Fantasy Contract: Trouble on the Trade route

[Vampunk]

The faint rays of a rising autumn sun would come to shine through the closed blinds of one of countless rented Inn rooms, slowly coating the interior in a warm morning glow. Falling on the tangled mess of sheets, pillows and limbs, the sunlight would tickle green cheeks as the snoring heap would stir, groaning at being awoken from oh so sweet dreams. While farmers, craftsmen and the various bakers were already up, going about their craft, this particular line of work did not require getting up early in the morning, nor did it have a regulated string of events that would take up most of the hours from dawn to dusk.

This line of work was not for those who valued peace, quiet and safety, oh no, quite the contrary.
And as the sun's light grew more intense, the green-skinned woman would find herself waking from her slumber, rising groggily from the sheets as she would rub her weary, golden eyes.
"Ugh...Is it dawn already?" Gharol would mumble, her eyes wandering over the messy interior of her room, finding her ax having been repurposed into a makeshift rack for her clothing and several guild contracts littering the floor.

"Oh, yeah, I was looking for something worth my time, huh?" The orc mused, slowly turning around as her feet found solid ground...And another piece of parchment depicting the Everheart's sigil.
Lowering herself, Gharol snatched the contract up as she raised it to her tusked face.
Only for her eyes to widen as she realized she might be late for this particular task's briefing that would take place in the Inn's meeting hall.

"Damnit!" The Everheart Herald cursed as she rolled out of her bed, almost tripping over the boots she had tossed carelessly off her bed the night prior.
Luckily for her she had once again forgotten to actually use the nightgown she had been urged to use on numerous occasions but rather donned her white tunic and the fitting pair of riding breeches.
Stumbling around the room on just one leg, trying to slide into her sturdy boots, Gharol darted around, trying to find everything she'd need to not make a complete fool of herself even before taking up that particular contract.

Finally draping her coat with the white fur collar over her shoulders, Gharol would leave her room, leaving it in an even messier state than it was before.
Her fast steps echoed through the Inn's winding staircase as the Orc would make her way down to the briefing hall as the scent of warm breakfast and early alcohol would grew more intense by the second, arriving at the great chamber coated in a warm golden glow.

Every table was already filled with adventurers just like herself, forming parties that would go about bringing glory to their affiliated guild, win renown and gold, or simply try to get by taking up work wherever they could.
The sound of tableware, banter and the stressed chirping of bar staff filled her ears as Gharol's eyes would wander around the room, trying to find the table designated for this Everheart contract.

Spying what she was looking for in the far off corner of the tavern; a round wooden table with the Everheart crest on top of it, Gharol would aim directly for it, greeting those she had met on previous adventures on the way as many commented on the events of the night before and how she had managed to drink a particularly large Merchant Guild Patron under the table.
An awkward smile would come to spread from one Tusk to the other before Gharol took a seat at the table, retrieving the parchment depicting the contract from her pocket as golden eyes wandered over the details.

It seemed the trading routes to the north were getting more dangerous and with winter right around the corner the Guilds were tasked to take care of the problem so that a steady connection between the northern and southern realms could be guaranteed.
A sigh escaped her lips as she called a barmaid to her side, ordering an unusually large breakfast with extra bacon and eggs before turning her attention back to the many adventurers pouring in from their rooms upstairs, or arriving from their morning business.

Anyone who would share in this contract would sooner or later come to find the table and meet their prospective partner in arms so that they could plan for the task ahead.

 

[VasiliasMellow]

Kaden woke with a start as a mug of ale was slammed down on the table where he was resting his head. The loud clunk sent a headache cascading across his forehead. With a side glance, the waitress stifled a laugh as she slid a plate of what looked to be eggs and bacon in front of his face. He let out a drowsy sigh before downing the ale. He pushed the plate aside and noticed something on his face. He peeled it off, whatever it was had been pasted to his face with his own drool. A few chuckles alerted him that there were other people at this table. In fact, the whole tavern was full. At this realization the sound of the crowd became deafening. With a moan, he stood looking down at the piece of paper. A contract, the contract! It was all coming back to him now.

