Reykjavik, Iceland, Year 90, Fall 31. Day One.

Oskar tapped his foot anxiously, glancing up at the clock with worry. Come on, come on, kid! The ship as going to leave any minute now! How could somebody be so late, huh? Especially for the most important boat of a century! He looked up at the glares of the ship master nervously, smiling weakly. Damn, he had half a mind to ditch the kid right then and there, but they had already given him the first week's pay, and they wouldn't have the money to hire another Cleanser who would also qualify as a mechanic.

The bright Icelandic sky was unusually clear this time of year, the air crisp and cool. The sea breeze carried the strong scent of salt, almost overpowers the smell of coffee and pastries from the nearby oceanfront cafes. Oskar could feel his stomach growling and contorting horribly, he hadn't eaten in almost a day! Money was too tight to afford any of the nice food here in the capital! Well, there was free food on the ships, assuming the Cleanser kid ever got here in time.

Then, someone came up onto the dock, it was him! Oskar's face brightened and he looked up to the ship master with a look of relief.
"That's him! He's here! Please wait, I'll get him!" he called, before jogging over to the approaching boy, smiling widely and clasping his hand in a handshake.
"Otto! There you are, what took you so long? Name's Oskar Heimirsson, I'm part of the crew, the support crew, mind you, I'm a civilian, not a military man like yourself. Come on, Come on, the boat's waiting, I swear, the guard there is going to leave without us just for spite if we're not quick! I already paid for your ticket, so don't worry about that!" he called, Dragging the boy along by his wrist.

---

Bornholm, Denmark. Day One.

The small island of Bornholm wasn't exactly an urbanized center of wealth. In fact, the only parts of it that looked out of the dark ages were the military bases, one of which where Hedvig sat. She was a surprising sight to see, long blonde hair, shrouded in black clothing, a long black peacoat and black hat with lace, like a most elegant raven. She was sitting alone at a table, legs kicked up and resting on the countertop, a shot glass of unidentified alcohol in one hand, and a cigarette in the next. He posture was in stark contrast to her clothes, and her cold and mean face kept anyone who might approach at bay.

She took a long puff from her cigarette, blowing out the smoke through her nose. She had finally seen off their cargo, the slow ship heading towards Finland. It would be going by a different route, the tank was far too big to travel through the Keuruu-Pori waterway, it would have to be delivered to Saimaa through the Gulf of Finland. With any luck, it would make it there before they did, they did have a long journey ahead of them, all the zigzagging and turn arounds. It would all be better in a few decades, though, one more of the Silent world was cleansed and the beasts, trolls, and monsters pushed back away from settlements. They were at lower levels now than they had been in years, the Cleansing program had really broke through. Population levels were at record highs, and they hadn't had a massacre of more than a hundred in seven years. The optimistic atmosphere even got to Hedvig, though she never showed it, and she longed to be back in the military. Once her children were grown up and didn't need her, she told herself, then she could return to battle.

Like Oskar miles away in Iceland, Hedvig was also waiting for someone. Mari Vinter, their Skarl, was supposed to be there soon. Though, unlike Oskar, Hedvig was in no hurry. They weren't supposed to leave until Oskar and the boy got there, then they would take the train up to Mora, where her niece and nephew waited. Babysitting her own little monsters. She smirked when she thought of all the trouble they would be causing their cousins. The two could use it, especially that Leif, gods knew he needed to be knocked down a peg or two. Lise was a good girl though, strong, obedient, spunky. Why her brother never let his daughter out where she could actually be useful, she would never know. The girl should be burning forests and hunting trolls instead of training kittens and new recruits. Like the no doubt fresh Skarl Hedvig herself would be guiding.

---

Keuruu, Finland. Day One.

Suvi hurried in from the cold, shuddering violently from the change in temperature. How was it snowing so early in the season? She had been in Iceland just a few weeks before, and it was nothing like this! Perhaps she had been abroad for so long that she had forgotten about her beloved homeland, and this snow storm was it's way of reminding her.
She pulled down the hood of her parka, looking around the crowded canteen. Let's see, where were the other crew members? She had met them a few times before, briefly to sell them on the pitch, and separately from one another. They had the longest wait, so it was best to meet up quickly and get to know each other before the other group got there.

