Fantasy Hunter's Moon [IC] [CLOSED]

[Emperor Sagan]

With Theodore in good enough health, Aleister sauntered around the side of the carriage again and heard the others talking about Wesley. The boy was no where to be seen yet. It seemed like he was in the hands of Cassandra, and not werewolf chow after all. Though it was difficult to say what was worse. A madwoman like that pureblood vampire was not someone one wanted to be stuck with involuntarily. She seemed the playful sort, and that often made matters entirely more dangerous.

"I do hope the boy is safe when we find him, but we shouldn't dally lest he become the evening entertainment or meal for Cassandra and her cronies," Aleister remarked. That, or the boy is already long dead by now, he added in thought. He wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Wesley had already been killed, but he didn't see point in voicing it.

He noticed Jakob climb into the carriage, and Aleister stepped up into the small doorway behind the man as he laid down on one of the seats.

"Ready for your rest, constable? You'll be out instantly. Just start counting sheep and you'll be waking up again by the time you reach three."

The vampire stepped into the carriage and placed one hand over Jakob's forehead like he was checking the man's temperature. His other hand was resting on his shoulder, and after a moment, a warm sensation began to spread around his head and work its way down his body. Like he had been drenched in cold rain and finally sat down with a blanket beside a roaring fireplace. By the time the heated sensation had reached his chest, he was already fully asleep. He would probably be out for a few hours, but when he wakes up again, he'd have no more pain or discomfort.

Aleister stepped back out of the carriage. "The constable is resting now."

 

[joshuadim]

Ethraeil quietly nodded in response to Valeria. "The soul led us to these swamps. But apart from that, it had nothing else to offer. Porthcrawl is nearby, perhaps that is a good place to start looking." Ethraeil spoke.

 

[The_Rifleman]

Sergey was glad she offered a ride on the horse, it'll make everything a lot quicker instead of having to walk back. He hopped up with her giving a helping hand, and then got himself stable and comfortable as they rode of into the marsh. Sergey kept his eyes weary, looking around to try and be ready in case of any ambush but he felt a bit awkward riding with this woman he just met in complete silence. He couldn't help but speak up,

"Soo... what a group you guys have assembled. Feels like a lot of...tension if you don't mind me saying. Then again most inquisitions are. What's going on the with the Duke and Wallace? That was quite the bomb the senior inquisitor dropped back there. World takeover by purebloods? Sorry for sounding skeptical."

 

[Infab]

Valeria nodded in Ethraeil's direction. "That confirms it, then. We're heading to Porthcrawl." As she hopped onto her horse, she drew out her map from beneath her mud spattered cloak. After a moment, she finally spoke. "Islesbury is nearby. We can go there and purchase some boats." she said, before looking up to the others. "I must warn you all though. There has been an ironclad in the area of Porthcrawl. The ANV Morning Star. We should assume that it is aligned with Wallace and the Duke, so we should avoid it at all costs." She rolled the map back up, slipping it back beneath her coat.

--------

As Rosanna and Sergey rode through the swamp towards where he had left his horse and gear, she explained what she could. "Well, it turns out that Duke Ashwood is a pureblood. You know, those real powerful bloodsuckers. Colonel Wallace, Stonewall Wallace from the war ten years ago, is aligned with him as are Wallace's men. Apparently all his men are werewolves. Anyway, the Duke has this ring, ya see, and he's been convertin' vamps into purebloods like him. There's a former inquisitor workin' for him named Cassandra Bainbridge, who's a vamp, that he turned into a pureblood."

"Well, the Duke wants to take out the governments of the nations of the world, and replace 'em with purebloods and such. Basically make it so the world is ruled by bloodsuckers. Imagine how that'd go? As for the inquiry group, we just...don't see eye to eye on a lot of stuff. Mariette was a normal vamp but used Cassandra to get to the Duke, who made her a pureblood. She then turned around and rejoined us afterwards. That left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths..."

