The Kingdom of Evertrue

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Even though the day had barely started, Ashley already felt overwhelmed. She never remembered feeling this way during the early days. Maybe it was just the fact that she was pregnant? When Clarice had handed her some documents concerning the renovation of the Servant's Quarters, Ashley didn't seem to mind. Instead, she examined it, admiring the architecture and all. She then placed her free hand on her belly, suddenly feeling the baby kick again. Smiling, she then handed the Documentation back to the Queen and continued to stay by her side, wondering what was next for her duties as Lady-In-Waiting.
 
(First Hazard)

"Well, well! 'Ot do we 'ave 'ere? A Little mud-skin rat come sniffin' for the Gorge's treasures? How ador-able." His voice was like sandpaper to Aros's ears and laden with condescending intent. Aros hated condescension.

"Look, gents, I'm just down here for the same reason you are. Ain't nothing says we can't work together to make a name for ourselves in this blasted gorge, eh? C'mon, be good pals and cut these ties. I swear I won't--" A gauntlet cut Aros off mid-sentence as it came sweeping across his jaw. It was the third (maybe fourth--Aros couldn't count well under the throbbing pain in his skull) time that his captor had decked him clean across the face. The bravado, and stereotypical demeanor of his captor was funny the first couple of times he displayed it, but even Aros was starting to get tired of the joke.

"Ah-ha! Good punch! Great right hook and all that. You know what would be a great use for your fists? Punching some gorge monsters instead of me! Think of all the money you'd make if you put your destructive tendencies to--"

"SHUDDUP! Blitherin' elf rat you are, ain't you? The only reason Skinny Jack and his boys ain't cut a whole in your fancy mail piece 'ere is because of how bloody bored we've been stuck up in this god-forsaken gorge. Three weeks almost its been for us and not a damn clue where we are or how we got 'ere." Skinny Jack's voice began to trail off as he spoke, his attention wavering from his captive to his plight. There were three bandits including Jack, but the other two looked just as ragged: all were decked out in worn, dirtied leathers and covered in mud from all the nights they had spent in the gorge.

"Treasure they fukin said. Damned be all those caravaneers. No doubt looking to sink ole Jack in this gorge for good. When I get out of here..." Skinny had turned back to the campfire at this point. The same campfire that Aros had unwittingly approached. The very same that lead him into a rather intricate rope trap that had snatched him up from the ankle. He had been so busy scanning the fire, he hadn't paid attention to his feet. A rookie mistake.

"There is treasure you've just been doing it wrong. You took too long and the mists got you. I've only been here a while. I can show you the way but the longer you keep me tied up here the smaller and smaller that chance becomes." Skinny Jack attempted to keep a steely glare, but Aros sensed that the bandit was desperate--perhaps enough to take him up on the offer.

"And tell me this, then bilge-rat. Wot sort o' cut do you think I owe you for takin' me there, ay? I'm not in the business of sharing." At this, the grizzled thug pulled his dagger from his belt and used it to lift Aros's chin so that the two made eye contact.

"Take all of it. At this point I just want to get my ass out of here." Aros sounded as desperate and naive as he could, which--after years of honing the art of verbal deception--was pretty damn desperate and naive. The bandit took him for less than he was, and sheathed the blade. He knew he had won him over of course, but the matter then became rearming and losing the fools.

"First light. I lead you out by sword-point and you show us which way's which. Too long down here and you can't tell which end of the ravine is which, damned curses. Sound al-right, mudskin?" Aros nodded vigorously and Skinny made his way to a seat across form him. Aros's sabre hung at his belt. The night drew onward and despite the watch's best efforts, a time came when all of the bandits found themselves asleep, and Aros found himself silently rubbing the weathered ropes against the rough stone he had been placed on. With a slight snipping noise, they came free and he moved softly towards his sleeping captors.

He would be clear if not for the sword he needed to reclaim. Silently, he moved to a ledge just behind Jack and activated his race's birthright--the only magic he knew how to properly cast. His illusionary magic that melded him into the shadows had saved him on more than one occasion, as it would in this one. The elf reached over Jack, and tossed a stone a ways before roughly tapping the thug to waken him. Startled, Jack turned around, but Aros's camouflage was more than enough to trick Jack into thinking he had escaped.

