Adventures Of Legend

[Teiso]

There are many stories, myths, legends. None more popular than the rise of what we know today as the Dark Nation. A once powerful kingdom, unrivaled in strength because of strange artifacts that gave it's generals unsurpassed powers. These relics were lost to time, hidden by an individual referred to in texts as 'the savior', some say he was a holy warrior possessing the abilities of a god, others said he himself possessed one such artifact like the ones of the dark nation. Though he, like the relics, vanished as well as nearly every document proving the validity of such myths, leaving them to fade into the past.

Though nothing stays hidden forever, for every shadow is eventually brought into the light. In this particular instance a well known, and rather un-credible, adventurer claimed to have discovered one such relic in a small village known as Kinshill. Despite this specific adventurer's reputation as a liar, thief, and generally horrible person, something about the rumor has caught the attention of many.

Be you assassin seeking a more efficient way of doing your job, a dungeoneer seeking the treasure of a lifetime, or even a hero seeking to keep the relics out of the hands of those who would use them for ill, you have found your way to the small town, well known for being the beginning point of many adventures, perhaps this is fate, perhaps it's coincidence, either way, welcome friends to the starting point, Kinshill.

 

[The Legate]

Rainy days had beset both Azissi and Otemo as they had made their way to Kinshill. He came with a blindfold as they both entered, for it was easier to navigate this world as a false cripple than it was a Perditionary. He needed something to hide his ivory eyes and being a blind man was the perfect excuse. Rumors squirmed out of the town like worms from a rotting apple. Frankly, Azissi thought, the town looked just as decrepit from the way they had entered. The rumor was of a great artifact. It's nature was unknown to Otemo but, the mystic personality he was, he flocked to curiosity quicker than moths to a dying flame. Azissi begrudgingly was dragged with. As was the fate of a child with a somewhat dangerous parent.

Taz strolled into the village on it's more betrodden portion. Beggars, thieves and cripples more true than Otemo's blindfold. Azissi was in the front of the saddle, and was actually leading the horse, for Otemo was pretending to be blind and thus couldn't exactly pilot a horse. He sat behind on her on the saddle patiently as she guided the horse along the roads into town. Her eyes slowly started to wander as she looked more and more around the town. Bewildered about how crowded it seemed to her, and she wondered what world could afford so many souls?

Otemo, who had been muttering Apharsite incantations in English as per his ritual every now and then, stopped and picked his head up slightly. "The road, Azissi... Watch the road..." he muttered quietly, in their native tongue of Yeddan. Azissi gave him a sidelook, then returned her curious attentions to the passers by.

"They're gawking and gaping at us" Azissi said, to slight bewilderment, as people were indeed doing so. Despite the blindfold over his eyes Otemo could actually somewhat see, mostly because the cloth was purposefully thin enough so he wouldn't slam into anything. He didn't turn his head to look but he, too, saw the people whispering and muttering at the scene.

"A blind man... With a horse?" he would hear them whisper. "What kind of cripple can afford a horse?"

"So they are..." Otemo grumbled, turning his attention back on the road. The disguise of being a blind beggar was, to some degree, to hide his status as a Perditionary... It would spook people if they knew something dangerous and vile was in their presence, but more importantly, the smell of rumors was still pungent and in the air. If anyone saw him roll into town, the only natural conclusion to draw would be that he is certainly here for the artifact. It was better to be a hapless beggar than come off as an adventurer looking for treasure, and spoil his chance at getting it.

Suddenly Taz slightly reared it's head, narrowly avoiding a cart racing across their path. Azissi yelped and jumped slightly, while Otemo just grabbed the reigns from her and pulled back gently to stop Taz from going any further. As the speeding cart passed, Azissi looked back at Otemo, and although she couldn't see his eyes she knew he was looking right at her as he smirked. "What did I say? Eyes on the road."

Azissi narrowed her eyes, pouting slightly as she snatched the reigns from his hands and then continued their trek. Gradually the poorer neighborhoods cleared and the road went from wet mud and muck into cobbled roads. They were heading for the tavern, because of their long travels, it afforded meal and drink. As they arrived, Azissi hopped off the horse and then hitched it to a nearby post. "Alright, 'dad'... Here's your stop..." she teased. Putting emphasis on the "dad" as it dripped with sarcasm. Otemo's smirk didn't falter as he slid off the horse.

"Oh, quiet... You can't speak any common anyway so only I have to memorize the cover story." He said as he then kneeled down so he was eye to eye with her, and put a hand on her shoulder as he continued to explain."Remember... DON'T speak Code to anyone. For all anyone knows, you're just the servant of a blind traveler." When he finished instructing her, he could see Azissi tease him back by proceeding to make several silly faces at him. Thinking his fake blindfold had really blinded him. He only politely waited, and figured that's probably what he deserved for being so patronizing.

"... Alright, come on. Let's get something to eat." said Otemo, patting her on the back and then leading the way. He took the spear off the side of his horse, and then proceeded to detach it's blade. Hiding it within his robes. He then held Azissi's hand on his left, and used his right hand to hold his now bladeless spear like a walking cane. Patting it along as he walked, and occasionally purposefully bumping something or knocking over something to be cheeky.

As they walked into the bar, Azissi lead Otemo through the swinging double doors, though he could see where she was leading him. They sat at one of the tables and proceeded to both, similtaniously, lean back into their chairs with a sigh. They had gone a long way to get here. Although the chairs were old and hard wood, they would suffice more than the saddle of a horse. At least, for now. After a second or two a barmaid came around the crowded and rambunctious bar, taking Otemo's order. He said it lowly to her, and covered his mouth as she did. When he was done, she turned and gave the little girl a deeply confused look as she just smiled back at her politely.

"I-If... You say so, I guess..." the barmaid muttered, before nodding. "It'll be right up." was the last thing she remarked, before she turned and walked back behind the bar. Muttering Otemo's orders to the other servers and cook, who only responded by giving Azissi strange offhand looks. Both Otemo and Azissi noticed them, but didn't pay it mind. As long as no one suspected they were here for the artifact, they were happy.

When Otemo turned back to look at Azissi, he was slightly startled to see she had pulled out her small toy bow and had already notched it. Taking aim at an incredibly large, drunk and ugly looking patron at the bar with the arrow pulled back. "Uh..." He started, before leaning over and gently pushing the bow down slightly.

"Let's not get kicked out of the bar BEFORE we get our food, for once?" he suggested, before Azissi nodded and just rested her head on the table. Otemo took the liberty to look around the bar, seeing if he could spot the lying, no-good adventurer that had apparently stumbled into such a relic...

