The soft tap of claws on floorboards rung out as Lizard Fighter entered the Guild. Yes he had a name, everyone did, but it seemed in this line of work saying ones name was taboo. Maybe it was an attachment thing? Whatever, the pink race was weird. Yawning widely, displaying those sharp nearly serrated teeth of his, he approached the counter. Lizardfolk weren't common to see and even some of the higher ranks were openly eyeballing the enormous being. About as common as seeing a pure-blood high elf outside of the forest it felt like.

The Guild-girl behind the counter stared at him before clearing her throat. "Are you looking to sign up?" She asked, which earned her a simple nod from him. "Wonderful! Please read this form and fill it out." She said, putting on the classic businesswoman's smile. Lots of teeth, closed eyes, tilted head. They were lucky he knew common, how to speak and write it. Taking the piece of paper, and a quill, he went off to one side so others could do reports or whatever else. He wasn't an Adventurer he didn't know what they did.

Looking the form over it was fairly simple. It essentially spoke of the dangers involved in the career, payment, not liable, blah blah blah. He signed his name and what class he essentially was. A Fighter, very general in the combat area. Sure he specialized in certain weapons but a good portion of the dealers of death had the same forms. With the form filled out he waited only a few minutes to turn it in. Another group had sidled up to give their report. Bandits, so they didn't just go specifically for monsters? Good to know.

Stepping up again he handed her the paperwork she had initially given him. A quick speed read and she gave that beaming smile again. "Alright, it's all in order! Here's your Guild Tag, please keep it on your person at all times." She said, sliding the porcelain tag over to him. Blinking he scooped it up and put it on, it almost blended in perfectly with his chest plating. "Thanks." He rumbled out quietly, his voice like distant thunder.

"If you'd like to start immediately, there are jobs posted on the board right there. Or you could just browse and wait for more experienced Adventurer's to go with." She said while gesturing to the job board. Nodding his head he shifted quietly over to the board to give it a good once over. He kind of wondered if there was any overlap at times, did people forget to take a posting down? And what kind of job was cleaning a ditch? That didn't sound very adventurous at all. But it was the easiest money he could see of the three jobs. To wait and potentially get combat experience with giant rats or goblins, or get easy money cleaning up ditch corpses? Decisions decisions...

"Don't feel bad! At least we're all okay. Even if it was just rats, and just in a sewer, it was all still pretty exciting!" Steppe Arhcer would say, hoping that she could cheer her fellow adventurers up with just a little bit of enthusiastic cheers. Patting Guard Lady firmly on the back as they walked, she would flash a grin to try and cheer her up, as if to say that everything was fine in spite of their failures.

Shade would go first up the ladder, then Steppe Archer, then Guard Lady. She would exhale, before putting her hands on her hips. "So, first laundry and baths...then maybe another job?" The nomad girl would say, smiling brightly in spite of how horrendously filthy she was now. "If rats were too much, then maybe that ditch cleaning job would work out well. How're your wounds feeling?" She would add, concerned for Guard Lady. Not fatal injuries sure, but...ew. Bug bites.

The walk back through the sewers was uneventful, sluggish, but uneventful. Guard Lady did appreciate the foreign girl's optimism and genuine friendliness though, it was a pleasant silver-lining to this otherwise rather miserable endeavor. She decided that she liked this archer, she seemed like a good person - her other companion though... Not so sre about him. He didn't seem like a bad person, and he had shown some concern for her back at the alcove, but still. Something about him was strange, his mannerisms, his actions... Heck, she hadn't even gotten a good look at this face! Still, people had their reasons for doing things, and prying into private matters wasn't something se was about to do just to sate her own selfish curiosity.

As they drew closer to the manhole they had crawled down from, Guard Lady could tell that something was up though. Each step felt a bit heavier than the next and she began to feel slightly winded. Strange, she didn't think herself so unfit as to get exhausted from a bit of mere walking. Perhaps it was the air down here was starting to get to her? After all, she had been forced to breathe through her mouth this entire time, what with the herb-sticks jammed up her nostrils.

After Shade and Steppe Archer had climbed out, it was her turn. As she ascended the old ladder though, the slight feeling of weariness began to flare up, causing her to nearly lose her grip. Clutching down hard with both hands and pulling herself close tot he ladder, she had to pause and catch her breath, before slowly - very slowly - climbing on up to her allies. Draggin her weapon out of the hole and helping her two compatriots move the manhole-cover back over the gaping pit, she finally fell backwards on her behind, taking small, hurried quips of air.

The archer suggested they bathe and wash their clothes first, then go pick up another quest. However, Guard Lady wasn't so sure she agreed with that idea. They neeeded to report to the Guild about their failure, as well as the fact that this quest was far too difficult for a group of fresh porcelain adventurers tot ake on! She still held a bit of a irate resentment towards the guild's apparent lack of properly determining what was an appropriate difficulty-curve... Still, first thing's first!

Shlop! Schlerp!

"Aah... That's much be-BLUUUAAAAAARGH!!"

Still sitting on the ground, the young woman had pulled the herb-sticks out of her nose to get some fresh air... Unfortunately, the fresh air she so desired was sadly overpowered by the stench of herself and her two, close-by allies. The foul odor of sewage, rat-feces and amonia that clung to her and their entire beings was so pungant and repulsive that as soon as her nose caught a whiff of it, her gag-reflex instinctively caused the poor lass to throw up, right there on the spot, in the middle of the street... Right after the archer had asked how she was doing too... Quite comedic, if it hadn't been so repulsive and pitiable.

