Carnival of Rust

[RandomRoninKitten]

The sky becomes black, and clouds become red. Blood begins raining from the sky.


CeeCee/Lilbooth

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Mostly just passing through to be honest sir. I have business in Baskerville but figured it would be nice to stop here along the way. I did have a few questions if you have the time." She stated, then not exactly waiting for a response proceeded to ask away, seeing that there was nothing the guards had to attend to. "One, is there a place to stable my mount for the night? Two is there a bathhouse or a tavern that could provide a bath? Three, do you know if there is anyone in town that needs adventuring work done?" She asked the two guards while leaning back slightly on Slöngvir.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

When CeeCee mentions Baskerville, the guards turn slightly pale and look at each other, with one of them clearing his throat and replying "We saw smoke rising from the city not too long ago. If you're really going out there, I suggest you be very careful." he said, nodding towards Baskerville, despite the view being blocked by the wall.

When CeeCee asks about a place to keep her mount, they shook their heads "We have no place to stable... that. We're also pretty sure it would kill other mounts. If you can keep it under control, you can keep it with you." they said, while guiding CeeCee towards a tavern "This tavern is very large, and very popular, probably due in part to the fact that they have a free bathhouse. It's mixed gender, though, so if you're not into that, you can look around, there are probably others." the entire time the guard spoke, the others just stood there nodding, without contributing anything.

In response to the third question, one of the other guards spoke up "Well, the Black Dragon Inn is accepting new members, if you're looking to get some work done." The guard said, motioning near the church, towards an entirely black structure, even larger than the the Church "They also function as an Inn for their Mercenaries, but you have to accept a job before they allow you to stay the night." he explained. He started to say something else, but the loud crack of thunder erupted, and the guards quickly jumped under the roof of the Tavern, but CeeCee was too slow. liquid began POURING from the sky, the densest, heaviest rain that CeeCee had ever felt. After contact, she felt her mind grow dull, her reflexes grow sluggish, and her strength leave her, and she felt incredible pain as blood started leaking from her eyes like tears. Her mount, however, didn't seem bothered by the Blood Rain at all.

Lilith Rose/Mark3000

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Still teary eyed, a large smile spread across the Nomad's face. Wiping her face clean, Lilith gave Metia a nod. "I won't let you down" she said determinedly.

As they traveled, Lilith thought on the name Red Cap. It took her a while to remember where she had heard the name from. It was one of the jobs on the Yellow Spiders list of jobs. "I guess these jobs get sent to multiple mercenary guilds to increase the odds of success" Lilith though to herself. Maybe if she finished this job she could share credit with Metia to make up for abandoning the Depth Lurker. But she quickly put that though out of her head. This was about repaying her debt to the horned traveler.

When they arrived at their location, Lilith took in the surroundings. "A way to get in or get him out" Lilith pondered for a moment. Checking her supplies to see if she still had the rope from the inn owner, she turned to the Friendly Mushroom Mercenary. "Metia, what do you know about the Red Cap?" Lilith asked as she gave the castle another look. This time she looked for possible footholds along the wall. Along with a window that may have been dark or darker then the other ones. If she was lucky she might find one that's cracked open just a bit. Lilith had to be patient if she wanted to catch her prey. "Also, how are you with climbing?"

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Metia followed Lilith's gaze to the window and squinted "I'm not very good at climbing, but I can use my spears to scale the wall just fine. As for the Red Cap itself, I know it prefers women, and tries to pretend it isn't a Red Cap to lure them into its castle for... stuff. So, we may be able to climb in through the window or lure it out by announcing our presence." As soon as Metia finished speaking, however, there was a loud crack of thunder, after which Metia jumped back under a nearby tree. Before Lilith could think to move, Blood Red Rain began pouring from the sky, and completely drenched her in an instant. She immediately felt her mind grow dull and her strength and reflexes leave her partly. Blood began to run down her face from her eyes, like she was crying tears of blood. Metia quickly reached out and grabbed the front of Lilith's dress, pulling her under the tree with her "Don't stand in Blood Rain, are you nuts?" she cried, huddling close to Lilith so that they could both fit under the tree, their shoulders touching.

Amun Khufu/MrBlah

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Amun couldn't offer any assuring words or confident remarks when he saw the broken down knight. When they'd last met, she seemed so much... stronger, than before. Standing alongside the likes of Captain Prairie and ready to risk her life for her city, it only made sense that she'd be ready to give up that life from the grief of her failure. He'd felt the same. He had the chance to save everyone... he had the opportunity to stop just this tragedy from happening, yet when the time finally came for Amun Khufu to really show his best... alongside Captain Prairie and another warrior, it just wasn't enough. The obvious option after such failure would be to give up, yet he couldn't even do that right. The selfish were-beast still clung onto his need to live, and the hope that there'd be something to rebuild what he'd lost. And now that he'd find some traces of just that... she wanted to kill herself.

And the worst part was that he couldn't blame nor stop her. What could he say? How could he say anything? In this position, no one would want to live. He wouldn't fault her for not being as faulty and selfish as him. He couldn't stop her... but something else did. Amun's eyes traced her line of sight down to the bodies in the rubble. The kind High Priest that had helped him at the start of all this, and the young girl that had served him tea... he remembered the priest's name was Sidrick. That was Sidrick in the ground, along with such a young life. They had no chance of surviving his failure. She was too young. The old man was too frail. This was merely a reminder of the truly devastating effect his sin had... and it reminded him of how desperately alone in this world he most likely was.

"... So, that's it, then?" He started quietly. "You fail your job, and now you... you want to just, give up? Is this really the power of our knights, that they couldn't even think past the lost of their kingdom to the future of their duty? I'm sure all the effort and tax money put into training you wasn't just for you to blow off after this!" Amun took a step forward, looking somewhat hostile to try and catch Lyanna's attention better. "I'm sure the Goddess isn't quiet because she's punishing you, but she's quiet because she's annoyed by you. You're daring to take the life she'd saved, thus giving up an even greater duty to what remains of Cielo. You're ignoring that there's still more to protect, and more enemies to destroy in vengeance." He took another step forward, approaching Lyanna with a glare, then he laid his hands on her shoulders.

"If you feel shame, you should. But not because Cielo's destroyed. You should feel shame for forgetting your duty to its people. Maybe many of us are dead... but I'm still here, and who knows who else that we simply haven't found yet. Feel shame for not even thinking of avenging those fallen in the line of battle, and instead of succumbing to your shame and grief, use that to work towards your duty! You can't drop the mantle of a knight of Cielo until you've finished your duty!"

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Lyanna stopped and bowed her head momentarily, then crouched down and picked her armor back up, strapping it back onto her body "You're right..." she said, a look of... no longer sadness, but actual real, pure anger on her face now, as she began tightening her grip on her sword, and sheathing it onto her back "I can't give up. I need to find out what bastards did this and avenge our fallen people." and with that, she began walking among the debris, looking for something. After several minutes, she kicks over some debris and grabs one of the corpses of the invaders that had attacked Cielo, lifting it up and out of the rubble. She looks at it for a moment, then grabs the sleeve of its coat and pulls it down, revealing that the individual's arm is made of brass "We weren't attacked by people... we were attacked by machines." she said, throwing the corpse towards Amun until it came to rest at his feet "What do you make of this?" she asked.

Upon close inspection, not only would Amun find that the arm was brass, but the entire skeletal structure of the machine was primarily brass, and the arts used to make it were not ones that Amun had seen before.

While examining the mechanical corpse, Amun doesn't notice Lyanna jumping under a piece of debris when thunder erupted above them, and ends up being caught in some rain. However, Amun soon notices that the rain is staining his clothes red, and that contact with it has begun dulling his senses and movement, while also causing him to bleed from his eyes.

Ophelia/MiscChaos

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Ophelia sees what the third woman is fighting and sighs. She can only hope it isn't more of the Ascended Zombies she dealt with last night, but she's not counting on that with her luck. Still, its day time so the chances are smaller at least. Now that she thinks about it, all her encounters have been after dark. She has no reference for fights during the day. She supposes this would be the best chance for her to find out seeing as the woman down there fits the requirements Annie has set out: a potential companion capable of fighting. Still, it seems Annie is misunderstanding the situation.

"Be careful. Those are not people. At the very least, not living people. I am unsure what that structure is, but while it is around, the undead run rampant. Proceed with caution." She informs the detective. They may have been bandits at one point, but she's not sure that's relevant anymore. "More than likely, they will attempt to dispose of her and anyone who interferes. Judging by the number of bodies and limbs, I believe she may be our third. Moving to engage to preserve the asset." She says, moving into stealth and closing the distance
Hidden from sight, Ophelia closes the distance quickly, though she's still too far away to do much. This only makes her wish for her throwing knives even more as from this distance she would still be able to do something. Depending on how she played it, she could attack and still be hidden from sight. But alas, crying for something already lost is pointless. Instead she turns her attention to the detective, who pulls out a gun and opens fire on one of the many frosted zombies surrounding the third woman. The first bullet lands in the zombie's head, a fatal shot if the thing wasn't already dead. Ophelia's not sure if Annie didn't believe her that the things in the distance were undead or if it was instinct, but the choice of where to shoot made sense for the wrong subset of opponent. Apparently bolstered by the success of her first shot, the investigator launches a second one, this time in the eye. Ophelia's not sure if they see the same way they do, but this shot makes more sense and has the added effect of nearly draining the undead's vitality. It is sluggish now, swaying in place.

Ophelia is sure the stranger has lost her mind when she finds the tightest concentration of zombies and charges into it. Her opinion changes slightly when, with a cry of "Justice Rising!", she swings her blade in a complete circle and catches the three zombies around her with it. It's a mighty strike too, blowing all of them to the ground and forcing the slowly make their way back to their feet. She's not sure if the blow makes them wary of the stranger or not, but as one they turn and begin making their way towards Annie. As Annie has displayed no close range capabilities, Ophelia cannot help but thing this is not a good thing. "Craven cowards! Stand and face Justice!" She hears the stranger yell as they leave. She doubts their ability to face any kind of justice outside of the final version, so she feels she can somewhat understand why they would not turn around. At the same time, however, she cannot allow them to attack her comrade. Using the element of surprise that she commands, she launches a 3-hit salvo upon the back of one of the zombies approaching the detective, though a sudden movement makes the attacks less effective than she would have liked. It stands on its last legs, but with a bit less movement it would have been dead. With her presence revealed, however, she braces herself for retaliation. From what she knows of zombies, she would not like any blow they would try to land on her. She's not sure if Annie has been freaked out by the encroaching frosted zombie threat or not, but her next shot goes wide, missing all of her enemies.

"For Great Justice!" She hears, shouted behind her. She's not sure why, but she feels invigorated, as if she can blast her enemies away in one blow! From there, she sees a shadow clear her and looks up, seeing the woman doing a flip in the air. A moment later she figures out why. With the front flip to generate momentum, she cries "JUSTICE KICK!" and brings all her momentum down in an ax kick on the top of a zombie's head. In the competition between her heel and the zombie's head, the head is found wanting, splitting open like a rotten watermelon. The rest of the body follows shortly.

Not at all bothered by the loss of their comrade, the rest of the zombies swipe at Annie, who does a rather impressive dance to avoid them. Even as she weaves and turns around the blows, one catches her in the back while she moves, knocking her off balance. At the same time, Ophelia can see tendrils of ice creeping from the area the detective was hit in and hears her shiver. So frost zombies was an apt description for the things after all. Still, she's not sure how much more punishment her ally can take and she kind of needs her ally at the moment. "Stay away from her." She growls, hoping to scare the zombies away from the detective. Instead one takes the opportunity to attempt to slap her with its cock. It's unsuccessful given the mask she wears, but the attempt is annoying regardless. She repays the insult by removing said dick from the zombie, along with the rest of it's lower half. Lewd, disgusting thing! Meanwhile, Annie backs away from the zombies and fires off a short, hitting it in the neck. While it recoils from that, she fires another shot into the same region, messily separating head from shoulders by simply destroying the neck connecting them.

This time when the stranger charges in the middle of a zombie pile, Ophelia knows what to expect. Well, the declaration of "Justice Rising!" is still jarring, but only because she's used to much less noise than the woman seems to use as a standard. 2 out of the 3 zombies around her are once again knocked to the ground and slowly, painfully pull their way back up. The last slips under the blade with a grace she has yet to see in Frosted Zombies thus far. Her attention on the spectacle that is the justice woman, it's only her previous bracing for impact that alerts her that an attack is incoming. Ducking around it by the barest margin, she slashes at her assailant, cutting it in half diagonally for the sin of raising its hand to her. She's not sure if it what she just did or if they determined Annie was too much trouble, but the hoard begins to descend on her. She begins a dance much like Annie just displayed, but one Frost Zombie just isn't having it. He full on tackles her to the ground and strikes her while she's down. Her consciousness begins fading under the assault, but suddenly the zombie is removed from her person.

"Justice is not through with you yet! Rise! Rise in the name of Justice!" She hears as the woman pulls her to her feet. She doesn't buy into the idea of justice beyond the Justice of Her Lady, but she gets the feeling that this is the least annoying this woman would be able this, so it would be in her best interest to hang in there.

"I thank you for the vote of confidence, but I would like to ask if you have a salve for my wounds. I did not come into this battle fresh." She probably should have taken the time to rest after escaping the Ascended Zombies, but getting into brawls like this usually does not make it into her job description. "But of course!" The woman confirms. And with that worry out of the way, she strikes another zombie, cutting its head in half, before once more fading into the background. The back to back battles have left her weary, however, so she doubts she'll be able able to do this again. Annie once more fires her gun, exploding the head of the zombie she aims for. Ophelia is not sure why the second shot is fired, but it misses due to the zombie falling once its control center has been removed. "Justice Potion!" She hears before a potion is basically upended down her throat. It's only reflex that prevents her from spitting up the drink. Still, if that never happens again it'll be too soon. At the very least, her wound between this fight and last immediately disappear and leave her hale and whole. With her "assistance" done with, the justice woman moves on, leaping into the air with her blade raised high in the air. "Justice Slash!" she calls as she descends on the final zombie, almost rending it in two with that one strike. Wobbly, it raises its hand to Annie, but with how she danced around multiple enemies there was no way it was going to catch her now. And while it was overextended, Ophelia comes out of hiding and strikes it with another 3-hit combo. It takes some time for the damage to register, but when it does... she somehow causes it to evaporate with the strength of her attack. As in there's nothing left but the rewards when she's done with it. She sees a Wooden Momento, but she kicks that to the side and grabs the item underneath it. She also sees a circlet in the loot she has accrued, but wearing it would require her to remove her mask. Her mask is a symbol of her job, a link to Lady Techra. But so is her cloak and, well, her Lady would understand right? She needs to upgrade the items she wears to increase her ability to return to the estate alive and unmolested. It's not like she's throwing them away, just keeping them safe until she must hide her identity again. Removing her mask and placing the accessory on her head, she turns to the justice woman.

With combat and the looting done, she turns to their... she supposes sister-in-arms? She doesn't know the terminology for it, but it fits for now. "Good day. I hope we were of assistance to you during combat just now. May I know the name of the woman we just fought alongside?"

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Thunder suddenly erupts above, and the blond girl grabs Ophelia and Annie, pulling them beneath a nearby overhang in front of Calt, and nearly immediately after, red liquid begins pouring from the sky. Not even missing a beat, she answers Ophelia's question; "I have many names, I am the light in the darkness, the guardian of Calt, the bringer of justice, the defender of all that's good and righteous in the known world, and the wielder of the Vorpal Blade, a weapon sent by the almighty Machine God, to use to dispense justice against all who spread darkness across the land. You can call me Alice, though!" she said, nodding as if to confirm everything she just said. She started to say something else, but Annie spoke up first "Well, Alice, it's not to meet you, I'm Annie, and this is Ophelia. More importantly, however, why is that rain crims-" Alice impatiently cut her off, and seemingly resumed what she was about to say before Annie spoke "Well, speaking of Justice and the Machine God, have you accepted the Machine God as your personal lord and savior in the name of great Justice? His unparalleled grace, honor, and nobility has led to Calt being the one true safe haven from the creatures lurking out here, and also is what allowed me to become the unbeatable, justice-dispensing heroine of great justice that you see before you!" she said, sheathing her Vorpal Blade on her back.

