The Furry Forums
Creative Arts and Media => Roleplay => Serious RP => Topic started by: Otebon Albrecht on November 29, 2011, 06:11:56 PM
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** Please note, this is the RP Thread. If you wish to join (assuming that slots are still available), please check the Companion Board for an OOC with the same name.
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I did it, Varen thought to himself as he stood near the center of the large antechamber with his eyes fixed on the door and a small, albeit self-satisfied smile on his face. I finally passed their tests. All that’s left is this Trial I’ve been hearing all about.
It had been a grueling six months for Varen, but that did not mean that the rewards were small. The Bloodhounds, a group of bounty hunters, mercenaries, and anything else that satisfied their contract, were demanding and strict, but if you had to say one thing about them, it had to be this:
They were good.
Varen was currently rocking back and forth on the soles of his stout leather boots, eager to move forward, but nervous about what lie beyond the door. When he and everyone else here had been led here nearly an hour ago by the weapons instructor Otebon, all the black furred wolf had deigned to tell them was…
“Stay here and wait until you are called. Oh,” he had said as he turned to leave. “Try to be polite.”
With that, the old wolf had left Varen alone with four other people he could only assume had just completed their training and were waiting for their own Trial. Although he felt he had already done it a thousand times, Varen gazed at each of his new companions, trying to learn as much as he could while he had the time.
Varen’s gaze first fell upon what looked to be a mixture between a cat and a crow. His wings were large and folded behind his back, though they did ruffle a bit as he rolled his shoulders. He was probably impatient to move along and Varen couldn’t blame him. Although he looked young, he seemed to have the grace of a technical fighter, someone that used their speed and maneuverability to win a fight.
The next person Varen saw was someone he had trained with on several occasions: Jesse. The black furred wolf was playing with the hairs on his tail, something he was prone to do when bored or nervous. Varen always felt sorrow when he saw the scar on Jesse’s face. He had never asked, but had heard a few rumors about its origin.
Continuing his scan of the room, Varen’s eyes fell on someone dealing with their wait a lot better than he was himself. She had her hood up, but Varen could tell that she was completely at ease. She did not move much or continually scan the room, though her position in the corner of the room may have assisted with that. Her hands lay perfectly still as they were crossed in front of her chest.
That left only one more person waiting with them. This was someone that Varen was intensely curious about, but honestly a bit afraid to ask. Varen himself was about six feet tall (fairly average considering the height of wolves) but this… creature (for he couldn’t identify the race of this individual) stood nearly a foot taller than that. He looked like he was not comfortable waiting in the midst of four other people. His eyes seemed to jump from person to person, his fingers twitched for weapons that weren’t there, and he looked as though he expected an attack. The creature was well-muscled and brutal looking with black skin, red hair, and blue markings covering some of the exposed skin, but that isn’t what Varen focused on. As he had spent a good part of his time as a healer, he hated to see scars and the remnants of pain. The wings of this strange person were mangled beyond repair and Varen had to wonder if the warrior missed flying.
His introspection was interrupted however by the door opening in front of him opening. “You may enter,” a distinctly female voice called out to the assembled. So without waiting, Varen entered immediately and was closely followed by the other attendants.
They all found themselves in a stone chamber brightly lit almost solely by windows that showed the valley, the only real method of approach beyond flight to the headquarters of the Bloodhounds, stretched out below them and a hint of the sea beyond.
“Welcome apprentices,” said the voice once more, this time originating from a gryphoness on the far side of the room dressed in white leather armor with a small red symbol over her heart that allowed her to use her full range of motion, especially for her wings. “My name is Lucasta and I am one of the leaders of The Bloodhounds.”
“That makes me the other head,” said a much deeper voice behind the group of five. The origin of the voice was a hyena just now coming into the room and was shutting the door behind them. He was dressed in dark red leather armor that featured plates also showing the symbol of The Bloodhounds bolted on to protect his right shoulder and upper arm. “The name is Kieran, and you better remember it.” With that done, the hyena joined the gryphoness at the far end of the room. “You are here because you are ready for our Trial, which is this. You will be given a contract. Complete it, and you may call yourselves Bloodhounds.”
Lucasta nodded. “Exactly. You have been assigned to find a Bandit Lord that goes by the name Saker. The Lords of Aethera desire this… annoyance to be brought to justice. You will track him down and either bring back proof of his death or provide for his transport to a prison controlled by the Aetherans.”