Before Jack could rouse his mates, Arros flicked another stone in the air from behind him. Not a second later it landed in the bushes ahead, causing Jack to leap forward with a snarl and dive for the bushes. In one fluid movement, the thief ran behind him and drew his sabre form the sheath before grabbing the bandits mouth in his left hand, and pressing the blade to his neck with the right.

"Make a single sound and I draw this here beauty across that throbbing adam's apple of yours. Something tells me your medical supplies haven't lasted you three weeks in this place." The bandit made no sudden move to stop him: the situation was in Aros's favor. "Kneel on the ground. And make it slow and soft or I'll see how fast I can kill you." The bandit begrudgingly resigned himself to the act, but as he was about to lower his last leg, Aros moved the blade from his neck and, in one quick motion, sent the mahogany pommel into the back of the man's skull, knocking him out cold.

Whispering to himself, Aros spoke, "Lucky for you, I'm not too much of a killer. Always has left a poor taste in my mouth. The thing is though, I'm not a hero either. Good luck surviving in this place you low-born, flea-ridden melon-peddler."

With that, the half-dark elf reached into his captors pocket and stole what little coin he had left. He did the same for the sleepers and came out with 50 gold to replenish his empty wallet. Satisfied, he melded back into the darkness for as long as his mana store would allow, and moved well farther into the ravine than he expected the confusion would allow Jack to follow.

Aros thought that if ever another adventure found them-self in this place, they might come across Jack and his men. Either that, or their corpses when they ran out of food.
 
I wouldn't take long for Veffelheim to come across the river Gertrude had told him about while informing him about the bandits. "What a great lake, too bad no one can use this" he said as he walked up to the edge of the lake and sat down admiring the view. While sitting down Veffelheim then noticed the old run down cottage Gertrude had described to him before, "And with one treasure comes another, they better be home" he said with a laugh as he sat up, cracked his knuckles, and made his way around the river and to the old cottage. Not long would he be have way towards the destination before seeing the cottage again, Veffelheim would then enter in a somewhat combat ready stance slowly approaching the cottage tree by tree only appearing out in the open when moving to his next source of cover. As he came into the property boundaries of the cottage he heard voices coming from the house, the voices seemed muffled and was hard to make out what whoever was in there could be saying, so Veff moved in be cautious of traps in the process. As be approached the side of the house he had been watching we was able to hear more clearly what the said bandits were saying. "Oi! don't waste all the goddamn food! Ya know it's not easy getting into the damn place!" said bandit number one in a almost annoyed tone "Don't tell me what to do mate! I'm fuckin hungry, we haven't had something this good to eat in awhile!" said bandit number two as what seemed like foot steps towards the front part of the building could be heard. "idiots! All of you! I can't get one fucking second of sleep before you start fighting over the rations again?! Listen if we need more food just fucking kill some of the wild animals roaming around the god damn place. Christ!" said bandit number three as what seemed to sound like a door slamming could be heard quickly after. "So that's three but where is the fourth?" Veff silently questioned himself, "Look behind ya scumbag." bandit number four said pointing a crossbow at the back of Veffelheim's head. "Now get up slow like, ya hear?" bandit number four said to Veff. "Okay." Veff said to the bandit slowly getting up with his hands in the air, bandit number four then smiles "Okay lad now give me all your gold before I put a bolt in your god damn eye socket" the bandit said with confidence. Veffelheim smiles "Aren't you going to call your buddies?...Worm." Veffelheim says to bandit number four, "and share the loot with those cunts?! Not in my life time... now hand it over ya prick" bandit number four says with a smirk poking Veffelheim in the chest with the crossbow signaling him to hand it over. Taking this moment as an opportunity to turn the position of power towards Veffelheim's side he quickly moves his arms down in a smacking motion in an attempt to smack the crossbow to the ground. Bandit number four is caught off guard by this and fails to pull away fast enough, and with this Veffelheim smacks the crossbow to the ground, and then tackles the bandit. Once on the ground Veffelheim quickly covers the lads mouth in order to stop him from alerting his friends, and with that he takes his other hand and with both of his hands he uses all his force to bash his head into the ground effectively smashing his skull and killing bandit number four. After smashing the bandits head in repeatedly Veffelheim stands up and spits on his corpse "no one calls me a prick, ya prick" he says wiping the blood off of his face making his way towards the inside of the cottage home.
 
