She gave Asura a rueful smile as she turned on heel to head towards the outskirts of the encampment. Zephyr hadn't known the woman long, but knew her long enough to know of the woman that so long as there was blood involved, Asura wouldn't be too far behind. If anything that woman would be the cause of it. The thought made her give a low chuckle that reverberated deep within her throat. One new recruit had come, while another asked for orders. Of course, there was always something. She raised a singled hand and waved it in a dismissive manner.

"There are no orders for now. There is something I need to take care of with Asura. You needn't follow along."

Of course, she was also waiting for one more party member, who appeared shortly after with a slight jog to her step. When Rogue bowed she grinned then her features relaxed again, a single canine sticking out over her lip on the right side. She pulled her fang over her lower lip then cleared her throat.

"We won't be gone long. However if any of you insist on following, I won't stop you. I simply can not guarantee your lives. However, if any of you make the slightest bit of noise, I will disembowel you myself!"

With that said she raised her left fist, clenching it so that her sharp nails would bite into the flesh on the palm of her hand. When she unfurled it, small half moons were embedded into the calloused flesh. It was then she continued along, her gait steady as she walked towards the near by riverbed. The would have to cross it and head deep into the forest.

*Glances at Asura and smirks behind his visor* Our leaders are strong and our numbers are many. Those of the light now lie in darkness by our hands and many more will join them. Zephyr's legions will gladly die for her and her cause but not before we send the divines to their grave!

I and my kin will personally send them to their grave, and need only your say.

Rogue was slightly disappointed in herself, to have been the last one to report for battle, but to be able to accompany her General and Asura was a great pleasure indeed. One she took immense pride in. She swelled with said pride as the fanged grin was displayed. And here they were!

With another set of words to the comrades they'd be leaving behind momentarily, she saw Zephyr turn on her heel and begin to advance. That was all the ready she needed to be on her way with the General.

It wasn't long before they were met with a riverbed. The thing itself looked menacing, but Rogue feared no riverbed. She feared no ocean, nor lake, nor stream. She glanced over towards her General, noting the stop she had made before she glanced down at the water.

She glanced passed the riverbed to the forest. The forest looked even more menacing than the riverbed that stretched before the three of them. The current did not appear to be very strong, but looking at the surface of a river told you nothing of what was underneath. "My liege, shall I test the current?" She doubted that she'd be swept away by the current. She'd been through far too much to worry of such trivial things.

Asura turned back slightly and gave Cronislee an almost gentle gaze. "A worthy thing to say, Sir Knight. But remember, if the time does come for you to die, make sure that you die with your right blade in one enemy, your left blade in another, and your teeth fastened to the throat of the third."

She then turned her heel to follow Zephyr who had just met with Rogue once again. "Do not waste your precious last moments with the satisfaction that you had merely slain your enemy. Take as many as you can down with you to the blood-soaked earth."

The last few words were almost a whisper as she moved past Cronislee. "As General Zephyr says, follow if you would like, but hinder our progress and I do not guarantee your lives."

She walked slightly behind Zephyr until they reached the riverbed. "Shall we proceed, my liege?" she asked in a voice as light as morning mist. She glanced at Rogue, who had a troubled look on her face. She held out a hand and gripped the girl's shoulder. "Steady. Do not fear death, for death is but another fool who cannot escape his occupation."

There was much idle chatter which could give them away when they were in the forest. Like the dead of night, they would require stealth when the encroached the boarder of the map which was furled beneath her right cuff. Unlike most cats, she didn't mind water, course, that was provided it was hot. Cold water was a terrible thing indeed. When the fledgling asked if she could test the water she just shook her head.

"I've been in the river many times, there is nothing to fear and nothing to test."

Sure, the current was strong but with the heavy armor that she wore, it was highly unlikely she would float away any time soon, not to mention that she could swim better than most. With That she stepped into the cold water. It was a little colder than usual what with it being so late in the evening, but no matter. With a grit of her teeth she embraced the cold and waded into it until it was to her hips. Her lower garments would become drenched, the only areas staying dry would be the skin beneath her shin guards for no water could seep into it. The fast current of the undertow beat against her legs as fish darted away from the sudden movements.

