The Fifty Years' War (FFT RP)

With all instructions clear, Imos spurs his ride and shoots off after the Knight that had escaped, he paths his chocobo in a slight curve to avoid his direct line of sight and hopefully get around him to cut him off.

making good headway and arriving at where they would likely be fighting soon he made for the nearest elevated position and pulled out his bow, watching the surroundings carefully and preparing a Bio arrow for the first enemy he saw.

Said first enemy was the Ordallian Knight that skidded to a halt as he was faced with the green glowing arrow that the archery Squire aimed for his head.

"you could drop the moogle you got there and get a head start... or you don't and we make you release the little guy, your pick."

Having finished his work, Archie took his work to his boss, which was welcomed for his work. He wasn't sure what he would need to do next, but he found out that he had another group he had been assigned to work with. He figured that it was a sign of trust in his skills and he would do his work to serve and show the greatness of family Oak. He nodded his head as he gathered up his things and put them in a bag, and carried them, keeping light as far as things he was taking with him. He found traveling light to be easy, as he figured he could find some way to live off the land and work the land to find things to keep himself alive. He was a survivalist and that had gotten him so far into this future. Without such skills there would be no doubt that he would be alive or working for a noble family.

Having gathered his things, he moved thought the town looking asking around people to find out where this group was, he figured he could blend in and fit in well with any group well enough. If the worse case scenario happened, he could adjust and just go along with the flow, watching his back and making sure that he didn't get in over his head. Archie wondered as he searched for the group asking various people questions as he looked a bit lost. He had never actually been to this city, as he wasn't quite from the area, and his travels never took him into the area over his years so far. Now he was, and well, he was trying to figure out a new land and find people he didn't know. He got close from time to time as he asked around various people to find where this group he had been assigned to was at.

The White Knight had stepped away; sure, the battle had left the fort in a minor disarray, but Wiegraf and his group, the Dead Men, have seen harder battles than this. They were peasants who took up arms and fought with great efficiency that made themselves well known in Ivalice's ranks. While they originated in Gallione, Wiegraf has been traveling for other warriors to aid in Ivalice's victory. His reputation was great, and it was enough that it brought Damen to him; though Wiegraf could see potential in Damen, he knew that the blond acolyte wasn't meant for the same lines that the knight stood on. At least, not yet; Wiegraf had met Alexander, the blond's father, and he knew that Damen would never come to understand his own talent, in contrast to what could've been learned within his family. The Cortrova line consisted of great Red Knights, a special combat fighter that enchants the weapons of their own or those held by their allies. Damen only began to understand this, but nonetheless, he had potential ahead of him.

As Wiegraf would track down and speak with Tobias Oaks, the mentor to Archie Maxwell about going to the swamps just east of their position, Damen found it to be dangerous for Molina to accompany them, so with that, he would ride on with Imos, as well as Lydalia and Piero behind him. He would take a turn to the side, opposite of Imos, in an effort to get ahead of the knight, unaware of the wildlife in the thick swamp was starting to stir. Imos probably wouldn't be prepared for it, though his chocobo mount would warn him ahead of time, they were stalked by a pair of red panthers in the nearby brush. A rare sight in the marshes, due to their inability to swim, but even then, hunger was something that any predator would press their boundaries a bit to fulfill their appetites. Damen would see this from his angle, leaving him with two choices; go for the knight himself and warn Imos of the creatures, or keep the panthers at bay to leave Imos with the knight... though, the watery pits always hid piscodaemons in their depts; humanoid creatures with squid-like features to them.

"Imos, you have a pair of panthers on the prowl nearby!" Damen called out, and his appearance startled the knight similarly, though Damen, on his mount, charged at the knight, drawing his sword. He chanted out a spell into the blade, infusing it with what appeared to be a corosive acid of some kind, but in truth, it was a venom, magicked into existent, not quite as potent as the foul things a Malboro can release, nor the venomous fangs of the red panthers, but still dangerous nonetheless. The knight would find himself drawing his blade and facing Damen; it was clear Damen made his choice, and he hoped that Imos, as well as his Chocobo mount will aid him accordingly. Of course, saying this, a group of four piscodaemons would rise from the waters, clearly Damen's voice had them stir from their resting places, and though they didn't move far too quickly, they were still effective adversaries that can take a beating, as they had no bones to worry about breaking. But, he was sure that Lydalia and Piero can handle them with their chocobo also.

Damen would stand on the saddle, holding onto the reigns as best he could with the one hand, his sword clasped in his right, he would leap off a little ways away from the knight, rolling on the ground forwards. In that momentum, Damen would run forward, meeting his steel with the Ordallian blade of the knight's. He had to drop the bag containing the moogle within, who was struggling to get free! Damen's chocobo would immediately run off to the side, out of the scene of battle; it was evident the one he rode was a coward and didn't particularly enjoy battling, But Damen was sure to keep his focus on the knight before him. Helfting his shield into his left arm, he would take a step back and tried a shield-bash tackle, though the knight would have his own shield at the ready to defend against the majority of the blow. Their blades would clash with the other's, and while Damen's blade was enchanted, it would only inflict its ability if he struck the knight... which was looking fairly difficult with their blades either striking metal of the other's sword or shield, granted Damen had less armor protecting him in contrast. As this went on, as he fought, he was hoping the others were holding their own, though he was also beginning to wonder if he jumped into this with overconfidence.

