It was a long, arduous road. There were no bandits but plenty of other scares. Herds of deer crossing the dirt roads. The occasional carriage moving past much too quickly. Not to mention the small, nagging voice in her head. "Take the south road here, it's quicker than these idiotic constructed ones." It was like some sort of back-seat driver of a carriage like her sister always was. Well, Livia seemed to be like that most of the time. Marise was a much more gentle soul when it came to anything at all.

Well, enough about people that didn't matter too much for the moment. "Gah! This is such a backwater way to get there, my dear... Deus ex Machina. In my head." It was a word she heard before, though she wasn't completely sure what it meant. She was PRETTY sure it included this situation though. Of course, she had no response at the moment. The voice only came to give her directions, though she gave more and more as they got further south. After long enough, she arrived at the Frontier Town. Hell, it was sooner than she expected. She did have to give it to the random voice in her head for that. "My feet hurt, though I should go to the Town Hall first... Or whatever they think handles this town. Then I can get a drink at the Tavern in town."

She went to the guard at the front of town and asked him how she was to get to the Town Hall. He pointed at a direction and she thanked him, walking to the building. It was... Something... This place. It was somehow worse off than she was when she lived with the Old Man. Well, that much was expected since this was a place on the frontier. It obviously had some issues... Or perhaps she was just biased. Living with a noble family for a number of years was... Well, it changes you some. Livia's personality definitely influenced her.

Katherine entered the town hall and looked around for someone she was able to talk to. When she did, she spoke. "Pardon. I have just recently arrived and know little of this town. Would anyone, perchance, be able to tell me of opportunities or jobs? Something of the sort." She muttered inaudibly, "Loathe I am to say it." Before continuing on. "It appears I will be needing to operate out of here for... An extended time." She added. There's going to be plenty of time spent here, that much is for sure.

Ethan's jaunt through the forest was quiet, serene almost. Though the thick canopy put the forest road under a dark shadow, it also provided a wonderful shade for an otherwise rather warm mid autumn day. Especially with Ethan so winded from his quick walk back to the crossroads, a cool shade would be most pleasant for him, perhaps along with some fresh water and a crisp fruit or some such. Alas, not all was peaceful in this forest. Soon Ethan would come across a ghastly but not entirely unusual sight; a dead fox in the middle of the road, being eaten by two blood-red hawks. These hawks were quiet large; one was at least as big as Ethan's torso, and the other was just a few inches smaller. They tore through the fox easily as if they were ripping apart a roasted chicken, devouring it's corpse with gusto.

Ethan would need to be quick in his decision making; should he hide and wait fore the hawks to leave, taking longer to get to the village, perhaps try to sneak around the blood hawks, or maybe even just run through and hope for the best? Perhaps he should just flee from these two birds of prey? The choice was his.

@Searat

---

Before Nicolas could speak up, Monita went over and picked up the mewing kitten. She gave Livia a look of resistance but also a touch of fright. "You can't! They're my kittens!" The mayor sighed, walking over to his granddaughter and patting her shoulder. "Now now Monita, that was rude. Apologize." The little girl looked down and whispered an apology. Nicolas just gave her a firm stare and she spoke up more loudly. "... I'm sorry. It's just... It's my responsibility, to take care of the kittens. That's my job." Nicolas smiled and stood up, picking the kitten out of Monita's hand to give to Livia. "Forgive my granddaughter, ever since she arrived to the town she wanted to make herself useful. She's taken it upon herself to take care of all the stray cats around here, and their kittens. Feel free to have as many as you wish. If you feel like they've become a handful, Monita would gladly take care of them for you."

The kitten seemed pretty passive in Monita and Nicolas hands, but once returned to Livia the little creature was ecstatic. It's been so long since he's gotten to play with new people. He would paw and wave towards Livia until he was finally in her possession, where he would proceed to crawl and play all over her until he'd wear himself out in about ten minutes.

@Rune_Alchemist

---

It would take Kael quite some time before he would narrow down his listen to potential people who might be his father, and it was still roughly thirty people. They were older gentlemen, human by their description, who would armor and used weapons similar to what Kael would expect, each one have a written description that could possibly be his father sans a few minor details such as some being clean shaven, some wearing their hair short or long, and with certain articles describing the male as being fair skinned or tanned, either which could possibly still be Kael's father considering how often he may spend outside out of his armor. Each of the descriptions had one constant at least; they all came to the Temple for commission some sort of service, typically a repair job for their equipment, stayed in the town until the job was done, and left the Frontier Town. What their reasons for being in the Frontier was mixed or simply not written; most were just vaguely described as "On a quest", with the most detailed being some sort of investigation regarding a guild of thieves. Additionally most of these men had no given name and simply their description, and even those who were named had names that were fairly generic; names such as John, Adam, Bob, so forth. Even the scribes who wrote these receipts ponder if these are true names or just aliases.

As Kael was continuing his research, the red-haired dwarf who he had spoken to before passed by the study, noticing him and entering the room. "Oho? Studying the scripture? Do you wish to join our temple perhaps?"

@Guy0fV4lor

---

Antaeus's slow and meticulous movements were not going to win him any favors chasing prey, but thanks to his watchful and patience eyes, he would indeed notice something that even a seasoned hunter would miss easily. Anyone would expect the White Stag to leave behind deep footprints or perhaps fur in the bush; many seek it and keep their nose close to the ground. It wasn't until a curious glance around that Antaeus would notice the true key to finding the White Stag; he would look upwards and notice a few branches with notable scratches on their undersides. It would easily click into place for the young man; the White Stag, no doubt a great and tall beast, would have his antlers scratch even the tallest branches unlike other normal deer and bucks. Once he realized this he could easily track the trail the White Stag would have gone, at least while it's moving through the forest. That would be when Antaeus would notice just why such a creature is surprisingly hard to find.

Had he followed the deer trail Antaeus would be led towards the grass plains where deer are commonly sighted during their hunting season. While it would make sense for the White Stag to follow his fellow beasts in their migration, the trail Antaeus knew continued onward through the forest in the direction of the Salt Lake; a land locked body of water known for it's complete lack of fish but high concentration of salt. In fact, this was where the Frontier Town got most of it's salt locally. However it was also dangerous; the Salt Lake was outside of the Red Bear's territory, so there was no telling what sort of predators may be there. Indeed, the White Stag himself had to be a formidable creature to willingly go to such a dangerous place on his own.

Still, perhaps this would just be more in Antaeus's favor. Dangerous predators could be worthy prey to prove to the garrison leaders that Antaeus is worthy of being a warrior, and they may inadvertently help the young man hunt down the White Stag, possibly even slay it. Danger was always an ever present factor to these things, and it's only those with a heroic spirit who look pass danger to grasp victory.

