'Tace' feels a little swell of pride having received the compliment and smile from the Commandant. Considering how their interactions first began, he had come a long way in a short time. I wonder how the real Tace Peite would have fared with these three. Like a fish to water perhaps. Well I am not doing so badly myself.

He accepts the key from the Sergeant with a nod and makes his way out to the carriage to collect the manacles, quickly grabbing his short sword and dagger on the way, along with his coat.

Arren is surprised by the Commandant's compliment, and he does share a quick glance with both the Lieutenant and the Corporal, arching his eyebrows slightly, as if to say, "Well, would you look at that!" He looks pleased—perhaps not so much because of the compliment itself, but because the Commandant actually voiced it. All in all, he figures that if she didn't trust them, she'd let them know ... loud and clear.

But what the Sergeant isn't prepared for is the smile, faint though it is. And at that, he doesn't share a glance with anyone else. He simply stares at the Commandant—while she stares at her paper—perhaps a couple of seconds too long.

For the second time that day, Arren thinks that even after all these years, he still doesn't understand Miyako Nattensbarn. But it's nice to see her smile for a change.

Once he reunites with Tace outside the inn, he tells him, "Just so you know, I've got a medical kit in my backpack. I hope we won't need it, but if either of us gets hurt badly enough to lose consciousness, it will come in handy." With that, he's ready to head to the graveyard.

By the time Arren is finished preparing, 'Tace' has not yet returned, and Arren may wonder whether he finished early or 'Tace' takes too long. It's not too long, but a minute or two more than he'd expect. But just when Arren considers heading towards the carriage to check on things, 'Tace' appears at the door.

Following the path Zaba described isn't difficult, and roughly twenty minutes after leaving the Three Frogs together, Arren and Bryn reach the small sign that says 'Cemetery'. It is small and simple, a mere plank on a post with the words inscribed by someone without much effort put into it. It looks old and weathered, but it still stands strong.

From there to sign to the cemetery is just a short road, less than a minute away. The cemetery itself isn't very impressive, though it is surrounded by a metal fence to keep wild animals away. A simple gate with no lock allows entrance from the road. Attached to the gate is a slightly more decorated sign that once again announces that this place is the "Ersta Cemetery". The sign also serves as a holding piece to keep the gate closed, and lifting it allows opening the gate.

The graves, for the most part, are simple, though some do seem to belong to wealthier families with the means to invest in a fancier headstone. The dates inscribed on some of them imply that the nearest graves belong to those who were buried first, dating as far back as two centuries ago. But since the village is small, two centuries resulted in a cemetery not too large. Crossing to the other side takes no time, and the last row is only half-full. 

Next to the last marked grave is a patch of dirt that doesn't blend with the ground around you, and it's easy to deduce that it is Hector's grave, and the ground that's been dug out and put back in (when Hector was buried, probably) has lost its texture. If someone disturbed the grave, they did not leave any clear signs.

'Tace' wanders across to the Sergeant, the manacles now dangling from his belt. Before he can report that he is ready to go, the Sergeant mentions the medical kit.

"Let's hope we don't need it, but it is good to be prepared, you are right", he replies.

When they eventually reach the cemetery and the grave, 'Tace' doesn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved. But there is a little niggle in the back of his mind, and he does investigate the area more closely, making use of the lantern to get close and check for signs of disturbance.

"It all seems as you would expect", he mutters as he takes a look. "But a hunter would be adept at covering tracks. The good news is that nothing climbed out", he adds with a wry chuckle.

Investigation: 6+5=11

Arren paces in front of The Three Frogs as he waits for Tace to return with the manacles. It hasn't been a long wait exactly, but knowing how much time Arren's setup usually takes—even accounting for the extra couple of minutes he estimated—it still feels off. The carriage is nearby, and everything inside is typically so orderly. The timing doesn't add up.

He’s just about to go after him when Tace finally comes into view, and Arren stops short. Focused on priorities, he first informs him about the healing kit, then asks, "Everything all right there? Took you a bit longer than I anticipated."

He waits for a reply, then adds, "Choco and Mocha are all right?" Not that he expects otherwise—after all, they’d already already checke don them when they picked up the lamp—but he asks anyway.

