Everything had moved so fast, Fenna was still unsure how she felt about the situation. Back out in the Ironspine Woods on the Byway, with Friya, but also Fredwick and Tuli, they had spent the last day and night out in the wilderness, following the Byway. Now near the area of the previous attack, based on Gareth's rough description of both the terrain and the distance they'd been from Spruce Point. Normally Fenna would not be concerned or have any confusion about such a search. Herself and Friya were capable combatants, able to hold their own, she trusted in their ability, and in the strength of Wvota, her trusty steed. But these other two, whilst she could not deny the wisdom of having a doctor with them out in the wilds, nor did she lack respect for the gnome's commitment to 'making right the wrong she had done', Fenna simply felt uncomfortable having such folk with them out here. It was one thing to have to defend herself, it was another to have a traveling medicine woman and a bloody musician to worry about. But Friya had insisted, and thusly here they were. Fenna found herself feeling her mood rise as she thought of Friya, a warmness within that she'd never fully understood. It was always confusing and fleeting, something tickling her that would put a small smile on her face and flutter in her chest. It happened now again as Fenna urged Wvota up alongside her dearest friend.

       Friya was deep in focus as she moved about the edge of the road, and the soft Topaz glow in her eyes and about her was enough to know she was trying to utilize her own sensitivity to magick and the arcane, hoping to detect the disruption within the Aether that would have been left from any sort of Voidstone exposure. They were unsure if the goblins had utilized Void-dust in any previous attack of course, Gareth did not know or remember, or so he had claimed. Fenna believed him, but she'd always been better at reading people than Friya. "Any luck, Friya, m'love? Or should we keep movin' up the road?" Fenna inquired as Wvota moved up alongside the woman.

      Friya sighed, and shrugged. "Ach, honestly I'm nae sure. There be more Lobhadh than I'd normally expect, 'owever we properly in autumn nae, an' the first snows will be on us afore we knows it. That excess o' entropy could be perfectly normal. I nary sense anythin' like void scarrin' though, an' if'n they used the stuff on arrows like when we was attacked, an' got one o' the horses like that bastard Gareth claims, I'd expect ta at least find scarrin' on the road like was left behind from the attack on us."

      Fredwick and Tuli strode over to join the pair, Fredwick pulling his woolen jacket more tightly over his body, clearly noting the chill in the air. "No signs by the edges of the road here that we could find suggesting any wagons were hauled off of it." he informed the pair. Should we keep moving a little further up the road now? This whole stretch goes around hills for what was it almost half a mile? Perhaps its a little further up the road where Gareth was remembering. If the man was being honest of course."

       Fenna glanced at Friya, whom shrugged, but tipped her head in agreement. "Aye." The dwarf replied, "Seems like we needs ta move our search a wee bit further up t'e road." Nudging Wvota into motion, the dwarf took up the lead, keeping her wits well about here Tuli and Fredwick fell in behind, with Friya keeping the rear-guard. They traveled for a few minutes in relative silence, following the Byway as it wound slowly around a large hillier portion of the woodlands. As they rounded the horn of the Byway, where the curve got the sharpest before gradually leveling back out to re-establish the road's intended direction, Friya felt some rippling, that discordant cracking like glass, as if the Aether were cracked and damaged. In that same moment Fenna halted, pulling up on the reins of Wvota, the boar snorting and pawing the gravel, clearly nervous.

      Fenna understood the boar's nerves, halting everyone with a raised fist. Some two hundred feet ahead of them, in the middle of the roadway feeding on what looked to be an elk or moose corpse was a massive grizzly bear. A boar, that is to say a male, she had to guess based on its size and muscle. Given it was early autumn, it would likely be very aggressive, packing on weight for its upcoming hibernation. However something about the creature was off, she couldn't be sure what. Its coat looked wrong, seeming...clumped, with a sheen to parts of it. The creature was also massive, she'd have to guess easily well over a thousand pounds, and whilst not unheard of, that would make it the largest such beast and likely old, but no visible silvering of its fur was present. "Friya, get up 'ere." Fenna hissed as loud as she dared, and motioned for Tuli and Fredwick to keep back a little. "But quiet as ye can, by Kartheart's spear."

