Fantasy Tales of Raeligard

[AnonyMouse]

Sen Hyazari​

Location: Oytenrand Woods, Logging Camp​

As Sen relaxed by the fire, she noted the tension she had sensed in this group seemed mostly gone. The two combatants returned to the group. Oddly, the Caskarieth looked worse off, as if something was weighing on her mind, despite seemingly having won the sparring match. The knight, on the other hand, seemed lighter, as if a burden had been lifted.

Sen merely shrugged at this and continued feeding small tidbits of meat to Marcel. While this was probably not ideal for an infant, she was out of veggies and certainly wasn’t about to nurse him here. Later, li’l guy, she thought as the child pawed at the rusty chainmail protecting her torso. The group was mostly females and she doubted the spider would care, but the white-haired boy seemed like the type to stare and she didn’t want to have to clobber him.

Speaking of whom…

"Thea," he said, lightly clearing his throat as the knight and snake returned from their brief healing session. "I just want to say, I think your gray hair looks fine. It’s very distinguished and-"

"Okay, seems like y’all are relaxed enough. Some more than others,” --here she briefly glared at Falco-- "So, let’s talk about our next move," Sen crooned, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention. She set Marcel down so he could roam a bit and leaned forward to grab a thick slab of meat from the pot for herself.

"Hooktails…" she said, taking a solid bite and chewing for a few seconds before continuing with her mouth full. "Townsfolk thought there was only one. We found two." She shrugged. "It happens. Don’t sweat the numbers We’ll check out the corpses in the mornin’ to be sure, but I doubt we’ll find evidence of recent cubs. Hooktails are monogamous and don’t pop babies often."

She took another bite. "So, job’s done. Johnson owes y’all some coin…. but" she paused for emphasis and met the eyes of each and every one of them, giving herself time to chew and swallow before continuing. "If ya wanna be respected in this business, ya go the extra mile. We're Kriegslowen, not errand boys, so finishing the request is only half the battle. Real Kriegslowen stay hungry! We look for work in the wild, instead of gawkin' at a job board like a slaw-jawed retard. Those treecats were too fuckin’ big and too fuckin’ far from where they’s s’posed ta be. Knight was right: we ought to follow this down the rabbit hole and see what’s goin’ on. Somethin’ pushed ‘em here. And we're gonna have to go deeper into these woods to find out what.

“We'll go see Johnson first thing in the mornin,’” she said, nodding at Thea. She knew him to be the ‘early to bed, early to rise’ type, so going tonight would probably mean waking him up. It would be better to catch him at the crack of dawn. "Cats are dead; he can decide if he wants to open up logging ops and get Jacobee off his nuts or wait to hear what we find. You’re the ringleader of this circus, so you debrief him and collect payment. Takin’ em alive wasn’t part of the original request, so don’t let him haggle ya." she paused. "Not that he would. Johnson’s good people."

Her past encounters with Mayor Johnson had shown him to be fair and even somewhat liberal with his coin. He might even offer a reward for anything they find deeper inside the woods. But these up-and-coming Kriegslowen needed to be aware that not every client was so easy to deal with.

“As for me, I ain’t seen the guy in two, maybe three, years, but he’s always done right by me. I’m hopin’ Johnson and his ol’ lady will look after Marcel. ‘Cuz where we’re goin’ ain’t no place for a babe.” she tore the last scraps of meat from the bone and tossed it aside.

“The deep woods won’t tolerate bullshit. But, in my opinion, all of y’all can handle this,” she said, making a point to stare directly at Hyss as she said ‘all.’ “Just keep yer shit tight, head on a swivel, and eyes on the prize. You take orders from Schuerer. And, if necessary, she takes orders from me. That’s the chain. If either of us says somethin’ ya don’t like, ya use yer words. But when shit gets real, you shut up and form up. Understood?”

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

 

[King Crimson]

Current Location: Hein Warehouse 5​

After gathering her things, and enjoying an expeditated, on-the-go breakfast, Cressey boarded the carriage alongside the others, watching through the window as the roadside inn disappeared into the distance as they ventured towards their next task: Hein Warehouse Number Five.
Time passed, with little conversation made between the group, everyone likely stuck in their thoughts over all of the questions that were yet to be answered, or gathering their wits in expectation of whatever was to come next.
Watching as the terrain passed by, changing from verdant forests and rolling fields, to sparse, hardened soil and chiseled rock. it occurred to Cressey how far they truly were from Raeligard.
Even the road beneath them began to change; changing from smooth, pleasant soil, to hard, juttering gravel, that shook the carriage with every step, every reverberation sending a jolt of force up Cressey's spine as her smaller body was practically ejected from her seat.
Mercifully, the carriage soon came to a stop, and much to her surprise and dismay, before them stood a building identical to the previous warehouse, yet somehow managed to look in an even sorrier, more rundown state.
"You know...I don't see how these warehouses being built in such remote locations is in any way practical..." Cressey wonders aloud, hopping off of the carriage and taking a moment to massage out the soreness that lingered in her lower back from enduring a ride through such inhospitably untamed terrain, before following in lockstep alongside the others, her lance drawn with quick, almost casual flair.
She was more than prepared to be greeted by more of those disgusting vermin the moment they opened those doors, perhaps even before then.
"Surely it would be more secure somewhere in range of the city watch, where whatever inside can be easily monitored and transported..."
"I mean, just look at this decrepit thing! It practically begs to be plundered and infested!" She loudly complains, gesturing to the cracked, dusty old walls, the accumulated rust and wear that harangued the sole, solitary man-made structure that stuck out, alien and ugly amongst it's natural surroundings.
With a harsh sigh, she cast her complaints aside, and instead focused on readying her lance as Talio drew the warehouse key and unlocked the door.
No matter...After this, I'll never see these buildings again. I'll be moving on to better, more respectable jobs, like hunting great beasts or fending off villainous cults... she reminded herself, watching as the large metal gate swung open with a familiar, metallic screech, revealing a similar, dark, foreboding space within, chocked with dust and dry, arid air.
She watched expectantly as Lori took the initiative to scout around the building's perimeter, and Talio drew a small tincture of vile, foul smelling slime from his coat pocket and raised it aloft to let the wind carry it's scent.
"If the coast seems clear, we'll take the van," Cressey stated, looking towards Talio, than inspecting the state of the two companions she was in charge of watching over; Lupa seemed ready enough, her injuries nowhere near as grievous as previously thought, if her words this morning were to be believed, at least.
Meanwhile Endymion was armed with...something that he either fashioned out of trash, or stole from some wandering mongrel.
Well, it was better than nothing, and it at least gave him some much needed confidence.
After a few moments of waiting, and detecting not even the slightest hint of sound or movement stirring within the warehouse, Cressey took her first, tentative step inside, imbuing her lance once more with brilliant, electric energies, casting the interior with it's faint bluish glow.

Interacting:
Talio ( TreasureSniper )
Lori ( ERode )
Endymion ( lunar_moth )
Lupa ( Silver Wolf )

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Oytenrand Woodlands​

Listening to the remarks of Hyss, Thea had nothing much to say in response, this was part of the job. Though it was nice to see she had something of a grasp on this spell, given it came in handy twice today. Though no one had answered, it seemed the hunters were gone, his bother must have been up to moving a little, or they were using one of the tents. Even then her cloak was left laying over a wooden railing or fence section used for some unknown purpose. She would just pick it up later, Sakura chimed in about the offer for food as Thea pauses for a bit...

"Ah, the spread is made up of basil, pine nuts, cheese and salt. I think it would be best you avoid that depending on your allergic reaction. I would just tear the meat up over the bread and use the juices to break up the bread, the spread normally helps with making it better."

It was then that Falco said something a bit smart assed, or a sudden attempt by him to try being nice, snorting slightly at that Thea speaks up in amusement. "Oh, I'm sorry, I had to break up the white hair mob you all have going on here."

It was then that Sen made her presence known, clapping her hands once, then chewing on a slab of meat as she talked, which Thea was more than a little disappointed in. Still, it is what she expected of the former bandit, her manners had been lacking till now in either case, so she would overlook it. Watching the child run amok, it like would not be any harm from him... Still, she would make sure he didn't pick up any weapons. Listening to Sen, she had nothing much to say till the other finished.

"Well said." Walking around the others, Thea pauses her own eating and places her loaf of bread at the improvised eating place, and lays a small jar of green looking paste down, devoting her full attention to what was to come as she let her mess kit knife lay there.

"While our Job may be done, our Duty is not. We shall follow this back to the source, to see if there is yet another problem to deal with or information to bring back to the guild."

A pause,

"We shall not be leaving just yet from these woods, back to Tylsen, if any of you feel unable to attend to this task, then I ask that you stay at the landferry. My report will note your absence, but this is not to threaten you. We very well shall be entering to danger, we shall have to travel lightly, get our supplies from the land short of what small and light things we can carry. I want you all to eat up and rest, we will leave right before dawn breaks for the city. I shall debrief Mayor Johnson and tell him of our... no, my decision for us to remain in the Greatwood's, least you all wish for it to be ours. Least some of you care to attend the meeting use this time to acquire any equipment or supplies you may need, I shall be picking up more medical supplies myself. I will give you all your pay as soon as the meeting is done least you wish for me or someone else to hold on to it, or we keep it with the old man till we return.

