out of this one. Her spells aren't strong enough to disperse them, much less threaten all of them, and there's just no way, there's just no way that they can possibly win against this, and that's--
Blanche is brought out of her own head by Alaric's words, and when he suddenly shoves the stolen sword at her--she doesn't understand for a moment, why would he do this? It doesn't make sense to her in the slightest, but then she sees him rushing in with a knife, and--
Knights can be replaced. Queens can't.
Something sinks in Blanche's chest all at once, and before she even realizes it, she's crying. Her vision blurs as she watches her knight rush forward to his death, to certain death, and she can't just stand there, she can't stand there and let her friend just die on her.
The fight isn't going to be easy on Alaric's end; he'll certainly be able to kill one, maybe two of the bandits, and Maeve's content to hang back a little bit--though if he does aim for her, he'll be in for a slightly rude awakening, because some asshole's mastered Close Counter and isn't afraid to use it.
But whether he goes after her or not, that quickly doesn't become her focus.]
Alaric!!
[It's a blood curdling shout, and Blanche grabs the sword and attempts to enter the fray herself--she can't let him die, she won't let him die, she has to protect him--
And all at once, Maeve's look goes slightly surprised. Like she wasn't expecting this at all.
It doesn't stop her from bypassing Alaric entirely, though--either electing to jump over him, or to rush past him while he's distracted. Either way, her aim is set, and Blanche is too blinded by her own tears and fury to stop now.
"Sorry. Fate's abandoned you today."
And with those damning words from Maeve, her shot hits true--right between Blanche's eyes, and the woman falls dead on the ground as the bandits hoot and holler. Maeve, for her part, doesn't join them.]
[Once again, surprise is Alaric's second-best weapon and between that and his sword, he's able to take out one of the mercenaries before the real chaos starts. He clashes with a second and throws the dagger at a third (it doesn't even kill, damn) and then—
And then Blanche is yelling his name and there's something in that shout that chills him to the bone.
(Is that what he sounded like when he thought that lightning strike had killed her?)
He doesn't need to turn to look, he knows she's already rushed in after him. But she shouldn't be - she should be casting from afar, waiting for the perfect moment to enter the fray so she can maneuver her way toward the door and out to safety - doesn't she get that this is the only way she'll survive? Isn't that the only solution to all of this?
Maeve is fast and Alaric's distracted, and in the brief moment it takes for him to shove this lancer back and finish him, those words ring out and Alaric turns just in time to watch that shot hit Blanche right between the eyes. She falls like a stone, and for a moment that feels like it lasts an eternity, Alaric simply stares.
(Knights can be replaced. Queens can't.
Knights can be replaced. Queens can't.
Knights can be replaced. Queens can't.)
He asked one of his fellow guards once what a knight does when their charge dies. He was told he'd better pray that never happened, and when he killed all of Blanche's siblings, he made sure to kill their guardians first. What would they have felt if he hadn't, if they'd been alive to witness the death of the person they were supposed to protect?
Did any of them see their charge the way he sees Blanche?
Does it even matter anymore?
The cry that leaves him is equal parts fury and anguish, and all rational thought stops. Perhaps, if he were the sort of person who had any restraint or self-preservation at all, he would try to find another solution that isn't throwing himself at Maeve. Maybe things could have turned out differently if he'd taken a moment to think before acting in the first place. But none of that matters now - and none of it matters very quickly, because between Maeve and the remaining mercenaries, Alaric can't possibly hope to last long. He leaves behind serious injuries on several of them, but blind rage isn't the best way to handle anything, and this is no exception.
It isn't Maeve that kills him. One of the lancers stabs him straight through the back. He barely has time to register it before an axe comes down on his neck.]
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no subject
[Oh Alaric. Blanche is at least in agreement that this stuff is nasty and they could stand to get cleaned the hell up; at the very least she'll follow along to the river. Cleaning up will be nice and easy, and they can get on the road again in no time at all.]
no subject
While there aren't any towns around here, there is an old military outpost. It isn't listed on any more recent maps, which is why they missed it, but this area must have once been somewhere important to the kingdom. The base is built into the mountain itself, with stone walls and a tower for looking out on the surrounding plain and distant forest. Much of it is crumbled and unusable now, but that hasn't stopped the mage and her lackeys from renovating the place. From their viewpoint, Blanche and Alaric can see that they've been rebuilding; there's only a couple of former small houses that look potentially livable, with plenty of tents set up in the area surrounding it. The main building of the fort is made of stone and mostly intact, and the walls are manned with archers and other mercenaries. It's difficult to get an exact number from here, but the place is definitely not short on soldiers.]
