Beneath the Shadows Chapter One: Ancient Fears

[Toogee]

It seemed Chandra took Raelyn by surprise at the mention of marriage. Clearly, the girl was expecting a more fantastical story. Of course, there was more to her life than living happily ever after in holy matrimony. She preferred not to get into the gritty details at that moment; too many demon stories would spoil the mood. For now, there was the matter of meat.

"Mmm, meat is a little tricky on the road, especially if you have to store it. If I have time, I cook beef chunks in a stew. There was one time when we had to pack up and leave immediately. We were all starving, so I quickly cooked some slabs of meat and stuck them inside rolls. It got us out of camp quick enough, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Chanwiches, that's what we used to call them."

Old memories brought bright smile on the shaman's face. It had been some time since she thought of her old group in happier times.

[Rothene]

Caslan's ears perked up at the mention of magic, and like a moth to the flame, the elven mage found himself drawn to the conversation. Picking up his plate of bread pudding with one hand and the stool he was using in the other, Caslan made his way to the table Zeff was seated and sat down.

"Hey Zeff, good to see you no longer holed up in the inn!" the elf remarked cheerily as he started to scoop into the bread pudding with a spoon before continuing facing the two unfamiliar faces, "I'm Caslan Song, forgive my rude intrusion but I heard mention of magic and could not help myself but come here to listen. Please do continue your conversations with each other."

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh! Hello!" Linn said, a bit startled, but nonetheless happy to have more company. Aina didn't seem too interested, but that was fine. She would have time to tell her tales later. As for this newcomer, a question came to her mind, and she giggled slightly. "You're an elf, aren't you? Oh, how lovely~!" She clapped her hands together and almost bounced in her chair. "I'm Linn, a pleasure to meet you. It's always nice to meet more of my own kind...unless I'm wrong, and if I am, I'm terribly sorry!" Her smile faded and turned into worry almost instantly, having forgotten herself or her manners.

[Vestige]

"My, my. That's incredible. I'd love to see what you'd be capable of doing with a tome. Perhaps you could teach me a few incantations, eh?" He laughed at the thought. Magic was an interesting subject, and something he had thought to pursue, but life had led him in a different direction. Had he not found his glove, he'd probably still be at home digging deeper into some magical tomes. But, he took up the sword rather than the tome so he would, for better or worse, be stuck with it.

His attention was diverted when Caslan arrived at the table."Ah yes, well I suppose I have Aina to thank for that," he said rather sheepishly. He was well aware that some of the group looked down on him for being so soft and 'green' in regards to killing. He doubted Caslan was one of them, but the feeling emerged all the same. "Not to worry Linn, he's an elf as well," he added.

At the urging of Caslan, he decided to further pursue his quest for magical knowledge. With two mages seated beside him, now would be a perfect time to inquire about the magical properties of weapons and the like. But first, a question of genuine interest: "Well Caslan, I was talking to Linn about how she 'discovered' her magical aptitude. How did it happen with you? And actually, another question for the both of you would be, how do magical elements get chosen? Because I know you, Caslan, are a water mage. Meanwhile, Linn over here is a wind mage. Is it in fact something that gets chosen, or is it assigned perhaps?"

[Rothene]

"Yeah, I'm an elf," Caslan answered after Zeff. Scratching his chin thoughtfully the elven mage followed up on Zeff's question, "You don't get much choice when it comes to the elements. In my family, water magic is a given, but we still follow the tradition of testing the child for their elemental aptitude as a formality."

Knowing that Zeff might not be aware of how a child is tested, Caslan continued, "It is a tradition that mages go out to tribes and let children hold onto this ball. If the child shows the gift for anima magic, the ball becomes a colour corresponding to the element they have an affinity to. So far I have not heard of anyone with affinity for more than one element."

Turning to a fellow elf, Caslan asked, "So Linn, you discovered your magic before you were tested or after?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Thank goodness," she said, sighing some relief at learning the man was actually an elf, "that would've been incredibly awkward." She laughed a little bit more, before leaning back over to Zeff, beginning another question. "Well, I can't say I'm too sure on that. It probably just differs per person. We've all got that special spark inside of us, right? Ours must simply be water and air. Who knows what yours is? You'd never know until you tried something," she finished with a smile, as she rested her head in her hands.

