Gem soon realized that she had little hope when it came to escaping her predicament. There were far too many soldiers for her to face alone, and even so, she still did not have her blade. She simply followed Pynax, observing the area carefully, searching for a chance.
Pynax noticed her plotting and sighed."Hmph...You know it won't work, right?" He informed."He's determined that you'll be his new Incarnate. Grandmaster usually gets his way. Last guy who refused to join...well, I've heard a lot of stories, none of them good."
Gem just glared silently. Pynax sighed, tugging on the rope he'd looped around her waist."Come on, may as well talk. You've nothing better to do, nd the whole reason you're stuck with me is that I'm the best with those signs of yours." He saw Gem cross her arms stubbornly and added, "Who knows. Maybe you'll get information to help you escape."
Gem just set her jaw and narrowed her gaze at the man, and he sighed."Have it your way." He continued leading her around the camp as he attended to his own business.
Gem followed, sighing. Was she just starting to lose her edge? She'd been captured by enemies three times in her life. The first time, when she'd been young, she'd slain her cptors and escaped on her own. But now, here she was, captured twice so close together, and in each case, she'd needed outside help to escape. It was disgraceful! She'd have to double her training with Guiltare after this.
The thought of Guiltare saddened her. How much pain was she in now, worrying over her? She thought of Vaussten and his stories, how he'd have fewer interruptions with her out of the way, and how different they'd be without the criticisms he took as awe. She thought of Reba and Giles, who always stubbornly tried to heal her when she was scratched. She thought of Morz, who'd always encouraged her to fight and given her treats, and Narra, with her normally statistical statements and always smiling face...
She even thought of Salaxir, with a twinge of sadness. She'd come to appreciate his friendship, and his patient lessons in the language of her people. From the tone of his last few letters, she'd begun to suspect he fancied her, and this troubled her. She thought he was a fine man, but felt no love towards him. She was confused as to why, and decided it was his own fault. He looked at her with pity, as though she needed protection. She was a warrior and a killer, an assassin of Black Griffin, she did not need him as a guardian.
...Though, if what the Grandmaster of this company had said was true, perhaps his worry was justified.
She shook her head. It wasn't true, she reminded herself. It couldn't be. The members of Black Griffin had raised her, taught her all she knew. They were her comerades, her friends...her family, she admitted reluctantly. They were mercenaries, and she'd witnessed them in battle, brutally cutting down enemies, but even so...This was beyond what she could imagine of them. She'd seen and heard her master break down over slaying a single man! She was thoroughly convinced that any act of genocide on her part would double as an act of suicide!
She looked up as Pynax began snapping his fingers in front of her face."Hey, don't ignore me." He ordered, then gestured to a stake in the ground, with the rope he'd help looped around it tightly."I'm going to go in here, business with a few mercenaries, see?" He yawned, as though the prospect bored him...or perhaps he was genuinely tired, it was hard to tell."Just stay here for a bit and don't cause any trouble." He ordered, walking into the tent.
She started to protest, then sighed, shaking her head. she sat there boredly, looking over the inhabitants of the camp as they passed. There were no signs of any rank that she could tell, all of them dressed in simply, light armor. Steel made up their breastplate and greaves, while their gauntlets and helms seemed to be made up of bronze. No one carried themselves differently, and there was little differentiaton of weaponry to signify any difference of rank...Did this mean that the Incarnate served as their commanders? IT made sense, then, that they were worried for the loss of one. With such a large army, losing a tenth of their command in one fell swoop could prove disastrous for morale.
She sighed. Oddly enough, there seemed ot be no separation between families and soldiers, as she saw women leading about strings of children, and young boys passing around a small wooden ball in a game of catch, laughing whenever one of their compatriots was too slow to catch and was struck in the head. One little girl, she noticed, was hit as she passed, and staggered to the ground. Rather than help, the boys laughed and jeered at her.
Gem glared, snatching the ball as it rolled near her, and tossed it at the boys. One was hit in the nose andused language unfitting one of his age, dashing off.
The girl looked at her, gulping."Ah..Ah'm sawry." She stated, her voice having an odd drawl to it.
Gem smiled, doing a few simple signs in reply."Nothing to be sorry for."
The girls eyes widened, and she smiled, doing a few signs in reply."Wow! You speak hands? That's incredible!"
Gem blinked, pleasantly surprised by the discovery."You too? How'd you learn?"
The girl smiled."My papa taught me, so people wouldn't laugh at me because of my voice." She replied, sitting down."How did you learn?"
Gem smiled."I can't speak at all, my..." She hesitated. Perhaps she should be careful with the girl. She doubted one as young as her would have some secret agenda for speaking with her, but even so, children were known to be horrible with secrets."My mother taught me." She decided.
The girl smiled, scooting closer, and Gem took a moment to observe her. She had a hazel-brown hair, trimmed to hang just above her shoulders. Her skin was a pale color, as though amidst the summer heat, she'd hidden in the shade, preventing it from browning. She blinked slightly, noting her eyes. While at first they seemed to be a dull brown, she saw this was only a trick of the light, and as the girl turned her head, she showed her eyes as predominantly crimson, with a few specks of brown scattered throughout.
She smiled, making a few quick signs."You're a Nrevacian, aren't you?"
The girl frowned, and Gem repeated herself. Even then, she seemed confused, and carefully spelled out each syllable."Ne-re-vay-shi-en? What's that?"
