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+---- Thread: [IRP] Retreat to Nowhere (/thread-289.html)
Retreat to Nowhere - [v] - 06-06-2014
It was a normal day in the quiet yet stressful border area between Lycia and Bern. The sun was shining bright in the clear sky that no one would dare looking up to gaze at it around this time.
A cloaked figure walked under the strong sunlight, his back to the eastern country. Even his all the sweating, the man kept walking on the maid road until he found a huge stone he could climb up without much effort. He did that to stand on a higher floor. the wind felt great His reddish brown eye was revealed a little as he turned his face a little to look at the path at his front.
He scanned over the horizontal line as though he was searching for something. The man eventually spotted an unseen sight from behind a mountain, a smoke. Groups of smoke, or ashes, came up from there. He closed his eyes a bit and turned his ear to that same direction.
A war cry could be heard.
==========================================
The very spot the the man saw from afar was a location of a fortress owned by Lycia, and it was under attack. Various parts of the building were turned into debris. The sharp cry of bolting thunder struck at the fortress over and over.
An army, mixed with melee attackers and magic users but most of them were the angry Etruria, was trying its best to take down this fortress. They did land a good surprise attack with powerful magic as many Lycian guards were down without knowing the cause of their death. one of the squads also managed to hole the front gate with spells and some of them already invaded into the fortress, just to find that it was all too easy.
It was in fact Lycia's turn to strike back.
The east and west fortress gates, that were closed before, slowly opened. The, knight squads, coated with pure water in order to fight back the magicians, were deployed to battlefield. They sent armored troop to clear the enemies near fortress wall, while sending horse units to take down the rest, aiming for powerful magicians before the effect of holy water disappeared. The table was turned rather fast.
It was after a while that the resistance commander gave signal to his men to fall back. However, his delay in action will cause more casualties to his men.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - Val Ritz - 06-06-2014
The sounds of smoke and screaming were too familiar to Yves, and he hated it. He had been ordered all the way to the other side of the Empire on a suspicion that this fortress might come under attack. The march had been exhausting, and secretly he had hoped that when he got here, there wouldn't be any reason to stay. He wasn't sure which was more disheartening: the fact that the Emperor's spy network had been right, or the fact that he knew just how doomed these people were. Regardless, he squared his shield and waited for the order to come, as he knew it would.
"Armored Division! Charge!"
And with that, it was chaos. He and the rest of the armorknights that had hung back until now let out a roar, then rushed the mass of fighters that had made it through the gates. They were trained soldiers, and they fell on the ranks of the rebels like a thundering landslide. Yves spotted a mage, casting fireballs up onto the walls, and rushed him. The robed man noticed only too late that some of the walls in this fortress were mobile. Yves rammed him with his shield, sending his tome skidding across the cobblestones, and skewered him with his lance. He barely had time to nod briefly at the man before a bolt of lightning seared across his back, partially deflected by the pure water coating it. Hissing at the burning sensation, he turned, and another glanced off his shield, numbing his arm.
Even through the forced coldness he adopted during these battles, his heart sank. A pair of mages- twins, it looked like- were hurling lightning at him furiously. They couldn't have been more than sixteen. A bolt sizzled past his head. This was no time for sympathy, he thought, and he rose up to his full height, charging toward them. A look of utter terror suffused their faces.
A horn blast sounded from outside the walls. Yves frowned and stopped, looking toward the gates. Reinforcements? It sounded again. No, this was a retreat. He looked back to the twins, who took one look at him and bolted, sprinting for the hole in the wall. The tide of attackers, such that remained of it, started to recede. Yves relaxed slightly; they would run, and maybe live to learn not to pick fights with the Imperial Army.
The voice of his commanding officer snapped him out of that delusion. "They're falling back! Kill them all, before they make it back to the border!" Yves half-thought to object, but shook his head, falling back into formation with the rest of his unit. The armorknight squared his shield once more, and somewhere in the rear, someone signaled to start the charge. He was a soldier, and soldiers followed orders, after all. There were a few stragglers still trying to make it through the breach, but in a few seconds, there would not be. A battle cry went up, and the soldiers started running.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - Amoltamiss - 06-06-2014
Cinia was always one who was averse to being the aggressors of the conflict around the border, but unfortunately her influence was rather lacking. Having some form of tactician's knowledge, she knew that the ambush that the resistance cells would attempt to hatch upon the Lycians across the border would not only not end well, but the resulting counter-attack from Lycia would lead to casualties on the sides of the Etrurians. Sighing, Cinia had already heard the sounds of conflict from a ways away, having been awake for quite a while now. She lacked competence in healing, so unfortunately she could not help anyone who was retreating. Meanwhile, the sounds of a horn and a battle cry clued Cinia in to the situation. Lycia was already striking back.