He grabbed the plate, lifted it to his lips, and with a bit of a shake the eggs slid down into his mouth, the bacon tumbling onto his lip. A bacon mustache. Lowering the plate the bacon fell back onto it and he looked around, the sudden turning making his head swim. How much did he have to drink last night? With a quick chew and a gulp, he swallowed the eggs and stuffed the bacon into his mouth. He placed the plate back on the table and with a nod to the others sitting there he headed to the stairs.

Halfway up the stairs, he looked over the crowd, trying to see the emblem of the Everheart Guild on one of the tables. He scanned the tavern, hands gripping the handrail. Finally! He spotted the table, only one person sitting there. An Orc. With a smirk, he descended the stairs and began to make his way over to the table. Mumbling to himself as he walked, "Hi, Kaden. Kaden Beste. No...that won't do. Ready To Quest?! What are you a child?" With a sigh, he walked up to the table. "Hi, I'm Kaden" he spoke as he sat in an empty chair at the Everheart Guild table.

Vampunk

 

[E50M]

A single clock ticked with an increasingly louder volume with each passing second, ramping the volume of each tick at a decent pace. The intricately designed clock powered by various gears of different sizes made slow revolutions, all based on the standard time scale. Crafted by a master clock, it was designed to wake up its owner by increasing the sound of each of its ticks as time passed on. While many would consider it as over-designed and unneeded, the owner of the clock required it to function on a normal time range as the average person. The master of said clock, after all, is a very lazy person who loved slumber.

The owner of the clock, a young woman, slept peacefully as she enjoyed the beauty of her dreams. Alas, her clock was present with its unique property and with each passing second, she was slowly disturbed. While a repetitive same-volume sound could be woven into a harmonic relationship with the ambient background noise, the now rather loud clock prevented that from happening. It was by the twentieth second of the clock’s ascent that the woman opened her eyes slowly, revealing the tired and annoyed soul.

At first, from the beginning of her awakening, the woman dared herself to slip back to sleep, but the clock argued otherwise. As she tried to return to her dreams, the chaotic noise of the clock hammered at her ears. It was fifteen seconds after she woke up that the woman gave up on sleeping, admitting defeat as each tick at this point dominated her sense of hearing. Twisting her body in all directions in an attempt of stretching within the confines of her warm bed, she slowly rose up.

Turning her neck towards the clock across the room, she glared at it as she directed all of her hate upon the non-sentient but faithful device. Swinging her legs off the side of her bed, the woman proceeded to act out her daily routine after waking up. Most of it consisted of simply ensuring that she was at least presentable in public if she took of her helmet and that she felt refreshed and comfortable. Along the way of her daily routine, she ate a small breakfast consisting of yesterday's left over, taking a small break from her morning routine. After finishing her quick breakfast, she proceed to prepare her equipment for an adventure and/or combat.

As the woman equipped her outfit, she ensured the leather straps were both tight and secured before she moved to the other portions. Slowly, piece by piece, her comfortable armor was donned upon her. It was then that she moved towards her large mirror, having a bright smile across her soft lips. This was Lilicia—this was who she was. Staring down at her helmet, Lilicia took a deep breath before donning it.

Taking a single step, Lilicia took a large but quick stride towards her weapon’s cabinet, her movements far more precise and accurate than her previous soft steps. Unlocking the cabinet, Lilicia began equipping herself with her adventuring gear. At first, Lilicia reached for her poleaxe and shield before realizing her situation. She didn’t actually have a contract of any sort, rather, she found a promising one last night before she escaped towards her apartment room.

Grasping the sheath of her shortsword, Lilicia decided it was better to take some weaponry that wasn’t large and eye-catching for a meeting. Glancing over her room one last time, Lilicia took a step out of her apartment room, closed it, and locked it before departing towards a well-known tavern for adventurers. Each of her steps were quick and precise, covering a relatively large distance. That was one of her traits, considering her specialty in agile combat.

Along the way, Lilicia greeted acquaintances and several of her teammates from the past. At times, she would find herself decently into a conversation before veering out a discussion, realizing her actual goal of the day. It wouldn’t do for her to be rather late and leave her possible future party members annoyed. Reaching the tavern after a decent walk, she viewed the tavern with a soft smile. While she hated the idea of drinking and being obnoxious, she had made several fond memories in the tavern, especially during her early days.

