Machinations of Terror

by The FireSpark

This is a story set in the years just prior to present day (in game) Tyria. It follows the adventures of original characters based upon creations made in the Guild Wars 2 game by myself and a number of my friends. It is still a work in progress, but I hope it is enjoyable none the less. So follow these intrepid souls, as they seek to find their true calling in Tyria.

1. Chapter 1 - On the Job

Chapter 1

On the Job

As another terrible shiver wracked through his small frame Rachit pulled his bulky coat tighter about him. and the fur lined hood lower, down to the tops of his large golden eyes. Huddling inside his slightly overlarge clothing, Rachit desperately tried to hold on to every iota of heat he still had. Like most Asura, he had been born and raised in a tropical jungle and having been descended from a people who, until recently, lived the entirety of their lives underground; the biting cold of the Shiverpeak Mountains in winter was not an environment that Rachit felt he was well suited for. And as if this wasn't enough, the fact that he had spent the last hour laying still on bare rock, was merely compounding his woes. Raising his small gloved hands to his mouth, Rachit blew into them as best he could. As he rubbed them together rapidly in hope of building some semblance of warmth, he heard a soft snuffling sound from behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Rachit eyed the Charr sitting against the rock wall of the tunnel they found themselves in. She wasn't wearing nearly as much clothing as he was, though her coat of golden speckled brown fur made her far more suited to the current weather than Rachit would ever be. Though Rachit knew for a fact that the Charr was wearing a full suit of chain beneath her coat and heavy pants, that wouldn't be helping her stay warm in the slightest. None the less he was still slightly jealous of her higher tolerance to the cold. As he briefly looked, Rachit caught a glimpse of his companion's ears twitching behind her short curved horns. That, combined with the now choked snuffling sound, told Rachit that she was quietly laughing at him. Or the Charr equivalent at least. Rachit leaned over and gave a soft jab to her shoulder.

"Glad to note that at least one of us is finding some amusement with my near hypothermic condition," Rachit whispered quietly. His companion had the decency to look slightly abashed at his soft comment, or so Rachit presumed from the tightening in her muzzle and slightly drooped ears. She didn't say anything, but instead turned her head away and began scratching at some dry lichen on a nearby wall with a single claw. She cleared her throat after a moment, the sudden sound seeming to rumble through the silence. Turning her head back towards her companion, she looked about to speak, but no words came and she looked troubled, as if the words wouldn't form. Rachit reached out and patted her shoulder this time. "Oh, do not fret and worry Vayla. I meant no harm, and inferred none from your amusement. At any rate, I should hope that I would be far more insulated against such passive non-verbal slights. At least that, if not against this frustrating frigidity."

Vayla smiled sheepishly, and snuffled at Rachit again. She placed a hand against her chest, and bowed her head slightly. Rachit knew as well as she, that no matter how quiet she tried to be her voice would carry too much if she spoke. Doing anything softly simply was not a part of Vayla's skill set. Rachit understood her meaning though, as clearly as if she had spoken aloud. Apologies. Thank you. Rachit nodded back, and waved the rest away. His friend always took perceived insults, whether towards or from her, far too seriously. At least, so he thought. Vayla smiled, then gestured at her eyes with a finger, then pointed out into the dim cavern they were perched above. Rachit nodded calmly, but inside he was startled. With all the time spent sitting doing nothing, he had almost forgotten their reason for being there in the first place.

Reaching into his coat, and after a few moments of shuffling through random bits of gear in his pocket, Rachit fished out his small telescope. He had originally been holding it at the ready when they had first arrived, but the first time he had placed it against his eye, it had almost stuck there. Now, the small metal tube was actually pleasantly warm, at least as far as his hands were concerned. Laying back down on his belly, Rachit inched his way forward until his face just peaked out over a cliff, where the narrow tunnel they were in opened into a massive cavern. If not for the brown and beige furs he wore for warmth, his natural coloration would have blended him right into the rock he lay on. But Rachit had no intention of removing any of his warm clothing even for a moment, and he had told Vayla the same when she had first suggested it in jest. The wide open space below was being dimly lit by a scattering of cook fires. Except for at the very far end of the space, which was ablaze from two massive fires burning in braziers of some sort. It was there, that Rachit pointed his telescope as he brought it to his face.

Rachit noted that the scene had not changed much from his earlier observations, but the fact hardly surprised him. Atop a crude alter of sticks and stones, between the two large fires sat the reason he had come here in the first place, risking frostbite and hypothermia. A large orb shimmered in the flickering of the fire light, glimmers of blue and green twinkled as he watched. It was difficult to determine from such a distance, but Rachit was certain that the orb was almost as large as his head. What it was precisely, he did not know. The only thing that he did know for certain was, that they had been promised good coin if they could retrieve it. Shifting the looking glass only slightly, the image swung and Rachit watched as almost a dozen Grawl shaman danced and twirled in some sort of ritual or worship around the altar. If the shaman had been the only ones down there, he and Vayla would have claimed the orb and been gone long ago, preferably straight to the nearest bonfire. Shifting the scope once more, Rachit looked into the more shadowed areas around the alter, and was able to make out a vast number of Grawl still gathered near the dancing shaman, but not too close. While some looked on in wonder and some knelt in supplication; the vast majority seemed to stare in confused thought, a state Rachit felt was a default condition for all Grawl in general. Their constant milling about and comings and goings made getting an exact count difficult, but Rachit's best guess put their numbers at twenty or thirty at the least. As to how many Grawl were spread throughout the entire cavern, Rachit could not guess. With only a smattering of cook fires, and those dim at best, any other movement below was difficult to discern. Even with his eyes, Rachit could not be sure if a movement was a Grawl moving, or simply a trick of the poor light.

