Chapter Two: The Auran.

War is nothing if not losing less than those you're fighting.

It was with that ideology in mind that he had been given command if his small unit, under orders to join forces with the remnants of the Lieutenant-General's army. Even if they were victorious, there would be wounds to lick, and an infusion of able-bodied men would do much for morale.

And much more for making good time on the northern warpath.

These men were not footsoldiers, were not cavalry, were not lancers or battlemages or even men for ranged combat, but a fairly even mixture of each - guerrilla fighters. For this regiment, concealment was more important than rank, and rather than waste too-valuable time pitching awkward and intrusive tents, men made crude shelters by tossing cured hides or furs over the backs of their mounts, catching sleep between their hooves in sporadic short doses. There were no beds, no desks, no offices. Food was cold, often dried meat - campfires, and fires in general, considered too much of a risk.

It was most certainly not Czernian's optimal conditions. But after almost a week, the collective smell didn't seem so bad, and even the ground wasn't as uncomfortable as it used to be. It was the waiting that galled him, and galled the men. They were restless, hungry, tense - and he didn't need to walk among them to know it was a matter of time before that itching eagerness turned self-destructive, and the infighting began.



"Sir. Scouts have sighted a party." Czernian couldn't remember the face of the man who'd made the hushed announcement. With no offices, there were no walls, and it seemed as if the whole contingent perked its ear, and was leaning closer to hear the news. Kovak reached up a hand to touch the stubble that was starting to form at his jaw.

"...I'll get my horse." That's what he'd said.

And here they were, on their bellies like snakes. No magic - that would likely attract attention. The long meadow grass crushed from their progress was fragrant and sweet, like freshly-cut hay. Czernian inhaled a moment, distractedly, and would have sworn on the smell of wild lavander, as well. They'd left the mounts far back in the darkness of the forest for cover.

"They haven't been stopped long," the scout murmured, barely moving his thin lips as he spoke. Czernian's eyes flicked from the group they were watching to his guide, his own lips pressed into a thin line. "..but it looks as if it's for the night."

Kovak lifted a brow, and nodded silently, glancing back again. There were too many to be simply fleeing the war - all who were wanting to do that would have been out of the way days ago. Suspicious, indeed.

"Sir," the man continued, inclining his chin. "...the men are restless. Even if these people are civilians, doing something about them will give us something to do other than chafe at our bit." The hush of his voice was surely magical - an air adept, perhaps.

"...I'll consider it. Watch them for now. Send a signal if they start on the move." It was a loaded question, and Czernian more than understood it's merit. Frowning, he gave a last look to the wayward group, and started moving back towards the horses.

((no need, pets don’t count ))
((Obsidian))

There would be no need for Umbrian words to express the sudden shift in Obsidian’s Aura; the wolf was not a free shadow, but bound to a master, as was Obsidian. This made matters complicated and different... Obsidian doubted the ‘master’ belonged to the same side of his own.

“My name now is Obsidian. My given name, what it was when I was once a Surdan, I cannot remember, the magic has eaten away my human form, memories and perhaps all my soul…” Fangs shone against the blackness as Obi grinned, as if his loss of any human emotion and identity was a success to be proud of. “…and my purpose...”

The shift was strong now, the blackness radiating from within him turbulent as Obsidian once again remembered his place in this world. “Is that of my master’s: I protect.” Obsidian’s jaws now parted widely, the skin about his fangs curling back, and that between crackling and popping to accommodate the unnatural expanse in a gruesome, animalistic display. A raspy hiss rumbled from within, foam and slime spilling over the countless chiseled teeth.

It was a warning, but one without feeling; as Umbri, the two shadows would not share human emotions or see one another as enemy. They were simply shadows serving a higher force. The two could avoiding conflict by simply turning away from the yeidin camp to hunt for food… together even as would two wild creatures… or Ylva could attempt to cross Obsidian’s path, and a fight to the death would begin.

“Oh… By the way…” Obsidian’s silver eyes twinkling for a moment at the thought of something yummy, the muffled sound of a hungry stomach churning gurgled deep within the center of his black mass… “… How often does YOUR master allow you human flesh?”


((Soraya))

Without thought or hesitation, Soraya placed her hand into Penthar’s oversized palm, eager to share the eyes of an Umbri. She had done it before, her uncle had taught her how and of the ways to bind the shadows, it fascinated her and she had thought of binding her own… but saved her energy for other purposes. Her lips parted into an expectant smile… but would slowly fade in a matter of seconds as her silver eyes would suddenly look up to Penthar’s. “The shadow belongs to the Yeidin! Call her back, General!” she said, though she knew the General had probably made that choice already.

