On the Road to Elspar [Book 1] (Dryad Mercenary Schoolgirl Quest)

When you say that the other two are somewhere to our right, is that like to the right along roughly the same flank, or do we have the bandits in roughly an L shape?

[x] Take advantage of Eleanore's momentum as a knight, and use her as the bulwark for a devastating frontal attack.

Boy, it has been a while, hasn't it?

Hey guys, did you forget?

You find yourself very faintly impressed. It's true that you've all had the run of the surrounding area when not in training for some time now, but you hadn't realized Stephanie knew the surrounding wilderness quite so well. There's not time to voice this, however. "And signaling?" Sieglinde asks, stepping forward to join the impromptu huddle.

A streak of lightning going straight up into the ceiling causes a number of you to jump back, startled. The bolt bursts in a haze of eye-catching sparks before it reaches the roof beams. "Y-You enjoyed that!" you accuse Elizabeth without thinking after you've recovered your wits. Stephanie seems similarly disgruntled. As usual, Sieglinde - and your assigned instructor, now that you've noticed - seems impassive. Sergeant Aethla, for her part, seems mildly annoyed at what was essentially a miniature thunderbolt indoors with plenty of combustibles nearby.

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t is at this point that your insistence on taking advantage of the element of surprise is interrupted by the sound of a distant explosion, preceded a split-second by what sounds all too suspiciously like the powerful crackle of lightning half a kilometer away. You can't actually see the lightning past the trees of branches and leaves and canopy and foliage, but the sound is unmistakable. As the bandits in the clearing freeze up and turn in alarm towards the direction of the blast - fortunately in a direction to your right and not actually at the three of you not-quite-so-hidden amidst the trees - you fight down an urge not to bury your face in your hand. It's all too obvious who is responsible for ruining that element of surprise.

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@Kei
Just by making sure, Elizabeth can do quiet magic, right? As in, not as loud as this one was?

Because if so, why she went loud now means she's sending a signal for trouble. And if Elizabeth of all people signal that, it means it's actually bad shit. And if that was not meant to be a signal, well... We'll have to have a word with her after this.

[x] Take the safe option and rush towards where you heard the blast, making sure that Stephanie and Elizabeth are safe and unhurt.

[x] Take the safe option and rush towards where you heard the blast, making sure that Stephanie and Elizabeth are safe and unhurt.
With the info we have I'm leaning towards prioritising our team over the bandits or the knight. On the one hand Elizabeth and Stephanie have that instructor following them, but then they still sent lightning up for some reason. Best make sure they're ok.

Karnax626 said:

On the one hand Elizabeth and Stephanie have that instructor following them

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She's only intervening in a worst case scenario. And that means that if she help them, they would probably have died and we get a F back at the Academy. ESPECIALLY because we were the one that proposed signals to start with.

Well that was some insight into the knight monasteries, or at least the people that hail from it. Neianne certainly has experience with secluded communities due to her and her parents originating from a Dryad settlement. But if I had to think of an difference, it's that the Dryads are probably more utilitarian. They don't train and master combat for any higher ideals, but for practical purposes like hunting or defending themselves. They're also probably more aware that just because they're withdrawn from larger societies, that it doesn't mean they won't have any interactions with them that they didn't allow on their terms. Compared to this knight who didn't even conceive that the theft of the sword wasn't Monastery-related, like the world at large would politely not interfere with her business.

As for which tactic to go for. Clearly, Elizabeth and Stephanie can handle themselves here, and going to them would be to set a precedent as being the kind of leader that prioritizes her team above all and being a prudent leader who would rather regroup and coordinate if things don't go as planned.
Charging with Eleanore will likely route those bandits and secure the stolen goods, leaving them to flee left if they even have a chance and they'll be the ones with the disadvantage of the incline if we pursue. It sets a precedent for being the pragmatic sort of leader that goes for the most likely course of action that accomplishes her goals and ensures victory.
Flanking left offers the most complete victory if it succeeds, and I'm sure Neianne can manage on her own despite selecting an unfavorable battleground thanks to her knife, forest Buster Sword training, and natural advantages as a Dryad, but I'm less certain about Sieglinde being able to make the push or support Neianne's push even with her talent (though I think she'd at least be able to defend herself). It also relies on our teammates and new ally doing what we expect them to without having planned things out with them. It sets the precedent of being an ambitious leader that takes risks for the best results.