Cinia sighed and in her thick robes she shambled her way outside of her current vicinity, following the only path she knew the Etrurian resistance would have taken. And lo' and behold, there were already people retreating. However, Cinia's expression turned into that of a grimace as she realized that the signal to retreat was called too late. Holding her black tome tightly, she sighed and tried to meet with those of the retreating force. Cinia tried to inquire about the situation on her own, but it seemed that most of those were injured or too exasperated at what was going on to answer her. Sighing, Cinia continued walking along the path, but soon halted to a standstill.
The crimson-draped mage fidgeted and wondered out loud "I wonder why people don't listen to my warnings..."
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - Alusq - 06-07-2014
The Lycian charge happened so quickly; they always did. Nichol barely had time to finish his mental review of how he had been ferried by the Lycian corps all the way from Thria to the easternmost reaches of the nation— with similar speed, probably. Either way, the important thing was what was happening and not what had happened. There were a few small Lycian units camped along expected avenues of retreat— now that the rebels were being sufficiently pushed back by the wall of armor and cavalry, it was time to cut off their escape.
"Go! Leave none alive!" the voice of the commander of the cell sounded. Similar calls seemed to echo across the landscape as the ones who remained along other routes revealed themselves.
The call to strike was slightly late, to Nichol's frustration— if only he hadn't had to wait for orders. Luckily, the resisting folk were also seemingly retreating too late— Not that it would matter, he thought as he took aim and plunged his spear into one of them. Was that one even holding a tome? How helpless were these people in the face of Lycian might?
It'll be a lesson to them if anything, Nichol thought as he removed his lance and kicked the wounded mystic to the ground. Stamp them out here, and whoever's left will know not to try— His thought was interrupted by recoil and a grunt at a burst of fire that now existed on his right shoulder. His unit hadn't caught as many sprinkles of pure water as the charging armor knights and cavaliers, but the tiny amount on him still dulled the pain enough that he wasn't writhing on the ground covered in burns. Maybe it's just a placebo? No matter. Nichol resolved to replace his thinking with doing and swung his lance at his attacker, who dodged deftly before opening his tome and attempting to prepare another spell, tiny flames sparking at his fingertips. Nichol lunged with a hand, and the mage was pushed off of an outcropping and trampled under the hooves of a passing cavalier.
The retreating mass of people broke into gobs quickly as the Lycian soldiers worked to thin them out. Alone, the Etrurian irregulars would be even more helpless.
Etrurian. That realisation jolted Nichol back to earth.
If I wasn't a Lycian before... I certainly am now. He tried to snap himself out of whatever brand of guilt he was feeling and get back into a mindset more suited for combat as he bashed a mystic who was about to zap one of his comrades.
((blaaah, sorry for taking so long to post an intro post. ·ш· is it accurate enough to the troop formations described?))
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - thenoun - 06-07-2014
Out of sight of the battle, Morgan slowly sauntered down the winding path that, Morgan believed, would lead her to the Lycia-Bern border. She felt something akin to hope. It had been a rough trip through Lycia; she'd maintained such a fast pace that her horse eventually dropped dead from exhaustion, forcing her to continue on foot, all in hopes of getting to Bern as fast as possible. Soon, she'd be in Bern proper, and maybe, with any luck, she'd be able to find her family.
Maybe you'll find them, if they're even in Bern, that is. Morgan had certainly considered the possibility that they might not have been amongst the hordes of refugees pouring into Bern. She couldn't fathom why they would avoid obvious safety, but her father had always been a bit mysterious in his ways, and Yvette had generally loyally followed him. In truth, they could have gone anywhere, from Ilia to Sacae or maybe even into the desert, and Morgan would never know or be able to do anything. And that was assuming they'd managed to evade capture...
No. Don't think like this right now. You're certainly closer to finding them than you were before. Be happy for once.
Morgan shook her head, attempting to clear her thoughts. It wouldn't do to be all distracted right now; it wasn't safe to wander around all absent-minded like this. She looked around herself, trying to get her bearings, to discover she was off the side path and on the main road into Bern. She saw the battle raging at the fort in Lycia not to far away from where she stood; a development she hadn't taken much note of until now. It's not that she hadn't noticed it; the battle was the entire reason she took the side road instead of the main one. She just didn't care much for its outcome; as long as she didn't get swept up into the mix, the Lycians and rebels could enjoy ripping into each other for all she cared.
