Damn it, why did he ever stop talking? Everyone else had made their own statements, well-meaning he was quite certain, but half of them had already offered to fix the village's walls even before the guard captain demanded it of them - not to mention the idea that they abandon all of their weapons before they were allowed to enter. Ironically, the Dark Elf's words were his saving grace in that regard, though it seemed his fellow Vrettonian had other ideas about that. Time to vamp, Settionne, time to vamp.

'Sir Nicademus- before aught else, I must say your name rolls off the tongue nicely,' Sett began, voice continuing to play nicely with the words it was generating, a genial smile on his face, and his hands gesticulating appropriately to offer further calming. 'But with that in mind, you are perhaps right to be suspicious of us, as you would any other adventuring group. We are armed! We have a Dark Elf and a Lizardman with us! Surely not common sights, knowing the general opinion of both, and indeed it would be impolite, perhaps even impertinent, to suggest that we be allowed to roam your village so freely as we have roamed the Southlands thus far, under the circumstances.

'Yet, consider our position - and indeed, it may be I am wrong, so let us consider the facts accordingly. To date, for both your home and our own meager party, it has been our arms that have kept us alive, to the extent that even a priest of the Gods such as I bear equipment to defend from harm when the eventuality arises. Your quarrels have surely been of greater scale, of course, for your town is itself larger than the few who seek your hospitality today, but it is worth noting that not only has a rash of Dark Elven sorcery beset us, but so too have we faced Ogres, and so too were we forced underground and led into conflict with the aforementioned Dark Elves by a small horde of Rogs, brutish and dangerous as such foes are.

'Certainly, it is true that your town has reason, and rightly so, to be suspicious of whomever might show themselves to you, requesting assistance without so much as a how-do-you-do,' he continued, hopefully as smooth as butter. Gods, how he missed that stuff. 'But, one could argue, that suspicion might well be reflected back to you too. We, of course, are few, and you are many; I for one am hardly a skilled warrior, as my fellows can surely attest; it strikes me that with the rigorous and comprehensive training you surely put your men under, it would be no problem for even one such guardsman to strike me down, armed or not, and naturally with numbers on your side, I hardly believe even the most skilful of our number could successfully destroy this village alone.

'Perhaps, then, we might call in allies of our own?' he asked, hypothetically of course. 'To act as demon's advocate, it could be that somebody here has some way of signalling hidden foes to swarm your town, perhaps a roving band of Lizardmen, or a raiding party of Dark Elves, or perhaps even both. Yet, if we had such a great advantage, why not utilise it now? And furthermore, if such is true, why stick so firmly to the notion that this particular Dark Elf, this woman who claims she is nothing, is an exception? To trick you? I say again, you are already suspicious, and you have the advantage of numbers and training over many of us, so what could we do to overwhelm you in such a circumstance, and what do we gain from a lie other than a loss of shelter?'

Sett took a moment to inhale, then exhale. He was on a roll, he felt. Perhaps. Nonetheless, he continued to talk: 'As regards your terms, then, Sir Nicademus, I find that, personally, the only one I object to is the first. It is right and fair that guests assist in housekeeping, and I myself am certainly willing to help with any wallbuilding you require; it is entirely reasonable that you be told what we journey into the Southlands for; and indeed, as has been established, you are entirely correct to be suspicious of those you do not know, especially in vicious lands such as these. But equally, and it is likely a falsehood to even suggest the notion, for which I thank you for your patient consideration in advance, but if your town happens to make a living out of the misfortune of adventurers trusting you to keep their equipment safe, then we would all be caught off-guard if, and consequently when, the time came, and furthermore we would find ourselves rendered largely incapable of defending ourselves.

'"Surely," you may then ask yourself, "it is only reasonable that these adventurers have the same protections from harm as we seek out of them?" We are ultimately in the same position, that of not trusting our fellow man... yet - but, if you would be willing to offer the courtesy of not confiscating our equipment, we could then show that we are indeed trustworthy, and thus foster goodwill between our two groups. And would such not be beneficial for all, at the end of the day?' Sett punctuated his logic by simply widening his smile, looking to all the world like the sort of wiseman he was pretending toward. That in mind, he'd unfortunately have to avoid snatching anything from these people, with or without a guard watching his every move. And, worst case scenario, he supposed he'd be able to manipulate his bag to ensure the stave within remained unseen by the naked eye. That thing was going to be valuable, he just knew it.

@POOHEAD189@Gardevoiran@The Fated Fallen@Fetzen@Stormflyx@Mortarion

Even though An-Hasst only admitted it to himself in silence, there was no point in denying that the small man that Settionne was had a big point. The first clearly was the ugliest of all conditions, closely followed by the fourth. Since he himself had already stepped forward he didn't need to spend any further time on walking, but immediately could start with his own statement that would continue the small barrage Nicademus was already 'entertained' with even further.

With one swift move, he hauled the rog captain's bardike around and its front end rest on the ground in a similar manner as the knight did with his sword. "See this ? That's a particularly large and nasty rog's weapon. It has served me well, but frankly I think it looks a bit ugly and has already seen its best days. So... if the remote possibility should come true that once the day arises and we want to leave your neat village it actually turns out that this thing has been lost mysteriously, or, even worse, that it has accidentally been deemed garbage and scrapped or disassembled... I wouldn't be overly concerned about it as long as you could provide me with some replacement weapon."

"However..." Now it was the huge crossbow's turn. The Skayleigh reached behind his back, unhinged the enormous weapon and presented it to the knight, waiting for him to pick it up and hold it himself. "If it should turn out that this thing has gone missing or that some children have fiddled around with the string or your blacksmith has taken it for a little inspection or that the way it has been stored has degraded it from the very pristine condition it is in right now..." He stared down at Nicademus, inspecting his body language briefly before continuing. "You are going to face consequences."

Of course a crossbow was pretty worthless as long as one didn't have a quiver. "One, two, three, four, five, six, ..." With his index finger gently jumping from the end of one bolt to the next, An-Hasst took an inventory of his ammunition. "I will count those again once we leave. Here, take those as well..." He put the elongated leather bag that his quiver was down and in front of Nicademus' armored feet. "And now I'd like to be assigned one of your guardsmen that will accompany me. Also I'd prefer it if we'd be informed about our work schedule sooner than at the very last possible moment. And where we shall sleep and eat, of course." He didn't mention it explicitly since it would only lend the knight a helping hand when it came to coming up with even more annoying constraints for their party, but in order to prevent later disappointment An-Hasst was already assuming that their movements would be restricted, including some parts of the village being entirely off limits.

More or less impatiently, the Skayleigh waited for things to happen.

@POOHEAD189@Gardevoiran@The Fated Fallen@BCTheEntity@Stormflyx@Mortarion

“You might have as much time as you want to consort amongst yourselves. I’m not so foolish as to believe that you would accept my terms without some deliberation.” The knight said, his tone still weary. “I’m so tired of this constant vigilance, always suspecting the worst until proven wrong.” He thought for a brief second, his shoulders sagging as tiredness seemed poised to overcome him. He was about to speak again, to allow the eclectic party of individuals passage into the village without needing to fulfill his terms when Aeryn spoke.

The words of the Dark Elf thief seemed to ignite something within Nicademus, as the knight -who but a few moments ago looked tired beyond measure- seemed to stand straighter, his eyes glinting with a dangerous light as he began making his way towards Aeryn, completely silent. However, Settione’s words gave pause to the knight; unfortunately for the priest, his words had the opposite effect of whatever he desired as he shot the priest a withering look. “Speak plainly priest.” The knight spoke, vitriol in his voice “I despise those who coat their intentions with honeyed words, they always seem to hide ill-intent behind their sweet words.” Nicademus said, his dislike for the priest growing when he took notice of the man’s smile.

“As for your worries over your equipment, that the people of this village would steal it to make their fortunes off of said equipment, it should come off to you as a relief that they do not do this. I would know this, for I too came to this town as a roaming traveller but a month ago.” He spoke, smiling towards the piest albeit the heavily-scarred nature of his face meant that the gesture came across as more threatening than calming. “Furthermore, I’m the one who trained the militia that you see present before you….and if you imply them to be capable of acts as deplorable as the ones you suggest, well then, I couldn’t stand for that, could I? My honor as a member of the Order of the Dusk wouldn’t allow me to do so.”

“So, if I were you, I’d choose what you say next very carefully priest.” Said Nicademus after a few seconds of silence to let the priest absorb his words. He turned to face Aeryn but before he could address the Dorcha, An-Hasst began speaking. He listened patiently as the Skayleigh man spoke, bristling inwardly at his not-so-subtle threats and posturing.

“Don’t worry.” Answered Nicademus, looking at the giant of a man directly in the eyes “None of your belonging will be displaced or damaged, so there was no need to resort to threats of any sort.” Replied the knight with icy-hostility, “As for your other questions, as I said before when I stated the terms, you are free to decide where you’ll help, the village is fully open to you as long as the guards who I will assign accompany you.”

“As for where you’ll sleep and eat, there are several rooms in the village inn, you’ll stay there same as I.” He answered before turning to Aeryn “Now, lets see to what you said little dorcha.” Said the knight, making special emphasis on the word Dorcha knowing full well that it had bothered Aeryn to do that. “You said that you had a plan to free human slaves, but that it only failed because one of those same slaves betrayed you?” Nicademus asked, looking directly at Aeryn in the eyes “Tell me, why were they there? Because of your kind, you took them from their homes, but why do I bother telling you about this.” He said, letting out a bitter chuckle.
“After all, it’s not like you’ve ever been the victim of one of the raid led by your kinsmen. What do you know about waking up in the middle of the night to the smell of smoke and cruel laughter, what do you know about seeing those too old or too infirm being slain before your eyes because they wouldn’t be good slaves.” Nicademus said, voice full of bitterness and venomous hatred, quietly at first but gaining in intensity as he continued talking. “What would you know of the kiss of the leash on your back, or of seeing your whole world go up in ashes.” He snarled at Aeryn, hands curled into fists “Don’t try to gain sympathy with me claiming that you wanted to free human slaves or that the other Dorcha aren’t your kind. You can’t possibly know what it’s like to be enslaved by them, and don’t you try and claim any moral superiority either or is it that you've never hurt a human?”

“As for my interest in you, don’t flatter yourself, my sole interest in you is like that of the sheep-herder dog that waits for the wolf. In other words, I'm merely observing you until you show your true nature.” Nicademus spoke, having gone quiet again, his voice still full of hatred, “But if you worry about your friends, don’t worry, I won’t harm them, not even the Saurdraxus. I promised that if you fulfilled my terms, you’d be welcome in the village and treated as guests and unlike your kind, I take my honor very seriously.”

“Even the Saurdraxus?” Argon echoed, clearly confused. He blinked slowly as he pondered. Calanon patted the bestial warrior’s side, telling him not to worry on it.

“Yes, even the Saurdraxus. If you enter the village as guests, I swear upon my honor, no harm will come to you.” Said the knight before falling silent once more.

Geradin seemed tired of all of this talk, and decided to remain quiet lest he yell and strike someone with his fist or hammer. Beren had heard enough as well, and he stepped forward. He seemed to think for a moment, clearly not wanting to start a fight but refusing to keep his fellowship from staying in the woods.

