The Otter

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@Raineh Daze@Psyker Landshark@VitaVitaAR@Krayzikk

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Fionn's response to the sheer, freezing sense of evil radiating off the twisted thing he caught was simply to grasp it tighter, no matter how much that cold threatened to seep through his gauntlet and devour the warmth of his body. The creature's claws thrashed wildly, but fruitlessly, against the rings of steel that covered his arms and chest, hissing and howling its rage against his stern glare. He twisted the dagger, opening the wound further before pulling the weapon back out; had Nicomede's spell not struck when it did, he was moments away from smashing the monstrosity's skull against the floor.

Instead, its writhing and flailing ceased as it screamed again, the holy water penetrating and wounding its form beyond any hope of survival. Fionn contemptuously tossed it back out, landing in the hallway barely past the door itself. "But under the control of the one who engineered the first attack," he replied, finishing the court mage's sentence for him. "I take it this attack must mean our fellows have given this necromancer reason to worry."

Not that he had much chance to take any real pleasure in that thought; he had no way to know whether this curse was just some easily-triggered reprisal against Tili for failure and betrayal, or if the necromancer had skill and knowledge enough to call forth a similar attack rapidly and direct it against them without any sight or mark. He glanced over to Adeforth, looking for the older man's eyes, before turning his head back to the court mage.

"I'd rather not let our enemy give us as much reason to worry, and part of that would be having every possible defense present that we can get, whether it's against any similar curses or any similar such beasts that might be summoned and sent to harry us. Perhaps you could stay nearer to us, until the night's work is done?" Tyaethe could lead any further exorcisms or brute force her way through any similar problems that might crop up, Nicomede could split between magical and mundane duties, and Fionn and Renar could cover for immediate physical threats; still, having a specialist in magical arts present would be one more base covered, so far as he was concerned.

Whether the mage would agree or not—somehow, Fionn doubted Adeforth would really give him the opportunity to refuse, if he even was the sort to try—Fionn quickly turned to the princesses, where Tyaethe had caught the pair. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the pair—even the elder was scarcely more than a girl, and both of them had been pushed and pulled around, tackled to the ground like an old leather ball. Still, his goal now was to keep them protected, and he'd heard their footsteps coming up to the door to see what was happening. He kneeled down before them, blocking their view of the creature's immolation, his voice low.

"Your highnesses. I understand that you chafe at this lockdown, anybody would, but we need you to curb your curiosity if anything else like this should happen. It's not worth risking your lives over." Had he not been in place to catch the monstrosity, had Renar not shoved them aside in time, had none of them been able to grab and subdue it in time...the blades that pierced it barely seemed to make that much of a difference in its attack, and it likely would've continued on to savage the princesses. "Please, keep back from anything we're dealing with."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@Raineh Daze@Psyker Landshark@VitaVitaAR@Krayzikk

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The fire was a bit of a surprise, but not as much as the twisted creature that started to come into view as it was enwreathed in flame. He took a step backwards, through the door, making sure he was still directly between whatever monstrosity this was and the princesses. "Keep behind us," he bade the girls, any attempt at formality dropped even as Renar sought to be the one giving them encouragement. "This may still prove—"

Dangerous, he would have said, if it hadn't immediately sprung for the princesses behind him. But for a single step backwards he stood his ground, even as Renar sprung into action, shoving the princesses aside and lunging for the creature's throat. Good. At least if it goes straight through me they aren't there for it to land on. Not that Fionn was content to be merely a bodily shield and nothing more. No, now that this assailant had been rendered corporeal, he intended to test its mortality as well; standing firm, he thrust forward with his right hand, the point of his dagger seeking the thing's abdomen, his other hand grasping for one of its arms.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@Raineh Daze@Psyker Landshark@VitaVitaAR@Krayzikk

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As Renar quickly gathered up all the most immediately accessible items—a pitcher of water from the princess's bedside, candles for reading when light got low, and even taking oil from some of the lamps along the hallway walls—Fionn reached up beneath the hauberk and arming jacket he'd pulled over his fine clothes, taking off the silver rose badge he'd had pinned to his outerwear and setting it next to Tyaethe. Then—with a slightly apologetic shrug in Elisandre's direction—he claimed the pot of lilies growing next to the balcony exit and brought it over as well, though keeping the princesses and that balcony both in his vision the whole time.

