Fantasy Hunters Inn || Find Fifi

[Genii]

Tunnels

Pestle would have been able to taste blood, sweat, mud and burnt flesh in the air. He was actually picking up on the Holes quest group, who had just vanquished a Shaelmaar.

_____

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“I dunno. I ‘eard plenty o’ bats in there.” Callan smirked. “Land Dragons? We’ve got one o’ them back at the Inn… Thunder I think it’s called?” The Siren mentioned.

“Wait till yer meet Urzoth’s pets.” He grinned across at the Half-Orc.

 

[nathanKmcwilliams]

Tunnels
Pestle remained still and completely silent as he watched the tunnels for a few more minutes.

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Morgana glanced at Callan and then Urzoth. "Ooh. What kind of creatures are your pets?"

 

[Lost Echo]

As the necromancer knelt with her lunacy, Urzoth rolled backward, wiping their hand on her pants. They looked at Callan and muttered, “Great, it likes me. At least it’s likely to kill you first.” The half-orc made to rub at their nose but realized how strongly her hand smelled. “I’m going to have nightmares about this scent.” With a sharp cry of a raptor, Urzoth’s eyes flashed, a beak appearing across their face before vanishing once more. Marahute had surged up to them, taking over their senses. The wolf and bear were pushed further back, all grateful for the relief. “Great, now we want to fly too.”

Hearing Tobias’s dream pet, they actually smiled, surprised he’d bothered to remember her name. Turning to the rookie, she explained, “One of our hunters, Ramirez’s mount is a land dragon. You’ll likely meet him later, though he’ll try to take Callan’s place at the top of the pecking order.”

Rolling their eyes, a grumbling growl rumbled through them. “Pet is insulting. They are the spirits of my ancestors manifesting as animals. I would be lost without their wisdom.” Nodding once, they still answered, “a golden eagle, Marahute, a gray wolf, Akela, and a grizzly, Kenai. They have allowed me to bond with them and support me.”

 

[Genii]

“Bless you.” Callan said to Urzoth after their outburst. He knew it wasn’t a sneeze, he was just being an ass.

“Sorry, meant nothin’ by it.” The Siren apologised to Urzoth concerning their spirit animal helpers.

 

[Gwenymoo]

Tobias tilted his head, "Spirit animal? Are they like uhh nature deities? Or like uhh ghosts?" Tobias asked genuinely curious

 

[nathanKmcwilliams]

Lost Echo
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Morgana pulled out a notebok with greasy pages and furiously scribbled something in it with her magic. She was taking notes on Urzoth's sudden and brief transformation.

"Facinating." She studied Urzoth intently, "And each of these...have sentience of their own? Do they exist on their own planes of existence, simultaneously within you, as well?"

Tunnels
After a few more moments, Pestle made his way back up the hole. On the way up he struck down some bats that passed by and swallowed them.

 

[Lost Echo]

Urzoth waved off Callan’s apology, knowing he was just an ass. If they held it against him they’d never be able to be around him. “A mixture of both, actually Toby.” They turned in their chair to look at him better, “My ancestors are long dead, and they appear as animals using nature’s magicks.” Leaning their head backward, she howled, but this time, instead of the aurora appearing around her, a long shape came from her throat, howling in response.

Akela landed gracefully, taking a moment to circle and shudder, adjusting to the body once more. The large beast’s back was level with Urzoth’s shoulder and seemed to be made of the aurora borealis. Colors twisted inside of her as she nodded at the group, sitting calmly beside the half-orc's chair. She scuffed at the dirt, before noting the smell of the dead snake was getting stronger.

Urzoth nodded, accepting the information, but seeing no point in passing it on. “This is Akela,” they introduced, “She allows me to share her body, but acts independently in this form.” Focusing on Toby they added, "The two of you will be tracking Fifi together."

They couldn’t help but roll their eyes at Morgana. Curiosity was all and fine, but The need so many magicians had to write everything down was lunacy. Why learn if you could not remember it? Still, they answered, “Yes, their spirits reside inside of me, while still connected to the Great Tribe.”

 

[Gwenymoo]

Tobias grinned "aww be great workin wit cha Akela....uhh...may I pet you?" he asked

 

[Lost Echo]

For a long moment Akela stared at Tobias, wondering about his smell. This pup was a predator, a strong one at that. He will be a good addition to the pack. Slowly, with a regal air, the wolf nodded, then stood up, walking to sit once more in front of him.

 

[nathanKmcwilliams]

Morgana continued to scribble furiously. Her notes were more or less drawings depicting unnatural combinations of magic and alchemy. She put the book away, and looked over the edge of the hole.

Pestle came up and returned to his perch on Morgana's shoulders. The mad witch spoke with Pestle in hushed whispers. "He didn't find anything of note as it would have taken him too long to thoroughly search the tunnels, though he did come across another party of guild members."

Pestle then coughed and hacked, Morgana's eyebrows lifted, "You brought me something?" She asked excitedly as the python regurgitated the bats it had eaten into Morgana's waiting hands.
"Wonderful! Bats are full of useful ingredients." She laughed. Promptly she stuffed them all into her pockets.

 

[Gwenymoo]

Tobias carefully reached out to pet the space like wolf, "i look forward to working wit ya." he added "we gotta find a lost dog so should be easy right."

 

[Lost Echo]

And here they thought it couldn’t get more disgusting. Watching the zombie vomit up bats was definitely a new level. Urzoth took a few moments to suppress their gag reflex before clearing their throat. “Perhaps we can move on?”

