Private Tales The Bones Glow As They Break

[Rhidian]

"Artesto! Vaughn! Off your arses and get the gear secured into the wagon!"

Rhidian suppressed the groan he wished to let out, but he was brought up a soldier. As soon as he got to the Academy, heard Silas' name, he stuck to him like glue. They had shared memories of the Guard growing up, their punishments as young boys, and the best thing of all: hypothetical scenarios they could be in with their magic. It probably was the only time Rhid was eager to talk about his magic, the very daunting task of his capabilities.

"First," He started, looking over to his friend, "they made us count all the supplies. Second, they made us do the dishes, and ol' Grey Boots over there eats like a pig. Thirdly," Rhidian shook his head in disbelief, already moving to the wagon to assess what they were working with. "they gave us blankets with holes in them... and now this." His hands clapped and presented the wagon with feigned cheer.

"What did we do to end up with the shit grunt jobs?" He kicked the wheel, and regretted it. Rhidian braced himself against the side of the wagon, setting his jaw as he allowed the pain to ride through.

It was to build character, so as the senior members of the group answered when Rhidian had pressed them. They were about to head into the Falwood, to retrieve a fugitive that needed the company of nine to keep contained. When he had asked for more information, they did not give it, nothing beyond they are a known accomplice.

At least this was not a mission that would ask of his magic. Faulty as it may be, the most Rhidian could do now was transfer his magic to another object. Then it promptly being launched into the air from such explosive pressure. That would not be handy.


Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

While Rhidian griped and moaned about being put to work, Silas lifted the last of the wooden cases containing gear for those assigned to this mission up onto the back of the wagon with a small grunt. "Yeah, thank god you're here to bitch about it, Rhid." He smirks, watching out of the corner of his eye as his friend delivers a swift kick to the wheel and winces in some well-earned pain. "Else my ears might be spared, at least. Can't have that can we?"

Rhidian was by and large one of the more personable Initiates in the class, especially compared to those like Urahil, Kor and Fennec. He and Silas had taken fairly well to each other, and they meshed well outside of missions.

During missions though? Rhidian wasn't a huge fan of actually working, and Silas took his job seriously. If Artesto wasn't so fond of the guy, it would be annoying, but Rhidian usually took his grilling in stride. Securing the case, Silas climbed up into the back of the wagon and took a quick count to ensure that everything was accounted for.

"Look on the bright side. For all the shit we give the Falwood, and, rightfully so..." Silas had his beliefs about the elves, but he wasn't about to get into that. Silas signaled the driver that everything was loaded and then held his hand down to help the grievously wounded Rhidian onto the wagon so they could depart."It's actually a beautiful place. The air is crisp and clean, nothing like Vel Anir. Besides, this captive is a 'fugitive'. As in 'already captured'. We're not even doing the hard part. Now come on, you big baby."

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

Rhidian gestured at Silas with his middle finger, but the playful grin gave way that he took the jabs in stride. Not much could rub the late arrival Initiate the wrong way, at least, that was still to be tested. With the assistance of Artesto, he was able to get a spot on the wagon before the driver decided not to wait a moment longer and take off. The way they packed the wagon meant that the softer items were laid in the middle, giving them each a comfortable seat for their arses. As Rhidian understood it, there was at least a couple of weeks travel to Vel Cirak.

"Never seen the Falwood." Rhid supplied, getting himself comfortable in his seat for the rest of the day. The other six accompanying the two Initiates and driver were on horseback, leading the small company. "Skirted around it when I came from home." Home being Vel Hetren. For generations the Vaughns helped man the stronghold there, and now Rhidian felt left to his own devices so far from home. At least he was quick to make friends.

