The phase walker enveloped the man, briefly surrounding him in darkness, until the sounds of reality came crashing back like a wave upon the shore. The phase walker parted its shield without even breaking stride. He was safe for the time being. As he proceeded further though, there was Logan, standing next to a shredded horse.
The summoner demon looked ok.
Wait, if the damage to his horse was that bad. The kitsune. He looked back. No signs.
The phase walker proceeded to panic as well. The man didnt even have to give a follow-up command. They raced back to see a black fox bounding through the snow. The man willed the phase walker to form a handle on its back. He grabbed it, then proceeded to lean to the side.
So much for attempting to scoop her up. The fox jumped, easily clearly the height of the 'horse,' landing, then sliding on its back. Egil caught her before she could slide off, and braced her against his abdomen.
"Got her! Back to Logan."
The walker did a 180-degree turn, heading back to the summoning demon.
The cloak-like skeleton hybrid examine his horse. Dead. The kitsune communicated a similar experience.
The man slid off the phase walker. "You two take it. I'll find a way to survive."
The skull snapped him a look. "...you fucking serious?" He responded in a sharp tone.
"It will be easier for one of us to hide, than three, and I wont leave one of you behind."
Logan pointed a bony finger at the fire vortexes above the forest. "Those things are still siphoning off energy. They can make it cold enough to ensure everything in this forest dies."
"Im not leaving any-"
"Im not demanding that. Im demanding you come up with a better plan."
"Oh..." He thought for a moment. "Is teleportation an option?"
Logan scooped up some snow, studying it. "This is already a low entropy zone. Not only that, but they'll detect any spell casting."
"How long do you think it would take them to get here?"
"We didnt travel that far." He said looking down at the ground. "They're irritatingly well organized."
"Well... when a straight fight wont work, the next best option is to usually lay a trap."
"And then?"
"Take their horses."
"You sure you're not a demon?" Logan responded.
The man reached out to the gargoyle and jinn flying overhead. Both of them came in for a landing. The gargoyle dropped, using its claws on what was left of the trees to slow its descent, before reaching the ground. The jinn appeared as a cloud of fire and sand, materializing into its human form.
"We need to corral some soldiers. Give their horses nowhere to go. Was there any place either of you two saw that has walls on three sides?" Crap... he spoke it, rather than conveyed the idea over the link.
The jinn turned to the gargoyle relaying what was likely french.
"Wait... you understand me?"
The jinn turned to him. "All roads eventually intersect within my homeland."
The man smiled. "What's your name?"
"Hashir: The one who assembles."
"Glad to have you aboard."
The jinn nodded.
With the frost around them, it still felt like it should be a lot colder than it was.
The gargoyle pointed in a direction off to the right of their original escape route.
They ran over to the area. It was a fox trap: a pit-like center with hastily-built mud mounds around it. The general idea was to chase a fox into it, to corner it. The structure would just barely fit a group of men on horses. It wasnt perfect, but they just needed two.
Egil conveyed the image of the plan. Hashir would melt the middle. The gargoyle would fly a wide birth, starting a forest fire around them, except for the entrance. This would help ensure against getting flanked. The rest would hide on the mounds, and prepare for ambush.
The team wasted no time getting setup along the trap's edges. When the man saw the gargoyle's arc beam, he conveyed the signal to Hashir.
The jinn fired off a stream of flame, easily turning the pit into a steamy mud bath. The man hadnt accounted for the steam obfuscation, but was happy to have it.
Afterwords, the jinn seemed to lay back on the wall, collapsing into a pile of sand. Interesting. He might have some of the nest camouflage in the group.
Between the snow being melted nearby, and the fires in the distance, the forest seemed to take on an eerie mix of seasonal identities.
Time passed. The gargoyle fell, latching onto a thick tree, relaying the image of a wide u-shape around the area. The man wondered for a moment. If the opposition could see from the sky, they might realize the obvious trap.
