Into the Badlands

[Etro]

♅ Into the Badlands ♅
5th of Glade, Year 120, Age of Steel
"Common Speech"
"Silvain Speech"
"Self Thoughts"
Theme: Voltaic Black Knight

---

♅ It was clear that these raiders lost heart in the face of both warriors before them. To add to that Gregorio and his Jaegers had finally scaled-down the cliff face to reinforce them. And to make matters even worse, they could see the pack of wolves picking off the stragglers in their wake.

It was a good thing he was fighting alongside capable people, otherwise, this battle would have gone much differently. His gaze focused on the larger Raider, beginning his charge into the fray, hearing the white-haired mercenary suggest taking him down together. With a smirk, he nodded and advanced alongside the man.

The Raider boss came in with his battleaxe ready to cleave both men down in a single swing. Luckily for Constantine, he could use the environment to his advantage. Lifting himself into the air he used that falling momentum to take the raiders' attention, swiping at his left shoulder with his halberd. His flesh was like tough leather, but it could still be damaged.

Rolling to the ground, the big brute turned with a heavy swing of his axe. Using a small pull of the flux he ducked into a slide away from the deathblow. Rolling to the side, his halberd blade ran across the back of the raider's knee, as he slid by barely missing the axe. Standing to his feet he waited to see what the other would do, while he focused on evaded the axe this large bastard was throwing around.

The good thing was that his kinetics was coming in handy for this fight, allowing him to push the raider back if there was no way to deflect his heavy-handed swings. Constantine knew very well what would happen if he were to take a hit. Fatal or not he would not survive a direct strike from this man, he was hoping to end this battle soon. ♅

---

[Caliban Black]

5 Glade 120, Age of Steel
Company: Constantine | Theme: Indestructable

Caliban watched Constantine out of the corner of his eye for a second or so while the big bastard of a raider came for them. Who was this man? Who were his friends with the wolves? If he put a little thought into it Caliban was sure he could piece something together but he didn't have time to figure that out, he needed to deal with the raider. The battleaxe came around for their heads and Caliban leapt backwards out of the way, like a predator waiting for an opening to strike. He held his sword in a low guard and watched as Constantine swept his halberd towards the raider's shoulder. The raider moved away and swung again but this time Constantine slipped passed him and wounded him. Was that magic? Caliban was sure he recognized when Constantine was doing... but he didn't let it distract him.

Constantine fought with a certain flare... a certain showmanship that encouraged slides and jumps and wide swings... Caliban was not so acrobatic. Constantine had opened a wound on the back of the raider's knee and Caliban was more than ready to capitalize on it. Caliban sent a rippled through the flux into the raider's shin to push it out from under him, unbalancing the large man at the back end of one of his large battleaxe swings. Then Caliban moved in from behind, thrusting his bastard sword through the bastard's calf as he ran passed and letting go of the blade so that he could escape before the large man managed to grab or slash him.

Caliban backed away and then reached his hand out towards the raider who's leg was holding his pact weapon for him... then he called it back into his hand. The blade twisted suddenly so that the handle faced towards Caliban and then it shot from the raider's leg, but Constantine would likely finish the man before Caliban got his sword back.

"My sword is just a piece of metal, I am the weapon."

[Etro]

♅ Into the Badlands ♅
5th of Glade, Year 120, Age of Steel
"Common Speech"
"Silvain Speech"
"Self Thoughts"
Theme: Voltaic Black Knight

---

♅ With the help of this other man, Constantine was certain they could kill this brute and send the rest of the stragglers running for the hills. It was clear this farce needed to end, and he knew just how to do so. With all the damage they were inflicting upon him, crippling him, the bastard's life was over.

With the strike to his back of his leg from his battle partner, the larger raider fell on one knee and seeing this chance Constantine took it. Running at the bastard, he extended his aether to send a ripple of lift in his own flux to propel himself into the air, and with a pull in the flux around the brute, Constantine plummeted towards the man like a meteor.

By the time the raider could look up, the tip of Constantine's halberd was already piercing his neck. Coming down hard, Constantine put all of his weight into jamming his weapon into the raider, forcing him to the ground. The struggle for life was apparent in the large thug, his grip cutting circulation from Constantine's thigh that he was latching onto.

That didnt worry Constantine however, only making him twist his weapon back and forth, severing a vertebra or artery within the brute, after moments of gurgling curses, the brute finally was lifeless. Turning to look at the fodder that remained he watched as the pack of wolves raced past them and was on the heels of the running raiders.

Looking at his companion in battle he nodded with a slight smile, before turning his attentions to the bodies before him. This was supposed to be a simple ambush, yet it turned into a full-blown battle in the canyon and ridge. He suspected they were tipped off and needed some form of an answer as to by whom.