“Once you’ve killed him…” Kieran began before Lucasta struck him on the arm. “Fine,” he said with a sigh. "Once you have done that, you will return to us and report. We will then judge your performance.”
“If ever during your journey you require aid from The Bloodhounds, we have posts hidden throughout the cities of the world. Simply look for our symbol,” at this Lucasta gestured to the symbol on her armor, “hidden in plain sight. Our agents can hide you, give you supplies, or information if you desire.”
Kieran cracked his neck loudly. “So, you will begin your search in Kuasta. Saker’s thugs have been active there lately and it will probably give you the best lead. If you aren’t familiar with the town, it’s well within Aetheran territory and near the sea. You will begin your search there.”
“Do you have any questions,” Lucasta asked. “Once you leave here, you will not be allowed to return and must succeed or fail on your own, with the exception of our agents throughout the world. You may ask what questions you will however now, but then we will part. Your ship leaves soon.”
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jesse eyed the other apprentices in the room, looking them over. they all seemed capable of fulfilling the contract.
lucasta asked if there were any questions, none of the others had voiced one yet. maybe they were too intimidated by the griphoness. jesse however had his own agenda "mistress lucasta, if you recall the lords of Aethera are not the only ones with interest in the matter. lord Saker is responsible for the burning of my village and slaying of my family. it was one of his adepts who gave me this scar," he gestured to the long scar on his face, several of the apprentices gave looks of sympathy, "I am going to make one thing clear, Saker is mine!" he stood as he said this "if anyone should kill him it should be me, forgive me for asking though. will there be a reward for Killing saker?"
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Creature sat twitching a little bit, uneasy with being in this waiting room with these other people he was unfamiliar with. Especially when they looked at him, or his damaged wing, his face fell cold and his eyes already looked evil. The demon stood up and followed the group into the other room where they met two of the leaders of The Bloodhounds. His eyes narrowed and refocused as the information was given out to them, and he nodded in silent agreeance of the things they were given. He had enough weapons and armor for himself that needing supplies, other than food, wouldn't be any concern to him. His teal markings did not glow, but they were visible, his curved horns felt heavy on his head for some odd reason as a small wolf spoke of killing Saker himself. He arched a brow and tilted his head when the wolf asked about a reward, he was kidding, right? A smirk and a "heh" came from between his lips, but he decided it best to stay silent for the moment.
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Cassandra looked about the room to see anyone that entered or exited. She felt perfectly at ease with the solidness of the two walls at her back. She was starting to get annoyed with all the motion that one rather tall individual was creating. They were most certainly not cut out for waiting around patiently. Then some female opened the door and bid everyone to enter. Cassandra stayed back a little from the group watching for any hidden dangers. As she walked into the stone chamber she heard the sound of soft footfalls behind her and was not surprised to hear the door close shortly after.
She positioned her self, out of habit, in yet another corner with clear sight to any, and all, exits possible. Cassandra listened closely to what Lucasta and Kieran had to say. She did little more than glance over at Jessie,when he begun to talk, and gave no look of sympathy. /he has got his problems and motives and I have got mine/ she thought to herself. She leaned forward slightly at the mention of the question of a reward and smiled. She glanced around at the others again, and her confidence in completing the task grew. /this task may just be beneficial to have at least one ali... or more./ She then straightened up and took a step towards the others. "I my-self was wondering something along the same lines."
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When Jesse came forward and spoke, the reactions of Lucasta and Kieran were very different.
Kieran guffawed loudly. "I told you Lucasta," he said once the uproarious laughter abated. "I like that one!"
Lucasta dipped her head slightly in recognition of Kieran's words. "Yes Jesse, we are aware of your connect to this Saker. I would caution that you attempt to bring Saker in alive, but I realize that I cannot foresee every turn in the paths your life will take you."
Turning to the rest of those gathered, Lucasta continued. "To answer your question of reward: yes, there is a reward for killing Saker. His contract is to bring him in, dead or alive. Know this however. Any reward gathered by the completion of a contract is split with The Bloodhounds. Through the money that our Bloodhounds bring in through contracts, we are able to maintain our outposts and equip our hunters."
"That still means that you will get to keep half," Kieran said nonchalantly. "You get to split that half as you will and we don't care how you spend it. And don't worry about being slighted, I've seen the contract myself and Saker is worth plenty, no matter what state he's brought in."