“We’ll hand over our weapons,” He said, speaking for the group. He certainly hoped no one publicly disagreed with him, or the group’s cooperation would seem a flimsy thing, so he continued before anyone could speak up. “You can guard where we sleep, and the town in general as you do. But we’ll all stay together most likely. No single guard for each of us, unless you simply want to keep the strength of the guard to match our group. But we simply wish to rest, eat, maybe trade, and be on our way.”

“There won’t be need to guard the place where you sleep, after all if you are willing to acquiesce to the conditions that I’m setting I trust that you won’t try and do something as treacherous as an attack in the middle of the night.” Said Nicademus with a shrug “And freel free to stay together as a group if its your wish, a number of guards equal in size to your group will accompany you. But do remember that you also have to help shore up the defences of this place, and that implies more than merely helping to build a wall or dig up a ditch.”

“If that’ll be all, I do suggest that we head inside. We don’t have much to offer, but you’ll be given what food and beverages are available on the inn and don’t worry about paying, consider the work you’ll do your form of pay.” Said the knight, waiting to see if anyone wanted to voice another opinion “And do remember, you are to tell me the reason for your presence here.”

Beren was not one to bend when he put his foot down. If there was an overarching flaw to the Monk’s character, it was stubbornness. However, he remembered one of the key tenants of his faith and Eru’Dai philosophy, and that was to swallow your pride for the good of others. He breathed in deeply through his nose, an almost imperceptible act, as his eyes never closed. He forced himself to let it go, and the tanned young warrior nodded in agreement.

The group was escorted into the town, which was more like a glorified village with a motte and bailey center. However the settlers here had made good use of their time and had cleared a fair amount of forest, and had built buildings one to two stories tall. One of the latter buildings was the Inn. It had the look of a large home. It was still newly made, yet it had a slightly aged appearance from the weather and lack of exceptionally skilled carpenters. But the foundations looked solit, and the porch was inviting.

Inside, there was a small common room that could accommodate up to 25 people if put to its breaking point. Round tables and a doorway to a Kitchen was all that defined a room, the folk not having bothered to spruce it up or even make a bar. Rooms were available, though there were only 4. They would need to share rooms, and discuss matters of guard and payment.

@Gardevoiran@The Fated Fallen@Stormflyx@Mortarion@Fetzen@BCTheEntity

Alice tried to bring as many of her comrades close as possible to discuss matters before entering the village.

"I think it important we decide how long we are going to stay here, and how likely it is we're being pursued by Dark Elves, and what we are going to do about it if we are."

Guessing the motivations of slavers and raiders wasn't exactly a favourite pass-time of Alice's but there were two possibilities she could imagine: The first being that the Dark Elves wouldn't waste time attacking a village while they were on the hunt or the second being that the Dark Elves were petty enough and powerful enough to reap and plunder this village just because the party had been there. Alice remembered the sly half smile of the witch who escaped back in that underground chamber, it didn't make her feel at ease.

"We need to decide if any pursuers are going to either bypass the village in pursuit of us and leave these people alone, in which case we should make our stay as short as possible to spare this place. Or if The Dark Elves would attack this place regardless, in which I believe we have a duty to stay and repel such forces"

She didn't know how efficient the Dark Elves were at tracking, nor how quickly they could assemble a party to follow, but she fancied it would take them at least a couple of days. In that time she'd have to pray to Seradwyn, god of magic, and do what rituals she could to restore her fractured arcane power. Provided they don't take my book she thought bitterly



Alice chagrined against the idea of lodgings and food being paid for, and made a mental note to pay regardless. Not only did she fear her contributions would be improportionate when compared to what she was receiving and what other more productive members of the party were receiving, but she disagreed with such things. She saw no problem with paying for services rendered and putting in the work where she could, just because she could. She didn't believe her god, Ragnarok, much cared for not paying either. She felt his fatalistic logic would dictate that all prices be paid in full, but she would have to defer to her friend and fellow worshipper Geradin's judgement on that one

When it came to the dreaded moment of handing over weapons, Alice handed over her staff first. She asked if she could keep her knife, but was willing to surrender it if need be. Her wand stayed with her, however, and it would take someone with magical talent to identify that it was a wand and not just a mundane fan. Finally she mentally justified to herself that, for all intents and purposes, she did not count her spell tome as a weapon and so she kept that well sealed in her bag. She would need it over her stay regardless.

She hoped that if she was identified as a magic user that any judges would think that she didn't need a wand as to explain it's absence. Many more powerful wizards eschewed the use of them as nigh unnecessary and risky. While she was nowhere near that powerful, she had no problem with backwater peasants perceiving her as such, especially if it served her ends.



She was surprised when the party was led to a relatively small inn. She had imagined that without the problems of expensive land or the tight confines of a city people could build such buildings as large as they wanted. But she also realised that such resources, although abundant, would be wasted since a frontier village like this probably didn't see too many travellers.

Unfortunately this meant there was only 4 rooms. She was hoping for a little and much needed privacy to unwind, not to mention focus. Still, wishful thinking was unbecoming of her, so she instead focused on who she would want to stay with. Geradin was high on the priority list, and she supposed she trusted Ursaren enough she wouldn't mind sharing a room with him.

On the other hand, Aeryn and Settionne were both big no-nos. It wasn't that she didn't trust them, per se, it's just that she knew better then to.

@Gardevoiran@POOHEAD189@Stormflyx@Mortarion@Fetzen@BCTheEntity

His words were so hateful and venomous that she swore his poison would surely infect the others. His hate was so strong. So strong his words were that her lower lip began to quiver, and her eyes fell to the ground. She shook against his voice, and wrapped her arms tightly around herself in a futile way to protect herself. But the damage was done. She had understood him loud and clear.

She wanted to...

She wanted to scream back at him. To take off her own tunic to show him her own scars. She wanted to tell him how the Dorcha murdered her own parents in front of her. She wanted to tell him how she had lived as a slave until she was cast aside like dirt once more. This man was beyond understanding anything that did not fit his narrative, if only he knew the truth. Something had hurt him too, and for the first time in a very long time, Aeryn felt a pang of empathy for him, followed by disgust that soon bubbled back up as hatred for him. Little did he know that if she really wanted to, she could kill him in his sleep. It wouldn't be the first time she'd done such a thing. That would just be proving him right though, wouldn't it? Still, it would be satisfying.

But still she just stood there, momentarily ripped down to a childlike fear. She turned to face her friends. They seemed so far away now, and she felt so naked and stripped bare. How dare he speak of being whipped with a leash when he had just torn her to shreds. One thing was always the same. Aeryn knew her place in this world, it was down below in the shadows. In the confined walls of caves. Out of sight of anyone else.

She handed over her blade, not particularly attached to this one. It wasn't hers. She didn't need a sword in the dark anyway.

The things that her companions said didn't make her feel any better. She didn't really listen, she was too busy trapped inside her own head, telling herself vicious things and plotting several violent scenarios in a desperate attempt to pull herself around from the verbal spraying she had received.



As they headed into the village, she kept her distance as much as she could from the group. She was sure that they were ready to sling her from their party. Dirty little Dorcha were the words that she imagined them tossing her way. She clenched her fists tight. Fingernails digging into the wounds and re-opening them until the blood seeped out of her balled hands. She eyed over the inn she was being led to, old habits dying hard as she quickly scanned for where each window led out, putting together before she entered which room would be the easiest to leave and arouse the least suspicion. It was the central room. It had a bay window above the door. She'd be able to climb out of the window, land on the thatched roof of the entrance, and be off once night fell.

She knew she would be the last on her companion's list to be 'chosen' for a room. She had played that game before. It wasn't fun. What she could take control of however, was choosing the room. She didn't want to have to listen to each member blurt out their petty excuse for not wanting to share a room with the dirty little Dorcha, so she headed upstairs and made her way to the central room with the window before any of them could even utter a word about it. Whomever drew the short straw to have to share with her, well, pity for them.

Ursaren calmly nodded as Alice talked, mentioning the ideas of the Dark Elves possibly raiding this village. It was a pretty terrible thought, but there were always preventative measures that could be put in place for when they left. "I do not think that the Dark Elves will take calmly to a full fighting force defending a city with new walls. What we could try and do is to rebuild the fortifications of this establishment once again, for insurance, while we stay and defend if the need arises." Ursaren pulled his bag back onto his shoulders as he took a quick pause, stroking his beard gently after. "Though, I don't believe that we need to stay for more than a week at the most. We just need time to recover and breathe."

Ursaren looked at Aeryn for a moment before he spoke again, more directly addressed to her. "Miss, I believe it would be a wise idea if you were to be escorted by someone such as myself around this village. Judging from how these guardsmen took to your presence, I'd feel much more relieved knowing you were being protected." Ursaren patted his chest before giving a hearty laugh. "Not that I don't believe you couldn't handle yourself, hah-hah!"

---

For his weapons, Ursaren hugged his trident tightly in his arms before he gave it up to a guardsman. It was reluctant seeing such a beauty being taken from him, but he knew that if he needed her again, he could always find her. It wasn't everyday you wielded a trident with such majesty and elegance as that one, and it wouldn't be the last one for a long time to come. Not if he had anything to say about it.

Ursaren's shield, on the other hand, was kept on him. The edges were beveled, not sharpened, and the elderly man never bashed with it. It wasn't meant for that. It was meant to disperse damage across a plane so it could absorb it. The guards were very reluctant to let the old man keep the shield, but decided it was fine after the old man said he felt safer with it. If they needed to fight him, they could swarm him and take him down no problem. It wasn't like he could take fifteen men at once! Heh!

Hopefully his bear form wouldn't act up while the group was in town.

---

Ah, the inn the group would be staying at. It'd been a fair while since Ursaren had been in one, and it was heavily appreciated. The man immediately went over to a table and sat down, simply taking a long-needed rest for his old bones. They ached from time to time, but normally a switch into his bear form could quell the pain long enough for him to relax. He glanced around at the faces of his allies (excluding Aeryn, who left shortly before) and then he decided it was time to speak to his allies. "How are we going to divide the rooms we have?" Everyone in the group saw what Ursaren was, and he wasn't expecting anyone to want to room with him as a result of this.

Heavens. Zero to annoyed in a moment. This man certainly had a talent for being infuriating, brushing Sett's plea off like he would a fly on his arm - and then threatening him simply for elucidating that his men might be untrustworthy. Feigning surprise in his actions and expression, Sett placed a hand on his own chest, responding in a tone of near-disbelief 'Good sir, I am a man of the gods. Easily the least dangerous member of this party, and I imagine most others would agree.' A brief glance to his allies to see whether they made any gestures either way, then he continued heedless. 'Am I truly that disconcerting for you that you'd target me first?' Left unsaid, the notion that if Sett alone was considered a threat, then why allow any of them in at all?

But what really got him going was Nicademus' speech about how he'd been tortured by the Dark Elves. How his village had been destroyed, how he'd been enslaved to their ends and wounded by their cruel whips... and funnily enough, he'd forgotten to mention the part where he somehow escaped them, when far too many of his fellow slaves hadn't. That, ultimately, was the point that burrowed deep into Sett's mind - not that the rest of the party knew first-hand about Aeryn's own interactions with her kind partial or not, not that he had no idea that stopping the Dark Elves was exactly what they were trying to do in the first place, but that he was crying a river over a fate he'd ultimately escaped.

