[IC] Fire Emblem: Toil of Transgression

[Solace]

It began with a spark.

Intent, carried by motivation. Ideals, ignited by passion. The continent of Pyrgos was not always divided into the two dominions of today.



Once a land unified under common principles, mankind became unkind. The blood of brothers soaked the very confines of the world as society waged war with itself, threatening the complete destruction of progress. With their conventional weapons, Beorc hunted one another ruthlessly as the Dragon Tribes of the Laguz attempted to quell the violence, whose efforts only accelerated the genocide tenfold.



But this disaster would not go unnoticed.

The Great Purge came faster than the spark itself; the gods, known as the Creators, were unforgiving of the atrocities that mankind, once their beloved invention, had committed. Their judgement was swift and severe, as all punishment would be from then on. Almost all life on Pyrgos was swept away by their power, except for the purest of hearts. The entirety of the Dragon Tribe was exiled into the rifts of limbo, their fury never to be witnessed again.

For those who were spared, they went their separate ways and drew their borders, establishing the three original nations of Cliace, Vuscar, and Rakaan. With the goal of preventing such a blasphemy, the founder and first emperor of Cliace, Ffænir, declared the lands accompanying his empire as an independent separation. In agreement, King Horus of Vuscar constructed the Great Divide of Pyrgos, officially creating the Western and Eastern Separations of Verus and Priscus. The Laguz of Rakaan, wanting no part in the decision to segregate the land, maintained their neutrality.



In due time, civilization crawled from the pits of those dark days, and rose from the ashes. Mankind had learned its lesson; progress made way for the birth of several nations, and for many millenia, the Creators' will was upheld as a sacred testament.



Though, the intent and ideals of a single man stand divided between the preservation of these ancient vows, threatening the resurgence of Pyrgos' past transgressions.

It begins with a spark.

[Solace]

The boy came to me with flowers. Useless emotions coated my heart with dust, seeking to grasp the grief that I had grown dull to. It was strange that the boy could locate my lingering sentiment amidst the mass, the dim beams of dawn curling its light across the cobblestone pavement. The dew-tipped grass was unusually subtle. So many had gathered, yet I felt numb. My distant mind transcended two moons as I felt the small palm pull along the side of my breeches.

"...in the sanctum which be that of the Creators, may our kindred be cradled in their dominion of pearly radiance..."

I tucked my hands into the confines of my pockets, my fingers tugging at one another. A thousand years could have come and went, and I would never forget.
Yes, I still remember.

---

Jix Moros

It had been a day since the order was given.

"You'd think that Beorc man would've gathered more than just two hundred volunteers."

Jix Moros knew that Emperor Deacon was a man whose conviction was a resolution without violence. Sharing those ideals, it had been the reason why Jix enlisted in the army years ago. But the secession of the southern districts was more than enough to topple the balance that Emperor Deacon has finally instilled; after being informed that the dissidents would remain steadfast in their revolt, it was only natural for Emperor Deacon to wish for unity.

"Compared to how many soldiers? One hundred and fifty? More volunteers than you steelhats."

To Jix, it was a fair amount; after all, their purpose was to solely quell the rebellion, and only fight to defend themselves. There was no way that soldiers under the same banner could kill one another, let alone cut down their own citizens. Their presence, representing Emperor Deacon, was to simply intervene and send a message, a message that would hopefully force them to reconsider.

"We ain't here to start a war, Altan." Jix replied.

Altan leaned back against the sturdy cloth which covered the wagon, seated next to Jix. "Not what I was told."

Night had already fallen. The convoy was only a few hours away from the line that separated them, and the rebellious south. Platoons of soldiers were all assigned to a specific group of volunteers, who were transported through large wagons guided by the army's horses. The soldiers would alternate between riding on horseback and guarding the convoy to sitting inside the wagons and resting during the travel; Jix himself had awoken an hour earlier, seated at the end where one could look outside.

"We'll resume travel in the morning," a gruff voice announced as the wagon ceased movement, the sound of the other wagons stopping following suit. "Troops, grab the tents from the supply wagon and set them up for the people. Hand out food and water to those that need it, too."

---

Altan

Altan was finally glad that he could actually move his body around; the confined space of the wagon was torturous, especially for someone who was his size. As he hopped out of the wagon, the only thing he could see were the far mountains for miles. Typical country, nothing but land and hermits.

The soldiers were fast in their work; it had only taken mere minutes for them to set up a number of large tents that they would be sleeping in. From first glance, the tents appeared as if they could fit at least ten people each, their bloated infrastructures unmoved by the chilly wind. He looked around the many scattered groups of regular people; some look acquainted with their cliques, some stood by their lonesome. Beorc mentality was strange.

His eye eventually caught sight of the soldier from before, who was assisting in the creation of a big campfire at the center of the tents. Deacon had told Altan that he would follow Jix wherever he went, and that Jix was the one who would keep him in check. It wasn't like he had a choice, anyway; the bastard had taken his son, and the only way to get him back was to cooperate with the steelhats.

In a way, the country wasn't so bad. Although he disliked open areas, the tranquility of the land slightly calmed Altan. He didn't have to pay heed to the small talk of the Beorc all around him, all that he was concerned about was his son.

