Wandered Astray (theguy09)

[Tassadar]

Spoiler

You must be registered to see the links

: HP = 44, PP = 36, EP = 36, Status = Fine

Crowncrop: The hill town that she's in.

Heartland Badaria was a well populated place, perhaps the most well populated on Donevrion. It was understandable, given how rich it was in natural resources, but while it was what outsiders might think of first given they were the most visited areas of the country, they weren't the only ones. A caravan heading East towards the Amazon had taken her as a tag-along for the last couple of weeks, allowing her to get away from the familiar and into the hilly region to the Southeast that fed the heartland's endless hunger for metal and coal. The transition hadn't been as dramatic as one might imagine; the dense pine and oak forests had been left behind some days ago, the verdant forestry and dense undergrowth that had to be cut regularly from the roads turning to thinner forests, grasslands, and more recently to sparse hills and craggy valleys. The architecture of the few villages that they'd passed changed, abandoning the aesthetic for the pragmatic and favoring brick and stone over wood construction.

They had passed a few villages along the way, and those small towns had come and gone without any notable distractions, but now finally, at midday on a warm spring day, the caravan that the young catgirl had joined was finally heading into the first real Badarian town that they had encountered since leaving the Heartland. Crowncrop was a sprawling mining town built on terraces and plateaus carved into five different large hills that formed a circle, at the center of which was a valley with a large stone tower. The squat dwellings and workshops where the people slept and worked were all distinct enough that, despite being all made of the same dull brown bricks, they didn't quite blend together. The uneven terrain demanded it, and the clustered buildings were broken up by small gardens, public wells, small bazaars made up of wicker or wooden stands, fire pits, pens of goats or pigs, chicken coups, and countless other minor necessities and pieces of local flare. Each of the hills were connected by suspension bridges near the top, allowing one to travel between them without leaving the upper class areas that were segregated by walls circling the topmost areas. The main street leading into the central area where the tower kept watch over the surrounding hills was the only straight road in Crowncrop, all others had to wind through the narrow gaps in between the buildings, and the stairwells and ramps that could take one between the terraces sprawling their way up the slopes.

The ten wagons were worked by eleven drivers including the caravan master and protected by fifteen hired guards, some of whom Aki had been able to gain a degree of camaraderie with if she'd elected to be social for the two weeks she'd spent traveling with them from her home village. Whether or not she actually wanted to continue with them, the town guard required that they stick together until they could be processed at the town center; they wanted to keep track of any visiting strangers. The center of Crowncrop was a circle of flattened surrounded by an outward-sloped stone wall that rose about thirty feet up, at the center of which was the massive, cannon-equipped watchtower. There were guards everywhere in dull brown and grey uniforms, but they didn't seem particularly alert or terribly concerned with the caravan even when they did spot Aki with her feline features among them.

The caravan master dismounted once he arrived, and spoke briefly with one of the guards - a dark haired woman with a bright red cap and numerous decorations on her uniform - while several other guards approached with boards supporting sheets of lined paper. One of them - a tall, burly man with a wide mustache curled into accentuated points - approached Aki, and without even really glancing at her began to scribble on the board with a pencil. He wrote out a few lines before glancing up at her and demanding in an impatient, gruff voice; "Name, place of origin, occupation and purpose here in Crowncrop?"

 

[theguy09]

Aki was a little nervous leaving her home and adoptive parent to go on an adventure, but she needed the experience of traveling and doing work away from the safety of Angela, and so she had asked Angela to set her up with some work that would take her away from the heartlands. That work came in the form of a caravan guard. She would travel to the East and head into the mountains region of Badaria, leaving the familiar lush and soft hills of her childhood, instead trading them for the hard, grey of stony mountains and crags. Aki found it fitting that this hard looking place would serve as the start of her journey to become a mature and independent Adventurer. As she traveled, it was like she had entered an entirely different world from the one she had just departed from a few weeks back. Nothing seemed the same, not the land, buildings, or people. Being in such a unfamiliar situations, Aki tried talking with her fellow guards as the traveled, seeking to make something familiar in this new world she voluntarily found herself in. She tried to befriend some of them, especially any of her fellow female guards.

Eventually the day came that they arrived at the only real sign real civilization that seemed to exist in this region. They had passed scattered and tattered villages which were run down compared to almost every town back in the heartland, but now they were approaching a real town! While they got rapidly closer to the Town, Aki started to scan what she could see. 'I'm not looking forward to doing any fighting in those tight and winding streets. I hope most of the missions I take on end up out of town, or that its better once we get inside...' Her thoughts already focused on her next adventure, time rapidly passed and soon they arrived at the gates of the town!

Now that they were so close to Town, she and her fellow guards were basically not needed anymore and were grouped up by the town guard. She stuck close to one of the girls she had gotten to know during the journey and quietly asked her, "Do they normally question the guards at the gates?" Throughout the trip, Aki had subjected her fellow guards to her ceaseless questions, trying to fill in her gaps of knowledge. She had a thirst for knowledge and she could be like a sponge sometimes, rapidly absorbing new information, which only fed her drive to learn even more! Her cat ears swiveled back and forth, listening to everything going on around her, and her tail swayed back and forth as she idled around waiting for them to be let inside. Eventually a small squad of guards approached them with paper work to do! 'No one ever told her there was paperwork to do in her profession! Hopefully there wasn't too much of it!' Aki joked to herself as one of the guards split off and headed straight for her.

"Ahh, hello sir! My name is Aki Vagor, and uh, Adventurer and Im here for Adventure! Or just looking for any work if you don't accept just adventure on that form." Aki had a playful grin on her face as she added that last part. She tilted her head as she asked, "Who's that talking to the caravan Master?"

 

[Tassadar]

Spoiler

You must be registered to see the links

: HP = 44, PP = 36, EP = 36, Status = Fine

Crowncrop: The hill town that she's in.

"Hmm? Yeah, usually. Can't have strangers wandering around without knowing who they are and what they're about," answered Stasia, one of the guards that had been patient enough to field many of Aki's questions during her stay on the caravan. A tall, toned blonde woman with striking features, Stasia was exceptionally pretty and had striking sky-blue eyes, but her beauty was marred by the near-perpetual scowl that was seemingly her preferred expression and general gruff demeanor. She kept her honey colored hair cut short, and given that she often did the cutting herself and spent a lot of time wearing a leather helmet with a skull cap for protection, it was currently both unveven and messy. "Especially armed strangers," she added as an afterthought, giving Aki a rare smirk for a half second as she eyed the guns hanging at the catgirl's hips.

