@BrightSteel

Nephish rose from within the shade of his palanquin and slithered through the curtains that obscured him from view, his lidless eyes taking in the gorgeous scenery, marred somewhat by the sight of the dead tired and questionably equipped revolutionaries gawking at his contingent.

Standing at their head was a man with white hair, in armor remarkably dissimilar from those being worn by the other. It was fortunate that his appearance was so out of place, because, as far as Nephish was concerned, most humans looked functionally identical.

Nephish nonchalantly approached the man, his private guard following close behind, urumi in hand.

"So, you must be that samurai fellow, eh? I've heard good things about you. I'll expect a lot." Nephish said, mostly seriously.

"Um... It is fine. Really." the small human muttered. Responding to the man with the mecha weapons question. Yet, Izabel could see she was clearly overwhelmed. The masked man reported that she had already been looking worried when he approached. She thought for a moment about her place to "save" a woman who wasn't asking for it. But, before she could decide, the masked man stabbed himself in his god damn hand. There wasn't any blood, or any appearance of pain. "You're a husk" she said shocked under her breath, slipping her hand off of her weapon.

She had only heard about them in stories. They were not living or dead, somewhere in between, and always with some sort of purpose, usually not their own. Becoming a husk stripped you of most human experience, such as feeling, and without blood coursing through his veins, it seemed clear he wasn't interested in taking advantage of the young woman. "I apologize." she said to the husk, "Understand. I saw three men surrounding a beautiful nervous young woman. I thought you were looking for more than a conversation."

She looked at the girl, surrounded by these three strange men. "If shit gets too weird, just holler at me." She took a few steps back and sat down at the bar. Motioning to the barkeep, "a pint of mead, extra honey, it's my breakfast after all." She kept an eye on the husk, intrigued by this new finding in the world.

General Rowan was poised to greet the princess himself but Grace's strong reaction while commendable likely earned her a confrontation that he himself would feel powerless in. The crown prince of Asur turned to size up Grace up, locking eyes with such an intensity it was almost like the air itself turned cold, an unmistakable killer intent in the high elf's eyes. While the killer intensity in his eyes faded, Arathion was not one to be disrespected so openly especially in public. The silver armored elven warriors were also not fond of such blatant disrespect but before they made an noises or movements themselves, a hand was raised as if to indicate Arathion would handle this himself. There was a brief pause but it was merely the crown prince gathering his thoughts which was usually a sign of bad things to come.

"How pitiful." Arathion at last replied, his voice stern and his facial expressions expressing one of disdain for the warrior before him. "I'll be sure to remind you of your disrespect after I've won this war for you" Arathion added on before he broke eye contact so he could look at the various volunteers who were stepping forward to refill the ranks of Aradla army which was the sole purpose of walking the streets, to help be a public presence in recruitment of these new soldiers.

"But my apologies, perhaps you did not comprehend the strategy that was decided to win the war" Arathion turned back and stood a mere foot away from Grace, standing at an impressive 6'5 frame adorned in his intricate golden armor with various dragon symbols symbols. If Grace stood her ground, her men without a doubt sing silent praises for in centuries past, many individuals were quick to back down when confronted by Arathion.

"Now it is with Asur gold and Asur food that will help fund this new army. It will be Asur warriors who will train said army and it will be Asur blood that will be spilled to help reclaim this mess of a country. Now if you are unsatisfied with the way I intend to do things, then by all means me and my men shall go and you can explain to your father how you plan to win this war when it seems you can't even hold order in your streets"

@NewShoesForever

Shinji Takemitsu

"Anata no shiriai o tsukuru yorokobi". It is most fortunate to have you arrive ahead of schedule. Let us get comfortable and discuss imminent attack plans, we plan to push the lines with your aid". Shinji led the naga known as nephish to the command tent and informed him of thier plans.

(Pm me or something and well this k of am awesome battle?)

@Bluetommy@Avali@NewShoesForever

Zande scowled, and crossed his arms.

"Otay, fine den! But I juz' so happens to be having bidness in da exact same direction you travelin' in. Don' ya go losin' ya dreadnut over me walkin' behind ya. Even do' dat girl has da nice booty."

Grace indeed stood her ground, despite being almost an entire foot shorter than the elf. If she showed weakness now, all of her credibility and merit would be lost.

"You were hired to spill YOUR blood! You were not hired to enlist random citizens who have had no military training! Even if they are just informants, do you not realize how this puts them on danger? Or do you not care?"