"You see, nothing to fret about."

She turned her head and grinned once more, even flicking a bit of water at them with her right hand before she moved further into the water. The river was deeper than it looked, coming up to her shoulders at the mid way point. It didn't take long for her to trudge to the other side of the river bank. Once out, her fur was slick to her flesh from the moisture but instead of shaking like an animal she simply flicked her limbs to free them from the water's embrace. Again, the only part of her body not soaked were areas covered by her armor, so her chest, shins and forearms were fine.

Rogue looked down at the water, chuckling when the water was flicked at her. When the comforting hand was rested upon her shoulder, she looked up at Asura and felt a smile sliding across her face. She supposed Zephyr and Asura were right, and with a quick movement, she made her way into the water. She sucked in a deep breath as the cold infiltrated the bare skin about her armor. Thank the Gods for heavy boots and swords. She quickly made her way across and climbed out, shivering lightly and wringing her hair out. Well, that was unpleasant... she mused to herself, rather amused with the thought in it's own.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd actually been cold, but that didn't matter. Other than the noises of the steadily rushing water behind them, this forest was silent. And silence was potential danger, as well as it was potential in good news. She turned and waited, and once they were all across, she set her gaze in the dark forest. She crouched, moving towards the woods, making sure that the crunch of cold, dead leaves beneath her feet were soft and silent.

Without further prompting, Asura waded into the river after seeing Zephyr and Rogue complete the crossing. The water was as cold as ice as the current beat against her body, causing the fabric of her garments to swirl around her. But unlike Zephyr and Rogue, who were saved from being dragged by the current by their heavier armor, Asura, who favored lighter clothing for the advantage of speed, was in danger of being swept away.

Without a second thought, she unsheathed both of her blades and dug them straight down into the silty river bottom, anchoring her as she took each step across. The anchors made the crossing easier, but not by much.

When she finally reached the other side, she was soaked from the neck down and grinning fit to split her face in two. "That was amusing."

She turned to face Zephyr, who stared at her in disapproval, pointing at her wings as if they were the most obvious things in the world.

But Asura's response was just to widen her grin and reply cheekily. "I know."

Her ears twitched and slowly twisted and turned atop her head as she surveyed the area for any possible sounds other than her rag tag group. The only sounds that met were the sloshing of the river as the two exited on the same side of the bank she was now on. There was a shrill chitter from the bugs within the forest, and the occasional rustle of leaves as rodents scurried out of the sight of predators. However that was all she could hear. Zephyr had watched Asura drag herself across the riverbank bottom with her swords moments before and chuckled then shook her head. All three were sopping wet but it was unavoidable. She grabbed a hold of her wrap and wrung it out, as well as the cover with her cartouche which had her own name scrawled into it in ancient writing. Quirking a brow at Asura as she muttered her final sentence she could only sigh. The desire to smack the palm of her brow against her face, while tempting, would only aid to foolishness. Thus she declined in doing so. This was not the time or place for silly antics such as face palms.

"The easy part is over at the very least. Now then, let us depart. We will dry slowly over the evening but at least, with our garments weighted down from the water, we will not get caught or tangled in the thorns."

She would tie the fabric with the cartouche that hung in front of her body around her waist to bring it up and out of the way from twigs and other foliage that could have been an issue. With that she headed into the opening of the forest that had been made by animals over the years in search of water. The worn path was quickly over run with shrubbery and other plants. Gracefully she weaved in and out of them, ducking under branches and stepping over roots, only stopping on occasion to make sure those that followed were still with her. If they kept up a fast pace, they would make it to their destination within the next hour or two. Of course, getting there was the easy part, getting back, should it be the Divine storehouse, was another matter. Her lips twisted cruelly at the thought of her foes blood quenching her blades.

