Fetch Quest
~@BCTheEntity~

'You get out of here, Ian. Or stay and fight if you really want. I'll see you back in Mahigan either way.'

"I don't run from fights." Ian replied and brandished a sword and shield. "Sort of. You see, I don't always run from fights but when I do, I have a good enough reason and/or excuse to help me sleep at night."

Having chosen to stand your ground, the pack was soon upon the two of you. There was a total of eight wardogs and three pounced on Ian while another three pounced on you. The remaining two circled around, waiting for an opening to make a critical strike. The three wardogs on you were pretty smart, one of them targeted your sword hand to disarm you while the other two targeted your feet to bring you down.

Meanwhile, Ian had already been brought down with the wardogs on top of him but it doesn't seem like he was in any pain. "Whew, these guys are a doozy to fight, aren't they Marky?" He said as he held a wardog from biting his neck off. Since his hands was on its head, Ian had no difficulty breaking its neck.

Sheolred was dissapointed how easy that one went down. She had hoped he would've dodged and gave her more of a fight, but alas, she was far too powerful for him. Fortunately her next opponent looked a bit more bulkier. Sheolred felt lashes upon her back, it's painful sting more of a pleasant reminder that she hasn't had a real fight for as long as she remembered (And Sheolred barely remembered how she got here in the first place). Turning around Sheolred saw a biggun with a whip, or perhaps some sort of makeshift flail? Either way, it was her new opponent. Still, with no signs of more enemies Sheolred only sighed. "Tch... Try not to die too fast!"

Sheolred rushed the larger brigand, positioning her club in front of her to block any of his lashes. In the event that he's actually a skilled fighter and tries to use his whips to entangle Sheolred's weapon, she was more than prepared to let it go so she could beat down the bandit with her bare and armored fists. Sometimes you just needed a more hands-on approach. But if he fails to stop her, than he'd get a twenty pound club come crashing into his skull, just like the other one. "Let's see some blood!"

@PaulHaynek

'Glad to hear that,' Mark murmured, the creatures lunging toward the two men quite viciously. Oh yes, these would certainly have killed somebody innocent sooner rather than later - no normal man or woman would be able to handle pack tactics like those. They even recognised that Mark had a weapon in hand, or so it seemed.

Not that it helped the one going for it, since the weapon was on fire after all. Mark brought the makeshift weapon swiftly round as the animal went for it, searing and slicing open the flesh of that particular wardog's skull as the magic-imbued weapon connected, at the same time booting one of the other dogs in the face with a gauntleted foot, before thrusting the burning lance toward the body of the final hound attacking him. He'd fought a highly-skilled Salamander to a standstill multiple times, it would hardly be prudent to then let a few angry dogs try to bite him to death.

'If you need help, by the way,' Mark called, 'I can probably chip in whenever's appropriate... just gotta keep an eye on the other two, is all I'm thinking.' Much like wolves in the wild, some of the pack had not charged in immediately, and they would be the dangerous ones if they weren't kept in check. Just in case, Mark called for the Gnome to pay attention, and to send a rock spire into either of those two dogs if they decided to take their chance.

The Girl Who Cried
~@13org (FYR), @The Irish Tree~

The bush continues to rustle, as if on trigger, something jumps out at Magnus. A large wolf would jump out from the bush, rather oddly as if it popped out of the bushes.
Closer inspection the two guild members would find, it wasn’t a real would rather it was like a puppet of sorts. It had two rods in the ground to make it stay in place a stand to keep it up straight.

The wind would pick up again and it sounds like it was… Giggling. Next thing both know, the two members of the guild would find themselves surrounded by leaves and as they dissolve you both would notice several other puppets surrounding you, all of wolves and other animals which possess proprietorial traits.

The wind picks up and more giggling can be heard. Something was toying with the you both. Something was finding enjoyment in your emotions.

Freyr

"N-No wolf howls like that...who's there? P-Please, we just want to hunt the wolf and help the town...no need to fight." Freyr heard Magnus saying, tightening his grip on the big axe on his hands.

Differently from Magnus, Freyr was holding his bow in a crouched stance. Not even his respiration produced any sounds, his hands were firm and steady, only waiting for the moment to shoot. He didn't knew if they were being hunted, or if it was only a joke someone was playing with them, but he wouldn't lower his guard. The forest where he came wasn't kind with whoever lived there. He was hunted not only by the dangerous creatures there, but if a female Viera ever saw him trespassing on their territory, he would be killed on sight...