      Friya moved up alongside Wvota quietly as she could, letting her Aether sight take over and as the bear came into sight, she choked back any audible reaction. The creature was exuding colors without name and description in the Aether, and she could see the taint, the corruption worming all about its aura. "That is nae ordinary bear!" She hissed at Fenna. As she whispered, as poor luck would have it, the wind shifted, a breeze running up the road from behind the group. Right to the bear, which snorted aggressively, pivoting swiftly as it caught their scent on the breeze.

      Fenna and Friya both swore at the sight, even as Fredwick and Tuli cried out, Tuli's voice, high and shrill, the loudest. "Oh by all the Ascended that poor creature!" The massive bear had fur giving way to fused bony protrusions along its shoulders, having lost the coat on its shoulders and upper front legs, a horrifying image. A third eye of black and gold protruded bloodily from its skull at the center of its forehead on a small flexible stalk of tissue and bone, its skull misshapen, its jaws spilt vertically down the middle, not unlike the mandibles of an insect, with serrated teeth like protrusions having grown along both sides of the slit. Its maw dripped some sort of saliva that hissed and bubbled when it hit the ground. The creature let out a horrific sound, a bear like grunting roar, but with a higher pitch sound behind it, like metal scraping against metal.

      Friya and Fenna both sprung into action, knowing what was coming, Fenna urging Wvota forward whilst Friya moved to follow the road's edge, letting manna wash through her, chanting in Terran, the gravely language of the earth. The creature bellowed once more, and began running aggressively towards the group. "Ready yerselves for a fight or stay out of the way!" Fenna bellowed, "t'at beast means ta kill us!"

      Fenna dismounted, leaving her hammer strapped to the side of Wvota's saddle. Normally she'd want to be mounted in a fight, but with Fredwick and Tuli behind them, she decided it best to present a wider barrier of targets for the beast to get through or around. She drew her sword keeping her shield well positioned and locked, presenting the barrier strongly for the coming onslaught. The beast rushed forward with surprising speed, bellowing with its nightmarishly mutated mouth, launching itself into their midst. It attempted to bite and tear at Wvota first, trying to get a solid grip on the large boar, but Wvota was having none of this, squealing with fury, shaking and stomping as she pulled away again and again, flying into a furious rage herself. The ground below the bear-beast fractured, heaved and cracked violently as Friya sent a tremor through its approach, the force sending bits of gravel and earth digging into its flesh, but the beast managed to keep its footing. She moved in flanking it on the right, her hand-axe coming to grip.

      Tuli fell back rapidly, firing her pistol towards the charging creature, though in her panic she must have missed. Fredwick's first shot with his pistol crossbow had a little more luck, grazing the creature's shoulder and drawing blood, but did not seem to slow it in the slightest. Its bellowing was horrifying, seeming to be an assault all its own, Fredwick finding himself feeling a rising panic, boiling and bubbling within him, almost paralyzing him. Tuli rushed over to him, noticing his pallor, the color fleeing his face, and pressed a small vial of some sort of orangey-gold liquid into his hands. "Drink it, it will help!" she told him, before heading further back, towards a large tree. Fredwick did as he was bid, quaffing the liquid, and he felt a surge of something through him, as his body loosened, the fear fading from deep in his mind.

     The beast was on the offensive, seeming unbothered by the tusks and blades of its opposition. Many blows failed to even penetrate its hide. Friya and Fenna's shields, along with Wvota's bulk were holding it back, but they weren't capable of avoiding injury forever. The strange eye stalk seemed a threat as well, Fredwick noticed that whomever it's gaze landed upon of the three of them, seemed to struggle to move briefly, their body seeming as if dragging through mud or sludge. Taking a deep breath, he took aim, whispering to himself, trying to psyche himself up. "A simple task, no different than a straw target, don't overthink, just do." He compressed the trigger mechanism of his little crossbow, and the bolt sailed through the air. It sailed true and the bolt pierced through the disturbing extra eye, destroying it, leaving it dangling useless, the bolt entrapped within it.

