Graded [Terask Village] A Village in Need, return of Trolls

[Skyhunter]

Within the Capital City of Ryken

​

During the waning hours of the late night, there was movement in the shadows, a large beast that resembled a dog or possibly a bear ran through the streets, moving to walls and placing fliers on the walls that was covered in slobber before moving onto the next, the parchments placed on the walls had neatly written text from a distance. Reading up close it was the handwriting of an experienced blacksmith, although the words were that of a very vulgar man, not afraid to speak his mind. On this note it read this:

"Hello reader, you dumb bastard, to whoever it is fucking concerning, I am in need of help and would like assistance with taking a transport of weapons to a village in need of them, this village has been dealing with troll bastards and are in need of weaponry, armory and numbers. If you are very much interested in this endeavor, come to the Bastard's Bastard forge within the mid-city of Ryken. I'll be fucking waiting for you there, be here by the late afternoon or don't. I'll leave you whether you like it or not. - Rossle Deva. PS: No nobles."​

A very... Colorful man Rossle was, but he was very well known and was also known to pay very well. He was a legend among both warriors and blacksmiths alike, his mastery with the forge was enlightening, it was said he could flip metal unlike any other, the weapons he forged were nearly perfect. He would have to intentionally make a mistake in order to create a flaw in the weapon or armor he produced. His creations were almost God-like, despite his attitude and actions, while he was a very detestable man and very ornery.

Rossle's Forge at the Bastard's Bastard

​

Within the sanctum that was Rossle's forge, there was the sound of a hammer slamming against large and hot metals, the sounds of an exhausted man, sweat beading down his head and face, grunts filled the air with sore limbs of a dwarf. In the middle of this sanctum was Rossle, standing over the hot forge that burned brightly like a star in the night sky. He brought his hammer down on the hot flesh of a sword tip, goggles over his eyes to protect his sight and vision. There were children standing within the forge, waiting with anticipation. Rossle quickly would dip the sword within cool water next to his forge before going back to heating the metal again. Rinse and repeat. Eventually after he finished the sword, the steel sword was ready to be sharpened in which it was, the sword was ready to be ornamented, in which it was, just for it to be wrapped in cloth and handed to the children that took it to the back and placed it on a large carriage that was full of wrapped weapons and wrapped armor. This went on all night until Rossle's faithful companion, Bulky came back. The large bear dog came padding in, giving a low bark that caught Rossle's and the children's attention. " Bulky! " The children roared and ran over to jump on the massively large dog, climbing on him and hugging him. Bulky had a smirk on his face and gave a grunt to their positive attitude to him. Rossle smiled at his old companion, " Aye, Bulky, you've returned. Done putting those damn fliers up for the bastards to come? " Rossle asked in his low and rough voice, his one eye staring at his companion who gave a heavy bark of assurance.

​

" That's a good boy, Bulky, get some rest, I still have much to do, hopefully any of the bastards come to help. That Regula lass already sent her shipment to Sol County, and even accompanied it. And i'm not sure where Tannia is at, she's gone to the wind. " Rossle went back to crafting a new weapon for the shipment. Bulky gave a loud series of barks, which made Rossle sigh, " I can't wait for the Lass, this favor is needed rather soon. Regula has plans to marry that noble bastard which in turn will make her nobility. I would rather not see her any time soon anyways, Bulky. " Rossle grumbled, in which Bulky gave a condescending whimper. Rossle growled, " No i'm not going overboard with my assumptions and feelings. If she wants to marry that pompous bastard of a County already starting to wane in a starting blight, she can be my guest. She just better not show her face around here is all. " Rossle pointed his hammer at Bulky. " I will refuse to talk to the lass. " Rossle went back to smithing, leaving Bulky quietly to go outside with the children. " Lass was like a daughter to me... " Rossle whispered in a tone of hurt and sadness as he fought with the hot metal before him, a strange tentacle moved over his shoulder onto his arm then disappeared behind him.

As morning came then noon, Rossle was finally finishing the last of what he needed to make, having children place it in a large carriage. Rossle placed his hammer down on his workbench as he walked on into his small house where he got himself a drink of Dwarf's Bastard, his own swill of Dwarven Whiskey from back home, enough to throw a regular man on his ass after a cup. Eventually after he drank a bottle of it, Rossle stood up and stretched, ready for the day, despite being up for days crafting weapons and armor. The children ran in, asking the dwarf for money for helping him, Rossle laughed and chuckled, he had given each child a couple of shillings before they ran off to go buy whatever children bought. Rossle knew he would have to prepare for the day and the long journey to this village in the middle of nowhere that was trying to establish itself as a large settlement. The village of Noghe, Rossle wondered, he heard of some musicians going to help around there and they were able to liberate the village of trolls and even had the trolls help repair the village and create a wall. But something has happened that made them come back and attack the village. He walked on out to his forge to begin cleaning before he would leave later in the day. " I wonder what bastards are going to come along... " He mumbled to himself. Outside the forge the large bear dog, Bulky sat as he watched the children leave, anyone interested in the dog would have to address the massive animal that was Bulky.

 

[saxon]

Kaori Tsuchimakato​

Kaori walked through the capital's dark streets, her shortswords resting on the back side of her hip, crossing one another, a handle sticking out on each side. Her black and white top flapped slightly in the wind, and her mid-riff was exposed as she glanced around. She saw a few people walking about going somewhere until she saw a flyer stuck up on a wall that caught her attention. Examining the flyer, she took note of how the man was speaking. She scratched the back of her head. "No nobles, huh? Well, that part is oddly specific, though why does that name sound familiar?" She asked herself as she pulled the flyer off the wall once she had finished reading it. She knew that it was work, so that intrigued her; plus she was looking to expand her abilities as a blacksmith, and if the man was a blacksmith, she could learn a thing or two. Running her hand through her silver hair for a moment, she folded the flyer, slid it into her top, and walked down the road.

Rossle, Rossle, Rossle, Rossle, She repeated in her head over and over again until she snapped her fingers. "No........way," She muttered as she started to pick up the pace as she rushed down the street. If it was who she thought it was, then she could learn a lot from him. She had returned to the city after doing a small job on the outskirts repairing a small fence, though needless to say that it wasn't well paying all the time. Turning a street, she saw several guards standing off to the side, slowing down to a stop next to them. "Hey, you wouldn't have to know where the Bastard's Bastard is, do you?" She inquired as one of the guards pointed down the street a little way,s to which she gave the nod and took off again.