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jesse smiled at the thought of a reward for killing saker. he couldnt explain the excitement he felt in words he would be rewarded for avenging his family! his tail wagged so violently that had be been standing near a table he would have cleared any items setting on it off of it.
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"How will we know that we've found him?" Zavier said, rubbing his injured shoulder. "And what should I do if I run into... never mind, I know."
"And for the record, " he said, looking around the room at everyone, "I'd really prefer it if we can bring him back alive."
"Without killing any living things."
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"Saker is rather large and muscular, i know it sounds like any other bandit but Saker is a Giant. he uses a set of Twin Greatswords the size of any one of us," said jesse, then his eyes fell on creature "well the size of most of us" he amended. "he wears no armor for he believes himself to be untouchable, he will be in the center of the largest city well Guarded by the elites of his clan, he lives in a stolen castle that he himself supposedly cleared. hes aproximately 9 foot tall and a black dragon with a gray underbelly and spikes going down his back his wing span is about 18 foot. he is truly a foe to be reckoned with."
though jesse knew the full story on Saker, he was not afraid. his hair stood on end and a low growl .escaped his throat. I will get you saker, if its the last thing i do. he thought.
(saker's form has not been truly thought about but since he is kind of my character this is how im going to portray him)
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Cassandra leans back against the wall and starts to dose slightly. The past two evenings she had none, dew to the fact she had some personal business to attend to.
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Zaveir turned and looked at Jesse. "So he's just an overconfident upstart?"
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Kieran nodded when Jesse described Saker. "You're right there," he said with a small smile on his face, as though remembering something funny. "Saker is one massive individual and a bit on the frightening side when it comes to those swords of his. I still remember the beating he gave me some twenty years ago..." Kieran's hands came up and rubbed a spot in the center of his stomach, as though remembering a past wound. "That was before he became a self-proclaimed Bandit Lord, however..."
Lucasta glanced at Kieran, a look of sympathy on her face. "I appreciate your concern to bring Saker in without undue conflict. I too would prefer that to happen. As to where Saker is, we have little idea. Yes, he is an arrogant upstart, but don't underestimate him. It does fit that he would want the largest, most opulent, and most kingly lodgings that he could acquire, so we suggest that you direct your attentions to the major cities of Caldiera, Kuasta, Feldspar, and Aetheria. I would suggest that you would put your efforts to finding an associate or underling and follow that trail so that you do not end up on the wrong side of the continent."
Lucasta glanced out of the window and sucked in her breath quickly. "Oh dear," she said with some irritation. "Your ship will be leaving within the hour. Head down to the quartermaster and then to the docks."
Kieran waved. "Good hunting."
--- --- ---
It had taken two long days at sea, but their ship, the Sea Sprite, was blessed by good winds and helpful currents. The trip was short and uneventful, and now it was coming to an end.
Soon their small group was unloading onto the docks, led by the guide that had met them at the ship. He was a Bloodhound, an otter, named Abgrider. He had explained that he had his own mission in Kuasta and had also been assigned chaperoning their small group at least to the safe house within Kuasta.
Once everyone's packs and gear were all off the ship, Abgrider led them through the city. He spent much of his time speaking loudly and boisterously about nothing of any great importance, much the same as he had during their trip on the sea. He spoke of how Kuasta basically survived through shipping, fishing, and trade for this side of the continent as he led them to a small Tavern named The Flying Fish and headed inside.
Only sparing a nod for the Matron, a round-bodied Horse, Abgrider headed to the top floor of the Tavern and went into a room at the far end of the hall. The group entered and found themselves in a large room that functioned as a antechamber for three others. The center of this chamber lay a large table with several chairs around it. In one of these chairs a Fox in a heavy overcoat.
Abgrider laid his bags on top of the table and rolled his shoulders. "Alright then new members, welcome to Kuasta," he said grandly. "This is the safe house for this fair city, as run by Sarah downstairs. If you need anything, ask her and she can try to get a hold of it. Beyond that," Abgrider said as he turned to the room immediately across from the door he had entered. "this one is my room. You are in the other two as you wish. My contract requires that I leave sometime tonight, so I'm going to go to bed. I got a message from the higher-ups that you are looking for a bandit by the name of Saker. I know that his thugs have been hitting caravans going inland for the last few weeks, so I suggest that you meet and greet and figure out what you need to do so you can start on that."