--------

Jakob found himself standing in the center of a dense pine forest, much like one would find in the highlands of northern Atraca. It was quiet. Far too quiet. One would expect birds to be chirping or other animals scurrying about, but there were none. Just the sounds of wood being split. Jakob began to look for the source, wandering through the trees towards the sound's origin.

"Hey there, Jake." said a voice, when he finally arrived.

There stood a man, chopping wood in a vast clearing in the forest. Nearby, a log cabin with a large field of crops just behind it. The man, bald with a large beard that stretched halfway down his chest, glanced up to Jakob as he stopped. He was shirtless, revealing large, ancient looking blue tattoos as well as a heavily muscular figure. His pants were made of a dark leather, adorned with bits of fur here and there. Nearby on a rock seemed to be the rest of his clothes, also leather and fur with a little armor plating. As well as a massive battle-axe which dwarfed the simple wood splitting axe in his hands. The man grinned at Jakob.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob stood there, staring at the stranger. Unaware of the man's nature. "D...Do I know you? How do you know my na--" he managed to get out before connecting the dots in his mind. The man's impossing yet humble appearance, the vast fields of crops behind his little modest cottage, the giant war axe, the big grin on the man's face. Jakob was almost brought to his knees as he stared upon Thiasis himself. The Divine of the commoners. Commoners like Jakob. "I...it's you...its...really you, isn't it?" he asked, dumbfounded. "I must be dreaming...this can't be..." Jakob was used to having strange dreams, usually centered around his life as a constable or his old days as a gallant student of law, but he never dreamed of the God he followed the most.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille went over and inspected her horse, noting the scratches to its hide though it did not seem to be terribly incapacitated by the scrap it endured with the werewolves. They appeared to have just tackled the beast and tried to move in on her, which meant that while her steed was injured it could still take her where it needed to be. The huntress got on her saddle rather wordlessly, looking at Jakob and Mariette finish their conversation as he was pushed into the cart to rest.

"An ironclad? Mmnh, never thought I would have the possibility of dying in a bombardment from a seafaring vessel." she said as Valeria explained their situation, chuckling to herself. "Avoiding it is certainly our best chance, though something tells me it won't be easy. Nothing ever is. We don't have any time to waste, and the sooner we get out of this terrible corpse-filled mire the better."

 

[The_Rifleman]

Sergey couldn't quite believe what he was hearing as Rosanna spoke, and with every word he was starting to rethink joining this group even though it's exactly what he asked for. He quickly pushed those cowardly thoughts away, no time to second guess himself. When she was finished catching him up, he was still confused on a couple points. "I've heard of the Colonel from back in the war. He was vicious then and awful to hear he's somehow gotten worse, especially becoming a wolf. Gotta admit I would not have seen that coming. I fought back in the day but only in the rear, mostly aid stations and the like. Got lucky I suppose..." He stopped and thought for a second. "So that other lady, not the one I came with but the one that had the dispute with the priest, she is a pureblood? Unnerving to know she betrayed you all once, I would not trust her. I'll be sure to keep my wits whenever I am near her." Then another thought hit him.

"If the Duke and Wallace have all this support, and even that of purebloods which I would never want to fight alone or even in a group without support and trickery, why are all of you facing them alone? I understand there are two vampires, the lich and of course...you, all very powerful but surely the Duke has to have something more up his sleeve. Magical artifacts, an army, popular support. Pardon the pun, but where is the cavalry support? Church reinforcement or something? Going into the port alone is a suicide mission."

 

[Radley]

Erwin was relieved that the group had brought his horse along, as well as his saddlebags and their contents. He unhitched Boy from the back of the carriage and pattet him gently, before checking the contents of the bags. His cutlass, pistol, knife and rifle were all there to his surprise. His coat, however, was muddied and torn. He removed the contents into one of the bags before stuffing his jacket down there as well.

Doning his hat, baldric and bandoliers, he jumped into the saddle and pulled the reins to steer the robust steed to where Theodore was.

"I'm guessing you owe me a pair of silver notes." He said in a cold tone, as he had overheard the scholar talking about Wesleys disappearance in the hands of Cassandra.

