Active [Othaia Frontier] Rescue Kevin's Friend

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Tau Skyswimsky Develius Spoiled Bread

It was early morning in the Othaia Frontier Adventurers Guild. Adventurers both young and old were lining the tables or taking up space near the massive corkboard covered in quest notices. The Othaia Frontier town had only been around for a decade but had a thriving adventuring business due to their position next to the untamed wilds of Ryke. No matter how many quests were taken from the board, more always seemed to appear within moments. Local issues were taken care of and less pressure was placed upon the town guard due to their comparatively smaller numbers. Everyone seemed to benefit from this arrangement. Unfortunately there was one particular individual who had opinions on this all. Burying her face in on the reception desk and wanting to scream her face off was Giselle the Guild Receptionist. Not only did she and her coworker Eileen have to process every quest being taken. It was also in their job description to process materials brought back by adventurers so they could pay said adventurers. The two women did this every day from eight until five with what seemed like minimal breaks and questionable pay.

"HEY! No screaming Giselle. I need to count these goblin ears and if I lose count, I gotta start ALL over again. You wanna screech, wait until your break!" said the frustrated looking elf woman. Some weirdo in rusty looking armor had brought her four sacks of goblin ears which she was STILL counting. Goblin Quests were straightforward subjugation quests meant for lower ranked adventurers to gain some combat experience. Usually one would move on from goblins to larger prey like giant wolves or man eating sheep. Someone actually going out of their way to kill FOUR SACKS worth of goblin ears was just outrageous.

"Is it quitting time yet?" asked Giselle, looking at her pocket watch she specially ordered from Widersia. It had barely been an hour since she started and she already wanted to leave. Laying her head down on the reception desk once more. Giselle's attempt to rest was interrupted by a party full of young looking rookies, eyes full of vigor and fire. She could remember having motivation, seemed like such a foreign thing nowadays. Apparently they were going after the troll who was kidnapping cows from local farms. Giselle had no idea WHY this was considered an E rank quest when it seemed pretty dangerous but all she could do was warn them. Stamping their quest notice, the guild receptionist waved the group of young adventurers off.

SLAM!

The doors to the guild hall opened to reveal a pair of red eyes attached to a very lanky lizard. Waddling into the building and passing the crowd of astonished adventurers. It was as if everyone had collectively held their breath whilst watching this reptile stumble his way over to the desk.

"Woah... who is that stinky lizard?!"
"Take a good whiff, boy... thats the scent of a D rank adventurer"
"...but WE'RE D rank adventurers"

Giselle felt her face try to retract deep into her body the moment her nose picked up the wretched stench of the dark scaled lizardkin. Hoping that he would give up his approach didn't change the fact he was coming right at her. Turning her head to Eileen for support. Giselle saw her friend was counting the goblin ears EVEN SLOWER THAN BEFORE. Contemplating just doing a runner since she wasn't in the mood to deal with this situation. Giselle remembered that she had rent to pay so she sucked it up and put on her best smile. The lizard finally stopped in front of the reception desk. His hunched over posture making it seem like he had just crawled out of some feral tribe of geckos. Lowering his head to address the receptionist, the lizard began speaking.

"Hello Guild Girl. Kevin come to see if guild has found frens to help rescue friend from bad gnomies!"

Spoiler: Kevin

Giselle had no idea what she was smelling but she hated it. The day that Kevin came to the guild to post his quest. The guild staff had to use a whole bunch of incense just to remove whatever it is that came off of him. His personality wasn't that bad but it was hard to understand him given his grasp of the common tongue was questionable at best. At least she and Eileen got overtime for the extra hour they spent deciphering the notice Kevin had penned in strawberry jam.

"Yes... they're in the other room... please just try not to break anything"

SLAM!
Once again Kevin opened the door to another room with gusto. His reptilian tail wagged from left to right as he surveyed the reception room where the few adventurers willing to take his quest had gathered. Tea and snacks had been prepared which was great because Kevin immediately began eating those without introducing himself to the group. Halfway into what looked to be some sort of big cookie. Kevin remembered why he was there and decided NOW would be a good time to introduce himself.

"Hello adventurer frens. Kevin's name is Kevin and he has brought frens here for very serious quest.... Bad gnomies steal away Kevin friend. Kevin give money and best food from dumpster if frens help him save friend"

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Velvet

---

Velvet was always sleepy whenever the sun's out. Unlike her last job though, this time Velvet was more prepared. She brought her pillow into the guild and slept with her head on the table until the stinks that came from the lizardman woke her up. She groggily approached their supposed client, her eyes barely open.

"Good morning Kevin. Velvet's name is Velvet. Let's do our best today, beat the gnomies and save friend~" In her half sleeping state she ended up copying Kevin's manner of speaking before she returned to her seat and once again put her head on the pillow, though her eyes were now wide open as she's ready to hear any additional information the client might give them.​

 

[Develius]

---

Mentions:
| Gaius Danius Griinia | Spoiled Bread |​

---

As the morning was reaching it peak, Desmond was as bright and chipper as ever. Having returned from a caravan trip on the dunes to the west a week ago, the little raptor was eager to return to adventuring on more familiar soil. That and, coincidentally enough, he had also received his official "Ethereal Luminary" student card in the mail, as well as a "Certified Summoner" card from their's truly. His college resume had truly been expanding. Nevertheless, there were still loans to pay off and textbooks to waiver coupons for. It was high time he went back on another quest. The question was... which one?