I had no idea there was a place like this out here... Seems like a good spot for them. It'll be difficult to break through.
[The front gate is the one looking out on the plains, which is obviously not the best way for them to approach.]
If we continue around like this, we can likely sneak in tonight.
[The walls of the settlement would be easy to get onto from the mountain, so getting in won't be a problem. It's just everything else...]
I'm guessing that mage is holed up there, in that building.
[He points it out - it's the main stone one that likely housed most of the base's military might a long time ago.]
no subject
This old base is definitely something the bandits have made good use of; built into the mountain, it's certainly an excellent strategic point to renovate for one's own uses. And they've certainly done a good job with it, which makes it all the more frustrating. If Blanche had known about this area, she would've ordered something to be done about it before these bandits could get their grubby mits on it.
But from what they can see, there's houses and tents set up, and there appear to be archers and other mercenaries lining the walls. This mage is far more powerful and influential than she expected...]
I hadn't the faintest idea that this was near here either. It's certainly a troubling thing to not know anything about.
[Blanche doesn't let anxiety or anything else color her words; she looks coldly at their adversaries, thinking of all of the ways they can take them down quietly.]
But yes. We will likely need to be cautious as we sneak in; who knows what kind of traps or the like they possibly have in store. We must exercise caution.
[Of course, Blanche looks at the building where the mage likely is--and nods her head.]
I do agree with you, though. It's a strategically sound place for her to place herself. If her range is truly this long, we could be in trouble fairly fast.
[Hmm...]
I sincerely doubt she's hiding behind that building for no reason, however. Typical magus are trained in the mind, but not the body; if we can get close enough to her, we should be able to take her out quickly.
[Not that it'll be easy. It really won't, especially as Blanche looks up. There's clouds overhead, but they don't seem to be anything too stormy. Not yet, anyway.]
...The rest of them may pose a problem, but so long as we're careful, we should be able to keep ourselves alive and take them out.
[At your ready, Alaric.]
no subject
If we're quick and quiet enough, we should be able to get in there without any problems. Like you said, the mage probably won't be as much of a threat if we can get close to her. They're going to be on edge waiting for us, but I doubt they'll expect us to try to slip in like this.
[It's still not a perfect plan, and there are so many ways it could go wrong. Still...]
You ready?
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It could go wrong in so many ways, and yet...this is their best option. They need to succeed. It's life or death, now.]
I am. Onward, at once.
[Her voice is quiet, but perhaps thankfully, they're able to make it down to the wall easily enough without being detected. So far, so good at least, and not even a scratch on them. It doesn't look like there's anyone down there, at least, so they can start climbing down and try to move over towards the main building--
There's only one problem with this, so far at least. It looks like we've got people up ahead; there does seem to be some people scouting around this area, and unfortunately, they've at least heard some footsteps. An axeman and a mage man look around, clearly suspicious.
"Oi, you hear that?"
"What don't I hear, you big lug? Come on, let's see what it is."
Shit. Blanche looks to Alaric; her magic isn't built for stealth unless she gets up close, and if they get spotted, there's going to be big trouble. What do they do?]
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Anyway, he inclines his head a bit, indicating that Blanche should remain behind him and hidden. Her magic is powerful and could easily take out both of these goons, but it will draw far more attention than one swordsman will.
Alaric's greatest asset is his speed, and he puts that to use. He unsheathes his blade and dagger and lunges forward in a single motion - the element of surprise is on his side and he's able to toss the dagger at the axeman out front. It drops the guy to his knees for a moment, which gives Alaric all the time he needs to finish off the mage. By the time the axeman is ready to counterattack, Alaric's darted around to his side and finished the job with a stab in just the right location.
It's swift and quiet, which is in their favor.]
Let's go. It won't be long before they find the bodies.
[Trying to move them will only waste more time and likely draw more attention. Best just to keep going. He retrieves his dagger and moves to check the path down the wall and into the fort itself; he gestures to indicate Blanche should follow him.]
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It means that they're in the clear to keep moving. Blanche comes out of hiding to nod at Alaric.]
Yes, quite. Let's go.
[Blanche follows easily; the path down the wall and into the fort isn't exactly easy to transverse, but by some stroke of luck, they'll manage to get to the building undetected. It's giving Blanche hope; they can do this. They will do this, damn it. They won't fail.
It's definitely surprisingly well intact after all of these years, but it looks like they've got a clear ticket inside; turns out these people aren't so good at keeping their windows locked. How could one be so short sighted not to close that? Ah, well. It's to their benefit, and doesn't risk getting them immediately spotted; into the window we go, Alaric.
