The near complete darkness outside of the tent wasn't expected; typically there would have been campfires and torches lit all around, soldiers sitting beside them and eating their dinners and just sharing companionship. Instead the soldiers left were cowering in their own tents, too afraid of the ink creatures to leave them. Myungsoo felt disgust roll through him as he stepped inside his own shared space and saw his three tent mates cowered inside of their blankets. With a shake of his head, he stepped close to his own blankets and began to roll them quickly, intent on catching up to the Seekers before they got too far.

"I thought you were dead," one of the men finally said, and Myungsoo glanced up to catch Kyungil's eyes peeking from around his cocoon of blankets.  

"Not yet," he said, trying his best to keep the anger and derision out of his voice. "I am going to fight them until they do kill me or I stop them, though. Will you come with me?"

The silence in the tent was palpable, Kyungil's eyes going wider and wider until he finally sputtered out, "Why? Are you crazy? No, I'm not going, come back to the capital with us!"

Myungsoo's mouth grew tighter as the man spoke, and he shook his head as he roughly shoved his few belongings into his pack. "Then run like a dog, Kyungil. I for one am not a coward." He slung the bag over his back and turned to leave the tent, ignoring the final call of one of the others.

"You're a deserter, Kim Myungsoo!"

'You're the deserter to your own country, you fool,' he thought bitterly, eyes adjusting to the darkness as he walked further from his tent. He wasn't sure how to even begin to find the Seekers, but he figured leaving the camp would help; wherever they were, they were not going to be there. When he got to the edge of the tents, though, he felt a chill run down his spine as he thought of the fact that those ink creatures would be able to blend seamlessly into such a dark night as this one. His hand fell to his sword, and after a moment's hesitation, he pulled it from its scabbard and moved out of the encampment, blade held in front of him as he listened for anything approaching.

His wariness didn't help, though, when a good half mile out of the camp his sword was yanked from his grasp by something much stronger than him. With a yelp of surprise, he did the only thing he could think of and dove forward, arms outstretched, hoping to take his attacker down with his rush. It worked, his upper body striking a solid form in front of him that let out a whoosh of air as they fell. His fist went straight for the other's short ribs, and as he connected he realized it was not an ink creature beneath him but a human. An angry growl sounded from the man below him as Myungsoo connected with another hard punch to his stomach, but then to the warrior's shock, twin fires lit up inside his opponent's eyes and with a surge of easy strength, Myungsoo was shoved back and away to land hard on his tailbone.

"What the hell?" the low voice was one he recognized as the short, stocky Seeker, but the fires that lit on the backs of the man's hands were what shocked Myungsoo into silence. The flames flickered there but didn't burn his skin, as if they were simply a part of him and not an oddity. Magic. Myungsoo shivered and lifted his gaze finally to meet the angry Seeker's gaze, the man standing in a fighting stance above him, the warrior's sword clutched in one hand. 

"You're the one who attacked me," Myungsoo said, keeping his voice as steady and calm as he could with the open display of magic in front of him, and the Seeker's eyes narrowed, his brows drawing together in anger.

"You were the one trying to sneak up on us," he reiterated, tossing Myungsoo's sword down beside the warrior. "What the hell do you want?"

'To kick your face in,' Myungsoo thought, but he was wise enough to not say it. Pulling himself back to his feet, he retrieved his sword and sheathed it in a sign of goodwill. "I am here to help you," he said, drawing himself up to his full height, but the Seeker only gave a sharp laugh in return.

"One human? Only one of you has the guts to fight?" he asked, his lips twisting in a sneer. "Go back to your cities with your tail tucked, you're worthless to us without your army."

He turned to walk away, the fires on his hands flickering out, but Myungsoo wasn't going to let that insult lie. Drawing his short dagger, he leapt forward and knocked his knee into the shorter Seeker's back, knocking him down and into the dust face first. Before the stronger man could react, Myungsoo's knife pressed against his throat, and the Seeker froze.

"Worthless?" Myungsoo said softly, keeping his hand steady, the blade sure to cut into the man's neck if he moved. "I'm a warrior and I have more determination and skill than you give me credit for. I won't let that sorcerous scum overrun my country, so I will fight them whether you agree to help me or not."

"I think I believe him," a lighter voice called from in front of the two, and Myungsoo looked up to see the tall, beautiful Seeker from the tent standing there, a globe of light held in his palm as he smiled down at the warrior. "Welcome," he said, and after a moment Myungsoo removed his dagger and stood. The shorter Seeker scrambled to his feet, anger in his eyes as he regarded the mortal warrior, but the tall Seeker only held out his hand in greeting.

"I'm Sungjong," he said, and Myungsoo grasped his hand with a firm grip. "Welcome to the fight."

It was an uncomfortable beginning, but over the next few days it only became even more so for Myungsoo. The shorter Seeker, who he remembered as having been introduced in the tent as Hoya, either ignored Myungsoo completely or went out of his way to insult him. The mortal knew that it was because he had shown him up on that first night, but had the Seeker not been such a jerk in the first place then he wouldn't have been forced to do so. IN return to the silent treatment and the measured barbs, Myungsoo only offered c