Cuttersbury: Trail towards Drych Lake

"Spes chaote, spes propter chaotem - res creata magna, mihi faenerare fortem; potestatem inclamo--"

WHUMP! Big Bro Varren landed on the ground, shaking the trees. Quentin, in the middle of his incantation, almost felt a rattle through his teeth from the impact. He clicked his tongue in frustration. You could not rush genius, or preparing enough firepower to knock something that big on its butt. Though he knew that it was a waste of time to look down, Quentin did anyway. Tobi shot the Varren in the mouth. Quentin felt his mouth go dry as the Varren counterattacked, swatting Tobi into Moira like they were two marbles. Those guns were nothing more than pea shooting noise makers to something practically made of hardened earth. Quentin pressed his cheek against the rough bark and redoubled his concentration; they were clearly running out of time.

"Potestatem inclamo..." he restarted before the varren released an ear-splitting roar. The water mage groaned, getting irritated. The least they could do down there is be the distraction they said they would be. He closed his eyes. He returned to basic principles. Water was not shaken by such meaningless things. Water flowed. It could be diverted but it continued to flow, always choosing its own course. Where it went, it became the unstoppable force...

The tree swayed as the varren stamped its foot. Quentin screwed his eyes more tightly closed.

...the unstoppable force that drowned even the immovable object! "Potestatem inclamo favorique te oro!"

Something out of the corner of his eye made Marcus turn. He saw tiny rivulets of water flowing in gentle arcs, babbling playfully, from out of the yellowing leaves of the tree. They swirled around in a complex pattern of intertwined snakes before amassing in a growing sphere of water balanced in the air between Quentin's hands. The sphere started out as no larger than a small orange. It then grew to the size of a grapefruit, and then to the size of a football, and then it was large enough to be enough ammo for a twenty-four hour water balloon carpet bombing. Marcus could also see Quentin struggling under the effort to keep the mass in check. Behind his spectacles, the wind mage's eyes met the water mage's eyes behind his sunglasses.

Dead leaves were fluttering out of the tree. Branches were becoming knotted and gnarled. The trunk was withering and thinning. Quentin hoisted the water sphere above his head and nodded to Marcus.

Cuttersbury: Trail towards Drych Lake

Trixie's expression practically ballooned; her splatbomb had totally missed and caked up Lute instead! "Oh omelets! Echo, are you okay!? I'm so so so sorry!" She was about to rush after him to get him out from his predicament, but Amy's voice called after her on time to stop her. Instead the cleric came rushing to Lute's side, and began shoveling the goop off of him while giving him as well as Tobi a healing spell. Hopefully the cleric having proximity to Lute and Tobi (relatively) for the time being would ease their pain, especially since Lute took a direct blow to his face.

That at least allowed the others to maintain their focus on the varren. Hands empty now, Trixie stared at the frustrated beast as it stomped along the ground. "Closer to his face instead?" she pondered over Nani's words - before shuddering. A fairly terrifying memory of Moira throwing her up a hundred thousand feet into the air back in Museo flashed in her mind just then. Yeah... anything but that again.

"Weeeeell... maybe if I..."

The prankster whipped out her uzis again. Quickly she reloaded the two and began firing straight at the beast. Tiny sparks flashed on his face where she was shooting, and the beast didn't even wince at her tactics. That was, until, he noticed Jett speeding right at him - and the floating blob of water not too far behind him, above Quentin's head. These humans were interesting, but just only that! So the varren made to attack Jett as he drew near and--

Something shattered.

"Ratatatatatata, take that, ugly! Yeah! You want some of this? How about you get some of this! Yeah! Bang! Bang bang! Ratatatata!"

The varren recoiled. Not that Trixie's bullets had done any damage, but the sunglasses, those quality-branded shades of magnificence that was sitting right atop his snout, had shattered. The big boss let out another ear-shattering roar at this, followed by more tantrum stomps, causing everyone caught off guard to lose their footing again. Trixie caught herself this time, thankfully, and used this time to continue firing at his face (as best as she could - stray bullets still flew around everywhere). If the rapid-fire nuisance alone wasn't enough, she kept following up with nasty taunts to boot. It wasn't so much that the varren could understand her, but her voice was enough to bang on eardrums too.

So the varren targeted Trixie next, causing her to cease her firing - "Uh oh." - and leap out of the way from his claw diving down on her, and on anyone else who was nearby. But before he could get distracted with a new target, Trixie resumed her bullet barrage, continually drawing his attention to her. He charged after her a second time, his sharp talons dying to silence her. Trixie barely had enough time to shriek and dodge certain death as it slammed into the ground, causing things to go rumbling again. Wailing now, she began firing at him yet again.

"Ahhhh I don't have bullets to last me all day, yaknow!" Hopefully she was keeping his attention long enough to open him to an attack...!

Cuttersbury: Trail towards Drych Lake

‘I knew you were a klutz, but that had to be the fruitcake!’ Delilah screamed as Lute flopped down to the ground for the fifth time within ten minutes. If the virtuoso could speak, he would’ve retorted something along the lines of not knowing that the Big Bro Varren was capable of ballerina twirls, but he was far too buried in earth and goop to even move a muscle. Next time, he’ll leave the heroics to Moira.

The earth trembled again as Lute tried to wiggle his way out of the sticky concoction, which was starting to look more and more like a patch of swamp on a bad day as it absorbed the tumbling gravel and various other falling debris. Thankfully Amy came over to help and she even cast a heal over him while she was at it, and Lute resurfaced from the horror with a red face, a bleeding nose and a very bruised ego. Asides from that, everything was perfect. “Thank you,” The virtuoso sputtered out and he wiped the remaining grime off of his face. The cleric’s magic was already smoothing away the pain wracking his head, though the Big Bro Varren stomping everywhere like that was bound to hurt him in other places.

