Exotic Methods [Saki, Nayeli, Solomon]

[Emma]

Three hours after lifting off from Ilirea, the dragon hit the ground with a dull boom.

Despite being completely blind in the howling whiteness of the snow, I had felt us descend for the past ten minutes, the wind gradually becoming less violent and the increasing pressure making my ears pop. Although snowflakes like white ribbons still swirled about, the wind was only a gentle breeze near the ground as opposed to the icy daggers it had been above the clouds. It was a strange morning, with a sunless, ice-blue sky, but glowing pale from the snow. It was only made eerier by the total lack of life in the Silent Plains- civilization was miles away, and the only discernible figure in the snow was the dragon that had brought us here. However, to the north, I thought I could see a looming black structure. That was going to be the fort we were here to invade.

As the thought occurred to me, the Rider leapt off her mount, landing with feline grace in the snow. Dressed entirely in black, with her signature warhammer strapped to her back, she gazed around herself cautiously, listening for any danger. There was none. After a minute, she rose to her feet and turned towards me, her fur-lined cloak dancing in the wind behind her ankles. Nemo Ramsey was always, always easy to pick out with her diminutive height, disproportionately huge hammer, and odd colouring- ebony skin with jade-green eyes and fox-orange hair. The Rider raised her hooded face up to mine, and jerked her chin, beckoning for my companions and me to get down. I rearranged my heavy coat and leapt onto the soft ground, my feet disappearing into the snow. One by one, I heard the others descend as well. The dragon snorted and shook himself.

‘If I am utilized as a ferry again, Ramsey, I might slip under the weight, causing you to fall to your untimely doom. I will be moved to a single tear by the tragedy.’
“Cor, you live to piss me off! Drives me mad.” She rounded on the five of us. “How dee do, ladies and gent. Welcome to Fort Blueblood.” Out of a small satchel, she removed four jingling pouches, which she pressed into everyone’s hands. “There’s half yer moolah. In twenty-four hours, you’ll find Ikehr and meself waiting with the other half- if you got what we need. If not, yer walkin’ home and piss poor to boot.”
“Wouldn’t the crime lord have transportation?” I said flatly.
Ramsey paused. “No. Absotively not. Which reminds me, Yuan- you and Sasaki keep an eye on Tasia and Sunglow. Last thing we need’s another dead Rider.” She grabbed the straps of Ikehr’s saddle and hauled herself up, perching on his neck. She smiled genuinely down at us. “I owe you lot. Really, I do.” Then she grabbed Ikehr’s neck spikes, leaning onto him, and barked, “Let’s clear off!”

Ikehr, who hadn’t folded his wings when he’d landed, took off almost immediately in a blast of snow and air. His serpentine form swam through the sky seemingly effortlessly before disappearing, leaving us alone in the Plains. It was dead silent once again. Out of curiosity, I turned to look at my fellow operatives. Two were well known to me- Tasia Anne Georgios and her hatchling, Sunglow, recently inducted into the Order of Riders. I’d sparred with the elf on a few occasions. She was pretty, proud, and liked to show off her body even in this weather, while her dragon had a loud mouth and a bloated ego. The third member, an elven mercenary named Ishiyo Sasaki, was only vaguely familiar, but she was a decent fighter. And finally, the fourth member and one human on the team, Solomon Latro, was a total stranger. I hadn’t made any judgements about him yet.

After I’d gazed at them for a minute, I turned my back. I was dressed in a bulky fur-lined cloak, with the hood pulled up to hide my white hair and most of my face. I disliked being stared at. Burying my hands, pale with cold, into my pockets, I turned away from the others and began stalking towards Fort Blueblood, not paying any mind to them. I wanted to focus on the mission, not socialize- get into the fort undetected, find evidence against Lazare Salenim and maybe the man himself, and finish the job within twenty-four hours. Bowing my head against the bitter cold, I made the difficult trek across the soft snow to the black skeleton of the castle up ahead. Fort Blueblood had once been a mighty castle, home to a vassal of Palancar, but it had been destroyed and stripped clean by the elves during the Blue Divide. Now only ghosts and lawbreakers haunted it.

I passed buildings with broken windows, frozen wells with water corrupted by festering bodies that had fallen in years ago, fire-blackened shops, and barren houses. It was desolate and still, except for the eerie whistle of the wind. But what was most disconcerting to the other Wards whenever we came here were the gravestones. The Silent Plains was one enormous memorial to the men, women, and children that had died during the war, often with skeletons only half-buried in the dirt because they were so full. Now the snow had turned the graves into barely noticeable lumps, but occasionally a stark white bone stuck out, reaching into nothingness. I ignored them as I passed, my eyes only for the fort. Once it stopped being a faraway shape in the cold air, and towered above me in all its broken glory, I stopped. Salenim would have guards watching.

With a sigh, I glanced behind me, waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. For all my prejudices, this was not a task that I could complete alone.

Character(s) Used;; Wengsi Yuan with Ikehr and Nemo Ramsey
Words;; 980
Muse;; ... MEH. I have written with Wengsi, like, never.
Thoughts;; It's not AWFUL, but... nyehh.

[mriswith]

Ishiyo kept her head down as they flew out to meet the field of battle. The Elven mercenary didn't feel it would be becoming if anyone saw her enjoying herself perhaps a little too much. In her defense, however, she was only a little over a hundred years old and this really had been a dream of her's since she arrived in Ilirea. She used what restraint she had from making any untold sounds on the way; she couldn't after all cry out like a little girl--that would be a bit much. Even if the wind was racing over them and would likely drown out any such noise, she expected the dragon would hear it. If the dragon heard it the Rider heard it and then, well, it wouldn't do her favors in proving to be a worthy candidate when she managed to position herself for a testing.

Not even the cold dampened her spirits. Ishiyo hadn't been excited about wearing all white, of course, but being a black spot on white terrain would have gotten them--or her--killed when the enemy saw them coming. Finding out they were going for a little ride swept her malcontent at the stark color choice away.

Those bright, red eyes pinched to keep the air from drying them as she kept her head down, but turned to the side. It was breath taking to see the lands below whip by so quickly, or to watch the massive wings of the wing gracefully carry them through the air.

All too soon they were on the ground and the group was slipping from their perch on the majestic being. It was another hard grace to keep her hand from lingering on the flank of the dragon as Ishiyo stepped away, listening to the words of the Rider Ramsey. Her eyes had fallen shut for a just a moment, long enough to put aside her childish exuberance and turn her focus back on the mission at hand. When they opened they were clear and focused on the dark skinned woman as she addressed them.

The pouch, when given, was slipped away without bothering to check what was in it or if it was accurate. The Riders wouldn't cheat them. Even while she trusted them, though, she could tell by the weight it was the right amount anyway--small trick she'd picked up over the years, dealing with all manner of people.

When Ramsey gave her and Yuan the added task of ensuring Tasia and Sunglow survived, the red-eyed Elf gave a short nod of her head to acknowledge the command. If there was one thing Tasia needn't worry about it was not having someone watch her back. For that matter, she'd protect them all, but special consideration was given to the one fortunate enough to be where Ishiyo wished to be someday as well.

After the dragon and swept up a small storm of its own in takeoff, the young Elf regarded her companions for a moment. She, herself, was dressed in a warm, white jacket and leggings with thick boots to take the cold and wet of the field they would cover to get to the Fort. Even the shirt under the jacket was white. Only her face was uncovered and even that could have the lower portion hidden behind a pullover mask tucked just inside the coat itself. Ishiyo had even taken the precaution of strapping on a white sheath for her sword and wrapping the grip in white. It might not do well if they skulked about in shadows, but it would allow her to avoid sentries on their approach--the more dangerous of the battlegrounds they would occupy this day.

Even as the reclusive woman turned to begin the trek, Ishiyo turned to regard the Human that'd come with them. Taking a few steps to the side closer to him, she reached out and clasped his shoulder for a moment. "Skölir nosu fra vindr, friend," the Elf spoke in Ancient, tossing in a more familiar word at the end for his benefit if he didn't know the Ancient tongue. More than welcoming him aboard, of course, she wove a small web about him for protection from the biting chill all around them.

With a slight nod, she turned to follow after Yuan. Her red eyes slipped to the side, not moving further than Tasia. Ishiyo might not be able to keep the other woman in her line of sight every second of this mission, but so long as it was within this Elven woman's power she would.

After a long trek through the harsh landscape covering an even crueler past, Ishiyo drew up with the other two--and dragon--where Yuan stood. She gave the hooded woman a contemplative examination before stepping along side. "A silent entrance would serve us best," she said, keeping her eyes forward studying what she could see of the Fort from where they stood. Yuan must know that as well, but the mercenary wondered what thoughts the silent one held. Had she a plan after being interrupted in their travels, or did she merely dislike the presence of others? If they could get in without raising an alarm finding their quarry and seizing them would be considerably easier.

[Amur]

For this hunt Solomon had foregone his usual black wyvern-skin coat and donned his gear for hunting in cooler terrain. In that regard he considered himself lucky that he had been carrying it around with him at the time. His usual boots were replaced with soft-soled, shin length boots lined with sheepskin. They slid on and protected from not only the cold but also prevented any moisture from getting into them. (Though he still wore his spike greaves.)

For this hunt he had left his bow and arrows in one of his hidden base camps, he had the feeling that the black bow would not do him any favours in the place they were going to, however, Tear and his hunting knives stayed with him. Given that he had a hunting team with him this time around he had guessed that his blades would be all he needed.

