Graded [Frontier] Underground Journey with Ratkin

[Skyhunter]

Alright, so this RP will be about Todo and a knight named Harlow being stuck in a cave during a storm, being forced to travel through the depths where they meet the peaceful and drug riddled Ratkin and their explorations with them. If you're interested in joining IH, come to our Discord which is in the OOC link above, or PM me and I will help you out!

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Ryke Countryside
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Winds blew across the landscape that was the Ryke Countryside, the skies overhead were darkening as Todo made his way across the landscape on his new magitek transport. Todo would see lightning in the sky and a loud booming echoing across the land. Ahead of him as the winds blew, he would see a wandering green knight, who's cape and hood were flapping in the wind as he made his way down the same pathway Todo was heading down. The knight stopped and turned around with his hand on his sword stepping off the trail, but seeing the transport allowed his hand to fall off his weapon, in his other hand he was holding a weathered shield whilst he held a hand up towards Todo. When Todo got close enough, the knight nodded letting his hand fall. " Hail, friend! How are you on this stormy day? Well, I hope. " He asked in a jolly tone, resting his forearm on the hilt of his weapon, Todo would barely hear his voice over the strong winds and booming lightning. " A very impressive... Steed you have here, " The green knight pointed out, although his tone sounded like he was unfamiliar with the tech Todo had acquired. " I've never really seen such a thing before. " Although Todo would begin to remember hearing about a green knight that travelled around with a splash of yellow. A quiet thing amongst the lips of others, The Gale Knight or The Hedge Knight. This man fit the description but not much was known about him besides he was a traveller of sorts.

​

 

[Orikanyo]

Todo Sawl


​

it took abit to understand how to use it, any vehicle from this strange world would be he imagined, but over time it became second nature to drive this... Second hand Magitek. Sure, the guy selling it had a sleezy look but it works plenty fine! he just needed to... get some work done on it. it had some obvious components missing, barely had a weapon platform outside of ram into things.

But it was big enough to hold him and his stuff.

But with the blustering wind, he couldn't help but feel abit chilly, despite the engine's heat.

But.. at least he wasn't alone on this road at night. "Good evening! Doing well enough thank you." the well mannered porcine fellow spoke up, giving a small wave as he brought the machine to a hault, the ride was smooth enough, much akin to how one might walk down a long road yourself. With the added benefit of not getting tired.

"Oh? yea i've had a few people ask about it. It's a magitek thing, managed to get it from a fellow selling it abit back. I've not a full clue on how it does what it does but it certainly beats a horse, if you don't mind letting it charge through the night." Todo patted the machine, which made no true reply... outside of a tinkling of it's magical engine. "Suprisingly fast, could be faster if what I read from the manual says.. Ehmn.. Ah yes..."

Todo paused a moment. "My name is Todo, pleasure to meet you, I've heard of rumors of a knight close to your look, what brings you out on a stormy night like this? I'm more or less passing through myself."

 

[SilverFeathers]

Oden (#ACA9A7)​

Todo | Oden | Desmond​

"Well met, travellers of Ryke." A white owl slowly swooped into the vicinity, the vengeful winds leaving her tottering on her talons slightly. With her feathers ruffled all over, she was quite the comical sight, but a keen eye would notice the inconspicuous bow strapped to her back against the backdrop of darkening skies.

The Ryken winds were a pleasant change from Kuridan's, just the breath of fresh air she needed to refresh her mind. To have finally met residents of the protectorate itself, Oden was naturally very curious about their culture and mannerisms.

Though a bit abrupt, she burst into the scene with a friendly air. The human was one thing, a rare sight in her years in the republic, but towards the pigman and his foreign transport vehicle, Oden couldn't help but minutely narrow her eyes.

With her Heightened Sense F [Hearing], she had heard bits and pieces about the magitek device, but what flashed through her mind was not awe, but memories of the War of the Races, when it was said that deadly mechanical constructs once massacred her people.

"Todo... was it? And Sir Knight. My name is Oden. I trust the weather had not been too harsh on you young folk." She chuckled in a deep tone, taking a couple slow, weathered steps forward to better converse with the pair. "Where are you both headed? I'm relatively new to Ryke so if either of you travellers have recommendations on places to visit, they would be welcome."

 

[Develius]

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Mentions:
| Skyhunter (Harlow} | Orikanyo (Todo) | SilverFeathers (Oden) |
​

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As the storm raged on, the sounds of rustling bushes would stir nearby. With the fearsome, howling winds whipping at the surrounding foliage mercilessly, it wouldn't be a sound that would drag the assembling party at first. Everything was swaying harshly against the weather; whether it be trees creaking, bushes cackling, or leaves gushing onwards. However, the commotion would continue to stir as it got closer and closer to the scene. It would be enough for anyone to take notice of what's unfolding. Suddenly, a tiny creature could be seen quickly scrummaging from the underbrush.

A mouse!

The furry creature appeared to be in a panic, squeaking madly in distress. Something was hunting it! And sure enough, the predator was hot on its heels! Quickly turning the corner of the prickly bush, a small feathery bipedal creature comes into view with a snapping mouth full of sharp teeth and extended claws! "HOLDS STILL!" Desmond hissed as it tried to grab ahold of his fleeing prey, though it seemed just a few pittering steps ahead of him! The chase would continue across the trail, just a few feet behind Harlow, as all would bear witness to the folly of nature unfolding before them! The brown and white feathered creature, adorned with a purple and green polka dotted cloak, would make a daring leap to catch the poor mouse under his sickle-shaped toe claw! Lightning struck right at the height of his pounce, offering an ominous look into what was sure to be a successful hunt for the predator.

Then tragedy struck!

Desmond fumbled the landing! His footing was off just enough for him trip over himself and tumble over on his side with a pained series of angry cries. The mouse would get away, glancing back at the creature's misery, before disappearing into the bush. Poor Desmond was forced to watch his lunch disappear before slowly getting up. "Gah! Stupid, stupid, STUPID!" he coughed frustratingly as he rustled his feathers to shake off the mud and wetness from his plumage. After taking a moment to clean off some mud underneath his wing, grooming it in a rather avian-like manner, the creature turned his head to face a group of three who'd saw his blunder. Desmond's head feathers flattened, as his wide yellow eyes gazed up at the travelers.

Caught in the act.

His blunder was on display for all to see! He was absolutely humiliated to have his clumsiness displayed for others to see! He was supposed to be a proud hunter, not a bumbling simpleton! He'll show them how fearsome he can be! Quickly Desmond took a fearsome expression, hissing as he extended his feathery arms outwards while lowering himself to the ground. His long feathered tail was made more prominent as it raised up in an attempt to make it look more intimidating. At least for a meter tall over-sized "turkey" perhaps. He bore his teeth, hissing loudly and snapping at them. "YOUS! Youses didn't see nothin'! D-Don't laugh! I-If you does, I... I will gut you! GYAH! HYAH!"

 

[Skyhunter]

Ryken Countryside


Harlow
​

The knight looked over the magitek vehicle before him, " It looks quite the beast. " The knight complimented looking up at the pig man before looking back on the path they were coming from, " Perhaps picking one up would be more ideal in these perilous times we have. " His head turned back to the pig man introduced himself as Todo in which the green knight gave a hardy laugh once his description was being spread again, " Ah yes, I was once known as The Gale Knight and The Hedge Knight. But my true name is Harlow. Harlow Evergrant at your service. " He bowed with a hand across his chest, " It is nice to meet you, Todo. If you are heading on through perhaps maybe I could catch a ride with you until the next sign of civilization- " Although he would be cut off by the appearance of a massive owl, just being a bit shorter than him. Which Harlow was surprised to see such a big owl.

" Well, hello there, traveler. " Harlow sounded surprised by the sudden landing of this owl, the winds were strong which made it hard to fly at the moment. Harlow was looking over the owl's body, seeing the bow that was with her. " The weather has been rocky, I'm sure it's been rough on your wings though, Oden. " Harlow also could tell by her ruffled feathers, on the ground a small mouse ran out of the brush which the knight came to notice, under his helmet he raised a brow, this was a strange thing to see. A mouse running towards a group of people. But then Harlow noticed something chasing after it. In which a three-foot raptor would land before them, immediately, Harlow was standing in front of Oden already having his weapon out. His rather long blade began to surround itself in a whirl of sharp looking winds. Harlow had an arm out to prevent Oden from being seen first and the blade pointed at this new character. But Harlow saw how it was acting, it was being aggressive because of how embarrassed it was. Had to be. Harlow chuckled under his helmet and then began to laugh a hardy one as the winds on his blade disappeared and he sheathed his weapon.

