Astiroth stayed on the defensive with the wolf. He held his sword right and waited for the wolf to make its next move as it circled him. Astiroth glanced at the others and he saw some weren't doing well. He wanted to kill the wolf and help the others. He was ready to strike when the wolf turned and charged another. Astiroth quickly pulled out his bow and an arrow. He inhaled and aimed quick and fired at the wolf. He wasn't going for a kill shot. He aimed for its leg. He knew his shot would be decent. The wolf wasn't paying attention and it was running straight for another. After Astiroth took the shot, he gripped his sword and went for the kill.

Astiroth thought things were going well for the group. He noticed Arthur was free to aid someone else. Besides the person that got hit in the head; things looked to go pretty well for fighting orcs. All Astiroth could think was that the wolf was gonna make a nice coat.

Riki's intense focus was giving her tunnel vision. She was so focused on perfecting her aim that she neglected the orc's(R) counter attack. Fortunately Arthur was there to aid her despite her reluctance to accept it. As the orc sat pinned on its knees, Riki couldn't help but lash out. "Did I ask for your help?" she raised her voice bitterly. "I had him, next time don't interrupt me." She paused a second to allow Arthur to struggle holding the orc in place. She couldn't help but feel disappointed by how the fight was going. Surely everyone was laughing at her failure. Raising her sword horizontally she placed the tip to the orc's throat before swiftly plunging it forward with all her body weight behind her. For a moment she closed her eyes, she never enjoyed this part of combat.

Orcs were strong. Decado knew that. He shouldn't have stayed close to the creature, even to try and finish him off. He stabbed his blade for the creature's neck, but his blade caught on the Orc's(D) breastplate half-heartedly, as Decado stumbled back from the shove. He managed to keep himself from falling though, dropping to one knee as he watched the Orc bring his huge blade to bear and swing it down. A small moment of panic filled Decado as he was still recovering his balance as the creature powered his entire body behind the string, but he pulled himself together. He rolled to the right and was on his feet again as the monstrosity crashed down on the ground, face first, unable to bring himself back up again in time.

Decado moved quickly, planting his knee in the small of the Orc's back, to keep him from pushing himself back up again, and slammed his right hand blade through the back of it's neck, twisting the blade savagely, feeling the spine snap before pulling it out and standing again.

The Orc(k) was getting frustrated unable to hit its opponent. This frustration grew and lead to carelessness. Kiena was easily able to slip behind the orc and slash the back of the Orc's knee. The orc let out a snarl as Kiena's blade cut into its leg and it violently swung its axe back to swat the fly who was annoying him so. But yet again Kiena was able to avoid his attacks and again land another attack dropping it to its knees. In the few seconds before the orc died it looked Kiena dead in the eye, "You all will die before Chief Bloodfang falls!" he yelled just as Kiena's blade passed through his neck and the orc fell forever silent.

The wolf charged bearing down on the injured Rafa fangs bared, but before it could reach its target Astiroth's arrow pierced its hind leg. This caused the wolf to miss a step and go tumbling forward. The wolf tried to get up, but Astiroth's blade fell on the wolf before it could recover.

Arthur held the orc(R) down as Riki lashed out. he almost snapped back at her, but he knew now was not the time. but he couldn't help the cold piecing glare that he sent at Riki after her comment. His glare was broken by the final words spoken by the orc(K). Arthur then let the dead orc(R) drop and turned his gaze to see that the rest of the orcs had been dealt with. It seemed only Rafa had sustained an Injury, although unsettling he was relived that no one else was injured. "Good work everyone, check on Rafa and take whatever you think would be valuable. we have five minutes before we make our way back to camp." He said out to his team as he relaxed a bit with the battle over. Arthur placed his spear and shield on his back and moved back to the orc he killed to search for anything useful.

Arthur didn't find much of value on the orc, but his eyes did fall on the Orc's War Bow. He picked up the bow and drew an arrow from the Orc's quiver, Arthur then knocked the arrow and pulled back the string to test the weapon, Arthur wasn't new to archery, but he wasn't expecting the bow to be so hard to pull. With a dull twang sound the arrow flew at a nearby tree, once it hit the arrow dug into the tree embedding the entirety of the arrowhead into the tree. After a quick inspection Arthur decided to keep the bow, although he knew that it would be a while before he could truly use the weapon effectively. Arthur still knew the weapon was well worth it extra strength training. After taking the weapon, a quiver and any arrows he could find Arthur turned back to Riki. "Just so you know, you might not of asked for help, but I wouldn't be a good leader if I let any of my team members get injured if I could help it. I couldn't do anything to stop Rafa from getting hit, but I wasn't about to let you get injured as well just because of overconfidence and pride. You might be new to the Wolves, but we are a team, a family and we watch out for each other." He said to her pulling her aside not to hurt her pride and point it out to the entire group. After the five minutes were up Arthur looked over his team. "Alright, lets head back to camp and report what we found. Everyone move out" Arthur says as he starts to make his way back to camp.

