[IC] Goblin Slayer: Newblood (CANCELLED)

[Xaltwind]

Druid Girl nodded as Steppe Archer accepted the task she'd been requested to do. She then perked up as Big Red rumbled his musings about herbs not being able to cure a dislocated foot. True enough, there wasn't a plant on the planet that could pop your joints back into place by merely being applied, but then again a dislocated foot couldn't kill you, unlike a still-bleeding or open wound which could get infected. The caramel-skinned girl decided not to say anything about that topic though, no need to go into semantics when the big fella was just trying to be helpful... In his own, awkward way...

She made a slight grimace when the reptilian man, rather brusquely, popped the goblin victim's foot back into place. The red-head herself made a quick, nasaly whine and blinked just as the sensation of pain coursed through her body, but other than that she made no discenrable or noteworthy sounds or movements that would indicate that she'd been much afflicted by the sudden treatment... Which was just depressing. Druid Girl gently stroked the poor thing's forehead in a vain attempt to comfort her. She didn't much care for the choice words that Big Red had used about him not liking to waste things...

"Helping someone is never wasteful." The druid state rather quickly after the lizard had spoken, and rather curtly. It was rather obvious that her kindness didn't agree with pragmatism or cold logic.

Still, she was gracious enough to thank the lizardman for giving up his potion, and she wasted little time administering it. After that, she told Big Red to be careful before he went back into the cave to retrieve the other bodies. Not that there was likely anything inside left that could actually hurt the behemoth, but it never hurt to wish someone well, and to remind them to be careful, no matter how big and broad their shoulders were.

Soon enough, the nomad returned triumphantly, brandishing the bounty which she had collected. Druid Girl smiled warmly as she took the plucked plants.

"These will do fine, thank you." She said, setting to work almost at once. She would strip the small saw-toothed leaves from the stems and then, using the very tip of her sickle, would cut into the plant's side, causing a small, translucent but still misty liquid to seep out.

She began to gently rub this syrup-y goo onto the places and injuries which their potions hadn't been able to fully close or heal. The dark skinned girl worked fast and efficently, but still managed to be both gentle and firm at the same time. Of course, her teacher would've been much better and done a far better job, not having wasted any of the flowers, but with what they had, the girl did just fine. When she was finally done, and all the wounds had been sutiably smeared, the raven-haired girl let out a sigh of relief, apparently having been holding her breath while she'd been working. With a soft smile she looked over at Steppe Archer.

"Good work, this'll really help her body recover, and I couldn't have done it without your help." She said, looking back to the poor girl on the dirt ground infront of her and gently stroking her forehead again. "Once Big Red gets back with... The other two... Do you think you could help him set up the pyre too? I want to stay and keep an eye on her." She paused. "And the sooner we send the others off, the quicker we can get back and ask that man if we can borrow his barn for the rest of the night." She added, furrowing her brow at the mention of the farmer. It wasn't like her to be angry at someone this long, but that man had just ruffled her feathers.

[Kazemitsu]

The Fighter was genuinely surprised by the lack of any thrashing or screams at the joint being put back in place. Was the girl that broken that she couldn't even instinctively make the effort to fight against pain? Just lay there and accept it? If she was going to be like this forever it honestly felt like it'd be a mercy to end her mental suffering. But he wasn't a Seer, he couldn't check the futures of anyone to see what it held for them.

Druid Girl commented on his words, making him shrug. "If there's little to no benefit to something helping it's a waste of what was provided aside from morale and moralities sake." He said as he vanished into the dark of the cave once more.

Upon returning to the group with the bodies and his own figure bristling with crude weaponry, and laying them out, he finally sat down. Reaching into his pack he pulled out a big chunk of jerky and tossed it into his maw before chewing. Tough meat, but still yummy. While he was chewing he pulled off all the weapons and tools he had gathered. Some of them seemed salvageable, mainly the tools since they were built hardier than a typical weapon.

Pulling out a rag he began wiping the sludge off the weapons and tools while he waited for Archer Girl to return to the makeshift camp while Druid Girl tended to the injured and fire. Getting rust off would take chemicals he didn't keep on his person, and the deep nicks couldn't be worked out with a simple whetstone. The handaxe and hatchet could be worked over though, same with the higher quality knives and the longsword.

Speaking of the floofy girl returned rather quick, clutching a fistful of the plant Druid Girl wanted. While those two took care of the salve...or whatever it was Druid Girl was going to do with it he set about gathered old and new wood. The green would burn longer, the old would catch faster. He kept it local, not moving too far out because of the darkness. But still it didn't take too long to gather a portion of lumber.

[The Irish Tree]

There was no need to even ask the nomadic girl if she wished to help with the pyre or not; all people deserved a burial, regardless of who they were. Even a cremation counted in her eyes. Her task off providing the herbs to soothe the girl's injuries was over, so now she could help their lizard friend build up their stock of wood to burn. Human bodies would burn, but to actually turn most of the bones to ash would take a lot of heat.

She would gather wood as well as, focusing on gathering the dryer woods to get the temperature up quickly. ...Unfortunately, no matter what they did, this was going to reek like death. A burning corpse wasn't a pleasant smell. With her wood gathered, Steppe Archer would turn to the corpses laying on the ground and knit her hands together in prayer. "Spirits of ancestry, witnesses of your children's deeds, let these brave souls pass peacefully into your embrace..." she said, giving the best prayer her culture could manage; one reserved for warriors that died in battle defending their families. It may not have been the most accurate, but without a proper priestess, a prayer for fallen warriors was the best the Steppe Archer could do.