Once they reached the center of town to be catalogued by the city watch, the man with the mustache didn't so much as bat an eyelash at Aki's excited and outlandish response. He scribbled on the pad in front of him a few more times, and didn't look up at her as he answered; "Field Commander Roivas. She's in charge here, don't go bothering her unless you like being whipped in public. She doesn't take kindly to folks that waste her time. Next of kin, and place of origin? We need to know in case you get killed while you're here, got to notify the family and figure out where to send the body." He said all of that in an entirely matter-of-fact sort of voice, but then glanced up at her with a sympathetic smile and quickly amended; "You probably won't need to worry about that though, m'dear. We're a safe town for outside visitors, so long as you keep out of trouble!"

He took down further answers and then nodded; "You're free to go about your business as you please. Welcome to Crowncrop!" Then, simple as that, the guard turned and walked over to talk to the next person waiting to have their information taken down, leaving Aki free, essentially, to do as she pleased.

 

[theguy09]

"That makes sense, thanks Stasia!" Aki gave her one of her bright smiles to the tall women once she answered another one of her question. Stasia had been so patient with her which Aki really appreciated and left a good impression of the women on the girl. Though that patience didn't take off the scowl that she almost always wore. She would be so much more prettier than she already was if she smiled more. Aki grinned back at Stasia as she eyed Aki's guns. She was quite proud of them and had spent a majority of her earning on those guns. They were like her babies! "Well then Ill just have to try and introduce myself till Im no longer a stranger then." The place seemed to be hub of the area, so she would probably be staying around here for at least a little while doing work for the locals.

Aki stared at the man waiting for a response to her jokes, yet she got none! Deflating for but a moment when the guard hints at the fates some people will meet out here, Aki regains the cheery attitude to answer the mans further questions once he gives her a smile and reassures her. "Ah, my Adopted mother Angela Vagor is my only relative. Well I say mother, but shes more like a big sister than anything. You know shes one of those motherly types but shes too young to be my mother." She thanked the man and was about to head into town herself when she remembered to ask him something else. She caught him as he turned to go to the next person. "Ah, excuse me. Sorry about this but could you potentially point me in the direction of any Adventurer's guild or similar place you have here?" She had wandered into a town without asking questions before and that had ended with her getting horribly lost for an afternoon. Once she got her answer, she once again thanked the man and left him to do his job.

She waited for Stasia to finish talking with the guard interviewing her before she walked up to her and asked, "Hey Stasia, whats your plans now that your in town? Does your job with the caravan end or do you still work for them for awhile longer? I think I'm either going to go find a job as an adventurer or find a place to stay first."

 

[Tassadar]

Spoiler

You must be registered to see the links

: HP = 44, PP = 36, EP = 36, Status = Fine

Crowncrop: The hill town that she's in.

"No problem kid," Stasia replied in her usual mirthless tone, before giving a roll of the eyes and slight tic of her lip at the catgirl's jovial optimism.

The guardsman would jot down Aki's next of kin, making no comment on her elaboration on the relationship between Aki and her adoptive guardian. When she stopped him a few moments later to ask where she could find an adventurer's guild or the like, the mustachioed guard quirked an eyebrow at her. "What do you think this is, Crolia? Adventurer's guild... Ehh, hold on a minute, let me finish my job first, and then I'll give you a few leads," he replied, before turning to finish his job. Aki would see him turn the page, tear one out, and start writing on it, but in the meantime could go talk to Stasia.

The blonde had just finished her own interview and was walking towards one of the caravan's wagons when Aki went to intercept her, and looked back at the catgirl with her usual scowl. "Don't know yet," she replied, her tone bereft of any malice or annoyance in spite of her dour expression. "We'll be here at least a week, they've got trading to do. If they go South to the coast or back to the heartland, I'll probably go with. If they go East or North, I'll stick around, wait for another caravan to join up with; I don't like the jungle or the swamps. Too wet, too hot, and too many damn bugs." She glared momentarily at Aki, "right, you're pretty green to the whole vagabond lifestyle... I know a few places you could probably afford around here, I've been to this town a few times. It's good to find a bed before you go getting into trouble."

The town guard would return, interrupting their conversation, and passed Aki a folded piece of paper. "I've written out some places you might find something to earn yourself some honest money, young lady. They're mostly rumors and the like, or things that we don't have time for or that fall outside of our jurisdiction. Do stay out of trouble now." With that he nodded curtly and then turned to return his report to his officer, who seemed to be done with the caravan master. The officer turned brusquely and began walking back towards the central tower, the caravan master turned similarly and started towards the front wagon.

"Adventuring work, right?" Stasia asked with a hint of sarcastic mirth in her tone. "I usually stay at this place called The Maniacal Toad, but it's maybe a little too rough for your tastes. Still, if you need to find me, look it up. There was this place just off the main road that we took to get into town called The Bouncing Lamb that I used to stay at back when I was a little less confident; you should try there if you want a place to stay while you're here that's nice. It's not cheap though.... If you don't feel like stressing your budget, ask around for Azarov's Rest, it's dirt cheap and old Azy makes sure it's safe, but.... Well, you'll see if you ever go there."

 

[theguy09]

Spoiler: Aki

“A-ah, Ok!” Aki was a little thrown off by the way the man replied, and felt a little stupid with her question. I guess only the big and established cities had things like Adventurers guilds. Hopefully this town still had enough jobs for her to get by and ones that weren't too boring. Stasia’s own reply to her questions didn't phase Aki, as she had grown used to her scowls and glares that were almost always on her face. Aki smiled and looked into Stasia’s eyes as she talked. “Well you’ll definitely have to let me know what's happening with you. I would love to have a friend out here who is much more experienced in this life style than me.” She didn't know exactly how Stasia felt about her, but the woman had been nice and very helpful to Aki their entire trip, and she would love to learn more about her, becoming friends. Aki was about to continue when the guard reappeared to answer her earlier question.

