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"It is an odd sounding name I will admit, but it is the name she told me was her's when I first picked her up she said to me 'I am the blade of the end, the void cutter, the despair of creators, whatever I touch I kill, I am Kusinagi the God Slaying Blade'" he held it in front of him admiring it. "I have swung this blade through stone and iron and it has never dulled, I swing this blade and I grow more and more powerful with each one, I have no understanding of her, but I know that we were destined to be together, she was created to be my blade, and I was created to wield her in battle" he laughed. "I suppose you can say me and her are soul mates, for I know I will never wield a blade as beautiful and destructive as her, and she has said she will never find a person other then me who is strong willed and stubborn enough to wield her, and it is because of that fact that I will never lose a battle, the perfect soldier and the perfect sword, our souls in sync with one each other, I believe people spend their entire lives looking for a love so pure as ours" he put the sword over his shoulders and laughed. "Look at me speaking like a poet, I really have been away from battle for too long" the end of the caravan reached them and he turned to stay in line with it.

Neiross cocked an eyebrow slightly. And I thought the sorts of speeches delivered by Olympion zealots were bizarre. Never thought I'd find a Sparton prone to rhapsodizing, in any case. Go figure it would be about a sword, though. I guess they just really, really love their weapons. Without even turning around or so much as removing his hands from his pockets, the assassin abruptly hopped backward, landing on the outside brace of the railing of a passing cart, then seated himself leisurely on its edge. Why bother walking when there were so many passing transports you could just as easily hitch a ride on?

Unable to resist the urge to make another sarcastic remark, Neiross spoke up yet again. "So if it kills anything it touches, I suppose that means you must be dead, then," He mumbled, feigning obliviousness.

"You would be right about that, from the moment I turned eight anything I once was died, every part of me that could be considered me was erased, I am a soldier, a killer, but I am not alive, only a dead man can wield a blade like this, I would offer to let you try for yourself but" he smiled. "The flame of your soul is so tiny it would burn out by just touching Kusinagi, and I would hate to kill someone the higher-ups are paying to fight, besides" he grinned darkly. "By the time we are done fighting together I will make sure you have a fire as bright as mine so you have something to back up all of the strength you have, I can tell by looking at you that fighting isn't really something that you get excited about, but stick with me and I will teach you and the bow kid what it means to really enjoy a fight" he gave him a thumbs up. "Believe in the words I say for they will come to pass"

"You! Banished Sparton!" yelled the First Mate, a little red in the face. Setsuna pointed at himself, an innocent look on his face. "Yeah, you!" Setsuna waved. Raivisa marvelled; he really was totally shameless, wasn't he? The mate continued, "What is the meaning of this? Why is it every time of day you start trouble, can you not stay your blade for five freaking seconds!? You all deserved to be fired! I never agreed to hiring mercenaries in the first place!" Raivisa was already leaning her blade against the wall so she could do some damage control when the man pointed at her. "You... Tell me what happened."

Only too happy to oblige... Raivisa stepped forward and placed her arm expansively around Carlmono's shoulders, surreptitiously guiding him away from where Setsuna stood, so that her accomplice wouldn't be able to dig them in deeper trouble as she tried to dig them out. "I'm sure we can all imagine, Sir, everyone's a little on-edge with the sighting of land, and of course people don't take well to the presence of mercenaries among them-- and who can blame them? I know I'd feel the same, if our positions were reversed, and, well, faults on both sides..." She paused; he didn't look convinced, so she changed tactics.

"Remember what I told you and the Captain when you hired us? Well, this here is one of those valuable, teachable moments. Setsuna's taught your men at least two things today: first, that they should never underestimate the enemy they're facing-- a valuable lesson that every soldier should learn sooner rather than later-- and second, that it's a terrible idea to put flour and grape jelly in the same crate." Why did they do that? she wondered idly, as she went on. "It's true that the manner in which he brought about these lessons was absolutely unacceptable, and I assure you that it will not happen again. I will personally take responsibility for that.

"However, if I might be so bold as to point it out, it is this very talent for finding trouble that will make him prove his worth to you as a mercenary ten times over on the battlefield-- which, I believe, we are approaching fast?" Interpreting the man's silence as permission to keep speaking, Rai went on, feeling a little emboldened, confident as ever about the effect she was having on Carlmono. "Speaking of which, I'd like to request, if possible, that you clear your men from the cargo hold now, just for a little while."