With the fight over with, Constantine searched the corpses. If his suspicion was correct, either the reinforcement leader or bandit leader would have clues as to why this ambush went wrong. There was just too much that needed answering, and he was hoping one of them would have a clue of some sort.

While he was checking the other bodies he did, however, wonder what his white-haired friend was doing down here in the first place. "I dont think I caught your name during the fight, I go by Constantine. This was to be a simple ambush for pissant raiders, yet they were expecting us, so much so they had reinforcements waiting in the wings for us." he noted, finding nothing on the reinforcement leader.

His hand extended towards where the leader of the raider group body laid, and with a pulling gesture, he pulled on the flux just enough to pull it towards him. "Care to tell me what you were doing here by your lonesome friend?" ♅

---

[Caliban Black]

5 Glade 120, Age of Steel
Company: Constantine | Theme: Indestructable

When the battle ended, Caliban began moving around the dead, turning them over so he could see their faces- or in several cases what remained of their faces. With each body he turned over he seemed to grow a little bit more irritate and desperate. Whatever he was looking for, he wasn't finding it. He began grumbling curses in common and once he'd stopped by all the dead down in the ridge he realized Constantine was speaking to him. Caliban turned his head slightly to look at Constantine while he walked over to the dead body of the raider leader which Constantine had just searched. Caliban was not looking for letters or information, he was looking for a face.

He was trying to confirm a kill.

"Caliban." Cal responded simply as he examined the face of the raider leader. This wasn't him either. His target wasn't here. His efforts had been wasted and he'd have been killed if not for Constantine and his allies. Had the whole job been a trap? Caliban would have to have a very pointed conversation with his employers back in the civilized lands. When Constantine said that this was meant to be an ambush for the raiders Caliban gave him a little more intention. Constantine's people had been told of the raiders as well? And they too had been deceived? Someone had many answers to give. "Traveling mercenary." He replied to Constantine as if it summarized everything Constantine needed to know. "Came here for a raider who didn't seem to show up." Could be that Cal's target was on the top of the ridge though.

"My sword is just a piece of metal, I am the weapon."

[Etro]

♅ Into the Badlands ♅
5th of Glade, Year 120, Age of Steel
"Common Speech"
"Silvain Speech"
"Self Thoughts"
Theme: Voltaic Black Knight

---

♅ It seemed this one was not much for conversation, his responses being short and quick. It was fine, as Constantine was focused just as this Caliban person was focused as well. They both seemed to be looking for something, whether it was the same or not was yet to be seen.

Upon searching the man he figured was the leader, he found nothing but a balled-up piece of paper, along with a pouch full of coin. This could mean many things. Where did these men get paid to foil the ambush? Who would gain from this, could this something bigger than just mere bandits. Hearing Caliban say he was looking for a certain raider, Constantine could only think that the raider he was pursuing was the leader of these men.

Shaking his head, having not found more than that crumpled piece of paper, Constantine stood and turned to the man. He was impressed, watching how the mercenary fought. He himself was a blade for hire at one point. He allowed the man to continue his search as Gregorio approached.

Quite the mess this was wouldn't you say, Constantine? I don't like the fact that we walked into an ambush of our own. he growled, looking over the corpses that were littered about the ravine. It was a mess indeed, but Constantine was more so concerned with one issue. As it would appear to him, there was a leak.

From what he understood, no one other than the members of the Jaegers knew about the ambush. This revelation made him speculate that one of the Jaegers could have tipped and paid these raiders off to attack them. The question is why? For now, he would put his suspicions in the back of his mind. Walking back over to Caliban, kneeling to examine the body the mercenary was looking over.

"Find anything of use?" ♅

---

[Caliban Black]

5 Glade 120, Age of Steel
Company: Constantine | Theme: Indestructable

When Constantine arrived beside him, Caliban would be turning the head of a dead raider from left to right. He looked somewhat like the man he was looking for but Caliban was almost certain it wasn't him. His employer wouldn't be fooled either. Anything useful? No, not really. Nothing useful for him at the least. Caliban held out a few notes he'd found on the raiders he'd been examining to Constantine. "Orders to set up an ambush here based on information they were given about mercenary movement. Mercenary is vague in the writing. Signed with letters, not names." Caliban explained. It was signed with a single letter, 'W,' but Caliban had to way to know what that meant. Once the notes were free from his hand, one way or another, Caliban would move to the next raider body. He'd already looked at the leader of the group... he wasn't the man Cal was looking for.

