Trafalgar didn't have a chance to hear Corinne's answer; a huge hyena-like creature bursted through the wall and started wreacking havoc inside the tavern. "What the..." he thought as the monster growled and then, as in a frenzy, attacked anything that was nearby. An unfortunate man who didn't even have the chance to react got bit in half by the hyena.

Trafalgar quickly looked around him. The only visible exit was through the front door but the way was blocked. The previously filled with joy and lively atmosphere quicly turned into that of terror and panic as everyone tried to save themselves, some by trying to run away, some by hiding from the monster and others were just simply too drunk to even realize they were in danger.

"By Elandriel's name, right when I was about to finally get that drink..." he mumbled frustrated. Without much thought, he grabbed Corinnes hand and hastily made his way to the second floor. He hoped the beast wouldn't see them and follow. Fortunately for them, he made the right choice as he saw the monster busting through the walls of the tavern, heading for god knows where.

He turned around and let out a huge sigh of relief, he looked at Corinne, "are you alright?" He asked her.

Darryn was on his fourth pint when he began to wonder what he would do next. Since it was late, he guessed that it would be best to rest for the night and then look for work in the morning. Just then he saw the over sized Hyena come into the tavern and begin to terrorize the patrons. Darryn very quickly got out his bow and notched an arrow, but before he could aim it at the beast, the creature hastily left the tavern and out into the town. He decided to give chase since this beast looked like it could do some real damage, and he took off after it. The creature was fast, but Darryn was fast as well and he managed to keep the beast in his sight as it ran towards the town hall.

Darryn noticed the corpse of a nobleman that 
Grushtov had killed and eaten, and this made the Weasel Folk ever more determined to catch the fiend. Once he got a clear view of the beast, Darryn came to a halt and quickly notched an arrow. He took aim and in almost an instant, he fired an arrow that was aimed for the creatures back. If it hit then it would piece the beast very close to its spine, and immediately after firing his arrow, Darryn continued running after the beast.

The bread was nice, not oven-fresh, but fresh enough for Gukb. Chunk after chunk barrelled down his throat until there was nothing but a few crumbs on the table. He chased the food down with a (what he hoped was complimentary) bottle of Anselm Blues on the nearby counter.

"Feast fit fo' a king, that!" he said, delighted and beaming with unusual excitement. "Could be gettin' used to this livin', could me."

Realising he'd just taken a gluttoneous portion of the Master's geneoristy, Gukb remembered his manners. He trotted through the house, passing through one door way after another, using Elric's voice - and the voices of strangers - to guide him through the expanse. Eventually, he found a narrow staircase, which he assumed would lead him to his master.

"Master Barber, yer u-"

Womanly screams from outside rustled Gukb's casual mannerisms, and his little hand fell to Red Rust's handle. His eyes darted towards the front door, which lay at the end of the hall. The oaken wood suddenly exploded, and the goblin pulled his sword up. Every inch of muscle told him to run, but he was done with running. He could have a good life here, and he was too tired to let the unknown take it from him.

"'Ere, Hell Hound," Gukb said to the towering form passing into Elric's home. "Gots me some rus-" the goblin's courage dissipated as his slitted eyes made out the features of his enemy.

A gnoll. And a big one at that.

"I er," Gukb coughed, "Master Barber, govna', we got us some trouble down 'ere, like."

Hopefully Elric and his companions knew their way around a weapon, because Gukb doubted his ability to hold his ground against a creature three times his size.

Elric gave a nod to James as he settled himself in. He finished his glass of milk as he began heading towards the stairs, when he heard a very loud pounding against his front door. He glanced at Gukb who was at the bottom of the stairway.

"I trust the brea-" That's when the sound of shrieking drew his attention. Master Barber, govna', we got us some trouble down 'ere, like." He started coming down the stairs quickly, as he noticed the creature which destroyed his door and broke into his house. He glanced up from the stairway as he shouted up, "Sir Hawthorne I hope I'm not being a bother, but would you please come downstairs?"

Elric breathed in and out, as he went to the very bottom of the stairs. "I do hope we can come to a reasonable understanding." You helped an Orc with dentistry and slight surgery a few days back, how... he thought as he gazed upon the massive snarling hyena and its Gnoll master. Okay maybe rational and peaceful solutions won't work this time. But I can't let everyone bleed all over the place in a bloodbath. Let's try some peaceful diplomacy.

