Rebecca had eventually gotten tired of the discussion, refocusing her attention towards her book. Even that had turned into something rather frustrating. She needed to do some more research if she was going to pursue her line of thought any sooner. Spells, procedures, mages’ scrawlings on the subject.

And here she was. In the middle of nowhere.

She eventually was encouraged and finally convinced to pay more attention to where she was going by the tall grass. Yeah, it was getting more “nowhere” by the minute. Calieo seemed like she didn’t even know what it was.

“Um,” Rebecca answered dryly. “It’s called grass? It grows really tall when nothing’s around to keep it trimmed down?” She sighed when Chambala mentioned there might be snakes roaming around in it, too. Another thing to watch out for.

Denise’s dance provided an interesting distraction, though. Such displays of magic always fascinated Rebecca. Like the way her grandmother could bring the most soothing sunlight and moonlight into a room with a mere whim. That subtlety that came from sheer power and mastery, that was something she wished to be able to tap into, someday. She raised an eyebrow at Chambala when she pointed out how unsafe it could have been, though.

[Calieo]

Calieo listened careful to what explanations had been given, though the way she stomped around and kicked at the earth beneath her suggested she was ignoring what Chambala and Rebecca had to say. She found the simplicity of grass to be somewhat endearing; it was like fur for the earth, and she wondered if it helped to keep the land warm. Chambala spoke of something to be wary of, biting things that may live in the grass, and as if to challenge whatever they may be Calieo hopped around to try and flatten a patch of green.

The novelty of the grass soon gone, Calieo returned her attention behind her and the display of flames encircling Denise immediately caught her eye. A smile broke out across her face, a mix of wonder and pleasure that the dancing lights invoked within her. Naturally her attention was then drawn lower, and she met the eyes of Denise's mount for a brief moment. Unsure what the blank faced being was thinking, Calieo snorted assertively before turning away from everyone to better observe the valley ahead.

"Onward then! The guise of day lasts only so long," she announced, raising her shielded arm towards the other end of the valley. She'd only taken a few steps before her foot caught on something, and ungracefully she fell forward and slammed into the ground. As she fell her foot wrenched free the thing that had tripped her; a rusted knight's helm half buried in the dirt, the object flung behind her by her flailing legs. The grass that contacted the ball of her weapon left behind only smoke, no flames catching as anything to burn was incinerated the second it brushed past the caged ball of light.

"SNAKE!" she screamed, flailing about on the ground to quickly push herself up. On her feet again she whirled around and kicked at the grass around her in blind frustration, confusion evident on her face. She hadn't seen where the helmet had flown, and couldn't see it now as the grass hid it once again, so she made an effort to calm herself once aware that her companions were likely watching. Clearly still a little flustered, she cleared her throat and let out a decompressing huff.

"Onward," she declared again, less triumphant sounding this time as she started walking again, and now paying attention to her feet rather than where she was going.

Autumn sighed and put her fingers to her brow. Today was slowly getting worse by the second. First she was nearly run over, then she dropped the stranger's acorn, and in her attempt to get out of the way, someone had seen her using her shadow step ability. She reached up with both hands and rubbed her face slowly, groaning before looking back up at Serena. She simply stood there staring at the woman for a few moments, trying to see how she'd react.

At first, as Serena tried to help generalize where she thought she'd dropped the acorn, Autumn started to relax. She picked her pack back up and slung it over her back again, staring to walk around and scan the ground with her eyes. Sadly, it ended up being futile and after a few rounds she sighed and gave up. "It... was a... way to contact my employer." she answered the question about what it was. "Sadly I don't know how else to find him. Not that I'm being paid enough to keep doing what I was tasked to do." she shrugs.

As Serena's expression turned sour, Autumn frowned back at that icy glare. She paused in her stance as she started to look the woman up and down. It wasn't a friendly look. One that almost had Autumn's brain telling her to take up a defensive posture. She watched Serena's next moves very carefully, her mouth tensing to a thin flat line beneath her mask. As silence set in, she could feel a breeze roll across the space between them, holding her breath for a moment before she spoke, "Is... something wrong..?" she asked faintly, her accent a bit clearer than usual as she focused on speaking.

Serena continued to stare down at the woman, her head cocked to the side trying to figure her out as she held her bag and naginata in a way that suggested that she wasn't quite sure what to do with them at the moment. Perhaps she was of no threat? She had proven to be rather… bumbling. The fact that she was apparently being tasked to do something by an employer was certainly cause for suspicion, though. This woman asked her if she had a problem, and Serena frowned in thought before she responded. Perhaps she should just be honest. No need to complicate things any further by dancing around the issue.

“I am simply suspicious,” Serena admitted with a slight sheepishness that was almost vaguely comedic. “What is this job? Nothing too troublesome, I hope?” She noticed that she was perhaps coming off as intimidating and tense, and attempted to loosen her own stance somewhat, a hint of insecurity shining through her expression. In addition to often forgetting about the impact her half-demon stature had on other people, she had learned that it was often difficult to drop her mentality of an elite guard, even when it could prove beneficial. She frowned in thought once more.

