The sun rose brightly upon the shingles of the medium sized town that the guild Black Cross resided in. The sun was still young in the sky but life in the town was already filling with the cries of life as shop owners prepared their stores for the coming day and tradesmen leaving their homes to begin a new day's hard work. Cries such as "Fresh fish, Caught just this morning, Fresh fish here." or "Breakfast pies, hot and steamy, perfect way to start the day." filled the market place as Chris walked through the quickly filling courtyard to collect the food for the day with Lilly walking close at his heels breathing in the heavy aroma of baking bread and sweets. Her eyes were sparkling with a kind of childlike curiosity that Chris smiled at as he moved from stall to stall buying what the guild would need for the day. Grocery shopping was not the kind job you'd expect a paladin and his charge to be doing but Chris did always enjoy the simple things in life, plus it gave him and Lilly the early morning exorcise that was hard to get when one lived inside a city or town.

Lilly's stomach growled and she quickly tugged on Chris's shirt to get his attention, We almost done? she quickly flashed in the secret little hand language the two had made up years ago t ocommunicate, The smell of the bread is making me very hungry. Chris laughed as he sent back his answer, Yes were done now. You can go back and enjoy these nice breakfast pies I purchased for everyone. Chris smiled and held up the small bag of little tiny pies in front of Lilly and watched as her eyes stared at it before she too started laughing. No voice escaped the young girl's lips but her face was bright and cheery.

The pair made their way back slowly, enjoying the warm rising sun on their backs as they took the road to the edge of time and turned towards a rundown abandoned looking building just on the edge of town. Chris wished that Scarlet would take out the funds necessary to fix the exterior of the place up but she never did. Chris didn't ask why though, he guessed that it had something to do with her still living in the past. Though the women was the same age as Chris, she did manage to scare him a little. She had a good soul, it was just the circumstances of her life that had turned her dark. Truthfully Chris felt sorry for Scarlet. He knew from his studies that becoming a Hex was not something done with a person's will, and though he knew very little about her past. The death of the Black Cross leader before her had hurt her. That much was evident. Who was he to question what she did with her house though.

Chris knocked on the door twice to announce that he was back before swinging the front door open to walk in. The interior of the building really was well kept and Chris was happy to notice that both of the women in the guild were up, though it was recent as Ravyn had yet to move far from where she had fallen asleep on the couch the night before. Chris gave them a warm smile as he shut the door and placed the baskets Lilly and him were carrying onto the counter. "Good Morning Ladies." he greeted as unpacked the few groceries they needed and started putting stuff away. "Breakfast is hot and ready when you want it." Chris explained as he placed the breakfast pies on the counter for all four of them to grab.

As Chris was putting away the rest of the food though, Lilly had glanced around and while her mind was on the meat pies, she noticed Scarlet's bandaged and bleeding hand. The women scared Lilly but Chris was hear and it was her duty to at least ask if Scarlet would like the wound healed. Slipping out a pen and slip of paper from her pocket, Lilly quickly jotted down Would you like for me to heal your hand? and approached the older women before handing her the small slip of paper.

Ravyn popped her neck and took another drink, knowing Scarlet didn't like her drinking, but it did calm her down and with it took her longer to become insane with she didn't get any blood. "A Demon huh? Now that is a rarity in these days. Even more so then you or I." She listened to Scarlet, what she said was true. Yeah, maybe take some heat off of me. She thought, but being called back to reality hearing Scarlet mumble White Cross, Ravyn rarely brought them up, but she wasn’t sure if Scarlet knew about the blood lust member, though now knowing she had no idea about it. She was still confused on why exactly the priest left, but Ravyn wasn’t complaining, it was one less person that could kill her in a second, and she didn't like living with someone who could do that, to Ravyn he was almost more dangerous than Scarlet.