His coat was another of his own make, created using the fur of the arctic mountain lions of his homeland, giving it a grey-white colour. While the outside was made of the longer, thicker fur of their main the inside was made of the shorter fur that covered the rest of their bodies. It protected from the cold very well, right now its hood was up casting the top half of his face with shadow while the bottom half of his face was covered by a half mask.

He smiled silently to himself as he thought back to the specifics of that hunt; he had spent several weeks under-supplied in those mountains, fighting to keep himself awake at times in order to hunt enough of those lions to make this coat. Mostly as a precaution, one that he was happy he had taken now, the trouble had been well worth the result. Those lions were large and fierce -not anything compared the wyvern he had killed later- but still roughly twice the size and weight of a full grown horse.

He was jolted from his distraction as a cold blast of wind forced him to pull his hood further down over his face. He had no idea how anything could bare to travel like this, since they had taken off he had been sat uncomfortably and rigid. And then there was the other small issue Solomon had not planned for, he was the only human here.

When he had discovered that, he had spent a good while cursing -more to himself- in his own language. Despite his often self imposed isolation hunting in any wilderness he could find he still knew exactly how to act and behave around other humans. However, he had no idea what kind of cultural differences among other things the elves had; he had no idea how to act around them exactly. Which had made him feel awkward and distant, however, he was going to keep his peace, and after all, now that they were on the hunt he was bound by the code of his Hunting clan.

As such he had told them his real name -Solomon Latro- and was now forbidden to hunt them.

"The code is law and I still belong to my clan"
He reflected silently, he was once again jolted back into reality as the dragon landed; he sat silently for a moment longer and then looked down unsurely. From trees and other such heights he was confident with his agility, however, on another living creature he felt uneasy.

He leaped, eventually touching the ground unsurely and more flat-footed than usual causing him to stagger upon landing with a rather ungraceful "Ack!"

"I am never going to get used to that."
He mumbled to himself, stretching his legs so that he would not sway as much. Almost immediately he began to survey the area, the heavy snow would limit vision that would have otherwise made their group easy to track, be it from footprints or via other means; that was always a welcome advantage.

The plain they were currently stood in was too open though, nowhere to stalk and track from effectively, perhaps a bigger strike to Solomon than most, but likely a small one in this instance given the company he was currently in.

He placed the bag of pay in one of his belt pouches; normally he would have refused it a good hunt would have been payment enough. However, given his limited knowledge of what he had unknowingly walked into he did not want to risk anything just yet, so he kept silent and merely nodded in response.

He covered his face with his arm as the large dragon once more took to the skies, his long coat billowing behind him in the harsh wind that was created; he cast a trained eye around the terrain once more, and at his hunting party. His unease was allayed somewhat when one of the elves regarded him, he remained silent as words in the ancient language were spoken and he felt what little cold air could get through his gear fade, leaving him warmer than usual.

“Unexpected, but not unwelcome.”
He inclined his head but otherwise kept silent; he found that most people were fast to distrust him based on his accent alone. Not that he would have said these elves would have been of the same opinion as humans but he was not going to take chances just yet.

He followed as the others began moving, keeping himself alert for any sign that they were being stalked. Of course, there was none he was sure that he was the only experienced hunter in this land given that there had been no other hunters on that pilgrim vessel.

His efforts to keep an eye out for stalkers and potential stalking points renewed as they made their way into what had once been some kind of town or city. He could never remember the specifics of each one, the buildings were either dilapidated or destroyed entirely; some looked as though they would be good stalking grounds, however, Solomon would have needed time to test the integrity of the structure before he even considered using them.

“No time.”
The fort came into sight and at once Solomon began examining for some kind of way to infiltrate the building without having to resort to the idiotic tact of trying to walk through the front door. Normally he would have spent several days on such an examination; however, today he was on a tight schedule so his usual methods were out of the question.

“Normally.”
He began, squinting in order to try and glean some more information from where he was stood only to shake his head when nothing new caught his attention.

“I would spend a number of days observing the building in order to determine the best possible entry point. But I appreciate that we are working on a deadline today, so I can only offer what I can see at this time, but... From this angle and distance I can’t see very much.”
He admitted in something of a monotone, squinting again in a further attempt to get anything he could use. And again his efforts proved futile, perhaps as a result mostly of the still swirling snow the disadvantage of limited vision worked both ways under such conditions.

[Nayeli]

’my {lovely&}
tasia--!
Featuring: sunglow

I had not expected a mission within’ only a week of being part of the Dragon Riders, but here I was, on the large blue dragon of Ikehr, behind Nemo only a few feet and between us, a small sunkissed dragon, that had only grown a few inches into a small dog of some sort. She clutched on with her small talons, which I had assured did not bother him, but I was sure he did not like being a ferry of any kind. I tried to not think about anything as we loaded her only three hours prior. Sunglow did not care much for the cold, but she knew how to get over by moving. Her tail was on constant movement as we flew over the land and then she let her wings sit flat on the skin of Ikehr. ”Why are you doing that?”

I asked during the trip, looking down at her. ”Not very effective, but I can learn some of the wind and how it feels on my wings.”[/color] I nodded. She had just recently started gliding from things in our new home in Ilirea.

We had been descending for the past few minutes and my ears had popped slightly, but soon… Maybe a few months… I would be use to the feeling and we would be flying ourselves to places, but it would take a while. That earned me a mental growl from her, telling me how badly she wanted to be big, but I just soothed her slightly. I wanted to fly too, but we had a lot to do and a lot to learn. As we got closer to the ground, the once ice daggers that touch my skin turned into nothing more then flakes and soon we landed with a slightly loud, yet soft thud. I turned my head towards the city and soon, jumped down, my feet landing in the snow easily and I whispered to take away the ward of protection from the fly and made sure the wall of warm was against me so I would not freeze. I wore my normal clothing, however, I had made it special… Beautiful white, covered only the top of my chest with one small sleeve to hold it. My skirt was the same, white and torn on the ends. I had run around the local forest to tear it up and allowed me to move with ease.

I also held my bow and plenty of arrows. I had cleaned the bow this morning, the arrows and had checked everything before we left. Sunglow had watched me, making sure I did not miss anything and then, I felt all the years of energy, smiling as I knew it was strong and with plenty of energy. I looked around for a moment, first… at Yuan, someone I had spared with on plenty of occasions and someone I knew was good at fighting. She wore a heavy, warm cloak, probably thought of me as crazy because I wore my normal stuff, but I did not care. ”You are crazy.”[/color] I glanced down at Sunglow for a moment, the snow swirling around us.

I then looked at the other two, Ishiyo was a elf woman and she, like me, was wearing all white. My crown was gone though, I had left it and pulled my hair back into a white stripe to hid the black hair that I loved so much. She was pretty and she seemed ready to make sure everything was protected around me, but she would have to keep up first of all. I was fast from years of living in the forest and I could make anything work for me. I then looked at the human, who wore all black and such. He was the only human and he would have fun keeping up, but then my eyes went to Nemo, I smiled slightly at Ikehr, knowing he did not like being a ferry and then looked at Nemo. ”Cor, you live to piss me off! Drives me mad.” I looked at Nemo again. ”How dee do, ladies and gent. Welcome to Fort Blueblood.” I watched as she brough out something and then gave it to everyone. I put it in a extra pouch in the arrow bag and then looked at her for a moment. ”There’s half yer moolah. In twenty-four hours, you’ll find Ikehr and meself waiting with the other half- if you got what we need. If not, yer walkin’ home and piss poor to boot.” I could not help but think that I would find my way back to Ilirea without a problem, just go to a close city and get me a horse and I would be good.

“Wouldn’t the crime lord have transportation?” I had to agree slightly and looked at the paused Nemo, who went on quickly. ”No. Absotively not. Which reminds me, Yuan- you and Sasaki keep an eye on Tasia and Sunglow. Last thing we need’s another dead Rider.” I half way agreed, but they would still have to keep up slightly. I smiled at her for a moment. ”I owe you lot. Really, I do.” I chuckled slightly. ”How about a good evening at the Poison Apple… Went and paid for some of the damage the other day caused by those stupid elves.”[/color] I swore I saw a smile on her face and then I heard her bark at Ikehr and smiled as they took off. ”Really, you are going to go there again?”[/color] I chuckled at Sunglow and turned to the others.

Yuan turned and headed towards the black thing in the background and I looked over at the others, watching as Ishiyo went to the human… I had known that he was new, but he would possible have trouble keeping up with everyone as well. I looked at them for a moment and heard her speak the ancient language to him and I rolled my eyes slightly. At least he would be some what warmer and I looked around at everyone and then started moving with the other one. As we got closer, we stopped and I looked at everyone, knowing that guards would be there and I smiled slightly, Sunglow catching on to my thoughts. I knew I could scale something quickly and take them out with ease, but at the same time, I knew we could get in quickly.

