Paralogue: Vocalist Fangirls Over BSFE Some More
Vocalist
Verdant Maiden in Violet
- Location
- By a Cedar Tree
Aurelis is often spoken of as a harsh and forbidding land. Much the same as Macedon, it was not settled right away, and only then by outcasts and adventurers who found the hierarchy of the Holy Kingdom confining and yearned to reclaim the freedom enjoyed by the first colonists. Its vast plains are too arid to grow aught but dry grass, and so its inhabitants live nomadic lives, leading herds of hopping, hungry pols voices and porcine bulbos from field to field.
Villages that move from month to month are hard to find, and what's worse, the people tend to be poor. Aurelis is usually not considered worth the effort to raid, but it is considered worth the effort to conquer – by Medeus – and Michalis wishes to be prepared for the inevitable invasion. 'The goal is to spend as little and gain as much as possible,' was how he'd put it. Privately, Minerva thinks this all a bit…degrading. Sizing up the wealth of people who have little to begin with, scrabbling for scraps from the table of an emperor because he's barred them from their traditional hunting grounds, jumping at the chance to please him…She was never convinced by Gharnef's arguments. Macedonians have always fought against darkness and domination, and if that meant allying with the so-called Holy Kingdom, well, there is such a thing as a lesser evil.
But she is loyal and loving to her brother and king. This is the path he's chosen for Macedon and she will see that their kingdom reaches the end intact. Failure would be the real sin. As such, she takes three dozen Whitewings and half a dozen dracoknights with her to Aurelis. They split apart to cover the vast and empty prairie, pegasus knights in groups of three and dracoknights alone, navigating by the stars and filling in empty maps. Minerva does an equal share of the work. She flies past tent villages smoking with cookfires and cold empty forts – and some not-so-empty forts, which have her and Leonidas dodging arrows. It's bracing, really; they haven't had the chance to do some real flying in a while.
[Spending time with Leonidas: 98+15(Wings Obscuring the Sky). New total 113/???. Milestone reached! Minerva's wyvern rider trait has been upgraded.]
[Elite Red Dragoon: You chose to bond a red wyvern – swift and aggressive, but tiring easily. Through your strong bond, the two of you are able to combine a wyvern's ferocity with a human's wisdom. +7 Martial]
"Just a watchtower," she mutters, making a note on her map. "To give early warning of invaders. Couldn't have been more than two people shooting at me." Their density increases as she flies further north, and she is forced to spur Leonidas higher and higher, search longer into the night for a safe place to lay her bedroll, until one early morning she is awoken from uncomfortable sleep in a gully of scratchy bushes by the noise of an approaching patrol.
Wrapped in her blankets, she's terribly vulnerable. But any movement she might make would rustle the bushes and draw their attention. Leonidas is tensing – she can feel him scratching at her mind – and a vision unfolds, of him bursting from the gully to keep them occupied while she readies her weapon. They approach, and as she tries to steady her breathing, she hears their voices, catches the rhythm of their easy conversation. She makes a decision. She will hope that the sparse foliage is enough to hide his scarlet scales.
Stay completely still and quiet.
The command sparks through her implants, and the red wyvern obediently sinks back to the ground. She is used to holding back an over-aggressive wyvern (it is a common enough flaw in the species, especially the reds). She can control him regardless; her implants have never failed in that regard. It's just…there is something different about this time.
When she orders him to do something he doesn't really want to do, obedience is not instant. There's usually a shudder, a little hitch as his instincts struggle against her commands. She was worried, in fact, about the possibility of him making some noise in the process. But that didn't happen. Complete silence. Smooth responsiveness. She stares into a dark red eye.
…Understanding?
The voices draw close enough to be deciphered, accompanied by the tramp of hooves and what sounds like the snorting of pegasi. "…they're not from Macedon. Well, yes, they're from Macedon, but they're not for Macedon. They're rebels, that's what the rumors say."
