[IC] ͼT H E R E C K O N I N Gͽ

[IcePezz]

They walked along casually, leaves and branches crackling under their feet. Arlan kept close behind her as they trudged through the woods. She extended a hand outward as they passed a few berry bushes, her fingers brushing through and caught a few before they fell to the ground after separating from their thin branches. She had missed breakfast and while the small black berries barely calmed the quiet growling of her stomach, it would be enough till they got to the camp.

She listened intently as Fell spoke, nodding here and there. His concerns were understandable, but she knew better than to question to Commander’s ability. "You must have been here for a while now, yourself. What would your opinion be of our station?"

”Well, honestly, with the way things are, anyone capable of wielding a weapon against the enemy is useful around here. It is true, she is young, but I suppose … what she lacks for in years of experience, she makes up for in her drive, her passion, and her skills with the rest of us. She’s only three years my senior, but since I have been here, I’ve seen no one else more capable or deserving of the position than her”.

Her happy demeanor faltered only slightly as she spoke, but it would’ve been replaced by a concern of the growing war and her idolization of the Commander. ”I can only hope that this war ends soon” she wrinkled her nose slightly as her thoughts turned darker, reminiscing over all the losses they’ve endured so far.

She plucked a few more berries from the bushes, sharing a few with Arlan as his pace picked up slightly, hugging her side. Their conversation had completely distracted her from their position in the woods. Though they had made much leeway on their journey towards the camp, they weren’t completely out of danger just yet. What she thought was Arlan’s way of nudging her for food was more so sniffing out someone nearby.

When Calliope came into view, Arlan placed himself between her and Liara. His fur puffed out slightly as he took on the defensive stance. "Afternoon. On behalf of Erika, I'd urge you both to return to base camp with haste." Fortunately for them, the skulking person was of no threat and after her awkward and rigid greeting, the large bear relaxed to a more casual position while still staying close to his comrade.

"We wouldn't want to miss either of your inputs at tonight's Circle." Liara had completely stiffened and stood at attention when Calliope had approached. While she may not have been Liara’s direct superior, Calliope held a position of leadership, which was all that Liara needed to know. "May I join your company on the last leg?". Liara flashed her a bright smile and nodded, her stance softening as well. ”Of course, my lady. We would be grateful for your company”. Liara waited for Calliope to take the lead as they continued onto the camp before trodding behind.

What a day this has turned out to be, a great patrol in the woods, a run in with a new transfer and then the leader of the Harbingers! She was suddenly brought crashing down as her stomach began to argue with her good mood once more. An odd noise was emitted and the young girl blushed, bringing a hand over her stomach, hoping to hush the grumbling and growls. The camp was not far off from their position. She hoped she would have time to freshen up and eat before the meeting.

[Ammokkx]

Fell looked to his side when Liara began to voice her own opinion, nodding in response to her thoughts. The girl was dedicated... Maybe a bit foolish, but very determined. Such respect for a commander... It was not earned easily. It cheered the senior up a bit, his big lips curling up into a gentle smile. But wen she started about the war... Fell couldn't help but close his eyes in response. "Aye, this war... It's not a pleasant thing. I've seen many fall in my days... But we must endure, as victory shall most certainly be ours." The words seemed surprisingly hollow for the fact they were supposed to be convincing, Fell not opening his eyes yet.

But he would soon when Noone started growling slightly. "Something wrong, girl?" It was at that moment Fell noticed Arlan acting strange as well, sniffing something out. Was someone there? Fell's concern showed soon to be for naught when Calliope came into view, Noone already relaxing. Arlan didn't though, taking a defensive position in front of Liara. Those two are made for each other. Shot through the bruiser's head.

Calliope hid her nerves about as well as a sabertooth did its fangs. The leader figure had obvious tells, the clenching of hands being the most obvious. "Afternoon to you as well, Ms. Triske!" Fell replied cheerily, his previously stern expression growing into a friendly and inviting smile. He was positively towering over Calliope, which isn't surprising considering her age and profession. She needed to be light, so her stature suited her needs more than adequately. It was also adorable how she seemed to be smitten by Noone's beauty, although Liara didn't seem to notice. It'd be rude to point it out anyway, so Fell decided to keep silent. Noone didn't, though, as she noticed the attention on her. The wolf gently stepped forward and next to Calliope, raising her head upwards whilst wagging her tail. It was obvious why Noone did that, she wanted to be petted.

"Har har!" Noticing his partner's behavior, Fell let out a hearty laugh. "Ms. Triske, it seems my little companion desires a few rubs on her head. Would you be so kind as to provide them for me? If you would, I'm sure Noone would have no problem letting you tag along!" The man's smile was widening by the second, glad for the tension being relieved.

[BeautifulSnow]

Ashlinn first looked at her leader and Calliope.. Twins but, they did look different. Still she loved to see how they reacted on each other and it looked to her very special. She was a only child, her father had abandoned her and her mother when she was one year old and her mother had died twelve years later. She looked at Snow and with a little nod of her head she told her vein to come over. Snow flew up and took a seat on Ashlinn's back, holding on to one shoulder with her paws.

Then Ashlinn heard a familiar voice behind her, she turned and smiled at Mike. ''Morning'' she said and then shook her head. ''No but thanks, we will be fine'' she said. Snow meowed to Draco and then licked Ashlinn's face. Ashlinn wasn't much of a speaker and she didn't know what to do now... Ever since her mother had died, she had survived pretty much on her own.. Not that is was something that didn't happen much, around here it happened a lot.. But she had learned that speaking could get you into trouble and the 'love of a conversation' was gone. After a while and pretty awkward silents Ashlinn gave Mike another smile and then nodded to Kieren. ''I am fine with that, last time that new recruit they have had beaten himself up pretty good and so he did with his opponents.. Not much, but with everything going on, we can better take enough ointment with us'' she said. ''Let's just hope for the best..'' Ashlinn said and then gathered some jars with ointment, bandages and a few pair of clean gloves. Then she left the tent and outside she waited for her leader and once she was out too, Ashlinn started to walk towards the training camp for the Mercenary.

