SilverPaw

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Jandar Varan

Sharon, Shalador

They finally made it back to camp, and Jandar gingerly sat himself down besides the fire. He was relieved to have made it here safely, but he was also downright exhausted. The Warlord didn’t feel like explaining anything, but the Queen was oddly quiet. With a twist of his lips, Jandar spoke up. “We met SaDiablo,” he got right to the point of the issue. “I’d say my Lady was drawn to him,” he remarked, with a sideways glance at her. “Is he one of yours?” it wasn’t as much a question as it was seeking affirmation to a conclusion that would make the most sense.

“In any case,” he continued after a moment, “He’s bound with the Band of Compliance, and is currently tied to Laska, though I suspect Dorothea sent him for some reason or another,” Jandar explained, voice weary. “He hates the Queens, and was very concerned with Fatima. He knew immediately that she was disguised and was able to tear the illusion apart,” he relayed, tone eerily monotone, gaze set at a distance as he recalled the events. “In my attempts to protect her…” he trailed off, grimacing.

“I baited and insulted the Prince badly enough that it would have been no wonder if he had killed me,” he confessed, reluctantly. “However, he did not,” he emphasized. That the black jeweled Warlord Prince had restrained himself so well in the face of people he believed to be an enemy spoke well of him, or at least, showed that his experience lent him some wisdom. “Once he realized that there was some sort of a misunderstanding between us, he simply warned us not to worsen the citizens’ safety or well-being,” he concluded.

He reviewed what he’d told and what he’d left out. Jandar honestly didn’t feel like retelling every little detail of their exchange. It wasn’t necessary for those uninvolved to get the gist of it, after all. “Ah, he warned us to leave these parts,” he added. “The local Queen may or may not send out a search or otherwise indulge her cruelties, who knows,” he shrugged, not because he didn’t care, but because he was just too tired right now to give half a damn. His voice had grown horse by the time he finished, and Jandar now simply sat there, resting and warming himself by the fire.

Dungeon Clearer! The Wonderful World of an Adventurer

“Hmm, safe until the fork to Walverrest, huh. Noted. That’s it then,” he nodded to the clerk in thanks, and after she noted that they were registered, turned to leave, waving to the Hundi youth to follow.

“I have to fetch my things, so I’m off to the dorms,” Ifrari informed Rex. “If you have any business left to take care of, go ahead. When you’re ready, come meet me in building C, room 512. Just knock on my door and I’ll let you in.” The dark elf glanced at the Hundi, to see if the other was following so far. Given that numbers seemed to confuse him, his worry whether Rex would be able to remember which room the dark elf rented was fairly warranted. Therefore, he added, “If you’re fine as is, you can just come along right away, though.”

That said, he made his way to one of the dorm buildings. He didn’t wish to discuss the details of their mission in public, so he didn’t say much. The information given was very scant, which was frustrating. He’d also honestly hoped to get at least a member or two more, but he’d have to work with what he had. That they were seeking an enemy who had a good hideout and was known for successful ambushes and presumably had decent observational skills didn’t sit well with him. There was a very good likelihood that Rex and himself would be the ones taken unaware of. Of course, the dark elf intended to prevent that, but there were no guarantees, really.

Ifrari arrived at dorm C, which was a nondescript dorm building with the guild insignia sign clearly marking it as one of the accommodations marketed primarily to adventurers. Since moving to Velle, Ifrari hadn’t really bothered to find his own housings, and had only moved to a better (and higher-costing) room once or twice. The dorms were satisfactory, and more important, easily affordable.

His current room was on the top floor of the building, and was of a comfortable size for a single person to live in. Besides the bed, he possessed a wardrobe for clothing, a stand for his armour, a simple racket for his weapons, a storage cabinet for his various supplies, a small bookshelf, and a sizeable table littered with parchment. At one point, he’d also affixed a board to one of the walls, which was remarkably similar to the notice board in the guild, only instead of job postings, it held even more of his own notes.

The dark elf made quick work of stripping to his underwear and replacing his casual clothing with his regular armour. It was quite the transformation. He did have to wonder if number and quality of equipment was one of the criteria according to which the kidnappers were able to differentiate between novice adventurers and normal ranks. And what exactly did they mean by novice anyhow, only those that have genuinely only started out and were therefore rank one, or anyone from rank one to three? Ifrari really wished there’d been more information regarding how many people had been kidnapped so far, and what the largest disappearance to date had been.

Once Rex arrived (or, if he’d been following along, once Ifrari was done gearing up), the dark elf spoke up regarding his main worry. “Rex, we might be targeted by the kidnappers. And no, getting their direct attention like that would not be optimal. However, we should be prepared even for that. For one, don’t speak about our mission once we’re underway, just in case the enemies use seemingly innocuous passers-by to gather information on their targets. If we still get caught, we’ll just have to improvise, I’m afraid,” he pursed his lips, obviously not content with that.

“If we have to engage in combat, use your best judgment, and I’ll back you up and adapt to your style. Just leave any traps, tricks, or trickery for me to deal with though,” he stated. “I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to spot any enemy archers in time, since they obviously know the terrain very well,” he confessed. “They may also somehow lure us to their territory and attempt to overwhelm or entrap us, in which case, well…I suppose we’ll have to manage,” Ifrari muttered, obviously doubtful whether they could. However, it wasn’t as if that was enough to outright give up on the job.