And we shall return."

Returning to the food she uses her bare hands to rip a part of the bread off for herself, before turning back to the rest. "I have maintenance to do on my armor and then I wish to sleep, we may not get much of that from here on out, Hyss you have the first watch, Falco the Second, I shall take the third. Be ready to move out. Should any of you need anything for me then come to my tent before I fall asleep, please, wake me for the third shift. And it is as Sen said, I know not this area, commands from her outrank my own. Our job is over, the mission is not. And if that seeing me is to complain about this extension to the mission, don't. I gave you a way out."

"Falco may want to leave our trophies at the landferry in the morning, but I leave that up to you."

And with that Thea took some of her spread for the bread and turned on her heels, they would move quickly once the sun was barely peeking out.

Interactions: EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko AnonyMouse Huntertabbysandshark3 Topless

 

[EmperorsChosen]

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

Lucia's eye glanced upward from her meal as Sen gathered everyone's attention. She began to divulge all she knew, giving the younger Caskarieth something else to focus on. So they were Hooktails. There wasn't much to worry about in the form of cubs, though the rest of the talk was how they should stay "hungry".

Lucia didn't disagree. She wanted more work, more prevalent work. She didn't want to take the easy route as accused. Something had caused these things to grow especially large and prodded them in this direction. Finding the cause was just due diligence.

Then she proposed retrieving their payment for the original job first. Lucia thoughts couldn't help but pause as Sen stated what she had been arguing the whole time. Regardless, they wouldn't have to worry about pay at the very least. Though the Caskarieth's thoughts returned to wander on where exactly they were headed.

This was Sen's territory, and where they were going the woman wasn't comfortable with her child being near. It certainly seemed like she knew more than she was letting on, or had her suspicions as to the cause and it wasn't something to scoff at. The Deep Woods so they were called. The blood of hers that was supposed to be attuned to nature didn't give her comfort.

"Fine," Lucia answered with a light nod, placing the remnant bone of her meal in her bowl and standing up and turning for one of the tents. "If any of you wish to split your watch, wake me. I will retire early."

@Team A

 

[Reinhardt]

Recruits​

Location: Heine Warehouse 5​

Silence filled the air as the group waited for a response to Talio's thrown bait. Seconds turned to minutes and the mixture of rotting stench and acidic scent from the bait provoked nothing beyond the group's noses. However, by that time, Lori had already left the group and rushed to the back of the warehouse, taking Zest with her. Cressey took the initiative to enter the warehouse after the plan to bait seemed to have failed rather clearly, casting yet another spell that coated the tip of her lance with surging sparks - providing a small amount of illumination within her immediate vicinity.

As one would expect, the warehouse's interior was dusty, with a very unmistakable scent of old wood. The lighting was not yet active, though if one were to test out the lever controlling the lighting installed on the building, perhaps the issue about the place's illumination could be solved. Once again, rows upon rows of shelves housed countless wooden crates in the warehouse proper. Besides the squeaking and skittering noises that the resident rodents were emitting as they darted from one area to another, there was little of note with the warehouse at first glance.

The back of the warehouse was rather plain compared to the previous one and lacked those lumps that ants called their home. With her strong legs, Lori could jump over to the roof with a little bit of wall scaling to help her reach the proper height. And like the rest of the place, there's nothing truly noteworthy on the roof, beyond a few bird droppings and fallen twigs and leaves.

Seems like the Holzekt infestation is just a one-time incident, and this warehouse is a rather uneventful place. So far.

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

 

[ERode]

Location: Heine Warehouse 5
​

Well, there weren't any hills in the back and the roof was in a sturdy enough condition too. She wasn't hearing sounds of combat either, and Endy wasn't shouting about how he was right all along about Mr Heine being some major criminal, so really, it looked like everything was...fine!

Sweet!

"Heyo!" Lori swung her head downwards, the long, tangled mess that was her hair almost managing to touch the ground when she leaned over from the roof to look at the others who had already begun their warehouse investigations proper. "Nothing's on the roof or around the back. And I'm not really seeing any giant holes inside this place either. So...maybe no bugs?" She planted her hands on the edge of the building, then kicked off with her talons and flipped gracefully off the roof, landing with a light thump. "I was thinking, then," the ruby-eyed birdkin continued. "Maybe I'll go for a quick run to the next warehouse, just to see if there's anything super crazy over there? And if something happens here that you need me to run back for..." She cocked her head to the side, raising one finger to stroke Zest's feathers. "...I'm sure you could send Zest after me? How about, Endy? Want Zest on your head while I'm out?"

She certainly wasn't trying to dodge the tedium of warehouse inspections, nope! All this was simply a leveraging of her own skills to more efficiently complete the tasks at hand!

 

[Silver Wolf]

Location: Warehouse 5
Interactions: King Crimson (Cressey), ERode (Lori), TreasureSniper (Talio), lunar_moth (Endymion), Reinhardt (GM)


​

After the rather uneventful ride was over and all of them were out, Lupa took a good look around the location. It didn't take a genius to connect dots and notice something might not be right. It was just as Cressey said, the location was too remote. Now, Lupa had been to the countryside for military work, while not for anything serious, she has been in situations where she had to think about positioning. Most frontier forts were on the frontier to assist in the passage of travelers or the monitering of places outlaws are known to hide out. An outpost at a town provided a radius of safety from lawlessness and a checkpoint along a path served to allow peaceful trade across the realm.

So it was no surprise to Lupa when Cressey pointed out the warehouse's remote location. Why not build in the sphere of lawful operation? What did Hedwig have to hide or move away from the people who were supposed to allow his business to operate in peace? Instead of responding to Cressey she just pondered the problem as she thought about situations. Hedwig's product has value, so what did he gain by setting up the warehouses in areas where they could be stolen or damaged with minimal resistance? The more she thought about it, the more her suspicions were raised.

Lupa silently drew her rapier and watched as Talio wafted the bait into the warehouse. Then, they waited.

And waited.

Lupa kept her weapon ready until she was certain things were calm. Until the smell in her own nose died down, she refused to lower her weapon and leave battle stance. That was when she walked up by Cressey and barely entered the warehouse. She took some sniffs of the musty air filled with nothing but rust and dust, nothing more suggested a substantial presence of anything else. While her smell check wasn't a perfect one, she took a look and noticed with new adjusted vision that the warehouse looked as dead as it sounded and seemed to smell. While she didn't sheathe her rapier, she didn't keep it ready either. Peering into the darkness, she saw no signs of movement, scuttling, or even unusual silhouettes. Before anyone could say anything Lori came to report that there was nothing and gave an idea.

"While I don't doubt your mobility, something still doesn't sit right with me. The first warehouse was swarming with holzekt with no sign of the swarm's origins other than a hole we haven't determined the origin of. It's also not as though this warehouse is uninfested, given the nature of its state. While one could repair it, it makes me wonder how anyone could have their facility supposed to keep their livelihood safe would let such a facility fall into disrepair. I may not know about business, but I do know about protection. This place is remote, damaged, and eerily quiet. All it would take is some opportunistic brigands is a weak board and they could go in, take what they wanted, and be gone with the good fenced before anyone knew something was wrong."

Lupa sighed and finally sheathed her rapier.

"I would like to make some changes to your idea, Lori. First, Zest stays with us if you go. I say this because I want you to promise that you will only check for unusual signs and then come back so we can get a grasp on our situation. Look for holes, entrances for pests or thieves, or listen for sounds, but do not open the warehouse or start cataloguing supplies. If there is any sign of danger, return immediately and leave no obvious trace of your presence. If you agree to that, we'll watch over Zest and we'll work easy knowing you will be back with important information."

Lupa said the last part with a beaming smile she normally showed in their times of socializing so far and waited for Lori's response.

 

[TreasureSniper]

Location: Warehouse 5
Interaction: King Crimson (Cressey), ERode (Lori), Silver Wolf (Lupa), lunar_moth (Endymion), Reinhardt (GM)
​

A few minutes after the bait's scent was released, the still warehouse remained, indicating that there was no threat of the stockerseaters present. Or at least none that were readily detectable. But it wouldn't be wise to let their guard down just yet. After all, stockeaters weren't the only thing they had to worry about. There could still be a possibility of others types of creatures breeding inside this warehouse. Nonetheless, their duty was to check on it. But before he could lead the way in, Lori had suggested an alternative plan, where she would go onto the next warehouse and scout the place out.

Although he would rather have her by his side, the bird folk should be more than capable of doing preliminary reconnaissance without endangering herself. Hearing Lupa's suggestion, he didnt have any strong objections to the plan, though that would mean he needed to make some modifications to their current plan then. That said, this would still be a high-risk plan considering they have little to no information about the third warehouse. But then again, Arien did entrust them to carry out this investigation themselves, which would logically mean that whatever trouble was within their capabilities.

