Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

Easily enough they fled, back into the town, and back through the town, and back out of the town. When all was said and done it was already noon by the time they made any progress at all, being that Azra and Eager finally made their detour by the end of it. Eager didn't look bothered at all, he didn't even seem aware of how much time had passed. Blind, he just followed Azra, and sometimes had a small trip over rocks he couldn't see, leaving Azra to point things out.

Luckily enough though the wolves were by passed, and they were largely left alone for the rest of the day, until night fell, and Eager requested Azra point him towards trees and the like for firewood so that he could lay a trap and catch a rodent such as a rabbit. Despite being blind, all he needed to do was set the trap and bait, and before too long they heard their trap spring and the two were eating rabbit stew. All accomplished by a blind man.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

Azra helped out Eager as much as she could. Warning him about any pieces of rubble on the road, pointing him in the right direction, keeping him appraised of the situation. She couldn't help but be a bit impressed with how calm and collected he was, not letting the situation faze him at all. She personally felt a bit annoyed at the waste of time, but he didn't seem to care at all. Advantage of experience, perhaps? Maybe those years he had allowed him to develop more patience? Or maybe he had always been like this.

One way or another, with just a bit of help from her Eager managed to quickly capture and cook a rabbit for the two of them to eat. Chowing down on the remains of her meal, Azra watched the man with curiosity. Despite his blindness, he was very capable. Perhaps turning him away without a second thought, like all the potential employers did, was just plain unfair. Given just a bit of help, he could still accomplish a lot. "Say. Any idea what we might expect from those bandits?" She broke the silence after a while. " Because I... I think I might have ran into two of them recently, actually." She admitted after some hesitation.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

"Bandits are sometimes disregarded as mere nothings incapable of fighting." Eager replied, eating a spoonful of meaty stew. "But the true reason why bandits are feared is due to the fact that they represent the unknown. Bandit is merely a different way of calling them a criminal. It tells you nothing of what to expect. Our foes could indeed be mere nothings, or they could be very capable fighters." he stated. "To answer your question, there is no telling what we can expect. So, we must expect the worst, and be ready for might or magic to fall upon us." he said, taking another bite.

"What did you learn of them, in your encounter? At this point, you would know better than me."

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

Azra listened to Eager. He had a point there: they had little information about the bandits themselves. Well, nothing beyond the girl's own observations. "Well... They have guns. I got one too, but that just puts me on even footing with one of them, I guess. And since I've only seen two of them, I have no idea what others might be like. Assuming there are others." She shrugged. "Oh, and I tried fighting one up close. Nearly beat him, but then I got knocked out. So... He was about as good as an untrained brawler, I guess?" The girl estimated. "Didn't see him doing any magic. But he's a good shot."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

"Hmm, well it might be someone running a cheap crew. Still must be mindful however." he nodded. "Well, they're equipped, and that's troubling enough as it is. Even a novice is made much more deadly with a gun. Keep on your toes, and good night young one." he said, folding into his bedroll after snuffing the flames out. With great accuracy too, even holding his hand over the pit to feel the heat, seeming to quickly identify embers where they were. Then, he curled up in his sleeping bag, looking content and happy.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

"I'll be careful. Good night to you too." Azra nodded. Fighting gunslingers would be a difficult prospect for sure. She hoped the bandits didn't have too many firearms, otherwise this mission would turn into a complete mess. The girl watched Eager quickly and efficiently deal with the flames before retiring. For a while she sat alone in silence, relaxing as she contemplated her position. Eventually she'd go to sleep as well, though, curling up on the ground to get some rest.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

That next morning, Eager had some eggs sizzling from a nearby bird's nest he pilfered. Azra saw a ruined nest nearby and a dead bird that tried to defend it. It was unclear whether he somehow knocked the nest down with something he threw or actually climbed up the tree to find it. Either way, once again, he did either one while completely blind. The eggs smelled good too. Some of which he gave to Azra as breakfast. "Let us eat and be off." he said, though for all his reliability he still deferred to Azra to lead the way. He even explained why. "I normally travel quite slowly. I can tell where things are that move. But I cannot tell where things are that do not. Trees are ever still, and I often do not even know they are there. Must be nice, to have eyes, hehehe..." he chuckled with a bit of dark humor as they traveled.