 

[Infab]

Rosanna shifted a bit in the saddle as they rode. "...I honestly still trust Mariette. She coulda done a lot of other things to us. And she seems to be a pretty emotional...heart-on-her-sleeve kinda woman. If she wanted to kill us...she woulda done it." said Rosanna, glancing back to Sergey. "And the inquisitor trusts her, as does Jake. I trust 'em both, so I trust her."

Eventually, they arrived at Sergey's horse. She let him climb off before continuing. "As for help...the inquisitor said that the Church and the Order is too busy dealin' with an uprising of werebeasts over in Daristein's highlands. We're all we got...so try to be friendly, partner." she said, giving him a smile.

-------

Valeria looked to Camille. "Once Sergey and Rosanna get back, we'll head towards Islesbury." she said, before gently brushing mud and muck off her cloak with her hand. Disgusting, really. But a swamp is full of the stuff. They'd have to just bear through it and wash off when they got the time. Portcrawl may be a similar story, however, if the rumors of undead were to prove true.

-------

"Yeah, its me. And yes, it is a dream. Still, we have things to talk about before I let you wake up." said the bald man, as he reached over to where his clothes were and retrieved a rag. He wiped the sweat from his head before continuing. "Now...I'm going to explain a few things to you. Sit." he said, motioning to another rock nearby. Jakob slowly walked over and sat down, still dumbfounded that he was talking to his patron god. Once he was settled, the man set his axe down and folded his arms. "...I know you were bit. Several times, actually. And your vampire friend Aleister tried to heal you. The problem is...it didn't help. You are going to turn into a werewolf soon enough, and there is nothing you or anyone else can do to change that."

Thiasis paused for a moment to let what he said sink in. "What you can do...is learn to accept it, and control it. You can control your affliction, just like I control mine." he continued, before tossing the sweat rag back over where his clothes were. "I have a sort of 'mutation' of the disease that werebeasts get. Its less common now than it used to be...but it still appears from time to time. But it works just like what you have. And that means I can control it, and not become some sort of rabid animal."

 

[Breadman]

"I'll pay you when I see the body." Theodore replied to Erwin "This inquiry has already yielded plenty of unexpected turns, so I'm not entirely convinced his fate is as grim as it would be expected."

"And I'm not really sure that we will avoid that Ironclad entirely given half our member's...expertise."

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Jakob looked at the ground when Thiasis told him about his curse. His entire life was changed, and the worst thing was that he wasn't sure he could even control it. "I...uh...you make it sound...easy, sir." he said, removing his constable hat and setting it on the rock next to him. "...back in the war, I saw many of my own men succumbing to...this...turning into animals. I'm just...I'm scared of turning and becoming a monster." For a moment, Jakob was quiet, till he looked to Thiasis with a rather angry expression. "W-Why me, anyways? I'm just...I'm just a constable. I got pulled into this by the inquisitor, and now...look at me....What will I tell Cecl and Lucy?" he asked, with a bit of sadness to the tone of his voice.

 

[Infab]

"...You tell your wife and your child the truth. That's all you can do, my friend." said Thiasis, with a softer tone to his voice. "...as for why you of all people...only Adona knows. I think fate is his sort of thing." There was a moment of silence, before Thiasis spoke again. "You are more than able to control this, though. I have seen scrawny children able to control becoming a werebeast. You can do it. I know you can."

He then stepped over and grabbed a shirt from the pile of clothes. He slipped it on, before turning back to Jakob. "Focus and anger. Those are the two things you need to understand when shifting and controlling yourself. Anger is used to shift into your werebeast form. It drives the change, and drives your werebeast form. Along with hunger, but we will get to that. In order to change, you must focus on something that truly enrages you. However, blinding rage is dangerous. It will drive you insane. Understand?" He paused to make sure Jakob was following. "Then, once you have changed forms, you must shift that focus to maintaining control. You are you. You are not a wild animal. You are Jakob, and you are not a wild dog. If you remember who you are, you maintain control."

