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year 5, quarter 3
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Preparations were complete and all that was left to do was wait. Caius had arranged a couple chocobos to be rented out for them to get to the hideout, do what they needed to do and get the people out. With how many people they had and Relm's size, they probably could have used less chocobos, but considering it was possible they would need to escort people back, Caius decided to hire one each for them all to ride. But all he could think about was what he had said before. He hadn't been able to convey his intent right and had just... Bungled the whole thing and had upset Celes. And looked terrible to Relm too, he was sure, without meaning to. He'd cast a dark cloud over Relm's testing and initiation without meaning to, and given them the wrong impression of what he thought the Dragonblades personified. Neither of which were acceptable. He had made a mistake he knew, and he needed to make things right.
When Celes and Relm arrived, Caius regarded them with a nod before motioning to the chocobos he'd rented. "All set, if you guys are" He spoke. He'd considered explaining on the way, but his expression made it very clear that something was bothering him horribly and he looked ready to burst. And he felt that way too. Finally he decided that he couldn't let this go any longer.
"Celes?" Caius inquired quietly, looking her in the eyes with an expression that read of a world of regret. He had been unable to bottle his emotions as much as he used to, wasn't able to retain being stoic with as much skill as he did. He was an open book in that moment. He motioned to nearby, making it clear he wanted to take her aside to talk. Leading her a bit from where the stablehands wouldn't hear, not wanting to concern them, he looked to Rem to indicate she was free to listen in if she wished.
Caius turned to face Celes then, and immediately opened his mouth to speak but nothing came. It hit him that he was nervous. Why? He wasn’t sure. Well, he did have some idea at least. He valued Celes, he really did and seeing her be upset was upsetting for him. Knowing he was the source of that was even worse. But having her be upset at him? Possibly endangering their relationship? That bothered him even more. He wanted to get it right this time, his bungling up the wording had caused this and now the pressure was on to get it right.
“I… Suck at wording things” He finally admitted with a long sigh. "And I... Don't know very well how to say what my heart is saying, I focus too much on the practical and then I just... Bungle things up like I did back there."
He scratched his head. He had formed something to say throughout all the time he'd been waiting for them, but suddenly it felt like it was all gone. Everything he had planned to say was caught, poof, gone. He couldn't remember any of it anymore and his throat caught for a moment before he tried to wing it in what way he could. He couldn't sum it up anymore, he couldn't think of any proper tact... All that came out was honesty from then on.
"I'm... Afraid" He admitted softly. "The lives of the people we put in our hands, every time we've failed even one person has kept me up at night, wondering over and over if we could have done better, if we could have saved that life. But what also bothers me is the realization that those people who's lives are in our hands... If we fail them, if we fail too much, who would trust us in that position? I don't personally care about the funding side so long as we have the means to keep doing this, but if there's no trust... We're helpless. More people will die because we weren't allowed to be there, should it get around we can't be trusted with people's lives.
... I don't think I could ever live with myself if that happened. To be helpless again and let people continue to die when I could have done something. That's the pressure that drives me to push myself harder and harder. Not only are those people's lives in my hands, but if I fail I risk losing the ability to save people as much as we've been doing. And I know that's a pressure that will never go away. That's part of the job, I understand that.
I don't know why I tried to be so practical about it, or why I even brought money into it. Maybe I just didn't want to admit I was afraid, I don't know. But regardless of whether it was pride, or just stupid lack of tact, I... I upset you. I upset you, and that was wrong of me. I gave you the wrong impression of why we do what we do, and that was wrong of me too. And for that, I'm sorry."
He looked to Relm, then. "To the both of you. I was a fool."
He took a breath, then. "I'm also sorry for doubting Relm could handle the pressure of this. The pressure of this is a lot on me, and I don't know if even when I was Relm's age I could have handled it, I didn't want to imagine what it would do to someone her age long-term. But... Your word means a lot to me, I want you to know that. If you think she can handle it... I believe you. You said she's been through much, and had this kind of pressure before, with lives being at stake in all she did. It was blind of me to downplay that.
Forget the test. If you think she's capable of handling all that... That's fine. She's one of us as far as I'm concerned if you'll vouch for her. If you two want to accompany me still, I would be happy to have you by my side, but that's your call."
Final Fantasy VI
22
YEARS
Female
Complicated
Heterosexual
429 POSTS
Fin
Use your own eyes and see for yourself whose side I'm on!