At this point though, Guard Lady could feel her head begin to spin a bit, her vission also became unfocused and blurred at the edges... Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. She reached her gloved hand back onto her neck, feeling about for a bit before returning it infront of her face to have a look.

"B-blood? But... Why? There waasn't any earli-Uulp!" She placed the hand over her mouth to hold back another glob of bile that was on its way out of her mouth.

Some passers-by that had seen the trio escape the sewers, and now witnessed one of them outright vomit, began to frantically gasp or let out frighttened shouts, some murmured and whispered while others loudly proclaimed the girl to be diseased and a plague-bearer. The young woman herself was far too conerned with her heavy breathing to notice the world around her though, just sitting up straight was beginning to become more and more of a struggle.

"May... Maybe I sh.. should go visit the Temple f-first." She suggested, trying her best to put on a brave face with a smile... With a thin streak of puke still dripping down from one corner of her mouth... Nasty.

A wave of relief washed over Steppe Archer as they emerged, stinky and covered in doo doo, but very much alive if nothing else. Shade would go off to report their failure...but, heck, that was way more than they could handle. Besides, whoever wrote up that quest clearly had no idea what a "nest of rats" actually implied, since as many as ten could be crammed into one, all ready to rush out in a torrent. Without a mage, or some sort of experienced trapper with lots of prep time, trying to go in with just a sword was suicide. And heck, she knew goblins were smarter than rats, so that one was out. As she pondered what to do while waiting for Shade to return, the sound of retching and violent barfing. Steppe Archer cringed just a bit, wondering WHY Guard Lady did that, when they still obviously stunk worse than skunks, but soon her mild disgust turned to palpable fear as she saw the blood on Guard Lady's hand and neck.

Dashing over and crouching before her, Steppe Archer would support Guard Lady's back with one hand, before turning her head towards the stable and letting out a loud whistle with two fingers.

It was as if the very thunder of heaven beat in the heart of Torchfire as he was called for, the great galloping beast easily jumping free of the gate that was intended to keep him corralled as he made a mad break towards his owner, forcing many townspeople to get out of the way, lest they be trampled by the horse that ducked its head low before Steppe Archer. With some difficulty, Steppe Archer would get on with Guard Lady in her arms, directing Torchfire towards the temple. "Don't worry, you'll be okay. You'll be okay. I promise." Steppe Archer said, continuing until they reached the temple, where she would entrust her friend to the clerics there. A disease, they called it...curable, but most certainly very dangerous. Steppe Archer would give what money she had to the temple, leaving her very much penniless after paying on her friend's behalf. It was the least she could do.

A wave of guilt panged at her as she walked back to the stable with Torchfire's reigns in her hand. She...should have told them to go back as soon as Guard Lady got bitten. Leading Torchfire a bit of a ways away from the town, Steppe Archer would find herself a stream far from prying eyes to wash herself, and her horse. After all, she'd kinda just plopped her sewage covered garments atop the beast. Keeping an eye on her belongings as she washed, she cast a melancholy look at Guard Lady's halberd that she'd decided to hold onto, at least until she could go back to give it to her. She couldn't quit. Not because of one set back. But...the idea that Guard Lady got such a nasty wound from protecting her...especially after she'd run from those bugs...

Steppe Archer would slap herself across both her cheeks, returning a bit of red to them. "No sad thoughts! She'll be okay!" the nomad girl reassured herself, before putting on her cleaned clothes. Admittedly they were still a bit heavy from water, but walking about in the sun should dry them off. Torchfire looked pleased at himself, all shiny and clean, so much so that Steppe Archer couldn't resist climbing a small tree to pluck a juicy red apple just for him. "Good girl, good girl..." Steppe Archer said, petting its snout as she walked beside it, the beast's teeth crunching the apple to pieces.

With her horse once more stabled, the halberd given over to the guild to give to Guard Lady upon her recovery, and her hair now extra poofy after drying, Steppe Archer would take a look at the guild hall. She didn't see Shade anywhere...nor that Steel-rank from before. She did however take notice of the massive red-scaled Lizardman that was present, seemingly eyeing the same jobs that she, Shade, and Guard Lady had poured over just before. Standing on her tippy toes to try and peek over his shoulder, the girl strained, but didn't even get a look past him. Pouting at her own inability to be huge, she would eventually just gingerly tap the large scaled man on the shoulder, asking: "Excuse me, Mister. Is that job for ditch cleaning still available?"

What stood behind the lizard man was a young girl who looked half-lion given how violently her hair was frizzled and poofed up. Like a human Chow Chow.

The guild hall was a lot quieter now, seeing as it was just a bit after noon, with the sun having climbed and moved slightly past its zenith - though not by much. The quest board was a lot less cluttered as well, with many of the higher ranking and difficult quest-postings taken down and removed, claimed by the veterans of the hall. In fact, the board only sported a handful of postings still, most being of lower difficulty, rank or rewards - the leftovers that nobody else wanted. Infrotn of this sparse selection, two individuals stood regardless - a young girl, foreign and unfamiliar with this region, the toher a vividly colored lizardman, no doubt from the swamps and humid jungles of the more southern parts of the world.

The one observing these two rather distinct individuals was sitting at a table, by herself. She had seen the girl with the wirld hair earlier that day, in the very early morning to be precise. She had left with two others, a hooded boy(?) and another young woman with a very interesting choice of armor. However, a little while ago the hooded one had returned, and after he had left, the girl had arrived - handing over the other girl's halberd... No doubt something bad had happened. Though it didn't seem to have been serious enough to deter the foreigner from now returning to the board to look for a different job. Unflinching, undeterred, stubborn or desperate, sge most certainly was either one or multiple of these things.

