Fantasy Chasing Storms

[Reinhardt]

Chasing Storms​

Tales of Verattia​

PROLOGUE:
To Kreiltin!​

Stonehearth 21st, Year 614 - Mid-day

On board a Legion ship​

After having finished the necessary three-year training, a group of recruits from the Legion must now prove their worth to the organization by completing a trial - in which case, is their very first mission. Aboard a regular voyaging ship, they depart from the frigid land of Vadros and sail across the Mid-Sea. Their destination, Kreiltin - a tiny remote island located between the Isles of Iscaria and the mystical lands of Ahrimia.

As briefed unto them, their task is quite simple - to investigate the island, locate the cause of the plaguing storms, and get rid of the problem's source.

For now, they are free to chill out and relax as their vessel heads toward their destination.

Out of Character | Narrative CS | RP System | System CS | Purchase & Submissions | Lore​

Tags: DergTheDergon Axion Berries AssassinHD Randomfella Shiruru

 

[AssassinHD]

Yvinti Mordyen

Spoiler: appearance

Yvinti laid down on the bow of their legion ship, head on his brown leather messenger bag, hands on his sternum. He looked up at the partly cloudy sky, feeling the rock of the boat from the water underneath. Yvinti laid there, nervous yet also excited, waiting to arrive at their destination, wondering what it would be like. This was his first real mission. All of his training was for this moment. And yet, Yvinti knew this would be so much different from training. Training for something and actually doing it were two very different things. The ship couldn't arrive fast enough.

 

[Randomfella]

Astoph​

A long drawn out sigh escaped Astoph, hands resting on the side of the ship. For three years he had been training under the legion, he had learnt far more than he imagined he would, likely more than they imagined he would considering his condition. Despite all of that, he had not been sent to Cherieth like he had wished, instead being shipped off to a land that neither he, nor many knew a great deal about. For some time since he had received these orders he questioned his decision to join, however, he always knew deep down that the fight in his homeland could not be won by the natives alone. Surely those in charge had good reason to send these recruits to this place, perhaps another test, like so many before now.

To be honest, Astoph was never a fan of voyaging the oceans. The amount of life hidden beneath the waves was awe inspiring, that was for sure, their mana following their every action. Yet who knew what rested below the masses, in the deeps. On land it was easy to figure out which way was up, but in the ocean it was easy to get lost, blinded by the lack of direction.

As he closed his eyes for a moment his face went dim. None of that mattered now, he needed to focus on the task at hand, all of them did. Strangers sent out to live among one another in a place of constant threat, it could drive some to terrible afflictions. He would need to show that he could remain strong, even if that was not always the case. Once more he opened his eyes, the pale blue light escaping toward the ocean ahead, before the etherborn turned toward the ship's core. Together they would put an end to whatever darkness plagued Kreiltin, or at least they would try.

 

[Shiruru]

Spoiler: Appearance

Mythril Vaas Aorgard

The book laid open in her palm, and she watched her hands intently as her lips moved in silence. Lucidum, lucidum, lucidum. The inklings of power sparked near at the tips of her fingers, but there was no vessel for them to flood into, and they fizzled quietly into nothing. Still, relief coursed throughout Mythril. Her beating heart slowed. Climbing the stairs connecting the cabins to the ship's deck, she shut her journal and continued to hold it by her side.

Mythril breathed in carefully as she reached out for the door knob. This was an opportunity she had been waiting for all along, a newfound flame of something exciting coming to life before her eyes - an unravelling adventure - and yet. Anxiety prickled all over her skin. A lump grew wide in her throat. The task felt too big for her to handle, but she wasn't alone now, was she?

There was a reason why there were other recruits here. She wasn't expected to be able to solve everything - no one thought a recruit capable of handling an entire island. Mythril twisted the knob open, pushed the door outwards as she assured herself. In the end, this was another chance to learn and improve. Failing wasn't an option, but still. This was another place for her to explore.

Mythril stepped out and curtains of waves greeted her. She inhaled, took in the ocean air. Seasickness felt like it was waiting just by the corner, but that was only because of her antsy nerves.

It's always the beginning of any adventure that's the most difficult to handle, after all.

