Warmarshall Verruca had over saw the soldiers of Saigunrai and was aiding the disassemble of materials at the make-shift junkyards outside of the City walls. She would on occasion bark orders to those coming and going, as the soldiers further separated the materials and hauled the useable Holy Bones to the agreed location for the construction companies of Minister Crag.
At present Julia was knee deep in conversation with Stephanie Chaoshood, fellow Warmarshall.
"So, you're both just friends now?" Stephanie asked while standing close enough to Julia, that no one else could hear them.
"Yeah."
"You never did tell me how he felt about the sundress."
"...He thought it looked nice... I should have never listened to you." Julia facepalmed.
"Why not? You JUST said he thought it looked nice. Isn't that good?"
"But we're just friends now. Isn't strange to do that? Also, you should have heard what Warmarshall Doomcry said."
"Wha-"
"I no longer go by Doomcry." A harsh voice interrupted Julia and Stephanie, as they both turned in defense! Just who had the moxie, and ability to walk up on both of them, without them knowing.
"Warmarshall Doomcry?" Julia asked.
"Didn't I just say I didn't go by that?" Joan tilted her head, as a few of her snakes in her hair licked the air.
"Ah... Then what do we call you?" Stephanie asked as both she and Julia visible relaxed on the surface, though nerves taunt from facing the infamous butcherer.
"Joan... For now. Just call me Joan." Joan chuckled, as she easily saw through the nervousness of both Julia and Stephanie. It seemed her reputation preceded her.
"All... Right... Joan. What brings you here?" Julia asked second.
"My God-King has retired to his evening tomb, and I find myself without an army, and without a task. So, I've come to look for my fellow Warmarshalls." Joan replied.
"...It's been a week since the cleanup began... Why are you just now coming to find us?" Stephanie asked in turn.
Joan then spoke with that raspy voice, "Cleaning my armor and weapons."
Both Julia and Stephanie, who were wearing their armor, looked Joan up and down, and could clearly see her wearing military fatigues... What armor, they both thought together.
"Okay. Well. What do you want to do?" Julia asked.
A few snakes looked around, and some others looked directly at the pair of Warmarshalls in front of Joan, as Joan spoke, "What is this? Fifty questions? I just wanted to see if you ladies needed help, and I happen to hear you guys speak of my old name."
"Why is it your old name?" Stephanie asked.
Joan looked slightly annoyed, at being asked another question... But answered anyway, "Those of my old clan are all gone. Passed away to time. I do not know the Doomcry Clan of today, nor do I care to rejoin them. I am my god's tool, and so I will ask him to give me another name." Joan shrugged.
""God's tool?"" Now both Julia and Stephanie asked together.
"I am merely an instrument of my god's wrath. He points, and I follow. Where I tread the battlefields will choke on true death and black blood." Joan looked into the darkened sky, with an intoxicated look.
"..." Julia was at a loss, while Stephanie asked out loud, "Are you looking to become a consort of Deagoth, as well?"
"Pfft!" Julia nearly spat up black blood, as she looked over to her supposed to be best-friend, who just shamelessly asked such a question.
Joan returned back to her previous state, and looked over Stephanie again, as she nodded. "I like straight forward people, and to your eighth question, No, I am not."
Julia felt a bit of relief, but didn't understand the emotion she felt exactly, as to why, this relief was only for a moment, when Joan followed up by speaking, "I am his tool, and while I am an instrument of his wrath, if he needs me for other affairs, then he need only command. I need no status as consort or concubine to serve him if he so desires."
Joan chuckled again, as she saw the expression on Julia's face.
"Say, Warmarshall Verruca."
Julia looked a bit confused, as she waited for Joan to finish.
"Are you sure you aren't a Consort of my God-King?"
"...I'm sure I am not," Julia replied, with a complex face. Stephanie watched from the side wondering how this was going to turn out.
"So, you really aren't... That's strange. Truly strange. I remember a certain someone showing themselves to Him."
"Ack!" Julia was caught off-guard, as Stephanie quickly snapped her eyes to Julia.
"You didn't mention anything about this! I need to know all about this." Stephanie added some fuel to the fire.
Calming herself slightly, Julia replied, "The God-King healed the scar on my back, so I presented it to Him."
"Oh, I see..." Stephanie looked a bit disappointed, that there wasn't anymore, but she thought silently that there should be more to it than that...
Joan spoke again, "So, can you both bring me up to speed on the situation of the Kingdom?"
Finding a topic that Julia was interested in war, she jumped into the conversation, and with her and Stephanie, Joan quickly caught up.
"So... The Little Consort is from Neolith, and We were just at war with them. What a swing that is!" Joan laughed, "Does that mean I can't chop them up?"
"I don't know about that. Only the God-King could tell us." Julia looked a bit lost when speaking about Emily.
Joan nodded, as she silently agreed. She then asked about some of the new battle tactics of the armies, and empires, including their personal ones if they could speak on it.
After a conversation with Julia and Stephanie, Joan could only shake her head, "Warmarshall Verruca... You can't just solve every problem by smashing it with a hammer... Though I love the force of violence myself." A pleasurable expression took over Joan's face, before it reverted back, "You sometimes have to use some finesse."
Julia had been reflecting on her battles in Zitergall... She also thought this might be the case, but it always worked before...
"Take my weapons for example. I use a large cleaver and a small sword. The Cleaver is for brute force, while the small sword is for agile sharp movements. With my Cleaver, I can bisect an armored horse and rider in a single move... But I can also use my small sword to flay the thigh bone out of a Zombie undead in about three moves. It's all in flexibility." Joan continued, as Julia absorbed more information. This was good information and should have been known to her through her family. It was ironic that the same undead that was teaching her was also the same person that killed the patriarch of the Verruca Clan before he had the chance to pass down this knowledge to his descendants.
Verruca during her campaigns became too prideful to continue her studies, and thus lead to her victories over Borda, but downfall in Zitergall to Jakahn.
After a lengthy discussion of tactics, that even Stephanie benefited from, they came to a good stopping point, when a few soldiers came to the Warmarshalls for their next orders.
After Julia handed down the next set of tasks, Stephanie went back to asking about her showing off her body to the God-King in more depth.
Joan laughed to herself a bit while looking at these two, as she found that they were funny and kind of cute. Seeing Julia frowning over the ambiguous questions of Stephanie, Joan couldn't help herself from wanting to tease Julia, and took a step forward, and looked up at Julia, as she spoke, "So... If the God-King doesn't have you as a Consort... You could always come to me for comfort."
Caught off-guard, Julia took a few steps backward on the implications of this, "I-I-I'd... rather not."
Stephanie then had a gleam in her eye, "Say... Warmarshall Joan... I wonder. It seems you are inclined to ladies, but what about the God-King?"
Joan laughed again, as she found this entire process hilarious. She didn't come with the intention of messing with these two, but they were so easy to poke fun at, that she couldn't help herself. It was either this or go murder, and the God-King hadn't pointed her in the right direction.
"If my God-King wishes me to serve, then I will gladly serve." Joan shrugged again, but with a bit of humor in her voice.
"Hey... You're messing with us aren't you!" Stephanie finally caught the humor laced rough voice of Joan.
Joan held up her hands, "Guilty as charged, but the big one here can always find me if the God-King doesn't ask me to serve… Oh! I got it! How about we both become Sister-Consorts of and for the God-King!" Joan laughed out loud, with her hands on her hips proud of her idea, as her snake hair laughed with small hisses.