Darkness (An open species role play)


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Creus

11:25pm Apr 16 2019

Normal User


Posts: 92
Did that creature understand him or something? It certainly seemed to react quite hostile when he mentioned getting rid of it however he didn't further any conversation regarding it at the moment. If his new comrade wished to allow a strange creature to hang out on his neck, well so be it then. As long as it didn't become his problem then he would leave it be, though he was still worried that it could be dangerous or worse a potential spy of some sort? In this world he couldn't put such a possibility to rest. Who knew what sort of magical creatures existed and what they where capable of.

The mage returned his attention to the battle just in time to catch lightning emitting from the dragons-no Kuro's body. So he could use magic as well? Or at least something like it anyway. The blast was powerful, more so than the lightning spell he used earlier which had failed to kill the creature he fought. Kuro would certainly make a dangerous enemy if he ever chose to turn against them however given what little he had seen of the man-dragon? He couldn't help but be more concerned about the man standing next to him, at least so far Zakhar seemed to be the more hostile one where Kuro seemed honest at least but a single day was hardly enough time to get to know anyone.

Hearing the dragon whine managed to evoke a little sympathy from the usually less than sympathetic mage though he did nothing to show it. Instead as the dragon landed and turned back he considered offering to heal him instead but weighed that consideration heavily. The more magic he used the faster he would run out, if he ran out and they had to endure more attacks then what? On the upside, he hadn't used much magic yet. It would still be awhile before he was left defenseless and a dragon was a powerful ally to have in this situation, especially considering he was magically bound to another one. It would be a good chance to cultivate a bit of favor in his direction plus somewhere deep inside he genuinely did not like seeing others injured when he knew he could help them.

"I'm fine as you can see." The mage stated simply paying little mind to Zakhar, at worst he might have some bruising from when that creature tackled him to the ground but it was nothing he couldn't put up with. "For now I think we should probably find our guide and make sure he's still alive...." Creus added, trailing off as he considered making that offer again and speaking a bit more hesitantly he did. "Also....if you wish I can heal your wounds." As he said this he found himself avoiding eye contact with either one of them strangely he felt just a touch self conscious.  Perhaps because in his world talking of things like magic was basically a one way trip to being burnt alive."That goes for you as well Zakhar, provided you both remain allies I can heal injuries if needed."


It seemed at least that Zakhar wasn't overly fond of him by his words and actions, they didn't exactly meet on the greatest of terms and the mage found that feeling to be mutual. That being said he saw no need to try and perpetuate that, they may have no choice but to continue fighting together if they wanted to survive so they might as well try to be civil. Then again he had to remind himself that it was hard to judge any one man based on twenty four hours and a less than ideal meeting. The same went for Kuro, time to adjust and get to know each other better was what they all needed.  They might have plenty of that if a long journey was truly waiting for them.

After he finished speaking he caught sight of the blacksmith heading toward them, the man had a spatter of black blood across his shirt and face and the mage couldn't help but take a step back. He rather distinctly remembered how strong that man had been when he shoved him into that monster. His strength didn't seem human and so he eyed the man wearily as he spoke.

"Oi, you guys are still alive? I'm surprised, you guys are already fairing far better than the rest. I thought fer sure that y'all wouldn't still be here when I returned. Those monsters killed quite a few guards getting here ya know. Anywho, they are all dead now so you y'all may continue your little three way date. Go on, get yer shopping done those weapons are on me. I'm gonna wash up, take what you need from the store but don't take too much or I'll hunt ya down and take it back and I won't show y'all any mercy."

What was that even supposed to mean? Take weapons for free and take more if needed but don't take too much? What did this blacksmith count as too much? Not only that but he actually threw him into a monster and pretty much returned just to state that he had thought he and his companions would be killed? Had this guy really just tried to kill him by throwing him into that monster and leave the others to die or was that all just old warrior tough talk? Either way it left a bitter taste in his mouth as the mage glared after the man whom had already disappeared behind his shop. It was bad enough that he had to deal with things like that where he came from. He really hoped it was just all old warrior tough talk.



Storm
plot_twister

12:18am Apr 17 2019

Normal User


Posts: 25

Surprisingly enough both of the humans were untouched, causing Kuro to pout slightly, feeling a bit miffed that despite being a dragon he was the only one bleeding right now. Huffing he used his free hand to brush himself off, plucking a glittering scale from his shirt and flicking it away, glancing up as the mage spoke about healing him, surprised since usually that was the first kind of magic skill someone would mention. Though judging by the way the man was avoiding looking at either of them, this was clearly not a normal thing to say where he was from.


“Thank you, Creus. But you don’t need to heal me fully if you could just slow the bleeding I’ll be fine, I tend to heal faster than humans,” he replied, making his way over to the two. Though the sudden voice of the blacksmith behind him had Kuro starting, spinning around as if ready to fight some more, but he merely sighed, shoulders slumping as he realized it was just the blacksmith, huffing at the man’s words, not liking how he’d just thrown them into this mess with minimal protection.


Kuro kept his thought to himself though as the man walked away, not wanting to miss out on the possibility of free gear, knowing that the first thing he’d grab was some protection. “Well, he’s a bundle of joy isn’t he” the dragon muttered once he was sure the man was far enough away not to hear him, turning around to look at the other two, though he paused, glancing around, his ex
pression growing concerned. They seemed to be missing a member; their guide was absent.


“Where is Thiago?” he asked worriedly, hoping their guide hadn’t been harmed in the fighting.


Alcarie

12:36pm Apr 19 2019

Normal User


Posts: 2,091

Zakhar
Catching the last leery look the mage had thrown his new companion, Zakhar bristled at the implications. Sure, Creus had also been thrown in the middle of the same sh*t-storm as himself, but as far as Zakhar was concerned a mutual goal was not enough to make them true allies. The wizard was just as likely to throw him in front of a monster if the circumstances called for it as to save him. Zakhar had seen nothing in Creus to suggest the mage actually gave a crap about any of them, except the wolf, unless it got him closer to finishing the mission. But then again, Zakhar was self aware enough to know that, as they stood right now, if some monster killed the mage he’d not lose any sleep over it. Allies died, friends died, h*ll family died. It was how things went and if he allowed death to hurt him there’d not be much left of Zakhar at the end of the day. Did that make him heartless? Maybe. A bit. But there were those left alive to think of.


At Creus’ offer, Zakhar noted that the words seemed to have to be pulled from the mage. As if he truly wasn’t sure healing Kuro was worth his magic. He ignored the offer made to him, because there was no way he was going to allow magic to be used on him. Not by a wizard who he didn’t trust. Kuro, however, was turning out to be likely the most versatile member of their little trio and thus the most powerful. Zakhar hoped he’d take the offer because they needed the dragon to be at his best going forward. Plus, Kuro was the most likable of them so far, so maybe he’d be able to thaw Creus’ icy heart as time went on. Luckily for Zakhar, even Creus’ temperament was nothing compared to some of the people he’d worked with. Anyone who’d spent more than an hour in Luca’s presence wished for a bullet to the skull to put them out of their misery. He could deal with the mage to get back home. Amused by that though, Zakhar smirked to himself and moved away from them and towards where he’d last seen Thiago.


At least he wasn’t the most useless of their small group, Zakhar inwardly mused. Sure, he was only a human who’d need to utilize all his skills to even attempt to keep up with a wizard and a dragon, but at least he knew his way around a fight both on and off the battlefield. Thiago, however, needed some work. If their guide froze or acted irrationally everytime monsters were involved they’d have to protect him and that meant risking themselves. “Thiago!” He whisper-yelled into the small, dingy alleyway he’d last seen the black tail disappear into. “Their all dead man, you can come out.” Nothing happened and for a moment Zakhar thought he might have to find and scruff the beastman to drag him out. A shadow suddenly moved from the back and Thiago’s luminescent golden eyes shined from the gloom as he approached slowly. For an uncomfortable second Thiago’s eyes looked a whole lot like Zakhar’s monster. Odd. He thought, vexed.


“You okay?” He asked the beastman, stepping back as Thiago poked his strangely shaped face and and peered around cautiously. There was no blood, but Thiago was shaking almost violently. “Hey, your fine. We got ‘em all.” Thiago turned to look at him, eyes taking up most of his pale face and he flinched.


Those were nothing like what is coming. Do you understand? These are scouts, the weakest of what is inside that storm.” The words had the desired effect of making Zakhar shift uncomfortably. He was bruised and bleeding slightly, Creus was possibly down on magic (he needed to figure out how that worked), and Kuro had a chunk taken out of him and these were only scouts.


“When we get back, we need you to explain to us what all you know, Thiago. Because I feel like you’re hiding something.” Zakhar bit the words out harshly, reaching forward to grab the beastman shoulder in a firm grip. Not enough to hurt, but enough he knew Zakhar was being serious. “If it can help us at all, don’t you think you owe it to us, to the people of this world, to tell?” Thiago closed his eyes tightly, and Zakhar was startled to see tears forming on the beastman eyelashes.


I don’t owe it to you, to the idiot people, but I do owe it to them.” For the first time Thiago’s soft voice was strong, anger and something else lacing it. Good, let him get angry. It’ll keep him motivated. Zakhar nodded, letting Thiago go as he stepped back. The shaking had mostly stopped, but the beastman’s hands still trembled. Unwilling to comment on it, Zakhar simply nodded and gestured towards the others. The blacksmith’s voice cut their conversation short, and Zakhar glared at the big man with a sneer. “It would not be wise to garner his ire.


“Yeah, well I you’ll learn quick poking a sleeping bear is one of my favorite hobbies.” Zakhar bypassed Thiago on his way to the shop, not noticing the beastman’s confused look at the strange sentence before Thiago trotted after him.


Why would you want to wake a bear? That seems unduly dangerous for no reward.



Tinkers
Creus

9:07pm Apr 21 2019 (last edited on 9:09pm Apr 21 2019)

Normal User


Posts: 92
When Zakhar ignored his offer, Creus wasn't at all bothered by this it was hardly surprising and less power wasted on his part as far as he was concerned. He watched for a moment as he went off in pursuit of their guide then carefully approached Kuro. "Alright, I don't know if you are familiar with healing magic but where I come from its more or less a warm light. I haven't experienced it myself but I have used it on others and have been told that its the equivalent of jumping into a hot bath, a little uncomfortably warm at first but soothing afterword." The mage warned before he attempted anything as the last thing he wanted was for the dragon to be taken by surprise by the sensation of healing magic and react negatively.

"Ready?" He asked however didn't wait long for a response as he raised his hand and held it over the injury. He wasn't entirely comfortable being close to anyone but at least it was not touching and healing magic worked best at close range. Not wasting anytime he quietly called up the magic, feeling its power well up and concentrate in his hand before forming it into a basic healing spell. From there it flowed from his finger tips, across the air in the form of a golden light and onto Kuro, rapidly speeding up the healing process. Since it wasn't a full heal it only lasted a couple of seconds before the mage stopped it and quickly stepped back to give the dragon room.

