One mistake had spelled out the bandit's doom. The students didn't give him the time to dodge, let alone remove Euphemia's sword from his arm. Each hit connected, slowing him down further and further. His arm was forcibly removed, landing far from the fight and joined by blood as his wounds deepened. Whatever hope of escape evaporated as even his legs were hit, and he let out a howl of pain. Said howl, however, was cut off by the timely arrival of one arrow, piercing through his ear. There was something resembling shock on his face, the silence that followed whisked away as he fell to the ground with a mighty thud.
Michail remained ever at the ready, holding one arm out to signal the students to stop. He approached the body cautiously, waiting, but the behemoth would not rise. Even that didn't serve to relax him, especially as some movement caught his attention. Without hesitation, he changed the grip on his lance and immediately hurled it over to where the circle had been drawn; the mage that had fallen unconscious began to stir. As it landed next to him, the mage let out a gasp, though he outright screamed as Michail rushed at him.
Euphemia's coughing came to a stop thanks to Clarissa, the professor offering her a weary smile of gratitude, though as she looked over to Michail, she fumbled through her bag, getting to her feet. Before she could go, however, Tomai placed a hand on her shoulder, already carrying a rope--it looked like while everyone else was fighting he had decided to procure some.
The knight had all but jumped on the last mage, grabbing his arms and making sure he wouldn't escape. "Don-t--Don't kill me! Please!" The mage begged him.
"You should be thankful that Imogen didn't take your life. Otherwise, you'd be joining your allies," He stated as Tomai jogged over.
Together, the pair successfully bound the mage's arms and legs. Tomai looked around at the buildings, a majority of the flames gone. Homes had been destroyed, crops ruined, and lives lost. A few villagers poked their heads out as some of them carefully approached the group. He nudged Michail, who seemed to have the same thought in mind. It felt like a hollow victory, truth be told.
"People of Luin, listen now," Michail's voice easily carried itself around. "I am Michail Kalonic of the Knights of Seiros. Under the church's tenet, the Central Church will send aid to rebuild this village. For now, I highly urge that you gather what you can and return with us to Garreg Mach. If there are any injuries, we have healers that can help you. If there are horses and carriages available, I ask that you allow us to use them for now; I promise you will be compensated."
While no one dared move while he spoke, once he finished speaking, the villagers retreated, likely to take what they could from the ashes of our homes. A few men approached Michail with questions, though Tomai ended up fielding them, motioning for Michail to go. The blond appreciated it, leaving Tomai to it as he approached Euphemia, looking between her and Clarissa.
"I'm okay," Euphemia's voice was quiet but functional as she patted Clarissa's shoulder.
Michail gave Clarissa a grateful look before turning his attention to the rest of the class. His eyes flickered between them and the bodies surrounding them, their expressions, their clothes, their weapons. For a split second, the knight looked almost remorseful, but something seemed to change his mind.
Instead, he cleared his throat. "Well done, everyone," He told them. "If you're hurt or exhausted, rest up. Whoever is still able, we're going to go around and help where we can. There are still fires burning and people who may need to be transported over here so Kaira can heal them. We'll also need to go get the carriages and rearrange them in case more people need to be transported. So we'll do..." He looked between people, the gears in his brain turning.
"I'll go," Euphemia volunteered, looking around. "Jorah, Clarissa, I believe the two of you can ride, so come with me."
Kaira watched the scene unfold, though she looked over at Tomai. The conversation was deep, and knowing that both Michail and Euphemia had the students handled left her comfortable enough to leave them for the moment. To her surprise, the group around Tomai dispersed. She thought she had been mistaken, but his expression was much too serious for her to leave alone.
"Is everything alright?" She asked him, worried.
Tomai looked at her when addressed, taking a second to think. "The mages had come here before seeking shelter last night. The village welcomed them with open arms and were repaid for their kindness with the attack," He stated.
Kaira's hand flew to her mouth, eyes wide. "But...but why?" She asked.
Tomai shook his head. "I don't know. But I did think it was strange," He admitted. "They didn't come to plunder and steal, they came to destroy and cause chaos. Truth be told, I don't like the implications."
"The implications? You don't mean..."
"This wasn't some out-of-the-blue attack, this was a premeditated strike."
Kaira muttered a prayer under her breath, her hand on her chest as she looked around once more. To think this was planned was too much! What was an already dreadful atmosphere intensified, an uneasiness spreading through her. Tomai seemed to think the same, though he straightened up a touch as he walked past her, intending to join Michail.