After a few seconds, a big wolf jumped out of the bush, albeit in a rather odd manner.
Without even thinking twice, he immediately shot an arrow through the wolf, but the sound it made when it hit it was... strange...
Looking at it a little better, he would quickly realize that it was nothing but a decoy, and not a real wolf.

It was pretty ironic, the one who said for him to fight like a man was hiding behind such ridiculous tricks.
But he wouldn't drop his guard, he didn't know the reason behind all that. Was it only a joke? Maybe Freyr was being too paranoid, but it was the only way a male viera could live in the forests for that long.

"Magnus, I don't know whether all this is nothing but a joke or if we are really being hunted. Don't drop your guard, but do not attack things before being sure they are hostile." Freyr said, in a monotone whisper to Magnus. If possible, Freyr didn't want any innocent blood on his hands.

Standing still, with his bow drawn, he used his enhanced hearing and sense of smell, Freyr tried to track down the one behind those pranks. Whoever it was, it should be nearby them.

@GoddessOfNature @The Irish Tree

---

Bast Ragoczy

Bast heard as the priestess complained, clearly annoyed at his words. He wouldn't lie, he didn't liked those religious types... They were all hypocrites... all of them puppets, nothing more. They were even happy in being used...
"When you are done or out of chalk, come see me at the church. We can discuss your payment then." she said turning around.

"As you wish... 'Dark Priestess'" Bast said, with a rather unsettling laugh and a smirk on his face.
"Pray to your broken gods and fallen idols, lest your life be consumed by them." He said, walking away as the rhythmed sound of his cane hitting the ground as he walked marked his departure.

Talking with those religious types always left him in a rather sour mood. He never had the patience to argue with them. Those who chose to be ignorant, who willingly blinded themselves, turning their eyes away from the truth, preferring to live under an illusion, a convenient lie to appease their egos...

The task was simple, and thus, incredibly boring. There was nothing to do other than mark the houses with the chalk. The city was really empty... Most of the houses Bast went so far were abandoned, until he encountered a young boy standing in the middle of a large room, which once should have been a living room.

"What brings you here? Oh, I know! You're here because you think this house is abandoned! Don't worry, it is abandoned." The boy said cheerfully, while sharpening a sword.

"Once I'm done with this sword, I'm off to Varjo to kill that armored man who killed all my family and friends!" he continued, still cheerful as ever.

"That's an interesting goal you have, boy... Vengeance..." Bast said, with an intrigued smile, proffering slowly the last word, almost like he was savoring it.
"I don't mean to judge, but your mood doesn't match your intentions... Have you ever taken a life before?" Bast asked, analyzing the boy's expression.
"Would you care to tell me a little about what happened with your family? And maybe what happened with the city and what the Dark Priests have been doing here?" Bast asked, looking at the boy.

@PaulHaynek

Fetch Quest
~@BCTheEntity~

After taking down two of the wardogs, you see Ian back on his feet with two dead wardogs near him. He and the last wardog on him charged into each other and wrestled each other with the mercenary having the upper hand. "You just worry about you, Marky. I can take care of myself. In more ways than one." Ian said to you as he tussled with the canine.

There were three wardogs still alive and one of them lunged at you only to be sent flying by a sudden spike from the earth, courtesy of the Gnome in your sword. Meanwhile, Ian had defeated his wardog and threw the body at the remaining two and that broke the wardogs' morale and they turned tail and ran. Quickly fleeing into the wetland forest and hoping to disappear from your sight.

"You wanna go after 'em?" Ian asked. "I mean, a Varjan Wardog without a pack is still a Varjan Wardog. Have you seen their teeth? Goodness, Joshua likes 'em sharp doesn't he?"

"If not though, then I guess we're done here." Ian continued as he regathered his belongings. "Are you fine with a hundred and fifty gold? I mean, I don't exactly have more but you can have limited edition Shinonome Amanomiya figurine if you want."

---

Humble Beginnings
~@13org (BST)~

"Would you care to tell me a little about what happened with your family? And maybe what happened with the city and what the Dark Priests have been doing here?"