[Fumari]

Tate Daalgard

Three years ago:

“You really can’t be more specific, can you?” Tate asked for the fifth time, sending a sideways glance towards the four individuals who were meant to oversee his Reckoning day ceremony. They stood stiffly beside the fountain and said nothing, only observing while they waited for the boy to choose one of the many goblets that littered the room. The only piece of advice he’d been given so far was that the goblet would “choose” him, which in his opinion, wasn’t very good advice at all.

“How is a goblet even supposed to choose anything? It isn’t like it has a consciousness or something like that... Does it?” Tate paused and turned to the four again, receiving only silence before continuing his leisurely pace around the room. His eyes swept carefully through the wide selection of goblets while he silently pondered his own questions. Perhaps he’d find his answers when he found his goblet, Tate thought a little more hopeful. It wasn’t like these geezers seemed ever willing to answer his questions themselves. The whole process seemed silly to him anyway, because at the end of the day it didn’t matter what some fancy cup and a little magic water said, the choice was still his. He was going to become a mercenary. He was going to fight.

“What happens if I pick the wrong one?” another question slipped through his lips, but Tate didn’t raise his studying gaze from the goblets, instead taking the search a bit more seriously as to not prolong the ceremony too much. “Will it not work? Or does it really not matter which one I choose, so long as I’m the one who chooses it?” he continues to inquire. Perhaps he should just go ahead and pick at random? Would the four geezers notice if he did?

A few more steps and Tate stopped again, eyeing each of the goblets within reach. They all seemed suitable enough for the task. He should just pick one already, he grumbled in his head. Finally, he let his eyes rest on a small goblet tucked a few rows back from the edge of the table. With a brass casted stem that rose up and hugged an unevenly blown glass bowl, it looked rather awkward beside the rest of the many shinier, more rounded goblets. He couldn’t tell if the intricate, twisting design was meant to be leaves or not because of how sloppily it had been casted, and in a few places it even looked like it had melted into the glass, forcing it to bulge slightly and ruin what would otherwise be a nearly round shape. It was absolutely the ugliest thing Tate had ever laid eyes on, and yet the longer his eyes mocked it, the more charming it appeared, like it was screaming for the chance to decide his fate. Perhaps this is what the geezers had meant when they said the goblet would choose him.

For once, Tate didn’t ask any questions. Instead, he reached across the long table and plucked the small goblet up from the rest, carefully lifting it closer so as to admire its details further. It really was poorly crafted. Then he turned and strode confidently towards the fountain and the waiting four.

“This is your last chance to tell me I picked the wrong one.” He warned while stealing a hesitant glance at each of the elders steely faces. Again, they said nothing, and Tate took this as a sign of encouragement and went ahead and dipped his goblet into the fountain. When he brought the glass up and let the water settle, it immediately turned Harbinger blue.
Tate felt his chest tighten and his eyebrows knit together while he simply stared into the goblet.

- - -

After the ceremony, Tate spent most of the night alone, thinking about that cup full of blue water. When the time came the next morning for him to decide his Estuarie, he chose Harbinger. It was a pleasant surprise for anyone who knew him, but most of all his parents, who hadnt liked the idea of their son becoming just another soldier. For them, Harbinger suited the boy much more.

- - -

Present time:

Tate enjoyed the light breeze while he sat beside a tree on the edge of camp, his eyes trained on the pages of a thin paperback novel. Beside him, curled up and faintly snoring was a white rabbit, its head crowned with thin, off-white antlers. He was mindful of the critter while he flipped through his book, not really paying much mind to the story itself. Instead he listened to others in the camp while they went about their own routines, listening in on bits of gossip and mundane stories when he could, and otherwise just people watching. It was like a hobby for him, honestly, and while he had little do to lately, was his only escape from boredom.

A few moments later and something by the tree line to his left caught his attention, drawing his eyes up in time to see Samuel and his partner returning to camp. The former sported what Tate would interpret as a solemn face, and didn’t look at all interested in talking. If he recalled correctly, the man had gone hunting earlier, but it didn’t look like he was carrying very much now.

“Poor day for hunting?” Tate asked casually, closing his book and standing from where he’d been sitting. Beside him, Jojo jerked awake, ears standing up out of reflex and his red eyes darting about for a few moments. “Or did you run into other troubles?” he added a bit more curiously.

[jagajac]

Noone nudged one of Calliope's fists with her noble head, and the girl's nails raked gently between the wolf Vein's eager, upturned ears. The soft fur brushed between the webbing of Calliope's fingers as she wondered how a man like Fell could have been paired with such a creature as Noone. As if in response to Calliope's unspoken thoughts, Fell laughed heartily. The cheerful sound rang in Calliope's ears but was interrupted by a muffled protest from Liara's stomach. She turned her eyes to the young Mercenary and let a laugh escape through her freckled nose. The sky above them was bright and warm, radiating the sun's afternoon light, which cast long shadows from the tall trees surrounding the group. Calliope nodded, mostly to herself, and patted Noone's head once more before securing her grip around the leather straps of her pack. "If we hurry, Cook could be convinced to provide a light snack before supper." She winked at Liara before turning to continue their trek back to base camp.

The three walked mostly in silence among the shelter of the foliage; every now and then interrupted by the playful antics of Noone and Arlan as they foraged for food among the brushes. Calliope couldn't help but closely observe both Mercenaries' Veins as they walked. Her curious mind scribbling notes about each creature in turn, adding to the vast knowledge she already possessed of animals. She also noted the way in which both Liara and Fell carried themselves, true to Mercenary form even in this simple gesture of movement. Calliope's eyes closed momentarily as she breathed in the deep, refreshing perfume of the forest. These were the kinds of moments the Harbinger leader longed to share with her comrades, not the impending doom of the Cimmerian cloud lingering in the distance. The thought blackened her peaceful state, but she shook it away as the three stepped across the threshold of the encampment.