 

[Axion]

Eris Merridoc Xu​

Eris stood at the stern of the ship, looking behind their descent from port and into the wide open ocean. Her hands deep within her coat pockets but her cowl drawn back so she could feel the ocean breeze flow through her face. It wasn't her first time departing from land, but it had been quite some time when she did. The memory of it wasn't something she'd be cheery about though. And it didn't make her happy either to see that they were finally sent out somewhere in three years of nothing but training. She may have learn a lot more about herself, such as her Etherborn race and abilities, discovering the ley lines of mana and controlling upon it. But her real goal was not to do chores for the Legion- not by a long shot.

The announcement of their departure for their first mission, or should I say trial, to an island called Kreiltin didn't ring a bell, only that some storms plaguing it were causing problems and that they were sent as the cleaners- as Eris described their position. Her chakram shield had been sheathed on her back as she usually wore it on her arm when they were engaged in combat. The thought of it only reminded her of her condition. Hovering her hand over her eye patch, she closed her other eye. Even with one eye gone, she could still feel the mana around her on such a bigger scale. It was hectic at first, but soon she felt the patterns of a wave. An ocean wave of mana. She opened her crimson eye again as she went back to seeing the same old sea water splashing against each other and the ship.

 

[Berries]

| Skatsu Bena Blackfoot |​

There was most certainly a reason why dwarves lived in the mountains and not at sea. Glaring resentfully at the waves lapping around the sides of the ship, Bena gave a heavy sigh. It wasn't her first time aboard a ship but she very well hoped that it would be one of the last. Her head hardly came up above the side of the ship to look out which was just another fact which she greatly resented about this vessel. It felt like this boat trip had gone on for years, but she knew it had hardly been that long. Nevertheless grumpy and off-put by the journey, Bena moved away from the rail of the ship to instead wander towards the ship deck.

The three years of legion training had been difficult, especially considering the fact that she had been entirely unprepared for it, and oftentimes she wondered why she had kept it up. The only reason she had enlisted was because she had been broke and in need of some money, but all this work hardly seemed worth it. Groaning to herself, the small woman crossed her arms over her chest as she walked. Her axes were strapped to her back, as always, and her longsword clapped against her left thigh as she walked from its position on her belt. She had yet to really meet the others she was supposed to be working with, but she didn't really pay that fact much thought. They would all get to know each other soon; battle had a way of bringing people close together, she had found.

However, as if on cue, Bena came across two of the said people. One woman appeared to have just walked onto the deck (Mythril), whereas one Etherborn man with glowing eyes appeared to be leaning nearby on the ship's rails (Astoph). Off a bit further into the distance there seemed to be a woman standing at the stern of the ship and a man laying down on the bow, but Bena paid them no mind for the moment. "Lovely weather for sailing." She spoke up sarcastically; they were indeed having good weather, but her aversion to sea travel was still agitating her.

 

[DergTheDergon]

For the last handful of hours, Xahn had been sitting in meditation within his cabin. His legs criss-crossed, posture straight, and expression relaxed, he seamlessly rose from said position, slowly opening his eyes. Finally, despite the new and slightly unsettling sensation of sea travel, and his stress anxiety about the impending mission. Once again, he thought of his teacher, and of thanking him for all he had done, wherever his soul wanders now. Calmly, he then strode out of the cabin and onto the main deck.

There, he glanced about this way and that, scanning his surroundings carefully. He had not been out of his room since the voyage had begun, so in his mind, there was a lot of catching up to do with his fellow New Legion recruits. He spotted a Syrieth man lying across the ship’s bow. Not wishing the interrupt the rather relaxed-seeming man’s daydream, his eyes turned away from him, and ended up landing upon the back of a troubled-seeming woman staring out into sea. Her race was not discernable from here. Carefully approaching, then stop[ing a for or two behind her to respect her personal space, he spoke up. “I see I am not the only one who’s been stewing about this journey… am I correct? Speaking of it may help,” he suggested. His tone was very light and respectful. Should she not wish to speak of it, he would respect that, and his tone likely conveyed that as well.


Axion

 

[Axion]

Eris Merridoc Xu
​

Eris had been staring out to sea for awhile, although she felt like it was a better time than ever to head off back into the cabins and just rest until they landed, forming a plan for herself to use when they did engage into whatever creatures could cross their path, a tingling feeling in the back of her head rung quietly. She didn't conceive it as important but she soon felt an aura walking towards her, one that was slightly different from the rest. She couldn't put her finger on it whoever it was and even if she did, she wouldn't care less about what their name was or wasn't, it wasn't her job to know names, only if they were disposable. A man than spoke and it seemed he was only here for light talk, trying to empathize with her. Eris could've ignored him like she usually does to most but she paused for a moment, thinking to herself that she needed to quote on quote "bond" first, in order to lure them in as friendly person. Eris sighed, glancing behind her to see exactly what the man looked like, at first he looked like any other solider that the Legion recruited, but the mark on his head was another story.