"A blood lust member you say? Do think this person is a..." Ravyn shot a look over at Scarlet, both knowing the following words could start something bad between them, and more than just a verbal fight. "You two may get alone huh?" Scarlet continued, just making Ravyn laugh. “Yeah, I bet, we could ever go blood drinking together!” She said sarcastically, watching Scarlet begin to think, "Tell your contacts to keep there ears open information on White Cross. Also keep an ear to the ground for information on the demon. It has...peaked my interests." “Yes ma’am” Ravyn said with a smile like smirk before drinking what was left in the bottle and tossing it across the room and into a basket which held other drunken bottle of ale and wine.

Ravyn watched at Scarlet got some food and begin to eat, thus reminding herself that she will need to feed soon. She listened as Scarlet teased her about eating, other people would be confused about what she said, but Scarlet was the only person that Ravyn knew that knew about her being part vampire. “Yeah, as if. I haven’t even seen myself that way, you don’t know how deadly I would be. So if you want to test…” Ravyn trailed off with a smirk before getting up and letting her hair out of a pony tail and had it cover up some of her eyes, guessing they might be a little blood shot. And hearing a knock on the door, ad reaching her side for her knife but then seeing it was just Chris and Lilly. “Morning to you too.” She said before getting out of their way so they could put whatever they bought away.

“No thanks, I’m not in the mood for breakfast.” Ravyn said, trying to pick the correct words so it wouldn’t exactly be a lie while not leading on about her being a Dhampir, since it had scared a couple other members away, and killed others since Scarlet didn't think could keep their mouth quite from their reaction. She walked back over towards the couch and sat down, putting her feet on the table. “So what are we going to do today. I don’t want to sit here all day doing nothing, I might go insane.” She said, chuckling but keeping her teeth out of sight, since like other vampires she did have fangs that were noticeable by a smile or a laugh. “Hey Lilly, Scarlet doesn't need any healing. A bandaged hand wont slow her down. Now I think Chris needs some help.” Ravyn not letting Lilly heal Scarlet’s hand, mainlyfor slight payback for scaring her.

Watching her leader treat the poor maiden so sweetly almost amused the mind walker. A small quirk to her lips was all she let before her face was blank once more and she was listening to the mission details.

Everything flew by pretty quickly, with questions answered and suspicions cleared. Once Bryndis stood up to get changed, Vivian found herself tying up her hair into a high ponytail, tugging back what hair got in the way of her face. There was not much that the assassin-mind-walker really needed, she supposed, other than her boots which stood by the doorway rather than in her own room.

The cross dresser came back, ready in her loose clothing, and asked one last question for Black. When the man went on to talk about the way their guild worked, Vivian tuned out a little and finished off the water in her glass. She knew that they got money upfront, and that their clients would have to deal with the sketchy ways of their guild. Either pay and get the job done or walk away.

Obviously, they played their games safe. The guild followed the word of the client to the line, never more and never less than they request. Such terms were always agreed upon and thus made jobs like the one they had at the moment possible. Stretching, she also ignored Black's statement about the money and if people needed to borrow money from the guild, it would require paying back from their paycheck.

She didn't mind much - the only money she really spent was on books for enchantment and food when she was too far from the guild house. Not that it was very often that she was too far a distance. Learning to travel for a few days without food and water made it possible for her to return 'home' without needing to waste valuable money.

Thinking of the mission, the mind walker felt excitement slowly coursing through her veins. All it took was grace and good timing, she supposed. Making her way to the front door, she found her boots and pulled them on over her feet, quickly tying the laces tightly.

Mazrim watched as Nalla knocked over and killed the duke with her claw like hands. He was intrigued when he saw her eat some orb like substance from his body. She realised he had seen what she had done and looked slightly embarrassed.

He went to the dukes dead body and grabbed his coin purse before saying to Nalla “we need to leave before we raise any more attention to ourselves. We will head out the side to the stables and steal two horses. I am heading to the White Cross guild hall. You are more than welcome to come along with me. We will speak to a man called Izaak D'Zera who is the leader of the guild and then you will have a place to rest”.