"To shift back, you must think peaceful thoughts. Focusing on flowers, a stream of water in a forest, anything calming. Peaceful memories work too, as do loved ones." he explained, before turning and stepping over to the pile of wood he had chopped. He began to stack the wood, glancing back to Jakob. "Now, hunger is a powerful thing too. Make sure that you stay well fed. Starvation can force you to shift, and it is not fun...do you have any questions?"

 

[KRIY]

Wesley looked at Cassandra with his shocked and open eyes when she pulled away and informed him of their departure for tomorrow.

"U-uh.. Oh. yeah, Um.. Good night then, Cassandra."

Once Cassandra left Wesley by himself. he traced his lips with his fingers. analyzing of what he experienced was real or just a fluke. it took him about a full minute that it was all true.

Cassandra kissed him.

He didn't expect that the turn out of defusing her crazed tirade about her hate for the Order would end up making her kiss him so unexpectedly. one moment she was holding her cheeks to focus at him and the next was a mix of confusion and bliss. her breath smelled like strawberries for some odd reason. He immediately shook his head when he realized what he was going at.

"Ughh.. Get a hold of yourself.. "

He laid down onto his hay stack bed and placed his head onto his laid out hands. he looked directly to the barn's ceiling. analyzing every nook and cranny there is. He then thought up his expriences of the past few weeks.

"Raided a mansion. got chased down by a crazy inquisitor-turned pureblood then got turned into a vampire by said pureblood and also got kissed by the same pureblood. eh... thats one track record that I think I can't be proud of.."

With that. He closed his eyes and felt some. wearyness take over him. although. his mind was on one thing.

"...I wonder what the Inquiry's doing right now."

 

[The_Rifleman]

Sergey eyed Rosanna curiously as she defended the pureblood, speaking to her restraint to kill them already, as she would have done it already if she wanted to. Sergey almost responded that if she is opportunistic, it'll only take something like more power and the inquisition to stand in the way before she makes that decision, but he just stayed quiet. He's still a stranger after all and no need to ruffle feathers. They soon arrived at his horse, exactly where he left him. The horse was slowly eating some grass nearby the tree and looked up as Sergey jumped off Rosanna's horse and walked up to him, petting his mane and calming him down.

"I'm back, I'm back don't worry. I won't leave you that long again it was out of necessity. You enjoyed a small snack didn't you? Good boy." He continued to pet the horse and then looked at his pack, making sure his surplus ammo, clothes, food and miscellaneous supplies were still there. Everything was untouched to his satisfaction. He looked at Rosanna, "Luckily nobody came by to steal anything. I'd be pretty mad if this was the only outfit I had." He mounted his horse and adjusted the saddle and his holsters to sit more comfortably. He wasn't a natural horse rider and took a second to get hold of his horse properly. He listened to Rosanna explain why they inquiry was all what stood up against the Duke. He didn't like those odds.

"I don't like those odds, but you're right. It's all we've got and we got to make the best of it. I intend to be friendly, and helpful for that matter. Sorry if I came across as anything else, especially rude. Just wanted to know what the situation was. Lots suddenly happening is all. Thank you for accompanying me and I'll follow you back to camp," He replied returning her smile.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

It was strange how the constable's life had changed in such a little amount of time. From being a small time constable in Redgorge, to fighting a vampiric menace, and now cursed by werewolves. But after those few minutes of silence between him and the diety, Jakob accepted his fate. "I'm ready to listen, Thiasis...Thank you..." Then, Jakob would pay close attention to everything that Thiasis told him to do. And once the diety was done explaining, Jakob thought for a few moments on what to ask. But now knowing what to do with his newly acquired curse, he simply nodded instead. "No sir, this...actually helps a bit, knowing I at least have advice from my patron God...but can you do me a favor?" he asked, with a grin on his face. "Tell Adona to go fuck himself. I'm getting tired of the fate he's given me." he said, jokingly.