Eris turned back to the sea and decided to reply to the man, not wanting to have this awkward air around them any longer as she thought how she would carry the conversation, "You could say that. But to be blunt, I'm not. Its more irritating than stirring to know we've been put on this so-called mission. Otherwise, it would've been another day of training as usual." She then turned her head, this time, looking at him with her left eye patch rather than her right eye, "And what about you? I'd assumed everyone would be excited we're on a mission but that remains to be seen." Her tone was that of a cold yet neutral speech, keeping a sense of professionalism yet cunning throughout her response and question to the man.

DergTheDergon

 

[AssassinHD]

Yvinti Mordyen

Spoiler: appearance

Yvinti picked his head up to survey the ship, shaking his head free from his nervousness. Yvinti saw his fellow recruits already mingling amongst themselves, getting to know them, becoming comfortable with their soon battlemates. It was the 6 of them on a journey to a mysterious island none of them knew about to cleanse said island from something none of them knew about. Great. Better make these last moments worth living, Yvinti thought. It was ironic. He joined the New Legion so he could survive and now he was being thrust into death.

Yvinti rolled his eyes and sat up, slinging his messenger bag around his neck. He brought up his left leg toward him a bit and rested his forearm on his knee and brushing his stormy grey hair away from his face with his right hand and looked upon the people talking. At least get to know the names of people you'll die with. And hey, if you don't die, you'll have some new friends, Yvinti thought. And with that, he got up off the dark wooden surface of the boat and slowly began to walk toward the group of people closer to him.

 

[Randomfella]

Astoph's focus was cut off by a sarcastic approaching voice. "A good omen, or so I hear." He smiled in response, looking ahead in the direction of the voice, before moving his head downward to notice the mana of one of his comrades. From her apparent height, he could only imagine it was a dwarf, and there was only one he knew of that would be joining the expedition. "Satsu, isn't it?" He questioned curiously, making a slight mistake in remembering the name from the debrief he received before the journey. His stare was completely blank, a small welcoming smile curling on the side of his lip, right hand resting casually on the grip of his axe.

Dwarf's were renown for many things, he knew that. Despite their short stature they were extremely strong and versatile, as well as being the best smiths in the world, he had heard they were never the types to back down. Then again, he did hear all that from another of the same race. From the sound of her steps she either had thick armor, or some heavy weaponry, Astoph would have guessed the latter.
Berries

 

[DergTheDergon]

Xahn patiently stood, observing her pause. Clear uneasiness about his presence was evident within her posture. Just before he opened his mouth to apologize for disturbing her and leave, she turned towards him, causin a light of wonder to spark within him. An Etherborn, clearly, by her eyes; the ones who could see mana. Although, she was covering one eye. Mayhaps she could only truly "see" mana, or anything for that matter, with one eye, though it was none of Xahn's concern. As she spoke, her tone cold yet amiable, the Dragonkin healer behind her listened well to every word, considering her angle, being fully present. After all, that was what one did, wasn't it? It was only courteous. He felt a small pang of irritation as her first statement came to an end, though. This guild was a bout making a difference, something one can only do by going out into the world. "Fair enough," he said, deciding not to pursue conflict after merely exchanging an improper greeting in question form.

He smiled slightly when she turned the tables on him, not having expected her to care to ask his side of things. It was now his turn to pause, albeit in simple thought about his answer, for a moment or two. "I've honestly a bad feeling about this plalce myself. Not sure if it's a suitable first mission for recruits when they aren't sure themselves what's here. Mayhaps they simply wish to prepare us for the unpredictability of future missions, but even then, it seems a bit much."

As he finished that thought, Xahn caught the Syrieth man from earlier approaching out of the corner of his eye. Bowing to him in greeting, he spoke. "Ah, hello. The madame and I were just discussing our misgivings about this situation. Haven't gotten either of your names, by the by; you may call me Xahn."

Axion AssassinHD

 

[Shiruru]

Berries Randomfella

Mythril Vaas Aorgard

"Lovely weather for sailing.”