"Well, why can't they do their rebelling somewhere else? It feels like we're the continent's armpit these days…"
"Coyote said something about an opportunity in disguise. He went to go meet them; can you imagine having all those wyverns on our side?"
"I don't know. Can you imagine him actually recruiting them?"
"Well, he brought Roshea with him."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"C'mon, it's Roshea! He's just the cutest little guy! I don't think anyone can say no to that face…" The voices fade away, continuing their friendly conversation none the wiser that one of the wyverns they are discussing is actually right there. Minerva scoffs quietly. She is certainly not a rebel! It should be clear to any competent military commander that her forces are scouting out Aurelis in preparation for a future strike. Her men have orders not to engage with the locals if possible, so this Coyote (and his cute little guy) are likely to return alive, but empty-handed. Possibly the best outcome; it will be a boon to Macedon if such an idiot remains in command.
Minerva waits a while just to be safe. They are mere dots, making their way back to the stone silhouette – the only true castle she's seen in this country – they emerged from, when the wyvern and rider take to the air.
She dares not get much closer to that castle, not without a substantial army. She is far enough north that the steppe is transitioning to mountains. Nestled in between two foothills, well-guarded by layered stone walls and firing platforms built into the natural rock, Minerva judges that it could hold more people than the Aerie, and be as hard to take as anything the Grustian military engineers have created. It seems likely that she's found Aurelis's capital. Satisfied, she turns back south.
She and Leonidas spend a few more days with only each other's company until, one bright day over the lea, she sees the silhouettes of a dracoknight and a pegasus knight. Well, even she is getting to the point where she'd appreciate some human company, so she takes this as a stroke of luck. She flies in closer and flashes a greeting sign.
Neither of them respond. Minerva takes in more of the scene: sunlight flashing on violet scales and drawn weapons. These riders are not flying together, she realizes; the wyvern is chasing the pegasus. What's more, of the knights she brought with her, only Audrey rides a violet and that rider is the wrong build to be them!
In a cold, breathless moment, Minerva thinks back to the nonsensical conversation she overhead back at the North Fort, and realizes that she and her scouts are not the only Macedonians in Aurelis.
…Ruben's wing is here. And, if the Aurelians have the right of it, they are trying to betray Michalis. She has not seen many pegasi among the Aurelians; they do not live wild here. That pegasus rider is very likely one of her Whitewings.
Dive. Aim for the wyvern.
[Minerva vs. Violet Dragoon, Martial: 25 + 41 + 15 (Wings Obscuring the Sky) = 81 vs. 98 + 16 = 114; Failure]
The other dracoknight has realized that they are not on the same side. Gripping onto their mount, they disengage from the Whitewing and roll out of the way with the violets' peculiar agility. Leonidas's outstretched claws do not so much as brush the whipping tail. Minerva makes a strangled noise of frustration; now she has wasted the twin advantages of surprise and altitude. She looks to the others as Leonidas begins the work of climbing again.
[??? vs. Violet Dragoon, Martial: 29 + 16 = 45 vs. 64 + 16 = 80; Failure]
[Violet Dragoon vs. Minerva: 35 + 16 = 51 vs. 43 + 41 + 15 (Wings Obscuring the Sky) + 8 (Red Scale Armor) = 107; Solid Failure]
The pegasus knight is throwing a javelin. It doesn't amount to much, but at least the work of dodging keeps the other dracoknight from taking advantage of her unbalanced state.
[Minerva vs. Violet Dragoon: 37 + 41 + 15 (Wings Obscuring the Sky) = 93 vs. 61 + 16 = 77; Success]
[??? vs. Violet Dragoon: 86 + 16 = 102 vs. 85 + 16 = 101; Bare Success]
Leonidas and the pegasus draw closer at the same time. Pinned in between them, the dracoknight is getting nervous. They decide to drop. The inexperienced Whitewing doesn't recognize the maneuver; her spear clangs off a tail spine that is suddenly where the leg muscles were. Minerva, however, knows every angle of a wyvern's wings and her thoughts are Leonidas's own. As her axe sweeps through thin air, the red wyvern's maw bites down, teeth catching on scales. The opponent slips free with gravity's help, lines of dark blood staining its flank. A shallow wound. Not enough to bring them down.
