After a few hours of walking, the knights saw woods near a stream. There, they began treating their wounds and took a short rest, catching their breath. With soldiers in the area, they acted cautiously.
Faced with this challenge, Leslie quickly thought, "There are many soldiers in the first retreat of the battle in Meclithic Valley. We will have to pass through them without being seen."
Rudra, who was nearby, added, "It may not be that simple, after all they outnumber us…"
"We must be cautious, Captain."
The knights of the FIDELIUS group remained relaxed and unconcerned about the seemingly calm situation, as they planned their next steps after crossing the Meclithic Valley.
Before he could finish, a loud bang echoed. A creature had appeared in the forest, triggering an imminent confrontation: The Dröorg. The Dröorg was an imposing creature, large and robust, with an appearance that resembled the anatomy of monsters from ancient times. It had a hard shell that provided impenetrable protection. The team prepared for battle, and Leslie resumed leadership in order to generate a solution against this creature.
"Can't we have a second to spare!? How are we going to get rid of this thing?" Alyfir exclaimed.
"That is the weight of our responsibility," Leslie replied, as he observed the environment in which they ran.
"The Biome is dense with vegetation, so we don't have much of an option other than distraction."
Leslie thought carefully about how they could lose the Dröorg that was chasing them, but as they ran, they could find a large cliff dividing the forest into two sides. Leslie then signaled the group to split up, so that the beast would lose its sense of direction for a while. Bart stayed on top of a tree, with his bow and arrow ready to shoot under Leslie's orders.
Rudra, Connor, Gael, Edmund and Lloyd, the swordsmen, headed towards the cliffside, where they would play their trump card. Alyfir, Humbert, Augustus and Caspian waited for the right time to act. Using the forest environment, they managed to attract and corner the monster, taking it towards a cliff.
Leslie gave the signal for Bart to shoot an arrow with incandescent gunpowder at its eyes, but the arrow hit the monster's hard shell, leaving only two arrows. The knights continued fighting in order to distract the creature.
Bart, trying not to miss, kept his composure and shot again, but ended up missing. Bart was nervous and frustrated, until Edgar, his companion, appeared to calm him down and make him focus on the point where he needed to hit the monster.
Bart then concentrated and shot his last arrow, which hit the Dröorg's eyes, disorienting the creature. The knights then cut the creature's tendons, causing it to lose the movement of its limbs and fall down the cliff below. The group breathed a sigh of relief, but knew that new challenges awaited.
"We can't stay anywhere from now on. We have to go," Leslie said in response to the recent situation.
With the monster defeated, they moved on, entering the region of Ellerith. Halfway through their journey, the group met to discuss their next steps.
"We're in Ellerith now, and the challenges aren't going to diminish. We need to decide on our route and how to get around any obstacles. A few options present themselves before us. Any suggestions?" Leslie said, leading the conversation.
Edmund, the serious-looking soldier, pondered: "We could choose to follow the main trail, but that would increase the chance of encountering enemy patrols. The alternative would be to enter the woods and look for more discreet routes, although that might delay our arrival."
Caspian the Disciplined added: "Time is crucial, but we also cannot afford to be easily detected. Perhaps mixing back trails with bush time is a balanced approach."
"After all, the trails are full of those Aleonia soldiers."
Leslie nodded, considering the suggestions: "Balance is key. Let's avoid unnecessary confrontations, but we can't waste time. Anything to declare, Rudra?"
Rudra, maintaining his disciplined stance, replied, "I believe a mix of back trails and bush time is the best approach. We can minimize risk while maintaining a steady pace."
"Even considering we just faced that 'thing'?" Alyfir asked.
"There is no better way at the moment. The streets and alleys are full of soldiers, and the roads too." – Edgar replied.
"And also the risk of us running into some of those Galèsian barbarians is high." – Gael added.
"Unless…" – Connor walks over to the table and points to a specific area of the region.
Connor draws an alternative but effective route with chalk.
"That's my boy…" Leslie said, appreciating Connor's reasoning.
"It makes sense, through the woods, we could go around via the main road, and get to the Lottrengarth road."
Lottrengarth, a long road, but it would serve to facilitate the passage of the knights without many problems. Connor shared his reasoning, while Rudra, Gael, Leslie and Lloyd refined the routes.
With the plan defined, the FIDELIUS Entourage continued their journey through the Ellerith region, facing the challenges that unfolded before them.
"And here we are, folks." said Leslie.
Upon entering Ellerith, the FIDELIUS Party came across a city taken over by Aleonia's troops, who were mobilizing to resist the imminent arrival of Galèsian soldiers.
"How are we going to get in there? We carry swords." Augustus asked.
"If we are searched and caught, we will be arrested," Alyfir added.
"Oh no–! Oh no–! Oh no–!" Bart stammered in uneasiness and fear.
"Huff… You guys are some characters. Rudra, come with me."
"You guys stay there."
Leslie followed the path to the entrance of the city of Ellerith, accompanied by Rudra. Upon arriving at the gates, they were both framed by two guards.
"Stand there–!"
Leslie, interrupting the guard's attitude, raised a coat of arms towards him.
"That's it-"
Soon, the guards opened the way for Leslie, Rudra, and the others to pass.
Thus, all the knights managed to enter the city without any complications.
Rudra guided his horse towards Leslie's to question him:
"Captain, that medallion…"
"Yes, yes. It was fake."
"Whaaat–! A fake medallion!?" Bart exclaimed.
"Shhh–! Do you want to be framed again?" Leslie asked.