By the time Mythril turned to glance at the dwarf walking in her direction, uncertainty had bubbled, stirred within her. Is she talking to me? Momentary surprise flickered across her features, her lips parting slightly as a reply hung at the back of her throat, half-formed. But then, she stopped short as another man—a recruit hanging near the sides of the ship—spoke up in reply. It seemed like casual conversation.

Mythril listened in.

Satsu, he had said, but it was foreign to Mythril’s ears. Satsu? She repeated it to herself under her breath, brows knitting in confusion. Surely, the dwarf’s name was something else? Mythril swallowed, tried to recall the different names of the other recruits.

Something close to Satsu. Sasu? Tasu? Skasu? Skatsu? Skatsu!

Mythril stepped forward, closed off some distance between her and the two recruits. The etherborn’s name still remained a mystery to her, but she had a feeling it started with something like an ‘A’. Asterik? Astro?

“Sorry to intrude, but isn’t it Skatsu?” Mythril said, interjecting sheepishly. She smiled slightly, warmly, looking from etherborn to dwarf. Briefly looking over at their weapons, a cold shiver struck her spine. She swiftly turned her attention onto other things, opting to turn her attention fully to the dwarf first. Upon closer look, recognition rapidly sprung in Mythril.

Her full name had something to do with feet! She immediately thought. Then paused.

…Huh, that’s not very helpful at all, is it?

 

[Berries]

| Skatsu Bena Blackfoot |​

Nodding contentedly to herself as she immediately got the attention of the two people she had addressed, Bena's gaze first went to the woman who looked at her with surprise. Apparently her approach had gone mostly unnoticed and taken both of them by surprise, something that Bena was slightly guilty of but in the end mostly indifferent to. Usually her height meant that she passed below the vision of most people which granted her an unexpected amount of stealth despite her heavy footsteps and clunky weaponry. Turning her attention to the smiling Etherborn man, Bena shrugged. "We're going to need a lot of good omens to make it where we're going." She responded evenly, his easy smile not affecting her grumpy mood much.

Bena's impulse was to get mad when he mispronounced her name but she very quickly realized that she had no inkling of what this man's name might be so decided to let it slide. She took a second to stare at his face for a moment in order to process his blank stare. It was unnerving, how he managed to make his eyes so blank while his mouth still smiled. Bena's scrutiny was interrupted as the woman from before seemed to have finally summoned her voice, and the dwarf turned around to nod.

"No intrusion," she assured the woman briefly, "and yes it is Skatsu." Bena confirmed with a small smile, though her eyebrows remained furrowed in her displeasure from being at sea. "I go by Bena though." She added with a nod to both the woman and the etherborn man. "And what about the both of you?" She queried, realizing she still didn't have the slightest clue what their names might be.

Shiruru Randomfella

 

[Randomfella]

"Ah, my apologies Bena." Astoph stated humbly, glancing with a smile at the other figure who had approached, this one was far more noticeable, with a great deal of Mana about them. "Good to see another magically adept." He thought to himself, knowing exactly how far one could go with such energy. From the sound of their voice, he could easily deduce it was a female, though there were two of a similar height to be joining him. Thankfully it seemed the dwarf had not been offended, he would have hated to make a bad first impression on those in the expedition.

"Astoph." He responded as he faced back toward the dwarf, giving a short bow of the head between the two women, closing his eyes respectfully as he did so, causing the light blue glow to flicker. For a moment Astoph dwelled on her earlier comment, and although he did share her concern for their mission, talking as such was not going to help them. "and I wouldn't worry about it too greatly, the Legion sent us all knowing our potential. So long as we remain steadfast we'll have no major issue." He commented, his voice confident, a serious yet upbeat expression on his face. It was partly a white lie, sure, they had no idea what was coming, there was no way to determine the dangers they would face over the coming months. He knew he was right in one regard however, if they remained focused on the mission, ignoring any petty distractions, they had a far better chance of success, and survival.
Shiruru Berries

 

[Axion]

Eris Merridoc Xu​

Asking a question to the man was one of many ways to know their true intentions when it came to missions that entitled no clear indication of what could happen and how the others would feel about this sense of possibly of no direction. The same could be said for Eris but she knew didn't want to reveal to much about herself, secrets are meant to be kept secret. She'd only play the part, albeit, with some truth in her words. As the man replied with a smirk, it seemed he was also worried about the mission they were given. Who wouldn't be? And if she had to guess, the rest of the crew would've felt the same with the exception of those who seek it as a conduit for adventure, or for those using it a chance to be seen as a qualified solider of the Legion. The latter acted as Eris's reasoning but with a twist to it. But being seen as a amenable solider from the top honchos was the least of her worries for they'd see her skills in battle as, one way or another, useful to their cause.