“A silent entrance would serve us best," I agreed to a point, but also, they would be looking for people like us. ”Guards will be posted everywhere on a day like this… The snow is hard and they will want to be ready for anything.”[/color] I said, Sunglow agreeing. I looked at him for a moment. ”I could go up and over, give you a report.”[/color] It was a idea and she allowed everyone to hear her. I looked at everyone and glanced at the human who was with us. “Normally.” I looked at the fort and then back at him. There was nothing normal about this and Sunglow agreed with me for a moment silently within our own thoughts. ”I would spend a number of days observing the building in order to determine the best possible entry point. But I appreciate that we are working on a deadline today, so I can only offer what I can see at this time, but... From this angle and distance I can’t see very much.” I looked at the building again and nodding. ”Well, as s Sunglow stated… We could let her go in silently, give up a report on what was going on.”[/color]
[/blockquote]
’word count--! one. two. seven. three.
’comments--! Euck! Suckish
’tagged--! ikehr & nemo; wengsi yuan; ishiyo sasaki; solomon latro
[/size][/blockquote]
[/color]

[Emma]

I was satisfied to see that the other four were capable of keeping up with me. Both elves had the advantage of their long legs and relaxed grace as they strode through the snow. Latro seemed very used to these elements and conditions, and had no problem plowing through it, either. Having been raised among a variety of ethnicities and species, I did not see any one race as weaker than the other- elves were just as capable of failure as humans and vice versa. From his compact build and the scars down the side of his head, Latro had clearly seen some carnage in his time. For all her odd quirks, Ramsey was a proper warrior. She would not have chosen entirely worthless individuals to take part in this mission. That gave me some degree of hope as they gathered around me, eyes on the imposing structure before us. It wasn’t long before they started speaking.

“A silent entrance would serve us best,” announced Sasaki, glancing at me in particular when she spoke. Her red gaze reflected curiosity.
“Normally,” muttered Latro, whose blue eyes were still glued on the fort.
“Guards will be posted everywhere on a day like this,” said Georgios haltingly, probably thinking aloud. “The snow is hard and they will want to be ready for anything.”
Something wormed its way into my consciousness. Immediately recognizing it as the touch of a dragon, I opened my mind just enough to establish a telepathic connection. ‘I could go up and over, give you a report.’
“I would spend a number of days observing the building in order to determine the best possible entry point,” said Latro in an accent I hadn’t noticed before. That at least partially explained why Ramsey had let a total unknown into this operation- she was an enormous xenophile. “But I appreciate that we are working on a deadline today, so I can only offer what I can see at this time, but... From this angle and distance I can’t see very much.”
“Well, as Sunglow stated,” offered Georgios, “we could let her go in silently, give us a report on what is going on.”

I remained silent a minute longer, processing everyone’s thoughts. It occurred to me that I hadn’t once said a word to any one of them. It had been Ikehr who had first introduced me to the team, and stalwartly recommended me to his Rider. I made a point of not speaking unless necessity or overbearing stupidity demanded it, and few people expected a child to open her mouth. But, I reminded myself, very slightly fluttering the wet, feathery buds on my back that would soon sprout into wings, that wouldn’t be the case for much longer. At that point, I probably wouldn’t be able to hide my Valkyrie heritage anymore, either. With a pained inward groan, I turned towards the others, my dark brown eyes regarding them one at a time before I changed my mind about speaking out.

I turned and stalked off, deciding to let them do whatever they pleased. My temper was already flaring. We couldn’t see anything in the snowstorm, and so Salenim’s men were equally blind. And the simple fact that these temperatures were not survivable- I had seen Sasaki and Georgios cast heat-preserving spells that were probably sucking away their energy with every passing second- as well as the desperate secrecy of this fort even being inhabited meant that I wouldn’t be worrying about soldiers on the outside. Now, we needed to get shelter from the snow and the wind, and I’d happily risk a silent entrance for that. I could already feel the cold seeping into my bones, making my movements sluggish. Gritting my teeth, I set off at a lope for the mines.

The Plains had been so densely populated due to the abundance of salt, especially around Isenstar Lake. The caverns extended dozens of miles underground, but had been mined for so many centuries even before the humans had settled that they had gone dry halfway through the Blue Divide, shortly before the elves overtook and totally annihilated every last living human between Ceunon and Ilirea. I was more interested in the structure of the mines, however, not their history. I doubted even Salenim used the front entrance of his fort to preserve the secrecy of his base- and besides side doors used by servants decades ago, the salt caverns made perfect entrance tunnels. I could see several just around the fort, towering rock shelves with their doorways boarded up and encrusted with ice.

I headed for the nearest one, pulling my bare hands out of my pockets and pulling down my hood, which was warm but restricted my periphery vision. I shook out my long hair, as white as the snow swirling around us, and reached out to touch the wood. It was old and splintered from the ice, and had been gnawed through by wormwood. Breaking through it would be child’s play. I placed one hand against the door for support and made the other into a fist, pulling it back. Then I punched the wood as viciously as I could. It cracked and creaked mournfully, but did not break open. I hit it again, and again, and again. My knuckles split under the repeated beatings, but I made a sizeable hole in the door and was capable of kicking it in. It swung awkwardly open on one hinge.

Hearing footsteps in the snow nearby, I rubbed my bleeding knuckles and turned to face them, the wind whipping my hair into my face.

Character(s) Used;; Wengsi Yuan
Words;; 935
Muse;; Not good. XP
Thoughts;; IT GETS WORSE. o.O

[mriswith]

Ishiyo slid her eyes to the side to watch Yuan go in silence. If they were together long enough, there'd come a time when Ishiyo would be forced to confront the Silent One. Now, however, was not that time. Shame it could happen when they were in the viper's den, however. The last thing they needed was dealing with whatever emotional turbulence Yuan had while surrounded by their enemy.

Drawing in a deep breath, feeling it freeze in her nostrils, the mercenary turned to regard the Rider and the Human left with her for the moment. "For the time being we will follow Yuan. We may need Sunglow's help later," Ishiyo replied, not leaving the other two hanging on whether they should take courses of actions of their own choosing. It was better if they stuck together in case they were attacked; and not using the dragon's stealth now would avoid risking discovery and allow them to use the intelligence it brought back under more pressing circumstances.

She turned to follow after the Silent One, trusting the others would come as well. They could try sneaking up in the drifts, dressed as they were, but if Yuan knew of another way then it would serve them better. If they were lucky the guards would not be strong in this area, whereas they might be heavily patrolling the walls.

Even while Yuan bashed in the door with her bare hands, Ishiyo approached and kept an eye out for any guards or patrols that might overhear the noise. The weather should help dampen any sound that tried to carry, but she couldn't be too careful. Losing the element of surprise would make entering the Fort difficult; the enemy could fortify choke points. Once they were inside alarms would make progress difficult, but the defenses would not be as strong. Most places weren't built to repel intruders all ready inside the walls. Slow their progress, perhaps, but they could overcome obstacles... as Yuan apparently felt the need to demonstrate personally.

The Elf stopped and shifted her red eyes from the white haired woman to the bashed in door. "Tunnels?" She gave Yuan a short nod. "We should get inside before we are discovered." Provided the sound of breaking the door down hadn't carried through the tunnels easier than it had the chilled air.

Ishiyo stepped forward, eying Yuan to see if the Silent One wished to enter first. First or second did not matter to Ishiyo; when she got to the door, she drew her curved blade and stepped into the enclosed depths. With the light from outside illuminating the entrance she looked for any signs of torches or material to take one. It wouldn't do any good for someone to start bumbling around in the dark, nor wasting magical energy creating glow if material means sufficed.

[Amur]

Solomon stood silently, his eyes unmoving. His attention moved from the fort to the area around it and then back to the fort before moving to the terrain. He highly doubted his usual method to quickly gain entry would work this time around, the whole "injured vagrant" thing generally only worked in populated areas. At least with those places appearances were everything so they would not make an attempt on his life straight away, here, well he was not about to take such a risk without stalking someone first.

Lost in his thoughts he felt the presence of another within his mind, he had dealt with such contacts before and knew enough to know that this strange presence was not hostile. It was an odd feeling, definitely not human; it spoke, giving them the suggestion that it could fly and observe. Solomon blinked surly that was impossible, there was no way- he paused in his thoughts and readjusted his hood as the realisation hit him.

"Lernen sie etwas neues täglichen"
He said, somewhat louder than he wanted to, he cast a glance around just in time to see one of the group walk away without so much as a backwards glance. Not the best way to begin a hunt it was his understanding that everyone here was to a degree working as a team, though given his current ignorance about those around him it was very possible that he could have understood that incorrectly.

He was grateful; however that the comment in his own language had been ignored as another member of the group suggested that they follow the first, this “Yuan”, a good decision obvious though and one he was glad that he did not have to suggest. He turned his back to the fort and followed the example set by the previous two and shook his head to himself, he was not in the best position to be calling these people allies right now. He had not even made an effort to commit their names to memory, though he guessed that “Sunglow” was the name of the small dragon with that. He stopped mid thought, he was sure he had heard her name mentioned at some point... Tasia, now that he thought back he was sure that she had been given some kind of title. He shrugged; he had walked into this little job ignorant, he was unused to hunting with a group. The last time he had done that was shortly before he killed that wyvern.

“Hmph, I really need to remember that I’m not alone today, I don’t have time to lose myself in my thoughts.”
He heard a sound nearby and out of reflex moved his hand to the closest hunting knife and took a crouched stance and moved slowly in its direction. His actions, however, proved to be unneeded as what he had heard was Yuan forcefully opening a route into the fort. Relaxing his stance he left his knife hidden, wondering in the back of his mind why he had not thought of looking for similar methods of gaining entry to this fort.

“A good decision.”
He said calmly, he looked around to make sure they were still alone and then nodded to himself lightly.

“Most likely our best chance.”
He mumbled that time, the climate and terrain coupled with the lack of time he was unused to had rendered him unable to find any alternative routes, he had no way to light the darkness ahead, however, he would have to rely on the other three, something which right now Solomon was unsure he was capable of.