~

On their way to the cemetery, Arren can't shake something Olive said about the hunter. Something he can't quite put his finger on. He recalls the description: a bit tall for a short humanoid race, or a bit small for a tall humanoid race. Light-coloured hair. Possibly Etanan. Is he perhaps he is giving it too much thought?

Entering the cemetery—and finding it smaller than they had perhaps imagined—Arren scans the names on the headstones as they make their way toward the last row, where Hector's grave lies. His green eyes flick over the inscriptions, searching—more out of curiosity than expectation—for any surname he might recognize. There should be a Pesa here, right? Emma's father. At least he's assumed the man is dead and buried in this place.

As he glances around, he also checks for signs of recently visited graves. It wouldn't be strange—families often visit their dead on special occasions—but then again, with everything that's been happening, who's to say what matters and what can be ignored?

If nothing remarkable stands out, he joins Tace by Hector's grave. "Or if something climbed out," the Half-Elf mutters with a shrug, "someone did the job of covering it again." At this point, he's nearly ready to believe anything. He crouches to inspect the grave more closely, just in case. 

When he's done, there's a moment where he finds himself staring up at the darkened sky. And that's when it hits him. He jerks his head toward the corporal. "Wait a moment. There was a full moon about a week ago. And Olive said he saw the hunter around eight days ago. That can't be a coincidence, can it?"

Investigation: 6+1= 7 :( 
Perception (if applicable): 17+3= 20

The horses seemed fine when Bryn saw them, if he paid them any attention. One was sleeping lying down, while the other, who also seemed to be asleep, was standing. 

Passing by the graves, Arren finds only one "Pesa", who seems to have died many years ago. If it is Emma's father, he probably died before or not long after Emma left for Pyorre. "Venor Emil Pesa", it says. (OOC: Unless I have mentioned his name before, which I could not find a record of, and I didn't write it down for myself before. In case I did mention his name before, the names should match.)
As for signs of visitors, Arren finds several flowers placed by headstones, but they all seem old and withered. He can't tell how long ago, but certainly not the recent few days.

The grave looks undisturbed, to the party's best guess, but it's hard to tell anything with it being rather fresh and the hard rain that's been going on for a whole day now. 

"Everything is alright. You said you would be a while, and I wanted to stay out of the bad weather, so I dallied a bit. The horses are fine as well", 'Tace' replies.

"Perhaps", 'Tace' answers regarding the timing of the full moon and the appearance of the hunter. "A link between the hunter and BS is certainly interesting", he adds thoughtfully.

"But I see nothing wrong here. Perhaps we move on and direct our questions to Emma?", he suggests. "She seems to be our only link to BS. And if she also ran into the hunter, either before or after he started his hunt for the monster, then she might provide us that link".

Alternatively, the hunter's appearance could be pure coincidence. But an Etanan hunter with a pocket full of strange roots appears at the exact time Emma is meant to meet with BS for medicinal purposes....

(ooc: It was Emil! Sorry, I didn't remember it either :D)

"Yes, let's not linger here. I agree—it’s better we continue on to Emma," Arren says, ready to head into the forest. "Same procedure as before? With the lamp, I mean. And, even though I don't expect we'll find any trace of the hunter, let's keep our eyes peeled, just in case."

((Oops, you're correct. I thought I named him before but I somehow missed that... my bad. Corrected above.))

What route exactly do you take to reach Emma?

The rain is still falling strong, and if Emma's declaration that it is getting weaker was true, you still haven't noticed any change. It is, however, quite cold, and it will only get colder. Wet as you are, this is a very unpleasant feeling. Still tolerable at the moment, but Arren now wonders if the cold won't press them to finish earlier than his sleep cycle.

It takes about twenty minutes to return to The Three Frogs, and from there, just a bit to reach the edge of the town, also the edge of the forest. With the lantern, it doesn't take long before Bryn spots his first mark, an arrow on one of the nearby trees. However, as far as traps go, nothing attracts his or Arren's attention. They may recall that Olive stated it wasn't deep into the forest, but he never stated where it was. It may very well be that it is nowhere near where Bryn and Arren are now. Or maybe it was, but they couldn't see it all the same.

Now more confident in their path, the pair can walk quickly and find each following arrow somewhat easily thanks to the lantern's dim light. At some point, the arrows stop, but it doesn't take long to recall that the two went off the path earlier when they spotted the clearing. And truly, venturing in the direction they remembered, they see the clearing's edge. 

