RP: 5th Fleet [Chapter Eight] Castles and Catgirls

"OH, SO NOW YOU WANT TO ANSWER ME HUH?" Werner exclaimed at the group while taking heavy breaths to calm himself down "It's too late for that now I'm afraid... but don't worry about it anymore. I won't ask questions from you lot anymore." with those words, Werner gave a wicked smile.

"Now, as for the Village..." Werner looked at the Two natives in the carriage with them, and spoke quietly as to not get their attention, "Well... there is no reason for us to go ahead and save them. Frankly, I could just care less, however those two might... be displeased with us." With that he spoke normally once more, as he settled comfortably back into his seat, "Wherever we go, it's none of my concern."

Acidic. Unfettered. Festering. That was the mental flavour of the message that made its way to Werner and slipped quietly between one thought and the next.

HA! I TRIED! I tried to get anyone of them to show a single bit of concern! Now nothing they will do will get even a dusting of mine! The only trust I could have would be with them all DEAD behind me!

The intruding thought was punctuated with the sound of what Werner knew was the long, agonized groan trailing from out of a body pinned by blades to a wall and for all purposes was already dead.

Doubt. Fear. Ignorance. Another thought snaked out and looped around before attaching itself to Yuukito.

Get small. Get still. If I could just make my heart stop - a ST home now or a ST home after getting gangrenous or something equally barbaric on this backwards planet, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

As the words to the thought trailed off a soft giggling played out - a sound Yuukito could feel was that of two kids, both too young for the combat they were in, finding a small companionship in a hell of their own hands.

Bia barely paused as Sif insulted her - one of her hands seemingly automatically jumping up with the fingers clapping open and shut twice in mimicry of a bill as the woman mouthed 'quack, quack'. The rustic mercenary had a full-toothed smile on her face that was almost biting its way towards the mini-neko. Dropping her hand back towards her thigh, the Elysian rocked back on her heels as she looked towards the rest of the gathered party.

"Aw'rk ta make killin's, na' ta make a killin'." The dark skinned trooper ran a hand through her dirtied red-brown hair and then cocked her head to the side - her hand paused in motion. "Res'a ya lot?" A shrug freed the hand and it fell back next to its fellow. "Khck... guess it woul' get me lookin' bes' of ya. Did say ya'sh'd turn t'oll 'round."

Before Tomiko could react, the bard was already at Adelaide's side. She decided to merely observe. Now that she thought about it, one of her favorite scenarios involved a situation much like this. The girl from another world unknowingly saves a beautiful woman who turns out to be a Princess and takes her to an Inn. When she awakens, she falls madly in love with her rescuer. At first, it's all physical attraction and lewdness, but after getting to know the Princess, she eventually returns the feelings, she thought excitedly. Oh, Adelaide, will you be my Princess? She gazed at the Princess, going all starry eyed.

Her fantasies were interrupted by the new arrival, who she hadn't even noticed until now. Thankfully she was a Neko, so not paying attention to a conversation didn't stop her from remembering it. She gasped at the obscenities and insults spewing from the vile woman's mouth. It took her a few more seconds to realize it was an Elysian, and likely not a Patrician from the way she was acting. The few words spoken to Sif that she overheard didn't bode well.

Tomiko's attention shot back to Adelaide and she watched her intently, focusing on her wet, heaving bosom specifically. Her eyes were full of barely concealed desire. When the Princess tightened her corset back up she leaned back into her seat, letting her mind wander to places that would horrify Adelaide.

Adelaide waking up and tightening her corset ruined the moment. Sif seemed to be asking them what they wanted to do, which confused her. She was just a Medic, surely someone among them was more qualified to decide. As if that hadn't been enough, Werner was having another outburst. She wondered if the poor man had a psychological disorder.

"S-Sif, ma'am, whatever you say is fine with me. I trust you." She said confidently.

Rolling Countryside

Sif stood there. Sif crossed her arms. Sif frowned. Sif was not amused.

