[color=A0A0A0][h2]Fleuri Jodeau[/h2][/color]
Fleuri listened attentively to Fanilly's orders to attack the camp.  There were several considerations.  First, there was a watchtower from which sentries could see trouble coming and rain arrows down from.  Fanilly's plan was to have the archers and mages attack it, taking out the sentries before they could warn the others.  There was a chance that killing them would itself alert the bandits to the attack, but without eyes up in the tower, their ability to respond effectively would be limited.

The second concern was the fact that from what he could gather, they didn't have Bandit King Jeremiah's exact location.  The solution would be simple enough- they'd have to fight their way through the camp to find him.  He had to be in there somewhere, Fleuri reasoned, but without knowing where he was, Fanilly didn't have the option of putting together a team dedicated to take him out.  They'd have to improvise and adapt depending on when and where he opted to show up.

The third matter was the palisades.  The bandits would have a defensive advantage, and being war veterans, they will probably know how to make use of their fortifications.  Fleuri could probably smash his way through the wooden fortifications, but he wasn't entirely sure about any specific countermeasure.  Hopefully the surprise attack would catch them off-guard and prevent the bandits from hunkering down before the knights were upon them.

When Fanilly ordered a three-pronged attack, Fleuri didn't need to think too hard on who he'd go with.  He headed to Dame Tyaethe and took up his station with her group.  The First and Youngest was known for aggressive combat, and Fleuri's own preference for hitting hard and fast would be put to its best use following someone like her.

Plus, Tyaethe was an unliving legend, and getting to fight at the side of the companion of Elionne herself would be an honor.

Lucas, the impulsive young knight from before, and Renar, the bastard knight, also had joined Tyaethe's group.  No surprise that they had chosen to be with her.  Fleuri had already seen Lucas in action, and he had heard of how Sir Renar had won his spurs pushing through an orc raid to slay its leader.  Between that and the resulting acceptance into the Iron Roses, Fleuri wondered why Renar Lord Brias didn't legitimize Renar.  Perhaps Lord Brias viewed his "legitimate" bloodline as threatened by this bastard knight's success.  In any case, the whole situation seemed rather unjust to Fleuri, and made him all the more resolved that if his own irresponsible past actions ever came back to haunt him, he would not dodge responsibility like Renar's father.

When the attack began, Fleuri took up the rear, largely because his reminiscing had caused him to fall behind.  being in the back didn't spare him from combat, however- as soon they made it to the palisades, suddenly something metallic struck the upper part of his breastplate.  Fleuri looked up to see a crossbowman, armored in brigandine and a kettle helmet, standing behind a shorter section of the palisade.  He was fortunate that the quarrel had merely glanced off due to the angle of the shot, and had not penetrated his armor.  However, he could not let the man get another shot off. 

Fleuri charged at the palisade while the bandit wound his crossbow.  The knight could probably cut it down, but that might take too much time, as would going around it.  No, he preferred to tackle problems head-on.  As he got closer, the knight used his free hand to draw a dagger from his belt and stab it into the palisade.  The bandit took a few steps back as to not be within range of Fleuri's sword from the other side of the barrier.  This would not stop him- using the dagger as a foothold to step onto, he jumped over the palisade and plunged his sword into the bandit's upper chest.  Sometimes attacking head-on was what the adversary expected, but other times it wasn't.

Fleuri's next task was to fight his way back to his group.  A nearby axeman tried to stop him, but the knight's greatsword cut right through the man's wooden shield and into him.  The voulgier proved a bit more of a challenge, fighting defensive to keep Fleuri cut off.  After a few feints, Fleuri managed to deflect an incoming thrust which gave him a window to rush up along the shaft and skewer the man on his sword.

Fleuri had little further resistance as he made his way to where Renar and Lucas were.  As he got closer, he could hear that they were conversing about the Bandit King's seeming absence.  It was definitely odd to Fleuri- why would he be absent while his camp was being slaughtered?  And the cage- just what was the bandit king up to?

[color=A0A0A0]"I say we do as much damage as possible before he appears,"[/color] Fleuri interjected.  [color=A0A0A0]"If you need someone to cover you on your way to to cage, Lucas, I'm with you."[/color]  They might not know where Jeremiah is, but they knew where the caged beast was, and they definitely needed to kill that thing.

[@Saiyan][@Psyker Landshark]