He waved and headed into his room. "Good Luck!"
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After the person Left Zavier glanced around the room.
"Okay," he said, sitting down. "So... should I start, or does someone else want to?"
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jesse, being tired and slightly seasick from the journey across the sea wished nothing more but to rest. he sat at a small table set for two decorated with but a single burning candle.
"i am feeling under the weather, if you wish to begin do so." he said huffing. the room felt hot to him and his thick fur wasn't of much help. he lifted his hands as he drew a small rune in the air before him, it was the rune for air. almost immediately a small breeze blew around the room. the wind blew his fur slightly helping him relax.
it was a weak rune however, the breeze continued to go about the room untill the candle flickered out and it dissipated. "damn.." jesse drew the rune for fire and it sparked just enough to light the candle.
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Cassandra had to admit that the town wasn't as bad as she expected it to be, but nor was it grand. She followed Abgrider and when they got into the large room she took a chair and sat down and because it was so warm in the room even after Jesse made the breeze and put out the candle. She lowered her hood and removed the bottom portion of her face guard as well. Within a few seconds Jesse had the candle lit again.
"So we may as well get acquainted, My name is Cassandra and I was an assassin before i joined The Bloodhounds."
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"nice to make your aquaintance cassandra, i am jesse. before the bloodhounds i trained to be a warrior so i could hunt down saker, and now i am here."
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The fox took a small card out of a pouch on his jacket, and placed it on the table. A flame about five times the size of the candle, flared out of the card and held itself aloft above the card.
"I am Marcus, the one who was selected because of your limited vocabulary in the arcane and mystical. Any attempts to prove me otherwise will be met with haughty chuckles and a dismissive wave of my hand. I will also be the one tending to your wounds on the off-chance any of you decide to be fool-hardy. Now that my introduction is out of the way, who here knows anything more potent beyond the slight breeze that Jesse has conjured?"
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(*** This is Jovi's & My post. Next poster should be DarylDemented)
Creature had sat silently the entire ride over, and remained quiet until it was time for them to introduce themselves. He was standing near Marcus, so when the giant flame came out his face was also light up. Creature decided he could provide his own light when Marcus' card ran out of energy. One thing that Creature could do was make his marks glow by inner concentration, and they would automatically glow with any adrenalin running through his veins. He closed his eyes and suddenly the teal marks started glowing a brilliant terquoise blue, and he opened his eyes that were now glowing as red as his mane and wings. "Aye, I've got more strength than everyone 'ere combined. I'm yer muscle, and I know magic. Name is Kaihautu Datu, but call me Creature." The breeze blew through his mane and wings, and his glow was very bright. Bright enough to light up the entire room they were in.
--- --- ---
Varen had to hide a smile behind his hands as the cloaked fox displayed his grandiose vocabulary and "haughty" attitude. At least I won't be the only one that will be binding wounds and staunching veins, he thought to himself.
"I'm Varen" he said as he stepped forward and offered a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Now, down to business, shall we?"
He took a seat and crossed his ankles underneath his chair. His back was straight, more a habit than an effort to be superior, though others may see it that way. "One of the heads, I believe it was Lucasta, mentioned that bandits tied to Saker had been seen outside the city and were causing some trouble. As Kuasta is a coastal trade city, I would imagine that caravans leave from this city almost daily. If those thugs are troubling the convoys, that may be our way to start the trace. Does anyone have any ideas on how they wish to procede?"
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marcus struck jesse as overconfident. jesse was more than capable of casting master level spells, but he was weakened by seasickness. varen began to brief them on their mission and jesse took to drawing a rune on his chest. it was rather large and intricate. the more of it he drew the brighter it glowed. with the final stroke jesse transformed before their eyes into a small argonian with a wide brimmed hat and flowing robes. the room was amazed at the spell work and several of the others gasped. it was a high level tranformation spell that would last until the rune was wiped from his chest.
"i say we pose as merchants and wait until the mercenaries attack and then we could subdue them and bring them here to interrogate them. once they tell us what they want we can dispose of them as we see fit"
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Cassandra raises her eyebrows, surprised at Marcus's transformation. She keeps it to her self that she can willingly create the illusion of herself to vanish. She listened carefully to what Varen had to say, along with Marcus's idea.
"I Do have to say i agree with some of Marcus's plan, but couldn't we also set up more of an ambush point?"
