[center][h2][color=#b3ccff]Esben Matthiassen[/color][/h2][/center]
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[color=#b3ccff]"Close order! Charge your pike!"[/color] With Éliane there to keep the peasant militia hopeful and firing shots into the rushing beasts, Esben barked out orders to keep them moving like as well-trained of a lot as possible. The villagers settled in relatively well; those among them with some actual experience leading the movements, lifting their actual spears up while those making do with pitchforks and sharpened poles copied them as best they could. With the eastern road handled by Rudolf and Izayoi, the rag-tag militia was able to block out the southern after it came together in one force.

He rode around them, keeping their flanks clear of any straggling beasts that weren't sufficiently cowed by the wall of spikes facing front, pushing the troop forward so that they weren't hampered by their own homes pressing in at their sides. With some semblance of order restored to their formation the old heads among them started to take more of the immediate leadership into their own hands, cutting back on the amount Esben was having to command them.

He fell back for a moment to survey the formation, Eos and Selene drawing back with him. He could hear one of the men of the village chatting with Éliane, and frowned as he looked over towards the pair. It was nice enough to have another gun to join the fray, he would have [i]sworn[/i] that he hadn't heard any gunfire as they approached the village—nor had he noticed the man when they rode in to try and rally the small militia.

He turned his chocobo, walking towards the pair. [color=#b3ccff]"Selene,"[/color] he grunted, getting the fairy's attention. She fluttered up next to his head, looking over at the chatting pair curiously. [color=#b3ccff]"You didn't see that man before, did you?"[/color] She shook her head. [color=#b3ccff]"I don't trust—[i]grab her, now!"[/i][/color]

Æther slightly obscured the pink-haired woman's form as 'Lell' raised his pistol, face morphing as 'he' did, before before her form shot off to the side in a blur. Esben dropped from his mount, catching Éliane as she was pulled to his side in an instant by Selene's power. Too late; drops of blood from the shot turned into a faint mist through the magical translocation, and as he caught Éliane his hand felt the tattered edge of her jacket where the bullet found an exit.

He lowered her gently to the ground, heedless of Alex slipping off into the shadows once again despite Izayoi's attempt to catch her. [color=#b3ccff]"Eos, help Miina!"[/color] he commanded his other floating familiar, the faint green-glowing fairy settling in just as Miina slid in next to him. He pushed back, on his feet again in an instant.

As Izayoi growled out her threats, he grabbed one of the younger villagers in the militia, pushing them back towards the rest even as one of the older ones within—the young man's father or uncle, maybe—yelled at them to hold their place. [color=#b3ccff][i]"Close order!"[/i][/color] he barked out again. [color=#b3ccff]"About-face, trail your pike, forward ten paces then charge to the rear!"[/color]

With a couple of the militiamen shouting out in tandem "Turn around, march, turn again!" the body of the pseudo-pike square turned, retreating back a ways towards the town and turned again. Now that they were forced back on the defensive, the buildings to either side would be less of a hindrance than when they were trying to take the fight back to the Blighted animals. They resumed position, lifting their weapons to be ready for the oncoming charge of beasts as Esben leapt back upon his chocobo, riding the bird around and keeping any of the beasts from coming up and nipping at the militia's heels. [color=#b3ccff]"Bringers up, double the front!"[/color]

The rear rank of the makeshift formation pushed forward through the body, much like the first being some of the only ones with actual spears in their hands, placing the most experienced of the villagers at the front. [color=#b3ccff]"Hold position! If you have to retreat, fall back to the dame commander and form circle!"[/color]

"Aye!" the forward two ranks chorused, the remainder echoing them with shakier voices. He turned back towards the Behemoth, drawing his pistol as he watched Rudolf lunge forward to sink his dagger into it. [color=#b3ccff]"Selene, get up there—they're going to need to move their best to fight this thing, [i]ja?"[/i][/color] The purple-glowing fairy sped on forward, ready to let Rudolf and Izayoi reap the benefits of her light as he drew his pistol, firing a shot at the beast's legs, well below where Rudolf was.