Heroes for Hire

[Artsydaze]

OOC

Dripping sounds as well as sharp clang of metals followed by the occasional curse could be heard in the great sewer of Granarium, a port city known for it's busy market and high crime rates. The underground passage were grew and smelled awfully of trash, feces, urine and rotten fish but was also the new home of a certain young woman. Veronelle Ragatosh was her name, and she was currently hammering on planks with a handful of rusty nails, putting the finishing touch on what seemed to be a notice board of some kind. Dark red hair slicked back by sweat and tanned cheeks red with exertion, the aspiring guild-mistress fluidly drew back on her hunch to look upon her work.

The board was rough, and probably wouldn't last for more than a year by the look of it, but would serve it's purpose, it's ugliness at home in the equally distasteful sewers. Nodding once in approval, Veronelle set out to place carefully wrapped sheets of parchment on it's surface and, careful of the rusty nail and rough wood, set out to write notices with a dusty quill and a half empty inkwell. Tongue slightly peeking from reddish lips in concentration, she set out on her task.

WHO WE ARE!

The Warmongers Guild is a guild of Heroes that will one day dominate all other similar guilds, never stop aiming for that ultimate goal! We are battle-hungry, greedy little bastards and we are proud of it! Founded on the 17th of Helios, the Warmongers Guild will make it's own history in the whole world so spread far and wide to make our names know and brings riches and glory back to the guild! We will be busy from now on with various quests from exterminating giant rodents to slaying dragons so always be ready and on your toes!


SO YOU WANT TO BE A WARMONGER?

Did you present the Guildmistress with the form and admission fee upon your arrival? If not, you may do so now before you get though of as a freeloader! When that is done you may either go sleep in the dormitories, visit the outside world or look upon this magnificent notice board for any quest you may undertake. Go on, chop, chop!


Smiling in pleasure at her achievement, the redhead passed her grey eyes on more time upon her short message before she nailed them firmly to the board, making sure that they could not be remover easily. After she had done so she stood and, with the help of her gloves, fixed the board to a nearby wall after making sure that her other supplies were safely put in a nearby chest. Putting her hands on her hips, she looked upon her creation with pride and sighed, the worst of her task yet to be started; To buy enough beds for a small guild with barely enough gold to pay a worker for a week of work.

Veronelle set out to the nearest sewer grate, kicking rats that were in her path as she goes, her strides long and determined as she made short work of the distance. Reaching the ladders, she swiftly ascended the iron rungs and pushed the finely carver grate out of her way as she reached the top. The market place greeted her sight as she set out to work...

As the sun descended upon the sky the young woman put the last of her hard earned cots in the highest point of the sewer's platform she claimed as her own, her finances now in ruins as she did so. How the great had to suffer to succeed, she thought...

[Echoes of Old]

Syiber stood, looking at the notice board. He was hard to distinguish in the dim light, and his dark clothing didn't help. But that didn't bother him. He enjoyed it. He rolled his shoulders, trying to work the stiffness out. He would have to talk to this guild mistress person. He could use the work. But then he'd have to take orders from someone. A woman, no less. But, gold doesn't mine itself.

Syiber adjusted his mask, and took a close look at a mission. War camp removal. He could do that. Fighting and farming was all he knew, and he liked fighting better. Syiber took down the bounty, folded it up, and tucked it into his belt. He looked around, and pulled his hood up. He stepped back from the wall, and looked for the guild mistress. He found her moving beds in the worst excuse for a dorm that he's ever seen. She somehow hadn't noticed him walk up. He silently drew his sword, preparing for trouble. "And what would a person like you be doing in a dump like this?"