As Arthur walked he remained quiet and in thought. This Chief Bloodfang worried him, "These orcs were supposed to just barely be organized, an easy pest to eliminate. Not a full blown Clan who were claiming this land as their own." He thought to himself as they walked. If they were up against a clan then the Commander would have to be notified soon. If they continued as they were any number of men and women could be lost to a raid or to traps set by the Orcs. The addition of a Chieftain made this entire mission worse and it made Arthur start to question their employer and their true intentions.

Kiena felt the sickening impact of her blade running through the orc's throat. She always hated killing her opponents, whether they were human or not. When she pulled back her sword, the orc's blood gushed out, spattering her face and clothes. She came away from the fight flecked in dark crimson. She shuddered, wiping some of it from her cheek, and walked slowly back to Arthur and the rest of his squad.

"You all will die before Chief Bloodfang falls!"

Kiena couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved by the orc's dying words. It could have just been an empty threat, but she didn't want to brush it off as that just yet. Who was Chief Bloodfang, anyway? Arthur never told them about a chief when they set out on this mission. She cast him a sideways glance. It was dangerous to withhold information from one's squad; surely he knew this. If so, that meant that even Arthur didn't know who this chief was.

They were working a job without all the details.

Just perfect.

Kiena watched the squad leader pull Riki off to the side and speak to her in a hushed voice. She wondered what the girl did, but quickly pushed the thought aside. It wasn't her business. She looked at her other teammates who all seemed weary after the fight. She hoped there were no other orcs nearby to hear the sounds from their battle. They were in no shape to put up a strong second fight.

Especially him.

Kiena shifted her attention to Rafa. If they were attacked now, he probably wouldn't make it. She hoped someone else had brought along some medical supplies, because she had left hers at camp. It was a stupid move on her part, and now she was regretting it. Arthur was now walking back to the group, so she collected her thoughts and tried to pay attention to him.

"Alright, lets head back to camp and report what we found. Everyone move out."

Kiena silently complied, beginning the trek back to camp after their leader. She couldn't help but peek at Astiroth out of the corner of her eye. He still hadn't taken off that hood, even during the heat of battle. What was he hiding under there? She slowed her pace slightly until she was walking next to him.

"So, Astiroth, right?" Kiena flashed him a friendly smile, but kept her voice low in case there were any other orcs nearby. "Nice moves out there. That wolf didn't stand a chance. It must have been hard to see it though, with that veil over your face. Doesn't it obscure your vision?"

Astiroth pulled his sword out of the wolf's corpse. He looked around and noticed that the Orc group was dead. He did hear something about a chieftain but didn't put much thought into it. He didn't think now was the time. He grabbed hold of the wolf and layed it across his shoulders. It was rather heavy but he expected it. It's weight wasn't anything Astiroth couldn't handle, plus he had its weight evenly distributed so he wouldn't mess up his back. He walked with the group and noticed a girl slowing down to walk beside him. He heard her say his name and he looked at her. He saw her give a smile and comment on his skill as well as ask about the hood blocking his sight. Astiroth sighed making sure to keep his voice down in case of another qrc group was near by. "You can't tell but I'm smiling back." He said to her before he thought about the question she had asked. "Come to think of it...the hood doesn't really hinder my sight. I still managed to see you take a peak at me so I'd say I'm good to go. Many people think the hood hinders my vision but it doesn't. Not like any would think anyway. The black mass you see that covers my face is actually generated by this hood. It's a magic hood so I'm sure you can tell where I came from. I stole this hood couple years ago to be honest. I grew up on the streets so learning to steal was my only option. Didn't really have parents. Never met them anyway. Anyway, the hood is enchanted with dark magic. That is what gives me this dark appearance." Astiroth continued to walk and thought for a bit. "This wolf is gonna make a nice coat." Astiroth wasn't really sure what else to say. He never really held up a conversation unless he was negotiating and this wasn't one of those situations. "Thanks. Not a lot of people think that because I prefer words that I can't fight. So thanks for the compliment. Your not bad yourself. Your quick on your feet."

"You can't tell but I'm smiling back."

Kiena laughed at that comment. She wasn't sure why, but she found it amusing that he had to verbally announce his facial expressions like that.

