The Celtic rain-forest, a dangerous ground known for hunters of all kinds. Men, women, animals alike. It was a place where people dreaded to fight in and wanted to fight in all the same, or just survive with ample opportunity to, if you had the skills to adapt. A odd party of people made it's way into the forest, nearly two hours of trekking through the meadows and underbrush the six warriors made their way steadily within, with one goal, to ultimate the unknown opposition.

Two women, a woman in light leather with a longbow in her left hand, moving with practiced ease through the forest ahead, alongside another woman who made it look even easier, never making a single mistake in footing, and not a single sound, not one footprint was seen on this one, and she wore all black with the strangest of weapons to note. Behind, were the actual warriors of the party, a heavily armored man with full half plate covering all kinds of obvious points to attack at, visor up on his helmet to allow open vision as he gazed about the surroundings, his steps were the loudest, breaking branches, creating large footsteps due to his weight and causing a slight ruckus as he pushed forward, that was why he was put at the back of the group and not the front. Finally, a viking, well known for their trade in fighting in forests and mountains alike, pushed forward behind the two women, wearing chainmail and holding a large battleax in his hands, not something you can simply put on the back after all. At his belt was a straight sword and four throwing axes, and finally at his back was a round shield, even with his armor his footsteps weren't as bad as the knight at the back and two equally armored men in the middle, the Spartans. Shields upon their left arms, always out and at the ready, footsteps marking the preparation of battle at every turn, they knew what they were doing, having survived forests and all kinds of environments at a young age, they were prepared for all kinds of things, animals to surprise attacks, as for the leader of the band, most notably the one with a transverse red crest on his helmet of the two Spartans, eyed everything carefully, he made his trade as a well known tactician in the Spartan nation, being replaced and now just a simple soldier, he was handpicked with this odd band of warriors of different nations, and different time periods all the same, for this strange goal to kill the opponents in a odd game of time, something none of them would understand.

Damaris called out though to the band after the two hour march nearly hit it's stop, "Hold." He stated, simply, everyone came to a stop in different accords, his fellow spartan and the knight behind stopping immediately, used to how orders worked. "We'll set camp nearby, we don't know where the enemy is, so stay alert. We'll keep watch an change shifts so everyone can get well needed rest before the next day." He stated simply, they moved to the side, in a well covered underbrush, keeping them completely secure from the East to the South, leaving North and West open to heavy grass and a path for open plains nearby.

Damaris motioned for Margaret, the archer of the group to proceed forward and take the first direct watch alongside Sasuki, the groups Ninja. Both had the best eyes of the group by far, and the first few hours of sleep were the worst in preparation for most assaults. If it came down to a direct fight, they wanted the heavy hitter fighters to be prepared more so than the lighter, scout and archer types of their group. Both took up positions in good hiding angles, with Margaret on the higher ground in-between two trees on a small hill nearby them, with a large bundle of grass covering her back so all she had to do was look forward for approaches. Sasuki meanwhile, stayed low, letting the shadows envelope her form as she hid, not complaining in the slightest, she rarely even spoke unless it was needed. She remained silent, a little further ahead of Margaret, practically apart of the brush and trees she was nearby as darkness crept more and more. Meanwhile, the men took up their shift of rest, using what camping supplies they had to get some rest for the night, until their shift was at turn to occur.

Daesha walked fluidly through the forest, each step graceful, and measured. In her wake, she left no trace, no sound. Her very form seemed hard to capture, moving like water, her soft, yet supple armor, dyed the color of the darkest midnight helped to further blur her form, seeming more like a shadow than a woman. Her eyes moved carefully, gliding from one direction to another, soaking in every bit of information as they scanned. Though her alertness did not end with inquisitive eyes. Her ears, sharp and clear took in every noise, picking them apart and dissecting them, and making her painfully aware of her more clumsy companions. Even her sense of touch and smell were active as she felt the vibrations run through the soft earth, and stayed alert for any smell that would alert her to something unnatural, such as the smell of a campfire. Her right hand remained on one of her short swords. They were weapons for any true killer. Their steel blades were tempered, and re-folded dozens of time, giving their curved edges, and fine points strength of the highest tier. Their handles we made from similar metal, forged and wrapped to fit her hands perfectly.

Rhea walked beside Daesha, though slightly behind. Her stride was confident and long, showing the experience of a seasoned traveler, and a veteran fighter. Her face remained rather expressionless, and she was calmly care-free, knowing Daesha would alert her to any trouble before it got too near. Every once in a while, a near-silent complaint would escape her lips, feeling annoyed. They were hired, for an extremely handsome sum, and sent on their way here, supposed to find and defeat another group of fighters. It felt pointless...But she wouldn't leave her companions...and the money helped ease her annoyance towards the seemingly pointless antics they were sent to incur. As she walked, her left hand remained on her Katana, which sat sheathed at her hip, hanging loosely. Her blades were her prized possessions, both masterfully crafted, and sharp enough to fell a tree with one clean stroke. She smiled as she thought back on all the times they had fought together, Vincent rushing in madly, always taking a few wounds, but dealing much, much worse, and how Lucien would work with her, opening someones defense, so she could dash in to deliver a lethal blow...How Daesha never seemed to be there, but somehow, people would fall over, their spines severed or hearts punctured. Then there was Iris, who would stand calmly next to Kage, firing arrows at anyone who left themselves open to their deadly tips, poisoned and otherwise...And most of all...Kage, Whirling around the battlefield, yet always close to Iris, his sword both his armor and Weapon as he wove dances that defied defense, and batted away attacks. She never understood him, but in truth, nobody truly did. They all trusted him, and respected him, just as he trusted and respected them...though he was still a mystery. She shook her head, her thoughts growing calm again as she trudged on.