The great, muscular, red-scaled lizard-thing on the other hand, had just registered at the counter not long ago and was likely looking for his very first job. The girl had engaged in polite conversation, or rather, asked a polite question - since the great scaly creature was blocking access to the board for anyone else... He didn't seem the most considerate of beings... Or perhaps he was just unaware of his own size? Regardless, the entire scene was rather peculiar. Though not as peculiar as the hooded boy's return, brief report and then almost immediate departure. But perhaps he had somewhere to go, or be? Still, seemed strange not to wait for his companion to arrive.

Whatever the case, the observer - who was a girl with healthy, shiny, caramel-tanned skin and long, black, silky and glossy hair - continued to watch the unfolding events at the quest board, while quietly sipping on a mug of some sweet, fruit-scented drink. She could not claim to be an experienced adventurer herself, not at all, since only having arrived at Palisade Town a week or so ago. Still, she had gone with a party of higher-ranking people before and finished at least one quest, so to see this girl return and look for a new task to do, despite having obviously botched a different quest earlier the very same day, was rather fascinating. In some ways, it was impressive and admirable to have the drive and will to keep moving forward in the face of adversity and set-backs... On the other hand, it was worrying and concerning, be it that she didn't understand her own limits or was trying to push forward to wash away the sting of defeat. Of course, she couldn't make that assumption without asking, so for now, it was better to not think of things that may be incorrect.

"Hey, druid." A voice called out to the girl, and she put down her mug on a wooden coaster, turning her head to the one who had called her.
"Hm, yes? Oh, it's you, Hunter." She said, now facing the man in his early twneties that stood a bit to the side of where she sat.

The man called Hunter was a lean-looking man, with an athletic build, though not muscular or overly bulky. He wore a full set of leather armor and had green cloak, under which a quiver of arrows was attached to a diagonal torso-strap. He also carried a bow and what looked like hunting knives, one on each hip in small, simple sheaths. He had short-cut, brown hair and sharp eyes, but otherwise a rather handsome face, albeit a bit somber-looking.

"You not going out toady?" He asked, eyebrow raised with folded arms infront of himself.
"Maybe a bit later." She answered, smiling in a friendly manner.
"We could always use your help, you know? Hunting some troublesome wolves along the west road." e said, motioning with a thumb over his shoulder towards a small group standing over by a far-off table along the interior wall, busying themselves with packing their gear and getting ready for departure.
"You know I don't particularly like that kind of work." She said, letting out a small sigh.
"Even if the beasts are hurting people?" He asked.
"They hunt and kill to survive, just like we do." She replied.
"Stubborn girl." He said, though he was smiling in a fashion similar to an older brother. "Well, just don't go taking on something too dangerous by yourself."
"Oh? Are you worried about me?"
"Don't be stupid. I just don't want a potential asset to go out and get wasted for no reason." He scoffed, waving her comment off and turning his face away - eyes closed and nose upturned. She giggled happily.
"I'll be careful, don't worry." The pretty girl said with a reassuring tone. The man opened an eye, looked at her and smiled barely noticeably.
"See that you are. Alright,s eee you later, lass. Hey you lot! You ready to move out yet?!" He said, then shouted, as he walked back away from her and towards his companions over by their table. A small outburst of jesting comments and squabble ensued, making the girl still by herself laugh slightly before returning to her drink.

Lizard Fighter's hand went to his chin as he looked at the quests with a lazy eye. Then the Rat Infestation one was taken down by a Guild Girl. Alright so they didn't allow overlap. Rats wouldn't have been hard, the environment would have been similar to the swamps. Probably smell the same too. Snorting he reached out and tugged the Ditch Cleaning quest from the board and was about to turn when a tap on his elbow, and the sound of huffing, came from behind.

Turning he looked down at the girl with poofy hair. Did she get hit by lightning? Or Shocking Grasp? She asked him if the Ditch quest was still there, so he held up the paper. "I was going to grab it since I just signed today." He stated, his voice deep and raspy. He was trying to keep his naturally loud self quiet so as to not disturb anyone.

Not that that seemed to be an issue in the Guild since party leaders were hollering for their people to ready up. Those green eyes cut towards the man yelling and leaving a woman sitting at a table to sip at her drink. "Two can make it fast. Doubt there's any true danger." He continued, giving her the option to come with once the Quest was Registered to them. Leaning down his nostrils flared, taking in her scent. "Did you try to solo the Rats?" He asked, even a bath and clothes washing didn't get rid of all the sewer stench.

Steppe Archer smiled, she hadn't even had to ask to tag along. Nodding her head at his statement of trying to solo the rats, she chuckled nervously. "W-Well, I had a party but...it didn't quite go so well. There were roaches, and one of my companions got a disease...b-but she's fine now! I don't know where the other went, but he made it out fine. We just realized that we were in over our heads, is all. But cleaning up corpses is something I'm used to, so I won't let you down!"she would say, raising her arms to show her enthusiasm.