Before Gem could respond, she noticed the shapes behind them."Hey girl, move." ordered Mar'ply, glaring.
The girl simply looked at Gem, frowning at the odd expression on her face.
Mar glared."Hey, I said-"
The grey-haired woman, Savir, tugged his sleeve."Don't get upset. It's her." She informed pointedly, pointing at her own ear.
Mar frowned."Oh...didn't notice, but now that you mention it..."
Savir nodded, nudging the girl with her foot. She turned her head to look up at Savir, and Gem saw what she'd meant. The outside of the girls ears appeared perfectly normal, rounded in an almost oval shape. In the inside, however, they were sickly. Starting from the outermost ring, the girl's ears were a black substance that shimmered in the sunlight, like obsidian. It was hard to tell if it was hardened or gelatinous, and if she looked closely, she could almost swear it seemed to be moving in a swirl.
Savir nodded."Hello Shira. Do you mind if we have a few words with your friend here?" She asked politely, though her face did not show a flicker of a smile.
The girl frowned."...Okay." She nodded and stood."G'bye."She dashed off around the tent and vanished.
Mar kneeled near Gem, a wide grin on his face."...Seeing as how you're not dead yet, I suppose they were serious about you being the new Vengeance." he stated, chuckling.
Gem only stared silently, wishing she had a blade in hand to cut the man down where he stood.
Mar simply chuckled."Hmm, still not broken in yet, I see. Well, let me tell you something. You bit me the other day, remember that? And then Savir had to take care of it for me, which means you practically bit her too. Ain't that right Savir?"
Savir nodded."Practically." She agreed.
Mar smiled."Now, as you can imagine, I'm not too happy about you hur-"
Gem spat in his face, eyes narrowed as she stuck out her tongue.
Mar growled and grabbed her throat."You wanna know the truth, you little pest!" He asked lifting her by the throat, though having to stop at chest-height due to the rope."Quite frankly, I think you should die, and maybe someone from a race that isn't stupid enough to get itself massacred can take over! Just one little cut on you, a scrape, a scratch, that's all it'd take to finish you! That's all! Right Savir!?" He got not reply and looked back."Savir!?"
Savir's eyes were widened, and she had her hands on the side of her head, mouth open in a silent scream. She fell to her knees, shaking her head and soon hiding her face in the ground.
Mar frowned."Wha...Hey!" He glared, seeing Pynax stepping out of the tent, with Shira hiding behind one of the flaps, peeking out timidly.
Pynax nodded."Mar. Missed you at the meeting. You wanna set my new partner down?"
Mar growled."Partner!?"
Pynax nodded."Partner. She's replacing Kaurren, after all, and she's the reason I need a new one."
Savir's screams took on sounds now, and she began to brush at her arms frantically, as though she thought there were something crawling on them.
Mar growled and lowered Gem, rushing over and calming her.
Pynax nodded and walked over, untying Gem's rope."Now...let that be a lesson." He replied."You screw with my partner, I screw with yours."
Mar glared, and Pynax matched it with a dull stare of his own."Scared?" He smiled."Good. Then i'm doing my job. Off with you."
Mar just scoffed, gently helping Savir to her feet and walking off with her.
Gem blinked."What did you do?" She signed after a short pause.
He looked at her."Eh. Every Incarnate has a power to match their title. I'm Terror Incarnate. I terrorized her." He replied.
Shira walked out of the tent and over to his."Awar yew awlright miys?"
Pynax tapped her head."Hands, easier to understand." Informed his hands. He then frowned, the first real emotion Gem had seen from him."Wait, why are you so far from your tent?"
Shira gulped."I...Just wanted to play." She replied.
Pynax sighed."Go back there now." He ordered."I'll be back in a bit."
She hesitated."...Can she come too?" She asked, pointing at Gem.
Pynax looked at Gem, a flicker of surprise, then nodded."I'll bring her by when my work's done, alright? Now get."
Shira smiled and nodded obediently."Yes Papa." She waved at Gem and dashed off.
Gem watched her go."...What happened?" She asked.
Pynax looked at her."Oh, now you feel like talking? Hmph." He began walking to their next destination, sighing."...Side effect of being Incarnate. Any kids you have, if they survive, end up with blackened pieces like that, so they're not all that common. I think there's one guy walking around here with a hand like that, his dad was an old Incarnate, before my time."
Gem nodded, making a quick circle with her hand."Oh." Then continued."...Is she Nrevacian?"
Pynax looked at her, sighing."Do I look like a cave dweller to you?" Gem checked him over quickly. True, he had black hair, but so did most humans. And his skin was pale, but again, that was no sure indicator. She checked his eyes, and saw only discs of grey, no hint of the traditional Nrevac red. Pynax sighed."Rhetorical question."
She nodded."Her mother then? Was she-"
"I ain't talking about her." He said briefly, a slight edge to his voice.
Gem sighed, giving up and deciding to change the subject."...Shira is a pretty name."
He nodded."...Eh, it's alright." He replied."Came up with it off the top of my head. Means 'Scared'."
She blinked."Why did you name her that then?"
He shrugged."Easy. Holding a kid who's my own flesh and blood....only the second thing to scare me in my whole life."
She frowned and tilted her head, curious."And what was the first?"
He shrugged."Myself."
They walked on in silence then, as Gem began to be intrigued by her strange captor.