Kat raised an eyebrow, impressed at Ehluria's composure in the face of Hel. The great cat's growling quieted at the stranger's clear act of submission, but his muscles never relaxed. He lifted a heavy paw and crept forward, tail still curled around Kat. Eyes narrowed, Hel sniffed at Ehluria again, still wary of her scent. She smelt of forest creatures, far more than any human should. It was perplexing, but at least the animals lingering in her scent were of the smaller variety – they usually knew their place.

Hel gave a huff, ruffling Ehluria's hair, and turned back to Kat. He would watch this human. If Kat's scent was anything to go by, then Ehluria wouldn't be the oddest stranger he'd have to look out for.

Kat observed the interaction in silence, the tense night air weighing down around her. At Hel's dismissal of the other woman, Kat felt her body relaxing. "Well, he doesn't trust you, but that's not saying much," she said, shattering the quiet. Hel just gave another huff, but didn't move from his position – conveniently placed between the stranger and his human. Kat rolled her eyes and lifted her hand to rest on Hel's head, gently stroking him between his ears. "I doubt everyone else will be as polite as you. Or as calm." Her mouth turned up into a smirk as she imagined the others seeing the great beast. Beggar boy would probably throw a fit.

She looked back up at Ehluria again and said, "Should be a fun meeting tomorrow."

"He doesn't need to trust me," Ehluria joked as she stood. "He just needs to know I'm not a threat." She looked to Kat and smirked under her veil. Ehluria could tell by Hel's actions that he was confused, no doubt sensing the various animals Ehluria has familiarized herself with. With her left hand, she ran her fingers through her dark hair, twisting it between her fingers. "I'm sure in time, your friend here will warm up to me.

Ehluria scanned the silent forest. Small rays of moonlight danced their way through the trees. A few of the critters had blessed the area with what she called Nature's Music, and she knew a comfortable night of sleep was in order. She looked to Kat once again, rubbing her friends head between the ears. It brought back memories from her childhood. Gackyl would do the same whenever Ehluria changed into her fox. It's been so many years, and she still missed it. The simpler times.

"Honestly," Ehluria said jovially. " I'm curious how the Kunite will act. I'm pretty sure he will throw a fit when he finds out there's a beautiful giant cat traveling with us. He might get a case of little man syndrome. It will be a fun meeting indeed."

Ehluria crossed her arms and looked beyond the trees. " I wouldn't dream of imposing on your space, so I'll just find a spot deeper in the woods." Ehluria faced the darkness of the woods and spoke one last time before heading off. "Sleep tight."

With a slight rustling of fallen leaves and the breaking of twigs, Ehluria was off into the black. When she felt like she was under enough cover from the trees, she transformed mid run. A bright white light burst into the short area around her and disappeared just as soon as it came into existence. All of a sudden as she was perched on a low hanging branch, Ehluria could see deeper into the forest and with her Owl form, she would make up more distance and much quieter. Eventually, she would find a spot high in the trees, to which she would then return to her human self.

Corruption... Elora's mind raced. How could they possibly defeat a dragon that corrupted the hearts of others? Her eyes darted around the room and rested on the Kunite. If this tale was truly honest, the Kunite could probably prove to be dangerous. From what she had seen and heard from him so far, she was not impressed and she was definitely not comfortable around him.

She blinked and brought her eyes down to the table, and reached out for the pouch. Seven silvers should be more than enough. She didn't know what she would be using them for yet, but they definitely wouldn't be wasted in this tavern."I will see you all in the morning," she said quietly and nodded to the group, excusing herself for a nice bedroom upstairs. This part she was definitely excited for. It had been many months since she had slept on a real bed, and once she found herself in alone in her room, tears crept into her eyes. What was she getting herself in to?

Elora walked around the room, allowing her eyes to take in it's simpleness. Her fingers traced the wooden frame of a mirror that was attached to the wall. A stranger stared back at her, her face smudged with dirt along her cheekbones, and a swipe of it across her forehead. Her red hair was kept fairly clean, with the exception to a tangles here and there. Her blue eyes were sad, but had finally stopped producing tears. Slowly, she pulled the robe over her head and let it fall in a pile beside her. Next, the too-large chainmail that clinked and shined in the pale light of the room. Again, she let it fall to the ground. All that was left on Elora's person were some old boots and a dark green dress that hugged her curves nicely.