Vanity's brows furrowed weakly—or, rather, attempted to pull her face into a dissatisfied frown. With the disability to form any real facial expressions came the shy awkwardness that a girl of six years might possess around any flirtatious boys, and she tried as hard as she might to lower her gaze from Sachieal's, but with rare success. Her eyes would slowly slip downward, toward the ground, or anywhere away from him for that matter, but then suddenly dart back up to his face, caught by the unfamiliar sight of his bright, marble skin, and those blue eyes. Frustration and an unwillingness to keep being dragged into his game—as she too late realized he was teasing her, much too late—forced her fingers to clench into fists beneath her. "Just... f-fine," she muttered slowly, struggling to keep her voice firm and free of any obvious embarrassment.

She had a slight feeling that didn't work.

Sachieal impulsively smiled, the girl was just as he'd thought, quite inadept at any sort of intergenderal communication. Sachieal truly felt bad for her, he didn't expect to stun her as he did in that instant. His eyes shifted from coy light, to that of concern and reluctance. He reashed up slowly, brushing the girl's cheekbone everso slightly with the back of his hand before closing his eyes and exhaling lightly.

"I truly am sorry, Miss. That was beyond manners." His voice rang with sincerity, "If you'd please, Madam', please allow me to retire for the night." He slpwly yet fluidly pushed himself up onto his shoulders. "I do hope you have a place to sleep for the night?"

((btw, Starlyght is mostly neutral with light vs. dark if you can be *laughs* she is learning a little bit of light magic for healing, but it does not come naturally to her at all))

The frown that cut across the Captain's face did not escape Starlyght's attention. But the reason behind it did elude her. The General had been delighted to hear of her skills, the Captain's further comments eased her mind slightly, but still did not explain all. The smile dismissed the slight alarm the nymph had felt at his sarcastic remark, humor was not something that she was very familiar with, especially among high-ranking officers.

She nodded ascension to his request for her to assist in training, "Of course, sir. There is much that I can teach, those without the ice blood will simply be slower at learning it than those of my ancestry." After pausing a moment, she decided to add, "And fighting when needed has never been a problem for me." Was that close to humor? Perhaps, since it was accompanied by a sly, barely noticeable smile.

((Silver))
Silver relaxed a bit as the youngling's heart rate slowed and she didn't exude as much fear. The giggling was not something that the young fox had heard before, but it was nice, and it made him happy. Though his master's friend had left suddenly, Silver would never be afraid as long as his master was there, even if she was being distracted by the man that had scared the youngling. Such strange creatures his master conversed with recently....

The dark elf sat cross-legged across the fire still, having heard all of Odei's orders and the exchange of words between the captain and some of the other soldiers; the thought of training didn't sway him. While he didn't doubt his fellow soldiers' abilities, their techniques were all vastly different and he really thought that training would better serve their purpose to be more of a unified force on the battlefield. Ivaylo still laughed inwardly to himself at Hurst's timid questioning at the time and how quickly he'd been silenced by the captain's glare. What a colorful bunch they were, indeed.

He stayed seated even after the meeting was ended, like many others preferring the warm flames and company instead of calling it an early night. For a short time he struck up conversation with another soldier whose name he didn't know and it carried on for a while, from everything from the weather to what type of training they may be getting come the morning. Eventually the numbers seated around the fire dwindled and the soldier too had to excuse himself, declaring it would be for the best to sleep if anyone expected to see him awake before dawn the next day. Finding himself not yet tired Ivaylo stayed to enjoy the fire's warmth on his skin, ignoring the hum of nearby conversations and drifted into thought as he stared at the flames.

A sudden 'thwap' against the fabric on his shoulder caused him to jump slightly, being jerked back from his thoughts to reality. He glanced around behind himself to see just who it was who'd tapped him and a puzzled look came over his features when he saw no one until a small chirp came up from the ground beside him. Looking down he saw the familiar sight of a small winged creature, it's entire backside swinging back and forth from the force it was wagging it's tail. The animal resembled a griffin though much smaller in size, perhaps just a little too large to fit in a pocket but could rest comfortably on one's shoulder. The drows in the far north used them for communication purposes as they could fly for days over long distances thanks to the energy they stored. Even now it hopped about, nipping at his fingers as he reached to lift the creature up.

At closer examination, it was one of their own messengers, of that he could be certain - but he puzzled as to why there was no note it carried. "Where'd you come from?" He asked aloud, more to himself than to the 'bird' as it wasn't capable of speech, in a blissfully oblivious manner. Ivaylo frowned, setting it back down to the ground where it nipped at the strings to his boots, unaware of the solemn news it brought by flying back to him without a message.

((Ylva))

She measured Obsidian's warning and did not respond in kind, paying strict attention to the task she was given by her master. " I see we both have a purpose to fulfill, but not this night, I am sure. As to your question," she said, watering at the thought of more humans to dine on " at least once a week, sometimes every day when we are in battle, but only with his permission, or from his very hand he feeds me." She had already caught the scent of the humans. They were still a small ways off, and and she would not dare to approach the camp with Obsidian nearby.
"I must hunt, your are welcome to join me, and my path is not near your masters. Humans do make so much noise that they scatter prey" her own maw now salivating as her stomach growled. She turned west and trotted for the tree line.....