 

[Majem]

A simple place with simple people, where money flows from local and neighbouring folks and businesses to the adventurer's guild, into the pockets of those adventurers and back into the economy, usually the tavern just across the street. With beggars, thieves and pickpockets relying on hopeful new adventurers kind and naïve enough for money and a police force just corrupt enough to keep the place going. This was Kinshill.
Or at least that was how Gallivan pictured the place after his mother described it to him. She recommended he head to Kinshill first since there was always work to be had and excitement to be found over there, but at the age of 16 he stubbornly refused to accept any help. A childish notion for certain, but by the time he had outgrown such ideologies his life had taken him far away. With experience, gear and some wealth gained there was no reason for him to seek out this place of convenience anymore. Until the rumors, that is.

An artifact, part of a whole collection of incredibly powerful items, that allowed the Dark Nation to rise to power from nothing and conquer immense amounts of land, if the legends are to be believed. The money, the fame, the power that such a thing could bestow on the owner was hard to wrap one's head around and Gallivan wasn't sure what he'd even do with such an item. Even so, the very idea of such magnificent treasure stirred within him the same desire he felt at the start of his journey. And he'd surely be able to figure out what to do with it afterwards.
That is, of course, if the rumors are even true to begin with. Gallivan had heard a handful of tall tales from un-credible sources like this one before and they were always disappointing. Hesitant at first, he eventually convinced himself that if the rumors turned out to be another fluke he could always visit his parents since he was in the area. While he had been writing letters home every so often, with his nomadic lifestyle they never had a chance to write back. It'd be nice to see their faces again after more than a decade on the road.

As he walked through the streets of Kinshill, a familiar smell of metal entered his nostrils. In the distance he could see the street open up and the crowd growing denser. Gallivan brushed his right hand over his satchel, making a mental note that he was out of arrows and should probably buy a handful at the smithy's he just passed by. When he got to the fountain, Gallivan sat down by it to do some thinking, moving his fingertips through the water to focus his mind. His eyes went to the tavern for a moment, but he had to make a decision first.
Not every tale of magical treasure he had heard was a fabrication, but they tended to attract a lot of attention. Adventurers looking for an adventure, mages looking for power, bandits looking to ambush the previous and sometimes monsters were just attracted by the magical auras. With how far Gallivan had to travel to get here he was far from the first to hear these rumors, yet nobody seemed to discredit them as far as he knew. Either nobody has tried looking for them, or nobody has managed to survive the attempt.

Gallivan picked up a pebble from the street, tossed it up and down a few times as he mulled over his choice. If he was going with a group he'd need some special people. There were bound to be a handful of adventurers ready to head out over at the guild, but he didn't need goody two shoes standing between him and claiming the treasure for himself. He'd need the perfect balance between trust and mistrust, skill and inexperience. He needed some special people. He needed..
"Yeah, a blind man on a horse with a child at the reins."
"What?" Gallivan thought to himself. Suddenly distracted by the conversation of two passersby, he threw the pebble over his shoulder into the fountain. Annoyed at losing his train of thought, Gallivan decided to get that drink instead of wasting time here.

The bar wasn't anything special and Gallivan had expected as much. Taking a seat at the first empty stool he saw at the bar, Gallivan removed his mouth mask and reached into his bag to grab some money. "Give me the cheapest you have that isn't watered down." He said and tossed the coins on the counter. The barkeep snorted at Gallivan, but the patron sitting next to him chuckled at the remark.
Turning around to overlook the tavern, Gallivan took a sip and savoured it. The drink wasn't as bad as he had expected it to be, maybe he'd get a third afterall.

 

[MagnoliaSweet]

Vyvil Vrascene
Location: Kinshill
Attitude: Curious

tldr

Vy comes to town, hears about the blind man and child, goes to inn orders some food. Is thinking about stealing from drunk people. Looking for artifact

The town offered more than enough to sate Vyvil's curiosity. Curiosity was something that was an essential part of Vyvil's character. More often than not, her tendencies would emproch on the comfort of others. Her own comfort with the overworld was undeniable. She was almost too touchy-feely with the landers. They didn't like her much for that and if she would have herself driven out, or herself fleeing, it wouldn't be the first time.

The first time was 4 months ago when she first escaped her life in the ocean. For personal reasons this was a practicality, almost a necessity. It would have been a chore or even a burden if it wasn't for her curiosity for the land. It was unnatural, since her race were isolated and reclusive. Socially they weren't much different from krill. They herded to themselves, ignorant of the world and then a great whale would come and swallow they were indifferent. To Vyvil it was painfully obvious her people's offerings. Mostly by the hands of unnamable factors, she dare not think about.

The town she first emerged to was one more keen to the complex nature of the Merfolk race. Trade was common, mostly between outsiders like herself and the more desperate of the town's merchant class. She travelled much like the merchants though without trade, but curiosity and a habit for taking things.

This had taken her to Kinshill . . .

The town itself while it offered enough to please her curiosity and needs (the fountain would offer a hopeful retreat), she had some in search of an artifact she was heard off back a few towns. From the gossip, it was something old and power a thief had found. While power was something Vy didn't really care for. If she wanted power she would go back to the ocean. The ocean was a place of independence, more so they the land which were inhabited by sullen and hopeless humans. Merfolk were a hopeful people, Vy hoped that she might find this artifact of power.

The fountain had some over her sight as she came down the route into the main square of the town. Down the road more was a large building. The inn she was told was around that corner. She sat at the fountain and splashed some water on her face. She didn't "need" water but it was really comfortable for her. Two men passed by, "A blind man on a horse came by with a child guiding it, probably an easy pick" Vy grinned as she stretched out her long legs from the long journey They were scaly with pale green and purple. "I think they went into the Inn, probably not the best place for a blind man" the other man said.

She got up and passed by the men on her way to the inn that was on the corner. She mader her to put her hood on. Attention wouldn't benefit her intentions. Like every other the inn, was loud and rowdy. She went to the bar; on an end that was more quiet. Her eyes gazed over the crowd to any obviously burdened folk. There were a few, but she did end up finding table with the blind man and the girl. Armed, probably a bad idea. She looked at the bartender.

"Can I have some bread and wine. If you have some cheese would be well," Vy said to the bartender as she placed a few coins down. They were hers of course.

 

[junebug]

A Restless Slumber

Minerva's second lieutenant and highly esteemed bodyguard Leander scouted the cobblestone pathways of Kinshill with a calm, intimidating sense of being. His gaze was strong on the citizens, breathing in every part of their souls that seemed to tickle the back of his throat as he explored. Minerva had released him to search, despite providing the notion that he would be better off by her side. Minerva wouldn't have any of his excuses and simply let him go to find the hidden artifact without explanation.

