"Of fucking course I get the goddamn letter that sends me into the fucking war." Dala quietly cursed as she continued sneaking around the forest near the lake, trying to find the military camp. 

She was being paid to send a letter to one of the military soldiers but she didn't realize that they were on the front lines. The soldier's husband had been looking for somebody to send to Jasumin Lake and was paying extremely well just for one letter to be delivered. Now Dala realized why the husband was paying so much. Nobody would be going straight to a battlefield for a cheap amount of silver. It also explained why she was able to get the job first, nobody else was wanting to take a job that would sent them one of the most dangerous places in all of Revaliir.  But the money was good. Unlike so many others, Dala couldn't refuse the silver. It would be enough to last her for an entire week! With this amount of coin she would be able to pay for food, clothes, and even be able to save a bit of it if she avoided thug tolls. Besides, her life was just as dangerous in Vilpamolan as it was here. Everywhere was dangerous for a friendless kid like her.

Dala had taken the necessary precautions for a trip like this. If she got killed then she would have only herself to blame for it. Earlier, she had rolled around in the dirt to blend in her scents with the rest of the forest. She had learned this little trick after spying on a conversation back on the streets. Somebody had mentioned that so many people could hide themselves in forests by rolling around in the dirt. Dogs and beasts would have a hard time identifying them. So she was using this tactic as she sneaked through the forest, hoping that it would prevent any of these monsters from tracking her scent. Not only did she have dirt on her but she was also wearing a simple tunic and pants. There was one satchel around her shoulder but that was all that she was wearing. Dala didn't mind though, as she felt she didn't need shoes. Her feet were tough after her many years of shoe less labor. 

While she was still muttering curses, she heard a snap of a branch behind her. Quickly she ducked into a bush and waited to for whatever it was to pass. She watched as a creature with eight limbs all fused together walked out of the trees and began to draw closer to Dala's hiding place. The monster was horrifying and Dala had to keep her hands over her mouth to prevent any gasping. There were three feet and two arms on the bottom, being used as legs to travel. There was a head on the top and another pair of arms. The torso was in the middle to act as the connecting points to all the other limbs. Dala kept still as the creature walked past her hiding spot and to the left of the path before vanishing into the forest. The child didn't dare move from her position for two minutes until she decided that it was safe. 

Crawling out of the bushes, she looked to where the monster had gone off to and carefully walked around the area. She was careful to stay on the past and to keep walking as quickly and quietly as possible. It was only until she had been walking for ten minutes that she finally felt safer. Though Dala knew that if there was one monsters, there were probably many more. She had weapons but she knew that she probably wouldn't be able to fight off monsters if they were like that. Yet she still kept her dagger nearby in case anything else was going to jump out at her. 

"No wonder everybody's so desperate to win the war." Dala muttered to herself. 

Xurelius moored his skiff on the outskirts of the forest. He heard a rumor that there was a military camp stationed in the forest, so the thought crossed his mind that he would be able to sneak in and out undetected. He planned to steal anything of value that he could sell on the mainland. There were many ins and outs to the lake, so he was certain that by mooring just far enough out of view, he would be able to make his escape and profit. He reviewed his compass to confirm that his skiff was in the west, and started travelling northeast.
He kept along the coastline as he walked, careful to avoid travelling deep into the forest, not wanting to encounter any patrols, but also because he could collapse into the lake and let the current carry him back to his skiff if needed. However, this turned out to be a mistake, as he noticed a creature quickly emerge from the forest and walk towards the coast. The creature was likely wanting to quench its thirst on the lake, but suddenly the scent of the man had caught its attention. Xurelius hesitated to jump into the lake, because the creature had more limbs than he did, so it was likely a more adept swimmer than he was. His only hope was to run into the forest and hope that the creature didn't catch him. He quickly darted through the trees, with the beast roaring and clawing its way behind him. All sense of guile was lost on him, as he fled for his life. The creatures wild movements slashed through the bushes and left a trail back to the coast, that would be easy enough to follow as an exit point if needed. He ran for what felt like forever, but it became evident to him that this creatures presence could thwart his attempt to sneak into the camp if both he and it were detected. In order to avoid bringing the creature towards his destination and risk being exposed, Xur latched onto a tree and climbed upwards as fast as he could. The beast leaned against the tree and began clawing at the base, attempting to swipe at the man and enjoy its feast. He had climbed just enough to be out of reach, but its weight would eventually be too much for the tree to handle. Xurelius took out his spyglass to check on his location and make his next plan. He was able to  see the camp, but it was still far enough that they couldn't hear the creatures roars. He noticed that there was a small silhouette between him and the camp, and it was far enough away that if the creature caught wind of it, it may draw its attention to that person instead. Xurelius jumped off the tree and dashed towards the small silhouette that he had seen with the beast in tow. It was a kill or be killed world, and he didn't plan on being killed just yet. Enjoy your meal!" He smirked as he led the beast to his substitute.

