To say Glen's morning had been a lot to take in would be putting it mildly. At least one confirmed bone dog in the city, a strange man had attacked a young resident of Skytop, and to top it off he somehow commanded rampant to freeze? That was a lot to take in all before 7am.

The Commander of the Greenmen needed to be alerted. Glen knew a council meeting needed to be called to address everything that happened, but didn’t have the authority to call such a meeting himself. Though as the youngest team leader of the newly minted Team Artemis, he had a direct line to someone that could call the Elders to council.

Making his way up the tower he passed many of the residents of Skytop, each happy to see him. None of them had heard yet of the attack. The nice thing about the tower being so large is that for being cooped up so close together it still took time for rumors and gossip to spread.

A couple of residents even tried making conversation with him asking about his plans for the day. Day to day life here may have been safe, but it was Incredibly dull. Many of the people living here relied on stories from the scouts to add a little excitement in their lives.

Not wanting to alarm anyone Glen maintained a calm outward appearance as he snaked his way through the ancient halls. When he did reply it was with the kind of bland tone that let people know he wasn't in the mood to talk. He even went as far as intentionally making his responses as difficult as possible to reply to.

“Yeah, everything is great out there, thanks for asking.” Also, “No, nothing really interesting to talk about lately.” As long as he didn't slow his pace that was where the conversation normally ended. A couple people did attempt to follow him, but after he lengthened his stride, they quickly got the message.

He looked around just taking in his home with a new perspective as he walked. For all that it looked run down, it has been a bastion for this little gathering of people to rebuild in safety. For over sixty years they have lived here. They had come a long way since then, most of what they needed to be made right here in the tower these days.

In the beginning there were only a couple dozen people sheltered together here. The height they lived at was too out of the way and inconvenient for your typical rampant to stumble upon. Apart from a stray aberrant once or twice a decade they were largely left alone. The tower itself was of the old world, it had been made to last for centuries, so it was the ideal place to call home.

Over the last couple decades their population had surpassed two hundred with new children being born, and people that had been brought in from the wasteland outside the city. With all these new residents scout teams became then more important, with an ever-growing need for fresh food and clean water.

Would it be enough though? Glen’s mind wandered across thoughts like, “If we were attacked today, would we survive?” He knew between the water collection and farms being tended to on the roof, that they could hold out for weeks self-sustained. If they could work out proper rationing, he thought they might be able to last a month, maybe two at most.

“If someone really could just order those monsters around though, would the security floor be enough to stop them?” Glen said to no one in particular.

That's why it was beyond startling when a curious reply came back with, “who is ordering monsters around? And why are you suddenly questioning the safety of our home?”

Wincing, Glen just let out a long sign before turning back and saying, “Oh hey Liz… I don’t suppose you've heard then? Maybe you'd like to walk with me and we can swap stories about our mornings?”

Liz was one of the few people in Skytop that could ever approach Glen unnoticed. Her slim form allowed her to move with a cat like grace that didn't quite line up with her height. It would aggravate him when they were younger, but he knew if it hadn't been for his sister helping him train day and night, he wouldn’t be leading his own team today. Well, that was the plan before, now he wasn't sure what the day held for Team Artemis.

This meeting may have been a turn of good fortune now that Glen thought about it. His sister was a senior team leader and highly respected among the scouts. If he could get her up to speed and they approached Maxwell together he was sure they'd have a better response.

Liz reluctantly agreed to go with him, though it was her day off she got the sense it could be important. She asked some questions of he while they walked.

“What did the man that attacked Lauri look like?”

“Where did he come from?”

“Do you think the dog is trained, and if so, can I have one?”

You know, the important questions. Though Glen doubted she could take care of a dog, hell, she barely kept her personal crops alive. He still answered her in a playful way trying to take his mind off of the severity of the situation.

“He looked like a man, he came from some other place, and even if he did tame it, you still can't have one. In that specific order.” He replied trying to keep from laughing.

They both knew this was serious and they might not be able to relax any time soon, better to get in a couple laughs while they could. They continued to make conversation, and before they knew it, they had arrived before the Greenmen Hall.

In a former life the room had been known as the penthouse suite, now being the most spacious room available it served as a meeting place for the scouts. Only one floor below the roof, 60 stories up, it served as a watchtower over the ruins. If anyone were to light a fire or travel by road, they would be able to see it for miles from here.

After standing awkwardly outside the door for a moment together Liz finally asked, “Is there a reason we're not just going in?”

“Oh! Right, I forgot to mention Douglas and Pirah will be joining us shortly.” At this Glen began to smile, already knowing what was to come.

Liz’s face started to turn a bright red before stammering out, “Douglas, is coming here?? Why didn't you tell me?! Do you see what I'm wearing! I have to go change!” shock and betrayal were clear on her face as she began to leave.

At that moment as if saying his name has summoned him, Douglas and Pirah rounded the corner. He could be heard finishing the story of the morning with, “so anyway I light the fire, she starts screaming, everyone starts panicking and I tell them 'Don't worry, I'm here’ boom I saved the day. I'm telling you I'm basically a hero.” His deep voice was unmistakable and Liz knew it was too late to flee.

Damn Glen and his jokes, she would not forget this!

Pirah looked between Glen and Douglas, then over at Liz dismissively without saying anything for a long moment. When she finally did speak up us it was just to say, “Yeah, I'm not buying it. Glen, do you want to tell me what REALLY happened...?”

This is how Team Artemis, and their plus one, found themselves starting their adventure for today. It may not be at all how they planned it, but one way or another meeting here was on the agenda. Putting on a brave face they resolved to tell Maxwell as a team, no one who how this would go. The Commander was rather… excitable.