"Lennart? Lennart Korhonen? Arto Estenam? Naemi Väyrynen? Are you all here? Lennart? Arto? Naemi?" she called out, trying to stand out, waving her arms to be seen over the crowd. Things weren't easy for the short Finnish woman, who had only shrunk with age, a fact she was none too pleased about. Still, she had the excitement and fire of a woman many years her junior, and she pulled out one of the stools, hopping on top of it and cupping her hands around her mouth.
"Expedition members, please come over here, Nordic Council Expedition members, over here please!" she bellowed loudly, causing a short silence in the room. But the sounds of laughing and conversation quickly resumed, and Suvi, satisfied that she had been heard, hopped down from the stool, waiting for a result.

Otto sprinted through the streets, weaving through alleys and through crowds of people. The port was always busy, getting shipments of food and equipment, it also did not help that this was the capital of Iceland also. Otto neared the ship, he was supposed to set sail towards Aurland to pick up more troops and make a supply run while they were at it. Otto was briefed the day before departure so scheduling was a little tight for Otto, which unfortunately led him into the situation he currently was in, running like an idiot down the port in order to make it his ship.

Fortunately for Otto, the ship had not left without him. He slowed down to a walk and strolled towards the ship. Unfortunately for him, before he could get any further, a tall man with blonde hair ran up to him and began to pull his towards the ship.

"Otto! There you are, what took you so long? Name's Oskar Heimirsson, I'm part of the crew, the support crew, mind you, I'm a civilian, not a military man like yourself. Come on, Come on, the boat's waiting, I swear, the guard there is going to leave without us just for spite if we're not quick! I already paid for your ticket, so don't worry about that!" The man said pulling him up the steps of the ship.

The man spoke so fast and said so much that Otto could not respond to all of the man's questions and comments. He decided that it would be best to keep quiet and follow the man's lead. Otto walked aboard the large ship, "Calm down, your going to give me a headache." Otto said sarcastically as he sat aboard the vessel, still breathing hard from all his running.

Mari Vinter

Wore something 'agile' in her view. The outfit itself allowed her to be agile and a tad bit more flexible and as well..it let her mix in the dark when this 'expedition' group fights off these monsters. She turned, grabbing a few books and stuffing them into her bag, bandages, just in case we run out of medical supplies. She turns around, looking towards her father as he looks upon her with a worried face, " Are you sure about this Mari? " he said in Danish. Mari simply, smirked then nodded, grabbing her fathers knife from the desk. " Don't worry dad! I'll be home soon, before you know it! " she says in Danish with a happy look on her face, though inside she feels like breaking. She takes days to drive off to Leikanger. A long drive but she did stop at a few 'protected' spots around in the unknown world she had discovered during her past expeditions. Once she arrived at Leikangers docks she sailed off. Taking a few days to get to Bornholm..

She arrived at bornholm. Its was currently night and everyone seemed to be sleeping at the moment. She liked the soft sea breezes as she walked through the arrays of bussinesses and houses that settled upon Bornholm. The city was larger than her home, Daslnes. Amazed she quickly skimmed towards the nearest inn. There was a few people near her, though they were most likely the homeless. She entered the inn, paying, and thus she went to her room and quickly went off to sleep.

---

It was day, wearing a coat, a white tanktop, a skirt, and these knee high boots. Looking around Bornholm to find this woman known as 'Hedvig' and as she waited for her to call out her name...she looked around, curiously, these wooden houses were overrated, ugly, though they had a slight 'modern' touch to them, some may look like wood..but for sure it was just some kind of other material. Glass, very 'few' electricity. The people here seemed merry and cheery, children roaming around the town itself, merchants selling there items to many merchants. She shrugged, putting her long brown hair into a ponytail. She waited a bit longer, lost and slightly confused in the crowds of Bornholm.

Aurland, Norway. Day One.

Ylva looked out of the window and sighed. She disliked mornings, especially when they were dark and rainy. For a few moments she stood there, wondering whether she should go outside at all. Why had she even signed up for this?