((Penthar))
"Patience, my leader, she knows what to do." was Penthar's calm reply as he saw through Ylva's eyes. The two Surdan were not privy to the conversation between the two Umbri, but Penthar sensed what Ylva was doing.
" To have a beast like that, it is a safe bet that it is the same one who released the Abbaddon. Ylva smells humans nearby, and the Umbri is their protector, though not happy about it. She is going to try to lead him off to hunt prey, away from the camp, and avoid suspicion."
He blinked briefly, and spoke once more. " We at least know their approximate location now. We will need a powerful binding spell for the shadow."

[Idle Chatter in a tree... I forgot to menton in a previous post, Kehla (Pronounced KLA) means something like 'Woman' or 'Female']

"How is your wound faring 'Nalu?"

"Do not call me that," Origin snapped, her face instantly becoming terse.

"Forgive me." Vasquiri muttered, swinging his legs over the high bough of the tree in which they sat, "It is not my place."

"It is no one's place, and it would do you well to remember that."

Vasquiri turned his face from the female. She was beginning to remember more and more, and if this kept up, she'd be her old self before he could get her back to the underdark. That was where the danger was. He could no longer wile his way to her young heart with cajoling words. She was showing more and more of her old colors than before. Sooner or later the very scent of him would repulse her, and the battle was lost.

"Then what may I call you?"

"My name was given to me for that reason."

"I understand."

Seeing his dejection, Origin leaned her head on his tall shoulder, "It is healing quite well, as long as I do not agitate it as much."

Vasquiri smiled and scanned the camp for any signs of danger, or his brother.

((Odei would envy your wolf, penthar, Obsidian only thinks of his stomach))

((Obsidian))
The Shadow horse watched as the wolf trotted off, ears high as he ‘listened’ for the presence of other shadows… an action with no meaning, simply an instinctive mimicking of animal behavior. Obsidian was intrigued, having not roamed the dark with other shadows ever since he had been bound to Odei; his master did not mix with their own kind ever since he abandoned the guild.

The Umbri disappeared between the trees and into the shadow, leaving Obsidian in silence once more, the better sense of him holding him back from joining the wolf; Odei would not be pleased if he would find out)). He stared at the spot where the wolf had melted into the darkness for a long time, before finally turning away lazily in an opposite direction in search of food. He would mention his meeting to his master, but not before devouring a bear or two. ((A.k.a. He will be out of everyone’s way… for a while ))


(( & Nemes))

Odei’s eyes dropped down to the child again as he listened to Starlyght, catching Leyla’s slight smile. He smiled back with a wink, taking note that the girl looked to the nymph for protection, still unsure of his presence, and wondered if perhaps it was his scarred skin and silver eyes that intimidated her, for as he felt her Aura, he found the slight trace of darkness within… along with an unsettling sensation. The girl might be of Umbrovian origin, so he doubted it was his darkness that would frighten her.

“Pleased to hear it. So you are in charge of this little Minka* and the rest of the nest?” He said, still looking down at the girl. “Would you even have time for training and fighting if you have to watch over them?” Again he knelt down to the little girl, by now attracting the attention of some of the soldiers, bewildered at the demonic, grouch of a Captain’s affection towards child. They would have expected him to have children for dinner, but none understood Odei’s origins; he was Sagan, and the Sagan’s existence depended on the kidnapping and raising of children. Odei was well experienced with little kids as result, and was genuinely fond of them. Odei frowned comically at the child:. “By the way, you didn’t introduce yourself, young lady… lemme guess… it’s Humphry, right?”

“Actually it’s Leyla. And of course Starlyght is more than capable of any task…” Odei stood to his full height as Nemes approached, his face as serious as his voice, hands folded behind his broad back and beneath his wings. “I see you have finally met our Captain Odei Baran. I fear he is unfamiliar with the Isheimur and of how their people are well disciplined and dexterous….” He turned to smile politely at Starlyght as he continued to speak, his speech directed at the Surdan. “… And so far Starlyght has been true to her duties of protecting the families…” Nemes winced his eyes, as if in ‘embarrassment’ of his intrusion, and obvious attempt to rid them of Odei’s presence. “I’ve noticed that some of the officers are not so vigilant with their duties… can I count on you to see to it that they are more attentive, Captain, so as that our camp will be quite safe tonight?”

Odei’s face was expressionless, silver eyes studying the latter’s face, reading uneasiness there though it was well hidden. Odei assumed that the General did not like him fraternizing with the ice nymph… he would have never guessed that it was actually Leyla that Nemes worried for, not wanting the Surdan anywhere near her. “Of course.” Odei answered, voice hard as his eyes seemed to challenge the latter in his usual insubordinate nature. “I’ll scout the woods myself. Starlyght.” He nodded to the newcomer as he excused himself, and walked back from where he came, again his moods dark.

