forum old soldier, new stories (1x1 w/ dragoncita)

Started November 28, 2020 by Deleted user

tune

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Aeolus breathed a sigh of relief — of, probably, too much relief, his whole body seeming to relax as Mirabilis's words came easy and without resentment. He hadn't realized how tense he'd become.

It did feel a little bit gratifying to have his point of view validated, but he was cautious not to get too caught up in the feeling. This likely wasn't the last time he and his mentor were going to butt heads, and he was certainly going to heed his promises to the Lady, but now that he was aware of the situation, he now felt more capable of navigating the dynamics of the party.

He nodded in response to Mirabilis's explanation, offering her a tired smile, "I will. Again, thank you; it's admittedly been a bit tumultuous adjusting to unfamiliar territory. This evening has surely been something, but I hope by being better prepared I can be more of a use to the party."

"But," he added, "I shouldn't bother you for too long. I'll go get something to eat, and if there are no more obligations to attend to tonight, I might get a bit of shut eye. I'm grateful for everything you've provided for us."

With a raise of his hand to bid adieu, he stood from the table and moved to seat himself at the bar, waving over the bartender to see what kind of drinks he could get ahold of.

---

Bishop listened intently, a kind of curiosity shaping her features as Oshiera relayed her people and culture. A race of individuals capable of living underwater? It sounded fantastic, unreal, extraordinary…

She seemed mostly nonjudgmental; Darchestran beliefs, she was well aware, were often considered unorthodox by those not native to the city, given that Cosmic Trinitism was an atheistic spirituality. She had gotten over her prejudice against theistic religions long ago, that hesitancy to acknowledge such beliefs now having turned into a curiosity and excitement to learn. Education, Aeolus often stressed, was the cure for ignorance, and she had, to some degree, taken those words to heart.

Her brow furrowed as Oshiera referred to humans as "scaleless", less so because of the word itself and more because of Oshiera's immediate reaction to it. That brief moment of confusion gave way to humor, and she let out a hearty chuckle.

"Oh, why the worry?" she laughed. "There's no offense taken in calling us 'scaleless', it's all but fact. You don't see many humans with scales, 'less they're some sort of half-breed. I imagine it's weird being surrounded by so many different kinds of people, huh?"

She relaxed, leaning back in her chair and kicking her feet up on the bar. "I was like you, y'know. I kind of kept in my circle, didn't get out much. There was a bit of culture shock when I figured out most people had a different way of doing things, a different way of existing, than I was used to. I imagine it wasn't to the same degree as you leaving the water for the first time, but I'm not gonna blame you for making some mistakes. Your Matriarch's got a sound head on her shoulders; foreign relations are key if a nation wants to survive long-term. I imagine your kind are a good and wise people."

"Nay, don't let me keep you any longer. You look like you could use something to eat."

Then with a wave of her own, Mirabilis took hold of the book nearby, opening it to where she had last been reading through. Her gaze shifted towards the door of the tavern. A few more patrons had gotten up to leave. Though, there was still no sign of a battle-worn Dragonkin.

Perhaps she should've had Jinx search for Dur'kiir first, before the investigation…

The woman's gaze shifted down to her book. She'd send a silent message, for those she knew and trusted to keep an eye out for the Dragonkin. Most likely Dur'kiir was still out there, brooding and trying to collect his thoughts. Sooner or later though, that wound would have to drive him to seek shelter.

He still was half dragon, and Dur'kiir's draconic nature would most likely be kicking in hardcore to seek a safe place to rest and heal. She never did get a proper look at what the voidspawn had done, only that the creature's tail had easily sliced through metal, scales, and into flesh. For all Mirabilis knew, the wound could be deeper than it had first appeared.

Though something else bothered Mirabilis…something else was 'eating' at Dur'kiir…she just wasn't sure what it could be though…

---

The creature lifted her hooded head. Her teal blue eyes never left Bishop as she spoke. Why…worry?
Well, there were several reasons, but Oshiera was unsure if she should share her concerns. Some were not as forgiving about mistakes, even simple ones. Stories, histories telling of people and creatures taking great offense over certain things. Even if something was a 'fact', there were times it was best to hold one's tongue, instead of flapping it about and end up losing it.

Though, as Bishop seemed relaxed, did the creature allow her own posture to once again also relax. The tip of her tail flicked, the sails on either side opening slightly, then folding neatly again. Instead, her more curious nature once again took hold.

"Yesssh, many people and creaturesss, sssome of which I have only ever heard of in ssstoriesssss."

Her gaze shifted over the few patrons still in the tavern. There weren't that many, most having either left for the night, or gone to their rooms in the walls of the tavern. Either way, it was most certainly quiet now compared to the earlier commotion of the daytime.

Oshiera glanced back to Bishop. A low gurgle came from the creature, as she looked back to the table. Her scaled/webbed hands came to rest in her lap before her, the tip of her tail twitching slightly.

"Well…I'm not ssso ssshure about sssome of the other tribesss…nor all the membersss of our own tribe for that matter, believe a peaceful sssolution can come between usss and ssshorewalkerssss…"

Her mind went back, thinking of how some of the clutchfathers spoke to broods. Some so far as taking their brood and leaving the tribe altogether due to the Matriarch's belief. Some tribes preferring their solitude, but so willing to attack and fight should anyone or anything stumble into their territory.

Oshiera had a more soft-spoke clutchfather, remembering him speaking so highly of the Matriarch, that they should all follow her example to be open to the lands beyond the seas. To seek allies from more than just their own. Aid that could prove useful in the future.

The creature's head lifted again, her gaze trained ahead, "Though what of the place you are from? The name isss unfamiliar to me. Are there lotsss of different creaturesss like here in the Igreacean Kingdom?"

"If I hail from a particular nation, I am not all that familiar with it," Bishop replied, a flicker of sadness visible in her soft yellow gaze. "I've only ever known a nomadic life. I grew up with a ragged gang of bandits, and we'd travel to whatever place accommodated our needs. My work with Aeolus hasn't changed my lifestyle much, but I guess there's a beauty in not belonging anywhere. I'm not tied down by culture or tradition; I'm free to choose who I am and what rules I adhere to."

A sigh came from her as she mused over her words. Her parents were unknown to her; all she'd ever known for the majority of her early life was how to survive and how to take down other people to do it. One day, the leader had become a mark for the Ash Brigade, but when Aeolus had arrived to take care of the job, he'd found the guy already dead.

Even to this day, she didn't know if she should be proud, or horrified. However she felt, it landed her a job, so she supposed she should be thankful in that regard.

She lifted her head, too comfortable to move and grab another fruit piece off her plate, so she twisted her metal arm until it popped off its socket, using it as an extension to grab a few apple slices. She put her arm back into place, content with her success, and tossed an apple slice into her mouth.

"So, well, I can't answer your question in regards to whatever my homeland is, but I can tell you that I've been around here and seen some pretty extraordinary things. All around the continent are some of the most beautiful ecosystems I've ever seen."

The engineer perked up, the spark of energy returning to her gaze.

"Oh, we should go to the North Darchestran Nature Reserve! It's a thousand acres of land that's supposed to be left untouched, and there's this cliff near the center with a river on top and it's one of the most gorgeous waterfalls on the continent. When you see it at sunset, oh, man."

She seemed to catch herself, a small laugh escaping her, "But I'm rambling. What about the Scarlet Sea, then? What is it like down there?"

---

Aeolus had watched the exchange carefully. He didn't distrust Bishop's ability to stay low, but she did have a tendency to spill extra info in her rambles.

The barkeep eventually returned with a steak and some ale, and he dug in, happy to finally get some food in his system. While he ate, however, he continued to observe the conversation.

Oshiera listened attentively to Bishop, blue eyes continuing to hold their curious glint. Free to choose what one wanted? The creature wasn't entirely sure what the young woman meant, but considering how she was raised, it was only natural for her to be confused by the words.

The creature had mainly staid in the clutch with her other clutchmates while their clutchfather tended to them all. She had been raised to understand her place within the tribe, a guideline to what was expected of her.

Oshiera could not help but stare as Bishop's metallic arm seemingly whirred to life, popping an extending outwards. Now the creature had never seen such technology, such things so rarely seen in these lands and the ones she was used to. Magic or some other more form, perhaps a more primitive object, would've been used to retrieve a far away item, but to see that strange contraption do it, well, it was quite the sight for the creature.

Though, remembering of the continent further across the sea, a place Dragonians called home, the creatures seemingly adept at creating machinery with just metal, steam, and some magic. Oshiera had never been to such a place, but she knew a little of the Dragonians, the creatures being allied with the Dragons.

"The Ssscarlet Sssea? Beneath the wavesss?"

Oshiera seemingly made it a question, but despite the 'question', the Aquaronas started to speak again.

"We have made our home jussst along the ssshore. Towering ssspires of rocksss rissse out of the watersss, going deep beneath the wavesss. It isss in thessse rocksss we have hollowed crevicesss for our Matriarch to sssettle. The crevicesss clossser to the sssurface are ressserved for clutchessss, like tidepoolsss.

Asss a young female, I wasss tasssked with gathering edible vegetation from the ssseabedssss. Asss sssuch, I never went out too far from our underwater territory. The areasss I wasss able to visssit, I wasss often accompanied by my sssissssterssss and an older male gatherer. We often ssswam through colorful coral, rocksss, and plantsss.

Ah, which remindsss me, we have domesssticated some of the creaturesss. There isss thessse large ssserpentine beassstssss. Hm, they have broad flat headsss, bodiesss large with four flippersss. A great sssail runsss from their head and down their back, coming to end at their tail, which endsss in a great flipper, like a whale. We often ussse them for transssportation, both ourssselvesssss and goodsss. Granted, they aren't the fassstesssst, but their ssstrength and fortitude make up for that. They are herbivoresss, ssso they are easssy keepersss."

The creature seemed to perk up as she continued, "Though when we need ssspeed, on both sssea and land, we have quadrupedal creaturesss. They are sssmaller than our larger beassstssss of burden, built lighter with ssstreamlined bodiesss. They have more angular headssss, muzzle ending in a wicked sssharp beak, jawsss lined with ssserrated fangsss. Each foot isss adorned with clawsss and webbing between the toesss. They have two finsss on their head that are sssomewhat like hornsss, two sssmaller pairsss lining the bottom of the jawsss. On their back, they have a larger dorsssal fin, like a ssshark. The tail isss long and flat, nothing too ssspecial."

Oshiera paused, tilting her hooded head. It seemed she may have gotten off track, describing the beasts instead of speaking more of the world under water. A soft noise from her, raising a webbed hand to rub at her shoulder a bit.

"Though, there are dangersss beneath the wavesss, not jussst other tribesss. Sssome creaturesss larger than thisss city. Placessss which even we dare not venture out of fear. There are beassstssss who have lived in thossse watersss even longer than my kind and those upon land."

It all sounded so fantastic, imagining a thriving society beneath the waters. What had certainly caught Bishop's attention, however, had been the mention of leviathans the size of the city. She sat up in her chair and properly faced Oshiera, fresh intrigue brightening her features. From beside her, Aeolus rolled his eye — always a knack for potential danger, she had. He'd figured losing an arm would've knocked some sense into her, but maybe she'd keep her attitude for as long as she had limbs to spare.

"We've got stories of those here on land," she replied, fingers tapping an excited rhythm on her legs. "Tales of seabeasts that have ripped ships in half and swallowed the crew whole! Of creatures that brought storms with their presence, of waterspawn so massive that some stories say the only thing holding them back from destroying the world as we know it is their confinement to the seas, their punishment for some ancient crime of the past. You're telling me these kinds of creatures are real?"

"Probably not the kinds of beasts you have in mind," Aeolus piped up. "If there were such monsters capable of destroying the planet, I don't think a little bit of water would stop them."

"Oh, hush!" retorted Bishop, waving a hand to dismiss her boss, their friendship the only thing allowing her to get away with doing so. "You think you're so enlightened, not having an imagination. When the eldritch gods from the forgotten city below come up and decide to enslave us all, I'm using you as a sacrifice to get better standing with them."