From there, staying a good distance from the clearing, Bryn and Arren must find their next path. The simplest method, however, is to circle the clearing, a little safety distance from its edge, until one of the two spots the first arrow leading from the clearing to Emma's hideout. This, luckily, doesn't take them too long, as it seems it wasn't too far off from the last of the first set of arrows.

From the clearing to Emma's hideout, the path is straight and short. Passing between Emma's messages, perhaps paying them less attention now, the path is clear. However, when the two reach the final messages saying "Kill me", they feel that something is wrong. It takes only a bit before one of the two realises what it is: The light from Emma's fire is gone. In that state, it is significantly harder to find the alcove where they first met Emma, even though they know what they're looking for. 

Only after a little over a minute of searching the area do you once more find the alcove in its location, well hidden behind bushes (naturally, the bushes weren't placed there intentionally). Emma isn't there, and it doesn't look like she left anything in either (although she didn't have anything but her clothes anyway). The only things in the alcove are the fireplace, in which now only a few embers still faintly burn, producing just a bit of heat that is nowhere near enough to sustain a person; and a large wet spot where - presumably - Emma sat before she went... out.

From the Three Frogs to Emma's hideout took the pair 10-15 minutes total.

Finding that Emma is missing, Sergeant al-Nasrid lets out a string of words that sound very much like Halfling—and very much like a curse. Of course, she had warned them, and they knew there was a good chance she'd leave, but he had hoped the plan would hold a bit longer. "Aleshi must be having a good laugh at us right now", he mutters under his breath, and turning to look at the Corporal, he adds, "Emma did warn us, but I'd hoped we'd be luckier."

For a few seconds Arren's is lost in thought, replaying the time they spent investigating and wondering if they could've done it faster. But then he stops and shakes his head, convinced that the time was well spent—and even if they'd been quicker, Emma could very well have left the alcove just minutes after they departed.

"We can try to look for her, but we can't do it for long. And not just because my sleep cycle will kick in soon, but because of the cold, too. I'd say..." he makes a quick calculation, "...that we have an hour at best."

"Let's look around for any traces she might have left behind, and see if we hear anything nearby. Just in case luck decides to pay us a visit."

ooc:  Arren's plan is to search carefully for footprints or signs like broken trees or branches. But not just any random break. Something obvious enough that couldn't be caused by a wild animal. He also wants to listen closely for sounds: frightened forest creatures, growls, or even signs of a struggle. The idea is to do this while staying within the immediate area they know, avoiding wandering too far off.

I'm assuming they will stick together (since there's only one source of light). And I think that if they feel compelled to move a bit farther, they can mark their path as they have been doing, so they don't lose their way. 

I think this search shouldn't take longer than an hour (or until they think the cold will start to become unbearable). At that point, Arren will insist they head back.

Does this sound right to you, @volcano?

Perception: 10+3=13 / Survival-Investigation: 7+1=8

(ooc: I posted that, then went to sleep, and now - 11 hours later - I'm worried that Emma went to Ersta. *insert Munch's "The Scream" icon here*)

'Tace' is also a little disappointed that Emma is not to be found where they left her.

"Not ideal. Not ideal at all", is all he says, in more of a mutter really.

When the Sergeant mentions they can't spend too long searching for her, he simply nods, accepting the Sergeant's instruction that they will only search for an hour before heading back.

"Makes sense, we get a bit of shelter from the rain under these trees, but barely".

He will also investigate the area, starting with the immediate area of the embers, and then moving out and covering a radius of 10 feet from Emma's former camp site. He will look for any fresh tracks, paying particular attention to their direction. For example, did something other than the Sergeant and he visit Emma this evening before she left.

Investigation: 17+5=22 (-1 if Perception or -2 if survival)

(Of course, though I mentioned only Arren before, Bryn feels the cold too. In fact, Arren is probably better off in this case, having endured cold nights outside for years during his career as a soldier in the northern Katto, while Bryn has not experienced the harsh climate as often, and in Levicka, farther south, no less.)

It is difficult to see whether there are any tracks in the area, for the pine needles that cover the ground act like a blanket and prevent one's weight from leaving a deep print in the ground. There are areas where one could assume something passed through, but there is no telling what it was, nor when. The forest is also silent, or at least, there are no sounds that can be heard over the rain.

