Adventurers Guild Adventurer's Guild - Receptionist's Desk

Discussion in 'Roleplaying Games' started by AliceShiki, Jan 28, 2019.

  1. A5G_Reaper

    A5G_Reaper [DCLXVI, sohyee, and iampsyx's cute imouto]

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    "I already went ahead and found a merchant caravan that'll bring us to the city nearest to where this thing was found, so let's hurry!"

    Elaine double checks with her map.

    "...Are you sure it's going to the right place?"

    "Yes, it's going to the Volcano, a three day trip with fast horses. The monster we're looking for was found around that area, and I think we can ask locals about it when we get there, so let's hurry!"

    Elaine hops about on her heels.

    "At least it's unlikely to get lost."

    "Okay let us go then." Kathicia waits for Elaine to lead the way.

    *****

    Sometime on the fourth day, the trio reached a familiar demon settlement, and started to find their way around, asking locals about the monster.

    And then the fire nation attacked.

    "Well, I guess we go collect some information? Let's meet back here in 30 minutes."

    "Okay let us go then." Kathicia heads off into the town to have a nap on a roof.

    Elaine picked the eastern side of the town, working her way all the way to the eastern entrance, but she gathered surprisingly little information. The most she got was that it lived in a river.

    Kathicia ended up having a nice nap on the first house she came across once out of sight of the other two.

    A gourd didn't really asked around, his mind thinking of their quarry. He had brought a piece of thick bamboo about six meters long and had spent most of their journey carving out any irregularity to make it smooth as ceramic save for a sharp diagonal cut on the smaller end that would make it decent stabbing implement and a groove at the other end so that it could be held.

    "I'll name you Sir Stabmeister the Sixth."


    "Well, I guess that's that. Time to go back to the others and see what kind of information they managed to collect."

    Kathicia wakes up 25 minutes after her nap and heads back to where they were supposed to meet up. Kathicia arrived at the spot where they were supposed to meet up last.

    "What's you got?" He greeted the two one after another. "Meet Sir Stabmeister the Sixth."

    That was at least the eleventh time he introduced the bamboo pike in the last few days.


    "Can't have a name yet it hasn't drawn enough blood yet." Kathicia returns that answer to the gourd. "I found nothing by the way."

    The gourd nonchalantly ignored the remark.

    Elaine rolled her eyes.

    "The thing lives in a lake, and there's quite a few nearby."

    "If it attack caravans it shouldn't be too far off the trade routes."

    "Lets go look then! I feel like exploring for a bit~" Kathicia waits for the gourd to lead the way.

    "Let's just hitch around in some trade caravan."

    "I have an idea~ If it attacks trade caravans, it'll have to live close to a major route. And from that, if we compare all the rivers in the vicinity..."

    Elaine jabs her finger at her map.

    "This river here would most likely be the optimal spot to live in."

    "Then let us catch a caravan going past there or does mr. Gourd want to lead the way?"

    "We have better chance luring it in a large group."

    "Then go find a caravan I guess off we go together lead the way mr. Gourd." Kathicia waits for the gourd to lead the way.

    "Caravan it is then~"

    Elaine goes off to look for some available ones.

    About one week of back and forth in the same route much to the confusion of the traders, something was swimming under the river their way. It's rather huge...

    "We've got a big one here!"

    "Let us kill it quickly then shall we this has gotten dull now."

    "It will be Sir Stabmeister's time to shine!"

    ...Kathicia gets annoyed at the gourd.


    "Aim for the eyes!"

    Elaine jumps out of the carriage, landing with a roll.

    Kathicia proceeds to fly up into the sky so she can crush down upon the creature.

    "Venomous Blade. Venomous Blade. Venomous Blade." The gourd emptied his mana in a single round of enchantment. There would be no other chance to kill the thing if it flees wounded, so they need to get it right the first time. The poisonous enchantment based on pessmud would paralyze it to death if he could land a good stab.

    How it'd be done with a thick pike thrice as long as his own height, was a wholly different matter.

    "Bait it out and try to keep it still. If I land one good hit it's done for. Vertigo."

    He didn't wait for a reply before he tapped his Brand, falling to the sky with the pike glowing venomous deep-green. He angled it downward, ready to dash and plunge it onto the beast's flesh. Shouldn't be hard, it's rather big from the rapidly approaching shadow under the water.

    Standing on a Hardlight platform, the gourd awaited his chance.


    "Keep it still? Can you hit it within 5 seconds if it was still?"

    Elaine tossed a question as she made faces at the octopus, taunting it.

    "Should be enough!"

    A gourd shouted, barely heard from up high.


    "Very well! Over here, ballface! Fight us on land if you can; oh wait, you're too fat and cowardly to come out of the water! Hah!"

    The octopus roars with rage, and begun hauling itself up the riverbanks.

    "Eat this!"

    Elaine throws rocks at it's face.

    "...I'll never understand how that girl manage to taunt a freaking octopus."

    "Ha!"

    Elaine dodged a tentacle that tried to smash her into the ground, before giving the creature some generous cuts on it's offending limb.

    "ROARRRRR!"

    The octopus puffed up and blew fire at her.

    "What the---"

    Narrowly, she rolled under the fiery breath, feeling the heat singe her hair.

    "Oi, that's not fair! If you have fire breath, why don't you dry yourself off first?!"

    The octopus seemed to hesitate before it actually blew a stream of fire at it's own legs, before roaring in pain.

    "What is wrong with this octopus." Kathicia stays floating in the air watching the beast.

    The gourd angled down Sir Stabmeister the Sixth, but shook his head. His target was big, but it was capable of sudden movement in weird directions with all that extra limbs. He need it immobilized.

    "What's the hold up?!" He yelled down.


    "It's moving about too much for a fatass! If only it would actually STOP MOVING FOR A FEW SECONDS!"

    Elaine roars.

    "I can't help with that." Kathicia shouts at the two of them I think we should have thought about this earlier.

    "Oh for the love of-" He glanced at Kath. "Here, hold this. Be gentle it'll be his first time. I'll help down there."

    Finally, the irritated Elaine dodged another tentacle smash, stung the octopus again, and yelled at it.

    "KEEP STILL FOR A FEW BLOODY SECONDS, WILL YA? WE'RE JUST TRYING TO KILL YOU!"

    The yell fanned out with the force of a blast, echoing as it octopus actually staggered, before coming to a halt.

    Kathicia drops the stick on top of the gourd. "Here catch do whatever you need to with this thing.

    Suddenly Elaine did her shouty thingy and halted the giant octopus.

    "Oh, nevermind." He chuckled and snatched Sir Stabmeister the Sixth out of Kath's hand before leaping off the Hardlight platform.

    "Dart!"

    Tapping multiple times onto the Brand iwas similar to the time he struck the cultist leader back during the attack, although he didn't get the focused feeling and thus barely seen a blur as he rocketed down with a very unsafe velocity. The bamboo pike stabbed the octopus right at the center of the mass, going all the way through and pinned it to the ground.

    It screeched an otherworldly shrill tone, the trance spell broken. The gourd crashed onto it, bounced off, and unsightily fell in a barely controlled roll away. He was pretty sure he split the skin on both hands and dislocated more than one joint in the attack, but the poison should be spreading by now...


    "Did we get it?"

    Elaine stared at the dust that had been thrown around.

    *ROAR*

    "Apparently not yet."

    Kathicia still floating in the sky watched the creature thrashing around itself.

    "We did."

    The thrashing rapidly weaken. It's to be expected with how deep of a wound was punctured, and with paralyzing poison spreading everywhere from there. He'd seen less poison on the tip of a smaller harpoon kills a great whale, the scale was tilted even worse with this octopus. There's enough poison coursing its vein to kill a small town worth of people.

    "I think the poison might be unnecessary, in fact. It's bleeding quite badly already; help me pop my shoulder back in place, would you?"


    Kathicia proceeded to float down and cut the creatures eyes with her fan.

    "Alrighty. Here~"

    Elaine takes a hold of his limbs.

    *Crunch*

    "Wait, which shoulder was it?"

    "Both. The other one, please."

    Kathicia waits around after cutting up the eyes of the octopus. "Anyway let us go back now."

    "How are we supposed to transport the darned thing?"


    Let's just drag it along after cutting off the tentacles?"

    "...it's the size of a carrack, even a third of it isn't within our capability to drag."

    "Maybe it's really light you never know."


