Zaria Taking Charge

As Ivar led the group away from the public, Zaria became uneasy, knowing it was likely because he planned on using some sort of magic to communicate with the group. The tension of the group was tangible as they walked through the outskirts of town.

After what seemed like an hour, they stopped walking. Almost half the group was many paces behind. Oh, this should be fun. Being out in the wilderness with these people who have probably never walked further than the baker's shop.... 

Once the rest of the group caught up, things became more tense as Ivar prepared to use magic. Some of the group member were obviously very unfamiliar with magical practices, but Zaria knew them all too well. She braced herself for the worst. Thankfully, Ivar's spell didn't do any physical harms, but the image of him and his pet was enough to give a person nightmares for a week. Perhaps that was the point, he wanted people to take him seriously and left a lasting impression on their minds.

Zaria was a little caught off guard when he called her by name. She tried to hide her pride as she felt as though that action had placed her above the rest of the group. She felt like he had essentially made her second in command. She only relished the thought for a moment before taking action.

"Alright, troops. I'm not going to waste any time. If you feel you'd be better suited with another group speak up now. Once the order for armor is placed there will be no turning back. If you're up to the challenge, I want you to make a line to my right so I can take down your preferences in an orderly manner." She wasn't too surprised when about 4 people left the group outright, wishing them all luck (quite sarcastically) as they departed laughing. A few others wavered before joining the line and deciding that leaving the city at any rate was better than staying.

When Zaria had finished taking down everyone's preferences she turned to the group once again, "I appreciate your courage. This will be daunting to say the least, but if we work together as a group we will succeed. Before I head out, I want to give you all one last chance to change your mind." She paused for a moment, and looked each member in the eyes. A few looked hesitant, but all remained in attention. "Alright then. You, what's your name?" She pointed to the man who Ivar had ordered to get a cart.

"Solryn Dalnik, m'lady." The stout man nearly bowed as he removed his cap and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Solryn, come with me. I'll need your help. The rest of you, gather any other supplies we may have missed from the sergeant's list. Ivar expects us back at the north gate in one hour. We've no time to lose. Oh, and don't call me 'm'lady.' Zaria is just fine."

Zaria and the stout man made their way through the town until they came across an old abandoned warehouse. "I don't recall the purpose of this warehouse," she told him, "but it's been abandoned for as long as I can remember. Something to do with Lexians or magic I'd assume." She looked around cautiously, to insure they were not being watched, then began to break through the barricades on the entryway.

"My...uh...Zar...are you sure this is...uh..." He stuttered, clearly this was not a man who took any risks in his life.

"Look, Sol, we're already second class citizens here. Do you really think breaking into an abandoned warehouse and stealing a cart is really going to change our well being?"

He didn't have an answer, but was still hesitant to follow. Eventually he did, though very cautiously. Once they had secured a couple of carts, they stealthily made their way to the black smith's where they passed along the information of necessary equipment. Thankfully this mission would be compensated for by the city's tax money, otherwise the armor would have not been worth the trouble. Even still, most of the armor and weapons that were given to the pair were made from scrap material or previously owned with the intention of being melted down into something new.

Zaria was not well pleased with the weapons and armor that they were given, but considering the time constraint, it was better than nothing. Certainly better than anything the other groups would have unless the members were frequent scouts (which some were). Zaria knew Ivar would not be pleased with the armor, but time was of the essence and the pair was nearly late for their rendezvous with the rest of their group.

It was nearly dark by the time they arrived at the north gate. The group looked pretty pathetic, and alarmingly small. Ivar was noticeably irritated at their tardiness