Rachit had started to lower the telescope when Vayla suddenly spun from where she sat and glared back down the tunnel. Rachit gave such a start that he almost dropped his scope, but managed to regain his grip on it after a moment of bobbling. He was about to give Vayla a stern, if hushed, piece of his mind when he stopped in place and perked up his own ears. There were voices coming from down the tunnel, back the way they had come. More than likely, they belonged to the companions that they had left there to guard the other end of the tunnel. The voices did not sound urgent or troubled, but the fact that he was hearing them at all was troubling to Rachit. Stealth was not only their greatest asset at the moment, it was also the only thing keeping an unknown number of Grawl from knowing they were there at all. It was doubtful that the Grawl below could hear the far off sounds, but Rachit wasn't about to take any chances. Quickly collapsing the telescope and stuffing it in a pocket, he started padding quickly down the tunnel towards the voices, which were beginning to get louder. Behind him; Rachit could hear Vayla softly loping along to join him, as well as the soft growl growing in her throat.

By the time Rachit skidded to a halt at the tunnel entrance, the owners of the voices were practically shouting at each other. The tunnel let out into a small round cave that opened onto blue sky, and framed in the light of the cave's entrance was a human man scrubbing furiously at the sleeve of his deep purple robes. He seemed quite upset, or so Rachit judged by the expression on his face as he glared off to his left. With the sudden light, Rachit's eyes were having trouble seeing clearly, and so he could not make out what exactly was being scrubbed at.

"You have gone too far this time Juxeena! I have enough trouble keeping clean while tramping about the damp caves and sodden crevices you like to lead us through without you making things even more difficult. That was entirely uncalled for!"

Rachit spun his head in the direction that the man was glaring and yelling. Juxeena, a tall Norn woman with exceptionally long brown hair, was leaning against a small outcropping of stone, seemingly without a care in the world. A massive bow and matching quiver bristling with arrow fletchings, were leaned against the wall next to her, and an arctodus lay curled at her feet, apparently unconcerned with the shouting match underway. Juxeena laughed out loud; and as she spoke, her deep voice rumbled through the cave. "Oh, get over yourself Elovar. It's not like you've never gotten dirty before. Besides, we're in the wilderness. Dirt tends to come with the territory. Deal with it."

Rachit turned back, and now with his eyes adjusting to the clear light, could make out that Elovar was trying, and mostly failing, to remove a long smear of mud from his billowed sleeve. Rachit could also make out that some of the mud had managed to splatter across the side of man's face, all the way up to his spiky blond hair. Elovar gave one last useless swipe at his hanging sleeve, before throwing both his hands in the air with a scoff.

"Oh! Oh, that is rich! Get over myself? Deal with it? Coming from the woman who fusses over her hair if the slightest breeze moves a lock of it out of place."

Juxeena stood up straight then, the humor vanishing from her in an instant, and her carefree appearance went with it. She strode towards Elovar, her hand raised and a finger pointing straight at him, as if she might run the man through with it. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but before she could her head snapped slightly to one side as a small stone caught her just behind the temple. In an instant Juxeena had recovered, and had a long dagger drawn and ready as she spun around. She came up short though as she saw Rachit standing with another rock at the ready, and Vayla standing behind him with a dark look on her face and her fangs bared. Juxeena's face was taut in readiness, which gave way to confusion when she saw who was there, and then to anger at the realization of who had hit her with the rock.

"What's the big idea you little twerp? You're lucky I didn't just hurl this blade at you."

Vayla loosed a snarl in earnest then, but Rachit waved her down as he hissed at Juxeena. The arctodus raised its head for a moment, but apparently saw nothing of threat or interest, as it laid its head back on its forepaws. Once everyone had paused for a moment to assess the situation, Rachit strode towards Juxeena and Elovar, his face twisted in consternation. He did his best to keep his small voice low, but it was still heated as it came out in gruff and hissing whispers.

"What in the Eternal Alchemy is wrong with you two? What part of 'as quiet as possible' did you not comprehend? I used the smallest words I know of to convey the importance of silence at this stage in the operation, and yet with barely an hour gone, you've managed to either forget or stop caring. Have I somehow overestimated the level of your intellectual capabilities? Because if I have, please inform me now, so that I can gather my friends and my still intact hide, and we will depart while we still can." Rachit finished his whispered tirade with a clenched fist gesturing fiercely between Elovar and Juxeena. After his voice cut off, true silence filled the cave. Elovar stood looking slightly embarrassed in the cave entrance, but Juxeena was not so abashed. In fact, the frowning glare that she now shot at Rachit was such that Vayla began eyeing the far wall where her large war hammer stood next to the rest of the scant gear that the group had brought from their campsite. It was only three or four strides, at least for a Charr, but Vayla had seen enough Norn archers at work to know that making it to her weapon before the woman loosed her first arrow was not assured. At the moment though, Juxeena had eyes only for Rachit, and her glare only intensified as Rachit locked gazes with her defiantly. Juxeena finally planted her fists on her hips and opened her mouth, to which Rachit only raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms across his chest. Surprisingly this caused Juxeena to clamp her mouth back shut with an audible click and a grumble. Rachit merely nodded his head curtly as if he had expected nothing less. After a moment to calm herself slightly, Juxeena relaxed her posture, and when she spoke, she did try to temper her volume as best she could.