Regardless, he had the decision to make here. Would go with a higher-risk plan for the sake of completing this quest faster? Or a safer approach that would take more time or be undoubtedly safe? Talio took a second to weigh down his options, but from a merchant's perspective, he would prefer to take the safer option, and it would give the people around them a better impression. But at the same time, he was always more inclined to take the riskier option to prove his worth.

"Actually Lori, I'd prefer for you to stay here with us for now." The merchant finally spoke up, having made up his mind. Since this is their first assignment together, the safer option would be better for all of them. "As it stands, we don't know how dangerous or safe the inside of this warehouse is. And having one more person here could make a difference." He elaborated further on the reason why he didn't want Lori to go about it alone. "Besides, with you around, we'll be able to finish this warehouse faster, and go onto the next warehouse in no time." Talio gave Lori a small smile as he said his last sentence, hoping that she would understand why he would prefer this option.

​

 

[Topless]

Location: Oyten

"I see. Then, I'll take the bread." Sakura said to Thea as she took a reasonable piece of the bread and used it as a sponge to absorb all that lovely and savory juice that came out of the cooked meat. As Sakura ate, she listened along with everything Sen said. Indeed, their job may be done, but they have a duty to fulfill. Hooktails, supposedly there is one, but actually two. Someone is behind all this and they need to get to the bottom somehow.

Once Sen is done speaking and is nearing the end of her plate, Sakura turned to Hyss and said "You almost done? Once you're finished, I'll start teaching you how to use the bow. Trust me, it's not very complicated if you know how to wield it properly."

AnonyMouse Reinhardt RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Huntertabbysandshark3 Thalia_Neko
​

 

[lunar_moth]

Endymion’s first response is a theatrical salute. “Works for me. I think the little guy and I could have a good time together,” he tells Lori in reference to Zest, but almost as quickly as he’s spoken up he lowers his lifted hand back to his side, much like a deflating— er, well, not like anything that exists at this time, but the image of a child’s balloon is a basic enough thing to imagine, right?

“…Mn, well. I can’t say I doubt that the Miss could handle a bit of danger on her own, but now that you all point it out, I suppose this warehouse being boring is quite suspicious. Maybe if she went with a partner we would feel more secure. Or, well, if we start looking around some more and still don’t find anything, we can probably assume it’s safe for her to go, yeah?

“Either way, I’m, uh, not sure how good of a look we’ll be able to get at the fine details while it’s so dim in here. Anyone happen to have a torch on hand?”

ERode TreasureSniper Silver Wolf King Crimson Reinhardt

 

[ERode]

Location: Heine Warehouse 5
​

Despite Endy suddenly deflating like a sausage with its filling scooped out of its skin, Lori didn't hesitate to cup Zest in her hands and deliver the blessing of the blue bird upon his crown. Certainly, his hair, being a guy, wasn't nearly as floofy as her own, but looked soft enough to the touch that a bird could still make a good nest out of it, no? As for the others, however...

"Well," she spoke, placing her hands on her hips. "I can't open the door with the key anyways, right? And Talio has the keys, so yeah! I'll take a quick look around, see if the building looks ok, and if there's something crazy happening there, I'll just run on back no problemo!" Honestly, it still felt like Lupa was overthinking this. Maybe there were bandits who would break in, but if they did, wouldn't it be obvious to begin with? Ah, but leaving behind no sign of one's presence was weird to begin with. Lori subconsciously flexed the digits of her talons. Even with the points filed round, they were on the sharp side of things, enough to leave deep grooves into dirt and wood...but it looked like she was better off not mentioning that point!

"And Talio, that's super sweet of you, but you know, I'm not actually all that good with the reading stuff. How 'bout this though? I'll stick around to sweep the warehouse with everyone, and if nothing sticks out, I'll head on out to the next warehouse." She slapped her thighs, and there was absolutely no jiggle. It was flesh honed and forged, muscle fibers twined like steel cord. In her eyes, there was no doubt that she could make it to and from the two warehouses three times over before anyone else made one trip. "When working alone, you amend your weaknesses, but when working together, you lean on your strengths!"

 

[King Crimson]

Current Location: Hein Warehouse 5​

Once more, Cressey found herself pushing past a curtain of dust as she entered yet another warehouse.
Her eyes scanned the darkness, looking for any sign of anything lurking in the shadows, her ears hypersensitive to every cracking of old, aged stone and wood, pattering of stale, stagnant water, or rustling of foliage, her lance whirling to point towards anything her instincts warned her to be a threat.
The sound of small, skittering feet pricked at her ears, and reflexively, she twisted her lance to face towards the sound, only to find a pair of small, black rats digging around in a small pile of loose refuse, which once revealed by the blue glow of her lance, froze in place, staring at the intruders with small, beady eyes.
Cressey released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, the tension melting out of her shoulders as the vermin scurried away into the safety of the shadows in a chorus of panicked shrieks.
Never had she been so relieved to see a mere pair of rats in all her life!
And aside from them, there seemed to be no other sign of life teeming within the barren, dreary warehouse; no holes for her to fall through, no disgusting, chitinous bodies with foul-smelling innards and too many legs.
Everything was perfectly safe...

"Heyo!"
The sudden, unexpected voice shocked Cressey nearly out of her skin, piercing her ears just as she'd chosen to lower her guard.
With a panicked yelp, she wheeled around to swing her lance at the ghastly shadow that had appeared above the doorway, it's form distorted by the light of the sun, and the thick haze of age-old dust; all she could see was a mass of horrid, writhing tendrils hanging from a small head with glowering, red eyes.
However, once her eyes cut through the harsh light, and clouding dust, she could recognize the finer details of the shade; the mass of tentacles were merely a curtain of long, white hair, the gleaming red beads were the eyes of a familiar, smiling face, which looked down on her and the others expectantly.
And as for the voice, that casual cheeriness could only be one person.
Pulling her lance back from it's oncoming course aimed at taking Lori's head, Cressey let her lance hang loose in her grip as she brought it back to her side, her other hand planted firmly on her hip as she took a sudden interest in one of the particular boxes sitting on the shelf, watching in silence as the group discussed their findings until her episode could be forgotten.
"While I would normally be open to any suggestion to make this task go by faster, Arnold made it quite clear that he was loathe to see us go off on our own," Cressey reminded the birdkin, her pulse having finally descended to a normal, steady rhythm.
Looking back at the old, seemingly inert rows of shelves stocked with crates and boxes, she adds, "...The good news is that it seems we won't have to contend with any more pests, at least not here. We can do our survey, inspect the last remaining building, and with any luck, be back in town in time for lunch."





Interacting:
Talio ( TreasureSniper )
Lori ( ERode )
Endymion ( lunar_moth )
Lupa ( Silver Wolf )

 

[Reinhardt]

Recruits​

Location: Heine Warehouse 5​

After having found nothing notable from their initial look at the warehouse, the recruits began to discuss scouting for the next location whilst the others would do the task of inspecting the stock. When Lori suggested the idea, some of the recruits agreed with her and voiced out any changes that could be implemented with her plan. Talio and Cressey voiced out their issue with splitting the group, which is commonly considered an unwise idea in the field they are now in. Though such a stigma is not applicable to all situations and having Lori scout ahead would indeed hasten the process - not that it would make their inspection any faster, as the group would lose one more person in counting and tracking the items stored in the warehouse.

The blue bird immediately pecked the young lad's head upon landing on it. After a few seconds, it chirped and flew toward the next person's head. The bird repeated the same thing for every single person before deciding to instead perch at the top of one of the warehouse shelves. Zest chirped every so often as it followed the recruits along while they conducted a sweep of the warehouse. At some point, the bird would find itself flying to and landing at a small protruding stick at the wall - and as it did, the stick would slant downwards, with a click resonating from it.

Loud whirring noises could be heard echoing all over the warehouse as the installed Manatech lighting started to flicker. After a brief moment, the whirring noises stopped and all that was left was the soft buzz coming from the now-activated Manatech lighting. The warehouse was illuminated, dispelling the shadows that made the inspection a tad difficult. With the building now under clear light, it was easier to explore and inspect - granted, there was not a lot of note. Besides a few cracks and withering from old age, as well as a lack of consistent maintenance, nothing really caught the intrigue of the recruits.

All that was left was to check the items that were stored in the building.

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

 

[AnonyMouse]

Sen Hyazari​

Location: Oytenrand Woods, Logging Camp
Time: Dusk, 8th day of the 3rd month, 422AC​

Once it was clear there were no significant objections, additions, or alterations to her planned course of action, Sen stood. "We leave 'fore dawn. Just me, you, and them hunter brothers. We'll make this quick," she said to the knight. After Thea's own account of how their previous romp around town had gone, Sen saw almost no value in having the whole gang tag along. "We'll be back by sunrise. The rest of ya, be ready to head out by then. Let me know if ya need anything from town, but this ain't no holiday! We travel light, got it?"

For some reason her gaze briefly fell upon the elf as she emphasized the last bit.