Turning to look at Bia, Sif gave her a look that said 'This is the shit I have to put up with,' before actually addressing them all. "I tried to make you think, but since I've failed to do that, I suppose I will have to make the choice for you all instead," her tone of voice dead and dry to the world. Like she so often did, the little Mini-Neko had no expression whatsoever on her face, yet somehow?

They could all feel the malice emanating from the little woman like a great sealed evil.

Village Under Siege

"OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD! HELP MEEEEEEE!" a woman screamed into the night, her flaming hair lighting up the entire scene as a handful of buildings burned. Another villager quickly dosed her in water, but looking through the breach in the makeshift wall, it was clear that several more fires were slowly burning out of control.

"QUICK! GET INSIDE!" a man clad in a gambeson shouted at their carriage. Tossing his spear aside, he quickly opened the ramshackle gate as the horse sped in, and closing it behind him, scooped up the spear again. "Bia, I'm glad you're back, but that was only the scouting party," the rugged man panted, wiping his brow as a few hot embers burned in his bushy beard. "They were just testing our defenses, so the main group will not be long from us. However, we must put out those fires - grab a bucket, quick!" the local man shouted to them all.

'The rest of your squad is telling me they did the smart thing and left you behind Bia,' Sif remarked in their minds. Looking at the soldiers for a moment, she raised her voice a few hairs, "Well? Don't just stand there."

As far as she was concerned, they all earned this.

Village

Yuukito huddled in the carriage with wide eyes as they sped into the town, glancing to and fro like a frightened deer before staring dumbly at the bearded man conversing with Bia. "W-what's going on-?" she squeaked out before being cut off by Sif's voice in her head, staring at her blankly before jumping comically when they were addressed vocally. The scientist clambered awkwardly out of the carriage and began hovering about fretfully before asking out loud. "Where are the buckets?!"

Flaming Village of Fire

"HERE! RIGHT HERE!" a man in charred rags shouted, shoving a bucket in her hands. Already, several villagers were crowed around a well, tossing buckets on ropes down the shaft and dragging them back up to fill the other buckets as fast as they could. Crews of villagers were already running to and fro, splashing water on the fires haphazardly to try and put them out. At the same time, the soldiers were moving to try an man the walls, expecting something to come out from the dark.

Fiery Village of Flaming Things

"Eep!" Yuukito squeaked as a bucket was pushed into her hands, hefting it up and looking around for the nearest fire. She saw one that looked as good as any and hurried over to it, dumping the water on it. Already huffing and puffing, she rushed over to the well and handed the empty bucket over and grabbed a full one to splash on some more flaming objects.

Werner scoffed, there was no way in the world they would be able to defend this little hamlet at all. It didn't take a military genius to figure out that if a mere scouting party of these so called "goblins" could cause this much damage. The goblin army could be a truly frightening prospect.

Rhere was not much Werner could do about the current situation other than to drive the carriage into the village unless Sif ordered Werner do to something specific. Though once they were inside the thick of the chaos, Werner looked around for the leader of this village, who was probably dressed in expensive looking garbs or armor. No doubt, that head of the village or the captain of theguard could provide valuable information that the group, and most importantly, Sif needed. It was important to facilitate communications between leaders, and most importantly, Werner needed an order to follow. Preferably one backed with reliable information that would ensure his well being as long as he performed admirably. Or victory, victory also was good a thing to have.

"HEY YOU, HEY HEY!" Werner barked at the more soldier looking villagers that ran around him, "HEY, YOUR CAPTAIN, THE MAYOR, WHO EVER IS IN CHARGE! TELL US WHERE THEY ARE! MY....uh... WE MUST SPEAK TO THEM!" Werner spoke for Sif. There was always the chance that they couldn't hear Sif, or even seen her for that matter.

Flaming Village of Fire

Tomiko stared at the flames and the people running around. Her desire to help people overcame her sense of self-preservation. She didn't know exactly where to start so she relied on anime knowledge to get through this. "Coco, Titus, protect Adelaide. I will be back for her." She said, walking over to the woman and pulling her close.