They had been walking as Raivisa spoke, and at this, Setsuna, who was back in earshot, blinked, and said, a little more loudly than was necessary, "Oh, so that's what this was!"

Raivisa and Carlmono both turned to stare at him, wordlessly, for a moment. When it became apparent that no further elaboration would be forthcoming, Rai went on with what she was saying. "If we're going to land soon, I'd like the chance for us to practice the trades you hired us for in a space large enough for us to go against a real opponent."

His eyes going from Setsuna's scabbard to Raivisa's naginata leaning against the wall, the First Mate blinked. "Aren't your weapons-- ah-- a little unsuited to combat against each other?"

Raivisa flashed him a bright smile. "We'll take turns," she said, smirking internally. They had, she knew, hired her for her skill, not for her smile. But it couldn't hurt that she did happen to have a smile that would make all but perhaps the strongest-willed of men want to do what she requested, no questions asked.

Carlmono brushed her shoulder off. He felt insulted by the gesture, as if she was trying to tell him what to do. Making him look foolish in front of his own men.

"This is ridiculous!" Carlmono cried. "You people try to act formal and yet your attitudes and mannerisms are no better than those damn Vam-"

"CARLMONO!"

The captain was glaring at Carlmono with serious eyes. Carlmono immediately turned white. He was about to say something he would regret for the rest of his life. The captain came down the stairs and looked around the room and then grew a smile out of nowhere.

"Don't worry everyone, all is forgiven. Let's all forget about this and get back to work alright? Thanks. Carlmono, you are needed in my quarters."

Carlmono walked silently with the captain upstairs. They then moved into his quarters. As soon as the captain closed the door he grabbed Carlmono's shoulders and shouted at the shocked Carlmono.

"What in the name of the Gods is wrong with you!? You know that word is forbidden, and you almost spouted it to the entire crew!"

"I am sorry Captain, they are driving me insane. They won't stop starting trouble. Especially that Setsuna."

"They are causing nothing. You are letting your petty nationalism get to you. As far as I am concerned, I never heard you ever speak the word. Got it? Now stay here and calm down before you get back to work. We don't need another outburst like that again."

The captain left the room and Carlmono sat there, Motionless.

Azir walked slowly. As such he did not get near to the mercenaries until the first mate arrived to break up the fight. Although maybe that wasn’t the proper term as the only one he was reprimanding were The Sparton mercenaries. The first mate seemed to be reaching a high point in his tirade despite not having been going on for very long.

"You people try to act formal and yet your attitudes and mannerisms are no better than those damn Vam-"

"CARLMONO!"

The captain had appeared almost immediately and rather out of nowhere. The captain pulled Carlmono away after telling everyone that all was forgiven. I wonder what that was about? Usually a captain would just leave the first mate to break up a fight. Odd but probably nothing to worry about. Shame Carlmono was pulled away I was curious to see where he was going with that. Anyway time to go make nice with the people who probably hate my guts.

Azir walked over to the two Spartons with a friendly smile on his face. “Greetings Sir and Ma’am I’m Azir I figured since we are all going to be working together on the island we should at least meet officially. What are your names?”

Setsuna, the cause of all this havoc, watched with a perplexed look on his face as the Captain removed the extremely loud and excitable first mate from the room Setsuna was now positive was the cargo hold. Well, anyway, Raivisa seemed sure of it, and he had no real reason to think she was trying to fool him.

He was still staring off at the far door when another Athenon approached them, though this guy seemed new. Anyway, he didn't seem to be Ill, Grabby, Jellyman, or Grabby's Friend, as he had named them, so he wasn't particularly worried about or interested in his approach. There wasn't going to be a party any more, so he might as well head off and find something else to do before Raivisa started yelling at him.

Just as he was about to turn away and slip out, the Athenon spoke. “Greetings Sir and Ma’am. I’m Azir. I figured since we are all going to be working together on the island we should at least meet officially. What are your names?” Setsuna decided that the man was a rather nice Athenon, so he responded.

"Hi! Well, I'm Setsuna the wandering ronin! Well, I was wandering until I got hired for this." For some reason he looked slightly upset at the idea of being hired. After all, if he had work, then he couldn't call himself a wandering ronin anymore. That would be hard to get used to. "Oh, and this scary lady over here is Raivisa! She's my traveling companion!"

