Fantasy The Art of War

[Czeshire]

As the Calee slowly came to a stop, so did Verja, the boar letting out a snorting huff as it's deep eyes looked at the feline-human as did Ragna's. So, the Calee was heading to join the Ninth's ranks as well.. If this was true, then the two would most likely become cohorts. Or, dare she think it...companions. But if the male was willing to lead Ragna to the campsite, who was she to argue? She was, after all, on a mission to stop an impending invasion. But the Calee was right, they should be swift in reaching their destination. The warrior had heard stories of the creatures that lurk in the night in the West. Ragna herself was not so concerned of such creatures, but she couldn't have the Calee male getting killed right now.


So, reluctantly, Ragna quickly extended her arm, hand outstretched toward the male. This was a rare occasion, very few have ever ridden on Verja besides Ragna herself. And although the Calee was ever faster than the great beast, it was more of a precaution to keep the male unharmed during their travel. "Get on."





@Icerex

 

[Icerex]

Helcar


Marcus~


Marcus studied the Magnë woman for a moment, his nose catching the evening air and finally making the decision for him. He clasped her forearm and leapt into the saddle behind her, wrapping one arm around her waste and using the other to keep his halberd at the ready. "Very well, I accept," he said, his voice carrying a hint of a smile as he spoke. "South-west for about three quarters of a mile, then due south past a stand of trees for the remainder."


@Czeshire

 

[Czeshire]

With a firm pull, Ragna assisted the Calee up onto Verja's saddle, the boar giving a light grunt as the male climbed aboard. Not that he was overly heavy; Verja has proven to stay mobile even with five Magnë soldiers on his back, and Magni were know to be a bit deal heavier than others due to their large muscle mass. Ragna had looked down at the arm around her waist, not exactly thrilled with the Calee's actions but would rather have that over the male accidentally falling off of Verja during the ride. With a kick to Verja's sides with Ragna's heels, the warrior gripped the Sabre-Tusked boar's strap as her free arm rested at her side with the armguard on her forearm glimmered in the rising moonlight.


"Verja, onward!" Her strong, commanding voice made the boar let out a loud grunt before taking off once again, increasing in speed slowly as he moved onward, south-west in direction just as the Calee had said.





@Icerex

 

[Icerex]

Helcar


Marcus~


The great beast slowly gained momentum as they traveled towards their destination, its great strides eating up ground at a decent pace. Marcus sat behind the Magnë woman, eyes alert and watching, his tufted ears swiveling to catch errant noises as they traveled through the night. "I don't think we've been formally introduced," he spoke from behind the woman. "My name's Marcus, Marcus Kiliana."


@Czeshire

 

[Czeshire]

Verja ran into the night, never seeming to break his stride as the wind caressed Ragna's face. She was always vigilant, ever watching in case danger was nearby. Not that she was overly concerned, the Magnë warrior had experienced more than enough hardship to handle most of any situations. And with her large companion plus the Calee, the trio should be more than safe.


Suddenly, Ragna began to hear the Calee behind her to speak. He was right, the two hadn't even gotten names from one another. Which, she supposed, was important enough considering they are traveling together. Marcus. Definitely a Helcarian name. Simply one's name told Ragna a lot about them, as she was a very analytical woman when it came to studying her possible enemies. The name revealed that the Calee had most likely been born either in or near the Empire of Helcar. Either way, Marcus had probably grew up training with humans and other Calee alike; this tells Ragna that the male is surely a notable warrior..


"Yes, I suppose I do owe you an introduction. I am Ragna Sigfid of Revohnost in the Kelarian Fortress. My noble companion is Verja." Below the two, the boar gave a hefty grunt as he moved on with no falter in his strides.


@Icerex

 

[Icerex]

Helcar


Marcus~


"Sigfid? Is that your hereditary surname?" Marcus asked, curiosity in his voice. That name sounded familiar for some odd reason, and Marcus was racking his brain trying to determine why. "I'm only asking because it sounds strangely familiar." He ceased talking when they abruptly emerged from the stand of trees, the legion camp coming into view. Like every other legion camp throughout the Empire, it was square in shape, a wooden palisade of tree sharpened tree-trunks atop a rampart of packed earth. A ditch six feet deep and seven feet wide surrounded the wall, being broken only by the four roads leading into the camp.