Chamaros rushed into the encampment his blade blood stained and his eye patch starting to slip. He held it up with his hand lightly and rushed into the back looking for a new one.
"Wretched divine FREAKS!" he growled looking around.
"Don't mind me, just a tiny set back."

[[My liege, continue without me, if you would. I am very much preoccupied currently, and will not be able to respond adequately~]]

Asura stifled her laugher at the complicated look that crossed Zephyr's face when she replied. But even the most cold-blooded, battle-worn warriors must sometimes surrender to their childishness.

The night was cool and although the three of them were soaked to the bone, Asura did not mind the discomfort. But it was certainly something new, she thought, as it was usually the weight of blood and sweat that weighed her clothing down. She caught the end of her skirt, still miraculously white even after all the events that have passed, and wrung it dry. There was not much water to be removed, as lighter clothing thankfully also made for a faster drying time. But most of all, she was glad that her headdress was perfectly dry.

She liked her hat.

A small shiver ran pleasantly down her back and she looked back across the river towards the encampment. "Something interesting must be happening."

But it did not keep her attention for too long as she sheathed her swords and quickly followed right being Zephyr and Rogue as they plunged into the forest. It did not worry her that her clothing made her more conspicuous in the dark forest. The fools would either assume her as one of them... or if one should come too close, she would just have to dye the pristine fabric a darker crimson.

She paused as Rogue appeared to falter in her steps and rest against a tree before her. She let out a slight grimace, but had to admit that perhaps not everyone who was Corrupt was as inhuman as herself. "My Liege, should we pause or press on?"

Chamaros replaced his eye patch with a satisfied smirk and muttered to himself, "They'll regret that. She's already mad enough..."
After he was situated he ran back out of the encampment disappearing back onto the battle field. A thought had struck him, he was losing control and soon the blood bath would begin.
He landed on a nearby tree taking a deep breath, a moment of thought, and lunged into battle.
Something about him was different...

Zephyr paused in her bush whacking at Asura's question and frowned as she mulled over the possibilities. Perhaps it was too much to bring someone so inexperienced along, but, it was also the only way they would learn. Her eyes narrowed before she moved along to where Rogue had taken up rest. It wasn't long before the girl collapsed entirely. She let out a sigh that she had been storing and reached out to poke the girl. The girl didn't move from the act, so clearly she truly was unconscious.

"How annoying.."

She muttered darkly under her breath, poking the girl a few more times. There was no way that they could take the girl along now, she was now dead weight and would have to be returned to the encampment.

"Seems we should turn back for now, and try again tomorrow night. Perhaps at a time when adrenaline does not overtake the weariness of their bodies."

They were still far yet from the warehouse, and hadn't been travelling too long. Frustration pending, her right brow twitched.

"To be young and inexperienced again."

She chuckled as she looked at Asura.

"Not something to miss, hmm?"

Asura laughed and stared down darkly at the unconscious girl, snapping crimson eyes almost lamp-like in the darkness. "Indeed not, My Liege." She fought the urge to kill the unconscious girl where she lay, for she had warned them before not to weigh their progress down or face the consequences.

But Zephyr's indulgent words for the girl forced her to curb her blood-lust.

Her stare sharpened into a slitted glare and her pupils hardened to slivers of ice the color of rubies as she briefly toyed with the tassel on one of her kodachi. She had been looking forward to a fresh kill tonight, but now it looked like the party would be cut short. "Tomorrow night then."

With a strength that belied her small frame, Asura picked up Rogue from the floor. She unfurled her wings and leapt slightly, hovering only a few inches from the ground so as not to disturb the girl in her arms.

"Shall we head home?"

"Might as well, though, in the meantime I will be mulling over the appropriate punishment for falling asleep and hindering our plans."

She growled. It seemed like she already needed to make an example out of the fresh meat that had been recruited. It was then she began to think about how people were even conscripted into the order or if they just volunteered. Afterall, she couldn't remember how she wound up in the order herself. Was this the case for everyone? A frown met her lips and she watched Asura unfurl her wings.