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He scratched his chin as he looked at her while they kept walking towards the castle. They were out of the market by now and were in the less crowded streets of the city. He decided to tell her exactly what he was thinking.

I'm going back to have an audience with the Queen. You are a friend of mine, and I have some authority and pull in the Castle. I think I can get you into the Royal Guard. You are a smart girl, so I was going to pitch you for the title of Investigator. I was going to ask if you could be my partner as well. You wouldn't have to wear heavy armor, as you wouldn't actually be a knight. You could pick what you wanted to wear, and the castle Blacksmith/leather smith could make it in the Royal Guard Colors.

What do you say?

He looked over and smiled at her after he finished as they were walking. He was still holding her hand, rather gently.
 
Allora

Allora stopped dead in her tracks, frozen unmoving. A stroke of luck.... nay a stroke of kindness had hit her, the gods must have been smiling upon her on this day, as she nearly jumped at his arm, pulling on it, smiling and laughing.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! I'll be your partner. Promise it'll get me closer to being an actual royal guard then?"

Her eyes shone up at Diadora with such trust, such open trust it was ridiculous. To do anything less then what he said would be to ruin his relationship with her and destroy her dream completely an utterly. His words to the queen better be damn convincing.
 
He smiled at her reaction. And looked her in the eyes. They were approaching the castle now as they were just a block from the gate. H hoped he didn't get her hopes up to far.

I can't promise it. Nor do I know what kind of capacity you will actually have, but should it get approved, you will officially be a Royal Guard. It may not get approved today, but I will fight for it if I need to. We are just warriors and bodyguards. We aren't dumb by any means, but we aren't investigators either. It would be beneficial to have a dedicated investigator in the squad. You have proven to be cunning and bright.

When we get to the castle, will you join me when I meet with the queen to discuss this matter?

They kept walking and were approaching the gates. Diodora gave a nod and a salute to the guards at the gate as they walked through. The guards saluted back. He let go of Allora's hand now that they were inside the castle gates.
 
The moon's pale glow reflected off of the stream to Aros's left. It moved slowly, and yet much faster than it had where he first entered the gorge. This indicated he was nearing the falls that he could hear in the distance. This was a welcome thought, and while he moved he did feel an unnatural calm ever so often, tempting him to rest--to lay down for just a while. Those easily susceptible to magic wouldn't register it as unnatural at all, and that would be their downfall.

"Sorry. Can't stop now."

Aros had kept himself busy on his march by occasionally holding conversations with himself. Sometimes it was an imaginary argument with his friends back home (he would always win in his head), or perhaps just a friendly talk with himself about the state of his adventure. Once or twice he tried whistling a tune, but the mind-addling magic of the gorge had him forget the song whenever he let his mind wander.

Aros felt the soft grass give way to smooth stone tiles, and soon his eyes adjusted to the scene: he had walked into some old ruin. It's walls were collapsed on the side facing the waterfall, while the side facing him seems marginally less deteriorated. In the center of what was once a room perhaps, stood tall stalagmites jutting from the floor.

Strange... They aren't conical in shape. They also don't seem to be coming from beneath the floor...

As he approached, his eyes widened in sickening horror. They weren't stalagmites: the features of an agonized face, petrified mid-scream looked directly at him with its frozen eyes. Whatever had destroyed the walls of this place had twisted, warped, and preserved what would've been ancient bodies into stone husks. A dark sort of magic to be sure.

A calamity must've befallen this gorge that no one outside of this place has even heard of. Their eyes... the fear is yet palpable.