He coughed, as he kept staring at them. He spoke trying to keep a sense of poise, "Yes w-well, erm..." Elric coughed as he breathed in an out. He tried again, keeping a sense of calmness, "Welcome to my establishment. How can I help you this fine night..?" He asked to the Gnoll. He said stepping away from the stairway so people, namely Sir Hawthorne and Gukb could get across if they so needed. He still held onto his ceramic cup. If things go south I can at least chuck this at 'em...Then, try not to die or get injured and stop the creatures.

Tirarian remained as still as possible. When a drunken hyena-man three times your size breaks into your friends house, it is probably best to let them settle it. It may be in her name, but Elric always had a way with calming people down, normally before surgery. It probably didn't help that if things went pear shaped, she'd left her sword in her cart and the grenade was in her coat by the door by the Goblin... wait... Goblin? Who the hell? Could he help?

The room was frozen, all in position to strike. No sound could be heard except for Elric working his mouth and the Gnoll slobbering. If she could get the goblin to use the explosive she would probably trash the room, but the beast would be wounded enough for everyone to jump on him

She got his attention 'psst.' and gestured towards her coat, immitated putting it on and showed him the pocket which it was in, and prayed he would realise. Unfortunately subtlety is not the Gnomes best talent, and the Gnoll's eyes were directed specifically on her. She had one thing to say before the room exploded into action. "Shit."

Gukb's eyes flickered from the towering Gnoll to the bemused expression of a Gnome... wait, Gnome? The Master had himself some strange company, for Gukb knew Gnomes as dicey companions. He felt the urge to tell the stocky halfling where to shove her accusing stare, before realising that the Gnome wasn't looking at him - but past him, towards her coat hanging on a rack by the door.

The goblin didn't know what was in the coat, but he figured the trickster-bitch had something stashed in there; by the way she kept darting her eyes from him, to it, he gathered that the coat held a resource he needed to start tapping into.

Only problem was, the Gnoll stood between him and the mystery prize. Furthermore, the Gnoll seemed to have cottoned on to what was happening.

"Ah balls," Gukb had the good sense to mutter, before the monster came barrelling towards him.

Goblins were not known for their strength, nor their courage really, and Gukb wasn't much of an exception. Courage, he had found through trial and error on the road. Strength? No, he hadn't found much of that. Arms that were only a couple of feet long could only hold so much muscle. Still, goblins were known for their speed and scuttling nature.

He ducked the raging beast, bouncing himself under the Gnoll's parted legs, and came up on the other side. Possessed by the Gods of SHIT! he fumbled through the Gnome's coat pocket, and soon found something round,hard and made of metal.

He'd of asked what on earth he was supposed to do with it, but the Gnoll's charge had carried itself on towards the Master and the Gnome.

James drew his longsword as he made his way down the stairs, the steel glistening in his hand. Leaning over the railings, he discovered that a giant hyena had not only broken open the front door, but led a goblin and an oversized rodent in to fight it.
“It’s breached the gates!” he shouted, gripping his sword in both hands. The knight vaulted over the railing, and flung himself at the overgrown hyena, landing on its back. The beast roared as an armoured knight began straddling its furred back, and with a roar it began to buck and kick; James grabbed a handful of coarse fur in one hand, and using the other to hack away with his sword, with satisfying effect.

Well, Diplomacy has failed. What would Pa do in a si- Elric thought to himself, before he realized a very important fact, a sociopathic disease ridden Gnoll was charging straight at him. “Die human,” he howled. “Your flesh will feed my pet quite well.” Every word spat through yellowed teeth with ale stenched breath. “Well that was awfully inconsiderate, and rather rude!” Elric cooly quipped as he threw the nearest thing to hand at the monstrosity, which happened to be his ceramic cup in his hand. The crockery shattered upon his forehead, but ony only succeeded in pissing the beast off. “Pissan ‘Ell…” Elric mumbled as he proceeded to run away from the Gnoll, which continued charging at him, thin red lines of blood leaking from the minor cuts he endured from his assailant. Being cornered, he quickly looked for something else he could use against the Gnoll as it snarled at him, almost forgetting everyone else in the room. Tirarian ran across the room and tried grabbing the grenade from the green-skinned bastard.