      This sent the creature into a fury and rage, lashing out again and again with its might paws, trying to knock down some of its assailants so that it could get a proper grip on one of them and maul them, one would presume. Such was what bears were known for, and though this thing was a mutant, it seemed to wish to wield its bulk similarly. Wvota, in her full fury, lunged forward in spite of this, goring the beast viciously in the upper thigh of its right foreleg with one of her tusks, squealing and snorting with ferocity to match the nightmarish creature. Fenna pushed herself, focusing on her faith and fervor, drawing upon that well of power deep within her, the protective aura of her presences extending outwards, embracing her companions, offering them some protection. This silvery energy was perfectly timed, as a mighty swipe of the bear-beast's claws snuck by Friya's own shield, and would have likely ripped open her torso. Instead it merely bruised her and nearly knocked her from her feet, the impact dulled heavily by this holy protective aura, and she pressed regardless, leaning into the stumble, sticking the monster with her targe spike. Using that to steady herself, as it roared in rage and pain, she hammered the hand-axe into its right flank, cleaving a vicious wound. Friya was quick to pull back, noting the beast's sudden pivot as it reared up, both front paws one after the other swatting towards her and Fenna.

      Friya reacted sheerly on instinct in that moment, unconcerned with her own safety, drawing in manna and weaving a protective spell upon her dear Fenna. Bits of soil and gravel rose from the ground all around the dwarf, swirling and sticking to her, forming a protective barrier of sorts, slowing and deflecting the blow just enough to allow her to deflect the mighty swipe with her shield, though the impact stung her arm and had her stumbling back a few steps to keep her footing. Friya felt the cool embrace of wind and rain, and realized that Fenna had reacted as she had, calling upon a shield blessing for her instead of for herself, and though the bear's forearm struck a mighty blow, near sending Friya to the ground, it was merely a bruising impact, again much of the force absorbed by the protective divine force gifted to her from her templar companion.

      As the monster reared up, Wvota did not hesitate, snarling with excitement, clearly sensing victory, and lunged forward, her mighty neck muscles pushing her snout and those deadly tusks upwards and forwards. Catching the beast's soft underbelly, sinking all the way in, Wvota's momentum and strength saw her push the creature up and past the point of rearing, having it topple over backwards, as the boar viciously pulled and twisted her head side to side, ripping and tearing the initial puncture wounds into brutal channels of gore along its underbelly. Fenna managed to seize the opportunity as well, stepping back into the fight despite the sweeping soreness swallowing her body, burying her sword halfway up to the hilt between two ribs. She felt the creature's chest heave once, shuddering mightily, before its whole body twitched, its muscles slacking off. She smartly pulled away, able to extract her blade before the creature toppled all the way over, falling to the ground with a notable thump, unmoving. Friya blinked, breathing deeply, the topaz glow in her eyes still bright, and in dwarven she spoke to Fenna. "Is it dead?"

      Fenna stepped back in, and stabbed the creature three more times in quick succession. It did not respond, the body did not react in any way, and she let out a pained and relieved sigh. "Aye, its dead." she replied to Friya. "We're safe nae." Fenna wiped her blade on a patch of the creature's hide that was not blood drenched, before sheathing it. She leaned heavily on Wvota as the boar moved up beside her, scanning her trust mount's body for injuries, though was pleased to see there was naught but a few scratches and minor puncture wounds, the beast never getting a solid grip or control on the Iron-tusk.

      Friya let the manna flee her body, closing that access, walling herself off once again, and hooked her hand-axe back on her belt, before letting herself sort of collapse, ending up in a sitting position, leaned back, her legs extended. "Ach, feels like I got kicked by an anger mule o'er an' o'er. I needs a moment ta get me wind back. Even wit' yer protection m'love, t'at thing did a number." 

