Artamus

“She tried to kill you. Val almost did also and he killed all of my men. How can you be so calm?"

Touya laughed, though the sound was mirthless, "Calm? I'm far from calm," he answered her, turning his cold icy gaze down to look at her. She should see that he was not calm but rather very pissed off. It was everything he could do to keep from turning right around and challenging Val right out like she just did. He shook inwardly, and it took every ounce of concentration and energy to keep that shuddering from reaching his limbs.

"No, I'm not calm. I want to kill him so badly that it is everything I have to not turn around and unleash all of my power on him. It is everything I have to make you walk away with me. I would love nothing more than to see his blood stain the dirt beneath our feet," Touya stopped and took a deep breath. They were far from the entrance of the camp then and the sun was beginning to dip in the sky. The nightly chores were about to begin and he'd offered to help cook for the entire camp that night.

Turning, he took both of April's hands in his and looked down at her, watching her carefully, "Stay away from them for now. There's nothing we can do about them at the moment and as much as I hate to admit, the more Therian warriors we have the better chance we have when we infiltrate that facility. There aren't as many as there used to be and Bordal is training young children and old farmers as our warriors. The outlook to this fight isn't in our favor.

"I can only hope that Reginald got our message and has relayed it to Damea. I have a feeling that we'll be needing his skill with fire when the time comes. I also strongly believe that with you we have a better chance than we ever did. You're much stronger than a Therian and with a little more training, you'll be better than we are when it comes to a fight. Those hybrids are built to kill Therian's. We're lucky to have you, April."

---

---

Damea took a seat, following right behind Abigail as she seated herself at the head of the table. He wondered why Reginald wasn't sitting there, but then again, the doctor never had been one for a leaders position. At least, that's how the mercenary had always viewed him. Damea listened intently to the conversation, noting that April had always known the location. Smart girl. You picked a good one, Touya, the fire mage thought to himself. He could only imagine what the group sitting before him would have done to her if they'd known that she had the whereabouts to the facility all along. It was a good thing that the two had left when they did.

“I knew I didn’t like where this was going. Vague as ever that therian is,” Abigail muttered, the irritation was clear on her face.

“Which probably means he wants us to meet them,” one of the men whom Damea didn't know added.

The mercenary leaned forward, interlacing his fingers as he flicked his gaze between that group that was seated before him. It would be like Touya to not disclose any important information. The man was as secretive as ever, though Damea was sure that the Therian had a reason to be. Should the note have fallen into the wrong hands, things could have gone awry, better to be completely vague than to be in deep detail.

"It's just like him to be like that," Damea smirked as he spoke softly, "In any case, we should be ready to meet them. I'm guessing that he'll be setting up camp just out of reach of Glendale prison, that's the most logical spot for him to station himself at, especially since he'll be waiting for us. There isn't any other reason for him to mention that place, nor is there any other reason for him to send such a message. If he didn't have a plan at the time of sending this message, I'm sure he'll have a plan when we meet with him in two weeks time.

"In the mean time, I'll continue my own training. I'm sure he's going to want to use me somehow. I'll be ready for it. And, also, we should probably get together some sort of plan as well, just in case our Therian falls short on that aspect," Damea said.

---

April Rosevolt

---

"I can only hope that Reginald got our message and has relayed it to Damea. I have a feeling that we'll be needing his skill with fire when the time comes. I also strongly believe that with you we have a better chance than we ever did. You're much stronger than a Therian and with a little more training, you'll be better than we are when it comes to a fight. Those hybrids are built to kill Therian's. We're lucky to have you, April."

April let loose a slight chuckle at the irony of his statement as they stood outside of the camp entrance together. She was glad for the chance to be away from constant reminders of her condition. Touya didn’t sense it much, but April knew not all of the therians trusted her. It was inevitable given many of them had lost loved ones, friends and family to her kind. Most of the slander was kept behind backs, especially with Touya’s sensitivities, but it was something that needed to be addressed eventually. Before they reached a boiling point. Now with Val and his company invading the camp, her prospects of antagonism would likely increase, further exacerbating her headaches.

Maybe she would have to talk with them later. She sighed and glanced around at their environment, searching for a chance to escape again perhaps. On one side there was the constant hustle of therian activities, the deep rings of weapons and armor being expertly crafted. To the right of her was the incessant chirping of crickets. A cool breeze blew straight through the columns of dark knile wood, forcing her to rub her hands against her triceps. Not that it worked for the metallic properties of her limbs carried the heat away faster than flesh. Instead, she welcomed the cold as a physical diversion from the pains inside of her head.

“Lucky to have a hybrid who can’t even activate her wrist blades properly?” she grimaced, mentally chastising her own weaknesses. “Rage isn’t a reliable source of empowerment if that’s what you’re hinting at.”

“We’ve had less than a week to train. How good are my prospects Touya? How good could they possibly be? They have an army of hybrids. One meager reject isn’t going to do squat in such a situation,” the woman admitted, gazing deep into his blue eyes. She wasn’t pleading for false hope or trying to fool herself. “We can’t stay away from Val forever Touya. Soon, we’ll be fighting together. If the situation is as grim as you’re painting it, perhaps we don’t have that luxury.”

She smiled softly and then hugged the uneasy therian, tiptoeing to drape her arms around his neck. The gesture was more for her own sake, a counter to the faint trembles that threatened to wrack her tiny frame. Speaking such blasphemous words didn’t come easily to the former lieutenant, but she was trying to keep the greater picture in mind. After a few moments she stepped down and started to head back into camp.

“I’ll leave you to your cooking shall I? Try not to poison Val’s food while you’re at it,” she laughed.

---

Dean ‘Havoc’ Reginald

---

One didn’t just relocate an entire facility’s personnel and equipment on a whim. It took a predacious amount of organization and manpower to do so. Over the course of the next few days, the rebels packed as much equipment as they could carry. Supply and travel routes were rigorously planned in anticipation for their journey. Though their destination was relatively close, they needed to be ready for anything.

The overall plan was to move out in waves, thereby reducing suspicion. They prioritized members who were integral to devising the next stage of their mission. Included in the first wave of a dozen or so people were Damea, Miles, Kim and Abigail. Abigail as she obviously oversaw all their operations and Kim for his invaluable military experience. It was vital for them to convene with the therians first and discuss their plans, assuming the therians could be trusted.

Their local projects had almost ground to a halt as more manpower was directed into preparation. Reading the dispatch papers in front of him, Reginald noted that less than twelve agents were currently active in the field. News had slowly started to filter in now, rumors really of Victor’s attack on the therians. Though the information hadn’t been made public knowledge yet, it certainly explained a lot of the contents in Touya’s letter.

“Are there any last things you need before I head off?” Abigail said. As ever, the fiery red head exuded a slick veneer of calm surety. Unlike the others of her group, she wasn’t carrying a backpack, likely having burdened another poor soul with her gear.

“No, we should be all set on this end. I only hope the therians have a plan in mind other than an upfront battle. That’s exactly what Victor wants,” Reginald replied from the other side of his office desk. He wasn’t much of a logistics officer, but with the shortage of workers just about everyone had been forced to double up on jobs. “Any thoughts on what might happen?”

Abigail tapped the bottom of her chin, “Sometimes the best way to beat an opponent is to attack their strengths, though I’m obviously referring to Victor here. No use playing mental games with a brain dead hybrid. The hybrids are the perfect army, almost. No hunger, no need to sleep, fearless and immune to pain to top it all off. We might as well be walking to our deaths.”

Reginald frowned at her observations. Though he was the one to discover such findings based on his surveillance of April, the woman had a habit of exaggerating facts. “Destroying the facility will stop the production, but what do we do with the current hybrids? They will continue to exist unless addressed.”

“Who knows, but someone has to stop Victor.”

“Lucky to have a hybrid who can’t even activate her wrist blades properly? Rage isn’t a reliable source of empowerment if that’s what you’re hinting at.”

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Touya countered softly.

“We’ve had less than a week to train. How good are my prospects Touya? How good could they possibly be? They have an army of hybrids. One meager reject isn’t going to do squat in such a situation. We can’t stay away from Val forever Touya. Soon, we’ll be fighting together. If the situation is as grim as you’re painting it, perhaps we don’t have that luxury.”

He accepted her embrace, feeling her warmth as it radiated from her core. Even as she stood up on her tip toes, he bent down to make it easier for her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he held her tightly. Everything she said was straight and to the point. All of it was true and it was most definitely the fore front of his worries. For the past several days he had been trying to figure out a way to get them out of their deep predicament. Something that would save them from total annihilation. So far, nothing was coming to him. He would have to do something, and soon, if they wanted to survive this fight.

“I’ll leave you to your cooking shall I? Try not to poison Val’s food while you’re at it,” April laughed as she pulled away from him.

"I'll try," he commented with a slight grin and left her to finish the work that needed to be done. All the while his thoughts were still trying to formulate some kind of plan.

---

---

He was among the first to be sent out to meet the group of Therian's that were going to attack the facility. Damea didn't find that very surprising seeing as he was close to Touya to start with and his magic could be useful. How, though he was unsure of, but he figured something would fall into place. The group that was meant to leave very shortly stood in the hall while Abigail conversed with Reginald. Damea moved forward, curious as to what it was they were talking about.

“No, we should be all set on this end. I only hope the therians have a plan in mind other than an upfront battle. That’s exactly what Victor wants. Any thoughts on what might happen?” Reginald asked.

“Sometimes the best way to beat an opponent is to attack their strengths, though I’m obviously referring to Victor here. No use playing mental games with a brain dead hybrid. The hybrids are the perfect army, almost. No hunger, no need to sleep, fearless and immune to pain to top it all off. We might as well be walking to our deaths,” Abigail answered. Her demeanor was far too calm for Damea's liking, but then, one would rather have a calm person in charge than one who was constantly freaking out. He figured it was probably a good thing then to have her in charge for most things.