"Come to think of it...the hood doesn't really hinder my sight. I still managed to see you take a peak at me so I'd say I'm good to go. Many people think the hood hinders my vision but it doesn't. Not like any would think anyway. The black mass you see that covers my face is actually generated by this hood. It's a magic hood so I'm sure you can tell where I came from. I stole this hood couple years ago to be honest. I grew up on the streets so learning to steal was my only option. Didn't really have parents. Never met them anyway. Anyway, the hood is enchanted with dark magic. That is what gives me this dark appearance."

Kiena nodded as he spoke, indicating that she was being attentive to what Astiroth was saying. She only asked one question, and now he was laying out his whole life story for her. The fact that he was so open about everything else only deepened her curiosity for what he hid behind the mask. Apart from that, she was also intrigued by their similar pasts. She had also grown up on the streets. Then again, so had most of the other Ironwolves, so it wasn't a huge revelation.

"This wolf is gonna make a nice coat." He seemed to be talking more to himself now, but she murmured her agreement nonetheless. "Thanks. Not a lot of people think that because I prefer words that I can't fight. So thanks for the compliment. Your not bad yourself. Your quick on your feet."

"Well, you know," Kiena puffed up her chest with pride, but let her voice carry with a casual tone like the compliment was no big deal. Astiroth had shared his life story, so she might as well offer him something in return. "I also grew up on the streets, as did many of the Wolves. I've been with them for a little over five years now, so I've learned a lot about fighting." She nimbly leaped over a large root in her path and then ducked under a low-hanging tree branch. "After training with such a talented group, what can you expect? I'm sure you'll be an ace fighter in no time too, Astiroth." She smirked at him good-humoredly. "You've already got some natural ability - you proved that today - and the Ironwolves can bring that out in you if you let them."

After removing her blade from the orc's chest, a squirt of blood immediately lashed out. Riki immediately turned away and distanced herself from the dead orc and the others. Between deep breaths she wiped the blood from her sword and tried to slow down her rapidly beating heart. In a smooth motion she sheathed her blade and gave the orc one last glance before trying to forget about it.

"Just so you know, you might not of asked for help, but I wouldn't be a good leader if I let any of my team members get injured if I could help it. I couldn't do anything to stop Rafa from getting hit, but I wasn't about to let you get injured as well just because of overconfidence and pride. You might be new to the Wolves, but we are a team, a family and we watch out for each other."

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say" Riki was pouty as she replied, not paying too much mind to the lecture. "Don't think I owe you anything. I'm not a princess waiting to be rescued, got it?"

As far as loot goes there wasn't really anything for Riki to take. Their armor was too heavy, and their weapons too imprecise. And all their clothes were at least three times her size. She found a few gold pieces and a bottle of ale, but nothing worthwhile.

Riki was sort of moody afterwards. She wasn't particularly fond of taking lives. It may seem contradictory, but she liked to fight but not to kill. Too bad one usually followed the other. Following her team back she stayed in the back trying to avoid the idealistic Arthur. What he said before still kind of irked her. They were a team, sure, but a family? Riki's loyalty to the squad of strangers is as thin as it could possibly be. No offense to them, it's just how it is.

Decado was silent as he helped with the cleaning up of their most recent mess. The Orcs had been outnumbered and outgunned from the start, but the way that things had gone, the wolves were lucky they didn't walk away with casualties, or more wounds. Putting so many newcomers under the command of an inexperienced commander, despite his skill, had proven to be a poor move. These bumpkins didn't fight well together, anxious to prove themselves, grabbing their own glory instead of fighting as a team. Three or four experienced wolves would have peppered the orcs with arrows, thinning their ranks before engaging. But no. One volley and everyone wanted to get in close. They needed some tactics. The fact that they were all still alive and mostly unhurt was thanks to Arthur's quick thinking.

He scowled, unstrapping the meats and hides that were attached to the now dead wolf, and getting to quick work on them. They couldn't carry the wold boar and the two deer legs that were to be found, as well as the handful of hares and rabbits that had been caught by the orc hunting party. He got rid of the questionable bits, like the ones that had teeth marks in it. And cut up as much as he determined that they would be able to carry," You said that the troop would like some fresh meat," Decado growled at Arthur," Everyone pack up as much as you can carry, and we leave the rest. Let the healer back at camp determine if this is edible," He packed up a side of the boar and carried it in his bag, moving over to Riki. Her attitude had annoyed him a mite. There was no place for idiots in the Wolves, and her kind of idiocy was the worst kind. The kind that would not only get her killed, but the others around her as well.

