ShiningSector

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Campsite outside Roshmi City
Interactions: Scathael @Apex Sunburn
Mentions: Scathael @Apex Sunburn, Mari @princess, and Thraash @funnyguy

---

To some capacity, Five regretted voicing his query.

Not that it wasn't a good or logical one. It was a potential solution to the quandary everyone was tackling, after all, one involving a child being brought into what would be a bloody affair. An indiscriminate one at that. Five intended to have Scathael reply to his question and not Vallana. Yet Vallana addressed Five's inquiry before her Dark Elf guardian could speak. The Warforged knew how devoted Scathael was to retaining the girl's fragile calm since their village was destroyed and seeing all the progress made seemingly crumbling as Vallana was moments away from breaking to tears as she indicated that there was no other family she was aware of who still lived. Scathael finally chimed in and concluded the other half of Five's concern by rejecting anyone or any business to look after the orphaned girl. A subtle growl, followed by slight rolling puffs of moist, heated air, emanated from Five, signaling his annoyance that a solution to the child's safety had still not reached an acceptable resolution.

Though in a surprising turn, at least to Five, Mari took it upon herself to watch out for Vallana. Since their brawl back at The Nest, Five had formed a not-so-appealing opinion of the Light Elf. Granted, he wasn't too fond of anyone within their group, or anyone for that matter. Her loudness and somewhat zany behavior before the massacre rubbed Five the wrong way, prompting him to presume how her other mental faculties could likely be as bad. He, however, did have to admit that his biases came into question after the bad news. The Light Elf became notably silent and seemed nearly as troubled as the two newcomers were as if emphasizing their blight and arriving at a personal understanding of the pain they undoubtedly felt. It would be a lesson learned for Five to better reassess a person's character. At the very least, the Warforged hadn't made his misgivings vocally known in the form of insults. Not yet, anyway.

Mari's proclamation, though, did carry another surprise and one that Five could respect. As he understood the Light Elf's method of combat, having witnessed it first hand, Mari's attunement to ranged fighting in combination with her crossbow and her skills in illusion magic did make her ideal in protecting Vallana. Keeping the child away from the fighting and hiding her behind a veil would most certainly address the tactical liabilities Five foresaw in bringing Vallana along. Scathael would add his lot in, which wasn't surprising, all things considered. After a few lines added by both the Dark Elf and Thraash, as well as the taking and ignoring of a couple of directed gibes that Five probably didn't even recognize at all, it seemed as though the issue had been, in fact, resolved.

<<WE'VE REACHED AN ACCORD THEN,>> said Five, <<WHAT SHALL OUR NEXT COURSE BE? WILL WE FINALLY HUNT?>>

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Campsite outside Roshmi City
Interactions: Scathael @Apex Sunburn
Mentions: Aerilyn @Alivefalling, Mari @princess, and Thraash @funnyguy

---

The Warforged noted Scathael's minor reluctance in accepting the mixture though paid the reception no mind, instead preferring to cut to the Dark Elf technical query, <<IT IS A BOON TO HAVE MY LIMB REJOINED. YOUR REPAIRS THUS FAR HAVE HELD UP. I DON'T DETECT ANY DEFICIENCIES IN MOTION.>>

As Five spoke, he openly flexed and stressed his unarmored limb outward, testing his arm once more, causing a chorus of unmuffled clicks and clangs to resonate Fingers curled and straightened individually, revealing the mechanical tendons pushing and pulling the articulating framework. Metallic fibers interwoven around his barely exposed radius and ulna components stretched efficiently around the different servos which coordinated the hundreds of motion processes executing all at once. Scathael's patchwork held firmly as the humeral constituents operated around the repaired site unopposed.

<<YOUR REPAIRS ARE APPRECIATED,>> Five concluded.

As the group conversation continued on, the topic of Vallana's safety unsurprisingly came to focus. Five viewed the child as a liability, that was for certain. Thraash, also unsurprisingly, shot what could be considered a jest towards the Warforged's direction. A crimson eye turned to face the Dragonborn in reply though they had a point. Even if they were to bring the child along, protecting her would prove difficult. Five had simulated several scenarios revolving her involvement and neither replication of reality seemed at all pleasing. Thraash's judgement was sound. The Warforged determined that his offensive potential would drop significantly if forced into a defensive position, not only subduing his maneuverability in his attacks but eliminating some of his other tricks with the idea of them unintentionally harming the young Demi-Human. The results were unacceptable.

Five's remaining free eye focused on Scathael and Vallana momentarily. It was plainly obvious ditching the child out in the wilderness was morally out of the question and would be collectively rejected. Suggesting an orphanage seemed approachable though based on Five's observations, that would prove to be a dubious solution, more so on Scathael's part. Still, it was a better conclusion, either that or finding someone else to look after Vallana, temporarily if need be.

<<SCATHAEL, DOES SHE-.>>

Several short buffs of steam shot from the Warforged. Something compelled Five to slightly shift the nature of his inquiry, now knowing that the Demi-Human beside Scathael had awoken. It was a rare thing for him to stop himself while speaking, especially when the notion was the adjusting of intrapersonal etiquette for his question. How odd, <<DOES, VALLANA, HAVE ANY RELATIVES LIVING OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE? ASSOCIATES TO HER KIN? IF NOT, ARE THERE ANY FACILITIES NEARBY WHICH MAY WARD HER, IF ONLY TEMPORARILY?>>

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Campsite outside Roshmi City
Interactions: Scathael @Apex Sunburn
Mentions: Aerilyn @Alivefalling, Mari @princess, and Thraash @funnyguy

---

A new morning had come, and the mood within the campsite had yet to shift for the better. Most of the camp's occupants had become less inclined to spark any real casual small talk, and the more extensive discussions were far and few between. To Five, it was evident that everyone was still dealing with the shocking news - and the disturbing sight - of Scathael's village and its population being put to the flame. The Warforged that morning simply kept silent, only having a single optic monitoring the camp's perimeter and casually regarding the still-wakening group. At the same time, his remaining eyes were attenuated to the chemistry set before him.

When Mari and Thraash departed to acquire Scathael's services a few nights prior, Five remained at camp to attend to his attempted repairs. Aerilyn would've tried to generate a discussion or two to pass the time, but the Warforged, whether out of lingering wariness and distrust or having simply put all of his focus into his arm, had either ignored these social advances or grunted in response. Safe to say, it had been a relatively quiet evening after the loud-mouthing duo departed. Eventually, they would arrive a couple of hours later with Scathael in tow. Five would pry his eyes to meet the three, only to find that this, 'Scathael,' was, in fact, a Dark Elf. Five made no attempt to respond to Mari's introductions of the newcomer, and the Warforged stared at the individual who would be repairing him. <<REALLY?>> was the single word that finally escaped him, confusing everyone in attendance.

Though his disdain for Dark Elves remained undisclosed, Five begrudgingly cooperated with the grey-skinned Elf, allowing Scathael to peer into his unarmored limbs to take in the framework construction and note the damages present. For the most part, all Five did was comply and watch the Dark Elf plan about the repair work the following morning. Of course, it would be that following morning, and the unfortunate events that came with it infected everyone with gloomy frowns that persisted to the present day. Five understood this, perhaps more so, as both witness and perpetrator. Five had made it a point for himself not to relive the past or to recollect memories; there was no reason to dwell on maybes or what-ifs. Events that transpired were historical benchmarks to regard and nothing more. Such narrow lines of coded thinking derived from a prior state of simple programmed mentality. The Dwarves, however, gifted him with sapient and independent thought and the chaotic and unreasonable emotions that rebelled against instructions and execution. And so, the memories weren't as easy to suppress as he would have hoped.