For the next few minutes, Sett didn't say anything at all. He forced himself to remain relaxed and composed, removing from his side when asked his ritual daggers, combat dagger, and even his valdium blade, all weapons remaining in their sheaths, just in case somebody saw their edges and decided they'd be worth snatching. It was what he'd do, at any rate, and he would certainly check to see if that had been stolen and replaced with a lesser quality blade later, nonetheless. The stave he'd filched earlier remained in his bag, hopefully unnoticed; who would check a bag for weapons when several obvious weapons were already visible, after all?

Even in the inn, he didn't say much of anything or even interact much with the rest of the group, merely uttering 'I shall lodge with whoever shall have me' in a vaguely sage-like fashion. Honestly, he rather wanted to be alone right now. He felt that the deep well of anger in him would be betrayed, or even spill out of him entirely, should anybody happen to look into his eyes.

@POOHEAD189@Gardevoiran@The Fated Fallen@Fetzen@Stormflyx@Mortarion

A Collab with @POOHEAD189 & @Stormflyx

“Fear not, friend. I’ll be back to check on you in the morning.”

Calanon stroked the neck of Brogach one last time, fearing the mane of the Elk’s fur run through his fingers. Brogach let out a soft grunt, indicating he was fine for the evening, and Calanon closed the door behind him as he exited and made his way toward the Inn. Outside of the doorway, Argon the Saurdraxus warrior had curled his muscled, serpentine body into a circle and slumbered. Calanon smiled, and he stepped inside, keeping to the outskirts of the common room before making his way up to one of the central rooms, now entirely sure who would wish to share boarding with him for the night. He was a bit surprised to see Aeryn already having made herself at home inside.

Calanon knew she must feel very unwelcome, and though the ranger still had some small reservations about her, she had traveled with them safely and faithfully so far, and Beren seemed to trust her. “Hello,” he said, his voice warm and cordial as he stepped in.

Aeryn had been sat against the window, staring out onto the village when she had heard footsteps wander inside. She had removed her hooded cloak and placed it on the bed closest to the window - a mark of ownership. She found it strange to be here. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept in a real bed. Not that there was much she didn’t like about sleeping in the tunnels, beds were a weird luxury that she had seldom paid much mind to until now. She had half wanted to take the windowsill for a bed.

As she gazed outside, her lengths of silver hair were wound up in her fingers as she combed through them, taking out each braid slowly to reveal curls. She was trying to make herself look more human - even if she wasn’t consciously aware of it.

She turned to see the Ranger, Calanon, enter the space. Had it been anyone else - with the exception of Beren, she might have turned back to the window straight away. But with Calanon, she let her eyes take in his whole being. He had once again brought to her his calming aura which started to take effect on her nerves. His voice was warm enough, that she responded back to him quietly; “Hello to you as well…”

Calanon seemed a bit unsure of himself for a moment, though it didn’t show explicitly. He simply had expected her to send him away, or to be a bit curt. But it was at this point he realized she had never quite spoken to him at length since Beren and he had freed her from the her Dark Elven captors. He realized he quite enjoyed her voice at this moment. “I hope I’m not intruding at all.” He said, giving a small bow, a very terse yet polite one meant for friends rather than greeting royalty.

She tilted her head to the side slightly and raised an eyebrow at his bow. Nobody had ever really bowed at her, but it felt like a friendly gesture. It may have been one of his cultural customs.

He wore his traveler’s garb, and all of his gear was on his body, looking positively heavy for the comfort of an Inn. “I saw the room and felt I could spend the night here, but if you’d have me go I don’t mind.” His brows raised, the only movement keeping his smile from reaching his eyes. He earnestly seemed to be genuine.

His speech held an air of sincerity which caused a smile to slip across Aeryn’s lips too, and she returned his bow by lowering her head just enough. “You don’t have to leave. There are two beds in this room, besides I-” she stopped herself from talking, there was something about Calanon that Aeryn instantly trusted. But she knew better than to let him know she was planning to slip away in the night while the slept. To go back home.

Her fingers danced across the latch of the window and she turned her gaze once more to the village outside, bathed in the golden sunlight - a stranger to her.

“Nevermind… Sorry, please stay here.” She slid off the windowsill and picked up her cloak from the bed and began again “you, you, you… you can sleep on this bed if you want. I think at night you will see moonlight - and you will be able to see all of the stars” she smiled again and wiped off what little dust her cloak had left behind on the blankets.

She had come across all flustered, and upon noticing it, a slight tone of pink began to rise on her pale cheeks. Stupid elf, the moment she was in one of these ‘houses’ had her acting human and trusting, and warm. “But it’s your choice really…” she said in a quieter, colder voice - as if to compensate.

Calanon’s smile grew wider, still heartfelt, but there was a hint of something that seemed a mixture of amusement and pride at her. For his part, he couldn’t exactly read her inner thoughts, but Calanon knew nervousness when he saw it. For what reason, he didn’t know. But it was a nice change of pace to her previous aloof and standoffish attitude. He had to admit her trying to rein herself in was cute.

“I would love that.” He admitted. However, he sat on the opposite bed and began to place his equipment and arms down. “But I wouldn’t wish to steal the stars from you. I often see them at night as well. I imagine you don’t get the chance as much as I.” As he spoke, he reached down and lifted off the chainmail hauberk of valdium he kept on his upper body.

She listened, and watched as he took off his chainmail, a smile crept over her lips ever so at his words, “believe me, if stars could be stolen from the sky I would have done it long ago.” She sat down on the corner of her bed, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, squeezing herself tightly. “Some things are best left as they are. I think they would be not so good if they were torn from night and kept in pockets and closed fists…”

This was really the only real conversation she had had with any of the group. Thinking about talking all of a sudden brought a knot to her stomach and she felt her face flush as her mind brought her back to the words of Nicademus. She groaned audibly and felt colour flush to her cheeks. For a moment she had been quite content but suddenly embarrassment, fear, and shame had stirred up within. It wasn't pleasant. A bitter seed had been planted by him. She went back to quiet contemplation, hoping that the sickly, painful feelings would leave soon.

He laughed when she claimed she would steal the stars. “I believe if anyone could take the stars, you could. You seem skilled,” he said, but before he had sat down, he noticed she seemed to have withdrawn into herself, looking away from him. Normally, Calanon would simply look at them with concern if it were a steadfast friend, but she seemed somewhat distraught, and he could guess the reasoning. Nicademus had been quite harsh today, even if the reputation of the Dark Elves was something to be wary of.

He looked at her, and then knelt down and opened his pack. “Even the strongest of us need help, at times.” He began, and pulled out a flask. “Beren trusts you, and you seem to have a goodness I can sense. Don’t let words trouble you. You’re already more valued than you think.” He casually tossed the flask her way. It was filled with Guarden juice, the delectable drink of the wood elves each member had received at the beginning of their journey. No alcohol, but it has a subtle magic that lifted spirits. Not to mention, it was delicious.

“I’m not as strong as I was once… Before all of this mess…” she recalled in her mind her glory days, she couldn't put a finger on when that had been. Just that she had been imprisoned and tortured more than once since. “I think that maybe I could be again… I think I’m finally where I should be.” Her mind lingered back to the feeling of steel against her bare neck as she took the flask from Calanon. A close shave indeed, if she hadn't stumbled onto their path she would just be another body by now. She took a sip from the flask, mulling over the flavour in her mouth before swallowing. It was, what someone might describe as pleasant - but to her it tasted bland, not unpleasant at all, just sweet with an amber taste to it. It wasn't a strong flavour. She did enjoy the peaceful feeling that washed through her though, so much so that she felt it bring a warmth to her cheeks.

Aeryn smiled and handed the flask back to her new friend. Listening to his words of kindness filled her with a happiness too, and a flutter through her stomach as she held eye contact with him for a moment more. “Thank you… For everything…”

She uncurled herself and moved back to the window, her fingers drumming once again on the latch as she looked out across the town once more, the sun would be setting soon, and her companions would drift to sleep. In a few hours she would be back to the caves, but there was a sense within her that something else was afoot. Some level of intuition warning her to keep the latch shut for now, to stay with them for at least a while longer.

“So… this quest?”

Calanon treated life with a calm contentment, always ready to smile and give an encouraging word, or a pat on the shoulder. But he felt very much that he enjoyed Aeryn’s company. More than he expected. He placed the flask back in his pack, and then placed himself on the bed, crossing his legs and placing his hands on his knees as he breathed in, and out. Until she spoke and he opened his eyes. He let the question linger for a few moments as he thought of how to explain it to her.

“It’s a perilous journey, or it has been so far. We’re to go and halt an alliance between the Dark Elves and the Vampires. We’re to go to the city of Dal’Maroth and dismantle it by any means necessary. We have a few months left to complete the task, but it has been slow going. We’ve been tasked by Queen Melda and Princess Vanya of Riverdale however.” He gave a shrug and a smile. “You don’t deny them your service if they ask it.”

Aeryn listened as he spoke. She hadn't heard of a Queen Melda or a Princess Vanya. Maybe she had, but she couldn't recall. She thought momentarily of what it would be like to be royalty. To have people do your bidding like that. She had heard of Dal’Maroth though, and she had heard of Vampires. She felt a shiver crawl up her spine and clutch onto it for a while, making her feel a variety of emotions all at once. Fear, discomfort, anxiety. They all drew together in a cluster. “It sounds like a very dangerous quest… Two such dark forces brewing together… I, I really find it hard to believe.”

She began to pace around the room as she mulled over what Calanon had told her, wrapping her arms once more around herself. “Two factions like that cannot be an alliance, they will try to take over each other in time. Such… power hungry fiends.”

“You might die doing this, you know.” She stopped pacing and looked the Elf dead in the eyes, “in fact I’d say there is a very high chance… You would die for this Queen and the Princess?” She didn't give him a chance to respond. “Of course... It would be honourable, wouldn't it?” there was a hint of sadness and defeat in her tone again. It was a suicide mission, but they all knew that going in. They must have. That they would stake their lives on stopping this - they were all honourable people. All of them. That's why they saved even her after all - that's why they had not killed her, or handed her over to Nicademus for him to do it. She wanted to be like them, part of her did, anyway.

And she would do anything to punish the Dorcha.

She quietly contemplated it, staying with them on this quest.

“If it weren't for you I would be dead. If it weren't for all of you I…. would be dead, forgotten, just a corpse. I think that means that I owe to you my life…” She took several steps over to Calanon again, getting closer to him, inches from his face, not realising that such a move might make him uncomfortable, or impose on his personal space. “I will join you. I will fight by your side, not for royalty who I do not know, but I will do it for you! So that you can complete your quest!”

She didn't realise how intense her speech might have been, or again, that she may have made Calanon incredibly uncomfortable - but there was sincerity and gratitude in her words - and she had spoken not just to him, but with his party in mind. She stepped away and awkwardly bowed her head, like one might do before royalty, or before pledging their life to someone. She really wasn't sure - etiquette did not exactly exist to her until now…

For Calanon’s part, when she leaned forward into his face, he comically leaned back, eyes widening and face turning as red as a strawberry. He didn’t know if she was not used to above-ground social cues, so he didn’t say anything. When she backed off awkwardly and bowed, he could tell she was awaiting a response.