[TwilightDragon]

Aelia Theroux

It had been a long day.

Her body felt as if it had been through a tough battle, already; aches and pains ran up and down her limbs, becoming more prominent when she moved them. While she had spent most of her time traveling in a wagon, she wanted nothing more than to have something soft to lean her back against. That, along with her legs, were the ones that screamed most in protest. She was more than pleased when the caravan stopped and a loud, rough voice called that they were to rest for the night. Finally, she would be able to get fresh air and some space to herself—being in a cramped space with strangers, no matter what they called each other, was more than nerve-wracking.

Aelia jumped out of the wagon, almost falling on her face before she was able to regain her footing. This was unlike the time when she was roaming around on her lonesome; she had her own mount and didn’t have to deal with so many unfamiliar faces. Speaking of which, where was Zaide? Some soldier was probably taking care of him, as they told her that she should stay in the wagon with the rest of the volunteers. She was more than worried when she couldn’t spot her mount, her eyes rapidly flicking around as she searched for a gray flank and light mane.

Perhaps one of the soldiers would know where he was. They had been mounted on horses, after all, so someone had to have seen him. The blonde made her way over to the tents that had been pitched a few minutes earlier and peeked into several of them, looking for a worthy-looking enough individual that would help her. For a second, she was wondered if her search would be successful, or if she had to ask a random man or woman that had accompanied her in the wagon. Knowing them, they would probably laugh at her and wave her off, or something of the sort.

It was then that she caught sight of a few people making a campfire in the middle of one of the tents. Aelia faltered for a moment as she thought about approaching them. After a few more seconds of hesitation, she steeled her nerves and walked up to them. ”Pardon,” she paused a foot away from them, the frown on her face growing more prominent. ”Have any of you seen a gray horse with a red saddlecloth around here? One of the soldiers said that he would take care of him while I was in the wagon, but now I can’t find the horse anywhere.”

[@Solace]

[Jedly]

Comrades

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Onyx’s eyes opened a sliver as he began to stir, making out only blurred shapes and hues of the world surrounding him. The past few days had been tiresome in their length and requirements. A slew of agonizing tasks had been forced upon his subpar physique, jobs which usually belonged to men whose stomachs he could fit inside of. The boy’s jaw unhinged to eminate an yawn plagued with exhaustion and rose from the rigid surface he was resting on. He began to look around in a disgruntled manner, trying to make out the skewed images his eyes were perceiving. As his senses began to hone themselves, he already recognized the all too familiar rhythmic bumps the wagon rolled over. With a quick glance to his side he realized it was pitch black out, behind them was the remainder of the formation. An ocean- well, that’s an overexagerration, moreso a pond of tan covers fashioned from hide. The boy rubbed his temples to wake up more before checking up on his acquainted comrades. He knew each of them to certain extents, the whole lot of them was quite the mismatched conglomerate of dissimilarity. Onyx himself wasn’t sure where the emperor conjured up such a plan, yet the results were without a doubt in his favor. Unfortunately, the white-haired youth wasn’t a member of the category which willingly took up arms against the rebellion, religiously chanting Deacon’s name.

Aside from the soldiers, he was of the vast minority among the combatants organized in this one central point. Given his small physique, he was surprisingly compact, only allowing him to meager a small portion of the wagon’s seating to himself. There was nothing worse than sleeping upright, on such an uncomfortable surface as wood at that. With the smidget of breathing room he had, Onyx squeezed an arm behind his back to rub out the kinks which had taken form during his slumber, ”Good evening, everybody…” He greeted in a sheepish voice, his usual exuberant temperance was nowhere to be seen. ”Wonder how long I was out for? Hope I didn’t snore, wouldn’t want any of you slicing me in half…” The boy haphazardly joked with a sliver of a smile on his face.

In all honesty, all of the individuals gathered within the confined space were intimidating to immeasurable extents. Each of them harnessed abilities which propelled themselves upwards into the highest echelon of battle. And where each faltered, another could cover for their deficiencies. Of course, Onyx didn’t instantly take to the military life with ease. He was still acclimating himself to the whole concept of living with others, having spent a majority of the past years in a solitary manner. The thief would have never dreamt of winding up here, as an individual serving the emperor, bearing the wings of justice and freedom. If only he hadn’t attempted to stea- procure edible government property, he wouldn’t be in this predicament. Now that he thought back on it, the cache of gleaming weapons surrounding the crates of food and the guard with only a portion of the intelligence of the equine ushering the transport should have been foreboding signs. But one thing led to another. There was an intense chase, leaps of valor, pitiful failures, and cries for mercy. In the end, the white-haired thief was given the option to turn a new leaf. The boy expected something far less extravagant, yet rather than a daily course of menial tasks, he was conscripted into this certain sect. But rather than causing issues and refusing to come to terms with reality, the youth decided to make the best of it.