Noone else from the Academy had wanted to go; most of them were neither immune nor did they consider themselves to be lunatics. She didn't need money either, for all she knew their wages were ridiculously low and Ylva had saved enough money from her work at - the outpost.

Ylva broke away from her thoughts, got dressed and grabbed her backpack. After she had paid the receptionist for her room she left the hostel. The air outside was damp and cold. It was raining heavily. Ylva pulled the hood of her coat up while heading for the direction of the docks.

Keuruu, Finland. Day One.
Lennart hummed absently to himself as he stood as far away from the crowd as possible against one of the wooden walls, fiddling with the engraved flute stuck in his pocket. Keuruu was so much nicer than his home island, the base luxurious in comparison with its electricity. Even after the years he had worked there he was still amazed by how very modern it all was.

When he had been kept behind after his scouting duties one morning, he hadn't known what to expect. Had his teammates complained about him? Was he to be send back to Lake Saimaa, possibly forever? No -- it had turned out he was being allowed the opportunity of a lifetime, an experience wherein he would venture outside the designated safe zones, not as a scout but as the Mage he was. Of course he had graciously accepted. Why wouldn't he?

The buzz of the crowd he was only just paying attention to for a few seconds died down and he looked up and away from his feet to see a particularly short woman -- shorter than he was! -- standing on a stool. Her voice was rather loud, and he managed to make out the words 'Nordic Council Expedition'... whoa, that sounded important, prestigious even.

Oh. It was his group. Oh. Striding bashfully over towards the woman, Lennart stood behind her, hands in his pockets to prevent any unwanted handshakes. "Hi!" he said simply with an overabundance of cheer. He let it hang in the air for a moment before realising he ought to continue. "I'm Lennart." He tugged nervously at his handmade scarf, dark pink in colour.

Somewhere in Russia, Devin Lienheart, Day One

Devin's hands and face stung from the bitter, cold wind. He moved his scarf further up hoping that it would provide more protection, the small fire before him did very little to warm his hands. While he could build a larger fire, it would only bring unwanted attention from beasts that lurked in the woods beyond. Devin had not seen one yet, fortunately, but he had found tracks, the splayed toes that left the marks were a telltale sign of beasts, maybe wolfs. Some light snowfall covered some of the tracks, so he couldn't tell quite how many were there although to his best guess three to six, too many for him to fight alone.

Reaching to his side Devin grasped his rifle, the weapon has seen better days as it was covered in scratches and even started to rust in some places, still its reliability was great as ever attesting to its durable, rugged build. Devin pulls back the bolt, still five bullets loaded just the same as the four other times he has checked. He shakes his head, it was no time to panic even though he was potentially surrounded, still it was important to be prepared going back to one of the first lessons of the ancestors Maintain absolute readiness. For the moment all he could do was wait them out, much better then risking contact.

Keuruu, Finland. Day One.

Once again, the stupid one was attracting attention.

Ilkimys cast a judging glance at the girl, eyeing her ridiculous outfit with obvious distaste. She was wearing half of the clothes she'd pack all at once—pants over pants over wool pajama bottoms, a long-sleeved shirt under a short-sleeved one under a thick sweater, topped off with her fur trimmed coat. His idiot of a human slave was dressed like the world was frozen over when really, winter was only beginning. The humans of Keuruu kept giving her odd stares, just as the humans of Eno had when they first arrived there, filthy and worn from their trek from Kajaani, but this time they were more mocking than fearful. It irked him for some reason, even though he probably agreed with what they thought of her.

As usual, she was oblivious to the jeering behind her back. Ilkimys hissed at the humans that looked their way before he expertly sprang up on her pack and took his usual perch on her shoulder. He purred against her covered ear (he had a theory that her hearing was incredibly acute because she had little in the way of head obstructions) and pointed his paw at a random location. She'd been looking for that old Nordic Council lady for quite a while now, and he thought it would be amusing to mislead her for a little while. He wasn't all that excited to embark on this expedition, anyway, and it wouldn't be the end of the known world if they accidentally get left behind.