    The gourd walked and give a random tentacle a kick.

    "...nope, as heavy as a slab of flesh would be."


    "Well, the quest says that we need to pass it to someone from Fort Alduin so...should one of us head for the fort, and get some soldiers to come help transport this thing?"

    Elaine cracks the other shoulder.

    "Well then what are we going to do with it? Go get the person and have them brought back here. I'll stay and sit on the thing. Till you come back to protect it then I guess."

    "...you travel the fastest among us." He pointed at the lazy angel's wings.

    "I have no clue which way to go though it literally has to be you leading the way mr. Gourd..."

    "And of course the alternative is missus always-get-lost." He rubbed his temple. "Fine, I'll go there. I've been to the place anyway. Stay here and don't wander."

    "Okay bye have fun!" Kathicia begins waving the gourd off as she sits on the skull of the giant fire breathing octopus.

    The gourd met the acquinted Captain Nero and, after explaining the circumstances, orders were barked out and within five minutes an excited researcher rushed out and demand to be taken to the octopus as soon as possible. The gourd shrugged and boarded the carriage, idly hoping that the two didn't lose the beast's corpse somehow.

    "There's no way Elaine ate it all... right?"


    ((Elaine: *freezes* Yes? *Mouth half full*))
    -Sir Stabmeister the Sixth slay a great beast, however he is crippled badly from his injuries and thus have to retire. The gourd gave him a military salute.
    -What did Kath even do
    -Each got a generous slab of tentacle as extra reward. Surprisingly good roasted over fire.
    @AliceShiki
     
  2. Arcturus

    Arcturus Cat, Hidden Sith Lord

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    She walked into the guild and up to Aria's desk and sighed. It'd been a day for sighing. "Well the quest should be good. Askel will be sending a letter to Monti to talk to him about the windows soon enough."
    Selvia sighed.


    “The Tower has no presence here and the nobility’s power isn’t that strong here either. I don’t plan on taking you into a nest of nobility, particularly when I’ve heard that the heir and his wife are both Tower mages. Not even loosely affiliated Mages of the Line either, but full Mages of the Circle.” She grimaced. “With my luck one of them’s a trained battlemage who can take me down in a firefight. You, while having some lethal skill, would be endangered since I’d have to be protecting you. Especially with the bias towards the dark element. You’re staying right here in Nagrand and I will not hear otherwise.”


    Fine,” complained Stephan. “What should I do in the meantime?”


    “I’ll give you a small amount of funds so that you can take care of yourself without me. Also, I hear there’s a man offering lessons on magic and basic knowledge to children like yourself in areas that you are certainly lacking. While I’ve tried to get your brushed up on the practical side, theory and general knowledge is always useful to have. Frankly, I’ve been meaning to talk to him since I’m rather supportive of wider spread education of magic to the larger populace. Ah well. Now don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone. Be careful, if someone sees you wielding dark element you will be in danger. Most aren’t as relaxed as the Adventurer’s Guild about that sort of thing.”

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    After a steady, long walk, she was closing in on Lakeside Village by late afternoon. She’d asked about and heard that Askel was thankfully not in the Baron’s estate. That was the last thing she needed, going in to the belly of the beast itself. She heads into the somewhat dilapidated structure, winding her way through the piles of books and shelves until she sees an old man sitting at a desk by the window. He’s likely either the librarian or Askel himself. It was a very poorly kept desk surrounded by some piles of books with stacks of papers and miscellanea scattered about. The old man is sitting on a surprisingly very well-made chair considering the chaos and ramshackle nature of everything else. He keeps on perusing the papers in front of him for a few minutes as Selvia tries to avoid disturbing him while he’s busy.


    He finally looks up with a sigh. “Yes, can I help you?”


    “Well, yes I do have something I really do need to talk to you about. You could say I’m an envoy from the Church of Ton.”


    Askel instantly begins to grumble. “Eh, so they’ve finally realized that it was me reinforcing the glass with runic structures to make them harder to break. You one of those nuisances?” He gives her a hard stare.


    Selvia blanches. “Ah no, they were a bit concerned about how you’ve behaved to some of their emissaries in the past and decided to send someone unaffiliated with the church to mediate this time.”


    He gives an almost evil smirk. “So they decided after I threw the last one through a window of fire that they should stop pestering me. Well, Those bastards cost this fief over a gold in damages to windows over the past two years. That’s one of the largest net expenses without any return in the entire fief! Wolves do less damage than those scoundrels! Bah!”


    He begins to smoke his pipe even more blowing a cloud at the window.


    Selvia sighs. ‘Two gold coins…and they could only afford to pay me twelve large copper….’

    Nonetheless she steels herself and carries on, ready to put her plan in action.


    “Yes, I do understand your concerns. However, the priests of Ton do need to be able to break windows to provide worship to their Goddess. It is one of the key things they do you know. And so they have appealed to their Goddess and while she is annoyed by the lack of window breaking, she does not at this moment care to intervene. But if all the windows are reinforced in Lakeside Village, she may be forced to grant divine providence to her subjects so that they might smite the evil before them. Basically, they’ll have divine help to destroy the magically reinforced windows, and that’s just gonna cost you even more.”


    Askel instantly grows perturbed and puffs another cloud of smoke at Selvia and she wrinkles her face. “Damn bastards. I’ll gather a militia and lock them all up if I need to. Let’s see if their Goddess will help them then. But I gather that there’s more to it than you’re saying. Otherwise they wouldn’t have sent you.”


    “Well, yes. The acolytes of Ton would be pleased to break only certain designated windows. They could even be very cheap windows made expressly for the purpose, as long as they are allowed to fulfill their obligations.”


    He nods thoughtfully to himself and begins to talk. “That’s not a bad idea. I probably could get the cost down to about a couple silver, especially if I buy them cheaply in bulk and write them off as a tax deduction for supporting culture. The High Priest on the Council in Randgriz would finally get off of my back about the limited spending towards religious expenses as well. I like this plan. I’ll have to send a letter to the that pest Monti to confirm the details but I could see this working out quite nicely. Let them know I’ll be sending them something in a few days and we can work out some details.” He strokes his beard and begins to write some important details down before looking up at the still-fidgeting elven woman.


    “Now is there anything else I can help you with?”


    “Well yes, you see I’ve heard some things and was wondering if you might be interested in….”

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    She sighs as she walks back in to the capital. While the first part had gone entirely according to plan, surprising for anything involving Ton, the other things she had come to talk to Askel about had gone much less smoothly.

    So Askel decided that it would be more cost-effective to make an agreement with the priests of Ton to only break certain windows after some bargaining used some "stretched" truths about the word of Ton-sama. Whether they hold to that is up to the priests, but it's better than nothing.

    The other things that Selvia gained would be much more relevant to the other part of her story and so will be included there.
    @AliceShiki
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2019
  3. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

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    Jack-san, do you view Elaine as a child? Because I can't understand how you keep letting her lead the way when she clearly has no clue on how to do so... I guess it's because you can't really deny a child's wishes~ *giggles*

    Oh well, good job you three... Or two, probably two is better. The reward will be of 6 Guild Points for each and 72 Large Copper to split as you see fit...

    Ah, and pass a message to Kathicia-san, please, tell her that the Blood God is be displeased by her lack of actions towards such mighty foe... If she asks who gave the message, say it was Fu though~ *whistles*

    That will be all, take care now~

    (( @TiggerBane @Haxagen @Nurman ))
     
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  4. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

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    I'm torn between utter disbelief in Askel's knowledge of deities, as even I know that they very rarely intervene in the world... And between the fact that Ton-sama is known for being a very whimsical goddess... I have a feeling he was torn under the same circumstances~

    Great job Selvia-san, it went way better than anything I could've possibly imagined once I saw this request. Please have those rewards of 12 Large Copper Coins and 4 Guild Points~

    Take care now~
     
  5. Arcturus

    Arcturus Cat, Hidden Sith Lord

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    She nods. "I think he also saw a net gain in that it would be less of a general burden on the populace since enchanted windows can get quite expensive. If they only break very cheap ones it's much less expensive until it gets very long-term. He also seemed to quite happy that the priest guy he mentioned would stop bugging him as well." She shrugs. "I was honestly a bit surprised by how easily that part went as well. Everything else that happened was a disaster." She sighed.
     
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  6. A5G_Reaper

    A5G_Reaper [DCLXVI, sohyee, and iampsyx's cute imouto]

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    "Uuuh, nooope?" The gourd said, glancing away.
     