Aeolus shook his head, unable to help a hearty chuckle. "Good luck with that."

Bishop huffed, playfully swatting his arm before turning back to Oshiera. "Don't mind him. He's a non-believer. I'm sure you've probably seen a thing or two yourself, having been in the seas."

((OOC: Shall we wrap up this day and time-skip to the next? Running a bit low for ideas anymore for their first day together lel))

---

Oshiera nodded her hooded head at Bishop's response with the underwater creatures. Though her head turned, glancing over towards Aeolus as he seemingly only scoffed at the thought. Well, maybe not 'scoff', she wasn't quite sure of the reaction she had received. The Aquaronas tilted her head slightly to the side.

Her teal blue eyes glanced back and forth between the pair as they conversed. It seemed to be in a friendly way however. From what she could tell and sense, it was easy to see which one of them held a higher authority so to speak. Clearly Aeolus being the one to make decisions?

But then…he seemed slightly 'tunnel-vision'…not that Oshiera would outright tell him that. Nay, she'd leave that to a much better individual to break that news to him. The creature glanced around the tavern for a moment, there were hardly any patrons left. Her gaze shifted to the door, but there was no sign of anyone or anything.

A blubbering gurgle seemed to sputter from the creature's maw. In the back of her mind, it was bothering her that Dur'kiir had yet to appear. Her head turned, blinking a bit in slight surprise. Where Mirabilis the sorceress once sat, was now vacant. Where had the woman gone, and so quietly?

Her gaze shifted back to Bishop as she stated that the creature had seen things beneath those waves. Oshiera nodded her head in response.

"Asss I mentioned earlier, I wasss never allowed to ssstray too far, but the ssstoriesssss the eldersss told are enough. Sssuch asss Neptissss, Ssspawn of the Forgotten Trench, one of the 8 great wyrmsss that were firssst born into thisss world. Neptisss being the mother of all leviathanssss."

She paused, seeming to be in thought, though shook her hooded head, "To even catch a glimpssse of the great wyrm, ssshould ssshe be awake, often bodesss ill for a time. Asss for leviathansss themssselvessssss, dependsss on the leviathan. Sssome are friendly and even helpful, while othersss would sssooner sssee death and dessstruction in their wake."

The creature moved her webbed hands, seemingly rubbing them against each other as she grew quiet again. It was getting rather late wasn't it?

(YO this is an atrociously late reply im super sorry, life happened,, yeah we can do that!!)

Bishop had looked as if she was ready to respond, but was distracted by the movements of Aeolus standing from the bar and scanning the area. He'd seemed to notice Mirabilis's absence at the same time Oshiera had, and didn't seem entirely happy with that; he didn't like not being able to keep track of people.

"Those are some interesting tales, but I'm afraid I shouldn't linger too long," he murmured, nodding his gratitude towards the barkeep for the meal before turning to Bishop and Oshiera. "It's getting late, after all."

Bishop frowned. "Since when did you go to bed at a decent time?"

"Since fighting voidspawn and having to apologize to people became a part of my daily routine," Aeolus retorted back. "I'm heading to my room."

A yawn and a snicker came from the engineer as she took a moment to stretch. "Ugh. I might, too. Didn't think I was too tired until you reminded me sleep exists."

She faced Oshiera, offering her an apologetic smile. "Guess I shouldn't be keeping you up, either. It was nice to finally get a chance to talk to you. Good night to you."

And with that, she stood, following Aeolus up the stairs until they reached the door to his room, where the Director stood and flashed a look of suspicion back down the stairway.

"She just vanished," he muttered.

"Hm?"

"Lady Mirabilis. She was there, and then she wasn't. I don't like that."

"Maybe she went to go find Dur'kiir?" Bishop suggested, her brow furrowing as Aeolus shook his head.

"I don't care so much for where she went. What bothers me is that I hadn't seen her leave."

Bishop's eyes widened a tad, but Aeolus waved a hand in the usual dismissive manner. "Don't mull over it too much, though," he whispered. "Just… keep an eye on her, alright? I want to know what exactly she's capable of before anything happens."

Bishop nodded, a rare air of seriousness accompanying it that dispersed almost as quickly as it appeared. She smiled at him.

"Get some sleep, okay? I imagine tomorrow's going to be just as busy as today was."

Aeolus returned the smile, turning the knob of the door to his room and pushing it open. "You too. I hope tommorow has less cults, though; I've had enough of those to last a lifetime."

The two shared a laugh before leaving for their respective rooms. The inn became quiet and the world became still as the night went on.

---

Aeolus hadn't slept well. It wasn't often he actually did, so it didn't bother him too much, but it was still nothing to look forward to when he woke up with a pounding head.

Nothing caffeine couldn't fix, he figured.

Used to functioning while managing some kind of ache or pain, he threw on a change of clothes and readied himself for the day without much issue, save for the few occasional seconds taken to sit through a fresh wave of pain if he moved too quickly.

He trudged down the stairs and seated himself at the bar, relieved to see the barkeep up serving the earlybirds. He ordered himself a cup of coffee, sighing contentedly as it managed to kill the worst of his headache. He could tolerate the bit of pressure that remained.

Now that he'd gotten his headache under control, he took to scanning the room for any familiar faces. Where was Mirabilis? Had Dur'kiir returned? What was the plan for today?

((OOC: No worries, my own life has gotten a bit hectic here as of late as well))

---

Oshiera only gave a slight gurgle, raising her webbed hand in a small farewell as the duo headed off to their rooms. The creature herself slid out of the chair she had been sitting upon, being careful as her tail trailed behind her. The soft click of claws sounded against the wood as her scaled feet touched the floor, moving to her own room.

---

Morning had indeed come to the Kingdom of Igreacea. Rays of sunlight shown in through the windows of buildings. Slowly, the streets once again started to wake with the rising sun.

As for the tavern, 'The Weeping Rakia', there were indeed a few earlier patrons. A few adventurers having returned from a late night run, or even just a few shopkeeps looking for a fix before a busy day began. The soft mull of voices barely audible, which would be sure to change once noon came. For now though, it was quiet and peaceful, the day beginning.

Most tables were vacant within the tavern. Though, it was when one glanced towards a far corner would they notice two figures. One, a male on the much taller side, currently settled back in the chair he sat. Perhaps the strangest feature, his entire body was covered in dark, teal-colored scales. In appearance, he appeared human, except those scales, the tall stature, and the horns curling over from behind his head.

His feet ended in powerful claws, one leg crossing the other. Like the claws upon his feet, they were also attached to his hands, which were settled behind his head, eyes closed. A simple, leather harness covered his torso, leather bracers upon his arms and legs. Once again, it appeared to be another draconic figure or creature of some sort.

Now for the figure next to him, who was currently slumped over the table, well, he should seem somewhat recognizable…if not for the distracting table pulled up next to where the figure was slumped, where currently 49 bottles sat, all emptied. The 50th bottle was nearly empty, clutched in a hand.

A snort escaped the passed out male, shifting a bit to reveal none other than the face of Dur'kiir. Seemed the Dragonkin had indeed returned. Though, instead of the heavy armor he had been wearing the prior day, he now wore a simple tunic, workpants, and boots. Now without a full suit of armor, he still had a brawny/muscular build.

His horned head currently rested against his one arm sprawled out on the table, the partially cracked horn nestled against that arm that his head leaned against. The other upon the table was relaxed, except for his hand that had slid down, but remained clutching the bottom of the bottle. His tail was completely limp behind him, even a slight breeze causing it wave now and then on its own.

Now for the amount of bottles. Such an amount of alcohol consumed by a human would kill them off, but being a creature such as Dur'kiir, it would take more than a few glasses to make him feel anything. He had his dragon blood to thank for the high alcohol tolerance.

---

The Aquaronas awoke, the first thing running water across her form, then throwing her cloak over her body to hide her features, pulling the hood over her head. Perhaps when she was more comfortable, she would be willing to show more of herself, but for the time being, she would remain concealed. Oshiera didn't really have much of a routine to get into here on land.

It was a bit strange, but surely she would learn a new one while amongst the shorewalkers. Well, hopefully she would.

The creature exited the door of her room, heading down the stairs into the main room of the tavern. She scanned the area in a quick sweep, her teal blue eyes coming to rest upon the familiar visage of Aeolus who sat at the bar. Now being a familiar face, and the first one she had seen as soon as looking about, the Aquaronas approached.

She hopped onto the stool next to him, remaining quiet at first. Her finned tail swept behind her, coming to curl around the leg of the stool which she now sat upon. The creature lifted her hooded head towards the bartender as he approached. She listened to the half-elven male speak, then responded in her quiet voice for a simple glass of water.

Her gaze shifted over to Aeolus, of course curious on whatever liquid had been in his cup to leave it steaming slightly. Warmth perhaps? Warm drinks? Quite strange indeed. Well, the water could be warm, but often she was used to cooler temperatures beneath the waves.

Oshiera was readying to open her maw to greet Aeolus, but was interrupted by the clearing of someone's throat. The bartender had returned, setting a glass of water down before the creature, as well as a folded envelope.

"Lady Mirabilis asked I give you this, as you and your companions are partnered with Dur'kiir. If you are in need of anything else, do not hesitate to ask."

The half-elven male then gave a slight bow, returning to his work.

The creature tilted her head in a curious manner, taking the envelope set before them. She untied the string, unfolding a letter. Oshiera flattened it out, setting it between both her and Aeolus so he too could scan the letter with her if he wanted to;

'To Dur'kiir's party,

Dur'kiir has returned to the tavern. It shouldn't take too long to find him, having been escorted back by Baasarn. Baasarn himself shouldn't be hard to miss, having teal blue scales, overly tall, long white hair, and having a few draconic features.

As for your mentor, he should be well, considering he didn't drink himself to death (which is highly unlikely). The wound he suffered was deep, so I took the liberty of having my sister heal, sew it shut, then bandage it. I ask you keep him from overexerting himself. To help, I currently have his armor locked away with me. I did, however, leave him a lighter sword and shield which Baasarn is holding onto for the time being till you join your mentor. So if the old lizard starts to get extra snappy, do tell him to not take it out on you, and instead focus on taking it out on me next time we meet.

Baasarn should be easy for you lot to get along with, though he may say things that he should probably keep to himself.

Until next we meet,

Lady Mirabilis.'

As she finished the letter, the creature turned her head to glance to the corner where their mentor indeed sat slumped over the table with all those bottles. Her gaze then shifted to the tall humanoid nearby as well. Well, his features certainly matched the description written by the sorceress in the letter. So that was Baasarn, she was rather curious now. She hadn't seen anything like him before…seeming human, except for those scales covering the entirety of his body and those draconic feet, hands, and the horns upon his head.

Her gaze shifted towards Aeolus suddenly, speaking up, assuming he too had read the letter already, "Ssso you ssshupossse we ssshould introduce ourssselvesssss to that man and asssk about Dur'kiir?"

Aeolus paid no mind to the Aquaronas's approach, offering her a quick nod of acknowledgement before taking a swig out of his mug, seemingly more relaxed. He trusted Oshiera; she was probably the only individual of the party he could say such a thing about confidently, save for Bishop. Having her here, a friend among strangers, eased his nerves. While it did occur to him that he'd yet to see Oshiera without her hood on, he dismissed the thought as quickly as it came. To criticize her secrecy would be, quite frankly, hypocritical.

He observed, as he often found himself doing, the exchange between Oshiera and the bartender, an eyebrow lifting in curiosity as Oshiera unfolded the letter and spread it out along the table. He peered at the writing, elbow resting on the bar with a finger tapping a thoughtful rhythm on his chin.

An alcoholic for a mentor. Fantastic.

Not that he really had any qualms about it, given that the only thing that had kept him from going down the same path had been his focus on his work. Intoxication made for ineffective leadership. But with a glance at the fifty-something bottles gathered around the Dragonkin, he seemed to doubt that drunkenness was something easily achievable for him. What really bothered him was how that much alcohol would affect his recovery.