Rushing ahead on her Chocobo, Lydalia arrive in time to see the tentacle monsters rising from their watery depths. She hesitated for a moment, before charging forward. Were these the fiends said to be capable of twisting a person’s mind against their allies? In truth though, it didn’t matter. Whether these were the fearsome Mind Flayers, or their weaker (yet still formidable) cousins, the only choice was to cut them down.

Leaping from her mount, Lydalia sliced into the nearest monster. The demons might have thought they were ambushing her allies, only to instead be caught by a pincer move, with hostiles on both sides of them. The first fell before it could react to her, it’s boneless body collapsing into a heap of dead flesh.

Another moved against her, slashing with its tentacles in retribution for its fallen ally. She was just able to bring up the shield in time, planting her feet to withstand the lashing. Retaliating, her sword found its leg, digging in deep, but not enough to incapacitate the foe. This time its attack struck true, the rough appendages striking her midsection. There was but a grunt from her, to hide the way the blows forced the air from her lungs, and renewed rage, swinging her sword wide for maximum damage. This blow caught the fiend in the gut, cleaving its torso from its legs.

“Let me take the brunt of their hits, Pietro,” she advised, standing between him and the remaining mobs, “As our only healer, we will truly be at a loss if you were to fall.”

They'd been riding for twelve minutes, pushing into the marshlands to the west of the fortress. It wasn't the most direct route to follow the fleeing knight, of course, but a man on foot could traverse grounds a chocobo couldn't manage. The greater weight of the warbirds would cause them to sink into the muck if they left the paths, unless the rider was particularly skilled at trailblazing. And Piero knew he wasn't particularly skilled in that regard. So he occupied himself thinking, and watching, and counting. Counting the number of paces his steed had taken, and the number of waymarkers they passed, and the beats of his own heart.

Numeric obsession was the curse of the Calculator, Magus Avelia had warned him. Even the apprentice Calculator.

A shout from Lydalia jerked his attention from the hypnotic rhythm of the numbers and he looked up, startled to see repulsive figures rising from the slime and water of the marsh. Greyish, slick-skinned things with black, unblinking eyes above a writhing mass of tentacles. The things glared at him with a hideous, malevolent hatred, then flowed forward towards the path. Six of them, his reflexive count reported. A multiple of the prime numbers two and three.

As they gained the path, Lydalia dismounted and attacked. The first went down beneath her blow (five remaining - another prime), but the others were moving to flank and surround her and he heard her grunt of pain as slick, writhing tentacles slashed against her. “Let me take the brunt of their hits, Pietro,” she called as she downed another, “As our only healer, we will truly be at a loss if you were to fall.”

There was wisdom in her words, and yet he found himself dismounting and drawing his own blade anyway. "Piscodaemons," he called, crouching and pulling up an egg-sized stone from the path. "The weakest of the Mindflayer family. You needn't fear poison or psychic attack, at least." With a grunt, he threw the stone at the closest of the Piscodaemons. It fell short, but attracted the monster's attention.

"Four tentacles," he called out as the Piscodaemon writhed towards him. "And if you watch, they attack in a pattern: feint, lash out, recoil, dodge." His own attacker demonstrated, tentacles lashing left then whipping around towards the right. Piero twisted frantically, barely avoiding the hooked barbs, then stepped forward and stabbed the creature in the chest. Purplish blood spurted as the creature's leathery flesh split beneath the keen edge. "Attack when they recoil!" he shouted. "They're open, then!"

Imos meanwhile had been thrown off in his aim when the warning about the red panthers came, whirling around he loosed the bio arrow into the pouncing maw of one of the beasts, killing it with surety but unfortunately not before being tackled off and stuck under the monster for a few precious seconds.

seconds which the other panther sought to take advantage of as it too leapt for him, only to be interrupted by a loud "KWEH!" and a kick from Imos' very own feathery companion, apparently the big bird was much less of a coward than the average untrained chocobo. as the panther landed roughly on the ground near Imos, he grabbed his dagger and quickly opened it's throat.

"thanks Taka, when we get back i'm getting you the best food i can."

getting back to his feet he once more took aim, not at the knight however, but rather at the inattentive creatures that were facing their backup. loosing arrows at the one attacking Piero.

The duel between knight and Damen resumed, and it seemed fairly even, blade meeting other steel, and though one was enchanted with poison, there was no letting off the gas between them. It wasn't until the two pulled back that the knight unleashed a mighty swing, one that Damen rose his shield to block... only for the protective armment to break apart from the impact; leaving him with just a sword. Okay, things were starting to look bad for him, and Damen would have to think more strategically. Just avoiding the knight for a moment, he would clasp the blade with both hands; not as effectively as that of samurai or stronger warriors, but enough to give him a parrying chance to defend himself. He would take some steps back when the knight made a thrust... only to strike and get stuck in a tree that was right there. Damen would make an attack upon his exposed side; his armor took most of the blow, yet he was able to make a cut that made him bleed... and with it, the poison on his blade would seep into that very wound. The knight would cough a number of times and he pulled his blade free, and Damen could see he was starting to look green from it. The poison was doing its job, slowly eating away at him from the insides.