" Easy there, short stack. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself now. " Harlow stated as he held both his hands up, the raptor looking beast didn't look all that ferocious. And besides, Harlow was pretty sure he could take down the beast if he needed to. Although he was more concerned about Oden, the old owl may not have what it takes to defend herself and Harlow was always one for defending others, especially animals. But as soon as Harlow stopped talking, thunder boomed and struck the neighboring mountain. The sound was loud, almost ear shattering. Looking at the mountain as it was missing its peak, now turned into a summit. This was unnatural and powerful lightning. Before anyone would be able to say anything, there was another crackle of lightning as thunder pierced the countryside, bright as the sun and loud as a nuke, this would force the group of four to retreat towards the mountain where there was a cave. Strange part is as more thunder landed, it felt as if it was chasing them. Nearby there would be a cave that the four would be forced to go into, luckily Todo's magitek vehicle was able to fit, giving enough room for everyone else.

​

As the four made their way in, thunder continued to follow after them as it then struck the cave, breaking the stone and caving the entrance in. As the stones fell, dust flew over the group, as the dust cleared there was almost no light, and it would be hard to see. " Well, this is a great situation to be in. " Harlow spoke up, there was sounds of movement and adjusting as a shimmering light illuminated the darkness, Harlow was holding up a lantern, his helmet had been removed and there was blood on the side of his head, he had been struck with a rock, his helmet laid on the ground, smashed. It had saved his life, he was quite the handsome looking guy, jolly looking and always wore a smile on his face. " HEY! " There a quiet squeak towards the ground, looking down there would that mouse that Desmond was chasing calling to them. The mouse was waving its small arms around.

Harlow
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[Orikanyo]

Todo


​

...Well this was certainly a situation, people kept popping up out nowhere and- "IS THAT A DINOSAUR!?" his question would go abit unanswered, as yet another dinosaur appeared.... Wait.. the first one was an owl, second one was a dinosaur.

....

WHY WAS THERE A FUCKING DINOSAUR HERE!?!?!

Shit he had no time to ask questions the gods seemed to have taken offense to his question and has tried smiting him.

And, now due to no fault of his own... He was stuck in a tunnel. With a bunch of people. He hoped the dinosaur was a person anyways, like he could talk he was a pig but sure man come on it was a dinosaur in clothes! Was he thinking racistly? Was he being rude? he wasn't saying it but seriously where did it come from and why in hell was it a DINOSAUR.

Adjusting his position abit, the pig man eyed the others in the cave. "...Well... Uhh... guess we're stuck in here now..." he spoke up, looking at everyone. "..So... Uhh... I'm Todo. by the way, and..." he looked around, feeling like there... was some weird noise... He made his machine crouch down abit, getting closer to the ground. "Anyone else hear something? Like.. a really smal thing yelling at you?

 

[SilverFeathers]

Oden (#ACA9A7)​

Todo | Oden | Desmond​

As the mouse darted out and abruptly dashed towards them, Oden's dim eyes quickly flickered between the creature and the underbrush behind it, wary of its predator. Instinctively, the old owl reached for her bow, but paused as the green-clad knight stepped in front, keeping her wings in place as she let the youngster protect her. What appeared before their eyes was a somewhat comical scene, a small raptor leaping out full force at its prey and cowering in shame at its public failure. Despite his aggressive words, he seemed mostly harmless, much like a good-willed youth just caught up in their emotions.

Smiling gently, she spoke up in reply. "There's nothing to laugh at. Hunting is a test of patience, determination and trying again and again until it works. There's a good reason why many spend their entire days hunting." She chuckled warmly, her gaze mildly attracted by the storm surrounding Harlow's blade before it was sheathed.

Before more words could be said however, an ear-shattering thunder strike hit the scene, decimating the nearby mountain top. For Oden, who's old ears were particularly attentive and therefore sensitive, she couldn't help but wince in shock. "How bizarre." She mumbled beneath her breath, as they all rushed into the nearest cavern to avoid the rumbles chasing them from behind. "Sentient weather huh. Not the rarest phenomenon, but I wonder what brought it upon us." She pondered thoughtfully. Though unfazed by the darkness, considering she could see fine without light, there was some innately stifling feeling about being a bird trapped underground.

"Harlow, you are injured." She spoke up carefully as the knight was shuffling about and lighting up a lantern. "Do you have medical supplies? It wouldn't be good if you got infected whilst we are trapped in here." Though she said that, she failed to mention how her left wing had been used to block some rubble from hitting the little raptor, and was now sitting stiffly by her side. There was no bleeding or anything outwardly damaged, but it mildly ached and was likely bruised. Still, it wasn't something as serious as bleeding so she paid it little attention.

With her attention preoccupied by wounds, it was only at the pigman's words that she noticed the little mouse enthusiastically waving up at them. She stared at it oddly for a moment, wondering if she was seeing things, and finally decided to reply with a simple greeting of her own. "Hello?"

(Persuasion F mildly used towards Desmond during the hunting talk)
(Heightened Sense F [Hearing] & Darkvision briefly mentioned)

 

[Develius]

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Mentions:
| Skyhunter (Harlow} | Orikanyo (Todo) | SilverFeathers (Oden) |
​

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Unfortunately for poor little Desmond, his little intimidation act wasn't enough to make him look fierce at all. At one meter tall, he was by all means a complete pushover against these giants bipedal figures among him. There was an armored figure in green, laughing uproariously as he sheathed his weapon in non-aggression. "C-Cut it out!" he hissed at Harlow with shameful lividness. Boy, that sure stung! There was also a large pig-like figure who seemed more intriguingly surprised by his presence rather then fearing his presence. Was he familiar with his kind? And lastly, there was an owl-figure wielding a bow, who almost considering shooting him before gently commenting on how hunting is an important skill to master. At least she seemed the most respectful out of the three! That being said, her comment seemed to also ruffle his feathers in a submissive manner.

"Hunting?" he asked, seeming someone confused in her tone of voice, "But I was~"

The sudden explosive boom of rolling thunder quickly caused him to reel back, lowering his stance in a scared manner. How he hated stormy weather! Thunder and lighting absolutely terrified him from since he was a young hatchling. He never got quite used to it. And there was something ominous about this storm that was beginning to stroke his worst fears. The owl appear to elude to the theory this storm was in fact sentient! Purposely chasing after them for reasons only it and it alone knew. Desmond's eyes grew in sheer terror. "I-I-I-IT'S SENTIENT?!" he chattered coweringly as he covered his head against his wing feathers.

Thankfully, however, there was a cave nearby for everyone to take shelter in. Desmond bolted into dark rocky interior feeling the storm's fury chasing close behind them. Every crack of thunder and flash of lighting caused him to jump each time with a timid shriek, though he was thankfully faster than mother nature's efforts. Once everyone got in, Desmond took the time to preen his feathers from the rain as they figured out what to do next. Though he was simply glad they were out of the storm.

Then, Desmond heard what sounded like quiet squeaking coming from deeper within the case. His head perked up, instantly recognizing its familiarity, as he turned in its precise direction. And there it was... the very mouse he was chasing earlier foolishly giving out his location. The raptor snarled sourly, baring his gums, as his posture stiffened. "YOUS!" he shrieked angrily. Before anyone could realize, he darted towards the rat with surprising speed [Fast E], before attempting to pin it to the ground with his sickled toe-claw. However, what should've been a quick slash into the ratkin's abdominal region, the strike would actually restain its body within the claw's curvature - acting somewhat like a horseshoe pinning something. It was a deliberately non-lethal strike, although Desmond's avian-like eyes dilated as if he was readying to kill it.

"Got yous!" the raptor hissed as he got his face close up to his, "And now that I has you... return to me what you've stolen!" His right claw would point to his yellow necklace, pointing particularly at a spot right in the middle that was missing a piece. Yet this was no ordinary bead that was missing...

 

[Skyhunter]

​

As the thunder calmed down, a man was standing on the edge of a nearby mountain while holding a bloody magical staff staring down at where the group had gone. A hooded stranger stood there while holding a long red sword that appeared alive, " Soon, Father. Soon. " A voice spoke as they backed off and walked off from the edge of the cliff he stood on top of, walking by the corpse of a freshly killed wizard, dropping the staff next to the corpse as they slunk back into the shadows.