"Also," Serena said. "If it is money you need, I may have something for you, if you are interested. It could be a rather dangerous job, however."

The confirmation of her own suspicions brought a crease to Autumn's brow. She was being scrutinized. Questioned. She shifted her posture to stand on her right leg, her left arm folding under her cloak to make it appear that her hand was resting on her hip. In truth, hidden underneath that cloak, her hand had turned the handle of one of her daggers down towards the ground. Her fingers had wrapped around the handle and she was ready to draw at a moment's notice. Her breathing was slow as she tried to look relaxed outwardly even in the face of Serena's imposingly tall figure and partially threatening posture.

The question hung on the air in silence as Autumn realized how it must look. She was of course, under oath not to speak of her task, something she intended to keep her word on. Her mind worked to find a diplomatic solution to the problem presented in front of her. After a few moments of crushing silence she spoke back up softly, "I can't tell you specifically what I was tasked with. It's one of the things my employer was very explicit on. That said, I can tell you that it does not endanger anyone. And indeed is meant to prevent harm from coming to anyone." she says with a soft tone.

She waited with breath abated to see how Serena would react. When the woman offered employment, Autumn blinked in surprise. Her posture changed entirely and while she did not remove her hand from her weapon, she stood more upright and relaxed, only her legs still held tense in case she had to move suddenly. "A job? Well... I do need to find new work, assuming that my previous employer's task is considered complete." she mused aloud. "I'm not concerned about tasks being dangerous. I've made my living as a sell-sword when such work can be found." she mused, "I haven't found such a job here in this town, but I'm sure my uses as a scout could be put to work should that be amenable to the task you've set before me." It was odd. Her voice was so heavily accented, but yet she spoke as if she was fluent in the language. She'd clearly been giving training in Abbalic at some point in her life.

Chambala's expression was dead calm, but damn if inside her she wasn't laughing so strong she'd crack a rib right now. Calieo just gave them a display worthy of a bard tale, going on about happy go round poem about a cluthz that somehow saves a princess and get's her hand in marriage through sheer bumbling about and overpowered luck. She then smiled and in move as she followed afte rthe weird woman, moved to pick the helmet. She had followed where it went and she had a use for the metal in this helmet even if it was old and rusty. Wiht a file or fine stone she could scrape the rust and turn it into part of her training equipment in the forest... or teh scarecrow actually could use it quite well. It was a thing worthy of being tied to a wooden and strat doll.

"Anyhow fire's a double edged sword... though the fact you can make it at will is good." Chambala said ot Denise." It's going to be useful when we prepare to camp later. It will save us time from getting the firepit up and running." She smiled, returning to her blissful enjoyment of nature and the old helmet, wondering who's it was.

"I can make this into one fine trap actually too..." She mumbled to herself." Bind it to a doll of leaves, branches and rope, then make it ignite everything it touches... mmm.. maybe better to have the rusty metal shatter violently though, but scraches from rust kill slowly and make hte prey not good to eat..." She mumbled to herself, pondeirng hte question.

"So wish they didn't blow that bridge..." She sighed and shook her head, realizing how much problems she had now because someone had decided to be a douchebag. She was a forest dweller, these wars had nothing to do with her dammit. She lived alone, didn't hinder anyone and generally was benefiting the civilized people with forest produce such as pelts, forest herbs, fruits and all other manner of foraging finds.

@lavulman@bobert778

"I'm going to be entirely honest here, I'm not sure what you mean when you say con." Sage said nervously. "But there is definitely something down there, and it's following the vibrations from her staff."

As he said this, he pointed to Tirnea. He was beginning to get worried now. He could see that the woman with the hammer was beginning to suspicious as well, and the other one… Well, it was pretty clear that she hadn't been a fan since the start!

"A-Anyway, listen. If it really isn't anyones familiar, then it's a danger to the people here. I might be able to use some of the roots deeper underground to restrain it, but I won't if I can get an assurance that it really is one of your familiars. So please, you know, if it is… Just let me know! Because as I just mentioned, I'm looking for mages with them! Someone who is willing to learn! Someone who would work in tandem with nature! So seriously, just say it now."

As he spoke, he made a point of maintaining eye contact with Tirnea. There was no way it wasn't her familiar, it was following her every move!

[Calieo]

The sunken valley seemed devoid of any life beyond the blanket of green which smothered the terrain ahead. It grew positively everywhere, even clinging to the valley cliffs in patches and tufts anywhere it could find a place to take root. From the entrance all of the grass had appeared to be the same height, having initially only come up to knee level. As the group progressed however, the ground began to gently slope down as the grass remained uniform, and soon the stalks seemed at least four feet high in some places. At the head of the group Calieo stomped her way through the grass, occasional wisps of smoke trailing from her weapon which hung on her waist, somewhere below the greenery. Occasionally she'd snort or grunt, but otherwise remained silent as she cut her way into the valley.