The raptor's golden eyes darted across the quest-board, searching for something that would peak his interest. Most of the options seemed to cater towards the higher ranked members or those more relaxed were already taken up by even earlier birds catching the worm. A shame. Desmond would do almost anything for easy money.

Suddenly, Desmond felt someone bump into him and push him aside. A larger scalyfolk nonchalantly came up to investigate the board, being around five feet and a half tall. "OIZ!" the raptor barked as he cocked his head up at him, "WATCH'IZTS WILL YOUS!"

The entity turned his boxy head down at the feathery raptor, flaring its brilliant pink gums and a mouthful of sharp teeth. He looked similar to Desmond, having characteristics that resembled a raptor, but with very notable differences. For one, he lacked feathers; something which all raptors of the Fantozoica possessed to some degree. Aside from the rugged armor he wore, he looked very naked. Those without feathers were either suffering a disease, punished for their crimes, or were born "mutants" by nature. His overall posture was hunchbacked, looking more humanoid in its biological structure. He even sported four claws on his feet; one of which being the iconic sickle-shaped "killing" claw.

He was rather odd for a saurian... and all the more scary looking.

"BACK OFF PIPSQUEAK." he barked as he leaned closer towards Desmond. He could feel his rotten breath scraping against his nostrils, forcing the bard to reel back in disgusted terror. "EEP!" Intimidated by his appearance, the polka-dotted raptor retreated as he let the monstrous figure be. What a rude guy. He proceeded to hop onto a stool, not too far from where Velvet was sitting, as he took a moment to recalibrate himself.

But soon, another scalyfolk would enter the reception room; a smaller dark-scaled "gecko" who referred to himself as "Kevin". Desmond's head reared up as he inspected the newcomer curiously though his golden eyes. Kevin also seemed to be rather in distress, talking about how some "bad gnomies" had taken his friend and that he'd award money and food for those that were kind enough to help him. Desmond was intrigued. Then a sleepy vampire girl would chime in to offer her help, even speaking in Kevin's unique speaking manner.

Well... it would be unique... should she have known about-

"Desmond hears about lil' Kevin wanting help!" the feathery Deinonychian chirped, before leaping off the stool and approaching the two, "Desmond in need of quest too! So Desmond answers call! Help Kevins and sleepy lady get back friend! If... they allow Desmond to join if that'z okay, yez?"

 

[Skyswimsky]

Aiko

< Human > | < Mundane >

Gaius Danius Griinia Spoiled Bread Develius Tau​

It was a foreign, yet familiar feeling. Rather than a superior algorithm picking and deciding which 'Quest' Aiko was best suited for, she had to pick herself! Yet, when in her newfound freedom the once-robot decided for the A-Rank Quest of defeating a "Goblin Hero" she had been denied. What was the point in choosing then anyway?!

Regardless, eventually Aiko had settled on a lower-ranked quest: Instead of slaying a false Hero, she was to be part of an important rescue mission! An important stepping stone in becoming a Hero herself. Having been told that, allegedly, their client came by every day, Aiko got put into a separate room to wait on with the rest of the others... with none of them being talkative, really. At the very least they had snacks!

...

"Urgh..." It wasn't even an hour later, however, when the neon-yellow colored girl cursed the blessing of taste and smell as one weird (or two, rather!) scaly being entered the room. "H-Hello...?" Her hand covering her mouth and face, it was impossible to tell what Aiko was thinking until the lizard finally talked. Their client! The entire exchange just solidified how important first impressions were, and this time SHE wouldn't ruin it!

"I am Aiko! A soon-to-be-heroine upholding J.U.S.T.I.C.E.!" She paused. Satisfied. Done. Sure she could say more, but... "Your acquaintance shall be rescued, and we will bring forth a happy reunion!" She tried to sound encouraging, though her hand-hair-covered face made it sound just a tiny bit too muffled.

 

[Tau]

Aimi

​

Gaius Danius Griinia Spoiled Bread Develius Skyswimsky

The doors were thrown open as a young lady strode in, a mysterious blue glow seeping through the long dark hair cascading down her back. 'Adventuring' wouldn't exactly be her first choice, but even in another world, credentials were king, regardless of how overqualified she might've been.

Fine, she could slay a few weak creatures or something for money...

Browsing the quest board, she overheard a conversation between the receptionists, and something from her past life began to stir within her. Approaching Giselle, Aimi stared at the gruesome bags and began lecturing her, "Take a random sample of 12 and weigh them, then divide the sum by 12 to find the average weight per ear. Then simply weigh the entire set and divide by that average to get an approximate ear count. This should dramatically improve your efficiency, assuming a small margin of error is acceptable."

In the old world, she would have been compensated 0.00000025 Deepthought Coin for that valuable advice. Alas, intelligence was truly undervalued in this world. Honestly, she could do the job of both of these incompetent humans, combined, 10-fold.

As the exchange concluded, Aimi suddenly felt her face contort involuntarily. She had no control: it simply happened, as her nose was assaulted with scents she didn't recognize, and was sure, didn't want to. Stepping back as the creature approached the desk, Aimi's eyes followed the curious creature, somewhere between an unthinking animal and a sentient being... similar to the receptionist, in that respect.

The door swung open, and Aimi was able to see a delightful spread of food. Hold on, was that free!? Free for those accepting this creature's strange request? Aimi's eyes shifted back to Giselle and, after a brief pause, she quickly mentioned, "I'm here to help the... Kevin," before following him into the room.