"Just give in." Damen told him, though the knight would make a charge at Damen again, swinging his blade swiftly, causing that blade to be knocked out of the acolyte's hands, and thrusting into the ground nearby. Damen was swift to pull his staff from off his back, raising it to block the incoming blow; the thick wax wood received a nick in it, but otherwise, stopped and caught the blow from splitting his head in two! Twisting his staff rather roughly, causing it to twist the knight's wrist incredibly, almost breaking it, it forced him to let go. The poison was making him incredibly weak relatively quickly, and it looked as though he may not remain standing for long. Rotating the staff, he would strike the knight with the heavier-weighted head, which hit home, striking with a loud *THUNK!*, and the knight laid there unconscious. The blunt force of the strike created a wound from his head; if he didn't get treated soon, he would surely die... but what honor would it hold? Damen knew he should die immediately, rather than slowly die painfully. Rolling the knight over onto his back, Damen would pick up the blade the knight used. "...May St. Ajora have mercy upon your soul." With this small, uttered prayer, Damen thrust the weapon into the unconscious man's chest, through his heart... and killed him immediately.

After all that, though, the fight was not yet over, and saw that the others were fending off the creatures of the deep, so he would run towards them, hefting his staff on his back, while drawing his blade from the ground, hoping to get the upper hand on one of the squidmen. Due to them having interest in Lydalia and Piero, Damen was able to get a back attack on one of them with a strike he enchanted with poison; fire would prove to be of little effectiveness on water creatures, so poison was the better choice here. Even of his slash wasn't enough to kill it, the poison would. Indeed, though, these weren't the Mindflayers; they were of their family, but these did not influence the minds of their enemies, to either turn them against each other, or attack recklessly without regard for self-preservation. After striking the one down, this seemed to draw another's attention to him, while the one he struck took most of the hit, yet Damen was unable to actually kill it. But, this surely would make things easier for Lydalia, anyways, by dividing the attention. There weren't too many of them left, and surely after striking enough of them down, the few remaining ones would surely flee... at least, that was the idea. He took a moment to look at the bag containing the moogle; his chocobo companion, Armos, seemed to figure out how to open it, and freed the small creature.

He wasn't a complete coward, but he seemed to understand that the moogle needed protection; that, or maybe the small creature was able to speak to it. Whatever it may be, Damen would have to learn later, but he could see the sun was already setting; when night falls, trying to head back would be dangerous; they were lucky these creatures showed up, instead of their stronger counterparts, though surely they would be lingering somewhere close, if not in the immediate vicinity. If they were able to finish this off, they would have to break up and make camp for the night; it was rough, but it was something they should do for safety purposes. For all they know, something larger and more dangerous could be within the woods between here and the fortress that only comes out at night...

From the corner of her eye she watched Piero duel with the Piscodaemon, explaining and exposing the pattern of their attacks. His strike found flesh and another fell. By now the archer, Imos, was supporting them, peppering the the mobs from afar. An arrow softened one up, and she waited, watching the pattern Piero outlined.

Feint

Tentacles writhed to the left, but Lydalia just gripped her shield, not taking the bluff.

Attack

From the right tentacles lashed her, but she was expecting them, this time. Her shield intercepted them, slick flesh thudding against the reinforced iron.

Recoil

As the tentacles retracted she saw her opening. Pushing her shield and it’s appendages to one side, she swung her sword from the other direction. Its head flew from its body and landed it in swamp, its body following a moment later. There was no time to dodge.

Damon joined in the conflict now, and with the four of them focusing their strength on the monsters, they made short work of the creatures.

“Are we all here? Alive?” Lydalia asked, taking note of her companions. It appeared that the common girl found safety, with her moogle, Lydalia figured. If she had even seen it right, anyways. “With the sun setting, it should be safer to set up camp here for the evening. I volunteer for the first watch.”

The second (two! the first prime!) real fight of his comparatively young life was over as quickly as it had begun, and Piero had learned something important. They were faster and more confusing than he had expected. Also, shockingly, he was better at them than he had expected. Not great - he wasn't a warrior by any stretch of the imagination - but... competent. Or, at least, not dead. And that amounted to the same thing.

"Camp here?" he frowned, visually inspecting his comrades. There were no visible wounds, no signs if bleeding or injured limbs. "Is that..." A chuckle. "No, that a fool question. We just saw it isn't safe, didn't we? But..." he looked around, observing the setting sun and the twisting trail through the marsh, then shrugged. "It's probabky kess dangerous than trying to ride out in the dark."

Wiping tarry blood from his blade with a broad leaf, he sheathed it. "Over ther looks promising," he suggested, pointing a quarter-mile down the trail at a low hillock crowned with unusual standing stones. "It'll be drier, I think."

Imos had mounted up again on Taka and joined the other three.

"horror stories of entire battalions vanishing in the dark are abound so camping is the best idea, we'd either bog down in the swamp, or get attacked by whatever nightly horror is lurking for us if we don't have some light of our own."

following Piero's directions he spots the hill.

"that will actually do nicely, it would force anything out to get us to climb a bit first, well spotted. i'll be taking last watch before dawn if it's all the same to you guys. i don't fall back asleep when awoken easily."

Thrusting his sword through the heart of the creature he attacked, he watched as it fell, with the one accompanying it on the retreat... which Damen allowed. Panting and breathing deeply, the adrenaline rush he experienced during the duel, and this last confrontation, the blond acolyte's fatigue was catching up with him... and winced as he found himself collapsing to a knee. He felt a sharp pain to his hip all of a sudden; it seemed the heat of the moment caused him to overlook an injury, and he could see that his leather clothing was slashed near the hip, some blood continuing to spill through and soaking the top, though it was otherwise mostly sealed up. He got reckless... then he recalled during one of the exchanges with the knight that Damen was kicked back, and was slashed at from the side. He thought he felt a sting then, but thought nothing of it at the time.