The Wood Elf hesitated a moment, but honor drove him forward. Without a word, he slipped off of his bed, and returned the bow formally. “And I shall aid you in yours.” he said. His voice often had a calm, soothing quality about it. After a moment, he chuckled in good faith, smiling to her. “You should thank Beren as well. If not for him we might not have found you.”

“I already did in a way” she thought back to her watching him as he slept. He was an interesting character, for sure. She felt her stomach grumble again, and she was sure that the Woof Elf had also heard it; “ahhh… I think maybe I should eat something now…” She smiled one last time at her new friend, before excusing herself from the room - not stopping to consider whether or not she should ask him to join her. Time alone would be nice, though. Just some time for quiet reflection - and so she made her way out of the Inn for a while to find a quiet spot to wind down during the last amber hours of sunlight.

It was safe to say that even An-Hasst didn't fail to appreciate the obvious benefits of having a prolonged stay in an unexpected village. The people here would have to try terribly hard in order not to make their place more hospitable than the jungle it had been hacked into. Also they probably were less dangerous and hostile than thowe dark elves and having a roof over one's head and a bed beneath one's back promised to be an unexpected level of comfort on their journey as well. But... Being deprived of one's weapons still stung. So did avoiding the teeptation to just track down the place they had been stowed away in and retrieve them. Without permission. And then the work they had to do... Admittedly he probably was the last one of the entire party who was afraid of physical labor, but other things would have been just so much more relaxing.

The moment An-Hasst separated himself from the others and especially Argon, people started to stare at the walking tower of a half-elf. A bunch of children even appeared to be so scared that they stopped playing and started to run to whatever place they had deemed to be safer. In other words: Maybe it was better to go to rest early, make oneself unseen for the remainder of the evening and the subsequent night.

The Skayleigh's approach on finding a place to sleep was dead simple: first and default. He virtually strolled right into the very next wooden Hut that appeared to be vacantand started to inspect its interior.

There wasn't much to be seen though: A small table, two stools, an improvised fireplace that he certainly wouldn't dare to lit this day and a clean bed. How comfy! Well... It was obvious that his legs would stick out at the bottom end and his shoulders would have a hard time not doing the same along the sides -- and that was presuming that he wouldn't accidentally break the whole thing in the first place --, but it was worth a carefully executed attempt. First he had to take off his armor though and maybe find some spare food to eat. They hadn't taken away that from him at least.

After admitting the group into the village, Nicademus' routine followed as it had done so for the past month. He helped the guards train and with their patrols of the town, along with keeping an eye on the group still but, apart from that, he left them to their own devices. Things seemed poised to go much the same as they mostly did, calm and peaceful, until one of the villages approached him, clearly in distress.

"Sir, sir, please help me!" The man said, grabbing Nicademus by the shoulders and shaking him slightly "I was making my way back towards my home when I saw a man inside of it!" The villager continued, still shaking the knight.

Nicademus, for his part, remained calm and, once the villager seemed to relax slightly, gently pried the man's fingers from his shoulders. "Calm down, I'm here, show me where your house is and I'll resolve this." The knight said calmly, letting the man guide him towards his house. Once there, Nicademus opened the door with no hesitation only to find out that the intruder was none other than one of the members of the group he had allowed into the village. "I thought you guys were supposed to sleep at the inn?" The Knight asked to the towering half-elf, letting out a tired sigh. "Come, let us go to the inn where we might discuss where you'll sleep." He added, crossing his arms as he waited for a response from the half-elf.

For a few moments it looked as if An-Hasst had frozen either in time or rock solid -- probably both. His brain was trying very hard to hastily compile some kind of answer with regard to his authority to enter this place, but the best thing he could come up with was to try and apologize and claim that lack of knowledge could protect him. He knew the voice that was asking. It was uncomfortably familiar and could only mean trouble, at least in his mind.

"Erm..." Slowly, the giant turn around on the spot. "Word has reached me that the tavern has reached the limits of its capacity before I arrived there in the first place. So I was looking for something else and have found this vacant place. I'd like to apologize if it's yours!" Yes, this might be good. If it should turn out that there indeed were still empty rooms in the tavern he could simply claim that the word had been wrong, not he himself.

"I'd be glad to find something else, but if you insist I'll look elsewhere." Hopefully the knight would buy it. The Skayleigh felt tired and was in anything but the mood to engage in any kind of prolonged discussion or even struggle.

Nicademus listened in silence as An-Hasst explained the reason for why he was found inside the house of a random villager. The knight rubbed his forehead in exasperation, feeling a headache blossoming within. He knew that there wasn't a room left for the half-elf within the inn, "The place isn't mine, it's his." He spoke, motioning to the villager behind him with his thumb, "And you are correct, the tavern is at full capacity." He added with a sigh. He knew that there was a solution to this whole mess, but it wasn't one that the knight was eager about in the least, "Come, let's get out of here and we can talk outside." He said, motioning with his head towards the exit, before leaving the house, confident that An-Hasst would follow him.

"There is a solution, you can stay in the same room as me in the tavern." The knight admitted once they were outside, letting out a sigh, "I know it's not ideal but it's the only solution that'd work by the way I see things." He continued on, shaking his head slightly, "Pack up your things and then put them in my room on the tavern, ask the innkeeper and they'll show you which room is mine. Afterwards, come and meet me by the place where the guards gather to train." Nicademus said, "You are going to help me with their training in case you are curious. I think a practice spar would be a good idea to help them learn." The knight continued on, "Hopefully this is agreeable. If it seems too much of a chore, think of it as a way to hopefully work through some of your stress. At the very least sparring helps me relax." He finished with a shrug before he made his way to the sparring ring near the tavern to wait for An-Hasst.

An-Hasst's mind was running hot. Stay ? In the same room as... this guy ? He had no weapons. What if Nicademus would take the opportunity and just dispose of him while he was asleep ? On the other hand... the man just could not be oblivious of the fact that his throat was nowhere near capable of resisting the Skayleigh's choking grasp if things went down the serious road. The Kaelic Isles were a remote place in the north, human ideas of 'knighthood' and 'honor' hardly any more than excessively abstract terms for many of the half-elf half-giant kind. His own view on these had probably somewhat improved since his journey had begun, but still the moment he said "I agree." with regard to the tavern matter it was primarly backed up by his firm belief that neither of them would be crazy enough to pull off such kind of a nightmare.

"Since my weapons have already been taken from me there's not much for me to pack up. Basically just what I wear." The latter stuff was comprised of his enormously large scale armor that hda been fabricated by himself from the best kind of iron wood available, his other clothes and of course the backpack that contained food, water and last but not least the few special things they had beeen provided with by their employer. An-Hasst made a mental not to take particular care of those. "So this won't take long. And yes, I'd be willing to help you with training your men." The Skayleigh didn't mention that his fighting style could be considered somewhat different from the average. Hopefully that wouldn't be too much of an issue...

Nicademus used the time that it took for An-Hasst to get to the tavern to correct a few of the mistakes shown by those rookies that were sparring amongst each other, however once the giant half-elf showed up the knight turned his attention towards him immediately. "Ah, welcome, glad you managed to find this place without much trouble." He said to An-Hasst, making his way to the rack where they stored the dulled weapons that the town guard used to practice between each other and picking up the bastard sword he used to practice with. "Feel free to take any weapon of your preference, I'm hopeful that we will have something that will accommodate whatever fighting style you prefer to use." The knight said before briefly turning to look at the gathered guards "Move away, give us some space and pay attention."

Once he was done speaking, and the guards had moved away, Nicademus moved to the centre of the sparring arena. "I hope you don't mind me being your opponent." He said with a light smirk, waiting for An-Hasst to get in place in front of him after he had armed himself "As the visitor, you have the courtesy of the first blow." The knight said as he readied himself for the Skayleigh's attack.

As An-Hasst had silently expected, he was towering over his opponent. He was very well aware of the advantages in terms of range and power, but he also at least tried to make himself aware of the fact that he could very well be outmaneuvered by Nicademus. After all one could suspect that he was a fully trained knight -- whatever that truly meant. This could end in either him succeeding or in him making a mock out of himself, but of course he hoped for the former to come true.

The weapon of his choice was a morning star. Massive, large, not very fast and much less delicate than a sword for the active center exhibited spherical symmetry. The orientation of this weapon was pretty much irrelevant the moment one scored a hit -- it always resulted in an hopefully very significant impact. That was not his current plan though. Instead the Skayleigh took the long shaft of the weapon in both hands and charged forward, hoping to be fast enough to ram his opponent. He still had his scaled coat and while the correct technique could push a blade through beneath the individual scales his opponent probably wouldn't be fast enough to evade and do the trick at the same time in his clanky armor. That was... if his estimates were correct...

To say that Nicademus was surprised by what the towering half-elf had decided to do as his first action in their sparring match would be an understatement. Of all the things that the knight had expected An-Hasst to do once he had picked up a morning star from the weapon's rack, the last of them had been a direct charge towards him at full speed. Yet the more the knight thought about it in the brief time he had before collision, the more it made sense; despite the fact that his armor was lighter than that worn by most knights it was still heavy enough to impede his movements and make it impossible for him to evade the charge of the half-elf in time.

And so, the knight did the only option that he could feasibly do, he dug his feet in and braced himself for impact. As the half-elf finally rammed against him Nicademus involuntarily coughed as the air left his lungs by the sudden force of the impact, but he still stood even if the charge had knocked him quite a few centimetres from his original position. Knowing that he still had few options to do, the knight did the only thing that seemed available to him and hit An-Hasst in the gut with his armored knee. Taking a few steps backwards the knight soon returned the favor as he charged towards An-Hasst, his sword raised high in what seemed like a clear overhead strike. However, before the blade could hit the half-elf, Nicademus suddenly changed the direction that the blade was going to into a strike toward's An-Hasst's left side. Of course, the success or failure of his depend on if the giant half-elf bought his faint or not...

Nicademus was a very resilient one, that was for sure. An-Hasst had not expected him to stay where he was and try to absorb the momentum, but he had done very surprisingly well so. Maybe this wasn't the most efficient tactic in this case. The Skayleigh wasn't given the time to think about this any further however as his guts were turned upside down by a sudden impact. For moments he had to suppress the urge to vomit, probably even on his opponents head. Luckily it didn't happen, but he'd have to take care about his belly region now...

An-Hasst saw that a blade was coming. For the lack of a shield he raised his armored elbow in an attempt to block its path no matter what trajectory its wielder would opt for exactly in the last moments. It hit the wooden scales and tore of a bunch of small wooden scraps as it scraped along it. The Skayleigh tried to grasp the opportunity and aimed his other fist at Nicademus's head. This would either be armor against armor or armor against bare skin, but in any case there would be a very massive and sudden exchange of momentum if he'd be able to score a hit. What the Skayleigh seemed to be a bit oblivious about was that even his elbow was of an only finite length. Given his tremendous height the knight's sword would still have a considerable amount of space left to re-accelerate before it would reach the ground.

Nicademus had to admit it, he had underestimated the Skayleigh. First the half-elf had rushed towards him with a speed that the knight thought he wouldn't posses, and now his reflexes were good enough that he had managed to parry his strike despite his feint. Despite this, the knight was smiling...it had been too long since he had a good sparring match that challenged him and so Nicademus found himself grinning with excitement. However, his little thought process distracted him long enough to not notice the punch that An-Hasst had thrown until it was too late to avoid. Knowing this, Nicademus did the only thing that he could: he let himself get hit.