"You should go on ahead. I won't be far behind."

Zephyr stared skyward, looking up at the starry night sky. Her eyes scanned the inky blotted map looking at constellations she could recognize.

Chamaros had returned to the encampment again, his blades stained with blood same with his pants. A few feathers fall from his body and he sat to himself on the ground. He sat down in a peaceful arrangement trying to relax himself. Chamaros was odd but his methods were successful for him.
"Only a matter of time..."

With a slight inclination of her head, Asura paid her respects to her General. "Acknowledged, My Liege. May Braen's harshness instill itself on your blade to cut down your enemies."

With that, she took to the skies and made her way back to the encampment. Once she touched down on the ground, she left Rogue under a tree next to the training grounds. She then turned around and made to head into enemy territory once again, damp clothing not withstanding.

But before she made it past the gate, a crimson and black figure on the ground caught her attention. "What is this fool Captain thinking..."

She mentally warred with whether to move Chamaros from where he was lying down, but ultimately decided to leave him to his own devices. The man had looked so satisfied covered in blood that is only stirred slight jealousy in her heart.

With no further ceremony, as she did every day, Asura unsheathed her weapons and plunged once again into the black night.

Zephyr sighed as they left then stretched her body skyward, every joint in her body popping as she did so before she took up a seat on the now vacant stump. Slowly she leaned back so that her shoulders could touch against the tree behind her. Took quickly and she might have missed it, looking quite foolish indeed. Tearing her gaze from the sky she looked down at the ground, her ears constantly swiveling atop her head to survey the area for sound. The woman, who normally didn't think of her past, found herself puzzling over that very thing. War had a tendency to do that to people. To make them question and wonder. Her mind wandered to and fro, switching between the far recesses of her mind. She had closed her eyes and suddenly saw a flash of green, the act resulted in giving her a fiendish migraine. Clenching her eyes further shut and placing a hand over them before it faded as quickly as it came.

"What the hell was that all about?"

She growled. It was like some kind of barrier was over her thoughts and the harder she tried to focus on that which was outside of her reach, the more painful that ache became. Slowly she moved her furry hand from her face, the skin of her palm sliding down it before falling away from her body to lay lazily in her lap. Zephyr opened one eye slowly, then the other in an almost cautionary manner. Undoubtedly she was confused but with a shake of her head she dismissed it as if it never happened, her tail of hair shaking with the action so that strands of it would sprawl across her shoulders. Grunting she pushed up off the stump, her toes digging into the ground as she swayed from side to side to regain her balance. Her tail twitched behind her then, as she walked, swung along to her gait in the opposite motion.

The woman headed back to the river back, it didn't take her long since she was small and agile. The sound of water soothing her ears, although, admittedly, she preferred the sound of crackling flames over the trickling of water.

Chamaros opened his eye when he felt a presence but ignored Asura. He was meditating oddly enough. It helped him concentrate on keeping himself together. He closed his eye again focusing and thinking about his recent encounters. As he sat his hand slowly slid over his blades. He took a deep breath pulling them out his eye still closed, he moved his blades through the air as he were attacking but stopped and opened up his blades to become fans. He took a deep breath again trying to contain himself on the ground.

She had made it back to the encampment, having waded through the fridged dark waters of the river. However this time she hadn't wrung out her garments. Instead she had sat next to the fire blazing in the midst of the encampment. Her brow was furrowed deep in thought while she had her arms outstretched to play with the fire. The fire danced and curled around her fingers as the heat and light dried her fur and clothing. She pulled in one arm and fiddled with the necklace around her neck. Zephyr didn't have many tells for when she was puzzling over something difficult, save for this one, and maybe one other. Her fingers worked unconsciously around it, before she rolled it through her fingers as if it was a coin. Her half dried fur glistened in the low light and there was enough to make out the many markings on it. She had several stripes and spots, though most of them seemed to be along the back of her body and the front a lighter, unmarked color. Or was it unmarked? She stopped fiddling with the necklace to take off her chest plate. There was fabric wrapped around her bust but with the plate no longer on there was a thin, lighter part of flesh that peaked out from either end of the bandage which resembled something of a scar. Zephyr had removed the plate so that she could fix the straps that held it together to keep it taught. She did the same with the rest of her armor, allowing it to dry for the same reasons. However she still sat there in her mostly soaked clothing.