Harlow
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Harlow stared at each of his fellow trapped, for now, companions. What turned from an attempted hitchhiking quickly spiraled into a cave in, Oden commented that he was injured and looked a bit confused, " What do you mean, love? " He asked the old owl, accent changing for a moment as he felt a bit of a numbing on the side of his face, raising a hand he brushed his gauntlet over the numbing before hissing sharply and pulling away in pain. Looking at his hand, he saw the blood. " Ah, maybe you're right. " Harlow chuckled a bit, keeping a jolly attitude. " I do have a small kit with me, but right now, we should try to make sure there's a way out of here. I'll survive. Not my first injury. " Harlow smiled a happy one, even in a situation like this, he still kept a positive attitude. Harlow raised a brow hearing squeaking before looking down and seeing the strange dinosaur pin the mouse down. Harlow quickly stepped in and placed a hand on Desmond's chest, pulling him off the small mouse, " Easy there, killer, let's not kill someone trying to talk to us. " Harlow made sure to keep Desmond back as the little mouse got up and stood on his two feet.

​

" How dare you! " The small mouse squeaked as it arose to its feet, throwing a small hand up in the air as it hopped up and down, " I try helping you in this cave and this is the thanks I get! " The mouse continued to squeak at Desmond, " But you're too shtupid to see that! Like it's Chewsday! " The mouse squeaked as it then began to violently shake as it moved around, squeaking nonsensical ramblings that they would not be able to understand until it calmed down and began panting. After a few moments, the mouse looked up at the group, " There was a weird man out there controlling the lightning, you're safe in here! " His whole attitude changed now. Now looking at Desmond, he pointed at the creature, " I may or may not have your necklace thing shiny. But I'm not giving it back till you say you're sorry! " The mouse waved a finger at Desmond. " Now then, further in is my tribe of people, the Ratkin. They don't much like outsiders, but they aren't hostile, they are very timid. I think the only one you will have to deal with the one they call, Grandpappy Dirv. He's one of the only Ratkin that can fight. And uh, don't accept their Night Eye. " The small mouse spoke. " My name is Mousker! I am a Mouscout. A cousin of the Ratkin. " He had a smile on his face. " Now come on! I'll show you the way through this cave! "

Harlow stared at the small mouse and looked at Oden, " I couldn't hear it, did you know what it said, chap? " Harlow asked, Oden would be able to hear the entire conversation this Mousker explained with her Heightened Sense F [Hearing]. Although before Oden could explain, Mousker began to speed down the cave, disappearing into the darkness. As they began to make their way through the pitch-black cave, they would see tiny footsteps on the ground, following them through the cave. As they made their way through, they'd come to a dead end. A wall. But just below the wall, there was a few holes in the bottom that showed light shining through, like a camp was on the other side. As Harlow held his lantern up, he'd see the wall was weak and look at Todo. " Can you drive your magitek vehi- vehica- crap. Can you drive your steel ssteed through this wall? " He asked finally with a laugh at his own mess up.

 

[SilverFeathers]

Oden (#ACA9A7)​

Todo | Oden | Desmond​

It was only after Desmond confronted the small mouse that she understood his confusion from earlier. "I see now, it wasn't an ordinary hunt, but one for a thief. My mistake." She chuckled mildly with a shake of her head, watching the situation escalate then de-escalate with a calm but amused gaze. The little Mouscout rattled on and on with his nonsensical but information-filled ramblings, moving so fast that it was difficult for the old owl to keep up. Before she could even begin to process all of Mousker's words, the little fellow had already dashed off into the darkness, prompting them all to hurriedly follow.

"I didn't quite catch everything but I believe the mouse was trying to help us." She chuckled before continuing, thinking that the young really had no mercy for the old. "The mouse is called Mousker or Mouscout, I think. He is a cousin of the ratkin. He said that there was a man out there controlling the lightning that drove us into this cave. But deeper inside this cavern is a tribe of ratkin, with someone named Dirv that we should watch out for. The mouse also warned that we shouldn't accept something from them called their Night Eye." Oden pondered slowly, trying to recount all she could.

"Oh, and Mousker said he would return your belonging once you apologized." She turned to the small raptor with a smile, before facing the thin cavern wall before them. Harlow's stuttering caused eyebrows to raise, but more than that she was surprised by his plan of action. "Are you sure that's what we want to do here? We don't want to seem like we're storming our way into their tribe, surely." She advised carefully, wondering why on earth he'd immediately resort straight to destroying the cavern the ratkin made their home. Or maybe he was just that confident in his strength? It seemed awfully barbaric, but either way, she was an outsider here. She'd just let the ryken natives do their thing she supposed.

 

[Orikanyo]

Todo Sawl



​

"...IT TALKED!?" the porcine fellow was getting suprised left and right!! People would have to forgive his suprise, given the fact that... Well.. Nobody would expect a mouse could talk, much less wear clothes.. he thought a napkin or something got stuck to it... But.. well.. He wasn't too much afraid of it as baffled, it was certainly a wordy mouse... Err... Mousker? But... hey... Awefully ballsy of it to be talking that much shit with an owl person in the room. if it had that much guts, he could to...

"...Crash through the wall..? Err... i think so?" It had enough oomph to carry him and abit more, so.. maybe... he fiddle with his machine's controlls, expanding out the grabby arms it comes with, the metal shell on these were denting in places, but he certainly was sure of it's strength, he used it a few times to lift up heavy stuff, trees in the way, rocks, etc etc. So... Maybe he can give it a bit of brute force.

"Say.. While i'm doing this, little mousker, whats Night Eye? is it a food or something?" he questioned, before giving the wall a good crack with his machine!

 

[Develius]

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Mentions:
| Skyhunter (Harlow} | Orikanyo (Todo) | SilverFeathers (Oden) |
​

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As the mouse scrambled out of the clutches of Desmond's terrible claw, the Deinonychian cocked his head as he began listening to the many fierce and feisty squeaks it blurted out from its mouth. "WHAAAAAT?" the impatient saurian cawed toward the rambling creature. "Speaks up!" Normally someone like him should be able to hear what something that small would have to say. However, somehow whether it be due to the ringing in his ears from all that thunder, or the preoccupation on getting back his amulet, he'd be unable to hear any particular words of eligible understanding. Saved only for few FAINT syllabled breathing and pauses cluing in on speech, but nothing much else.

And then, the mouse turned tail and ran off deeper into the cave. The raptor hissed as all of his feathers pouted up in swelling frustration. "THIEEEEF!" he cried with the rapid snapping of his toothed jaw, "YOUS SHALL ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES AGAINST ME, DESMOND!" And with that, he began to chase after the mouse with the others in toe. Yet the little saurian wouldn't run too far, for he found it odd his dark-vision hadn't been working properly. And the last time he ran carelessly in a dark environment caused him to reel to his first death... or so he was told by a kind human before finding himself here.

Luckily, it would be Oden who was able to recount most of the information said to everyone, including the fact the "Mousker" fellow would return his amulet if he apologized to him. Desmond seemed brutally offended by that statement, replying with a low growl and a sharper hiss beneath his teeth, "Why should Iz be the one to apologize to a THIEF?" the Deinonychian replied angrily, being loud enough for the mouscout to hopefully hear, "Hez stole my precious from me! Iz demand he gives it back, if he knowz what's good for himz!"

Eventually the group would make it to what looked to be a dead-end, though Desmond wouldn't see the dead end until he found himself smashing into it with an audible thump. He was going way too fast for his little legs to stop in time! Nonetheless, aside from a bruise and a light headache, the raptor simply shook it off before standing up with a growl. Apparently from the sounds of it they were going to have to break through this barrier in order to continue, with the pig-guy being permitted to use his "metal steed" to assist in the process. Desmond jumped briefly upon first hearing it smash against the wall, but forced himself to endure the noise as he eyed Mousker with disdain.