Before leaving the manor Mazrim had to find some new cloths or a cloak for the girl and himself, who were both covered in blood. Whilst leaving the manor via the kitchens in the back they found two long dark cloaks that would cover them head to toe. He had to tear a good bit of the bottom of Nalla's cloak as she was so small it would of dragged behind her in the mud.

When they reached the stables Mazrim picked out a brown gelding for himself and a very docile looking white mare for Nalla, who didn’t seem very comfortable around the horses. Mazrim saddled both the horses up before helping Nalla mount up and then they both left the manor house for good.

As they cantered through the busy city no one give them a second glance. As they left the city gates Mazrim said to Nalla “We are heading for Torin” and then wondered how Izaak and Talon would take to this demon child.

Bryndis listened to Black's explanation attentively. She agreed with him, she should have known their policy by now. It had only been a couple of months since she joined, but that wasn't an excuse. She made a mental note not to forget it again. Her mouth twitched into the faintest of smiles for a split second as he complimented her. She would have preferred not to have let that slip, but her human nature got the best of her. Too late now, she instead hoped no one else had the privilege of noticing.

The way they ran their business made sense, she had no disagreements there. It was a policy that worked especially well for less...honest jobs. Sabotaging the delivery of food supplies was an excellent example of this. The bandits also made perfect sense now, though she still wasn't sure how she felt about working alongside them. She nodded in agreement about her confusion. Asking for the money back would be rather unfavourable, all the more so if the person had already spent their share.

Black's consideration for his guild member's well-being was nice to hear. She thought over how much money she had with her now. It should be enough. She dug her hands in her pants pockets and felt the leftover coins at the bottom. Between that and the money she kept in her purse, she had no need for the extra money now. It was still good to know the option was available though. She'd prefer not to have to return to scrounging around and odd-jobs in search of spare change. She nodded her head as a sign she understood.
"Good to hear." she responded plainly. There was little room for misinterpretation in what he said.

Vivian got up and crossed the room to retrieve her boots. Bryndis watched unconsciously for a moment, then concluded she should use the remaining time to go over herself. It would be a while before they'd return so she'd best have everything she'd need on her. She took her hands from her pockets and dusted off her pants. A light tap on her chest to make sure her corset was well placed and comfortable. She then drew her baton and did a quick inspection. It was littered with scratches and chips, though the wood was tough and held up well considering its use. She put it back on her belt, and turned her attention back to the room. There was no need to inspect her sword. She had checked it the night before and it saw less use than her baton anyway.

Black focused back on his meal after he had finished addressing his guild members’ concerns. He ate the food quickly, but without loosing too much of his composure. This meal had turned out to be particularly tasty, he was surprised to see that even though Lucy’s cooking was top notch it was still improving. As he finished he wiped his gloved hands on his lower robes and stood up. Grabbing the three important letters, he quickly disposed of them by setting them on fire with one of his magically enchanted gloves. Then he walked over to the entrance and addressed his guild members. Black’s mind flashed back to the night before, when he had explained the finer point’s of the plan.

“I will be at the stables near the entrance to town. I have already prepared four horses for us, they have been fitted with adequate traveling gear and rations.” He opened the door. “Once you have your personal gear together, please meet me at the stables. Don’t take too long.” He began to close the door, but quickly stopped. “Oh, and Lucinda.” He addressed the young barmaid who was now gathering the used tray. Her attention quickly turned in his direction. “Thank you for the wonderful meal.” The girl gave a big grin. “I’m glad you liked it Black!” She responded excitedly.

Under Black’s face, a small grin appeared. “I suppose I’ll have to make it up to you some time then.” He said in a suave tone before he quickly finished closing the door. The barmaid’s face lit up like a beet, and she quickly shuffled off to clean the tray. On the outside of the door, Black gave a soft chuckle as he walked away from the guild house.

After reaching the stables, he waited for a while for his guild members to arrive, talking with the stable master. They arrived shortly, and the band quickly set out. The first day of the trip was largely uneventful and at dusk they made camp. Black took the last shift of the night, he was quite tired after doing so much and waking up so early in the morning. He let the others decide amongst themselves who would take the other watches. He was awoken in the dark of the morning and watched the sunrise by himself. Then quickly woke his guild members and they were quickly off. By midday, they had reached the forest where the bandits they were to recruit were located.