Everything happened so quickly that it was hard to tell what just happened. The one thing that Veronica was absolutely certain of, however, was that she did not fall. No, tripping and stumbling was unbecoming of someone on her status, and Goddess knew how many lessons had been drilled into her head from the moment she could stand on her own to prevent such a thing. There was a remnant of an older woman's voice stating that it was her own fault, really; she should have reacted faster or she should have kept her mouth shut.
But no, she didn't do any of those things. She reacted like any normal human did when they were thrown. She yelped and tumbled and had subsequently frozen up as the masses through the fog revealed themselves to her. She raised a shaky arm as she noticed their weapons, a plea on the tip of her tongue as she shook her head. A million thoughts ran through her head, though they all shattered as the closest bandit grabbed her arm. She let out a shriek as she was pulled up, panic and desperation clashing.
One word was shouted from behind them, a wide magical rune forming on the ground. Magic shot upwards, slicing across Veronica's arm. The cry of pain was trapped in her throat as several more came upwards, and she was convinced that this was going to be how she died. The sound of magic piercing flesh was close, too close, and she let out a gasp as she backed up into an icicle. As quickly as they came, it stopped, the rune disappearing shortly after.
Slowly, the fog began to dissipate and reveal what was left. The bandits' corpses were now on display, skewered on several icicles that had burst out of the ground. Their crystalline blue was showered with their blood that poured downwards freely. One of them was still twitching, eyes wide until he, too, stopped moving. It was a gruesome sight, and it took Veronica far too long to remember herself. Her left hand touched her right arm and she winced, looking down at the gash. The shock was slowly starting to wear off as pain came in, her knees buckling as she sank down. She was so sure she was going to die, but as her surroundings came back to her, everything was replaced with anger.
With the fog gone, she could look at Lienna behind her with hatred in her eyes. She clutched her injured arm, the urge to shout rising, but yelling and screaming was not the way to go about this. For now, she would stand on shaky feet, her eyes locked on Lienna.
"I sincerely hope you don't come to regret your decision," She said.
Eighteenth Bell, 7th Day of the Great Tree Moon
A day had come and gone since the students' trip to Luin. They could not depart in the night and so were forced to wait until dawn until they were able to make a safe return. As it was the Goddess' day, they were allowed to rest and were commended for their bravery and service personally by Ioannis. While they were dismissed, however, the four professors had to answer to a summons where they were to give a report and an explanation was due. After all, they had never made it to the practice grounds, and some felt that the students had been placed in uneccesary danger.
And so Michail, Euphemia, Tomai, and Kaira stood before Ioannis in his office. The child sat and listened without uttering a word, his expression unreadable. To his left stood Sirius, to his right Lysander. Neither one of them seemed any happier, although where Lysander had more concern, Sirius had more anger.
"...and that would be all," Michail concluded retelling the events.
"'All', he says," Sirius couldn't help but scoff in disbelief. "Your decision put the students in unnecessary danger and in unneeded duress."
"It was not unnecessary," Michail disagreed. "Routing bandits is a common mission given to all who attend here. I distinctly recall helping villages myself when I came here many years ago."
"By order, yes," Lysander said, frowning. "But this was not the same. The school year has barely begun, and the first month is delegated to practice matches in order to prepare for the inevitable. You threw them to the bandits, Michail."
"I didn't throw them in. They volunteered."
"They didn't know what they were getting into," Sirius countered. "It's every boy's dream to pick up a blade until the time comes for actual bloodshed. Do you truly think they knew what they were getting into? You and I know battle, they do not."
"Everyone performed spectacularly," Euphemia spoke up. "With their help, the village was saved. There was no way Michail or any of us could have done it alone."
"Is that the justification for putting children in danger?" He asked.
"It isn't justification, it's an explanation," She told him. "The entire village would've been reduced to ashes. How would our Deer feel knowing that a village in their territory was attacked and we simply moved on?"
"The job should have been left to the knights," Lysander insisted.
"There wasn't time," Michail reminded him. "But if this is the issue you have, then I don't see why everyone else is here. I made the decision and gave the students a choice. If you're looking for someone to blame, then I'm right here."
"You all participated, you're all involved, even if you were the ringleader to this," Sirius replied. "Word about this has already spread as well. Count Gloucester has recalled Raimund Kent, and Lady Aegir did the same out of concern for her children. Your actions, while well-intended, had consequences and reflected poorly on the academy."