 

[Skyhunter]

Harlow
​

" Mousker? What an odd name. " The man chuckled as they walked on, he had heard of Ratkin, although they are practically unknown, they stay hidden to themselves underground, they are practically a peaceful people although very timid. They do like creating their own type of contraband that would be considered an insanely deadly poison that they use as a way to get high, a stimulant basically. Luckily their own narcotics stayed underground with them, otherwise the surface world would have toxic substances floating about. Harlow was observing the stone wall, it was strange to have something such as this be made here. Underneath it was light shining out from the other side, towards them. He heard the obviously angry Desmond, Harlow understood his anger, he too would be upset if someone stole something from him. The Gale Knight had been theived from before, theived? Was that even a word? Stolen from. Yes. Stolen from before. He recalled that night. Sleeping in the middle of the woods next to a fire he had made. Then suddenly a couple of bandits waltz on over and took Harlow's sword, Tempest's Savior, an enchanted straight sword capable of creating winds and flinging them like smaller blades at his targets. Just out of his sheath and running away. Harlow had stopped drinking after that night. After a few days, Harlow would find where the bandits went and eventually get his weapon back. Of course, he was the only one to actually leave that place alive as well. Although he was perplexed as to why they didn't even attempt to attack him, maybe they were afraid of the Gale Knight. Anyways, Harlow heard the owl begin to speak, turning his head to listen to her speak.

Harlow pondered on her words, " Hmm... Maybe you're right, bruv. " Harlow started, he looked up at the corner of the cave, lifting his lantern up he would shine a light on what looked like a small knob on the wall. Harlow narrowed his eyes, " Is that a.... Doorknob? " Harlow nodded, " Yeah, you're right Oden. Hey, Todo! You don't have to- " Although he was cut off by the Pig's machine driving into the wall that was actually a door. Todo's machine slammed into the door with enough force to actually make the door crack. Harlow breathed a sigh of relief. " Oh good. For a moment there I thought it was going to- " Harlow was once again cut off by the door crumbling into rubble and pebbles as now light blinded the group momentarily, as their vision cleared, they would see a crystalline cave on the other side, in front of them were many tents and small buildings scattered around along with campfires all over the place to keep the place warm. But in front of them would be four Ratkin, humanoid rat people that were each about 4' 6" (137 cm) each. They laid next to a campfire that sat before them. Each of them had perplexing faces, they looked extremely inebriated, their eyes were bloodshot.

​

" Oi, who eh... Who uhh... Who eh... Uh. Left the door open-agape for the sods to come in right shere. " One of the Ratkin pointed at the four that stood there before the broken door that was a cave door. How did they pull something like that off? " I-I don't know how. But I think the surfacers are real-true. " Another said. " Whoa. I think I see a miss piggie-wiggie on top of a buck with legs. This is a strange trip. " The third stated. Then the last sat up, staring closely at the group. " No... I think they are just illusion-mirages. Look, that weird feather chicken has a large beak. That green knight has a big-large forehead and nose. The owl is fat-stout. And the piggie-wiggie is on a bucket with legs. " The last stated before laying back down. After that was stated, the other three gasped in unison, " Oooooooooooh....! " They continued to stare at the four. The Ratkin wore, barely anything, it was pretty much easily to tell which were males and females. The clothes they wore were nothing but rags and scraps of clothing they either made or found.

Although before the four of these Ratkin was a napkin laid out between two of the Ratkin, having a strange black as night cream like substance on it. That was most likely the drugs that Mousker spoke of. Speaking of which, the rubble before them began to shift and move as then Mousker popped up at the top, covered in dust. It turned to the group, he appeared unharmed, but he began to throw insults and rants at the group. Oden would hear. " WHAT IN SKITTERERS NAME ARE YOU DUMB LOT DOING!? YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME! NOW OUR DOOR TO LEAVE IS NOW NOTHING BUT RUBBLE THANKS TO THE BIG DUMB PIGGIE THERE IN THAT BUCKET WITH LEGS! " Mousker screamed. Harlow stared at the small mouse, looking over at Oden, " He's not happy about the door, is he? " The green knight asked. The four tripping Ratkin all then saw Mousker and each smiled before they all yelled. " MOUSKER! " In unison with their arms raised into the air. " There you are buddy! Who are you yelling at? Did you snag-steal some of the Night Eye too? " One female asked. Mousker turned to face his family and scoffed, " No. We have real people here. "

​

The Ratkin each stopped smiling once Mousker said, " Wait... That's right... Mousker can't take-have Night Eye. He would die-sleep. " One spoke looking at the others. " Oooooooooooh...! " The others said in unison before there was a long awkward silence. " Wait so are these things we are seeing actually real? " One asked. There was another long moment of silence. Mousker sighed deeply and pulled himself out of the rubble. " Where is Uncle Dirv at? " Mousker asked. Then there were steps being taken towards them as a smaller dark figured arrived, a hooded Ratkin that was smaller than the others, being around 3' 9" (114 cm) came walking up. A Ratkin that wielded weapons, a dagger that oozed a green substance and on his other hand was a gauntlet looking weapon that had crystallized spikes coming out of that had a cord coming off it that stretched to his back where a strange bag was at. His tail had a knife attached to it. " I am here-near, Young Mousker. " Dirv stated, he sounded a lot older but his voice was full of venom. " And I see you bring visitors. Which is prohibited. " The other four ratkin each look up seeing Dirv before they smiled. " Grandpa Dirv! " They all said in unison smiling while raising their hands. " Want some Night Eye? We are seeing strange figures here. " One of them asked. Dirv didn't take his eyes- lenses off the group. " No, dear Uata, I am currently on it. " He lied, he sounded very serious as he held his gauntlet up at the group. The rat each smiled and nodded. " Cool. " Dirv titled his head. " So. Why are you lot-group here in Ratkin territory? " He asked, putting a finger up once Mousker was about to speak, to silence him.

Dirv

 

[Orikanyo]

Todo Sawl



​

"....HUH!?" There was a few things he expected when he went through that wall... But... What he did not expect... Was a few doped out rats and a... Place... It looked really nice in truth, but by the gods he didn't think he would have just smashed in a front door!

It looked like just a... Wall... A thin wall really.

Well... Uhhh... It seems they barged in and....

....

Pig in a bucket, right, not the worst thing hes been called before.. it barely ranked in the top ten, next to Mister Snout.

Which was just weak if he was honest.

He listened to the group of litteral rat people, before giving a slight look to the others, the type of look thag said "What the fuck is going on and what did I just do?" But, he stayed quiet until addressed... Wherein he fixed his leather jacket and got the machine to quiet down to a hum, and maybe abit of a rattle as the rocks that tumbled into it came out again.

"Umm... Hi... Uhh... It was a misstake really... See we were running from a very aggressive storm, and alot of lightning when we went into this cave. Then once that cave caved in from explosions outside, We... uhh... tried going this way...

...Sorry about the door, didn't know it was a... Door..."

He tried explaining to the... Rat...person... He had no clue what gender these rats were.. Save for the one called Uncle, he'd seen a fee beastfolk before, but none this... beastly... Kinda like him in truth.

Huh, guess thats true...

"...Sorry?" He appologized again, unsure what to say.

 

[Develius]

​

---

Mentions:
| Skyhunter (Harlow, Mousker) | Orikanyo (Todo) | SilverFeathers (Oden) |
​

---

Desmond's eyes widened immensely upon seeing the other side of the wall. He stood in the presence of a huge crystalline cave, the first one he's ever seen with his own eyes. He'd only heard about these places through stories and hearsay, but never did he believe he'd ever find himself in such a place. And it was breathtaking! "Woah..." the Deinonychian breathed as his eyes began scanning the entire vicinity. However, he'd be quick to notice what looked to be a various assortment of tents and structures scattered across the ground with blazing campfires lighting each center. His head perked as he sniffed the air. This must be an entire village! A village of...

Rat people?

This was quite curious. Truly, Desmond didn't truly know what to expect from breaking that wall; but what he didn't expect were to see four of these figures standing before them in an unusual state. He was no stranger to ratkin, or any sort of rodentkin, from his home world - through they weren't common in his neck of the woods. The ones standing before him were unlike anything he's ever seen or heard of... and quite the odd bunch they were. They were smaller then the party Desmond was with, but still over a foot taller than the Deinonychian. And they looked... sick? Sick wasn't probably the right word, but their bloodshot eyes and slurred demeanor were certainly atypical of their kind. They didn't seem drunk either. Would explain the lack of bottles and mugs for sure... but two of them also had a black creamy-like substance lain atop a napkin before them. What was that stuff?

Wait... what did they call him? A "weird feather chicken with a beak"?