"Now look. We're going to get something straight right now little man. This is my job. I mean our job," Juxeena waved an arm in Elovar's general direction to include him in her correction, "and I only hired you on because a bartender I know in Lion's Arch recommended you. And as I recall, I told you that you were coming simply to provide additional hands since there were too many Grawl for just me and Elovar to carve through. I didn't promise you a share of the reward to be made to sit around for hours, and I certainly didn't bring you along to insult me. So if you don't like how I do things, then you're free to take a walk. But either way, from now on, we're doing things my way!"

"That, would be a very bad idea."

The deep voiced response seem to come from nowhere discernible, and had everyone spinning in place, previous disagreements suddenly forgotten. Something came down on Rachit's shoulder from behind, and he had the sudden desire to vacate his own skin. The only thing that kept him from screaming aloud was the quick realization that no one else had cried in alarm, that and the fact that out of the corner of his eye, he could see large but familiar claws on his shoulder. Spinning to face the Charr behind him, Rachit almost lost his cool.

"Blast it all, Chadok, how many repetitions and variations of 'Do Not Do That Ever' have I told to you?"

The massive Charr smiled down at him, a fearful sight from any Charr, but with teeth as jagged and plentiful as Chadok had, one usually had the impression that his smiles were those of a shark about to snack on your insides. Throwing back his hood, Chadok let his black and stringy mane flow loose down his equally black leather armor. His fur was a dark gray, with the occasional patch or strip of white showing where scarred skin lay beneath.

"In total? I've lost count. But at least three times this week alone." Chadok chuckled aloud and gave Rachit a rough pat on the head. Walking past the Asura, Chadok went and knelt before a backpack in the pile of gear without so much as acknowledging anyone else was there. As he began rummaging for something, Juxeena finally slid her dagger back into its sheath. She gave Elovar an indignant look, but Elovar could only shrug his shoulders and give her a dismissive expression. Juxeena strolled up behind Chadok, giving Vayla another of her glares as she passed.

"Well, Mister Sneak? Are you going to tell me why my idea is such a bad one? Perhaps you have something better?"

Chadok glanced at Juxeena from the corner of his eye, without stopping what he was doing. He scoffed at Juxeena's show of bravado. It took much more than childish taunts to even begin to rattle his nerves. Pulling a piece of cooked meat from that morning's breakfast from his pack, Chadok began gnawing at it as he stood.

"For starters, Norn, it's Master Sneak to you. But as to your plan, such that it is, there are over four hundred Grawl between us and the objective. At least a third of them look like solid warriors. And more than a handful of them look like experienced veterans, as far as Grawl go anyways. At any rate, a direct assault by us would never get close."

Chadok stuffed the rest of the meat into his mouth and chewed it loudly with bared teeth, staring all the while into Juxeena's eyes. Rachit found it unnerving enough that he decided look elsewhere momentarily, and he was one already familiar with Chadok's behavior and style. Juxeena never flinched or wavered. Vayla decided to redirect Chadok and hopefully ease the tension in the air before it snapped violently.

"Four hundred? Are you certain Chadok? I've never heard of any Grawl tribe being so large."

The tactic worked, for the most part, and Chadok turned towards Vayla with only a slightly dismissive gesture towards Juxeena.

"Four hundred in the least, and yes I am most certain. Though you're right, most tribes don't get this big, but I counted at least five Grawl bearing the markings of chieftain. My guess? We've stepped into the middle of some sort of inter-tribal gathering. A sort of Grawl moot, if you will. Lots of trading going on. Lots of talking. Most of it bragging about the last raid that netted them the orb." Chadok reached up and used a claw to pry free a piece of meat from between two teeth. After licking the claw clean, he reached into a pouch at his belt, and fished out a small wad of cloth, and tossed it to Vayla. "And then there's that."

Vayla snatched the parcel from the air and began unwrapping the tiny bundle. Letting the last fold fall aside, Vayla stared down at a handful of dried and pressed flowers. Their petals were as white as the snow blanketing the ground outside, except for the edge of each petal, which was a deep dark red in color. Vayla looked at the old blooms, and then back at Chadok, who returned her questioning gaze with a smirk. Vayla instead turned to Rachit, holding the flowers down to his eye level.

"These mean anything to you?"

Rachit produced a small loupe from one of his many pockets, and holding Vayla's hand steady, proceeded to thoroughly examine the flowers up close. He hummed softly to himself, and occasionally murmured quietly enough that no one could make out what he was saying. At last he released Vayla's hand and tucked the loupe away.