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  7. Haxagen

    Haxagen Fallen's|Addicted to Gacha

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    "That was...weird, to say the least. I don't think I could handle that kind of thing again..."

    Elaine stumbles to the counter, mentally tired.
    Having been to the Keep twice already, it didn’t take Elaine too long to get there on horseback, arriving somewhere in the early afternoon. The Skyfall Manor guards knew her from her two previous visits, and soon enough a thin, wiry man with a fine goatee came out to greet her.

    “May I ask what you are here for, missus? The lord is...preoccupied...at the moment, so I’m afraid you won’t be able to see him any time soon.”

    “That’s fine. I’m on a quest, see, and it seems that many of my fellow adventurers working near this area have reported some disturbing phenomenon occurring near the keep, so I’m here to investigate a bit more into this matter.” - E

    The man’s eyes gleamed, and he led Elaine into the Keep, into one of the well kept guest rooms, where he then dismissed the guards stationed in the vicinity.

    “Pleased to make your acquaintance, missus. Please, call me Elliott. It seems that we have some information to trade.”

    The demeanor in which the man behaved made her somewhat uneasy.

    “Truth is, the lord is ill. He has been unwell as of late, but it seems to have only gotten worse as the time passed. He first started talking about the people, about how they won’t leave him alone, and stuff like that.”

    She perked up her ears. The description sounded pretty familiar, and she just had to confirm a few more things.

    “What sort of people?” - E

    Elliott shrugged.

    “During one of the exploration trips to reclaim more of the Keep, it seems that the lord made contact with some...things. Unclean things. We would have hired clerics, but he was adamant about not needing a cure.”

    That answered a question, and in turn created a few more.

    “Have they explored past the former armoury yet? And the room below that?” - E

    Elliott shrugged.

    “They did. And apparently they found a coffin containing the lord’s ancestor, the very man who built Skyfall Keep.”

    She worked hard to keep her expression neutral, trying not to think of the senile revenant that they had to dispatch.

    “Then, could you point me towards the correct direction? If I’m not wrong, there was a secret tunnel that lead from the mountains outside to the inner section of the Keep. Apparently, one of my fellow adventurers caught a glimpse of a huge monster in the Keep’s inner sanctums.” - E

    “Huge monster?”

    The man raised an eyebrow, though he quickly got his expression back under control.

    “You’re not lying...And it could be true. The past few weeks, so much odd events have been happening. Perhaps this monster that you speak of is related to this issue, or is the cause of it.”

    “Odd events? What kind?” - E

    “Things going missing when no one has touched them. That strange storm. Then there’s the problem with the corridors...We had to start enforcing a strict curfew. Still, it’s the tunnel beneath Skyfall that you seek, yes? I shall lead you there.”
    ------
    “Here you are. The tunnel starts here, and goes right into the heart of the Keep. I’m uncertain about what manner of beings you’ll encounter inside there, but it is nearing late afternoon. Perhaps it’ll be wise to stay the night in the Manor before you start?”

    “Tempting, but I’ll pass. Time is of the essence here.” - E

    “Very well. Good luck, missus. We’ll leave this tunnel open, but if you do not return by tomorrow, we’ll have to block it up again. I do not know what kind of horror lurks within these ancient stones...And I do not relish the notion of finding out.”

    “I understand. Bye~” - E

    Picking up a torch, Elaine headed into the tunnel, into the darkness.

    It was quite dark, and there was a draft blowing, which meant that there had to be an opening on the other side. Elaine also discovered that the tunnel, paved with brick and pretty well kept, did not possess any insects of any kind, a fact which made her glad. Still, there was a thick blanket of mist that was constantly there, making the surroundings gloomy and somewhat creepy.

    Occasionally, there would be echoes down the tunnel, making it seem as if there were people in the distance. Still, she never once saw anyone. The tunnel was straight and nothing much really happened.

    At least, not for the first few hours.
    ------
    Having gotten bored, Elaine started playing around with the echoes.

    “Hello,” she would giggle, and soon enough, she would hear a faint “Hello,” coming back to her. It was quite a silly way to pass the time, but she enjoyed that light bit of entertainment.

    Until a voice that she was sure was NOT an echo answered her, in a harsh whisper. Just hearing it gave her some chills down her spine.

    “...Hello? Is someone there?” - E

    There was silence for a few minutes, while Elaine cautiously drew her rapier.

    Hoooo~”

    The sound, which seemed like an expulsion of air caused by someone breathing out loudly, made her very uneasy. Still, there was no footsteps, which meant that the thing, whatever it was, did not approach her. Not yet.

    All of a sudden, she felt like ditching the tunnel and running out would be a great idea, but she had already taken the quest, and goddammit, she was going to complete it! The girl stood her ground defiantly, and continued heading inside. She could, in the flickering firelight, see some kind of glowing object up ahead. Perhaps twenty metres, and rapidly shortening…

    WH-WHAT THE?!” - E

    A massive cyclops loomed across the tunnel, the single eye glancing at her with much amusement. When she tried to retreat, she felt her back hit solid rock. The way from which she came suddenly vanished.

    “This is…” - E

    For some reason, even though the cyclops was much smaller and less intimidating that the other beasts she had hunted, she couldn’t move. Something about it felt plain wrong.

    The cyclops lifted a club, and took aim at her. She still couldn’t move a single inch.

    Come on! Move!

    The club smacked down at Elaine...And vanished. So did the cyclops. Unharmed, Elaine sank down to her knees, panting heavily.

    What...Was that?
    ------
    A while later, having pulled herself back together, Elaine managed to reach the end of the tunnel, and found it blocked off. Cursing, she retraced her steps, and got out of the tunnel...into the bright daylight.

    Confused, she stared at the sky. It was definitely afternoon. But...She had spent a few hours inside the tunnel. So why was it still afternoon?

    Quickly, she returned to the manor, noting that the gate guards were still the same. That settled it; the guards rotated duties everyday, so it was still the same day.

    “Uhm...Sorry, but could you ask mister Mister Elliott to come here? I need to ask him something.” - E

    The guards shared a look, confused.

    “Missus. There’s no one named Elliott working here.”

    “But, but that’s impossible! He led me to the secret tunnel underneath Skyfall, too!” - E

    The guards exchanged a look.

    “There’s...no secret tunnel underneath the Keep, missus. At least, there hasn’t been one since the previous tunnel collapsed nearly three hundred years back. The lord is still investigating how this tunnel could be cleared and used again…Hey, you alright there, missus?”

    “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Say, does the Manor have a library? Could I use it?” - E

    The guards shared a glance, before one of them went inside, soon after coming back out.

    “Lord Crestfall says that it’s fine. When you enter, take a left after the main hall, head up two flights of stairs, and you’ll be outside the library. Still...Be careful in there, okay? We’ve only just begun exploring that floor, and much of the Library has not been mapped out.”

    “I see...Uhm, how has mister Crestfall been lately? Has he been well?” - E

    “Yes, he has. Still a bit worried by the reclamation project, but nonetheless fit as a fiddle. He’s in the middle of working on paperwork right now.”

    “I understand.” - E

    Thanking the two, Elaine made her way through the manor, before arriving at the library. She wanted to see if there were anything about the history of Crestfall Keep, and after much looking around in the silent, uninhabited library, she found a few books that seemed related to what she needed.

    “Skyfall Keep was built in a place with bountiful mana in the air...So much that when certain seasons come, the mana creates an artificial fog that blankets the whole area, giving it the look of a mist.”

    She flipped the page.

    “Of course, since the mist is created out of pure mana, it reacts to people. It has been said that people have seen their worst fears, as well as their fondest dreams brought to life, walking around in the Keep…”

    She kept reading.

    Legend states that long before the Keep was built, this place used to be a lake. A lake in the mountains...And as most people would know, nature magic works mysteriously sometimes. According to the founder, Lord Ernest Crestfall, the lake was almost gone when he first arrived, but he was never the same after that day…”

    She recalled the revenant. The old, bitter man who was convinced that there was a monster lurking within the Keep. Maybe his seeming delusions were true after all…

    Remember, young reader. With magic, a lot of the impossible are possible. Do not always trust what you can see, hear, and touch...for they may not always point to something clear. And sometimes...They may not exist.”

    *Creak*

    Startled, she glanced around immediately, seeking out the source of the noise. It sounded like the creaking of the bookshelves when extra weight was placed onto it.