“Give it here!” she shouted as Elric ran across the room
The Goblin recoiled before she could grasp it, a grin played across his lips
“Ti’ical of a Gnome t’ miss their manners, what’s the magic wo-” his sentence trailed off as he evaded a punch from the gnome, who was a head shorter than him
Tirarian stared at him with a look of pure hate, “For all the gods sakes please give me that explosive device that is going to blow your hand off in seconds.” She savoured the look of shock on his face as he quickly handed it over, before childishly sticking out her tongue. “I lied.” she said, much to the dissatisfaction of Gkub, who crossed his arms and sneered. “I see you’ve got it all under control then, by all means. Go ahead. Save the day.”

Meanwhile, above the bickering of the two half-sized half-wits, the beast charged down upon Elric, a mighty hand wrapping itself around his slender torso, hanging him up in the air before slamming him to the floor, with a loud thud and the cracking of ribs.
“DAMNIT ELRIC, DO YOU HAVE SO MUCH AS A MESSER IN THIS HOUSEHOLD?” James despaired, as he began to bash the hyena between the shoulders with his sword’s pommel.
Elric gripped two rows of teeth and braced them, reflecting how awful it would be to survive this encounter only to die of some horrible disease. “I’ve got a knife back in the kitchen I use for filleting the fish I catch. And my saw for surgery! But I’m a tad busy at the moment. Oh you know, trying not to die horribly and all.” He said as the fiend shifted his grip and lifted Elric against the wall, ripping into his arm as he did so, and wrenching the broken and bloodied limb from his mouth. In response Elric shifted his own grip onto the creatures nose, as he continued trying to snap at the surgeon. Gritting his teeth against the pain in his limp appendage.“Pissan ‘ell…” Elric hissed as he moved up, as he continued to try to push the creature off of him.
“GET OUT OF THE WAY, THEN.” James yelled, and brought his sword up. With his left hand, he grabbed the blade halfway down the middle, and drove it into the hyena’s shoulder, sending it rolling down, taking James to the ground with it. The pair tumbled, and landed on the ground with a clatter of steel and dull slap of meat on wood. The knight picked himself up, and jumped on top of the prone hyena, mustering dexterity brought from years of training. With a grunt, he held his sword upside down, and swung it down onto the top of the beast’s head; and agonising whimper followed, almost drowning out the wet crunchy sound caused by James’ crossguard meeting its skull.
“So did you solve y-” Elric found himself interrupted, as the Gnoll slammed him back against the wall, more in a twitch of pain as oppose to a conscious effort. “... Oh ta ‘ell withis.” Elric swung his head to smack the Gnoll in his gargling mouth, catching him off guard, causing him to drop the wounded barber and bring his hands up to his bloodied face. Elric quickly squirmed out of the pin, just like he would do with his older brothers back in the day. He got up and swung a cross punch, smacking the Gnoll while it was getting up. The Gnoll glared at Elric. “I will kill you slowly skinny human rat-shit.” The Gnoll growled out as he got up and swung at Elric with both of his claws. Elric fled backwards, narrowly avoiding the flurry of claws, however the same could not be said for his tunic. And, wait, no he definitely felt a small new wound on his torso. Elric held onto his bleeding right forearm, as he headed back to the kitchen so he could grab something, anything, to use as a weapon against the foul monster as it lumbered behind him, knocking furniture left and right as he struggled against James. A thought then occurred to him, as he used his left hand to flick the blood from his forearm at the Gnoll’s eyes, a thought that could only occur to one who has seen plenty of the stuff. The Gnoll hissed out, and it’s claws returned to his eyes as they watered up “DIE SLOWLY… I will make you DIE SLOWLY!”, and he rubbed furiously at them. This gave Elric a few precious seconds to get into the kitchen, where he noticed an empty bottle of Ansem Blues, which he picked up with his left hand. He waited, taking deep breaths one, two, he swung pre-emptively and caught the beast without him having a chance to react. A loud chish rang out and the monster screamed, though Elric was sure he couldn’t look any worse, the bottle had done nothing for his looks. He might have laughed at himself if he wasn’t in blinding agony from his arm. It began snarling,again, and stumbled back into a more defensive position to try and shake the opponent on his back before dealing with Elric, but to no avail. This knights grip was like iron, and he would not be denied. Elric used this opportunity to spring onto the Gnoll, knocking it down onto the ground, his surgical hands wrapped themselves around the creature’s neck, in an attempt to choke the life out of it. For the community…I must finish this, and end this foul creature. Elric thought to himself.
Elric felt a pat on his shoulder, and looked up to see James standing there, his sword’s blade soaked in hyena blood.
“Please, allow me to deliver the coup de grace for you. It’s the least I can do.” he said.
Elric glanced up at James, he gave a nod, and the Gnoll limply bucked Elric off to the right side. “Y-yes that would be appreciated.” Elric glanced at the blood on the ground, and remembering, he had a pretty nasty gash in his right forearm, and that he had his rib snapped like a damn chicken bone. “Along with something to mend the wounds. Yes, I’d very much like that. I’ll tend to myself if needed.”
“I believe I have something for that,” Tirarian said, glaring at the goblin while she went to her cart for a poultice.
James brought a booted foot up, and slammed it down onto the gnoll’s neck, giving off a resounding snap. A soft gurgle left its throat as its body spasmed, before going limp.
The knight grabbed the gnoll’s body by the leg, and began to drag it towards the front door. “Strangling takes too long. Try to crush the throat, if you can manage.” he explained, rapping his knuckles against his own gorget.
“Well, I can say I will remember that next time I am under threat of dying.” Elric stated.