"Your girl mentioned she'd been to Vel Cirak not long ago." Rhidian stretched his legs out, letting them dangle a little ways off the edge of the wagon. He spoke in a low voice, knowing that he had been cautioned not to spread that piece of information around with loose lips. Rhidian was only proud his new friend had bagged such a pretty gir, when his own efforts to figure out where he stood with another Initiate seemed too difficult to wrap his head around. But Rhid was not the kind to ask for help in that department. "Really nice waffle house there. Mate, I could really go for some waffles."

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Your girl.

That was still taking some getting used to. Rhidian was one of the few that Silas had told about he and Liv at any real length, although there were rumors beginning to spread pretty rapidly through the Academy. Quill wasn't thrilled that things were getting out before she was quite ready, but they'd already talked at length about the possibility when he'd gone to visit her home a few weeks prior.

She was his girl. That much he knew, and it filled him with a strange warm kinda feeling just hearing somebody else say it.

"Well, I dunno how far into the Falwood we're going, but Elf food is an acquired taste. Don't know how many waffles you'll be getting on the way, but they know how to fry an egg if you ask nicely." Silas settled into his spot and leaned back against the side of the wagon, crossing a leg over the other and doing his best to relax for the long trip. "And, if you're into sharpears, the girls barely wear anything so you could find yourself someone else to listen to you bitch and moan."

Vel Cirak wasn't a place he'd been to before, but Quill had been sent there once or twice. The two of them didn't like discussing work very much though, often too wrapped up in themselves to chat about the smaller things. As for Rhidian... well, they were fairly similar in personality. He wasn't a stick in the mud like a lot of the other guys, and admittedly Silas had felt a little bit of pity for him, coming in late.

"Reminds me, Rhid. You never did tell me why you were so late joining up with the rest of us. Just fall through the Rebuplic's cracks?"

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

"Well, I intend on finding this waffle place Quinnick spoke of. Even Larkin talked it up. Said it was a great place for a date, so hey, if I do find a sharpear I like, I may take her there." Rhid winked, a boyish grin occupying his face. No, he was not the type to parade a girl on his arm, not unless he did the worthy thing and pursued one he liked.

"I had a girl back home. Real pretty. Just never got to say goodbye to her, actually. Still hasn't answered any of my letters, so I guess she's done with me, and onto the next guy." He shrugged, trying to not dwell on it as much as he did when he first got here. Instead, he got to dwell on another topic that he seemed unable to shake.

Everyone had their curiosities about him, about the fact they slotted him in to the class expected to graduate next. What he could do was catastrophic, and a bountiful weapon to be in possession of.

The joking and the banter died from his face, refusing to lift his head from where he stared at the road left behind the wagon. "Something like that." But he knew Silas deserved more than that. It was the response he gave any other Initiate that provoked his impatience. "We were on the way to add numbers at an outpost where some tribe was wreaking havoc. They intercepted us, overpowered us, killed us. Someone had said my name, I think... and the men started kicking the shit out of me. I was a bag of broken bones, Sile." Rhidian inaheld deeply, letting the exhale drag his shoulders down as he let that stew for a moment.

"Fuck... I remember just hurting. It was unbearable. I never prayed, in my life, never, but I did that day. I begged for it, and they laughed. So I just accepted it, I let go and..." Rhidian paused, dropping his gaze to his clasped hands on his lap. He lifted them, creating a ball before motioning an explosion with a sound effect. "And here I am. So, yeah. I must of escaped the Republic, Sile."

It took guts for Rhidian to smile, turning to look at his new friend. "It's a shit thing, but I am working on it. Proc Urahil does what she can to help train me, but there is only so much she can do. Actually, started some training with a guy that graduated last year. Alistair Krixus. Got a knack for that magical theory shit, and whatever that is, it's helped me greatly this far." He wouldn't admit to Silas that his first month riddled him with anxiety, thinking he needed to accept death and just detonate.

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas listened close to Rhidian's story, nodding along with it. Rhidian had given him the shortest possible version before, told him that he'd just been a late bloomer, and made a bit of noise when his powers finally showed up. Now he understood why, it wasn't exactly an amusing tale.