"Camp would be the best choice... It would appear I did get a bit too reckless, however... What was I thinking, charging a knight like that when Imos had the advantage with range on his side...?" Damen didn't know the answer, shaking his head a bit all the while. "I think I'll be fine, however; the damage doesn't appear severe, just a flesh wound... none of my important innards seemed to be harmed. But, it's clear I am not as great a tactician as my father was... Lady Lydalia, if you would, lead us from here on out." Damen took a deep breath as he spoke these words, as Armos, the blond's chocobo companion, made it's way over to them, pressing it's head against his chest.

"Just, be... be careful, Armos." Damen spoke to his feathered friend, stroking the top of the large bird's head, causing the creature to shake and let out a coo of a 'Kweh~', his feathers fluffing out for a brief moment, before settling once more. "We got to check with that; I can't have you be a coward when battle is at hand... you would've been a great assistance to Piero and Lydalia." Damen expressed with a light chuckle, before turning to face the others. It was just them to do these missions as a group... it was very small, when armies could linger anywhere and everywhere in large numbers, and many with great talent. Damen felt his tactical skills were insufficient for the cause, as it led to a couple injuries here. Nonetheless, they achieved victory, and the moogle was unharmed... A little shaken up by the looks of it, but unharmed nonetheless.

“You want me to take command? Lydalia yelped, before clearing her throat of the sudden insecurity. Wasn’t this what she wanted? Command of a unit, so she could rise up in the ranks? It was one thing to want a thing, it was entirely another to have it. It was one thing to fight on the battlefield, and give her own life in glory of her country. Suddenly now, it wasn’t just her life. Her eyes passed from Piero to Imos and back to Damon, “I, uh…is everyone okay with this?”

No, it made sense for her to lead. It was in her blood. The Riovanes had a legacy as proud warriors and commanders. This was her chance to restore glory to her name, and she could not waste her shot. “I accept this mantle, and hope you are all as hungry for triumph as I am.” She announced with a laugh, covering her nerves.

They set up camp quickly, settling down as the stars glittered above. Lydalia took position by the fire, stoking periodically to occupy herself. To distract herself from thoughts of her parents, and how they disapproved of her enlisting. She wanted to wait until she had achieved greatness before sending word home, but it had been months since she had spoken to them. Her first day had been a great success, surely that was worth a letter. Digging through her pack, she found a quill and parchment, forming her thoughts to put to paper.

Dear Mother and Father,
I hope this letter finds you in good spirits, and if it does not, may it raise your spirit with its contents. Fighting in a war with Ordallia was not you plan for me, but I still hope to make you proud with my feats. I will carry my name higher than it has flown in many years, and once more the Riovanes will be respected as true patriots to the crown, and country.

I am afraid my betrothal to Duke Barrington will have to wait until the war is ended. If this does not suit the duke, I understand, and will not chide him for calling off our nuptials. I am sure there is no shortage of noble houses that are quite happy to offer up their daughter hands.

Your ever dutiful daughter,
Lydalia.

Once she got back to the fortress she could send it off, and hope it would bring her family some peace. Pulling out a ration of salted meat and hard cheese, she readied herself for a long night keeping watch.

"No such thing as 'just a flesh wound'," Piero replied. "Without treatnent and without a white mage, infection could set in. Blood poisoning, or gangrene, and you could lose the whole leg. Now sit down and let me have a look!" Fortunatly, it proved to be long and shallow. He swabbed it out quickly with a cloth soaked in potion, then bandaged it.

"Try not to strain it overnight, and it'll heal clean by morning. You might not even scar." Piero chuckled as he rose. "Now, if you want a scar, you can pick at the scabs. But I advise against that."

Finished, it was just a slog along the wet trail and up the hill. He didn't comment on the decision to have Lydalia lead their little band - she seemed competent, but then they all seemed competent. The only orotest he might have made was if they had made him the commander. He was far better suited, he knew, as an advisor.

They made camp as the sun set, Piero getting a fire lit in the damp wood he gathered with the cantrip Firette. It was just a spark, really, but it coukd ignite anything thag woukd burn. Soon he had a warm (if smoky) blaze going. "I'll take second watch," he offered, rolling himself in his blanket.

He was snoring softly one hundred and thirty-eight seconds later. He knew, because he counted them. And ten thousand, six hundred and sixty-two seconds later - exactly three hours - he awoke. The gibbous moon hung large and silver in the night sky, visiting the house of Gemini and outshining all the stars with her glory. He shifted and stretched, then emerged from his bedding as quietly as he could. "Watch change," he murmured to the still wakeful squire, before hunkering down next to her.

"Should be a quiet night," he observed, gesturing at the heavens. "The moon's in the trine of Saturn in the house of Gemini, which is usualky a good sign. And..." he broke off, peering at the stars. "Oh. Oh, my. Mercury the messenger is in the moon's right shoulder. That means..." He wracked his memiry. "Revelations. Something brought to light, promising changes."

He sighed. "Yeah, so... sleep light. Just in case."

Imos knew better than to get involved in team dynamics or politics, even if he quietly thought that Damen wqas a quitter, the whole point of gathering experience was that you could not do a perfect job at the beginning. Knights... always so set in their thinking.

"i got no objection, as long as the one leading me tries to bring as many as possible back home that is."

as they set up camp he kept near the chocobos they used for transport, especially when he spotted the way Piero reacted to the large birds, figuring he was best suited to keeping their rides calm and they would wake him as easily as a trained sentry if trouble came.