Grace knew she shouldn't get angry. Grace knew that was exactly what the pompous, self entitled elf wanted. Even so, she was incredibly angry. Civilians shouldn't be enlisted, or even used as informants! Grace already strongly disagreed with what her father's Inquisitors do, going through the city and torturing anyone they saw fit for information. She would NOT allowed some foreigner do the same! Even if that wasn't what he had planned, he certainly had been given the power to do so. She would not allow it.

"Your job isn't too hold order! Your job is to eliminate the rebels using YOUR resources. I will not allow you enlist civilians who have had no training!"

@DragonofTheWest

@Avali @DragonofTheWest

A rather young looking man slowly approaches the quarrel, chuckling slightly, with a gleefull smile on his face. He excuses himself for interupting the conversation and states that he, by accendent overheard the converstation. "I have a small question for you, the both of you. I heard something about hiring civilians, would there be by any chance work for me?" A faint glimmer of hope in his eyes.

He looks very hopefully at the both of you. He is wearing a suit of half-plate and a enormous hammer on his back, some smaller daggers on his side and a longbow. His medium blond hair up till his neck seems to be fairly well-kept, his deep black elvish eyes staring at you. He smiles once again.

For all of Graces antics she displayed more courage than anticipated which the crown price silently respected but none the less, his pride would not stand to be questioned. Perhaps it was youth or ignorance that drove her forward but as Arathion prepared to retaliate with a response of his own he paused, his eyes turning to eye the individual who approached them asking for work. Arathion examined the man closely and knew immediately this was no ordinary volunteer. The most immediate details came in the form of his weapons, even if he was mildly competent with said weapons most warriors would back down in the presence of a massive war hammer. The daggers and the lowbow also indicated versatility, if this individual needed for work, any elven gold and resources will be far more useful being placed in this man than it would be with the regular civilians that had just volunteered.

Arathion took a glance at Grace for one last moment, a small smirk forming in his face as if he had just came up with an ideal situation in his head as he turned to face the half elf "Yes, surely we can use a warrior of your talents. The kingdom is currently undergoing a civil war. Outside this city they say tens of thousands are preparing to march on the capital to overthrow their king... perhaps an exaggeration but this country is falling apart."

Arathion turned back to eye Grace intending to address her comments and inform the half elf in one well swoop. "Because of this so called winter, the king's armies have been undermanned and spread thin. They lack coordination, resources, they lack true leadership as they continue to fight losing battles and thus more men are needed to help fight off the treasonous hordes. Perhaps if I was not lied to in the beginning I would have brought a true Asur army to wipe out this rebellion quickly. And yet here I stand with a fraction of an army myself, I lack siege weapons, limited heavy cavary and no famed Asur Dragon Knights to assist me. So this is where you come in good sir" Arathion looked back at the half elf. "I'm sure you've seen your fair share of battles and I'm sure even if you were mildly skilled with your weapons, you would still be more useful than the recruits we've been getting all day. Take the offer and you will be well compensated I can assure you."

"He doesn't even listen..."

"I will give you one more chance crown prince," Grace adds the last words with a mocking tone, "If you continue to enlist citizens in the military, I will force you out of here myself!"

Grace's hand rested on her weapon, not drawing it. Her Guards followed suit, ready should weapons be drawn. "You may be royalty where you come from, but I hold the authority over you here. You will listen or you will leave, without pay."

She was bluffing, and she was sure the elf knew it. She technically didn't have the power to make him leave, but she had no problems with starting a fight and blaming it on the elves. Grace was confident in her position, figuring the elf would be smarter than to draw his weapon. Though if he did, he only did Grace a favor and gave her more evidence to force him out. Now in regards to the half elf...

"If you enlist, and you are indeed from Adarla, you leave when the elves do. You will no longer be under our jurisdiction, as well as no longer being a citizen. Make your decision with that in mind."

Again, another lie. Grace had little more to base her position off besides personal reasons. The law was on Arathion's side, and it drove her insane. Why must he always shove his nose where it doesn't belong! This was her job!

@Avali@Fury Panda@Doc Doctor@Bluetommy

Alright, so Dukhan had to get some things straight:

The masked man was an animate corpse and the other guy had just complemented the rear of this girl, who looked about 14.

Goddamn it, when the dwarf that just threatened to beat the shit out of him was the least alarming person here, things were getting a bit much.

Dukhan leaned over to Rose. "Not to push you or anything, but is there anything else you want to do here?" he whispered "This place is starting to make me uncomfortable."

"Well... I originally came here to get incredibly drunk and pass out. That is probably not an option now..."

Rose simply shrugs. Why did people seem so interested in her today? And in her rear in particular for some reason... As usual, Rose took such a comment to heart. She usually didn't think about how she looked much, knowing that her armor covered up most of it. Multiple times people commented on her age, wondering why a child is wandering around in armor, but never actually commented on her body...