@Czeshire

 

[Czeshire]

"It is. It was my..." She paused, her face going hard for a moment. Just the thought...no...this was no time for that. "It was my father's surname." She sighed heavily, her eyes averting to look down for a brief second in grief before steeling her gaze back up. Sure enough, the trio had finally seemed to approach the Legion Camp gates. Pulling back on Verja's reins, the boar huffed and came to a stop, his large feet digging slightly into the ground below. Ragna had gazed at the walls of the camp, seeing that it seemed well-secured. Releasing Verja's rein, the warrior slipped off the beast and stood beside it, lightly brushing her hand through the boar's bristle-like fur. "Well done, Verja.." She had to thank her loyal companion, who carried Ragna and Marcus to their destination in well-enough time. She then looked back at the Calee, waiting for the male to join her before she stepped up to the front gates.


@Icerex

 

[Icerex]

Legio IX, Helcar


Marcus~


Marcus studied the woman for a moment, Ragna Sigfid, most definitely a Kelarian name. Well, she did say she was from the capital city after all, but that name, so familiar. He shook his head and leapt off of the giant boar, landing next to Ragna with a thud. A bit showy yes, but she was attractive, in an extremely dangerous way. Snap out of it Marcus, time to focus and not get shot by some nervous sentry. He cleared his throat, holding out a hand. "I should probably be the one to approach. I know most of the sentries here, not to mention that they will be less likely to shoot at a Calee than a Magnë." He nodded at her, a small smile gracing his lips. "I'm sure you understand."





@Czeshire

 

[Czeshire]

Ragna had looked over as Marcus dismounted Verja, blinking a few times before staring back at the gates of the Legion camp. Then, she had heard Marcus beside her clearing his throat, followed by holding out a hand. Ragna was a bit annoyed at this, Marcus thinking he should go first. But the Calee had made a point, he stated he knew the sentries there, and she could not argue the statement of Magnë more likely to be shot over a Calee. Even though Ragna had the initial instinct to be up front into the destination, prepared for a battle even if it was something trivial as walking into a tavern. But She remained still, save for removing her helmet and placing it on Verja's saddle.


"Very well then."


@Icerex

 

[Icerex]

Legio IX, Helcar


Marcus~


"Great." Marcus rested his halberd on his shoulder and started walking towards the nearest camp gate. As he got near enough to be seen by the camp sentries, he heard a gruff voice call out. "Halt and state your intent!" He held out his hand and peered up at the fort walls, searching for the source of the voice. "My name is Marcus Kiliana, veteran of Legio XII Parthica and the Ilithiän campaigns, holder of the Corona Muralis and Corona Aurea. I request entry for my companion and I as we wish to enlist in the IX Auxilia." A moment of silence followed, and Marcus waited with bated breath. They better let me in the bastards. The silence was broken when a commotion along the wall heralded the arrival of an officer of some sort. "Marcus you dirty sod! You pick now of all times to finally visit! Why, I should have your head lifted from its shoulders and mounted on a pike for your insolence!" Marcus' face broke into a wide grin. "Secudus you old bastard, I didn't know you were still alive and kicking! By all accounts Hist should have taken you to her dark halls years ago!" A booming laugh erupted from atop the wall, and the camp gates slowly swung open. "She hasn't taken me yet Kiliana, and you would do best to get in here, otherwise you might be the one leaving. The nights here are not filled with sweet dreams." Marcus motioned for Ragna to follow him as he made his way across the earthen path leading into the camp, the great gates closing behind them.


@Czeshire

 

[ARSENIC]

A crazed, panicked gallop could be heard in the distance, before the stallion in question could even be seen. As the horse came close enough for the group at the camp's doors to see the ravenous galloping grew louder and louder, and it was easy to see that this horse was bolting at least twice as fast as it should have been, the dark sillhouette of a rider bent in over his mount.