Would they see it for what it was? Or would they think it was the group trying to block pursuers? He didnt really have better ideas. The jinn certainly didnt disappoint in concentrating entropy into the area, so the place must be lit up like a beacon.
Finally, the sound of horse hooves galloping. Closer... closer...
Egil slowly creeped along the ground, edging just ever so slowly to the edge of the killing ground. No horses yet.
...clop clop clop...
...stamp stamp... ...clop clop clop clop...
Finally, a horseman appeared at the entrance. The man could only just barely make out the soldier.
Was he going to enter? He appeared to be looking around.
Some shouting was barely audible in the distance. More voices. "Sae- -ere."
More voices. "-cred m-er-"
"Oh bloody hell!" The noble seemed to mutter. "Its a trap!!"
Damn! It was too obvious! Ok, lets do the fighting a little better this time. Wait, there was a hand on his back. The kitsune, held a finger to her lips.
"Sacred ear!" The noble shouted. Followed by another chorus of "sacred ear!" from other soldiers.
The sound of clanging metal, and men yelling battle cries.
Patpatpatpatpat... The man's blood ran cold. He knew that noise.
"Bring her down! Bring... her... downnnn!!!!!"
A few moments later, another voice: "A demon has killed the Dutchess Lyza!"
The man maneuvered his head down, and pressed his forehead into the dirt. We just had the murder of a noble pegged on us.
"Break off the attack! There's too many!" Another gruff voice announced.
Did we just witness a betrayal?
The man rolled onto his back, and listened. Nothing... except the distant roar of the gargoyle's fires.
Egil, after what felt like 'long enough,' moved into a crouch, skirting the rim of the *real* trap.
Dead bodies, in the snow and mid; the glow of a fire behind them.
The demons emerged from their respective hiding spots.
Logan sighed. "No horses, but at least I think they've backed off."
"Can you all make it on foot?" Hashir asked.
"Are you ok lighting the way?" The man jokingly asked. This was going to be a long walk.
"I havent really had the opportunity to walk, or use my fire openly in Europe. This could be fun."
After a brief pause, "Ok, before we head out, Im not Im not letting this opportunity go to waste. Search the fallen. Grab anything that looks valuable."
"Not the most noble act." Hashir commented.
"Chivalry and honor are the first to fall to desperation. Therefore, its better to endure small slips in conduct early, than to require more substantial breaches in ethics later."
"You've put a lot of thought into this." Hashir responded.
"You have nooooo idea."
Blank mask, blue cloak. He walked over to the body. Ring finger severed. That would mean they probably made off with her signet ring. Fucking blue blood.
The mask though. It was blank white, inlaid with gold, forming the loose features like eyes, and he guess, implied cheekbones.
The rest of her robe didnt leave much to the imagination, and not many pockets either.
He slid his fingers under the chin of the mask, to lift it up.
Her left hand grabbed his, her right hand sparked. Without a moment of hesitation, Egil planted the blade in her chest with lightning efficiency, causing both of her hands to go limp.
This... was not a story about stupid choices leading to miraculous endings of camaraderie between former enemies.
She was fucking dangerous. Even he somehow healed her, without getting torn to pieces by her magic, there would still be nothing stopping her from bringing the city down on his head. He'd tried the benevolent route with nobility before... in the last city. They didn't care. They sold him out, then tried to justify it to him later ...the night before they executed him.
Lesson learned: just plant the fucking sword and end the drama early.
He pulled the blade out wiping it on her robe. It was fast, and she wasnt left to the fire. The cruel irony: her true enemy granted her a cleaner departure from life than her own men.
Removing her mask, he saw her now blank stare. "Sorry." He whispered. Then proceeded to take the pouch slung over her shoulder. He wasn't proud of this.
"Are you ok?" Hashir asked. Of course he saw it.
"I will be, just not right now." Egil responded. "Ok, lets finish up and head out."