Bogus Journey (Closed now)

[Anonymous]

The last attempt at this had gone badly. Sandstorms had caused Mikhail and the others with him to have to turn around and give up that attempt. But Mikhail was not going to be so easy thwarted. He was a child of the House of Elhurios. And he would get that blood for his father. No stupid weather was going to stop him.

So he waited at the gate of the small town. Outside the desert stretched out, harsh and bright. He had sent out ads for another group of adventurers to join him. He paid well,and that seemed to attract that type well enough. And Mikhail was well aware he needed the help.

He adjusted the hood of his jacket again, shielding his face better. The alchemist wasn't much to look at. He was too skinny, all wiry muscle and bone and his skin had an unhealthy pallor to it, even with all the time he spent outdoors. An eyepatch covered one eye, the other one was a pretty blue color, but it seemed to bright, like when someone was feverish. His clothes were all rather nice, the fabrics soft and light. And he had belts everywhere, even crossed over his chest, small dark vials hanging from them.

20 gold coins. It was a small fortune. And honestly, he was paying more then he really needed too. But it wanted to make sure to lure enough mercenaries out to this forsaken place. And the fact was, he wasn't sure how strong the creature would be. Those touched by divinity, even with a curse, tended to posses great power. And who knew what dark creatures roamed the desert. A slow smile spread over Mikhail's face, one hand stroking his goatee. So many different samples to collect from. Hopefully his luck would hold and there wouldn't be a giant storm that would force them back.

[Anonymous]

"So thats what, eighty gold pieces?" The man asked, eyeing Silent's thin frame.
"Too right sir, you asked for a top quality mercenary, you got one" Silent murmured to him, drinking her water lazily. He was underestimating her, again.
The desert seemed to suck the very life out of her, she wasn't entirely at her peak.
The man sighed, and shook his head, "Haven't got that much on me" he scratched the back of his neck, and opened his mouth as if he was about to continue on, but he closed it again, shook his head and stormed off.
Silent raised her eyebrows, she had upped her price for him because she was not in the mood to round up some loose horses and thieves around the desert.

She raised her flask again to her lips, drinking greedily.

She sighed, remembering the add she had read a few days earlier, she was up for an adventure, she'd protect her clients to the death if it came to it. Silent was branded a top of the market mercenary, the majority of her clients paid her happily. Still the money was not what Silent loved about her job.
Her wings did indeed make the jobs easier.
She stood up again, uncrossing her long slender legs, throwing down the empty flask and securing her sword around her waist once again. She walked out of the shady shelter she had been sitting beneath, flicking her brown hair anxiously away from her neck and flapping her wings, trying to cool them down, Silent didn't particularly like the heat.
She strolled to the gates of the town, stretching her wings, she spotted a hooded man, a scrawny lad.
A smile tugged at her lips, even if he wasn't much to look at, she could sense determination. She liked that.

That must be him...

She approached him, her metal-toed boots crunching against the gravely ground.
"Hello, I presume you are the man who sent out the adds?" she inquired once he was within earshot, "You said you needed protection, I'm your girl" she smiled at him again.
Frankly, Silent was excited to start another adventure, even if the desert did give her armor an annoying shine.
She wasn't doing it for the money, she was doing it for some thrill, the money was simply a bonus. Silent had a heck of a lot on her mind. Any distraction was a good one.

[Tally]

Essyrn, the shining jewel of the desert, was a prosperous city, and Cade prospered within it.

When the first expedition had been driven back by sandstorms—Cade had never seen such a thing; a wall of sand stretching into the sky, oncoming, devouring—he'd made the decision to remain in Essyrn for a time, and his instincts proved right.  Not only was there plenty of work in Essyrn, but now his former and very short term client wanted to have another go of it.  Same contract, same monster, same price.  Except Cade still had half the payment from the first job.  Ten gold pieces for wandering out in the desert a ways.  With that kind of generosity Cade would follow Mikhail on any number of monster hunts, even if the man did make his skin crawl.