The delusional Neko kissed Adelaide and released her. "Be safe, my love." She walked towards the nearest burning building and turned back, gazing longingly at Adelaide. Finally, she turned and ran to the entrance of the building. "Hello! Is anyone still inside!?" Tomiko yelled, pausing to listen for a response.

Flaming Town of Fire

It was complete and utter chaos.

As Yuukito was tossed a bucket and gang-pressed into the bucket brigade to try and desperately put out the flames, Werner was largely ignored by the panicking, rushing peasants of the village. Grabbing hold of someone important looking, the young man simply ended up having a bucket slammed down over his head as the man incoherently yelled at him, calling him a madman, screaming about a fire, and an orphanage in flames or something before running off. It was hard to tell, really. At the same time, a mass of water floated and flew as Tomiko desperately tried using what little intuitive-magic Coco and Adelaide had tried teaching them. However, this was far easier said than done - moments after her declaration, the princess had frozen solid before starting to scream her head off as her delicate mind broke, the nail-on-chalkboard sound constantly pressuring her mind.

As Coco tried to sooth Adelaide, Titus simply stood by the open carriage with a look of resignation. Sif? The Mini-Neko's tiny arms were crossed over her tiny chest as she surveyed the carnage, watching the world around her burn.

Werner looked blankly at the chaos, any sense of heroism was lost at this point. Not to say that there was much of it to begin with anyway. Instead he felt heavy as the jack he wore underneath his armor became soaked with water. Resentfully, Werner reached for his crossbow, muttered under his breath.

"Oh yeah, that seems fine... oh no, don't mind me, I am the madman! Please go on and dump a bucket of water over me instead of the fire why don't you? Doesn't that sound like that a brilliant idea... damn primiti... absolutely moronic...."

Werner made sure that the crossbow was functional, and that he was familiar enough with it to use it when he needed to. He had a feeling that he would need it soon when they inevitably get attacked by goblins. Unless something changed, he would remain with Sif and Titus. At least them seemed to understand the hopelessness of the situation.

"Now... should I at least help the her out.... or let natural selection work it's magic?" Werner contemplated.

DISCO INFERNO


Mioshi did what she always did in situations that were beyond her immediate ken; she listened.

Panicking villagers. The crackling of fires as they hopped merrily to and fro across thatched roofs, licking the eves with their tongues of merry inferno. Peering at it with pale blue eyes and listening to it with ever-perky ears, Mioshi determined - not a prolific stretch of the imagination - that attempting to put the fires out would be completely useless.

It had taken her a little while to really, firmly establish the belief that there wasn’t anything to be done, but she had come to that conclusion anyway.

The princess’s screaming jolted Mioshi out of her peculiar, mental dissertation on the musical properties of the burning village and brought her back solidly to the present. Mioshi punctuated the girl’s scream with a kind, but nevertheless firm, slap to the face.

“Be quiet,” she said, with sultry and musical tone, “And pull yourself together. I am trying to think.”

She offered her hand, then, to Sif, sending her mentally, Shall we? as an invitation. Sif could come or not, and Mioshi would wait for the other little strategist to accompany her if she wished.

Either way, the white nekovalkyrja-become-bard stepped up onto the edge of the cart, judged the distance, and lept theatrically. Not that anyone was looking, but Mioshi cleared the few meters between herself and the edge of the palisade wall rather neatly with only a little lead-up.

There, crouched, with her stave carried along with her in balancing fashion, she spared a glance behind her to the burning buildings. Too late for a firebreak, wasn’t it? The thought occurred to her that perhaps knocking over the nearby buildings might have stopped the fire from spreading, but it honestly looked to Mioshi as though the traditional fantasy city planner had been more concerned with buxom barmaids and cheery tavern owners being put next to merry jugglers squares and happy little fairgrounds than the possibility of some goblin throwing what Mioshi assumed, by smell, to be burning feces onto the top of their flimsy hut.

With the fire to her back, she squinted to peer into the darkness beyond.

Bia looked at Sif. The Elysian stared for longer than was really necessary and then jerked her head towards the pandemonium running its head off around them. One eyebrow raised itself slightly as the woman came to rest her eyes back on the mini-Neko.

