Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-5583506-20160209154925/@comment-5583506-20160213052414

(Gonna issue a timeskip.)

When dawn finally broke the fire had since long gone out. The sun had yet to rise over the tall tree tops and just a few lonely birds could be heard singing among their branches. Ran'Jinro yawned loudly and stretched, only noticing just now that Raini had crept up close to him. He smiled and when nobody was looking placed a kiss on her forehead before gently lowering her down to the ground so that she wouldn't violently wake up when he rose.

He looked around at the slumbering would-be Beast Slayers and headed over to the cart. The horses were at least awake and didn't seem to have had any trouble resting up in a cave. Besides, the horses the Outsiders had received had been growing up in the Underkeep, they were used to the subterranean enviroment. And Tick and Puke were fully trained Beast Slayer horses. A night's rest in a cave was most likely preferable to riding alongside a rampaging Sabrecat Beast.

Evelyne leaned against the wheel of the cart, mumbling something incoherent and drooling on her cloak. Ran'Jinro shrugged at the sight and lightly shook her shoulder.

"Hey, lass", he said. "Sweetie?"

"Hrhmm..." she mumbled and slowly raised her head, a string of saliva hanging outside the corner of her mouth. "Ran?"

He knelt down beside her and wiped the saliva from her mouth with his thumb, still smiling. "Time to get our feet moving", he said. "I think that if we can maintain an average speed throughout this landscape we might be able to reach Fort Slayer before this very night."

"Understood", she slurred as she stood up on unsteady legs, still visibly disoriented due to the sudden awakening. Ran'Jinro took her by the arm and helped her to stand. "I forgot to mention this, Eve", he said. "But you showed me great progress back at Kilkreath."

"But... I didn't kill anything?"

He shook his head. "Killing Beast isn't all we Beast Slayers stand for, despite the title. Ask yourself why we slay these monsters?"

She lowered her eyebrows, wondering whether or not it was a trick question. "To protect... mankind?"

He gave her a short nod. "And that's exactly what you did, Eve. You helped escort these people to safety where I could not. From my perspective your training is complete."

She looked at him with confusion, still trying to grasp what he had just said. "I am sorry, but... What?"

"You are no longer my apprentice", he said. "I have watched your skills improve since that very day we set out to hunt for that abnormal Wolf Beast. You know when and how to follow orders. You can escape and outrun a Beast if needed. But most important of all, you can keep your head cool while maintaining the priority that civilians are to be escorted firsthand."

"But..."

He smiled. "No buts. As soon as we reach Fort Slayer, I will speak with high commander Trymir and give him my recommendation of you. After that you can consider your apprenticeship to be concluded and you would be a fully trained Beast Slayer. You could even take on your own apprentices should you wish to."

"I..." She felt weak in her knees. This was indeed what she had hoped for, but at the same time it kind of scared her. It meant that people were going to rely on her abilities in battle a lot more than she would wish of them to do. And besides, it meant that she wouldn't be near Ran'Jinro anymore. She would go wherever high commander Trymir wanted her to go. Personal requests was a secondary priority.

She smiled nervously. "Thanks, Ran", she said.

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled back. "You've earned it", he said. "Besides, with this lot it looks as if I will have my hands full should Trymir give me the full responsibility over them."

"Perhaps, you don't need to be alone?" she suggested. "If... if my training is complete, then maybe I could take one or two of them under my wing?"

He glanced at her and raised an eyebrow curiously. "Think you are ready for that?"

"I don't know. Maybe? Maybe just one?"

He chuckled. "Just one?!" he exclaimed. "Oh, you are being really generous now, aren't you? Take one of them, leave me with a group of almost ten other apprentices. By all means, go ahead."

She snickered at his jest. "Sorry. But I do think that I am not ready to handle more than just one. But I do want to help out with them. They've suffered through a lot."

"That they have", said Ran'Jinro in agreement. "Maybe you can sympathize with them easier because you've gone through the same?"

"Perhaps..."

"Sorry", he sighed. "Inappropriate of me to bring that up. But I appreciate your effort, Evelyne. I want you to know that. I don't know if I would have been ready to take that responsibility so fresh out of training as you are. It took me seven years after my apprenticeship before I felt that I was mature enough to take on an apprentice."

"What happened?" asked Evelyne, never having heard the story before.

The Khajiit lowered his ears and glanced back at her. "She... she died."