"I am going to try and find some food that will travel well as well as some other supplies. I don't really have much need for anything in that the blacksmith has in his shop. I will meet everyone at the towns entrance in two hours, that should give us enough time to gather supplies and get out of here." Splitting up might be a bit dangerous but he wanted to get away from these guys just a bit and scout the place out himself. Everywhere he went he tried to learn the lay out of the land just in case a fast escape was needed and while the locals reactions to them was worrying he was fairly confident he could handle himself. He was good at sneaking around and planned to stay out of sight as much as possible. Furthermore splitting up would allow them all to cover more ground and perhaps between them all they would find enough supplies to aid their journey.

That wasn't his only reason of course others existed as well, deep down he found that openly using magic around people truly unsettling. Any time he had been forced to do so in the past in order to defend himself against attackers he had to flee for his life and that instinct was not any easy one to loose. Running from people was unfortunately one of his specialties, it has lent to his survival but came at the cost of living in a constant state of loneliness growing up, for that reason he truly valued the companionship Blitz offered.  "Lets go" he called to the wolf as he turned away and headed off on his own.



Storm
plot_twister

10:57pm Apr 23 2019

Normal User


Posts: 25

Kuro watched Creus walk over to him, talking about how his healing magic would feel. “That doesn’t sound too different than what I’m used to” the dragon replied, slowly moving his hands from the bite wound, wincing as the air hit it. He’d been expecting the mage to make contact and closed his eyes, bracing for the touch… but it didn’t happen; instead, a warm feeling spread through him, getting gradually hotter and hotter, verging on uncomfortable before slowly it dulled down, becoming a pleasant warmth. The healing magic lasted for only a moment before it was done and Creus was stepping back, leaving Kuro to twist his head, doing his best to examine the wound, lifting a hand to touch at the bite marks gingerly. They were still tender and exposed, but the bleeding had stopped, and that’s what counts right now.


Kuro carefully adjusted his shirt, pulling the bloody cloth back up over his wound before focusing onto the mage once more. “Um” he started, but it was too late, the mage was heading off, leaving him standing there alone among the wreckage of his fight. Sighing Kuro checked for his bag of money before heading out to gather his supplies.

--------------

Kuro dropped by the blacksmith’s shop, exchanging his spear for a more well-balanced one, picking up a blade as well before leaving. Kuro had some trouble with the money, but he managed to figure it out. Kuro didn’t buy much, getting a few easily packable dried food, a few sets of spare clothing, but most of the money went toward some light chainmail he could put under his clothing to add a little bit more protection from attacks in his human form, hoping he wouldn’t have to transform too often; otherwise he’d be going through clothing and armor like crazy.


Kuro was the first to arrive at the town entrance, a small bundle of his goodies in his arms while his new spear was strapped to his back, his blade hanging sheathed at his side.


Alcarie

11:07pm Apr 26 2019

Normal User


Posts: 2,091

Inside the blacksmith’s shop, Zakhar ignored the heavier swords and melee weapons in favor of the throwing knives once more. Looking them over, he remembered the precision of the one he’d thrown earlier and picked out tle="five more" target="_blank">five more like it. Though small, they were well made and balanced; and as close to a gun as he was going to get in this wasteland. Grunting in disgust at the predicament he’d been thrown into, Zakhar bent down to sift through the holsters in the crate underneath. The black leather arm ones worked well enough for him, and were thick enough to offer some protection as well as house the knives for easy removal. Reaching for his own knife, which had luckily made the dimensional jump with him, Zakhar breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a gift from his eldest brother, Mikhail, who’d also taught him how to use it.


The tle="shaitan knife" target="_blank">shaitan knife was a good weapon during a close combat fight, in particular where speed and precision would be the determining factor to who’d win. It was also a good throwing knife; though quite a bit bigger than the six he’d picked from the smithy. Knowing he’d have no idea how to wield any of the other weapons in the shop, Zakhar turned and was about to leave when something caught his eye. Sitting on a high shelf was a tle="short sword" target="_blank">short sword, much like the one he’d used to kill the monster. He didn’t know exactly how to fight with one, but that did not mean he could not learn or use it as he’d already done. Grumbling to himself he picked it, along with a hip holster for it, up before stalking out. If the blacksmith thought he’d taken too much, well then Zakhar would happily turn his irritation on him.


The ferret creature on his shoulder lifted itself to brace it’s fore paws on his upper arm to peer around curiously. It’s oddly blue nose twitched as it’s beady red eyes scanned the mess of the street. “Not much here left, eh?” He mused, reaching up carefully to scratch the top of it’s head. It trilled and tilted its head into his hand like a cat would. “You’re not normal.” Walking deeper into the town, Zakhar avoided anyone who looked either p*ssed or overly curious towards him. He’d managed to buy cordage, flint and steel, an extra canteen (he could still remember the disastrous trip through the backwoods of Ukraine), and a small medical kit. He needed to ask exactly where they’d be sleeping, because as far as he was concerned without proper rest after some days they’d not be at their best; which could prove to be fatal. A bedroll would be bulky to take, unless he could talk the serpent into carrying things, but would mean he’d not freeze and be sort of comfortable. Whistling, Zakhar poked his nose into a couple more shops and stalls before finding what he was looking for.


It was a decent sized shop lined with fabrics of all sorts woven and made into different items. It smelled like animal but appeared clean enough. After glancing through a couple of items and rummaging through the multitude of colored fabrics, he jumped as someone delicately cleared their throat. Looking over his shoulder, he nodded at the young woman who’d approached. She was tall, tanned from the sun, and obviously lived a life of labor. Honey colored eyes looked over him as he’d done to her. “Is there something in particular you are looking for?” She asked, unknown accent thick. Zakhar smiled ruefully and motioned around the shop.


“Actually, I was hoping you had a sleeping bag, or bedroll I suppose you could call it. And a lightweight blanket.” Zakhar answered, shrugging. “Apparently I’ve got a long journey ahead and I’m a creature of comforts and pleasures. Sleeping on rocks is not my preferred arrangements ” She chuckled and started towards the opposite side of the store. Pausing, she looked back at him with a small grin and flicked her fingers for him to follow. Humming curiously, Zakhar followed and noted her thick, wavy chestnut hair was tinged with blonde. Pretty. He thought absently, pushing the ferrets nose away from his ear as it breathed into it.


My family have been weavers for many generations. We have some of the finest materials in this kingdom.” She spoke from ahead, where she’d stopped to rummage through a large, wooden chest. Pulling out rectangle of heavy canvas with brass eyelets at the corners and edges, she examined it before setting it atop the counter. Reaching for it, Zakhar rang his fingers along the canvas and was surprised to find it had a coat of something on it that made it appear rubberized. At least it was waterproof. Rolled up as it was, it wasn’t large enough to be cumbersome to carry around either. “When you unroll it there’s another, wool blanket inside. It’s not the most comfortable, but you’ll be dry and warm.” She promised. Next she brought out a smaller, more intricately patterned piece of fabric that was extremely soft to the touch and lightweight. “These are very versatile. You can use it as a blanket, a pillow, a shemagh or headdress to keep the sun or sand off, as well as other things.” Holding it out to him, Zakhar ran it through his fingers and was surprised at the texture.


“It’s beautiful, but unfortunately your king hasn’t exactly given us a whole lot of extra money.” Trying to give it back, the woman simply laughed and shoved it back at him with a bright smile.


No, no! I know exactly who you are and what you’re going to do. For that we require no payment for these things.” Surprised, Zakhar blinked owlishly at her and inwardly groaned. All his life he’d been the bad guy, his family the boogeymen. People ran from him, or tried to kill him depending. They didn’t look at his like he was their d*mned savior! Zakhar looked away from her bright eyes and back down at the cloth still in his calloused hands. Hands that were stained with so much blood, some of it innocent. This feeling, of being counted on for something, didn’t sit well. He’d always done his job because it was expected, because he wanted to make his father proud. Not because people needed him to do it. He wasn’t a hero! Clearing, he throat, he reached for the bedroll to give him something to do while he contemplated.


Zakhar didn’t have much money and he was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth; he wasn’t that decent a human being. However, he did know how to make people feel good about themselves. Turning back to the woman, he let his posture relax into almost a lazy, disarming slouch and shot her a charming, boyish grin. “I can’t thank you enough for such kindness. It’s the first I’ve experienced since coming here.” Tilting his head to the side, he leaned against the counter and placed both hands against it so she could tell he had no intention of reaching for a weapon or her. “What’s your name? So at least I’ll know someone friendly from this land.” She appeared startled by his question, a light dusting of red along her freckled cheeks. Adorable.


Willow,” She murmured.


“We pronounce that ‘iva’ in my mother tongue. Pretty.” Giving a put upon sigh, Zakhar turned towards the shops door. “Unfortunately, the others are going to be waiting if I stay any longer.” Grabbing the bedroll and blanket, he shouldered the bedroll carefully so he didn’t hit his ferret ‘thing’ and gave Willow and dip of his head and another teasing look before starting for the door. Once there, he paused and turned towards the shop again, one hand on the door knob. “Thank you again for everything ‘Iva’, I hope we’ll be what you’re expecting.” What he wasn’t expecting was for her to move forward and plant a light kiss to his lips before blushing brightly and stammering out a ‘for luck’ before skittering off towards the back of the store and out of sight. “Not bad for my first solo outing in this world.” He told his passenger, unsurprised to see it simply washing its paws. “Your hopeless.” Zakhar told it, starting back towards the front of the city. He stopped a few more places to pick up food and other essentials before heading towards the front gates.


Of course nothing was that simple and before he could reach his destination an old lady, stopped him by planting her walking stick into his stomach. Grunting in surprise mixed with pain, because of course she’d hit right over where he’d taken the hit from the monster, Zakhar stared her down in surprise. “The hell, lady.” He snarked, stepping back as she eyeballed him like one might a naughty child. Or a particularly unruly dog. She pointed towards his companion, who’d been jolted from it’s staring at passerby’s by the sudden halt.


You’ve got a Farxal, there. Surprising, since they don’t tend to like many people.” Pausing, she eyed him as if he’d done something heinous to the little creature to make it stay where it was. “He’ll be a good companion on your journey.” Zakhar mentally sighed in agitation. He knew he looked different than anyone else there, but did everyone know who he was? “Loyal, with a poisoned bite that can melt flesh from bone and quills just as deadly.” She gave a gap-toothed grin and clucked her tongue at the ‘farxal’.


“How do you know it’s a boy?” He asked, because there was no way he was going to check. And lovely, it’s bite was as bad as it’s poisoned quills. He’d need to remember to feed it. “And what do they eat?” Was there a book, maybe? The Care and Feeding of Your Deadly Farxal? The old crone giggled and waved him off.


It’s grey and blue, so a male. Female are only only grey. Take care of him, and he’ll take care you you.” She turned and limped away into the crowd, leaving Zakhar staring after her wearily and wondering if she was a bit nuts. Looking towards his new companion, Zakhar wondered if it was as smart as a dog or if it was going to be as hard headed as a cat.