Speaking of… “Hey, miss Amy. Thanks for the heal, but I got to help the others now!” Lute turned to the woman and nodded at her in thanks before running after Trixie. Though his head pounded with the exertion of a wasted attack and a pissed off familiar, the virtuoso unfurled his fingers from his palm and gathered the nearest sounds that he could. “Oi, stink snout!” The prankster was obviously having a hard time keeping the creature after her all the time so Lute took the heat for her. The varren whirled away from the girl and tilted his head towards the source of the annoying, whiny (yet surprisingly loud) voice; a white-haired human jumping up and down while waving its arms about like a headless chicken. The varren snorted and was about to ignore Lute’s senseless actions if only he hadn’t heard the virtuoso say one damning thing…

“Your fashion sense sucks! Major sucks! Like totes! My goat Quentin knows better, and he doesn’t even wear anything!”

Oh, things just got serious. Or serious-er.

Lute laughed weakly as the Big Bro shimmied around in a funky manner before bolting towards him. “Time to do what I do best!” He joked and then ran to the side.

Collab between Pach and Buns




Cuttersbury: Trail towards Drych Lake

“C’mon!” Lute bellowed to the Big Bro Varren, Delilah’s talents reinforcing the volume of his words in order to further draw the ire of the giant chasing monster. “You call those rags clothes? They look lame! Awful! Rubbish! So yesterday!”

The ground trembled beneath the pounding of the Varren’s feat, steam pouring out from its ears and nose and one of the veins in its temples becoming pronounced enough to be fit to burst, as rage engulfed the large, dangerous beast. It was one thing for these puny soft humans to have done all they have to his brothers, to attack him and steal away that gorgeous hottie… but since then they had also shattered his priceless, irreplaceable shades, and then gone on to insult its clothing! Never before had it been so mad before!!

Lute had drawn it away from Trixie, but now the speedy Big Bro Varren was gaining… and gaining far quicker then Lute had predicted! Its large, voluminous shadow was already engulfing him, and the chasing Varren reared up one of its terribly sharp claws, poised to strike and pierce right through Lute…!

“Oh crud!” Lute moaned, pouring on what little left of speed he could, as the Varren’s claw swung…

…and Lute found the dangerous knife like claw sail millimeteres above his head, cleaving some tufts of his hair off with it, as Lute’s body was tackled to the ground in the nick of time. A second later, and Lute’s head might have been cut instead.



“Est…elle!” Lute opened his eyes to see the red haired swordswoman on top, her shoulder bleeding from where the Varren had struck. The wound wasn’t excessively severe, but it was still quite painful and serious. Better that then the alternative, however.

But even though the Big Bro Varren had missed, it was still right on top of them. And in their precarious position, dodging would be impossible. Estelle tried to flip onto her back, lifting her sword up to defend themselves, as the Varren drove his other mighty claw down at them, only to be buffeted at the last second!




With the force of a great, powerful geyser, sans the heat and steam, a jet of extremely concentrated water streamed across the valley air, originating first from the water mage Quentin, and then propelled through the sky with a great gust of precisely manipulated wind from Marcus. Streaking through the air, and leaving an image of a small rainbow in its wake for the Pride, it slammed into the Varren with herculean force, both drowning and toppling it from its feet, to skid backwards and crash against one of the jagged, upturned pieces of earth that had been forced upwards from the Big Bro Varren’s earlier thrashing. As the remnants of the water sprinkled to the ground, the large piece of stone the Varren had hit shattered into pieces, throwing dust up all around it.

Silence reigned across the battlefield. A small smile crept up Trixie’s lips, and she hopped back and forth, shouting. “We did it! Yeah, we did it! In your fac-”

To all of their disbelief, a figure rose from the dust. A claw shakily grabbed onto a piece of the shattered stone, helping it up, and crushing it in its hand afterwards. As the dust started to clear, the Pride could all see it once again – the battered and bruised, thoroughly soaked in ruined clothes, and overwhelmingly mad Varren still standing… and looking directly at them.

It roared again. It slammed its feet against the ground over and over, causing more violent shakes and shattering of the ground around them. One by one the Pride started to collapse, as the floor itself gave way below them. Soon, if this was to keep up, the very earth below them could cave in, trapping all of them!

“Oh give it a rest, you annoying fuck!”



The Varren, in all of its mindless rage, suddenly stopped. It had been so overwhelmingly consumed in its grief, that it hadn’t even notice the very short, and very wide human woman beneath it. As it looked down, it met the eyes of the woman in front of him, and knew fear at seeing the rage burning from within them.

Her large greatsword swung upwards in a wide arc, from one foot to the other. During the whole motion, she never took her eyes of the Varren, or it on her. Until it felt something suddenly give way… and fall to the ground between them.

Looking down, he saw one of its treasured spikes imbedded in the ground. It suddenly raised both its claws to feel at its forehead, growing horror and anguish bombarding it. It couldn’t… it was impossible… it just… it couldn’t be…!

Following the cues of her friends, who had destroyed the Big Bro Varren’s sunglasses and clothes, Moira had, in her rage and irritation at the monster, swung her greatsword to slice off the Varren’s pompadour shaped spike. And with it, the last vestiges of its confidence and strength fell to pieces.

It began to cry very, very loudly.

“Oh, don’t be such a fucking crybaby.” Moira huffed.

“I… I can’t believe you actually thought of that.” Syed blinked from next to her.

The Big Bro Varren quickly dug a new hole beneath its feet, to disappear beneath it, to never to reappear again... at least not for now.

Cuttersbury: Trail towards Drych Lake

Maybe it was his eyes playing tricks on him, but Quentin was pretty certain that Moira had cut off the spike on the varren's head, and that - not the coordinated attack of distraction and destruction that had tested the Pride's endurance and compatibility - was what defeated it. That. Like, whoa. Was that for real? Still, the beast was gone. Excellent!