Onyx lurched forward as the wagon came to an abrupt halt. His grasp barely got a hold of the canvas. Without a doubt his mind was firing on all cylinders at this point, his gaze darted to the opening at the front of the wagon. Indeed, the flow of travel had come to a complete stop, and all forces were ordered to dismount. The boy let out a sigh of relief as he stretched out once more. He gained a stable footing on the transport’s creaking wooden floors and proceeded towards the rear, ”Hm, guess its time to secure some sustenance and-” Onyx was too busy running his mouth to notice where his feet were. He was cut off mid-sentence as the tips of his shoes became stuck on the rim of the wagon, instantly forcing him off balance. In one fluent transition, his expression changed from passiveness, to surprise, and finally nonchalance. As he fell forward into the open air, the youth swiftly tucked in his legs and rolled forward with finesse, landing on the ground with grace. ”-a tent just for ourselves! Though I think the soldiers already have one set out.” The boy glanced around before setting his sights upon a tent designated for the group, which he quickly sped off to. After finding himself a ration of bread he proceeded to the tent, hoping that some of his comrades were already present. The boy poked in through the entrance and greeted those who were present. ”That trip was pretty painful. I think I’m going to have sores in my neck for weeks to come.” Onyx complained before taking a bite out of his food, ”Guess we’re almost there, right?”

@Solace

[Demous]

Sayuri Mujona

Sayuri sighs as checks the bags attached to her saddle for the uptenth time, "What's with me? I've never been this worried about my goods before unless I'm in a town or in known bandit territory. Maybe it's this upcoming battle... I find it to be inevitable but it's so bad for business. Especially considering I'm carrying scrap weapons... Maybe I can sell them to the military. They're always in need metal and weapons. If they don't just straight up take it from you," yawning she notices lights off in the distance, "Oh, looks like there's a camp up ahead. If it's a caravan maybe I'll stay the night with them. If not I'll just keep going. Let's go check it out Kaze."

Urging her horse to move faster she quickly approached the camp but quickly slowed down as soon as she noticed what it was. She groaned internally, "Of course it's soldiers. Just my luck. I thought I'd left ahead of them but I guess not. Not that it's a big deal I can easily travel quicker than a large convoy like this one. Well... I do wanna pass it by so I guess I'm travelling all night tonight," sighing she pulls a cloak out and puts it on, 'Looks like it's gonna be a long night...' she redirects her horse to walk around the edge of the camp.

[Bornlucky]

Terrence Wolfe

Terrence sat on the hard uncomfortable wooden floor of the wagon, a bored expression on his face, he sat cross legged and had his elbow on his knee while holding up his head. Terrence forced himself silent for the trip. Simply because there was nothing to do or say for this whole caravan ride and complaining would just get annoying after the first half hour. All he did was study his follow wagon mates. For the little he can notice. There was a whelp that was dozing off and was beginning to stir awake. The others were either doing their own thing or resting like the kid. Terrence looked through the exit of the wagon in which he was the closest to it compared to everybody else, he could make out stars and even constellation, it was quite a sight he could even make out the distance mountains. It all reminded him of home. He was glad he could go home after all this rebellion mess. He hopes he doesn't have to murder anybody he never gotten used to killing people.

A voice spoke up, Terrence looked towards in the dark, he guessed it belonged to the sleeping kid. He greeted them sheepishly and jokingly wondered if he snored. Terrence smiled, at last another person who isn't all befuddled by doom, he thought.

Terrence winched as the wagon's sudden stop, but he sighed as he heard that they can finally set up camp and rest for the night, the wagon is a killer on the joints, he would prefer being on his horse, she was quicker than this. He wondered where she being kept and he should visit her before heading off to sleep. All of a sudden the kid was talking and was almost running out of the wagon and he almost tripped, Terrence jumped up and looked through the exit and watched as the kid rolled to safety and kept on with his business, Terrence was impressed, at least the kid won't hold them back if he can fight as agile as he looks, he thought.

Terrence went straight to the nearest tent and took a seat, he wasn't that hungry and he knew is horse will be okay without for a little bit longer. He will lie for a bit then, he checks up on her. The kid from earlier poked his head into the tent and complained and after taking a bite out of his bread he asked if they're close to the meeting place. "Looks like so, kid, and this whole thing will be a pain in the neck for everybody." Terrence mumbled a response. "This a much smaller group then, I thought it would be."

[Oblivion666]

Neela

Neela sat in silence the whole wagon ride, she was allowed to volunteer so just maybe her appearance itself would be an indication that Chalice is indeed not harboring any Laguz as slaves. She could hope but it would probably be turned around as them forcing her to fight. Yet her adoptive father would want her to help clear up any doubts, so that was why she was here in the first place. And she would make proud by his name, and she would force herself to trust these Beorcs. It would be the only way she could overcome her little grudge anyway. Yet despite her wanting to make conversation she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

Just then they were told they would rest for the night, upon that statement the soldiers piled out of the wagon and began to set up camp. Neela the last to hop out looked at all of them working to set up camp, while some talk among themselves while others handed out the water and food. It was strange to see so many being friendly with each other. So a man came up to her with a water canteen and asked if she wanted any, she stared at the container before taking it in her hand. "Thank you." She spoke as she took a quick sip of it to give her body a little refreshment, before handing it back to the man and nodding as she walked away with her tail swishing behind her.