Cade walked out of the inn wearing the same desert gear he'd donned for the first job.  He'd gotten used to the strange clothes, all white cloth that breathed easy and left only his eyes uncovered, and he'd even come to tolerate the heat well enough.  No superfluous items came with him; the sword on his back and the waterskin at his belt were all he was like to need.

Just as he was stepping out into the street, some woman breezed by flapping a pair of great white wings and he had to duck to the side to avoid feathers in his face. Wings.  What a bother those must have been.  She was going in the same direction he had to go, so he set off behind her and mused on just how many times a day she  knocked things down with those unwieldy appendages stuck to her back.  

As he followed her through the city he couldn't help but notice that she made all turns he had to make and traveled down the streets he had to travel down.  Before long the gate reared up before them and, sure enough, she was heading straight for it.

Cade paused in the middle of the street and watched her go right up to Mikhail.  He sighed.  Still attracting the queer sort, eh Elhurios?

Right then.  No stranger than the lot he'd set off with before.

"Oi, Elhurios!"  Cade raised a hand as he crossed the distance between them.  "Haven't given up yet?"

[Rhindeer]

Ever since he and Jaiha had defeated that sandworm, Syrae had been feeling pretty good about himself.

It had been a while since that victory, but the pride remained, and that was why he was heading to the city gates now. He'd heard talk of some crazy fellow offering up gold in exchange for taking out some beast or other--easy coin, really! And gold coin at that. Syrae had taken down his fair share of beasts; he'd made a profession of it, just doing his small part to keep the city pest-free. Nothing could top the sandworm, though. Granted it had been small as far as sandworms went, and granted he'd defeated it side-by-side with Jaiha, who was part a dragon with a blade for a tail, but...details, details.

He still maintained that it was his teleporting that lead them to victory.

By the time Syrae reached the gates, there was already a small group of people there. Two men and a winged woman. Syrae paused, looking the three over and adjusting his grip on the spear slung over one shoulder. What was the man's name again? Mik...Mikhail or something? The only one of them that looked like a seasoned desert explorer was the man dressed as he was, covered save for his eyes in white cloth. The rest...a winged girl and a creepy-looking hooded man with an eyepatch, well, those two didn't look like they belonged.

Approaching the white-clothed man, Syrae flashed a smile--which he forgot couldn't be seen as his mouth was covered--and gave a cheery wave. "Hello! Mikhail, was it? Monster hunter?"

[Anonymous]

Adventures always seemed to be an odd lot. Not that he was in any position to judge. But he still liked to anyway. Wings, really, what an irritation. They always seemed to hamper people and cause problems. But, still, interesting. Meant that the woman might have some interesting blood flowing through her. And Mikhail had a one track mind in these matters. The smallest of creatures might hold the key to immortality.

Or if he was lucky, that bitch in the desert would be what he needed. But he smiled at the woman, trying to go for pleasantly disarming, but he had just a little too much of that odd, creepy vibe for it to come off well, "I am indeed Mikhail. And it's not so much protection that I am looking for as I am looking for people that are willing to hunt a monster with me." The information was in the add, but most people couldn't read, so it wasn't overly shocked by her misinformation, "Out in the middle of that desert," He gestured with one arm, "is a woman. Cursed by the gods. And I need her blood."

He would have continued, but he heard a somewhat familiar voice. One of the members from the first attempt. What was that name......Cain? No...Cade. That was it. He had liked this one, he seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. Mikhail gave him a wide smile, showing off his enlarged and pointed canines. He had attempted to file them down once, but they just grew back the next time he had shot up, "Ah. Hello again Cade." One of his hands moved absently to one of the vials on his belt, his long, delicate fingers stroking the smooth glass, "I'm not one that tends to give up easily. She is still out there and I still require that blood." His father had been most upset the first attempt had ended in failure. Mikhail couldn't stand disappointing his father, "And I see you are back again. Or did you just miss me."