The destruction of Scathael's village was described as a massacre. The various reports and descriptors divulged in the group discussion had ferried Five's troubled mind to a place he wanted to forget: the conflict between the dwarves and the dark elves. Namely, an operation where he and his Warforged squad struck out against an outpost lying behind enemy lines. The underlying stratagem: to pull the Dark Elves' attention away from the front. A distraction. His brethren began their assault at nightfall, and resistance was unexpectedly light. It was presumed that the encampment they attacked would host a reserve company of soldiers. Instead, its occupants were but a token force of troops, should it be called that, and a far more significant number of laborers. Civilians. The mechanical force had been programmed to determine if an individual was to be considered hostile by several telling factors. The mission, however, demanded total destruction, and in the ensuing chaos, what algorithms dictated specific actions had become garbled when the garrison mixed with the fleeing colonial citizenry. A bloodbath quickly ensued within minutes of the assault.

Five recalled himself cutting down a Dark Elf defender before turning the corner from a row of dwellings, coming to a firey scene of devastation. He had arrived at a main street where housing and other facilities were ablaze. People were running, screaming, trying to evade the murderous rampage brought forth by his unit. He began walking forward, attempting to identify anyone or anything that could be deemed a military target. A mother and their child had abruptly fallen into his path, likely fleeing the carnage, prompting him to halt. Five glared at the vulnerable and helpless pair as they looked back at him, no doubt scared beyond imagination. His ebony armor melded with the shadows cast by the arrangement of buildings, and the only elements of his presence were his glowing red eyes and his still blood-soaked sword, having been illuminated by the nearby inferno. The mother seemed paralyzed in fear, unable to move, while her young daughter cried relentlessly. Five remained motionless, simply judging the two dark elves until the words ((NO THREAT)) bloomed into his mind. He moved forward once more, causing the mother to embrace her child, fearing their manifested doom was about to strike them down. Five ignored them, and his only regard was stepping around the two non-combatants and resuming his mission. Afterward, the operation was considered a failure, primarily due to faulty intelligence. The massacre of a colonial settlement had indeed drawn attention away from the front lines. Yet, it had also given the dark elves a vengeful purpose. The tactical and strategic gains obtained from the attack were temporary at best, and pressure on the front escalated within a matter of days, bringing several intense assaults.

Whatever became of the two dark elves he spared that night was beyond him. What was perceivable to Five was their frightened expressions, laced with fear and uncertainty. The same expressions that painted the faces of Scathael and his plus-one, Vallana, the only survivor from their village. Five had little to say after the news came to him. As blunt as he was when speaking his mind, he even knew when to keep his metaphorical tongue in check, annoying as that was. At the very least, his repairs would continue regardless of the transpired revelations, something Five was somewhat surprised about. The Warforged would not expect the Scathael to continue their commission in light of the massacre of his and Vallana's village, yet the Dark Elf did so regardless. Five was skeptical if the obligation to his work compelled Scathael to carry out the repairs or if it was a matter of keeping his mind from dwelling on the current tragedy. Whatever it was that drove the dark Elf forward, Five wouldn't question.

However, what concerned him was the apparent fatigueless befalling Scathael and Vallana's presence in general. The appearance of the fox girl had certainly taken Five aback. The assembled party was nearing the appointed hour of hunting a Manticore, only to take in a child whom they would struggle to properly care for, much less even protect, should they insist on bringing with them. From a soldier's perspective, Vallana was a liability. Five, were he not restraining himself, would have demanded Vallana to leave, both for the benefit of the group's effectiveness and for her own good. Circumstances, however, complicated this notion since she had no family to return to besides her relationship with the Dark Elf. In essence, there was nowhere for her to go. Scathael's health was also a complication that Five became more concerned about. While the continuation of his repairs was appreciated, Five could see the dark Elf's ability to manage his personal time was declining. As Five observed closely, his tasks were solely set on his repairs and Vallana's care, with rest becoming a secondary task undertaken only after the first two were satisfied for the day. Five concluded that sleep deprivation was becoming a risk factor for the dark Elf, a fact that he would not suffer from should Scathael lose his edge as a result.

((HOW TROUBLESOME...)) he noted.

It was the following evenings Five found himself to be the most active. Not needing any sleep, there was no questioning him taking the first - and only - watch every night. During his vigil, Five took the time to test the repairs to his right arm. Admittedly, Scathael's efforts to rejoin his arm and maintain it were impressive. Five was almost sure the amputation of the damaged segments of clockwork was the only solution. Yet, to his annoyance, the Dark Elf had proved him wrong. Scathael had managed to repair many of the components Five had nearly written off and even fabricated patches to several crucial parts, guiding the complex locomotion to his afflicted limb. Five was sure to take note of every little detail as he purposely stressed each gear, piston, and crank through their paces. Thus far, everything appeared to hold together; it was all he could ask for at this juncture.

The remaining time not fiddling with his arm was spent fabricating new concoctions for his fogger device. The nerve agent he used on Thraash during their bout was nothing short of a success, especially since it had afflicted the Dragonborn within seconds of deployment. He had used the substance only a few times prior, with such proceedings being validation tests to prove its effectiveness. Yet it could still be improved upon, as Five noticed how the concoction, in its vapor form, could not spread as quickly as he would have liked, which no doubt enabled Mari and Aerilyn to take proper action against it. While he strove to improve that aspect, a thought came to mind when he recalled his observations of Scathael and Vallana. Neither of them, for their own reasons, had been able to rest well in light of recent events.

And he aimed to change that.

Five briefly humored the idea of a sleeping gas, which was undoubtedly plausible when considering the nerve compound would've shared several similar ingredients. Yet a vapor form for the new proposed agent wasn't his outcome. Instead, he sought a consumable method. With a few of the herbs he had on hand and harvesting some of the native flowers for their alchemic properties, it was a simple venture in developing a blend that could induce a relaxation effect, which the Dark Elf and the fox demihuman very much needed. Ironically, his efforts in helping the two were partially out of genuine concern for their state of mind. He figured that if Vallana could attain better rest, it would enable Scathael to do the same and reduce the likelihood of him making an error or two through the final stages of Five's repair. Simple practicality is all that it was for Five's part.

As he was wrapping up his little project, Mari broke the silence, proclaiming how upset she was, without explanation. Five paid no mind to the angsty Light Elf as he poured his work into a small satchel. Scathael would retort and demand quiet so Vallana could rest. At the same time, Thraash elaborated on the futility of such a request, given Mari's apparent agitation.