There wasn't any telepathic retort back from the veteran. The gesture had been enough to carry the message that anyone that let the sort of situation around them develop as it did was certainly lacking in smart decisions.

Bia nodded curtly at the man clad in the gambeson before shifting her own spear to her off-hand and snatching the man's out of his. "Load yer damn arms u' wit' as many sh'vels as ya' can carry." Turning her back on the man the Elysian moved the second spear she was holding into the hand that had her own and rested both on her left shoulder. "Hurry't."

Marching forward and grabbing the attention of workers one by one the woman grabbed people by the shoulder with a growl before hissing out instructions. Most of the interactions were variations on explaining "s'ah damn pitch fire - smother it" and "if yer bucket just hisses inta' tha' smoke an' dis'pears tha' water ain't doin' shit."

Strolling back towards Sif the taller veteran snorted as activity continued behind her. "A crowd ah sods tha' work wit' earth all day dunnae when ta' kill a fire wit' it an' not water - if tha' gobs can't manage ta' kill this then they got someone keepin' 'em from endin' it all." Watching Mioshi spy from her perch a top the wall Bia could feel a slight twitch beginning to make its home in the right side of her face. Letting a rasping 'khhhh' sound roll through her throat the Elysian addressed Sif once more. "All'a tha' skinshits tha' 'left me behind' - they 'least pluggin' the gaps in the wall tha' this-" Bia rolled her hand at the rest to encompass all the fire that had broken out around them. "-been forcin' tha' guards ta' take?"

Everything is Terrible!

Yuukito's cheeks were black with ash as she hurried to and fro with a bucket of water in her arms, dousing flames where she could and stamping out the smaller patches of fire. There wasn't much more that she could do!

Town of Ashen Ones

"Wait, why didn't you just ask me?!" the guardsman from earlier asked Werner. He was ready to help them help the village, but instead, had watched chaos descend into chaos as he simply stood there. One woman was struggling to float water with magic. The young man in question just had a bucket shoved and dumped onto him by a panicky villager. The most voluptuous one of their party had now descended into sobbing as a little girl attended to her. They were all caught up in the fire of panic and fear, save for the snowy white woman, a...catwoman pixie and a legionnaire from Imperial Remnant, who stood guard, staring at the darkness.

"What...what have these monsters turned us into?" he lamented.

*****

It wasn't long before the fires died down.

Many of the squad, with hair covered in soot and ash, their limbs worn and sore from the hard work, their chests feeling hollow - souls drained of mana - were slowly coming back together again. "The scouts threw jars of pitch and flame over the walls, though we defended the gap their attack made from a week ago," the guardsman from before answered them, panting now that the worst of it was over. "They'll likely be here soon." Several of the other villagers were handing out waterskins, while back at the cart Adelaide huddled as Coco tried comforting her. Titus however, remained on watch.

"They're coming. I can hear them, off in the distance" Sif flatly remarked, still sitting on top of Mioshi's head. Off in the darkness, they could just faintly make out the cackling of animals and beasts.

In the aftermath of the inferno, Yuukito was slumped in the carriage, resting her sore, sooty body with a miserable look on her face. The conversation she was overhearing didn't make her feel any better, letting out a mournful groan. "They're coming again? But I already helped put out a hundred fires!" she whined.

Before the fire was subdued

Tomiko heard a faint voice in the building. She ran in, heading towards the sound. A young girl - perhaps a half-elf judging by her ears - was shouting for help. The doorway was blocked by a flaming wooden beam that had fallen from the ceiling. She could see no other path through the flames. The girl's screaming ceased when she saw Tomiko.

Past the girl, she could see an open window. "Go out the window!" She shouted, making hand gestures. The girl said something back and at first, she couldn't make it out. After several quick replays, she understood. There was another fire outside the window. "Hold on, I'll put it out! Put your shirt over your mouth and get low to the ground!" She ordered the girl. Blonde pigtails bounced up and down with her head as she nodded.