[Xaltwind]

Druid Girl focused most of all of her attention on the victimized girl beside her, paying little heed or attention to the surroundings. As Big Red and Steppe Archer milled about, gathering dry branches, sticks and other types and pieces of wood to burn, the nature mage was preoccupied with monitoring and overseeing the red headed survivor's breathing, pulse and general behavior. She was already in much better condition then when they'd found her, but something could till go awry at any moment. Not to mention, who knew how long it'd been since the poor girl had had a drink of water or something to ear? It didn't seem likely that these.... Creatures... would have bothered to take care of their captives in any sort of way at all. That thought in mind, Druid Girl reached into her travel pack and fished around for a bit, before pulling out a small canteen.

Uncorking it, she placed the broken girl's head on her lap and both carefully and slowly began to try and get some fluids back into the poor thing. Sadly, the girl wasn't very receptive, and most of the water ended up either trickling out through the corners of her mouth, or being hoarsely coughed back up. Still, she did get some drink into her, which was better than none at all, supposedly. Still, it was a sad sight to behold indeed. At this pojnt, the druid had also rearranged the pelvic curtain she had thrown over the girl earlier, now having set it so it was more like a tabard, hanging down the girl's front and back, covering up her certain areas that others didn't need to see.

Taking a break from just caring for the girl, she looked up and about, seeing the lizardman and nomad return, pile up and prepare to set their little bonfire alight. Druid Girl wasn't a priestess, nor had she been to many funerals, so the concept of prayer or words of farewell weren't concepts or traditions she were familiar with. She knew you wwre supposed to offer up thoughts to those who had perished, but she knew nothing about any of these young adventurers... Other then that they had probably been similar to herself - wanting to do something meaningful with their lives. A disheartening realization, wasn't it? That to want to do something other than live a life of drudgery could be so fatal... It was almost funny, if it hadn't been so depressingly sad.

Once the pyre was lit and the three who had fallen were on their way to becoming charcoal, Druid Girl laid the battered girl down for a moment. She then stood up, walking over to her allies as they watched the fire burn. She looked at the sight with sad eyes and a frown for a bit, before turning to face the two others.

"Let me know when you're ready to leave. Getting back to the farmstead will take a bit of time, especially in the dark." She stated, a somewhat solemn tone to her voice as she spoke. "I'm not sure we should try and bring all the weapons with us though. Some of them look to be in no real condition to use or even sell."

It was true enough. Most of the goblins' weaponry were in such rouge, unmaintained condition that no merchant in their right mind would actually pay for the item itself. Sure, the metal might have some value to a blacksmith of other craftsmen, but the amount of workable metal you'd get from one of these shoddy pieces were likely to cost you more to re-work and re-shape into somehting useful. Of course, that wasan't quite the case for the tools belonging to the former adventurers, as their gear was still in rather decent condition.

Plus, there was the issue of carrying space. Druid Girl's pack could hold a couple of dagger, sure, but it wasn't like she had a lot of pockets or places to hang the other, bigger items. And if Big Red was going to have to carry the goblinated girl in his arms, he wouldn't exactly have a lot of space or free hands to lug the excess junk around either.

At this point in time though, the mmons above were climbing towards their zenith, the night air was crisp and there was a very slight, gentle breeze to the wooded area the group found themselves in. It was a somber mood and setting, with the red flames of the pyre casting long shadows behind the sparse woodline that surrounded them on all sides, and making the entrance to the former goblin lair look like the gaping maw of a giant beast that lay dormant on the ground.

"Oh, but be sure to cover up the embers with dirt and, if you can spare it, pour some water on it." She added, showing her understandable concern for the well-being of the wildlife and nature around them. With that though, she said a quiet 'Farewell, and may you rest in peace', before returning to their lone survivor's side once more.

[Kazemitsu]

With the wood set up, the bodies laid atop, and a burning branch from the campfire, Big Red set the pyre alight. Once the wood started to burn, good dry stuff, Archer Girl said what was probably a prayer from her people for the deceased adventurers. His own tribe didn't have parting words for the fallen, the bodies were always returned to the earth to let nature take its course. Even the bodies of enemies were laid to rest within the moist soil to feed the cycle of life and death. So he remained silent as the clothes finally caught from the priest, and spread to the warrior. He had the bare girl between them because of their clothes.

Druid Girl was trying to get the downed red head to drink, but judging by those coughs she didn't get much down. The dark skinned girl came over shortly after, all three party members watching the fire for a bit. It would be a while before the bodies and wood would be reduced to embers. So he didn't waste time, he returned to the weapons of the goblins. The ones owned by the adventurer's were clean, they weren't in the goblins possession long enough to get ruined. The stuff stolen from the farmer, and probably other nearby farms, were all pitted, chipped, and rusty.

The hatchets edge was chipped, but not too badly. Reaching into his pack he pulled out a dull gray colored stone. Picking the limbing tool up he began running the whetstone over the edge, creating sparks and a soft rasping sound. Druid Girl spoke up about maybe leaving some of the weapons behind. "When we get back I can do some maintenance on them. But money is money this early on..." He rumbled out. He wasn't a craftsman, but he could fix the least damaged of the lot. The daggers would be difficult, but he could grind them down into stilettos. The core of the metal was still good, most of this was just surface rust and misuse of the items.