Raivisa scowled. "The 'scary lady' might just have your guts, Setsuna," she growled. Nodding the barest minimum for what would qualify as a polite greeting to the Athenon, she took up her naginata, again holding the blunt end away from her as she swung it viciously at her lackadaisical travelling companion.

"You complete--" she spoke in sharp, jerky phrases, as she performed what was basically a pattern dance, modified to not actually would the opponent, "--idiot." Setsuna turned as she swung at him, avoiding the heaviest of her blows without seeming to maneuver. "What were you--" He turned again, jumping a little out of her range-- "thinking?"

"Meanie," Setsuna commented, clearly not particularly bothered by her strikes, as she gave up on what was clearly a futile attack, shouldering her weapon and running forward to grab him by the scruff of the neck. "Enough of your shenanigans!" Raivisa demanded, more scolding than furious now that she'd let off steam. "We have work to do! Yes," she added, correctly interpreting his plaintive face when she voiced the word for what he did so little of, "work. It's a thing people do so they don't become unemployed and starve."

The Athenon followed them, looking somewhat stunned, as she physically dragged the erstwhile travelling ronin halfway across the boat, until they reached the deck.

I remember when I thought getting to know these two would be a simple thing. At this point Azir had to admit he was slightly bemused by the turn of events watching the woman drag her larger friend through the corridors of the ship.

He looked evenly at the ronin. “Is she like this a lot? She seemed like I reasonable person the first time I saw her when we were all boarding.”

Setsuna gave a very good imitation of a long-suffering sigh as his friend grabbed him by the back of his haori. "Please don't tear my coat. I mean, more than it already is. I like my coat." Raivisa didn't respond. She seemed rather upset, actually, but then, with Raivisa, she was usually upset at something or other. She mostly took it out on him regardless.

He heard the creak of wood, and the next thing he knew, he was being dragged straight up the stairs. "Ow." There was a short pause until he hit the next step. "Ow." Pause again. "Ow." Pause again. "Ow."

Suddenly, a voice cut through his complaints. “Is she like this a lot? She seemed like a reasonable person the first time I saw her when we were all boarding.”

Setsuna looked up to find the Athenon concealing a rather strange look. For a bit, he pondered why the man seemed to think something odd was going on, and then remembered that he probably had never really met Raivisa before. "Oh, you should see her when she's really angry. That's when she gets scary!"

Raivisa hit his back particularly hard on the next stair up. "Ow."

"Ow."

"Ow."

"Ow..."

"Hey, what's up, buddy?"

Malafortion kept his eyes closed, not making a single motion. Who else would it be but the lizard-man? But Malafortion did not respond. He stayed within the depths of his own mind, visualising just how gratifying it would be when he could finally get his hands on the Sacred Ones and elicit that beautiful sound, the blessed music of a scre-

No.

The lizard began moving away, not receiving any answer from the stone-skinned Olympion. In his mind's eye, a glimmer of a light nearly shone from some place in the camp. Perhaps some fool soldier was attempting some magic or another, it probably did not matter. Except that it came from the direction where Natalya had gone to. The beautiful archer was more than capable of taking care of herself, but she was, technically, his property- she might have dismissed the contractual terms, but he still abided by them- and he would not suffer fools to damage his property.

Malafortion began moving.

It was night time aboard the ship. Everyone was sound asleep, the deck was cleared and all was well. Except for the Captain.

The Captain was a brave soul and a caring one at that. He always stayed up on deck during the night, keeping watch of any dangers that might come from the deep blue sea. He looked over at the horizon, the dark blue sea reflecting the light off the pale dark moon creating a visual form of euphoria that captured the hearts of many sailors. As he looked out miles ahead of him, Carlmono came up deck to talk to him.

"How do you do sir?" Carlmono said.

"Sea fares better, pints of ale notwithstanding."

"I just came to patrol the upper deck but I can see you have already arranged for that. Have a good night Cap'n." Carlmono waved goodbye but The Captain gestured him to wait.

"About that thing I said about nationalism. I am sorry and I shouldn't have run my mouth like that." The Captain had a face of regret but Carlmono smiled.

"No you are right, I was just being discriminatory. Don't beat yourself up too bad Captain. I am heading to bed, goodnight."

The Captain gestured him a goodnight and Carlmono went downstairs and below deck. The Captain continued looking out into the night sky when another crew member came upstairs. It was a private named Yacht. Yacht was a stout fellow with muscular prowess but the attitude of a scared kitten. He came to the Captain and leaned against the rim of the ship next to him.