The new figure – Baasarn, according to the letter – piqued his interest. Another Dragonkin? He had horns and scales, same as Dur'kiir, but Aeolus wasn't going to make assumptions based on appearance alone. This land was full of surprises, after all.

It did relieve him to learn Mirabilis wasn't going to be accompanying them. One less potentially dangerous person to look out for. Maybe he could make a better first impression with Baasarn.

In response to Oshiera, he nodded, a yawn escaping him as he rubbed the sleep from his eye. He hadn't quite woken up yet, but maybe the mental gymnastics of holding a decent conversation would do that for him.

Aeolus stood from the bar and retrieved his mug, flashing an affirmative glance at Oshiera before making his way to Dur'kiir and Baasarn. He raised a hand to alert the latter to his presence.

"I assume you are Baasarn?" he began. "Lady Mirabilis referred to you in her letter. Is, uhm… how is Dur'kiir?"

As Aeolus stood up with his mug, starting to move away from the bar, Oshiera was quick to follow. The creature slid off of her stool, wrapping her clawed, webbed hands around the cup of water she had gotten. The Aquaronas turned, following behind the young man, her tail swishing slowly back and forth behind her, the finned end folded neatly.

She stood just behind Aeolus' shoulder as they approached the table of their mentor and the stranger. Her blue eyes glanced between Aeolus and the one whom they were assuming to be 'Baasarn'. Oshiera observed as he raised his hand in a greeting towards the scaled humanoid. The creature remained silent as he spoke, Aeolus already seeming to find the words which she too was wanting to know the answers to.

Slowly yellow eyes opened from the teal colored humanoid. He remained leaned back in the chair in his relaxed position, clearly seeing no reason to move. The black pupils in those yellow eyes were round, showing his completely relaxed state.
As the boy talked, a forked tongue slipped out, running across his upper lip. The scaled male suddenly grinned, "Aye, I'm Baasarn."
He moved a clawed hand away from the back of his head, rubbing his chin in an almost thoughtful manner, "And if memory serves me correctly, Mira called you Aeolus the fire skulker, the fishfolk Oshiera, and shouldn't there be a third one of you kids?"

The male suddenly waved his hand to the side, "Eh, not that it matters too much."

Baasarn moved, leaning forward in the chair he was seated. Without so much of a second thought, the male took hold of bottle's neck that was in Dur'kiir's grasp, pulling it away. A groan came from the Dragonkin as what he once held was taken from him, but other than that, he barely stirred except a slight twitch of his fingers that were now grasping air.
The teal scaled humanoid lifted the bottle, scanning the remaining contents for a few moments, then seemingly shrugged to himself, downing what was left in the bottle. Once finished, he set it with the rest of the empty bottles, once again returning to his relaxed position in the chair. He turned his horned head slightly, now full attention upon the two before him.
Unlike Dur'kiir, Baasarn was completely covered in those teal scales, the scales growing darker in color along his arms and legs, the horns upon his head bronze, curling from the back and jutting forward above his head. Then add his feet and hands remained as draconic limbs, instead of willingly being able to shift them back and forth to more human appendages. He also had no tail to trail behind him.

"Old Dur'kiir here should be fine. Found him on the hill, the usual place he goes when he needs to calm down."

A questioning gurgle suddenly came from Oshiera, speaking up in her soft voice, "Hill? Usssual place to calm down?"

Baasarn turned to look at the Aquaronas, blinking a bit as if surprised. Though the surprise faded as a chuckle came from him, "Right, you lot only met him yesterday. Well, lemme give you a tip about your friend here. If Dur just ups and takes off, likely place you'll find him is on Sowerl Hill. Small place about a mile southwest from the Kingdom here. Hard to miss spot, as a great tree grows upon it, the branches and leaves flowing downwards much like a weeping willow…least I think that's the tree I'm thinking of…"

"Not that it matters," he continued, shaking his head, "Just that spot seems to be the one place Dur'kiir is drawn to often."
He lifted one of his clawed hands, scratching a bit at his chest under the leather harness he wore.

Oshiera gave a slight nod, mentally writing the name in her head so to remember it for possible future events. Her eyes continued to stare at the humanoid before them, probably not realizing that she was being slightly rude with the amount of staring.

Though, Baasarn had seemed to take notice, his gaze once again shifting towards her. As his gaze met hers, the Aquaronas was quick to avert her eyes elsewhere, quick to mumble a soft apology to the man.
"You ain't the first to stare kid, nor are you the last, so don't worry too much about it," his tone was not at all hostile, instead friendly.

As Baasarn moved his hand from beneath his harness where he had been scratching away, he glanced down, an annoyed huff coming from him. The scaled male reached over, dropping a few dull colored scales that must have once been attached to his body onto the table.
"Damn, didn't think it was time to shed just yet," he muttered to himself.

Without a second thought, Baasarn returned to scratching away at the place on his chest beneath the harness he wore, yellow eyes facing back forward towards Aeolus and Oshiera.
"Anyways, yea, Dur'kiir's good, so long as he isn't running around trying to beat everyone and everything to death if he thinks they need it. Though if you want to hear it from him, I will more than happily wake him up to speak for himself."

Baasarn glanced over to the slumped over Dur'kiir as a loud snore escaped the sleeping Dragonkin.

Aeolus subtly lifted his head, perking up slightly as Baasarn confirmed the contents of the letter. He sized up the scaled humanoid, mulling over what to make of the fellow with a deliberate sip from his mug. He was probably fine. Probably. Given yesterday's events, he was wary even of those who initially posed no threat.

As Baasarn commented on the lack of a third party, it seemed to occur to Aeolus that Bishop had yet to come downstairs. His brow furrowed and he cast a glance around the room, scanning his surroundings for his companion. No sign of her. Not too surprising; she was heavy sleeper, and it always seemed that whenever Aeolus woke up would be at least four hours before she did.

Though today would surprise him. She stumbled groggily down the steps, dressed in her tunic and pants with her hair lazily braided behind her. In the midst of adjusting to being a functioning person again, she hadn't seemed to notice the gathering in the back of the inn – or, if she had, she hadn't bothered to figure out what was going on. Maybe she just needed a moment to wake up. This was significantly earlier than she was used to being up, after all.

He nodded as Baasarn offered his explaination for Dur'kiir's whereabouts. Fair enough, he supposed; he didn't blame the Dragonkin for needing some time to himself. At least the party was reunited.

At Baasarn's suggestion, he stole a glance at Dur'kiir's unconscious form, wincing.

"If waking him up won't make him angry, then I suppose," he replied, a twinge of uneasiness seeping into his voice. A wounded Dragonkin on his fiftieth beer wasn't someone he wanted to piss off this early in the morning.

"Oh, shit, is he alright?" came a voice from behind, a quick glance behind him revealing Bishop, concern contorting her features. In her hand was a half-eaten biscuit. "That's… jeez, that's a lot of bottles."

Aeolus nodded his agreement, not too keen on commenting himself, but it occurred to him that Bishop had been absent for the discussion and gestured towards Baasarn.

"Oh, this is Baasarn. He found Dur'kiir and brought him back here; Lady Mirabillis wrote a letter detailing everything. It should be on the bar, still, now that I think about it."

Bishop sized up the scaly figure before her, intruiged by his appearance. "Oh, sweet. I'm Bishop, dunno if Mirabilis told you about me," she said, a sheepish smile crossing her face. "Sorry I wasn't here earlier, ain't much of an early riser. Are you gonna be accompanying us today, or are you just here for Dur'kiir?"

As Aeolus responded to us suggestion of waking their mentor, he picked up something in the young man's voice; reluctance perhaps?

A smirk crossed Baasarn's features as he stopped his itching, once again dropping another handful of shed scales upon the table. The scaled man brought his hand forward, snapping his claws together a few time in rapid succession before spreading them outwards, a small orb of blue energy now floating above the palm. Flowing from this orb, lines of pure electricity seemed to come from the tips of his claws.

As he was getting ready to do whatever it was he had planned, Baasarn paused at the sound of a voice nearby. He tilted his head back to face the one approaching.

"Ah, right, metal arm Bishop was the third one of your group; you then."

A snicker sounded from Baasarn, whom currently allowed the strange orb of electricity to now weave in and out between his claws. As he did this so nonchalantly, a few sparks flying away from it, but quickly dispersing into the air.

His gaze remained on the group before him, curling his lips up in a grin, showing sharp fangs, "Oh this? This is nothing for someone like Dur'kiir. He can probably drink me under the table, and that's saying something."

"Are…are you not a Dragonkin too then," Oshiera's voice suddenly asked from nearby. Those teal blue eyes glowing curiously from the darkness of her hood.

The male shook his head, "Nah, not a Dragonkin. Instead, I'm what you get when a Dragonian and human decide to 'get it on'…if you catch my drift."

Of course, Oshiera had no idea at all what this man meant. She glanced over towards Aeolus, as if awaiting him to explain it to her, but then she didn't ask, instead keeping quiet and trying to decipher in her mind exactly what he meant.

"As plainly seen, got my looks mostly from my father, who was human, long deceased. My abilities, the entire body being covered by scales, and a few other features like claws and fangs from my mother who is still alive and well in the Dragonian Capitol."

Baasarn gave a slight shrug, "There aren't really many hybrids like me, I can only think of one other…and he's a bigger asshole than me."

"I don't get the cool ability of taking to a dragon form. What you see is what you get from me sadly."

He tilted his head back, that sly smirk returning to his features. Baasarn had paused in his fiddling with the orb of electricity, once again allowing it to float in the palm of his clawed hand.

"Nah kid, I got my own job to do. Mercenary-for-hire, and I've been tasked with a rather high paying escort duty. So you're stuck with whatever the old man here decides…speaking of which…"

Without so much of a second thought, Baasarn reached over to Dur'kiir. The orb that had once been settled in his palm, instantly jumped over to the Dragonkin. A soft crackle in the air seemed to sound, before a high powered shock went straight through the Dragonkin, which in turn made his entire body shudder.

A snarl escaped Dur'kiir as his eyes shot open, the good eye flashing red, the same hint of glowing red beneath the blind, but that quickly dispersed back to a dull orange. His horned head that had jerked upwards from the shock, flopped back down to the table, hitting hard. The Dragonkin's snarl soon turned into a moan followed by a few actual hiccups. He grabbed his head, closing his eyes.

"B-Baasarn…(hic)…you sumabetch…"

The grin on the hybrid's face seemed to show he had enjoyed the moment that presented itself. He snickered, leaning back in his chair, looking towards the other.

"Nice to see you too old man. Scared you that bad to give you the hiccups? Heh, that's a first."

The look Baasarn was receiving from Dur'kiir was complete poison. If not for the rude awakening, and recovering injury, it was clear the Dragonkin would not have hesitated to strike the humanoid seated next to him. Alas, that punishment would have to wait, as any sudden movements left his head spinning. Sure, the Dragonkin could do just fine with alcohol, if given to time to slowly wake on his own…something which Baasarn probably, purposefully, left out.

He shut his eyes again, hand still settled on his head as he quieted down to growling hiccups. The Dragonkin's tail remained mostly limp behind him, unmoving instead of curling around a chair leg or even against his side.

Oshiera looked towards the mentor, have not been expecting Baasarn's choice of waking Dur'kiir. She shuffled from foot to foot, a gurgle sounding from her hood. If she had known it would cause such distress to the Dragonkin, she would've asked to wait, but of course she did not know. Instead, she instantly grew quiet, teal blue eyes looking towards the hunched form of Dur'kiir.

Baasarn's snickering quieted a bit, enough to speak, "Anyways, kids wanna know if you're good. Thought it better they hear it from you, cause I'm only guessing."

"Go fook…(hic)…fook yerself…" Dur'kiir huffed.

The hybrid looked back to the party, the smug look still plastered on his face, "Well, there you have it boys and girls, Dur'kiir here is perfectly fine."

His horned head then turned towards several windows, taking note of how much light was streaming in through the windows. Still appeared to be early morning. The scaled humanoid suddenly stood up from the chair he had been sitting in, now revealing just how tall he truly was, towering over those before him. Baasarn took a moment to reach into a small pouch attached to the belt around his waist. He seemed to rummage a few moments, then pulled out what appeared to be several dried leaves.