They day before, Black had explained how meeting the bandits was to go down. He spoke seriously in the soft firelight. “When we meet them for the first time, it will be them that find us. I will do the talking. Most likely they will open up by trying to rob us. I will do the talking. All you three need to do is keep calm and refrain from attacking. If you can help it, refrain from even drawing your weapons. Do not dismount your horse until I do and after you do, if one of them leads my horse let your’s go too. An please be sure to keep your weapons on your person, and not on your horse.” He paused for a moment to make sure everyone was listening, then continued. “When we reach their camp, be on your guard but don’t start anything. If you make eye contact, don’t be the first one to break it. Also, when we meet their leader, I suspect that some of his underlings will try and attack me. Let me handle them, I will be fine and if they see one of you do it they may think that you are our leader in disguise or there is unrest in the group.”

He took an un-burnt stick from near the fire and held it in his hand. “Now, as I will explain to the leader of the bandits. Our forces will split up, each group taking one shipment.” He drew two parallel lines in the dirt. “One will be in the same forest that holds the bandit camp.” He said pointing to one of the lines, then switched to the other. “The other will be in a large grassy plain a few miles away. Bryndis and Vivian, you two will be with the group in the field. You all will be laying down while a couple of the bandits use your horses to get the wagon to stop. Take your cue from the rest of the bandits when they spring up to attack. Try to hang back from the real battle without looking like you aren’t fully engaged. When it looks like one of the forces is about to win, make a mad dash for the wagon and take control of it. There is no real set time to doing this, so Bryndis, I want you to follow Vivian’s lead on this one. Vivian…”Black addressed the blindfolded Mind Walker. “…I trust your judgment.” He finished in a serous tone. He hoped that his trust would inspire the woman.

“Now Loke.” He said, breaking his attention off from Vivian. “You will be with me, here, in the forest.” Just keep chucking your glaive at the shipment guards. No cards on this one, they will be hard to retrieve and they have a chance of blowing our cover. Gamblers are a rare lot, and those cards are quite distinctive. Just follow my lead and stick close to me, I’ll tell you when we are going to rush the wagon.” He took a moment to let all the information sink in, then addressed everyone again. “We will take the shipments back down the road they came from, they meet about ten miles back. We will meet up there. If you can get the our horses attached to the back of the wagons so that they follow, please do so. However, the shipment takes precedent, don’t do anything that will jeopardize the job.” He took a breath and stretched as he dropped the stick back into the fire. “Now, I’m quite tired and will be heading to sleep. I will take last watch, decide amongst yourselves for the rest.” He finished before standing up and walking into his tent.

A twig snapping in the middle of the road in front of Black brought his mind back to the dark forest it was now in. “OY! YOU LOT! WE GOT YOU SURROUNDED! YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE!” The ragged looking bandit yelled as he drew his rusty sword. Black grinned under his face. “Now…” He began in a soothing tone. “…my kind fellow, we are good friends of Garlend’s. I know he was not expecting us, but I’m sure he will be surprised to see us.” He finished, as the bandit stood looking dumbfounded at the shrouded man so casually dropping the name of his boss.

To say that Nalla was relieved when Mazrim said nothing about the act she had just committed was an understatement. The binding or in this case destruction of a soul was worse than taboo on the surface of this planet and then breaking of that doctrine was a death sentence more sure then even murder. Though demons were created for that sole purpose, they were never supposed to break the confines of hell. Nalla did her best to only target people whose souls would wind up in hell, but that judgment was reserved for God alone and even if it was for her survival, she did not have the right to pass that judgment.

