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⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅ The massive double door creaks open slowly, two muscular servants pushing powerfully on each side. The heavy sound reverberates through the throne room, announcing John's arrival.
“Come in, friend. I’ve missed you dearly.”
A booming voice welcomes him from within. Vargas, ‘The Knocking Conqueror’, is lounging on his throne of cushions and silk.John steps into the vast space, the clack of his shoes the only sound that echoes in the unnerving silence— Except its not that the room is empty, he notes.. As his sight adjusts to the dim and comfortable lighting, he can discern from the corner of his eyes lazing figures each having picked a corner, cushion, or perch. They are all staring at him… and its anything but a friendly air… Reaching the center of the room, a good distance away from the throne still, John kneels down, head held low.“Ohh how you flatter me, my lord~ and I thought the feeling was one sided!”
“Hmmmm? Have you come to see me this time? Or do you only ‘miss me’ when you have a favor to ask.”
Vargas looks away in mock disappointment.“Oh I didn’t think I could! I'm ever careful not to waste your time, so I only ever consult you for matters important enough to warrant your mighty presence! After all, you are a busy governor my lord, and it shows! Your lands have gotten even more prosperous since my last visit!”That earns him a satisfied chuckle from the governor.
“Siiiiigh. Learn to speak like this human, will you?”
His reproach is directed at the figures, they flinch under his gaze and bow their heads begrudgingly.“Yes, my lord.” They say in unison.The remark was hurtful, to compare them to this lowly creature… but then again, John is not just a random human, he is their king's favourite… a pet of sorts! yes, a pet. so they shouldn't feel too bad.
“Hm. Well then, Jonathan. What matters do you seek assistance with? Your generous lord will see what he can do for you.”
Vargas smiles down at him, the intent genuine, the result condescending.“It's about a dear friend of mine, my lord. See I need him to come over to my palace in secret, which means he cannot come from the main port, and it is too risky for him to sneak onto one of the merchant ships, not with the western king having tightened security…”Vargas tilts his head curiously, urging John to continue.“So I thought of a shortcut! Although a dangerous and unfamiliar one... a crossing through the strait of Imalnatir. And I was wondering if my lord could assist me by lending me one of his admirable henchmen who might be familiar with those lands and can aid my friend in his journey.” He finishes with a charming smile, baring feelings of trust and good intentions.The room is filled with the rustle of a thousand folds of fabric as the figures previously bored by his monologue all snap their attention back to him, sitting up straight.“Your lordship! What he's insinuating is heresy! We—”
“—SILENCE!”
“.”
“It is not his fault, he is not aware… Dear Jonathan, to ask for one of my right hand men to escort your friend, is like asking for a dragon to do the work of a common knight. A dragon that could destroy cities and build empires… You spoke before of waste, I do not see a greater waste than that.”
“Why that is not what I—”
“However. I can lend you one of… the lesser ones. And they would still be more than enough for such a simple task. …Hmmm? Now that I remember, I have just the right one for you…”
⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅ “Disclaimer”This series will contain scenes of graphic violence and some dark themes that may be upsetting for some readers.Viewer discretion is advised.
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⋅•⋅⊱༻ VILLAGE OF IMALNATIR ༺⊰⋅•⋅A secluded village on the seashore, lodged in a vast plain between two mountains. Imalnatir; Few know of such a name. The lands technically belong to the Rikengar kingdom, but its residents enjoy relative independence: the great distance, along with the alarming numbers of monsters and bandits on the way make it difficult to reach. The constructions are small, none seem to elevate more than one story, and their straw thatch roofs hang very low, hugging the ground tightly as if trying to meld with the landscape.⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅ Two figures approach the small village.A bodyguard and a noble.His steps are heavy and sure, his posture straight and his body language oozing with confidence."Wow this village is pretty cute!! I like the houses hehe!!" Next to the tall man, hops around a tiny chirpy lady.The village's children notice them coming from afar. They stop their playing all at once, falling silent, and hold their hands to their eyes like binoculars to try and have a better look. Once they determine that those are unfamiliar faces, they let out excited noises, rising higher and higher until the children tumultuously skitter away towards the village, Each eager to be the first to announce the rare arrival."Woah those children were totally cheering for us there!! Right?!" She excitedly turns her head to Cyrus, who looks disinterested... Or as if he's used to the attention..."I suppose, yes. Let's look for the villagers now, we have a place to get to after all.""Pshhh, boring!!" Konran puts a hand on her hip and looks away from him, enjoying the view of the village as they walk downhill towards it. He does the same, admiring the unusual architecture."You know, it's rather peacef—KONRAN????"
Wooooooshh
She set off to chase after the children."AAAAAAHHHHH WAAAAAAAH!!!!" The one picked as Konran's first target, the smallest of the bunch, looks far too shaken, you can’t tell if it’s from excitement or from fear."KONRAN GET BACK HERE.""RAAAAAAAAAWRRRR." She raises her arms and runs at the girl as fast as she can, no mercy. At that, even the older kids give up their staring and go full sprint into the village, abandoning their friend to her fate.The little one being chased, Marcille, flails around helplessly. THE STRANGER IS GETTING TOO CLOSE TOO FAST—Then a taller figure appears, jogging, alerted by the children's ruckus. SHE IS SAVED!!"Woah hey what's going on here??" The children pay him no mind as they run past him all freaked out. He stops right in his tracks once he sees Konran."DIMIT-DIMIT—DIMIIIIIITRIIIIIIIII" Marcille scrambles towards him on her panicked little feet."IMMMGUNNA EATCHO TOES LIL HUMAN IMMMMMMGUNNA EATCHO-" Konran suddenly stops and freezes in front of Dimitri, realizing that he is a taller adult witness. She slowly puts her arms down, fixes her posture and expression and smiles politely at the new face."Why hello there!!" She greets as if nothing happened.Dimitri subconsciously picks up Marcille without breaking eye contact with the new arrival. He looks to be in his late teens, his frame is lean and relatively tall and he looks down at Konran with innocent eyes and a youthful face. You can tell from the way he picked up the child that the act is etched into his muscle memory."O-oh! Hello hello!!" His expression is friendly but a bit confused. ‘She looks like an adult…?’Other villagers have already come out of their houses, the commotion impossible to ignore. Once they see the lady and count the children, they put their knives back in their kichens."Welcome!" A big smile finally forms on Dimitri’s face as he composes himself. His smile is warm and kind."Thank you thank you!!"Konran feels a hand on her shoulder as Cyrus, who just arrived on scene, leans down to whisper in her ear "Stop running off so much or you'll get us in trouble again, Konran Ripley.""Yes yes sorry sorry~" 'Oop mom's using last names!'Cyrus scoffs and stands straight again. More villagers curiously exit their homes.“Looks like a noble..?” “Or a rich merchant.” “Maybe a noble sent to exile!” All eyes are fully fixated on them. Cyrus pays them no mind, unlike Konran who waves at them happily."Good afternoon. Sorry for our sudden and quite loud intrusion.” He side eyes Konran. “I hope we didn't bother your village's peace too much.""No no not at all! We don't get a lot of visitors, especially not this time of year..”Some villagers wave back to Konran, most don't, a few even look mildly annoyed, studying every inch of the newcomers with judging eyes... They seem satisfied to leave the visitors to the young man.“Welcome to Imalnatir! you can call me Dimitri, may I ask for your names?" ‘They don’t look like criminals this time…’"I'm Konran!!!""My name's Cyrus. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." He puts a hand on his chest and bows slightly."Tryhard." Konran says."What?""Wat?"Dimitri chuckles, amused by their contrasting personalities —AND heights, a fun duo for sure— He then offers them both his hands to shake, one each, arms crisscrossed, not caring if one of them will be awkward. "A pleasure to meet you both!""yeah yeah!!!""Likewise."Konran takes his hand and shakes it with both of hers. Cyrus stares at it for a second, contemplating whether or not to comment on this odd manner of greeting, before hesitantly taking Dimitri's hand.Encouraged by her enthusiasm—and super happy his special handshake worked—he steps sideways, ready to lead them into the village. "Come on, you both must be exhausted. We know the trip to here can be a bit challenging. We'll have a warm bath ready for you both!""Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!" Before Konran gets to properly celebrate, Cyrus puts a halting hand in front of her."My apologies, but unfortunately we've got no time to relax." He retrieves his arm and takes a step towards Dimitri, mostly to keep Konran out of their conversation. "We've been sent here to find a map maker, and we'd be grateful if you lead us to him.""Oh! Mister Mito?... hmmm.. if I may ask, who are you exactly?" He doesn't sound particularly suspicious, as Cyrus gives off a respectable and trustworthy impression, and Konran is just this cute lady accompanying him. Still, his tone gained a tad bit more seriousness."I'm Cyrus Redwood." His voice slightly drops at his last name."Y-you're from the Redwood house?!!” A collective gasp is heard from the people surrounding them. “Why of course! Of course I can take you there!" The revelation threw him off a bit, all hesitation washed away, it seems the name alone is enough for a free pass. A wave of whispers overtakes the small crowd “I told you!!” “That hermit’s always bringing us these pompous types…”"Yes, thank you." Cyrus would’ve preferred not to tell random villagers of his identity, but hopefully they're no threat. "I'd like to go as soon as possible, please.""Hmmm.. right, let’s see.. the trip is around two hours on horseback.. are you sure you don't want to rest before that?" When Dimitri pays the cartographer a visit, he typically goes by morning so he can make it back before sunset, and these days as winter closes in daytime has been getting shorter… but he can't possibly refuse."No. But is it awkward timing for you?" His 'concerned' voice is pretty awkward to hear, it's really just... Indifferent and sort of intimidating, it almost sounds like a threat disguised as worry... Or is that just how nobility talk?"No, it’s fine! Speaking of which, where are your horses..?"".........it's a long story."“Alright, we can borrow two from my uncle's, I'm sure he won't mind." 'He sure won't after he hears it’s the REDWOODS.' "Follow me."Cyrus nods his head and complies, Konran quietly following after the two."Hey Cyrus?" She finally speaks."Yes?" He doesn't even look her way, yet his voice is ever so slightly softer when he's speaking to her."You're actually real corny."
