Elmars cross his arm and smiles, his plan working as intended. He knows people obviously aren't going to trust him at first, but they're still willing to hear his offer, and that's already a plus. If he can be helpful to them and assist them in getting the artefact, then maybe he'll have another shot at convincing them.
"I'm glad that you're on my terms, you see, that speech I did serve two purposes: one is to weed out any amateur adventurers out there who would rush in head-first into the wilderness and complain that life is too hard, the other is to encourage these amateur adventurers to spread out and find more value about the ruin. I know it sounds contradicting, but you see, there are two types of adventurers—one who will never learn and improve themselves, and one who is always willing to grow and learn."
Elmars prances around, continuing his dialogue, "I sense something in you five, it's like a sixth sense of some sort, that you're the latter type of adventurers. I can sense great power within all of you, waiting to be let out like a genie in a bottle, but I'll have to confirm that you actually have what it takes.
"All these human relics are older than the first civilisation, someone who knows about them must be very old too, and I know just the right person who might have this answer. His name isPaulis, an old Tortle wizard who lives on top of a tower in the village of Meņkalde, at the end of Route 702. Tortles usually live up to 8,000 years, but he was born on -2C 5701 CY, meaning he's about 9,282 years old—even for his kind, he's considered to be ancient." Today is 2nd April -1C 4983 CY.
Elmars point a finger, "The reason why I don't send everyone to Paulis is because he doesn't like visitors, but with my help, I can write you a letter that might convince Paulis to not blast you guys into kingdom come once he sees you."
He pauses, and before any of you can thank him, he continues. "However, I really want to make sure that you're the perfect adventurer I'm looking for, and I'll have to put you to a test—calling it a 'test' isn't exactly right, more like a quest that will benefit both you, me, and everyone in Rauna.
"Recently, there are reports of bandit activity on Route 700, it's a road that connects this town to the rest of the civilisation. Two of my caravans have been robbed recently, and I suspect my third one also falls victim to these uncivilisedbandits. I suspect that they might be the work of the People's Army, the same one that almost caused a rebellion in -1C 4969 CY—my father had a duel with the leader too, and of course, he won, too bad he probably can't even remember it in... this state." His voice shakes and his beak quivers at the end. It's clear that he cares a lot about his father, even if he might act haughty and cocky at first glance.
He shakes his head and clears his throat, then continues. "I want you to go investigate these bandits and find their headquarters, if you see them, knock them out and find somewhere safe to hold them until the 16th of April, that's the day I'll return to Rauna after I finish my honeymoon with my sweetheart."Elmars caress Olga's cheeks. "So, deal or no deal?"
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
Well, judging by the fidgety states of those travellers, it seems like they too would enjoy some company. But... I noticed that... that mayor. Another drama king huh? About your speech nt being heard? Jeez, you must remember that not every people would actually take your speech to heart, let alone have a memory as good as mine or Xenia's. That aside, the elf... Shugo is it? Is he from Prihyeh too? If so then how come we haven't met each other until now? I can definitely tell because his accent is almost similar to mine, except way heavier. And the aquatic girl... she is beautiful I'll admit. I'm pretty sure she, Shugo and the very annoying flower girl would have such great chemistry with each other, but every time I glance at her appearance, it gets lamp shaded in my head by the Kumiho who loves me more... And the way that flower girl with the sakura tree on her back calls me Ren Ren... that's almost what Yurime would nickname me, except it's Rai Rai. And besides, I'm only shutting my mouth because it's better than to be called Raiden in a world where I'm the fish out of water.
Alex though, I'd say he is the most level headed to me. The way he approached me didn't feel like a forceful one unlike the dark flower girl. In fact I felt a decent bit of security as he did sol it's as if he knows that I'm a slow starter. Overall, he seems like a nice guy. Almost on par with Rixi and Ethan in terms of kindness.
Elmars cross his arm and smiles, his plan working as intended.
"I'm glad that you're on my terms, you see, that speech I did serve two purposes: one is to weed out any amateur adventurers out there who would rush in head-first into the wilderness and complain that life is too hard, the other is to encourage these amateur adventurers to spread out and find more value about the ruin. I know it sounds contradicting, but you see, there are two types of adventurers—one who will never learn and improve themselves, and one who is always willing to grow and learn."
Well I once said before entering into battle against the drow: 'Pain is what pushes living beings of all kinds to grow and learn.' I was initially the one who refused to learn new things and improved. But the Shifters changed me so much. If it weren't for them, if it weren't for the pain they subjected me to *He closes his yellow eyes for a brief moment for some flashbacks* I may not have been the powerful bladesinger I have become as of today.
Elmars prances around, continuing his dialogue, "I sense something in you five, it's like a sixth sense of some sort, that you're the latter type of adventurers. I can sense great power within all of you, waiting to be let out like a genie in a bottle, but I'll have to confirm that you actually have what it takes.
"All these human relics are older than the first civilisation, someone who knows about them must be very old too, and I know just the right person who might have this answer. His name isPaulis, an old Tortle wizard who lives on top of a tower in the village of Meņkalde, at the end of Route 702. Tortles usually live up to 8,000 years, but he was born on -2C 5701 CY, meaning he's about 9,282 years old—even for his kind, he's considered to be ancient." Today is 2nd April -1C 4983 CY.
1C 4983 what?! To this day I'm still not used to the new- wait... 9282 YEARS OLD?! That's even longer than the 1000+ year lifespan of us nine-tailed foxes! Wow. As of hearing this I feel so young now. How ironic...
He pauses, and before any of you can thank him, he continues. "However, I really want to make sure that you're the perfect adventurer I'm looking for, and I'll have to put you to a test—calling it a 'test' isn't exactly right, more like a quest that will benefit both you, me, and everyone in Rauna.
"Recently, there are reports of bandit activity on Route 700, it's a road that connects this town to the rest of the civilisation. Two of my caravans have been robbed recently, and I suspect my third one also falls victim to these uncivilisedbandits. I suspect that they might be the work of the People's Army, the same one that almost caused a rebellion in -1C 4969 CY—my father had a duel with the leader too, and of course, he won, too bad he probably can't even remember it in... this state." His voice shakes and his beak quivers at the end. It's clear that he cares a lot about his father, even if he might act haughty and cocky at first glance.