Aros took note of the way their fused hands seemed to have been raised to protect themselves. It was likely that whatever magic disaster occurred here, it was explosive in nature first, and strong enough at least to level most of a marble building. The deeper Aros went into the gorge, the more the silence unnerved him, but even moreso now that he realized every strangely shaped stone, or rock cluster he passed very well might've been alive once.

You wanted this. Remember that. You want to know what lies ahead.
 
It wouldn't be long before Veffelheim would start making his way to the front of the cottage, but before turning the corner into the front of the house he noticed bandit number two sitting on the front porch mumbling to himself. "Fucking oafs, tellin me to fookin kill some wild animals like a damn peasant. Bloody bastards are what they are!" bandit number two says to himself as spits a loogie off to the side of the steps. "I better kill him quickly, a good chance to use my throwing axe" Veff thinks to himself as he slowly reaches for his throwing axe getting ready to quickly surprise bandit number two. Once Veffelheim has his throwing axe out he makes a whistle noise loud enough for only bandit number two to hear, after hearing the noise bandit number two quickly jumps up in surprise not expecting to hear such a sound on such a quiet day. "What the hell! Maybe outside wasn't the best idea I guess." bandit number two says to himself as he sits up and slowly makes way into the house. Veffelheim takes the opportunity and quickly turns the corner and throws the axe hurling it straight for the bandits chest, but the bandit quickly reacted and moved out of the way slamming against the front door and quickly pulling out a rusty iron dagger. "Holy shit, fucking cunt I gut you for attempting that shit!" bandit number two yells as he shouts for his friends, "Boys come outside quick we got a little bugga on our property!" the bandit says as he quickly charges towards Veffelheim. Veffelheim stands his ground and prepares for the awaited attack, and once the bandit gets in close enough range he tries to stab Veffelheim in the gut but before he could connect the attack Veff moves out of the way and grabs the bandit by the back of his shirt and throws him to the ground. "Shite!" bandit number two says as he quickly tries to recover, but by the time he's on his knees Veffelheim knees the poor bastard in the face breaking his jaw. At this point bandit number two is on the ground screaming in pain and bandit's numbers three and one have now rushed out the front door to assist their friend. Both are wielding bronze short swords, "What the hell?!" yells bandit number three, "you'll pay for that you bastard!" bandit number one yells as he charges Veffelheim. Veff when bandit number one runs up to him slashes at his belly quickly jumps back a bit and only receives a scratch due to the purely weak material the sword had been made of, and with this Veffelheim comes back with a right hook punch straight to bandit number ones head killing him instantly. Veffelheim then looks at bandit number three and laughs "HAHAHAHA! I'll pay for that he said! NOT EVEN A CUT! Do you think you have a chance you pathetic worthless piece of shit! YOUR NOT EVEN WORTH TURNING INTO A TROPHY!" Veffelheim says to bandit number three as bandit number two can be heard still screaming in the background. "Come on! I won't even make the first move!" Veffelheim said to bandit number three with a laugh. Due to this bandit number three becomes extremely aggravated and charges at Veffelheim "I'LL KILL YOU!" bandit number three screams as he charges towards Veffelheim. As bandit number three goes for an overhead slash Veffelheim catches the blade with both his hands and tosses the bronze sword to the side, bandit number three gasps and with that Veffelheim jabs the bandit in the stomach twice before he drops to his knees in which Veff finishes him off by kneeing him right in the neck. After finishing off bandit number three Veffelheim makes his way over to bandit number two which has been on the floor screaming the entire time and snaps his neck. "Finally I don't need to hear that whining" Veffelheim said after killing the bandit, he then retrieves the throwing axe he had thrown at bandit number two from the railing of the front porch. He then went around collecting the ears of bandits he had slain to show proof of his victory.
 
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Allora

Allora nodded violently. She was ready to do something besides be a servant in the castle like she had been for most of her life. She happily followed him, emerald cloak fluttering behind her with her movements. She was doing sort of twirls as she moved along, giddy with excitement. She had wanted this for as long as she could remember and now she was finally getting it. Then she stopped, as she remembered the queen was the one she was going to talk to. She quickly ate the honeybun, trying to destroy any evidence of her going out into the city, then ran to catch up with Diadora.
 