The Dragonian hybrid set the strange, dried plant matter on the table, looking over to the gathered members, "Welp, time I be off kids. Convince the old man to eat these if he wants the headache to go away quicker. They're perfectly safe, a herb from my native lands. Granted, it'll probably numb his mouth for a bit, but hey, better to be numb than suffer through pain right?"

Baasarn then gave a two clawed salute to the group, moving to leave, claws clicking on the hard floor as he made his way towards the door, disappearing outside.

Oshiera watched the male leave, lifting her own webbed, clawed hand in a farewell. She turned her head back to herb, stepping forward, lightly poking at it with a claw. The smell of it was strange, an almost warm scent of cinnamon and mint. The creature tilted her hooded head, then looked upwards.

Gods his head felt like it was swimming…and his stomach didn't feel any better…

He rested his head against his left arm, nestled close so his horn draped across it in a way. The slight cracks of his left horn seen. The male kept his right hand clutching the top of his own horned head, body heaving now and then from the onslaught of hiccups.

Each hiccup also brought pain, especially to his left side…oh…right. That voidspawn did a number on him. He didn't realize how deep the wound had been at the time. Well, didn't help his mind was still recovering from the primal draconic nature that had taken hold at the time. Hell, he could barely remember what happened entirely after.

Just that he had been in the crypt a while longer, waiting for Mirabilis to escort his pupils out of that dark place. Then after that his mind had grown hazy, unaware as his feet led him away to the hill he always went to…a place dear to his chaotic heart, a rock that acted as an anchor in this life of his…

Dur'kiir slowly opened his good eye, the dull orange moving to eye Aeolus, Bishop, and Oshiera. What a way to look to people you were suppose to be a teacher to…

Bishop nodded, subconsciously flexing her arm. Being referred to with a epithet was definitely odd for her, but it wasn't something she cared to dwell on. The ball of electricity in Baasarn's hand had caught her attention.

Aeolus winced, not really wanting to entertain the thoughts Baasarn was implying; what people did late at night was none of his concern. He shook his head as Oshiera stared at him, even less so willing to elaborate, and was relieved she didn't openly ask for an explaination. He wasn't the kind of person for that. Nevertheless, it was nice to have that question answered.

He had only an inkling of an idea as to what the electricity was for, but when Baasarn began to extend the hand towards Dur'kiir, his eye widened, and he braced himself. Bishop found herself amused, stifiling a few snickers as the shock startled the Dragonkin awake, but Aeolus, like Oshiera, fell silent.

Bishop returned the salute as Baasarn took his leave, a grin plastered on her face. Aeolus kept his gaze focused on Dur'kiir, not sure what to make of the situation.

Bishop took the bag of herbs from the table after Oshiera finished inspecting it, squinting at it curiously.

"Alright, so, what about these?" she murmured to herself. "Do we grind them and put them in some food or drink, or is he s'posed to just chew on them?"

She shrugged, setting the bag back on the table with a quiet "Oh, what the hell," figuring that she'd rely first on more familiar methods.

Spending so much time with bandits had taught her a few things, including how to deal with hangovers and rough awakenings. She tore off a good chunk of her biscuit and set it in front of Dur'kiir, then made her way to the bar and asked for some water. She brought over four cups back, setting them down with the biscuit, then seated herself beside the Dragonkin and took the bag of herbs again.

"Get those in your system, okay?" she told Dur'kiir, nodding towards the biscuit and water. "Let's get some sustenance in you before you take any medication. How's the wound?"

Aeolus glanced at Oshiera, a bit bewildered by Bishop's nonchalance and unsure if he should contribute or leave her to it.

"This is going to be an interesting day," he muttered.

"I believe he…chewsss…them…"

The creature had raised a webbed clawed hand towards Bishop as she suddenly stepped away from the table and headed to the bar. Oshiera released a gurgle that must've been her equivalent to a sigh. She turned her hooded head towards Aeolus, assuming he'd at least be more willing to listen to her reason.

"Thisssh plant remindsss me of certain ssshore ssshrubssss we gather for the sssick. Chewing the leavesss ssshould releassse the juice concealed inssside. Though I would highly recommend to refrain from ssswallowing the leavesss once all the juice has been removed."

Between both Aeolus and the groggy Dragonkin, Oshiera was hoping both heard and heeded her words. She was only going off of basic knowledge from back in her tribe. That and what she picked up from that hybrid that left the herb for their mentor.

"The reassson I insssisssst on ssspitting the leavesss out once finissshed with them isss that I am honestly unsssure if they are sssafe for consssumption."

A huff sounded nearby from Dur'kiir, having closed his eye and instead trying to bury his head deeper into his arm. Though, he might as well try to reassure the Aquaronas.

"Vemu Grass…not native to these lands," the Dragonkin paused as he held back a few hiccups that threatened to escape before continuing, "But everything you have…have said is correct about them…good job…"

That…that was right…right? To try and reassure and give praise when it was needed? Or maybe it was just the sudden shock and intense ill feeling that was muddling his senses. Gods why did it seem like it was such a struggle to try and praise someone for doing what they were suppose to, and doing it correctly even? He was just gonna blame the alcohol at this point. Maybe he just got a bad batch…

Wait, why and who was sitting so close suddenly?

His good eye slowly opened again, wandering over to the side he felt the presence closest to him. The pupil in his gaze seemed to narrow at first at the sight of Bishop seated next to him, but his glare changed instead into pain as the hiccups took hold again.

Dur'kiir's eye wandered to the biscuit that had been settled in front of him. As much as he didn't want to admit it…the girl was right. With horned head still nestled against his left arm, the Dragonkin reached slowly forward with his right hand to grab the offering. He drew it close to biting distance, staring at the bread for several moments before finally taking a bite out of it. A barely audible growl seemed to come from Dur'kiir as he chewed the bite slowly. The Dragonkin swallowed, the silent growl continuing to sound from him as he took another chunk out of the biscuit.

Least a bit more life seemed to spark back into him, though not much. The dull, fiery orange seemed to start to glow softly again, the pupil returning to a more round appearance. Slowly, Dur'kiir lifted his head from its resting place. It felt like there were weights on either of his horns, threatening to break them off at any moment. Though this feeling was nothing new, just part of trying to break out of the hangover.

He had managed to sit up a bit more than he had been, body still slightly hunched over the table. His arms moved closer to his body, though his right started to reach for the glasses of water now that he had finished the biscuit. The Dragonkin took hold of the closest, pulling it close. He at first lifted it close enough to let his tongue flick in and out, lapping at the liquid slowly.

Eventually his 'lapping' at the water did turn to him just throwing it back in seemingly one swallow. Dur'kiir proceeded the same process of taking the other 3 cups of water, downing them instantly. He at least felt like a little bit more control was coming back so to speak. Even his tail managed to twitch slightly behind him, though still didn't make an attempt to pull it closer to his body.

The hiccups that had once been assaulting him had thankfully lessened. He lifted the back of his hand towards his mouth, covering it in an attempt to be polite as a burp was threatening to escape. A few moments, and he lowered his hand back to the table. He glanced over towards Bishop.

"Still hurts like hell," was his response to her question.

"Lady Mirabilisss left usss a note," Oshiera spoke up again in her quiet voice. She reached towards the letter she had tucked away, setting it down before their mentor.

Dur'kiir reached over, pulling the paper close enough to read. He scanned the contents of the letter, upon reaching the end an annoyed growl came from him.

"Of fucking course…woman is nice enough to get her sister to heal and sew my wound shut…but be damned if I get my equipment back…and how much you wanna bet the bastard Baasarn took said sword and shield that had been left for me…"

The Dragonkin let himself sprawl forward again on the table in an almost defeated posture. The growl dispersed instead into silence.

"…Hand me a blade of that grass…"

Oshiera was quick to oblige, reaching into the bag, pulling out a leaf, carefully pushing it over to the Dragonkin, then taking a step back.

Aeolus offered Osheria an apologetic look in response to her being ignored by Bishop. When the engineer had a task set ahead of her, she sought to get it done as quickly and efficiently as possible, and sometimes that meant it took a little extra effort to get her attention. He often found himself becoming exasperated with how difficult it was to pry her away from her work, but by the same token, it was good to have a hard, reliable worker on the team.

He'd noted the Aquaronas's explanation of how to use the herb, however. Not much different from herbs back home. When Dur'kiir mentioned the herb wasn't native, it made him wonder if it'd be something Iro would be familiar with; he'd always been a bit of a green thumb. Oh, now he felt homesick. Iro's garden was unrivaled in floral beauty. He'd kill to have tea and a book in that garden again, figuratively and literally.

Vemu Grass. Vemu Grass. He kept repeating the name in his head, ingraining it so it wouldn't slip from his memory. He'd ask about the plant when he returned. But now, he turned his attention to Bishop, who had returned with some sustenance for Dur'kiir to help his hangover. He could hardly believe the ease with which she approached and conversed with him; how easily she could tell this half-dragon warrior with a hangover to take care of himself. It was almost impressive. And fine by him, because he wasn't going to dare, and judging by how hastily Oshiera responded to Dur'kiir's demand for the herbs, neither was she.

He sighed to himself. Everything was fine. Mirabilis was gone, Dur'kiir was back, the party was all here. He brought his coffee mug to his lips and took a sip to try and ease his nerves, but frowned as he realized the beverage had cooled. He observed the patrons in the peripheral of his eye, judging that nobody would likely pay him mind, before clutching the mug and warming his hands just enough to heat his coffee, only the occasional spark appearing between his fingers to give any indication that magic was at work. Taverns back home had a strict no-magic policy, and he wasn't going to risk using his fire openly in the event these inns had the same rules. But his coffee was warm again, and he could drink happier for it.

Bishop watched contentedly as Dur'kiir downed the water, nodding as he gave his response to her question. His complaints brought from her a sympathetic smile and wordless nods of agreement. But judging by his wound, maybe Mirabilis had the sounder head on her shoulders.

"Well, now what?" she asked, kicking her feet up on the table and leaning, the chair tilting back slightly with the shift in weight. "You're the mentor, right? So how are we going to spend the day?"

"Maybe everyone should wake up first?" suggested Aeolus, warily nodding in Dur'kiir's direction. "Let us all get our bearings?"

"Oh, of course, yeah," replied Bishop with a wave of her hand. "But the best thing to wake up to is a plan."

Dur'kiir leaned forward, taking the blade that had been slid close to him, popping it into his mouth without a second thought. He slowly chewed the leaf, turning it over now and then with his tongue in his mouth. As it became more pulp, he felt his mouth start to become numb. Not surprising, he knew it was gonna happen. One of the helpful effects it had, working for toothaches and other jaw pains.

The Dragonkin shifted a bit in his chair, carefully swallowing the juices that had secreted from the chewed grass. The juice was what would help with the remaining hangover. How, he didn't know, nor did he really care so long as it worked.

Dur'kiir had sat up a bit more, moving an arm upwards, leaning his head into the palm, elbow on the table. His single eye glanced backwards, having seemingly noticed Aeolus become slightly more reserved, glancing towards the other early patrons within the tavern. The Dragonkin observed the young man for those few moments, taking note of a few sparks.

Wait, the kid had some kind of heat control? Was, was he told this? Dur'kiir's gaze shifted back forward, narrowing, the pupil becoming slightly thinner again. Though it was not out of agitation, more so of him trying to remember if the kid had mentioned this new ability of his to him…

He had gone into his primal mind at the time Aeolus used his fire the evening before, so Dur'kiir had indeed been rather oblivious to that fact. Though, that fire ability probably would've staid hidden longer had Lady Mirabilis not said anything. Course, the sorceress worked in mysterious ways, ways one could not fully understand.

The Dragonkin's tail twitched, seeming to have woke up a bit more with the owner. Dur'kiir shifted his gaze back forward, a low rumble seeming to emit from his chest. Not quite a growl, but neither was it a content prrum. No, he was far from being content, just frustrated.