Another man arrived then, making Mikhail feel a bit better. A party of four would be alright. Assuming they had enough skills. Mikhail would have liked a few more, not wanting to shoot up if he didn't have too. But he would take what he got. He wanted to start out. The journey was not a short one and they place they were going to was a place between reality and myth. Best to not wait for to long. He blinked, slightly surprised when the new man went up to Cade and seemed to think Cade was him. How cute.

"Excuse me. I am Mikhail Elhurios. The one looking for people to help slay a monster." Well, honestly, Mikhail didn't give a flying fuck if the monster died or not, "Or, more precisely, I need help getting a vial of its blood. How it is obtained and the state of the creature afterward I have no interest in. Just as long as I get the blood."

He pulled out a small bag, taking out enough gold to pay them each half first, "You shall get 10 gold now, just for going out into the desert with me. You will get the other half of the payment when we return here with the blood. No blood, no second payment." He glanced between the three, "Is that agreeable to everyone?" Really, if it wasn't they could stay here.

[Anonymous]

She raised a hand to her chin as he corrected her, didn't so much need protection, huh, well, that only made the job that much easier. She listened, to him as he spoke, taking in his words. A cursed woman... and blood. He needed her blood.
Silent nodded, not saying a word, she understood his needs well enough. She didn't bother to ask why, it didn't matter, she wasn't inclined to ask. If he wanted to tell her, he'd have plenty of time on this trip to.

Turning upon hearing another voice behind her, Silent saw a younger man coming toward them, waving at Mikhail, she smiled to herself, it seemed the two had already met. Mikhail regarded the newcomer, Cade, he had said.

Silent turned to Cade as he reached the two of them, extending a gauntlet covered hand for him to shake, "Hello, Cade, I'm Silent" She smiled at him. He seemed young, early twenties, late teens at the most.

Followed by another man, a large spear at his back, he had the look of one who had fought his own fair share of monsters. He grinned and spoke to Cade as if he thought him Mikhail.
Silent didn't need to bother correcting him, for Mikhail spoke up, introducing himself once more, to the newer man.

Letting go of the hilt of her blade, hearing it clank against the rest of her armor, Silent held out her hand to take the gold as Mikhail offered it, nodding to what he had said,
"Sounds alright" she murmured.
She turned to the new man, nodding her head in greeting, giving him the same smile she had given Cade.

She turned to look out at the vast desert, eyes scanning the horizon, she wanted to go, wanted to know what exactly this cursed woman had in her blood hat was so important to Mikhail.

[Tally]

"No offense to you, Elhurios, but I missed your gold more than your company."  Though that was true of Cade's feelings toward most people.  The man was tolerable enough however, if given to eccentricities.  Still better than working for a mage.

He grasped Silent's wrist and gave her hand one firm shake before releasing it.  The sun caught at her armor and reflected back at his eyes and near blinded him.  He had to shift to the side and in doing so looked up to notice the approach of another man.  This would make four of them.  Maybe enough, but who could say?  He had no idea what manner of creature they faced.  Perhaps Elhurios knew...

Cade only shook his head at the newcomer's mistake and jerked a thumb at the real Mikhail.  While the three of them met and greeted he took the opportunity to look the man over.  A spear, hm.  A weapon Cade was just short of competent with.  The sword had always been his strength.  But thus far they were sporting more weapons than magic it seemed, a far cry from the situation last time and that suited Cade just fine.  He'd rather put his faith in cold steel and iron than fickle magic.

"That'll do.  Let's hope we make it there at all this time."  For all that it had been easy money, he'd been looking forward to the challenge of it and had to admit to no small curiosity for this creature they had to battle.  One of the forces that had driven him from Connlaoth was the knowledge of a great wide world behind that kingdom's borders and a hunger to see that world and the wonders it held.  Sometimes those wonders turned out to be nightmares, but he was grateful for those just the same.

"Do you expect any more?"  A glance back down the street showed no one else approaching them, and beyond the gates the desert awaited.  Somewhere out there was their quarry.