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Marcus looked at Cassandra with confusion, putting his card away and turning his chair to her.
"I have no plan in mind, as I am not used to coordinating my magic with other individuals. I will follow Creature, boosting him while also providing supporting fire. While I do not intend to diminish the significance of your magical skills, I doubt any of you have put as much effort or time into magic as I have."
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Although he had to squint ever so slightly to shield his eyes from the fire coming from Marcus' pre-made spell card, Creature's glowing... marks, and Jesse's candle (all, especially with Jesse's transformation into a walking lizard, showed his compatriots magical abilities), his smile did not diminish one iota as he listened to his new compatriots discuss the subject of a plan. It was good to be working towards something, especially as the past few days have been little but waiting on a ship.
"So," Varen said leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table. "If I may? It seems we agree that we need to go out and search for our enemies that plague the merchant caravans. I propose, and take it as you will, that we tack ourselves onto a caravan as guards. If we are lucky, then once they believe themselves safe, the bandits will attack and we will be ready for them. If you wish, I could go out and start getting us a job within a few minutes."
It would take him a bit to search for the merchant quarter in a city the size of Kuasta, but Varen knew he could do it fairly quickly. He had always been able to navigate the cities and castles of the world. Call it a talent if you would. With some effort, he could find a caravan leaving in a few days and get them positions as guards or even as laborers. They would be present if and when the caravan came under attack and (barring the unforseen) could act appropriately.
All in all, simple.
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(Guys... give me a chance to catch up here!)
"You know, if it turns out that he's in a castle, then there's probably a secret way in," Zavier said, playing with his knife. "If it turns out that this is true, and if it would help, I could sneak in, take the place of one of Saker's bodyguards, and make sure that he doesn't escape." He looked up towards Jesse. "So who are you, exactly? I didn't hear you; I was busy thinking."
(Is this better? It definitely doesn't specify any location.
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"i think we should Otebon" jesse voiced as he sat playing with his tail. "and in the meantime maybe we should ask around and see what we can find out about Saker"
(cifero we arent sure where Saker really is yet so that doesnt work?)
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(My character knows things that others don't)
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Varen nodded. They were all good ideas, they just needed to be implemented.
"Information is power. After we find a caravan to take us further inland, we can canvas the area and see if there is anyone willing to talk about Saker. My only real issue with that is that this may just be a small part of the operation Saker is running. I doubt anyone could identify where he lives, so we may have to climb the leadership ladder in our search."
That being said, Varen was already budgeting how much money he could spare to buy people drinks and meals in the local tavern. Information was a specialty of his and people loved to talk over food, especially if it was free.
"Zavier, I like your idea about sneaking into the castle, but I don't know if the risk is worth the reward. People generally get hung, or at least imprisoned, for scaling the walls or being found out." Varen hummed to himself as he thought of something new. "But then again... If bandits under Saker are so successfully attacking the caravans out of this city, someone may be dealing in that kind of information. The castle here may have records of when caravans enter and leave the city and list their destinations. Imagine if one of Saker's thugs were using that to set up strikes? It's up to you though if you want to go in and take a peak."
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"i agree that maybe if we found the right person we could bribe them to speak, or" he cracked his knuckles "make them Talk" he smiles showing his canine teeth menicingly.
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Cassandra nods and smiles as well. " The only problem with that is, if they get away, they may tip off their contacts."
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Zavier stopped spinning his dagger and slipped it back in his boot.
"Well, we can't kill them," he said. "I don't approve of killing, especially if it's wrong and needless. That's kind of how I got into the Bloodhounds." The winged feline glanced out the window. "I was left on the doorstep of a fighting school when I was a newborn. I lived there for most of my life until last year. You see, there was this jerk at the school who had a really short temper and was quick to fight. One day, one of the newer students accidently tripped him... and he lost it and drew his sword. The new kid ran, but eventually, the jerk caught up with him and went to slice off his head. I had followed them... I didn't want anything to happen to the kid. So when I saw the raised sword... I jumped in the way." He rolled up his left sleeve to reveal a terrible scar on his shoulder. "One of the Bloodhound recruiters had seen the event that caused the jerk to chase the student, and had secretly been following us. I passed out from the immense pain, but the Bloodhound stopped the wayward jerk before he killed the student." Zavier pulled his sleeve back over the scar. "After I recovered, he offered me a place among the Bloodhounds, and I accepted it... but I still never did approve of unesscessary death, and I never will." He looked at the others. "We'll just have to risk it."
