Welcome to Gaia! ::

((Hmm, why not try introducing a minor character to the plot? He/she could be something like an assistant to Lance, but may have gone ahead to scout out the land to check out what the Zeluisa's army current position is. They could have left a message with one of the soldiers to give to Lance to meet them at one of the cities or areas near all our characters and then take things from there?? Oh and yes, they're in Breechwood...))


With eyes closed the female half breed lapsed into her own, meaningless thoughts; occasionally allowing herself to conjure up various ways to get revenge for all those who's innocent life was taken away all because of money. But of course she couldn't dwell on such views for too long; that would have been rather stupid seeing as each passing thought only made her blood boil and seethe with anger. How could her people, the ones she'd come to respect and trust for so long lower themselves to such a level of incompetence?! Did the lives of their own race amount to nothing more than the very dirt and grime that plagued the earthy ground they walked upon!? This was certainly unforgivable, she would not stand around idly while her very people; the ones whom she was supposedly fighting this war for, were getting hurt and killed through no fault of their own.

Before the lieutenant could get carried away with the many ruthless, if not sadistic ideas, Eshiiban; one of her second in command and most loyal captains she'd had the grace of working with, appeared before her; a few soldiers of her remaining troop with him. He himself was part Lycan, meaning the majority of his body was covered in a thick layer of blackish brown fur; the very ends of it around his short snout and chin a faint greyish colour due to the many years he'd been upon this planet. His left eye was constantly closed, now proving quite useless as it adorned a large battle scar; losing his sight after, what he'd had great pleasure in explaining, an intense battle long before she was considering joining the army. His armour resembled hers in many ways, but the shoulder and breast plates were quite larger making him seem like an unstoppable fighting machine. He had been in the ranks for most of his adult life and hadn't managed to gain the title she now had despite his excellent skill with the sword; it often made Contessa wonder if he held any sort of ill thoughts against her for, what many in her battalion had been saying, stealing his job as such. But if he did indeed hold her responsible for taking away what was apparently 'rightfully' his then he never showed it; perhaps he actually liked her being in command.

Noticeably he was far taller than she was when she got to her feet to greet her companions, her features locked into an unreadable expression but her intense eyes gave away her true thoughts, "Well? What did you come up with...?" she asked, a slight edge of impatience in her surprisingly feminine yet sharp voice. She didn't want those lengthy blabbering reports the trainee soldiers often gave her; they bored and irked her to no extent. No, Eshiiban knew what she was like by now and he would immediately cut to the key details.

"The forest goes on for a few more miles to the west ma'am" he gruffly responded in a raspy voice, his expression deadpan as he took off his large plated helmet, "It appears to thin out as we get closer to it's edge; but there has been no signs of resistance or hostility in the area..."

A look of satisfaction was all that the hybrid gave while she nodded slightly, "Good, very good; we may be able to actually get some peace around here for at least a few hours" she bitterly scoffed her next sentence, feeling herself becoming annoyed as she spoke, "No doubt the shadow creatures that lurk these areas will pass on the message that we are trekking here... once that happens expect the area to be flooded with Tatsunians..." Turning on her heal she gestured to the thickened trees that obscured her way, "We best be moving on if we're to keep a low profile; never stop in one place for more than a few hours if you don't want to be ambushed"

As the small troop began to move out, Tsulan, one of the soldiers whom had become a recent addition to her regiment not too long ago spoke up, a slightly worried tone to his deep voice, "Lieutenant...where's Shabula? Shouldn't he have come back by now...?" he asked, receiving that cold, soul cutting gaze from his superior that often sent violent shivers up his spine.

When she had come to think of it what her young co-worker had said was true; the vampiric man should have been back hours ago since he was on food patrol- he hadn't, or wasn't supposed to, wander that far away from her position. But it had seemed he hadn't paid her a blind bit of notice. Damn that wretched delinquent she thought in disgust, grinding her teeth together with her growing tension, when will he learn to obey my commands for once!?

Never being the one to leave a troop member behind Contessa brushed a lock of hair from her eyes rather irritably before stating, "We're not going anywhere without him. We'll split up and look for him- he can't have gotten far. Eshiiban, you take Tsulan, Parisian and Hershes to check that way," turning to those that remained she gave them a brief nod, "As for the rest of you, your with me; we're heading over to the way we came to see if he's around there...we'll meet back here in 20 minutes" When I get my hands on that jackass he'll be sorry he ever disobeyed me, she thought angrily, striding off with her troop; her bauble bracelet jingling softly as she walked as the captain headed off in the opposite direction.