[Rhindeer]

"Oh." Syrae blinked, stared at Cade a second more, then turned around to face the creepy guy in the hood with the eye patch. That was Mikhail? He sure didn't look like a desert native. Did he even know what he was doing? On second thought, the better question was did Syrae care so long as he got paid and got some action? Hmm...nope. "I knew that. Just testin' ya." Though, of course, he had no reason to know what Mikhail looked like in the first place.

He moved closer to the man and raised an eyebrow when he spoke about...getting a vial of blood. That's it? Hunt down a monster just for a little blood? That sounded a little anticlimactic, but if that meant he was leaving the other parts for the rest of them, maybe he could get a good trophy out of it and earn a little extra--whatever this thing was. "Blood, eh? Sounds easy enough."

Especially since he seemed rather generous, too. Really? He was getting paid half already for doing nothing more than showing up?

No complaints!

Syrae took the offered gold and slipped it away, then dug the butt of his spear into the sand and propped it against his shoulder. "That's fine by me." Either way he came out of this richer than he'd gone in, though he felt a bit awkward carrying that much on him. Even though they would be out in the desert he still couldn't help but feel paranoid of muggers.

Though what was that other guy saying about 'this time'?

"You've already tried this before?" he asked, looking between Cade and Mikhail.

Well, that explained the sort of weird familiarity those two had been displaying but it begged the question of why they hadn't succeeded the first time if Syrae really was interpreting that correctly and where the people in their first party were, since it from the way the winged girl was acting, she was new too. Maybe he was just reading it all wrong, though; he may have just showed up late and missed out on the meet and greet.

Not that he was worried or anything, of course. He had killed a sandworm, fluke or no fluke.

[Anonymous]

"Why Cade. I'm hurt. Deeply. And here I had felt we had such a bond." Another smile for Cade, though his attention was more on the desert behind him then on the man. Mikhail wasn't really all that interested in people very much, not unless they had blood he might have a use for.

The woman was mostly silent and Mikhail appreciated that. Good trait in a woman. Though he did want to find out about her....abilities and what gave her those wings. But he would wait until he had seen her in action. At least she seemed competent enough. The man with the spear seemed like an idiot.

Mikhail's blue eye flicked away from the desert back to one with the spear who hadn't given his name, tilting his head slightly, "Why yes. We have. Well, Cade and I and a few others. But there was a sandstorm. Very nasty."

Pulling the strip of cloth up from around his neck, Mikhail fastened it around his face, just below his eyes. The pale hood was pulled a little farther forward and Mikhail was ready to go, "I don't know of any others that are joining us and I don't want to wait. The desert is far worse at night where we are going."

Leading the way, Mikhail headed out past the gates of the great city and into the stark desert. It didn't really matter what direction they walked. Where they were going wasn't a physical place on any map. It was the realm of one touched by the divine and Mikhail knew how to find it.

[Anonymous]

Folding her wings behind her back, to keep them out of the way of their now crowded, according to Silent, meeting place. She moved her gaze back to Cade, flicking between him and Mikhail. Her face remained blank, except for a slight smile at their comments.

It didn't seem likely that anyone else was going to join them. A party of four, to take down one woman and get her blood... It should be enough, granted that this man with a spear knew how to use it.

So Mikhail and Cade had gone before?
A sandstorm had thrown them off...
Well hopefully they'd have better weather this time around then. Sandstorms could be horrible sometimes, that was true.

Then Mikhail was walking.
Silent looked after him, and soon began to follow, hearing his words.
She didn't even know where they were going. But she took his word for it. If Cade and he had already gone, yet lived, it couldn't be that bad. Though Silent had to wonder what happened to all the other people that had gone.

