Conscripts

Avalia

Time: Evening
Location: Forest clearing, campfire
Interactions: Aurora/Rowan @mole Veric @Lava Alckon
Mentions: None
Equipment: Longsword and Plate Armor

---

"Damn it..." Seeing how this dark elf was unfazed by his ruse, Barrock couldn't do anything to prevent Veric from getting to Zora. His only hope that Aurora or Rowan could protect the girl from this assassin was dashed when he heard the sickening sound of the axe crunching into her bones. Tempers quickly rose in him. He imagined the elf being torn into a million pieces. Sliced, quartered. But Barrock reminded himself that the fight was still going on. His target was still at bay, and soon, in a fit of rage, the elf actually took the bait that he smartly avoided earlier.

Any plans or thoughts gave way to pure instinct, honed by thousands of hours of training, all focusing on the sword he had sheathed in his left hand. Barrock might be clumsy on his feet, but if the dark elf opponent was going to come to him, he might find the 'little' green grunt that he was intending to have fun with after finishing his mission to be faster than he anticipated. With breaknecking speed, the orc simultaneously unsheathed his sword and swung the sharp blade upward in one movement, while trying to side step the fist, albeit he could probably take it head on if it failed. The uppercut would be attempting to intercept Veric in his stomach area, and should be sharp enough to cut cleanly through him if made contact at this high of a velocity. Though it might end up cutting through Zora in the process, but the orc figured the girl was dead at this point, so vengeance comes at a higher priority.

If Veric got through the attack, the orc would very quickly be turning around, trying to close the distance to the elf and swung the sword downward at him as a follow up.

Into the Land of Twilight

Tillius

---

The shadows gave way to reality, and the first thing Tillius heard was Gray Flame. Everything else he had been fighting earlier was gone, even the blood on his sword. This was starting to get freaky. He clearly wasn't knowledgeable with any of this.

The orc gave Vesemir a solid nod, sheathed his sword back in his sword and turned to the group who were caught in the fighting. It seemed like everyone made it out relatively unscathed.

"If anyone is injured, go in the middle." He said.

Into the Land of Twilight

Tillius

---

So the guy was real, or at least as real as it gets, with the bones cracking and the blood seeping into his sword as Tillius plunged it directly into his veins. If so, there is a weird and somewhat twisted sense of joy tingling in ending this soldier's life. Nothing more satisfying than seeing the bloodlust and bravado drain from a man's face as he realized how much he had bitten that he couldn't chew. Better yet, even if he was just a simple fragment of the past, the soldier's records ensured Tillius would sleep peacefully hearing his pathetic life fading.

But Tillius would not dabble long. Once he retracted his sword, he knew the soldier was dead, so he immediately turned back and headed towards the other soldiers swarming the ladies. But it seemed like they were keeping pace. Two soldiers were staggered by frost on Fia's side, and on Roxas's side, only one proved an immediate danger to her, even as the man continued taking on arrows, his axe were raised. That's who Tillius was going for next.

If the soldier hadn't fell to Roxas's continuous stream of fire, he would soon be facing the giant orc soon, with a shield ready to bash on his knees.

Into the Land of Twilight

Tillius

---

"Harridan! I'll tear out your eyes and feed it to your friends!" Yelled one of them, squinting as the squad continued to try surround the trio albeit much clumsier than before. One of the sword-wielder halted some distance away at the front, momentarily gobsmacked by the sheer size of the tower shield before him while the rest split into a pair of sword and poleaxe on each flank. They'll be in position soon, and likely wouldn't hesitate to begin the assault after.

But would they have a moment to begin the simultaneous assault? Tillius recognized the fear in his opponent's face. And this was the time to strike. If the swordsman was such a coward to close in the distance with the legionary, then the legionary comes to him with a few strides, the shield now towering even higher. The swordsman needed to act fast, otherwise his face would be bashed in with the shield then followed with a sword in his belly or neck.

All the while, Tillius was silent. He hoped to quickly get rid of this bozo, or make him commit to an attack, or at least probe him into running, so Tillius could separate him from the remaining four, so he could reinforce the two behind him.

Into the Land of Twilight

Tillius

---

Tillius continued going, even with the arrows bouncing off the shield, which he could only assume was from Roxas, or the scream filleting through his ears. This was fake. It was all fake, created by evil forces seeking to break wills and drag them into the miserable abyss where they belonged. He would not be tempted. Every time he lowered his shield, Vesemir's light grew closer.

However, the people behind him continued to be swarmed by the phantoms. It was as if they knew he wouldn't be fazed, so now they began to target the weaker and susceptible. He could not afford to move any further when she was engulfed in injuries, both mental and physical, stopping right in his track, refusing to abandon the people behind him. Just before his sanity began to slip as well trying to assess the situation, Roxas was healed back with some form of magic, unknown where, unknown whom, but she recovered. Good, they needed to keep moving.