About a third of the way across, the ground had sunken down enough to allow the grass to be at least five feet high now. With only her head and tops of her shoulders visible now, Calieo had begun ripping and slicing her way forward in an attempt to lessen the tide of green. Even with her shield's sabre, she pushed away more than she destroyed, hardly leaving a dent in the even field of identical stalks. Behind her she noted the sounds of idle chatter, and the mention of fire, which kick started a series of violent and reckless thoughts that further motivated her assault on the vegetation ahead. The scent of smoke had grown more constant, the healthy green grass being cut down by her weapon though failing to catch most every time. What few stalks did burn would quickly smolder and fade, the hearty plants refusing to be eliminated in such a way. As she slashed ahead of herself once again, she heard the rustle of some creature fleeing and immediately took up a defensive stance.

"Silence," she hissed over her shoulder, eyes scanning the grass for any irregularities that may give away whatever she'd heard. After a moment had passed and nothing happened, the knight stood up straight again and resumed her march. "Nevermind," she called behind herself, extending her shielded arm to try using it simply to push the grass down and out of the way rather than cut it apart. "Actually, not nevermind. Silence would still be good," she then corrected, grinning smugly at what she'd meant as a sort of humour.

<Chambala>@rivaan

Though Calieo's notice of something fleeing through the grass was short lived, years of hunting and trapping had honed your senses to notice what others might have not. Whatever had rushed away through the grass hadn't fled, the slight rustle of it's movements still noticeable from behind the cloak of grass. The vegetation is too thick to give away it's location, but even as the party continued onward, should you listen for it, whatever had been disturbed was now following you. It moves slowly, like it's trying to be cautious, and as far as you could tell it sounds to be about the size of a cat or some similar creature. Try to look for or move towards it and it rushes away, being loud enough to give away it's position for only a moment before returning to continue it's stalking.

<Denise>@Zhaliora

From your higher vantage point well above the grass, it's possible for you to notice the distant movement of some large thing hidden near the lake. About halfway through the valley now, the distant lake is more distinguishable, as well as the vegetation lining it's shores. Something had been resting near the edge of the water, and though you hadn't gotten a good look at it, it was fairly easy to make out the wave of parting grass that was left in it's wake. Unusually though where you might expect to actually catch a glimpse of the creature, there was only more grass, a green shape moving through a sea of emerald. It was difficult to see from this distance, but it seemed to be patrolling the area around the lake, diving down to disappear from view completely every now and again.

[Tirñea]

Tirñea was regretting not having tried to drag Veronica away from this man. How he was inferring all this information was still unclear, but she had to assume he was either an amazing guesser or could somehow see underground. As the stranger made his plea against Veronica's accusation, Tirñea grew uncomfortable with how the man's focus had shifted onto herself. Her mind raced; she didn't want to admit the truth with Veronica around, as even though she seemed nice Tirñea still didn't fully trust her. Lips trembling slightly out of frustration, she glared at the stranger when he'd turned to make eye contact. Whether his threats to Sierpe were real or hollow, Tirñea didn't want the effort of dealing with them any longer.

"You make too much guesses," Tirñea spat defensively, her knuckles going pale from how tightly she was gripping her staff. This man talked too much, and in turn was trying to force her to talk too much which she didn't appreciate. Her mind raced as she tried to piece together what she planned to say next, her lies trying to build off what she'd said to Veronica before. "There are no things in the ground. My hits," she struck the ground with her staff for emphasis, "are for spirits, and they not like you, so stop." Satisfied with her improvised explanation, Tirñea glared at the man to challenge him to push the subject further. She hoped that he wouldn't and thought that changing the subject may finally divert attention away from herself.

"Veronica?" Tirñea addressed the knight, turning away from the stranger and looking up at what she might call her friend. "When strangers ask directions is normal for there to be this rude?" she inquired sarcastically, offering Sage a sideways glance that further emphasized her stance on the subject of asking what was below the ground.

If a golden could roll its eyes then it would had rolled then almost every minute since she and her sister had met this...being. While she knew how to speak the common tongue there was no reason to speak to much lowly beings. Why her sister even bothered with any of them she could not grasp. Sure, Calieo was an interesting specimen which from Denese and her mental link she understood was something special indeed. But the rest of them were pests at best.

While Calieo was a special entity, so was her brain apparently, which deserved inspection and probably some respect from a power standpoint, she was such a handful. The others were hardly any better. So what if the grass was dry? A skilled mage would never burn more than what they intended. Even if her sister had an affinity for destruction, she would not endanger herself with reckless fire usage. Why Denise hung out with humans she would never understand.

Denise herself though was oblivious to most things that happened around her. She only barely registered Calieo's fumble and could not help herself from snickering. Damn if she was not starting to develop something for this cute clutz. A wide smile plastered itself across her face as she spun the flames around a bit more. This trip might be worth more than what she had initially thought. Her desire to 'corrupt' Calieo grew even stronger.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the huntress. Her lips curved into a smirk as she decided to play a little with this one. "Fire is a double edged sword indeed. I can strike two enemies at once." She chuckled and the flames flew towards Chambala and circled her head. "Poof!" the flames expanded for a second before vanishing. Denise started laughing until Calieo called for silence.