As she stumbled around the camp with people finishing up with their tents, she came across a few people setting up a fire in the middle of all the tents, one asked about her horse that was gray and had a red saddlecloth. One looked like one of them professional high ranking soldiers, who was setting up the campfire. And one just felt odd to her, she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she felt more closer to him than the others. But she was slightly exhausted so she sat down near where they were working on the campfire, but stayed a little bit away from it incase it would be bigger than she thought.

[RainDash]

Jade Kattiya

Jade hated wagons. They were bumpy, noisy, and honestly she was tired of sitting on the bench. It was one of those rare moments that Jade wished she had a horse. Granted, she and horses had an understanding that they didn't get along on the best of days, but she'd rather be riding a horse than sitting in a tiny wagon, with a bunch of other people who hadn't bathed in a while. She didn't smell like a rose either, but at least she admitted to it. She wondered if she should take a bath now or hold off on it until a better opportunity showed itself. As she got off the wagon, she decided to hold off on it. There didn't seem to be any rivers that she could see nearby. Then again all she could see were tents and soldiers. A combination that she'd in the past avoided, but now she found herself settled comfortably into the image.

At the very least she wasn't eager to get her axe back in short order. They'd taken it for sharpening or some excuse, but Jade didn't buy it. She walked around camp, and after more time than she'd like passed she managed to locate her axe. She knew it was hers by the handle, the old leather weaving and red paint on the side that had been achieved shortly after she'd gotten the axe. She'd knocked over some paint cans by misjudging the sheer breadth of the weapon. It wasn't a mistake she'd made twice. As she left, she snagged some of the food the soldiers were offering and found a nice place outside of camp to lurk until it was time for her to find a place to sleep.

Jade sat there for a while, stretching out and moving around to loosen up some of the muscles that had tightened up during the journey when she noticed a horse walking around the edge of camp. None of the soldiers had bothered to notice it, so Jade rolled her eyes and moved to intercept the horse's path around the camp. Jade had to suppress the urge to rob the peasant blind, because that was easy and she was doing the army thing for justice or whatever.

"So, are you stupid or do you know that you're going to be walking right into the front line of the rebellion? Because just looking at you, you don't exactly look like someone who is just wandering by for fun," Jade said. "Because I'm here with the army I might have to kill you. People who have to fight with them are good at that. So anyways, what are you doing out here and if there is awful evil things to do such as striking the enemy camp, can I come with?"
@Demous

Kuro Talo

Kuro loved feeling the wind in his hair and the rough scales of Selene on his hands. Up here he was free and there were few others that could claim the same, most of which would be the few others that were currently riding pegasi to help perform recon for enemy camps and such. As he tried to keep his eyes on the ground, Selene made her 'I'm tired' noise that signalled that it was time to stop and rest. Kuro stroked her neck and said, "I know, but when the caravan stops I'll sneak you some extra rations."

Selene snorted and seemed to accept the bribe. Kuro watched as the caravan stopped and people started to get out, and Selene went into a dive on her own, eager to rest from the long day of flying that they'd just had. Kuro just moved closer into the dive, following Selene's movements and letting her land where she wanted. She landed amongst the horses, so she startled them and the stablemaster. Kuro hopped off and waved to the man in charge of the animals. He stayed only to take off Selene's saddle and put it away.

The man in charge told Kuro to start giving out food to the volunteers, and he complied, first going to the campfire where it seemed a few of them had settled in at. He hummed as he walked, eager to help people and give them what they need. He came up on the group and said, "does anyone need any food? I was told to start giving food to the volunteers." He held up his bread and water, showing what he had. "If you need anything else you can tell me, I'd love to get it for you."

[Remram]

Snoring in the confined space of the caravan for almost the entirety of the ride, Andre dreamed about booze and a delicious food. Drool dripped out of his smiling face and down his cheeks as he imagined he was eating absurdly large legs of lamb in one hand and drinking a barrel of mead in the other. Gluttony is a thought that a monk shouldn't typically have, but then again everyone's got their vices and in this case food was his, including wrath. Actually especially wrath due to his short fuse to match his height. Just don't mention his height to him unless someone desired a blast of light magic in the face or a foot in the rear, which ever came first. "Hehehehe, baby pour some more of that booze..." Okay whatever he was dreaming about now certainly wasn't pure.

When the wagon halted to a stop Andre hit his head against the wooden frame of the caravan, causing him to wake up with a lump on the back of his head. "Dammit that hurt!" He muttered to himself as he made his way out of the caravan with the rest of the volunteers to help set up camp for the night. However he halted when he heard that someone was offering bread and water as rations. Bread and water? How the hell did they think any troop was going to get any sustenance from wheat? "What kind of fucking stupidity is this? We're soldiers armed with weapons. Why not go out and hunt for food for the night?" Before Andre volunteered for the army that's how he had to survive on his own. He had to hunt down wild game and then kill it so he could have something to eat for the night. At first it was hard to kill something deer, but a guy's got to do what a guy's got to do.

"I'm going to go and get some real food. If any of you are satisfied with bread then you can all stay here, but if you want to come with then be my guest." He offered to no one in particular.