[[OOC: Gah, I'm sorry this was all I could manage, but I couldn't think >.<]]

[Nayeli]

’my {lovely&}
tasia--!
Featuring: sunglow

I was at easy keeping up with everyone around me and Sunglow did not have a problem with it herself. She moved like a snake, slipping through the snow as we came to the group, looking at the large fort. I had known of many things during my training and also that forts were never unprotected, especially in the snowstorm like this. The humans did not have a problem keeping up with us, which was good. I had no problems with humans, we were all the same, trying to survive day to day. Sure, elves could live forever, but we all had feeling, we all had personality… I did not understand the tension, but some saw elves as stuck up, arrogant people, while elves basically thought they humans were dumb animals who were unintelligent. Look, I knew we all had our weak points and strong points. Elves did have a bit more knowledge then the humans, but I was not going to call them stupid.

We all seemed to listen to everyone as we gave their own ideas, speaking quickly, jumbled together and then it was silent once again. I could feel the chill biting my skin, mostly because I was using the less energy absorbing spell to cause only a small layer of warmth so I could move quickly and easily. I had the energy, I could use it carefully. I glanced around the area, Sunglow followed my own glances, but she was just as blinded as I was in this snowstorm. ”Why did Nemo pick today?”

I looked down at her again, shrugging mentally to her. She growled slightly and I smiled. Sunglow did not like it when she could not control things and weather did not mean anything. She was annoyed about it because she could not do anything to control it.

I looked at the person in charge, who seemed to be about to speak. I did not know her very well, but I knew Nemo well enough after only a week and she was… Well, she knew what she was doing, both her and Ikehr, her wonderful, yet at the same time, very dull, blunt dragon. Sunglow liked him, though she considered that he annoyed her sometimes trying to keep her from taking control of everything, but she knew it was for her own good, at least, she seemed to understand that after I told her over a million times. ”Not a million… Only fifty seven.”[/color] I looked at her slightly surprised. ”I started keeping count.”[/color] I shook my head slightly, completely surprised.

I looked at everyone and then watched as the other girl stalked off. Yuan was her name and I glanced at everyone for a moment and then followed slower then before, looking around at everything. ”I feel anger in the air… Annoyance as well.”[/color] She was smart, Sunglow was, but she just said what she wanted as well, lucky for me, it was only between me and her for the time being. The others speed up and I moved quickly, soon, I was right behind them and Sunglow was slipping around the snow like a snake. I had heard of some mines to this side of the land, so I was sure that it was where we were heading. I knew that the mines had come because of the salt and because of how close it was to Isenstar Lake, but it was bone dry by now and dead for many, many years. ”What is so great about going into something like that?”[/color] My images of the mines I had seen had shown to Sunglow and I smiled at her for a moment. ”Well… Elves and Humans alike want things that are buried under the ground. Some spells are too powerful for some elves, so they go to digging for it. Sometimes… Like Salt, it is truly needed for food or preservation.” She nodded to me mentally and then we stopped at the mouth of the mine… The door that was far to close to the Fort to be a mine. I knew there were many near here, and it could have been used before the Fort…

It was boarded up, but Sunglow could smell the scent of others around here. It had been used recently, maybe not within a few days, but past those doors was the where the scent would be fresher. I watched as we went towards the door closer, but I stopped slightly. Yuan removed her gloves and her hood, showing her beautiful white hair. She was a very pretty person, but I kept my mouth shut. Sunglow went closer to the wood, sniffing it. She winced in disgust. ”Mortals need a bath here… The stench is toxic.”[/color] She allowed everyone to hear and I rolled my eyes slightly. She moved just in time for Yuan to start swinging her fist at the door. I listened as it groaned and moaned each time and then a hole came and then I headed forward more. Sunglow hissed loudly and I looked down at her. ”This tunnel hold mortals in it…”[/color] She did not like it, she wanted control and since she could not see who was in there. ”Oh, will you stop that… You learned that from Master Ihekr and I don’t like it.”[/color] She did not expect the quick snap, yet very quiet scolding and growled slightly at me. She knew I hated it, because in my opinion, yea, it was true, but it was not polite and very rude.

”For the time being…” I looked at Ishiyo for a moment. ”we will follow Yuan. We may need Sunglow's help later," I looked at Sunglow. She had been wondering why her idea had been set aside, but now she felt a bit better. ”Tunnels?" Sunglow looked at her for a moment, confused. ”Not everyone knows about them or much about them.”[/color] I said secretly to her and she nodded quickly. ”We should get inside before we are discovered." I nodded quickly, waited for the others to go in and then we followed. Sunglow quickly clung to the wall like a snake, using cracks and small bowls in the ceiling to hid and move ahead slightly before coming back. ”The scent is old, but only by a day or so ago… They need a bath or something, because it is thick with stench.”[/color] She let everyone hear her voice, but only us four and not the whole tunnel. My bow and arrow were already pulled out, pointed down at the ground and not taunt.

“A good decision.” I looked at the human for a moment and then back down the dark tunnel. Sunglow shined from the dim outside light and then she was back beside him, clinging to the wall with little effort. ”Most likely our best chance.” I nodded with agreement. He was a very smart man it seemed, but I needed more to know what he was like. ”Well… Looks like we better head in… Sunglow, stay out of site until it is unavoidable”[/color] I said, though not as a command to anyone. I was here following, to the demise of Sunglow who wanted to control things and hissed as I gave her the command to stay out of site.
[/blockquote]
’word count--! one. two. one. three.
’comments--! i hope you like it.
’tagged--! wengsi yuan; ishiyo sasaki; solomon latro
[/size][/blockquote]
[/color]

[Emma]

I was somewhat surprised to see that all four of my companions had followed me closely to the mine, and assembled around me once I had punched the door open. Apparently, they thought of me as their leader- at least for now. Depending on how circumstances played out, that could well change, although I doubted any of them, even the mysterious Latro, would up and turn on me. Sasaki had her curved blade out, and Georgios was pointing her unstrung bow at the cavern floor. My own weapons, my knives and my whip, were tucked underneath my coat. I had forgone my own bow in favour of getting within close range of the criminals. All four of my companions, even the dragon, had quite a few things to say about the mine. I still remained silent, and stepped inside.

Compared to the freezing blasts outside, it was warm in the cavern, and would no doubt get warmer as we went deeper in. It was pitch black within except for the occasional gleam of salt crystals along the walls and ceiling. I got the sensation, however, that we were in a very wide, empty space. Before we could begin exploring, we would need proper lighting. With Sasaki and Georgios’s magical abilities, and Sunglow’s night vision, I wasn’t concerned about them. I raised my hand and felt along the cave wall, searching for the closest nook. Upon finding one, I reached within, and found the telltale form of a long-cold torch. Removing it, I reached into a pocket of my coat and removed a rust-coloured powder, spreading it on the tip. Then, I struck the torch against the wall.

There was a hissing spark as flint and rock met, and then a blood-red flame burst into life. Once it was steady, I replaced the torch in its nook and immediately began shrugging off my outerwear. Underneath the bleached fur-lined white coat was a gauze, full-sleeved black dress, low-cut with a floor-length skirt and embroidered with lace. Over it and fastened on with buttons was a velvet cloak of the same colour as the gown, complete with a hood for hiding my very obvious hair. I pulled it over my head now, only letting a few locks escape it, and adjusted the leather belt encircling my waist, hung with my knives and the now-coiled whip. Satisfied that everything was in place, I picked up my coat and tucked it beneath the rocks- it would only be a burden in here.

“Make them red,” I said quietly, but clearly, without looking at the others. “Red lights are the only colour that won’t disrupt night vision.”

I took the torch from where I’d left it and took a breath, smelling the earthy scent of the cavern. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut forever for the sake of the mission, no matter how much I disliked talking. I always heard my light Cathese accent when I spoke, but had long ago ceased to care- I was always understood despite it. My half-formed wings fluttered spastically beneath the cloak as I heard the others make lights of their own, probably magically. The valkyrja did not have magical Talent, the Riders had told me when my wings had first begun to come in. The one good thing they had done for me was revealing what race I was. I was a warrior, not a mage, and that was fine by me. I had always had an aversion to magic that I had only recently been able to control.

Once the interior of the mine was bloodily lit, I was able to see that it was indeed as spacious as it was empty, with no signs of humans ever being here but for several forgotten crates of picks and unlit torches. Several tunnels led off from the main chamber, some boarded up, and others gaping black holes that could just as easily lead us to Fort Blueblood’s interior as it could to a thrashing underground river or a bottomless abyss. I went down one on knee, touching the dusty floor. Besides droplets from the stalactites, I didn’t feel or hear any water, but that still didn’t mean it was safe. Standing up again and brushing off the dirt on my dress, I turned my head just slightly to glance at my fellows.

“Hey. You and you.” I pointed at Sunglow and at Latro. “See which tunnels are the most recently used, and the safest to walk through.” I removed a heavy misericorde knife from my belt. “The rest of us will take care of any guards you run into.”

Character(s) Used;; Wengsi Yuan
Words;; 770
Muse;; Off at first, but then it got better! =D
Thoughts;; Woot! Progress!

[mriswith]

Ishiyo looked over at the Rider and her young dragon. A thin, broad smile turned her lips up listening and watching the two of them. Strange pair, especially the restless dragon on the prowl, but it was nice to see them mostly amicable, if not comical between the two of them. Foreshadowed a hopefully pleasant joining of her own if Ishiyo were accepted. As for Sunglow's size, the Mercenary could think of a few ways it would be more beneficial than a grown Dragon--aside from the fact if it were grow than both Tasia and Sunglow probably wouldn't have been allowed on this mission at all.