As they passed by Tate and Sam, lying along the treeline, Calliope kept her gait purposeful and whistled greeting in the customary Harbinger way. Sam's gaze remained focused on the earth below, and a small feeling of guilt slithered across Calliope's stomach. She couldn't help but look over her shoulder momentarily as she caught the tail end of Tate's questioning words. Maybe it was wrong of her to alert Sam and Dominique before the Circle meeting, were their thoughts now as hazy and distant as her own? Calliope reprimanded herself. They're strong men, and you're supposed to be their fearless leader. Start acting like it. The fire in Calliope's amber eyes, although dim from lack of sleep, seemed to spark once more. She was just about to offer thanks to Fell and Liara before departing from them when she noticed Erika pacing angrily between the Mercenary tents. The other leader's hands clenched a crumpled piece of paper, which she flung spitefully into a nearby fire pit. Calliope's eye rolled into the back of her head. Erika was an ambitious woman with high expectations, and an even higher temper in times of trouble. Temper was the last thing they needed before tonight's Circle. She wished she could speak to the leader on more solitary terms, but considering Fell and Liara's generosity, Calliope reasoned their maturity was respectable.

"Nice shot, Erika!" She smiled in her direction and stepped forward to interrupt the woman's pacing pattern. Calliope crossed her arms across her chest and crooked her head to the side questioningly, although she had a hunch as to what was upsetting Erika so much. She glanced sideways at Fell and Liara before adding, "Didn't know your leader had such prowess with ranged attacks, did ya? She learned it all from me, don't let her convince you otherwise." Calliope's natural carefree temperament was beginning to surface once more, but she knew it couldn't last for long, so she made her best effort to keep fueling it until the night's Circle called for more seriousness. She held her stare on the Mercenary leader with every comment. "Was that your practice speech for tonight's Circle? Morale for the troops and whatnot, cause if so, you might wanna go retrieve it from that fire. We're gonna need all the help we can get."

[Mike the Bloodwolf]

Mike sighed and thought about things before he walked next to Ashlinn and asked "So why do you need to head to the mercenary camp? Is there something wrong there? I mean Me and Draco did notice a few problems but the healers were already there so we though nothing of it", He sighed and said "Maybe it ended up worse they I first thought, I better get there fast". Mike then ran on ahead worried about his fellow Mercenaries hoping and praying that nothing too serious had happen to them.

When Mike got there, there was nothing he could not immediately see wrong though they were very low on supplies which was a good thing as to why Ashlinn would be bringing supplies for them. Mike then found his cabin, after all Mike had spent a good few years on making a good wooden cabin for him a Draco since they had both struggled to use a tent but now they had this it made things easier plus it was a good place for storage as well as there was a large part outside where everyone in the merc's camp could store things they did not need.

[NightmareInd]

Sam got out of the forest. He had reached the edge of the harbinger camp. He was greeted by a fellow harbinger. He noticed Sam's troubles, and thought it would be a bad hunting day. "No, it's not the hunting, Tate." Sam said, while opening his cloak, revealing 4 rabbits (Sam managed to kill one on the way back to the camp). Shade just came out of the tall grass with his boar behind him. "Actually we both caught this in like an hour. No, it's something I rather not talk about..." He said, while looking at the ground. He then heard a whistle. It was Calliope's whistle, he didn't need to look her direction to know that. He didn't look at her though, as he felt like he dissapointed her. When he noticed she and whoever she was with passed the two harbingers, he looked back at Tate. "Anyway, I think I should head back to the cook. We wouldn't want our catch to spoil, would we?" He said, while facing Shade, who let out an aproving growl. "I'll see you later, Tate." Not long after that, Sam found the cook and gave him the meat. The cook even wanted to pet Shade for the great help, but he didn't allow it. Typical Shade, only letting those get close to him that he respects. Sam afterwards went to his tent and layed down for a bit. It would take some time before dinner and the Circle would begin, so he would take a nap till then.

[BeautifulSnow]

Ashlinn sighed a little and looked at Mike before he left. ''It's not that there is made a mention for badly injured people at your training camp, it's more that we are simply making sure that you guys won't get soar from the training you do... And with that new recruit, I don't know his name.. I just like to check out at least once a day'' she said. She then saw him leave, a little worried and shook her head. Though she was happy that she didn't have to talk right away, she would be doing some more talking at the camp.

When she, and Kieren, reached the trainings camp, she looked around. ''Morning everyone.. Those who are soar from the training better come over here so we can help you all with your bruises..'' she said, even though she mostly has a soft voice, when she spoke, she was able to let them know that she was there and for what she was there. She then looked at Kieren. ''I'll take a table and start with the light injured.. Could you.. check on the recruits to see if they all come over? Sometimes you telling them to go helps.. As you are the leader of us'' she said and smiled a little.

[merrrrideth]

A collaboration with [@merrrideth] and @GingerBoi123 featuring Edith and Dominique

Read Me!

Edith had been stuck on the last passage of the tome for several hours now. Lunch had only made the girl drowsy, and though her body longed for some rest, Edith's mind needed to get through this final translation. There was certainly something very important hidden in the old text."Sunspark, what do you think? Would you say this phrase is more descriptive of a candle or a torch? I mean, this word looks like 'bark' and over here is branch. But a few words over we have 'drip.' And this is obviously flame..." Edith yelled in frustration. Sunspark flapped over from his perch and landed on the girl's small shoulder. He looked from the page to Edith's green eyes and back again. The girl sighed. "Maybe I do need a nap. But the skies are getting darker... I can feel it. It's like it's dripping down the walls." Sunspark let out a loud squawk, almost in a sound of joy. "Dripping... That's it! It's not the light source that's dripping!" Edith again turned to the large tome, tracing the words while furiously scribbling into her notebook.