Iris walked with a noticeable bound in her step, seeming to be the most energetic of the troupe, always energetic and kind. Everyone seemed to like her quite a lot, even Vincent, who was more likely to put his axe between someones eyes than shake their hand. She enjoyed the fair climate, and the shade provided by the trees. She smiled as she walked. Though she was shy around those she didn't know, she loved the company of her friends, who were all here...and in such a beautiful place...She couldn't think of anything that could sour her good mood.

Vincent trudged through the forest at the back of the troupe, each step heavy and powerful, leaving deep boot-prints, and against all odds, making noise an alarming amount of noise. He walked with his Great Axe in hand, slamming it into a tree every once in a while, purely out of boredom, leaving deep gashes in the bark and wood, sometimes even pulling out pieces of both as he pried his axe free in a single, easy motion. Even through the constant wear and abuse, the axe remained gleaming, it's edge razor sharp, ready to split a shield in two, or rend through flesh. From time to time, he found himself glancing around, to see if anything approached, itching for a fight, but he knew he wouldn't be able to harm an animal...And that was what he was probably going to attract, or scare away. As he trudged on, he looked up from staring at his feet, his eyes locking on to Iris, and his anger seemed to vanish...She had that effect on him. He smiled; a rare thing concerning Vincent, and a strange sight of his scar-covered face.

Lucien sighed. He wasn't enjoying this trek. He wore the heaviest armor, and his weapons and shield weren't getting any lighter. He was glad that the climate was at least cool. Had been any hotter, he probably wouldn't have made it past the first hour. Though he didn't openly complain, he could tell from the glances he kept getting that the others were at least sympathetic. Every job that had that required such rough traveling was hard on him, and they understood that, and tried to keep their pace slower. He shook his head, letting out another breathless sigh, using his spear as a walking staff, and powered onward.

Kage walked by Iris' side. He always had after what had happened on their last trip through Asia. She had nearly died at the hand of a Shinobi Warrior as the others fought the main force. It had been on intuition and instinct alone that Kage had been able to save her, having thrown his blade straight through the assailant's chest, severing his spine, and killing him instantly. He wasn't going to leave the next encounter to luck and intuition. Kage wore a simple black war robe, which flowed down to his ankles, the soft cloth rippling in the wind that swept through the trees. On the back was emblazoned a Silver Crescent Moon, and a Raven perched on it, also in silver. In his hand, he held his Katana, sheathed in it's black scabbard. He held it by the scabbard, right below the guard, pommel facing up and forward. The scabbard was of high quality metal, wrapped in silvery designs of a Dragon, long and elegant, stretching lazily along the length of the black metal scabbard, it's maw open around the top, as if to engulf the blade. The blade itself was of unmatched craftsmanship, its blade forged patiently over the course of months, by master sword-smiths. The hilt was of the same quality, though both are outwardly simple, save for the wolf etched into the blade, which seemed to run up along its length. Though he looked outwardly care-free, his step and stride matched that of Daesha's, while his paranoia and alertness seemed to almost surpass her own.

Soon after Dusk began to fall, they stopped, finding a small grove, the majority of the surrounding trees closely packed, and thick with flora and plant life. Kage took the first watch, and nobody questioned him. They all knew he wanted to be alone, so they promptly went to sleep, save for Daesha, who approached him, gaining a glance from him. She knew she had his attention, even though he stared off into the distance.

"I will take the second watch...Are you sure you are okay?" She asked, knowing what he was thinking about.

He nodded. "I'll be fine...Get some rest. I will wake you in a few hours." He said, his voice showing his true emotions; a deep sorrow. He didn't bother hiding it. Daesha understood him too well.

Daesha sighed, walking away. She knew she couldn't help him, though she wish she could. It made her feel as helpless and sad as he felt. After a few more minutes, she finally succumbed to a light, dreamless sleep.

Askr awoke with a start, almost swinging his large ax madly in the air as he jumped to his feet, already in a battle stance. There was nothing there, but the mere solid step of his armor on the ground and woosh of his large, sharpened down two handed axe swinging about sent the two Spartans Thanos and Damaris up from their rest with shields in their grips and spears at the ready in a slight crouch before peering at the viking as if he was the most foolish person alive.