"You're no princess in need of rescuing, little one," He growled at her, handing her her share of the loot and the meat," Doesn't mean you don't need help on occasion. We fight together, or we die together here in the Wolves. If you can't get that, you will get yourself dead. In most occasions, I would not mourn. But if you get other people killed because you want to do everything yourself, I will kill you myself, and say it was an accident," And with that grumpy advice passed along, he started making his way towards the Ironwolves' camp.

Astiroth listened to Kiena as they walked. She spoke of growing up on the streets and how she has spent time with the iron wolves for around five years. Astiroth looked ahead of himself to make sure he wouldn't trip. He said yea every once and awhile as a sign to show Kiena that he was still listening. Astiroth sighed under his hood. "I lived on the streets up until my teen years. An incident happened which made me begin to hide my face. I know I'm a good fighter. It's one of the reasons I was accepted into the iron wolves. That and I guess they felt bad because I had no where else to go if they said no. I have been with the iron wolves for three years. I just haven't really been assigned a team on most of my assignments. Talking my way out of death is one thing, but when you have a team the people are less likely to oblige. I have talked my way out of deadly situations before. To be honest, I planned out a conversation to the orcs in case we got captured. Orcs aren't good listeners." Astiroth paused for the moment in his speech. "Unless you use the word fear. That draws their attention. Orcs love to be feared. I had my speech planned out. I have every speech planned out. As a negotiator, it becomes a habit pretty soon."

The big Northman once known as Corraich Fiadhaich approached the base camp of the Iron Wolves with a calm and measured pace. They were out here hunting Orcs after all, and he didn't want some green boy playing soldiers mistaking him for one of those big brutes and accidentally filling him full of crosbow bolts, all because he'd come outta the trees walking too fast. Not that the Iron Wolves had that sorta reputation, but you could never be to careful after all. As it was he was spotted by the sentries on watch pretty quick, who kept a wary eye on him as he crossed towards them.

"Ho there lads," he called out with a wave and a cheery smile. His pa always taught him that whatever you do in life, do it with a smile. Corraich had tried to stick to that as much as possible, coming to find that a smile could sometimes get you that which iron couldn't. Not often mind you, but enough to make it a trick worth trying.

These sentry's weren't looking all that receptive of his sunny demeanour though, in fact one of them, a beardless boy by the state of him, looked down right terrified. Corraich had come to accept that that was an almost constant reaction some southerners had to him, though if that was because he was a Northman, a scarred giant, or because they always shat their trousers at the slightest provocation he wasn't sure, though he had an inkling that it was a combination of the three. The boys companion sentry, a grey bearded vet, was a calmer sort though, hawking and spitting a lump of phlegm before answering.

"State your business or move on." A no nonsense type then. Corraich could appreciate that.

"I'm here looking for an Iron Wolf Captain named Bonnie Yohn. Say's I could find him here. Our business is for us to discuss."

The vet showed all the emotion of a stone as he considered Corraich's reply, while the boy managed to stay in a state of heightened terror that would have been almost impressive if it wasn't so pathetic. He wont last the soldier's life. Most likely be dead by winter solstice if he doesn't get off of the Warrior's Path, Corraich thought to himself. Finally the veteran sentry came to a decision.

"Alright. Follow me." With that the vet turned and stalked through the camp, Corriach's long legs struggling to keep pace with the man's hurried strides. As mercenary bases go the Iron Wolves wasn't the worst. The stink of the latrines wasn't too overpowering, the 'camp wives' who flocked to these sorta places weren't too ugly and the guards were still sober enough to stand. Aye, it was an inspiring sight true enough, nothing like the shambles the Spring Crows had called a camp, but Corraich reckoned the less said about those lads the better. The vet led him to a cook fire attended by a trio of Iron Wolves, amongst them the Captain Bonnie Yohn, so named for his legendary ugliness.

Bonnie Yohn's appearance was enough to take a man's breath away, with the right side of his face burnt horribly, his right eye a weeping mess that was covered by a cloth patch that only served to call more attention to his handicap, straggly greasy hair that stuck out at all angles an shit coloured teeth that looked like a row of broken headstones. He'd never be a maidens wet dream, but tales of Yohns ugliness were only matched by tales of his bravery. The man was a consummate professional when it came to soldiery, and a complete asset to the Wolves, as Corraich had come to find during the ambush. The veteran sentry announced their presence, Yohn turning his attention from a junior officer telling some ribald story to the vet and the Northman, his ugly face breaking into a revolting grin full of good humour.