Naemi tilted her head up and sniffed the cold breeze, only to regret it seconds later when her teeth started clattering. Winter time was the absolute worst, and it was upon them early this year. She huffed childishly as she trudged through the snow, pressing her hands against her cheeks to warm them. It wasn't just because it was cold and her whole face stung and her boots kept sinking. No, snow actually dulled her senses; it covered everything in a sheet of white and masked the scents with the cool, crisp air. She had to exude twice as much effort when hunting.

"Ilki, are you sure you know here she is?"

Naemi had been following Ilki's directions for a while now, but it seemed he had been mistaken about the kind old woman's location. She had circled the civilian quarters three times now, and there were no signs of the woman at all. It wasn't until she was halfway across the dock that she heard a voice boom from all the over the canteen. The voice was far away, but she heard it loud and clear, and it was calling her name.

"See? I knew you were wrong this time!" she said, making a face at the cat perched on her shoulder. Ilki only rolled his eyes in response, and if he could only speak Human, he would have been muttering 'idiot' over and over again.

Naemi ran all the way to the canteen and grinned to herself when she spotted the familiar woman in the center of the room, speaking with another person. She approached the pair curiously. Was he one of the other two names she had yelled out? Naemi mimicked the way he introduced himself, assuming it was mandatory, even though she thought the woman already knew who they were.

"Naemi," she said, pointing at herself.

Aurland, Norway. Day One.

Aimee wondered when the ship from Iceland would arrive and wondered if anyone she knew would be joining the expedition.

The morning was calm and everything going on in the viking themed lobby was uneventful. However, despite how mundane things were, the girl's heart was racing. No, no, it wasn't exactly fear, but excitement. This expedition, it was fresh and new, and Aimee couldn't wait.

Her eyes flitted to clock and she thought about the ship from Iceland and clucked her tongue. She wasn't too fond of the waiting game and she spent most of her time, flitting from chair to chair or stretching in a corner. At one point, the girl wound up talking to a tall and lanky man who was a few years older. He was reading something when she approached, and he didn't look too pleased, considering he had been interrupted. "Er, how may I help you?"

"Hey, where did the grenade victim go?" Aimee gave the confused looking man a friendly smile.

He arched an eyebrow before a look of worry flashed across his features. "Pardon?" he asked. "Is...is someone hurt?"

"Everywhere," the girl responded before she gave him a cheeky smile.

It took awhile for the man to understand the joke and soon he was rolling his eyes and telling her it wasn't funny.

Aimee wasn't even listening and before he knew it, the girl was seated beside him, rummaging to her bag and rechecking her supplies. She would occasionally stop to glance at the clock and pace around, muttering something about a ship to Iceland or some expedition.

"I'm going on an expedition," she had muttered at one point. The man beside Aimee ignored her, but she went on. "I'll be travelling with other soldiers, it's a pretty exciting thought." She clasped her hands behind her head and stared up at the ceiling. "Hey, mister, do you wanna hear another joke?" He shook his head but she turned to him with a broad smile and laughed. "I've got all day, I suppose."

The man wished the ship from Iceland would get there soon.

By the time she had reached the lobby Ylva was drenched. Her glance swept across the small room. There weren't many people. In fact it was almost empty, but as always the seats next to the fire place were already taken by someone else: A talkative girl who was seemingly amused with herself and a man who listened to her words - with an obviously exasperated expression on his face. Ylva hesitated, normally she'd prefer to stay clear of annoying people but at the moment her clothes had to dry.

"Um - you surely don't mind if I stay here for a little while."

Ylva didn't wait for an answer. Instead she just dropped her dripping wet coat and knelt down by the small fireside; warming her hands and hoping her presence had gone largely unnoticed.

Olev sheathed his sword. He took a look around the carnage. He saw the bodies of two of his own men. They had been killed by a group of raiders that lived nearby. Olev's clan had been for year trying to route them from this area. Sadly it has proved ineffective. They always managed to evade them. But this year they wouldn't. In the most recent skirmish his clan had managed to capture and subdue two of their warriors. With these two POW's they would be able to find out where their base of operation was, either the easy was or the hard way.