[Bornlucky]

Diamanda Jett

Diamanda scans the ground from above on the back of her pegasus. Diamanda's long silver hair flowed behind as the pair flew, with a javelin in hand and the other holding on to a leather rein she was ready for any confrontations. She was the most dutiful of the scouts, as she and her Pegasus, Clementine, were flying the longest and the farthest, and she would have it no other way. She was lucky to have a Pegasus who could keep up with her.

Clementine neighed as she took a sudden dive taking the pair to closer to the caravan. Diamanda knew something was up, and looked towards the Caravan, which stopped moving. They must be done for the day, Diamanda thought as she sees another of the scouts with his Wyvern dive right into the makeshift stable for the mounts. "How unprofessional," She commented on the Dracoknight, Clementine seemingly neighed in agreement, "Let's show them a professional landing, Clem." Diamanda smirked as she leaned forward on Clementine and the pair dived quickly towards the camp and as the pair was just a few feet off the ground, the Pegasus opened it's wings and landed softly on the ground. Diamanda smiles casually. "Good landing, Clementine."

Diamanda dismounted Clementine, and took off her saddle quickly then patted the Pegasus in praise. "You did a good job today, Clementine, you deserve a rest." Diamanda whispered to her Pegasus.

After getting a thing of bread and water, and quickly finished them off. She saw a pair of woman walking, one with an axe and one on horseback. She heard what the one with the axe said. "I desist from killing, we are trying to stop such needless bloodshed, Diamanda interjected. "I would also abstain from doing anything rash, like say attack the 'enemy' camp." Diamanda spoke bluntly.

[Demous]

Sayuri Takashi

Sayuri looked at the woman with the axe with clear distaste, 'Clearly not someone here to prevent the fighting. Oh joy. They're even more likely to start a war if a bunch of the volenteers are like this. I just hope the soldiers can contain them,' she moves her hand slowly to where her sword was sheathed on her hip slowly keeping it hidden in her cloak. She looks at the other woman now approaching, "I have no desire to attack anyone. In fact my purpose in traveling this direction is that I was hoping to get out of the country before any of the fighting starts. I am a merchant simply traveling south before heading west hoping to unload my goods nearby and make my way as quickly as possible. If either of you are interesting in some scrap weapons, or any of my other wares, I'd be willing to part with them for a fair price. If not I'd like to be let on my way... Or to talk to one of the higher ups about selling to the soldiers."

@Bornlucky@RainDash

[RainDash]

Jade Kattiya

"You know," Jade said, "It's my favorite thing when totally armed strangers ignore the fact that I just said that we're not that far from the front line. Like, as in where the fighting is gonna be tomorrow? Where the enemy is? You can't possibly be that dumb to think you can waltz right across without either side thinking you're a spy." Jade ranted and streched, as if she had nothing better to do. She had noticed the other woman going for her weapon.

"As for the enemy thing can you blame me? I get all the propaganda back home saying that we're going for honor and country and what have I gotten so far? A wagon ride, a grumpy merchant, and queen of the muck. Seriously though," Jade leaned against the merchant's horse, not because it was the smart thing to do, but because she wanted to. "You should look into getting that removed, it must be painful to have a stick shoved so far up your butt."

Jade couldn't care less if these two hated her for her big mouth. All she wanted to do was go fight the enemy, win, and then go back to the sea. She missed it, the sea, and she'd prefer to go back and watch people get seasick and know what she had to do and maybe tilt back some rum when she wanted to. The thought caused her to go to her flask, taking a long draw from it. When she finished, she stared at the other two, completely relaxed despite the fact that she might have to deal with an angry merchant and... whatever kind of soldier The Queen there was.

@Demous@Bornlucky

[TwilightDragon]

Royce Synnott

Where the hell was he, again?

He swore that the pretty lady in the capital had told him that the caravan had headed south already. And in this particular direction as well. For a moment he cursed himself-- he should have joined the group when they were gathered in the heart of Cliace. Then again, he was pretty sure that he would have been recognized by the guards there. With his luck, he would have probably been arrested before he could even be considered a volunteer. And then what would have happened? He would sit in jail, hoping that the slim possibility of someone bailing him out would come true. Not to mention that the other volunteers would probably not be fond of having a cunning thief such as him in their midst.

Royce's thoughts were interrupted when he almost tripped over a rock. A river of curses escaped his lips as he regained his balance as he kicked the large stone in frustration. He hadn't seen head or tail of the caravan of soldiers and volunteers-- he hadn't even seen the any wagon trails or anything. Was he even going the right way? Or had the lady lied to him? That was unlikely... such a pretty face wasn't capable of lying so smoothly. And even if she did, why would him being lost benefit her? He shook his head and continued to walk through the forest.

Sounds reached his ears, but they weren't human. Owls hooted and small things scampered under the shrubbery, even though cover was sparse. There were probably much more dangerous things lurking around, like coyotes or wolves or bears or something. He only hoped that they wouldn't get to him before he found the caravan. Yet, something told him that he was headed the right way. Royce was one to trust his gut instinct,  and so, he continued to walk the direction he was going. They have to be close. They couldn't have gotten very far, with how many people I've heard there are.