Then the realization struck her. She STILL stunk!? Bashfully gaining a tinge of red to her cheeks, she scratched the back of her head. "T-The sewer smell is still there? I washed up super thoroughly though..." she complained, seeming disheartened. At least for all of four seconds. Then, she simply snapped her back straight and pumped her fist. "Well, no matter. We're about to reek of death anyways. Have you ever smelt a half-bloated wolf corpse rotting in the sun? I have. Oh, also, if you wanna block out scents..." Steppe Archer said, before reaching in her pocket to pull out two of the remaining little herb covered twigs. "These'll make sure you don't smell all the rot and yuck." she added, offering them to her gargantuan red companion.

Before they turned to leave, Steppe Archer would look back at the sounds of laughter. A lone girl sipping a drink who, with her archery-trained eyes, Steppe Archer could see was a porcelain rank just like they were. Pointing at the girl, Steppe Archer would whisper to her lizardfolk companion with a proposition: "Hey, do you think we should ask her to join? We'd have to split the reward three ways, but...it'd take us all day, and night to clean the ditches all around town ourselves. Plus, we could join the patrol after."

The Archer Girl explained her situation about the Rats. One injured and diseased, the other fine but vanished. That sounded about right, maybe the well one went back home realizing Adventurer Business wasn't for them. "Probably should have scouted a bit more from the sounds of it...or just dipped in the sludge to mask your scent." He said, scratching his cheek lightly. It was a common thing to do in the swamp, to cover ones self with the scent of the surrounding area to hunt easier.

Her sudden blush made him blink. "I might be humanoid but my sense of smell is still greater than a humans. I've lived in a swamp, it's hard to beat that smell." He stated, it was why he grabbed the Ditch Job. A, he was used to the foulest of stenches. B, diseases were naturally hard to get for his people. They were a hardy lot.

The girl noticed the magic caster he had taken note of and asked if they should ask her to join. "Doesn't hurt. Go ahead." Lizard Fighter said with a shrug of his shoulders. He wasn't opposed but he also didn't think a magic user had the endurance to haul dead bodies. "I'll register this and ask about the Patrol deadline." He continued before shifting fluidly over to the desk once more.

Sliding the paper across the desk he looked at the Guild Girl. "Two, potentially three, for Ditch Cleaning. I'd also like to know the deadline for the Patrol Job." He stated.

Steppe Archer was fascinated by the idea of someone living in a swamp. Usually, she steered clear of densely muddy areas. Bad for horses to cross, and all. Besides, quickmud was a very real threat in a swamp, so chasing quarries into them wasn't worth it for the nomadic tribes of the Steppe. The girl would smile at the lizardman's words of confirmation of the adding of a third member and turn on her heel saying:"Okay!", before she walked over to the girl with really, really nice hair. Like, seriously, she'd never seen a girl with such straight hair before. Though, that might also just be because most women on the Steppe viewed cloth as more fashionable than hair. Strolling right up, the archer would put her hands behind her back and net her fingers, white poofy hair still making her look like a half-lion, half-woman.

"Hey, wanna join me and my big friend over there on ditch duty? Its nothing glamorous, but its easy enough. No need to kill or be killed when cleaning up the dead, and all," Steppe Archer would say leaning across the table and staring right at the girl's eyes with a big grin on her face. "We were also going to do the Patrol later, but if you don't feel up for that or the ditch duty, that's fine. Are you a mage? I've seen a lot of mages carry big sticks like that. "

Steppe Archer's eyes would take in details of the girl's appearance, namely that she didn't seem really muscular for an adventurer, and she doubted that stick at her side was much of the smacking type. Though, she knew full well how good a substitute weapon a stick made. After all, before they trained with swords, her and her friends trained with sticks.

The two at the board were speaking now, though not quite loud enough to be heard all the way over at her table. Whatever it was, they seemed to have come to an agreement, and the big, red and scaly one trundled over to the guild's counter, whereas the wild-looking foreign girl came sauntering over towards the table. Had they noticed that she'd been looking at them finally? Maybe they didn't like people gawking? Though she had meant no offense, it was just an odd couple that had caught her ey- wait, what?

The messy-haired archer had spoken to her, in a friendly manner. Once more, she had offered her a position on the opportunity of a life time, cleaning carcasses out of the palisade's dry-moat. Oh boy! While the sales-pitch needed some much, much more intense rework, she couldn't fault the girl's enthusiasm and sincerity. A smile crept across her face as she placed down the mug from which she had been sipping.

"Ditches, huh?" She said, putting an elbow on the table before her and leaning her chin into a cupped hand. "I suppose it's as good a reason as any to get to go back outdoors. Statying in this musty old place for too long makes me miss the sun and breeze... They have good drink and food though." She had started the reply half-heartedly, but perked up at the end... Especially at the part about food. She cast a glance sideways at the lizardman over by the counter, before turning her head back to the lioness who now asked if she was a mage The girl laughed merrily with closed eyes.

"Hahaha~! Do I look the part?" She sat straight up and posed in a silly fashion - while seated - before going on. "But no, I'm actually a druid. Though I suppose in some ways you could say that's a type of mage... Hm, a Nature Wizard!"

For a moment. All was still and quiet. Had there been crickets inside the guild hall, they would have been chirping. Had there been a wind and tumblewweds, they would blowing in a whistling fashion, while bouncing along effortlessly... The girl seemed to realize this quickly, and her happy face turned rather red.

"Uhm... Yes... But... Sure, I'll come along, if you want me to." She confirmed, picking the mug up and placing it infront of her mouth, both to finish up what was left, and to hide...

Meanwhile, over by the counter...