Yeah okay, with the lightning probably being a clear signal to us instead of just Elizabeth initiating an assault on her own. I'm convinced to go with this in case of the former, and get ready to chew her out is it's the later.

[x] Take the safe option and rush towards where you heard the blast, making sure that Stephanie and Elizabeth are safe and unhurt.

[x] Take the safe option and rush towards where you heard the blast, making sure that Stephanie and Elizabeth are safe and unhurt.

Lightning was the agreed upon signal, yeah. If it turns out there's some other reason Elizabeth is using lightning other than to signal (other than her screwing up), it'll just have to be a lesson for implementing future signals.

Of course, this lightning isn't up into the sky, so it might be that Elizabeth thinks that the bolt would need to be visible as well as audible for it to count as a signal. If that's the case, it'll still be a learning experience, just that the lesson is on the importance of clear communication rather than implication and subtext.

Kei said:

Two months is really an unacceptable amount of time to write just 4.7k words. I hate me, I hate my life.

I am going to try to stick to trying to update every other week. And for every three days I miss my deadline, that's one extra floor from which to jump.

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I would normally dismiss this as dark humor, but you've previously mentioned depression so... please believe me when I say I absolutely found this chapter to be worth the wait.

Kei said:

Eleanore blinks for a moment, confused. Then - without really even looking into the sky, as if she's taking you entirely on your word, or as if she knows of no way to confirm this - she merely says, "...Ah." Then she turns counterclockwise and begins to walk again.

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Okay. Sister Eleanore may just have a cartoonish lack of a sense of direction. But given what else we see, it seems she understands the basic idea of North and South, East and West. She just doesn't know what they are or how they match up. This implies she's never had to learn and/or use compass directions. Which raises some more questions about life in the mountain shrines. Or at least her shrine.

Kei said:

"N-No," you say blankly, too confused at this to even really register that Eleanore didn't even know you're a dryad, "we're just...d-durable." You're not sure whether this or if the knight's exposure to dryads being solely from Anya's romance books would be preferable; you're a bit too caught up in the fact that the knight before you didn't even know what a dryad is. What rock has she been hiding under?

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This whole passage (including the parts I didn't bother to quote) really drives home the idea that maybe Neianne was being too kind when she avoided the word "cloistered". This is way past, "never seen a dryad before". Instead, she's coming across as lacking basic education.
Wait. What does this mean for our theories on Steph's origins? Is this sort of racial ignorance just among Eleanore's shrine or is it universal?

Kei said:

Sometimes sarcasm is all you have.

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ah. finally some narrative defense for Neianne's changes in personality.

Kei said:

"I...just thought the knight orders were..." you trail off, deciding that perhaps the word "cloistered" - with its implication of being sheltered - is not the most appropriate term to use for knights. Yes, it is fast occurring to you that Eleanore perhaps is sheltered, but you don't want her swinging her sword at you or - worse - trying to pluck the leaves in your hair again. "More secluded," you finally allow. "That you just...stay in your shrines."

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Huh. I missed the middle part of this paragraph on my first (admittedly fast) read through. Honestly though, I am unsure Eleanore would have picked up on the negative connotations.

Kei said:

Something about "sinful lowlands" fills you with a sense of muted annoyance, even if you do not yet have words to give voice to that frustration. Without really thinking, words begin spilling out of your mouth, more from annoyance than from sudden religious conviction: "No problem is solved by hiding from the World."

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Be the change you want to see in the world. Though I guess, Eleanore would argue that she is.

Kei said:

"You carry with you the ancient faith of the dryads, then," Eleanore observes with what almost sounds like a hint of approval, which is almost strange given her Conceptualist roots.