Renar wasn't the only one worried about a follow-up attack. "If such an attempt comes, then I think we'll be the best equipped to handle it," he replied as Renar finished speaking. "Let them handle the magic, and we handle the follow-up, aye?"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@Raineh Daze@Psyker Landshark@VitaVitaAR

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After a quick glance through the crack he'd opened at the choking Nem, Fionn drew back from the door, turning towards the bed.

"This is one for you, ma'am," he said quickly to Tyaethe. "Someone's magically choking our Nem. If you can break it, I've got the door for you."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@Raineh Daze@Psyker Landshark@VitaVitaAR

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Fionn nodded along to the elder princess's recommendations after Adeforth stepped out of the room to oversee the knights under his command out in the hall. Not long after, though, any reply that Renar may have been about to make in turn was rapidly cut-off by some commotion and Adeforth's bellows ringing clearly even through the heavy doorway. He sprung across the room in an instant, at the door before the eldest Crown Knight's words had even stopped, trusting in Renar to watch the balcony entrance.

Not one to leave things to chance, his dagger slid out of its sheathe, as he firmly planted himself behind the door and cracked it open a sliver, peering out and calling:

"What's happened?"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@Raineh Daze@Psyker Landshark@VitaVitaAR

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Tyaethe's blushing at Maletha's question earned a raised eyebrow, while Renar continued to entertain Elisandre. Both were...mildly surprising. He wasn't aware Tyaethe could still blush, and whatever the practicality behind it, he could only imagine that this conversation was like pulling teeth for the illegitimate nobleman across the room. "I'll make sure to hunt a copy down when I get the chance," he said after a moment. "If they treat the Bloody Lord's character well, there's got to be something good in it, right?"

Though, he wondered how likely it would be that such a popular novel might actually pull from the old myths for the story, rather than just copying some common characters from the myths. Falling silent again, his glance pulled back from the door over to the balcony the way it already had multiple times over. His choice to remain behind with the princesses was a reasonable one, he figured, both for his Mayonite bent and the fact he'd already taken up the role within the instant the assassin fired her crossbow—but the way the group was split so completely made him uneasy.

He far preferred to have an eye on all of his fellow knights when able, rather than simply trying to distract himself and hope for the best for them; the feeling of distaste only intensified considering that his own smaller group within the order had split in half for this task.

"Any other works either of you would recommend?" he asked, trying to banish the unease with more conversation. "Most of my reading has been of the dry and technical sort of late."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@Raineh Daze@Psyker Landshark@VitaVitaAR

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Content that Gerard would see to his self-preservation, Fionn quickly settled to gathering up gear for himself and those others of their group who hadn't followed along to the armoury. It was rather simple for him, at least; an aketon, a hauberk that fit over it, simple greaves, vambraces, and gauntlets that fit. Strapping the belt that held his knives back on over the hauberk to take some of the weight off his shoulders brought him roughly back to his standard battlefield wear. Strapping a sallet on under his chin finished his preparations quite quickly, leaving him free to pack other items on the cart to take back.

Though Lein didn't end up with half as fancy of a quiver as he had asked.

After reconvening in the great hall, he followed along silently to Elisandre's personal chamber, the paintings passing by unnoticed as his eyes roved the halls ahead of them for any sign of an attack. Other than his walking the most sound that came from him was that of his devouring the few mincemeat hand pies he'd grabbed before setting off. Fighting on an empty stomach, if it came to it, would be a terrible idea.