He suddenly gnashed his fangs together a few times, making a few loud 'clacks' in the process. His mouth had started to lose feeling from the grass, more than he wanted, and if he was suppose to talk, the Dragonkin did not want to slur his words to be impossible to decipher.

Dur'kiir heard the creak of wood, looking over to see Bishop having kicked back in her chair, feet propped on the table. Well then, seemed this one had a laid-back personality…suppose that could be considered good.

The Dragonkin closed his eye, letting the thoughts turn over in his head. What to do…what to do…

A plan yes, and what better way to get started than do what they were suppose to do as Adventurers of the Adventurer's Guild?

He opened his eye again, suddenly lifting his free arm. The horned male seemingly made a motion with his hand. As if on que, the bartender from earlier appeared, carrying a jug and glass. He set it on the table before the Dragonkin, giving a quick bow, then leaving.

Dur'kiir grabbed the handle of the jug, pouring crystal clear water into the glass. He paused, reaching upwards and removing the pulp from his mouth. Once again, with no hesitation, red sparks appeared along his hand, instantly disintegrating the leftovers into a pile of ashes. A huff from Dur'kiir, lifting the glass of water to his mouth, forked tongue flicking in and out, lapping the cool liquid.

There, he felt the numbing effect finally wearing away, along with feeling slightly better. The Dragonkin lifted his horned head, letting his gaze wander over the three before him, then speaking.

"As being apart of the Adventurer's Guild…first order of business should be going to the quest board…which I will be leaving to you lot."

His single eye moved, coming to land upon Aeolus. Though having only had a short time together, the kid seemed the most likely choice to take over leadership while Dur'kiir remained in place to recover.

"Head over across from the tavern here…I'm sure you remember where the Guild is…" he paused, having to keep himself from making a smart remark, instead continuing his instructions, "Ask one of the Guild Lasses for a 1-3 star quest."

The Dragonkin yawned, leaning back in his chair. He moved his arms to cross in front of his chest. Dur'kiir winced as he brushed against his left side, a soft hiss escaping him as the movement caused him pain. The male closed his eye again, the rise and fall of his chest seeming to slow down as he another wave of drowsiness washed over him.

"Aeolus…will take lead…while I…wait here…"

The rumbling from Dur'kiir seemed to have grown louder as his head lolled forward. Seemed the old Dragonkin had just suddenly fallen asleep there and then.

Oshiera blinked a bit as she watched their mentor just so suddenly drift off into sleep again. The creature turned her head, glancing between both Aeolus and Bishop. Though her teal blue eyes moved back to Aeolus. The creature tilted her hooded head, shifting a bit as she held her crook.

"Ssso, to the Adventurer'ssss Guild acrosss the ssstreet here?"

It was clear the creature was awaiting the appointed leader's decision. Well, Dur'kiir had directed them and told them what they should do to begin their day. Either way, Oshiera was ready to follow wherever Aeolus did decide to take them.

Well.

Aeolus blinked, then his brow furrowed, very clearly taken by surprise by the sudden nomination.

Of course, he certainly wasn't going to complain. But, given what it had cost, he didn't feel right being content.

Oh, damn it. If only he could just not let his pride and anger get to him in moments of crisis, but that'd just be asking too much.

He closed his eye, taking another sip from his mug. It was all said and done now, no point ruminating over it further, especially after his talk with Lady Mirabilis. But, given him, he'd be mulling over it months from now. He wasn't somebody to forgive and forget, for others or himself.

But he could be dramatic about it later. Right now, he had been given orders, and this time he intended on following them correctly. He finished the contents of his mug and set it on the counter, taking a deep breath and rolling his shoulders in an attempt to relax. He had been ready to respond to Dur'kiir, but found the old Dragonkin had fallen asleep before he could muster any kind of reply.

Well, at least he knew where Dur'kiir was, and that he wasn't going to be in any further danger — and that he wouldn't be a danger to others.

No, don't think like that, he caught himself, right as the thought came. These fears are irrational, remember that. Right now, you're just some run-of-the-mill apprentice who's filling in a temporary position. That's all there is to it.

Though the more he dwelled on it, the more he felt as if he hadn't been doing that good of a job. He'd been drawing attention to himself, making poor decisions and letting his emotion cloud his judgement, as it often did. It wasn't fitting.

Or… maybe it was? He was filling the role of a low-rank adventurer, and one who used to be a sword-for-hire at that. Those kinds of fellows often turned up to be brash and arrogant — the kind of attitude that got them killed if they weren't careful enough.

He supposed he should be thankful that he could so naturally assume the demeanor of a mercenary too high on their horse just by being himself, but it was a very bittersweet gratitude.

Nevertheless, he had a job to do. Though Oshiera had offered her suggestion, it was clear she and Bishop were awaiting direct orders.

"To the Guild, yes," he agreed with a slight nod of his head. "But before we do, I should probably gather my things. Any preparations you need to make yourself, I advise you do now."

As Aeolus left, Bishop patted herself, counting under her breath to make sure she carried all her necessary belongings — satchel, belt, arm, goggles, brass knuckles… oh, were these her work pants she'd grabbed? That explains why she had so much trouble finding the blueprints for Iro's staff upgrades four days ago; they were in her back pocket. She buttoned that pocket shut. Wouldn't want to lose those a second time.

By the time she'd finished making sure she was ready, Aeolus had returned, now carrying his own satchel along with his weapons. He was ready, and a quick glance at Oshiera and Bishop told him they likely were, too.

"Off we go," he murmured, taking the lead and pushing open the door to the tavern. He took a deep breath, relishing the fresh morning air, and set off towards the headquarters of the Adventurer's Guild. The sun had begun to rise, the fierce orange dawn of the horizon giving way towards a gentle blue sky decorated with the occasional cloud. Birds of several kinds fluttered from the flora, whistling their unique songs and searching high and low for whatever nuts and bugs sated their appetites. It was a pleasant day to begin an adventure, and a day Aeolus hoped to make the most of.

When the trio reached the Guild headquarters, Aeolus took a gander back at his team before opening the door and letting their presence be known with a wave. He then scanned the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of the lady he'd spoken to the first time he'd arrived here. A familiar face would be easier to talk to; easier, perhaps, to get a quest from.

As Aeolus suggested they should gather what they needed, Oshiera gave a gurgle in response. The creature glanced towards her side, lifting the strap from off of her shoulder. On the table, she set her own leather satchel down. The creature lifted the flap of the bag, rummaging through it a bit. Mentally, she counted the items she had within. Some herbs, vials of homemade potions, and of course some shells that were valuable amongst her kind to use as currency. Remembering she had them, she was rather curious if she could barter in the market place Dur'kiir had shown them yesterday with her shells.

Oshiera would ponder upon that later. Aeolus had reappeared, Bishop nearby. The creature took hold of her own cane, returning the satchel over her shoulder and against her side. She followed, her finned tail trailing behind her. Her claws clicked against the cobblestone road, having no need for shoes. The most protection were some soft leather wraps around her ankles. Hard to wear anything like boots on clawed, webbed feet like her own.

The creature glanced backwards, taking note as the streets appeared to be waking up with more and more people and creatures. Though she looked back as the great guild loomed overhead. Oshiera stood just behind, tilting her hooded head as Aeolus seemed to check to make sure they were all accounted for, then entered the building.

---

Upon entering, there were already quite a few small groups of adventurers. Both young and old, human and non-human were mingling with one another. Several were gathered in front of a large board, papers pinned upon the wall.

Further towards the back were the counters, 3 Guild Lasses currently present and working each with their own line. Though one would definitely catch their eyes, the elven lass from the other day who introduced them all to Dur'kiir, their mentor. She was currently standing next to one of the other lasses, a much younger blonde who seemed to be rather flustered by the sudden numbers of adventurers seeking assistance.

Ledea, that was her name if they were to remember. The elven woman reached below one of the counters, pulling out several papers, setting them in front of the blonde girl, helping her in some way or another.

For a moment the green haired female lifted her head, seeming to have noticed the small group as Aeolus gave a wave. Ledea glanced to her side, ushering over now a red-headed woman. She gave a nod to the elven woman, whom promptly stepped off to the side, making her way through the adventurers to approach them.

She offered them her welcoming smile, "A pleasure to see you lot again."

Ledea paused, glancing behind them, clearly looking for a particular someone, then looked back, her gaze landing on Aeolus. She raised an eyebrow, "Your mentor is not with you?"

A gurgle sounded from Oshiera, the creature speaking up, "Dur isss at the tavern acrossss the ssstreet. He sssent usss over here."

The woman furrowed her brows, "Did something happen?"

Oshiera glanced towards Aeolus, expecting him to explain last night's situation. Granted, the creature had expected the guild to already know what had happened. Guess somethings could fly under the shadows without being noticed.

Aeolus noted Oshiera's gaze, his own briefly flickering to Bishop, who gave him a nod of reassurance. Here goes nothing.

"We had a run-in with a cult of some kind," he admitted, turning to face the lass. "In a cemetery not too far from here. They were trying to summon, oh, how did he refer to it…"

"Voidspawn, wasn't it?" Bishop piped up, and Aeolus nodded towards her gratefully.

"Right, a voidspawn. I'll be upfront and say I'm not familiar with these lands, so I'm not sure how much these voidspawn pose a threat to Igreacean, but the thing clawed right into Dur'kiir's side. He killed it, but…"

He pursed his lips, turning the memory over in his head, mulling over how much was too much to share. He didn't know how Dur'kiir would have wanted it phrased, but he was with the Guild, so Aeolus was running with the assumption that the Guild would want to know everything, especially concerning what happened to one of their Platinum Adventurers.

"It took a lot of effort to put down, even with all of us pitching in. I'm assuming any creature not from this world is bad news, but I've half a mind to wager the only reason we're still alive is because Dur'kiir had its attention. He's as okay as somebody can be after that, asleep in the tavern. We had him take some herbs for the pain."

Maybe he'd leave out how the whole ordeal started. For both strategic and dignity-related reasons.

The more he dwelled on it, however, the more it got him thinking. He'd never heard of voidspawn before. He'd put up with the Obsidian Mark back in Darchester and put down a dead god, but throughout that entire endeavor – and the entirety of his career – the word "voidspawn" was never mentioned once. Granted, he was more on the younger side when it came to life-long careers, but given everything that'd been thrown at him so far, he was surprised, to say the least.

Maybe he could assume it was because the Three-Chosen kept it so; after all, he'd never heard of the Mark until he'd first been kidnapped by them way back when. Neither had he heard of Cislous, and he was a god dating back to pre-Trinitist texts. Those he could understand from a social standpoint, at least – the presence of a god challenged the very atheistic nature of Cosmic Trinitism, which, one could argue, were the very foundational threads holding together Darchestran culture and society, even if it left them ignorant. But Cislous was called the Dead God before Cosmic Trinitism was established, which begs the question of what exactly such a title meant. Maybe Cislous was voidspawn, or came from the same place they did. He didn't know, but he wanted to.

Maybe he'd look at some texts when he returned. Or, perhaps, he could find the answers here. If the party wasn't going to be too busy questing he was quite interested in checking out any libraries the kingdom had.

But, at least for now, questing was a priority. Maybe he could get the location of a library from Dur'kiir if he did well enough.

"Dur'kiir appointed me as a temporary leader of sorts until, I assume, he's well enough to be active again," he concluded to the Guild Lass. "He directed us here, told us to ask for a 1-3 star quest."

The elven woman shifted her gaze to Aeolus as he started to speak. Mentally, she took notes which would be written in a report later. For a moment, Ledea seemingly glanced out of the corner of her eye towards the side, but then back forward. Her composure was serious, taking a moment to look over all three members.

As Aeolus drew to a close of the events, and what Dur'kiir had asked of them, she responded, "We should be thankful none of you were enthralled. Such a fate is worse than death."

Her sea green eyes shifted, narrowing as she seemed to glare towards a certain group of adventurers in a corner who appeared to all be having a good time. Ledea lowered her voice for the few before her, agitation clear, "Goddamn them…they were suppose to take care of that quest before something like this happened…"

A sigh escaped her as she gave her head a slight shake. The elven female's composure relaxed again as she faced the party before her.