Anastasia Ursa/LittleManKitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Anastasia fumed the entire way to Baskerville, who the hell did those guards think they were? Some sort of superior race that could look down on everyone else? The nerve! She kept thinking about equally ironic things to say about the guards before finally stumbling across Baskerville, or what was left of it. It looked like a powerful creature that could use fire had run rampant through the town. Everything was burnt to a crisp. Well, almost everything. A large building stood before her, made out of a strange and somewhat intimidating black material. Perhaps this is where the monster originated from? Well, only one way to find out. As she made her way to the building she stopped every once in a while and looked for anything remotely useful that had survived the fire. It was probably a waste of time, but one never knew. Entering the building Anastasia searched various rooms and halls, looking for any clue about what happened her. After a little while though something very unexpected happened. She instinctively grabbed onto a wall for balance when the ground started to shake, and flinched a little at the scream. A girl? No, no way a girl survived this without being something more dangerous than a normal person. It also happened to be the only thing interesting remaining. So with some caution, Anastasia slowly creeped down into the basement, gunblade at the ready.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As Anastasia makes her way down the steps, the shaking of the structure suddenly stops, and she hears a little girl's voice speaking to her "I-Idalia? P-please don't leave me again, I-I'm starving to d-" when Anastasia comes into view, the girl stops speaking and cocks her head. Her voice became a low growl as she speaks "You have Idalia's smell on you, but you're not her..." she said, looking around the room, which was pretty dark, but Anastasia could make out a girl's decapitated head chained up in one corner, and two more sets of chains in two other corners, as well as several chains binding this girl's neck, wrists, and ankles in the final corner. "You're alone... you're no Barton... in fact I see no emblem on your armor, pale one... where's Idalia?" she asked.

All over the floor of the room were more burnt corpses, these in melted Barton armor, all of them facing one of the sets of broken chains, indicating that this is where the creature which incinerated the town was held.

Lucia, the Stormtrooper of Cielo/Nobudi

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Once she could move no more, she stumbled to the ground and hurled. A thin acidic bile was all that splashed onto the ground. It followed with a quiet moment of sobbing.
Where was she? Where was she to go? Where could she go?

She had nothing, save the broken clothes on her back and her guns. No food, no water, no hope.
And this stupid arm. In her anger, she kept smacking it, screaming and hurling obscenities at it until it detached.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Lucia decides to go nowhere, and instead begins hitting the harmless disembodied arm attached to her ankle, however, she fails to get it to let go. In her effort to remove the arm, Lucia ends up being caught up in a storm, however, when the liquid hits her, her clothes start to turn red, and too late she realizes that the rain is actually crimson. Upon contact, Lucia's eyes begin bleeding and she passes out.

Lucia later reawakens and finds a Magna Potion nearby, which she is forced to drink due to the damage her body has taken so far, and immediately feels reinvigorated, despite the bleeding from her eyes.

[Mark3000]

Lilith listened intently to Metia as she began to formulate a strategy. Suddenly her focus was broken by the crackling thunder. Looking to the sky, she notices the crimson rain too late. She had been caught in the bloody shower before as a child. Just as then, the exposed Nomad could feel her body weaken as blood run from her eyes. Covering her mouth, Lilith tries to muffle her cries. Luckily Metia was there to pull her under a nearby tree.

"Sorry the rain caught me off guard." Lilith as she looked out over the down pour. Taking a moment, Lilith tries to shake of the effects of the Rain. She could already feel her mind splitting in two. The rain had thrown their plans out of order. Waiting it out was an option, but what are the chances of the weather getting better? If it takes all day, they'll have to deal with the night. That's when a thought occurred to her. "I have an idea." Lilith says.

Trying to stay under the canopy of the trees to avoid the bloody rain, Lilith walks stealthy until they're positioned with the Gate in front of them. "I think we might be able to use this rain to our advantage. I'm going to set up a pit trap just outside the tree line and trap the Red Cap in the rain. Then we'll attack from cover. But I'll need you to call him out. Just say that you were injured in the forest and can't make it to the castle on your own." Lilith said as she grabbed everything she needed to prepare the pit trap. The Red Cap sounded like a horny bastard, the kind that wouldn't turn down easy prey. If Metia accepted the plan, she would prepare the trip and proceed to hid herself.

(Pit Hole placed at Engaged Range from Tree Coverage)

[mrblah]

His tension began to dissipate as Lyanna began pulling her armor back on, glad to see his plea working. He nodded slowly along to her words, though inwardly, he almost felt guilty. Amun hadn't necessarily meant what he said, and he had the ulterior motive of ensuring he had a powerful and protective companion by his side to help him. He didn't even want to really find the bastards who did this and get revenge... after all, if he failed once, how could he succeed on the second try, when his side's worse than it was before? He felt disgusted with himself for his cowardly ways. No doubt the Goddess wouldn't approve.

Of course, on the outside, Amun remained stone-faced and sturdy as Lyanna investigated an invader's corpse. When her discovery sprouted up and she threw the machine over to his feet, Amun looked down at it to give it his own look-over. "Well... this does confirm some earlier thoughts I'd been having since the start of the invasion. I believe their leader, however, was not a machine... we had drawn blood several times in our fight." Which seemed to beg the question of how the man had been controlling the machines... not that it really mattered to him now. They'd likely never see him nor his machines again.

Just as he was thinking this, a loud thunder crack interrupted Amun's thoughts and made him jump. He turned to the skies, looking up at the cloudy weather that seemed to darken. Then, he spotted Lyanna jumping to hide away from the sky, and he looked at her with confusion, slow to comprehend the danger. "What's wrong? Are you not accustomed to thunder -" Red raindrops pattered down on his form, and Amun once more looked up in confusion, not understanding what was going on.

Black sky. Red clouds. Red rain... or, was it blood? It took a second for him to register the situation, but it was made abundantly clear to him when his eyes began to feel great pain. He cried out from the intense sensation, falling to the ground and reaching to cover his eyes as the blood rain pelted down on him. He couldn't think of what was happening or how he was feeling such pain, but instinctively, Amun tried to crawl back under Lyanna's cover. If she was saying anything to him, he didn't hear her. He could hear nothing over the sound of his screams of pure agony. Of course, a noble born and raised in Cielo living the wonderful sheltered life he did had never experienced the hell that was Bleeding Sky. It was a rare occurrence, and if it ever happened within his years of living, he'd been fortunate enough to have been hidden away under a building at the time of its happening. Truly, this was Amun's first introduction to the hells outside of his home. What an introduction to the world.

[MiscChaos]

Ophelia finds herself in the unique position of regretting social norms. Without the trigger of asking this "Annie" woman her name, she wouldn't have been forced to bear the long spiel that went with her introduction. An introduction that, as far as she's aware, should have just been a quick "Hello, my name is so and so. Nice to meet you." Instead now she finds herself staring down a religious zealot. A zealot the prevented her from soaking in rain the color of blood, perhaps, but a zealot nonetheless. She has the distinct impression that this is better than being in the rain, but she'll see. She has the idea that she needs to proceed somewhat carefully though. All she knows about religion has been taught to her by her Lady. And her Lady doesn't have good things to say about it overall.

"I cannot say that I am under the grace of any deity in particular. I am not, however, very resistant to the idea." That's at least partly a lie since she has her Lady's view on religion at the moment, but there's no need to isolate a potential ally with said view. So this is "tact". Ophelia thinks she finds the concept very annoying and most definitely wouldn't be using it for non-allies. "I also am not very aware of the deities in general. The way I was raised, they never played much of a role in my life." That, at least, is not a lie. Her Lady did not see use in introducing them to her seeing as she herself didn't believe in them. And she supposes they need to pass the time seeing as they aren't going anywhere while the crimson rain pours down around them.

[lilbooth]

Cee Cee was having a pretty great day. A good fuck, well great fuck really, a good sleep, a nice relaxing ride into town with the brisk mountain air, the prospect of a hot bath. Everything seemed to be going well. The guards were helpful, and despite the fact, they seemed a little frightened by her mention of Baskerville they were doing a splendid job of welcoming her to town. And then there was the rain. The most sudden and powerful rain she had ever experienced. The guards ducked out of the way but Slöngvir was a bit slow to start and she hadn't managed to get under cover. Within moments she was soaked to the bone and moments later terrible pain racked her body. She got down off her mount as quickly as she could and hid under the overhang of the tavern. Now she really needed a bath. The mixed gender bathhouse didn't bother her one bit, she actually thought it may be some fun. But the Black Dragon Inn was far more tempting, And even if she didn't make it in she could always come back to the larger tavern and stay there. "Thank you sir's you have been very helpfull. Please inform the other guards in the town that Slöngvir here is not wild and is not to be killed." She said to the two guards before crouching down a bit precariously. She stood just in front of Slöngvir hindquarters and proceeded to shuffle her way over towards the Black Dragon Inn, hopefully, this way she would not get too wet.

[Littlemankitten]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Anastasia stopped for a moment when she heard the girl speak Idalia's name. Was Idalia down here? Or was she mistaking Anastasia for Idalia? Only one way to find out. Anastasia stepped into the room and narrowed her eyes at the scene before her. Decapitated heads of girls, the smell of cooked flesh and the heavy air of death. What on earth happened here... Anastasia glanced at the girl when she finished speaking, sizing her up. She had to of been through the raging inferno that tore through this place, meaning that like Idalia, was stronger than she looked. It was also clear that they knew each other. Was she the same thing as Idalia? "I belong to no family or house, the only one I would serve would be the Goddess herself." Anastasia assumed the girl would know exactly which goddess she was talking about. "Idalia..." Anastasia brushed her hair back and sighed. "I don't know. I was in Monsteropolis, and some cataclysmic event, I don't know what despite the fact I was in the middle of it, happened. Monsterpolis was destroyed. I was knocked out after defending her from some Barton soldiers, and when I came to, both she and the soldiers were gone. I once heard someone refer to her as the 'Black Hound of Baskerville,' so I decided to search for her here... Who are you though?"

The girl squinted and strained against her chains "One of the four. We were all chained down here for years, but one of the Barton Guards made the horrible mistake of only half-locking Idalia's cuff. She then purposely wounded herself and took on the qualities of a Hellhound... what you see before you is the result of her escape. Well, mostly. That head over there is what remains of the first of us, who was butchered to make the other three." She made a jerking motion against her chains, shaking the building again. "I'm the only one who wasn''t able to escape, because they upped my security. You can call me Iveta."

Anastasia looked around the room once more, and took a few steps towards the girl. "Did the Barton's make all of you? How is that even possible unless they used the rumored power of magic?"

"Made...?" she let out a burst of psychotic laughter for a solid minute, before cutting it off suddenly "No, they kidnapped us, toyed with our bodies, then locked those who actually survived down here. You can say they made us who we are now, but they did not actually make us, we all had parents and families that we'll never see again because of those monsters. I don't blame Indris or Idalia for never coming back for me, the Bartons have... these... these nets. If the two of you fought them, you have likely already witnessed the horror of being caught in one."

What she says contradicted her previous statement, but Anastasia decided not to pry for now. She had so many questions now that needed answering. "I might of, to bad the knights themselves were quite weak." Anastasia then looked into the girls eyes intently, there was one thing she desperately needed to know. "If you are the same or similar enough to Idalia. Do you know what happens when your blood is consumed?"

"I know that the Bartons harvest it from us. I have never had the chance to see what they use it for." She narrowed her eyes at Anastasia and pursed her lips "What did you do?" she asked, not accusingly, but in such a way that the question sounded loaded.

Anastasia continued to stare into the girls eyes for a moment, before finally looking away. "I was weak. She was strong." Anastasia sighed. "Well, it looks like you're my only lead to finding her. Consider it your lucky day." Anastasia walked closer and inspected the chains, seeing if they could be cut with her sword.

The chains were made of a metal that Anastasia couldn't recognize. The light shining on it from the doorway reflected into many colors. The girl laughed as Anastasia approached her and spoke in a softer tone "As cute as it would be to watch you try to cut these chains, I'm going to make it easier for you to help me. The key is on that Guard's body over there, and I've been stuck staring at it for... however long it has been." she said, staring directly at a corpse only a few feet away.

Anastasia grimaced. She didn't like things she couldn't overpower. Her attention traveled to the guard and she walked over to the corpse, rummaging for the keys. "Why did Idalia never let you go if she's been here to feed you?"

"She hasn't. The only reason my body hasn't begun tearing itself apart is because I haven't hurt myself. I'm waiting for it to happen any moment now." she said, with a strange look in her eyes as she stared at the pile of corpses around Anastasia. A look of... hunger?

Anastasia sighed and took the keys from the corpse. She didn't believe her, but that didn't really matter. "Well, from what I know of Idalia is she loves to eat, I assume the same is true for you. Try not to go for me though, I don't feel like kicking a malnourished puppy." Anastasia smirked and began unlocking the chains, tensing up and getting ready to jump back just in case the girl decided she preferred live food.

The moment Anastasia unlocked the chains from the wall, the girl lunged past her, then she could hear the sound of crunching and slobbering. When Anastasia turns, she can see that the girl was eating the charred remains of the guards, throwing their melted armor to the side, and making low rumbling growling noises as she ate. Between the crunching, growling, and swallowing, she remarked "I munch crunch haven't seen Much crunch, snarl her since she left". After only about thirty seconds, she had already devoured the bones of the pile of guards. When she had finished, she moved over to the decapitated head, which amazingly hadn't begun decaying at all, dragging her chains with her, and picked it up, hugging it against her chest, before returning to Anastasia "Thank you for freeing me." she said. As she stood there, Anastasia could see that her body was continually shaking, starting from the moment she was released, and hadn't stopped since.

Anastasia waited patiently for the girl to finish feasting, it wasn't like she expected anything different to happen, she was just glad that the girl didn't go for her. "Maybe not, but you smelled her on me. I dont know exactly how strong your sense of smell is, but I figure if I bring you back to where I last saw her, you can sniff out where she went." Anastasia sheathed her weapon and walked towards the exit of the basement. "I am helping you in order to help Idalia. If you are anything like her, you will be strong once you've healed up, and that is reason enough to help."

The girl snickered as they headed towards the steps "I probably can, my sense of smell is pretty strong... for example, I can smell the group of mercenaries gathering in the room up above." she said, growling as she looked up towards the ceiling, while simultaneously freeing up her hands by slipping the decapitated head into Anastasia's inventory while whispering just loud enough for her to hear her "Please don't lose her."

Anastasia grinned wickedly and unsheathed her weapon. "You don't say? Well, if they value their lives they better be friendly." Anastasia looked at the head as it was slipped into her pack. "uhhh, I'll try, but I can't promise. Anyway, shall we go meet our guests?"

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

When the pair walk up the stairs and enter the upper room, just as Iveta said, there are four Mercs in Crimson Storm Guild armor, a Were-Giraffe, Were-Rhino, Were-Hippo, and Were-Lion, all of them battle ready. When they spot Anastasia and Iveta, the Lion speaks up "Right on schedule. Look, don't take it personally, but that girl you're with is someone else's property, so we're going to need you to hand her over nice and easily, or things may get ugly for you." his voice is smooth as silk, and his mane makes him look as though he makes a lot of Guild money, and as such, lives a higher class-styled life.

Anastasia rolls her eyes once she spots the group of werebeasts. "I went through quite a bit of trouble to get her myself. A group of animalistic abominations should know better than to think your business is more important than mine... Though, mind telling me who's 'property' she is though? I might guess Barton's?" She readied her blade and went into a combative stance, clearly indicating she was ready to fight if she didn't like the answer.

