>>Fashionably Late. Transitioning from The Silver Piglet to the Guild Hall @ShiningSector @Ypnosi @Ryteb Pymeroce<<

"The name is Avala. Just Avala. And I merely mentioned the idea to keep us on our toes. Not that seasoned veterans like yourselves needs that sort of remind. Forgive me." He said, in a polite tone.

Of course he had a last name. He simply chose not to mention it. For one, it might attract unwanted attention or prying. Second, these folks might not even know the kingdom for which he is set to rule one day even existed anyways.

Carrying in, Avala kept himself towards the back of the group, following along and headed towards the guild hall. "And friend," Speaking to the felione halfbeast "It might be unwise to render the man who is supposed to give us our heading unconscious for fear of it further delaying our departure. So, please refrain from doing so. Though I have no doubts in your abilities in accomplishing such feats."

@Infinite Cosmos[@Shining Sector]

The halfbeast merely nodded at Avala, though more accurately, she simply nodded without shifting her head, the intention was in response to Avala. "Of course not. I was merely addressing the theoretical, though unlikely, situation. I am not the sort to knock someone unconscious without a reason. If I was to knock him out, it would be for a good reason. At least, I would believe it was for a good reason. Of course, I can believe something is for a good reason without it truly being for a good reason... but now I'm just rambling." She stated calmly, clearly being honest in just... her view on knocking people out, apparently?

At the introductions, she winced, blinking a few times, but continuing calmly forwards towards the guild hall, picking up her pace a little. Perhaps once they were on the road, she could explain, but it would be awkward to do so now... and also she would have to do it again with that other member they were going to just meet. But she couldn't just say nothing, that would likely make her comrades concerned, or perhaps suspicious. Sighing, she hesitantly spoke up. "It is good to meet you, Miss Crafte, Sir Avala. For reasons beyond my control, I cannot answer that at this current moment. I will explain once we begin traveling, to the best of my abilities to do so." Hopefully that would suffice...

---

Although Malstom's Guild Hall's design is unusual compared to other Guild Halls across the continent, it's interior would be familiar to anyone who has visited a Guild Hall before. Stone walls, with wooden supports. A spacious interior, with plenty of empty stalls merchants could make use of, though none can be found at this time. In fact, there are very few people around. A blonde-haired half-fox is chatting with the sole merchant, a brown-haired human who seems to be selling fruit. The two appear to be arguing, with the half-fox saying that she believes that the merchant is charging too much for some apples, while the merchant says that his prices are always fair. The woman seems to be wearing padded clothes, judging by their bulkiness; an off-white tunic with beige pants. The merchant, meanwhile, seems to be wearing expensive, well-made clothes. His clothes multi-coloured, a pale blue undershirt with a purple-and-white jacket on top, and dark red pants.

Near the wall opposite of the entrance, near a few crates, sits a bald man with greyish skin and dull green eyes. He's wearing brown trousers and a green jacket that have both seen better days. At his feet lies a padlocked bag, and standing against one of the crates behind him is a rather ornate-looking spear, that seems to have been made with at least as much of a focus on looking pretty as being on being pretty deadly. Although from a distance it's unclear what exactly he's saying, he seems to be engaged in conversation with someone else. Sitting beside him on a crate is a short feminine figure, sitting just high enough to be head-height with the man. She's got tan skin and quite messy white hair, and is wearing a long-sleeved light grey dress that covers most of her legs. Beside her on the crate lies a rectangular bag, with a large book on top of it, with papers sticking out of it.

Of the latter duo, it is quite clear that the man is Grimar, and as the group approaches them, their conversation becomes audible.

"...and that's why I can't turn into a Chonchon, they're not wizards! They're just servants, and I'm not a wizard's servant." The girl says, letting out an exasperated groan. "And even if I could turn into one, why would I? They're ugly! I don't want my ears to be as big as my head is!" She then adds, causing the man to laugh, shaking his head. It is then that he notices the group approaching, a smile appearing on his face.

"Well, it looks like we've got company. Quite a mixed group, too. Did the knight in the tavern send you guys?" The man asks, crossing his arms as he seems to inspect the group. The girl, meanwhile, seems to be rather curious too, but keeps quiet, instead taking her book and beginning to write something.

@ShiningSector @Infinite Cosmos

The halfbeast looked around the Guild Hall, noting how few merchants there were at the moment, a singular merchant arguing with a halffox over prices, it seemed like. Based on the padded clothes, perhaps the fox was a sort of adventurer, which would make sense in the Guild Hall... the merchant seemed excessively dressed, which led her to doubt that the merchant was truly fair on their prices. After all, if it was truly fair prices, how would he be making enough money to waste on garishly bright clothes like those?