Elric glanced at Tirarian, "Yes, that would be quite helpful." He ripped out a hacking cough, as he glanced down at the floor, taking a mental note of the cleaning that he knew he'd have to do. He glanced towards James, "Well, that was... certainly something. And Sir Hawthorne, you may stay as long as you need to." He grinned at James, as he walked past the fire place, as he placed his wounded arm on a small table which had his sewing equipment usually used for cobbling and repairing shoes. He grabbed a piece of twine, and placed it between the eye of the needle.

"Thanks. It'll only be a little while." James said, ascending the stairs. He re-entered his bedroom, then stripped off his armor, leaving himself in a plain shirt and breeches. The metal gear and surcoat lay in a pile as James collapsed backwards onto a mattress.

"That was some fight, Anya," he yawned. "But your papa won. I think we should go to bed now, though. We gotta search this town same as the others, and that means tomorrow's gonna be busy."

Anya turned to her father as he re-entered the room. That fight didn't seem to take very long, but they never really did. Anya's papa was really good at fighting. Right after James collapsed onto the bed, Anya scrambled to put her small, cold arms around her beloved papa.

"Yeah... another busy day," replied Anya, holding her papa tight, "But this town has giant talking squirrels, so it probably has something like a vampire cure. I bet we can get me better really soon."

"A vampire cure..." James repeated absently, curling an arm around his daughter's tiny body. Even like she was, she seemed infinitely frail in his eyes, like thin glass and paper. Perhaps he was biased, he thought, but he couldn't help but think she was fragile, vampiric abilities or no.

"I bet we'll find one soon, too." he agreed, rubbing her hair. "Soon."
With this, he gave a soft "Good night, Anya", and stared at the ceiling, waiting for his breath to slow as the soft lull of slumber overtook him.

Elric jammed the needle through the left side, out of convience. He clamped down his teeth and gritted, as he glanced at the needle head poking out from his flesh. "There we go." He muttered as he weaves the needle through the right side and moving it back through his flesh yet again. The needle wormed through again, piercing through his flesh, and dragging the twine forcing the skin to meld together and shut.

Elric kept a close eye on the twine, making sure there was enough, for this stage of the operation. "Good, good." He muttered to himself. He glanced backwards, before returning his focus to dealing with his arm. Unfortunate these injury have kept me from being a better host. And I'll need to do a bit of repairs he thought to himself. Sleep will be good

A mass of glassy, chitinous wings. Long, hairy, segmented legs. A detached proboscis, blood leaking from the horrid tube.