The Were-Lion grinned, a sharp-toothed grin, and in a mocking tone said "If you know who it belongs to, then why not hand it over and save yourself more trouble?" seemingly ignoring the fact that he was called an abomination, likely because he'd expect that kind of talk from a Spectross. Seeing Ana take a battle stance, however, the other Were-Beasts moved in closer to the Were-Lion, except the Giraffe, who was holding a crossbow.

Anastasia grinned back wickedly "If you prove your worth to me, and to Avenir, I'll hand her over." With that she quickly closed the distance, quickly enough to catch the Rhino off guard at least, and she cut a deep gash in one of his arms. But it was clear there wasn't much damage. "Oh wow, color me impressed you didn't fall over dead from the first strike abomination..." The Rhino grunted and took a step back, but didn't seem phased by the wound otherwise.

Following Anastasia's lead, Iveta stomped forward, and grabbed the Were-Lion by the throat, then slammed him into the cement floor, smashing it to pieces and burying him in the rubble, while laughing maniacally. All the Were-Lion did was gurgle helplessly beneath the cement debris. Though it did sound like he muttered something about this not going to plan.

The Giraffe Merc, hiding behind the Hippo Merc, shouts "I bet you like being penetrated, Spectross whore!" and fires an arrow at Anastasia, which embeds her shoulder. With the tip bathed in purple liquid, she can be sure it's poisoned. The Giraffe laughs as the arrow impacts her. "There will be a lot more where that came from you slut!"

The Rhino Merc lowers its head and charges Iveta with its horn, but she grabs his horn mid-charge, stopping him dead without budging, then shoves him backwards. The confused look on the Rhino's face says he's seen some shit, but not this. The hippo grabs the rhino to keep him from falling backwards, and whispers something into his ear. To which the Rhino face contorts into a look of worry.

The Lion Merc starts to work his way out of the rubble slowly, the heaving underneath implying that the wind is knocked out of him. He tries to say something to his teammates, but all that comes out is gasping and coughing.

The Hippo Merc stomps towards Anastasia, knocking her off-balance with his massive stomach, then hitting her with a giant club the size of an entire person. Anastasia stumbles on her feet and falls over onto all fours at the Hippo's attack. She grumbles and quickly fishes out a potion from her pocket and chugs it, getting up and readying herself again. Then what the Giraffe said registers in her head. She angrily snaps her attention to him and gives him a look of complete rage. "You dare insult me in such a way you useless piece of flesh!?" At her words her eyes glow a bright red and a barely visible red wave emanates from her, pulsing through the room and disorienting the mercs

The Mercs all look like they were slapped in the face as Anastasia unleashes her psychic attack. The Lion manages to say a single word despite this. "No..." But he was so quiet his friends didn't here him. While this is happening, Iveta pulls the Lion Merc the rest of the way out of the rubble, then holding him by his neck, she hits the Rhino Merc with him, sending him flying into the far wall, and bouncing off of onto the floor, the force of the blow leaving an indentation in the Rhino Merc's armor in the shape of the Lion's face.

Apparently tired of dealing with Iveta, the Rhino Merc gets up and charges Anastasia instead, goring her through the stomach with his horn, and getting stuck there. Some of Anastasia blood gushing around his horn.

Anastasia roars in anger at the Rhino's charge. "You dare touch me with your filthy flesh you inferior being!? AVENIR CONDEMS YOU!" Anastasia grabs the Rhinos horn and with all her strength rips it straight out of his skull. She turns it around, and with what looks like red energy pouring into her from the surroundings, she slams it back into him, causing his horn upper half to explode into gore and bone. She laughs manically, seeming to have caught the same bug as her companion, and turns her attention to the Giraffe. In a flash she closes the distance and grabs his, throwing him to the ground and cracking the floor slightly. She brings her face close to his, and chuckles, her eyes glowing red still. "Do you mind repeating what you said last time? I must of misheard you!" She says, a insane grin spread across her face.

The Giraffe yells and tries to push away Anastasia, but to no avail. Yet it seems he wasn't done fighting yet. "I... Said... You... Are a... Whore!" He manages to choke out, to which Anastasia responds by slamming his head into the ground, causing him to see stars.

Iveta lets out a loud roar and slams the ground with the Lion's body, shaking the structure and sending out a shockwave which knocks the enemy mercs to the ground The Lion's body goes limp, with every bone in his body apparently having been broken.

The Giraffe somehow manages to scramble out from beneath Anastasia and hurriedly fishes a scroll out of his backpack, almost dropping it, he unrolls it and throws it into the center of the room. A red light slowly etches a triangle around everyone, which then explodes, engulfing Iveta and Anastasia in a fiery explosion.
While Iveta is jarred and stumbling from the explosion, the Hippo Merc swings the club at her, but she barely budges from the hit, and just looks at the Hippo in annoyance. The Hippo looks at the giraffe with fear, apparently finally realizing the situation he's in.

Anastasia laughs as the Giraffe runs. "Why run away? You're only delaying the inevitable you scum! Hey Iveta... That was a pretty cool ability you used to shake the ground... Mind using it again?" As she says this she takes out another potion and drinks it, her smaller wounds closing and her bleeding stopping. She then charges the Giraffe and slashes at him with her blade, a large gash running from his right shoulder to the left hip. The Giraffe screams and agony and yells at the hippo. "Run!"

Iveta looks at Anastasia and cocks her head, then blinks twice. Instead of using Seismic Quake again, she charges the Giraffe and uses her teeth to rip his head off, then shakes her head, swinging the Giraffe head back and forth in her teeth, and slinging blood everywhere, while she growled like a rabid wolf. While Iveta shreds the Giraffe's head, the Hippo Merc, instead of running, seems to completely panic and instead uses the distraction to fish out a scroll, which he uses to emit a red light towards Iveta, however, the light fades, and all that occurs is a look of confusion crossing the Hippo Merc's face when Iveta is still there, shredding his companion's corpse.

Anastasia sighs when Iveta just eats the guys head. "Guess not." She turns towards the final merc and surprisingly calmly walks towards him. "Well well, looks like you guys were in over your heads. Guess I wont be handing her over to you after all. Don't worry though, as the last man standing, I'm sure Avenir despises you slightly less." She stops right in front of the Hippo, and despite giving him all the time in the world, she calmly slides her blade into his torso, blood spurting onto the ground.

The Hippo Merc coughs up some blood and stumbles backwards, looking at his wound and the corpses of his friends, then looking back Anastasia. "D-do you really want a monster l-like that?" he asks, but before Anastasia can say anything to him, Iveta grabs him and lifts him over her head, then tears him in half, throwing both halves on the ground and starting to eat them, tearing the Hippo Merc's corpse to pieces with her teeth, and growling as she eats him.

Anastasia looks at Iveta as she tears him to shreds and sighs. "She's strong enough for my tastes, but I do admit I prefer Idalia, this one is a bit messy." She smirks and starts rummaging through what was left of the corpses for anything...

After grabbing what she felt was good enough to take, she started heading towards the exit. "Well that was fun, now lets go look for Idalia."

[Nobudi]

Everything around her was pain.
Everything was sorrow.
Everything was Blood.

Through luck, or pity, Lucia had survived. She had no map. No way of finding anything. She coughed, and despite her healed body, it was still wracked with a terrible pain. She didn't know what to do or where to go. Her thoughts were rapidly vanishing as she simply did the only thing she could: Push forward, and hope for shelter.

[RandomRoninKitten]

The sun sets, it is now night.
Lilith Rose/Mark3000

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Lilith listened intently to Metia as she began to formulate a strategy. Suddenly her focus was broken by the crackling thunder. Looking to the sky, she notices the crimson rain too late. She had been caught in the bloody shower before as a child. Just as then, the exposed Nomad could feel her body weaken as blood run from her eyes. Covering her mouth, Lilith tries to muffle her cries. Luckily Metia was there to pull her under a nearby tree.

"Sorry the rain caught me off guard." Lilith as she looked out over the down pour. Taking a moment, Lilith tries to shake of the effects of the Rain. She could already feel her mind splitting in two. The rain had thrown their plans out of order. Waiting it out was an option, but what are the chances of the weather getting better? If it takes all day, they'll have to deal with the night. That's when a thought occurred to her. "I have an idea." Lilith says.

Trying to stay under the canopy of the trees to avoid the bloody rain, Lilith walks stealthy until they're positioned with the Gate in front of them. "I think we might be able to use this rain to our advantage. I'm going to set up a pit trap just outside the tree line and trap the Red Cap in the rain. Then we'll attack from cover. But I'll need you to call him out. Just say that you were injured in the forest and can't make it to the castle on your own." Lilith said as she grabbed everything she needed to prepare the pit trap. The Red Cap sounded like a horny bastard, the kind that wouldn't turn down easy prey. If Metia accepted the plan, she would prepare the trip and proceed to hid herself.

(Pit Hole placed at Engaged Range from Tree Coverage)

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Metia rolls her eyes while holding onto Lilith's sleeve, as if to prevent her from running back out into the Blood Rain. A copper smell filled the air, even after the rain subsided and gave way to the night. Metia says something under her breath about it being just her luck that night would fall before the blood rain went away.

Looking down into the pit trap after Lilith had finished setting it up, she shook her head "I think it would make more sense for the person that's covered in blood to be the one claiming to be injured." she said, scowling. However, before either could argue the point further, Metia twitched and spun to face the other direction, drawing both Halberds.

"Woah now, calm down little lady, there's no need for violence" said a group of three heavily armored Mercenaries in white armor, with the White Lion Mercenary Company emblem on their shields "If the two of you stand aside and let us do our jobs, nobody has to get hurt."

Metia growled and flashed the Mercenaries a dirty look "Why don't you white knights beat it before this gets ugly for you. I have neither the time nor the patience to perform the magic trick of transforming a squad of rival mercenaries into a squad of corpses." as if the illustrate her point, she swung her Halberd to the side and a brief second later, the tree next to her fell in half "I guarantee any potential payoff isn't worth guaranteed death for you peons." she said, taking a battle stance and moving slightly over in front of Lilith.

The mercenaries laughed and drew their swords "You're out-numbered and-... hey, is that a filthy Vagabond? tell you what, how about you just turn over the Vagabond AND stand aside, no harm will come to you. You two couldn't kill a Red Cap together anyway, better that you give us that disgusting creature and go find a different job anyway."

Metia shook her head and smoke could be seen seeping from her mouth as her temper flared "This one owes me, she's mine. So is the job. Beat it now before I turn your pansy hides to ash."

Metia and the group of mercs started posturing with neither side attacking, seemingly just sizing each other up and waiting for the other to back down.

Amun Khufu/MrBlah

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

His tension began to dissipate as Lyanna began pulling her armor back on, glad to see his plea working. He nodded slowly along to her words, though inwardly, he almost felt guilty. Amun hadn't necessarily meant what he said, and he had the ulterior motive of ensuring he had a powerful and protective companion by his side to help him. He didn't even want to really find the bastards who did this and get revenge... after all, if he failed once, how could he succeed on the second try, when his side's worse than it was before? He felt disgusted with himself for his cowardly ways. No doubt the Goddess wouldn't approve.

Of course, on the outside, Amun remained stone-faced and sturdy as Lyanna investigated an invader's corpse. When her discovery sprouted up and she threw the machine over to his feet, Amun looked down at it to give it his own look-over. "Well... this does confirm some earlier thoughts I'd been having since the start of the invasion. I believe their leader, however, was not a machine... we had drawn blood several times in our fight." Which seemed to beg the question of how the man had been controlling the machines... not that it really mattered to him now. They'd likely never see him nor his machines again.

Just as he was thinking this, a loud thunder crack interrupted Amun's thoughts and made him jump. He turned to the skies, looking up at the cloudy weather that seemed to darken. Then, he spotted Lyanna jumping to hide away from the sky, and he looked at her with confusion, slow to comprehend the danger. "What's wrong? Are you not accustomed to thunder -" Red raindrops pattered down on his form, and Amun once more looked up in confusion, not understanding what was going on.

Black sky. Red clouds. Red rain... or, was it blood? It took a second for him to register the situation, but it was made abundantly clear to him when his eyes began to feel great pain. He cried out from the intense sensation, falling to the ground and reaching to cover his eyes as the blood rain pelted down on him. He couldn't think of what was happening or how he was feeling such pain, but instinctively, Amun tried to crawl back under Lyanna's cover. If she was saying anything to him, he didn't hear her. He could hear nothing over the sound of his screams of pure agony. Of course, a noble born and raised in Cielo living the wonderful sheltered life he did had never experienced the hell that was Bleeding Sky. It was a rare occurrence, and if it ever happened within his years of living, he'd been fortunate enough to have been hidden away under a building at the time of its happening. Truly, this was Amun's first introduction to the hells outside of his home. What an introduction to the world.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

When Amun came into reach, Lyanna grabbed him and pulled him under the cover with her, then started trying to wipe the blood rain off of him with her sleeve "I'm going to guess this is your first experience with Bleeding Sky. I'm sorry for not warning you, it was instinct to just get out of the open as soon as possible" she explained while doing a subpar job getting rid of the blood rain on Amun's body.

After some time had passed, the Bleeding Sky dissipated and its place was taken by night. Despite the red clouds going away, the copper smell still permeated through the area.

After the rain had gone, Lyanna shoved the debris aside and grabbed Amun's arms, pulling him to his feet, then looked around the area, a sad look on her face. "The Blood Rain will attract nightmarish creatures, we're going to need to leave this area as soon as possible... then plan our vengeance." she said, the sad look turning angry.

Ophelia/MiscChaos

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Ophelia finds herself in the unique position of regretting social norms. Without the trigger of asking this "Annie" woman her name, she wouldn't have been forced to bear the long spiel that went with her introduction. An introduction that, as far as she's aware, should have just been a quick "Hello, my name is so and so. Nice to meet you." Instead now she finds herself staring down a religious zealot. A zealot the prevented her from soaking in rain the color of blood, perhaps, but a zealot nonetheless. She has the distinct impression that this is better than being in the rain, but she'll see. She has the idea that she needs to proceed somewhat carefully though. All she knows about religion has been taught to her by her Lady. And her Lady doesn't have good things to say about it overall.

"I cannot say that I am under the grace of any deity in particular. I am not, however, very resistant to the idea." That's at least partly a lie since she has her Lady's view on religion at the moment, but there's no need to isolate a potential ally with said view. So this is "tact". Ophelia thinks she finds the concept very annoying and most definitely wouldn't be using it for non-allies. "I also am not very aware of the deities in general. The way I was raised, they never played much of a role in my life." That, at least, is not a lie. Her Lady did not see use in introducing them to her seeing as she herself didn't believe in them. And she supposes they need to pass the time seeing as they aren't going anywhere while the crimson rain pours down around them.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Alice smiled smugly and placed her hands on her hips, while Annie sighed loud enough for Ophelia to hear, but quiet enough that Alice didn't hear.

"WELL, let me tell you that you came to the right place. I can only guess that you heard of my exploits and came from far away to hear the greatest prophet of Big M to hear all about him. As far as the deities are concerned, the only one you need concern yourself with is Masino, as he favors technological innovation, pragmatism, and discovery. His justice is the only justice, and all should seek to serve him in everything that they do, so to be rewarded with power and profit for their good deeds. If everyone served Masino, the world would be perfect, because everyone would seek justice just like I do!" she explained, with Annie holding her face in her hands and audibly groaning.

After Alice had spoke of Masino for several hours, the Blood Rain had stopped, leaving a copper smell in the air, and night had begun.