Doing his best to listen to Piero's advice of how to handle his injury; he thanked the fact that the injury wasn't too serious, though Piero's words did have him wonder nonetheless. Regardless, he took in the knowledge to the best of his ability, and maybe he could take them into practice during the next fight they undergo. Regardless, when setting up camp, Damen took it easy, yet put in his assistance to the best of his capability nonetheless. If nothing else, it was to help gather wood anyways, and with the watches decided upon, it left Damen at third, which gave him plenty of time to sleep... in doing so, he recalled the events of five years ago, the last time he seen his father...

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The night was settling in at House Cortrova, Damen had just finished with the task of putting his sisters to sleep for until the next morning. His father wanted to talk to him after he finished, which happened to be outside the front door. Taking a few steps out, Damen was dressed in his normal wear, leather clothes that were given to him for his final years in intermediate academics, before he would set out to further his studies in the knight academy. "Lord Father." Damen spoke; his father stood before his Red Chocobo mount, stroking the top of its head before turning to face Damen. "...You were given another mission by the Northern Order... weren't you, Lord Father?" He didn't need an answer, seeing how the rare mount was prepared for the trek. His father was clad in his red armor, with matching feathered hat on his head, and cloak around his shoulder. At his side was a sheathed sword, etched with simple runes for empowering his Red Arts whenever he fought in battle.

"Damen... There is no fooling you, is there, my son?" There was a brief pause in his words, before he looked upwards to the sky, the rainfall from earlier having died down. "...The Order has received word of Ordallian spies breached our borders further north, by Riovanes. I am to regroup with my squadron, and we are to patrol the grounds to be sure. It won't be a long mission, I'm sure... I will be back to help further your teachings in our family's arts." Alexander spoke, turning to face his Chocobo, Choco. A very simple name, but nonetheless, it was the one that Damen had given the large red bird on hatching from its egg.

Damen sure looked upset, but he was younger at the time, and believed his father was strong enough to handle any Ordallian force at the time. "Make the Cortrova family name feared by the Ordallians, Lord Father." At Damen's words, his father would give a light chuckle, before he would reach for something in his bag, all wrapped up. It was shaped like a sword, and when handed to the young blond, Damen knew the weight was very well one.

"Your mother and I... we discussed it over, and I was to leave this with her, and give it to you on your birthday. However... I think you're ready to start carrying the real thing, rather than the wooden practice blades you've been carrying. Don't give up on your studying in my absence... I will test you when I return!" Alexander spoke, ruffling his son's hair, while moving over to Damen's mother, who stood beside his son, holding her in an embrace, before kissing her also, before he would walk back over to his chocobo, and climbed onto Choco's back. "No matter what happens, Damen... Become a fine knight; use the knowledge you know now, and what you will learn in the future, to be capable of surpassing even I!" Alexander called out; Choco was becoming a bit reckless, and decided to be off, riding fast into the distance, Damen taking a few steps forwards with both his hands holding the wrapped up blade, before clutching it firmly.

"...I will, Lord Father... I promise..." Damen muttered under his breath, as the rain continued to fall, with the blond turning his head to the sky while uttering a soft prayer for his father's protection...

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Damen would find himself waking up, shaking his head a bit as he looked beside him; the blade his father given him, the fine ornate etchings on the blade, guard and pommel... Nowhere near as fancy as what his father's was, but nonetheless, it held special memories to him. It was the last thing his father gave him, and he just found it hard to let go of something so sentimental in that regard. He received a letter on his birthday that year... saying his father was captured, and believed to be taken to the gallows in Ordallian territory; it was rough for Damen thereafter, but his sisters done everything they could to get him out of the dumps. The sword itself had taken quite the beating and even missing chips of steel in the blade, yet Damen chose to use it anyways, and still intends to do so. The pain in his side having mostly subsided, he would sit up, tying his sheathed weapon to his hip again, and set his staff on his back once more, he would head over to where Piero was.

"Get as much rest as you can... we'll be setting off rather early by the looks of it. Also, Piero... I greatly appreciate what you have done. Before you go, allow me to ask one question... Lady Lydalia; do you think she would be a far more efficient field leader than I could ever be? I ask this... because my father was one himself, and surely, if he had not been taken to Ordallian gallows, he would see it through I would follow his steps to become a tactician myself. This..." Damen would draw the sword of his; the beaten blade that had seen far better days held most of its shape, but it was due time Damen should consider a new weapon. "...and my memories of him whenever he was off the field of battle, are all that remain." Damen was expressing that, it wasn't a fact of him simply quitting, more like he didn't feel like his talents were on par to a few of the others here; sure, he could enchant his blade with spellcraft for added effects in his attacks, but it only worked if they landed. He simply believed he was not yet as great as his father was, and such, felt he wasn't yet fit to command a squad of his own.

Lydalia had been keyed up from the battle. Even as exhausting as the two battles had been, she knew sleep would not come easily to her. But after a few hours of quiet, with only the chirps of crickets to keep her company, her eyelids felt heavy and her breathing even. She found herself quiet grateful when Piero awoke, stretching and yawning.

“Just in time,” she replied with a smile. He sat beside her and read the position of the stars, making his appraisal of their meaning.

“A good sign, perhaps, but for whom? Remember, the Ordallians look up at the same stars as us,” she remarked, cringing a bit as she considered how it made her sound like a sympathizer, a position she needed to heartily avoid while possessing her grandmother’s hair color. But he didn’t seem to think that, or at least gave no sign he did, remarking on Mercury instead.