The hatchets edge was mostly fixed, it was still chipped but not nearly as bad as it was. Now it could act as something more than a metal club. The hatchet and hand-axe were slipped into his belt, one on each side. "Keep a quality dagger, both of you." He said, sometimes having reach was not your friend. In that cave the longsword would have been useless for anything but predictable thrusts, maybe half-swording but still no room. The hatchet and hand-axe he felt would have too much weight for the girls to use effectively.

The clean, but heavily damaged daggers and knives were tucked into his satchel at the small of his back. He didn't carry a whole lot with him, his antidote and potion were used. The bottles laying down and empty beside a small package of dried meat. The left the damaged shortsword and quality longsword...and the damaged girl. Well the shortsword was tucked into his belt, it was dull so it'd be safe. By now the moons were high, they'd have to move or rest here.

"I'm ready to go, the pyre has pretty much burnt out..." He said, eying the pile of ash, some leftover wood, and the occasional bone. It'd probably turn to powder at a touch, and everything radiated embers. A shame lizardmen weren't fireproof, it'd be a simple matter to stomp it all out. Druid Girl mentioned covering it with dirt, so his tail swept dust and dirt onto what was once a pyre. If everyone was ready he'd scoop up the girl and let one of the others carry the quality longsword. He only had so many hands after all and his tail wasn't that flexible.

[The Irish Tree]

The scent of a burning body was something that the nomad girl never wanted to smell again, after a point having stuffed a small clot of grass into each of her nostrils to drown out the stench. The Lizard Fighter was as resourceful as ever, grinding down the rusted weapons to salvage any usable metal to be sold to a blacksmith, and the druid was doing her best to get the girl back into shape with some water that was rejected. Seeing the red-headed girl so helpless and just...apathetic reminded her of one of her baby siblings when he was young. At the mention of a dagger, Steppe Archer patted the skinning knife on her hip which, while not a real dagger, did well in a pinch.

The night air was crisp and the moon shone brightly over them as the fires finished burning, the nomad girl moving to put out the embers with clumps of dirt which were soon wetted by little bits of water from her canteen. It was a shame that they couldn't just camp out in the field...she was certain that the farmer was going to be irate and ornery at being woken up at an hour like this. Seeing as how Big Red was now occupied carrying their damsel, Steppe Archer's hands would be best fit to carry the longsword. Looking it over and turning it slowly in her hands, the girl wondered if she should keep it or sell it...but that decision was for another time. For now, she simply had to carry it along the road with the party along with whatever weapons could fit in her sparsely packed satchel. Without her potion and antidote, her load was consisting of a single change of clothes that were on the druid's person. ...The rumbling of her stomach was telling her that was a stupid, stupid idea to begin with, as now she was left to walk hungry in the cold night air.

Sighing slightly, the girl would make ready to leave, all the while keeping an eye out for movement in the woods. She knew that wolves walked to the north, but she was especially careful of seeing any potential goblin tracks. If an away party was sent out from the cave some time ago for some reason, they may have to deal with them while the abused girl weighed their strongest fighter down. Luckily, she had eyes like a hawk, and with the moon shining so brightly even the goblins couldn't hide from her if they reared their ugly heads. With sword in hand, and a hand kept securely on her knife, the girl would say: "We should make for the farmhouse quickly. These goblin arrows will work for now, but I can't even hunt us any game if it means getting rust in the animal's blood..." she said, her mild complaint echoed by the slight gurgle of her stomach. They had no time to snack!

[Xaltwind]

With the pyre finally all but gone, the embers put out by tail-sweeping, dirt-dumping and water splashing, there really wasn't anything left to do or say here at the mouth of the former goblin cave. Doing as the big lizard had wanted, Druid Girl picked up one of the still-in-decent-condition daggers and slid it into her- oh that's right she didn't have have belt or skirt on.... She fumbled with the sharp tool for a bit, before gently putting it into her pouch. If she was gonna keep this thing, she'd have to get a sheath or something for it once they got hback to town. That headache could wait for now though.

With the spunky archer leading their way, the group set off from the grove, heading back towards the farmstead in - more or less - the same fashion they'd come earlier. It was a bit harder to navigate and make out the goblin tracks down, one reason being the darkness and the other being the tracks being several hours old, and faded, by now. Still, with a bit of fenagling and a lot of determination, they eventually could make out the rustic structures of the farm in the dim light of the moons. Although Druid Girl wasn't exactly elated to be back here, this was the nearest, best place to let their rescued survivor get a proper good rest for now.

Fortunately, their trip back to her farm had been uneventful and uninterupted. No wild beasts had try to ambush them and no new goblins, or worse, had reared their ugly heads in any attempts at an ambush. Of course, the walk had been anyhting but jubilant, and mostly done in a quiet, unchatty and somber mood. Understandable, given the situation and time of day(night?).

Still, now that they were here, having just passed by the shoddy fencing that surrounded the place, the olny thing really left to worry about was dealing with the ornery and less-than-pleasant farmer. Apparoching the door of the farmhouse proper, Druid Girl would sigh and give the door a few, stern knocks - with the tip of her oak staff - to ensure the banging was loud enough to stir the man from his sleep. A minute passed, with no audible or visible reaction. She knocked again, this time harder. A noise was then heard, sounding like a muffled voice from within. The sound of somehting metallic being knocked over followed, shortly accompanied by loud cursing and foul language. Then, just as suddenly, the door flung open and out of the doorway steppeed the farmer... Completely void of clothes... Any clothes... Holding a small brass candlestick with a lit candle in one hand, and a fire-poker, the kind you used for fireplaces, in the other.