"I am sorry you all had to go through that. The quest you accidentally did was a 7-9 star quest, given to Gold Adventurers, whom are just below Platinum. I dread to think what could've happened had Dur'kiir not been there…but enough of that. Let's get you started with something a bit easier and more on your level."

She offered a soft smile, ushering them to follow her to one of the desks. Ledea made her way behind the dark wood counter, sifting through papers for a moment. The elven lass took two papers from the pile she had been looking through, setting them on the desk before Aeolus, Bishop, and Oshiera.

"These should be a bit easier for you; First quest we have here is a farmer is having pest problems. Imps have been coming in at night, either stealing or freezing his crops. He's looking for someone to eradicate the creatures. Reward is 5 gold pieces per imp destroyed."

Her hand moved towards the second paper, "Then for this one; A woman is in need of escorts. She came to the kingdom to pick up medicine for her sick husband. Though she is worried of heading back to her village with the medicine alone. She is willing to pay 20 silver pieces once she is returned home safely."

Ledea then moved her hand back to its place near her side. Her pointed ears seemed to twitch every so slightly as she looked towards them, "I'll give you a moment to discuss and decide which would be the best for you to undertake."

She gave a slight bow, then suddenly stepped away. Seemed somewhere over towards the other lasses, there was a little bit of trouble going on, she better go help, being the oldest of the Guild lasses.

Aeolus's gaze subtly flickered to the group the elven lady had turned her attention to, sizing them up with a hint of distaste. Given that the quest they had undertaken was one assigned to Gold Adventurers, he figured that the individuals who made up that group held, at minimum, such a rank. Unfortunate.

But he spent no more time assessing the party than the Guild Lass did.

"It's appreciated," he replied to her condolences, offering a slight smile. "Admittedly, the endeavor has left me looking forward to what our adventures will eventually become."

Aeolus followed the Lass to the directed desk, watching intently as she shuffled through and distributed a pair of documents. Quests, he realized upon closer examination. He listened to the details of each quest, mulling over which one would be the better one to take.

If money was the goal, taking care of the imps was the obvious choice. If these imps in particular dabbled in any variety of hellish magic – darkness, fire, poison, what have you – then he was confident to say that the party had the upper hand. Bishop's light could counter darkness, Oshiera's spells could provide protection, and Aeolus himself was immune to fire, having a little fire magic of his own. That being said, his own flames would pose no threat to imps (again, running with the assumption that they had magic), but he could make up for that with physical attacks. Of course, it could be that Igreacean imps were vastly different from Darchestran imps, and the whole plan would fall apart the second they engaged in combat, but better to have some semblance of a plan than no plan at all.

The escorting quest, on the other hand, would be the way to go if they wanted to potentially keep a life safe. While the imp problem of the former contract was definitely an issue, it didn't seem like a potentially life-threatening one – crops were being stolen, but nobody was being directly hurt, and the farmer could likely hold out a little longer before the crop theft became a serious issue. This woman didn't feel safe walking alone to her village, and she was carrying medicine for her sick husband. While the potential threats were more unknown than the imp job and the pay was less, they could rest well with the idea that someone ill received medicine and that the woman was able to reach home safely.

"Tough choice, ain't it?" Bishop murmured from beside Aeolus, causing the latter to jump a little. He'd been so engrossed in the quests that he hadn't noticed her approach, nor had he noticed the Guild Lass leave.

"Both have their benefits," muttered Aeolus in return, brow furrowing as he read over the two quests again. Then, he rightened himself, glancing back at Oshiera. The more opinions, the easier the decision. Hopefully.

"What do you think?" he inquired to the Aquaronas. "I'll go with the quest you'd prefer to take."

Oshiera's head tilted as she listened to the elven lass. A soft gurgle came from her, shifting her feet, claws clicking on the hard surface of the floor. Her blue eyes flashed with slight worry at the mention they had accidentally undertaken a quest that could've possibly ended them all. 'Gold Adventurers' were below 'Platinum', and Dur'kiir was what they called a 'Platinum Adventurer', and considering what happened last night, the Aquaronas was relieved to know they made it out of there.

Her head seemed to lift, the hood remaining to cover her features. Her tail slowly swayed one way, then the other behind the creature. Oshiera listened in silence as Ledea spoke, then motioned for them to follow. She didn't seem to pay mind as a glare and sharp comment was said about another group whom were suppose to deal with what they had the unfortunate circumstance to come across and deal with instead.

The creature looked attentively towards Ledea, gaze shifting down between the two papers set on the desk before them. The elven woman spoke of imps, and then another being an escort of a woman. Then it seemed just as soon as Ledea had set the two quests before them, she excused herself to most likely deal with something else.

Her gaze watched for a moment as Ledea moved away, then looked back towards the papers on the desk. Oshiera's tail flicked to the side, waiting for Aeolus to finish reading one paper, to move onto the next. The creature pulled the first quest across the desk towards her, being careful with her claws. Her eyes scanned the letters.

Imps? She had honestly never dealt with such creatures. What were they? Oshiera lifted a webbed hand, seeming to reach into the darkness of her hood, scratching her head confused. The way it sounded, they were pest creatures; either taking or destroying things. Gold coins, that had to be the highest currency one could get here. Five per imp destroyed? So say they killed five imps, that was 25 coins right there already. Suppose that would be a quick and easy way to earn some coin.

The second quest, an escort. Oshiera looked over the paper once Aeolus had finished. A woman, a wife, picking up medicine for her sick husband. Perhaps the medicine was quite valuable, hence she felt the need to have guards? The creature could relate in several ways, having been tasked to gather herbs and other medicinal supplies her tribe used for the sick, wounded, or something to ease those who were dying.

Though she could relate, that was not the only reason Oshiera was leaning towards the escort duty. Her mind thought back to Dur'kiir. Their mentor was still injured, so perhaps something that wouldn't put too much strain on him would make more sense.

Her head lifted as she heard Aeolus voice directed towards her. Another gurgle, and the creature spoke, "Both have their benefitsss, one offering more pay than the other. I will admit, I am unsssure what impsss are, or what they are capable of doing. Ssso fighting them would be a new experience for me."

"Asss for the essscort, lessss pay yesss? If the woman feelsss ssshe may be in possssible danger on her journey back, it isss highly probable. Medicine isss valuable, sssome more-ssso than othersss."

The creature slowly blinked her blue eyes, thinking of how to phrase her next sentence. She was admittedly concerned about their mentor. Straightforward, she would be straightforward with it.

Oshiera opened her eyes, looking directly towards Aeolus, "I am alssso consssidering what would be lessss ssstrenuoussss upon our mentor. Dur'kiir isss ssstill injured, having only been healed lassst night. Hisss wound hasss been sssewn ssshut from what Lady Mirabilisss letter sssaid. For him to put any ssstrain on it could quickly undo what hasss been done to help the healing processsss."

She clutched her crook close to her, averting her gaze towards the floor again as she spoke in a more quiet tone, "That isss jussst my thought though…I'm sssure we could handle the imp problem if that ssseemssss more logical to you."

Oshiera knew he said they'd go with the quest she chose, but she'd still leave it on the table, seeing as she still saw him as the current leader.

The escort mission, Oshiera had suggested. Aeolus closed his eye for a brief moment, nodding thoughtfully to himself as he listened to her reasoning. Right — if how Mirabilis spoke of Dur'kiir was true, then he probably wouldn't rest without some protest. Best not to throw hellspawn at him right after dealing with voidspawn. He leaned on the table and tilted his head to the side, shifting his eye to his peripheral to catch a glance at Bishop, who seemed to be in agreement with Oshiera's thoughts. Very well, the escort mission would be the quest the party undertook.

Yet, he noted how, even after offering sound logic, Oshiera seemed to retreat back into herself. He was better at keeping his curiosity hidden this time, but her demeanor still piqued his interest. When it came to his work, he couldn't care less about the whys and the how comes. But people? It was almost the total opposite.

Maybe that was Dal rubbing off on him. Once upon a time, he was practically the same dismissive and calculated figure as the one who raised him, not caring much for others besides whether or not they were an asset to the task at hand. But, little by little, his friendship with Dal chipped away at that stone cold demeanor, and where he used to find that upon being met with another person he felt nothing but contempt, he was now often overwhelmed by pure sonder. He had fought battles external and internal, lived a life so horribly complicated he didn't think he could tell a linear story to someone else if he tried. And now, he was faced with someone else in that exact same situation. Everyone had a life, a story of their own, just as complex and intricate as his own, and he marveled at the concept. A feeling often born from the smallest gestures of others, he found.

He supposed he could apply that same concept to Dur'kiir. He was the way he was for a reason, and Mirabilis had kindly filled him in on that reason.

He internally grimaced. That was enough introspection for today.

"Your logic seems more sound," he acknowledged, nodding his head in Oshiera's direction. "I suppose we should keep in mind that Dur'kiir might show up despite his directions to rest. We'll take the escort mission, then."

Bishop grinned in response. "A good way to get a sense of Igreacan territory, too, huh?" she suggested. "If we're gonna spend most of our time questing here, might as well get used to the surroundings."

She had a point. He could also take some opportunities to locate the rest of the marks — there were four, Dur'kiir included. The other three were also located in Igreacan, but their exact whereabouts were still something he had to find out; these sorts of missions would be a good way to narrow down their locations.

He cracked a smile. Maybe things weren't going to be so difficult; at least, for the time being.

"Well!" prompted Bishop, turning to face where Ledea and several of the Guild Lasses had congregated. "If that's that, we should probably get that elf lady over here."

Before the others could make that effort, she raised a hand, waving and raising herself to her tip-toes to try and grab the attention of the elven woman.

Her head seemed to lift again as Aeolus noted her statement. In her mind, the creature was relieved to know that maybe the other shared her concerns for their mentor. It was still unclear to her at times, having only really been sympathetic towards her own people. She was trying to keep an open mind though, and treat these individuals as she would treat her own. Her tail swished a bit behind her, the fan-like fin seeming to vibrate, but remaining folded up neatly.

Oshiera glanced between Aeolus and Bishop as the female mentioned it being a good way for them to get the lay of the land. Suppose it made sense, meant they would get out further from the city walls and into lands that belonged to the Kingdom. It would be something different, something which she could perhaps use to learn more about the surface world.

Ledea spoke under her breath to the younger Guild Lass. Seemed a client was trying to haggle with the pricing, and it was not going over well. The elven woman moved a hand, lightly massaging her temples. It was going to be one of those days wasn't it…

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement. Ah, Aeolus' party must've decided on the quest to undertake. She pointed several things out towards her younger employee, then stepped off to the side. It did not take long for the elven woman to cover the distance, standing before them.

"So we have decided?"

Her gaze shifted to the side, noticing one of the papers had been set aside. Ledea reached over, pulling it towards her. Seemed they had chosen the escort quest. Should be simple enough…'should be' being the keywords there.

"The Escort Quest it is then. The name of your client is Mrs. Irene Maesin. You will find her just outside of the Guild here, waiting by her horse and wagon."

Ledea paused, seeming to pull a short, black feathered quill from a pocket somewhere, with it a slip of paper. She jotted something down, then removed a ring from her finger, pressing it onto the parchment, replacing the ring on her hand. The paper hovered between her hands, seeming to roll up on its own, a thin vine materializing from nowhere, acting as a tie to keep the folded parchment in place.

"Hand this to her when you meet her. A note stating you are Guild Members and will be helping her with the escort."

The elven lass stepped back again, giving them her warm smile again, "And with that you are ready to begin. Good luck!"

Ledea gave a slight wave, before turning away to return to her own work again.

---

Dur'kiir had woken again from his nap, yawning showing his sharp fangs. The large Dragonkin slowly stood up, leaving the tavern. As soon as he exited the building, he raised a hand to cover his eyes from the onslaught of the morning sun. A low growl came from him as his vision started to adjust for the light instead of the dimness that had been the inside of the tavern.

As the light became less harsh, he lowered his hand to his side again. His single eye moved, scanning the area before him. The Dragonkin's tail swished to the side, seemed the streets were starting to get busy again for the day. He shifted his feet back and forth, eye narrowed, pupil thinning into a slit.