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Marcus licked his teeth as he got out of his chair, taking the card off the table and shuffling his "deck" as he looked at the group with mild disgust.
"You should be prepared to make unnecessary kills if you cannot come to a better conclusion in the time you're given. Bandits will rarely think of you better if you spare one of their men, in fact the only reason most bandits would want their own back, is so that the advantage you had over them is now gone." He turned to Zavier, his gaze changing from disgust to one more somber.
"I'd rather avoid killing if information can be gleaned, but one's own survival is paramount when it is by one's own blade that the job will be completed. If we can survive carving a bloody path to their leader, then I'm all for it... less healing for me to put up with." He then turned back to the rest of the group with the earlier visage.
"Just as a precaution, if one of you gets the idea that healing is something you can take for granted, I'll start charging you for the damage you've idiotically inflicted on yourself."
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Varen laughed. Marcus may be arrogant, but at least he's got a sense of humor, he thought to himself.
"I appreciate that Marcus. I've never taken health for granted myself, so I will always try to remember to say thank you if you need to patch a hole in my hide." Varen stood and stretched slightly. "So we are agreed on booking a caravan -"
Varen turned as the door opened to admit the Matron of the Tavern, a large-bodied Equine. She made a slight bow as she entered.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said as she folded her hands in front of herself. "I just wanted to come up and introduce myself and offer what I could. My name is Sarah Rosaline, but you may call me Sarah if you wish. I run this tavern and give what help I can to the Bloodhounds when they need it for reasons that are my own. I couldn't help but overhear that you are planning to jump passage on a caravan and hope it gets attacked en route. I can help you there. My brother, Roland, is leaving for Aetheria tomorrow before the sun's up. Recently he's been moaning about how he wished he had more guards, so I'm sure he'd be more than happy to have you folk tag along."
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Creature had been silently listening and pondering the others thoughts and ideas on how to breech the walls of the castle. It didn't much matter to him, because in his mind there wasn't any average man or beast that could take him down in a fight. He somewhat grunted at Zavier's story, he didn't care for anyone's personal sob stories or how they felt about anything, as far as creature was concerned he'd kill anyone that got in his way on the path to Saker and Saker himself if no one else could. Creature shifted his weight and the floor boards creaked under his weight as the house matron appeared in the doorway.
"Heh, perfect." He stated in a dark low tone, a bit of a grin exposing his fangs, this time he flicked out his forked snake-like tongue tasting the midnight air around them. His glowing markings were now starting to fade slightly to a dull glow, there was no reason for them to be incredibly bright, plus having them glow brightly tired him out slightly when his adrenalin wasn't pumping.
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"i also value health but i can do some healing myself so your services probrably wont be needed marcus," as his sentence came to an end the owner of the establishment entered and informed them her brother was headed to aetherius and that he might not mind giving them a ride, Jesse pondered this for a second. the rode to aetherius was where the bandit attacks in the area had been happening, maybe they could work this to their advantage. "Varen, do you think we could persuade Roland to act as a merchant and allow us to play his guards? this would keep expenses down and take us right to the bandits. a few of us could ride as passengers and the rest could play guard!"
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Cassandra smiles a bit at Jesse's comment 'play guard' and ponders how/ where she could be placed in the caravan.
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"I like it," Zavier said. "But how should we convince him?"
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Marcus stopped flipping through his cards and put them away as he strolled over to Cassandra.
"I came here on a "rented" horse, so I could be the caravan's scout, but I would like you to cover my blind side as I go ahead... if you think you're ready for it that is."
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Sarah laughed. "It seems as though my brother will be quite pleased. The thought is barely out of my mouth before you begin to plot over it. As luck would have it, my brother is right downstairs. I own the Flying Fish, but Roland does small errands for me. The entire purpose of his trip tomorrow is to pick up some things for the kitchen and bring back some supplies we can't get here. I'll go and have him come up so you can speak specifics with him. If you need anything else, come and find me. It's getting into the dinner hour so I'll have one of the girls bring something up if you're still here once the rush passes." Sarah made a short bow with her hands folded in front of herself. "By your leave." With that she turned and left.