What he was looking for was another story. His long black gloves and silken black robe masked much of his skin and provided a deathly sort of presence, should anyone wish to cross him with ferocity. Leander turned his head to the right, towards the oncoming traffic and walked with intent towards the crowd where he felt like more people resided- over by the market, with the smith, tailor, and baker. Leander figured that perhaps he might find a clue among strangers, perhaps someone who didn't quite fit in.

Caellum and Charis, twin assassins, trailed off not far behind him; just getting some business done over in the nobility department with some fools who'd dared turn their backs against Minerva and go against their code. After that, Caellum and Charis arrived on scene, one at baker, and the other at the smith in constant search of who this adventurer might be in the rumors. Minerva had made it imperative that they find this man or woman, thief, liar… whatever hat they wore, they would be brought to Minerva.

Leander walked around, unassuming and picked up a pair of leather reins in the horse gear shop. He lifted his head a bit, examined the sturdiness, and placed it down. A few gasps and murmurs nearby had diverged his attention. He raised a brow and glanced towards the direction of which he'd heard what seemed to be distress, or awe. It took him a moment to catch onto what everyone was staring at, or rather appearing afraid at.

This was, perhaps the adventurer.

The one that Minerva was seeking out. They carried a distinct aura, Leander was uncertain what exactly the aroma they emitted was. It was… faint, yet intoxicating. He shook his head and stood his ground. He needed to find out who this person was and why they were passing through, if they were. Leander signaled to Caellum and Charis a small smoke bomb nearby that they noticed, however, it wasn't enough to send the citizens into panic. Minerva had made clear she wanted them to be as stealthy as possible.

Leander followed the pale woman from a distance, slithering through the crowd of citizens like a snake, if only to not be as obvious as he hoped. It was then that the sun glinted on something shiny against the stranger's waist and he knew that their mission was of utmost importance.

Elinora knew someone was following her. Hell, men were terrible at stealth and she had nearly a hundred years on any man around. Of course, her pride led her to believe this to be a fact anyway. She made a left turn, pausing to see if they followed her through the various stalls. Satisfaction filled her core as they followed her through another left turn, then another as they circled back around to their original starting place. They wanted her for something and she could guess the reason was dagger laced to her side. It always drew unwanted attention, but she could never find a reason to get rid of it.

Stopping at a stall of cabbages, she acted as if she were interested. Her eyes poured over the bright green vegetable as she held it closer to her eyes for better inspection. Glancing to the stall owner, she grinned, "I'm about to make your day." She threw down a bunch of coins, grabbing as many cabbages as she could before hurling them at Leander and his crew.

"Did your mother never teach you not to follow women?" Elinora yelled before taking off into a sprint. She shoved people to her side as she tried to get lost in the thickest part of the crowd. She actually swore she could hear the stall owner shouting over the din of the crowd, "My cabbages!"

"Son of a bitch!"

Leander wobbled and tripped over as a mountain of cabbages were hurled his way, along with Caellum and Charis. One smacked his face, disorienting him for a few moments while Caellum and Charis bounded ahead and split up on either side of the pale woman. Once Leander regained his posture, he dashed to catch up to the woman Minerva was in search of. Charis weaved through the crowd on the left side of Elinora and Caellum jumped into the window of the tavern and bolted up the stairs to find his place on top of the roof, eyeing the pale woman as she moved with vigor and grace.

Charis whipped out her dagger and the citizens near her screamed.

"Oh no, you don't!" Charis seethed.

She followed the woman into an alley within the nobility district. Her twin, she knew, was always one step ahead and nearing the end of the alleyway, Caellum jumped down in front of Elinora and Charis reflexively reached out to wrap her arms around the woman's upper chest and held her close with the dagger pressed to Elinora's neck. Leander joined the small group not long after, hands on the pommel of his sword as he approached the trio and grinned at the pale woman, as if he'd caught some sort of prize to be played with.

Caellum eyed the stranger with a look of distrust and curiosity, "Who are you?"

"Let's cut out introductions. You are the one mentioned in the rumors, the adventurer that's heard of the mysterious relic located somewhere in this town. Tell us where it is or things will not end so well for you, adventurer," Leander stated in a curt tone.

Elinora cackled as the other woman pressed the silver blade against her throat. She raised her eyebrows at the two men like a predator with her prey. Oh, this will be fun, Elinora thought. It had been awhile since she'd been in a good fight and the trio seemed like the perfect target. Wiggling a bit in Charis' grip, her grin become wilder as the blade was pressed further into her throat.

"Well darlings, jokes on you because I like to know who I'm dealing with. You'll be hot stuff number one," Her eyes darted to Caellum as she spoke, "then the pretty little thing holding me, well you'll just be pretty little thing." Finally, she shifted her full attention to Leander. She eyed him for a moment, tilting her head ever so slightly in pretty little thing's grasp, "And you. Maybe you'll be…" She trailed off as a woman appeared behind the man who she would now call 'not hot stuff number one.'

"And who are you?" Elinora's eyes lit up as she eyed the beautiful woman, her energy filling the air around them. It called to Elinora and she couldn't wait to get a taste.

Minerva's boots hit the ground in deliberate motion as she came up around Leander and smiled at the pale woman. She nodded towards Charis who forced the woman to her knees and pulled on her hair to force her head back. Minerva walked up to the woman and glanced at the dagger sitting on her hip. Valuable, however, it wasn't why she was here.

"Minerva, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Did my bloodthirsty cohorts forget to share their names?"

"Elinora." She met Minerva's eyes, a long piece of hair falling down into her face as she said, "Oh no, it's perfectly fine. I came up with new names for them. I'm sure it's better than whatever their mothers could have named them considering they chase after defenseless women."

Minerva snorted in amusement and brushed away the lock in Elinora's eyes. "Hmm, I'm sure their new names suit them, considering Leander chased after you for what? That pretty dagger at your side? I'd think he'd know better, yet your kind are not common in these streets. Men. You may seem like someone who'd lie and thieve, however, you do not seem like the adventurer kind. Am I wrong?"

Elinora held her breath as Minerva moved the strand of hair away from her eyes. Giving Minerva a sly smile, she said, "While I do enjoy being on my knees, I do think we should take our interrogation elsewhere." She shifted her gaze to where a small crowd had gathered at the mouth of the alley. They dispersed briefly under Elinora's gaze, but quickly returned once her eyes settled back on Minerva.

"You think they would tell the local guards of our misdeeds? They wouldn't live to see another day if they told everyone what happened here. Caellum."

Caellum nodded, "Yes, Imperator."

He immediately disappeared without another thought and Minerva beckoned for Leander to stand in Caellum's place, while Caellum took care of the dispersed individuals from the small crowd with a few relaxants and simple techniques, one could say. "No one will know of what happened today, except for everyone who was here in this very circle. You look far too innocent, I must say. You don't pose much of a threat, unless you did share what happened here."