"Hello Captain, nice night isn't it?" Yacht smiled at The Captain.

"That be it so." The Captain replied as if in a trance.

"I heard about the squabbles that happened today. Darn Carlmono, he can take things too far sometimes."

The Captain laughed more than he had in years. He patted Yacht on the back and spoke as a wise old man told to his grandson.

"Carlmono is a fine first mate. Although the lad can be quick about judgments, he is a reliable sailor and a honest fellow. I trust him with my life."

"With your life?" Yacht seemed to not believe the Captain's statements.

"More than anything." The Captain looked at Yacht with a weird sort of pride that confused Yacht somewhat. Yacht then looked at the horizon as if in a change of personality.

"That statement is so ironic." Yacht said with a calm demeanor.

The Captain was dumbfounded at Yacht's statement.

"I beg your pardon but how is that Ironi-" Before the Captain could finish, Yacht jabbed a dagger straight into the stomach of the Captain. The Captain fell to the floor of the ship, cringing in pain. Yacht smiled and looked at him.

"Simply because the one time your going to need him most, he doesn't show up."

The Captain could barely breathe. "Wh-Why?" The Captain said with a stutter.

"Why!? WHY!? I'll tell you why, because those Spartons are nothing but cowards and liars. They banished us and made my people suffer for generations while they sat on their thrones and ate the food of the Gods! They will all pay, starting with that idiotic ronin. Revenge is ours for the taking."

The Captains eyes widened with fear, he grew white at the figure standing before him. His realization making him tremble beneath his fatal wound.

"It can't be! Y-You're a Va-" The Captain was stopped by Yacht.

"You've no right to speak that name. No right!" Yacht was furious at the Captain.

"You-You'll never get away with this! You will neve-" Yacht stabbed The Captain again before his sentence was finished. Yacht looked at the dead body of the Captain and then looked up at the sky.

"Oh I will get away with it alright." Yacht said as he began walking away. "However, I bet you the Sparton coward won't."

Jack had quietly finished his next plans in his head and went off for a walk around the camp with the other Olympions as the bridge was finally getting rebuilt at last, he needed to pass the time and distract himself until the journey could really start.

"I need to find someone to talk to, it'd seem pretty stupid if I spent the whole trip and experience at the kingdom alone. Sure it would leave me to my own actions but I can't do my mission alone but I don't think there's anyone here who would be willing to join me." 

Jack coninued thinking to himself as he watched the other Olympions fight, train, talk and have fun. 

"Screw this I gotta do something!"

Jack thought to himself loudly as he went to the training ground to practice his magic and sword skills.

He quickly messed around with a dummy target, covering it in water and cutting it's limbs off one by one.

"Now this is fun!" Jack smiled with enjoyment as he 'slaughtered' the dummy apart, ready to battle what could come next.

Azir went over all the information he had been given for the hundredth time that night. This assignment is gonna be a tough one. He had come down to his room after spending the afternoon watching the two mercenaries practice. Raivisa was clearly skilled with her weapon. She was also extremely vicious. Her companion was..odd. He’s obviously good but…I just don’t know, something weird about him. Well I’ve been working for a while now. Might as well walk around a bit and relax before I sleep.

So Azir left his room. He made his way up to the deck expecting a nice calming situation. Unfortunately his hopes were in vain when he saw a dead body in a pool of blood. Not good, not good. When he turned over the corpse he saw the captains face. Right that just make this situation even worse.

At that point some crew members saw him kneeling over the body. “You..You killed hi-“
“Of course not, don’t be a fool!” Azir shot back. He seethed for a moment and calmed himself before continuing. “I have pressing business on that island and murdering a fellow countryman in cold blood serves me no purpose. Besides I’ve been in my cabin since the afternoon. Now go get the first mate and tell him what happened.”

More crewmembers had apparently heard the panic and were coming to investigate. Already Azir could predict whom they would blame. He may be responsible but I can’t have a lynch mob on this ship. Besides if he is innocent I would hate to see him die. “Gentlemen if you would kindly gather around and listen to me. Please do not leave yet. If you leave for anything other than essential duties I will knock you unconscious and restrain you on suspicion of murder.”

Raivisa was woken by sounds of a commotion. "Once, just once," she grumbled, as she got out of bed and put on something presentable, "It would be nice if I could sleep the night through. But no..."