"Take the two! Make sure they are bound right and double check them for anything they would use to escape. Loot of the deads items. Take all clothes, food, weapons. Whatever might be of use." He shouted out. He pointed to two women. "Prepare a burial. We've lost two of our own." The women nodded and ran off to tell the chieftain about the loss and the need for a burial.
Olev walked to the two warriors who had fallen. These two men had died honorably. They would have a spot reserved for them in Shoyla's hall. (Shoyla is their God of gods he is the ruler of the gods. Similar to Odin.). He and another one of his men moved both of the bodies back to the village they had earned the fire. The two would be burnt with what they died wearing as well as their axes. Their sword and anything else would be repurposed.

After they are burnt they clan would hold a small celebration in their name. The burning wouldn't be until tonight. He would have time first to visit the prisoners.

Olev walked into the repurposed barn that was made into their jail. "Where are the prisoners?" He said in his language. The guards pointed to the two cells. "Are they going to be executed or slaved?" The older guard asked. " first they are going to tell us where the head quarters is. After that it depends. Ole walked into the jail cell and took out the younger of the two and dragged him into a separate room. " I will be examining this one." He called to the guards.

"Wake up!" He harshly said to the prisoner while throwing a bucket of cold water on him. The prion see jolted awake. He looked are confused as to why he was bound. " welcome to my clans home. Where you decided to attack. You will tell me where your base is. If you don't." Oleg says as he pulls out a heavy saex ( it a very heavy knife. Could be classified as a short sword.) and stabs into the wood. " this is what will happen." The prisoner jumps a little he knew the might and ferociousness of these warriors. He honestly didn't want to die. He was forced into banditry so he didn't hold much loyalty to them. "Look I really don't want to hurt you. In fact if you tell me where it is you'll be allowed to live. You'll serve my clan as a slave for four years. Then you'll be allowed to live among us and one of us. " Olev said. Olev knew that most people took the opportunity to live.

The raider nodded his head. He would talk. He didn't want to die he was only 17. " They are in a small cave two kilometers from here. The entrance is covered by two car doors. Once inside you can easily kill them. They won't expect a attack. There should be at most eight others there. You managed to kill most of us here. " the kid raider said. Olev smiled. " thank you" Olev walked out of the room and motioned for the guards. " take him into a separate room. "Kill the older one. The young one gets to be slaved. Prepare the razor." Olev said. With that he went to the chieftain and told him they would prepare a groups of 8 men to attack. Olev would lead it. But for now he would attend the burial and the feast.

(Note if you are slaved you have to serve four years then you are free to live among them. All crimes forgiven. If you are male you have a single testicle removed to lower the chance of birth. For woman they are allowed to only have one child. If they are slaved. If they have more the child is killed unless the mother wants to leave the clan.)

"Heh mam I have been here the entire time," a voice chuckled softly still mildly amused by the woman's sudden bold move. Arto had been sitting at the table next to Suvi's the whole time eating a small meal before joining the conversation. He turned his chair so he could face her way so she knew he was accounted for. For this expedition this man was to be one of two cleansers going into the unknown world. A thought to many was insane, but yet with winter rolling in, and this years cleansing cycle already tidying up there would little work to do. And thus the moment the Finn had been offered the job he decided to take it... it was about time he left home to explore the world a bit... though he would highly risking his life.

One by one the others showed up minus the last expected member. The most current to show up was a Finnish woman who simple pointed at herself announcing her name was Naemi that alone along with her looks quickly indicated she was awoman of the wild... most likely the teams hunter. The other was a Mage who seemed pretty meek in comparison, but Arto would wait to judge the man until he saw him in action.

"A pleasure to meet you both comrades," he said in whisper before taking a sip of coffee still well warmed up by his cleanser uniform.

Keuruu

Suvi looked behind her in surprise when she heard Arto's voice, appearing surprised. Slightly embarrassed that she had done something so silly, but more annoyed than anything, she gave the young man a scolding pinch on the ear, frowning at him.
"Well, if you had known it was me, you should have said something! Arto Enestam, I am up to here with your antics!" she reprimanded him, letting go of his ear and putting her hands on her hips.

She looked over her shoulder as the other two approached, a stoic young girl with a cat on her shoulder, and another young man, who seemed very excited and red faced. Her face brightened, her mouth parting into a smile.
"Ah! You're all here, then! Great! Now, let's all sit down, I can answer any questions you have about the expedition. The rest of our team arrives here in four or five days, giving us plenty of time to pack, prepare, and wait! Now, before we get started, I have a question." she said, sitting down at the table with Arto, stealing a piece of his bread.
"Have any of you ever encountered a Beast, Troll, or Giant alone?"

