RP: 5th Fleet [Chapter Seven] We're Not In Yamatai Anymore...

Dimitri watched the events unfold before him, and while he felt sorry for all the villagers that had died, he was inwardly happy that they decided to wait. Six extra troops during the peak of the fight would've done nothing to stop this, but they were now in a position they could make a difference. The 'Drow' looked tired and the rest of her troops were probably running on empty as well. He spoke up in a whisper as he gave his equipment a final check. "Taking out that woman will probably be key in restoring the morale and turning the tables, and she looks tired. If we're careful we should be able to sneak up now and get a few shots in."

"Are?"

The adorkably cute word of surprise - the 'Huh?' of Yamatai-go - was uttered by none other than Sif herself. Turning to face them, it was clear to them all. For once, she sported a sheer, utter look of confusion on her face which made the seven inch tall Mini-Neko completely huggable and cuddleable. It was a look with wide, large eyes and ears childishly twitching with uncertainty. The kind of look a child got when they saw something completely and utterly beyond their cute little amount of comprehension. But it only lasted for the briefest of moments, vanishing has her expression turned completely inscrutable. "There's thirty of them. Tired or not, they're tenacious and disciplined, and those farmers are unlikely to help - they want a hero to come in and save the day, doing all the work in the process. Not only that, but despite likely having most of her mana depleted, their leader is still likely able to give them magical support," she pointed out, her voice bored and uncaring as it usually was.

In the background, the knight came charging out of the sharp, contrasting darkness cast by the bright fires and the few unlit buildings atop an armored steed, warhammer in hand. Villagers cheered as their savior charged in, distracting some of the hobgoblins. "I thought it was clear you were to sharpen your teeth and claws only if the enemy was weak," Sif continued leaping over to their wall as the warhammer smashed into and shattered a shield as the knight attacked the square formation's corner. Spears lanced out, and the cry of a wounded horse pierced the air. "Not waste yourselves on an enemy that you cannot defeat," she finished, the knight crashing to the ground as the horse was impaled from the side. Silence reigned as despair descended on them all, the young drow laughing as the formation opened for her to advance on the fallen warrior. Like a scene from a movie, it played on without them doing a thing, all the attention focused on the dark elf and the brave knight. "I suppose I should give you all some credit though," Sif admitted, a quartet of familiar looking kobolds appearing from in between the buildings across from the Yamataian squad, the enemy in between the two adventuring groups. "You all did at least select the right target, though, the survivors would have - "

The roar of flames burned her sentence to cinders as screams of agony pierced the night, the kobolds stepping out of cover and breathing flames over nearly half of the hobgoblins. Whirling about, Sif's eyes widened at the scene before she looked back at the squad.

"ATTACK! ATTACK NOW, NOW, NOW!"

Sif's commentary was yet another unwanted intrusion of reality into a day that had already been filled with far too many for Aya's liking. Again the knight charged, still looking every bit the part Aya had imagined... only for the armour clad man to be brought low by a hobgoblin's spear. The blue Neko found herself wrestling with her desire to help once again. She almost didn't notice the kobold quartet as they emerged. Her brow furrowed. What are they...?

That question answered itself as the reptilian humanoids breathed fire on the hapless hobgoblins. The young woman simply stood there, thunderstruck - it was not until Sif began shouting that she was snapped out of it.

"Come on, Dimitri!" Hopping off the ladder and down to ground level on the other side, she drew her blade. Her eyes flicked to and fro, trying to identify the nearest threat.

Rin propelled herself up and over the wall, readying her bow and drawing an arrow in the process. Landing deftly on her feet Rin advanced quickly; she used the burnt husks of the village's buildings for concealment and cover.

While she would try to line up a shot at the mage if the opportunity presented itself, she crept forward, searching for a good firing position in which she could see the fight currently occuring.

Dimitri listened to Sif, he didn't much like the idea of fighting these guys, but now that they were here, he couldn't turn a blind eye to it. When he saw the knight again he readied his crossbow, and knelt down to take aim. What the device lacked for in rate of fire, it made up for in power and relative precision, he would only get one shot likely if the knight made an opportunity, but that would hopefully be all he needed.

