The Ballad of Romance

The Sixth Song

A/N: Only the first forty seconds or so are for Crispino's fight. this is sort of the tune i want for his battle

"Behind you!" shouted Tess as she dodged an attack from a level three Mostro.

They had entered the montagne a few hours before and they could now no longer see any open plains or forests. Only sun bleached rocks and snowy paths. The horses managed the snowed paths fine, barely losing traction with their wide hooves, but the Mostri nest proved quite annoying. Nearly every hour they would defend themselves from low levelled Mostri, before having to ride further into the montagne.

"Dang yo!" Tyler ducked away from a Mostri that had lunged at him, narrowly missing his collar. The sound of his Flauto followed closely behind a shield shimmered in front of Tess. The Mostro that tried to attack her bounced harmlessly off of the shield as Tess struck it with her Mandolino. It's core shattered on impact and crumpled to dust.

Guinevere was singing a song of her home country, perhaps slightly out of tune and a tad winded, but it was her spirit that counted. Crispino played with her, back to back, slaying Mostri left and right.

Soon the sounds of fighting began to quieten. Guinevere slumped against a smooth stone wall and slid her way down to an uncomfortable sitting position. "I vote we should take a break." She managed to say before stuffing jerky into her mouth.

Everyone complied and sat down, either drinking water or catching their breath. Tess still continued to gently strum her Mandolino, having found out from Guinevere that they had some passive healing abilities. While they couldn't mend a broken bone in a matter of minutes, they could close up cuts and dull pain. Which everyone had plenty of.

"So how are we going to set up camp?" Tess asked, taking a sip from her canteen. "I mean, we're surrounded by Mostri on all sides and one person wouldn't be able to fend them off for two hours each."

"Ah Pulcino," Crispino chuckled. "That is why we must travel into the heart of the montagne. The Musiciste have made a camping ground where no Mostri can reach us. We must get there before sundown."

"So, we just need to survive until we get there?" Added Tyler.

The sun was slowly creeping towards the other side of the montagne, bringing unwelcomed news of an early dusk. Crispino held his hand just above the tallest peak of the montagna, frowning.

"Eh, I have good news and bad news. Good news: we are two hours away from safety. The bad news: we only have an hour of sunlight left." Crispino shook his head slightly.

"Even at an extended canter," Guinevere added. "We wouldn't make it before sundown."

Tess sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Our luck just keeps getting better."

"Look alive. We've got at least an hour of riding in the dark so we better move." Guinevere nudged Trifoglio in a slow canter as everyone fell in behind her.

"Le Signore, you must be on high alert. We may encounter a higher powered Mostri as we continue." Crispino added, glancing between Tess and Guinevere. They gave him a quick nod before turning back to the path.

The horses slowed to a trot as the sky darkened, picking the best spots to place their hoovers on the rocky paths. Zenzero and Mercurio had the most trouble navigating the safest path, tripping a few times and once nearly throwing Tyler from his seat. The rocky path slowly began to flatten out and widen, allowing the horses to ride three abreast if needed.

Tess felt a faint tug in her stomach. She signalled Guinevere quietly. Guinevere warned the men that they should not stray too far.

"Signora. I think I felt something. It felt weak but more of a faint weak rather than a strength weak. Could you feel it?" Tess cast a glance over her shoulder and up a montagna peak to where she thought she felt a Mostro.