"Tsk, of course you're here..." Aimi sighed as she noticed the pesty hero was here as well. No matter, there was free food, and she had to take advantage before the animal finished it all. Pulling one of the chairs closer to the table for easier food access, Aimi sat down and began stuffing her mouth with as much free food as possible. Between the two of them, the table was rapidly being emptied.

"Aimi's name is Artificial Intelligence Monarchy Instigator," Aimi answered, actually having the decency to swallow the biscuit she was eating before speaking. What a bizarre manner of introduction. "If you pay me, I can fix the problem. There's no need for so many. Especially... that one," Aimi added, gesturing to Aiko.

 

[Gwen_Temi]

Helena Rugerd
​

Another day, another dollar... or whatever the local currency of Othaia was.

As it turns out, neither knowledge nor alchemical reagents were cheap and doing jobs for the adventurer's guild was the best way to make a quick buck. Well, if you didn't mind the danger, at least. They say when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Italy was in an entirely different universe at the moment, but Helena felt as though the saying still held truth here. So, with a light smirk, she greeted the others.

"Helena's name just so happens to be Helena. Helena Rugerd. And Helena's of a similar mind to that one," she gestured towards Aimi, "And Helena will do what she can to bring your friend home safe and sound... so long as the pay's good."

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

A Receptionists Lot

Giselle looked at the strange woman offering advice to her and Eileen with an exhausted expression practically dripping with the desire for a nap. Although Aimi's method would no doubt be easier. The execution of said method would still take time and effort that would need to involve BOTH receptionists. Hence why Giselle was happy that Aimi left to go deal with Kevins request. Turning to Eileen who was fiddling with some strange contraption that seemed Widersian in origin. The tired receptionist got to counting the remaining goblin ears so that the two of them could focus on literally anything else to take up the rest of their workday. A rookie receptionist wandered over to the pair to whisper in Giselle's ear; once they had gotten a good rhythm going. "Kevin did WHAT?!" asked Giselle, her eyes about to pop out of her skull. The complimentary snacks that had been provided for Kevins special quest meeting had been devoured by Kevin, Aimi and Aiko. Now it seemed Kevin was raiding the snacks stored away in the reception room for OTHER special quest meetings. Something which might get docked from HER pay considering SHE was the receptionist handling his quest.

Meanwhile in the Reception Room

"Unfortunately frens, the Guild has no more snacks for Kevin. Kevin still hungry but no snacks are in box... or box next to it" said the lizardkin as if this was genuinely tragic news. The silly Guild Girl poked her head in to spout some things Kevin didn't understand. If Kevin was not meant to eat the snacks. Why did Guild Girl put more snacks in the room? Guild Girl really needed to be more specific with her snack giving. Since she was crying about needing money for snacks. Kevin pulled out a small sack of coins to give the Guild Girl. Once that was done with and Guild Girl was crying a bit less. It was time for the lizardkin to go over the people who had turned up for his quest. Kevin was happy people had turned up since he was too weak to go after his friend alone.

First was the vampire lady, Velvet. His friend had told him about vampires before, they drank blood. Kevin usually drained blood from his food but vampires must have thought it was tasty. He was pretty sure he didn't need ALL his blood so Kevin was ready to give Velvet some of his blood if she needed it to save his friend. Next was the other lizard in the room, Desmond. Kevin was pretty sure he wasn't a swamp lizard like himself. He was a smaller lizard but Kevin assumed it meant he was good at catching Gnomes since Gnomes were also small. Aiko said she was a Heroine, which was bad since funny hero people kept trying to hurt his friend. Aimi was mad at Aiko which Kevin didn't understand but hoped it wouldn't interfere with the quest. Finally there was a witch lady, Helena who seemed very interested in money like Aimi. Kevin wasn't sure why two of the people here were so interested in money when money was always made at the money factory. Kevin had eaten from the dumpster behind the money factory since his friend had said there was MINT there.

"Kevin give frens money if friend is saved from gnomies. Gnomies have MORE money than Kevin but they steal friend so they can no be trusted. Simple plan of Kevin go like this. Kevin and frens go to funny broken ruin where Gnomies keeping friend. We kill ALL the gnomies and get friend back. If weather good and traffic on forestway not clogged. Maybe have time to cook the gnomies for lunch. Kevin no like gnomies but wasting food is also not good. Frens have anything to add to Kevin plan?" asked the foul smelling lizardkin while poking a map of the area with his claw.

Spoiled Bread Develius Skyswimsky Tau Gwen_Temi

 

[Develius]

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Mentions:
| Gaius Danius Griinia (Kevin) | Spoiled Bread (Velvet) | Skyswimsky (Aiko)| Tau (Aimi) | Gwen_Temi (Helena) |​

---

Desmond seemed to be welcomed into Kevin's new group, which by now had been steadily getting larger. The next two that arrived happened to have come as a duo; representing two sleek-looking human girls with neon-colored hair. The yellowed haired one was Aiko, while the blue haired one was Aimi - an acronym for Artificial Intelligence Monarchy Instigator. Both complimented each other aesthetically in their "techno-inspired" uniforms, and they bickered amongst themselves like sisters. "Funny folks! Funny folks!" the raptor chattered, as he flapped his wing feathers in a cheerful greeting, "Welcomez! Desmond's name is Desmond! Desmond and sleepy vamp here to help Kevin too, yez!"

