The grand marshal eyed the people gathered. He wondered if everyone would make it. They probably would. It was an old habit that probably mever would leave him. Worry about your men, care for them, treat them like family. Support them in their needs and they'll follow you into and beyond he'll itself. A lesson from his father when Lenius was just a simple squad leader. It had stuck with him because he had seen the loyalty and respect that the men had showed his father. Or perhaps he was just getting old and sentimental.
Lenius chuckled at his friend's remark. "I don't believe in the noble privilege of buying yourself into an officer position. No matter who it is," he said and glanced towards the princess. "My father, myself and indeed the King himself only started out at squad leaders after showing leadership skills during training." He looked up and locked eyes with Ilyarion. "Bloodlines rarely mean anything on the battlefield. Even the mightiest bloodline warrior may be felled by a chance strike. Even a bloodline of commanders might produce an incompetent leader. I do not intend to repeat the mistakes of the past."
Lenius looked at his papers and maps and sighed before looking up and spoke with a slight smile. "As for the position of Grand Marshal, it's not bound to a bloodline, but to whomever the King deems fit for the position." He looked at his daughter, his sweet daughter. He wondered if she would take up the mantle sometime. The princess might name her out of friendship, but would it be the best for the Kingdom? He honestly didn't know.
"We should be leaving tomorrow when the last portion of our troops here are ready. You can either wait or leave early. If you travel by horse you should arrive a few days early. And your request to be assigned as the vanguard has been duly noted, my friend. But at this point I can't tell." He sighed to himself. This would either make or break their country. While no one but him and the King knew just the scope of the endeavour, if it leaked out it might spell doom for them all. The King really went all in on this. He had a hard time keeping the worry from showing on his face as he studied the maps once again before rolling them up.
He turned towards Pox, nodding. "It's reassuring to hear. While I've seen you around the battlefields and have heard of your reputation, sadly I've not seen you in action myself. However if word is worth anything anymore, her Highness and my daughter could not be in better hands on this side of the continent. I have high hopes in you, that's why we requested you personally for this venture." Lenius had been most things in his days. Way stranger things than this apothecary, and most of them were brilliant at their craft. Something with strangeness, quirkiness and excellence seemed to go hand in hand.
Runner in The Southern Jewel
He was running quickly, sent out from the hunters guild. He hated these missions. Run here, run there, collect that, drop that off. It sucked. But such was the life of a novice. Being used while calling it 'training'. "Mister! Mister Logan!" He finally caught up to the man. Word had spread that the great hunter was back. Ugh he reeked though. "The guild requires your presence for a coming expedition for the army. If you are interested, otherwise please let me know now."
Gia had been able to smell it before she knocked. Heard it even. A positivly evil grin was plastered on her face as she considered her options. What would be the most fun? What would induce the most torment upon her sister? She shivered with delight as she made up her mind and knocked after getting a good view of the 'situation'.
"Uh uh? Itches huh? I think I've got the cure for itchy crotches." she turned and looked towards the one she was dragging along before opening the door and pushed said person inside. "I caught this one while I was here." she said and pushed the girl down on her knees in front of Mercie. "I can personally vouch for her ability to resolve itches. Go on, help my dear sister."
As the girl looked up, Mercie could see that it was the very person she had sworn to protect not too long ago.
"Its heading South. Strange for a daemon to head that way. Normally most of them stay clear from that area." The lead scout had been following the pair, already been given a second tracker. He wondered if they would veer off somewhere else or keep in going. There was a slight thrill to the whole hunt. Tracking, stalking, and then finally killing the prey that was a danger to them all. The elf stood up from his vantage point and relayed his report to the main group. Soon enough daemon blood would flow. But before that...the young man the creature was with.
He circled around the town and used his magic to follow the boy. He detected nothing daemonic from the boy, but it was best to make sure. And what if he was a hostage? Kaleb decided to act on the hopes that the man was innocent. It always sucked to kill mortals.
Kaleb appeared behind the man as he was talking to the innkeeper. "Excuse me young man, but we have matters to attend to." He said as he placed a hand on his shoulder before they both vanished into darkness. Uriel would feel an intense sence of vertigo and nausia before popping into existence in some nearby woods with Kaleb sitting on a rock next to him.
"So...what is a young man like you doing with a dangerous criminal? Don't bother bluffing, I see through illusions and spells." Kaleb's piercing, slightly glowing green eyes stared at Uriel from behind a mask made out of purple silk. His clothes a mix of greens and blacks that seems to shift in colour to the surroundings, making him difficult to pick out against the background. On his back is a longbow made out of a sliver looking material and strapped to his hips are two scabbards made out of leather and metal with intricate patterns.
"Targets have been separated. We move as planned." the woman in front with the other eight members of their ten man squad was making their way towards the daemon. "Standard protocal, bind, drain and subdue. We know where he is, so there is no escape. Prepare bindings while we wait for the results of the interrogation. Might find out something useful." The squad was making their way to the town in an orderly fashion with layers upon layers of spells on them, making the group near impossible to spot unless you were actively looking for them. And even if you were, it was like they were just another set of travellers. Like as if you should not pay any attention to them. As if your eyes just slide off them.
Member