“Thank you very much sir.” Aki politely said to the very helpful guard, giving a quick and polite bow of her head while also making sure to remember the mans face. Perhaps she would ask his name if she saw him again, but not right now. She had already interrupted him a few times and he had a job to do. She held the piece of paper in her palm while turning back Stasia. “I would greatly appreciate any advice you have about where to stay, and yeah, adventuring work. Most of my experience making money is in adventuring, plus it can be pretty exciting when you get some of the more easy and fun contracts.” Aki gave an innocent and idealistic smile. Aki paid a lot of attention to Stasia’s advice about where to stay and was silent for a few moments as she gave it some thought. In the end, she said, “Hmmm, I might stay at The Maniacal Toad as well, but if the work is a little thin here in town, I might end up in Azarov’s. I'm sure I’ll be able to tough the place out. For now though, I think I might go and explore a little bit, check out the inns you mentioned and maybe a job or two on the list. I’ll see you later Stasia, thanks so much for your help!” Aki at first wanted to hug her, but figured she might be uncomfortable with it, so she simply held out a hand to Stasia.

After saying goodbye, Aki would head down the main street a little bit before looking down at the list of potential jobs the guard had handed to her. She would probably ask for directions to The Maniacal Toad from a nearby local after looking at the list.

 

[Tassadar]

Spoiler

You must be registered to see the links

: HP = 44, PP = 36, EP = 36, Status = Fine

Crowncrop: The hill town that she's in.
Stasia: Short haired blonde mercenary who gave Aki advice, staying at the Maniacal Toad
Toad man McFrogFace

Guard's Note:

Spoiler

-41 Baker's Alley, the black stained brick shoppe called Haley's Herbals, the operator is looking for someone to help her get something out in the wilds.
-The Blue Wagon outside of town to the Southeast, says he was robbed in the city but refuses to say when or where or who, won't talk to us further about it.
-227 Brayer on the Ruby Spire, the smaller green mansion off to the side; ask for Brigadier at the door. The family who owns it is dead, but the will is missing, and the current occupants - distant relations - can't legally live there until the will is found and the matter of the original occupant's death resolved.
-4681 Main, between Ruby and Emerald Spires, the stone carved building with the flower mural decorated on it. The owner is looking for young ladies to model her clothing line and will pay, but is having trouble finding any to her liking that are willing to work with her for more than a few days for some reason.

Stasia's characteristic frown deepened slightly as Aki suggested that she wanted to stay in the Maniacal Toad, but simply shrugged and took Stasia's offered hand a bit further than a simple handshake, clapping a grip onto the cat-girl's wrist and giving a firm shake. "S'up to you, the Toad's a rough place... Wherever you end up; good luck kid!" she replied, before turning and heading back down the main road only a short ways before branching off, leaving Aki to make her own way into Crowncrop.

The main road sloped up to a point and then downwards as she crested the rise between the main hills once more. A few of the locals glanced her way oddly, with glares or confused looks, but nobody actively bothered her as she headed deeper into the city. There were small merchant stands selling refreshments spotted along the main road, perused by travelers, caravaneers, and locals with a moment to stop and eat or drink between daily business. A few of the proprietors shouted her way, offering deals on a bite to eat or a cup of cold lemonade water or tea, but if she wished to ignore them for the sake of her coinpurse they would always turn their attentions to other potential clients.

When she stopped to check the note given to her by the helpful guardsman, she would find it neatly folded and written in simple, easy to read print.

-41 Baker's Alley, the black stained brick shoppe called Haley's Herbals, the operator is looking for someone to help her get something out in the wilds.
-The Blue Wagon outside of town to the Southeast, says he was robbed in the city but refuses to say when or where or who, won't talk to us further about it.
-227 Brayer on the Ruby Spire, the smaller green mansion off to the side; ask for Brigadier at the door. The family who owns it is dead, but the will is missing, and the current occupants - distant relations - can't legally live there until the will is found and the matter of the original occupant's death resolved.
-4681 Main, between Ruby and Emerald Spires, the stone carved building with the flower mural painted across the front. The owner is looking for young ladies to model her clothing line and will pay, but is having trouble finding any to her liking that are willing to work with her for more than a few days for some reason.

With her four potential leads for work in hand, Aki could head to the Maniacal Toad after getting some directions. The locals proved initially unhelpful; the first that she asked - a burly man with long dark hair - barely looked at her before grunting that he didn't know what she was looking for, and the second - a pale woman wearing a slim tan dress and a wide brimmed blue hat with flowers decorating the top - glared at Aki over a fan before sniffling something about foreigners and moving along. The third - a wiry, harried looking man with an unkept look about him and streaks of gray in his dark hair - seemed like he was simply going to walk by without even acknowledging her, but then stopped suddenly and turned to her to apologize profusely and with much hand wringing, saying that he was quite busy and late and couldn't stop to help her. Finally, the fourth - a lady with olivine skin and weathered features for her age leading a gaggle of three children, all of them carrying baskets - paused to quickly give Aki some directions to one of the areas between the large hills - the spires - that made up Crowncrop's major landmarks which the street that the Maniacal Toad was in.

It took some time to actually get there; the nature of the town's hills made it impossible to go in a straight line, but each of them seemed to be marked by a large colored flag to indicate which of the hills it was; red, green, blue, white, and black. The Toad was between white and black - onyx and diamond spires - along the main road, but as she transition between the two sections of the Main street via roads circling the central area the flavor of the town changed dramatically. The road she'd come in on had connected to Badaria's main highways, but this section did not. It was populated almost wholly by locals, many of whom looked at her with glowers or glares... Or even less savory sorts of interest. The buildings were poorly maintained, more often abandoned entirely than they had been along the road that Aki had entered Crowncrop through, and often covered in graffiti. The Maniacal Toad was, essentially, in a slum, but if she pressed on anyway it would prove to not be so deep in that she couldn't easily get out of it without spending too much time in the rougher neighborhoods.

The inn itself was actually down a set of well hewn but slightly weathered stone steps, the signs of cracks and missing pieces hastily repaired with mortar evident as she descended towards the faded green door located beneath a sign suspended by chains and a rusty metal pole jutting from the building a full story over the fenced in staircase. There was a black metal railing on either side to help keep steady, a drain into the sewers to keep the bottom from becoming a puddle when it rained, and a polished brass knocker and peephole in the door to complete her picture of the entrance. The door itself was locked, but when Aki went to the knocker she heard someone walk up, wait a moment - likely staring at her through the peephole - and then open the door to reveal themselves as a short, squat, wide mouthed man with no hair on his head save for his eyebrows and a fading brown mustache. He had to look up to meet her gaze, which he did with somewhat unnaturally large eyes that gave him a distinctly toad-like appearance, and the expression was hard to read; he wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning either.