The water mage clambered down the trunk of the tree with unsteady limbs. He almost fell the last few feet. His hands were shaking. Woozily, he staggered onto the trail and toward the large hole through which the gaudy Big Bro Varren had escaped. He nearly stumbled on the way over and dropped his sunglasses. Quentin bent down to pick them up and wagged an admonitory finger at the hole in the ground.

"It looks like that varren..." he began, before donning his sunglasses, "...got cut down to size."

A momentary lapse of silence reigned before he pumped an exultant fist in the air and shouted, "YEAAAAAAH!" It was at that moment that the rest of his body cashed the cheque his spirit had written and he sagged to his knees in exhaustion. Through unseeing eyes, his mind barely registered how battered everyone looked, including Estelle's open wound. With a look and a thumbs-up in Marcus's direction, he said, "We're a pretty awesome combination, man."

Cuttersbury: There is a bit of a hold up to Drych Lake Spa...

Before she managed to get behind the Barren, it got even more upset and stomped all over the place. She looked over to see the classes shattered and she laughed. "That crazy dude did it. Heh, good job." Nani heard a squawk and paused in her tracks. "Oi! Cap I said stay-" Just as she started, the large Varren was blasted to the ground by a large amount of water. If she would've kept going, she would've been crushed. "Alright, alright. You're a good bird." She patted his head as he perched on her shoulder.

"Down it goes!" Cap squawked.

"Down it- Hm, not quite yet." She crossed her arms as he staggered to his feet again. "The rat doesn't know when ta give does it?" Her interest peaked when Moira stepped forward. Seeing the weird pointy spike on its head get chopped clean off made her burst into laughter. "That ridiculous thing! Alright Moira!" She cheered and applauded. As the tattered and broken Varren started to dig his way to safety, Nani stopped. "Oh, no you don't! Hey Cap, help me grab my sword will ya?" The bird flew off and flew after with Nani right behind him.

She ignored the dust kicking up and disappeared. After a few moments, Cap flew out of the hole empty handed. Moments after that, Nani climbed out with her sword in hand. "Ha! Still in perfect shape." Looking back down where the Varren disappeared, she laughed. "Any longer and I would've been stuck down there." She dusted herself off and then cheered. "The giant rat is gone! We can journey on!"

With Cap back on her shoulder, she, despite her new injuries, started back on the path. After all, someone did mention not being too far away.

Cuttersbury - Trail to Drych Lake

"YEAAAAAAH!"

It was at that moment that the awkward silence was broken... by Syed, who immediately burst out into laughter. As always, you could rely on his love for terrible puns and jokes and silly things like that. Well, it was partially that, and partially relief.

"Do you reckon he's gone?" he asked once he was finished, wiping at his eyes. "I mean, Varren are nomadic, right? Hopefully they'll move on..." He was about to continue, when he saw something in the corner of his eye.

A blond woman, in a simple dress and a bonnet upon her head. She was running up the slope from the spa, and looked very much uncomfortable in doing so. She kept staggering and swaying a little, before coming to a stop to pant. Bless her. If one was to look further they would see a dark young man stood upon the spa's roof, although he quickly flipped off it and went back inside when the woman flashed back a glare.

Well, it seemed the people of the spa knew they were here. Although with all the commotion they made it was no suprise.

"H-hello!" the woman shouted breathlessly, waving to Nani as she was at the front of the group. She tried to run again, although it seemed she was totally out of breath by this point. She finally stopped, allowing the Pride to get a little closer. Which was probably for the best, because then she wouldn't see the state of the road just over the crest of the valley. "I saw you dealing with the Varren. They have been ever so tenatious, I was at the end of my teather..." She seemed to study them all very carefully, but she seemed satisfied with what she saw. "Oh, I'm ever so relieved... I trust it wasn't too difficult?" She looked over them all and cringed.

"We've been through worse. Hey," Moira butt in, clipping her greatsword behind her back. "Since we went to all this trouble-"

"Moira!" Syed exclaimed in dismay. The woman initially looked almost annoyed, although she quickly replaced it with a smile. She seemed a little on the eager side after that if anything.

"You've welcome to come inside. In fact, I insist! Look at the state of you all!" She rushed forward, grabbing Lute by the elbow and pulling him back towards the spa. "We don't have any healers, but it's the least I can do. They say rest and recouperation is important, am I right? In fact, I will arrange for some rooms to be prepared for you immediately." She turned back to them and gave a small bow. "My name's Penelope. I'm the owner of this establishment."



No matter how they might protest - and Syed certainly did - she wasn't going to take no for an answer. After all, she said, what if the Varren came back in the morning? The chance was still there, and she didn't want to take the risk.

---

Cuttersbury - Drych Lake Spa

Gentle scents of sandalwood, jasmine and honey wafted gently through the air as they stepped over the threshold into the spa itself. The place was kept immacuately clean, although was decorated in a way to avoid it becoming sterile with the addition of plantlife and decor. In the middle of the room sat a reception desk... one which currently sat empty. Pen cursed under her breath.

"That woman!" she sighed. However, there was a trace of warmth under her annoyance. She sighed, stepping behind the desk to mutter something into some kind of built in communicator. With that done, she turned to face them all. "Well, welcome to my spa. Feel free to use any of the facilities to your heart's content. My staff will be happy to see some new faces at the least."

"Anything?" Moira asked curiously. "Anythiiiiiing? You got a bar?"

"Well, yes, everywhere is signposted by the main doors... but please don't use all of my stock, we have been cut off for a while..."

"Great!" Moira exclaimed as if that was a challenge rather than a request, before wrestling with her armor to try and get it off and throw it behind the desk. Syed, still somewhat annoyed with her conduct, decided to not bother helping her. "'Bout time we got a rest! What's everyone fancy?"

