Fantasy Tales of Raeligard

[Topless]

Location: Oyten

It may seemed that the argument has died down a little. Sakura had no words to say for Thea and could only nod in agreement when the group has decided to move on. The rain dropped hard as Sakura pulled up her hood. While on their way to the next company, Sakura said "I hate the rain. Not because it makes people wet, not because it makes my fur soak, but because it reminds me of...someone, that I would rather not talk about. "I am lightning, the rain transformed", he declared when I first met him. Sorry, I'm just reminiscing that's all. Let's get back to the task at hand."

Upon arrival, Sakura listened attentively to what the patrons said about the beast. They even got a map to show where it's hunting grounds lie. It looks like the group has a lead now. However, there is one more company left to interrogate.

AnonyMouse Reinhardt RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko Huntertabbysandshark3
​

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

interaction: AnonyMouse RedArmyShogun Thalia_Neko Topless EmperorsChosen

of course more bickering amongst the team if there was one skill Risax didn’t possess it was the inclination to join in on the teams bickering and frankly Risax wasn’t inclined to listen in if anything fanning the flames with his own opinions would get them nowhere fast anytime soon, lucky for everyone Thea and Sakura, sorted the situation out for now at they where not going to jump blindly into the woods to get assaulted by whatever this creature was. “Well least we’ve got that sorted and a plan of action good work everyone“ Risax commented with a slightly more cheerful tone.

and unlike last time Risax decided it was best to perhaps just go and collect some useful bits and bob with the stores opening up proper he was more then capable of finding additional spools of rope, a bit of bait in the form of some animal off cuts, and some additional food rations all at at least a modest price luckily enough, such matters where far easier to attend to alone at least on his part. Once he’d gathered what he deemed necessary Risax retuned to the rest of the team. “So I hope your investigation was enlightening iv secured some additional trappings that might be useful”

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Location: Oyten
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The further input from the others only earned more ire from the Caskarieth. However, with Thea's final statements and leading them off, Lucia held her tongue. It was clear her words were falling on deaf ears, or underdeveloped minds, especially given the fox's retort to her. Surely, she hadn't just chosen her words so poorly as to so incredibly misrepresent her feelings, had she?

All of that was part of her damnable point!

If they were so desperate, if they had such loved ones relying upon them, then why in the Goddess' name would you make it more difficult for anyone trying to solve their problem? They hired hunters? What difference did that make? Since when was more bodies combing a large territory for someone or something a detriment?

Imbeciles, the lot of them. Not because of their profession, but because of them.

Given this, Lucia took some time on her own to gather supplies. She half expected the other logging company to be as bull-headed, and otherwise knew that she was just too irritated to be of use. So, she opted to meet with them after the fact before heading over to the scholars, whom she expected, or hoped, would be more personable. A poncho, some rations, and a knife of decent quality for a backup. The local shopkeeps appeared to be more conversational as well, and though they couldn't advise her on the beast, they were willing to advise for the environment. They even offered to put together an order for the group, provided coin was brought when picked up.

Making her way back, Lucia seemed to intersect with them as they just left, catching the latter bit of Falco's remark.

"Oho... Her highness. Is that perhaps flattery or were you yearning for further discourse, Fallion?" The Caskarieth countered with a sneer, taking special care to speak in a haughty voice befitting of her new epithet before subsequently dropping it. "That aside, what information did they impart?"

@Ye Loyal Subjects

 

[AnonyMouse]

Falion "Falco" Cauphix​

Location: Oyten, headed to their next adventure​

Falco seemed to visibly wilt the moment the Caskarieth arrived, like a child caught wrist deep in the cookie jar with fresh crumbs on his chin. She wasn't supposed to hear that, he thought, feeling a twinge of guilt... immediately followed by the sharp pangs of rebellion. No, screw that! I don't care if she heard it! She ought to hear a lot more!

Her comments about being able to suffer insults from aristocrats and nobles, but not 'peasants,' had bitten deeper than even he would like to admit. After all, he was pretty much the token peasant here. Thea was a knight-to-be, which implied some level of privilege, right? Risax had a mercantile background. Sakura was...something, but definitely not a peasant, as that required contact with civilized society. And Hyss was probably from the moon or something. Therefore Falco was the most peasant-y peasant in the pack!

He didn't want to believe she meant what she said. Anger had made her speak thoughtlessly. Surely, she didn't really mean it, right? Then again, anger was often when a person showed their true colors...

"Ohhhh, what's this? Do mine ears deceive me?" Falco said with a grin so grotesque it appeared to push his eyes to the farthest corners of his face, contorting his features into a jester's visage. "'Gasp,' does that mean you count little ol' me among those who are permitted to insult you!? Clergy... aristocrats... and, ah here he is, 'Fallion Cauphix: esteemed peasant,'" he said, pretending to read the titles from an invisible missive. "Wow.... I dunno if its my roguish charm, my scathing wit, or my dashing good looks, but it seems I've wooed royalty this day."

"And, for what it's worth, our investigation went swimmingly," he added, returning to a normal, if somewhat flat, tone and sporting a proud (if somewhat smug) smile aimed squarely at her and Risax, who had also inquired about their visit to the second logging company. "The beast is a big cat of some sort, with a sharp, stabby thing on its tail, and ambushes from above. They think it uses the largest trees to get around, so we've, uhh, sort of narrowed down its hunting grounds, I guess," he shrugged. "They even suggested we ask the scholars for a map, highlighting where the trees are thickest. See, working class folks can be pretty smart sometimes, too."

Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Oyten
​

It did not take long for others to arrive, Lucia herself had more supplies and Risax had bits and odds. Looked like he was serious on helping with the tracking. Unfortunately, Lucia also happened to walk by as Falco said his peace. All of the rest had flickered in and once more the situation was set on devolving. While she would rather not drop her foot again to settle matters, it was starting to be needed again as Lucia and Falco traded barbs, Sakura said some inane shit that Thea decided to ignore for her own sanity, then there was Hyss lurking from behind and Rixas with his notable increase in supplies.

"Enough. Save it for later." She says to Lucia and Falco as she eyes over the former. "Did the locals offer supplies for the rest of us for coin? And it is as Falco said, they offered us a map but the boss out of concern sent us away, I am hoping the scholars can offer us a map. Though I suspect they'll want to study the beast if we get help from them."

With a bit of a pause, Thea shrugs a little and motions for the rest to follow as they head for the third destination. "Remember, just a few minutes here. In and out, we'll get the supplies we need for a couple days and then head out." Looking back at the rest she decides to share her thoughts. "The bit about it being such a vibrant color stands out, as did the fact it seems to hit lone targets. The spear or talon on its tail, if not hysteria reminds me of tails of Chimera and Manticore. Though I doubt it is either, point is this thing hasn't killed yet, but not through a lack of trying. I am hoping the learned ones can tell us more."


Interactions: EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko AnonyMouse Huntertabbysandshark3 Topless

 

[Silver Wolf]

Location: Gross Warehouse
Interactions: Reinhardt Reinhardt (GM), King Crimson King Crimson (Cressey), TreasureSniper TreasureSniper (Talio), ERode ERode (Lori), lunar_moth lunar_moth (Endymion)

​

As Lupa sniffed towards the source of the strange smell, she heard Lori give them her message in a rather unique way. What really got to her though was when Talio asked her to appraise the squished maggot thing he had found.

"Eugh, no. I'm not weird enough to appraise smells, unless I'm familiar with them. No offense, but I'd rather not smell some gross squished up maggot so we can see where it's been."

Eventually, she found the metal table with the cloths and took a good whiff, immediately a foul, pungent smell filled her nose and she gagged, holding the sensitive organ shut which created a nasal tone to her voice. "By the goddess, what is this?!" Hesitantly, she poked the cloth with her gloved hand and felt a shiver down her neck as it gave an audible crunch. "Ugh, this is disgusting, whatever this was used on rotted ages ago."

So far, she was noticing a lot of inconsistencies in Hedwig's testimonies. And the moving black lines that had become clear now that she was looking for them, thanks to Lori's message, allowed her to find this piece of evidence that whatever was going one wasn't normal. Ants only scurried in lines to one thing, food. Food meant perishable, and Hedwig said that whatever they had in the warehouse wasn't supposed to be perishable.

"I have two rough hypothesis as to what's going on. Hedwig's a lying sleezebag who doesn't know how to run a business, or something nefarious is going on."

Lupa moved from the metal table, not wanting to be near the rags anymore. She followed one of the black lines to a crate and took a few, very cautionary, sniffs. "What are you eating...?" She said to herself before looking to Talio and Cressey. "Hey, come over here. Ants are flocking to this crate. Come verify it's identity. I'll see if I can open it."