"Such delicious words of treachery from the Divine's lips," smiled Asura as she released Azeil's hair and stood up. "And now..."

Her smile turned into a dissatisfied frown when she saw Azeil's eyes shutter close and the shadows shift across his body. She let out a small sigh, growing slightly annoyed at the growing number of weak fools who fall unconscious before her. Did they not know that she was a hair's breadth away from ripping their hearts out if given the opportunity? She was no pack mule!

"Oh, how much I would love to watch your blood continue to run," she said with disappointment as she sheathed her weapons. "It is a pity that we still have use for you."

With a resigned expression on her face, she lifted Azeil's larger form into her arms and walked out of the clearing. It made for an interesting combination to see the girlish woman, covered with blood but smiling radiantly, as she carried the significantly taller man in her arms.

It would have been... had their audience still been alive to see it. "Say farewell to your blessed nature, fool."

Without another word, Asura unfurled her wings for the second time that day and took to the skies, heading back to the Corrupt Encampment. She landed directly in front of Zephyr's domicile and with a cheery voice, accosted her General.

"My Liege, I have a present for you this cold night," Asura laughed and fully opened her eyes, mischief snapping merrily within. "A present from Braen if you will."

Her eyes flickered up at the sound of wingbeats and her ears strained to swivel in the appropriate direction. She wasn't in any particular hurry, as she could recognize the sound of these particular wings for she had heard them not too long ago. Zephyr fastened her armor to her boy once more and slowly tucked her legs beneath her then stood. The woman had turned around just in time to see Asura practically bounce through the doorway, merriment clearly shining in her eyes.

Cocking her head to the side, she peered at the creature in her arms. It was a silly thing to behold. There was blood everywhere, though the smell wasn't that of a mortals. Her brow furrowed in thought as she walked towards the so called present and then proceeded to poke at the man in the woman's arms. He had shadows swirling all about his body which she chased with her fingers briefly before growing bored with them. Straightening her head she chuckled and motioned for her to drop him anywhere.

"I wasn't aware you did deliveries. Dare I ask?"

Asura unceremoniously dumped Azeil where she stood, smirking slightly as his body made a loud thump on the floor, scattering feathers everywhere. "I only deliver the freshest meat, My Liege," she said as she turned Azeil over with her foot, exposing his tortured body. "And you can't get any more tenderized than him. When I saw him, he was bleeding fountains and stank of Divinity."

She looked up with an uncharacteristically somber expression. "He bears the same marks as all who have been tortured by Ascellus bear. And because of that, he seeks revenge. He will work with us."

Asura snarled as she wrenched herself away from the man, seething at the thought of Ascellus. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood in her frustration and ran her nails down her arms hard enough to leave raw, red marks. "And now I smell of that Divine Fool as well. I beg your pardon, but I must now bathe in the blood of my enemies to cleanse myself."

With a sharp bow, Asura walked out to begin her rampage anew.

She listened attentively, her nose wrinkling at the information. As she looked upon the mans battered frame, the marks, struck her as similar. She didn't know why. Zephyr shrugged dismissively. It would be impossible to trust this man, at least for the time being, however, she wasn't entirely heartless.

"So Braen wants this creature.. Hmn."