He squinted in the darkness, with a ... Less-than-intimidating-attempt at a mean-mug on his face... Before he realized and recognized just who was at his door. The arm holding the firepoker relaxed and fell down along his side and he let out a hissing, irritated wheeze.

"The hell're you folks doing 'ere at this hour?! I was sleepin' like a babe I was, had a good dream too."
"We've cleared out the goblins in the cave north of here." Druid Girl said. "We were hoping we could use your barn to sleep in, until morning."
"The hell's ya needin' to do that for? If'n them lil monsters be all dead, why don'cha just head on back to town? I already paid ya my share of the money!"
"The town's gates are locked at night, remember? Even if we went back, we couldn't get inside." The caramel-girl replied, sighing in exasperation.
"Bah... Fine, fine. Jus' don't spook the cows! And don't be makin' a mess. And don't even think 'bout takin' anything in there with ya! Them gobbers already stole more than enough of my stuff." He angrily warned and stated... Before looking over Druid Girl's shoulder and spotting Big Red, carrying the red-head. "Wha's this now? Ya went and fished yerself another girl? Don'cha have enough wives as is, big fella?" The middle-aged, leathery skinned man said, with a smarmy grin on his lips. He then looked at Druid Girl again, and then at Steppe Archer. "See you two decided to go with matchin' outfits. Can't say I'm a fan, I prefered yer other look better, missy." The man stated, rather bluntly, to the druid, who gave him no response in return.
"... Thank you, for letting us stay. Good night." She eventually replied, before turning around and heading off towards the barn.

[Kazemitsu]

Big Red glanced at the hip Archer Girl patted. A skinning knife was awful small to be used for killing short of hitting arteries or slicing a neck. But hey if she didn't want a quality weapon it was more money in the groups pockets. The poofy haired girl scooped up the longsword and seemed to be examining the weapon. "If you know how to use it you can keep it. If you don't I can teach you the basics." He said, he wasn't really one for swords. Whenever he held one it felt to light in his hands, and it wasn't always a boon to have a too light weapon.

They followed the old goblin tracks back, maybe they should have left marks on trees or the ground so it'd be easier to find their way back to the farm. Lessons with experience. While they walked he heard a grumbling belly, it didn't seem to be Druid Girl. The girl mentioned not wanting rust in the animals blood so she had no plans to hunt with the goblins arrows. "From what I've seen with my tribe meat would have to be really rancid to not be edible if you cook it fully." He rumbled out, but shrugged either way. "If you're really hungry I have dried meat in my satchel." He continued as they continued their moonlit stroll through the wilderness.

They made good time in the dark to the farm. Where Druid Girl had to knock twice to get a reaction from the farmer within. Luckily it was her knocking, the door looked like he'd break it if he gave it a resounding knock. Out came a butt-nekkid farmer with a candle and firepoker. A clumsy make-shift weapon given the weight. The look on his face made him look constipated, which got a raised brow from the significantly taller reptilian man.

The farmer and Druid had some back and forth, was he expecting them to try and pull more money out of him? They were adventurers not bandits. The got a series of warnings which made him roll his eyes before he paid attention to the farmer again. "Living goblin victim." He stated, he knew the farmer was joking but it was late, the group was tired, and he was covered in goblin blood. So he led the way to the barn, using his tail to heave open the door, and went in.

He vaguely remembered the set up when he was first in there. He doubted the farmer left anything out in the walkway, so he drifted over to a pile of hay. Probably feed for the morning, and he laid the girl down in the stuff. "We should all be able to rest, animals make good alarms." Big Red said as he sat down on the ground and leaned back against a support beam.

[The Irish Tree]

At the offer to be taught swordplay, the nomadic girl had to wonder if she should be insulted, or glad since her lizard companion seemed like a good person to learn swordfighting from. Either way, it...seemed a bit smarter for someone his size to have a weapon of this size, but she assumed that was why he used a club instead of a sword. Or maybe that was a temporary weapon. Honestly, she figured the bigger the man, the bigger the weapon, but that didn't make sense after a certain point. Regardless, she was content to learn how to use a fine sword like this, so long as she didn't get too rusty with her people's style of swordfighting.

With the farmer's approval gained, Steppe Archer would keep quiet, trying to silence her stomach. She had considered the Lizard Fighter's offer of food, but...she'd feel bad. After all, the goblin's victim must be starving. If she came around to being able to eat, then she'd want her to have the meat instead. She would quietly lay down in a pile of hay, nose sharp enough to sniff out where the dung was and curl up with her equipment and gear at her side. "...We should get moving at dawn. Or whenever we hear the roosters...good night everyone..." the nomad girl said before falling asleep at a ludicrously fast rate.

[Xaltwind]

With everyone having settled in and found a place to lay their heads, Druid Girl would proceed to stay close by the surviving girl's side. The smell in the barn was nostalgic, reminding her of her own home, and in any other circumstance she wouldn't have had any trouble falling asleep. Alas, her's was a bleeding heart, and she couldn't quite stomach the idea of falling asleep peacefully while this other poor soul lay in a state of catatonic shock with who-knows-what-kind of nightmares and trauma swirling around behind those blank, unblinking eyes. As such, she opted to rest next to the red-head, resting but not fully sleeping, keeping an eye on the girl and making sure she was breathing fine and not suddenly going into fits or otherwise... Which she luckily didn't.