Once she had finished the translation, Edith raced up the stairs faster than she had earlier that day. Luckily, there were no pages to run over. As she neared the top of the Vault's staircase, she quickly sprinted to the one that would lead her to the High Professor's study, just outside the Tower's entrance. "High Professor!" Edith banged into the room, startling the old man. "Gah! What! What is it?!" The man tried to pull himself together, but his heart threatened to leap from his chest. "I've done it! I need to tell the leaders of the other Estuaries about it right away!" "Couldn't we just send a messenger on horse, or perhaps a hawk? My dear, why do you have to go?" Edith snorted through her nose. "I don't think a hawk could explain this properly. And you know my written explanations still need some... refining." The girl vaguely recalled the set of hives that had infiltrated the Practitioner's tents the last time she tried to write out an explanation. Sure, the herb was very useful for healing... But that didn't help the hives itch any less. "Then I can go. Just tell-" Edith interupted the old man. "You know that is too dangerous! Please, let me go. I'm young and hardy, and you're... old and wise. Please stay and send me, you can even send for a guide so I don't get lost." Sunspark cooed his own encouragment.The High Professor sighed, knowing hhe couldn't argue with her when her mind was already made. "Fine, I shall send a hawk to Ms. Calliope right away."

Dominique was lying on a tree branch at the very edge of the camp. He enjoyed looking over the camp and watching it rather than being in it. He can identify where he is needed quicker. Verja was perched on the same branch on the very edge. The long-haired Harbinger held his arm out for Verja to swoop over. Dominique brought Verja to him and began stroking the female eagle. Five minutes ago, Calliope told him he needed to ride to the city walls as fast as he could and pick up some familiar who had special intel, but he needed to say goodbye to Verja first. "I need to go girl, you have to stay here." The bird squawked back in defiance. "Yeah, I know Verja, but you'll slow me down, and I can only guarentee your safety here." Verja squawked again, this time a little more agreeable, but nevertheless she flapped her wings and soared to Dominique's tent. Dominique sighed and nimbly crept down the tree. He made his way over to the stables and saddled up on a black horse. Now prepared, he rode off away from the camp and off to the south. There would be the city and just outside the walls would be "Edith."

An hour later

Edith had packed a small bag with clothes in anticipation for an overnight stay. She wasn't sure how long the Circle would take, but she did know that the ride from the encampment to the city was no walk in the park. The High Professor had guessed that it would be several hours before the escort would arrive, but Edith had been too impatient to wait inside the city's walls. Instead, she had elected to sit just outside the gate and look over her notes from the Vault. Lost in her own head, she was startled to hear Sunspark take off from the tree above her and head into the woods. He squawked a warning as he flew off and the sound of thundering hoofs made its way to the gate. "That can't be them already..." Edith stood to get a better look at the rider. As the rider and horse came into view, Edith choked back a little gasp. She had very little experience with the active members of the other Estuaries. And this man was so... intimidating. Only in books had Edith seen armor and weapons like those this man carried, and her imagination ran wild with thoughts of the kind of person he could be. She imagined somewhere on him there must have been a large scar from a scrap with a Cimmerian. Or maybe the spike on his shoulder was to ensure no one could ever sneak up on him again like that bandit had... "You're getting way ahead of yourself there, Edith," she whispered to herself. And then she spotted his long hair. It was almost majestic. Again, Edith's imagination prepared to take off when the rider stopped beside her at the gate.

Dominique reared the horse back as he reached the gates next to the woman he assumed was Edith. On closer inspection, he noticed the long dress with colours that seemed to compliment her long red hair. Women... "Edith Volner?" He asked in his usual tone of serious and a hint of gruffness in there.

Edith let out a little squeak. It wasn't like her to be so mousy, but then again, she wasn't use to actually interacting with people who weren't at least thirty years older than her. She didn't particularly count the younger folk that attended her classes. "Yes, I'm Edith. Which means you're here from the encampment?"

Dominique simply nodded. He wasn't in the mood for conversation, which still wasn't very often but this time in particular because now the most productive thing he had done all day was become the escort of some lore-girl who looked like she would have no experience in anything outside of the city. He dismounted the horse and walked towards her, slightly dwarfing her a little. He held out his hand. "Gimme your bag." He asked.

"It's really not that heavy. I can carry it..." Edith trailed off. The man looked as if he was already annoyed to be here. "I didn't catch your name?" Maybe small talk would help.

Dominique sighed. "It's Dominique." He bluntly stated. "Now gimme the bag so I can put it in the saddle bag and you can hold on without worrying about it." He tried to explain, hoping it would make sense.

Edith flushed with embarassment. "Of course, right, I'm so silly." She held out the bag and let the much taller man take it. "I've never ridden a horse before, so..." People were hard. Why in the world had she thought she would be better able to explain something to an entire Circle of people when she could hardly get through an encounter with one man! Edith wished for her earlier fire to come back.

"Well, you're about to." Dominique replied as he placed the woman's bag in the burlap sack straddled to the side of the horse. He then went back to the side where Edith was and crouched down. He held his hands out and cupped them together. "I'm going to give you a leg up, swing your leg over the horse and sit in the saddle. It's big enough for both of us." He further explained, now a tiny bit more calm.

Edith nodded. 'Alright, you can do this,' she thought as she mentally prepared herself not to fall flat on her face. She began to gather her skirt in one hand so that her feet and legs would have free movement. Gently, she placed one foot into Dominique's hands, pushed up with legs, and swung her opposite leg over while bracing her hands on the saddle. As Edith settled down onto the leather, she let her skirt go and clapped in excitement. "Did you see that! I didn't even fall!" She let out a pleased laugh.