Several hours later, Eager put his hand on Azra's shoulder, holding her back. "Camp ahead, filled with people, some men, some women." he said, even while Azra didn't hear a thing. "I feel less of the sun's rays upon me, it's getting dark isn't it? Let us wait until their eyes are less good for them. Then they will be in my world." he said with a menacing voice. And indeed, it was dusk already. The sun was almost gone.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

Azra couldn't help but be amazed at how capable Eager was. By the time she woke up, he was already up and about, working on breakfast. A few bird eggs, from the looks of it. Bit of a shame the bird had to die defending them, but such was life. After the meal, the two of them quickly cleaned up the camp before setting off. As usual, Azra led the way, accepting Eager's explanation. "Seeing does help, yes. Though some sights aren't exactly pleasant." She noted. "Bit of a downside to it, but what doesn't have flaws?"

When Eager finally stopped Azra after a few hours, the girl could barely stop herself from looking at the man in disbelief. He could hear the camping bandits from so far away? Amazing. "I can see in the dark, so I won't have as much trouble as they will." She stated, nodding. "We only need to wait for a little while before the sun is completely down. Then we can go in. Though..." She paused. "Can you hear what exactly they're saying? It'd be good to know whether we really got our objective there or not. It's unlikely to be anything else, but you never know."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

"What?" Eager inquired to her question asking him if he could hear all their words. "What do you think I have, superhuman hearing?" he inquired as if she were being ridiculous.

And so, they'd wait, and darkness would set in. Eager waited patiently, an ear to Azra. "I cannot exactly tell when the sun sets. Is it dark out?" he asked, unaware that indeed it was.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

"Well, it sure as Hell is leagues better than mine." Azra replied, shrugging. With nothing better to do, she settled down to wait, watching the sun dip down under the horizon. As darkness set in, she briefly pulled out her gun, checking it before putting it back away. "Yes, it's dark." She nodded to Eager, getting ready to move. "Come on, I'll lead the way." She guided the man in the direction of the camp, idly wondering what exactly they were going to find there.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

"You any good at sneaking?" he inquired. It didn't help that Azra was of the breed that could glow in the dark.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

"...No." Azra winced, realizing there was one big problem they had to deal with. "In fact, I am kind of utterly shit at it, for reasons I can't really help. This might be a problem."

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

Eager hummed. "Then I will have to go ahead alone. Remain here, and do not make a sound. Try to avoid eye contact." he said, proceeding onwards to leave her behind.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

"Alright." Azra nodded, settling down to wait for Eager. Still, just to be on the safe side she kept an ear out for trouble. If he ended up running into issues, her help could end up being the thing that turns the tide in their favor. To occupy herself while waiting she pulled out her gun and carefully inspected it, taking a closer look at it.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

An hour passed... And soon conversation erupted from the camp, with Eager being among those speaking. Azra couldn't hear them from such a safe distance, but she could hear former voices as well as Eager's talking to one another. If she looked, she'd see Eager sitting down around their camp fire while surrounded by the lot of them, as they held all their weapons and he had his sheathed.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

Azra watched from a safe distance, not willing to get closer and risk being spotted yet. Why Eager was talking with that lot, she had no idea. Perhaps he had some kind of plan? He wasn't making any threatening moves, even when they were pointing their own weaponry at him. Hell, he was sitting by the fire instead of standing. The girl didn't know what was going on and frankly, wasn't about to rush in and cause trouble. Better see how this developed and react accordingly, she figured.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

Azra watched, and watched, the conversation went on for a while, until Eager spoke up. "Azra! Come. We must address events that have transpired." he yelled. The group looked in her general direction, though made no move to actively pursue.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

Hesitating a little, Azra cautiously made her way towards the camp. Judging from the looks of it, the situation wasn't as clear-cut as it had seemed at first. Perhaps these people weren't simply bandits. Though if those two men from before were related to them, then the conversation about to ensue was going to be an awkward one. The girl felt a tinge of regret for her earlier actions, even if she had little choice but to obey the order she had been given. That being said... Perhaps this was a chance to make sense of that mess as well.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

"These people are not the ones we seek." he stated. "They are good Samaritans seeking to free slaves from wrongful imprisonment. And from what I gather, you were among those they sought to save." he stated.

Then, a plain looking woman with a rifle over her shoulder nodded. "Acheron is a place with loose laws, and demons thrive here. We sought to free slaves kept in captivity with hopes of letting free those who didn't deserve to be there, as well as some of our own whom were taken."

 

[cross_grave]

Re: Once Upon A Time in Acheron (Grave) GM'd by MAF

"I see." Azra nodded slowly. She wasn't certain if that was the truth, but if that was the case, then perhaps they got set up as bandits? She paused, thinking. "I apologize, but I have to ask about something... Have you, by any chance, sent out two men to a certain location recently?" She asked, specifying the area where she had encountered the two men with the map piece. "My last master... After buying me, he sent me out there to kill them. My collar got destroyed in the firefight, but I'm afraid one of them is dead. I'm sorry." She grimaced. That order was definitely the one that gave her most regret in her life.