Mas Bagus

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

“Wait, so you were being serious about having explosives?”

Sonia silently sniffed the air and whispered 'yes' to no one in particular. Whatever that meant, the demoness masked it with genuine affability as she turned at Engie and spoke.

"Regardless, feel free to tag along if you feel so inclined."

As cautious as she may, Sonia was not one to enforce anything on someone, and Jean's assessment had a slight merit to it. Still, she expects a certain degree of thoughtfulness from this girl. At least inform the barkeep of her luggage so the correct precaution can be taken.

Sonia turned to Jean again gesturing him to take the lead and start moving. "You seem like a regular around here. Are there any specialties in that inn you can recommend? Well, let's not tarry any longer, shall we? Tell me about this place while we go there."

@Randomness@Soldat Elf

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

"It is zarcasm. Anyvay, zoze Hexbloziffes do not haffe fuzes yet. Zo it is fine, as like ein candle vizout fire nearpy." Engie said to her fellow party members nearby.

Sonia had been on the road long enough but this bubbly princess in front of her was one heck of a specimen. In hindsight, she looked like a wayward noble girl whose smartness encompasses many things but lacks it in the common sense department. Sonia noticed that when she explained the nature of her words earlier; a sarcasm, she said. And suffice to say Sonia wasn't impressed by the girl's explanation.

Still, she intently listened to her, until the point when Engie changed the topic by offering her a room to share.

"Zince zee ozer voman had peen left Halready...

"Miss Engie," Sonia said, discarding her trademark friendliness and swapping it with blunt assertiveness. "I'd like to accept your offer, but as it stands now it seems you intend to bring explosive ordnances into a public lodging establishment without any surety but your words only. Hence, for now, I would say no, and I'd greatly appreciate it if you would pay more attention to your accouterments and ensure they are stored safely, handled responsibly, and informed to nearby authorities. Danke schön."

Giving the girl an enigmatic smile, the demoness turned to Jean and added teasingly. "But, what about master Jean? Why not invite him instead?"

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

Sonia waved a hand at the blonde girl. "Sonia Alhathya here, pleased to meet you."

Sonia studied the girl, her features, her accent, and the luggage she brought with her. The latter caught her attention more, and the recollection of the girl declaring the potential explosion brought a ripple of concern.

When the girl was starting to act bothered by her brief but intense scrutiny, the young demoness spoke. "I believe if your equipment is as dangerous as you described, I'd rather have it here than the inn. Or better, somewhere far away from other people." Sonia was still smiling when she said that, and her tone was warm. A perfect gesture of friendliness for the onlookers, but for those gazed by her red-slitted eyes, the glare flashed a crystal-clear message. "Don't you agree?"
@Randomness @Soldat Elf
_____

On the other corner of the hall, Sonia heard the bearded timberman discussing with the old swordsman about his findings and the result of his parlay with the captain. Suffice to say, he brought some interesting information; that the town had a Herbalist who might know more, that the captain promised 3 days' worth of supplies for them, and his suspicion of the captain not being thoroughly honest with them.

After her business in the inn is done, she will check this herbalist as well. Sonia might had a thing in her purse to make their interview more productive. @wierdw

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

“The red stripes are probably still licking their wounds. I doubt they would be able to get anyone into town any sooner than we to arrive. We’d have to be vigilant, but I doubt they would have the time or energy to prepare any sort of bounty or even properly inform any authorities that could challenge us effectively. If we go and leave swiftly, gather what we need as quickly as possible, I don’t think we’d face much trouble.” said Osric.

"It takes more than just several hundred soldiers to control an entire province. If the Redsripes are the de facto ruler of Sielse, then we should expect their presence in Katwiz too. In my experience, the town will be the first objective to see in a military conflict, and it is unlikely that they will reassign their soldiers, and leave the town inadequately defended just to replenish a faraway outpost."

Pausing, the Captain gazed at the fireplace before him and let a moment pass in silence.
Until it was Caranathia's turn to speak.

"First of all, I think we need to reassess our situation here. Our orders were to determine what happened to Paladin Thomas, yes? And I think more or less we have confirmation that he is dead. So what are our current objectives? I presume to find out more what exactly happened? Well to do that, I doubt going into hostile territory would be productive. Perhaps we should go to their enemy instead? The ones they considered traitors. Perhaps they might be more amenable considering we have shown to be thoroughly opposed to the Red Stripes. We need to consider getting Linceleste to a medical facility too, depending on the severity of her wounds."