---

Reykjavik

Oskar laughed when the boy made his sarcastic remark, patting him on the back.
"Yes, yes, come on, running is good for you. Trust me, the rest of this ride is going to be boring, you'll have plenty of time to catch your breath later. Come on now, we have to go and reserve some beds now, otherwise we'll be left sleeping on the floor, and no proper Cleanser should have a bad night's rest before he meets his crew mates. Let's go!" he encouraged him, starting towards the inside of the protective shields. Once the ship set off, the shields would be closed, to keep those inside safe from the attacks of Sea Beasts. They walked past a pair of cats on patrol, who kept their heads held high and a watchful eye on the two travelers as they passed by.

Making their way below decks to the communal bunks, some of them were already taken by people who had a similar idea. Oskar set his bag and coat down on one bed, sitting down on it comfortably.
"You'll find that the beds here are hard as rocks, but being a Cleanser, no doubt you've had times when you've gone without sleeping in a real bed, hmm? It used to be a real luxury outside of Iceland to have them! Almost like owning a boat or a house or cat! Things are much better now, most people in urbanized ares have some kind of mattress or another. I tried launching a business in selling mattresses once. Except, it turns out trying to resell used mattresses is illegal, and I got shut down. Oh well, I tried, right?" he said, laughing.

---

Bornholm

Hedvig occasionally took a moment away from her brooding to look out into the crowd, scanning it for anyone out of the ordinary. That skarl girl... Why did she have to be the one to meet her? She didn't like Danes... They were so stupid sounding, like they had potatoes in their mouths all the time. Not only that, but their lack of moral was annoying. The Swede's had suffered many terrible losses, but they had never ever stopped their cleansing project. It was because the Danes had been too egotistical, wanting to take back Copenhagen, what nonsense!

She spotted a girl dressed differently from the warmly dressed merchants or the weather worn fishermen. No, she was dressed like a rich, Icelandic private student in the summer. Clearly not a native of the area, but not an Icelander. None of them would be so stupid as to wear something like that in winter.
She got up, downing her drink and setting it on the counter, extinguishing her cigarette and throwing it in a puddle. She walked up to the girl, putting a heavy hand on her shoulder with almost striking force.
"Hedvig. Get inside, you look stupid." she said with a thick accent, her narrow eyes fearsome, like glaring yellow orbs of an Old World beast.

Otto daydreamed as the man droned on about information that he really was not in the mood to hear. Although running was good for him, running have way across town was not fun, not fun at all. Otto had done a lot of running in his life, training was a battle field all in its self, and not to mention what he had to go through on the real battle field. This was not Otto's first expedition outside Iceland, he had scorched the fields of the Norway many times before.

Otto was led into the cabin were many beds were placed. Unfortunately, many of them were taken, but he was able to find one not to far from the Oskar's. The bed was hard, but he could to complain, he had once slept on a tree, and that was an experience he never again wanted to experience. Otto felt bad for the other who would be picked up along the way, some of them may have to sleep on the floor, and the floor was a cold, cold mistresses.

"So...were's the food, I'm getting kind of hungry, it's not easy to run half way across town on an empty stomach." he said as he put away the rest of his belongings.

Devin Lienheart
Half an hour had passed give or take, time was hard to tell in the middle of the woods, not like Devin knew any different. He was watching the tree line all things considered he was very vulnerable sitting in the middle of a clearing. At this point Devin was considering one of two options, take a chance by making a move potentially risking the beasts' wrath, or stay where he was even if it was exposed. With a sigh Devin rubbed his temples, these decisions were never easy, seriously one mistake is all it toke.

Branches snapped nearby, it seemed that the beasts finally found him. There were four of them and as Devin thought they were one wolves until,of course, their bodies were mutalated. Their eyes shone in the dim light of the campfire, even from this distance Devin could smell their rancid breath. He kicked snow over the small fire, and then just simply ran there was no other choice. Unfortunately he didn't know the area having just wandered here, so he was running blind, behind him he heard the howls and panting of the beasts as they chased him. Devin weaved through the trees, and jumped over various obstacles in his way.