Blood. That's right, there was blood too. Coming out of the burst thorax and spilling out onto the deathly pale floor of skin. Nobody mourned for the death of this thing; this disgusting little parasite that flew from human to human spreading only death and pestilence.

Anya flicked the wretched corpse off of her cold, demonic skin. It landed near the other corpses, human ones. Anya was a parasite too, but she was above the lowly insects. She was superior to the bugs and the humans alike.

But she would end up like the mosquito none the less. Unmourned in death, and unloved in life. She felt cold.

"Papa, you still love your little girl right? You'll still embrace me? Mama's been gone so long, but you're still here. You'll always be here."

Anya knelt down and hugged the armored corpse tight. Like the others, he was also pale and drained of life. James's face was permanently contorted into an expression of pain and betrayal.

"Papa? Why are you so cold? I didn't take too much, did I? Papa?"

Anya began shivering, and tears crept down her cheek. Cold tears.

"...Papa?"

Anya woke up in a panic, and scrambled around in the bed. She looked around frantically until her eyes found her papa, and she watched him fearfully for a few seconds. He was alive, right? Of course he was alive. He was the toughest. He would never die. He would never leave her.

He would never leave her, right? Even though she thought the same about her mama. Anya began bawling uncontrollably and desperately tried to shake her papa awake.

James eyes snapped open as he awoke to see his daughter crying over him. Instinctively, he sat up, using one arm to clutch her as the other reached out, pointing his sheathed sword around the room. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he determined the room empty, and allowed his breathing to steady.
Anya's body still felt icy pressed next to him, as he realized that it was not an intruder that caused her to cry like this.

"Anya, what's wrong?" he dropped the sword, and placed both arms around her. "Calm down; you're alright. Did you have a bad dream?"

Anya nodded fiercely as she sobbed into her father's chest.

"It was a really bad dream," she choked, "I w-was surrounded by people! They weren't moving, I think... it was me! And you too papa! You weren't moving too, and you were so cold! Cold like me! I drank too much, I think, and you weren't moving!"

She stopped talking and began crying again for a few seconds before continuing.

"And I was alone, papa! You were gone, and mama was still gone, and I didn't have anyone! Please don't leave me, papa! I promise I'll get better, so please don't leave!"

"Anya." James pleaded, hugging the girl tightly. "Anya, listen. It was just a bad dream. I'm not going to leave you."

"Shhh. I'm never going to leave you." he repeated, rocking her a bit. Truth be told, he wasn't knowledgeable in these gentler matters. James couldn't help but feel his wife would be smarter about such matters, a feeling that left a twang in his stomach.
"Listen, Anya. You're safe now. You don't have to worry about drinking too much from me. I'm too strong to let that happen."
He considered for a moment, then added hesitantly, "Is... is there anything you want right now?"

Anya sobbed and sniffled for a few more minutes. That was another reason she loved her papa- he could always make her feel better. It was just a dream. Papa wasn't going to leave her. He was too strong for Anya to drink too much.

And then Anya nodded, her face still stained with tears.

"Would you cuddle me to sleep, papa? And... sing me a pretty song to help me along? I think maybe if I sleep like that, I won't have any more bad dreams."

The entire world seemed blurry and inconsistent.
Sounds faded into lights faded into smells faded into a distant nagging feeling. The elf couldn't move. The elf was in shock.
The sounds were of screaming. The lights flickered constantly as havoc was wreaked in the previously cosy little tavern. On, and off, and on, and off, and torches flickered, and whatever little 'lightbulb'-esque things that the place used to keep itself alight burnt out, and came back, and burnt out again. In the end, for good, leaving all in darkness.
The smells were strongly of ale, splashed all around the floor, and blood tinged the heady air like the promise of a new hunt.
Promise, what good has it done..

