Aten

Strength █████ Intellience █████ Quickness █████ Vitality █████ Wisdom █████ Charisma █████ Generation 4

❧ ATEN Aloof | Independent | Strong-Willed | Loyal Born in a clan that values intelligence, independence, and cunning above all else, Aten is a consummate warrior and a highly ambitious dragon. Part of the Night Warrior lineage, he has journeyed from his birthplace in the Wyrmwound to the clan of his ancestors and is among the youngest trainees of the line. With so many Night Warriors in the clan already, Aten wanted a way to make sure that he was remembered and unique while simultaneously distinguishing himself in combat and proving his worth to his new clan. When he saw the opportunity to join the Sornieth World Tournament, he was thrilled at the appearance of such a fortuitous opportunity and leaped at the opportunity to enlist. While his initial motivation was to obtain glory for himself through battle, Aten found unexpected strength in the relationships he formed with his fellow combatants, especially their team leader, Carina. Initially skeptical of such an untried leader and irritated by her nattering, he was dismissive of the Coatl until she took steps to extend the hand of friendship off the battlefield. Over the course of the tournament, Aten's dismissiveness turned into curiosity, and then into respect. His elimination from the tournament halfway through was a bitter disappointment. He'd come to the tournament with the intention of proving himself a worthy warrior, and he'd failed. In doing so he'd let down not only his clan, but also his leader, who had been counting on him. Distraught, Aten prepared to return home in the dead of night to face his inevitable disgrace - but to his surprise, Carina stopped him. She'd written home to request a replacement so that they could continue in the tournament, but she didn't want Aten to leave and insisted that she would still benefit from his presence and his council, even if he was currently too injured to fight. Moved beyond words, Aten had only been able to nod his acceptance. But from that point onward, Carina had his undying loyalty. After their triumph in the tournament, Aten accepted Carina's invitation to serve as her lieutenant without a second's hesitation and is looking forward to a bright future, as long as he has his leader by his side. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Aten is a battlemage who utilizes a specialized style of combat magic pioneered by the Night Warrior Nymane. He is a distance fighter who utilizes elemental curses to weaken his foes, damaging them and inflicting them with disease so that they are easier for his teammates to pick off. If it comes to a close-quarters fight, Aten is more than capable of holding his own. His glowing claws are imbued with magic that leave the wounds they inflict tainted with disease, sapping their strength until they collapse.

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

"I'm really not sure what we should do with this," Redhand said uncertainly as the team stared down at the Ward rune that an Emerald Webwing had left behind. "Should one of us use it?"

"Probably not," Carina said after a few moments' consideration. "In our clan's history, none of our fighters have found much use for this particular skill. If we save our strength for later, we might be able to imbue a rune that will suit us better. We can only take so many, after all."

"That's true," Redhand conceded. Without another word on the matter, the Imperial began to sift through their other loot, and once he had found the supply of Crimson Emperor steaks, he set to work preparing dinner. Aten looked on in irritation that was rapidly turning to disgust.

Carina glanced at him briefly before turning to the supplies herself, and Aten sighed inwardly in aggravation. No matter how much he tried to hide his feelings from Carina, the Coatl was able to read him like an open book. He had no idea how she did it. It was just another list of skills that their self-appointed leader could add to her retinue, and it galled him.

It wasn't that Aten meant to be churlish. Carina had kept her head during battle and had proved a competent strategist, even if she seemed unused to actively taking a leadership role. But her constant chatter was annoying. She always had something to contribute; even if it was Aten and Redhand who were doing the work and slaying the foes, Carina was always lurking above, ready and prepared with a useful Contuse bolt at times, yes, but usually just hovering. Hovering and offering unsolicited critique and feedback when none was needed. Aten knew what he was doing, and he'd come here to distinguish himself, not to be bossed around by a bookish Coatl with a penchant for kleptomania.

He really needed to stop sulking. But he couldn't make himself stop. He picked at his dinner until Redhand sheepishly asked him if he didn't like the stew, then reluctantly bolted his entire portion before retreating to his shelter. He wasn't under any illusion - he knew he was being rude. But he was in too much turmoil to be polite, and he needed to get to sleep. They would almost certainly be heading into the Woodland Path tomorrow.

He was about to close his eyes when he heard quiet footsteps outside. "Aten?" Carina's voice called. "I don't want to keep you, but I wanted to give you this," she said. "I've been working on some flashcards that I thought might help everyone tomorrow. Some of the monsters in the Woodland Path are hard to bring down, and I know I was yelling a lot today. If we're all on the same page tomorrow, I won't have to shout at everyone so much."

It wasn't quite an apology, but Aten was still so surprised that he jerked awake and looked out the door of his shelter to where Carina was standing. Her crest was lowered sheepishly, and she had a bundle of cards clutched in one foreclaw.

Aten sighed and rose to his feet, moving toward the door to take them from her. "I'll use them," he said. And after a brief pause, because he really had been unfair, he continued, "And I'll be less of a jerk tomorrow."

That startled a laugh out of Carina, and Aten felt his shoulders relax. "Sounds like a plan!" the Coatl called over her shoulder before disappearing in the direction of their stores.