Razeluxe
The open disdain everyone in the group seemed to express about Duun led Razeluxe to believe he was the only one who had been here and not decided that it was some hellhole. The only places the hybrid elf could say he actually held a hatred for were deserts, as the extreme heats and lack of huge bodies of trees not only were exhausting to tread through, but restricted his ability to call upon the local wildlife. Snakes and scorpions did not heed a forest elf's call.
It was unfortunate that his prior experience in this land would likely be too dated to make effective use of, and what time he did spend here long ago was brief, as the small conflict he was a part of was. Besides major landmarks and cities, he would not pretend as though he knew the area aside from what the map showed. But if Willow was confident she could lead them through here and lead the way, then so be it. It was nice to have someone better at things other than combat in the group.
"I may not have neither your nor Dinan's long lives, but I can keep up. I am fine, thank you for asking." Willow wore a smile as she drank from her bauble and replied to him. He got replies from Shyc and Sakura almost immediately afterwards, both about as energetic as they ever were. Perhaps the query was more out of common courtesy than anything. The only one he should have had any real doubts about were Sakura, but she was nearly brimming with as much excitement as Shyc, which was saying something. It was honestly a surprise to the 'leader' of their group that she had not only been able to open up to the very man whose first words were akin to a death threat to her, but she was also able to ask more questions about miscellaneous things than his own soldiers had asked about missions in the past six months combined. Though, to be fair, after he explained the missions, there were only a few questions one could ask that he hadn't already covered. He always broke things down to: Risk, Requirements, and Rewards. It was rare to give a mercenary group a complex mission, so that was as much as he needed to elaborate on for the most part.
"If this walk could kill any of you, I'm sure we'd have a problem receiving contracts from the Queen." he voiced, glancing over to the body of trees they stood before. A small grin appeared on his face. Likely due to his elfen lineage, he could not help but feel more at home with forests than anywhere else. He always felt more comfortable, more able, and more relaxed in one. Razeluxe led the way into the swampy forest with a confident pace. It had been more than a hundred years since he had gotten over the clunky steps one makes when they first step foot in a forest. Tripping over branches, rocks, and misjudging his step were things he would never do nowadays. This also made a big difference, were they to engage in combat here. Yes, forests were his home.....
There eventually came a minor clearing in the forest that did not seem as though it would be a bad place to set up shop, and so he decided this would be the place where they would
"I'll go get some wood so we can have a fire," Shyc announced, then adding, "Don't worry I won't go far."
"Very well. Don't stay too long."Raze nodded as he finished setting up a small makeshift tent. Perhaps in today's standards, it would not seem to be the great abode one could summon in a short notice, it certainly worked for him. He actually had a better tent, but that one he simply gave to their newest member out of generosity. He actually had not many problems with scaling a tree and sleeping in one, but that was a bit less civil, so he refrained.
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...
There was an audible cry of pain crackling through the air, arousing the soldier's instincts immediately. It did not take more than a mere moment to recognize the owner, for he had heard the boy's voice not too long ago as he explained he would be on the search for firewood. Something had happened to Shyc. He withdrew his trusty longsword at once and surveyed the immediate area around the camp, including the trees. He wanted to make sure that there was nobody taking the high ground and luring them out, as that was a common yet effective strategy in a place filled with nothing but trees. When he was sure that the camp itself was already dug in by whatever foe they may be facing, he turned to his comrades, his mind churning out many possibilities.
He would assume it was some kind of trap. It was the safest assumption he could make in this scenario. In that case, he had to figure they at least knew what they were dealing with. The scream came close enough that there was little chance the enemy hasn't observed them already and planned around that. If that is the case, then how should he handle this situation? Rushing straight in would likely be the goal for them, but if that would only be the case if they were your common, ignorant bandits or the sort. If they were a bit more intelligent, then it was possible they would have predicted his assumptions and planned accordingly. Razeluxe had completely disregarded many factors, such as Shyc simply being attacked by the local wildlife, or some variable such as fear. As odd as he could be, Shyc could at the very least handle himself, and Razeluxe would not underestimate the boy's abilities. Razeluxe decided to play it safe here. Risking anything else without any further information would be a tactical mistake that could be costly.
"Dinan, come with me and we'll draw---" he began, only to realize they were missing their angel. Razeluxe resisted the urge to put his face in his palm and instead continued to the others. "Willow, I would suggest you stay a bit behind us so you're not caught up in any sudden confrontations that might put your abilities at a disadvantage. Yan can stay behind and protect Sakura, or trade roles with him. However, we can't leave her alone."
And with that, he took off swiftly behind the angel to lend his hand.