Amelia didn't have the necessary battle experience to even contribute to a fight, but what was asked of them wasn't to engage some monster in a life-or-death battle where they had to kill or be killed. No, this was a challenge that was more suited to her abilities - or lack of them. A grand operation where every participant had been allegedly given a role to play to maximize their chances of success. But did that mean her own success, or that of the group's own? Oh, she could succeed, probably, but it was likely going to be by a paper-thin margin and her death might be a perfectly acceptable loss of manpower. She wasn't suited for battle after all, rather, she was one that stood at the rear to lend those that had the necessary bravery and skill to contend with the dangers of the dungeons. Fortunately the ant queen wasn't a particularly intelligent creature. If they didn't bother it, it would ignore them. Time enough to set up some rudimentary traps. Logs tied to a four ropes so it would swing like a pendulum when the twine securing it to a pillar was cut. A net that could be raised as the creature passed - strong enough perhaps to buy a few seconds breathing room. Flammable oil on precariously laid down barrels that could be caused to fall and spill all over the floor once the string tied around the stick supporting it upright was removed. There was enough there to burn for only a good ten seconds though, a pauper's wall of flames. Inexpensive stone marbles that hopefully could ruin the Queen Ant's footing once scattered. All simple things, but Amelia was one who was only versed in the simple and not the esoteric. "So the only question is, who's going to be the bait and who's going to trigger some of the traps as we go." she held out a coin towards the boy, it was a simple copper piece, worth little more than a bowl of soup at a tavern. "Heads and I'll play the bait, tails and you can do it instead?" If they get to the room, then the others should be able to take over... well that was the hope. "Unless you have other ideas." "Oh right, they probably told you my name already, but..." the girl curtsied, holding the fabric of her skirt with both hands. "Amelia Blanc, a Bard of the Hestia familia. I hope pray for our success on this endeavor." @Kessler Cole
Kessler hesitated a little at the thought of traps, in his eyes it wasn't a very good idea at all earning a dry laugh from him. After all, this was the dungeon where monsters spawned almost relentlessly from the cave walls, not simply being born from eggs as some were. It was a place where you were surrounded by enemies with blades drawn all the time and free time was rare without a safe zone. That didn't stop him from protecting the girl who was trying to make an effort to do the best she could, but he had little hope in the traps surviving for long even without the ant Queen. The reason was the reality that the ants would occasionally pour out from the walls every few minutes forcing him to take action again and again to ensure that the worst didn't occur. It wasn't exactly an exhausting job for him, at least after he'd been cut and scrapped a few times by ants, and his skill had a chance to activate, exhaustion and pain stopped being a factor for him as he tried to make sure things went smoothly. He didn't have much hope in the traps, but he didn't have the heart to mention it, instead he dusted himself off trying to keep his injuries to an acceptable middle ground where he was injured enough to not feel tired or pain, but not harmed enough to need help in anything. The scrapes and injuries on his face were as apparent as always but he was a bit more focused on the task at hand when Amelia approached him with a coin in an effort to keep things fair-- or at least, that was what he suspected. Despite her offer though, Kessler shook his head slowly already trying to make sure his equipment was well managed, rather then his usual expensive and high quality mantle he usually wore into the dungeon, he was sporting a collection of cheap shitty ones that weren't much different from bed sheets. Back at the camp, his high quality one was no doubt waiting for him, but for this task he needed cheap trash cloaks to manage. "It's alright, it's better if we both make the run. As for the traps, if they survive we can hit them in passing-- You don't want to be left behind on this floor." He admitted, being chased by the queen seemed like the most dangerous job after all, but the real hard job was being left behind to be swarmed with ants following behind the queen as the unfocused target or 'scraps'. He didn't want Amelia to have to deal with that, instead finding it better for them both to run and trigger things as they ran by. "It's not an obstacle course down here you know? There aren't 'safe places' outside of the few designated by the guild." He tried to explain hoping Amelia would understand just how grave the situation was on this floor. Introductions made him a little sheepish though, Kessler was shy and meek by nature after all, after some hesitation he finally nodded back to her in understanding. "A-Ah, I'm Kessler Cole... First Lieutenant with the military-- I'm also in Hesita's familia though." He admitted with a meek chuckle, though he seemed delicate, he still had a few ant legs under his arms after using them as weapons for slaying the ants they'd come across this far. Ideally he'd already proven himself somewhat. "We should start setting fire to the eggs though, I don't want to keep Baldur waiting too long." He explained not knowing the Princes' temperament but not wanting to test it either.
