Never in her life had she been part of such a dysfunctional group. The anger and animosity, the arrogance and selfishness .... shadows slowly began creeping up around her, and her eyes - the gold ring around them nearly enveloped all the green. Emitting a low growl, she stepped in front of Robert, coming toe to toe with the man. Her eyes, those eyes, the look she gave him would've sent any man crawling under a rock. There was certainly something not human in them. 

[color=darkcyan]"Does it fucking look like this group wants to throw away their lives for gold?! Do you think, that after fighting the demon we fought last night, we want to parade off on some fool's errand to fight a dragon for gold and glory? Oh, that's right - you have no fucking clue as to what dangers nearly ran this town into the ground, you fumbled around the bar that night like a drunken idiot and expected to be applauded for killing a demon that 3 of us nearly got ourselves killed taking down."[/color] 

Thick swirls of black snaked around her calves. The anger that grew inside seemed to seep out of every pore, choking the air around them. There was a rumbling sound from no where in particular, as if her emotions were shared by the very earth itself. She turned to face the rest of the group, a look of determination sat within her eyes, which now were a sparkling topaz. [color=darkcyan]"So we're going up there to retrieve an artifact that may very well destroy the demons. If this artifact can do what it's rumored to do, then we have no choice but to adventure into the mountains and retrieve it. We can certainly use the cunning and efficiency of a gnome. And I wasn't able to witness your battle, Durin, but if your wounds were any indication of your bravery and skill, the fact alone that you were able to survive against one of those things ... I would be lying if I said we'd be able to make it without every one of you."[/color] Her eyes lingered over each of them for a short time, pondering their likelihood of success. With a weary voice, she turned to Siegfried and said [color=darkcyan]"You are not the only one who has suffered, who has had to live day to day in fear of their life or the lives of those around them... or what they've become or what they had to endure and what it has turned them into. Look around you. Do these really look like the kind of people that are going to jump into a fight just because? Look at what has become of this town - it's in shambles. Where were -you- the last couple of days when guards and civilians were losing their lives to demons that nearly lit the entire town aflame? Or does nobody give a shit?"[/color] Her demeanor eventually smoothing over, the shadows dissipated as a cool breeze brushed past them. She paused a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Upon opening them, they returned to their normal shade of green, just a sliver of gold surrounding them.

[color=darkcyan]"This isn't my town- this isn't my home, and I don't necessarily fight for it, but I did not come to this place to die. I don't know exactly what is going on, but I know that what we fought last night .... whatever it is, whatever is going on, it's not over yet. And it will devour us whole if we don't stop it. We go as a group, and that is final. You each have a half hour to get your shit together and then we leave."[/color] 

With that, Isabeau turned on her heal and started for the smithy. She was done playing games, she was done dealing with adolescent tantrums and holier than thou attitudes. Time was of the essence, and they couldn't afford to waste a single moment more on bickering and pointless banter. And if they decided to ignore her? Well ... she would figure it out. She was done running. Years ago, she would've been content to just leave, sneak away when no one was looking and save her own hide. Run away and live to fight another day - that was her motto. Anything to preserve the life she was so comfortable living. But life itself, that was the only thing that mattered now. Whatever happened after, she would deal with then. Right now, there was something calling to her. A purpose, a freedom she had never possessed but was desperate to achieve.

[@The Harbinger of Ferocity] [@Jon Y] [@The Fated Fallen] [@Dragoknighte] [@Belwicket] [@KazeXDZ] [@boomlover]