Demon(#Wattys2017 Entry)

Chapter 57:Scared

Gem soon realized that she had little hope when it came to escaping her predicament. There were far too many soldiers for her to face alone, and even so, she still did not have her blade. She simply followed Pynax, observing the area carefully, searching for a chance.

Pynax noticed her plotting and sighed."Hmph...You know it won't work, right?" He informed."He's determined that you'll be his new Incarnate. Grandmaster usually gets his way. Last guy who refused to join...well, I've heard a lot of stories, none of them good."

Gem just glared silently. Pynax sighed, tugging on the rope he'd looped around her waist."Come on, may as well talk. You've nothing better to do, nd the whole reason you're stuck with me is that I'm the best with those signs of yours." He saw Gem cross her arms stubbornly and added, "Who knows. Maybe you'll get information to help you escape."

Gem just set her jaw and narrowed her gaze at the man, and he sighed."Have it your way." He continued leading her around the camp as he attended to his own business.

Gem followed, sighing. Was she just starting to lose her edge? She'd been captured by enemies three times in her life. The first time, when she'd been young, she'd slain her cptors and escaped on her own. But now, here she was, captured twice so close together, and in each case, she'd needed outside help to escape. It was disgraceful! She'd have to double her training with Guiltare after this.

The thought of Guiltare saddened her. How much pain was she in now, worrying over her? She thought of Vaussten and his stories, how he'd have fewer interruptions with her out of the way, and how different they'd be without the criticisms he took as awe. She thought of Reba and Giles, who always stubbornly tried to heal her when she was scratched. She thought of Morz, who'd always encouraged her to fight and given her treats, and Narra, with her normally statistical statements and always smiling face...

She even thought of Salaxir, with a twinge of sadness. She'd come to appreciate his friendship, and his patient lessons in the language of her people. From the tone of his last few letters, she'd begun to suspect he fancied her, and this troubled her. She thought he was a fine man, but felt no love towards him. She was confused as to why, and decided it was his own fault. He looked at her with pity, as though she needed protection. She was a warrior and a killer, an assassin of Black Griffin, she did not need him as a guardian.

...Though, if what the Grandmaster of this company had said was true, perhaps his worry was justified.

She shook her head. It wasn't true, she reminded herself. It couldn't be. The members of Black Griffin had raised her, taught her all she knew. They were her comerades, her friends...her family, she admitted reluctantly. They were mercenaries, and she'd witnessed them in battle, brutally cutting down enemies, but even so...This was beyond what she could imagine of them. She'd seen and heard her master break down over slaying a single man! She was thoroughly convinced that any act of genocide on her part would double as an act of suicide!

She looked up as Pynax began snapping his fingers in front of her face."Hey, don't ignore me." He ordered, then gestured to a stake in the ground, with the rope he'd help looped around it tightly."I'm going to go in here, business with a few mercenaries, see?" He yawned, as though the prospect bored him...or perhaps he was genuinely tired, it was hard to tell."Just stay here for a bit and don't cause any trouble." He ordered, walking into the tent.

She started to protest, then sighed, shaking her head. she sat there boredly, looking over the inhabitants of the camp as they passed. There were no signs of any rank that she could tell, all of them dressed in simply, light armor. Steel made up their breastplate and greaves, while their gauntlets and helms seemed to be made up of bronze. No one carried themselves differently, and there was little differentiaton of weaponry to signify any difference of rank...Did this mean that the Incarnate served as their commanders? IT made sense, then, that they were worried for the loss of one. With such a large army, losing a tenth of their command in one fell swoop could prove disastrous for morale.