"Maybe if I hadn't just been shot at, I'd feel more safe putting my weapon down," replied the blue-haired girl, cocking her head to one side as she did. Her expression was still that of a somewhat vicious smile, as if she wasn't too displeased about the prospect of it coming to a fight. Fanilly hesitated. She couldn't be certain what was happening. If these people were truthful, an attack would not be justified. If they were not, and this was a trap, taking their word for it could mean death for some of their knights... Could she make the right decision? Could she?

The blonde shook her head, trying to clear her mind.

"Anyway, I told you the truth," continued the blue-haired girl, "Alette the Shark's word isn't to be taken lightly."

Alette's grin really was rather shark-like. And that title... Fanilly thought she'd heard it before. In some report a while ago, about a mercenary force of some sort with an impressive track record.

"These 'soldiers' are imposters, and murderers too," she continued, with a shrug, "Believe me or not, it's the truth. See? That pretty little thing serving as your captain isn't even sure what to do. If you'd just go inside you could see what I mean, but-"

Before anyone could react, however, Gillian had suddenly lunged forward and drove a fist directly towards the enormous armored figure's chest.

For a few moments, everything seemed to go still. The enormous man took a step back, the ground seeming to shake as it did, a dent clear in the armor of his chest.

After a moment, he spoke.

"My, I felt that," he commented, simply, before promptly raising his own fist... and then, lightning-fast, a kick came from the right, directed at Gillian and followed by a trail of flames. Regardless of if it struck or not, the one who delivered it skidded along the ground a few meters.

[url=https://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=1853605]The perpetrator's nature was undeniable, the doll-like girl sported a pair of pointed ears and blonde hair, a short staff clasped in one hand.[/url]

"What the blazes are you waiting for, boss?!" she snapped, rounding on Alette, "They've attacked you! They've attacked Borifos!"

Fanilly readied her sword. There was no delaying it any longer.

"Iron Roses, ready yourselves," she said, finally. Gillian had been directly attacked, now...

"Haaah, and for once I was trying to be diplomatic," commented the blue haired girl with a sigh, before her almost fanged grin returned as she pointed her crimson spear towards the knights.

"[i]Let's scrap[/i]!"

"Iron Roses, ch-"

In what almost seemed to be an inhuman display of speed, Fanilly felt the shaft of Alette's spear slam into her chest, taking her clear from her horse before she could even finish speaking. Desperately, she thrust out her free hand to brace herself as she hit the ground, rolling once as she did. In the scant seconds she had to raise herself, the flashing shaft of the spear came down again, giving Fanilly only a split second to hastily deflect it with her sword and force herself up and off the ground, stepping back as she did.

"You should have told 'em to stand down!" Alette declared, as fire surged around the elven mage's staff and the enormous man began to charge right for them. "But it's too late for that, huh?"

Fanilly raised her sword, swiftly, blocking another sweeping blow from the shaft of the spear. Even as the fight began, more figures began to emerge from the fort... the band of mercenaries was largely then just those three, to say the least. A deathly pale young woman in leather armor with a multitude of knives strapped on her body was a notable member of the group that was swiftly emerging.