    “...Hello?” - E

    Elaine cautiously peeked over the bookcases, staring around the empty library. It was unoccupied, except for her, and the many portraits hung up on the wall. Suddenly, the brightly lit room didn’t seem so safe anymore.

    “...Is anyone else here?” - E

    No one replied, but the girl suddenly realised that her hands were empty. The book had disappeared.

    “What the...it was here a few seconds ago! I was holding it in my hands, I know it was here! I could even smell the leather!” - E

    Or...could you? Are you sure it wasn’t a trick of magic?

    Having had enough, Elaine made her way quickly and cautiously to the exit, preparing to shut the door behind her. As far as she was concerned, the events going on made no sense if anyone tried to rationalize them.

    The only possible explanation was that, as the book had said, the high concentration of mana in the air around the keep created illusions, illusions that were real enough to fool the senses. And for the people who believed in them and went after the illusions, be they dreams or nightmares...She felt quite certain that they did not have happy ends. Just like the spirit underneath the armoury.

    Still, as her gaze wandered around one last time, Elaine noticed one of the portraits on the wall; or rather, her eyes seemed to be naturally drawn to it.

    It was a portrait of a wiry, thin man with a finely kept goatee...And he was looking directly at her, winking at her...The portrait went back to normal.

    The plaque below simply read "Elliott Crestfall". That was all. Unlike the other plaques that elaborated on their ties to the family, the only thing that gave this portrait any relation to the Crestfall family was his surname. Curious in spite of herself, Elaine went back to the shelves, and started flipping through the books again.

    "Elliott Maven Crestfall. Son of Lord Ernest Crestfall, first Lord of Skyfall. Had no interest in succeeding the title, instead spending each day investigating into the existence of 'parallel realms' as he called it. Vanished overnight one day, leaving no leads except for the fact that he was in the library, which only had one entrance that also served as the exit..."

    Elaine glanced at the portrait again. The face that stared back at her definitely belonged to the old man. But there also seemed to be something else...The same feeling of wrongness that she felt from the cyclops earlier was also coming from this painting.

    "..." - E

    Pulling her arm back, she threw the book in her hands at the painting, fully expecting to hear a loud noise.

    Instead, right before her very eyes, the book vanished into the portrait, and the surface of the drawn canvas rippled, as if it was water.

    ...This is a portal...
    @AliceShiki
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2019
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  8. A5G_Reaper

    A5G_Reaper [DCLXVI, sohyee, and iampsyx's cute imouto]

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    ((You maniac))
     
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  9. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

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    So... There really are 2 skyfall keeps, Lyra was right on this one... I was skeptical when she issued the quest, but I was just as dubious as her in the whole mess that has been reported about the keep so far.

    Thank you very much for the information Elaine-san, it is greatly appreciated. The rewards are 20 Large Copper Coins and 8 Guild Points~

    Take care now~
     
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  10. leegood

    leegood Well-Known Member

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    May looked at her map
    "Ehhh? did I get lost again~?"
    She looked around to see rows of houses, not really seeing much of an identification of the house "Ahh~ I should have asked aria~ A local such as her would know where to go~" May happily explored for the next hour when an orcish woman called out to her "Little miss, You've been pacing back and forth around here a bit, are you lost?"

    "Miss Bula?"
    The orcish woman looked at her with a confused look "and you are?"
    "An adventurer! I'm here to help your son with his problems!"
    The orcish woman had a worried look on her face, wondering this this girl could truly do anything, but told may "He's in his room, He's...in pain, and anything you do, I would be grateful for, even if you don't nothing happens I won't blame you." Though it seemed clear that the concerned mother would fail the quest if nothing did indeed happen after may was done.

    May was led to Bula's room by the mother to Bula's room, and as Bula slowly opened the door she spook "Shula, It's mommy and a friend~"

    May hopped in "I've come to help you! Er---Shushu!" As Shula was about to go complain to his mom, the door slammed shut leaving may and shula alone together. "Hey~ I'm may, Future powerful person!" Shula could only be, surprised by this may character, nothing in his life prepared him to deal with anyone like 'may'.

    *nomnomnom*

    "Wha-Lady that's my snacks!" :blobunsure:
    "Ya-know, they have better ones during the day~":blobokhand:
    "But they-" :blobtriumph:
    "What's wrong?":blobReach:
    "you stole my snacks?" :hmm:
    "No?":blobthinkingsmirk:
    "Yes? :blobtriumph:
    "no~" :blobthinkingsmirk:
    "Yes!" :hmm:
    "no~ :blobthinkingsmirk:
    "Yes! Yes! Yes!" :blobtriumph::blobtriumph::blobtriumph:
    "N-Little Shula tells me whats troubling him say yes?" :blobowoevil_horns::blobowoevil_horns::blobowoevil_horns::blobowoevil_horns:
    "Yes! Wait, No!" :blob_coughblood:
    May grinned :blobowoevil_horns: as she continued talking "You said so~ That you'll tell me!"
    "B-But!?"
    "Does little Shula tell lies?"
    "No never!" :blobtriumph:

    The took a moment to think, may about the tasty snacks she pilfered, and Shufa his experiences
    "They- I was too small! too weak! I Don't, Don't know when they'll come back! when I close my eyes I feel it all over again! I see myself being dumb again! And I'm scared! I know mom is always there for me but my---whatever thingy wont tell me it's okay, as if the evil people are hiding behind the trees!"

    The boy broke down crying, before may :blobhero: pinched his cheeks "How about this~ What about becoming powerful? to never feel that again?" The boy looked at may confused before looking at her curiously "H-How?" My explained "To stop all evil like the legendary gourd hero you must train to become as righteous and as powerful as him!"

    The boy still was confused so may went into her storytelling mode, "The legendary gourd was not legendary from the start~" and then may started fabricating a sad origin story for the gourd superhero, watching as wild sheep ate his entire family in the pumpkin patches, and when he tried to fight back, he was outnumbered and left to rot. That's when he met his mentor, the apple hero who saved people from bandits all across the world despite only being an apple.

    by the time may left, Shula had determined eyes, to look for a mentor like the gourd did, and become strong enough to banish all the bad guys to small hole and filled with dirt land.
    (~^o^) "Here you go miss aria~"

    Tags
    @AliceShiki Receptionist
    @A5G_Reaper for mention
    @Zone Q11 to alert~
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2019
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  11. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

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    My my, Jack-san's legend grows again~

    Good job May-chan, you dealt with it pretty well. The rewards are 9 Large Copper Coins and 4 Guild Points~

    Take care now~
     
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  12. A5G_Reaper

    A5G_Reaper [DCLXVI, sohyee, and iampsyx's cute imouto]

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    :blob_coughblood::blob_coughblood::blob_coughblood::blob_coughblood::blob_coughblood::blob_coughblood::blob_coughblood::blob_coughblood::blob_coughblood::blob_coughblood::blob_coughblood::blob_coughblood::blob_coughblood::blob_coughblood::blob_coughblood:
     
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  13. A5G_Reaper

    A5G_Reaper [DCLXVI, sohyee, and iampsyx's cute imouto]

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    Task: Investigate the bastion of Tuatha Dé Danann [Available]
    Requester: Historian Roland
    Quest rank: D-Rank
    Rewards: 27 Large Copper Coins.
    Description: On the mountains on the west, a little rabbit while accomplishing his quest found a handless door, considering that the place is quite dangerous, that you need to climb a mountain where there is a ever-present storm…
    I would like an adventurer to go there and investigate what is this place, who is Tuatha Dé Danann, and so on… there are very little details about it.
    Please, do not damage the place, I would like its state to be the same as when it was found.
    What is inside, how to enter is completely unknown, so I would like someone experienced, careful and familiar with exploring.
    Could you write everything you see and present it to my wife named Karoli? She should be near Daegon's Dungeon, studying something as well, of course, she is outside, she organized a camp with one of my friend and a bunch of acquaintances.

    "Investigating a bastion on the mountain in the middle of a storm." He summarized his latest task. Sounds straightforward if dangerous but hey, the pay's good.

    He went to gather supplies, mainly several lengthy scrolls of paper put inside wooden tube to keep them from the elements as well as several pieces of charcoal. He also carried a small pack of dried octopus for supply because from the description of the mountain it's unlikely to find anything to eat there. Not that he needed much, he plan to come and go quickly.