 

[Infab]

Cassandra moved back over to where she had been sitting before, picking up her book and returning to her reading. Occasionally, she'd glance up from it, checking on Wesley as he gazed up at the ceiling. A warm smile never leaving her face. I have a second chance! I never thought it'd come again, but it did!

-------

Rosanna nodded, before motioning for Sergey to follow as she turned Rayham around. "So you were a medic back in the war? Tsavanian, right? Any bad feelings about bein' on the shit end of the stick at the end? I wasn't in the war, so all I know is the Church came in and settled things...and Tsavania lost the rest of the highlands." she said, as she flicked the reins to get Rayham moving.

-------

Thiasis chuckled. "Personally...I don't think he decides fate. He just...sees things coming, and works with what he's given. You could have died in the swamp...but you didn't. You fought off seventeen werebeasts and came out alive. That was the fate given to you." he said, as he finished stacking the wood up so that it would be easier to carry. "I asked him about my fate a few times...every time, he refused to tell me. Honestly...I'm glad. I like the surprises." He then reached down and picked up the stack with both hands. "Now...I'm going to let you go, and let you dream about other things. Remember what I told you, alright? You do fine."

 

[The_Rifleman]

Sergey held on as his horse followed Rosanna's, keeping close. "I was a medic indeed, but my story goes farther back than that," He replied. "I was born in a small valley village, called Krasnodar. Unfortunately when I grew up it was frequently attacked by beasts, of all sort. One of those attacks was so bad, the army had to be called in to defend the village but they arrived too late. Most of it had to be razed to the ground. I lost all of my family, and I was deemed an orphan. I was lucky enough to be of age where the army just adopted me under their wing." He took a moment to sigh. "I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for those soldiers. It was seeing them saving lives that convinced me to be a medic, to help and save the same way they did. So in years followed the war broke out and my unit, the 65th Auxiliary, was both a scout unit and back up reinforcement. I worked alongside all sorts of beasts, and helped all soldiers all over the front. I did my best, obviously I lost men as well." He sighed again.

"That's the thing about the war. You ask me if I have any bad feelings about it, and I can't see how anyone can't feel bad about what happened. No real winners if you ask me. Then again I don't harbor the same allegiance or loyalty to my country as other proud Tsavanians. My allegiance is to the practice of medicine and saving lives. War kills and that's enough for me to hate it regardless of sides. You won't get the same response if you ask any other Tsavanian." He finished with a chuckle. As they move along he continues to recount memories of days long gone, feelings of nostalgia and loss stirring inside him.

"Those highlands won't stay Atracan for long. Tsavania is too proud of a nation to admit defeat, or to never reclaim what's theirs and even more. It's been like that long before us, and it'll be like that long after us," He continued as the green swamp passed them by, their horses slowly galloping through wet mud. "I've dabbled in anatomical research before as well. Autopsies, strength and health enhancement for battle, pain relief, you name it. Like I said I've got some that work with me if we ever need it, but that's a story for another day. As for how I made it to Grimtham, simply took a boat. I left Tsavania awhile ago, searching for something more...meaningful. The army life is behind me now," He finished, letting the noisy swamp fill the void.

 

[Radley]

Erwin narrowed his eyes at Theodore, "Fair enough" he said in capitulation. "I suppose he could still be alive, but given his captor I do not have high hopes for him."

He the steadied himself in the saddle as the group began moving out before he turned to Theodore again, "But this whole ordeal seems to be getting out of hand. Not a moment ago we were nearly cut down by werebeasts and already we're moving onto the next insane situation." he remarked witha mixture of vexation and concern. "Now I've never seen an Ironclad myself, but from what I've heard and read we'll have our work cut out for us. Especially, since said machination of war is moored outside a fortress port that is quarantined on the grounds of a undead plague."
Erwin paused for a bit, as if to recollect in his mind what he had just said. He let out a sigh. "The church better have some handsome pay for us once we come out of this." he muttered.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

"Thank you, Thiasis...and please, bless my turnips next season." Jakob said, with his usual gregarious tone. Despite the meeting between himself and the diety, Jakob was sleeping like a log. Snoring and occasionally murmuring to himself. While he certainly was going to have an enjoyable night, his carriage companion certainly wasn't.