Caslan chimed in with his own explanation for it, and she was rather interested in it. She had read about such ceremonies, but had never had one herself. It sounded like something she would've enjoyed. "W-Well, I didn't have anything like that, really...I found some books on the subject and tried my hand. I don't want to call myself a prodigy; there are plenty of better mages out there. I'm sure you're one yourself! I wish I did have something like that to have tested myself on. It sounds wonderful." She shyed away from the actual way she had discovered magic, since, Caslan being an elf, would've probably frowned on her for it.

Edited September 5, 2013 by I have opinions

[Snike]

Aaand Lucielle had told the would-be employer how desperate they were for a job. Right well, Adari would be talking to her soon, and Andre would definitely sit in. But that would be later. For now, he'd have to deal with the client.

"No, that won't be necessary. We'll get rid of those beasts, assuming there are any," Andre said, keeping a neutral face. "Anything else?"

***

"A few years," Jacob said, pulling a card out of his pocket. "One of my older brothers taught me how, and I've been playing occasionally since. Helps keep my mind sharp."

[Oersted]

Ernce watched with mild interest as Zeff, Aina and some unfamiliar faces came in from outside, finished watching the spar he guessed. Had they not entered mid-conversation he would've gone over and tried to socialize with them. Other than butting in would simply be rude, he recalled that the last time he butted into a conversation they had immediately been ordered to move against the bandits. He doubted the same thing would happen but he'd also doubted that bandits would've been able to kill his parents and he wasn't willing to take chances. As Ernce looked around for someone to speak with noticed Caslan practicing water magic, but before he could move over to him he'd joined the other conversation.

Looking around the inn again he noticed that mostly everyone in the Harriers was conversing with someone; even Adari and Andre were speaking with someone. "Perhaps they've found work and we can finally move out of this village. A change in scenery would likely help everyone's mood anyway," Ernce thought to himself, glad at the potential chance of leaving the village shortly. That was when he noticed that he wasn't the only one interested in the conversation between the cloaked man and his bosses; one of the other mercenaries, Rayil (or something like that at least), was also listening in. With any luck he wouldn't mind a bit of conversation.

Ernce walked over to where Rayil was sitting and tapped the man on the shoulder. "Hey, mind if I sit with you?" he asked. "Everyone else," Ernce gestured around the inn, "is already talking with one another and I didn't want to intrude on their conversations. Just wouldn't sit well with me, ya know?"

It donned on him that he was being rather pushy and it was likely that Rayil (if that was the right name) didn't know who he was. "I'm pretty bad with introductions," Ernce said sheepishly. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "I'm Ernce by the way," he added as in afterthought.

Edited September 5, 2013 by Oersted

[eclipse]

Storage. I had enough problems hauling supplies when I fled my home. The corners of Raelyn's mouth turned up a bit at Chandra's expression. Good. This is a topic that makes her happy.

"Those chanwiches sound like they'd make decent bar food, and there's nothing wrong with a good stew," Raelyn said idly. "Not that you'd have time to get drunk while on the road! You seem to be a good cook, and fast on your mental feet. Have you thought of opening a bar or restaurant? It's got to be more profitable than wandering with a mercenary group!" The food talk made Raelyn realize how hungry she was.

[scorri]

Xane shook his head. "Like I said. Val will be going with you, to judge if we want to keep working with you after this or not, but I will be remaining here. Kill the monsters, make it back here, and you'll get paid. After that, I'll have more to discuss with you, but for now that's it."

Rayil glanced up, startled out of his thoughts. "Oh, uhm, hi. Yeah, sit down, no problem. I'm Rayil. You just signed up before last battle too, right? How are you handling... everything?"

Edited September 5, 2013 by scorri

[Snike]

"Very well, ready your man who will be accompanying us," Andre said, before turning to Toqua. "Let everyone know we will be leaving within the hour."

[Toogee]

"Hm, perhaps," Chandra replied to Raelyn's suggestion of opening a restaurant. "Then again, there's more to this world than gold. Maybe once I'm done traveling, I'll try that."

Again, Chandra kept vague on her past, preferring to be known as a mere traveler rather than demon slayer. Much as she liked the idea of settling down once more, she would not rest until the cause of the demon menace was found and extinguished.

[Oersted]

"Thanks," Ernce said as he took a seat before continuing, "and I signed up right after you I think," Ernce replied, feeling as though he'd forgotten someone. "I've been handling 'everything' better than most I'd guess. A few of the the other members seem to have taken the loss of a man they barely knew quite hard and, don't get me wrong but, I feel like they're dragging it out longer than it needs to be; although you seem unfazed by it which is to be respected. Anyway..." Ernce gestured over to where Andre and Adari were, hoping to change the subject lest he start ranting about the other members' moods. "You think the guy they're talking to is negotiating a job with them? If he is I hope they accept; we could use a change of scenery none too soon."