[OOC: Heron form used.]

The Witch of Jasumin Lake

Witches have always been a common scapegoat for the unexplained tragedies of the world, especially during war. Is there a sudden pestilence sweeping through your camp? Witch. Did madness suddenly strike your commanding officer? Witch. It is always thus that fear needs a subject, something to make it less terrifying for those gripped by it; even if that subject is not truly responsible.

The war against the World Eaters, however, was slightly different than the norm. Fear already had a name, a form; several, in fact. There was no room among the masses for a faceless witch to calm them, not when said witches were attacked by the same creatures as everyone else. It seemed unconscionable that any among their rank could be responsible; and yet still there were those fearful reports of one such individual that people had deemed “The Witch of Jasumin Lake.”

‘She floats through the air like a ghost,’ they would say, ‘and hides her eyes behind cloth!’ Others would remark on her green hair, or the fact that the Twisted always seemed to disappear around her. The gossips were too scared to even walk up to her; otherwise they wouldn’t have been so foolish as to start rumors like these, certainly not about my dear ol’ Lucy.

Yes, Lucina was the supposed “witch.” She had only been in the area of Jasumin because of its proximity to her favorite gambling halls: all of which had been closed for the duration of Azhizheth’s invasion. With nothing interesting to hold her attention, she wandered the landscape; and the only reason the Twisted weren’t around her for long was because her summons as well as Minerva kept killing them. Such was the only amount of sport available in the pre-apocalypse: a rather bloody and gut-filled one at that.

Even so, the young, eccentric woman was not one to revel in hunting like others might. She took the opportunity to interact with strangers whenever it presented itself, which was probably where the rumors about her really came from. The young child Dala and seafarer Xurelius were no different, but they first had to endure a most irritated Amalgam before they could meet with the "witch."

The screams of that beast reached far as it pursued Xurelius relentlessly, seeking to add his corpse to its master’s army. Contrary to what he thought in luring the creature to Dala, however, it was also not about to settle for a choice in prey. Whence the little girl came into sight, the Amalgam’s wails grew even louder. It tore off one of its limbs in a gruesome display and threw the severed implement after its initial target. The main body then went for the girl, while the arm quickly formed a duplicate to pursue the cheeky sailor.

Perhaps those two souls would have been able to escape from this surprise in the end, but that, as they say, is something we’ll never know. As soon as the Amalgam had duplicated itself, both entities were consumed. The earth collapsed underneath them as two holes opened up, and the beasties fell into something that was making audible chittering noises. A guttural squish quickly followed, ending all previous wailing before the burrowing creatures retreated to their tunnels.

Whatever nightmare Lucina had summoned in that instant was earth related and very hungry. They were patrolling the area for more Twisted, allowing the ethereal woman to float above the two she had just rescued in peace: specifically in front of the scalawag that had started the chase. 

“That’s nice of you, but I’m not really convinced their food stays with them,” she said while lounging just out of reach. She was clearly bored, laying down in mid-air, but seemed to perk up at the prospect of company. She even sat upright just to greet them, which was most unusual considering how her days had been going lately. “Hello! What brings you two out here? I smell letters and… ugh, sweat. Lots of sweat. Maybe some treachery and… mint? No, that's just a plant nearby.”

Dala spotted the Amalgamate coming for her and the bastard that had led it to her in the first place. She snatched her dagger belt and stood, ready to slash at the monster then run away. But before she even had to, the ground came and ate it up, just as the creature had duplicated itself. Suddenly, she spotted a woman flying in the air above. Realizing that the woman was the one who had saved them, Dala decided to treat the lady with respect. As for the bastard who had brought the monster to kill her….well he was a different matter. The child held up her hand to Lucina to give her the signal to stop.

“I respect you miss but I need to deal with something first before I answer any questions.” Dala said.

Then the child went stomping over to Xurelias with a pissed off expression on her face. She stood a few feet from him with crossed arms and large angry eyes.