But of course, their target was not a random merchant. Outside of those two, it seemed that the bald man, Grimar, was over there, alongside a girl, and a somewhat cute one too. Her gaze flicked to the padlocked bag, wondering idly what could be so important as to lock a bag, of all things? And that spear looked incredibly weak, perhaps it could be effective as a weapon, but perhaps if he simply bought a better spear, it could be more effective than an ornate one... she can't imagine the weight of it is very balanced. Chonchons? What are those? Apparently creatures with large ears... and servants... could the girl transform into things?

The halfbeast approached, nodding in response to Grimar's question "Indeed. We were told that you held more information on the various maps, although personally, my curiousity is aroused by your companion there, she seems both interesting, and cute." The halfbeast stated calmly, gazing at the girl, dull gaze almost somehow piercing, though she kept a polite distance, to avoid the effects of her chilling aura affecting Grimar and the other.

Victoria stared at the (literally) cold half-beast, seemingly pouting over her disappointing response. Still, she respected the unnamed half-beast's decision not to introduce herself for the time being or to explain as to her reasons why she wanted to keep silent about it. It quickly mattered little as they eventually arrived at the Guild Hall. Upon entering the large establishment, Victoria again turned to face her would-be party and addressed them.

"As I mentioned earlier," she began, "I have some reports I need to turn in. I shouldn't take long though, I'll be with you guys in a bit."

After saying her part, she temporarily departed the group and made her way over to one of the receptionists managing the front counter row. The receptionist, in particular, had recently become somewhat of a friendly acquaintance, probably due to coincidental circumstances that often had her turning in other regional reports and bounties to him, as he always seemed available to assist another client. Victoria had to admit that it was almost as if fate had created a routine for her to pass along paperwork over to this one specific individual as she visited the area. She didn't mind though and honestly, Harold, the receptionist's name, was very talkative and easy to get along with, though noticeably flamboyant in their approach.

"Oh! I see one of my favorite adventures is back in town!" Harold happily exclaimed as she approached his desk.

"Everyone is your favorite adventure, Harold," Victoria countered. She wasn't wrong.

"I know, I know, but you see me so often! You're gonna make all the other receptionists here jealous if you keep that up." he couldn't but lean in toward Victoria while his tubby profile pressed against the edge of the counter, "anyway, how can I help you this fine afternoon, Miss Crafte?"

Victoria produced the folder she carried to the Guild Hall and placed it on the countertop before nudging it towards Harold's direction, "Here to file in these reports for the Dalton scouting request."

"Ah, I see. How'd it go Did you run into any trouble?" he replied while taking the folder and checking its contents.

"Not at all. I'll be honest, it was kinda boring. Pretty uneventful really."

"I bet it was peaceful then?"

"You're not wrong about that. It was a chill and relaxing mission, that's for sure."

Harold looked up with a warm smile across his face, "That's what you should always look for. You explorers are always looking for trouble. You have to take it easy every once and awhile."

Victoria tried not to blush. Harold somehow had a way with words and making them sound so sincere, "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind during my next mission I'll be heading off in a bit for."

"You're going off again already? You are a thrill-seeker," Harold replied as he produced a small sack of coinage, "here's your pay for the request. Thank you for getting it done; keep up the good work, Miss Crafte."

"I always do," she jokingly said while taking her pay and leaving the deck, "take care, Harold."

"Don't be a stranger!"

As Victoria had figured, it wasn't hard to relocate the group and, unsurprisingly, finding Grimar along with them. Just as she was about to rejoin her companions, she arrived just as the smaller half-beast among them addressing Grimar and another individual.

"...your companion there, she seems both interesting, and cute."

"Who's cute?" Victoria blurted out. It didn't take long for her to realize who the half-beast was referring to. Upon this discovery, Victoria, also staring at the girl beside Grimar with intrigue, lowered herself to the half-beast's ear while ignoring her cold aura and muttered, "...you're right, she's adorable."

---

The half-beast's comments quickly get a reaction from the tan-skinned girl, who begins to get the slightest hint of a blush on her face, before hiding said face with her book, giving everyone a better look at it. The book looks like it's old, and shows signs of damage including a few burnmarks, and appears to be made out of a leather-y material. The back seems to be rather bland, but has a few things scribbled on it, though from a distance it's hard to make out anything coherent. The front of the book, meanwhile, features a circle of faint green symbols, surrounding a... strange black patch, as though there is something underneath it that's being covered up.

"...I'm not cute..." The girl mutters quietly, peeking out above her book to look at the halfbeast and her companions, especially Victoria, seemingly suspicious about what she's saying to the halfbeast.