The room into which she looked was both surprisingly large and offered a fairly high ceiling for a room located underground. The floors were carpeted stone, and there were sections in each corner; to the far right was the bar, at which she spotted Stasia sitting and enjoying a currently half-empty mug of light brown beer with her back to the door, to the near right was an empty stage with a set of collapsible metal chairs haphazardly arranged in front of it, to the near left was an equally empty section of wooden tables and chairs likely meant for dining or cardgames, and to the far left was an area dominated by a pair of billiards tables but that also sported dartboards and a rack of battered looking chess sets and some smaller objects that she couldn't identify from so far away. The center of the room was dominated by a massive cage made up of metal wire that ran all the way to the ceiling, surrounded by a desk and a ring of more collapsible metal chairs.

"You look a'boot twelve... What you doin here sweety? You lookin fer somebody or her' to hand somethin oof?" the toad-like man asked patiently after giving Aki a second to look around. His voice was low but deep, and thankfully lacked the cracking quality that would have made him sound like the creature emblazoned on the hand-painted sign hanging over the stairs.

 

[theguy09]

Spoiler: Aki

Opposite of Stasia's characteristic frown, Aki beamed her characteristic smile at Stasia's encouragement as she said good bye to the young adventurer. Aki hoped she wouldn't have to rely on luck out here, but she didn't know what the world would throw at her, but she would make sure everything ended all right out here. Snapping herself out of her own head, she started down the main street, starting her first adventure out in Crowncrop, to explore the town! She traveled down the road, no doubt looking like a stereotypical tourist with how she was wide eyed starring at everything she passed. When ever a merchant would call out offers towards her, she would at first politely decline, but as they just kept coming from all the street side vendors, she started to emulate some of the locals, and just ignored the offers as she went. Maybe when she had a more reliable source of income or a heavier coin purse she could indulge on snacks. Angela had forced the need to be frugal with her spending while on her own and so far from home.

After looking at the note given to her by the helpful guardsman, Aki started to look for some help with getting to the The Maniacal Toad. At first she simple put the first few local's indifference to her as them being busy, but after the third she was starting to think that maybe they just really didn't like strangers. Thankfully the fourth time was the charm and a nice looking mother was able to give her some proper directions. Thanking her for her time and help, Aki started off towards the area between two of the towering hills. What she would learn to be the Onyx and Diamond spires. The walk to the street The Maniacal Toad was on was a long one. Without the help of the color coded flags, Aki was sure she would have gotten lost, directions or not. The walk was so long that Aki started planning on what she wanted to do here. First was to see if The Maniacal Toad was a good Inn to rest in, or if she needed to be even more frugal and head over to Azarov’s Rest. After that, as long as finding the right inn didn't take too long, she wanted to start off with helping the herbalist over on Baker's Alley. She wasn't too confident on being too much of a help for missions in town until she learned it better, and from what she could gather from the note, it sounded like it was just a gathering quest. Easy peasy. That would fund her stay while she did learn the town better.

As she traveled the confusing streets that were closer to her destination, Aki's hunch of the locals not liking strangers was growing more and more as she received alot of glares for seemingly no reason. There had to be a reason for their dislike, and she was confident she could prove herself to be more likable than other foreigners. Politeness was another one of the lessons Angela had made sure Aki learned at a young age. Aki wanted to go and ask one of the locals about the Maniacal Toad, if it had a good reputation or not, but the glares were making it hard. If she saw anyone that didn't seem to dislike her on sight and seemed more agreeable, she would go and ask them about the inn's reputation, but otherwise she kept marching on. The buildings around her started to turn into increasingly weathered buildings, a few even looking like they could pass for ruins if there wasn't so many signs of life around. Oh, this was a slum. She suddenly gave a nervous glance around the area, looking into the dark alleys around her. She had heard stories of what could happen to a young women in the slums, but surely it wouldn't happen to her? Right? They were just stories afterall, why would people do something like that for no reason. Even as she thought this, Aki suddenly continued on at an increased pace. The directions said it wasn't much farther till the inn, and Aki put her trust into those directions. Thankfully, they were right and the inn was close!

A small sigh of relief left her as she saw the inn's sign. It didn't look great, especially with how secure the door looked, but Aki still continued down and used the knocker on the door. The short pause was just long enough for her to wonder if she somehow had the wrong door, but it finally opened almost at the same time as the thought crossed her mind. The man who opened the door had some strangely large eyes, and she couldn't help but feel a little off put by them, but she threw that feeling out almost immediately. She shouldn't let that set her opinion on the man, it wasn't his fault he looked different. From the brief glance she got of the room before she looked to the man in front of her, who was likely to be the inn keeper, another hit of relief spread through her when she noticed Stasia!

"A-ah, thank you? I might look young, but I can assure you I am eighteen! A-and I was wondering if you had a room available? And how much that would cost?" It was true she was young, but did people really think she was that young?

 

[Tassadar]

Spoiler

You must be registered to see the links

: HP = 44, PP = 36, EP = 36, Status = Fine

Crowncrop: The hill town that she's in.
Stasia: Short haired blonde mercenary who gave Aki advice, staying at the Maniacal Toad
Rutger, aka Toad man McFrogFace

Guard's Note:

Spoiler

-41 Baker's Alley, the black stained brick shoppe called Haley's Herbals, the operator is looking for someone to help her get something out in the wilds.
-The Blue Wagon outside of town to the Southeast, says he was robbed in the city but refuses to say when or where or who, won't talk to us further about it.
-227 Brayer on the Ruby Spire, the smaller green mansion off to the side; ask for Brigadier at the door. The family who owns it is dead, but the will is missing, and the current occupants - distant relations - can't legally live there until the will is found and the matter of the original occupant's death resolved.
-4681 Main, between Ruby and Emerald Spires, the stone carved building with the flower mural decorated on it. The owner is looking for young ladies to model her clothing line and will pay, but is having trouble finding any to her liking that are willing to work with her for more than a few days for some reason.