"Botany was never one of my strong subjects. I do not recognize the particular breed of flower, but I do note that many of the folds and angles of the petals suggest someone intentionally pressed and formed them. It is entirely probable that they were utilized for some decorative purpose or the like. Other than that, I cannot discern or associate any relevant meaning with them."

"May I see those a moment?"

Elovar had come in from the entry way, and was now trying to get a closer look at the pressed flowers in Vayla's hand. Vayla obliged him, and carefully handed him the fragile blooms. Elovar looked the petals of the flowers over for only a moment before nodding his head.

"Yes, I thought I recognized them. These are Crimson Crown blossoms, at least that's what we call them back home. They're not exactly common, but if you know where to look, they're not that hard to find. I used to see them all the time around Eldvin Monastery. Does that mean anything?"

Chadok grinned again.

"Very good, human. More specifically the plant grows on the plains and in the forests all around Divinity's Reach. But the furthest east I have ever seen it grow is in the region around Nebo Terrace. Beyond that it starts getting too cold. Starting to make sense yet? Or do I need to spell it out for everyone?"

Rachit put a finger to his chin as he thought through the information at hand, and how the flowers related to it. Dried flowers not uncommon to see in Queensdale, even reaching into the regions of the Gendarren Fields. The odds of finding the plant growing in their current location was negligible at best. If the blooms had been simply picked and carried, they would have withered away from the cold alone, long before getting this far into the Shiverpeaks. Meaning the flowers would have to be picked and dried carefully, before being brought into the mountains. That meant considerable time spent elsewhere before coming here. One of Rachit's eyebrows slowly rose as he began to understand the implications.

"Chadok. Are you meaning to suggest that there are entire Grawl tribes here that have travelled from as far as Queensdale?"

Chadok nodded, the slightest bowing of his head, and frowned slightly.

"That or they have had contact with others of their kind from that area. From what I saw down there, the bulk of the tribes have been here for a week, maybe two at best."

Elovar's face suddenly brightened as he caught onto the line of thought that Rachit and Chadok had begun.

"That would mean that the Grawl got here just in time to ambush the caravan. Surely that can't be a coincidence."

Chadok shook his head softly as his frown deepened.

"I don't believe in anything as convenient as coincidence. If these Grawl got here just in time to ambush and ransack that caravan with overwhelming numbers, then that must have been their intent all along. On top of that, the only report of Grawl even being up here was following the loss of the caravan. That means that several hundred Grawl have managed to lay low for a week or more. And though the Grawl can be said to be many things, subtle and sly they are not. So how has no one, not even the Norn that live near here, not noticed them before then."

Elovar and Rachit both seemed to withdraw into further thought, but Vayla kept her eyes on Juxeena who was now exchanging dark glares with Chadok. Finally, Juxeena threw her hands in the air as she loosed a barking scoff. She waved a hand at the tunnel leading deeper into the mountain.

"What does it matter where they came from? Or how? Or why? They're Grawl. They're here, and they took something that doesn't belong to them. We're getting paid to retrieve the orb, not study Grawl migration patterns. And despite what Mister Sneaky here says, I still say we just go in there, grab the orb, and get out. And Bear have mercy on any of the stinking apes that get in our way!"

Elovar seemed unsurprised at Juxeena's outburst, while Rachit seemed to still be lost in thought. Chadok on the other hand looked to be preparing to show his disagreement with Juxeena's proposal very physically, as his frown deepened and his claws began twitching towards the dagger hilts at his waist. Before anyone could react further, Vayla took it upon herself to step amidst them all, being sure to place herself purposefully between Chadok and Juxeena. She raised a hand towards both of them and looked sternly back and forth between them until she was convinced they had calmed, or at the least were not going to come to violence. Finally she lowered her arms and spoke not in anger or haste, simply the soft growling of a calm Charr voice.

"Both of you, calm yourselves. This bickering serves no end. Chadok. Juxeena is correct. We have a mission to complete, and we must not lose sight of that. You have done the Ash Legion honor with your adept scouting of our enemy." Vayla turned to face Juxeena who seemed to be looking very pleased that someone was backing her. Vayla raised a finger and pointed it firmly in Juxeena's direction. "But Chadok also has a valid point Juxeena. With so many enemies before us, it would be foolish to believe that a head long charge will succeed. Rest assured though, that I am not suggesting that we give up or despair. I simply suggest that we plan accordingly. And very carefully. Rachit, you tend to be full of ideas. Have anything for us now?"

Rachit looked up from where he had been staring at scribbles he had made in the dirt while lost in thought. Sweeping the ground clean with a clawed foot as he stood, Rachit folded his hands behind his back as he strode forward, and put on his best air of authority.

"The sheer quantity of Grawl indeed presents a significant obstacle. But there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome with equal and liberal applications of knowledge and force." Pausing a moment as his gaze retreated to some recess of his thoughts, Rachit seemed to be considering yet another idea. After a moment, he gave his head a shake with a slight twist of his mouth, as he cast the consideration aside. "Our primary objective, of course, is the retrieval of the orb. However, with so many potential enemies placed between us and our goal, we will need to consider one or more secondary objectives, in order to make achieving our primary goal a realistic possibility. First amongst those secondary objectives, if I might so humbly suggest, should be a reduction in the volume of Grawl present in the cavern."