It was then she realized that the rebels were retreating. Retreating up the very road she was on, in fact. Even better, the Lycians appeared to be pressing the assault, attempting to eliminate the lot of them.
Morgan swore under her breath. The battle would likely be on her very soon; she still wanted to put distance between herself and all that chaos, but the likelihood of her evading it without a horse was poor. She quickly reached into her pack, took out her bow, then restrung it before swiftly continuing up the road. It seemed she'd need it soon.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - [v] - 06-08-2014
The cloaked man finally arrived the road where the retreating troops will pass if they were heading back to Bern. He decided to wait around there However, the man found that he was not alone. He also noticed a blonde lady in a bright red robe who was standing in the way. She seemed to be speaking with herself, the man wondered if she was referring to the Etrurian resistance.
Whichever she was, the man decided to join her monologue without permission.
"When the mind is enraged, it tends to be blinded from logic." said the man in black cloak. He waited until his figure was noticed before walking closer as he pulled his hood down and his paled blonde hair revealed. "Sorry for interruption, Milady, but who might you be? If you are a passerby, I suggest you to step away for a bit...since this road is becoming a battlefield."
He pointed to the retreating troops that were already close to the dune they were standing. There was not so much time for the girl to reply. The first group with horses arrived and waited for the footmen. They prepared their tome in order to slow down the enemies, some of them prepared traps or light runes for the same reason. Some of them noticed the duo, but none would mind enough to approach them.
"Look," He called the blondie in red again, to make sure that she knew what she was doing. "I'm here to assist them, so I'll stay. What about you?"
=========================================
The fortress seemed to be back to normal state now. All the resistance who was there where all dead injured or captured. The Lycian soldiers carefully threw the living into cells for now. Most of the army were yelling about their victory.
However, the perusing troops were still out there. They kept on slaying the resistance as they followed the main group. They number had been lessened and the magic coat on their armor was fading away. Still, the leading captain still told his soldiers to advance. He seek for the leader of resistance.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - Val Ritz - 06-08-2014
Yves growled under his breath as a fireball roared into his shield. The flames definitely felt hotter; either this mage was getting his second wind, or their protection was wearing off. He looked down just long enough to bash the woman with his shield and drive his lance through her heart, then raised his gaze to the rest of the bedlam that had consumed the fields outside the walls.
The rebels were in full rout, it seemed, bolting eastward as fast as they could. Yves nodded grimly. "At least they're smart enough to be running." Some of the others had no such intelligence. Yves was about to round on one such person - lightly armored, with a wicked-looking blade in his hand - when a cacophony of rushing wings and neighing sounded from the sides of the pursuing Lycian forces.
Yves' eyes widened. "PEGASI! ARCHERS, LOOK TO THE SKY!" he shouted, inwardly cursing their arrogance in thinking the ground forces would be all the resistance would muster. He just had time to look up and around him before a pegasus knight dive-bombed him, shattering her spear against his breastplate. Yves had the breath knocked out of him and toppled over, even his might borne to the ground by the force of the blow. "Oh, so that's how you want to play," he spat. The knight gripped his lance and stood, turning to face the pegasus, which was wheeling about for another pass.
The huge man dropped lower to the ground, spinning the oak haft of his spear about and bracing his shield in front of him. The pegasus flew in fast and low over the Lycian ranks, pointed straight for him in perfect jousting form. Yves narrowed his eyes, preparing for the blow. The seconds slowed to a crawl as the knight closed in.
The screech of steel on steel sounded behind him, and he whirled about, sidestepping to see what was happening. The boy from earlier, with the deadly sharp-looking sword, had tried to stab him in the back! His armor had protected him from the blow, something that obviously the boy had no clue would happen. The day's surprises were not over for him. The pegasus knight that had previously been aiming herself squarely at Yves' head swept by in a rush, the utter force of the blow driving the myrmidon boy halfway down her lance. Time stood nearly still. Shock and fear suffused his face.
Then, as if remembering its appointed schedule, the battle resumed its chaos. The pegasus' wing smashed into Yves' shield, knocking him down again and shattering the hollow bones. The great white beast screamed and toppled sideways, skidding along the trampled grass and dirt until it came to a stop, whinnying pitifully. Yves regained his feet for what felt like the eightieth time today and approached the pegasus rider. Her face was locked in an expression of shock, and her lower body was trapped beneath the winged horse. Yves frowned slightly, then planted his spear in the ground and pulled the creature off of her. For a split second, he considered killing her while he could. It would be the Lycian thing to do.
