Full payment granted only after after a job was done to completion was something that simply did not exist. Like suddenly sprouting wings from one's ass and landing on the moon. One might as well be wishing for all the riches the world had to offer with immortality as the cherry on top. It wasn't going to happen. Never would he have fathomed entering into such an agreement, especially not with a Templar. However, there was simply no payment to be had on this gods-forsaken island and promises became one of the few currencies available to a mercenary. Even if he never saw his money, which he was sure he wouldn't, at least he had something to do other than sit around until someone figured out how to get the hell out of here. 

He scratched the stubble growing on his chin while his employer and the two targets they would be following squabbled and barked insults back and forth. If she wanted this man dead so bad why shouldn't they just kill him now? Prosthetic or no if he didn't put up a challenge at least somewhat entertaining Gabe felt he could make quick work of him. What would they do with the girl he wondered. Would she be executed too just for being found in league with this guy? There was no way he was killing a lady. At least not without being paid upfront.

"Not gonna just kill 'im now?" Gabe asked quietly, his boredom showing.

"Let me be frank with you, Gabriel. He will break you."

He snorted and sneered, "If you say so, lady... And it's just Gabe."

Brooklyn's eyes lit up as she listened to the conversation of the Tanau behind them. She leaned in close to Sebastian and said in a hushed tone, "The hulk over there has a point. Why don't we just kill them now?"

Not that she was hungering for more violence. In fact she was still feeling a bit ill from the encounters earlier, but maybe this time she wouldn't have to be involved. Casually she tapped the toe of one of the worn work boots she had pulled from a comatose woman at the camp trying to pretend they weren't talking about anything important.

"I'm not one to kill a templar, especially a woman templar. Plus, don't need more violence in a survival situation. Besides, I'm sure that she'll be useful...somehow"

"Hm," she frowned narrowed her eyes and looked back at them over her shoulder, "I guess you're right, we could always eat her." The cheek where that wretched woman had slapped her still throbbed.

"Please don't tell me you're into getting it on with bodies and eating them."

"No! I wasn't-- I was-- I was kidding!" she stammered aghast.

"Darn. I was hoping to convince you I was a zombie that was brought back by the Tenau to hunt down people like that and pleasure to no end. Shame." He looked back to her, and eyebrow cocked and a smirk sneaking onto his face.

Her mouth hung open in [url=http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130416025651/icarly/images/d/d7/Patrick_star_rainmeter_skin_by_no121else-d5u56i2.png]shock.[/url]

"What? I'm kidding! Don't look at me like that! Simply trying to lighten the mood!"

"Th-that was just... gross," she shook her head and smiled a little. Though it had been quite some time for her since washing ashore her body still ached from lack of rest, not to mention the near constant excitement. Every rock she had to step over became a chore. A stinging started on the back of one elbow where she hadn't realized until now she'd been scraped.

"Shouldn't we be finding a place to rest? Or look for water? Or food?" She asked.

"Not used to traveling with people that need to eat more than once every couple days. Hold on." He stopped the group and looked around a little, not seeing much other than several tall trees. He came up to one and held out his hand. It took a couple seconds but the finger tips stretched out and formed into dozens of small fingers. "Great for hacking, but also has practical uses" He placed it onto the bark of the tree and began climbing up to the top to get a better lay of the land.

He saw several things on top of the tree, namely, he was able to see a river a few miles away that would serve them nicely. There was a mountain as well, decently tall, near the middle of the island. He didn't get long to look around though as a roar caused the hairs on the back of his head to stand on end. He turned in the tree just in time to see something big fly right at his face and make him fall out of the tree. He screamed as he plummeted towards the earth and landed with a thud next to Brooklyn. "Well." He coughed and stood up. "I may be going insane, but I think I saw a dragon."

"Excuse me?" Annabelle spoke up as she and Gabe drew closer. "Dragon?" They have been extinct for years. The sin that holds you together must be making you see hallucinations." "No thanks to you and your people you scum!"

"How DARE yo-" He came closer to her and put a finger on her chest. "Shut the fuck up. You have no right to speak about the race you Tenau fuckers murdered."

His reaction was quick. One step, one quick shove to get the man away from Annabelle and he was inbetween them. "Hands off," Gabe said slowly and deliberately glaring at the Prosthetic.