[Violet Dragoon vs. Minerva: 100 + 16 = 116 vs. 40 + 41 + 15 (Wings Obscuring the Sky) + 8 (Red Scale Armor) = 104; Critical Success]
But enough to make them desperate. Minerva hears faint words reach her through the howling of the wind, sees a mouth open wide like a void, and, for one very short moment, her hair stands on end.
Then she is struck by lightning. It is a hammerblow to all the senses at once. Day becomes brighter than day, air flees, every single muscle is squeezed by a burning hand, and the only blessing is that darkness falls quickly.
…Darkness rises quickly, too. The two of them regain consciousness before it is too late to avoid crashing into the ground. She fixes her gaze on the horizon to help Leonidas right himself and he arrests their fall. The Whitewing, keeping dangerously close, falls back a bit and flashes an inexpert hand sign. She's asking to land and treat the wounded. Minerva thinks she and Leonidas are fine to fly, but there's no telling what wounds the girl took before she got here.
The violet dracoknight is far above and far away. Minerva glares at them ruefully as she lands, and marks the direction they're fleeing in. Then she turns her attention to her Whitewing. "Are you injured?"
"Only a little frightened." The blue-haired maiden beams up at her with a babyish face. That's not one of her Whitewings. "That brute never caught me. I'm far more worried about you!" This is a complete stranger. "I had no idea he was a mage! He wasn't carrying a spell tome – I've heard that casting without is much harder, so that must be why he only pulled out that Thunder spell once he was really pressed." She has just jumped into a duel between two complete strangers. "How are you feeling? Can you walk?"
Minerva has not yet fully unstrapped herself from the saddle, too shocked at the revelation. The stranger seems to take this as a sign of her infirmity, and walks forward, still chattering away. "Let me help you. I don't have any experience with wyverns, so please let me know if I do anything wrong."
[Wyvern Charming, Diplomacy, Difficulty 75: 34 + 14 + 30 (Do you believe in love?) = 78; Bare Success]
Her deft little fingers settle on the saddle and begin picking at the straps. To Minerva's amazement, Leonidas lets her off with naught but a glare and a slow-building growl. "Oh?" She looks between the wyvern and Minerva, wondering what to do.
"Calm, boy," Minerva mutters. "He's picky about who approaches him. Most wyverns are," she lectures, back on familiar ground for a moment. She fumbles with her straps, hands still shaky from the lightning strike, and eventually gets herself free. Her knees shake, and might have given out if not for the other rider supporting her.
"Let's check you for burns," the pegasus rider suggests, and since Minerva doesn't see how this stranger could ambush and slay her with some bandages and a waterskin, she agrees. "Have I thanked you yet? Well, let me rectify that. I am so grateful to you for intervening when you did."
She has such a sweet air to her, and dabs at her raw skin so tenderly, that Minerva finds it hard to feel unhappy about taking her side, though she still finds it terrifically embarrassing. "Repay me by explaining the events that led up to this…situation."
"Let's start by introducing ourselves. I am Caeda," says the pegasus rider.
[Does Minerva think to hide her name?, Intrigue, Difficulty 40: 14 + 10 = 24; Failure]
"Minerva," she replies.
"Oh? Are you the same as the King of Macedon's sister?" Caeda's eyes glitter with interest.
Minerva hates the mortifying ordeal of being known. Her chest is already constricting.