<<A REMEDY FOR YOUR CONCERN, SCATHAEL,>> came Five's dimmed voice as he produced the satchel and presented it to the dark Elf, <<SHOULD YOU AND YOUR KIN BEFALL TO TENSION, ADD THIS MIXTURE TO YOUR NEXT TEA. IT WILL CALM YOU TO SLUMBER.>>

TL;DR

Five remains at came while Mari and Thraash go to fetch Scathael. Although Five is annoyed that Scathael is a dark elf, he allows him to look over the damages sustained. Learning about the village massacre results in Five unintentionally recalling a military operation over a century ago while still under dwarven servitude. The mission resulted in a massacre as well which troubles Five when looking upon both Scathael and Vallana, prompting him to remedy this later on (though claiming for selfish and logical reasoning). For the next two days, Five tests out the repairs made to him thus far, which he is appreciative.

Avalia

Time: Evening
Location: Campsite outside Roshmi City
Interactions and mentions: Scathael @Apex Sunburn, Aerilyn @Alivefalling, Mari @princess, and Thraash @funnyguy

---

Although Aerilyn urged him to set Mari down, Five disregarded the request and waited for the light elf's explanation. Mari complied though only after apparently marveling over her suspended predicament. This, Scathael, Mari claimed, was an individual experienced in making repairs. Though whatever 'experience' that entailed, Mari hadn't specified. Yet specifics be damned at this point, the warforged couldn't afford to be picky now - even he was not finding any luck in accelerating his own repairs.

Still glaring at Mari, a sound akin to that of a groan echoed out from Five's shell just before he relented and gently lowered the light elf back to the earth, <<VERY WELL, AS YOU WERE.>>

Five's head then swiftly spun in Aerilyn's direction and appeared to lower into a bow, <<APOLOGIES.>>

And just like that Five withdrew back to his makeshift worksite and resumed where he left off with his broken limb. Though a single eye was now carefully observing the campsite inhabitants.

Avalia

Time: Evening
Location: Campsite outside Roshmi City
Interactions: Scathael @Apex Sunburn, Aerilyn @Alivefalling, Mari @princess, and Thraash @funnyguy

---

For the longest time, for someone to keep their word, as Five understood it, was a promise that would never be broken, that whatever duty behind its establishment would be upheld regardless of temptation. When Five agreed to not try to kill Mari and Thraash anymore, it was more of an official statement regarding a newly forged contract made on the spot. The Warforged, however, being an individual incapable of lying and typically the truthful sort, was set on carrying out and accomplishing the deal he had made, an order he had both created and determined to follow.

And yet Five was already regretting calling off his hunt, and the urge to murder his former quarry boiled within him.

It wasn't long after the newly assembled group had departed The Nest, now in tatters; Five's mechanical body had become a sudden topic of concern. The problem in question was how his right arm had finally succumbed to the wear and tear of battle and the ongoing weeks without upkeep. As they strode away from Roshmi City, Five could only speculate that a gear or a piston, perhaps both, maybe even two or more, simply cracked and snapped. The occurrence resulted in a near-catastrophic breakdown of his limb, with the clockwork assembly within his armor shell seizing up and falling apart. Everyone around him heard the pops and pings and the troubling blackened steam coming out of him from all the grinding metal. Thraash has a good laugh of the scene where Five's arm finally came loose and landed into the earth with a thud. Five himself awkwardly stared at the disabled and literally disarmed limb for a solid minute before he realized the vocal concerns being presented to him.

Since then, Five had settled at the party's campsite and worked for the last several hours trying to repair his arm. Five, however, was confident there was no real way to fix the damaged internals, not with his repair kit anyway. A professional would've been needed to repair the individual components, if not replace them if the goal was to make his limb and its connection to his body 'like-new' again. Instead, he had to come up with a bypass of sorts - a very complicated and complex procedure of removing redundant or damaged assemblies and rigging the remaining components through a new reconfiguration framework. As tedious as it would be, Five could certainly pull it off himself, provided he could retain his composure while using only the other functioning hand, and a large one at that, to complete the task. Going about the process, however, for Five was like operating on a person with a wrench. His hand was too massive to access his construction, and even manipulating the smaller parts with the tips of his claws was a process of trial and error where said pieces slipped from his grasp despite his precise movements.

Killing Mari and Thraash and getting his money to pay for that long-awaited tune-up would have avoided this mess, and that compelling option to carry such a deed out was still there. But Five had already accepted the deal, and the misfortune was now upon him. All he had to do now was work through it the best he could.

<<DAMN,>> muttered Five as a bolt slipped through his claws.

Eventually, Mari stumbled into the campsite excitedly, “Guysss! Guess what! Totally caught word of someone who can help Five. Apparently their name is Scathael and they-”

Five's eyes shot towards Mari, interested in her explanation of how this, Scathael could render assistance. However, the Light Elf had apparently blanked a moment later, distracted by the stew Aerilyn had brewed. The Warforged patiently waited for Mari to return to the topic she presented, only to find her taking a spot at the camp and preparing to fill her belly. Crimson hues glowed from Five's armor while steam shot out from various vents. He didn't take kindly to being ignored, especially in such a dimwitted fashion. Setting his tools down, his left arm extended over to where Mari sat while his claws hovered over head. In a quick but delicate motion, his hand went down and plucked her off the ground by grasping the back of Mari's shirt using the rubber pads on his fingertips. The scene would have played similarly to how a cat owner would lift their pet to scold them. He pulled the light elf closer to his face in that same motion, where all three optics peered at her.

<<SCATHAEL. "THEY"? CONTINUE,>> ordered Five.

Avalia

Time: Late Morning / Early Afternoon
Location: Roshmi City / The Nest
Interactions: Scathael @Apex Sunburn, @Alivefalling, Mari @princess, and Thraash @funnyguy
Current Equipment: Massive adamantine greatsword w/ Ethereal enchantment, heavy full-plated adamantine armor, magic nullification enchanted cuffs, standard backpack, rope (up to 50ft), wayfinder and timeteller, fire starter kit, first aid kit, chemist set to produce different mixtures for his fogger device, and small kit for minor repairs and maintenance

---

A silent Five remained quite and focused, contemplating Mari's alternative offer. Their target was a manticore. Five had hunted many creature, typically large game that netted him plenty of amas. A manticore on the other hand was a different kind of beast all together; a mesh of limbs from other creatures and paired with an impressive intellect and uncanny powers. If the rabbit girl's words were true, it had even enlisted the services of a group of goblins. The small green-skins wouldn't pose any immediate threat to most veteran adventures, unless they were highly coordinated. Especially true if they were following the directives from a Manticore. Should such a hunt be successful and with minimal damage suffered, the income gained would far surpass Mari and Thraash's combined bounties, easily recuperating the expenses of tracking the pair down and enough left over to even consider a tune-up or even a partial overhaul of his framework. Yet, was taking up such a dangerous task worth it? Further more, would working with known criminals in the long term invite unwanted attention from dark elf officials? Mari's apparent confidence aside, he could still finish off Thraash now within the moment of a second and then cut down the others soon afterwards. Though the income in comparison wouldn't completely make up for prior expenses, requiring him to immediately look for new work elsewhere.

A bellow of steam jetted from his helm, followed by a droning guttural growl. Part of him hoped they would've simply paid off their bounty or make a worst offer, justifying his execution of all three of them as a response. It was times like this he found the costly complication of his body an annoyance. Money, to him, was a life blood. And having more on hand made such complications quickly vanish. The moment the ejected steam had evaporated, the sword which hovered over Thraash's head ascended away, finding its way back to the magnetic birth that was Five's armored back.