Minerva stood up to the young woman and grabbed her by the chin, gently turning her head both ways. She was not the person they were looking for. She didn't bear the marking behind her ear. A shame, given Leander now had a lovely brownish purplish bruise manifesting on his left eye. Minerva grimaced for a few moments. A damn chase gone wrong.

"I suppose I could let you go, however, it brings me back to the same thought pattern again. How do I know if you'll keep quiet about what has happened here and what kind of information you've gained? You haven't answered my question about being an adventurer, and truly, with your scent, I highly doubt you'd be about the woods all day."

"Just kill her, Imperator!" Leander immediately input. "Kill her and be done with it. Clearly, she now has information about us that she can use against us. The townspeople will find out."

"Tempting," Minerva responded in a cool tone as her eyes met Elinora's gaze.

Elinora swallowed, hard. Her eyes darted between the three she could see, but she kept her body fixed against pretty little thing's own body. She weighed her options as there was enough skin contact to control the other woman, but how weak and vulnerable was she willing to leave herself?

Finally, she said, "Maybe you should kill me. You'd be doing the devil a favor as well as yourself."

Minerva's hand gripped the pommel of her sword, lilac knuckles becoming pale. The succubus had spoken.

"Kill her."

"As you wish, Imperator," Charis purred, and whispered in Elinora's ear and the sharp edge of her dagger slid cleanly across her throat, pitch black liquid seeping quickly into Elinora's blood stream. Minerva watched the show in silence as she appraised the woman who so easily fell to her death.

Elinora fell forward into the dirt. Her hair fell around her in a mix matched pattern as she laid there. The pain was searing, eating away at her mental capabilities. Eli, you did this to yourself. Fight, she thought. It had been so long since she'd used her powers that they squealed at the delight to come back to the surface. She'd been among humans and others for far too long. Maybe that had been her first mistake since the rebellion. The succubus had an idea of how long she'd have to lay face down in the mud before she'd be fully healed, or healed enough to get out of the alley. She only hoped that she hadn't concealed her powers for too long.

Visions danced around in the blanket of her hair. Maybe she had already died, but she knew Luci better than that. He wouldn't miss the show of a lifetime. Closing her eyes, her heart slowed and she prayed to the false gods to allow her to live.

"Hm," Minerva walked up to Elinora and pushed the woman's side a bit. Limp.

"Good. Now she's off our tail. Clean up this mess, Charis. You and Caellum will be rewarded greatly. Leander," she glanced over at the man. "Next time, pray I don't have to see you with your head swollen. We're going. Clearly, this woman is not the thief. We're heading into the tavern next. Keep your wits about you."

Charis cleaned up the mess; No one would be able to track who was here or what happened. There was simply a woman sleeping in the nobility district alleyway, and the rest was history.

---

Collab by @Duchess & @Kat

 

[Zelīa]

Things had been looking up for Zelīa following the completion of her contract. She had devoted herself to the art of potion making, moving from town to town in order to work with other apothecaries and learn from them. Each person had something new to teach her, and Zelīa had taken to making healing salves after she learned it was even possible. This had lead her to travel to Kinshill, a town that had an apothecary who was devoted to creating potions for enhancing the lives of those around him.

Zelīa had arrived over a month before all the new faces started flocking in. She had volunteered to work for the town's medicine maker, but he was insistent on a proper deal being struck. Her offer was protection for his shop, and tending to his garden. In exchange, he would let her use his equipment and any plants in his garden- within moderation. He also paid her, which wasn't part of their deal, but he seemed to have an issue with free labor. While not working, Zelīa had begun working on her own recipe for a healing salve. It was meticulous work, and she didn't have the same amount of 'volunteers' to test her concoction as she did when she was working on her signature poison. Chickens and rats had taken the place of assassination targets.

After a month of work, and nearly fifty chickens sacrificed, Zelīa had managed to make one single vial of the potion. Testing it for herself, the potion accelerated healing greatly, improved stamina and alertness, and seemed to also have some smaller health benefits. The original version was disgusting, but some tempering with the formula allowed her to use honey to make it taste better without altering the effects.

Several days before the current one, just under a week, word of an artifact turning up had been spread through the adventurer's guild. This had increased the demand of healing items for the shop, and naturally wanting to know why he was getting so much more business all of a sudden, the apothecary had found out of it, himself. Zelīa had learned of it from him, and promptly told him that she would have to leave his service. He didn't like losing help when he needed it the most, but after being told that he would be safer with her gone, he didn't ask questions and allowed it.

In the days that followed, Zelīa had spent her time hiding in plain sight. She knew that she would need something that was quieter than her pistol crossbow, easy to carry, and not as flashy as her Soulbound Glove. Consulting with the adventurer's guild had given her various options, from slingshots to throwing knives, and everything in between. Zelīa had settled on a blow dart, since she could easily apply her poison to the darts.

She was picking up her newly made weapon from the smithy when a commotion was heard. A woman shouting at some people about being followed before taking off. Zelīa had got a quick glance at the ones chasing her and immediately knew who they were. 'A bit late, but that works for me.' she thought. It seemed that Zelīa had enough people between herself and the pursuers to blend in with the crowded street. The fact that they were all focused on the pale-skinned woman was also in her favor. Zelīa reached to her purse and pulled out a porcelain mask and slipped it on before seeming to vanish from the streets to the rooftops of the merchant district. 'The horseman from earlier will have to wait.'

When Caellum had made his way to the tavern's roof, Zelīa had kneeled down on the roof across from him, looking at his back. It was as good a time as any, an easy shot for the Toxic Witch. She could have shot him right in the back of the head, but that would've attracted the attention of the others. Zelīa could handle any of them in a one-on-one fight, even two-on-one with her glove; but, she wasn't gonna test her luck with three, and risk Minerva getting the drop on her.

She followed Caellum across the rooftops, using the training that their leader gave her to her advantage. Zelīa's greatest strength wasn't in fighting ability, but rather, her speed and agility far exceeding all but Minerva and a select few- Charis, Caellum, and Leander not being among those elite individuals. Caellum had moved ahead of his sister, to the end of an alley on the far side of the noble's district. Zelīa had taken place just outside of his field of vision, behind the curtains of a noble's home that were pitch black. Normal people wouldn't be able to see through them. Zelīa had called on her Soulbound Crossbow and mounted it on her back, granting her the Demon's Blessing, which let her see the outline of everyone around her. She couldn't make out faces; but, the movements they made were enough for her to know who was who.