"…Okay then. Well, my rescuer, you should know that the village I was staying at was just attacked by eleven – I counted – dracoknight bandits, who tore down houses looking for things they could steal. They struck down anyone who got in their way. They gathered up food, precious goods, and at least one woman to take back to their hideout." Eyes flashing with outrage, Caeda recounts, "There was no way we could stop them. So I saddled my pegasus, in order to fly to the Wolfguard and alert them to bring about a swift retribution. One of their number followed me to stop my message, and it was a close chase between us – until you arrived." She presses her lips together. All this time, her hands have not stopped working, if inexpertly.
[Healing Minerva, Learning, Difficulty 45: 75 + 12 = 87; Success]
Well, Minerva was not badly burned in the first place, so it's enough. The raw parts of her skin are wrapped in bandages, thick enough that they can take the weight of her armor once more. She slides the metal-reinforced scales back on, fingers working automatically (the shaking has stopped) as her mind grapples with the story she's been told. Its brutality is almost banal. Macedon's raiders have done such things countless times in the past and she is here in Aurelis so that they may do so again. Michalis would probably only be angry that these dracoknights were not doing so in his name. And yet Caeda shakes with anger, as if she truly believes that this should not happen.
"Princess Minerva," the girl pleads, "I have already seen that you are a true knight. You would not abide such men in Macedon, and so they left to wreak havoc elsewhere. You have come here to put an end to these deserters, is that not the case?"
"…I cannot tell you why I'm here," is all Minerva says.
"When I reach Lord Hardin and the Wolfguard, they will be outraged to hear my news. They will ride against the deserters at once. You would be welcome to ride with us." She says all this with such certainty, such faith. Here is someone who still believes in the essential goodness of the human spirit.
Standing before her, Minerva feels such anger and shame. It would be beyond perverse to take it out on young Caeda, so she'll go after Ruben instead. But it is still her decision how she goes about it.
[ ] With the Wolfguard Battle makes strange bedfellows, sometimes. Follow Caeda to these knights of Aurelis and lend Hauteclere to their crusade. Present the bandits with the justice that they deserve.
[ ] With the Whitewings She will not forget who is her enemy and who is her friend. Fly to the rendezvous point, gather up whoever's present, and present the traitor with the weight of Macedon's displeasure.
Villages that move from month to month are hard to find, and what's worse, the people tend to be poor. Aurelis is usually not considered worth the effort to raid, but it is considered worth the effort to conquer – by Medeus – and Michalis wishes to be prepared for the inevitable invasion. 'The goal is to spend as little and gain as much as possible,' was how he'd put it. Privately, Minerva thinks this all a bit…degrading. Sizing up the wealth of people who have little to begin with, scrabbling for scraps from the table of an emperor because he's barred them from their traditional hunting grounds, jumping at the chance to please him…She was never convinced by Gharnef's arguments. Macedonians have always fought against darkness and domination, and if that meant allying with the so-called Holy Kingdom, well, there is such a thing as a lesser evil.
But she is loyal and loving to her brother and king. This is the path he's chosen for Macedon and she will see that their kingdom reaches the end intact. Failure would be the real sin. As such, she takes three dozen Whitewings and half a dozen dracoknights with her to Aurelis. They split apart to cover the vast and empty prairie, pegasus knights in groups of three and dracoknights alone, navigating by the stars and filling in empty maps. Minerva does an equal share of the work. She flies past tent villages smoking with cookfires and cold empty forts – and some not-so-empty forts, which have her and Leonidas dodging arrows. It's bracing, really; they haven't had the chance to do some real flying in a while.
[Spending time with Leonidas: 98+15(Wings Obscuring the Sky). New total 113/???. Milestone reached! Minerva's wyvern rider trait has been upgraded.]
[Elite Red Dragoon: You chose to bond a red wyvern – swift and aggressive, but tiring easily. Through your strong bond, the two of you are able to combine a wyvern's ferocity with a human's wisdom. +7 Martial]
"Just a watchtower," she mutters, making a note on her map. "To give early warning of invaders. Couldn't have been more than two people shooting at me." Their density increases as she flies further north, and she is forced to spur Leonidas higher and higher, search longer into the night for a safe place to lay her bedroll, until one early morning she is awoken from uncomfortable sleep in a gully of scratchy bushes by the noise of an approaching patrol.