As they headed inside, Ishiyo noted Sunglow's statement regarding scent in the tunnel ahead. Even though the initial area they entered and could see was filled with forlorn equipment and held little evidence of ever being used, she couldn't believe they would be left completely unguarded if the truly did lead into the fort. Her red eyes shifted to that of Yuan's back as the other female made herself comfortable and began her search for a torch. Given how easily she'd punched through the door, and hadn't made any show for pain or exertion afterward, she wondered how versed in discretion Yuan was with all her valor.

When she spoke about the color of the torches, Ishiyo continued to file away what little Yuan revealed of herself. Not interested in working with them, but practical enough to engage them when necessary; prudent in ensuring they weren't tripping over one another as well. At least the Elven Mercenary didn't need to worry about a head strong woman that'd fling herself into the darkness for a fight. Not yet anyway.

After she elevated her blade before her horizontally, Ishiyo let the tips of her fingers brush out from the guard to the tip of the blade with a soft softly spoken words in Ancient. A deep, red glow shone over the surface of the silver sword in her hand. One less thing to carry and it was less invasive than a glowing ball floating about idly.

When Yuan began issuing orders with the more impersonal, less formal "you" nomenclature, Ishiyo patiently waited until the commands were given before turning toward the two indicated. "Latro, Tasia," she gave them a slight nod indicating they should fan out to investigate the surrounding area as Yuan had instructed. "Step lightly." Even if the tunnels were empty that didn't mean someone controlling the fort, or mines, now or before hadn't installed traps or the mines were safe to move through.

As for herself, Ishiyo would stray in whichever direction Tasia went. The Elf hadn't forgotten her second duty to ensure the young Rider survived this mission at any cost. First, she left the large coat behind with Yuan's however in order to move more freely; they were confined by their environment as it was there was no need to burden themselves with baggy clothing as well.

Moving over the ground, scanning it with a slow sweep of her blade at times for signs of anyone having disturbed the area, she kept all her senses alert. A faint noise drew the Elf's ear a short time later. Her red eyes narrowed before the long, sweeping blade in her hand quietly and quickly slid back into its sheath; the red glow was concealed inside the housing. Ishiyo darted over to a side wall, inching closer to a junction where the noise had come from. Several soft clicks of metal sounded just before she caught sight of a faint glow approaching their position. A patrol? Routine or had they heard suspicious activity in the abandoned part of the mine?

Keeping low and close to the wall, she kept one hand on the grip of her blade ready to draw it the moment the enemy revealed themselves and their number. As quietly as possible, she echoed her own words from out in the storm. They could sound all sorts of alarms once they were too far inside the defensive perimeter for the enemy to stave off the incursion. Not that Ishiyo would want to, but eventually they'd set off an alarm--or she believed her enemy wasn't that ill-prepared.

[Amur]

Solomon was cautious as he entered the mine, if his experiences had been any kind of teacher over the years it was that even frequently used tunnels were prone to unpredictable collapses; especially those of human construction, since those were often held open with liberal use of wooden frames.

He had lowered the hood and half-face mask before entering the darkened tunnel which hard briefly forced him to squint in the harsh whiteness of the snow, but before long he was stood with the others inside.

“Air is slightly humid, already warm and will get warmer further in.”
He concluded in silence, removing his winter coat, revealing his standard black slacks and the black silk shirt he was wearing beneath his wyvern skin chest plate. Not the warmest piece of clothing he owned, but the darkest; that was all he needed from it anyway. He turned back to the door and used the small amount of outside light to find an out-of-sight place to store it... Well, as best as he could manage with how limited his sight was right now; he would come back for it later on.

He lowered his hand down to the exposed hilt of his custom short sword and tugged on it several times; primarily to ensure that it was still secure and would not fall from the hilt unexpected and then to a slightly lesser degree to ensure that it was still with him. He had too many attempted thefts against him recently which had forced him into the habit of checking his belongings; happy that the weapon was both secure and present he moved his hand to one of his concealed hunting knives and withdrew the small golden blade from its sheath.

He checked the edge of the knife using his thumb; he nodded and then span the knife in his palm, catching the hilt so that he held the blade in reverse and then further surveyed the area in silence. Much to his surprise, the opening of this mine was wide open and spacious nothing on the walls other than the odd torch. That much he was able to confirm after one of the said torches were ignited, which was soon followed by a third source. Once which Solomon knew was the result of magic, but unsure how the individual had managed it, perhaps he would ask later.

His eyes were adjusting to the dimness.

He espied a number of tunnels branching out of the main entrance, the height of each inconsistent. But each and every one of them were nothing but pitch black beyond the first few feet of the opening, that would indeed be a small issue yes, but Solomon had hunted in places just as dark in earlier hunts. Once he adjusted he would be at home in the darkness, the bigger issue was how to best figure out which-

He was jolted from his analysis when the woman he had merely come to think of as “angry” said something, though he had been able to guess that he was one of the “youse” that had been called. He listened and looked back at one of the nearest black holes; good, someone was taking charge, a task Solomon despised doing himself. This way he would be able to keep his focus on what he was best at and not have to worry about making sure that the others were being kept in line. Or whatever the leadership lingo was, it had not been a subject Solomon had taken much –if any- notice of when he had hunted in a group previously.

He nodded.

“Very well.”
He said calmly with a small nod and then at once knelt and began examining the ground; it had been a while since he had hunted in an environment like this. But he remembered his lessons well; the type of mine this was would leave the residue of most forms of moisture on the ground even after it had dried. Solomon, of course knew exactly what he was looking for but in this light, combined with the fact that his eyes had not yet adjusted to it made it take longer than usual.

They were faint, but eventually he found them and eventually managed to trace three different paths, one of which had seen some kind of cave-in which immediately lost his interest. The two remaining tunnels, however, lead him back to examining the tracks, one set leading into a tunnel in the far right were slightly fresher than the tracks leading into the other tunnel. Yes, that would be the tunnel Solomon would investigate.

Standing up straight he rolled his shoulders and drew in a gentle, calming breath, the thrill of the hunt already beginning to excite him.

“No offence taken by the way young dragon. On behalf of all other ‘mortals’ with the group.”
He said jokingly, even managing a small laugh as he finally commented on the earlier observation on the humans or “mortals” patrolling or otherwise residing within this area. He turned his back to the rest of the hunting party and gave a small hand gesture as he began to walk into the inky blackness ahead.

And suddenly he was back familiar territory, the darkness around him was all consuming and he was forced to run his hand along the wall in order to get at least a basic understanding of his surroundings. This tunnel was narrow; he was able to touch both sides of it without moving from what he guessed was the middle, a few steps in. And he allowed himself a small smile, the unmistakable feel of wood, thick and running up the wall; undoubtedly used as a means of structural support and something to hang lanterns from.

Though initially nothing more than dark blotches Solomon began to see things as his eyes began to adjust, the wooden frames were placed at short intervals from each other with another beam crossing the “ceiling” and connecting to another beam parallel to the first. They would be sturdy enough to hold his weight that much he was sure on, though whether or not this wood had suffered decay he could not tell and there was only one way to find out.

He checked the dark blotch he was touching, examining what he could with his limited sight, several small areas were present to hang lanterns from, however, Solomon knew from experience that those could never hold the weight of a person.

“Always did like a challenge.”
He mused, drawing another concealed knife from one of his greaves, -this blade was plain steel, he would never dream of using one of his more expensive blades for a task like this.- reached above his head and thrust the knife into the wooden strut as far up as he could reach. His next movement was precise and carefully calculated as he used the exposed knife hilt as a handhold and kicked himself up the side of the wooden strut, jumping at the last second.

There was a second of stillness as Solomon held his balance and then leaped off of the knife hilt and grabbed the wooden beam acting as the top of the square-arc. Seconds later Solomon was looking down from the top of the square-arc, the “ceiling” of this tunnel was low; he did not have the room to jump from arc to arc. However, jumping was not the only method of moving from point-to-point he had at his disposal, he was trained to hunt in even more trying circumstances than this. Compared to them this was a walk-in-the-park.

From his squatting-position he pushed himself forward and away from the square-arc toward the next one, where he grabbed onto its edge, swung himself beneath it and then onto the top of his new vantage point. He continued as such for several arcs and stopped when he noticed something ahead, the faint glow of fire, clearly burning on the end of a torch. From this distance he could not tell how many people were behind that flame, and the direction it was moving –right toward him- suggested that they had heard something from his start-point.

He had to keep moving.

His trip ended almost unexpectedly when he nearly launched himself from the last arc in the line; luckily he had noticed and stopped himself before he ended up face-planting the ground. He was at another large opening, acting as a crossroads for several other tunnel branches, the tunnel to the right had caved in and crudely blocked with wooden barriers. The tunnel directly opposite him contained the guard patrol, while the tunnel to the left was his next target.

Now in the darkness Solomon could see that the ceiling was high enough for him to jump from vantage point to vantage point, that would make getting around easier that was an advantage he could use especially since he could keep moving while remaining out-of-sight. He paused, looking back up the tunnel with the guard patrol, they were much closer now, roughly five of them in total, only a single torch, four swordsman and a single archer in the back.

“Two right-handed, the others are left handed. Archer is a priority target.”
He kept still, watching as they drew closer and stopped to inspect the opening, which they determined was clear rapidly and fell back into order, and still Solomon waited. Swiftly he lowered himself from his vantage point and silently dropped himself to the ground behind the archer he stalked forward two steps and then made his move.

He used his right hand to cover the guard’s mouth and placed his left hand behind his head and then with a practiced movement broke the man’s neck. He stayed still and silent for the seconds to follow until he was confident that the other guards had not noticed and then dragged the motionless body into the open area and posed the body so that its hand was pointing to the tunnel Solomon had taken as his next route.