It was this Elora who finally smiled. She bent down to untie her boots when a thought hit her. A nice, hot bath would be amazing. Perhaps there was a washroom nearby. She would head back down to the barkeep to ask about any oils, though she doubted there would be any around thanks to the depression. Still, it was worth a shot. Once she pulled off her boots, Elora looked back into the mirror, and combed through her hair with her fingers. There was no doubt that some of her "new family" was down stairs, but she would ignore them. This was her chance to take a bath, and she was going to take it.

She found the room's old key in the draw beside her bed and locked the door once she was out of the room. She didn't have much of anything to steal, but she preferred not to take chances. These people were strangers after all. Elora made her way down the staircase and found that she was correct, some of the group were still making acquaintances with each other, some fuels with alcohol, some otherwise. She smiled to them and made her way to the barkeep.

"Do you happen to have a washroom? And any lavender oil available?" She asked, her eyes tuned to the conversations going on behind her. Something about deer and poverty. At least their leader, if she recognized his voice correctly, was a decent fellow.

The barkeep met her eyes with a throaty grunt and tilted his head to the right. "If we have any oil, you will also find it there. It's free of charge as long as you don't empty out the bottle." His voice was gruff, and she could see the surprise in his eyes. Apparently not many people asked for the washroom or the oils. This pleased her. Less chance of being interrupted.

She politely thanked him and made her way to the direction where he had cocked his head. Finally she found it, after making a wrong turn down the wrong hallway. The warm air rushed to hit her as she opened the door. Hot springs. Elora couldn't hide her excitement as she made her way through the room. The candles that provided the light had burnt themselves out long ago, but the moonlight that streamed through the windows in the room was more than enough. On the shelf beside the small pool was a small variety of vials, and she was very pleased to see that the lavender was available and close to full. Elora unstopped the small vial and slowly let the oil pour into the water until she clipped the cork back inside and rested it again on the shelf. Making sure that she locked the washroom door, Elora finally allowed herself to slip out of her dress and into the water. The mud and dirt that had been caked upon her skin seemed to melt away with the heat. This was what heaven felt like. For once in a long while, Elora finally felt like her old self.

Kat's lips quirked into a smile as she watched Ehluria walk deeper into the forest. "She's one of the few I don't immediately hate," she said, still rubbing Hel's head. The snow leopard just gave another huff. Kat turned her eyes towards him again and playfully nudged him, smile growing.

"You find that spring we were talking about?" she asked conversationally. "I wanna get a bath in before I venture off to my death." Hel paused at that and leveled a glare at her. Honestly, what had the girl gotten herself into this time? "Oh relax," she said, "if things get too crazy, we're gone." Hel knelt down and Kat swung herself onto his back, the motions coming surprisingly easy to a girl with one arm. The two began heading towards the hot spring Hel had found as he was waiting for Kat to finish her meeting in the town. "Some fool's errand… we're meant to take down a dragon, of all things." Hel's tail twitched in irritation (anxiousness? It was hard for Kat to tell, even after all this time) at the news, and Kat could already imagine the glare he wanted to send her way for signing up for such a dangerous quest.

"Anyway, we leave tomorrow at noon," she continued. "I wanna stop by the apothecary and get some things, along with a new whetstone." Though really, Kat didn't know why she even bothered sharpening her blades; she was getting pretty good at throwing them, and they were useful for stabbing and slashing, but without Hel she was more or less useless in combat. "Heck, maybe I'll even get some decent armor."

She smirked then and leaned down, bringing her face close to the top of Hel's head. "You're gonna love our new buddies, I already know it," she said, a sarcastic edge creeping into her tone. "Some humans, some elves, a goblin, a dwarf, some weird dog man…" she listed on her fingers. "Oh yeah, we're all gonna be best friends." Kat rambled on, talking about their companions, the quest, the inanity of it all, and all the while Hel listened in silence, plodding through the forest. The two would locate the spring, and then find somewhere safe to hunker down for the night – though, with a massive predator like Hel, most places were safe due to any other beasts giving them a wide berth.

And then with morning would come the start of their new adventure.

“You’re not a noble?” Ernst replied in turn after Osla had spoken, dragging his eyes all over her outfit in an attempt to renew his judgements. “A burgher then, the daughter of a merchant? Hell, you’re wearing plate and mail! That’s about ten silver down the drain in one shot, just for the cuirass alone. You must be rich,” he said as he finished another tankard of this delectable beer, admittedly little envious.

