REFORGING THE EDGE

Summary: A brief overview of Kasmeer and Catava's last three weeks of training, continued from the last chapter, Seraph Training Academy Graduation, and the first Seraph assignment.

Chapter one: Setting the Stage

Author's Notes:

This is the third book in the Tassof Series, also known as Book Three: United We Stand. If you have not read Book One: Tyria's Real!? or Book Two: Soldiers, Scholars, and Spies, you will be woefully lost on this one.

I decided to split the three weeks of Seraph training into two chapters, just to make reception easier - the other day I played five hours worth of Living Season 2, and while I knew the plot, I didn't know the particulars, and I found myself overwhelmed. I couldn't digest it all. That's why I normally only play for two hours - I wait until the next day, digesting my new information, and then I can play again. I had to take several days off to digest it all.

So you got a regulated amount of storytime yesterday, and the rest of it today.

Okay, here's the story now:

Over the three weeks of Seraph training, Kasmeer gets to know Kai Karkasonne a little bit, but Kai keeps remarking upon how she shares a name with Kasmeer Meade.

At last, Kasmeer Inafit asks to be introduced to this person she shares a name with, to which Kai responds that they can't until they get out of training. But Kasmeer Inafit brings it up every couple days, and gets into some conversations about other things they share interests in.

On Friday, two days after Kasmeer's first Vigil mission, Catava is called away on Priory work - she is called down to a place called Rankor Ruins, so far south that it isn't even part of the Shiverpeaks anymore. Kasmeer jokes that she can get back by heading to Fort Trinity and taking the asura gate to the Priory. Catava snorts.

DeGlasse grudgingly agrees to hold an illusion of her throughout the day, and adds that he won't waste his time teaching an illusion - she can remain out of the way and inconspicious.

Kasmeer does know that Rankor Ruins features in a Pact mission, but can't remember when, how, or why.

When Catava gets back, she is slightly grumpy about how uninteresting - battle-wise - the assignment had been, but the scholarly nature of the assignment had been riveting.

Kasmeer does get through Vyacheslav's journal, made the easier because she is just looking for anything on Scarlet. There are several rants, some are fearful and submissive, others are full of glee at what Scarlet doesn't realize - but Kasmeer knows that's what Scarlet wants him to think - and how it's really furthering his goals, and she thinks he's just doing it to honor an agreement. There is one about how much of a genius Scarlet is, as well, but towards the back of the journal it devolves into mostly discarded plots about how to further the alliance between them and the Flame Legion.

The most valuable comment, in Kasmeer's opinion, is that Scarlet routinely - predictably routinely - checks in on Vyacheslav, personally.

The next checkup is the Tuesday after Seraph Training ends - and Vyacheslav had planned to be in Solitude Vale, overseeing the construction of a livable place to house the up-and-coming Molten Alliance's facilities.

Catava, has been studying the map in locations that Kasmeer knows are important - generally areas south, closer to Orr, but she also made a point of at least doing a very brief look over the rest of Tyria, scanning names tagged to places briefly. She specifically studies the area around Cragstead, and looks at Ascalon - the areas around the Black Citadel, at least - more closely.

So, Catava knows that Solitude Vale is right next to Cragstead, and Kasmeer deduces that that Molten Facility must have been what wrecked Cragstead in Living Season 1.

"It's the closest chance we've got," Kasmeer tells Catava. "We don't know where the next meeting-place will be, and I really, really need to confront Scarlet."

Catava agrees.

The next day, she turns it in to General Almorra, telling her she'd marked pages that identify a possible threat (Scarlet Briar). The General accepts the journal without question of why Tiffany had held it back at first.

General Almorra calls Tiffany in again for another mission with Forgal and some others in the middle of the second week, specifically putting Forgal in charge.

Forgal, knowing that this is a test of Tiffany's ability to follow - you can't effectively lead until you know how to follow - does not show any favoritism, treating her and everyone else the same as he had when he'd first met them.

The mission, as it turns out, is assisting the Seraph's war with the centaurs, for the same reason they had defended the Ebonhawke Treaty negotiations - they shouldn't be fighting each other, they should be fighting the dragons.

It is a rather large squad - fifteen Vigil and Forgal - and along with the Seraph, they push the centaurs back through the mountain range and to the Harathi homelands. It takes a long while, and one of the Vigil soldiers is killed by centaurs.

Tiffany is astounded, upon seeing the Vigil in action - they every single one are better than Deborah - and she was one of the Screaming Falcons. Admittedly, Tiffany hasn't seen Deborah in action much since she re-trained after her muscle-degrading captivity. But it is hard to train as large an organization as the Vigil that well. Tiffany decides she really must check out the training at Fort Marriner.