A shing sounded as her dagger was loosed from its sheathe and she looked for a spot to jam it in. Once she found one, she slammed her dagger through the gap in the wood and began levering it open. Creaks and cracks sounded as the old crate slowly but surely gave way to her prying and the lid popped off, sending copious amounts of dust and goddess knew what into the air. Out of reflex she held her airway passages tightly and backed off. It was faint, but even through the seal she had placed on her mouth she picked up, something.

"Alright, I need fresh air after this. You guys check, I might puke if I have to look inside whatever's in there."

 

[Reinhardt]

Outside Heine Warehouse 4​

The building's height proved difficult for Lori's legs to simply launch her towards the roof, but with a little bit of work via scaling and makeshift parkour, the young beastfolk found herself atop the warehouse's roof with a resounding noise as her feet pressed onto the plated surface. Like the rest of the building, the roof showed signs of wear and tear - it's sturdy enough to support Lori's weight, and perhaps another, but it will need some repair and maintenance if the owner wishes it to last longer.

The black, moving trail crept up to this area as well, with the marching ants splitting into several more veins, scattering to select portions of the roof. If one were to follow any of them, one would come upon a dried, mangled corpse of what appears to be a worm-like bug - several legs on each side, and some semblance of exoskeletal plating. With enough observation, one can safely presume that these things were the unfortunate young of some bug species, though how they came to the roof was another question entirely - perhaps some birds came by and dropped off their unconsumed remains. The ants swarmed upon such things, breaking them down piece by piece and bringing back any material that can be consumed or used.

The small bird atop Lori's head remained awake, but silent the whole time.

Somewhere along the way, Lori's feet would press onto a less supported spot of the roof and let yet another resounding noise echo below. A subtle flickering noise would be heard from above for a swift moment.

Inside Heine Warehouse 4​

Fortunately for Talio, nothing came after the skittering and clicking noises, and swiftly faded away in the distance as the group reconvened where Lori's voice directed them towards. Just as the self-advertising courier had said, there were indeed ants that went through the tiny gaps within the building's walls and crawled upon its many surfaces. The black, moving trail split into several more, spreading out into different directions, one of which, led to one of the many crates stored within the building.

One of the recruits hastily took the crate and forcefully pried it open with a dagger. Hardwood wasn't necessarily hard to break, but the container proved strong enough to provide some level of resistance against Lupa's forced unboxing. Inevitably, the constant movement wore down its integrity and broke it apart, tiny bits of wood flying away into the shadows of the dimly-lit warehouse.

A loud thud would resonate from above the group, and in a brief second, manatech lighting, installed on the upper walls of the warehouse flickered, providing a short, but clear glimpse of the contents of the crate and the group's immediate surroundings - the ants did indeed go into the crate, but never truly touched its contents, merely using it a path to crawl upon. Sadly, due to Lupa's interference, such a route had been put in disarray, with many of the tiny creatures rambling about and fleeing the scene. Inside the box, or at least, the remnants of it, lay two dusty rocks, both about the size of a clenched fist - each carrying a dusty scent, as expected, with a small tinge of mineral smell, a hint for some potential of value hidden within its rough structure. Though there was enough room to hold four of them in one place, it was still considerably tight, with shelves and crates surrounding them.

It would seem that whatever suspicion they held over the box gave them no result, perhaps giving them worse - a detriment to their goals. With the container ruined, its label was no longer readable.

The scent of old, dusty wood was still there, and the light from the windows, as well as the tip of Cressey's lance, provided some decent illumination in their seemingly empty surroundings. However, that would soon swiftly change, as the scent of wood gradually grew stronger and stronger - a strange phenomenon that would later be explained by the swiftly approaching noises which heavily consisted of skittering and clicking.

The sources of such noises would be exposed not a moment later, as a great assortment of bugs crawled into their somewhat-illuminated area. There were small brown-orange worm-like creatures that would be easily squashed by a boot, slightly larger ones with more visible legs on both sides and armed with a pincer for their mouth - all of which rushed towards Talio and his still-stained boots. In the distance, one would notice a creature large as a dog, its mouth drooling with green, slimy fluid, its body armed with segments of a leather-colored exoskeleton. A few, small spikes were found on the surface of its body, and on its larger front legs. Without any hesitation, the creature launched itself towards Talio, aiming to pin him down and take a bite at him.

And as if that was not enough of a surprise, loud clicking from the east revealed another one crawling atop the shelves. Like the first one, it used its front legs to launch itself into the group. Another loud noise echoed from the roof, and with it, the manatech lighting flickered, revealing to them several more approaching from a distance, alongside the swarm of bugs that rushed towards the group of recruits.

Outside Heine Warehouse 4​

The noises of the chaos that ensued below seeped through the windows, and many more small openings within the warehouse, allowing the young beastfolk from above to hear and perhaps gain an insight into the situation below.

The bird atop Lori's head would finally chirp, and strangely enough, that would ring into her ear a voiceless message.

"Help?", it said. Was it a question asking if Lori required help, or was it a plea of help towards the beastfolk? Perhaps her answer would determine her interpretation.

Interaction/s: Cresslinde ( King Crimson ), Endymion ( lunar_moth ), Lupa ( Silver Wolf ), Talio ( TreasureSniper ), Lori ( ERode )

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Location: Oyten
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Lucia smug expression deteriorated as Falco spoke further, illustrating more and more that she did a poor job of explaining her logic or everyone truly was dense. Her visible eye narrowed at him in displeasure while her arms crossed under her chest in a huff. The banter was fine, but the misunderstanding less so.

"Is that what you believe?" She retorted sharply, however once again, the argument was interrupted by Thea.

Her demeanor deflated somewhat, though her expression held more of a rebellious aversion. What she had meant with listing those titles was to illustrate that she could and would bite her tongue in the presence of one that could bring true repercussions. She wasn't going to lose her head to clap back at someone. However, otherwise, she wasn't going to stay silent when being blatantly disrespected because of some arbitrary ideal that being held to a higher standard meant letting someone take jabs at you. However, it was clear the group, or at least Falco, was under the impression that she was A-okay with receiving insults so long as it was from someone of "respectable stature", or that any below the station of a blue-blood were useless.

"...Yes, they did. The shopkeep I acquired these from offered to put together a package for all of us. It should be ready for pickup by the time we finish speaking with the scholars," Lucia replied following a small huff. "Well lead the way then. Let's get on with it and then go deal with this manticore."

 

[ERode]

Location: Outside Heine Warehouse 4​

"Yup, I'll help 'em, Zest!"

She recognized the 'dead', after all. Though a rare enough sight, the Holzekts were one of the more annoying things to deal with. As a courier, Lori was taught that the best way to deal with them was to run away and then wash your feet, because chances were good that they weren't happy that you stepped on one of their own. Failing the ability to run, though, one...better start climbing or something. Rocks did little against the adult Holzekts, after all, what with their ability to develop a carapace so hard as to be able to deflect steel itself! Imagine if there was a Holzekt Beastkin! They'd be literal gods of war!

As if reading her intent, the blue bird itself flew up and off her head, gracefully gliding off into the distance, leaving Lori herself to pull out her sling, to open up her bag of pebbles. Selecting a couple of the rounder ones to rest comfortably in the palm of her offhand, she gingerly picked her way over to the portion of the roof immediately above the entrance, before calling out, "Hey, friends! Found where the ants were! But I guess that's not that big of a problem for y'all right now! Get up and get running out; I'll drop rocks from above and we'll keep the warehouse's indoors safe!"

And, perhaps in a stroke of inspiration, Lori snatched up the corpse of a Holzet being torn piece by piece by the ants, slotted it into her leather slingpouch, and then hurled it with dramatic force against the ground a few meters away from the door. She'd heard, after all, that the insects liked to investigate whatever had crushed one of their own, and as the carapace splattered against harder ground, spilling open the rotten meat beneath...well, the birdkin slotted in a proper pebble, swung her sling in lazy circles, and waited to see if anything ran out.

 

[AnonyMouse]

Falion "Falco" Cauphix​

Location: Oyten, headed to their next adventure​

"I... I was just kidding," Falco mumbled, hanging his head in shame after being thoroughly slapped down by both Thea and Lucia. "Sorry." He huffed a longsuffering sigh and carried on in silence, dragging his feet for a moment before resuming a somewhat normal gait, though his hands remained stuffed deep in his pockets. The elf's sharp response, followed by Thea's rebuke served as a one-two punch that left him reeling. In a way, he had gotten exactly what he wanted... but felt worse for it. It sounded a lot funnier in my head, he thought as he kicked aside a rock in the path.