Desmond growled at the gang of rats - his eyes dilating in mounting tension - before he glanced back at his group. "What's a chicken?" he asked them perplexedly.

That's when Mousker began screaming at the four ratkin, prompting them to sober up. For such a tiny mousekin, he sure seemed to have authority over his larger cousins. As they congregated with one another, Desmond overheard them mention something called "night-eye". The raptor's head cocked curiously at that phrase, even more so when the ratkin mentioned that Mousker would "die-sleep" if he had any. Was this... poisonous? Specifically poisonous to Mousker and kin? Or poisonous to all but the ratkin? His eyes eventually lead him back to the black-sooted napkin nearby with widened interest. What was this stuff exactly? He had to know... though should he? But oh, how tempted he was!

He had to know! He just had to!

But before he could make up his mind, another ratkin entered the scene, being called "Dirv" by the inhabitants. Although he was slightly smaller then the other ratkin, his shady looks and dangerous-looking weaponry caused the raptor to be on guard. His crest feathers puffed up in anticipation. After Todo finished explaining the situation to them, Desmond opened his mouth to speak.

"Mousker stolez me golden necklace piece!" he cried despairingly as his eyes locked upon the mousekin, "He won'tz gives it back! Givez it BACK! BACK! BACK!"

 

[SilverFeathers]

Oden (#ACA9A7)​

Todo | Oden | Desmond​

Oden's gaze latched onto the doorknob-like structure just as Harlow mentioned it. Nodding at him with mutual understanding, she was about to knock on it when suddenly Todo's magitech vehicle charged in behind them, completely decimating the door after a brief pause.

"..."

Hmm. It seemed the pigman didn't hear their conversation. She could only hope he had enough rykes on him to pay for the damages, or that the ratkin were a generous folk.

It was not Oden's first time in a crystalline cavern. There was a certain clan of bearkin, in the far north, that liked to live in a similar environment for their own cultural reasons. As allies to the Aritomo clan, she had visited more than once. But it had been a long time since she had last laid her eyes on such transparent and beautiful structures. With her eyes roaming in quiet appreciation, she couldn't help but ponder the origins of such a cavern. It was such a sudden change from rock to crystal. Perhaps it was caused by a grand magical/alchemical experiment gone wrong? Or the rocky side was used as a facade/cover up for something in the past? The history nerd inside her was on fire, but she calmly extinguished her curiosity and addressed the situation at hand.

"Fat stout?" She pondered, glancing down at herself. She didn't think she had put on weight recently, rather she knew very well she had considerably lost some, but she couldn't help but re-think her appearance for a moment. It was clear however that the ratkin weren't in their right mind. Disregarding their nakedness, they seemed... ill? Or drunk? But not quite at the same time. Whatever was afflicting them seemed like it tampered with the mind, but their calmness couldn't help but make her ponder further.

"You've never seen a chicken before?" She replied in surprise at Despond's question, before addressing his query. "It's a small bird commonly reared as livestock for food. Wild versions exist though. And they can be vicious and very speedy." She spoke calmly, giving him the truth, but also adding some additional words to avoid stirring him up too much. It was clear as day their little raptor companion was a hot-headed type, and she didn't want to start a fight.

The re-appearance of their little guide brought the old owl out of her thoughts. All of his screeching did not fall on deaf ears as Oden listened and nodded patiently, even as she took the time to respond to Harlow with a chuckle. "Not at all."

The appearance of Uncle Dirv was somewhat threatening. If she felt carefree and casual when meeting the four sitting around the fire, she couldn't help but feel wary at the heavily-armed ratkin's appearance. Instinctively, she reached for her bow, but the pain in her left wing deterred and stilled her actions before she could even move her limb.

The constant mention of Night Eye was something to question later, but she decided to make her introduction first. "Greetings all of you. Apologies for the intrusion. We mean no harm. I am Oden, an owlfolk." Todo had explained the situation well enough, so she simply spoke her peace and stood aside. Desmond's outcry was expected, as the old owl lifted a wing, partially to hold him back, but also to sober his anger at the situation they were in.

"Your anger is valid. But we are in his home territory now, you might want to be careful." The owl cautioned lightly in a low whisper, before letting her wing fall back to her side.

(Persuasion F used on Uncle Dirv, particularly with the words "We mean no harm.")

 

[Skyhunter]

Harlow Evergrant

​

Harlow smirked and then eventually laughed as the drugged out Ratkin talked amongst themselves and even poked fun at the four of them. Harlow found them to be very amusing, from tales he has heard, they are very timid and hate confrontation, it was said that they do not kill and rarely fight amongst themselves. Although there was from time to time, one that usually defected from their usual way of life and became mercenaries, which is what you usually do if you need money. " Do not be alarmed by their weird demeanor, they are... What's the term... Oh! High! Or inebriated. " Harlow commented, informing the others in his group. The four high as a kite Ratkin each nodded with their oooooohs, " Inebriated... " They all said simultaneously together, Harlow nodded slowly at their understanding, unsure of how to really react to how they were taking in all this information. Then Mousker appeared before them, which Harlow was about to ask Oden what he saying only for the one that he had warned them about, Dirv, to appear. An older looking Ratkin holding a bracer up with a dagger ready as he slowly approached the group. Harlow gulped, most likely in that bracer he had on was high amounts of drugs, and he held it like he could blast the small spikes at targets. Most likely he was not bluffing, not someone as old as this Ratkin was.

Harlow had a saying that you never underestimate the older folks in this type of work. They managed to stay alive this long for a reason. Harlow took a few steps forward, trying to get in front of the group, " Easy there, sir- uh Rat sir- uh Ratkin Sir. We got trapped down here due to a weirdly enough, sentient thunderstorm. " Harlow explained to the old Ratkin who took quick steps forward while still aiming his bracer at Harlow, who held his own hands up. Dirv stared at the knight with a dumbfounded look upon his face, " You realize how dumb-stupid that sounds? Unlikely. " Dirv growled as he flipped his dagger in hand with incredible dexterity and crouched, like he was ready to leap at the knight. Which only got Mousker to start yelling at the old Ratkin, catching Dirv's attention, Oden would be able to decipher, " It's true, Uncle Dirv! There was an old wizard who lived on top of the opposing mountain! A mountain wizard! He had a staff that controlled the storms! But there was also another figure up there, a darker man wielding a bright red sword with an evil looking eye on it. He looked like a knight as well, but I couldn't see his face. But he had that wizard's staff and was controlling the storms with it. They even collapsed the entrance. " Mousker explained. Dirv shook his head with a sigh, " Someone has it out for one of you... " he mumbled under his breath.

Dirv
​

Dirv stared at the small Mousker and sighed, he stood up straight and sheathed his dagger under his bracer on his left hand while lowering his raised bracer. Looking to Mousker he had a serious look upon him, " Do you vouch-support for these four outsiders, Young Mousker? " The old Ratkin asked with a very serious tone, one that sounded a bit scary. " You realize the consequences as to such a thing if it goes belly up, young nephew. " Dirv stated, Mousker was quiet, he began to contemplate the consequences to himself. Quietly he looked at the four high as a kite Ratkin staring at him with smiles on their faces then looking back at the new group. Before finally looking back to Dirv and nodded. " I understand, Uncle Dirv. " Mousker stated with his chest high. Dirv had a smile on his face now, he was proud for seeing the young Mousker stand up for himself. The old Ratkin then placed his hands behind his back and looked to the group, " Then welcome, outsiders, to our humble abode-home, weary travelers. " Dirv stated with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Mousker


" You are free to stay here for a time but eventually, I and a few of our scouts will look to escort you through the Hollow Vitrics, or the caves as you normal people would call them. " Dirv stated with a distasteful sigh. " Now then. As for the door, do not worry about it. We'll have our people on it. Once they are done being lazy Rats. " Dirv stated to the four near naked Ratkin laying on the floor staring at them all. " Yeah, we'll get on it, Grandpappy Dirv. We just need a... Little rest. " One of them stated. Dirv sighed with a shake of his head. " So don't worry for the damaged property. " Dirv huffed. Looking to the the weird looking Desmond, Dirv tilted his head having a confused look on his face once he explained himself. " Young Mousker. Did you steal-take from this... Weird looking chicken? " Dirv looked to his nephew who looked down at the rubble he stood on, " Yes, Uncle Dirv... But it was to save him from getting stuck in that lightning storm. I stole something off his necklace to make him follow me. " Mousker tried to justify his actions. The old Ratkin sighed deeply while he shook his head, " Just give it back to him, Young Mousker. Although I commend you on saving the... Poor dumb-stupid creature. " Dirv insulted Desmond.

