Knights, or Are They? [Quest]

[♠ Kuroya]

Paralogue Start!

help those lesser than ourselves

These people need our help! Good luck on your quest, and I hope that you all return to us soon!

Posting Order
Juno
Etienne
STAFF
Kaguya
Vyren
STAFF

[Deleted]

The emerald scene flashed around her in a mass of blur. A sharp glint of yellow sunlight cut through the gaps between the cluster of leaves, but it failed to hold in its rays the speeding horse galloping down the forest trail. She shifted the reins to the left, willing the horse to turn, followed by another jab to the right as they turned to the next corner. Hours of equestrian training had clearly paid off by how well Juno was navigating in the dense forest, but all that didn't really procure the results expected from her search. She wished she had some bad news to report but what she got was nothing. Just none.

She didn't really expect much. There was the slight chance that it had been a shortcoming on her part; Juno was no scout or intelligence officer. She was a mercenary-now-apparently-knight. She was observant, but not sharp enough to give her the medal of honor as a spy. And just because she came from Ferox didn't mean she would be the first to spot the tiny bit of a difference in the area.

"Though it made sense to," she conceded mentally. Oh well. Maybe the Pegasus Boy had more luck. He was a Feroxi too and in case he failed as well, Juno wouldn't look too bad. 

Her horse leaped across a small stream and dove into shrubs before reaching the area where two other members of the knights awaited. Juno quickly scanned around and saw no sign of the Pegasus Knight.

"He still hasn't come back?" Juno spoke up immediately. "Could mean that he had more luck than me. Didn't really find any knights around - Ylissean or fake Ylisseans. Maybe we'd have to just sit tight and wait for a telling smoke in the sky to find out." 

Juno didn't know if her teammates were one of those ethical bunch. She wasn't partial to one side; whatever worked, works, so if they couldn't find the reported fake knights before they strike, they would have no choice but catch them in action - when the damage was done.


[/passes baton to @etienne; sorry for the delay]

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GS

[Deleted]

Horses were a wonderfully strange bunch. A strangled sort of noise escaped his pegasus's throat as it galloped past low-lying plants and trees. "Easy," Etienne growled as it leapt over a bush. Showoff. All because of their brief success -- it was sheer coincidence that they came upon a dead body lying in the open and investigated it that they found some clues to the whereabouts of the impostor knights. That moment of victory was no post-war high, but instead, a fleeting one.

Ylissean knights had become alert to their movements, and Etienne owed it to himself to get their asses twice as quickly out of the vicinity. He was forced to take the scenic route back to their gathering point. He would no doubt arrive later than the other pegasus knight in the party.

The other knights had bows and arrows with them -- he couldn't fly without risking injury, and was forced to remain on land. It posed its own problems as well, but as a mounted unit, Etienne travelled faster than the average person.

He arrived in camp, note safely tucked away in his pocket. His mount slowed to a trot as he approached the crowd.

"Good news and bad news," said Etienne as if he were simply talking about the weather, "I found a corpse with a note on the impostors -- the body was still warm. On the other hand, the real ones probably were watching to see if anyone approached it."

He glanced over his shoulder for good measure. His pegasus huffed.

"We'd best get moving."

♠ Kuroya

[♠ Kuroya]

an enemy has appeared

knight

Sometimes being a knight really sucked. You had no real mobility against mounted units, and as if that weren't enough, this whole facade was a downgrade from what the woman usually got up to. To be honest, outside of this, she was a priestess, one who was used to wielding a lance and riding a pegasus to cast spells down upon her enemies, but well... when she'd been told to dress up and wear the colors of Ylisse, who was she to complain? They only would have killed her and her entire family. Though they just might do the same for losing a pegasus that was darting around. Seriously, who would lose a giant flying white horse? It wasn't like her precious Rapscallion, who was black and the night and could hide in a small forest without too much issue. Though she supposed that was what snow did for you. Grima, she hated it here. She wanted to be home, back in Plegia, where it was warm and where she didn't have to wear this stupid armor. She didn't have to take the position of forward scout without her pegasus, and she certainly wouldn't have to fight without her spells. Until then she'd just have to hope that she would stumble upon the company of Feroxi before they did her.

iron lance

Health;; High
Template by Kuroya.

an enemy has appeared

[Deleted]

Jojo Kaguya

Quest | On-guard | 415/415

Jojo waited on the two forward scouts to return, her sheathed sword in hand, the black scabbard holding the iron blade inside while she waited patiently with an ear to the wind around her. The style of such a land itself was one thing or the other, and her ears were not betraying her as she could quite effortlessly hear the galloping of the first of the two scouts. Her head moving to face the direction as she nodded and understood the plan of sitting tight while in this grove of woodland was enough for her to understand the situation that much more.

