There was definitely a bit of relief when the form of the Beringel began to dissipate into mist, but Aurelia doesn't have time to dwell on it. Retracting Dusk back into a sword and sheathe, she wrenches her weapon free from the tree and whirls her semblance around to assist Cerulean with the remaining two Grimm. However, it seems he's handling himself quite well, forcing the beasts into a full retreat. Well, they were either retreating or heading to--
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of the forest. To be more accurate, she finally noticed that a particular sound had disappeared while her attention was focused on the fight in front of her. The caravan! she thought worriedly, driving the crumbling unicorn into a gallop as quickly as possible. There's something else that can draw Grimm away from a fight, and that's an abundance of negativity. If the caravan's defenses fell and panic set in, then--
Aurelia's shocked out of her thoughts again by a thunderous duo of blasts, and she watched as the Beringels she and Cerulean were chasing after were obliterated in short order. Stunned, she unconsciously slows Noble Steed to a canter, then to a trot, then finally to a simple walk as she closes the rest of the distance to the caravan. They're fine? she can't help but wonder to herself. The caravan undoubtedly faced a larger threat than the pair of Hunters did, yet the number of casualties seemed to be minimal, if not outright zero.
Yet, despite seeing it, she still had trouble believing it. Taking down a single Beringel can be an ordeal on its own: they're fast, they're strong, and they're durable. They're not like the standard Creeps and Beowolves that can be killed in one or two shots and only dangerous in numbers. Yet this caravan managed to fend off--nay, kill an entire troop of them.
Aurelia's eyes were drawn to a gleaming golden light, which revealed the apparent source of the cannon fire that resounded through the forest only moments before. Looking at it, the only word she could think to describe it was "beautiful", even caked as it was in mud. Was that it, though? Only one cannon fended off all of those Grimm? She recalled how quickly the Beringels floated through the air amid the trees, easily outpacing even her semblance. And yet, a single cannon nailed both of them one after the other, killing them in a single shot. That's not technically an impossible feat, but it's still...
"...Incredible," Aurelia mutters softly. Too incredible, almost. She recalls what Sam had said at the mission's start, that the Dustsmith may have gifted weapons to some of the caravans. Wordlessly, Aurelia pulls out her scroll and (making sure the flash is off) takes a photo of the weapon and sends it to Sam with a quick message.
ALumen: Please tell me this isn't what I think it is.
It was then that she heard a booming voice amidst the crowd, and she turned to see a large woman approaching them. Looking to Cerulean and giving a quick nod, Aurelia retracts her helmet and has her semblance step forward. "Hail," she begins, using the same greeting as her counterpart, "We're just glad to see your people managed to get out of that relatively unscathed."
After Elder Rose introduces herself and makes her offer, Aurelia quickly responds. "A pleasure, Elder. I am Aurelia, and this is Cerulean. We appreciate your offer, however, as you said, the Grimm have been rampaging across the savannah. Unfortunately..." a brief memory flashes in her mind, the sight of the previous caravan, torn asunder by the horde of Grimm, "your caravan was not the only one attacked. There are others in need of aid, and we can't afford the luxury of safety right now."
"That being said, we're severely lacking in information. This may be a bit direct, but could you tells us everything that happened before the Grimm attacked?"