@Zeroth



When Katherine arrived to the town hall, the person she spoke to was none other than another traveler who just arrived; he had struggled a bit with his written common, and thus had to have a scribe help write his papers for him. Or at least, a scribe who could also understand his lingo. Fortunately that same scribe spoke orcish, to which this young-half-orc man was quite fluent, so they solved that problem easily. So when Katherine approached the young half-orc he craned his neck. "Fancy dat. Yer a newcomer too eh? Ye, ya just missed da orientation, but dere's a lotta stuff ye can do round ere. Mines could always use more workers, but I imagine dat a lady like ye ain't interested in dat. I hear dat da Tavern could use a courier. Let's see... Some lass who runs da local school needs people I hear." The orc lifted his oar over his shoulder and shrugged.

"Personally dey all sound like a crap job ta me. Word on da street however is dat Barthen, da guy who runs da general store here, is paying a gold coin fer every pound of some herbs from da forest. I'm gunna head in dere and grab as much as I can carry and get enuff dosh ta start up a lil fishery. Interested in helpin a bloke out?"

@Pyromania99

@Lucius Cypher

---

---

Livia hadn't expected Monita to react so strongly to the suggestion. She could tell she liked the kittens, but she didn't think she'd be so strongly attached to them. Smiling faintly, Livia didn't seem to take any offense to the girls outburst. If anything, she seemed to find it amusing, especially more so when Nicolas told her why she had. It was good she was trying, at least, even if it was something that small. Taking the kitten back from the mayor, she gave the small animal an affectionate nuzzle before letting it climb on her dress.

"Aha, I don't think I can take care of more than one for now," Livia mused, kneeling in front of Monita. "I can tell you've taken quite good care of these kittens." She reached out, petting the feline girl on the head lightly. "Taking care of a living thing is no small responsibility. You've done well, from how well they seem to like you." Standing back up as the kitten had climbed onto one of her shoudlers. "And if you want, you can come play with him any time. Now lets see..." Humming lightly and petting the kittens face. What would be a good name...? "How about Crème, hm?"

Livia would spend the next ten minutes letting the kitten tire itself out, even taking off a shoe and letting it finally make an attempt to sit in it. In the meantime, she'd chat with the mayor and otherwise finish her tea and a few more of the cookies. Overall, this interaction went well. She got permission to explore that crypt and she might be able to get on extremely good terms with Maeda. A win win on all fronts...and she even got herself an adorable little kitten. Such a lively one, too! After he had finally tired himself out though, Livia would slip on her shoes again and politely excuse herself from the main area, saying good bye to both Monita and Nicolas, making sure to keep Crème cradled in her arms.

Once outside, Livia exhaled deeply, expression going from neutral to her usual resting annoyed visage as she walked down the streets to the school where Maeda was teaching.

How utterly annoying. Nicolas was the mayor? He seemed soft. A pathetic old man who was far too soft and indecisive. Ugh, she was getting a mild headache too. Dealing with any nobles - or anyone in power, really - was always headache inducing. They always preferred honeyed words over doing anything, and quite often were too stubborn for their own good. Nicolas was the worst sort of leader - soft. Likely always tried to find a way to get everyone out alive, or reduce casualties to a minimum. Such a naive and pathetic world view always did more harm than good. A power hungry tyrant who always wanted more was preferable than such a ruler. At least they were unafraid of spending just a little more manpower or danger to secure their security or dominance.

She supposed on some level she could admire such idealism, no matter how foolish it was. An ideal world did not exist when humans and people could so rarely agree on things for so long. Without a strong leader or someone to corral them and stop them, they always turned on each other after some time. Oh well, a thought for another time. She got what she wanted out of that meeting. Now that she had secured official permission from the mayor, she had no reason to play overly nice with Maeda. She just needed to tolerate her presence if she had to long enough to hopefully get results.

Exhaling again, Livia stroked the head of her new pet, finally arriving at the schoolhouse where she assumed Maeda was. Opening the door, Livia walked inside and looked for the teacher, making sure to keep Creme from running off.

@Lucius Cypher

Ethan stared at the pair of winged pests and thought to himself what was the best course of action. First thing he think of was just to turn back and leave the birds as is, second was to sneak around the problem, and third was just to leg it and dash through the two and hope for the best. He rarely encountered beasts like these hawks, the most Ethan had encountered in his trip to Frontier Town would be a stray fox getting to curious for comfort. He would have considered fighting one but those dagger like beak and irritable demeanor made it so that it would be near suicidal to do so...and going back empty handed would only lead to more problems than solutions. 'Guess I would have to sneak my way past.' Ethan thought to himself before, quickly nodding his head. He moves off the dirt road and opts to go around the area with the hawks enjoying their grisly meal and return to the road when a sufficient distance away.

Giving the two winged pests a wide ten meter berth, Ethan goes into a crouching position and carefully weaves around the trees and bushes hoping to make it harder for the birds to detect him sneaking by.

---

@Lucius Cypher

As Kael continued to toil away at looking for his father in the temple's visitor log, he eventually narrowed his search down to around thirty individuals; any of which could have been his father. Dammit! If only he had a chance to speak to the bishop! With the quality of his father's weapon and armor, it was unlikely that any priest other than the bishop would have enough skill to repair them. 

Before he could dwell on it any further, the red-haired dwarf who he had spoken to before entered the room. "Oho? Studying the scripture? Do you wish to join our temple perhaps?"

Honestly, up till now, Kael hadn't given it much thought. However, the prospect was rather tempting. "A pleasure to see you again guardian!" Kael exclaimed with a beaming smile as he turned to face her, "Sadly, this isn't scripture, these are the temple's visitor logs.  I'm just trying to find information on my father, as I believe he would have stopped here for repairs before going to slay that dem-........" realizing that he had started to perhaps give away too much information, Kael quickly  changed the subject.

"Am I looking to join the temple? Well, it's certainly tempting, part of the reason I travelled to the frontier was to become a paladin! Now, from what I understand, the only other religious group in this town is the church of Pharasma; whose philosophies I am quite familiar with. Honestly, I do not feel that worship of Pharasma is for me.  The scriptures and practices of Torag however, I am rather unfamiliar with. Based on what I've seen so far, this might just be the place for me. Tell me guardian, does this temple perhaps offer paladin training?"

---

---

Geez, just how big is this thing? Antaeus wondered as he followed the trail of scarred trees. He knew deer often rubbed trees for some reason--he had always kind of wondered if they had to sharpen their horns--but this was the first time he had seen such marks so high off the ground. Still he followed them, a growing knot tightening in his chest, but he hadn't seen anything to make him give up yet.