Planting his spear butt into the ground Thanos sighed, "Askr you damn fool, you made us think we were attacked." Thanos didn't sound terribly upset about it in all honesty, he knew the man was odd and was having nightmares of late, ever since the last battle with the Roman forces he couldn't shake the sound of heavy ballista and catapult rounds hitting nearby him, taking down their allies one by one or in massed hordes. They barely got out of the battle alive with a narrow victory.

"I'll call it keeping yer senses sharp den, could have very well have been da enemy." Came Askr's reply, always one to be a gruff sense of humor in all regard, he tended to make all the jokes around camp in the end. It was getting close to daylight, their shift anyways. "Thanos, get Sir Howard up, time for our shift." Damaris said once he looked around and lowered his fine, diamond shaped steel tipped Doru tip to the ground lightly, both of the Spartans had javelins on their back, loosely so that it was easy to switch from their Doru to the javelin so they could throw, pick up the spear and get into quick formation on the go in battle. Being quick in movement prevented casualties more often than not in the end.

Damaris peered about a bit longer, focusing his vision more in-tune, "Where is Margaret and Sasuki?" Almost as if on que Sasuki appeared from the shadows to the right side of Damaris, causing him to almost get into a defensive formation before he realized who it was, and then Margaret appeared from nearby. "Nothing so far." Came Margaret's reply, Sasuki merely gave a short bow to acknowledge it.

"Good. You two get some rest, we'll take over watch for now." Damaris said, him and Thanos moving off to the most exposed section of their camp to guard, staying side by side in typical Spartan fashion, strength in unity, and they were extremely good at such. Meanwhile, Askr an Howard, who was now up and finishing the arranging of his heavy armor and weapons, took up nearby positions but a bit separated from each other, keeping solid guard over their archer and elite scout as they rested up, Sasuki looking more like heavy meditation then sleeping, though she was, in a sense, sleeping while Margaret was sprawled out on a makeshift mat fast asleep. It'd be near impossible to sneak up in the current position, due to the heavy amount of branches, with Askr and Howard looking both ways on the other heavily grassed and tree'd up positions, they'd sooner see someone go slow through those directions than they would make it fully in, then everyone would be up and ready for a fight.

Askr peered about, resting his two handed ax butt on the ground and leaning on the flat ax top with both arms as he looked to Howard. "Might be good to try hunting later aye? Maybe that creepy shady girly sitting down over der can find something nice for us, she seems all quiet like." In response Howard peered at Sasuki and Margaret, "I agree that those two girls make the quietest hunters we got, but we'd need to be careful about cooking, smoke trails up far, especially in forests. Give away our location easily." He stated.

Askr blinked, as if not comprehending it. "Den just ambush da fuckers when they come here eh?" He said, quite plainly. He was itching for a battle, he loved fighting, just like the two Spartans sought death in battle more so than everyone there.

Daesha awoke to a soft voice, and gentle touch. She was instantly aware, though she got up slowly, as she knew it was Kage. She blinked once, and then looked at him, her expression stone cold, but her eyes soft and quiet.

"It's your watch, Daesha." He whispered softly.

She nodded, getting up without a word and found a reasonable spot in the low branches of an oak tree, her crossbow on her lap, settling in for a long, boring watch. Only a few minutes had passed when she heard the rustling of feet behind her, inside the camp. She instinctively turned, crossbow in hand and ready. It was Iris, who put her hands up in mock surrender, flashing a childish grin. With a sigh, Daesha lowered the crossbow, shuffling further down the thick oak branch as Iris began to climb the tree. As the silver-haired female sat down, stretching her legs as she did, getting the last bit of aching sleepiness from her muscles, she looked at Daesha, her light smile turning to worry.

"What is it, Daesha?" She asked.

Daesha looked blankly at Iris for a moment. She somehow always knew when somebody had something weighing on their mind. She could She could analyze a rock, and tell it it's life story. It was uncanny, yet comforting.

"I am just worried about Kage. After...what happened, he doesn't seem to stop thinking about her. It's haunting him, and...I just wish I could help." She said in one long breath, still focused outwards, while having a conversation with Iris.

Iris nodded, empathetic. "I know. But, in truth, none of us can really do anything...He has to deal with it on his own. It will be hard...but I just know he will be fine...He just needs time."

Daesha simply replied with a nod, still gazing out into the forest. Iris smilled sympathetically. Daesha and Kage had been together longer than any of the others. She also had been close to Alice. Now that she was dead, Kage was..not himself. Everyone saw it, and knew better than to bring it up directly. She just sighed inwardly, sitting quietly beside Daesha, bow in hand.

An hour in to their watch, the sun began to rise, it's glow turning the soft green leaves into the color of fire. They both silently admire the beauty of the soft light, feeling it's warmth on their skin as it crested the trees. Though Daesha kept her eyes shadowed, obviously unaccustomed to daylight. Not matter how much she traveled during the day, she never seemed to be able to deal with the light well, until her eyes finally adjusted.

Below them, sitting against the trunk of an oak tree adjacent to the one in which Iris and Daesha were perched in, hidden from their sight, was Kage, a silent tear sliding down the side of his cheek as he heard them speak. He knew they understood his pain...But it saddened him, knowing how they felt...Because in truth, he felt just as helpless.