    Taking a moment to water his garden, he promptly left after he's done.

    *****

    "Cloudencasse." He remarked upon seeing the mountin up close. It sure resembled the famous castle where the sorcerous King of Storms reigned from, what's with the constant and heavy downpour of rain and crackling thunder. Well, it wasn't as heavy and there's no visible castle grandly stood stalwart against the beating rain near the top, but for all intent and purposes it gave the same feels.

    "It's quite dark here... that's just asking for it." He rubbed his left hand. "Shadowflip."

    The gourd touched the cliff wall beneath a ledge and... vanished. On closer inspection he's merely merged so seamlessly with the shadow underneath, form rippling as he moved rather unnaturally. He was crawling on all four but surged forth rapidly with every movement, clambering through the shadowed mountain like a disturbing halloween decoration.

    He seemed to ignore gravity or at least treated the cliff as floor instead of falling straight back down, leaping around with blatant disregard to the law of physic from one outcropping to another. The layer of blackness surrounding him rapidly peeled out whenever he did so, recovering just as fast the moment he return under the shade so at least there seemed to be some limit to the movement.

    Lightning bolt started to seek him about halfway up. He wasn't bothered by the strike so much as the bright illumination, the former had too bad a tracking to hit him at all but the latter straight up knocked off his shadow cover if it landed too close forcing him to tap Hardlight or fall into orange-red paste several kilometers down.

    Dozens of lightning strike and four near-misses later, he reached the ledge where the bastion was located further in. It was definitely there because he strongly felt that it's not and he should maybe check that other ledge over there-

    "Bah. Magical obstruction." He shook his head and cut open the back of his left hand. "Redshift."

    The surrounding air shimmered red and immediately the veil of misdirection lifted. The gourd charged through as fast as he could, arriving in front of a handleless gate about a hundred meters away. It's flanked by cliff walls and seemed to be moulded out of the mountain itself, the veiny pattern on the stone gate matched the cliff next to it. It had a whole bunch of runes inscribed on it.

    Seeing that there's no more red haze indicating the misdirection spell, the gourd dispelled his Brand and studied the gate. The whole thing was indecipherable to him, and neither did he had any wish to know more of it.

    "Hmm, what did Alexander said about runic gate in the middle of the mountain without a handle..?" He glanced around, only returning to the gate after ascertaining there's no suspicious pond anywhere nearby. "Mellon?"

    The gate didn't budge.

    "...well that'd be too easy. Let's just copy it first."

    Inwardly grateful that the area was spared of the rain - perhaps it only fell where the misdirection spell took place? - he took out a piece of paper and collected rubbing of the runes with some charcoal.

    "Now what..?"

    Looking around, he stopped series of suspiciously smooth surface intermittently spread up above. Like some arrow slit? If this place was a bastion, that would make sense.

    "More climbing."

    The gourd stretched himself and... went to sleep. He just picked a smoother surface and lay down. What? He's not losing blood over this, it's not urgent anyway. Better wait for the Brand's essence to recharge.

    *****

    A large gourdspiderman crawled over the cliff just before dawn, happy to prowl the night without pesky lightning strikes or sunlight making climbing difficult. He checked the slits, skipping some that's intact, and found one damaged from... something. Probably a boulder, seeing how it's more a gaping hole in the wall than an arrow slit.

    He crawled in and started to inspect the place.

    *****

    "Sooo... nothing useful." He remarked, standing in front of a runic door. It's still bristling with enchantment so he avoid coming too close until he checked the whole place. It was rather standard if ancient bastion, with barracks and armory and all. It was also picked clean, presumably by whoever this Twat de Damn-an people before they left while spitefully kept the enchantment running for some reason.

    "Undersight."

    The mana leylines lit up, flowing river of green and brown spreading and interlocking through the fort. The sealed room was the core of it where all those energy flowed into, before changing and dispersing through some line to the top of the structure and out into the surrounding area.

    "Too bad I can't vandalize the place. Bet it'd be a treasure trove in there. The leyline could be disturbed there, and there, and over there... Lawrence would eat it for breakfast."

    Shrugging, he took some rubbing off the rooms. It probably said stuff like "kitchen", "armory", "Steve's room", and stuff like that, but there's nothing more to found without breaking into the last room.

    "Guess that's all. I could stop by Daegon's Dungeon on my way back."
    -It's a bastion alright.
    -dropped charcoal rubbing of the runes and short description of where it's found with the researcher's wife.
    -described the magical obstacle.
    -also told her about the sealed room.
    @Naraku
     
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  14. Haxagen

    Haxagen Fallen's|Addicted to Gacha

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    "And I'm done! Found some extra loot, and the cultists are all dead. Also rescued a kid, who's now at Shiori's place. Good deed of the day, done!"

    Elaine grinned, her armour still in a mess with the blood and glittering plant bits.
    And so, Elaine managed to get lost a few times, but eventually, she made it! Hurrah! The adventurer didn’t mind the extra six hours spent on the road; after all, the fun of adventuring was in exploring, intended or not!

    Then, about five minutes after entering the infamous caves, she started hearing it.

    “...Suffering…”

    Ano?

    “...Pain…”

    What was that…?

    The winds…were alive. She could hear it whispering words into her ear. Telling her various things at once, but because of this, it was starting to give her a headache.

    Wait, could it be…

    Reaching out, Elaine gently removed the wooden hairpin she had received so long ago from a certain pair of refugees, and immediately, the voices died down.

    “Looks like I was right, eh?” - E

    She recalled bits of a journey from quite a while back, shortly after she had just registered at the guild. A trio of refugees were looking for escort to another city, leaving their ever shrinking old village behind…The sudden memory made her smile, though it also made her a little bit sad as well. She hadn’t gone by that way in a long time.

    Perhaps I’ll set aside some time to drop by, sometime. I wonder how they are doing.

    At the same time, the memory continued.

    “The trees…speak? That’s kind of hard to get my head around.” - E

    “Hahaha…I know it sounds bizarre, but that’s one of the things that’s always been a deep part of our culture. We believe that when our ancestors die, and their remains return to the earth, their spirits would separate and inhabit the trees, the bushes, and the plants.”

    “Uhm…Won’t that mean that you’re, you know, living in houses made of your dead ancestors? Won’t that freak the kids out?” - E

    “Truthfully, the kids have actually gotten more used to this stuff than we did, actually.”

    “Wait, what?” - E

    “I know how weird it sounds, but it’s true! Every morning, the children would race from one end of the village to the other, and cause a huge ruckus while they are at it, before going to water the greenery and trim the leaves, saying that they were giving their ancestors haircuts. Every winter, we would fell three of the largest trees; the trunk and roots would feed the fires, while the thinner branches would be carved into hairpins.”

    Recalling that, Elaine laughed.

    “I guess I owe her a copper now. There are truly spirits out there, eh? Still, I’m somewhat afraid to put the hairpin back on now…” - E

    As expected, since this was the Caves of the Dead, there were plenty of spirits here. Whether they were malicious or not, that was another matter…And she wasn’t exactly keen to find out. If the spirits realised that she could hear them whispering, things might end horribly.

    “Let’s see…What to do…” - E

    The cultists were still a problem. She didn't know what manner of people were meeting up, but it couldn’t have been anything good. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of the disaster a while back.

    Remember, young reader. Do not trust your senses, for what you see, hear, and feel may not always be true...and sometimes, they aren’t even real…

    The young adventurer begun to grin.
    ----------
    Around the circular room sat some thirty people, all dressed in robes of various colours. The predominant colour scheme, of course, was black. Typical, Elaine thought. They were also well into their meeting, so she reckoned it would be an opportune timing.

    She had snuck around to get the feel of the place. The room had three exits, all of which lead out to one long, winding corridor…It was perfect. The acoustics made the echoes sound much louder, much deeper than they were.

    And so, Elaine was waiting at one of the entrances, having left some ‘surprises’ just beyond the entrance of the other two.

    “O mighty ghosts that reside here! We beseech of you to grant us your spectral knowledge! In exchange, we will offer…”

    The man gestured to his compatriots, one of which proceeded to reveal a bound sack, tipping the contents onto the floor; a bound and gagged young child who was struggling furiously.

    Bastards…

    Quietly, Elaine slipped on the hairpin, listening for spirits in the background. There were quite a few, but from the voices she was hearing…

    “...Animals…Innocent…Release…Blood…Inhuman…Kill…Kill…Kill…!”