Elovar's face brightened at this, and a smile appeared as he stepped forward.

"What you need, is a distraction. Something of a specialty of mine, if I might add."

Rachit nodded. "Yes, some sort of attention seizing event would have a high probability of reducing the immediate threat, but I do not believe that a single distraction will grant us easy access to our prize. I have a few possible contingencies bubbling about, but I require additional information and time to fully analyze what we have observed here, before proposing possible courses of action. For now, I suggest we gather our gear, and return to camp. I need time to think."

And with that, Rachit turned and walked over to the pile of gear against the far wall. Most of which, not surprising to anyone who had worked with an Asura, was his. After a moment, Vayla joined him, and then the others were not far behind. Packs were quickly donned, and weapons readied by those that had them. And then, with only the soft sound of leather and cloth and the occasional whisper of swinging chain to note their passing, the group quietly departed.

The walk back to camp was uneventful, as far as any unwanted attention was concerned. Chadok seemed to vanish occasionally when no one was looking at him. Then would suddenly be waiting for them around a turn or near a tree in their path, warning of Grawl patrols or less than friendly native fauna ahead. In either case, Juxeena would adjust their path with warnings of staying quiet and close. Rachit noted mentally that there had not been much talking since they had left the cave, though whether from a lack of a need or desire was neither clear, nor important to him. He also noted that the tension that had built between Chadok and Juxeena seemed to have dissipated somewhat, as if the open air of the lightly wooded mountainside allowed their equally large egos more room to stretch out in. Rachit was not so quick to dismiss the issue altogether though. He was much more fluent in reading structural schematics and golem designs than he was with reading people, but even he could see the looks that Chadok cast at Juxeena when she wasn't looking. Which, Rachit noted again, was quite often; since Juxeena appeared to be ignoring Chadok as purposefully and blatantly as possible. He made a final notation to keep tabs on the situation, but left the direct observation to Vayla, who locked her gaze on both Chadok and Juxeena anytime they were in close proximity.

Instead, for most of the walk back to camp, Rachit was lost in thought over their current predicament with regards to the Grawl. The inherent problems and challenges were some of the biggest he had faced since leaving Rata Sum, and he relished them. As an Asura, Rachit saw a problem as something begging for a solution, and challenges were mere bumps on the road towards completion. Rachit was so engrossed in his musings that when they finally arrived at camp, he nearly walked right past it. Though no one could have blamed him had he done so. Chadok had chosen a good spot amongst a few trees against the rock face placing the camp out of the way of game trails, and Juxeena had rendered their few tents practically invisible simply by adding some branches and foliage from nearby plants. On passing inspection, the campsite simply looked like a copse of scraggily trees surrounded by several equally scraggily looking shrubs. As Rachit doubled back the few extra feet he had gone, he noted Juxeena unfurling her large blanket of furs under what was little more than a lean-to, set up next to Elovar's tent. The lean-to actually encompassed the whole of the human sized tent, and aided in the overall camouflaging effect. Elovar was already sitting on a small rock in front of his tent in just his shirt, his dirtied robe on his lap, as he meticulously set about trying to remove the now ingrained dirt that Juxeena had flung earlier. Chadok tossed his small pack into the tent he shared with Vayla before growling something about heading back out to scout around, and disappeared silently into the brush. Rachit nodded noncommittally as the grumpy Charr vanished from view, and then walked into his travelling laboratory, as Vayla slid into a sitting position out front. It was little more than a furnished tent, but one sized for a human. Thus Rachit, being small even for an Asura, was able to place a small desk, two reading stands, and even a work bench to perform any studies or experiments that couldn't wait to get back to a proper lab. Unhitching his backpack, which was quite literally as big as he was, Rachit swung it around to land softly on his workbench in the back of the tent. Looking around at the mess of papers and small odds and ends, it made him feel like he had never left home. And as comforting as the feeling was, it also made him annoyed.

"TAG? TAG where are you? Get out here you miniature malcontent!"

Rachit began rummaging through piles of notes and work, clothes and bedding, all whilst grumbling harshly under his breath. Vayla watched him from the corner of her eye at the tent's entrance, a tight smile forming along her muzzle. Rachit's actions were not intended to amuse, but Vayla found his simple troubles to be relaxing. But not because of any ill will or malicious intent. She had actually come to be quite fond of the little Asura whose presence seemed to fill any room he entered. Rather, her amusement was rooted in the simple nature of his troubles themselves. Spying on Grawl from a cliff side in freezing temperatures, elicited little more than mumbled discomfort from him. Yet if a tool went missing, an experiment repeatedly fail, or, as in this case, TAG being hard to find; he could become a whirlwind of mock fury. Vayla suspected it to be somewhat intentional, but whether it was or not, she still found it amusing. At last, Rachit turned over one last pile of what looked like scrap metal, and groaned. There beneath the pile, laying on its back, was TAG; Rachit's rather ramshackle looking golemite. It had the familiar stocky and domed design common to many Asuran golems, except that TAG was barely half Rachit's size, and its frame and appendages seemed heavily worn and used. The fist-sized crystal that sat in the middle of its 'head' was dark, and its arms and legs were frozen in place; as if it had shut down while carrying something and in midstride. Rachit sighed as he hefted the small golem up and over to his workbench. Vayla turned her attention back to the rest of the campsite, namely over to where Juxeena and Elovar had taken to talking quietly with each other. Rachit continued speaking aloud, but by this point, it was mainly to himself.