“Destroying the facility will stop the production, but what do we do with the current hybrids? They will continue to exist unless addressed.”

“Who knows, but someone has to stop Victor.”

"And that would be us, wouldn't it?" Damea grinned as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorway. He sighed deeply as he glanced over to Abigail before speaking again, "You know. If you think about it. The hybrids are nothing but a tangle of metal and flesh. They may not feel pain, but don't you think they'd stop working if they were nothing but... ashes?"

An eyebrow lifted as his lips twisted into his usual mischievous smile, "I'm sure there's something that's flammable in that facility of his. Get me to it and I can have that place blown apart in no time. With that, I can spread the fire to the hybrids and burn them all down to nothing but red hot pieces of metal. And Victor... well, I can leave him to whomever gets to him first."

---

April Rosevolt

---

April crouched down next a fallen tree trunk, surveying the natural depression in landscape. Ahead of her, beneath the clutch of knile wood, was an opening that led to the camp. In an attempt to gauge the time, she looked up, trying to locate the moon. Time tended to lose meaning in the forests. She remembered the long tracks she and her legion performed during the Beast Wars, the endless cycle of trees and foliage. An untrained man could easily find himself lost within minutes, or worse, travelling in circles.

Using the long grass as cover, she crept forwards and joined another therian as they rove ahead of the main camp. She’d volunteered to assist the therian’s in watch duty, not that they fully trusted her. Discontent to remain helpless, her insistence eventually won over their permission however. They granted her permission to join Levi, one of the original local therians, as he performed his watch duties.

“Can you climb hybrid?” Levi asked calmly as she joined him. She glanced at his unnaturally pale complexion and nodded silently. Like Touya, Levi possessed all the unique traits of a therian. His metal bracers were cruder, more rigid in design compared to Touya’s elegant arm guards.

“Trees give better view. We climb up and watch,” he mouthed, his fragmented grasp of the common tongue making his sentence come out in clipped, hard to understand tones. April nodded again, glad be assisting someone who knew the human language at all. There were scant few others she was able to engage in conversation with at the therian camp, and Sharye’s tutelage would only go so far in the time they had.

They angled off for one of the larger columns, its lowest branches just level with her head. April reached up and grabbed onto one branch whilst Levi planted his hand on her backside and heaved her up. Once secure, she reached down to offer her hand as aid, but the therian below was gone. Confused, April noticed some slight movement above her and discovered he’d already reached the higher branches.

She gave him an utterly mystified expression before adjusting herself in preparation for the climb ahead. It took no time at all for them to reach the canopies. Hoisting her own weight was almost effortless now with the reinforced strength of her arms. The downside was that the cold affected her much more than others. She’d all but caught up to Levi when the therian raised his hand in alarm.

April paused, holding her position as their ears strained to hear the disturbance. Something rustled in dense green vegetation below. There was another noise, neither subtle nor quiet as the thing started moving hard and fast towards them.

“Down!” Levi hissed.

She didn’t even get the chance to act. Hybrids came through the trees, the sudden thumps of their footsteps breaking night’s tranquility. It was wholly unnerving to witness their silent advance. There were no battle cries, no words of warning, just the relentless clatter of modified limbs. April counted close to a dozen hybrids. A forward party? How close was the main force?

Another burst from the canopy ahead and barreled into her. A scream escaped from her lungs as she was thrown from the tree tops and flung downwards. She spiraled down, the sounds of her plummet accentuated by the snap of tree branches. The world span and April hit the ground a moment later with an anguished cry. Her assailant landed on top of her, a wrist blade scything down with brutal autonomy.

April lashed out in desperation, hammering her fist into the hybrid’s arm. She just managed to redirect its stabbing power into the dirt next to her head, but it immediately punched her face, dazing her. It was seconds from dealing the finishing blow when Levi intervened. The therian came from nowhere; delivering a powerful sweeping kick strong enough to send the hybrid sprawling off her.

Hastily, he pulled her up and pointed in the direction of the camp.

“Warn others!”

He shoved her roughly and April stumbled, trying to regain her composure. Her jaw burned, and a dreadful ache had spread all over her back. She was likely concussed but the former hybrid understood just enough to know that she needed to escape. Levi unsheathed his wrist blades as more hybrids closed in, too many for him to handle.

“Go!” he roared.

His words jolted her into action. Breathing heavily, April started down the slope that led towards to the camp. “Help!” she yelled, speaking the therian language. Who knew if she spoke the right words, “Hel-”

The hybrid from before tackled her once more, blowing the air out of her. Aprl lost her footing as they were both thrown over into the mud. They rolled down the hill, biting, fighting, struggling for control. Ending up in a ditch at the bottom, caked in dirt, April clasped her hands together and slammed downwards. There was enough force to cave in the man’s skull, but he shrugged it off like a zombie and cut into her waist.

April winced, feeling the sharp sting pierce into her side. She drew back, outraged beyond all control, and sliced his arms off with astounding speed. Her wrist blades had appeared, as if responding to the heightened danger she facd. Reaching down, she ripped out the blade still stuck in her side. The blood on it was black and all hers. Grimacing, she cursed and finished the hybrid, or at least disabled it from chasing her further.

There was no time to celebrate. Standing up shakily, she sprinted as fast as possible towards camp, hoping to warn someone.

It was the night before they were to leave and go after the facility. Everyone was on edge, a small scouting group was sent out into the woods just like every night, but the air was thick with apprehension this time. April had insisted on going with, wanting to be of some help to the Therians. Touya had figured the reason why she really wanted to go was to prove herself useful, helpful in some way, and not anything less.

He'd heard the rumors, not all the Therian's were friendly with her. He hated it, but there was little he could do about it. April would prove herself, that much he was very much assured on.

"Ahotant!" The cry for help in Therian was slightly mispronounced, and the voice was feminine in nature. It came again right after, but cut off just before it could finish crying out, "Ahota-"

Touya whirled around, standing up from his spot next to the fire where he'd been sharpening his sword. Flicking his blade closed, Touya left the campfire and sprinted into the darkness of the woods. He could hear it then, the crushing of branches, the destruction of the forest around them. There was no mistaking it, hybrids were making their way through the trees with little to no care at all that they were being heard.

He flew through the underbrush, his body taking on a slight glow as he went. He had to move faster, it was April's voice he had heard and when it cut off... Touya shook his head. She was alright, he had to belive she was just fine. Anything less and he would... Stop! he chided himself. Keep running.

Jumping up onto a fallen log, he leapt off it and continued his headlong rush through the woods, right into the small hybrid woman. Touya let out a soft yelp of surprise, wrapped his arms around April's body and twisted around so that he fell onto the ground and she was on top of him.

"April!" He said, astonished to have run right into her. His arm felt wet then and he glanced down. Something dark covered his arm, it was warm as well. His heart clenched and eyes widened, "You're injured. What happened? Where are they? Are they close? Levi?" he bit his tongue, what a silly question. He could hear them, of course they were close. Fear was driving his words rather than logic.

April cursed as they collided into each other. She had been nursing the wound in her side with her free arm when the tall man appeared out of nowhere. "Touya! Get up!" she swore, taking a second to check her behind. No sooner had the words left her mouth when three more hybrids burst through the foliage, wailing silent cries of fury. She felt bile rise in the back off her throat at their horrific appearances. Each of them was of standard size, and similar to April, their weapons have been grafted into mechanical arms.

They kicked up a dirt cloud as they landed, blades drawn. Wasting no time, April clambered off Touya and raised her arms defensively. "There's more, at least a dozen. We're not sure if the main force is behind them, or if this is a scouting party," she blurted out, her breath hammering into her chest. "You need to alert the others!"

The hybrids rushed them, leaving no room for respite as they launched themselves forwards. April charged ahead, hoping to give Touya enough time to get up and move. Not ones to be picky, they all went for the closest target and attacked her with a whirlwind of deadly edges.

"Idiot!" Touya cried as she leapt off him and went straight into the foray. The Therian got to his feet quickly, pushing his body upwards and landing on his feet with a hard flip. Whilring around he lifted on hand and gathered all the energy he could muster. The glowing light expanded around his fingers and he let it explode outwards. It rushed past April and hit one of the hybrids that was attacking her straight in the chest.

Touya knew it wasn't enough to kill the damned thing, but it was enough to blow it backwards into the woods. He had reached back to draw both his blades the moment he'd released the power and was already moving just as that hybrid went flying through the air. Touya joined April in the fight, swinging his blades downwards and cutting into the flesh of one of the hybrids arms, just above the metal that was infused there.

The cut was deep, almost down to the bone with the force that Touya had put behind it. Even so, the hybrid still whirled around on him and slashed at him with it's other arm. Quick on the uptake, the Therian blocked the attack, sliding his blade around the wrist area and directing the oncoming wrist blades up and over his head even as he ducked out of the way.

"I'm not leaving you here, April. We both go back together," he told her, teeth grinding together as he blocked another attack, swiping it off to his left and shoving his right hand sword through the hybrids middle. The pair struggled for dominancy, Touya's body shuddering with the strain. He pulled the energy around him and his body glowed again. If he could throw the hybrids backwards, he could give himself and April a few seconds to turn and run. It was all he needed.

The power exploded from him and tossed the monster off his sword and backwards into the darkness. Touya knew doing it one at a time would be useless because already the first one he'd thrown was entering the battle once again. With a growl of irritation he began calling as much energy to his frame as he could possibly hold. Throw the three that were attacking them, push away the other hybrids and they would have a chance.