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What a sight.

With the apparently kind Royal Guard and the elfin girl conversing, the sudden announcement of a dream coming true and they walking to the castle, Aias was all but amused. Already he thought of how he could take advantage, but that was a slow thought to truly consider. No, he just wanted to see what happened. Perhaps find out some more relevant information on the way.

He followed in a blunt manner. He does not take extreme procedure to actually tail them. That would be foolhardy. He doesn't care if he is seen. What he cares about is not becoming obvious.

No events occur with his following, at least not until the gates are reached. He would be moving with a crowd in a long curve, they skirting around the guards at the gate as many do. Not a fear, but a obvious respect for their duty and not wanting to ruin it in any manner. Aias could have possibly sneaked through and then made his way to the proper place, as the previous expeditions have been done for various reasons. He doesn't want to be public with his whereabouts, not when it comes to the castle.

But that doesn't matter now, does it? No, he'll go in as a respected man. He will obviously not gain an audience, no, he doesn't need that. His father might, but he is just a son. Aias will follow the manners that were put into him like other skills.

He will go in when they move in.​
 
They continued walking in to the castle. Diodora with Allora at his side. He walked through the castle and to the Throne room where the queen took her audiences. He nodded to the servants and guards outside. Then knocked on the door. HE would wait until he was called in to the chambers by the Queen.

I really hope that Allora gets accepted. She wants it so bad and she is perfect for the job. We wouldn't have to outsource the investigating to the police and knights. It would cut down on security breaks if we keep everything internally.

He waited patiently to be admitted into the Throne for their audience with the Queen.
 
Nothing much had been on the bandits, only worth while thing to take was their gold which in total only added up to about five gold coins (+5 gold), and after collecting the ears of the four pathetic bandits Veffelheim made his way back to Avarell. Before he arrived at Avarell he would stop at the lake for it's scenic view, it wasn't everyday you met such a beautiful lake in such a beautiful sunset. Even the most savage and brutal of men such as Veffelheim could appreciate such a natural beauty. Veffelheim let's out a deep sigh, followed by a yawn "at least now I'll the money for my drinks" he chuckled to himself in a hardy tone as he sat up continued on his way towards the town. Once at the town just before sunset and luckily before closing time for miss old Gertrude he hastily and respectfully shows her proof that he had made his end of the bargain. "Oh my! Deary, you didn't have to bring me their ears! But ah, you did a damn fine job. Considered yourself a hired hunter!" Gertrude said happily hugging Veffelheim, and bring him into the back of her set up to give him a run down of which days he would be needed and so on so forth. With that it's safe to say people respect Veffelheim just a little more now that he's gotten rid of a local pest. ( Veffelheim has now taken upon the occupation of a hunter )
 
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(Second Hazard)

"Oh boy."

The path Aros had taken had gradually lead him to an unavoidable tower or ruin, that he scaled expecting a safe passage down the other side. Instead, upon reaching to top of the ancient tower, he found himself gazing into a chasm below. To the left of the chasm, the river ran normally, but at its current depth he didn't see himself being able to swim to safety without being thrashed on the gorge's many crags and stones. Yet, ahead of him lay only a pit that may have once been a mine, or perhaps just a natural cavern.

Either way, Aros knew he was going to have to find his way across the chasm or his mission was all but doomed. The magic of the gorge was slowly working it's way into his senses: more than twice now he'd been momentarily confused by the direction he was taking, and allowed himself to doubt his location. It was becoming dangerous to remain in the gorge for much longer, but he knew he had to press on.

Across the chasm, a similar tower structure loomed, and between the two were the first couple feet of what was once a bridge. Somewhere far below, Aros could make out the crumbled stone and weathered marble of the bridge that had no doubt collapsed during whatever calamity had occurred.

Alright. Use your brain, kid.