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Kei said:

Eleanore looks at you askance. "I would have thought," she says, "that when dryads come out of the forest, they would want to adopt the faith of the land they're in." Her gaze turns in the direction of Sieglinde, as if expecting a fellow elf to back her up on this point.

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Kei said:

The elven knight's eyes narrow. "It would've been ideal if you carried the faith of your foremothers."

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This interesting. Eleanore, at least, doesn't seem to be as bothered by heathenism as she is by atheism. Instead she seems to respect theism in general.

Kei said:

There's a near-imperceptible hardening around Eleanore's eyes. A subtle frustration that you sense is directed elsewhere, not at you and Sieglinde. Maybe you've just gotten good at reading emotionally-obscure elves. "Do you think us free of sin? I am here seeking to retrieve a gift from a rival, am I not?"

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Kei said:

"To be free of sin is the journey of a knight, not something that merely comes with being a knight. That we are meant to honor the merits and shun the vices of the old ways does not mean we are always successful in abandoning the corruption of power and wealth and war, as our foremothers once were. This hiring of cutthroats proves just that."

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Another interesting reveal of Eleanore's character. She obviously see's being sinless as an ideal to strive for instead of an inherent state of being. Her frustration, given an obvious lack of socialization, heavily implies that this misconception is not one people have of Knights but of a disagreement among knights. I guess the question is whether this is an inter-shrine disagreement or an intra-shrine one.
I do find the line about the "foremothers" being sinless interesting.

Okay. This whole next section jumps around too much more me to quote it well.
But, Eleanore seems to be really lacking in empathy. Not in the psychopath way, but more in the completely ignorant kind of way.
She straight up doesn't understand what bandits actually are for one.
Then there's the implication she doesn't really understand what war is.
Her criticisms of the peasant bandits are accurate. But her expectations of them scream "Why don't they just get a better job?"
Lastly, wow. The Knight Orders really took the loss hard if they're using the term heretic in comparison to how polite Eleanore has been on the subject of religion so far. (and I won't excuse this as Eleanore just being polite enough to avoid insulting people to their face after the whole Dryad thing.)

Kei said:

But Sieglinde looks thoughtful for a moment before admitting, "She is not entirely without merit. I personally took quite well to her point about..."

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I wonder what Sieglinde was going to say. I'm going to guess "honor the merits and shun the vices of the old ways".

Kei said:

She doesn't have the chance to finish her sentence as she suddenly stops in her tracks, bends a knee behind a bush as you swiftly do the same, and holds a fist up in the air in an unmistakable signal for the group to halt. Unfortunately, almost expectedly, Eleanore is completely confused by the gesture and continues walking, blinking at Sieglinde and asking, "What's wrong?"

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More evidence the Knightly Orders, despite their military origins, have really taken to heart treating war as a vice to be avoided.

Kei said:

Eleanore squints before replying, "Not from here. But it'll be there." She rises to a standing position, already moving to draw her sword from the scabbard. "This will be the easy work of thirty seconds, then."

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30 seconds to take on a deserter and a "dozen or so" other people. There's no way she can reasonably expect them to rout that fast (morale loss takes time to sink in). Just how fast is she?

okay. Leadership styles.

[ ] Take advantage of Eleanore's momentum as a knight, and use her as the bulwark for a devastating frontal attack.
[ ] Take a moment to flank left in a surprise pincer attack instead, hoping that Stephanie and Elizabeth will manage to flank right while Eleanore goes down the center in rough tandem.
[ ] Take the safe option and rush towards where you heard the blast, making sure that Stephanie and Elizabeth are safe and unhurt.

Other factors to take into consideration.
(1) Sister Eleanore is a knight and presumably capable of routing the bandits alone. While she has no reason to pursue them, she'll very likely incapacitate a significant portion of them before they manage to flee. Thus, we could argue Neianne has effectively outsourced the bandit problem to a reliable third party and can/should prioritize her own subordinates.
(2) Steph and Beth went to find the Sheriff and have an instructor with them. While the instructor won't interfere except as a last resort, the Sheriff is famous, was supposed to wait to meet up with them, and would have no problems with actively helping the apprentices. Now granted, maybe something happened and they got separated or never found her, but we have no way of knowing.

