[b][u]Gareth Arenar[/u][/b]

Gareth nodded coolly as he listened to the Emperor's description of the situation. The most important detail to him was the fact that they had skin described as "hard like stone." What would his sword be able to do against that? No blade could cut through rock. A mace would have been better suited to the task, but Gareth hadn't brought one and buying one on the way out of the city could very well bankrupt him. All he could hope was that they were afraid of fire, or that the Emperor was somehow wrong in the assessment.

The Emperor didn't seem like the best leader, truth be told. He had the charisma, but his apparent lack of concern over the untrained band standing before him made him come across as naive. His willingness to personally depart on this mission with nothing but a band of strangers and a single guard, however noble, seemed like the height of recklessness. Any one of them could be assassins, and the Emperor could have easily brought half a dozen or so veteran soldiers without compromising his empire's security. Perhaps even dress those soldiers up in the gear of the typical mercenary or adventurer, if the goal had been to keep his presence on the road discreet.

Still, he wasn't going to say no. That would only reduce the expedition's chances of success even further. He looked to the others who had already agreed. There was the bard, one 'Kassandra Black-Briar', who either didn't appear to grasp the severity of the situation or was putting on some sort of facade. He wondered if she would maintain that attitude when they came face to face with the real threat. The other was the white-haired girl, who looked somewhat nervous or star struck at having spoken with the leader of her nation. She was from a humble background, then, Gareth concluded. However, she appeared to swallow her nervousness and declare her support nonetheless.

Gareth stepped forward as well. "I assure you that I fully intend to see this through." He told the Emperor in a level, almost monotone, voice, and he briefly wondered if anyone had taken note of his accent.