Running outside, Tomiko found the window. Rammed against the wall, the other door blocking the window, was a flaming carriage. The well was too far away, and a bucket of water wouldn't be enough. She remembered the incident with her beloved and smiled. The Nekovalkyrja closed her eyes and concentrated. An orb of water started forming above her head. Small streams of water flew towards the orb, making it grow until there was the equivalent of five buckets floating above her.

Unable to manipulate the water very well, she had to walk up to the flames to get the water into place. She could feel the heat of the flames licking at her skin. A sigh escaped her lips the moment she released the water. It fell on the burning carriage and doused the flames. "Come out now, it's safe!" She shouted.

No reply.

"Come on girl, get out!"

Nothing.

Tomiko jumped into the carriage and jerked the door backward, but the handle broke off. She gave a hiss and kicked the door. It blew inwards granting access to the window. She climbed through and found the girl passed out in the corner. Tomiko threw the girl over her shoulder and carried her out to the town square, gently placing her on the ground. She kneeled beside her and held an ear to her lips. Hearing breath, she relaxed.

She didn't have time to just sit and wait though. The Medic jumped to her feet and ran towards another house...

After the fire died

Entering Adelaide's carriage covered in soot and with two waterskins, Tomiko plopped down beside Yuukito and offered one to Adelaide. "I am back, love. I brought you some water." She said, blushing. After Adelaide or someone else took the skin, she took a long drink from her own and closed her eyes, hoping to rest for a few minutes.

Town Under Siege

"Back! Back foul succubus!" Coco shouted, a riding crop smacking Tomiko in the head. The little girl's cheeks puffed with anger as she swung with speed and precision as the princess huddled on her side with a blank, dead stare. However as the fires died out, a little girl cried into the arms of her mother, but what little reassurance that gave, was soon quashed.

"Fires and succubi are the least of our worries," Sif flatly remarked to Yuukito. As though to make a point, they could all hear it. The laughter and jeering, voices all high pitched and scratchy. Coming out of the black night, were several wooden pavises carried by twisted, grey-green skinned creatures. Coming as close as they dared to the town wall, they began casting arrows from their short bows and rocks from their slings. "They're definitely older and smarter than the ones I encountered earlier," the Mini-Neko observed. "How are you all going to deal with this?" she asked, arms crossed.

On each pavise was a woman in rags, tied to the front to face them.

Yuukito jumped at the sound of the riding crop hitting Tomiko, sitting up and staring at her and Coco in bewilderment before widening her eyes when she heard the growing din of the attackers approaching. "Oh, I just want to rest..." she huffed, reaching for her club and taking it with her as she hopped out of the carriage. The sight of the approaching pavises and their bearers made the minkan's heart sink, suddenly regretting her decision not to learn magic as well as dearly missing firearms, as terrible with them as she was. "Dear, oh dear..."
Not really sure what to do, she wandered forward until she saw the missiles flying from the attackers to land in the village, casting an anxious glance back at Sif for direction.

Finally, something that Werner could easily wrap his mind around. Combat. Instinctively, he moved up with the militia with his weapons brandished, but still made sure he was still within earshot of Sif. He could barely see the enemy from the ruins and the amount of people, but it was enough to see that they had prisoners attached to the shields.

Simply put, Werner was impressed. To be able to carry those bodies on those massive shields was truly something. Not to mention the way they had the woman tied so securely with rope was... well done. Of course Werner was more experienced with cuffs, but rope seemed like something he should try in the near future. Though, he shoved this kind of thought well into the back of his mind, before anyone noticed that curious look of enthusiasm he had on his face.

Unfortunately, it looked like those women were screwed no matter what happened. On the bright side, the presence of the women made the shields both considerably heavy and cumbersome. Something Werner realized he could use to his advantage.

"Hey Sif!" Werner called out,"You gotta tell me right now whether or not you want those women alive or if you don't care, cause when I'm fighting for my life i'm not going to care unless you say so! " He placed his crossbow and it's bolts on the floor before him. "Oh! and Yuukito!" Werner yelled "If you're looking for something to do, why don't you make sure to shoot the bad guys or something with this. It's really not that hard I swear!"