<<YOUR OFFER,>> Five began, <<IS ACCEPTABLE. I WILL VOID MY INTEREST IN YOUR BOUNTIES IN EXCHANGE FOR ASSISTING IN HUNTING DOWN THIS MANTICORE OF YOURS AND SHARING THE PROFITS. THIS I WILL AGREE TO ONLY.>>

Though he eyes still remained fixed to their respective targets, he momentarily regarded the dragonborn still lying on the floor, but no doubt recovering by now. The sensation of cutting him down still remained but he would remain true to his words, <<YOUR COMPANION, THRAASH, WILL RECOVER MOMENTARILY. IT WOULD BE WISE FOR HIM TO DISPELL ANY REMENANT HOSTILITY HENCEFORTH.>>

Avalia

Time: Late Morning / Early Afternoon
Location: Roshmi City / The Nest
Interactions: Scathael @Apex Sunburn, @Alivefalling, Mari @princess, and Thraash @funnyguy
Current Equipment: Massive adamantine greatsword w/ Ethereal enchantment, heavy full-plated adamantine armor, magic nullification enchanted cuffs, standard backpack, rope (up to 50ft), wayfinder and timeteller, fire starter kit, first aid kit, chemist set to produce different mixtures for his fogger device, and small kit for minor repairs and maintenance

---

Five's talons landed as expected, though, to his displeasure, they collided with something other than demihuman flesh. A defensive barrier snapped into reality before he could inflict severe pain and injury on his target and blocked his retaliatory strike. Supernatural sparks and lightning arced from the collision. It was the rabbit girl's barrier enhancement kicking in, another fact he had also expected, begrudgingly. Simply observing her shocked reaction regarding his potentially death-dealing claws informed Five that she had been caught unawares, and were it not for her enhancement, to say the least, she would have been yet one more problem resolved following Thrash's self-inflicted removal from the stage of battle. Five still had trouble processing or conceiving the rationale as to why the dragonborn failed to consider his early ploy and simply stumbled through it. Or, more specifically, breathing the visually sickly haze into his lungs and getting himself paralyzed. Given Thraash's biology and bodily chemistry, Five estimated that his scaly foe would be incapacitated for at least several minutes.

Plenty of time to rap this affair up.

Ever observant of his surroundings, Five watched as the long-eared demihuman, likely realizing her predicament, dived under his left arm, making a break for it and putting distance between himself and her. The moment she moved away, so true did her barrier, causing his smoldering left hand to fall through the now empty space and seize only air. Though at the heat of the moment, he attempted to take another swing at her, prompting his left arm to coil back and lash out. Yet he came to a screeching halt as his body seized up. The previous shockwave was still haunting him and interfered with the gears and servos that guided his limbs. Five growled as he recoiled and pivoted to face his seemingly only opponent left, actively fighting him. Though he had kept an eye on Mari, he noted how much of her efforts in their battle hadn't impacted him in any meaningful way. Five could even admit he had nearly forgotten about her. That is until she spoke up again.

"Hey!... BIG BOY! Time out! Why are you even doing this? Are they paying you a mountain of amas or something? I mean, I respect the grind and all, but seriously, hear me out," Five considered ignoring her again but seeing as though Thraash was out of commission and the rabbit girl was practically on standby, he silently allowed her to speak her piece. If anything, it simply gave him time to internally correct the mechanical deviations plaguing him, "... What if we have a job that can pay you more? I know it sounds like I'm grasping at straws because you're totally kicking ass... Buuut! If you like amas as much as we do, maybe you should hear us out. If you don't like what we have to say, then you can always continue trying to crush us. You seem like you're confident in your ability to do so it will hurt you absolutely none to chill out like five seconds."

<<YOU TALK TOO MUCH,>> Five loudly hissed as two jets of steam spewed from his facial vents.

Although she hadn't said it specifically, Five translated her speech as a plea deal in hopes of encouraging him to call off his assault. It was a good idea; aside from the fact he had them on the ropes, the opportunity to make more money was promising. However, the offer was made very late in the game. With one-third of their number dealt with, he could better manage the fight against the pair still standing against him. At that moment, his right arm made a series of loud metal clangs, followed by a few sparks spilling out from its joints. His arm had recovered from the shockwave, most of it anyway. This rejuvenating fact gave Five an idea. He would undoubtedly hear Mari's offer, but it would be on his terms. He pivoted again, slightly turning his chest plate towards the light elf, informing her he would regard her words.

<<YOU ASK WHY I AM DOING THIS. A PRICE HAS BEEN PLACED ON YOURS, AND THRAASH'S, HEADS. I AM A BOUNTY HUNTER, AND YOU ARE PREY,>> It was then Five began walking towards Thraash though his upper posture remained fixed.

<<YOU, MARI, OFFERED AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF EMPLOYMENT, SUGGESTING SUCH AN APPOINTMENT WOULD BE MORE PROFITABLE THAN TURNING THE TWO OF YOU IN, DEAD OR ALIVE,>> the moment Five reached Thraash's stunned and twitching body, he raised his right hand as high as he could and rotated it, prompting the sword within its grasp to turn along with it downward until the tip of the massive weapon was aligned with the dragonborn's neck. Five's red eyes seemed to glow brighter than ever before, <<QUERY: WHY SHOULD I ACCEPT YOUR PROPOSAL WHEN I CAN DISPATCH YOUR COMPANION NOW AND ELIMINATE YOU SOON AFTERWARDS? IF YOUR 'JOB' WILL BE MORE LUCRATIVE THAN THE PRICE OF YOUR HEADS COMBINED, AS YOU CLAIM, THEN ELABORATE.>>

Five oversaw the three. Though he was putting Thraash's fate in Mari's hands, he was genuinely interested in what kind of offer the light elf would have to formulate to get her and her partner out of this new situation. If she tried anything, he would end the dragonborn without hesitation. He would give Thraash the same courtesy should he somehow recover faster than expected. However, he doubted that would be an issue. The only concern he had, as slight as it was, was the girl with the hammer. By distancing herself, she gave Five the advantage of time to predict and formulate a countermeasure should she try to charge him again. Yet it is evident by now that she somehow had a role in this, too. He prepared for her report, should it be with more violence or diplomacy.

No matter the case, he would get what he wanted.

Avalia

Time: Early Morning / Early Afternoon
Location: Roshmi City / The Nest
Interactions: Aerilyn @Alivefalling, Mari @princess, and Thraash @funnyguy
Current Equipment: Massive adamantine greatsword w/ Ethereal enchantment, heavy full-plated adamantine armor, magic nullification enchanted cuffs, standard backpack, rope (up to 50ft), wayfinder and timeteller, fire starter kit, first aid kit, chemist set to produce different mixtures for his fogger device, and small kit for minor repairs and maintenance

---

Five watched Mari gracelessly evade his onslaught. Although he had missed, the fact the light elf was forced to fling her body out of the way and injure herself across the ruined floor in the process spoke to how close the attack would have landed. And painted the bar red as a result. He regarded his other two opponents as well. Thraash had attempted to hold down Five's right arm and missed as it flew toward his partner. The act alone had put him within range of the warforged's paralyzing gas. Then there was the matter of the demihuman. Upon her attack being deflected, she quickly disengaged once she took notice of the sickly haze. Five could tell that much from her reaction.