Although the raven-haired youth had wanted to do something, in reality there wasn't much she could do for the goblin-victim. She possessed no strong healing spells, nor the ability to ease mental or emotional trauma. She could certainly brew a tea to calm nerves and make someone relax, but the state this girl was in was well beyond the means of curing with a simple pot of herbal tea. She needed actual, professional and skilled help - and that kind of help only existed at hospitices and temples. So for now, the best they could do was just to keep the poor thing safe until they got back to town and could leave her at one of such places.

The night passed uneventfully, with no noise nor commotion, except for the occasional snoring cow and/or bit of sputtering from the old mare. Morning came eventually, and as the moons set beyond the horizon and the sun began to shine across from the other side of the world, the farm's head-rooster let out a loud and clear cuckaoodle-doo, letting all be aware that the day had come... Several times... Repeatedly... Like, seriously, that was one repetetive clucker... He just wouldn't shut up...

Having only half-slept through the night, Druid Girl let out a loud, unsightly yawn as she stretched her arms into the air and groaned like a cat that'd just woken from a pleasant nap. As she looked over to the side, she was astounded to find that the red-head had actually closed her eyes, and was now asleep... Perhaps fatigue had finally caught up with the poor dear? Or perhaps she was just too exhausted, both physically and mentally, to stay conscious for any longer? Regardless, the fact that she was asleep was a good thing. It eant that she at least would be able to recover, in some small way. A relieved smile lingered on the dark skined girl, as she gently stroked the victimized maiden's head. She then looked over to Big Red and Steppe Archer respectively.

"I think we should just get some water from the well and be on our way. I doubt the farmer'll be willng to share any breakfast with u-"

OOoOOOOoOOOooOOOooOOoOOOoooOOoOOoOOOooohhhHHHHhHhhHHhh!!

The druid's eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed as brightly as a ripe tomato. The noise had come from her stomach, and had been loud enough to make even the drowsy animals in their pens turn their heads and look towards her in confusion. The girl sat there on the haypile, hands now covering her belly, with a mortified expression on her face, trying to avoid eye-contact with anyone and anything. It seemed Steppe Archer wasn't the only one feeling a bit peckish... Then again, they hadn't had any food since yesterday... And gven the gluttonous girl's voracious appetite, it was amazing she hadn't had a grumbling tummy earlier.

"... Uhm... So... Yeah... We... Should totally get ready to..."

OOoOOoOoOoOOoOooOOOoOOOoOOooOOOOoOOooOOOoohHHHHHHhhhHHhHHHhhh!!

Amazingly, her face apparently had the capacity of turning even more red. She was now also trying to hide said face by hugging her knees and covering her face with ther arms...

[Kazemitsu]

Big Red was honestly a light sleeper, but the only sounds in the barn were the breathing of the humans, animals, and the shifting of them all. Nothing new to him really. He slept perfectly fine, they were in the country so it was doubtful a sneaking thief was about, they had already killed all those. So the group slept pretty sound...possibly, he could only account for himself.

It felt too early for a rooster to be crowing, a bestial growl emanated from him as he sat up then got to his feet. If he wasn't trying to build up a reputation that loud mouth would be plucked, roasted, then eaten. A wide yawn displayed all those teeth of his while he stretched, his joints cracking loudly while the girls stirred from their slumber. While Druid Girl spoke he took off his upper clothing and used the mesh to bundle the thick hide vest into a neat 'package'. Which was tied to the underside of his satchel.

Speaking of he pulled his bundle of cured meat from it and undid the preserving cloth and paper. Druid Girl's plans were interrupted by her stomach, making his eyes cut to her while an amused smirk was on his face. Her reaction, which was to turn as red as his scales, got a light chuckle. Round two and she lost to the sounds of her stomach and hid her face. That chuckle evolved into a deep laughter while he shook his head. He handed the girl a chunk of dried meat, then gave one to Archer Girl. "Eat or you won't have any energy for the trip back." He said before tearing into his own chunk. Those teeth of his making short work of the dried meat.

While they were going about their business he exited the barn and bee-lined towards the well. Getting the water-filled bucket up he first drank some of the cool liquid. This is going to suck... He thought before dumping the liquid onto himself. A: It woke him up fully and quickly, B: The force of the water hitting him got some of the more...chunkier, goblin bits off him. He'd have to bathe thoroughly to get off all the blood, body juices, and grime. He dunked the bucket a second time for the two girls before returning to the barn.

Scooping up their invalid he watched the girls, waiting for them so they could return to town.

[The Irish Tree]

With the rising of the sun and the cawing of the roosters, Steppe Archer would rise quickly, the hay stuck in her hair quickly falling out as she ran a hand through it, somehow deftly avoiding tangles in her hair. ...Maybe she was practiced? Maybe it was natural? Nobody could know. All that mattered was that she rose, stretched with her arms raised high above her head until a satisfying pop echoed from her back. With a bit of droop to her eyelids the girl would look over as she heard the terrifying grumble of the druid's stomach...before her own rose up in protest, as if two beasts were about to fight to the death. Thankfully, their Lizard friend came to the rescue with some dried meats, the likes of which the archer happily tore into, eating at a pace that almost challenged Big Red's massive gnashing bites.