Of course, he'd also made sure to swipe a small bowl full of the candied fruits that Maletha had seemed so enamored with, to help cheer the poor girl up a bit. Given that they made it back to Elisandre's room unmolested, it seemed like the chances of that were better than he might have expected; as Tyaethe took up conversation with the younger princess, Renar with the elder, he wordlessly set the sweets on the nightstand near the bed and took a position near Adeforth, able to split his attention between the doors to the balcony and the exit to the hallway as Renar finished his critique of the novel at hand.

"I haven't read many books. Is it one you'd recommend, your highness?"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@VitaVitaAR@PigeonOfAstora@HereComesTheSnow@Conscripts

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With a short nod, Fionn spun on his heel and strode over in Sir Adeforth's direction. The ranking Crown Knight agreed to loan out arms and armour without much hesitation, given the current state of things; with little more than a glance in their direction, he also summoned the help of a pair of castle staff to help transfer the equipment with a hastily-cleared kitchen cart. Still with his ears trained on the planning and interrogating happening behind him, Fionn was rapidly tallying up the equipment that they could afford to take the time to equip themselves with before their targets might be too suspicious of the time elapsed...or just run off entirely.

Focused as he was, and with the other sound still filling the great hall, he was almost shocked to suddenly feel Gerard's hand on his shoulder. He gave another nod, thankful for the extra help, before continuing to follow behind the staff leading on to the armoury. "Just shirts of mail, this time around. Padded garments. Gauntlets that fit well enough and the like. We don't have time for any stock plate." Lein's call reached his ears as he spoke, going almost entirely unheeded; he already knew what the Hundi liked to work with as it was. "Unless it's half-plate like we've seen, maybe."

Barely more than a breastplate, that at least might go on with some speed. "Oh, Gerard—"

A firm grip fell on the other fighter's shoulder, forcing him to slow his pace for a moment. "Don't forget how things have changed now. Prepare to give yourself up if needed, not to throw yourself away."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@VitaVitaAR@VahkiDane@ERode@Psyker Landshark@PigeonOfAstora@Crimson Paladin@Raineh Daze@HereComesTheSnow@Rune_Alchemist@Creative Chaos

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Lein's smack on his chest met with a raised eyebrow, but Fionn declined to comment either on it or on the idea of the diminutive Hundi riding atop Steffen's great shoulders. The Crown Knights had quickly surrounded the princesses and started escorting them back deeper within the castle; while he'd been inclined to follow along very shortly, the assassin's capture and Steffen's own comment about having looked through the halls before arriving in the great hall gave him reason to believe things would remain...calm enough for the next few moments, at least.

No matter how strange it all was, as even the short evacuation seemed to grind to a halt given the peculiarity of the overall situation. The snippets of the conversation from around the assassin reaching back to his ears only reinforced how odd it all was. "Lein, you're quick and slippery. Keep close to Steffen and keep your ears open if you go looking around—if you can't see any sort of special or hidden entrance, you might still hear something from the other side. I'll keep a finger on things here...there's something very strange about this, like, and I've got a feeling that there really is going to be more to deal with before the night is through."

Something about a sister, the Nem couldn't speak, something about a mastermind. Coercion, then? A sick practice, threatening the family of one to force them to do such dirty work, though he couldn't deny his own disapproval of the Nem's actions. Rarely could the sorts who used such tactics be expected to uphold their end of the bargain. It was just as likely that the would-be assassin and her sister got killed afterwards for all their trouble, to tie up loose ends and let the plotter make good on their escape; why, then, bother to harm an innocent when there was likely no real gain for it?

But at least, in her failure, the Nem had opened up the chance to have her sister saved. Some small good came out of the attempt, misguided as it may have been.

With Lein and Steffen dismissed (if they so chose to take the chance to go and search), Fionn made his way up to the rest of the group, drawing a handkerchief from one pocket and holding it out wordlessly to Serenity as he came up just within her peripheral vision. Her clenched fist and the hint of red starting to well up in her palm was as easily noticeable to him as the rest of her body language in reply to what was going on. One of the rare benefits to practicing swordplay as one's life's work—it made reading people into a force of habit.