       Fenna voiced no opposition to Friya's observation, and expressed a similar sentiment and gratitude with a soft smile as he got herself back in Wvota's saddle. Tuli and Fredwick joined the pair around the corpse, with Tuli immediately moving towards Friya with concern on her face. "Are you hurt, are you cut at all?" she asked, moving to the mage's side, inspecting her as best she could.

      Friya shook her head, shrugging off Tuli's concerns and pushed herself back to her feet. "Ach nae lass, I'm alright, a wee bit banged up, but nae blood, nothin' broken. Let's save yer medicinals in case we really needs 'em."

      Fredwick whistled, the halfman taking in the spectacle of the strange bear creature more fully and up close. "What in the blazes is this creature anyway?" he inquired. "It looks a lot like a bear, but clearly it isn't, it can't be right?"

      Friya chuckled, as she stretched a little, trying to loosen up her sore and bruised muscles a bit. "Aye well, yer eyes be sound Fredwick. Was a bear, at some point, but seems pretty clear t'at the beast was exposed, likely by ingestin' it, ta Void-dust. T'at also means if'n we can backtrack it, we likely can find either one o' t'e missin' wagons, or at least remains o' some other goblin raiders. Either way, a useful clue, 'opefully, is what this beastie goin' ta prove ta be."

      Following the bear's trail proved simple enough, the creature left noticeable tracks and had not been concerned with being stealthy it would seem, having been just plodding and plowing its way through the forest. They ate some dried rations on the move, as they had the day before for a mid-day meal, choosing to value continued progress over a warm mid-day meal. The Iron-Spine woods were beautiful and peaceful, but could be very dangerous, and Fenna in particular was not a fan of the more restricted nature of a thick conifer forest, given Wvota's bulk. The boar moved well through it, but it still felt uncomfortably restrictive.

      More hours passed, with daylight fleeing. They'd need to find a place to camp in another hour or two. Friya glanced back over her shoulder, feeling a warmth in her even as she noted the mild frustration on Fenna's face as he worked to help guide Wvota. The dwarf had been cursing the thick woodlands on and off all day, which whilst amusing was not unexpected. The magister shook her head, like trying to clear cobwebs, confused to her own response to looking at her dear friend. An excitement, a sudden surge of emotions that didn't really fit or make sense, things beyond the normal feelings of friendship and love for a trusted companion. She heard someone having a chuckle to her left and glanced over and down to see Fredwick doing his best to match pace with her. The woods were thick and you had to move more carefully in the Iron-spine, so even with his shorter legs, he could match pace with her. "That's very interesting, your facial expressions are saying a lot. So are you two, you know...involved?" he asked her with a wry grin.

      Friya was taken aback at that question, and shook her head. "What ye on 'bout? Nae, nothin' o' the sort, I'm a Magister an' she's a Templar, the complications o' such a thing, 'ow would that even work?! Nae ta mention she's ol' 'nough ta be me great grandmother, an' on top o' that I've known her since I was a wee lass of nae only five or six years." Even as she denied it, she felt her cheeks flush, and this only heightened her confusion. Every point made was valid, and true. Fenna was more like a big sister or mother yet in even thinking those things, Friya found her brain recoiling at the idea. She shook her head again, trying to find some clarity. "'Sides 'ow is that any o' yer business?!" she asked Fredwick gruffly, perhaps a bit more gruffly than intended.

      Fredwick giggled then, clapping his hands together. "Oh how truly adorable and scandalous. It isn't any of my business, but the way you two interact there is clearly something besides friendship there. You care for each other very much, but its more than that. I've caught some of the glances you give each other. But you're telling me there isn't any romantic involvement. Nor would you desire any. That is most interesting. Oh and by the way, the age thing is kind of relative and irrelevant in this circumstance isn't it?" Fredwick inquired with a smirk. "After all, you are in your what, mid twenties? She's around a century, maybe a century and a quarter? Given the comparisons of both your expected life spans based on being a human and a dwarf, your both about the same relative age. So that argument seems like its faulty based on the available data. However clearly I've touched a nerve, I'll let the topic alone."