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Relm had changed everything. Celes knew it as she strode down the street, her heels clicking with every step. Of course, anyone would have changed her. Edgar, Sabin, Setzer, Terra. But this was different. Before Relm, she was on her own free to run to the ends of the earth if she wanted to and the only person she’d have hurt was herself. With Relm however…
Celes glanced to her. It was obvious that girl was trying to help. No matter what she did, she always had that look in her eye. Was that why Celes had defended her so fiercely? Celes had already made too many mistakes with her to count, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t try too. They weren’t a perfect match by any means, but that effort was worth more than words could say.
It didn’t take long to reach the stables, and as Celes had expected, Caius was there waiting for them. Celes stopped at the sight of him, steadying herself. His words had been harsh to say the least and hers had been harsher. She didn’t know what she thought of him at the moment, but she knew that it buzzed inside her like irritable bees. She shoved her hair behind her ear and continued forward without really looking at him.
Not right now. She couldn’t handle him now.
”All set if you guys are.”
”Then let’s not waste time.”
”Celes?”
Celes paused with her hand on the chocobo’s flank. Of course he wanted to talk. Hadn’t she expected that too? Still, she felt a flash of irritation cross her eyes before she closed them, taking a deep breath through her nose. She turned to face him. ”Yes?”
He gestured for them to step aside. She looked to Relm and then to him. Not in front of the child, hm? Well that was just fine by her. ”We’ll be back,” she said, following him with her eyes set forward and her shoulders straight. Whatever he was about to spew, she had no doubt it wouldn’t make the best impression in front of Relm.
Once they were alone, Celes crossed her arms and set him with a hard look. She wasn’t sure if it was her aura or his own emotions that did it, but he spoke fast and loose and without much direction. Classic Caius, really. It was an apology, and as soon as he mentioned his own fears, she felt her lips purse. No, she wouldn’t relent because of that. Caius couldn’t make himself vulnerable and expect her to forgive him all at once. That was…
Working, wasn’t it? Damn it all.
”Caius…” Celes sighed. What was she supposed to say? ”Fine,” she said. ”Fine. I knew it wasn’t like you. I told Relm as much. You just…” Celes shoved her hair behind her ear, harder this time. She’d known all of this, hadn’t she? So then why did she still feel like shouting?
”It was exactly the wrong thing to say,” she decided before pausing. When she said it like that, it sounded so… ”This is silly, isn’t it?”
She laughed. It was weak, but it was something. ”I think Relm has me all twisted up in knots. You know, it’s been easy with you. To pretend I’ve never been anywhere else. But with her here…” She bit her tongue. Was that how she really felt? It must have been or she wouldn’t have said it. ”Relm’s been wonderful, really, and I wouldn’t ask for anything else, but…” Her stomach twisted. This wasn’t fair to Relm -- to anyone, really. Was she really such a terrible person?
”Oh nevermind.” Celes let out a short breath. ”Let’s just get on the damn birds.” She couldn’t help a small smile as she glanced to him. It was almost like a joke. Enough talking, we both want a sword in our hands.
She shook her head before starting towards the stable again. She nodded to Relm as they approached. ”Don’t worry about a test,” she said. ”We’ll be helping him and that’s all there is to it.” She pulled herself onto the chocobo and only then did she exchange a secretive smile with Relm. ”I think he’ll need it.”
”Well, Caius?” She grabbed for the reigns and smirked at him teasingly. ”Don’t keep us waiting too long.”
Celes trusted her, she called her strong. It meant a lot more than the general might think. She knew their friends cared about her, but so often they treated her with kids gloves. Treated her like she didn't know the way the world worked. Their was a lot she didn't know of course-she knew that but... She wasn't an idiot! She wasn't the child Caius thought she was. So many people... The Espers, Mr Leo... Even Mr Owzer. She could see the kids Terra had helped take care of, she remebered visting Duane and Katarin. She watched from afar as Locke bid farewell to Rachel. She knew suffering, she knew sadness. In that way she was as 'adult' as anyone. So.. for Celes to put her trust in her... It meant the world to her.
"Celes.... Thank you, for everything"
Celes was... Clealry still irratated with Caius. That much was clear in her actions. If she was being honest she was to, the man hadn't made the best first impression after all. But she belived Celes when she said he wasn't usually like that. She didn't really get a greedy vibe from the man. For an example of that she only needed to remeber Jigdor and the richest man their. No if she had to guess it was simpler than that, it was what Celes had already said. Caius had just... Put his foot in his mouth. Locke and Edgar had done that several times before.... So she supposed it woudn't be fair to not give Caius the same curtisy. The girl sighed and giggled. Caius was such an akward, weird guy from what she had seen. Really it was comparable to Celes...
