Blindly feeling about for a handhold, Rosalie pursed her lips in quiet determination to find something that would hold long enough for her to pull herself up with without pulling bits of dirt and rock down over her head. Already, she could tell she was going to have fun picking rocks out of her clothing by the end of this, yet, so that it was not all for naught, she would get what information she desired from the hunters without their knowing. The young woman had managed to skirt around some individuals in the last few minutes since setting off, finding that the further she headed in this direction, the more hunters and mercenaries there were. She found what she was looking for after a few seconds of testing stability and hoisted herself up, grunting quietly in exertion as she kicked off of the stone she had been standing on to reach this height. It was from this vantage point was she able to get a better picture of what was happening around her.

Evenly distanced from the last by a few metres were four canon-like mechanisms that replicated weapons of old. Where old ballistas were made from wood, these were made solely from steel, the reinforced framing for each one making sure that it would withstand a few hits, at least, before coming apart. There were also a few other improvements such as a small screen on each which, Rosalie believed, gave whoever operated the machine a better aim over distant targets. She also noticed there was only one engineer walking between the large weapons, performing maintenance on all four in these crucial moments with something clasped in her hand. Wouldn’t that have meant reloading time would take twice as long with only one person in charge of the weapons? 

Apart from the main weapons located here, there were also few archers and gunmen in view, either focused on cleaning their weaponry or too nervous to do much of anything save for surveying the area, the anxiety on their faces as clear as day. Some sort of event was destined to take place here and everyone present just seemed to be blessed with that knowledge - everyone but her. Whatever they were preparing for, they were ready. In her moment of distraction, she failed to notice movement coming from her left. 

“Well what do you know! You were right, Glenn!” The girl cursed at how close the voice had sounded, about to drop back down again when an arm shot out and caught her by the wrist. She hissed in frustration as she was easily pulled back up, struggling in hopes that he might ease his hold, but that was a bad idea and he only squeezed tighter. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction by kicking and screaming her resistance, so she gritted her teeth with a quiet growl. He wasn’t that much taller than her and Rosalie bet that if she had decided to put some effort into it as she was being led forward -and she could have done so anytime- she could have stood on the tips of her toes to discreetly get back at him for handling her in this manner. She doubted he would notice if she did, though. Upon stepping into the preparation grounds, she could almost immediately feel the weight of the leader’s gaze on her, watching her warily with what was akin to dawning realisation.

 Rosalie mentally reminded herself to keep focused even as she was pushed forward, knees stinging in kind reminder of the badges she had gained for her efforts. Each unit of hunters visible to her had their own leader; mini squads that though lacking in power, made up for in numbers. The person Rosalie was just pushed in front of seemed to be one with some authority within the operation and though she could have chosen a better direction to look, she gazed directly at him instead, still trying to figure out where she had seen his face. With hazel eyes, dark brown, straggly hair, a bit of stubble and a scar that ran down the right corner of his mouth to his angular jawline, it only made her stare even more despite it being rude. It was like she was trying to make out little details in a blurry photo.

“I had a feeling we were being followed.” He spoke slowly as he took his time approaching her. In one hand, he casually played with a pocket knife, twirling it about every few steps he took. Each time he did this, it would catch in the light and gleam mockingly, highly unlike the bored expression its owner wore. Despite the non-threatening manner of his approach, it still got Rosalie to try and take a few steps back as if only to delay him from reaching her. Glenn. A familiar name for a familiar face.
“Should we tie her up?” Her captor asked.
“No... Release her. Young lady, it’s rude to stare; people might get the wrong impression.” He stroked his chin in thought as he leaned in closer, eyes flickering over her, taking in small details through quick glances. His face was unreadable unlike his inquisitive eyes, giving no room for concern or sure signs of anger. And he said [i]she[/i] was being rude. “Now...where have I seen your face before? It might have been back in the last town... but why do I get the feeling that I’ve also seen you years before that, hmm?” His tone was one that he would use with a child; slow, ponderous and also patient. Was he mocking her? Like trying to read his expression, she couldn’t tell.
“Couldn’t I say the same for you?” She questioned him in return, rubbing her wrists slowly where a red impression of her captive’s hands was beginning to form. Rosalie’s words hung in the air between them for a moment, the delay in his reply making her squirm uncomfortably. [i]What’s he thinking about? With my hands free and him being so close, I could probably draw one of my daggers but then what? I’m on my own. Is he going to kill me now? Please, just answer me quickly so I stop-[/i]
“Could you? This is going to be rather troublesome,” he finally said with a sigh, leaning back, “our contractor won’t be too impressed to hear an innocent person was involved. This was supposed to remain a private attempt. Setton won’t be pleased at all. In fact, he’d be quite...” Whatever Glenn had said next was lost to her. 

That name. Rosalie had never thought she would ever hear that name mentioned by someone else again. Could it really have been him, though? After all these years of being left in the dark, hearing his name was like finding light at the end of the tunnel. Her breath left her in the second it took for her to understand what she had just heard. Why was she not told of his location? Did the man who was speaking now know more than she did? Glenn. He was always being summoned by Setton for odd jobs around the city. Sometimes it involved ensuring safe delivery of a message, and sometimes, it involved escorting an important guest, but was today any different? She had to know.

“Hey, Glenn..” Her voice died, though, when a bestial roar loud enough to rival thunder rumbled through the sky, commanding the attention of all despite whatever task they were bent on completing. Rosalie ducked, kneeling on the ground out of instinct as both hands went to cover her ears. What was happening? That sound had been loud enough to rattle her confidence and the confidence of others, but also the earth. Almost as if they were one being, the people gathered looked up at the snowy mountain cap just in time to see flame project out of the side of the mountain and later, a massive, red body make a descent in the perfect position for them to fire their weapons. Rosalie was completely awestruck.
It hadn’t seemed to notice them all, yet, but they had all made note of its presence immediately. With the order to fire their main weapons coming from Glenn, the engineer pushed a few buttons on the remote she held in her hands and as one, the four machines came to life, mechanically humming in unison. 

Now that the time had finally come to put themselves to use, some hunters fumbled with their weapons, unable to hold their arrows still enough to get a decent aim. It only took one person to panic and have it spread through those gathered like ripples over the water’s surface and it clearly was bad for morale. While some archers struggled, there were a few who were successful in firing their projectiles upwards in the correct direction, creating a rain of arrows to fall and strike down as their first line of defence while they waited for the larger machines to warm up. Whether or not the arrows struck their target or fell too short was another story. Those who held guns simply waited for a better opportunity to fire, staying back behind the archers with grim determination. Around her, men and women were screaming the word, ‘gore’ over and over again in warning and what seemed to be excitement. Of course it was going to be bad if that [i]thing[/I] got anywhere near them! 
“Damn it, we’ve lost Rochford. Don’t let Gore get away! Are the main weapons ready to fire yet?!” Glenn shouted over the many voices. He had also kindly strung together a string of words too colourful for Rosalie to repeat. “I’ve come too far to let this prize get away. Not now. Not when we’re so close!” How anyone could hear his orders now, she did not know; she could barely hear herself think over this much noise. 

It was making sense now, Rosalie thought, scrambling to her feet. ‘Gore’, was the name used to refer to this dragon. It was [i]the[/I] Blood Dragon, the [i]exact[/I] one that might be able to help her reunite with the person she had wanted to see for years. Her heart had begun to race at the revelation and the danger they were all in and her previous thoughts could wait. For all she knew, Gore was just going to bulldoze a path straight through them. She had to get out of the way, but outrunning it didn’t look to be one of the options she had right now.