Yves shook his head violently and bent down, hauling the girl up by the shoulders, then looked around. The front had moved on without him, but some stragglers like himself were making their way back to the road. He hailed a cavalier and waved him over.
"You there. This one's a prisoner. Take her back to the fort, make sure she's put with the rest, you hear me?" he said, passing the girl and a small handful of coins up to the man.
"Huh. You sure? You know our orders are-"
"I know the orders. She's not dangerous, I killed her mount. Hell, I doubt she'll be so much as speaking for a while. Just take her, okay?"
Technically he couldn't order the rider, but it helped to be heavily armored and imposing. The cavalier nodded and wheeled his horse around, galloping back to the gates. Yves nodded and retrieved his spear, then started back to the rest of his unit. No doubt he'd hear about this later, but... "I'm a fool," he growled, and broke into a jog.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - Amoltamiss - 06-08-2014
Cinia quickly turned her head around and observed the figures past her running. She sighed once more and shrugged, looking nonchalantly at the chaos unfolding before her. She was concerned, but her demeanor did not show it. She heard rustling nearby, but made no heed of it. I warned them. I told them that this ambush attack was a bad idea. Striking the fortress like that with a small mage force? The fortifications were strong enough to withhold, and the Lycians could strike back easily, like what they are doing right now! Cinia rubbed her forehead as she paced forwards along the path, squinting for a moment as she realized the pursuing Lycian forces were on their way. Soon, she heared the voice of a man. She turned to face the man who was initially cloaked, but soon pulled his hood down to reveal the face of a young man with pale blonde hair. He asked Cinia who she was.
"...Me?" Cinia tilted her head. "I am... just an ordinary magician. They did not heed my reasoning as to why this ambush would not work." she sighed and shrugged. The man then mentioned his intent to assist them, saying that he would stay here.
"Are you staying then, sirrah? Very well, I suppose I'll join you, then. I was already here to find a way to help them, but it seems the only way we are going to help is if we go directly into the fray." Cinia made it clear she was not going to give her name to this stranger immediately. She held her black tome tightly and quickly snapped her fingers, letting dark, but harmless, tendrils ooze and undulate into the sky.
"We can chat and get to the pleasantries later. You are right, this place is soon to be a battlefield. We are just merely two, so let's be careful." Cinia addressed her new ally briskly as she prepared herself to fight.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - thenoun - 06-09-2014
Morgan stopped in her flight to turn and look at the battle. It almost felt like she hadn't moved at all; the retreating rebels actually seemed closer than they had before. It was clearly hopeless to keep running from this; she'd just end up tired and with her back to the battle.
Well, if escaping this battle isn't possible, who do I side with?
She briefly considered Lycia; it was clear Lycia would win here, and being captured or killed because she was perceived as a rebel wasn't something she was too keen on. But then, of course, she couldn't be sure they wouldn't just do that anyway; she wasn't allied with their forces, wasn't wearing their uniform, and was standing on the opposite side of the battlefield. Besides, she was, technically speaking, a deserter; she'd abandoned her post in a Etrurian fort only after Lycia had annexed Etruria into Lycia and dissolved its military into the Imperial Army. She wasn't sure if they'd actually know that out here, or if she was even being searched for at all, but she couldn't be too careful.
The rebels, on the other hand, could possibly possess something she was in desperate need of; information on refugees. Whether these guys had been helping the refugees cross Lycia or not she couldn't be too certain of, but they may have encountered her family one way or another. She would almost definitely not receive such information from the Lycians, whether they trusted her or not.
It was all a matter of if the rebels could escape safely or not...
Still, she'd made her choice; she'd help the rebels retreat from this fray. She found a large rock outcropping that would give her an elevated position over the road, climbed up onto it, and readied her bow for the first enemy to come into range.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - [v] - 06-12-2014
Eventually, the Lycian soldiers ran into the range of the magician line, and then it was a bit later that all kinds of projectile spells rained down the dune. Elfire erupted where the enemies grouped together and the wind slashes were sent up for a few fliers who tried to approach from sky. The gap between the resistance on the run and the strong pursuers.
However, the Lycian captain, after taking time to think a bit, still commanded his men to push forward just to show the foes that Lycia will not stop with just that.
"Alright then, make sure you stay close." The cloaked man said to the magician lady. He figured if will be bad if the lady was captured by the Lycian, with the witch hunt and all. He then turned to the approaching soldiers, and then the magicians on salvo. "If you need to call me, it's Lantis."