Once her unladyness was cemented, the archer would smile happily, content with the breakfast provided. "That was amazing! Did you dry those out yourself? My mother showed me a way to do it back home, but it never tasted quite this good," she said, apparently a big fan of simple foods. She observed him at the well and would hurry out of the barn to quickly wash her face, then the place where she had been wounded. Despite the wound being gone, she still had some of her own dried blood caked on her leg. Nothing a bit of water and elbow grease couldn't fix though, and before long the archer was right as rain, free of dried blood that both was and was not her's.

With that settled the girl would get dressed in full, ready to fight her way back to town if she needed to. With her trademark smile and winning attitude once more on display, the girl would let the Druid Girl wash herself if she so wanted, before returning to the barn to collect her gear. "I think I should at least go and thank the farmer...he did let us use his place, after all. I'll be right back," she said, before figuring she'd bother the farmer one last time to give him one of the most heartfelt thanks he'd ever get for letting someone bum off his barn.

[Xaltwind]

At the sound of Big Red's laughter, Druid Girl felt more and more like she wanted to sink through the floor of the barn and disappear. That is, until the big lug threw her a piece of dried jerky. Like an excited squirrel, the girl almost leapt into the air and caught the tiny preserved morsel, and then just like her fellow female companion, tore into it like as if she hadn't eaten for days on end. Within mere moments the piece of dry meat was gone, and Druid girl was sitting on her knees, with a content and happy smile on her face.

"That really was delicious." She added onto Steppe Archer's comment about the, honestly, really bland and unimpressive food.

It didn't take long for Big Red to stir and go about business, bringing back a bucket for the girls to wash themselves off with. The druid patiently waited for her turn, letting her archer-friend go at it first. After waving the other lass off, as the huntress ran to thank the farmer - for whatever reason - the raven-haired girl proceeded to wash herself. It wasn't a full bath, but at least her hands, face and other important bits got a rinse. She also used a small rag to wipe down the still-sleeping red-head. Careful and gently, as if she was wiping a brittle glass figurine... Which might not have been too far froma realistic comparison.

The farmer, over at his rustic home, wasn't in any better a mood since yesterday. He had small bags under his eyes and was busy making breakfast - which he clearly informed Steppe Archer was for him and that there weren't enough to feed free-loaders. Even when thanked for his hospitality the man waved the jnomad off, saying they should get going and not waaste time here anymore. Obviously he was in no desire to have distractions on his farm that didn't pitch in and make his daily chores easier.

When all was said and done, everyone had gathered their things and made sure they were ready, the party gathered at the entrance of the farmstead. Big Red had once again been assigned to carry the catatonic victim of gobs, and Steppe Archer was made to lead the way, on account of her expertise with noticing subtle movements and such in brush and foliage. The druid would walk leisurely alongside the lizardman, checking to see how their luggage was doing every so often, while trying to hold a conversation with the stoic and pragmatic reptilian man.. Sadly, he didn't seem to be the type who was interested in the plumage of small birds, the distribution of flowers or the particular mating-haqbits of field mice... He was far more interested in plucking feathers of said small birds, ripping up any useful flowers and eating mice as snacks... Or so the druid got the impression, at least...

Their journey back to Palisade Town was long and uneventful, and while the trip from the sttlement to the farm had been on a slow-moving carriage, at least the girls hadn't had to walk all the distance themselves. They also hadn't had to carry a sleeping, maimed, half-dead adventurer along with them. As such, the pace to return home was notablyt slower, but slow and steady wins the race, and eventually they could make out the outlines of the tall, spiked walls that surrounded their impromptu home. Druid Girl let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness nothing tried to jump out and ambush us." She stated cheerfully. A line like this was often cause for comedic timing, or the way to raise a death-flag, but fortunately it seemed fate was kind enough to forgive such a slip of the tongue, this time. "We should hurry back to town. RRed, can you take the girl and drop her off at the temple? I'll go and report to the guild about what happened with the farmer, cave and.... The... Others in her group..." her words trailed off and she got a downcast, somewhat sad look to her face.

But, then the girl brightened up after shaking her head. A sunny smile and sheen to her eyes. She let out a small laugh as she ran ahead of the other two, turning her head backwards and waving at them to hurry up.

"C'mon! Let's go, you two! If we hurry, we can be back before noon ends! Lunch~ Lunch~ Lunch~ Luuuuunch~" The girl half-yelled, and then sang, her motives becoming obviously clear as to why she desired to hurry.

[Kazemitsu]

Big Red tilted his head slightly. "The meat was smoked beforehand. Normally humans don't care for the taste since the trees in the swamps aren't the same as the ones out here." He explained, spices were also a rarity in the swamps and wetlands. So flavoring was up to the edibles and what one combined them with. Or smoked them with, some tribes used the easily found dung. Even he found that barbaric. Druid Girl commented as well, he still remembered her face from yesterdays breakfast and how she seemed to be with food. He didn't know if she was just that hungry or if it was that good.

Then the Archer was off to thank the abrasive farmer for letting them use his barn. She was too nice honestly. Druid Girl was too empathetic, he'd have to keep her bleeding heart in check. That first body, the priest, left her wide open which resulted in triggering that ambush. Then again if he had a larger shield he wouldn't have had to have used himself.

It didn't take long for the group to finally set off. His pace wasn't as fast as he could go, but his stride alone was nearly twice that of the girls. It didn't take him very long to match theirs so they wouldn't have to jog to keep up with him. While they traveled he looked this way and that, with his arms full he had to be more aware than normal. Archer Girl was low on arrows, the ones she had were crude and that was being nice about goblin craftsmanship.