Of course, the prospect of Osla stealing the armor wasn’t impossible in Ernst’s mind, and he didn’t voice such thoughts out of common courtesy. Wouldn’t be good to offend the woman watching your back on your first impressions, right?

To what Tregon had said, Ernst simply asked, “What’s an ashen? And why’s a black dragon so special you can’t kill it with an arrow or two?”

Osla looked at her armour. Compared to the rest of the group it did seem a bit....flashy even with the scrapes and dents that dotted it. She took a swig of ale while trying to remember how exactly she got the upper part of her armour, she remembered how she had gotten the bottom parts. Suddenly the memory hit her like a charging horse.
"Well I don't really ever buy anything other than food and drink and all that so the rest of the money went to buying these shiny metal trousers." She looked to the ceiling in order to remember exactly how she got her torso plate.
"And I think I stole the upper bits from this bandit lass who tried to kill me I think." She looked back down to the group before taking another drink.
"At least I think so, I stole something from her anyway."

“Oh yes, bandits,” Ernst said in sympathetic exasperation. “Can you believe some of them are actually deserters from the army? Lords these days are so poor they can’t even pay ‘em. We got something in common for sure: you see this getup?” he tugged at the collar of his gambeson, “I didn’t buy my armor either. Looted it off some starving youth looking to get money that we didn’t have. Died under at least twenty pairs of boots smacking right into his face. It was awful.”

He lolled his head back and finished what remained of his tankard, before slamming it down the table and proceeding to refill it. He wondered how much he was going to have to pay if he kept this up. Ah, but what the hell! It’s been so long since a good drink and a pleasant conversation.

“You should have seen the blood! Waste of a life, that’s for sure. Handsome boy; could have been a good bard, or a queer landlord’s boytoy for that matter," he joked, mildly amused at the very real possibility thereof. "I helped myself to his arms as he didn’t need it anymore. But don’t worry about anyone from his lord’s army coming to get me. Look:”, he fingered a sizable, rough-looking patch on the right sleeve. “I covered up the heraldry nice and inconspicuous,” he seemed to be mildly proud of the fact, “So I’m safe.”

"Well, Ashen is a disease that only effects dwarves as it seems and you humans will learn more about it when we get to Vargiz. Which is another reason Guringar isn't going. I on the other hand am safe because I am a half-dwarf." Tregon says as he puffs out a ball of smoke. He took a swig from his ale and looked around the tavern. "The reason we are going to Vargiz is to find out exactly what is special about a black. I have never seen a black before so I have no way to decide why they are hard to kill. Though, they are nothing like their red and white brethren. Your arrows would burst into flame before it reaches a red or freeze solid before it is even launched." says the young half-dwarf. Tregon had begun to feel the effect that the night had on him and looked at the others. It seemed that they to were feeling tired as the night had went on. Though it wasn't obvious, it seemed that the two humans had been drinking a bit on the strong side. They didn't seem to be use to dwarven ale that they served at the Black Water tavern.

"Well, I say we hit the hay for the night. We have an early morning tomorrow if we want to leave by mid-day." Tregon says this but begins to realize that he was wondering if any of the shops would actually be stocked on a Friday. Tregon left for his room upstairs after putting out the last burning remains of his tobaccoo. The night was mostly still until a storm arrived a little after the ringing of the two o'clock morning bell. It was a heavy rain that left the roads muddy and cobbles slick. Lightning wasn't seen all that often in the storm but many adventurers decided to stay one more night in case they get slowed down on the road. Yet, Guringar's band as it had come to be called in Tregon's journal couldn't waste a day because of mud. Tregon woke half past the six o'clock bell with a pounding head ache and prepared for what would be the first morning that the group would spend together. Tregon went down stairs to the bar and waited for all the others to arrive. When Tregon sat down, the owner of the tavern handed him a letter which read 'I wish I could come with you guys on the adventure but the storm last night was an omen of things to come -Ekindu'. Tregon was slightly nervous after seeing the letter, he feared that the others would follow the same logic that Ekindu had.

Vidic rolled out of his bed and growned as he felt the effects of last nights alcohol still in his system which was causing him to have a headache. He noticed that he had fallen asleep in his clothes except for his jacket and scarf which had ended up discarded on the floor in a pile. He slowly threw on his scarf followed by his jacket and cover his face with his scarf but neglected to pull his hood on his head as he stretched and felt the remaining six silver in his pocket. He shook off his headache and pushed it to the back of his mind as he left his room and headed down the stairs to the main area where he had met his adventuring party last night and saw that there was only the leader dwarf was sitting at the bar this early in the morning and decided that he would be try and be friendly for a first time since his time on the farm. "Greetings there. You seem to be up early this morning Tregon. Good to see that I am not the only early riser in this fine group that you have made." The rune mage said to the shorter dwarf as he pulled up a seat next to his leader and tried to smile under his scarf which of course Tregon couldn't even see.