"Well... Boreal Port was once part of Varjo under King Joshua Caldeyron and the Order. This particular village was protected by Lord Araghast and his forces and in turn, we fed him and his soldiers and sometimes some tribute." The boy reminisced as he continued working on his sword. "But then one day, Lord Araghast and his warriors started killing the villagers. My father and mother took me and my brother and sister back into the house but the warriors found us. I saw my father get killed and my mother forced me to run away. When I came back, all of them are dead. This sword is my brother's, you know?"

"Then the mermaids came and after that some other monsters, including that one Dark Priest." He continued, his expression still having a cheerful face. "They've been helping the survivors ever since. But I hid from them. I know they won't let me go. But I need to go. I need to kill Lord Araghast and his warriors. I need to go, mister. I need to kill them."

Suddenly he stopped and he inspected his blade. "That seems sharp enough. Well mister, it was nice talking to you." He said before trying to depart with only the sword in his hands. "Tell the nice monsters thanks for helping this port, okay?"

---

Shopping!!
~@Lucius Cypher~

You block his next lash but he also dodged your club swing.

The large brigand then charged and tackled you into a wall. Despite his size, he was pretty quick. You soon felt a punch to your face followed by another one. He seemed content to continue swinging his fists at you until you were unconscious. But you were still far from that but you probably should not take your time in counterattacking.

Meanwhile, you hear Bart. "Don't... worry, Sheolred! The guards... should be here soon!" He told you.

'I've got them,' Mark muttered to Ian's first question, aiming his weapon at the two fleeing dogs as its flames receded, then launching a wide horizontal blade of cutting wind that struck both at once, shredding much of the nearby foliage and slicing their limbs away from their bodies. A merciful death was granted by two spears of rock, jutting from the ground through their heads as Mark stabbed the ground at his feet. And after that, he let his magical enhancements vanish, the elementals allowed to rest for now - not that they especially needed to, with how much spare power lay in his blade for them to draw from. That, and their entire nature as beings of energy, but how that affected matters, Mark couldn't say.

And as for the payment... it would be sufficient for a quest that was ultimately rather simple. 'Uh, sure,' Mark agreed, 'I'll take both, I suppose. Heck, maybe S-'

A moment's hesitation let him consider that if Ian had seen his file, he'd seen his partner's file too.

'...maybe Syszi would like the... figurine, did you call it?' Mark asked, mildly confused. 'I wouldn't know about such things myself, so I suppose it's worth gifting to her.' And if it were limited edition, perhaps even moreso. Not that he had any idea what to expect from it or his ally's reaction to the item, but hey-ho.

@13org(FYR), @GoddessOfNature

A loud, ferocious roar bellowed out of Magnus as his face paled, not one to appreciate surprises as the wolf "puppet" quickly got a faceful of log as Magnus lost his grip, accidentally chucking his makeshift log guard at it. Magnus: Bravest of Minotaurs, and slayer of puppet wolves.

With his minor heart attack having passed, Magnus nearly fell backwards as he realized that these things weren't of any threat. He was just...startled was all. Startled and super afraid. Taking several deep breaths and shivering a bit, Magnus was lucky to have actually been in the right mind to listen to Freyr about not jumping to axe someone a question. "R-Right...no jumping into a fight...I-I'll leave it to you to tell me when to attack, then." the Minotaur said as he kept both his hands now on the axe, trying to see if there were any signs of where the puppetmaster could be controlling the decoys from. Why were they doing this...Was the wolf all a lie? Was their job provider just someone looking for some sick kicks out of hunting would-be wolf slayers?

Magnus didn't know, and was frightened that he was literally in the dark as to what was going on, outside of one simple fact: Whoever this was, was pretty dang mean. Although, maybe they had their reasons, but still.

Taking a huge breath in, Magnus' chest puffed up before he exhaled, his breath almost visible from how hot and heavy the air escaping was. "Freyr...i-if things go really bad, leave me behind. I can do...something bad, but not with you nearby." he said, laying a hand across his heart as he tried to calm himself. Worse came to Worst, he could always try and go Berserk. He'd never let himself live it down if he hurt his teammate though, or someone innocent. Of course, he wasn't even sure if he could go berserk at will...he'd hope that if it did happen though, that Freyr would heed his warning. Stepping forward, Magnus once again was ready to jump into danger to protect his "friend".

~@BCTheEntity~

"Whoa dude, is there anything your sword can't do?" Ian remarked as he watched you dispatch the remaining wardogs.