Eris then turned around to face the man, leaning on the rails behind her as she was able to get a new look of the man who called now himself Xahn and the newcomer who Xahn had greeted into their conservation. More people meant more stepping stones, and it was only polite to answer back but with the title she was given instead of her actual name, "Xu. Sorceress Xu. But I don't expect you to add the "sorceress" in front, so Xu will do. And if you wanted my honest opinion: I'd rather have them give us a challenge. Anything else that felt too easy or underwhelming meant they weren't taking us seriously. If you want results, toss them in the deep end." Eris couldn't help but sneak a spiteful chuckle afterwards before reverting back to her deadpan expression, turning away to show her left side again.

DergTheDergon AssassinHD

 

[Shiruru]

Berries Randomfella

Mythril Vaas Aorgard

Mythril nodded in agreement to Astoph’s words.

“I agree. The mission shouldn’t be too much of a hassle as long as we stay close. That’s why the Legion sent us as a group in the first place, right?” she said. Mythril believed in her own words, for the most part, but a feeling of dread still scraped at the back of her mind. Bena had a point. It wasn’t some training program anymore. The stakes had risen the moment she’d went through the briefing with the others.

Good omens to make it where we're going, Mythril repeated to herself. Her fingers, previously positioned in a loose grasp, curled into the leather of the journal she held at her right side.

“So anyways, Bena, Astoph,” she continued, testing out her new companions’ names on her tongue, “I’m Mythril. It’s good to finally have a proper introduction with the both of you.”

Now casting the majority of her attention over to Astoph, Mythril shivered slightly at the glow of his eyes. They weren’t focused on her directly, which was something she felt relief for. Though she had met other Etherborns before, the strange light in their eyes always left her feeling unsettled until she grew accustomed to it. Distantly, she wondered about the other Etherborn on the ship, which soon brought to attention that she hadn’t met the rest just yet.

“I know we'd just gathered together and met, but how do you two feel about finding the others? Would it be too crowded to get to know each other if we rounded everyone up?”

 

[Berries]

| Skatsu Bena Blackfoot |​

A genuine, albeit small, smile was finally drawn out of Bena as the Etherborn apologized for mistaking her name. "No worries." She responded, her answer short but he seemed to have left a good impression on her with his humble nature. Seeing that she was one to get fired up and full of herself, she knew how to appreciate those who had more self-composure and a more realistic sense of self-worth. Taking a moment to attempt to remember his name as he presented it, Bena immediately forgot the second syllable as the woman spoke of the non-threat of the assignment as long as they stayed together.

Astog? Bena attempted to recall their names, frustrated that her memory was so easily at fault. Luckily it didn't seem like she would need to address either of them by name for awhile, so she focused on responding to their speculations on their task at hand. "Maybe so, but on the other hand this could be a task designed to root out the strongest of us." She replied, seeming intent on staying in the negative about their situation. Meanwhile, however, she patted the butt of one of her axes contentedly - seemingly quite assured that she would be one of the strongest in the group. As aforementioned, Bena was not one for humility.

Luckily for the dwarf, Mythril soon proceeded to repeat Astoph's name as well as introduce herself so that the dwarf was able to grasp both of their names. "Good to meet you as well." Bena acknowledged with another small smile, her furrowed eyebrows beginning to lift back up into a more neutral expression. At the mention of the others, the dwarf shrugged. "I would not be against it, nor for it. I figure we will have time to properly acquaint ourselves with the others soon, but perhaps the sooner the better?" She responded, gazing upwards at her two current companions before darting her eyes around the ship quickly.

It seemed there was a small group of people was conjugating around the front of the ship, but she didn't make any motion towards them. So far she had taken well to Mythril and Astoph, it seemed, which was a rarity seeing how the dwarf tended to judge people prematurely.