Mazrim walked passed her and cut off the Duke’s purse and explaining that they couldn’t drag any more attention to themselves. During the fight, Mazrim had worked out the rest of the details on how they would escape the city and though Nalla was hesitant to take a horse, it was the best way to leave the city. Mazrim also proved Nalla’s original guess that he was indeed a member of a guild known as White Cross. The name was a little disconcerting for Nalla as it clearly had ties of some sort to the church, but Mazrim promised that she would find rest there and for Nalla that’s all that really mattered. She needed time to recover and if she went out on her again then she would certainly be captured by someone else and then she might not be so lucky to find a prison mate like Mazrim again.

The two escapees hurried through the remaining hallways of the Duke’s manor but their pace was slower. The burst of energy and adrenaline that Nalla had received from finally filling her stomach after what must have been weeks was wearing off, and energy itself would not heal her wounds, she was no longer a pure demon, the black seal on her back made sure of that. On their way out, Mazrim searched through several cabinets until he found a new set of clothes for Nalla and himself to replace the ripped and blood stained clothes they had on. Nalla quickly shed what rags were left of her old clothing and slipped on the new clothing. It was much finer then the last ones she had, the wool was very well woven and though the outfit was a little large, Nalla found she could keep it on well enough with only one of her shoulders slipping through the collar every once in awhile. Once she was dressed, Mazrim also handed her a brown cloak which he had ripped the bottom off so that it would fit her. Throwing the cloak over her and tying it close to her, the pair escaped into the night and headed quickly towards a rather large stable that housed the Duke’s Horses.

Once at the stables, Mazrim picked out and saddled a large brown gelding for himself and a smaller white mare for herself. Nalla was a lot more afraid of the animal then it probably was of it. Mazrim very quickly had both animals ready to go and was on his horse waiting for her but Nalla still hesitated. She hated being off the ground, it made her feel defenseless but the young demon could see no other way. Nalla gripped the saddle with both of hands and clambered onto the horses back. As her feet left the ground though the girl shivered as she felt that support wire that had been her connection with the earth snap. Nalla's face paled and she quickly wrapped her hands around the reigns tighter and hugged herself fairly close to the horse, afraid she might fall off. The white mare seemed a little annoyed by the child's inexperience and flicked her ears but calmly followed the gelding and Mazrim out of the stable, through the city, and out the gates. As the horses cantered out the gates Mazrim turned to her and said that they were heading for Torin. Nalla merely nodded in response and ducked closer to her horses neck. She felt like she was going to be sick.

Talon paced the room like a hungry caged lion awaiting its next meal. She let out a loud aggravated sigh as she paced a lad bit faster. "What the hell is taking Mazrim so damn long?!" She yelled before slamming her hands down on a table. "Ugh! I want blood damn it all!" She yelled out before letting her head drop down onto the counter with a loud thud. "I cant take it. Im going to kill him." She mumbled to herself, her voice muffled from her face against the counter. Small inaudible mumbles could be heard from the counter, though they were more than likely more complaining.

After a few more moments of random muffled cursing Talon stood up, pulling a small red vile out of the inside pocket of her kimono. *I'll make some tea to calm me down.* She thought before walking over to the cooking area and pulling out a small kettle. She lit a small fire in the furnace then filled the kettle with water. She reached into her pocket again this time pulling out some dried leaves, placing them into the water. A small sigh escaped her mouth as she poured the red liquid into the kettle. "I'm running low. That want do at all." She mumbled in a displeased tone. The next few minutes were full of more random cursing, insults, and rambling. The familiar sound of the kettle whistling brought her attention to the kettle. She lifted it up, pouring some of the red liquid into a glass. "It smells amazing." She said taking a few sniffs of the mug.

Chills went up her spine as she took the first sip of her dark red tea, a devious smile coming across her face. *I wander if I can trick one of them into drink it today? They may just like it and be more prone to refreshing my supplies.* The thought was a nice one but she knew one look at the red blood filled tea would give her trick away, that and the fact it wasn't the first time she had tried it. She remembered the "talking to" she got from Izaak the last time she had tried to trick him into drink blood. "So much holy water..." She mumbled shaking the thoughts out of her head and drinking some more of her tea. "Maybe he will return soon so I can do a job and refill my blood stock." She said as she sat down and waited for everyone.

