[i][/i][h2][center][b][color=ed1c24]Novak[/color][/b][/center][/h2]
[color=ed1c24]"Good to meet you too,"[/color] Novak replied to the dwarf as he took a seat at the table.  Despite the fox opting to sleep on him last night, he had slept fairly well, or at least better than if he had gone back to Enli's place.  After everything that had happened, he didn't feel particularly safe sleeping among the villagers, within reach of the hunters, and it was of no small relief to be offered to stay at Lady Mie's tent for the night.  While it was true that he hadn't actually seen any of the hunters trying to kill him, the mask's vision, the Illuminator's warning, the smell of smoke, and the fox's guidance all pointed towards someone having malicious intentions towards him yesterday.

Novak speculated that the mask he picked up might allow him to identify among the hunters served the Illuminator, but wasn't sure how people would react to him donning the mask, especially if they recognized where it was from.

[color=ed1c24]"I have to say it's a very tempting offer,"[/color] Novak spoke to Lady Mie.  [color=ed1c24]"I think some traveling would do good for me, and provide the opportunity to learn some new skills."[/color]  There was a lot he could see himself gaining from traveling with Mie; he could learn to use a sword properly, gain some firsthand understanding of this world and its civilizations beyond this little village, and perhaps pick up on prices of goods and value of whatever currencies this world has.  Not to mention traveling from place to place in a merchant caravan could help to track down the orb that the Illuminator desired, while simultaneously getting him far, far away from whoever had tried to kill him and his companions yesterday.

[color=ed1c24]"That said, I do have a bit of unfinished business in this village that I'm hoping to conclude before I could commit myself to your service,"[/color] he continued.  [color=ed1c24]"I'm hoping that I can get it taken care of today."[/color]  First, Novak was hoping that Bolcha will have finished the armor he had agreed to craft, so he'd have some form of proper protective attire.  Second, it might be enlightening to track down one of the Illuminator-worshiping hunters and ask them about the orb, about the theft, and about Lazhira.  Alternatively, they could be as blinded to the theft as the Illuminator was, and/or try to kill Novak to maintain their secrecy.  Perhaps he'd be better off asking one of the other of the Goddess' chosen if they had learned anything about the situation in the village.

If Lady Mie had nothing else to discuss, Novak would grab his belongings, leave the tent, and head for Bolcha's place of work.  It might be too much to ask for someone to make armor out of the creature's hide in a day and a half, but it wouldn't hurt to see what progress had been made.

[color=ed1c24][i]I wonder how many of the hunters are with the Illuminator,[/i][/color] he pondered.   [color=ed1c24][i]A few of them?  Most of them?  Is Akando one of them?[/i][/color]  Novak hoped that he had garnered enough goodwill helping against the armadillo beast and retrieving Bolcha's tools that whatever malefactors resided in the village would stay their hand.

[@Rune_Alchemist]