From what Zelīa could see, Charis was the one holding the woman. Leander had joined the party a little late, but at least he was present. Considering who was behind him, Zelīa couldn't help but feel uneasy. She couldn't intervene, not with 'her' present. Before she could've shot a bolt and took off, leading those three away from the pale woman on a wild chase. With Minerva present, Zelīa knew that, that chase would be a lot more tedious, and less likely to be lengthy. Something happened and Caellum broke off from the group to handle the people who were staring. The groups began walking away, trying to act as though they saw nothing at all; but Zelīa knew that, that wouldn't save them.

She waited for Caellum to begin approaching one of the nobles, a young and beautiful woman who managed to turn a corner and be out of anyone else's eyesight. Zelīa had noticed that Minerva and the other two were busy with the pale woman, giving her the chance to get moving, and she took it. Zelīa had gotten back on the roofs and looked down the alley that Caellum went to, to catch up with the woman. She pulled out the blow dart and loaded a needle in it. She hadn't had much practice with them, and didn't have any practice with this new one at all, so there was a lot of hope for luck with this shot. Caellum was moving his hand to grab the woman and snap her neck, but stopped and hissed when the needle hit the back of his palm. Having hit at possibly the worst location, not enough of the needle went in to deliver all of the poison. 'I missed.' Zelīa told herself as she locked eyes with Caellum.

Priorities had immediately shifted upon being attacked in broad daylight. Witnesses could be disposed of, guards could be paid off or executed... but aggressors? Those needed to be dealt with immediately, and without reservation. Zelīa took off, moving back towards the less wealthy side of town, jumping over the roofs. Caellum was agile, having gotten a bit better since she last saw him in action. Even back then, he was pretty fast. Their chase had paused when he got to the large street separating the noble and merchant's districts. He looked around, trying to find the woman. Looking straight across the street, she was there, sitting on the beam of a lamp post, giving a cute wave as though to taunt him.

He didn't need to wait for the horses and carriages to stop moving, he moved through the street, jumping over anything that got in his way. Zelīa descended to the streets and bobbed and weaved through the crowd, making sure to not run in a straight line. Without Charis around to intercept Zelīa, Caellum had to rely on his own ability and wit. He noticed the general direction that Zelīa was heading and dived into the alleyways of the merchant district. By the time she got to the alley she was aiming for, Zelīa thought she'd accidentally lost him. That is, until the sound of a dagger being drawn was heard, and Zelīa quickly whipped out her kukri to block an incoming stabbing attack.

The attack wasn't intended to be lethal, he wanted to get closer to Zelīa to try and grab her mask. The attempt failed when she used her superior reacting time and agility to pull her head back and quickly enter a back flip, using that to put some distance between them. "There's a pretty big price on your head." he said. He knew Zelīa, she spent a lot of time around Minerva and had very unique eyes. Blue as the sky and more dazzling than any gemstone, he caught a glimpse of them through the slit in her mask, and that was all he needed to identify her. Zelīa plays it off, tilting her head curiously to act as though she didn't know a thing. Caellum wasn't having any of that, he moved in for an attack, this time with the intent to take her down. Zelīa had shown that she was training, even after leaving Minerva. Her skill with the kukri was great, but all of her actions were defensive, just trying to redirect his attacks.

Zelīa remembered her lessons like they were yesterday. 'Analyze your opponent. Play to your strengths, and turn theirs against them.' she thought, repeating the words Minerva said to her. Zelīa grabbed the pistol crossbow at her thigh and raised it, aiming at Caellum and making him back up and grab a nearby vagrant to use as a shield. Zelīa's poison was renown among the black market. Just one bottle could fetch thousands, and that was before it was damn near impossible to find for sale. Caellum knew that the bolt would be tipped with that toxin, and he also knew that Zelīa had a policy of not harming anyone except her target. The fact that she didn't fire reinforced his notion of who the masked stranger was, all but confirming it for him.

It had been fortunate that the poison was beginning to kick in and Caellum was finally beginning to feel the effects. He was finding it harder to regain his center after making an attack. It wasn't extreme, the amount of poison used wasn't enough to make it completely impossible; but, he knew what would come next. Zelīa had caught onto his attacks getting less confident and turned around and began running back to the markets for part two of the chase. Zelīa ran into the town bakery and paused, letting Caellum catch up to her where he was certain the fight would end. Rushing into the room he looked around and saw it was empty. He knew she was there, biding her time till the poison kicked into stage two. Judging by how slow the vertigo was setting in, he figured he had at least twenty minutes. The sound of boots hitting the floor made him turn towards the door, just in time to get a hand full of flour thrown into his eyes. If she was gonna fight Minerva and her lackeys, she couldn't use the same tricks as back then. Playing dirty was never her style, but now she had no choice.

'You can't keep limiting yourself. Everything is a weapon.' the words echoed in Zelīa's mind. Caellum had been delayed a good minute or two while he got the flour out of his eyes. Now, he was getting slightly annoyed with Zelīa. He jumped out the window of the bakery and back onto the street, glaring at the first person he saw. "Where'd she go!?" he demanded of a bystander. The guy pointed him down an alley and Caellum began going down it, initially running past a cart filled with clay pots. He stopped and took a few steps back, eyeing the spot on the rim of a pot where a hand mark would suggest someone had touched it... someone with flour on their hand. He opened the lid, expecting to find Zelīa hiding inside.

'Stop being so predictable!' the scolding from Minerva came into Zelīa's head as she stood on the balcony two stories above Caellum. Leaning on the edge, she gently rested her hand on the back of a flower pot and gently moved it forward, off the edge and crashing straight down on Caellum's head. She made her way down and pulled out another needle, dipping it in the poison and sticking Caellum with it. The cart was heading to the next town over and the owner didn't bother checking the pots for any stowaways. It'd be at least two hours before Caellum regained the ability to scream for someone to get him out the pot. Zelīa didn't want him dead, so a small vial of antidote was tied to his leg to keep him from permanent paralysis. By then, he'd have quite the distance between him and Kinshill- and good luck getting a donkey to be a horse.

By the time Zelīa had gotten back to Elinora, she was already dead, and the scene was cleared up. Zelīa had noticed the woman, positioned to look like she was asleep, left to be carrion for the crows and buzzards. She gently moved the woman's hair from in front her throat to see the cut and let out a sigh. 'At least she wasn't tortured.' she thought. Zelīa's eye had caught onto something, the very edge of the cut was closing. There was a black residue on the flesh that also caught her attention, leading to her pulling out a vial and using her kukri to make a small cut on the 'dead' woman's arm. 'Black blood?' she questioned. Around half a vial was collected before it stopped bleeding. 'You're not a vampire, not with black blood... But demons aren't this pretty.'