So...
Given what we do and do not know...

I am going to tentatively vote:
[X] Take the safe option and rush towards where you heard the blast, making sure that Stephanie and Elizabeth are safe and unhurt.

I'll be honest... I started this post leaning toward a flanking maneuver. But, we know Eleanore is capable of handling herself and is not our responsibility. And Steph and Beth are our responsibility and we don't know if they ever found the Sheriff.

me.me.here said:

Of course, this lightning isn't up into the sky, so it might be that Elizabeth thinks that the bolt would need to be visible as well as audible for it to count as a signal. If that's the case, it'll still be a learning experience, just that the lesson is on the importance of clear communication rather than implication and subtext.

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I think it would be too much to assume we would be looking in the right direction, at the right time and have nothing blocking our view. Given a whistle was our on signal, I believe sound was the very mcuh agreed type of signal.

Megaolix said:

I think it would be too much to assume we would be looking in the right direction, at the right time and have nothing blocking our view. Given a whistle was our on signal, I believe sound was the very mcuh agreed type of signal.

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That was what was implied, yeah - but it was never explicitly laid out, so there is room for potential misunderstandings.

My initial thought was the pincer plan, but the reference to bad terrain swayed me toward frontal assault... but yeah, the lightning blast was supposed to be the call for help signal, so...

But ultimately I come down on:

[x] Take advantage of Eleanore's momentum as a knight, and use her as the bulwark for a devastating frontal attack.

Even if the lightning was the signal, the trouble is almost certainly "Bandits!" so it seems like the best thing to do is deal with this group to keep them from reinforcing whoever is fighting the rest of our team.

[X] Take the safe option and rush towards where you heard the blast, making sure that Stephanie and Elizabeth are safe and unhurt.

[x] Take advantage of Eleanore's momentum as a knight, and use her as the bulwark for a devastating frontal attack.

My thoughts on the three options:
-Follow Eleanore

This has the advantage of simplicity, which is valuable because we're not in communication, and she's already running off ignoring everything.
Relatively unlikely to screw up, since shock vs green troops/bandits is powerful.

-Flank

This is risky because Elizabeth's side isn't in on the plan, and it divides our 5 people into 3 fronts. I.e. we're taking a big risk of defeat in detail if ANY of the three fronts fail.

-Rush to Elizabeth

Nice thought, but counterproductive.
Elizabeth is great at throwing AoE around and rushing to her while she doesn't know we're here is a great way to wind up eating friendly fire or blocking her own attacks.

[x] Take advantage of Eleanore's momentum as a knight, and use her as the bulwark for a devastating frontal attack.

[X] Take the safe option and rush towards where you heard the blast, making sure that Stephanie and Elizabeth are safe and unhurt.

veekie said:

Nice thought, but counterproductive.
Elizabeth is great at throwing AoE around and rushing to her while she doesn't know we're here is a great way to wind up eating friendly fire or blocking her own attacks.

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I have faith in Elizabeth that she wouldn't blast the reinforcements she specifically called for with a predetermined signal. Forgive me for not thinking the option is "counterproductive".

[x] Take the safe option and rush towards where you heard the blast, making sure that Stephanie and Elizabeth are safe and unhurt.

Knights have been presented as the pinnacle of martial skill, just with to many hangups to ever be useful to anyone outside their orders.

While hitting harder is good, we have no idea how the Knight actually fights and can't guarantee that they can actually work with us.
My first thought is to possibly flank, but there is not enough information or communication to coordinate anything.
Finally, Elizabeth signaled that there was trouble. If she actually thinks something is trouble then they probably need aid of some sort. Look after our own and we can hunt more bandits later.

We did learn that these are possibly run by deserters based on the leader's bearing though, so that can be a point towards the first and final options. Depending on how you look at it.