The man didn't move yet, as his range was shorter than mages or archers. He calmly drew out a curved long sword with one hand, and a shorter one on the other. Lantis took one more deep breath before he focused on the upcoming battle.
It appeared to him that the soldier were now more vulnerable to magic as their protection spell or holy water began to fade away. Most of the non-magic resistance already ran through the magician line, and kept heading back to Bern's direction. Some of the magicians who had exhausted their mana also began to fall back.
It seems my debut is drawing near, Lantis thought as he pulled up his mask. While this was not an opening he wanted for the new Black Fang, he could use it to get used to battling again. Come, Lycian.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - Amoltamiss - 06-12-2014
Cinia simply observed the ensuing chaos as spells flew through the air, flames arising from the ground where the Lycians were charging, and slicing winds through the very few flying units who attempted an aerial assault. It seemed that though the fighting was fierce, their own side of the skirmish was disadvantaged. Further problems were added to the mix as it seemed like the Lycian force did not show any intentions of just being satisfied with this attack. They were pushing further. Cinia noticed that a command must have been issued. Soon, the cloaked man, her new companion, introduced himself as one named 'Lantis.' Seeing as he introduced himself, Cinia nodded and took the opportunity to provide a name as well. "Alright. I'll stay close. While we're at it, just call me Cinia." she simply stated as she stood reasonably close to Lantis while maintaining a degree of distance as to give him room to maneuver.
He didn't move at first though he drew out two curved swords - one which was long, and another which was short. Cinia nodded to herself before eyeing in the distance the approaching enemies, while also observing how their forces which either exhausted themselves of their magical energies or were unable to use magic were quickly retreating. She sighed and calmly raised her free, right hand up in the air, performing a series of singular hand gestures of the arcane nature, before throwing the hand down at the ground. "Dextra. Dispulso." Cinia muttered as dark tendrils arose from beneath several Lycian fighters who were charging forward, the tendrils ate away at their armor and protection, slowing them down while stinging them with the power of elder darkness.
As Cinia attempted to slow down the charging enemy forces with her magick, she felt an arrow pierce the edge of her robes and pin it to the ground. Spitting at the ground, she pulled out the arrow and tossed it aside. She stepped further back, calling out at Lantis. "Lantis! I am slowing down the enemy's approach with my magic. I believe there is an archer force in the distance, so maneuver well and quickly!" Cinia called out to her ally while looking around for the source of wherever that arrow might have come from. However, she wasn't confident that there were more than a handful of them joining the fight. Opening her tome, she recited something from it. "Tempestas Niger!" Cinia pointed her right hand forward once more, causing dark, black winds and fog to overcome the approaching enemy force. While it wasn't exactly the most damaging magick out there, it certainly was meant to befuddle them and slow them down even further.
Most of what Cinia had studied were less destructive in nature and much more tactical, though she could whip out the big guns if she had to. However, with the Lycians and their witch-hunt, she didn't want to give herself a big bulls-eye on herself, so she would stick to these stratagems in the meanwhile.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - Val Ritz - 06-12-2014
Yves coughed and sat up on his elbows. He didn't remember getting knocked down, but from the look of the scorching on the ground around him, some idiot with an Elfire tome had blasted him off his feet. He'd be lucky if he had eyebrows after this nonsense. His armor was singed and sooty from the blast, but his limbs seemed mercifully intact. Pure water did tend to stick around on skin longer than it did on armor, thankfully.
The armored man stood and lifted his shield, picking up a fallen steel lance as he rose. The mage who he assumed had knocked him on his armor-plated rear end was standing about twenty feet off, and from the chanting Yves picked up on, it wasn't going to be a fun time for him if he didn't do something quick. Casting a glance around him, he spotted a mostly-intact javelin sticking out of someones back. He'd never been particularly good with ranged weaponry, but push was definitely coming to shove: a screeching ball of yellow flame was forming above the mage.
Yves offered up a swift prayer to whoever was listening, took two steps forward, and hurled the spear at the robed enchanter. It struck the woman in the side, but Yves had no time for celebration. The spell she had been casting instantly destabilized without her concentration on it, and a shriek of hissing flame sounded above the sounds of combat.
"...Son of a-"
The explosion rocked the ground around them both. Yves had raised his shield at the last second, but the heat and blast still drove him to his knees. Everything hurt. He managed to peer over the rim of the very, very blackened kite shield, and fought the urge to empty his stomach as he did. It would be the last thing he fought for a while. Battered and singed, he sat back on the ground, planting his lance and shield beside him.
"Saint Elimine, we must have seriously pissed you off."