"I know, but this is a joint operation. There are people from other familia working to keep some places clear." she reminded him, granted he was merely being pragmatic and Amelia knew he was correct. "Though you needn't worry, I am keeping my eyes peeled. I'm well aware this floor is far beyond my ability to tackle, well, on my own at least." at least if she could work her magic, she could be an asset to a party delving into the dungeons for an endurance run. "Oh, I wasn't aware." she scratched the back of her nape and bowed slowly, a gesture of her admitting her faults. "My apologies, I have only recently joined your ranks and Hestia has yet to introduce me to everyone. I am pleased to be in the company of another member of the familia." she had to admit, she didn't really believe she would meet many of the members of her own familia by happenstance, but perhaps the organizer of this raid had matched them exactly because they were from the same familia. It was an easy mistake to think that they were already acquainted. "I know. I'll light it once you give the signal." she told him before she used her cart to bring the barrel of oil close to the nest. What happened after that was a largely boring job of removing the barrel's lid and using a dipper to scatter oil around the eggs, being careful not to attract the attention of any nearby ants by keeping her movements slow as she could make them despite her high anxiety level. Once half the eggs were doused in flammable oil, she would wait for Kessler to finish on his side. "You light it with the torch. Count from three to zero, we run at zero." she told him with her hands cupped against her lips. At least she didn't have to worry about being encumbered. Her violin bag that was strapped behind her bag was by far the largest thing she had on her. Everything else, she left behind with the other raid team to pick up on their way up. The operation after all, was meant to last a day. If it didn't then they were probably dead and what good were rations to a dead girl. She would steel herself for the count down and once he ignited the flames she would pour some of the oil they'd been given on her vest and run as fast as her feet could carry her. Worst case scenario, she would tear the vest and toss it aside to distract the ants, but for now she was going to be optimistic. Or at least, as optimistic as a girl with a growing legion of ants behind her.
Kessler only lifted his hands as if being defensive, he certainly wasn't one who'd stand his own in any kind of heavy discussion, Kessler's demeanor and personality wasn't particularly strong from the start even if his technique was. He wasn't so much trying to put the girl down, but mundane and typical traps that might work on humans might not be as effective against monsters that didn't care about their own lives or deaths. Though having someone in his familia was a little more reassuring at the very least. "It's alright... I'm just worried about how much help they'll be though, in the off chance we get tangled or messed up in them instead isn't good." He commented with a measure of worry about the traps set, but in the end knew that this job had to be done, no matter what the dangers he would endeavor to do his best, but he worried about Amelia, whether or not she'll be able to escape. "Alright..." He answered back with concern as he began to spread the burning oil around as well. Ideally the Queen would instantly be drawn towards them because of this aggression, but Kessler still remained worried at the root of it all it was practically his nature. Once he was done as well, he nodded back, making sure his layers of cloaks were ready to lure and bait the queen into a chase, the few ant legs he'd managed to collect were held under his arm, he felt he was ready. Beginning the count down, he started at ten rather then three, the reason however was simple, Kessler was perhaps even less encumbered then Amelia at this point, he didn't have any weapons or tools outside of his clothes and the plate on his hands and half his legs. He was armored, but without a weapon or anything bulky to weigh him down he wasn't worried. Instead, the reason he started at Ten was so he could ready the ant legs he had. By the time he got to 6 he was winding up a throw, starting from a step forward up to a twist at the waist, he continued the motion up to his arm to fire the ant leg with a sharp swing like a ballista arrow. His aim was to strike one of the smaller ants and pin them to the ground using an ant leg as a distraction. The other ant legs were used in much the same ways. To pin down other ants by the time he counted down to 4 and then again to 2. Trying to pin three down, it was because the ants were drawn to their wounded comrades so after leaving they would be distracted for a short while stopping the horde from chasing them as well. The other reason was to use as human shields and barricades to ensure that even if they were followed, they would have to be stepped over by their comrades or pushed through by the queen. Once he managed to count down to two though, Kessler turned gesturing at Amelia as he continued counting down making sure she was ready to light. It was only when he got down to 1 that he finally leaned forward to get ready for sprinting. He wouldn't run enough to put pace Amelia, but he wanted to make sure that if the queen was near by he was fast enough to secure other weapons from the environment.