The White Stag defied expectations yet again, heading towards the lifeless Salt Lake rather than the grassy meadows. Antaeus had also heard that the best places to hunt were salt licks, as animals would return to them almost as frequently as they searched for fresh water. At the Salt Lake, he wondered if they waited for the water to dry up a bit or if they just drank it straight--he had heard men at the docks talking once when he delivered ore to be shipped somewhere else. They had said that when a man became stranded at sea, the moment he drank the salt water would be the start of the end for him. He didn't understand why that was, but maybe it was different for animals for some reason?

Antaeus had never been to the Salt Lake, but he knew that it was still dangerous, and many of those newcomers who came through on caravans every so often usually had to be warned away from the place if they decided to hunt. The Red Bear didn't wander this far, so all of the creatures that fled when it established its territory had either gone here, or to the grassy meadows. And the meadows offered too little cover from prey, too little shelter from the elements, so more than likely the larger beasts remained here. Again Antaeus felt his body tensing. He was starting to sweat.

He stopped among the cover of underbrush, just within sight of the lake but hopefully out of sight of everything else around him. As he sat for several moments in silence, the only sounds the ones coming from inside himself, he realized what danger he was truly in here. He had only a few spears and darts, no armor, no experience, no training. Who knew what beasts he might find--wildcats? Mountain Lions? Boars? Something worse? Something bigger? Even the least of these could kill him. He didn't think he could outrun a wild animal, even though he was fairly spry for his size. He knew for sure he couldn't outfight one, even with all of his strength.

"Constant thought, boy! Constant thought! If you walk around with that dumb look on yer face all the time, sooner or later you're gonna trip over those big stupid feet of yours and bring this whole cave down on top of us! Think about what you're doin' every time you swing that pick!"

That's right. This was not the first time he faced death. In the mines, at any moment a cave-in or a natural gas leak or a sinkhole could claim lives. One misswing could spell death not just for the miner, but the whole crew. He hadn't even been there all that long, and he had seen numerous people injured by simple mistakes or lack of foresight. He had seen at least one death. He had lived with that, worked with that burden hanging over his head just as surely as the stalactites, and he had managed to survive.

So he closed his eyes, forced himself to swallow, and calmed down. When he opened them, he looked out upon the shores of the lake, and all around it, and around himself. What was here? What could he see? What could he use, what could he do? And what beasts, if any, awaited him?

---

---

"An accent, lovely." Katherine said. She didn't intend to be rude, though her tone would indicate such a thing. Back when she lived in the lower quarters of the city, she met plenty of people with an accent. Most were difficult to understand, though now she could understand most. She regretted no learning Orcish, since this half-orc likely knew it. Yorick taught her Common as she grew up and found that she knew the language of Angels and Demons as the years went on. It proved invaluable to Yorick who, himself, only knew Elvish and Dwarvish with a tiny bit of Orcish but he never taught her beyond the things she innately knew.

"You seem like a good man. If my feet were not exhausted from walking forest trails and rocky paths I'd likely take you up on the offer. That said, my sister should be town. I think my first set of actions will include going to the tavern to relax some and then look for her." Katherine said, laying out the plans aloud about as much for herself as it was for her Half-Orc companion. He hadn't suddenly seemed hesitant of her either, with her little tail flicking around like she tended to when talking to people. "Give me your name though. I will keep you in mind, should I think to head out to gather herbs." After the Aasimar left, she headed over to the local tavern, hoping for a nice relaxing alcoholic drink to calm the nerves in her feet.

She entered. It was about as crude as one could expect around here. Katherine went up to the barkeep, "Pardon, something cheap. Rum preferred, if you have it." As the barkeep poured her drink, she took a look around. It was fairly boisterous though not in a bad way. Well, probably. A ton of people being around was kind of annoying to her. Once the barkeep returned with her drink, "How much do I owe you? Think you could point me in the direction of someone that'd know the area outside the town? I might be needing to find something."

At Maeda's school house, finding the teacher was easy; there was only one long hall, with a few shelves where the children stored their own belongings in named holes. Next was the classroom where Maeda was showing the students a map of the Frontier, using illusion magic to create a large translucent map for them to see. "Here children, the Frontier Town is in the Grandall Empire. The town pays taxes to the empire yearly in order to maintain support and supplies from outside of the town. That being said, because we're so far away from other towns or cities, the Grandall Empire doesn't really have many soldiers or people here in the Frontier Town." Maeda waved her hand at the illusion to zoom in over the town itself. "That's because of these great mountains that separate our town from the rest of the empire. It took many brave people to cross these mountains and build a road up to here, but because no one knows what's on the other side of the mountains, no one from the Empire wants to move here. But thanks to the mayor and people like your parents, we now have a nice little town here, and when you grow up to be rich and successful people, you could help make this town even better." Maeda said with a motherly tone which made many of the students start asking questions. She took them all in stride, answering ones that were actually important but also indulging in their childlike curiosity.

One of the children, a dwarf from the looks of it due to his notable beard, asked about the monsters around the Frontier. This was when Maeda looked a bit mournful as she changed the illusion to show off various "monsters" around the Frontier Town. The first appeared to be a troll; it was a sickly green looking creature with long, gnarled claws, messy hair, and clothed with only a single loin cloth. The next creature was a some sort of hag; she had hair like seaweed, fingers that curled into talons, and a sickly looking demeanor. And lastly, there was the rotting form of a zombie, armed in the ruined armor of the local militia and wielding a longsword. "There are many monsters out here in the Frontier. One of the most dangerous monsters are trolls; these large, green giants are very strong and like to eat people like you and me. Worse, even when you attack them, they can quickly heal their wounds. However you can beat them if you use something like fire. Then there are the hags, evil witches who live in the forest. They use evil magic to corrupt the animals and spirits around the Frontier, or can even use their magic on you! They take children like you so they can eat or use for their dark rituals. Which is why you shouldn't go into the forests by yourself; they're always watching and waiting to snatch little children up!" This got a terrified cry from the students as Maeda motioned for them to calm down. With a hint of magic.

Finally there was the last creature who one of the students asked about, correctly guessing it to be an undead. "Indeed, this is an undead. This one is specifically a zombie, a type of undead who still has flesh and bones. Undead are created by necromancers, people who use magic to control life and death, often to torment and attack people. But Undead are also created when a dead body isn't properly buried. When someone dies in this world and they aren't given a proper burial or cremation, there's a chance that their bodies will come back as a zombie, attacking anyone nearby. Because of how dangerous the Frontier Town is, a lot of people have died before we could get a chance to bury them. Some of those people were folks who lived in these lands long before we came here, but who's bodies still roam. That's why we have the paladins of Pharasma here in the Frontier Town to help tend to the people who died, and to fight the undead."