Everheart. Everheart. Lilicia made her way through the tavern, making sure to avoid getting in the way of traffic, looking for the well-known symbol. From time to time, Lilicia would give a small morning greeting to additional acquaintances but always avoiding any long in-depth discussion. Rejecting several offers of a good morning breakfast, Lilicia soon located the table she was looking for. Noticing that two people were already there, she mentally prepared herself.

It was only two people and thus, by her standards, she was still early. It was much better than her second contract, where she was late by twenty minutes. Also, it appears they haven’t even begun small talk! That was a beautiful sign and all the best that she makes her way to the table and introduce herself. Taking her usual strides, Lilicia quickly covered the distance between her and an empty chair she located. Giving a small wave to the two, she pulled out the chair and sat herself down quietly. Even if she was lively with folks she knew, she was rather nervous meeting new people, for the first initial contact anyways.

 

[Love of Cyanide]

Apple red eyes looked upon the door. A few moments ago they'd just gotten off the road since one of their informants, that Solis, or rather Dawn remained himself he needed to drop, had told them that a new contract was popping up in this city. His soot covered fingers drummed against his pants legs as his arms pushed against his knees as he crouched somewhat. Glancing back at his partner, Silver, or Nixialla for only his ears and mouth, he gave a smirk, "C'mon it'd suck to be late, hm?" With that he grabbed his pale hand and pulled her in as he stepped into the tavern, crimson orbs darting around the room before he relaxed and went a sedated pace.

Engulfed in the orange lights of flames which occasionally flickered, Solis scanned the room this time looking for the symbol of the guild. Griffons of gold embracing a blade throned by the crown. His hand played with the cloth wrapping his trustworthy blade. Even if Solis had been doing this for years he still was on guard in the case that they were ambushed. They needed these funds to survive the coming month.

Sighing the smith rubbed his nape before he finally found it. It seemed as if there were three already there. Grabbing Silver's hand he gave it a squeeze before moving towards the table. Hopping into a chair he gave a small wave before crossing his arms as he grinned, "Hey, name's Dawn." Giving a smile he pointed at his partner, "That's Winter, my Partner. I assume you guys accepted the Everheart contract?" To emphasize his point Solis reached out and gave the crest a tap. And then he realized he screwed up her code name but kept a poker face, a quiet sigh being the only thing strange.

( Derpy Dev E50M VasiliasMellow Vampunk )

 

[Derpy Dev]

Snow white eyes scanned the environment around the two of them in the city. If Nix had learned one thing over so many years, it was that you always had to be careful in the cities. Too many people, word spread too fast.

Same time, word spreading was the only reason they were here at all.

She felt a slight tug at her armored hand and looked towards her partner, Solis-or Dawn, as he was more often called these days. She saw where his gaze led, towards a large tavern on the side of the road. She thought the place would look more like a hole in the wall than this, but it looked quite average instead. Solis gave her a smirk.

"C'mon, it'd suck to be late, hm?" he stated. She nodded and smiled, and was promptly pulled inside the homely place. It felt warm and nice inside, and she gave out a yawn as she looked around it. Not that she disliked the place, but because she found it awfully hard to sleep when on the run. "How do you sleep so easily?" she mumbled to her friend with a smile. He didn't seem to hear though, so she started scanning the room for the guild crest. Surprisingly, Solis found it first.

She let him pull her around a little longer before they reached the table. Three interesting characters stood there, a girl in armor, thought it was hard to distinguish her gender in it, a darker skinned man with a bow, and a female orc eating a rather large breakfast. Unsurprisingly, she was the tallest of the lot. Solis happily hopped into their ranks and sat on a chair at their table. While she chose not to sit down, Nix did lean into his chair from behind with her arms crossed.

"Hey, name's Dawn," he calmly announced. This was why she let him be the talker, she couldn't just come in and say something like that. He pointed up at her and continued. "That's Winter." Eh? Hadn't they agreed that her code name would be Silver? That sounded better anyways. She raised her hand and started to speak.