Slowing down to a walk, she took a few deep breaths as a rough-looking individual walked outside the building nearby a rather large dog, which caused her to stop for a moment, trying to figure out what kind of dog could be that large. Shaking her head, she turned to look at the rough-looking individual, "Is Rossle in? I saw this flyer." Kaori pulled the paper out of her top as she unfolded it and showed him the flyer. "I was directed here; I was hoping to take the job and learn a few things about blacksmithing," She informed the man as she waited for his response.

mentions: Skyhunter

 

[NeramoDJI]

Matt

​

Matt was simply following the quest posted in the adventurers guild, walking down the road with his bow and quiver strapped to his back, and a satchel with him of just general adventurer supplies. He saw the store down the alleyway, simply checking his flier from the adventurers guild and continuing down towards the Bastards Bastard. He didn't really get why the ad had so much profanity, but he guessed that was just a quirk of the poster, so he shrugged it off for the most part. Instead of letting things get to him, he had to keep taking quests and getting stronger, he had to keep up with Michael and the rest after all.

So he continued to the shop, seeing that there was an absolute CHONKER outside, we're talking a massive UNIT, a LARGE LAD, a rather SIZABLE doggy outside. So he waved a little at it, before walking into the store, figuring this was the right place. He saw someone else was in there already, deciding to sit there and wait his turn to talk, raising an eyebrow as she asked about the man, figuring that if this was the right guy, a whole load of swears were about to spill from his mouth, whether angrily or casually.

"Uh, yeah, I'm just here for the quest you posted up." He summarized, not really figuring he'd need to talk much during this, since he didn't really think his company would be appreciated or wanted.

 

[_Yang]

MYR
With Myr's decision to pursue an adventurer's life, he no longer needed to wake up so early in the morning. He had the luxury of being able to finally sleep in for once. Instead of getting up just before th crack of dawn, Myr found himself lying in bed an hour before noon. Though obviously disheveled with a head full of unkempt hair, Myr couldn't deny the fact that he felt fully rested. It was quite a way to start his day. Up and about, with a mouth full of dried meat, Myr faced the day with a joyful grin and eyes brimming with excitement.

Myr was a self-proclaimed adventurer for the day, but he had little to no idea how he would start. Logic dictated that he head over the adventurer's guild but destiny had other plans. Carried by a light breeze and making its way across his face was a crumpled piece of paper. It was a bit damp in some parts and had a musky sort of smell, but that did little to bother Myr as he was too preoccupied with what was written on it.

He smiled as he wiped his face clean of whatever substance the piece of paper was covered with. "Rossle Deva, huh?" Myr could only imagine what he would be like in person, but he definitely appreciated how he was straightforward and did not mince words. "Guy's probably a character, but a transport mission doesn't seem that bad." Myr contemplated and took into consideration his inexperience. "And helping a village in need does sound like a good first mission. How could I say no to that? Myr spoke to himself as he smiled. Seeing as he decided to head for the Bastard's Bastard, he obviously failed to foresee the actual degree of difficulty of the task he was hoping to apply for.

Outside the forge, Myr had an unexpected encounter; a massive dog. I mean, if you could even call it a dog. Although intimidating and towering to some, Myr found the creature both majestic and cute. Apparently, he had a soft spot for dogs. Pulling out a strip of dried meat from his bag, Myr reached out and offered it to the furry canine before slowly approaching it. "Hey there, buddy. Want a treat?" Myr unconsciously arched his shoulders, lowered his head, and kept his staff-wielding hand behind him. Hopefully the smile on his face made him appear as non-threatening as possible.

If the dried meat was to its liking, Myr had hoped that he could go for a head rub, but he wasn't that naive. He'd been bitten before, but that wasn't stopping him. It just meant he had to be cautious.

"Periculo Sensu." He whispered. If things turned south, Myr would at least have some time to react.

Ability Used:
Periculo Sensu - Precognition F, Focus F, Sixth Sense (Danger) F, Energize F - Myr calms his mind to foresee incoming attacks immediately around him, thus giving him the opportunity to properly react to them quickly. - Grade F - 0 Post Cooldown

 

[Skyhunter]

Rossle's Forge within The Bastard's Bastard



Bulky


​

The large bear dog would be waiting for people, surprisingly there was a large line of people that was forming quickly, and Bulky was the one that would allow them in. One by one, Bulky would growl and bark if they weren't allowed in... Which was nearly everyone. Bulky was a great judge of character, his nose was good at sniffing out the intentions of people and if they were good enough to allow through, the bear dog knew what his companion wanted, he knew what Rossle was looking for and who he would tolerate. Eventually came a woman, Kaori. Bulky looked up her up and down, a serious and regal look on his face. He then turned his head to the door where she would be walk into, into Rossle's Forge. Looking back to Kaori he gave a gentle bark then panted happily as he allowed her through. Being the first to go on through. Next person Bulky straightened up and he immediately scared them off with a low growl. Eventually a man with a bow would show up, Matt who stared at Bulky with surprise with his large size. Bulky looked him up and down then looked to the door and gave another gentle bark then pant. Matt was allowed through. Next up was Myr, the blonde-haired boy with an innocent look in his eyes, although Bulky still sat there with his stoic and regal attitude.

Bulky's eyes narrowed at the boy, aware of something being done on him, that Myr had casted a spell that would forewarn an attack from Bulky. But the attack would never come, instead when Myr reached out with his hand, Bulky looked at it then gave it a sniff. He then rested his massive head on his hand giving a deep huff like he was tired. Pulling away he turned his head to the door to indicate to Myr to go through, giving a gentle bark as a sign of his approval. Once Myr walked through, the massive bear dog stood up on all legs and released a loud and echoed bark that would send fear into the hearts of everyone. This made everyone in the line realize they were no longer wanted or needed here and quickly they disbanded. Bulky walked to the forge door and sat at the door, blocking it for people wanting to enter or leave. Mainly for those wanting to enter.