The morning headache wasn’t as bad as Ernst had braced himself for and his waking up in an actual room on an actual bed and not in the inn’s storage closet, thus reminding him of his recent employment -- a very important thing to him, mind you -- has given him some rather uplifted spirits in the early morning.

“Quidam ludunt, quidam bibunt, quidam indescrete vivunt,” he sung to himself as he descended the stairs, rickety boards groaning and himself clad only in a simple shirt and pants. His less rugged look hints at the most relaxing bath he had taken before sleeping last night. Gods above, for how long had he went through without a wash? Ah, the liberation of employment and money is truly the best thing in the world!

“Sed in ludo qui- oh,” his eyebrows perked up, noticing Tregon and Vidic as he went down the final step. “You two are rather early. By the way, tense white-haired boy, I never got your name. Mine’s Ernst. And I can’t wait to feast on some pork cutlets for breakfast!", he shook a fist in the air, "Tavern keep, four cutlets and a pottage, please! If you’ve some fresh river fish, put one of those on the plate -- just don’t put too much salt, hear?”

When Kat awoke, it was to the sounds of distant birds and rustling leaves, and the warmth of Hel's thick fur cocooning her body. "Mornin' buddy," she mumbled, memories of last night and her new job far from her mind. A rumbling purr was her response and Hel's tail flicked lazy arcs on the ground. Hearing her stomach grumble, Kat gave a soft groan and pushed herself up, still leaning against Hel's stomach. She gave her stomach a soft pat as she considered her options… hunting was easy enough, but game was scarce in these woods. She could manage with a couple of rabbits or birds, but that wouldn't be nearly enough to sate Hel… which was especially problematic since he'd be doing most of the hunting. The other option would be going into town and… procuring some food. On the off chance she decided to claim the meat legally, Kat reached into her pocket to count her money. Instead of the lone silver piece and coppers she expected to find, Kat's eyes widened when she found four shining silver coins.

It all came rushing back to her then. The job, the characters she'd met, the agreement to leave at noon today… Kat considered just taking off then and there with her money. Four silvers wasn't exactly much, but it was more than she'd had before, and nothing to scoff at with the current state of the country. On the one hand, the job was suicidal, the people were mostly idiots, and it all seemed to be a waste of her time. On the other hand, she'd be lying if she said it didn't intrigue her. She'd heard legends of the great dwarven kingdom beneath the spine, and there were few alive who could claim they'd seen a dragon. Of course, part of the reason for that might've been because anyone who saw a dragon was promptly roasted alive.

Kat tilted her head back and forth, silently weighing her options. She could always ditch later on if it proved to be too much trouble. Eyes stil straight ahead she said, "So whaddya think of that job?" She'd explained the situation to Hel last night and he'd seemed less than impressed. "Want the last thing you ever see to be a dragon?" Her grin was wicked as she looked over her shoulder at Hel. The great cat just flicked his tail in her face, causing Kat to sputter.

Well, Kat's mind was made up.

"Knew you'd say that," she said with false cheer. She popped up onto her feet and looked down at Hel as he huffed and lumbered up. "I gotta go stock up on some things in the town before we head out. You ok with staying here while I'm gone? Can't have the villagers running around all frantic if they see you." Hel glared holes in the back of Kat's head as she turned towards town and threw a wave over her shoulder. "I'll give a whistle when we're leaving," she said.

With that she made her way back into the town to look for any needed supplies.

He was in the city. His city. Everywhere he looked, there were tiny black dragons dancing and laughing at him. Their faces had been replaced by twisted renditions of his family and former crew. Their taunting voices grew to a discorded crescendo until Jespir was sure his sensitive ears would bleed. They nipped and bit and clawed at his skin and clothing. The horde of tiny dragons crawled into Jespir, pulling him down to his knees. Dragon after dragon piled onto him until darkness filled his sight.

Then Jespir woke.

