Beneath the Shadows Chapter Two: Chasing Shades

[Vestige]

Zeff looked up at the man, rather bewildered. "I've cooked my fair share of meals, trust me. I know what I'm doing." he laughed.

"Also," he added "cooking a potato makes it softer. So if the piece was too big and it didn't cook all the way through, it wouldn't be chewy. Rather, it'd still be hard. Though, it's more a matter of boiling time if anything."

Does he...actually know what he's talking about?

[Rothene]

Not wanting the puddle to offend anymore people, Caslan lifted it up and spread the water as thin as he could across the entire room and part of the hallway, essentially restoring the humidity of the area to its original level, or at least close to it with the missing drops in the floor below.

Smiling at Linn's offer, Caslan took a seat next to her before responding to Raelyn's suggestion, "Well, about freezing the barrier. While I can control liquids, actually adjusting the heat is far trickier. An ice mage can do it easily, but for a water mage, such technique is beyond my power. I can duplicate a fire mage's technique of evaporating water, by spreading the liquid as thin as possible and let nature handle the rest, but nothing to match the ice mage's ability to freeze water."

"So, why did everyone decide to leave home and be a mercenary?"

[Shin]

The boy seemed rather confused about the humble potato, perhaps he had confused it with the cunning tomato? It sounded like potato, it was an easy mistake to make. Not wanting to see rude, Aeson just smiled and nodded.

"I see, but those pieces could do with being a little smaller, but if you have faith in your abilities, I see no reason to doubt you."

He let the boy continue his slicing... perhaps it was a good thing he was in charge of the vegetables rather than meat. That could prove deadly.

[Vestige]

Zeff furrowed his brow, "I think these pieces are small enough, I'm adding them to the pot last so not to worry, they'll come out just fine."

[eclipse]

Well, so much for asking him to keep my canteen cool, Raelyn mused. She smiled a bit at the two before finding a not-too-wet spot on the floor to sit down.

"I'm here because. . .I wanted to see the places. . .our customers kept talking about," Raelyn said slowly. "How 'bout you two?"

[Nanami Touko]

"That's a good question. What about you, Caslan?" Linn asked, smirking. Raelyn had given a similar response, though Linn wasn't too sure how much she believed it. "I wouldn't really consider myself one. I'm just a student of life, trying to figure out all of this wonderful stuff around us. I came along here because...it seemed like it'd be interesting. And trust me, it's turned out to be more interesting than anything I'd ever learned int he desert. Not that I didn't like the desert, but living there for a few years, spending all your time in their library... You learn all they have to offer fairly quickly. But here, I've already learned mercenary life, about monsters, fighting; it's great! I don't regret coming along a single bit!"

It always took Linn until the end of her rants to realize how much she'd been talking. "Sorry. I tend to get a bit into these sorts of things. Feel free to stop me at any time in the future, I won't blame you."

Edited October 6, 2013 by I have opinions

[Rothene]

Something about Raelyn's reply felt off to Caslan, but he could not quite put a finger to it. Therefore he let it slide without a second thought.

"Oh, you mean your community does not practice tossing their children out to the world as a rite of passage? This was entirely of your own choosing?" Caslan asked Linn. "As for me, my tribe practiced the tradition of sending our young out to discover the world when they are between sixty and eighty for a few years. I suppose the idea was to keep up to date on what is happening as well as make the child an adult with life lessons learned. Although I've heard some elders ramble about how it was largely to get rid of rebellious teens until they mellow down or something."

Pausing briefly to collect his thoughts, the elven mage continued, "So, I pretty much got dumped with one of the tribes in the desert and stayed with them until some of the men there told me being part of a mercenary band builds character and teaches a lot. So far, I'm inclined to believe in the latter selling point."