The children had many more questions, and once Maeda answered them she dismissed the children to go eat lunch. Next she lesson was going to be about geography and the lands around the Frontier Town. It was only after class was over that Maeda noticed Livia. Dismissing the illusion the arachne adjusted her glasses and bowed her head. "Greetings! I'm sorry for not noticing you at first, my name is Maeda, I'm a teacher here in the Frontier Town. You look a bit too old to be one of my regular students, but a bit too young to be a mother. How can I help you?"

@Rune_Alchemist

---

The young man chose subtly to escape the hawks. He sneaked on pass them, and for a while it seemed to work. They were so busy engrossing themselves in their meal that they likely wouldn't have paid him too much mind even if he didn't try to be sneaky. However there was only one problem; these they were relatively small creatures themselves, they had quite an appetite and were far too efficient in tearing apart the fox carcass. There was nothing left but fluff and bones by the time they finished eating the unfortunate creature, literally seconds after Ethan was only ten feet ahead of them on the path towards the village. They raised their heads and looked around, then suddenly their eyes were on Ethan.

If he ran now, he might be able to outrun them. Perhaps if he ran somewhere deeper in the forest, he could hide from them again. But surely, these were only two birds. Perhaps he could defeat them using a stick or even his bare hands. How hard could these two bloodied birds of prey be?

@Searat

---

The dwarf chuckled. "You know you could just ask for my name? I'm Ashley Blacksteel." The dwarf smirked and hefted her hammer onto her shoulder. She seemed a bit curious when Kael mentioned he was looking for his father, but then he changed the subject about the temple so she spoke about that instead. "Ah, a squire or initiate? I know we've got a lot of paladins and knight errant types who came to the Frontier to experience fighting evil or some such. Unfortunately, this temple is focused more on Torag's services and practices, namely in industry and smithing. Now don't quote me on this, but I'm sure we can still accept paladins so long as they follow Torag's teachings and uphold his ethics, as well as have the abilities of a paladin. Buts as for training to become a paladin here?" The dwarf scratched her chin.

"Well I suppose you could learn Torag's teachings and the spirituality here. As well as a way around the anvil. Maybe even a little magic. But as for the physical, martial training, you'll have to work with the garrison for that. I'm the only martially trained member of the temple here and well... I'm still sharpening up my skills at the Garrison myself." However instead of seeming meek about it, the young woman puffed out her chest and pounded her chest with a closed fist. "That being said, I'm arguably the best trainee at the garrison. Stick with me and you'll be a paladin in no time. Consider me your senior."

@Guy0fV4lor

---

Reaching the Salt Lake took some time, but soon enough Antaeus had arrived, following the trail left behind by the White Stag. The Salt Lake, sure enough, was devoid of much plant life around it; not even algae grew in the high sodium content waters. The trees ended near the shoreline, but fortunately for Antaeus there was still some sort of a trail to follow; deer tracks. While it was almost impossibly to see which one was the White Stag and which one might've belong to another stag or deer, he would at least know that the trail continues through the lake. Perhaps the Stag wasn't alone. Or maybe more deer simply followed after him. But aside from the trail, there wasn't much else for Antaeus to see even as he actively looked.

There was the salt lake, vast as it was, and in the distance he could vaguely make out the stream that brought the sediment and water into the lake. The ground here was somewhat rocky, not so much that footing would be poor, but rocky enough that he could pick up a sizable stone. Nothing he wasn't unaccustomed to working in the mines. And as far as threats, none that he could see from his hidden vantage point. If there was one double-edge sword when it came to the salt lake's lack of vegetation around it, it was that the lack of cover for prey also meant a lack of cover for predators. If Antaeus would go out alone he would have no where to hide, but anything that would try to come after him would have to either be moving very fast, or reveal themselves before they could get the jump on the young man.

If he had focused back onto the potential trail of the White Stag, he would notice that the foot prints become more erratic somewhere in between the forest edge and towards the lake. He couldn't discern much more aside from that where he was standing, so now Antaeus needed to make another decision; continue on the stag's trail, trying to investigate and follow where it went, or give up on this hunt and find easier prey. The choice was his.

@Zeroth

---

The young half-orc nodded towards Katherine. "Name's Katalmach. Guess I'd be seein ye around, lady." And so the two parted ways. The orc named Katalmach headed off towards the town gate to leave towards the forest while Katherine made her way to the Drunken Dragon. Finding it would be easy enough; their business board depicted a large winged dragon pouring ale down it's maw from a large wooden barrel. As she entered the Drunken Dragon was certainly not as classy as some city taverns, but it had a certain rustic charm, fitting considering that the owner was a halfling with a half-elf helping with designs. It felt less like a tavern and more like someone's living space, albeit with a much larger common area with an excess of tables and furniture. The bar keep, Sips, initially seemed rather ornery for some reason but immediately brighten up when Katherine ordered some rum. Using a rolling pin he had on hand he easily grabs a clean mug that was above him and filled it with the current rum on tap.

"Seigbrau, the rum of victory. That'll be seven coppers. As for a local guide, I suppose you could always head up to the garrison and look for one of the hunters. They have a good lay of the land, though it's not usually their business to guide newcomers. Maeda is the local teacher and is pretty knowledgeable of the area around town. You seem like a smart lassie, bet you're into magic and the like too. Maeda would definitely help you there if she's not busy with her students. Let's see... Ah, there's Dormic. An odd fellow, for a human at least, but he's got some sort of druidic attunement to the land or something. Whatever his deal is, he'll know his way around and unlike the first two, he has much more free time. I think I saw him leading the last group of visitors towards Town Hall. I suppose you could try to talk to his friend Ntaj too but... Well, poor lad, he's a bit slow in the head. But he definitely knows his way around the wilderness and between the two, Ntaj could probably fight off a bear if all you need is someone to protect you. He's right over there if you wanna chat with him."

Sips pointed towards the strange looking man sitting on the stage. The term man being used loosely here, as Ntaj appeared to be a bipedal, anthropomorphic turtle. He was just sitting on stage fiddling with a complex looking string instrument. None of the other patrons were paying him any mind as he was repairing his tool, and shortly after he finished he started playing a song, kicking his feet against the stage to provide some sort of percussion. Someone must have asked him to play a song because shortly after he started two men stood up and walked to a table, ripping off their tattered shirts to have a very intense card game. There was a lot of shouting of names and what may or may not be spells of some druidic nature. People shouting about lightning bolts, dual color lands, and accusations of mana weaving. It was very passionate.