“Really?! That was your bullshit of a plan?! Even a fucking monkey could come up with something better. You do realize that I am bite sized, right? I barely have any meat or fat on my bones. You can literally count my ribs!” Dala exclaimed with furious anger, “I’m a one chomp chump! It would have taken that monster two seconds before it killed me and went after you. If I’m going to die, I want to die by somebody respectable. And the only respectable thing about you is the fact that your mother put up with a mindless tool like you.” 

Dala then ran over to a tree and quickly climbed up a tree. Typically, insulting a person resulted in that person trying to murder her. So she decided to get higher ground before the battle began. She was lightweight but strong so the child was able to get much higher in the tree than most adults would be able to. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out some throwing knives and began to chuck as many of them at Xurelius as she could before stopping. She had run out of knives. Dala looked over to Lucina and decided to give her a present for saving her life.
“You saved my life so you will get potatoes!” Attie shouted, still getting over her anger.

She began chucking potatoes at Lucina as fast as she could until she ran out of potatoes. 

Xurelius came to a screeching halt at the sight of the abomination that manifested itself before him. The chaos behind him had mysteriously subsided, no doubt the handiwork of the humanoid devil. He gritted his teeth, a clear sign of discomfort, as he watched it change its orientation while floating in mid-air. A voice chimed in at him from his side, but the words fell on his deaf ears. Even the words of the witch had escaped him, quickly trapped in the innerworkings of his own mind. Clouded by his anger, Xurelius didnt even notice the true appearance of the witch, instead his mind processed a familiar face that he had sworn to kill. More noise followed, unbeknownst to Xur that the child was intending to strike against him. His right hand twitched and unsheathed his rapier. In the instant that he had swung his blade outward, a knife impaled him through the back of his palm. The sudden impact caused him to drop the rapier and clasp his hand in pain. It wasnt until he heard the child mention the word potatoes, that he acknowledged her presence and realized what happened.

Damn brat, knives aren't playthings! he angrily spat as he glared at the child.Rather than stick around at the mercy of the witch, Xur ran into the forest, continuing to the camp that he previously located. The rapier lay on the ground where it was dropped, but with the knife in his dominant sword hand he would not be able to use it properly anyway. A trail of blood from his palm marked his path, so he figured he would return to the item later.It wasn't long before the man encountered the barracks of the camp, the warriors inside mentally preparing themselves for the battle that lie ahead. Xur needed them to vacate the barrack so he could ransack them without suspicion, but he would also need to make sure that he wouldn't be recognized during his escape. Unfortunately, he had two loose ends that had already seen his face, and he could only vaguely remember the child's appearance. And thus his plan was born. "WITCH!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. THERE IS AN ARMY OF WITCHES IN THE FOREST SUMMONING DARK CREATURES TO ATTACK US IN THE NIGHT! THEY EVEN HAVE A CHILD HOSTAGE!"The pirate pulled the knife from his palm and smeared the blood on the opening of the barrack door before hiding from view. He hoped that the trail of blood and his cries would be enough to spur the soldiers to investigate. He would be sacrificing his rapier if they followed the trail all the way back and discovered his treachery, but he assumed there was enough silver to steal to buy a new one, and fulfill any additional desires he may have.

Alas, neither of those two had the patience to endure Lucy’s attention deficit. While she was going over every scent that her delicate nose had picked up in that place, Dala and Xurelius began the fight of the monkey and the ape. The monkey – Dala – had attempted to visually halt my blindfolded daughter, shortly before launching into a tirade against Xurelius, her counterpart in this tale. Such biting words exited that little girl’s mouth in those moments that I dare say they were sharper than the blades she eventually tossed at him from a high-rise tree.

“Wow,” was all Lucina could say as the string of insults came out of that tiny but fierce mouth of hers. “I feel like you just channeled the spirit of my mother for a second there.” And, indeed, Dala was quite skilled in the art of verbal thrashing for one so young. She even managed to disarm Xurelius with her throwing knives, preventing him from attacking their collective savior with that rapier of his. For this, as well as the offer of potatoes, Lucina was extremely grateful.

Alack, no sooner had the young genie moved to express her enthusiasm – saying, “Ooo! Spuds!” -  than had her retainer appeared to catch the potatoes thrown at her. A net prevented every single one of them from ever reaching the green-haired lass, leaving her without any spuds to speak of.