The half-blind assassin had stared into the flickering light of the fire, watching as the licks of flame danced across the burning wood while her leader spoke. In response to being addressed by the enchanter, the dream walker turned her head in his direction, stiffly nodding. "Of course, Black." she murmured, her gauntlets locking together, as the rest of the plan was discussed. While the two men turned off to do their own thing, she turned to the other woman on her team.

"Bryndis." she called, her voice soft yet firm in a demand for respect and attention. "I understand your specialty lies in going up close and fighting, and it is most likely that you'll feel the need to be at the front of the group, however," Vivian paused. Her fingers unlatched from one another as she tapped one hand, slow, even, and rhythmic against her knee. "Our positioning could cost us this mission." she stated, and despite not being able to see, the stern gaze would have been directed straight at the eccentric, personality-changing cross dressing swordsman.

Unlike Black, she could not see how her diagram would look to the other, so she took to explaining in vague, easy to remember terms. "We will have to be divided again. You will position yourself closer to the cart and stay on the brim of the fight. If the opposition tries to stray from the group, do not allow them to see your face. Kill them if you must -" her voice caught at the idea of blood spilling, dripping from her fingers, and she refrained from licking her lips in a slightly-restrained lust for blood, "I will be on the side furthest from the cart. Do not question my methods, but when I find the time is right, you will hear me." Dropping her elbows to her knees, the assassin leaned forward, her face illuminated by the orange burning light, and said, "Louder than everything else, you will hear me, but you will not see me," she paused, "and when that happens, dash for the wagon."

Her plan was coming together. Mark Bryndis with an illusion activation mark. Then, all she would need to do was cast a slow acting illusion over the horses, and once the fight began, activate it so they would not flee. There would be no need for her to join the battle, she would simply have to fling her dagger from the shadows once in a while, knock out an opponent, and not be seen. The process would be delicate and require fast action. Set an illusion that would hide her from the sight of others, sneak back behind the opposition, make a sprint for the wagon, all while directing the horses. Once she was within considerable distance of Bryndis, she'd have to activate the seal on the swordsman, get into the wagon, and set herself invisible again. Direct the horses down the path and start up the wagon once the cross dresser was close enough, and have the swordsman jump in before setting off full pace with the wagon.

Mulling the plan over in her head, she tapped her fingers once more against her knee before allowing a small, obviously fake smile to appear. "You can trust me." she said, assured in herself.

That night, she took first watch, falling into a restless slumber as her hands twitched uselessly by her side. When the sun rose, the mind walker was already up, and the guild members made their way down a road. Tense as she walked, Vivian forced herself to calm her aware senses, already prepared for the so-called 'ambush'. It was not long before the not-so-silent telltale sound of footsteps seemed to echo in the almost silent forest. Though ready to dash forward and slice the bandit's head straight off their neck, she refrained, her posture cautious and ready as ever.

'Let the fun and games begin.' she mused to herself.

Scarlet glanced over to see Chris and Lilly had finally returned which brought her mood up a bit. Not because of her missing them but because now they could do more difficult missions, after all killing bandits does get old very very quickly. "Good to see you two are back. I take it the job went well." She said watching Chris put the basket down on the counter. "Good Morning Ladies." he greeted them both in his usual cheerful tone. Scarlet didnt know how he was always so happy but he tended to keep the others in high spirits so she never bothered to question it. "Breakfast is hot and ready when you want it." She remained silent as Ravyn declined the food for reasons obvious to her. "What the hell, a little more to eat want kill me." Scarlet said as she grabbed out one of the meat pie, proceeding to bite down on it.