And then there was the tugging feeling, and stairs, and wooden rooms, and heavy breathing.
And there was tan skin and white hair. Corinne was shivering, frame slight against the half-elf's.
"I...I'm fine." she gulped down the need to vomit. What was that thing? She'd never seen anything like that before, in the entirety of her life.
How was she meant to react? She'd become disorientated, as logic would dictate. Elf or not, she wasn't super-human. Elf or not, she'd still run and sob and hide if given the chance against something that monstrous.
"I'm really, really fine. What...was that?" the chattering of her teeth came to settle. Her skin was cold. "Where did it come from? Why...why was it here?"
She paused.
"Tra...Trafalgar, where did it go?|
It burst through the tavern's wall, that much she knew. It went outside. But outside where? It could have gone anywhere. It could have hurt anyone.
Thankfully, Uncle Seb was upstairs still. And safe, thank the gods above that he was safe. She was tempted to peek across the other room to check on him, and how he fared with the shaking and the noise and the chaos.
But knowing him, he'd probably be asleep still. He slept like a log throughout most things. Being knocked out probably would be the exact same way.
She sniffled a little and clung to his hand, steadying her breathing and coming to relax.
That was one of the good parts about being an elf. Heightened ability in some places superior to that of human beings. In this case, the amount of time it took for the heart-rate to return to its stable, resting state.

Cherry.
"Trafalgar, we have to get outside." she whimpered, blue eyes desperately searching the half-elf's. "Please...please, my horse is down there. I...if that thing did anything to him, I swear to Sehanine... And not just him, I...it could have hurt anyone. killed anyone, and...I can't let that happen. Please...won't you come? Won't you help me find out what that thing was?"
And she only just realised she was gripping the man's hand so tightly, and let go with a little flinch and a gulp, and the slightest blush crossing her otherwise colour-drained face that was just coming back to life.
She walked to the stairs, and winced a little at what lay below. The tavern was in absolute ruins. Pucksy would be shattered.

...where was Pucksy?
Where was it?

"C'mon...we-we have to go!" she steeled her nerve, shot a glance back at the half-elf before almost flying down the stairs with the hurry that overtook her. There was a huge hole in the wooden floor. But it looked unthreatening now. The real monster was gone, she'd pray nothing else would worm up and out of there.
She looked around the tavern. Blood and ale and unconscious (or just incredibly drunk) members of most races lay in groaning heaps in different places.
She heard a whinnying and manoeuvred through the mess of limbs on the floor to the outside, where she was greeted with the most familiar face.
"Cherry!" she gasped as she approached the stallion, who shorted and threw back his head and whinnied in shock. He'd seen the monster. Better than she had. He'd know where it would have gone.
Though he didn't have to.
A trail of ruin clearly marked the path it would have taken.
And it followed all the way down to the town square, where stunned people still remain, down to...to Elric's humble abode. The lovely, good barber. Doctor. Both, rather. More importantly...
A very, very good friend of hers, if only you'd stop and think about it.
One she'd be pissed to all Hell to lose.

"Cherry...it's alright, I promise. Look...look, it's alright, I'm here." she cooed, reaching out and calming the stallion down. And untying the reigns from the post that would have kept him from running away in shock the entire time.
He calmed down though, nuzzled against her with ears flattened. She slung her arms around him and cooed and quieted him down a handful of seconds longer, before moving around and pulling herself up and onto the saddle, the same methodical way as always.
She glanced at the doorway of the tavern, turning Lysander around so he could move closer to it. The horse was shaky, but responsive. That was good. He was reliable.
"Trafalgar." she paused, name rolling off her tongue quieter than she'd initially wanted it to sound. She had to sound courageous. It was no time to falter.
"We have to go. We have to find out where that thing's gone, and what will happen next. Unless you want to stay at the tavern, and...and make sure everyone's okay. I appreciate your decision either way."

The moon caught on the red of her hair, and the red of the hair of the stallion she rode.
You'd almost think war was approaching.

"Alright." James sighed. He sat against the wall, and cradled Anya, almost like a princess carry, leaning her head against his chest. Gently, he placed a blanket over her, tucking the cloth up to her chin.

"Let's see... what's a good song." he said aloud.

"All riven, kith and kin..." he sang slowly.
"All for this, a never-ending riddle
My flesh worn, heart betorn,
Mind, by mem'ry, begyved...

As I wander, cold and immane?
Whither now my mother, my flame?
And along the coils of light,
The life I desired?