[Nanami Touko]

"No, they do practice it. I just...wanted to leave when I was only forty. The elders were a bit upset with me, and made me wait. You can bet that I was out of there as soon as I hit sixty. Honestly, sometimes I feel more like a half-elf than an elf. We're supposed to be a patient race but I'm always full speed about everything. It probably explains why I was so ready to leave." Linn did manage to laugh at the rest of Caslan's tale, about seemingly being pushed into joining the mercenary band. "I'm sure you've built plenty of character over the years. And it's taught you more than sitting around taught me, I'm sure. I wish I'd done this sooner. Of course, I'd never have met any of you. I guess I left at the right time."

"This must be rather weird for you to listen to, Raelyn. Forty this, sixty that. I keep forgetting how much older we are compared to humans, even if we're just as mature." Despite talking normally to her, Raelyn's answer had been biting at Linn since she'd given it, and she couldn't help but ask her what was going on. "And, Raelyn... I don't mean to pry, but there isn't any other reason you came along? If you'd rather not say I won't push. I just... Maybe it'd be easier to talk about with others from Inthus."

Edited October 6, 2013 by I have opinions

[eclipse]

"Forty is when we humans kick our own teenagers out," Raelyn mused, "and sixty is when they start getting too old for the adventuring business." The elves had caught on to her unwillingness to answer truthfully. . .but they didn't seem like a bad sort. They're very trusting. . .perhaps too much so. If one of the said what I did to the wrong person. . .

"My background is extremely unique, especially among those from Inthus. It wouldn't be hard to figure out where I'm from. . .or why I left." She turned to Caslan. "The people whose toes I stepped on wouldn't think twice about killing every last person from the tribe that housed you, for example." Her attention went back to Linn. "I don't think they care about the elves in the forest, and I want to make absolutely certain that it stays that way. My apologies for not saying much beyond this."

Sometimes, I talk too much. . .and I'm not even drunk! These two are merely children, in elven years. . .

[Snike]

"Feel free," Andre said, as he led the Senian into the inn. The mercenary leader made a beeline for the table where his second in command and the subordinate were sitting.

"Here you are. Adari, feel free to make the introductions," Andre said, scowling once more. "I'm going to go check out that boarded room."

And with that, he was gone, leaving a slightly shocked dwelf alone at a table with her former enemies.

[Nanami Touko]

"Really? How do they fend for themselves at forty? Are they able to even live on their own like that? Though I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, most humans I meet living on their own are only in their twenties! It's a bit mind boggling, honestly. I guess it's just the differences in our races. How fascinating." Linn's smile wouldn't last much longer, as Raelyn's tone and topic changed quite drastically. Linn quickly sat up as the woman spoke, finding her hand clinging onto Caslan's arm. She wasn't expecting a response to her prying, nor one that had thoughts of the family she'd left behind being murdered, or Caslan's, for that matter.

"That's... uhm..." For once, Linn found herself without any sort of response. After a few moments of silence, she finally found something to say to Raelyn. "I...I hope they don't care about the forest. But...what kind of group could possibly wipe out an entire elf tribe? That... That's crazy..."

Edited October 7, 2013 by I have opinions

[scorri]

Glancing up away from Hale, Adari sighed quietly. "So, dwelf, this is Hale. Seems ta me and Andre that he's lookin a lot like that dude yer group was lookin fer. Anyway ya can give us a positive or negative ID on him?"

[eclipse]

"People who care more about their own power than anything else. People who actively exploit others to get ahead in life. People who look down on the other races, for whatever ignorant reasons they have. The human world has its share of lowlifes. They're more reasonable when they're drunk, but those who truly know what they're doing ain't gonna get plastered in a public place." Raelyn bit her lip. Kids or not, these elves need to learn that the world outside of their forest isn't full of happiness. "Though I've only been around as long as an elven child, I've seen many things, from many races. Elves, dwarves, humans, and combinations of those. . .they all laugh when they're happy, cry when they're sad, celebrate each other's accomplishments, have a favorite food. . .we're not that different."