Gods he felt so vulnerable, naked even, without his armor or weapon, and only the Gods knew when he would be getting those back from Mirabilis. He closed his eyes, letting the thoughts of feeling exposed sink downwards. Even without armor, his weapon, he remained formidable…he just didn't feel that way…especially now…

Only thing covering him was a simple, dark green tunic, black work pants, and worn work boots. The draconic male lifted his hand, lightly rubbing the plated, black scales that were now visible running down his neck and seeming to branch outwards along the collarbone. That was the nice thing about armor, covered more of his scales. As a Dragonkin, he had scales covering certain parts of his body, scales that were permanently in place, instead of him able to seemingly call or disperse the scales when he needed extra armor.

"Mean the demon bastard child still lives? Then as if to add to the fact he is still alive, he goes and takes another's quest? Pathetic."

An audible sigh escaped him, slowly opening his eyes again. Dur'kiir lifted his gaze, tilting his horned head to the side, eyeing the one who clearly addressed him. A blonde male stood across, a sword attached to his hip, shield on his back. The armor he wore was polished, seeming to have yet see a battle.

The Dragonkin easily towered over the stranger, outweighing him as well with pure brawn. Dur'kiir flicked his forked tongue out, testing the air. He leaned back against the wall, arms moving to cross in front of his chest.

"Well in your 30's…and you still have the mentality of a pompous 15 year old," the Dragonkin's voice sounded tired, looking down at the other, "Perhaps if you actually put effort into doing something, your so called 'claimed quests' wouldn't be taken by someone else Lambin."

Dur'kiir received a sharp glare, "If you were not such a high ranking adventurer and 'pet' to the Guildmaster, you would've been executed long ago."

The Dragonkin remained with a tired, bored look in his eye, "Yes yes, I know how influential House Darwin is…trust me…"

His gaze narrowed again, pupil becoming a thin slit, "Your House seems to hold a prejudice against Dragons and dragonfolk…for I know I'm not the only one you seem to spit on when you walk past."

An annoyed 'tck' seemed to come from the one called Lambin, "What my family thinks is none of your concern, though I'm sure your 'primal' mind wouldn't be able to comprehend such a thing anyways when it comes to 'concern'. Nearly killed 3 new recruits of the Guild on their first day I heard."

Dur'kiir seemingly stiffened. Did word spread about the incident that quickly already? Of course, leave it someone like Lambin to have inside sources somewhere to give him the information to turn on rivals…why he saw Dur'kiir as a possible 'rival' was beyond the old Dragonkin.

"So you came to lecture me? When you are but a child compared to my age…amusing…"

The large Dragonkin remained looking down towards the man before him, expression remaining neutral despite the verbal abuse he was receiving.

Aeolus acknowledged Ledea's approach with a subtle nod of his head, observing as she took a gander at the quest he had discarded.

Irene Maesin. Irene Maesin. He silently repeated the name over and over again to cement it in his mind; the last thing he'd want to do is forget the name of his client on his first quest. He'd had that happen before… never again.

Ledea's little trick with the note caught his attention, however. That was a neat bit of magic. Judging by the vine, he was tempted to call it earth magic, but with that label he was still uncertain how the paper had rolled up on its own. Perhaps the ring was enchanted? He hardly used enchantments when he sorted through paperwork, but now, seeing what they were capable of, he began considering an investment or two into some magic utilities.

He took the note, murmuring his gratitude to the Guild Lass and offering a slight wave of his own as she left. Then, he turned to his companions.

"Well, here's to our first quest as a party," said he, holding up the paper firmly in his hand with a smile. "Let's hope things don't fly too far off the rails this time."

"Oh, you know it will," snickered Bishop, gently punching him in the arm. "It's not a real quest if they don't. Now, let's not keep that Maesin lady waiting!"

Aeolus rolled his eye, huffing with feigned annoyance, before turning and following Bishop as she eagerly made her way out of the Guild Headquarters.

As he pushed open the door and took in the busy streets around him, he took note of two special figures in front of the tavern across the road. He instantly recognized Dur'kiir — his towering form and draconic horns made him stand out, even without his armor — but he couldn't say the same for the man he was conversing with, who, in contrast, was fully decked in what Aeolus could only assume was a fresh set of armor. Perhaps he'd recently replaced his previous armor. Or, considered Aeolus with a mocking snicker, he wearing it for more pretentious purposes. Either way, it didn't look like the conversation was a pleasant one, so he didn't think much about intervening. The topic likely wasn't his business, anyways.

He turned his attention instead to locating this Irene Maesin. Ledea had mentioned she would be accompanied by a horse and a wagon, and it was upon seeing a woman standing near such transportation that he recalled that information.

Aeolus pointed out the wagon to his companions before weaving his way there, raising a hand to the woman to grab her attention.

"Would you perhaps be Mrs. Irene Maesin?" he announced, holding out the parchment for her to take. "We're with the Adventurer's Guild, here to escort you to your village?"

"If you are done Lambin…I have more important matters to deal with than giving attention to a child…"

Dur'kiir was growing tired of this. His tail flicked behind him, pupil remaining narrowed, showing his growing agitation. The male felt his lips twitch now and then, but he refrained from showing his fangs. The Dragonkin was honestly trying his hardest not to let himself get riled up by the man before him.

He knew that's what Lambin wanted, to get a rise out of the old Dragonkin. Perhaps if he had been in his younger, more reckless years, Dur'kiir would have probably taken the 'bait' and given the other what he wanted. Dur'kiir had age on his side now, had dealt with many people and creatures trying to get under his skin.

"Tck, you should consider yourself lucky that I'm taking some of my precious time to even talk to you."

"Oh yes," Dur'kiir gave his shoulders a slight shrug, controlling the urge to roll his eye, "I'm feeling absolutely privileged to be graced by your presence."

The large Dragonkin lightly drummed his fingers against his arm, having remained with them crossed in front of his chest. His gaze shifted to the side, having caught sight of several familiar faces exiting the Guild. Aeolus, Bishop, and Oshiera, good, they must've managed to get a quest. Which meant a better excuse to tell Lambin to piss off so he could continue his job as a mentor.

"Oh, so those are the Bronze members you nearly had tempered? A fish and 2 outsiders, sounds about right for the likes of you. No one will be too concerned if they do by chance happen to die while under your mentorship."

Dur'kiir remained impassive with emotions. The only emotion shown was through his single eye, the pupil remaining a narrowed slit. This guy really didn't know when to quit.

"Lambin, if you are finished berating everyone who isn't either a native or human, I will be taking my leave now."

The Dragonkin proceeded to push himself off the wall. His tail swept to the side, arms lowering to his sides again. Dur'kiir moved walking past Lambin without saying another word. As he started to brush past, it seemed the other man wasn't done with still trying to provoke the Dragonkin.

"Though losing a party member doesn't mean anything to you, does it?"

Dur'kiir instantly froze, unmoving. The air around both of them seemed to suddenly grow heavy, suffocating. The Dragonkin turned his head back, his eye swirling to bright red, the same hint glowing beneath the milky white of his blind side. Dur'kiir did not bother being pleasant, lips curling back to show his sharp fangs.

"Consider yourself lucky Lambin," Dur'kiir's voice lowered, tone dangerous, "That you are in the safety of these walls."

With a growl, the Dragonkin faced back forward, his pace quickening. Calm down, he needed to calm down…

He gave his horned head a slight shake, trying to clear it. Dur'kiir didn't need to startle them and the client. The draconic male released a sigh, walking to where the trio were currently introducing themselves.

---

A nod came from the Aquaronas, blue eyes glowing in the hood of her cloak. Her gaze seemed relaxed, still having the curious glow about them. Hopefully this quest would go much smoother than what had happened the previous night. Her head perked up at the interaction between Aeolus and Bishop. It was intriguing to the creature, not having had interactions like lightly punching someone happen between tribemates.

Her tail swished back and forth behind her as she gurgled in reply to the pair of them. The aquatic creature followed behind Aeolus and Bishop, having seemed to keep to her place in the back. She felt slightly safer there, the other two acting as shields in front of her, or that was her thought process. Also, she seemingly considered the fact that she was not physically strong at all. No, if it came down to hand-to-hand combat, Oshiera would easily be overpowered by physical strength. She was a healer, not a fighter…

Oshiera lifted her head, teal eyes scanning the surrounding area. They were looking for a woman next to a horse and wagon? The streets were growing busy, so trying to find who they were looking for seemed like it was going to be diff-…oh, Aeolus must've seen whom they were searching for.

The Aquaronas was quick to follow close behind, claws clicking on the hard stone. She tucked her tail closer to her body so not to accidentally trip someone while passing to keep up with Aeolus and Bishop.

Her fingers delicately ran along the harness, making sure the buckles were in place upon the large draft horse. Good, everything seemed to be hooked up and ready to go, now to just wait. She didn't have to wait long as the sound of footsteps drew closer to where she stood. The woman turned to face three individuals; a man, woman, and an unknown creature covered in a cloak.

Hazel brown eyes came to land upon the young man who asked her name, "Yes, I am Mrs. Irene Maesin."

She looked towards the folded letter, taking it from him. The seal, the insignia was indeed that of the Adventure Guild. Her hand tugged the vine that acted as a string to hold the parchment in place. The woman unfolded it, her eyes scanning the contents.

As she came to the end, the woman folded the letter back into its original shape. Irene gave a short bow, then straightened again, "Thank you for accepting my request. I appreciate the quick response as well…as I'm sure there are much more pressing quest matters than a simple escort mission."

Heavy footsteps accompanied by a large shadow falling over the small group. A gruff, familiar voice spoke up, "Apologies I am late, had some business that needed to be dealt with…"

Dur'kiir towered behind the trio, tilting his horned head slightly to the side. His form seemed to have relaxed for the most part. The Dragonkin still seemed to have an exhausted look about him, though sharp eyes would notice his gaze was not at all relaxed. No, the pupil was still a thin slit, hints of the feral red glow seen just beneath the surface of his usual fiery orange gaze and even the milky white of his blind eye.

The large Dragonkin steadily gazed towards the woman, "If I may ask m'lady, what village are we traveling to?"

Irene looked up at the sudden appearance of the shadow. Her eyes widened slightly at the great Dragonkin, though she pushed the thought aside, soft voice quick to answer, "I-I hail from Alenmont…"

Dur'kiir couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as he eyed the woman. Something else was on her mind…perhaps it was because she knew who he was? Or maybe something else was bothering her. It was as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. He wouldn't worry about it, nor would he push her to say anything…unless Aeolus, Bishop, or Oshiera decided to query her about it.

The draconic male gave a slight nod, turning his horned head to look down towards Aeolus, "Your call kid, how you want us to be arranged for this escort quest?"

"There is room in the wagon…if you need to ride…"

The Dragonkin turned towards the woman again. He tipped his head slightly towards her, "Thank you m'lady."

His gaze shifted back to Aeolus, clearly waiting for him to call the shots. Well, the Dragonkin did put him in charge…and honestly, Dur'kiir still recovering being an excuse, he wanted to see how well the kid did in a 'leader' situation so to speak. Perhaps it would give him more insight how this guy worked.

Aeolus waited patiently as Mrs. Maesin read through the letter, meeting her gaze and returning her bow with a slight nod of his head.

“All quests are of equal importance,” he assured her, his tone assuring but with the same stiff formality he often carried while on the job. “But, to business. What would—”

His words were cut short by the sound of footsteps and a looming figure’s shadow casting itself over the party. Aeolus tensed, turning warily until he faced the familiar face of Dur’kiir, to which he visibly relaxed. By the Trinity, he thought to himself. Maybe he’d start waking up in the mornings with a heart attack instead of coffee.

As Dur’kiir inquired about the woman’s residence, he, too, picked up on her uncertain demeanor. He blinked, concern ever so slightly furrowing his brow. He couldn’t say what exactly about it bothered him, he only had a slight feeling that things weren’t quite right. But, if his mentor saw no need to press further, neither would he — at least, not for the time being.