“The Captain is Surdan, Starlyght… and I would prefer that the identity of the Auran is kept anonymous to him for as long as possible. He is unaware of Leyla’s origins.” He patted the small girls head, fingers lovingly running through her golden hair. He shuddered at the thought of Odei knowing. True Nemes trusted Vasilios’s judgment… but one could never be sure, and Nemes guarded little Leyla with his life… not because she was the Auran, but because he loved her as his own child. “Leyla, we have not practiced the arts of Solay in a while, I’m afraid we will have to do a little of it tomorrow morning after breakfast.” He looked back up at Starlyght. “How do you fare out here so far… is all well?”

Odei returned to where the rest of the bunch were settled, finding Sachieal was still captivated by the pale woman. He thought of Nemes’s claims that the officers were not vigilant, but that was an untrue comment; it was not Sachieal’s shift, and it was evident that the rest did indeed tend to their duties. Stupid white bat. So Odei left the officer to enjoy his conversation. Odei picked up his belt, horn and other knickknacks he never left behind, strapped them on. He sent out a mental signal to Obsidian, calling him back.

“I’m going for a round in the woods. Come ride with me, Ivaylo… four ears and eyes are better than two.”



The swirls and shifts of the dark energy revealed to the watching pair that Obsidian was no longer an obstacle. “Good. At least that did not give your Umbria away.” She looked up, Kath, his men and Veldrin approaching. “About time; we should move. I want to be there before the camp sleeps… otherwise our mission will not result in anything.” And with that Soraya stepped into the shadows followed by the rest. Once on the other side, Soraya turned to her men and spoke in hushed tones, barely over a whisper. “Do not use the shadows to move forth or to spy… we are still at a distance from camp, but I would not be surprised if their Umbrovians are scanning the shadows nearest to them.”

From the pouches of her belt Soraya retrieved a brass, cylinder-shaped object, a ball of gold speckled crystal in its center. “Now… let’s get closer for a better look.”


*Minka: Amusing, clumsy mammals about the size of chipmunks, shaped much like a golden fur ball on teeny legs.

Starlyght listened to the conversation between the Captain and Leyla with strict attention. Though her eyes did not focus directly on them, her ears were more than capable of tracking every motion the two made. Even though the man was a Captain, Leyla felt uneasy about him, and therefore Starlyght would not relax her guard. Her ears almost twitched, however, when the voice of the General rose from behind her. She pivoted gracefully to open herself to him, as well as always keeping one ear and her peripheral vision on the child. She nodded her head to his acknowledgment of her skills, already having gathered that the Captain did not have such respect for her kind as the General had immediately shown.

Starlyght sensed a tension in the words of the two men, an obvious product of the General's authority over Odei. Though Starlyght was only partially watching the two, it was not hard to see Odei's insubordination towards the General. She nodded a brusque farewell to the Captain as he left, "Captain," her attention then turning to the General, who's intentions were becoming clearer to her as the dialogue went on. After the General confirmed the facts Starlyght had already suspected, she nodded once more, "I assumed as much General, I feel it may also be prudent to inform you that Origin excused herself a while ago, but has not returned from what I assumed would be a short excursion. I simply fear for her safety, for I am happy to guard Leyla for as long as Origin is absent." She had added the last part to make perfectly clear that she was not complaining of her duties, but she was trained to inform superiors at any unusual absences, for the safety of all involved.

((Nemes))

At the news of Origin’s disappearance, Nemes looked up to scan bodies and faces around them; the soldiers had been instructed to leave behind their tents, as they would sleep in the special Ahilian skins designed to fight back even the most brutal storms’ cold, snow or rain, only a few tents were available were captains and officers conducted their work. It should not have been hard for Nemes to spot the white-haired woman… but indeed, from where he stood she was no where to be found.

A sense of nervousness rose within… had he been wrong by his choice of accepting origin? He had studied her Aura carefully and did not find deceit nor malice… yet why would she run off at this time of the night in the middle of nowhere?

Nemes did not allow himself to come to the worst conclusions yet; Origin had been cooped up with the little girl for almost five days, most of it alone… he would not be surprised if the woman was ready to cross the Gora mountains alone on foot for a bit of privacy and fresh air. Yet at the same time he could not avoid feeling skeptical.

“I’ll look into it…” he said. “I’ll have to ask you to watch over Leyla in the time being.” He looked down at the child. “And don’t forget. Lessons tomorrow morning, so you better get to sleep, it is late as it is.” He bid them both good night, and walked through the camp, carefully searching… indeed Origin was not there.

