LaQue

Journey [SporkoBug & LaQue]

Adrian and Haki spent the rest of the day getting ready for their journey. Haki had prepared various potions and foods for the road while Adrian drew them a map of the quickest route to Du’Vir. Before long they parted ways to finish final preparations for their journey.

Haki left the city and headed to the nearby forest. Once out of sight, he grabbed a whistle from his bag and blow into it. A soft whistle echoed throughout the forest seemingly causing it to come alive. Various small animals and critters came and greeted him as he waited for the real target of the whistle. Moments later two rather large griffins dropped out of the sky and landed in front of him. Atari and Diana were griffins, magical beast with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion, that Haki had made a contracted with when he discovered his innate magic. He had the blood of a druid running through his veins which allowed him to manipulate the forces of nature and to form contracts with magical beasts.

“I hope you’re ready for a road trip,” Haki said smiling.

Back at the city, Adrian worked as quickly as he could to gather the supplies for a locater spell. He hoped that he could use it to locate the man in Du’Vir. While running around town he noticed Chance following a man into a back ally and decided to investigate. He teleported onto a nearby building and watched the vampire from out of sight. After realizing what Chance was up to, he walked away. He didn’t want to see the rest of that interaction and moved on with his objective.

An hour later the fun had finally set over the horizon. Adrian and Haki met outside the city gate and waited to see if the others would come. Haki hoped that they would join since it would be better to have allies but Adrian thought otherwise. He didn't like strangers or surprises.

Journey [SporkoBug & LaQue]

“I see. Since you answered my question I will tell you where the man is located. He is currently located in a nearby city to the east. The city itself is called Du’Vin and is known for its festival and wine as well their prodigious magical academy. Which could be the reason why the man is there. If you wish to know more about the city feel free to look through the library here at the guild. You currently have all access to its general information thanks to Haki. Now if you excuse me I will be on my way,” Adrian said than got up from the table, “oh, and keep the ring the enchantment will disappear within a few hours and it will turn into any normal rings.”

Adrian started to walk away from the table before Haki said something though a private line so the others couldn’t hear them, “you forgot to ask them if they wanted to join us.”

Reluctantly Adrian turned back to the table and said, “My companion and I are departing for Du’Vin at sundown. So if you wish to join us then we’ll be by the eastern gate. If you are planning to travel alone to the city than a word of warning. The forest that separates where we are at and Du’Vin is filled with far dangerous beasts that what you normally see so be careful.” After finishing he headed out to the city to do some shopping of his own before finding Haki back at the guild. They exchanged a few words before returning to the tavern to rest up before heading out.

Journey [SporkoBug & LaQue]

Adrian kept a straight face as he watched Chance and Nessa’s interaction. After they stopped bantering Adrian said, “If you would please stop your bantering and let us focus on the matter at hand. The man in question was spotted by one of my informants a few days ago which means we don’t have much time until he moves again. Now my information on the man is limited but I do know that he has a scar over one eye which is a different color than the other. He also adept at magic with many connections to all over the kingdom but especially to an unknown king of a neighboring kingdom. But before I reveal the rest I have one question”

Adrian waited for a moment and thought about his next words. “It is very strange that we are all looking for the same man. So I would like to know why you all are looking for him? Personally, My companion and I are looking for him to pay an old debt.”

Journey [SporkoBug & LaQue]

Haki was about to defend himself when Adrian kicked him from under the table. “I apologize for my companion’s idiocy but let us get to the point. I have the location of the man with the scar and the discolored eye but I will not give information for free. So, I propose a trade. Information for information,” Adrian said bluntly.

As Adrian talked to the others he signed to Haki saying, “I need you to gather supplies for a 6 days journey. I want to leave tonight in case the man moves on. Get extra supplies in case they want to join us.”

Haki nodded then got up from the table, “since everything is in order I shall take my leave.”

He left the guild building and headed for the market where he got food and travel supplies. He continued to listen to the conversation back at the guild and monitor the state of the ring. It was enchanted to detect if the wearer is lying as well as allow for one way telepathic communication.

After getting all he could from the surface market, he headed to the underground market through the many secret entrances in the town. He did his best to stay out of sight as he bought magical ingredients for the road. He also bought blood in case Chance decided to join them. After getting the supplies he returned to the tavern to store everything he bought. He then returned to the guild and waited for Adrian to finish.