CeeCee/Lilbooth

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Cee Cee was having a pretty great day. A good fuck, well great fuck really, a good sleep, a nice relaxing ride into town with the brisk mountain air, the prospect of a hot bath. Everything seemed to be going well. The guards were helpful, and despite the fact, they seemed a little frightened by her mention of Baskerville they were doing a splendid job of welcoming her to town. And then there was the rain. The most sudden and powerful rain she had ever experienced. The guards ducked out of the way but Slöngvir was a bit slow to start and she hadn't managed to get under cover. Within moments she was soaked to the bone and moments later terrible pain racked her body. She got down off her mount as quickly as she could and hid under the overhang of the tavern. Now she really needed a bath. The mixed gender bathhouse didn't bother her one bit, she actually thought it may be some fun. But the Black Dragon Inn was far more tempting, And even if she didn't make it in she could always come back to the larger tavern and stay there. "Thank you sir's you have been very helpfull. Please inform the other guards in the town that Slöngvir here is not wild and is not to be killed." She said to the two guards before crouching down a bit precariously. She stood just in front of Slöngvir hindquarters and proceeded to shuffle her way over towards the Black Dragon Inn, hopefully, this way she would not get too wet.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

When CeeCee enters the Black Dragon Inn, the receptionist perks up and looks in her direction "Hello, welcome to the Black Dragon Inn, how may I help you?" she asks. Going up to the desk, CeeCee could see a whiteboard on the wall behind her, with a list of jobs on it.

Mercenary Work List:

Rough up Ralph Kipling in the Colosseum of Fools, then take him to "Richard Johnson" in Monsteropolis.

Go to the Orc Camp south of Fero and kill Chieftan "Nawrled-Knux the Bonechewer".

Find the Red Cap between Fero and the Black Forest and kill it.

Go to the Waterway south of Fero and catch a Depth Lurker, bring back to me, dead or alive.

Travel to Bacon and investigate the citizens there.

Travel to Azraq and investigate the report on Lena Ansel going missing there.

Go to Baskerville and investigate, report what you see there.

Travel to the Igneous Spire near Fero and investigate, report your findings.

Go to the Catacombs and investigate reports of the dead wakening.

Investigate the unidentified structure beyond Calt.

Beyond the mercenary work listings was a second sign listing a few of the services that the Inn offers. 2 [C] to stay the night, or stay for free, including access to the Inn public bath, room and board, and food if one chooses to work for them as a Mercenary.

Anastasia Ursa/LittleManKitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Anastasia stopped for a moment when she heard the girl speak Idalia's name. Was Idalia down here? Or was she mistaking Anastasia for Idalia? Only one way to find out. Anastasia stepped into the room and narrowed her eyes at the scene before her. Decapitated heads of girls, the smell of cooked flesh and the heavy air of death. What on earth happened here... Anastasia glanced at the girl when she finished speaking, sizing her up. She had to of been through the raging inferno that tore through this place, meaning that like Idalia, was stronger than she looked. It was also clear that they knew each other. Was she the same thing as Idalia? "I belong to no family or house, the only one I would serve would be the Goddess herself." Anastasia assumed the girl would know exactly which goddess she was talking about. "Idalia..." Anastasia brushed her hair back and sighed. "I don't know. I was in Monsteropolis, and some cataclysmic event, I don't know what despite the fact I was in the middle of it, happened. Monsterpolis was destroyed. I was knocked out after defending her from some Barton soldiers, and when I came to, both she and the soldiers were gone. I once heard someone refer to her as the 'Black Hound of Baskerville,' so I decided to search for her here... Who are you though?"

The girl squinted and strained against her chains "One of the four. We were all chained down here for years, but one of the Barton Guards made the horrible mistake of only half-locking Idalia's cuff. She then purposely wounded herself and took on the qualities of a Hellhound... what you see before you is the result of her escape. Well, mostly. That head over there is what remains of the first of us, who was butchered to make the other three." She made a jerking motion against her chains, shaking the building again. "I'm the only one who wasn''t able to escape, because they upped my security. You can call me Iveta."

Anastasia looked around the room once more, and took a few steps towards the girl. "Did the Barton's make all of you? How is that even possible unless they used the rumored power of magic?"

"Made...?" she let out a burst of psychotic laughter for a solid minute, before cutting it off suddenly "No, they kidnapped us, toyed with our bodies, then locked those who actually survived down here. You can say they made us who we are now, but they did not actually make us, we all had parents and families that we'll never see again because of those monsters. I don't blame Indris or Idalia for never coming back for me, the Bartons have... these... these nets. If the two of you fought them, you have likely already witnessed the horror of being caught in one."

What she says contradicted her previous statement, but Anastasia decided not to pry for now. She had so many questions now that needed answering. "I might of, to bad the knights themselves were quite weak." Anastasia then looked into the girls eyes intently, there was one thing she desperately needed to know. "If you are the same or similar enough to Idalia. Do you know what happens when your blood is consumed?"

"I know that the Bartons harvest it from us. I have never had the chance to see what they use it for." She narrowed her eyes at Anastasia and pursed her lips "What did you do?" she asked, not accusingly, but in such a way that the question sounded loaded.

Anastasia continued to stare into the girls eyes for a moment, before finally looking away. "I was weak. She was strong." Anastasia sighed. "Well, it looks like you're my only lead to finding her. Consider it your lucky day." Anastasia walked closer and inspected the chains, seeing if they could be cut with her sword.

The chains were made of a metal that Anastasia couldn't recognize. The light shining on it from the doorway reflected into many colors. The girl laughed as Anastasia approached her and spoke in a softer tone "As cute as it would be to watch you try to cut these chains, I'm going to make it easier for you to help me. The key is on that Guard's body over there, and I've been stuck staring at it for... however long it has been." she said, staring directly at a corpse only a few feet away.

Anastasia grimaced. She didn't like things she couldn't overpower. Her attention traveled to the guard and she walked over to the corpse, rummaging for the keys. "Why did Idalia never let you go if she's been here to feed you?"

"She hasn't. The only reason my body hasn't begun tearing itself apart is because I haven't hurt myself. I'm waiting for it to happen any moment now." she said, with a strange look in her eyes as she stared at the pile of corpses around Anastasia. A look of... hunger?

Anastasia sighed and took the keys from the corpse. She didn't believe her, but that didn't really matter. "Well, from what I know of Idalia is she loves to eat, I assume the same is true for you. Try not to go for me though, I don't feel like kicking a malnourished puppy." Anastasia smirked and began unlocking the chains, tensing up and getting ready to jump back just in case the girl decided she preferred live food.

The moment Anastasia unlocked the chains from the wall, the girl lunged past her, then she could hear the sound of crunching and slobbering. When Anastasia turns, she can see that the girl was eating the charred remains of the guards, throwing their melted armor to the side, and making low rumbling growling noises as she ate. Between the crunching, growling, and swallowing, she remarked "I munch crunch haven't seen Much crunch, snarl her since she left". After only about thirty seconds, she had already devoured the bones of the pile of guards. When she had finished, she moved over to the decapitated head, which amazingly hadn't begun decaying at all, dragging her chains with her, and picked it up, hugging it against her chest, before returning to Anastasia "Thank you for freeing me." she said. As she stood there, Anastasia could see that her body was continually shaking, starting from the moment she was released, and hadn't stopped since.

Anastasia waited patiently for the girl to finish feasting, it wasn't like she expected anything different to happen, she was just glad that the girl didn't go for her. "Maybe not, but you smelled her on me. I dont know exactly how strong your sense of smell is, but I figure if I bring you back to where I last saw her, you can sniff out where she went." Anastasia sheathed her weapon and walked towards the exit of the basement. "I am helping you in order to help Idalia. If you are anything like her, you will be strong once you've healed up, and that is reason enough to help."

The girl snickered as they headed towards the steps "I probably can, my sense of smell is pretty strong... for example, I can smell the group of mercenaries gathering in the room up above." she said, growling as she looked up towards the ceiling, while simultaneously freeing up her hands by slipping the decapitated head into Anastasia's inventory while whispering just loud enough for her to hear her "Please don't lose her."

Anastasia grinned wickedly and unsheathed her weapon. "You don't say? Well, if they value their lives they better be friendly." Anastasia looked at the head as it was slipped into her pack. "uhhh, I'll try, but I can't promise. Anyway, shall we go meet our guests?"
When the pair walk up the stairs and enter the upper room, just as Iveta said, there are four Mercs in Crimson Storm Guild armor, a Were-Giraffe, Were-Rhino, Were-Hippo, and Were-Lion, all of them battle ready. When they spot Anastasia and Iveta, the Lion speaks up "Right on schedule. Look, don't take it personally, but that girl you're with is someone else's property, so we're going to need you to hand her over nice and easily, or things may get ugly for you." his voice is smooth as silk, and his mane makes him look as though he makes a lot of Guild money, and as such, lives a higher class-styled life.

Anastasia rolls her eyes once she spots the group of werebeasts. "I went through quite a bit of trouble to get her myself. A group of animalistic abominations should know better than to think your business is more important than mine... Though, mind telling me who's 'property' she is though? I might guess Barton's?" She readied her blade and went into a combative stance, clearly indicating she was ready to fight if she didn't like the answer.

The Were-Lion grinned, a sharp-toothed grin, and in a mocking tone said "If you know who it belongs to, then why not hand it over and save yourself more trouble?" seemingly ignoring the fact that he was called an abomination, likely because he'd expect that kind of talk from a Spectross. Seeing Ana take a battle stance, however, the other Were-Beasts moved in closer to the Were-Lion, except the Giraffe, who was holding a crossbow.

Anastasia grinned back wickedly "If you prove your worth to me, and to Avenir, I'll hand her over." With that she quickly closed the distance, quickly enough to catch the Rhino off guard at least, and she cut a deep gash in one of his arms. But it was clear there wasn't much damage. "Oh wow, color me impressed you didn't fall over dead from the first strike abomination..." The Rhino grunted and took a step back, but didn't seem phased by the wound otherwise.

Following Anastasia's lead, Iveta stomped forward, and grabbed the Were-Lion by the throat, then slammed him into the cement floor, smashing it to pieces and burying him in the rubble, while laughing maniacally. All the Were-Lion did was gurgle helplessly beneath the cement debris. Though it did sound like he muttered something about this not going to plan.

The Giraffe Merc, hiding behind the Hippo Merc, shouts "I bet you like being penetrated, Spectross whore!" and fires an arrow at Anastasia, which embeds her shoulder. With the tip bathed in purple liquid, she can be sure it's poisoned. The Giraffe laughs as the arrow impacts her. "There will be a lot more where that came from you slut!"

The Rhino Merc lowers its head and charges Iveta with its horn, but she grabs his horn mid-charge, stopping him dead without budging, then shoves him backwards. The confused look on the Rhino's face says he's seen some shit, but not this. The hippo grabs the rhino to keep him from falling backwards, and whispers something into his ear. To which the Rhino face contorts into a look of worry.

The Lion Merc starts to work his way out of the rubble slowly, the heaving underneath implying that the wind is knocked out of him. He tries to say something to his teammates, but all that comes out is gasping and coughing.

The Hippo Merc stomps towards Anastasia, knocking her off-balance with his massive stomach, then hitting her with a giant club the size of an entire person. Anastasia stumbles on her feet and falls over onto all fours at the Hippo's attack. She grumbles and quickly fishes out a potion from her pocket and chugs it, getting up and readying herself again. Then what the Giraffe said registers in her head. She angrily snaps her attention to him and gives him a look of complete rage. "You dare insult me in such a way you useless piece of flesh!?" At her words her eyes glow a bright red and a barely visible red wave emanates from her, pulsing through the room and disorienting the mercs

The Mercs all look like they were slapped in the face as Anastasia unleashes her psychic attack. The Lion manages to say a single word despite this. "No..." But he was so quiet his friends didn't here him. While this is happening, Iveta pulls the Lion Merc the rest of the way out of the rubble, then holding him by his neck, she hits the Rhino Merc with him, sending him flying into the far wall, and bouncing off of onto the floor, the force of the blow leaving an indentation in the Rhino Merc's armor in the shape of the Lion's face.

Apparently tired of dealing with Iveta, the Rhino Merc gets up and charges Anastasia instead, goring her through the stomach with his horn, and getting stuck there. Some of Anastasia blood gushing around his horn.

Anastasia roars in anger at the Rhino's charge. "You dare touch me with your filthy flesh you inferior being!? AVENIR CONDEMS YOU!" Anastasia grabs the Rhinos horn and with all her strength rips it straight out of his skull. She turns it around, and with what looks like red energy pouring into her from the surroundings, she slams it back into him, causing his horn upper half to explode into gore and bone. She laughs manically, seeming to have caught the same bug as her companion, and turns her attention to the Giraffe. In a flash she closes the distance and grabs his, throwing him to the ground and cracking the floor slightly. She brings her face close to his, and chuckles, her eyes glowing red still. "Do you mind repeating what you said last time? I must of misheard you!" She says, a insane grin spread across her face.

The Giraffe yells and tries to push away Anastasia, but to no avail. Yet it seems he wasn't done fighting yet. "I... Said... You... Are a... Whore!" He manages to choke out, to which Anastasia responds by slamming his head into the ground, causing him to see stars.

Iveta lets out a loud roar and slams the ground with the Lion's body, shaking the structure and sending out a shockwave which knocks the enemy mercs to the ground The Lion's body goes limp, with every bone in his body apparently having been broken.

The Giraffe somehow manages to scramble out from beneath Anastasia and hurriedly fishes a scroll out of his backpack, almost dropping it, he unrolls it and throws it into the center of the room. A red light slowly etches a triangle around everyone, which then explodes, engulfing Iveta and Anastasia in a fiery explosion.
While Iveta is jarred and stumbling from the explosion, the Hippo Merc swings the club at her, but she barely budges from the hit, and just looks at the Hippo in annoyance. The Hippo looks at the giraffe with fear, apparently finally realizing the situation he's in.

Anastasia laughs as the Giraffe runs. "Why run away? You're only delaying the inevitable you scum! Hey Iveta... That was a pretty cool ability you used to shake the ground... Mind using it again?" As she says this she takes out another potion and drinks it, her smaller wounds closing and her bleeding stopping. She then charges the Giraffe and slashes at him with her blade, a large gash running from his right shoulder to the left hip. The Giraffe screams and agony and yells at the hippo. "Run!"

Iveta looks at Anastasia and cocks her head, then blinks twice. Instead of using Seismic Quake again, she charges the Giraffe and uses her teeth to rip his head off, then shakes her head, swinging the Giraffe head back and forth in her teeth, and slinging blood everywhere, while she growled like a rabid wolf. While Iveta shreds the Giraffe's head, the Hippo Merc, instead of running, seems to completely panic and instead uses the distraction to fish out a scroll, which he uses to emit a red light towards Iveta, however, the light fades, and all that occurs is a look of confusion crossing the Hippo Merc's face when Iveta is still there, shredding his companion's corpse.

Anastasia sighs when Iveta just eats the guys head. "Guess not." She turns towards the final merc and surprisingly calmly walks towards him. "Well well, looks like you guys were in over your heads. Guess I wont be handing her over to you after all. Don't worry though, as the last man standing, I'm sure Avenir despises you slightly less." She stops right in front of the Hippo, and despite giving him all the time in the world, she calmly slides her blade into his torso, blood spurting onto the ground.

The Hippo Merc coughs up some blood and stumbles backwards, looking at his wound and the corpses of his friends, then looking back Anastasia. "D-do you really want a monster l-like that?" he asks, but before Anastasia can say anything to him, Iveta grabs him and lifts him over her head, then tears him in half, throwing both halves on the ground and starting to eat them, tearing the Hippo Merc's corpse to pieces with her teeth, and growling as she eats him.

Anastasia looks at Iveta as she tears him to shreds and sighs. "She's strong enough for my tastes, but I do admit I prefer Idalia, this one is a bit messy." She smirks and starts rummaging through what was left of the corpses for anything...

After grabbing what she felt was good enough to take, she started heading towards the exit. "Well that was fun, now lets go look for Idalia."

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

When Ana and Iveta are done, the Mercenaries are all dead, and Iveta has proceeded to half-eat and rip apart the corpses, then throw their guts and various body parts all over the room.

