Corti had been distracted, thinking through the events of the day and focusing on the road ahead of her when a glint of movement caught her eye. She stands slightly in her stirrups, peering to get a better look at what she saw.

Arc nods to the Lancer in confirmation, "Tell her I'll be making my way over momentarily." With that, he politely dismisses the Lancer, thanking him for the news. Arc then turns his attention to Kathy, speaking with an empathetic tone, "I realize that this is likely a tad unusual and difficult. You have my deepest thanks and respect for putting up with it all." He offers Kathy a bow. Once he says his farewells, he would take his leave from the village and head back towards the mill.

Returning to the mill, Arcius would undoubtedly make note of the various soldiers arriving and setting up base around the small mound and clearing, he inquires to a few men to the Marshal's location and is soon directed to her spot. 

Thia spent most of the travel hyper focused on the ride, repeating to herself not to fall off. She was accustomed to walking and being in a wagon or cart, not behind the reigns of a sturdy animal. It really would take a while for her to relax, she was constantly wiping sweaty palms onto her pants and fidgeting. The artificer welcomed the dismount for lunch. She’d spend most of her time padding around to stretch her legs and take notes on the area. Still not having much of an appetite, Thia would only pick a little at her lunch as she pondered some questions in her mind. She was half tempted to poke at the soldiers and try to strike up a conversation, but it was probably best that she stay in her lane and avoid more attitude slip.

Much to her dismay, it was time to remount and set out before she knew it. Thia had not expected the ominous silence of the group, leaving her with her own cycle of thoughts, but here they all were. Quiet. She’d shift uncomfortably from time to time, interchanging holding her head and rubbing her temples from a headache. The artificer would sigh, closing her eyes for a moment of rest.

Corti, as you look towards the rocky cliffside above you, you can make out something that resembles the form of an animal... though there's something weird about its movements and you're not sure whether you saw a mane or wings.

 -----------------------------

Arc, as you arrive near the mill about half an hour later or so, you are stopped by a sentry on the road to the village, and looking through the forest you see several more at a few hundred yards, forming a loose perimeter around the camp in absence of the palisade walls they had erected at their previous camp. The sentry quickly lets you pass and indicates that the Marshal has taken up residence close to the mill at the center of the camp. As you head further in, you can sense the conflict between military discipline, evident in the neat rows of tents, and the growing dissatisfection among the different regiments by the clear ividing lines between the different sectors.

As you approach the large command tent, the same that you had been in a few times already, you're greeted by two guards, who lead you inside. There, you find the Marshal in an elegant dress uniform, but without arms or armour. Before her, the writing desk she uses has been cleared and on it you now find fine cutlery precisely arranged for a three course meal, judging by the glasses in front of you, with individual wine pairing.

Seeing you enter, the Marshal rises, and with a smile indicates the chair opposite her: "Please, Master Cannith, take a seat. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your pragmatism and your willingness to overlook national boundaries and provide aid were it was necessary. Truly, very noble of you... But I'm trying to figure out whether that was all you, or whether at least a part of you enjoyed helping me because of how much it would shock your dear father, no?"

Arc made a mental note of the fractions and made it a side task to investigate which one he should speak with or avoid. Thankfully, he had strong backing, and his own resources, so he could easily appeal to any division in the ranks, but he needed to be careful with whom he picked since it wouldn't just be his skin on the line. He had brought Kathy and her own people into this mess and he wasn't going to let that lead to them getting hurt. He had standards after all.

Once inside, Arcius was momentarily stunned by the atmosphere in the tent, as well as the visual of seeing the Marshal out of armor. He had to admit, the uniform suited her...or maybe she grew into it? Either way, Arc momentarily let his mask slip at the comment about his father and cracked a smirk, scoffing a bit before laughing a bit, "I'll be honest with you, it is part of the reason." He walked over and gave a polite bow in greeting, "Another, was my desire to put my skills to proper use." He pulled his mask back up and offering his usual noble smile and raising his head, "And lastly, well I suppose I could say that I took an interest in you and your people, and wanted to make an investment in your well-being." 

Arc took his seat, his tongue salivating as he realized how long it had been since he had a fresh meal, something he had forgotten to even think about as he was lamenting his family's actions or hard at work. His noble training in etiquette barely held him back from diving right in, he attempted to distract himself from the food and asked, "I must admit though, I am surprised you would greet me so formally, and with dinner no less~"

"Me or my people? Well, I guess the form in which you transmitted your message answers that, no?" She lifts her glass and takes a small sip, never breaking eye contact with Arc however. "And the dinner serves both as a way to thank your work, and to be able to discuss plans for the next stage. I would have gladly invited the rest of your companions to join as well, but they had more pressing business, also in our cause I must admit. But, I take it that you're not dissatisfied with this little tête-à-tête?"