"North, you came! Glad you didn't make a liar outta me, I told the commander you were the find of the century, but then started to worry you wouldn't show. Shoulda known that orc ambush wouldn't scare a big lad like you off! Good work Talky, now return to your post." Corraich, now going by North, returned the smile as Talky the sentry returned to the perimeter, though talk of that ambush brought back painful memories. He and Yohn had only met two days hence when Corraich had been signed on with a rival crew of mercenaries called the Spring Crows. The Crows, eager to fatten themselves on the coffers of the Sadan Empires like several other merc companies, had answered the call to arms at Fort Heinsworth. Unfortunately the Crows had been poorly led, badly organised and almost exclusively manned by idiots. On one of their few paltry scouting efforts they had been ambushed by a unit of Orcs. Corraich, who had only recently stepped back onto the Warriors Path when he had signed up with the Crows, was still rusty from inaction, failing to spot the ambush before it was almost too late. He woulda been killed if it hadn't been for Bonnie Yohn leading his Iron Wolves in a counter attack. As it stood Corraich was one of only three Crows that had survived the farce, the other two quickly deciding they had had their fill of mercenary work. Corraich had managed to kill four of the Orcs himself, through a combination of brute strength, one-time skill and incredible dumb luck, and Yohn had taken a liking to him, inviting him to join the Iron Wolves.

"Well come on then North, lets go introduce you to the Commander and make it official." Yohn rose and led them to the command tent, the guards letting him pass after confiscating Corriach's weapons. Or most of them at least, as Corraich still had one little knife hidden behind his belt buckle. Never can be to careful, after all. I've learnt that the hard way lads. Yohn coughed theatrically before speaking to his leader.

"Commander Gharskull, here's that Northman I mentioned to ya. Told ya he was a big one!"

Corraich waited patiently for the Commander to speak.

"You're no princess in need of rescuing, little one," He growled at her, handing her her share of the loot and the meat," Doesn't mean you don't need help on occasion. We fight together, or we die together here in the Wolves. If you can't get that, you will get yourself dead. In most occasions, I would not mourn. But if you get other people killed because you want to do everything yourself, I will kill you myself, and say it was an accident," And with that grumpy advice passed along, he started making his way towards the Ironwolves' camp.

"Hahahahah" Riki laughed nervously, left hand resting on the hilt of her sword. "You wolves sure love your teamwork. Quite the band of merry men you are! I don't want to do 'everything' myself, I just prefer to fight my own fights is all. And really, how are you going to secretly kill me? Especially after you just told me your plan. Do you think my blade that slow? Gods help you if we were to cross swords." The entire time her left hand was completely aware of where her sword was, and was ready to strike if Decado were to try something. "Have you anything else to say? If not then leave me be."

After they were done with their bizarre conversation, a worried expression crossed Riki's face. Was this guy serious? Is he gonna ice her? She wasn't afraid of a fight, but this creep might poison her meal or get her in her sleep and make it look like an accident. She needed to tell someone in case of the worse. Too bad she pissed off the team leader. Maybe the guy in the hood? But he didn't seem too keen after that joke she made about him being a vampire. The girl! Yes, Kiena was the only person left who didn't hate her guts! Sometimes she wondered why she was so bad at making friends.

The bladesmaster smirked. Typical. Proud. Arrogant. Overconfident. Any other time he would have asked Arthur for permission to find a reason to duel her, beat her down a couple of notches and then make sure she didn't climb back up until she had earned it every inch of the way. But he was in no mood for it today, so he just stopped where he was, spinning around, that smirk still on his face. He was deeply amused.

"You wolves? Us wolves, little one, or leave now. From now on, each fight you are in with your fellow wolves is every one's fight as well. You follow orders, and call your commanders 'Sir' unless you are on a first name basis. And no," He stepped in close, close enough that he could feel her scent. At that moment his eagle found it's high perch more boring than usual and it descended down to where it could listen to the petty argument," If I were to kill you, you would be awake, you would be facing me, and you would have a blade in your hand," His smirk turned into a snort as he tapped his weapons," For all the good it would do you," And with that, he tapped his shoulder and the eagle swooped in and landed neatly on it as Decado fed him a strip of pork, walking away.