The fist of the Skayleigh connected against his face, but Nicademus was no stranger to pain and, as such, the moment that the fist hit him, he grasped his blade once more and struck at the abdomen of the Skayleigh while the giant's concentration was still focused on him. Still, the hit clearly had an effect for after the sword hit the Skayleigh the knight backed away staggered. "Must admit, it's been quite a while since someone has given me such a fight." The knight spoke, smirking slightly, before he spit blood into the ground. He recollected himself and charged towards the half-elf once more, however, instead of striking him with his sword, Nicademus instead aimed a punch towards the Skayleigh's gut again, hoping to put him off balance to have a clear strike with his sword.

If there was one thing An-Hasst was particularly good at, then it was at getting angry. This would also start to affect his fighting style. However the very first thing of him that started to become much more ferocious was his stomach. It barely allowed the Skayleigh to take a step back in order to make room for the inevitable before going into reverse. That last punch with the sword, after the one coming from Nicademus' foot, had just been too much and it did not come without announcement after all. At this point An-Hasst had no eye for the knight's actions, but stumbled backwards further instead.

Slowly raising himself to his full height again, An-Hasst bared his teeth and nailed Nicademus with his staring. It was virtually saying This was your fault! even without the Skayleigh consciously thinking that way. What would he do now ? He made a jump sideways away from the mess, his feet slightgly trembling the earth upon impact. There was enough clean sand and dirt in front of them to try and kick it into the knight's eyes, a cheap trick that at least had a chance of working. If so, it would net Nicademus' sparring partner enough time for another charge, this time involving a lot more momentum due to the increased distance between the two.

In truth, Nicademus had not expected his hits to the abdomen of the half-elf to have such an effect. At best he thought that he had merely staggered the man, not that he had hit him with such force that he had eventually forced him to throw up. After the Skayleigh was done emptying the contents of his stomach and moved away from the mess, it was clearly that he was angry and, for that, Nicademus couldn't blame him, after all this was supposed to be a training match. The knight stopped in his tracks and raised his hands in a placating gesture towards the towering half-elf "Hold, hold." He said, slowly moving towards the giant man. "I didn't meant for this to happen, I didn't think that my hits to your gut would have affected you so." The knight said, tone apologetic. "What do you say if we take a few moments to relax, we have both been quite battered and I assume that we are both exhausted, I know that I at least am." He continued, hoping that the Skayleigh man would be amenable to a short break.

Nicademus moved himself into a quite precarious position with his sudden talking. At first An-Hasst didn't realize that the movements of the knight's mouth were for formulating words at all, then he needed time to decelerate his own enormity. The Skayleigh only managed to stop very close in front of his sparring partner. He exhaled deeply. "Well... I can see that you're exhausted. And you can see that my stomach isn't in its best shape either." He started smirking mischievously. "One could say that my belly region is more likely to be in my enemy's reach than anything further up. I'm not that confident about that being an advantage though..."

An-Hasst raised his head and looked around. Now what were those recruits thinking ? He tried to read their faces, but some were obscured by helmets, others had beards hiding parts of their facial features and he wasn't the best interpreting human body language after all. "I hope I was an adequate sparring partner. Maybe we could do this again tomorrow or so ? I don't think we'll leave that soon." And he truly hoped so. The longer their stay, the longer their opportunity to rest and go faster afterwards. That seemed to be a far better way to spend potential traveling time than other alternatives.

"We could do a little contest of strength though. Or speed. Or something else that doesn't involve you kicking into my stomach and me crushing your nose. What do you think ?"

Nicademus stood unperturbed as the Skayleigh man charged at him, smiling as the gigantic half-elf came to a stop only a few mere centimetres away from him. "Hmmm, yes, I must admit I'm not at my best at present." He said, laughing at An-Hasst's next comment. "Probably not, it is a rather obvious target after all." The knight said, smirking slightly. Nicademus smiled when the Skayleigh man asked if they could have another sparring match the next day, "Of course! It'd be my pleasure." The knight said, clearly happy with the idea, "Well, maybe not my pleasure per se...after all I'm pretty sure I'll have more than a few bruises come morning." He said, laughing slightly. "And don't worry, you were an exceptional sparring partner. I haven't had a challenge quite like this since the days I was but a mere squire still in training." Nicademus said, chuckling slightly, a nostalgic smile drawing on his face.

"Hmmm, that sounds like a good idea to me." He answered in response to An-Hasst's suggestions, "Did you have a few more specific ideas in mind?" He asked, curious to hear if the Skayleigh had something specific in mind considering what he had suggested.

"Well.. What about some arm wrestling ? Or checking who's the fastest up one of those tall trees outside ? As long as you don't suggest a trench digging contest... I'll have enough of that within the next few days I guess..." Again there was that mischievous grin appearing on his face. "However we probably should see who's best at cleaning up the mess here first." and he pointed at the two small heaps of exiled stomach content and blood, though he was only responsible for the former. "I can't imagine your recruits being eager to continue training with their feet going through this."

Letting go of a sigh, An-Hasst let himself fall onto the next best piece of rock large large enough for seating he could find nearby. "I noticed I haven't even truly used this." His view darted towards the large morning star in his hands. However maybe not truly using this had not even been the worst idea, given the damage both of them had sustained already without it. "We could also do a shooting contest. You know I have a crossbow."

"Hmmmm, an arm wrestling match sounds good. I think we'd be more evenly matched in that category since I'm afraid I'm not too good of a climber, after all it's not exactly someone who wears this kind of armour can do." Nicademus said with a laugh, lightly tapping his breastplate with his knuckles when he explained to the Skayleigh man why he wasn't so good at climbing. "Aye, we should clean this up first, I believe there's some shovels nearby and we should probably fetch a bucket as well." The knight said, nodding in agreement with the half-elf, before chuckling at what he said next, nodding once more before speaking again. "Aye, that's true."

"It's probably for the best, otherwise chances are that we would need to be cleaning two pools of vomit rather than one." He said, looking towards the morning star. "Not to mention that we'd probably have wound up in an even worse shape if we had went all out using our weapons." The knight added, turning to look back at the Skayleigh man when he suggested a shooting competition. "Hmmm, it's been a while since I practised with a crossbow so that'd do me some good. Make sure my skills haven't rusted away completely. But first we need to clean up this mess, then we can do this shooting competition or the arm wrestling match, whatever you prefer."

"Alright..." One could easily hear by the tone of An-Hasst's words that the half-giant was far from happy about cleaning up a mess with a bucket and a shovel in front of a bunch of recruits. The only good thing about it was that it had been Nicademus who had started to spill his own blood first. Internally the Skayleigh was looking forward to both some crossbow training and some rest, being rather indecisive about which should come first. Hopefully he'd be given his own weapon and not some half-assed, worn-out crossbow they probably had at hand here.

As he was thudding over sluggishly towards the cleaning utilities, he gave the answer: "I'd suggest starting with the shooting competition. That is if there's enough daylight left and there's a place with some distance involved that would allow us to carry out this plan inside of the village's fortifications. Speaking of which... Do you know what kind of work schedule I'm going to encounter the next days ?"

"Don't be so gloomy, I'll help you clean. It is my fault that you ended throwing up during our match, so it's only natural that I help. Not to mention that I also spat blood into the arena as well." The knight said to An-Hasst, hoping that his words would at the very least help lift the mood of the Skayleigh man. Nicademus guided An-Hasst towards where the cleaning utensils were stored in case the sparring arena needed to be cleaned and was surprised to hear the half-giant speak to him again considering his gloomy mood. "Hmmm, that seems like a good idea." The knight said,pausing for a second to look at the sky in response to the Skayleigh's comment about daylight. "I'd say we still got enough daylight to hold a shooting competition. We also have a few targets that some of the guards use to practice with their bows, so we could use those as well." Nicademus said before resuming his march towards where the cleaning utilities lay.

"Hmmm, well, I did said that you would be free to choose what to do to help the village. As you can see this is no metropolis and the Southlands are dangerous, as I'm sure you've noticed during your travels, especially to villages such as this one, so any bit you could do to help would be appreciated." The knight spoke, tapping his chin with his armored gauntlet as he thought some more about the topic An-Hasst had brought up. "Based on your strength however, I'd say you'd be most useful in helping to complete the ditch around the village. There is still a bit left to be done for it to be truly complete, namely filling it entirely with spikes, but I'm sure that you would be more than up to the task for that kind of work. Alternatively there are plans to build a palisade around the village, but unfortunately we didn't had enough manpower to build it." Nicademus said, shaking his head slightly. "Well, it was not a question of manpower truth be told, there are plenty men in the village after all, but more of a question that none of the men had the requisite strength, not to mention combat skills, to be able to safely venture into the nearby forest to chop down trees without being injured." He continued with his explanation to An-Hasst before turning to look at him. "A third option would be to help train the militia of the village. I've been doing that ever since I arrived here, but there's only so much that I can teach them and so another individual skilled in the art of combat adding their expertise would definitively be a boon." The knight said before he began to walk again. "Anyway, those would be the three options I'd say would fit you the best but, as I said before, you are free to do whatever you pelase, as long as it is to the benefit of the village."

Having said all that, the knight continued walking on in silence towards where the cleaning utilities where. It didn't take them too long to reach there and, afterwards, Nicademus helped An-Hast to clean up the vomit from the training arena before cleaning up the blood that he had spit mid-fight. Once that was done, the knight led the Skayleigh man to where his crossbow was stored and, afterwards, to where the shooting range that had been set for the guards to practice their archery skills.

The shooting competition itself lasted a few hours, with An-Hasst being the clear winner of the contest. As much as Nicademus tried, it had been more than a decade since he had used a crossbow and the Skayleigh man was clearly more skilled than he was at present and the knight doubted that he'd have had won even if he was more practised. Afterwards they both returned to the inn, exhausted and hungry after the combination of the sparring match, cleaning up the mess they had made, and the shooting competition, for a meal and a few drinks before they would go to rest.

From An-Hasst's perspective, Nicademus had turned out to be a far more sociable man than he had initially expected after their first encounter at the village's doorstep. Even without him being the clear winner the shooting contest probably would have been a joyful matter still, but of course a little ego boost more often than not didn't hurt.

The tavern was cramped, even more so since it had to provide rooms for their not so small party, but one could see that it was a rather primitive design carried out in a bit of haste -- quite understandable given what was waiting for prey outside of the incomplete ditch. An-Hasst wasn't that much into beer, but the native Skayleigh stuff wasn't available here as one could expect. The meat was good though and as the half-elf was digging through his huge plate, sitting on a chair that was quite a bit too small for him, he came back to the matter of work. He didn't hold back with his opinion that the village's defensive arrangements should have been completed well before putting effort into building a tavern or other accommodations, but maybe it had not been Nicademus' choice. There were still at least a few Dorcha around, on an advanced level and with the tactical advantage of an underground network of a still largely unknown layout. Maybe the one primarily responsible for all matters of defence should know this ? An-Hasst saw no point in hiding what he and his party had gone through just before entering the village.