Wrapped in her blankets, she's terribly vulnerable. But any movement she might make would rustle the bushes and draw their attention. Leonidas is tensing – she can feel him scratching at her mind – and a vision unfolds, of him bursting from the gully to keep them occupied while she readies her weapon. They approach, and as she tries to steady her breathing, she hears their voices, catches the rhythm of their easy conversation. She makes a decision. She will hope that the sparse foliage is enough to hide his scarlet scales.
Stay completely still and quiet.
The command sparks through her implants, and the red wyvern obediently sinks back to the ground. She is used to holding back an over-aggressive wyvern (it is a common enough flaw in the species, especially the reds). She can control him regardless; her implants have never failed in that regard. It's just…there is something different about this time.
When she orders him to do something he doesn't really want to do, obedience is not instant. There's usually a shudder, a little hitch as his instincts struggle against her commands. She was worried, in fact, about the possibility of him making some noise in the process. But that didn't happen. Complete silence. Smooth responsiveness. She stares into a dark red eye.
…Understanding?
The voices draw close enough to be deciphered, accompanied by the tramp of hooves and what sounds like the snorting of pegasi. "…they're not from Macedon. Well, yes, they're from Macedon, but they're not for Macedon. They're rebels, that's what the rumors say."
"Well, why can't they do their rebelling somewhere else? It feels like we're the continent's armpit these days…"
"Coyote said something about an opportunity in disguise. He went to go meet them; can you imagine having all those wyverns on our side?"
"I don't know. Can you imagine him actually recruiting them?"
"Well, he brought Roshea with him."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"C'mon, it's Roshea! He's just the cutest little guy! I don't think anyone can say no to that face…" The voices fade away, continuing their friendly conversation none the wiser that one of the wyverns they are discussing is actually right there. Minerva scoffs quietly. She is certainly not a rebel! It should be clear to any competent military commander that her forces are scouting out Aurelis in preparation for a future strike. Her men have orders not to engage with the locals if possible, so this Coyote (and his cute little guy) are likely to return alive, but empty-handed. Possibly the best outcome; it will be a boon to Macedon if such an idiot remains in command.
Minerva waits a while just to be safe. They are mere dots, making their way back to the stone silhouette – the only true castle she's seen in this country – they emerged from, when the wyvern and rider take to the air.
She dares not get much closer to that castle, not without a substantial army. She is far enough north that the steppe is transitioning to mountains. Nestled in between two foothills, well-guarded by layered stone walls and firing platforms built into the natural rock, Minerva judges that it could hold more people than the Aerie, and be as hard to take as anything the Grustian military engineers have created. It seems likely that she's found Aurelis's capital. Satisfied, she turns back south.
She and Leonidas spend a few more days with only each other's company until, one bright day over the lea, she sees the silhouettes of a dracoknight and a pegasus knight. Well, even she is getting to the point where she'd appreciate some human company, so she takes this as a stroke of luck. She flies in closer and flashes a greeting sign.
Neither of them respond. Minerva takes in more of the scene: sunlight flashing on violet scales and drawn weapons. These riders are not flying together, she realizes; the wyvern is chasing the pegasus. What's more, of the knights she brought with her, only Audrey rides a violet and that rider is the wrong build to be them!
In a cold, breathless moment, Minerva thinks back to the nonsensical conversation she overhead back at the North Fort, and realizes that she and her scouts are not the only Macedonians in Aurelis.
…Ruben's wing is here. And, if the Aurelians have the right of it, they are trying to betray Michalis. She has not seen many pegasi among the Aurelians; they do not live wild here. That pegasus rider is very likely one of her Whitewings.
Dive. Aim for the wyvern.