“She didn’t answer my food question. You decide to take a chunk out of something, there’s a huge snake who could use a bite.” Rolling his eyes, he tucked his shoulders in a bit more and pushed through the crowds until he spotted the entrance as well as Thiago and Kuro. The beastman had a pack slung over his shoulder and appeared to be trying to melt into the shadows. Approaching, he kept quiet as he leaned against the entrance wall and yawned.




Tinkers
Creus

12:48am Apr 28 2019 (last edited on 12:51am Apr 28 2019)

Normal User


Posts: 92
Once free from the others Creus didn't immediately start shopping for survival tools, instead he did some snooping around. His first order of business was to figure out how the monetary system in this country truly worked. Thiago had given him the basic denomination of its coins but what he did not know was if this country had a barter system or whether things where just purchased at face value. Thankfully while his clothing style stood out some it wasn't nearly as obvious some. So he drew his hood, stuck to the edge of the crowds and ordered Blitz to keep his distances and simply wandered and listened for a bit while getting somewhat of an idea of the chaotic layout of the town. Fairly early on he came across a few people haggling with someone at a fruit cart on a street corner. In that case both parties where fairly strict and the the person tending the cart barely budged on prices. Later on he encountered similar scenarios where people bartered prices but got very little for their efforts.

After a little while and gaining some confidence in his knowledge of the system the mage thief decided to try his own hand at bartering with a local who was selling dried game meats. He didn't know what meat was what in this land so he had watched for a few minutes to see what other locals chose. Most of what the man was selling went fairly evenly but one product was hardly touched and one seemed slightly more popular than the rest. Using this little bit of knowledge he approached and haggled for some of the more popular meat product. The man behind the counter seemed a bit surprised once he saw him and immediately offered to sell the product the mage was asking after for a higher price. This was a pretty cut and dry case of a local trying to take advantage of a foreigners lack of knowledge and earn himself a bit of extra cash. Unfortunately for him it didn't work, the man put up a bit of a fight but in the the end result was that he sold the product to Creus for the same price as other customers. In the end, Creus left with what he wanted at a price that seemed decent and he had seemed to have earned the shopkeepers respect as well.

The rest of his trip went fairly smoothly after that, most of the people he encountered did not expect him to barter with them like a local and they had mixed reactions. Some where not happy about this while others seemed impressed, others refused him service all together. Either way he ended up with the things he wanted, which mainly consisted of dried foods as he had no idea what lay ahead of them. The only clue he had was the commonality of dried foods, he could find  someone selling some just about everywhere he looked. Dried foods where okay but generally not the most pleasant meals and given that people where also selling fresh ingredients and freshly cooked foods plus the cooked food they received at the castle told their own story. People here could and obviously would cook and he was doubtful that any sensible person would choose dried foods over fresh meals. So it seemed reasonable to conclude that the dried foods he saw where likely used for travel.

He had a feeling that there was a good chance they would spend at least some time in the wilderness and while he and Blitz could hunt and forage, neither one of them where familiar with plants and animals of this world. The rest of his supplies where relatively simple, a bedroll, a canteen, a small hatchet, a few changes of clothes, medical supplies, a whetstone and a small sealed container of oil. The last item could be both used as fuel, a water proofing medium for clothing and the like and to clean and maintain weaponry. The last two objects he hesitated on some, he planned to get a knife or two which where easily replaced in his world but he didn't know about this world. If he got a hunting knife it would inevitably become dull after repeated used and it was constantly being exposed to moisture it would rust as well. Having the tools to keep it sharp and rust free might be vital to his survival but he did have magic and he didn't want to spend to much. In the end however he gave in and bought them, one could never be too prepared after all.

Finally he started heading back in the direction he came, pausing briefly at the blacksmiths shop he peered inside. Thankfully the man still hadn't returned so he slipped inside and grabbed a couple of knives, a good sturdy hunting knife which had a sharp cutting blade along the belly of the knife a serrated blade along the knifes spine. He also grabbed a boning knife and a boot knife before slipping out of the store and heading off to meet the others.

Creus did not make it far before near by conversation caught his attention, the word rebels was what brought him to a halt and he started eavesdropping a bit while pretending to browse a near by fruit stand.
"Did you hear that the kings latest victims came from other worlds?"
"Its hard to believe, in fact I doubt its true."
"Maybe so, I saw them though and they where certainly dressed oddly and I you couldn't have missed that giant flying thing when those monsters attacked right?"
"What thing? I was too busy hiding to see the fight. I'm no warrior after all."
"How could you have missed that?! There is no way that is from our world, at least it looked to pretty to be one of those ugly monsters."
"Huh, well I'm glad I didn't see them. I might have wet myself in terror. Why do you bring this up?"
"Thats gross and why do you think? What do you think those rebels will do about it?"
"What do you mean, what can those fools really do?"
"They're the ones that forced the king to stop wasting lives of innocent people. After all those sacrifices they rose up in protest and there was enough of them that even our kind had to reconsidered. The king actually promised them he would find a different solution to our problems."
"I see, but I still don't understand what your getting at?"
"Well, those guys did protect us but they are not necessarily known for being good people. They have caused quite a bit of trouble over the last few years and have some rather extreme views. How do you not know this?"
"I'm just here to earn a living for my family, I don't pay attention to that nonsense and I still don't understand your point."
"They fought the king tooth and nail against him using innocent people while pushing for a solution, now he summoned people from another world. Surely they wouldn't take too kindly to the kings actions, not only that but he more or less went against their agreement. Given their extremest views what do you think they will do to those people? Do you think they will try to help them escape their fate or do you think they will try and hinder them? They have been pretty violent in the past after all."
"Who knows, why are you asking me? I already told you I don't know anything about them."

From there on the conversation drifted of to one man yelling at the other for living with his head in the sand and Creus moved on. This was somewhat concerning bit of information, not only did they have dangerous monsters to contend with but perhaps dangerous people as well. People whom supposedly have enough power to make even the king of a country hesitate and listen, people whom could potentially be allies or enemies. What kind of mess did they get dragged into? A look of consternation stayed on his face as he joined the others. Should he tell them? This was only the conversation between two locals, it could very well be nothing but he knew better than to take that kind of thing with a grain of salt. There was a lot of missing information and it was impossible to know how much or little that guy knew of the so called rebels but he knew of them and spoke as if they existed. The other guy however did not seem to know about them but had also admitted to not paying attention and he hadn't heard any mention of them elsewhere. This was quite troubling.

Seeing the others waiting for him, he offered them a brief greeting before walking past and waiting for them to join them. He decided he would mention the rebels when he was certain no one else was around to eavesdrop on them. The mage had no idea whether this was a sensitive subject or not in this world.



Storm
plot_twister

11:28pm May 1 2019

Normal User


Posts: 25

Being the first to arrive meant Kuro had plenty of time to get bored. At first, he simply stood there in the square, waiting and watching. Most people didn’t spare him a passing glance at first, too busy picking themselves up after the fighting, life getting back to normal, but as time passed and he still stood there the interest in him began to grow. More and more people would slow down as they passed, eyeing him, some whispering, while others avoided him entirely.


“Is he?” A hushed female voice could be heard through the bustle, causing the dragon to glance up, heterochromatic eyes spotting two women standing to the side, clearly staring back at him. The one who had spoken was younger, her ex
pression curious, but the other, the other one, was glaring at him as if he’d just committed some horrendous act.


“Hush girl” the older woman hissed, grabbing the younger one and starting to pull her away. “Best not look at the likes of them, don’t want them getting any ideas, especially not with that beast around.”

“But ma-” whatever protest the younger one had was lost to Kuro as they vanished into the crowd, leaving him with a nasty anxious feeling. The dragon enjoyed people and crowds, but not like this; this whole place suddenly seemed heavy and dangerous.


“Come on” he whispered to himself, glancing around for his companions but not seeing them. “Screw it. I’m not just gonna stand here like an idiot.”

Adjusting the spear on his back Kuro strode across the square, making a beeline for the biggest shadiest tree he could see, ignoring the looks he got a he slipped through the crowd, dumbing his gear at the base of the tree before reaching up, pale, slender fingers digging into the bark of its lowest branch before with one powerful move he hauled himself up, settling on a branch just a fit further up where he could see the entire square but not be bombarded with the looks and whispers.


“The Barbarian” a man gasped, staring up at the foreigner perched in the tree, but all he got was a sharp-toothed grin and a wink that had the local scoffing and hurrying away. After that first reaction, most people seemed to ignore him now that he wasn’t in their direct line of sight, leaving the dragon to enjoy the view and the sound of the breeze rustling the branches around him, seeing the world through dappled streams of light.


While it didn’t take long for the others to catch up it was enough time for the dragon to relax, lounging back on his branch, one leg hanging down as he watched, noting that their guide was the first to show up, though he didn’t move to greet the man, not until he saw the other two approaching. First, the non-mage appeared, seeming much happier than before. Then appeared the Mage, seeming as sullen as ever, no surprise there.


“Something good happen?” Kuro asked Zakhar as he swung down from his branch, releasing it and landing with a solid thud, straightening up and brushing the leaves from his battered and bloodstained clothes before he looked up to the human with a smile, taking in all of the man’s new gear, his smile faltering a bit as he saw the bedroll… and when the mage finally reached them sporting an equal amount of new supplies the dragon realized he’d probably been swindled a bit on his own stuff. They were all excellent quality, yes, but the number of things was much smaller than his companion’s, but with him, that seemed about right, he never was good with money or haggling.


Creus

11:03pm May 2 2019 (last edited on 11:03pm May 2 2019)

Normal User


Posts: 92
For awhile the thief was silent, he didn't say a thing to his companions as something else kept his attention.  Not long after they walked back out through the towns gates he had noticed that someone, from outside the gate suddenly appear and start on the same path as them. At first he considered that it might just be a coincidence, the man may be leaving the town as well but he maintained the same distance from them no matter. Not only that but the man seemed to be following them move for move so to speak even though their path was fairly straight forward. This individual not skilled by any means, it was pretty obvious that he was following them and Creus had some rather skilled slayer try to tail him before in his world. He wasn't sure if his comrades noticed or not but he decided to test the guy. "Hey, we should go this way. There is something I want to speak of that I overheard in town privately"

The mage spoke up suddenly before stepping off the main and onto a deer trail that ran between two farms. The path was narrow, rocky and not easy footing in the least, it was certainly not a path any average individual leaving the town would need to take. Sure enough, as he glanced back he saw the guy hesitating at the end of the trail. The moment the guy realized he was looking back at him the man hastily moved on. He didn't appear to be a soldier, his tunic was old and patchy and he had no obvious weapons on him. Though for a moment Creus thought he saw the sheath of a dagger or some other small blade poking out from beneath his shirt as the man turned away from the path.

"Interesting" The thief muttered as he watched the man leave, coming to a stop. He had wondered why the kingdom would just let them go with none other than Thiago to watch them. Perhaps the king had a soldier in disguise tail them from a safe distance? The problem was Creus hadn't seen anyone follow them to the city and while he knew he could have missed them he was doubtful about that. For one, he was pretty good at picking out stalker from ordinary people, two this guy who had been following them now sucked at his job. Unless one really skilled guy swapped places with one who wasn't that didn't really make sense.