“I doubt I’ll sleep very deeply in any case,” She murmured, as she slipped her boots off. It didn’t take much more for her to fall asleep in her bedroll.

Piero considered Damon's question, and the cincerns that lay beneath it. "I think," he said slowly, "that it isn't a .atter of who would be more efficient. I don't think any of us have enough practical experience for that. It's a matter of confidence, and of knowing what it is you want." He shrugged. "I'm studying to be a Calculator Magus because, although I was skeptical at first, it's what I want to do. But you..."

Turning a little, he watched Lydalia settle against a stone as shebegan her watch. "I'd say that you need to decide why you fight, before you decide if you'll be any good at it."

---

"Remember, the Ordalians look up at the same stars as us."

"And there you have summarized the probkem with foretelling the future through the stars," Piero chuckled. "Good omens, bad omens, but for whom? Why should the stars care about human affairs at all?" He stated up at them. "Changes. For somebody. And after the fact, someone will draw a connection and claim it was obvious all along."

After Lydalia crawled into her own blanket, Piero continued to watch the sky. "Changes," he murmured once, watching Mercury slowly drift past the fixed stars. "But... for whom?"

Giving the stars a look himself the ranger decided to pipe up, these people had the smarts and knowledge from noble estates and ivory towered academies, they were educated but apparently never learned.

"big words you lot use, but let me tell you something abaout fate, fate dictates we are born with nothing, weak bodies, no shells, no spikes, nothing that protects us.
a dog can fight better, unless we adapt. we are all about defying fate, we don't accept that we have nothing, that's why fate is scared of us, because we are its' masters.
if i believed in destiny, i would be sitting in the streets as a beggar, but i decided to change my fortune, just like mr knight decided to step down from being leader and our destinies changed, no clue wether that's good or bad but we should never act as if we're meant to do something."

Considering the words that were spoken by Piero and the others, Damen turned his attention off to the side, closing his eyes and thinking to himself. He just wondered what the next day would bring; he didn't know... but one thing was certain, he just needed more time to make himself a better fighter, and an eventual knight of some kind when the time comes down to it. Though Damen wished he was born a noble, a part of him was perfectly content with the fact he was of a middle class citizen instead. Sure, he didn't have as grand an education like Piero and Lydalia likely had, nor did he have the hands-on experience that Imos has went through with his life, but Damen was where he was because of where he was, and what he had done to get there. His sisters were continuing their studies in Orbonne, aiming to become followers to St. Ajora's teachings, and, while Damen himself done some studies of his own, he chose the field of battle. The older of his two younger sisters actually wanted to join him on the battlefield, but alas, there was a minor complication at her birth, and her hands were incapable of holding a sword effectively. It was saddening, but she still wished to learn her best nonetheless, desiring to become a summoner eventually, though she had a lot more learning to do to reach that point. The younger of the two desired to head down the path of a simple cleric, like that of their mother.

After being pulled from the academy, he never even got to make it back home to say hello to his family, just head to Fort Besseltat with Wiegraf and a small corps of the Dead Men to be assigned to a squad for missions to make them true knights. For the rest of the night, Damen watched the stars in the sky, watching the constellations as they loomed within the sky, and he knew that it was going into the month of Aries... The older of his sister's birthday was three days after the start of the month, and he was unable to make it; it would take him five days from the fort to return to Gariland... and this was assuming he could request time off, but that seemed very unlikely as he done only two missions with the squad. He closed his eyes for a moment; he didn't even know what to think, though when morning arrived, he was packing what was necessary, and was sure to give Armos a couple of Gysahl Greens from his bag, just to be sure his chocobo companion had the energy to make it back to the fort...

------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, back at the fort, on a Chocobo mount of her own, she observed her surroundings; she had traveled most of the night; though it was dangerous, she had an escort of two exceptionally talented knights, and loyal bodyguards to Julia Trinado, the Mistress of Summoning arts, said to have met the mythical Bahamut in her dreams... but no mortal has yet to achieve a pact with the king of dragons, and lord of espers, at least for Ivalicians. Ruby Cortrova, older of the two Cortrova sisters, and the very sibling of Damen's, had just been asked to leave the monastery because her talents were witnessed by Julia, and seen so much potential in her. "Something on your mind, Ruby? Nervous to see your brother again so soon?" Julia asked, tilting her head curiously while looking towards her apprentice, who looked up at her rather startled; it would most definitely be strange, Ruby was on a Chocobo, while in comparison, her mentor was on a larger beast... an incredibly rare Behemoth; how she achieved in taming one was to anyone's guess, but Julia does have a way with words, from what Ruby knew.

"Well, somewhat... He's expecting me to be doing my studies back at the monastery, so what he's going to say about me joining his group really worries me." Her brother had courage, but Ruby was rather nervous; when she seen the Behemoth, she almost fainted, but she had come to grow used to it now, though it still spooks her frequently. Julia lightly giggled, turning to face the apprentice clad in the clothing that resembled the fabled Red Mage.

"I'm sure he will be quite thrilled to see you; don't you worry that head of yours, Ruby dear! I mean... he cared for you considerably, and you comforted him when your Lord Father passed away... He was a great man; I fought alongside him once, brilliant... always thought of ways to trap and force Ordallians to surrender to imprisonment, rather that brutally slaughter them. Though, maybe he cared enough he didn't want my clothes stained in blood, hehe~" For a talented summoner, she certainly was rather cheerful and... rather outgoing at that. Ruby was honestly envious for her, but nonetheless, she made a valid point; the three of them; Damen, herself and Maria, all were looking after each other and their mother when their father was fighting, and they continued to do so after their father died, until they went their separate ways for learning. Maria remained back at the monastery, however, for her studies were only just starting. Ruby could see the fort in the horizon; she took a deep breath, hoping that her brother wouldn't be overly surprised on seeing her there...