She walked behind him, and said nothing. There wasn't really anything more that needed to be said, really. She kept her hand resting on her swords hilt, the desert was an odd place, things lurking below the sand always had a ways of popping up when you least wanted them too.
The wind tugged at her hair and loose pieces of fabric that hung from her waist. Her brown strands falling onto her face. She didn't stop walking, but tore a strip of material from her waist, and used the red fabric to tie her hair up, keep it from getting in the way of her eyesight.

She kept walking, a few steps behind Mikhail. Eyes looking just past him.
Still wondering where the hell they were going.

[Tally]

"Nn."  Cade responded to Elhurios's jesting with that single apathetic syllable.  The pay had better be damn good if he was going to have to put up with this man's attempts to be friendly the whole way there.  As soon as the spearman had Elhurios's attention Cade rolled his eyes at the man's back.

He wasn't interested in getting familiar with any of them.  Just get him to the mark and let him get the job done so he can move on to the next.  That was all he wanted.

"We didn't get very far," he added.  "Never even got to see the thing before we had to turn back, and now the lot of them have gone off elsewhere."  Took their half payment and counted themselves lucky to have coin in hand for doing nothing more than taking a stroll.  And Cade couldn't blame them.  But he wanted more.  It wasn't just about the coin.  He hungered for something greater, grander, and it was that need that kept him balancing his life on the sword's edge while others pocketed their gain and waited for the next easy mark.

During his first days in the desert, these Essyrni clothes had felt stifling and intolerable.  He couldn't understand why anyone where wear so much fabric in such heat.  But as they moved out of the city and struck out for the dunes he was glad for the garments.  He'd gotten used to them and their function.  They kept the sun off his skin and the sand out of his mouth.  They wicked the sweat from his skin and let it evaporate into the oven-hot dry air.  Without them he'd like as not have burned alive out there during their first venture.

He fell into step beside Silent, stealing a sidelong glance or two at her wings whenever it seemed her attention was elsewhere.  One never encountered such a sight in Connlaoth unless at a public execution, and while Cade had already seen a great many strange things it was nearly always from a distance.  Until recently he'd tried to work only with humans.  Normal, magicless, mortal-blooded humans.  He couldn't deny a grudging curiosity about the woman, and it didn't hurt that she was fair enough to look upon.  Better than having nothing to look at besides Elhurios's scrawny body.

[Rhindeer]

"Aw, that's a shame," Syrae said, pulling his spear out of the ground and following after the others. He didn't sound very disappointed; their failure meant more money in his coin purse, and he couldn't help but wonder how this worked. If another sandstorm whipped up and pushed them back and Mikhail decided he wanted to give it yet another go, would they get another ten coins before the next venture? Call him cheap, but he could live with that. Sure he wanted glory and all that, but you couldn't buy things with glory.

He fell into step beside Cade, not wanting to risk getting whacked by a wing. "Weather looks nice and clear. Course, that doesn't mean it can't change on a moment's notice, but..." He trailed off. The folks here weren't talkers, he just could just feel it. Maybe it was the woman's silence and Cade's curt answers that clued him in, but it was a little awkward being around silent strangers.

"Anyway, I'm Syrae! I think I caught your names, Cade and...Silent?" Syrae glanced toward the woman and raised an eyebrow, checking to make sure he'd heard it right. Maybe it was a nickname or something, but it sure fit. He switched his spear over to his other shoulder--away from Cade. "So where're you all from? And, uh...any clue what we're going after and where? Hey Mikhail! What's this thing we're hunting?"

Not that he was scared or anything. Nope, never. But that whole 'desert is worse at night where we're going' thing piqued his curiosity and besides...no one had ever mentioned what it was except that it was a monster--of course--and that Mikhail wanted its blood. It could be anything, and money or not, Syrae liked to know what he was getting into.

Probably should have thought of that before walking out of the city with this lot, but he wasn't backing out anyway so it didn't matter.

[Anonymous]

The heat didn't bother Mikhail, despite seeming to be far to over dressed for the desert. One perk of his trade he supposed, but his resistance to the heat was just another sign that he was changing. Had to be careful, he couldn't die before he found the blood for his father.