Druid Girl seemed to want to make small talk, but the blunt reptilian man kind of nipped that in the bud. Bird plummage was just feathers for arrows or adornments. Plants were either useful or not, and used thus but not overly so. Who watched mice fuck? All creatures fucked the same way. Penis in, seed in, babies and eggs come out. There wasn't any science or intrigue to it. Although a few mice made decent snacks, their bones were so small and soft you didn't even need to remove them. Except the skull really.

Still their time wasn't bad even carrying an extra body, weapons, and some bits of armor. Druid Girl was happy that nothing had ambushed them, which got a shrug from him. "I wouldn't have minded some kicking practice." He said, dodge and kick. A kick from him was probably just as lethal as a haymaker if not more so. Legs were significantly more powerful than arms and his carried around four hundred pounds daily.

Before the caramel colored girl and lion-maned girl could run off his tail took the extra porcelain necklaces off and handed them over. "Don't forget these, they'll need them." He said before Druid Girl sang about lunch. He shook his head and quickened his pace. Once in town he'd go to the temple, it was an obvious building, and entered. Within he talked to a priestess, explaining the girls situation fairly bluntly. Probably didn't earn him any happy points but why beat around the bush? That could lead to improper care.

With his charge deposited in the Temple he left and made his way to the Adventurer's Guild to meet up with the girls. Food would be a priority for them, then he felt they should get to a shop to unload what they didn't want and get something better.

[The Irish Tree]

The farmer being a dumb jerk that didn't appreciate gratitude aside, today was going great! They were making good way back towards the guild before the talk of mice mating tugged at the nomadic archer's ears. ...Who sat there and watched mice? Was it some sort of druidic ritual? IS THAT HOW YOU GET MAGIC!?

"I'm gonna go check on my horse real quick. Meet you guys at the guild!" the archer said, before running off to go make sure that Torchfire was getting the care she deserved. Before she even had a proper meal herself, she would make sure that her horse was cared for. She was glad that she'd managed to pay for a few days of stable and feed ahead of time when she first arrived, and hoped that these two finished quests could afford her many more. With the sheathed longsword on her back, the girl couldn't help but wonder if it was smarter to sell it, or use it in lieu of her rather well-worn side at her hip. For now though, she figured she would keep it and hope that, somehow, she could make use of it in spite of its larger-than-she-was-used-to size.

Regardless, once it was all settled that her precious ward was full, cared for, and got plenty of pats along her mane, Steppe Archer would reconvene with her fellows at the guild. Her work was probably the shortest of the three, so she would take a seat and wait at a table.

[Xaltwind]

At the Adventurers' Guild, Druid Girl arrived a bit more pep in her step than she might ought to have had, given the news she brought. The familiar glasses-wearing Guild Girl welcomed her back once the caramel-skinned lass reached the desk, asking how her team's quest had gone. After a bit of pleasantries, Druid Girl handed over the porcelain tags that Big Red has tossed her right before they split up, relaying the news about three of the missing four adventurers having fallen, and one having been alive, but broken.... This alarming news forced the Guild Girl to bring the druid into a side-room, where she along with a Seeker asked a bunch of questions.

It was a bit ardeous and a bit unpleasant to recollect and talk about everything that happened, but it was necessary. After a bit of inquisitioning, the three in the room sighed and let a somber mood fall over the office, before Druid Girl was finally released back into the guild hall proper. Of course, she was handed the other half of the payment for escorting the farmer, as well as the reward for clearing the gobklins and the bonus for locating the missing party of adventurers. She felt a bit guilty taking money for just reporting that three people had died and one was a mentally shattered vegetable, but it was all part of the job-description... So, she accepted the money, albeit having lost most of her upbeat spirit by now.

Glancing over at the board, it seemed most of the today's quests had already been snatched up. Only a few silver-rank and bottom-feeder porcelain-rank jobs were left. And while she was sure Big Red would've grabbed the postings, she didn't feel like running around in the sewers, chasing after giant roaches right now.

Once Steppe Archer arrived, the Druid meandered her way over to the nomad, greeting her friend with a smile. Having already counted and split the money, she handed over the huntress' share of the reward with no if's, and's or but's. After which, she suggested they go somewhere to eat. Preferbly somewhere you could sit outside in the sunny weather.

Once Big Red arrived as well, she proceeded to greet and give him his share of money as well. And again the repeat the prospect of eating.

"There's a nice bakery that makes great bread not too far from here. Ooh, and a tavern where they have some yummy beef-skewers! I've also seen a street-vendor who sells a bunch of fresh fruits over at the market square." She began listing off a number of locatin which all, ultimately, had foods as their main commodity. "Oh, wait... You wanted to sell the stuff we found first, right?" She tehn added, as an after-thought, while looking over at the lizardman. "We could always do that first but-"

OoOOOOOOOOoOoOOooOohhhhh!!

[Kazemitsu]

With their charge deposited at a temple to be cared for Big Red left and made his way towards the Guild. He didn't feel the need to move too quickly, all the better jobs for their Rank were probably taken already. Money was money, but doing hard work for pennies sucked even to him. While he walked he thought of what they all would need right now. A proper bath, the blood had dried completely on him, food because they didn't have lunch or dinner or a proper breakfast.

He stepped into the Guild and took a brief glance around before spying his party. He shifted around a group of adventurer's before getting close to them. Druid Girl handed over his share of the reward, which he promptly put in his hip pouch. Items went in the satchel at the small of his back, his money went into his firmly tied and buttoned hip pouch.