      Friya shook her head, at a loss for the little halfman's audacity. "That's well appreciated, I need to focus." she told him shortly, turning all her attention back to the trail she was following, and her Aethyr Sight and sensitivities. She could feel something, it had been becoming stronger, slowly, over the last hour or so. They were moving down a slope and she could feel it more now, the Aethyr showing the slightest fracturing and sheen, as they traversed down towards what looked to be some sort of clearing or opening in the thick woodlands. Friya picked up her pace just a touch, calling back loudly so Fenna could hear "We're gettin' close ta somethin' nae, I can feel it. The Aethyr all 'round us is damaged, like a mirror that's been dropped. There be a clearin' 'head, an' the beast's trail seems ta come from it."

      Fenna and Wvota didn't hesitate, moving as quick as they could to get up with Friya, to take point. As she passed Tuli and then Fredwick she told them both, "Keep a bit back, keep yer wits 'bout ya. We nae know what we're goin' ta find 'ere."

      Wvota and Fenna overtook Friya, whom fell back about two paces, letting Fenna take the position she craved whenever there might be danger. As she did so, Friya, weighing the odds, opened her own talents, letting manna surge into her from the ground below her feet, though only partially, not beginning to spell-shape it in anyway, merely acting as a conduit for Domhan, feeling the Topaz currents around her. She felt the sturdiness and familiar structure of earth within her, giving her confidence as he strode forward, following Fenna and Wvota into the clearing.

      The scene that greeted them was not quite what they expected, lacking any confrontation. However it was otherwise mostly expected. A ransacked wagon, the goods spread out all around it, the wagon itself smashed and crippled, the wooden wheels broken, one even burned. A few crude piles of blankets, bits of pine branches, and some other objects and waste matter were present. Two fire pits were central to these rings, the ash and blackened remains of timbers and bits of wheel were present, though no smoke rose from them. The camp was cold, likely abandoned at least two full days, maybe longer. Once she was sure there were no threats, no beasts or goblins waiting to jump out and attack them, Fenna called out, "All clear, seems nae creature 'ere anymore. I thinks we found one o' the wagons though."

      Friya approached the remains of the wagon carefully, her sensitivity peaking here, as she moved around it first, taking the whole scene in. She was glad she did so, as near one of the broken and bent rear wheels she saw a bit of an odd darkening of soil, unnatural, and in the Aethyr the barest bit of colors she could not name. She moved closer carefully, to get a clearer look at what was on the ground before she stepped back swiftly. "Fenna!" she called out, "We need that holy oil, come over here, I think I've found the remnants of what the bear ingested." 

      As Fenna dismounted, she glanced skyward, and shook her head. She didn't like it but this was the best place for them to hunker down for the night, better than being caught in the forest at night seeking a different option. Fredwick and Tuli had just entered the clearing, so she called out of them, "We be settin' camp for the night. I'm nary a big fan o' it but sadly tis the best spot we've found. I'm thinkin' on the far side from where them damned goblins 'ad their sleepin' circles, obviously." 

      Tuli piped up, "I'll start getting that ready, getting some twigs and such together from the edges of the clearing for a cooking fire. I'll have to take stones from the firepits the goblins left behind I'd think, and we'll use the last of those wild carrots and onions and that last quarter pound or so of salted wild turkey  we've been carrying from two nights ago, as well as some water, and a bit of what ale we've left in that last canteen of the stuff, make a simple but filling stew."

