Milkman

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Kaito listened closely to Cedar’s story. The bear seemed to be a genuinely good man that wanted to take care of everyone. Even going as far as getting involved in the search for the prince while he never seemed to have left his little village. A big heart but an incredibly naive mind. The fox wondered how long Cedar could continue on being such a good guy before suffering the inevitable fate of being taken advantage of.

The kitsune smiled as the bear told the story of the mage that kept blowing stuff up. It sure was entertaining. However the story of loggers killing the forest was all too familiar. ”“I see. I have an elder sister who’s a guardian of a forest, far far away from here. She really hates humans. Always saying that they destroy everything they touch and have no eye for the beauty of nature. No human that ever entered her forest was heard from again. I doubt she’d be willing to let me in as well. That is how protective she is of her forest.”

The fox got interrupted from his story as Nina left the room. The hostess seemed to be done with cleaning up the girl. It immediately attracted the attention of the bear. Not that it came as a big surprise, he seemed to be always busy with helping those in need. ”Well, things seem to be under control here. I’ll see the others now and grab something to eat.” Spoke Kaito cheerfully as he stood up and walked away.

On his way back to the common area, Kitsune ran into the guy who he asked to get him a new shirt. He did what Kaito asked but new was a rather overstatement. At least it was clean.

Quickly the fox made his way over to the table where Jazdia seemed to be discussing stuff with the orc and some new girl. The situation looked rather tense but that would not dissuade him from joining the conversation. ”So, what is the plan?”

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

The fox could not keep himself from laughing as he pictured himself in the bear’s clothes. The guy was simply so much bigger than him that he would literally drown in his robes. ”Don’t worry about it. I doubt your clothes are a good fit for me. Honest folk are hardly ever worth stealing from. They already get regularly emptied of their stuff by the nobles. If you want to make a good life thieving you got to go after the more dishonest folk. They got all the good stuff. However there is little room for error when doing that. Those guys at the top are quick to have you thrown in jail or executed.”

For a moment Kaito listened quietly to the bear’s story. He wanted to prevent a war between Meche and Kindeance to save his village from hardship even when the people in it treated him like shit. ”I see. I've had the honor of being a guest of the king as well. Shame he housed me in his dungeon. I guess I deserved it. Anyway, it is really nice of you to risk everything to prevent a war for people who treat you as shit. I doubt I would have done it. I guess my heart is rather small compared to your’s.”

Kaito paused as he looked at the door where the girl was behind. All was still quiet. No sounds of explosions or fighting so that was a good thing. ”I don’t know when we’re going to move out again. We’ll hear it sooner or later. I guess there is still time for your story.” Spoke the kitsune as he dropped the illusion that obscured his tail and fox-ears.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Kaito watched as Nina went inside. He wasn’t sure if he was comfortable with the idea of leaving the hostess of the inn alone with the mage girl. You never know if she would get another violent outburst again and repaint the ceiling with the intestines of Nina in the process. If that would happen then Jazdia would not be too pleased. However the idea that the bear sensed no magic on the girl comforted the fox a little. It was probably going to be fine.

Thinking back on her brutal assault, it was unlikely that she would focus her anger on Nina anyway. That mage girl seemed to have only used her explosive powers against the elf and Yvonne. Both of the girls had treated her former master with little respect afterall.

The fox smiled at the bear with a bit of amusement as the giant furry creature tried to comfort him about his foxy appearance. However he had completely misjudged the reason for why he was hiding his true appearance. It was not that he was ashamed of how he looked. He loved his ears and tail and had zero problems flashing them around in public. Well actually one problem. Humans tend to dislike him for taking their money, valuables, wives, daughters, husbands and whatever other stuff he feels like taking in that. The list of people who have beef with Kaito was pretty long.

”Thanks, but I am not ashamed of how I look or anything. It is more about that I have a rather liberal view on ownership of stuff. That often does not go well with society and there are a lot of people who have good reasons to dislike me for it and act upon their anger. I just prefer not to be easy to track down. The name is Kaito by the way.”