Journey [SporkoBug & LaQue]

Haki tried to hold back his amusement when Chance got angry about his age. “I mean, Chance you do look like you’re 12. It might be your height,” Haki said trying to sound as nice as he could knowing that it was a sensitive topic for Chance.

“Well we should get introductions out of the way, Adrian this is Nessa and her companion Ra. And the boy’s name is Chance. Chance, Nessa this is Adrian my companion” Haki said, “oh and the old dwarf behind the bar is Targ.”

“Who yee calling old you good for nothing puppy,” Targ screamed causing Haki laugh.

Before he could say anything more, Adrian punched Haki’s arm as hard as he could leaving a small bruise. Haki let out a whine and look at Adrian who had no remorse on his face. “Sorry…well we get started I guess,” Haki said, “please follow me.”

Haki lead the group to a nearby area with a large round table and a map of the entire world carved into the wood. Haki took a seat next to Adrian and waited for everyone to get seated before starting. “Right before we start. As you can see Adrian is mute so to make this easier we have enchanted some rings to allow for telepathic communication,” Haki said while Adrian set out two rings on the table.

“If you rather not use the magic item. I can translate though it’ll take a lot longer than if we use the ring,” Haki said.

Adrian kept silent the entire time so that he could keep an eye on the others. He didn’t trust chance because he was a vampire and Nessa was a complete mystery to him. Though he trusted Haki’s intuition when it comes to people, he had been wrong in the past which landed them into some unforgiving situation.

Journey [SporkoBug & LaQue]

“My apologies for not introducing my self, My name is Haki. And I’m guessing your name is Ness,” Haki said, “Well generally guilds are safe but not in this part of the kingdom. Very powerful organizations are controlling this town which makes it as safe as a territorial dragon.”

What did that little thing say!

The voice boomed in his mind making him wince in pain. He tried to cover his ears but it did little to block the voice. Adrian quickly apologized and asked him to bring both of then down to the library. “Miss Ness I believe we are looking for the man so if you are willing to share information then there is a more private place for us to share. And I might have the whereabouts of the man we are all looking for if you’re interested,” Haki said after the ringing in his ears stopped.

Haki then turned and headed for the restricted part of the guilds. He showed his badge to the large guard who grunted in response. “They are with me so if you don’t mind please let them through,” he told the guard who grunted once again but this time sounding annoyed. Haki smiled and nodded at the guard before entering.

Adrian, who had been listening to all of Haki’s conversation up to this point, was now busy looking going through new information from their informant. It spoke of a man that had been seen at a nearby city and the description matched the man they were looking for. After hearing Haki he put the information away and turn to greet his companion.

Journey [SporkoBug & LaQue]

“And if I wasn’t? What would you do them? I could just be out to get some supplies or out to get food,” Haki said while releasing a bit of his magic to make the air dense and thick with malice, “but some words of wisdom. Don’t try and trail someone without completely hiding your presence. Especially in these parts of the kingdom where poachers don’t hunt animals but people. And a catch like you would make them a fortune, my little vampire.”

“But luckily for you, I am heading towards the guild. Follow me if you want to get there and next time just ask instead of trailing people. It is very rude,” Haki said with a chuckle. The magic in the air had completely disappeared and his usual warm and kind tone was back that contrasted with the one he used before. He had no intention of making an enemy of the boy but he wanted to see how the boy would react.

Haki started walking towards the guild making sure to slow down his pace so that the boy could follow seeing their massive size difference. He stood around 8 ft tall while the boy was barely 5 ft. “Would you like some sweets? They’re freshly baked.” Haki asked, offering the boy his bag full of baked goods.

After a bit of walking, he made it to the guild to find the woman from before being interrogated by a guard. He then noticed the object in her hand and the many eyes that were watching her. He quickly rushed to her side and hid the object with his rather large hand.

“She’s with me,” Haki said showing the guards his rank.

“O-Oh my apologies sir. Please enter,” the guard stuttered after seeing Haki’s rank with was the highest obtainable rank in the guild.

Haki nodded then quickly push the woman through the door. Luckily the guild was empty seeing that it was still early in the morning. “What were you thinking? announcing yourself like that? And showing off your magic. This is a town of poachers and slavers. What you see on the surface is nothing but a facade that hides the huge black market under the city,” Haki said then sigh loudly.