"Yar, ain't asked fer yer fookin life story, did I?" the irascible toad-like man grunted back at Aki through the door. She heard an audible clank, and a moment later the man backed away as the door swung open. He came up to her chest in height, but at least had the decency to look her in the face rather than take the opportunity to stare at her chest. "Room's four coins a night for the bed. Six if'n ya want breakfast, but I dun care what yer payin, yer doin yer own laundry! An' don't go leavin yer unmentionables lyin aboot!"

Stasia, sitting by the bar, would glance towards the door after it opened and give a weary smirk as she spotted Aki standing there. "Name's Rutger, an I own this joint!" the man continued, holding out a hand to Aki while glaring at her suspiciously. "Drinks ain't free neither, and yer on yer own fer dinner!"

 

[theguy09]

Spoiler

"O-oh, sorry." Aki replied, a little thrown off by the man's response. Thankfully, as the man introduced himself, her intuition appeared correct. Though blunt and a tad rude, he hadn't stared at her chest like some degenerate, and offered a fair price for his services. When the man held out his hand, Aki at first was about to give him a handshake before realizing he was asking for his pay. The slightest blush from her own misunderstanding appeared, and she answered Mister Rutger. "That sounds reasonable, I'll take you up on that price." As she was talking, Aki counted out 6 pieces of coin and handed them over. When Stasia turned and looked over at her, Aki gave her a quick wave, before asking another question. "So which room am I in?" She paused before deciding to add another question real quick. "Also, if you don't mind me asking, do you know of any possible jobs there are around here for an aspiring adventurer?"

 

[Tassadar]

Spoiler

You must be registered to see the links

: HP = 44, PP = 36, EP = 36, Status = Fine

Crowncrop: The hill town that she's in.
Stasia: Short haired blonde mercenary who gave Aki advice, staying at the Maniacal Toad
Rutger, aka Toad man McFrogFace

Guard's Note:

Spoiler

-41 Baker's Alley, the black stained brick shoppe called Haley's Herbals, the operator is looking for someone to help her get something out in the wilds.
-The Blue Wagon outside of town to the Southeast, says he was robbed in the city but refuses to say when or where or who, won't talk to us further about it.
-227 Brayer on the Ruby Spire, the smaller green mansion off to the side; ask for Brigadier at the door. The family who owns it is dead, but the will is missing, and the current occupants - distant relations - can't legally live there until the will is found and the matter of the original occupant's death resolved.
-4681 Main, between Ruby and Emerald Spires, the stone carved building with the flower mural decorated on it. The owner is looking for young ladies to model her clothing line and will pay, but is having trouble finding any to her liking that are willing to work with her for more than a few days for some reason.

Rutger took the offered hand anyway, and just left it out after shaking for the coins. He eyed the coins in his hand, taking them close to his face and examining them in detail, but seemed to find them to be satisfactory. "C'mon, I'll show ya," he said, closing the door before turning and waddling towards the bar. Stasia raised her glass in acknowledgement before turning back to the bartender, a wiry man with no chin to speak of. "Oi, Tom'n, key number three!" Rutger called, and the bartender took a key on a chain from behind the bar and casually tossed it to him. Rutger caught it and continued on, taking Aki into a slightly dingy and very dark hallway before he replied; "Adventurer? Ya mean merk work? Meh, wouldn't know nothin' bout that, yeh'd best try goin' out on a caravan or askin' Tom'n back there. I mind me own business, do I!"

He turned right as he entered the dark hall, leading her past two doors - there were two more - and stopping at the third. "This is yers, s'long as yer here," he said, putting the key to the lock and opening it to reveal a relatively small room. There was no window, which made sense given that they were underground. There was a bedside table, a single fairly small bed that was low to the ground, a table with a chair beside it along the left hand wall, and a dresser with the drawers pulled out to reveal their emptiness next to it. The chamber was relatively spartan and small, but it was a place to lay her head at night.

"Lavatories are down the hall, first door after ya pass the bar," Rutger explained. "Next past that is the kitchens, then the storerooms. Keep the fook out of 'em," he continued, turning and handing Aki the key to her room, "last door down that hall is the laundry, ye wanna wash yer clothes that's the place ter do it! Also where yer to wash yerself, there's a stall for a shower and running water, though don't rely on it bein' warm fer long. Best bring out yer own soap too. Door's got a bolt on it to ensure yer privacy." With that, he looked up at her for a few seconds in silence, and if she had no questions would wander back over to managing the door, leaving her to settle in however she preferred.

 

[theguy09]

Spoiler

Aki made note that she should try and pay attention for counterfeit coins as she watched Rutger do exactly that. She easily kept up with the shorter man as they went to the bar after he had closed the door behind her. She got a better look of the room during the short walk, glancing around at the other occupants and the entertainment Rutger had set up around the place. At the sight of the stage she had an idea. Perhaps, she could play in here for some coin or reduced costs. As she approached Stasia, she smiled at her and greeted her, but didn't stop to talk further. "Hi Stasia!"

Aki was about to explain that adventures and mercs were different, but decided not to. He didn't seem like he would care that much about it. "Mhhh, Tom it is then, thanks!" The inside of the room, although spartan, would do well enough until she was able to get onto her feet and have coins flowing in. She continued to listen to Rutger's explanations of the rest of the inn, nodding along so as to show her understanding. Once he finished, Aki asked, "Do you think I could perhaps make some money playing my violin for your other guests during dinner?"

Once she either had a yes or no, Aki thanked the man and then entered her room to put away her luggage. She kept only a few items and rations, plus her gear. Once that was done, she was ready to go! She didn't feel like asking Tom about work right now, especially when she already had an idea of what she wanted to do, and she didn't need to bother Stasia any more... Actually, she might have to ask Stasia one question for the road.

Going back to the main room, now much lighter than when she left, Aki made her way to the bar where Stasia probably still was. "Hey Stasia. I was wondering if you could give me some directions before I go. Do you know where 41st Baker's Alley is?"