Arthur stayed in thought for a bit while walking, but he realized that even a walk back to camp could be dangerous and snapped himself out of thought to focus on his surroundings. He listened in on the conversations his team were having but didn't intrude on any of them. The camp was still a few miles away, but the group was far enough from the front lines that Arthur would let his team relax a little. His team... it was still a new concept to him Arthur had been with the wolves forever, he had lead groups before in the rare case when the commanding officer was injured and unable to continue. But he had never had his own team that he was responsible for, and this team wasn't exactly the cream of the crop. Decado was defiantly a blessing, he had a long career in the Iron Wolves, he was strong, resourceful, and had a good head on his shoulders. Kiena had been with the wolves for a few years and had proven herself useful, but most of her experience was fighting bandits and thieves and not fighting real battles against trained troops or their like. Something that could prove fatal if she were to underestimate an orc. Astiroth had also been with the wolves for years, but Arthur only really knew that he did work as a negotiator but didn't know much of his combat potential. Riki worried Arthur she was new to the wolves and reckless, she may have some sort of skill with a blade, but she didn't have real combat experience. From the way she had closed her eyes for the kill Arthur could tell she hadn't done it much, and although normally that wouldn't be a bad thing in this line of business it was more of a hindrance. A bit of a ragtag group, but it was his team, and Arthur wouldn't let them down. He fell back a bit beside Decado after he had left Riki, "She seems like she might be a bit of a tough nut to crack" He started talking to him, Although Arthur had been in the Wolves with Decado for years, the two had rarely spoken before this assignment. "I think we need to do something about her attitude and get her to work together with her team. If you wouldn't mind I would ask of you to watch her and fight with her for the rest of this mission. Her recklessness could get us all killed otherwise" he said to the man knowing that Decado was more than capable of training the newbie and could easily knock her down a few pegs if required.

The command tent wasn't empty when Corraich and Bonnie entered. A Woman stood next to him looking down on a map of the area. The woman was Elizabeth and she was the Iron Wolves' head strategist. And it seemed that the two had been making battle plans when the two men entered. "And this area is where Arthur's team was dispatched, we haven't heard back from them yet, but the Orcs don't seem to have many troops stationed there so I expect them to return soon." Elizabeth reported to Malek who seemed a bit worried. But he soon regained his composure and turned to greet the two. "So your are the one Bonnie held in such high regards I heard you were able to stand toe to toe with these beasts, impressive." He said sitting up from the table and walking over to shake Corraich's hand. as Malak approached he seemed to have an intimidating aura around him he was also a big man from the south with years of experience he stood eye to eye with Corraich and grinned. " Malak Gharskull, Commander of the Iron Wolves, and you look like one who has quite a few stories I think I would like to hear them someday." Malak said to Corraich giving the man a welcoming greeting. Elizabeth on the other hand looked Corraich over, "So we get another brute, where am I supposed to fit him in?" She questioned. "Even with Bonnie's recommendation we can't just drop him with them, their team is filled out and adding a new member would throw off their dynamic." Elizabeth continued sounding quite annoyed. Malak stood there for a moment, "Put him with Arthur's squad, they are a new team anyway so adding one more won't cause much of an impact." he responded and Elizabeth walked back to the table to examine her notes. "That could work, but I still don't know. I think you pamper that boy to much. I still say he is to young to lead the team, there are others who are more qualified." She said back to Malak who grinned a bit. "Well look at that we already have you in a team now, But unfortunately they aren't back to camp yet. Go make yourself at home, I'll send my boy to find you when they return." He said to Corraich before turning back to Elizabeth. "Don't worry he will prove himself, I didn't raise an incompetent fool" He reassured her before looking back down at the map and the reports that had been filed over the day.

Corraich wasn't as surprised as some might be to find a woman in the command tent. The North was famous for it's Spear-Wives and Shield-Maidens, lassies as fierce and brutal as their male counterparts, if not more so. Still, this woman didn't seem to be cut from the same cloth as Dreamless or Heigl Knifesinger of the North, for one she wasn't a bruised and scarred harridan that was as like to stab him as look at him.

The Commander Gharskul was a big lad, as big as Corraich himself. Not uncommon for folk to get that big up North, but a damn sight rarer down South. He carried himself well, with the easy grace and confidence of a practised warrior. Malak didn't have that frightened look most Southerners got when they seen Corraich. No, this man was a wolf, not a rabbit. And he knew it. The commander offered his hand in that greeting southerners preferred, the Northman taking and shaking it with some trepidation. He'd never understood the penchant for 'shaking hands', thinking it was too big a risk that a man could shake your hand with his right, but stick a knife in your guts with his left. Just like The King of the North did to me! Still, the Commander of the Iron Wolves hardly struck him as that type of man. But then, Teovin never struck you as the type to betray you either. Didn't stop him doing it though.

