A Stranger in the Moors

[Lambert]

When Leonard Snart first arrived in Darkshire, he was not immediately impressed. He had expected to see a city, like how Camelot was described to him. But instead, he came across a small town in the middle of a dark, dreary field. It was the first sight that greeted him when he walked through the gate into the Pale Moors, and if the rumors were to be true, it was the only sign of civilization he'd really find here. But despite the shoddy look of the actual town itself, the security force was enough to give him pause. When he made it through the city gate, he scoped out the sentries on his way in, and came to the conclusion that putting up a fight would not be a good idea.

He came across a little street corner almost immediately upon passing through what they called 'Ranger's Gate.' From here, he found a single-story building with a gray roof. The sign on the front of it read 'The Brass Fang.' He decided that this would be his first destination.

When he entered the front door of the establishment, most heads turned towards him to see who it was. He was standing in a blue eskimo outfit, which was out of place in this typically warm environment. The hood was pulled up over his head, covering most of it. His goggles rested up on his forehead, exposing his face. After a few moments of pause, the heads turned away from him, determining him not to be interesting (or imposing) enough to pay attention to. He was happy for that. He put one foot in front of the other, and made his way through the open room, past the wooden benches, to the bar.

He found a seat near the end of the bar. The bartender, a large bearded man, stepped towards him in the midst of wiping a glass clean. "Whatcha want?"

Leonard looked to his left. There was a sight that had a couple menu items on it. He put his finger up to the line that said 'Buckwheat Porridge, Mug of Cider.' "That," he told the barkeep. The man nodded in response and walked off. He returned briefly to give Leo his drink, and then disappeared again.

In the next twenty or so minutes, Snart took his chance to survey the surroundings and reflect on what he was doing. He had recently arrived at this place called the Omniverse and was guided to a place called Camelot. Rather then let himself be taken to a large city by a bunch of soldiers, he gathered up information on the closest town, which was this Darkshire. He got away from the soldiers, but aside from that, he had no other plans. No real idea of where he was or what he had gotten himself into. All he knew was that for now, the Omniverse was his home, and he'd have to work to get answers.

"Eh, you there," someone said behind him. Leonard moved to sit sideways on his stool to get a look at the voice's origin. It was a man with long, white hair sitting at the table closest to him. He had a stocky female with him as well. "Haven't seen you 'round here before. What's with the get-up? Why you wearin a coat?"

"Because I'm Cold," Snart said simply. He didn't elaborate further. Both the white-haired man and his female companion exchanged looked, but just shrugged, seemingly not bothered by his answer. Even if they didn't get it, they pretended to. It was about this time that the barkeep returned with a bowl of porridge and a re-fill for his drink. Leonard took a spoonful of the meal into his mouth and nodded at the barkeep. It was good. He was impressed.

His attention shifted back to the duo at the table. The silver-haired man leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the table. "My name is Lican. This is Burga." He nodded to the butch-looking friend next to him. They both had on armor, which suggested some kind of military affiliation. They weren't wearing the metal plates just for their comfort, that was for sure.

"Leonard Snart," he responded between mouthfuls of porridge. "A pleasure."

"What brings you to Darkshire, Mr. Snart?" Lican asked.

Suddenly Leonard felt like he was being interrogated. The tone in Lican's voice was nice, welcoming even. But it had clear intentions. He saw a stranger and he didn't trust him. Smart. "I'm just passing through," The man known as Cold told him. "I'm new here, in this...place. Still trying to get my bearings. Think I'll stay a bit and figure out my next move." Lican nodded at his answers. "My turn for a question, if you don't mind. You military?"

"Darkshire Town Guard," the female answered. Burga was her name. "If you're going to be staying a bit, you should look to sign up. We can always use the recruits, and it'll earn your keep here. Assumin' you stay out of trouble."

"Aye, that's a good place to start," Lican agreed. "Keepin' out of trouble, that is. You gonna keep out of trouble here, Snart?"

Leonard felt like he needed to give his full attention to the duo, who were clearly sizing him up. He put the spoon down in the bowl of porridge and turned to them. His face stayed stoic, as usual. "I wouldn't dream of it," he promised. After all, he wasn't going to just tell them that he was a world class thief. Of course not.