They'll be able to get inside fairly easily; it seems they've gotten themselves into a fairly unused room, but there's definitely people just outside of the door. Doesn't sound like a lot, but...
Well, ready when you are, Alaric. Let's do this shit.]
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Alaric nods at Blanche and moves to the door, listening in. There's at least two people on the other side, but likely not more than that. One of them is likely asleep given the heavier breathing and regular pattern, while the other shifts here and there occasionally. Guard duty, then. Why are they guarding this room? Well, that's not the point, and Alaric steps back. He doesn't bother drawing his sword, instead he opts for two knives - he kicks the door down and both knives find the necks of both mercenaries before either have the chance to raise the alarm.
There isn't any time to waste, their element of surprise will undoubtedly be gone soon. He gestures for Blanche to follow him as he puts one of the knives away and draws his sword.
The hallway opens into another, larger room. It looks like a dining hall. There are some tables and chairs scattered around, with a few mercenaries still in here. There's three of them - two with swords and one in the back who seems to have been in the process of making drinks who's reaching for something underneath the bar. Time to move, Blanche.]
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Either way, Alaric takes out the two guards at the door easily after he kicks down the door--an impressive display that certainly makes Blanche proud, but she's not gonna dwell on that for long. She follows Alaric quickly, magic already crackling in her hands as she prepares to take on whatever comes next.
And apparently, they have a rather nice looking dining hall. With a bar? If this were any other time, Blanche could almost appreciate this mage's taste, but they've got bigger things to worry about. One of the swordsmen goes to clash with Alaric, while the other attempts to run at Blanche. He misses in his attempt, prompting a smirk from the woman before bypassing him entirely, aiming for the man in the back before he can grab whatever weapon he intends to grab. It's an easy hit, and one that kills the bartender easily.
Of course, the swordsman isn't exactly backing down, and he's even more pissed now that the bartender is dead. But his strikes are predictable, and Blanche chances a look over at Alaric's fight as she charges another spell; how is he faring on his side?]
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He's sporting a mild scrape down his arm (which has once again ruined his coat, dammit) but thankfully that's the only injury he has. This is going pretty well, all things considered. You need any help over there, Blanche?]
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So don't worry, Alaric, she's all good. She is going to go back over toward him, though, white magic cast out towards him so that little cut can be healed. May as well keep him topped off; gotta get that extra EXP somehow!!]
Excellent work. And do not worry; I will patch you up the rest of the way when we are done dealing with these miscreants.
[Not if. When. Blanche sounds assured, which is definitely a contrast to the spikes of stress she'd been feeling since this whole mess started.]
Let's go.
[Once they manage to get out of the dining hall, there's a hallway going down towards what looks to be the end of the building. It's a pretty damn fancy door, all things considered; that must be where their target is hiding out.
Not that they're alone; there's a few more mercenaries in here, and this time, they're greeted by two lance users, a mage, and a cleric. It's gonna be a little tight, given the size of the hallway, but the lancers are already charging at them both; one tosses a Javelin over at Alaric, and the other starts to charge at Blanche as she preps her next spell.
Just a little further, and this will be done.]
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Glad to hear it. Let's finish this.
[And off they go! This definitely looks like the door that'll lead them to the mage, and the security here is tight. Four people and a
weapons triangle disadvantagecleric... that's going to be fun.Alaric dodges the javelin easily, rushing forward to catch that guy before he can manage to throw any more of them. He takes the hit and the cleric's magic kicks in shortly afterwards. Alaric sighs, irritated, but it's nothing a slash across the throat won't put a stop to.
Of course, the cleric isn't as much of a threat as the second lancer, and he turns to check on Blanche. Do you need a hand?]
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The mage...well, the mage is doing her best. Her best is currently very shit and barely even being registered by Blanche. Someone get this girl a strength growth. But to at least a relevant point, Blanche could use some help, and the other Lancer is so distracted by trying to back Blanche into a corner that he's not focusing on anything else.]
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Which is precisely what he does, and he'll fling the guy to the side as he frees his blade so Blanche doesn't have to deal with him falling on her. Go get that mage!!]
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Thank you.
[And with that taken care of...well, that mage is just kind of looking between the two of them and not even close to sure what to do, which is more than enough time for Blanche to run up and unleash Banshee on the poor mage. Rest in fucking pieces.
And the cleric...well, she's just there, uselessly. What the fuck does she do now that everyone's dead, uh, uh--maybe try hitting Blanche with the staff?? That's her final attempt at anything. Finish her, Alaric.]