“Sir Tengille?” The dark haired youth called, as she made their way through the fort. An older man with dark hair and tired eyes turned towards him, alongside a younger man and a few women. From the way they were all looking at him, Alex feared they would know that she had spent the last couple months in Ordallia, traveling from bar to bar, accumulating gil performing for the enemy. Of course, Ardaric, her mentor, had explained that they were really there to serve as eyes and ears for Ivalice, but did they know this? No, she was being absurd. All she had to do was hand over Ardaric’s letter, and they would accept him as loyal to the Ivalician cause.

“Can I help you?” the older knight asked, eying him with a stone face. Alex didn’t speak, just handed over the letter. Folmalv read the letter , before showing it off to the younger knight at his side, and two of the women gathered with him. “So you are the Silver String’s apprentice.”

“That is correct, sir.” Alex wringed her hands, while she awaited the man’s appraisal of him.

“You have brought us valuable intel. Mistress Avelia, do you think our apprentices are up to this task?” Tengille asked, showing her the letter. She made a show of considering it.

“With just four of them, their chances of success are less than five percent,” she explained as she shook her head, “However, with just two more members, and the odds increase to fifty five percent. With eight members, they reach odds of seventy five percent. Any more than that the odds start going down again, as the chance of being caught before the mission even begins increase.”

“Well then, let’s see if we can’t improve their odds some.”

---

Lydalia was the first up that morning. Aside from Imos who had taken the last watch, or course. She packed her supplies and loaded them onto her chocobo before taking a moment to eat breakfast. There was silence for a moment, as Lydalia wrack her brain to find some common ground with which to converse with Imos. There couldn’t be more separating them, and yet here they were, sharing the same camp and fighting the same battles.

“We hadn’t a chance to talk last night, but I agree with you. Leaving my life to fate and the will of others would never fulfill me. If there isn’t hope to change our station, what point is there?” She lifted her waterskin to him, offering a mock toast, “To forging our own destiny, eh Imos?”

Imos had spent the last watch conversing with taka, it was easy to tell that that particular bird held a fierce intelligence and would probably without command protect him, something he was thankful for as it would mean his perch always had a defender for close encounters.

the next morning the first one to rise was the young lady lydalia, easily the opposite end of the spectrum from him, but nterestingly enough a self-made lady herself, her agreeing with him genuinely surprised the streetborn, apparently nobles had their own ways of bringing up the likes of him.

"to forging our own destiny, mylady... or is that commander now? i never really paid close attention when that was explained..."

"See, Alex?" Serafina laughed, clapping him on the back as he emerged from delivering his message. "Told you you'd be fine, didn't I?" As she spoke, she'd kept her javelin moving. The shaft spun rapidly, hardly seeming to touch her hand as it whirled about.

"We Fioras, we know a thing or two about things," she continued, stepping back a few paces and tossing her spear in the air. "Like, if you're successful, nobody really cares whatelse you were up to." Without looking, she caught the spear in her free hand, letting it roll down one tanned arm before it seemed to whirl across her back like magic. There were shouts and applause, although it was likely the audience enjoyed the sight of an acrobatic, lightly-clad young woman than the juggling.

"And you were successful, right?" The butt of the spear landed on her foot and she kicked it upwards, letting it land across her back as she bowed to her audience. "Which means we get a real mission, and a chance to cover ourselves with glory and gil?" Collecting the cloth she'd sprwad out - and the coins it niw held, she gestured down the street. "Tell me about it over drinks. First rounds on me!"

---

Piero was still yawning and stretching as he joined the rest of the squad at their simple breakfast. Six hours and fourteen minutes of sleep in tital - three hours and one minute befire his watch, three hours and thirteen minutes after. He'd done it deliberately, of course, because it made sense to ensure that the warriors were well rested. But right now he wanted six more hours of sleep and a mug of black tea with honey.

Perching on a log, he peered about. "Right," he sighed. "Hang on." Rummaging through his saddle bags, he withdrew a battered copper kettle and filled it with water. Placing it on the ground, he raised his hands. "Firette!"

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Them steam whistled from the spout. Grinning, he poured hot water into a chippred mug and added two pinches if dried leaves. "Anyone ekse want some?" he asked, offering the pot.

Damen found it hard to finish sleeping when his shift came to an end, and Imos stepped in to replace him, so he would make sure that things were set for them to head on out. When the sun rose over the horizon, Damen could see the others were picking up, though the blond acolyte was a little ways from the group. He slowly drew his sword, and held it in a way to see his reflection in the blade; despite the damage, Damen always did his best to keep a mirror-reflective finish on it. 'I know not what you think of this decision I have made for us, father, but I pray for your sake that it was the right one, if at least for the time being. I wish, however, that... you could still be here, so I might know if your words would've held true; that I would've been capable of surpassing even you...' These words weren't spoken aloud, but they formed within Damen's mind; it was clear that he missed his father, and it was true that he hated the Ordallians for killing him. However, Damen's conflict to fight with honor while providing his very best remained intact; it was rough, yet the apprentice would have to persevere.

