From soldier to Soldier (attn: Arath)

[Jehaine]

In Tear, Tavon hadn't found what he expected to. Despite the heat, which he was unaccustomed to this far south, he did indeed come across one of the Asha'man he had heard about -- or rather, they had found him. Whether it had been from him digging up rumors or that he had (accidentally!) wielded Saidin before he didn't know, but in the end the result was the same.

 

He frowned slightly as the air in the middle of the room he was in appeared to implode, for lack of a better word, reality itself seeming to fold into itself into a landscape that would never have fit into that building. Despite himself, he felt his hands be moist from sweating, and for once he was glad he had the weather to blame.

 

Stepping through, Tavon found that he needed a few seconds to get used to the sudden change of climate. Though the general feeling it gave him told him he was likely somewhere in the Midlands, he had no clue where exactly. Light, he could be anywhere from Ebou Dar to Cairhien for all he knew!

 

Still, the figure that had led him to that normal looking building in Tear waited next to him, obviously more used to the trip than he was. Mentally repeating his alias -- Martyn Stonebridge -- to himself a couple of times, he stood back up from his crouching position. He had taken a number of years simply growing and cultivating the name into what the people of Kore Springs would back up as his identity, and even though he felt somewhat bad at having fooled them for this long he had done more than enough for them in turn: Certainly their militia was much better trained now.

 

Still, he pushed away the memories and started walking after his guide. He had come here for other things after all, and despite his unease at being able to wield Saidin he had decided several decades ago that he didn't want to waste his life without at least trying to be of some use to the Light.

[Arath Faringal]

Arath leaned against the wall outside his home, enjoying a rare moment to himself.  He would have to go teach another class soon enough, and he needed a moment to unwind from the already tiresome day.  He couldn't remember being so . . . wool headed . . . as a new soldier.  Not that that had been so long ago, but it still seemed an age. 

 

From the shade of the wall Arath had a clear view of the traveling grounds.  There was a fairly constant flow of traffic through the area, from recruiting parties going out, to supply wagons coming in.  Soon enough the recruiting parties would be coming back and he would spend an afternoon sorting through new Soldiers and making sure they were situated.  But for now, he had a few minutes on his -

 

A small group emerging from a new gateway caused him to grimace.  A plain clothed man followed behind one of the Asha'man, looking startled by the gateway and crouching even though the top of the gateway easily cleared his head.  A common first reaction to Traveling.  Arath suppressed a sigh as they immediately started toward him.  So much for his free time.

 

Straightening up, Arath watched as the pair approached.  "Sir," said the Asha'man, saluting fist to heart, "This the first one of the day?"

 

Arath nodded.  "I'll take it from here."  Motioning the new man to follow, Arath walked inside.  "What is your name soldier?  Where are you from?"

[Jehaine]

Martyn gave a quick nod in confirmation as Arath motioned for him to follow. After a quick word of thanks to the Tairen who had guided him there, he turned back to follow Arath into the tent. Straightening his back when spoken to -- army habits were hard to unlearn -- he gave a quick answer like any soldier would have to an officer.

 

- "Martyn Stonebridge, sir. I come from Kore Springs, in Andor."

 

Though he took care in not showing it, he had a ton of questions, the vast majority being where he was now. For some reason, the climate reminded him of where he had lived, but for someone who had been in Tear just a few minutes ago his sense of direction had been skewered quite a bit.

 

He had more questions aside from where he was, of course. Most of those centered around the One Power. Unlike some of the recruits, he was perfectly aware of being able to touch Saidin, the memory of what happened in Malkier never really forgotten. But among those, one question stood out above all others.

 

What of the Taint?

[Arath Faringal]

Ack . . . sorry I forgot about this. :'(

 

IC:  Arath nodded as the man introduced himself.  "I am Attack Leader Faringal," he said as he led the way to his study.  "I am in charge of training here at the Black Tower.

 

"Kore Springs you say?  And you just came from Tear?"  He chuckled.  "Must be a shock to find youself back in Andor after such a journey."  He settled himself behind his desk and pulled out the log book.  Martyn was left standing as he was quickly added to the registry of the Black Tower.  Arath subtly observed his guest, as he did most new recruits.  He appeared to be in his mid 30's and carried himself like a long time soldier.  As always, Arath wondered what the older recruit thought of him.  He could still remember how he felt the day he had stood in Martyn's place.  Terrified, curious, and overwhelmingly nervous. 

 

Walking over to the large closet on the side wall, Arath began rummaging through the black coats, looking for a suitable one.  "Once you walk out that door, you are a Soldier of the Black Tower, a weapon of the Dragon Reborn.  But first, I have a few questions for you.  How long have you been channeling?  You came to us, so I assume you've already channeled?  How did you find out?"

[Jehaine]

OOC: No probs ^^;

 

IC:

 

"Kore Springs you say?  And you just came from Tear?"  He chuckled.  "Must be a shock to find youself back in Andor after such a journey."

 

Martyn hesitated slightly before nodding. Even though the climate seemed familiar to him, he found he still had trouble trying to grasp the idea of just having crossed a distance in a couple of seconds that had taken him several weeks to cross on foot. He let himself be registered as he still tried to take in his surroundings, but by the time Arath started asking him questions he had managed to regain his composure somewhat. The last thing he wanted was to appear to be standing there gaping like a farmboy.

 

- "I've been channeling -- or have channeled, i should say -- since a couple of years ago. After the first time it happened, i headed straight for a Stedding in the Black Hills, where i stayed for a while before hearing of the amnesty, which ultimately had me end up in Tear."

 

No lies there, though he had skirted it close a couple of times. Certainly, 'a couple of years ago' and 'stayed for a while' were nothing less than gross underestimations, but he had decided long ago that the false name would be the only lie he'd permit himself to make. His true name could potentially endanger his family from those that did not look favorably on the Asha'man, and as such it was a valid excuse.