He shakes his head and clears his throat, then continues. "I want you to go investigate these bandits and find their headquarters, if you see them, knock them out and find somewhere safe to hold them until the 16th of April, that's the day I'll return to Rauna after I finish my honeymoon with my sweetheart."Elmars caress Olga's cheeks. "So, deal or no deal?"
Right. So our actual first mission is the typical 'stop the bandit' kind of drama. But I get why he'd put us in this though: He's making sure that we're well coordinated enough to fight as a team; We've only just met outside of battle which mean that we'd might be seriously uncoordinated. So if we were to rush into combat recklessly at once, our future fights would go sideways. I know this... because Rixi once made that mistake on us. And I did too, when I had to lead the citizens of the Jungle.
Then again, it seems like we've been dragging on for so long. Maybe a minor mission is bettering than having to endure such embarrassment again. At least to me that is. Not wanting to waste any more time, I decided to seal the deal straight away as I opened my mouth with again, my terrible accent. "If you're asking us to overcome this, sir, we'll get to it straight away rather than let the problem persist. At least, once everyone else has signalled that they are."
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The Wildland Shifters Daisy Ethalena- Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer) Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade); Crimson Sands of Time Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance); Path Of Blood Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars) Yurime Hanasaki- Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation) Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer(Clockwork Soul); Lancea
He shakes his head and clears his throat, then continues. "I want you to go investigate these bandits and find their headquarters, if you see them, knock them out and find somewhere safe to hold them until the 16th of April, that's the day I'll return to Rauna after I finish my honeymoon with my sweetheart."Elmars caress Olga's cheeks. "So, deal or no deal?"
Wait.. does that mean we have to muck around for near on a fortnight to get our letter? Oh.. what a bother. Odd for the one who wouldn't even introduce himself directly to be the first to agree, what a quicky boy. His eyes are like amber though, how pretty. She tries to refocus back onto the Duke.
"It would indeed be a shame if they caused trouble while you were away, so I agree as well. However, does that mean we have to wait until you return to receive our letter of recommendation for Paulis?"
"Maybe I am, but I'm capable I assure you," Alexander says, giving Shugo a small smile. "I've seen my fair share of conflict, though I won't pretend to know more than I do, or that I've had more experience then I have."He crosses his arms in a relaxed fashion, grinning when Shugo and the other two agree to join forces, "Brilliant! I'm glad we happened upon each other!"He raises an eyebrow when the tiefling says something about 'Lexi and Ren Ren' are there other adventurers with this group that he hasn't seen yet? ...oh wait, she's just giving him and Renar nicknames. Huh... he grins. Looks like they've been accepted into this strange group, so he doesn't really mind the nickname... not right now at least.
Turning his attention back to the Duke, he listens as intently as ever to what the eagle has to say, nodding along with a few parts. A sixth sense? Well he is acquainted with such a thing thanks to his oath, so perhaps Elmars is serious. Plus he isn't wrong, Alexander is definitely the type to want to learn and continue growing, and he is sure the rest of them are too. Huh, maybe he has a seventh sense... or maybe he's just good at guessing. Either way, his excitement grows when the Duke explains his offer. Sure, bandits weren't particularly exciting... really that's most of what he's dealt with around his hometown. Bandits and the occasional wild beast that decided to bother the townsfolk. His experience doesn't go much beyond that... well there was that one time one of his buddies found a cave... but he can't really count that as a dungeon. Can he? There was that giant spider down there... But he's getting distracted, back to the topic at hand.
"Thats the spirit!" he says after Renar agrees to deal with the bandits. He gives the kitsune a friendly slap on the shoulder as he says to the Duke, "We'll handle it sir. Right friends?!"He glances back at Shugo and the two women, his face beaming with adventurous excitement.
Shugo squints down at the birdman, a slight frown on his face. Sixth sense? What a load of baloney, this guy clearly just picked out the most exotic looking group to approach first. For all he knows, the guy could just go offer the same thing to the next group of adventurers when their backs are turned. He was actually about to deny the duke's offer, but the others were so quick to agree that he barely had time to open his mouth. UUUUUggghhh this isn't his country! He's on a quest for his homeland, why is he getting roped in to being the law enforcement for this country?! Oh well, if the rest of his new companions think this is a worth while endeavor then perhaps it is? The turtle guy does sound like he'd be helpful, someone that old might be able to tell him about some of the artifacts that may reside in the ruins....
With that thought, his expression snaps back to a smile, "Alright then. This tortle guy sounds like he has useful info. One question though..." He holds up a finger, "Why do we need to find somewhere to hold them? Don't you have a prison in this town? Or maybe the next town over? Or is there some reason that you want us to take care of them until you get back?"
"Good question." Elmars looks at Shugo. "These bandits might not be the strongest, but they're an escapist. During the riot back in '69, many of the captured bandits break out of the regular prison cells and tell their friends about the layouts. We tried transferring them to the capital, Vārti—the dungeons there were much more secure with anti-magic fields. The problem was Nikolass II, the King of Kerwos at that time, was bedridden. We need the approval of the King first before we can use any of the dungeons in Vārti, which is a really stupid rule that's continued being used today." The bird sighs.
"Vladimirs XII was even in a worse state than Nikolass II, he was already half-dead when he was elected, and there is no way he will approve my request when he can barely get up from his bed. Your best chance is to put them somewhere new, somewhere they aren't familiar with the layouts, somewhere their friends won't suspect." Elmars gestures.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
"Right," she says with a smile at Alex's enthusiasm.
Venet chews on the inside of her cheek. None of them are from here it looks like and now they have to play hide the bandit in unfamiliar territory while this Duke runs off to his honeymoon. Not ideal.
"It would indeed be a shame if they caused trouble while you were away, so I agree as well. However, does that mean we have to wait until you return to receive our letter of recommendation for Paulis?"
"Unfortunately, yes. We will go on a holiday to Başkent, Sehul, the jewel of Lancea and the largest city on the planet. It's quite far from here, so sending a message from there back to Rauna would take a few weeks anyway. There isn't really anything I can do about it."Elmars shrugs. You all have heard what Başkent is, in fact, finding anyone who doesn't recognise Başkent is an achievement because even a Gnoll tribesman living in the middle of nowhere knows what it is. It's the City of Everything, home to 75 million people and the only passageway between the eastern and western parts of Lancea. Başkent is so large that its population alone is about the same as the entire region of Perkwunos.