Dominique chuckled a little bit at Edith's proudness for mounting her first horse. Dominique proceeded to get on the black stallion himself and put his foot in the stirrup and pushed up to get on the horse. He put his other foot into the other stirrup and turned his head a little back. "You ready to go?" He asked.

"Yes! Wait, no. How do I... horse?" At that moment, Sunspark flew out of the nearby trees letting out a sound that could only be described as laughter. He landed, perched on the girl's shoulder. "Oh... Shut up, I bet you can't horse either, Sunspark." The raven responded with a ruffling of his feathers. Sunspark then shifted so that he could meet Dominique's gaze and squawked a pleasant greeting.

"Your vein is a bird too huh?" Dominique briefly commented. The Harbinger stuck out his arm as he would with Verja to see if "Sunspark" would fly over too. "Sunspark." He said, to try and get the Raven's attention a bit more.

The raven happily lept onto the arm offered to him. His firey Edith was stuck in a field-mouse phase, so it was up to Sunspark to make a good impression. At least, that's the impression the twinkle in his eye's gave to Edith. She stuck her tongue out at her bird. Curious as to what Dominique's vein was like, she began a slew of questions. "So does that mean you have a bird? What kind? What's his or her name? I know they hate being called it. What's the wingspan like?..." Again, Edith drifted off, realizing she had been talking much too quickly.

"Eagle, Verja and quite big." Dominique curtly replied as he admired Sunspark. He then moved his arm towards Edith and allowed the raven to hop back on to Edith's shoulder. He smiled at the girl, with an actual, genuine smile. This familiar was one of the very few people Dominique could relate to, and maybe eventually be a friend of. "Are you ready now?"

Edith smiled softly at the sound of the eagle's name. "Protect. She must be a magnificent bird to have such a strong name." As Sunspark hopped on to her shoulder, Edith poked him in the belly to remind him that he was still her number one bird. She then looked to Dominique in time to see his smile. It was so warm, much different from the face he had been making when he first hopped from the horse. Edith smiled back. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Edith... you need to hold on to me really tight throughout the ENTIRE trip. Clear?" He asked, back to his normal serious tone again.

"As clear as the Temple's fountain water," Edith replied as she looped her arms around Dominique. Her arms were just short enough that they didn't reach all the way around his waist, so she settled for hanging on to the belt. Sunspark lept into the sky in preparation to follow them. "I'm just going to not get stabbed by your armor..." Edith said as she looked warily at the spikes closer to her face. "But I am ready. Let's go!"

And with that, Dominique lightly kicked the horse in its side with the inside of his foot with a loud "Ya!Ya!" which set the black horse in motion as they hurriedly rode to the encampment. Dominique prayed that they would make it in time.

[SUN]

Kieren watched quietly as Mike and Ashlinn talked. Ashlinn seemed to have barely finish her sentence before Mike had run ahead. Kieren contemplated running herself but she was entranced by the bellowing dark clouds in the distance, her face remained at peace, but her heart was in a frenzy. She could only imagine what sort of damage this wave of Cimmerians might do, and the fact that her sister would be among the mess only upset her even more. Kieren was good at shoving these thoughts to the back of her mind, She knew fear wasn't going to help and would only hinder her performance for the future. If she is going to remain a leader she has to stay focused and keep her heart out of her head.

Meanwhile in the practitioners tent Felix is keeping guard by peacefully sleeping by the flap of the entrance. His tranquil thoughts and dreams were only interrupted by the whiskers of a winged lion agitating his face. Felix mewed uncomfortably, lifting only one of his heads to turn himself around. At this point it was no use, the lion had already caught his scent and was nosing his body excitedly. Felix, now wide awake, attempted to move himself away but to no avail was already caught delicately between the lions jaws and placed outside the tent. Felix growled lowly, but this warning of agitation was hardly noticed by Bastian. The lion simply tried to paw the small cat affectionately, while Felix kept attempting to escape.

Now arrived at the Mercenaries camp, Kieren took a look around. She couldn't locate Mike at first but trusted he was doing his job. She looked to Ashlinn who said she would set up the supplies. Kieren nodded in approval giving her a small smile "Thank you, I'll take a look around, I need to talk to some of the others anyway. I'll be back shortly!" she waved slightly as she headed off looking for Erika. She wondered if her sister already made it here, they all needed to meet soon. It was getting dark, and who knew how close the new wave would be by morning.

[Mike the Bloodwolf]

As like a ghost soon, Mike poped up again nearby Kierin as he said "Well, I think most things are accounted for and are recorded. Your supplies will be a massive help to those who need them". He looked on and noticed a few people being stupid so he yelled at them and got them to carry out what the girls had said. He then faced Kieran and pointed out an area as he said "Erika is possible in that area as I'm not overly sure howoften she appears at the camp.

After that, He went to Ashlinn and help her get supplies sorted out before he made sure everyone was accounted for, epically those he had been injured in sparring before another Merc came up to him and said "Hey, I could totally kick your ass in battle. Why do you get the only dragon of this camp when I'm clearly a better Trai .. ark" he was unable to finish as Mike easily knocked him out with one move. "Cause I've been doing this a lot longer then you pal" Mike said in his calm Mature tone.

[Ammokkx]

"Well!" Fell raised his voice to grab the other three's attention. "I am convinced you'd rather not have me here while discussing details for tonight's discussion, Ms. Triske and Ms. Markovic. I'll leave you be, me and Noone still have some things to take care of. Don't we girl?" The man turned his head towards where he though the old canine was, but she was wandering off already without him. "...A-Anyway, have a nice evening ladies." After that little embarrassment Fell left the premises.