"Is my, er... "booty" actually nice?" she whispers to Dukhan, unsure of how to ask such a question.

Why couldn't the dwarf have just beaten the living shit out of him? Why did Dukhan have to answer this question?

As the words left the girl's lips, the bottom dropped out of his stomach and his face went pale.

How am I supposed to respond to this!? No, you're ugly! Yes, I find your rear incredibly attractive, schizophrenic teenage orphan!

Dukhan swallowed and attempted to compose himself. The Sphinx he had met in the crypt of Agarava could take some notes from this kid. That sphinx had never said anything as painful as this to him, and that fucker ate people!

"It's alright." he said, sweating like he had never sweat before.

I need an adult.

The half-elf recently arrived at this quarrel, but now already he had an idea of what was going on. There was something strange, both of them were acting out of some other reason besides what they said. He took a good look at the both of them and started laughing softly. "Excuse me for laughing here, its just funny. The motifs behind both of you seem so oddly against the other." He pointed at the female who put her hand on the weapon. "I am quite certain, not one hundred percent sure, but quite certain that is a bluff. But hey I'm a "gentleman", so I cannot go against such a noble woman." Clearly sarcastic in the gentleman part.

He then took a look at the Nobleman. "As for you, a fair amount of battles is an understatement. Since your questioning my skills that does not really sound like a great choice either." His gleefull smile dissapear from his smile and in one quick motion he grabbed his hammer and dashed off. About 100 feet away, a woman was about to get killed by a hired killer. Naelor, the half-elf which name was still unknown, just barely managed to parry the stab which would have forced the blade through this womans heart. Looking with a not seen before expression of concentration and focus in his eyes, he took one fell swoop. Not one of pure strenght but one with both strenght and precision, shatting the killers ribcage. It was clear this man was skilled beyond doubt, the amount of sheer strenght to already use that hammer is already pretty high, but he was able to use it to this precision. Another swift motion followed as he grabbed his bow and an arrow and let it fly up on the roofs. A scream was to be heard from up to roof. This quick but precise shot also made him look rather skillfull with the bow. He made a slight bow to the woman, made sure she was alright and returned.

He made an excuse for interupting the conversation so abruptly and his gleefull smile would reappear on his face. He made a slight bow and said: "Excuse me for being so rude, my name is Naelor, it's nice to make your acquaintance." with this he stood there awaiting the response of the two

"Alright..." Rose echoes, not really invested in the question. She hadn't payed attention for an answer, more so watching the commotion that was going on outside. Apparently soldiers had found a tavern a good place to start enlisting people. And among them was... Oh.

Grace Adarlan. The woman who had wanted her head for dealing with a rogue god. The first time they had met, Rose referred to her as the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. The two had become somewhat good friends, at least until Grace remembered her face and found out she had been murdering people in Adarla for years. There was no point in trying to explain her possession, therefore running away was the only option.

Rose instinctively pulled her scarf up, covering all but her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to be chased around an entire city again.

@NewShoesForever

@Fury Panda@Avali@DragonofTheWest@twannyman

The dwarf seemed shocked by Lorne's actions, he didn't blame her. He'd never been called a "Husk" before, how intriguing, perhaps that's what the undead were known as in these parts, whatever the case, he seemed to have prevented any conflict with the woman, though that didn't seem to have helped the rest of the group, who began to whisper among themselves. Lorne took a needle and thread and pulled the hole in his hand closed. Even if he was dead and his skin was rotting, he still healed somehow, magic nonsense or something.

"If you truly do not wish for me to join you, young lady, then please, do not feel obligated to bring me, I'll do fine on my own."

A distant flashing outside of the tavern window caught Lorne's attention, and he broke off to look at it. His heart dropped as he realized just what that flash meant.

Standing upon a distant hill overlooking the snowy terrain was an army, well, perhaps not quite an army, but a large gathering of folk. The roaring of the words "Messiah" and "Humanity" echoed on the breeze.

Kenan rode his steed to the front of the group, holding his blade high as it released the flash of the Dagaz rune.

"My good followers," Kenan finally said, lowering his blade to his side and pounding a hand on his bare chest. "I have been given to believe that this town has yet to raise a levy for either side of our righteous conflict. I know the temptation to seize it for our just cause is palpable, but our means must be as just as our ends, I will enter the town alone and speak to whatever leader I can find to perhaps win them to our side. All I ask of you is your patience and trust as I endeavor to spread our revolution."