Within seconds of seeing the horse it had already come close enough to see its wide-eyed fear, its head thrown back as its rider's face pulled away from its neck, to reveal a deep, heavily bleeding gash... jusy seconds before the stallion collapsed, plumetting face-first into a mangled corpse on the ground, tearing up the dirt as it skidded through it until the friction of the dusty earth stopped it just inches away from Ragna.


Dez seemed to have steadied himself despite the horse's fall, idly walking over its head as he wiped the stain of the horse's blood from his lips. Despite being human, Dez would have easily towered over any other of his kind. Beside the Magne, however, despite quite obviously sharing none of their other racial features besides their height, he seemed far less out of place, armored in thick hides and leathers, pulling out his flier as he gave Ragna a casual smile, before focusing his attentions to the banners on the gates, double-checking then on his paper.


"Huh. Looks like this is the place." Dez mused, speaking to himself, though loud enough for Ragna to hear. "Funny. I always thought it'd be bigger."

 

[Three Clubs]

“A mule… they left me a mule.” Andrack grumbled under his breath. His disinterested companion trotted next to him, oblivious to his master’s frustrations. They were both weighed down by the many burdens carried between them; shovels, rope, supplies, ammunition, and whatever could be scavenged along the road. It wasn’t much all in all, but enough to make the pair sound like a small clash of arms with every step.


Andrack had removed most of his immediate gear during the journey, with only a dusty tabard and a domed helmet still clinging to his thin figure. He kept his crossbow on a slung and his axe on his belt. Lots of strange folk of the roads these days, he couldn’t chance removing the painful weight from his aching back for even a moment.


He looked back down at the pamphlet that set him upon this road. “20 marks a week. Just remember, 20 marks a week” he mused to himself. He kept his mind busy with how could build himself up with the fair sum. Maybe build a workshop one day and make weapons of war for enterprising lords seeking mechanized destruction upon their neighbors? The sound thundering hooves broke his concentration as a blurred figure zoomed past him at break neck speed. Looking up he saw the figure fall before the gates of his destination meters ahead of him.


“Come Chester” he said to the mule “Time to make our fortunes!” The mule did not respond, simply trudging along the road like it had always done.

 

[Shadow]

Elora traveled along the road to Isca without seeing anyone for a long time. She stopped under some willow trees to get out of the sun. After a few minutes she started walking again. Soon, she reached a small village where she got extra food and drink. She also bought a horse with money her father had given her. She mounted and hurried back down the road. She reached the last town before the Helcar border. She stopped in a tavern, enjoying the last bit of home she would see for a while.

 

[Soviet Panda]

((Great, alerts weren't working properly. Let's see what I can do.))


Sven had not slept well. It was a short nap, and it was on almost every root in the forest. His back hurt, his eyes felt gritty, there was a terrible taste in his mouth, and he was hungry. All and all, he was not a happy magnë. But the camp was in sight, and he decided to push down his frustration of the worlds recent events and do his best to not split the recruitment officer in two.

 

[TheStoicist]

Five more steps. Hain willed his aching body forward no matter how his instincts told him to stop. Each movement forward brought another burst of exhaustion.


Five more steps. He reminded himself as a particularly fierce bout of pain shot up through his legs like ore and I've in his veins.


Five more steps. The boy had been telling himself this since three days ago when he had swallowed the last of the stale bread a benevolent child had given to him. Convincing his frail body that there was just five more paces till he reached his goal was nearly all that kept Hain going, as well as the remembrance of his eight starving siblings at home who were counting on that twenty marks a week once Hain enlisted.


Hain knew there was something even worse at the end of this long journey which he had began almost a month and a half ago. There was war and death and gore, two of these three items Hain was non-too familiar with, war and gore were always things he simply heard of and was removed from, but now he was pushing himself into the midst of it.


He almost immediately pushed back this long-prevailing fear, he just need to focus on five more steps.


It was amazing how a man could change in two years, let alone a few month. Ever since the death of his father, Hain had lost much weight. Mostly fat that he had somehow maintained on his lean frame during his father's lifetime. But by the time Hain set out for war his was little more than wiry muscle and bones. Now after two months of traveling, he was little more than bones and the very last bits of his hard muscles. His dark hair matted and unwashed, his blue eyes murky, and he gave an illusion that he was extremely tan as nearly every inch of his skin was layered with dirt and scum. Hain presently looked like a dead rat someone pulled from the cobbles of a musty alleyway on a rainy day. Even his clothing was threadbare.