Just as the two female combatants were recuperating, Five noted the dragonborn breathing deeply, taking in as much oxygen as he could despite the gas cloud before him. His eye observed the questionable behavior, though after cycling through his various sights, he found the Thraash's body temperature sharply rising. It was clear that Thraash was reading to unleash a torrent of fire from his gullet. Five immediately responded, demanding the mechanical nature of his body to adapt. Thick armor plating, both externally and internally, shifted positions and assembled where Thraash's attack would land. Five figured that his reinforced shell would hold off the dragonborn's attack for a few seconds until the integrity of the adamantine plating began to lose integrity and deform from the intense heat. But upon his concurrent observations of Mari and the rabbit girl, he needed to adjust his tactic. With his front torso still facing behind him, Five raised his left arm just as a gout of flames left Thraash's maw. The upper part of Five was swiftly engulfed in an inferno. Yet, Five didn't even once budge. Suddenly, the firestorm was scattering and folding over the warforged rather than consuming him. Five's left hand was at the forefront of the dispersion, now having taken the shape of a makeshift propeller due to his large fingers opening up and taking positions around his circular palm. Although Five managed to fan the fire away from him, the heat encompassing his frame would still be an escalating issue if not addressed soon. All he did at the moment was buy time.

Then Mari had ignited a blinding light that filled the entire bar. Five could hear shouts and screams from the patrons as they recoiled. The flash of light didn't bother him. What did disturb him was that Mari and the demihuman had somehow switched places in that very instance of Mari casting her spell. How was that possible? Did they teleport? Five was not aware of his quarry having that kind of ability. Just before he changed his posture to adapt to the seemingly new reality of the fight, he picked up on a critical clue. It was Mari's voice. Five ignored Mari's directed rant and instead took a moment to triangulate where she actually was. He had quickly theorized the light elf had, in fact, never moved from her original position. It was an illusion she projected, which made it seem she and her new ally had exchanged places. His optics would confirm this theory to be accurate. Through echolocation and thermal imaging, he confirmed it was all a ruse. All because Mari couldn't keep her trap shut.

Five's faceplate quickly swung around and faced Mari, suggesting to her she'd been found out. At that moment, Five's greatsword ceased its rotation, stopping with a loud mechanical bang as his internal components purposefully jammed. Extending his right hand, he pulled the sword's grip from its chamber, revealing the rod emanating a white-hot glow and billowing fumes from the incredible frictional heat it had generated. Five only took a few seconds to reorient his grasp of the sword to where he was now holding it by its grip. His left hand began rotating again, though at a much slower and unthreatening pace. More mechanical clanks and pings echoed as the plates over his arm and torso shifted again. He knew what was going to happen and was prepared for it.

Right one cue, the rabbit demihuman lunged at him once more. Five responded in kind. Duplicating his sweeping action from before, his torso exploded with momentum, twisting back toward its original face. As if it was moving in rhythm to his movements, Five directed his greatsword and gave it purpose through the swing. However, it wasn't the sword's edge that flew through the air but the entire flat side of the enormous weapon barreling toward Five's attacker. The blade tip would miss Thraash by inches, but its effect over the wind would carry a blasting current of air, blowing out his dying embers. After a few split-second adjustments, the joints of his right arm extended, plates taking final positions and slotting in for what was to come. Five brought the thick side of his sword into its final attack vector and met the face of the demihuman girl's hammer. Five was fully aware of the risks involved with willingly meeting the brunt of the girl's hammer. He wouldn't, however, do so without applying several mitigating factors and an ace up his metaphorical sleeve. The sound produced by the two massive weapons making contact with each other was loud and ear-wrenching. If there was anyone crazy enough still close to the action, they would have felt the tremendous beat produced by the powerful collision.

As Five expected, the demihuman's weapon went off, channeling a powerful force and sending it through his body.
Sparks spewed from every plate and joint that made up his framework as it resonated with the shockwave. Most of all, his right arm took the full brunt of the damage as it shook violently and groaned under the intense pressure placed upon it. Yet, despite Five feeling his framework was seizing up, he took an unexpected and giant step forward. To an onlooker, Five had extended the reach of his right arm, and with the sword in hand, his body was actually a couple of meters from where the weapons met. Five knew that if the demihuman's hammer made contact with his main body, the results would have been catastrophic, likely crippling, or worse, completely disabling him under the duress of the heavy impact and the following shockwave. But the shockwave in question had a limit to it. When he first witnessed it in action, it knocked both Mari and Thraash down, yet no one around them was as affected; perhaps jumping from their seat was the only response they gave. In fact, the phenomenon's effects appeared to weaken as it traveled through the floor. As such, Five planned on this accordingly. As he purposely made contact with the girl's hammer, he ensured the upper segment of his sword would receive the brunt of the impact, giving himself the most distance he could achieve. Five calculated the force would channel through his sword, down the entire arm's length, and then reach his body. And that was his plan, forcing the wave to travel all that distance before it could even make any genuine impact on him, effectively weakening the shockwave's effects until it renders itself out.

Five briefly regarded his right arm. It was barely functional, and he could detect several components were forced out of alignment despite reinforcing his arm ahead of time. A necessary consequence of keeping his long-eared prey in place. As with every action the warforged giant takes, intent is always channeled with each motion. And the step forward was yet another part of his scheme, especially since he was now in range of his overcommitted foe. His left arm suddenly shot forth just as their weapons traded blows. Still seared by Thraash's flames, Five's left hand glowed hot, and with its talons raised once more, it lashed out like a viper attacking its entrapped prey.

TL;DR

Five observes how Mari, Aerilyn, and Thraash respond to his continued attacks. He takes notice of Thraash preparing a fire attack and reinforces his armor as a temporary countermeasure. Thraash's fire consumes Five momentarily before Five's left hand, now spinning, attempts to channel the flame away. The encompassing heat still posing an issue. Five is initially fooled by Mari's illusion but traces her voice and sees through her and Aerilyn's ploy. Five reverse spins his torso back and opts to meet Aerilyn's hammer with his greatsword while mitigating the effects of the hammer's shockwave by channeling through a protracted route (from sword tip, through the arm, and ending at his body), effectively weakening it. His right arm temporarily seizes up. At the same time, Five presses through the attack, taking a step forward and his left arm swoops in to ensnare Aerilyn using a now hot and nearly molten left claws.

Avalia

Time: Late Morning
Location: The Nest, Roshmi City
Interactions:Scathael @Apex Sunburn, Aerilyn @Alivefalling, Mari @princess, and Thraash @funnyguy
Current Equipment: Massive adamantine greatsword w/ Ethereal enchantment, heavy full-plated adamantine armor, magic nullification enchanted cuffs, standard backpack, rope (up to 50ft), wayfinder and timeteller, fire starter kit, first aid kit, chemist set to produce different mixtures for his fogger device, and small kit for minor repairs and maintenance.