The man was wandering around aimlessly, killing a bit of time. He'd wandered into the merc training field, watching over some of the new recruits undergoing their daily regime. "This camp is in rough shape..." He couldn't help but shake his head. They have little experienced men over here, and yet they were expected to hold off Cimmerrian attacks. The bruiser wasn't envying Erika, with what she had to work with here. He'd noticed some of the practitioners healing the injured, a wise choice. And another thing nearby, was a blonde knocking out one of the recruits. "...What in the world..." Noone had already wandered off somewhere, most likely seeking attention from someone. Fell decided to approach, discontent with the complete disrespect his fellow co-fighter showed.

It didn't take long for the man to stand in front of Mike, glaring straight into the younger Mercenary's eyes. Fell made sure to carry himself imposingly, shoulders straightened and arms folded behind the back. His expression was stern and unforgiving. "And what, pray tell, required such a disproportionate application of force, young man?" Fell had inquired, a demanding undertone to his voice. If there's one thing this particular bruiser couldn't tolerate, it was infighting outside of sparring. Much less someone with experience bullying someone without.

[XLegs]

Elliot Tessel

Elliot grinned to himself as Erika went off, his leader having just promised him a sparring match. Another shrill squawk from Harley snapped the boy out of his daze, and he went off to the side of the field where his knapsack was. He sat down heavily, a small groan escaping him as he landed on a couple bruises that had sprouted on his backside.

Harley hopped off his shoulder and onto the ground. She waddled around excitedly as Elliot worked the bag open with his blistered hands, reaching in to grab a small loaf of bread and a canteen of water.

He broke pieces off of the loaf, giving some to Harley and eating the rest. When the last to it was gone, the phoenix stared at Elliot expectantly.

"That's all we have for now. Wait for supper," the boy said dismissively, wiping the blood from his cheek for the dozenth time.

After giving a disappointed huff and pouting for a minute, Harley picked herself up and started climbing on her sitting master, poking at his welts and cuts with her beak -- another annoying habit of hers, though Elliot had zero clue why she did this one.

He grumbled and half-heartedly pushed her away, finally wincing and speaking out as she pecked at the cut on his cheek.

"For the love of God, stop that! he said as he shoved her face away, prompting an unimpressed, beady stare from her. Elliot returned the stare. "You just make it hurt more when you do that, you dumb bird."

Harley squawked at him loudly, and made a point to deliberately turn herself around before sitting in a huff, looking directly away from Elliot.

As the boy sat back to lean on his hands, eyeing the back of his Vein's head with a raised eyebrow, he heard Ashlinn's voice. He glanced over towards the direction it came from, spotting her a ways away, and saw several Mercenaries making their way towards her, more than a few of which had sparred with Elliot earlier.

Elliot looked away, taking a sip of his water. In the time he'd been here, he'd never really liked getting medical attention from the Practitioners -- not because he had anything against them, but because the injuries he sustained from training were far from life-threatening. They were just some-what painful inconveniences. Even if he got them treated, he'd be right back to training the moment he had the chance, and would get plenty more of the small injuries to replace any that had been healed. It just felt like a waste of everyone's time.

Though the cut on his face was an especially annoying injury today. It kept bleeding and requiring him to wipe it up every few minutes. The bleeding had slowed down considerably though since he had received it, so he figured it also didn't warrant a visit to the Practitioners.

Elliot tapped the top of Harley's head as he lifted himself off the ground, wrapping his blistered fingers around his wooden sword and bringing it up with him.

A few seconds later, he was back on the training field, swinging at straw dummies. He attempted to incorporate the styles and techniques that he had picked up on during his sparring today, deciding which one's worked for him -- which one's felt right -- and tossing those that didn't.

[Mike the Bloodwolf]

Mike looked at this imposing man with not a lot of fear as he said "Well Fell, This young recruit thinks he is a better Mercenary then me and that my vein should of been obtained by him cause he think he would be a better dragon trainer. This is not the first time ether, this is the sixth time he has done this and I have had enough. But I do apologise for this display of violence in front of you but I can only take some many insults before I do something about it"

Draco looked at Fell with a little more fear then Mike but he stood strong with Mike as they stared at Fell. Mike had already drop his hands to his side and the recruit was on the floor whining and complaining about being hit trying to get sympathy for himself though it was clear the other recruit were staying far away out of this.

[Ammokkx]

"And simple insults lead to you disabling someone during a time of war? If someone were to taunt you during a battle, and you've 'had enough' would you also turn your back on the enemy to disable them? And another thing, if this recruit is misbehaving then set him back onto his training, not straight to the floor." Fell stared back with a scowl plastered across his face, before turning around and walking away, dropping his hands from his back. He had nothing more to say to the young man, obviously displeased with them. The man didn't care much for attitudes, both from the one who was just lectured and the one doubled over on the floor.

Fell found himself wandering around without a specific end goal again. There really wasn't anything to do, so he just decided to go back to his tent. When he entered inside, Noone was already curled up and napping herself. "So that's where ye were... Sneaky cub." Fell sat down on the floor, grabbed his war axe and started maintaining it to kill some time.

[IcePezz]

Liara stopped abruptly as she noticed Erika, standing at her typical statuesque attention once more. She giggled softly as Fell excused himself, still trying to remain ever vigilant in her attempt to be the professional soldier. Her brow creased slightly as she saw the look of agitation Erika had plastered on as she paced back and forth. She'd seen that look before, but no matter what the odds were, they always seemed to pull through in the past.

"Was that your practice speech for tonight's Circle? Morale for the troops and whatnot, cause if so, you might wanna go retrieve it from that fire. We're gonna need all the help we can get.", Calliope had interrupted her thoughts. Damn the girl and her constant daydreaming, a frown formed on her face as she brought herself back to.

