Welcome to the Jungle:) Attn Daemon

[Ellorian]

Arala adjusted her white cloak so the golden sunburst was once again centered. Con the Squirrel, in all of his squirming on her shoulder, had once again managed to move it so the emblem was pushed to one side and wrinkled. At the moment he sat quietly, flicking his puffy tail, and occasionally batting at one of Arala’s thin beaded braids. Generally when she was on duty she didn’t have Con with her, but today she wasn’t really doing anything important and she didn’t see the harm. For the time being her orders were to ride into town and purchase a few kegs for some secret der’Algai function. She suspected the new leader was going to be named (and no doubt hazed, which is where all the ale would come in) but being fairly low in the ranks, she wasn’t privy to the details.

 

From the Fortress gates, all white stone gleaming in the sun, der’Algai’s tents sprawled in an arc. They were the first line of defense should there be an onslaught, but as that never happened in the entire history of their existence, Arala didn’t worry about it too much. From the tents was simply open ground for nearly half a mile. It was pretty flat, and grassy, and all the trees had been removed, but it was still fairly attractive. Only one road led across the field to the gates of the Fortress, another safety precaution as was the treeless grounds, but it was wide enough for at least two wagons and generous foot traffic. On the other side of the grassland was the city of Amador itself.

 

Riding at a slow walk, Arala noticed someone up ahead. This time of day the road was usually empty, the supply wagons coming in earlier or later and most of the Children being about their daily activities. Seemed like she was always on duty when new recruits came in. Well, some were brought in by other Children, but a good many came in all by themselves and she had met with a great many in her time manning the walls. Despite the fact that she wasn’t overly friendly, she sort of enjoyed getting a first look at the new talent. Drawing rein, she called out:

 

"Oi, headed to the Fortress?" Con stood up straight on her shoulder as if he too was listening for an answer.

[Wretched Chaos]

Daemon looked ahead as he walked down the wide road. What he saw in front of him was a sight he had seen a thousand times, but this time it held something special for him. A new beginning in the shambles that was his life. A turning over of a new leaf. He felt the ice start to recede from his heart.Warmth was filling that empty hole in his chest. He shook himself, reigning in hard on his emotions, before they ran away on him and weakened his iron will. "I'm not here to make friends," he muttered to himself. "I'm here to save the Light and defeat the evil that grows in Shayol Ghoul."

 

He snapped himself out of his deep thinking, and brought himself back to the present. His eyes roamed across the outer wall of the Fortress, noting as much as possible for future use. Knowledge is Power, he thought to himself. His eyes went across the stone again, passing across the Gate, and then they snapped back. There, no more then two hundred paces away, was a Child of the Light. He couldn't stop a little trickle of fear escape and he mentally berated himself for it. Would this soldier bring him in for questioning pertaining to the death's of two Children at the hands of his gang? There was only one way to tell.

 

He closed the distance between himself and the Child quickly, and he saw that the soldier was a female, with a squirrel sitting on her shoulder. She looked like she was about to do something, but he wasn't sure what. So he steeled himself, awaiting the blow that would end his life. But all he heard was, "Oi, headed to the Fortress?" He was shocked, but he kept control over his emotions and he felt pride welling at being able to do so. He nodded, and then began to probe about his future career. "I have come to join the ranks of the Children of the Light. Where can I sign up?" What seemed to be a smile flashed across the woman's face. He pushed harder. "Well? Are you going to tell me or stand here? I don't have all day you know!" The smile disappeared.

[Ellorian]

"Well? Are you going to tell me or stand here? I don't have all day you know!"

 

The smile slid off of Arala's face. She had been through this enough times to know that for some reason certain people felt entitled to bark orders even when they were anything but. In the past she had barked back, perfectly content to have a bit of row over nothing. She was a fighter, after all. But more recently she had started simply ignoring such things. She figured it was something she learned from Con. Well, both Cons, actually.

 

"Fortress is back that way," she said hitching a thumb in the general direction. "But I bet you can see that. You can simply ride up and proclaim your intentions, I suppose. Someone in the tents is bound to come out and see what the fuss is about. But I wouldn't recommend speaking to any of them like that. A couple will run you through just for the insult of it."