The fact that the kobolds were there did not distract him though he took note, his aim was not near them so they would be safe from friendly fire at least form him. Maybe they figured themselves warriors and they knew what they were doing. He wasn't ready for what did happen though, flames spitting from their mouths and catching the enemy troops a blaze. When Sif called for an attack he had to refocus himself and let loose a bodkin at the the drow leader while she was possibly distracted by the sudden flames.

The lecture that Sif provided their quartet was more amusing than Yuzuki would admit. She had decided that Aya was not the sort to allow such a scenario to go by without dragging her away kicking and screaming, as such the offer of a plan to save the day rather than letting the blue Neko charge into the fray blindly to fulfill her ideal of heroism was better. Though admittedly Yuzuki didn't envy the idea of wading into combat against a numerically superior foe.

That had been all well and good until the flames blossomed, and Sif was demanding their participation in the battle. Sticking to her previous stance on the matter, Yuzuki was more hesitant to move than her companions, Aya, and Rin beginning to move while Yuzuki contented herself with her perch atop the wall. The sound of a crossbow loosing a bolt however sent her into action, Yuzuki starting off down the wall with cat-like grace and quick paces. Spear still carefully held in hand Yuzuki wandered along the length of the wall keeping an eye on the events below looking for an opportune moment to plunge into the fray. Hopefully she could go unnoticed until her presence would turn things in their favor.

Tortured screams pierced the night as several people were turned into charred husks, their shields stopping the licking flames but helpless against the heat itself.

"N-no. Nononononononoo-NO!" the Drow started to frantically babble. "Break phalanx! Keep those monsters away from me!" she started to scream, backpedaling away from the fire spewing kobolds and unwittingly closer to the Yamataian squad. The hobgoblin hoplites - though tired and weary - unflinchingly moved at her orders with a steely resolve, quickly chasing after their new enemy into the darkness. Cackling laughter slammed into them like a brick wall however, stopping them in their tracks. "They keep coming, they keep coming! They won't stop! They won't leave me alone!" the spellcaster started to babble, breaking into hysteric tears.

"Their mocking is hollow! They cannot use alchemical coal again!" one of the remaining hobgoblins besides the panicking drow bellowed, its helmet crested by a line of crimson horsehair sweeping back. Like a bodyguard, it and four others flanked the drow and began backing off with her, ignoring the fallen knight. Their attention focused on the fiery show of force, an arrow pierced through chain mail as a bolt smashed through the metal links. As Dimitri and Rin found their mark, the drow fell to her knees before collapsing in a weeping pile, curling up on the ground. Hearing the whistling bolts, the five Hobgoblin Hoplites turned in unison, their eyes immediately falling on Aya, who was at the forefront of the group. "Mercenaries! One in front, two rangers in back - CHARGE!" the hobgoblin leader quickly read the situation, but failing to notice Yuzuki. Its cloth wrapped sheild held at the forefront, it lead the horde of pain.

Bellowing a warcry, they charged right at the hapless Neko.

"Watch out for the Sergeant!" Sif yelled, pointing a finger from on top of Aya's head!

The situation became ever more chaotic. The Drow seemed to suffer a complete nervous breakdown as the situation unfolded. If Aya was more cold hearted - and there weren't far more pressing threats - she might have seen it as an ideal opportunity to eliminate the woman before she could pose a serious threat. Speaking of serious threats, the hobgoblins' leader seemed to be much more astute than his fellows. Even the surprise appearance of the kobolds and the Yamataians didn't seem to have fazed him, and now he was leading a charge with herself right in its path.

Oh dear.

"I see him!" Aya had no intention of being impaled on hobgoblin spears or knocked to the ground. Taking advantage of her natural Nekovalkyrja agility, she darted left and looked for an opening. If all went well, perhaps the hobgoblins would find that the momentum of their charge had worked against them, precluding them from following the blue skinned woman's abrupt movement. Aya wasn't going to count on it, though. She had been surprised enough times that she fully expected the hobgoblin leader to have some trick up his sleeve.