Denise grinned at the creature which she had spotted. This would surely aliveiate her boredom. She motioned for her golem to walk towards it and she pulled out a small metal orb from a satchel. A vicious grin appeared as she tossed the orb up and down a few times. Live testing of a creation coming right up.

They walked close enough to where she thought she could throw it before doing so. "Fire in the hole!" she half shouted and half laughed before snapping her fingers and a fairly large explosion tore away the silence as chunks of dirt flew everywhere with a lot of smoke and dust obscuring her vision. A bit of a maniacal smile was plastered on her face as she looked towards her victim. "Heeey...are you dead yet?"

Veronica sighed. The cyclical fashion that this discussion was progressing in was simply exasperating. And just when she was beginning to think that, just for a few hours, she could forget about the constant maelstrom of debate and conflict that her life seemed to revolve around these days. Tirnea asked her if this sort of thing was normal and she shook her head. She glared at the man, letting her feelings about this dispute be known before she even started speaking.

“Listen, sage.” Veronica started. “If there truly is some foul beast under the earth, go tell the Order. They can get ready to fry the thing the moment it decides to pop its head out of the ground. But if Tirnea says there isn’t anything down there, then I believe her, and all you’re accomplishing by disputing this is wasting our time, and perhaps most importantly, making her uncomfortable, so get a damn clue and drop this before I get too tired of it.” Veronica frowned as she looked down at him. His words seemed genuine but she could see why his persistence was so... annoying.

---

Serena nodded thoughtfully when Autumn said that she couldn’t tell her any specifics of her mission. It was something she herself was rather familiar with, both before and after she had started working with The Choir. She was also familiar with this woman’s caution; the way she tensed up and frowned at her. The way that her hands moved under her cloak. She could be wrong, of course, but she knew how it felt to experience that rising tension, being ready to fight at the slightest provocation should things turn for the worst. As before, she decided not to press her any further. If she was right and this woman did feel pressured, then it wasn’t worth the risk.

Serena nodded once more when Autumn mentioned her talents as a sell-sword and scout. She almost laughed; it was like she was cut out for this job.

“I am tracking fugitives from The Choir,” Serena said, her voice hushed enough to prevent attracting any unwanted attention. “Terrorists may be a better word to describe them. At least one of them is here in this city, and I am hoping to find him before he decides to make himself known. But this city is more closely-knit than it looks, and word travels fast enough that I believe I could obtain some sort of information about where he is or what he is doing here. There are at least four of them, counting the golem, and if you happen to glean any information about any strange new arrivals in this city, especially if they are mentioned to be dressed in black or a young hunter, then I will pay you for your trouble. I need to bring them back dead or alive, but I won’t expect you to fight any of them.” She put a hand to her chin in thought for a moment. Was that all? She looked back to Autumn, awaiting her response.



“SNAKE!” Calieo cried as she disappeared into the grass for a moment.

“HOLY SHIT WHERE?!” Rebecca asked, reflexively stepping back as she looked about near her feet. Eventually Calieo simply decided that they should move onward, in a way that gave Rebecca the impression that there was no snake. She probably got it confused with something else. She barely knew what grass was, how would she know anything about snakes? She went back to listening to Calieo talk; it was better than thinking about how many snakes probably actually were writhing around in here.

Rebecca offered a quick “hah” when Chambala mentioned the destruction of the bridge.

“I can’t say I blame them.” Rebecca said with a slight hint of confidence. “If I was up against The Choir’s army I’d set the whole damn river on fire if I could. I hope the royal family’s enjoying this little grace period they made for themsel-”

Rebecca clammed up and stopped dead in her tracks when Calieo told the group to be quiet. The way she scanned the grass around them… was there something else in here with them? Hopefully not another snake. She slowly reached for a tool to defend herself with; the launcher wasn’t designed for environments like this, before Denise produced some sort of device and threw it with a cry of “fire in the hole!”

The researcher was smart enough to hit the ground before the device did, remaining safe from the explosion. Was that a fucking grenade? She shook her head as she picked herself off the ground. She would not look at Denise in the same way again after that display.

<Denise>

The explosion rips apart the earth, a fanning pillar of dust and soil pluming into the air followed by a shock wave that pulses out into the surrounding grass. Though the explosion was far enough away that the majority of debris hadn't come close, a light showering of dirt and pebbles managed to reach you and the others after a short delay. As the cloud of dust began to disperse and fall back to the ground, the crater you'd created in the grass stuck out like a blemish of the land. You hadn't heard the cries of anything, nor seen any sprays of red or otherwise organic material caught in the explosion, and the empty crater you see testifies that you'd missed your mark. There's no sign of whatever had been skulking through the grass, perhaps suggesting it either ran off or was somehow injured by the blast.