Cade seemed determined to be unsociable and to a twisted personality such as Mikhail's, it just made him want to mess with him more. The woman seemed just as uninterested in talking, "Now Cade. Do try and reign in that enthusiasm. We wouldn't want them to think you might have some sort of personality under that gruff, strong and silent attitude."

Syrae's question got a smile from Mikhail, though no one could really notice under the face covering, "We are hunting a monster. A woman, cursed by the gods and banished to the desert." He glanced out at the expanse of dunes and changed his direction slightly, "But there will be other creatures as well. I can't tell you much about them."

They were probably safe this close to the city. But Mikhail would be taking them into an unnatural and unholy place, filled with things twisted by the presence of a powerful curse. But, well, they were just the help. No need to fill them in on exactly where he was taking them. Wouldn't do to have them spook.

[Anonymous]

A hearty, grey and black horse rode swiftly through the gates of the oasis city. Its saddle was loaded with large skins of water, various equipment and its rider was even more cumbersome-looking warrior. It was a man from the North. A tribal warrior, the last of the his people. His name was Sahros. The man was a traveling mercenary. He had caught the ad on a sign post in Connlaoth and the reward was almost too great to pass up. 20 gold coins, a bounty beyond most anything that Sahros had ever earned. The horse galloped as fast as it could with its load, which was still pretty fast.

Sahros could see in the distance a group of people, he had hoped they were the people he had been looking for. He had got directions from a merchant in the city who had sold him the skins of water and the various desert survival apparatuses. He eventually rode up behind the group.

"Mikhail Elhurios? Do you know of him?" asked the gruff barbarian in his thick accent to the group. The voice that was uttered from the bearded mouth was booming, but seemed a bit gentler than the man looked.

[Anonymous]

Niasti was wandering down the side streets and the alleyways of the city looking for something to do.  Till he hear a man ask for someone.  Niasti stepped up to the man and asked, "Hey did you ask about someone named Mikhail Elhurios? Cause I need something to do and wouldnt mind a adventure.  I bet we could catch up if we worked together plus we could keep eachother alive.  So will you let me tag along?" Niasti smiled hopefully at the man.

[Tally]

Featureless desert wrapped around them from horizon to horizon, the whole of the world reduced to shifting sand and sapphire sky. As they left the noise of the city behind them, the murmur of sand under foot and the sweep of the wind became the only sounds Cade could hear.  How swiftly civilization gave way to wilderness out here, not at all like the northern kingdoms with their wide, paved roads and well-worn footpaths.  It was peaceful...

...until the spearman opened his mouth and couldn't seem to get it shut again.

Syrae.  Cade couldn't place the nationality of the name, though it seemed between the two of them, Syrae and Elhurios were determined to make needless conversation.

"Cade, yes," he affirmed.  Cadence actually, but none of them would ever know that.  He hadn't given his full name in...he couldn't remember when.  Why his parents had chosen to bestow upon him a name fit for some soft-handed artist or poet he would never know. They said they had thought it 'elegant' which did him no favors either.  He had been Cade for as long as he was old enough to speak for himself.

At the sounds of approach behind them, Cade turned back to the city.  He was sure he had heard Elhurios's name mentioned.  Could it have been from the tall fellow?  "We may have another."

[Rhindeer]

"Ooooh," Syrae said with a wide smile and a small nod, but he didn't feel the least bit enlightened. A monster-woman cursed by the gods? Yeah, that told him a lot. He had kind of been hoping for details, like why she'd been cursed and what she could do and what she looked like and what kind of monster she was. Important stuff like that. He pursed his lips in thought for a moment, then looked to Mikhail again and smiled hopefully. "So, is she pretty?"

Hey, not all monsters were ugly--wait, why was he hoping she was pretty? They were probably going to kill her, after all. His hopeful smile warped into a frown. "I hope she's not pretty. That'd be a downright shame and a real waste, I tell ya. Be kinda distracting, too. But I ain't worried! I fought a sandworm, you know. Took it down with my spear. Whatever's out there, pffft, I can take it, easy."