Looking at the bear, it made the fox wonder how such a nice guy ended up in the company of thieves and killers. ”How about you? You seem way too nice and caring to be involved in this kind of work. How did you end up being surrounded by mercenaries and warriors?”

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Kaito looked rather curiously at the bear. He seemed to have the ability to detect magic. That was a rare skill among mages. However the notion that he was bleeding magic so it was rather clear that bearman could not determine the specifics. For a moment the fox dropped his illusion that covered his more outstanding physical features. ”I’m up to nothing specific magic wise. I’m practically a magical fox creature and that is something I prefer to keep hidden. Being easily recognizable is a liability in my field of work.”

For a moment the kitsune looked through the door at the girl who was still under the bed. ”She was a slave to the biggest crimelord of Rascade. I’m not entirely sure what he was using her for. When we first encountered her she was in chains, locked behind a magic barrier. At that time we were unable to get her out.” Kaito paused a bit as he ordered his thoughts about the girl. ”Anyway, she is deeply in love with her captor who unfortunately died at the hands of one of my team members. Considering she talks about a cruel elf with cat eyes I don’t need to tell you who it was.’

” She went on a rampage after her ‘master’ died. Giving it all to get her revenge. That is why we’re all as injured as we are” The fox abruptly paused when he noticed Mathilda approaching.

For a moment he wondered how much information he should give her. The girl was sort of Jazdia’s project so dealing with Mathilda’s questions would more or less be the elf’s duty. ”She was a slave of Gerald from the Black Serpent guild. Jazdia insisted on taking her with us. I think she can better answer your question of the ‘why’” Spoke Kaito as he looked at the big orc lady that towered over him.

As he wanted to say more but then noticed the sound of movement in the room. As it came closer towards the door Kaito stood up, making himself sort of ready to face whatever fury would come from that room. But apparently the girl decided otherwise as she seemed to move back on the bed again. ”She is injured badly so lets give her some rest.” spoke Kaito towards the orc in an attempt to make sure that she would not barge into the room.

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Kaito nodded at Jazdia as he took the morphine. He wasn’t too keen on keeping an eye on that girl but he knew that it had to be done. She is a very dangerous person and could cause substantial damage and injury if she would go on a rampage again. That would be a pain in the ass at best and an absolute disaster at worst.

”I’ll go take a look.We haven’t heard any explosions yet so that is a good thing. Anyway, don’t worry too much about the money. If the need arises I’m sure I can find some wealthy people in this town who would voluntarily donate to the cause of saving the prince.” This was of course part joke and part suggestion as Kaito doubted that Jazdia would approve of his means of acquiring wealth.

The fox quickly made his way upstairs and found the bearman in a rather comical scene. Apparently the girl was awake and had hidden herself under the bed while this gigantic bearman tried to talk her out of that situation. However the situation seemed to escalate as there was a sudden burst of anger from underneath the bed, calling the elf a murderer again.

As Kaito stepped towards the room, he wondered if he should drag her from underneath the bed and sedate her on the spot. It would surely be more safe for everyone to have her sleeping again but considering she has been throwing tantrums rather than explosions her powers might not have come back yet. It might be too soon to use such coercive measures.

Turning towards the bear, he started to speak in a more serious tone. ”You’re Cedar, right? What are you doing bringing her all alone to a room? You have seen Yvonne’s injuries, right? Well, that is what happens when her magic misses you. If it would have hit we’d still be bussy scraping her off the ceiling of a sewer.” The fox probably sounded a bit more angry than he wanted but he had seen with his own eyes what this girl could do. Doing that fight all over again was something that the fox wanted to avoid at all costs.

The fox sighed. With the girl underneath the bed there wasn’t much he could do anyway so he sat down on the other side of the bear, ignoring the sharp pain from his bruised ribs as best as he could. ”If it interests you, I can share what I know about her.”