Mousker sighed as he reached into his hood, pulling out the golden piece of Desmond's necklace that was on top of his head. Turning to Desmond he came down the pile of rubble and quickly padded to Desmond, holding the golden necklace piece up to the Deinonychian, " Here, big chicken. " Mousker sighed. " And I'm sorry for taking it. " Mousker squeaked at the mini dinosaur before placing it on the ground and quickly moving backwards back to the rubble. Dirv laid his eyes on Oden, she would feel like prey in this instance, " Even you, old hunter. You seem more... Pleasant than these other lot you're with. " Dirv stated. " Just know, while these four here are high on Night Eye, Ratkin are a very timid people. So just know that not everyone is willing to speak to you. They do not yet realize you're actually real and not a figment of their imagination. " Dirv pointed to the laying four Ratkin who nodded slowly with smiles on their faces. Before they turned to realization and then fear. " Wait. They're real? " One asked. Dirv sighed, " Yes. Now get on that door. Fix it up so we can later clean up the entrance. " Dirv commanded the four who slowly got up. The four looked afraid of the four new people and slowly moved forward where they began to grab the rubble from the pile of rubble.

" Also, do not accept any of the drugs the Ratkin offer you. They are... Too powerful for you to handle. You may end up dying from the intensity of them. " Dirv warned them. " If you do, we are NOT responsible for what happens to you. " Dirv had a finger up towards them with a serious tone. " Now, if you are finished here, the town is just down the path we are currently on. We have places where we relax. There is, weirdly enough, a place similar to a pub. Well, they stole a whole tavern. We have had some of our people venture out and experience the world. So, there you can reside. Food, drinks, rooms are there. I'm sure you will want to rest. " Dirv huffed, " Explore the town at your own liesure. Just be careful what you end up doing. Mousker, when you're finished here, come find me. We will explore options of how to get these lot out of here. " Dirv stated with a huff as he quickly turned around and ran off rather quickly.

Now leaving the group to follow after him towards the town. The four Ratkin were standing by the rubble staring at each of the four outsiders. " So. " A female asked. " How do you lot even mate? " She asked. The other three began laughing at the question before she ended up joining in. When they eventually calmed down, one of the males cleared his throat. " Can you lot move along now. We want to work and you standing here is making us nervous. " He admitted with a gulp. One of them ended up eating that strange black as night yogurt looking substance " Yeah. We need to work. " He continued eating it. " By Skitterer this is good. " The Ratkin's eyes then turned black as night, and he took a deep breath having a face of utter amazement before he fell backwards onto his back, " Whoa... " He smiled as he stared at the ceiling. The other three didn't even react as they then began to eat the same substance and fell into the same state of stupor. Mousker stared at the four and sighed, facepalming. He shook his head and looked at the group of four before waving his arm for them to follow him. He ran after where Dirv went, leading the group to where the main town was at.

​

As Mousker lead the group down the pathway, they'd see the that the town they ended up taking over appeared to be a dwarven town, or at least it was abandoned before the Ratkin ended up taking over. Which was most likely the case. Following down the pathway, the group would move into the town, large crystal structures stood around the town, quickly as they entered the dwarven city, they would see Ratkin begin to flood into their homes and close doors. Quickly it would be seen that the Ratkin were a shy people, as Dirv had stated previously. As the group made their way through the tight alleys, they would come into the square where they would see Dirv standing on a box speaking to a large group of Ratkin, he was telling them about the group of travelers that will be coming through, they were trapped for now, but he and the scouting team would lead them through the Hollow Vitrics, which got an oooooh from the crowd. As the group made their way towards the crowd, the group of Ratkin and turned around to stare at the four of them, their eyes wide. There had to be about fifty in this small group. They all began talking amongst themselves staring at the four. " Oi, you lot. Say something! " Mousker told the group, although the only one that could hear him was Oden. Harlow looked at the group, " Anyone that isn't Desmond want to say something? " He asked.

 

[Orikanyo]

Todo Sawl


​

...Sword with one big eye... Nope nope couldn't be it no sir absolutely not he had nothing to do with this and he was having no issues what so ever he was comepletely and utterly fine and without any and all issue. So good he said it twice to be certain of course.

Said it in his head, anyways.

Todo brought his jacket closer over the mark upon his chest before getting his machine to wiggle along into a new more easier to move around position. That is, until the rats started talking shit again, well, he couldn't say all of them didn't look wierd at least, to warrent such things...

But... How do you mate...?

Is...? This rat really going there?

"Tsk... You don't know where i've worked or what i've done..." the pig certainly came from an odder background than most of those folks. Not many of them could aay they've spent years working in a brothel... Not... As a receiver or giver, he cooked, but he's no strange to the deeds thank you.

"Uhh, so... Mousker leads us to a tavern yea?" He was still trying to figure out if Mousker was what it was called, or that was it's name...

"Oh, umm, I'm Todo by the way, just a pig wandering through..."

 

[SilverFeathers]

Oden
Oden's bow was already in hand as things escalated, but fortunately little Mousker managed to calm the old ratkin down. Dirv's quiet mumbling caught her ear, but Oden merely brushed it to the back of her mind due to how unlikely it was for Oden to be the target. She wasn't from Ryke, nor did she have any status left in Kuridan. Rather, the famed knight, magitech-wielding pigman or hot-headed raptor were much likelier possibilities.

Dirv's sarcastic welcome was met with a simple nod from the old owl. They didn't plan to visit, and the ratkin weren't expecting visitors, so she wasn't expecting exactly expecting a warm reception. The fact that they weren't taken as raiders after barrelling through their door was plenty good enough. Still, she couldn't help but be mildly ticked off by the repeated digs towards their littler raptor companion. It just seemed... unnecessarily targeted.

"Such hospitality." She inevitably commented aloud, quietly but sarcastically.

As the old ratkin's gaze turned to her, Oden paused her thinking. Though his stare was a wicked one, Oden was no weak chicken either. She met his gaze levelly, without a hint of deterrence or fluctuation of emotion. She never had any desire to try out any of the inebriating drugs, but Dirv's warning was a welcome one regardless before he set off.

Turning to the four ratkin, she was momentarily rendered speechless by their first words. "An interesting first question to ask when you meet your first outsider." Oden chuckled almost helplessly, almost wondering if she had gone back to the days where those young and curious little owlings would ask similar questions for the first time. Though, considering how the ratkin had quickly shooed them away before ingesting more of that strange drug, she simply shook her head and left them without an answer. These situations were not similar in any regard, it was really a wonder how it brought back such memories.

The underground town had a strangely comforting warmth and liveliness to it. Being a bird trapped underground, it was kind of a feat to feel such a way. The curious beady eyes of the crowd examining them all brought back another wave of familiar memories, but she quickly brushed them aside as they were addressed.

"Why not Desmond?" Oden inquired pointedly, not a fan of all this discrimination against one of their own. "We are merely unfortunate wanderers passing through, trust we mean no harm." (Persuasion F) Shaking her head, she merely spoke one sentence to the crowd, intending to leave the rest of the stage for their little raptor companion.

 

[Develius]

​

---

Mentions:
| Skyhunter (Harlow, Mousker, Dirv, etc) | Orikanyo (Todo) | SilverFeathers (Oden) |
​

---

Desmond's eyes locked angrily upon Uncle Dirv upon being insulted, his lips flaring up briefly and his expression dowering. "I will GUT you the next time you call me~!" he snarled mentally to himself. Yet that expression would quickly change upon being returned the necklace piece. With widened pupils, he watched as the little mouse placed the golden-colored claw on the floor - apologizing for his act of theft; even if it was just to gather his attention and have him the Raptor follow him. Desmond blinked several times before slowly gathering it with his claws, still making eye contact with the mouse, and then clipping it back to his necklace.

"If youz wanted me to follow," the Deinonychian chirped, his expression now calmed and chipper, if only a bit disgruntled, "Youz coulda just asked."