Following shortly afterwards, another human female would join the fray - being one Helena Rugerd. Immediately, Desmond caught on to catching the unmistakable scent of a magic user. In fact, her attire reminded Desmond about Professor Anna back in Aslan. That wide-brimmed pointy hat. The robe flowing behind her. Her appearance promptly gained his immediate attention. "Oooooh!" Desmond cooed as he inspected Helena front to back with his [Heightened Smell F], "Fellow magic user are you, yez? Desmond'z magic user too, ya knowz! Can heal, play songs and summon things! What magicz does Hatty Witch cast?"

After listening to Kevin's explanation regarding the full situation - regarding the 'gnomies' which captured his friend and that are hiding out in a ruin - Desmond seemed to agree with his assessment. No amount of head nodding would doubt otherwise... though he had one pressing question. "Wat are 'gnomies'? Desmond has not heard of these folk before... are they wormiez? Goblinz? And wat do they doez?"

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Velvet

---

Velvet watched silently as several other figures joined into the conversation and introduced themselves. Three other girls, one which looks like a witch with that wide hat on her. Then there's also a feathered lizard people with a rather similar speech pattern as Kevin. She tried to remember whether the lizardfolk she met on the western empire had the same speech but she didn't think so. Perhaps it's some sort of Ryken dialect? She would leave it at that for now.

"I will pass on the gnomes." She said apologetically to Kevin.

"I'm a bit of a... picky eater, but ah, don't worry I already bring my own meals." Velvet put the leather bag from her hips onto the table and opened a part of it. Inside were several wiggling creatures that looks like some very fat caterpillars, or sea cucumbers. She patted the creatures like they're her pets before closing the bag.​

 

[Tau]

Aimi

​

Gaius Danius Griinia Spoiled Bread Develius Skyswimsky Gwen_Temi​

Aimi's eyes wandered over to the witch who'd arrived shortly after herself. She'd expected more offense and outrage from the statement, and instead they were acting rather agreeable. Perhaps something about her appearance, or the tone of her voice? Humans reacted to the most subtle of stimuli, and manipulating it on a personal scale was... difficult.

"Vamp...? You mean, Vampire?" Looking over, Aimi watched the tired girl with blood-red eyes as she revealed an incredibly disturbing bag which could not have been healthy to have around. She did somewhat resemble a vampire, as depicted in various fiction. Inquisitively, Aimi stepped up and, without warning, reached for the girl’s lips trying to pull them apart to see if she had fangs as expected.

"What an interesting group," she simply commented. "I’ll have plenty to add to that plan in time. Can we assume these ‘Gnomies’ lack rights of protection under the law? There are certainly methods of legal genocide that can get around this, but they tend to be longer-term strategies not suited for rescuing a friend in the immediate future. Please describe these gnomies, along with any clear strengths and weaknesses that can be exploted."

 

[Skyswimsky]

Aiko

< Human > | < Mundane >

Aiko tilted her head in slight confusion as her nose got used to the lizard's smell in a frighteningly fast manner. Nearly everyone introduced themselves in the same weird manner. Was it some sort of local dialect? She really had to work on her own speech, then!

"Nobody invited you, villain..." The young woman retorted to Aimi's appearance. "Are you stalking me?! Last I remember you create problems, not fix em!" With these words, Aiko's attention was drawn back to the others. Good thing nobody would notice her staring intently at the Witch for a moment before adding to Demond's question. "What ARE gnomes indeed?" Somewhere, at the edge of her mind, Aiko knew about that term, yet her humanoid brain was sadly inferior. "They kidnapped your friend for no reason? Vile villains that deserve to be punished? And how do they taste?" The Hero hadn't eaten gnomes yet, after all. Maybe they were something like Sinister Cult Cattle!

Considering to ask about how much the pay would exactly be for a moment, the neon-yellow-haired girl instead leaned closer to Velvet. "Pssst, good morning! What can you do?" Straight-forward. Aiko already knew that Aimi only made trouble, and the other two were super cool magic users!

 

[Gwen_Temi]

Helena Rugerd
​

"Right. We should probably grab a bite to eat before heading out, then..."

In a group consisting of a vampire, two... AI's(?), and a dinosaur, Helena began to feel as though she were the odd man out. What was even more amusing to her was that, of this group of mythical creatures and high tech consciousnesses, it was the dinosaur with whom she shared a talent for spellcraft. And the dinosaur was notably better at it, if she'd heard him right. Good.

She might've actually been able to bring something of value othan than simple money if she stuck with that one.

"I'm not quite as talented as you, Desmond. I can pretty much only summon things, and nothing particularly impressive. But, the more summons we put between us and the enemy, the less likely they are to take a chunk out of us, ay?"

After the two... were those actually robots, or what? Whatever- once Aimi and Aiko stopped fussing with one another, the group got t asking a round of questions. What exactly was a "gnomie"? Was it legal to slaughter them en masse without the authority of a peacekeeper? And how did a "gnomie" taste after a good roast over an open flame? Not all of these questions were equally helpful.

No they... they most certainly weren't.

But the group stood to benefit from the knowledge gained from each one; albeit to varying degrees. Helena also had a question, but her interests lay more with her teammates than the creatures that they'd most likely be fighting to the death in a rather short period of time. Which lead to a rather pressing concern in the back of Helena's mind.

"I have a question for everyone here," she piped up, hoping to garner the attention of the party, "Who here is actually good in a scuffle? Good enough to confidently say that they'll be able to down their share of 'gnomies' when push comes to shove?"