Goddess, can't we just find this stupid beast and that stupid elf and those stupid hunters, so we can go home? he thought, as he trudged through the mud. He had had about enough of this town and its constant rain. As he walked, Falco fetched his cloak from his pack and draped it loosely over his shoulders. The skies offered little more than a drizzle, for now, but the ominous clouds promised so much more. Better to be prepared than scramble for cover after the deluge begins.

After a string of small inquiries with the locals, the adventurers were directed to a residence near the western edge of town. Just as the mayor said, Ravenloft was not a logging company, but an 'outpost,' of sorts, A far-flung sanctuary of learning in this simple town. In truth, Ravenloft's dormitory did not lie at the 'edge' of town, but a small trek into the woods itself. The only sign it existed was a whitewashed plank nailed to a tree, with an arrow carved into its surface and the words, 'Ravenloft Institute, Dormitory B,' with an arrow pointing toward a narrow trail. Eagle-eyed observers could faintly make out the dark shape of a large home or estate, nestled deep into the trees, barely visible from the town.

The trail was barely wide enough for two and meandered between some rather large trees, their roots rising from the ground like black claws. However, it appeared to be well-maintained, with signs of life throughout, such as well-placed stepping stones in some of the muddier sections and even messages scrawled in the bark of the trees. 'One read, 'Danny wuz here, 416 - 418.' Another said, 'Steve sucks,' followed by 'your mum,' in much smaller letters.

"Yeah... these guys seem reeeeal 'academic,'" Falco muttered under his breath as he paused to study the words, 'don't pet the Willywacker,' carved into the gnarled trunk of a twisted oak tree. Not for the first time, he began to question their choices. Then again, he had once been told that eccentricity is the spark of genius...

As they rounded a final bend in the trail, the house came into full view: an ominous, two-story, structure of dark wood, with a steeply-sloped roof, not unlike a chapel. A comically tall chimney rose from one side, as if mimicking the trees surrounding it. In a way, the smokestack remined Falco of the one on Cephilia's home in Tylsen, suggesting this place might have a forge or kiln of some sort as well. The warm yellow glow of manatech lighting emanated from its tall windows. Its silhouette looked like something straight out of a horror story and Falco didn't even want to imagine approaching such a place at night.

The Ravenloft house stood in a small clearing, where more evidence of life could be seen. There were the remains of a bonfire, with a few empty liquor bottles left on the makeshift benches surrounding the charred ashes. There was an archery target affixed to one of the trees, but only a single arrow embedded in it, nowhere near the bullseye. More arrows could be seen on the ground nearby, suggesting the would-be archer was either blind, seeing double, or just fooling around.

It's a damned frat house, Falco thought, realization finally setting in. Or... for the first time in many minutes, he actually smiled, a sorority house. Mmmm...

He quickened his pace and overtook Thea, before turning to face the group. "Guys, whatever happens, let's just play it cool, okay," Falco said, reasoning with his comrades as he stroleld backwards up the handful of steeps leading to the house's wraparound porch. He wasn't quite sure why he felt the need to perform damage control. Perhaps the presence of the whole crew made him anxious.

"Everybody said these guys are pretty dang smart, so, uhh, let's see what they know, okay? And remember: 'we got this!'" he said with a small bow as he stepped aside and gestured toward the door for Thea to do the honors. Knock? Kick it in? Set fire and run? He wasn't sure if he blieved that mantra anymore, but, dammit, he'd repeat it until it became true. We got this... We got this... We got this...

Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Oyten
​

Given all the information they had been told up till now, Thea was less than pleased, making use of the offer for supplies from the store Lucia got them from, Thea asked if the shopkeeper could have an employee wait with the goods until they were ready to truly leave. Though bothersome it wasn't too far of a walk back from where they were, but to leave within her timeframe did mean they would have to be as brief as possible with the Ravenloft folks.

As the journey went on Thea could be heard to sigh and even at one point took in a deep breath and pinched her nose as she clanked by. Looking at the rest it seemed Falco and Lucia were both in a bit of mood, but she wasn't about to stop to sort that out. Not here, not now. As they went by more and more messages that lacked any reason but struck her of a certain stupidity that differed from that of the first group of loggers. "I should have just pushed the issue for the damn map."

It was once they could see the building and the state of the grounds that Thea groaned, letting her right palm rest on her forehead as she spoke out loud, left hand grabbing her religious icon that swung from her neck as they walked onwards around the somewhat well kept path to the porch. "Goddess give me strength. And insight." Turning her attention to Falco and his own words she snorts dismissively and looks back at the rest. "Ask what you will but do remember, our goal is to get out of here as quickly as we can and to hope some of the likely drunkards are awake... I can only hope the leader is more restrained."

With that the steps around Falco with the space he had offered and raps her knuckles against the base of the door and speaks loudly; "The Kriegslown would like to have words with who is in charge, if they are not available the second closest!"

"I hope they all aren't hungover, but.." Thea did not have much confidence in this but it was the only solid lead they had, or a possible resolution.
Interactions: EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko AnonyMouse Huntertabbysandshark3 Topless

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Currently: Ravenloft
Thinking: ""

Location: Oyten
Interacting: everyone on the oyten mission AnonyMouse
Mentions:


"You really should've learned by now, yea?" Hyss mumbled to the side at Falco, after he hung his head in shame from the one-two rebuke from Lucia and Thea. She wasn't even sure what had been rebuked, but it was of no concern. Falco was Falco, and these women weren't the type to let things slip by. However, a moment later the little hooded girl seemed a bit pleased. One could even see the slightest twitch of her tail. "Ah, you finally understand the wisdom of a nice hood, then?" she said softly to him, with a small smirk playing from beneath her hood. The little snek seemed pleased.

She nodded, as if she understood, then stepped over to the tree with the sign. Then looked down the dark path that lead to the strange building hidden within. Hyss stepped up and looked at the 'willywacker' note when Falco spoke up, looking back up at him with maybe a bit of confusion on her face. Or maybe not. Her face was pretty blank.

Hyss observed the archery target and all the loose arrows around it. She held up her hands, miming a bow and arrow. She mimed firing at the target, then that was that, putting her hands down and turning away. She cocked her head at Falco's sudden excitement, wondering what it was about. Though, when Falco got excited, things tended to go south quick. So Hyss prepared herself.​

 

[AnonyMouse]

Falion "Falco" Cauphix​

Location: Oyten, headed to their next adventure​

"Ask what you will but do remember, our goal is to get out of here as quickly as we can and to hope some of the likely drunkards are awake," Thea said. "I can only hope the leader is more restrained."

Falco nodded vigorously as she stepped around him, toward the door. This wasn't a social call. He needn't be told twice. He winced as she, rather loudly, announced their arrival. If these so-called 'scholars' truly were a bunch of hard-drinking, hard-partying students using their scholarships and grants to loaf off out here in the sticks, they were in for a rude awakening. Literally. Thea may not be a knight in an official capacity, but she certainly knew how to pound a door like any good lawman.

Heh, so this is what it feels like to be on the other side of the door... Falco thought, idly.

"The Kriegslowen would like to have words with who is in charge," she declared. "If they are not available the second closest!"

The door was snatched open with alarming abruptness, leaving Thea's gauntleted hand suspended in empty air. Before her stood a small, bespectacled beastkin girl, barefooted, but in a sweater and trousers, with a thick tome clutched in her delicate hands. Her canine ears twitched with annoyance as her eyes darted from the knight, to the others, and right back to Thea. She stood barely chest-height to Schuerer, but gazed up at her with an intensity that made Falco take half a step back... more out of fear of what Thea might do than anything this cute little puppy might try.

"You needn't shout, Kreigslowen, I heard you coming. How could I not?" she said as she folded her arms and planted herself in the doorway. It was adorable, in a way.

Despite the sharpness of her tone, Falco could not help but notice her tail swishing enthusiastically back and forth. Ohhhh.... she's one of THOSE types, he thought as a sly smirk curled the corners of his lips. Playin' hard to get, eh. That's cute.

"Maryl, who's there!" a male voice shouted from elsewhere in the house.

"KRIEGSLOWEN! Are you deaf and dumb!?" the beast girl snapped back.

"Oh, shit! Hang on. Lemme get my pants on! I'm comin down.'"

Me, too," another male shouted, from elsewhere in the house. "Don't run 'em off!"