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - Alusq - 06-13-2014
The mages were not overwhelming in number, but the force of their attacks more than made up for that. Nichol was to discover this rather quickly as he was ordered to charge up a hill and into an indescribable flurry of fire, electricity, and wind. Something fell onto him— a fellow Lycian soldier, probably with a singed-off face. He braced himself for a moment before letting the fallen comrade go and rushing forward: there was a belligerent mystic a few meters up, just as he had figured. But in this environment, a few meters was a surprisingly daunting distance. Thankful that his weapon had a long reach, Nichol lunged—
... only to be immersed in complete light and noise for a fraction of a second before ending up tumbling down the hill, each pebble seeming to stab him like a sword on the way down. Miraculously, Nichol's lance followed as he grabbed onto it, dragging himself behind a shrubbery so he could register what had just happened.
It had been almost a direct hit from one of those thunderbolts, and even if the holy water had still been working its magic, no amount of it could dull the feeling of thousands of volts entering and evacuating themselves from the body.
Nichol noticed several other Lycian soldiers knocked off their feet as well, including an armored knight who'd seemed to have sustained an intense burst of fire, given the charring and warping of the metal on the man's shield.
The shrub that Nichol had chosen as cover suddenly combusted, being downwind from the mystics' destructive spells. Nichol cursed (or at least as much as his semi-paralyzed shock would let him) and shoved himself away, struggling to pick himself up and regroup with whatever comrades remained... but to his horror, more and more of them seemed to disappear as a shadowy plume of fog followed the barely-audible sound of a young woman yelling an incantation further up the hill. Dark magic, too? Nichol thought to himself as he was finally gaining back feeling but was now losing any reliable sort of field of vision. He should've expected that the outlawed magic-users would travel together.
Whatever the case, the suppression of these irregulars was not going to be as straightforward as Nichol had naïvely expected. Nichol spied another mage running toward the armor knight, and he held up his weapon to trip the enemy mystic, the tome slipping out of the mage's hands and into the hotly-charged air.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - thenoun - 06-13-2014
Morgan watched as the battle unfolded. It was one of the most chaotic things she'd ever seen. Much of the rebel force was in full-on retreat now, passing her by in their flight; those who remained on the battlefield, nearly all mages from what she could gather, were now pelting the pursuers with everything they had. Fire and lightning rained down on Lycia's ground troops with an awful, blinding brilliance. Their fliers had been almost totally decimated; what little remained of their forces now just circled the battle out of range, unable to approach. It seemed that, at least for now, the rebels had these Lycians at a standstill.
Morgan was ready to fire into the soldiers below when an unnatural black fog swiftly engulfed the Lycians. She could faintly hear an incantation over the bedlam of the battle, one that almost sounded familiar to her; the kind of incantations her father would use. It was clearly disorienting to the Lycians, but it also obscured her view; she could only barely make anything out in that fog.
Morgan turned her gaze skyward. Though fewer than a dozen fliers remained, they were still clearly a problem that needed dealing with. After their first attack failed, they'd just started flying around at a distance that the mages couldn't accurately attack them at. She didn't know what they were planning, but she figured they needed to be taken down.
Morgan took aim at a pegasus knight who was flying only just outside the range of the rebel's attacks. When the knight briefly paused in her flight to change directions, Morgan fired. Her arrow ended up missing the knight, but hit her pegasus in the abdomen. The creature, panicking in fear and pain, ended up throwing its rider from her saddle, causing her to fall into the battle below.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - [v] - 06-13-2014
"Much appreciated, Cinia." Lantis replied to her warning of enemy archers as he began to move as well. "That black cloud is a brilliant idea, now let's aim for the riders to buy those guys more time."
He had observed Cinia while she fought and found out her magic seemed to be in the same school as his, but far far stronger. However, it was not the time to raise such topic in the heat of battle. He also noticed an arrow that was fired from behind, and the archer who shot it. He also took down a pegasus rider who flied above him, out of reach. From the movement of that person, Lantis assumed that person could be their ally. He made a note quietly and assumed his current task.
Lantis walked into the path of a galloping horseman, who just got through Cinia's fog, and dashed off to attack by surprise. From the side, he slashed the rider but it didn't hit directly, but it startled the horse that it jumped up a bit. That was before Lantis turned around and hick the man at his abdomen, he then made a light jump just to kick the man one more time to make him fall.
The man in black returned to Cinia's side and prepared for the next enemy. He looked over to the resistance now just to find that they had stopped throwing magic and began retreating fully. He also noticed the resistance commander who were issuing out command. Lantis tried to remember the man's face as he may need to talk to him later.