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"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
Bloom turns to look at the Duke and puts a hand on her waist while tapping her lip with her finger thoughtfully, her eyes deep in thought. From the pose one would imagine she was solving some sort of deep mystery. She eventually looks excited as though she has reached a revelation when she says…
”Booooringggg”, she exclaims with a giggle, “Baby sitting yucky bandits, no thank you, nope nope nope. I can put them in the guround forever, and they will become food for the puretty fulowers, because I don’t like yucky bandits!”, she responds finally.
Bloom creates an illusion of an actual turtle in her hand that is giving everyone a thumbs up and adds, ”And I don’t need your letter to speak to Mr. Turtle, I can speak with him on my own! Also, honey does not gurow in the moon, it is made by busy bees”.
She then proceeds to skip in a random direction, humming to herself, handing people flowers, making them grow in places where they were wilting. The sweet and charming little flower full of beauty and color has very easy revealed that she is not afraid of using her thorns.
Wow. How selfish of the mayor. Leaving us to do the dirty work whilst they get to live a life full of luxury and peace. In the Sword Coast, despite all the wealth and comfort they have, even the kings and queens aren't afraid to do some dirty work with the help of their people. And they even fight alongside them especially against a threat that could destroy the entire world! Pfft. And no, what even is Başkent? Where is it? I need more facts an logic on the table otherwise we're not gonna get anywhere! The only reason why I agreed to get this done is to earn their respect first, before eventually uncover some detail that might either be of use or hindrance before it's too late. As Daisy and Yuri said, 'if you can't beat them, join them' Even if I have expose some dirty people along the way. And for sure, I don't like how things are already turning out.
I turn to Alex (assuming that he hasn't mingled with the other three already in close proximity) as I almost inaudibly speak my mind to him and him alone. "You honestly think this is a sensible way to start things off? Because it sure doesn't seem like it."
Bloom turns to look at the Duke and puts a hand on her waist while tapping her lip with her finger thoughtfully, her eyes deep in thought. From the pose one would imagine she was solving some sort of deep mystery. She eventually looks excited as though she has reached a revelation when she says…
”Booooringggg”, she exclaims with a giggle, “Baby sitting yucky bandits, no thank you, nope nope nope. I can put them in the guround forever, and they will become food for the puretty fulowers, because I don’t like yucky bandits!”, she responds finally.
Bloom creates an illusion of an actual turtle in her hand that is giving everyone a thumbs up and adds” And I don’t need your letter to speak to Mr. Turtle, I can speak with him on my own! Also, honey does not gurow in the moon, it is made by busy bees”.
She then proceeds to skip in a random direction, humming to herself, handing people flowers, making them grow in places where they were wilting. The sweet and charming little flower full of beauty and color has very easy revealed that she is not afraid of using her thorns.
Yeah, just what I feared. Lack of coordination and order. And whilst I'm not showing it just yet, I'm about to break off too with Alex if he's willing. The other three well, I haven't warmed up to them yet but we'll see. You gotta up your game and at least attune to the others requests if you want to band everyone together, my kind sir, because believe me: There are some hearts that cannot be won as easily as those ladies you've charmed. And I'm talking about my own. And the other three that were supposed to be with me of course.
Actually, speaking of putting bandits in the ground and turning them in to food... it might sound utterly inhumane but also might be the most reasonable thing that the sakura girl might have said at all. What a coincidence.
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The Wildland Shifters Daisy Ethalena- Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer) Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade); Crimson Sands of Time Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance); Path Of Blood Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars) Yurime Hanasaki- Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation) Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer(Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Venet sighs at Blooms words, the hand that was on the girls shoulder falling away as bloom wanders off. Clearly she wasn't used to how things were done in the more civilized areas. They could attempt to see this tortle on their own without a recommendation, but her and these strangers were going to have to get on the same page.
"Thank you for this opportunity Duke Elmars. We're going to have to discuss this further amongst ourselves however to get on the same page about how to approach this situation. I'm sure you understand," she offers a smile before stepping back and attempting to round up this ragtag group.
”Booooringggg”, she exclaims with a giggle, “Baby sitting yucky bandits, no thank you, nope nope nope. I can put them in the guround forever, and they will become food for the puretty fulowers, because I don’t like yucky bandits!”, she responds finally.
Elamrs' smile fades, and his expression slowly turns to dread, and so does the rest of his cohorts.
"Please do not joke about murder, we take this very seriously," Elmars says, "These bandits might be bad people, and they deserve to be punished, but death is too far of a punishment for them. We believe that murder is the worst of all evils, murdering a criminal makes you no better—or even worse than them, which is why we abolished the death penalty fifty years ago because even the code of law has its limits."
He sighs as the girl wanders off, seemingly unconcerned to the statement she just casually makes. "Please keep her in check, if we find out she actually killed someone, she'll be under arrest. The same goes for all of you too—use force if necessary, but never take a life. These bandits will fight you and hurt you, but they will only leave you injured, not dead, because even a lowlife such as them still respects the right to live."
Elmars turns around the group, gesturing for Olga and his bodyguards to follow him. "We'll be leaving now, do not disappoint me." And with that, the Duke walks quietly out of the scene, to the direction of the docks.
Behind the town square is a town road that will eventually connect to Route 700, but just like Venet said, the party should probably discuss what to do before they embark on their first quest.
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"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
Shugo nods in understanding of Elmars' explanation. Of course this was the result of some stupid rule, that's usually the case for these things. He opens his mouth to respond, only to be interrupted by Bloom. He stares in open mouthed shock at the small girl. How could she be so casual when she says that, was she joking? She sure didn't sound like she was. Unless war breaks out for some reason, killing should be out of the question. He thought this was something everyone agreed on thought all the countries. Could he be wrong? Where did this girl come from, and who raised to to be so dismissive of someone's life? Granted, Shugo himself isn't against wounding evil-doers to the point that they can't continue doing evil...(He was actually going to suggest either breaking all the bandit's legs or cutting all their achilles tendons so that they can't escape.) after all, there's enough magic in this world that just about any wound can be healed if those people ever decide to mend their ways. BUUUUUT he decides to keep his mouth shut on that matter for now. No need to make the duke think they are all uncultured barbarians.