 

For the first time in a very long while, he missed the comfort of the Void.

[Arath Faringal]

Arath finally found a suitable looking coat and tossed it to Martyn.  "That is your uniform," he said.  "You are to wear it at all times.  You'll get another as soon as we can manage."

 

Returning to his desk, Arath resumed his questions.  "So what did you do before you came here?  The Farm is turning into a small city, and we can use the skills of everyone here.  What kind of skills do you have to offer?"

[Jehaine]

With the reflexes of an experienced soldier, Martyn caught the uniform effortlessly, draping it over his arm as he kept looking at Arath. The treatment he was getting was similar to what he had been used to the couple of times he had been assigned to other regiments in the past, and as such thought nothing of it.

 

- "Before i came, i trained the local militia in Kore Springs, having been the only one with army experience, sir. No skills worth mentioning beyond that. Apart from the channeling, of course."

 

Despite his intentions not to, the part about channeling came out somewhat uneasy, and more as an afterthought. He really wasn't looking forward to channeling saidin anytime soon, feeling nervous every time the subject was mentioned. Oh, he knew he had to... he just couldn't bring himself to look forward to it.

 

 

Martyn

My block is bigger than yours

[Arath Faringal]

Arath frowned slightly at the short response he recieved.  He felt like Martyn was holding something back, but it was impossible to put his finger on the problem.  Had he accidently killed someone with the Power?  Been hunted down because someone had figured out what he could do?  And how had he heard about the amnesty in the Black Hills?  In a stedding no less?  Arath had only been in a stedding once, but the experience had unnerved him severely.  Something didn't add up, but since that was too often the case with men who came seeking the Black Tower, Arath let it slide.  For now.

 

"None?  Never a farmer or carpenter?  Oh well.  Army experience counts as a good skill for us.  In case you didn't notice, we are the Lord Dragon's army.  Unfortunately, most of the Soldiers and a good number of the Dedicated's can't handle a sheathed sword without stabbing themselves in the foot.  If you were training the militia in Kore Springs you might find yourself teaching the sword here."  That would be more than helpful.  Too many of the recruits spurned martial training in favor of Saidin. 

 

"We can spar later to test your abilities.  If you're up to it that is.  If not, your first class with Saidin will be this afternoon.  A soldier will be assigned to help get you settled in at Soldier Barracks Four and explain how things work around here.  I have one last question for you though.  What do you want from the Black Tower?  What do you think to gain from us?"

 

OOC: Feel free to ask any of your own questions too.  Anything that Martyn is just dying to know.

[Jehaine]

Martyn hadn't missed the frown Arath gave him as he had made his reply. While every word spoken was truth, he did feel a bit uneasy about the whole situation of having given a fake name. Still, he believed it to be a necessary evil for the safety of his family... Even though his daughter would be well within her sixties by now. I wonder if she managed to find herself a husband... Killing that train of thought, he turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

 

- "No sir. I joined the army young, and stayed there until i discovered i could... channel. Training soldiers and... Dedicated shouldn't pose a problem."

 

There was a slight pause before he said 'Dedicated', a bit unsure as to which army rank they'd be. Judging by what Arath said he figured they were a step up from normal soldiers, probably the equivalent of sergeants, though this was the first time he'd heard of the rank. He listened to the final questions Arath had for him, suppressing a memory of when he joined the Malkieri forces. The questions his would-be captain had asked him were much the same back then...

 

- "Sir, when i found out i could channel i was... scared. I ran for a stedding and lived there for several years, until i started hearing rumors from my trips into nearby villages for supplies and the occasional merchant looking for sung wood. With all due respects, but what i want to gain is a degree of control to keep me from accidentally hurting others. To a soldier, fear of the Void is not a recommendable lifestyle."

 

There were other questions, of course, his mind was almost overflowing with them. Still, the class with this Saidin person should tell him what he wanted to know about channeling itself, so that would take care of most of his questions anyway. The prospect of doing the same things he did in Kore Springs felt reassuring, in a way, as it was something he was used to doing. He just hoped it would provide enough comfort to counterbalance his unease about channeling, much less be in a place where everyone could channel, period. He looked at Arath again, wondering if the man had any further questions for him.

 

 

Martyn

Torn between eagerness and unease

[Arath Faringal]

Arath nodded thoughtfully as Martyn spoke.  "Understandable.  Well then, unless you have any questions for me you can get settled in.  Go get something to eat at the inn.  It may very well be the last decent meal you have for a while.  Then go north from there to the soldier barracks.  Five long buildings all standing in a row.  Farthest one on the right.  The soldiers there will get you settled and let you know where to go."

 

Arath hoped that Martyn would find what he was looking for at the Farm.  And that he might eventually be a little more forthcoming with his information.

 

OOC: That's it unless you wanna keep going with Q's.

[Jehaine]

OOC: Nah, i'm good. Saidin will still be a topic he'd like to avoid at this point anyway ^^;

 

Martyn nodded, already making a mental map of the terrain. Unless he missed his guess, the barracks would be near the training fields, so the Inn would be... Ah, but where were his manners.

 

- "Thank you sir, i'll be on my way now."

 

Somewhat hesitantly, he turned to the door, as if he was having second thoughts about something. He wasn't doubting his choice to join the Black Tower -- Saidin would be there with or without it, he was certain of that -- but whatever else was on his mind was apparently discarded as he walked out of the building, eyes open to what he believed was the most logical place to put an inn: At the center of the group of houses Arath had pointed out. Though he didn't know whether he could bring himself to eat something, he'd gladly take the opportunity to take his mind off of channeling: He had a feeling he could use it.

 

 

Martyn

Wondering how he's going to survive class