Only some of them were getting caught up by Lycian, they will need a hand to escape.
"Why don't we change our position a bit, how about we go help people over there." Lantis pointed the magician lady to a little higher dune, where he saw the Lycian got an upper hand. It was also near the wood that they could use as a sort of hiding spot or escape route. "If we''re lucky, there should be another ally there as well."
He wondered if the archer was still there.
At the same time on Lycia side, the knight captain waited until the obstacle began to fade to rode his horse into the battlefield, he was wearing an elegant armor, equipped with a tower shield and a silver lance, a paladin no less. The man ordered his troubador troop to assist the injury, as well a telling them to get up quickly and go after the resistance.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - Amoltamiss - 06-14-2014
Lantis mentioned how the invocation of black smog was a 'brilliant idea' and Cinia idly wondered how many of the people within the immediate vicinity had any basic knowledge of tactical warfare. However, she did agree with his assessment that the riders should be dealt with swiftly. They were the ones being most pesky with their mobility. Cinia spotted a stray arrow from the distance strike a pegasus knight flying from overhead. The pegasus was struck and threw its rider to the ground. Cinia winced as she saw the rider hit the ground with a thud and briefly wondered if he was a goner. Meanwhile, Lantis attacked a horseman who ran through the fog, knocking him down before returning to her side. Soon, the man in black pointed Cinia to a dune that was a little higher and explained that they should probably assist that location.
Cinia simply nodded. "Alright. Let's make haste." she trotted along in her thick robes, cursing herself for having to conceal herself and lacking her more exposing wardrobe. It made it a lot easier to move, but this was very hard to maneuver in. As she soon reached the point which was mentioned by Lantis, she noticed that it was actually near some woods and shrubbery. They could use this to conceal themselves if they needed to. Some Lycians were already making their assault, and as Cinia continued moving, she held her tome this time in her right hand and soon performed some hand gestures with her left hand this time, throwing them forward at a Lycian solder that was nearby.
"Sinistra! Eruptus!" Cinia called out as the pages in her open tome flipped on their own from a wind that was whipped up from her incantation, and a ball of dark energy materialized in front of her left hand, which melted into the ground and suddenly after a split second, it erupted from the ground beneath one of the soldiers, rising up as sharp black tendrils, driving into the soldier before bursting into some black haze. In response, she saw another Lycian fighter break through the spell and rush at her, Cinia winced as she tried to step to the side but her robes would not allow such a movement, instead she fell over to the side and felt a blade barely graze her arms even through the robes. She stumbled back and quickly gathered herself up to her feet as she tried to prepare another spell.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - Val Ritz - 06-14-2014
"Thanks a bunch," groaned Yves as the troubadour suffused him with healing magic. He felt his cracked ribs knitting back together, his sprained shield arm coming back to some semblance of usefulness- and hey! His eyebrows were even growing back. After a few seconds of treatment, the healer nodded and galloped away, looking for other injured, and Yves staggered back to his feet. He'd probably need some more careful looking-after once this business was finished, but at least he was combat-ready again.
He looked around him for his gear. His shield was toast, that was for sure. The constant fire and lightning barrages had warped and cracked it so badly that he was surprised it was still largely in one piece. The steel lance he had picked up was still fairly intact, though, barring some charring on the haft. He picked it up and looked around quickly. His gaze fell upon a fallen tower shield that some other soldier or another had tossed to the ground. Yves grinned slightly and hoisted it us, testing its weight. Now this, he could work with.
Taking the lance and shield in hand, he made his way back into the fray. Atop a rise beside a copse of trees, he spotted what appeared to be a dark mage and... someone with a sword. He didn't matter as much, but that shaman must be the one who was wreaking so much havoc in the ranks before. Yves' brow furrowed, and he hefted his new tower shield and spear, breaking into a run toward the robed figure.
A few soldiers tried to stand in his way. They quickly discovered that a massive Lycian armorknight running at full tilt was more than capable of bashing them aside. The Iron Bull of Santaruz let out a battle cry, and charged up the sand dune toward them.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - Alusq - 06-18-2014
Nichol regained his facilities as he felt the energy of a healing staff course through him momentarily. The troubadour was already riding away to the next soldier as he got to his feet and continued advancing up the hill. There still hadn't been any feeling that he was contributing to the situation at all, despite the downed mage whose wounds— or death— were courtesy of Nichol. He decided to rectify that as he reached the hill's summit, sending his lance flying into another irregular— only for it to come out of his hands as something shoved him.