Randomfella Shiruru

 

[Randomfella]

Looking toward the dwarf, Astoph's face turned slightly more neutral for a short moment, it was as if the girl was intent on finding some negative spin to the Legion's plans. Then again, Astoph wouldn't put the notion out of question in his mind. As she patted the butt of her axe, some sort of confident display it seemed, the following vibrations gave the man a relative idea to it's size. His eyebrows raised as he looked toward where she had patted, that thing was massive, and from the sound of it there was another to boot. The idea of even lifting one of those, let alone two... Perhaps the dwarf was right to be confident of her strength.

As Mythril introduced herself, Astoph moved his focus back toward her, returning to a small, friendly smile followed by another short bow of the head. "Ah, so this is the Illieth" He thought to himself, looking over her Mana once more. He knew they had a great understanding of magic, yet generally avoided it. The idea caused the man to ponder her own opinion on the matter, but knew it could wait, and that he might find out anyway if they happened to have an early encounter.

"I'm sure we'll have plenty of time, and likely a debrief before we leave the ship." He added after Bena, looking over toward the collection of Mana on the ship, before slightly shrugging. It was true, getting to terms with one another was definitely a good idea, though such large collections often left those of fewer words awkwardly listening in. Nevertheless, the man hoped to meet all his to be comrades before they landed.
Shiruru Berries

 

[AssassinHD]

Yvinti Mordyen

Spoiler: appearance

Yvinti bowed to the one that called himself Xahn in return to his bow. He gripped the strap of his messenger bag with his left hand and brushed the loose strands of hair that had fell when he bowed with his right. "Well then. Greetings, Xhan and Xu," Yvinti said, just as the sorceress turned away from the two men. He thought he may have noticed an eyepatch on her left eye before it was replaced in his vision by short silver hair as she turned. How kind of her, he thought as he turned to look at this Xhan character. He had a bright blue mark that seemed to glow with its vibrance on his forehead that confused Yvinti; he had never seen something like that before. More normal is his hair, that's a greyish brown mix in a ponytail.

"She seems friendly," Yvinti said gesturing to the sorceress who pretty much turned her back to them. "Anyway my name is Yvinti, pleasure to meet you both."

 

[Shiruru]

Berries Randomfella
Mythril Vaas Aorgard

Swiping her gaze over to the rest of the ship, it was easy to spot the other cluster of recruits aboard. Meeting Astoph and Bena, who were Etherborn and Dwarf respectively, meant that the group on the other end would consist of the second Etherborn, a Dragonkin, and Syrieth. As far as Mythril could tell from where she stood, all three recruits were engaged in a conversation like they were. Her eyes lingered upon their figures, silently attempting to pick out who was who.

When Bena responded, Mythril shifted her attention over to her, but couldn’t help swallowing back a small cough as Astoph’s unnerving focus fell over her. She swayed slightly from her left to her right, restlessness washing over her. Still, she attempted to listen to Bena as best as she could.

Bena’s point had been something Mythril considered in the days leading up to the expedition, before being brushed off in favour of a good night’s sleep more than once. Hearing it in broad daylight from lips that weren’t hers was more than odd, to an extent that it felt almost surreal. The implications of a task meant to root out the strongest were grim, but Mythril pushed these troubling thoughts away.

She let out a quiet, thoughtful ‘hmm’ in response.

Noting the way the Dwarf patted one of her weapons, one of the giant axes in her possession, Bena’s strength was more than obvious. It was relieving to find out that someone reliable was handling the front lines, especially with a Dwarf seemingly as upfront and confident as Bena was. First impressions were liable to change, but Mythril didn’t doubt at all that Bena would be able to hold her own easily out on the island.

“Gathering for a debrief wouldn’t be the same as going up to the rest on our own though, would it?” Mythril pointed out, relaxing as Astoph looked somewhere else all the while cursing herself for growing so tense just from an Etherborn’s gaze. "Let's go and meet them. The sooner, the better, right?" she repeated, a small smile present on her lips.