“So what are we going to do today. I don’t want to sit here all day doing nothing, I might go insane.” Ravyn asked making Scarlet turn toward her and see her feet where prompted up on the table, a horrible habit. She just shook her head for a moment before Lilly handed her a piece of paper that read. Would you like for me to heal your hand? Before she could say anything Ravyn spoke up “Hey Lilly, Scarlet doesn't need any healing. A bandaged hand wont slow her down. Now I think Chris needs some help.” A small smirk came across Scarlet's face, she knew this was Ravyn's "revenge" for her nice awakening earlier. "Im ok Lilly its just a few small cuts." She said before patting the girl on the head. "Besides." Her voice had now turned somewhat darker. "Sometimes it is good to be hurt. It reminds you...that you are still human." She said staring down at her hand. She stood there for a moment lost in the painful memories of the past, before shaking her head to snap herself out of it. "Im fine, this little cut want slow me down." she said bluntly before walking back towards her quarters.

"Oh and we have job request that came in. There is a caravan that needs protection. There are whispers that a rival company has been less than pleased at all their business as of late and have sent out a request to stop and or kill their caravans. We will be protecting one of their main caravans, our job is to make sure it reaches its destination in one piece. "Don't worry, my sources have reviled that the other company spread the rumors them selves, so odds are it is just a scare tactic." She stopped walking for a moment, turning around with a serious look about her face. "If indeed they have been targeted though it will no doubt be a dark guild doing the attacking. The Guild relations have been strained as of late and this could be the skirmish that causes an all out war." A small sadistic smile came across her face. "If the caravan does get attacked the story we spread to the other guilds, it could start the war everyone has been fearing. If this mission turns ugly we aim to kill, no survivors." Scarlet couldn't hide the excitement in her voice as she said the last sentence.

"I will be in my quarters getting ready to head out and thinking on some things. If you have any questions knock first for the sake of your health." With that Scarlet walked back down the hall and into the dark abyss that was her room. Her body almost shook with excitement and the shadows around her seemed to dance as she prayed that the rumors where true, that she would get to kill today.

Already set to leave, Bryndis headed straight to the stables shortly after Black left. While the first day's ride was rather uneventful, she had no real complaints about it. The scenery wasn't bad, and though she was still on guard in case things changed, the moment of peace before the coming job was welcome. As the sun began to set, Black found a place for them to make camp. Bryndis stretched briskly, a necessity after a whole day of travel. She then joined her companions seated by the fire.

Bryndis listened intently as Black began to explain how their encounter with the bandits would, or at least should, go. The idea was simple, Black would handle communications with them, and the rest of them were not to start any conflict with them. As for keeping her weapons on herself, that was no problem- she looked down at her swords, both resting neatly beside her. Black continued on about meeting with the leader and how to behave in their bandit camp. His planning was sound, and Bryndis took no issue with any of it.

He then when into detail about how the attack on the shipments would go. She watched as he drew two parallel lines into the dirt to indicate where the two paths were. Next they were divided into teams. She was to be paired with Vivian. Bryndis quickly glanced over at the woman and just as quick focused her attention back on Black who was finishing up his explanation. She nodded to him that she had heard it all and understood. As Black went to discuss his and Loke's plan of attack, Vivian called her.

Bryndis turned towards the Mind Walker, curious as to what she was thinking. Vivian detailed how Bryndis would need to proceed strategically. Close quarters combat was certainly her speciality, but under these circumstances it would definitely put the whole job at risk.
"I understand." Bryndis replied affirmatively, staring directly where Vivian's eyes would be if they were visible. She was to place herself near the edge of combat, near enough to the cart, and to eliminate any one who saw her. Her brow twitched slightly at that statement. If it could be helped, she'd rather not have to kill unnecessarily. She nodded lightly to herself, listening as Vivian continued on. Bryndis would hold her position until she heard the woman's voice. She nodded again. The Mind Walker attempted a smile, reassuring Bryndis' trust in her.
"Understood." Bryndis answered simply.

Bryndis took the third shift that night figuring it would be easier for her to get up come morning. She slept deeply until her shift, then lightly afterwards. The next morning, the four of them set off again. They had been travelling for a number of hours before their first encounter with the bandits. The low echo of a twig snapping was abruptly followed by a gruff shout from the woods. Bryndis scanned around quickly, but held her position.