“What?"
...⋅•⋅⊱༻To be continued༺⊰⋅•⋅
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⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅The three of them leave the village on two horses, one for Dimitri and one for the visitors, as Cyrus insisted Konran rides with him.At the edge of the village, right before the forest, a lone house stands on elevated ground, for sure having a good view of the rest of the village.A woman is waiting patiently for them by the path not too far from the house."This is the herbalist's home.” Dimitri informs. “She's the local doctor... and that must be.. miss Briony? She must have seen us from afar." His tone is light from slight surprise as you all trot to a stop in front of her."Good afternoon Dimitri! And good afternoon to you both!" She says in a calm, cheerful tone. Before them stands a young lady with fair features, long black hair tied into a ponytail, its strands twisting upwards like a climbing plant, and long lashes behind which emerald eyes peer into your soul with a cunning smile. "I don't suppose you've come to pay us a visit, you're headed to Mr. Mito's?"Dimitri looks back at them, waiting for them to answer, as he is not sure if they want to disclose such information."Good afternoon to you too." Cyrus bows his head as greeting, "And yes, we're looking for the map maker.""Great! So am I! May I come with? I'm the herbalist's apprentice by the way." She goes to Dimitri before giving them a chance to answer, he goes down without a word and helps her up the horse, a slight blush on his cheeks, she smiles at him and thanks him."Woah what a coincidence!! Awesome!!" Konran claps her hands cheerfully and giggles."Yes... What a coincidence..." Cyrus's face remains indifferent, yet his gaze is cold as he stares at her... This is pretty suspicious..."My name's Konran by the way! And this taller silly guy is Cyrus!"Cyrus could introduce himself but decides not to, he just gets the horse going once again.
⋅•⋅⊱༻ • Cyrus roll for anonymity ༺⊰⋅•⋅
Roll Request: [d20]Dice results: “ 2 ”"Wait, Mr Redwood! I should go front so we don't get lost, the path gets tricky in some spots.""OHOOO~??! Dimitriiii~ you should have introduced the gentleman properlyyy~" She gives them a wide, incredibly giddy smile as Dimitri is maneuvering their horse in front, the latter just blushes profusely. "I'm Clematia Briony, honored to meet you." A chuckle is bubbling up her chest and she's barely suppressing it."......Was my full title necessary, Dimitri?" He squints slightly at the back of Dimitri's head, who's now leading the trip."Ahh.. no.. my bad." ‘He’d do it again if it means having her call his name like that.’ ... ⋅•⋅⊱༻ THE WOODS ༺⊰⋅•⋅A path unkempt wraps around the landscape, the steep and rocky climb leading deeper into the woods and farther into the mountains.⋅•⋅⊱༻ ༺⊰⋅•⋅ "So! You have business with mister Mito?" Clematia says as she twists effortlessly to face them, eager to start conversation.Cyrus was about to politely tell her to mind her own business when Konran hopped up and peaked from behind him."Yup!! We needed a reliable smart guide to get us somewhere!"He just sighs."Reallyyy? Where are you going that a guide would be so necessary? Can't you just get a map or something? He sells them you knoww~""Uuuuh I honestly dunno I'm just having fu-""That's enough prying for now, Miss Briony." Cyrus interrupts."Mmmmm~ he's no fun, is he, Konran?""Clematia!" Dimitri whispers in a panic while sending her a quick look, this isn’t just anybody she’s chatting up-!"Oh definitely not!!" Konran agrees, while Cyrus simply ignores them. "Oh by the way, waddya need at the map maker's, Briony?"Clematia was laughing, happy that Konran joined her in on the joke, but then looked mildly surprised at her question. "Aah right, well... hmmm... I need to bring him some tea..…. well to tell you the truth, I wasn't planning on taking it today, but I'm reaaally nosyyy you knooow! Mr. Mito is always so upset after outsiders pay him a visit that I just HAVE to see how it goes this time!""Ooh hehe that's fun!""Yes, now sit still Konran, you’ll fall." So the map maker isn't fond of outsiders... Well, that's alright. His feelings on the matter are irrelevant as long as they have the recommendation letter. ... ⋅•⋅⊱༻ MAP MAKER'S ABODE ༺⊰⋅•⋅Perched on a cliff, a big house with architecture unlike that of the Imalnatir village. The main door is impressive, it looks oversized even for a house this big. A distance away from the main entrance lies a small stable.⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅ The little group makes it there by sunset, some lights are already shining through the windows downstairs. It’s quiet, save for the rustling of the leaves.Their horses start stirring a bit as they approach, feeling uneasy.The stable door is unlocked and they put them next to the one that was already there, presumably the cartographer's."Alright! We're here!" A bit tired from the long ride, Dimitri stretches some before slowly walking towards the entrance. "Shall we?""Finally!!" Konran jumps off the horse and runs up behind him happily."Careful, Konran." He gets off the horse as well and closes the stable behind him before following the others.Dimitri gets to the door and knocks three times."Mister Mito!" They wait for some time……………… Then the big door creaks and a man appears on the door frame.He has a fur hat on along with house robes and fuzzy slippers, or- one fuzzy slipper, his left foot is missing and he's supporting his weight with two wooden crutches.Countless scars litter the middle of his face, so many that they overlap each other, most are on his nose and mouth, rarely venturing beyond his cheeks, some look like tiny scratches and bites.He is rather short, or perhaps its just the effect of the door frame dwarfing anyone standing by it.The man offers Dimitri a radiant smile."Dimitri! Good eve-"
…..A moment of surprise as he realises Dimitri didn’t come alone, and then he looks offended just by the sight of them.
"................... and they are?" he asks in a low voice, his attitude changing completely."Hiii I'm Konran!!"“Good evening.” Cyrus offers, he’s still taking a moment to scan the guy, this isn't what he was expecting.His mouth opens and closes as he wants to say something to that but decides against it. ‘Terrible evening.’ His face is scrunched up as he takes stock of everyone present at his doorstep."Haha you look like you just tasted something sour!!" Konran helpfully comments."They're new visitors to the village!” Dimitri tries.“They were in such a rush to meet you that they didn't even rest ahaha! They must be exhausted!" ‘please just let us in first.’"it's not very proper to make a face like that when meeting someone." Cyrus says."It's funny tho, keep it." Konran adds with a huge grin."BAHAHA! I live TWO hours away from the most SECLUDED village in the continent because I DON'T want visitors! Surprise surprise!! Did you expect me to welcome you with—""—Ahahaaa~ mister Mitooo! I know they look scary but you don't have to be so on guard~~” Clematia had somehow slithered her way to his side, a big smile on her face. “They came a long way just to meet the renowned map maker! Let them in for some tea at least yeah? I brought the teas you requested!”"Oooh tea sounds delicious!!" Konran says.Mito takes a step away from Clematia and gives her a short displeased stare. He then lets out a long, resigned sigh, trying to collect himself. He turns towards the door, motioning for them to follow with a wave of his hand. "Come in then.”...⋅•⋅⊱༻To be continued༺⊰⋅•⋅
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⋅•⋅⊱༻ LIVING ROOM ༺⊰⋅•⋅The room is spacious and cozy, probably the most decorated place in the house as the rest only has sparse furniture, or maybe the house is so big that one resident can only fill it so much. Despite being big, it’s not particularly extravagant, but rather comfortable and homey. Two sofas and one armchair surround a small wooden table, pillows and throws strewn about.⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅The crutches knock on the wooden floor with every step the homeowner takes, his strides are light and practiced. He heads straight to the living room, quickly rearranging the pillows into a more presentable form, and adding wood to the dying flame of the fireplace. When he turns to his visitors, a lot of the irritation has already left his expression."Make yourselves comfortable, I'll be here a minute." Then he heads off to who knows where.. although you can kind of guess the direction from the sound of wood knocking on wood."…..... He's not THAT bad I promise." Clematia says."Sure.." Cyrus sarcastically comments as he enters the living room."Okaaaaay~" Konran belatedly answers to Mito who's already left by now. She does exactly as he said as she flops on one of the sofas, throwing her arms out as she snuggles happily in the softness of the fabric. Cyrus on the other hand stays standing as he scans the room, not impressed but not let down either."No no really, I only ever see him receive high profile guests, I hear he even worked for the royal family before." Dimitri takes a seat on the other sofa, while Briony tries to have a spot next to Konran."I'm aware. If he wasn't recommended to us by the duke himself I wouldn't have gone through the trouble to come all the way here." It is a long distance after all, and one can only guess what they had to face along the way. Being disrespected is nothing compared to all that trip, but it is still unacceptable from Cyrus’ point of view."Maybe you shouldn't have, after all. I'm on winter break."True to his word, it only took him a minute. Mito settles in the armchair, glad no one took his favourite spot. He waits a bit for Cyrus to take a seat, but he doesn't press. "I must... apologize, for my earlier behavior. That is no way to welcome guests…” It didn't sound difficult for him to apologize, but while it did sound sincere, he was not the most enthusiastic with it, stating it matter of factly instead of offering an apologetic smile. “I'm Yohei Mito, a cartographer as you must already know, what brings you here?""I'm glad you realise your mistake.” Cyrus says, still standing. “And the reason we've come all the way here is because we need a knowledgeable guide to get us to the Enthralla continent, and so you've been recommended.""And you're not getting your tea unless you agree! Right Briony?!" Konran giggles at her own rhyme as she peeks from the pillows to look at her new friend."Mhm!" Clematia giggles as well, amused.Now Yohei REALLY looks like he tasted lemons. "Enthralla?! At THIS time of year??! You... someone must be trying to get rid of you.""Wait for real?!" Konran seems to take words at face value.Cyrus' eyebrow twitches slightly as he's getting quite annoyed by this man who speaks far too daringly. "The intention is none of your concern I'm afraid—""—None is any of this, actually.” Yohei waves his hand dismissively. “The most I can do for you is give you a map. Though I warn you, it will not be of much help in a place like that… And don't tell me it’s just the two of you??""Mrs Evanthe would say otherwise, Mr. Mito."Clematia had straightened her posture, now fixing Yohei with a determined stare, it takes him aback."Now that I know where they're headed, I'm interested as well. You see, there are herbs in Enthralla that you cannot find anywhere else. I was planning on waiting until summer to cross during warmer weather, but even then the only people who cross are criminals and shady people who wish to escape the law and be forgotten.” Her lips curl into a cunning smile. “It’s not very safe for a young lady like me wouldn't you agree? When else is a group of respected individuals going to pass by again?""WH- you wouldn't expect ME to go there, right?? I mean look at my leg!" He gestures frantically to his missing limb."Oh? But you've had that even before you went to Enthralla, no?”Yohei scowls at her, ‘You did NOT have to tell them that.’