Autumn listened to Serena's explanation of the task she was set upon. She herself was neither pro nor anti Choir. She'd had her run ins and dealings in the past bot with and... in avoidance of Choir members. At the mention of fugitives in black she tapped her lip in thought. "Seems everyone is looking for someone around here." she commented idly in a subtle hint as to what she was doing prior.

She frowned again but not at Serena specifically. "I'll keep an eye out, as I really do need the coin... Though could you give me a little more to go off of? Four travelers dressed darkly could be quite common. The Golem is really the only defining feature." she mused, "Is it similar to the suits of armor that patrol here?" she queried with a tilt of her head.

Then she blinked a few times. A Golem. Was the little wooden boy she'd been tracking this whole time a golem? "Wait. This... Golem didn't happen to be small and wooden, did he?" she asked carefully. She was treading dangerous waters now, skirting the line between two jobs that might end up opposing one another if it turned out to be the case.

She wracked her brains trying to think if she saw the little wooden boy with any darkly dressed figures during the week she'd been tracking him. She couldn't recall seeing him do much of anything except tail the guards around as if stalking them. Then her mind returned to her previous employer. He'd be showing up within a day or so if he was true to his word. She gave a long glance out toward the fields surrounding the town for a moment before nodding her head and looking back at Serena.

"If I do find something that matches your description... how will I find you? Do you have a way to contact you? Or a place you'll be staying that I'm likely to find you?" she asked, letting her posture relax fully and let go of her weapon as her arms draped down at her sides again, her weight shifting all onto one leg as she legitimately popped it out to one side to rest her hand on it, rather than faking it to grab hold of a dagger.

Chambala had noticed the tail... the tail as in the fact they were being followed by something out there in the grass. She couldn't see it, but subtle details in the way it moved to the size it should be or even down to how it acted. Everything suggested some kind of feline creature. There shouldn't be many out here in this part. It could have been a wild cat of some kind, she wouldn't deny the possibility, though she did wonder what it was doing in the grass out here. Wild cats preferred forests...

'I'm going to catch this one...' She thought as she was just about to go after it, but woe and behold crazy woman number 2 – the one with the golem threw something, but the huntress's instincts quickly kicked into high gear at the words and the feel. She threw herself onto the ground, on her four limbs, as low as she can without losing the ability to move and quickly push herself back up if she has to.

Then the explosion hit, everything shook, dirt was thrown up, debris rained moments later. Torn plant fibers, dirt and stones showered on them for a few moments, before Chambala hopped back up, her eyes displayed great fury as she eyed Denise.

“DAMNED MORON!” She snarled at the woman who rode the golem.” ARE YOU INSANE TO THROW ONE OF THOSE HERE IN THIS FIELD DAMMIT? DO YOU WANT EVERYTHING FROM HERE TO THE OCEAN TO SEE WHERE WE BLOODY ARE?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF THE THINGS THAT THIS COULD ATTRACT!?”

Chambala was pretty angered indeed, actually angered was too weak a word for what she was experiencing right now. Her fists were clenched so tight that the leather on the fur was making sound, her facial lines were sharp and her eyes narrowed menacingly, locked onto the target of her ire as a beast on it's pray. She was just a single step away from hurling her spear at Denise. Her desire to draw blood was as clear to see as well... the explosion in the middle of a day.

[Calieo]

At the sound of Denise shouting, Calieo flinched before whirling around to face the ash skin woman. "Fire in the what?" she called back in an equally loud voice, annoyance in her tone that quickly shifted to surprise as she watched the object Denise had thrown soar overhead. The knight twirled around again to allow her eyes to follow the object, the little sphere sailing a fair ways before disappearing into the sea of grass.

"That was not fire," Calieo remarked snidely, crossing her arms and looking out at the overabundance of green that was very clearly not burning. "Though now that you bring it up a little fire might not be a-"

Arms flailing as she stumbled backwards, Calieo held her tongue and gazed up at the plume of brown smoke that had shot into the air. Once she'd found her feet the knight unhooked her weapon from her waist and took up a defensive stance, silent and tight lipped as she shielded herself from the debris before lowering her shield to watch the clouds of dust begin to disperse. Denise called out towards the site of the explosion, suggesting she'd meant to target someone or something if she was concerned with it's death. Calieo wondered if it had been the same thing she'd heard just before? Or perhaps it was another snake?

The fur clad woman was yelling now, at Denise no doubt. Calieo hadn't bothered to turn around though and was still watching the land ahead for signs of anything that might be moving trough the grass. Chambala's ranting hadn't gone ignored though, and Calieo nodded ever so slightly as she argued her reasons for shouting. Once the fur clad woman had finished her rant, there was a moment of silence, something Calieo found ironic which elicited a chuckle that broke her from scanning the fields.

"Let the things come!" Calieo called out into the air, twirling around once again to face her companions. "I will kill those things and consume their flesh," she announced triumphantly, grinning cheekily towards Chambala in an attempt to disarm the fury she was experiencing. Anger was the easiest emotion for her to understand; seething and violent, simple but unpredictable. Calieo was very familiar with the emotion, and she knew to express it too readily was unproductive in most situations, as Chambala's shouting reminded her. Every second not spent walking was wasted time.