"Lads! We found them!" one of the soldiers cried, his voice was unusually cruel, coarse, and amplified. Their weapons were drawn, sword and poleaxes, and soon they would initiate the skirmish by making a flanking move toward the party's frontline.

No, not good. This snapped Tillius away, seeing the phantoms recognizing the group's existence. Or did they? Was this just a ruse? Was this a fragment of those dark ages, or were they actually attacking him. But their weapons were drawn. One of the soldiers briefly locked eyes with Tillius, the bloodlust dripping from his eyes told Tillius it was real, but somewhere his brain continued saying it was fake.

"Hmph." Tillius changed grip on his shield to a downward grip, no longer trying to block vision. His sword unsheathed behind the shield, his soldiery instinct heard, and now the die is cast. They would now fight. The captain of the butcher soldiers galloped past his group towards the two big men at the back. Unfortunately, they would have to deal with the captain alone, seeing him, Fia and Roxas would be severely outnumbered if he went on to help.

"Watch behind me, and keep moving towards the light." Tillius had his shield covering most of his upper body and his sword posture, as he witnessed the erupting light do its work. Once again, he had no business going on the offensive, it would just split the group up and the two ladies would be picked apart. If these soldiers were to attack him, they would have to attack a coordinated group instead of one orc.

@Randomness@Visyn

Into the Land of Twilight

Tillius

---

Eight hours of rest seemed good, though that meant they were messing with their circadian rhythm, and night march was a more serious than many would initially imagine. But fine, it's nothing this group shouldn't be able to take. Tillius once was reassured, he would retreat back to the newly-built camp to rest.

---

Time passed, the clock hit the top, the group went ahead with the Lasse exploration as planned, the floating lantern in the distance the only anchor from the abyss. Quite literally. The abyss took the form of the relics of a bloodied past looking to smear the group with it. It's even worse for anyone who only glazed past the embellished version of history, one whose rough edges had been smoothened out for a nicer viewing for the more ignorant masses who were unwilling to put themselves in discomfort. The atrocities at its rawest form began to assault Tillius's mind.

'Stay vigilant.'

If not for Gray Flame and Vesemir's advice, he might have reacted differently and worse. But knowing that these were phantoms and not to be interacted with anyway, Tillius continued going, a foot ahead of the other. Scenes of mass deaths did little to phase him anymore, and one more screaming elf hanging on a tree wasn't going to stop him from rejoining the group.

But a frozen and scared elf does. The real one.

Tillius bumped into Roxas as he kept his head down. He flinched, having thought that the phantoms had manifested, but it turned out it was just her, frozen in place.

"Tch." The orc growled, looking around if anyone too was also caught in this. He could simply side-step the elf and continued moving towards the light, but what is to happen to them if he just ignored them. One was clearly ensnared by the phantom, many more could have as well. But how could he get them to break off? His quick-thinking, pressured by the current situation, fired off one solution.

"Heads down, fall in." Tillius gave as short and concise of an instruction as possible for Roxas and anyone in view. He squeezed past the elf and stepped in front of her, hoping to cover her vision of the five butcher-soldiers, his shield raised above his face, hoping to cover even the vision of the people behind him who might be tempted to have a staredown with the abyss.

@Visyn

Avalia

Time: Evening
Location: Forest clearing, campfire
Interactions: Aurora/Rowan @mole Zora/Vasco @JJ Doe Veric @Lava Alckon
Mentions: None
Equipment: Longsword and Plate Armor

---

The split second decision Barrock made upon seeing even just a glimpse of the dark elf's presence was a life-saver, because he would not have been able to dodge the shockwave if it was already halfway through the movement, or the ball. Only his foresight and slowed visions were the safeguard against potentially fatal damage.

"Assuming you're worthy enough to ruin our playtime." Barrock taunted, once he recovered from the dodge. He stood up straight, his longsword still held firm in his hand, but still in its sheathe. He held it close to his hip, the towering orc began to lumber towards the dark elf.

To the dark elf, it might seem like this was foolhardy buffoonery from a typical orc. Barrock was clearly slower, with a noticeable limp too, but he was going on the offensive, with his weapons sheathed no less. His clan's tattoo on his forehead could be an even bigger giveaway to the degree of intelligence he had. But could this be in any way a trick? This might be too easy.

'Come on, strike me.' Barrock beckoned in thoughts.

Into the Land of Twilight

Tillius

---

The rest of the night was spent peacefully with a meal and a good if not short night sleep. He was among the first up, and among the first to be preparing breakfast for everyone. Then as the crew began to depart, he was asked by Carnatia if he was willing to carry with him the two blades they found in the house. They were willing to keep and wrangle with the ownership of these items, it seemed. Up to them he supposed. That's not something he was going to mess with. He was the group's baggage train helping with logistics, and that is what he would remain for today. The extra two swords weren't that much to lug around, and he gets to play with the new toys, so it was a win-win to him.