Brooklyn had giggled at first thinking this another joke but her hands flew to her mouth when the situation became far more heated. This was obviously not a joke. Her distaste for the woman tailing them only grew with her uncalled for comments and her knack for bringing out the worst in Sebastian.

"Okay, stop!" she yelled, "Wait, so you're searious? A dragon? Really?"

"Yes." He spoke plainly. "They used to be all over the world. At the beginning of the war between Tenau and Illuminavit the Tenau used them to reach the space elevator in New Gnisis. (New Nee-sis). There were not many who could fly using magic and protect themselves while also attacking, so they used the Dragon-kind to raid. The problem was that Dragons are notably immune to all forms of magic and thus could not be protected by said magic. But they didn't care, they used them anyways and the Illuminavit had no choice but to defend themselves and shot them down. The Tenau continued to use them in battle until they were thought to be extinct. Not TWO WEEKS LATER, born out of a necessity to continue to raid the space elevator, you found the right spell to be able to fly and protect yourselves."

"And so you blame me for the death of your precious dragons?!" Annabelle stepped past Gabe and spoke. "I blame your entire faction for being so careless and ignorant. [i]Especially[/i] the chantry as I know you bastards were the ones who refused to research the magic needed as you deemed the dragons as abominations of ancient madmen." "And so they were and still are. I plan to see this entire place razed to the ground after I get out of h-" Sebastian was on her in a second, wrapping his hand around her neck and raising her off the ground.

"I have been witholding my temper, Bitch, as I do not want to spill anymore blood. Do not press it." He noticed gabe start to make a move, but Sebastian's gun was faster and he had it pointing at gabe's face. "Make the move. I dare you."

He threw Annabelle to the side and spit at her. "Scum." And stepped away. She started to cough and sputter as she started to rise from the ground. "Brook, there is a stream a few miles away from here. We can rest there for the evening."

He didn't wait for her to catch up, he had the place in his mind, and he hoped that one of the Dragons were there as well, or the next. Or somewhere near."

Rest was a near irresistable carrot dangled in front of her, but of course, she would have to work for it. At first she kept up with her pissed off comerade rather well but soon 
lost him in the foliage that spread over the island and seemed to thicken as the creek grew near. Brooklyn stumbled and lost her footing more than once in the overgrowth and started to grow frustrated. 

"Sebastian!" she called out. No response. She sighed and kicked a dead branch aside. As she thought and stood still, alone in the forest, the sound of running water became more audible. The creek. Immediately she headed in the direction of the sound and listened carefully to make sure she was really headed in the right direction. Long reaching fingers of especially fierce plant life grabbed her clothing and clawed at her skin as she progressed. One particularly violent branch caught her right in the eye turning her frustration into rage.

"Dammit!" she hissed and pulled the shortsword from her belt in retaliation. These branches would pay. With some difficulty but getting the hang of it after a few minutes she carved a path for herself to the rocky bank. Exhausted but acomplished she sank to her knees by the water and drank deeply before looking around to see if the others had wound up somewhere near by.

A poke on her shoulder would make her perk up and nearly take a swipe at Sebastian behind her. "Careful, you'll put your eye out with that thing. I scouted ahead, seems there is a cave near the mouth of the river. Ominous. Here" He handed her a small bag with a couple sheets he had picked up and stuffed into a bag. "There are tent materials in there for your own tent. Storm is coming and we don't want to be out in the open. I have my own, but I'll get it ready in a bit. How are you doing?"

She slid the shortsword back into her belt. He was right. Up against anything more sentient than the local plant life the only one suffering the blade's wrath would be herself and she knew it.

"Thanks," she said with a weak smile and accepted the bag, "I-- ... I really just want to be home." The smile was gone and she turned her eyes to the ground.

"Well, you're not going to get home. Not for a while." He crossed his arms and sat down next to her, taking a handfull of water and downing it. "Might as well get used to it."

She scowled at him and recoiled. She should have known he would say something like that.

"Tch. Yeah I guess I shouldn't expect sympathy from [i]you[/i]," Brooklyn grumbled, "It's just so easy for you to be out here stomping around in the dirt and killing people like an animal," She stood up with the bag tucked under one arm and looked down on him, "Some of us are just normal people with normal lives so excuse me if I'm not thrilled about having impromptu wilderness rampage funtime."

