The scouting mission was Lisbeth's first chance to strike out on her own. It was a chance to impress her commanding officer and prove that she had what it takes to serve in the army of Stormbreak. She had been training extra hard in the last few days leading up to the mission, hoping beyond hope that she would have the stamina to see the mission through.
She had traveled with the rest of her squad to the Ahi Coast, then they had separated to scout different parts of the coastline. Everyone else was traveling in pairs, so they could watch each other's backs. As the odd one out, Lisbeth had been singled out to be solo. She secretly thought her sergeant was trying to sabotage her. To make her fail so she would be booted out of the army.
She was determined to make sure that didn't happen.
Her mission was to gather information about ships passing through the straights along the Ahi Coast. She was to record the number of ships that passed, what flags they flew, and whether they showed any signs of weaponry on board--it wasn't uncommon for a large ship to have a ballista mounted on the deck. Such a ship could, in theory, end up being a threat, if the captain had loyalties to the New Gods, or sailed from a port that had declared their allegiance to the wrong side of the war.
For the past few days, Lisbeth had been perched atop the lighthouse at Aumakua. She watched the passing ships, noting in a small notebook each ship that passed. She had been giving a looking glass to let her better study the ships, so she could note the flags, complements, and armaments. She had been tirelessly thorough in her work--though tirelessly was, perhaps, a bit of an exaggeration. She hadn't thought sitting in one place all day would be so exhausting, but watching every mile of the horizon while sitting under the baking sun had proven more difficult than she'd expected.
As the moon started to rise, Lisbeth got up and stretched, trying to work out the kinks in her muscles. She needed to eat, she needed to relieve herself, and she needed to not be up on top of this damn lighthouse for a little while. She took the stairs down to the ground, taking her time so as not to end up winded.
After a quick trip into the nearby woods to relieve herself, she returned with some fruit she had gathered from nearby. She wasn't in her uniform, this being a secret mission, but she wore a bow and quiver on her back, and a light rapier on her hip.
She was about to return to her post when she noticed the stranger nearby. She had seen plenty of people pass by during her time here--the shrine brought any number of travelers into the area--but this was the first time she'd seen one sitting by the edge of the cliffs, all alone. Most travelers would head to the lighthouse itself, heading towards the shrine at the top. It had been easy enough to pass herself off to any travelers as just another worshiper. She felt a twinge of guilt about it, fearing it would be seen as sacrilege to use a holy site as a scouting post. But considering it was a shrine to the Old Gods, and she was there to do their bidding, she felt confident that she would have their support.
Unsure about the motives of the stranger, Lisbeth decided to investigate further. She headed towards him at a casual pace, nonchalantly peeling the skin off an orange. She pretended to just notice him as she approached.
"Oh, hi there," she said, looking him up and down. "Too tired to make the climb up to the shrine?"
She had traveled with the rest of her squad to the Ahi Coast, then they had separated to scout different parts of the coastline. Everyone else was traveling in pairs, so they could watch each other's backs. As the odd one out, Lisbeth had been singled out to be solo. She secretly thought her sergeant was trying to sabotage her. To make her fail so she would be booted out of the army.
She was determined to make sure that didn't happen.
Her mission was to gather information about ships passing through the straights along the Ahi Coast. She was to record the number of ships that passed, what flags they flew, and whether they showed any signs of weaponry on board--it wasn't uncommon for a large ship to have a ballista mounted on the deck. Such a ship could, in theory, end up being a threat, if the captain had loyalties to the New Gods, or sailed from a port that had declared their allegiance to the wrong side of the war.
For the past few days, Lisbeth had been perched atop the lighthouse at Aumakua. She watched the passing ships, noting in a small notebook each ship that passed. She had been giving a looking glass to let her better study the ships, so she could note the flags, complements, and armaments. She had been tirelessly thorough in her work--though tirelessly was, perhaps, a bit of an exaggeration. She hadn't thought sitting in one place all day would be so exhausting, but watching every mile of the horizon while sitting under the baking sun had proven more difficult than she'd expected.
As the moon started to rise, Lisbeth got up and stretched, trying to work out the kinks in her muscles. She needed to eat, she needed to relieve herself, and she needed to not be up on top of this damn lighthouse for a little while. She took the stairs down to the ground, taking her time so as not to end up winded.
After a quick trip into the nearby woods to relieve herself, she returned with some fruit she had gathered from nearby. She wasn't in her uniform, this being a secret mission, but she wore a bow and quiver on her back, and a light rapier on her hip.
She was about to return to her post when she noticed the stranger nearby. She had seen plenty of people pass by during her time here--the shrine brought any number of travelers into the area--but this was the first time she'd seen one sitting by the edge of the cliffs, all alone. Most travelers would head to the lighthouse itself, heading towards the shrine at the top. It had been easy enough to pass herself off to any travelers as just another worshiper. She felt a twinge of guilt about it, fearing it would be seen as sacrilege to use a holy site as a scouting post. But considering it was a shrine to the Old Gods, and she was there to do their bidding, she felt confident that she would have their support.
Unsure about the motives of the stranger, Lisbeth decided to investigate further. She headed towards him at a casual pace, nonchalantly peeling the skin off an orange. She pretended to just notice him as she approached.
"Oh, hi there," she said, looking him up and down. "Too tired to make the climb up to the shrine?"