Within the forge room, a figure came out the main house door, placing down a bottle of some sort of liquid within. Out came a stocky dwarf, big and muscular, one eye missing with a covered eyepatch, he had a serious look upon his face, even with one eye he showed his stoicism and coldness. Rossle Deva, the One-Eyed Wonder. Walking up to the three within his forge, he sized each and one of them up. Walking up and forth, ignoring any questions. He first stopped at Myr, while this Rossle was a dwarf, he was pretty tall for a dwarf. But there was something else weird about him too. Something off, just barely. Looking at Myr, he nodded then sighed. " You're green, boy. And I don't mean yah clothes. Yah innocent. " He commented then moving onto Matt. Staring the man up and down, looking over his equipment, " Capable. You have good eyes, son. But that's about all you got. " Rossle scoffed as he moved. He didn't pull his punches. Making his way to Kaori, stopping before her. His eye looked her up and down, then to her equipment then to her hands. His brows raised for a moment as if surprised before he nodded, " You're a beginning blacksmith, lass. Your hands tell the truth. Most interesting. " Despite his one eye, he was still keen on observations, he then backed up and stared at the three before him.

​

" Alright bastards (and lass,) what I am doing today is owing a friend a favor. There is a village to the west called Noghe, they have problems with trolls, not that long ago a group of musicians, of all damnable things, was able to stop these trolls from destroying the village and even had them rebuild it along with a new wall. Weird shit obviously. But lately these trolls have come back. More angry than usual and are now attacking this fortified village. I am not asking you to help me defend this village. I am asking you to help me transport the carriage of weapons and armor to said village. " Rossle explained with crossed arms and a serious attitude. " Bulky seems to trust you lot, in which I will. Bulky here is a great judge of character. Ain't that right Bulkay? " Rossle indicated to Bulky who looked back at everyone for a moment before letting out a yawn then turned his attention out the door. Rossle had a narrowed eye at his companion, " You big bastard... " His eye looked back to everyone, " Anyways, I have also said I pay very well for such a quest. I do not need tell how dangerous the roads are nowadays. While me and Bulky could handle it, we'd rather not fight constantly. Give me your prices and I will see if it's reasonable. " Rossle stared at each of them. " Any questions otherwise we will leave early. "

 

[_Yang]

MYR
Myr's cautiousness was not needed as he easily got to pat the large dog's head with little to no difficulty. As much as he wanted to get more in, let's say a belly rub and some good chin rubs, given the line of people behind him, Myr knew the that this dog was a busy one and still had more to do.

Going through the door, he was surprised to see that apart from himself, there were only two others. Though quiet and giving off stern expressions, Myr still gave each a wave and a smile.

Before he could break the silence and introduce himself, their would be employer made his way into the room. The moment Rossle spoke, Myr could immediately appreciate the command his voice held. His words were crass but did little to tarnish his presence. Even after feeling surpised by Rossle mentioning his inexperience, Myr could only laugh. "Well, you aren't wrong." He cheerfully replied.

Their briefing of the mission to come was short and sweet, and Myr couldn't prefer it in any other way. He wasn't that particular when it came to commissions since all he ever recieved were predetermined wages.

Raising his hand with his cheerful disposition still evident, Myr grinned before speakong. "Uh, being green, I'll let the rest speak first about the pay. I'll get back to ya later if ya don't mind." He chuckled briefly before continuing. "For now, I just wanna introduce myself. The name's Myr, self-proclaimed apprentice adventurer. Pleased to meet all of ya! Hope we get along!" Turning to everyone, including Bulky, he gave each a friendly nod. Myr was aware that his way of thinking could be seen as naive, but to him, there wasn't anything wrong with hoping for something more ideal.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Matt

​

Matt nodded at the appraisal given by Rossle, no real offense taken by what he said. After all, it was true he wasn't much of a physical specimen aside from his accuracy. And in that accuracy, he had most everyone beat, save for a few. He looked over the dwarf and doggie, figuring the two were a good pair. If nothing else, he had some respectable employers this time around. He listened to the briefing, nodding at any points left open ended to see if he understood, raising his hand when a request for payment was offered.

"I don't have much I'm looking for, just a good word in with the adventurers guild and maybe help building myself a better home. Maybe a better bow if you have the time at some point." He made the request he had, figuring higher standing with the adventurers guild would help him good. He got a decent salary from his various odd jobs, so he didn't really care for any direct payment, more just favors in this case.

"I'm good to leave as soon as you all are ready, the sooner the better." He said with a shrug, hefting up his supply pack, glancing over towards the other adventurer in the room to see if she had any comments before they left, adjusting the bow on his back as he looked towards the girl. The job seemed simple enough, and from what he knew Trolls were slow comparative to most monsters he had fought, so this would be easy pickings for him.

 

[saxon]

Kaori Tsuchimakato
​

Kaori looked down the line as the dwarf spoke; she wasn't sure what to think of the whole situation. She should have known the stories about the man being a dwarf were the truth. But, she never took stories or rumors to be completely accurate. She also couldn't let this opportunity to watch Rossle smith something. Even if it was just a spoon, she knew that she could possibly learn something about how to improve her craft. She dabbled in smithing though she also knew how to make magic catalysts. When the dwarf reached her and mentioned her hands, she looked down though her fingers were the only visible part of her hand as the rest was covered with a glove.

Nodding her head in agreement, "I have dabbled from time to time at my father's forge, though I can only learn so much from a small town where I was born." She explained with a shrug of her shoulders as her blue eyes scanned the room as Rossle started to explain the request. Why would trolls attack a fortified village? That would be stupid even for them, she thought to herself before letting out a small sigh thinking about the whole issue. She then turned her attention to the two as they started to introduce themselves and she took a mental note of their names.