Eventually, the sound of humans reached him. The thief perked up and his light amber irises began to search for any sight of campfires or walking silhouettes. When he came across a campsite, he wasn't sure whether he should simply approach or wait until someone found him. If he walked up to them and offered his alliance, then they would be on guard. But if he was found wandering around without telling them his intentions, then they would think he was a spy or assassin. What to do...

[Solace]

[@Jedly] [@Bornlucky] [@hatakekuro] [@RainDash]

Altan

Why were Beorc such small creatures?

The thought never occurred to Altan over the years, but when it did, it slightly bothered him. By the time he was fifteen years old, he was already over six feet tall. The question of the frailty in Beorc physicality frequented his mind, and once more, he began to ponder as he walked past the twig.

It looked as if the winds threatened to carry it with its current, but the stick was able to talk. He was able to discern, from the stick's voice, that it was a young boy. He prayed that his son would not be a stick when he grew up.

Yet another oddity struck Altan as another boy sprung from the same wagon, seemingly challenging the military's order to distribute food and water. He wanted to laugh at the boy's words; it seemed as if the boy was blinded by his brazenness. "In case you didn't notice, the only thing roaming these plains for the last day has been you dolts."

It was amazing how fairly common ignorance was among the Beorc. Just as Altan left to venture around the camp, one of the fliers from above came up to them and began offering him food and water. He chuckled as he strolled away, roaming around. There was no point in sleeping if he wasn't tired.

---

[@TwilightDragon]

Jix Moros

As the great crimson fire came to life and its flames lit up the entirety of the encampment, Jix overheard scattered chatter from the volunteers who were filing out of their wagons and walking about, settling themselves. It did not come as a surprise to Jix; unlike his trainee years, they were allowed to converse and roam around the camp freely.

The first brutal regiment that Jix endured had his platoon stranded in the density of the northern forests, with nothing but a wooden shaft that was once a spear. Nobody had spoken a single word to one another for the first two days, but the innate instincts to coexist and look after each other supplemented the lack of communication. For a period of two weeks, they braved the wilderness; arriving as strangers young in age but old in spirit, they returned as a cohesive unit with a proven potential to serve the Emperor.

"Oi, Moros," one of the soldiers from his platoon who stood opposite of him briefly pointed behind Jix, a grain of wheat bobbing with half a smirk. "That your sweetheart from home?"

"Least I do got a lass waitin' for me back home, Pogs." Joined by short chitchat and light laughter from the other soldiers around the fire, Jix scoffed with a small smile underneath his helmet as he approached the woman.

"Your horse, sweetie?" Jix removed his helmet, shaking his head and wiping the sweat from his face. He looked over his shoulder and back at Pogs, motioning for him. "Fetch her young buck, Pogs."

Pogs looked at Jix oddly, running a hand through his wiry hair. "A what?"

Jix sighed. "Horse, Pogs."

"Man, you gotta speak Common like that, I don't understand a damn.." Pogs iterated to himself as the soldier shuffled away from the campfire, returning moments later with the woman's horse.

"Here you are, miss." Pogs turned over the reins of the horse to the woman. "They call me Pogs around these parts. What-"

Just as Pogs went to finish his greeting, the raspy voice belonging to the leader of the convoy came from a close distance. "Pogs, join the patrol outside the camp! The rest of you, settle the volunteers."

"You heard the captain. G'night, Pogs." Jix playfully placed a fist on Pogs' bicep, pretending to push the soldier to his post. As Pogs sighed from the interruption, Jix bent over to pick up his helmet, holding it under his arm and observing the horse. "Mighty fine stallion, he looks like the ones I raised on the farm."

---

[@RainDash] [@Demous]
Pogs had been dozing off until he heard a commotion. Sighing, he picked himself up, joining the volunteers and the flier who were already attending to the situation. "What's going about over here?"

[Jedly]

Needless Chatter

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

One of the individuals present within the tent was quick to response, albeit Onyx was partially asking to himself, he did indeed expect some form of a reaction. After gulping down the last of the borderline stale ration, he turned in the direction of the voice. If memory served him right, the source of the voice was a fellow group member. By some stretch of the imagination he hadn’t punted the youth out of the wagon. But whatever noises Onyx made while he was asleep, the man had most likely slept through them, as there wasn’t a tinge of exhaustion in his eyes brimming with experience. The man gave off the charisma that he knew what in the Creators’ names he was doing, and had the physique to back up such a claim. Although, his response did make Onyx puff his cheeks. ”Hey! Technically, I’m a young adult. Eighteen, lean, mean, an unstoppable thiev- erm, fighting machine!” He jutted a finger accusatively, completely disregarding the previous statement he had just made.