"Aheheheh, I think Venet is right." Shugo speaks up, "But don't worry! We'll get this all sorted out." He waves to the two birdfolk as they depart, "Goodby now! Have a nice trip!"
Once the duke and his companions are gone, the elf spins on his heal to face the entire group. "Well that conversation definitely crashed and burned. So, like Venet has stated, we need to get on the same page. Are we, or are we not going to play cops and robbers with these bandits?"
Elamrs' smile fades, and his expression slowly turns to dread, and so does the rest of his cohorts.
"Please do not joke about murder, we take this very seriously," Elmars says, "These bandits might be bad people, and they deserve to be punished, but death is too far of a punishment for them. We believe that murder is the worst of all evils, murdering a criminal makes you no better—or even worse than them, which is why we abolished the death penalty fifty years ago because even the code of law has its limits."
He sighs as the girl wanders off, seemingly unconcerned to the statement she just casually makes. "Please keep her in check, if we find out she actually killed someone, she'll be under arrest. The same goes for all of you too—use force if necessary, but never take a life. These bandits will fight you and hurt you, but they will only leave you injured, not dead, because even a lowlife such as them still respects the right to live."
Not gonna lie, I actually wanted to laugh my heart out loud as he told us not to take a life. If it wasn't for me kicking myself in the shins last minute to hold it. That's exactly what my leader Rixi has to go through due to a curse that's been burdening him since we first met. And honestly, I sympathize with him for that. On the bright side though, at least there's a dash of decency in this strange place.
But the mermaid girl, Venet if I got her name right, and the elf are speaking facts. And honestly, I've got nothing to say about that either, though I am super disgusted with how things are turning out right now seeing that some of them are hesitant to move forward. "Alright, unless if anyone else has a better suggestion to begin this, I'd say we at least get this past our heads and never look back, rather than let it linger in our thoughts in the long run." I quickly suggest again before I avoid contact with everyone again, especially with the two girls in my sight. Seriously. I'm also fed up that a seemingly quiet beginning turned into a thread of chaos and embarrassment.
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The Wildland Shifters Daisy Ethalena- Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer) Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade); Crimson Sands of Time Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance); Path Of Blood Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars) Yurime Hanasaki- Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation) Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer(Clockwork Soul); Lancea
She blows out a breath, crossing her arms and shifting her weight. This is a real mess.
"We can spend the time, it's a nuisance, sure, but we'll get access to concrete information from someone who was there when humans were running about. That's priceless, and will put us above everyone else in our little race. On the flip, we know where this tortle is, we could try our luck and hope he doesn't blast us like the Duke thinks he will. Both routes have downs and upsides."
I turn to Alex (assuming that he hasn't mingled with the other three already in close proximity) as I almost inaudibly speak my mind to him and him alone. "You honestly think this is a sensible way to start things off? Because it sure doesn't seem like it."
"Well... I honestly don't know," he says, his enthusiasm shaken but still present. "But personally if there are bandits bothering the public I would like to take care of it, so if you are still up for it we could do so together... even if these others don't want to." He seems a little regretful about that last part, obviously having been rather excited to have a full team. Though, he isn't sure what to make of Bloom and her blatant statement about killing the bandits.
To the Duke's reaction Alexander nods, "It is up to God to decide if death is a fitting punishment, not ours" No one has the right to play judge jury and executioner, and every soul has a chance at redemption...no matter how bad their crime is. But if someone refuses to be redeemed, what then? It was something he'd grappled with for a long time. Is a life of eternal imprisonment any better than death? Regardless, he can't imagine himself ever taking someone else's life. Such a problem can not have a finite answer, of that he is certain. He just has to trust that God will lead him down the right path if ever he faces the choice to end an evil life to save an innocent one. For now, he'll just embrace that there is always another option.
Putting on a smile, he says to the Duke, "We won't let you down! Have a wonderful trip sir!" He waves as they leave. Then turns back to his group, noting to Renar before saying, "Personally I would like to deal with the bandits. I'm not sure what good a head start will get us...especially considering others have likely already entered the ruins before us. We could try finding this tortle ourselves, but I'm not sure if that's the greatest idea. I mean, regardless of what everyone opinions of the Duke are, shouldn't we try and stay on good terms with him?"
True to her exotic and peculiar nature, Bloom did not seem bothered one bit by the words she heard as she skipped off. The exotic character was not simply different in manners and personality, but it also seemed like her moral compass was quite different to civilized people. Or at least, that is what everyone had just perceived.
The tiefling cheerfully stops by a shop and exclaims at how pretty everything is, specifically asking for pink herbalism tools. She emerges shortly after enthusiastically with her pink tools, skipping back in the direction where everyone was, and twirling with excitement. She does stop by every now and then to give the odd person or animal a flower, and seems to be followed by a constant trail of flowers that disappear moments after they appear on the ground.
She eventually arrives and twirls joyfully, “Come on everyone! I just got new things to pick up fulowers with. We are going to have so much fun together”.
"Personally I would like to deal with the bandits. I'm not sure what good a head start will get us...especially considering others have likely already entered the ruins before us. We could try finding this tortle ourselves, but I'm not sure if that's the greatest idea. I mean, regardless of what everyone opinions of the Duke are, shouldn't we try and stay on good terms with him?"
"If they have entered they haven't made it back to tell the tale, otherwise all this would be a bit of a null point, mm? Either way, it's always good to have friends in high places. I say we do it."
At least the Duke will know they're reliable and can get things done. Leaves the door open for gigs in the future.
She turns to Bloom as she returns, "Ah wonderful, are you going to help us give the bandits a time out as well?"
Bloom seems thoughtful and contempelative as she is asked the question, striking a similar pose to the one she had earlier. She eventually looks down at her bare feet and starts shuffling.
”I guess…”, she says in a very sad and somber tone, as though she is not happy about the idea, before her energy surges once more and she smiles. Her pink eyes glisten once more, “But only because you’re puretty Ven Ven! And Ren Ren gave me a puhlemeni! And also I don’t want Shu Shu to become hungery again…and Lexi is too young to travel alone…”.