She watched the boy curiously, as he set about his business with those ant legs but didn't say anything. Her nerves were already more than enough to occupy her thoughts and she didn't need to provide herself any more distractions than she needed. Amelia might have been no fighter, but she was at least quick on her feet. The moment he counted down to the last digit, she tossed her torch down on the ground and began making a run for it. Oh the sound of mandibles jittering and the frenzied staccato of what sounded like a million legs echoed against the walls were frightening alright, but Amelia was fortunately someone who had remarkable experience handling stress. After all, she was an artist, she performed for a large group of people regularly. It didn't matter if she were on the streets or a stage, since she didn't actually play for accolades, but merely to please others and perhaps, just to receive a little praise. That tenacity supported her now, but her lack of athleticism was obvious. She was lagging behind, worse, the longer they ran, the heavier her legs felt. Her muscles would soon start to feel like they were on fire, but the fear of being devoured by the ants behind her provided enough of an adrenaline rush for her to continue. The strength of the noise and their numbers were enough for the girl to know that they were likely on her heels, but a timely jump to avoid a slender string, a sudden turn and some creative footwork would keep her a fraction of a step ahead from her hunters as her traps seemed to be doing what they were meant to do. The queen however, wasn't going to be stopped by mere tricks. At least nothing as rudimentary as the ones she left behind, but at least the fires that were starting to spread behind her did cause some of the ants to shrink - only to be ran over by their brethren. She didn't have any breath to spare to talk to Cole, he was the better at this between the pair of them and they could always talk after the affair. For now though, she was trying to stay on top of the food chain and wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this tightrope act going as her speed started deteriorating the more her muscles ached.
Kessler broke into a run alongside her, but was no doubt much better off then the poor supporter at his side. Not simply for the reason that he was the athletic sort who chased criminals through alley ways and over obstacles in town on a regular basis during the time he wasn't in the dungeon either. With Berserk Fury still pulsing through his veins, Kessler didn't feel the pain of his previous injuries, he didn't feel exhaustion from their running, like a machine he continued putting one foot in front of the other taking glances behind him to see how well they were doing. The answer was 'good enough' as he continued running to outpace the ants. If Amelia ever began lagging behind, Kessler would help by reaching towards the closest dungeon wall or floor and carving out a stone with his fingers as if the walls were made of soft cheese or tofu before hurling it at the ants behind her like a bullet to stagger them. It was a technique Kessler was familiar with, improvising was one of the things his father drilled into his head along with combat tactics, techniques and methodologies. Though he knew running was the highest priority he would rather fall behind then let her fall behind instead. The truly frightening portion of their mission however came from the loud roar that could be heard from their side rather then the back. Drawing the Ant Queen towards them as it bulldozed it's way through waves of ants to try and reach them even a bit faster. The killer ants beneath it nothing but fodder compared to sating it's rage. Though it was to be expected, the sight was still distressing as Kessler glanced over only to see a giant shadow in the distance trying to close the gap to reach them. Kessler knew that his cloaks were prepared purely for this moment as he tried to follow along with Amelia's movements to avoid her rudimentary traps rather then bulldoze through them himself. "It's here, just keep running, I'll worry about the queen, try to focus on the little ones." Kessler spoke, having a little more leeway then Amelia as far as running and stamina with his skill set. He stole glances at the ant queen trying to make sure it didn't gain too much on them but he focused on learning the layout of this particular area purely to use against the queen in this situation. As the Queen approached, becoming more silhouette then shadow, Kessler gulped down a breath of discomfort as he thought in his head that odin's familia had to have faced this with others of his generation supporting the. Thinking that he'd almost signed up for such a mission as well was distressing, he was glad he only paid a small supportive fee instead.
Perhaps Kessler only found Amelia's traps a minor distraction, but with the sheer volume of ants abound, not all of them would be able to avoid those traps and if just one triggered them, there would always be more than one casualty. Sure it didn't stall them by much, this was little more than the efforts one might make to create a wall of packed sand to stand against the ocean's waves lapping against the shore, even the first surge might overwhelm it, but sometimes, if the right conditions were met, it could do something. And each ant counted as a condition, it's own trigger and by floundering they would cause a body pile - the same effect the legs Kessler planted did.Yet the precious seconds it afforded her was not nearly enough to help her. Her feet were sore, her shins, throbbing and her mouth dry. But she could still listen to Kessler and she gave him a weary nod. Finding a final wellspring of determination and stamina, she redoubled her efforts and ran faster. Adrenaline could push her on, but not for long. Fortunately, the gate was getting close. Very close in fact. An ant reached out to nibble at her hair, though all it achieved was to give her a premature haircut. As the light grew brighter she pressed on, step after step, looking at Kessler with a pale expression. Once the crossed the gate, she would shed the jacket dyed in oil and stagger forward behind one of the adventurers of Odin's familia, her languid gaze scanning the place for Cole. She was so weary that she couldn't really see him, or perhaps that was the effect of the tunnel vision. "Kessler, are you there?"