"Get behind me, April!"

April had been furiously crossing blades with the second hybrid, fighting to contain it's terrible onslaught of blows. Unlike a normal being who eventually grew weary, the hybrids never seemed to tire. Each blow was a strong and vicious as the last. Thankfully she had Touya's assistance and she heeded his command as he called out to her.

She let its blades fall and her reflexes saved her as she stepped away from its swords deftly. The thing persisted in following her until she delivered a powerful kick to its side, sending it sprawling into the dirt. After successfully disengaging, she sprinted behind Touya.

"Go for it!"

Pure energy rocked the earth, a violent tremble spread outwards from Touya as the centre. He managed to do what he wanted for the most part. Knocking back the three that were attacking them head on. They went tumbling into the bushes, but as for the oncoming wave, they were barely phased by the magic. Gritting his teeth, Touya turned on his heel and reached out for April.

"Hurry," he told her as he took her arm and began running through the trees back towards the camp. His voice called out a warning in Therian as they passed the invisible camp perimeter. He knew that there were people up in the trees watching the forest below. The Therian also figured that the group were well aware of what was happening as the sounds of the hybrids coming were not quiet.

"Touya!"

Turning to his name being called, he spotted Ahmeil as she came into the camp from the darkness. Behind her came Val, and the other twenty Therian's of his group. Touya narrowed his eyes at her, but didn't say anything. He slowed as they entered the clearing of the Therian campsite.

"They found us, hu," Val remarked, his gaze shifting to look into the dense trees near them.

"Feels a bit... too coincidental," one of Val's men muttered in Therian.

"Even so, we can't just stand around and let them run through this camp. They'll destory it within the hour," Ahmeil stated.

"What do you suggest?" Touya asked, his breath slightly short from expanding so much energy just a moment before.

"I felt your power, Touya," Val said, turning his head just enough to look at him sideways, "You're in no shape to keep fighting. Even if you try, you'll just be a hinderance. Getting yourself killed now would do no one any good. Your woman knows the way to the facility. If this is their leaders way of warning us, they're doing a damn good job of it. He probably wants to kill her because she knows.

"It'd be wise of you to protect her with all you have. Lead the camp out of the forest, go east as far as you can. I doubt they have the entire area surrounded. Creeid is very large. Besides, we've seen this before. Straight on attack through the entrance of the forest. Nothing more, nothing less. Though, it is destructive, and very effective. They'll set fire to this place soon enough."

"What about you?"

"Well, you need someone to stick around and distract them, don't you?"

Something entered the camp's premises then, vividly narrated by the destruction it wrought. Trees shattered like kindle as a giant abomination stormed through the forest into the clearing. The thing was an algamation of flesh and steel, but far greater than the usual hybrids. It almost seemed like the scientist was getting creative with his designs. Two hundred kilos of scarred meat and gristly appendages assaulted the therians with spinning saw blades and chained hooks. One unlucky therian was squashed upon its entrance and another instantly vanished in a puff of red.

April backed off, eyes wide in astonishment. "What in empire's teeth..."

Ahmeil gasped in shock, Touya's eyes widened and his heart seemingly stopped, Val took several steps backwards and gave a low hiss of anger. The group of Therian's that belonged to Val shifted as well, moving backwards with their leader. Touya didn't blame them, the creature before them was neither human nor Therian. It was something from the depths of hell if one could call it that.

"You want to stay here... and hold off that?" Touya commented.

Val gave a slight laugh, "Well, it was the thought that counted I suppose."

"I figured... how quickly can we get the camp moving?"

"Not fast enough," Ahmeil answered.

"It'll have to be!" Touya snapped, "Go, start getting them out of here, Ahmeil. We'll keep it's attention," Touya turned to April as the monstrosity began lumbering into the camp. Several more Therian's fell to it's destruction, "Go with her. Do not argue, do not look back. Get out of here as quickly as you all can. Take Sharye with you. He's very smart and can help you all through the woods. I'm sure he knows the quickest way out of Creeid and not get caught by those damned hybrids! I will catch up to you, I promise."

Her eyes narrowed as she looked between the abomination and Touya. "Oh, so you can't leave me but I have to leave you?" she hissed, "Fine, but you better come back alive."

She nodded to Ahmeil and hurried off with the black haired therian just as the monstrosity reach Touya and company. The thing moved with unnatural speed, far faster than anything its size had any right to move with. By now its skin was coated in embedded arrows and weapons, none of which seemed to even remotely faze it. A mass of distended jaws sat where its face was, munching on the last therian it had encountered.

Blood dripped from the thick bands of red that marked its jigsaw of flesh and burnt the soil beneath its feet. Drawn to their voices almost, the beast howled as it went for them. The hooked chains flew out first, raking the air with deadly spikes.

"Move!" Touya hissed and sidestepped quickly as the chains came crashing down at them. Val moved the other way and effectively their small group of twenty some were split up. Dirk kicked up as the chain smashed into the ground and picked back up again. The creature wasted no time in advancing on them as it's next meal. Touya unsheathed his weapons, along with many of the other Therian's around him.

The camp behind them was in an uproar, screams of terror filling the air as the massive village began to evacuate as quickly as possible. Touya could only hope that Ahmeil and April would gain some semblance of balance to help the evacuation go smoothly. The less casualties, the better.

Touya pulled his attention to the monster before him. There was no time to be worrying about April and everyone else. If he wanted to survive this encounter he would need to concentrate on everything he had to give to put up a good fight. Val had been right though, he'd wasted a lot of energy before hand and he was moving much slower than usual.

"Bring it down! Go for the eyes once we do, then chop it into peices," Val's voice called from the other side of the creature. Easier said then done, Touya thought to himself as he eyed the hybrid monstrosity. Several of the Therian warriors around him began to glow as they gathered their energy. They were in sync with each other, well trained and followed Val's order without question.

Touya was slightly impressed by the amount of allegiance he'd gained and how he seemed to have strength to his words and presence even in such a situation. It was admirable, even, though Touya was sure if he were facing off with Val right then he would probably be thinking how much of a nuiscance it was rather than a strength. All at once the group of Therian's unleashed their power upon the creature in an explosion of brilliant light.

Touya covered his eyes with one arm whilst backing away to keep a distance from the creature as it may thrash about from the power. When the light faded, the hybrid stood still, dazed but it hadn't fallen. Black blood trickled from it's many wounds, but it didn't seem bothered by it at all. A moment later and the creature went into action, lashing out at the nearest set of Therians. Blood coated the ground in their demise and Val shouted in anger.

"This isn't going to work," Touya muttered to himself and flipped each blade in hand. With a slight growl to himself he leaned forward and launched himself at the creature. All the while his mind was working to formulate some sort of plan.

---

Touya Khan & Val

---

Their efforts, though valiant, proved ultimately futile as the group of twenty or so therians assaulted the giant monstrosity. The thing wailed as it crashed into them, hoisting one screaming therian into the air and shaking him to death. It was clear that something otherworldly was powering the beast, animating it beyond any logical considerations. If there were vital organs or a brain at all, it would be useless trying to target them. A few stray magic bolts successfully scorched the location of its eyes, spraying chunks of steaming hot meat over the clearing.

Wheeling around, the monster screeched and charged at Touya. The buzzing chainsaw came first in a vicious arc, its constant droning now almost as monotonous as the screams of the dieing.

Touya ground his teeth as the thing turned and charged full on towards him. The chainsaw whirling as it came crashing down over and over. The Therian backpeddled as quickly as he could, moving out of its reach. However, he was running out of room to run and soon had to raise his blades in an attempt to deflect the giant weapon. His mind was blank on any ideas, even more so as he had to concentrate on keeping his own life.

His weapons crossed, locking over the vibrating rotation of the saw. Sliding off to his right, he managed to get the weapon away from him. However, as he tried to retrieve his blades, the one in his left hand got caught and as the chainsaw slammed into the ground, his blade was stuck underneath it. Fear clogged his throat as he tried desperately to pull the blade out from underneath it.

Then the unthinkable happened. The chainsaw continued it's grinding and Touya pulled again on his weapon, ducking as the creature swung it's other arm at him. His weapon came free finally, but it wasn't whole. The saw had damaged the area where the blade folded and consequently snapped it in half. Touya tossed the blade aside, his teeth clenched together and sprinted around the damned hybrid to it's back.

"Touya!" Val called and he turned to his name.

"Still alive?"

The Therian grinned at him, "If you can't kill me, what makes you think this thing can? Got any bright ideas yet?"

"I'm working on it..."

It continued to chase Touya without respite, driven by some primordial instinct. With its attention on Touya, the abomination had turned away from the other therians, giving them the opportunity to continue attacking its rear. A violent whipcrack followed as the thing's chain weapons lashed out, chasing the therian.

"Damn..." Touya cursed as he ducked the first attack of chain weapons, sidestepped to the left to avoid another and then moved even farther to keep from getting hit from behind as the hybrid dragged the chains back towards it. He was hardly spared as it came at him again, another crack of the chains hurtled right at him. Touya was thrown backwards from the impact.

The first chain nailing him straight in the chest and knocking the air from his lungs. When he landed, he landed ontop of another part of the chain and felt his body slide forward, towards the thing as it pulled back. His sword was lost to him, all that he had left was his wrist blades and claws.

"Fire..." it came to him as he slide towards the hybrid. He recalled that Grashath had told April to stay away from fire and water. His heart beat raced as he tried to think of the nearest lake. In the meantime, he would see about burning the damned bastard before him, hopefully before he lost his life.

"Val!" Touya yelled, "Burn it!"

"With pleasure," came the reply. Val echoed the order to the other Therian's that were still fighting. Touya twisted around and tried to free himself from the chains that were drapped over his body as the warriors began igniting the hybrid with whatever they could, be it spells or flaming arrows.