It had seemed that the enemy had rallied enough to pose a threat, and unfortunately Hero-chan was at the heart of it. It was sort of inspiring really, maybe Yuzuki would sing a song about it, dumb heroics were a popular subject after all. Still it seemed that her presence was needed in the fray sooner than later, as much as Nekovalkyrja were one of the most dangerous entities in known space, five against one was poor odds. Continuing a short way along the wall Yuzuki made her way down to ground level which consisted of a leap unnaturally softened by innate gravity control putting her in the shifting shadows of the burning village.

Looking toward the downed form of the grey lady, Yuzuki wondered if she could pick up a swift kill on the way to flank Aya's foe. The grey woman was after all more or less alone, but with the pair of shafts in her, and the way that she was largely twitching on the ground made it seem unlikely that it would be worth it.

As such Yuzuki turned her full attention toward Hero-chan's plight, shifting her winged spear to take it in both hands as she nimbly bounded after the charging brutes eager to plunge her spear through chain and find the warmth hidden beneath. Let them focus on Hero-chan for now, they'd bleed for their target fixation.

Seeing that the drow was hit, Dimitri began to reload, he knew the importance of doing it smoothly rather than as fast as possible so he smoothly cranked the device and set a second bodkin into place once done. He could choose to target the apparent leader, but then they would simply select a new one, it seemed like they had a pretty good structure. So instead he aimed for one of the hobgoblins in front, he didn't aim for his head, he would be wearing of that, so he fired at the leg wanting to stumble him, and maybe slow the lines.

Seeing that her arrow had found its mark in the drow woman, Rin focused her attention on more pressing matters, namely the charging hobgoblins. Hugging the wall of a home gutted by fire, Rin drew a pair of bodkin arrows and nocked them. The lead hobgoblin was bearing down on Aya, but for fear of hitting her fellow Nekovalkyrja, Rin chose to aim at one of the lead hobgoblin's comrades. She drew back the bow, aimed for the creature's upper legs, and then let the arrows fly.

Pain.

It was all she felt these days. Her mother and father were executed. Her brothers and sisters fallen in battle. Her home - the great crystal lit caverns of the nine clans - was consumed by the darkness. As she lay there, body pierced, all she felt was pain which slowly started to fade as the fires seemed to burn themselves out. The drow could have sworn it took longer for buildings to burn out. As she slowly started to close her eyes, the unmistakable chill of wetness being splashed across her face woke her up, the pain vanishing. Bringing herself to look up at the source, her eyes settled on four sharp toothed smiles looking down on her.

She didn't feel pain anymore. Instead, she felt fear.

*****

Aya realized she was like a sports car. Fast and nimble, able to go from zero to sixty in five seconds flat! One with a cool, sexy blue paint job!

One that was being chased by five tanks.

The Hoplites couldn't keep up with her, but they didn't quite need to. The momentum of their charge carried two of them them forward and past her, but as she turned, so did the other three! Slower than the Nekovalkyrja, the Hoplites simply cut a shorter route to her, and immediately started stabbing out at her with their spears. With one in front holding its spear over-hand by the middle of the shaft, she couldn't simply close in past the tip and strike - the other two held theirs underhand, jabbing in from the sides and making full use of the length of their weapons!

"Patience. It's at the last moment you dodge a charge, otherwise, they'll just follow you," Sif calmly pointed out from atop the spear dodging Neko's head. "For now though, try thinking vertical, or inside the box," she suggested over the fighting, the three Hobgoblins trying to force her back closer and closer to one of the intact houses, the window behind her well open and the roof intact. Out of the flaming darkness, a spear thrust fast and hard, the tip slamming into the square plated brigandine, deflecting into the space between them and tearing the leather they were bound to.

Yuzuki felled one of the hoplites, her spear piercing it square in the back with a furious bellow and gush of blood. However, she had no time to celebrate - the red crested hobgoblin spun, stabbing out at her with the spiked butt of its spear, forcing her to tear her weapon out of the corpse and retreat in the same beat. Facing each other down, their eyes locking for the briefest of moments, the sergeant immediately began to withdraw. Its shield held close, it was clear he was keenly aware of not only Yuzuki and Aya, but both Dimitri and Rin.