"What things will come will come here. If we continue walking it may not be a problem, so if you must keep shouting can we do so while moving?" the knight proposed, clearly impatient to move along as she'd already started to slowly walk backwards in the direction they had been traveling.

Denise had a mad smile on her face despite not getting the kill. She just loved the sound, the sight, the tingle of the shockwave. It was music for her soul. She sighed despite herself, like someone looking at a wonderful play. She knew that her bomb had not killed it, there was no suction towards her, No soul to claim. Denise started giggling as she produced a few more bombs from her pack before the bestial lady started shouting at her.

What? It was a valid tactic. Attack before attacked. Strike the first blow. There was nothing that a few explosions and some fire would not solve. "Not like your shouting is any better." She said and pouted. "An explosion could be a stray spell, shouting signals people." Denise crossed her arms and looked away and up from the woman, sulking.

"Udos ssrig'luin ulu ragar dos natha bedwarmer dalninil. Tluin nindol veir ulu foluss dos phuul isintolen wun zhah morfelith dos grumpy lu'qee'lak pholor l'trigger. Dos ssrig'luin ulu zirn." the golem spoke in its deep and rumbling voice.

"Shut it you!" Denise smacked the golem a bit with both of her fists, blushing and glanced towards Calieo. She then froze, how common was it now again that golems could speak? She wasn't sure, and then her mund started racing in how to explain it if it was uncommon. Perhaps golems themselves were so uncommon to her companions that they didn't question it.

"A-anyway, let's smoke that thing out.." She said and threw a few flames haphazardly towards where she thought the creature was while the golem started lumbering up the road.

Serena waved her hand as she tried to find the words to explain further, and she reflexively weaved a gentle breeze that swirled and snaked its way around her fingers. This one asked very good questions.

“This golem is not wooden,” Serena explained. “It is tall and lean, and made of metal, painted black. It is a combat golem, but it relies on agility, flight, and spellcasting rather than bulk and brute strength as most do. I would say that it is the most dangerous among them.

The young hunter I mentioned earlier is, of course, dressed like someone from Tour de Rouge, a more old-fashioned style. He has pale skin and long blonde hair that covers one eye, and will probably be carrying a parasol to shield himself from the sun if he is encountered outdoors, and can use both concealed weapons and blood manipulation magic.

There is also a young woman, likely entering her teenage years. If you are familiar with the spiritualists of Loyalitat, she wears their garb. Strange robes adorned with feathers, and a beaked hood. Similar to a crow or raven. She has light skin, black hair, and a ceremonial dagger. She seems the least dangerous, but she seems to warp from place to place in a strange fashion.

The last one, I unfortunately do not know much about him. He was wearing armor made of a strange black metal, with an even stranger sword, but I do not know of any features beyond that. He has yet to show his face.”

She stopped to think for a moment. That was all of them. But as for the issue of how to contact her… She looked back to the tavern for a moment before she reconsidered. Having this one around freed up her schedule for the day. Or at least saved her from an excuse to get sidetracked.

“I’ll be taking care of some business in the central tower,” Serena explained. “The guards will likely not let you inside, but ask for them to fetch me for you and we can meet out front.” She paused once more.

“Ah, of course,” The half-demon realized. “My name is Serena Hazetaka. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

---

Rebecca shook her head. This was chaos. Everyone was bickering over what to do and it wasn’t even clear if whatever Denise was trying to blow up actually died in the first place. The researcher tuned out their bickering as she swung her case off her back and plopped it on the ground, quietly humming a little tune as she went through the process of unlocking it. She popped it open, slung her weapon over her shoulder, and slung the case back behind her. She flipped the safety off as she scanned the edge of the crater. No sign of the damn thing, whatever it was.

“Normally I’d be all in favor of finding whatever that was in the name of good-natured scientific curiosity,” Rebecca said as Denise tossed a little more fire into the fray. “But I’d really much rather just get home safe.” She held her cannon a bit more loosely as she cautiously moved out of the way.

Considerably more relaxed now that they were talking shop, Autumn seemed to be focused on listening and not much else. She had her eyes half-lidded as she tried to remember all the details, frowning slightly as she tried to keep it all straight. She almost wished she had a quill and parchment. this was much more in depth than her previous employer's instruction. The thought reminded her to keep an eye out for him as well, as the missing seed was likely to draw his attention.

Repeating the descriptions in her mind, she frowned in thought. A dark, thin metal golem that uses magic, as if it being a golem wasn't bad enough... A rather nondescript hunter who's only real defining features were the long blonde hair and the parasol... A VERY conspicuous woman in a raven-down dress, complete with beak... and finally a stranger with bulky black armor. Black was not a commonly used stain, especially in these parts so it wouldn't be too difficult to spot. Truly the four of them sounded like the beginnings of a gypsy circus/freak show act. Any one of them might stand out on their own, but as a group? Surely there was something quite odd that they wouldn't already have been found. Then again, she did use the word Fugitives. She supposed laying low would be her modus operandi if she was being hunted. Thankfully she wasn't.