He was just glad he was returned what was his. And with his tunnel-vision now cured, Desmond's demeanor was now much more tolerable and curious, looking at the surrounding cavern and being keen on anything happening in the background. Still, he kept at least one ear tuned in on the conversation they were engaged in, at least partially. What Desmond did hear was how the ratkin reacted to outsiders, being usually rather timid and scared of others if they were sober. Seemed rather on brand. Most small kin back home were more on the skittish side, especially those of the herbivorous side and even smaller carnivores. It wasn't that they needed to watch out for the "carnivore" kin, they got along just fine for the most part. Rather it were the beasties living in the forests that they had to keep an eye out for. Even Desmond was warned not to venture too out into the country forest up north, or else risk being attacked and/or eaten by large beasties of reptilian claws and bird-like talons.

As for the black substance, it happened to be drugs. The ratkin weren't sick at all; rather intoxicated by whatever the hell they consumed. And apparently these were so intense that the party was advised NOT to consume them under any circumstances - less they wanted to die. Desmond's head turned. That serious, they say? He watched an interaction between four of the ratkins, noting their slurred and slowed tones being ultimately oblivious to everything around them. If these drugs were so dangerous to consume, why were the ratkins able to be just fine? Shouldn't they be avoiding this? Like...

How bad could they be?

Before getting any further ideas, Dirv lead the group further into the town and towards the town square. There, a great number of ratkin would begin ogling them as they talked amongst themselves regarding the newcomers. Desmond's eyes were all over them, inspecting each individual with ravenous curiosity. As he opened his mouth to greet them, Harlow's voice intercepted him - asking for anyone but DESMOND if they wanted to say anything.

"Haaaaaay!" the Deinonychian whined, being visibly offended by his exclusion, "What do youz have against poor little Desmond?"

Oden backed him up, stating how they mean't no harm. "See! SEE!" Desmond affirmed with eagerness in his voice, "We'z are friends! Allz I needed was me shiny back! Now thatz I do, I'z good! We'z gud! Gud gud guddie, gud!"

The raptor took a bow at the crowd, flapping his patterned wing feathers and raising his feathered tail with a little ruffle to this formal display. He even added a series of gurgling chirps to his step, sounding somewhat like a naturally distorted mix between a Raven and a goose with the warbles of a magpie at the end.

 

[Skyhunter]

Ratkin Abode


Harlow Evergrant
​

Harlow shrugged, " Little guy looks more of a predator than any one of us. " Harlow stated looking to his group before pointing at Desmond, " Claws, teeth, feathers, scary looking eyes. " The Gale Knight stated " He looks like one of those dinosaurs I think they are called. But just... Smaller. It's not discrimination by any means, just a fact is all. Especially with a very timid people like the Ratkin. Although those ones that were intoxicated weren't really scared until after they realized we were real. " Harlow continued. With the gathered Ratkin staring at the group with their beady eyes, a couple looked a bit unpredictable although they were watching and listening carefully. Although as Desmond spoke up, one of the Ratkin rose above the rest pointing at the group, " The chicken talked! " They yelled which then sent the group of Ratkin that amassed to about fifty into an uproar as they disbanded and ran into different directions yelling like a scared crowd leaving only Dirv and one other weathered Rakin standing by him who was wearing some very heavy looking armor with a big sword on his shoulder. Seems like the Ratkin's fear was greater than Oden's Persuasion.

Dirv


Skrrt
​

Dirv then slowly clapped his hands as he got off his box, " Great-good work. " The old Ratkin sighed as he looked to his friend who walked forward, " So this is who we are escort-guiding through the tunnels, Dirv? They looked out of their element besides the Knight. " Which Harlow had a smile on his face, " We are under strange circumstances, friend. " Harlow stated which the Ratkin huffed, " Right, stranger. Whatever you say. " He huffed, " Name is Skrrt. Dirv's helper when he needs me. And by the look of this shoddy-tawdry group he is leading, he will need my help. " The big sword this Ratkin was carrying was about as tall as Harlow and most likely heavier. This Ratkin, Skrrt, wasn't exactly kind. He may actually have been ruder than Dirv was. " Dirv already brought me up to speed. You lot were attacked by some sort of rogue thunderstorm? Can't say it's the weird-strangest thing I've down here but it wouldn't surprise-shock me either. " Skrrt huffed. " You lot better head on to the tavern, some of our kin stole it from the outside world when they were on a Skitterer pilgrimage. Weird rats they are. I don't know how they got it out of a city or town without being caught. " He shook his head as he pointed to behind him where there was a very human looking building that was pretty out of place here in the underground.

​

" You lot go rest there. In a few hours, once I finished the plan and route of travel, we will then head on the quest-journey. " Dirv stated with crossed arms, he looked to his friend Skrrt. " You coming? Or you going to go to the Upside's Respite? " Dirv asked. Skrrt laughed, " I'm going to try that human mead or whatever it is. " Skrrt stated, Dirv gave a nod as the two shook hands before Dirv walked off. Skrrt turned to the group and stared at them. " Well, let's go you sad looking lot. Unwind and rest. " Skrrt headed to the tavern while still carrying his massive sword that looked oddly like a knife. As they headed to the tavern doors, there was talking and laughing inside. Opening the doors there would be many Ratkin everywhere in this surprisingly big tavern.

Barta
​

There had to be about thirty different ratkin within, most not wearing clothes. But there was only one bartender that wore a professional attire similar to an actual bartender. The bartender looked up seeing the new folks faces. " Aye you lot! Over here! " He waved them over, the Ratkin within the tavern didn't even bat an eye to the newcomers. " What can I do yah for? We got human mead, rat mead, lion mead, teeth mead, pirate rum, and something called Coak. I don't know what it is, but it is good. We also got rat fingers for food. It's not actual fingers but similar to those sticks of fish. But made from cows. So, I guess cow sticks. " He stated, " Names Barta, I create and serve food and drinks. We also got wata. " He held a glass tankard as he cleaned it. The barstools by the bar remained empty for them all to sit in since they were human sized, they would all fit.

 

[SilverFeathers]

Oden (#ACA9A7)​

Todo | Oden | Desmond​

"To not even give him the chance to speak for himself, do you want the ratkin to forever be stuck with the impression that Desmond is a dangerous and fearsome creature?" Oden questioned the green knight wearily. "How cruel of you, Harlow." She chuckled mildly, her emotions unclear as she turned back towards the crowd. Her expression and gaze was unaffected by the ratkin scattering, her feathers merely ruffled by the sudden storm of escapees. They had been warned of their timidity so it was not out of expectation, instead the old owl focused her deep eyes on the stranger that remained.

"Thank you again Dirv, you as well Skrrt." She nodded at them each in turn as they finished their discussion. Regardless of the things they said, they were willingly helping them out for free, and Oden could not be clearer on that fact. Watching the mechanized ratkin that was Dirv leave, Oden trodded along quietly behind the remaining ratkin. She had to admit, though Skrrt's bluntness was not the nicest to hear, his honesty was something to appreciate. It was more relaxing to have him around rather than Dirv, who she couldn't help but stay a little on guard against. He reminded her of those wily elders from other feuding clans she often had to contend against, and she honestly didn't need that added stress at this moment.

Entering the spacious tavern, Oden stood to the side for a moment, expecting one of the ratkin to point them out and for them to all scatter again, but oddly enough such a situation didn't occur. Rather, they were invited over by an oddly friendly bartender. "Greetings Barta. Is this not your first time meeting outsiders?" Oden spoke up curiously, still pondering why the taverns' ratkin were different to those outside.

"Just water and some cow sticks then, please. Thank you." Oden ordered casually without too much thought, thinking it'd be better to fill her stomach if they'd be here for a few hours. "Where do you ratkin source your food from? I can't imagine it'd be easy growing crops or rearing animals underground." Relaxing slowly, Oden continued trying to satiate her curiosity on the culture of these reclusive ratkin.

Skyhunter Develius Orikanyo

 

[Orikanyo]

Todo

​

...Huh... A bar here? The way the rats seemed to party ot certainly would make sense, would be certainly interesting to at least try it out... But...

Some of the things that were listed off are... Curious... the meads are also confusing...

Pirate rum, well, thats easy enough to know but if it was grog or proper rum he wasn't fully certain.

...But all those creatures listed off on mead made him wonder...

"Excuse me... Whats woth the names of the various meads? Human, lion, rat... is it who made them?" The pig asked, curious as well about the nature of them. "I've worked a bar myself in the past, well, mostly just the kitchen at a brothel because nobody wants to look at a pig while drinking. But I learned plenty..." he paused to consider the rest of the place... The rat seemed clean enough, even well dressed, dare say he looked spiffy.

