EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth sat down beside Vera after Meesei and Sabine left, just as she indicated. She was just starting to realize that this was the first time she had been assigned any kind of important task on her own, which quickly made her nervous. Still, she did the best she could to keep herself calm with Vera. She had to keep in mind what she was supposed to be doing, and what she needed to be careful not to do. She needed to keep her real task secret, which would be difficult given how much anxiety she had. Although, she was in an unfamiliar place, so perhaps she could just act like she was nervous about being in a new place? It would not be far from the truth.

Kaleeth shook her head. "Oh, not right now. I can...learn by watching when you are doing those things. I'll just make sure to remember all of my questions."

Meesei and Sabine were fairly silent on their way down to find the scholars, as Sabine did not seem too keen on talking, and Meesei was absorbed in her own thoughts. She would have to walk a fine line when talking to the scholars. If Sabine ended up needing their direct involvement, then they could not simply present them with a poison to test with no explanation, but on the other hand, they could not entirely be trusted. Sabine could help ensure that whatever results they made were not fabricated, but if Darahil was the traitor, they could not be trusted to know the truth. Therefore, she needed a reason to be testing the poison. She could, perhaps, say that they discovered the poison in storage, but not indicate that it had been used. She could tell them that they suspected there was a spy within the clan, which, while worrying, would not be as bad as knowing their alpha had been murdered.

It was not long before Meesei and Sabine reached the scholars' room. Hopefully, the alchemist would be present so they could get to work immediately.

"I don't like it either, but I got to do what I got to do." Lorag responded as they were entering the main chamber. He didn't like staying out of a fight when one was offered to him, but it was for a greater purpose. He supposed he could spar with a student if he needed to keep up appearances, but that would not be near as interesting as a fight with someone closer to his level. After Harriet made her last comment, Lorag gave something between a grunt and a chuckle as he looked at her. "Hmph, what do you think?"

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Though Tarentek was still fatigued, the water had been reinvigorating enough that he was slowly able to drag himself back to his feet. He felt shaky, but at least he stood a chance of improving. He had not even noticed that the woman had taken his weapons until she returned them to him. There was a moment of surprise, but he could not say he blamed her. He would have done the same to a stranger, even one he intended to help.

Now that he was actually in good enough condition to listen to what the woman was saying, he found he could indeed understand her, though he had to focus on paying attention. Their language was the same, but there were definite differences in their dialects. Her accent and the way she pronounced some words was entirely different from the inhabitants of Amman, or even most of the traders passing through it. Nevertheless, his expression became much more serious once she started to act dismissive towards him. She was certainly a curious individual; at one moment, she was saving his life, and at the next, she was abandoning him entirely.

Tarentek did his best to make his voice sound strong, despite his weakness. "You misunderstand. It's not because you owe me, it is because I owe you. What I have seen...I guarantee it will become your problem when they raze your city or village to the ground. They are ruthless, uncompromising, and above all, powerful. I am from Amman, one of the largest and most well-defended cities known to us. We have learned the workings of many of the mechanisms left behind by the people who made the ruins that cover this world: the Humans. Our soldiers had working firearms, like my rifle, our city was fortified with the unnaturally strong metals they left behind, but it did not matter. We fought, but they were destined to conquer, and they will not stop with us. They are spreading west like a plague, and they will conquer all in their way. No one, not Amman, not you, not any city I know of, will stop them alone. That is the word I need to spread."