Certainly for a hybrid who'd regained her senses like April, the fire would have been unbearably painful. Heat conducted through the metal limbs would have only burnt its bearer, but the abomination was far from cognizant. The meat beast went up like a giant bonfire, the flames spreading across its massive form in a matter of seconds and searing its outer layer of skin. Thick slabs of flesh sizzled then blackened, yet still it attacked, apparently immune to the terrible damage imposed on it. All they'd accomplished was giving the monster a warm, fiery state with which to further assault them.

It was getting far to warm for comfort the closer Touya was pulled towards the creature. It had only stopped briefly when the attack of fire came. The Therian growled in anger as he rolled around. He'd found a way to get free, but his wrist blade was tangled, it was the only thing holding there. Shaking his arm in frustration he glowered up at the hybrid. Suddenly the chains whipped upwards, dragging Touya with it.

His breath sucked in sharply as his arm was pulled sharply. His shoulder felt as if it would come out of it's socket at any second as he dangled in the air. They blind hybrid flung the chains forward again and Touya was finally freed, except he was now hurtling towards the trees of the outer rim of the camp. He slammed into a tree, flipped around it and then took out a couple of branches as he came back down into the dirt.

Touya started to push himself up, only to fall forward as his arm could not hold his weight at all. It had been pulled out of the socket the moment he'd been flung. Rolling onto his back he pulled himself upwards via his upper body. Tucking a leg underneath him, the Therian got back to his feet, his hand holding his dislocated arm tightly. Dizziness struck and he stumbled forward, hitting a tree with his good shoulder.

"Damn it... so fire doesn't work... water. Gotta find some water," he muttered to himself. He had to get back to the fight though, to warn Val. He wasn't too sure he could do much more in the state that he was in. He cleared the tree line and caught sight of Val.

"Val! Lead that thing to a body of water," he shouted.

"And where would that be at, hu?" The Therian yelled back, irritated.

Touya ground his teeth, "You've been in Creeid a long time, Val! You must know of a place!"

"Fine. Alrighty you freak, follow the tasty Therian," Val taunted and started forward. His sword cut into the beasts leg several times before he disengaged and then started into the forest at a dead run with the group of attacking Therian's following right behind.

Forgetting Touya like a discarded, broken toy, it gave chase after Val and his group, hunting them relentlessly into the forest. The sounds of its pursuit could be easily heard as logs and bushes were crushed beneath its vast bulk. A few twigs caught fire onroute, leaving a blazing trail in the wake of its movements. All the while its whirring blades and metal chains dogged the pack of therians.

Val watched the thing carefully. Making sure it was still following them, he rushed through the trees wincing every time he heard the death cry of one of his fellow Therians. The hybrid was deadly, even more so in it's burning and blind state. He knew where he was going, the lake was some distance away though, and he feared that he would not get there in time. Val pushed aside the disheartening thoughts and continued on. It wasn't a large body of water, but it was deep. He hoped that would suffice.

Though far, the therians were soon at the point of reaching the river. Everything tends to occur faster when one is desperately fleeing for their lives. Just ahead of them snaked the running stream, a ten meter wide crossing of water. The abomination came crashing down after them, barreling through the columns of trees like an avalanche. It was still on fire, and still very much hungry. Now they just needed to reach the other side before it.

"Come on! Faster!" Val shouted as he reached the swirling river that connected to the very small lake of water. He splashed into the water and then dove into the water. He heard the splashes of his men following him, those that were left anyway. As he surfaced, he turned in the pool of cold water to see if the hybrid had followed.

It dove right after them, wading through the water like it was nothing. The water hissed as it evaporated, unleashing a steam cloud around the monster's burning visage. A slick, oil-like blood pooled around its waist as it moved deeper and deeper into the river, polluting the surface. Far from finished, its chain whips thrashed outwards, seeking to capture any therians still close enough to be caught.

"Get out of the way!" Val sputtered as he kicked his body backwards, swimming farther away from the hybrid that was having a rather strange reaction to the water. His eyebrow lifted as he watched the thing move deeper and deeper. Would this really work? The water sizzled as the fire was put out and the dark blood that began to seep out of it was stretching forward through the water. Turning around, Val swam hard to the other side, followed by the other Therians. Several were caught in the chains that thrashed about, the hybrid still determined to catch what it could.

Val made the bank of the other side of the pool of water and clambered up onto the mud. He turned around on hands and knees to see what the hybrid was doing. How had Touya known to drown the damned thing? It was a mystery he would like to ask the man when he got back to the camp.

A therian was launched in the air as the chains wrapped around his ankle unfurled on the backswing and sent him hurtling backwards. Another was sent bouncing across the water, but he had the quick wits to morph into a fish before sinking into the deep end. Abruptly, sparks flew as whatever mechanisms powering the abomination's chainsaws died in the water. It paused, glancing down at the broken machine with an almost quizzical expression. Finally, it seemed a combination of wounds, burns and power shortages was taking its toll on the beast.

"Die you son of a bitch," Val cursed as he watched warily from the opposite bank.

As if the therian's profanities had dealt the final blow, the monster let out a low-keening screech before plunging head first into the river.

Val fell over, landing on his back and sprawling his arms wide with a heavy sigh of relief, "What a hell of a day," he muttered to himself. Closing his eyes he rested there for quite some time before getting to his feet. Looking to the remaining Therian's around him, he motioned for them to follow.

"Come on, lets get back to camp. We gotta get Touya and make sure the others are alright."

---

April Rosevolt & Ahmeil Leain

---

April ran on despite the onslaught behind her, following closely after Ahmeil as they headed back towards the main area of the therian encampment. Trying to focus on warning the others, she dispelled the growing sounds of its blades and broke into a sprint. There was movement all along them now, vague shadows darting beneath the forest canopy. She let out an angry curse as a few moved ahead in an effort to intercept them. Seems like their enemy wasn't going to graciously allow them passage.

A hybrid broke from its pursuit and burst out of the bushes, landing in the mud directly ahead of Ahmeil. Like all the others, it was a hideous algamation of weapons and bodyparts, but with one major distinction. This one had four arms. Without pause it charged at the closest target and swiped all four of its blades at Ahmeil.

Ahmeil ducked, bending her body backwards as she hardly had enough time to stop from her headlong rush. She came down onto her knees, sliding across the ground to avoid having her body chopped into pieces. Her hand reached back and drew her huge weapon. Ahmeil rolled off to the side, getting to her feet at the hybrids right side. Without wasting a moment, she swung her weapon at the creatures' arm, hopping to chop one off.

She loped off an arm, sending the twitching appendage spiralling across the floor. It didn't howl or cry in pain, only turned in her direction before slicing its left arms forwards without hesitation. April arrived to deliver the finishing blow, dashing past it a blur of movement. The former hybrid decapitated the monster in one precise attack of her arms. She winced from overexertion, the wound in her side still painfully vivid.

"Keep moving!" she yelled even as more hybrids exploded from the green vegetation, "We need to get everyone out of here!"

Ahmeil nodded her head, her sword lifted against the blades that had come at her. They fell off to the side as the hybrid toppled over, headless. Her heart raced as she looked up to April who continued on. The Therian followed after the woman without complaint. She quickly fell into step next to the woman and rushed through the trees as quickly as possible. Many of the Therian's from the camp were ahead of them, some behind them.

What were they going to do? They needed to get away as quickly as possible. That or do something about the advancing army of hybrids. But what could they possibly do? They were being chased by beings that simply didn't feel anythingthing!

"We need to stop them from advancing! Can you think of anything?"

"Havanthii!" Turning slightly, Ahmeil caught sight of Sharye rushing after them. He barreled right passed Ahmeil and wrapped his arms around April's waist, "You're alright! I've been trying to find you!"

April started in surprise at the thin figure wrapped tightly around the bottom of her waist. The ordinarily kind gesture gave her no small measure of discomfort as the youth's arm rubbed against the wound in her side.

"I'm glad that you're safe also," April replied, breathless. "Sharye, are there any bodies of water close-by? An ocean? A deep river?"

"Eh? A river... Yeah! Why?" The boy looked up at her, his purple eyes wide in slight confusion and wonderment.

April's mind was racing in the confusion. Everything was happening far too quickly to keep track of. She wondered if Touya was still alive even. Gently, she took the young therian by his shoulder and looked him firmly in the eyes. "Get them to cross the river. If we have any mages adept at manipulating water, tell them to gather near the river. We're going to freeze the water on them. The rest of us will hold them off whilst you evacuate. Now go!"

Sharye took in a deep shuddering breath before he nodded his head, "Alright. I'll do that," he said, his voice a bit fearful. He rushed off, his voice calling through the group of Therian's for their attention and asking if anyone could manipulate water. He spoke in Therian as he went. When he'd gotten as many as he could, he turned and motioned to Ahmeil and April before darting off into the forest, leading them off the path.

April joined him, leading the rear guard with a few other therian warriors. Violence had erupted throughout the camp as therians frantically fled from their habitats like rabbits chased from their holes. The number of hybrids had drastically increased in the last few minutes, going from six to two dozen. As though sensing the proximity of their prey, they gathered, breaking into the camp's outer perimeters.

She dodged an over arm hammer blow meant to cave in her skull as more hybrids closed in on her position. They only needed to hold out until everyone had reached the other side of the river, but even in her enhanced state she was beginning to tire. The hybrids were ruthless, steadfast even. How could a normal army possibly compete against such monstrosities?