"You should see the captain in the mornin," Lican suggested. He reaches out to grab his bottle of ale and held it up. Burga held up her mug, as well. "Cheers, Mr. Snart. Welcome to the Darkshire."

"Cheers," Snart said, forcing a smile on his lips and he held up his own glass.

Joining a town guard wasn't exactly how Leonard saw his future in this Omniverse. But it was a solid place to start, at least. If anyone was going to have information on what his next move should (or could) be, it was the soldiers here in this desolate town. He felt like there was a history here, and if he could get to the bottom of that, then he'd be well on his way to identifying where he fit in the Omniverse. If he fit at all.

Doing a 'Light in the Darkness' faction quest for Darkshire. 1073/5000 words.

[Lambert]

The view on the top of the North Wall of Darkshire was impressive. It was the most impressive thing Leonard Snart had seen thus far since he arrived in the Omniverse. Not that he'd seen much. But compared to the white nothingness of the Nexus and the sprawling plains he witnessed in Camelot, the view of the Pale Moors from this post was amazing. He'd never admit it out loud, but he had a soft spot for art, and this 'verse' was certainly a piece of art. The rolling hills that towered above him was beautiful, dotted with forests between vast fields. There was a mist that made him feel strangely comfortable. Most people would find it eerie, but for Snart, it gave him a bit of a chill. In a good way.

He was standing a watch for the Darkshire town guard. He was supposed to wear a uniform, but of course he didn't. But the leather armor and the sword he was given still rested nearby, on the cot he was given to relax in. Instead, he stood in his dark blue overcoat, hiding his figure and weapons, with the big eskimo hood pulled up over his head. Anyone who happened to see him on the other side of the wall would give pause, but fortunately he didn't get much traffic at this post.

This was his third watch in about five days. He had signed up after a couple days of scouting out the town, and then went through a day of initial training. He wasn't much of a hand-to-hand fighter but he was smart (and component) enough to convince the captain that he'd be useful. They needed bodies and he had a clean record (so far). Plus, being on the guard helped pay his rent at the Brass Fang, so there was that too.

"Not bad, eh? Beautiful, even." Came a voice. Snart looked over his shoulder to find a man he had come to recognize, but not actually meet. Captain Atelos was the man in charge of the town militia. He was there when Snart had initially signed up, but he hadn't actually voiced an opinion one way or the other. Since then, Snart had seen him around the barracks and heard him give speeches during the morning quarters. But this was the first time he'd actually spoken to him. "Leonard Snart, correct?"

"Indeed," Snart responded. He looked in front of him as Atelos moved to stand next to him. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Captain?"

Atelos looked at Leonard next to him. He sized him up, from boots to hood. He smiled. "I try to know everyone under my command, if possible. You're not like the usual batch of recruits we get."

"What, handy with a sword? Young and fit?"

"Stupid," the Captain told him. "Eager and naive. Too willing to jump in and get noticed on the first week. Too willing to put themselves at risk. To put this town at risk. These young men, they think only of their own situation, and not of the team. Of the people."

Leonard nodded his head in agreement to what he was saying. "You don't have to worry about that from me. I'm just here to figure this place out. No need for glory."

Atelos turned around so he was leaning back against the wall, and Leonard was next to him, but faced towards it. In this position, they were able to look at each other easier when they spoke. It was a tactic he was using to stress something important. Snart knew it well. He knew the emphasis when a man looked another in the eyes. "I have something that I need your assistance with. I am sending one of my officers with a team out to the Shireen Farm. We have an outpost out there that is late on reports. You've been recommended to the team, and I want to see what you can do."

As was his usual reaction, Snart did nothing. His face betrayed no emotion. He didn't give away his thoughts. "I'm honored you thought of me, Captain, but..." Obviously he wasn't about to volunteer to go on a strike team out to some farm in the middle of nowhere. He was here on the wall because it was where he wanted to be. Where he could learn the most about this city.