The two archers who had their own problems.

Feet moved fast and hard, Dimitri's bolt simply digging into the earth. Sparks flew and wood cracked as Rin's arrow embedded itself in a shield, with little effect. However, the flow of the battle was quickly changing. Further back from the action, the two could easily see events unfold - Aya was under assault, but her attacker was wide open for a shot. Yet, at the same time, they could see Yuzuki was caught in a rock and a hard place - if she moved to help Aya, the Hobgoblin sergeant guarding against them all - archers included - might attack her instead. And, most importantly, were the two hoplites coming straight for them! Up on the wall, a small, hastily built walkway was what gave them their height advantage, but at the same time, the stairs leading up to it were still intact. With one hobgoblin hunkering down in the back and readying its sling, the other pushed forward, making its way to the stairs to Dimitri and Rin's left to better protect itself with its shield during the ascent.

All as the drow was lifted up atop the heads of four kobolds and carried away like a sack of bound and gagged potatoes.

"O-okay..." Aya bobbed and weaved like a champion boxer as she tried to avoid each lethal strike. However, even a Nekovalkyrja couldn't defy the laws of physics or probability. One of the spears lanced right toward her torso. The brigandine did its job, though not without damage; Aya doubted that it could take another blow like that. Yuzuki's intervention was none too soon - the blue Neko wasn't sure how long she could keep it up for. But from what she could see out of the corner of her eye, Yuzuki would be preoccupied. What to do, what to do...?!

A hurried glance revealed the open window. 'Think inside the box...' I've got it! Here's hoping that I'm right. Unwilling to speak, she sent a telepathic message to Sif. "Hold on tight!" It was all the warning the Mini-Neko would get as Aya whirled around and lunged, trying to take advantage of her natural agility to leap through the window. It was, in all honesty, a crazy idea - but perhaps she could more easily dictate the terms of the fight inside. Or at least force the hobgoblins to get in each other's way, at any rate.

It seemed that the leader of the group, identified by their large hat, had taken an interest in her stunning beauty, surely the blue and white of her hair looked stunning in the firelight. Though she wouldn't have been considered typically beautiful at that moment her eyes were huge, and unlike a Nepleslian's there was no visible white, a thin ring of glacial ice surrounding a black void. Her mouth was twisted into a toothy smile, her extra set of canine teeth suddenly very apparent, sharp, more bestial than human for the moment.

Still as she danced back from the fortified leader, Yuzuki's voice flowed forth, milk and honey, fitting of the most comely maiden, full of warmth and play, "Hey~ Hey~ It seems you can dance, but can you sing too?" Why she chose those words wasn't clear as she shifted further into the open, giving herself the space that she needed to glance about making sure that no one was about to flank her, or assist the crested ugly thing at range. If she was going to take pity on it and dance properly, she wanted to be sure she wouldn't be catching an arrow or sling bullet in the ass. After all her ass was very important.

For now Yuzuki's only goal was to pull the crested leader out into the open and away from his companions, then they could begin their dance in earnest, and perhaps if they danced well the song would begin.

Seeing events unfold quickly, Rin saw an opportunity. Attackers were quickly closing in on herself and Dimitiri, but she had a chance to even the odds.

"Aya! Duck!" said Rin telepathically. But in the same instant Aya began to leap away, leaving the hobgoblin she was fighting exposed. Rin nocked another bodkin arrow and after aiming quickly at his upper body, she let the arrow fly towards the hobgoblin.

Dimitri watched as the events unfolded and his bolt missed it's mark. He only had one chance at that shot and now it was gone, now he had time for one more shot safely before he and Rin would be over taken. "Rin, keep up firing as long as you can." He spoke as he quickly cranked the crossbow, this time not as worried about being smooth and just wanted that last shot. Rin would need to remain undisturbed if she was to continue firing so rather than aiming for the charging leader who was ready for him, he used his height advantage to target the back of the line and fire at the one readying a sling, aiming for the chest rather than the head since it was quicker.