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

In general, I would like to make my own reactions. If you need my character to do something minor, and are unsure, you can just ask me.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

I would really prefer it if you not make any actions for my character, since he would not do those things. It's the same in Blood as well, just to let you know.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

It took a few moments for Tarentek to come to his senses after he experienced the familiar taste of water flowing past his tongue. At first, he thought it was another trick of his mind, something to give him another shard of hope before fate stabbed it through his heart. However, as he opened his eyes and looked around, he started to realize that it was no trick. Tarentek’s gaze darted around himself, more out of confusion than anything. He looked at everything around him, not really taking in much of anything at first. There was a person who he believed to be female, if his knowledge of non-reptilian races was accurate. She was covered in short, spotted fur, and was staring him down. She said something, and though he understood the words, he was not paying close enough attention to register what she actually said. Instead, his attention was wholly on the pouch beside him. It looked like a waterskin, and after he quickly snatched it up, he found that was indeed the case. Without hesitation, Tarentek drank down the contents of the waterskin’s contents, giving him his much-needed hydration. Slowly, he felt a sense of normality come to back to him, after which he was able to think more rationally. “You gave me water? Thank you. By Koisk, Jhala, and Vikrii, thank you. It’s been days…maybe weeks. The attack…” Tarentek began, his expression quickly becoming more serious as he thought back to the reason he was in this situation to begin with. “I need to get to a city, or a town, or a village; it doesn’t matter where. I just need to get somewhere.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei nodded to Sabine. "Good, good. It would likely be best if we started right away. I am sure what you will make will be most helpful." She said, making sure to alter the appearance of what Sabine intended to do to anyone listening in. "We should be sure to speak again later, Vera. Be sure to be attentive to everything Vera shows you today, Kaleeth. To keep this place secure, we will need as strong of an understanding of the details of the clan as we can manage." Standing up, Meesei took Rhazii from Kaleeth, then looked to Sabine. "Come, let us go. If the scholars are not down there already, they should be soon." Last time Harriet asked to spar, Lorag was anxious for the chance to fight, but now, he was obviously less receptive. It wasn't that he didn't want to fight; he would normally jump on the opportunity, but since he had an important task, he felt he needed to be as close to his best as possible at all times. He still felt he could beat Harriet in this duel, but last time, the fight left him tired and wounded. If she was the traitor, he didn't want her taking advantage of that. Once they were in the hall between the chambers, Lorag spoke in a serious tone. "Look, ask me any time after all this is over and I'll beat you down in a heartbeat, but now, we got to be serious. You know this is important, and we got to be alert for it all. Meesei said for you lieutenants to show us around and teach us what you do here, right? So do that. It's boring, but we can put up with it."

