Anthem of Flames
In spite of the chaos surrounding them, Guo Huai was surprisingly calm - although it grew clearer with every second just how forced that calmness truly was.
"Lady Cao Meiyan, what on earth do you think you’re doing? I told you, leave me. I can-" He was interrupted by a sudden cough. "…I can handle things here."
The bandits were still a good distance from the two of them, but they were closing in almost as fast as the rising flames. Thick black smoke billowed around them, and he gave a worried glance from the fire back to Meiyan.
"You shouldn’t have done that. We can’t afford to lose you - what would your lord father think if you were hurt on my watch?"
"No. Even if I were able to get out, there's the flames blocking off the path forward, and surely this is too organized to just be a random bandit attack." She pointed out and quickly scrambled to tie her hair up as a man would, parting her bangs so none fell in her face, and pulled on an extra helmet from the cart. It was good that she decided to wear riding gear today that made it easier to move, though she did grab an extra layer to hide her form better. There was little she could actually do, but by making it a bit easier for the elder, she could at least help.
"They would not care for this. They are after the cart... they are after me. If I used it, it's a painted target." She scowled, and still tried to quickly process what was going on. "They believed I was in the carriage. Just trust me on this. When they see it cut and not being protected, they will not have their goal. They do not know what I look like because of how isolated I was!"
Now she kept the blade in her hand and her horse seemed ready to go. "Come now, Lord Guo Huai. We have to get out of the immediate vicinity first before anything. Nobody else is dying. We'll lose them in the forests back a little ways, then launch a counterattack in their confusion."