       The evening ran from the four friends swiftly, but they managed to go about their business. The cracked container, showing clearly that though they were tough and sturdy, Tuli's designs weren't full proof, was scorched with holy oil properly, insuring it was cleansed of any Void Dust residue. Fenna and Friya did a circuit of the surrounding woodlands out to a couple hundred yards of the clearing just to be sure they weren't being watched or stalked or the like, and to insure nothing dangerous was in their immediate proximity. As they were returning, it was Fredwick who, doing a bit of a lap of the edge of the clearing himself whilst playing a few foolish and simple melodies with his Pan Pipes, stumbled upon them with daylight giving its last gasps. He scrambled back to the fire to join the others, accepting the bowl of stew graciously enough, but excitedly spoke, not worried about eating right away. "I know where they went. South-east, further into the hills and towards the Irontip Peaks. I found tracks, goblins, some sort of crude cart of their own, and what looked like large canine tracks of a sort. Its hard to make out in the fading light, but we have a direction for the morning at least. Assuming of course we're still operating under the assumption we need to find and locate a raiding party, and we are not going to assume they are retreating to their warrens."

      Fenna swiftly replied to that between two bites of stew. "Ach, well that wouldn't matter either way, laddie. If'n they 'eadin' that way and it be to their tribal warrens, I would like ta get a proper location and at least try ta mark it on a map so I can pass that along ta a local garrison somewhere an' they can properly deal with the issue." She swallowed and put a fist across her chest whilst catching Tuli's eye. "Really good, 'earty ta, thank ye Tuli." before turning her attention back to Fredwick, "So good find regardless. We'll follow it in t'e morning."

      "So does that sate yer curiosity, wee one? That's 'ow we knows each other." Fenna stated matter-of-factly, locking eyes with Fredwick. He'd been insistent and so she and Friya had just spent the last hour or so detailing how and for how long they'd known each other, how their friendship had formed, all of it from the day Fenna had brought the little girl to be tested. A long and winding tail in which the relationship had been on some level a bond formed first of a sisterly sort, or perhaps almost an aunt and niece, but which had evolved and grown and changed as Friya had grown into a young woman, becoming more of a loving friendship of sorts, to hear the pair tell it.

      Fredwick giggled, but knew better than to confront the pair so bluntly, they clearly had a lot of hurdles to eventually get through. However it was very clear from the looks they gave each other, the ways they looked at each other, their body language and demeanor. He could read it and could see there was an unfulfilled romantic aspect to this, that was mutual in both directions. Despite this, he simply smiled and tipped his head. "Thank you for indulging my curiosity ladies, it does indeed. You've built quite the strong bond with each other then, all those years. Such bonds are rare, and should be cared for well." he replied, leaning forward to get closer to the low fire, as Fenna rose and added a few more branches to it. "What an interesting band we make then, no? A doctor whom carries a lot of guilt and shame for harm she was forced to commit, now trying recklessly to make it right in some sort of way. A traveling performer with more conscience than sense, and aspirations of being Exemplari. Finally, Magister and Templar whom are best of friends, closer than either one of them would have ever thought to be to someone of that ilk due to the obvious complexities within that dynamic."

      Friya spoke up then, turning from her conversation with Tuli for a moment. "Exemplari? Ach are ye speakin' tongue in cheek, or ye actually mean them foolhardy words?"

      Fredwick leaned back, hand clutching his chest dramatically. "Oh you wound me so, Miss Ostamore, but of course I mean those words. I grew up hearing, reading and studying the way of tales, and though I am but a humble musician, I've always dreamed of being part and parcel of such things, of having the chance to be the Saga-keeper. But not just a mere Saga-keeper for that would be boring and who wishes to read second hand writings or stories. No I have always aspired to live the tales, to follow in the footsteps of the greats like Hana'ther An'ula, the Mistress of Tales, one of the members of the group of heroic explorers known as the Ameris Company. Living the stories gives you such a brilliant perspective to tell them from, and keeps you both grounded in reality, whilst also providing plenty of unexpected moments and twists without needing to 'spin' the story. Real life is often stranger than fiction anyway, and that makes it far more interesting. So yes I mean those words, deeply, with every fiber of my being. I would love nothing more than for us to find these goblins, find their lair, ideally with prisoners to save of course, instead of corpses of the missing people. However when or if we were to find ourselves in that position, instead of doing the sane and logical thing, leaving to go seek military aid with the information at a nearby garrison, instead we find a way to rescue the prisoners and address the greenskin threat ourselves. Invading or infiltrating their warren, vanquishing their leadership as dangerous as that would be, and rescuing the prisoners. It would be an amazing tale would it not?"