After his shot, not even sure of the damage it did, he dropped his crossbow and made his way to the top of the stairs, drawing the goblin sword he had taken as he did. He had a few ideas on how to deal with him, but he didn't have to win right away, just hold him off for Rin to continue firing.

Leaping through the window, Aya tumbled over a table top before landing on her feet in the safety of the house, a spear jabbing after her but missing. As the hobgoblin outside snarled in frustration, stabbing after her as it held its weapon near the back end, Rin's arrow slammed into the hoplite's shield, bouncing off at a bad angle as the sheer size passively protected its owner. Realizing the threat, the hobgoblin, quickly moved to try to kick in the doorway and storm in after Aya, spear in hand.

"Once it's in, grab the shield and kill-it-kill-it-kill-it!" Sif shouted from Aya's head, bouncing up and down on the Neko's head as she held onto fistfuls of hair-reins. Despite the head-seat driving, the window was still there, invitingly open for Aya to dive through again as the hobgoblin forced an entry carrying its two and a half meter long spear. As this happened, Dimitri shot his crossbow at the slinger - hidden behind its shield, the powerful bolt collided with sparks and the sound of splintering wood. A cry of anger and rage bellowed forward from the hobgoblin as it started to pry at the projectile piercing both its shield and arm underneath. However satisfying that was, the young man found himself in the worst situation possible as he drew his sword.

With the first hoplite reaching the base of the stairs to Dimitri and Rin's left, it ascended, the shield automatically covering most of its body from the red skinned Neko's sight as they stood up high. Holding its spear by the back-most third near its base, the pole-arm stabbed up the flight of stairs at the young man's legs with startling speed, again and again. Unable to continuously dodge the attacks like his Neko teammates, he was immediately forced back while the Hoplite ascended, one step at a time.

Meanwhile, Yuzuki dodged, the ball of phlegm speeding by and landing in the dirt.

"When my Fierce Shaft shall make you sing instead? Stupid Helot!" it taunted her in return, spear at the ready. Despite this, it steadily made its way back, step by step into the opening. And towards the fallen knight slowly starting to stir.

Seeing the imminent danger the hoplite advancing toward Dimitri presented, Rin nocked another bodkin arrow and then began to run towards the stairs. Activating her gravity control, she propelled herself into the air with a powerful leap.

Rin flew up and over the advancing hoplite and with a quick pull and release of the bowstring sent the arrow hurtling toward his exposed back. She hoped to at least distract him long enough for Dimitri to get a swing in, but at best to wound and disable their assailant.

Dimitri did not expect he could hold the hoplite for long but he did not expect him to show up with such fast thrusting. He did everything he could just to avoid losing his legs, thankfully it was only his legs, if he had aimed at his torso he would be in much more trouble. While his feet weren't the quickest, he did have his share of talents, and though not as fast as a neko he still had enhanced reflexes, so when Rin tried to fly up around the hoplite, he reached out past the spear and tried to grab the shaft while his attention shifted to Rin. He didn't want the guy moving from this spot, knowing what came next.

'Helot? What is a helot?'

Being spat at had been rude, but she was sure that the ugly thing would be practically glowing with smugness if she admitted that she didn't understand its insult. So logically she had to be the one to play the part of the disappointed maiden and made an effort to sigh.

"Really? Not even able to carry a single note? Here I was thinking you were going to be fun." Yuzuki paused, the one complication to her situation being not ranged attackers as she'd dreaded, but the crested one's interest in the fallen armored form of the... Knight. Yes that was it. Twitching her ears Yuzuki set in motion circling outside of the ugly crested one's spear, moving much more quickly than he could backpedal as she motioned to cut off their advance toward their goal. She didn't want to know why he wanted the fallen one, all she wanted was the ugly one dead.

As she neared the completion of her circuit toward the fallen individual Yuzuki closed on the crested sergant of hideous-ia, not with the intent of attacking him directly but instead aiming to use her two-handed grip on her spear to knock the polearm of her more heavily armored foe aside. She needed to learn what she could do about his own weapon before she could consider closing and defeating his defences. So for now she'd use her superior weapon control to try to put him off balance, and work from there.