EliteCommander

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

"Hmm, you must have strong wings. Are you sure you can carry me, waterlogged as I am?" Tarentek asked before his thoughts went onto a different matter. If her people were really as proud and isolated as she described, he could not imagine he would receive a warm welcome if discovered. He did not like the idea of heading straight into the center of their "nest," as she called it.

"Also, I do not know how comfortable I am being dropped straight into the center of your nest. It seems like that would place me in great danger. Perhaps...do you think it would be possible to persuade him to speak to me just outside of the city? If so, I would not be in immediate peril, and I could still get my message to your people." He asked. He did not think it was likely that she would say yes, but he could at least ask.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek did not precisely know if he was the only survivor of the attack, as he had been forced out of the city during the fight, too weak to help no matter his own desires. There was no questioning that their enemy had won, as it was already a losing fight when he escaped, but he could not say how many others were able to retreat. Still, even if a few managed to get away, it was unlikely he would ever see them again, so in essence, he was alone. There were other settlements that were partially or completely comprised of members of his species, but they were entirely separate from Amman, and not always allies. They were not his people.

The woman's answer was starting to make Tarentek wonder if saving them was even worth the effort, but he pushed back those thoughts for the moment. The fate of her people was at stake, and he had the means to help her, as long as they would accept it. "You are truly living up to your reputation as reclusive. That...stubbornness will be your people's end if you can do nothing about it. I owe you, and I want to help you, but I cannot perform miracles. Is there nothing you can do to get your people to listen?"

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

While the woman was speechless, Tarentek took the time to get out of the water and retrieve his rifle. He was still quite agitated, but just as before, he restrained himself from lashing out against the one who saved him. Both himself and his robes were now soaked, much to his discomfort, but at the very least, he seemed to have driven in his point well-enough.

Tarentek shook his head. "At first? Definitely, but not anymore. Removing the small bits of metal was the most painful part, but like I said, this was a glancing blow from that weapon compared to its potential. My race has heightened healing capabilities compared to most that I am aware of. Granted, with as little food as I have had since the attack, the healing has slowed, but with enough time, the scars will disappear entirely. My friend who escaped with me was not so fortunate. He was not caught in that terrible weapon, but..." He began, approaching close enough to show her the hole in his robe near his heart. "A bullet cut through his heart. I do not believe it was a direct hit, as he held on for a few hours, but...it was not enough. He, and almost every warrior in Amman, shared the same fate. This...force, I do not know their name, but they call themselves an Empire. They come from the east, moving from settlement to settlement. From what I know, they sent a messenger to us, demanding we surrender ourselves to their authority and join their Empire. We refused and...we could not have known their power. The rumors I heard say they do the same to every city. When it is time, they will come to your people and make the same demand. If they refuse, then history will repeat itself. No city can face them alone, and in truth, I do not even know if there is time to warn enough settlements, but...I have no more purpose with my life other than to fight them."

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

As the woman started to fly up into the air, Tarentek let out an audible sigh. He rubbed his free hand across his face and shook his head. Part of him wanted to give up and move on, but it would not be right for others to suffer for her stubbornness. Besides, he still had little in the way of supplies and could use help if she was willing to give it.

While he was thinking, Tarentek was not exactly paying attention to where the woman was flying, so he managed to knock away his rifle, then pushed him into the water. Why she did this was entirely unknown to him, but he was starting to become frustrated. She had saved his life, so he withheld retaliation, but his opinion of her was not quite as high as it was before. At the very least, she had knocked away his rifle beforehand, so it was spared from the salt water.

Tarentek leaned up just out of the water, which was not deep along the shore. He started to rub his head, giving her a slight scowl. "I feel like I am trying to save a child." He muttered, mostly to himself. "You believe I am lying to you? Or that I overestimate the enemy? I know what they did to me, and I will show you." He said, pulling back his robe to reveal an alarming assortment of scars across the right side of his body. There were countless cuts and burns on the right side of his torso, and even down half of his leg, enough to make one wonder how he was in as good of a condition as he seemed to be. The scars had been given some time to heal, so they were not quite as prominent as when they had formed, but they were still very obvious. Given his species' enhanced healing capabilities, they would disappear entirely over time, but for now, the illustrated what he had experienced.

"This...was a glancing blow, from a weapon the likes of which I have never seen before. It was small, enough to fit in the palm of your hand. I did not know what it was when it rolled into our group. After a few moments, there was a blinding flash and a deafening sound, then I was knocked on my back, bleeding and in pain. I was far enough away to survive, but my friends...it was capable of ripping the flesh from their bones. They had plenty of these things, which could destroy buildings and flesh alike. Imagine what these things could do to your people? Just throw them in the air; they do not even have to be precise. They would rip you to pieces. If you want to ignore my warning, then go ahead, fly home. Wait for them to come. If you want the help of one who has seen their capabilities, however, you will need me." Tarentek warned.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek started shaking his head lightly. He did not know if her stubbornness was usual for her race, or if she was something unique, but she was dead wrong. He just hoped he could get her to see. "You speak without knowledge; you have not seen what I have seen. This army is legion in number, by all accounts. I heard the rumors from the east before it happened, but I did not believe it either. Not until it was too late. Our walls were too strong, we were too well armed; those were the lies we told ourselves. I do not know where this force comes from, or who leads it, but their army has mastered the humans' machines in ways we never thought possible. Like us, they use the humans' weapons, but...they have more than that. They have armor like strange, thick clothing that can stop a bullet from our weapons, something the best metal armor we have cannot do. More frighteningly is the other machines they've mastered. You know the long stretches of roads in and between the Human cities? You know the old metal machines you can often find decaying on the roads? My people have tried to learn about them, but they are magnitudes more complicated than the weapons you and I carry. Somehow, they have learned to repair them. They can move around at speeds far faster than you can fly. They put metal on them for armor, and put large firearms on them that can shoot through anything and everything. That is just the beginning of what I saw them do, and who knows what they can do beyond that? Believe me when I say that to face them unprepared is suicide. Your flight will not save you, unless you are running away."

Tarentek did his best to reach into his memory to convey the gravity of the situation. This enemy was capable almost beyond belief and had mastered technology he thought would be forever lost. It was impressive and frightening in equal measure. He knew little of the woman's race, the Elissics. He had heard the name once or twice in passing, mostly from traders from the west, but all he had heard about them were that they were reclusive. From his impression of this woman, that description was accurate.

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.”