He took the bow and several arrows from the guard and grunted in disgust as he tested them, they would be fine as temporary weapons, but were pitiful compared to his custom equipment. Resting the bow on his shoulder by threading his arm through it he placed seven arrows through a loop on his belt and then used the mining equipment piled in the corner as a boost to allow himself to get back to his usual vantage point.

In the distance he saw the glow of another torch and thus was able to confirm a second guard patrol, but the ceiling of this tunnel was high enough for him to move unnoticed. He would stalk this patrol, if they were able to lead him to some kind of guard-house the entry to the fort would not be far away from it.

He moved in complete silence, from arc-to-arc, his next prey in sight and his next task firmly in mind. He would not kill them yet.

[[Apologies for the wait with this one, took a little while longer than usual to write up. Hope it's good enough.]]

[Nayeli]

’my {lovely&}
tasia--!
Featuring: sunglow

I could not believe we were here! But I wished I was the one in control, but unfortunately, I was not, it was the other and I did not even know the person at all. What was her name? Umm… ”Wengsi Yuan”

I nearly lost my balance at the sudden voice in my head. I was still getting use to someone in my head, but at the same time, I seemed to always know she was there. I turned my eyes to Tasia who looked into the darkness. I could see a bit further in then she could and I could smell the mortal humans as well, or whatever they were. Ikehr had already told me before we left to be on my best behavior since I needed to calm down anyway. I loved over everyone quickly, seeing all the weapons out. Did they not know how to use their own hands and nails. I glanced down at my own for a moment and figured that they were ill prepared in that matter. I was still small, like a cat, so I could move and kill quickly, thought at first, it would be a surprise, I could do it. I let my snake like fork tongue go out, grabbing a scent of the air and smiling slightly. I was so ready for this.

My rider, even the other elf and the human mortal were following this Wengsi Yuan, so I figured it would be best if I did the same. I moved along the cavern wall slightly, my talons holding me in my body staying against it, making me look like a slight snake. I glanced at the other elf… ”Ishiyo Sasaki.” I nodded quickly mentally to Tasia as she spoke to me secretly. The elf seemed to take great interest in us, though I did not know why, but she did. I knew little of her, at least the Wengsi Yuan, Tasia knew. I wondered for a moment when, but she just showed me images of them sparing each other. My rider was pretty good with a sword, but she was better with a bow and hand to hand combat. I had seen her a few times, but other then that, I was learning things with the other dragons, young and older. I then looked at the human, his name unknown to me, even Tasia could not remember very well. She thought for a moment and then it came to her quickly. ”Solomon Latro.”[/color] I glanced back at him, his face was now easy to see and he was taking off his went coat.

I did not understand human mortals and why they wore so much. Tasia rolled her eyes at me and I looked at her. She wore barely anything and she mentally chuckled. ”That is because I can bring up wards to warm me… They are easy and not very powerful. Humans can’t they don’t have the magic.”[/color] I nodded and then looked back at him. It made sense. I mean, I sometimes got cold, but I had a protective armor and I had a internal flame that kept me mostly warm. I looked at ahead into the darkness and just tried to ignore my thoughts and focus on the mission we were sent on.

Tasia’s own thoughts were on the slightly warm cavern and mine were on it slightly. It would make it easier for smelling things, that would be for sure. I had noticed that when it was cold outside, it was harder to smell things and it was hard to pinpoint sounds when it was blasting snow down on us. Tasia seemed to manage, she was a bit more open minded to others, so she could feel the presence of others that way, but she still had that present wall to block invaders. After a moment, she let her voice say quiet in the ancient language to allow her to see further. Soon, she was able to see into the cavern better. I turned back as I heard something and looked back at Wengsi Yuan and saw her bring forth a old, cold torch and hit it hard against the wall. This person, the leader in a way, was strong, I could tell by the way she had kicked the door in and I was surprised the sound had not alert any of the mortals in the cave. ”Sunglow?”[/color] I looked as Tasia who I could see was scolding me. ”Well, they are… Humans can’t live forever, at least we can.”[/color] I watched as she rolled her eyes at me and then I was back to looking ahead.

Once the torches had been lit, the others could see the extra tunnels. I had seen them before, I knew that danger could be right around the corner. I looked around for a moment, moving slightly ahead, but not by much, just enough to get their scent from my nose and smell only the inhabitants of the cave. I licked my lips as I saw and smelt a rat. ”Quit that. It is not a time for food… I told you to eat before we came.”[/color] I hated when she took control and I growled out-loud at her for a moment and then looked at the others. They all seemed ready to go and I wanted to tell them all to go, but I knew better. I was still young and even though I wanted control and it was itching at the back of my head, I had been told to follow Tasia and she was following Wengsi Yuan. The red flame illuminated everyone, it was the color or red and it was rather nice. It was not to bright and it was not to dull. At least I could see further, but it could possible catch the attention of someone monitoring the cave. Why had Nemo picked them? Elves could see fine, but human mortals could not.

After a moment, I heard something, small and quiet, but clear. Tasia was even surprised, but we looked at Wengsi Yuan and mentally gawked at her voice. She had finally talked! ”Make them red,” She must have been talking about other torches, which sounded good to me, but I was good with my natural night vision. ”Red lights are the only colour that won’t disrupt night vision.” I nodded, from what I could tell in Tasia’s eyes, it did not bother it at all, it was just a small glow. I looked at her for a moment and just crawled a bit more on the wall, jumping down and landing with a small ’thud’ on the ground. ”Good… Can we go now? I want to get this mission started.”[/color][/i] I looked back to see eyes on me for a moment. I growled, I did not like the eyes of Tasia. ”Stop being demanding. You can wait until everyone is ready.”[/color] I lowered my head and growled again, sounding light a large cat, but it was not completely low, it was slightly higher then normal growls. I returned to taking in the scent of the area we were in, it was best to do something.

“Hey. You and you.” I turned to Yuan and saw Yuan pointed to me and the human Mortal. ”See which tunnels are the most recently used, and the safest to walk through.” I nodded quickly and moved ahead quickly, hearing a voice from behind me. ”Very well.” It was the human man. He was out numbered with the woman, which was funny. I removed such thoughts from my mind and went to the first branch from the main tunnel we were in. I sniffed the ground, went inside of it and then came back to the other. As I did, I heard the other elf. ”Latro, Tasia," I looked at her as she indicated my rider and I wanted to hear what she had to say. ”Step lightly." Well, at least someone else was smart, but Tasia already had that in mind, she was use to stepping slightly.

I glanced at Tasia who smiled and nodded towards me. She was able to move so easily in her clothing. The ripped white skirt and the small tunic that covered her chest. I still did not understand clothing, but she had told me that some things did not need to be seen by men. I shrugged slightly and then went on. The other elf went with Tasia and I stayed with the human. My mind was still connected with Tasia, no problem there. As we headed down one part of the mine, I stopped and growled slightly. My voice went to the four people on my team. ”People are coming.”[/color][/i] Tasia and the other elf were quick to move towards them, but they pushed themselves up against the wall. Her bow was still pointed down and my talons sunk into the cavern wall, ready to attack.

I turn my head back towards the other tunnels, one was caved in, directly across from the tunnel they were in, but the other one has not yet been looked in. I had only gone a few feet in the first time, so now, there was something here. I had seen Latro, the human, seem to become excited about the hunt that was coming. I had heard him speak to me and I looked at him. ”No offence taken by the way young dragon. On behalf of all other ‘mortals’ with the group.” I shrugged slightly, well just moved my shoulders and then looked back towards the sound of the others. I could hear them, possible just as well as the others. I moved with Latro, moving along the cavern wall like a snake and smelt everything. There was a torch in a nock in front of me. ”There is a torch here… Used maybe a few weeks ago.”[/color][/i] The scent on the torch was still fresh. I continued to head deeper in with Latro.

As we continued, I could see Latro’s hand below my body and soon, had to go over some wooden beams. Tasia was looking through my eyes slightly, able to explain to me what they were. It was too hold the earth up so people would not get crushed by the weight. I just looked back at it and snorted slightly. We had stopped at the wooden beam and I watched as the human man looked it over. I looked at him. ”What are you doing?”[/color][/i] Sure, everyone could hear my words, but only these four. I could still hear something further in the tunnel, but it was not moving towards us, just staying where it was. I watched as he sent his knife into the wood and climbed onto the wood beam above. The ceiling was actually higher then the beam was, but not much. I stayed on the wall, but I moved with him still. He was a smart man. Tasia was having the same thoughts of his smartness. She moved quickly, but soon stopped, see the faint glow of something, smelling some smoke. I went to the next beam, hiding against the wood.

Latro kept going, which meant, I needed to follow. I got above the beams and looked back at Tasia. In my mind, she was with the other two, Sasaki and Yuan. I moved quickly, standing on the beam Latro had previously been on. I wanted to kill those coming towards us, I wanted to so badly, but I knew it would make too much noise and Tasia confirmed they would be taken care of. Soon, I was clinging to the wall where Latro was, looking down at another set of tunnels. The ceiling was higher here, allowing him to stand up fuller and I could see that one tunnel was blocked off, another had guards and the other seemed empty for the most part. I looked at the guards coming towards them and sent what I could see to Tasia, who I was sure telling the others quietly.

I watched as Latro lowered his body to the ground and took out the archer. The others did not even notice. I rolled my eyes at their lack of hearing and sent the information once again to Tasia who chuckled mentally. ”Tell him to save the arrows, they might be useable.”[/color] I rolled my eyes at my rider, but focused my voice at Latro. ”Tasia said save the arrows, they may be useful.”[/color] I watched as he went ahead and moved the patrol and took the bow and arrow, pointing the hand towards the direction they were going. Tasia saw and nodded, again, telling the other two quickly, I was sure. The guards would be coming towards them and soon, they would have to take them out, they were still moving towards them from what I could tell.