"It's sad that you're resorting to judging me off of me being able to kill somebody. You're well on your way to being just like that annabelle bitch. I've been on the run from the templars since before you were born. It's easy for me to kill and survive, yes. But unless I missed it, you killed and survived as well."

Emotions whirled up in her chest, all of them tainted with rage and fear. Her body stiffened and her teeth were bared, "I am NOT the one who decided to start murdering everybody in that camp! That was all you buddy. We would have been completely fine out here on our own but no! We had to make your bloody little pit-stop first!" she was shouting now, "And don't you EVER compare me to you people! I didn't WANT to--..." she trailed off. Vaccancy overcame her face and her shoulders sunk. Her voice quieted to nearly a whisper, "I didn't want to kill them."

"If they weren't put down, they would have done unspeakable horrors to the captives. Would you rather that we let that happen? The other two women that were there had their mines broken by the prisoners. Would you have prefered that happen to the rest so you could trail off and be a coward? Killing shouldn't ever come easily. Killing is something that I never enjoy nor want to do, but when I have to help somebody, I do. Simple as that."

"That's terrible, I get it," she sighed, "But it wasn't our problem! We could have been killed."

He crossed his legs and placed his hands on his knees, breathing slowly. "That's the risk when you work to help people. No getting around that." The other two came out of the foliage, joining them, but keeping their distance at the treeline. They talked among themselves. "I can promise you this. I don't murder innocent souls in the name of some crackpot wisp of air that doesn't exist."

Brooklyn let out a tiny noise of disgust and covered her face with one hand. They were back and once again Sebastian was intent on starting something.

"Relax. Not in the mood."

"Good. I don't know how much more fighting I can take in one lifetime." The girl pressed her lips together and watched the pair in the trees. Being watched like this was giving her the creeps. "What is her problem?" she spoke absently.

"She's been hunting me for the last few years. Paid a group of bandits to kill a few kids to lure me into a trap. Was effective as hell."

"Obsessed is a word for her. Psychotic is another one."

"She's also the one that put half the scars on my body. By herself."

"Don't let the small body fool you. She's insane with a sword."

Now Brooklyn was outright glaring in their direction. It was a lot to process. As harshly as she had judged the woman up until now it was clear that her judgements had not been near harsh enough. Killing children... Scars... She wondered just how bad they were. "That... that..." she stammered. He would kill a dozen men to save a few prisoners but he wouldn't end this [i]bitch[/i] even after all that? It didn't make sense. It wasn't fair. Never-the-less if that's how the Tenau really were then she was quickly becoming conviced that she was working for the right side and losing interest in those who sympathized with them. Without warning Brooklyn snatched up the first good sized rock she saw and hurled it with all her strength in Annabelle's direction.

He stopped her before she could hurl it and lowered the rock to the ground. "Not worth it. You'll be fighting on your own. I don't kill women. Take a few breaths and relax. There are plenty in the world that have done worse. Like Andrew Mccloud. You should know that name well. General of the Illuminavit armed forces."

She fought him for a moment trying to tear her arm away and finish what she had started but quickly gave up and resorted to simply fuming. "Worse?" she sneered, "He's a war hero."

"He's also the man that ordered the destruction of blackgate, formerly known as Valshoth, the city of the one. A city that was located in the arctic content of Tussia. You know of it, there were millions of Tenau there and it was protected by a powerful magic shield. He needed to send a message that the Tenau attempting to attack the illuminavit were not to be tolerated, so he launched a nuke, planning to just lock the citizens in until they gave up on their gods and sided with the IVT. Turns out Magic can't block the power of a nuclear warhead. The entire thing was swept under the rug, the blame was shoved onto another general whom was on Centari-five at the time, and the hero of the IVT was absolved."

Silence followed while all the information being forced on her processed. It was too much. She didn't know what to think and her head was spinning. All the politics and conspiracy and horrors of war were exactly the reason she favored her position as grunt among the military scientists who would rarely be involved in government and who would never see battle. Her mouth contorted into a deeply pensive look.

"I'm gonna go set up the tent," she said and walked away from Sebastian.