Cuttersbury - Drych Lake Spa

The fight was over far too quickly, and everyone pretty much disappeared after that. To be fair he had chosen to come to this particularly treatment room near the end of the corridor. He can't remember what he asked for to be honest. He rubbed the back of his head while wrecking his brain for the answer. Still it was starting to get a little lonely even though the attendant left not too long ago after treating his injuries. The peaceful silence made him very uneasy. He desperately wanted company.

Jett flexed his hands experimentally followed by his fingers, but only his thumbs were able to move freely. He frowned. Opening the door was going to be so hard. He decided to try and sleep instead. The rookie flopped onto the bed. He closed his eyes for two seconds before he sat up again. Nah! He’d definitely prefer to look for the others, especially Gnar man. There was plenty of time to sleep tonight.

The novice dashed over to the door and fought with the knob for a good ten minutes. His hands kept slipping off thanks to the wads of cotton and thick bandages. Irritated, he gave one last tug, his hands slid off again, and he fell backwards onto his rump. Jett crossed his arms and tilted his head to one side.

“What’s that?”

The curious Guilder hurried to the window. Failing to notice anything, the man wiggled his way out of the window and flopped onto the grass outside. He looked upwards. It didn’t take him long to recognized the brightly feathered bird was perched on the branches.

He grinned as he addressed the parrot. “Hey there, Captain! Where’s your friend?”

Cuttersbury: Drych Lake Spa... Finally!

Nani noticed the woman and saluted her as she waved. "Ahoy mate." She replied and then listened to her speak to everyone. The pirate had nothing to say. "Oi! If it's free, it's pirate worthy!" Cap echoed her and they were off. "Yohoho and a bottle of- You know, if there's a bar, hopefully they have a drink fit for a pirate." Despite her age, Nani was still a pirate so she did partake in the drunken festivities- though she knew how to hold her own. But finding a bar wasn't the first thing on her mind. The first thing on her mind was exploration. New places meant new things to see.

She wandered off from the group, going one way to find treatment room after treatment room. A few times, one of the staff members would insist for her to sit down and bandage her leg and get her other injuries cleaned at least. "No, I'm fine. As I always say, a scar is a scars show toughness: that you've been through it, and you're still standing." Some looked her oddly, whereas some just smiled. Either way, she wasn't planning on sitting down.

"How dull." She mused as she found absolutely nothing to do. Cap flew ahead, pointing out the courtyard. "Yeah, interesting for you I suppose." She followed him out and looked around the scenic area. There wasn't much to do besides relax and rest, which then made her blink and face palm. "Ah, duh! It's a spa! You're suppose to relax at spas." To be fair, she hadn't really been to a spa before. And relaxing for her consisted of sleeping on her ship and listening to the waves as they rocked the ship back and forth. It made her sigh, but she got over it when she heard Cap squawk.

"Mate overboard!"

"Mate overboard? We're on solid ground Cap, what're ya chirpin' about?" She followed the sound of her bird companion, only to see Jett on the ground and the window opened. "Ya know, the door was right there. Heh, but finding different entrances and exits always useful in emergency situations."

Captain stretched his wings and flew down to Nani as she helped the guy up. Of all the odd guilders she could have ran into, she was surprised to see Jett. She didn't mind though. It was better than walking around and getting lost. "Oi, wanna help me find something interesting?" Maybe she could actually figure out what was in spas.

Cuttersbury: Drych Lake Spa

Following the Big Bro Varren’s defeat, the Pride were approached by a one – Mrs. Penelope Stevenson, the Drych Lake Spa’s very grateful and gracious owner, whom thanked all of the Guilders together and offered them the services of her spa as a means of relaxation and reward for their hard work. Although it was to Syed’s unease, few of the others could turn down such an exciting offer, and Estelle even jumped for joy and began racing alongside Trixie as fast as she could to get to the Spa, completely oblivious to the injury gracing her shoulder. With a small tut and shake of her head, Amy gifted the Pride’s leader another healing spell, as she walked alongside Marcus and the other slower members of the Pride towards the Spa.

“WOOOW!” Estelle’s loud voice echoed about the building’s interior as she jumped into the Spa’s reception room. Her eyes darted from side to side, taking in the wondrously clean and homely environment surrounding her, inhaling deep the wonderful, relaxing smells around them. This building sure was some reward, she couldn’t wait to try it out! This would be her first time actually trying a Spa out though… so what could she expect?

"'Bout time we got a rest! What's everyone fancy?" Moira asked, as Jett and Nani seemed to take their leave of the group almost as soon as they had entered. How sociable of the newbies.

“Hmm… what kind of things do they do here?” Estelle asked, with a curious finger brought to her lips.

“We offer all sorts of treatments,” Penelope smiled with a curtsey. “From manicures and pedicures to massages, facials, hair stylings and more, we can give you all the very best in relaxation and enjoyment. Please, don’t be shy in sampling any of our courses… for all the hard work you kind people did in removing that Varren threat, it’s the least we can do.”

“Ah, that all sounds so wonderful!” Estelle beamed, her hands shooting into the air. “I think I could really do with a massage. All that time walking, fighting and exercising… my body’s sore…~”

“Just be careful about your shoulder, Estelle.” Marcus reminded her from behind, leaning on his staff and smiling. Estelle blinked in confusion, having indeed forgotten all about her shoulder, partly from her excitement over the staff, and partly because of how much Amy’s healing prowess had developed.