She stopped at the door to her cabin, wondering if she should take her naginata with her. On the one hand, if they were under attack, that was what it was there for. On the other hand, if this was a more mundane reason for the noise, it might end up looking bad if she showed up fully armed. She compromised by leaving the polearm, but tucking her shukusen into her sash, where it would be close to hand. So long as she didn't face anything more than hand-to-hand fighting, she should be fine.

Arriving on the deck, the source of the sounds, at a run, Raivisa saw a crowd of soldiers and sailors huddled over what looked to be a body. The Athenon who had introduced himself to her and Setsuna earlier that day-- or was it the previous day by now? The sky was too dark to tell-- as Azir seemed to be haranguing the rest. “Gentlemen, if you would kindly gather around and listen to me. Please do not leave yet. If you leave for anything other than essential duties I will knock you unconscious and restrain you on suspicion of murder.”

Suspicion of... murder? What the hell...? Well, time to get some answers. Slipping her hand down to her sash in case there was any trouble, Raivisa cleared her throat loudly and asked, "What in the gods' name is going on here?"

"The Captain's been murdered," someone answered her, ashen-faced, even as murmurs were going through those assembled. She could make out mutters of "Spartan woman," and "mercenaries"-- it was only a matter of time, she knew, before...

"You did this!" someone accused. Right on cue, Rai thought grimly. She stood there, saying nothing, simply raised an eyebrow at him as she pulled her fan out of her sash and, in the stillness, flicked it open with an audible snap. After almost a minute, the man quailed beneath her stare. "Well, maybe not," he mumbled, before rallying magnificently. "But what about that other Sparton?"

This was met with agreement from almost all sides. "That Setsuna! It must have been him! Why isn't he here, I wonder?" Because he's probably getting a good night's sleep, like I should be, Raivisa thought irritably. She knew she should be more charitable; after all, the Captain had been a good man, and he had been the one to give them the job, but right now the two things foremost in her consciousness were her lack of sleep, and the danger to her by association; even if the eye of suspicion wasn't directly on her, she was too closely connected with Setsuna in their minds to escape unscathed if he were prosecuted.

"It wasn't him," she answered, her voice more calm and confident than she really felt. "I'll vouch for it."

"Oh, yeah?" challenged a sailor. "How do you know that?"

Raivisa sighed. "As anyone who heard me speaking to the First Mate this afternoon can confirm," her eyes sought out first Azir, then the other Athenons who had been in the room at the time, knowing that they would be far less disposed to admit to Setsuna's innocence, "after my travelling companion caused some... commotion, I committed to keeping him more closely under my eye to prevent such misunderstandings from recurring. He has been under my eye every moment of the day; it would be impossible for him to do such an act without me noticing."

"Prove it," sneered one of the Athenons.

"How would you like me to do so?"

"Bring him here. Let him demonstrate his innocence himself."

Rai glanced at Azir, who had, after all, just threatened to attack anyone leaving the deck. He nodded at her; after all, bringing Setsuna would be more productive than not, even if people seemed disinclined to believe him at the moment.

Raivisa banged on the door to her friend's cabin. "Setsuna!" she called, to no answer. "SETSUNA!" Well, if he wasn't going to make this easy... She forced the door open and went inside, prepared to drag him out of bed still asleep if necessary. "Setsuna, get up, you lazy bum, the--" she stopped cold; his bed was empty. She looked around, already knowing that he wasn't there.

Swearing, Rai dashed out of there, wracking her brains to where he might be. Could he be in the cargo hold? He had gone there yesterday for no apparent reason before she'd dragged him out; maybe he went back... She ran halfway across the ship, her eyes scanning every possible hiding place on her way there. Throwing open the door to the hold, she realized she'd been holding her breath, hoping against hope that he was in there. He certainly wasn't anywhere in plain sight-- she would have to walk the perimeter of the room, checking all the assorted items which were stored here, in order to verify his absence.

Painstaking work, and for nothing; still no sign of Setsuna. Raivisa dashed to and fro along the dark, silent boat, silently begging her companion to appear. Of all the goddamn inconvenient times to go missing, Setsuna! Whenever people don't want him about, he's always getting in the way, getting into trouble... and now, when he needs to be here more than anything-- nothing. She wanted to scream, to shake him, to smack him... Dammit, Setsuna, you're just going to come off looking more guilty than you already do if they can't find you now... and it doesn't help that right after I vouch for you, give my word that you can't have done anything untoward, I can't bloody find you!

