The group walked back towards the campsite, each sitting down around the center on the grass. Gabriel was the only one who remained standing, as he walked from person to person introducing them to Cyrus who was also sitting on the grass.
"First, we have myself of course. Honoris Gabriel, of common descent. I was originally assigned to Cato as one of his guards way back when he graduated from one of the arcane academies. We had been through thick and thin and mutually influenced one another over many years." He then walked over to where Fauve was sitting, who immediately put on an air of immense pride and self-importance.
"Here we have Fauve, an expert Venator whom we had the pleasure of teaming up on a mission once." As Gabriel finished the short introduction Fauve spoke up,
"Hah, expert indeed! When we met, we were hunting a great beast of unparalleled might and ferocity. Alone, I had plenty of chance to kill it of course being as great as I am, but when I came across Cato and his guard I figured I might as well lend my immense wit and talent to his cause so that we could even more easily slay the beast. After that we cooperated many times in hunts, forming a mutual partnership. I got to increase my rank steadily in the guild and Cato had an unending supply of test subjects, research materials, and wealth to fund his interests."
Cyrus, having detected something familiar in Fauve's manner of speech thought "Only the last part of that sounds even remotely truthful. Even so, I seem to have found the reason for Cato's odd manner of speaking at times. Or perhaps he influenced this man here… I do wonder though" breaking out of his thoughts, and this time opening his mouth he asked
"A Venator? How interesting Fauve. What rank of beasts do you normally tackle then?" Using his knowledge of imperial factions, a question that was sure to allow a concise estimation of Fauve's strength and skill was asked.
Fauve, no doubt wanting to further his image in the mind of Cato's student, proudly exclaimed "I am authorized to take on any grade B foe that I find, assuming its not reached stampede or horde levels of course. I have taken on a few grade A in my time but always in a group of course, not even I am brave enough to fight one of those solo ahahha!"
Nodding in understanding, Cyrus spoke disingenuous and automatic praises while inwardly impressed with the impressive strength that this boastful baldy had.
"The grades of beasts follow a simple scale, from F to S, with each letter increase the amount of destruction the beast can unleash. I know little of these foes in actuality, and of what I have learned are no doubt outdated by now, but I can estimate the strength of each from the damage output they can cause. From minor disruptions of the local food chain to the possibility of an entire city being threatened, these beasts never come off as pushovers"
Gabriel then introduced the next member, a quiet woman who had a calming presence about her. One of the few that Cyrus had barely noticed that held no negative feelings toward him prior to his test, but instead looked at him with perhaps a bit too much passion. "This here is Adara, the only woman in our group but regardless of what anyone might think she is possibly the most indispensable member, whose importance was only superseded by Cato himself when he was still with us. She is mage who is completely focused on the Vita domain of magic and has just recently reached the master level."
Adara looked towards Cyrus with her pure blue eyes, curling her long blonde hair with uncertainty but spoke clearly as she said " Hello Cyrus, I was sponsored by your mentor when I was still in my academy days. I had the drive and the intellect to almost keep pace with my peers, but my inability to manage money caused me to not reach my full potential… but I had a fateful encounter with Cato one day when I was out looking to sell some of my personal belongings for cash." She began to bashfully smile as she recalled her experience, "After bumping into him, and clearing up a slight misunderstanding, he offered to pay for my expenses in return for coming to work under him as a healer for a few years. In hindsight it was the best decision I ever made, to agree to him that day."
As she finished her story, everyone in the group started to laugh wildly. Cyrus was confused for a moment until Fauve spoke in between laughs, " 'Slight misunderstanding' she says AHAHAH. The first thing he did upon meeting was try to drunkenly hit on her HAHAH, she ended up almost attacking him thinking he was a common pervert!" Adara blushed even more to this, while the rest of the men cleared the tears from their eyes.
"I may be no expert on human relationships, but I am fairly sure that Adara may see my mentor as more than just a kind benefactor. Too bad he never even mentioned her once, it seems it may be one sided." Cyrus thought, somewhat pitying Adara but was sure to not let it show on his face.
Gabriel then walked over to a trio who sat side by side, each of impressive stature and each looking as if they were close relatives; each had the same signature messy dark black hair and impressive facial hair that was curiously far more kept that the hair on their head. They all trained their curious black eyes towards Cyrus as they greeted him one after the other.
"Names Unas, I am the youngest of us three brothers"
"Names Tribum, I am the oldest of us three brothers"
"Names Dues, I am the middle of us three brothers"
Then in unison they all said,
"We are each a member of the Legionaries, no fancy title required" finished they, rather jovially.
Gabriel took up the task of finishing the introduction, seeing as the three brothers produced some kind of board game out of nowhere and began playing it.
"These are the other three Legionaries that joined up with Cato, as you can tell they are also all brothers. They grew up in a family that lives within one of the warrior temples that are found throughout the empire, land that is awarded to the families of distinguished Legionaries that move in together in order to foster the next generation. While they are a bit too interested in entertainment, especially gambling, when it comes to battle they have some of the best coordination and teamwork I have ever seen. Together they could match me quite easily in a fair fight, a feat which should speak for itself."
Cyrus, having been introduced to all his mentors' former companions, was quite incredibly shocked inside as he considered all he had just met.
"A Master mage, Honoris Legionnaire, a Venator able to go toe to toe with impossible foes, and three Legionaries with the combined force of a Honoris. Cato had some incredibly strong companions. With this level of power he had at his disposal, I am somewhat wondering how voluntary his exile really was" remarked Cyrus inwardly.
Gabriel then took his own seat before speaking to Cyrus once more,
"Now that we have all been introduced to one another, we all have a request for you. We only ask that you tell us of your history with Cato and everything major that the two of you have experienced. When we met up with him while you were unconscious we got a few details from him, but otherwise he remained stubborn to our questions and persuasions. As his closest companions, close enough to be called on to guard his one and only student, we wish to know how he has been over the past few years."
Each and every one of the people around Cyrus all looked towards him as well, each with a different look in their eyes as they silently also asked the same request. Adara with worry and loneliness, Fauve with a slight sadness hidden deep within, and the Legionaries as if their king had died and they were listening for him beyond the grave.
With no reason to refuse, and possibly to ease some of his future requests, Cyrus agreed easily and began to recount his tale.