Apart from the fireplace itself, in which there is nothing but dying embers, the only thing of importance that Bryn sees in the alcove is the water stain Emma left on the dry dirt inside where she sat. While it's hard to judge exactly, Bryn's gut tells him that Emma was here until recently. While he can't be certain the water would dry out quickly on a cold, rainy night like this, the damp spot doesn't feel like it has been drying for over an hour. Whether it was twenty minutes, ten or only three, it's too difficult to tell exactly.

'Tace' carefully examines the area, and shakes his head.

"I'm not even sure we could track her over this ground if we were adept hunters", he says to the Sergeant s they do their sweep. "But one thing I am almost certain of, is that she hasn't been gone very long. Less than an hour I would say, although how much less I am not certain of".

He thinks for a moment before suggesting, "We could call out for her. She may be within earshot still".

He looks across to the Sergeant to see what he thinks.

"I'm worried that she's lost control, and that she's decided to go to Ersta. I hope hunger hasn't made her think of her pantry back at The Stewpot and think that we wouldn't come back."

As he says that, he remembers the frying pan and the potatoes. No reason now to leave these here, he muses.

Then, returning to the conversation, he adds, "I've also thought about something Olive said. He told the hunter about the monster—and never heard from him again. Maybe the hunter found what he was looking for, or maybe he abandoned the search. But what if... the hunter never left the forest at all? A person like that would be suited to track a creature until he finds it, or even observe it for days until he understands it completely. Eight days in a forest is a long time—but perhaps not for an expert."

He pauses. "What if this hunter tracked us—and we led him to Emma?"

He shakes his head. "I'm probably being paranoid. And even if that were the case, it doesn't tell us where Emma went. Let's call out for her, yes. And if that doesn't work... then I guess this will be over."

There's a hint of frustration in his voice as he lets the implication hang that the trail for Emma—and BS—might go cold.

'Tace' listens to the Sergeant's concerns, and has no real definitive reply.

"And if what ifs were gold we'd all be rich and living in castles", he actually replies, with a little humour. "Sir", he adds a second later, hoping the Sergeant doesn't take offence.

"If Emma did return, we can go and find her at the Stewpot. If there was trouble, we would have noticed, unless we were unlucky with our timing. And if the hunter found her, then there would be more evidence here I would think", he says motioning at their surroundings and the lack of any signs of a scuffle.

"We can call out for the hunter as well if you like. There can't be that many Etanan hunters in these parts. But yes, let's start calling for Emma".

With that said, he moves out of the alcove, cups his hands to his mask and calls Emma's name. He repeats this each major direction.

For the moment, there is no response. All Bryn feels is a foreboding feeling. A sense of danger. Maybe, just maybe, calling to someone who they suspect is a monster is not a wise move if one wishes to avoid harm.

But as a few seconds pass and the forest remains quiet, the feeling disappears. Maybe he was just overthinking it after all. Maybe he was just tense. A lot of maybe. 

And then, finally, Bryn and Arren hear a sound that is not the rain. It is distant, though not too distant. A scream, or perhaps a howl. It is a voice, but it used no spoken language.

And it came from the direction from which the party came. From behind. From the direction of the clearing.

The fact that Arren doesn't respond likely tells Tace how he's received his light humour—and the belated 'Sir'. It’s not that the remark offends him, but rather that the situation they're in doesn't leave much room for humor right now.

He joins his companion in calling for Emma, and when the sound echoes from the clearing behind them—a cry, or perhaps a howl—Arren curses under his breath.

He reaches back to loosen the shield strapped to his back, and then his right hand brush the hilt of his sword in a familiar gesture. A moment of reassurance. Then he starts toward the clearing.

As they near the clearing, Arren slows, trying to be as quiet as possible. They may already be expected, but if they can at least avoid revealing the exact angle of their approach they might gain a few precious seconds to assess Emma's condition.

"Well that didn't sound good", 'Tace' mutters, his eyes going wider at the sound of the noise. Was that the monster or a victim?

When the Sergeant sets off towards the sound, towards the clearing, he quickly and quietly as possible extinguishes the candle in the lantern, before following. As he moves, he draws his short sword, and as they approach the clearing, he veers slightly so they do not approach together, but ten feet or so apart.

He keeps his eyes peeled and his ears open for any clue of what might be in store.

Perception: 2+5=7