"Kaori Tsuchimkato, aspiring smith, artificer, and sometimes adventurer," she introduced herself as she folded her arms across her chest before pondering pay. "As for pay, just enough to cover any supplies I use while on the quest and some smithing lessons. I can't let the opportunity to learn from a master smith pass me by," she explained, nodding her head as she adjusted the pack on her back. "But, I'm ready to leave when you all are," She concluded.

mentions:
Skyhunter
NeramoDJI
_Yang

 

[Skyhunter]

Rossle's Forge within the Bastard's Bastard

​

With crossed arms, Rossle looked at the young Myr, he was for sure green, even laughing when mentioned that he was inexperienced, Rossle knew not to underestimate others. Rossle had a face of someone unimpressed and unamused with his attitude, giving a huff as he laid his eye on the young lad, " You'll get some chin hairs after this, lad. " Rossle stated, " Maybe some on your balls as well. " Rossle got a look from Bulky, " What you looking at, Bulkay. " The dog then looked away, facing back outside. The dwarf heard what Matt suggested, " A recommendation and a bow? Aye, I can do that. If you are able to stick this through to the end. I'll make you a great bow. " Rossle promised the archer. " And through this journey, I'll see your skills out in the field. " Then his eyes fell upon the young Kaori who stated she had some smithing lessons from her small town, which he thought was the case. Her mention of money for supplies and maybe lessons made the blacksmith raise a brow, " Lessons? I'll have to think about that. I don't just give lessons to anyone. But hearing that you're from a small town and not some entitled noble bastard's ivory tower puts you in a better position. Survive to the end of this and I may teach you something. " The dwarf proposed.

​

Rossle then waved them to follow him, " Bulkay come on. Now then, I'll show you the transport you will be protecting. " Rossle took them through his workshop, many weapons and armor on display for them to look and see, they were expertly made. The workshop smelled of heat, coals, steel and oil. Taking them through his workshop, Bulky was keeping an eye on the three, making sure they didn't try to swipe anything they could get their hands on. Going through, they would reach a door that lead to the back of the the workshop, Bulky growled and ran pass the group in very quick strides, being so large he was fast. " Ah damn. Someone is trying to steal something. " Rossle growled, " Damn bastards. " The dwarf quickly walked outside where the large carriage was standing, having no horses on the front, ready to get going. But there was a couple of beggars that were holding two large swords that they could barely wield, Bulky had blocked their way out and was growling at them. His eyes full of anger and bloodthirst. The two beggars looked terrified as they backed off. Turning around them would see Rossle and the small group of adventurers. They looked sympathetic and scared but quickly tried to turn on Bulky, thinking their best way of getting out of this is to attack the large bear dog that could tear them to shreds. Bulky's eyes turned black as he bared his massive teeth ready to rip these beggars apart. They immediately stopped and backed away. Then the swords flew out of their hands and towards the group. Rossle had his hands extended out and caught the blades. " Alright you two bastards, get out of 'ere before I have Bulky here have his lunch. " Bulky backed off as well as his eyes turned back to normal. Rossle moved towards them with the two large swords raised, " Or maybe I'll cut you down instead. " The two gasped out of fear and quickly ran pass Bulky, doing their best to get far away from bulky as they did.

​

Bulky huffed and looked at Rossle as he walked up to the large bear dog, " You alright Bulky? I wouldn't let them do anything to you, old friend. " Rossle had a smile on his face, although the group couldn't see it, they could hear it on his voice, he even pronounced Bulky's name correctly. Bulky looked happy as he licked Rossle on his face in which Rossle moved his head away quickly, " Eoooooooh! You damn bastard! " The dwarf yelled and complained, although it was in a joking manner in which Bulky sat down panting, he had a smile on his face. Rossle let one sword go, having it float in the air as he wiped his face of dog saliva. " Alright, you big bastard. Better get ready to pull the cart. " Rossle moved to the back of the large carriage, placing the blades back into it, it had a large tarp over the back of it to make sure the contents inside were concealed and wouldn't fall out. There were seats on the back of the of the carriage for them to climb in and sit together and keep an eye on the payload. " And you two bastards and lass, get in the back, we are leaving now then. " Rossle and Bulky moved to the front in which Rossle hooked Bulky up to the front to pull the large carriage. When they got in and ready, they began to move quickly, Bulky being able to pull carriage like it was nothing, making their way through the city, they would get looks from people, some looked rather shady and a few guards. While the cart was definitely a beacon for any cutthroats to steal, they wouldn't dare with a large bear dog and the notorious Rossle, even with the three on the back. This was a great time for them to get to know each other as they moved through the city. Although, they would notice that they were being followed by some black leathered men.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Matt

Matt nodded in response to the affirmation given by rossel, adjusting his bow to be a bit more comfy. He began to walk after Rossle as they began to leave smiling a bit as his big ol' bunny ears twitched on his head. He had no intention of stealing anything, since it seemed like Rossle was going to make him a new bow anyways, so it's not really his interest in taking anything. So instead, he looked at the large dog, chuckling a little bit at how cute it seemed to be. It was evidently awfully loyal, so a companion like that was something Matt almost felt a bit of envy for. But oh well, they'd probably been together for a very long time to have something like that. Matt was just here to kill trolls and move a caravan to a town. And that, he could do easily.

When Bulky broke into a sprint, Matt quickly side stepped, letting the dog pass by him. He heard Rossle say someone was trying to steal, drawing his bow and notching an arrow, moving after Bulky to assist in any way he could. He saw the two weak beggars with the blades, huffing a bit as he thought they might give up. However, when they turned towards bulky, he quickly focused up, focusing an arrow towards them ready to loose it. He wasn't one for killing humans for the sake of animals, but he wouldn't just let them hurt his current employers companion. Maybe an arrow through a hand or foot.

However, it seemed he didn't need to step in at all, as the dog scared the two off, followed by Rossle retrieving his blades from them. He knew the dwarf had it handled, but kept his arrow notched even if he wasn't pulling the string actively. He watched the men run off, huffing a bit as he slid the arrow back in his quiver, slipping his bow back around his back. He figured that was all pretty easy, smiling at the two before he hopped into his seat.

Matt was relatively quiet at the start, humming a bit to himself as he looked at the others in the carriage, before looking up near where Rossle was. "Hey, would we need to look out for those folks in black?" He asked, using his Ranged Appraisal on the men as they traveled, figuring it was the right thing to do, a sublte silver glow flashing in his eyes as he did the appraisal.

He would probably ask the others about themselves once the pressing matter was finished.

 

[saxon]

Kaori Tsuchimakato
​

Kaori was curious about the full extent of Rossel's skill; from what she heard, he was not something to take lightly. He was considered second to none when it came to smithing great weapons. Even if she could learn a fraction of his skill, she would still be better off than most blacksmiths. "Yes, lessons," she responded, nodding her head as he told her if she survived, he might teach her something. "Well, you might have to throw me in the hottest forge to get rid of me," she smirked as she jabbed her thumb in her chest. Glancing around the forge itself was impressive she wonder just how many years he had to work to get to where he was currently.