Zelīa had pulled out the healing salve she made and gently inserted it between the woman's generous enough bust, where it would be nigh impossible for her to miss. "If you're healing then you're not dead." she said out loud, her voice slightly distorted by the mask. The blood was kept for her to examine later. If anything, it could be sold to cover the cost of the salve, or used to make some kind of potion... once she found out what kind of blood it was. The bottle was small, but the side was labeled as 'Ydra's Healing Salve, #283" A label she chose since no one knew Zelīa's middle name, even Zelīa didn't know it until she made it up.

From there, Zelīa had made her way to the Adventurer's Guild Roof, where she had a perfect view of the tavern across the street. She could tell that she had gotten there not too long after Minerva and her gang. The child and blind guy from earlier were in there, as well as several other people she'd seen around town, including a fish lady. 'I wonder how much she'd charge to let me have a few scales...?' she thought. Shaking her head to refocus her mind, Zelīa took notice of a group of four men walking into the tavern. Every town had their own crime lords, and these four goons had chosen a pretty bad time to collect taxes. Zelīa had seen them before, they loved harassing the patrons, and had no consideration for personal space. Worse, they were grabby with women. Zelīa began turning red from anger as she remembered running into them her first week in town when one of them grabbed her butt. Luckily she gained super strength when dealing with perverts, she taught him... But with Minny there, things could get interesting. She was a lot less merciful than Zelīa.

Word Count: 2,653

 

[junebug]

A Brand New Recruit and His Companion
Collab by @Kat & @The Legate

Charis, Minerva, and Leander made their next stop at the tavern. Caellum hadn't returned yet, so Minerva ascertained he was having a bit of trouble with one of the townspeople, not that he wouldn't be in that stage for long. He was well equipped with the cunning and agility needed to silence those who'd seen today's… theatrical movements. Minerva flipped her hair over her shoulder and entered the tavern with a certain air about her.

Many stopped what they were doing and looked up to see the woman with her allies and armed weapons. The bartender had just finished serving his newest patron, a merfolk, and spoke up, "Please, no weapons in here. We mean no harm."

Minerva gripped the pommel of her sword as she raised an eyebrow at the bartender. The old man serving thought she would attack them at headpoint. He had done nothing to warrant an execution, unless he sent the guards in to take her down. There would be a price to pay for that. Minerva waved Charis off to the bartender who'd manipulate and sweet talk him into allowing them to keep their weapons on body. Minerva would make due effort not to use her sword.

She noticed, however, a familiar face. A pale face and long black hair. Minerva was amused at the fact he'd tried to hide who he was with his little friend. She'd forgotten the girl's name, but Otemo wasn't hard to miss in the crowd and forget. Minerva and her gang had done a bit of investigating on this so-called "Perditionary" who claimed to be some kind of traditional magic user, if Minerva understood correctly who they were.

It mattered little if she did understand his kind though; Minerva walked over to the table where Otemo and the girl were. Negotiations were needed now. After the loss of her beloved Master of Poison, Minerva needed to replace the man with someone else, someone with herbal practice and tonics. Someone mysterious, like Otemo. It all depended on whether or not the "blind man" could offer her what she wanted, as well as what his true intentions were.

"Otemo, is it? I've heard of you and your skill across Vestriya. Do you mind if I take a seat? I'd love to have a chat over a drink or two."

Otemo picked his eyes up under the blindfold, before he seemed to let out a small exasperated sigh and motion to the seat next to him. "If you know my name, of all things, then you certainly know my business in Kinshill already…" he said as he motioned. There was a small movement of his head, like he recognized something, but little else. He had a strange accent that sounded like someone who spoke with larger vowels and had to pronounce consonants with incredible attention

"Sissy here does not speak a lick of Common, so speak freely." he teased the small child across the table. The small child's eyes suddenly narrowed as they looked up from the table. It's eyes shooting daggers into where Otemo's eyes would be if they were not covered. "... Azissi…" the child only stated slowly, in an even thicker accent, which only gave Otemo a wry smile though he could not see her reaction.

"What do you drink? I will buy, as long as my coin is taken here," he asked her.

Minerva smiled and sat down across from Otemo, "As long as you have the town's currency on hand, taking your coin should be no problem for the bar maiden. An ale would be splendid."

She waved over the barmaid, "An ale and whatever he's having."

"Just mead, honey mead…" Otemo replied, and then motioned toward the girl again. "You remember what I ordered for her, yes?"

"Regrettably…" The barmaid muttered offhandedly, before she disappeared back toward the bar as she made their drinks. Otemo allowed a small silence to permeate the table as the barmaid made them the drinks and came back, placing them down at the table for the two.

"Enjoy!" she proclaimed, mostly to Minerva as Otemo was assumed to be too blind to notice. Then she turned back to the girl, not knowing she didn't speak Common at all; "Your meal's coming right up, just sit tight."

The girl smiled as the barmaid left them, and after Otemo took a drink from his wooden cup, he suddenly turned his whole head directly toward Minerva. His eyes under the bandage looking fully at her.

"You and I have to share something in common, for you to sit here… I know what that is."

"You're presuming to know what we have in common?" Minerva mused and took a drink. "I'm eager to learn what you think we may have in common. Only very few know of who I am and I don't seek out talent very often."

"The liar, and the relic," he spoke plainly, leaning over the table and lowering his voice so others didn't hear, but his quickly broadening smile might have given him away. "What else would interest a woman like you in Kinshill? The food? If it were something smaller, you would have sent talent to do it for you." He said.

There was a slight pause. He looked at her entourage, then back at her. After a moment he poked out his pointer finger at them "That is the talent, yes?"

"Mm, yes. They are the talent, some more so than others," She indirectly insulted Leander, who now held a napkin full of ice up against his swelling eye. "I must say, you are quite observant."

She leaned forward, "The relic does interest me and the liar. What also interests me is your expertise in herbs and magic tonics. What do you do? Perhaps we can be something of a resource to each other. I know these lands and the people."

Otemo blinked, though she may not have seen it, and was taken back a bit. He wasn't expecting someone like this to ask for herbs, of all things, but he supposed there were much worse things she could have been interested in. "... Tonics…" He slowly repeated, thinking on it a moment before slowly nodding.

"Yes, I-... I know how to make lots of tonics, poisons, medicines, even some spices… But many of these things are from plants and horticulture not found on this side of the hemisphere."

As he said this, as if on queue, the barmaid came back holding a platter. In it was a hefty dosage of mutton, but the exuberant smell on the large slab of meat caused more than a few heads to turn. The entire piece of mutton was covered completely in dozens of different spices. So much so that it was almost completely caked in all sorts of peppers, herbs and salts. She gingerly placed it in front of the child, who licked her lips hungrily before she dived in. Paying no mind to any of her utensils as she consumed it.