Of course Druid Girl immediately talked about them going off to get food. Which got a smirk as she started talking about selling their junk or unwanted equipment. But the girls stomach cut in loud and proud. "We'll get some food first, then a bath, then we'll deal with the equipment." He said, ushering the pair out of the building gently. Well as gently as he could. He was feeling hungry as well but his stomach didn't roar like the magical girls. She'd have to take the lead to any location with food, he could smell it but tracking wasn't his forte.

[The Irish Tree]

Money was nice, jingled nicely, and the weight of the sack in the archer's hand had a fair amount of weight that made her smile. This is really what it felt like to earn your keep...even if it was in reality just a bunch of copper coins. Money was money, and money meant food, and shelter, and food for her horse, and shelter for her horse...and other things besides those. Even if she enjoyed the freedom of the steppe, even she couldn't deny the allure of coin when it jingled so nicely!

Regardless, she'd get broken out of seeing the dollar signs by the ungodly grumbling of the starveling druid's stomach. The archer was impressed that the girl seemed capable of eating so much, and even more impressed that she managed to hold in her own laughter...albeit, while ballooning her cheeks up much like a croaking frog. It was painfully obvious she found that hilarious, but was only saved by their lizard companion pushing them both out in their heels to go get some food. Rubbing her own nearly empty stomach, the archer said: "Bread sounds nice! Filling, warm, fresh out of the oven bread...this way!"

With her can-do attitude and freakish sense of smell for a human, the archer would gently lead the two along to the bakery that the druid girl had mentioned, drooling slightly as the scent of fresh-baked loaves flooded from the chimney, and around the door. For a moment it seemed the girl's stomach had even eaten her brain, as she tried to just get the door open a few times, not looking at the handle as she grasped not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times before finally managing it.

She was a mess for loaves, it seemed.

[Xaltwind]

Having been more or less ushered out of the guild hall by Big Red, Druid Girl found herself rather relieved to be heading off for a decent meal. Sure, smoked meat wasn't bad, but nothing could really beat a hot, freshly cooked dish or snack, with a bit more mass to it. Apparently, the nomad girl thought the same, and happily exclaimed her choice of what they should be eat - not that the druid minded, she had suggested it after all. Following the Steppe Archer, as the little lioness led them through the streets of Palisade Town, Druid Girl couldn't help but smile at how the little poofy-haired girl was acting much like an excited puppy, sniffing her way forward and energetically seeking out their destination.

Once in the shopping district, the scent of many aromas and musks vied for attention, but as the group turned a particular street, the scent of freshly baked bread became far superior to any other. The bakery in quetion was a simple place, a wooden structure like most other buildings in the area, with a quaint sign outside its door and a moderately healthy-looking facade. Once they opened the door, the trio was greeted by a wafting wind of deliciously smelling, grain-based goodness. There were baskets, and tabes, and crates, and shelves, and they had loaves of different shapes, sizes and ingredients, yet the combined smell was enough to make Druid Girl's eyes sparkle like diamaonds... And cause her to let out a girlish squee.

Like an excitable puppy, she darted into the shop, rushing past the middle-aged woman at the counter who tried to greet the adventurers as they walked inside. Nearly bobbing and bouncing up and down, the caramel-skinned girl pitter-pattered to and fro in the shop, inspecting the various shelves and containers, looking at each lovely, fresh roll, loaf and bun, hands clasped together as if she was appraising priceless treasures.

After much debating, she eventually picked out not one, not two, but three different loaves... For herself... And walked on over to the counter, happily, and almost intimidatingly, asking the owner how much. A price was stated, and soon after a batch of coins slammed down onto the counter, causing the poor woman behind it to startle and look surprised at how such a young and sweet-looking girl could be so apprently forceful and intense. Once her food was paid for though, she hurried on over to the entrance, waiting for the other two to buy their respective baked goods of choice.

"Too bad there weren't any donuts or cinnamon buns... But I guess this isn't really a sweets-shop... Dessert would've been nice too though." She murmured to herself, as she unintentionally started to gnaw at one of her prized loaves, nibbling away at it as a starving squirrel. With cheeks fully stuffed, and a bit of munching noises coming from her, she asked the other wo. "Choo guydsh wadna eatsd oudshde?" ... Her words weren't clear when bread was filling most of her mouth...

[Kazemitsu]

The big reptilian man simply shook his head as he followed behind the pair. Bread wasn't really his thing but it would be filling enough to get real food. Meat took longer to digest that dough so you were full for longer. The only issue with meat was the price of it if you weren't a hunter. Well...Steppe Archer could technically hunt for them, but how good was she in the forest and plains versus a steppe? It couldn't be that much different.

They zipped through the crowd, following the Archer who was following her nose. At the building...she struggled with the door. Wut? Humans and their weird brains. Druid Girl even squeed at the sight of the bakery. Both girls went in, he was slower to enter mostly because he was still covered in a good bit of filth. Both went about getting their respective pastries. He honestly didn't know much about bread, his people didn't bake.

He didn't feel like anything hard right now, and it was most likely the darker the loaf the harder its crust was. Shrugging he grabbed a couple buns and paid for them shortly after Ms. Intensive Food did. He followed her to the entrance, ignoring the look the shopkeeper was giving him. He probably didn't smell the grandest. "We should, no point cluttering up a shop." He said before ducking out of the shop while starting to munch on his soft bread buns.