The sound of bumbling footsteps could be heard from one of the upper floors. The beastkin swiftly stepped outside and shut the door behind herself. The girl pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled before looking to the Kriegslowen once more, now with a slightly softer, but still very much business-like expression. After a second sigh, she clutched her book to her chest and addressed Thea directly:

"Your prayers are half-answered, Kriegslowen, for I am neither 'hung over,' nor 'in charge'" she declared, each rapidly-spoken word enunciated like the driving of coffin nails. "I was, however, studying and would very much like to return to doing so, with all due haste. So, let's get on with it, shall we, before we are overrun by imbecillic sycophants. You have questions about the beast, yes? I, as the only intelligent lifeform on the premises --present company notwithstanding, of course-- have answers." She bowed her head slightly. "Maryl Rose, at your service. Chemistry major, third year, with a minor in manatech. Please, continue."

Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Oyten
​

It was with slight amusement that Thea watched the door come open as the smaller girl and listened to what else had to be said beyond what the rest of the waking house seemed to have. A co-ed dormitory it seemed. So, she had heard all of that? Well Thea wasn't about to say sorry. If anything, however this was a welcomed change. This girl seemed well learned, even if she was not in charge and a little civility would not hurt as Thea rolled on, not wanting to drag this out any longer than required.

"Well met Maryl, I am Thea Schuerer of the Kriegslown." With that she held her gauntlet steady so the other could catch a glimpse at the Arcanizer that acted as her badge before lowering it. "I will be to the point as well, we were curious if you had a topographical map we could have or borrow that marked the locations of trees, more so the Iron Oaks and any other heavy weight bearing trees around the current worksites.

Other than this, we wished to consult about what manner of beast we are hunting. I have some suspicions that I rather not be true. The goal of the Kriegslowen at request of the Mayor is to capture and relocate the beast if we can. Otherwise, what we've learned is, it's feline in nature, bright red if not almost pink fur, likely has a grabbing claw or spear like protrusion on its tail and has been the cause to why the woods are closed. We are racing against the clock given some complications, might you or any others in this house know what manner of beast it may be?"

The others could speak up if they had cause or wanted to exchange names, or had questions themselves, but the act of introducing them all would have taken more time, something the locals here seemed to hate when she spoke for too long. And for now, she wanted this to just carry on as quickly as it could. She however did not make clear the offer she intended on offering the beast's location for study or the retrieval of samples, they would reach that conclusion themselves.

Or better yet ask for nothing at all..

Interactions: EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko AnonyMouse Huntertabbysandshark3 Topless

 

[AnonyMouse]

Falion "Falco" Cauphix​

Location: Ravenloft house and Oyten market​

"Well met Maryl, I am Thea Schuerer of the Kriegslown," Thea said, raising her gauntlet to display her arcanizer and badge.

"Well met, indeed," Maryl replied as she tugged a chain from her pocket, allowing a peek at her own arcanizer, a simple three-slot model, commonly used by those studying magitech. She did say she was pursuing a minor in that field, after all. It did not look wildly different from the one wielded by the mage they had encountered in the sewer. Had she not done so, Falco would have gone on assuming the small chain was merely a pocketwatch or wallet chain.

Hmmm... just goes to show ya never know what people are capable of, he pondered. Regardless, arcanizers weren't exactly commonplace and he doubted Maryl used hers as a weapon. He did, however, notice the slots were filled. The eagle-eyed adventurer caught a glimpse of at least two stones --one blue and one brown-- and a possible third, but it was difficult to make out.

"I will be to the point as well, we were curious if you had a topographical map we could have or borrow that marked the locations of trees, more so the Iron Oaks and any other heavy, weight-bearing trees around the current worksites," Thea went on to say.

Maryl merely nodded. Her eyes panned across the assortment of adventurers. Boredom and mild annoyance slowly crept back into her stoic features. "I believe I do," she said.

"Other than this, we wished to consult about what manner of beast we are hunting. I have some suspicions that I rather not be true. The goal of the Kriegslowen at request of the Mayor is to capture and relocate the beast if we can. Otherwise, what we've learned is, it's feline in nature, bright red if not almost pink fur," Thea explained, "Likely has a grabbing claw or spear like protrusion on its tail and has been the cause to why the woods are closed. We are racing against the clock given some complications, might you or any others in this house know what manner of beast it may be?"

"There are six students here, including myself," Maryl explained, speaking quickly. "The two morons you just heard are Wesley and Charles. I've had to listen to them argue about this beast for days and I am sure they are on their way down to continue the matter, now that they perceive an audience. If time truly is of the essence, we should continue this elsewhere," she said firmly. It seemed a silly reason to ask them to leave, but the urgency in her tone made it clear she wasn't joking. The beastkin adjusted her glasses before nodding to the trail from which they had come. "Head back through the trees. I will inform them you've departed and, while they are bawling like petulant children, I will fetch the map and any other relevant materials and rejoin you."

"Wow, not much faith in your fellow colleages, eh?" Falco said with a slight smirk. Did she truly believe heading back to town would be faster than dealing with the other two guys? Either she thought very lowly of them or very highly of herself. Probably a little of both, honestly.

"None in the slightest," Maryl replied flatly. "Besides, I need to go to town anyway. See you there." And, with that, she slipped back inside and shut the door.

Her departure was so sudden, the adventurers were left in silence for a moment before they began to discuss amongst themselves what to do next. Ultimately, they decided to follow the girl's plan. She seemed trustworthy enough and, even if she weren't, what option did they have? Kick in the door and demand answers now? There was still the matter of getting supplies, so heading back to town had been the the next step all along. They agreed to head back to main street, gather the supplies that had been ordered and, if the girl still hadn't shown up by then, be on their way.

* * *​

Fortunately, Maryl Rose was true to her word. Less than a half hour alter, the adventurers were just finishing up at the shop when she rounded the corner, looking just as she had at the Rovenloft house, with the addition of some boots, a hat, and a satchel. In a way, Falco was relieved to see she wasn't geared up for the forest; after what the mayor had said, he feared she might try to tag along on the hunt. Thankfully, she appeared to be smarter than that.

"As promised," she said as she approached Thea directly and handed over a scroll, as well as some other documents bound in string. "Stephen is our resident geology major. Maps and, uhh, eerily detailed sketches of trees and rocks are his 'thing.' He's away on an expedition with Professor Oswald and not due back for another week, but I'm sure a map or two from his collection won't be missed," she explained, nodding to the scroll.

"Wait, an expedition? Not into the woods, I hope," Falco interjected, hoping this wasn't turning into a rescue mission.

"No, no. They ventured south, into the the lowlands. Unless your creature has given up the forest, in favor of bogs and tall grasses, they should be safe. But your concern is noted," Maryl said, with a slight twitch of her ears. "Speaking of which..." She paused to adjust her glasses before continuing:

"As I said, Wesley and Charles are at odds over what it is. One is quite sure the offending creature is a Raythian hooktail. The other believes it to be a 'Shadowlyger.' The former isn't native to this region and is only found much, much deeper into the forest, but is a large feline with a uniquely prehensile tail, which it uses to grab small prey. Some accounts even describe them using simple tools, such as rocks or sharp sticks," Maryl explained. "However, even if one were to migrate this far, for whatever reason, hooktails aren't nearly large enough to even attempt to carry an adult human into the treetops, nor have they ever shown such aggression towards sentients.

"As for the Shadowlyger... I won't even entertain such fantasies," she scoffed, before nodding to the documents she had handed to Thea. "They are only written of in old indigenous stories. 'Shadowlygers' either aren't real, have gone extinct, or are so rare, to be not worth mentioning. However..." she rolled her eyes once more, "Charles seems quite firm on his hypothesis and he is the only remaining eyewitness to the attack, so... make of that what you will. If it were a real thing a Shadowlyger would be large enough and aggressive enough to accomplish what has been spoken of here and, depenting on which account you read, has either a talon-like or spiny growth on the tip of its tail, perfectly suited to the injuries I have seen. So..." she shrugged.

"I know this doesn't do much to evolve your working knowledge beyond 'big cat with weird tail,' but that is all I have," Maryl concluded. "Bernie was the one attacked. A first-year botany major, about your size," she said, looking at Hyss. "Hard to say if his build really matters, but it is something to keep in mind, I suppose. He was hauled up by his coat and freed himself when it tore away. The creature fled without further incident, and Charlie helped him back to the house, where I healed his wounds," she said, with another nod to her arcanizer. "He suffered only abrasions and a rolled ankle from the fall, but went home on the first carriage he could charter... likely to see his parents before word travels back and they get ideas about pulling him out of the program. Damage control. Smart kid. I hope he returns."

Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Oyten
​

Though a bit reluctant to not hear the story of the other two maybe this was for the best as she waved the rest to follow, strangely none had anything to say, were they just that bored or frightened, fed-up of her? Or maybe she was asking all they wanted to ask. Unrolling the map and taking a look she gives a nod as the other speaks. "Well, that is better sounding than what I feared, that being some sort of chimera. I guess those cats are much the same, though this does reinforce us taking it alive, then figuring where to take it. It is either a very old or unusually large variant of an animal near here. Or it is something that should not exist currently. In either case the guild may very well not like us just killing it."

Her mind raced with many questions about what was said, studying the Arcanizer of the other, she may be useful, but it was not the policy of the Kriegslowe to just needlessly endanger civilians, no matter how useful and Thea had asked what she intended, plus one more question of a sort. "What do you ask as payment for this information?" More details on the beasts, the forest, the aid of this young beast folk or disputing or detailing the plan of capturing the beast could be brought up. There was little point in Thea speaking up alone.. Hopefully she would not regret this or the others thinking she was a dullard.

Interactions: EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko AnonyMouse Huntertabbysandshark3 Topless

 

[Topless]

Location: Oyten

A dormitory is something that Sakura wasn't aware of, nor there is something that has to do with the academics. Some of her clansmen had left the tribe to pursue greater study, often which are rebels who do not want to follow the clan's traditions. As a result, the chief would announce them as exiles to the clan. Upon arrival and entered the premise, they're greeted by a female beastkin who introduced herself as Maryl Rose. Sakura wondered what tribe did she came from for from her species she could assume she is one of the exiles from her clan.

As the group discuss about the beast, two things Maryl mentioned that are the possibilities as to what the beast is are things that she had never heard of; Raythian Hooktail and Shadowlyger. The former is said to not native in this region while the latter is supposed to be extinct. The only thing common between them is that they're of the big feline category. This is going to be tougher for Sakura to think of a trap as among the creature that her clans have hunted, a feline beast was not accounted for as the location of her clan doesn't bear any thick forests.

"This is a lot harder to think of than I thought..."

AnonyMouse Reinhardt RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko Huntertabbysandshark3
​

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

interaction: AnonyMouse RedArmyShogun Thalia_Neko Topless EmperorsChosen​

The scholar where at least more happy to actually answer there questions, even if they where somewhat annoyed and wishing to return to there work they at least where more open to actually giving a somewhat stright answer. Or not... the woman suddenly leaving them with her apprently less competent colleges to go and gather the supplies and objects requested by thea.

That only took about half an hour for them to return with what was requested maps of load bearing trees and the topography of the area very good starts. The info as to what the creature could be was rather valuable it was either an abnormally massive hooktail, or a legendary near extinct/ non-existence beast that apprently one of the victims was sure the creature was. A "Shadowlyger" experience traveling with his father Risax knew noble family enjoyed keeping particular exotic pets, such a creature seemed like the perfect candidate for a "exhibit" piece, if he was right and Risax frankly wasn't sure himself the fact it was wanted alive made more sense prehaps it escaped and was now rampaging amongst the forest. "Yes im in agreement with Thea here tho I must say the options we have for what it could be a fairly unusual, as much as the Shadowlyger may not be real, is there anything in the stories about there behaviours or things that attract them? Since there is a half chance we are chasing something that shouldn't exist." Risax asked deciding to keep his current theory to himself till they where away form the scholars.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Location: Oyten
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

There was a lot to process, namely how most of the researchers were apparently drunken buffoons. Perfect, another way to look a fool, as if she hadn't already been overtly chastised enough this excursion. The other seemed to mumble an apology and claim it was a joke, though given what had already been said, Lucia didn't believe so.

Regardless, once again Thea did most of the talking. A Beastkin answered them and was far more cooperative than the first lumber workers, offering hypotheses, information, as well as a map. It was either a hooktail or a shadowlyger. The girl seemed to be particularly averse to the idea it was the latter given the creature's rarity. However, regardless of if it was, or perhaps some other sub-species similar to it, Lucia didn't care. It matched the behavior, description, and methodology.

Thea brought up relocating it again and the Caskarieth had to hold back an eye roll. IF they were to take it alive, Lucia hoped it's abilities were greatly exaggerated, as she wasn't keen on getting a scar because the locals didn't want to "upset the woods" and the Guild didn't want to harm an endangered species.

"Yes, I second that. If you have any other information on the nature of Shadowlygers... Whether it truly is one or something else, it certainly behaves similarly. It may share other attributes as well," Lucia commented, remaining otherwise withdrawn. However, as her one eye looked to the Beastkin, she really hoped the girl didn't want to tag along.

@A-team

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Currently: Ravenloft
Thinking: ""

Location: Oyten
Interacting: everyone on the oyten mission AnonyMouse
Mentions:


Hyss furrowed her brow when the scholar beastkin mentioned her size as a noteworthy factor in the attack. "Well, if that is the case, you'll find I have better reflexes than your academic friend," the hooded girl expressed to allay any worries in that regard.

"What more did your friend say about Shadowlygers? Why was he convinced it was one? What IS a Shadowlyger? Why can't you believe it is one? You haven't explained much about that beast." She deflated. "No, never mind, you said you don't know more than 'a big cat'." Hyss sighed. "So, in the end, we've learned nothing new beyond 'it's a beast -probably cat-like- that attacks out of trees. The specific species is either irrelevant, or worse, unknown. But we can expressly say it is, in fact, a feline. Very good. Great. Felines tend to be excellent predators..." Hyss trailed off with a bit of concern in her voice.​

 

[AnonyMouse]

Falion "Falco" Cauphix​

Location: Oyten, headed to their next adventure​

"Well, that is better sounding than what I feared, that being some sort of chimera," Thea said. "I guess those cats are much the same, though this does reinforce us taking it alive, then figuring where to take it. It is either a very old or unusually large variant of an animal near here. Or it is something that should not exist currently. In either case the guild may very well not like us just killing it."

Why would Arien have recommended us for this mission if it were such a big deal? Falco thought. Sending a bunch of newbies to take on a fabled creature or an abominable perversion of an existing creature didn't sit right. If not for Cephilia's intervention, they would be completely on their own out here. And, if her chiding remarks were to be believed, the 'observer' wasn't here to help, just a failsafe in case they dropped the ball... which they very well might if these accounts are true.

I'm startin' to feel a l'il outta our depth here, man....

"What do you ask as payment for this information?" Thea asked.

The question snapped Falco out of his ruminations. Payment? Were they really in any position to offer such a thing? He was already closer to 'broke' than he'd like to be and a payday was not guaranteed. Fortunately, Maryl's eyes didn't light up at the knight's question. If anything, she seemed puzzled by it.

"Payment?" the beastfolk said, slightly tilting he head aside. "I was not aware one required compensation for offering that which is free. You are here to end this nightmare, so we can all return to our normal lives. I consider that payment enough, Kriegslowen."

Oooooh! Marry me now! Falco thought, feeling his heart grow ten times larger as she spoke. Cute, smart, and reasonable!? Where were girls like this back home!? While she hardly seemed like a damsel in distress, he now felt it was his duty to end this creature's reign of terror, for Maryl's sake. Her words steeled his resolve. "For you, I will deal with this beast, Miss Rose," he said, clenching his fist over his chest. "Consider it done."

Despite the firmness of his declaration, she looked less than impressed... and that was fine. He would do it anyway. That beast's toast. Just you wait... Beside him, he overheard Sakura's lament. With a wide grin, Falco placed his hand on her shoulder. "Yo, we got this," he said to her, flashing her a bright smile. "Don't even sweat it. I bet we'll see this thing and it's just a big house cat." Obviously, he didn't believe that, but stressing about it here wasn't going to help.

"Yes, I'm in agreement with Thea here, though I must say the options we have for what it could be are fairly unusual," Risax added.
"As much as the Shadowlyger may not be real, is there anything in the stories about their behaviours or things that attract them? Since there is a half chance we are chasing something that shouldn't exist."

"Yes, I second that," Lucia said. "If you have any other information on the nature of Shadowlygers... Whether it truly is one or something else, it certainly behaves similarly. It may share other attributes as well."

"I've given her some notes on the matter," Maryl replied curtly, slightly annoyed as she nodded to the small sheaf of documents she had handed over. Clearly, she found their insistence on it being an --in her opinion-- mythological creature, irritating.

"What more did your friend say about Shadowlygers? Why was he convinced it was one? What IS a Shadowlyger? Why can't you believe it is one? You haven't explained much about that beast," Hyss said. "No, never mind, you said you don't know more than 'a big cat,'" Hyss sighed. "So, in the end, we've learned nothing new beyond 'it's a beast -probably cat-like- that attacks out of trees. The specific species is either irrelevant, or worse, unknown. But we can expressly say it is, in fact, a feline. Very good. Great. Felines tend to be excellent predators..."