Once he was back on the beams, I stayed slightly with him, clinging to the earth as we moved. As we moved, we saw yet another guard patrol, but this one was going in the other direction, away from the group. I sent the image to Tasia, who continue to relay messages silently, possible through the mind so they did not make noises. As we moved, I noticed that Latro was just watching, so I followed. He knew what he was doing and I was here to at least relay information and also going into place that they could not get into. As I touched base with Tasia I noticed she was pointing her Arrow at one of the men, they were getting closer. I wanted to tell her to take the shot, but it seemed like the two were ready to move so to keep the nose down. They were out numbered and I could only hope that they were able to take them down quietly.
[/blockquote]
’word count--! two. three. one. three.
’comments--! I hope you all like it. This is from Sunglow's view, so Tasia is just doing what Sunglow can see.
’tagged--! wengsi yuan; ishiyo sasaki; solomon latro
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[/color]

[Emma]

As Latro and Sunglow disappeared into the inky darkness of their chosen tunnel, I glanced around myself, mind running over the possible outcomes of the situation. I turned away from Sasaki and Georgios to give the cavern my full attention, but kept my hearing alert for any information that Sunglow would be relaying through her Rider. Truthfully, I wasn’t particularly worried about the dragon or the human- if they died; it was nobody’s fault but their own. Admittedly, I didn’t anticipate the repercussions of that. My real concern was Salenim, and the forces we’d have to get through. Would we have to kill every single one of his thugs in a bloodbath, or would it be more lucrative to simply penetrate the fortress undetected and take the ringleader entirely by surprise?

As I mulled over it, I glanced down at the mine’s floor, scraping my boot across the earth and holding my torch closer to investigate. There were several blackened circular pits that still smelled slightly of smoke, suggesting that this mine wasn’t as abandoned as I’d thought. Salenim was either very wise or very paranoid to guard his territory so carefully. However, distracting me from looking for more signs of recent human activity was Sunglow’s constant prattling. I wriggled my nose in annoyance and would have cut off the connection entirely if it weren’t for the flashes of Latro’s ventures in the depths of the mines. I raised my eyebrows at the brief glimpses I saw. Clearly, he knew what he was doing. I crouched in the shadows when Sunglow reported a patrol, waiting to hear more.

This was possibly the worst part of any mission. Until something happened on Latro or Tasia’s end, or they returned, all I could do was sit and wait. I kept a hand on one of my throwing knives, even though the patrol was still some ways away- if Salenim was as paranoid as I thought he was, there could be more than one. Sunglow then revealed an image of Latro drawing his blade across a man’s throat- an archer- who he then quickly relieved of his weapons. None of the patrol noticed the knife in the dark, but it wouldn’t be long until they did. I furrowed my brow. That removed the option of silent penetration, then. I watched Sunglow and Latro begin to follow a second patrol in the interest of locating a guardhouse, but the first one was now heading straight for the entrance.

I backed up, drawing close to the door. Wind and snow whistled through the very obvious hole punched through it, but there was no means or reason to hide it now. Releasing my knife, I instead took the blacksnake whip at my belt and took cover behind some rocks, covering the light of my torch with my body. Nearby, I saw Sasaki, who’d been remaining very close to Georgios, draw even nearer to her ward and remain low and close to the wall, hand on her curved blade. Georgios had nocked an arrow to her bowstring, and was pointing it at the tunnel entrance. I couldn’t see the patrol yet, but I could hear the odd clank and swish of mismatched armour as they marched along towards us. Then the noises ceased, and I heard a man’s rough voice bark out orders.

“Stop moving! Sound off!”
“One!”
“Two!”
“Three!”
Uneasy silence. ‘Four’ was no longer capable of speech.

After another moment of silence during which they doubtlessly gawked around themselves at a dumbfounded loss, they realized what had happened. I heard the noise of metal on leather as blades were unsheathed, and then more clanking as the patrol bolted into the cavern, fanning out and assuming defensive positions. As I had guessed, they dressed the part of soldiers- I saw the red-and-gold uniform of Broddring and even the green and silver of Du Weldenvarden- but their clothing was largely in tatters and dirty, with shirts hanging open and armour half-buckled. Many of them didn’t even fit- my eyes immediately got raw from the disturbing amount of potbellies and beefy arms hanging out. The captain saw my handiwork on the door, and cursed.

Then one of Georgios’s arrows flew free, embedding itself in the neck of a soldier.

It took him and the others a long moment to realize that he’d been hit, as he simply stood there for a few moments, blood dribbling out of his mouth as he reached up to feel the arrowhead protruding from his shoulder blade. I didn’t lose this advantage, and tore out my whip and cracked it violently in the dusty air. I relied on the blacksnake more for striking fear rather than actually inflicting severe wounds- for that, I used my chain whip- although it could be used as a bludgeon if the situation desperately called for it. In the closed space of the mine, the sound was like a miniature sonic boom, and echoed several times. It did the trick- three of the four mercenaries staggered back in shock, while the injured one swayed violently before striking the ground with a wet thump, dead.

I waited expectantly. As I’d assumed, the thugs quailed at the sight of their fallen comrade, and feared death much more than their master’s whip. They turned and fled back down into the pitch darkness of the tunnel with panicked cries and heavy pants. Georgios had killed the torch bearer, and his dropped light half-burnt itself out on the cavern floor, but stayed lit. There was no time to see if it would spread or not, or kick it out, however. I burst out of my hiding place as soon as the mercenaries had fled, whip clenched in one hand and red torch in the other. Tearing down the tunnel after them, my wings fluttered at the exhilarating speed, and I was filled with the inexplicable urge to take flight. I curtly forced it down, focussing on the running figures just ahead of me.

Character(s) Used;; Wengsi Yuan
Words;; 1000 exactly! Yay!
Muse;; Started off very slow, but got steadily better. =)
Thoughts;; I actually kinda like it. =D

[mriswith]

Sakiyo turned her head slightly to look back with her red eyes at the Rider she'd been tasked to protect. Part of her had felt ill at ease with her dragon going off elsewhere, but then she hadn't been charged with this duty alone. Despite knowing none of them, she had to trust in the woman that'd brought them here; she would not have placed a young Rider with them if she wasn't confident of her return. The Elven woman gave Tasia a slight nod with the enemy drawing closer. A ranged attack was risky in an enclosed place such as this, but with two other women around they could intercept someone trying to take advantage of Tasia between draws.

Slowly she rose into a crouch and circled around the young Rider as the four haphazardly dressed figures approached. Sakiyo had lingered as they charged into the ambush and long enough to observe their chaotic manhandling of being stricken by an arrow. These must surely be the dredge of their target's guards. If the entire place was full of such hapless men or women it would hardly seem fair except for whatever sheer number might be thrown at them in a single instance. In a way the Elf almost felt sorry for them; for how they were about to die. Not knowing who your killer was on the battlefield was insulting. They weren't assassins, after all; well, not trained specialists of the art though the task was an assassination.

Slipping into a side tunnel, Sasaki stood a foot from the corner and listened to the loud noise the three still living brutes made as their feet clomped and clattered over the floor. No grace, no stealth, no calm, no order. This was no fight, it was a slaughter. If their deaths weren't necessary for completing the mission she could almost entertain the thought of letting them go; at least until she considered what crimes they had likely committed to join others like them. Quietly drawing in one breath before letting it out again, she stood with her hand on the grip of her katana. Slowly lifting the blade with her left thumb, Sakiyo's pointed ear deftly picked up on the trampling boots desperate in their need for escape drawing ever closer.

The blade floated out of the sheath, the red glow piercing the veil of darkness in the side tunnel to reveal the featureless and forgotten features of their surroundings. It slowly flipped in her right hand, end over end, one half revolution. Her left hand pressed against the butt of the sword gently. May whatever gods you believe in, Sakiyo thought to herself as she gave rites to the first of many to die, take your souls tonight.

As the men drew on the side tunnel, Sakiyo shot forward. The razor sharp edge of the blade cleaved through the front half of one's throat, drawing clear across from the left to the right. Her momentum carried her across the tunnel to the next target, as the woman whirled around and sliced through the deceptively hardened skin from their environment and lifestyle. One more quick spin set her on the other side of the perpendicular tunnel that Yuna had began chasing the three down with fervor. What the last, remaining guard might have seen was a long streak of dancing flame in the crushing abyss surrounding him as creatures devoured his 'friends' one by one.

She'd considered taking out the third, but Yuna was all ready on the chase and had momentum built up to track the survivor down and make sure he didn't live to make their task more difficult. Whipping her katana off to the side, Sakiyo cast the blood on its edge free and then let the silvery length fall back inside the sheath at her side. Just as soon as its hilt touched her side, the mercenary bound after her fearless companion. She was strong in fist and will, but if there were others laying in wait or traps that didn't care how strong you were.

It shouldn't take long for the last to fall, though the Elf did keep her senses attuned to Tasia following them or remaining back in the cavern. Either way she would need to make sure the enemy didn't split them apart by emerging out of yet another set of tunnels unexpectedly. Their group was already in two sets; three would stretch their numbers and each smaller group's chances of survival if the host above were ever alerted to their presence. So far, however, things had gone fairly well. No one injured, and no alarms raised. They should be able to keep it that way a little longer yet, Sakiyo hoped; at least until they got out of the caves. Ideally until they killed the primary target, but she didn't plan on ideal circumstances.