An increasingly common trend, Silas noted.

"Wasn't a matter of if, then." He mused, pulling a little bag out of his jacket and untying it. Reaching in, Silas pulled out a piece of jerky, popping it into his mouth before offering the bag to Rhid. "But when. You had that sleeping inside of you, it was going to come out sooner or later. The silver lining, it showed up when the situation couldn't be any worse, rather than happening when there were innocents or people you loved around to get hurt."

Artesto realized that might have sounded unsympathetic, and he shook his head as he rolled the spiced meat around in his mouth. "Not that I don't empathize. That shit's awful." He hummed, "But at least now you're in a position to make sure that pain isn't inflicted on somebody else. Know what I mean?"

Being with the Guard and the Dreadlords was the only life Silas had known. Training had been his singular focus until that damned dance had seen half the women in the Academy realize he existed all at once. That was an ongoing ordeal.

"I've told you my story. You know I don't know what it's like to leave a life behind. This is all I've ever had. Still, I think it is whatever you make it. We have enough people in Vel Anir who cling to the past and refuse to move on."

He lowered his voice, popping another bite of jerky into his mouth.

"Krixus could tell you that, from what I've heard."

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

Rhidian turned to look at his friend, face settling into that expressionless facade he wore coming to Vel Anir. "Krixus and I don't train too often at the moment. I have only seen him twice since our first meeting. He's usually pressed for time and I am hard on myself to keep up in between and be prepared for the next lesson with him or Urahil." Rhid fished around to find his light travel bag, lifting a pouch of pebbles that clinked together as they moved.

"My training for the moment? Detonating from a distance." Rhidian tried to suppress his grin, but the activity he was about to display was really in good fun. He picked a pebble, holding it up between the two Initiates and imbued it with his magic. Krixus had said Rhid's magic seemed to work in a frequency, but when placed in an object like a boulder or pebble, it was very faint to the ear. Rhidian lined up his shot, lightly tossing the pebble to the road behind the wagon with a flick of his wrist. It bounced once, twice... and on the third bounce Rhidian smirked as the tiny thing exploded.

The sound startled the driver, the horses pulling them bristling. "OI! Keep it down back there, ya little shits!"

"Nifty little parlour trick, ain't it?" He asked Silas with a chuckle, offering him the pouch. "Shall we see if you are quick enough to throw one before I let it explode?"

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

If Silas knew getting private tutoring with the big boys was as simple as playing hooky until they dragged you in by your ear, maybe he wouldn't have been so public about his own powers once he'd realized they were developing. Perhaps it was a bit of a jealous thought, but he didn't display any bitterness as Rhidian demonstrated his ability with a pebble, giving it a bit of juice and letting it bounce away before detonating in a brief but violent burst.

Artesto let out a whistle, smirking at the impressive display. It wasn't the explosion itself that had caught his interest though, not as much as what he'd done to create it. Reaching out to take the pouch, Silas pulls out a pebble and turns it over in his palm. "Nifty is right. I didn't think you could use vibrations to make something explode." Well, okay, he did know it was possible, but he certainly hadn't figured it out.

"I have an idea. Here, give this one a zap and pass it." Silas grinned, tossing the pebble he held over to Rhidian. He could feel it as soon as Rhid started working his magic on the little thing, the frequency he was hitting to make the small stone burst apart. This time, when Rhidian passed it back to him, Silas held it up and channeled some of his own vibrations into the stone. "Betcha we could figure out the right vibrations and..."

Before he could even finish the sentence, the pebble shot out of Silas' hand like a whizzing bullet, zipping at an incredible speed over Rhid's shoulder and tearing a tiny hole in the side of the wagon as it flew off to the fields they passed by. After a moment, an explosion nearly twice as loud as the one Rhidian had just created shook the wagon, this time bringing it to a stop.

"I SAID QUIET DOWN, DAMN IT. WHAT ARE YOU, BODYSLAMMING ORCS BACK THERE?!"