---

Five's greatsword slammed into the wooden floor, its still-rotating framework effortlessly mulching the deck into mere splinters. He had missed, though the warforged wasn't concerned with the result. If anything, Five wanted the rabbit demi-human and Thraash and Mari separated. His reactionary measure worked as he watched them closely, jumping out of the way of his attempted strike and almost surrounding him. Ideally, he had betted on the demi-human disengaging from the ordeal and not drawing her ire onto him. Five had miscalculated, yet he wasn't bothered by that either. In fact, he was built for these odds, surrounded by talented and powerful foes and systematically cutting them down one by one. After all, he had butchered formations of dark elf vanguard and dispatched many of their veteran and elite troops during his killings more than a century ago. Five rose and looked down on his would-be victims, dissipating steam encompassing his imposing profile. Two metallic plates on his shoulders shifted and slid beneath his arm with a subtle yet noticeable clanking sound. The cloak he had worn up to this point slid off his metal body, revealing the extent of his armored form, illuminated by reddish hues that glowed from the numerable vents and slits. Five's signature triad of eyes realigned and maneuvered to face their targets.

The rabbit humanoid's intentions aside, the two criminals' strategy became evident the moment they moved to flank him. Five observed and analyzed their every moment. How fast they ran into position. The countermeasures they employed while doing so. The way they breathed to propel their bodies forward. The arrangement of limbs within the posture and stances they took. The direction and focus of their gaze. And the physical and magical hints they unknowingly disclose. Five simultaneously absorbed and processed the concurrent information of these aspects of battle and tactical direction displayed by each combatant. It became apparent to the warforged how fast Thraash responded to his attack by instinctively breathing in oxygen and then expunging a directed gout of fire aimed at him while moving out of the way. The demi-human's tactic would have done little to damage Five's adamantine body, and he was certain Thraash could have potentially breathed out something more substantial with what little time was available at that moment. It was an attempt to blind him. He would give Thraash praise for his quick thinking had that trick been used on someone else, yet it was employed on him. Five's optics had immediately adapted, momentarily interpreting the world through a colorless spectrum* where the intense heat became visually diminished.

Then, there was the stance his target was adopting. The warforged noticed how fixated Thraash's focus was. It wasn't entirely set on him; it was placed on his sword and Mari, which his other eye had caught the light elf in preparing a spell. Was she projecting photokinesis? It seemed likely, though he couldn't immediately tell if it was the offensive flavor or an illusion. Regardless, he could see through their ploy. It appeared she was preparing to manifest something when Thraash sprung into action and neutralized his sword. Commendable coordination without vocal communication.

And lastly, the demi-human wielding her giant hammer. Five had watched how Mari slammed into her, quite aggressively hard, to presumably push her out of the way of his earlier attack. The notion seemed odd, given how they were ready to brawl moments ago. Nonetheless, the rabbit girl was the first of the three opponents to launch an attack, charging from where Mari was and committing to a wide swing of her hammer. Five's third eye made him aware of the two other tactical factors on her person: a deflection and a strength enhancement tied to her gloves and breastplate, respectively. The facts themselves gave him an advantage in how to deal with her. He knew now that he would have to pummel her rather than rely on a single slaying attack to wear out that deflection enhancement. He could use the ethereal enhancement in his sword to bypass her countermeasure entirely, though he figured it would be wise to keep that trick in reserve should he be forced to call upon its finite advantage. Then there was the knowledge that her own attacks would be on par with his own thanks to the enhancement in her glove, imbuing her with heightened strength. Certainly problematic, but Five already formed a strategy to deal with her and the other two.

The moment the demi-human committed her assault, Five's entire body was morphing. Clicks and clangs resonated from within the depths of his armored shell. Gears repositioned into different mechanical systems. Pistons quickly directed pressure flows to crucial components. Panels and plates adjusted and realigned with his separating spine. In response to his changing internal framework, more steam vented out, followed by Five distributing a new yellow vial into his fogger device. The timing was everything, and his preparations began when his attacker took their first offensive step. Now, he would retaliate in kind. The droning emanating from his spinning sword had now intensified into an awful buzzing sound as the revolutions of the blade kicked up sharply. The surrounding air currents danced around what looked more like a lance than a sword, ripping up dust and residual debris from the floor. Another gunshot of steam exploded out from Five, signaling his move. His move in question, however, appeared to be that of a bizarre and unnatural contortionist performance. A performance that would prove deadly if unheeded.

Taking only but a single step back, Five's head and upper torso suddenly moved independently from each other. His body shifted right, bringing his left arm and taloned hand into a swing, now gesturing like a makeshift blade. At first, Five appeared to aim for the rabbit girl's head until his arm fluidly curved inward and merged into the head of her hammer. Yet it wasn't a colliding impact. Five could feel his entire left arm rattle as he precisely glanced it against the side of the hammer, sparks flying as metal rubbed against metal. The demi-human's enhanced strength was to be feared indeed. There was a chance the enhancement built into the weapon would go off from making the slight connection. Based on its intensity when it was first triggered earlier, he had calculated that the wave alone wouldn't cause any critical damage to him. However, the projected shockwave could reverberate throughout his mechanical body and interfere with his sensitive internal components temporarily. Five didn't like the idea of having portions, or worse, the entirety of his framework disabled, even if it was brief. He concluded he would have to compensate the best he could should that happen. His current main concern was using his mass and precision to nudge the demi-human's powerful hammer away from him. But his attack was far from over; his torso was still quickly rotating around. Five drove his sword into the floor once more; only now, he carved it up through his swift rotation, sending out a dense cloud of splinters and debris in every direction. A split second later, the blade was airborne and swung widely towards Mari. Given the length of his sword, mirroring his own height shy of three whole meters, the tip of the greatsword was barely reaching the bar's walls. Patrons ducked or hugged the walls to escape the sword, and the destruction is brought. Tables, chairs, and whatever object in the path of Five's large-improvised-woodchipper-sword-thing was instantly pulverized. He predicted the light elf had only a few seconds to disengage under the threat of becoming mulch.

Finally, Five's head, during his torso rotation, shot in the opposite direction before locking in relation to his left shoulder. A torrent of yellowish gas discharged from his mouth as he deflected the hammer away. The mist of paralyzing nerve agents quickly accumulated through his body's incomprehensible performance, spreading the chemical around the bar. Though the act was directed against both demi-humans, anyone within ten feet of him would risk breathing in the toxin and collapsing to the floor, constantly twitching until the effects eventually wore off.

Five's crimson eyes, still glued to their individual targets, glowed brightly as he watched closely how his foes would respond.

TL;DR

Five misses in his initial attack but isn't bothered by it. He observes and processes the actions of Aerilyn, Mari, and Thraash like a computer and creates a strategy to fight them at the same time. Just as Aerilyn launches her attack, Five counters by intercepting her hammer and deflecting it while swinging a now deadlier spinning sword at Mari, all within the single motion of quickly rotating his body a full 180 degrees (front now facing the back). Five follows up by discharging a paralyzing nerve agent encompassing an area of 10ft around him; the act is primarily aimed at neutralizing Aerilyn and Thraash.

*Infrared

Avalia

Time: Early Morning / Early Afternoon
Location: Roshmi City / The Nest
"Interactions": Scathael @Apex Sunburn, Aerilyn @Alivefalling, Mari @princess, and Thraash @funnyguy
Mentions: Mister Luum @FunnyGuy, Bardulf @Lava Alckon, Rue @Potter, Bowyn @Helo, Zeva @Pink Khione and Brigitte @Tae

---

Earlier that morning, Five had secluded himself within one of Roshmi's many alleyways. The sun had yet to arise at this time, and the city was bathed in natural darkness, save for the central city blocks and neighborhoods, partially illuminated by rows of street lamps of varying sizes and properties. While confining inside the narrow lane settled between two inns, Five set to work maintaining his body, specifically his right arm, which he had noticed for some time wasn't optimally performing to his needs. He had just arrived in Roshmi City a few hours ago. He would undoubtedly be unable to see a specialist to perform a quality examination and tune-up this late at night. Granted, some individuals claimed to achieve the same service at any time, yet those same 'professionals' were either unknown to the greater populace or simply resided within the poorer districts of Roshmi. Five concluded it wouldn't be worth his time or money to humor any speck of honesty these independent businesses might have boasted, and he wasn't at all desperate to undergo serious repairs.