Caranthia's reasonings were further reinforced by Amaris'

"Like Osric said, the red stripes are likely still recovering themselves. For now, I think we can afford being a bit careless, at least regarding them. Our main priority should be treating our wounded. Particularly Linceleste. While we might not be exactly on friendly terms with the red stripes... We are not completely sure their enemies will receive us with open arms... It might be better for us to recover ourselves first before considering negotiating with the so called 'witch' and the 'traitors' mentioned by the red stripes."

"Then to Katwiz we go." Said Carmen, intentionally ignoring the first half. "We can't wander aimlessly in the wilderness trying to find the Red Stripes' enemies, and a major town is the only place with serviceable medical facilities."

He paused to look at Amanita. The strange creature was sitting motionlessly, excluded from the rest of the group. Unresponsive, but seemed to be conscious enough to follow them in a dire situation. The fact that he had one person missing, one dysfunctional, and one wounded in his party started to worry him.

"Either we go to Katwiz with careful steps, or we return to Dragon's Waw." he concluded, and said that like he was swallowing something bitter. "If we go forth, it will only get harder from now on. I will not sugarcoat it with you, but I will also not risk your safety for my own ambition. If you have doubts, voice it now."

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

Sonia raised one of her eyebrows before turning back to answer a fellow named Jean with a polite smile. He was standing as tall as her, with a steady posture and outward appearance that suggested that this man was a seasoned adventurer. His commentary about the town gave off the impression that this was the kind of guy who always see everything positively. Looking at his presentation, Sonia started to guess; some sort of cleric, perhaps? or maybe A novice paladin?

"Eh, you are right. ...A hidden gem."

Sonia wasn't so sure who he was trying to impress with that metaphor. She was more wondering if the Captain or this blonde cleric understood the veiled request of hospitality or, if she had to face the reality that there were actually none at all. She looked around for a while, taking a mental note of the Captain's appraisal of his own town hall and the reality of the place itself. The place was not a shack, but there were almost no suitable amenities, let alone any luxuries to accommodate guests.

"I am Sonia Al-Hathya, from Glaic, Dagorlad. Glad to make you an acquaintance. Jean." She made a small curtsy. "Well, since there are two gentlemen with a similar recommendation, I gotta check the tavern first then." sighed the young demoness, ignoring the stern look and the warning from the Captain as she made her way out of the hall. Seriously, the last thing she wanted was to barge into an archive room of a random remote town.

The demoness stopped to look back at Jean. "Well, are you coming?"

@Randomness

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

At the Crossroad

Life is full of hard choices, sometimes too hard that you'd rather roll the dice and let fate do the rest.
______

Carmen Friston expected many things to happen in thirteen days since they crossed the border, but all in one day? Not even in his worst dream. For more than thirty minutes the captain just sat there, sometimes with eyes closing, and sometimes he was wide awake in silent vigilance. Only the sound of owls and clutterings from his teammates kept their night from becoming deathly desolate.

A sharp chill snapped him awake from his long contemplation. The night air was cold enough, and now Leinceleste's self-ice-entombment arose warry on him. Was she still alive? Had someone mended her wounds?

A moment later, he knew he had nothing to fear, except the presence of an ice block that made their camp chilly.

"Everyone. Gather around, I want to speak about our next plan." He announced with misty breaths. Once in a while, he glanced at the ice, seeing a sleeping princess inside with an exhausted look. The campfire was thankfully high and bright enough to keep cold at bay.

"I know we just moved on from a great difficulty," he began, pausing to clear his throat, and intending to make his next words less cryptic. "We can stick on the off-beaten path and arrive in Katwiz in half a day if we depart tomorrow morning. But that's the least of my concerns. There is a possibility that the Red Stripes are controlling the town and that means we have to deal with them again regardless."

___

The man was still visibly wounded, and not at all tended, but the resoluteness in his voice remained unwavering, and everyone there could see that if it was up to Carmen, he would storm any citadel, come hell or high water. The determination that almost crossed into total zealously, reined only by modest logic and thoughtfulness like what he was demonstrating right now. The question was, what was the other's opinion on this?

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

Sonia was well aware of the captain's vexation, well it wasn't like he made an effort to hide it anyway. Smiling to herself, the young demoness let the bearded fellow finish his inquiries about paperwork (what a thoughtful fellow he was) before gleefully adding to the Captain's troubles.

"Pardon, captain. Another thing. Assuming we agree to show up tomorrow, do you have any *recommendations* on where we can stay overnight?"

For a mission that did seem... iffy, her question was whimsical at best. Surely, Sonia could pick on the lack of 'knowledge' that the Captain seemed too fond to answer. The crown not knowing about their territory? In this time and age? Seems fishy. And where was the Duke by the way? She figured if they were his next hope to find his baby girl, he would at least be present to see who his employees were. And lastly, Sonia didn't really like the idea that the captain would depart with them. Making her wonder if the guy wanted some of the credit for himself.

