As even Caine seemed alright with the plan, Ace simply smiled and half-shrugged, not really willing to argue against the others. It might attract something nastier than a group of harpies, but, even if he wasn't very confident in their 'combined talents', he was very confident in his own. So he would simply go along with it, for now, although he wasn't that pleased to go off wood, of all things.<br/><br/>It didn't take long, though, for Crusty to get a fire going, and Ace found it oddly comforting, as it often was. He was no stranger to cold, considering there were places where a fire could hurt way more than help, but then, it didn't mean the mercenary didn't enjoy warmth when it was available. The scent of the cooked snake soon took the clearing, tempting his empty stomach and making him move even closer to the fire, sitting down in front of Crusty and watching him work, head resting on his hand and eyes watching the other's movements. There was a lot to talk about, a lot of questions he could ask, but Ace couldn't really bring himself to care. The possibility of Crusty answering was small, and he wasn't in the mood to try. If Caine's posture was any indication, he wasn't in the mood for talking, either.<br/><br/>His eyes moved from Crusty, to the snake, to the fire, but his mind was comfortingly blank of any thoughts, when the snake was finally ready. Ace smirked, a smirk that only widened at the sound of the harpies' laugh. He chose to ignore Caine's statement, and accepted the piece of meat before moving the stick around a bit.<br/><br/>"Why Caine gets his meal first? You like him more than me?" he took his first bite. It wasn't exactly tasty, considering they didn't have any seasoning to work with, but it was well cooked enough. Not that he would say it. "And don't worry, my aim is perfect. I won't hit you." the smile in his face made it clear enough that the statement was only a half-truth. Yes, he was good with a bow, enough to hit the target he was intending most of the time. It was still nothing compared to his skill with his sword.<br/><br/>Ace was chewing happily on his meat when the first cackling shadow appeared. The hush of excitement went through him in a swift motion, but he didn't stand up, barely moving, except to keep eating as if there was nothing wrong. The tenseness on his body, however, was perceptive, and his free hand curled around his bow on the ground, the grip strong, ready, his eyes never leaving the harpies circling above Crusty's head.<br/><br/>At first, it seemed that the harpies would be content to just keep annoying Crusty. The horses were growing restless, but Ace didn't spare much thought towards them. As long as the harpies were focused on the man eating in the middle of the clearing, they would be safe. So he kept eating, his figure somewhat awkward in the movements that did not match his focus of attention. When the first harpy finally attacked, he had to focus on making every nerve of his body to keep still. Taking the rest of the meat in his mouth, he put his empty stick on the ground, deliberately slow, half to annoy Crusty while he could, half to keep the harpies' attention away from himself.<br/><br/>But then, an harpy dived lower, thick talons aiming to her target's face, closing dangerously close to his eye. Ace jumped to his feet, positioning his bow and putting an arrow in place. Not as quickly as he would've ideally liked, but quick enough to release the arrow and hit the beast's leg as it was returning to the air from its attack.<br/><br/>The result was a scream that pierced through his ears, making him flinch, as the harpy flapped its wings to get higher and away from the threat. The others, however, dived lower, cackling angrily at the man on the ground, as if he was the source of attack. While the closeness of wings made it somewhat hard for them to dive, their stretched legs were still enough for their talons to reach Crusty.<br/><br/>"Oh, well, shit." Ace mumbled to himself as he readied another arrow, the concerned voice contrasting with the smile on his face. He drew the arrow once again, trying to focus on a point amongst flapping wings and angry talons, trying to aim high enough not to hit Crusty. He released his grip, reading another one as he watched the released arrow find its way on one harpy's neck. Another scream of pain, and it dropped on top of Crusty, trashing around.<br/><br/>Ace was about to release another arrow, this time aiming the uninjured harpy, when he saw the first one dive towards him. His feet shifted, quickly and sure, aiming at the new target, but the movement was too sudden, there was too little time to aim, and the arrow missed. There was no way he was fast enough to ready another arrow before the harpy reached him, so he dropped his bow, attention focused on the approaching enemy. This was what he was good at.<br/><br/>The harpy stretched its talons, and Ace raised his arm, protecting his face and allowing the beast to close its talon around his gauntlets. The piece of armor protected him from any scratch the talons might otherwise do in his arms, but when the harpy pulled him, trying to fly away carrying its prey, it was impossible to keep his feet steady for more than a second. But that wasn't his focus. When the left wing came down, he used his free hand to grab it. The harpy was strong enough to get free, if given the chance, but the sudden extra weight and the pain of some of the more fragile feathers being torn were enough to make it come crashing down on the ground, talons releasing their grasp as Ace twisted his own body to land on top of the beast. He moved quickly, and connected the metal on his hand with the harpy's beak, hearing a cracking sound that he hoped was bone. Another hit, and it was enough for the harpy to stop moving. Dead or just fainted, he would check once the danger had passed.<br/><br/>Ace got to his feet, brushing his messy hair away from his face as he searched Crusty. The harpy that had its neck pierced was laying motionless on the ground, blood painting the grass. The other harpy was flying away, screeching non-stop, although Ace wasn't sure if it had been scared by the death of its two companions or by something Crusty had done.<br/><br/>"I'm pleased to serve and save your ass anytime, Your Highness." the mercenary bowed deeply towards Crusty, although his voice lacked any mockery this time. He was pleased, his heart pounding in his chest - not from fear, but simply for the sheer emotion of a fight - as he stretched. "So, how was the show, Caine? Was it of your liking, or should I have allowed them to have a little more hope of survival?" Ace stepped on one of the harpy's wings, stopping just as he heard bone cracking. Now, even if it did wake up, it would be unable to fly away of the much of a threat. "But then again, I'm just so awesome that any show would be good enough." he smiled, not really happy but very satisfied. In a way, he was glad Caine had kept away from the fight. While he knew there would be a time when they would have to fight together, he would rather postpone it as long as possible. He fought a lot better when there was no need to worry about his... allies.