“Aw. Minerva,” the disappointed Lucina lamented while lowering herself to the amazonian redhead that had joined her; but Minerva brushed off her complaints.

“No objections, Lady Lucina.” Eri brought the potatoes up to her eyes when she was finished catching every single one, and she inspected them diligently. Eventually, she was satisfied that they were nothing more than ordinary potatoes, and so emptied the net into a portal destined for our pantry. “Everything appears to be in order. We gladly accept the potatoes you offer.”

To this allowance, Lucina cheered in jubilance. “Yay,” she squealed! Yet, of course, the happy mood was soon to change, for the Ape that had fled in the wake of steel had decided to get revenge. Lucina could hear him quite well even though he was far removed, and she was most disappointed in what he was saying. “Unfortunately, the sweaty man from earlier is being mean now. I can hear him shouting about me being a witch and how the great potato provider is my hostage.”

Minerva saw the frown that quickly developed on her girl’s face, but she, herself, was grinning quite smugly.

“Oh, I wouldn’t too worry much about him,” she replied in a manner that surprised the young genie. “Just from looking at him, you can tell he’s up to no good, and that really won’t end well for him around here if continues to be such an obvious knave. Especially not if he’s at the camp I just passed by earlier.”

Sure enough, Xurelius’s actions proved to bring about the opposite effect of what he had in mind. He absolutely startled the soldiers, but the voice of the commander he had woken up issued orders that most likely taught the liar a lesson.

“Search the camp! We got ourselves a potential chomper!” Yes, the presence of those mimicry masters on the current battlefield had made these people especially suspicious of sudden warnings and calls for help. Xurelius’ tactic may have worked in any other circumstance, sure; but not this one. Soon enough, the camp crawled with mercenaries and soldiers combing for the one who had issued the warning about witches, and only a small scouting party actually headed back toward Lucina and crew just in case the warning was true. The would-be thief had just made his goal far more difficult to achieve.

Dala was surprised and happy when one of her knives actually hit Xurelius, as she hadn't expected for that to happen, she was just angry. The child watched as the rude mean man started to run away into the forest. After he was out of sight, Dala began to climb down the tree. She struggled at some parts as climbing up a tree was far easier than climbing down one. When she was a few inches off the ground, she slipped and fell right on her backside. The child quietly cursed as she pushed herself to her feet before heading towards Lucina and Minerva.

"If your mom is anything like me then she must be pretty damn awesome." Dala said with confidence, putting her hands on her hips and having a cheeky smile. 

She was pretending that the whole, falling on her butt thing never happened and that she was the most amazing thing in the world. Dala then listened to Mirvana and Lucina's conversations and she heard one interesting part. This woman was LADY Lucina. The child's eyes grew wide as her mouth opened into a small o shape. 

"Wait a minute. You're a princess?!" Dala squealed. 

Dala was under the understanding that lady, princess, and queens were all essentially the same thing. They were beautiful powerful ladies who always had servants and money. If there was one thing that calmed Dala's anger was when one of her idles were in front of her. Anyone who was a princess, or any lady with power was automatically an idle figure of hers. Suddenly, Lucina mentioned the sweaty man and how he was framing both of them. He was framing Lucina as a monster and herself as a helpless hostage, which was really the part that made her made.

Dala was not a hostage. If she ever became one, she would not stop kicking and biting until her captors freed her. Then Dala realized that Lucina had just called her the great potato provider. The child smiled with confidence as anything that was great was sure to be epic! Dala wanted to continue hanging around these two, especially if one of them was a princess, but she had a letter to deliver. 

"Well I have to go deliver a letter at the camp." Dala said with a sigh, "I suppose you guys ought to go to the camp too. Not that I want you to come with me or anything! I just figured it would be safer if you guys went with somebody like me. Somebody who can protect you!"

Dala secretly hoped that they would come with her. 

The pirate clasped his hand in pain, coming to the realization that if he didn't treat it soon, it could become
infected. His worries amplified when he noticed the soldiers began scurrying about the camp in a frenzy, instead
of leaving like he anticipated. The situation was more chaotic that he expected, and the fact that they did not
fall for his ploy meant that his loose ends were an even larger liability that would expose him further. To make
matters worse, without his trusty rapier, he didn't have the option to defend himself properly. He still had his dagger,
but it would only be useful as a preemptive strike, not a full-scale conflict.