[Amur]

It took almost every last little bit of self control Solomon had to not snap back at the young dragon with some kind of venomously sarcastic remark, how much did the dragon –and by extension her rider- feel as though they needed to point out the obvious to him? But he kept himself in check, kept himself silent as he stalked this second guard patrol; he would wait until those had been dealt with before he asked his questions.

From his elevated position it had taken him a short while to notice how badly these men were equipped, ranging from armour being too small right up to their clothes in general often failing to provide sufficient cover for their bodies. That alone spoke volumes about them to Solomon, they were underequipped and the likelihood they had received any real combat training was very low; he would have pointed that out; however, he figured that such an observation was common sense and remained quiet as he silently leaped from overhead beam, to overhead beam.

If his observation was correct then the patrol would follow a set route and report back to a guard captain –or similar superior- and then take that same route again. It was a slow but effective way to keep areas secure, he had taken a special note of a skinny unit at the back of the patrol, wearing nothing more than a light leather plate and armed with no-more than a short sword. He had to squint in order to make out any further details but guessed that the child was no older than sixteen, even by his code this child was old enough to be hunted.

He leaped over to the next arc as the patrol stopped to examine another intersection and looked back at the young dragon and tapped the side of his head as he opened his own mind to relay the information he had picked up, this task was something that Solomon generally disliked since it took him a moment or two to clear his mind of distractions completely before being able to speak. However, in his rush to ensure that he could keep up with the patrol he had been unable to do so properly and the memory of the charging wyvern flashed before his eyes briefly. He managed to clear that out quickly, emptying his mind entirely seconds later, allowing him to speak.

“The child at the back of the patrol, a ‘runner’ unit. He’ll rush off to alert others to our presence if we act too soon. Wait for them to report back first then kill the runner first.”
He had no idea why he pointed it out; since he knew that child was basically the biggest threat on the patrol he would have killed him first normally anyway. He blinked and continued following the patrol as they decided the area was clear and began moving again, inwardly he guessed that he did it just to make sure killing a sixteen year old was not going to be an issue with anyone else.

He had made several other observations as he continued to stalk the guards in silence, the torch-bearer would have to be the second unit dealt with to limit the ability of the rest of the patrol. A pole-arm wielding man had a pronounced limp in his right leg while the rest of the men seemed to be closer to everyday men as opposed to seasoned warriors, that alone was a big mistake, putting the useless as outside defence.

Another couple of four and three way intersections slowed the patrol before they reached a single straight-lined tunnel with another dull glow at its end. Unlike the glow of the single torch-bearer among the patrol it was more defined, unmoving and illuminated the walls nearby. Solomon allowed a small smirk to creep its way across his face, he had been correct and the time to act was drawing nearer.

Once again the tunnel widened out into an intersection at the entrance to the guard room, the smallest entrance being the guard room itself, to the left of that was a blocked off tunnel. It had not collapsed yet, but looked as though it was very close to it judging by the debris that fell from its ceiling at regular intervals. And another tunnel off to the right, he took a moment to think and then moved onto the top of the arc on the right-handed tunnel, partly to make sure that he was not in direct line-of-sight to the guards as they left and partly because they would likely move off down this tunnel as they restarted their patrol route.

For a short while he heard the muffled sound of speaking, undoubtedly giving their individual reports, there was a short silence and then the sound of footsteps as the patrol re-emerged and stood still before turning and heading down the path Solomon was already waiting down, a small rush overtook him, the hunt was over and now it was time to make the kill.

“You ever get the feeling you’re being watched?”
One of the guards asked as Solomon readied an arrow for his borrowed bow, the sound of laughter as he drew back on the bowstring and leaped to the next arc, letting them get some distance from the guardhouse. And then he loosed the arrow, despite the inferiority of this bow and these arrows when compared to his own, his aim was still as good as ever.

With a dull thud the runner unit fell to the ground emitting a strange gurgling noise with an arrow protruding from his throat. That at once alerted the rest of the patrol and all four of them wheeled around only for the torch-bearer to fall to the ground with an arrow between his eyes, now, with only five arrows remaining he would have to get much closer to finish this off. With their ranks in disarray and stood facing the entrance to the tunnel in tense silence Solomon had the advantage and had leaped across the arcs and silently dropped to the ground behind them.

Gold hunting knife in hand he grabbed one guard and covered his mouth as he slid his knife into the base of the man’s skull, he convulsed violently and then fell still. It was at that point that the two remaining survivors wheeled with exclamations of shock, he had his next target picked out, however, and instantly threw the corpse at the sword wielding guard. Both the corpse and the living guard fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs leaving Solomon to round on the pole-arm equipped guard as he tried to take up a stance.

Solomon, however, was able to act faster than the guard and span, solidly kicking his right knee. With a crack and a yelp the guard fell to the ground with his right knee bending in the wrong direction. Spinning again he took a low stance as the second guard got to his feet, waiting for him to make the first move, and as expected, he did.

As he made the mistake of clumsily swinging his sword in Solomon’s general direction Solomon span around the strike, ending up standing behind the guard where he swiftly grabbed the guard by the head and forced him to his knees. A moment of tense silence and then Solomon slashed his throat, ensuring that both jugulars were severed in the process, he wanted to make sure that at least one death was painless enough today, if only so his compatriots would have less to complain about if they disapproved of his actions.

He rounded on awkwardly slouched guard, and the last of the four left alive, a look at his face confirmed to Solomon that this man had seen a fair share of combat; he was highly unlikely to tell Solomon anything.

“Go ahead-“
He began.

“Very well!”
Solomon interrupted, kicking him solidly in the left knee; he fell awkwardly, landing on his hands with both his knees bending the wrong way. He impressed Solomon by not screaming out, but that meant nothing, he was going to die regardless of what he had done here. Swiftly he raised his right foot into the air so that it was positioned above his head and then brought it down to meet with the back of the guards head with a vicious axe-kick; the spike on the back of his greave catching the man in the back of the head and tearing a large chunk of his skull away from him.

He fell to the ground, convulsing for a short while and then fell still, sighing gently he turned and made his way back up the tunnel, stopping as he came across the downed runner unit. Kneeling down he batted the Childs hand out of the and gently pinched the shaft of the arrow between his thumb and forefinger –just below the arrowhead- and gave it a small, gentle twist.

“Answer me quickly and I’ll end this suffering quickly. Try to act like a seasoned warrior and I’ll show you how much I can make the road to death hurt you.”
He whispered menacingly, giving the arrow another small and gentle twist just to give his words emphasis. His point made clear the child gave a small, awkward nod, knowing his time was probably limited Solomon cut out any further intimidation tactics.

“How many more patrols are there down here?”
The child made to raise his hand and then hesitated, and at once Solomon sharply twisted the arrow and pushed it back through the wound a short way. The Childs hand raised and fully extended all five digits as a shaking open palm to Solomon; he released his grip on the arrow and then slashed the Childs jugular, ensuring a swift death to follow.

In one fluid motion he raised himself to his feet and flicked the blade of his golden knife, sending the few remaining flecks of blood across the floor and then returned it to its concealed sheath and then made his way back to the guardhouse, drawing Tear as he made the journey.

He peeked into the room and then pressed himself against the wall as he silently evaluated the situation. The room was spacious; the walls still lined with a small number of weapons, the superior clearly a man of experience as he wore full plate armour over his torso, and on his thighs, the man’s grizzled features adding to his look. His arms were bare, however, and his knees and lower were protected only by a pair of standard slacks and boots, Solomon would have been outmatched under normal circumstances, however, he had Tear, his venomous blade, against unprotected flesh was very lethal with even the smallest of cuts.

He waited in silence for the guard patrol that had just entered to give their report, tear in hand he calculated, hearing their entire conversation. The sound of footsteps and then a heavy sigh as the superior –likely a Captain in this environment- was left alone, his time was now. Silently he slunk into the room, the Captain stood in its center looking down at a table, his back was not to the entrance Solomon had walked through, but he had yet to notice his entrance.

An advantage Solomon was not going to pass up, with a silent set of bounds he reached the captain and slashed him in the arm. The man looked up in shock and reached for his sheathed sword only for Solomon to slash his other arm, the Captain sagged, his eyes bulging as the wyvern venom began to take hold. The cuts bruising dark purple rapidly, the veins in his arms dyed an even darker shade of purple, marking the progress of the venom as the man fell to the ground.

Solomon returned the venomous blade to the sheath on his back and secured it, leaving the Captain where he fell; he would not be getting back up again. He walked over to the table and looked over the pieces of paper neatly arranged across its surface, the notices escaped his interest for the time being as he looked over the maps, seeing eight marked routes.

“... Shit.”
He cursed silently; he looked around for the young dragon. They needed to be ready for this the death of their Captain would not go unnoticed for long, he sighed and then took tear from its sheath again and rested it across the table and then rapidly dragged the Captain out to the corpses of the guards he had killed moments ago, he needed to at least try this tactic.

“Tell the others to be on the lookout, there are a minimum of seven other patrols roaming the tunnels. Lead them here; I’ll hold this area until they arrive. Stay out of sight and warn me of any guard forces if possible.”
He said calmly, trying not to make it sound like an order as he went back to looking at the maps in greater detail. He would see what else he could get in terms of information while he was here; he had to make sure that his ruse was convincing enough should any guard patrols make it here before the rest of the group did and if his judgements of these maps were correct that was going to be more than likely.

[[Well, here it is, I was mega-inspired for this post. Looking at it now though I hope it's acceptable.]]