      Friya glanced at Fenna, and the pair shared a laugh then, shaking their heads. "Ach wee one, ye've got gumption, nae ever let anyone tell ye otherwise." Fenna told him once she got her laughter under control. "Tis a fun and fanciful dream nary confuse my laughter, I had many such ideals meself when I first joined up wit' the Lancers, an' I mean anythin' is possible. But I wouldn't 'old yer breath on t'at specifically. Such heroics come wit' a massive risk o' failure an' I'm not one that likes gamblin' with innocent lives, and I nary mean just their current prisoners in t'at hypothetical situation." Fredwick tilted his head then, his face scrunched, clearly confused by her statement.

      Tuli spoke up here, seeing Fenna's point immediately. "Her point is if the want to be heroes fail in that scenario, its highly likely they all die or are taken prisoner. So now, the situation hasn't been mended, all those prisoners are still going to meet their fate at the hands of the goblins but on top of that, since instead of acting responsibly, the would be heroes tried the bold but rash course of action, now the local military forces and garrisons in the region lack the information to act. Which means long term other innocents will be affected, killed or taken prisoner by these monsters. Am I correct?" she asked the templar.

      "Aye lass, ye got the right of it. The risk bein' taken in t'at circumstance nae just be yer lives an' the lives of the prisoners the beasts currently 'ave. Yer also gamblin' with an unknown number o' future victims lives, an' I nae a worshipper of yer own kindred's diety. Luck nae be a force I pray for. I worship Sir Kartheart, the god o' warriors, o' battle, skill, honor and aye valor. But a warrior 'as a responsibility ta know when an' where ta pick fights. They needs ta be thinkin' clearly, soundly. Even acts o' heroism should be done with a clear mind and knowin' the risks involved, and be done wherever possible ta help an' protect as many innocent lives as ye can. That's what being a Shield o' Suranth means, that's the crux o' our responsibilities. Asides it wouldn't be proper ta pull the pair o' ye into that sort o' thing. Yer not fighters, regardless of Fredwick's desires ta the contrary. Ye may be a damn fine doctor Tuli, and Fredwick ye may have some small amount of unique powers, but ye aren't fighters, not in the same sense." Fenna leaned back then, stretching, feeling the need to sleep starting to take her. "'Owever, stranger things have happened, so one never truly knows what the whims o' the Ascended are, nor what tricks o' fate the Damned will manage ta twist into the roads o' one's life in those rare moments they can. So it'd be foolhardy o' me ta rule anythin' out. But I think t'is time for us ta start turnin' in for the night. Friya are ye alright ta take first watch?"

      Friya rose flashing a soft smile at Fenna. "Aye, Fenna m'love, I'll take first watch, nary even a question." she replied. She heard Fredwick choke down a giggle, trying to surpress it and she turned to him, with some sort of mischief in her eyes and smirk on her face. "Ye'd best get what sleep ye can Fredwick, I'll be wakin' yerself for second watch. Tuli can 'ave third and Fenna will take fourth."

      Fredwick thought about protesting. Second watch was the worst for one's sleep, since you basically had to try and get a nap in, then wake all the way up, and then try to go from being fully alert to sleepy again swiftly to get hopefully another three or so hours of decent sleep at best. But the look on Friya's face, combined with the chuckling of Fenna and Tuli's own mischievous little grin told him he was outnumbered. So instead he threw his hands up in the air. "Fine, it shall be as you say, and in that case I bid you all a good night!" he replied, rising swiftly to head over to his own blankets and pack.