To the left of her she saw Ahmeil, also assailed by another hybrid wielding large rotary blades. A single hit from that would spell certain doom, even for a therian. To her right was Bordal, the giant cyclopean masterfully fending off a duo of hybrids with a single blade. All around her she saw bravery and determination the likes of which she had rarely seen previously. Common Sharye, hurry with the evacuation! she urged.

He'd finally gotten everyone across the large river, having directed them to take the rocks that were higher up from where he'd originally lead the group. Turning he ran back down to get with April once more. As he ran he enountered a hybrid that lunged out of the trees at him. His heart stopped in his chest as he skidded to a halt. He ducked as it swung at him a heavy hammer with spikes on its end.

Sharye's breath caught, his eyes wide with fear. Adrenaline rushed through his limbs and it was the only thing that kept him moving. Otherwise he was sure to have been rooted to the spot and unmoving. Swiftly, he cut under another swing, the spikes catching his shoulder and dragging down his back. Sharye screamed, his voice shaking as he stumbled and fell onto the ground. Breath heaving in and out of his lungs, he scrambled to his feet and started running without looking behind him. Tears were in his eyes as he barreled through the underbrush.

Finally, he caught sight of April just ahead of him through the bushes, "Havanthii!" He screamed, half in pain and fear, the other half in relief, "Now!" He didn't stop running as he yelled at her. He wanted to be near her right then, the only place he felt safe and confident.

Spotting Sharye and the hybrid behind him, April slammed her boot into the one infront of her and diverted her focus to the hammer-wielding hybrid. It was meters from catching him and she could already see the shallow gash it had incurred to his shoulder. Not again, she thought. She wasn't going to let him die like Ninia and Zear. "Get down!" she yelled.

Using her wind magic, the former hybrid propelled herself up and over the young scout. She landed in a tumble, but not before driving her wrist blades into the neck of the hybrid and tossing it backwards. The thing was far from dead, nevertheless at least they had some space to breath now.

"You did good," she huffed, pulling up close to the young therian in a defensive stance. Her chest heaved as she fought to get the air in her lungs, "Pull back everyone! To the river!"

"Ha-Van-Thii," Sharye hiccuped as he leaned against her back for a moment. He'd never been so scared in his life. It took him a moment to regain himself, but her words put him at ease again. Lifting off her, he held his arm tightly and nodded as she ordered everyone across the river. There was no time to waste. He turned and quickly crossed the river with her.

Ahmeil nodded her agreement just on the other side of the trees, having heard April's call to retreat. She swiped her large sword at the hybrid before her, cutting into it's throat before she turned and started across the river as well. The last attack of hers had been pure luck and she doubted she could do that again. Pushing herself through the hard current, she made the bank of the other side and watched as the repulsive and determined hybrids started to follow them. Her heart jumped to the bottom of her throat. Was this really going to work?

April led the last of the rear guard to the riverside but paused as she ushered Sharye across. Grashath's warnings were at the forefront of her thoughts as she regarded the river. They'd inevitably lost a few trying to break away from the hybrids, those unlucky enough to get surrounded or too slow to outpace their opponents. She'd probably be joining them soon enough. "You go first! Don't look back and don't wait for me! Tell them to freeze it the moment you get out!" she ordered, nudging the young therian into water. The hybrids were just behind them and she could already hear the sounds of their rapid approach.

"Havanthii!" Sharye shouted as he was pushed into the water. Then he recalled that she could not enter the water herself. Grashath had specifically said so. His heart pounded in his chest. What was he going to do!? He couldn't just let her stay on the other side, risking her life! Touya wouldn't let her do that. But, how was he going to get her safely across the water? It was deep too, coming up to Sharye's chest as he struggled to stay afloat in the current.

There wasn't much he could do as he was being swept downstream slowly. With a shout of agrivation he turned around and began going across the water as quickly as he could. He would carry out her orders, no matter what and he would take out as many hybrids as he could. He pulled himself up out of the water, wincing as it hurt his shoulder to put weight there.

Once he was on his feet, he watched the water line carefully as the hybrids began to give chase through the water. His eyes narrowed, teeth tightly clenched together as he looked between them and the row of Therian's that were ready to launch their attack. He couldn't tell what were tears coming from his purple gaze and what was left over water from the river. His hands clenched together and he opened his mouth to scream over the rushing water.

"Now!" All around him, the water mages worked their magic and Sharye could only hope that it would work as planned because as soon as they were finished, he was going back to the other side to help April.

Over a dozen hybrids were caught in the spectacle as they eagerly immersed themselves in the murky waters to give chase. Crystallizing from one end to the next, the targetted section froze over, trapping the hybrids in place. Perfect icy shards and formations of waves were suspended in place as the therian water mages cooperated to manipulate the hydrogen and oxygen molecules. They'd done it, they'd fended the incursion.

Sharye's breath hissed out between his teeth in surprise as he looked at the frozen hybrids. His eyes lifted and he looked for April on the other side. He leapt out onto the frozen wasteland of hybrids and easily made his way over to the otherside, shouting for her, "Havanthii! We did it! Havanthii!" He called and landed on the other bank where she'd left them.

"Aye, that you did," April replied. The woman emerged out of some thick foliage, caked head to toe in black filth. Her left arm was cradled under her chest, tending the sharp cut in her waist. A look of relief brightened her bedraggled expression as she smiled at Sharye. "You certainly did."

Touya Khan

He'd pulled himself up off the ground, the golden light in his hand fading away as he'd healed his dislocated shoulder. It was sore, but at least he could use it again finally. He didn't waste any time though as he left the forest edge and started out into the desolated village. The last he'd seen April, she'd been headed off deeper into the forest at the back of the village. He was sure if he went in that general direction he would catch up to them sooner or later.

He started towards the trees, a bit tired from their encounter. Touya was also irritated about the fact that he'd lost both his swords, one permanently. The other only temporarily lost, but he didn't have the strength to look for it. The Therian continued on his way through the woods in search of April. It wasn't too hard, the hybrids left a pretty clear trail as to where they went. Following that made things a whole lot easier and before he knew it, he heard voices.

"April!?" He called and rushed forward, eyes scanning the brush for her.

"Havantha!"

Touya turned at the call, the youthful voice belonging to none other than Sharye. Pushing through the bushes, he came upon them both and offered a warm smile. Reaching out he pulled April into a tight hug before he noticed that her arm was around her waist in an odd fashion. Touya eased her away from him, holding her shoulders, and looked down at her fingers that were stained with blood.

"You're wounded..." he whispered to himself. A bit of fear and anger washed over him. Could he heal it without hurting her? Was it life threatening? How much blood had she lost already? Lifting his eyes, he gazed at her steadily, worry in his voice, "Are you alright? Is it bad? Can I heal you?"

Sharye stood next to them both, watching intently to see what would happen. He too looked worried and there was a bit of guilt on his youthful features. Obviously he had not noticed her wound and had not taken that into mind. The poor boy must've felt bad in some way. Touya reached down to gently remove her hand to see how bad the wound was while he waited for an answer.

Val

Leaning down, the Therian leader picked up a silver weapon. It was a sword that folded in, a distinct look to it as well. He shook his head with a slight grin on his lips. With a flick of his wrist, the blade closed and he continued forward. Val was looking for Touya, but there was no sign of the other Therian, no noise at all. What happened to him? Or maybe he'd left the area already in search of his lover. The latter was most probable.

"We'll keep going. Follow the tracks into the forest to find the group. Should they need help, we need to give it to them," Val ordered and what was left of his group rushed ahead of him. Pushing Touya's weapon into his belt, he followed behind. So wrapped up in his woman he even forgets his weapon. He must have a death wish, Val thought to himself as the group rushed through the trees.

When they finally found the group, the river had been frozen and the hybrids locked in place. Well, that was certainly an interesting way of dealing with them, "I see you seem to be faring well," Val commented. Touya startled and he whirled around, wrist blades coming forth from his arms. Val lifted his hands, backing away slightly to let the man know he meant no harm right then.

"Still on your side for the moment, Touya," Val said, his voice a bit snide even so.

"How... fortunate," the Therian retorted and returned his wrist blades to their proper position. He had started to turn away to tend to his woman once more, but Val moved again, gaining Touya's attention.

"Something of yours," he said and withdrew the sword. Handing it handle first to the other Therian, he grinned, "Rare of you to leave your weapon. Perhaps this woman's made you soft, Touya."

"If you value your life, you'll be quiet," Touya hissed, snatching his sword and replacing it in it's sheath.

"Yes, yes. Well, I think we've wasted enough time here. Don't you suppose we should be getting out of the forest and on our way to that facility. There's more where this lot came from and I don't know about you, but one near death experience today is good enough."

---

April Rosevolt

---

The general mood was somber as the surviving therians gathered their wits about them and began restoring the camp. For some of them, this would’ve been their first taste of what combat involving the hybrids entailed, maybe even their first taste of combat. April leaned heavily against a chest high branch for support as she watched their ongoing relief effort, guarded by Sharye. She saw a trio of therian scouts dash past their on their way to secure the perimeter, uttering cryptic words in therian tongue as they did so. Others were now just starting to venture back into the camp. A few of their number had been injured in the ambush, and at least a dozen killed. They’d vanquished double their number in hybrids yet it hardly seemed like a victory, not when you considered the fact that they’d been the ones to retreat.

"April!?"

She whirled around in response to her name, hearing the therian’s approach well before she could see him. Touya’s lean form burst from the green foliage much like the four-armed hybrid that’d assaulted them, and for a second her hands gripped tighter around her weapons. Thankfully, the man approaching was well and truly an ally.

"Havantha!" Sharye called, waving to gain the rushing therian’s attention.