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Anyway, Alaric rolls his eyes before stabbing her, tossing her body aside as well.
With all of them defeated, he turns his attention to the door.]
Let's not waste any time. Are you ready?
[You aren't injured, right...??]
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Anyway, now that we've totally not committed a war crime--]
Yes, I am ready. Let's give this woman a rude awakening.
[Perhaps surprisingly, Blanche is the one taking initiative to kick down the door this time; even more surprisingly, it actually opens, to a rather...
...Well, opulent looking office space, but the problem is that there's nobody inside.]
What--but how? Where on earth is she?
[There's all sorts of things in here--it's not CLEAN by any stretch of the imagination, what with all of the clutter and shit everywhere, but some of it's organized. There's a shelf with alcohol in it, there's some various pieces of expensive jewelry, there's even some rather well-maintained weapons in here, and really, an unholy fuckton of tomes? Holy shit.
But there's not a single person to be found in here, and Blanche does not like this.]
...Alaric, what do we do?
[This is very clearly not going to plan.]
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There's no one inside. The mage should be here. Why isn't she? Why would this hallway have so many guards if she isn't here? The whole point of this was for them to question her (or worst case scenario, just kill her outright, which would have been perfectly fine in Alaric's book) but now...]
...I guess we go looking for information.
[He doesn't like it. That much is obvious from his tone of voice and expression, but even his words aren't as confident and certain as they usually are.]
There must be some information here that points us somewhere. Maybe she escaped when she heard we'd be coming?
[But then why station guards? Were they not aware she ran? Did she warp or something? This really isn't what he was expecting...]
The point of coming here was to learn more about the weather magic, so there should be something about that in one of these tomes.
[..........but he is not a mage so uh, good luck??]
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...Perhaps she did. At the very least, I would not have put such a thing past her.
[None of this is adding up, but--she'll go over to the tomes, then. They're all of various different sizes and levels, but they are pretty much solely dealing with thunder magic. Nothing on creating storms or the like, but there does at least seem to be the basis of such magic here. Notes tucked into the pages, and the like.
...But there is something interesting that Blanche notices, as she peruses through the books. She's trying to be quick about it at least, but--]
It's highly likely that she's keeping the tome that causes weather magic on her person. I have at least been able to find some notes that suggest that she was experimenting with such magic, but...none of it would have the power needed to cause a storm like the one we faced. It could perhaps be attributed to early experiments, but...
[Blanche shakes her head. They can't afford to get distracted.]
Never mind. What's interesting is the name involved here. A "Gretel E. Vernier" appears to be credited to these notes, and is written on the inside of these tomes. [She turns to Alaric.] We may have just found a name for our adversary.
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Anyway, he glances back over when Blanche speaks up. His eyes narrow at the name.]
Vernier. [He doesn't need to tell her why that's particularly irritating.] I'm not familiar with a Gretel from that family.
[But honestly, he only knows a few names from the family, and that's only because of passing gossip. It's not like he's an expert on the family or anything.]
That gives us a direction, at least. If we can't find her, we can at least head over there and see what we can learn from the townspeople.
[Not that he likes that idea any, but the most important thing is figuring out who caused that storm and putting an end to them.]
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...But yeah, he certainly doesn't need to remind her why that's irritating. The Vernier's certainly aren't very highly viewed in Blanche's eyes after all she's heard from Alaric. She'd certainly kick their asses herself if she had the ability to do so, those no good, irresponsible, absolute assholes--]
Nor am I, unfortunately. [It's not as if she knows all the Verniers, but she has at least heard a few names in passing from her parents.] But yes, I am in agreement. We will need to be cautious, but if we can learn anything from the townspeople at all, it may indeed prove to be a boon.
[...Blanche is going to take a tome or two with her, though--she doesn't have a lot of experience with black magic, but at the very least, she can learn and add a few more spells to her repository.]
Come. We should get out of this room, at the very least. Perhaps we can pick them off as they come...
[...Of course, that's going to be a problem. Sure, they can exit the room fairly easily, and they can likely go down the hallway easily enough--sadly there's no alternate escape routes except the way they came, but they can at least get back to the dining hall easily.
...The problem is that they have company, and lots of it. And chief among them is their old friend, the archer. There's at least twelve people here, and one of the axemen looks to the archer with a grin.
"Oi, Maeve! These the guest of honors you were talkin' 'bout?"