However, as she was not all that easily concealed in the forest as most others with her purple cloak covering the brown and tan peasant clothing underneath she could only do so much from her travels here. She did not expect to be put to use so quickly, however she did find this to be quite the show to enter in and yet she wondered if the other knight would do well. He was on a Pegasus and she knew that if their enemies had archers then he was stuck acting as a cavalier, limiting their mobility some in this dreadful place.

Soon though, she heard the voice of the man, his body coming back to base shortly after the cavalier with news of good and bad. She listened to his report and with knowledge of a body still warm she nodded yet it did not seem as though he were being followed by such danger. At least that was not apparent yet. “I would say we should do well to stay on guard. I do not think you were followed though, that is if you stayed in the trees and on foot. I would probably say they still are not aware of where we are though they should know we are coming.

“With the dead body you found that was still warm. Was there any indication as to what we are dealing with from his or her wounds that you could have noticed?” Jojo wanted as many details as possible while her guard was on edge, hand on hilt as she stood and waited for replies but also listening to that of what was around them. They needed to survive most of all, and that would do well to bunker down in her opinion but that could also leave them exposed to volleys of arrows if any got through the trees.

credit to Delusional

[[OOC: Baton now handed to ;Vyren;. Enjoy.]]

[Deleted]

some coincidences are deliberate

first post in many moons. sorry if it's kinda short... or if it sux. you're up ♠ Kuroya.

The blasted waiting game. This was by far Vyren’s least favorite part of the job. Such monotonous activity never really agreed with the young mercenary. While he certainly didn’t have anything against the prospect of napping or relaxing, the knowledge that his relaxation could be interrupted at any minute dissuaded him from attempting to make himself comfortable. All that was left was to sit idly on the ground and stare into the densely packed trees around him, waiting for some kind of new development to occur.

Just as Vyren found his eyelids becoming heavier, the cavalier leapt from the brush and into camp, with the pegasus rider following suit soon after, almost as if on cue. As the pegasus knight gave his report, Vyren let out an audible sigh. “Great, so fancy-wings here went ahead and let our prey know that we’re out here hunting for ‘em,” he muttered, pushing himself up onto his feet. “Can’t say I’m surprised, though. Pegasi aren’t exactly inconspicuous creatures.” He paused for a moment to reach down and grab his sword, taking a moment to latch it back onto his side.

“So, do we have a plan of action here,” the mercenary inquired while he fiddled around with his sheath. “Or are we just going to run around in circles with these fake knights until one of us happens to bumps into the other?”

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[♠ Kuroya]

an enemy has appeared

knight

The twin mercenaries weren't usually the type to agree to go close to Ferox. Usually it was cold, full of snow, and absolutely miserable, all things that they sword to avoid at all costs. They wanted to find a nice piece of Ylissean coast to settle down in, preferably with some beautiful maidens nearby for them to enjoy. It was that very thought that had tempted them to take the job though. They were told there was no snow - which was true - and that it would actually be fairly warm - which had also proved to be true - and the one catch of having to wear the colors of Ylisse on top of bulky armor wasn't something that disturbed them either. They'd broken away from the main convoy though, never one to follow orders well. "C'mon, brother," the elder urged, yanking the younger up over a fallen log, "that stupid pegasus couldn't have gotten far."

bronze lance

Health;; High
Template by Kuroya.

an enemy has appeared

---

an enemy has appeared

knight

He had no idea why they were here. They were supposed to be on their way to some nice beach, not marching up here to the north on the whim of some Plegian company. His brother had promised him that, and yet here they were, out here near the Feroxi border, dressed up in some armor and ready to march on a group of defenders. It was almost enough to make him turn tail and flee, but he was here for his older brother. "And what if he did, what then?" he spat, more than a little bitter as he was yanked over the log. "What do we do if they did get far, huh? What then, brother?" He was more than a little bitter, so sue him. Maybe that was just because he was the one who was more prone to sticking his blade into another. Young blood was hot. The pair exchanged a glare and then quickened their pace, pausing in their argument. They could bicker later, right now they'd be better off just getting the job done.

bronze lance

Health;; High
Template by Kuroya.

an enemy has appeared

[Deleted]

Well, what do you know, the Pegasus Boy found something while she didn't. Everyone else seemed more concerned by the news and what action to take next though than have to judge Juno's efforts. Juno was over it already; not like she had herself biting nails just for this.

But now it was time to give her piece and she realized what she was about to say better be worth it, because all three members of the team had different takes on the course of action for their situation.

"Oh boy."

Etienne, the Pegasus Boy - er, Knight, suggested that they move on, fast. The green-haired, guarded lady, whose name Juno recalled to be Jojo, had taken the more investigative approach, inquiring information that could help in coming up with a plan. The mercenary (whose name slipped from her mind) went straight to the point using a tone that said "let's just go slaughter them now" in spite of asking what plan they had.

Juno had to agree with the mercenary but for this one, they had to go with Etienne's call.