Acting flustered, Touya surged over immediately, ignoring the multitude of thick bushes between them. In all honesty, the therian looked as worse to wear as she did, but he hardly seemed troubled by the multitude of discolored abrasions, only relieved that they’d managed to survive. Mildly, she wondered where the rest of the therians who’d accompanied him were, hoping perhaps that Val had been killed during the fight. That was all she managed to think about because within seconds she was taken from her position and bundled into his arms. Taking her other hand that wasn’t wrapped around her waist, she hugged him around the shoulders.

“You look awful,” she said, chuckling at his overall appearance. Gazing up, she noticed his ordinarily well-groomed hair was frazzled in more than a few places and sported a few leaves to boot. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

"You're wounded... Are you alright? Is it bad? Can I heal you?"

“You’re getting slow. I had this since the first time we were ambushed. It’s not the most critical injury if I’ve survived until now is it?” she joked to assuage his concerns. Not that she felt one-hundred percent right then, but she was lucky to get off with just that. A simple stitch would’ve sufficed in fixing her up and empire knew there were a few more therians out there with injuries more pressing than hers. There’d been no room for error when she decided to stay on the others side. “And no healing please, remember what Grashath said.”

She pulled away as he did to judge the severity of the deep gash in her side, matching his frown. “Being a hybrid isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be I guess,” she said, shrugging in a vaguely helpless manner.

"I see you seem to be faring well," a familiar voice interrupted and April’s spirits fell.

Touya’s next action startled them both as the therian twisted, bringing his wrist blades around full swing. Swaying back out of arms reach, the intruder raised his arms up to show that he meant no harm.

"Still on your side for the moment, Touya," Val chimed quickly, sounded more smug than he needed to be. Neither April or Touya looked particularly impressed as both attempted to relax a little, something most likely impossible given all the bad air between them.

Val’s smile before unsheathing a blade disrupted any response the duo may have attempted to make. Spinning it around, he held it out hilt first towards Touya. "Something of yours. Rare of you to leave your weapon. Perhaps this woman's made you soft, Touya."

Touya glanced at the pommel, the gesture hardly seeming like a kind one at all when coming from the rebel leader.

"If you value your life, you'll be quiet."

"Yes, yes. Well, I think we've wasted enough time here. Don't you suppose we should be getting out of the forest and on our way to that facility. There's more where this lot came from and I don't know about you, but one near death experience today is good enough," Val responded, obviously enjoying his frustration.

She wished they could’ve indulged in more jokes, but Val was irritatingly right. “You’ll want to dispose of the hybrids still frozen in the river. Something tells me that they’re not quite finished yet, just… suspended,” she pointed to the oddly placed block of ice that now acted as a dam of sorts for the river. “Then we’re going to need to devise a tactic we can use against the hybrids. I highly doubt there’s going to be a river we can so conveniently exploit when we assault the facility.”

The meeting spot waited for them, empty of any Therian's. Damea and the group that had been sent to meet Touya and the others made camp there. If Touya wasn't there, they would wait for him, at least Damea had convinced them to wait. He'd been hoping to see Touya there first, waiting for them.

Unfortunately that was not the case and they were left alone in the fields not to far from Glendale prison. The mercenary could only hope that they wouldn't be discovered by anyone during their waiting time. He also hoped that they would soon see Touya and the others. It was a whole two days before the Therian's made their appearance.

Upon their arrival, Damea could already tell that they were the worse for wear. Many were bandaged as if they'd been in a fight before hand. It also seemed that there were far less than what it had sounded there would be in the letter that Touya had sent before him. The fire mage watched the entourage closely as they walked passed him.

He wondered what it was that had happened to them and searched through the crowd for the tall silver haired man. Of course, such an appearance was hard to find throughout the entire Therian group that began settling in on the other side of the human's camp. They were still in a state of discomfort with being so close to soldiers it seemed.

Ironically, it wasn't Touya whom he'd spotted, but rather April. The woman was easy to spot in the taller group of Therian's and her hair was also a fair give away as well, yellow and bright against the duller colors of the Therian kind. Damea ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her back to his chest as he smiled brightly.

"So nice to see you again," he said happily and lifted his gaze to Touya who'd turned sharply at the sudden intrusion, "And you haven't gotten any calmer it seems either."



Touya rolled his eyes at the man who held his woman tightly. Had it been any other person, Touya would have run them through already, but seeing as it was just Damea, there was no need. He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked at the human, "Nor have you grown up any."

The mercenary grinned back, "I think you should lighten up a bit. Would do you some good."

"A little tact on your part would help that childish mannerism of yours."

"Ah, well... I can see your point there," Damea winked and released April to properly greet Touya, "Good to see you both. But, if you don't mind my asking... what the hell happened to you? You all look like you've been through hell."

"In a way," Touya replied, his smirk leaving his face quickly to drop into a deep frown, "We were ambushed by the hybrids."

"What?!"

"Before we could leave, we were delayed a bit because we had to relocate the villagers and treat the wounded. We were almost defeated, but we got lucky... I suppose."

"You suppose?"

Touya shrugged, "It was an ambush meant for one thing only. The eradication of the Therian's. Most of the clans were in that village in Creeid, so it made sense for the mastermind behind the hybrid creation to try to wipe us out completely in one go. Though, how he knew we were there is a mystery to me."

Damea's eyebrow lifted as he turned his mismatched gaze to look at the large group of Therian's that had joined them, "Mystery indeed..."

"Let us rest a bit before we go. It would do most of us some good."

Damea nodded in reply, "Sure thing. Take all the time you need. I'll see what I can do to help."



"Seems like a large group has been camping out in the fields just outside of Glendale's area."

"There's only one reason for them to be there," Sy muttered.

"Therian's just joined with them."

"What?"

"A group of Therian's joined up with them earlier today," the man answered again, a bit of a shake in his voice as he spoke. Sy stood up from his spot and glowered. They had left the city a few days ago. Sy had wanted to find the place as soon as possible, and once he knew where it was, he wanted to go after it.

Technology was a bad omen, at least to him. He hated it with a passion, almost as much as he hated the Therian's. All for personal reasons of course, but none of it he spoke about around anyone. His eyes narrowed as he brushed passed the man who'd been standing in his tent. They'd set up a very small camp near the facility that they'd found to be where the hybrids were being made.

"Well then," his lips twisted into a cruel smile, "I suppose we should wait for them to make their entrance first. Let them kill each other, I say. Makes our job all the more easier. Then we can destroy the place ourselves without having to do the dirtier work. Make preparations. We're moving the camp. Can't be in their way, now can we?" Sy's laughter was cold and near hysterical as he eyed the path to the facility that was a few hours away. He would have some fun with all of them.

---

April Rosevolt

---

The therian army had been delayed a few days after the initial surprise assault. As a precautionary measure they’d swiftly relocated their camp to avoid the hybrids. After that, more time had to be dedicated to the tending of their wounded, further halting their progress. Fortunately they had the miraculous healing powers of Touya to rely on, which greatly advanced the process. Arriving at the agreed meeting place two days later, their congregation split up to avoid suspicion on the roadways. Concealing an army’s advance to a city was no small task and hardly subtle in any respect. Even if they evaded roadways, there were an abundance of Altheim’s scouts waiting elsewhere.

April was far from calm as she trudged alongside their group, hefting a backpack near the entire size of her body with apparent ease. Her hands had remained firmly located over the hilt of her weapons ever since they’d crossed over the borders into Altheim. She was anxious and tired from worry. At any point she almost expected to see the hybrids closing in behind them, tying the noose as they say.

Quite the opposite, bobbing through the crowds came the distinctly fair features of one particularly vexatious fire mage. She’d almost failed to register his presence before the mercenary had his arms spread over her shoulders in a friendly hug.

“Damea!” she gasped by way of greeting.

"So nice to see you again," he beamed, absolutely thrilled to see them safe. Apparently his time away from them had done nothing to dull the man’s endless vigor. Rather than Damea, April found Touya’s reaction most disconcerting. The therian was noticeably on edge as he regarded his friend coldly, or at least initially before recognizing him. Had the man been anyone else April was certain he would’ve lashed out. She couldn’t blame him for feeling that way either, the constant threat of hybrids had taken its toll on them all.

"And you haven't gotten any calmer it seems either," Damea commented, clearly noticing this also.

”Nor have you grown up any," came the therian’s scything remark. She expected him to warm up to the man like usual but oddly, the distance remained.

Damea showed him a smile regardless, apparently unhurt by the constant display of austerity. "I think you should lighten up a bit. Would do you some good."

On that part she could agree a little. She understood that everyone had their personal way of dealing with war, being a Lieutenant exposed her to all sorts, but the line between order and self-destruction did exist. Sometimes crossing that line could drive men to gamble and fall into debt with the wrong kind of people, sometimes their behavior became erratic. Watching Touya, she began to wonder whether or not the war had pushed him towards that edge once too many.

"A little tact on your part would help that childish mannerism of yours."

“We could all stand to lighten up a little. Circumstances notwithstanding,” April interjected.

With their reunion completed, it was time to get down to business, starting with informing Damea of what happened. Apart from the mercenary, April also noticed a few individuals rising out of some nearby brush to meet them. Standing out most was Miles Riverbend, the tall, infamous soldier of the Beastmen Wars. It was almost impossible to tell what his stake in all of this was. April was honestly shocked that they’d let the man out at all for he could be spotted from miles away. Almost matching his presence but not quite was a red-headed woman wearing a black greatcoat. She caught glimpses of dark velvet out from underneath her slightly tilted peak cap as the woman paced casually just a step behind Miles. Abigail had an attitude and aura of capability all of her own, but unlike Miles, was far from strict. There was one key figure missing from the group that April was glad to note, Reginald.