He stood in silence as the Commander and the woman, obviously a chief or lord in this band, argued his fate in the company. He smiled as warm as he could muster at the lassie, hoping to blunt some of the ire she felt for him, but his efforts fell on stony grounds again as all it got him was another glare. Good to see that my old magic with the female population still stands.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't bothered to find out he wasn't gonna be in Bonnie Yohn's squad, the ugly soldier was nothing if not good company, but his men also seemed to be well trained and happy with their Captain. Still, no point crying about missed opportunity, his Pa had always told him that you had to dance with the partner you were given, and if that partner was to be Arthur Gharskull then so be it. Corraich took it that the meeting was over, so he followed Yohn out of the tent. That’s it then. I’m an Iron Wolf. Back walking the Warrior’s Path. Some things just don‘t change, no matter how much time passes.

Yohn trudged back towards the cook fire were Corraich had first found him.

“Damn shame that you’re not with me North, never can have too many big barbaric bastards like you in a crew, specially when you‘re going up against Orcs. Still, Arthur isn’t a bad Captain to serve under I reckon. He may be young, but he knows his stuff. Lotta fella’s here think he’s been raised higher than his limited experience should allow, but I know a fighting man when I see one and he’s becoming one hell of a fighting man. Aye you could do worse than young Garskull.” Yohn dropped himself back into his seat, gesturing for Corraich to sit next to him. The Northman was asked if he was hungry, and when he answered yes he was handed a hunk of day old bread and some musty cheese. Not exactly a kings banquet, but Corraich had stomached far worse during his time. Besides, the mould adds to the flavour.

As the Northman finished up his meal he began to realise the flow of conversation around the fire had slowed to a trickle, Yohn’s crew eyeing him warily. Most of them were almost as intimidated by the big barbarian as the young sentry at the gate had been. Corraich sighed wearily, realising once more that some things never change. Back up North his grim reputation had always preceded him, men fearing him for the stories of his ferocity and bloodlust that were told. Here though, no one knew his name, or his dark deeds, of how he burnt families alive or killed men for no more than looking at hum. Here they just feared him for who he could be, rather than who he was.

“So. . . ” he said after the silence had gone on for a while “Any of you lads ever heard the one about the Soolian Mage and the Beduan whore?” a host of blank faces looked back at him, so he tore into one of the dirtiest and raunchiest jokes he had ever heard up North. If there’s one thing that binds soldiers together, it’s racist jokes about whores. By the time Arthur finds him Corraich will have swapped several jokes with Bonnie Yohn’s crew, and will find himself more popular by far.

As the group continued to journey forth RIki walked alone, separated from the others. She kicked the dirt trying to think of a way out of the trouble she got herself into. It wasn't even her fault! At least, that's what she thinks. Maybe she should ask to get transferred to a different squad. Or maybe she should just quit, since they clearly didn't want her there even though she had the fastest sword in the region (or so she likes to think). When Arthur joined Decado and they started whispering to each other, Riki suddenly got a sense of nervousness. What were they scheming? Was Arthur going along with Decado's murder threat? No, no that couldn't be... could it? Now wasn't the time to get paranoid, unless that's what they want her to think!

Breaking into a light jog Riki joined Kiena and Astiroth, two potential witnesses whom didn't exactly hate her. "Oh, hello. We haven't been properly introduced. My name's RIki" she said putting on her best manners. It was a bit unnatural for her but better than making more enemies. "Say, you two have been in the wolves for a while. Longer than I have. Have you ever had a teammate just... disappear on you? What do you know about that Decado fellow? Like, does he have a penchant for poison, or stabbing? Just curious is all hahaha..."

"I lived on the streets up until my teen years. An incident happened which made me begin to hide my face. I know I'm a good fighter. It's one of the reasons I was accepted into the iron wolves. That and I guess they felt bad because I had no where else to go if they said no. I have been with the iron wolves for three years. I just haven't really been assigned a team on most of my assignments. Talking my way out of death is one thing, but when you have a team the people are less likely to oblige. I have talked my way out of deadly situations before. To be honest, I planned out a conversation to the orcs in case we got captured. Orcs aren't good listeners... Unless you use the word fear. That draws their attention. Orcs love to be feared. I had my speech planned out. I have every speech planned out. As a negotiator, it becomes a habit pretty soon."

"Why didn't you tell Arthur before we headed into battle with them?" Kiena tipped her head slightly, looking up at him with curious green eyes. "He seems like the type to take advice from his men." she shrugged. "Well, whatever the case may be, it doesn't matter now. We're all mostly okay and camp isn't too far from here. We should make it back in one piece."

A second voice took Kiena by surprise. She turned around to see that other girl, Riki, approaching them at a brisk trot. She wondered what Riki wanted. She didn't seem like the type of person to start a conversation. In fact, she was almost the opposite. Guess you really can't judge a book by its cover, Kiena mused. She listened to what the other girl had to say.