"Its alot of mead... Much honey around here?"

 

[Skyhunter]

Barta
​

Barta was smiling still at Oden, " No, missus Owl, it is not. I've seen and helped many non-Ratkin. I come with the place. " He stated happily. " Yea, when the other Ratkin lot stole this entire tavern, I came along with the place. Here I am now. " Barta chuckled as he continued cleaning the glass tankard. Although when Oden ordered the water and Cowsticks, he nodded smiling, " You got it, boss. " Barta placed the tankard down on the counter as he grabbed a bottle from underneath the counter, a pitcher of water to be exact. He then poured it into the tankard he had just cleaned and looked backwards, " Oi! Churky! Get the Cowsticks! " He yelled. There was a faint call that came from back in the kitchen which Barta's smile faded, " Skitterer damn it all... " He sighed, " Just hurry it up! " He called once more. When Oden asked where their food came from, Barta smiled at the owl. " Oh, well, I get a shipment of supplies every now and then when I need an order. I usually have Skrrt here or Dirv send our Scouters to go retrieve whatever I need. " Barta explained. " Or we have a Mutakin under the tavern we cut pieces of flesh off and serve it. " he laughed at the last part before he realized it wasn't funny to the foreign group in which he stopped and cleared his throat. " Ignore that last part, it's just a Ratkin joke. " He stated.

His eyes moved to Todo when asked about their drinks, Barta's face lit up again. " Very perceptive sir. Yes, each named al-key-hol is made by whoever I named. " Barta explained, " At least thats what my sources say but they haven't been proven wrong yet. " The dressed up Ratkin then began to laugh, " Or that's what we made them out of! " He then burst into laughter for a few moments before clearing his throat and calming himself down. " That, uh, was also a joke. " Barta stated before sighing. " Ratkin don't kill. Usually. Unless you're Scouters or like Skrrt here. " Barta explained, who nodded silently. Barta raised a brow when Todo began to explain he worked kitchen because he was too ugly. " What do you mean, piggy? You look rather normal. " Barta told the big pigman before pointing at Harlow, " That one there is what we'd consider ugly. " Which made the knight laugh. " How rude, you wound me good sir. " Harlow said jokingly. Barta then heard Todo's request which made the Ratkin snap a finger, " We do actually. " He then reached under the bar and pulled out a pot with a lid. " Here you are, sir. " Barta placed the pot in front of Todo. " A whole jar of honey. Enjoy. " Barta smiled widely at Todo to then look at Skrrt. " I thought bears like honey.... Is he a bear or a pig? " He asked the warrior who shrugged.

Next Harlow and Skrrt would request drinks of their own liking before a chubby Ratkin came out of the kitchen while holding a small handsized basket with steaming food. " Cowsticks 'ere! " He called before moving to the bar and placing them in front of Oden after Barta pointed at the owl. The chubby Ratkin wearing the apron quickly ran back into the kitchen to continue whatever the Ratkin was doing. When Oden looked at the Cowsticks, they looked like pieces of beef that was cut into long thick strips. They smelled really good, similar to human food but most likely made in a Ratkin style. " Enjoy, missus Owl. " Barta stated.

Although just as it was starting to mellow down, there was an argument beginning to brew over where the Ratkin were standing. " Oi! Back ock my mate, you poop sniffer! " One ratkin yelled at another. Looking at the mass of Ratkin, there were two larger Ratkin pushing and tussling with each other. " You back off! She wes touching my Ratbits! Shaying you couldn't provid enough Vermsalt! " The other yelled, it was clear the two were intoxicated, whether it be due to the alcohol that Barta provided or outside drugs. The two began to tussle before one threw a punch at another. Then the fighting broke out. Barta sighed as he threw his head backwards. " Not again... " The bartender growled. Looking at the mass of ratkin, it was the only two that were tussling while the others gave them space to do their fighting, they were mainly wrestling while throwing punches every so often. Although from what the group could see was that most of them were naked and not wearing clothes. " Can one of you stop them? " He asked, " I can't fight those two or stop them. They are pretty rowdy and strong and get like this so often. They end up breaking something. You know how hard it is to replace some of this stuff? Stealing from the cities and getting away with it is difficult. " Barta explained, mainly looking at Todo since he was pretty big. " They can't do anything to you, you're pretty... Pudgy and big. They actually may be afraid of you because of your size. " He smiled at the pig man.

 

[Develius]

​

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Mentions:
| Skyhunter (Harlow, Mousker, Dirv,, Bata, etc) | Orikanyo (Todo) | SilverFeathers (Oden) |
​

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Desmond's head perked upon hearing Harlow mentioning a particular term, as his feathers fluffed up in curiosity. "Youz know of the great Saurians?" the raptor chirped as his head cocked from side to side. He certainly didn't recall individuals like him living in his world, with the exception of certain hairier "apes" or monkeys. Neither did they look anything like the "humans" of this world. Could it be that more of his kind are living here? And if so, where can he find them? Though what rushed through Desmond's scattered mind, wouldn't translate to what spat from his mouth. "Then youz should know what Desmond Iz you hairless munkey!" he screeched while flailing his fluffy arms as if taken moderate offense, "Desmond is a Deinonychian! Part-ova family of Raptors!" Oden would also "shame" Harlow for his so called negative painting of Desmond, though the Deinonychian would completely miss the joke flying miles above his head. "We ARE fierce folk!" he screeched as he attempted to make himself look fierce by puffing his downy coat and exposing his teeth, "You should know this, distant cousin o' Desmond!"

Indeed, the lively "chicken's" fierce response would trigger the ratkin to flee from his presence, screaming and wailing as they scattered in all different directions. "W-Wait, hey!" Desmond called out puzzlingly in a static pose, "Where'z everyone goin?! Come back!" Though by then they were long gone, leaving he and the group firmly in the dust. How rude of them to run away from their invited guests! Haven't they been taught proper manners? He shook his head irritably and scratched at a sudden itch on the side of his head. "Wellz... that waz weird."

Eventually, another ratkin wielding a giant sword - going by the name Skrrt - approached them and recommended they head over to the tavern to prepare them for a quest. Indeed, Desmond followed along with the rest of the group without issue, trotting along while continuing to breath in the sights of this little crystal village. Admittedly, the young raptor hadn't been in many taverns. He and his family back home weren't the type to travel far and even when they did, little Desmond would be at the ranch back in Tanamon, taken care of by his uncle or other neighboring Deinonychian families. The only one he'd been into really was the one at Shale's Creek whenever his folks decided it was time for a drink - and only then had he only ever consumed a few sips of alcoholic ales or mead.

He found them utterly bitter and revolting.

Entering the tavern, the group would be greeted by the cheer and haughty banter of ratkin enjoying their drinks and present company. Desmond eyed the surprisingly spacious interior, his nose picking up the ever mounting smell of musty fur and alcohol mist fill the surroundings. It wasn't a particularly nice smell for most, but admittedly it was far from being the worst. He didn't even mind, or truly realize, the fact most of them weren't wearing any clothes, though their fur no doubt acted as somewhat like "natural" clothing in a way. Still, none appeared to be as colorfully dressed as the sole raptor in the house.

All except one.

As Desmond staired down the isle, he'd notice one particular ratkin behind the counter wearing a particularly professional-looking attire. The bartender, creatively referring himself as "Barta", waved them over with a friendly smile and offered them an interesting selection of food and drinks. The deinonychian hopped up on one of the stools, giving a short affectionate gurgle and a wave of his feathered claws. "'Hello!" he croaked pleasently. He wouldn't order anything right away, though his eyes would find themselves staring at Oden as she got her "cow-sticks". Getting a whiff of the scent, he'd find himself drooling over what looked to be a rather appetizing meat dish. It smelled rather good! His head and chattering teeth got closer to Oden's dish, before looking at her with a wide innocent look. "M-May Desmond have... onez piece... preaty pleaze?" he begged as his claws touched together in hopeful anticipation.

Though before he could register a response, a ratkin brawl would suddenly take place not far from where they sat. Desmond's snout glared at the tussle with visible interest. "Oooh there's FIGHT!" he cackled gleefully as he cawed into the air chanting. "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" He couldn't help but root for a good ole fashioned bar brawl. Who was going to win?