[eclipse]

Not a people person, I take it.

"Well, that's fine. Running a place that serves food is a LOT of work! Heh, maybe you could open up your own business as a wandering cook or something," Raelyn stated. "I really do think your cooking is good, and I'm sure there's a lot of hungry people that would agree. Any group that has you as a cook is quite lucky!"

[Rothene]

Caslan smiled and shook his head when he heard his fellow elven mage's reply, "No, it was no where nearly as wonderful as you're trying to make it out to be. Sure it was exciting to discover what element you could wield back then. But looking back, all I remember was the bored look on the mage was was testing us as he commanded us to move quickly to 'get over with it'. And all we did was touch a ball that kept changing colours."

Leaning back on his chair Caslan looked at the human man, Aeson, and noticed the staff by the man's side, "What about you? I see a staff by your side. What was your initiation to magic like?"

[Xinnidy]

Alfonso kept to himself, still waiting for some order or another to introduce himself, probably still a mark from his long years as a knight. He went for his pouch, retrieving a slim book, along with an ink bottle and a quill, figuring he'd indulge himself in some writing in what seemed to be his agenda. He took a look around, assessing the others in the inn, not making much of a reaction otherwise. I wonder how many of these are part of the mercenaries? ...Well, they sure seem a colorful handful. He smiled as he thought to himself, his excitement cooled off, but he was still willing to wait. He returned his attention to writing shortly after, and kept a somewhat attentive ear in case Xane or the other two travelers call for him. From what he could gather, it seemed that Xane was already striking a deal of some sort with the mercenaries. It would be a matter of time.

[Toogee]

Not a people person, I take it.

"Well, that's fine. Running a place that serves food is a LOT of work! Heh, maybe you could open up your own business as a wandering cook or something," Raelyn stated. "I really do think your cooking is good, and I'm sure there's a lot of hungry people that would agree. Any group that has you as a cook is quite lucky!"

"Well, thanks for the compliment," Chandra replied. "Maybe I'll stick around after we leave Celisa if my cooking is that great." She had originally planned on only helping the group until they passed safely out of the republic's borders. She had no plans after that however, so as long as she was welcomed, she would likely stick around.

"Say, it sounds like we have another mission coming up. Should a battle come our way, do you mind watching my back? I'm pretty handy with magic, but I also have a heal staff for emergencies. I think we were both pretty roughed up last battle, so maybe things will be better if we team up in the future."

[eclipse]

"Well, if you think I won't crumble too fast," Raelyn said with a hearty chuckle. "It would be an honor to keep the enemies away from you!"

It's the front line's job to make sure the back line is safe. I wish I had a bit more armor to my name. What is it with me and terrible decisions? If I hadn't opened my mouth back in Inthus. . .

[scorri]

Nodding to Andre, Xane turned and walked over to where Val was sitting nearby. "You're going with them. I know you don't want to leave me alone, but this has to be done. I need to know---" He was cut off as Toqua stood up on his chair and yelled out for the whole common room to hear (and quite likely anyone upstairs as well) "HARROP'S HARRIERS ARE MOVIN OUT WITHIN THA HOUR! BE READY, OR BE LEFT BEHIND!" He then sat down and turned to Andre. "Well, I told em." With a slight grin, Xane continued, "I need to know their true skill. The only way for that to happen is if I send you with them. I don't expect you to fight, don't worry. I just need you to be watching them."

Rayil had been about to answer Ernce when Toqua made his announcement. "Well, I'd guess so," he said with a grin at the other man. "Looks like we should go get ready."

Adari groaned slightly at Toqua's actions and walked over to the bartender. Handing him a couple of coins, she shrugged apologetically. "Sorry bout that. We'll be outta yer hair in an hour though. Thanks fer everything." Walking back to Andre, she sat down at the table with him and watched Xane a bit skeptically. "So can we trust him? Doesn't seem like yer usual hire, ya know? We'd best be wary."

[eclipse]

"Oh, great," Raelyn mumbled to herself. She turned to Chandra with a shrug. "I gotta get my stuff. See ya on the road~!" The overly talkative thief raced up the stairs, and into her room.