The boy dropped the childish act and ran his hand through his hair with a sigh, ”But yeah, I totally agree. Although, you did sign up for a war. As for the low headcount, it isn’t expected. They’ll be mixing us with soldiers anyways.” He quickly glanced to his sides, noting the statuses of the other volunteers. Some were slumped over in rest, while others were gathering their thoughts. Onyx wished he could dub himself a member of their mass, but he was here for an entirely different reason. ”Anyways, might as well eat up while we can. I’m sure we will be taking up arms soon enough…” As his voice trailed off, he stepped out of the tent to get a good look of their surroundings. The hills boxing in the camp even had a decent amount of activity. The boy’s pinpoint vision could make out silhouettes deep in conversation. As long as they were peaceful, they did not require his attention.

It was then, did a titan appear before Onyx’s very eyes. It casted a looming shadow over of the boy, entirely shrouding him in darkness. The giant cast a deathly gaze upon the youth. Their lines of sight met for only a moment, yet the boy instantly faltered. ”...So this is the day I die? Mother, Father, I will soon be with you.” Luckily, his eyes weren't focused on Onyx. Rather than smashing him into miniscule bits, the man just jeered at another fellow with reddish hair, who had made a statement about departing for hunting earlier, and waltzed off to whatever he prioritized.

Onyx exhaled deeply, having just came face-to-face with death. ”Well. That was traumatic. I thought he was going to tear the entire tent from the earth and beat me with it. Did you see those eyes!? I saw no soul lying within them! Just pure darkness! Nothing! Emptiness! I expect him to stab me in the back more than the enemy!” The boy may have been exaggerating just a tinsy bit, but he hopefully got the point across to his comrade. ”Speaking of which, what’s your name? Mine’s Onyx Shiazu. Pleased to be your co-worker.” He briskly introduced himself following the steps his father had drilled into him. ”I would advise that we get to know our comrades more, as we will be fighting alongside them in the near future. Rumor has it that we’re even working with nobility. I’m a bit versed in working with the upper echelons, but they are too sporadic to prepare for.” The boy fumbled with his collar as he continued to make conversation with the man, who he presumed was a veteran in his field. It was at this point did Shiazu notice he was unconsciously rambling on, a habit he had developed to quell drunk friends. "I think people will be gathering shortly when curfew closes in. Then will be the best time to forge unbreakable bonds!" He seemed way too enthusiastic, without a doubt. "Let's start with Mr. Hunter over here!"

@BornLucky@Solace@RainDash@Demous@hatakekuro

[TwilightDragon]

Aelia Theroux

The large fire that was created in the midst of the tent was more than comforting to her. After traveling in the cramped wagon for who knows how long, it was nice to see that she could experience some warmth for the time being. The campfires that she created when she was on her lonesome was ten times smaller than the one that the soldiers had set up in less than a heartbeat. If only she had someone to travel with her back then... then maybe the fires would have been more adequate. Aelia's attention was brought back to the soldiers when one of them approached. It was a dark-haired man with light-colored eyes. He was taller than she was, and definitely friendlier-looking than the other soldiers that she encountered. He was also more polite than the people that she had traveled with. She allowed a small smile to come over her lips when he spoke to her, calling her sweetie and telling one of the other soldiers to give her her horse.

At least Zaide was fine. He seemed to have been placed in reliable hands, as the soldier that handed over the reins appeared to be as friendly as the other one. Pogs was the man's name; she couldn't help but give him a strange look when he introduced herself. What kind of name was that? She would hate to have been called something as... different as that. "Thank you," she said, taking the reigns from the man. Her eyes began to scan her horse more carefully now that she was close. The stallion appeared to be in good condition, but... she would give him a proper look over when she was alone.

Suddenly, a loud and rough voice sounded from outside of the tent. The other male, presumably someone higher-up than the soldiers inside the tent, began to give out orders. Pogs was not able to properly introduce himself and left within a few moments. Aelia didn't think she would be able to cooperate with someone ordering her around like that as if she were a dog. Then again, these were soldiers; the men and women that had taken up arms for Cliace were used to such behavior from their captains and generals, right? Glancing over at Zaide again, she began to pull the horse towards the exit of the tent when the same black-haired soldier from before went to her once more. He commented on her mount, stating that it was a fine beast and that he looked like the ones that he raised on the farm. She turned towards him, another ghost of a smile coming over her face.

"You used to raise horses? It isn't surprising. I can tell that you come from the farmlands because of your accent." Aelia patted Zaide's neck as she spoke. "He is rather nice to look at, isn't he? My mother gave him to me when I was younger."

She realized that she hadn't introduced herself to the soldier in front of her. Well... that was rather rude of her, wasn't it? "Oh... my name is Aelia Theroux, by the way. And you are..?"

[@Solace]

[Bornlucky]

Diamanda Jett

Diamanda silently watched the two women talk, the woman with the axe had quite the mouth on her, and Diamanda smirked. It's nice to hear bluntness instead of passive aggressive insults. Makes it easier to know what kind of person they are. Diamanda noticed the peddler reaching for her sword, Diamanda tighten the hold on her javelin.

Diamanda could respect a person who could insult her even with a weapon clearly in her hand, but she shouldn't show that. "Better a stick stay there then me using it to beat people with, which I would assume how you would use it." Diamanda bluntly retorted, "With that said I shamefully have to agree with our poorly mannered brute of an ally on this, you will only bring unwanted attention to yourself, which will bring unneeded trouble for us and maybe even the whole Empire." Diamanda rambled in a serious tone. "It might be for the best for your safety if you leave in the morning instead so the rebels won't think you're with us." Diamanda concluded. "I have no need for any of your wares but the merchants by the fires could make use of them." Diamanda suggested to the merchant.