    She smoothly slid it off. Yep, it was safe to say that the spirits were definitely not pleased. She should be able to carry out the plan without external interference…Elaine took a deep breath, and mustered the deepest voice she could.

    “...Fascinating. To think that there are people here who would dare bargain with the dead…” - E

    The lady of darkness below Skyfall Keep. The revenant. The guttural speech of a certain wolfkin, as she spoke with the intent to massacre. Elaine tried her best to mimic those tones, giving her voice an unnatural, chilling tone.

    It worked. From her position, she could see the cultists stiffen up, but she spoke again, interrupting them before any of them had the chance to speak.

    “...My, my, my…Did you think a measly child would be enough to sate a single spirit, not to mention everyone that’s here now…? Look around you, mortals…” - E

    The beastkin’s arrogant way of speaking. Elaine copied that.

    “...We are already among you, waiting to strike. And since you haven’t got the ample price to pay us…Then we’ll just have to collect the remainder on our own…” - E

    And finally, she opened her mouth, and screamed.

    “AHHHHHHHHHHH!” - E

    The echoing effects were fantastic. The cultists scattered immediately, screaming as well, and ran for the exits, bumping and pushing each other away. The first ones who ran her way were slain quickly, while the others that caught sight of her screamed as well. Then, the cultists that had escaped from the other two entrances joined in the screaming cacophony.

    At those two entrances, she had left two cultists which she had butchered on the way, slicing open their stomach to expose the innards before leaving them to hang around mid air. Then, she had used the Glitter Grass which she had picked earlier, outside the caves, to grind into tiny, glowing particles, and scatter them all over herself. Thanks to the flickering firelight, the panic, and the glowing bits, she looked exactly like a vengeful spirit.

    “RAAAAAAAAAH!” - E

    “ARRRRRRRRH!”

    Then, she tore into them while screaming loudly, quickly dispatching the ones on her end first, before heading over to one of the other two exits. The blood that sprayed onto her clothing made her look even scarier, and the fact that she was grinning as she swung her blades only added more fear. Some tried to fight back with small knives, but their fear effectively crippled any fighting ability they might have had.

    Then, she went over to the last exit. The ropes she had stretched all over the corridor worked, and most of the cultist could be heard groaning as they crawled about on the floor. Elaine picked up a lit stump of wood---

    “Hello there.” - E

    ---And jammed it right into a cultist’s hood. The man screamed loudly, and a few seconds later, she shut him up. Then, systematically going through the hysterical group, she silenced all of them.

    “Phew. That went better than expected.” - E

    Then, she begun searching through the cultists, looking for anything of value. It took her a while, but after looking through 30 odd bodies, all she found were 3 decent iron knives, around 7 Large Copper in coins, and a book about basic mana manipulation.

    Of course, she conveniently forgot about the child in the centre, who was staring at her going through the dead bodies with a terrified expression.

    “Oh, darn it...Uhm, hi?” - E

    The child promptly shrieked, and fainted.

    “Oh, well...I guess I can ask about the child when we get back to the city. I’m sure Shiori will be willing to look after him. Meanwhile, I better get out. The spirit here don’t seem too malicious, but all that ruckus was probably loud enough to wake the dead.” - E

    Right on cue, she picked up the moaning of dried lips in the far distance. Elaine hefted her stuff, picked up the child, and made for the way out.

    “Guess it was a blessing they didn’t go too deeply in! Now, let’s make like a tree and run!” - E
    • Got 3 decent iron knives. Probably will sell them to Haruna later.
    • Dead cultists don't have much loot, sadly.
    • Rescued a child, Shiori's place is going to get even rowdier.
    @AliceShiki
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2019
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  15. michael.kx5

    michael.kx5 [Sloth Incarnate][Lewd Overlord][The mediator]

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    Reti returned to the guild hall the same day and silently places the report and a token in front of Gaap.
    After receiving the quest from Gaap -who appeared after the unknown receptionist disappeared who knows when- Rei left the guild hall and decided to search for client to ask where she could find the birdkin in question.
    Maybe she will get lucky and will find them together....... hahahaha haha, how likely would that be?
    .
    ...
    ......
    Quite likely it seems.
    Just stepping into the tavern Rei already spotted a pair of adventurers arguing about whether one will arm wrestle the other or not.
    The birdkin was vahamently refusing to wrestle with the other man.
    An idea sparked to life in Rei's head, and a slightly sinister smile appeared on her face.
    Fortunately she didn't notice...
    That the adventurers party that was drinking in the table nearby started to choke and scramble to get out of there after taking a look at her.
    They were there on her first day in the tavern and they weren't going to risk staying around to see whatever she was going to do.
    ((OOC: Ahem))

    After regaining her cumposure and making sure she wasn't still smiling, Rei started to walk towards the two adventurers.
    Once within hearing range she heard the client yelling (obviously drunk) -
    "BAH, you probably can't even arm wrestle a little girl!"
    "Don't be ridiculous, even I can't lose to a child, much less a female one" (birdkin)

    Perfect.

    "Would you want to bet on that?"
    Rei intervened from the side.
    Both adventurers whipped their heads to look towards her.
    After a moment of silence the Birdkin said "What? You wanna arm wrestle with me? Quit it, quit it, you are too young and weak. Even if a birdkin I am still a C ranked adventurer."

    "What I'd I told you I was an adventurer too?"
    "Really? And what rank are you?"
    "......E"
    "Gahahahahaha, see you are still too low ranked to face me"
    " That's only because I just registered only a little while ago"
    "Sure sure, fine. Lets arm wrestle. If you win I will listen to his demands, and if I win let's see......... You each pay me 10 large copper?"
    ""Deal""

    Since the next scene will be considered animals cruelty, we will skip to the image of a dislocated wing and a broken table

    "So you were the adventurer who took that quest I posted? Good work. I bet he never thought that an Oni would be older than they look huh? Though.....didn't you go a bit too far?"
    "No, I held back so it's only dislocated. He just needs someone to help set it back and a day rest at most"
    "Alright then, here is the proof of completing the quest. And a another 10 large coppers because you showed me something funny"
    "Thank you very much"
    Rei placed the token and the coins in her pouch after receiving them, bowed her head to the adventurer and left the tavern.
    Beaten the birdkin in an arm-wrestling bet.
    Recieved 10 large copper coins as bonus.
    @Naraku
     
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  16. WhitesRabbit48

    WhitesRabbit48 Well-Known Member

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    Entering the guild Lethe approaches the desk looking well rested.

    "F'r you!"
    Early in the morning (11 am), Lethe made his way over to the merchant’s house to start his investigation. When he arrived, Kharjo looked at him dubiously.


    “You’re… the adventurer?”


    “Mhmmm. Lethe.” nodded the little adventurer.


    *sigh* “I suppose it doesn’t much matter. A pleasure to make your acquaintance little Lethe.”


    “As I’m sure you read, there has been a lot going on in the house without my knowledge. Moved items, compromising letters, and the like; but I can’t find the culprit. It’s making me a paranoid mess and I need to leave for the 63rd annual Merchants Fest in Asphodelus in a few days. You might be able to tell, but I really don’t want to leave without figuring out what’s going on.”


    “Where’s m’st stuff messed w’th?”


    “Hmmmm… My bedroom I suppose? The letters, the milk—those were all in my bedroom.”


    “M’kay. Le’s check.”


    Kharjo gave a nod and led the rabbitkin through the house and upstairs into his bedroom. Opening the door, he gestured, “Here.”


    His room was quite sizeable and very neat so Lethe supposed that was how Kharjo was able to easily tell when an item was moved. After a few laps, Lethe had thoroughly investigated the room itself but wasn’t able to gather any clues.


    “Nothing...” after some thought Lethe added, “Can I stay f’r while?”


    “Ummm, sure? Honestly, whatever it takes to get this figured out. I really don’t have the time to be worrying or dealing with this, so I give you free rein. Here’s a key; don’t lose it. I’m needed at the warehouse to keep the preparations for the Fest going smoothly so I’ll be off. Please find the culprit!”


    Kharjo practically ran out the door while saying the last sentence, in a race against the clock to get everything ready in time for the Merchants Fest.


    After Kharjo’s departure, Lethe set about exploring the rest of the house, and boy was it something! There was one room dedicated solely to forks, one for spoons, and one for knives. He wasn’t quite sure each type of cutlery qualified for their own room, but to each there own he supposed.