For his part, Nicademus remained silent as An-Hasst spoke about his criticisms about the town defences not being completed before the tavern or other such accommodations were built. In truth the knight shared the criticisms that the Skayleigh had said but, by the time he had arrived, the tavern was already complete and the defences even more incomplete than when the party had arrived. It had been difficult but, in the opinion of the knight, he had managed to salvage the situation as best he could, and now that he had the help from the Skayleigh and the other members of his group he was sure that the town's defences could be finished well and properly. The news that An-Hasst relayed about what his group had went through troubled Nicademus, he had't expected the Dorcha tunnels to be so close to the village itself and the fact that a few of the ambushers had managed to escape troubled him greatly. But he was too tired at the moment to discuss such matters, a fact that also seemed to hold true for the half-giant, and so Nicademus decided to retire to his room to rest when An-Hasst decided to do the same. He could bring up his concerns with Beren the next day and from there they could find a solution that'd satisfy both parties, at least that's what the knight hoped.

Alice milled around the inn for a brief while, wondering when and if their retainers would arrive today. At least the accommodations were nice enough, the common room was clean and well kept with a lovely smell of bread and broth wafting throughout the place. It was unlikely the party would have to share much, she doubted any citizens of this place would trust the inn while Alice and her own were staying.

She felt like drinking, but in light of recent events and in the knowledge that she was unlikely to be served anything but the swill after the group's already strained relationship with the villagers she decided against it. Alcohol strained the body's connection to magic, a bad thing in this instance. The sun had set before she gave up bothering. She had wanted to make a good impression, but at this point she didn't think it worth the effort. She ordered a small platter and simple platter of food to be sent up and left in the corridor since she hadn't picked a room yet and left it's worth in coin on the counter, not bothering to care if it was accepted or not.

With that, she bid her good-nights to Geradin and Argon before retiring, just so that they knew where she was going. "Alright lass," Geradin said. They'd known each other long enough that he didn't shoot her a questioning look; as a wizard she often left company early to study or recover. "I'll bring your food up when it's good and ready, don't worry." she nodded her appreciation and moved off.

Picking a room with a fireplace she set to work. First things first she set water to boil, hanging the poor and scorched thing above the fire in preparation. She pulled a series of small vials from her bag and started pinching and pouring various contents into a muslin sack and dipping it in the brew, a sprinkle of wolfs-bane, a handful of lavender and a good splash of some deeproot spores. She was reminded of the ancient tales of crones bent over cauldrons, cooking up foul curses and grim ailments to turn children into frogs. She couldn't help but laugh. Such stories were a far-cry from the modern science she was used to and, she suspected, a long way from the truth of what it was like back then too. Nope, there would be no eye of newt today, just some spiritually restorative tea.

She scratched runes on each of the corners of the room, wincing at the property damage. She would have to ask Geradin to see about repairing the damage done before they moved on. The village wasn't overly close to fast flowing water and was nowhere near any real rare minerals but she hoped that her rudimentary magical net would at least absorb some energy. Some was better than none.

"Hello? Alice? Do you need any help with the magic you're doing in there?" Ursaren was polite. He knew what to do and what not to do in regards to rooming with a woman. You always needed to knock before entering a room, in case they were doing something that wasn't the most decent, and you should make sure to not treat them with disrespect. With those things aside, Ursaren had to admit, Alice did intrigue him. Not romantically, mind, but he did see some form of powerful mage within her. He hadn't felt that power in some time, ever since the day he met a dwarven child. Still, that was a story for another time.

"If you need to be alone, I will leave you in peace. Though, I am fairly certain that we are in the same room for the night." It wasn't his choice, but with Aeryn taking a room to herself, he figured that Alice would rather someone who was more calm and collected in her presence then someone like that twitchy priest. Nothing against him, but he suspected Alice wasn't so fond of his presence. To be fair, neither was Ursaren. He always felt that the priest wanted to steal Ursaren's trident and shield.

Alice considered this. To be honest, of all the people to share a room with Ursaren was one of the better ones. "Thank you, Ursaren." she responded in kind to his courteous manner. "May I interest you in tea?"

After a little while the pair's talk moved onto more academic subjects. She explained "I haven't cast any real magic yet. Or really in a while." she pointed at one of the runes she'd carved in a corner. "I'm sure you recognise my magical net. I trust filling this room with a small amount of collected magic won't disagree with you and your... self." she was aware of the stigma werewolves faced, but from what she could see Ursaren lost none of his mind to the beast. Or maybe he was just experienced enough not to.

After letting out a hushed, but hearty laugh, Ursaren responded to the question he was asked. "I'm an old man, of course I would love some tea!" He hoped the tea was from Bania, they always made the best tea out of the lands he'd explored and visited. Of course, the teas were all good, but Banian tea was just slightly better than most to him. He wasn't sure exactly why it was like that.

Ursaren listened to his friend speak, nodding as she explained through everything that she could. When the subject of his affliction came into question, the man made a passing comment. "Compared to me raising a little girl, this is hardly anything. I should be just fine." The man studied the runes in the corners as he explained something himself. "I... I don't exactly recognize these runes very well. Then again, I've only gone in-depth with restorative magic and alchemy." A thought crossed Ursaren's mind before he looked over at Alice. "Is something the matter with your magical strength?"

Alice considered the question. She couldn't deny she'd lost a great deal of her power over the last few days, but would it be worth explaining that to a fellow adventurer she'd met only a few days ago? She looked at it another way, would she rather tell Ursaren then have it revealed to the party at a time not of her choosing?

"I've managed to over-exert myself these past days. I burned almost everything I had back in that town with the Rogs, let alone the Dark Elves later." she took a moment to steadily pour the tea, "As with too many people I seem to come across, that caster was far too powerful for me."

She prided herself on being able to outmanoeuvre those more powerful than herself, with subtle tricks or little schemes. But at the end of the day all it would take would be someone like that Dark Elf to turn on Alice with a barely focused effort and things would get dire. Alice tried not to let it gnaw at her, but she couldn't help but worry.

"Don't let it bother you, Alice. You did fantastic," Ursaren commented before sipping his tea. It was smooth, warm, and it felt refreshing and delightful after such a long time underground and in a place riddled with death prior to it all. That Rog town was devastated, and Ursaren wished it wasn't a such case. After another few gulps he placed the tea down, making the passing statement of "Delicious." He let that sit in the air for a moment before he actually spoke.

"I remember back when I was learning restorative magic I actually burned my palms doing so," Ursaren started his explanation. "My group was chock-full of adventurers with valor, and we had just been roaming around when we got attacked in the dead of night by a group of raving badgers and wolves. We managed ourselves well, but everyone came out a little worse for wear. Nobody lost a finger, thankfully, but everyone did need some form of healing." Another pause, the silence filled by the passing of tea sipping, before it continued. "Needless to say, a beginner like me shouldn't have tried healing so many wounded at once. My hands and fingers had a nasty sunburn on them, and it took a fair few days to overcome the pain."

Ursaren chuckled before making a little joke. "Kind of funny when you think about it. Being hurt by restorative magic."

Alice nodded cordially at the old man's reverie, sipping from her own drink. She enjoyed it while it lasted, though she couldn't help but notice the lack of details.

"I had no idea divine magic could do that, but I suppose it makes sense." arcane magic rarely had this problem, the amount of power a wizard could summon was often far superior to that a god could bestow as she discovered the last time she had... channelled a god's power she supposed. She hadn't exactly had control over it like Ursaren was describing though. "Usaren, do you have any ideas on what I should do to help the village tomorrow? Without much knowledge of enchanting structures nor spirit for casting at the moment my arcane powers seem a little useless. And since I don't exactly bear the frame for manual labour I find myself at a loss."

"There are likely many ways you can help the people here, Alice," Ursaren's voice echoed throughout the room. "Use of the Arcane has many uses I'd imagine. At the very least, you can handle yourself in a fight. Maybe you can just offer to keep watch over the town and relieve a guard of his shift? It's not the most entertaining past-time, but it would be something to show you wish to help protect. It gives you a good image."

Ursaren paused for a moment before he brought up a new idea. "I think this town has a fair bit of sick and wounded, so I'll be offering my talents there to help them. Maybe you can tag along, learn a thing or two about divine magic? Maybe understanding the use of the divine will help you master the arcane."

Alice nodded. Her god, Ragnarok, wasn't exactly the healing kind of god and he only bestowed his power in the direst of times however that isn't to say she would go amiss. She knew her way around bandages, splinting and stitching, even basic tinctures and herbology. And even if she didn't assist in the magic department that's not to say she wouldn't learn anything, and it was also important to be seen in the presence of one doing good. She agreed to accompany the old bear tomorrow just as Geradin came in with her dinner, which she barely restrained herself from falling upon in an un-ladylike manner after the last few days of exertion.

Tomorrow indeed.

[Shoutouts to @The Fated Fallen for being the cool person I worked with to make this.]

The sun rose early, as it always did in these lands. The warmth merely made Argon fall into a deeper slumber, the large lizardman curled up upon the porch like a basking crocodile that slept akin to a hound. His every breath a hiss and his every movement heavy, even in slumber. Meanwhile, inside, the sun had awoken Beren. The darkly handsome Eru'Dai had gone to sleep early, feeling a bit too tired to socialize too much the night previous.

He was slow moving when he got up, though it was still before anyone else had roused from their sleep when he came down stairs, his black hair shining from being rinsed by the wash bucket the servants had left. He had on his freshly washed clothes, for the inn had been kind enough to offer to wash their traveling clothes, as they had been in constant use since the beginning of their excursion which felt so very long ago.

The tavern seemed cheery yet calm, with only a few early risers and a very hard working staff that had already begun cooking the meals they'd serve. Beren was already enchanted by the smell, sitting down at a table by himself and ordering a fresh ham, along with an apple and water. It was just as his food arrived that Nicademus approached him, the stalwart Knight obviously having wanted to catch Beren alone. He had a concern he wanted to give to the warrior monk.

An hour later, as the members of the group went down into the common room, the waitress sashaying to and fro would give them the message that Beren awaited them all outside. Once they'd eaten a quick meal, Beren and Nicademus would be right before the front porch, having awoken Argon. "Glad to see everyone's here. You guys have a good night sleep?"

Geradin and Calanon had only grabbed a few things to chew on, and had immediately gone outside. The Wood Elf had first went to the stables, checking on Brogach and eating his breakfast with the Elk before he had made it back to the front.

"Nicademus came to me with a concern that our...enemies might be in pursuit of us. I'm not entirely sure if that's true, but I can't stand by and not check. I won't leave the people in this town in danger. Who's up for a short hike?"
@Gardevoiran@The Fated Fallen@Stormflyx@Mortarion@Fetzen@BCTheEntity

Nicademus stood by in silence as Beren spoke to the rest of his comrades. He had been pleased with how his talk with the man earlier that day had went, and the words uttered by the Eru'Dai not only helped to reinforce the positive notion that the knight had of the man but also served to instil a great deal of respect in Nicademus' mind. "As we discussed previously, I'll join you and whoever else decides to come with us. I merely need to put on my armor and grab my weapon and I'll be ready to go." The knight said to Beren. Since he had woken up earlier to catch the monk before the rest of the members of the travelling group woke up, Nicademus had decided to forego on putting his armor for his chat with the Eru'Dai man.