"Oh, you are the most helpless helper I have ever designed. What did you do this time I wonder, hmm?" Taking up a small rod with a round green crystal embedded in the tip, Rachit began slowly passing the tool over the inert golemite, and as he did the crystal would occasionally hum and glow softly. He grumbled and clicked his tongue in response to the tools soft noises. "Another imploded servo-actuator? And it looks like you've managed to dislocate one of your bipedal impellers as well. I can't leave you alone for a moment."

Rachit set his first tool down, and opened a small box on the table. He pulled out something that looked like a small wrench, except that the angles were all wrong, and it had what looked like slim lengths of metal, in various shapes and sizes, dangling from one end. He placed the mouth of the wrench gingerly onto something in the golem's arm socket, and carefully arranged the slim pieces of metal so that they slid into various contact points around the arm of the golem.

Vayla's lowered voice floated in from the front of the tent. "Do you think that this was a bad idea? Coming here, I mean."

Rachit continued working, now digging into his toolbox again. "What's that? A bad idea? Well, it may yet prove to be. But I've had to rough it before. Besides, I think I have a spare servo around, and with a little tweaking to TAG's resonator core, it should work well enough until I can make proper repairs. And the impeller is easy enough to reseat. He should be fine. Assuming he doesn't walk himself off a cliff, or something equally fatuous."

Vayla turned to look into the tent, one of her eyebrows raised. Rachit caught her gaze as he pulled his head from the tool box and came up short, feeling the sudden urge to clear his throat and find the nearest location to hide himself.

"Ah. Uh. What, ah, what was the question again?"

"That's not what I was talking about, and I'm pretty sure you know it. In the unlikely case you are that naïve though, I meant those two." Vayla gave a quick flick of her claws towards where Juxeena and Elovar sat speaking softly. The human was finishing the last of the cleaning to his robes, and she seemed to be trying to nap. "I mean, there we were, perfectly content with a belly full of mead and meat, and then they come out of nowhere, wooing us with gold. And by us, I mean you. Next thing you know, here we are freezing our tails off, waiting to see whether Chadok or the Norn throws the first punch. Not exactly what I had in mind when we first started out."

Rachit left what he was doing and waddled to the front to stand by Vayla, his hands folded behind his back, as he often did when trying to formulate just the right phrase. Finally, after a moment of thought, he nodded softly.

"I would have to politely disagree. You and I set out to see new places, find new things, and quite possibly make new discoveries. And I can only assume that Chadok tagged along because he had nothing better to do. "

Vayla snorted at that, and the claws on her feet gouged small furrows into the dirt.

"He came along to be a nuisance. And take every opportunity to try and one up me. He's been like that since the first time we crossed paths in fahrar."

Rachit patted Vayla on the shoulder, something he mentally noted that he didn't get to do very often.

"Be that as it may, one cannot argue that we have not accomplished what we set out to do. I myself had never been any further east than Lion's Arch, and here I am standing in the Shiverpeaks, at elevations that dwarf even Rata Sum's altitude. I may not like the weather entirely, but I am fully appreciative of the experiences it has provided. And the views aren't half bad either."

Vayla nodded in agreement, but something still nagged at her. "But why us? I saw the two of them come into the tavern that night. They took a single glance around the room, and then made a line straight for us. It made me doubtful then, and it keeps me cautious now."

"My dear Vayla, you're always like that. It's what makes you such a valuable companion. Every good researcher needs someone who takes nothing at face value. It makes us double check our work and assumptions. But if it makes you feel any better, I did take time to verify the validity of their tale before we left. A human acquaintance of mine referred them to us. Or us to them, I suppose, depending on how you look at it. Had they simply wanted brutes to help, then there is always a preponderance of puerile pugilists to select from in that city. But they came to us. Which means they need more than just brawn, which in itself suggests that those two are at the very least smarter than they look. Well, the human at any rate. So you go right on doubting my friend, but do not worry about our new companions too much."

Vayla smiled then, her fangs showing just slightly as she did. It faded just as quickly though. "What about Chadok? He's making things more strained than they already are. Perhaps we should send him away."

Rachit sighed as he turned and went back to his work bench. "Chadok is Chadok. His ever aggravating behavior notwithstanding, his skill set has proven useful in the past, and unless I mistake my calculations, should prove most useful in the coming operation. Though I can't say I'd be terribly heartbroken if he decides to leave afterwards."

Vayla's smile returned, comforted slightly in the fact that Rachit's feelings mirrored her own. She watched him for a little while longer as he carefully adjusted one thing after another on TAG's frame. Her amused look changed to one of confusion when Rachit produced a rather large leather wrapped mallet, and hefted it over his head. He paused and looked back at Vayla with an apologetic grin.

"You may wish to cover your ears, my dear."

