Anastasia watched the procession of hunters follow the captain out, noting his pragmatic manner as he briskly manuevered through the crowd of roaring commoners and merchants and noblemen. She was quite satisfied with the results of her speech and took note of her new troops. Many were young, man and women of various hygene and outfit. She questioned them of previous combat experience and profession as she moved outside, her hunters falling in behind. Suprisingly, about half, 15, were of either some previous military or mercenary experience, some even city guardsmen, off duty, who would file in their resignation to their previous careers at the earliest. The rest were young, anxious apprentices of various crafts and trades seeking a more exciting life, some manual laborers, even one noblemen, who had come with his own suit of armor and weapons, though no combat experience. She thought for a moment. Although she would like to weed out the useless rabble first, it wouldn't look good for their first excursion if most of her troop was slaughtered immediatly, certainly hampering reputation and future recruiting. No, she decided she would take the combat ready first. She turned to her personal hunters, calling out, "Alosha! Alina! Take these other initiates back to the base with the carriages and horses and begin training immediatly." The two slim, young black garbed hunters whined behind their masks, looking over the rookies with contempt, muttering in foreign tongues, "Ah nyw shtoa! Pachimu nas? Blein, davi Derik sdelayit eto. Oywn nashi molodoy! My tak dolga ne videli deystviya!" (WHat?! Why us? Damn, let Darik do it. He's our youngest! We haven't seen action in so long!) "Vi shtoa, deti?! Zaknis and sdeli shtoa ya schazal!" (You're what, children!? Shut up and do what I said!") She spited back at them, pointing sharply to the carriages. They groaned and moved to the reserve intiates, calling out to follow. The group cheerfully talked among themselves, excited for their new position, walking in a disorganised rabble, their cheer shut down as Alina screamed sharply, "THIS IS NOT A FUCKING VACATION! YOU ARE IN THE BALLANGER GUARD NOW. SHOW SOME DIGNITY, FALL IN, MARCH OUT, AND SHUT UP!" The initiates tried to gather into a two coloumn formation and march under instruction, tripping over each other and failing miserably, cussed out by the two newly appointed drill instructors as they walked in the opposite direction. Anastasia sighed and pressed her nose, shaking her head. She turned to the combat initiates, whom had already formed into proper ranks and stood at attention on her sight. She smiled, nodded, and took a stance herself with her polearm, "Alright! Listen here my brothers and sisters in arms! For those unaware, our first mission will be a raiding party on a remote island off the docks, believed to be the home of some sea monsters harressing the docks of late. We will march to the docks, board what transport has been proved, assuming it has, and, after an information brief has been made by our Captain, you will begin immediate training. No rest shall be given, potions to maintain vigor and stamina shall be provided as needed. You are of the Blessed Ballanger Guard, but you have still to prove yourselves. You serve as a holy vanguard and you will act your station, you will give your all and more! You will be pushed beyond your limits and you will break them!" "YES MA'AM" "Oh, and one final item. We are marching straight into the mouth of darkness, casting light on horrors beyond imagining. But be that so, ye are blessed and appointed under divine and royal sight. Open your hearts to God and let faith and courage put your heart to the sticking place! Attack with pride! All who perform with valor will be praised throughout the land! And all those who fall in combat will be forgiven of all past sins and guaranteed placement in the seats of Paradise, their names honored in stone, their families given due proper respect and care! But, and I will only make this warning once, any, AND I MEAN ANY, who dare forsake their duty and retreat in the moment of combat will be branded right there and then not only a coward, but a traitor and heretic, a man who has spit in the face of the Ballanger Family, in the face of the King, and in the face of God, and upon mine, and will be judged and executed on the spot as such without mercy or hesitation." Initially the volunteers beamed at her words and even marvelled at her generosity, but upon her warning a grimness fell upon them and some begin to share looks and even mutter softly among themselves. Anastasia frowned and slammed her armored boot upon the stone walk with such fierceness that a tiny crack formed beneath her heel, the initiates almost stumbling away, "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!" "Y-YES MA'AM!" "MARCH OUT!" [hr] She marched them out behind the mass of the procession, taking note of the ragtag gang of brigands, criminals, and freaks who made up the ranks of the guild, trying to pick out the common thug from the genuine hunter. She took note of the strange lithe girl shrouded in fur coat, weaving through the crowds like a ghost. She eyed the hook and axed equiped mercenary, his movements and mannerisms speaking of caution and experience. Something about him seemed different from the common brigands beside. As they reached the docks, she eyed the medium ship, giving it a curt node of satisfaction at it's decent design. She nodded for her troop to begin immediate boarding and assessment training, her hunters breaking the 15 initiates into smaller groups, testing their skills, their strength, their endurance, any novice who was cocky enough to challenge the small, slim foreign hunters in a match of strength of endurance quickly and easily humiliated, the hunters soloumnly beating men twice their size and kicking them back into line. She approached Captain Drystan and the crowd of fellow hunters questioning him, standing casually at attention, "Sir, my Guard have boarded and begun preparations. Will there be a mission brief or is this a blind raid? Have we any information on the this 'sea monster'?" SHe turned her head to watch Davos as he flung two sailors out of his brisk path, approaching the Captain bluntly. At first she almost sneered at his brutish behaviour, but then his strange attire caught her eye, and her vampiric senses took note of him. A gut feeling. Something... animal about him, yet not as a sign of a brute, but of something graceful and ... [i]dangerous[/i]. And she hasn't had that feeling in a while. She didn't smile. [i]She grinned.[/i] "Oh? You have faced this beast? My commandations! Do tell, noble hunter! We need all the information we can acquire."