Hmmm...
No, not right. Stuff like that could wait for less serious moments. Right now it seemed Caius had managed to make Celes talk to him. A part of it whispered but she assumed it was jsut something she wasn't old enough to hear yet. Heh, maybe they WERE getting hot and heavy? She'd have to keep this in mind for later...
On the more serious side of things... Caius' words made her belive what Celes said before. This time he came across a lot more... Human she supposed was the best way to put it. Hos words got through well to her, heck he cslled himself a fool! That was like, Groval for forgivness one o one! He belived Celes, belived her when she said how much they had been through. That was good... Relm sighed, then smirked.
"Well I dunno... Putting to much pressure on a child their aren't you...? I just.. don't... Know..."
The pre teen spoke in a teasing tone as she leaned in towards her new ally, before breaking out in another laugh and looking back to face Celes and returning her smile.
"Oh defently, at the rate he's going he'll break himself before we even get to the bandits!"
She coudn't contain her laughter even as she mounted her own chocobo. But... Even as much as she teased his words did give her more trust in him. Something Celes or Cyan might say. He seemed like a kind man, he just messed up sometimes. But then they all made mistskes. She pulled her own adjusted reins as her chocobo went to join Celes' own. She looked back with a childish grin as she called out her answer.
"Yeah Caius, we won't save those people just sitting here sulking, let's go!"
She didn't have to worry about a test. She didn't to worry about being alone or anything else. She could choose how to use the power she was given and... She wanted to use it to help people. For her it was just that simple. It was as true as an artist's expressions through their art. So now...
Now they would begin painting a brand new canvas in this world.
Caius couldn't help but bite his lip and avert his eyes slightly when Celes remarked flat out that it very much was the right thing to say. Why was he upset? He knew he shouldn't be. She was right, wasn't she? He had bungled it up, he had ruined any first impression they could have made on behalf of the Dragonblades for a new member that Celes trusted. And she'd even been kind enough to tell Rem that it wasn't how he normally was. She'd salvaged this. Why wasn't he happy? He had no desire to be coddled or taken easy on, so that didn't feel like it was the problem either. He just... Didn't know.
It was Celes. He'd messed up when Celes had gone through the effort of bringing someone on board. He'd upset Celes and caused this mess. And he had done all he could to make it right, but hearing that just... He didn't know. It just... Felt like it hammered it all home. Hammered home he'd upset her, and he couldn't help but hate it with every fiber of his being.
Though Celes then began to talk about how silly this all was. How it'd been easy before, and now with Relm involved, things were... Were...
She didn't finish, and Caius tilted his head in turn. She wanted to move on, and Caius supposed that was for the best.
"Right, before we get started..." He spoke up as he walked to Relm. "You should probably meet our third founding member."
Caius poked the center of his jacket a few times. "Vordun?" He inquired toward it. A scaly head would poke out, as a small creature blinked a few times and stared at Relm with curious eyes.
"This is Vordun" Caius introduced with a small smile. "He puts the dragon in Dragonblades" He joked in turn.
He couldn't help the corny joke and the cheeky grin that followed said it.
Final Fantasy VI
22
YEARS
Female
Complicated
Heterosexual
429 POSTS
Fin
Use your own eyes and see for yourself whose side I'm on!
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Celes laughed. Usually, she wasn’t one for childish antics, Relm’s dramatics were so overblown that she couldn’t help it. The thought of Relm of all people caving under pressure was hilarious. She’d have sooner seen Caius falter than the girl beside her. Relm seemed to think the same.
”If he keeps putting his foot in his mouth,” she said before casting Caius a teasing smile. That was more than enough tension between them. She knew he had the social grace of a dead fish, and she knew he hadn’t meant any offense. She was willing to forgive if he was willing to forget.
At least until he made the same mistake again.
Caius turned to Relm with a cheerful eye. ’Third member?’ Celes tilted her head in question before he opened his jacket and a small reptilian head poked out. She covered her mouth to keep from laughing. She’d almost forgotten about Vordun.
”’Puts the dragon in Dragonblades?’” She tried for an incredulous look that was completely undermined by her own stifled giggling. ”Have you been thinking of that all day?” Still, she thought Relm would appreciate the joke, and she did too if she was being honest. It broke the tension between them.