 

[Icerex]

(All right, seems like @Czeshire is MIA, I'll move the story along.)


Legio IX, Helcar


~Marcus


As the gates to the camp closed behind him, shutting out the night, Marcus thought he saw movement on the edge of the treeline before the camp. He shrugged it off however, dismissing it as most likely one of the many creatures of the night in these parts. He nodded for Ragna to follow him as he followed Secudus and a few legionnaires as they made their way down the Via Praetoria towards the camp headquarters. He looked around as they walked, admiring the neat rows of tents and stacked gear, a comforting sight, and one that Marcus was all to familiar with. They eventually arrived at headquarters, and were showed into the large, dark-red tent. Secudus turned to him and spoke. "I'd love to stay and catch up Marcus, but I have a mountain of paperwork to fill out." He smiled. "You know, the usual shit." He waved them further into the room, beckoning for an older man writing at a desk to come over. "I'll let Tiberius here sort you two out. He has all the necessary paperwork to get you signed up." With a nod, Securus took his leave, motioning for his men to follow him as he exited the tent.


"I am Tiberius, the legion quartermaster," the man spoke, nodding to Marcus and Ragna. "What can I do for you today?"


(An opportunity for any other characters to make their way to the camp headquarters. Just make sure you follow all camp procedures and etiquette ( ))

 

[Shadow]

Elora left the tavern and retrieved her horse from the blacksmith. She trotted out of the town and soon crossed the border into Helcar. Soon she reached Isca. She consulted the Adventurers wanted sign and guided her horse west. She finally reached the plains and wandered for a while, trying to find the camp's exact location. When she finally found it she stood outside the gates, unsure what to do. She rode closer and knocked on the gates.

 

[Three Clubs]

Andrak rested his wearing legs outside the encampments doors, observing the small rouges gallery of mercenaries like himself. These would be the bodies standing between him and harm so it would be best to start things out friendly.


"So, y'all know the password to get in? Fraid my invitation didn't mention one."

 

[ARSENIC]

"Perhaps this is a test?" Dez commented as the other, significantly shorter, human spoke - a deep, guttural accent betraying his less than civilized background, if his fur-covered hide armor, matted black hair, and thick, scarred skin did not. "I have heard of such things. More so among secret societies than mercenary camps, but the idea is simple - if you can get in, you deserve to be. If not... well, you deserve to be." he shrugged. It was just a theory, but at this point they had nothing but silence to argue against it.

 

[Shadow]

Elora looked over at the guy that had spoken last. "Are you suggesting we break in?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She dismounted and slid the reins over her horse's head. "Perhaps there are guards that just wandered away for a moment." She offered, stroking her horse's neck absent-mindedly.

 

[TheStoicist]

By the time Hain had reached the Northern gates of Isca he was ready to fall over in exhaustion. But the boy had the creeping suspicions that his body would not wake for at least another three days if he let himself rest in Isca tonight, a slightly ridiculous notion, but one that led him to decide to simply trek around to Isca's West gate and follow the road to the encampment from there. It wasn't as if Hain had the money for an inn, especially not in a place like Isca, either way, and he had his doubts of how long his family could last without the money he's be making.


But as Hain walked, reminding himself that he was almost there, his legs, his mind, and his chest protesting with every step, he recalled that he had many doubts about this whole venture. He himself, of course, had not been able to read the flier so instead he had, had the bartender, a short, stalky man named Rai, at the local tavern back at home, read it out to him. He was doubtful of the twenty marks a week, it was almost too good to be true to his naive-farmer's mind, and he wondered from time to time if Rai had purposefully told him the wrong amount, out of either some odd malicious intent or perhaps even good intent.


Yet, Hain did not doubt that he would get marks for his work, and any money was good for him. Twenty marks was just better than anything less.