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

As they approached the village Kaito had regained enough mana to once again disguise his more unique physical features before making contact with what appeared to be the other half of the team. Jazdia had already mentioned that she was working for madame Mathilda and there she was in the flesh. Apparently she was in the company of what looked like the fox’s worst nightmare of today, another man-bear and a rather old looking fellow.

They arrived at a farm first but were quickly escorted to an inn further in town. Apparently the bear and old geezer were competent healers and they went straight to work. The fox’s injuries were rather minor compared to those of his companions so he decided to deal with a different problem first. The fireplace was burning brightly and the inside temperature was way too nice to keep walking around in a long cloak but being shirtless wasn’t exactly the proper custom for the common room of an inn. That would be a problem if he actually cared about proper customs. So Kaito quickly dropped the cloak at some chairs and casually walked around bare chested.

The kitsune quickly noticed how the innkeeper barked out some orders at one of her staff who brought out plates with food to get more food. Before the man had the chance to get to his task Kaito tapped him on his shoulder and gave him a friendly smile. ”Hey, you’re going into town to do some shopping, right? If not, can you arrange to get someone to run an errand? I need a new tunic. I prefer good quality and a dark red color. That goes well with my hair. Anyway, if you can’t find something that specific anything else will do.” Said the fox as he placed five silver pieces in his hand. ”That should be enough to get something propper for me. You can keep the change for the inconvience i have caused.”

Before the man had any time to respond Kaito grabbed a few pieces of bread from the tray and walked off. Looking around he noticed how the bear took care of the girl they had brought with them. His fatherly way of tending for her was as adorable as it was naive. That girl was unbelievably powerful and rather unpredictable. There was no telling how she would respond when she would have regained some of her strength. Just seeing her as a helpless victim that needed care looked like a good way to lose your life.

Watching the bear take off with the girl, Kaito approached his elf boss who was sitting with Madame Mathilda at the fireplace. ”The bear seems to be rather fond of the girl we brought back, in an almost fatherly way. He’s walking off with her right now but I doubt he has any clue about what he’s dealing with. Want me to keep an eye on them?”

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Kaito continued to walk closely behind the elf. He was kind of satisfied with her answers. The fox agreed on the fact that the girl should not be placed in the care of the court of Kindeance. Courts were always full of ambitious people ready to exploit any opportunity that was presented to them. Considering the powerful magical abilities she had, many of the king’s courties would certainly see an opportunity to use her as a tool. It was probably better to leave her in the care of some acquaintance of Jazdia or at least the kitsune thought that that was the elf’s plan.

For a moment he wondered if they should question the girl, just to see if she somehow had any relevant information regarding the assasination attempt. She was at least in her mind rather close to Gerald so he might have shared some information with her or she could have overheard him. It was a bit of a stretch but maybe it was worth a try. For a moment Kaito contemplated bringing it up with Jazdia but she was doing her cold and distant thing again so he decided to not bring it up at this moment. The elf seemed to need some personal space at this moment.

AS they finally left the tunnel system the fox could smell the fresh air again. A very welcome experience considering they have spent some hours walking through the sewers. ”It’s great to see the sunlight again and smell the fresh air. So much better than those tunnels and sewers. It’s gonna be a pain though to get that stench out of my clothes.” commented on the fox to no one really in particular.

After walking for some more hours the group reached the town of Hdur. A rather prosperous place with a strong iron industry. ”So, we’re going to lay low here for a bit?”

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

For a moment the Kaito thought back about when that girl called him master. It was a rather awkward situation but he figured that she was probably hallucinating. The fox would not be surprised that when she recovered, she would cling like a maniac to whomever was nice to her. She would be easy prey for whoever wanted to exploit her next.

Kaito paused a bit as he tried to imagine how twisted this Gerald and girl relationship had to be. The Kitsune was certainly not a saint when it came to past relationships and some of the less admirable myths about his kind certainly had applied to him in the past. However he had never fallen that low that he had locked people up and forced them to call him master.