At Dur’kiir’s instruction, Aeolus was taken aback. Of course, he’d been appointed temporary leader, but he was under the assumption that such a role would only last until Dur’kiir felt well enough to join the party again.

Or, perhaps this was a test. An assessment of his abilities.

Either way, Aeolus approached the situation eagerly. Strategy was his forte, that and paperwork.

He took a few steps back, folding his arms across his chest and taking a gander at the scene before him. The party consisted of one civilian, one support mage, one (injured, he had to remember) warrior, one close-range fighter, and one close-to-mid range fighter. No actual long-range means of combat, unless Oshiera knew any offensive spells — but her comfort zone seemed to be in support, so he decided against a position that might make her nervous. He’d just have to work with what he had and pray no archers or other long-range fighters were thrown at them.

First things first, Mrs. Maesin would probably be most useful sitting up front. She would likely know the way back to her village, and considering that three of the five people were foreigners, her navigation skills would be invaluable.

Beside her, in the passenger seat, Aeolus was inclined to station Bishop. While she was a close-range fighter, her light magic could be used in a variety of defensive ways. Her flashbang, for example, could easily disorient or even temporarily blind those looking in the direction of the party, which could potentially provide that defense against long-range attackers the group needed, as well as any other malevolent characters unfortunate enough to cross paths with them.

Mrs. Maesin had mentioned room in the wagon, and that was where Aeolus believed Dur’kiir would fit best. The wagon’s cargo would need protecting, and by situating the party’s strongest warrior in the center, he could hopefully protect Mrs. Maesin and Bishop as well, recalling the protection Dur’kiir’s wings provided in his more draconic form. He also hoped it would be less strenuous on Dur’kiir’s injuries to sit in the wagon with the other two, and he could keep an eye on the wagon’s backside.

And, finally, he and Oshiera would probably perform their best flanking the wagon on either side. The two could keep an eye on their surroundings and serve as a first line of defense in the event things went south. Oshiera would have the flexibility of movement and positioning for her spells, while Aeolus’s mobile and fluid style of combat would benefit from an open area.

It certainly wasn’t perfect, but maybe, just maybe, it’d work.

He relayed his plan to Dur’kiir, along with his reasoning for his decisions. He was careful, this time, to not get so caught up in what he thought was the right course of action; when he concluded, he waited to hear Dur’kiir’s input, if his mentor was willing to offer any.

The large Dragonkin was attentive, listening in silence as Aeolus started to explain and direct the party. Dur'kiir remained emotionless, as seemed to be his main trait when it came down to it…at least it seemed when he was out amongst others. In battle, that demeanor changed as had been witnessed the other day.

His good eye started to return to its more normal fiery orange, the blind once again returning to milky white. The male's pupil was still a slit, but at least he had calmed down enough for none of them to seemingly notice. Maybe they hadn't been paying attention yesterday when in his half-form…but how could've they missed it? That or maybe they didn't want to say anything.

Dur'kiir lifted a hand, resting his face in it for several moments. Why now were all these thoughts crashing down on him? He shook his head, removing his hand and returning it to his side again. A slight frown crossed the draconic male's features. Damn…he probably seemed like he was being disrespectful and not listening. His thoughts were troubled, still agitated by Lambin's parting sentence. The Dragonkin felt his heart seemingly twist. Absentmindly, his hand moved again, now rubbing lightly at his chest, as if trying to ease the growing pain that had taken root there long ago.

Push it aside, he had to push it aside as he had done many times…bury it deep again…but heartache was not something one could easily ignore once the pain was renewed…

Dur'kiir instead focused on Aeolus' voice, finding it as something to anchor him to the present. His gaze remained on the young man as he continued to explaining his plan. The Dragonkin's tail twitched slightly, letting each word sink into his mind. Was a rather strange placement, least to the male.

Personally, the Dragonkin would've insisted he take the lead. Would it not make more sense for the warrior to walk in front of the escort train? Putting the civilian in the driver's seat…though setting Bishop up next to her. Seemed he would be getting put into the wagon with supplies, while Oshiera and Aeolus flanked either side of the wagon.

He felt his mouth open, as if getting ready to say something, but Dur'kiir shut his jaw quickly. No, he put Aeolus in charge, he would go along with what he said. He noticed as the young man finished, he looked towards the tall Dragonkin. Dur'kiir felt his lip twitch slightly, averting his gaze downwards and to the side.

His hand that had once been massaging his chest, instead moved to rub the back of his neck. Dur'kiir rubbed at the scales there, his gaze remaining trained towards the ground. He went silent, his thoughts a storm. The Dragonkin finally lifted his horned head, eyes once again facing Aeolus.

"Very well, though I am a bit worried about Oshiera and Mrs. Maesin being in rather open situations. Settled in a seat up front could be a prime target for an assassin's weapon of choice. As for Oshiera, the healer left in a wide open space…"

"D-Dur'kiir…you are still hurt…you s-shouldn't be doing anything too s-s-strenuous on your wounds…"

The Aquaronas' quiet voice suddenly speaking up made the Dragonkin hang his horned head. His hand flopped to his side, a barely audible sigh escaping the male.

"Very well…just don't hesitate to call out…"

Without another word, the large Dragonkin turned. He walked towards the back of the wagon, an almost dejected look about him. The draconic male pulled himself inside, settling down crosslegged, tail curling against his side. Another huff escaped him as he hunched over, eye a dull glow in the darkness of the covered wagon.

An upset gurgle escaped Oshiera. She seemed to step up and closer to Aeolus when she had stated her thought to their giant mentor. The creature watched as Dur'kiir did indeed step back, limping towards the wagon and climbing inside. Her gaze shifted back to Aeolus once the Dragonkin disappeared.

Her voice lowered, soft again for the man's ears alone, "I…I hope I-I didn't upssset him too much…Dur'kiir ssseemsssss both in pain physssically and now mentally…like sssomething isss bothering him more than usssual…I'm jussst glad he lissstened…"

She clutched her staff closer to her body, blue eyes shifting towards the ground. Oshiera hadn't meant to sound demanding…maybe she did when she stated the already obvious to their mentor. The creature lifted her hooded head again to look forward.

"Y-you want me walking along the left or right? I-It doesssn't matter to me…"

Aeolus had noticed Dur'kiir's distracted demeanor as he relayed his idea, but had decided not to comment on it. They had a mission on their hands, and he felt as if Dur'kiir wouldn't appreciate taking time away from that mission to discuss what was bothering him. Whether that was actually the case, he couldn't say. Recalling how he'd caught a glimpse of his mentor's conversation earlier in the morning, however, gave him some ideas.

Dur'kiir seemed to pull himself out of whatever turbulent thoughts occupied him to offer his comments on the arrangement. Aeolus acknowledged them with a nod — valid points, both of them — yet before he could answer, Oshiera had offered a response — one that, to his surprise, seemed to cause something to shift in the Dragonkin. The stoic and intimidating figure he'd come to understand Dur'kiir to be now changed before him, and he watched curiously as his mentor slowly approached the back of the wagon and hauled himself inside, an almost defeated look about him.

This was… new. He didn't know what to think. A glance at Bishop revealed that she, too, seemed taken aback, yet that surprise shifted quickly into concern. Her gaze met his, a silent "what happened?", to which he had no answer. She pursed her lips, then seemed to decide that an answer probably wasn't worth pursuing at the moment. She moved towards the passenger's side of the wagon and climbed on top, taking a breath and observing the scenery around her.

Aeolus's attention was grabbed by Oshiera's quiet voice. He shook his head, casting one last glance behind him at the wagon.

"I'm sure you're not the problem," he replied just as softly. "He's most definitely got something on his mind at the moment. I suppose we should keep an eye on him."

To her question, he paused thoughtfully. Then, he shrugged.

"Take the left. Why not?"

---

Bishop rolled her shoulders, leaning back in her seat and crossing one leg over the other, her arms folding neatly across her chest. Defense. She was defense. She could do defense. She had all sorts of gadgets on her person that could manipulate light, and if push came to shove, she and Aeolus could combine their elements again.

She liked that about her light. It was tangible, elementally. And, apparently, explosive. Neither she nor Aeolus knew why elemental light exploded when it came in contact with fire, but they both agreed that it was fuckin' awesome. They had all sorts of combat techniques together that revolved around it, to the point where it was probably obnoxious, but nobody could say it wasn't effective. Blow it up could be the universal solution to every problem if it didn't leave so much collateral damage.

She took a glance beside her, then sat upright. Aeolus seemed to be done bossing everyone around, and it looked as if the party was about to depart. She'd been personally assigned to take note of any individuals of interest or locations that might house a mark. Not sure why, given that her eyesight wasn't something to be jealous of, but at least she still had two eyes. She was surprised she still had her hearing, if anything, given her work with loud and volatile machinery.

Bishop took a gander at her metal arm. Maybe she could make the rest of herself metal and live forever.

She grimaced. Forever would take a long time.

Aeolus whistled, which grabbed her attention. He gave her a thumbs up, to which she reciprocated, glancing beside her to see if Mrs. Maesin had taken her position.

Oshiera gave a nod to Aeolus. His words seemed to reassure her. She was glad that he too seemed to have noticed that something was bothering their mentor. The Dragonkin's gruff nature had given way to something else entirely today. Maybe it was just exhaustion and pain, she knew such things could be blamed for sudden shifts in behavior.

The Aquaronas had dealt with injured warriors back in her tribe. The trauma of a fight could severely affect an individual, some more so than others. Few there was little one could do other than try to ease their suffering. Yet, unlike warriors back home, Oshiera had no idea of what could possibly be bothering Dur'kiir's mental state other than yesterday's battle. That had to be it…didn't it?

Her hooded head lifted as she was directed to where she would be placed. Oshiera gave a slight wave with a scaled, webbed claw, then moved towards the left side of the wagon. She moved slowly, tail trailing behind her as she held her crook close to her cloaked body.

As for the woman, Mrs. Maesin, she had remained off to the side, tending to her horse. She of course tuned most of the conversation out, being polite as it didn't concern her until the placement. Her gaze shifted as she watched the giant Dragonkin disappear into the back of her wagon, then towards the 3 younger individuals. The young woman of the group had hopped upwards into the seat, the other pair taking to flank the sides.

Irene gave her draft animal a final pat, then walked over to the wagon. The woman climbed up, seating herself next to the other, Bishop. Her hands took hold of the long reins, taking a final moment to seemingly count and make sure all were present. Her head shifted, tilting slightly back as she heard the whistle. Seemed the young man had everything set and they were ready to depart.

She flicked her wrists, the slight movement of the reins being a sign for the animal. The horse plodded forward at a steady pace. Their path led them past the bustle of the busy market streets and out into the open forest nearby.

"My village, Alenmont, is about a half day's journey to reach," Irene spoke up from her place on the driver's seat of the wagon, "Weather permitting and we don't run into any trouble, we should reach my home just past noon."

Dur'kiir sat silently the darkness of cover. He felt the jolt of the wagon as it suddenly moved, causing him to release a soft growl of pain as his injured side was jarred by the movement. The large Dragonkin repositioned himself, remaining crosslegged. His tail curled around his side, the tip twitching now and then.

He lifted his horned head, his single eye a burning ember in the black cover. Dur'kiir looked towards the back, the flaps slightly parted letting light stream through. Opposite side, another set of flaps which would allow the driver to enter. His gaze was trained towards the back, as light could still occasionally flit through now and then.

Well, now was a good a time as ever to try and clear his thoughts…alone in the darkness…just like those years long ago…

The Dragonkin gave his horned head a shake, a deep, upset rumble coming from his chest. It seemed so hard to focus now, why was that? Had Lambin's words really hit that hard? When had been the last time he joined an adventurer party like this? Well, he felt like he had been forced into it this go around, being the only available mentor at the time…

A sigh, he slowly closed his eyes. The gentle rocking of the moving wagon lulling him to sleep. The draconic male's head dropped, resting against his chest, arms settled on his knees. Dur'kiir's tail tip continued to slowly twitch now and then, sleep taking hold once again.