Who knew that each side had a secret? Secrets that could change the tides of war in an instant. They played against the balance--the push and pull of power--invisible to all as the Kinsmen continued to push forward.
Two years had passed since that f...
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The moon was low in the sky, and the sun had set an hour prior. Az carefully picked through the brush, trying not to trip over any roots hidden in the foliage. Another concern would've been people, especially since at the center of the area was a hideout they had been in a stalemate with for months, but Nagan had assured him otherwise. And he didn't doubt that; Nagan and his platoon were very skilled at what they did. They may work under General Meixong, a unit that primarily worked on gathering information, but that didn't mean the Council couldn't deploy them as well. In this case, the Council wanted Nagan there to make sure no one escaped.
That made Az feel uneasy.
He continued on with what he was doing, tracing the perimeter of the hypomagicka field surrounding the area. Little wisps of shadows floated where he stepped. There they would stay until a cartographer came by and mapped it, giving them a full scope of the damage. It was a rather large field, however, and he wasn't sure if he could get it done that night.
Az glanced up at the sky, catching glimpses of the stars through the leaves. Not that the dark bothered him, it was quite the opposite. He was well adapted to working in the dark, and the dark no longer hindered him. Perks of being a dark affinity and all.
That was when he heard a branch break to his right, and his head snapped toward the noise. Adrenaline coursed through him, and he raised his hand, nerves still raw from the battle only a few hours earlier.
"Drae vak!"
Deep green energy shot through the dark, shadows lacing through and increasing its power. A red barrier illuminated the area fifty feet away from him, and he heard a familiar yelp when green cracked with red. Az blinked the spots out of his vision as he focused on who was behind the barrier, readying another spell, but that incantation soon faded as a blond head of hair cautiously peeked around it.
"Nagan!" Az shouted, half annoyed and half relieved. "You know, it wouldn't hurt to make a sound now and then when you're approaching me from my blind spot."
"I did make a noise," Nagan shot back as he disabled the barrier. He then approached Az, his steps near-silent. They had always been light, but after years of being a stealth combatant, some habits were hard to break. "By the gods, I was just coming to check on you."
"And you're still too quiet."
Nagan paused, and Az raised an eyebrow at his behavior. Now that Nagan had Az's attention, with deliberate eye contact, he made a show of stomping the rest of the way, kicking up leaves and crunching sticks. He crossed his arms as he stood before Az, and Az didn't know if he wanted to laugh or roll his eyes skyward.
"Better?"
"You're a menace."
Nagan snorted. "It's a hobby."
This time Az did roll his eyes, stepping around Nagan to continue tracing the void boundary. Agile steps followed, still silent as ever. While he did complain about them, Az couldn't deny that he felt himself relaxing a bit. It was hard not to. Nagan was more than capable of protecting them, and the other had proved this several times. Now focused on his task, he realized he had shot the circle a bit wide. An easy enough adjustment, though, as he took two steps to the left.