"Ditch cleaning, two or three... ALright then." The Guild Girl said, shuffling some papers around and penning something on something else, before looking up at the lizard as he asked about the patrol for the night. "Well, the appointed time to meet at the guard station is around 10 at night, but... Sir, you can't accept multiple quests at once I'm afraid. That's against guild policy, other adventurers might want to pick that quest up while you're out." She explained politely, though matter-of-factly as well.

It made sense though, if people could just nab as many quests off the board as they liked, then they could essentially hoard work for themselves, while starve others of opportunities. Hence, it was decided that one may only take on one quest at a time, once you reported back and cleared your current quest, you were free to take on another.

"Of course, if nobody comes around and picks that one up, you're more than welcome to tackle it once you finish with the ditches." She added, holding one figner up as if to make a point while still smiling politely in a trained fashion. She corrected her slim glasses before proceeding. "Now, to start, you should head out of the town's east gatehouse and report to the guard stationed out, just beyond the wall. He's been informed that adventurers may show up to help with the job and can give you further instructions once there."

Lizard Fighter waited patiently for the Guild Girl to do up the paperwork to register the Adventurer's for a menial job that anyone in town could do. Why was this job registered to the Guild? were people that lazy? She did explain that they couldn't grab multiple quests at once, supply and demand of the quests. Someone could be after an easy job like the Ditch or Patrol after a tougher job. It made sense, which earned the woman a shrug.

The woman then continued on, explaining what they were to do to get the job started. Leave through the East Gate and contact a guard who was stationed. Easy enough. "Thanks." He stated before nodding and leaving the counter to approach the two young women. One hiding behind her mug, the other still as floofed as when she poked him.

"I'm going to assume by your beaming face she accepted?" He questioned while glancing between the two. "We're to go out the East Gate and contact a guard. They'll tell us what we're to clean up and where to put it." He explained as he checked what little gear he had. His weapons were snug in their sheathe and loop. His pouch was secure on his belt, his armor and clothes were in order. Aside from possibly a Stamina Potion he didn't think he'd need any medicines. This was all until the two girls decided to get going, he hadn't planned on being the party leader so they'd set the pace.

Steppe Archer just kind of stood there, an awkward silence hanging in the air around them. Steppe Archer hadn't even understood that it was a joke, she just sort of felt as if some kind of follow up was needed after a statement such as that, some further elaboration on magical sciences that would soar right over the girl's head. Magic was for smart people, after all. Steppe Archer's expression wouldn't change as she saw the girl's face turn red, a simple tilt of her head signalling her confusion. "Scared of handling bodies?" she questioned, figuring that might be a reason for her sudden hesitation. Once that was likely dismissed, Steppe Archer would smile brighter, offering her newfound friend a hand to shake.

When the Lizardfolk fighter came over, Steppe Archer would give a thumbs up, saying: "Mhm! She said yes, so let's get going! I hope we'll have time after cleanup for another job."

---

The nomad girl would follow with her companions along to meet the guard, showing him the job listing and offering a sincere smile. "Nice to meet you. We're the porcelains that signed up for ditch cleaning. Is this where we get told what to do?" Her free hand remained behind her back, clenched ever so slightly as she kept herself from feeling nervous. Was...was he gonna smell the sewer smell on her too? Or was it just the Lizardfolk's powerful sense of smell that let him smell the stank?

When the archer extended her hand - after a brief moment of awakwardness - the druid perked up a bit, extended her own hand and shook. Shortly thereafter, the large and very red one appeared, stating in very exact and concise words what he had done and what was needed to bo do next. He seemed very... Precise? Not that that was a bad thing, being able to be specific and exact was a good thing, though it usually didn't make for good small-talk... Oh well, they just met, so maybe he was just shy and reserved?

Regardless, the druid finished her drink, placed the mug down on the coaster and left three, shiny copper coins next to the drink - a tip for the kind waitress. Before anyone said anything further though, they were off on their way to the east.

Some minutes of walking later...

The outside of Palisade Town was a lot more spacious. The great forest to the further east loomed in the distance, while fields of grass stretched out to both the north and the south. A pleasant breeze, carrying the scent of grass and wild flowers passed by, gently brushing against the trio. Sounds of distant birds could also be heard. It was all rather tranquil and peaceful.

... Until you rounded the palisade enough and began hearing the buzzing of flies and sensing the smell of rotting flesh. Over by a large pyre, surrounded by stones that encircled it (to prevent the fire from spreading) stood a middle-aged man in a guard uniform. He had bushy eyebrows and bushy facial hair, a kettle helm covered his rather bald head. Stern grey eyes followed the adventurers as they approached, and once they reached - and their archer greeted him - the man spoke with a hoarse, raspy voice.

"So, you're here to help clean up, eh? I'm the one assigned to oversee this whole thing." He said, sounding rather unamused and unenthused about this responsability. "Here's what you need to know." He started, pointing at the ramparts behind them. "Tha's the wall, things get stuck on, or under, it. Your job is to carry anything dead and smelly from there, to here." He now pointed at the big fiery pile beside him. "You dump dead things on that, then you go back and repeat. You work from now until sunset. You only get paid if you stuck around until then, leaving early forfeits the reward, no breaks either." He stated, grumpily.

The druid looked back towards the wall and the ditch below it. The town's wlal was built in two layers, one might say. The inner wall was what you might expect, a bunch of straight-standing wooden logs, tied and mortared together. The outer wall was more akin to a fence of sharpened stakes, meant to catch or deter anything that tried to apporach it from the outside. It was below this outer wall that the ditch was dug, meant to catch anything that got itself impaled on the outer wall. Already, the girl could see large gatherings of flies hovering above several spots along this side of the defenses. She wrinkled her nose a bit, before looking over at her two party members.

