DUNGEON CRAWL! - Stylized Adventure Fantasy

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"Hello." Rasa turns to regard the person who just spoke to her. "I am Rasa. I am currently undamaged, with the exception of near one hundred percent data loss in my memory banks." She pauses slightly before continuing. "I am not sure if that counts as fine." Another pause. Her expression is hard to read. "What about you? Who are you?"
 
And so, with the help of Rue and Billy, the process of flaying a horse for the edible meats went much faster than it ever would have been if it was just him flaying the horse alone. Gabriel glanced at the large pile of flesh assembled as he smiled. He then stared at Billy and Rue and beamed them a smile, "Thank you two very much! NOW we have a lot of horse-flesh that we can consume for Elevensies." Gabriel paused for a moment as he scratched the back of his head, as he placed his bloodied throwing knife away. "Then again, I'm not sure what time it is, so for certain I cannot say which of the seven essential meals it is time for." Gabriel glanced at his incredibly bloodied hands from the butchering. "Ooh… This gives me an idea." Gabriel took his headdress that he had looted from the fallen horseman and began to decorate it with diagonal blood-stripes. He placed the headdress back on his head as he glanced at the group.

"Like the new pattern? I think it goes with the current aesthetic of the headdress." Gabriel then began quickly tapping his left index finger against his cheek as he stared at the large mass of assembled horse-carcass, and separate fur. "Oooh… if we had the materials we could tan the hide, and make some stuff. But, that is not as vital as cooking the flesh!" Gabriel looked around the wreckage, "If anyone can find some fuel so we can start a fire and smoke the horse-meat it'd be much appreciated!" Gabriel tapped his cheek again as he snapped his fingers, "Oh, do you people care for it to be smoked in a pit? Or would you prefer letting this things hang and dry, then smoked? For the hanging I do have some rope that could potentially be used. But it is a thick rope." Gabriel rubbed his hands together, "Either way, we shall dine well on this, and everyone will have plenty of horse meat to fill your gullets!"
 
Billly finally snapped out of his horse-carving trance to see the little man painting his headdress with the blood of his fallen foes, "I- you know what? It looks wonderful."
"Wait, what happened? I was making horse chunks."
"The, er-" He thought for a moment. Gabriel, was it? "Mr. Gabriel was just decorating a headdress he looted with some, uh, bandit blood."
"Good man."
"Anyways, I'm Billy Bane, and this is my sword. Its name is, er-"
"-Don't got a name-"
"-Dungötterneim. Usually I just call it sword."
"Billy? If I had hands I would slap you."
"What'd I do this time?"
"I'll explain later."
"Well, anyways, we're here to slay some demons, I think."
"We're on a quest to kill the Twelve."
"The Twelve have been dead for three hundred years, sword."
"Or so you thought!"
"Sword, I really don't want to have this argument right now."
 
"I'm Ella and I'm a cartographer, here to see the sights and make the maps." She struck a dramatic pose, purely out of enthusiasm.
 
Now that everything was in working order the man walked up to the place of where the midget was and said, "If we had access to the outside air that would help dry out the meat if make it a little sandy. However I got fuel for a bonfire." He dropped open his box and took out some brick looking objects and arranged it to make a wide fire area. "Now I just a little tinder." he said. He then grabbed the headdress off the tiny man's head and slicked it with some animal fat, tossed it into the center, then lit it aflame with his sparking iron.
 
Gabriel glanced at the man who took his newly acquired headdress, "Oh well... Fire needed fuel, after all." He finds another corpse with a headdress as he takes that, and places it on. "Well, now that we have a fueled bonfire we can cook the meat." Gabriel takes out one of his throwing knives as he cuts into a bandit, and taking the blood from the corpse, and decorates the new headdress. After he finished carving into the bandit, to obtain new blood, he returned the knife back to its sheath. He glanced at the freshly made bonfire and smiled, "Alright! So we've got a fire, thanks for making it!" He beamed a smile at the man who went out of his way to make the bonfire "Now, just let that heat up a bit more, and we can smoke these delicious chunks of horse-meat."

He turned his attention to Billy, "Billy, Sword, glad to meet ya! Oooh, and you have a quest? Sounds like it'd be fun, the Twelve huh? Oh they tell many spooky tales about those strange creatures! Finish them off once and for all, and I will be sure to create a glorious ballad of your successful adventure! It will be the Ballad of Billy Bane, Gallant Bulwark of Heroism, Slayer of the Terrifying Twelve! Or maybe just have it the shortened title of Ballad of Billy Bane. I'll work on the title, making sure it sounds truly heroic."
 
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Upon hearing the sword mention the Twelve again, Veles remembered she wanted to talk to the juvenile human. "Uh, Billy, I really don't think the Twelve are trouble you should be looking for." she said, walking over and plopping herself beside the horse carcass. She began to eat what was left, as she knew no one else would. Anything others usually thought be be the inedible, or disgusting parts of an animal, she usually found to be some of the best part.
 
"See, Billy? This man gets it!"
"Get's what?"
"Adventuring, that's what! The glory! The bloodshed! The wenches! The LOOT!"
"Ma says humility is a virtue."
"Yes, well, your ma doesn't go on adventures, does she?"
"Farming is an adventure..."
"No it isn't. Slaying the Twelve, though? Now THAT'S an adventure! Why, it's almost as exciting as retrieving the Amulet of Yendor! Fought the Three Horsemen and everything, we did!"
"I though there were four horsemen?"
"You would, wouldn't you? Why, just ask your magus friend, there! I'm sure he could tell you!"
"I think he's a bit...", Billy looked over at Veles. Foreigners, he thought to himself as Veles chowed down on the intestines, "...A bit busy."
 