"Who are they?" Cal asked Constantine with a small gesture towards the Jaegers. He kicked a body over with his foot and looked at what was left of the face on the body. Nope. Not who he was looking for either. It seemed his target had escaped this ambush. Maybe he'd been set up. Caliban looked at the Jaegers. Or maybe they'd been set up and he'd been collateral. "Who knew you were coming here?" The one who had sent Caliban had no reason to lie, but that seemed to be how the best liars operated. Caliban wanted to figure out who the trap had been set for before he began pointing fingers.

"My sword is just a piece of metal, I am the weapon."

[Etro]

♅ Into the Badlands ♅
5th of Glade, Year 120, Age of Steel
"Common Speech"
"Silvain Speech"
"Self Thoughts"
Theme: Voltaic Black Knight

---

♅ It was as he feared, there was a leak in the Jaegers, but why. Caliban's words sent a chill up his spine, his eyes darting among the members of the group. He would have to bring this to Gregorio's attention immediately. Caliban's next question caused Constantine to sigh.

"They are a group known as the Jaegers. A mercenary band under the Valran Gregorio Alvarez." his eyes falling back onto Caliban. His next question caused Constantine to sigh once more, frustrated at the situation that they had fallen into.

"Just the ones you see here. It appears though someone has set us up, and I aim to find out why. For now, let us leave this place. The one you search for isn't here it appears." he suggested, feeling Gregorio place a hand on his shoulder.

"We must talk once we return home. Your friend is welcome to join us, I must thank you properly for aiding us in this shitstorm. I won't take no for an answer either." he offered, whistling for the wolves to form up and his men to prepare for the journey home.

Constantine turned to Caliban, extending a hand to the siltori. "If you help me figure out who betrayed us, I'll help you hunt down your prey in return. It's the least I can offer your help today." he hoped that Caliban would accept his offer.

He knew he would need as much help as he could get in solving this mystery. Who knows what could happen next if they were sabotaged again. He did not wish to be caught in someone else's trap, not now, not here of all places. ♅

---

[Caliban Black]

5 Glade 120, Age of Steel
Company: Constantine | Theme: Indestructable

Well Constantine was right about one thing. Whoever Caliban had been looking for, they were not among the dead. It wouldn't do Cal any good to keep turning over the bodies now that he'd seen them all. Jaegers. Mercenaries. Interesting. One of the mercenaries spoke to Constantine in a different language, but an equally familiar one and Caliban watched him suspiciously. To be fair he was watching all of them suspiciously. Constantine made an offer and Caliban gave him a slight nod. He wouldn't loose anything by helping them and if he was lucky it might make his job easier in the end. Caliban shook Constantine's outstretched hand. "I will help you. With luck it'll be quick."

Caliban was no hardened investigator. He didn't know where to begin when it came to trying to weed out a traitor in the midst of a group he didn't know. He supposed getting to know them would be the first step but that seemed like a lot of work he didn't think he had time for. Gregorio seemed a good sort but Caliban couldn't be sure... hell he couldn't even be sure about Constantine yet but what choice did he have? "Where do we start?" Even a child knew that if you didn't know what to do, you should ask. If only the Jaegers around them knew they'd be here, then the traitor had to be among them now. At least that was what Caliban assumed based on what Constantine had told him. The wolves weren't likely to have turned on them so it had to be one of the men. Who seemed to have done the best in the battle? Who seemed the least injured? Cal kept many of his suspicions to himself but sooner or later they'd boil over.

"My sword is just a piece of metal, I am the weapon."

[Taelian Edevane]

Constantine

Lores
Kinetics: Using push to soften a fall
Kinetics: Evading deadly blows with Push, Pull, & Lift
Polearms{Halberd}: Striking the enemy's knee with the shaft
Polearms{Halberd}: Repeated thrusts
Polearms{Halberd}: Parrying enemy strikes
Tactics: Working in Tandem with another warrior
Acrobatics: Dodge Rolling
Investigation: Noticing when something isn't right
Investigation: Searching Corpses for Clues
Investigation: Compiling Clues

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A

Points 8 - Can be used for Kinetics.

Caliban

Lores
Reaving: Materializing a Pact Weapon
Reaving: Returning a sword to your hand
Kinetics: Seeing the Aether around you
Kinetics: Pushing a human
Kinetics: Pulling a sword from a hand
Tactics: Fighting multiple people at once
Tactics: Sharing a kill
Blades: Wounding Slashes
Blades: Bastard sword has good reach
Meditation: Preparing your mind for battle

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A

Points 8 - Can be used for Kinetics.

Comments: So glad to see people writing in the Badlands! I enjoyed the combat and the curt, but well-written, dialogue. Hope to see more from both of these characters; also, the Badland lore is now completely done, so be sure to check that out for inspiration and plots!