At last, it seemed that the Iron Roses had broken through the resistance [i]just[/i] enough: the Talderians' numbers were growing too thinned to continue maintaining a numerical advantage against everyone, and those who were still upright were forced to address the attempt Renar was leading to flank them by shifting what forces they had--something made all the harder when having to try and spare attention to avoid being shot in the head. Or, as the case may be, Vier's surprising decision to leap over them and attack from the back.

It made them rather less available to react in time to plug the gap Gertrude opened and seize Fanilly before she could sprint past.

Turning to chase her was even less of an option--if they left their backs open, that would only grant the Roses more opportunities to cut them down, and in this the famous retinue seemed to have a measure of indecision, caught between fulfilling their mission and not getting themselves killed to fail it even more.

Something resolved upon their captain's reaching Erion: both the bodies and the still-standing soldiers were immediately moved to the sidelines with their fellows, the defeated carefully climbing to their feet. As for the knights? Dragged over to Fanilly, the prince congratulating them on their success.

"—Unfortunately, I cannot say what your next challenge is, or when it will arrive," he continued, frowning, "Perhaps Thrinax would know, to look for a signal, but if he watches, he must be beyond human vision."

They would have to wait, then, for the second challenge the witch was setting to reveal itself. Yet even as the prince clarified this, there was the slightest glimmer of blue, an azure gleam—

[hr]

When the magical torrent stopped, those that were caught were fortunately once again alive, the introductory shot apparently [i]not counting[/i] as part of their next challenge. But where they had once been stood, a wide trench was gouged into the earth, continuing onwards and downwards to some deep pit, lined on all sides by some thick layer of glass. The angle and way the trench eventually tapered off could only mean that the caster was aiming down at them rather than straight towards the walls, and surely enough, that way lay a hill, two figures just about discernible from this distance—one much taller than the other.

At least whatever mage was behind it didn't seem interested in following up the shot with another of the same kind—although there was certainly some magic at play.

A few seconds later, a missive appeared, the sheet gently drifting down: "Reach the top of the hill. You will be safe until you start climbing."