---

Cuttersbury: Drych Lake

In the middle of Drych Lake, an old, slightly rickety wooden boat floated upon the lake’s gorgeous surface, a fishing pole extending out from it, with a line dipped into the cool, still water. Lying back in the boat, the wooden vessel’s owner had been stretching out and relaxing, his hands behind his head, as he aimlessly watched the drifting clouds overhead, almost nearly falling to sleep. Having ignored the Varren threat surrounding the area around the Spa, the boat’s owner had gone out to do a spot of fishing and bring back some nice catches for dinner. Drifting alone out here, fishing like this, was one of his most favourite pastimes, and it simply didn’t get any better then-

A shock surged through the man’s body. He suddenly sat up erect, eyes wide in alert. He looked first at the fishing pole, wondering if what he sensed was the bite of a fish underneath, but the line was still. He continued to turn and look to and fro, searching for the origin of this sudden shock to his senses. What was it? What was-

And then he finally realised what it was. He looked towards the Spa. That old feeling of his was absolutely unmistakable. A giant, toothy grin spread across the man’s face. He had to row back to the Spa as quickly as he could. Afterall, he sensed he now had some customers.

Some very fine, wonderfully beautiful customers!

Drych Lake Spa - Reception

"Urgh, a massage sounds really good... but I dunno about you lot but I think we need to get a wash," Moira shrugged off the last piece of her armor, leaving her in her usual undershirt and leggings. To hammer the point home, she lifted one arm and sniffed her armpit. "I smell like ass, and we got Mr Ronky here too," she thumbed towards Syed, who promptly flushed quite spectacularly.

"I've scraped it off!" Syed protested, although he was still holding his arm a little awkwardly. To be fair, the smell had faded a little, but that didn't mean it was gone. Pen was certainly keeping her distance.

"The guest rooms are all fitted with showers, should you need them," Pen explained. "Alternatively, we do have a bathing room and a hot-spring for clensing."

"A... a hot-spring?!" Moira exclaimed. "Is that by the bar?"

"No, the bar is on the deck-"

"Alright!" Moira tore her scarf from her neck, dumping it on top of the pile of armor. Pen's eyebrow twitched despite her otherwise friendly and welcoming mannerisms. "Bar then springs! Sounds like a plan to me! Anyone coming with?"

"Well, I suppose we can all get showered up first then go and do what we like," Syed shrugged, having finally gave in. They were all pretty filthy and in many cases bloodied. "That'll be fine, right?"

"Yes. Don't worry, the rooms should be ready by now," Pen smiled. "There's plenty of time to sample everything we have to offer. For what it's worth, our master masseuse is sublime. However... ah. No, you'll be fine." She smiled sweetly once more, as if she said nothing at all. How strange.

Moira took no notice, immediately heading out into the main body of the spa and towards the guest rooms.

---

Drych Lake Spa - Corridor

"Gods!!!"

A sixteen year old boy sprinted down the corridor, his arms laden with fresh bath robes, soaps and bags of potpourri. He practically drifted across one of the immaculate floors and into one of the rooms, dodged the maid who had just made the bed, before he finally staggered out of it again moments later empty handed. "I thought I'd never get done in time!"

He sighed, before making his way to the windows overlooking the courtyard. Oh! "Heyyyy!" he called, opening the window and leaning over it. "Woah, you're two of those Guilders, right? I saw everything it was so cool! The most exciting thing that's happened... since I started! What's it like being a Guilder? Oh! Also your rooms are ready now."

Drych Lake Spa - Reception

Bar... springs... bar... springs... Amy stared at the empty reception desk practically dumbfounded as those words continued to echo in her mind over and over again. With everything that's transpired in the past few weeks, everyone in the Pride understood that the drinkers of the team were in desperate need of one. After a nice, warm shower, that was. Amy had been anticipating the drinks more than anything else since they stepped foot into Cuttersbury, though they unfortunately found nothing.

And yet the thought of relaxing in the steamy springs, loosening her body and easing all tension without the worry of a nasty hangover, practically drifting to sleep in its warm embrace - Amy closed her eyes and took a deep breath at the mere imagination of it. Only when Trixie started obnoxiously waving in front of her did she realize she was daydreaming.

It was impossible to decide which treat to settle on first. Thankfully Moira seemed to have her schedule planned out, as Penelope had barely finished her explanations before the berserker took off. But Amy hesitated. She looked to Aria for a moment before retreating after Moira. "H, hey, Moira! Wait up!" Her clicking footsteps were loud atop the polished flooring.



Cocking her head, Trixie stood by and watched her older companion take off. "Huh. She's excited suddenly." She knew Amy was talking about some drinks earlier in their trip, so following after the ladies was a no-no. What was there to really do at a 'spa' though? She saw lots of water on their way in... Was this a big, hot swimming pool or something? Supersis said she was gonna get a massage, but Trixie wasn't at all fond of strangers running their fingers along her skin. Last time she had the giggles so badly she kicked the masseur in the face.

"Uhh... I'm gonna go wander around and get lost or something," she said to no one in particular, turning to the nearest door. "Oh, no, that's the exit. Let's try this do- no, that's cleaning stuff." The prankster practically walked in circles around the room before making her way out one of corridor.

Cuttersbury: Drych Lake Spa

Aria felt more relaxed the moment they entered the building, a comforting scent wrapping around them all. It was obvious at a glance that this was one high-end establishment- clean and very tastefully decorated to make people feel at ease. It had been a long time since the illusionist hadhad the chance to visit a spa, and she was certainly going to take advantage of this chance.

Still, there was so much to do here that she had no idea where to start. Jett and Nani had already wandered off to who-knows-where, and while she was very tempted to go join Moira and Amy (and poor Syed who was dragged along) at the bar she couldn't help but notice the thin layer of dirt that had settled on her after the fight with the Varrens. It had certainly gotten very dusty in the midst of battle, and firstly she would love to rinse the grime off. Then maybe a nice massage and some drinks to end it.

"Hey Estelle, what do you say to hitting up the springs first, then getting a massage?" She was rather curious about how Penelope had hesitated when mentioning the masseur, but paid it no mind. She looked to a large map of the facilities pinned up behind the receptionist's desk, before pointing to the hallway that Trixie had wandered down. "They should be that way, I think. Do any of you want to join us?" She teased, giving those remaining a wink.