[Artsydaze]

As she was putting in place the last of the cots, Veronelle heard a dark voice from behind her, the man no doubt talking to her with words that could be threatening depending on the next few moments. With a restrained flinch of surprise and a narrowing of her grey eyes, she drew out her trusty rapier and positioned herself for a fight, gracefully twirling around and stopping in a long tried combat stance. Scrutinizing the dark warily, she finally let her eyes lend on a dark figure slightly to her left, near the new notice board. Smiling toothily, she jumped a little to hide her unease at being caught unaware and said, ever so sweetly;

“I could say the same to you! What brings you here, stranger? This is my turf, you know?” She said, slashing the surrounding air of her rapier as if delimiting her new domain.

She was still out of breath and was flustered but she was still trained in the way of war and would not let herself be bullied out of her own propriety. If battle there would be, she would do everything to win. She was the new Guildmistress of the Warmongers Guild and would act as such!

[Echoes of Old]

"I'm a bounty hunter, it's my job to be in places like this."

She was about his age, roughly. Slightly older, maybe. "You Veronelle?"

Either his contact was right, or he was in trouble. He was ready to fight, if need be, but didn't mind running, either. He stood there, feet shoulder width apart, sword held at his side, ready to fly. His left hand found his hatchet, and he waited for her response. She was somewhat pretty, he supposed. Looked kind of like Aryyia. Focus, Syiber. If she attacked, He could use the cots to trip her up. There was a loose board in the floor that could make a decent makeshift weapon if he was disarmed, but it was still sketchy. Hopefully she didn't attack him, but you could never be too sure with people these days. Especially the women. Not that it was unwarranted, of course. Especially not in this town. The thought of it made Syiber sick

[Artsydaze]

“So that's how it is...” Veronelle said to herself, barely loud enough to hear her own voice as she nodded once.

“As a matter of fact, I am! Are you here to join?” She said chirpily, still drawing her rapier and not taking her eyes from the newcomer until he proved himself trustworthy. She could hold her own, but better safe than sorry, right?

Not turning her back to the man before her, she approached the notice board and pointed the part about the fees and the form with the tip of her weapon, smiling mischievously and making the universal sign of gold with her free hand. She hoped he was at least sharp enough to get the hint as she needed all the gold she could get to get out of this dump of a city. The sewers themselves were only a bit safer with their diseased rats and unclean water and she needed to be out of anyone's reach in a way that being the Guildmistress of a guild could provide. This had to work.

[Echoes of Old]

Syiber drew his hatchet, and casually threw it at Veronelle. It struck the wood at her feet, and lodged there. He sheathed his sword and turned to inspect one of the cots. "I'm broke right now, so that'll have to do. It's worth upwards of 100 gold to the right buyer." He traced the rough fabric with his fingers and said, "Where'd you buy this piece of junk?"

[Cleverbird]

There was quite the ruckus in town, people running back and forth excitingly, gathering around the market. "Hey, did you hear? A monster wandered into town!" The group of boys quickly dropped the crates they were carrying, much to the annoyance of the stall owner, and ran towards the crowd that had gathered on the main square. "Oooh, I hope its a Minotaur!" "No, a Dryder!" "Pfft, a horde of Goblins would be cool!" They pushed and clawed their way through the crowd, their small bodies easily slipping through the cracks, while simultaneously picking up a few 'lost' wallets here and there.

"Hmm... That's a monster?" The boys actually sounded a little disappointed. It wasn't the grotesque monstrosity they had hoped for, instead it was a... Naked woman? Well, not exactly.

It was easy to forgive them for not recognizing an Elemental, they were extremely rare, tended to avoid civilization and never really left their natural habitat. So an Ice Elemental, who wandered into town, where it wasn't even cold? Scholars would've laughed at the very notion. The Elemental didn't seem hostile, she simply strode across town like a little kid, going to her first zoo. She 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed at all the strange and new sights, there was so much to see! To hear! And to... Smell? Her face twisted into one of disgust, causing most of the people to back off. "Aaah, Khione smells something terrible." She said, with a melodic, sing-sang voice.

