ONE MONTH AGO...
Shadows danced under the light of the chandeliers as Caleb's looming figure tiptoed carefully through the Grand Hall of The Black Order. Crickets could be heard faintly chirping even through the massive, echoing walls- signaling that he was in fact, alone, much to his delight. When the moon was at its highest and the wind had mostly died down, Caleb had appreciated these moments the most. It was during the wee hours of the night when he would silently creep through that damn labyrinth of a building until he'd reached the first floor, simply to cast his gaze upon the moon that welcomed him ever so subtly. Whenever he did, he could finally lose himself in the midst of all the chaos that went on inside his head and out there, in the world. Escapism.
A long sigh of relief left his lips as he slid down the pillar, sitting at just the right angle to have the moonlight shine upon on his face and smiled to himself.
As if on queue to disrupt his mental repose, his ears twitched as he heard the main gates unlock rather clamorously. Alarm immediately flashed across Caleb's face as he jolted into an attack stance, unsheathing one of his sabers that he brought down with him just in case- no soldier is ever safe, after all. This time he knew it was probably the right thing to do. Shrouded in darkness, he stood there and watched as the tall front doors opened ever so slowly, until it dawned on him.
"Our foes would never simply stroll through that door... well, not the clever ones anyway."
Quickly sliding his saber back into its home, he leaned against the pillar just to be partially lit by the chandelier's flickering flames. If this was a visitor, he wouldn't want to frighten him with the sight of a blade. Eventually the doors swung open on both hinges as a young man was ushered inside by the guards- seemingly having been invited in. Familiarity flashed in Caleb's eyes as he shifted his body closer to the direction of the boy, almost standing directly in his way in order to scan him. Everything was burned into his memory, he could not be mistaken. It was only until Caleb had caught a glimpse of the prized azure cloak that hung on the unknown man's right arm, was he completely sure of himself.
Llynn-
A look of pain and disdain contorted his facial features as Caleb realized, that despite his being ecstatic about finally being able to meet his brother after so, so very long, he probably wouldn't have felt the same. Not after what happened, and after some time he proved himself right.
"Brother~" Caleb called out. The stiff figure glanced around at him in one swift movement, an air of hostility surrounding the boy. Caleb was taken aback, tightly shutting his eyes to avoid the hateful stare from his kin. He deserved everything that was about to come... if only Llynn had stayed a little longer. Caleb's eyes fluttered as they opened slowly, expecting a nasty blow to the face but instead was greeted with an empty space. Just as rapidly as he had turned around, Llynn was gone without a moment's notice. No words exchanged, no oxygen shared between them-- he was simply
gone.
PRESENT
Caleb scanned the area surrounding the party for any coming dangers. Exhausted from the scouting earlier, he relished this moment while they followed Silus towards their battleground. So far, so good. Nothing seemed too far out of the ordinary. When he heard that he was finally being called out to his first mission alongside the other members- including his brother, he was rather happy. A sense of unity was in the air, laced with anxiety. In fact, he could practically smell the worry coming from the girl behind him.
Yura, was it?
The scent of grass and forestry hung in the air as the mini convoy jumped off their horses, with the burliest of the group bumping into Silus'. Chuckling, Caleb was quite satisfied with his teammates, and if adding all of them up didn't equal balance then he didn't know what will. They walked towards their destination silently, with everyone throwing glances at each other, with Caleb's mostly directed to Llynn. However, Llynn would only throw daggers back, so Caleb held back some more. The faint smell of blood and still water hung in the air the closer they got to the clearing they were assigned. Yura had been shaking quite a considerable amount the entire journey, and it passed as a thought to Caleb to try and calm her down by assuring her that a couple of savage orcs could do little to nothing with the group she was with, but he pushed it aside thinking it sounded too boastful. Proud he was, but now was not the time.
"Looks like they are up ahead. everyone on your toes and be quiet, don't want to alert them to our presence, The tracks tell me there are five orcs and a warg. We should be able to take them so be ready to attack."
The party had their weapons unsheathed and their bows drawn. Ready as they were, Caleb's signature smirk crawled onto his face. He quickly took to the branch above them, swung and perched himself on the sturdy ledge as he slid out his own pair of silent, deadly beauties into his gloved hands. It was only a matter of time. The orcs were in for a huge surprise, and the fun was
just about to begin.