It takes a long day of hard fighting, as tiring as a full day of Seraph training, but the centaurs are finally pushed beyond the pass. At that point, it is easy to guard the pass from being reinvaded - Tiffany remembers that three hundred can hold against three thousand, in a strategic location such as a mountain pass.

The Vigil help the Seraph overrun the closest centaur camp to the pass and establish their own main outpost - Hope's Bastion, for the first hope that the war might end soon - where Confinement Camp used to be.

Tiffany, apparently, acquits herself remarkably well in her test of military obedience, although she does - when the occasion requires - take impromptu command of a couple soldiers at a time - for example, when the centaurs had split Tiffany and a few others off from the rest of the squad.

Tiffany had turned in Vyacheslav's notebook to General Almorra, but she had carefully copied down the pages about Scarlet, and readies those to be sent to the Order of Whispers. One of the Initiators had specifically mentioned DeGlasse cut off from all contact, and Kasmeer reaons that that applies to her, as well.

The Wednesday before training ends, or six days before Scarlet's scheduled appointment with Vyacheslav, General Almorra contacts Kasmeer/Tiffany via mail, telling her that she is to be in charge of a squad investigating this Scarlet and her Molten Alliance. Forgal will be with her, but this is Crusader Tiffany's chance to shine as a leader - Forgal is merely there as her Vigil partner.

By the next day, a note from Forgal arrives, informing her of some other things. Such as the fact that Almorra can't be overseeing all the missions, and the fact that Tiffany is overseeing this mission means that everything happens at her discretion, as long as it gets into the Vigil records.

A day or so after, Kasmeer receives a message from Forgal about her strike squad - the Spar warband. Forgal had met the Spar warband and got to know them a little bit, and he sends in his information about them.

Aelius Scrapspar, the leader of the warband (and Tiffany's second in command, she supposes) is an engineer, as his last name hints at. Forgal informs Kasmeer that he is forever tinkering with the group's gear, fixing it up or taking it apart and putting it together again, and Sarria, the team's assassin, sometimes jokes that he should have been in the Iron Legion, instead of the Ash Legion.

Nipia Sparshield is the warrior, and deals fascinating amounts of damage. When paired with Celsus Sparmauler, the guardian, they make a very formidable team.

Deorar Brightspar is the elementalist, and she plays lure and decoy most of the time. She is small, for a charr, and being a Scholar profession, looks very defenseless to the ignorant. However, unseen to the naked eye, there is a minefield of traps and shock fields between her and her unwitting foe. In battle, she can easily heal any injuries that get past Celsus' shield, and returns devastating damage of her own, too.

Most of those traps are set by Sarria Sparshadow, the thief, who is also the group's trusted assassin. If someone needs dead, now, Sarria can do it.

However, the most in-tune pair of the group is Augurna Sparstalker and her feline companion, Shadow, teasingly surnamed Swiftstalker. Augurna will say, on occasion, 'I'm in two warbands; the Spar warband and the Stalker warband.' The ranger is an expert at blending in, but functions as the group's scout rather than it's sniper; she wields no bow, preferring silent self-defense with knives if her enemy gets past Shadow. To her ears - sensitive even for a charr - a bow's twang makes a bit too much noise. She would have scoffed at the Seraph's idea of how swift and silent and blending-in a scout would have to be, and bests all of it.

Catava comments that Kasmeer almost knows the warband by now. Kasmeer returns that they probably know her, as well.

On Monday, the day after training ends, a graduation ceremony (like the first Sunday) is held.

Again, Kasmeer and Catava remain inconspicious. The recruits are assigned trophies depending on how well they did, and Kasmeer and Catava are the only ones judged unfairly. DeGlasse stiffly informs them in private that they outshone every recruit, but with the Heros of Shaemoor not wanting attention drawn to themselves in these identities, that honor goes to Ibu. Kasmeer and Catava are totally fine with that.

DeGlasse also informs them that they are to report to the Chantry of Secrets that day, and charges them to deliver a message straight to Lightbringer Vriré, the asura.

It is a written message, and sealed tight. DeGlasse informs them that Lightbringer Vriré will know if they open it.