Aros thought for a moment before setting to work ripping the long tangled ivy from the tower's roof. Using his dexterity, he expertly scaled the slippery marble rooftop and ripped from it the ancient growths to build his method of escape. For two hours, he tirelessly wove the vines into a hardened, tri-weave rope that he felt confident in using himself.

And now for the hard part.

Tying one end into a harness and the other into a loop, he tentatively moved to the edge of the broken bridge before swinging the rope several times in the air and launching it. On its first through, the loop failed to catch one of the posts along the side of the broken bridge, and continued to fail twice more. On the fourth toss, it caught, and knowing this to be the moment of truth, the young acrobat leapt from the bridge, praying his rope would hold fast.

It did, and soon he found himself dangling over the chasm, wherein lay many jagged, deadly stalagmites. Pulling himself up his rope, he eventually grasped the ledge with both hands before lifting himself up and over onto the smooth stone bridge.

Mission accomplished. I rock.
 
Clarice raised an eyebrow slightly at hearing a second knock at the door. Perhaps the person outside hadn't heard her well enough to realize that she had told them to enter? She glanced briefly towards Ashley to see if her friend was as confused as she was, and smiled as she saw her reviewing the sketches.

"You should sit," Clarice said softly, gesturing towards the east wall of the throne room, along which a half dozen or so chairs sat. The chairs were generally for when she had others with her such as advisors or nobles, though they sometimes used them for other things - for visiting townsfolk who had trouble walking or standing, for travellers who had exhausted themselves making their way to the city, or in this case, for pregnant ladies-in-waiting whom Clarice didn't want to see straining themselves more than was necessary.

She then turned her attention back towards the large wooden doors of the throne room and put a pleasant smile on. "You may enter," she called out, this time a little louder than before.
 
Upon hearing the command to enter, Diodora decided that it would be best to not make the Queen wait. Even if Allora had something to tell him, she could whisper to him in the throne room. He ushered Allora in with him. He signaled the servants to shut the doors as it might be sensitive information. He approached the Queen and and kneeled onto 1 knee while saluting. HE kept his head down looking at the floor. Hoping that Allora was doing the same.

Your Highness, I bring my report from my patrol. I also bring a request. Their are many merchants that I have never seen before in the marketplace. Great crowds have gathered. Crime is seemingly lower. The economy is looking up.

For the request, I have given it much thought. The Royal Guard do not have an investigator among us. We always work with the local knights on investigations. I believe that it would be beneficial to draft an investigator into the Royal Guard. We are smart, but we are warriors. We are not investigators. This would also allow us to keep security at a premium. By keeping all investigations within our ranks, it limits the amount of information that could get out.

This girl, Allora, is one of the servants in the castle. I have watched her progress and talked with her many times. I request that she be drafted into the Royal Guard for the position of Investigator. I accept full responsibility for her training, and her safety. I wish her to be my partner.

If it is your will, your highness.


He remained bowed and saluting. A Royal Guard must show respect at all times.
 
The sun was rising ever higher in the sky, its warm rays shining down on the city as the streets began to come alive. Kiera gazed about curiously as she walked, finding that passers-by seemed to give her a wide berth. Perhaps she was intimidating to look at - she did, after all, look as witchy as witches could be, with her black gown and confident posture as she strolled to the castle. That was probably what it was. The people were simply intimidated by a woman with her elegance and stature walking around in the main part of the city. She certainly would be had it been her.

The castle was surrounded by a mighty wall, impenetrable and protective. The gates of that wall were guarded by some men who Kiera presumed were royal guards, clad in armour that looked to be of pure gold. Obviously the armour wasn't made of gold; that would just be silly, wasting such precious resources on something such as armour. It was simply another metal likely coated in gold to give it that shimmering appearance. Either way, it did look lovely, and Kiera certainly admired the efforts of the royal armoursmith.