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

It is unknown exactly what happened. No records of the event exist, and what little can be gleamed from what they left behind, it all happened at once. Humanity was erased, and in their place, many other species arose with unnatural speed. The time between the fall of Humanity and the rise of the new civilizations is unknown, but many of their creations can still be found across the planet, albeit in decayed states. The new races have widely varied myths and legends on the earliest parts of their civilizations. Some say their gods destroyed their predecessors and created them in their place, some tell tales of being gifted thought and language, but most agree that their time in the world has been brief. The new species are scattered across the planet, with widely different levels of civilizations. Some form tribes or small, nomadic villages, using tools and technology created from their own ingenuity. Others have formed relatively complex city-states, and have even rediscovered some of the secrets Humanity left behind. The world has been reborn, but it is not finished being reshaped. --- Tarentek collapsed to his hands and knees on the sandy dune, panting from exhaustion. Every breath that passed through his frighteningly dry mouth was almost painful. He did not even know how long he had been walking, wandering, trying to find some vestige of civilization. Days? Weeks? It did not matter, for he was reaching the end of his capabilities. Allowing his arms to stop supporting him, Tarentek dropped down to lay on his side. He tightened his hand, grasping the sand beneath him before slowly turning himself and grabbing the canteen from his belt. He opened it up and looked inside, checking for the twentieth time for that one last drop of water that might remain in the empty container. His survival skills had kept him alive since the attack; he knew some places where he could find water to keep him going. But now, his luck was running as dry as his canteen. After what he had survived, all he had been through, was it now going to be his fate to waste away from dehydration? As he replaced his canteen on his belt, he glanced down at his rifle. The lens on the weapon’s scope had been destroyed in the attack, so it now had only its iron sights, but it was still quite functional. In his current state, staring down the barrel of the rifle seemed almost…inviting. He laid there staring at it for what seemed like hours, though only a few minutes passed. However, despite his weakness, he eventually dragged himself to his feet, giving one final effort to press on. Again, Tarentek did not know how long he walked. The rolling dunes all blended together into a mess of amorphous shapes, something his dizziness was only serving to make worse. Eventually, as he crested a dune just like all the others, he saw something that caught his eye. He did not want to get up his hopes as he had for countless other mirages, but it looked like water. The closer he drew, however, the more clear it became. It looked like a lake larger than any he had ever seen. It must have been it; the sea that the old human maps showed to the southwest of Amman. It had quite an ominous name, the Dead Sea, but for now, that did not matter. All he saw was the much-needed water. Tarentek’s pace picked up to being as close to a run as he could manage. Finally, he had some hope of survival, something that could keep him going. As he made it to the edge of the sea, he dropped down to his knees and bent down close to the water. He cupped his hands in the water and brought it up to his mouth, only to spit it out a moment later. The water was perhaps the saltiest thing he had ever tasted; completely unpotable. Regardless, in his delirious desperation, he tried again, in different spots, but each attempt had the same result. The entire sea seemed to consist of terribly salty water. For a city, it could be an excellent source of salt, but for him, it was devastating. To him, it was the final insult that fate was casting upon a doomed man. Tarentek collapsed to the ground once more, the water brushing lightly against him. Were it not for the dehydration, his eyes certainly would have been filled with tears.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Name: Tarentek Age: 23 Gender: Male Appearance: http://www.deviantart.com/art/Lizardman-166185819 Tarentek is a tall individual, with scales to match the sands of his desert homeland. He does not have quite as strong of a build as some of his fellow warriors, since his specialization is not strictly in combat, but he still has appropriate strength and physical fitness. Equipment: A light brown set of full, hooded robes. A long machete, similar to this, made from scavenged metals. A salvaged and restored M-14 Designated Marksman Rifle. Skills: In combat, Tarentek has been trained in melee combat and archery, but in practice, his specialization is in using firearms. Otherwise, his skills have been shaped by his role in society. Numerous excursions outside the city with scouting teams have necessitated he learn skills for surviving in the desert. As well, he is knowledgeable enough on human technology to identify what is useful, and potentially repair simple mechanisms. Background: Tarentek was hatched from parents of the warrior class of his city-state, a place ruled by his race, the Karisskan. Originally, the city was given the name Sritti by his people, but after they translated the language of the mysterious civilization whose ruins their city was built upon, they elected to give the city its original name: Amman. Once the Karisskan were able to translate the human language, their society gave focus to learning from what they left behind. They learned what they could about the world before from the records they could recover. Though many records were decayed and unreadable, they were able to make the leap from learning about human culture, to scavenging and re-purposing some basic human technology. It was this around which Tarentek's life among his people revolved. His parents were warriors, so he was destined to learn how to fight for his people, but he was able to take up a specialization that better suited his interests. Throughout his training, Tarentek also made an almost tireless effort to learn about the technology their scouts recovered. He learned which materials were best for building their homes and fortifications, which of the human tools could be repaired, and which seemed to be forever broken. He learned about how to use and repair the old firearms some of their warriors used. With all of this, he was able to take on a role more complicated than a simple fighter. After his training was complete, Tarentek was placed in a scouting team tasked with exploring surrounding ruins, looking for old human technologies and materials his people could use. It was dangerous work, but even so, it was work he enjoyed. The thrill of uncovering these lost relics was something that inspired him through years of service to his people. In his travels through the region, the rumors of trouble in the east did reach his ear, but he never could have anticipated what they would truly mean for him.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Alright, here is the thread. I will put up my CS shortly.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Oh wait, forgot Lorag. Do you think I need to add something for him? Not sure I can think of anything that wouldn't be filler.