[IC] Adventurer's Quest Stop And Cafe (Always Open!)

[Doc Doctor]

@ineffable@cloudystar

Suliss accepted Skylar's hand and rose to his feet. His voice came out as if he had a cheese grater in his throat, toneless and harsh.

"Give to me the flesh of thy champion... Their essence will- SSSSSS!!!"

Suliss at that moment slipped on a beer puddle and pitched forwards, banging his unseen head on a table. The ominous figure clung dazedly to the table, hissing and growling uncouth syllables that a human voicebox probably couldn't have imitated. Suliss at once understood the situation.

This universe was governed by a different set of laws than what he was used to. Here, cosmic threats were subject not to equality, but comedic relief. At this thought, a familiar mortal word did manage to slither out of his mouth.

"Fuck."

[Azereiah]

In the distance, what feels like an explosion is heard several blocks away from the Cafe.

---

Several blocks away from the Cafe, in downtown Rheoden, a portal erupts into flames, and two large pieces of burning debris are spit out across the ground. The smaller piece of debris jumps up and makes a leap for the portal, but is caught by the ankles by the larger piece of debris. Both realize with a jolt that they're still on fire, and in an instant, the fire is out, obviously much to the disappointment of the large one.

Both pieces of debris appear to be human once the fire is out - or, at least, the small one currently hanging upside down in front of the large one does. The large one is encased in a flame retardant suit, and is enduring the complaints of his ally with grace.

"God damn it, Arturo, let me go. I have a job to finish!"
"Mm m mhmm hm."
"You know what I'm capable of, asshole. That won't happen. Now let go."
"Mm-mm."

The small one thrusts a hand into Arturo's hip satchel and pulls out a lighter, which she waves around in front of his face.
"I'll take it away if you don't let me g-"

Arturo lets her go mid-sentence and she crashes to the pavement head-first. The portal is still surrounded in fire, and the roars of what locals in that area believe to be a fire god come through the rip in the universe clearly. He might like fire, but that was the first time anything had ever successfully set him on fire, and he wasn't about to go back through. He picks the unconscious girl up and throws her over his shoulder, retrieves her now lightly scorched book from the ground, and wanders off. The area appears to be a modern city, made of metal, glass, and concrete - not something he can torch easily, sadly, but definitely a place where he expects he can find a place for his teacher to recuperate.

Arturo realizes halfway down the street that he can't read the language any of the signs are in. He would need Brunhilde to translate for him.

---

A knock comes at the door to the Adventurer's Quest Stop and Cafe, accompanied by the powerful smell of smoke from outside.

[cloudystar]

Quinton

---

Quinton keeps a careful eye on the hooded stranger as he goes back to the bar and starts preparing a few drinks in case customers came later on in the night. It's been a long day of him cleaning the messes and such from the other newcomers that came earlier. Sure he enjoyed their company and he hoped that everything with their quest went well.

"Sir...care for a drink or anything? I do have a lot over here being made and they are on the house. Practically anything in the Cafe is for free...just please do not abuse your privileges and we'll be sure to accommodate things to your liking. Or just relax over there at your table, that is a relaxing way to spend the night as well."(@Doc Doctor)

However, Quinton was cut short when he heard repeated knocks at the door. He hurries over to it and does a deep bow to the new customers. He ushers them in from the nightly outside and takes out his magical handkerchief to wipe the two down.

"Hello sir and madam...are you two alright? Do you two care for water or anything of the sorts to help you out? Or perhaps spare clothes? Oh wait, where are my manners. My name is Quinton, the butler of this establishment...the Adventurer's Quest Stop and Cafe, home to many portals and dimensions that are linked across the worlds. A travel stop in short...do you two require anything? I live to serve." (@Azereiah)

[Azereiah]

@cloudystar

The large pyromancer simply shrugs and lets himself in, nodding at the offer of water. He doesn't indicate that he wants much of anything else, but rather, points to Brunhilde and pantomimes speaking with his free hand as though it's her job to do the talking. There's no reaction to the quick wipedown.

A glance around the room reveals some other patrons lounging and standing about, as well as a healthy number of empty tables and chairs. Arturo hastily walks over to a seat and dumps Brunhilde's unconscious body into it. He, however, stays standing.