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

Rhidian let out an excited laugh, his hand clapping on Silas' boot as his face looked out to the fields. He ignored the driver, simply excited that Silas could make that happen.

"Fucking hell! That is fucking incredible!" He turned to his friend, ideas and thoughts swirling. "Silas. Did you just... that was combining power. That was amazing."

It was easy to make Rhidian smile like a boy waking up to his favourite treats to break his fast. To make him grin like he was up to no good. "I think that makes me even less envious of you being able to move quicker than anything I've ever seen." He winked.

"So... reckon we can do another one?"

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas had to bring a hand up and over his mouth to keep himself from cackling at both the irritated words of the driver and the shock of the accidental damage he'd just inflicted on their ride. That hadn't been what he'd meant to do, but it was a hell of an interesting result nonetheless.

"H-Holy shit." He sputtered out in a laugh through his fingers, lowering his hand and tilting his head to look past Rhidian to the small hole in the side of the wagon. "That wasn't what I meant to do, but yeah, kinda!"

Artesto reached over and snatched the bag of pebbles, pulling out another one and holding it up to Rhidian as though it was on display. "Alistair said your magic works through vibrations, yeah? Well, so does mine. Vibrations are my whole thing, how I move fast included. So I tried to match the frequency you put into the stone, but... I think I put a little too much oomph into it."

He purses his lips in thought, an hums,

"Makes you wonder what else we could pull off, huh?"

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

Rhidian cracked a grin, watching his friend pick out another pebble. "Vibrations, frequencies... I see what you mean." He jerked his head in the direction of the projectile Silas has unintentionally fired, that narrowly missed him. "We are making camp tonight... I say that is perfect opportunity to do some trial and error."

He poured some magic into the pebble, letting it course with frequency for Silas to read and study. They had hours before camp.

---

After dinner had been consumed, the company began to slowly disperse and do their own thing. Rhid nudged Silas and beckoned him to follow back towards the trail they had taken to get here.

"I have been thinking..." Rhid began, turning to walk backwards and having faith he wouldn't trip. "Start small. Let's see if you can boost my magic or... something of the like." He grinned, pulling out the pouch as he turned back to lead.

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas had been looking forward to getting a little bit of rest before they got back on the road; He still had next to no idea what they were going to be dealing with up ahead, and he wanted to relax while he had the opportunity.

Rhidian, as usual, had other ideas. When he had an idea, you had a snowball's chance in hell of getting him to leave you alone about it until you heard him out. Normally it might have bothered Silas, but Rhid seemed so damned eager that he couldn't help but be curious about what was going on in his head.

As the pair of them walked back down the path they'd come from, Silas slid his hands into the pouches of his suit and grinned cheekily at his friend. "I don't know how to tell you this, Rhid, but if you're bringing me out here for a footrace then I don't see it ending well for you." Rhidian had fallen for that one when he'd first gotten to the Academy, before he knew what Silas' specialty was.

That time he had tripped.

What Rhidian had actually brought him out there for was to further experiment with the combination of their magic, like they'd dabbled in on the way over. Silas' eyes flicked up to the pouch, and he couldn't help but snicker.

"You say that like it's so simple. We're gonna fuck around and put a crater in the road, you know that, right?"

But only a moment later, Silas pulled his hands from his suit and nodded.

"Fuck it, I'm in."

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

"You say that like it's so simple. We're gonna fuck around and put a crater in the road, you know that, right?"

Rhidian snickered once Silas was won over.

"Mate, I am not expecting blowing up the earth... I wanna show you something I did with Krixus in my first session. Just need a biiiiig boulder." Surely they had passed some large rocks earlier? He wasn't paying too much attention to the road after Silas took a nap... or faked his sleep to keep from listening to Rhidian's conversation.