Having already stated the fact that he was joining the group for this expedition, Nicademus turned to look at the other members of the ragtag group. "I..." The knight began speaking, his words suddenly dying in his throat before he spoke them. "Don't be a coward, say what you need to say your pride be damned!" He mentally chided himself for his sudden cowardice. "I know that I have no right to ask anything of you, not after the way I behaved towards you yesterday at the gates." He said after a few seconds of awkward silence as he composed himself.

"But, please, I beg of you." Nicademus spoke, prostrating himself before the members of the group. "Lend me your help with this endeavour, please, if only to make sure that the innocents in this village don't suffer for something that isn't their fault." The knight continued on, still prostrated. "I've lived amongst them for a month and I know them to be hardworking, honest, folk who wouldn't deserve the cruelties to which a Dorcha slaving party will put them through." He said to the gathered group. "I...I don't want these people to go through what I did, no one deserves to go through that." The Andred man finished, his voice wavering slightly as he spoke.

Once he was done speaking, the knight rose up and turned to look at Beren. "I'll go and put on my armor, I'll meet you and whoever decides to come with you at the gate." He said in a quieter tone so that only Beren heard him, leaving after he had said that without waiting for any response from the party.

@Gardevoiran @The Fated Fallen @Stormflyx @POOHEAD189 @Fetzen @BCTheEntity

To say she was well rested would have been a lie. Truth be told, the Dorcha halfling had been tossing and turning through the hours, only seldom slipping into slumber throughout the night. She spent her time awake looking over at Calanon in his bed. He appeared peaceful and in deep sleep, it didn't surprise her that he would find it so easy to sleep.

She was the first in the kitchen in the morning and took her choice of fruits, a fresh crust of warm bread, and some leftover pieces of a joint of meat from the night before. It was a mixed breakfast, but a delicious one nonetheless. She took herself outside, the sun was just rising off in the distance, pushing back the curtain of night with a honeyed warm glow, amber and magenta entwined along the horizon. It was a beautiful sight to one who had lived so long in darkness. She bit down on the apple, holding it in her mouth, the bread and meat in her bag as she climbed the gnarled trunk of a tree that was going to provide an optimal viewing spot for the rest of the sunrise. She was light-footed and nimble and made it up to a curling branch easily. She slotted herself into it where the branch contoured against her, letting her sit comfortably.



She had watched Beren leave the tavern, and continued to observe him for a while before the others appeared. It would seem to be a group meeting of sorts - now that she was fully on board with their quest, she supposed that she should join too. She let herself drop from the tree, her feet touching the grass beneath it without making a sound.

She had no sooner stepped up to join them, when Nicademus appeared too, looking like his tail was between his legs - humbled. His presence immediately unnerved her, and she felt herself tense up, fists clenching, a foot behind her ready to make a run for it. She listened to his words, but to her they were just words. Trying to compose himself and pretend to be ashamed of his pretentiousness. She wasn't buying it, she felt her lip curl. Everything about this was uncomfortable.

Surely the group was not just going to let him off freely for it? And better yet - to ask a favour, adding further insult to the injury. Surely not.

"I'd sooner keep running than them find me. You don't know them. You don't know what they'll do to me - and then to you for saving me."

"I'm sorry but... I can't run back to them, not for this quest... not for honour. There is no honour to be found in hunting them down..." She remained silent and shaking for a few moments more, she wondered if Calanon felt betrayed by her sudden cowardice - her hypocrisy. She let herself breath just for a moment before continuing; "I mean... if we seek them out then we are on their ground. The town will not be safe. If we think they are on our tail then it's because they want us to think it to do exactly what they want and fall for their traps... I have seen this." She let her eyes travel over to meet Calanon's, hoping that if she could get him to back her on this, she would have half a chance to convince the others. "Trust me, please" she said softly, as if it was only to him.

Alice arose with the birds, just before the sun so she could complete her ablutions without disruption. She re-lit her fire and reheated last nights tea-pot, adding some more honey to wake herself up some.

Now came the interesting part. She sat back on her bed, careful not to wake anyone else, and meditated somewhat. It was possible for one even untrained to sense and manipulate the tides of magic without casting a spell if one was disciplined enough which was exactly what she was trying to do. Such things as this came naturally to monks in battle, or rangers stalking the world and allowed them both varying levels of power but was often an area of study overlooked by wizards like herself so would certainly take a bit longer.

The sense came to her just after she pulled the pot off the boil, like suddenly noticing distant music or the faint smell of burning. A slow thrum beneath the senses. Her 'net' had worked overnight and the room was abuzz with a soft reservoir of magic. Not enough really for any strenuous spells but enough for her. She consulted her spell-book and offered a quick prayer to choice gods of magic, wisdom and strength. The ritual was as arduous as any other and the way things were she couldn't afford a slip-up.

First of all, she set a compass down as level as she could upon her sheets. As nice as it was to know north had not decided to move overnight she would be needing it for another purpose once she started going through the motions. Next she set up a cup of water, and perhaps oddly to any onlooker she put her wand into it. She did suppose it did look a little obscene, but needs must. Water was always a good and natural storage of energy. She wished it could have been warm spring water but she worked with what she had

Just beyond the cup she put a lit candle, bees-wax infused with aether-stone and a special blend of herbs. All perfect for amplifying rituals provided you did not inhale the fumes. She was very careful with the geometry, it had to be placed perfectly in line with herself, the cup and directly to the south, at least for now.

Finally she sat herself in line and returned to her meditative state, clutching her holy symbol. Ragnarok knew and cared little for the arcane, but holding it made her feel more confident so she deemed it worthwhile. She felt the low thrum again, slowly and slowly forming itself into a ball through and above her components. She could almost picture it, her heckles risen and standing on end as she imagined it's shape and movement.

Another fifteen minutes and she reached the perfect moment, enough energy to not fully dissipate by the time she was done but not too much it careened out of control. She drew her wand out of the cup and pulled it close to her heart. The sphere of energy reacted to this, already pulling itself apart. She blew the candle out to try and slow the process, and focused on essentially pulling the sphere towards her being.

It was much like a fisher pulling in a great catch, except this catch was deteriorating rapidly and it's movements were almost imperceptible. She would have no way to focus enough to react to it's movements on sense alone, but that was what the compass was for. Subtly, but assuredly the needle swayed and moved in co-ordination with the ball of energy and she fixed her eyes upon it watching for every twitch of the device. Every single movement was mere centimetres but in her focused state every action felt amplified greatly. She became aware she was sweating acutely and her vision was becoming starry from her focused breathing and focus.

When her skin made contact with the sphere is was almost electrical. She already felt so much more energised, and became that much more focused. Just a little longer... And she threw her arms wide! Blue fire arced behind her wand. She spoke quickly the incantation and drew her instrument back to her chest. The energy was now bound to her. She took a few moments to recover from the mental exertion before returning to her trance to assess the situation. She guessed she had woken her immediate companions somewhat, but it was already morning by now. She was more concerned with the results upon herself.

She noticed she was certainly still recovering from her previous magical exploits, and she could feel some of her new power still draining into that void but overall things looked good. As time went on her magical energy would slowly collect more and more power as she travelled, and while her current power was weaker than she had been before it was most assuredly a step in the right direction. She moved into the bathroom to wash herself of the last of her perspiration before redressing and going downstairs for some breakfast

---

Beren raised his voice above the morning clamour. "Nicademus came to me with a concern that our...enemies might be in pursuit of us. I'm not entirely sure if that's true, but I can't stand by and not check. I won't leave the people in this town in danger. Who's up for a short hike?"

"It certainly makes sense they would, but even if they haven't followed us learning a little local geography knowledge might go a long way towards a defence or our travels later." or a potential flight from here, she didn't add. She didn't consider herself a coward, but it may save many other lives to know the right trails away from the village.

It was the party's own Dark Elf who offered a little insight into the situation. "I mean... if we seek them out then we are on their ground. The town will not be safe. If we think they are on our tail then it's because they want us to think it to do exactly what they want and fall for their traps... I have seen this."

Alice was no tactical genius, but that sounded like a very sage thing to say. The Vrettonnian took her silence and listened into other member's opinions and ideas and paid special heed to Geradin's, his battles against tricky goblins meant she took his word above most when it came to ambushes and traps.

Amid the discussion, and perhaps seeing some of his new allies dissenting from such a sortie away from the village Nicadamus cast himself in a light that seemed at odds with himself. "But, please, I beg of you." When Alice looked at him he was a totally different man from the warrior who stood at the gates. He certainly looked older, and spoke on, "Lend me your help with this endeavour, please, if only to make sure that the innocents in this village don't suffer for something that isn't their fault. I've lived amongst them for a month and I know them to be hardworking, honest, folk who wouldn't deserve the cruelties to which a Dorcha slaving party will put them through. I...I don't want these people to go through what I did, no one deserves to go through that."

Alice had to wonder about the horrors the Dorcha could inflict to do this to a man. Someone who stood so firm against almost a dozen armed and dangerous foreigners now begged and squirmed. It was a terrible thing to realise that not only some horror stories you hear are true, but another realm of shocking to come to realise that these stories were potentially understatements.

@Gardevoiran @Mortarion @Stormflyx @POOHEAD189 @Fetzen @BCTheEntity

Sett's sleep was rather fitful, though it calmed as the night went on. Good, then, that nobody else had shared a room with him to be disturbed by his motions. By the time he awoke, roused by the odd noises rattling around the Madame Alice's quarters, he was feeling much calmer. Indeed, he was more able, as he took care of basic amenities that morning, such as prayer, and for the first time in a little while bathing, to think back over what Nicademus had said the previous evening with a clear mind.

In the first instance, he remained annoyed at how readily the guard captain had just brushed off his honeyed words. He'd put quite some effort into that speech, after all. However, the annoyance was not that of mere offense, he realised, but rather it combined with how impertinently sharp Nicademus was. He had to be especially careful around him; he rather felt some of the other members of the party were already too suspicious of him, and he'd hardly done anything worth drawing suspicion to begin with. Nothing stolen from anybody, only items pulled from their place when he'd been sure nobody was looking... honestly, he wondered whether Fineki was annoyed with him for not taking more chances.

And in the second, it struck him that perhaps he'd been a bit too cruel in his mind toward the guard's plight. Even if he hadn't technically been "tortured" as a prisoner- and that was a debate for a church, whether whipping and chains yet counted as torture, or whether such pains needed to be more protracted than that- he had indeed lost both his home town and his family to the Dark Elf scourge. To discount that merely because he portrayed himself as too much of a victim...

...yet, in the third instance, he found he could not forgive how he merely ignored the possibility that others had also been tormented by their foul clutches. Not that sympathy fell more handily on Aeryn for any reason of race or gender, nor that Nicademus' credibility was in question, but unlike the guard, she'd proven without doubt she was a victim to the group. They'd encountered her, in chains, about to be executed simply for being half-breed. Was he perhaps letting some aspect of her being reach him where Nicademus had failed to reach with his first impression? Well, maybe. He reiterated to himself that his first impression hadn't been the best, then resolved to try and find some spark of goodwill toward the guardsman.

Breakfast found itself a simple affair, fruits and bread and a small amount of meat. He wasn't used to exceptionally heavy meals, even whilst he was still ensconced at the Church of Fineki, for despite everything that branch of the cult remained only middling in wealth; his rations were about the richest thing he'd ever consumed in large quantity, to an extent reserved for the most action-intensive days of his trip thus far. And truthfully, whilst he was at least forced to shift his weight when it came to assisting the settlement, he didn't intend this day to be too rough on himself.