When Anastasia tells Iveta that they are going to go find Idalia, Iveta pauses for a moment, and a look of concentration crosses her face, as if weighing her options. She grabs the disembodied hand of one of the Mercenaries and starts chewing on it as she follows Anastasia outside, but doesn't say anything.

When they exit the building, pools of blood can be found everywhere, and the smell of copper fills the air. It is also now night. After the two have stepped outside, Iveta's eyes shift from side to side and she removes the disembodied hand from her mouth just long enough to speak "I wonder how long it has been since I've stepped outside. I didn't even remember that it looked like this." she said, before sticking the hand back into her mouth and resuming chewing on it.

Iveta started looking around, then squinted her eyes while looking at the very top of one of the intact walls around Baskerville, then froze entirely.



Standing abut half of a mile away from the wall were several extremely tall black bodies, wandering aimlessly, with yellow lights being emitted from between their shoulders, like a spotlight. The creatures were roughly the size of the wall, and didn't seem to have any purpose, or they were looking for something.

[Littlemankitten]

Anastasia looks around the area when they exit. "That blood wasn't here before..." She muttered to herself, wondering what had happened while she was inside. However, it was also night, Anastasia figured that with Iveta by her side they might be strong enough to fight off whatever came their way, after all, the scariest thing she seen so far was that bone gol-. Her eyes had followed Iveta's and she noticed those... things. It was grotesque looking, if she had to guess, that blood might of come from them, but she wasn't sure. Anastasia quickly grabbed Iveta's arm and drug her back inside. "Yea no, I hope you don't mind staying in here for another night. I'm sure you remember that night time is never a time you should consider being out at." Anastasia would try and drag her all the way back into one of the rooms far away from the entrance. She sat at a far corner and sighed. "Well, I sure hope you can still smell someone after 2 days, and probably after a bunch of creature have ran around the area... also I suppose this is as good as time as any to get rid of some stuff for Avenir." Anastasia took out every item in her inventory and laid them out in a row, picking out which ones she wanted to keep and which ones she wanted to destroy. Turns out it was most of what she had. She brought her old rusted hammer, a rusted mace, the fedora she had picked up, the two suits of heavy armor that looked similar to stone, a bronze tiara, and a bronze axe, and finally a suit of steel armor. After picking all these items out, she brought them to the basement and meticulously and careful started to break them. Using just her hands and occasionally help from her blade. Every time she broke a item she would mutter to herself. "These items are not worthy of a servant of Avenir, they shall be purged to help make the world more perfect." She did her best to keep quiet, and took her time with it all. Once she was done, she would head back to wherever Iveta was and prepare what little she could use for bedding so she could sleep.

[lilbooth]

Cee Cee left her new mount at the door and had him await her return. "Feel free to find some food or fuck a few mares tonight."She said patting the goart on the head. "Hi" Started Cee Cee as she scanned the board behind the receptionist. "I believe I'd like to take some mercenary work for the Black Dragon. Though there are a few things on that list that are well... complicated. For starters, Celio collided with Monsteropolis. Neither of the two cities are intact anymore so that contract for Richard Johnson may be void. Secondly, I came from Calt not that long ago and may have already investigated that structure that is listed on the board. Regardless I would like to accept the Baskerville contract. Is there a limit on the number of contracts I can accept at a time or no? And one final question is there some initiation I have to do? Or do I immediately gain access to the guild perks once accepting mercenary work? As you can see my clothes and hair are soaked in blood and a trip to the bath could really do me some good." She concluded. Removing her top and beginning to ring it out.

[Mark3000]

The bloody rain had given way to night which filled Lilith with a bit of unease. She recounted her last two night encounters, and didn't want to make it three in a row.

When Metia gave her critique of Lilith's idea, the one-horned woman nodded. "You're probably right. In that case I'll..." Lilith stopped mid sentence as the two were approached by a trio of mercenaries in white armor. These stand offs must be common in this line of work Lilith thought as she looked at the three white knights with disdain.

Though that look turned to one of surprise was Metia putting herself between Lilith and the threat before her. Lilith thought the experience Mercenary saw her only as an annoyance. But it might be more that Lilith owned Metia a debt more then anything. A debt Lilith would be sure to pay back.

It seemed neither side was willing to back down. A drawn out fight would just make taking down the Red Cap harder...

"Why don't we give you something else in exchange?" Lilith said from behind Metia. "We had a rather close call with a strong sea monster. I'd be willing to give you the details in exchange for this job? I'm sure any guild in the city would reward you kindly for this kind of info." Lilith proposed to the mercenary leading the group, all the while steeling herself for a possible fight.

[MiscChaos]

Ophelia didn't understand why Annie sighed when she saw the look on Alice's face. Several hours later, not only does she understand, she wishes Annie had been more vocal with her misgivings and spared the both of them from came from her prompting. She now understands what Lady Techra meant when she said that religious people were crazy and sort of wishes she had just done what she usually did and accepted her Lady's wisdom as fact rather than find out for herself. Still, the benefits of worship to Masino at least seem useful. She's well aware that her inability to take a hit is one of her biggest weaknesses. In 2 of the 4 fights she's been in recently, this lack has caused her to fall before she has defeated her enemies. That she was saved by Alice and came into 1 of those 2 weakened already doesn't matter, the fact is she took damage and fell because she is unused to taking damage. Masino's blessing of toughened skin, even if Alice would refer to it as being filled with JUSTICE (...and she is now terrified that she can never think of JUSTICE without it being shouted even in her own mind. She doesn't even subscribe to the idea of JUSTICE! Her Lady tells her what is right and wrong!), would alleviate that lack. She can feel herself becoming stronger through her experiences, but she's not strong enough yet. She cannot complete her Lady's orders as she is. She needs more.

By the time Alice has run out of steam, night as fallen and Ophelia feels a niggle of doubt in the back of her mind. 3 out of her 4 fights have occurred in the dark. 2 out of those 3 have resulted in crushing loss or retreat to prevent crushing loss. She supposes this is making her wary of the night. It's not overwhelming yet, but she is aware she needs to overcome this or be compromised. It'd be for the best to move this along before that happens. She also thinks Alice may not go to the Colosseum of Fools as a favor, so she'll need another way of convincing her to go with them.

"I thank you for your passionate sermon on the values of Masino." And she's never told a better lie in her life than this "I am actually pursuing someone in the name of JUSTICE right now. She can feel herself blushing because she can no longer refer to JUSTICE in any other tone thanks to this woman. "Unfortunately they have taken refuge within the Colosseum of Fools and we will not be allowed in without a team of 3. I would like to ask you to accompany us into the Colosseum to that we may find him and apprehend him." Apprehend sounds gentle enough for what she plans to do to that man. After all the set backs and pain she's gone through because of this man, his death will be swift yet as painful as she can make it. She believes the word she's looking for in this situation is "catharsis". She is going to gain catharsis through horribly murdering this man. Maybe this will rid of her this malicious streak she has gained since she started this assignment.

[mrblah]

He was barely listening to her, in his panic from the excruciating pain he was in. It took some time before Amun calmed down enough to think properly, after the bloody rain had vanished and the pain became more bearable. He made a mental note to immediately hide behind cover at the slightest sound similar to thunder. The outside world was scary...

He grit his teeth in pain as he was so quickly and roughly pulled up onto his feet, taking a brief moment to recover as he was reminded of his previous injuries. At the mention of the possibility of dangerous creatures coming to their location, Amun shuddered. Any more danger was very unwelcome... meaning it'd be the right call to leave home, or... well, what's left of it. He nodded tightly at Lyanna's suggestion, moving closer to where she stood. Just as she had, he gave the surrounding area a long, forlorn look, eyes brimming with regret and pain at the sight of his ruined home. It was his fault, and now he'd have to carry the burden of his failure... a pang of hurt gripped his heart, and his hands moved to clap together in prayer, but they stopped just inches away from contact.

No. There was no sense in praying. A bit of anger welled up in the former noble, now homeless and alone in a dangerous world filled with many types of evil. Why pray to Nour, when clearly she didn't care much for him? ... He shook his head, dropping his arms to his sides. Amun muttered a simple goodbye, and turned to Lyanna.

"Do you know of any safe places nearby that we could rest? I'm afraid my knowledge of geography doesn't extend to small towns or anything. Any place to get my injuries treated properly would be great, but I'll take a simple cave to sleep in..." Then, after they've rested, they could think further on their dilemma, and Amun could have more time to think of some way to get Lyanna off the course of vengeance he'd set for her in desperation. Going off to fight what he had would be suicide for her. Not even the combined power of him, Captain Prairie, and whoever else that third person was, was enough to stop that... damned monster of a man.

If Lyanna pointed out any safe place to head to next, he'd follow her lead and go there.

[RandomRoninKitten]

The world becomes even darker as Advanced Darkness washes over the land.

Anastasia Ursa/LittleManKitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Anastasia looks around the area when they exit. "That blood wasn't here before..." She muttered to herself, wondering what had happened while she was inside. However, it was also night, Anastasia figured that with Iveta by her side they might be strong enough to fight off whatever came their way, after all, the scariest thing she seen so far was that bone gol-. Her eyes had followed Iveta's and she noticed those... things. It was grotesque looking, if she had to guess, that blood might of come from them, but she wasn't sure. Anastasia quickly grabbed Iveta's arm and drug her back inside. "Yea no, I hope you don't mind staying in here for another night. I'm sure you remember that night time is never a time you should consider being out at." Anastasia would try and drag her all the way back into one of the rooms far away from the entrance. She sat at a far corner and sighed. "Well, I sure hope you can still smell someone after 2 days, and probably after a bunch of creature have ran around the area... also I suppose this is as good as time as any to get rid of some stuff for Avenir." Anastasia took out every item in her inventory and laid them out in a row, picking out which ones she wanted to keep and which ones she wanted to destroy. Turns out it was most of what she had. She brought her old rusted hammer, a rusted mace, the fedora she had picked up, the two suits of heavy armor that looked similar to stone, a bronze tiara, and a bronze axe, and finally a suit of steel armor. After picking all these items out, she brought them to the basement and meticulously and careful started to break them. Using just her hands and occasionally help from her blade. Every time she broke a item she would mutter to herself. "These items are not worthy of a servant of Avenir, they shall be purged to help make the world more perfect." She did her best to keep quiet, and took her time with it all. Once she was done, she would head back to wherever Iveta was and prepare what little she could use for bedding so she could sleep.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Iveta allowed Anastasia to drag her back into the building while staring at the creatures, the hand still clenched between her teeth as she chewed and sucked on it "I wonder what those taste like" she said, the hand muffling her speech since she didn't bother taking it out.

'I'll be able to find her regardless of the weather or whatever else went through the area. Especially if you have something of hers." she said, also muffled due to the hand in her mouth. She grabbed it with her hands and bit off the thumb, then with loud crunching, she ate it while Anastasia destroyed the items from her inventory seeming pretty content with the dismembered hand. When Anastasia laid down to sleep, Iveta would crawl behind one of the destroyed panels and out of sight.

Anastasia attempted to sleep, however, when she started to drift off, she was interrupted by a "Knock. Knock." as if something or someone was knocking on one of the doors in the room. However, Anastasia ignores it and tries to drift back off to sleep. After several minutes of complete silence, she begins to drift back off to sleep, but just then another "Knock. Knock." sound would emanate from somewhere in the room, waking her back up, the rhythm being exactly the same as the previous time this occurred. After roughly 10 or 15 minutes of this cycle of events, Anastasia finally gets up and goes over to check on Iveta, who she sees is sound asleep... still chewing on the hand in her sleep.

Anastasia grumbles and shakes Iveta roughly. "Hey, something is trying to get our attention, it's knocking on the walls or something. Perhaps it's something new for you to eat or whatever. but I don't know what it is."

Iveta sits up slowly and rubs her eyes "Hmmmph?" she says, sitting up and peaking over the row of destroyed panels and looking around. Not seeing anything, she climbs out and walks around the room, opening one of the doors and peeking inside. After looking in, she opens the door the rest of the way and stands aside, showing Anastasia that there's nothing in there aside from some cleaning supplies, such as brooms, mops, and buckets. "Mph?" she says, confused.

"yes I know, but I'm hearing some weird ass knocking sounds and its keeping me up. I dont know what the fuck it could be, but knowing how this world has been so far, I doubt it's here to sell us some apple pies." Anastasia sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Man I can never sleep without something keeping me up." Anastasia says.

Iveta rubs her head, thoughtfully, while chewing on the hand, then takes it out of her mouth "I don't smell any other creatures in here, and they can't have broken in, we'd have heard a crash." she said, closing the closet door, then crossing the room and bolting the front doors shut. "What do you propose we do?"

Anastasia closes her eyes and thinks for a while. "For now, wait, I want to see if it happens again, then at least we'll be on the same page. If it doesn't then well, this thing wants me specifically." Anastasia went back to a wall and leaned against it.

Iveta sat down and started chewing on the hand again, then time stopping after a moment to lick the remaining fingers, at some point it had been reduced to three. The two silently waited for roughly an hour, during which time there was no knocking.

Anastasia eventually loses her patience and slams her fist into the wall. "Okay, this thing clearly has something against me and I'm not really appreciating it. The least it could do is come and fight!" She sighs heavily and tries to control herself. "You can go back to sleep if you want Iveta, clearly it wont come around while you're awake." she says, then goes back to bed.

Iveta nodded her head and climbed back into her place behind the panels. Once again, right as Anastasia was about to drift off into sleep, the "Knock. Knock." occurred, just as it had every time before, the exact same timing and sound. This time, however, Anastasia could pinpoint the place of origin; the broom closet door.

As swift as a coursing river, Anastasia immediately bolted into a upright position, then practically jumped straight into the door, using all her weight to knock it down "Fuck off!", however when the door was obliterated into millions of pieces, and the interior of the closet was revealed, there was nothing there but cleaning supplies.

Anastasia gives up and goes back to bed, however, just like before, a knocking sound would wake Anastasia back up, still emanating from the closet. This cycle continues through the entire night, and prevents Anastasia from sleeping at all.

CeeCee/Lilbooth

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Cee Cee left her new mount at the door and had him await her return. "Feel free to find some food or fuck a few mares tonight."She said patting the goart on the head. "Hi" Started Cee Cee as she scanned the board behind the receptionist. "I believe I'd like to take some mercenary work for the Black Dragon. Though there are a few things on that list that are well... complicated. For starters, Celio collided with Monsteropolis. Neither of the two cities are intact anymore so that contract for Richard Johnson may be void. Secondly, I came from Calt not that long ago and may have already investigated that structure that is listed on the board. Regardless I would like to accept the Baskerville contract. Is there a limit on the number of contracts I can accept at a time or no? And one final question is there some initiation I have to do? Or do I immediately gain access to the guild perks once accepting mercenary work? As you can see my clothes and hair are soaked in blood and a trip to the bath could really do me some good." She concluded. Removing her top and beginning to ring it out.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The girl smiled and listened intently "If the Ralph contract is voided by the loss of the client, one of our Mercenaries will be able to confirm it for us, and will let us know. As for the business with the Spire, what we specifically want to know is what they do, and where they originate from. If you can answer all of our questions, we'll consider the contract fulfilled and you'll receive payment." she said, waving her hand limply at the end of her wrist as she spoke. "You can accept as many contracts at once as you like, however other mercenaries may fulfill them while you're gone, so it's probably best to focus on one at a time. As long as you have one accepted and leave out on that contract in the morning, you may stay at our Inn and use our services." she explains, all in one breath, clearly used to having to explain all of this. After she finishes, she pulls a curtain aside with another board, and sticks a magnet with a note on it to the Baskerville listing, and writes CeeCee's name on it.

Lilith Rose/Mark3000

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The bloody rain had given way to night which filled Lilith with a bit of unease. She recounted her last two night encounters, and didn't want to make it three in a row.