Grimar, on the other hand, simply lets out a laugh. "Well, you all certainly are an interesting batch. Don't worry, maybe if she grows to like you can pry out some of her many secrets." He adds, looking over at the girl who glares at him for a moment. "In any case, let us get down to business. I do, indeed, hold various maps." He adds, gesturing towards the padlocked bag. "Three, to be precise. I'm not sure how much Tinman told you guys, though, so I'll elaborate on them a bit. They are triangular pieces of brown metal with bits of blue, with a small circular piece of glass at the top. The glass gives off a glow when held in a specific direction, depending on which one it is. Grimar explains, taking a key out of his sleeve and picking up his bag, unlocking it.

"We have since discovered that they function as sort of... compasses, though they don't point towards the north like ordinary compasses. Previous expeditions have shown they lead to... things, so we're assuming these will do the same." The man adds, as he takes three small boxes out of his bag, with the girl looking at them with curiosity. He then takes opens a box, and takes out a piece of light brown metal shaped like an isosceles triangle, with a piece of white glass near the shortest end, and blue lines forming a shape that resembles a snowflake underneath it. "This is one of the three, and it shines when pointed north. That, combined with it's symbol, sound to me like it's gonna send you guys North, so I'd suggest making sure you've got warm clothing. There are two more, and one seems to point in roughly the southwest, and the other to the northwest." Grimar comments, before putting back the item and placing his hand on one of the crates.

"Other equipment, like tents and such, are in these crates in case you guys don't have any of your own. Food and spare clothes aren't included, however, since we didn't want the food to spoil and we had no way of knowing what your sizes would be beforehand, but my employer has permitted me to give you some money if you don't have any of your own to buy things with. Just know that if you take anything and don't do the job, milady will be sending people after you to get her money from you one way or another."

"I personally won't be accompanying you, but Erula over there will be." Grimar says, gesturing towards the woman still arguing with the merchant, before pointing his thumb at the girl besides him, who is still covering her face with her book, barely peeking out over it. "As will this little miscreant over here, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to gush over her appearance along the way. Anything need explaining so far?" He finally adds, causing the girl to sputter and fully hide her face once more.

>>The beginnings of their adventure.@ShiningSector @Ypnosi<<

North.

Thats where home is.

Avala thought to himself, remaining rather silent during Grimar's explanation of the artifacts. The word 'North' rung a bell within his heart. He hadn't been back home for some time now. Though there isn't much to speak of anymore. The Winter's Claw is so far into the wastelands, it would be surprising if their expedition took them that far. So there is no worries regarding that, he thought.

"We should be fine, regarding extra clothes for warmth, right?" Avala said, offering a small smile to the small half beast in their trio. Of course, he can sense the cold she was giving off. He has some theories regarding who or what she is, but this is neither the time nor place to be discussing that.

"A few small tents and bedrolls would be nice. The north is a hard place. Not much comfort to be had up there." Avala said to no one in particular. "As for food, we can pack some I suppose, though if the adventure lasts longer than expected, I suppose we can fish, hunt and forage...." He continued on.

@Infinite Cosmos@ShiningSector

---

The halfbeast glanced at Victoria with the whispering, ear flicking once from how close Victoria was whispering, but nodding. Upon hearing the girl deny it, the halfbeast tilted her head, stating simply "Yes, you are. Why deny it?"

That book looked rather curious though, perhaps a spellbook of some kind, although the halfbeast knew that she didn't know much about magic. Nonetheless, for now, she listened to Grimar's explanations of the compasses. Curious. Artifacts linked to other artifacts? Must be some particularly powerful artifacts, or something. She didn't have the faintest clue what they would be though, to be frank, she had never heard of an artifact that... leads its user to a different artifact.

So, one leads to the north, hm? No bother to me, it's been some time since I left the place of my... appearance? Birth? Not entirely quite sure what to call it. Although, perhaps this damnable chill of mine would be more useful in the south, where it's contrasting the temperature there... The halfbeast frowned, seemingly lost in thought for a bit, before blinking at the mention of food and clothes. "Thank you, but I will be fine on both of those counts, personally. I cannot speak for the others, though." So, the arguing one is Erula, and both her and the adorable one will be joining us.

A single, self-satisfied nod, before turning to the others. "Although heading north would be nostalgic for... several of us, if my assumption is right-" A nod towards Avala. In all her time down in the south, she had yet to meet anyone as large as those who had lived up north, the harsh climate required strength most down in the lands she traveled now lacked. As such, such a large, well-traveled man was likely to originate from the north, though she knew not where exactly, he had certainly not been in the village where she had lived for a few years. "-I am of the opinion that my personal... quirks... would be better suited elsewhere. I trust you can feel it?" A raised eyebrow, not really saying what 'it' was, but referring to the aura of chill that wrapped over her like a cloak, wherever she went. "I was under the impression we were free to choose which to follow, so I believe we should pick one where our particular skills would be most of use."