    As Lethe continued his investigation, he found himself repeatedly drawn to the spoon room. Something in their felt very familiar to him but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember what.


    Having ended up in the spoon room for the 7th time, Lethe had, had enough. He would just sit there and stare at the spoons until he remembered whatever it was he was forgetting.


    Staring at the spoons was not the most exciting thing and the whatever it was, was not coming back to him so Lethe slowly began to doze off.


    Right when he was about to truly fall asleep, he heard a small noise. Lethe opened his eyes and, in a flash, hid behind a display case.


    It was the sound of tiny footsteps and they were slowly making their way towards and then into the spoon room. Gradually, a 3 and a half inch tall young man came into view.


    Wait a second, that was Prince Ernesto de la Brouge from the hidden Zappatillo Empire! Lethe had heard that young Ernesto had gone on his coming of age trip to survey the shoes of the world but what was he doing here? What did spoons have to do with becoming a master class shoemaker?


    Eventually, the young Zappatillian stopped in front of one smaller display cases tucked away in the corner of the room. Craning his neck, Lethe was finally able to see what the Prince was staring at: a tiny little spoon with the Zappatillian Empire’s Royal Insignia.


    It was no wonder Prince Ernesto was here! Aside from shoes, no other products or items of Zappatillo were allowed outside of the Empire’s borders to ensure their safety and continued secrecy.


    After slowly making his way out of his hiding place, Lethe called out, “Ernesto?”


    The young prince whirled around startled that someone was there and that, that someone knew his name.


    “Who, who are you? When did you get here? Why do you know my name?”


    “Been here, ‘m Lethe. ‘member? Visited Empire ‘fore.”


    Prince Ernesto looked at the rabbitkin skeptically.


    “Lethe? The Lethe I know is 3” tall and female; you’re 1’9” and male…”


    *sigh*“Curse act’vated…”


    The young man was still somewhat unconvinced and approached Lethe to take a closer look at him. After lapping him a few times, scrutinizing his appearance, Ernesto seemed a bit more convinced.


    “Fine, I’ll believe you, but only if you can tell me what my father’s favorite snack is and what drink he always pairs with it.”


    “Cinnamon snaps w’th appl’ cider.”


    “It really is you! Wow, I must say I liked the smaller you better: it feels being looked down at knowing it’s you. What are you doing here?”


    “Hired to ‘vestigate comprmisin’ letters and movin’ stuff.”


    “Huh? Oh, well, I must confess that those letters are my doing. I had no intention for them to be compromising though? You see, I usually travel with this man’s caravan-- secretly of course: can’t have people noticing me. It seems this spoon slipped out of my travel pack and this man picked it up. As you might be able to tell, this man is an avid collector of cutlery so promptly displayed it in here after he happened across it in one of his wagons. I, naturally, can’t have that so I sent him a few letters requesting its return with a few incentives for him to act with greater urgency. The moving items though I’m not too sure about.”


    Lethe gave a nod.


    “Will get ‘im to return spoon.”


    “Why thank you! I await the good news!”


    And with that, the young prince swiftly departed.


    Lethe was able to converse with the man and it seemed he just wanted his spoon returned with utmost urgency so had sent Kharjo a few letters. As long as the spoon was returned, nothing would come of it. Unfortunately, Lethe was no closer to figuring out the item issue…


    Later that evening, Kharjo returned looking exhausted.


    “Did you find anything?”


    Lethe nodded and proceeded to tell him about the spoon.


    “Oh dear, I must have missed that in my panic over the, ummm, unflattering details. Please take the spoon and return it to him right away. I still do not understand why it necessitated such serious actions though…”


    Making his way to the spoon room, Kharjo undid the enchantments around the case, removed the tiny spoon, and handed it to Lethe.


    “Since you haven’t mentioned it I suppose there haven’t been any discoveries in the way of the items?”


    Lethe shook his head.


    “Well, that one usually happens overnight so it’s probably best you stay the night to investigate. Here, let me show you to the guest room if you need a quick nap.”


    After depositing Lethe in the guest room, Kharjo retired for the evening as well.


    Shortly after the merchant left, the young man from earlier waltzed into the room. It seemed Kharjo really needed to work on his home security…


    “Spoon.”


    “Ah, thank you. While I would love to stay and chat, I have a rather interesting pair of shoes I’ve been following recently. Here’s something for your troubles, though, and please do come visit when you shrink again or find a potion that does it for you.”


    After handing Lethe a nice pair of boots, Ernesto once again left the room.


    A quick conversation later, the man happily received the spoon and gave Lethe a high-quality pair of boots for his help. Without a need to stay any longer, the young man made his way out the door.


    Lethe had only taken a short (7 hr) nap before he was awoken by the sound of someone moving about the house. Raising his guard, Lethe made his way out of his room to see who the intruder was. Whoever it was must have entered through a window or something though because Lethe had heard no sound of the front door opening.


    He stealthily crept around the corner to the kitchen, where the intruder seemed to be refiling through the fridge? What?


    Moving closer to the “intruder” it seemed only to be Kharjo up for a midnight snack.


    “’ello?”





    “Kharjo?”





    “Kharjo?”


    Still no response.


    After grabbing a bottle of milk from the fridge, the unresponsive man made his way back to his bedroom.


    Lethe followed closely behind the man. After chugging his pilfered(?) bottle of milk, he went straight back to bed. Actually, it seemed the man had never been awake in the first place…


    Having discovered the cause of the moving items, Lethe returned to his room for a peaceful night’s sleep.


    The next morning, Lethe brought his findings to the concerned merchant.


    Blushing Kharjo said, “Oh dear. It seems the stress has really gotten to me. I had no idea it was bad enough to make me sleepwalk and even raid the kitchen at that. Well, thank you for your assistance. I suppose I’ll be fine after the preparations for the Merchants Fest are complete.” *sigh*


    Having completed his quest, Lethe bid the man goodbye and returned to the guild to report the findings.
    -The 63rd annual Merchants Fest will be happening in Asphodelus in a few weeks or so
    -The letters will no longer be an issue
    -Lethe received a nice pair of boots
    -Kharjo sleepwalks and drinks milk (while sleepwalking) when stressed and has an absurdly large collection with cutlery...
    @Quaesitor
     
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  17. Arexio

    Arexio Blob Fanatic | AG Player

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    "I've done what I could."

    Ryul said as he approached the desk.

    Ryul did his usual routine before every quest. He went out and collected information. Thus, he spent half the day in Nagrand's library, researching the profession - he may have also been looking around for a certain orc, hoping the guy was working, but sadly he wasn't - and the other half shadowing a blacksmith, Mr. Oberg.

    Mr. Oberg was a kind older gentleman, who was never as skilled as Blacksmith Urdur or as popular as Blacksmith Asgith. How Ryul managed to convince Mr. Oberg to allow him to stay around and personally observe him was really a combination of the former butler's silver tongue as well as Mr. Oberg's desire for company. The older blacksmith was getting on in his years and really just wanted someone who would listen to him recall his past.

    "Eh? So yeh gots a child who wants to try out blacksmithin', huh? Now how'd he get that idea in his head? Most kids just want to go adventurin' and the sort," Mr. Oberg exclaimed after Ryul finally informed him of his true purpose while he was wrapping up and getting ready to leave for the day.

    "Yes, Mr. Oberg. His mother Sirla put in this request after Gromak went on an expedition with a fellow adventurer; I suppose the idea could've possibly come from him," Ryul accurately guessed while rubbing his chin.

    "Well, I quite like you Ryul and your company so bring him in when you can. I'll show the lad what true blacksmithin' is like. Hahahaha," the "true" blacksmith boisterously laughed and waved Ryul off as he said his goodbyes and departed the place.

    The scholar decided the next best course of action was to spend tomorrow educating Gromak about everything he learned about blacksmithing from books. The day after would be when he took him to Mr. Oberg.

    Ryul had a certain gleam in his eye when he realized he was able to do some teaching while fulfilling this task. He went home in a flurry and excitedly got ready for his temporary student tomorrow.

    . . .
    "Ahhh, I'm so tired. Can we take a break?"

    "No, we already took enough breaks as is, and we must get through the essentials of blacksmithing before lunchtime," Ryul sternly answered.

    Gromak sat languidly in the chair, leaning on the dining room table, as the part-time teacher imparted what he deemed was crucial for someone who was going to tail and possibly assist Mr. Oberg. Either way, this was good information for the boy who aspired to be a blacksmith.