With that, she departed the campfire with Marcel tottering close behind. "I'ma go find them hunters and make sure they ain't left yet. Maybe even heal 'em or somethin,'" she added, mostly to herself, but still audible to the majority of the group. Uttering the 'h' word took considerable effort, but after all of the trouble they had gone through to rescue them, she couldn't have those two idiots bumbling through the woods injured and alone.

* * * * *​

As night fell, the group began to dissolve into its surroundings, with each adventurer retreating to their chosen tent, shelter, or lonely corner of the camp. Most sought peaceful rest, while others tended to their equipment, honed their skills, or stood watch at their appointed time. A sliver of a moon rose, peeking between fast-moving clouds, but as the midnight hour approached, those clouds grew thicker, eventually shrouding the logging site in an impenetrable darkness. At last, the rain that had been threatening to fall all evening finally arrived, bringing with it thunder and lightning.

The ability to sleep through all manner of weather phenomena was a habit Sen picked up from years of travel. But things were different now; she had an infant in tow. The thunder kept him up most of the night, which meant she hadn't slept a wink. Eventually, the pounding storm diminished to a light, but steady, patter of rain, finally allowing Marcel to cease mewling and allow his mother to sneak in a brief, but potent, nap.

Unfortunately, her restlessness remained. Sen emerged from her tent just as the deluge began to taper off and wandered the outskirts of the camp. The overcast sky prevented her from judging the hour, but she estimated dawn was not far off. The time to gather the knight and head into town drew near, though she still had an hour or so to spare. She rummaged through some of the discarded lumber for anything she might use to fashion some pikes or javelins, partly to keep her hands occupied and partly because she was already growing tired of her hammer and looking to mix things up a bit. Some of these rookies might benefit from a more practical weapon and a sharpened stick was never a bad choice.

She took a seat on a log and began using her knife to fashion the shafts of wood into crude, but effective spears. It was here she crossed paths with the white-haired boy known as Falco, who was currently on watch. He seemed to be making rounds of the camp. Huddled beneath his cloak and thoroughly drenched from the recent storm, he looked very much like a cat that had been flushed down a latrine. Yet he seemed oddly pleased, despite his disseveled state. Or perhaps he was merely happy to see another person awake at this ungodly hour.

Sen was more than willing to ignore him, but the boy seemed to have other ideas: "Oho, what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?" he exclaimed, far too cordial for her liking. However, just as Sen began to consider forcibly evicting his soul from his body, he went on to say something that nearly made her forgive the cheesy pickup line before it: "How's Marcel? He finally asleep?" the boy asked, his words laced with genuine concern.

"Thanks for askin, kid, but let me worry 'bout mine, okay?" was Sen's weary reply.

"Alright, alright. Hey, thanks for lookin' out for us," Falco said. "That's all I'm trying to say. We know you've got your own problems and we appreciate everything you're doing. I really mean that."

"Haha, that's cute. But give it a rest." Her words, and the stare that accompanied them were as cold as catacomb walls. "You're bold for such a li'l fella, but we both know yer tryin' to sheathe your dagger in that other elf, so lay off it, would ya. I'm not in the mood for your brand of nonsense."

At this, he frowned. "First of all, that is a gross oversimplification of my relationship with my work colleagues. With an emphasis on 'gross,'" Falco said, flagging his hands in defensive surrender. "And second, you're not my type. You're too... uhhmm... you know. Nevermind. Look, my point is, 'thank you' for putting up with our shit and giving us a chance to prove ourselves. That's all I'm saying. No subtext. No euphemisms. Don't make it weird, okay."

"Hmph. You're welcome, I guess," she scoffed, before returning her attention to whittling the staves. It was easier to take him at face value than go back and forth. "The snake was half-right: bringin' Marcel was a mistake. We'd be fine, alone, but I can't cover for every fuck-up you guys make with a baby on my back. I swear, if he gets hurt because one of you people does something stupid or selfish, the goddess herself won't keep my hands offa you...." She lifted her eyes from her work just long enough to meet his gaze and strike divine fear into him: "Know this, boy: I'm leaving him behind for your sake. Remember that. Thank me by acting like ya got some goddamned sense. And don't fucking slow me down."

Despite the seriousness of her tone, the boy chuckled and rested his hands on his hips. "Not sure if you noticed, but we're F-Rank. We're definitely gonna slow you down," he paused to thoughtfully thumb his chin. "But you already know that... hmmm... Stop me if I'm wrong, but you seem like the type of person who gets in over her head a lot. Bites off a li'l more than she can chew. I think you want the handicap. Why?"

At this, Sen grinned. "Interesting theory, but wrong," she said, "You don't know me, boy.... but you're half-right. Some of my favorite fights are the ones I knew I was gonna lose.Bein' the underdog is fun. I got no regrets 'bout that, haha." she paused for a moment to ponder why she was even talking to this moron. "But that's not what this is about. Look, whatever pushed those hooktails outta their territory must be big. Really big. And I want it. I wanna kill it. I wanna fuck it up so fuckin' bad it never fucks with anybody ever again," she said, grinding her fist into her palm.

"And you want us to see you do it?" the boy said, taking a half step back. "That's... kind of fucked up, but I'm not one to judge."

"No, stupid," Sen said, grunting with frustration. She sighed and properly met his gaze now, as equals, rather than an intimidation tactic. "Y'all need to experience this. The feeling that what you're doing is right. The feeling that it's not 'just a job,' but something that must be done and only you can do it. If you never feel that way, you have no right to wear the badge."

"Says the peron who wanted us to leave those hunters to die..."

"That was different. I gave them a chance and they wiped their asses with it. Consequences, boy! Everything has consequences!" she said sternly. "What is a Kreigslowen, hmm? A goody-goody charity dispenser? Hell no, fuck that. So, what is it? The snake said I ain't one. Does she even know what the fuck she was talking about? Do you? Look around, kid. Read the writing on the wall. You want a beast killed, ya call a hunter. Ya want something found, ya call a private investigator. Ya want protection, Raeligard's got, like, a few dozen mercenary companies! I should know, I almost joined one," she wagged a finger at him. "So, what the fuck is a Kriegslowen, hmm? Why call us, when someone else can do the same shit for half the price? Think, kid. Despite that dumb look on yer face, you didn't survive on the streets without having at least a little smarts."

"Skill and experience," he said, far too swiftly and far too confidently, as if the answer was well-rehearsed. He continued, despite Sen already shaking her head, informing him he was wrong. "People hire Kriegslowe, because our monster hunters --people like you-- and just better than generic hunters. Our people are among the best in the world at what they do," Falco said.

"Hahahahaha! Typical rookie answer. Nice try, but wrong," Sen said, stifling her laughter enough to speak. "The S-Ranks and A-Ranks, maaaaybe, but there's plenty of hunters out there who can run cicles around yer average Kriegslowen. I'm good, but I ain't that fuckin' good, haha. There are soldiers who can beat me in a straight-up fight, and have. Nah, kid, it's gotta be some other reason. Go on, guess again. If y'all don't learn nothing else from me, I want y'all to learn this."

Unfortunately, that dumb look on his face served as proof that he had no more guesses left in him.

Sen sighed in frustration. "I'm only gonna say this once, so it don't go your head: you're smarter than the average street rat," she said, prodding his chest with her long, clawlike fingertip. "But sometimes you can be really fucking stupid. Think, boy! Did you join to make money? Of course not. The pay-to-risk ratio is shit. Did you come to get famous? Nope. I bet you don't even know the names of half the adventurers in Tylsen. Nameless.... Faceless.... And Broke.... But you're a Kriegslowen," she said, taunting him. "I bet just hearin' that word makes all two inches swell with pride, don't it? But what the fuck does it mean?" she laughed.

"Are you gonna tell me or just keep making fun of me?" he said, deflated.

"I ain't making fun of you. Okay, I kind of am. But, ignore that," the elf said as she stood and gripped a fistfull of her crudely-made spears. "I can't tell you, because it's something everybody's gotta figure out for themselves. 'What does it mean to be a Kriegslowen?' That's what F-Rank is all about, kid. You think this is about skills, techniques, knowledge? Fuck that," Sen said, shaking her head. "Without skills, you die. But without purpose you never lived," she said, lightly squeezing his shoulder.

After a brief pause, she shoved him away. "Now, go on, git. Ain't you supposed to be on watch, boy? But think on it, alright."

"I've been thinking about it a lot, actually," Falco said, "long before you brought it up."

"Oh yah? Good. That means this shit's workin,' Sen said with a smile.

* * * * *​

Location: A logging road, leaving Oyten
Time: Dawn, 9th day of the 3rd month, 422AC​

"That went... well," Sen remarked as she and Thea completed their trip to Oyten and began the long walk back to the logging camp to rejoin the others. A purplish-orange pre-dawn haze hung in the air, accompanied by Oyten's ever-present wispy fog, clinging low to the ground. They would likely not arrive at the camp until just after sunrise, later than anticipated. The rest of 'em better be awake when we get there, the Syrieth thought as she and the knight walked onward. Fortunately, the pair of tall women each possessed a long stride, and could possibly cut the hour-long walk down to 45 minutes or so, without overexerting themselves. Though there was nothing wrong with merely enjoying one another's company a little longer.