Nemes found himself standing in the little circle of familiar face, one of them being Sachieal, now conversing with a pale woman, an officer by rank and one who knew Origin. “Sorry to interrupt…” Nemes said, standing over the pair. “But if I’m not wrong, you, sir, are familiar with a girl called Origin… I’m unable to find her, and I fear she might not even be here in camp. I’ll be asking for your assistance to locate her…”

((OOC: Sorry for the long absence of like a day... Glad you like my icon, Erin. It was fun to make. Didn't know what else to do for them other than stick people. Also sorry for the mistake on time of day, everyone! Didn't mean to be confusing you or being confused myself. And sorry for having Kath come late to the party! Ahhh!))

and

Kath blushed in the darkness as Soraya gently chastised him. Another failure to add to the list... Himself as well as his men remained silent as this was a mission that required such. When his leader said that they would not be using the shadows to ride by, Kath was almost happy for such an opportunity to view the land upon which they rode even clothed in such darkness already. The danger did not feel imminent even as they were on the verge of nearing an enemy camp with a force quite larger than their own. The Captain still breathed easy in the quiet.

Castor moved his hand suddenly, pinky sticking up, whole hand moving side to side. The man with the eye patch grinned sheepishly as he saw his Captain look his way. The 'I-need-to-take-a-piss' hand signal that Kath had developed to continue secrecy on dangerous missions was still rather comical when the whole group of them knew what it meant even if their signals were not shared with any of the other military groups. Cordeau rolled his eyes and shook his head slowly.

A few hand wiggles from Henrick were scolding. 'Why didn't you finish that before you got here? You're such a moron and we are all ashamed of your behavior. You make us all look bad.' Felix stifled a laugh with enormous success as no sound emanated from his throat.

Kath himself took a deep breath and pointed his index finger and dragged it across his neck in the 'You'll have to deal with it quietly' motion... which really meant 'You'll have to hold it or just go in your pants. Sucks to be you, sorry.' Castor rubbed a hand through his hair. It was going to be tough for him... at least until he was able to put his mind on something else.

And so they waited upon Soraya's findings as she scanned the enemy camp.

((Ylva))
She continued on in the forest, making as wide a circle as possible to stay clear of Obsidian's detection. Her fur rippled in the shadows as her master called her, instructing her to be ready to move to him at his signal, he would need her more specialized ability if the Yeidin Umbri moved on the attack.
She quickly came across a dear and chased it down quickly, slaughtering the poor creature within a split second. She feasted, tearing and chewing as skin, bones, and all were devoured in a bloody feeding frenzy. She would need her stewngth if her master was going to allow her to take her true form and possibly battle the other shadow...

((Penther))
He was only keeping a minimal link to Ylva as they traveled in stealth as they rode along. He listened to Soraya's commands to her men, and watched their body language as they traveled. "How any of them survived the last attack is beyond me. Undisciplined, and foolish" the General thought as he brought up the rear of the group, scanning the aura's around them for possible movements. He was now re-analyzing his alliance with the Lieutenant General, wondering if her men might be foolish enough to get them all killed tonight...
He re-checked the pouch tied to his belt, making sure it was still closed. He carried two very specific vials; one for the Umbri whom Ylva had come across, and one for the warlock Baran......

Origin held on crefully to Vasquirii as he carried her down from the tree and placed her gently in the snow, doing his best to wear an indifferent mask on his face, when he truly wanted to take the chance of carting her off to the underdark in her weakned state. But he knew she'd stab him squarely in the eyes given the chance. The female needed to follow of her own volition.

"It was a nice quiet," she said, in her strange sort of thanks, "I'm sure the child misses me though."

Vasquiri helped her along through the snow, since her cane was no longer adequate for transversing the terrain, even though they could both see perfectly well in the absolute dark. He would have flown her the short mile back to camp, but he couldn't risk the bad night vision of lumerians and humans to mistake him for some Umbrovian shadow and shoot them both from the sky.

So they walked, their eyes bare in the dark of the night. Neither looked at one another, keeping their gaze well ahead of them, lest they meet eyes and see deeply into one another's soul, where there were no lies.

A few meters from the first pin pricks of firelight Vasquirii vanished from her side, leaving her to hobble the short distance alone and without any suspicion.

Histlan sensed Odei's return in somewhat of a lesser mood, she did not dwelve far with seeking into it, it was not her place she felt, but was still a touch concerned of what could change the tides in a matter of minutes, she hadn't even finished any sort of lengthy mental review of some literature she'd read up on, near to a month ago, before he returned near the fire and gathered some of his things, and spoke to Ivaylo. Histlan 'watched' without actually pulling the line of her attention away from the ground near the fire. She had seen a little less of Ivaylo during the travel and hadn't spoken to him as much as she had perhaps hoped to, though she did not know exactly what to say to him, so perhaps she had just not walked, rode or sat with him in a comfortable silence as much as she'd hoped to. She'd been toying with the idea of going to sit nearer to him in a social gesture once she'd finished her, now interrupted, thought.