She seems, for now at least, excited once more even though she has to go and take care of yucky bandits, putting them in time out and babysitting them.
A few street blocks away from the party, Elmars and his friends are walking toward the docks.
The eagle looks behind him and turns to his spouse, "Well, that's done, we don't have to worry about the safety issues anymore, I'm sure they'll handle it."
"But are you really sure, though?" Olga says, holding his claws. "They don't feel that enthusiastic about getting the artefact to you, and we all know your 'fans' can be really reckless and simpleminded at times."
"That's the point, sweetheart." Elmars touches her cheek, "Politics is like a game of chess: it's either threatening your opponent's pieces until they back down or throwing everything at their frontlines until the King is finally exposed—and from my experience with chess, the latter way of playing is much more fun than the former. My fans are like pawns, they will clear the frontline and set up openings. Then our hero will swoop in like the Queen and checkmates, ending the game in—"
"What are you talking about, little Duke, can you explain it to us like we're five?" Tuomo interrupts.
Elmars rolls his eyes, "Ugh, fine... I let these adventurers deal with the People's Army, and then once they get lectured by Paulis, they'll be intimidated and have no choice but to work for me. I send them to 'dispose' of other Dukes, and once Vladimirs XII dies, I take the throne as Elmars IV since I'll automatically win the royal election if there are no other candidates, easy."
Ainikki nudges his side, "Dude, you sound like some sort of big bad evil bird out there, you should probably phrase this better once it's time to monologue about your plans the next time you see them."
Elmars laughs, "Ha! Of course, I'll carefully weave my words into fine poetry like the Bard I am. Besides, I'm sure they'll understand." He looks upwards, claw at his heart, "This country needs more young, passionate leaders like me, not a bunch of old vegetables that make a few mediocre changes before dying a few years later in power. They will see and understand how much I'm willing to do and how much I will sacrifice to make this country better.
"And if they don't." He summons a flame in his claws, "I will make sure they don't stand in my way."
And now that the party has decided what to do, it's time for them to venture forth into the wilderness.
Route 700
Route 700 leads the party away from the bustling crowd into a seemingly ordinary forest. Tall, thin coniferous trees dominate the landscape. Occasionally, there are some cairns on the side of the road or a cut tree, but that's to be expected from a typical Kerwosian wilderness.
A few hours of walking later, you see a fallen wheel of a cart and a tipped box of apples lying in the middle of the path. A murder of crows is pecking at the apple, seemingly unconcerned at the arrival of a bunch of potential predators behind them
It's not an obstacle, but it's definitely a sign of a wrecked carriage nearby, and the only group of people who would purposefully wreck a carriage around here is the People's Army, which must be close to here
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"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
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Elmars cross his arm and smiles, his plan working as intended. He knows people obviously aren't going to trust him at first, but they're still willing to hear his offer, and that's already a plus. If he can be helpful to them and assist them in getting the artefact, then maybe he'll have another shot at convincing them.
"I'm glad that you're on my terms, you see, that speech I did serve two purposes: one is to weed out any amateur adventurers out there who would rush in head-first into the wilderness and complain that life is too hard, the other is to encourage these amateur adventurers to spread out and find more value about the ruin. I know it sounds contradicting, but you see, there are two types of adventurers—one who will never learn and improve themselves, and one who is always willing to grow and learn."
Elmars prances around, continuing his dialogue, "I sense something in you five, it's like a sixth sense of some sort, that you're the latter type of adventurers. I can sense great power within all of you, waiting to be let out like a genie in a bottle, but I'll have to confirm that you actually have what it takes.
"All these human relics are older than the first civilisation, someone who knows about them must be very old too, and I know just the right person who might have this answer. His name is Paulis, an old Tortle wizard who lives on top of a tower in the village of Meņkalde, at the end of Route 702. Tortles usually live up to 8,000 years, but he was born on -2C 5701 CY, meaning he's about 9,282 years old—even for his kind, he's considered to be ancient." Today is 2nd April -1C 4983 CY.
Elmars point a finger, "The reason why I don't send everyone to Paulis is because he doesn't like visitors, but with my help, I can write you a letter that might convince Paulis to not blast you guys into kingdom come once he sees you."
He pauses, and before any of you can thank him, he continues. "However, I really want to make sure that you're the perfect adventurer I'm looking for, and I'll have to put you to a test—calling it a 'test' isn't exactly right, more like a quest that will benefit both you, me, and everyone in Rauna.
"Recently, there are reports of bandit activity on Route 700, it's a road that connects this town to the rest of the civilisation. Two of my caravans have been robbed recently, and I suspect my third one also falls victim to these uncivilised bandits. I suspect that they might be the work of the People's Army, the same one that almost caused a rebellion in -1C 4969 CY—my father had a duel with the leader too, and of course, he won, too bad he probably can't even remember it in... this state." His voice shakes and his beak quivers at the end. It's clear that he cares a lot about his father, even if he might act haughty and cocky at first glance.
He shakes his head and clears his throat, then continues. "I want you to go investigate these bandits and find their headquarters, if you see them, knock them out and find somewhere safe to hold them until the 16th of April, that's the day I'll return to Rauna after I finish my honeymoon with my sweetheart." Elmars caress Olga's cheeks. "So, deal or no deal?"
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
Well, judging by the fidgety states of those travellers, it seems like they too would enjoy some company. But... I noticed that... that mayor. Another drama king huh? About your speech nt being heard? Jeez, you must remember that not every people would actually take your speech to heart, let alone have a memory as good as mine or Xenia's. That aside, the elf... Shugo is it? Is he from Prihyeh too? If so then how come we haven't met each other until now? I can definitely tell because his accent is almost similar to mine, except way heavier. And the aquatic girl... she is beautiful I'll admit. I'm pretty sure she, Shugo and the very annoying flower girl would have such great chemistry with each other, but every time I glance at her appearance, it gets lamp shaded in my head by the Kumiho who loves me more... And the way that flower girl with the sakura tree on her back calls me Ren Ren... that's almost what Yurime would nickname me, except it's Rai Rai. And besides, I'm only shutting my mouth because it's better than to be called Raiden in a world where I'm the fish out of water.