"Armos... I trust you are ready?" Damen would speak to his chocobo mount as he approached him, stroking the end of his beak, causing his feathers to get ruffled out while a cooed, 'Kweh~' came from the large bird. "You're not as courageous as what Choco was... I understand that much. I know not if he's even alive... you were brothers, despite being different breeds. You miss him... as much I miss my father." Damen leaned forward, pressing his forehead against his feathered companion's, if only for a moment, before pulling away, looking within his eyes. "I want you to help us. Even... if it's just going in to get an important individual that we need saving out of the combat zone, that would be help enough. I'll make sure I'm the target when it happens... I promise." Damen certainly looked odd, speaking to the chocobo as if it were a person, but Maria, the youngest, understood animals the best out of the three siblings, and taught her understandings to a degree with her siblings. Though the blond squire knew not whether his words were understood by the creature before him, he would merely have to see how things go the next time a battle should ensue. It was still rough, though... He would be missing Ruby's birthday, which was in just two moon phases away from this day. Even a trip to Orbonne would be too long from the Fort, even on the back of a Chocobo. Nonetheless, when the time came, Damen found himself packed, and on Armos's saddle, reigns in hand while ready to go... however, he left command with Lydalia, so it was her word he waited for...

---

Ruby gave a few coughs; the chill of the early spring air during the nightfall was a bit hard on her, having not been used to being, or sleeping, outside, though the rise and leave was made earlier because of Julia's desire to hit the fort as soon as possible. Her clothing chose didn't help with the warmth too much, but nonetheless, she seemed perfectly fine. On her right hip was a fairly basic rod, nothing overly ornate or special about it, but wielding it helped her focus and aim her spells where she wanted them to go. Though she desired to become a summoner like her mentor, she honestly hoped it wouldn't result in her becoming like her on top of it. Nonetheless, Ruby let out a soft sigh, seeing the fort.

"There it is, Ruby! It's not far... Onwards!" Julia didn't even give Ruby a chance to respond, as she urged the Behemoth she rode forward at full speed, the two knights accompanying the pair riding their chocobo mounts, with Ruby taking the trail behind them. Unlike the other mounts, Ruby wasn't close to the chocobo she rode, nor did she plan to really ride one with the group... at least, not her own. She was given the task to ride with Damen on Armos, a Chocobo that they and Maria helped to raise to adulthood alongside Choco, their father's Red Chocobo mount. If nothing else, she will ride on Armos to make sure that she can get to places faster than the others, and perform magic hit and run tactics on foes while being careful not to have her allies caught in the crossfire.

Of course, those inside the fort would feel the rumblings and shakes provided by Julia's behemoth mount, but nonetheless, having such a powerful beast on their side would prove effective because of their massive size and tremendous survival ability. Add Julia's summoning prowess on top of it, the pair were an excellent combination that few would stand up against. Ruby truly still could not get used to being around such a massive creature, when she heard tales that those who ran wild could eat a man without troubles, that their horns can impale even the toughest of armors and most swords can't even damage their hides! Such ruthless beasts that were dangerous... but she was glad at least one was on their side!

"to forging our own destiny, mylady... or is that commander now? i never really paid close attention when that was explained..."

“Lydalia is sufficient, Imos. No need for titles among comrades.”

"Anyone ekse want some?"

“A cup of tea? Yes please,” Lydalia insisted, indulging in a small comfort of home, “but we really ought to get moving after this. Surely our masters want to hear our report.”

Nearly everyone was already ready to move, so it didn’t take much for them to mount their chocobos and head back to Fort Zeakden. Immediately there was some hubbub about a behemoth that some famed summoner had brought as her mount, but Lydalia’s purpose was focused, seeking out Sir Tengille and giving her report.

“Sounds like you handled yourselves well out there. Adapting to the unexpected isn’t a skill that can be taught. It must be learned through experience. Each battle you survive, your expertise grows.” Folmalv praised. “Now, seeing as you have all returned relatively injury free, I have another mission for the group to undertaken. Intel has delievered the location of an Ordallian supply depot. Your mission is to infilitrate the depot, liberate everything you can carry and burn it down. Our main force will strike theirs at the same time, hopely driving them back to regroup their supplies.”

“Sounds like something we can handle,” Lydalia assessed, reviewing the map to the location.

“Not without backup, which I have arranged. Allow me to introduce Serafina Fiora and Alex Dawnshot. Serafina has some experience in liberating goods from our enemies, and Alex is apprenticed to the spy who got us this information. Both should prove invaluable in this mission.

The dark hair youth she took to be Alex smiled and shook Lydalia’s hand, “It is my honor to serve with you.”

“And I do believe there was another recruit we hoped would join your group. Your sister, Damen, if I am not mistaken.”

"No need to be so formal, Alex! We're still in port!" Serafina pushed her way in, grabbing Lydalia's hand and shaking it firmly. "Serafina Fiora, but call me Sera, please. Us gingers gotta stick together, right? Right!"

Moving like a bubbly crimson tornado, she mived around the group. "Damen? Serafina. Good to meecha, really. And Piero? Great ta see we got us a mage in the crew. Good luck that is, really good luck. And you'd be Imos?" She paused, looking the blonde archer over and smiling approvingly. "Call me Sera, why doncha? And mebbe buy a girl a drink later?" She glanced at Lydalia, then at Alex, then winked. "But play yer cards quick, cause ya gots competition."

"So," Piero interrupted meaningfully. "Damen's sister will be joining us?" He gave Serafina a stern look, and the redhead simply ler it roll off her bare shoukders. "Is she another knight, then?"