Gabriel glanced at Veles, "Oh, are you sure you don't want any of that cooked?" He then turned his attention to Billy and his Wondrous Sword, "You two just go so well together! Let's see... I would have to mention the horsemen in this song, after all it is part of the glorious quest. Hmm..." Gabriel tapped his cheek with his left index finger, as he then snapped his fingers. Gabriel burst into song

"Gather 'round an' let me weave the tale of Billy Bane!/
A master swordsman who cleaved foes intwain!/
Though he may not be quick to admit/
Thy childe has strength 'n mighty grit/
He will ne'er cower in fear/
And he gets all the citizens to cheer/
He's Billy Bane!/
He's Billy Bane!/
A heroic ward most brave!/
Who's destined to send the Twelve to their grave!/"

And with that Gabriel finished his impromptu lyrics for part of the Ballad of Billy Bane. Gabriel looked around, "So, just a start, it'll improve immensely as the journey continues!"
 
"Ah. What are you here to make maps of? I would guess more than just this city?" There's a pause where Rasa just watches Ella pose. "And why are you posing like that?"

Meanwhile, Rasa is also listening to Gabriel's improvisational ballad, and Billy himself. Though she doesn't seem to know what to make of the song.
 
Veles glared at Gabriel at the mere mention of her eating cooked meat. "I don't do cooked meat, it tastes horrible." she replied to the Halfling, before returning to her meal. She turned her attention back to Billy, "Who are the Horsemen?" she asked, intrigued by the topic. She had never heard of them before, and she had to admit, she did have a bit of a soft spot for folk lore. It as a good pastime while she was not doing anything better, or had the attention to spare.
 
Rolling his eyes as the midget reacquired another headdress and dirtied it with blood then approached the boy. Or rather it more of him approaching that sword in which he was rather interested in. "So sword how did you end up in the hands of this boy, and what special abilities do you have besides talking?"
 
"Why, I'm only one of the greatest weapons ever forged! 'Twas I who slayed the Riders: Death, Famine, and Pestilence! 'Twas I who dealt the final blow to the Royal Jelly, last of Jiyva Jichodgh's worshipers, and retrieved the rune from his terrible pit! 'Twas I who slayed Keriax, chief among the dragons of Ancardia, though I and my wielder were lost in the throes of Chaos!"
"...It's a very good sword."
"Indeed I am, boy."
 
"Clearly such a magnificent sword forged by the very legends themselves must have hundreds, nay, thousands of songs composed solely because of your glorious travels, adventures and feats of extraordinary strength! You must have inspired large swaths of composers, musicians, and storytellers and have become a muse that few could match... Or even hope to match." Gabriel said, with extreme awe in his voice. Gabriel looked at Billy, "You will make a fine hero! People will sing about your glorious tales, and the triumphs against impregnable odds. And you shall stand far above the carcasses of creatures that people thought could not be slain, staring probably awestruck about your achievement, as you shed a single tear of manliness. And I shall record your tales for the world to hear!"
 
"Yes, but what magic powers do you have. And what of your potential in the hands on someone skilled?"
 
"Magical powers?"
"Mostly I stab things really well. That, and I'm cursed."
"Wait, what?"
"Relax, Billy, not that sort of cursed. It just means you can't lose me."
"Oh. I thought you said it was because we were bound by fate?"
"I say a lot of things."
 
"Because," here Ella paused as her expression turned sour "it is important. For civilization at least. At home. But here..." she waved dismissively, hanging her head, looking down to the floor. Her thoughts went on where her mouth didn't dare: ...nobody cares enough to help me.

Then a thought occurred to her. Maybe they would? It looked certain that they could. But would they?

Her eyes lit up in hope, and she looked up again. She absent-mindedly caught fragments of the sword's tale, the halfling's grandiose words and rather well-crafted melodies, and Veles eating from the horse carcass. They were wonderfully different and still as if they had seen each other for a long while. She had to ask.

"Hey, which one of you leads this merry band?"
 
Gabriel beamed, "Well, I'm the Professional Entertainer and Freelance Adventurer. I am quite sure I'd be the face of the party. But for the leader, who knows, we can vote on it! Though I find it most amazing that we have no dedicated leader, makes us unique." Gabriel clapped his hands together, "Yes, that sounds appropriate. If we choose a leader it would be through the power of voting. Verily that sounds correct." Gabriel then quickly added an addendum to his earlier statement, "Not that I am trying to sound arrogant by saying I'd likely be the face of the party. I'm sure people would assume that I am. Just to assure you fair people, with that addendum. Oh, and we should have enough horse-meat for everybody to eat... while you may not want it now, it'll be good to keep a hold on it for later. The fire will smoke the flesh quite well!"
 
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"So you were making that pose... Because it is important for civilization? I'm afraid I do not understand. Though if you mean the cartography is important, that makes more sense. Though I am still not sure how striking a pose connects to making maps, as useful as well made maps may be." Rasa looks somewhat confused by the answer, though it seems that she agrees about cartography.

Mention of the group does catch her attention though. She looks between Ella and Gabriel. "What is this group? What is its function?"
 
Gabriel glances at Rasa, "We are a band of Merry Adventurers! We have been hired by the King of Clarksland to venture far within the dungeon of the City of Fallen Angels! Our mission, as so given by His Majesty, is to find the Legendary Villain the King's Slayer! For he has captured the noble maiden and fair daughter of the King. And as such, we formed up to perform such a deed of heroism!" He nodded, before snapping his fingers, "Oh, anything else you want to know?"
 
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