"We've lost the element of surprise and we don't know how many our enemies are. We don't have the time to talk here either. If they find us, we'll be down by one man." Juno pointed at Etienne with her eyes. "He can't fight in a forest. An amateur archer can snipe him down from the trees without us noticing. We'd have to get out in the open before they catch us."

Juno unsheathed her sword, her horse moving restlessly at its place. "We can't risk being on the defensive though so I'll lure them out. You three go straight ahead at the edge of the forest and hide until you hear my signal. I'll storm the path Etienne took and circle to where you are."

Juno was already rearing her horse to the direction Etienne went to as she finished explaining. She might have waited a second or two to see their acknowledging nod but Juno was eager to go and get things started. If they had any complains - well - too bad. Do it or die like sitting ducks. She set out, her sword ready just in case, hooves pounding madly at the dirt and leaves scattering noisily on her trail, getting enemy attention as much as she could.

[/tosses baton to @etienne]

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GS

[Deleted]

It went without saying that it was remarkably difficult to work alongside different people of different occupations -- they each had their ways of dealing with things, but there was something that the girl brought up that made Etienne look at her. Did she think he was a shaman or some sort of coroner? He was a pegasus knight, and his mount was very obviously in front of her. He also had no time to inspect the wounds -- even if he had, he probably wouldn't be able to tell anything from it except that it had punctured skin and drew enough blood to kill.

Etienne was saved from having to say something when the other male spoke up, followed by the cavalier. He nudged his mount slightly, and it huffed, shifting into position. It was ready to move upon orders; once Juno left, he too, started off.

A forest wasn't exactly safe for him. It was difficult for him to navigate through low-lying branches and trees twisting their way across the forest ground.

The equine started off with a slow trot, then gradually picked up speed, moving in the opposite direction of Juno.

♠ Kuroya

[♠ Kuroya]

an enemy has appeared

knight

Ugh, if there was one thing she hated, it would have to be the fact that she couldn't rain hexes down on the stupid Plegian's heads. If it were an option, she would have right about now. Instead, she let out an indignant growl to herself when her targets - the stupid pegasus rider and the mounted woman, both of whom had been spotted by the general company when they were out scouting and whom she had been ordered to take care of alongside a few others dispatched by the main commander - split up and began running in opposite directions from each other. Which one was she supposed to choose? Which one, which one... She decided to let the stupid flying horse go, if only because he reminded her so much of her own flying black equine back at home, and instead she hefted her lance, tightening her grip on it as she desperately tried to recall exactly how exactly she was supposed to turn and thrust with the lance, having forgone such a mundane weapon for quite a few years before being forced to pick it up once more for this quest. Steeling her nerves, she pulled herself out of the shrubbery, planting herself firmly in the middle of the path, her elbows tucked and her lance forward. If the woman wanted to get by, she'd have to knock the knight right over, and with the way that her heels were dug into the ground, that wasn't something that was likely to happen.

iron lance

Health;; High
Template by Kuroya.

an enemy has appeared

[Deleted]

Jojo Kaguya

Quest | Death from above? | 455/870

Jojo was never keen on a plan that she could not utilize to her benefit, let alone let some enemies that may or may not have viable information have them running amok. It made no sense to not investigate yet what did make sense was the plotting of which their Pegasus knight happened to be in a bind. Etienne, Jojo recalled finally, was useless in the woods but get him airborne and he might not be so bad. Jojo just wanted to make certain that enemies can go to the six foot under holes they deserve and this was going to be the roughest patch of pay dirt any of them will experience. Jojo went in the direction that the cavalier woman went though, granted the decision made was nothing short of disliking of it however, it made good sense when considering their options. Jojo knew how to fight in trees; it was a good skill to have after being a hunter of beasts after all.

However, Jojo noticed something strange that would be coming up soon. There was a knight in the path and so Jojo took to the trees after following the cavalier. A lance against a single horseback swordswoman was not going to go well, not with feet dug into the ground like that. However, if Jojo came from above, she should have a chance to land her sword into the cracks of the armor where the partings of different metals were. Jojo knew it was going to be difficult but it was her only choice and she had to do something and so she chose stealth and speed. The two things that her type of fight were best at, her body moving through the trees up above with brisk motion before she would wind up doing her attack.

Dropping from the height up above, granted the cavalier woman would probably keep the knight entertained enough, Jojo’s attack with such position could hopefully go through. The attack itself aimed on the drop, sword pointed down so that in the drop, the sword’s point could come crashing down, into the space between the helmet and neck plating where the sword would puncture through the collarbone and shoulder tissue. Until finally Jojo’s significant twist of wrist would leave the blade shattering arteries and heart causing the victim to fall to the ground flat on the belly bleeding out of neck. A quick and painless death, due to the speed of which the blade punctures the heart and the deceased would die a silent and quick death that all knights of good and bad blood ties would wish for. This would only be capable if the horseback woman could keep the knight distracted enough though.

credit to Delusional

[[OOC: Baton now handed to ;Vyren;. Sorry for such a late post.]]