"Hmph, so many questions. I expected adventurers to be more... 'adventurous," Maryl said. The slightest hint of a grin graced her features before her face resumed its stoic nature.

"Just tryin' not to get ourselves killed," Falco teased. "I'm sure you'd be heartbroken if we don't return victorious."

"Yes, I would," the beastgirl said, unimpressed. "The thought of not being able to continue my research is nearly enough to bring me to tears."

Oof...

"Anyway, jokes aside, caution is warranted and welcome. I simply did not expect such from those who choose such a life as this." With that sideshow out of the way, she looked to the hooded girl who had offered a slew of questions. "In the stories, the Shadowlyger punishes those who transgress against the forest, like a... boogeyman or ghost. It eats whomever and whatever it wants to, because it is an apex predator, and highly aggressive." She looked to Thea: "That explains why Mr. Johnson wants it alive. He can be a superstitious sort, at the best of times, and outright dogmatic at the worst. If there is even the slightest chance this thing is the forest's way of trying to 'tell us something' he would want you to tread lightly, lest your actions 'anger the Goddess.'" She sighed. "I can't speak for those Jacobee imbeciles, but we respect the woods and do our work delicately. Mr. Lewis's men also conduct their business smartly. I can vouch for them.

"To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing in the scriptures about the Goddess sending a 'big cat' to enact her wrath, but who am I to question a man's faith?" the scholar concluded, taking a half step back, shifting to another foot. "If my studies have taught me anything, it is that everything happens for a reason. Cause and effect. Whatever it is, this creature was not here before and it is here now. Why? How? And perhaps... who?" She shrugged. "Follow the data, Kriegslowen, wherever it takes you. I've given you all I know."

Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Oyten
​

As the chorus finally seemed intent on speaking up, most had nothing useful to ask, or in the case of Hyss bordered on hostilities and went in circles. "Hyss, the people that can likely answer on more details on it would likely want to speak of it at some length. And there likely is no one to ask as the best was believed to be extinct. Least we find a crone in the woods or an elderly elf, or the research head, or humor the arguing two, whom I should add.... No, that is enough for now."

Turning her attention back towards the scholar, the former knight gives a gruff nod of her head followed up with a smile. "On the matter of payment, helping the Kriegslowen as you see it, is not enough for all. A grouping we talked to earlier in the day was much in that mind."

Studying the Beast Folk as she started to fall back and with what was on Thea's mind and the woman's surprise at them being so questioning rather than proactive, her mind was made up. This team was far too dysfunctional to ensure her survival, no matter how useful she and her Arcanizer may be, she was not an adventurer and knew as much as they do. And exposing her to the true nature of this party and how inexperienced as it was, Thea keeps up her smile and taps her neckless in a sign of respect... "Your information is more than enough, do be well. Should we require further assistance we will seek yours out." ...that would be unacceptable. They had already made too many slipups and errors, born if ignorance and inexperience. The fact they for the most part picked this job as a matter of force was a sign of that.

Waiting till the woman was gone, she remains smiling, unsettlingly so, recalling the keen ears of the Maryl during their first meeting, she waves the rest to follow along as she walks with speed and purpose into the woods, map in hand, feeling she was far enough away, she finally drops the smile and speaks.

"We learned plenty, for ones so opposed to me doing this, you of note seem rather jumpy, Hyss. We gained confirmation and while I'm not an expert of this land nor the concept of a predatorial cat, I do know cats well enough and predators in general to attempt throwing a dart at the wall till it sticks."

Kneeling down to check her supplies, Thea takes out a sketch stone and a sheet of parchment, having learned from her corpse pile as she speaks out; "I'm no cartographer but I'll sketch a copy of this map for one other in the party, or for myself if someone thinks themselves better with it. However, what we have learned that was confirmed, or maybe it is my own mind getting the better of me;

The Guild likely knew what was here as did Mayor Johnson. The other two spoke openly on what was here, I doubt that kindness was only for us. However, telling people you are hunting an extinct creature is likely not to get many to take up the job. At least not from those that want it in any capacity than a trophy." With that she holds her left fist up, allowing the paper to rest on her sack as she draws with her right hand;

"One, the beast hunts in midafternoon or at least isn't solely nocturnal." A finger rises; "Two, the beast picks solo targets, small in size. It hunts, not scavenges." A third, "Three, the beast drops from above in the heaviest of trees and grabs it's intended victim from behind and" With that the fourth finger leads to a flat palm as the armored gauntlet rests. "Four. The beast was not here before as this area was the current worksite for some time."

With that she lowers her fist and goes back to her drawing, as she decides to say what little else was on her mind. "It would not surprise me if our first call of visit was somehow behind this given the conflicting claims they have on the area with the other parties. Keep an eye out for things other than the beast, I also doubt this creature just came here, regardless of whichever two beasts it is.

It will be agile and nimble, and while I did plan to offer myself as bait, I don't think it will much care for me. Which among you is willing to consider this role, any of you have a mind on what to do with this mythological creature? We could always turn back, but I am sure that will be seen as a total failure... As to how we move it away from here.. We go on a bit of a hike, or we take the land ferry and bring it to a zoo as I doubt that contraption can move through these woods. I've not thought so far ahead, we have no choice but to make it up as we go along. Killing it alone however may upset more than the Mayor if it is some beast thought long dead."


Interactions: EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko AnonyMouse Huntertabbysandshark3 Topless

 

[TreasureSniper]

Team B vs Warehouse Bugs
Interactions: ERode King Crimson lunar_moth Silver Wolf
Location: Warehouse​

***
The skittering and chattering of the smaller bugs heralded the arrival of a bigger variant of this invasive species. The merchant's eyes carefully scanned the area, trying to identify what these hostile entities were. They looked familiar, but it was difficult to tell in the current lighting. Talio was thankful that he prepared for an impending attack from the warnings earlier and swiftly released his blade from his scabbard to deliver a powerful upward slash with his prosthetic arm. With one swift motion, the merchant bisects the pouncing insect, splattering its insides onto his blade, and allowing the two halves of the body to fly past him. Under normal circumstances, such a strike would likely deflect off the creature’s natural defences, but thankfully, Talio’s manatec arm gave him the extra strength needed to cut through their thick hide.

However, after recognizing the creature he had just cleaved in two, it was then he realised he had made a mistake. “We need to get out of here…” Seconds later, another two of the large ones appear on top of the shelves with one clearly taking an interest at Talio. Switching his blade to his normal arm, Talio braces himself for the attack, hoping the others would join in a defensive formation. “Holzekts…or as I like to call them stockeaters….if you need to kill them…try not spill their guts…it will attract more of them…” He spoke as one of giant bugs pounces on him, forcing him to block the attack with his metal arm. The insect violently clamps down onto the arm repeatedly, trying to sting its opponent to no avail. Maybe having a metal arm wasnt such a bad thing. With the rest of his body, Talio attempts to pin the creature down onto the ground while using his metal fingers to dig into its eyes and possibly crush the creature’s brain. Well he didn't mind killing these bastards either. Based on the book he read, these things will retreat once their numbers are sufficiently depleted. “If we managed to kill enough of them, their aggression should die down….” Talio spoke as he wrestled with the insect on the ground. With each bite, his clean merchant sleeves are torn more and more apart, revealing the non-organic arm underneath it.

***lunar_moth***
To his credit, Endymion successfully represses another very manly yelp of surprise at the first bug’s thumping descent from its perch along the sideshelves lining the warehouse. It’s cleaved in half almost immediately by Talio though so he doesn’t have much time to panic before he’s got another problem.

Little larvae scuttle along the flooring, their rusty bodies barely catching and reflecting the shards of light that bounce down from the lamps. They wriggle abou like worms on a fishhook, the smaller ones, at least. Their larger siblings are a little grittier-looking with their shells and pincers and Endymion quickly places his little lizard companion on a nearby shelf.

“Okay, uh, man, not good. You — stay here. I can’t imagine Holzekt babies are a natural part of a frog’s diet.” Seems adventurers are a part of theirs, though!

The little larvae reach his feet and he panics a bit, squishing them on instinct with the butt of his wooden staff. The smallest crush easily under the pressure but their guts stain wetly the floor, and immediately the larger ones swarm to the scent. Shit! Talio just said not to do that!

