There it was again. The man's willingness to help never seemed to falter even in the midst of a party. It seemed Kaiden was one of the few who understood that the path to achieving their goal involved no shortage of hard work. Hard work, planning, patience and people. It was going to be a long journey but with people like him, the road would be an easy one.

Cypher placed his hands on the back of his hips and took one last good look at the people around them. [b]"If you're sure you don't want to see any of this for a long time... Willing to leave this behind for something you may not fully understand... then follow me."[/b]

[center][b]---[/center][/b]
Cypher and Kaiden emerged from the camp, passing the large earthen walls that made up the perimeter of their temporary home. Outside and away from the crowd, the cold air and loneliness of a dark night quickly surrounded them both. The lights from the party were obscured by the earth erected behind them and so visibility in the pitch black was low but because they'd both been outside the walls numerous times, the path they took was easy to follow. There were three main entrances to the camp via a bridge made of compacted dirt. It carried men and woman across a long ten foot gap where the dead and other unwary travelers would fall into a ten foot deep hole. If gotten to in time, survivors would be rescued and the dead taken care of. It worked as both a means of safety and in case they ever needed a large collection of the dead, they'd always have some at their disposal. 

Waiting for the pair on the other side of this gap was Brand and Shea. They nodded their greetings although Shea gave Kaiden a cross look.

"What are you doing here? Patrol isn't for another couple hours, plenty of time to enjoy the fun."

[b]"He's been wanting to help and I figured it's time."[/b]

"We could use the help." Cliff took Kaiden's hand in a strong grip. "Glad to have you here with us now."

[b]"So... the next step actually starts now. When i said during the meeting that we don't have the man power we used too, I wasn't kidding. If we were to try and take the Promised Lands as we are now, we'd fail. We want to take this city but safety for my people always comes first. In the wild, safety is found in numbers... We have sparse information about another large group of survivors somewhere in the area. The plan is to make contact with them and hopefully find some kind of common ground. If we can group with them, we may have enough people to successfully take the city and reduce causalities to our people. People will die... our people will die but if I can save some lives I will."[/b] Cypher turned to look at Kaiden. [b]"We don't know how far away this camp is so the team is leaving tonight. Shea, Brand, Cliff when he gets back. A couple others from night patrol and..."[/b] He motioned back toward the gates of their camp, beckoning a man forward. In his hands was a chain and attached to the chain was the woman from before, a collar had been fixed around her neck. [b]"In return for taking a life, she'll be helping to save lives. She'll be your guide. You'll find where to begin tracking men from the other camp by following her lead. After she's helped you, I've made it clear to her that her life is entirely in your hands."[/b] He looked at each of them. [b]"Kill her or let her live. Up to you."[/b]

The woman kept her head down and avoided eye contact with all those present as the chain was passed from the man to Cypher. He in turned handed it to Shea. [b]"I know what she means to you but realize her importance to us. I know you won't fail."[/b] Shea nodded but kept her eyes on the woman. Finally Cypher addressed Kaiden. [b]"You want to help... this is the first step in taking that city. In finding a home for us, for you and me and your family. There will be many night like this without sleep but if you're willing, we can make it."[/b]

[b][center]---
A Few Hours Ago[/center][/b]
The hammer smashed into the butt of the pistol and the resulting click filled the air between the two. The woman flinched... and then opened her eyes. It only took a few seconds for her to realize that she was in fact still alive. She looked up at Cypher with a confused expression covering her face. "I didn't figure you for sympathy."

[b]"Punishment."[/b] He corrected her. [b]"You take a life, you give a life."[/b] He holstered Crystal's pistol and dropped to a knee to level with her. [b]"Where'd you trade with those men?"[/b]