"Anon must we part"?
Words like a dart, red and dire,
Eyne that accoyed with their heat,

O! How I have seen the Dragon's Dogma!
Unbound by time, all-binding, grand design,
Land and skies and seas yearn,
Finish the cycle of eternal return,"

Upon finishing his surgery of himself, Elric placed the needle back on the table. He extended his right arm out, stretching it out forwards, for a brief moment. Then he stretched it a little behind his back, before quickly returning his arm in front of him. Glancing over his handiwork, he could confirm the sewing secured the wound of his forearm. Elric smiled, as he moved towards the gaping hole, which used to be part of his lodging, and upon his most recent breath, while heading over, he noticed a sharp pain from within the breast. It appeared the vigor of battle left him, and now he had another matter to deal with. Treating this one will be a tad difficult by myself, Tirarian's delivery should have one of those elixirs which would help my my current situation. Elric thought to himself.

Elric stood outside his lodgings, where he glanced down at the corpse of his assailant and the ferocious pet. He couldn't help but to glare at the creature for a minute or two. Well, let's see if this Gnoll has anything which could be of use in repairing the damages he did. he thought to himself. With a flick of his right hand, he reached down onto the Gnoll searching. He crouched and bent towards the Gnoll as he used his left hand as well, going over the body. As soon as he bent and crouch the sharp pain he felt from earlier exponentially grew worse, as if Elric was being tortured by daemons in the Nine Hells. He quickly returned upright after a brief moment of crouched searching, where he acquired any interesting possessions on the Gnoll's body. He held them in his hands, as he checked them walking back towards the fireplace.

There was a wooden small chest, off to the left and near the corridor to other rooms. He opened it and moved one of the quilts stored within and placed the interesting items he had recovered from the Gnoll inside. Gently dabbing the quilt down he placed it on top of the items. I will need to secure a better look of those in due time. he thought to himself. He again went out through the hole that once held his door.

He turned around as he began observing his lodgings as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Elric turned around to face the person who gave him that tap. "Hello Guardsman Ferris." Ferris gave a simple nod towards Elric, "Barber." Ferris was dressed in chain mail, on his back he had metal buckler with a sharp point in the middle. On the left side of his belt he had a simple hand-axe, which appeared to be recently sharpened up. On the left side he had a bull horn, the top with a leather cover strewn onto the horn with twine. Ferris glanced down at the Gnoll and Hyena corpses rather incredulously. "Well fortune smiles..."

Elric chuckled, before grimacing a bit from the pain the laughter brought, "Yes, you can say that." Ferris glanced at Elric's torn tunic and the freshly sown up arm, and noting his unusual grimace after laughing, "So you dealt with these abominations?" Elric nodded and raised up his left index finger. "Well not alone. But I did take the Gnoll." Ferris chortled heartily, as he clapped. "Well then, I would have never guessed. I should have known, your brother Charles did compliment... Well mostly your ability to take a punch, but a little on fighting." Elric waved his left hand, from side to side, stretching the palm out. "Oh no I can't say I'm that good of a fi-." Elric paused for a moment as he brought his hand back down to his side.

"Ferris, what brings you here?" He inquired. Ferris straightened up as he pointed his index finger at the corpses. "There was a disturbance at the Jolly Hippogriff, a Gnoll and Hyena killed one man, horribly wounded Pucksy." Elric's pupils widened, "Is he alright!? I'll gather my stu-" Ferris interrupted, "He was taken to the priesthood. Then there was also one nobleman who was killed, we are still confirming the identity of the deceased. We heard of reports that the hyena well... You know that part. However, where there is one Gnoll, there is sure to be another." Ferris spat on the corpse of the Gnoll, "Vicious pack monsters. The Guard is on alert for any more Gnolls who may be in the area."

Elric gave a nod, "Well hopefully that was it." Ferris gave another nod, "Indeed. Barber, I must continue my patrol. However you may wish to go to the Jolly Hippogriff, if only to see the damages, and there may be some parties there who could use your 'charming wit.', and quite possibly other injured parties I might not be aware of. I wish you the best." Ferris gave another nod as he headed away and continued his patrol through the marketplace.

Elric again was glancing at the gaping hole in his house. Well this will take a bit of time to repair he thought to himself. He tapped his chin with his left index finger, as he continued analyzing the hole. Sighing he returned his attention to the fallen Gnoll and Hyena, before shaking his head. Again he stared at the damages done to his place.