'Uh, sure,' Mark agreed, 'I'll take both, I suppose. Heck, maybe S- ...maybe Syszi would like the... figurine, did you call it? I wouldn't know about such things myself, so I suppose it's worth gifting to her.'

"Alright. Here's the one-fiddy..." Ian handed you a small purse. "And I'll send the figurine to Spicy, wherever she is, as soon as possible. I'll wrap it with the cutest design possible. I'll be putting a 'To and From' too. Do you want me to put your name in there." Ian said. "Speaking of Spedicey, she's not with you? I heard Salamanders don't usually separate from their hubbies for more than three hours or more than three hundred meters."

"Well anyway, thanks for the help. I usually get around so maybe I'll post a request or two at the guild again. But until then, toodles~!"

You watch the armored mercenary skip away like a little girl and soon out of sight. Your quest was done for today. You were free to head back or do something else.

'That's Syszi,' Mark corrected, a bit forcefully, even as he pocketed the purse of money. 'But yes, I suppose my name on it would work. As for why she's not here... honestly, I'm not sure. I didn't see her awake by the time I left...' It was about this point that he was interrupted in his speech by Ian's farewell, and before Mark could finish his train of thought, the man had already skipped away. Skipped, as if he weren't a mercurial mercenary with questionable sanity. Then again, what did he know about men of questionable sanity and how they acted? Not a lot, for various reasons, so go figure.

That said, he'd received his payment, and the figurine would be delivered to his partner soon-ish... God, had he really asked for his name to be on the wrapping? And practically agreed that she was his wife, at that. Was he trying to give everybody the wrong impression?

...well, in fairness, he honestly wasn't sure how he felt about Syszi. Obviously, repeated sexual intercourse would lead to some pretty intense attachments between anybody, but even so, he wasn't exactly trying his hardest to keep her interested in him, which barely even mattered when she had been enamoured with him from very early on. Maybe he ought to chat about that with the Salamander... which he couldn't do if he was out and about. In which case, best to head back to the guild for the time being and see what presented itself by the time he got back. And after all, hound-filled woods weren't the most alluring place to stay overnight.

So this fatty was faster than she thought. He was still pretty weak. On a scale of one-to-ten, his punches were about a three. Stronger than most men, but not even average compared to some of the other monsters she's fought in the past. Between the punches Sheolred reached out to hoist the man up by his belt before delivering a swift, spike-studded knee right into his manhood. This was followed by a rough shove meant to knock him down, and once he was prone Sheolred would hammer her club into his body as if she was mining ore; repeatedly with strong blows aimed towards anything not broken into pieces.

When Bart mentioned the guards Sheolred just scoffed. "They should bring painters! This whole place is going to be bloody red when I'm done!" Sheolred said as she hefted her club overhead to smash the bandit. She decided to aim for his knee first.

@PaulHaynek

Anitta sighed and looked towards Neil. "The traps were simply meant to convince the old man of my bluff. Though no doubt whatever the dwarves would do here, it would attract much trouble. But it doesn't matter. We fulfilled our end of the contract and managed to get rid of the old man. What happens afterwards is none of our concern." Anitta rested her naginata on her shoulder and started walking away from the old man's cabin. "If we must tell the dwarves anything, we tell them that we bluffed the old man that bandits roam these woods and he should leave. That his home will likely be occupied or attacked, since he is a defenseless old man in the middle of no where. Nothing more, nothing less."

The possibility of all of this coming to bite them back in the end was there, but if the dwarves wanted Anitta to rid of the old man permanently they should have told her so. Perhaps if they told her what they needed done here, she could have taken such things into account. But you get what you asked for, and Anitta was going to ask for a lot of money. After all she managed to convince the old man to leave peacefully without a fight or drawing excess attention to what was going on here. And it's not as if there wasn't some sort of trouble in these woods. The dwarves were here after all, and Anitta doubted their intentions here were benign. "Let's go collect our payment."

The Girl Who Cried
~@13org (FYR), @The Irish Tree~

Both of the guild members who were looking for a source of control would find that all the control came from small piston powered pumps which generated energy via wind power. Suddenly the wind picks up again and within it clapping can be heard. All the decoys falling over leaving a small donut shaped platform around the two men. Suddenly a small twister of wind would slam down behind them and disperses revealing a young girl with green hair. She seemed to be struggling with something.