It almost made her appreciate the scaly thing that wiggled in Caius’ collar. She still didn’t like it. Caius had no idea what he was doing, and a dragon was hardly the same as a dog or a chocobo. It wasn’t bred for this, and it was only a matter of time before it mauled someone in a rush of pure instinct. Still, she knew better than to argue her point again.
And the dragon was cute. A little. She supposed.
”Well, are we going to protect the city or not?” She flicked the reigns and urged her chocobo forward. Caius would lead the way, she presumed. He’d been the one to pick the job.
The site wasn’t far. The bandits had been known to ambush caravans at a very specific bend of the road. They slowed their chocobos to a stop at its edge, and Celes eyed the foliage on either side of them. It was an opportune place for it, she’d give them that. Between the thick trees and the sprawling underbrush, she couldn’t see a thing past the road.
”Well?” She glanced to Caius. ”Do you have any leads?”
Relm was entranced by the little dragon. Reaching out a hand she gave it a gentle pat. It was adorable! She wanted to capture that beauty on her canvas, but they didn't have time for it now. Later though? Ooooh she just had to make sure Caius let her! Vorodun... It even had a cool sounding name! Most of the dragons she had run into were wild and territorial. Their was no time to interact woth them because you were far to busy not getting burned, iced shocked or whatever the dragon felt like spitting out at you at that point! This one though... It seemed like such a nice little one!
"Vordun huh? You gonna watch our backs little guy?"
She coudn't keep but laugh at Caius' terrible joke. Well, he was right wasn't he? The little guy really did. She supposed The man wasn't SO bad. Celes vouched for him and he had done all he could to apoligize. Sure... She could let him pass this time! She had to admit she was happy. Happy Celes hadn't been alone here like they had all been at first when their world was ruined. She knew how that felt, It was not at all a a fun thing to go through. She really was glad to have found her when can here.
Celes really was like an older sibling
The former general made her chuckle to. Doing this brought her a smile, messing with Caius was pretty fun. But she supposed even more thwn that she was happy she did it right this time. At least thats what the sparkle in her eye told her, she gave a playful wink herself in response. Really this was turning out a lot more like she hoped it would starting out. Though...
Returners... Dragonblades... Again she wished she had been there when the names were decided! She could have came up with something WAY cooler! Like.... umm... Well... She COULD that was the point, yeah!
"Yeah let's go! We've got people to save and bandit butts to kick! Where to do go?"
She decided to keep a pace behind the two. Partly so Caius could lead them. Mostly so if they did anything else remotly heavy Relm would see and would never let them hear the end of it.
Celes, giggling? What kind of world was this? Where was Celes? Who had taken her and replaced her, and where was the real Celes now? This was a momentous occasion if he managed to get Celes to rush into a fit of giggles, even if she was trying – unsuccessfully – to hide them. When she made her comments about the remark, he shot her a lightly amused grin. “It was a little spur of the moment” Caius remarked. He had been too busy thinking of ways to apologize to Celes and tell her how much all of this meant and everything like that, though he hadn’t gotten –all- of it out… Just what was important to the context of the subject right now. Maybe he would get out the rest later. Maybe during a time they were relaxing under a tree in a field, just themselves and a slightly bigger Vordun. But what were the odds of them taking a day off to do that, right?
Right?
Either way, Caius only smirked at the teasing as he mounted his chocobo and began to lead the way. Caius’ hair blew back in the wind, as Vordun stared out at the landscapes in wonder. Caius had eyes on the road, and some attention paid to what he could feel to ensure that Vordun stayed put on his collar. He was happy to let Vordun sightsee a bit, to see the world for all its wonders as Caius had been able to have the opportunity to do, but his safety was also a concern. Vordun let out almost a “Wrooogh” sort of growl, almost a coo, as the landscapes and the feeling of the wind blowing past them seemed to entrance the hatchling. It was clear that Vordun was enjoying himself, which made Caius happy. But eventually they would come to a stop where their lead had indicated the bandits were ambushing travelers. Caius knew that they had a base of operations near here, but the question was… Where? Celes indicated they could use the foliage to hide and wait for them if they wished, and that gave Caius an idea.
“Well, if they like to ambush people…” He whispered to them. “Why don’t we show them how it feels? Then we can get the location of where they’re hiding and rout out the rest of them, as well as any prisoners they might be carrying.”