Sighing, Sonia thought; people were always like that, right?

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

Sonia eyed the Captain with a monotone expression. She would be more than happy if the Captain would elaborate on what he meant by 'explorative fancies' and 'for good reasons'. Verily, the devil was always in the details of this mission, and yet, the captain didn't seem like someone who knew Miralys on a personal level. The Hunter began to see now why their search effort stagnated.

Sonia smiled at him for courtesy's sake. "If I am allowed to offer advice, the reason why Lady Myralys went to that particular area could have been a very important clue. I'd ask her personal maid about it, her friends maybe, what she shares with them, the specific intrigues. That's just my suggestion. I think I have nothing else to ask, for now. Thank you for answering, Captain."

There will be moments to ask the specifics tomorrow, Sonia thought.

After her, another adventurer, a curvy lady stepped forth and declared her disposition before abruptly leaving the hall. A bit peculiar sight, if one asked her, but not entirely unexpected.

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

Sonia waited, patiently listening to the briefing from its beginning to end like an investigator listening to a testimony from a witness. If there were paper and graphite available, she would scribble a thing or two, but she then realized that it would be quite improper.

Regardless, the Captain's accounts left a few questions hanging, so she wasted no time to ask.

"Excuse me, Captain Graystone, I hope you don't mind a few questions." The young demon tried to keep the pleasantries short, but not insufficient it would seem discourteous. "For what purpose did Lady Myralys go to those ruins? How many aides did she bring with her? Was she alone? You spoke about Dangerous entities, are these entities already common knowledge prior to Miss Myralys' departure"?

She had a few more, including the assurance that the villagers were deemed to be the unlikely cause of Myralys' disappearance, and the Captain believing that a 'greater mystery' was behind all this. To her, it seemed like quite a premature conclusion, but she was not from here and her knowledge about this matter is limited at best.

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

Name: Sonia Al-Hathya
Appearance: Sonia is a fair-skinned young woman with a lean build. She is 172cm tall, with red hair that is either tightened in a loose ponytail or be left untied. Like any other demon descendant, she has red, slitted pupils, and short spiky horns jutting out of her head.
Sonia wears a basic black shirt, skirt, and leggings, and as a hunter, she often complements her appearance with a drab green coat with oversized hoodies to accommodate her protruding horn and striking red hair.

General Rendition

Character Background: Sonia was the daughter of a weapons inventor and dealer named Davon Alhazen who once was the biggest supplier for warring countries in the northern side of the continent, and he maintained that successful enterprise until the assassination of him and his wife ten years ago.

Luckily, Sonia survived the ordeal, but it had left her scarred both physically and mentally, which later led to partial amnesia she suffered for a few following years, leaving only her skill in marksmanship and a few fragments of her identity, the only and necessary skill she capitalized to survive as a hunter, and a way to earn a living even after she recovered her memories.

It has been a month without a single contract, and while she was far from being destitute, Sonia prefers to keep herself in a constant, monthly paycheck. So she grabbed the flyer and rode to Windermere. It was not a hunting job, true, but after completing her training in Rosemary, she was also eager to put her tracking skills to the test.

Skillsets:

-Heightened Senses
As an expert hunter, Sonia can hear and spot what others would have missed. Useful in tracking and examining trails, old and new. Relying on this instinct, she could also sense unseen danger.

-Expert Marksmanship
Sonia can shoot accurately over a long distance, as long as her weapons allow, and thankfully her unique crossbow was designed for such a great effective range. Her record was one hundred and fifty meters in shooting a target at its vital point.

-Survivalist
As a hunter, Sonia has all the skills she needs to survive indefinitely in almost all sylvan environments

Equipment
-Alhazen Crossbow
Designed by her father, and the only thing she inherited from her parents after the tragedy. It was a weapon like no other, with a stock and lower body resembling a shortened musket. It was made of black and smooth materials like painted metal, but it was not at all metal, it felt lighter, with pulleys and specialized strings attached to its reversed limbs. The crossbow is operated mainly by pulling the charging handle under its barrel, and a bolt would then be affixed to the barrel, making it both unassuming but still an engineering marvel at the same time.

-Backpack
A medium-sized backpack containing all the necessities for all your woodland adventures.

-Medikit
Generic first aid kit that is in the name only. Upon closer inspection, it looked nothing like the "first aid kit" commonly sold in the market. Consult with Sonia before use.

-Multi-purpose machete
Used for skinning. It has a toothed edge on one side. Always maintained therefore very sharp.

-Canvas quiver containing 25 bolts

-A set of tools to repair her crossbow