Mythril turned herself slightly, and took a small step forward to see if her newfound companions would follow.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Xahn, similarly one to never take one’s opinion at face value either, listened mindfully to Xu’s response, allowing initial judgements of it to simply pass through his mind like scattered clouds among a backdrop of blue sky. His posture still remained neutral, showing no signs of opinions in his body language either. After all, he’d trained for many years to allow the mind only to serve his ends and not control his actions or feelings. It takes a great deal of work, as all beings are intrinsically inclined towards quite the opposite, but when achieved through years of mindfulness and meditation practices, it allowed him to take in everything the world offered without a filter to blind him from anything at all. This proved especially useful in this social encounter: it allowed him to step into her shoes for a moment, unbiasedly noting her clearly expressed opinion, and allowing him to glean where she might be coming from. She seemed the sort to have had a very rough early life, which in all honesty Xahn had not experienced in the slightest. Also, her words clearly emphasised a want to push herself, to move beyond limits by reaching them; something Xahn deeply identified with. The boundaries he wanted to push were very different from hers, his goal peace while hers seemed to be conflict; however, he felt that no path was superior to another in this chaotic world.


‘Well Xu, I can certainly see the merit in such thinking. You clearly do not share my particular misgivings, for one thing. I am not a fighter, however. The way I see it, I’m here to keep you all alive,” he said, gesturing towards his surroundings. “Hopefully, myself as well, as I will not accept death until I I’ve kept many more from it.”


This impassioned speech was then interrupted by the approach of the Syrieth man, and after Xahn greeted him, he bowed back, smirking but not laughing at his quip. “I would be careful making such quips around one such as her. Regardless, it is good to meet you as well, Yvinti.” Smiling briefly, yet warmly, at the elven man, he then decided to keep the conversation going. "I’m curious as to what brought you two to the legion. Myself, I simply went looking for those doing the most good, found them, and gladly began working for them.” His manner of speaking was even and calm. He only grew impassioned when he was speaking of his perceived purpose on this mission a few moments ago.


Axion AssassinHD

 

[Axion]

Eris Merridoc Xu​

Hearing as Xahn answered with no doubt in his words but with passion instead, Eris could clearly see the differences between them. He was here to do whatever good he could do for the world, one of many who she's passed by here and there saying they want to bring an end to war, something Eris could've grown up to do, to dream about with others. It may sound heroic on paper but when brought to action, it seems almost impossible to achieve. She may have expressed her values similar to those who have interests in conflict, but Eris wasn't here to cause trouble. Instead, end her own. Joining the Legion was one thing, training for three years was another. But her ultimate goal never subsided from her head, it may cause pain those around her but in the face of death and time against her, she needed to look out for herself. For she's the only one she can trust. Ironic isn't it.

The Syrieth who called himself Yvinti, then commented about Eris, thinking he could get away with pointing behind her back. Though as sarcastic and aggravating it may sound towards her, it was definitely an opening Xu could exploit, along with her newly formed acquaintance Xahn, she had a minimum of tools to use to her advantage, "I'd listened to him, Yvinti. I think he may be right about me." She turned back to the two, keeping her deadpan face throughout but with some satire notably hinted in her words, "Or maybe you'd like a different greeting." She then gestured her shield on her back towards the Syrieth. The curved hooks that outlined her shield always brought attention, especially when she would fight with it. Seeing the nervousness or fear in some when they sparred against her, trying to find a way past the offense in her defense usually ended in futile and it was relentless as it could get. Eris then waved her hand, putting it back into its own pocket, "Just messing with you."

She could've been more whimsical about it but that was as far as she wanted to go with the teasing, it was best to keep up the small impersonation than step over the boundaries when it was too late. Upon finishing her own, Xahn spoke again, this time the reasoning behind why they joined the Legion. Eris obviously couldn't tell them what she was truly doing, it was somewhat counter productive of the Legion were doing, almost traitorous even. She'd have to lie but at the same time be somewhat truthful as to not grab the attention of suspicion, "I simply joined to do whatever catches or needs my attention. Not as gallant as you thought it would be, hmm?" It may have not been the truth but it wasn't a lie either, it was vague at the very least so that some would either take it the way it was or try to dig deeper only to find nothing.

DergTheDergon AssassinHD

 

[Berries]

It seemed that Astoph was content to stay within their small group, but Mythril seemed resolved to venture to meet the others. The woman took a step towards the conjugation of people, seeming to pause to see if her two companions would follow suit. Giving a small shrug, Bena elected to follow her, taking two steps of her own to match the woman's longer legs. "I disagree with that saying as a whole, for some good things are best if saved for later, but in this case I don't mind. Let us go meet our peers." The dwarf said confidently, abruptly coming to a decision.