“And besides,” she continues, “We'll be traveling by horse... Mrs Evanthe will be veeery grateful~”Now he just looks defeated. It looked as though the mention of Mrs Evanthe's name settled it. He does owe her a lot…"Woah you're super convincing Briony!! So this letter is useless now?" Konran takes out a formal, rich RICH looking letter from her scarf."Konran since when did you have that?" Cyrus remembers having that in HIS bag.The cartographer boggles his eyes at the sight of it, he sits up straight and grips at his armchair. When he speaks, his voice has a little tremble to it. "That's..!!! Why didn't you tell me earlier?! Who are you?!"Truly, it is a terrible evening for mister cartographer."Now we're talking..." Cyrus mumbles under his breath as he lets out a sigh. "I'm Cyrus Redwood, and my partner over here is a mercenary named Konran Ripley who's to accompany us to the Enthralla continent." Cyrus walks across the room as he speaks, his footsteps loud and rhythmic, until he gets to Konran and snatches the letter out of her hands, then flicks her forehead."Ow!!"He then turns around and walks up to Yohei. He stands straight in front of him, looking down at him coldly as he hands him the letter.The hairs on Yohei's skin stand as he grabs the frighteningly familiar texture of the letter and makes sure of its authenticity: a deep burgundy bordering on purple, with delicate swirling decorations on either side, made with real golden thread.There’s no doubt about it, it is a letter from Vargas…. but.. something is off, the intricate bright red seal is not properly placed—"GASP You opened it?!" He exclaims in a whisper, as if it’s something to hide, looking at Konran like she is out of her mind."Nope, never did never will didn't read any of it no idea what you’re talking about"When Yohei opens the letter, it reads as follows:⋅•⋅⊱༻ 𝕬𝖈𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖕𝖆𝖓𝖎𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝕺𝖗𝖉𝖊𝖗 ༺⊰⋅•⋅𝕷𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖗 𝖉𝖗𝖆𝖌𝖔𝖓 𝖄𝖔𝖍𝖊𝖎 𝕸𝖎𝖙𝖔, 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖆𝖈𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖕𝖆𝖓𝖞 𝖜𝖍𝖔𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖘 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖑𝖊𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖗, 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖌𝖚𝖎𝖉𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖒 𝖘𝖆𝖋𝖊𝖑𝖞 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖚𝖐𝖊 𝖎𝖓 𝕰𝖓𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖆, 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖘𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖇𝖞 𝖇𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖉 𝖔𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖙𝖆𝖝 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖆 𝖞𝖊𝖆𝖗.
⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅
Yohei looks up from the letter and shoots a sharp look at Konran, but before he can say anything, a bell rings from where he had been before."O-oh! Tea is ready!" Mito exclaims, he looks grateful for the retreat as he puts the letter back in its envelope without reading any of it aloud, and walks away with it, gait quicker than before.The tension finally breaks, and Dimitri remembers to breath.Cyrus takes a long deep breath, holding the bridge of his nose. He gives Konran a quick ‘When the guests are out you're dead’ look before walking up to a wall near the window and leaning against it, arms crossed.‘I guess I wasn't supposed to open that...’ Konran thinks as she starts sweating under Cyrus's brief but promising glare ‘But what's so bad about that letter?!’. They sit in silence for a bit, each deep in their own thoughts. The wind picks up outside, it’s pitch black now.The knocking comes back as Yohei wraps around the sofa to put down an ornate tray of tea and biscuits. The smell of herbs fills up their lungs, relaxing and comforting, the cookies have various forest berries in them instead of chocolate chips.Clematia inhales the smell "Mmm, that’s chamomile? Look who's tryna calm his nerves hehehe.""...." The comment doesn't seem to bother him as he pours everyone a cup, he settles down on his armchair and looks at Cyrus expectantly."Ooh smells nice!" Konran holds the cup happily, she blows on it and takes the tiniest sips so she doesn't burn her tongue. "And tastes nice too!!"Cyrus was staring at Konran as she drank her tea content with life, when he noticed Yohei looking at him. ‘…Does he want more information?’ "...We can depart tomorrow I suppose. Unless you had other plans then do let us know." He gets to business quite fast, maybe he didn't see the cup of tea Yohei placed near the EMPTY spot on the sofa, or maybe he simply rejected it.‘Well I DID have other plans.’ Mito thinks to himself. ‘Finally not having any trips during winter, just taking it easy for a month or two while I detail maps I never quite got to finish, work on bigger projects like merging maps together and making a bigger, encompassing one... that kind of stuff, work that wouldn't require me to leave. Maybe even have some spare time for myself! Discover new hobbies! Siiiiigh, perhaps I can do that when I come back.... but the mission itself is difficult.’"No, tomorrow is reasonable.” He finally concedes. “the weather isn’t the best but it could always get worse... you will get dinner and some rest... I'll need to stock up and revisit the map... hmmm" He looks Cyrus up and down, then Konran. “You will need to get warmer clothes, hiking boots, and a hat like mine, you'll show me your baggage once we're done with tea.""...Alright." Cyrus hates being bossed around, but this guy was just doing his job. It's not very proper to make a scene out of a tone so unnoticeable."Okaaaay~!!" Konran sips on her tea, burning her tongue a little... Then she remembers something important- “By the way! I got us kinda robbed a few days ago so we've got no money! Also, this is some great tea!! You're a great tea maker, Mister Mito! Hope I can taste more of it in our trip!!”"Bahaha you flatter me!! But that would be a compliment for Miss Betty! This will make her so happy! And don't worry about the money, I can cover the costs, it’s enough that you made it all the way here safely. You're not hurt or anything are you?" …It seems the cartographer is easy to please after all."Miss Beeetty? Who's that?!" She looks excited at the mention of another lady, her eyes sparkle and she grins from ear to ear."Yeeess she's his wife you didn't know~?" Clematia says with a mischievous grin."SHHHHH she is NOT my wife Clematia!!" He somehow screams in a hushed voice while a blush quickly creeps up his face. "Speaking of! Are you sure you should be coming with us? Who would go to Enthralla just for some herbs, you could end up losing your life." A quick change of topic is the way to go.“‘Some herbs’ can save lives.” She quips. “And it’s not like I can just let you collect them for me. The last time you brought us herbs to sort for tea, you put at least two poisonous species in, identifying the plants is a big part of the job.""Woaaaaaaaaaaaaaa." Konran blows on her tea some more, then sips on it again. "So who's Miss Betty?""....She lives with me." Yohei answers dryly, suddenly regretting that he brought her up in the first place. But they outta know there is someone else present in the house."So is she like your maid or your roommate?" Dimitri bites his lip after pushing further. He couldn't stop himself from asking. Mr Mito had always avoided the question, and he never saw Betty before even though she's always been here. Perhaps she's shy?"More of a roommate, but instead of paying rent she tends to the house.""That’s a maid." Clematia says flatly."No, a maid is lower than you in status." Yohei really isn't keen on continuing this conversation, but the more he avoids it, the more they will pry. "She is very secretive I know, but that is her personal choice.""Cyruus~, have some tea! It’s not poisoned... I hope?" Clematia says playfully as Yohei shoots her a fake angry stare.?He was staring at Yohei, studying his reaction, tone and expressions until Briony got his attention. "Thank you for the offer but I'll pass." He bows his head gratefully, then stares out the window, a little bored of where the conversation went.Konran looks at Yohei with big, cutesy looking eyes. "Can I have his?""Oh of course! You can have as many refills as you'd like." He sets his own cup down, then gets up to pour her some more, he doesn't sit back down though and instead turns to Cyrus. "Well then, can I have a look at your packs?""Yes. I left them with the horses since I was unsure if you'd open the door. I'll be right back."Konran looks shocked at that. "We still had stuff left?!?""Yes, I figured it'd be best if I kept it from you."‘Well he isn't wrong-’ Konran thinks, she seems to have at least that much self awareness.While Cyrus did leave the bags with the horses for the purpose he just noted, he also wanted a breather from people. He doesn't tend to enjoy crowded spaces....Cyrus is welcomed by the cold breeze the moment he opens the door. He quickly closes it behind him and lets out an exhausted breath. This was a long trip and they've finally found a proper place to sleep. He's pretty hungry too, but that doesn't matter. He steps out, heading towards the stable, his steps much more relaxed now.It’s peaceful outside. When the wind quiets down and stops shaking the tree leaves, you can even hear the various critters of the night.As he approaches the stable door, he hears stirring inside.Perhaps he opened the door a bit too briskly, because one of the horses startles and rushes towards him, or rather, towards the door..?!His eyes widen and he quickly moves to the side, doing his best to get out of the way.He slams against the door, but he moves just in time to avoid the horse rushing outside, kicking the air on its way out. It keeps going, running with no destination in mind, frightened. It disappears into the woods.It couldn't have gotten too far as he can still hear it… The other two horses are still there, safely attached to a wooden beam by their bridles. One of them is visibly uneasy, while the other is perfectly calm.Cyrus stares at the open door, his heart beating so fast after that sudden jumpscare????? What the hell was that?!?!"...."He looks back inside the stable as he breaks in a cold sweat... If the horse ran so fast then... Something must have scared it...He takes a deep breath, then slowly and quietly enters the stable....⋅•⋅⊱༻To be continued༺⊰⋅•⋅
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅The stable isn’t very big, enough for about five horses. The construction is well sealed from the cold, the breath and body heat from the animals are enough to warm it up to an extent.The horse that's uneasy doesn't seem scared of Cyrus, or of anything in particular, while the other horse, the homeowner's, is completely calm, and even extends its neck to smell at him, curious if he'd brought it a treat. He doesn't notice anything unusual."That's strange... Hmm..."While he should look around for possible danger, he also just wants his bag to be safe. So he prioritizes that instead. He looks around for his bag in hopes of finding it in okay shape.