Parking the chocobos where they couldn’t be seen, Caius led the group into the foliage, as he then noticed between the leaves, a little ways from them, a group of rough looking folks doing the exact same thing as them. Caius understood immediately what was going on, and lightened his breathing to keep from attracting attention.
It was there that they could hear a chocobo-drawn cart beginning to approach. Knowing what was coming, Caius’ sword quickly materialized in his hand as he prepared his throwing arm. When it came close enough… The bandits would slowly make their way out of the undergrowth.
And Caius took that chance to use the Warp Strike to begin an ambush of their own.
Final Fantasy VI
22
YEARS
Female
Complicated
Heterosexual
429 POSTS
Fin
Use your own eyes and see for yourself whose side I'm on!
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Celes raised an eyebrow. ”And how are we going to find them?” she asked. After all, the bandits' ambush only worked so well because the road was well-traveled and the cover was thick. She was about to suggest hiding out themselves to wait for the bandits to make their move on the next caravan, but Caius had already started off into the woods. Celes sighed and glanced at Relm, gesturing to follow. She didn’t need to tell her anything else. Relm knew to keep on her toes.
’He has to know what he’s doing.’ Celes eyed him as she followed, carefully stepping around uneven ground and patches of ivy. She trusted Caius -- why wouldn’t she when they’d worked together so long? -- but it felt for all the world like he’d started marching in the first direction his eyes had landed on. Maybe he knew something from the reports? Or maybe he’d learned tracking and was following some trail she couldn’t see? Whatever it was, it rubbed her the wrong way.
She was one for strategy and planning. He was one to trust his gut instinct. She had no choice but to trust it too.
Then she saw them. A band of five gathered together among the cover of the leaves. Whatever Caius had done, it had worked. And apparently these particular bandits didn’t keep a close enough eye on the road.
She glanced at Caius and then at Relm. It was time to see how they worked as a team. Caius would act as the forward, of course, and Relm would stay behind. Celes would place herself between the two -- guarding Relm and aiding Caius however he needed it. He would be the muscle and she would be the strategist just as they’d always-
Wheels clattered across the road.
Of course it would come now. She wanted to shoot Caius a dirty look. If he’d only let her lead, they’d have had a better chance of surprise and an open field. It all came to the same thing of course, and she’d never actually contradicted him, but still…
They followed quietly (they wouldn’t have had to if they’d just stayed at the road’s edge) until the bandits finally emerged in front of them. Caius didn’t glance back. Instead, he kept his eyes focused and thrust himself forward in a flash of light. With him out of earshot, Celes let out a short huff before she held out an arm for Relm to keep her distance and threw herself into the road.
Nearly everyone was terrified. The bandits at finding a blade at their backs and the wagon driver for the sudden swordfight that surrounded him. The driver cried out and ducked as low as he could, hands over his head. The bandits shouted and slashed their swords about blindly. Celes charged forward, grabbed a man’s shoulder, and swept his leg out from under him before he could even set eyes on her. Caius had taken another, and Celes sidestepped to the one closest to her before she spotted one of them backed up around the cart’s other side. He had his hands together, a sparkling aura around him.
”It’s magic!” she cried out, but it was too far for her to reach and she didn’t have time to counter the spell with her own. ”Caius!”
The thought that a child knew well the signs of battle, the signals from friends to be careful, to watch for the enemy-it was probaly a sad thing to most, but for Relm it was just how things were. She was more than used to moving in small groups as they made their way about the world. In this case she could only assume this had a chance of going south fast. Well, she could rely on Celes' plans if nothing else, she knew that much. Her response was an affrmative nod as she followed close behind the pair. Relm trusted Celes and Celes trusted Caius, for her that was more than enough.
The ground reminded her of the Vedlt. So wild and rough, she half exoected Gau ot some besst to pop up. Of course thankfully that never happened. This was the most boring part, the part where they trailed them. But it wss needed, she knew that-she would stay in line behind Celes. Her spirit impaitent but her body followed as closley as she could do. She was being trusted here, she didn't want to betray the trust put in her by jumping the gun to early.
As they continued their movement they came upon their target, a small group of bandits. They could probaly catch one, knock the rest out. Celes paused, giving Caius a glare. At first she wondered what for. He hadn't messed up again QUITE yet had he? Or did Celes see something she...