"Captain." As Renar and Gerard made their inquiries, he focused his attention back on their leader. "If we're to remain here much longer, whether or not this can be pursued tonight, we'll need equipment. Shall I go ask Sir Adeforth if we can access the Crown Knights' armoury?"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@VitaVitaAR@VahkiDane@ERode@Psyker Landshark@PigeonOfAstora@Crimson Paladin@Raineh Daze@HereComesTheSnow@Rune_Alchemist@Creative Chaos

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Fionn's confusion over the cake was interrupted almost instantly by Lein coming to his side once again. "Oh, bother," he muttered, thinking about having to re-tie the Hundi's laces again, before his fellow knight's conspiratorial whisper reached his ear. His brow furrowed immediately, one hand reaching down for the sword at his belt, the other pulling Maletha in closer. "Why would I—"

His gaze, scanning over the ball, snapped back to one small figure they'd slid over moments before with nearly no recognition. Past the other princess and those surrounding her just ahead, the glint of light coming off the tip of the assassin's weapon caught his full attention faster than he could even complete his reply to his comrade. Even Jeremiah hadn't been able to render him speechless so quickly.

No mercenary who had survived even a single battle came out of it without a healthy respect—if not fear—for the capabilities of a crossbow.

Longbows were bad enough, and anybody well-trained with one could fill the air with arrows at an astonishing rate; at close range, with a heavy enough bow, an arrow could even penetrate a helmet or dent a well-made breastplate. At their most useful, however, they were used to soften up formations, take out unarmoured infantry and the like, and they could be countered by another force of archers. What crossbows lacked in sheer rate of fire, in usefulness in pitched, open battle, they made up for in ease of use and surprise.

Any farmer, even without any useful experience, could be trained to use a crossbow with decent accuracy in a matter of hours. One who was at-all dedicated to their craft could prove as accurate as many master archers within weeks. Moreover, one could be held at the ready nearly indefinitely. This made them fantastic implements for picking out higher-value targets, for manning defenses during a siege, and especially in an ambush.

Fionn had personally seen some of those he used to fight alongside have the necessity for proper scouting, situational awareness, and just general readiness drilled into their heads far more literally than was ever needed for himself—all due to advance skirmishers armed with crossbows.

"Stop her! Stop her now!"

The hand that had been creeping towards the hilt of his sword struck out suddenly, shoving Lein roughly off to the side. In the same movement he dove off to the other side, wrapping Maletha up with his other arm and turning so that he was covering her should the bolt miss Elisandre and come in their direction. The unmistakable snap of the weapon followed as soon as the pair hit the floor, and he was already on his feet rushing towards the heir apparent, Maletha still wrapped in one arm, as the captain and Sir Adeforth started bellowing orders over the din of the frightened nobles. Veilena's oversized knight, Renar, Vier, and Sergio all peeled off in an instant in pursuit of the diminutive assassin; the roar and following heavy footfalls behind him made it clear that Gerard was doing similar.

Serenity's words went unheeded as he was already rapidly approaching; Tyaethe's met with a single nod, although he didn't move to comply with her command, either. "Captain!" Fionn barked, to get Fanilly's attention his way as he set Maletha down near Tyaethe, drawing his blade and nodding in the direction of the dais and beyond, where the rest of the keep and the royal residences could be reached from. "If one assassin could make it past all of our watch here in the great hall, there could be more throughout. With your leave, the four of us—"

Meaning Fleuri, Lein, and Serenity, the only others who hadn't yet taken off to bar an exit or intercept the assassin.

"—will join the Crown Knights to make sure the path is clear for the three of you to evacuate the princesses back to the royal apartments." A better place for them by far than in the middle of the hall, surrounded by five current knights and one former.