[cloudystar]

Quinton

---

Quinton nods his head and heads over to the bar to quickly retrieve a glass of water. He brings it over to the large silent man and does a polite bow as he sets it in front of him. Then he looks at the very small lady and tilts his head curiously. Without hesitation, he does a quick body check-up to check her condition. Going rather quickly over the check-up so she or her friend wouldn't be too disturbed with Quinton putting his hands on her, he goes back to the side of the bar to make a quick brew of sorts. This brew wasn't meant for drinking but thanks to the chemicals put inside it, it was known to wake someone up from exhaustion or knocked out. Gently edging it underneath her nose, he waits patiently for her to wake up.

"Sorry for doing this without your permission sir, I as a gentleman cannot leave a woman in distress such as your friend here unconscious at a bar. If I was unable to pay attention or yourself, who knows what kind of villain would take her away? Best if she wakes up now and catches a good understanding of her current situation at least before going into rest." (@Azereiah)

[Azereiah]

Arturo takes the water and, while Quinton is preparing the brew, swiftly dumps it on Brunhilde's head to wake her up. It doesn't work, and now Brunhilde is unconscious and soaked, rather than just unconscious. Arturo lightly slaps her as a last ditch effort to awaken her, and is rewarded with a reflexive kick to the shin. He groans in frustration and hops over to the seat across the table when Quinton returns.

The Butler uses quite a few fancy words, which Arturo likes, though he doesn't completely understand everything. Quinton seems to him to be competent enough, and he allows him to try to treat Brunhilde.

The fumes from the concoction jolt Brunhilde awake some ten seconds after initial exposure. She almost falls out of the seat the instant she awakens. The scent of smoke hits her again, and she thrusts all oxygen away from her body instinctively to smother the nonexistant fire, almost losing consciousness again in the process. Being out for a few minutes hasn't exactly done her much good, it seems. The air remixes itself again as she gasps for breath.

She looks to Arturo, who isn't exactly the best communicator. She then looks to Quinton and identifies the smell of ammonium carbonate emanating from the glass in his hand, which she assumes brought her back to consciousness.

"Thanks. I think. Where are we, and who are you?"

@cloudystar

[ineffable]

Skylar

---

@Doc Doctor@Rusalka@Rune_Alchemist@Azereiah@cloudystarSkylar heads over to the weird, mysterious figure who was cursing.
"Well, Sir...you don't seem too happy. Would you like a drink or some food? Or perhaps a warm bed...actually, scratch that. Don't go upstairs, there seems to be a couple doing a...naughty few things and I don't think that you'll want to witness that."She chuckled to herself. She sees that Quinton is helping the couple sitting in a booth so all she does is casts them a friendly smile and a wave.

[Doc Doctor]

@ineffable

Suliss carefully rose, making sure there were no slapstick traps around. He'd have to play ball with these sheep and keep his cards close, biding his time until a way to gain power presented itself. But how can you fool natural order? Suliss hissed out a sigh. It didn't matter. He wasn't short on time. If worst came to worst, he'd probably be allowed to steal the body of another villain.

For the time being, he'd adapt and be... Friendly? It was an alien thought, but he could do it. It'd be like a monkey trained to do math. It could put a 2 in front of 1+1, but that didn't mean it knew what it was doing.

"Coffee and a cup of pottage... And wouldst thou tell me what thy companion have gathered for?"

[cloudystar]

Quinton

---

Quinton does a small bow to the awakened lady. He seemed rather pleased with himself that he was able to revive her but was happy that she seemed alright after waking up. After receiving a cup of water for her to drink, he begins to speak.

"Good evening ma'am...this place is the Adventurer's Quest Stop and Cafe. A Cafe that is interlocked with innumerable dimensions and is a common resting place for many to stay at. My name is Quinton, the butler of this fine establishment. May I interest you in anythig such as a drink or meal? I would offer you a room but we can only offer a large common one night-stay room that those who stay for only one night must share together. Do not fret too much about it and rest though, I'll be sure that by the time you two are done, those who are 'fooling around' upstairs will be done sooner than later...and don't worry, meals and drinks here are free."
(@Azereiah)

[ineffable]

Skylar

---

@Doc Doctor"I will get that for you shortly. Those adventurer's were gathered for a quest. It's on the notice board if you would like to know." Skylar smiled and went to the coffee machine behind the bar. She prepared the food and filled up the coffee cup with the dark drink and moved back over to him. "Here's your coffee and pottage, sir. Enjoy!"

[Doc Doctor]

@ineffable

Suliss accepted the sustenance and sat down on the floor whilst the others prepared for a quest, managing to eat and drink efficiently without at all pulling his hood back.

"I shall accompany them."

[ineffable]

Skylar

---

@Doc Doctor"Accompany them?!"Skylar echoed in shock. "Do you even know anything about the mission?"