"Well, I guess we'd better get started." She said, flexing one arm and grabbing the upper bit of it with her other free hand, giving a quick wink and winning smile to the others.

Walking over to the fence, she at once spotted what looked like a young fox, with an arrow stuck in one of its hind legs... Most likely, a hunter had shot it, but it had managed to slip away despite the injury, only to end up here and collapse in the ditch - bleeding out. Poor thing. It wasn't long ago either, as the critter hadn't started to decompose yet, nor was it covered in maggots. She bent down, grabbing it by the scruff of its neck and pulled it out, closing its wide-open, but vacant, eyes with her hand. Dragging the poor animal along, she got to the burning flames and - with a small, quiet prayer - she gently tossed the dead beast onto the burning wood. She stood silent and watched briefly, before turning around and walking back for another go.
As she passed by the gaurd, she halted momentarily and spoke with him.

"Is there any quota or certain amount we need to meet before sunset?" She asked, curious if they had to hurry and work like dogs in order to get paid.
"As long as I see you hauling carcasses to burn, you'll get paid." He rumbled. The druid nodded and headed back.

Lizard Fighter followed the pair idly while he looked at the town. He hadn't really paid attention to what the place was like when he first entered, just immediately went to the Guild to get signed up. He'd have plenty of time to look at the town while on Patrol that evening. Soon they left the town and arrived at the palisade wall. He was honestly wondering why they hadn't upgraded the main wall to stone. It would hold up better against anything that'd actively attack a town than mere wooden posts hammered into the ground.

The guard explained what they were to do in an un-enthused voice, which was to be expected for one in his position. "Is this the only pyre?" He questioned as he stripped down to his pants. His arms and torso bare, the armor folded and tucked into his rather empty looking beltpouch.

The druid immediately got to work, hauling a dead fox, in still decent condition, to the fire. The reptilian man went into the dirt as well, checking about before pulling a long dead deer from one of the upper spikes. It had tried bounding over but undershot. His powerful limbs made the corpse tear off the spike, pretty much pulling it in half, before hauling the gooey pieces to the flames where they were deposited with a sizzle.

He was already covered in some congealed nasty blood, that would explain why he was just in his pants and those strange leather boots. It looked like he'd be handling the larger corpses while the girls could handle something in their weight class.

The sight of the big, mscular Lizard stripping down to his pants and shoe was a bit surreal, both for the druid and the guard. The former looked rather confused and surprised, whereas the latter looked uncomfortable and distressed - perhaps intimidated by the lizards' abundant muscular mandom when compared to his own, rather lacking, physique. Still, the guard was able to reply to the giant reptilian's question.

"There's four pyres in total, one in each cardinal direction. Was suppose to be that way in case we got a large enough group of folks to divvy them up. But you folks were the only ones who showed." He stated, still looking away from the lizard and towards the drawbridge and gatehuse to the slight south.

The druid was bust picking up a half-eaten squirrel from inbetween the ditch and a lower spike, when she noticed something. There was a metal grate sitting under the spikey outer wall, and beyond it was a long tunnel that extended into darkness. As she brought the tiny rodent back to the pyre and gently tossed it into the flames, she looked to the guard.

"That grate just above the ditch, where does it lead?" She asked, curious.
"Huh? Oh, that's just a vent for the sewers. Also serves as a means to keep the place from flooding, by letting the nasty stuff pour out into the ditch here instead." The guard replied.

The thought of thousands of peoples' nasty exrrement being flushed out into the very place she was working was somewhat disheartening to the girl. She grimaced at the though. Luckily though, the narrow tunnel had looked dry, so at least nothing vile had been flushed out of there recently. She returned to the makeshift moat and looked around, noticing the big red one tearing off large beasts, getting covered in gunk, and lugging the bits back to the pyre as if it was nothing... Though he did look rather gruesome, covered in bits and blood.

As she returned to walking along the ditch, she soon heard a noise. A very familiar one. It was the sound of a young beast's cry. Something was alive! With hurried steps she advanced, using her ears as much as possible to listen. Eventually, she came upon a spot where some of the spikes had seemingly been broken off, and there she found it - a baby boar, caught in the broken poles, with small cuts and scrapes all over it. The little one was in a panic, and the girl's approach had done little to calm it down. It squealed and struggled something fierce, trying to escape the sitation with every ounce of its limited strength. The druid knelt down next to the little critter.

"Hey now, it's okay. Nobody's going to harm you." She said calmly, laying her wooden staff down on the ground next to her. The piglet still squealed frantically. The girl closed her eyes and slowly reached out her hands, and as she did so, the beast stopped squirming and crying and instead proceeded to merely look at her, calm and quiet.

It was as if her mere presence now was soothing and pleasant for the tiny beast, and did not even make a noise when her hands finally landed on and touched it. As she opened her eyes again, the baby boar stood still and quiet, like an obediant dog, just looking at her. She smiled, and began to slowly and carefully push some of the restraining wood out of the way. That is, until another noise was heard - from behind her.

A series of loud grunts was heard, followed by the thudding of feet. Soon, through a nearby collection of bushes, a pair of very large, very black and very angry full-grown boars appeared. Unlike the baby that was calm, these two looked rather agitated and were apparently none-too-fond of a human handling what was likely their child. The druid's head snapped back around to look at the new arrivals and she quickly grasped her staff, rising from her kneeeling position. The two adult swine were circling, advancing towards her. This.... Could be bad...