However, the dwarf wasn't one to wait upon others, so now that her course of action had been determined she wasted little time in hesitating and began to take her small confident strides towards the other small group. On closer inspection, it seemed to be a group of three as well. From what Bena could see, it was apparently one syrieth man, perhaps another etherborn, and a dragonkin. Bena's disposition immediately shifted at the notice of the dragonkin, her next step hesitating for a moment more in the air than the others. Her people had a long history of borderline obsession over dragons, and even a dragonkin raised her bloodlust a little.

Shaking her head to clear her mind, Bena's small little strides continued on without hesitation. Arriving on time to hear the second etherborn say something about gallantry, Bena stuck her hand in the air to draw attention to herself. She had made sure to make her footsteps a bit heavy as to alert the group to her arrival in case their eyes went over her head, but in addition she waved her hand to make sure she captured their eyes. It was all too often that she was overlooked for her height and that wasn't the first impression she wanted to make on this group.

"Hello," she greeted the group of three, "Skatsu Bena at your service." The dwarf introduced herself with a small bow. Meanwhile, she darted a small glance over her shoulder to see if Astoph and Mythril were also on the way.

DergTheDergon Shiruru Randomfella Axion AssassinHD

 

[AssassinHD]

Yvinti Mordyen

Spoiler: appearance

While Yvtinti listened to this Xahn speak in his weirdly eloquent way, he only grew more and more suspicious of the strange man. He's only here to do good? Yeah, right, he thought. He had learned that no one was all good; they all wanted something. Yvinti hoped Xahn didn't notice him eyeing him with as much suspicion as he feared he showed. He gladly used the sorceress' voice as an excuse to look away, and, noting the passive-agressive tone in the way she spoke, he raised his hands in a way of displaying that he didn't want to get into any sort of fight, and that it was a simple jest. "That's a cool shield," he said, lowering his hands as Xu gestured to it. "Where'd you get it from?"

Yvinti really wasn't good with people; he didn't fully understand the message Xu clearly sent nor did he understand Xahn's cheery, goodie-two-shoes outlook. He did have reason for suspicion, to be fair. "And if you want to ask why I joined, well, it's a long story."

Axion DergTheDergon​

 

[DergTheDergon]

Xahn, having trained in observation and awareness above all else for years, as such was the most essential skill for living life well in his opinion, did indeed catch a glimpse of Yvinti's distrustful glance towards him. The moment before he looked away, Xahn would give him a known glance back, yet a neutral one, untinged with any emotion. Just a friendly reminder, as far as he was concerned, that he had Seen Yvinti's dirty look yet it did not perturb him. After all, he was aware that the ideal mindset he was pursuing, a true, unfettered quest to better the lives of others, was very rare among men. However, he also knew that, contrary to popular belief due to the scarcity of such authentically selfless thinking, and experiencing more of the same every day (though his ego did certainly get in the way of that at times, admittedly) that it was certainly an achievable mindstate, if very difficult and often times left untread. He hoped that in due time, he could show Yvinti his authenticity through his actions.

Xahn found himself stepping forward slightly as Xu took Xhan's friendly warning about her towards Yvinti and ran with it, threatening him unnecessarily... or at least, that's what Xahn thought until she ten unceremoniously said she was joking. "I think it unwise to joke like that and ask you do not do so in the field. Such communication is bad for morale and breeds mistrust, meant jokingly or otherwise." His tone was stern, yet almost in a fatherly way, or at least far from an aggressive one. However, it was certainly clear in his dead-serious expression that he had been quite perturbed indeed by the seriousness in her tone and the danger he felt her demeanor presented, to herself as well as the other adventurers in this ragtag little group. He then paused to let her answer Yvinti's quaint little question.

Then, Xu's curiously vague answer came. "No, not as gallant as most might... however, one learns after living as long as I have that expectations regarding other people are a waste of time, as people simply aren't predictable. It's a roundaboout answer, yet a fair one."

Then, it was Yvinti's turn, who decided to go an even safer route than Xu regarding this question, from the sounds of things. "Oh? We've still a while before we rach our destination, and any story can be summarized, no matter the length. Care to take a crack?" His tone was genuinely curious; Xahn loved stores. Besides, this might be a way to pass the time rather effectively.
AssassinHD Axion

Xahn also found himself glancing over towards the other side of the boat as he conversed with the others, wondering if any of the others wanted to join this little meet and greet of sorts. In all honesty, he'd like a bit of added company of mayhaps a slightly sunnier disposition. Shiruru Randomfella