Their check-in with the mayor had gone according to plan. Despite having some dealings with the man in the past, Sen let Thea do most of the talking. After intial greetings and catching up and fawning over the infant, the elf remained blessedly silent. Johnson seemed at first shocked, and then mildly disappointed when he saw she had a child, but no wedding band. Being a man of faith, there was little doubt how he felt about the matter. But, being a man of good character, he kept his opinions to himself, other than the occasional frown when he thought no one was looking. His wife, on the other hand, took to Marcel almost immediately, which made it that much easier for Sen to ask the big question just as they were about to leave. Sen appeared visibly relieved when the woman agreed to look after him for a few days.

As for the mission report, the mayor seemed surprised to find there was more than one hooktail, yet unbothered that they failed to capture either beast. "Well, ya tried. There is much to be said of the attempt," he said, with only the sightest hint of remorse. The knight's account of the battle with one hooktail, and Sen's rather terse account of the other, made it thoroughly clear that any mistakes could have cost the adventurers their lives and he certainly didn't want that on his hands. As if to drive the point home, they presented the severed tail to him. His eyes widened as Sen peeled back the cloth to reveal the thick appendage and its vicious blade, which put the beast's size and ferocity into perspective.

"Aurelia, have mercy. One less demon walks these lands," the man remarked grimly as Sen put it away. They were allowed to keep the trophy and would later deliver it to the landferry, as Thea had suggested. He seemed to have done a full 180 from his earlier stance of this creature being a form of 'divine retribution' or some such. Faith could be odd that way...

"I'll open up the forest, in a limited capacity, maybe let small parties go in, with a few of our soldiers to accompany 'em. If there are no further attacks, we'll get things back up to full speed in a week or so. Just got to feel it out first," the old man said, toying with his beard as he spoke. He appeared to be sorting out a plan, but not committing to anything just yet. "Everybody's antsy. They want to get back to work. Jacobee, especially."

It was here Sen mentioned the hunters, which came as no great surprise to the mayor. She had healed them last night and they returned to town with she and Thea. The brothers were now on their way to Jacobee, probably to announce their failure and slink back into obscurity, or possibly retirement. They seemed shaken up by the entire ordeal, but also glad to be alive.

Upon the conclusion of their report, he presented Thea with the group's wages. No more, no less. He even went so far as to offer compensation to Sen for her role in the matter, but the former bandit refused, stating she was already on a separate mission and double-dipping was frowned upon. However, her body language suggested she wanted that money and, if Thea weren't present, she might have taken his offer.

"Let me know what you find in your investigation," the old man said, as they were about to leave. He shook their hands -- the firm, honorable grip of a pleased client and newfound friend. Well, 'new' to Thea. "I owe ya one for taking care of this so quickly. Even if you don't find anything, come back. Bring your whole crew. I'll have something special waiting for 'em. It's the least I can do."

With that, the man sent them on their way. Thea and Sen took a brief detour, first visiting the landferry to drop off the hooktail and check in with the dwarven drivers, who appeared to be asleep... possibly hung over. The leader of the trio was lucid enough to groggily inform them the ferry was ready to go and would hold until they were ready to leave. After a quick visit to the market, the two adventurers hit the road once more, with Sen carrying a small sack of supplies over her shoulder.

They walked in silence for a rather long time, until Sen decided to address the knight. "I still can't believe you lost to that heifer last night. Did you see how she eats? This bitch don't even know how to get down without a silver spoon in her mouth," Sen said, stifling a laugh. The words seemed to come out of nowhere. They still had time before reaching the logging camp and rejoining the others. So, if ever there was a time to lay their cards on the table, this was it.

"You good, soldier girl? Hope you got it outta your system, 'cuz you're runnin' this show," she said, wagging a finger at Thea. "If you throw another tantrum and go fuck off in a corner again, she won't be the only elf to stomp a hole in your ass. We clear? Tighten up. I'm givin' you guys a second shot, so don't waste it."
Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Oytenrand Woodlands​

As the day became night, Thea worked hard on her armor, cleaning it and oiling, making sure her feet were dry and her socks aired out, she reached into her back for some personal hygienic and cleaning items. While she wasn't about to take a bath or shower here, there was powder to help with her feet. In a place like this even the slightest of blister could lead to infection and infection to things far more serious. Rubbing a balm lotion into her soles, she then turned her attention to the oil she had brought, buffering and shining out the correct places, her mind gave way to wander, mayhap she should paint or put a sealant over the armor at a point? Well, maybe not this armor, a better set.

Chewing on the bread she had brought with her she could overhear Sen, it seemed the hunters were still here after all, more likely than not they wanted no part of this. Not that she could blame them, but things were calming down. While she still wanted a break, she was in a much better mood now and had reason as she finished her cleaning, turning her attention to the Zweihander she had. The head here was oppressive, just as its humidity was draining. With a huff, she had wished they took any of the other jobs. Still, it was what it was. As the hours drifted and Thea went to sleep, she would automatically awaken every so often, be it from noise, training, or being uncomfortable, a thunderstorm had come and had the child screaming, she would be surprised if any of them slept through this portion, but it soon died down into rainfall and Thea drifted back into sleep.

The next period she had awaken once more and while she did not hear the words she could tell the voices, Falco and Sen were talking, though if she guessed right it was about time for her to take over anyways. Putting her socks and armor on she waited for the talk to die down and sought out Falco as she tightened some of her armor straps.

"Go, get some rest and dry off, more so your feet. I'll continue from here." Finding her cloak, Thea made to grab the water-resistant material and threw it on, not giving Falco a chance to dispute her words as she waited for Sen to stir and their leave to be taken.

Oyten Town - Logging Road​

The morning hours, or rather hour went quickly and suddenly as the two, or rather the three traveled to town, Thea offering some of her dried nuts and fruit mix to the Elf, continued the walk arriving to the town, things went rather well and quickly, pay was collected and the Mayor had something for them all upon their return. The Dwarfs were unsurprisingly drunk, though lucid enough to hear the instructions left and to collect the tail for proof of job back at the base.

Wondering about some of the Mayor's reactions, or a lack thereof, still the coin was what was promised, and he agreed to taking care of the child for the time being. As the left, Thea gave a final nod. "We'll be back, I'll do what I can to make it so." As they walked on mostly in silence, Thea pondered at least giving them something to talk about, when Sen thankfully broke the ice first... Well maybe not so thankfully.

Though the reply was likely not the expected one, a laugh was the response. "Hahahah. Ah, hmm I wonder who won and lost that one, I was all smiles after all. Though I consider it a draw. Truth be told I fight her again it will be with a training sword on my end. What I get for picking a fist fight with a pugilist."

With a more somber attitude, she nodded her head at the next bit. "Ay, I'll have to be alright. I won't say I won't fight another one of them before this is done, but I'll do my best to win in your eyes. I am still unsure how I should handle them. There is not good blood between some of us from our very first mission, the Elf wishes for me to show more of those emotions I keep under armor as she sees it. I am trying to be levelheaded, to lead based on my father's experience and wisdom. But I am not my father. On the other hand, trying to be reasonable and listen to each of them has only seen at least one of their number to try sabotaging me the whole time in return. I must deal with that somehow."

A pause followed as she took a breath, chuckled.

"Forgive me, they say I like to talk a bit. I will be fine as I have a duty to carry out, we all must return, especially you, though I know not of how much help I will be. I will however hold the line no matter what we discover in the woods. I must learn how to live up to the responsibilities given to me. At least this matter may be simple, another beast to slay, far easier to do than dealing with quarrelsome allies..."

Interactions: AnonyMouse

 

[EmperorsChosen]

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

As dawn rose over the following day, Lucia awoke in the tent she had chosen for herself. Or rather, her eye simply fluttered open. Sleep had been something of a roulette the last night, dozing off, then awakening uncomfortably what seemed like not long after. It was a very long, drawn out night for the Caskarieth.

Perhaps part of it was adrenaline from the fight with the hooktail, or all the stress from the day prior. Maybe the scuffle with Thea or discovery of her secret aided in the restless slumber. She was a knight and wasn't particularly shifty, so in all likelihood with her character she wouldn't gossip. Then again, the woman had no issue going for her supposed blindspot in the tussle, Lucia thought to herself as she stared up at the tent roofing.

With a deep sigh, the elf sat up, pushing herself up from the less than plush ground. It was likely another reason her rest wasn't so rejuvenating. Even the barracks, while not lavish, had some comforts. She recalled her uncle spoke so fondly of camping. That was one commonality the two did not share.

Lifting the tent flaps and stepping out, Lucia briefly glanced at her surroundings to see who had arisen. She took a moment to attend the stream Sen had "cleaned" herself in, lifting her eyepatch with eyes shut before cupping her hands beneath the water to bring it up towards her face. Then she ran the water through her hair, attempting to tame her disheveled mop as she combed it back. It was no substitute for an actual bath, but Lucia would take what she could get.