The guards nodded curtly towards her as she passed by. It surprised her that they didn't ask what her business in the castle was, but perhaps she simply gave off an air of someone who knew what she was doing and where she needed to be. Through the gates there was a short little path leading up to the front doors of the palace. They were massive, and as elegant as Kiera would have expected, made of hard wood with beautiful designs carved into them. The craftsmanship was exquisite. The path itself was lined with flowerbeds, and a few other side paths stretched off of it, likely into the royal gardens. Kiera suspected that she would have to examine these gardens at some point, to see what kinds of useful herbs and plants they held - and, of course, to admire their regal beauty.

For now, though, she had a mission. She moved quickly up the path to the main palace doors and slipped through. Now, where would the throne room be? It took her only a split second to find it, as the massive doors - similar to the ones through which she had just come - were right in front of her. A young man was waiting outside, presumably hoping to enter, but not Kiera. She moved forward and gently opened the door, slipping her tall and slender frame through the opening. She saw a beautiful woman with dark hair at the front of the room - the Queen, most likely, as she was seated upon a throne. There was a massively pregnant woman beside her - probably a servant or a lady-in-waiting? - and a duo kneeling before her, clearly speaking first. Kiera hung back by the door, figuring it best she let them finish and wait to be addressed before speaking.
 
Clarice smiled as she saw one of the guards enter with one of the servants. They came immediately to her and knelt - oh, how it drove her crazy when people knelt. She said nothing though, instead simply maintained her pleasant smile. Perhaps when they finished she could show the plans to the young servant girl, the pretty elf with the penchant for trouble. She'd love to see what some of the servants thought of the renovations - it was, after all, to be done in their best interests. When they spoke, though, she realized that she'd likely have to ask another servant instead. This one was about to get promoted.

"You may rise," she said when the guard had finished speaking. She did so hate having people kneel to her. It didn't take her much thought at all. The castle had more than enough servants, so if this guard thought they needed more among his ranks - particularly those with the intelligence required to head investigations as he described - then it would be. "I think that your idea is an excellent one, and Miss Allora here would make an excellent addition to your ranks," she said. "Allora, my dear, have you any prior experience in such a position?"

As she spoke, she saw the doors crack open again and another woman entered. This one was tall and elegant, with dark skin and a black dress, and Clarice was immediately curious. She had to wait until she finished with Allora and Diodora, of course, but the matters they presented to her wouldn't take her long to handle, and then she would see what this intriguing newcomer had to say.
 
(Third Hazard Pt. 1)


Aros had traversed the gorge nearly all night: it was long to be sure, but the confusion magic had turned him around more times than he could count now, and he sensed that either he was to end his journey soon, or end up like Skinny Jack and his lost bandits: trapped in a hovel of his own making. Because Aros had no intention of dying in a forgotten valley, he pressed on as soon as he saw first light come over the tall walls of the gorge. The river had widened into a full pool of sorts, but at this level of ascent in the gorge it was remarkably shallow.

He waded through the clear water, taking care this time to watch his feet for slippery and uneven surfaces. It wouldn't be befitting of him to get his chain-mail rusty on his very first expedition. Of course, his boot caught a rock almost immediately after he made a mental note not to let himself do that, and he landed face first in the water. For a moment he sat there, cold from the stream, and muddied by his time traversing the gorge. Then, he began to laugh. It was less than a chuckle at first, but as he raised his eyes from the water, and the mists seemed to part ahead, it raised it raised to its crescendo: the waterfall was at last ahead.

At the base of the brilliant, opal falls a pyramid of ancient marble stood untouched. It's peak reached the top of the falls, and from where he stood, Aros knew that scaling it was the only way to re-emerge from the chasm. Ahead, he could see a deep darkness under the water: several under-water chasms emanated from the base of the pyramid, no doubt a result of whatever blast of magic had destroyed the rest of the civilization that once called this gorge home.

Aros waded forward, adrenalized by the prospect of reaching the exit, and perhaps finding some treasure on the way.

Then, a terrible tremor shook the ground beneath him, sending him falling backwards. His magical sensitivity as an elf was enough that he felt it before he saw it: from the depths of one of the underwater fissures ahead, two large spikes seemed to rise from the water, followed by a series more on both sides. It was then it reared its ugly head: a terrible beast like a horned toad, but colored in brilliant hues of red and blue, and six times taller than him at least. It opened its mouth, and let loose a bellow so deep that every cell in Aros's body was shaken by the vibration.