((Boat?
Depending on the tech, and the style of RP, Airship?))



As he continued his search, Rom heard the sounds softly echoing through the snowy forest. Bits of armor jingling, branches creaking, the muffled fall of booted feet; the sounds of soldiers.

Walking up to a tree, he peeked around; it appeared that there were three soldiers, led by what appeared to be a Lycan.
Rom leaned against the tree, waiting and listening. Must have split up to find that guy. Good...
Hmm...more of them than I'd like...they stay in sight of each other...and the Lycan could probably smell me if I left...he looks to be the strongest...I'd rather take him alone, then...
They'd see me coming and gather together if I attacked...I should look into getting a set of lighter-colored clothes...
I suppose I could... he thought to himself, as he started moving.



***

"Look." the old man said simply, as he held a young boy and pointed at a dead forest cat.
"That is a panther. A fearsome hunter...it hides in the trees, waiting for its prey to walk beneath it unawares, then it drops down on them." he said to the boy, who listened intently. "It has been known to taken down oxen and other great beasts in this manner."

"How was such a powerful animal killed, then?" asked the boy.
"We surrounded it and killed it, attacking from all sides. Outnumbered and surrounded, even the great have difficulty."

"Life is a hard teacher, but a teacher of many lessons." he continued. "Try to learn from this...always remain aware and be ready for attack from any quarter. Know the way of the land around you and use that knowledge. Know that when acting in unison, the many can defeat the strong one. And know that an unexpected or a crafty attack can often yield more than the fiercest of charges." he said. The boy nodded.

"Good." said the man, smiling at him. "Now let's go eat; we haven't had meat in ages."

***



The soldier on the far end of line of searchers reached the tree and spotted the footprints leading up to the tree, with none leaving. He looked up in just in time to see Rom's boots meeting his face and his staff coming down shortly after.

Rom charged at the next soldier, knowing he could not give them a chance to regroup.
The soldier knew this as well, and was already backing away to rejoin his comrades as Rom reached him.
Rom lashed out with a furious flurry of attacks, and the soldier was forced back. He tripped backwards over an unseen tree root, and Rom siezed the opportunity, smashing his staff into the fallen soldier's face with bonecrushing force.

The other soldiers came charging at him. He stepped back, feinting a swing at the lead soldier.
This is dangerous...but I've got to kill them as quickly as possible.
The soldier shifted his weapon to parry the swing and deliver a vicious counterattack, but Rom stopped his feint short and turned the swing into a thrust. The end of the staff took the soldier in the throat, and he fell back, gurgling.

The Lycan did not hesitate and struck as Rom turned to face him. The Lycan's weapon sheared through his light chainmail, cutting him deeply across his ribs.
Rom grunted, stepping back as he felt the impact of the blow. Blood slowly started to leak from the wound.
Rom faced the Lycan, his breathing still fairly even.
Well...might as well... he thought to himself, twisting his staff. A three-headed spear head sprang out of the staff and locked into place. Rom started attacking again, thrusting and swinging at his opponent.

[ Message temporarily off-line ]

"Bow of darkness!" She used her long bow as a staff weapon, the five feet obsidian staff easily knocking away two unseen menaces. Kairen could still feel them. Over head, the thunder clapped, revealing her pale face and willful eyes. Her muscled tensed for the next attack. If it weren't on her life, she would've called it fun.

Holding her bow ready in her right hand, she reached for the harp and plucked a series of dissonant chords. Thunder and lightning crashed overhead, growing more frequent, more rapid. A serpent shaped lightning force shot downwards with mouth agape. The target was determined from the point where she thought both the releases of the chains had in common, a vertex. As the links returns, she knocks them backward again, feeling the rush of adrenaline in her bloodstreams.

Kairen took the iron hair pin from beneath her hair and stabbed it where she thought there was a valence in the chain. It worked on her third try and screwed into the earth along a spiral length, it would be hard to pull out. Given the opportunity, she ran upwards on the chain at a rapid speed, her sword in hand.

Her wings opened, revealing the strong gossamer lining over the silvery skelaton frame. All four of them reflected the lightning in crystal lit compartments, angling the light at her oponent as she evaded his attacks. Or tried, the spear head took a hit in the left leg, but only a shallow 1/4 inch gash. The bow raised in mid air as she shot a brighter arrow of light.