“Here comes the brigade,” April murmured to Touya and Damea who’d just concluded their own little conversation. The two had agreed to resting for the time being, Damea even offering his assistance should they need it, though April had no idea what purpose the mercenary would prove useful in other than being a salary man. Fresh from their wait however, Reginald and his compatriots were obviously eager to commence.

“Touya,” Miles nodded. Abigail immediately followed up behind him by saying, “Are your leaders available to speak? We have much to discuss and little time. As you can imagine, this location isn’t particularly ideal for long term dwelling.”

She gestured to the rather horribly exposed, open fields which they currently resided on with a wave of her hand and smirked slightly. “I know you’re tired, but if we don’t figure this out now you won’t have the luxury of being tired later.”

“Here comes the brigade,” April's voice muttered to them.

Touya turned to see who it was that she'd been talking about and groaned inwardly. Though he didn't entirely think bad of the man, it still hadn't quite settled in that Miles was on their side. Even so, the Therian felt that he couldn't completely trust the man.

“Touya,” Miles nodded at him. Touya gave him the same greeting before they were interrupted by the red headed woman who seemed to have no sense of curtesy.

“Are your leaders available to speak? We have much to discuss and little time. As you can imagine, this location isn’t particularly ideal for long term dwelling. I know you’re tired, but if we don’t figure this out now you won’t have the luxury of being tired later.”

Touya looked out into the open fields where she guestured. The woman had a point. They were completely open where they were and being so close to Glendale prison already had him on edge. With a slight nod of his head he guestured for them to follow him.

"This way. In either case we should move anyway. I must agree that we are far to open here and being so close to the prison is not to my liking. Convienent for the man behind the hybrids..." he muttered the last part. Touya led them through the throng of Therian warriors until he found Grashath and Bordal.

"Idvithir," he said in their tongue, gaining the attention of both. It was simply an 'excuse me' in the common language. Touya turned to introduce the others to his two superiors, "This is Damea, Miles and..."

"Abigail," Damea filled in for the red haired woman.

"Ah, I see," Grashath said softly. Bordal on the other hand did not say anything only stared forward without moving.

"She wishes for us to move out of the opening quickly. I must agree that we are at a huge disadvantage here."

"Well, at least someone's smart around here," the elder Therian snorted as he turned away from Touya. The Therian felt his cheeks burn with a faint blush of embarrasment at the elders chiding.

"Is there anywhere we can put up a camp?" Damea asked.

"We should send scouts ahead to see if there is before we do anything. Any closer to the prison or the facility could be dangerous even more so than us being where we are right now."

"I'll do it," the small voice cut through their chatter. Bordal turned ever so slightly to acknowledge the boys presence.

"Are you sure Sharye?"

"Please. Let me do something to help."

Grashath turned to look at Touya before resting his gaze on the young boy, "If you insist, but take a few others with you and stay out of sight. The last thing we need is to have you in trouble. Come back as soon as you find a spot for us. You know what to look for right?"

"Yes!" Sharye beamed and bounded away from them.

"How long do you think?" Touya asked the elder.

"No longer than an hour. He's very quick, and efficient if I do say so myself. I just worry about him because of his inexperience."

"I think he'll be just fine," Damea beamed.

"In anycase, what would you like to discuss since we're all here, Abigail?" Touya asked, turning to the woman. They had an hour to get things together before they moved again.

---

Abigail, April Rosevolt & Miles Riverbend

---

"That's General to you people," Abigail corrected the therian with knowing smugness. She didn't wear her formal great coat and peak cap for nothing.

April studied the general intensely as the opposing parties stood some feat apart, a noticeable division. Of course it was impossible to expect full integration at first without some hitches, but given the danger they were all in, she'd expected at least a few more compromises, even understanding on their allies account. For April's part, the lines on which side she belonged to had lost their meaning the day Reginald betrayed them.

"Sharye! There's no rush!" April called out to the rapidly vanishing youth before shifting her gaze back to Miles and Abigail, "I'm sure our allies already had the area secure since we'd arrived."

"Well, that's a given," Miles was quick on the defensive, "But you're overestimating our man power Miss Rosevolt. I'm sure the help would be much appreciated."

Ignoring the pleasantries, Abigail angled her eyes up to the towering warrior then down to elderly sage at his side, their individual appearances quite the contrast to one another. The warrior was the perfect picture of raw ferocity, his body composed of hard lines that poked through the edges of his uniform. One eye was damaged, but she was certain the other was just as capable of functioning. His companion, the other man, was older and even more weather beaten. She noticed the palm of his hands were heavily calloused, likely from years of working with hard tools, and guessed that his occupation involved crafting of some form.

Bowing towards them as a formality, she looked to Touya to translate as she began to speak. "Its good to finally be able to meet you. We were anxious when you didn't arrive the first day and wondered if the hybrids had defeated you, but it seems you've arrived relatively unharmed."

"Onto the matter of business, we expect a report on your combat capabilities. Your numbers, your weapons, your powers. You can expect the same from us, but such information is essential for planning and appropriately deploying our forces. I don't think I have describe the futility of blindly rushing in," she continued.

Touya lifted an eyebrow at the woman's arrogance, but he didn't say anything. He knew how Grashath and Bordal would take it and he especially wasn't about to call this woman 'General' just because she demanded it. Even so, the Therian wasn't about to start a fight over it by denying her right off the bat.

Off in the distance, Sharye turned around and waved his hand in response to April's call to him. The boy understood perfectly. He had about five others follow him as they left the immediate area. It wouldn't take him long to find a better place for them to settle down before the attack.

Turning, Touya recited what the fiery red head had to say. Grashath shifted slightly, his head raising as he listened to the younger Therian. Bordal crossed his large arms over his chest, assuming a rather closed off stance. This, Touya was sure, didn't go unnoticed.

Grashath took a deep breath before answering in return, "Numbers, weapons, and power hu? Well I'm sure she can count for herself," the older Therian responded to which Bordal gave a huff, a partial laugh, "Our weapons and power. What an interesting concept. Swords and our own mechanics. Our power ranges from those who can use gravity, fire and water. There are a handful who can use pure energy. And only one who can heal."

Touya turned and eyed the red head and translated to her exactly what Grashath said. He too was a little put off on how she was taking this. Not entirely sure he could trust her, especially with the fact that she wanted to know just about everything about them. Didn't matter if they found out about the armies powers and skills.

Miles narrowed his eyes at the Touya

"Sounds like they still don't trust us," Miles observed with irritation. This wasn't the time or the place for distrust and the Beast Slayer was short tempered, especially in matters related to revenge and personal honor. Already his right foot was tapping the ground impatiently, trying to work of the slight chill in the air. Empires teeth did he miss the warm dining halls and endless banquets.

Abigail waved him off dismissively as she kept her undivided attention upon Touya. She would've guessed there to be about several hundred therians in the immediate vicinity, some sporting minor injuries. Each of them shared the distinct racial traits of a therian, being long limbed with fair complexions. Like Touya, many also possessed the uniquely shaped 'snap-weapons'. Many of her comrades had taken to calling it such because of the signature 'snapping' sound they made when unfolding.

"We'll need proper numbers, and though yes we can count for ourselves, we'd rather not waste anymore time than we already have," she stated, "It's fine for now, but I expect a full inventory later. We can't come up with a plan unless we know exactly what we're capable off. To get us started I'll have one of my assistants draw up reports from our end and hand them to you within the hour."

Her military training kicking in, April was hard pressed not to agree with the obnoxious red head. "It's common sense Touya, you're going to have to work with them on this one," the hybrid murmured, sensing his agitation.

"More importantly," Miles interjected, "We need to figure out a way to keep the therians hidden. We've risked enough as it is meeting out in the open, but with our limited means of communication it couldn't be helped."

Ever the pessimist, thought April. She barely suppressed the urge to roll her eyes then. "If you're suggesting that they morph to disguise themselves, you're going to have a very tired army by the time we commence the assault," the perceptive blonde huffed, anticipating his suggestion.

"Agreed, but the issue remains. Any ideas?" Abigail asked diplomatically as she regarded the others.

Touya again relayed what was said all around to Grashath and Bordal. The large Therian turned his good eye towards Touya, a frown still on his lips. Grashath watched the red haired woman intently. Possibly trying to pick up on her speech.

"Won't matter about the numbers," Bordal huffed lightly.

"Enough. We'll satisfy them. We gathered well over a thousand, but after the attack. I'm sure our numbers are far less. Perhaps in the low thousands, probably more around 900 or so," Grashath stated slowly as he hunched forward, "As for weapons. Most everyone carries a sword. If she's looking for archers we have none. Therian's fight close combat mostly."

"Unless you're counting my men," the voice belonged to Val. He'd made his way over and startled Touya who had not been keeping an eye on the man.

Grashath turned his gaze over to the Therian and sighed, "Even so, you only have a handful. Not enough to be useful in anyway."

"A handful? Make that about five of us."

Touya didn't say anything during that exchange, but watched instead. Even though Val was still his enemy, with all things considered, he did feel a bit of pity and guilt towards the fact that above all the other Therian tribes, Val had lost the most. Of course, his group had proved much more dangerous than any other, making him the perfect target for the hybrids to take out first.

"The rest remains the same. If the woman is worried about 'wasting time' then that should suffice. I don't like being out here any more than she does."

Touya nodded briskly and turned to the woman, "Our numbers are between 900 and a thousand. Our weapons are as we told you already. Swords and our hidden blades, close combat is our specialty, aside from Val and his men, but he's only got five now. The magic is the same too. There's really nothing else to tell you unless you want us to wander about and ask ever person what weapon and magic they use," his eyebrow lifted as he regarded her, "It may be easy for you to know what every man and woman does under your command because that is what you're army is bred for. But we are not an army. We are tribes, therefore we do not keep score on who does what.