@Pyromania99

@Lucius Cypher
This whole job seemed so easy at the time he asked Sips for the opening. Go to point A and get ingredients, repeat process for point C and D, before returning to the tavern again. How did it come to this? Ethan stared wide eyed at the pair. Sweat slowly dripping down his brow as he felt his heartbeat hasten. In his panicked state, their bloodied dagger like beaks looked even more intimidating under the amber colored rays light of the sunset that shone through the lush canopy. It sent chills down his spine. Ethan starts running like a madman in the direction of the town. To the outsider's perspective, it would be a humorous sight to see. A strangely dressed man with a walking stick and a top hat running through the forest while a pair of birds chase after him. To Ethan, this was one of the most absurd yet terrifying experience he has ever experienced in his life.

Not even the time he had to ride a boar for a race in a festival in his home town scared and confused him this much.

"Ya sold me garbage, Chodok!" The grizzled, dirty looking man rasped at the master crafter. "Ya said it waz dis fancy new c'traption and instead it broke right'way." The man had missing teeth and a matted disgusting looking beard. His eyes were shifty and full of malice. He was leaning over the counter, spitting away his, as far as he was concerned, righteous indignation. "Now yer gonna fix it, and yer gonna fix it right an' not aks a penny of me or oy'll..."

Before he could finish his rant there was a shift in the air and a slender tabaxi form had wrapped itself around the stubby, blubbery creature. "You'll what, Jarkyt?!" Shem'et hissed menacingly at the old fool. She had twisted his left arm behind his back and her right hand had seized the man's throat. Sharp claws extended from her tabaxi fingers, grazing the dirty skin of the neck. Shem scratched the claws across the skin to further make her point. Not hard enough to break the surface, but still enough to raise some nasty looking red welts. Her feline eyes flicked between the interloper and her master and she saw the warning in the old man's eyes. Shem'et fell silent but did not relinquish her prey. Instead she followed with her eyes the movements of Chodok, who calmly stood up from his stool.

"Now, Jarkyt..." He began at length. "I'm sure you haven't forgotten our agreement upon your purchase of the item." The old artisan opened a drawer of his work table and produced a folded parchment. "But just in case you did forget, I have the thing to jog your memory." Master No cleared his throat and started reading the note aloud. 'I, Jarkyt the Leech Collector, agree to purchase this prototype item only under the promise that I will wield it carefully and gently as it is a delicate implement. If I fail to do so I forfeit the right to seek recompense from its inventor. And should I damage the prototype as a result of misuse I must pay for any repairs necessary out of my own pocket.' Chodok raised the paper at Jarkyt's eyelevel. "You sealed it with your own blood." Chodok stated calmly. "And should you try to deny that fact. I'm sure the Lady Lucilia can clear this matter for us."

Jarkyt, still held firmly by Shem'et, paled visibly at the mention of Underhave's vampire leader. He gulped audibly, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down frantically, causing the tabaxi's claws to dig deep enough to draw blood. The man yelped pitifully and his demeanor changed even further. He went from raging mad, to meek and obedient in seconds. "Oy'm sorry, master No. Oy meant no 'fence. Oy'll pay fer da r'pairs miself!" Jarkyt whined and felt himself released from the hold. His right hand immediately went to his throat and when it came back it held a few drops of his blood. Jarkyt gulped once more and made a side step to get further away from Shem'et. He'd hoped to catch the old tinkerer on his own and bully him into fixing the item free of charge. He knew damn well it was his own fault for the bloody thing getting broke. Jarkyt remembered too well the agreement he'd signed and that he wasn't s'posed to handle the implement roughly and knew he'd been public enough in doing just that. So with full knowledge of this violation he'd went to Chodok's shop hoping that damned tabaxi apprentice of his wouldn't be there to protect the old sod. His gamble hadn't paid off and now he was going to be forced to pay for the damned repairs as he needed the tool.

"I'm glad we understand each other." Master No smiled graciously. "That'll be five silver for the repairs and you can come back for your implement in three days."

"Yis, thank'y, Master No." The grubby man replied defeated, throwing a hateful glance at Shem'et.

"I swear, girl, the way you move sometimes!" Chodok exclaimed once the two of them were alone in the shop. "If I had to speculate, I'd have to say you had some military training in the past."

Shem's feline face scrunched into a frown. She didn't like to think about her past much. To this day none of her memories had returned to her and the woman had resigned herself to the fact. Plus, she was happy where she was and with what she was doing. Crafting was honest work and she also got to work on fanciful inventions with her master teacher. She didn't much care for her past or what she'd been back then. And it irritated her slightly when it was brought up. But she respected Master No way too much to ever say it out loud.

"I would think every living being would go for the jugular." The tabaxi smirked. "And with these..." She extended her claws, which had retracted as soon as she'd released Jarkyt. "One could assume that going for the jugular would be even more to my advantage."

The old crafter shook his head. "It's not just now. I've seen you move like that on many of occasion. Fluid and practiced like. Not just something that can be attributed to your innate tabaxi agility. Almost like... Like muscle memory." The man mused. "Like how if I ever lost my memories and was handed crafting tools, my hands would make the movements on their own even if I needed to be shown at first."

Shem shrugged. "Regardless... I'm happy with how my life is now. I don't care enough to know what I was to go trying out fighting moves and stances."

Chodok sighed. "I know you feel comfortable with apprenticing for me, lass. And I've come to love you like a daughter. But the past has a way of haunting us." The artisan put a hand on the slender tabaxi's shoulder. "You're a good, kind lass. Of that I couldn't be more sure. But we all have some skeletons in our closets. I just don't want yours catching you unprepared."

Shem's eyes softened and she hugged the old man. "Thank you, master. I know you say this out of love. I'll try to be prepared if such a day should come." She stepped back and looked Chodok in the eyes.

"I can ask you nothing more than that!" He nodded firmly. "Now!" He clapped his hands. "I do have some errands I would ask you to run for me. Would you mind terribly fixing that fool Jarkyt's tool? And then we'll make him way two extra days for being such a rude git!" Chodok chuckled at that. "And once you're done with that, would you run over to Bookie at the mines. Whatever's happening there is delaying our iron supply and we're already running low on ingots." Chodok scratched his stubble pensively. "See if you can help them with whatever is keeping the mines closed. Our business will be ruined if we can't have fresh iron to work with!"

"Of course, master." Shem hesitated. It wasn't rare for old Chodok to relinquish repairs of his own inventions to Shem'et, but he generally liked to do those on his own. 'It’s a matter of crafter's pride!' He often said. So her curiosity was peaked when he delegated the repair of this invention to her. "May I ask what you're working on?"

"It is still too early in development." Chodok shook his head. "I'll tell you when the time is right." He nodded firmly, his eyes becoming distant with thoughts of his new project. "Yes, when it's time!" He confirmed and scurried to the depths of the workshop.

Shem smiled. If her master said he'll tell her when the time is right, she didn't doubt he would. The two of them often worked on inventions in tandem. And even if they both had their own projects, they would always share what the other one was working on. To get opinions and ideas.

