[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/BjtZNtv.png[/img][/center]
[color=ed1c24]Location[/color]: Kindeance, 5 miles outside Fanghorn --> Pesti, western farmstead.
[@A5G][@Remuri]
[hr]

The sprint to Pesti was bracing but thankfully nothing quite hard enough tear her legs to shreds, Veronica noted, enjoying the cool breeze whistling in her ears in accompaniment to the gallop of horses under a pale moon. No longer burdened by the cart, the group was able to make significantly greater haste than before. Of course, even then, their pace was slowed by the need to not trip the horses up under unideal lighting, but otherwise, progress was far more to Veronica's preferred "speed", as it were.

As Pesti dawned in the distance, the group swiftly peeled off the path towards the western outskirts and the farmstead where hopefully lied the captive Prince. Their path was lit only by moonlight, as the murk eventually cleared to her darkvision to the farmstead proper, the tents and guards she had foreseen in her vision as present as ever.

First and foremost, carefully maintaining her distance, the vampire made a half-circuit of the patch of land, making a second count of the guards with her own eyes before she was satisfied. Nodding, the pale girl returned to the others and found a patch of tall grass on the fields to crouch low. Fiddling with a stick, she sketched a rough outline of the farmstead, including the barn, the tents, the guard positions, and the position of the team itself.

Pursing her lips tightly in consideration, she added distances as well. Even despite the distance, she kept her voice low out of caution. [color=ed1c24]"Ten guards, as foreseen, spread at even intervals of approximately 20 meters. In this lighting, approaching them unseen might be feasible, but the landscape is not to our advantage. Mostly flatlands with tall grass as the best cover."[/color] Her brow pinched in thought. [color=ed1c24]"I might be able to get past unseen alone, given just how exhausted many of those guards look. If successful, I could quietly put an end to the sleeping troops before they have a chance to be an issue. The real problem is just getting past the initial line of sight,"[/color] she mused aloud.

Leaning back, she slung her arms over her crouched knees. [color=ed1c24]"But that's certainly just one approach with plenty of room for error. If we could take out the outer ring of guards first and without notice, that would be the most ideal... The only question is how to do so silently. Arrows might be a way... but if our shots aren't instantly lethal? Well, death isn't often quiet. Besides which, a body slumping to the ground is liable to make some level of noise itself."[/color] To be honest, she was quite worried. This was it, the most critical portion of the mission. The Prince's life was in the balance, and recklessness could not be afforded. [color=ed1c24]"I do have a little magic I could put to use here... if we have enough bows, I could ensure our opening salvo eliminates at least three or four of the guards before they have any chance to respond. I'm confident that I could add another two or three to that number in the timeframe before they can manage to react... Actually..."[/color]

Addressing the samurai, Chounan, Veronica gestured to his bow. [color=ed1c24]"How confident are you in your long-distance shots under moonlight? Will the impaired vision inconvenience you overmuch?"[/color]

To Yvonne, she said, [color=ed1c24]"I regret that I carry only a single bow of my own. You seem a fair hand with many weapons."[/color]

To Matilda, in turn, she inquired, [color=ed1c24]"How effective is your own crossbow shooting in this situation?"[/color] Veronica wasn't entirely sure herself, since most of the time, the concept of "stealth" was not one the orc seemed overmuch interested in by comparison.