"Basically, what I am thinking of is, just like you shooting that pebble straight through the car... what if we could control where it could go? When I power my magic through a sword, I could cleanly cut away at the rock. What if you could cut through a rock using a pebble? Am I talking garbage or do you get my drift?" Rhid slowed so that he could walk alongside his friend, who of course, could keep up plenty.

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

"Yeah, we weren't 'expecting' to shoot a hole in the side of the wagon either, but we did." Silas crosses his arms over his chest and raises a brow. He wasn't against experimenting to see what they could pull off, but he also wasn't in any hurry to get them dragged by their ears to the proctors for discipline when they got back to the Academy. "This ain't really an exact science, you know? I can try and match your frequencies, sure, but I don't have a way to be right on the money with it. That pebble that zipped past your head could have just as easily exploded in my hands."

Which, judging from the sheer volume of the blast they'd heard after it had left their view, probably would have been bad. Still, he understood where Rhid was coming from; the idea of combining their powers to make them an even more effective team was a tempting one, and Silas couldn't claim it was unheard of.

"I guess I won't get any better without practice, though..." He sighs, smiling and giving a conceding shrug. That didn't mean that Rhidian's idea of cutting through a rock with another rock was particularly sound of mind. Artesto wasn't a scholar, but he wasn't too sure the science checked out with that theory. Nevertheless, he was more than willing to watch his friend fight a boulder for entertainment. "Think I saw some bigguns a little ways back down the road. Come on, I wanna watch you throw shit at a boulder."

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

"Whatever!" Rhidian brushed off the concerns of his friend, the vision only clear to his driven mind. "We are both going to be shit at it but we may as well give it a bloody go." That shit eating grin was on his face again, following Silas' lead. "But that's the point of this. You get to see how I work, I get to see how you work."

Rhidian was notably excited, the fact he now had a better grasp on his magic made him all the more eager to prove his worth and finesse it's destructive behaviour.

Unsheathing his sword, he gave it a flourish before holding it up, pointing it forward. "Krixus is going to get the Academy to pay for a sword forged from Tyrian Iron. We did a test on what compound worked best with my magic, and that withstood quite a bit of it. I am supposed to practice sparring, sending opponents flying with the knockback." He explained. "I like that I can resort to what I know. Combat is easier than thinking about blowing up a whole field."

 

[Silas Artesto]

"Anirian taxpayer dollars at work." Silas chirped snarkily as he walked ahead of Rhidian back down the road towards a rocky field they'd passed a short walk from camp. "I find it funny that you're getting a new sword, when I've been waiting four months for my new speed suit. Guess that's the perk of having a Dreadlord friend." He looked back over his shoulder with a teasing grin. "We can't all be Mr. Popular."

There wasn't any actual annoyance in his tone; Rhidian was smart for finding a guy like Alistair to train with, and he'd probably end up a hell of a lot stronger for it. Silas couldn't fault him for that. Still, it did make him think about how to further his own development. He'd made a jump recently, but it was a jump right into another roadblock.

"Over here, I see the rocks I was talking about." Artesto waves him over to the other side of the road, where a large field littered with rocks sits against the side of a cliff. It looked as though perhaps a rockslide had occured not too long ago, and the road had been cleared with the rocks being tossed aside. "We should be able to find one you like here, right? We'll give it a name, a leash... plenty of food and water..."

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

"How about the name Bessie, hey?" He grinned, running up to scale some of the rocks. He stood tall, shielding his eyes in the setting sky as he looked to Silas.

"What do you think?" Rhidian's hands began to glow, magic coursing through as he took up a stance, readying himself. He lined up the shot in his head, breathing in and out slowly before lifting, arcing and bringing down his fist to crack the stone beneath him. The magic caught the brunt of it, leaving his fist in tact, but another punch chipped off a small piece at the corner.

Rhid readied himself, bringing more magic to his hands and brought them both down in a final collision.

The rock broke apart, and Rhidian jumped from his perch, turning to see Silas with a big grin. "So? Let's break some up shall we?"