Juxeena let her eyes fall completely shut, after having kept them half lidded just enough to see that the Asura and female Charr had obviously been talking about her. Elovar was humming quietly to himself, content with the cleaning of his garments.

"You know E-lo, I'm starting to think that bringing these guys along was a mistake. We've been at this for less than two days, and that little squirt and his walking throw rug are already trying to take over our job."
Elovar rolled his eyes as he sighed to himself, but he didn't bother even looking over at his friend. She was always so distrusting of anyone that they happened across that this had become a common theme in their travels. They would meet new associates, perhaps collaborate together for a bit, and then Juxeena would chase them off, certain that everyone was trying to dupe her in one or another. Everyone except him of course, though he still hadn't quite puzzled out what made him any different. He figured it had something to do with the fact that he was willing to put up with her frequent bouts of paranoia and sullenness, but he also suspected that there was more to it than that.

"Yes, honey. I'm certain that the big mean Charr lady kept you from running head long into Grawl Town because she wants to be the boss."

Elovar could hear Juxeena shifting, and suddenly felt the warmth of her breathing down his neck. He paid it no mind and set about folding up his good robes that he gotten as clean as he could manage considering the circumstances. For a moment he wondered if Juxeena was going to do anything, or at least say something. But she just sat there, breathing slowly. Elovar began to get the feeling that she was watching the Asura and Charr woman across the way. Shaking his head, he bent down and pulled a sewing kit from his pack, along with a billowy white shirt. As he began examining a sleeve with a pulled seam, he heard Juxeena finally lay back down.

"I still say they were a bad choice. Especially that sneak of a Charr. Never have liked those Ash Legion types. Just as likely to stick a knife in your back as look you in the face. And no sooner have they pulled the blade out, then they've sold you out to round out the experience."

Elovar let his hands drop into his lap with the shirt. Chadok didn't strike him as the most friendly of persons, but considering who had vouched for him, he could only assume they were not in any immediate danger. But he did have to confess that this particular Charr made him especially nervous. The other two tended to put him at ease, even the Charr woman. She was definitely not what had expected from any Charr, considering all the stories he had heard growing up.

"Well Jux, nobody twisted your arm and forced you to choose them. As I recall, it was you telling me that the references of that bartender were high praise as far as you were concerned." Elovar looked over at Juxeena then, and though she seemed to be the picture of a leisurely napping Norn, he sincerely doubted she had dropped her guard that much. Her face was the only thing spoiling the picture, as she had screwed it up into a rather sour looking frown, and Elovar knew he had made the point in the argument.

Nodding to himself, Elovar turned his attention back to the shirt that he had pulled out to repair. He dug through his sewing box until he found his white thread, and unspooling a length, made ready to thread his needle. Just as he was about to do so though, he flinched, startled, as a loud metallic thumping began echoing throughout the campsite, assaulting his ears. Looking across the way Elovar caught sight of Vayla backing away from the Asura's tent, her clawed hands pressed down over her ears. Before he could react any further, Juxeena's tall legs strode into view and quickly covered the distance to the other tent. Elovar let the still unrepaired shirt drop to the ground as he stood quickly to follow her.

"Juxeena, wait. Wait! Ah, hell."

Vayla was actually a little surprised at the amount of noise that Rachit had suddenly begun making, once he had climbed atop the table for what he had called optimum leverage positioning. In addition to the loud clanking noise every time the hammer came down on the wrench shaped object he had affixed to the golemite's arm socket, Vayla noted small bluish-purple sparks arcing along the slivers that Rachit had been so carefully placing earlier. As she took another step backward, her peripheral vision caught sight of Juxeena bearing down on them with a fierce glower on her face. Vayla quickly forgot the inconvenience of the noise and managed to take a quick step to place herself between the angry looking Norn and the tent, and let her hands drop to hang loosely at her sides. Juxeena stopped just short of trying to trample Vayla down, but there was hardly a hair of space between the two warriors when she did come to a stop. Vayla fought the urge to raise her head, as Juxeena stood head and shoulders over her. Instead, she simply turned her eyes upward with a slight curling of her snout, holding gazes with the Norn. For a moment they seemed frozen in time, staring and unmoving. Elovar came to a stop just off to one side, his eyes going wide at the looks on their faces. Amber gold Charr eyes locked onto ice blue Norn, both of them full of tension and unbending pride. Elovar started to raise a hand, but stopped before reaching out to Juxeena's arm, not certain that he wanted to get that close to the current situation.

"My apologies. Have my maintenance efforts perturbed your pursuit of placidity?"

Elovar hadn't noticed that the metal banging had stopped, and judging by how Juxeena and Vayla were still staring each other down, neither of them would have noticed if the mountain started coming down around their ears. Elovar slowly pulled his eyes away from the standoff in front of him, and looked over to where Rachit now stood atop his work table, leaning on the leather mallet with one clawed foot still bracing against the golem. Elovar tried to put on a pleasant smile, as he stepped past the two women with only a momentary sideways glance, and gave friendly but dismissive wave to Rachit.

"Oh, we weren't sleeping or anything. Just talking. I think that maybe the sudden noise just startled us is all. Isn't that right? Juxeena?"