⋅•⋅⊱༻ • Cyrus roll to find bag ༺⊰⋅•⋅
Roll Request: [d20]Dice results:“ 4 ”The horse that just escaped must’ve been the one with the bag on its back, as he can't find it anywhere.He snaps his head back to the wide open door as his frown grows deeper."Tch curses!!"He clicks his tongue and stomps to the exit, keeping a sharp eye for noises and sudden movements. He doesn’t forget to close the stable door gently behind him.While listening in to any odd movement, he hears the horse still huffing distressedly a good distance away.He turns to the source of the sound, and does his best to approach without making too much noise, mindful of the shuffle of his clothes and the clinking of his sword.Despite his best efforts, he unknowingly steps on a twig in the dark just as he was sneaking closer, alerting the horse that startles and trots farther downhill…After a while of following, the horse had eventually calmed down and came to a stop, and Cyrus no longer needed to be stealthy as the horse wasn’t scared of him. He gets a hold of its reigns, then looks around to better locate himself.That’s when he sees a gaping black hole in the cliff face to his right, and as his eyes travel higher up, he finds himself looking at the house he was in just a few minutes ago, perched over the edge. Fireplace and candle light seep out the windows, illuminating the tree tops down where Cyrus is, the sight akin to a lighthouse in the dark of the night."....What is this place...?"He halts and just stares at the cave, his hands slowly sliding down the horse."Why did you run off so hurriedly….. What scared you?"He turns to the horse and sighs, wishing he could understand it to some level, but unfortunately he doesn't have that kind of connection with the animal... He pats its back before detaching his bag from it, throwing it over his shoulder and turning his back to the horse, it doesn't seem like it'll be running away any time soon.He steps closer to the cave, wary of the unknown in the dark. The moonlight and the orange lights from the house were his only comfort…"This cave was right below us..." He mumbles to himself as he walks in.Caves are natural happenings most of the time, but they never fail to carry ominous uncertainty with them... Especially at an isolated place like this.The cave gets wider inside and goes deeper, he can barely see when he reaches the end of it, where he finds a door sized hole carved into the rock.".….I feel my suspicions being validated..."He enters through the hole without a second thought, now gripping the handle of his sword.He stumbles a bit as he unknowingly walks into a set of steps.
‘Stairs…?’
He climbs up the unlit flight of stairs, going up what should be the equivalent of two stories when he bumps his head against wood."Ack-"He brings his hand to his forehead and rubs it a little, feeling the wood around with his other hand."This...."He knocks on the wood."Empty on the other side."He feels around for a handle.
‘…I'll just break in if I don’t find one—’
Thankfully, he does find it, and as he pushes up it gives in rather easily.As Cyrus steps up, he finds himself in a confined space, dim light bleeding from under and over what must be a door. It’s better lighting than the cave, and he can sort of make out the various objects on the shelves… its a storage room from the looks of it. He can hear dish clattering far to his right, and to his far left, quiet noises of idle chatter and a fireplace.".…"He takes a moment to think as his hand subconsciously comes to rest on his chin."This has got to be the cartographer’s house... And that must be where I last left them... And that would be the kitchen..."He keeps mumbling as he eyes the various objects around him."But why would the house need to be connected to the cave? Did the map maker want different entrances and escape routes? Perhaps he gets trouble often in this secluded area... However, it’s quite a waste to go through the trouble to connect them, yet not use the space down there for anything... But I suppose the house is spacious enough as it is so he doesn't really need the extra room…”Cyrus is a rambler, but only to himself, afterall, his own company is his favorite.He searches around the storage room for another door, just exploring around with no point. He already figured this was weird but not exactly malicious or THAT ominous. But finding things out like this was fun.He can make out what must be a broom, more cleaning items, dried vegetables hanging from the low ceiling —he has to bend down slightly— some big sacks and multiple chopped up logs and twigs gathered neatly in a big pile to the corner, likely for the furnace. Next to it however, on the side wall, is a sliding door, a sack of potatoes is leaning against it.“Hm.”He pushes the sack of potatoes to the side with his foot. Its heavy but he pushes it off like that anyway.He then examines the door with his hand, pressing on it.When that doesn’t work, he tries to slide it.It slides open without a sound, revealing another set of stairs going up, they are narrow and the steps are high, as if careful not to take too much space in the house's architecture.“So inefficient and tight… though, I suppose I'd like one of these paths back at the dukedom.”Assassins aren't very common, but they are always a possibility, given the status and importance of the figures living in and serving the Redwood. So escape plans would be a good idea.He climbs up the stairs, finding the space a bit too tight for his liking.This time the stairs lead him to a small door, also unlocked, and as he bows down to get through, he walks right into a wall of thick fabric.He steps back, confusion written all over his face.He feels around the fabric and tries to raise it, pushing it above so he can pass under. But under the layer of fabric… is another layer of fabric? they all seem to be attached at the top- They are coats. Right. Of course. He's in a wardrobe.“This is… uncomfortable…” It suddenly dawns on him that he's inside someone's ROOM. He had fun finding that cave and exploring the storage but this now feels a bit too invasive… He continues forward anyway.There's a dim warm light coming from the creeks around the wardrobe doors, he can hear the small crackle of a dying fire. He also notes a faint smell of lavender sticking to the clothes."The smell is nice at least."He opens the wardrobe doors slightly, the warm orange light seeping into the dark enclosed space. He peeks out, and steps out only after making sure nobody else was in the room."And this... Must be the bedroom... I believe this is far beyond breaking a boundary."The room is medium sized, which only serves to further exagerate the proportions of the bed in the middle. Disproportionate is an understatement, its huge, taking up much of the room's space. Despite that, it is well made and tidy, as is the rest of the room. There are two small bedside tables with a couple items on them, a small library to the side wall, and a cabinet on the wall opposite the bed. The fireplace is on the same wall as the wardrobe he was in, the flame is almost out."How cozy."
. . .
"I should head back now."He turns around and gets inside the wardrobe again, heading back to the cave entrance....Cyrus steps into the cave at last, going down the stairs in the dark was surprisingly more difficult than climbing them, especially the ones with the high steps. His bag is waiting for him where he left it next to the rocky doorway, he throws it over his shoulder and makes his way to the entrance of the cave, letting out a tired yet satisfied sigh.
⋅•⋅⊱༻ • Cyrus roll for weather ༺⊰⋅•⋅
Roll Request: [d20]Dice results:“ 1 ”...⋅•⋅⊱༻To be continued༺⊰⋅•⋅
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅The cave is barely sheltering him from the storm outside, it couldn't have been more than ten minutes since he went in, and yet the weather changed so drastically. The wind picked up considerably and is sending the rain in waves, that much he can tell from the sounds, because he can barely make out anything with his eyes, the clouds suffocating the moonlight.A huff to his right makes him flinch. It’s the horse. It must have come to shelter from the storm, it almost gave him a heart attack."Haa... You scared me there."He reaches out to the horse, petting it from its jawline down its neck with unusual enthusiasm."Gosh the weather has gotten... Aggressive..."The wind only gets stronger, and soon Cyrus starts hearing thuds accompanying the intensifying rain shower... it’s a hailstorm. It seems he is stuck here for now. The horse walks a bit deeper to avoid the stray hail bits and the splashes."....Well that's troublesome..."He walks back as well, following the horse's instincts as he wonders what he should do next. If he stays here for long, they'll definitely come looking for him, and if he uses the cave entrance to the house and somehow sneak in without getting caught, they'll question why he isn't wet... So he decides to stay in the cave for now.Living up to his expectations, It’s not long before he hears a noise unlike that of the storm.He turns his head to the source of the noise and raises his guard..."..oo...........i.er..oo!....................mister redwood!...."The voice is muffled by the loud rain, but he is steadily getting closer, until you can see the tiny light of his oil lantern.…….. ‘How come he spotted me before the lantern’s light reached me…?’Yohei is huffing as he rushes in to take cover in the cave, he slips halfway through but catches himself and pretends it didn't happen. You notice that he changed from his crutches and instead put on a wooden prosthetic. One hand is busy holding the lantern while the other is holding an umbrella, it didn't help much against the raging storm though and he is fully drenched."Whew! Mister Redwood! What were you doing?? When I saw the horse missing I thought you left!"He catches his breath while folding the useless umbrella, there are holes poked into it from the hail. Cyrus can see now thanks to the lantern, despite being a poor attempt at lighting their surroundings, it's a huge improvement from the momentary lightning flashes."I was looking for the bag. Something startled the horse so it took off running with it... But then I couldn't leave the cave because of the storm." He scans him once again, taking note of what he chose to take with him on this weather. "You're drenched. Are you alright?"Yohei doesn't answer him immediately, he seems to be assessing what Cyrus said and he is less subtle about it, looking a bit out of it. "..Yeah yeah, I'm fine fine.." Yohei glances at the inside of the cave for a millisecond, then at the horse- it started shifting and huffing aggressively again."..........." Cyrus looks at the horse, then looks back at Mito and... Smiles. "Strange. It was fine just a few moments ago."Yohei's heart almost jumped out his throat, he didn't expect him to be so fast with it."Oh yeah? Hm, perhaps it’s scared of the thunder." He tried to keep a casual tone, but the panic in his eyes was evident. Cyrus's ‘Got you’ smile gets on his nerves in the end and he goes on the offensive. "By the waaay, you're completely dry?"Cyrus chuckles quietly, almost in a small scoff before he takes a deep breath and goes back to his usual noble poker face."Yes. I found the horse here when I was searching for it, and unfortunately that’s when the rain started. I should have been faster..." He puts a hand on his hip as he looks around the cave. "Quite a fascinating cave you've got under your house."Yohei was looking into Cyrus's eyes while the later was explaining himself in an attempt to discern any lies, but at that last bit his eyes widened and he made an irritated face. He is so frustrated that a stranger found this cave not even an hour of arriving at his home- ‘AND DID HE JUST SMIRK AT ME??’ Hold on, did Cyrus leave his bag behind on purpose..? Did Vargas send him to investigate his home?! Rude bastard……. hmm, no. No that’s stupid, Vargas could simply ask Yohei to draw a full plan of his house, and he would have no choice but to oblige. Right, he is not exactly sure Cyrus saw the stairs anyway.The horse stomps and threatens to escape from nervousness, it only calms a bit after Yohei quietly steps away to the opposing cave wall."...........Horses don't like me." He admits.“So it wasn’t the thunder that made it nervous?” Cyrus mocks, tilting his head slightly towards Yohei as he raises his eyebrows. “Oh well, that’s not the biggest problem at the moment. We need to find a way to get back.”‘A way to get back.’ Yohei just sends him an unimpressed look. ‘Aaaaaah what a pain...’ Yohei then looks out into the storm, weighting the minuses of just heading back through the stairs and exposing his secret entrance even if Cyrus really didn't know... a shiver runs down his body, he's getting cold..."Are you willing to keep a secret? You don't look the talkative type." Yohei says at last.“It depends. I’ll decide after I find out the secret.” He shrugs then grabs the bag again, making it settle on his shoulder. “But if it gets us out of this cave then I will consider it heavily.”"Try harder.” He stares annoyedly at Cyrus and crosses his arms. He says that, but it is him who's going to get sick if they stay here for longer..“What, you want me to beg?” His indifferent face makes it almost impossible to tell if he’s joking or not, but Cyrus is having the time of his life. This is the most fun he’s had for days, if not months."......" It’s been a while since he's had to deal with someone so difficult…. Then, he seems to make a decision, and gives him a victorious smirk. "Alright then, guess I'm not telling you. Have fun waiting the storm out." He turns around and heads straight for the stairs, then pauses, turns around, puts the lantern down on the floor, then turns again to leave.“You’re leaving the guest’s horse here? No wonder it doesn’t like you.” Cyrus glances at him. So he gave up on keeping that a secret huh? “Ah, you have a separate abode here?”"That is none of your business. Don't follow me or I'll consider it trespassing." Yohei says nonchalantly, tone victorious. "You can use the lantern to get back. If the storm ever lets out that is hehehehe"“Ah I see. Thank you for the lantern.” Cyrus bows his head and picks it up gracefully, then leans against the cave wall next to the horse, crosses his arms, and relaxes."???" When met with no resistance, Yohei found himself utterly confused. He expected him to try to follow him at least. He pauses to look back for a second, then disappears up the stairs, leaving Cyrus behind.….... not even half the flight later, he comes back, tired of his conscience, and stands on the doorway."...........................Come on! Come with me. We still need to look through your belongins.""Ah but I'm afraid of trespassing..." He pets the horse's fluffy mane without looking back at Yohei, teasing the poor man one last time."I'll allow it so long as I'm with you. Don't go sneaking into my house in the future..." He can always lock the doors but that limits his options for a quick escape, and its just too much trouble. "Oh and if anyone asks, tell them we came in from the kitchen door. And we can't have you being dry, step out for a bit.""That's unnecessary isn't it? You do have an umbrella on you, despite all its 'flaws'." He refers to the umbrella with the multiple holes in it that was pretty much useless against the hail. But deliberately going in the rain is something Cyrus is NOT going to do, not in a million years."What umbrella? This is but a corpse now. No one will believe that I'm all drenched while you're completely dry, here, at least get some of the water on yourself. And let’s hurry before they go out looking for us.” He extends his arm with the tattered umbrella."...I'll simply head straight to the bath instead." He's doing his best to keep his face from slipping and showing how much he hates the idea of getting wet. He doesn't take his arm nor the umbrella.
< What do you mean take his arm??? When someone passes you an umbrella you don't grab the arm lmao -Algae >
< Let's ignore it. Please. -Pookie >
"Miss Konran might still be there, and I still have to change the water... go to one of the guestrooms instead, I'm pretty sure Dimitri is sleeping anyway. I'm most worried about Miss Briony, she is rather.. curious.." He starts climbing the stairs."I can tell. But frankly, even if she suspects anything I doubt she'd come to any conclusions." He follows after Yohei, balancing the bag over his shoulder while holding the lantern with the other hand. This is too tight... And the horse...‘Did YOU come to any conclusions?’ He doesn't say anything, it’s not like Cyrus will give him a real answer. He just keeps on scaling the steps with practiced ease.
⋅•⋅⊱༻ • Yohei roll to determine if Briony sees you ༺⊰⋅•⋅
Roll Request: [d20]Dice results: “ 13 ”...⋅•⋅⊱༻To be continued༺⊰⋅•⋅
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅When Mito tried to push up the trap, it wouldn't budge. Confused, he put a bit more strength behind it and it lifted up a little, something akin to a white embroidered curtain showing from the creak he opened. He immediately closes it back."!! Miss Betty! I'm terribly sorry, take your time... Mister Redwood is with me by the way." He adds for good measure. Whew, he thought the trap was jammed. Or that Cyrus broke it. If he did indeed come here…They don't hear any footsteps, only the dull thud of some objects falling and rolling on the floor.‘Oh, she must've come here to get the potatoes.’ Yohei thinks. ‘I'm sorry I left you alone with so many guests.’Soon they both hear the door creaking and closing. Still no footsteps. Yohei waits a moment before pushing the trap door up and hauling himself into the storage. He then quietly leads Cyrus to one of the guestrooms. ⋅•⋅⊱༻ GUESTROOM ༺⊰⋅•⋅The guest room is spacious, cozy, and clean. The fireplace is already housing a generous flame next to the queen size bed, and there are fresh robes neatly folded on it.⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅"There are some clothes for you on the bed. We can discuss your belongings and the trip details later, we have time, I don't think we'll be departing tomorrow." He says while holding the door handle. It’s good that he started the fire earlier, its gotten colder outside, but thankfully the room is already warm by now."Thank you for the clothes." Cyrus steps inside the room, putting his bag down next to the bed. Why wouldn't they be leaving tomorrow though? "Because of the weather?"“I mean, it’s not impossible but I'd prefer not to cross sea in a storm. It’s a short distance sure but the sea is still the sea. I'll try my best to finish preparations tonight in case the storm lets down... Anyway, I'll tell you when the bath is ready." With that, he leaves Cyrus to himself and closes the door.Cyrus stays standing for some time, letting his ears get used to the silence. His body gradually relaxes until he plops on the bed. Gosh it's been such a long trip... So many things happened... They got robbed, one horse ran away, the other got eaten, bandits once again, passing by a village and letting their guard down just for the village to be attacked by even more bandits, the muddy rivers they had to cross, hunger, and more...He had a lot to think back on. Like his strange partner Konran, their suspicious encounter with Briony and how she ‘coincidentally’ happened to be heading to the cartographer's and also had been meaning to go to Enthralla , and why Mito keeps so many secrets... Analyzing things has always been fun, but not when your stomach is distracting you.He doesn't move from the bed, laying on it face down as he fights against sleep... He's gotta take a bath first at least.. ⋅•⋅⊱༻ Bathroom ༺⊰⋅•⋅The bathroom is spacious, the door doesn't open to the main room but rather to a sink and hangers, adding an extra sense of privacy to whoever might be undressed inside, where there is a bathtub and a big bassin carved into the floor. The toilet has its own door next to the sink. Unlike the rest of the house that’s lined with wood, the bathroom floor is made of stone.⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅As Yohei walks in to prepare the bath for Cyrus, he almost slips on a puddle of water —His prosthetic is getting slippery, he should remember to scratch the bottom of it a bit before they leave— But why’s there water everywhere?? It’s as if the rain was pouring inside instead of outside!"Siiiigh."Did Konran really have to soak everything? How could anyone be so messy... No no no, he should know better than to judge people so fast, maybe something startled her? It doesn't matter. He makes quick work of mopping the floor. There were some petals scattered here and there, Miss Betty must have thrown some flowers in the water for Konran, how sweet of her. His thoughts are interrupted when he empties the water in the tub and notes the soap bar on the bottom of it, there is a BITE mark on it?!!?? He stills as the gears in his head turn and he explodes into a fit of laughter."THAT'S SO DUUUMB AHAHAHAHAHA!!"The soap bars he bought last time were particularly cute, molded into flat decorated rectangles, sure enough, with their shape and color, they almost looked like cookies....⋅•⋅⊱༻ DINING ROOM ༺⊰⋅•⋅The room is empty save for a long wooden table and chairs, along with some paintings on the walls. It seems its sole purpose is eating, or maybe meetings.⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅It’s a potato, onion, and chicken gratin, stocked full of cheese. The dish is accompanied with lemon and mint juice, refreshing and not too sweet. Everyone was seated around the table, a full plate each. Dimitri had been woken up from his short nap by the delicious smell of the gratin the moment it was out of the oven, he'd been drooling since.Konran bops on her chair excitedly, ready to taste the food. After keeping an eye out for the thickest, juiciest serving so diligently, she finally got it! Now she's just gotta rinse off that bitter taste from what happened in the bath-Cyrus, now dressed in clean and comfortable clothes after his bath, takes a seat next to Konran. The smell was welcomed by his starving stomach as he crosses his arms and secretly fights off sleep."You haven't told me exactly where in Enthralla you're heading." Yohei says before taking a bite of his food. He knows it will be his last proper meal, so he takes his time to enjoy it."yeah!! Where?" Konran asks as well."We're going to the XXX house.” Cyrus says."You didn't know?!" It isn’t just Yohei that’s shocked at Konran, Clematia and Dimitri look like they would've asked too if their mouths weren't full."No uuh I think I forgot to ask I don't remember.""....You weren't joking?" Cyrus looks just as shocked as the others. He did mention it to her even if the duke should’ve already provided her with such information, did she seriously forget?!"...Alright… And are you in a hurry to get there? I mean is time such an important factor that we should take more dangerous shortcuts?" The food is delicious, he's going to miss it. God knows how long this journey will take... he hopes the village will be alright in his absence.