When Metia gave her critique of Lilith's idea, the one-horned woman nodded. "You're probably right. In that case I'll..." Lilith stopped mid sentence as the two were approached by a trio of mercenaries in white armor. These stand offs must be common in this line of work Lilith thought as she looked at the three white knights with disdain.

Though that look turned to one of surprise was Metia putting herself between Lilith and the threat before her. Lilith thought the experience Mercenary saw her only as an annoyance. But it might be more that Lilith owned Metia a debt more then anything. A debt Lilith would be sure to pay back.

It seemed neither side was willing to back down. A drawn out fight would just make taking down the Red Cap harder...

"Why don't we give you something else in exchange?" Lilith said from behind Metia. "We had a rather close call with a strong sea monster. I'd be willing to give you the details in exchange for this job? I'm sure any guild in the city would reward you kindly for this kind of info." Lilith proposed to the mercenary leading the group, all the while steeling herself for a possible fight.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The Mercenary up in front laughs at Lilith's offer and responds condescendingly "Why would we accept hearsay from a filthy Grey-Skin in place of a tangible job? We KNOW that the Red Cap is in there, and that there's a demand for that job, we have no evidence that the specific Sea Monster that you supposedly had a close encounter with and SURVIVED even exists. Everyone who wasn't dropped on their head at birth would know that Aquatic Life is not to be trifled with, and those who do, will not survive. You must take us for fools." The mercenaries continued to posture angrily, one side and the other seemingly waiting for them to step aside.

Metia tilted her head slightly without turning to face Lilith "I'm actually starting to wonder if you really don't have brain damage. Trying to bargain with a story like that is BOUND not to be taken seriously." she whispered.

Ophelia/MiscChaos

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Ophelia didn't understand why Annie sighed when she saw the look on Alice's face. Several hours later, not only does she understand, she wishes Annie had been more vocal with her misgivings and spared the both of them from came from her prompting. She now understands what Lady Techra meant when she said that religious people were crazy and sort of wishes she had just done what she usually did and accepted her Lady's wisdom as fact rather than find out for herself. Still, the benefits of worship to Masino at least seem useful. She's well aware that her inability to take a hit is one of her biggest weaknesses. In 2 of the 4 fights she's been in recently, this lack has caused her to fall before she has defeated her enemies. That she was saved by Alice and came into 1 of those 2 weakened already doesn't matter, the fact is she took damage and fell because she is unused to taking damage. Masino's blessing of toughened skin, even if Alice would refer to it as being filled with JUSTICE (...and she is now terrified that she can never think of JUSTICE without it being shouted even in her own mind. She doesn't even subscribe to the idea of JUSTICE! Her Lady tells her what is right and wrong!), would alleviate that lack. She can feel herself becoming stronger through her experiences, but she's not strong enough yet. She cannot complete her Lady's orders as she is. She needs more.

By the time Alice has run out of steam, night as fallen and Ophelia feels a niggle of doubt in the back of her mind. 3 out of her 4 fights have occurred in the dark. 2 out of those 3 have resulted in crushing loss or retreat to prevent crushing loss. She supposes this is making her wary of the night. It's not overwhelming yet, but she is aware she needs to overcome this or be compromised. It'd be for the best to move this along before that happens. She also thinks Alice may not go to the Colosseum of Fools as a favor, so she'll need another way of convincing her to go with them.

"I thank you for your passionate sermon on the values of Masino." And she's never told a better lie in her life than this "I am actually pursuing someone in the name of JUSTICE right now. She can feel herself blushing because she can no longer refer to JUSTICE in any other tone thanks to this woman. "Unfortunately they have taken refuge within the Colosseum of Fools and we will not be allowed in without a team of 3. I would like to ask you to accompany us into the Colosseum to that we may find him and apprehend him." Apprehend sounds gentle enough for what she plans to do to that man. After all the set backs and pain she's gone through because of this man, his death will be swift yet as painful as she can make it. She believes the word she's looking for in this situation is "catharsis". She is going to gain catharsis through horribly murdering this man. Maybe this will rid of her this malicious streak she has gained since she started this assignment.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

At the mention of bringing someone to JUSTICE, alice's eyes flashed and she struck a pose, pointing off into the distance, with the moon behind her "THE EVILDOER WILL BE BROUGHT TO GREAT JUSTICE IN THE NAME OF MASINO!" she shouted at the top of her lungs "Fear not, future prophet of the great and mighty Masino, I shall assist you in your great JUSTICE-filled adventure, and together, we shall triumph over the forces of evil, they shall cower in fear of the our power to enforce great JUSTICE across the land, for where there is a crime committed, or or a cry for help, we shall be there to serve great and righteous JUSTICE in the name of Masino! My Vorpal Blade will never rest so long as evil still exists in this world, the forces of JUSTICE shall arise every time evil creeps out of its hole. HE MAY THINK HE CAN GET AWAY WITH THE GREAT EVIL HE HAS COMMITTED, BUT WE WILL SEE THAT HE IS WRONG!" she says, striking another pose, gripping the handle of her blade, however Annie stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder "Uh. I'm happy that you're willing to help us, and that you're so excited to get started... but we should probably stay here for the night and head to the Colosseum in the morning, instead of charging off into the night... when the monsters are at their most dangerous..." Annie said, trying to keep a straight face, and failing miserably.

In response, Alice blinked twice and looked at the sky, as if realizing for the first time that it's night "Ah, yes, it is indeed night. We shall not rest, but bide our time, for evil to drop its guard." she said, turning and knocking on the door thrice, after which the tiny door at the base of the gates opened up for them to crawl inside. Once inside, Alice waved at the Gatekeeper, who waved back... much like every other person who passed the group. Everyone seemed to know Alice, and in fact, seemed to like her so much that they didn't seem to notice that she was with a Vagabond. She guided the group down the strangely snow-less streets, which Ophelia would seen discover is because of furnaces strategically placed in the streets to keep the city warm, of Calt until they came upon the "Dread Fox Inn", a white structure with blue doors and a lighter blue roof. Leading them inside, Alice started ringing the bell at the empty desk rapidly, until a little girl came to the front desk, a smile immediately crossing her face "Big sis!" she said happily, to which Alice responded by leaning over the desk and kissing her on the forehead "Moira! Could you get us a room, please? One for my friends and I? We just need it for the night, it's for..." she leaned over again and whispered in her ear, but Ophelia could still hear her "Great JUSTICE" she said, causing Annie to facepalm slowly, next to Ophelia. Moira nodded and handed Alice a key, which she accepted with a smile "Thank you~" she said, patting her head gently "Be a good girl, now, and tell your mommy that I said 'hi'" she said, winking before leading the group down the white hallways to their room. The room had a chest to keep their stuff in, a spare change of clothes, a white shirt with the Dread Fox emblem on it, with a light blue skirt, and matching underwear, spare towels, a kitchen, and a bathroom with a shower with light blue curtains. Alice flopped onto one of the beds, covered with a light blue sheet and a royal blue blanket, and sighed "So, since we have only two beds in the room, we're going to have to double up. Otherwise, enjoy your stay, it's on me." she said, smiling at Ophelia and Annie.

Amun Khufu/MrBlah

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

He was barely listening to her, in his panic from the excruciating pain he was in. It took some time before Amun calmed down enough to think properly, after the bloody rain had vanished and the pain became more bearable. He made a mental note to immediately hide behind cover at the slightest sound similar to thunder. The outside world was scary...

He grit his teeth in pain as he was so quickly and roughly pulled up onto his feet, taking a brief moment to recover as he was reminded of his previous injuries. At the mention of the possibility of dangerous creatures coming to their location, Amun shuddered. Any more danger was very unwelcome... meaning it'd be the right call to leave home, or... well, what's left of it. He nodded tightly at Lyanna's suggestion, moving closer to where she stood. Just as she had, he gave the surrounding area a long, forlorn look, eyes brimming with regret and pain at the sight of his ruined home. It was his fault, and now he'd have to carry the burden of his failure... a pang of hurt gripped his heart, and his hands moved to clap together in prayer, but they stopped just inches away from contact.

No. There was no sense in praying. A bit of anger welled up in the former noble, now homeless and alone in a dangerous world filled with many types of evil. Why pray to Nour, when clearly she didn't care much for him? ... He shook his head, dropping his arms to his sides. Amun muttered a simple goodbye, and turned to Lyanna.

"Do you know of any safe places nearby that we could rest? I'm afraid my knowledge of geography doesn't extend to small towns or anything. Any place to get my injuries treated properly would be great, but I'll take a simple cave to sleep in..." Then, after they've rested, they could think further on their dilemma, and Amun could have more time to think of some way to get Lyanna off the course of vengeance he'd set for her in desperation. Going off to fight what he had would be suicide for her. Not even the combined power of him, Captain Prairie, and whoever else that third person was, was enough to stop that... damned monster of a man.

If Lyanna pointed out any safe place to head to next, he'd follow her lead and go there.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

When Amun muttered 'goodbye', he would find it difficult to shake a tugging feeling in his heart, as if he had just cut ties with someone very special, as if he had just burned a bridge.

Lyanna nodded her head "We can go to Calt... we can go to Ferraille... we can go to Azraq..." she said, grabbing the hilt of her sword and starting to lead the pair off into the night. All around them, the night made it difficult to see anything, especially as it grew even darker. Off in the distance, a loud roar shook the ground, however, the pair could see Ferraille in the distance. The city seemed to be made of scrap heaps, and had no all, just a rickety fence all around it. Lyanna spoke as they approached "I'd take us to city with a wall... but this isn't ordinary darkness... this is Advanced Darkness, so we can't risk the trip." she said, as they entered through the gates, the gatekeeper, a man in armor which looked like it was made of scrap metal, just like the city "Welcome to Ferraille! I hope you enjoy your stay! Is there anything we can do for you?" he asked, in the friendliest tone Amun had ever heard.

[Mark3000]

"I don't see you coming up with anything better." Lilith whispered as she snapped back at the armored were-dragon. The night now giving way to advance darkness. Looking at the well armed knights she started to breath heavily. The stare down between their two sides had really started to get to the Nomad.

"Enough of this" Lilith said having lost her patience.

Stepping from behind Metia, Lilith step forwards and focused on the leader of the white knights. "If you want something tangible, about me?" she said with a strange mix of defiance and seductiveness. She had tried to run away from her past as a Zalaam worshiper, offering the cult her body to survive. Even before that she would use herself as a bargaining chip. Behind the disgusted looks she got, there were those whose eyes hid a lustful gaze for her.

"I'm guessing you've never been with a Grey-skin before. I assure you that the experience alone will be worth this one little job. And it's not like anyone will ever know out here in the forest. What do you say? My body for the job" Lilith said with strange amount of confidence. Her red eyes giving off an alluring glow in the night.

Use Musician's Charm

[lilbooth]

"Well if you have a questionnaire about the spires I will do my best to answer. I may also have a few entries to add to the guild's grimoire, and I will be happy to do that as soon as I am not drenched in blood. I do have one other question. Is there a place I can safely store some of my possesions? I've been carrying around all my gear for quite some time and I'd like to lighten the load so to speak." She said as she hefted her bag to the ground and forced a smile. She peered forward at the mercenary board and looked at the small token that represented her. She saw an assortment of names on the wall but quickly realized she had never given her name to the receptionist. Leaning over the desk she squinted at the lettering and it read slutty wolf girl. CeeCee was about to offer some protest but figured she would have to record her actual name in the grimoire so it wouldn't matter anyway.
"Ohh, also is there a guild craftsman or should I find one among the town?" She asked as began looking around for the baths. In the event that Cee Cee was given a place to store her items, she would do that first. Then she would first take off all her armor and weapons, leaving her amulet and ring on, no need to remove those to get comfortable. She would then try to find a wash basin and clean and dry her armor and clothes, and then finally make her way into a hopefully very warm bath.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Cee Cee arrived in the guild bathhouse already half naked and covered and blood. She spent whatever time necessary to wash all her clothes and gear, slowly wearing less and less until she stood naked, save a venire of blood, by the baths. She had walked in some time ago topless which managed to draw a few looks but nothing else. Though, as she continued to strip and clean over the next handful of minutes her naked form and wagging tail attracted a bit more attention. Just as she was finishing up her washing a bulky grey skinned man approached her. He was absolutely massive. He wore nothing but a towel, that may normally wrap around someone's waist but this man’s towel was simply draped over his crotch. The floor creaked and strained under his weight as he made his way to towards the edge of Cee Cee’s wash basin. She had made a tentative glance when she heard the floor straining under the man but had not thought much of it, she was nearly done with her washing and didn’t care to be distracted. The thudding and creaking finally ceased as the man arrived next to Cee Cee. He stood near seven feet tall and easily surpasses three hundred pounds. His skin was dark grey and looked thick like hide around his shoulders and arms. He had a small lump in the center of his forehead, protruding maybe an inch or two. Under the towel that clung to his crotch was a thick bulge. He stood there in silence for some time as Cee Cee continued to wash her gear.
“Something I can help you with sir?” She asked not turning away from her task at hand.
“ Just enjoying the view little miss.” He said, his voice was actually quite normal and a bit higher than Cee Cee had expected.
“And what was it you enjoy viewing?” Cee Cee asked, clearly teasing the man. He leaned in abruptly and gave Cee Cee a powerful smack on the ass, grabbing her butt tightly afterward. Cee Cee responded with a powerful yelp and froze up for a moment.
“Sorry.” He whispered to her, “I would never force myself on a woman. My friends over there dared me to come over… no hard feelings?” He said in a hushed tone, gesturing towards the corner of the bathhouse where two other were-beasts had congregated. They both looked quite fit. One was a tall hairy man with long golden locks and a thick beard to match, his eyes were an enticing amber color. The other was a slightly taller and had no hair that Cee Cee could see. No eyebrows, no head hair, no chest hair, he looked a bit scary, to be honest. But they both looked like battle-hardened mercenaries. Cee Cee was still a bit in shock after the smack but this big guy seemed harmless and she was willing to help him out. Plus there was a bit of an audience, something that Cee Cee and her goddess would smile upon.