"Oh, the ones in the same!" Maeve, apparently, grins easily at Alaric and Blanche. The group is blocking their way easily, and all of them have their weapons close at hand. Swords, lances, axes, bows, magic... "So nice of you two to join us, and so early too! It's almost a shame Lady Gretel isn't here to see you now..."]
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Well, if their luck was bad before, it's gotten a whole lot worse. Alaric quickly counts their number - twelve? seriously? - and begins considering their options. The room here is well-fortified and windowless; there wasn't any way to get out back the way they came. The door is on the other side, blocked by the vast majority of these goons. Fighting their way through simply isn't an option. There's no way they'll survive.
Their other option is surrender, but in all honesty, that doesn't look any better. They invaded this place and they stole from the boss. Best case scenario, they're well-dressed thieves. Worst case, they're opportunistic assassins. Regardless, the people here have every reason to kill them before the mage returns.
So really, there aren't any options here at all. They're going to die. There isn't any way out of this one.
Alaric exhales slowly and finally turns his attention to Maeve.]
Shame she's out, I would've loved to meet her.
[But there isn't any point in standing around and talking. He glances back at Blanche and he hopes to whatever deities may be listening that she'll understand when he shoves that spare sword he stole at her and unsheathes his knife and lunges at the closest mercenary. There's no way for them both to make it out of here, but damn if he can't try to cut a path for her.]
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Blanche is brought out of her own head by Alaric's words, and when he suddenly shoves the stolen sword at her--she doesn't understand for a moment, why would he do this? It doesn't make sense to her in the slightest, but then she sees him rushing in with a knife, and--
Knights can be replaced. Queens can't.
Something sinks in Blanche's chest all at once, and before she even realizes it, she's crying. Her vision blurs as she watches her knight rush forward to his death, to certain death, and she can't just stand there, she can't stand there and let her friend just die on her.
The fight isn't going to be easy on Alaric's end; he'll certainly be able to kill one, maybe two of the bandits, and Maeve's content to hang back a little bit--though if he does aim for her, he'll be in for a slightly rude awakening, because some asshole's mastered Close Counter and isn't afraid to use it.
But whether he goes after her or not, that quickly doesn't become her focus.]
Alaric!!
[It's a blood curdling shout, and Blanche grabs the sword and attempts to enter the fray herself--she can't let him die, she won't let him die, she has to protect him--
And all at once, Maeve's look goes slightly surprised. Like she wasn't expecting this at all.
It doesn't stop her from bypassing Alaric entirely, though--either electing to jump over him, or to rush past him while he's distracted. Either way, her aim is set, and Blanche is too blinded by her own tears and fury to stop now.
"Sorry. Fate's abandoned you today."
And with those damning words from Maeve, her shot hits true--right between Blanche's eyes, and the woman falls dead on the ground as the bandits hoot and holler. Maeve, for her part, doesn't join them.]
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And then Blanche is yelling his name and there's something in that shout that chills him to the bone.
(Is that what he sounded like when he thought that lightning strike had killed her?)
He doesn't need to turn to look, he knows she's already rushed in after him. But she shouldn't be - she should be casting from afar, waiting for the perfect moment to enter the fray so she can maneuver her way toward the door and out to safety - doesn't she get that this is the only way she'll survive? Isn't that the only solution to all of this?
Maeve is fast and Alaric's distracted, and in the brief moment it takes for him to shove this lancer back and finish him, those words ring out and Alaric turns just in time to watch that shot hit Blanche right between the eyes. She falls like a stone, and for a moment that feels like it lasts an eternity, Alaric simply stares.
(Knights can be replaced. Queens can't.
Knights can be replaced. Queens can't.
Knights can be replaced. Queens can't.)
He asked one of his fellow guards once what a knight does when their charge dies. He was told he'd better pray that never happened, and when he killed all of Blanche's siblings, he made sure to kill their guardians first. What would they have felt if he hadn't, if they'd been alive to witness the death of the person they were supposed to protect?
Did any of them see their charge the way he sees Blanche?
Does it even matter anymore?
The cry that leaves him is equal parts fury and anguish, and all rational thought stops. Perhaps, if he were the sort of person who had any restraint or self-preservation at all, he would try to find another solution that isn't throwing himself at Maeve. Maybe things could have turned out differently if he'd taken a moment to think before acting in the first place. But none of that matters now - and none of it matters very quickly, because between Maeve and the remaining mercenaries, Alaric can't possibly hope to last long. He leaves behind serious injuries on several of them, but blind rage isn't the best way to handle anything, and this is no exception.
It isn't Maeve that kills him. One of the lancers stabs him straight through the back. He barely has time to register it before an axe comes down on his neck.]