“It’s best to get there as soon as possible of course, but we’re in no such rush.” Cyrus resumes his eating, impressed by the food. Next to him, the beast was devouring and gripping the fork so hard her hand was shaking and sweating—“…” As usual, Yohei notes the guest's reactions to the food so he can tell Miss Betty later. She's always overjoyed when they finish it or when they leave nice comments. He can't just lie to her, but her food is always so good that he doesn't need to anyway. "Mhm.. any past experiences? With travelling? Maybe something else?" He looks up at all three of them, including Clematia.“I LIV-” Konran’s words are cut off by her hand that feeds her continuously.“Konran is a traveler so it’s her way of living, as for me I’m only familiar with hunt trips.” Cyrus nudges Konran’s leg with his knee from under the table, making her sit straight and swallow quickly, a reminder to keep her table manners and dignity in check.‘Nobles...’ The thought goes through Clematia and Dimitri at the same time when he mentions hunt trips."As for me I'd say my voyage from my home town to Imalnatir was enough experience.” Clematia says in turn, internally smiling at her own word choice and delivery. “And I did take some trips to neighbouring areas as part of my training, but never somewhere like Enthralla.""Can I have seconds?" Dimitri was a bit embarrassed for asking during such an important conversation, but he's already waited enough."Yes yes of course!!" Yohei wastes no time to put a generous serving on his plate."MOAR—" Konran almost jumps from her seat but Cyrus pulls her back down from her shoulder while still eating peacefully, so she reaches out her arms again, much calmer this time. "Can I also have seconds?""And what about everyone's fighting capabilities?" Yohei's smiling as he serves Konran as much as her plate could take. She has a rather big sword for her stature, how well can she use it?"I've been sword training for as long as I remember.” Cyrus says. “I'm pretty confident in my skills, but of course, it would be best to avoid any physical conflicts.""Thats good, thats good." Yohei nods."Hmmm I've been training poison dart and knife throwing but I can't say I'm satisfied with my skills yet..." Clematia says."You were?" Dimitri looks a bit surprised at the revelation, she's seriously so cool."Woah that's awesome!!" The moment Konran finishes the last word she resumes her feasting once again, not leaving room for oxygen."And what about you, Konran?""Oh well I use my sword but I also like using my hands a lot! The sword makes me look cooler tho!"Cyrus looks at her in a way only a concerned mother would."Oh it does haha!” Yohei agrees. “As for me I use a dagger.""Do you fight a lot Mister Mito?" The question slips from Dimitri’s mouth. Although a bit rude, he couldn't help it, all of this has been spiking up his curiosity, and Yohei's scars make you wonder...Yohei takes a moment to think about his answer, how much is a lot? "Well, yes, it depends on how dangerous the place I'm visiting is, although I’ve become much better at avoiding trouble than in my younger years hehehe, most of these are quite old." He smiles while pointing at his face, noticing Dimitri’s gaze."Oooh then we've got a pretty solid group!!!" Konran looks excited for their adventure as she fills her mouth again with yummy flaming hot food. "When are we leaving then?!""I'll try to prepare everything tonight, but ultimately it'll depend on the weather." The storm had let down a bit…"Oh by the way, tomorrow while you all are getting warmer clothes and other essentials, I'll pass by mrs Evanthe's one more time to gather up my stuff and get a hat for Konran, I won't take too long, where should we meet up?" Clematia has finished her plate and is now sipping on the rest of her juice."I think we should just meet up at the port so we don't waste any time." Yohei has just about finished his second plate."I agree." Cyrus says."Yaaaaaaay I'm getting a hat!!"Glancing at her, her excited enthusiasm makes Cyrus unable to hold back a small smile as he takes another bite of the food....They finish up their dinner, and Yohei leads them to the multiple guest rooms, where each has its own fireplace. The fire was on long before they walked in so the rooms were already warm and cozy, and they lulled themselves to sleep on the crackling of the dying fire and the pittering of the rain on the windows. The storm had let way to a gentler rain, and the wind was no longer howling but lightly swaying the tree leaves and creating a soothing rustling noise. Only one of the house's windows stayed lit in the dark, it was a long night of planning for the map maker....⋅•⋅⊱༻To be continued༺⊰⋅•⋅
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
⋅•⋅⊱༻ THE SHORE ༺⊰⋅•⋅A rare beach stretches among the seaside cliffs, littered with sharp dark rocks and pebbles. There is a humble wooden port, a couple fishing boats sheltering in it from the crashing waves. In good weather, you can see the imposing mountains of the neighboring continent on the horizon.⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅The weather is as gentle as the day prior, the only witness of the sudden night storm are the fallen leaves and branches. The newly formed travel party had agreed to meet up at the harbour after separating with Clematia, who asked to be dropped off at Mrs Evanthe’s so she could gather up her things. Surprisingly, it was her who made it to the dock first; the other four had been busy getting saddle blankets for the horses, warmer clothing for themselves, as well as some dried foods and sleeping bags.As the others scale down the steep path to join her —They each had a horse, and Konran was happily riding her own steed that wasn’t confiscated this time— they have a good view on the small port, where currently two medium sized fishing sailboats and a couple smaller rowboats are getting ready to depart, luckily they are later than usual as they had to clean up the debris from the storm before.Cyrus stares at the small port in denial, those are the SMALLEST boats he's ever seen..."...Is that.. the main port?" He asks, tone feigning indifference as he tries to keep a humble impression. Because there's no way this is the only one, there must be at least normal sized boats around here somewhere, he just wanted to make sure."The one and only! Quite literally hahaha!" Dimitri had wanted to accompany them until they boarded the ship, and so he was riding Clematia's horse."It’s sufficient for the purpose it serves, we only really need fish for local consumption." Yohei adds. People can always look down on his little village, but he is very fond of it and likes it the way it is. If somehow the travels got safer and the village became a bustling link between the two continents, it would be a real shame.As reality sets in on the quality of their ride, Cyrus represses a shudder, his eyebrows twitching as he stares at the boats. "...Yes, of course." He can almost smell the disgusting stench of fish from here, it's gross...
"WEEEEEEEEE"
"Konran? Konran?!?!” She has the zoomies. She's out of their field of vision now.The moment Cyrus loses sight of her, he gallops down the path to find her again."What? Where did she go??" ‘Wait, how old is she???’ Yohei is utterly confused."Speaking of which, on our way to your place, Cyrus insisted not to get Miss Ripley her own horse." Dimitri had a hunch it’d be wise to let him know."Say what?" Yohei turns his head to Dimitri with a concerned expression. This prooobably won't be an issue.. but he'll ask Cyrus if they should not take her horse along.. just in case... He leaves Cyrus to go after Konran and goes to discuss the crossing fees with the fishermen meanwhile. "Hii hi! Thank you for picking the white horse for me Dimitri!" Clematia says cheerfully, her hands clasped together casually behind her back.“Don’t mention it! Hope we didn’t make you wait for too long?” He hops off the horse and walks to her.“Nope not at all!” “…”“…”He hands her the horse’s reins. “…Please be safe.” There is genuine worry in his voice, and perhaps something else...For a second, it is not her usual smile or cheeky grin that appears, but rather a flicker of deeper emotion. Her eyes glance to the floor. This errand might take long, perhaps weeks… she'll probably miss him—and everyone... she thinks she already does."Thank you Dimitri.. Please take care of Mrs Evanthe for me." She finally looks up and shoots him a grateful smile."Of course..." He smiles back at her, and silence stretches between them for a bit.Then Yohei walks into the scene.He looks between them cluelessly. ‘Did something happen..?’“Done negotiating already?” Clematia asks. ‘Way to interrupt, read the room will you.’“Eheheh, Benjamin is a man of few words.”“Right.” ‘And you a man of few braincel—’“AHEM! By the way! Mister Mito! With all due respect, you won't be allowed back into the village unless Miss Briony is safe and sound with you!” Dimitri announces in a grand tone and proud posture, in the way he does when he's joking around."Hahaha! I wonder if I will be allowed to live at all!" Yohei says half jokingly. Actually, the question has been gnawing at the back of his mind; Vargas promised him a reward for a job well done, but didn't specify what happens should he fail…Soon enough, their bittersweet parting is interrupted by distant loud scolding and horse clopping.Cyrus is dragging one horse by the reins, while the other follows after him obediently, as if it already listens to him."Whyyyyyy just why won't you sit still?!?! I let you on a horse expecting you to be responsible enough to stick to the group just for you to run off without even thinking of your partners!!"Konran is trudging beside him, Sulking."From now on you're never allowed your own horse, you're always gonna ride with one of us!!”“Well that’s for the better, less horses to take care of.” Yohei nods. “Dimitri would you be so kind as to take that horse back to your uncle?"As they load Konran's luggage onto another horse, a middle-aged man of impressive frame, wearing a dark grey coat and a darker yet expression, shuffles closer until he stands quietly beside Yohei."Oh and this is Mister Benjamin, the ship captain.” Yohei introduces him with a courteous smile. “He'll be the one taking us across the strait."The bearded man just nods in response. He then turns and gets on the boat as they follow behind him, and he informs his crew of the change of plans: No fishing for the day, just the transport of the four travellers. And the few crew members —only two other men— seem relieved for the relatively relaxing day.It reeks of fish on the deck, and there are some leftover bones and scales here and there that the seagulls are eyeing curiously.Yohei stares up at the rushing clouds for some time. "It'll be about four hours from here, maybe even less depending on the wind, right captain?" He asks when he turns around, leaning back a bit toward where the captain is.The man just nods again."I see." Cyrus's been in a sour mood after chasing konran, her antics only adding to his irritation after he found out they'll have to sail on a gross fishing boat. four hours… more than enough for the stench to stick to every fiber of his being.Konran is sat on a low wooden chair, feet swinging as she stares at the captain toddler style.Clematia looks distracted. She is unsure how this adventure will go, and honestly a bit nervous.Yohei on the other hand suddenly got restless, he was bouncing his leg a bit before getting up from his chair altogether and leaning his elbows on the edge of the boat. It’s been so long since he travelled with people, it’s a new challenge for him, and there is a wave of excitement rushing through him.He's staring down at the waves not far under when the sails are finally set, and the wind pushes them powerfully towards their destination.Yohei turns towards his companions with a smile. He racks his brain for some sort of statement to depart their journey, encouragements, wishes for a safe road, since he's the guide and everything. But nothing comes to mind, and he just stares at them awkwardly."What is it? I can tell you wanted to say something." Clematia asks, back to her cheerful self."Yeah, HOORRAY!! …Or something." He exclaims as he lifts one first into the air.Konran joins him without hesitation, throwing her arms up enthusiastically "HOORRAAAAAAY!!!""Pfft-" ‘You're supposed to say that after a victory-!’ Clematia thinks. ...⋅•⋅⊱༻ OPEN WATER ༺⊰⋅•⋅The wind pushes the boat forward through the moving topography of the sea, highs and lows knitting together and disappearing as soon as they appear, waves crashing and sending their foam flying high when the boat faces them head on. The weather is still in their favor, the lighting alternating between bright and slightly dimmer as the clouds pass the sun in their rush; The spots of light create a beautiful tapestry on the water's surface.⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅ Their little ship has already sailed for some time now, the Imalnatir village looking smaller and smaller as they get farther and deeper into the sea…Yohei had seated himself somewhere in the middle of the deck, where the rocking of the boat is less pronounced, he has his pack on his lap in a tight hug, resting his chin on top, using it both as an anchor and a pillow as he tries to catch up on his sleep… if only the seagulls would quiet down a bit. He is later yanked from his unsteady dreams by a sudden change in air pressure. The wind has picked up and is whistling through countless holes, and the idle sounds of splashing waves in the background has multiplied and amplified as if it echoed in a huge enclosed space.When he opens his eyes, he is not greeted by the endlessly stretching horizon but the rocky face of a cave wall instead.They must have entered the hollow mountains; a massive rock formation with an impossible cave system, with too many holes and caves to count. The biggest passageway goes through the whole thing like a giant corridor and connects the sea to the salt lake past it, and to the only viable dock on this side of Enthralla.There are many turns and many blind spots, many holes and different paths wherever one lays eyes on. Thanks to that at least, daylight seems to reach somewhat through the porous formation, although an intense fog limits the field of view considerably.“Aaahhh I hate this place…” He slaps his face a few times to get rid of the grogginess, then gets up and turns to look for his companions. They were all looking up, mesmerised by the dreamlike view, the light entering in ribbons from the holes in the rock and filtering through the fog."Morning!! You were snoring really loud!!" Konran's voice echoes along with the splashing of the waves."Oh, my bad…” Yohei cringes a bit at the echo of her voice, if there was something in the cave, they've just announced their arrival. "By the way Miss Ripley, it’s best to keep our voices low from now on, and that would be for the remainder of the trip as well, we can't be inviting trouble to our location.""Sure thing!!"Cyrus didn't appreciate someone else bossing Konran around, but this was okay, the cartographer is right after all. His attention goes back to the ominous holes before he speaks up "You said you hated this place, have you been here before?""God no, I tried to avoid it as much as possible, you never know who or what might be lurking in here, it’s perfect for an ambush, and there isn't even solid footing to land on." Yoehi says, eyes glued to the closest cave entrance. "But of course the captain knows what he's doing." He adds reassuringly."...You've crossed this side of the sea before, mister cartographer?" The captain speaks for the first time since they met him, his voice is deep, slow and purposeful, he is looking Yohei right in the eyes."..Of course I have, that’s why I'm their guide.” He answers back as casually as he can manage, holding the stare."And you reached Enthralla without passing through this cave?" The captain's eyes do not waver, he still has the same impassive, grave face they first met him with.Yohei just smiles at him. "There are more ways than you know of mister Benjamin.""Hmph." The captain scoffs, an unimpressed, unconvinced sound. But he leaves it at that, and turns his attention to the water once more.Cyrus has a slightly confused expression on, why would Mito make himself so suspicious then get upset when he's suspected?"Mister Mito you sound almost as suspicious as a drug dealer!" Konran voices Cyrus's exact thoughts, she has a hand over her mouth so she's not too loud."WH-What?! But it’s the truth! Of course I know other ways, why do you think I sell my maps for such a high price?" ‘CRAPCRAPCRAP—’“Do you make friends with pirates, mister? I never saw you use one of the village boats." One of the crew members interferes, this one has clear suspicion and dislike laced in his voice."...What is this? An interrogation?" Yohei's tone of voice drops, and he shoots him back a glare."What, didn't you hear? They're his regular clients." Another fisherman taunts, a mocking grin on his face."Wait for real?! That's super cool!!" Konran rubs her hands like a fly and leans down with a mischievous and curious grin. "I thought pirates only existed in stories!! Tell me bout ‘em!!"Cyrus does an impressively quick 180 on his seat, turning away from everyone, he’s covering his mouth with his hand and his shoulders are shaking as he tries to keep in his laughter... He's so out of it today, he wouldn't usually show this much but this idiot is just hilarious.Clematia just looks at Yohei with pity, how does she even save him from this one? He said too much, ‘siiigh’.Yohei rolls his eyes and turns around, giving up on the conversation. He doesn't mind leaving it at that... although if word reaches the village people will dislike him even more… hopefully these fishermen are as tight lipped as their captain. Cyrus is getting on his nerves, although he'll admit that it is his fault this time, he tends to overshare when he's excited... his cheeks warm up a bit from embarrassment and irritation at the fishermen's disrespect and Cyrus's badly repressed snickers."Woah it's the first time I see someone actually blush!!" Konran exclaims not so quietly. This time, a cough escapes Cyrus as he scoots even further away from the group and squeezes his jaw with his hand, putting all of his will-power into not bursting out in laughter.Awkward silence fills the cave, aside from the constant whistle of the wind and Cyrus's occasional slip ups... The group gets deeper into the cave. It's getting darker.After a good while of sailing, Cyrus has calmed down, Konran is bopping around in her seat, Yohei is sitting at the corner to have the best field of view, and Clematia is fidgeting with her bag out of anxiety.Soon enough, the whistles get louder... And the waves pick up as they near an open area of the cave that has three other entrances...Cyrus sits straight again and squints his eyes at the diverging paths in front of them... This spells trouble…Konran sniffs the air.“…….”She stands up from her seat and walks to the edge of the boat, sniffing the air again... The waves get stronger, the whistles louder and she turns around to face the group, a proud blank smile on her face."The smell of fish can never outperform the blood one!!"...
Everyone hears rumbling…
⋅•⋅⊱༻To be continued༺⊰⋅•⋅
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅Everyone hears a quiet rumble coursing through the air, steadily growing louder.Mito imitates Konran, sniffing the air, but he cannot discern the blood scent from the fish like she did.Cyrus stands up and walks to Konran, leaning down to her ear so she can hear through all the noise. “Where?”"Above water, west!"“Thank you.”Cyrus pats Konran then whispers something to her again."But that's boring!!"He raises his eyebrows at her and she pouts and walks up to Clematia."Let's stay close to each other and get inside the ship if it notices us!" She looks a little disappointed as she says that.‘If WHAT notices us?!’ Clematia dares not ask, she just nods to Konran and checks if her darts are still in place.Noticing Clematia's anxiety, Konran nudges her with a bright smile. "Oh don't you worry~ Cyrus is a problem fixer, he'll take care of this!!" It seems she puts a lot of trust in her travel partner... "Ah, and he told you to stay close to me!" Well he told HER to stay close to Clematia but whatever floats your boat, Konran...Yohei is intently searching for any shadow in the water, he fears the rumbling is coming from deep under.... After a while, he unbuttons his coat, revealing a wool sweater underneath.The rumbling grows louder, and is soon accompanied by cackles, cheers and most importantly: the collective singing of a sea shanty.The waves get aggressive, the wind whistles louder, and everyone’s hearts stutter as a large dark silhouette emerges from one of the cave entrances, obscured by an ominous fog...The shape isn't the clearest, but the group can make out giant sails...Cyrus’s eyes widen as he processes the situation. "Tch, pirates...!!" He's never dealt with sea homeless people, doesn't know how to, and the only person who maybe did business with them is undressing for some damn reason!!The captain finally shows a proper emotion, his expression got more serious as his brows furrowed and wrinkled. "We can't turn around in time! The wind is pushing strongly forward! Brace yourselves!" Tsk, the giant ship was moving ridiculously fast for its size, they had no time to react.Yohei has a second of relief as he realises it wasn't a kraken or a leviathan, pirates at least he can deal with. Probably....... maybe. He finally moves from his sentinel-like position and hurries to Cyrus. "Take Konran and Clematia and get under the hull with the horses, quick! We should avoid a fight if we can.""Konran can evaluate the situation, I told her to get in when things escalate and keep Miss Briony safe." He lets out a quick breath, then stands straight again, not in a stance that's ready to take out his sword anytime but still keeping his hand on the sword grip. "We'll strike a deal with them. You did business with pirates before, no? I'm sure you've something valuable enough in you to keep them under control.""Not under enough control when they see a noble and two ladies, it'll be a lot easier if all they see is some fishermen and an amputee cartographer." He's speaking fast and his tone has urgency in it, it’s only a matter of seconds before the pirates see them, if they haven't already. "Pirates are NOT predictable people, you don't want them to have ANY interest in us."“You’re right, but I doubt they’d leave us peacefully even if we looked uninteresting.”“I could offer them a map to Enthralla, although pirates aren’t typically interested in inland maps… Let’s hope they’re a crew I’m familiar with…”
⋅•⋅⊱༻ • Yohei roll for pirate crew ༺⊰⋅•⋅