Corti slows her horse slightly as she looks up at the cliffs. She hums for a moment, thinking, before turning to Thia, Gyselle, Tarian, and the lancers, "I think there's something up there." She nods to the cliffside. "I can't really make it out, but it's moving strangely. Should we be worried?"

"Not in the slightest~" Arc smiles in return, picking up his own glass and offering a light toast before taking his own light sip, his eyes locked with her, "Though I must say, I am surprised by your openness to such a more lavish and incitant~ conversation." The matter of what the others were up to, did intrigue him, but Arcius had played The Game, long enough to know that in such environments, one never asks for what they want so directly. Setting down his glass on its rim, Arc twirled the container slightly and let the wine dance inside as he lightly spoke, "But now that I've received my thanks, I am interested in hearing what you have planned, for both myself...and your people."

One of the lancers turns around: "There's plenty a wildlife out here, but unless it's really hungry, we should be fine." As he turns around though, you can see him loosen his sabre in its scabbard.

------------------------------------------------

The Marshal smiles: "You really think I'm in a position to make plans? I think it's likelier that I'll have to accept whatever fate your Magistrate and the Council have planned out for us. I'm under no illusion that we will be welcomed only as a defeated army, and that any work we can expect with the railway company will be handed out under those conditions. I can't say I'm thrilled at that prospect... but seeing as the company has need of men and women such as make up your group, I might find my niche, what do you think?" The last is said with a slight tilt to the head, a smile playing around the corners of her mouth.

Tarian looked at the lancer with a dubious expression, and donned her shield.

There’s a lot that doesn’t seem right, here. ‘Plenty of wildlife’ and ‘unless it’s really hungry,’ is it? And yet, while there’s supposedly ‘plenty of wildlife,’ the camp goes hungry.

“There’s ‘plenty of wildlife’ that are danger enough.” Tarian stood in the stirrups and held her arms wide to make herself look as large as possible. She spoke louder than normal in the direction of the movement, “You’d best be off, beast. You’ll make no meal of us today.”

Arc smiles in return, a light laugh in his tone, "Forgive me, but I don't take you to be the kind of woman who would allow fate to hand her a bad hand. No matter where or what you find yourself in, I can see your rising above. That said if you were to be placed alongside men and women like my friends and I...well, let's say they'd be lucky to have you." He took a bite of the meal, chewed and swallowed while he thought on his next words, "If you don't mind...have you not sought possible returns to your own home? I can't imagine you and your people don't miss it...any family or friends to go back to?"

At the sound of Corti’s voice, it would rouse Thia from bobbing along with closed eyes. She’d open them to first focus on the warforge before following her nod to the cliffside. Narrowing her eyes, the artrificer would lean forward as she’d try to make out what Corti was pointing too. She’d glance back to Corti, then pan over to Tarian for confirmation and to watch her movements. Noticing she’s donned her shield and taking all precautions, Thia would follow her lead and prepare. She’d reach in her pack for her crossbow bolts. Rolling up her sleeve to access her light crossbow, she’d fumble with it a little bit as she’d load some ammunition. Just in case.

Phoenix Arcineaux blushes slightly, before giving a polite chuckle. "I'm happy to see that I've built somewhat of a reputation or made quite the impression. Unfortunately I feel like you might overestimate me in this case. Not to say that I'll not do the utmost to turn this situation into a win for my troops and I, but I am a realist, and I don't expect this to go particularly well. All the more reason I am happy to at least count you on my side. I doubt the feelings about me are shared among the rest of your group though..." At that, Phoenix reaches for her glass and takes a long sip, as if waiting for an answer.

Clearing her throat, she then casts her gaze down, before starting again: "I can't speak for the rest of my troops, other than that most of them trusted me to get them here. As for myself, there's nothing left to go back to for me. I... I'm nothing without the army. I'd be dead in a ditch somewhere, or rotting in a jail cell. All of my standing comes from my achievements as a soldier and commander. I imagine this to be the case for many of the soldiers under my command, seeing as most of them were born into a conflict that start before their parents were born... For those that have something to go back to, I can imagine that they might not like what they could expect to find. The road ahead may be hard, but I'd argue, for most of us it's preferable to the alternative- returning to a land we haven't seen in years, to work in burnt fields we don't own, to hope to survive in a society that wants to do nothing more than judge us. It's easier to endure that when facing strangers, than hearing it from your supposed loved ones." Her gaze had turned cold and hard, like ice. After a moment though, it broke and Arc can sense resignation and sadness behind the words.