He passed into another clearing before skidding to a complete stop, in front of him the land ended only dropping off into a cliff. Devin peered over the edge the fall was way too great to risk jumping, maybe a fiftteen to twenty meters high. He silently swore to himself he was trapped, a deadly fall in one direction, and a pack of beasts in the other. Still one positive was that the beasts could only come from the one direction, meaning he had a bottleneck, a poor one but still a bottleneck.

Devin dropped to one knee, he tightly gripped his rifle staring down the iron sights. He breathed deeply, attempting to slow his breaths after running. The first beast come into view, sprinting straight out of the forest, Devin held his breath then fired. The gunshot echoed through the trees, the bullet found its mark burrowing into the beast's skull, it dropped without a sound. Expertly Devin pulled back the bolt to chamber the next round, the second beast followed closely after its fallen comrade. Again he fired and again the bullet flied true killing the other beast. Devin chambered the next round, however the other two beasts held back for whatever reason, perhaps due to fear, or maybe because they knew Devin was capable of fighting back now.

Lennart looked from left to right at the other members of his team before rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I have!”

He shouldn't sound so happy about it, he knew. The Finn hoped he would never have to experience such terror as being alone against the prospect of an unstoppable foe, but alas, even after the first time it had happened again. Scouting was a dangerous job, rife with danger especially with the inevitable need to go it alone at points. It was lucky that this expedition didn't require him in that capacity; with them, he would be a tool for the spirits and nothing else.

A sudden chill ran up his spine involuntarily and he rubbed his hands together, trying to spark a bit of warmth through the gloves he kept on, even indoors. “Beasts, many times. Trolls only once, from far away...”

Aurland, Norway. Day One.

"Um - you surely don't mind if I stay here for a little while."

"Hm?" Aimee turned her head and noticed a woman who was drenched to the bone. "Nah, don't mind us, fire's for everyone after all." The girl grinned but paused when she noticed the soldier uniform. "So, you're leaving on the expedition as well, huh? Nice to know I ain't the only one from here."

The man she had been talking to listened on with mild curiosity.

Aimee looked considerable more enthusiastic, and she had already been pretty hyped to begin with. "Sheesh, you look like a drowned rat." The girl bit down on her lip. Wait, wait, wait, that sounded pretty rude...she didn't mean for it to be rude. "I mean, er, you look real cold. You should dry up before the ship gets here. Traveling while soaked can't be pleasant. Anyways, the name's Aimee Anenson, I'm a scout and it's a pleasure to meet ya." She gave her comrade a small salute then nodded her head in Ylva's direction. "What do I call you?"

After the funeral pyre and the feast honoring the dead. The clan's chieftain called Olev and seven other warriors to discuss their plan on attacking the raiders. After a hour debate it was decided that they would attack this day. They slowly made their out of the clan's home. They were heavily armed a assortment of spears, axes and swords as well as Olev's dog: spirit. The marched for a good thirty minutes. The only sounds heard were the sounds of soft talking, the breaking of leaves and sticks and the soft crunching of snow, that had fallen earlier that day. Their talking was about what they planned on doing when they got back. Some planned on drinking mead, others planned on being with their wives, some planned on hunting.

They were only ten minutes from where the raiders base was supposed to be when they heard to gunshots no far off. "Rifle. West less then a kilometer from here." Olev said. The raiding party went from a brisk walk to a slow job. As they neared were the gunshots went off Olev could see a man aiming a rifle a where two dead beasts lay. 'Hmm maybe he was ambushed.' Olev thought.
Spirit; Olev's dog had her hackles raised. There were two more beasts nearby. She could smell them. Olev noticed his dog and how she was ready to attack. "There is more beast nearby." Olev said. He looked very carefull and saw that there were two more hiding in wait one was closer to them then the other. "Einar come here." Olev said. A small man who was carrying a spear came forward "Yes Huskarl?" He asked. " When the two beasts are taken out. Form a shield wall protecting us from the man there." Olev said. "Ay Huskarl. Shall I tell the men to draw weapons?" Einar asked. "Yes do so. And once they are drawn charge them farthest beast." Olev said. With that he silently drew his sword.