Drych Lake Spa - Reception

When Penelope came hustling toward the Pride, Quentin hardly processed it at first. He would have been content to flop over in the dirt of the trail to the spa and awaken six hours later. However, that was not in the cards and the Guilders proceeded the last few yards to the relaxation establishment that was their destination.

Absolutely everything on the young man ached. He wondered if it was possible for it was possible for eyebrows to ache. If it was possible, Quentin was experiencing that, too. At least there was a reward for all that risk and the team was getting to use the spa gratis. Nothing could beat that, in Quentin's eyes, and he rolled with it. When the Pride entered the spa, Quentin, like most of the others, was struck by how immaculate and fragrant it was. He rubbed his sore shoulder and groaned a little. Everyone else seemed so animated and energetic. The water mage smiled; there was something admirable to him about their vitality. Constant motion, just like water.

Jett, well, jetted almost immediately and Nani and her talking pigeon split too. Quentin was disappointed about that last part; he was actually a bit interested in talking to the bird. In any case, the other Pride members were already taking advantage of the services being offered. Stroking his chin, Quentin looked around, wondering where to start. Moira seemed to have her itinerary all planned out and Syed and Amy were going along for the ride. Trixie trundled off in a different direction. Quentin gave an audible, "Hm." On the one hand, he wanted to be where the party was, and there was no question that there was a great deal of appeal in a shower, a drink, and a hot spring. On the other hand, he had not yet acquainted himself fully with everyone else in the Pride, like Estelle and Aria. But hey, why make things hard? Alert to Aria's offer to the swordswoman, he strode over to Estelle and put on a bright smile.

"Sorry. I don't think we've been introduced yet. Crazy, considering we were just struggling against varrens together, right? Quentin T. Hobart, but my mates call me Q.T. Your name, Miss?"

Cuttersbury – Drych Lake Spa

Lute had planned to spend the aftermath of the battle begging for Estelle’s forgiveness, but Penelope’s appearance (and her subsequent manhandling) pretty much cut that plan short. He did express his displeasure the trip to the spa though, pouting like a child and kicking innocent pebbles off the path in order to annoy his captor. Unfortunately, the Stevenson lady had an iron grip and didn’t let go until they were in the spa’s interior, and by then Lute was far too amazed with his surroundings to remember that he should be irritated. “Ooooh, is that honey I smell? I’m closer to home than I think!” The virtuoso had the gall to laugh up until his bleeding nose graced the smooth floor with a few drops of scarlet. When that happened, it was all about trying to wrest the cleaning rag from the attendants while simultaneously apologizing for the mess. In other words, typical Lute.

He stayed in and listened as Penelope explained the workings of the spa. Delilah desperately wanted to have her hair styled- ‘It’s so darn stubborn sometimes!’- and Lute had to repeatedly remind her that she was, well, intangible and the stylist would have a hard time fixing air. Anyway, he really wanted to tag along with the ones who were heading for the hot springs, but… Hmm. “I’ll come along with you two… er, three. I’ve never gotten a massage before. Is it as terrible as it sounds?” The virtuoso moved closer to the remaining Guilders- Estelle and Aria- as Quentin introduced himself to the swordswoman.

“By the way, Estelle. Thanks for earlier, and I’m really sorry about that. It’s twice you’ve gotten your shoulder skewered because of me now,” Lute laughed weakly as he removed his handkerchief from under his nose. The bleeding had stopped. “Anyway, let’s get a move on? I seriously feel like… Ugh. Ew,” The virtuoso shuddered and goosebumps broke out all over his skin before he walked off towards the general direction of the baths.

Cuttersbury: Drych Lake Spa

“A wash sounds perfect, actually…” Estelle’s eyes lit up upon Aria’s offer, and the idea of a dip in a hot spring sounded even more refreshing tempting. After Marcus’ reminder, she went to check on her shoulder, to see how severe the wound was. Washing it would help with disinfection, but a long, leisurely soak in a hot spring could prove to be a bad thing and help cause it to bleed again. But, to her surprise, as she pulled down one of her undershirt’s sleeves to check on it (after removing her armour, like Moira had), the wound was completely sealed. Amy’s healing skill was growing day by day. It still felt sore though, which was something a good dip in the hot springs would help out immeasurably. “C’mon Ari, let’s go!”

After interlinking her arm with Aria’s, Estelle found the pair didn’t move too quickly before they were met by one of the three new Guilders Estelle had seen today – the sunglasses wearing, robed mage individual whom had initially hit on Marcus back at the girl, and had embarrassingly called himself Q.T. That initial meeting had done enough to irk Estelle originally, but after their unified battles against the Varren, her excitement at the spa, and her politeness in introducing himself to her just now… she was starting to forget all about that earlier encounter.

“Estelle Fenix!” Estelle shouted, slapping Quentin’s shoulder hard. “F Rank Extraordinare, and leader of the Pride, pleased to meetcha, Quentin! (Q.T was far too embarrassing). That was some skill you had back against those Varrens. You’re a water mage, I take it?”

“By the way, Estelle. Thanks for earlier, and I’m really sorry about that. It’s twice you’ve gotten your shoulder skewered because of me now,” Lute laughed weakly as he removed his handkerchief from under his nose, and joined the trio and their plans to investigate the hot springs. Estelle laughed and did the exact same shoulder slapping to him as she had to Quentin.

“Don’t worry about it, Lute, seriously! My shoulder’s all fine, and you’re safe too! Although… you could probably do with a haircut. That Varren’s claws nicked a bit off…” She ruffled his hair and patted the flustering virtuoso with a grin. She turned and followed after him as Lute led the way to the Spa’s Hot Springs, following the directions signposted on the walls.