Oh
The clatter of wheels meant more noise, meant they had to follow more quitly (to Relm's ire) causing her to give Caius het own glare. When it did come to battle she gave a sigh of relief. Now this was what she was used to! She got into positon, an energetic nod given to let Celes know she understood. They would attack directly and she would handle the back, support them from afar. Of course she had no issue with that-it was what she was used to. Everything was going well, Relm did her thing from afar, blowing back a bandit here and there with a well placed Thunder or a quick Sketch. That was until she heard Celes call out Caius' name. Her eyes went a mile a minute trying to track him down before she saw it- one of the thugs trying to get from a weak spot. Oh no he didn't! She knew exactly what this guy deserved, exactly how to cut off his attack. Like second nature the spell shot forth the impact the attack almost as quick as Relm called out the name-
"Imp!"
The result was instant, the attacker transformed into a small green creature. The magic of course was cut off as well, unless the bandit just so happened to know the same spell he'd find himself unable to continue his magical assault as well, likely a lot easier Caius to handle as well but... Just in case the confused bandit would find itself smacked with a Sleep spell for good measure.
While the job itself had come suddenly to Celes and Relm, it had not been so sudden for Caius. He had taken it a little while ago, and had been taking the time to do some research on where the attacks were happening. He had already gone out there once, and had found evidence of battle. He had scanned the area and found the ideal hiding places, and then had checked the area to see if this had been repeated anywhere else in the area. As of now, this was the only ambush point he had been able to find. So he had decided to try here first, and should they not have found them here, then he would have either waited a bit longer, or should that not have worked, then he would have requisitioned Celes' help in further tracking. At the least though, he had picked the ideal times that caravans tended to pull into this neck of the woods. It was generally during the later hours so that they could set up shop with what they had, review their goods and be ready to trade in the morning.
It wasn't a perfect plan by any means and ran risk of wasting Celes' and Relm's time. But Celes likely knew by now that taking chances like this was necessary, as it was impossible to accurately gauge where and when their target would be. But Caius had done what research possible to get the best odds he could. They weren’t perfect but no plan ever was. It was very possible that they would be too late to prevent the next ambush, but that was part of the gamble and it was either take it or never get anything done.
Their waiting for the bandits to make their move had also been a pre-decided plan by Caius. While it was easy for him to tell they were bandits, the merchants would have been in the dark and so would any guard patrols in the area. If they had ambushed the bandits too early, it would have only risked causing trouble. There needed to be no doubt of their intentions. Not to mention the tactical advantage of catching them when their focus was fully on the merchant caravan. Caius has planned as well as he possibly could have without a crystal ball.
"Keep your heads down, cry out if the brigands get too close to you!" Caius called to the merchant caravan as a final precaution. He had taken all precautions he could have thought of now. Or at least, so he had thought.
The one thing that Caius didn't account for... Was the bandits having magic. He'd faced many bandits, but he'd never encountered any so far that knew any actual magic. So when Celes called out for magic, Caius had just parried a blow and kicked the bandit back before looking to her. But Celes herself wasn't casting magic, and neither was...
"Wait, what."
Caius had realized too late that Celes was referring to one of the bandits. A large burst of electricity had launched toward Caius, who hadn't been able to react in time to do anything except bring his arms up to defend himself best he could when it was about to hit him.
But then the magic stopped.
Caius opened his eyes when he learned Relm call out and the pressure of the incoming spell had ended. Caius blinked a few times in confusion as he looked toward his attacker, realizing they had been transformed. Then he looked to Relm, seeing she had just casted a spell. Putting the puzzle pieces together, Caius gave Relm a nod in thanks before he charged forward full speed toward his attacker. Rather than use his sword though, Caius reared back his foot and punted the imp across the field, likely taking them out of the equation for the time being.
Another bandit would try to take advantage and hit Caius from behind, but Caius quickly turned and guarded himself when he heard their footsteps. Blade clashed with blade, but Caius wasn't prepared for what became the difference maker.
Caius felt his jacket shift as Vordun would pop his head out. As he pressed his sword forward to push his attacker back, Caius muttered "No, back in. Bad dragon" toward Vordun, who instead inhaled as Caius noticed the scales on the back of his neck begin to glow.
"Wha-"
The tiny dragon suddenly unleashed a torrent of flames toward the bandit, causing them to let out a scream and break the sword lock, prompting Caius to slash at their side and use magic. "Blizzard!" He called out, knocking them back while also putting out the fires. Caius then looked toward Vordun, still surprised at Vordun seeming to have some level of control over his abilities, and knowing that it was the time to use them.
"Good boy, Vordun!" Caius remarked with a laugh, very much proud of the tiny lizard.
