The Broken Kingdom

Chapter 22

Connor had never been one for crowds, he found them hectic and a little stressful, and that's if you weren't the one publicly speaking. He had no idea how the rest of his team had such ease in the clutter of people. As he followed Lark through the sea of confused faces Connor wondered why he had ever agreed to come and speak publicly. He'd made a deal, he'd nod and smile while the rest of his team members talked their hearts out. Lark was the first on the stage, though he'd agreed not to say anything, due to his odd manner of speaking. Than it was Chance, who'd been convinced to speak a few words, though she was naturally shyer than the others. Than Alex, Goat, and finally the man himself, Connor. After the murmurs died down and the attention of the crowd was on the team Goat stepped closer to the crowd and smiled.

"Hello citizens of Vinevale!" He announced, his smile faltering a bit as he saw the full crowd, "My name is Goat, that's Alex, Chance, Lark, and Connor. You may be wondering why we've called all who can handle a sword down here right? Well, we need recruits, and not just any! We're looking for able soldiers who can defend themselves and if called for others as well. We're planning an attack on a large group of Breadin, werewolves, and possibly even vampires, if you join you may ask to be in the team as well, but if you wish to return to Vinevale after the job is complete so be it. Now before I go on, my teammates would like to have something to say," Goat finished his lines and stepped.

Alex strutted forwards, she had been a natural leader since she was born and was used to speaking in front of crowds, "As you know, I'm Alex. Now I'm going to tell you about the gathering of beasts. Breadin, of all shapes, even the larger ones. Werewolves, a lot of them, who won't hesitate to take out a child if it means food. And finally vampires, who are to me personally, the scariest of them all. Now the Breadin may look disgusting, deformed, and atrocious but once you get the hang of their usual attack patterns they're easy. If you practice taking out one or two before the battle, you'll be prepared. Werewolves are... well, people. But they've got the bloodlust of a demon and will not hesitate to play unfair with eyes and such. Be prepared for they all have strange attack patterns, and are fairly able fighters. Vampires have huge teeth, and fair sized claws, they are tricksters and have no respect in fairplay. If you think about it hard enough, they're like werewolves, but can use swords and blend into the back round with ease. They'll play like a man, than attack from the behind, like werewolves they've got no attack patterns, so be prepared."

Chance gulped nervously and stepped sheepishly forwards, "Uhhh... I'm Chance and I'm gonna tell you a bit about us. So, we're always looking for new members, and we are almost always in battle whether it be night or day. Be prepared for long days of travel and hard fights in between. We don't care what weapon you use, as long as you're prepared to defend yourself against any of the beasts mentioned. And ummm... if you are looking to join, we do have food and water for If you join so have no concern of money, any time we hit a town we stock up on supplies and sleep at an inn, so I think that's all," She backed away, and by the time she'd finished she was the colour of a tomato.

Lark grinned at Chance as she stopped beside him, and she gave him a devilish glare. Lark decided now was his time to shine, though the gig had been had been rehearsed and they had made it very clear that he hadn't had a part. As he stepped up each member of the team wore a different expression. Alex was anger, Goat still wore a permanent smile, Chance was nervous, Conner was confused.

"Alright, that's all for now, if anyone's interested we've established a non permanent base near Rockside's Inn in the field," Lark announced.

As they all stepped off, they wore similar faces of amazement, that Lark hadn't just blown their chance, but made it slightly better as no one had mentioned where they would meet if they wanted to join the hunt. They trampled through the herd of leftover people and marched back to the camp. It was early midday, and time for chores to get done and dinner to be prepared. It was Connor's night, and he was feeling extra happy that their speech had gone off without a hitch. He decided the right way to go was with a steak, a lovely spice filled meaty stake, because he knew every member on the team couldn't resist his secret recipe to making is steak the juiciest, tastiest, mouth watering piece of meat anyone had ever tasted. He ran down the market with his own small pouch of coins designed for food usage only. He bought the required things for the steak and got to preparing as soon as he got back to the camp. Lark was building a fire, Goat was chopping wood, Chance was boiling water with the small lick of flame Lark had, and Alex was chopping a tree for wood. Connor got out the pot and started mixing his spices along with the large lump of meat from the market. He let it sit and soak for a minute while he chatted with Chance. As soon as his steak was done and devoured, Connor fell asleep, it was a nice night, the perfect one for falling asleep beside a toasty fire outside your tent surrounded by people you liked.