Lifting a hand to her chin she stroke it slowly while her other arm crossed her chest, hand cupping the elbow of the first right arm. The very same arm that had the hand that she was currently using to stroke her chin. The man had clearly been through enough for the time being, she doubted that chains were required, however, he wouldn't be able to leave the room without having first talked to her. She would make sure of that. Walking over to where the door was, she barred it magically. No others could enter or exit the room without Zephyr releasing it. The doorway glowed a deep red for a fleeting moment before the color faded away. With the barrier in place she sauntered back over to where the man lay and she inspected him closer than before. Almost like a bird watching someone from up high.

The floor probably wasn't the most comfortable of places but there wasn't anywhere else to stick him for she never had a cot in her room. She always slept on the floor personally. She shook her head again then grabbed the man by the wrists and dragged him closer to the fire before proceeding to use it to ebb whatever pain he was going through by transferring the flame through her body and changing it to heal rather than harm. It was a basic spell, and would do what it was needed to. For more advanced healing, well that was probably up to him. Any still open wounds closed.

With that done she moved off to the other side of the fire and lay down on her back, tail sticking out the side as it twitched to and fro. She laid there for a long time, simply listening to the fire crackle while trying to ignore the sounds of breathing on the other side of the room.

May the ground run red like clay under the feet of walking dead men. *Menacing grin.*

And so it shall with every warrior that raises their blade.

I am very much so feeling your avi~

I see you have awakened.

I have indeed. :]
And how is my General this evening?

Contemplating your punishment. -Snickers-

The errors and my physical body outside these realms have defeated me, my general, and I have not battled much, but when I did, I did it with all my heart and I shall do so again tomorrow.

The errors are indeed many. D:<

They are divines in disguise. =o=;
But I hear divines are battling them as well, so maybe it's work of Neutrals to try and stop the war? O:

Perhaps.

A smell a fight brewing...

Sounds delicious.

Demagische here, ready to serve the Side of Corruption faithfully.

The Divine shall perish.

Azeil grunted a bit when he woke and slowly sat. His body was sore, but his wounds were healed more or less. His tattooed shadows had lightened considerably once more, small, intricate tendrils swirling around his body. He started to run his hand through his hair but paused as he felt blood. It reminded him of what happened.

Closing his eyes, he sighed and laid back again for a moment. Where am I? he wondered, but soon decided that he didn't particularly care. Something about it was warm and comfortable... and he knew he wasn't with his Goddess. It couldn't be /completely/ bad.

Happening upon that conclusion, he sat up once more, opening his dark eyes to look about the room.

Zephyr had been up for a while now, after all, morning had come and gone. The sun was high in the sky, giving more warmth to the interior of the tent as the rays beat down on it's outer shell. The woman had her legs folded beneath her, her arms on her knees and her eyes closed. She was sitting on the floor and appeared to be in some kind of meditative state. Her right ear twitched as the newcomer grunted, the sound knocking her out of her concentration. She opened her eyes, the golden hues focusing on the source of the sound. Zephyr leaned forward a little as she watched him shift around. A sly smirk crossed her lips before she parted them to speak.

"Good, you're awake."

The lids of her eyes fell half way, giving her an owlish kind of look as she peered at him through the half lidded state. She straightened again, her back cracking from the pressure before she unfolded her legs, coming to her knees before standing and brushing herself off.

"You can shower after we talk, I'm sure you'll need one."

She wasn't commenting on any odor, but rather, he had been delivered to her in the middle of the night, all beat up. Even though his wounds had been more or less healed, he still look like he lost a fight with a lawn mower.

Azeil just sort of sighed a bit. He was usually a very clean person, and, frankly, didn't care for blood, much less his own. In a sense, he had lost a battle with a lawn mower, except it'd been completely one-sided.

"Wonderful, thanks," he said, but without a hint of sarcasm in his voice. A shower sounded great. While there may be no sarcasm, there wasn't much gratefulness either, despite the fact that he clearly meant his words.

For a moment he wasn't sure if he was supposed to stand or not, but ended up pushing himself to his feet, not quite as gracefully a he normally would move, though. He may be healed, but he was still sore and weaker than typical.