Elovar looked back over his shoulder, the smile on his face now there purely by force, and tried to will Juxeena to back down for a change. To her credit, Juxeena did relax slightly, but she made no move to back off. Instead, she finally broke her gaze from Vayla's, and turned to look over the Charr's head to stare at Rachit. Vayla took the opportunity to defuse the moment further, and took a half step back, but still kept herself between Juxeena and Rachit. With a last glance towards Elovar, who was beginning to look relieved, Juxeena gave a grump and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes. It was very startling. And very likely alerted everything within a mile of here as to where we are. So tell me. Are you intentionally trying get us killed? Or are you just stupid?"

Rachit stood flabbergasted, his jaw involuntarily dropping open. The mallet, now forgotten, toppled over and off of the table to land in the dirt with a dull thud. Juxeena's insult would have been enough to set most reasonable people off in certain situations, but to an Asura, an insult towards one's intelligence was the pinnacle of insults in a culture that prided itself on being creative with verbal warfare. Rachit took two steps forward, coming to stand at the end of the tabletop, his clawed toes just hanging of the wooden edge, and pointed an equally clawed finger at the Norn women who still stood a full body length higher than he was now.

"Now you listen to me, you skritt-sack sniffing bookah. I was constructing my first semi-autonomous golem before you had learned to control your bodily functions." Rachit's voice had dropped to a low hissing growl, and his speech seemed to punctuate the rows of sharp teeth that filled his small mouth. As he continued to speak, his hands curled into fists and his eyes narrowed nearly to slits, as his ire built towards anger. "And! And! I was experimenting with gravitational nullification fields while you were still playing in the dirt. The simplest Asuran infant would outperform your primitive cognitive processes!"

"You little dung heaper!" Juxeena reared back a fist and rushed at Rachit, her face reddened by a mixture of anger and outrage. She had gone barely a single stride though, when she suddenly came up short and found herself falling backwards with the breath gone from her chest. Her rump hit the ground hard, and though she slid another pace, her quick reactions managed to get her hands under her to keep from rolling over backwards. Looking up, Juxeena saw Vayla squaring off with her. The Charr's arms were raised and ready, her tail hanging still behind her, and she growled loudly as her snout pulled back in a vicious looking snarl. Juxeena began quickly pushing to her feet, but Elovar was there before she could take a run at the Charr. He grabbed at her wrist and braced his other hand on her stomach.

"Jux, stop! He's just being Asura, you know that. Let it go."

Juxeena tightened her hands into fists the size of cannon shot, and looked down at Elovar, but only so that as she prepared to push him aside, she could be certain that she wasn't about to push him into something too hard. She was angry, and she was ready to take a swing at Vayla. Several swings preferably. But she wasn't about to hurt Elovar to do so. Before Juxeena could act though, the small camp site filled with the sound of choked laughter. Juxeena looked around for the source of the mocking sound until, from the corner of her eye, she noticed Elovar glancing upward. Doing likewise, she spotted Chadok perched in the branches of the largest tree in the copse. She watched as the large Charr dropped to the ground, landing with more grace and less sound than she would have thought possible for someone of his size and bulk. Chadok stepped up to Vayla, whose look only worsened as her ears lay flat against her neck, and her eyes narrowed as she looked up at Chadok. He was chuckling to himself as he scratched a spot of white fur just under his jaw.

"And here I thought that you were waiting for me to throw the first punch. Guess you got tired of waiting, huh?" Chadok turned his head just enough for him to look Juxeena up and down quite conspicuously. "Not that I could blame you. Though had it been up for wagering, my coin would have been on the Norn."

Vayla glared at Chadok as if she hoped to bore through him with her eyes alone. Her growl had ceased, and her snarl lessened, but it was still obvious to everyone that there was no love lost between the two Charr.

"Weren't you supposed to be checking our perimeter or some such? Or did something small and fluffy scare you up that tree before you could finish?"

Chadok only smiled menacingly as he turned his back on Vayla and walked over to where his gear and blankets lay wrapped next to a tree. He fished more food from one of the small pockets on his pack, and sat down to eat whatever it was. The previous tension now broken, Vayla turned to give Juxeena a last warning glare, before walking around behind Rachit's tent, where she leapt up on a small boulder and sat down, presumably to keep watch, her attention immediately directed everywhere but the immediate area of Rachit's tent. Juxeena watched her go, and though the anger that heated her blood was quickly diminishing, she still felt like giving the big cat a solid smack, just for good measure. Instead, she pulled herself easily out of Elovar's grasp before stomping back to her own blankets. Elovar simply stood there and watched everyone leave. Once it was apparent that the situation was well and truly past, he allowed himself a deep and relieved sigh. Shaking his head to himself, he looked from Juxeena to Vayla. He had never seen Juxeena this tense or terse with anyone before. If anything, Elovar had been expecting any trouble to have been between the two Charr and himself. The conflict between Human and Charr was beginning to show signs of wearing out, but the fighting and skirmishes had raged on for over century. For Humans and Charr to be fighting almost seemed the natural order of things to many in Kryta. In recent years though, the raids and open battles had begun drastically decreasing, and there were even rumors that a possible truce was on the horizon. But even if peace were to be declared tomorrow, Elovar would still be just as nervous sharing a camp with two Charr. Especially with one such as Chadok.