    "Now listen. These are the most common types of metals one may encounter as a blacksmith and what they are typically used for..." he lectured continously to the poor boy until Sirla came to inform them both it was lunchtime.

    It was only a small reprieve. In the afternoon, the student continued to suffer from Ryul's passionate teachings as the half-elf lectured about the importance of temperature control, the need for repeated quenching to strengthen metals, and basic forging techniques.

    There was only so much one could learn in a classroom setting, so when Gromak complained for the umpteenth time that day - and by that time Ryul could tell his mother was quite accurate in her initial assessment of the boy's intelligence - the scholar informed Gromak of the opportunity to learn from a real blacksmith starting tomorrow.

    Gromak's expression and demeanor completely changed as he learned he was given the opportunity to be with an actual blacksmith instead of just learning about boring book stuff. Ryul shook his head when he saw this and already began to have an idea of what tomorrow would be like.

    . . .​

    The blazing sun was baring its scorching heat down onto its victims who were outside in the backyard of the forge.

    "Come on, boy. Put your back into it. Shoulders straight. Your grip needs to be tighter," Mr. Oberg constantly criticized Gromak's form as the boy performed one of the simplest of tasks a blacksmith did on a regular basis.

    Cutting firewood.

    Blacksmiths needed their firewood to be uniform in order to better control and have a consistently hot temperature from their forge. So it was no surprise to Ryul that the traditional Oberg cut his own firewood and was quite particular about it.

    The half-elf sympathized a bit with the boy as he also decided to help Mr. Oberg obtain some extra firewood. He might as well learn a bit himself while he was here. It never hurt to have more knowledge.

    Ryul grabbed his rag and wiped off the sweat dripping from his forehead and bare chest as he continued to swing his axe, in mostly perfect form, and split the wood.

    He briefly wondered how long it would take for Gromak to be brought up to a satisfactory level in Mr. Oberg's eyes. Hmm...it might be a while.

    . . .
    A week and a half later, Ryul stood before Sirla as she profusely thanked him for everything he has done for her son. However, Gromak, on the other hand, looked like he had lost his soul. The young teenager was exhausted both physically and mentally and didn't even show a hint of having heard his mother's words.

    Mr. Oberg had the boy constantly doing everything from chopping firewood to purchasing supplies to delivering finished goods and all other sorts of miscellaneous tasks that the blacksmith needed done.

    The older man took such a liking to the boy and the help that he provided that the blacksmith decided to hire the boy as an apprentice. From his observations this past week or so, Ryul knew Mr. Oberg just wanted a helper to help him do the mundane stuff and someone that would be forced to listen to him tell his stories about his younger days.

    The half-elf shook his head and felt pity for the boy. Gromak seemed to have lost the initial fire in his eyes that he had for blacksmithing and nodded listlessly as his mother continued to rant on how proud she was of him and how excited she was for him to go down the path of blacksmithing instead of being an adventurer.

    Ryul wasn't sure how long Gromak would last in his apprenticeship, but, hey, he did his job and more than fulfilled what was asked of him. Don't blame him if Gromak changed his mind later. The half-elf had such fleeting thoughts while walking back towards the Guild to turn in his report.

    - Ryul got another chance to do what he likes to do in his free time, teach.

    - Mr. Oberg is an older and lonely gentleman.

    - Gromak gets to do true blacksmithing(?).

    OOC: @Naraku
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2019
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  18. wraith

    wraith -----------------

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    Nero returned to the Guild and submitted the report.

    Nero had already lost track of the number of times he had visited the cemetery in the past month. By now, he was a familiar sight to all the guards and as well as the members of the church. As the sun was setting, he arrived at the cemetery and was greeted by an anxious Frank.

    "Nero! Thank the maker that you have come."

    "Hey Frank, you look terrible."

    "Yeah, it's the dancing woman. She'sdoingsomething witthespirits. Itgetscolder andtheghostsappearan-"

    "Hey, slow down", Nero grabs Frank by the shoulder and shook him, breaking the rapid fire stream of exposition.

    "I am CALM! So let me speak, you idiot", Frank hadn't taken too kindly to Nero shaking him and made his displeasure at being manhandled pretty clear. "So, a woman came at night, yeah. And then she begins to dance, yeah. When I first saw her, she was dancing. With smoke and candles. So I walked towards her and suddenly, the ghosts started appearing. The air got really cold and spooky. I just left the place."

    "I see. I'll be here tonight, so let me know when she comes and I'll deal with her", Nero replied, filled with confidence as he walked into the cemetery to take a leisurely evening stroll. When the night grew darker, he went to the large tree at the rear of the grounds in order to sit down and rest his limbs. Right then, he saw a woman, dressed in a green dress and holding a ginormous handbag, climb over the nearby wall and drop down into the cemetery. She then started walking along the wall before coming to a sudden stop. She had finally noticed Nero, who was currently standing a few meters away, keenly observing her.

    He could barely make out her features under the dim moonlight. She was shorter than a normal human and had straight black hair that went all the way to her waist. Her face was a little chubby when compared to her slim build and her neck was adorned with some really heavy necklaces.

    "So, Ms. trespasser, what are you doing here?", Nero asked.

    The woman who was petrified in place till now, suddenly regained control of her body and tried to run away in the opposite direction. Alas, she was too slow and Nero had grabbed her by her shoulder, preventing her escape.

    "Okokok, I'll tell you. So, please let me go", the woman started to talk.

    Bharvi was an amateur exorcist who had seen an opportunity to practice her craft when she found a large concentration of spirits gathered in the cemetery following the events of the festival. Nero escorted her to the entrance where they met Frank. He was able to recognize her as the dancer but he wasn't sure about what to do. After much deliberation and pleading on her part, they decided to take her to the Priests so that they could determine what to do.

    The Priests were having their supper when they were intruded upon by the three of them. After listening to everyone's account, they proceeded to have a meeting and decided to hire her to deal with the spirits. It looked like Frank wouldn't be getting a good night's sleep any time soon.

    @AliceShiki
     
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  19. Naraku

    Naraku 『』『』『』

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    "I swear... are you doing it on purpose?"
    "Vandalize?", reading, Gaap thought aloud when he saw this word. Then, remembering his nasty reputation, the receptionist sighed.

    "So on top of being a great and holy protector of children, you are as well a ban- treasure hunter! I see, I see!"

    "Anyway, back to the quest... huh, very interesting, the bastion of Tuatha Dé Danann is protected by a bunch of magical stuff and after the inside is basically what you would find in any bastions? However a core room, huh. Mhmmmm. Alright, I suppose Roland will be interested enough to request another quest about this next week or later on! Here are your rewards, 8 Guild Points and 27 Large Copper Coins!"
    "A kid picking up children... well, fortunately, it's you.", Gaap said after reading the report, he let out a sigh before checking the rewards and preparing them.

    "Good jod, that's pretty good, more or less quickly killed... but you got lost again. But I guess that's nothing wrong since despite getting lost, you came back rather quickly." , he coughed and then gave her the rewards.
    "Anyway, here are your 8 Guild Points and 25 Large Copper Coins."
    "Well, I suppose that was to be expected? You look like a child, so obviously he underestimated you, on top of your rank... well, I guess your appearance quickly helped into succeeding this quest, pretty good. At least, that was easy to trick him.", reading the report, Gaap shared his thoughts with the adventurer before handing to them the rewards.

    "4 Guild Points and 10 Large Copper Coins! Good job and see you later for another quest."
    "And here I thought there was only three reports... oh well, while I am at it, a fourth one won't hurt I guess.", chuckling while reading the report, the old man shook his head while thinking that this Gromak definitively had an easy life, what a lucky kid. And he doesn't seem to be pleased with it... it gave him the urge to beat him u- dismiss that thought! Dismiss that thought!

    Getting back to the main point before he begins to overthink about Gromak's situation, Gaap said while handing the rewards to Ryul.
    "Good job, good job, look like you gave him a lesson eh. Shamefully, he does not seem to be really happy with it. I hope Mr. Oberg would be harsher and stricter on him. And before I forget, your rewards, 4 Guild Points and 7 Large Copper Coins."
     
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  20. Quaesitor

    Quaesitor [Scholar]

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    "Good thing that it was nothing serious. Here is your reward, 8 large copper coins, and 4 guild points."