By the time Hain stopped in front of the gates of what he was sure was the legion's camp, the sun had already sunk past the horizon and the moon was high in the sky, dimly lighting the world with the help of torches.


The boy barely noticed that there were others at the gate with him, not much because of the darkness, but because of his exhaustion. He was dizzy and dehydrated and his stomach cramped up with hunger, while his eyelids and mind tugged him towards the demand of sleep and his legs burned with exertion, possessing no energy to relieve the pain.


And for a moment Hain wondered to make himself known to the others, they all looked much more battle-ready than himself and he wondered that they might strike him down before he even made it through the gates if they didn't know of his presence. They seemed to be a bit troubled though already, so he announced his presence with a bit of caution.


"Good evenin' , cousins. There seems to be an issue?" Hain's voice was hoarse and low as he made himself known, but not unsteady, yet giving away more of his exhaustion than he'd like for it to. He truly didn't want his first impression towards those he would be fighting alongside with to impress others to think that he was so weak he couldn't handle himself, even if it was partially true.


(@ARSENIC, @Three Clubs, @Shadow)

 

[Shadow]

Elora looked up at another figure that was coming out of the dark night. She winced at his hoarse voice. "Good evening. There isn't necessarily an issue. However, we can't seem to find out how to get inside." She said, moving her horse back a few steps so she could see him better. He looked young, probably around her age. By the way he was standing, he seemed to be very tired. She opened her saddle-bag and fished through it until she found her extra water canteen. She went over to the stranger and held out the water. She kept one cautious hand on one of her short swords. "Here, you sound parched." She said quietly, trying not to startle him.

 

[TheStoicist]

Hain was extremely hesitant to take the water from the woman. Not particularly because he did not like to accept aid from a woman, mostly because he had his suspicions about why she would offer a stranger, who offered her nothing in return, perfectly good water. He battled internally for a few long moments. But finally opted to take the water, it looked to be something she drank from regularly and he was sure he might actually die from dehydration, it had been nearly three days since he'd had a good dip of water, if he didn't drink even if it wasn't poisoned or anything of the like.


Once he received the water though Hain only swallowed a bit of water, not wanting to overstay this kindness, before recapping the canteen and holding it back out for its owner to take,


"Thank you very kindly, cousin." The short boy said plainly, yet graciously as he smiled brightly, although weakly, up at the pretty blond girl. Then the smile fell from Hain's face as he looked towards the gate and regarded it seriously,


"A test maybe? Though it could be likely that the gates have jus' been closed for the nigh' and it is best that we wait till mornin' to enter." He suggested meekly, even if he hoped that what he said was not the truth, he wanted to, not matter how childish and unimportant the wish was, feel that he had finally finished this long journey. And he was hoping to eat at least a bit of stale bread tonight, he didn't know how long he could last still. He wasn't looking forward I another night of sleeping on the side of the road either way.

 

[Three Clubs]

Andrack gazed at the encampments defenses and briefly pulled out his shovel before stowing it back away almost immediately. It had been a long journey and tonight was not the night to work on his sapping technique. He turned to the young lad and lass.


"Suppose we should start a fire then" He interjected "Grab some wood and make our own camp whilst we consider a solution."


It wasn't the worst company hes ever had, one of the strangest to be sure, but not the worst. Far as he could tell no one seemed to be familiar with any one else and that suited him just fine. They all had equal odds of getting a knife in the back during the night so at-least everyone should be on full alert, which meant he could get a good nights rest knowing he was surrounded by what he assumed were trained fighters.


"I'm Andrack of house... Thellmar" he stuttered, the name still holding a bitter taste in his mouth.

 

[Shadow]

Elora smiled when the boy took the water. "You're welcome." She said, taking the canteen back and putting it in her saddle-bag. When one of the men suggested they set up camp, she agreed and began tying up her horse a small distance away. She turned back when one of the men introduced himself. "I'm Elora, of the house of Rovano." She said, then went back to tending her horse. She took off its saddle and bridle, giving it a little slack on its rope to graze. She grabbed her bag and went back to the others. "I have some extra food, if you need any." She said, setting her bag down. "Do you want me to help gather firewood?" She asked, pulling her cloak closer as a chill swept through her.