Tour of Duties

It had been one week since the group entered the city of Sava. The days of planning, getting supplies, and maintaining equipment finally came to a close. They joined up in the living room of the house. They gathered their things and set out towards the plains that stretched beyond the city walls.

The group left to meet up with the army a fair distance away from the walls. The legion had camped in a field. As they reached the edge of the fort, a patrolling soldier came over to investigate what they were doing. Lina explained the situation. The patrolman verified their identities and led them to a large tent that held the head of this army group.

The group passed by the guards to enter the tent. The tent interior held various maps and figurines, a single man in gold-embroidered armor scrawled over a map. The man and his two companions raised their heads to face them.

"Who the hell are you?" the golden figure asked.

"Lina Bonnet, sir, we were commissioned by senator Fenix to accompany you on this campaign," she produced a letter from her outfit and held it out.

One of the men flanking the man approached Lina and snatched the letter from her grasp. The legate narrowed his eyes as he read the note. He handed the paper back to Lina, "Take these to Tagmatarch Clemens." He signaled to the patrolman who accompanied them in, "And try not to bother me with such trivialities next time."

The soldier gave a brisk salute and uttered an apology as he gestured for them to follow. He led them out of the structure and directed them back into the maze of tents that made up the encampment.

"Clemens is in command of the pact troops," he led them around the labyrinth of a camp until they reached another tent that rose beyond the others like the structures around the plaza of Sava. Upon entry, a lone man greeted them. He was skimming over some documents while lazing back in a chair. Their escort waved. Clemens jerked up and speed-walked over to the soldier. Getting handed the letter, he took a gander at the group and the letter. Clemens took a few seconds to read the message, then walked up to shake Lina's hand.

"Good to see you. I'm Clemens, commander of the ninth Cohort."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Lina replied.

Clemens cleared his throat, "One of my juniors will ensure your travel goes smoothly. Allow me to show you their section of the castrum; they can get you situated."

Clemens took them further into the labyrinth of a campsite. They passed an array of camps that contained men wearing distinct uniforms. Some men wore brigandines and carried long pikes, and another section of tents held warriors that carried rectangular shields and lamellar armor of hides. Both groups had symbols emblazoned on their dresses and flags that didn't match the images seen elsewhere in the installation. They stopped.

"This is the group," Clemens said as he led them further into the section. "Wait here."

They stood idling in a clearing where a sizable group of men were milling about; interestingly, these soldiers wore the same equipment as most of the other soldiers they had seen around the fort. Derik concluded that these were Palatine soldiers as compared to the other groups they had passed previously. They began to get sidelong glances from the passing soldiers as they fidgeted in the center of the area. Fortunately, a man arrived to relieve them. He didn't have a plume or special armor, but the protection that ran down his extremities and the colored cloth he wore indicated someone of at least minor significance.

"I'm Ypolochagos Wiglaf, and I'll be overseeing your stay here. Clemens had to leave to ensure the leaders of the pact troops know when to move out so, I'll be taking over your briefing." The four men behind him lifted their chins. "You'll be joining these four fine lads; they will assist you with your campsite and anything else. It said in your contract that you are to guard the inquisitor general as we make our way to the Baliskar capital. Just meet up with him when he arrives, can't miss him; he should know someone is waiting for him." He took a slight bow, "I have to attend to my other duties. Notify one of the men I assigned if you have any questions, they know how to contact me."

One of the members of the group stepped forward. He had broad shoulders and gave a salute.

"I'm Qaternion Tigris." He indicated towards the other men, "These are my men." He went down the line introducing each soldier. Magnus was the first to be introduced, big and well-built; he was a good candidate for military service. Marcus was the next to be presented and was plainly the youngest of the group. He gave a friendly greeting. Cassius was the last to be introduced and had a more slender figure, the traditional muscularity of draftees accustomed to manual labor.

The two groups attempted to get to know each other better, but the moment was interrupted by a commotion outside. They peaked their head out of their segment. A man paced down the rows of tents, periodically glancing at a piece of paper as he traveled. He wore a black hood and priestly robes adorned with various sections of gleaming silver armor; a waving blade peeked above the top of the scabbard strapped to his hip.

A robed woman jerked behind him, pulled along by a string of chains. A priestess of some kind, she observed her surroundings with a calm stare.

Tessier jabbed Derik with her elbow. "Av felt that one before."

Tigris waved the man over. He eventually came to a stop in front of them. "Are you the ones tasked with guarding me?"

Tigris gave the man a salute, "Yes sir, we have orders to accompany a Luis Utrecht."

The man nodded in acknowledgment of Tigris and slouched past, entering a tent at the far end of our section. No sooner than the man lifted the flap of the tent, the sharp cry of a horn barreled its way across the camp.

"It's time to pack up! Looks like we are moving out," Tigris alerted the group. The other three soldiers began to collect equipment as Tigris made his way over to inform Utrecht of their departure. The inquisitor stepped back out into the campsite rubbing the nape of his neck.

"I guess we should get ready to move," Lina ordered.