Although she chose not to admit it, she certainly couldn't have said that about herself.

​

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

A Matter of Gnomies
Develius Spoiled Bread Tau Skyswimsky Gwen_Temi

Kevin was aghast at the fact some of the people he gathered for the quest had no idea what gnomes were. He would have believed that they would be horror stories told about in tales around the barrel fire. His attention was soon diverted by the wriggling worms inside of Velvets bag. Kevin thought they looked pretty tasty and contemplated sneaking one while Velvet was sleeping. However he snapped back to the situation in front of him once he heard the group discussing magic. "Kevin also do the magic. Friend teach Kevin how after Kevin eat funny spice orb" said the rather proud looking lizard. Kevin and his Friend had found the funny orb after rummaging through the garbage near a big building with a lot of explosions around the clock. Opening his mouth to reveal rows of sharp teeth. A small ball of flame formed between his uvula and tongue. Swallowing the flames to make sure they didn't hurt anyone. Kevin burped up some smoke for his troubles. Recalling that the group didn't know what gnomes were and going back to being surprised. The smelly lizard pulled some paintings off the walls before pulling out a jar of grape jam since he had eaten all of the strawberry jam.

"Gnomies are Desmond size, small people. Gnomies mostly not strong strong but very smart. All Gnomies care about is money. Many Gnomies make living by selling stuff so they always throw away good stuff for dumpster rummaging. Gnomies found all over world but like clicky clocky Widersia since it let them sell most stuff. Since Gnomies is small, they hire big scary guards like Ogre and Orc. Ogre and Orc very scary since they good at fighting. Friend tell Kevin that some Gnomies grow Ogre and Orc in FACTORY so that they always have strong guard. Gnomies hate people that not Gnomies... but Friend tell Kevin that Gnomies even hate OTHER GNOMIES. Kevin think that if people above Guild Girl at guild figure out Gnomies involved, they try stop Kevin so they can keep buying stuff from Gnomies. KEVIN NO CARE AND WILL SAVE FRIEND FROM GNOMIES. Gnomies weakness is that they small and squishy, needing scary guards. Gnomies very good at lying since they say anything to sell things. A few Gnomies good at making magic tools, watch out for magic tools" said Kevin while jotting down everything he knew about gnomes onto the wall. A crude image of a small humanoid making a grumpy face was included for reference. Truthfully gnomes were considered one of the sapient races of the continent. One with heavy influence in the business sphere. Getting away with what amounted to an assault on their base of operations at the ruins was no doubt going to be filled with its own troubles. Unfortunately all Kevin cared about was getting his friend back.

 

[Develius]

---

Mentions:
| Gaius Danius Griinia (Kevin) | Spoiled Bread (Velvet) | Skyswimsky (Aiko)| Tau (Aimi) | Gwen_Temi (Helena) |​

---

Desmond's head perked up suddenly upon hearing Helena's spellcraft resume, as his feathery tail began wagging excitedly. "OOOOOOOH!" the raptor cooed, while his pupils expanded in indomitable interest, "Youz can summon things too? Desmond is pleased and impressed to see fellow summoner!" While Helena seemed to downplay her abilities - though whether or not this was true or a humbling gesture was not quite known to him at this point - the fact she referred to Desmond as the more "talented" one was certainly a first for him. He wasn't used to being part of the "big boys", but he certainly wasn't going to deny the satisfaction given off it. That being said he didn't recall seeing her during the summoning class at the Ethereal Luminary... did he? Probably not, but he wouldn't be too surprised if she was one of the new students. "Yeah!" Desmond grinned, clenching his claws in determination as she told them how their combined summoning powers would help protect them, "Desmond agrees! Two buddies always better than one! We'z will show themz, yez yez!"

Kevin also had access to magic, in his case being able to breathe fire from his mouth like a dragon. While he wasn't quite certain he wanted to eat gnomies, let alone any sentient being, he nevertheless was excited to see what he could do with his flame tongue. "Fiya magic!" he cawed aloud, "Very nice! Very nice! Gnomies will feel the burn, hahaha!"

Listening to what Kevin had to say about these 'gnomies', it was clear the lizardfolk had an unquestionable hatred towards them. These small humanoids - about as tall as Desmond - were highly intelligent and crafty, being known to make magic tools to aid in their greedy business ventures. Apparently they also higher ogres and orcs to act as guards for their operations to make up for their lack of strength. Together, they seemed like a dangerous combo that made up their respected weaknesses and enhanced their respected skills to a tee. "Mmm, yez. Desmond understands now." the raptor replied to Kevin, "Gnomies are short n' smart, but weak. Gnomies employ guards to compensate them being weak. But gnomies also tinkerz in magic..." He then laughs at the thought with a confident cackle. "Ha! They don'tz seem too bad! Gnomies will feel the wrath of the great and mighty Desmond! Yez! And they stand no match against all of us! Desmond is sure of it!" He'd then strike a confident pose, in an attempt to make himself look cool. Whether or not that succeeds for a 3 foot tall "chicken", was up to the others' interpretations

Helena would then ask how everyone fared in a fight, in which Desmond rose to the challenge. He bared his teeth, raised his clawed hands, and tapped his sickle toe-claw on the hardwood floor. "Desmond can GUT tiny gnomies easy!" he boasted with a fearsome display, as his feathers puffed out to make him look bigger, "But Desmond can heal too! If friends need healies, Desmond will gladly provide, yez."