As they did, they were joined with Marcus who wanted the opportunity to relax as well, and Tobi who had at first been deeply at odds with trying to decide whether to join Moira, Syed and Amy, or the Hot Springs quartet. He didn’t want to leave Syed alone with the duo and would have liked to catch up with him, plus the alluring call of alcohol was hard to resist, but he had to agree with the others, a nice wash first would be preferable. Anything to get that awful smell that was dealt thanks to Trixie out of his nostrils would be good, and lingering around Syed, with his arm the way it was… would not help. There’d always be time for drinks later!

---

Cuttersbury: Drych Lake Spa: Hot Springs

The path to the Hot Springs entailed the group leaving the main spa building for a brief moment, grossing the soft grass beneath to another, small wooden building before them. A large fence extended out from two of the building’s walls, encircling the large hot springs inside.

Opening and walking through the front door, they entered a small lobby, absent of workers, with two entrances leading to separated male and female partitioned springs, clearly signposted. Inside the two rooms would be lockers and towels for changing, and the most gorgeous, famously renowned hot springs in all of the Artar Kingdom awaiting them.

On the inside of one of the two partitioned hot springs, a large, stout young man worked hard at the floor around the steaming bath, happily whistling a song to himself. By his side walked an adorably small young helper, wagging his tail to and fro and carrying a soapy bucket by the handle in his mouth. He would jump and cheerfully bark at particular moments during his best friend’s whistling, sloshing some of the bucket’s contents onto the floor by accident.

Unbeknownst to the Pride, both Harvey Jr and Jasper, two of the Spa’s most diligent workers, were actually cleaning in the women’s section…

Cuttersbury: Drych Lake Spa... Finally!

Someone yelled for them and Nani raised an eyebrow. Before she could say anything, he rambled about the fight and then about rooms that they were settling in. Just thinking about being tossed around in the fight made her sore. "Oi, you guys have any source of water besides that lake?"

"Oh yeah, of course, it is a spa after all! There's showers and a hot spring." He pointed out where both were and Nani nodded. "Right, right, spa." She looked in the direction of the showers and the hot springs... Then there was also the lake. "Well I suppose I might as well go to the lake before I get cleaned off. Wouldn't want to get dirty again." Her hands were on her hips and she looked at Jett. There was also no point of leaving the guy all alone- after being so awkward with the rest of them. Nani laughed and rolled her eyes. "C'mon Jett. We're gonna check out the lake." Cap repeated her with much more enthusiasm before flying ahead.

Nani didn't bother to wait for the guy, instead she headed out until she caught up with Cap. She assumed Jett would follow, but if he didn't that was fine with her as well. Either way, she'd make her way to the hot springs. "A ship is spotted! On the right!"

Cuttersbury: Drych Lake Spa - Dock

"What? No you silly bird, that's just a little boat. And that's straight ahead! We really need to work on your directions. How can ya be a pirate without a sense of direction?" She laughed and patted Cap's head. "Ah, you're still the smartest bird out there, it's alright. I wonder who's out in the boat though. Looks like he's fishin'... Actually he looks like he's coming this way?" She looked at the nice scenery of the lake and then put her hands on her hips. "Not much I can really do around here. Hot springs it is. Oi, Cap if you go flying off, don't get yourself into trouble."

"Aye, aye!"

Nani, for the moment, wondered why the guy looked so much in a rush to get out of the lake. Maybe there was a lake monster in it! Maybe she could skewer a lake monster... She decided not to get her hopes up, and at least wait for an explanation.

Drych Lake Spa - Corridor

Unfortunately for poor Tau, Nani proceeded to completely disregard his enthusiastic questions to ask them where the water was instead. He responded almost automatically, his training carrying him through. However as he watched the pair leave, he looked a little upset. He was trying so hard to impress them, they were such cool people...

"I'm too cool for them anyway," he said quietly to himself as his expression became a frown, turning away from the window to continue his chores. While someone older or more experianced would probably chalk up such a thing to the person being busy, Tau couldn't help but take it a little personally. It wasn't the first time he had been rejected, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. He kicked his heels across the ground, before looking up to see a certain petite prankster wandering around and looking very much lost.

And just like that... "Hey!" he exclaimed, all traces of angst gone in an instant to be replaced with that beaming brace clad grin. He couldn't figure out for the life of him how old she was. "I saw you earlier too! With the whole bang bang bang-" he began moving his hands as if they were pistols. "It was so cool!"

Well, no harm in trying again.

---

Drych Lake Spa - Reception

"What a charming group. Most wonderful assets."

Once the Pride and their allies has left the Reception, along with Pen who quietly left in her own direction, a potted plant in the corner seemed to shuffle a little. And a little more, and a little more... before quite suddenly a man emerged from behind it, sporting a pair of binoculars around his neck, over his plain shirt and swim trunks. How this man was so good at hiding was anybody's guess. He smirked.



"Of course not as wonderful as yours, Marcy," the well spoken man crooned, turning his head towards the newcomer. In particular, a beautiful abeit innapropriately dressed woman who stood at the door checking her nails. He proceeded to lift the binoculars to his eyes, and... inspect that ass. Every inch of it's perfection. "What do you think?"

---

Drych Lake Spa

After a short while, Moira and Syed emerged from their room clean and sparkly once more. While they could have cleansed in the baths or the springs like the others, the sheer layer of filth left them both wanting a thorough abeit quick clean first. Moira wasn't going to complain at the opportunity to use the fancy soaps either. Plus, Syed didn't stink anymore. Goodtimes!

"Hey! Hey Aims!" Moira shouted, knocking loudly at Amy's door. The pair of them had both dressed in loose, casual clothing to enable them to enjoy the spa better. "You ready?!"

Upon Amy's return, Syed flashed her one of his stupid dorky grins. "This place is pretty posh, isn't it?" He gave an overly dramatic, mock bow before holding out his arm. He had convinced himself she wouldn't take it, but he made the offer anyway. "If you would like to accompany us to the bar," he laughed, attempting and completely failing at a posher accent.