As the rather tall woman suddenly remembered to give her name, and a location where she could be reached, the little red-head blinked back up at Serena. Nodding her head as she was told to ask for her rather than attempt entry to the tower, she smiled beneath her mask. That suited her just fine. The further she got to say from all of the blatant, fragrant use of magic the better. The tower definitely seemed to be the epicenter of it all and she was pleased to be able to avoid it.

"Very well, Ms. Hazetaka. I'm Autumn." she responded, intentionally leaving her last name unspoken. "Though if you prefer, I also go by the moniker of 'Little One' where such aliases are required." she shrugs. She supposed it wouldn't mean much to the woman apart from her obvious stature, but it was a name she was rather fond of. "If there is nothing else, I'll be off. I'll return to the tower as soon as I find any of these curious figures and they seem like they're likely to remain stationary." she nods, turning to head back into the city with her pack slung back onto her shoulders over her cloak. She set about starting to scan the crowds with her eyes the moment she was out of earshot from Serena, hoping that the fugitives hadn't made themselves scarce.

Chambala's eyes were filled with anger right now, but she had grown quiet. The leather on her fur gloves was making sounds as it was stressed while she was gripping her spear to the point underneath her knuckles had turned white. Her eyes were narrowed and she was showing her teeth as she was clentching them, her muscles were flexing as she was about to pull her hand backwards into a throwing at the woman riding on teh golem, then she stopped everything and stood in place, letting hte others gain some distance away from her as she took a deep breath, allowing her anger to scatter away. Her grip grew weaker as she let the anger leave her mind. Ever since her trusty wolf companion had passed away she felt unable to control herself and her beastial instincts were getting the better of her. That said her instincts were telling her to kill that Denise woman right now... the sooner the better.

Her eyes locked on Denise whom she now viewed from distance as she started walking again being about 15 steps away from the others. Yeah this woman was a danger, next time she proved that, Chambala was going to kill her. That decided she realized the golem would be quite the hindrance to that goal. Maybe it was better to deal with it first. She had the things to do so, but they weren't wit hher right now. She'd have to prepare one later, tonight when they camp, she'd find a good piece of wood to do so. Anything was going to work really and if she hit Denise with it even better.

Never the less she switched the spear from one hand to the other as she reached into her bag and pulled a piece of dried meat, throwing it far into the distance behind them. She was never planning on killing the animal which trailed them, she frankly wanted to tame it well rather than tame it, befriend it was the better description. She felt lonely in her little cave haven, especially so since the winter was coming, she wanted the warm company. She then returned her focus on Denise, Calieo was of no importance whatsoever to Chambala. The woman had her quest and as far as the huntress was interested it didn't concern her one bit. The danger she felt from Denise was a whole other matter though. For now she will wait. She slowed her breathing, making her bloodthirst vanish away. The hunt was on and only a single confirmation was needed.

[Calieo]

The knight watched the exchange between Denise and Chambala very closely. Her eyes lingering on the fur clad woman's stare, her only noteworthy feature since most of her was hidden by grass. Chambala's eyes burned, silent and potent fury boiled down into black centers of her gaze. Calieo still wasn't sure what to make of Chambala, but this new capacity for anger was something the knight could respect. Anger was strength unleashed; wreckless in excess, but when focused it was a power unrivaled by any other.

A sting hit the back of her mind, like a cold finger of ice tapping at her memories. She recalled a conversation she'd had once, long ago, when her thoughts had been in a similar place.

"Anger can be power, but it does nothing but harm. Perhaps you are right, and maybe anger is unrivaled in strength. But they know not only anger. They know joy, they know fear, they know sorrow, and they know love. Should they seek to destroy themselves anger will bring them there, as it has done to the first ones. They are closer to her now, and further from me, though I will still be with them. Maybe this time they'll last.

Calieo inhaled sharply, a dull ache left on her mind from remembering such faded thoughts. She pinched her eyes shut and realized she had stopped walking backwards, Denise and Rebecca now a short distance ahead of where Chambala and Calieo stood. The knight took in one last look of the fur clad woman, the way her eyes still sizzled, before turning away and making purposeful strides towards Denise and her horse.

The ashen skinned woman hadn't let Chambala deter her actions, and Calieo watched excitedly as Denise conjured and hurled another ball of fire into the grass. She was aiming at something, or it at least seemed like it, but still it was not obvious if there was an actual threat. Each fireball blazed through the veil of green before bursting upon contact with the earth, splashing flames over everything immediately nearby. This fire would catch on more grass and burn away at everything it could, but already the first fireball thrown had died out, and the space it had cleared was maybe only a few times bigger than the initial explosion.