 

[Infab]

Eventually, the pair of Rosanna and Sergey returned to the inquiry group, and its members set off through the murky swamp in the direction of Islesbury to the south-southwest. They would be traveling primarily at night, to use whatever they had left of the night to move and use the next night to make their way across the bay to Porthcrawl. Thus, they would be spending the day just outside of Islesbury in camp.

The village itself was rather small, really. Maybe three buildings (a tavern, a boat repair hut, and a fish market) stood in the village, while small huts were scattered about which were used as residences. The group made their camp a few hundred yards outside of the village, and a handful of the group made their way into the camp to purchase boats. Two large rowboats were acquired, using some of the money that Mariette had brought along with her in one of her suitcases, and the group spent the rest of the day preparing for the journey to come across the bay. Weapons and clothes were cleaned and dried, those that were injured healed up as best they could, and soon darkness was again upon the group.

"Alright, we'll divide up between the boats. I'll be in the front boat, and I'll guide us to Porthcrawl. Put ammunition and gear in the center of the boats. Space it out so we don't flip over." said Valeria, as the boats were shoved into the cool salty waters of the bay to be prepared. As the equipment was loaded into the boats, and the passengers of each were assigned, she continued. "If you see the ironclad...and trust me, you'll know it when you see it...stop rowing and get low in your boat. Smaller targets for the spotters to pick out. There may also be a patrol boat or two out in the bay. If one gets near, we take it out quietly. Blades, hatchets, throwing knives...you know what I mean. If the ironclad spots us...pray it doesn't open fire on us. Ethraeil, when you get in your boat, do the pile of bones trick again. You can reform when we reach Porthcrawl. Your blue flames may give us away."

Eventually, everyone was sorted out. Valeria, Erwin, Mariette, Ethraeil, and Jakob would load into the first boat. Rosanna, Camille, Aleister, Theodore, Galina, and Sergey would load into the second one. Valeria checked her pocket watch as some prepared to climb into their assigned boats. About an hour after dark. They had all night to reach the island fortress city. She flipped the pocket watch closed and tucked it away before nodding to the others. "Let's go." she said, and the boats were pushed off into the dark waves.

 

[Viper Actual]

The journey to Islebury was relatively boring and uneventful. Galina pondered some more about Wesley's wereabouts but later chose to think of other matters. If he was still alive they'd find him eventually.
Once the party reached the village Galina went to the tavern to find some information. She didn't get much out of the innkeeper aside from silly rumors regarding the plague.

After eating a warm meal and having her clothes washed and dried Galina rendevouzed with the others. She seated herself at the center of the boat.

Galina eyed the dark water with a frown. "Let's hope this doesn't take too long. I'm not overly fond of the thought of swimming here."
She looked up to Sergey and leaned in from her seat to shake his hand. "I don't believe we've been introduced. Galina Kholdova. You are...?"

 

[Emperor Sagan]

When the time came for them to load into the boats, Aleister had cleaned himself up from their encounter in the swamp. His priestly robes had been carefully brushed, scrubbed, and washed to their typical regal appearance. He had stopped at the tavern with permission to bathe, but spent no more time there than necessary. The place was an utter dump and he didn't enjoy sharing his bath with the rats which scampered past in the washroom.

He wasn't particularly fond of loading into the small boats to sail across to the off-limits city, especially not when there was the risk of dealing with some naval behemoth. He had spent a lot of time in port cities and he was well acquainted with the naval ships that loitered in the waters there, along with the sailors which fluttered into the taverns and other night time establishments. These ironclads were becoming much more common it seemed, and he had already seen a couple before. They were not ships he would have wanted to go up against. Once more he wasn't particularly fearful for his life, but his clothes, hair, and skin would undoubtedly be brought low if he took a tumble into these unpleasant waters.