[Nanami Touko]

Why's she telling us this? Is she trying to scare us? To just let us know? She's doing a great job of the former. She knew she was squeezing Caslan's arm fairly tightly, but he could deal with it. Raelyn was very effectively terrifying her, telling here there was just a group of people out there, with the power to kill everyone she'd ever known if they bothered to give them attention. And for what reason? It sounded to her that they'd do it simply because they could. "I-I see... Th-Thanks, for l-letting us know, I suppose," Linn managed to quiver out.

Edited October 7, 2013 by I have opinions

[Snike]

"H-he looks like he fits the description, b-but he can't be the same person," the dwelf stated, unsettled. "Aldrick,"-Hale immediately sat up and stared at the Senian- "said he had already caught him, a-and he... he killed them all because they were witnesses, he said..."

"... Well, I think think that settles that. Don't you, Adari?" Hale asked, still staring at the prisoner. "I'm not the one they were looking for."

***

Meanwhile, Andre had just made it to the second floor. With his axe in his hands, he approached the boarded door, now slightly damaged. It should only take one swing to break through...

[eclipse]

Hmmm. . .didn't mean to scare them, but. . .

"Not all people are bad. Take this group, for example. Mostly everyone doesn't care what race the others are; rather, they're more interested in making Harrop's Harriers proud." Raelyn paused for a bit. "Well, except for one crazy one, but she's long gone now." And if she so much as threatens to rumple Caslan or Linn's clothes, I'll make sure she never wants to return. Footsteps interrupted her train of thought. "Hmm, we have visitors," she said at normal conversation level. "Can I help you?" she yelled.

[scorri]

"... Got him? Where'd he find him? What did he look like, did ya see him as he was being taken away? When did he get taken??" Adari was getting more and more agitated as a thought started to form in her head.

[Nanami Touko]

"I know, I know," Linn said, shaking her head and almost returning near enough to normal, albeit still shaken up from the talk. "All this talk of ignorant people doing terrible things because they can...brought back some rather painful memories. I'll be alright, so don't worry too much about it. This group really is wonderful, even this loser," she joked, letting go of his arm and giving him a light push. About to go into what memories she was talking about, even vaguely, Raelyn's comment about footsteps stopped her. "Hold on, I'll see who it is." She needed to get up anyway, and get away from that talk, before she told people she'd barely met something very private. Caslan's great, and Raelyn's just looking out for us, but I definitely can't go telling people that on the spot. Think, girl.

Peeking her head out the door, she very clearly saw Andre with an axe, ready to splinter the entirety of the door she'd attempted to open earlier. "Hello, Andre! I tried to open that, like you'd suggested, but as you can see I didn't get very far. Hopefully it's easier for you to handle now, at the very least. Actually," she began, waving for Raelyn and Caslan to come over, "I'd like to see what's in there as soon as it's open. Curious mind. It's a terrible thing, I know, but I'm just going to stand over here while you swing away." She kept herself a few meters away from him and tried to focus on that shield spell she'd been practicing earlier, in case some splinters flew over her way.

[eclipse]

This'll be interesting. Raelyn followed Linn, making sure to stand back. "As long as your curiosity doesn't get you killed~!" Raelyn said lightly.

Or your curiosity ends up getting you into so much trouble that you have to flee your homeland for fear of retribution.

[Snike]

"I-I didn't get to see him myself, b-but they found him here," the dwelf said, indicating this inn. "He was in one of the g-guest rooms."

***

Andre nodded, and with a mighty swing of his axe, he chopped right through the boards. After a swift kick, the doors of the room swung open, and the half-dwarf was stunned.

Toqua and Val were in the room, the two of them bruised and tied up, but otherwise fine, it seemed.

"If someone has a knife, could you cut their bonds?" Andre asked, before moving over to the top of the staircase and shouting, "WE NEED A HEALER UP HERE, STAT!"