It seemed he was being called upon for something more important now. Four ears and eyes... No, seems she did not fit into that category. Histlan's straight back hunched slightly as she pulled her shoulders up from a cold breeze hitting her the wrong way. She breathed out heavily, deciding she was no longer amused by uselessly sitting around a fire. She stood up a touch stiff from being seated for the length of time and dusted herself off with her hands before standing back up straightly.

Histlan's interest was peaked once more when another man came over to the fire and group that was growig smaller each moment, it seemed. Of what she could sense of him he was quite different than the vast array of people she'd been both interacting with and ignoring over the past days. She couldn't explain quite why he seemed different, but she didn't think on it too much. Her interest lied most prominently at the moment in the fact he seemed to radiate light. He was Lumerian, something she had not been in the presence of for... over a week at least, if not more but either way it felt like much more.

However, he seemed to have business as well, and she did not feel it her place to interrupt but she could not help her sensitive hearing and upon 'Origin' and 'locate her', Histlan stopped in passing and turned her attention more directly to the two of them. It seemed that girl was always getting away from people, everytime she heard and Histlan furrowed her hidden brow. She did not doubt that sooner rather than later, it might not be of any surprise to hear. Histlan did not really mean to interject herself into the conversation that did not belong to her, but she found herself inquiring before she'd thought it over a second time."Miss Origin is missing once more?" Placing the end of her halbert stationary against the ground about an arm's length from her torso, Histlan waited for a response or dismissal with a slightly lower chin.

Sachieal looked up from the girl to see the man looming over the two of them. His name was...Nemes. He was another commander, if Sachieal remembered correctly. But Sachieal had never had a chance to meet the man. It came off a little brash, the way he asked for Sachieal's assistance without, well, asking. Sachieal raised an eyebrow and slowly raised his limber form to face the man more directly.

Sachieal narrowed his eyes at the man and then turned back to Vanity. "If you have no room for the night, you may have my tent, Pestilence will be near it. He won't bother you at all." He smiled at her, but his eyes showed a hint of annoyance. "I might be back later, be on guard. You never know what males are capable of if you're not on guard!" He laughed a sly laugh and his eyes lightened considerably.

Sachieal turned back to Nemes, looking at him with a look of light annoyance. "Let us go find the girl. Where do we suspect she is?"

[I leave this open to all sorts of mayhem... SO don't find her just yet eh?]

origin slipped into the carriage unnoticed and settled in among the blankets, burrowing down into them and closing her eyes, for the first silent, peaceful sleep she'd gotten in a few days.

Starlyght nodded to the General, smiling towards Leyla in a way that seemed almost too kind for the cold eyes to be capable of. Even though her exterior was that of a hardened soldier, Starlyght's heart was not as cold as her blood. The girl was important for her role as the Auran, but she was also just so cute, for a human.... As the General departed, Star winked at Silver, and the little fox yipped happily, rubbing his face against the girl's leg. "What do you say little one, shall we get back to the carriage and to sleep?" Her left hand held her staff firmly, while her right drifted down to the little one's back and started to gently guide her towards the warmth of the carriage.

Starlyght had slept within the past seven days, and so she had no need for rest, especially in the cold temperatures. She would instead simply sit with the girl as she fell asleep, and likely sit in the opening to the carriage, in order to watch both Leyla and the happenings around. In this way she would not be caught unawares. Silver would likely be most comfortable curling up with the little one, since the young fox was a mammal of warm-blood, even if he was unusual in his anatomy. Starlyght did hope that Miss Origin was found, or at least not in danger....

((I don't know if its the same carriage as Origin is in or not, but Star won't be going into it, so she won't find Origin, no worries...))

Practically absentminded, Vanity automatically straightened up, on her knees now, once again in her perfect state of posture. She blinked once to herself: She hadn't felt this inattentive since the death of her brother. Odd... Her mind slowly began to return to waking reality when Sachieal spoke to her, and even more so when Nemes approached. Though both the men's words were clear, Vanity practically missed them. She had to give her head a small shake to clear it up again, and even then she blinked twice in a rapid motion up to Sachieal as he laughed, a tad confused at first. By the time the meaning of his "joke" sank in, she'd already lost the reply she had prepared to give him. Something... along the lines of "wouldn't dare"...? She furrowed her brows and narrowed one eye, a bit puzzled on how she couldn't remember.

She'd keep this simple, she decided. Rising to her feet—and feeling considerably small next to these two in the process—she gave a small toss of her head to remove some of her hair from her face and smiled lightly up at Sachieal. "Thank you again, sir," she said with a slight bow, tightening Mathias's furs around her as a small chill settled into her clothes. She frowned inwardly at herself as she remembered she still had to repay him, somehow.

"Well, you two," she said, a bit cheerily as she took a few steps off, and gave a small wave, "I'll see you at dawn. Good luck finding your Origin as well." Vanity turned and took another step, but stopped, and turned back around again with a concerned expression... more like worry. "Let me know... if you find her," she added with a pause, the thought of a missing comrade sending a slight shiver up her spine.