---

As soon as Shem'et finished repairs on Jarkyt's tool, the tabaxi ventured outside of Underhaven and headed for the Black Mines. She caught sight of the tall Firbolg and approached in her quiet feline fashion.

"Good day, master Bookie." She greeted with a smile. "I come on behalf of master Chodok to inquire about our shipment of iron ingots. We are running low and with the mines closed off, the master is worried our business will suffer. If there is anything I can do to help resolve the situation? Talk to someone? Offer my skills? I may be a crafter, but I know how to use these quite well." Shem demonstrated her sharp claws. "And I'm very agile and stealthy!" She finished, looking hopeful.

@Lucius Cypher

---

---

Entering the schoolhouse, finding Maeda was fairly easy. The small building had only a long hall with shelves where the children stored their belongings, followed by the classroom where Maeda taught it seemed. Not being noticed at first, Livia took a position at the back of the room as Maeda continued her lesson. Crème mewled playfully, purring lightly as he was cradled in her arms, pawing at her clothes lightly. For the most part, the Lesson wasn't anything she didn't already know. She was simply going over the Grandall empire, a brief history of the town and why it was still so remote. No one from the Grandall empire wanted to spare resources or money on some backwater town with potentially no profit. As for Maeda herself, Livia wasn't quite sure what she expected, but it was not a motherly Arachne. She supposed it was appropriate for the position she had, though. She herself, wasn't so sure of her ability to handle children in any capacity.

The next lesson was briefly about the creatures and beasts that lived around the Frontier Town. She recognized a Troll - vicious monsters. She was lucky not to have run into any on her own while traveling here. A hag followed, though she was unconcerned with them as much as she was a troll - and lastly a zombie. Overall though, it was an enlightening lesson. Learning what sorts of potential creatures lurked in the forests was always a good idea and way to stay prepared. When the lesson ended and Maeda finally took notice of her presence, Livia smiled lightly.

"You know, when I came to the Frontier I did not expect to find something quite so beautiful out here." Liva mused before introducing herself. "I am Livia Fiore, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

---

---

Katherine was glad she broke her money up earlier. She tossed seven coins to the barkeep for the drink and took it up. She needed just enough to be a little tipsy and forget the strain from her feet. She drank while she listened to the man explain who she could go to in town. Dormic and Natl seemed like the best fellows if she needed to go outside town. She'd definitely talk to them later if she needed to. She rather liked this Natl fellow as well. Something was interesting in a giant turtle man. She'd never seen something of the sort before, but then again... How rare was an Aasimar with a bit of fiendish heritage. She had drank half the glass and decided that was actually enough for now. If it were later at night, that'd be one thing... First, she tossed another copper coin to the barkeep. "For the information. It's helpful. And I think I'm done with this for now." She said, sliding the glass back to the barkeep. "If you're feeling brave, you can say it's been drunk from by a beautiful angel." She said with a wink before standing up to leave. "I'll be back, my good man." She said, as she left for Maeda's place.

She was only in the tavern for a couple of minutes, but Livia should be in town already. If she went anywhere... She probably went to the place for knowledge. The Half-Orc from earlier, Katalmach, and the Barkeep both mention the school so Livia was probably mentioned it. Plus, if this teacher knew anything about the area... Maybe she'd have an idea about the source of her headaches and the voice flowing in her head. Well, regardless, she found the place not too far away and entered, looking around for Livia or the teacher, Maeda.

---

---

Antaeus's attention was drawn to the erratic change in the trail between the brush and the salty shore, but from here he couldn't see enough of the details through the grasses and branches. Giving it some thought for a moment, however, he could only come to a few conclusions. The first that sprang to his head was that the White Stag had gotten into a fight, but raised one more question: what kind? Had it been fighting with another creature, defending itself from a predator? Or had some other stag challenged it for dominance? Antaeus couldn't really see that second one, but then again maybe the White Stag didn't command the kind of awe from its own kind as it did from people. Either way, if the creature had been fighting Antaeus would feel slightly more confident--it might be wounded or tired, and thus easier for him to handle.

Another option could be that it had fed here and dug at the ground to find roots or seeds, or marked its territory with waste. Antaeus knew dogs and cats would often do that and then scrape the ground over it as if out of politeness. But he didn't feel like that was likely--he'd seen deer droppings before and they didn't seem too concerned about whether or not anyone would be inconvenienced by such things.

The only other prospect the boy could imagine was that perhaps it was mating season. That might explain some of the other deer tracks around the Stag, maybe he was leading his herd of females. Maybe the disturbed area of the ground had been made such by a, uh, rather frisky coupling. And that could tie into the theory about fighting, too, as male deer would of course fight over females just like the males of every other species.

But ultimately speculation wouldn't serve any purpose. Using these ideas as a baseline, he just needed more information, so he could decide where to go from there. Glancing around once more but recognizing it was time to just breathe and take the plunge, Antaeus headed through the brush to investigate the erratic patch of earth. He realized he would be in the wide open, so he didn't bother moving slowly anymore, and went ahead and slid one of his javelins out of the side pocket of his pack just in case, holding it firmly in one hand.

---

@Lucius Cypher

As Ashley continued to explain, Kael visibly became more and more excited. Was this the chance he was looking for? Not only would being part of the temple give him direct access to high-quality arms and armor, but how to make them as well. Furthermore, he'd have the (self-proclaimed) top militia trainee couching for him.... It was perfect!

Closing the logbooks and organizing them into a stack, Kael stood and gave the dwarf a short bow, "Kael'thas Minathil. Well Ashley, you drive a hard bargain, and I'm most definitely going to take you up on it..."

Lifting the pile of books, Kael looked at Ashley as an ecstatic smile formed across his face.


As much as Kael wanted to uncover his father's fate, becoming strong enough to do something about it came first. He was going to make his father proud, and live up to the name of Minathil.

A thirty minute walk might not seem that far when you had the leisure of walking thirty minutes, but suddenly that length grew exponentially bigger when you’re being chased by a pair of man eating murder birds. Being in the forest didn’t help Ethan very much either; not only did he have to struggle with getting back onto the dirt path leading out of the forest, but unlike him the bloodhawks had very little trouble navigating between the trees and brush to chase him. After all, this sort of thing was their entire livelihood; not being able to chase prey through the forest would mean their deaths. And unfortunately, it may spell Ethan’s death as well.

For then minutes he ran as fast as he could. He had a bit of a head start but the blood hawks easily managed to catch up with him. Yet despite being able to catch him even as he dashed away, they didn’t go after him immediately, flying off into the air. Perhaps they decided to find easier prey? No, no they did not. Because they stayed nearby, menacing him and even doing flybys around him. And why? Because most people underestimate the brutal cunning of these beasts. They think they’re animals who cannot act beyond their instincts. Rarely do they consider how complex instincts can be.