"It's actually not-"

"I assume you guys accepted the Everheart Quest?" Solis continued. She sighed and put on a grumpy expression, but kept her mouth shut as to keep up a good first impression. She hoped they would accept the two of them. The possibility that one of these Everhearts would recognize them from a wanted poster was a bit high for her taste, and they were barely members of the Everheart, as they mostly only did the bare minimum of what they had to to stay in the Everheart. But if she wanted to keep living with Solis like this, they had no choice. They needed the money.

Love of Cyanide E50M VasiliasMellow Vampunk

 

[VasiliasMellow]

His hangover was subsiding and Kaden was beginning to feel much better. Maybe drinking so much that you pass out at the table was something he should do less of. After all, the whole point of coming to an inn is to rest in a bed that isn't made up of forest debris. Not that there was anything wrong with that. At times it is quite relaxing but relaxing is a comfort he isn't often granted in the wild. As he can't because he has to keep an ear out for all manners of critters that wish to kill and/or eat him. For now, he just had to wait and see who shows up. His coin purse is getting low and keeping enough money to spend has sadly become a become a way of life for him.

Soon others showed up and sat down. The first of the newcomers sat with a wave. The silent type. Kaden hoped they were strong. Following her, the next two were a duo. As 'Dawn' spoke Kaden couldn't help but crack a smile. He had always felt a bit envious that he lacked a partner. Even an animal companion would be better than roaming alone looking for the next group, the next contract.

"Winter. Dawn. I am Kaden and yes I have accepted the Everheart contract. I assume the two of you have as well, what are your names?" He asked, passing a glance over the other two at the table. Another smile washed over his face. This 'Dawn' is clearly the talkative one. So he turned his attention towards Winter.

"So what isn't it? I do believe you were saying something Winter." Kaden said leaning forward in his seat, propping his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his fist.

Love of Cyanide E50M Derpy Dev Vampunk

 

[Derpy Dev]

Kaden, huh? Nix thought as she looked at the darker skinned one. Something about him felt vaguely off, in the same way her dad always did after he came home late. Was this man a drunkard? He didn't appear to be drunk now, so she let that thought rest in her head.

"So what isn't it?" he asked as he rested his eyes on Nix. She snapped her full attention onto his words as he spoke. "I do believe you were saying something Winter." The man leaned forward and rested his bearded chin on his hand. A moment of social panic entered her mind, as she had hoped that they would just ignore what she had been trying to say. Quickly, she did what she had always done in awkward situations.

She lied through her teeth.

"Oh? It's nothing." Nothing at all. Not upset that I'm running on empty, not annoyed that I'm already screwing up this meeting, and certainly not angry that that nitwit can never remember my code names.

"Thanks for asking though." She said with a small smile. Another lie, she really, really wished he hadn't mentioned it. But the advantage to not knowing people well? They wouldn't realize most of her tells because they'd think she just always spoke like this. So even if she did mess up her lies, which she liked to think she was quite good at telling, the odds of them noticing right now was slim.

...now she just had to hope that Solis didn't lie any more than their first names.

Love of Cyanide E50M VasiliasMellow Vampunk

 

[VasiliasMellow]

Well, that was a weird exchange indeed. Chances are they were hiding something but Kaden was not one to pry. He found that the best way to keep your friends close was staying out of their business. These people were hardly even acquaintances yet. But none of that mattered, yet. Kaden was sure he could learn all he needed once they were out and fulfilling the contract. Were they strong? Do they communicate well? Do they work well with others? Those were the important questions. Those were the questions that required them to leave the table and set out.

At this point, Kaden was brimming with anticipation. He couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. The only thing stopping them from leaving now was finishing introductions and agreeing on a plan of action. When to leave. Whether they would travel by foot or horse. Marching order. There was so much to do and now time was ticking.

Kaden stood, knocking his chair over, inhaled, and proclaimed "I am Kaden Beste, Monster Hunter & Guide of the Everheart Guild like my father and his father before him! I am a skilled tracker and archer. While I focus primarily on stealth and ranged combat I do have some magical capabilities. I know just a few Druid spells though none of them are for healing. So bring your own healing magics or medicines. I would like nothing more than for us to set out and complete our task in good time and with few injuries. It is my pleasure to be making your acquaintances and I hope if you wish it, that we work together in the future as friends!" Kaden took in a breath, picked up his chair and sat back down. Kaden hoped this would help speed things along and hopefully they would set out soon.