"If it's not too forward- How come you are working for the Railway, instead of your family's business?"

----------------------------------------------------

As Tarian readies her shield, her words would prove prophetic, as the shape of a mountain lion appears from among the rocks. The beast is mangy and lean to the point of appearing emaciated, with spots of its fur missing. Its movements seem feral to the extreme, but for now it is keeping its distance, likely waiting for a more opportune moment to strike.

As you keep on riding, tense and ready to beat back the beast and its likely allies, the mountain lion keeps shadowing you group, always far enough away to make a crossbow shot difficult, but within reach to strike, should one of the horses struggle with the rough ground. By now, you imagine two more shapes hovering nearby, similarly stalking your trek. As before though, the lancers are trying to remain calm and push the nervous horses on. By now, you occasionally pass a snow drift that has survived the summer, and as the vegetation recedes, you can feel the wind pick up. The lack of vegetation means the stalking predators are dropping further back, but you have no doubt that the wind will carry your scent to them. 

One of the lancers in front turns to you all and quitely says: "We can push on for the pass for the next two hours, but I'm not sure these beasts will leave us alone. WIthout fuel, we won't be able to make any fire large enough to keep them away. But if we push on throughout the night, we risk exhausting ourselves and the animals. What do you think?"

Arcius stared into Phoenix's eyes as her comment to the rest of his party went unanswered. He gave a small smile, playing coy as if he didn't know what she meant, and tried to keep the mood on that matter light before moving on to his second topic of conversation. As much as he liked to speak on behalf of others, no answer granted was beneficial to him, his party, or even her. Not to mention, any truth he might pull up would be held by threads at best, as he only discussed the situation surrounding the party's relationship with the army, with his peers, rather than their feelings about her specifically. He could infer, but then again, there was no point in doing as such at the time.

"....like you, the place I've called home isn't...well, it's not something I can return to with peace of mind." Arc picked up his own glass again and twirled his wrist, letting the liquid dance within the glass membrane. His gaze locking onto it as he thought back to the last time he was home, what he learned and his own desolation with what was to come and the choice to either destroyed the people his love, support in the eventual destruction of what he sought and believed in....or run away.

As he noticed her mask of ice crack, he let his own slip slightly to offer a sympathetic but understanding gaze. He took a moment before speaking, his tone with a warmer undertone, similarly met with sadness, "You know my family created the Warforged....the children of the war, who knew only that. War...yet, as time went on, they learned more than war. They learned more than to simply follow orders and do as they were told....they developed their own souls and with it, the desire to find more in life than that War in which they were born into." His gaze sharpened as he stared more intently at Phoenix, "... as you said, the road ahead is hard, that is true for any future path for you and your people...but that does not mean it is without hope. Take this new camp you've set up." He made a motion with his arms to the sidewalls of the tent, but his intent was clearly beyond it, "You have a windmill, timber, neighbors, and unity. Already you have more than what the first settlers of any great nation had when they began. I offered this option, because it strengthened your position in negotiations...but also because it opens another possibility for you and your people....one where you don't need to live a life of war, anymore."

Arc let his words sink in for a few seconds before adding, "Phoenix....take this as a gift from one stranger, similarly lost from his own home to another....you have a chance to build your new home here. The fields are untitled, yes. But they're unburnt. The people may mock you, but you are ready to prove them wrong and your men have already begun to. And these lands are already no stranger to you, as you've roamed them for long enough now." He stared across the table at the woman with the lives of many on her shoulders, as well as something far more frightening, her own destiny. A part of him was curious to see how she acted....the other simply saw reflections of himself in her situation and wanted her to simply run away as he had, so as if to justify his own actions.

Phoenix cast her glance downward for a moment: "It seems indeed that we share much, you and I..." She lets the words linger, until they almost take on another meaning, while she sips from her glass.

"It's an interesting point you raise, about the warforged. You're traveling with one, so please tell me, what is it like to see the life of something that you, or at least your family, created, knowing that there is likely no way you could control it now?" Her tone was playful and curious, yet the words had an edge to them.

Before Arc has a chance to respond though, she locks eyes with him, and asks: "Are you also certain that the locals will be willing to share their lands with what I imagine many still see as foreign aggressors and invaders? While it's true that there's an infrastructure here, I doubt that the villagers are going to happily and contently share the spoils of their hard labour for no other recompense than repairing their mill, particularly since that was definitely a selfserving maneuvre on our part. I don't want to appear ungrateful, and I truly wish to thank you for the considerable effort you must have put into this solution. I just want to make sure we are in agreement what I owe you for." A smile crept up her lips, but stopped just shy of her eyes.