She wasn't averse to hard work; she had worked in her father's forge from a young age. So hard work was not something she was unfamiliar with. Though she was a little offended, the blacksmith wouldn't give her an answer at the moment. Pushing that to the back of her mind as the dwarf mentioned it was time to go and started to lead the group out the door toward the wagon when the bear dog growled and rushed ahead of the group. When Rossel said it was someone robbing the cart, she reached back to one of her swords, but the situation was handled in a few moments.

"Huh, I expected a bigger cart or something more covered since we are transporting weapons," Kaori mentioned as they were directed to get in the cart. She just shrugged her shoulders and got in the back of the cart. As she noticed the shady-looking individuals, she rested one of her hands on the hilt of her sword. "So, since we are all in this mess, we should probably figure out what we specialize in," Kaori suggested as she looked at the other person in the back. "I'm a warrior by trade and blacksmith like Rossel, though not even close to his level of craftsmanship," she concluded.





mentions:
Skyhunter
NeramoDJI

 

[Skyhunter]

Ryken Market District

​

" Oi, lass, keep your comments to yourself. " Rossle sounded a little annoyed by Kaori's comment of the cart being bigger. But Matt's comment caught the Dwarf in a chuckle. " That would be the Leatherguard. " Rossle then sighed, his large companion looked at him from the front, " Don't worry Bulky, we can and will deal with them soon. For now, the two still standing need to be educated of how Ryken operates. " Rossle explained. " Alright, little hostory lessons you two. A long time ago, when Ryken was starting up and becoming the city it is. There is a large hole just underneath the ground we are on, underneath it is a city of chaos, debauchery and freedom. The Underbelly. It is said the hole is made up of a large dragon's ribcage, bigger than this city. The Underbelly goes deep, it is this city twice as big. Instead of a functioning government there are gangs that control certain pieces of the Underbelly. The strongest one was able to take the most, they current control the largest amount of money and love blood sport, The Blooded Guard. They have a champion known as Auregnog, The Bloody Defiance, The Champion, and other dumb nicknames. Anyways, the Leatherguard... " Rossle said the word with disgust.

" The Leatherguard is the second biggest gang. They aren't exactly the best in anything besides numbers. They use their name of being the second best to lure in dumb bastards who are looking to make a name for themselves or gullible enough to join for money. They wear black leather armor as their MO and aren't exactly scary. But they do overwhelm which is what puts them in a different league than other gangs. They have a few members that are strong and power, some sort of leadership to show the grunts that it isn't a scheme. Which it is, easily. Their cares nothing for anything else except what she wants. " Rossle sounded bitter. " With that being said, their gear and equipment is pathetic. Their leather is hard which gives the illusion to anyone joining who doesn't know anything about armor that it's strong as steel while in reality, it's brittle like dried clay. Although because of how bad their gear is they tend to use poisons, so watch out. Cheap pay, cheap armor, cheaper weapons. Which is why they want MY stuff. " Rossle stated. " They want what I create because it's high quality. It's cheaper to steal than to buy from me. Although I would never sell to those bastards. " Rossle growled. " Expect a fight outside the city, you two. They will have numbers. A fight in the city would prove bad for both of us. " The dwarf blacksmith shook his head; he sounded more bitter now. Like something was bothering him. The leather covered men continued to follow the cart through the city, although eventually they would stop and lay off. Eventually disappearing.

Upon inspection of one before they disappeared, Matt would be able to inspect one, his appraisal giving him a look into their gear. He would find out a lot of what these guys were carrying.

Leatherguard Grunt

• F Grade Leather Armor - brittle, uncomfortable, although cool to look at
• F Grade Iron Dagger - A poor excuse of a dagger, tacky and looks like the blade will break off
• F Grade Iron Sword - Chipped, worn, poorly taken care of
• F Grade Poison - Poison that was created crudely, infects bloodstream and kills within, can make target's movements sluggish, weaken their attacks or even result in death
• F Grade First Aid - A small kit that has antidotes, bandages and herbs. Not the best properly created.

Ryken Countryside



As they left the city limits and began to travel onto the countryside, there was no problems so far, the country was beautiful and looked rich with good camping places and creeks that most likely contained fish. The cart vibrated with each turn of the wheel, Bulky moving them at a quick speed. Making sure they were moving faster than the speed of a whole carriage of horses, he was strong, magnificent, deadly. Yet he was a comforting presence to have on your side, he was smarter than other mindless beasts, almost like he had a foresight to danger. And speaking of danger, Matt would begin to notice figures following them in the distance behind them. Figures in dark clothing on horses, as they got closer, they would be in black leather garb. Before Matt would say anything, the cart would slow down and eventually stopped, Bulky was growling lowly. In front of them, there would be a line of about ten Leatherguard, there were nine grunts and one bigger looking man, wearing actual steel armor, although it was darkened steel. They were on foot as the blackened steel man stepped forward just as Bulky got himself undone from the carriage. The horsemen caught up, there was seven that approached, they hopped off their horses and readied themselves as they approached. " Alright. Give us the armor and weapons. " One of them announced, smiling. " And we may let you live or even join the Leatherguard. Except the girl over there, we may actually let you live if you get on all fours. " He joked as the seven of them began to laugh. " Help us take down Rossle and his dog. We could make decent leather from a pelt that big. "

Rossle growled as hopped down from his seat as a sword flew out of the carriage, a large great sword that looked like it was of dwarven descent, it was scarred and seen a lot of wear. There were even old bloodstains on the steel. The dwarf stepped up with Bulky by his side who was baring teeth and growling like a rabid bear. Rossle placed a hand on the bear/dog's back who stopped growling and instead sat down and waited for his partner's command. Rossle laid the sword he held on to his shoulder, staring down his opponents. The steel cladded Leatherguard was holding a large mace, he stood at about seven feet tall. " Rossle Deva. The One-Eyed Dragon. " He announced for all to hear even the others in the back of the cart. " Give us what you have, and you'll be taken alive to Resheb. She has been wanting to see you since your guy's... Fallout. " The man was chuckling. Rossle was not amused by that statement. " Tell your whore to come face me herself next time. " Rossle was not kind with his words, they had malice on them. That statement was not appreciated by the Leatherguard very much it seemed. " Rossle. Do not talk about our mistress like that. " The knight slammed his mace into the ground.