 

[Tassadar]

Spoiler

You must be registered to see the links

: HP = 44, PP = 36, EP = 36, Status = Fine

Crowncrop: The hill town that she's in.
Stasia: Short haired blonde mercenary who gave Aki advice, staying at the Maniacal Toad
Rutger, aka Toad man McFrogFace
Haley the Alchemist

Guard's Note:

Spoiler

-41 Baker's Alley, the black stained brick shoppe called Haley's Herbals, the operator is looking for someone to help her get something out in the wilds.
-The Blue Wagon outside of town to the Southeast, says he was robbed in the city but refuses to say when or where or who, won't talk to us further about it.
-227 Brayer on the Ruby Spire, the smaller green mansion off to the side; ask for Brigadier at the door. The family who owns it is dead, but the will is missing, and the current occupants - distant relations - can't legally live there until the will is found and the matter of the original occupant's death resolved.
-4681 Main, between Ruby and Emerald Spires, the stone carved building with the flower mural decorated on it. The owner is looking for young ladies to model her clothing line and will pay, but is having trouble finding any to her liking that are willing to work with her for more than a few days for some reason.

Rutger shrugged, "feel free ter give it a try. Ain't many aboot at the mo' but sometimes we get a crowd, an' if we ain't got anyone hired n' lined up fer the night you can play all ya like Wouldn't recommend it if'n there's a fight goin on in the cage either, ye probleh wouldn't get any attention." With that, the short man would leave Aki to her own devices, and the next time she would see him was when she returned to the tavern's spacious main room and he was sitting on a stool by the door again.

The common area wasn't particularly well populated at the moment; other than Rutger, the bartender and Stasia there were a pair of wiry, dirty men with long bedraggled hair, an older woman with sagging features and an abundance of wrinkles despite her platinum colored hair, and a dark skin bald man wearing mostly white and yellow clothing that suggested that he was from farther away than even Aki herself. None but the two similar looking men were talking to anyone else besides occasionally ordering a new drink from the chinless, balding bartender, and those two were talking in low voices only to each other. Stasia would jump slightly when addressed, but then answered; "Yeah... Kinda. I know where Baker's Alley is anyway, just get back to the main road, then..."

Stasia's directions had a fair number of steps, but they would bring her, ultimately, to a narrow alleyway off of one of the main roads that seemed to circle almost entirely around one of the "slices" of the city. The buildings here were large but heavily segmented and divided, seemingly built up over time to be several floors tall. The dull rock loomed overhead, leaving the alleyways dark, but many of the buildings were decorated by deliberate sculpting, murals, or trellis' of durable flowers. The shop that she was looking for was a ways from the point where Stasia had directed her in order to reach the road, leaving Aki going a ways out of the way, but unlike the slum in which she'd found the Maniacal Toad there was no sense of danger here. Even the people that she passed were friendlier, many of them women going about housework or grocery shopping while their male providers were at work.

Haley's Herbals was a strange little shop, the front of it painted in a seemingly random mixture of colors but predominantly sporting earthy colors. There was a dirty, clouded pane of glass through which she could try to peer inside, but it was too stained for Aki to actually see anything. The door was open, and a mixture of incomprehensible smells was wafting from it; spices and sweetness and bitters mixed together, the different scents too mired to separate and identify any one element. Inside was a bit messy, with a number of shelves sporting vials and bottles along the walls, and a series of stands in the center of the room featuring a variety of strange herbs and objects of a mysterious nature. There was a counter in the back, behind which sat a mousy woman with braided black hair, massive glasses with thick lenses, and a heavily stained gray robe.

The proprietor looked up as Aki entered, having been staring at something under the counter, and smiled pleasantly, displaying a gold canine in addition to otherwise pearly teeth. "Hello... And how can I help you, young lady?"

 

[theguy09]

Spoiler

Oh, so that's what the cage was for. Hopefully no one got too hurt in there. "Thanks, for letting me know. If there's a big enough crowd I might as well try, no harm in doing so." Aki smiled brightly as she said so, once again thanking Rutger as he left. When she walked back into the main room, Aki only gave the other patrons a quick glance over, and noted the man who looked like he was from some place even further than she was! Perhaps she could talk to him if he stays around and they could share stories! Though she didn't have alot to tell for now. Other than that man, Aki didn't see anything that pulled her attention away from her plans, so she continued to Stasia. Seeing Stasia jump slightly at her voice, Aki giggled in a friendly manner. "Sorry If I startled you, but its just me." she said before asking her question.

After getting the directions, Aki left the inn and started to weave her way through the complicated terrain of the town with the help of Stasia's directions. Thankfully her trip out of the slums was uneventful, slightly reducing that obviously unwarranted fear of the area that was in Aki. She eventually found herself in one of the offshoots of a main street that was near the edge of the town! The large and looming buildings cast plenty of shadows, but these shadows were not the sinister and eerie darkness from the slums that hid things. No the buildings hid some beautiful art, and even though they weren't masterpieces, Aki once again fell back into that wide eyed tourist habit. She tried to spot all the different kinds of art that were open displayed and somewhat hidden in the shadows of the buildings. She even made it into a little bit of a game to help fill the long walk.

Thanks to this little distraction and Stasia's directions not being perfect, it took a little longer than she had expected to find her way to the shop.
She finally stood before the shop with the sign hanging out front that read, 'Haley's Herbals'. She felt a little nervous as she stood there. Her first adventuring job outside of the Heartlands! It wasn't long before she collected herself and headed inside the open and inviting door of the shop. Immediately her attention was captured by the many different looking herbs and equipment and all the different smells that were filling the air! Aki's wonder was broken by the women behind the counter suddenly calling out to her. She walked closer as she greeted her. "O-oh, H-hello. I'm Aki Vagor, and I was told you were looking for someone to help you get something out in the wilds?" There was an excitement building in Aki's voice as she talked. "Are you still looking for help? I would love to offer my services!" She had a smile on her face as she looked at the women behind the counter with anticipation and expectation.

 

[Tassadar]

Spoiler

You must be registered to see the links

: HP = 44, PP = 36, EP = 36, Status = Fine

Crowncrop: The hill town that she's in.
Stasia: Short haired blonde mercenary who gave Aki advice, staying at the Maniacal Toad
Rutger, aka Toad man McFrogFace
Haley the Alchemist

Guard's Note:

Spoiler

-41 Baker's Alley, the black stained brick shoppe called Haley's Herbals, the operator is looking for someone to help her get something out in the wilds.
-The Blue Wagon outside of town to the Southeast, says he was robbed in the city but refuses to say when or where or who, won't talk to us further about it.
-227 Brayer on the Ruby Spire, the smaller green mansion off to the side; ask for Brigadier at the door. The family who owns it is dead, but the will is missing, and the current occupants - distant relations - can't legally live there until the will is found and the matter of the original occupant's death resolved.
-4681 Main, between Ruby and Emerald Spires, the stone carved building with the flower mural decorated on it. The owner is looking for young ladies to model her clothing line and will pay, but is having trouble finding any to her liking that are willing to work with her for more than a few days for some reason.