She falls to her knees giggling and crying "Well how was my little game?" The girl had obviously enjoyed messing with the two guild members "I am both your job provider and objective. Why do you think I let you come here?" She would shake her head as she raised to her feet and wipes the tears from her face. "So care to explain why you chose my job over all your other jobs?"

Freyr

"Freyr...i-if things go really bad, leave me behind. I can do...something bad, but not with you nearby." Freyr heard Magnus speaking. His words confused Freyr, what did he mean by leave him behind? They were hunting together, he wouldn't just run and leave him there if things got bad...

But before Freyr could answer him, a small twister of wind appeared behind them. Strangely enough, there was a small, green haired girl appeared after it dispersed. She was giggling and crying, obviously amused by the pranks she just pulled on them.

The small girl was... quite arrogant, to tell the truth... Freyr was already in a bad mood because it was all just a prank, but the little girl had the gall to ask 'how was her little game'... Even saying that she let them come...
Was that all that she wanted? She was just wasting their time? Did she call just to prank them?

"I'm... sorry if I may sound a bit rude, but that was incredibly dangerous for you, and incredibly offensive, for me at least." Freyr said, pointing to the hole in the wolf puppet and looking at her with a clearly irritated expression.
"I must ask you to not do that anymore. Its very dangerous for you and we could be helping others while we were here doing nothing." Freyr said, trying to hide his disappointment without much success, as he started cleaning himself from the rest of the feathers and sticky thing that was on his clothes.

"If that was it, I'm going." Freyr said, sheathing his bow and starting to walk away. He was obviously very offended with all that.

@GoddessOfNature @The Irish Tree

---

Bast Ragoczy

Bast heard the boy's story, it sounded much more interesting than just marking the abandoned houses with chalk...
But some things on the boy's story simply didn't add up. Why this Lord Araghast, that used to protect the village, simply started killing everyone? Sure there must have been a reason... That wasn't the entire story. There was probably something that led the lord to kill the villagers. Was it simple greed? Or something more?

With a smile on his face, Bast called the boy before he went away.
"I must say, I'm quite interested on this story... Young one, would you accept my help? Standing here and just marking the abandoned houses is not fun or exciting..." Bast said, with a grin on his face.

"And I don't know about the mermaids, but I don't trust priests... Their eyes are " Bast said, dismissing the unpleasant memory of the priestess waving his hand.

"Anyways... I can relate to your desire, boy. After all, 'vengeance is a dish best served cold'... Am I right?" Bast continued, with a grim smile.

"I will make you a proposal, boy. I will help you, but under one condition: You will be the one to kill them. I will protect you, I will slash them, I will cut their limbs until they cannot attack or even stand up, but the killing, will be all yours, boy." Bast said, with a sinister expression.

"Will you accept my proposal? Are you really ready to take a life? To take all a person was, is and will ever be, and turn them to nothing? Think very well about your answer, boy... Once your hand is stained with blood, there is no turning back. Are you ready?" Bast asked, extending his hand to the boy, waiting for his answer and carefully analyzing his reactions.

Bast was indeed curious... How would he react to spilling other's blood? Would he be able to keep on living his life after finally avenging his family? Or would he succumb to his own rage and bloodthirst? The boy needed to pass through that metamorphosis by himself. Bast could only help him to stay alive.

"Which path will you chose, young boy?" He asked, still looking at him.

@PaulHaynek

@13org(FYR), @GoddessOfNature

Magnus was prepared for a beast, or some kind of monstrous abomination, but wind? Nah, he wasn't prepped for that, and let out the most pathetic tiny warrior's squeal as the puppets fell down around them, going pale and shivering as he wondered what kind of forest sprite they offended. And then...a girl came out and laughed at them. Like, a lot. Like, the funniest joke in the universe was written on their foreheads and they couldn't see it. Magnus' body relaxed as the girl asked how her game was...which from the way Freyr was tarred and feathered and Magnus had gotten spooked like, 10 times just coming INTO the woods, he'd have to say: "Not fun at all!"