The seven in the back of the cart had their weapons ready, they were getting a bit closer and spread out a bit. " Gonna join us or not? " One of them asked.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Matt

Matt sat in the back, listening to Russle talk about the Leatherguard, scoffing a bit. Quality over Quantity was Matt's way, so things like the leatherguard were just kind of laughable. He didn't like the underbelly, it's very concept was corrupt and vile. However, he wouldn't be dealing with that for now, or likely ever, since it simply wasn't his business. However, if this leatherguard decided they'd be chasing after Rossle, it was his business for the duration of this mission. He smirked a bit at the response from the Appraisal, knowing that he would be able to put every one of them down with a single arrow each.

"So, they're just a bunch of little kids ganging up on a bigger brat in a fight then. Worthless on their own but a little danger when in a big group." He summarized, more for himself than for anyone else. When he saw them disappear, he hummed a bit and notched an arrow, deciding to stay ready for any kind of ambush. However, he didn't need to wait long for the ambush, as the moment they left the gates they were surrounded by leatherguard goons and a big man. Sage decided to appraise the big one, since if he could knock that one down, the rest would likely be easy pickings. So from there, he looked around, wanting to check if there were any leatherguard with bows, since if so, those are the ones he would need to look out for after big man.

"I'm not so sure about that, Rossle here and Beethoven are pretty strong, so even if I joined you guys he'd just beat me right here. So I'll take my chances with the good guys." He responded, keeping his arrow notched as he waited for the appraisal results on the big honcho.

 

[saxon]

Kaori Tsuchimakato
​

Kaori kept her eyes open as the group was driven through the city; she didn't want to be caught off guard. Taking note of what Rossel was saying as well as what her companion was mentioning as well. She wasn't entirely sure of what to think about her current situation; she didn't expect an opportunity like this to happen every day, so she might as well take advantage of it. "Yet the guards let them walk the streets openly; one could think that they worked together behind closed doors," she stated before glancing at some of the armed brigands that were watching them.

Once Rossel said they would probably make their move away from the city, she casually kept her hands on her weapons. She didn't want them to be cautious of her until she was confident they would fight. After all, it didn't do much good to waste energy fighting when you didn't have to do that. "Well, even an army of well-trained soldiers can be overrun by children with knives," she pointed out as Matt mentioned the leather guard. Once the idiots surrounded the cart, she let out a sigh stood up and drew her twin swords, and gave a slight flourish.

"Oh well, I hate to break it to you, but you guys would look much better than me walking on all fours," she retorted back to the man who spoke earlier as they tried to recruit them. "I think I will have to decline that offer," she concluded as she went after the nearest target towards her, "Razor's Shredder," as she attempted to slice through the brigands armor.

Spoiler: cooldowns

• Razor’s shredder - Fighting Style Twin blade E, Penetrating F- Kaori slices through weapons or armor of grade F weapons and armor below deliver. Grade E - 1 post cooldown

mentions:
Skyhunter
NeramoDJI

 

[Skyhunter]

Ryken Countryside



​

Rossle turned his head a bit to look back at what was happening behind him, he saw both Matt and Kaori getting ready to deal with the back assault. Seven of them back there and he had ten in front of him, while sure they were weak, they still outnumbered the two by five. Rossle has dealt with numbers before, and he was more than capable of dealing with all ten of these bastards. While sure he had hired them, he wouldn't allow them to die. Rossle growled a bit, Bulky was baring his teeth at the Leatherguard before them. Rossle looked to his large battle-hardened weapon, his first masterpiece, despite it being in such a state, it still withheld the passages of time. He muttered something and the sword wraped for a moment before it blasted with a layer of black lightning flowing around it. " So be it. " Rossle looked to his opponents. He heard Kaori launch herself forward to attack her opponents. " I will send your heads back to that whore of yours. " Rossle growled with a cold tone on his lips as he pointed his sword at the lead Leatherguard. Upon speaking his one-liner, Bulky launched himself forward with blackened eyes and a ferocity that terrified a couple of the Leatherguard. Bulky leapt into the air and landed on one pathetic goon, crying out in fear as he had already pissed his pants, seeing the maw of the terrifying bear dog. His jaws came around the head of the Leatherguard and crushed down. Gore and blood splattered across the grass, pelting flowers with the red substance. Rossle had chraged forward against three of the Leatherguard who foolishly brought a dagger to a greatsword fight. Rossle swung his sword once and easily cut down two of the guards, one of them had backed up but the lightning that enveloped the sword, sparked off and electrocuted the goon in his head. The man's aura changed and there was a blackened pitch around his body. The one goon turned on his own and began to fight another guard. The knight held his mace on his shoulder as Rossle confronted him while Bulky terrorized the others with their new turned goon.

For Kaori, her attack did surprise their oppressors. the first Leatherguard goon had their head turned as they were laughing at the two, her attack had sliced through brittle leather tunic and flesh. Blood covered her swords as the same substance splattered onto her own tunic. The Leatherguard fell backwards, her swords had slice through bone and flesh on his chest, most likely blood was filling his lungs as he drowned in his own body. The rest of this gang all had surprised looks on their face as they all backed up in a state of fear for a moment before they then pulled out their weapons. " Oi! She just killed Ridley! " One of them cried as they were knelt down beside him. Six were left. One of them charged at Kaori with their sword up high, these men weren't even trained it looked like. Kaori would easily dodge the attack thanks to her speed and these guys being slow. They were raising their sword to strike again but Kaori would block it this time, a loud clang enveloped both their ears, Kaori would get a good look at this man's eyes, they had anger and fear in them. Almost like they were all bark and no bite. " You bitch! " They growled as he pushed Kaori back with his strength. He would attempt a heavy swing but instead, Kaori would be able to beat him and slice his arm, causing him to drop his weapon in which the man backed up, holding his pathetic hand. The others were looking a bit shook as he howled in pain.