"Ohhh.... OHHHH! Y-yes, dear! You're... Actually perfect for it, I think," the woman said, gesturing for Aki to approach the counter and then turning around and heading briefly into a back room. She emerged with a platter, on which were an oval shaped white blob that was about the size of an orange, a jar of some viscous green goo that was glowing slightly, and a ten legged beetle that was the size of housecat.

"Theeeeese are miner bugs! Or, well that's what I call them.... Anyway! They tend to inhabit mines after they've been abandoned, live in colonies... They eat carrion, plant matter - especially shorns, and minerals that they extract from the ground. There's a big colony of them in a mine out off the road. These," she pointed to the slimy white pod, "are their eggs, and this," she pointed to the jar of green goo, "is their jelly! I need you to collect a bunch of both, as much as you can. I've got some jars to collect the jelly in, and some bags you can collect the eggs in. Be careful, they're delicate! The eggs won't hatch outside of an incubator, so you won't need to worry about that... P-probably anyway."

The woman took the beetle and flipped it over; it was clearly dead. "These are the workers, they're mostly harmless. Might nip you if you aren't gentle in the, ahhh... Extraction process. Some of them have these," she grabbed a short rod that was a lighter shade of green than their carapace, with a slightly pointed tip, located near the back end, "that means they're collectors, they've got the jelly. To extract it, you've just got to flip them over, and... Errr... Stroke the rod, fast is best. It'll get longer and firmer, but they can still squirm a good bit. Erm... It helps if you lick it, or suck on it, they like warm wet places. It's like where they pour the juice onto the eggs. They start to kind of vibrate when they're about to spit up their juice, so just make sure that you, ahhh, don't swallow too much of it. If they've been eating shorns the stuff can make people a little weird. Aaanyway, the other workers will have like... Pale tubes, you can treat them about the same and eventually they'll start plopping out eggs. Usually the workers only have two or three eggs each, but if the hive is doing well the workers with the juice can fill a jar each."

The herbalist pushed the tray forward, so that Aki could examine the beetle, the egg, or the jar of green goo if she wanted to. "Uhhh, payment.... I'll offer three coins per egg that you bring back, and five per jar you've filled. The job shouldn't be all that dangerous, I just haven't got the time to do it myself. There are soldiers, they're a bit bigger and have pincers, but there usually aren't that many of them and so long as you don't kill any workers you won't have to deal with too many of them. You're, errr.... Comfortable with those guns, right?"

 

[theguy09]

Spoiler

"I-I am?" She asked in a little bit of confusion. She may have confidence in her skills, but she knew she still looked like a newbie to many others, so the alchemist's immediate and excited reaction was a little perplexing. "I-I mean I am! That's right." No point in questioning it! She would get it done. The women went into the back and quickly came back out with a few interesting items. While the white orb looked squishy and delicate, the green goo looked like it was thick and sticky. Along with both of these was a giant insect that looked quite dead as it wasn't freaking out and trying to move. It was also probably one of the biggest insects Aki had ever seen. "Whoa." She said in surprise from the sheer size of it.

Aki listened to the explanation of what these three things were and what she wanted Aki to do. It sounded simple enough, just grab some eggs and jelly and bring them back. But then Haley explained how she was supposed to grab the jelly and eggs, and Aki's mind couldn't keep away from how lewd it seemed. She may have had sex like two or three times during her young life, but she was still pretty innocent, and thinking about how similar the extraction method was to sex was making her blush! She had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't sex, but she was just collecting their eggs and jelly.

When Haley finally asked if she was comfortable with her guns, Aki was able to focus herself mind into a more professional place. "I know how to use them, yes." She nodded as she answered and then said. "I have a few questions before I accept." She blushed slightly again though not as much as the first time as she starts listing off her questions. "H-how many of the collector workers does it take to fill a jar with jelly? Do you have an idea of how big the hive is? Like how many miner bugs there are. Also how aggressive is the hive if I do have to kill a worker or soldier?"

 

[Tassadar]

Spoiler

You must be registered to see the links

: HP = 44, PP = 36, EP = 36, Status = Fine

Crowncrop: The hill town that she's in.
Stasia: Short haired blonde mercenary who gave Aki advice, staying at the Maniacal Toad
Rutger, aka Toad man McFrogFace
Haley the Alchemist

Guard's Note:

Spoiler

-41 Baker's Alley, the black stained brick shoppe called Haley's Herbals, the operator is looking for someone to help her get something out in the wilds.
-The Blue Wagon outside of town to the Southeast, says he was robbed in the city but refuses to say when or where or who, won't talk to us further about it.
-227 Brayer on the Ruby Spire, the smaller green mansion off to the side; ask for Brigadier at the door. The family who owns it is dead, but the will is missing, and the current occupants - distant relations - can't legally live there until the will is found and the matter of the original occupant's death resolved.
-4681 Main, between Ruby and Emerald Spires, the stone carved building with the flower mural decorated on it. The owner is looking for young ladies to model her clothing line and will pay, but is having trouble finding any to her liking that are willing to work with her for more than a few days for some reason.

"Oh... Well, it depends on how well the hive's collections are doing and how apt someone is at extracting the stuff," Haley replied conversationally, "I've never seen it take more than four drones to fill a jar, and sometimes one can fill it up. As for how big the hive is, well... I'm not sure, really. I rarely go past the first couple of levels. I'd estimate that there are at two least two hundred workers at a given time, but it could be a lot more than that. I've never seen more than a dozen soldiers on a given trip, and usually haven't had to deal with more than five. The workers have never bothered me even when I've had to kill a soldier or two, and the soldiers only attack if you bother the workers. I've only ever seen a lot of aggression if I go for the entrenched eggs, the ones in the incubators that they actually make. That's why I extract the jelly and the eggs directly from the workers bugs!"