Kenan's speech was punctuated by the roaring of his followers as he alone began to descend the hill, his followers beating their chests and banging their weapons in pleasure. Kenan arrived in the town a little while after. As he rode in, many stood and stared as the strange half-clothed man rode into the city, massive blade resting on his shoulder. He approached the outside of the closest tavern, a drink was always good, but first he decided to ask anyone gathered if they were in positions of authority.

"Greetings townsmen, I have come to speak to the leader of this gathering of buildings. If that is any one of you, please speak up, I wish to discuss an important topic."

"MESSIAH! HUMANITY!"

The shouts immediately caught Grace's attention. She had heard that chat before... A chant that left nothing but chaos in its wake."This conversation will have to wait elf," she mutters, her voice sounding more disappointed than annoyed now. She turns towards her guards, whispering something unintelligible. In response, the Guards sprint off towards the castle, running in a straight, uniform line. With that, Grace sighs, walking around the crowd of people and elves to see the one figure she was hoping not to see.

"The leader is right here." Grace calls out, regaining her composure. She knew how this man worked and knew how this conversation would go. He would demand control, she would say no, he would invade. However, contrary to other countries, Grace would put him down before Adarla fell.

@Bluetommy

Izabel chugged the mead down, the extra sweat honey coating her throat as it filled her stomach. The commotion outside drew the soldiers in the bar out. Leaving the tavern to the onlookers. It seemed everyone's gaze was shooting outside, including the witch she had attempted to help before.

A high elf, a woman in guard garb, and a....admittedly stunning man on a horse. The elf and woman looked prepared for battle, the man was majestic, without a hint of fear on his face. He wielded a sword, glowing. "Is that.." she accidental spoke aloud "the fucking runesword."

Arathion scoffed at Aradla bluffs, while politics was something he wasn't exactly fond of, it was something he excelled in. For all her courage, her words were still a step below her father, the king and Arathion may have been a prince in his homeland but he demanded the respect worthy of a king. As for the elf, Arathion remained somewhat amused at the sudden display of skill of Naelor though the showing also came as another reminder that the city they stood in was disorderly and chaotic. The city in itself was a reflection of the country as whole, divided with various individuals of different agendas.

When it was Naelor's turn to introduce himself Arathion took his words as another slight at his pride. Grace could be dealt with in time, her attitude perhaps adjusted when he won the war for her country but the crown prince felt he wasn't being given his proper respect. "You have good instincts but I'm not in the business of dealing with petty criminals. Now I'd remind you that I am Arathion Tassarion, crown prince of the Asur. Surely even a foreigner of the Asur such as yourself know who I am unless of course your education is not up to par". Before any more words can be exchanged, another individual arrived, someone that Arathion himself had heard off.

The Asur for all their conquests in recent years have fought on numerous continents and its through their success they have learned much. What was suppose to be a legend on the far side of the world had just arrived and complicated matters, a bold hero who humans praise as a living legend among them. The Asur had looked to Arathion in a same light and they would die for him because Arathion would never call upon his own men to do something unless he was not willing to do it himself. If the legends were true this "Messiah" would be quite the ally or dangerous enemy. The crown prince welcomed challenges but as indicated before, the Asur only equipped themselves to fight rebels, not a true army.

Arathion turned to his own silver clad warriors and made several comments in elvish to disguise his words as they would let Grace deal with this newcomer as they contemplated their next moves.

@BrightSteel

Nephish slithered at a moderate pace toward the largest tent in the rebel encampment as his troops busied themselves setting up their camp. It was only after entering the relatively secure location that he began to speak about the coming conflict openly.

"On the off chance that you are unaware" Nephish said casually "the crown have some rather nasty surprises prepared for us when the time comes that we choose to meet them on the battlefield.

Nephish's relaxed expression turned to a bitter scowl. "Chief among them, aid from the elven kingdom of Asur."

Nephish sneered as the words left his jaw.

"I'm certain that their reputation for martial prowess proceeds them, yes?"

Nephish returned to his more calm expression. "That said, I'd like to hear if we have any resources of interest I should know about."

@NewShoesForever

Shinji Takemitsu

"Ahh, yes off course. Well our mages have devised a rather nasty suprise of our own. Shinji walked over to a near by barrel in the command tent and popped the lid of carefully. Using a small scoop to take a sample and allow nephish to examine. What you see here before you is glass,
ground far beyond the point of floating on air. Our mages will send this over thier ranks as they advance, causing sure blindness and our Swift victory. We've made eye protection just in case of enemy mage counters. Shinji looked hardened as he spoke, as if he were already in battle.

I've also sent word to a certain enchantments I've heard tell of. I feel her expertise could be quite useful.