During the ceremony, DeGlasse reminds his kittening recruits that they now have kittening Seraph authority, and if they kittening abuse it, they'll be in to see him. His glance drops to Kasmeer and Catava, looking them in the eyes significantly. A sound enchantment - Catava had taught Kasmeer to recognize a few flows, even if she can't affect them - springs up, and DeGlasse firmly informs them that this Seraph authority applies to them, too - they went through the training, they know how to use it, and that's what qualifies them. Then the sound enchantment vanishes and DeGlasse continues with his class-wide lecture.

Later, as when the profession ceremony was held, each recruit is marched up to the stage and handed a token, this time in the form of a Seraph badge - a head and shoulders intricately carved, and in such a way so that the shoulders are in a heart formation - the head sits in the nook at the top of the hearth. It is capped with wings flaring out from the sides, and the whole thing could fit in your palm. Kasmeer thinks it is an excellent show of craftsmanship.

As each recruit reaches the stage, DeGlasse projects an image of that recruit's badge; the head and shoulders design on the badge slowly fades and is replaced by the symbol of the recruit's profession.

DeGlasse sharply instructs them all to report to Shaemoor Garrison for their first assignment, telling them that he will know if they do not show up. The recruits all salute with a 'yes, sir, mesmer DeGlasse, SIR!'

Kasmeer and Catava stay at the graduation celebration (for most of the recruits here, this is like getting out of college) for a while, talking to friends a bit and, at the last, saying goodbye, at least temporarily.

Kai Karkasonne reminds Kasmeer that she wants to introduce the 'other Kasmeer' to her, and Kasmeer Inafit replies that she'll be free a bit on Wednesday morning. Kai gives her a thumbs-up.

Kasmeer and Catava leave the Seraph Training Academy for good a little after noon - Catava estimates about one, according to the magical sundials found in Rata Sum.

The mesmer sheds their illusions as they step away from the portal to the Seraph Training Academy, becoming Tiffany and Fiona again.

"Well, like DeGlasse said, let's report to Shaemoor Garrison first," Tiffany informs Fiona, who sighs and re-applies the disguise, before the two waypoint to the garrison.

The Seraph at the garrison needs a test, however. He claims that enough people have come claiming to be Seraph recruits, but really just got a good mesmer to create their badges.

His test does not consist of battle prowess, either, but of tactical intelligence. So he explains how the war with the centaurs is going - apparently the Vigil had spare soldiers, and had lent them to the war effort, which had really aided the Seraph, until the Vigil had found another use for it's soldiers.

'That must have been the Vigil mission Forgal led the other week,' Kasmeer remembers. 'This double-persona game is getting confusing.'

The Seraph now have an established base near the pass, themselves in centaur territory. The soldier explaining this all to them asks what the Seraph should do next.

"It depends on the lay of the land, of course," comes in several variants from the as-yet small group of Seraph recruits.

Then, DeGlasse approaches with the rest of the recruits.

"Kitten, I've kittening told you before, you don't kittening need to quiz them!" DeGlasse sighs. "You're just kittening wasting your kittening time when you could be kittening giving them the kittening overview of what the kittening war is looking like!"

"I am, sir, mesmer DeGlasse, SIR," the officer replies. "I do it in preparation for a test so that they remain interested. I've seen too many recruits get killed from ignoring me."

"Just kittening shout at them and they'll kittening pay attention," DeGlasse retorts. "It kittening works on you, kitten, why shouldn't it work for you?"

The Seraph remains silent. He is obviously used to DeGlasse's verbal barbs.

DeGlasse continues, "I've got special assignments for this group, anyhow," he says. "Those four," he indicates Kasmeer, Catava, Ibu, and Kai, "are to be assigned to the forward Seraph camp in the new territory. This fellow," he points at Von Ffeldy, the engineer, "will stay with me to train new engineers. Those giggling girls over there are assigned to Triskell Quay, to patrol, and the current patrollers there moved to the centaur front. This thief here," he indicates Ffeldy's friend, Dominick, "is to be assigned whatever assignment that five years is good for. The other rangers go with the first four."

As DeGlasse gives his instructions, Kasmeer zones out, thinking of her goal of assassinating the centaur leader and ending the war.

"Alright, you kittens!" DeGlasse says, turning to the band of recruits. "If you're good kittens, you know where you were just assigned. There's a kittening supply transport headed to Hope's Bastion - you kittens might know it better as the previously kittening centaur-occupied Confinement Camp - that needs kittening guards. You kittens will all set out on Wednesday, once the kittening Seraph being kittening relocated from kittening Triskell Quay get here. Be here sharp on kittening Wednesday morning, every last kitten of you! Dismissed!"

Author's Notes:

So! The stage has been set for Book Three: United We Stand. Cookies for anyone who can guess what this story arc is about!