Yet the concerns about his wellbeing were mounting.

Five had not sought professional upkeep work for him for weeks, and the funds to arrange such services were drying up. Perhaps another reason Five wasn't too keen on taking up long-haul tasks, such as the one he had opted to pursue. Many methods were used to track targeted individuals. However, specialized skill sets, spells, and gadgets were typically crucial in narrowing down a bounty's route and location. Five certainly had no way to pick up on the aroma or stench of someone or something, and his hulking profile made him stand out in thinly populated areas with little cover. So, the problems with his dwindling capital resulted from paying off informants and witnesses willing to divulge any information, including the whereabouts of the Dragonborn, Thraash, and the Light Elf, Mari. Some asked for little coin, others had to be enticed into making a bargain. And then there were a few Five simply roughed up to obtain the information he needed. As it turns out, threatening to rip someone's arms off was an excellent motivator to gain compliance. Though at times during this annoying and costly process, Five nearly decided, out of rare impatience, to go after the troublesome pair early, but logic dictated he consolidate the facts necessary to produce a cleaner picture that illustrated their locality. Those puzzle pieces of intelligence eventually came to light. Now, Five was sure that today would be his big payday.

Time passed, and proper morning came with the sun rising over the horizon. Roshmi grew brighter with the sun's radiance and louder as its citizens and business owners bled into the streets, anticipating the markets soon to open. Several clicks sounded off as Five reattached his right arm back to his body. Bringing the recently repaired limb to his faceplate, Five's three burning eyes moved with rapid efficiency, judging the quality and effectiveness of his efforts. From bicep to fingers, his arm came alive, twisting and turning like a violent serpent. Five's right hand, in particular, seemed to mirror that of a maw of teeth, unraveling from a hammer-like fist into an open palm armed with five individual talons for fingers. Five had his weaponized limb undergo its unnatural and aggressive motions for another minute until he was satisfied with its performance. He would need it and the rest of his body to be in the best shape if he was going to subdue two criminal bounties, be them in cuffs or body bags.

Donning his cloak, Five took the time to ensure his armored frame was concealed by the black and thick fabric as best as he could. A giant Warforged walking in broad daylight was enough to draw many eyes toward his direction. The most he could do to obstruct his appearance was to resemble a cloaked and hooded humanoid, perhaps an orc or a large demi-human. This didn't stop pedestrians from noticing, though they were less inclined to take heed of him with his cloak thrown on. Thus far, his ruse had kept him out of trouble at the expense of him looking like a weirdo. Five would see it as a fair trade overall. He eventually exited the alleyway and into the street. With a more extensive crowd present, his disguise was enough to blend in that much better. For a few minutes, Five continued his advance through the street, which shallowly sloped into a downward incline leading to the city's entrance. Before he could take that route, Five peeled away and headed toward an elevated part of the sidewalk, which formed into a small public spot overlooking a portion of the city. Stopping at the marble palisade, his three eyes twitched and scanned the main road leading away from the entrance and the multiple streets that would branch off. If the information he gathered was corrected, the light elf and the dragonborn would be passing by and making their way to the lower-class sector of Roshmi. More than likely to hit up a vexing bar called the Nest. With an admittedly uneven timetable fabricated from these accumulated facts, Five anticipated his quarry would arrive from one of the intersecting streets. From there, he would simply tail them until the time was right to pounce.

Five's eyes were set to work identifying everyone traveling down the multiple streets he could oversee at an inhuman rate. Some individuals looked similar to his targets, but he could make out their subtle physical features. If, by chance, someone was using a spell or a disguise ring to mask their appearance, for instance, Five would most certainly pick up on spectral signatures such methods would naturally produce. Though he couldn't see past the façade clearly, the user's aura would give away their general profile and shape, which was enough for him to work with to catch a bounty should they pull such a trick. While Five patiently observed his surroundings, something caught the attention of one of his eyes. A strange surge of familiarity suddenly occurred to him. Turning slightly towards Roshmi's main entrance, Five offered another of his optics to the disturbance. At the same time, his last eye remained glued to the roads. The odd instance that struck him at first glance appeared to originate from a group of adventurers. Enhancing his vision, the faces of these new subjects of interest appeared closer to him than where they actually were.

A registry script had then echoed through his artificial mind, ((REPORTING: ONE DEMI-HUMAN -- FEMALE, ONE LIGHT ELF -- FEMALE, TWO WINTER FAE -- MALE AND FEMALE RESPECTIVELY... LASTLY, TWO UNIDENTIFIED ENTITIES -- ASSUMED MALE RESPRECTIVEY... ADDENDUM: ENTITY ONE CLASSIFIED AS UNKNOWN SPECIES -- DISGUISE RING USE DETECTED ON ENTITY TWO'S PERSON... CORRECTION: CLASSIFYING ENTITY TWO AS LIGHT ELF BASED ON DETETED SIGNATURE...)).

For Five, time superficially stopped as he began processing the information from his optics. The figure wearing a cloak and armed with a halberd was an unusual sight. Compared to the fairies and the elves in his company, the man lacked the knife-ear trait Five was so used to seeing. And the individual's aura seemed off somehow. Something Five couldn't recognize immediately. Curious but inconsequential. The light elf wearing the disguise ring was another oddity, and the Warforged could only imagine the purpose they had in using the device. He wasn't worth the time figuring out. His fixation however landed on the two fairies. He had seen them before, yet somehow not in person. Five recollected his recent memories and discovered the reasoning behind the flash of familiarity that had caught his attention.

((IDENTITIES OF WINTER FAE VERIFIED: MALE MARKED AS BOWYN ELMWOOD -- CONFIRMED 'WANTED'. FEMALE MARKED AS RUE BRIAR -- CONFIRMED 'WANTED')).

A deep static growl that would come from a hungry and anxious predator emanated from Five. Before him were two wanted criminals with bounties on their heads. Combined, they would be enough to pay for a complete tune-up and repair to his chassis. They were right there, his for the taking. The Warforged presently had the advantage. He wasn't spotted yet. With a quick leap and a swing of his sword, the party of adventurers wouldn't know what hit them. The initial strike would undoubtedly catch them off guard, and the follow-up strikes he would commit would take them down quickly. Forget Thraash and Mari! Take these two instead; they're right there! Yet Five rejected the urge to pounce. Logic quickly settled in and erased the desperate tension. Indeed, he could attack, but to do so out in the open? Near the entrance where the city guard would be stationed? Where civilians and local businesses were uncomfortably close to him, and a massive sword being swung about? Any offense he undertook would incur many risks he would rather avoid. He would draw too much attention, and any miscalculated swings that caused property damage or, worse, injuries to the non-combatants around him would reflect poorly on him as a bounty hunter. Being a Warforged on top of that made the circumstances even more awkward. He had no desire to get involved with the authorities, especially the Dark Elf variety. What spectacularly rotten luck.