"Uhm...! A little help here, please?" She called, her voice tense, but not distressed or panicked.

The baby boar merely stood where it was, behid th druid, looking on in slight confusion.

Rolling up the sleeves of her tabard, Steppe Archer would get right into the work of hauling corpses while the details were discussed. It wasn't easy work, but it was simple enough. The girl was exceedingly careful when dragging out animals, as she had hoped to perhaps sneak a corpse or two off to skin, but relatively few of the pelts were intact. So stained with blood, that even trying to tan them would probably ruin them. And at the mention of the sewer running off into the ditch, Steppe Archer would cringe just a bit, remembering the harrowing adventure where she'd almost lost a friend. Plus, that meant cockroaches might come out to snack...All the more reason to hurry it up then. They'd be there until sunset, to be certain, but the passage of time meant little compared to Steppe Archer's disdain for insects.

The nomadic girl couldn't help but look on in awe at the raw power of the Lizardman as he worked. Given her own previous predisposition to strip in public, the Lizardman removing his shirt just made sense to her. Why ruin perfectly good fabric? Steppe Archer still at least had enough to cover her womanly modesty, but it was really just her chest and calves that were covered. Humming, Steppe Archer would spot a goblin corpse, mouth impaled upon one of the palisade spikes. Judging from the arrow in his back, some patrolman had shot him while he was skulking about in the dark. Pulling the arrow free, Steppe Archer would wipe the blood off on the Goblin's meager loincloth, putting it in her quiver before ripping him off carrying him over her shoulder. She would do this to several other corpses within her weight range, strong enough in her own right to drag a deer, but not carry it.

Just as she reached the pyre and dumped her most recent charge into it, Steppe Archer's ears perked up at the sound of a call for help. Had something been alive? Running towards the Druid Girl's voice, Steppe Archer would frantically pat her bloodied hands down across her clothing, drawing her bow and an arrow to be ready to fire. Seeing the boars advancing, Steppe Archer looked to them, then the druid girl. This was bad...she'd heard that the boars of this region were dangerous, reckless beasts. A porcelain rank had no business trying to tangle with one, but here her largely unarmed friend was being stared down by TWO. And behind her...was a baby. Now, Steppe Archer was starting to get an inkling as to what was going on. Acting fast, Steppe Archer would yell out: "Move away from the piglet!" before firing an arrow that intentionally missed right before one of the boars.

Steppe Archer knew it was foolish, but if she could lead the boars away, she could climb a tree and wait out their ire. She was confident that she could run fast enough to reach a tree, but slowly backed off towards one, just in case. "Um...I-If they run after you, try and use some magic! I think you know magic! I really hope you were being serious about being a Nature Mage!" she continued to yell, no doubt drawing yet more attention to herself. One arrow might fell a boar, but she was guaranteed to be gored before she could get a second one to fly. As such, her best option was to just try and avoid a fight at all costs.

Lizard Fighter didn't relish wasting so much meat. But so many of these corpses were rotten and he doubted the guard, who wasn't looking at him, would like a growing pile of nearly rotten meat near him. Humans, such a wasteful race for the most part. Sliding down into the palisade ditch he reached down and grabbed a pair of entangled bucks and launched them out of the dry moat and onto flat land. One had probably died from fight wounds, the other from dehydration and starvation. It probably came to this location in hopes of getting a drink, but this soil was dry. It probably soaked water up like no ones business.

Instead of going up he began to just muck about. Tossing the corpses up and out of the ditch rapid fire. Squirrels, raccoons, opossum, rabbits, rodents, why was there a bird?!, and occasional deer. The other two could toss them on the pyre, that was the easy part really. It was getting a corpse up over the crest of the hill that was the difficult part. Well...if you didn't have his strength. His people had a little practice for when they became adult age and it had to do with heavy stones.

The mindless work made him hyper aware of his surroundings, his ears twitched when Druid called out for help followed by the sound of Archer telling her to do something with a piglet. This was supposed to be a mindless money making mission... He thought with a sigh before clambering out of the ditch to see two boars. A male and female. Looking over at the guard. "If it's available mind going to get some boar spears?!" He called over as he unsheathed that beast of a blade from the small of his back.

"Back to the edge of the ditch. If they charge wait until they get close then dive out of the way." Fighter said as he approached from the side. That gunmetal gray blade held out. The boars could smell the blood from the old weapon. It was permanently stained with the stench despite how it was cleaned. The scent in an animals mind would make him a rather huge threat. Nevermind being covered in blood and gore from dead and rotting creatures.

"If I step away or break my concentration, the piglet will squeal for the parents again!" The druid called back to the archer, promptly explaining the situation. She was using some kind of empathic druid ability to keep the little one calm and docile, but in doing so she was also grounding herself to mostly one spot. If she stepped away or broke her focus, the tiny chub would squeal anew, and most likely the parents would be none too keen on that.

Luckily, the archer's arrow drew some of the bigger pigs' attention, and when the large, hulking reptilian approached, their snouts flared and their eyes narrowed. His suggestion was a bit of a pipe-dream though. She might be fit and spry, but she wasn't some kind of ranger who could just tumble outo of the way of on-coming boar-charges or leap out of the way like a master assassin! She could probably dodge a thrown punch or a wide swing from an axe, but something that barreled at you with speed you could only hope to achieve? Not so much...