She leaned against a wall, panting a little. More than an hour had passed since she'd been sent to get him, and she needed to decide whether she should just quit while she was behind, and return to the deck empty-handed, or whether she would continue the search until-- something.

High in the rigging, Setsuna listened quietly to the creaking of the sails and masts around him. His current position, hanging upside down by his legs from the crossbeam holding the mainsail, was far too high up for anyone to see him in the dark. It had certainly kept him hidden from the captain and his murderer. However, in a very odd turn of events for the cheery man, he was not smiling. In fact, he was frowning, something he almost never did. He had come up here out of boredom, but then he had been a witness to the conversation between the now dead man and his killer.

Had he realized the young man's intent sooner, he would have dropped from his current position and stopped him, but the first sign of something off was the sound of a dagger piercing flesh, and by that point it was too late. It wouldn't serve any purpose to go down there now. He heard the shouts of men below, and a vaguely familiar voice, probably the Athenon from earlier in the day, order someone to run for the first mate. One black eye cracked open as he looked at the figure dashing into the hold. He knew exactly who it was.

With a sigh, he heaved himself up on top of the wooden beam, then reached out and grabbed one of the many ropes around him. He was as silent as a shadow as he slid down the length of rope, then leaped off of it in a dive towards the hatch to the below deck areas. The same hatch the figure had vanished into. Flying headfirst down the stairway, Setsuna turned his momentum into a silent roll and leaped to his feet, stepping into a shadowy side passage even as Carlmono dashed past him and onto the deck, face pale. And sure enough, running behind him came...

"Now, now, what's all this commotion about?" the ronin asked the muscular man before him, who froze mid-step. The tone was still just as jovial as always, but it seemed to compel the man to listen. "Have we sighted land already, or is it... something else?" As the man turned, Setsuna cracked one eye open to look at him from where he leaned casually in the shadows. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light from the lantern the sailor carried, but instead of his usual black color, the single eye that stared at Yatch, for that was who it was, was a deep crimson.

The man spoke sharply, oddly tense at being interrupted by Setsuna. "This isn't the time for your nonsense, Sparton, the Captain has been murdered!"

"Oooooohhh?" Setsuna made a surprised sound. "Murdered you say? My, my, that is very bad." Reaching a hand up to adjust his hat, Setsuna's voice suddenly became very, very dangerous. "You might not be aware of this, but there are very few things in the world that upset me more than meaningless killing, that there isn't." Suddenly, the ronin became cheery again and smiled kindly at the man. "But you Athenons are such smart people. I'm sure you will pick out the murderer shortly." Kicking off the wall, Setsuna stepped out in the hallway, both eyes closed once more. "However, we make land tomorrow, so it will be important to find your target before then, won't it? After all, once we reach land, the killer could go anywhere in Unigarond." Stepping past the man, Setsuna paused for a moment with his back to Yatch, and his friendly smile widened further, still outwardly kind but unsettling in its size alone. "Hey, it's almost like a fun game I know, called Hide and Seek! But... the question is, who is 'it'?"

Chuckling to himself as though he had just made a very funny joke, Setsuna strolled away down the corridor, his body vanishing into the shadows, and his footsteps soon following, leaving only a discordant whistling that echoed through the empty corridors.

It had been a long time since he had played a game like this. Setsuna was excited.

But for the streaks of grey in his hair and the wrinkles on his face, the man leaning on the oaken railing at the side of the ship, arms crossed and compressed between his chin and the wood, looked three decades younger than his forty-two years of age. From beneath half-closed eyelids and the odd thread of blond hair, pale blue eyes scanned the waves beneath him, tracking each foam-capped ridge as it passed him. A rifle that looked far too long for his pre-adolescent frame was propped up against the rail beside him, untouched since he set it there upon arrival, several hours before.

The commotion behind him was getting louder; Edmund could almost make out some of the words now. He ignored them anyways. If it didn't concern him, no point in getting involved...

"If all your sword does by killing people is make them stronger, I'd advise getting a new weapon," Neiross mumbled, not letting up on his usual sarcasm nor feigned obliviousness for an instant. Why would he? It was all the fun of fighting someone, but without any sort of physical exertion involved. Little irritating jabs and snarky comments were his favorite sport - well, excepting maybe duels where he was forced to go all-out, but those got tiresome sometimes if they dragged on long enough to become monotonous.