"Yeah!" Moira exclaimed, throwing her arm before herself... before heading in the wrong direction. Well, she sure as hell wasn't going to do something as obvious as read the signs. She was just scratching her head - while Syed facepalmed - when a member of staff approached them, holding out a tray complete with three brightly coloured cocktails, umbrellas and straws and all. She didn't say a word, but thanks to the amount of noise Moira had been making she probably overhead them. Awesome! They didn't even have to go to the bar!

"Hey, what sort of rooms are these?" Moira asked, peering in as she sipped at her drink. Ah. The treatment rooms. The one they were closest to had chairs, and was filled with unlit candles and oils. "Since we're here already..."

"Pedicures?" Syed cringed at the thought, his toes curling in his shoes. If the others wanted to, he'd do it. Under duress.

Drych Lake Spa - Corridor

Trixie's eyes twinkled. Perfect.

"Chachunnn!" She whipped out her guns instantly, twirling them around her finger with impressive deftness. After all, she had been practicing that for moments like these. "That was me all right! That was all me actually. I did all the work. Everyone else's just my minions- I mean sidekicks. Pfffft!" Her trigger fingers slipped for a moment and a couple of bullets blasted right out of her guns, ricocheting off the walls like they were rubber, before bouncing straight out of the window. Nothing had broken, thankfully. Trixie's smile widened. "Yeah! Shot 'im up just like that!" Sweat beads dribbled down her neck, but he didn't need to know that.

"They call me Trixie the Pixie! ...the Wondergirl!" Once again she twirled both her guns and brought them to her lips. She blew at their barrels as if there were steam emitting from them (which there weren't). "Kickin' names and taking butt- wait no, that's not... that's not how it... ... ... ... I sign autographs too, yaknow! You should totally get them. Limited time offer and all that."

---

Drych Lake Spa

Amy too emerged from her room, fresher than fresh. Like Moira and Syed, she too wore casual clothing - a green summer dress, no less. Her hair, albeit brushed, was still soaking wet; her usual heavy makeup on the other hand was on a much lighter side, given the springs they'd hop in later. She didn't show it, but she couldn't wait to make use of their well-deserved break time. It had been too long since the Pride was able to relax at a place that wasn't bustling with energy.

To make matters ten times better, their drinks practically walked right up to them! The waitress eyed Amy curiously, as the cleric's hand trembled before she was able to properly wrap her fingers along the remaining glass. Oh the smooth, cold surface of the glass, and the fizzing drink awaiting her inside. Her lips twitched, trying to hard to hide her watery mouth. Once the drink was in hand, she snatched it off the trey with sudden speed, turned away from the waitress, and began sipping away at it - like a child hiding a stolen cookie.

And then Syed said it. One of those forbidden words. Amy's body trembled again before she reached out and grabbed Moira's arm suddenly. The drink in her other hand sloshed around from the jerkiness. "Pedicures. Moira. Pedicures. We must." She looked down at her feet for a moment. The toes were hidden beneath the slippers offered by the spa, but... no one knew of just how hideous her feet were. And they never will. "... ... ... please."

Before Moira could even approve or disapprove, Amy began dragging her friend into the sublime-smelling room.

---

Drych Lake Spa - Reception

"Oh yes. They were quite... sublime." The pink-haired figure beside Rhoden chuckled. She had been hiding just outside the door, ducking away every time anyone looked back in her direction when the room was still occupied. Her eyes were shielded beneath her luxurious bug-eyed sunglasses, and though she kept her eyes on the departing Pride, she continued filing her nails quite diligently. "Yes, I think 'sublime' suits them perfectly. Not as well as it suits myself, mind you," she smiled coyly at that, "as we both know, anyway - but, compared to what we've seen until now..."

She lifted up her sunglasses and looked to Rhoden. "Did you see the raven-haired woman? The way she struts...! Oh, I must try that for myself. I've never seen one so... divine." Marcy's fascination took over, and she strode out of her hiding spot, shaking her hips in the same manner Aria had walked in earlier, except with much more exaggerated sass. "Rhoden, love, how does it look from back there?"

Drych Lake Spa – Hot Springs

The path leading to the springs, for no apparent reason, suddenly made Lute very nervous. He was actually having a fun time planning his schedule for the day, and was considering having a haircut just like what Estelle suggested, but the appearance of the homely wooden structure suddenly rattled his wits. He had never gone to a hot spring before, but Atlas (or was it Robin?) described the experience equal to ‘getting stuck inside a water-filled glass bowl in the middle of summer. Naked.’ and he only remembered their words now. Before Lute could change his mind and bolt out of the building, their group separated and headed off to their respective changing rooms.

Oh Gods, it was hot.

Opening the door to the springs was like getting hit in the face by a wall of hot air. Sure, the ‘dressing room’ was already steamy thanks to the mist from the springs seeping in from partitions, but… “Think summer. Think sunny,” Lute chanted to himself as he approached a locker and opened it. There were a stack of fluffy white towels placed on the stone benches in between the lockers and he nabbed one, for a moment frozen with how immaculately soft it was. It was... It was like the towels were made from the dreams of children and clouds! That lovely texture! The pure color! Would anybody notice if he stole one... or three?

Yes. Yes they would. Lute sighed. No matter, he'd buy towels of this ilk once he's become an aristocrat with so much money he'd be all condescending and fancy accent-ed.

“So…” Lute tried to hide the way he was rubbing the cloth against his face and turned towards Quentin, “uh, not to make too fine a point on it, but… We take off our clothes before jumping into the water, right? I mean… Really? I haven’t been to one of these things before.” Lute, by then, seemed ashamed enough and Delilah’s chants about seeing the ‘booty’ wasn’t helping to clear away the embarrassment.