Donning her eye covering, she made her way back to the campfire with her gear and took to cleaning it, attempting to remove the dried blood from her gauntlets. Her brows were less furrowed than the day prior, though she didn't seem in particularly better spirits.

@Team A

 

[Topless]

Location: Oyten

Sakura had woke up with a loud yawn and a bit of a stretch. She is used to sleeping on the ground, even with a soft sheet underneath her, as per her profession as a hunter. She rubbed her eyes and pushed herself to stand up and walk out of the tent to see who is up. She had went along with Lucia to the stream where she washed her face and hair. For Sakura though, she distanced herself away from the elf, likely because of what she is about to do. She stripped herself off her hunter's uniform and went for a full dip into the rushing stream. It felt very refreshing for someone as fuzzy as she is. As she took her time cleansing herself, she began to have thoughts about her teammates, eventually thinking about Flora. There is just something about her that makes her feel... comforting.

After some time, she stepped off the stream and shook her body to remove any excess water on her fur like a dog. She wore her garments and went rushing back to the campsite. Upon arrival, Sakura went to tend to her gear. She took a handful of arrows that were only shot to the ground during the scuffle with the hooktail and using her knife, she went to sharpening it by dragging the sharp end along the back of the knife. Not ideal compared to using a whetstone, but gets the job done regardless.

AnonyMouse Reinhardt RedArmyShogun EmperorsChosen Huntertabbysandshark3 Thalia_Neko

Spoiler: Bonus

Flora Gainsborough
Location: Tylsen

Today is yet another business day for her flower shop. Flora had to wake up very early to prepare everything she needs before opening up shop. But there is something that she couldn't remove her mind from; her worry about Sakura and her guild mates. Ever since she had left, Flora had long to have her help with the shop. For all of her life, she had been tending to the business ever since her mother passed on the responsibility of running the shop before illness took her. Her father on the other hand rarely spend any time with her as he is more focused on his duty. His job? A C-Ranked adventurer of Kriegslowe.

When it is almost time to open shop, Flora had a thought; "Should I leave a welcome back present when they come back? When will they come back? Madam Sakura..." Just then, Flora came back to her senses and opened her shop for business.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Currently: Ready to set out
Thinking: "Hm, so you hold the bow like this... Aim by looking down the arrow... Don't hold the arrow too long.."

Location: campsite
Interacting: whoever
Mentions: Sakura


Oh, so she was putting the baby somewhere safe? Seems a little bit of what she said had got to Sen. Good.. Then perhaps Hyss could listen to some of her words, too. Though, she pursed her lips. There was nothing in this mission that said they had to listen to this person -take orders from Sen. But Hyss wasn't about to stir that pot again, having learned from her first encounter. Overhearing Thea's comment about their hair, Hyss reached and took some locks of her own hair in her hand. She stared at the white color then let it drop, turning to Sakura. Giving her a nod, she said, "I trust you." After all, why would Sakura lie about that? Archery was her profession.

After a time people started going their own way. Most went to their tents. But Hyss had first watch, so she didn't do that. Still, she was with Sakura, who also hadn't gone to sleep yet. "Alright, let's get some training in. Do not worry. I am keeping a close eye on our surroundings. Show me the ropes."

She put a finger up to her face mask. "Shh. Don't tell anyone," Hyss said to Sakura without a hint of irony of speaking to another Beastkin, before pulling down her face mask. She unhooked her hideous jaw, and let her tongue flick out. It hung out in a most unsightly fashion. "Alright, I'm ready." Her words were kinda muffled, speaking with her tongue hanging loose, but the practice she put in to talk like this was evident.

With that, Sakura and Hyss stayed up a bit. Hyss listened to what Sakura had to say, retaining her instructions to the letter. She was able to hold the bow and in a short amount of time her aim became steady. From constant hours spent learning to throw her glaive Hyss had steady hands and strong arms. Which unsurprisingly translated well to archery. While she was definitely no master of aiming, Hyss took to it well. "Adding archery to my skill set will greatly improve my usefulness," she said at one point to Sakura, after sinking a few arrows into some trees. She was imagining how sneak-striking with an arrow would be better than using her glaive and announcing her presence right away. The glaive was much more dangerous, but it seemed to come with a hefty amount of fanfare, and was quite noisy and messy.

At one point she paused, turning her head and flicking out her tongue, eyes slits -and seemingly glowing in the brief moonlight. Then turned back to Sakura, giving her a small disheveled smile. "False alarm. Anyway, play time's over." She sunk one more arrow -off mark, which made the girl deflate in disappointment, then handed Sakura her bow back.