A couple of them shook out of it and ran at Matt as one of them yelled, " Kill him before he uses that bow! " Two rushed Matt as they had their weapons ready, the swords had poison dripping off their blades. It seemed that both Kaori and Matt had an advantage over these fools, they almost seemed like they didn't want to fight and were afraid.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Matt

Matt saw the approaching guards, huffing a little bit as he strung back his bow, pointing it towards the approaching guards and firing as he walked away from them, his [Steady Hands] allowing him to both fire and move within the same action, not aiming for lethal and instead aiming for their legs, since in the end while he would kill monsters and animals without a second thought, he didn't like killing humans, and would avoid it wherever possible. Two arrows fired towards the approaching guards, figuring a shot to the leg each would immobilize them enough to be not exactly threats, before turning towards the big one, his eye flashing a silver color as he activated one of his abilities.

[Slayers Eye] (1 Post Cooldown)

As the arrow surged towards the leaders kneecap, intent on a more permanent debilitation for him, since something like that would very likely force the man out of the crime life, and he couldn't think of any better punishment for people like this. After all, that age old proverb of an arrow to the knee and all. "It's not too late for you guys to turn around! I'm really not trying to have any deaths going here! But I don't think the girl or my boss have the same intentions!" He called out to them as he fired his arrows, easily moving while firing with his steady hands.

 

[saxon]

Kaori Tsuchimakato
​

Kaori rolled her eyes as the man spoke to her as the swords clashed together, "I mean, you are the one who started this, you came looking for a fight. If you thought that we would just hand this stuff over, you were wrong about that," she advised as the man had dropped the sword. Seeing as he was now holding his arm, she didn't see him as a threat and moved on to the next closest target towards her. Now drawing both her sword, she turned to help the archer but saw the arrow and figured he would have it under control. However, she would keep an eye out just to be safe.

She then moved to the next person as she swung at him with both of her swords, going for any part of the body she could hit. She wasn't opposed to sparing them if they ran away. But, she wasn't about to let them off easy if they continued to stay here and fight. That was just her thing, though she wasn't about to show mercy if they were still bent on taking things.

mentions:
Skyhunter
NeramoDJI

 

[Skyhunter]

Ryken Countryside

​

Matt's [Slayer's Eye] allowed him to see the weakness of the leader coming for him with wild swings, Matt quickly would dodge from the attack and unleash an arrow that found its way into the leader's kneecap, with a sickening THUNK the arrow melted through shoddy armor, flesh, bone, flesh again then shoddy armor. Causing the man to launch forward and fall onto his back. " OH FUCK! " The man cried out holding his leg trying to not move it, he groaned in pain hitting the ground, " God damn it! AGHH! " The man's yells still weren't enough to stop the others as they kept coming forward, with fear still in their eyes they were still willing to fight. Kaori was still taking on a couple of her own, the Leatherguard she was fighting one that knew how to somewhat fight, blocking each of her attacks although being pushed back, their strikes caused sparks to fly into the air. Eventually the Leatherguard retaliated and fought back, swinging fluidly as his attacks were blocked by Kaori, while he may be better than his compatriots, he still was terrible.

Kaori would hear a yell from behind just as a mangled and torn body flew pass her and rolled across the ground before them, their body was nothing but a bloody mess just as there was heavy panting and huffing, coming from behind, then the large bear dog Bulky landed on the ground that somewhat shook the ground a bit, the appearance of Bulky immediately intimidated the remaining Leatherguard into retreating, backing up slowly with the approaching Bulky. The leader that had their knee shot through with an arrow was trying to crawl away from the slowly approaching Bulky. Bulky stopped on top of them and brought a large paw down on the back of the man who cried out in pain. Bulky growled seeing the other Leatherguard watching, Bulky opened his jaws and clamped down on the shoulder of the Leatherguard and began to rip off flesh and skin, flinging them around as he mauled the Leader in front of the remaining wannabe gangers. They dropped their weapons and quickly ran to their horses where they made their quick escape. Bulky stopped the mauling once the man was dead. Bulky's head and face covered in blood as he turned to looked at Kaori and Matt, sitting down to clean himself. There was walking behind the two, turning to see Rossle walking towards them with blood covering his massive sword as it rested on his shoulder. He held the Knight's bloodied helmet as he then tossed it on the ground before them, " They'll get the message. " Rossle spat on the ground turning to Matt and Kaori. " You two did well. Good job. " Rossle looked at the carriage and saw one of the wheels had been broken from an unsuspecting Leatherguard. " See if they had anything on them, there's a few bodies in the front too. I gotta fix this wheel. " Rossle moved back to the carriage where he began to work on the carriage, trying to get the wheel back on.

Bulky looked at both Kaori and Matt, his eyes were back to normal from the pure darkness they had within them. He looked a bit serious but overall, still had charm to him, despite having blood covering his fur.

 

[saxon]

Kaori Tsuchimakato
​

Kaori Heard as the arrows hit their mark by the shouting and the sounds of the arrows. However, she didn't pay too much attention to it as she was focused on her own fighting. She had to admit the others she had cut down were easier compared to this guy but, even he wasn't all that good. Still, the sparks flew in the middle of combat which only got Kaori more excited as she knew the man was throwing everything he could at her. She heard something smack the ground behind her and the panting and huffing of an animal which she assumed was Bulky as the leather guard started to back up and retreat.

Letting out a sigh as she watched the others retreat before putting her swords back in their sheaths in her lower back. "Well, they lasted longer than I thought they were going to," she stated as Bulky came down on the injured man as she turned to see what was behind her, she saw the mangled body. "Uh, remind me not to get on his bad side," she stated as Rossle started to look over the cart. "Huh, they broke a wheel; well I suppose that puts us behind then," she concluded before going to the nearest body.

Kneeling down, she started to pat the mangled body that was closest to her. She wanted to throw up at the scene of that body; she hadn't seen one this mangled before. However, she was fighting the urge with all her strength before she moved on to the next bodies to see if they had anything important on them.

mentions:
Skyhunter
NeramoDJI

 

[NeramoDJI]

Matt

Matt watched around as his arrow found it's mark, seeing all the bandits scatter in fear, sighing a bit as he put his bow away. He saw bulky get at the person he had wounded, grimacing a bit since he had made an effort to spare them, but sadly his companions had other ideas. He looked over the battlefield, scoffing a bit at some of the gear and deciding to appraise as he went, figuring he'd use that to decide what is worth taking. "Hey Rossle, anything I should be looking for specifically?" He asked, putting a hand on his head and swiping back his ears before they sprung up again.