As they continued on their way, Leslie explained what had happened. Magnusson had provided medallions with the family crests of Artas and Bonnofal so that they could travel safely in certain regions.
The same medallions, because they belong to a family that no longer exists, have no value whatsoever, but few know what happened, so it would take a considerable amount of time for the real information to arrive.
"That's why we can't stay here for long. Let's go stay in some old building around here." – said Leslie.
The atmosphere in the city was tense, with streets bustling with soldiers preparing for conflict. The group knew they needed to remain unnoticed to avoid unnecessary confrontation.
The knights decided to follow a route through less busy alleys and lanes, guided by their captain Leslie, trying to avoid the most guarded points. Keeping to the shadows, they advanced cautiously, alert for any suspicious movement. The old houses of Ellerith provided temporary hiding places, allowing them to observe the military movements without being noticed.
However, the unexpected happened. As they crossed a narrow street, they were surprised by a group of Aleonia soldiers. The situation became tense, and Connor, always ready for action, suggested a strategic retreat to avoid direct confrontation.
"Damn it–! They figured it out too fast–! Follow me, everyone!" Leslie ordered.
The skilled and agile knights managed to escape the predicament. They ran through alleys and lanes, using their guerrilla warfare experience to outwit the enemy soldiers. During the escape, Magnusson's nephew Edgar tripped over a loose stone, but Lloyd pulled him forward before he was noticed by the soldiers.
Leslie, leading the group, made quick decisions to ensure they were not surrounded. He led them along a winding path, taking full advantage of the urban topography to avoid detection. The group breathed a sigh of relief each time they managed to escape an imminent encounter.
As they moved away from the city center, they chose to hide in the shadows of a large abandoned building. They breathed deeply, knowing that each move needed to be calculated to overcome the challenges ahead.
Leslie reassessed the situation:
"Ellerith is busier than I expected. Aleonia's troops are actually preparing for the Galèsians' arrival. We'll need to be even more careful as we continue on our way."
Rudra, with his strategic acumen, suggested:
"We can skirt the city's edges, avoiding the denser areas. If we can get to the exits undetected, we'll have a better chance of avoiding confrontation."
Leslie agreed with the strategy, and they carefully navigated their way along the city's outskirts. By staying in the shadows of buildings and taking strategic detours, they managed to avoid unwanted encounters. However, the challenge was far from over.
Many soldiers were passing by. It was too dangerous to be exposed outside, so the group decided to take refuge inside an abandoned building.
"Huff… we managed to lose them." Connor sighed in relief that the chase was over.
Leslie gathered the group together, warning them that they could not stay too long inside the city. The plan was for everyone to leave after the end of the afternoon. This would make it easier to avoid contact with the soldiers due to the lack of visibility and the camouflage of their uniforms.
In that building, they could reorganize themselves and think of better strategies. Rudra, Edgar, Connor and Leslie discussed the best stealthy positions for escape, while the others prepared for the upcoming event.
Humbert remained optimistic about the current situation, always communicating to his companions the imminent end of the mission.
"It's almost over. We just have to hold on a little longer."
Alyfir, who was parrying his sword, spoke out about Humbert's statement:
"Save those words for when we are on the borders of Lisithea."
"Come on, we can do it. We're an amazing team, aren't we Bart?"
Humbert responds to Alyfir's realism, and then turns to Bart'Olimios, who remains nervous and apprehensive about the next act:
"I… um… think…"
Humbert then resumed speaking, this time introducing a brief presentation of the group.
"Why don't we introduce ourselves properly? We know very little about each other. You may begin, Alyfir!"
Alyfir sighed in dissatisfaction at Humbert's insistence, and then, he left his sword on top of a table and decided to do it.
Alyfir, one of the more reserved knights of the group, decided to share a little about his past. He looked at the ground before beginning to speak: "I was born in Casper, son of a Casperian father and a Lisithean mother. We were middle class, until our family was destroyed by the invasion of soldiers from Hortentzia, the neighboring country of Galèsia."
"Okay, okay, Bart, now you."
Bart'Olimios, despite his shy appearance, revealed a turbulent past: "I… am the son of nobles who lost their lands to the court, which used them as a strategic field. My childhood was not… one of the best."
Gael, who hails from the lands of Sulamària in the far north of Hortentzia, a country in the far north of Central Thalassia, opened up about his hardships: "I came from Sulamària, but I suffered from the country's lack of infrastructure. Poverty and inequality were evident at every step."
Lloyd, a humble farmer forced into military service, revealed: "I was a farmer, but I had to be forced into military service due to army demands and reprisals. Life in the trenches was very different from the camps."
Augustus, rescued by Magnusson when he was younger, shared his commoner origins: "I was a commoner, rescued by Magnusson when I was still a child. He gave me a chance at a different life."
Caspian, one of the most mysterious knights of the group, touched on personal matters without going into details: "I was born to father Balterlutto and mother… – concubine, but I decided to leave my father's arms for personal reasons that I do not wish to share."
Humbert, whose expression and nature were always optimistic now showed a trace of sadness, shared his story: "Well… I lost my parents when I was a child and had to scavenge on the crumbs of the people in Balterlutt. Every day was a struggle for survival."
The revelation of their personal stories strengthened the bonds between the knights, revealing a complex web of shared experiences and individual suffering. The atmosphere in the abandoned building became more intimate, with each member of the group better understanding each other's motives and motivations. Now with their plans in place, the FIDELIUS Company was ready to face the challenges that lay ahead.