It was a mage grabbing him around the neck, yelling something. Nichol cursed as he realised that he was being held down for an attack, a fireball materialising in a nearby mage's hands to rush toward him. The tactic made a relative amount of sense: armor knights could be outrun and armor fused into slag, and a cavalier's horse couldn't be held down too easily, so the pair of mages was going for the in-between foot soldiers. Nichol elbowed the physically-weaker man and broke free of the grasp he'd been held in promptly, but he still felt himself grazed by the fire spell as he frantically searched for another weapon.
Nichol grabbed the spear of a fallen armor knight after nearly tripping on it. The thing was heavy, far more hefty than the lances issued to soldiers, but it was a spear all the same. Nichol lunged at one of the mages, who deftly dodged the attack. Frustrated, the soldier threw himself into the mystic, bruising the mage's head with the butt of the spear.
Have I seen him before?
He paid for his idle wondering as the two mages were now bolting down the hill, apparently having decided to resort to plan B. It was foolish to think that any old acquaintances or rivals could be among these irregulars: they were on the other side of Lycia, for Elimine's sake. The weight of the spear that Nichol had picked up was now becoming uncomfortably apparent, and he scanned the area for a lighter-looking one, or a fallen soldier that might be still holding one, as the mage pair grew more distant by the moment and he realised that there were almost certainly going to be quite a few rebel escapees.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - thenoun - 06-19-2014
As the pegasus knight fell from her mount, Morgan took aim at another flier, this time a wyvern rider. While most of the other fliers had ascended further out of reach, this one had chosen to remain closer to the ground. Morgan fired as he passed, striking the rider in the side. The wound was not immediately fatal; the rider managed to remain on his wyvern despite the wound. But the wound was severe enough that he was forced to land, in search of healers.
Morgan turned her attention back to the ground to find the rebels in full-scale retreat. She'd expected as much; it had been clear from the beginning they had neither the means nor the intent to rout the Lycians here, at least not after the battle at the fort went sour. Unfortunately, it seemed the Lycians were still pushing the attack, chasing them up the road even after the pounding they'd received.
These rebels are almost certainly heading for Bern, judging from the road they've taken. Do the Lycians seriously intend to chase them that far?
Morgan was confused at what the Lycians were thinking; they'd possibly be provoking a war if they pushed this any further. It was no secret Lycia intended to invade Bern eventually, but this was hardly an invasion force. What sort of fool commander was running things here?
It's not time to think about these things. I'd better get out of here, before the Lycians get to me.
Morgan slipped down from the outcropping, landing on the sandy ground below. The thick of the battle had finally found its way to her. The fighting was not quite as bombastic as it had been before, as the two sides were both growing weary. Still, the Lycians seemed in better shape than she'd expected; despite the barrage of magic they'd endured, those who'd survived had clearly been patched up pretty well afterwards.
She noticed a conflict occurring at a dune just a short distance away from her. A cloaked man and a mage were still engaging the forces here. The mage managed to keep some of them at bay, but one of the soldiers broke through her spells, and her attempts to evade him caused her to fall to the ground. Another soldier had since come around from the side, and as the mage rose she didn't seem to notice the second man. Morgan aimed at this attacker and shot him, striking him square in the neck. She readied another arrow as this man fell, prepared to fire at the Lycians charging up the dunes.
RE: Retreat to Nowhere - [v] - 06-21-2014
Lantis headed for one of the attacked mage knight, and turned to the Lycian cavalier who was about to attack the person. He quickly drew his sword, the long one, and slashed up before the horseman came in range as though it was just to stop him. However, the rider suddenly felt that his shoulder pad was hit that it fell off, following by his blood. Lantis didn't wait as he approached and struck the man with the dull side of his curved blade.
The black swordsman told the mage who was getting up on his horse, who appeared to be wondering about his savior but decided to leave anyway. Lantis then turned to check on Cinia just to find that she was under attach as well.
"Cinia!?"
Lantis felt he was too reckless and rushed to the girl, however, it was at the time that the arrow from above hit at the soldier's neck accurately. He turned to the direction and spotted the same archer as earlier, and quickly shifted his attention back to Cinia. The dark mage got wounded at her arm, just slightly but bleeding nevertheless.
"Sorry for intrusion, milady, but let me help." Lantis decided to carry her up, spooning up the robe to not step on it and slip. He turned back to check on the enemy and took the girl up to where the archer stationed.
Finally, the Lycian leading commander arrived the front line of his soldiers. He got some horsemen on his side to speed up to pursue. Lantis noticed that while preparing a medicine for Cinia, he said.
"it seems we can't let them pass."