The elf's eyes snapped open. Fear lingered in his chest, but it slowly ebbed away as Jespir took in his surroundings. They were unfamiliar, that much he knew. Where was he? He propped himself up on his elbows, the fear replaced by confusion, then amusement. Ah, right. The whole deal he made regarding the Spine and the dragon and a whole slew of companions. He chuckled softly to himself and slipped out of bed.

He had slept in his clothing that night, save for his armor and coat, so it took little time for him to prepare and bound down the stairs. Jespir waved as he caught sight of some people already up. "G'morning," he greeted. The smell of food drifted over, lighting up the elf's face. "Mind if I helped cook? I haven't burned down a kitchen for five months now, so I'd like to regard myself as a good chef."

Vidic had gotten his food from the bar keep just as Ernst came down the stairs and greeted them as he came and he also ordered food. The farmer had introduced himself as Ernst and Vidic wondered why he had been chosen for this adventure along with these others who appeared to be far more qualified. "My name is Vidic. Nice to meet you Ernst, so I was wondering what made you so special to be chosen for this little expedition of our. You don't seem the type that would be a professional soldier of fortune, maybe your a tracker or huntsmen of some kind." The rune mage wondered out loud sort of to himself and sort of as a question to Ernst before he lowered his scarf so that he could take a bite of his food. He than saw the male elf come down the stairs and greeted him with a nod of his head as to acknowledge him.

Sorry about this.

Vidic had gotten his food from the bar keep just as Ernst came down the stairs and greeted them as he came and he also ordered food. The farmer had introduced himself as Ernst and Vidic wondered why he had been chosen for this adventure along with these others who appeared to be far more qualified. "My name is Vidic. Nice to meet you Ernst, so I was wondering what made you so special to be chosen for this little expedition of our. You don't seem the type that would be a professional soldier of fortune, maybe your a tracker or huntsmen of some kind." The rune mage wondered out loud sort of to himself and sort of as a question to Ernst before he lowered his scarf so that he could take a bite of his food. He than saw the male elf come down the stairs and greeted him with a nod of his head as to acknowledge him.

Sorry, my computer seems to be acting up with this site.

:(

Begone extra posts.

Damn it delete.

The cutlets and fish sizzled on the plate and gave off the most delectable aroma. The pottage was also good, its texture surprisingly thin and had a rather homely scent that reminded him of father’s similar soups. Ernst took it all in and shook his head appreciatively, whipping out his trusty personal spoon -- which he himself fashioned out of a goat’s horn when he was but eight years old! -- to taste the pottage first. The simple but welcome flavors danced on his tongue and gave him the shivers. So many weeks of living on but dried meats and isolated vegetables and fruit, but now he was eating the meal that he well and truly deserved. Perhaps he was a bit too preoccupied with his food, however, as he almost ignored Vidic.

“‘Chosen?’”, he echoed, while pulling the spoon out of his mouth to get another dip at the soup. “Well, actually, I just happened upon one of the message boards near the trivia and decided to come here and see what it was all about. I’m glad it isn’t a scam; really, this whole contract is rather weird, but I’ll give it a try. And yeah -- I may not be a professional, but I was bloody well trained by the best of them!”

He rolled up a sleeve and showed off a lean but thick bicep. “See this? Baby can draw an easy ten stone on the longbow. Gotta thank the local lords for sending men to train us village folk, and gotta thank them even more that they didn’t decide to kill each other and conscript us for war. The lessons came in very handy for hunting, and there was a lot of elks in the pine woods near home so it was put to good use. I was both a farmer and a hunter, and I am proud of my skills as a woodsman, let me tell you -- my steps are light on the forest floor and my eye’s keen like an eagle. Be it man or deer, I can nail one in their eye from a hundred yards without them even suspecting it coming. Okay, maybe that’s pushing it; perhaps not the eye, but definitely the chest. That’s a sure kill.”

He rolled down his sleeve and took another sip of the pottage, before cutting a little piece of pork with the bread knife on the table, blowing on the piece, and then stuffing his mouth with it. His eyes sparkled and widened, and he turned to the side to call for the tavern keep.

“Oi, tavern keep! Make me lunch as good as this before we go and I might just let you fuck my sister!”

Ignoring the keeper’s verbal counter-attack, he turned back to his meal grinning and reset his eyes on Vidic, this mysterious and young-looking man whom he knew very well underestimated him, much to his annoyance. He wouldn’t express it, though.

“Ah, he makes such good food. So, anyway, what about you, Vidic? You look like a priest. You here to give us spiritual guidance? Band like this, that’ll be quite hard.”