"I find it beautiful and amazing." Arc didn't hesitate when asked the question about the Warforged. His tone was level and his eyes gained a small passion, that Phoenix would have only seen when Arc was working. Arc took a deep breath as he held back a spewl of passionate verbration, that he knew most wouldn't understand. "....it was my Uncle, Tiberius Cannith, the....father for lack of a better term, of the Warforged. I was his assistant during much of his work...It was my own father, that saw the sale and contracting of our creations to the army and working jobs. We were content with our work, our creations...we had no real thoughts to them gaining free will, but neither did we to enslaving them. The act of them gaining sentience was a surprise, but for me, it was proof of our work. We bore life from metal, allowed it to gain a sentient soul....while my family and I disagree on the meaning and impact of this, I do say that it is the start of their kind." He paused for a moment, before chuckling and meeting the gaze of Phoenix. He pondered sharing his thoughts, his desires for the future with this woman....well, there was no harm, and Arcius was enjoying this heart to heart. "I plan to take it even further and build them a God...or the seed to one at least. They deserve a protector, that the rest of us have. Someone to place their faith in."

Arc chuckled, unperturbed by her own counterpoint as he raised his own glass to her before setting it down, "I did say it would be a hard path either way....and I never once spoke of you owing me a thing." It was the truth, it wasn't like the camp was rich with resources, and most goods he could be granted by them would be better acquired by the company or (if he was really desperate) his own family. "On the point of the locals....I think you undervalue them. This windmill was previously being used by bandits, hence why my party and I were able to find it. Those bandits, rather than run away or be executed, have joined those locals, working alongside them. Your own dragoons have already taken to hunting alongside them in an effort to create some unity, albeit not without incident, but it's a start." He offered a sympathetic smile, "What I offer isn't that you exist as a separate entity from the people of the land, but that you join them. Though again, such action is solely your and your people's choice. As I said, I understand your position, so it was simply my wish to grant you the freedom of a choice...not an easy choice, but simply the presence of one." He gave his own sly smile towards her as he briefly added, "That said, if you feel that you owe me something, then I won't turn down such claims."

I suppose my lack of funds has worked in my favor this time. Tarian pulled out a length of leather and several small stones. Replacing these will be easy, fortunately.

She squinted in the direction of their pursuers. “Persistent, aren’t they? Well, for the next two hours I suppose we keep trying to drive them off. These horses aren’t in the best shape, so we can’t afford to drive them any harder than we already are.” Tarian patted her horse on the neck. “Or we could try to draw out the beasts while we still have the light. I, for one, would rather drive them off.”

She placed a stone in the sling and loosed it toward the beasts. It clattered among the stones without hitting anything in particular. She grumbled a moment. “Anyone have anything else they’d like to try?”

Thia would bob along, squinting as she’d try to catch glimpses of their pursuers in the trees. She agreed with Tarian that they wouldn’t want to push the horses harder than they already were. Tired eyes watched as Tarian slung a stone out towards the beasts. It got her thinking, what would the best deterrent be?

The artificer would pull her messenger bag up onto her lap and begin fumbling through it. “What do you think would be the best deterrent? Sound? Smell? A combination?” Prompted by Tarian’s question, she’d start thinking out loud. Maybe she could tinker something? “Are they territorial? Could I drive them away by mimicking the scent of a greater threat or opposing pack? A roar or loud sound? Or bait them with a toy they could chew on that smells like dinner?” She’d start pulling out her tools, some scraps, and vials. Then, she’d pull out Arc’s prosthetic hand. She might need it for parts? Holding it up and flopping it around. “How mad do you think he’d be if I scrapped it?” Not like he cared for much for her recent work or opinions anyways. 

Corti shifts in her saddle, feeling antsy from the riding. She glances at the mountain lions and fidgets with the reigns of the horse, feeling, not for the first time in the past days, entirely out of her element. 

She lets out a mechanical chuckle at Thia's comment about the prosthetic. "Hmm, I think I could manage a roar. It might echo too..." She trails off, looking at the cliff walls and trying to judge the acoustics.

Gyselle is more than ready to stop after a long day of riding. While they are trying to get some plants to make a cure, there’s no sense pushing yourself too hard to get them if you can’t make it back.

”I say we make camp for the night at the next most defensible position. Somewhere the beasts would have to get past a fire to get to us.” She says the cheerily despite being very tired. “Who’s cooking tonight?” she inquires curiously.