(( Heh, no worries Kath, things are still moving along fine! Erin, sorry for that, I understood u wanted Sachieal to bumb into vasquiri, but now you’re back :p
Psssssst! Kovak! It’s WINTER… I doubt you’d find much grass :p but merh. Strange world- strange plants, lets say? hehe))

((Nemes))

Nemes nodded politely to the girl, and returned her smile before looking up at the Officer. He did not miss the look of annoyance on the Officer’s face, miffed at the interruption? Just where did he think they were - at a coffee shop? Yet he was not surprised; Nemes was General, and leader of the regiment, and when not here, his title meant far more than just ‘General’. He expected the men not to question his authority or commands… but then was it not Odei who took the liberty of removing his own officers, replacing them with random newcomers? Sachieal was such an example, and Nemes did not find it surprising that the man would share something in common with the Surdan.

He would make nothing of it; Nemes had bigger issues to tend to. “I’ll search between the carriages and the families; if she is not there I’ll go on to search the woods… I’ll need you to bring the matter to the attention of the other officers so the search would be easier… if possible without raising an alarm, please, as its possible the girl is between us and not lost… I am just unable to locate her.” Nemes looked about again, rather hoping he would get a glimpse of white hair and end his anxiety… but she was not there.

The voice of Histlan caught his attention, and as he turned to face her, another face he was not too fond of jumped in between. “I’ll help you, sir, it’s too early for me to sleep anyway!” Hurst offered his Officer, Sachieal. It was to Nemes’s surprise that the man was actually sober, for a change. “Histlan and I ’ll help you look.”

((Soraya))

Catching a glimpse of the men behind her immersed in a voiceless conversation made of hand signals, Soraya smirked amusedly, her men were tall, muscular, war-scarred bulks of … children. She was aware of the little comical bubble these men lived in, but did not discourage it… she had fought alongside them for more than three years now, and they still came out of every battle in one piece… more or less… while those more serious and freighting than they were no longer among them today. Soraya came to terms that there were no rules left to what made one man a great warrior, and another a failure, especially not in their time: Whatever worked for them and kept them alive and true, was alright, as long as it did not confuse other soldiers not part of their close-knit circle, she did not mind.

A glimpse of the lines of Hivaro’s face appearing to have magically tripled in number, along with a darkening gleam in Penthar’s angry glare suggested that the two did not agree and were growing annoyed… Soraya sighed and turned to the men with hopes of easing the fury of the two leaders, just in time to see Kath sobering up his men. Trustworthy Katharysis.

After a short distance the twinkle of camp fires were visible between the black silhouettes of the trees. Using her own sign language, Soraya gave the signal to dismount the horses – they would continue on foot. The edged along the black trees, getting closer to the camp. Soraya stopped again, crouching low, holding up the foreign object, Kopiesk, a telescope of sorts that would not be found in Galdrenan so easily. “Since we can’t use the shadows for a closer look… we’ll just have to use the light!” She whispered to no one in particular. She partially covered one end of it with her gloved palm, presenting the crystal’s gleam from escaping and attracting attention as she adjusted the dials until a well-focused image was visible across the lens facing her. The crystal orb within was magical, and of lumerian origins… with it she could distinctly pick out the lumerians in the distance, their figures lined with light, it’s magnifying strength so great she could even see the details of their faces. “They are so many…” she breathed, taking a further look before bringing the Kopiesk down to her lap to readjust it. “… I thought Vasilios’s army was well known for the equal amounts of both lumerians and umbrovians under one command… it does not seem to be the case here…”

She looked up, noticing once again the general’s attentiveness to the bulk within his pouch. “What have you got there…?” she asked curiously, but not before turning and taking Kath by the scarf, forcefully pulling him over to her so abruptly the man almost fell flat down on his face in the snow. “Take off your armor… anything Sudao looking…” she said, her fingers pulling off a gauntlet. Her other hand retrieved some cloth from her pouch, placing it between her teeth as she continued to undo Kath’s Sudao armor, her attention once again on Penthar, and his fat pouch. “Noth another hundri, eh?” She mumbled, cloth between her teeth.

((Penthar))

Penthar looked up at his 'commander' after checking to make sure all was secure. " A contingency plan, my lady. In case we run into that Umbri " he said softly.' Also a little something for that sympathizer Baran' he thought to himself. She need not worry, what he had in his pouch would insure they would take him alive if at all possible.
He watched as his leader pulled her captain to her, muttering as she began helping him remove his armor. He nodded, and surmised what she was up to. A sound plan, providing her captain was convincing enough. The General had never seen the Captain in action, so he reserved judgment for the outcome of this little exercise...

Soraya grinned devilishly at Penthar, more than excited to see what his plan; their ancient Surdan magic was a powerful one, with vast possibilities and many hidden secrets. After centuries of wars and the heavy assault of the Lumerians, much of its history and ways have been lost. What very little written knowledge still existed was kept well hidden and protected by the Surdan high lords. Soraya had been well taught, but there was always something new to learn, and perhaps what Penthar had in his pouch was something she’d never seen before.