Realizing that she should probably skadoodle along as well, Liara started to turn about. She stopped mid movement and looked at Erika with a bright, reassuring smile. "No matter what, ma'am, we all have faith in you. We've pulled through worse before, I'm sure. You just need to have a little faith". She was sure she shouldn't have said it, she probably made the woman feel ten times more pressured. But it just came out. And with that, she turned on her heels and went to look for something to eat.

Arlan had followed her through the camp. Now that they were within its safety, the bear seemed to lighten up some. His big paws dug into the ground as he playfully pounced around her, knowing full well that food was coming soon. Food time was among her favorite times of the day, whether it was breakfast time, lunch time or supper time. And what luck, a fresh catch from one of the Harbingers would fill her appetite quite nicely. She sat, content with her meal, slipping Arlan a few pieces here and there when no one was looking. They looked out for each other, it had been that way since that day in the forest when she was nearly killed by the cimmerian. But it was a bit more than that, certainly an unexplainable bond. When one looked at Liara, they would find no trace of hostility, no trace of sadness or bitterness. Even on the battlefield, she was focused and with such fierce precision, but no rage. And nothing could be compared to the pure joy that was written all over her face as she ate.

Liara glanced around her as she finished her meal. She still had a bit of time to kill before the Circle. She really should have bathed, or at least used the time to try and make an effort to be presentable and formal for the meeting. Unfortunately the chore didn't really sit high on her list of priorities. Fell had made his way back to his tent. She had noticed the confrontation between him and Mike earlier and only shook her head. She wasn't quite impressed with the hot headed presentation of masculinity and had only hoped that Erika didn't see it. The Lady Ashlinn was busy tending to the wounded in the camp, and way on the training yard, she noticed Eliot hacking away at the straw dummies. Everyone was around today. She got up from the table, brushed any food from her face and clothes and walked over to the training grounds, Arlan following close behind.

[jagajac]

Collab between Zaresto and jagajac

Erika halted as she was approached by the group. There before her stood Calliope, Fell, and Liara. She was reasonably well acquainted with the three of them, but she was in no mood for any formalities. Luckily, she did lighten up at Calliope's attempt to remain comical, also realizing that keeping that dull and morose look over her face helped no one. Erika wasn't sure whether or not Calliope had any ulterior motives for interrupting her ramble, as such a meeting between the two rarely happened by chance. Whether or not it was premeditated mattered not, as both Fell and Liara left the two alone, being sure to give some motivation to their semi-depressed leader as they went.

"I suppose there is something you wish to discuss, Calliope. I suspect that our meeting was not born out serendipity," Erika sighed as she turned to Calliope, "What was it that you said about needing morale? What has transpired since last we met?"

Calliope smiled politely at both Fell and Liara as they left the two leaders to conspire in privacy on the edge of the Mercenary training fields. Erika's proper language and attentive stance caused Calliope's shoulders to rise ever so slightly. The Mercenary leader had such focus and practicality written on her face at all times that it frequently made Calliope question her own authority. She shook her head slightly and smiled fanitly while gathering her racing thoughts into an intelligible strand of receivable information. It would be a futile effort for Calliope to completely smother her joyful nature, even in this time of trouble, so she spoke to Erika in the same playful tone as before. "Come on, you know I always love to talk with you about battle strategies, weaponry, and whatever it is you Mercenaries call fun." She turned her head to the side and looked away shortly before speaking again; this time with a more purposeful hint upon her tongue. "Look... my scouts and I spotted something the other night." She kicked at the dirt with one of her feet and tried to keep her voice calm and steady. "Truth is, Erika, I don't think we have a lot of time before another wave of Cimmerians overtakes this camp. We need to leave, tonight if possible. I think one of us needs to take all the newest recruits and whatever they can carry to the far eastern side of the forest. There's a sheltered glen there where we can setup again before..." Ever since her Gathering, the Estuary leaders had drilled a common phrase through everyone's heads: We fight together, we die together, we move on broken, and we carry the spirits of those who fell. The routine was a normal way of life for anyone fighting the Valeriyan war. Even after four long years, Calliope still hadn't fully accepted or come to terms with this "truth". She looked up to Erika, silently conveying the remainder of her thoughts through her moist amber eyes. Calliope inhaled and cleared her throat once before breaking their gaze. "We need to discuss and make final preparations in less than a quarter of an hour." Now Calliope's words sounded forceful and demanding. A low whistle sounded from the back of her throat, and heavy footsteps shattered the silence between the two girls. Bastian obiediently trotted up behind Calliope, his mane tickling the back of her neck as it was caught by the warm evening breeze. "Gather your Mercenaries for the Circle, I'll tell Kieren to do the same." Calliope bowed respectfully before striding away, Bastian following closely on the girl's light, quickened heels.

It took a while for Erika to digest what Calliope had said. It had seemed as though her hypothesis from earlier was true, although the details pertaining to it were much grimmer than she expected. Erika made her way towards the heart of the Mercenary camp, trying to devise a plan based on what she had just heard. The camp really didn't have any time, it seemed to her. As she reached the heart of her camp, she gave a loud whistle and began to shout, "All right boys, we got a Circle in 10 minutes, get ready!" She managed to hide her dread by a facade of sterness, but Erika knew it wouldn't help much. She began to walk back to her tent, biding her time before she had to face reality. As usual, Mikhael was able to somehow sense what she felt, reluctantly moving away from his bed to comfort Erika as she entered her tent.

The sound of Erika's powerful voice trailed behind Calliope and Bastian as they rounded a tent corner, heading towards Kieren and the other Practitioners in her stead. Although Calliope's heart was racing with impulsivity, her head reminded her that Dominique was closeby with insight from the bright Familiar, Edith. There was no need to act before they graced the Circle with their presence and knowledge. She almost ran into Ashlinn as her mind wandered, but Bastian grabbed her jacket collar gently in his jaws to prevent the collision. Calliope looked up to her Vein, a mixture of confusion and appreciation swirling within her eyes, and she spoke to her sister without wandering from Bastian's gaze. "Kieren, you and your Practitioners are needed in the Circle. Try to be faster than me... for once." She turned her face jeeringly towards Kieren before jogging off to the outskirts of camp.