"Does it now?" Tomai asked. "Because taking in the refugees of a fallen village sounds like a nice public image if you ask me."
Tomai's response was met with a glare. Lysander let out a small sigh, looking down at Ioannis. "What do you think?" He asked him gently.
Ioannis sat up slightly when he was addressed, though he kept his eyes on the professors. For a second, he stared at Kaira, who had similarly neglected to speak. "Do you have anything to add?" He asked her.
Kaira was a little surprised by the question, taking a second to think. "...I understand that with hindsight, it was an impulsive decision. But...it was the right thing to do," She spoke slowly.
Ioannis nodded. "I agree. The concerns are valid, but at the end of the day, everyone came home in one piece. That leads me to believe that it was because the Goddess supported Michail's decision," He said, placing his hands on his lap. "Going forward, however, I urge caution. the academy works on donations, and we cannot afford to upset the nobility that supports it. Had anything happened to the Imperial Prince, I fear we would have had unnecessary turmoil in Adrestia."
Lysander listened carefully, nodding towards the end. "I think we should all remember we are not training soldiers. We are training commanders, leaders...and we mustn't do anything that could jeopardize them before they would grow into their roles. Keep this in mind, please," He urged Michail.
"I understand," Michail replied.
Ioannis let out a small sigh. "Then there is nothing more to discuss. You're all dismissed," He said, pushing back his chair to stand.
The professors filed out one by one, and Sirius accompanied Ioannis away to his next appointment. As the distance grew, Lysander turned to the four, a wary expression on his face. "Maybe I should make sure I'm always available to accompany you going forward,"
Michail tried not to roll his eyes, albeit he was still very, very annoyed. "Really now?" He asked. "I've lost all your trust already?"
"No, it's just..." Lysander tried to put the words together. "The withdrawals are more than we expected. The unit can still work, but..."
"But it interferes with whatever you and the archbishop are planning?" He asked, getting right to it. "You can be honest."
"Michail, please," Euphemia shot him a look.
Lysander sighed. "I do trust you, Michail. But I can't deny Sirius' worries," He told him. "But I'll drop it."
Tomai stifled a yawn. "Actually, I don't think we mentioned what the villagers recalled," He mused.
Now Michail had to roll his eyes. "No, but I did include that in my written report," He said. "We have reason to believe that the attack on Luin was planned. We aren't sure why, though."
Lysander crossed his arms, frowning. "Luin suffers from many bandit attacks. Their farmlands are plentiful, so it's a common target for plundering. But as you mentioned, the village was more or less destroyed," He thought out loud. "But why Luin? Why not Ide, who produces metal, or Thoda, the river town? With how close they were, even Garreg Mach could have been a more fruitful target."
"We couldn't think of any good reason," Euphemia said. "But I'm worried...they demolished half the town and had no other purpose but destruction. We found strange barrels with an unknown substance that they used to cause the explosion, but we have no idea where they came from."
Kaira looked to the window, worried. "It's unsettling, isn't it?"
"What do you mean?" Lysander asked.
"Either someone is content to cause needless destruction, or there's a greater purpose behind it," She explained, looking back at him.
A silence fell between the four of them afterward. None of them had anything that could dispute it, although the sound of the bells would end the conversation for them. It was late, and tomorrow was another day.
Thirteenth Bell, 8th Day of the Great Tree Moon
A gaggle of students gathered at the Entrance Hall, protesting as several knights had to clear the way. Michail had been on his way to the classroom when he noticed. He had to run back to his office to grab some papers that he had forgotten for the debrief and had everyone waiting for him. Well, he was already late anyway, he figured seeing what all the commotion was about wouldn't hurt. He stood taller than most of the students so it wasn't too hard to see over them, but he was surprised that all the hullabaloo was because of Ioannis. Not that the archbishop wasn't a big deal, but he thought people would be used to him.
However, the kid wasn't the only one drawing attention. A woman stood with him, tall and pale with a face blessed by the Goddess. Her green hair was covered by a veil, her eyes gentle as she spoke. After a few seconds, however, he realized who it was, hastily pushing past the students and ignoring their words.
He stopped before the pair, offering a salute. "Lady Arianthe, welcome back," He greeted her.
She gave him a warm smile. "Thank you, Michail. It's good to see you," She said.
Ioannis blinked up at Michail. "Um...aren't you supposed to be...?" He hesitated, clearly trying not to out him.