He pondered his options as the soldiers tore through the camp, his presence waiting to be exposed like a prisoner
awaiting the guillotine to drop on his head. Stay hidden and hope for the best, try to make a run for it and not
die along the way, or expose himself and pray to the gods that he's not killed where he stands. Truth be told,
all of these options were unfavorable. Xur noticed that the nearest soldier to his hiding place was moments away from
detecting him. His mind silenced itself, and his body acted on its own. His left hand unsheathed his dagger, and pressed
it against the soldiers throat as he forced themselves into the tent. Unfortunately, Xurelius misjudged the amount of pressure
of his action, inadvertently shoving the blade through the soldiers throat as they fell to the floor.

By sheer luck, Xur and his victim had made it into the tent without being followed in. But when he looked up from the body, his eyes met with
those of the commander, whom was clearly unimpressed by the sight that was before him. The commanders glare was colder than Xur's,
a clear indicator that he was more seasoned and numb to the horrors of the battlefield. In a panic, Xurelius pulled the dagger from
his victims throat, which caused blood to erupt from the wound that he had caused. He kept his eyes locked with those of the commander,
not wanting to show any signs of weakness despite the gravity of the situation. The silence between them made awkward by the gurgling
of the soldier choking on their own blood in their midst.

The commander reached for his weapon to avenge his soldier, and in that moment, Xurelius retreated through the same way he came. The voice from within the tent thundered, "Kill The Bastard!"

The nearby soldiers that previously passed by the tent turned their attention towards their commanders order, instantly alerted to Xurelius as he
attempted to escape. He immediately dropped the dagger and fell to his knees. "IM NOT A CHOMPER! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! THE DAMN WITCH MADE ME DO IT! I SWEAR IT, I SAW IT WITH THE 8 LIMBED BEAST IN THE FOREST!" He held up his right hand in a desperate attempt to reason with his pursuers, forcing them to take note of his wound. "I BARELY ESCAPED WITH MY LIFE, AND I'M CERTAIN THAT THEY ARE COMING HERE!"

Regardless of that man’s ultimate fate, however, the interaction between the three girls he had abandoned continued in his absence. Dala, the childling of the trio, fed off of Lucina’s earlier remarks about her family resemblance. More out of pride than anything else, the rambunctious child complimented me: a woman she had never met. And this was all while she was strutting about like some halfling queen. Minerva noticed her arrogance, but the woman's infatuation with me blinded her to this girl’s self-comparison. And Lucina… well it wasn’t like she could see anything anyway. For all she knew, Dala actually was a halfling: one in need of acknowledgment.

“She is awesome,” the floating djinn responded to the compliment with great enthusiasm, but then her guest did something unexpected. Taking the language of the redheaded Amazonian at face value, the young messenger came to the conclusion that Lucy was of royal blood. She became jubilant and ecstatic at the prospect, even if it was a mistaken one. “I-” My daughter started to correct her, of course, but she couldn’t even get past the first syllable. She didn’t have the heart to do it, and her guardian, who was supposed to help with these kinds of things, just made the situation worse.


“Allow me, m’lady,” the would-be knight interjected with familiar but foreboding zeal. “Lady Lucina is the daughter of the Yamauchi Clan, a noble family that is not well known in these lands. I am her family’s guardian, Minerva; and I can assure you that I am perfectly capable of managing Lady Lucina’s defense on my own.” She really didn’t need to add that last part, but the woman always was a tad too zealous when it came to the protection of her own pride and joy. There was no telling how Dala would react to that attitude, either, since she was the one who made the comment about Minerva and Lucy requiring protection in the first place. Yet one thing was certain in that uneasy environment: the taller of the two adults present recognized the importance of moving on. “That said,” Minerva continued without missing a step, “we should go to the camp and make sure that that man doesn’t cause anymore trouble. We promised her majesty that we would prevent infighting among the defenders where we could, especially around this area. Therefore, unless m’lady objects, we will accompany you, Miss Courier. I apologize in advance for any inconvenience that might cause.”

Lucy was more than grateful to take that chance that had been provided to her and move on. “No objections here,” she pipped up in haste, and with that her tiny group finally departed for the camp over yonder; just before the scouts from it arrived to find Xurelius’ rapier that had been left behind.

You Take What You Can Get

Just after Lucina and company had started making their way to the nearby camp, the seafarer they had been chasing after got himself into quite a spot of trouble. By the time the three girls arrived at the entrance to said camp, they could already hear the loud commotion their target had caused. He was begging for his life after a botched attempt at escaping and an accidental murder; yet, once again, he was also trying to blame them for his own actions. Unluckily for him, however, Minerva was there to shut down his nonsense this time before it could take root.

