FROM THE ASHES, WE RISE [The Empire]
12-13-2017, 10:18 PM
For several long moments after his father finished speaking Malleus sat frozen in thought as he debated not only the position he wanted, but the position he deserved. Were they one and the same? His personal advancement was in lockstep with the advancement of the Abraxas. So long as he stuck with his family his future was inevitably linked to the group's. For him to do well they had to do well and vice versa, so whatever position he occupied within the pack had to be something that maximized his usefulness. And what maximized his usefulness didn't necessarily equal what he wanted. As he kicked around what he should say, others began to speak up. First Pyralis, whose interested in the secondary position both intrigued and worried him, and then Seth, whose suggestion managed to alter Malleus' forming proposition. He waited until his cousin finished speaking and then cleared his throat. "Seth's suggestion about traveling to the other packs is an interesting one." While he wasn't entirely convinced that the childlike gimp was the best for the job, he had no problem giving credit where it was due. Malleus had the sneaking suspicion that the little man was shrewder than he let on, but that was a musing for another time. "I volunteer to go with him." He could offer a level head - something that was a bit of a rarity in their family - and muscle should things go south. Whoever went with Seth couldn't count on the dwarf to be much use in a fight, so they needed to be someone capable and versatile. Which he was. That conclusion wasn't simple braggadocio; it was the product of careful scrutiny and merciless evaluation of skills on his part. He wasn't prone to narcissistic ego stroking and knew exactly what he was capable of. As for what position he wanted... "I too have healer training, but I think I would be of more use elsewhere. I can best serve our family by filling the role of a fighter. You trained me; you know what I am capable of. I will serve our family to the best of my abilities in whatever position you see fit to place me in." He didn't particularly care where his father chose to start him off at. Whatever position he found himself in, Malleus wouldn't be there long. Hard work and tenacity would see him to success and he had no doubt his efforts would eventually lift him to the higher tiers. |