Alex though, I'd say he is the most level headed to me. The way he approached me didn't feel like a forceful one unlike the dark flower girl. In fact I felt a decent bit of security as he did sol it's as if he knows that I'm a slow starter. Overall, he seems like a nice guy. Almost on par with Rixi and Ethan in terms of kindness.
Well I once said before entering into battle against the drow: 'Pain is what pushes living beings of all kinds to grow and learn.' I was initially the one who refused to learn new things and improved. But the Shifters changed me so much. If it weren't for them, if it weren't for the pain they subjected me to *He closes his yellow eyes for a brief moment for some flashbacks* I may not have been the powerful bladesinger I have become as of today.
1C 4983 what?! To this day I'm still not used to the new- wait... 9282 YEARS OLD?! That's even longer than the 1000+ year lifespan of us nine-tailed foxes! Wow. As of hearing this I feel so young now. How ironic...
Right. So our actual first mission is the typical 'stop the bandit' kind of drama. But I get why he'd put us in this though: He's making sure that we're well coordinated enough to fight as a team; We've only just met outside of battle which mean that we'd might be seriously uncoordinated. So if we were to rush into combat recklessly at once, our future fights would go sideways. I know this... because Rixi once made that mistake on us. And I did too, when I had to lead the citizens of the Jungle.
Then again, it seems like we've been dragging on for so long. Maybe a minor mission is bettering than having to endure such embarrassment again. At least to me that is. Not wanting to waste any more time, I decided to seal the deal straight away as I opened my mouth with again, my terrible accent. "If you're asking us to overcome this, sir, we'll get to it straight away rather than let the problem persist. At least, once everyone else has signalled that they are."
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade); Crimson Sands of Time
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance); Path Of Blood
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Any knowledge that puts them above the others going after the ruin would be nice.. but old people can be so finicky.. it's worth a shot at least.
Wait.. does that mean we have to muck around for near on a fortnight to get our letter? Oh.. what a bother. Odd for the one who wouldn't even introduce himself directly to be the first to agree, what a quicky boy. His eyes are like amber though, how pretty. She tries to refocus back onto the Duke.
"It would indeed be a shame if they caused trouble while you were away, so I agree as well. However, does that mean we have to wait until you return to receive our letter of recommendation for Paulis?"
"Maybe I am, but I'm capable I assure you," Alexander says, giving Shugo a small smile. "I've seen my fair share of conflict, though I won't pretend to know more than I do, or that I've had more experience then I have." He crosses his arms in a relaxed fashion, grinning when Shugo and the other two agree to join forces, "Brilliant! I'm glad we happened upon each other!" He raises an eyebrow when the tiefling says something about 'Lexi and Ren Ren' are there other adventurers with this group that he hasn't seen yet? ...oh wait, she's just giving him and Renar nicknames. Huh... he grins. Looks like they've been accepted into this strange group, so he doesn't really mind the nickname... not right now at least.
Turning his attention back to the Duke, he listens as intently as ever to what the eagle has to say, nodding along with a few parts. A sixth sense? Well he is acquainted with such a thing thanks to his oath, so perhaps Elmars is serious. Plus he isn't wrong, Alexander is definitely the type to want to learn and continue growing, and he is sure the rest of them are too. Huh, maybe he has a seventh sense... or maybe he's just good at guessing. Either way, his excitement grows when the Duke explains his offer. Sure, bandits weren't particularly exciting... really that's most of what he's dealt with around his hometown. Bandits and the occasional wild beast that decided to bother the townsfolk. His experience doesn't go much beyond that... well there was that one time one of his buddies found a cave... but he can't really count that as a dungeon. Can he? There was that giant spider down there... But he's getting distracted, back to the topic at hand.
"Thats the spirit!" he says after Renar agrees to deal with the bandits. He gives the kitsune a friendly slap on the shoulder as he says to the Duke, "We'll handle it sir. Right friends?!" He glances back at Shugo and the two women, his face beaming with adventurous excitement.
Shugo squints down at the birdman, a slight frown on his face. Sixth sense? What a load of baloney, this guy clearly just picked out the most exotic looking group to approach first. For all he knows, the guy could just go offer the same thing to the next group of adventurers when their backs are turned. He was actually about to deny the duke's offer, but the others were so quick to agree that he barely had time to open his mouth. UUUUUggghhh this isn't his country! He's on a quest for his homeland, why is he getting roped in to being the law enforcement for this country?! Oh well, if the rest of his new companions think this is a worth while endeavor then perhaps it is? The turtle guy does sound like he'd be helpful, someone that old might be able to tell him about some of the artifacts that may reside in the ruins....
With that thought, his expression snaps back to a smile, "Alright then. This tortle guy sounds like he has useful info. One question though..." He holds up a finger, "Why do we need to find somewhere to hold them? Don't you have a prison in this town? Or maybe the next town over? Or is there some reason that you want us to take care of them until you get back?"
"Good question." Elmars looks at Shugo. "These bandits might not be the strongest, but they're an escapist. During the riot back in '69, many of the captured bandits break out of the regular prison cells and tell their friends about the layouts. We tried transferring them to the capital, Vārti—the dungeons there were much more secure with anti-magic fields. The problem was Nikolass II, the King of Kerwos at that time, was bedridden. We need the approval of the King first before we can use any of the dungeons in Vārti, which is a really stupid rule that's continued being used today." The bird sighs.
"Vladimirs XII was even in a worse state than Nikolass II, he was already half-dead when he was elected, and there is no way he will approve my request when he can barely get up from his bed. Your best chance is to put them somewhere new, somewhere they aren't familiar with the layouts, somewhere their friends won't suspect." Elmars gestures.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
"Right," she says with a smile at Alex's enthusiasm.
Venet chews on the inside of her cheek. None of them are from here it looks like and now they have to play hide the bandit in unfamiliar territory while this Duke runs off to his honeymoon. Not ideal.