The kitsune quickened his pace until he was next to Jazdia. ”So, what’s the plan with the girl? We can’t keep dragging her along if we’re going up against the Delving family. I doubt she will forgive you anytime soon for killing her…well, she keeps calling him master. That dynamic is even twisted in my book.”

Looking around the storeroom packed with weapons the fox could not help to wander if someone was planning to start some civil war. The amount of weapons stored in the was just too big for a criminal organization. Even if it was merchandise, it was still an awful lot. ”Looking at this you might start to think that the Delvings are planning some kind of revolution.”

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Kaito removed the girl’s upper clothes and continued to apply bandages. The fox still had mixed feelings about this act of kindness. He had a hard time of letting her actions go and yet at the same time he kwown all too well that it was rather irrational to continue to feel this anger towards this girl. The kitsune sighed.He wasn’t sure if the girl could hear him but he spoke nonetheless. ” You should thank Jazdia, the elf you attacked so relentlessly for saving your life. I would have chosen to leave you here to die. I guess I’m just as emotional as you when it comes to seeing the people I care about getting hurt. I still feel a lot of anger and I am not capable of letting it go. At least not at this moment. I’ll try it again in the future. Maybe you can do that too.”

For a moment Kaito just looked at her. He had finished up applying the bandages and the girl was now lying half naked on the floor of the sewer. That was a good way to attract all kinds of germs and hypothermia. Not to mention that a lady of her age should not go half undressed in public. The fox removed his cloak and then his tunic, revealing his battered and bruised but apart from that rather unremarkable physique. He quickly pulled his tunic over the girl’s head before putting his cloak back on. At least that would keep her a bit warmer and covered for prying eyes.

As Jazdia was speaking with the soldier the fox turned one of his big fox ears towards them. He could perfectly follow their conversation. Kaito didn’t know much about the Delving family except for the fact that they played a big role in this country’s politics. But if the older brother was involved as well, then it would be safe to assume that whoever belonged to house Delving is atleast a suspect. Probably the entire noble family was in on the assassination attempt.

Kaito turned his head towards the elf and the soldier. ”I told you Chounan’s clothing style would attract too much attention” It was of course a little joke as the fox had already spent much of the operation not concealing his ears and tail. He tried to laugh but could quickly feel the pain in his ribcage from all the bruising.

”Anyway, I think it is a great idea to let the soldier carry the girl. I doubt she will be moving on her own anytime soon”

Sovereign's Will: A Fantasy Roleplaying Game. [CONCLUDED]

Of Course the elf disagreed with him. Jazdia always had a strong mind and equally strong opinion. It was one of the qualities he admired in her. For a moment he contemplated her points. It was true that the girl had lost a lot of blood but it was hard to tell how much she did and how much more she could afford to lose. Giving the potion first would likely result in less bleeding but you’d run the risk of tearing things that have closed open again if you waited too long. The fox wanted to argue about it some more but before he could open his mouth the samurai started to administer the potion.

”Chounan! We were discussing…” stated the kitsune as he looked rather annoyed at the samurai but stopped his sentence halfway. ”Well, the deed is done, we’ll have to roll with it now.”

Kaito quickly started to inspect the arrow. The arrow didn’t go all the way through her chest. This meant that the arrowhead could be stuck behind bones or in important tissue. The fox quickly cut open the girl’s shirt to make some room for removing the arrow. Before touching anything he disinfected his hands with the spirit and slightly turned and twirled the arrow to feel how much space he had to work with. Feeling that the arrow wasn’t stuck behind bones the kitsune slowly started to pull it out while keeping a remarkably steady hand to avoid doing additional damage.

As the shaft started to leave the body in a slow pace he could only hope that it had not broken on impact. If that would have happened, that would mean that the arrowhead would be buried somewhere deep in her chest and her chances of survival would be slim.

Slowly but surely the fox pulled the arrow further out of the girl’s chest. Inch by inch it came out till the point that the arrowhead became visible. This girl sure was lucky that Jazdia didn’t use a barbed arrow on her. Such arrows are way more difficult to remove. ”It’s out, in one piece. We can patch her up now.”