Sword, check. All-purpose dagger, check. Clothes, check. She looked at the ribbon she'd packed out of habit. Normally, it would be used to tie her long hair back. She felt the shorn ends of her new haircut and sighed. In her haste to leave, she'd given herself an impromptu haircut. The dark green ribbon was nothing more than a reminder of what she once was. Hair regrows, she reminded herself sullenly. She couldn't bring herself to leave that memento of her past life in a strange inn, so she carefully included it with her spare clothes. Another pouch caught her attention. She sighed at the small collection of cosmetics she'd brought along. It was her mother's idea to take it with her, in case she needed to disguise herself. Luckily, she had no need of it. . .yet. Maybe we'll run into a situation where a dolled-up face is necessary. Or maybe it's because half of these are my mom's. The room in the inn was sparse, but not much different from the room she left at home. She bit her lip as tears welled up. The newness of the road had worn off, and she silently wished she could go home again. Hah, look at me, weeping like some lost child. I'm too old for this. . .and yet. . .I really miss my home. Was this really the right choice?

It was too late to change her past. All she could do is move forward. . .and hope that one day, she'd be able to return to her family. She quickly wiped her eyes, grabbed the rest of her belongings, and walked downstairs. Andre would be leaving any minute now!

[Bluedoom]

"From yer brother eh? Well I'll be;I used ter observe mah dad and brothers play with customers durin' spare time. Not really good at it, but decent at da least." he replied, before hearing Toqua announce to everyone in the room that they were about to leave for another mission.

"Guess we're gonna be fightin' again. I'm ready; all I got ter do is get my bow, arrows and horse which are all outside. Maybe grab some food while I'm at it. How 'bout you, Jacob?" he asked.

[Toogee]

"Yeah, you too," Chandra replied as Raelyn went off to gather her things. The shaman had so few belongings, she was able to carry them on her person at all times. What did concern her was the amount of provisions the group would need. Unsure of how long they would be gone, Chandra worked quickly to get things prepared.

With so much downtime between jobs, Chandra had more than enough time to prepare food. For each individual, she had a burlap bag filled with enough supplies to last a day or two. Within each bag: a large pack of salted strips of beef, six apples, and a few honey cakes for dessert. Not much in variety, but it would keep everyone nourished during the journey. In case more was needed, Chandra had packed the remaining supplies in small crates, though this would only be useful if they had a supply wagon with them. The shaman went back and forth from the kitchen to the lobby, carrying four provision bags at a time. Once everything was gathered up, she made an announcement to the group.

"Provision bags over here!" Chandra spoke loudly to the group. "They're all the same, so just grab one!"

Chandra then approached Andre for mission specifics. Even though Xane made the announcement, this was still Andre's group.

"Sir, I've prepared enough supplies for a couple days. I have more ready in crates if need be."

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh. Nevermind, that does sound a bit boring. I was expecting large crowds who would cheer once your element had been chosen. Ah well...still better than mine." She lost her smile and was almost about to go into remembering it, when another man yelled out their orders throughout the inn. Linn covered her ears, not expecting such a scream. "Well...we at least know what we're doing now. I guess." She stood and stretched, her shoulders finally dried off. She nabbed one of the provision bags and stood herself near the door. All of her things were still packed so she had nothing to fetch.

[Shin]

Aeson smiled, Linn had found the next part of their journey. Once she'd decided on something, there was no point swaying her. Besides, these people seemed interesting nonetheless. Grabbing another one of the bags, Aeson turned to his companion. Caslan's question caught him by surprise.

"My uncle and I were pretty devoted to our faith, we'd help out at the local church almost every day. My uncle was a frail man, and his disease eventually claimed him. After that, I seemed to... well, be able to. I can't really explain it, but I felt more in touch with the powers above me."

All he had with him were his staff and his books, Aeson travelled rather lightly so packing was a non-issue.

Edited September 8, 2013 by Shin

[Vestige]

The announcement had startled him a bit, but he quickly composed himself. He was both relieved and a little wary to be leaving. He was relieved because they would finally be able to move on and a change of scenery was always a good thing. He was wary because their moving out meant that they probably had a new job, and if they had a new job, he'd have to repeat what happened the day of the first battle. No, that's not what's going to happen. I'm going to go into that battle, and I'm going to show everyone that I'm not weak. "Hey, Caslan. I'll see you outside."

He walked to his room and gathered his belongings. The most important things to him were his glove and his sword. It would be nigh impossible to fight effectively without his glove, but if he could outsmart his opponents, perhaps he could get a few critical strikes. He slipped on his coat, slung his sword behind him, and grabbed his glove. Grabbing his bag in his other hand, he walked out the doorway, forgetting that he still had his drying clothes on the chair.

He made his way outside and waited for the other's to ready up. This time, he was ready for the battle that lay ahead.