[sub]Written by Lovejoy and Vietmyke[/sub]

The ramahk's bobbed in regular intervals as the two Inquisitors made their way down the Elder mountain. Had they not been heading off to battle, Galahad would've almost welcomed this excursion. The quiet, cool air around them, the familiar scents and scenery, these subtle reminders of the home that was no longer theirs only served to sour Galahad's mood and that sense of longing he had for so long been able to suppress. Coming home was a bad idea, all it had brought them was trouble- Tatiana's father, the demons in the glacier, his own reunion with his family, he would've been better off being ignorant to all of it. But alas ignorance was never Galahad's way, and he contented himself with brooding as his fist clenched and relaxed around the reins of his mount. 

Tatiana was abnormally quiet during their travel- though given the recent circumstances he couldn't quite blame her. Galahad himself was never one for idle conversation, and generally fell into the role of a quiet companion for most trips. Only when the silence was too much, too awkward to bear did Galahad finally open his mouth to break the silence, but before he could say anything, Tatiana spoke first.

"Are you scar—" she started before catching herself and rephrasing the question, "Are you nervous?"

At this, Galahad chuckled, it was odd- the idea of a man as serious as Galahad chuckling, but in the company of just Tatiana or Ragnar, Galahad was always more casual, more open- to a moderate degree anyway.

"Scared?" he said, completing the question that Tatiana hadn't fully asked. "Believe it or not, there are many things I fear: That I'll fall before I reach my full potential, or before I finally have the answers to the questions I've asked my whole life, that the years of training we've been through at the Seminary will fail me in our first true battle, that I'll be unable to protect you or the rest of the members of our warband."

He paused for a moment, "But I know these demons are but a stepping stone on my path to glory. And though my formidable prowess at current may not be enough alone, that's why I have you- and though I may worry for your safety, that's why you have your demon. I will be the greatest mage this world has ever witnessed, and I will not die before I've made my mark on this world, of that I am certain."

"Am I scared? Perhaps. Am I nervous? No."

They rode on for another moment before Galahad spoke up again.

"Though if you ever tell the others that I have admitted to feeling fear, I will hunt you down."   [hr]

As Galahad and Tatiana arrived at the Circle keep, he couldn't help but frown as he saw that forces they had at their disposal. Aside from Elisheva, there were less than thirty shivering conscripts among them, rifles in hand and packs on their back. A paltry force at best if the threat was as credible as they said it was. As they stepped into the armory, Galahad helped himself to a generous number of ether vials- he had more need of it than the garrison did. Alongside the ether vials, Galahad found a box of ammunition that matched that of the gun attached to his saber, and pulled a dulled breastplate over his chest. 

Astrea and Cillian met them in the armory not long after, Galahad nodded towards Cillian, then to Astrea. He had words for her, but they were not for here or now. Instead, he waited as they armed and armored themselves. 

"Father Galahad, Mother Tatiana, may I have a word?" Cillian called out. He was sitting down on one of the benches.

"Neither Elisheva nor myself were the warleaders of our warbands. Elisheva is our senior, but she is more a soldier than a tactician. She will differ to you during this operation. As will I," he said, staring intently at Galahad.

Galahad merely nodded to him as he explained his knowledge on the demons so far. Elisheva also chimed in at this point. "The demons themselves are not that hard to kill- sustained rifle fire from our conscripts can down them, and their armor seems to only exist for ornamental purposes, for it is weak against powerful melee attacks. The main issue is that there are so damn many of them, and that once they close the gap, they can be extremely deadly. Their wings can easily rend through limb and armor, and they are faster than most inquisitors I've seen. I recommend that we augment our own agility with ether, or we will be in for a great deal of trouble." 

Galahad remained silent as Cillian asked for their thoughts, taking all of the knowledge known thus far into his mind to form his own battle strategies. In his place, Astrea and Tatiana both offered their own preferences for their deployment. Galahad merely nodded in acknowledgement, he would not make a plan before seeing the force the enemy had to bring at them.

After their short discourse, they proceeded to board the transport ship to the Black Glacier. The trip was quiet, as conscripts in the main hold whispered to themselves and checked their weapons over and over. Galahad and the other Inquisitors sat in the main hold slightly separated from the conscripts themselves. They went through many of the same actions, Elisheva checked her weapons for signs of damage, and Astrea clutched at her spear moving in slow circular motions to get her bearings. Galahad himself drew his own blade and loaded it with rounds, holding it before him and testing its weight and balance. 

A slow swing around himself and a flourish was all he needed, the blade felt perfect in his hand, an extension of his own body. His thumb traced the edges of the weapon, as he wondered how they could've made such a fitting weapon without his presence to test its weight to begin with.  

"Father Galahad! Father Galahad!" came the voice of the ship's radio operator. His high pitched voice shattering the tense silence on the ship's hull. Turning, Galahad saw a rather portly young navy corpsman trot up to him with a pair of telegrams in hand.

"We've received two telegrammes-- both of them addressed to you. One arrived from the Seminary. The second was sent through a coded Lanostran channel, but directly to our vessel. I believe it was sent from one of the Lanostran ships on the other side of the blockade." the radio operator said breathlessly as he handed Galahad the two slips.

