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Jake realized it had been... quite some time since he had actually left the island, or done... anything productive for that matter. Heck, he couldn't even remember when he had last left the island. Mission reports were great and all, but he was starting to think he was getting rusty, especially since the last few spars he had with Sherry he was... pretty sure he lost them all. Then again, she WAS getting stronger...


Really? I thought you'd be saying something like "it's too dangerous"
<... Jake. You're not a child. You're a full hunter now, and besides, I trust you understand the implications of your actions affect not only you, but those around you.>
Jake sighed. He didn't need to be reminded. His stupid mistakes nearly gotten Chester put out of commission, along with getting himself and others killed. He wouldn't, COULDN'T make the same mistakes again.


... ********, he totally forgot about Caelius. It was a miracle he hadn't been demoted already.
Well, it couldn't hurt to see what was available, so he decided to get changed and head out.

Summons to a mission. Same old, same old. She was pleasantly pleased to see that it was with Jake, though perhaps he'd requested her. Good. He needed someone around to make sure he didn't die.

For her part, Sherry was right on time. Desert gear checked out, bag slung over her shoulder, and goggles on her head (headband style). She'd even worn her new boots, bought JUST for desert outings. She was pretty sure she was ready.

And she waited. She trusted Jake to be on time, or nearly, and properly prepared. The other person, well. It was her full intention to give a warm greeting to the third member of their party the moment she met them. Starting off on the right foot, and all that. So, when the young man with a bag and a soda arrived Sherry smiled and waved. "Sahara mission? Over here!"

Lukas's expression, at least, was guarded: not afraid but skeptical, uncertain, but there and ready at least. He blinked at the pair of them and then nodded, holding out a hand toward Jake first, unsure what else to say or do at this point.

"Lukas, yes. Do you know the details of what we're doing here?" He hesitated a little, shifted. "...honestly, I haven't been off island since I...woke up."

Jake took his hand and shook it, offering the trainee a simple smile.
However, when he mentioned he had not been off the island once yet, Jake's smile fell. For the Sahara to be his very first mission... s**t.
Well, Sherry pretty much summed it up with that lovely description.

"Um, yah, it's not a pleasant place. I'm sorry you got stuck with this for your first mission, but like Sherry said, hopefully it won't be too bad. Recon usually means more surveying and less engagement with the enemy. Let's hope we get lucky."
Though, as a hunter, luck could only go so far.

A strange sense of relief washed over Sherry at Lukas’s words. “Not unexpected?” Tension she hadn’t even realized she’d had left her shoulders. She’d run into too many trainees that expected sparkles and rainbows on these missions, and the Sahara was the last place anyone should expect anything good. “I am glad to hear that.”

Even as she said it another kind of worry began to gnaw at her. Something about his movement or the look he gave her. She’d spent her whole life wanting people to like her, and she was decent at picking up on signs that they might not. Had she been too pushy? Too much too soon?

The voice in head was as chastising as it was lazy.
Sherry stopped just before the portal. She glanced at Jake. No, no. She wasn’t going to lean on him for anything here- she’d been the one messing up obviously, there was no reason Lukas and Jake couldn’t get along.

“I’m sorry,” she said with a tiny smile to Lukas. “I seem to have gotten ahead of myself. Sherry Greyson, Life. It’s nice to meet you.”

She inhaled and then continued, “Let’s get this started.” Through the portal she went.

Once on the other side, the outpost was given a quick look over. Notes left by other groups double checked, supplies stashed, and things generally looked over. All in all, they’d only been there about 5 minutes before Sherry turned to the boys. “I am going to go do a quick perimeter check. I’ll be taking a headset with me.”

And slip out the door she did.

Really, she just wanted a moment or three to herself. Because good job, Sherry. Good job getting off on the wrong foot. If Lukas didn’t like her or had a horrible time it was obviously her fault. Of course it was. Well, barring enemy disturbances. Those weren’t her fault. But everything else was.
The desert itself, hot and sunny and sandy as usual, seemed normal. Normal enough Sherry let herself focus on the few short minutes of interaction she’d had with Lukas. Every word, every gesture, everything. Had she been too blunt? Maybe too cold? Jake was usually the brash one, the awkward one. But today it had been her.

Armagnac said, as if that explained everything. Maybe that was it, though. Maybe the stress of the Sahara was throwing her off. Great. Lukas deserved better than that, and honestly, a Hunter who couldn’t handle a little pre-mission stress was pretty much a failure.

Sherry would just have to own up and fix it. Apologize for being brash, make no excuses, and hope the next three days weren’t horrible. Maybe she and Lukas would get along. Or at least Jake and Lukas. Maybe-

The stone outcropping wasn’t really out of the ordinary. She’d passed several so far. But this one…something about the way the shadows fell caused her pause. Maybe she should check it out? Because those shadows there looked a little like…yes. Yes that was a cave. Sherry looked all around the rocks. No symbols she could see, no signs of Horsemen. But the stone just inside the cave looked a little bit like too flat to be natural. Sherry decided to take a peek inside.

First step, second step… Stairs. Definitely stairs. Sherry blinked, the cavern made darker since her eyes hadn’t adjusted yet. She probably should go get the boys. They needed to see if this was noted in the maps of the area, and she shouldn’t be going down strange staircases alone.

She took another step down, just trying to get a sense of the place. If it really was nothing, then she’d seem like an even bigger idiot than she already did. She didn’t want that. Just a little farther… another step… She shouldn’t have worn her new boots. She should have watched her footing better. A bit of uneven step made for a shaky foothold and suddenly Sherry’s balance was trying to escape her. She didn’t recover it. Instead, the little Life Hunter tumbled down the stairs.

Round and round, banging this, bouncing off that, until she landed with a solid thud on stone floor. Something under her hand felt very plantlike.

Lukas avoided them not out of anger now, but befuddlement -- confused over the fact that someone would so quickly cave into apology, for such a small slight. In his world, it would have gone silent and dangerous, the pair of the circling each other. Pranks that turned mean, perhaps. But apologies? What was that all about?

So he waved them off like it didn't matter and just did his duties, patrolling carefully, staying close to the camp. He didn't want to get stuck out alone when trouble hit.

So, of course, he was.

The aftermath of the bugs left things far too quiet, which meant Lukas was left blinking in a puzzled sort of way at the sudden silence, unsure if he should be worried, but unsettled all the same. It was as he pondered this trouble that something came over the horizon toward them, and his concern shot to the forefront. He fumbled for his headset.

"Something's here, I think." Lukas tried for calm, but it came out clipped, nervous, and then went silent as they attacked.

Thankfully, Jake hadn't wandered too far, and doubled back as soon as he heard Lukas' voice.
"I got this!"
He swung the bag he brought around, shoving his arm into it to pull out a pair of daggers. s**t, just their luck. Horsemen.
Considering they lost the element of surprise, the most important thing was to make sure they were prepared.
Making his way to Lukas, he slammed the runics into the ground, watching as they pulsated slightly. It wouldn't be extremely helpful, but better safe than sorry.
"You ok?"

HP: 60/60
Action: Using Runic daggers
Result: He and Lukas buffed 3 dmg