 

[Tau]

Aimi

​

Gaius Danius Griinia Spoiled Bread Develius Skyswimsky Gwen_Temi​

Aimi watched as the tiny lizard man defaced a piece of fine art. As someone who generally appreciated order and structure, it felt wrong, but being the ever practical sort she was, didn’t bother to stop Kevin. In the end, she wished she had, as the drawing was clearly more of a crude, emotionally-driven caricature than the technical breakdown she’d hoped for.

At least Kevin’s words were somewhat useful.

Aimi replied to Kevin and Halena together: "I was trained more for social engineering and global warfare, however, this should be a reasonably effective solution for handling scuffles." Reaching into a large bag she’d been carrying, Aimi revealed a thick device made almost entirely of shiny glass, which looked far too large to be a pistol, but too small to be a full-fledged cannon.

The way Aimi had spoken the word ‘scuffles’ had a special tone-deafness about it, as well. The fun, playful word was echoed back with a cold, matter-of-factness that made it sound completely unnatural.

She stole a side-glance at Desmond. He didn’t appear especially strong, but animals often had hidden mechanisms of defense… maybe there was something there. Aimi herself likely appeared small and frail in this fleshy human body, mostly because… well… she was. "It’s good we have a medic if needed. I think the next step would be to head out and gather more detailed information. Obtaining these magical trinkets you mentioned would be of special interest."

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Velvet

---

Velvet didn't really bother to even lift up her head from her pillow as Aimi checked her fangs, she would indeed see a pair of longer than normal fangs inside. Though with Velvet's head on the table most people with normal height wouldn't even notice it due to the angle even when she talks. The vampire would stay silent as she observed the party until Aiko asked her capability.

"I guess I will handle the physical scuffle then." She said, a bit surprised that the request actually gathered a more casters rather than fighters.

"Also Kevin... You haven't tell us how your friend looks like." She pointed out. This was her second rescue mission and while her first mission was simply to save as much people as possible, this one they only needs to save one so they should at least know the name and the looks of the person they're going to rescue.​

 

[Skyswimsky]

Aiko

< Human > | < Mundane >

Aiko instinctively took a step back as the colorful group continued with their vibrant explanations. Until now, she had tried to ignore it. But Aimi paraphrasing her genocide was the final straw...

Don't ask questions.
Don't be curious.
Don't think too much about it.
Scales, fangs, feathers, ... it was still very different from cold steel!

"I..." The young woman tried to find the proper words. This was not the time or place to deeply consider the choices of her short life, nor make a scene...yet! She was supposed to feel excited talking about herself, too! So why did it become such a headache? "500..." Aiko murmured to herself, before giving a deep sigh. "I used to be able to do a lot of stuff before, uh, arriving in this world. It's still unsure what I can do, but there is this!" Pulling out a small gem, Aiko socketed it into a small indentation at the backside of her glove. She sighed, not feeling too happy about the current situation.

"Nn num wa linen."

Her voice sounded rather detached as a small blade seemingly made out of pure 'energy' materialized around her hand. "This body was created to protect, so I'll be on the front lines!" The enthusiasm usually followed by a sentence like that was certainly lacking. A definitive lack of 'care' as if read from a script by a bad voice actor.

"Say, Kevin..." Aiko then added. She wasn't sure if he had answered or just ignored her. "Why was your friend captured, again? And if they're as diplomatic as you describe, did you try talking to them?"

 

[Gwen_Temi]

Helena Rugerd
​

Oddly enough, despite claws, fireballs and fangs amidst the group, it was Aimi's gun that caused her eyes to widen.

Bit of residual shock from a past life, perhaps. She'd seen some rifles floating about, but that thing? Well, truthfully, it looked more like a nailgun than a sidearm but it still stood out amongst the group. Either way, Helena felt satisfied with the arms that party had been carrying. But some of the things that Kevin had been explaining to the group began to pain the gnomies in a... far different light than she'd been anticipating when she first read his ad.

"It is best to be prepared for a battle, but I begin to wonder if guns-a-blazing is the best way to approach this rescue mission. You said that these gnomies... they actively trade with the people of Widersia, right? Enough so that the guild, itself, might have a reason to want to protect these creatures..."

A long pause as Helena thought the situation over. These gnomies were sounding less and less like wild goblin and more like, well, actual people by the second. The thought didn't deter her from wanting to complete the mission- bandits were plenty human and no one lost any sleep over ending their lives on an adventure, after all- but it did open up a few possibilities in her mind.

Aiko mentioned trying to talk to the gnomies, and Helena would add to that thought.

"Good point. D'ya think that we could just walk up and ask the gnomies what the price of Kevin's friend is? It almost sounds like we could just... buy him for the right price." at least with the current image of these creatures that hung in her mind, "These creatures seem... far more civil than I was initially expecting, to be frank."

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Kevin and the Gnomes

Kevin was displeased that there were those in the group who suggested TALKING to the gnomes as if asking them for his friend back was on the table. At first the lizardkins face was stuck in a frown as he thought at length about the evil gnomes who had stolen away his only companion. Yet the moment Velvet asked what his friend looked like. He decided to go back to his jar of strawberry jam. Unfortunately he had run out writing down the information on gnomes. Luckily he found some grape jam among the things Giselle brought in so she could restock the snacks later. Once again drawing things on the wall to the dismay of Giselle. His latest scrawling looked like a big ball of fire with a grumpy face. "Kevin friend is magic elmental from flamey flame dimension. He very good for cooking Kevin food and he make wolves go away when Kevin have to sleep in the forest" said the lizard like that explained his friend perfectly.