[Minerva vs. Violet Dragoon, Martial: 25 + 41 + 15 (Wings Obscuring the Sky) = 81 vs. 98 + 16 = 114; Failure]
The other dracoknight has realized that they are not on the same side. Gripping onto their mount, they disengage from the Whitewing and roll out of the way with the violets' peculiar agility. Leonidas's outstretched claws do not so much as brush the whipping tail. Minerva makes a strangled noise of frustration; now she has wasted the twin advantages of surprise and altitude. She looks to the others as Leonidas begins the work of climbing again.
[??? vs. Violet Dragoon, Martial: 29 + 16 = 45 vs. 64 + 16 = 80; Failure]
[Violet Dragoon vs. Minerva: 35 + 16 = 51 vs. 43 + 41 + 15 (Wings Obscuring the Sky) + 8 (Red Scale Armor) = 107; Solid Failure]
The pegasus knight is throwing a javelin. It doesn't amount to much, but at least the work of dodging keeps the other dracoknight from taking advantage of her unbalanced state.
[Minerva vs. Violet Dragoon: 37 + 41 + 15 (Wings Obscuring the Sky) = 93 vs. 61 + 16 = 77; Success]
[??? vs. Violet Dragoon: 86 + 16 = 102 vs. 85 + 16 = 101; Bare Success]
Leonidas and the pegasus draw closer at the same time. Pinned in between them, the dracoknight is getting nervous. They decide to drop. The inexperienced Whitewing doesn't recognize the maneuver; her spear clangs off a tail spine that is suddenly where the leg muscles were. Minerva, however, knows every angle of a wyvern's wings and her thoughts are Leonidas's own. As her axe sweeps through thin air, the red wyvern's maw bites down, teeth catching on scales. The opponent slips free with gravity's help, lines of dark blood staining its flank. A shallow wound. Not enough to bring them down.
[Violet Dragoon vs. Minerva: 100 + 16 = 116 vs. 40 + 41 + 15 (Wings Obscuring the Sky) + 8 (Red Scale Armor) = 104; Critical Success]
But enough to make them desperate. Minerva hears faint words reach her through the howling of the wind, sees a mouth open wide like a void, and, for one very short moment, her hair stands on end.
Then she is struck by lightning. It is a hammerblow to all the senses at once. Day becomes brighter than day, air flees, every single muscle is squeezed by a burning hand, and the only blessing is that darkness falls quickly.
…Darkness rises quickly, too. The two of them regain consciousness before it is too late to avoid crashing into the ground. She fixes her gaze on the horizon to help Leonidas right himself and he arrests their fall. The Whitewing, keeping dangerously close, falls back a bit and flashes an inexpert hand sign. She's asking to land and treat the wounded. Minerva thinks she and Leonidas are fine to fly, but there's no telling what wounds the girl took before she got here.
The violet dracoknight is far above and far away. Minerva glares at them ruefully as she lands, and marks the direction they're fleeing in. Then she turns her attention to her Whitewing. "Are you injured?"
"Only a little frightened." The blue-haired maiden beams up at her with a babyish face. That's not one of her Whitewings. "That brute never caught me. I'm far more worried about you!" This is a complete stranger. "I had no idea he was a mage! He wasn't carrying a spell tome – I've heard that casting without is much harder, so that must be why he only pulled out that Thunder spell once he was really pressed." She has just jumped into a duel between two complete strangers. "How are you feeling? Can you walk?"
Minerva has not yet fully unstrapped herself from the saddle, too shocked at the revelation. The stranger seems to take this as a sign of her infirmity, and walks forward, still chattering away. "Let me help you. I don't have any experience with wyverns, so please let me know if I do anything wrong."
[Wyvern Charming, Diplomacy, Difficulty 75: 34 + 14 + 30 (Do you believe in love?) = 78; Bare Success]
Her deft little fingers settle on the saddle and begin picking at the straps. To Minerva's amazement, Leonidas lets her off with naught but a glare and a slow-building growl. "Oh?" She looks between the wyvern and Minerva, wondering what to do.