"Unfortunately, yes. We will go on a holiday to Başkent, Sehul, the jewel of Lancea and the largest city on the planet. It's quite far from here, so sending a message from there back to Rauna would take a few weeks anyway. There isn't really anything I can do about it." Elmars shrugs. You all have heard what Başkent is, in fact, finding anyone who doesn't recognise Başkent is an achievement because even a Gnoll tribesman living in the middle of nowhere knows what it is. It's the City of Everything, home to 75 million people and the only passageway between the eastern and western parts of Lancea. Başkent is so large that its population alone is about the same as the entire region of Perkwunos.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
Bloom turns to look at the Duke and puts a hand on her waist while tapping her lip with her finger thoughtfully, her eyes deep in thought. From the pose one would imagine she was solving some sort of deep mystery. She eventually looks excited as though she has reached a revelation when she says…
”Booooringggg”, she exclaims with a giggle, “Baby sitting yucky bandits, no thank you, nope nope nope. I can put them in the guround forever, and they will become food for the puretty fulowers, because I don’t like yucky bandits!”, she responds finally.
Bloom creates an illusion of an actual turtle in her hand that is giving everyone a thumbs up and adds, ”And I don’t need your letter to speak to Mr. Turtle, I can speak with him on my own! Also, honey does not gurow in the moon, it is made by busy bees”.
She then proceeds to skip in a random direction, humming to herself, handing people flowers, making them grow in places where they were wilting. The sweet and charming little flower full of beauty and color has very easy revealed that she is not afraid of using her thorns.
Wow. How selfish of the mayor. Leaving us to do the dirty work whilst they get to live a life full of luxury and peace. In the Sword Coast, despite all the wealth and comfort they have, even the kings and queens aren't afraid to do some dirty work with the help of their people. And they even fight alongside them especially against a threat that could destroy the entire world! Pfft. And no, what even is Başkent? Where is it? I need more facts an logic on the table otherwise we're not gonna get anywhere! The only reason why I agreed to get this done is to earn their respect first, before eventually uncover some detail that might either be of use or hindrance before it's too late. As Daisy and Yuri said, 'if you can't beat them, join them' Even if I have expose some dirty people along the way. And for sure, I don't like how things are already turning out.
I turn to Alex (assuming that he hasn't mingled with the other three already in close proximity) as I almost inaudibly speak my mind to him and him alone. "You honestly think this is a sensible way to start things off? Because it sure doesn't seem like it."
Yeah, just what I feared. Lack of coordination and order. And whilst I'm not showing it just yet, I'm about to break off too with Alex if he's willing. The other three well, I haven't warmed up to them yet but we'll see. You gotta up your game and at least attune to the others requests if you want to band everyone together, my kind sir, because believe me: There are some hearts that cannot be won as easily as those ladies you've charmed. And I'm talking about my own. And the other three that were supposed to be with me of course.
Actually, speaking of putting bandits in the ground and turning them in to food... it might sound utterly inhumane but also might be the most reasonable thing that the sakura girl might have said at all. What a coincidence.
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade); Crimson Sands of Time
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance); Path Of Blood
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Venet sighs at Blooms words, the hand that was on the girls shoulder falling away as bloom wanders off. Clearly she wasn't used to how things were done in the more civilized areas. They could attempt to see this tortle on their own without a recommendation, but her and these strangers were going to have to get on the same page.
"Thank you for this opportunity Duke Elmars. We're going to have to discuss this further amongst ourselves however to get on the same page about how to approach this situation. I'm sure you understand," she offers a smile before stepping back and attempting to round up this ragtag group.
Elamrs' smile fades, and his expression slowly turns to dread, and so does the rest of his cohorts.
"Please do not joke about murder, we take this very seriously," Elmars says, "These bandits might be bad people, and they deserve to be punished, but death is too far of a punishment for them. We believe that murder is the worst of all evils, murdering a criminal makes you no better—or even worse than them, which is why we abolished the death penalty fifty years ago because even the code of law has its limits."
He sighs as the girl wanders off, seemingly unconcerned to the statement she just casually makes. "Please keep her in check, if we find out she actually killed someone, she'll be under arrest. The same goes for all of you too—use force if necessary, but never take a life. These bandits will fight you and hurt you, but they will only leave you injured, not dead, because even a lowlife such as them still respects the right to live."
Elmars turns around the group, gesturing for Olga and his bodyguards to follow him. "We'll be leaving now, do not disappoint me." And with that, the Duke walks quietly out of the scene, to the direction of the docks.
Behind the town square is a town road that will eventually connect to Route 700, but just like Venet said, the party should probably discuss what to do before they embark on their first quest.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
Shugo nods in understanding of Elmars' explanation. Of course this was the result of some stupid rule, that's usually the case for these things. He opens his mouth to respond, only to be interrupted by Bloom. He stares in open mouthed shock at the small girl. How could she be so casual when she says that, was she joking? She sure didn't sound like she was. Unless war breaks out for some reason, killing should be out of the question. He thought this was something everyone agreed on thought all the countries. Could he be wrong? Where did this girl come from, and who raised to to be so dismissive of someone's life? Granted, Shugo himself isn't against wounding evil-doers to the point that they can't continue doing evil...(He was actually going to suggest either breaking all the bandit's legs or cutting all their achilles tendons so that they can't escape.) after all, there's enough magic in this world that just about any wound can be healed if those people ever decide to mend their ways. BUUUUUT he decides to keep his mouth shut on that matter for now. No need to make the duke think they are all uncultured barbarians.
"Aheheheh, I think Venet is right." Shugo speaks up, "But don't worry! We'll get this all sorted out." He waves to the two birdfolk as they depart, "Goodby now! Have a nice trip!"
Once the duke and his companions are gone, the elf spins on his heal to face the entire group. "Well that conversation definitely crashed and burned. So, like Venet has stated, we need to get on the same page. Are we, or are we not going to play cops and robbers with these bandits?"
Quote from ACNSuphalak >>
Not gonna lie, I actually wanted to laugh my heart out loud as he told us not to take a life. If it wasn't for me kicking myself in the shins last minute to hold it. That's exactly what my leader Rixi has to go through due to a curse that's been burdening him since we first met. And honestly, I sympathize with him for that. On the bright side though, at least there's a dash of decency in this strange place.
But the mermaid girl, Venet if I got her name right, and the elf are speaking facts. And honestly, I've got nothing to say about that either, though I am super disgusted with how things are turning out right now seeing that some of them are hesitant to move forward. "Alright, unless if anyone else has a better suggestion to begin this, I'd say we at least get this past our heads and never look back, rather than let it linger in our thoughts in the long run." I quickly suggest again before I avoid contact with everyone again, especially with the two girls in my sight. Seriously. I'm also fed up that a seemingly quiet beginning turned into a thread of chaos and embarrassment.