Varen turned back to the group. "Excellent. It looks like we have our passage." He pointed at the fox. "I like Marcus' idea. The thought of us all sitting in one or two carriages as they are attack just sounds like we're asking for trouble. Cassandra, you are a bit more mobile than..." Varen's eyes drifted to Creature, "some of us. You think you can be an outrider for us? If you and Marcus can scout out our area, we can have at least a little bit of notice before the hammer comes down."
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"excellent plan, at least we wont be surprised. but will we continue with one or two of us disguised as guard? or simply hide in the back of the carriage?" jesse asked
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Creature let out a low hiss, "I think that'll be somethin' we discuss with Miss Sarah's brother when he comes up 'ere. Don't you think he'll be able to tell us how much capacity the carriage has?" his tone was slightly condescending. He shifted his mass looking at Jesse and Varen, and then turned his head, cracking his neck by pushing on his jaw in each direction his vertebrae loudly popping one at a time.
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Cassandra nods to Varen, then glances at Creature. "that we should do... it would indeed better our understanding of how everything is going to play out..."
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(You know that you're kinda leaving me out of the conversation, right?)
"And don't worry if they manage to reach the carriage," Zavier said. He drew the long rapier he carried by his side. "I can probably get them off."
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Marcus looked at Zavier and chuckled at his words. "Zavier, we won't be able to keep you with us if your confidence goes only as far as 'probably get them off'. Doubt leads to indecision, which can get most people in our line of work killed." He made his way over to the front door, turning back to Varen. "Just tell me when we're leaving, and I'll go scout ahead before we leave."
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Varen chuckled slightly. "I think our departure time will be a bit dependent on Roland, don't you think?"
At that moment, there was a knocking on the door. Very slowly it opened to reveal a male Horse. "Good evening Bloodhounds," he said as he entered, hat in hand. "My name is Roland. My sister, Sarah, says that you all wish to sign on as guards for my trip to Aetheria. I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to know that I'm going to have so many extra blades around me. Those bandits have been harrying anyone and everyone that looks to be an easy mark or carries valuable cargo. I have no doubts about being among the first group, I'll tell you that."
Varen moved forward. I guess since everyone is deferring to me, that makes me the unofficial leader... didn't think that would happen... He extended his hand. "Yes, your sister was kind enough to mention your trip to Aetheria and our contract is leading us... in that general direction." Varen cringed. It isn't right that I have to lie to this guy. He's nice enough, but we can't have him running around with information about us... "Before we begin, however, we need to know as much as we can about your trip. Mainly, when are you leaving, where should we meet you to begin, and how you plan to travel."
Roland nodded. "Couldn't expect much else from Bloodhounds, eh? If it pleases you, we will meet here an hour before sunrise. My wagon is already packed up and the stuff I'm taking to trade is already tied down. Perhaps four of you could ride if you wish, if you wanted to pack in close, but I can't imagine that you would... I plan to head west. It's straighter that way and will keep us in dangerous territory for the shortest time."
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Creature watched Varen interact with Roland, he listened carefully to the horse, and to what Varen had to say back to him. "Four of us will fit, if we pack in close? How close are we talking here?" Creature glanced at the others in the room, he was by far the biggest, and tallest, even making Roland look small. It made him wonder if he'd be picked to go if only four could fit in the cart. He took up nearly two places ordinarily.
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creatures question sparked Jesse's curiosity he began to ponder the question of space hmm there are seven of us and two will scout and four can fit in the wagon, where would the other go Jesse wondered " well two of us are going ahead as scouts, you say four of us could squeeze in the back of the wagon and maybe another could help drive the wagon?"
"or maybe we could go back to the guard idea and creature would walk along with the wagon I'm sure with his long stride he could keep up" not to mention effortlessly look menacing he thought. he remembered in his home town most people got around by running or by bicycle. their town had been relatively small with a population of 1000 primarily made of wolfs who were accustomed to running around anyways the smaller mammals typically used the bikes as it were.
he looked over at varen, during their training they had spent many days partnered together doing whatever random task had been assigned to them, one one occasion the had been asked to run to the neighboring town and get medicinal herbs as a favor to the abbot of the nearby monastery the journey had taken them two days and one night. it was a quite a bit of ground to cover for two young wolves but they did it nonetheless. on the way they had actually encountered a highway man who had mistaken Jesse for a lost cub when he was gathering firewood.