Shortly after ten minutes of running exhaustion would set in for Ethan. Nonstop full tilt running was not something he was physical prepared for even in his old life. Not even animals can do that, and the Bloodhawks knew this. And their cruel, sick cunning, they were casually threatening Ethan so that he would be exhausted and thus easier to kill. He won’t be able to put up nearly as good of a fight when he was tired, and so far away from help as well. Ethan would feel his bones crack and his blood struggling to provide him the energy to keep going; even his adrenaline was quickly dwindling.

It was about time for the hawks to feed. One flew ahead while the other kept chasing Ethan. When they were in position they both dove towards him. Same thing as they always did; go straight for the eyes and neck, rip and tear. Quick and easy.

Then an arrow impaled one.

Off in the distance standing underneath a tree was a lone girl wearing red armed with a longbow. The birds had spent so much time menacing Ethan they didn’t notice her. The surviving Bloodhawk backed off for a moment to analyze the situation while the lone ranger called out to the young man.

@Searat

---

Bookie was still in his books when the young tabaxi woman arrived. He was sipping some tea when she came up to him asking about the iron shipment and offering her services. He set both his book and his teacup down as he sighed sadly. ”Unfortunately it’s out of my hands right now. The mayor is going to hold a counsel tonight about the mines and until then, the mines aren’t open today. We still have plenty of iron to smelt into ingots for your master and to trade, I’m just worried about how long the mines might be shut down. With any luck, I could convince the mayor to just seal off part of the mines so the men can go back to work tomorrow. But until then…” Then Bookie stopped himself and thought about something. He thought long and hard, even opening up one of his personal little booklets to check on something.

”You know… There may be something else we could do. The Black Mines isn’t the only place we could gather iron from. Up the mountains is a cedar forest. I’ve heard that it’s rich in iron sand, but because of the Black Mines no one has ever really bothered to look into it. I haven’t either. But perhaps if you could head to the cedar forest and find enough samples of iron sand at different locations before the meeting tonight, perhaps I could convince the mayor of expanding the mining operations up the mountain. This way we’ll still continue to produce iron even if we have to close the mines.”

Bookie took out a small map of the local area around the Frontier Town. It was crudely made considering that much of the Frontier was still being explored, but Bookie knew enough to at least be able to give Shem’et directions. He pointed towards the two small islands that represent the Frontier Town, then dragged his finger along a specific route leading up to appeared to be a small lake or pond. ”If you follow this path, you should come across a lot of dry creek and river beds from when water used to flow down the mountains. These should have some traces of iron sand, possibly a rich deposit! Bring me at least say…” Bookie reached into his pockets and took out a small pouch big enough to fill an apple. ”Say, five bags of iron sand, preferably from different locations along the mountain. That should be enough to show the mayor that it’d be a worthwhile endeavor to set up mining operations there while the Black Mines are still being looked into.”

@ihinka

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”The Frontier has been known to hide many secrets and discoveries people find fascinating. But what I think is even more impressive is how those very things often come to us.” Maeda says with a smile, yet her eyes weren’t directly focused on Livia. No, instead it seemed to drift a little bit more towards the entrance, where suddenly another made an appearance: Katherine. While Maeda was a strange sight to behold for obvious reasons, even the arachne was curious about this strange newcomer who appeared to initially have celestial heritage, which was a rare enough thing to find in this world. But her thing blade spadetail also spoke of fiendish ancestry. A duality of heavenly and hellish matrimony was almost… Deliciously storybook.

Seeing that she had some new guests Maeda extended her hands outwards so that the two could see and follow her. ”I see that I have guests today! Why don’t we speak in my office? Much roomier. We can discuss whatever business or introductions there.” As Maeda walked pass Katherine she bowed her head a little. ”Greetings, my name is Maeda, I’m a school teacher here. If you’ve business with me, please, meet me at my office! If your need privacy, I’d have to ask you to wait outside as I speak to this fine young lady here. She found me first after all.”

@Rune_Alchemist@Pyromania99

---

Antaeus’ investigation of the tracks were unfortunately sparse. Even as he carefully observed the tracks, all he could tell was that there were multiple animals doing something here before they went their separate ways. Whatever happened here involved a lot of movement, as none of the tracks were clear and solid; it was as if they had dragged their feet across the ground for some reason or another. Perhaps it was the White Stag and a few other doe rutting. Would be the right time for that. Perhaps the Stag had fought off some predators or rivals. Certainly seems violent enough. But alas, mere speculation. Nothing else Antaeus could gleam from this.

It has been roughly twenty minutes since he had first cast his Pass Without Trace spell. He spent most of that time stealthy moving through the forest, ensuring that no predators spots him, but drastically cutting into his time limit since he was also slowly following the White Stag’s trail. And while he hasn’t lost the trail per say, he would need to quickly figure out which way the Stag went from here. Not to mention he was now out in the open; even with his spell hiding his tracks with no cover Antaeus was almost literally a sitting duck. He should make his decisions quickly: a hero shouldn’t hesitate.

@Zeroth

---

”Haha! Enthusiasm! I like it. First go put those books back where you got them. After that, meet me at the garrison so I can see what you’re capable of, physically speaking. Depending on how well you handle things from there we’ll either do some fitness and conditioning, just to hone your strength, and then maybe we’ll get right into drills and practices!” The dwarf says energetically. She would go off towards the garrison to prepare to Kael’s training as he would go to put the books away. But while he does so, he would notice a presence that was…. Watchful.

Standing near the altar resting for a moment was perhaps the biggest dwarf Kael would have ever seen; one would think a dwarf would be a squat and burly figure, and this dwarf was certainly burly, but he was also nearly seven feet tall. He was like a dwarf but enchanted with an enlarge person spell. His skin was dark like coal, and his hair was equally charred though carefully braided and tied up, practical since he was obviously a smith of some sort. He said nothing to Kael but watching him, but before the young man could approach one of the priests arrived and whispered something into his ear. The large dwarf then left to go back to his business.

@Guy0fV4lor

Those ten minutes were by far the worst ten minutes of Ethan's life thus far. Not only was the two bloody birds hellbent on killing him and eating his innards, they were clever enough to know when he was getting out of breath. He feels his bones creak and muscles ache in response to his strained efforts of getting away. It seemed that the birds were merely toying with him and had some sort of sadistic pleasure in seeing Ethan in fear. "F-fething birds! I hope you both be swamp slugs in your next life!" he huffed out with an exhausted breath. It was an unwise decision to curse his aggressors as he felt his throat burn and his lungs labor after each breath. It made Ethan feel slightly better though.

