[color=A0A0A0][h2]Fleuri Jodeau[/h2][/color]
For a moment it seemed to Fleuri like the knights had control of the situation.  Suddenly, however, a massive tree burst into flames and fell, splitting the camp in half.  This had to be the doing of one of the bandits- probably Jeremiah himself.  Fleuri noted that Fanilly had been on the other side of the tree- if he had to guess, it'd be that Jeremiah was moving to try and decapitate the Iron Roses' leadership.  It'd be up to her and her accompanying knights to stop him.  With Tyaethe's group cut off, there wasn't much they could do for them.  He dearly hoped that they wouldn't lose their captain so soon after her ascension to the position.

This would not be the only consequence- as if some higher force wanted to complicate things further, a piece flaming wood was launched from the impact into the cage, causing the inhabitant within to muster enough strength to break free.  Any chance of him and Lucas slaying the creature before it escaped was dashed by this freak occurrence.

Fleuri was in awe of what emerged from the tent- it was a griffin, a powerful flying predator commonly depicted in heraldry.  From what Fleuri had heard, they preyed upon horses and other similarly sized creatures.  This one was clearly quite agitated, and would pose a threat to everyone in the camp, be they knight, bandit, or prisoner.  It was also probably quite hungry too, if all the bandits fed it were rabbits.  In its current state, it was going to pose a threat to everyone present, be they knight, bandit, or prisoner.

The simplest plan of attack would be to battle and inflict wounds upon the creature until it fell or retreated, but there was another complication to consider- the knights' horses were nearby and undefended.  There was a chance that the griffin, upset and presumably starved from its diet of rabbits, might lose its nerve and flee.  If it was allowed to get away, Fleuri feared that it could prey on the Iron Roses' horses, and the knights wouldn't be able to do anything about it while the battle in the camp raged.  Even if its wings were crippled, its feline hindquarters would no doubt allow it to outrun the knights on foot.

Fleuri's conclusion was that this thing had to be subdued.  Whether they'd kill it or not, they had to ensure that it doesn't get the opportunity to fly away.  Fleuri had an idea of how to accomplish this.  As a noble, he had a bit of knowledge of the art of falconry, and how to pacify a falcon and ensure it couldn't fly off on a whim.  In theory, with the griffin's avian head being so similar to that of a falcon, the same concept ought to apply here.  If someone forced something like a falconry hood into the griffin's head, it would make the beast easier to subdue or kill.

But first, however, they'd have to get past a very tough-lookin group of bandits.  Their worn armor marked them as soldiers, veterans of the recent war.  Holdouts who refused to give up when the rebellion was crushed and its leader slain.  Any pretense of fighting for a cause was gone, they were now nothing more than brigands who murdered and enslaved innocent people.

The Reonite knight lagged behind the others as they advanced and slew the bandits.  Before he could come to aid Lucas against the halberdier, Fleuri was intercepted by a veteran spearman, who sent a flurry of thrusts at the knight.  Fleuri attempted to cut the blade from its shaft, but this warrior had clearly fought swordsmen before, and handily deflected the sword with the winged spearhead, the lugs helping to catch the blade and push it aside.  The ex-soldier then followed up with a riposte aimed straight at the eye slit of Fleuri's helmet.  The knight managed to move his head to the side and narrowly avoid the attempted killing blow, and could hear the spear's blade slightly scraping against the "wing" of his helmet.

The spearman attempted to withdraw the spear, but Fleuri wasn't going to let that happen.  A dark gray gauntleted hand grabbed the shaft of the spear and held it in place.  The lugs on the back of the spearhead, intended to prevent skewering too deeply when used against men, and to stop defiant boars from pushing their way up the shaft, now prevented the spearman from pulling the weapon free of Fleuri's grip.  It was a little trick that he had learned in tournament combat, to grab an opponent's weapon, and while it was a bit riskier against blades that weren't blunted, the shaft of a soldier's spear was just as safe to grab as that of a tournament fighter's spear.

[i][color=A0A0A0]Not this time, traitor.[/color][/i]

Before the brigand could come up with a counter-move, Fleuri swung his sword, cleaving into the man's neck but not managing to decapitate, due to being swung with only one hand.  Nevertheless, it proved fatal, and the man fell to the ground.  His opponent dispatched, Fleuri followed after Renar and Lucas towards the griffin.

Up ahead, the two younger knights already found themselves intercepted by more bandits.  By the time he got there, Renar had managed to slay one and was engaged in combat with the other.  Fleuri flanked the remaining bandit, swinging his claymore at the man's legs with the intent to hamstring him.  They didn't have time to play with these bandits, they needed to reach the griffin before it could hurt any innocents.

[color=A0A0A0]"Judging by that chain, I take it you have a plan to deal with the griffin,"[/color]  He spoke to Lucas, noting the chain he was carrying.  [color=A0A0A0]"I have an plan of my own.  If I can get on its back and cover its eyes, that ought to greatly hinder its ability to fight or fly."[/color]

They couldn't just rush at the massive creature with a bunch of different plans, such would only likely end in disaster.  They would need to work together as one if they wanted to prevail.

[@Psyker Landshark][@Saiyan]