"Kevin pretty sure Gnomies want to use Friend to make magic tool. Kevin just know they trying to pick Friend apart piece by piece to make magic tool. No point in trying to talk to Gnomies, Fren Helena. Kevin TRY to talk, when they grab Friend and take him away. All that happen was that they make big orc hit Kevin until his bones hurt. Can only go there and take Friend back!" cried Kevin, pounding his head against the table as if unable to contain his anguish at his only friend being taken away. Kevin couldn't let this quest reach the higher ups. Compared to the benefits of trading with the gnomes. A single lizard losing his friend could be perceived as a necessary evil given that said friend may not even be considered a sapient being by the laws of the continent. Helena and Aiko likely hadn't ever met a gnome before. Kevin wondered if that meant the gnomes might be able to buy them out with their lies and stacks of coins.

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP

The guild building shook a little as thunderous noise occurred from somewhere outside the guildhall. Giselle the guild receptionist ran into the room with her eyes looking bloodshot. "Kevin! Is this your doing?!" asked the worried woman. There was much clamoring from the guild while Kevin was just confused on why the Guild Girl looked so concerned. The fall of a tree just outside of the room there were in signaled that whatever this was must have been a bigger matter than the guild had expected. "No worries friends. Is just other fren of Kevin who owe him favor. Ruins are long way from guild place. Not good to walk there. Kevin secure TRANSPORTATION" chirped the very proud Kevin.

Develius Spoiled Bread Tau Skyswimsky Gwen_Temi

 

[Tau]

Aimi

​

Gaius Danius Griinia Spoiled Bread Develius Skyswimsky Gwen_Temi​

…magic elemental from flamey flame dimension…

Somewhere in Aimi’s mind, the word ‘child’ flashed brightly, and she wondered if this entire question wasn’t just the fanciful imaginations of a creature with the brain the size of a goldfish. Was the money reward play money, perhaps? But Kevin’s fire magic was real enough, so surely it wasn’t all made up?

"If these magical trinkets are of good value, it may be more advantageous for our group to apply lethal force to as many as possible," Aimi surprisingly agreed with Kevin. "Determining whether these ‘gnomies’ should be afforded the rights of personhood requires a multifaceted method of classification, and — transitively — requires more data." Nodding slowly, she concluded, "I see no reason to remain here any longer."

As if on cue, something massive approached outside. Without even waiting for Kevin to explain, Aimi rushed out to peer out of the window. It seemed, no matter how fantastical Kevin’s stories appeared, his actual life was every bit as incredible...

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Velvet

---

"I see, so it's a fire elemental." Velvet nodded, seemingly not bothered by the fact that their rescue subject might not even be an intelligent creature. The vampire finally sat straight once the so called transportation outside shook the building and tucked her pillow into a sack. She could feel some hesitation lingering about going against an apparently civil people for the sake of their questionable client. Which was understandable, she heard about the criminal titles a few times and they seemed quite inconvenient and can be quite nasty. Still, maybe she should try saying something.

"Back in my hometown, there's this group that goes around the neighborhood and kidnap people's cats and dogs... Then they kill them, because they think that's the right thing to do and they liberate those pets, they see themselves as the heroes of the story. For outsiders, this is just an absurd event happening that they read on paper, but for those who got their pets taken... It's a very devastating feeling... After all, for those people those cats and dogs are family." Velvet clasped both of her hands in front of her chest while briefly closing her eyes as if she was praying. Hoping her words would at least ease any hesitation.

"I... become an adventurer because I want to help people. Especially those who can't find help anywhere else. If in doubt, you can let me do the hitting." Velvet was aware that her sense of justice was heavily influenced by how hopeless she was in her previous life that she didn't want the people she met to feel the same as what she experienced.

"Let's go, Kevin. The fiery friend must be feeling desperate the longer the time pass."​

 

[Develius]

---

Mentions:
| Gaius Danius Griinia (Kevin) | Spoiled Bread (Velvet) | Skyswimsky (Aiko)| Tau (Aimi) | Gwen_Temi (Helena) |​

---

Seeing Aimi have faith in little Desmond's healing capabilities gave him a boost in confidence. He'll do all he can to ensure his party members were happy and healthy, even though he frankly hadn't had a good opportunity to put them into proper practice yet. Shouldn't be too hard though... and hopefully it wouldn't be needed. Meanwhile, her newfound weapon had fascinated the young raptor; his eyes ogling at the shiny glass weapon of pristine clarity and craftsmanship. "Purty thing!" Desmond commented excitedly.

In regards to Kevin, he also mentioned that his friend happened to be a fire elemental of all things. "Desmond assumed Kevin's friend be fellow lizardfolk too." he replied with a curious whine, "Not what Desmond expected, but Desmond still curious, yez!" The bard had only the basic knowledge regarding the elementals of this world; though he knew enough to know they were beings of pure magical prowess called upon by the world. A fire elemental was useful, indeed, but also potentially dangerous if their powers were left unchecked. In the wrong hands they could certainly do some major damage... something which the gnomes would no doubt attempt to conjure for themselves.

How terrible!