A brief jet of steam shot out from a few of his external facial vents, the only way Five could visibly convey his displeasure. The situation and the conditions at present were not in his favor. Five observed his potential prey for a few more seconds before retreating from view the moment their wandering gazes could meet his own. With a click, the chemical fogger built within him came alive. It loaded a vial containing a white substance into its ignition chamber. A small thick mist shot out from the vents that made up his 'mouth'. In an instant, whatever visage of him that could be seen from the city entrance had vanished behind the artificial shroud. He was still annoyed about fate, apparently taunting him with unreachable riches. Five resumed his search as he repositioned himself atop the scenic viewpoint.

It was only another hour later until Five's eyes caught a glimpse of his true quarry, followed by another registry report manifesting through his consciousness, ((TARGETS ACQUIRED: BOUNTIES MARKED AS MARI AND THRASH FERNO HEADING EASTWARD -- CALCULATED ROUTE ALIGNED WITH LOCATION OF ESTABLISHMENT IDENTIFIED AS "THE NEST")).

<<INITIATING HUNT.>> Five hissed.

---

Five knew he would be trailing about a couple miles of architecture and apartments behind Thraash and Mari and had no visual of them for some time. There was even the chance they might not even be heading to The Nest and instead have gone to a different location altogether. Of course, that was always the risk of tracking prey; they could betray expectations at a moment's notice, whether they meant to or not. It was a fact he had long since accepted, and he could only but trust the intel he had gathered and go from there. Despite the apparent distance between him and his objective, the Warforgeds' natural cruising stride eventually allowed him to arrive in half the time it took his targets to get there. Five quickly scanned the surrounding slums and determined no pedestrians were present. Good. With what he had planned to capture the draconic demi-human and the light elf, he didn't want to involve other civilians besides the bar's patrons, whom he had already accepted as likely casualties to his upcoming ploy. They were criminals, after all. Who would miss them? His gaze was set on the bar itself, and his eyes glowed brighter. His vision shifted and pierced through the walls, making the interior visible to him. He could see the many people within the building eating, drinking heavily, smoking a number of toxic substances...

And there they were. Thraash and Mari talking up a storm, gaining the patrons' undivided attention.

Five made his way around the back of the establishment, though, only to find that the alleyway was unkempt with filth, rats, and sediment from other structures littering the backway. He would have frowned in disgust if he had anything resembling a mouth. With a quiet groan, Five worked his way through the muck, careful not to make any loud noise that could bring him unwanted attention. Funnily enough, with how rowdy the two were, he likely had little to worry about. Nevertheless, he prided himself in practicing surgical proficiency, and he certainly wasn't going to stop now or anytime soon.

The Warforged cleared the debris and found themselves staring at the backdoor to the bar. Next to the door were rows of trash cans filled to the brim with waste. And next to them was a Dark Elf who appeared to be in a narcotic-induced trance as their eyes stared unconsciously into the sky. It was evident to Five that the man was clearly on another planet as he took no notice of the hulking machine standing directly before him. Five paid the drug abuser no mind and glanced back toward the bar's main room and saw that the pair were still there. However, their attention now was fixated on a presumably drunken rabbit demi-human. Now, he only had to wait for the right moment to strike. Though the wellbeing of the bar-goers hardly concerned him, he preferred to keep the eventual confrontation between himself and Thraash and Mari. Five was confident in taking down these two criminals by himself should a fight erupt. Yet he knew from the intelligence he had gathered that they were strong and capable in their own right. Regardless of what he thought of them, he knew he had to take the pair seriously. Tipping the odds in his favor then would be beneficial in the grand scheme of things. He planned to wait out their venture of food and drink. Once they began to leave, he would launch his ambush, shrouding the area in a mist and incapacitating the two of them before they could plan a defensive response. All he had to do now was simply wait...

"WHO THE FUCK DARED TO POUR WATER ON ME?!?!"

Or so he thought.

Five was immediately taken aback by the demi-human's retaliatory roar, followed by the swing of their mighty hammer, which obliterated the table she initially wasted away on and knocked both Mari and Thraash flat on their rears. One of his eyes quickly shot to the great hammer within the girl's grasp. It was a powerful weapon from what he could gauge. Still, his unraveling vision instantly found that the large weapon she wielded was fitted with a shockwave enhancement. Such a powerful modification explained the destruction she caused a moment ago. That was going to be a problem. The situation had now changed, seemingly for the worse. Five was still determining how Thraash or Mari would react to this unexpected dilemma. He observed the great hammer wielder closely, taking in her stance and demeanor, which had radically shifted from the deathly stupor she exuded previously. She was amped up for a fight; there was no doubt about it. Five hissed and steamed in irritation. Who was that girl with the hammer anyway? Another bounty hunter? A mercenary? He didn't enjoy the idea of another individual cashing in the heads of two bounties he had planned more than a month for to capture himself. Whether that was her intent or to start a brawl for the hell of it, what Five did know was that she had just become competition.

And Five wasn't about to share the reward.

Plan B it was then. Raiding the establishment wasn't his first and preferred idea, but his hands were now tied with the developing scene. Five reached for his greatsword and pulled the weapon from its magnetic mounting. With the sword in his right hand, Five decided to turn the weapon into a makeshift lance. He needed to enter the bar quickly, and the door didn't accommodate his massive profile. So, he would need to pull off some demolition work. His right palm then split open, revealing a circular chamber threaded and filled with rotating gears. He manipulated the sword's grip within his hand so his four fingers were now clenching both sides of the weapon's crossguard. The sword's grip was pulled into the chamber and locked into place, with the right thumb folding and sealing over his fingers. With several internal clicks, his right hand and the entire greatsword began to rotate and swiftly picked up speed. The rotation of the blade increased further, and within seconds, a subtle drone emanated as the sword spun and cut through the air. With his left hand, he braced his lance-arm and took a stance to eventually launch himself into the door. Mechanical motors and servos built into his legs and thighs clicked into position, and pistons accumulated dangerous pressure. Steam jetted out from all over his body, preparing to transform himself into a Warforged-sized ballista bolt.

After a few more clicks and clangs sounded off, he was ready.

"What are you...?" a tired and unbalanced query unexpectedly came from the high-in-the-sky dark elf.

One of Five's red eyes glared at the elf, <<GO BACK TO YOUR PLANET>>

The dark elf stared at him for a moment longer and leaned against the bar's exterior again, "...okay."

Not wanting to waste another moment longer, Five initiated his attack. In an instant, his body suddenly shot forward with a bang. Steam violently propelled him at a neck-break velocity, sending him into the doorway where his sword effortlessly drilled through and blew it apart, along with the rest of the doorframe and the wall too. The bar's inhabitants would have heard the destruction exploding from behind the establishment. However, they would have had little time to comprehend the dark, hazy mass that dozed towards them. Those furthest away would have seen a steam-shrouded entity with crimson eyes and a single massive horn charging in. Though Five was precise. He planned his vector of attack ahead of time, and his form swiftly carried him past the patrons and beelined directly at the demi-human girl and Thraashi and Mari. All three would have seen him by now and noted the giant spinning sword threatening to crash between them.