The heat and humidity of the rainforest almost felt like a second layer of moist skin. A group of humans trudge through the thick jungle, their circle tight and focused, no roads or pathways to be seen as their destination lay deeper in. Sweat dripped from Marshall's firm jaw, his golden brown eyes scanning every little movement around them, his ears trained to hear something unknown.
Signaling with his hand, he reminds the team to stay quiet and to follow in the direction of their gps. The majority of them nod curtly, different colors and textures of hair bouncing in unison. Smaller animals scurry away from the boots of the marching humans, spiders and insects watch from their hidden spots amongst the trees. The only noises heard regularly were the birds and other creatures that call this dense, lush forest their home.
Marshall moves steadily, his combat boots make as little sound as possible as they cut through fresh mud. His large hand rested on a cold metal gun attached to his holster, he knew what to be wary of in these places. Golden eyes pan the area before checking on the group around him, making sure the shadows stayed as they were.
The sun seemed to dim faster the deeper they moved into the vast forest, the dense canopies seemingly eating away at the light. While one of the largest rainforests in the world, it was also the least explored. Creating a space of unknown, perfect for hiding something that was extremely wanted.
" Hold!" A hand shot up to signal the group. "Set up here for the night, we don't know what lurks out there when it gets dark." Marshall orders calmly as he throws down the large, overly stocked backpack he had carried.
Other bags began hitting dirt as the small group of heavily armed humans settled in. A watchful mage starts a blue fire in the center of their sleeping mats as others organized their belongings. Marshal stood tall over his group of underlings, the people he was meant to keep alive and well. The area they were in was undocumented, not mapped or tracked in any text they could find until recently. The only clue that led them here in the first place was a small mention in an old Greek text from centuries ago.
Making small talk as the camp of modern knights rest and regroup, Marshall chose to take a walk around the outskirts of their camp. His curly brown hair bounced around his face with each sturdy step, causing him to make a mental note to cut it as soon as he could.
Sweat made his his black combat attire uncomfortably wet, something he had grown annoyingly used to. His surveillance of the area led to a wave of relief as nothing seemed ready to jump them.
" Clay, you and Roy are taking the first watch, Andrea and Tony will take the last. The rest of you, get some sleep and be ready to move out at first light." Marshal stated as he walked his way back into the camp sight. Nods spread throughout the group as the first two on watch get comfortable.
Marshall takes a seat next to the smokeless magical fire, the warmth more for drying their clothes and sweat then for keeping them warm in the muggy tropical air. Clay and Roy sit with their backs up against a couple of tall trees. Their eyes sharp with focus as the others dwindled to sleep on the green carpeted ground. The light from day was no longer visible as the sounds of the forest echoed around them, some sounds familiar, some unknown.
" Boss, why are we out here again. It's not like the elders to send a squad like ours out unless it's almost war worthy." The young mage who lit the fire, Henry, asks as he fills himself on dried meat and crackers. Marshall couldn't help but feel annoyed by his loud chewing.
The golden eyed man sighs but smiles kindly. " This is war worthy, the elders dont need to give us much information besides on how to get it back to them." Marshall shrugs in a way that seemed uncaring.
" is that all the details we gonna get?" Clay chimed in as he drank something out of his flask that smelled of oak. His tanned skin giving off a honey tone in the fire light.
Marshal sighed and ran a hand through his curls, his hard jaw clenching with thought. His body stiffens with authority. " All I can tell you is that it's very important that we get what we need as quickly and safely as possible." Henry groans along with Roy.
" Lying isn't going to get you good karma, general" a red headed woman turns over on her side while laying on the mat she has. " I heard that we were sent here to find that monster's weakness." She gives a mischievous grin as Marshall flinches.
" She's not entirely wrong but even i don't know the exact details" Marshal said glaring at Ramona for a moment. The feeling of curious eyes lay heavy on his back as he chose to stare into the water flask in his hand.
" Either way, stay focused and just keep your heads on the goal" Marshall warns, his tone expressing his position in the group. Silence was what met his words, understanding and loyalty lined the group. They knew his words were true, his experience alone in this world of constant wars between humans and creatures spoke for him.
Marshall sits still and listens deeply, his hearing had always been sharper then others. Insects.... small animals.... feline hunters amongst other things fill the air around them. Knowing he won't sleep, Marshall lies down and stares at the vast stars peaking through the thick greenery. That familiar tugging in his chest pulling him in and out of thought.