 

She sat for a moment, waiting for what she had said to sink in. There had been no heat in her voice, she was just stating facts, but her message was plain. Then her smile returned and she went on, "Or you can calm down and I'll take you myself. Not much to it, really. Go see the Drillmaster and he'll get your name into the books or whatever it is he does. If you play your cards right, I might even show you around. Fortress is big, would be good to know where the loos are and whatnot." She reined her horse around back towards the Fortress and said over her shoulder, "I'm Arala Sian, by the way." And after a vexed clicking made her eardrum itch she added, "And this is Con. Welcome to the Fortress, I guess. What are you called?"

[Wretched Chaos]

Daemon paled when Arala told him that they would run him through for speaking to them like he had just done to her. I'm not in command anymore! He berated himself for doing something as stupid as he had just done. He decided he would have to play it cool, or he would end up like the rest of his gang. He felt the scar on his chest begin to itch. Those times are behind me, he thought cautiously. He spoke up. "I'll take your second option, Arala. I am called Daemon Rakewind. Forgive me for my harsh words. This place is a turn of events for me. Shall we go and have me signed up?" Daemon felt weird that he had to fake forgiveness. It wasn't like he had never done it before. The Head Watcher had never been a man to allow insolence. It had kept the Watchers going strong. Until the Children ripped through the Inner Circle in the space of twenty seconds. The past is behind me. My future, right in front. He watched Arala nod, and followed her towards the Fortress.

[Ellorian]

Arala nodded. "No worries. When I first turned up I alternated between hissing at people like a wet cat and sulking off by myself ignoring anyone who spoke to me. You're not the worst I've seen, by far."

 

The Drillmaster was easy enough to find because he was among the tents of der'Algai yet again. Arala didn't know why he kept turning up but she was glad to see that he did. He really was a gorgeous man. Especially without Analie on his arm. Arala supposed that his increased presence could have something to do with the leadership of der'Algai. After Tori's disappearence (or as some said, abandonment) there had been talk of someone else taking over. But that wasn't her concern at the moment, even if she was curious.

 

"Senior-lieutenant Fath," Arala called to him as she rode up. "I've brought yo-"

 

"Is that a squirrel you're wearing, Child?" Doeshan asked, inturrupting Arala mid-sentence.

 

"It's a long story...sir," she replied, adding the last as it occured to her that he might honestly take issue with her pet. "You see, I was training with Con and, well, he thinks I could learn something from the squirrel. Who is also called Con, by the way..."

 

"Ah, well that's alright then," he said stopping Arala from a ramble with a laugh. Con was a good man, probably had his reasons. And even if he didn't, it was amusing that Arala now had to be nice to a rodent. "Well in any case, what did you need?"

 

"This is Daemon Rakewind. He wants to be a Child."

 

Doeshan surveyed the would-be initiate and nodded. "Well Daemon, what brings you to us?"

[Wretched Chaos]

"Well Daemon, what brings you to us?"Dameon looked over the man. He had the prescence of a man used to being in control. His face hid something behind it. Something that he couldn;t quite place, yet it was familiar. It reminded him of the Head Watcher. But now to answer the question. "Good afternoon, sir. I am here to join the Children of the Light, and thereby help save the world from the evil that is Shayol Ghoul. I wish to learn the ways of the blade, and the horse, to further my goals for the future." Fath looked him over, his eyes seeming to pierce into his soul. He stood there silently, for what seemed a lifetime to Daemon, but was no more then twenty seconds. A simple nod noted Daemon's passing from his second life to his third, and the formalities were yet to be observed. "Follow me," was all that the Senior-Lieutenant said, and he turned away, walking deeper into the camp. Daemon had no choice but to follow.

[Ellorian]

Doeshan led the boy to his office not bothering with small talk. It was best that initiates felt the seriousness of the commitments they were about to make and ‘how’s the weather’ just didn’t fit. Upon arrival at the Fortress, new trainees were required to relinquish all former titles and sign their name in the books as a commitment to enter into the training of the Children which was not only physical, but involved studying The Way of the Light as well. After half a year of study and assuming the initiate behaved virtuously, he or she took the oaths and officially became a Child of the Light.

