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Michail watched their surroundings, keeping his eyes sharp as Auberon made his attempt to draw out the enemy. His grip on his lance was loose, focusing more on his legs as he readied himself to defend his student. He could see a pair of shadows moving through the fog. Good, they were definitely responding to his words. There was a strange sound, however, ebbing closer before going farther. The heck was it? It took him far too long to realize that it was the sound of a pair of wings flapping, but it wasn't coming in his direction, at least.

It did, however, quickly emerge from the fog. A single rider aloft a wyvern came at an impressive speed, barreling towards the students. Without hesitation, Euphemia drew back her bow, firing an arrow at the rider. While it missed, their attempt at dodging had altered its course. Derec took a swing, managing to hit the creature's leg.

While they dealt with that, the pair of shadows emerged and revealed their forms. One was exceedingly familiar looking, appearing almost identical to the previous bandit leader they had encountered. The second was an unfamiliar face, but it was safe to assume by the mismatched armor that he, too, was with the bandits. His hair was pulled back into a haphazard ponytail, the grin on his face full of confidence. A scar traveled from his cheek to his forehead, the eyepatch covering the damage done to his right eye. His axe was polar opposite of Auberon's, old, crude, and had seen more than its fair share of blood.

[color=Silver]"Armor forged by the Goddess' favor, is it?"[/color] He asked with a chuckle. [color=Silver]"That sounds like it would earn a pretty coin."[/color]


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The air was still, full of anticipation and uncertainty. Kaira hesitated; it was clear she was becoming incredibly uneasy at the realization that nearly everyone was beginning to think the same thing. She looked to Tomai for guidance, hoping he would be more confident, but the typically snarky professor was silent. Regardless of whether or not it was a trap, she was confident in one thing--it was too late to turn around now. The best thing to do, in her opinion, was to push through. Hopefully the people were safe and the other Knights were already in their positions, so they could seek them out for help.

Tomai's silence broke as he let out a sigh. This was starting to become a pain. Before he could voice his opinion, however, Kayden decided to make his...announcement. He didn't care if he was the prince, that kid was going to write down the dictionary definition of 'caution' one thousand times or however many it took until it got through that thick skull.

[color=red]"Your call to the Empire rings hollow on the territory of the Holy Kingdom, Highness,"[/color] Tomai replied dryly. He opened his mouth to continue, though a powerful gust of wind blew through the crowd, interrupting the conversation and attempting to knock down the unwary. Not bothering to look for whatever the cause was, he looked to Kaira. [color=red]"We need a shield!"[/color]

Without hesitation, Kaira raised her hand, a transluscent barrier forming around the group. As quickly as it came it met with a barrage of flames and arrows. While no harm came to them, it was shocking to see just how many had made the attempt to harm them. He motioned for Kaira, arm stretched out as he caught the staff she tossed him. Once the attacks ceased, the barrier fell, though the mage didn't hesitate as a glyph appeared before him. An even stronger gust of wind blew around them, pushing past the boundaries of typical wind magic. It was brief, but for just a moment, the area around them was clear, revealing a multitude of enemies up on the roofs of the buildings around them. Several were mages, but the more concerning enemies came in the form of those riding pegasi. On his estimate, there must have been at least [b]six[/b] Pegasus Knights and [b]four[/b] mages. One mage bore a familiar looking staff--the very same they had encountered in Luin.

Kaira let out a small gasp. [color=palegreen]"We're surrounded! But how?!"[/color]

Tomai had no idea. This was the first time he hadn't been able to detect an enemy precense. He certainly sensed them once his magic pushed away the fog, but they essentially disappeared once it settled back in. Was that staff the cause? No, it must be a spell of sorts. He took a quick scan at the students and suppressed a groan. The enemy had the high ground, they had only one and a half archers to deal with their flying foes, and any magic sent up there was likely to get absorbed by the mysterious staff. Welp, this just got a whole lot harder than it needed to be.

[color=red]"Anything that comes from above is up to you to get, Veronica and Kellen!"[/color] He ordered, digging his heel into the ground as he held the staff steady. 

Veronica's neck could have snapped from how quickly she looked at her professor, expression one of shock. [color=salmon]"We can't take out that many [i]and[/i] deal with those magic attacks!"[/color] The princess consort couldn't help but whine, frantically looking around. 

Kaira was inclined to agree, though it wasn't like the others could chuck their swords at the sky. Perhaps they could wait until they swept the ground and attack? The thought had barely finished forming as a sword emerged from the fog, taking a swing at her. It was sheer luck that it didn't run her through, though the tip of the sword sliced through her sleeve. She stood her ground as a hasty Nosferatu sent the enemy back. [color=palegreen]"They have footsoldiers as well!"[/color] She warned.

[color=red]"Of course they do,"[/color] Tomai sighed. [color=red]"Don't go chasing them, let them come to us!"[/color]

[b]Four[/b] soldiers emerged from the mist, ready to strike from each cardinal direction. The sound of a pegasus' wings flapping could also be heard...[/indent][hr][hr]