Terrence Wolfe

Terrence chuckled at the kids rambling; the kid should work on his filtering especially if he gets taken by the rebels for leverage or interrogation. “Yep, but it bit silly why I joined.” He replied to the kids more serious question. “Sure, a meal never hurts, and I need to check on my horse.” He replied to the suggestion of food. Terrence followed the thief out of the tent and seen a tall and well-built man standing and the kid gawking at him and whispering fearfully.

Terrence couldn't help but grin; this kid will have a hard time dealing with the big Laguz with the rebellion, some of those guys can be huge. But Terrence stopped grinning when he heard the little comment about his parents, he decided to stay silent and not bring it up, lest he wants to make it awkward.

“Don't worry about it kid, if he wanted to do that he would have done it already.” Terrence chuckled. “The name's Terrence Wolfe,” He greeted himself to the kid after he pointed him out.

[Demous]

Sayuri Mujona

She laughs and moves her horse a couple steps away putting distance between her and the extremely rude ax wielder, "I know full well where I'm going. I've traveled these roads for years. Besides I'm well known along this particular route. Only a fool, or someone new to the area, would mistake me for a spy. The rebels are mostly made up of locals so for the most part I should be fine," she turns to look at the new arrival asking what was going on, "I was simply making my way around your camp to continue along my way. Then this... Woman came up stopping me wanting to know what I was doing. The flier right there came up asking the same thing. I have answered their question. I am a traveling merchant hoping to make my way out of the country relatively quickly and avoid any bloodshed. As for your comment of leaving in the morning... I had no plans on staying the night. Keeping ahead of you guys is kinda the plan. Unless you would like to buy anything I would like to be on my way as soon as possible."

@Bornlucky@Solace@RainDash

[Remram]

@Solace
Andre jolted in surprise at being called out for his idea of hunting for game. To be honest he wasn't even awake since he set foot in the wagon so he wouldn't had known that there wasn't anything around to hunt. His face flushed a deep red and he growled, ready to bash this asshole's skull in, but he was able to take a deep breath and calm down before he got arrested for assault. "Fucking pretty boy asshole." Andre grumbled to himself as he began to wander outside of the camp. Sleep would be something he wouldn't get due to sleeping the day away.

[Solace]

Jix Moros

[@TwilightDragon]

"Jix Moros is the name," he replied, introducing himself and motioning his head as if he were tipping a hat. "Just your everyday soldier, sweetie. I'm from around these parts, just a lil' more south from here."

The thoughts of home rushed into Jix's mind, drawing a small frown. "Yeah, home's down there, in that territory..."

If the rumors of terror being used to subjugate the population who disagreed with the secession in the south were true, Jix prayed that his family was safe from it. "Anyway," his smile gleamed once more. "My family tends the ranch I was born on. I've got a younger brother, he should be comin' up on fifteen now."

---

Altan

[@TwilightDragon] [@Oblivion666]

Boredom.

A simple word to summarize the trip from Altan's perspective. As much as he wanted time to pass in order to get closer to his son, he was unsure if the entire operation would be a breeze like he had been frequently told.

Sure, it would have been believable if only a small portion of the country had rebelled, but all of the southern districts? They made up nearly a third of Cliace, and if they were that inclined to separate forcefully, only an idiot would say that some form of armed conflict was impossible from happening. Once more, the thought of Beorc being strange creatures resurfaced; how they could be so adamant about their ideals confused him. They were the only race that actively deceived and killed one another for their beliefs; murderers, thieves, criminals, almost all of them were Beorc. Though, he could not pin all of the sins on the other race; he himself could not recall how many people he had killed for the sake of attaining fame during his mercenary years. It was as if all life was parasitic in nature.

Though, unlike everyone else, Altan acknowledged this flaw, and accepted it. There was nothing else to live for in the world except for his son, and he would do anything to make sure that he would get him back, even if it meant having to rip the Emperor into pieces with his own bare hands.

Altan's venture eventually led him back to the large campfire at the center of the encampment. Having seen the rest of the camp, he was actually astonished by the brevity in the soldiers' work. "Wow, pretty impressive," he complimented as he took a seat by the fire, looking around as he sensed his kin. One was close, though there were Laguz scattered all over the camp. It didn't matter much to him if he found another one, anyway; he was technically no longer Laguz, and he wasn't there to make friends.

---

[@Demous]

It was unexpected, but Pogs burst out in laughter.

"I ain't so sure we need your little weapons," Pogs hefted the blade over his shoulder. "After all, she and I," he pointed to Diamanda. "Are soldiers of the Cliacian Army, the most well-equipped army in the country!"

Obviously, it was a baseless statement, but Pogs liked to boast, anyway. "Now, if you ain't got any business with us, I would take your horse back up north. The south's a dangerous place right now, they're taking roamers like you hostage."