"Right before I caught up to you guys I overheard an interesting conversation. It may or may not be relevant or useful information however it goes as follows. Apparently it was not the king who made the decision to stop sacrificing people but rather a group of rebels that forced his hand. The individual who spoke of them described them as having extreme views, not being known as good people despite protecting people and causing trouble for years. The man continued on to say they where quite violent and may either hinder us or help us. Now the other individual he spoke with didn't seem to know what he was talking about but also admitted to not paying attention to anything other than his job. Again, it may be nothing but we also may have more to contend with than just being bound to those beasts and figuring out the whole storm thing. I do find it odd however that right after two people spoke of that in my proximity that we got followed..."


Creus was naturally a suspicious and distrusting person, how could he not be with the life he lived? Despite being relatively sure of his own instincts he decided to see what his comrades thought about this. This wasn't his world, anything could go and for all he knew that guy could have other intentions or reasons to follow them and the talk about the rebels could be the rantings of a madman. The man he overheard didn't seem crazy but then again madness could be well hidden upon first glimpse.



Storm
Alcarie

1:03am May 3 2019 (last edited on 1:06am May 3 2019)

Normal User


Posts: 2,091
Zakhar

With his shoulder leaning against the city’s outer wall, bought items at his feet, Zakhar glanced to where Creus was approaching before returning his attention to the few people who’d either stopped to gawk or glare. The mage appeared the same as when he’d left, tense and churlish, but still in one piece. With his surly disposition Zakhar wondered how the wizard had managed with the townsfolk; or if he’d simply glared them into submission. Amused by the mental image his thought produced, Zakhar pushed off the wall and was about to start out of the city when Kuro dropped from the tree he’d been about to walk under. Skidding to a surprised halt, he looked from the dragon shifter, to up the tree, then back with a raised brow. Then he realized he’d been asked a question.

“If by good you mean getting a good luck kiss from a pretty lady, then yes. Very good things happened.” Smirking a bit, Zakhar noticed a distinctive lack of items on or near Kuro. “You like sleeping on the ground or something?” He asked, curious but also a little worried. “I doubt we’re going to find many beds where we’re going.” Looking towards Creus, he wondered if the mage had anything to add, but he was silent as usual. Rolling his eyes, Zakhar silently wondered if the guy was mentally plotting the best way to be rid of them when he was quiet and distant. “Eh, guess worse comes to worse you can either cuddle with your beasty or share with one of us if it gets too cold.”

Noticing in his peripherals Creus leaving, Zakhar rolled his eyes hard enough to hurt and re-shouldered his items. “This guy’s going to be fun come these next couple of weeks,” he muttered, scoffing. Thiago had already hurried after the mage, which didn’t surprise Zakhar, but he kept his distance a bit. Reaching up to scratch the farxal’s chin, the hairs on the back of his neck rose when he took note of the man behind them. There was the possibility he was just taking the same path, but after a few minutes of subtly watching the stranger by petting the ferret beast Zakhar was sure he was tailing them. Badly. In a way it was insulting. Zakhar knew how to stalk people, had done it multiple times, and the guy behind them was terribly bad at it. If that was one of us, otets (*father*) would beat our a**ses. Unable to hide a wince at the thought, because Andon’s fury at failure was legendary among him and his brothers, Zakhar wondered if either of the others noticed.

Then Creus steered them onto a small deer path and Zakhar breathed a sigh of relief. Creus might be a stoic jerk, but at least he was smart. Turning as well, the dagger and shabby clothing didn’t appear to threatening unless they’d somehow inadvertently given him some information. “Maybe he was just a thief hoping to get lucky?” Muttering sarcastically, Zakhar’s dark gaze fell onto Thiago, who was shifting uncomfortably back and forth on his contorted feet. About to question the beastman, Creus spoke up before he could.

Taking in the information Zakhar rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then twitched as the farxal moved enough that’s it’s whiskers brushed his ear. He scratched the irritated area, while trying to regain his train of thought. “Anyone outside of the given law is bad news, but it also depends on what kind of training they have as well as who’s leading as to whether their truly dangerous. And numbers, but frankly brains tend to trump brawn.” Pausing, he moved to lean against the nearest tree to take some of his weight off his left leg to offer his bruised hip and side some relief. “Though, if what they said is actually true and they were strong enough to make the bloody king stop the sacrifices then maybe we shouldn’t dismiss it entirely. Better safe than sorry. You got anything to add Thiago?” He asked, voice darkening a bit as he addressed their guide. Something bugged him still about the beastman, who was looking at him with wide, scared golden eyes.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


Thiago

Like a whipped dog, Thiago followed after the mage, who was turning out to be the most level headed and leader-like one of the group, and felt a wave of relief to be finally leaving the accursed city. He knew he was completely useless in the fight against the monsters and guilt at the knowledge one of the supposed heroes, the human and weakest of them in fact, had to be the one to save him was enough to drown him. But seeing those creatures again, this time in the light of day, had brought the memories back like a rush of lightning. All consuming. The screams and blood, the burning pain as he was bitten, then the agony as his body fought against itself, twisted and reshaped. He’d seen them, heard them, and panicked.

Pointed ears flattening in embarrassment, Thiago made sure to keep his shoulders hunched and head down as he followed behind Creus. When they suddenly walked off the path, he blinked in confusion and looked around to see what had caused it. The mage and the human were both looking the way they’d come, stony faced as a man who Thiago hadn’t paid any attention too swiftly walked off. Odd. Head tiling to the side, Thiago backed away a few paces as Creus spoke; telling them about the conversation he’d overheard. Brows scrunching, Thiago’s tail twitched as remembered the stories the servants of soldiers told about rebels. He’d been more worried about the king and what he’d do than what he’d presumed to be court gossip at the time.

Zakhar’s use of his name in a foreboding tone sent shivers of unease up his spine. The human was looking at him suspiciously, mouth pulled tight in a thin, displeased line. Zakhar had looked at him the same way just after he’ killed the monster, like he was putting pieces Thiago didn’t want to answer together. And that those answers might just put Zakhar on the offensive. Thiago was beginning to wonder if, though nothing but a human, Zakhar was the one who’d spilled the most blood and who’d happily slaughter for more. The way he fought, talked, acted: it put Thiago on edge. Stepping back and towards Creus, who he hoped knew Thiago was useful, the beastman gulped.

“I can only add what I have heard from servants and soldiers. They talk when no one is listening. From what I understand, there is a good possibility that what you heard it true. There is a rebel cause that has formed to take on the Storm, and the king, to aid the people of this land. I do not know how violent they are, however, nor how powerful they truly are. But yes, I do think you should be careful.” Blowing out a breath, he suddenly wished he was more useful in the knowledge he could give. “I have heard that there is a chance some soldiers have joined, though those might be just rumors. They could just be deserters. But if soldiers are among the rebels then they will be quite powerful.”




Tinkers
plot_twister

12:14am May 7 2019

Normal User


Posts: 25

“Oh! Not even a day in and you’ve already charmed the locals? You scoundrel” The dragon teased at Zakhar’s reply, giving the man a good-natured grin and a little elbow nudge as he drew up next to him, though at the man’s observation of his lack of supplies Kuro gave a sigh and a shrug. “What can I say, money’s a mystery to me” The dragon gathered up his gear from the base of the tree, strapping the spear to his back and tucking his bundle of goods under one arm, letting out a soft snort of amusement as Zakhar continued to speak.

“How do you know it wasn’t my plan to steal a night with you two all along?” He chuckled, winking at the human as they started walking, grinning at him before picking up his pace a bit to catch up with the other two, seemingly unbothered by the fact he was speckled in blood, most his own, with an open wound and getting judgemental or scared looks from the locals he passed. Instead, he focused on the backs of his two companions ahead of him as he caught up. He glanced at the mage and the beastman, making sure they were both okay, his attention lingering on their guide since he hadn’t seen the man during the battle, noting his withdrawn, quite, and almost scared attitude, though Kuro said nothing as he simply focused on walking.


Despite pretending he was okay with the town and its people he was relieved to leave it behind, focusing on the land around them instead of people staring at them, though he did grow cautious as Creus took the lead and pulled them off of the main road and down a path. While the dragon doubted that the mage had any ill intentions, it still made him nervous until he noted not just the mage but also the non-mage looking back. Turning to follow their gaze he saw a figure hurrying away from them on the main road, the sunlight glinting off of the hilt of a dagger at the man’s side. Someone having a weapon wasn’t unusual, especially since Kuro himself had an entire spear strapped to his back and a blade at his hip, but because the other two had been staring at the stranger, Kuro could only assume the man had been following them. This assumption was one that he found to be true as Creus started talking about overhearing talk of a rebel group. The fact that they hadn’t been told about this was worrisome, and he couldn't help but look to their guide.


Zakhar’s heavy words addressed to Thiago had even the dragon flinching slightly, raising an eyebrow at the human but saying nothing since, after all, the man was right. Thiago clearly would have heard about this and still, he said nothing, though Kuro didn’t exactly agree with how judgmental and displeased, especially since they needed their guide if they were going to make it through this whole stupid quest.


Kuro cleared his throat once the beastman was done talking, trying to draw attention from the already skittish man. “If they are real then they know we are here,” he said, slightly shifting where he stood, glancing from one man to the other. “That will be a problem if not addressed-” Kuro paused to adjust the harness of his spear as he took a moment to think- “in order to do that, we should just go to the source of all this trouble, the one that dragged us all into this mess, the king.”


They needed to go back to the castle at some point anyways, but Kuro for one didn’t want to leave on some suicidal quest without knowing all the dangers they might run into before even reaching the thing they’re calling the storm.


Creus

12:36am May 8 2019

Normal User


Posts: 92
What little Thiago had to say about the rebels didn't really help much aside from confirm that they where indeed in existence. Added to that, the thought of soldiers possibly being among them was indeed troubling however they could only hope that they wouldn't be a problem. What else could they do? They where two men, a dragon and a scaredy cat, would that be enough to get them out of trouble with a rebel army should they give them trouble? Somehow he didn't think so, at least not if these rebels where powerful enough to stand against a king. Then again he wasn't exactly aware of how powerful the king was to begin with. There was just too many unknown factors involved in this to get anywhere at the moment. All they could do is return and try to find out more.

"Lets keep going and we should be careful, who knows what that guy who was following us is up to." The mage stated as he returned to the main path, pausing for a moment at the end of the deer trail to scan for anyone. He saw no one out there however so he cautiously resumed the journey back to the castle. Nothing else of significance happened, he saw no sign of their stalker and by the time he reached the castle gates. It was not a particularly welcome sight but for the time being there was at least a roof over his head.

Upon entering the courtyard he was a bit surprised to see that the golden dragon he had been bonded to was no where in sight and there where quite a few frazzled guards running about talking frantically among each other. He watched the chaos for a moment, the guards didn't even seem to notice their return until he spoke up"Whats going on?"

The guard nearest to him nearly jumped out of his skin with fright as he whipped around to see who had spoken. Upon seeing the mage and his wolf the mans tension eased up a bit. "Your dragon suddenly said its hungry and then flew away! Y-you must find it and stop it t-this instant!"