[Azereiah]

@cloudystar

Brunhilde downed the glass of water in an instant and contemplated her surroundings. Whatever this place was, it seemed nice enough. Better than where she had been, at any rate. The Butler was helpful, but it wasn't obvious whether he was the owner or not. It didn't really matter much, though. She had bigger things to worry about -- like where the hell she was and where she would be able to find work. And keeping track of basic information. The journal flew open and she started scribbling down Quinton's words in shorthand under the day's entry.

"Would you happen to know how I got here and if there are any aggressive fire elementals around? I'm not exactly familiar with the area. Last thing I remember before waking up here was the village burning and my employer dying."

Meanwhile, the massive pyromaniac overheard the conversation across the room. His head sharply rose at the sound of the word 'quest', followed by the rest of his body, and he crossed the room to join in. Whatever it was, it sounded fun to him, and he was sure his master couldn't be bothered with it. He loved quests. Brunhilde, however, loved work, which was a completely different thing to him.

Arturo placed himself near Skylar (@ineffable) and Suliss (@Doc Doctor), completely unaware of the rudeness of doing so in the middle of a conversation. At least his posture made it seem as though he were ready to go wherever it was questers were supposed to go.

[Doc Doctor]

@ineffable@Azereiah

"I know enough..."

Suliss slipped away from Arturo and Sky, weaving into the crowd to become anonymous.

[ineffable]

Skylar

---

@Doc Doctor@AzereiahSkylar frowned slightly at the man's strangeness but brushed it off. Surely, if anything happened she could take care of it, right? She noticed the new arrival at the table and plastered on a fake smile. That man was bothering her for some reason. "Hello, Would you like anything?"She asks sweetly, nervously shaking her leg under the table.

[cloudystar]

@Azereiah

Quinton

"Well I have not heard in the news lately but I believe this world has enough resources to deal with a few fire elementals including the bar here ma'am. And you should have been able to reach this dimension or world as most call it, through a dimension portal. Those are quite tricky to open and only a few to none can actually conjure one! I do know that the Cafe here has a calibration system that allows me to reconfigure a personal Portal the Cafe contains to transport one to whichever dimension they so desire. Though it does take some time because it is a completely new foreign concept depending on the dimension opened."

Quinton gives her a small bow at the part of her employer dying to give his condolences. He did feel bad for her in a way but he must not show it too much to a random stranger, otherwise it'll leave a bad reputation for him among the customers if he gives her only special treatment...after all, she's not really a friend of his yet.

[ineffable]

?

---

A figure steps into the Adventurer's Quest Stop and Cafe. She's clothed all in black and she's panting.
"LOCK THE DOORS! THE SHITHEADS ARE COMING FOR ME!"

@Doc Doctor@cloudystar@Azereiah

[Scarifar]

Damien Cray

Daniem covered his mouth with one hand as he yawned. He had been walking on a path for quite a while now, and there had been nothing to keep him entertained. It was just him and the weird aspects of this world he found himself in, and those got boring fast once he got used to them. Eventually, Daniel decided that a short break was in order. Stopping, he scanned the area around him for a good spot to rest. As he did so, he spotted a figure in black running quite fast, towards a building of some sort. Surprised, he stared at her for a few seconds before grinning. This was no longer a time for rest; this was a time for something fun to join. Daniel wasn't sure what was going on, but there was no way he would miss this, and so he ran after her, following her as fast as he could, keeping an eye out for whatever may have caused the black figure to run so fast.

[cloudystar]

Quinton

Quinton glances at the newcomer who recently came in and lets out a small sigh. He hurries over and tries to usher her over to a table to calm the lady down. Quickly glancing at the door that he closed as he tried to comfort her, he gave an apologetic bow to Brunhilde who he was attending to earlier.

"I'll be right back with you ma'am...I first have to deal with the missus here. Good evening ma'am, are you alright? I really believe that no one is coming nor would dare attack this cafe. The cafe is well suited for protection and none will do life-threatening harm inside while I am around here. The name is Quinton, the butler of this establishment. Before I pry for your name, may I suggest any calming brews of the sort to relax your nerves? Coffee? Tea perhaps? Then you can explain to me who or what is coming after you after easing your body."

@Azereiah@ineffable

[ineffable]

?

---

The figure screams at the butler right away once he finishes his sentence.
"LOCK THE DOORS YOU ASS! I TOLD YOU TO!" She runs to behind the bar counter and instantly ducks behind it, cradling a small blade stained with dried blood to her chest and bowing her head.

@Doc Doctor@cloudystar@Azereiah@Scarifar