Love of Cyanide E50M Derpy Dev Vampunk

 

[E50M]

Observing the exchanges that were occurring before her, Lilicia spent the majority of her time analyzing the people that were already seated at the table and the two newcomers. Keeping her presence as minuscule as possible, she ran through several internal evaluations. Naturally, as she had few ideas of how they performed, she was limited to first impressions. Furrowing her eyebrows, Lilicia's thoughts began to conclude themselves. She had some impressions of three of the people around her and they were neutral to slightly favorable.

The two newcomers that approached the table and introduced themselves were interestingly to say the least. It was painfully obvious that they were hiding something, but what was it? Well, it had to be their names considering actions of Winter, but she could be wrong on that assumption. Dawn, who appeared to be the leader of the duo, seemed to be an easy-going person, however, that could be a front. Regardless of what it was, Lilicia had a policy of ignoring the backgrounds of her teammates as long as they aided the group. Following those two was the boisterous man named Kaden who just gave the first real introduction. While his appearance gave Lilicia a small raised eyebrow, she quickly ignored it. Appearances usually mattered little, especially since she herself knew capable warriors that loved to drink.

Perhaps it is time that she gave her introduction to the group? After all, she only settled herself down on a chair with zero care about the others, although she couldn't help her previous action. There is always a small uncertainty that lingers within herself whenever she joins a new contract. There were many factors for this, but most of them stemmed from her adventuring during her first years. Breathing in slowly, Lilicia straightened herself to allow a more disciplined feeling.

"Well...," Lilicia began as she stood up, before stopping herself as she pondered for a bit. Perhaps she should had prepared her dialogue before introducing herself, but that option has long left. After a brief moment of pause, she continued with her introduction, "um, sorry, hello! It is a pleasure to meet all of you guys, my name is Lilicia Morena and I’m a trained frontline specialist. I am also familiar with magic in terms of enhancing my abilities and I have experience providing medical aid on the field. I am eagerly looking forward to working with you guys in our upcoming contract.”

With that, she quickly sat down and assumed a non-assuming but proper pose. Hopefully she didn’t completely botch her introductions. Well, she definitely did, but she was attempting to ignore that.

 

[Love of Cyanide]

As expected it was like this again. His eyes were looking them over as they spoke, Solis standing rather quiet. They'd left the last town in a hurry as it'd gotten much too suspicious; shifting eyes, thinning lips, glares to the back, the like. Honestly, this was already on a bad start or maybe a good one since he screwed up immediately. No chance of making them suspicious by calling Silver the wrong name later on. Well, first to examine the two who began to speak, one, Kaden, seemed similar to him in ways that were rather strange, the other, Lilicia it was, seemed rather blunt which was good, he guessed. With a grin, Solis replied, "I'll be in your care, I'm a Guildsmith so if you need something repaired I can get it done in a jiffy!" Which was true since as long as he wasn't working with ridiculously foreign weapons he'd have a good chance to work with it.

Red eyes moving back to Silver he had an idea. Mind you it was an idea that was akin to many of his others; most certainly going to lead to some form of injury but again... Solis smirked as he knew that it was going to be worth it. Taking Silver's pale calloused hand and with a fair tug he pulled her into his lap, his elevated leg supporting her along with his arm as he grinned down at her, eyes full of mirth. One thing Silver had always reminded him of was a cat, easily tense and strangely affectionate. "Oops!" Though he said this it was horribly obvious he didn't do it on accident.

( Derpy Dev E50M VasiliasMellow Vampunk )

 

[Derpy Dev]

An inquisitive look was etched across Kaden's face. He looked thoughtful. Her mind returned to the immediate, instinctive worry that this man had caught on or recognized her from a bounty board, but she pushed it aside. As worrisome as that possibility was, she needed to keep a clear head if she wanted to keep it from becoming a reality. She kept her eyes on Kaden as a smile crept upon his face. And without warning, he practically leaped from his chair, knocking it onto the ground as he stood at full height. The suddenness of this action caused Nix to jolt and put her hand on her sword hilt... but luckily, it seemed that he just felt suddenly and inexplicably bombastic.