“In any case, the enemies aren’t your typical bandits, so however they kidnap people, it won’t be a violent encounter in the middle of the main road. When we travel, I’ll lead the way and watch out for any and all hints about the kidnappers and I’ll count on you to watch my back, alright?”

Ifrari waited to see what Rex would have say to that. Then, he summarized, “The main things to keep in mind are,” he lifted a hand, and raised his index finger, obviously counting, “one, not to talk about the disappearances to anyone or within anyone else’s range of hearing,” he raised his middle finger, “two, do not deviate from the mission objective, which means that if someone out there needs help, we either leave them to their own devices or proceed extremely carefully,” he warned, then raised his ring finger, “three, we will absolutely not split up, for whatever reason,” he lifted his pinky finger, “and finally, be cautious, but not nervous or too tense.” He dropped the hand and blinked up at the Hundi. “Any questions, comments, critiques?”

@Derg2

Destiny's Call (Grand Fantasy Roleplay)

Can we get info on the world's currency? Does everyone use a common one, like gold and silver? Are there places that only accept local currency? Are there places where only bartering is acceptable? Etc.

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Jandar Varan

Eldra, Shalador

It was decided they would stay in the bookshop till dusk, which was just as well, because Jandar needed rest and Fatima couldn’t work another illusion, though her makeup skills weren’t half-bad.

The Warlord escorted Dareen inside, subtly leaning on her as he did. He sat himself only after pulling out a chair for her. Jandar slumped on the table top, thinking. He was brought out of his reverie only when the shop-owner’s daughter brought them stew and bread. Jandar served himself a portion, tearing off a small piece of bread to go with it. He ate slowly, savoring the taste. It was plain, true, but he was tired, and the warm, thick, filling substance was heavenly after his ordeal. Besides, it would lend him strength for their escape.

The moment with the guards passing by later on was incredibly tense, but thankfully, they soon passed without incidence. Jandar relaxed minutely. The bookshop owner informed them that leaving now was optimal, and the Warlord inclined his head in thanks. “That will be all,” he confirmed, soothing the old man’s nerves.

“Thank you for the hospitality,” he said sincerely. “And…sorry for before,” he added with a faint grimace, referring both to how gruff he himself had been as well as for the whole incident that occurred in the man’s shop in general. “If it would help, I can offer you a small amount of marks,” Jandar continued, summoning a few of the coins directly from the vanished pouch her carried with him – not enough that he’d miss it, but enough that it’d make a difference for the old man and his family.

The Warlord stood up with care so as to not aggravate his injured back, and walked to the old man. He offered the few marks to him, holding them out on an open palm. “If you can make contact with SaDiablo somehow, relay to him that someone from Kaeleer will be in the ruined town south of here…but not for long,” he murmured, gazing at the shop owner shrewdly. It was a risk in more ways than one to relay such a message, true, but Jandar had a feeling that their link to SaDiablo shouldn’t be severed, despite Mikhail’s wariness. The Warlord agreed with the Prince’s warning that SaDiablo wasn’t an ally, but that could change, and if it did…Well. Jandar was rather certain that they had to make the man an ally, and that they could.

After his exchange with the old man, Jandar turned to the others. “Shall we?” he asked, heading to Dareen, and holding out an arm to her. When they were all ready, he’d escort her outside, just as he’d been doing previously, all the while keeping an eye on Fatima. He was now also sure that Mikhail was an excellent addition, not only as another set of eyes, but also because he was practically a ghost when he wanted to be; even his allies often lost sight of him.

They weren’t too far into the town, and Jandar had memorized the way they’d come in, so going out shouldn’t be too difficult. If the patrols were truly as partly as the old man had suggested, they could even kill them if it came down to it, though Jandar would rather avoid something that would alert the town’s Queen – Laska, as SaDiablo had named her. Plans and precautions in mind, the Warlord headed outside, alert of their surroundings.

MHA: Bot Ten Heroes!

@Claw2k11 Yes. Are you planning to start it any time soon or what?

Dungeon Clearer! The Wonderful World of an Adventurer

I need to get Ifrari to pick up his gear, first. If you feel like writing before I put up a response, just mention that, and it'll be fine.

Dungeon Clearer! The Wonderful World of an Adventurer

@Raineh Daze Rex and Ifrari are the only ones to register for the Haesting mission.

On that note, @Derg2 you wanna pitch something in before we move on?

Dungeon Clearer! The Wonderful World of an Adventurer

@Raineh Daze Do we have official leave to prepare for and go do the job now?

MHA: Bot Ten Heroes!

@TruthHurts22@Zelosse As was recently pointed out, mutants should be born with their traits, no? I'll just quote the relevant part.

Naw, Mutants are different in that they're just born to be freaks of nature. Ojiro always had his tail, Koda always had his rock-ish face, Tokoyami always had his Dark Shadow. That's why Aizawa's Erasure can't erase the fact that people have too many arms and such; it's just a part of their body.

Essentially, mutant traits are passed down genetically and such, so things get pretty weird. I'm guessing that any additional abilities will properly manifest at the toddler age, so it's like... tokoyami is born with the bird head, but at the age of 4, he gains Dark Shadow as his 'real' Quirk.

@ERode

MHA: Bot Ten Heroes!

Mm, true enough, and there's often also prejudice against quirks that do "freaky" things (like Himiko's and Shinso's). And quirkless people are probably the worst off.