Speaking of: “Talio!” Endymion shouts out in alarm as a bug of full-size lunges for the other boy and grasps him by the arm. Endymion rushes in closer to help him, but Talio’s beating the Holzekt back in what appears to be an impressive show of self-restraint, even as it gnaws at his arm. Is he wearing, like, secret chain maille under his clothes?? Whatever it is, he’s holding his own just fine, but he’s left a clear opening behind himself while he’s preoccupied with grappling the bug. Endymion takes the opportunity to dart in closer to him and stand with his back to Talio’s, so that he may be protected from the other approaching Holzekt.

Its pincers drip with viscous green fluids. In the flashes of manatech lighting, the fluids seem to light up from the inside out, translucent green glowing fluorescent. It would almost be pretty if it weren’t, like, mega disgusting.

The bugbeast prowls closer, and when it darts at Endymion’s brandished staff it simply takes a chunk out of the length of it, pincers chomping the fragment of wood to bits.

“Ugh, no—!” a strangled exclamation forces its way from Endymion. Above and below, there’s like one thing these bugs eat best, and what does he do? Feed it to them, apparently.

The bug finished crunching the wood fragment to dust. It darts back in for another mouthful, and Endymion tries to yank back his staff out of reach before the Holzekt can latch onto it. The bug’s faster, though, and when it yanks backwards too, the jerk causes Endymion to lose his balance and fall to the ground on his backside.

Crack!

Huh?

Endymion wrenches the staff back from the Holzekt’s jaws and uses his free hand to push himself off the dusty floor. Except his hand comes away stained inky from underneath him, and a dark trail of pearlescent fluid drips from his outer cloak as he stands up.

Aha! He must have landed on the little bottle of ink he carries around in his cloak pocket and shattered it. He casts a hand into the ruined pocket; his hand comes away covered in ink, naturally, but he’s also retrieved one of the few large shards of glass that the bottle split into. It’s nothing impressive, but the pieces are large and the edges are sharp. Until he’s learned better spells to be any more helpful, being scrappy in a fight will have to do.

The next time the Holzekt lunges, Endymion’s ready. He drops his staff and kicks it away, hopefully as far as possible— ideally, it’ll land closer to the warehouse’s doors, and any strip of light that leaks in will be enough to keep the Holzekts from biting the staff to pieces anymore.

Endymion thrusts the glass shard at the bug’s soft eyes and mouth orifice as it tries to clamber up at him. His other hand (sort of frantically) grabs at its legs and exoskeleton and whatever he can get a grip on to keep tossing it back and keep it from landing a good bite. Like trying to scruff a rowdy kitten, except much less heartwarming. The Holzekt chitters loudly each time it gets close, and its pincers snap dangerously close to his ear.

“Gck— I don’t know how long I can keep it off me!” Oh, to return to moments ago when his biggest problem was the suspicious crates full of babies-turned-drugs-turned-rocks (?).

***Cressey***
With each clip of it’s jagged, razor-sharp mandibles, the beast maw draws closer and closer to tasting the warm blood of Endymion’s throat, spewing hateful hisses and enraged snarls as, it’s body fitfully struggled to claw it’s way through what little remained of his defenses.
The Holzeckt’s head rears back, it’s lone, red beady eye gleaming in the dark as it prepares for one last, decisive lunge, but, from the periphery of his vision, Endymion could make out a faint blue glow reflecting off of the beast’s shell, growing just a little brighter with every beat of light, steel boots pounding across stone in a mad sprint towards him.
“GET DOWN!!” Cressey viciously commanded, the edge of her thunder-charged lance reared back and ready to charge like a massive, cerulean horn.
With a thunderous stomp, she planted her boot firmly on the ground, using her body as a centrifuge to shift the weight of her momentum into her toes, up to her ankle, then to her knee and her hips, up her body and into her shoulder, then to her elbow, and into her wrist, until finally exploding out from the tip of her lance in a drill-like thrust, carrying with it, the full, destructive force of everything she had to bare.
The tip of her lance found purchase in the sliver of soft, unprotected underbelly that lacked the hard, armor plating the monster wore on it’s back, piercing through soft, flimsy chiten, and blending it’s viscous green innards into a fine slurry that sizzled and crackled upon contact with the electric current running through her spear.
The sheer force of her blow lifted the Holzeckt’s body off of the ground, sending it careening away from the fallen scholar, and down the hallway with one final shriek of agony, it’s lifeless husk of a body colliding with the side of a particularly large crate with an alarming slam that reverberated throughout the warehouse, and sending a momentary wave of terror surging up Cressey’s spine as she watched in horror as the box swayed form side to side in it’s compartment, only managing to will herself to release the breath she’d been holding once the box returned to it’s inert position, safe, and mostly sound.
She didn’t have much time to relax, however; the scent of the blood upon her lance, and upon Endymion’s body had attracted a fresh wave of the swarming horde, which had cautiously begun to creep closer towards them both.
“If this keeps on, we’ll fail the quest!” Cressey hollered back in response to the Valgemian merchant, intercepting several of the more daring parasites that tried to leap towards her with her lance.
“We need to lure them outside before they break anything else!”
Another swarm of Holzeckt brood rush towards her. With her teeth grit in wrought frustration, she beats them back, every angry swing of her lance punctuating the fury in her voice as she barks, “This–! Is–! The–! Worst–! Storage–! Company–! Ever–!”
***

**Lupa**
When the two large insects appeared, she felt bile rise up in her throat. Why in the world was the warehouse this infested? She wasted no time drawing her rapier and stabbing the scuttlers as they passed by. Thankfully, the squishy things didn’t spill guts for the rapier enough for her to become a target, but the real danger was scuttling around on the high ground. Once it found its path, she took the opportunity to make a shot at stabbing it.
Her rapier slid through the cracks in its exoskeleton before it could get close to anyone else and it shrieked, or rather rattled, in pain as her rapier met its muscles and joints. She withdrew her rapier though, only for it to turn with its one good front leg towards her. It lunged and she dodged to take out its other front appendage, failing to hit a vital point once again. With its front legs gone, she now had the ability to get really up close and personal until she found a chink in the armor and shoved her rapier in at an angle, only for the insect to start thrashing and rattling as it felt genuine panic flood its system. The movement allowed her rapier to wiggle around. She got luck and her blade found the equivalent of its spinal cord and the thing went limp. She ripped her rapier out and that’s when she heard Cressey bark the order to retreat, but also to drag the things with her.
In response she stomped as hard as she could on a larvae and speared it. Once it was speared she angled the rapier to lift it up and waved it around, her nose assaulted by the smell as she did so. It caught a lot of attention and she proceeded towards the door.
“Agreed, I got their attention, retreat, I’ll follow once the rest of you get out.”
Lupoa dragged her lure away from the exit path and waited. Once everyone was ready, she would make her own break for the exit to lure as many insects as she could outside. Her ears flopped down and a look of horror plastered her face as she saw two more holzekts crawl out of the woodwork. “We have more big ones!”

/////Talio
Talio was pleasantly surprised to see that his teammates were quick to react to the hostile insect ambush. Good. At least he knew he could rely on them in a pinch. Even the funny Endymion was able to hold his own and cover Talio. As for the plan, he didnt have any objections to it. Within a few seconds of wrestling the insect, Talio would grab onto its head and put his foot on top of it. From there, he proceeded to pull and twists it head, until finally the entire comes off, looking like toy being ripped apart by a child.

Talio took a short moment to admire his handiwork before another large Holzekt took its place, ready to claim vengeance over its fallen brethren. The merchant brandished the head of the dead insect, as if taunting the creature. Easily getting its attention as well as a few smaller ones behind it. Heading towards Lupa’s direction, Talio would then drag the nub of the severed head across the floor, leaving a clear trail for the insects to follow. “Lets get out of here, I can hear Lori already outside.” He made a mad dash towards the door, looking back every now and then to make sure his teammates weren't left behind. The wave of insects was behind them, now unified for a singular purpose, killing the intruders.