She ran into Tate at the corner of the trees and looked around hurriedly for other Harbingers. Hadn't Sam just been here earlier? She shook away the thought as she addressed her comrade below, "I'm not sure where Sam's lazy ass went to, but your lazy ass needs to follow me. Circle in less than ten minutes." She whistled a high pitched notice to her Harbingers and didn't wait for Tate to respond before briskly walking back to meet everyone else in the center of camp. Silently she prayed for Dominique's haste as she walked.

TL;DR

Calliope informed Erika of the foreboding Cimmerian cloud in the distance. Made some mention of a plan to evacuate. Both leaders parted to round up their recruits for the Circle, which will be everyone's next post in the IC.

People being mentioned

@Zaresto@jagajac@SUN and basically everyone else!

[BeautifulSnow]

Ashlinn smiled and nodded to the merc's that helped her refilling the tent with the medical stuff and then she took out a jar with a special balm she had made and started to help those who were bruised and such. Once everyone that wanted her help, had come to her and had gotten what they needed. Ashlinn decided to take a walk around the camp, because as always she knew a lot wouldn't come because they thought of their bruises and wounds as trophy's yet with the big cloud coming closer. Let's just say everyone was needed. She looked at snow, her white winged cat and smiled a little. ''I know what your thinking, you think that I shouldn't walk after them.. But I only do that because we wanna stay alive right?'' she said. Then she took her 'to go' set of equipment for bruises, blisters, small cuts and everything else the merc's could get in training and looked around. She didn't saw Kieren anywhere so she wrote a note:

''Stock is refilled with some help, I am gonna take a little round around camp for the headstrong ones.. Which is probably 99% of the whole camp.. Once I am done, I'll head back to our main tent unless you are still here'' Greets A

Ashlinn placed the note on the table, under a jar of balm and then walked away. Snow followed her, and this time the cat flew, or flew? She slimply flapped her wings and hanged next to Ashlinn in the sky. Ashlinn soon found Elliot, the new recruit. He got pecked in his cheek by a bird and the way he talked to the animal made her know it was his Vein. ''Our veins protect us from the things we can't see..'' she said and even before he could head of, she grabbed his wrist and raised an eyebrow at him. ''I know being new here makes you want to train and show of.. And really... I don't care what you do, just know that soon we are going to need you so let me at least look at the cut in your face'' she said. She already spoke more than she normally would do, she just knew that this boy wouldn't let her do anything unless she spoke and told him what she needed to do. She sighed and then took a cloth and ripped a piece of. She putted something on it and without a warning, she placed it on his cheek. Her other hand she used to hold his wrist in a firm grip. ''This will sting some but it will clean the wound and stop the bleeding'' she said. Snow now sat next to the bird and looked at it without any intention of chasing it like normal cats would do.

[XLegs]

Elliot Tessel

A hard swing from the lower-left connected solidly with the unmoving dummy, bringing a small smile to Elliot's face -- a pained smile, from the impact running up the sword into his blistered hands and sore arms, but a satisfied one too.

As he went to try the movement a second time, he heard Ashlinn's voice, causing him to relax his stance and look over his shoulder with raised eyebrows, unsure if she was addressing him.

His questioning look quickly became less composed as she grabbed his wrist, confirming that, yes, she had been talking to him. Trying not to get too flustered from literally being caught by her, he tried to speak up. Not having any clue what to say though, he hesitated, giving her the chance to talk.

As he listened to her words, his expression went from suprised to lightly annoyed, though a hint of embarrassment leaked through the poor mask.

He glanced away, trying to think of something to say. "I... I'm not really trying to show off..." was his weak response.

While he was doing his best to avoid eye contact and look annoyed, Ashlinn pressed the cloth she had prepared quickly to his cheek. Elliot blinked in surprise, straining his eyes to try to look at her hand, the sting registering a moment later.

The boy winced and clicked his tongue at the sharp pain, but didn't pull away. Instead, he once again glanced away. It was then that he heard Erika's commanding voice, informing those in the Mercenary camp about the circle.

Elliot looked back towards Ashlinn, still stiff as a board and unmoving, wondering why she kept such a firm grip on his wrist. Did he really look like he'd bolt if she let go? ...Maybe he did.

"There's really no need to do... this," he said to her, gesturing at her hand with his eyes. "But if you must, be quick about it... uh, please. It looks like we have somewhere to be." As he finished, he finally relaxed a little, to try to convince Ashlinn that he wasn't planning on running away.

Harley appeared quite pleased that her master was getting medical attention, a soft coo escaping her as she puffed her chest out. After her little display of pride, she cocked her head quizzically at the winged cat next to her, inspecting it curiously.

[Ammokkx]

"All right boys, we got a Circle in 10 minutes, get ready!"

The commander's voice rang loud and clear through the mercenary camp, and even Fell heard it. Through sharpening steel, no less. "Guess that's one thing she'd need..." Smiling to himself, Fell rose from his sitting position and scratched the back of Noone's ear. "C'mon, girl. Time to go." The wolf yawns, and stubbornly remains laying down for another minute or two before rising up with reluctance, still a bit dazed from her nap. While she was getting up, Fell had changed into his battle wear, a precaution to how urgent Calliope found it to hold a Circle. Fell's shield was secured tightly to his left arm and his axe hung from his hip. He stepped out of his tent and looked up to the sky for a bit, killing a little more time. "Well... Best get goin'." With that, Fell made his way to the meeting place.