Cee Cee shifted so that her bare ass was right in front of the man and began grinding against his towel. She continued to clean her belongings in the wash basin as she worked her ass against the mercenary. “So what else was in the dare? You just had to come over and grab my ass?” She asked. “Uhh… yeah that was kind of all.” Said the mercenary, daring not move away. “Well now that you are here care to give your friends a bit of a show?” She asked as she slid backward and held his cock between her thighs. “Are you sure about that Miss? It may-” He started to say.. “What you think I can’t handle it, tough guy?” She said quickly pulling the towel free and grabbing his cock. The mercenary only managed a grunt in return before he fell silent, CeeCee took that as in invitation. She dropped down to her knees and turned the mercenary so that his two friends, and by extension, everyone in the bathhouse could see his cock and CeeCee diligently bobbing her head up and down. He definitely had a hefty member but it wasn’t exactly a challenge for CeeCee. She made sure to make plenty of eye contact with the two other were-beasts as she worked his shaft, watching their reaction. A cacophony of cheers could be heard from all around the bathhouse. The two other were-beasts had definitely noticed her eyeing them. They stayed lounged in their corner, both their cocks stiffening. Several others in the bath seemed to be having the same reaction, mostly men but a few women as well had begun to masturbate to the show. “Come’on big guy I can tell you’re holding out on me. Why don’t you kick it up a notch?” She said squeezing his scrotum and stroking the base of his shaft. The large mercenary was already sweating profusely and it looked like he had gotten a bit weak in the knees since CeeCee had started. “Please.” She whimpered smacking his cock on her face. The mercenary grunted heavily and squatted down. “Fine.” He said, “Since you asked so nicely.” His whole body rippled and swelled, his already impressive bulk grew even more substantial, as did his height, and the size of his horn. CeeCee just sat back and watched his cock made the transformation as well. His skin grew thicker and discolored around the base of his cock enclosing part of his shaft and his scrotum in a leathery sheath. His cock went from hefty to downright humongous, easily draping CeeCee face and extending past it. She began kissing at the base and slowly moved all the way back up to the tip, where she found the most interesting dick she had ever seen. “Why would you ever hide this it looks so cool.” She said grasping just below the glands with both her hands. She teased the very tip with the tong and then took it into her mouth. She sucked gingerly watching the rhino-man squirm under her touch. Having teased him enough she stood up and kissed the man on the cheek. “Why don’t you pick me up, shove that big dick into me, and carry me over there to your friends.” She whispered to him grinding her wet pussy along his shaft. The rhino-man just nodded in reply and did was he told. He picked up CeeCee, buried his cock in her waiting snatch, and proceeded to march over towards his two friends. The bath erupted into applause again as the two made their way by, stranger slapping CeeCee’s ass or patting the rhino-man on the shoulder. “Just lay down near your two friends and I’ll take good care of you.” She whispered to him, happily grinding against his girth and the unique sensation of a rhino cock. The mercenary had no complaints and after receiving the mandatory number of high fives he laid down on the floor, CeeCee still impaled on his cock. Once he was settled she planted her feet on the ground and began bouncing up and down, she reached down and took the rhino-man’s hands and placed them on her breasts, having him squeeze and knead them. “You two… just... gonna stand… there!?” She questioned staring down the other two beast-men who seemed just as ready to engage as the rhino did. The two other men flanked her as she rode, rubbing their cocks on her face. The tall blond man had a long thick cock covered in rear-facing barbs, not unlike what Slongvir was packing. The other, well he brought two dicks to the party. Both of them were thick, throbbing, and leaking pre-cum. The lion acted first grabbing CeeCee’s hair and turning her mouth to his cock. CeeCee growled in response and bared her teeth. The lion-man seemed to take the hint and loosened his grip before speaking. “You are one fiery little wolf. What’s your name sweet thing?” He asked pushing the tip of his cock towards her lips. “You can call me CeeCee.” She said as she wrapped her lips around the head of his shaft, “And who might you be?” She asked as she switched over to the double-donged snake man, getting a taste of his cocks as well. “I’m Calum, the big fella is Zephan, and he’s Valtuc.” Said the lion-man gesturing around in sequence. “A pleasure to meet you, boys.” She gasped out, her prolonged ride on the rhino-cock was really starting to fire her up. She turned back to the Calum and began to suck on his cock again, shuddering as the barbs slid in and out of her throat. “I’ve still got room for one… or maybe two more back there.” She said winking at Valtuc. The snake man grinned wickedly in response and kneeled down behind CeeCee. All for of them had to shift around slightly but eventually, they were situated correctly. Calum was standing upright, confidently fucking CeeCee’s throat and scratching behind her cute little ears. Zephan was still laying on the floor, grunting and thrusting upwards, his hands firmly around her hips, and Valtuc was posed behind her, rubbing his two cocks against her tight asshole. The snake-man was really taking his time to get involved, which prompted CeeCee to turn over her shoulder and talk to him. “What’s the holdup fella, can’t be stage fright is it?” She asked in a shaky voice. “No, No. It's just, well I’m not used to sharing, you see. And I-” He replied. “You’re used to getting two holes all to yourself huh?” She teased wagging her booty and tail at him. “Don’t worry man, I’m sure I can accommodate.” She said as she reached back and spread her ass cheeks apart. Valtuc shrugged and scooted forwards pressing both of his tips against her rear entrance. She pushed back into him and after a bit of grinding and a combined gasp, the snake man's hemipenis slid past her sphincter. Once they had all gotten into a rhythm it didn't take long for them to cum. Cee Cee was the first to orgasm, unsurprisingly, she came early and hard tightening down on all her intruders. Calum and Zephan where the next to go, they managed to hold at just as long as each other and had some big finishes of their own before slipping into the baths to get cleaned up. Valtuc was the real surprise here, long after both his friends had finished, the horny snake-man kept up his assault. CeeCee had made her way through about four orgasms before the mercenary finally pulled out and drenched her in cum. She laid there panting for a few minutes before she joined them all in the bath. “You boys sure know how to treat a lady.” She said as she began washing off.

After her bath, she would see who to talk to about the spires and find out how to add entries to the grimoire. She had come across a handful of creatures, but she had no way to know if they were in the grimoire. The undead were likely new entries at the least and she had encountered four different kinds of those.

[MiscChaos]

As great as it is to have a strong ally on her journey, Ophelia can't help but feel... what's the emotion she's looking for? She hasn't felt it before, but based on what she knows, it exists. Based on what knowledge she has of such things, she believes that's the best emotion for what she's feeling right now would be "embarrassed". She's more than slightly embarrassed at the show Alice puts on and how she herself has automatically been assumed to be a future follower of Masino. She has never blushed before this day, but now she feels her face aflame with the force of her embarrassment. She's not sure why embarrassment and blushing seem to go hand-in-hand, but so long as she's embarrassed she can't stop it! She is also slightly concerned about what would happen should her own actions in the past be revealed to the JUSTICE-seeking woman (...and dammit, she really CAN'T think the word JUSTICE without screaming it!). She knows that what she does is in the service of her Lady and therefore is JUST (dammit!) in her mind, but she is also aware based on the resistance to her actions and how her Lady is forced to hide her away that most would view her actions as wrong (and she finds she has to very carefully use that word to avoid another word that would trigger yelling in her thoughts. She doesn't like yelling in general, so the less she does so in her thoughts, the better). She's grateful when Annie finally speaks up and advises they not travel to the Colosseum in darkness as thick as this. It both breaks Alice's momentum and keeps Ophelia from running into anymore creatures that can defeat her.

It doesn't surprise Ophelia that Alice is quite popular with the general population of Calt. The way she carries on with JUSTICE, she imagines the woman has helped quite a bit of them. That and, from what she learned of the (overly long and painfully enthusiastic) lecture on Masino, Calt is the center of Masino worship so having someone so clearly champion it would probably also help with being well liked. Well liked enough that no one looks at her twice even though she is a Nomad. Also well liked that no one bats an eye when, after almost tripping over it, she picks up a rather nice warhammer and takes it with her. Either this town is more tolerant than others or they believe that if she's good enough for Alice, she's good enough for them. Given her thoughts, it's not at all a surprise how thoroughly Alice has enchanted the young girl manning the front desk of the inn. Given her personality, it's not a shock when Alice can't say JUSTICE quietly enough for everyone in the room to not hear it. Being the one who seems to be keeping Alice with the group, Ophelia avoids facepalming like Annie does. Barely. And with such a force of will that she thinks that if she applied it to the battlefield she would resist all forms of aliment. At the very least, the woman once again proves the effort to recruit her was more than worth it when they are provided free lodging. She picks up the skirt and the underwear and stores them in her inventory. Her legs have been very bare since she removed her Shroud and her Lady has mandated that she be properly attired while out and about. She supposes this includes underwear, but she doesn't know for certain so it's better to be safe than sorry.

"I have no objections to sharing a bed with another." She says as she removes her armor and prepares for sleep. Her Lady mandated that she sleeps nude and since the order hasn't been rescinded or clash with any other order (including the ones to not allow any man to touch her breasts or vagina or allow them to look upon her naked), she will continue to do so. Stripping off her armor and any clothing underneath, she picks a bed and lays down to see who she will be sharing the bed with. If they appear hesitant, she will say, "I am told I do not move much in my sleep nor do I snore."

[Littlemankitten]

Anastasia was pretty fucking pissed off. She didn't get this beautiful by having some jackass keeping her up all night! She swore to Avenir, as soon as she found the culprit she's gonna bend their head and shove it into their ass and use their spine as a whip. Until then though, she had to continue with her objective. She went to make sure Iveta was awake, and when she was, she gave her the brown tie Idalia had as a marker for her scent. "Whatever the hell that thing is, its kept me up all night, so I'm pretty fucking tired. Either way, we better move while its day, at least you'll finally be able to remember what it's like to be outside, unless those damn weird ass things are still there that is." She would then head outside and, assuming nothing was in the way, head straight for Monsteroplois to the place she last saw Idalia. She didn't bother stopping by the colosseum, figuring it would be a complete and utter waste of time. She also took care to avoid that spire that was there on her way to Baskerville, assuming it was still there.

[mrblah]

The sheer darkness they had to travel through filled Amun with a paranoid fear that had him sticking as close to Lyanna as possible. Never had he seen such darkness... was this how the world was on the ground? First mind-breakingly painful rain, and now this? More than ever, he wondered how he could survive in such a cruelly terrible world, and he wondered how anyone had survived at all. It only made him miss home more... and curse the monsters who took it from him. Maybe even Nour herself.

The loud roar made him freeze up for a moment, his animalistic instincts warning him of a great predator nearby. He almost jumped to Lyanna in his cowardly fear, hoping to cling onto something, anything that could make him feel protected against whatever made such a noise. But thankfully, within the darkness, him and his companion spotted a dainty looking town of some sort. It looked poor and terribly kept, but it would beat being out in the dark, no doubt. "No, no, I agree. Anywhere's fine so long as it's out of this... whatever this is!" Replied Amun in a tone of voice hinting to his barely constrained fear. So this town was actually a city? But... it looked so poor.

As they stepped under the gate and were approached, Amun couldn't help but stare at the old and rickety armor of the guard with confusion. This is who they had stationed to protect the gates of their city? He looked... weak. Like a civilian playing knight. Where was the big polished metal? The brawny physique and the dangerous sword befitting of a knight? Compared to one of Cielo, surely this poor excuse of a guard could never hope to match up against anything Cielo could... or, well, tried to.

Amun pushed those depressing thoughts to the back of his head, and put on his best smile to greet the guard with. At least he was friendly. "Ah, yes, good Guardsman. By chance, sir, could you point us to the nearest inn? My companion and I have traveled a great length and wish to rest, with a nice meal and drink, as well. I'd also like to know of a place to acquire clothing or new weaponry, and maybe even a shop for all the goods an adventurer may need?" Simply put, it would all be necessary. With his new life on the ground, it was best to acquire some means of combating enemies better. Hopefully he had the coin for it. Most of his wealth had just perished in the crash.

[RandomRoninKitten]

Weather is Sunny

Lilith Rose/Mark3000

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"I don't see you coming up with anything better." Lilith whispered as she snapped back at the armored were-dragon. The night now giving way to advance darkness. Looking at the well armed knights she started to breath heavily. The stare down between their two sides had really started to get to the Nomad.

"Enough of this" Lilith said having lost her patience.

Stepping from behind Metia, Lilith step forwards and focused on the leader of the white knights. "If you want something tangible, about me?" she said with a strange mix of defiance and seductiveness. She had tried to run away from her past as a Zalaam worshiper, offering the cult her body to survive. Even before that she would use herself as a bargaining chip. Behind the disgusted looks she got, there were those whose eyes hid a lustful gaze for her.

"I'm guessing you've never been with a Grey-skin before. I assure you that the experience alone will be worth this one little job. And it's not like anyone will ever know out here in the forest. What do you say? My body for the job" Lilith said with strange amount of confidence. Her red eyes giving off an alluring glow in the night.

Use Musician's Charm

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The Mercs looked at each other briefly, and one of the two in the back nodded at the one in the front. The leader spoke up again "Hmph. This is exactly the kind of demeanor which we civilized individuals expect from a filthy Grey-skin, however, we will accept your proposition on the grounds that it avoids bloodshed while giving us something else in exchange." one of the two in the back asked silently why they had to do it, the leader answered far more audibly "Because, this is an agreement, and as an agreement of exchange, we are bound to follow through." he then snapped his fingers, and the two other mercs grabbed Lilith by her shoulders and pulled her with them behind a nearby tree, throwing her down on the ground FAR from gently. Meanwhile, Metia rolled her eyes and groaned "Just bring her back when your done, or I'll incinerate all three of you degenerates." she said, taking a seat by the tree.

CeeCee/Lilbooth

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Well if you have a questionnaire about the spires I will do my best to answer. I may also have a few entries to add to the guild's grimoire, and I will be happy to do that as soon as I am not drenched in blood. I do have one other question. Is there a place I can safely store some of my possesions? I've been carrying around all my gear for quite some time and I'd like to lighten the load so to speak." She said as she hefted her bag to the ground and forced a smile. She peered forward at the mercenary board and looked at the small token that represented her. She saw an assortment of names on the wall but quickly realized she had never given her name to the receptionist. Leaning over the desk she squinted at the lettering and it read slutty wolf girl. CeeCee was about to offer some protest but figured she would have to record her actual name in the grimoire so it wouldn't matter anyway.
"Ohh, also is there a guild craftsman or should I find one among the town?" She asked as began looking around for the baths. In the event that Cee Cee was given a place to store her items, she would do that first. Then she would first take off all her armor and weapons, leaving her amulet and ring on, no need to remove those to get comfortable. She would then try to find a wash basin and clean and dry her armor and clothes, and then finally make her way into a hopefully very warm bath.

Cee Cee arrived in the guild bathhouse already half naked and covered and blood. She spent whatever time necessary to wash all her clothes and gear, slowly wearing less and less until she stood naked, save a venire of blood, by the baths. She had walked in some time ago topless which managed to draw a few looks but nothing else. Though, as she continued to strip and clean over the next handful of minutes her naked form and wagging tail attracted a bit more attention. Just as she was finishing up her washing a bulky grey skinned man approached her. He was absolutely massive. He wore nothing but a towel, that may normally wrap around someone's waist but this man’s towel was simply draped over his crotch. The floor creaked and strained under his weight as he made his way to towards the edge of Cee Cee’s wash basin. She had made a tentative glance when she heard the floor straining under the man but had not thought much of it, she was nearly done with her washing and didn’t care to be distracted. The thudding and creaking finally ceased as the man arrived next to Cee Cee. He stood near seven feet tall and easily surpasses three hundred pounds. His skin was dark grey and looked thick like hide around his shoulders and arms. He had a small lump in the center of his forehead, protruding maybe an inch or two. Under the towel that clung to his crotch was a thick bulge. He stood there in silence for some time as Cee Cee continued to wash her gear.
“Something I can help you with sir?” She asked not turning away from her task at hand.
“ Just enjoying the view little miss.” He said, his voice was actually quite normal and a bit higher than Cee Cee had expected.
“And what was it you enjoy viewing?” Cee Cee asked, clearly teasing the man. He leaned in abruptly and gave Cee Cee a powerful smack on the ass, grabbing her butt tightly afterward. Cee Cee responded with a powerful yelp and froze up for a moment.
“Sorry.” He whispered to her, “I would never force myself on a woman. My friends over there dared me to come over… no hard feelings?” He said in a hushed tone, gesturing towards the corner of the bathhouse where two other were-beasts had congregated. They both looked quite fit. One was a tall hairy man with long golden locks and a thick beard to match, his eyes were an enticing amber color. The other was a slightly taller and had no hair that Cee Cee could see. No eyebrows, no head hair, no chest hair, he looked a bit scary, to be honest. But they both looked like battle-hardened mercenaries. Cee Cee was still a bit in shock after the smack but this big guy seemed harmless and she was willing to help him out. Plus there was a bit of an audience, something that Cee Cee and her goddess would smile upon.