"I-It was...all a lie?" Magnus asked, removing his helmet and looking at the girl with a look of absolute shame, his back hunched a bit as he tried to hide the fact that he was a big idiot. Dejectedly, he put his axe back onto his back once more and sighed deeply, scratching the back of his head. "...We took this job because...well, it sounded like someone needed help bad. I-I'd rather go and save someone who really needs it than to swim in gold from something not as important if I can help it..." Magnus said, poking his left and right index fingers together as he tried his best to not give the girl a big old lecture about how this kind of thing was bad. He didn't really have the words or confidence for it anyways. "I'm sorry Miss, but...calling people out here like this isn't good. If you need a r-real wolf beast beaten up, we can do that but...we could have helped someone who needed it." was all his weak heart could muster to say, before he bowed his head to her respectfully. "Have a good day." he said in parting, heading to follow Freyr before he got too far ahead. Maybe they'd be able to find a stream for him to wash up at...that tar-like stuff looked sticky.

Even if they didn't get paid, Magnus did feel like the real treasure was friendship. Because, he's a dork like that. And hey, if he hadn't gone, he'd never have worked up the nerve to talk to Freyr at all. Guy kinda had scary eyes. Clearing his throat, Magnus said: "E-Even if it was a wild goose chase...thanks for letting me come along Freyr." as he cracked the tiniest of smiles. Looking back to see the girl, Magnus wondered...what exactly was she doing out here all alone. Stopping for a moment, he called out to her with: "You should head home soon! The real mean beasts come out after dark..."

~@BCTheEntity~

You return to the guild and night had fallen. None of your guildmates were there, only the silhouette of the dilapidated building.

However, you did spot a figure resting on the top of the building. If you look closely, you could discern that it was humanoid figure that had wings for arms. Being versed with monsters, you likely knew this was a Harpy or a related species. The reason for this creature being here was the first question that probably needed to be answered. Perhaps this monster one of Bart's invited or maybe this was a wild one looking for a mate.

Regardless, the Harpy figure spotted you and quickly launched into the air and dove again into the building. She probably saw that you were a knight of the Order and hid.

---

Shopping!!
~@Lucius Cypher~

After getting him off you with a strike to his nether regions, your continuous swinging of your club eventually kill the large brigand. Although his body was brutalized, it was mostly still in one piece likely thanks to his large physique.

"Sheolred!" Bart called out to you and you see him approach you. "Are you alright?! You're... alright... Man, you sure hit hard..." He panted, seeing that you have taken care of the brigands, albeit violently. "So uhh, do you mind explaining to me why they just suddenly attacked us? Please don't tell me that you told them... some very unpleasant things."

"Also, our little scuffle isn't exactly quiet so the town guards will be here anytime soon." Bart said. "I'd rather make scarce rather than stay here and explain all this but I guess we can clear any misunderstanding that might arise?"

---

Water and Honesty
~@Norschtalen~

"If we must tell the dwarves anything, we tell them that we bluffed the old man that bandits roam these woods and he should leave. That his home will likely be occupied or attacked, since he is a defenseless old man in the middle of no where. Nothing more, nothing less. Let's go collect our payment."

"Alright then." Neil replied. "Lead the way."

Upon returning to the Dwarven camp, you explain how the mission went. The leader of the band of scouts nodded. "I see.
Good job." He said. The compliment was short but one could see that he approved of the clean and smooth work that you did. "Now then, as for the payment. Do you know the layout of your rundown guild?"

"Uhh, yeah. I've... We've mapped it out." Neil replied.

"Good. We don't exactly have much gold on us so we can't pay you that way." The Dwarf replied which made Neil raise his eyebrow. "However, we have engineers and builders. We'll repair and refurbish your dilapidated guild building. We'll install beds and furniture and lights and anything else that you want added in the building." He explained. "We can also add rooms or an extra floor if you'd like."

"Do you want anything added to the building?" The Dwarf asked you. "Well, you do not have to decide now. We'll come by the guild building tomorrow and we can discuss things from there."

---

~@13org~

"Which path will you chose, young boy?"

"Oh gee, mister. That's really kind of you." The boy replied, not really reacting to your words of warning. Perhaps it even just flew over his head.

"I appreciate the offer of help, mister, I really do..." The boy then explained. "But are you sure? You don't look like the fighting type and those Varjan Warriors are pretty large. Their armor is pretty thick and I've heard they've got tricks and trinkets to deal with the magic that bypasses armor."

"But if you're really sure about coming with me, then thanks mister."

Quiet... very quiet. Where was Bart? Where was Neil, for that matter? He supposed he couldn't expect them to remain there constantly, but it was getting pretty dark. In fact, the only other visibly-living being there was a winged figure on the roof, swooping into the building shortly afterward. A new member of the guild, or just a random winged monster seeking something?