Luckily though, the stench from the red lizard's body and weapon seemed to draw the parents away from the druid... Or at least one of them, namely the larger of the two. The papa boar wasn't too happy with this looming giant approaching his sow and babe, and now turned to prepare itself for an attack on the big fellow. The mother-boar was caught between keeping an eye on Druid Girl as well as on Steppe Archer, though slightly more focused on the former - since she was still close to the piglet.

Meanwhile, the guardsman was cursing under his breath, asking whatever gods above why he always drew the short end of the stick. Displeased with his situation, the man hollered back to the trio.

"You won't get paid extra for those! But if you gut the lot, you can keep them for yourselves!" Apparently though, he had no intention of helping, nor leaving his post to fetch equipment per the lizard's request. Apparently, following orders and not leaving his post was far more important than the lives of some three, random porcelain-ranks on ditch-duty. He didn't even make the effort to assist them himself.

"Archer! Can you distract the mother a bit more? If she isn't looking, I can free the piglet and let it run off from here! That'll probably make them leave!" She called to her female companion. Then looking over at the galt who was now preparing to charge her reptilian ally, she called out to him as well. "Mr. Lizardman! Stay on your guard! Just keep the big male busy, okay? I'll heal any injuries you get, so just dance around and keep your distance for awhile!" She shouted, opting for a end-result where neither her allies, nor the boards, needed to die needlessly.

Lizard Fighter paused briefly and glared back at the guard. "If we live through this I'm kicking your ass for being about as helpful as a pile of dung." He growled out before crouching down. A single hand bracing his upper body while his legs splayed and his toe-claws dug into the ground. His other arm, the one with the blade, was held out straight away from him to the side. "Archer, aim for the hind legs on a male. Males have a tough shoulder, chest, and neck from a strange bone-like substance." He said as he bared his teeth at the male boar.

His fangs didn't have anything on those tusks, but the tusks were its only true weapon. Avoid them and it'd go down like any other hog. Only bigger with tougher meat. Druid gave a few suggestions, mainly keep it busy, So he inhaled, his chest visibly expanding, before he released the breath in a long and loud roar. Unsurprisingly beast-like given what he was and the obvious sound of an apex predator to a boar. When his roar ended he bared his teeth once more, His strong fingers dug into the dirt a little, ready to scoop a handful up to splash in the boars eyes if it charged him. That long muscular tail behind him thumped powerfully on the ground as he waited to see what the male boar would do.

He knew he could lift it up with relative ease, but a struggling animal was always a pain to try and keep a hold of. Especially when they had tusks flailing around. Him without some good chainmail...

This was...getting to be very difficult. One was commanding her to attack, while the other called for a distraction, one sought to end this in a swift strike to vitals and limbs, while one seeked to have the boars go off on their own at peace and very much alive. And not to mention...this guard was practically useless. He claimed that they could keep the corpses of the boars, which, while the pelts would no doubt be worth a pretty penny, she had the distinct feeling that her nature wizard friend would highly object due to her not asking for the parents to just be shot right away. That aside, slaying boars this size was no easy task. Had Steppe Archer known that she'd need to hunt such aggressive game, she'd have made a rudimentary poison to try and fell beasts. It was amazing how just a little bit of dung around an arrowhead made them as deadly as any alchemist's basic poison. Made the meat worthless though.

Steppe Archer would watch in awe as the Lizardman took his stance, an almost primal understanding of the difference in power between a human and a lizardman becoming clear in her mind. It was no wonder why she'd heard many humans declare their fear of Lizardman warriors, with their scaly hides acting as natural armor, and their tails looking more deadly than any rookie soldier's mace. But, she had a feeling even his power couldn't hold out against a boar forever. This mix-matched plan of survival and saving was going to cost someone their life if it wasn't executed well, but just about any course of action that Steppe Archer could take split between aiding either the Lizardman or the Magi. Wild animals weren't wholly stupid, so the Lizardman's brave beastial style of challenging it would buy him time enough to see where it would strick from, but that didn't mean that victory was his. One good pierce from the tusk and he'd need a cleric, at best, his rites read at worst. But then, an idea struck her.

Steppe Archer would do the only thing she thought was right in this situation...And that was to make a mad dash past the male boar once the Lizardman's roar had sufficiently served to distract it, then slam herself upon its back, taking hold of its tusks in order to maintain a good grip upon it. Steppe Archer's thighs clamped down upon the beast's hips. Her intention was clear: A contest of wills between a wild beast and a person on its back only had one conclusion.

One would have to be broken. Physically, or Spiritually.

"W-Woah!" Steppe Archer would yell out, the awkward position almost making her easy to throw off. Almost. She'd practically spent her life on the back of a horse, accustomed to the slight jerks and movements one could feel from a beast supporting them. Every movement of the boar's body was predictable as Steppe Archer felt the contraction and extension of muscles, the girl's own lower body strength letting her hold on. But, likely not forever. She'd either have to count on the boar tiring itself out with fearsome bucks and charges, or find some way to escape goring after letting go. The Lizardman would no doubt find this foolish, but would now find that the boar had absolutely no means to attack him with, lest it just try and charge with brunt force. Steppe Archer used her arms to jerk the head side-to-side, preventing it from having a straight angle. Just before the boar would run at full speed to try and shake her off, the archer would yell out: "GO HELP HER! I CAN HANDLE THIS!"

Whether that was truth or fiction, one couldn't say, but the girl of the Steppes wouldn't allow herself to lose to a hog. Nor would she lose to anything with four legs and a back broad enough to straddle.