Cee Cee shifted so that her bare ass was right in front of the man and began grinding against his towel. She continued to clean her belongings in the wash basin as she worked her ass against the mercenary. “So what else was in the dare? You just had to come over and grab my ass?” She asked. “Uhh… yeah that was kind of all.” Said the mercenary, daring not move away. “Well now that you are here care to give your friends a bit of a show?” She asked as she slid backward and held his cock between her thighs. “Are you sure about that Miss? It may-” He started to say.. “What you think I can’t handle it, tough guy?” She said quickly pulling the towel free and grabbing his cock. The mercenary only managed a grunt in return before he fell silent, CeeCee took that as in invitation. She dropped down to her knees and turned the mercenary so that his two friends, and by extension, everyone in the bathhouse could see his cock and CeeCee diligently bobbing her head up and down. He definitely had a hefty member but it wasn’t exactly a challenge for CeeCee. She made sure to make plenty of eye contact with the two other were-beasts as she worked his shaft, watching their reaction. A cacophony of cheers could be heard from all around the bathhouse. The two other were-beasts had definitely noticed her eyeing them. They stayed lounged in their corner, both their cocks stiffening. Several others in the bath seemed to be having the same reaction, mostly men but a few women as well had begun to masturbate to the show. “Come’on big guy I can tell you’re holding out on me. Why don’t you kick it up a notch?” She said squeezing his scrotum and stroking the base of his shaft. The large mercenary was already sweating profusely and it looked like he had gotten a bit weak in the knees since CeeCee had started. “Please.” She whimpered smacking his cock on her face. The mercenary grunted heavily and squatted down. “Fine.” He said, “Since you asked so nicely.” His whole body rippled and swelled, his already impressive bulk grew even more substantial, as did his height, and the size of his horn. CeeCee just sat back and watched his cock made the transformation as well. His skin grew thicker and discolored around the base of his cock enclosing part of his shaft and his scrotum in a leathery sheath. His cock went from hefty to downright humongous, easily draping CeeCee face and extending past it. She began kissing at the base and slowly moved all the way back up to the tip, where she found the most interesting dick she had ever seen. “Why would you ever hide this it looks so cool.” She said grasping just below the glands with both her hands. She teased the very tip with the tong and then took it into her mouth. She sucked gingerly watching the rhino-man squirm under her touch. Having teased him enough she stood up and kissed the man on the cheek. “Why don’t you pick me up, shove that big dick into me, and carry me over there to your friends.” She whispered to him grinding her wet pussy along his shaft. The rhino-man just nodded in reply and did was he told. He picked up CeeCee, buried his cock in her waiting snatch, and proceeded to march over towards his two friends. The bath erupted into applause again as the two made their way by, stranger slapping CeeCee’s ass or patting the rhino-man on the shoulder. “Just lay down near your two friends and I’ll take good care of you.” She whispered to him, happily grinding against his girth and the unique sensation of a rhino cock. The mercenary had no complaints and after receiving the mandatory number of high fives he laid down on the floor, CeeCee still impaled on his cock. Once he was settled she planted her feet on the ground and began bouncing up and down, she reached down and took the rhino-man’s hands and placed them on her breasts, having him squeeze and knead them. “You two… just... gonna stand… there!?” She questioned staring down the other two beast-men who seemed just as ready to engage as the rhino did. The two other men flanked her as she rode, rubbing their cocks on her face. The tall blond man had a long thick cock covered in rear-facing barbs, not unlike what Slongvir was packing. The other, well he brought two dicks to the party. Both of them were thick, throbbing, and leaking pre-cum. The lion acted first grabbing CeeCee’s hair and turning her mouth to his cock. CeeCee growled in response and bared her teeth. The lion-man seemed to take the hint and loosened his grip before speaking. “You are one fiery little wolf. What’s your name sweet thing?” He asked pushing the tip of his cock towards her lips. “You can call me CeeCee.” She said as she wrapped her lips around the head of his shaft, “And who might you be?” She asked as she switched over to the double-donged snake man, getting a taste of his cocks as well. “I’m Calum, the big fella is Zephan, and he’s Valtuc.” Said the lion-man gesturing around in sequence. “A pleasure to meet you, boys.” She gasped out, her prolonged ride on the rhino-cock was really starting to fire her up. She turned back to the Calum and began to suck on his cock again, shuddering as the barbs slid in and out of her throat. “I’ve still got room for one… or maybe two more back there.” She said winking at Valtuc. The snake man grinned wickedly in response and kneeled down behind CeeCee. All for of them had to shift around slightly but eventually, they were situated correctly. Calum was standing upright, confidently fucking CeeCee’s throat and scratching behind her cute little ears. Zephan was still laying on the floor, grunting and thrusting upwards, his hands firmly around her hips, and Valtuc was posed behind her, rubbing his two cocks against her tight asshole. The snake-man was really taking his time to get involved, which prompted CeeCee to turn over her shoulder and talk to him. “What’s the holdup fella, can’t be stage fright is it?” She asked in a shaky voice. “No, No. It's just, well I’m not used to sharing, you see. And I-” He replied. “You’re used to getting two holes all to yourself huh?” She teased wagging her booty and tail at him. “Don’t worry man, I’m sure I can accommodate.” She said as she reached back and spread her ass cheeks apart. Valtuc shrugged and scooted forwards pressing both of his tips against her rear entrance. She pushed back into him and after a bit of grinding and a combined gasp, the snake man's hemipenis slid past her sphincter. Once they had all gotten into a rhythm it didn't take long for them to cum. Cee Cee was the first to orgasm, unsurprisingly, she came early and hard tightening down on all her intruders. Calum and Zephan where the next to go, they managed to hold at just as long as each other and had some big finishes of their own before slipping into the baths to get cleaned up. Valtuc was the real surprise here, long after both his friends had finished, the horny snake-man kept up his assault. CeeCee had made her way through about four orgasms before the mercenary finally pulled out and drenched her in cum. She laid there panting for a few minutes before she joined them all in the bath. “You boys sure know how to treat a lady.” She said as she began washing off.
After her bath, she would see who to talk to about the spires and find out how to add entries to the grimoire. She had come across a handful of creatures, but she had no way to know if they were in the grimoire. The undead were likely new entries at the least and she had encountered four different kinds of those.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The clerk nodded her head as CeeCee spoke, and answered each question. "There's a chest in your room for storing your stuff" she said as she handed CeeCee a key, "You would have to answer where they originated from, what they do, why, and where you saw them. As of yet, nobody has returned from investigating the Spires." she answered, and lastly, she would tell CeeCee that she would have to find them in the town, as the town Craftsmen is where they get their guild armor from.

When CeeCee stops by her room to drop off her belongings, she would find that the room is black with red sheets, and matched the rest of the structure. Also, despite having a public bath, the room also has its own bathroom.

After she was done, she could collect some Grimoire Questionaires and a Questionaire regarding the Spire.

Ophelia/MiscChaos

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As great as it is to have a strong ally on her journey, Ophelia can't help but feel... what's the emotion she's looking for? She hasn't felt it before, but based on what she knows, it exists. Based on what knowledge she has of such things, she believes that's the best emotion for what she's feeling right now would be "embarrassed". She's more than slightly embarrassed at the show Alice puts on and how she herself has automatically been assumed to be a future follower of Masino. She has never blushed before this day, but now she feels her face aflame with the force of her embarrassment. She's not sure why embarrassment and blushing seem to go hand-in-hand, but so long as she's embarrassed she can't stop it! She is also slightly concerned about what would happen should her own actions in the past be revealed to the JUSTICE-seeking woman (...and dammit, she really CAN'T think the word JUSTICE without screaming it!). She knows that what she does is in the service of her Lady and therefore is JUST (dammit!) in her mind, but she is also aware based on the resistance to her actions and how her Lady is forced to hide her away that most would view her actions as wrong (and she finds she has to very carefully use that word to avoid another word that would trigger yelling in her thoughts. She doesn't like yelling in general, so the less she does so in her thoughts, the better). She's grateful when Annie finally speaks up and advises they not travel to the Colosseum in darkness as thick as this. It both breaks Alice's momentum and keeps Ophelia from running into anymore creatures that can defeat her.

It doesn't surprise Ophelia that Alice is quite popular with the general population of Calt. The way she carries on with JUSTICE, she imagines the woman has helped quite a bit of them. That and, from what she learned of the (overly long and painfully enthusiastic) lecture on Masino, Calt is the center of Masino worship so having someone so clearly champion it would probably also help with being well liked. Well liked enough that no one looks at her twice even though she is a Nomad. Also well liked that no one bats an eye when, after almost tripping over it, she picks up a rather nice warhammer and takes it with her. Either this town is more tolerant than others or they believe that if she's good enough for Alice, she's good enough for them. Given her thoughts, it's not at all a surprise how thoroughly Alice has enchanted the young girl manning the front desk of the inn. Given her personality, it's not a shock when Alice can't say JUSTICE quietly enough for everyone in the room to not hear it. Being the one who seems to be keeping Alice with the group, Ophelia avoids facepalming like Annie does. Barely. And with such a force of will that she thinks that if she applied it to the battlefield she would resist all forms of aliment. At the very least, the woman once again proves the effort to recruit her was more than worth it when they are provided free lodging. She picks up the skirt and the underwear and stores them in her inventory. Her legs have been very bare since she removed her Shroud and her Lady has mandated that she be properly attired while out and about. She supposes this includes underwear, but she doesn't know for certain so it's better to be safe than sorry.

"I have no objections to sharing a bed with another." She says as she removes her armor and prepares for sleep. Her Lady mandated that she sleeps nude and since the order hasn't been rescinded or clash with any other order (including the ones to not allow any man to touch her breasts or vagina or allow them to look upon her naked), she will continue to do so. Stripping off her armor and any clothing underneath, she picks a bed and lays down to see who she will be sharing the bed with. If they appear hesitant, she will say, "I am told I do not move much in my sleep nor do I snore."

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Alice took off her clothes and draped them on the bed, then slipped into the empty bed in her plain white bra and panties, each with a red bow on them, just like what she wears with her dress. Annie blushed, since this meant that she would have to sleep with another girl regardless of which bed she selected, and just like Alice, stripped down to her underwear, both solid black, and slipped into bed beside Ophelia silently, trying her best to give her a bit of room.

In the morning, Ophelia was the first to wake up, and found herself gripping something tight in her arms. Opening her eyes and letting them adjust, she'd first notice that Alice is still asleep in her own bed, and looking down, she would find that in her sleep, she had turned completely over and moved to the opposite side of the bed, now having her arms around Annie's mid-section and one hand gripping her breast, while the other rested on her crotch. Annie herself, however, was still sound asleep, breathing softly.

Anastasia Ursa/LittleManKitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Anastasia was pretty fucking pissed off. She didn't get this beautiful by having some jackass keeping her up all night! She swore to Avenir, as soon as she found the culprit she's gonna bend their head and shove it into their ass and use their spine as a whip. Until then though, she had to continue with her objective. She went to make sure Iveta was awake, and when she was, she gave her the brown tie Idalia had as a marker for her scent. "Whatever the hell that thing is, its kept me up all night, so I'm pretty fucking tired. Either way, we better move while its day, at least you'll finally be able to remember what it's like to be outside, unless those damn weird ass things are still there that is." She would then head outside and, assuming nothing was in the way, head straight for Monsteroplois to the place she last saw Idalia. She didn't bother stopping by the colosseum, figuring it would be a complete and utter waste of time. She also took care to avoid that spire that was there on her way to Baskerville, assuming it was still there.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Iveta groaned as Anastasia woke her up, and still half asleep, she grabbed and sniffed at the ribbon "Yeah... that's definitely her." she said, before getting down on all fours and crawling across the floor and outside. "She has been nowhere near here recently..." she said, before following Anastasia towards Monstropolis. The disembodied hand that she was chewing on was gone, and apparently in the absence of it, she was chewing on her arm and looking around her as they traveled.

When they take the long way around,Anastasia can't help but feel like they're being followed, however, Iveta suddenly stops in front of her, and her head jerks back and forth "I... I smell..." she said, her head erratically jerking around now. Suddenly, she ran to the side of a nearby cliff and grabbed a loose rock, then pitched it straight upward, over the side. After a moment, a loud screech could be heard, and a pair of giant spider-like monsters came crawling down the side of the cliff.



Iveta licked her lips and crouched into a battle stance "Only two?" she said, eyeing the pair of spider-like creatures as the ground crumbled beneath the one hand she had placed on it, in front of her, "I'll eat you both..." she growled.

Amun Khufu/MrBlah

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The sheer darkness they had to travel through filled Amun with a paranoid fear that had him sticking as close to Lyanna as possible. Never had he seen such darkness... was this how the world was on the ground? First mind-breakingly painful rain, and now this? More than ever, he wondered how he could survive in such a cruelly terrible world, and he wondered how anyone had survived at all. It only made him miss home more... and curse the monsters who took it from him. Maybe even Nour herself.

The loud roar made him freeze up for a moment, his animalistic instincts warning him of a great predator nearby. He almost jumped to Lyanna in his cowardly fear, hoping to cling onto something, anything that could make him feel protected against whatever made such a noise. But thankfully, within the darkness, him and his companion spotted a dainty looking town of some sort. It looked poor and terribly kept, but it would beat being out in the dark, no doubt. "No, no, I agree. Anywhere's fine so long as it's out of this... whatever this is!" Replied Amun in a tone of voice hinting to his barely constrained fear. So this town was actually a city? But... it looked so poor.

As they stepped under the gate and were approached, Amun couldn't help but stare at the old and rickety armor of the guard with confusion. This is who they had stationed to protect the gates of their city? He looked... weak. Like a civilian playing knight. Where was the big polished metal? The brawny physique and the dangerous sword befitting of a knight? Compared to one of Cielo, surely this poor excuse of a guard could never hope to match up against anything Cielo could... or, well, tried to.

Amun pushed those depressing thoughts to the back of his head, and put on his best smile to greet the guard with. At least he was friendly. "Ah, yes, good Guardsman. By chance, sir, could you point us to the nearest inn? My companion and I have traveled a great length and wish to rest, with a nice meal and drink, as well. I'd also like to know of a place to acquire clothing or new weaponry, and maybe even a shop for all the goods an adventurer may need?" Simply put, it would all be necessary. With his new life on the ground, it was best to acquire some means of combating enemies better. Hopefully he had the coin for it. Most of his wealth had just perished in the crash.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As the Guard moves closer so he could better see the pair, Amun could now see that his armor wasn't the only rickety thing, but his weapon was made of scrap metal, wood, and wrapped leather shreds. He nodded as Amun spoke and responded in just as friendly of a tone "Of course, we don't really have an inn, but we do have a place to stay." He said, motioning for the two to follow him, then guided them through the darkness until they came upon a structure which looked like piled up scrap metal and wood, just like anything else in the village.

He pulled open the rickety door, then led them inside, and up winding steps until they came upon hallway. He guided them to a door marked with a symbol Amun didn't recognize, and pulled it open. While the building was only slightly lighter on the inside than outside, Amun could make out that the room barely had any furniture in it. There was just a 'bed', made up of hay, a ripped tarp, and a single pillow, made of stitched together rags, filled with hay. Off in the corner was a tub with a curtain and a pipe with a grate on it, for showers, and a cube-shaped machine with cool air rising from it. As Amun looked over the room, the Guard spoke up again "We only have one room open and prepared, I hope you don't mind sharing with your companion and this girl." Due to the darkness, it would take a moment for Amun to realize what he meant, but after his eyes better adjust to the new lighting, he could see the girl that helped him and Prairie fight the leader of the invaders in Cielo. She seemed to recognize him immediately, standing up out of the corner and taking a few steps forward "It's you again... I thought I was the only one who survived." she said, then started to say something else, but stepped back against a nearby wall and slumped against it, crying bitterly. Lyanna started to say something, but stopped herself and instead began stripping off her armor and laying it in a pile on the floor. The Guard decided this was none of his business, and left the room, shutting the door behind them, with a cheerful "I hope you enjoy your stay!".

Alexander Telluria/Centaurific

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As a practicing adventurer, Alexander found himself heading to one of the Mercenary Guilds in Azraq, as Mercenary Guilds were essentially the only way for an Adventurer to get paid for their exploits. Specifically, the one that Alexander had been working for was the Lunar Mink Mercenary Company.

Upon entering the structure, he was met by the usual clerk, a brown-haired girl in a striped button-up and a dress. "Hello Sir Alexander! We had a new job come in just a few minutes ago, from the recently-established town of Dartmoore. They need someone to go over and protect them from an approaching band of Raiders." she explained, handing him the sheet that she was reading off of.