Fantasy_Toad_Toad_Frog_Drawing_Giant_42498_detail_thumb.jpg


Well. Giant frog. Definitely did not see that one coming.

Aros pulled his sabre from its sheathe and charged towards the lumbering beast: once it pulled itself out of the chasm and onto the shallow, shale riverbed, Aros knew he had a chance. He was much smaller than the beast for sure, but it was much slower.
 
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Allora

All had seemed to be going right, so excellent that it was crazy. The queen had asked them to rise after they had both come in and knelt, while Diadora made his case for Allora's promotion, and also made his report. She was smiling underneath the hood, and when they were told to rise, she did as she was bid and rose. The queen told them that she had thought it was an excellent idea, something that made Allora smile even wider. But then the question came: Had she ever had prior experience with such a position? Nope. She had never had any kind of experience with it at all. The main issue also stemmed from the fact that she had never learned to read or write, a great issue if she was going to be inducted into the royal guards as an "investigator" thus her smile faltered.

"N-no your highness. I have had no experience with such a position."
 
(Third Hazard Pt. 2)

Aros steeled himself for the next attack: the giant toad had been trying the half-elf's endurance more than his speed: the creature had attempted three times now to simply run Aros down and, while he certainly didn't want to admit it, the giant toad was much faster than he was expecting. Its speed came from its massive hind legs, which it used to propel itself through the air and at its target as though it were a giant, wart-covered cannonball.

The toad eyed its prey with what looked to be grotesque desire. It's bulbous eyes flickered as it examined Aros where he stood thirty feet away. Launching itself wasn't working: Aros was fast enough to side-step and cover enough distance to be out of the creature's range before it gathered its bearing again. Not to mention, after every leap, the toad took several minutes to stare Aros down and--presumably--recharge its energy.

Aros had imagined he would be charging the beast down himself like some hero of yore, but when the creature made its first leap, and proceeded to create a crater in the shale rock by the sheer force of its throw, Aros realized that anything able to shatter stone would have no trouble making a dark elf pancake out of him too.

"C'mon, you fat slime-swiller! I haven't all day to dance with you in this stream!"

The toad let loose a throaty ribbit in response before accelerating towards Aros at a speed it hadn't done previously. Aros leapt to the left, and managed a couple of flips through the air to make distance between himself and the beast. This time, he didn't sprint away.

This isn't going to get done this way. He's playing with me. Waiting until I can't flip anymore.

The toad saw that Aros hadn't moved far, and assuming it was his chance, let loose his massive green tongue like a whip through the air. Coated in an acidic mucus, the appendage caused the water to froth and hiss when is came splashing down where Aros had been standing. The dark-elf half breed had been hoping for the beast to try the way it had, and he somersaulted forward as it did. Now underneath the tongue, he leapt upwards and--while performing a cartwheel of sorts--sent his sabre straight through the fleshy green wall above him, severing it in two.

Dark green blood gushed from the wound, and in retreat, the toad leapt backwards all the while letting loose a horrific screech from the back of its massive maw. The severed strip of tongue hissed and bubbled as it began to dissolve in its own digestive acids. Not wanting to join it, Aros bolted away from the appendage, once again about thirty feet from his would-be assailant.

"Come on! I've got more where that came from you stu--" Aros trailed off as his eyes followed the beast straight up into the air. It appeared that it was no longer attempting to smack into Aros on a horizontal plane.

"What the.... OH CRAP!"

Flying as fast as he could across the shallow pool, Aros found himself doing less running and more, literal, flying as the toad came crashing down where he had been standing. The shock wave sent heaps of stone (as well as Aros) flying upwards. When he came crashing down into the shallows, the elf was breathing heavily, and spitting blood from his mouth. Another impact like that, and he doubted his bones would be able to stand it.

"I need to win this thing. I need to win this NOW!"
 
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