"In any case, I don't know what your whole deal with flames is, but I'd rather prefer if you refrained from trying to light me on fire, or whatever it is you're talking about doing. You might get ash on my coat. Then I'd have to kill you," The assassin's apathetic tone didn't even change in the slightest as he abruptly gave a death threat, talking in the same manner about killing someone who was currently his superior officer as he might talk about taking a nap. "And then I'd probably have to fight the rest of this army afterward. And after all that, I'd probably have to go and buy a new coat. That would be... troublesome. So, if you please, don't burn things in my presence."

" '...stick with me and I will teach you and the bow kid what it means to really enjoy a fight', eh?" thought Devin as he slid a hand through his hair, clearing the sweat on his forehead. He paused to look at the calm waters of the lake once more before deciding on what to answer to the taller man, slowly walking ahead of him.

"That will be quite the challenge." He spoke with a soft voice, not wanting to look away from the blue liquid to his right and left. "You see, I don't believe in the need of pointless fights." Pausing, he let one of his hands slowly return to one of his pants pockets, nervously playing with the only remaining rock in there. He turned to face Maliborn, who was still walking ahead of him, yet listening to him. "Even so, here I am, right?" He laughed sheepishly, as if expecting to be berated by his comment. The wind blowed behind his back as he started walking faster, trying to catch up to Maliborn. "I believe... I believe a man fights neither for fun nor for honor. A man fights to protect what it is most important for him." He stopped, glancing behind his shoulder to make sure the Olympion was hearing him speak as well. "...And I just told you what that is, right? I'm here for my friends, if conflict ensues I will fight, for that is the job I have been assigned, whether I like it or not... But this misadventure I might have fallen into... Maybe I'll surely learn something from it, so I won't turn you down so soon, Maliborn".

Devin turned to speak to the older man that had been following them for a while know. He had said his name was Publius something, so many things had happened in such a short amount of time, that he was starting to lose track of some of them. He had showed up, asking him to return to Athenon to support its expedition to find the riches of the Fallen Kingdom; he also had said that he would help in finding his lost friends, all he had to do was come back and become some sort of new leader in the expedition or something, all the while speaking about his patriotic duty, trying hard to convince him.

"It sounds tempting..." he started, looking at the man, already feeling the glare of his now companions on his back, "...and yet, there's a part of me that doesn't believe it. But anyway, I don't think I'll be returning any time soon. I have a contract, you see. I'm not about to leave these guys here just like that. That's just plain unproffesional. As for my friends... maybe you could help me search for them, yes... but, what is to say they haven't done things against our country. What if they're wanted criminals? Would you forgive them, were that to be the case? Finally, I'm not interested in having power or a great rank. I'm just a normal guy." He laughed a bit, he certainly was having more fun than he expected. "I'll stay here for now. I'll go back once I'm done with whatever needs to be done over here." And with that, Devin turned his back, looking at his feet while he stepped away from the man.

It was done, after days of bickering and days of repairing the bridge was finished. Olympions stood upon the entrance to the emerald stone bridge. It lead straight a across a chasm deeper than the pits of hell itself. However, the Sacred Ones had decreed that a three day mass was needed before entering the supposed Holy Grounds.

Out in the Sparton camp however, a lone scout has gone missing. The Sparton commanders are investigating the matter further. It is due to this that the Sparton encampment has halted there expedition on the Bridge.

Maliborn walked over to the archer and put an extra helping of mutton they had given out to the normal Sparton soldiers. "You might not want to eat the food they gave you, I saw the chief spit in it, some people huh?" he laughed. "Anyway about your friends, if we find them I promise I won't kill them, can't promise anything about broken bones or things like that but death by me won't be something they will experience." He sat next to him. "It is good to know your reason for fighting, hold on to that, because in the war that is coming there is going to be a lot of it, you will see things that would ruin the mind of a common man"

Maliborn pulled out a gold flask that he had on his right side and took and drink from it before shuddering. "The good stuff, Whiskey aged in a barrel of Chester Oak, want a swig?" Maliborn offered some to the archer.

Devin took the mutton he was offered, carefully saving it inside a small satchel for later. When he looked back, Maliborn was untying a small bottle from his side: "The good stuff, Whiskey aged in a barrel of Chester Oak, want a swig?" he said, handing him the golden flask.