Otemo turned his head slightly, looking at the girl, before turning his head back at Minerva as he tuned her out completely. It looked like he was used to this kind of thing.

"I suppose I could try but… It would be touch and go. Not exactly a stellar work."

"Where do you find what you need for your practice? My men are excellent trackers; they can find you what you need. How long have you been dabbing into these practices?"

Otemo started to laugh, and then it began to fade as he didn't hear her laughing with him. He then cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yeddirn, My specialization is in formulas of Yeddirn. All Apharsites know some basic chemical solutions, mainly, things of hallucinatory nature. Some even grant visions into other magical planes but, past that… Most of my work revolves around medicine for my horse, and poison for the arrows."

"Specifically, I know a very toxic poison for use in…" he cleared his throat as he trailed off momentarily, before scratching the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. "It's not particularly deadly by all means, but it's extremely painful. Most assassins don't use it, not because it doesn't work, but because it's just too messy."

"Unfortunately, you need Black Sand. It's not exactly hard to find, if you can get to Yeddirn… But I pity whoever you send to collect that stuff. Most don't return, and when they do, they don't live past the fifth winter."

Minerva snorted as they continued their silent conversation, "What makes you think my men can't make it past the fifth winter? My men are strong. We'd be doing you a favor, I'd say. Is arrow poison the only kind you specialize in? Have you created other poisons before? What have you used your herbs for, aside from your horse and arrows? It doesn't matter if you've done it once or twice."

"I've made all kinds of poisons, to varying effects depending on whose getting them and how much you use, but the Black Sand always kills. Maybe not instantly, but within the week. It doesn't work like other toxins. If you inhale even just a few grains of it, it does things with your head. Your body eats itself, and it's as painful as it sounds."

"Aside from that, mostly I use medicine on my horse sometimes to heal things in ways I could not heal him conventionally. Sometimes coagulants for lacerations, salves for burns and rashes, other tonics for sickness, and sometimes, just something for his coat," he said happily with a polite smile.

"And for the arrows, just… Well, lesser poisons. More for annoyance than actual lethality. One time I even made a knock-out ammunition using some of the traditional hallucinatory remedies."

Minerva nodded in acknowledgment and pondered on his skill. Leander and Charis decided to join the table as well, though understood that Minerva was still in charge and therefore, still doing the talking on their end.

"I'm impressed, though nothing can truly compare to an actual test of your tonics and potions you claim to be so potent. Tell me, if you feel so inclined to, what is your intention with the liar? You said that we have something in common. We can help you on your journey with hunting that thief down. A bit of a mutual agreement, if you will. Your services would do us great, though I'd like this to be fair exchange. What is it you seek?"

"The liar?" He asked, then shook his hand and waved it dismissively as he took another drink. "I've never met the man in my life, can't say there's bad intention for him. He speaks of a relic, that is what I want," he said, raising a finger on that last part as if to punctuate it.

"I am a seeker of knowledge, all of my kin are. Fundamental truths and the power of knowing is a bit of a hobby of mine. I know, perhaps, you wish for this artifact as well… And I won't stop you from using it. All I want is to see it, to know what it does and how it functions. As long as you can grant me this, I'm willing to pay more than a reasonable price."

"Of course, as long as it stays within my grasp," she tossed a bag of coins on the table. "I would be more than happy to allow you to hold it with me around, and allow you to learn of my experience. There will be some housekeeping rules we'll go over later at a less crowded source, other than that, you've got my attention and the help of my party. There will be a contract written by my dearest friend, Leander, so that neither of us steps over our word. How does that sound?"

"Great! That sounds certainly doable," he said. The small girl looked between Otemo and Minerva. Still believing Otemo couldn't see, she slowly reached out a hand in-between chomps to grab the bag of coins she offered. With deft precision and skill, Otemo swiped the coins quickly without breaking his attention on Minerva.

"Like I said, I can make a poison for you, but if you want the best stuff then you need to get me that Black Sand. I have a reserve of it myself but… I'm very touchy about it. I'm sure you can find small samples of it in Vestriya, maybe there's even a vial here in Kinshill if you have an extreme font of luck on your side."

"My men can find a barrel of it if I tell them to," Minerva replied in a casual manner. "Luck is always on our side." She glanced over at Charis, "See what's taking Caellum so long."

Charis nodded and left Minerva's side.

"That was Charis, one of my most esteemed masters. Leander is my first lieutenant. Today was not the first day he made a fool of himself, but he's valuable regardless. You would make a fine master of poison, but let's not get our hopes up too high and focus on our current tasks at hand. Leander will send our best men to Yeddirn in search of this black sand, fully capable of surviving harsh climates, if need be," Minerva detailed the expectations and brief plan laid out.

"In the meantime, we'll search for this thief, liar we've heard of that possibly has access to the relics. Perhaps you can make a truth potion," she joked. "Either way, we'll find out where this relic is hidden, I will take it into my possession and allow you the honor of studying its properties and functions. I like the sound of that. When did you last hear of the thief?"

Otemo shrugged, "I've seen hide nor hair of the liar since I've entered this town. The last time I heard of him was on the open road, some days ago, and they said he was still here in this town." As he spoke, a small toy arrow sailed across the table and boinked Otemo in the side of the head lightly. The small girl, now finished with her meal, smiled tellingly as she tried to hide the tiny bow under the table. Otemo looked at her and she said something in a strange tongue, where the words almost sounded like they were said at once without pause or spaces in between. Otemo only rose an eyebrow and turned back to Minerva.

"I came here to the tavern, since it sounded like a natural dwelling for liars and thieves. Though I realize now looking around that there are more than a dozen people here who fit that description, and I can't parse one from the other."

Minerva chuckled, "That's why you need other thieves to do the work for you. Only a thief can track a thief. What does your friend here do besides eat and speak a different language? Can she track? Is she observant?"

Otemo gave a 'so-so' gesture, bobbing his head up and down as well as side to side. "Eh, among other things…" he said, before turning back to the girl. There was a small pause before he motioned toward Minerva silently, as if giving her permission.

The girl turned to Minerva, and started to speak, but the words felt strange. At first it sounded like some strange tongue or language that was completely indiscernible, but as she spoke it had a profound sense of deja vu. It was as if this language she was speaking was some kind of ancient language, something more basic and fundamental, something from which all other languages derived from. Within a few moments, Minerva knew with an almost clear certainty what Azissi was saying, without really knowing why.

Minerva sat up straight, clearly flabbergasted, even though she tried to hide it.

"What in the world?"

"Hello" Azissi said, with a warm smile in this cryptic fashion. "My name's Azissi, I didn't catch yours."