He settled down near the back side of the boat on the rear bench. It reminded him of a few other similar small boat journeys in his past, including working with some smugglers in Escaria. Except back then all the worry was about dealing with constables, not a military warship, and they were only crossing a small river and canal.

"Had I known before the inquiry that we would be setting sail, I would have packed a most adorable uniform and beret. I don't even have a boating jacket or straw boater cap," he lamented. "I dare say you all would look much nicer in little blue ribboned berets and ivory jackets."

 

[Dmaster]

Camille had similar resentment to the conditions of the puny settlement, her bath equally as unpleasant as Aleister's had been. After that bothersome experience she made it a point to clean off her clothing as well, though she wore her spare outfit as the original spent the day drying. It was stylistically the same as what it had always been, though the brown leather and fabrics had been changed out to a more appropriate black in some parts. Otherwise the differences between what she had been wearing and what she was wearing now were incredibly sparse. The rest of the day was spent sharpening her weaponry and having the meager meals her own coin was able to purchase here. It was fortunate that the woman was able to suffer in silence when it came to food and board, unlike her opinions on the creatures of the night she was far less vocal about such transgressions.

The Escarian huntress sat near the front of the boat, her back turned to their destination and looking among the rest of the passengers. Her posture displayed that she would be more than ready to swivel to see what they were up against at a moment's notice, but it appeared that they would have to simply duck and pray for the best if any prying eyes laid themselves on this vessel this far out. The idea of assaulting a scout ship quietly was enticing to her, as if they could manage such a feat and take the boat for themselves they'd have a way in to the ironclad. While it was incredibly dark out, Camille's expression was one of intense pondering, trying to figure out their options and how these events would play out.

Yet she was not one to be dead silent during this, rolling her eyes at Aleister before piping up with a whispering tone. "A dreadful shame it is far too dark for anybody to see such a thing." she says sarcastically. "Though if we are caught they may honor our corpses with such finery, non?"

 

[The_Rifleman]

As the party moved towards Islebury, Sergey stayed quiet and followed near the rear of the group. Everyone seemed exhausted from their encounter before and some peace and quiet was welcome. He took the time to study his new group mates and size them up. They all seemed capable in their own way, regardless of their chosen arsenal. His fears were calmed the more he studied them. With time, they arrived in the small village, small being an overstatement. It was an over-sized camping site, if that. Still, he's stayed in worse places. He made camp next to the others and prepared his equipment for the task ahead. He changed his outfit into something much darker for the night raid and packed on a layer underneath. Traveling across water can get very cold and wet, a dangerous combination.

As he cleaned his guns and counted his bullets, he couldn't help but feel a bit of a rush. This will be the first time he's part of something more dangerous, and bigger than himself since the war. Since leaving his home of Tsavania. It was exciting to be able to put himself to the test again and potentially take out dangerous enemies. If he was lucky enough maybe he'd even snag a vial of pure blood, or the Duke's. That would be something else for his research. It also seemed there was another scholar among them, Theodore. Sergey he figured maybe when they had time he can share his ideas with him, just has to be careful how he words it. As the sun set, the boats were purchased and the rest of the group returned from the errands in town. They were split into two groups and jumped int their respective boats. Sergey knew to keep his head and down and to be quiet, until he heard a whisper behind him. It was from one of the women, she introduced herself as Galina Kholdova. He recognized the accent immediately, another Tsavanian. There was something about the name that stuck out but he couldn't place it. She sure wasn't your average Tsavanian though.

In a low voice, he turned back and replied, "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Sergey Chaykovsky. Practicing doctor and researcher, former Tsavanian medic. I notice your accent, thanks for making me feel more at home. Where are you from?"

 

[Viper Actual]

"The pleasure is mine. Not too many of us out here."

Galina pounded her chest twice as a sign of respect. "Medic? Thank you for your service. Medical Brigade saved my friends more times than I can count."

She rested her hands on her rifle. "Former Royal Army. Scout Sergeant. My family is from Talnagrad but I was raised outside the capital."

Galina shrugged. "Rule of the Firstborn and all that, you know how it is."