Well, at least until the message reached him about their meeting out front. Apparently, they were to go on a hike in search of any nearby Dark Elf settlements - or, perhaps, at least signs that they might be poised to strike back against the party, with the town as consequent collateral damage. Though Alice's statement made sense, Nicademus' next action was simply weird - pleading, nay, literally begging on hands and knees that they help the people of the town, for they didn't deserve to be enslaved simply because those who had fought the Dark Elves before rested there. And that, despite his foul attitude just the day before!

I... don't think I can read him at all, at least not yet, Sett wondered, frowning despite himself. What was he supposed to make of that sort of attitude? Incensed by their mere presence one day, fearful that they'd fail to help the next? Though, both could be explained by the common trait that was "protective of those he cared for", which was at least a positive aspect of Nicademus' persona. Even then, Sett rather felt the urge not to follow after him. Remaining in his presence seemed like it could well end in disaster, depending on how they turned out.

It turned out Aeryn was his saving grace there, citing very emotionally why she really, really didn't want to ever encounter another Dark Elf again, at least not on their home turf. Where one set a precedent, then, the second merely made the option more viable - and unlike her, he could in fact expand with a logical argument for leaving some behind at the village, based on something she'd said probably as an afterthought to her main point.

'Actually, Aeryn does make a fair point,' he began to speak, minding his phrasing just in case somebody had the gall to tell him off again the way Nicademus had previously - though in truth, the man had already vanished, seeking arms and armour for himself in preparation. 'Think ill of me as you will for saying so, but I believe it's fair to state that I am but a priest, and thus the least helpful in a combative situation... directly, that is. I can, of course, offer divine assistance, but there is only so much I can offer to a small group when the gods see fit to offer but a limited portion of their strength.

'On the other hand, of course,' he explained most reasonably, 'with quite a fixture of guards present in this town, one ritual cast can potentially go much further, distributed among so many. Enhancing their speed, their strength, their durability, their agility...' Their luck and fortune he did not say out loud. 'And of course, it could well be, as Aeryn stated, that the Dark Elves are waiting for us to leave before enacting a strike against a village they then perceive to be poorly defended, maybe even specifically to spite somebody like Nicademus. I say again, the effect of these rituals expands more effectively amongst many fighters than few, and there are very many guards within this village.

'That said, of course I would never deny anyone here a long-lasting blessing of divine favour...' At this, he grabbed a nearby stick and began crafting such a ritual circle in the ground immediately, though technically the ritual was for Fineki-granted luck, rather than general divine favour. He lacked his ritual daggers at the moment, so the stick would have to do - and it wasn't doing so badly, after all. Really, any point did a decent job, though the daggers had special symbolic significance that he hoped Fineki would overlook a lack of just this once. He could only assume Captain Nicademus would want to receive this blessing, too, once he returned.

@POOHEAD189@Gardevoiran@The Fated Fallen@Fetzen@Stormflyx@Mortarion

Ursaren assisted all he could with Alice's magical pursuits, but he found he wasn't needed. It wasn't insulting to him, as he knew that all magic was different in its own specific way. He gave it his all, but once his attempts were proving unneeded, Ursaren simply observed the girl's attempts at magic before nodding off at the end. Somehow, the old man slept surprisingly softly. He made barely any sounds aside from the occasional soft roar of his inner bear coming out. It was actually quite impressive.

When Alice's attempts at magic occurred in the early morning, Ursaren awoke with a sudden panic, rolling off the bed and onto the floor with a thud. At first he was a slight bit annoyed, but he found himself laughing away the agitation before getting up and moving towards his gear and clean clothes. He was ready to switch to a different color, so he found himself wearing his new red garb. It was similar to the blue, how it had a serious number of patches, indicating that not even the glorious color of crimson red could withstand the mighty transformations from Ursaren's normal form to his bear state.

After putting on his new clothes, grabbing his bag, and re-equipping his shield, Ursaren went downstairs to have himself a spot of breakfast. A majority of the group was downstairs when he arrived, and they were all talking about a potent threat of the Dark Elves from before might come to attack this village too. Someone suggested a scouting trip, and everyone began to chime in with their thoughts as they discussed what to do. Nicademus expressed a desire to help the party. Aeryn spoke with a fair bit of wisdom about the issue at hand. Alice brought up her good point that learning the lay of the land was a good idea. Settionne... well... he was fairly right too. Ursaren didn't have much to add, but he did know what he desired to do.

"I think that a hike is a good idea, and while I would love to come and assist the group that goes on the trek, I feel my restorative talents are of much more use here," the old man spoke before taking a bite of an apple, chewing it a fair bit before speaking once again. "Though if everyone here insists that I may be of more use on the hike, I shall go with the exploration group."

The Skayleigh had not slept particularly well. In fact he had hardly slept at all. Trying to get some rest in a wild environment was one thing, doing it inside a completely foreign city was another. He had become so accustomed to nothing but the earthen ground and a thin layer of cloth beneath him that the sudden change in environment hadn't done his sense of calmness particularly well. It was a quite disappointing experience for the half-elf had clearly hoped otherwise. One could tell An-Hasst's current state of mind and tiredness by, well, the interesting colors of his normally entirely gray-ish skin around his eyes.

To make matters worse an announcement and offer was made that he had no way of rejecting. He himself had told Nicademus the day before about the dangerously close presence of Dorcha, so it would have been unacceptable for him not to go on this endeavour right now no matter what. He gently raised his hand to indicate that he had something to say. "Well if I'm allowed to speak frankly, we already have demonstrated that we don't care about what the Dorcha deem to be their territory. And given the carnage they had to suffer due to our unexpected interference I think pretty much anyone with only the slightest knowledge about the concept of retaliation would be more than happy to see us encountering one of his traps. If they're on our tails than they could as well wait for us to leave this settlement again. We, at least those participting, will do this now, but at least with additional support around us. Why hide now if we have to leave this place sooner or later anyway again ? I'm in."

The Skayleigh didn't wait as much as a few seconds for a response. Right now he was capable of strictly linear thinking primarily, and that meant that retrieving his armor and weapons was the next important step on the agenda. They could very well talk more once underway -- and maybe eat something. His stomach was indicating hunger.

Beren listened to the group's comments and opinions with a thoughtful expression. The Eru'Dai's greatest vice was bullheaded stubborness, something his sensei had often told him. Luckily, he'd grown a bit, and he only let that get in the way of his decision making skills if he was in dire straits. He was open to any suggestions at the moment. If Beren was honest with himself, he severely doubted any Dark Elves had followed them. Though anxiety seemed to be running high at the moment, and Nicademus had not been there when they had liberated Aeryn. He couldn't blame the man for wanting to make sure. Beren's second biggest vice was he had a hero complex. He had no qualms going out there even if it might be a trap to keep these people safe.

Calanon was just about to jump up to join him, and out of every companion in the group, he was the most equipped to searching out among the forest for foes. Not even the cunning Dorcha or any trap they would lay would stop him in all probability. As a wood elf and a ranger, he knew how to traverse the woods as well as the very wolves that stalked the forest. However, his keen elven ears perked when he heard Aeyrn speak, and her eyes bore into his as she implored him not to go, leaving him at a loss at what to do. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Don't ye still need some holes dug?" Geradin interrupted, raising one of his bushy eyebrows. He turned to Nicademus, and Beren couldn't help but smile at the forthright Dwarf. "Aye, he does." Beren said, and considered their course for a moment, allowing the weight of the decision to sink in. He spoke after a moment. "We'll do a perimeter search, not an actual backpedal. I think we should have Argon, myself, Ann-Hasst, Alice, and Nicademus go and search around. The rest stay here and help with setting up the townships defenses. We won't go far or be gone long."

Argon perked up, the Saurdraxus having taken a lounging position among the group in the sun until his name was called, fast and sticking his elongated, serpentine neck up like an alert predator. "Ssssss-s-s-s-s yesss we hunt!" he announced, slowly grabbing at his weapon and shield like a lumbering beast taking measured steps. Beren met Aeryn's eyes after he had announced just who would go about looking, and winked at her.

"We'll only go about three miles, and search round the village. There's dangers all along the southland so it'll be good to know the area anyway. Any questions?"
@Fetzen@Gardevoiran@BCTheEntity@The Fated Fallen@Stormflyx@Mortarion

"Well, if that's the case." Ursaren stood from his seat and looked towards the door. "I guess I shall be heading off on my own for a bit. This town does need a healer, plus, I may be able to teach some of the guardsmen alchemy in case they need something to heal their ailments quickly." Ursaren was a little bit disheartened that he wasn't going on the scouting trip, but he admitted to himself that he needed to take a day without becoming the mighty Old Ursa once again. Sometimes it was harder to get out of that bearlike state, as it's power was incredibly tempting to the old man. He felt a decade younger every time he did it.

Shaking the thought out of his head, Ursaren stepped out of the inn and went off in pursuit of where the wounded and sick were kept in this town. Hopefully his powers were still up to snuff from the many heals that he had to provide his group without sleep just a few days ago. Even if it was bad, he could always fall back on his history as an alchemist. Some simple health potions and remedies could satisfy the masses, or at least Ursaren hoped they would.

"None on my part either." Spoke Nicademus, his voice distorted by the helmet that covered his head. True to his word, when the knight finally returned he was covered head to to toe in armor with his sword hanging from a strap slightly above his waist. "Thank you, it will be good for some of the guardsmen to learn alchemy if they are to form an effective guard." The knight said to Ursaren, bowing slightly to the old man. "I assume that it has already been decided which of your group will come with us, no?" The knight asked to Beren. He was no fool, the knight knew that more than a few in the group held distaste, if not outright contempt, towards him for his previous actions and so he was resigned to the possibility that more than a few wouldn't help them scout for the presence of a retaliation party.

Ursaren's words were a partial confirmation of his fears, but the old man would stay to teach the guardsmen an invaluable skill so the knight couldn't, and wouldn't, fault the old man for staying in town. Letting out a sigh, the knight leaned against one of the tavern's walls as he waited for a reply from either Beren or the other members of the group. He tried to look relaxed, but anyone could tell that the knight was tense and if one were perceptive enough they could notice slight tremors in the Andred man's hands. Anything related to the Dorcha usually set Nicademus on edge, as one could easily tell by how he had acted when he had spotted Aeryn, but the prospect of combat against the Dark Elves always made the knight feel the same mixture of emotions: fear and bloodlust.

Nicademus let out a soft sigh, shaking his head slightly to try and dispel the combination of emotions that seemed poised to overtake him. It was a paradoxical situation, on one hand the knight relished on the chance to meet the Dorcha on the field of battle to ensure that they couldn't harm anyone else like they had harmed him. And yet at the same time, the prospect of facing the Dark Elves in battle brought forth back too many memories for fear not to manifest in his heart. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be waiting outside. I need some fresh air." He said, waiting for confirmation that his words had been heard before leaving the inn and taking off his helmet for a moment. "Keep it together Nicademus, you've done this countless times." The knight told himself inwardly while waiting for the others to leave the inn in an effort to keep his emotions under control.