"I really shouldn't, you know..." he said, not wanting to go on a drinking rampage, but also at the same time, not wanting to reject Maliborn's generosity. "How am I supposed to shoot down our enemies if I'm too tipsy to aim?" He smiled, looking at the liquid inside the bottle. "Well, I don't think a sip will do much." He said before holding the bottle and chugging some of its contents.

He laughed. "That is what I am talking about!" he looked around to see if he could find the lazy assassin. "Come how a drink with us, all on me" he reached into a cart and pulled out a gallon of the ale and putting it down. "I bribed this wagon to bring a entire barrel of the good stuff for just this occasion, drinks for the whole back squad!" Everyone cheered and started taking mugs. The commander knew they would regret it the next morning but knowing that the upcoming battles would see a lot of people killed he couldn't make the people under his command not enjoy the night.

Maliborn grabbed a wooden drinking cup and dipped it in taking a mighty drink. "Lets have a bit of pre-battle fun shall we you bunch of war hungry dogs?" the men cheered and enjoyed the barrel.

Neiross cringed, muttering something under his breath as he covered his ears at the noise of the revelry outside, an irritating sound which had even woken him up from his rather pleasant nap inside one of the supply wagons. How troublesome, he thought, trying in vain to block out the noise from a few yards away as soldiers quickly came from all directions to join in the mad, inexplicable festivities. What exactly were they so worked up about, anyway? The army hadn't even reached the island yet. How did they expect to fight if they were all lying in their beds, hung over? It seemed remarkably stupid to the assassin, considering the Sparton race valued bloodthirst and combat above all else. And yet here were the nation's finest, drinking themselves into a collective stupor while on an expedition. How stupid. At the very least, couldn't they be quieter about it? People were trying to sleep. Important people. Important people who were, incidentally, plotting to destroy the entire banquet-in-the-making. Of course, Neiross wouldn't ever get around to carrying out these empty ideas, but it was at least somewhat satisfying to envision the destruction he might wreck upon those fools who disturbed his nap.

Devin sneaked away from the ruckus of the now carefree army getting drunk in the middle of the day. His head felt a little heavy, but otherwise he was fine. As he saw the stopped carts where the captain and all the higher rank soldiers rested he realized how much of a bad idea drinking from that golden flask had been. He began wandering along the bridge, not really thinking about anything in particular. The sun was still high in the now cloudless sky. In the distance, a femenine figure started running towards him. At first, the bright light of the sun prevented him from telling who it was, but as she closed in she could distinguish the features, the long chestnet hair that waved right and left as she ran.

"Hey!" Devin shouted at the captain when she was several meters away. "Anything the matter?"

"Oh, it's you" her expression showed her disgust at encountering the young Athenon again. The captain closed in, her expression worsening as she smelled the alcohol from Devin's breath. "You... have you been drinking?" she asked skeptically, her eyes conveying her now increasing fury.

"Oh, that... yes... a bit. I mean, maybe I had, one or two sips. Or maybe they were drinks, I don't remember." The sudden need to hit himself grew in Devin as the words came out of his mouth, certainly, the alcohol wasn't helping his case. After all, when they say that only children and drunk people tell the truth, they're probably right. "The others are still at it, you might join them if you want". Devin knew he was in for a lot of trouble after saying that, yet, he hadn't been able to stop himself. The captain, red with anger stomped her boot on the floor.

"How... What? Argh! These idiotic mercenaries! They're useless, I told them!" she kept stomping, taking her time to glare at the archer from time to time, as if she wanted to hit him. She had enough reasons to do so, after all. "First a scout goes missing and we have to stop moving and now this! This expedition will surely be the end of me!" And then she stormed off without looking at the archer again, for she was sure that if she did, she wouldn't be able to resist the urge to choke him.

"Wait!" Devin shouted before the captain was far away. She hesitantly turned, probably because she expected some sort of apology. "You... you're kind of pretty. Even with that black eye you got there. Mind if you stay a bit, here with me?" He winked at her. The captain's eye twitched in disgust.

Fair enough, Devin knew he would say something incredible stupid. The captain simply walked up to him, as if she wasn't angry at all, then she kicked him again, sending him flying towards the floor. She ran off, swearing something about filthy Athenons.

"Ow..." the young Athenon didn't bother to stand up again. "I'll just probably get myself in more trouble" He thought, rolling around the floor so that he could see the sky. He could hear the captain's angry footsteps in the distance, the bright sun shone in the sky above. Devin closed his eyes and fell asleep.