“You barely escaped with your life because you were a brazen fool.” She minced no words with the criminal, her harsh tone drawing even the attention of the sergeant who had given the execution order. He emerged from his tent at the gasps of his company, and instantly regarded the sight of Lucina with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, I see why this man said he saw a witch now,” the grizzled man remarked while directing his men to stay their blades with a single motion. “Who are you three and what do you know about this amalgam the bastard mentioned?” And so Minerva answered him promptly.

“A messenger, a noblewoman and her escort,” she began while motioning to each individual along the way. “We killed the amalgam that this man lured to the messenger, no doubt thinking it would find her to be a tastier meal than him. Clearly, though, he was inexperienced on matters of the Twisted. That aside, might I suggest you spare him? A hapless murderer and a fool he most certainly is, but manpower is in short supply for this war. Perhaps you could whip him into shape and gain a soldier at the end of his punishment instead of just wasting his life? You could even put him in a gaes if you don’t trust him enough to follow through. Either way, he'll be filling in for the blood he stole from your company.”

A most unusual request that line was, especially coming from someone like the dragon secretary herself. Or so you would think. Minerva was not known for her mercy, especially to those who drew weapons against her family. But that day she thought death was the easy punishment. She didn't want to give Xurelius that kind of escape. Oh no. She wanted him to regret, to live with the consequences of his actions; and, for that singular moment, the sergeant was entertaining her this idea. He was simply waiting for anyone else to make their case, especially the convict himself.

Dala tried her best to hide her disappointment as Minerva explained that they didn't need any help. The child really wanted to travel with the magical princess and her knight person. Her disappointment didn't last as Minerva explained that they ought to go to the camp in case the man was causing trouble. She especially liked it when Minerva called her Miss Courier. 

"Hey don't worry about it." She said, "I don't mind you two tagging along. Oh and yeah we should probably figure out what to do with that idiot back at the camp." 

The child began walking down the path, looking back to make certain that the two were with her. Soon, they had arrived to the nearby camp and could hear the loud commotions that the man had caused. When Dala saw him begging for his life while trying to push the blame off himself, the scene reminded the child of many pirates and thieves back in Vilpamolan city. But the thing that bothered her the most was the fact that he had killed one of the soldiers. Every soldier counted in this war and yet here this guy was, going around and killing them despite the fact that these soldiers are the only reason why any of them lived. A grizzled man approached the three, asking about the amalgam that the man mentioned. The child let Minerva explain the situation while she focused upon the idiot at hand. Dala was careful to not get too close to Xurelius and ensured that there was a solider in front of her in case the fool decided to attack. But she made sure she was close enough so that he would hear her words. 

"What do you think you are doing?" Dala asked Xurelius, "You do realize that we are in a goddamn war, right? I don't think you understand the importance of this situation so I will clarify for you. This is not just any war. This is a war against the void, against a being who has already destroyed other worlds. And when I mean destroy, I mean this thing wants to destroy all of Revaliir. Every single person in Revaliir is going to be killed by this thing. That includes you. There is no crook nor cranny that you can hide in where this Azhizheth can't find you. Even the gods, you know immortal beings, fear this monster. The only reason why we aren't all dead right now is them. These soldiers are the only reason why a prick like you is able to breath. If it wasn't for them you'd be dead." 

She wondered if her words was getting through to Xurelius. 

"I don't expect you to have any gratitude. But I do expect you to have the self-preservation skills to know that if you kill them, that's basically like stabbing yourself in the foot later." Dala explained, "Not only did you kill a soldier but then you expect mercy from the people who are fighting against the monsters that could tear apart your ugly ass. So maybe next time, don't kill the people who are saving your and everybody else's life. Unless you want to be remembered as the jackass who ended up causing more trouble than your worth." 

The child turned away from Xurelius and looked to grizzled man. 

"In my opinion, you really shouldn't use him as a soldier." Dala said, "He'd be utterly worthless. First off, he couldn't fight one amalgamate and probably has no real fighting skills. Second, the moment you turn your eyes off of him he will be running away. He was willing to use me as a decoy. Putting him into a battle is like putting a chicken in a pit of dogs, you'll just end up with a scared AND dead soldier. The most I could think of is using him as bait for the monsters."