The long day ahead of him was spent on the road, on foot, through the tranquil roads that were surprisingly well-maintained for a land known for their dangers. Maybe they had yet to actually dive that deep into the land yet, and there were some semblance of civilization taking control here, or it was the Twilight Land magic as he would like to call it, Tillius didn't know. But it was much better than hills, cliffs or even worse, marshes, where caravans and horses could get bogged down.

By dusk, the group decided to make camp for the night, as nothing special, while Vesemir decided to go to the ruin the same night. Tillius had mostly been away helping to chop wood, start fire and make the camp, but upon hearing it he wasn't exactly too eager. His long march was a little tiring. Still, he had been through worse. Best to not expend his energy any further, to the discouragement of the camp builders, as he came over to the camp leaders instead.

"I think fatigue is the bigger concern." Tillius joined in the conversation with Engelbert, Vesemir and Roxas. "We've been on the road the whole day, then followed by a night time march, and the exploration, not to mention potential fights as we're in it deep. Are you certain it's going to be fine doing this?"

He was a lot more skeptical than he let himself appear as, hoping that this eccentric elf knew what he was doing.

@Mas Bagus@A5G@Visyn

Into the Land of Twilight

Tillius

---

"And my thank you for the recognition." Tillius nodded graciously towards Carnatia. He was pleasantly surprised with a little nod here and there. While the Westernant military was a well-renowned organization consisting of both noble knights and citizen soldiers, they were looked upon with more fear and awe than respect like this. "If you'll excuse me though, I shall check up on our...'discontented' member of the group."

He left his shield and helmet down in a corner somewhere on the first floor, but still kept his gladius with him as he ascended the stairs, just before Vesemir came down from it.

"You're disgruntled." Tillius stated, once he saw the elf sulking on the table near the window. "I can't say it's unjustified, but it's not the best start to the journey." He said, being as frank as possible while trying not to frame her as petulant, which deep inside, it was true. Huffing away from slight insults weren't the most mature responses a person can have.

"I'd like to understand why."

@Visyn@Randomguy

Into the Land of Twilight

Tillius

---

"Not bad. A thousand thanks..." His eyebrows lifted seeing the man in black armor and wearing a peculiar mask (seriously, how many masked individuals are here) sparked the fire without the need for wood. 'Very convenient.', Tillius remarked to himself. It might prove very useful in the future, but for now, Tillius was just content with not having to deal with gathering wood.

As the exploration dragged on, and everyone introduced himself, it soon became clear the mood of the group wasn't exactly clicking with Roxas. Neither was Tillius too, but not for the reason Roxas eventually stood up and left in a huff: it was rowdy. He did not know who this Gray Flame guy was, nor his background, but just from his words alone, Tillius could see he wasn't exactly adept when it comes to authority, while Vesemir seemed quite hands-off, which is...fair. He's advertised as an archeologist, and that's what he's supposed to be.

Back to the introduction. Tillius was trying to stay in the background and listened, as people began to reintroduce themselves. From the jolly Engelbert, to the noble-looking fencer named Carnatia, to this hulk of a man, even taller than Tillius himself, a status he had the rarity of enjoying. He was an Oni apparently, which wasn't a surprise. He could count on his fingers the race that is that gigantic. And then this barbarian who spoke weird things about spirits and a hot bath, to which Tillius just ignored as rambling.

The introduction continued with these two ladies. One also a magic user and a fencer, a different flavour of Carnatia, more eager to prove himself. The other an artificer, this one he had already seen back in camp. Quite young, quite passionate, and just as eager to prove herself too. But the orc paid quite a bit more attention to her words, more than other demonstrations earlier. It was useful knowledge, and Evelyn herself seemed to know what she was talking about, and it showed.

There was also Roxas's introduction, but Tillius already knew her.

He continued to stay in the background observing, noting Roxas's huffing herself back upstairs. He'd check on her once everything was done here. Seeing the few final introductions, and the attention slowly getting to him, and also this bath guy too, Tillius knew his turn was up.

"For me, I am Tillius Battakka." Tillius spoke, his tone seemed normal if not a bit low for an orc, but it carried underneath a gravitas befitting his status. "Unfortunately, I do not bring with me magic or technological marvels, only strength and techniques." He paused and laid a hand on his gladius to briefly indicate the gear he was using. "I was an officer in the Westernant Army, but in case you worry, I am now retired, and is merely an adventurer, just like everyone else. I am more than confident and honored to be serving with you brave comrades into the unknown."

Tillius left it as such, as he took a step back. His weird intonation the last sentencemight seem a bit out of place for an otherwise normal introduction. Maybe it was just orc speak, or military speak. But the Gray Flame might notice a glance to him from the orc afterwards.

@Mas Bagus @A5G @Valkon @Remuri v2 @Randomguy @Visyn @Deide @Randomness @Izurich