"You need to be more efficient!" Calieo called out to Denise, changing her pace and rushing ahead so she could dash past her horse. Her weapon still in hand, as soon as she'd gotten ahead of everyone Calieo raised it above her head and began swinging the ball on it's chain as she ran. The light of the sun caught the cage, and as it twirled about it shimmered brilliantly until such light was swallowed by the growing wisps of flame than now swelled past the golden, spiked rings. Soon, the entire ball of the weapon was engulfed in seething fire, a comet tail of stretched out flames trailing behind the chained fireball. Calieo had run about twenty meters ahead by then, the grass now up to her chin leaving only her head, and raised arm visible. With a scream she stopped running and threw herself into the momentum of her weapon twirling around with it before planting her feet and snapping the weapon over her head.

At the apex of her swing, the boiling mass of plasma was set free from the ornamental cage, leaving only the original ball of light within the weapon. The projectile swelled as it zoomed through the air, heading towards the site of Denise's most recent detonation. Rather than strike the ground however, it flew past Calieo's intended target and instead continued onward, the arch of it's flight path causing it to sail much farther than she had meant it to. A few seconds later, the now distant projectile made contact with the base of the valley's grassy cliffs. A burst of light, followed by plumes of flame that crashed upon the cliff face like a massive wave. A section of earth buckled and crumbled away, failing to smother even the smallest portion of the now raging inferno on the edge of the green sea.

"Oops," Calieo murmured under her breath, glancing back towards Denise for a moment in an attempt to gauge her reaction. She didn't pay her much mind for long though, and her attention was soon transfixed on the distant glow of what she'd done. She decided to wait for the others to catch up before rejoining them, since there was no need to run back, and it would allow Calieo to enjoy the sight of the burning cliff a little longer. The inferno didn't seem to be growing anymore, and like Denise's fires it too would likely die before it could destroy to much, but for now Calieo only wanted to drink in the image she'd created.

---

<Denise>

Despite your efforts to locate whatever it was you'd seen, everywhere your eyes scan you see only more grass and nothing hiding within it. Thinking back you may begin to question if what you thought you'd seen had actually been there at all. You hadn't actually caught sight of whatever it was, and were only pretty sure you'd seen the grass moving as if something were pushing through it. For now though, if there was something there, it seems to be gone for the time being.

<Chambala>

When Denise had detonated her first explosive, after the initial blast you'd heard the panicked scrambling of claws hitting soil. Whatever smaller creature had been trailing you had fled, and if it had returned you hadn't heard anything that would give it away. Even as you started moving again you still heard nothing behind you, though with any luck the meat you'd tossed would entice it to follow after you.

<Rebecca>

At this point, all you can see is grass. Only on tip toe now do your eyes raise past the stalks, and even that luxury was slowly disappearing as the grass continued to grow higher still. Before you're completely swallowed however, you may notice that the wake left by Denise's golem has started to become more prominent. Before the grass would spring right back to attention, but now that the stalks have grown longer and heavier, they droop under their own weight after having been flattened by the large, stone construct. It doesn't take them long to right themselves and reach attention once again, but for at least a few meters behind the golem at it's current pace, the grass has been pushed down and is easier to walk through.

@bobert778@lavulman

Sage looked at the two with growing frustration. The woman with the staff was lying, no doubt about it, and the armoured woman was eating it up like it was nothing! He had no idea why the mage would lie about her familiar either. A familiar was a partner you could depend on, it was something any self-respecting magic user would be proud to have! This was even more so for a creature as fine as the one she seemed to be bonded with.

Whatever the reason, they had succeeded in irritating him just as he had them, and that meant they were going to see the personality he usually wore.

"Perhaps you have forgotten that it was the spirits themselves who told me the creature was down there, and I can assure you they are quite friendly towards me." He said to Tirnea, a small, close-eyed smile he'd learnt people tended to find infuriatingly polite growing across his face. "If what you say is true, and you have a bond with the spirits as well, then that only confirms my belief that you are just the kind of mage I am looking for. However, first I will take care of the creature."

He then looked to Veronica, still wearing the smile.

"I'm afraid that won't be necessary." He said. "While the order may be practised in the art of hunting magical beasts, it is my job as a Sage to take care of these types of situations when I come across them, and it would be safer to take care of the creature before it can emerge, when it might cause trouble for the townspeople. Now please stand back, I am about to start casting."

And then he closed his eyes, moving his own staff around and occasionally tapping it rhythmically against the ground, before beginning to sing.

"Kuwata tsunowo vralai, tsuriji pfurala lekai..."

As he sang, the earth began to tremor ever so slightly. If one were not looking for it, they wouldn't even notice. Any who could sense what was happening underground, however, would feel the roots of various plants growing exponentially, all snaking their way towards Sierpe. They continued to circle around the creature, circling it like sharks around a sinking ship, until Sage reached the chorus.

And then they attacked.

"Otrejain aforeje kurasolda, towari hatasei, mic'hatasei, tsufrallai, ilja, Ulilya koji jichatjukajai, niame fretsumekri, fretsumekri, linganmai…"

The roots shot towards Sierpe, doing their best to follow Sages instructions and wrap around the creature, trapping and constricting it. All the while, Sage continued to sing, an ancient magic sung in an ancient language.

The magic of the Sages.