"You'll leave at dawn. Consider this a test, Leonard Snart." Atelos pat him on the shoulder. Suddenly things got tense. The pat on the shoulder was very condescending. Unlike Snart, Atelos not very good at keeping his emotions hidden behind a stern face. He was grinning behind gritted teeth. Then he turned to walk away.

"A test of what?" Snart asked. He gave away a little bit of annoyance. On purpose.

Atelos turned momentarily as he made his way to the stairwell leading off the wall. "Trust. Loyalty. A test of whether or not you're here for Darkshire. Or not." With that, the Captain of the Darkshire Militia walked away.

Leonard Snart turned back to the view in front of him. He tried to pinpoint where in the Pale Moors he was being sent, but he had no idea. He had only a name to go off of. Shireen Farm. He couldn't help but suddenly feel sour about his situation. He thought he had found an easy, cushy job to relax in until he figured out his next move. Until he figured out his first mark on the Omniverse. But it wasn't going to be that easy. He wasn't going to be able to just hide behind the walls of a quiet town waiting until the right time to do something.

The Omniverse was going to get what it wanted out of Leonard Snart, whether he was cooperative or not.

2048/5000 words

[Lambert]

The team that Leonard Snart was traveling with consisted of five other people. They were currently camping out in a small clearing in the Pale Moors, right between a large field and the woods proper. They had a small fire going and a single tent, but Snart himself was content to rest up against a tree away from them, with only his over-sized blue winter coat as a make-shift sleeping bag. He watched the other soldiers as they talked and laughed. It had been only a day since they left Darkshire. They still had another half-day of travel before they would reach their destination. Everyone was still in good spirits.

Leonard had known two of the five people he was traveling with. Well, 'known' was probably the wrong word. He had previously met Lican, a white-haired Darkshire officer, and Bergern, his butch-looking companion. The other three all seemed to be grunts of various sizes and shapes that had been pulled, like Snart had, for this journey. Lican apparantly had requested Snart personally, which is why Captain Atelos pulled him from easy, guard duty to this trip through the Pale Moor.

"What's wrong, Snart?" Lican asked he approached. Snart looks up to see the man smiling. He did not return the expression. "Not enjoying a night out under the stars?"

"I'm not much of a camper," Leonard told him, with about his much subtlety in his voice as a rock. "I'm also not much of a fighter, so I'm still not sure what I'm doing here."

Lican moved to sit down next to him, keeping his knees up so he could prop his arms over them. He had a long bow strapped around his back, which rested on the ground when he sat. He kept a smile on his face as he looked over at his companion. "I didn't ask you to come with us for your fighting skills. I asked you because you seem like a man of opportunity. And when we get to the farm, I've got some opportunity for ya."

Leonard gave him a squinting, confusion face. It was true they were going to investigate a farm in the Moors, but as far as he knew, it was just a matter of following up on a lack of reports. He didn't anticipate anything weird going on, aside from maybe a messenger not doing their job. "What kind of opportunity?" Was the first thing Snart asked, followed by: "What kind of job is this, exactly?"

The silver-haired ranger grinned and pat his fellow Darkshire guardsman on the knee. He moved to stand up. "All in due time, Snart. All in due time."

"I should warn you, Lican," Snart said, keeping his same monotone voice as usual, despite the threatening words. "I don't like surprises."

"You'll like this one," came the grinning response. "I promise. It'll be worth the wait."

As Lican walked away from the brief encounter, he left Leonard Snart there chewing the inside of his lip. He was not pleased with the situation. First he was pulled from standing an easy watch on the Darkshire wall, and now he was walking into an unknown situation. The smile on Lican's face gave him pause. He didn't trust the man when he first met him, and this was not helping the opinion any. But for now, all Snart could do was sit back and weigh the situation in front of him. There were positives here. He was getting to see the Omniverse up close and personal, rather then hiding behind Darkshire. He was going to potentially get his hands dirty.

Plus, he still had something he needed to test out. Something that he had been saving since he got to the Omniverse for a rainy day. That day was fast approaching, and Leonard Snart knew something that no one else in his party had a clue on. Captain Cold was coming, sooner or later. Probably sooner.

2705/5000