"I am Kaden Beste, Monster Hunter & Guide of the Everheart Guild like my father and his father before him! I am a skilled tracker and archer. While I focus primarily on stealth and ranged combat I do have some magical capabilities. I know just a few Druid spells though none of them are for healing. So bring your own healing magics or medicines. I would like nothing more than for us to set out and complete our task in good time and with few injuries. It is my pleasure to be making your acquaintances and I hope if you wish it, that we work together in the future as friends!"

After that, he very calmly picked up his chair and sat down as if nothing had happened.

...right. I guess I'm going to ignore that enthusiastic and bombastic introduction. He gave quite a few details, but he seemed a bit erratic as well, so that was most likely not the norm around her.

"Well..." the girl in armor spoke up. Nix readjusted her attention. She was having a bit of trouble reading her, but the short awkward silence before the girl continued spoke volumes. "Um, sorry, hello! It is a pleasure to meet all of you guys, my name is Lilicia Morena and I’m a trained frontline specialist. I am also familiar with magic in terms of enhancing my abilities and I have experience providing medical aid on the field. I am eagerly looking forward to working with you guys in our upcoming contract."

Are they gonna ask me to make such a formal introduction? She worried. Maybe they just won't think about it?

"I'll be in your care, I'm a Guildsmith so if you need something repaired I can get it done in a jiffy!" Solis said all this with a grin, as if nothing about this situation bothered him at all. God, how could he be so confident with conversations? She was a noble for god's sake! Surely she was at least a bit better than-

"Oops." She heard him say as he tugged on her arm, pulling her into his lap with a thud. Even then, he was not as good at catching her as he assumed he would be, and she ended up having to catch herself to avoid crashing into the floor.

"Agh!" she exclaimed, then simply sighed and sat still, a grumpy expression on her face. Like many of her actions, that grumpy expression was a lie-she really couldn't help but find that funny. She hid this by avoiding eye contact with him, and instead she looked at the elephant in the room-or rather, the orc.

"So," she started, hoping that this could distract everyone from asking for more about her, "Who's the orc?" She had to bite her tongue to keep from saying 'tusky'-her father's old slang name. She would rather not follow in that man's footsteps after all.

Love of Cyanide E50M VasiliasMellow Vampunk

 

[VasiliasMellow]

Kaden looked on as one by one the others began to follow his lead. This was great! He looked on with enthusiasm.

"Um, sorry, hello! It is a pleasure to meet all of you guys, my name is Lilicia Morena and I’m a trained frontline specialist. I am also familiar with magic in terms of enhancing my abilities and I have experience providing medical aid on the field. I am eagerly looking forward to working with you guys in our upcoming contract."

Excellent, Kaden knew they would need a someone in the front. A party would be incomplete without a damage dealing meat shield to take the brunt of things. Also, they had practice in healing on the field of battle. Perfect!

The next one to speak up was Dawn, "I'll be in your care, I'm a Guildsmith so if you need something repaired I can get it done in a jiffy!"

Oh...yay? A smith. There were definitely many reasons to have one in the party. It was unfortunate however that Kaden preferred the bow. Kaden wondered if perhaps Dawn was an accomplished bowyer or fletcher. Not that he needed one, Kaden was perfectly capable of maintaining the tools of his trade. Though, if the man was a smith he could surely swing a hammer. Also, I bet he has experience breaking a lock or two.

Things were turning out well. Kaden looked to the Orc who was the first one here and Winter to see which of them would speak up first. Before either of them could speak up with an "Oops." The lad had pulled Winter into his lap. Well, this was certainly one hell of a partnership.

"So you two are together? Well, that is certainly an interesting development. Have you been traveling together long?" Kaden turned to the stoic Orc. "Don't think we've forgotten about you. You and Winter haven't introduced yourselves yet!"

Love of Cyanide E50M Derpy Dev Vampunk