"Oh, hello. We haven't been properly introduced. My name's RIki. Say, you two have been in the wolves for a while. Longer than I have. Have you ever had a teammate just... disappear on you? What do you know about that Decado fellow? Like, does he have a penchant for poison, or stabbing? Just curious is all hahaha..."

Kiena could tell Riki wasn't used to casual introductions like this, but what was with the random questions about missing teammates? Unless... She shot a glance at Decado and Arthur and then rolled her eyes. Did he seriously just threaten the girl for her foolhardy behavior earlier? Honestly! She offered Riki a reassuring smile.

"If you think that guy" - she gestured towards Decado - "is going to kill you, don't worry about it," Kiena said. "He talks tough, but there's no way he could get away with it, even if he was serious. I would try to avoid getting on his bad side, though, if I were you. We are a team after all, so we might as well try to get along." She was of course subtly referring to Riki's earlier attempt at soloing an orc. Even if she was skilled, Kiena wasn't convinced the girl could have done it on her own. She would have to learn how to work together with her squad if she wanted to live much longer with the Wolves. At least she seemed to be trying to make friends now. That was a good start.

"So, you're new, right? What brings you to the Iron Wolves, Riki?"

Astiroth walked and listened as Kiena spoke. Astiroth thought the conversation was going well. She didn't show signs of displeasure in the conversation they were having. He looked to see another girl walk beside them and began to here her speak. He looked at Kiena as she spoke. Astiroth waited patiently for Kiena to finish speaking. "Listen Riki. There is no need to worry about Decado. He is all bark and no bite. Besides, you just exposed his biggest weakness in one simple argument. The man has a big ego. He may act likea leader, talk trash like a leader, and even treat you like he is the leader, but there is a reason he is never assigned as a team leader. His ego gets in the way. I'll give you a prime example. The arrogant idiot calls himself a blade master. He is around thirty and he thinks he can call himself a blade master. That is a prime example of his big ego. You pissed him off and got him to snap in one simple argument. In a fight, all you have to do is talk more, his ego will get the best of him and will be bound to mess up. Even if he is a better swordsman, his ego is simply his biggest flaw. That's why he will never be a leader."

Decado chuckled softly as Arthur spoke to him about Riki," You could always bend her over your knee and spank her with the flat of your sword if she tries anything like that again," That cryptic smile on his face left a small doubt as to whether he was joking or not," She's a good egg, and no mean fighter with that blade of hers. She's quick, and she's deadly, but not as quick or deadly as she thinks she is. She needs to learn her limits to expand them," He shrugged his shoulders which had the eagle flutter it's wings in a panic.

The guy in the hood is talking shit about you to this Riki girl that you like so much.

Decado smiled, almost grinning and looked over his shoulder to where the character in question and two women that were now talking to each other. Their voices were low, and the distance made what they were saying to each other a muffled jumble, but eagles did had some keep hearing. Or maybe he had read the guy's lips from inside his hood.

I never pay much attention to what the hooded freak says. His only skill lies in his tongue, and not even the tongue skill that the ladies can appreciate.

You should. He's a skilled negotiator. I've seen him work miracles before that you blades would only be able to do in... a couple of hours of hard blood-letting.

You can't always negotiate, my feathered friend.

You can't always hack your way through life either.

Worked pretty well so far for me Decado's grin was triumphant as he looked back again, waving to the hooded man, Besides, if they were going to send a negotiator with us to fight with orcs, they might have sent us with one that could at least speak their language.

"Haha hehehe" Riki let out a laugh of relief after being told Decado's bark was worse than his bite. It was the first good news she heard all day. "Geez, I can't believe I actually fell for that guy's tricks. Next time he tries to scold me I'll be ready!" Looking back she smirked as she watched Arthur and Decado several paces away. She might've stuck of tongue out at them but when Decado turned towards them she immediately looked away.

"So, you're new, right? What brings you to the Iron Wolves, Riki?"

"Food and a warm bed" Riki replied surprising herself with her honesty. "I mean, what else am I to do? I'm not adept at any trades. Can't cook or clean so I'd be a worthless maid. Not even the brothels will take me, something about scaring away the customers. All I have is my sword and it's all I need. Someday I'll become the best swordsman in the land, just you wait and see" as she said so she peered off into the distance, lost in her own dreams. "Sorry for rambling on like that. Dunno what came over me"

As they walked Riki's feet started to drag, and she adjusted the sword on her hip so her belt wouldn't droop to one side. "I hope we're close. These boots are stylish but not aren't so comfortable. Why does fashion have to be so painful?"