"Calm, boy," Minerva mutters. "He's picky about who approaches him. Most wyverns are," she lectures, back on familiar ground for a moment. She fumbles with her straps, hands still shaky from the lightning strike, and eventually gets herself free. Her knees shake, and might have given out if not for the other rider supporting her.
"Let's check you for burns," the pegasus rider suggests, and since Minerva doesn't see how this stranger could ambush and slay her with some bandages and a waterskin, she agrees. "Have I thanked you yet? Well, let me rectify that. I am so grateful to you for intervening when you did."
She has such a sweet air to her, and dabs at her raw skin so tenderly, that Minerva finds it hard to feel unhappy about taking her side, though she still finds it terrifically embarrassing. "Repay me by explaining the events that led up to this…situation."
"Let's start by introducing ourselves. I am Caeda," says the pegasus rider.
[Does Minerva think to hide her name?, Intrigue, Difficulty 40: 14 + 10 = 24; Failure]
"Minerva," she replies.
"Oh? Are you the same as the King of Macedon's sister?" Caeda's eyes glitter with interest.
Minerva hates the mortifying ordeal of being known. Her chest is already constricting.
"…Okay then. Well, my rescuer, you should know that the village I was staying at was just attacked by eleven – I counted – dracoknight bandits, who tore down houses looking for things they could steal. They struck down anyone who got in their way. They gathered up food, precious goods, and at least one woman to take back to their hideout." Eyes flashing with outrage, Caeda recounts, "There was no way we could stop them. So I saddled my pegasus, in order to fly to the Wolfguard and alert them to bring about a swift retribution. One of their number followed me to stop my message, and it was a close chase between us – until you arrived." She presses her lips together. All this time, her hands have not stopped working, if inexpertly.
[Healing Minerva, Learning, Difficulty 45: 75 + 12 = 87; Success]
Well, Minerva was not badly burned in the first place, so it's enough. The raw parts of her skin are wrapped in bandages, thick enough that they can take the weight of her armor once more. She slides the metal-reinforced scales back on, fingers working automatically (the shaking has stopped) as her mind grapples with the story she's been told. Its brutality is almost banal. Macedon's raiders have done such things countless times in the past and she is here in Aurelis so that they may do so again. Michalis would probably only be angry that these dracoknights were not doing so in his name. And yet Caeda shakes with anger, as if she truly believes that this should not happen.
"Princess Minerva," the girl pleads, "I have already seen that you are a true knight. You would not abide such men in Macedon, and so they left to wreak havoc elsewhere. You have come here to put an end to these deserters, is that not the case?"
"…I cannot tell you why I'm here," is all Minerva says.
"When I reach Lord Hardin and the Wolfguard, they will be outraged to hear my news. They will ride against the deserters at once. You would be welcome to ride with us." She says all this with such certainty, such faith. Here is someone who still believes in the essential goodness of the human spirit.
Standing before her, Minerva feels such anger and shame. It would be beyond perverse to take it out on young Caeda, so she'll go after Ruben instead. But it is still her decision how she goes about it.
[ ] With the Wolfguard Battle makes strange bedfellows, sometimes. Follow Caeda to these knights of Aurelis and lend Hauteclere to their crusade. Present the bandits with the justice that they deserve.
[ ] With the Whitewings She will not forget who is her enemy and who is her friend. Fly to the rendezvous point, gather up whoever's present, and present the traitor with the weight of Macedon's displeasure.
Behold, the first test of combat and the Paralogue system! Funny thing is, I was expecting Minerva to utterly trounce her opponent, but the dice had other ideas. Instead of a tense interrogation, the wyvern rider got away scot-free while Caeda bandaged Minerva's wounds. Which will, ironically, end up worse for that guy in the long run, because letting Caeda have an uninterrupted conversation with someone is a surefire way to bring out a buried conscience.