"I need to watch proper for a bit. If you would like, we can train like this another time, or I shall acquire my own bow and practice on my own time. Thank you very much Ms. Sakura." Hyss barely dipped her head to the fox woman, then scrambled up the trees to finish her watch.

~~~

The next morning was a bustle around the camp. Hyss sat in her makeshift -uhh- tent, and inspected her abdominal area. She was checking her scales. Gently plucking them up, she noticed how they had all seemingly resealed, and was quite impressed. After which she wiped herself down and got dressed. She exited her tent ready to go, looking for the others. Her mask and hood back firmly in place. Even though she had quite the ordeal yesterday, and had taken first watch, Hyss was in good spirits. She was used to strange hours, and Thea's spell had done wonders. As she trudged up to the others, Sakura's archery lessons were fresh on her mind. Going over them again and again to truly retain the information. Hyss would need to make archery as second nature to her as throwing her glaive. Though, she was under no impression it would happen quickly, and would take some dedicated time. That was quite alright. Hyss was nothing if not dedicated. Her eyes flicked over to Sakura and gave her a subtle nod.​

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

interaction: *team A*​

The night was stormy and frankly Risax spend that time contemplating what had happened the other day, hell he didn't even manage to get any sleep really with all the thoughts swirling in his head, he'd almost gotten himself killed, sure they'd managed to save more people and all and he was very proud of it, but the mission had certainly been a drain, not the beasts as per say but how the team seemed to be at one another throat least certain people where for a majority of the time. Risax sleep deprived as he was waiting for the majority of the group to get up before actually saying something. "i think it best if i return to the land train, least for now, id simply be a liability exploring deeper into the forest, our primary task here has been fulfilled and you all are far better suited for scouting them myself" he'd say hoping that the team would understand, but also the spider was sleep deprived as all hell..

 

[AnonyMouse]

Sen Hyazari​

Location: Oytenrand Woods, traveling to logging camp​

"Hahahah. Ah, hmm I wonder who won and lost that one, I was all smiles after all," Thea replied "Though I consider it a draw. Truth be told I fight her again it will be with a training sword on my end. What I get for picking a fist fight with a pugilist."

To this, the Syrieth huntress said nothing, though her face shriveled up as she cocked her head aside to behold the knight. Was there a super secret technique taught only in knight school, where being flat on your ass, with your opponent astride you, was somehow a victory? Hmm. To each their own. If the girl was enjoying herself, Sen wouldn't deny her the pleasure. To be fair, Thea was right: the haughty elf seemed to have been brought down a peg by the entire ordeal, while the knight appeared to be in better spirits for it.

"Ay, I'll have to be alright. I won't say I won't fight another one of them before this is done, but I'll do my best to win in your eyes. I am still unsure how I should handle them. There is not good blood between some of us from our very first mission, the Elf wishes for me to show more of those emotions I keep under armor as she sees it. I am trying to be levelheaded, to lead based on my father's experience and wisdom. But I am not my father. On the other hand, trying to be reasonable and listen to each of them has only seen at least one of their number to try sabotaging me the whole time in return. I must deal with that somehow."

There's your problem, Sen thought as they walked together. You care too much how ya look in other people's eyes. Fuck 'em. However, the last part of what she said caught Sen's ears. Although Sen had called Risax and Hyss 'mutineers' in the heat of the moment, she didn't believe them to be such... yet. Who, exactly, was Thea referring to?

"Forgive me, they say I like to talk a bit. I will be fine as I have a duty to carry out, we all must return, especially you, though I know not of how much help I will be. I will however hold the line no matter what we discover in the woods. I must learn how to live up to the responsibilities given to me. At least this matter may be simple, another beast to slay, far easier to do than dealing with quarrelsome allies..."

"I don't mind the talkin.' It'd be nice if ya didn't talk so proper, though. You. are. al-ways. us-ing. thee. whole. word. like. this," Sen said and then burst into laughter. She clapped Thea on the shoulder so hard she nearly knocked the other girl over. "And quit that 'hold the line' shit," she scolded, suddenly becoming much more serious. Sen slowly shook her head. "You don't get to do that. You don't get to play the hero. Not on my watch," she said, wagging a finger at her.

"And stop me if I try to," she quickly added, in case the girl thought this was about skill or rank. She remembered Falco's words; Sen knew she had a tendency to walk into the fire, tempt fate, dance with death. But she had changed. She had something to come back to now. And I'd rather be a coward than let my boy be an orphan, she thought.

"You think it's fun watchin' somebody who's s'posed to be your bud take hits for your sake? You think you'd be doin' them a favor? I like your... resolve, or whatever the fuck this is, but the mission's over, hero. You don't owe nobody nothin' no more. You got yer sack o' gold," Sen said with a nod to the coin pouch. "Now it's all about what you wanna do, how far you wanna go. And that means knowing when to stop."

Falion "Falco" Cauphix​

Location: Logging Camp​

Falco awoke to the low rumble of his own stomach, protesting its emptiness. He exhaled and lay there for a few minutes, simply enjoying the relative warmth of his bedroll and tent. So, what's for breakfast? he thought as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up to begin stretching.

This was going to take some getting used to. This 'urchin' as they had dubbed him, was no stranger to sleeping in uncomfortable places. The soft and, in times, squishy ground beneath him was far preferable to lying in a cobblestone alleyway with only a plank or some moldy blankets to protect his backside from the cold stone. Food, however, was another matter. He couldn't simply stroll to the market and talk the baker out of a mouse-bitten loaf of bread, or pay the butcher a copper to break him off some scraps of gristle. Most of Falco's skills revolved around getting things from people, not from the land itself. And this team wasn't nearly chummy enough for him to feel comfortable asking anyone to share.

Falco collected his clothing and armor, most of which he had cleaned last night after his watch, but doing so in the dark left much to be desired. He could already hear some of his teammates outside and didn't want them to get he impression he was a late riser, even if he had been on watch last night and not gotten nearly enough sleep. However, he didn't hear Thea barking out orders or Sen screeching profanities at them, so he assumed neither had returned yet.

Falco exited his tent, but didn't go far. He simply took a seat on the ground and spread out his knifes, to begin assessing which ones needed cleaning, sharpening, or oiling. Most hadn't even seen use yesterday, but he was determined to make a habit of caring for his equipment. He was in the midst of this when he spied Lucia leaving the water's edge, having just doused herself. If someone had told him, a year ago, that he would awake to see a bathing 'elven beauty' backlit by the rising sun, he would think it was all a dream. However, reality had a way of removing the haze of glamour from this life.

Traveling with a party of mostly females was not all he imagined it to be. Thea's long legs made her difficult to keep up with. Sakura's gorgeous tail was a lot less floofy after being soaked in rain all day. Lucia's curves weren't nearly as enticing when she was scowling and covered in mud and dried blood. And none of them smelled like roses. To be fair, they never had.

As he watched the Caskarieth return to the rain-soaked remains of last night's campfire and begin scrubbing her gauntlets, Falco decided his daggers could use some maintenance as well, and that he would rather do it near his companions than alone at his tent. Sakura was already there, sharpening her arrows, as was Hyss. But things were too quiet for his liking, so he gathered up his things and joined them.

"Mornin' folks! What a fine day for adventurin,' right! I got a good feeling about this," Falco said with a bright smile, far too energetic for someone who had only gotten a couple of hours of sleep last night. He took a seat near Lucia, but waved to everyone present, before thrusting his hand into his pocket and bringing forth a handful of sand. "Scrub with it. It works wonders on stains," he said with a grin as he offered his open palm to her. "When peasants can't afford soap, we always find a way."

"I think it best if I return to the land train, least for now," Risax said. "I'd simply be a liability exploring deeper into the forest. Our primary task here has been fulfilled and you all are far better suited for scouting them myself"

Falco immediately turned ot the spider. he hadn't even seen or heard him approach and his instictive response was to say 'no' and launch into a grand speech about how the team should stick together, probaly ending in another 'we got this,' to cap it all off. However, the moment he laid eyes upon Risax, he knew that would all be for nought. The guy looked worn down, as if he had wrestled with this all night, to the detriment of sleep. His relative silence last night and most of the day made slightly more sense now.

"Not you, too, man..." Falco said, sadly. First Razul, then Thal, and now this? Am I cursed to be surrounded by women!? At least that's the joke he told himself, to lessen the blow. But it failed to bring even the slightest bit of a smile to his face. "C'mon, bro, hold your head up. There's a legendary beast out there with a crossbow bolt jammed through its soul, thanks to you! You probably saved Hyss's life. Look at her, she's swooning. Was probably up all night thinkin' about you," he said, gesturing to the hooded beastkin. "Don't be so hard on yourself, pal. We'll see you when we get back, right?"
Interaction(s): RedArmyShogun (Thea) / EmperorsChosen (Lucia) / Thalia_Neko (Hyss) / Topless (Sakura) / Huntertabbysandshark3 (Risax)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Thea Schuerer
Location: Oytenrand Woodlands​

As the pair continued their walk, Thea seemed to tense up at the mention of being a hero and seemed to have some sort of inner conflict playing out across her face at the rest of the conversation, without warning, Thea stops, paces a little then catches back up with Sen, and started to speak again.

"My father was also a Kriegslowen, C rank, same as you. I know not the details or even where, but he died a hero's death and gained thanks with a handful of gold. I..." A pause as she searched for the right words. "...just don't know. It is in me to shield others, though I much rather be the sword, my armor isn't as shabby as yours afterall. As to why I do this, I wish to see it through.

It is not for glory or honor's sake alone."

It was then that she looked at Sen with a seriousness to her face and gaze, the resolve as the elf seemed to see it as. "You must return to your son. My brother will never have known his father, though I cannot bare to face him, I do not want him to lose his sister either, I do not want any of us to die. However, this is the life I chose. I will stop you if need be and you can stop me. Words of thanks are not worth much when that behind it is gone, it does not bring them back. But I never shall be the sort to keep my armor for show. As to stopping when it is too much, aye, I'm not afraid to order a retreat, but I do wish to see how far we can go. And should I learn to speak shorter? Would that really suit me?"

With those words said, Thea motioned her head forward; "Camp is not much further, we'll head out once I get the pay settled." While she would respond to anything Sen had to say, it seemed she wanted to be left for her thoughts for now, as they arrived quickly in the morning hours. Thea wastes no time whistling and calling the rest to her as she heads for the center of the encampment.

"Job's done and I got your pay."

Taking note of Risax, she decided to support what she had said before and to at least give him an option. "If any wish to leave for the Landferry you can do so with no mark against you, I rather we all come along, but money paid is money earned. Anything else we do now or are rewarded for is as it is our own wish and will. I mean to see this through, to find what drove those beasts here. While I may still be in charge, I cannot force any of you to do work outside of what the client paid for."

With that Thea reaches into her belt pouch and pulls out the sack of gold. "Gather round for your coin. For once this is handed out we venturer deeper into the woodland for answers. I will not order you, any of you to come with me, but I ask you to do so."

Interactions: EmperorsChosen Thalia_Neko AnonyMouse Huntertabbysandshark3 Topless

 

[EmperorsChosen]

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

As the others spawned from their respective tents and made their way into the common grounds, Lucia didn't pay them much mind, obviously in not much of a conversational mood. She kept to herself, until one voice broke the silence, causing her singular eye to trail up to follow Falco as he spoke. He was perky for how early it was, then again he was rarely not, save for particular moments yesterday.