Creus could not help but raise an eyebrow at the stuttering guard. What exactly did this man expect him to do? Blow a special whistle and summon the dragon back? "First of all its not my dragon, secondly what exactly do you expect me to do about it and thirdly. Did you not attempt to at the very least offer these giant beasts you summoned food?"

The guard seemed a bit taken back by the mages rather casual response to this crisis. "N-no, why would we feed them? W-what do you mean you won't do anything? What if it eats people!"

"Well, its a shocker that its hungry than isn't it? Also, again what exactly do you expect me to do about it? That thing is stronger than I am and your people brought it here, not me." The mage said dryly,he did feel bad for the people ruled by these idiots but again there wasn't a whole lot he could do in this situation. That dragon could be anywhere and even if he where to look for it and find it the creature would have had plenty of time to feast on whatever it found to eat.

His response clearly frustrated the guard but before the man could say anymore the sound of large wing beats cut him off. Descending from the clouds was the golden dragon and clutched in its front paws was a dead cow.Despite its size and the weight of the cow the dragon landed lightly on its rear legs and dropped the cow to the ground. The guards all around skittered to a halt and retreated though some mentioned bovine theft.  The dragon ignored them and instead fixed the mage with a steely glare.

"Tell them this is payment for my continued service this day."

The sound of the dragons voice in his head made him flinch and he wasn't quite sure what service the dragon provided but he relayed the dragons words none the less, not wanting to anger it even if it meant he had to act as a messenger. "The dragon says the cow is payment..."

"Payment for what? All its done is lay around all day! That cow needs to be paid for!" One of the less than intelligent guards stated nervously, his words directed at Creus rather than the dragon. "Why don't you try telling the dragon that? I'm sure he will gladly pay up, go on, go for it. I dare you."  As Creus spoke the dragon proceeded to torch the cow, burning away its fur, presumably to make it more palatable. At this the guard face paled and no one else said much else besides muttering some insults and other things under their breaths as they retreated and their leader instructed them to locate the poor farmer who lost a cow to a dragon and pay restitution.

Meanwhile Blitz quietly edged closer to the dragon, snuffling around its general area, hungrily eyeing the cow.  Taking notice of this Creus tried to call the wolf back however while Blitz's ear twitched back toward him in acknowledgement the wolf proceeded to move closer, his golden eyes locked on the cow. "Get back here!"

Blitz's tongue flicked across his muzzle and he edged closer still, his body was tense and his tail low. The wolf was prepared to flee but refused to give up so easily upon this toasted delicacy that suddenly appeared from the sky. The smell of fresh flesh was oh so tempting but there was a giant lizard guarding it and when the dragon fixed the wolf with a glare the animal tensed, averted his eyes but didn't retreat.  His person had shared food with him but he was still hungry, the stand off lasted a good few minutes, his persons calls growing more frantic. The mage about ready to risk intervening when the dragon suddenly relented, making a rather strange noise that resembled a draconic chuckle.

"Your pet is braver then you are!" The dragon remarked rather heartily before suddenly diving into the cow, tearing off a large chunk of meat with a twist of its head the dragon tossed it to the wolf. As soon as the meat hit the ground with a soggy thunk the wolf snatched it up and retreated swiftly to a safer distance to devour his prize. "You can learn a thing or two from him, though I commend you for being willing to intervene if needed."

"Braver perhaps, but wiser? No. I don't intend to fight a dragon over a cow when other options for food exist." The mage muttered, deciding to take the opportunity to retreat while it was still available. He had planned on trying to ask someone about the rebels but everything that just went down seemed to blow that idea out of the water. He doubted he would be able to find anyone to speak up at the moment, at least not from the guards stationed anyway.

"I suppose we should just walk in and try to find our rooms, perhaps answers as well?" The mage finally suggested glancing at the others.







Storm
Alcarie

7:07pm May 13 2019

Normal User


Posts: 2,091
Following along behind Creus, Zakhar was a bit surprised to walk back into the courtyard of the castle to find utter chaos. From the shaken guards shouting and motioning towards the mage, Zakhar figured it had either something to do with Creus or his monster. As long as it didn't have anything to do with him, Zakhar was happy to let the stoic man deal with it himself. Unable to help himself, the human leaned agasint one of the buttresses to watch the show. The little farxal suddenly squeaked and ducked behind his neck as the golden dragon (which was still weird to even think about) suddenly landed with a entire cow clutched in it's claws.

Twitching a bit at the sight, Zakhar knew he wanted nothing to do with the ensuing argument between the guards, Creus, and the dragon. Turning, he walked into the castle before his own monster showed up and peered around the gloomy interior wearily. He, honestly, had no idea where he was going. Shrugging, he simply started walking. Guards eyeballed him as he walked past, but he simply grinned at them in a way that showed his teeth. Most of the servants averted their gazes and ignored him, shoulders hunching in the way he'd seen Thiago do. As if trying to make themselves smaller and thus less of a target. It made Zakhar wonder what exactly their masters subjected them too to make them so meek. Uncomfortable with that thought, Zakhar sighed and poked his nose around yet another corner and found nothing but another hallway. "Crap."

"Are you lost, sir?" Someone asked, and Zakhar peered around to find a boy watching him blankly from an alcove. He was dirty and skinny, but his keen green eyes were bright. "Maybe I can help?" His dirty blond head tipped to the side.

"Actually yeah. You know where our rooms are?" From the way the boy was watching him, Zakhar knew the boy knew who he was. The boy nodded and began walking, but paused to make sure Zakhar was following. Amused, he began after him. "You got a name?"

"Brandt, sir. I'm a runner for the king and his people."

"So you know things, huh Brandt? Heard things?" The boy looked over his shoulder wearily, obviously wondering if it was a trap or not. Zakhar smiled gently down at him, the same way he would his own nephews. Pulling out the little pouch that held his sol's, he picked out two copper ones and showed Brandt. The boys eyes followed the hungrily. Knowing the had him, Zakhar pulled them to a stop and peered around to be sure no one was watching. "You answer my questions to the best of your knowledge and you get these." Brandt nodded quickly. "Good. You ever heard or the rebels?"

Brandt appeared conflicted, but finally the longing for the copper sols made him talk. "Yes, sir. Kings afraid of them. The rebels are for the people, though. They are tired of the king using them as fodder for the storm. It is why you are here, because the king does not want to anger the rebels more."

Apparently what Creus had heard had been true, at least as far as this kid was concerned. "Are they dangerous?"

Brandt nodded quickly, wringing his hands. "I think some of the guards have joined them, and other fighters from the country. They all just want to protect us though, from the storm and the king." Defiance was clear in Brandt's, which meant the rebels had their claws in at least some of the more common folk. "The king though, he don't like 'em. He's afraid they'll try to over throw him - particularly if they do manage to stop the storm. The people will love them instead of him." Could that be the entire reason for the rebels in the first place? Stop the storm and over throw the king? Zakhar didn't care one way or another, except that the kings wizards were their ticket home.

"Anything else you know about the rebels, or anything that could help us?"

"Rebels are supposedly holed out somewhere between here and the storm. They've got a stronghold that the king can't get his soldiers or spies into. Their smart and twitchy. Hm," Pausing, Brant ran a hand through his greasy hair. "I've also over heard that the storm don't just kill people. It does something to them, makes 'em monsters." The hair on the back of Zakhar's neck rose. "Can I have my sols now?" Zakhar smirked and motioned him forward.

After Brandt dropped him off at the room and disappeared with two new copper sol's, Zakhar opened the rooms door and collapsed onto the bed with a tired sigh. Now that he was sitting and the adrenaline was gone, the bruises twinged and ached and the small puncture wound in his shoulder stung. "Off, you." He told the farxal, carefully reaching up to pluck the little thing off his shoulder and sat it on the bed. Instead of being irritated, he instantly began examining everything he could. "I need to name you." Carefully pulling off the pouches and bags and setting everything aside, the jacket went next. His shirt had seen better days, torn in places and bloody around his shoulder. "Great. Would it be to much to ask for a washing machine."

At that moment the longing for home, for modern conveniences and his family was almost over whelming. Pulling the shirt off and tossing it aside with a grunt of disgust, he leaned forward to place his elbows on his knees so he could cradle his head in his hands. Without anyone to see him except his new companion, he let his shoulders slump and his posture show defeat. He was tired, both mentally and physically, and longed for either a snarky comment from Gavriil or a comforting, firm hand from Lazar or Mikhail.



Tinkers
plot_twister

11:26pm May 22 2019

Normal User


Posts: 25

The chaos upon their arrival was startling, soldiers running around in a panic, trying to find something, and as soon as they entered the soldiers turned on Creus, making it clear that this had something to do with the mage and probably his dragon since Kuro couldn’t see it anywhere in the courtyard. Sure enough, he heard the soldiers yelling about the mage’s ‘beast’ right before the sound of large flapping wings filled the air, the ground shaking as the massive glittering form of the golden dragon landed in the courtyard, the body of a dead cow thumping down in front of it.


Of course, he would have been hungry, even in a human form having had the meal this morning Kuro himself was hungry, a full grown dragon would need more than just a snack. In the chaos, Creus was drawn away by the dragon and the soldiers, Blitz causing some nonsense. The other human slipped away as well, leaving just Kuro and Thiago behind.


The dragon had yet to talk with their guide since the attack. The man had seemed rattled the entire trip, and the two human’s harsh attitudes undoubtedly hadn’t helped. Taking a deep breath, Kuro stepped to the side, drawing up closer to the beastman.


“Thiago,” he said softly, carefully reaching out to get the man’s attention by grabbing his arm gently. “Are you doing okay? You weren’t injured, right? Listen, those two might seem a bit rough, but I’m sure they are only stressed and worried. They don’t seem like bad guys, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be idiots from time to time” As he spoke the dragon gave Thiago a gentle smile, hoping he managed to come off as calming despite the small flecks of blood still caked onto his neck and shoulder.


“You’ve seemed rather down this whole walk back. If you are worried abou-” Before Kuro could finish he was interrupted by the sound of heavy footfalls, and some frantic yelling as a massive white and black form came skidding around the golden dragon, seemingly ignoring the large eating creature, intent on one thing, Kuro.


“What happened” that same voice from before demanded in the dragon’s head, making him flinch slightly at the raised worried tone. “I smell blood. What did those idiots do to you?”


“Nothing I’m fi-” a massive paw appeared before Kuro’s face, smacking into him and yanking him back against a fluffy furred chest, shimmering white eyes peering down at him in concern, a small grumbling sound rumbling from the creature’s chest as she lowered her head, sniffing at his bloody shoulder. “Get off. I’m fine, honest!”


Struggling against the paw pressed to his chest, Kuro managed to mostly get free, just ending up with the paw pressing his legs in place while he shoved his pale arm up against the large sniffing nose, grunting in protest before he turned to Thiago again with a pleading look, as if the beastman somehow knew how to get this large fussing creature to back down.