After overhearing a certain group in the tavern talking about an expedition Nebra thought to herself. *Could this be an opportunity to get some contacts that could help me complete my mission, but the north….. that’s a bit too cold for my liking.* She slapped her face *Can’t complain about the cold after I picked up your task. Isn’t that right father?*

“Now then, where did they go?” Having lost sight of them, she started to panic. *How could I let such a fortunate opportunity go?!? Wait Nebra, think. They can’t have gotten far.* She thought to herself whilst running out of the Silver Piglet. *Where would they go? Wait! the explorers guild, that must be it!* She started dashing towards the guild hall. Once she entered she started looking frantically around her.
“They have to be here somewhere……… Ah, found them!” Nebra said before running towards them.

“excuse me, could i accompany you on this journey? I promise that I could be quite useful”

@Infinite Cosmos@Ypnosi@jasbraq

"Fascinating." Victoria thought aloud, leaning forward to get a better look at the small triangular piece within Grimar's hand.

While the design of the artifact didn't exactly impress her, it was, however, it's purposeful functionality that intrigued Victoria's curiosity. As Grimar has explained, the piece served as a compass of sorts, pointing - glowing actually - to the direction of whatever prize it was bound to. Victoria pondered on what kind of magical spell or runic sequence that could allow the piece to operate over vast distances and yet accurately, in a general sense, point back towards its place of origin. Part of her wanted to take the thing apart but she quite well knew better than to dismantle the thing. At least not until after they had successfully raided the location it was bound to anyway.

"I think I am already quite prepared," Victoria gestured to her backpack, which carried much of her necessities, including her own tent and extra clothing, "although the money would serve us well in stockpiling on provisions."

After Avala and the unnamed half-beast presented their opinions, Victoria contemplated one which destination they should choose first. Avala already established themselves as someone who was very experienced with the Northern lands and having his knowledge on hand would be certainly beneficial. The half-beast, although not being entirely upfront, had implied that their ability as a walking cooler would perhaps be useful in the South where the climate would be much warmer. Victoria, however, didn't really have much to offer in either department, though having been on expeditions in both directions, she should very well say she knew what to expect.

Her train of thought suddenly broke when and voice manifested behind them. Turning around, Victoria was meet with two long ears that nearly reached her height. Her gaze eventually traced the furry protrusions down to a Nubian girl who had asked them if she could come along. Victoria briefly looked over her shoulders to both Avala and the chilly half-beast who also likely took notice of the Anubite as well.

"I don't see why not," Victoria simply replied although she continued to study the girl up and down, "you know what we're doing, yeah?"

The halfbeasts ears flicked at the arrival of the Anubite, frowning briefly, and turning to examine her, gazing at the large ears. Hmm, another sort of halfbeast, I see... So she wishes to join us. Aloud, she simply nodded, and stated calmly "I have no issue with adding another to our team, although the more we add, the less ideal heading to the north becomes... more to keep warm, more to feed, particularly considering that while both myself and Avala are quite experienced with the harsh lands, there is not much food to be had in the wild, particularly to feed five, and one of Avala's size, as well."

She shook her head, before letting out a soft sigh, and nodding once more to Victoria. "I must agree there. While we seem to be well equipped in terms of clothes, money for taking on the journey would be quite useful."

A look to Avala, and a contemplative gaze. "I imagine you're more experienced with the calculations of having to regularly eat up north... how likely would we be to continue to find food as we traveled, assuming this artifact ventures into the wastelands? I can't imagine it's very likely... between keeping all of us warm, and feeding all of us... such a trek would be quite dangerous."

Nebra's attention was set on the halfbeast and as she listened she began to pout. "E-Even though I'm not that used to the cold, I... assure you that i can be of use" She said as she started doubting herself. Does she have it in her? Is she strong enough to reach her father's dream...... Thinking about such questions started to piss Nebra off. If she isn't strong enough, she'll just need to become stronger.

Grabbing onto the halfbeast's she quickly noticed how cold she felt. Being Distressed about this she pressed her ear on her chest "What?.. There's barely anything"
Nebra responded after hearing such a faint and slow heartbeat. "What are you?... How can you even move with a pulse so slow?" Having been completely distracted by the abnormality standing in front of her. Nebra decides to do a more hands on examination. Looking deep into the halfbeast's eyes "Your eyes look quite lifeless but i can feel life resonating from you."
Noticing the bizarrely big sword for such a fragile looking girl "How are you able to lift that sword? You don't seem to have a lot of muscle on your body to be able to fight with that thing."