Right, right, he shouldn't have stopped. Still, as Arianthe chuckled, he figured she wouldn't hold it against him. "I did hear you were chosen to teach. Please, don't let me keep you. I'd be happy to see you later," She motioned for him to get going.
"I'm sorry. But I'll look for you," He promised, giving her a bow before turning his heel and speeding off. He had to dodge a few students, but he did make it to the classroom. The other professors and their bunch were already there, though he swore some bodies were missing. Wait, no, they did mention some students withdrew. For some reason, he didn't think it was true, but it couldn't be helped.
Throwing on a grin, he closed the door behind him. "Sorry I'm late, Lady Arianthe has returned to the church," He announced happily, walking to the front of the classroom.
Euphemia tapped Priscilla on the palm of her hand, unamused. "Honestly..." She sighed.
"Hey, don't worry, this'll be brief," He assured her, turning his attention to the class. "Good afternoon! Thanks for coming, I promise I won't keep you for too long since classes were already dismissed. Usually, after a mission, we get together to give feedback and debrief the situation. This time is a little different since our mission wasn't officially sanctioned by the Church, but it'll still give you a good idea on what to expect for the future."
He looked down at his notes, skimming his writing before he continued. "While we had only done drills earlier in the week, I'll say that as a whole, the group did fine. We had some coordination issues that I'll make sure to focus on in the future, but otherwise, it was fine," He said, approaching the board. "Next month, we'll do our practice match as it had been intended so we can see how your skills progress. By what most of you have now, though, I'll admit I'm looking forward to seeing more."
With chalk in hand, he wrote down three lines. "That said, there were three critical mistakes made that need addressing. First and foremost," He tapped the space next to the first line. "Don't rush in alone. You're not at the level where you can take down one opponent, let alone multiple. Keep that in mind." He looked over at Kayden, making sure he understood who his comment was directed at.
Not wanting to dwell on any one mistake, Michail continued, "Second, commit. Hesitation is what gets people killed," He stated it clearly, though he softened his glance when he looked at Kellen. "It's alright to be scared. But we can't let it paralyze us," He reprimanded him as gently as he could all things considered, though as he got to the third point, his face hardened considerably.
"Last but not least, don't overestimate your own abilities," He looked at Derec for this one. "Always assume your opponent is faster, stronger, and better. Isolde saved your life and ended up getting injured as a result. If it weren't for the fact that most of the bandits had been taken care of, you would've been responsible for not only your death, but hers as well."
His words were harsh, but the point had been made. Derec tore his gaze away from Michail, though he was too ashamed to look at Isolde. Michail exhaled, looking back at his papers as he took his place at the center of the room. "There's plenty of talent here. I want to recognize both Auberon and Jorah for their leadership and combat abilities. You're both in need of polish still, no doubt about it, but I was impressed. Overall the two of you did your parts well with axe and bow, and I have high expectations from the two of you going forward. The same goes for Clarissa--you worked tirelessly even after we said you needed not to do any more than was necessary, and I know for a fact Luin appreciates your services and sent a package to your room as thanks. You also have my own personal gratitude," He gave the three of them a nod. "Imogen, it's safe to say you prevented the second explosion, and I will definitely give the credit where it's due. The same goes for Kellen--it was only because the two of you went at the same time that Imogen was able to get through. Next time, you and Isolde will be with me in the front lines"
He let Imogen do her little cheer before he went on. "There's room for improvement for both men I haven't addressed, but I'll assume you two get the point. Skill-wise, you swing your weapons well and were fine until your mistakes were made," He looked at both Kayden and Derec, though he raised the papers in his hand and shook them. "Overall, that's it for me. If you have further questions, I'm happy to discuss them with you. Dismissed."
Tomai did a double take, standing up from his seat. "Michail," He called out. "The introduction."
"Introduction...?" Michail was confused for a second, though he remembered, snapping his fingers. "Oh, right, right. Some other news I almost forgot about--uh, unfortunately, Raimund, Valerian, and Saskia are no longer attending the academy. Though we do have a new student joining us...? Is he here?"
Tomai gave Michail an incredulous look, motioning to the student in question sitting towards the back. Michail followed his motion, looking back at him with a confused expression. There was a moment where Tomai looked like he was going to keel over from disbelief, but he composed himself. "Rudolf von Bergliez will be joining this unit," He stated, sitting back down.
"Oh. Oh! Yes, right, of course," He nodded. "Welcome aboard! Okay, now everyone's dismissed!"
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