Creus

1:25am May 24 2019 (last edited on 1:40am May 24 2019)

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Posts: 92
This whole situation was a bit irritating, first he was dragged from the world he knew into this one in order to supposedly save it. Then they pair him up with a powerful dragon with a mind of its own and not only do they expect him to control it but seem to blame him when he couldn't?  Even though the guards gave up on trying to argue with him due to his less than helpful responses it was pretty clear from the dirty looks a few shot him that they blamed this incident on him.

  As the guard muttered among themselves and continued to give him nasty looks the mage simply turned his back on them and sought to leave the courtyard behind. After a quick glance around he saw that Zakhar already left and Kuro seemed rather preoccupied by his beast.  Why did it have to be the beast bound to him causing the trouble? Not that he wished trouble upon his companions but the looks the guards gave him did make him a bit uncomfortable.

Even though he turned away from them a nerve racking feeling that he may end up with a knife in the back followed him as he made a hasty retreat for the much quieter castle halls. The chances of these soldiers doing anything like that where probably pretty slim if they where really relying on him and the others to save him, doing something like that would be rather counter productive but one thing was certain. Creus did not trust these people, not any of them nor did he trust his supposed companions. They where all strangers to him and any one of them could turn out to be an enemy. Perhaps he was being a bit paranoid but keeping his distance from others and keeping his guard up was what lent to his survival in his world.

Back at home knights, lords, nobles and kings all existed, some of which where probably decent people but he along with most of the rest of the general population often saw and experienced the worst of what those types had to offer. Some knights where noble, perhaps more than those who where bad but they did not stop the ones  who caused trouble, those whom made the biggest impression on the people. They where the ones who went on drunken rages, the ones who pillaged and stole and used their power and standing to get away with it.

Then there where the nobles, lords and other people of power, they taxed the people heavily and ruthlessly beat down and attempts at rebellion. They acted as if they where superior beings, constantly striving for power and climbing over the bodies of those weaker than themselves to obtain it. Cruelty ran rampant in his world  and the trusting fool was the one most likely to be taken advantage of or killed. It was hard enough to survive as a commoner, being a mage made it far worse. At least with the former they still had some rights that protected them, gave them a chance to survive under the rule of others but a mage had none.

It was those wealthy people, the knights, the lords, the nobles and lastly the king that where responsible for that. Centuries ago they stripped mages and other unnatural beings of their rights, classifying them as sub class beings they also encouraged their elimination. They funded slayers, help them grow in power and encouraged them to eliminate people like himself by any means necessary. No method was too cruel, no method forbidden and worse yet if the average person joined the slayer, no matter how poor their background was it also became a doorway to gaining power. In other words if a normal person had a certain amount of confirmed kills he could end up being hired by the wealthier members of society to join hunting parties. From there on if they did well their power could grow, they could eventually even be knighted or earn the ti
tle of a noble.

On top of that it was those people in power who helped encourage fear of the unknown, help spread the hate and fear of people like him. They made up horror stories or  told valiant tales of how they conquered an evil mage and those stories spread far and wide. Creus had tried for years to figure out the origin of all the fear and hate within his world however while those kind of people where heavily involved throughout history the actual origin behind what started it all evaded him. At home he often wondered if those same people where responsible for eliminating this information as not even the oldest of libraries contained any information about it.

This was a different world, these people, the knights, the king and whoever else was in power where not the same people. They where not the ones who encouraged the extermination of magic but rather used it to their advantage but did that mean they where any better? He just didn't know however that rumor of a rebel group was a hint that all was probably not well within the country, that things where not as they where presented. The mage believed that it was well within reason to be weary of them.

As for the others, he wasn't nearly as sure after all they where just strangers who ended up in the same situation as him but that was the problem. He knew virtually nothing about them, he was a thief, a criminal and they didn't know. So what where they? Where they good people or would they betray him the moment things got dicey?  Coming from the world he lived in, it was impossible to not be too careful.

The halls within the castle where the complete opposite from the courtyard, cool and quiet it was a relief to get away from the chaos however he had no clue where to go now. So he just decided to wander for awhile, he didn't have much reason to go back to their room and he had many reasons to explore. First and foremost he wanted to try and learn a bit more about the castles layout, secondly he hoped to eavesdrop on people and perhaps learn a bit more about their situation and lastly, this was a castle and he was a thief what more reason did he need beyond that?

A few hours later Creus was lost deep within the depths of the castle, after encountering multiple random stairways, hundreds of turns and many halls he found nothing much of use. Ever time he ran into a servant they ducked their heads and either pretended he didn't exist or retreated in the opposite direction. Having Blitz by his side probably did help the situation any, the wolf joined him roughly half an hour into his wanderings. The castles guards had a variety of different reactions, some completely ignored him while others glared, a quite a few threatened him to go back but he managed to evade them  only a one person offered a more friendly reaction but while that one particular guard seemed kind he was stationed in an important location and was not allowed to leave in order to show him back to his room.

After two hours had past he started to give up on finding something useful, he was growing tired and Blitz whined hungerly however the halls where practically void of life.  Roughly an hour later the mage found himself in a small library which had several artifacts and treasures in glass cases. Up until now, any treasure he had come across had either been protected by a guard or far to big to steal. This particular room however was unguarded and most everything was coated in a fine la
yer of dust as if it where long forgotten. Rather intrigued by this mysterious room Creus began to explore it, browsing briefly through some books however was disappointed to find that language they where written in was not something he was familiar with. Finally at the very back of the room something caught his eye. In a dusty glass cabinet was what appeared to be a large gold coin emblazoned with a what appeared to be some sort of family crest. Since no one was around the mage quietly picked the lock and pulled out the dusty piece to examine it more closely.

It was made of the highest quality gold and when he moved he realized that a leather strap was attached to it, after dusting it off quickly he closed the door of the case, pocketed it and left the room. Twenty minutes later someone approached him from behind, so quietly that neither he or Blitz noticed.

"There you are, we've been looking for you" Someone shouted cheerfully nearly causing both wolf and his person to jump out of their skins as they whirled to face the owner of that voice. For a good, solid moment Creus was a bit confused as to what he was looking at. The persons hair was a very light, almost grey color and their eyes emerald green, more vibrant than he had ever before seen in a living person but that was not the confusing part. It was hard to tell if what he was looking at was a male or female. They where small in stature and their physique didn't reveal much at all. They looked like a child but was clad in lightweight leather armor that had the same crest as what was on the coin sewn in over the heart, underneath that they wore a simple light grey tunic.

The somewhat androgynous human spoke again, his voice revealing his gender. "I was told to keep an eye out for you, the guard in charge of you guys said you vanished hours ago.  What are you doing all the way over here? Did you get lost silly?"

The kids rather carefree and cheerful attitude on top of both his appearance and how he managed to sneak up on him left the mage just a bit perturbed. "U-uh....yeah I got lost, can you show me  the way back to my room?" It seemed like the easiest way out of this, especially since he ad just stolen a coin that had the same crest at what was on the kids uniform.  He needed to get back anyway though being around this kid was a bit unsettling.

"No problem! Oh, I'm Liam by the way, your the mage right?" Creus merely nodded in response to the kids words and the kid continued to chat away as if he was some long lost friend. Creus didn't even have to respond to anything he said and before the mage knew it he knew all about this worlds knights code of honor and all the ways it benefits people. It sounded completely useless and bothersome and no useful information came with it what so ever. By the time they reached their room, the mage was suddenly more than eager to go to bed.

"Thank you so much, I've got it from here." He said trying to interrupt the kid, he was starting to get a headache but the kid continued to tag along. Chatting all the way until he opened the door and slipped inside shooting a rather exasperated glance at the rooms occupants.  The torture didn't end there though, the kid instead proceeded to happily introduce himself to the other people in the room and restarted his entire one sided conversation that he just had with Creus. He spent the next few hours telling them all in detail about the code of honor and even joined them for dinner, the only upside to this was that the kid took one look at the food they where being served and sent them servants right back to the kitchen to get better food. Better food was not worth the agony that lasted a few more hours before the kid finally departed.

Creus immediately flopped in bed, completely and thoroughly exhausted by that kids energy, the mage spent the following days doing everything he could to avoid the kid, often letting the others deal with him when he came to visit. Although the thief did not look forward to this dangerous journey after the first night he was looking forward to getting the hell out of that place and away from the naive chatterbox.

At last, the morning arrived where they could get out of this hell hole.





Storm
Alcarie

1:54pm May 30 2019

Normal User


Posts: 2,091
The coming days were filled with the same monotony of the one before. Nothing but grey castle walls, the drab courtyard, and angry or weary stares of the castles inhabitants. Zakhar felt he was slowly losing what little sanity he had left. He promised himself that when he finally made it home he was going to take an hour long shower, eat as much fast food as he possibly could, and curl up on the families ancient couch just so he could hear the bustling and chattering of his family before sleeping. If he ever made it home. Never before did Zakhar realize how important his mother tongue was until he could only hear himself speak it.

The only bright point in the otherwise crappy days was watching Creus all but bolt the other direction when the tiny Liam approached. Sure the androgynous man was a chatterbox and Zakhar wanted to duct-tape his mouth shut, but it was worth it to see the mage tuck-tail. And while Liam was a bit annoying, he was also a wealth of knowledge about the kingdom. Where Thiago was their guide through the storm because he'd seen it in action and knew the terrain they were heading into, Liam was a bit of a guide for where they were now. If only they could get him to shut up. Plus, it amused Zakhar to stand next to the guy. At 6'2'', he stood easily a foot over Liam, whose head barely reached the bottom of Zakhar's shoulder.

Overall he spent a little time with the others, learning about this world and discussing about about what they were going to do, but more time wandering the castle ground alone. Never again would he grumble about the noise and smell of cars, or the pain that was using a washing machine. He'd kill for those things after so many days of living in this medieval hellhole. Luckily, he'd only seen his monster once, who'd simply hissed at him and took too the sky. That was on day two, and no one had seen the massive beast since - not that Zakhar minded. He just wanted the nightmare to end.

On the day they were required to leave, Zakhar's internal alarm clock woke him just as the sky was beginning to turn from midnight blue to purple. Rolling out of the uncomfortable bed, Zakhar grabbed his pre-packed bags and, ignoring his companions to let them wake and do their own thing at their own pace, exited the room in search of a quick breakfast. After a long walk, he poked his head into the dining hall, which was a massive, long room filled with wooden tables.Sitting alone was a familiar tufted eared man. There were a few sleepy-eyed guards eyeballing both of them, so Zakhar made his way to the table and set his bags on the floor on the other side of Thiago and sat down across from their guide. Thiago watched him carefully, but Zakhar ignored him and went about charming one of the servants into procuring him food.

"Stop looking at me like I'm a damned boogeyman." Zakhar finally grumbled, side-eyeing Thiago. The beastman was looking from his own plate then back to him, then away when Zakhar attempted to meet his eerie golden eyes. "Whatever it is your hiding, know the truth will come out. Whether you want it to or not. But you're not helping yourself or us by keeping your mouth shut."

Thiago's ear twitched downwards, which was still weird to Zakhar, and he nodded. "I...will figure out how to say it and speak the truth. Just know that until we reach the storm it will not effect you or any of the others."