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade); Crimson Sands of Time
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance); Path Of Blood
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
She blows out a breath, crossing her arms and shifting her weight. This is a real mess.
"We can spend the time, it's a nuisance, sure, but we'll get access to concrete information from someone who was there when humans were running about. That's priceless, and will put us above everyone else in our little race. On the flip, we know where this tortle is, we could try our luck and hope he doesn't blast us like the Duke thinks he will. Both routes have downs and upsides."
"Well... I honestly don't know," he says, his enthusiasm shaken but still present. "But personally if there are bandits bothering the public I would like to take care of it, so if you are still up for it we could do so together... even if these others don't want to." He seems a little regretful about that last part, obviously having been rather excited to have a full team. Though, he isn't sure what to make of Bloom and her blatant statement about killing the bandits.
To the Duke's reaction Alexander nods, "It is up to God to decide if death is a fitting punishment, not ours" No one has the right to play judge jury and executioner, and every soul has a chance at redemption...no matter how bad their crime is. But if someone refuses to be redeemed, what then? It was something he'd grappled with for a long time. Is a life of eternal imprisonment any better than death? Regardless, he can't imagine himself ever taking someone else's life. Such a problem can not have a finite answer, of that he is certain. He just has to trust that God will lead him down the right path if ever he faces the choice to end an evil life to save an innocent one. For now, he'll just embrace that there is always another option.
Putting on a smile, he says to the Duke, "We won't let you down! Have a wonderful trip sir!" He waves as they leave. Then turns back to his group, noting to Renar before saying, "Personally I would like to deal with the bandits. I'm not sure what good a head start will get us...especially considering others have likely already entered the ruins before us. We could try finding this tortle ourselves, but I'm not sure if that's the greatest idea. I mean, regardless of what everyone opinions of the Duke are, shouldn't we try and stay on good terms with him?"
True to her exotic and peculiar nature, Bloom did not seem bothered one bit by the words she heard as she skipped off. The exotic character was not simply different in manners and personality, but it also seemed like her moral compass was quite different to civilized people. Or at least, that is what everyone had just perceived.
The tiefling cheerfully stops by a shop and exclaims at how pretty everything is, specifically asking for pink herbalism tools. She emerges shortly after enthusiastically with her pink tools, skipping back in the direction where everyone was, and twirling with excitement. She does stop by every now and then to give the odd person or animal a flower, and seems to be followed by a constant trail of flowers that disappear moments after they appear on the ground.
She eventually arrives and twirls joyfully, “Come on everyone! I just got new things to pick up fulowers with. We are going to have so much fun together”.
"If they have entered they haven't made it back to tell the tale, otherwise all this would be a bit of a null point, mm? Either way, it's always good to have friends in high places. I say we do it."
At least the Duke will know they're reliable and can get things done. Leaves the door open for gigs in the future.
She turns to Bloom as she returns, "Ah wonderful, are you going to help us give the bandits a time out as well?"
Bloom seems thoughtful and contempelative as she is asked the question, striking a similar pose to the one she had earlier. She eventually looks down at her bare feet and starts shuffling.
”I guess…”, she says in a very sad and somber tone, as though she is not happy about the idea, before her energy surges once more and she smiles. Her pink eyes glisten once more, “But only because you’re puretty Ven Ven! And Ren Ren gave me a puhlemeni! And also I don’t want Shu Shu to become hungery again…and Lexi is too young to travel alone…”.
She seems, for now at least, excited once more even though she has to go and take care of yucky bandits, putting them in time out and babysitting them.
A few street blocks away from the party, Elmars and his friends are walking toward the docks.
The eagle looks behind him and turns to his spouse, "Well, that's done, we don't have to worry about the safety issues anymore, I'm sure they'll handle it."
"But are you really sure, though?" Olga says, holding his claws. "They don't feel that enthusiastic about getting the artefact to you, and we all know your 'fans' can be really reckless and simpleminded at times."
"That's the point, sweetheart." Elmars touches her cheek, "Politics is like a game of chess: it's either threatening your opponent's pieces until they back down or throwing everything at their frontlines until the King is finally exposed—and from my experience with chess, the latter way of playing is much more fun than the former. My fans are like pawns, they will clear the frontline and set up openings. Then our hero will swoop in like the Queen and checkmates, ending the game in—"
"What are you talking about, little Duke, can you explain it to us like we're five?" Tuomo interrupts.
Elmars rolls his eyes, "Ugh, fine... I let these adventurers deal with the People's Army, and then once they get lectured by Paulis, they'll be intimidated and have no choice but to work for me. I send them to 'dispose' of other Dukes, and once Vladimirs XII dies, I take the throne as Elmars IV since I'll automatically win the royal election if there are no other candidates, easy."
Ainikki nudges his side, "Dude, you sound like some sort of big bad evil bird out there, you should probably phrase this better once it's time to monologue about your plans the next time you see them."
Elmars laughs, "Ha! Of course, I'll carefully weave my words into fine poetry like the Bard I am. Besides, I'm sure they'll understand." He looks upwards, claw at his heart, "This country needs more young, passionate leaders like me, not a bunch of old vegetables that make a few mediocre changes before dying a few years later in power. They will see and understand how much I'm willing to do and how much I will sacrifice to make this country better.
"And if they don't." He summons a flame in his claws, "I will make sure they don't stand in my way."
And now that the party has decided what to do, it's time for them to venture forth into the wilderness.
Route 700
Route 700 leads the party away from the bustling crowd into a seemingly ordinary forest. Tall, thin coniferous trees dominate the landscape. Occasionally, there are some cairns on the side of the road or a cut tree, but that's to be expected from a typical Kerwosian wilderness.
A few hours of walking later, you see a fallen wheel of a cart and a tipped box of apples lying in the middle of the path. A murder of crows is pecking at the apple, seemingly unconcerned at the arrival of a bunch of potential predators behind them
It's not an obstacle, but it's definitely a sign of a wrecked carriage nearby, and the only group of people who would purposefully wreck a carriage around here is the People's Army, which must be close to here
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I