He walked over to Bulky, giving the dog a few pets on the head before walking towards the front of the cart, starting to move the bodies out of the way without much worry, since he had been buried in corpses once, and this wasn't much different than that. Though, to be fair those were rabbit corpses. He hated the idea of taking lives himself, but since all of these were other people's victims, he didn't really care too much about it. Not blood on his hands figuratively. Literally he had a lot of blood on his hands at the current moment.

 

[Skyhunter]

Ryken Countryside

​

As Bulky accepted the pats from Matt and gave a head wiggle from Kaori's compliment of not messing with the large bear dog, Rossle lifted the one side of the cart with one hand and threw the wheel onto the axel of the carriage, Rossle let the cart fall and looked at Kaori, " Won't take too long. " He walked away to the front, having a small chuckle. He grabbed a small mallet from under the seat in the front then walked back to the wheel, hitting the wheel into the axel to make sure it stayed on. Matt's question arose and Rossle looked up at the archer, " You're looking for any sort of information, if I know the Leatherguard bastards, they may have more patrols set up along the way. These weapons are a great asset for them. But I want to see if they have anything on writing. " Rossle went back to hitting the wheel. As the two checked the bodies, in the back of the cart, the few that the two had defended themselves against had nothing besides weaker weapons and poisons.

Although the few in the front that both Bulky and Rossle had taken out, the bodies were more maimed and torn apart, Rossle's weapon was a devastating one. Its edge cut through steel armor on the knight that had challenged Rossle, both arms were cut off then the head. The other Leatherguard had their bodies mauled and torn asunder by Bulky. The two were a fierce duo together, the knight had a scroll on his body while a mauled Leatherguard grunt had a piece of older parchment that had blood on it a bit. Matt would find the scroll on the knight while Kaori would find the note.

Reading the note read:

Rossle Deva has goods we want, we have information he is creating a large carriage of weapons, armor and other goodies for a town named Noghe. A village that miraculously survived a troll attack, now they need these supplies to make a stand against them and begin their stake as a notable town. You must make sure they don't arrive. I have faith you can kill Rossle, his dumb dog and whatever lackeys he pays. Even if you are unable to stop him, we have more patrols set up along the way. And even a surprise for the washed-out dwarf. Do as you're paid to do. - Jane Leatherguard​

Kaori would see the scroll and notice it's wear, showing its age. It had a strange metal overcoat with blue glowing symbols, upon opening it she would see a weird design layout for what looked like some sort of armor, whether this was Rossle's design, or someone else's was up in the air. Whatever Kaori wanted to do with it was up to her.

​

 

[saxon]

Kaori Tsuchimakato
​

Kaori moved onto the next body, not really finding much on the first one, she picked up the weapon the thug was carrying she could tell that it wasn't that great of quality. So why go through all this trouble to stage an ambush, it doesn't make much sense here. It would have been better to ambush us in the city where they could use the hired guards as well. She thought to herself before checking on the next body when she found a piece of paper. "I think I found something," she called out as she opened the paper and started to read the contents.

"Well, it looks like Jane Leatherguard is the one who planned our little exercise? I guess you could call it. Though she seems to know our route, so I hope there is a different one. They have set up other ambushes along the road as well, though they seem hell-bent on killing us involved," She concluded as she looked over at Matt who had picked up a scroll. "What is in there?" She inquired as she folded the note back up unless someone else wanted to read it.

She still thought the whole situation was a bit strange, though how did they know he was going to take this road, and how did they know the destination? There were so many questions that didn't have answers. But, she had a feeling that they would find them soon enough.


mentions:
Skyhunter
NeramoDJI

 

[NeramoDJI]

Matt

Matt looked around the bodies, shrugging a moment and turning towards Rossle and Kaori, seeing the note she held in her hand. He hummed a bit as she talked about what was in the note, before humming a bit. "Well, I don't know if they have the ambushes along the road per say. If she's some big honcho in this Leatherguard, she might have predicted we'd kill these schmucks and decided to leave that as a red herring." He said, thinking it was better to think safer than underestimate the opponent. However, when he was done with that comment, he took out the scroll, humming a bit as he began to unfurl it a little, before stopping and quickly rolling it back up

He knew magic traps were definitely a thing, so he decided to appraise it first, to make sure he didn't get a face full of fire or poison or something. Better safe than sorry, and he was very much going to use tools given to him by the world. "Gimme a second to read this." He said, holding the scroll and looking it over like he was inspecting it physically to hide him waiting for the appraisal results.

 

[Skyhunter]

Ryken Countryside

​

Rossle's face darkened at the mention of Jane Leatherguard. " She knows. " He whispered, Bulky growled at the mention of the name Jane, the large bear dog ran up towards her and looked like he was going to bite her hand but instead gently took the note from her hands and took it to Rossle who took the note, his brows creased in an arch of anger as he read it over a few times. Looking for anything in particular. " She sends people to die for her. To exhaust and wear us down. Or try to. " Rossle grunted before he spat on the ground. " Get on the cart. We are moving. She will try to wear us down with numbers. Her inexhaustible numbers. I hope you two are ready for the ride ahead. " Rossle growled as he helped apply Bulky to the front of the carriage. Rossle then crumpled up the note and tossed it to the side before jumping up onto the cart.

As they climbed on and continued their way on the road, running over a couple of bodies in the process, the ride became quiet, Rossle then broke the silence after a couple minutes, " What was on that scroll? " He called as he guided Bulky on the road. " By the way, if you have questions, ask them. " Rossle called.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Matt

Seeing what was on the scroll, Matt turned towards Rossle holding it up towards the other in the group. "It's got some blueprints for some super armor or something like that. There's also an invisible ink section that says your tool box has something they want to make it with." He said, offering the scroll over to Rossle for him to look over, walking back over the cart, keeping his bow at the ready now. He now knew there was something to keep himself ready for.

"I'll keep my eyes out for anyone looking like they're suspicious or ambushes. I assume there aren't too many detours we can take to get around the ambushes they have planned." He said as he sat in the cart, keeping his bow at the ready and looking around with a hum, intent on keeping himself at the ready for any fights that might spring up, before looking at his companions. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for the endurance test."