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Watching Rhidian punch rocks until they crumbled underneath him was... well, fascinating was a word he didn't use often, but it felt appropriate here. If you didn't know what Rhid was doing, it looked as though he was just so brutishly powerful that he could shatter boulders with his fists. Knowing the magic behind it... didn't make it much less impressive.

"It's not really that easy for me, Rhid. I can't just break rocks into pieces with my vibration on a whim." Silas had managed to break through a stone door with his vibrations once, but that had taken time, as well as every ounce of energy he'd had. So much so that he'd passed out soon after doing it. Stepping up to another one of the boulders, Silas bit down on the inside of his lip as he reached out to place a hand on its cold surface. "I was able to blow up the pebble because I was working off of the frequency you were putting out..."

It was like learning a new language; Silas couldn't remember the words the first time they were repeated to him, but with enough practice, maybe...

"Hey," He turned his head back to his friend, holding out his other hand. "Juice up a smaller one like before and toss it to me. I have an idea."

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

"Yeah, I know that, Artie" Rhidian created those frequencies, but he doubt he could do what his friend could.

He looked down and picked up a small piece of rock he shaved off. He tossed it to Silas, imbuing it with his magic and kept it quite low with radiating magic. Rhid didn't want his friend to end up cooking or something, not that he doubt Silas' ability, but it was the way Rhidian thought of his magic to be catastrophic in the wrong doses.

"I am interested... I think." He was unsure what the fuck they were really doing, but it felt good to figure it all out with Silas. Imagine... one day it was only the two of them on a mission? A formidable force as a team!

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Neither of them had any idea what they fuck they were doing, but the whole reason Rhid had drug him out here was to try and find out. Silas loved the guy, but he wasn't going to sit around all night twiddling his thumbs while Rhidian beat up rocks. It sounded about as boring as an escort mission with Fennec and Kor.

Catching the rock, Silas smiled over at his friend as he clenched his fist tightly around the little pebble, feeling it shake violently against the surface of his palm. Closing his eyes and holding his breath, Artesto focused on that vibration, slowly building up a thrumming buzz in his opposite hand until he felt as though it matched the pebble's.

Silas sent a burst of movement into the hand holding the small rock, neutralizing the impending detonation from Rhidian's magic, and at nearly the same time, the boulder his opposite hand was placed upon exploded in brilliant fashion, rubble flying high into the evening sky as a plume of smoke from the sheer force of the reaction shot out from inside of the broken rock.

Silas stumbled back and fell onto his ass, but threw his hands up in victory.

"WHOOO! THAT'S RIGHT! FUCK, I'M GOOD!"

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

Rhidian whooped and ran to his mate, dragging him to his feet and lifting him into the air like they were some drunken souls celebrating something small. "Fucking oath!" He yelled as he dropped the blond Initiate back to his feet and sent a smaller scaled burst to another boulder that chipped away, as if he were still using a blade or his hand.

"That was fucking brilliant, Artesto!" He grinned, looking a fool high on breaking things with force.

"We should try---"

"FUCKING SHITHEADS THE BOTH OF YOU!"

Rhidian swore and turned around, seeing one of the Dreadlords arriving on horseback.

"Orders came in. We need to roll out now to make it to Vel Cirak by dawn. Save that shit for the werewolves, alright?" And then he was gone, leaving the two boys to look at each other.

"We can always practice on the way over?" He shrugged.

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

Any remaining illusion of professionalism or responsibility was thrown out of the window as Rhidian lifted him up high into the air as though he'd just won the AnirBall Championships. Silas spread his arms out and looked skyward, posing as if he were a trophy.

"ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" He bellowed dramatically, "I am Silas Artesto! Kicker of asses, wooer of women, and exploder of your shit!" Okay, so maybe watching a big ass boulder burst apart at his command had gotten to his head just a tad, but why the hell shouldn't it? That was the point of coming out here, right? To find out what they could manage together?