Meanwhile as this was happening, Otemo felt himself suddenly toned out of the conversation. Since only Azissi and Minerva could understand one another now, he figured this was what Azissi felt like mostly all the time. He couldn't help but feel like the two of them were conspiring against him or something, though logic told him this was almost certainly not true.

Minerva leaned forward, bewildered and intrigued at the same time.

"Minerva," she replied, sinking back into her chair a bit. This would be fun. "You're Otemo's companion, correct?"

"Yah" She replied cheerily, using her fork to push around some of the scraps of food left on her plate. "Otemo translates for me and protects me, we're looking for my mom." There was a small pause, then; "Have you seen her? She speaks like I do."

"I've never seen her no. I've never heard of this language before. Perhaps we can figure something out. In the meantime, I want to know what kind of skills you harbor. What do you have that can help us in searching for this thief? Perhaps he may be tied to your mother."

"Skills?..." She replied, before she gave it careful thought. After some moments of contemplation and searching all the ways in which her companion Otemo found her useful, she almost answered with 'nutrients' in a joking manner but figured it distasteful.

"I-... Well, I'm REALLY good at hiding." She explained; "... Also I'm really good at distracting people, when Otemo needs it. I can send messages to people without anyone else eavesdropping, and…" She said, then lifted her toy bow over the table with a smile. "I got this! I'm pretty good with it, Otemo says."

"So you're stealthy, that's wonderful. What does your bow do? It looks like a toy."

There was a small pause. "It is a toy" she just said flatly.

"You can't kill with that," Minerva snorted. "So that bow is out of the picture. How long have you been sneaking around? Can you tell me about a time you outsmarted someone, perhaps saved your friend because of your skill?"

"Well, I never SAVED Otemo," She explained, looking down and rubbing her thumb along the length of one of the blunt arrows. "-but, one time, I stole the coin pouch off a guard and he ran after me so Otemo could get into the jail for something the guards took from him." There was a second of thought, before she puffed her chest out and lifted her chin with pride. "He didn't catch me, for your information."

"That's great. I like that. Not getting caught is important. Perhaps, once we figure out who the culprit might be, we'll have you distract them so we can round them up. Something to that effect, we can't be sure of our strategy until we have an idea of what they carry on their person though. Who they are and their intentions and motivations, as well as whether or not they cast magic is also important. He could be a well seasoned assassin for all we know," Minerva pondered.

Azissi blinked. "... You… want me to be chased by a magic wielding assassin?" She just asked, nervously. Bowing her head a little and wringing her hands a bit.

"We don't know if they're a magic wielding assassin," Minerva replied curtly. "Best to not worry about it until we know for sure who they are."

"Okay, I think I can do that," she said with a sure nod. She then suddenly grinned widely and waved: "Goodbye."

Then it felt as though the words came crashing down again. As Azissi drew her attention back to her plate, which she pushed away, there was a vague and incredibly faint feeling of confusion as the particulars of the words they had spoken was lost, and soon Minerva found herself unable to replicate that strange verbal runes she had been discussing. It was now all back into the world of Common.

"I trust you've heard it straight from the horse's mouth, then?" Otemo asked her, sensing that Azissi's little spell was over by the way she had waved goodbye.

"Yes, I did. Quite a profound child," Minerva mused and drank the rest of her ale. "She'll be good for stealth and distraction, if need be. Finish your drink, we've got work to do."

---

@TheoGreen @Duchess @Zelīa @Neo.

 

[Gabriel Heartache]

Telos and Anita had spent almost a month Kinshill. Collecting information about the "relic" as well as establishing a reputation for themselves through completing small time quests for the guild. Ironically, the whole reason they started doing these jobs was to earn enough money to survive their travels, since Darkland currency did not carry much value outside the motherland. The outerlands was not quite what they expected as their ancient archives were outdated.

Telos was doing most of the heavy lifting as both an adventurer of the guild and an assistant blacksmith while Anita was left in charge of their expenditure, with disastrous results at times. Telos often went on quest involving goblins since he saw them as the most economical choice. They were relatively easy to kill and paid a reasonable amount. He often did three to five of these quests each day. Some of the townsfolk have speculated that he may have an unnatural hatred towards as no one else did these quests so frequently. This earned him the nickname "Goblinslayer". Much to the disappointment of Talio, an umbra knight spirit that resided in Telos' arm. Talio often chastised him for going after bigger game and liked to share his old war stories to Telos and Anita.

Anita mostly stayed in her room above the tavern recording everything minor in her diary. She had been stared at by the locals many times in her venture of the town. Even though she had bought a normal looking dress and cloak to blend in. She rubs her head as she wrote in her diary. The climate is warmer than her beloved dark nation as well making it almost suffocating at times but she must endure for the sake of all.

Looking out the window, it was nearly time for Telos to return. She places her pen back into the inkwell and hides her diary beneath her bed mattress. She then wore her two rings and cloak and she exits her room to meet with him. As she walks down the stairs the tavern patrons stared at her but not for what she thinks. The lights and vibrant colour of the tavern dimmed when she passes. Telos was already at their usual spot at the bar ordering their usual meal of baked potato, bread, soup, mystery meat and something sweet to wash it all down.

"Good work today!" She beams a smile at Telos. "And you too Sir Talio."
"Why does he get any credit when I'm the one doing everything?!" Telos uttered while viciously eating his meal. "Any leads on the artifact, Anita?" asked the Umbra Knight.

The lively patrons quiets as three rather large fellows enters the tavern. Anita quickly hides underneath her cloak.

"Hey there gov'na business looking mighty fine eh?" Bellows the biggest of them all. They walked closer to the bar, the barkeep kept a straight face but his hands were shaking.
"You know why we're here, would be a shame if anything happen to ye fine establishment eh."
"You know I already paid this month!"
The barkeep tries to negotiate but the big Goon as goons are, didn't care.
"I guess the good people here will be the one paying then!" He shrugs as he turns to the people in the tavern with open arms.
" We'll start with this one!" The goon with a large scar pulls Anita's arm and she gave a small yelp.
"Pretty young thing ain't she." They grinned.
" 'Tis a shame darling that you had to be here, it's just busine-" the sound of bones breaking interrupted the goon's sentence followed by a scream of pain. Anita's arm was free and the goon was left with a broken arm. "Walk away, while you all still have legs." Telos threatened with a visibly annoyed expression.

"A'ww yee? What'cha gunna du about it?!" one of the uninjured goons taunted as they all surrounded Telos. One of them had unintentionally smashed Telos' plate in an attempt to intimidate him. Telos' responded with punch with his metal arm, sending one of them flying to a wall with a few broken ribs. The fight was short-lived and largely one-sided. "Anyone else?" Telos taunted, declaring his victory as he threw a bag of coins towards the barkeep. "Sorry for the mess." And with that he resumed his meal, or whats left of it.