"So it is about the storm?" Zakhar asked, perking up at the new information. "Something about why you're..." He motioned towards the entirety of the beastman apologetically. "Or were you just born like, uh, that?" Blunt, a bit cruel, but Zakhar couldn't figure out a nice way to put it. He was curious, however, whether the feline traits were normal or something more sinister. Thiago was saved from having to answer by the arrival of the servant and food. The beastman appeared relieved, face flushed with humiliation. Instead of continuing to question him, Zakhar quickly ate so he'd be ready when it was time.



Tinkers
plot_twister

9:05pm Jun 10 2019

Normal User


Posts: 25

The last few days passed quickly for Kuro who spent most of his time exploring the castle and its grounds, often with his fluffy companion in tow, much to the displeasure of the castle guards and staff. The dragon tried to spend more time with his human companions, but for the most part, they seemed more content to spend the days on their own and Thiago… well, he hardly ever saw the beastman, so it was hard to get a good read on the man.

There was, however, one person that seemed more than happy to hang around, and that was the small little knight Liam. The kid was an interesting one, unfazed by these otherworldly strangers and even sticking up for them a bit, getting them better food and talking to them about the kingdom a bit, guiding them through the castle if he found them lost. Plus he was always cheerful and talkative, a nice break from the brooding group of humans Kuro had been stuck with before.


Needless to say, Kuro flirted a bit with this new target, trying to weasel some personal information from the kid but failing utterly, eventually giving up for the time being and focusing on something else, concurring the castle… not in a violent way but in a very physical way. For the past two days, Kuro had been trying to climb the side of the castle where the tallest tower was, partly for fun, partly for exercise, but mostly to get a better idea of the land around them and he couldn’t think of a better way to do that than to climb to the highest point for miles around.


The first day hadn’t gone so well, which was very predictable since no one knew he was going to do this. At dawn, a figure was spotted scaling the side of the castle. In a panic, the guards drew their crossbows and started shooting, one managing to peg the figure who dropped like a sack of potatoes from the wall. When they arrived, they found a terrified Kuro plucking a crossbow bolt from his shoulder and cursing at them. After a good telling off to Kuro, he managed to get the guards to agree to let him climb the walls again the next day before the group left as long as he was under constant watch and he told them when he was there.


Now as dawn barely broke, bathing the upper half of the castle in its golden light, it found Kuro already halfway up the castle, scaling the old weathered bricks as quickly as one might climb a ladder. An average human would struggle to get this far in such a short time, about an hour, but thanks to Kuro’s identity as a dragon it allowed him to alter his human form subtly. As such, when the guards weren’t paying attention, he shifted his hands to something closer to his real ones, sharp, sturdy claws, and strong fingers that easily dug into the gaps.


About half an hour after dawn had entirely broken, bathing the entire castle in daylight, Kuro finally made it to the top, huffing as he reached up for the windowsill and found that he came up just a bit short.


“Need some help there?” a smooth casual voice spoke as a fair hand reached out from the window and gripped his wrist, The lean figure of a young man leaning out to look at him, the morning light glinting off of a pair of amber, almost gold, eyes.


“Who-”


“You can ask question’s later, but for now let’s get you inside,” The man said, leaning entirely out of the window, his other hand reaching down to grip onto the back of Kuro’s shirt.


“Wait that’s dangerous, I’m much to he-eeh” without warning Kuro found himself being hauled up, scrabbling at the wall to help until he came ungracefully flopping through the window at the person’s feet.


“I would ask why you felt the need to scale my tower but judging by the guards watching down there I doubt you have malicious intent” The man spoke as he helped Kuro back up to his feet.


“Your tower?” in reply, the man simply nodded, gesturing to the room they were standing in. It turns out it was a bedroom and a nice one at that. The bed was a massive four poster with luxurious sheets, the room was adorned with noble furniture, and small pricey looking trinkets were scattered about, but there was something out of place, a single travel pack placed by the door, complete with bedroll and waterskin.


“Who-” Kuro tried to ask the person once again who they were, but the man just smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder, those golden eyes flickering for a moment before the hand moved, sliding toward his neck until it made contact with his skin.


“You’ll know soon enough, I promise, but for now why don’t you get some dinner, there is a long day ahead… ah but first take a good look at the view, that is why you came up here right?”


In a slight daze, Kuro nodded, turning to gaze out of the window and give a wave down to the watching guards before he turned and looked at the man again who smiled and nodded to the door.


The trip back down to the main floor was all a bit hazy until Kuro stepped out into the dining hall, a small jolt running through him as he stepped through the door, his mind clearing as he staggered a bit, reaching out to balance himself against the wall and rais his hand to the side of his head, blinking and pulling his hand back to find it as a completely normal human hand… when had he changed it back?


Creus

11:55pm Jun 10 2019 (last edited on 12:05am Jun 11 2019)

Normal User


Posts: 92
While the others where away, Creus enjoyed a few minutes longer of peace and quiet in their room, glad to have some time away from everyone. That obnoxious kid hadn't yet showed up either and at the moment he hoped he was off bothering somebody else. Liam was his main reason for staying put, almost every time he went out to explore the castle he ended up running into him and suffered for hours afterwords while the kid chatted away. Unfortunately he would eventually have to leave the room as well, Blitz wouldn't put up with being holed up here forever, especially not when he hadn't eaten breakfast.

As if reading his thoughts Blitz whined pleadingly at the door, he wanted to go out and he wanted breakfast. Creus ignored the wolf for a bit but when Blitz began biting at the door handle the thief sighed "Alright, alright, you win."

He was hungry as well anyway and today was the day they where supposed to be sent out so he decided that it was probably for the best that he try to eat a good meal while it was available. Although he had picked up dried foods they would only last him so long and finding food wasn't a guarantee on this journey.  In fact that was one thing he was truly worried about, he didn't know the land or its animals. He did not know what was safe to eat and what hunting methods worked best on the creatures here, nor did he know how dangerous any of these creatures where. For all he knew he could end up hunting something only to later find out the hard way that its meat was toxic.

Was it really just three strangers from another world and a beastman who didn't seem to have much knowledge of the country? How did these people expect them to survive? The mage could only hope that Thiago would at least have some knowledge of what was safe to eat and what wasn't. If not, then any time they ended up getting forced to hunt or forage for survival they would be taking a gamble. Was it too late to ask the guards to find a hunter or some other person familiar with the lands plants and wildlife with them? If not than perhaps they could find someone themselves? Even if they could convince someone to join them for part of the journey and teach them about the lands plants and animals may make the difference between life and death.

Blitz bit down on the door handle again, leaving teeth marks this time as he tugged at it. "Stop it, we're going" The thief muttered as he gently pushed the wolf aside and open the door, the now sharp edges on the handle threatening to cut his hand. "Lets go before they get mad at us for destroying property." He added as he peaked outside and let out a relieved breath when he saw no sight of Liam and headed down the hall toward the cafeteria.

The layout of the castle was still a bit confusing but since he didn't travel to far in fear of running into Liam but he had gotten better at navigating the place.  As he and Blitz made his way to the cafeteria he saw Kuro ahead of him. He didn't think much of it at the time until he saw Kuro stagger as he stepped through the door. Odd? He wasn't that familiar with the dragon but he didn't remember seeing him staggering around before. Had he just been lost in thought and forgot to pay attention to his surroundings or perhaps he found liquor somewhere and was a bit drunk? Or had something else happened? The latter two thoughts where a bit worrying, especially since they where just about to start their journey.

"Are you alright?" Creus asked coming up behind Kuro, he hadn't shown any concern about his unplanned comrades before but he wanted to make sure he was at least okay to start the journey. Blitz also snuffled the mans hand before trotting across the room to where Zakhar and Thiago sat, the wolf came right up behind Zakhar and shoved his nose into the mans backside in greeting before circling around him and attempting to snatch at whatever food that might be left on his plate. "Blitz, no leave it." He warned the wolf before glancing back at Kuro. "Perhaps you should sit down I will make sure they bring us some food..."

 Creus did not wait for Kuro to respond, instead he hurried off to find a servant to bring them some food. As soon as he found someone he asked them to bring food for him, Blitz and Kuro and though the servant was reluctant when he pointed at Blitz whom continued to try to harass Zakhar and Thiago both for food and asked it they wanted the wolf to keep causing trouble the servant nodded and hurried off.

After that Creus went to the table and once again called Blitz off, this time more sternly before he sat down though at the same table he kept his distance from the others, sitting a few seats away from Zakhar and Thiago. Fifteen minutes later the servant returned with a surprisingly hearty breakfast for all of them including Blitz though the servant put the wolfs food on the table, too afraid to go near him. So Creus set it down for the wolf and the entire contains of the plate which consisted of sausages, eggs and some potatoes where gone in about thirty seconds flat and Blitz was back to begging food from the others.

Creus just sighed and began to eat, ignoring Blitz's behavior for the time being though he didn't allow the wolf to actively steal food from anyone, like he had tried to do when they first enter the hall. Within about twenty minutes of getting their meal the guard responsible for watching over them arrived at their table and threw down the remaining packs that had been left in the room seemingly without a care about damaging their contents. "Time to go." The man said gruffly as a sheepish servant came and took their plates regardless of how much they ate.

"Can you give us a few more min-" Creus started but was cut off by the guard. "No, out now. Leave, your other companions will meet up with you outside." The guards words surprised the mage, other companions? Since when? They hadn't said anything about anyone else, was this a good thing or a bad thing? Who where they? What skills did they have and could they be trusted? Of course the guard wouldn't have answered those questions even if he had given the mage a chance to ask. Instead impatient, gruff guard gave him a shove, nearly forcing him off his seat when he didn't react quickly enough, the action causing Blitz to snarl. "Keep your hands off us unless you want to get bitten, we're going." The mage warned, he wasn't about to let this guy push anyone around like that however he did comply as he stood from the table and grabbed his supplies. He made sure to take his time, just to tick the guard off a bit. Thankfully the prospect of getting bitten by a wolf was enough of a warning to keep the guard from getting any more aggressive for now.

As soon as they where up and moving the guard was practically shoving them toward the door though he managed to keep his hands to himself this time. Once they got outside Creus looked around to see who their companions was and was quite horrified to see Liam standing their with a pack and full travel gear. "Heeey, guess what guys?! I get to go with you too. Lets all have lots of fun together!"

"Your other companion should be hear soon." The guard stated bluntly before doing an about face and slamming the castle doors behind them.



Storm
Alcarie

4:20pm Jun 11 2019

Normal User


Posts: 2,091
Zakhar ::
The food was decent, though the Farxal appeared to enjoy it a great deal more. After a bit of trial and error, Zakhar came to the realization that the little creature was definitely carnivorous and wasn't picky about the state of the meat given. If the meal the humans, or sorts of humans anyway, were given consisted of nothing but plants then the Farxal would hunt himself something. Usually mice or lizards, much to Zakhar's disgust. He refused to let the little guy perch on him again until the Farxal had given himself a thorough cleaning. At the moment, however, the ferret beast was happily munching on pieces of sausage Zakhar offered him. "I really need to name you." Zakhar told it, wrenching his fingers back as sharp teeth got to close. Thiago's confused look went ignored.

