Act I
Chapter 1
Two Monsters

"Riege!" A charr with two long, curved horns called out.
"What is it, Sir?" She retaliated to her scout.
"Get your tail over here and stay low!" Kalc Baneshot returned his a throaty growl, crouching in a thick patch of shrubbery. Riege skulked her way over, her black leather armor flexing as she moved.
"Look. Black metal." Kalc thrust a claw into the gully. Ever so slightly, black metal shimmered in the forest rays of dawn. A smile pressed its way onto Riege's muzzle, and she retreated from the shrubbery. Kalc turned his head to his sister-in-arms and blinked his one white eye. "Think it's Vanguard?"He asked, his own smile betraying his question.
"I know it's Vanguard. Damn humans." Riege began to move into the forest, her dewclaws softly padding upon the fallen leaves. "I'll wake the warband," she called back to him. He offered her a nod as he returned his one good eye to watching. It was still one of his talents, even if he only had one eye left.
Riege began to briskly move through the autumn woods, her long legs silently thundering upon the earth. Her fur was the same color of the grass of her homeland, the hue of flame-colored rust. That fur was rather fine for a Blood Legion soldier, and her four horns were short and curved. Among her own people, the Charr, Riege was considered to be somewhat elegant.
Humans, however, would always see her as a monster. A mangy animal, standing seven feet off the ground, a maw sharp enough to rend the flesh of any human and a musculature to rip them apart. A Charr... an aggressor... But she wanted them to think that. It only meant they were all the more scared when Blood Legion tore into their front lines.
Riege's run slowed as she approached the camp of her warband, growling.
"Wake up, cubs! This isn't time for your fahrar naps! Ebon Vanguard are on the move," she shouted to her brothers and sisters, kicking earth onto the embers of the fire pit. The tents stirred and within moments produced a dozen charr warriors, clad in the same black combat leathers Riege wore. They sheathed and checked swords, axes, shields, and bows. The Bane Warband was ready at a moment's notice.
"Vanguard? I thought we were chasing that gladium," One warrior called out, his thick black mane falling in cascades over his face.
"Doesn't matter! I'll take a good fight with some humans over chasing an exile." Another soldier with horns like a bull and a braided mane interjected. She brandished her massive greatsword.
"That gladium has priceless strategic information!" The first warrior stamped his dewclaws on the ground. "Unless you'd risk the mission for some scrap with humans, Kalla!"
Kalla Baneblade growled, slamming the tip of her gigantic weapon into the hard earth. She snapped, "Shut up, Howl! The gladium is an Ash Legion defector and a Flame Legion reject! He's probably dead in some Vanguard or ogre's trap!"
Riege gritted her fangs and cut the air with a slash of her hand. Before Howl Banetail could make a response, she roared, "Enough! I am second in command, and make the decisions! Save your anger for the humans." Riege looked about. Howl grunted in affirmation and Kalla growled through her teeth. An edged look from her superior officer made Kalla fall in.
"Yes, boss!" Kalla echoed dutifully as she sheathed her weapon.
"Good. We all have fought humans before, and we know that Vanguard this far away from Ebonhawke are up to no good. Let's get closer before we engage. Rigg," Riege called, looking to a soldier with a broken horn.
"Yes, sir?" Rigg Baneblood saluted his superior.
"Take the warband down by the stream, I'll check back with Kalc. Wait for the standard signals before taking action," Riege spoke as she looked towards Kalla, which was too busy glaring at Howl to notice.
"Yes, sir!" Rigg waved his arm and began to tread towards the edge of the forest, the Bane Warband following him. Riege turned around and began to make her way back to Kalc. She felt Kalla's gaze on her back. She would be trouble, that one.
Kalc still lay in the shrubbery, unmoving. A large and exquisite rifle lay at his side, fully loaded. He merely held up a hand for silence and Riege complied. She set herself beside the corn-gold fur of her commander. Legionnaire Kalc Baneshot whispered to Riege, his muzzle barely moving.
"Looks to be only a small squad. Traveling light, but they're too far from Ebonhawke for anything trivial..." Kalc stared at something far in the distance for a moment before turning his good eye to Riege. "The Warband...?"
"Rigg is taking them to an ambush point by the northern stream. They're awaiting the horn," Riege spoke swiftly to her commander. She paused. "Sir..."
Kalc blinked. "What is it?" He asked, intrigued. Riege hardly gave much thought in the field to things other than combat. She was an invaluable right hand.
"Could they be after our quarry?" Riege asked, her green eyes unwavering. The question almost caught Kalc by surprise.
"Could be. They certainly appear equipped to track a lone and desperate charr through the mountains..." Kalc spoke dismissively as he looked back out of his perch. Riege almost opened her mouth again, but she sensed orders were coming.
"Regardless," Kalc spoke again, "Ebon Vanguard are rough for any charr they cross. If we take them out it's one less obstacle and one less squad reporting. On my signal," He spoke as he drew a hollowed-out warhorn from his belt.
Riege nodded and left silently to return to her warband. About half the way to the ambush point, a booming call ripped through the air. A cacophony of leaves and birds echoed the warhorn... The signal to attack had been given.