It wasn't like he could leave her in there, anyway. She'd be obstructive... or worse. Either she had to come out, or he would have to go in after her. Non-lethally, of course, since he had the option. Drawing his weapon with one hand, Mark strode in through the front door, cautiously glancing round as he called out 'Hellooooo? Harpy lady? Come on out... I promise not to kill you, I'm not that sort of Hero... you just need to show yourself first, is all.' It was clear he wasn't being very persuasive, but it was also clear to him, as he began to climb the stairs to the upper floor, that she wasn't going to make an appearance until she could get the drop on him. That was almost always how it worked with monsters, especially those seeking a mate; he was more than ready for it, invoking the Sylph amplifying his reaction speed to account for the inevitable.

~@BCTheEntity~

'Hellooooo? Harpy lady? Come on out... I promise not to kill you, I'm not that sort of Hero... you just need to show yourself first, is all.'

"Yeah right!" A female voice called out to you. Clearly not believing your words. "A Hero this close to Varjo? Trust me, you're that sort of Hero and more!"

You may hear her voice but you do not know where. Although, there was the possibility that she does not know where you are either. The place was huge and the lack of any lighting made it very dark. You were prepared for her attack but it did not feel like it was coming any time soon. "This place has people, you know? Pretty powerful people from what I heard. They'll make short work of you and probably hand you over to some Ogre or Dark Elf. And you REALLY don't want that to happen if you value your honor or whatever it is you're fighting for."

Unbeknownst to her, you likely knew these people. Perhaps it was time to clear up the misunderstanding.

'I've fought Dark Elves,' Mark pointed out as he strolled around and looked in the various rooms, blade still hoisted, 'and beings far worse. None have matched up even to my partner Syszi, let alone me.' After a few seconds of thinking about whether the boast was necessary, he sighed, switched his thinking to how the situation might even help him, then explained matter-of-factly 'Look, I'm from Andrale - have you ever heard of Andrale? Nice place, sadly borders a Demon Realm. We have treaties for keeping that situation stable. Anyway, we have spells there, spells that basically provide monsters with benefits as far as their interactions with humans go, and the owner of this guild heard about that and asked for somebody from the kingdom to join the guild. That would be me, and the Salamander I'm- ...who I fight alongside. We fight alongside each other.

'So, you can take it as a promise that I do not intend to kill you, or physically maim you, or anything like that,' he concluded. 'That said, I do need you to come out, because there are... well, it's not exactly "your place" to roost in, unless you also happen to be a guild member. And, you know, maybe I can give you that benefit I mentioned, about interacting with humans, if you'd like it.' And if she did want that, well, maybe he'd be able to make his first in-roads to cleansing this part of the world of its corruption. It'd at least be useful, that was for sure.

Bast Ragoczy

"Oh, don't you worry, boy. I have a lot of secrets..." Bast said, getting his cane and sliding a small part of the blade out of the cane, showing him the sharp edge.

"Sometimes... Looks can be deceiving..." Bast said, making an arcane card appear on his hand out of thin air with a flourished hand movement. Slowly opening his hand, the card started to float in front of him, multiplying itself into 6 different cards, witch started to slowly spin around him. One by one, the cards suddenly started to lit up with a blue fire. Anyone who knew a bit about magic would know that it was pure, raw mana. With another flourished hand movement, Bast made them spin slightly faster, as the flame like aura around them started changing, only one of them maintaining the blue color. The others were imbued with magical energy, burning with a red hot fire, crackling and fizzling with electrical energy, surrounded by a strong wind current, or even with small grey vines slowly creeping out of one of them.

"The world is full of knowledge and secrets, young one... Knowledge surely is powerful, but secrets... Secrets are powerful enough to reduce even the mightiest and strongest kingdom to nothing..." Bast said, snapping his fingers, making all the cards disappear, leaving only the one infused with raw mana, floating in front of him. The second he grabbed it between his fingers, the card returned to normal.

"Seek knowledge and you will find power..." He said, turning the card towards the boy, revealing an ace of hearts.
"But if you seek secrets... you will find me." He continued, covering the card with his fingers for a brief second, transforming it in a joker, handing it to the boy.

"You haven't told me your name yet, have you?" He asked, after handing him the card.
"Lead the way." He said, with a smile, waiting for the boy to take him to where those warriors were.

@PaulHaynek