***Cressey***
One, two, three waves of foul Holzeckt spawn fell before Cressey’s lance, joining their brethren in the steadily growing pile of smouldering corpses that had grown at Cressey’s feet.
The beasts seemed to be in infinite supply, and she had long since lost count of how many she’d slain, her mind focused solely on holding her ground, protecting herself, the scholar, and the boxes behind her.
Her arms felt leaden in their sockets, every swing of her lance covering her in more and more with the foul, green ichor that coursed through the insects’ bodies, and on more than a few occasions had one lucky among the horde managed to slip past her defenses, and give her a stinging, but ultimately superficial wound.
“Just where do they keep coming from!?” she exclaimed, her face twisted with stormy, wrought frustration, as she squared up against another one of the larger, heavily armored adults that crawled out from the woodwork.
With a threatening hiss, it lunged towards her, claws outstretched, and maw foaming with more of it’s vile, green spittle.
She answered it’s charge by digging in her feet, raising her lance up in a defensive stance, letting it’s body crash into the electrified blade. The effect was immediate; a hail of sparks and agonized, inhuman screams ringing out across the warehouse as the live current of electricity mercilessly ran through it’s body.
With the creature momentarily stunned, Cressey pushed it’s body down upon the ground, before driving her spear straight down, nailing it to the floor.
Finally, a small, fleeting moment of reprieve, as some parts of the horde surrounding her scattered to go after the bodies Lupa, Talio, and Lori had created, buying them a small window of escape.
Realizing what plan they had in mind, Cressey followed suit, taking the freshly skewered Holzeck still stuck to the end of her lance, and hastily throwing it further down the warehouse, as far away from the door as she could manage, before whirling around on the ball of her heel, and grabbing a hold of Endymion by the wrist.
“Come on! Quickly!” she shouted, roughly dragging the boy back up to his feet
***
“—Got it!” Endymion calls back, letting himself be helped up by Cressey’s grip and stumbling back upright. He drops the shard of glass he holds on the ground while he runs to keep up with the others. Escape!! Oh man, if this is how the first mission’s going to go, he’d better learn some useful spells by the next one. Not much point in being an adventurer if he’ll just need saving every time. Still, he briefly squeezes Cressey’s hand back, a silent “thank-you” for making sure to come get him.

The Holzekt’s spit and guts are sticky on the front of his clothes. He drags his free hand through the front of the mess in an attempt to wipe it off, but all he accomplishes is making his hand gross. These are, like, the most disgusting/annoying bugs in the universe. They’re so gross, I’m almost not even mad, I’m just disappointed.

Supposedly, Lori — in all her bug-saviour glory — still awaits them outside of the warehouse. The sunlight streaming in through the door’s seams is easily visible now as they approach. His staff, haphazardly thrown a foot from the wall that holds the door, appears mostly unharmed; Endymion scoops it up as he passes by.

The chittering of the incoming Holzekts only gets louder and angrier. Endymion prays that the chill down his back is just a bead of sweat and not a stray larvae.

“Almost- hff— there—!” Staff tucked under his arm, he reaches desperately for the door.

***Lupa***

The sounds of her rapier stabbing the fleshy bits of the larvae was the only sound she heard for a while as she killed any that were trying to get past her. Of course, many slipped by and she had to worry about herself. It didn’t seem to end and she looked back to the door to see the progress. Still opening the door, and she had said she would hold the line. Clicks grew closer as the two grown holzekt began closing in on her position. She began retreating, the line between her and her comrades shrinking even further.

She readied herself and got into stance, the two were closing in. They moved, and in the moment of analysing and preparing for her larger threat she forgot to check her immediate ones and felt a pinch on her ankles. Shit.

Without a moment to spare she shook her leg until the vile thing came off and she assessed the damage. Minor, she could still fight, but it would certainly need treatment after this. It was at this time she noticed the body of one of the larvae flung to the back and a good chunk followed it. Luckily for her, one of the adults followed suit to take the fresh kill, leaving one focused on her. She didn’t forget her mistake and stomped as many as she could below before they could bite her ankle, going for the already weakened spot with some already working on their brethren. A feeling of disgust swept across her body and she heaved a little at the entire situation. She looked back to see the door still hadn’t opened and she bit her lip a little and turned back. She stepped back and the wall of corpses distracted the young ones as they began to feast, but the adult looked at her with a hungry maw dripping with green saliva. It was calculating whether she was a worthy meal.

Without a word she waited for its advance until it took a lunge. She sidestepped it with her good foot and took a stab. The creature screamed at the sensation of its insides being pierced, but it wasn’t done yet. It thrashed around and she barely got her rapier out in time. It sized her up and prepared another lunge. If she tried dodging with her good foot she would be cut off from escape, and their line would be fully broken.

Lupa took the risk, to be rewarded with the searing pain and tripped a little, losing the moment to disable its other front appendage. It turned and lunged at her again, she couldn’t dodge right again. Pain shot through her ankle again and she sloppily attempted to stab, only for it to hit the protective coating. The laws of nature pushed her back and the bug turned to leap. Desperately, she dodged again, but the bug swung its abdomen instead and she was sent into the ground. Thankfully she didn’t let go of her rapier, but instead she reached for her dagger. The holzekt began scurrying to her and she saw its maw open wide, ready for its meal.

“I don’t think so!” she yelled before plunging her dagger into the maw. Successful, she managed to stab it, but it got several bites on her hand as a result. She let go of the weapon and withdrew her hand, glove coming off in the process.

In a flash she turned around as it thrashed and screamed. She reached with her good hand for her rapier and pushed up, haphazardly running as she sprinted for the door, a mixture of blood, saliva, and holzekt gore leaving an enticing trail for the less fortunate larvae as they scurried to the source.

“Open the door, now!” Lupa screamed while sprinting for the end as the sound of scurrying sounded behind her. Pain was in her wrist and ankle, but her desire to leave was overriding it. She met up with them and turned around, seeing the swarm of newer holzekt and she saw that the large one was retreating away from the site, some of its brethren following its own trail. She turned her back to them and held up her rapier once more, once the door was open she would leave, but she would be damned if she let others come into harm's way before she left.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Location: Oyten
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It was refreshing to have someone so reasonable providing them information, much as Thea had replied to the beastfolk's question. Lucia nodded with a slight scowl, thinking back on their interaction with the imbeciles. "Yes, some would rather be quite difficult, on the contrary," She remarked with a minor, irritated, exhale before wiping it from her visage. "Truly, you do have our thanks."

Hearing Thea offer the drawing of a map, Lucia stepped forward to take it. "Calligraphy with some art lessons, however I should be able to mirror it well enough," She said, taking to the task while the knightess ran through their acquired information. She was only copying it, after all, rather than drafting it from scratch. Still, while focused on scribbling on the parchment, she seemed to still hold enough attention to scoff at Thea's suggestion. "I truly hope not. I understand keeping it from the general populace, they would either panic or think you mad, perhaps both. However, were the guild to keep such information from us, the ones who would be interacting with the beast... Well, I suppose it would not be the first time I was disappointed nor felt betrayed."

Then there was the matter of a plan, both for engaging with the creature and what to do after. Lucia would have rolled her eye, again, were it not trained on transferring image of the map onto the paper. "For the record, and I will say this until the damnable creature has ended me or until we are rid of this town, but I am wholly against entertaining the idea of capturing this thing over some pretense that we will anger the woods," She replied with a sigh. "Regardless, it's methods don't leave us much option. All that plate, your size, and your weapon won't appeal to the thing at all. Neither will Ser Risax. That leaves myself, Lady Hysydice, and Ser Falco. Given we have to at least appear alone, no one with melee capability would be likely to intercept the creature in time. Thus, we would either need a ranged technique with enough power to stunt the beast mid-pounce, or rely upon our agility and speed to react in time, which would be quite risky."

Pausing, Lucia tore her eyes from the half-sketched map to look at the group. "Or, set a trap that would do that and be the bait for it. That, unsurprisingly I am sure, is out of my area of expertise however," She stated before turning her attention back to the drawing. "And once again, I say we do not even entertain the idea of capturing this thing. If we happen to incapacitate it, we can consider it then. Until then, however, I would rather hear none of it. I will not die, be crippled, or scar myself for someone's superstition... and I would rather none of the three occur to any of you either."

Interactions: A Team

 

[Topless]

Location: Oyten

"Thea, if I may..." Sakura finally spoke after a long time of silence. "Given your points about the creature, I think I know of a kind of trap that we can set up. However, I think we're going to need supplies first, and by that I mean, we will need to have cooperation with the logging companies. Here's what I propose; a pitfall trap. Simple, but quite effective to the unsuspecting prey. We will need to dig a wide and deep hole, say about eight feet deep. In that hole will be a very sturdy net made out of a hard rope. We'll cover that hole with a thin cloth that can blend in with the ground and put some twigs, leaves and some rocks on it to make it less suspicious. The bait would have to make the creature make chase to the trap, hopefully it will fall into it and get caught in the net." She said.

"But say that it leapt over the trap. What can we do? Simple, we'll ram it with a heavy sturdy log, and hope that it will incapacitate it. Of course, we'll need a LOT of manpower for this one since they will be holding the log back for a long time. I'd say about four to eight logs pointed in all directions so that the beast won't escape. Brutal, I know, but trust me when I say that it is much more better to cripple it than to outright kill it."
AnonyMouse Reinhardt RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko Huntertabbysandshark3
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