Blinking, she looked around, as if only just now noticing the crowd she had drawn. "Oh... Hi!" She cheered, waving energetically. There were a few in the crowd that let out a scream turned to run away, they soon pulled with them the rest of the crowd and all too soon Khione was left alone again. She cocked her head and blinked, not entirely sure of what just happened. Shrugging, she decided to continue her quest to discover where that horrible smell was coming from!

She tracked it down to some kind of grate leading to some sort of cave thing? Determined to figure out what could possibly stink this badly, Shione set forth into the smelly darkness. Thankfully she didn't have to venture far into this stinky place, before she heard voices. Surely that must be the source of this terrible stink. Giggling softly, she moved closer, noticing two figures in the dark, standing next to some kind of wooden board. It didn't seem like they had noticed her yet. A man, and a woman. At least, she thought so, it was sometimes hard to tell with humans.

Smiling coyly, she snuck up on what she assumed was a man. She was as light as a feather, barely making any sound on the ground at all, the only thing that may have tipped Syiber off, was the sudden drop in temperature. By then it was already too late.

Khione pressed herself against his back and inhaled deeply. "Hmmmm.... No, you're not stinky." She finally declared, before glaring at Veronelle and pushing past Syiber. He wasn't interesting anymore. "Are you the one that's stinky?" she asked, squinting at her.

[Artsydaze]

As soon as she saw the hatchet sailing toward her did Veronelle sidestep slightly from it's trajectory, making sure that it would not arm her and preparing for battle as she did so, planning to eviscerate the impudent male only to be stopped short by his next words. Picking up the hatchet and mentally telling herself to sell it at the first opportunity, she was again sidetracked by a rather rude remark about her hard earned cots. Pouting in discontent and annoyance, she was about to give that rude man a piece of her mind when she was, again, sidetracked by an Ice elemental, of all things!

She watched, dumbfounded as the creature spouted from nowhere and sniffed Syiber before asking her accusingly if she was the one that stunk. Letting out a little laugh and sniffing herself slightly while not letting the two others out of her sight, she finally responded.

“Maybe the sewer got to me, after all, who knows? What are you doing this far south, Miss Ice Elemental?” She asked in return, cocking he head cutely to the side yet gripping her drawn rapier firmly. She really wasn't looking forward to battling an elemental yet but would do so if she had to.

“Furthermore, what are you doing in my headquarters? It's not much but it's still mine, you know? Unless you are wanting to join?” That would be an interesting guild member to have, no doubt, and the female shaped creature could come handy.

[Echoes of Old]

Syiber jumped when He felt the elemental touch him. Shit, he hadn't accounted for something like that. And he had just thrown away his hatchet, too... But then she was off asking Veronelle something. So it wasnt alligned with her. That was a spot of luck for him. He slowly turned to look at the two of them, and sized up the elemental. Not that he had any intention of engaging her, and by extension being frozen solid, of course. She also lacked proper clothing, Syiber noticed almost instantaneously. She would have to fix that. He looked over to the board, and said, "If that thing causes trouble, It's your problem not mine."

[Cleverbird]

The Elemental turned her back to Veronelle, clearly not sensing her hostility, or simply ignoring it. "Sewers? Headquarters?" Thione cocked her head to the side, looking back at Veronelle. "Thione doesn't know what that means, but Thione wants to join! Mmhmm!" She nodded her head vigorously. Curiosity was once more thrusting her into situations that she had no reason to be. "Is Dark Man joining as well?" She spun on her heels, to face Syiber. She was about as threatening as a 5 year old right now. A 5 year old that had the ability to freeze your blood in an instant, there was that to consider.

The most common 'use' for Elementals was that of familiars for mages, though the majority of Elementals were processed for their hearts. Precious, magic infused stones. Fire's Ember, an ever burning orb of fire, Earth's Obsidian, an unbreakable black stone, Water's Tear, an always full phial of water. Very luxurious items for mages and alchemists alike, often fetching a very high price on the markets.