Having removed all traces of Sudao armor there was nothing left that could pass the Captain as one of the Sudao. Soraya unfolded the cloth, revealing it to be more than one; a sash of Yeidin colors, and a thinner one for the arm sporting the mark. She handed them to the Captain. “Put these on… I want to find out who or what are in those carriages; they’re too big to simply be supplies, neither Penthar, Hivaro nor I can get near; the Surdan will sense us. The rest of us will head tow…”

She stopped in mid-sentence, feeling the shift in the darkness of shadows nearby. Soraya had no time to shout a warning before the blackness behind the Sudao band burst forth as Obsidian came through. The massive black bulk of the Umbri was a twisted, shifting shape of a horse sporting far too many limbs, his neck stretched out far, his head as if split in half as his jaws widened gruesomely, trailing both froth and the darkness along, flashing eyes like pearls set in a black sea fixed on the intruder closest to him, Castor.

Obsidian would finally feed on human flesh tonight, and the Shadow screeched with delight, the ear-piercing sound so loud, it echoed through the woods, and would without doubt reach the boarders of the Yedin camp, and definitely his master’s ears.

((sorry, didn’t feel like waiting anymore >83 ))

Vasquiri paced te outskirts of camp, his mind rushing with thought. Why couldn't he just cart her unconcious self off into the mountains?

Because the pass into the underdark was a good four days away, and she'd surely wake during that time. He couldn't very well drug her either. He was no apothcary, and the last time he'd made a sleeping potion, the woman didn't reawaken. It wasn't a chance he was willing to take.

The wind tousled his white hair as his glowing eyes scanned the sky. Olorafien was out there somewhere, keeping watch over the camp. They were far too close to her homeland to allow any slip ups. Just one Lunalisett* and their entire operation, and that of the Prince's could go down the foxhole.

[[Lunalisett- Origin's original people, the lumerian portion of Elisett culture.]]

A jerk sent Kath tumbling into his commanding officer's hands as she began to tug off his armor. His feet slipped all over the snow even as he tried to remain balanced. His face was as deep red as was possible, quite tomato actually. He had figured that a nice dinner and some nice gifts would come first... and perhaps with not so many people around. His wide eyes surveyed the scene that he was a part of, his men stifling their surprised chuckles as they realized what their sometimes naive and over-analytical captain was probably thinking. It was only when Soraya pulled out the Yeidin cloth did he realize what was going on.

It was tied about his arm as everything Sudao marked was removed. It felt strange to be free of all insignias and then clamped with one from the very people he despised. "Understood, ma'am." he whispered back before the night was interrupted by the trumpet of a beast unlike any other. Its legs too many, its face was a chasm of darkness, its very noise liable to wake up anything nearby, including the Yeidin forces.



Cordeau grabbed Kath up by the collar and pushed him in the direction of the carriages. "Don't fail us, Cap'n. Go." Kath wobbled and started moving quickly towards the carriages as his men unsheathed their weapons to block the monstrosity of an Umbri.

Castor saw the thing gaze upon him. Such strength and power in such a dark gaze. It was hungry, even his one eye could see that. He was a short man, but packed full of muscle and hefting a large two handed axe that had been known to cleave men in two when the rage took him. He breathed in deeply and issued a battlecry even before Cordeau could stop his mad rush. Deep dark beard dampened by spittle, Castor rushed towards the beast, axe upraised. It was a mad dash and most likely to his death, but, other than still having to desperately piss, he was going to cover his captain's mission with his life. Kath was the cement that glued them together, the gentle spirit that reminded them of brothers and nephews or even sons, the jovial bard who would ease their nightmares during their darkest days. Protector, comrade, brother. For this to succeed, Castor saw only one way out. Kill that damnable screeching thing!

((OOC: Let me know if I need to change something. ^_^"))

((Penthar))
He had sensed it as quickly as Soraya, and called to Ylva as he reached into his pouch, pulling out two capped metal vials as he pushed his commander and her aside aside as he moved toward the Umbri. His Sudao armor now pulsed as he strengthened it with his own magic. Within an instant Ylva was at his side, emerging from a nearby shadow.The General opened one vial, marking her forehead with his hand and chanting an ancient spell before capping it and throwing his arms around her neck...

((Ylva))
Her time had come. As her master allowed her power to be released, she grew, her form taking on something of a werewolf, only much sinister, and much larger, growing to over eight feet in height with fangs as long as Penthar's own forearm protruding from the now over sized maw as her eyes flashed in the darkness.
Her master clung to her like a rider in a race as she charged the Umbri Obsidian, running on her hind legs only as she clawed and snapped. Foam lined her snarling mouth as she growled, her first taste of combat against another of her kind...