"give all your gold or your life!" he had said he was in a dark cloak but Jesse could tell he was a raccoon. Jesse threw the sticks down on the ground and yelled "take it if you can!" then pulled a dagger and dueled with him about this time varen had came out from the woods relieving himself and saw the highwayman and Jesse fighting he heroically pulled his shortsword and stepped in helping Jesse chase off the robber who during the confusion dropped a pouch of gold and supplies.
that night Jesse and varen split the gold and feasted on the food in the bag and later went on to finish their mission. it had been an interesting night. Jesse pondered asking varen if he would mind doing the same again (minus getting mugged if they could help it) he decided he would bring it up later on if they couldn't fit everyone.
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"The path we are going to be taking, will there be any wooded areas?" Cassandra asked Quietly after Jesse, and Creature spoke. "I could run ahead as a scout."
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"I'd like to know that too," Zavier said, sheathing the rapier.
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Marcus left the room, going to get his horse. She was a work horse, but obviously wore enchanted horseshoes that would not require any impact to hold to the hoof, and increased the horse's speed to nearly twice its usual speed. "Shale, we're going to be scouting for a caravan, so I need you to be quick on reaction time." The mare rose on her hind legs and let out a whinny in response, with Marcus hardly disturbed. "You could just whinny..."
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Roland kneaded the hat in his hands. "Well, if you," he said while looking at Creature "wished to ride, I think two might be able to sit with you. You are very large... As to going through wooded areas, yes we will be. There's a forest about ten miles into our trip. Most people take the southern road nowadays because it travels along the coast and avoids the forest. Not every caravan can travel on the forest road, it's fairly narrow, but I've done it before and my wagon will fit."
Varen nodded. "Thank you Roland." He had watched Marcus leave and thought it was curious, but hey, he wasn't in charge of his safety.
Roland nodded. "Yes, seeings as nightfall has already come. I'm going to go and get some sleep. Remember that we leave an hour before sunrise. By your leave."
With that, Roland turned and left from the room. After he had left, Varen knocked on the table as he stood and went over to his bag. "Well everyone," he said as he dug through it to grab a purse that clinked with the sound of coins. "I don't know about you but sunrise is in seven hours. You may go to sleep if you will. I believe Abgrider said that those," he said as he pointed to a pair of doors, "were bedrooms. I am going to go out and see what everyone is talking about. Maybe we can pick up a lead or two while we're here. I doubt it though... Ah well. See you later."
Varen walked out the door.
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Creature huffed a bit, "aye, I'll walk along and be a ground guard." He didn't have too much else to add, and really didn't care about what anyone else had to say so he walked off to where the bedrooms had been pointed out. He grumbled and took off his boots and any of his extra leather pieces of armor off before he climbed into one of the beds and before long his marks were no more than a dull glow. He would sleep for only 6 of the 7 hours, rising before anyone else to contemplate the land.
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Sorry for the pause) Cassandra nods to creature and Ronald. After Varen finished speaking she went up to her room and sat on the edge of the bed, after checking and noting the escape routs, a force of habit.* I might as well sleep for a bit if I am going to be running ahead of the caravan" with that she lay down on the bed and slept
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"I'll ride with you, but I'l bring a spare horse in case I need to go mobile," Zavier said. The feline yawned, stretching out his wings. "I should probably rest too. It's been a year, and my shoulder still hurts like hell..."
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Morning was soon to come and found everyone in their small band already on their way out of the city. Roland had been true to his word and had everything prepared in his wagon as they arrived. Roland himself sat on the bench of the wagon with the reins in his hands that guided the pair of oxen that pulled the heavily laden wagon down the road.
The wagon was slow moving, but steady. Marcus was off to their left on his horse, Creature was keeping pace near to the wagon's right side with Cassandra, and Zavier was sitting in the wagon with Varen. A few spare horses were tied to the back of the wagon and plodded along as though nothing in this world could startle them.
Varen had started this day walking, but seeing that no one else was taking Roland up on his nice offer, he took a seat and was currently entertaining their host with a song from his home. He sang loud and clearly so that his compatriots could also enjoy the music. While he did this however his crossbow sat in his lap. He had refitted the string this morning and could draw it back with one hand, but he kept watching the quickly approaching treeline as he sung.
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Creature plodded along silently, and readjusted his quiver. Dressed to take on mediocre challengers he wore leather armor and carried his long bow, as well as his sheathed hand and a half sword. He walked along and continually flicked his tongue in and out tasting the air for any impending threats. He thought for sure that it was a bit too early in the trip to have any trouble though.