 

"Have a seat," he said as they entered the small stone building at the edge of the practice fields. He motioned towards the chair in front of his desk as he walked around to take his place behind it. "You will not be asked to take any oaths today, though you should start thinking on them now. The time will come faster than you think. From here on you can have no other master. You will strive to serve the Light and only the Light. You must give up any titles or allegiances you held before. Not all men can agree to such a thing. So think it over. And if you’re sure, put your name here." He pointed to a blank space beneath the current list of names. "If you have any questions, now would be the time to ask them."

[Wretched Chaos]

Daemon nodded at Doeshan's words. He grabbed the pen offered to him, and he bent over the book. He thought carefully before writimg. Is this what I want to do? Something nudged his mind. Definitely. On a line, in neat print he wrote his name. Daemon Rakewind. Soon to be Savior of the Light. He stood straight and looked the Senior Lieutenant in the eyes. "I'm proud to now be a part of the Children of the Light. I have three questions. One: When do I get my weapon? Two: When does my training start? And Three: Where do I sleep?" He awaited the questions eagerly.

[Ellorian]

Doeshan couldn't help but laugh at the boy. He too had been an eager youth once. His own humble beginnings among the Children had involved nearly cutting off his own foot along with three of his fingers.

 

"Well you'll get your weapon when you've been trained to use it. We used to hand them out at they gate but we found it meant far fewer Children were in possession of all of their limbs by the time they took their oaths.

 

"As for your training, you can join the other trainees tomorrow morning. They're usually up and dressed before the sun, to say nothing of eating and such. Now you may think that isn't soon enough but I guarantee that when daybreak comes and finds you already out of your bed linens, you'll feel foolish for the rush. I suggest you enjoy the last of your free time.

 

"As to the last, I suppose if Arala is still lurking around she can show you to the barracks and to the trainees' dining hall if you haven't eaten."

 

With that Doeshan rose from his seat and went to the door to show the boy out. Arala was indeed waiting outside having been through this sort of thing enough times to know that he wouldn't want to be giving any tours. She probably didn't want to either, knowing how unfriendly she was, but she usually did stuff anyway, at least when Doeshan asked and sometimes when he didn't. Analie had her suspicions as to why that was, but Doeshan was just happy not to have to deal with Arala's attitude like everyone else.

 

"Bannerman," he called out. "Show this boy to the barracks, would you? You do remember what a 'barracks' is, right? Not sure if you would be able to identify living quarters not made of canvas what with you living in those tents and all." He grinned at her. She wasn't really that bad. Did her job, could be pleasant sometimes.

 

Arala grabbed at her middle and silently mimed an over-exaggerated laugh. Surprised by the sudden odd movement, Con grabbed onto one of her braids, and a little too hard judging by the look on her face. She motioned for Daemon to follow as she headed off.

[Wretched Chaos]

Daemon listened to Doeshan explain his answers. They made sense. After all, you can't have the Savior of the Light cutting off his leg becuase he doesn't know one end of a sword from another. He nodded at the advice about him getting up too early. He laughed inwardly. The nights were the playground of the Watchers. His body knew exactly when to wake up, or go to sleep.

 

Doeshan opened the door and exited, with Daemon following closely. Arala was still there, and Doeshan turned to her. "Bannerman, Show this boy to the barracks, would you? You do remember what a 'barracks' is, right? Not sure if you would be able to identify living quarters not made of canvas what with you living in those tents and all." Arala made a mimick of her laughing, and Daemon wondered what they were talking about. He decided to make that one of his questions during their tour.

 

Arala began to move towards the center of the Fortress. She showed him the Mess Hall, the Stables, the Barracks, the Armories, the Dome of Light, and the training grounds. He remembered his curiosity at the tents, and decided that now was the time to ask. Here goes nothing. "Bannerman," he began," what is the purpse of those tents I saw when I walkied into the Fortress?" He awaited the answer.