It was a very dull and boring day in the woods for Elanor Fox, but that was all about to change in a moment's notice.

Elanor yawned as she walked behind the silent march of Ebon Vanguard. This trek was almost fascinatingly dull. She had never before travelled with the men in black armor, and she had decided then that she never wanted to again... She tried walking beside Antoni, but he gave no response. She tried whispering to Benson, but he waved her for silence.
She let out an extremely quiet sigh, any louder and perhaps Mac would turn around and cuff her. By Balthazar, this trip was boring. The Ebon Vanguard were so mind-numbingly intense, so boringly focused... This trek was not at all what Elanor thought it would be like. The daily march was colder than the nights by the fire and the rations tasted far more interesting than any of the personalities surrounding her.
She never should've volunteered for this operation. But how could she have known? Going on a dangerous mission with a squad of the Ebon Vanguard, deep into charr territory... It sounded romantic.
"This isn't some game, woman!" Jonathan had shouted at her, quietly, nights earlier. "Our lives are in danger every second we spend in charr lands."
"Aw, but that's what makes it fun!" Elanor said with a wink, clutching her canteen.
"If we all die out here, the mission is a failure, we have to be cautious," Hinter had scolded her, snatching her canteen.
"Hey!" Elanor shouted a bit too loudly, "Give that back!"
"...And no more drinking!" Hinter gave a brief sniff before capping the canteen. "Strong stuff..." He remarked emptily.
And there was Elanor. Traveling with a paranoid bunch of soldiers, on some secret mission only three out of the handful of soldiers knew about, and she was out of her one last source of fun. Her brain was slowly ticking to a halt out of the sheer lack of interest. Her feet mechanically marched on the soft ground. At least if she was able to march in the stream the cold water would give her something to complain about. Dwayna, Balthazar, Melandru, Lyssa, Grenth, Kormir... By the Six Gods this was boring!
Just at that moment, the rounded call of a charr warhorn bludgeoned through the monotony and Elanor's face lit up like sunrise. An overeager smile raced across her face and she wrapped her hands tightly around her walking stick. The Ebon Vanguard immediately drew their weapons of choice, blades and bows slid from their covers, silent as death. There was utter quiet. The air was still, but palpable with tensity. The only sound was the slow clatter of the stream...

Riege sprinted through the soft ground and moss, she tried to make it to the ambush point in time. She knew her warband. She knew humans. The Vanguard would spring their trap any second now, and they would do so without her... That could be a fatal mistake. She had to get to them in time. She had to make it.

The Ebon Vanguard lay still in their cover beside the stream. Their eyes frantically searched for their attackers in all directions. Weston shot a look of confusion to Antoni. Elise trained her bow on shadows, searching for the enemy. Elanor mere crouched amidst them, a grin plastered to her face.
"Where are they!" Elise raged in a hushed voice, her eyes flicked across the terrain beneath her helmet.

Lieutenant Bernard was a somewhat interesting officer. It was only now that he spoke for the first time all mission. His voice came out ragged and worn, "Elise, calm down. We have to be ready with clear heads. This is just part of the mind games charr play." Bernard was more boring than Elanor could've ever imagined.

Rigg Baneblood tapped his dewclaws impatiently behind a large collection of boulders on the other side of the stream. They had the high ground, but he refused to charge without Riege.
"What's taking so long?" Kalla growled softly.
"Would you shut it already, cub?" Haggaz Banesoul shoved Kalla, their metal pauldrons clinking...

An arrow whistled through the air, thrusting itself into a tree above some rocks.

"Elise!" Mac looked to the jumpy woman who's bow had fired the arrow.
"Sorry, I thought I heard something..." She replied, reaching into her quiver...

"Archer... Cover's blown now! Charge!" Gryx Banetongue shouted as he vaulted over the rocks, falling into the stream.
"CHARGE!" Kalla Baneblade echoed, drawing her gargantuan blade. Another soldier echoed the word until the entire warband was leaping out of position. Rigg merely sat behind the boulders, fury bubbling through his veins.
"Dead Gods..." Rigg muttered, "Not without Riege!"

Riege heard the roar of her warband attacking. Her eyes widened and her ears dropped. She clenched her fangs, and began sprinting faster, pushing herself. "Not yet you idiots! You'll get yourselves killed!"

Elise was in the middle of knocking another arrow when she jumped, the roar of charr scaring her.
Mac whipped his head around, his helmet clattering against his black, spiked armor.
Benson drew a pistol from his belt as he saw a gigantic charr in black combat leather drop from a rocky ledge.
Jonathan clutched a warhammer close to his chest, muttering a prayer to Balthazar for strength.
Bernard merely watched, his shield loosely on one arm and a sword still in its scabbard.

The other Ebon Vanguard prepared.

Elanor merely smiled.