Spirit was tense ready to pounce. His men where ready to charge. They knew their plan. With a ferocious war cry Olev and his mean charged. Olev and spirit went after the nearest beast. Spirit arrived first. When she was less then a meter away she jumped and landed on the beasts back biting at it. Olev arrived next, when he was close enough spirit fell off. Olev slammed his shield into the beast causing it to fall over. By this time Spirit was back up and went for the beast throat, killing it. Once that was done Olev noticed his men had already killed their beast and had formed a shield wall protecting them from the rifleman. Olev jogged over to them. "Einar if he shoots we kill him, no mercy. Let me talk to him first." Olev said. Einar nodded his head. Olev walked in front of the shield wall. In his language which is a mix of Estonian and Finnish two languages that are very similar he spoke. " Hello friend. Who might you be?" He asked.

(Damian you can pick and choose what you want to understand)

There were two of them, both older and fair haired but right then and there, she noticed they were nothing alike. The one called Lennart had been the one she mimicked. He fiddled with his scarf in a way that reminded him of little Niina from her settlement. Shy and fidgety, she could never look people in the eye and she took to playing with the ends of her hair whenever she spoke. The other one hadn't introduced himself, and she'd long forgotten the names Suvi called out minutes ago, but something about him had hinted at experience. He addressed the two of them, in a whisper that would have easily been drowned out by the lively chatter in the canteen had it not been for her sharp hearing.

Naemi locked eyes with him and nodded in response before turning to Suvi, who had just updated them on the expedition's goings-on. Unfortunately, it turned out they would be staying in Keuruu for a couple of days; she had hoped to leave as soon as possible, lest her cat device a way to get them out of the job. She knew he hadn't been fond of the idea—he'd made it abundantly clear. Naemi looked down momentarily at Ilkimys, to check if he was hatching another scheme, but it seemed he was busy assessing her two so-called comrades. At least he was occupied for now.

Suvi proceeded to ask the three of them if they'd encountered the monsters of the silent world, and Naemi almost laughed at her ridiculous question, because who hasn't? But then she remembered she was no longer in isolated Kajaani, where Beasts and Trolls ran rampant, and that there were also people in Eno that had never seen a Beast in their whole life. They were fortunate. She wished she or her people could say the same thing, but unlike them, she had already lost count of how many she had encountered.

"Yes," she said as soon as Lennart finished speaking, nodding once.

Aurland

Ylva was lost in thought while wringing out her wet hair. She wasn't exactly in the mood for a chat; barely listening to the girls words but the excitement in them made her smile. Over the last while it had become difficult for her to evoke those emotions. It was the same kind of enthusiasm she had felt shortly before she had begun her work at the front line. But then - things had gone terribly wrong, and Ylva couldn't help but blame herself for a part of it. She would have to try harder this time.
The girl – Aimee was her name, wasn't it? – had stopped speaking by now and looked expectant. Hadn't her last sentence been a question? Ylva knew she should introduce herself, but it was probably better if she didn't talk too loudly about her profession, people asking her to perform magic was the last thing she wanted.

“Ylva. Ylva Sørensen.” She replied briefly. “I'm here for watching your back.”

"There is still life in you yet," Arto chuckled lightly as he rubbed his now throbbing ear. It was sort of deserved he guess, but he was hungry, and knew where she was. He watched as they gathered at his table all the while noticing the nod Naemi gave to him in recognizing his hello. The mage seemed to speak up over the current question as did the huntress. Which thankfully both their responses brought good fruit for the most part they both had experience though the mages was at a distance he still had the experience.. that was the important fact. It seemed it was his turn to answer.

"Numerous Beasts, numerous Trolls, as for Giants by myself... just once," He shuddered a bit at the memory. Fighting a Troll, or Beast by yourself was a fight that could be won by oneself with not to much problems if you knew what you were doing, however, running into a Giant by yourself... that experience would never leave you especially if you lived. "During the cleansing cycle two winters ago," he finished his answer as he took a drink of his coffee clearly not willing to go further into detail.

"What about combative equipment?"