He glances back and sees that one of the hawks chasing him seemingly disappear. 'Where is the other one?' he quickly thinks to himself as he returns his attention to the road ahead. It was then he saw where the other asshole bird went. It flew ahead and was about to dive bomb at him. Instincts kicked in but there was too little adrenaline left in his system to make him react fast enough to avoid the bird. His brain opted to slow his perception of time and see his would be killer swoop in for the kill. He awaited the inevitable sharp sting of beaks and claws...but it never came. An arrow, seemingly out of nowhere, impales the murder bird to a nearby tree followed by a feminine voice calling to him. He looks back to see a woman and the remaining bird, seeming to analyze the situation. Ethan felt the pent up anger from being forced to take two trips as well as the hate from being chased well up inside of him. He grips his walking stick tightly and swings it at the bird with all his might.

Shem listened carefully as Bookie explained the situation with the mines. Her hopeful expression disappearing with each word.

"I see." She nodded pensively, all hope now drained from her features. "It is good you have supply enough for ingots and trade, but should the mines stay closed indefinitely, that would be quite unfortunate. I hope the mayor realizes that the mines are an integral part of the town not simply for trade, but for a number of businesses within our community. If operations in the mines should close down we would all suffer."

Shem'et was about to leave the Firbolg to his business and return to master Chodok with the bad news, when Bookie's next words stopped her in her tracks. She turned around and gave him her full attention. And you could see the hope return hesitantly on her feline countenance as Bookie spoke. An iron sand deposit in the cedar forest. And no one had bothered to send explorers to investigate the viability of this opportunity to obtain raw materials?! After all wasn't that what being on the frontier meant. To explore further than the borders of towns and villages. Well, I can certainly help with that! Shem thought. Master Chodok had given her this errand after all.

"Thank you, Master Bookie! I shall gladly undertake this endeavor." The tabaxi assured him, accepting the crude map and listening carefully to his instructions. Once she was sure she'd understood where she needed to go and what she needed to do she parted ways with the miners' foreman and swiftly headed back for the Underhaven. She would need some supplies for this task and she preferred to deal with the Lady Lucilia, rather than Barthem, the merchant.

---

Shem walked into the inn with quiet steps and looked about. The patrons of the establishment were nothing to talk about, but Shem'et knew not to stare too much, so her eyes didn't linger for too long on any of them anyways. It was better this way for everyone concerned! And Shem wasn't here for any of them as well. No. She had business with Lucilia, the proprietor of the establishment and the de facto leader of the Underhaven.

Shem's cat eyes scanned the dusky interior of the bar until she spotted a familiar figure. Unfortunately it was only Selena, lady Lucilia's daughter. Shem'et approached the young vampire with neutral expression on her feline face. It was not that she didn't like Selena. She just didn't care for her delusions of grandeur and riding on her mother's coattails like that.

"Lady Selena." She spoke respectfully just the same. "Would your mother happened to be here? I was given a task and am in need of some equipment. I should like to purchase a number of items from her." Shem fell silent looking at Selena. Two sets of glinting predator eyes locking onto each other.

---

---

Ahh, there she was. Katherine was happy to see her sister again after... What? A week or two? Bah. It's not really been long at all. What really caught her eyes was the odd... Yet greatly alluring specimen aside her. A creature of beauty. Multiple legs, with the lower body, much with the look of a spider. She seemed a gentle soul though. Then she introduced herself as Maeda. Ahh, so she was the teacher here. With a gentle smile, she spoke to the woman. "Oh my. Well, I don't believe that the privacy is necessary. Sharing a room with two beauties is more of an honor than I probably deserve." She giggled slightly and continued. "Though if you wanted a bit of 'privacy' with me after, I would be loathe to reject." She made a fairly obvious implication, or at least, she thought she did.

After a couple of seconds gazing at the spider woman, she giggled as she turned to Livia and walked over, speaking all the while. "Ahh, but with your introduction of yourself, dear Maeda, I think introductions are over. After all..." Katherine started to say as she wrapped her arms around Livia in a hug. Just long enough to get her point across, but not long enough that Livia went ballistic. "This little miss here is my sister. Well, her family adopted me, but she's a sister to me." She said with a wide grin. She turned to Maeda and followed her to her room. "But yes, I have some questions for you... Something I hoped a learned person might help illuminate for me. Both of you might find it interesting. She mentioned, looking to Livia.

@Lucius Cypher@Pyromania99

---

---

Well that could have gone slightly better. Oh well, no need to push the issue. Seemed they had another guest. Turning her head slightly, Livia cast a glance to who this new comer was. Her face immediately twisted into an expression of disgust, if only briefly.

What was she doing here?! She came here to get away from her family so she could finally get some peace of mind and work without her mothers or her sisters constantly messing things up for her. Thoughts of trying to get on friendly terms with Maeda left her mind as Katherine walked up and introduced them both. She even had the audacity to hug her! Of course, Livia did nothing. She couldn't do anything, not without hurting her chances of getting both information on the mines and potentially a job from Maeda. She swallowed her words as best she could, following Maeda into her office.

"Yes, well, before we were so rudely interrupted by a fiend," Livia replied in an cool, stiff, tone as she seemed to make a point of not acknowledging Katherine's presence. "As I said, I am Livia Fiore. I apologize for interrupting your class. I don't know what my sister dearest is here for," She continued, unable to hide obvious displeasure in her voice. "but I am here on behalf of Mayor Nicolas in regards to that ruin found in the mines. He has given me permission to help you study them."

Of course, Maeda's little line about things finding them was likely directed to Katherine. The timing was just too impeccable for it to not be. Couldn't be her. Compared to both of her sisters, she was nothing special.

...ugh, she wanted to leave now.

---

---

Damn. Competition or not, I should have found Redchaser and at least gotten some advice. Antaeus frowned and wrinkled his forehead. He hadn't been committed at first, and had decided before he even entered the forest that if it got too hard, too dangerous, or too dark he would go back home. Live another day and try again.

Maybe it was the fact that, as of yet, nothing had threatened him. Maybe it was that he had found the signs of the White Stag, and giving up here would be like giving up on a tunnel when the ore vein you were looking for was just a few more swings of the pick away. Maybe he was overconfident. Maybe he was mad and not thinking clearly.

But he wasn't going to quit just yet.

Multiple tracks, signs of dragging, lots of movement. Antaeus would bet on a fight--two deer, locking horns, and pushing each other back and forth so that their hooves slid in the dirt. He didn't know if that was true and it didn't matter. It didn't even matter that he could probably track down another deer just as easily.

What, specifically, might the White Stag leave behind? What differentiates him from the rest? The boy narrowed his eyes and took one more look at the disturbed earth. He "listened" to it the same way he did in the mines--what stories could this soil and stone tell him?