 

[theguy09]

Aki felt some confidence growing in her as she listened. As long as she only extracted from the workers and didn't bother them any more than that, she would have minimal danger to herself. And there seemed plenty of opportunity to make money, as there were plenty of workers on the first few levels for her to e-extract the eggs and jelly from. "Ok, I accept the job!" Aki smiled and offered a hand to Haley so they could shake on it. "So do you have a map showing where the mine is, or is it easy enough to find that I wont need one? Oh, also do you have some healing salve I could buy? If you do Ill buy two doses of it while I'm here." She counts out 8 denarii for the salves, and if Haley has nothing else to add, she will set out for the mine.

 

[Tassadar]

Spoiler

You must be registered to see the links

: HP = 44, PP = 36, EP = 36, Status = Fine

Crowncrop: The hill town that she's in.
Stasia: Short haired blonde mercenary who gave Aki advice, staying at the Maniacal Toad
Rutger, aka Toad man McFrogFace
Haley the Alchemist

Guard's Note:

Spoiler

-41 Baker's Alley, the black stained brick shoppe called Haley's Herbals, the operator is looking for someone to help her get something out in the wilds.
-The Blue Wagon outside of town to the Southeast, says he was robbed in the city but refuses to say when or where or who, won't talk to us further about it.
-227 Brayer on the Ruby Spire, the smaller green mansion off to the side; ask for Brigadier at the door. The family who owns it is dead, but the will is missing, and the current occupants - distant relations - can't legally live there until the will is found and the matter of the original occupant's death resolved.
-4681 Main, between Ruby and Emerald Spires, the stone carved building with the flower mural decorated on it. The owner is looking for young ladies to model her clothing line and will pay, but is having trouble finding any to her liking that are willing to work with her for more than a few days for some reason.

"Excellent!" Haley replied brightly when Aki accepted her job, sweeping aside the table of samples and quickly replacing it with a map of the region, one with numerous markings made by someone after it had originally been copied, likely the alchemist herself. She pointed to a section that she'd marked with a crude drawing vaguely resembling a beetle, some ways Southeast of Crowncrop. "There's the mine, it used to belong to the Mills brothers but they've abandoned it since... I think about ten years ago? Anyway, the signs are illegible, but it's about halfway up a mesa with a rounded plataeu on top...."

After she'd given Aki her directions, she would sell the catgirl a couple jars of basic healing salve that looked as if they had been made partially from the very jelly that she was on her way to collect. Fortunately, the healing salve jars were less than half the size of the collection ones, so she wouldn't be likely to confuse them.

The journey out of town was largely uneventful; she was slowed by a group of guards who had cordoned off an area and seemed to be investigating something. If she spent a little while gawking and asking around, she might discover what had caused it, but it would save her a lot of time to just be on her way quickly. Regardless, eventually the gates would be behind her, and it would be a journey of an hour along the road, then a couple hours through the wilderness. It was getting later into the afternoon by the time she arrived; she wouldn't be getting back to town until sometime in the early evening, and that was if she hastened her harvesting operation. She'd been given six sacks, one of which was filled with twenty jars; the more she collected, the more she would be paid when she got back to town. The pathway to the mine was seemingly one less traveled, and Aki encountered no one along the way once she'd left the road. There were few signs of wildlife beside the occasional sighting of a couple of crows.

Finally, she would arrive at the mine entrance itself. It was mostly how Haley had described it, with a sign bearing a skull and crossbones marking that it was dangerous at the bottom of the rocky slope leading up to it. Here she did find evidence of habitation; marks in the ground suggested regular passage of pointed feat piercing the ground. Before she'd even reached the entrance, however, Aki found the first of the miner beetles she'd been sent to "harvest" from. A group of them had seemingly dragged a large, bulbous plant up from the ground and were eating it. The plants were dead, but there were a half dozen beetles like the one that Haley had shown her chewing on it. They seemed to shrink a bit when dead, as these were nearly a third again as big as the one she had been shown. The soldiers were even bigger, the size of a fairly stocky dog, with much bigger pincers that had some kind of pale tongue attached to a stinger between them; there were three of them placidly overseeing the eating of the plant, at least as far as she could see.

 

[theguy09]

Spoiler

Once Haley pulled out the map and pointed out where the mine was, Aki pulled out a small notebook and sketched a rough map of her own that showed the path from the town to the Mine just as insurance in case she did somehow get lost. She pocketed the healing salves away, one going into her backpack, wrapped in some extra cloth to keep it safe, while the second one was attached to her belt that held her skirt up.

On her way out of the city she came up on what looked like a squad of town guards investigating something at the gates. She slowed down and wondered if she should ask what was going on, but knowing she would want to help if they did need help, Aki decided to remember which gate this was before moving on. She would check it out once she was done with this current job! She had given her word to get this done, so distractions would be pushed to the back of her mind for now!

Although new to this country side, it only took Aki about an hour on the main road and then a couple more traveling in more wild roads for her to make her way to the area the mine was in! She was thankful she didn't have to use that emergency map to find her way, while it was also a good time to learn the country side. She tried learning what kind of vegetation was native to this area and to recognize what kinds of animals lived in the area; building a base of info about the region. (Fluff, no need to actually describe anything). It took her a few hours to get here, might take her a few more to harvest enough material to satisfy her, and then there was the return trip as well. Just guessing, she thought she would probably be back early evening. Her thoughts randomly went to Stasia as she wondered if she would want to eat dinner together.

She cleared her mind as she noticed the danger sign. As soon as she realized the entrance was close, she stopped moving along the path and pulled out her pistols. She continued to grab two silencers from her bag, attaching them to the pistols, and then pulled her advanced goggles down, turning them to sniper setting. Holding her pistols at the ready, she continued down the road, eyes only slightly nervously sweeping the area.

Her vigilance paid off as she noticed a group of workers outside the mine chowing down on a plant, with a few soldiers watching over them. Knowing she couldn't harvest freely with the soldiers there and that there wouldn't be too big of a reaction, Aki grabbed some cover and aimed both pistols at the nearest soldier and pulled the triggers! She was ready to move backwards after the shots if the soldiers rushed her.

[Stealth Roll: 6d10. Attack Rolls for both pistols: 12d10 & 12 d10. Damage: 5d8+19 (maximized if stealth successful) 15 AV ignored]