[b][center][h3][color=orange] Lein [/color][/h3][/center][/b] [hr] [b][color=orange]Location:[/color][/b] Bandit Camp, Forward Position [b][color=orange]Interactions:[/color][/b] Serenity [@ERode] [hr] Lein had hung back as he watched the other knights pile the dead into the centre of the road, using the time to instead to poke the unsullied corpses with his greaves. Burning the bodies after combat was standard practice after most battles, and although it would mean the dead would remain dead, it also meant most of what these bodies had to offer in the form of beast food and bones would also be wasted. For now, Lein was just there for the occasional trinket he could find before all the opportunity dried up. After carefully avoiding the attention of Dame Tyaethe as she inducted more knights into disposal duty, Lein looked at what was left. Some of the Knights were messy, alright - some were frostbitten, others cleft in two through the torso; however grisly their deaths, none of them really had much to pick through in the first place. It solidified Lein's suspicions - these were the dregs, cast out here either as a taunt or a bait. They were never meant to stand a chance at even running away from the Knights. [color=orange]"Least Jerry's living up to the title of King."[/color] Lein mumbled sardonically, throwing away a bloodied wooden trinket. As the Knights started to regroup and continue their advance, Lein hung back to watch the fire alight. The stench of An occasional glint of copper or paper suggested some valuable or keepsake, but it was quickly smothered by the roaring orange-red. [i]Tch. What a waste.[/i] Lein shook his head, covering his nose with his scarf. Lein turned onwards into the night with the rest of his cohort, preparing for the bigger fight. [center]<---<<[/center] Lein could smell the anticipation in the air. Excitement at a real battle was there, for sure, but there was also a sliver of nervousness. A caged beast under the thumb of the Bandit King, or so the scouts had relayed back to them. Bandits, especially if they were as ill-equipped and ill-trained as their first encounter, would be easy enough to deal with. But some rabid beast? What sort of trump card could this Bandit King be holding? Lein would certainly have wanted to strike out ahead and act as his usual role of reconnaissance himself, but for now he'd just have to trust that Cecilia and Hope had made good with their claim. Actually - Lein mulled, scratching his ears as Fanilly delegated their positioning for the upcoming rush against the bandit camp - charging ahead did sound far more interesting than hanging back again, this time. As much as slacking off [i]was[/i] a part of his job, he also didn't come all the way here to just sit back and play crossbones while the other Knights burned down the camp. Lein quickly slipped among his more heavily armed compatriots as they advanced on the camp, scanning their entry point. Watchtowers. Dangerous, preferably taken care of by the ones hanging outside the base. Lein had a better shot at pushing through the armoured ones in the front and going straight for that cage. Lein's tail bristled inadvertently. A sinister hunch. Yeah, best to take whatever was in that thing out first. And now... Lein readied his bow, tapping a bone finger against an arrowhead as a countdown. And one - two - three - the treeline exploded into a chorus of battle roars, their Knight-Captain's cry flying well above the rest as Lein followed the flow of muscle and steel pouring across the palisades and into the camp. As Serenity warded the vanguard with a grand swipe of her spear, instead of the green glint of verdant crystals she would hear the crackling of a thick bowstring and the mechanical clicking of metal against bone. A weighty [i]thwack[/i] announced the release of an arrow that soared past the scattered men and punched cleanly through the metal coif of a cage guard. The bandit staggered backwards in surprise, stumbling over with a confused gurgle. Before the cage guards could react - another crack and another arrow pierced the gap in the shoulder pads of the second target. Yet another - this time erupting blood through the eye socket of a third. [color=orange]"You called? I was about to think you forgot about me!"[/color] Lein grinned coyly at Serenity, before dodging behind Serenity's shield arm as the men closed back around them, now with revitalized vitriol against the new Hundi. [color=orange]"Hup - On your left, Serenity!"[/color] Lein called out, knocking an arrow into the knees of more men that rushed their forward position. These ones were smart, quickly catching on. They'd need more than just a spear and a bow to push through. Fire? Lein barked out to whoever was near, above the din of the battle that now fanned out from the entrance. [color=orange]"Anyone got a light? We need to break through!"[/color]