“My apologies for being so rough but you have to understand that this place isn’t safe. So what brings you to the guild? If you are meeting someone, they should have given you a pass to let you through the door,” Haki asked.

Journey [SporkoBug & LaQue]

Haki was on his way to the adventurer’s guilds but was he was distracted by the smell of sweets. He decided to stop at a nearby sweet shop and bought some cookies that he planned to share with Adrian. After buying everything he wanted, he started walking towards the guild once again. While walking he caught a particular scent of blood that reminded of the boy back at the tavern.

He took a deep breath then turn to look in the direction of the smell to find the boy tailing him. It was unexpected to find him still around. Haki would’ve imagined that he would be at the adventurer guild at this point. Taking a gander, he guessed that the boy was lost so he walked over to him.

“Hello. May I ask you why you are following me?” Haki asked with a smile.

---

Adrian made his way to the adventurer guild and entered the rather large guildhall. Once inside he headed to the back of the guild which was reserved for high ranking members of the guilds. It usually contained rare information and quests that are too dangerous for normal adventurers, as well as services that are overlooked by the law. Before he could access the restricted are a guard stood in his way and demanded his credentials. Adrian showed rank and was allowed entrance.

The area itself was a large library with a bar at the center as well as private rooms in the basement. He took a seat at the bar and was greeted by a large burly dwarf. "Lang time nae see mate. What bring ye here" the dwarf whose name is Targ asked.

"Business as usual. I need a private room. Got one for me?"

"Of course. Pick any ye like. They're all empty." Targ said with a loud and hearty laugh.

Adrian smiled than sat in silence waiting for Haki and the boy to make their way to the guild.

Journey [SporkoBug & LaQue]

Adrian kept a blank expression until he saw the paper in the child’s hand. His eyes glowed a light purple indicating his curiosity. Indeed the man on the piece of paper did match the man they were looking for but why was the boy looking for the same man? He had many questions but didn’t have the words to voice them.

Adrain wrote “If you wish to talk. I’ll be in the Adventurer’s Guild” in his notebook than showed the boy. After letting the boy read it, he closed his notebook and headed towards the guild without waiting for an answer from the boy. He didn’t trust the boy and needed a way to make sure that the boy was genuine. First, he needed Haki’s opinion, so when he turned a corner so that the boy didn’t see him he teleported a short distance onto the roof of a nearby building. He then proceeded to teleported from building to building towards the guild, making sure that no one saw him.

Back at the tavern, Haki was about to say something when a ring appeared in the air and dropped into Haki’s empty hand. He stared at the ring for a moment before putting it into his bag.

“Well if you need help don’t hesitate to ask but for now I have to be on my way,” Haki said. He left all the berries on the table then left the tavern. Once outside he took a deep breath and put on the ring.

“Finally. I need you to listen to a conversation with someone who is looking for the same man we are. I’ll be at the adventurer guilds.”

Haki smile at hearing his friend’s voice even if it was through a magic item. He didn’t say a word and started walking towards the adventure guilds. While walking, he thought of the woman back at the tavern. She gave off an innocent aura which was dangerous to have in these parts of the kingdom. He is never keen on helping strangers but something about the woman and her companion piqued his interest.

Journey [SporkoBug & LaQue]

Adrian was cautious to keep his distance from the person following him. He wasn’t sure what their intentions were but they did emanate a menacing aura that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand. He was more concerned that the aura was coming from a child which begs the question, what is he hiding? There was a bad feeling in his stomach which made him quicken his pace but not enough that it was noticeable.

Adrian continued for a moment before he heard the boy called out to him. He stopped and turned around and looked at the boy with a blank expression. He then pulled out his notebook and wrote “can I help you?” then showed it to the boy.

Back at the tavern, Haki was completely fascinated by the small creature. It was rare for him to a new creature in his line of work so he tried his best to befriend the little creature. He held his hand still and waited for Ra to take a berry but was taken by surprise when Ra started to speak. He has seen very few creatures that could speak without using magic which Ra had very little of. He wasn’t sure if Ra had some other form of magic but he sensed no aura coming from the little creature.

“Fascinating,” Haki mumbled, “if you don’t mind me asking. What brings you to this part of the kingdom? Not really a place for tourism.”