If they were going to drag them all the way out here, the least they could do is entertain themselves, right? That's what Silas convinced himself of as Rhid set him down and went to town on another boulder. "Hey you're the one who enabled it, we share that credit, my friend!"
"FUCKING SHITHEADS THE BOTH OF YOU!"

Oh well, it couldn't last forever, could it? Silas didn't need to turn around to see who it was, but he did, and stood at attention anyways. Apparently, orders had come to make this trip a rushjob, and that meant they'd lost whatever time they had left to rest.

Silas slouched a bit, suddenly aware of how tired exerting his power like that had made him. Looking over at Rhid, he shrugged, trudging forward to head back to camp. "Maybe a little, that shit still takes a lot out of me."

Wait a minute.

"Hey Rhid, did he just say something about fuckin' werewolves?"

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

With one last weary smile, Rhidian nudged his friend as they both turned to walk back the distance to camp. A little extra heed to their steps, they returned to see the tents dismantled, gear packed haphazardly into the wagon. There was no room for him and Silas to sit in!

"Oi! Where are we meant to sit?" Rhid piped up, helping a Dreadlord woman tie down the gear by pulling the rope taut.

"They got horses for you boys. Lucky for both of you, they want you to join the men riding ahead. Your magic would come in handy when it comes to any werecreatures." The woman explained, nodding her head to the two horses set aside.

Rhidian gave Silas a glance and a shrug, "Guess we did hear right. Werewolves."

"Yeah. Cirak is full of them. Fast fuckers. It ain't even a full moon and they are nuisances." After securing one last rope, she moved on.

Rhidian sighed and followed after Silas, grabbing their light packs they were told to pack. "This is my first mission outside of Vel Anir, and I am going to be dealing with werewolves." They had been a story his mother told him as a child, scaring him into obedience and hiding in his bed until he fell asleep and forgot what he had been scared of. "How you feeling?"

Silas Artesto

 

[Silas Artesto]

"I'm fine enough." Silas replied as he secured his pack to his horse and pulled himself up onto its back. They wouldn't be doing much in the way of experimenting on this leg of the trip, it seemed. Bit of a bummer, but it sounded like they were going to get enough action to make up for it in Cirak. "Do wish they would have brought up the werewolves a bit sooner, but what's done is done."

Silas wasn't worried. Werewolves were fast, but he was faster. So long as he kept his eyes peeled and his feet nimble, Artesto didn't see himself being mauled.

"Could be worse. Vampires can turn you into one of them. That's some scary shit." Silas shivered as he kicked into the horse to get it moving in behind the wagon leading them. He'd have liked to be sleeping in the back of it, honestly. Seeing s Rhid had cut his nap short to blow shit up. "Just keep your head on a swivel and you'll be fine though, lord knows you pack more of a punch than I do."

He looked over at his friend, tilting his head and smirking.

"Not scared, are you?"

Rhidian

 

[Rhidian]

"Well, shit Silas. Even I knew about the werewolves." Rhidian heard plenty of stories of some guardsmen going between Cirak and Hetren and speaking of the ordeal being in that Falwood fortress city. "Nah, not me. Werewolves wouldn't stand a chance against Dreadlords." Even though they were still Initiates, he had every confidence they would not suffer great losses against the creatures.

They both kicked their horses to quicken, the group in front of them setting the pace and it seemed that getting to Vel Cirak fast was absolute paramount. Such speeds made it hard for the boys to converse, even when they came to rest their horses and water them, there was no real time to talk about anything other than exchanging quick handfuls of nuts and fruits to keep their stomachs sated.

Hours later, night fell over the Falwood, and ahead of them, Vel Cirak.

The city was lit up, a beacon agaisnt the veil of darkness. "Impressive." Was all Rhidian commented on as the group rode on ahead. No signs of werewolves, but there were guardsmen and Dreadlords waiting for their arrival.

"Dismount!" Ther order was called back until it reached the boys.

Silas Artesto