The telegram from the Seminary was monogrammed with the holy emblem of a blue moth- immediately recognizable as the emblem of Father Ragnar. Galahad smirked but pocketed the telegram. He didn't know what Ragnar wanted, but it could wait until after he'd won his battle. The second, from a Lanostran ship seemed much more pressing, and opening it up, Galahad recognized it as from Thanasis.

[i]Young Galahad,

As per your wishes, we will not interfere in your Varyan business. As your former master, I only ask this of you. Avenge our T'saraen brothers. Gift them the vengeance that we could not.

Phaedra's ships will remain deadlocked against this pathetic blockade, but should you need a helping hand, we will not turn away from one of our own. Give the word and we will break through these Varyan ships and make sport of these demons.

May Your Blade Strike True,
General Thanasis[/i]

Galahad allowed himself a small smile, after all this time, it was... comforting to know that he could still depend on "his own" when he needed. It was nice to keep in mind, especially given that all he had at his disposal were a score and a half of conscripts. But they had himself, Tatiana and Astrea this time around, and they'd be just fine. 

The rest of the trip was relatively uneventful. As they passed through the emerald light of the Lanostran aegis, the temperature dropped suddenly and all around them an inhuman cold was suddenly present, as if all the warmth within them was suddenly snuffed out. The unbearable cold only lasted for a split second, as Cillian summoned his Protector's aegis and their body temperature returns to more manageable- though still cold levels. As they neared the Glacier, they got a better look at the land before them: the ice slowly began to turn a dark color, strange black inky tendrils reaching out from the Glacier itself. That in and of itself wasn't surprising: it was what this place has looked like for as long as any Lanostran can remember, The only difference now was the Glacier itself. From their position a fair distance away, they could see the formerly crimson "veins" that ran throughout the Glacier glow a brilliant blue, pulsing like a heart. The blackened ice surrounding the strange monolith was stained with blood, and the Galahad could see the remains of those Elisheva and the survivors couldn't bring with them.

Spreading out from the north, Galahad spotted a line of four Varyan warships. This must have been the blockade that Master Thanasis spoke of, preventing native Lanostran ships from interfering with the Glacier. 

"Say, why don't the warships just bombard the demons? Sounds better than sending us to deal with them." called out one of the conscripts, there was a sound of general agreement from many of the other conscripts before Elisheva cut in brusquely. 

"Because, the cannon fire might damage the Glacier, and I can assure you that is something no one wants." 

The conscript that spoke, a pale faced private grew even more pale and gulped, but otherwise returned to silence.

As the transport finally arrived as close as it could, Galahad and the others stepped out to see their foe with their own eyes. In front of the Glacier stood three squadrons of these winged-demons. They appeared almost beautiful in a way, not like the misshapen demons that the Glacier usually manifested, but rather like artistic sculptures carved from glass. Their faces were human in appearance, carved of ice, blank and expressionless, dark eyes peering into nothing. Their armor was glass and reflective, but cut in a strange ornamental style that looked almost alien Galahad and the others. Six massive wings, gossamer yet sharp like the edge of a blade, sprouted from their backs.

The seraphs stood at attention- eighteen seraphs in each of the squadrons. Behind them, three individual seraphs sat atop strange throne-like edificies. These seraphs were larger and more formidable than the others, and their armour more ornate. They were also the only seraphs wielding weapons. One of them held a massive broadsword, another wielded a tri-tipped spear, and the last clutched a greatbow, a quiver of frost-carved arrows on its back.

"Soldiers of Varya, hear me." Galahad spoke, while his voice lacked the bark of a commander, it held a gravitas and seriousness that one could only stop what they were doing and listen. "This battle must be quick and decisive. Drop your packs, and bring only your weapons, medicines and ammunition."

There was an echo of thuds as conscripts dropped their packs of nonessential supplies.

"They outnumber us, and to face them we must use the terrain and range to our advantage." He gestured towards a shallow ridge in the ice, that wound around the flank and led towards the left most squadron. "If we can force them to come at us from fewer directions, we will have the advantage."

"First and second squads will advance through the ridge, and will provide a base of fire, while the third squad will advance along the side of the ridge. Rifle fire from two angles will force these demons to take to the ground to engage us, neutralizing their flying advantage. Cillian will advance with the first and second squads, while Elisheva will lead the third squad along with the machinegunners from first and second squads. Rifle fire should be focused on those in the air- picking off Seraphs who refuse to come to ground and preventing any friendly fire. Be prepared for a melee, and stay alert, orders my change on a battlefield and I expect you all to heed my commands."

"Tatiana," Galahad addressed his younger companion, "You will advance with Elisheva, when enough Seraphs have been forced into the ridge you and your Terviclops will jump down and catch them in the flank."

"If she's gonna take the flank? Whose gonna secure the front?" asked one of the conscripts, raising a nervous hand.

"I will." Galahad replied with finality and a withering cold stare. 

"Astrea," he said, turning to the remaining Inquisitor, who regarded him for a moment before straightening up slightly.

"With me."