Returning to his meal, Zakhar swiftly ran through a mental list of pet names, but none seemed suitable for such a smart animal. It wasn't a dog, nor a cat, so the typical name of his motherland wouldn't work. Plus, it would be a constant reminder of home. Pausing, he turned slightly to take a closer look at the Farxal and smirked. "Blue and silver. You could be an Illium." He only received a small, content burp in reply. Though he'd never admit it, the name came from a fantasy romance book of some sort he'd found in the hotel room he'd been stuck in while waiting for word from a birdie. Bored out of his mind by the second day, he'd ended up reading it and was surprised to note it wasn't half bad. Vicious archangels, vampires, decent battle scenes. It made up for the crap romance plot. Illium had been a blue and silver winged angel, and a side character of course, but ended up being Zakhar's favorite.

So caught up in his own musing with the newly dubbed Illium, he'd missed the near silent approach of Blitz. At least until the large wolf nudged at his backside. Sputtering in surprised protest, the human nearly came out of his seat and dislodged his passenger. "You need a bell." He told Blitz, wincing as Illium dug his claws into Zakhar's shoulder and neck to hang on during the jostling. The little beast squeaked and chittered at the wolf, and Zakhar had the mental image of him shaking his tiny fist down at the white canine. "By the way, rude." He added, but tore of a piece of the sausage and handed it to Blitz. After a couple of days, he could say he liked the wolf a lot better than its owner. Then again, he tended to prefer animals to people anyway. Even if his talking to them as if they could understand tended to award him with strange looks from others of this world. Zakhar was of course still weary of the wolf, because wolf, and didn't attempt to pet it lest he lose his hand, but had no problem offering him food in hopes of keeping in his good graces.

Of course, where the wolf was, Creus wasn't far behind. The mage approached and sat down a few seats away, calling for food for himself and Blitz. Zakhar nodded in greeting, but went back to eating as quickly as possible with a couple of pauses to feed whichever mouth aimed for the food. Of course the peace couldn't last and they were unceremoniously cast from the castle along with the packs. "Others?" He questioned, side-eyeing Liam wearily. This little shrimp was going with them as well? What use would he be, other than to act as another guide of sorts? Hopefully whoever else is tagging along will actually be worth their weight. He thought waspishly, picking up his packs and attempting to situate them on his shoulders comfortably.

The usually 'quiet unless spoken too' Thiago suddenly murmured something a few moments after the castle doors were slammed behind them, and Zakhar looked over to see the usually somber beastman light up. Thiago's tufted ears were perked, tail twitching behind him as he stared wide-eyed, happily, at something. It was the first emotion outside of somber fear he'd seen out of the man; for a second he appeared almost human. Curious as to what had Thiago so pleased, Zakhar peered in the general direction of the beastman's golden gaze and caught sight of a guard leading a large, dun horse towards them. Amused, Zakhar turned away to wait for whoever else was supposed to be coming.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Thiago::
Relaxing a bit as Creus and Kuro appeared, Thiago made sure to keep his head down but watched the others approaching through his peripherals. To his amusement, Blitz startled the human Zakhar and Thiago was not surprised to hear him speak to the animal as if it could understand him. It was a strange quirk, one of multiple, these supposed heroes had. Over the last couple of days of appraising them from afar, Thiago wasn't at all sure these were the right people for the upcoming job.

They were in-cohesive, still defensive and weary of one another. They were not a fighting unit, but rather parts of a whole who were so bent out of shape he wasn't sure they could ever truly run efficiently. Not unless the walls between them were broken down. However, from what he could see those same walls had been build over many years and would not crumble easily; or at all. Kuro, from what Thiago could observe, would likely be the first to break, because his defenses were not so heavily fortified. Which was good, because he could be the building block, the base or heart of this little group - the one the other two could revolve around, become comfortable with. It was difficult, after all, not to like Kuro and his sometimes clumsy charm. Hopefully it would work on the others, as well.

Creus and Zakhar were harder to pin down. Zakhar, maybe, could be made to come around and work as a team. From the bit of talk he'd heard, Thiago knew the human came from a large family who worked together doing something. It meant he knew how to be a team player, but this wasn't the team he was used to or wanted. But if one of the others could gain his loyalty? Maybe there was a chance. However, the hard part was that Thiago also knew Zakhar wore masks to hide behind. He'd seen it during their brief conversation outside the city. One moment Zakhar was fine, as coarse and snarky as ever, but the second he seemed to scent blood in the water, or in this case that Thiago was hiding something, the beastman had seen behind that carefully constructed mask.

If Zakhar was the one who was difficult because it was hard to tell if he was being serious or not, Creus was the complete opposite. The mage was cold and aloof, and it was easy to tell he held contempt, dislike, and weariness towards all of them. Creus kept himself apart, made sure the others couldn't get close by biting out cruel words or by simply ignoring them. He was efficient, detached, and unsympathetic. Good traits for a leader, except when that leader didn't have the loyalty of the others. Thiago knew there wasn't, technically, a leader among them, but if they couldn't get on the same page them someone needed to take the reins. The beastman had a feeling that was going to be Creus. Though, Thiago had a feeling it wouldn't go over so well with one of the others.

But then again, this was all speculation of a monster who was now little more than a slave to a king who disdained at his very existence. Mentally berating himself, Thiago suddenly felt a bit queasy and sat what was left of his plate on the ground for Creus' wolf. What did it matter what he though, anyway. Shoulders slumping, he pulled the heavy jacket closer to himself and dutifully ignored the pins-and-needles the squashing of the fur along his spine caused. It was a reminder to himself not to forget his place; which was not to speculate or to judge how these people were going to stop the chaos. Suddenly the guards were there, ushering them out of the castle whist trying to not to get bit.

Some of the others were a bit ruffled by the treatment, but being that he was used to it Thiago simply stepped to the side so he was a bit more out of the way. Liam's chirpy voice was not expected as the castle doors slammed behind them, though with the small males clear desire to prove himself in some way it shouldn't have been. But it was the thumping of hooves on the ground that caught Thiago's attention instead of the knight. A very familiar dun mare was being led by a hassled looking stableboy, already saddled and ready to go. Golden eyes widening, Thiago couldn't stop the small, rare smile even if he wanted to. "Katya." He breathed out, delighted to see the mare that had brought him out of the storm - and was the last living creature other than himself to survived the massacre on the farm. Thiago had been sure she'd been either killed or sold.

Leaping from the *forebuilding of the castle, a solid fall that would have stunned a normal person, if not broken their leg, Thiago all but ran to take the reins from the scared looking stableboy. Katya sniffed him, as curious as ever, but allowed the beastman to carefully run his hand over her muzzle. "Is she coming with me?" He asked the stableboy, who was staring at his clawed hands with obvious horror. The boy simply nodded before turning and bolting back towards the stables. Embarrassed, but too pleased to truly care, Thiago led the horse back towards the others, but paused where the grass turned to cobblestone to wait with his companion.

OoC:: Forebuilding- a projection in front of a keep, containing the stairs to the main entrance.



Tinkers
plot_twister

9:34pm Jun 17 2019

Normal User


Posts: 25

Kuro shook his head to clear it, glancing up as Creus and Blitz came up behind him, the mage asking if he was alright.

“Ah, I’m fine, just felt a bit dizzy for a moment, nothing a bit of breakfast won’t fix” he replied with a light smile, straightening up and pushing away from the wall. The dragon followed the mage fully into the dining hall, watching with slight amusement as Blitz jammed his muzzle into the other human’s back, causing the man to start and scold the wolf, while still tossing Blitz a bit of food. Didn’t he know that was more than likely to encourage this sort of behavior in the future since the wolf may start to think that nudging and bothering people while they eat will earn him more food?


Shaking his head but chuckling at the chaos of the morning Kuro took a seat at the table, his head feeling almost entirely clear now, though he glanced back toward the door, frowning for a moment before a plate of food was placed down before him.

The dragon had barely scarfed down half of his breakfast before they were all being rather rudely shoved out of the dining hall. Being hungry, a bit tired, and still a tad dizzy Kuro almost snapped at the guard as the man neared him, his mismatched eyes narrowing, for once his usually gentle face looked… well, not so gentle.


Picking up his last sausage Kuro got to his feet and allowed the guard to shepherd them out of the room and down to the front hall and out onto the castle steps where the little charmer Liam was waiting, greeting as enthusiastically as ever.


Gulping down the last bite of his sausage and licking his fingers clean Kuro moved toward the knight. “Good Morning, Liam,” he greeted, glancing back as he heard Thiago gasp and take off, watching the beastman run up to a horse that’d been lead out. That’d been the most excited Kuro had yet to see the man get.

-----------------------------


Fernleigh


Taking a deep breath, Fern steadied himself, preparing for what he had to do next as he stared at the large door closed before him, the guards having scurried away at his appearance. Apparently, the tales of a ghost in the castle had been taken very seriously since his last outing. If the guards and staff thought he himself was the ghost or maybe just some cursed exorcist he wasn’t sure, all he knew was that the king had given them some BS story that kept them from talking to him or touching him, though that wasn’t to say they mistreated him. He’d been politely lead down from the tower to here, but it’d been an oddly disconnected affair.


Sighing heavily he stepped forward, his boots echoing off the smooth floor with each step until he reached the door, placing a pale hand against it and gently easing it open, slipping through once the gap was big enough and easing the door closed behind him, tugging at the straps of his travel pack to adjust them. Fern wasn’t used to having to haul around everything or wear multiple layers of clothing to protect him from the outside elements, but it was only a minor annoyance at first. Despite his gear, it wasn’t heavy, his body naturally a lot tougher and stronger than it looked.


Now that he was outside Fernleigh was faced with a new obstacle, his new companions, all of which had yet to notice him as they focused on each other and an odd humanoid and a horse at the base of the steps. Realizing he probably wouldn’t have another opportunity to observe them all like this he paused, taking in each man’s appearance, noting what they had on them, clothing, gear, and most importantly their weapons. Three were very clearly human, one of which he recognized from his observations of the castle ground from his room, but the other two? Well, they were something else.


One was obviously not human by appearance alone, his facial features and harry body giving that away even if his oddly bulked out clothes and animal-like legs didn’t. The other one, however, was a trickier puzzle to figure out. He looked human but wasn’t. Fern had seen his hands when he’d climbed the tower, and he’d glimpsed into the man’s mind, A mind that works unlike any human’s ever could. It hummed and swirled, a musical twisting maze that could suck you in and keep you forever trapped in its depth. It seemed ancient but also childish… Fern would have to learn more about that one.


Finally deciding he’d observed enough Fernleigh cleared his throat, stepping forward toward the group, looking the part of a proper, confident young noble entirely, as the King had instructed him to act. Fern didn’t like pretending to be a Noble, but he often didn’t like what the king wanted, so there was nothing new there. He would play his part as long as he didn’t see a reason he should doubt the king.


“Good morning, Gentlemen,” he greeted, his voice smooth and proper. “My name is Fernleigh Ogden. The King has instructed me to join you on your journey.”


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