Cade spoke up then, uttering one of the few rare phrases that wasn't a response to a direct question that Syrae had heard since arriving, and he spun around to look. Aha, there in the distance, still near the city while they were already in the desert. Looked like they had a straggler! Syrae cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted as loud as he could--and his voice was quite loud. "Hey you, hurry up if you don't wanna get left behind! Better start runnin'!"

That'd be fun to watch. Watching people run in the loose and shifty sand out here was always amusing.

[Anonymous]

One hardly talked, the other talked too much. This was a fun contrast. Mikhail didn't really care either way if they chatted or went in silence. Though he did have the urge to see if he could crack Cade. Get him to do something besides passively respond to things. The talkative one seemed rather dumb, but he might have useful blood, which Mikhail approved of.

"I imagine she was pretty at one time. If she is now, I have no idea." Mikhail really didn't know that much about her, so he couldn't pass much on. To be honest, he was only about 80% sure she even existed, "Really? A sandworm. That is quite impressive....Sariah?" What was his name again? Oh well, close enough.

His attention was pulled away and he came to a stop with a sigh. These people really needed to hurry up or they were never going to get this trip underway, "Yes? I am Mikhail Elhurios."

[Tally]

A dust devil spun into sight nearby, coasting over the sandscape, and Cade cast a wary eye to the horizon.  Enduring that sandstorm out in the open had been one of the more miserable experiences he'd had to to suffer through.  He knew little enough of desert life, but he had learned that day just how fast a sand storm could drive down on you.  What started them up, he had no idea. Wind he supposed, but it was windy now, and the horizon clear as he'd ever seen it.

"A sandworm," he said, skepticism prominent in his tone and the hand he planted on his hip.  Not that he'd ever seen a sandworm himself or could speak to what manner of feat it would take to fell such a beast, but he did know that those what made their livelihood by combat tended toward exaggeration.  You'd sooner find a mordecai casting magic than a mercenary who didn't boast up his own exploits from time to time, Cade included.

Whether Elhurios purposefully dodged the question about their quarry or he just didn't know the answer, Cade couldn't have said.  Reading people wasn't one of his gifts.  Either way, it didn't fill him with confidence. He would have much preferred to go into this with some idea of what they would be facing. "Anything you can tell us about her? Anything useful?"

[Rhindeer]

"Syrae," Syrae corrected Mikhail, but he didn't care too much about the name slaughter. Nah. A wide grin had broken out on his face because he'd been acknowledged! Mikhail found his sandworm fighting impressive; Cade had at least repeated the word--and Syrae either didn't hear the doubt in his voice or just chose to ignore it. All that mattered to Syrae right then, at that moment, was that out here in the desert with just the two of them, he now had a captive audience. That was all the encouragement he needed and (unfortunately for Cade) at the moment he was way more interested in reciting his story than hearing more about that girl monster thing.

They hadn't defeated her yet, after all, and completed conquests were way better than future ones!

Unconcerned with the dust devil--it was often windy out here and the dunes were always shifting; it took some stronger gusts than this to whip up a storm--Syrae puffed out his chest as he marched onward. "Yeah, a sandworm! I still remember it all as clear as if it was only yesterday. It was thiiis big--" He lifted his spear up over his head as he walked, pointing the tip skyward, then looked up at it and frowned. "No, a lot bigger. Like four times as long, with a mouth big enough to swallow you whole, and boy was it ugly. And hungry. That's all they do, you know, eat and grind you up into fresh sand."

He kicked a little mound of sand by his feet and wrinkled his nose, then lowered his spear again before it whacked someone. "And to think...how much of this is sandworm dung...?" Beaming again, he elbowed Cade in the side. "Kind of gross to think about, huh? Maybe we'll run into one out here, that'd be fun. Hey, Mikhail! How far 'til camp?"