The wolf blinked slowly, before pressing her face into Tobias’s hand. His scent was much preferable. She agreed, that the hunt should be an easy one. Perhaps they could run afterward.

 

[Genii]

"Mhm. Let's just get this over with." Callan agreed with Urzoth, setting off again towards the forest.

It wasn't much farther to reach the edge of the woodland. It looked dense, made up of mangled oaks, majestic cedars, and coned pine trees. The road (if you could call it that) ended, making way for a well worn winding track. It still smelt fresh from the rainfall yesterday, and the ground was a little on the sludgy side.

"Look out fer prints." Callan suggested. "... n' pixies."

 

[nathanKmcwilliams]

Morgana entered the forest, keeping her eyes peeled for any signs of dog tracks.
"Pixies...yet another creature I'm not yet acquainted with. I should like to take samples if the opportunity presents itself."

She had Pestle depart her shoulders and slither off into the underbrush on her left to search through the trees for any sign.

 

[Gwenymoo]

Tobias smiled and perked up at Callan's commands, following to the woody border. He sniffed the air, the dampness would make finding tracks a little easier...but old ones may have been washed away too...and the scent would be hampered... this was gonna be fun. He bounded ahead on all fours.

 

[Lost Echo]

Akela took the right side of the path, inhaling deep. She had missed the forest. Even if her new companion smelled terrible, the rightness of the woods kept her from regretting Urzoth from taking the quest. Taking off at a trot, she categorized the creatures she could already smell, a mouse passed through here, a deer rubbed their antlers on this tree, etc.

~

Urzoth watched Tobias bound forth with her head tilted, “You know, when Akela called him a predator, I wasn’t expecting that.” She told Callan, before starting to lead the way deeper down the path. “How about we stick to the path until they find something?”

 

[Genii]

“Never actually seen one. Quick little b*ggers.” Callan chatted to Morgana. “Too quick fer my eyes anyway.”

The Siren frowned as Tobias raced off like some blue-haired golden retriever. “Ugh.” He should have brought a leash.

“She said that?” Callan made an effort to sound disinterested. “Well… we’re all predators if yer think about it.”

The deeper they trekked into the woods, the wilder the landscape got. The path became patchy, covered by overgrown shrubs and fallen tree trunks. Clearly the locals rarely ventured this far.

“Don’t get lost!” Callan called out to Tobias. After he did so, a little yap could be heard off the path to their left.

 

[nathanKmcwilliams]

Left Side:
Pestle tasted the air, chemical levels indicated the presence of a creature nearby.
Unbothered by dense brush, the serpent quickly navigated towards the scent.

Middle:
Morgana stopped by a log, and lifted the leaf litter slightly. Her hand darted out and snatched a centipede. It bit her but she didn't react except to stuff it in a small bag.
She gathered a few shelf mushrooms growing on the log, and ate one. She nodded in approval and bagged them too.
Her head twitched up at the sound of the yipping. "Sounds like it's coming from Pestle's side!"

 

[Gwenymoo]

Toby paused perching on a fallen tree trunk as his ears pricked up before leaping into the bushey greenery towards the yapping

 

[Lost Echo]

“That was disturbingly quick. It’s hard to imagine no one could tempt the dog to come to the path with a bit of meat.” Urzoth rolled to about even with the yapping, though still on the path.

The wolf recognized the yapping, agreeing the scent did cross the path. “Akela will watch the northern side, to make sure nothing exciting catches us by surprise.” She did not worry. Her bonded was with a pack and Callan had protected her before. she would protect them from here. Kenai will help if strength is needed, irritable he may be from the torpor of hiberation.

 

[Genii]

“Good. I hate surprises.” Callan commented before he left the path to follow after his rookie Tobias.

The yips and yaps continued, as if luring the group to trudge further in to the thick dense forest. The barks were unmistakably from a small dog - sharp and shrill, which Callan found extremely irritating.

“Beginnin’ ter see why nobody went lookin’ for it.” The Siren grumbled.

Eventually Pestle would have wriggled their way to the edge of a small clearing. At its centre was an altar, a flat topped rune covered rock that was partially covered in moss.

On top of the block of stone sat a little long haired chihuahua (Fifi presumably), which stared straight ahead, with ominous glowing red eyes.

 

[nathanKmcwilliams]

Pestle went still. The python was visually searching for a path to the altar that was the most obscured.

Morgana followed after Callan, pulling out her hand crossbow and slotting a bolt.

 

[Gwenymoo]

Tobias paused at the clearing's edge, "well dat aint normal." He bristled, standing up and slowly drawing his blade as he kept his gaze on the creepy dog.

 

[Genii]

Callan stepped up to the edge of the clearing and Toby’s side, perhaps not as stealthily as the others. “… bleedin’ nettles.” He grizzled.

The Siren lowered his voice once he spotted the little dog on the altar. It continued to stare straight ahead, as if under some sort of trance.

Above them, sat on branches and peering through the leaves of the trees, were more glowy-eyed critters. Crows, squirrels, raccoons, little mice - all silently staring down into the clearing blow.

“There it is. Yer gonna grab it?” Callan encouraged, oblivious to their spooky spectators.

 

[nathanKmcwilliams]

Morgana eyed the scene. Her eyes falling to the flat topped stone covered in runes. "I suggest not touching that stone. I think it's enthralling these creatures." She said, while extending her will, reaching out to feel for magical power in the area with her own magical senses.

Pestle meanwhile slithered up a tree, finding a branch that overlooked the stone.