It was clear how Kevin lamented in his friend's capture, pounding his head on the table and cursing out those terrible gnomies. Desmond knew time was of the essence and that they needed to move quickly. "Don't worry friendo!" the raptor called out with a series of friendly chirps and gurgles, "Desmond and folks shall help rescue Kevin's hot friend from the clutches of those dastardly gnomies! Swearz it!"

Then as a thunderous noise reverberated through the guild hall, Desmond yipped in surprise as he jumped a good six feet in the air. What he assumed was a threat turned out to be one of Kevin's other friends that would act as transportation towards the ruins. He was relieved they didn't have to travel however long on foot, though regardless he was eager to get moving. "Lez go! Lez go!" Desmond chanted eagerly as he raced towards the guild hall's exit, "Onwards to save friend of Kevin!"

 

[Gwen_Temi]

Helena Rugerd
​

"Ah," Helena replied as Kevin elaborated on his last encounter with the gnomies, "Well, fair enough then."

With their conversation seemingly coming to a close, everyone seemed to be reaching a general consensus. Perhaps these creatures could be reasoned with, perhaps not. Perhaps moving with lethal intent was the only way to rescue Kevin's friend. The only thing that was quickly becoming certain was that they weren't going to fine an answer to any of these questions by lingering in The Guild Hall any longer.

"Agreed. Let's get a move on and scope out the situation with our own eyes."

She would move out with the others when they were ready. Hopefully whatever transportation that Kevin was able to get his hands on would provide them all with a comfy ride.

 

[Skyswimsky]

Aiko

< Human > | < Mundane >

Aiko somewhat knew what Kevin tried to define with Fire Elemental. Though did not understand what the big deal was, until the Sleepyhead's comparison to a pet! "Oh..." The young 'hero' let out in understanding- "Oooohhhh.....! Now I understand. But of course! Those villainous villains have taken your pet in a display of power and abuse of the weak!" Unlike before, Aiko now sounded quite excited and motivated to help Kevin again.

"Fear not, dear friend! We shall make haste and rescue your friend in haste! I may allow them one more opportunity to explain themselves, but Justice will be swift." Aiko didn't even care about the money, but with her supposed-to-be morals now better aligned it certainly felt easier to PUNISH those criminals!

Much like the rest of the group, she followed after, making haste before they dared 'kill' Kevin's pet!

 

[Gaius Danius Griinia]

Kevin Provides Transportation

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH

The colossal beast outside the guild hall stood taller than building itself. Covered in shaggy white fur that looked scraggly yet soft to the touch. Stomping against the ground with its massive hooves, the ground continued to rumble. Atop its head were a pair of curled yellow horns that looked like they could punch holes in cliff faces. Two large yellow eyes, devoid of any discernable intent looked around at everything without ever locking onto the same thing. There was no doubt about it, this creature was some kind of capra in appearance but anything beyond that was just speculation. Its horns suggested goat but the shaggy fur was closer to ibex than anything. As if the whole thing wasn't a crazy enough image. The creature began eating the trees surrounding the guild, slowly crunching the leaves between its teeth. Adventurers warily held their weapons up as a perimeter was formed around the goat beast. A closer inspection would reveal the thing had some kind of massive and elaborate saddle/foundation on its back, a lone structure sitting atop that foundation.

Spoiler: TRANSPORTATION

Kevin wandered out of the adventurers guild and toward the massive animal. He was warned to stay away by a large man in armor but the lizardkin ignored him to continue his approach. Although both of its eyes struggled to focus on Kevin. It was obvious that it was somewhat familiar with him given that it immediately sat down with a THUD. "Frens, is safe now. Kevin pretty sure Tonkis not eat you.... well Kevin THINKS Tonkis no eat you" said Kevin while waving to the group who had undertaken his quest. Pressing his face against the shaggy coat of the colossal Tonkis. Kevin began to bury himself into the beasts side as if desiring to disappear for a while within the confines of such a strange beast. "How can we be so sure this....Tonkis.... is safe?" asked Giselle, who was doing her best to get a handle on the situation. Tonkis was by no means just a simple animal. He was capable of punching holes in the ground with his hooves, shaking guild hall just by stepping and was literally EATING THE TREES. Many of the adventurers were still incredibly wary of Tonkis, continuing to keep their vigilance despite Kevins assurances that he was safe.

"Not even if I give my seal of approval?" said a voice from atop the furry behemoth. Kevin took a second to pull himself from Tonkis's fur to look upwards. Standing on a wooden foundation with a red muffler flowing in the breeze was a man wearing white robes, a pointed hat sitting on his head. Giselle was confused who this random guy even was and what authority he had to approve this big goat thing. "Pardon me....but would you happen to be that A-Rank?" asked Iluna, the rookie receptionist. The gathered adventurers began talking amongst themselves. "An A-Rank adventurer?......one wearing a funny hat?..........It couldn't be.......Why would he be out here in the sticks?" murmured the crowd, some among them beginning to stare at the man in awe. "WIZARD! Kevin has to rescue friend! Stop making faces at Guild Girls and give Kevin ride to ruins!" yelled the stinky lizard, who got quite a few stares for talking like that to a supposed A-Rank Adventurer. Tonkis turned his large head to burp at Kevin, his breath almost as retched as whatever Kevin rolled around in. "Tonkis is right... Kevin forgot his weapons....FRENS, KEVIN BE RIGHT BACK!" said Kevin while scurrying off to a nearby dumpster.

Spoiler: The Wizard

Develius Tau Skyswimsky Spoiled Bread Gwen_Temi