[eclipse]

"Yes, sir!" Raelyn said, as she freed her pocket knife. In a moment, the two were unbound. "Are the two of you okay?"

[Toogee]

Chandra smirked as Aeson and Zeff discussed the finer points of potato size. They reminded her of an old married couple she once knew. Meanwhile, she had chopped up a nice pile of beef chunks and promptly put them in the stew. That was when the call for healers came through the doorway. The surprisingly loud command took Chandra by surprise. It sounded like Andre, which meant there was no time to dawdle.

"That's our cue," Chandra said to Aeson before turning to Zeff. "Zeff, give the pot a good stir. I should be back soon." With that, Chandra washed up and grabbed her staff, heading upstairs to the source of the shout.

"What happened- oh!" It seemed two of their own were tied up and beaten during the fighting, trapped inside as prisoners. Immediately, the shaman pointed her staff towards Val, then Toqua (if Aeson wasn't available). The purple tone of their bruises began to lessen as the magic went to work.

"As I said, what happened? Was it the Senians?"

Edited October 7, 2013 by Toogee

[Rothene]

Caslan had been quiet the entire conversation, partially stunned due to digesting the knowledge of terrible people out in the world...and partially wondering if he should tell Linn she was squeezing his arm too tightly. In the end, he figured it was oddly pleasing, and let it be.

A question formed in Caslan's mind about the painful memories Linn had but that all dissolved when what their leader was up to become a much more interesting question. Following the two girls out of the room, Caslan exited the room in time to see Andre smash the boarded door. Seeing the two tied up people surprised the elf greatly and with neither healing magic at his disposal or the reflexes to go forward and cut loose the rope before Raelyn finished, Caslan just stood by the hallway.

[Vestige]

"Right, you go on and see what's happening. I should be fine here."

He looked around the kitchen and located the salt and pepper. Pouring in a little bit of each into the stew for flavoring, he stirred the pot gently to get the seasoning mixed in. Next he poured in a little wine for added flavoring, a tip he had received a couple years ago. He stirred once more and lets the contents settle for a bit. He would have liked to add more seasoning to the beef, but what was a man with limited resources to do? He let the meat begin to brown before adding in the onions and tomatoes he had chopped earlier. Giving the stew one more stir, he put the lid on top and let the ingredients cook for a while. It would be a while before he could add in the rest of the ingredients, lest he disappoint the old priest and make his potatoes 'mushy'.

He pulled over a stool and leaned back on the counter. It's been too long since I've cooked a meal...Most of the cooking he knew came from Reva, and all of the recipes he used were hers. With the amount of time she spent studying and researching, she couldn't be bothered to cook anything, despite her talent for it. So it fell to Zeff to cook the meals; It was either that, or both of them would probably die from starvation. She never had the time to cook, but plenty of time to teach me, eh? Zeff chuckled at the apparent irony. In the end, it had been better than he learned to cook for himself rather than rely on Reva.

Though he wished that wasn't the case.

Edited October 7, 2013 by Vestige

[Ether]

Eventually following the movement into the inn, Elysia saw that somehow, there didn't seem to have been any deaths on their side. Her memories coming back to her, perhaps that Dwarf-Elf had been telling the truth... the unit they had fought didn't seem anywhere near as potent as the one that had wiped out the village.

Speaking of said Dwarf-Elf, she seemed to be sitting nearby. Making her way over, careful to keep her aura nice and not 'I'M GOING TO FUCKING RIP OUT YOUR SPINE AND STRANGLE YOU WITH IT YOU LITTLE BITCH', she called out the woman.

"Aye, you. As far as I can tell, seems you weren't lying about it not being your unit that did all this shit... looks like I went a bit too far." The elf admitted, her cheeks somewhat red. She didn't like to admit it, but if she seemed hostile, help would likely be called, and with her memories coming back, Elysia was fairly certain that her 'bumping her head' likely wasn't the full of it... no need to repeat the incident, either way.