"Now, if you'd like to take the time to do so, we will oblige, but seeing as you're keen on time, I suggest we start moving. We do not like meeting in the open either, but it was the only place convenient enough for all of us without getting separated or worse. Sharye should be back in a few moments with news on a better place to relocate to. As for your dilemma on hiding us Therian's... well, it's as April said. We cannot shift into something else for the duration of time it'll take for you to figure out a battle plan.

"If there is cover in trees then that will do just fine to hid us. Including your men. If we get lucky with foliage as cover, than a few of us can spare some of our energy to dull our presence via their magic. At least then not all of us will be weakened by having used up all our energy before the fight at hand. Does that suffice?"

Touya tilted his head off to the side slightly as he finished speaking.

Miles' eyebrows raised in an unspoken question of incredulity upon sighting the rebel leader, having last remembered the therian impaled upon his sword. Still, he smiled thinly in the man's direction, assuring him that no love had been lost between them. He'd finish the deed later.

After pondering Touya's brief overview of information Abigail nodded her head slightly in agreement, “Then I trust you to keep out of sight.”

Smirking as always, she glanced sideways towards Miles and an approaching Jaeger Guard Captain, Kim. “That should be enough to get us started for now. Let’s break away and form up a plan. Once you’re comfortable we’ll discuss the assault in more detail. Attend to your wounded, prepare your people and gather your supplies. Don’t get too comfortable though,” she warned with a lighthearted wink.

"Of course not," he muttered in reply. His gaze shifted and he looked out into the distance. Sharye should have been on his way back, if he found anything that was. A touch on his shoulder took his attention and he looked over to Damea. The fire mage grinned at him.

"While you were gone I got a better handle on my fire. Now I can toast these assholes."

Touya felt his lips twitch in a grin. It was hard to push off the man's joking and good nature. He crossed his arms as he regarded the mercenary, "Well, that would be great, if fire really did anything to them. Can you get it hot enough to put them down to ash in seconds? If not, they just become a burning mass of flesh and metal that's still deadly in a fight."

"Wait... what?"

"He means that if you can't make them nothing but black dust in a few seconds there's no point to your fire, friend," Val said from Touya's left.

Damea shifted his gaze between them, the red eye narrowing slightly as he looked a bit confused, "But I thought that-"

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry Damea, but we tried that already."

"You torched them?"

"Tried and failed," Val added with a bit of an offhanded tone and a sigh.

"What the hell does kill these things!?" the mercenary asked in shock.

"Ice. Well, it doesn't kill them but it certainly stops them." Touya answered.

"Damnit... this is just... insane."

The Therian sighed heavily, "Yeah. But we'll do what we can."

"You have people that can manipulate water and turn it to ice?"

"Of course."

"Well, that's good my friend, but do you see any water around here?"

Touya sighed heavily. The mercenary was right. From where they were, it was nothing by dry grassland and there was no water. He hoped that what Sharye found would give them a better advantage. If not, he would just have to hope that Damea's handle on his fire was enough to get them through the fighting. Touya moved then, working his way through the Therian people and seeing who needed healing and was alright to just be bandaged.

He couldn't waste his own energy on healing every single cut that the others had sustained. Following him was Damea and Val. Ahmeil too, whom he'd not noticed as she hadn't said anything. He fell into a routine of dishing out soft orders to them as they moved about the camp, having April help him too as much as possible. It was probably at least an hour, maybe a little longer before Sharye came back into the area.

By then, everything was cleaned up with the Therian's -they were ready to move out at anytime. Most of the wounded were taken care of, at least those that had sustained serious injury to impair their fighting abilities. Touya, though feeling a little tired, met with the young boy as he ran up to them. Sharye's purple gaze looked up to him in excitement. He grinned broadly as he wrapped his arms around April's waist.

It seemed the young boy was attached to her. Touya smiled softly as he watched them both. It felt... nice, homely even if he could call it that, "I found a place! Me and the other boys, we found a forest! Well, maybe not a forest, but there's lots of trees and it looks like no one is there. There's just one thing," Sharye said in Therian, his smile faded slightly at the end though.

"What is it, Sharye?"

"Well, it's really close to this huge facility. The walls are shiny and look like it's made of metal and there's lot of smoke coming from these tall pillars inside."

"That must be it," Touya said, looking up to April. He frowned though. Moving the huge group into the trees and with it being so close to the facility. Sharye twisted around just enough to let go of April's waist with one hand and point in the direction.

"It's down the hill over there and about twenty minutes out."

"Why did it take you so long?" Damea asked.

"We were scouting the forest area. We tried to go through a large portion of it to make sure that everyone would fit without being too cramped and to make sure no one else was there. Plus, with it being so close to the facility, we were extra careful so that we didn't get caught."

"You did good," Touya said, reaching out his hand and ruffling the boys dark hair. With a sigh he looked over to the human's portion of the camp, "Time to go inform the red head," he muttered to himself.

---

April Rosevolt

---

"Time to go inform the red head," the regal therian muttered glumly under his own breath. Not understanding the full cause of his sorrow, but noticing his exclusion of respective titles nonetheless, April just barely suppressed the urge to chuckle at his visible chagrin at having to answer to the woman. Fortunately, another yank of her wrist reminded her that she was firmly within the grasps of Sharye as the young boy desperately sought to bring her attention to their intended destination. Though no older than fifteen, the boy was almost as tall as she was, and she had little doubts he’d grow to be much taller once his puberty was over. Assuming therians even had something which passed for puberty.

“Right you are. The longer we delay this invasion, the stronger our enemies get,” April stated whilst doing her best to ignore the restlessly youth attached to her limbs. Finally, she shifted her gaze to him and ruffled his hair with her hand, “Putting those skills I taught you to good use I see. Good job.”

It didn’t take long to locate Abigail once they’d decided to get going. The others had thoughtfully chosen to leave behind some delegates to assist with any priorities and communications. Once she’d separated herself from Sharye, April approached the closest man and saluted out of habit when she addressed him. He was a corporal according to the white colored insignia stitched to his sleeve, and was currently in the process of cleaning his rifle.

“Excuse me, corporal... Fonzoo,” she paused momentarily to read the white lettered name tag, “Are any of your commanding officers nearby? We’d like to pass on some information.”

She figured a straight on approach was best for this scenario. Still, the man flinched as she raised her mechanical arms to her forehead, unused to the sight of them on a human body, or at least on a rational human. Well he would be soon enough with the way this war was developing. After realizing he was in no immediate danger, the man’s eyes regarded their group lightly, “Yes ma’am, the general is still nearby if you require her presence. I can pass on any information or call her up.”

“That won’t be necessary, just pass on some information for us,” April waved dismissively, glancing at Touya, Val and Damea, “We’re setting up camp roughly two clicks from here, down the hill there.”

Dubiously, he looked at the direction of her index finger before lifting an eyebrow, “Are you certain ma’a-”

“That puts you closer to the facility,” a secondary voice interrupted, deep and bearing an unmistakable arrogance. Appearing to the side of them, Miles Riverbend squinted his eyes at the motley collection of warriors, directing the bulk of his ire towards Val in particular. “This isn’t another elaborate plan of Touya’s I hope, because we all know his have a lack of, well, tactical acumen.”

Sharye beamed at April as she ruffled his hair with her hand, one eye closing slightly as she did so. Finally, he relinquished his hold on her, albeit a bit hesitantly. Touya couldn't help but grin at the display. The youth was rather attached to her. Perhaps it had something to do with his not having a mother or a father anymore.

"We'll be right back," he told the young Therian in their language. He followed after April as she led the way to the human's encampment. He didn't say anything, allowing her to speak for them to the man cleaning his weapon. It wasn't until Miles appeared that Touya frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, isn't that nice to know," Val spoke to Touya directly in Therian. Touya turned and directed his glare at the other Therian before returning his attention to Miles.

"You want to be out of the open right? That's our only choice. My people can hide us from prying eyes in the forest that lays there. Take it or leave it."

"Oh so cold, Touya," Val continued, pushing the other to anger.

"Chiallt," he growled back, essentially telling the Therian to shut up in their language.

Miles could read from his feet set square and defensive posture that Touya was going to stubbornly stick to his guns. That, in combination with their bickering, motivated the frown on his face as he watched them prudently. It wasn't so much that the response was surprising as it was simply annoying by that stage. These were trying times, and he was attempting to exercise vigilance.

"Finished?" he smirked, briefly marveling at the unique clash of personalities that was Val and Touya. How the former had survived their initial assassination attempt was still a question of great mystery to him. Calmly, Miles waited a few seconds for the air to settle between them before resuming his sentence, "You keep such wonderful friends therian. Remind me never to attend one of your parties. Onto the subject at hand, there's no need to be so uptight. I merely wished to confirm your intentions and plans. No matter your skills, its foolish to not to expect the enemy to have some sort of security. The closer you are, the greater the risk of detection, especially with a group of therians you size."

April's shrug caught his attention as the small female exhaled in a fashion akin to a sigh. With the way she'd refused to look in the direction of Val the entire time, it became very clear that he wasn't the only person uncomfortable with the terrorist's presence. "As Touya said, there's no real alternative. We can stay out on the plains or take our chances within the forest. Take your pick."

The one soldier they'd originally interrupted seemed to back away slightly. There weren't many people in the world capable of directly confronting the infamous Miles Riverbend, yet this group seemed to possess them in spades, and he had more important things to do than die in a fued.

"Fine, fine," Miles resigned, though his posture remained completely neutral. "Corporal! Would you be so kind as to convey their plans to the general? Best not to waste anymore of our time arguing. The sooner you setup, the sooner we can prepare this invasion."