Her Silhouette
She just smiled in response to his comments on instruction, knowing that she was likely to follow just about anything reasonable he said, or unreasonable if the situation needed trust. Cross might have been a bit of a libertine, but when it came right down to it he was a General of high standing and in the matters of battle, not heart, he was an opinion that needed to be heeded.
Sil felt a little flood of relief come over her as soon as they had made it out of the canals and the door had been closed behind them, remembering briefly what had happened to the head of the Oceania branch from the Orders prior location. Ever since then, even in this new location, she still felt uneasy in the dank, watery darkness that could hide any one of their bodies for a short period of time. The relief could be seen plainly on her face as she stepped out of the boat, also dwelling momentarily on the fact that she had actually seen Cross do something physically straining for once, shocked that as his apprentice she had not been forced to do the rowing.
“Alright, it’s not my place to question your tactics. I knew that when I signed up,” she stated with a bit of amusement in her voice, cracking her knuckles lightly as she lifted her face to the streams of sunlight welcoming the warmth. In toe, falling in next to him, she kept up with her stride with her eyes set on him instead of the trail ahead, waiting for her instructions. No sooner than a few moments later she stumbled over a root, giving her a good jolt of embarrassment before she caught up again.
Sil felt a little flood of relief come over her as soon as they had made it out of the canals and the door had been closed behind them, remembering briefly what had happened to the head of the Oceania branch from the Orders prior location. Ever since then, even in this new location, she still felt uneasy in the dank, watery darkness that could hide any one of their bodies for a short period of time. The relief could be seen plainly on her face as she stepped out of the boat, also dwelling momentarily on the fact that she had actually seen Cross do something physically straining for once, shocked that as his apprentice she had not been forced to do the rowing.
“Alright, it’s not my place to question your tactics. I knew that when I signed up,” she stated with a bit of amusement in her voice, cracking her knuckles lightly as she lifted her face to the streams of sunlight welcoming the warmth. In toe, falling in next to him, she kept up with her stride with her eyes set on him instead of the trail ahead, waiting for her instructions. No sooner than a few moments later she stumbled over a root, giving her a good jolt of embarrassment before she caught up again.
He caught her arm as she stumbled, and chuckled a little before continuing on the path. He took them deep into the woods, away from the sun again. There were only small dapples here and there, but they hardly provided warmth, and it was getting a bit nippy in the shade.
"I'll be giving you a map. I have..friends..in places, and they hold clues for you," He explained, pulling out another cigarette and lighting it as he walked. Birds flitted in and out here and there, and it was overall very peaceful in the forest, with the light twittering of wings and chirps, accompanied by the crunch of twigs underfoot.
"The clues contain a small piece of information about the mission I wish to take you on, as well as a hint about where to find the next clue. However, there is a catch. My friends won't just be giving you the clues: You'll have to spar with them to obtain it. If you succeed at beating them, you get the clue. If you fail, you must accomplish a task that they set for you before you can move on," he explained. They were getting close to the town, because the trees were beginning to thin, and the sunlight was becoming more common. The light chatter of a market could be heard, as well as the soft clip-clop of hooves on cobblestones.