Her sight briefly turned back down to focus on the task at hand before his presence sat beside her, giving her a distraction yet again. She was somewhat surprised, though it was only vaguely given away by a slight raising of her brow. The day prior's events had given her reason to suspect his true opinion of her. Was that just the stress brought on by that day, or was he simply trying to be nice now? She couldn't say that she got along much with Sakura, Hysydice, or Risax, all the same they weren't at each others throats. Though, Thea and Falco were who she had taken to speaking with most often, which made the estrangement that much more awkward.

Still, the elf wasn't about to start a fight over a fistful of sand. It was a helpful gesture, regardless of any underlying tensions. Thus, she held a hand out to accept it.

"Thank you," Lucia replied, albeit with less gusto than his overall demeanor.

However, before that likely awkward exchange could continue, Risax appeared to state his departure. Moving her gaze up to the spider, he did appear worse for wear. It was probably for the best given his condition. Lucia certainly wasn't going to tell him to just forward-march and suck it up. She was prepared to walk this path alone, after all, so she wasn't going to hold it against anyone for bowing out.

Giving a brief nod, she returned to scrubbing her gauntlets with the handful of sand until Thea and the older Caskarieth arrived. Giving it some harsh scrubs, it seemed to do the trick, earning a thoughtful hum from the noble. "Peasants" had their tricks.

Sliding the equipment on and fastening it, Lucia did the same for the other gauntlet, greaves, and leather before standing up and approaching Thea for her cut. "As I said, that we agree on."

@Team A

 

[TreasureSniper]

Interactions: Team B Reinhardt
Location: Heine Warehouse 5​

With no danger in sight, for now, Talio slowly inched his way into the warehouse, with the members of his party. Even with the lights on, he was still very careful to examine each and every crevice and structure he saw. While the coast still remained clear, one can never be careful about these types of operations. Talio still felt uneasy to let Lori proceed to the next warehouse alone but seeing that there was no visible danger present in this warehouse. "Lori, while I would prefer for you to stay here..however, as it stands, I don't see any threat here." Talio reluctantly gave the bird folk permission to check up on the next warehouse. "Just be careful and run back to us at the first sign of trouble." He gave Lori a simple set of instructions. The last thing he wanted was for the chipper bird girl to get in trouble.

"Well then. Guess we'll have to split the teams differently. Cressey, why don't you pair up with me this time? After all, you already saved Endymion last time. Let's let Lupa have a turn." He joked with a deadpan voice., as he took out a list of the inventory. The place was big, but with two groups inspecting them, it shouldn't take that long, even with Lori's absence. "Wanna tag along with us Zest? I feel like we can learn a lot from you." Talio spoke while walking towards the next rack of inventory. He stuck his arm out, hoping that the bird would land on his forearm. His family used to use bigger birds to deliver certain messages and parchment, so he wasn't used to handling smaller birds. More than anything else, the bird's intelligence and sentience interested him the most. After all, Arien trusted her to inform him if the group were to get in trouble.

"I'll check on this side, you guys can start on that direction, once we finish, we will meet back at the entrance. That said, if any of us are in any form of danger, we should make a beeline for the exit." Whether it was paranoia or a sixth sense, Talio still had his doubts about whether this place was actually safe. While inspecting the inventory, he decided to strike a conversation with Cressey, hoping to past the time as well. "So Cressey. You had another group you were with before us. How were they like?" He might as well take some time to learn about these other members who were also probably greenhorns. He had a feeling it wouldn't be too long until they would be group up with them.

 

[Reinhardt]

Recruits​

Location: Heine Warehouse 5​

With no imminent danger or any evident oddity at the warehouse, Lori was cleared to enact her plan of scouting ahead. Those that remained behind had begun the warehouse inspection and split themselves into groups of two. With one less person, it would take them a bit longer than expected - granted it did not contain the same amount of stored items as the previous warehouse, but there was still plenty enough to take quite some time.

The bird tilted its head as Talio extended his arm, and chirped as it stayed at the shelves. Every so often, it would fly over to the other group and go back, as if it was watching over the recruits and their next actions.

However, amid their inspection, some notable things finally emerged. As they had anticipated from the beginning, something was not quite right with this warehouse, though there may be no beast lurking, there still was an issue with this rarely-maintained place.

Talio would come to note certain items on the inventory list were missing. The crates could not be found in the warehouse, and it would appear that these items have been taken away without much struggle, judging from the state of the warehouse shelves. Cressey, who came along with Talio, would notice that most of the locations of these missing items were suspiciously clean of traces, though there were notably less dust and soot in the place these items were supposed to be. Together, as they investigate further, they would notice that a great number of crates have been moved, based on the extremely subtle movement marks hidden amidst the dust on the surfaces of the shelves and the crates.

On the other group, Endymion as he did his share of the tasks, would occasionally find crates that were open - by nudging the top cover and having it move, either intentionally or accidentally. These crates, upon further inspection, would be empty, but according to the lists they had, should have stored something inside. Lupa, with her investigative urges, would come to chance upon taking another look at these opened, empty crates and reveal a hidden compartment by knocking on the insides of the crates. Within these hidden compartments were various herbs, most of which were the medicinal sort, packed within small linen bags. The mixture of scents from such greenery would affect the beastfolk's nose for a short period and cause a moment of slight nausea, but such an affliction didn't last long enough to be a real problem.

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

 

[King Crimson]

Current Location: Hein Warehouse #5​

The lights of the warehouse hummed dimly to life after several moments of Zest landing upon the large, conspicuous switch jutting out from the stone wall, bathing the dull, dreary warehouse interior with a warm, off-yellow light, breathing new life into the building, as if it had finally opened it's eyes for the first time, trapped in a dormant state of slumber.
Immediately, the crew went to task; careful poking, prodding, and probing into virtually every single square inch they could possibly reach.
When their search found not a single trace of any more insectoid infection, the call was made; the warehouse was safe, and the crew could begin the process of seeing to the state of the warehouse's inventory.
Well, except for Lori, who immediately upon hearing the news, leapt dramatically down from the ceiling, and like an arrow loosed from it's string, went flying down the road, towards the warehouse's sister location.
"Well...so much for not splitting up..." Cressey sighed, watching as the birdkin eagerly sped off into the distance, her tall figure disappearing behind a cloud of dust kicked up by her talons, which seemed to grow smaller and smaller as she charged headlong down the road, until disappearing entirely as she went over the horizon, leaving the crew of five recruits now a team of four.
Zest fluttered down from the light switch to land atop her shoulder, joining her in watching helplessly as it's cozy nest of supple, white hair made a hasty, expedient exit.
Looking down at the soft, downy ball of warmth, she stated with a flat reassurance, "I suppose your master will simply have to live with being ignored. In any case, her search may at the very least prove to be fruitful."
With a small, rueful chirp in response, the small creature left her, fluttering over to land upon Talio's arm.
"...And hopefully ours will prove much the same," she added, making note of the state the building was in; not quite as bad as the first one, and at least now they had a working light source to work with.
...Still, all of these boxes to go through...
She wasn't looking forward to the agonizing tedium promised by the next few hours, and the prospect of finding more pests to clear out suddenly didn't seem so unappealing.

Her sentiments only grew when Talio spoke up, and offered his services to assist her, in lieu of their initial plan.
Now, she had no personal reason to dislike the boy, at least not yet.
But he was a Valgemian, and a rather affluent one at that, which gave her cause enough to be wary of his presence.
"O-Oh! Uhhh--" Cressey stammered in response, her mind trying to find some reasonable excuse to decline.
Lupa's still injured, it wouldn't do to leave her and Endymion to fend for themselves! was her first idea, though as she looked back, she found the two already treading deeper into the warehouse together, leaving just her, Talio and Zest alone at the warehouse entrance.
She could offer to go it alone, but no doubt Arnold would give her a scolding for disregarding his words.
No, there was no other way out of this, she would just have to bite her tongue for now, and hope the sharp-eyed merchant didn't try to get too personal.
"S-Sure! Let's do that!" she finally replied, with a good bit of false enthusiasm filled in her voice to mask the bitter note of apprehension that creeped into her false, wavering smile.

Mercifully, the time spent between them remained silent, for the most part, both busying themselves with their own individual tasks.
Eventually, however, Talio once more addressed her, thouogh thankfully his interests seemed to be less towards her, and more towards the other recruits, whom she had worked with.
"As I said the night before, they're well-meaning, if not a bit dysfunctional, at least as far as I'm concerned," Cressey replied, taking a brief moment to glance over her shoulder at the boy.
Returning her attention back to looking through the tower of boxes before her, she rambled on, letting the conversation take her mind away from the brain-numbing boredom of checking that each and every crate she got her hands on was present and accounted for in the thin stack of papers she had placed to the side.
"...Thea is a tad rigid, and awfully sanctimonious at times, but that's how I imagine most knights should be..."
"...Sakura and Hysydice are...well...a bit peculiar. Though perhaps they're both simply the norm for the lands they hail from..."
"...Falco is an idiot. Don't bother with him."
"...Lucia and I do agree a fair bit on some topics, though I would be lying if I said her awful personality didn't occasionally make me wish to strike her..."
"There is also a merchant among them, or rather, a merchant's son. If you can look past his...exotic appearance, you may find in him a fast friend...Or would that make you bitter enemies? I was never too privy to how you merchant types think--Hm?"
Eventually, over the course of their idle conversation, the two soon grew closer and closer, from working in nearly entire different aisles, to separate shelves, to nearly working shoulder to shoulder with one another, Cressey's earlier reluctance towards the merchant now seemingly forgotten.
However her mind was now troubled by an entirely different matter; the stark difference between what was on the ledger, and what the two had found.
"This...isn't right..." Cressey muttered to herself, her brow furrowed as she looked over the registry once more for the box in front of her.
Or at least...for the one that should be there.
According to the ledger, it was to be a shipment of surplus cooking equipment and kitchenware stored for a fine-dining eatery near the center of town
But instead there was nothing, just a blank, empty space.
In fact, while the list in her hand advertised a veritable forest's worth of wooden crates to sort through, the amount that surrounded her and Talio resembled more of a small, pitiable patch; full of scarce, empty spaces.
Even compared to the rest of the warehouse, the area they had covered seemed remarkably empty, several crates missing, or in places they should not have been.
Cressey's eyes looked once more to the registry, scanning through the gibberish of assorted numbers and letters in vain hope that she would find some answer for the discrepancy.
But there was nothing, just a lonely, empty shelf.
A stroke of intuition crossed her mind, willing her to bend down, reach her hand out, and trace her finger along the shelf's length in a long, winding line.
As she'd expected, her hand came back completely clean, free of any signs of sawdust or soot; odd, given that even the very air they breathed was saturated and reeking with the smell of old, choking filth.
Standing back up, Cressey smudged the little bit of accumulated dust between her thumb and forefinger, before turning to Talio.
"There are a number of things missing...and from the looks of it, they've not been gone for very long..." she says, then with a grave conclusion, adds,
"I doubt your Holzeckts would care much for decorating their dining room. Someone has been rooting through here."

Interacting:
Talio ( TreasureSniper )
Lori ( ERode )
Endymion ( lunar_moth )
Lupa ( Silver Wolf )