Roll Request: [d20]Dice results: “ 4 ”The fog slowly lowers from the giant sails, as Yohei and Cyrus can see some heads popping up from the edge of the boat, cackling...Soon, the mark on the sail is clear… Yohei recognises it... Oh...A crimson sun setting in a black beer mug: It's The Drunken Sundowner, the one pirate group that specifically has bad history with map makers, plundering workshops and kidnapping cartographers to make use of their knowledge, then unceremoniously throwing them into the sea when they are no longer of use to them...Yohei’s previously calm and in-control demeanor breaks and he seizes for a second at the sight of the flag."COUGH, change of plans, maybe I shoulda been the one hiding ahahahaha…"Not that it would work now, the pirates must have seen them already. He looks Cyrus straight in the eyes and says with a smile "Don't tell them I'm a map maker." Would they recognise him? He's not sure of his reputation among sailors and pirates, but if he is talked about, he would be easily recognisable from his scars."As you wish." Cyrus can tell that they are SCREWED. His eyebrows twitch again as he racks his brain... Should they act like they have nothing to offer? No, they'll likely get killed... But being from the Redwood wouldn't help either, they'll just seize the chance to kidnap him and demand a ransom from the duke, if they even believe him that is... They should be people important enough that it would be considered a direct attack if they were to get killed, but at the same time not important enough to be kidnapped…?!!He turns to Mito, a cold sweat dripping by the side of his head. "Give me the recommendation letter."Yohei's face pales, he looks much more concerned about this than the pirates, he takes a step away from Cyrus. "..........Is that really alright? We can't just give it away... and we're not even sure they care about authority, they are wild creatures-there must be something else-""We're not giving it away idiot, we're messengers.” Cyrus doesn't budge as he reaches his arm out. “If we say we were sent to the Enthrala continent to send a letter we might have a chance to at least be spared." This is a race against time, he can tell they're bringing whatever they use to get down from the ship...“…”Yohei can't argue against that logic, it’s a pretty solid plan... He reluctantly fishes the letter out from the inner pocket of his coat, where he had it stashed neatly, and hands it to Cyrus, he would be much better fit than him in this situation….. Can pirates read? They might make someone read....Cyrus stuffs it in his clothes quickly, then looks over at Konran who's leading Clematia to the inside of the boat. Should he assign roles for them just in case..? Yes probably."Mito, you're a fisherman, Konran is my partner and Miss Briony...." He thinks for a moment, he should give her a role proper enough to keep her from ANY possible danger... "The duke's personal Gardner...??" This is nerve-wracking...They suddenly see some of the pirates sliding down their ship, into the water....Mito literally jumps and rears back. "HHYYYEEE CYRUS THAT FOG FROM EARLIER WAS NOT NORMAL-" he's sweating like a bucket."I know, now who's Clematia?" Mito's panic is NOT helping as he himself fights to stay calm, he needs to come up with Clematia's role quickly before they get here!!Whistles, shouts and energetic cackles are heard alongside the splashing of water that keeps getting closer...Mito quickly composes himself and turns to Cyrus. "Doctor." It seems his logic hadn't completely left him… He thinks for a moment then turns to Cyrus once more, this time with a serious, sweat ridden face."I can't lie, you're on your own."“So are you.” Cyrus nods to him in agreement before turning to the rest of the crew."Wait what-"To Mito's dismay, Cyrus had already walked off towards the middle of the deck as he exclaims to the fishermen. "Haa... Brace yourselves!”Right after Cyrus finishes speaking, someone puts their hand on the ship... Then another... And another... And... There are nine pirates standing on the ship now.Cyrus walks up in front of them, his stance straight and imposing as he looks at them coldly but with no hostility.“Why lookie what we got 'ere?! A ballsy pretty boy!"Some of the pirates cackle, and others just stare. Some are even inspecting the boat.
⋅•⋅⊱༻ • Cyrus roll for persuasion༺⊰⋅•⋅
Roll Request: [d20]Dice results: “ 18 ”"This is a fishing boat, I don't see why you'd be interested in it." Cyrus says, ignoring the pirate's comment."Oh please, ye sure don't look like one of 'em handicapped fishers!"It seems like the bulkiest and most deranged looking one is the lead speaker of their group. He doesn't wear a shirt and has many belts around his pants, his skin is covered in scars and he's missing an eye..."Correct. I'm a messenger tasked with sending the Redwood duke's letter over to the Enthralla's without attracting too much attention.""Well ye sure did a good job at the last part kekeke.”"But I don't believe you're that interested on the lives people lead on land, let alone disrupting our information or spreading rumors amongst them, are you not? You pride yourself in the sea afterall.""Yes of course we do..." It seems that one of the pirates has taken a liking to Cyrus...Now that Yohei has a good look at the pirates, he doesn't know what to make of them. When they slipped into the water earlier, he freaked out; pirates typically prefer to land directly on their victim's deck, so he assumed they were dealing with merfolk. Well, it could still be the case, just because they look human doesn't mean they are... He glances back at the fishermen to get a reference for his own behavior, wouldn't wanna stand out…The captain seems to be in control of his temper so as to not irritate their attackers, but one would certainly say he is more angry than afraid... They are proud and brave sailors, they brave the sea every day, risking their lives in these dangerous waters to support their families. They aren't cowering away.All of a sudden, two pirates burst open the doors of the ship… it seems they were already inside…“AY WE FOUND SOME WOMEN UNDER ‘ERE!”“weeeeeee~”The second voice was definitely Konran's…“The short one is my partner, the taller one our doctor. Both were personally handpicked and recommended by the duke.” Cyrus doesn't need to turn around to understand the situation at hand. He keeps eye contact with the biggest looking pirate whom he was already speaking to.The pirate looks unimpressed and even a little annoyed now at how this man cuts off every opportunity they get at having fun… Cyrus knows he’ll have to make up for that somehow…“Ay lil guy ye got a way with words dontcha? Why dontchu have a lil chat with my captain ay?”“It would be a pleasure.”Cyrus feels that this will be over much faster if he just makes a good impression on the captain but… this is nerve-wracking… he can feel his heart rate increase as the pirates attach ropes to their fishing boat and haul it closer to the bigger one. A ladder is unceremoniously shoved onto their deck, and they lead Cyrus up and in, leaving the others temporarily behind with six other laughing pirates…Clematia fiddles with her sleeves anxiously, she tries subtly to shift closer to Konran and further from the pirate by her side, his appearance is disgusting.... her eyes automatically find Yohei's familiar silhouette then Cyrus's as he is led into the huge ship, she really hopes he'll be alright, it seems he's the one handling the situation like Konran said. And he told the pirates she's a doctor, it’s a good call, pirates need doctors! If worse comes to worse they wouldn't kill her…Beside her, Konran is happily hopping up and down as she hums a little tune, her voice drowned out by the ongoing shouts and whistles from the pirate crew.The two pirates guarding them giggle and whisper to each other… Clematia and Konran can feel their eyes on the back of their heads…A few excruciatingly long minutes pass, and the big brute that was previously talking to Cyrus finally jumps down from the pirate ship, hanging on by a rope as he yells at the others below “BRING ‘EM ALL YOUNGSTERS UP! WE NEED SUM FRESH BLOOD FROM TIME TO TIME!”Two pirates grab Konran and Clematia by the arm as they drag them up to the ship, and Mito’s face is suddenly grabbed by one of the pirates. “How old are ye?”Mito yanks the hand away, he was so preoccupied with Konran and Clematia that he didn't see him approach."..26"“Eh young enough. C’mon we don’t got all day!”“Kekek that guy’s always acting like the boss when the big hulk’s not around!”“Oh screw ye!!”The pirates cackle as they harshly drag Mito with them up the Drunken Sundowner…...⋅•⋅⊱༻To be continued༺⊰⋅•⋅
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
⋅•⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅•⋅The fishing sailboat emerges from the daunting encounter unscathed, it heads back home early, but no later that afternoon, a rumor spreads in the small village that the guests’ horses came right back…...Up on the Drunken Sundowner’s deck, three small figures stand waiting, guarded by six pirates from behind. They whisper and cackle as they stare their ‘guests’ up and down.Yohei shoots a quick smile at an anxious Clematia and strangely calm Konran as he was the last to join them on the big deck. They still have their packs on their backs, but they lost the horses… that’s the last of his worries though, where is Cyrus? And what is he up to? He better not get himself killed, he's shown himself to be rather prideful… but also smart.The three of them are left standing like that for a few minutes, the pirates that weren’t guarding them size them up for some time before eventually moving on with their business, each of them going back to their duties or interrupted squabbles.Until heavy footsteps are heard, and everyone gets rowdy again as a big man makes his way towards the group…Half of his face is burnt, especially around his mouth, the skin there is completely torn off, allowing view of teeth and tongue. Behind the man is the familiar figure of Cyrus.“So these are yer lil friends ay pretty boy? Can’t promise I’ll treat ‘em real good but nobody’s laying their hands on ‘em either.”“Thank you, sir. I’ll remember your generosity.”“Kekekek I said I wouldn’t be exactly nice to ye either, but guess that just letting you live is a great favor ‘round ‘ere!” The man turns to the other pirates. “LEAD ‘EM TO THE PRISON! They’ll do well there kekek.”His underlings immediately drag the group along, pulling them by the arms towards the downstairs prison…...The prison is moist and saturated with the disgusting stench of rot… the cells look old, mold growing in every corner and bars covered in rust…The lot of them are thrown inside one of the cells, They hear the slam of the metallic door behind them, then the clinking of keys as it is sealed shut, trapping them inside.“You’ll stay here unless you’re called.” One of the pirates instructs.“Waaa but what if I need to poop?! I ate a lot yesterday!!” Out of the whole ordeal, it’s only now that concern finally graces Konran’s features…“Then you’ll just have to put the corners to good use.” Some of the pirates cackle as they all head back up…After waiting for the thuds of the pirates’ boots to completely disappear into the deck above, Cyrus finally slides down the wall of the prison cell until he’s sitting on the moldy floor, and lets out a loud and tired sigh, all that pressure finally leaving….. gosh that was the most panicked he has felt in a while…Clematia stays standing at first, but after eyeing the floor for a while, she eventually picks a slightly less nasty but still nasty spot to sit on, and she rests her head on her knees. That was scary… they got caught by pirates on the very start of their journey... are they cursed?... After her heart calms a bit, she looks up at Cyrus, who showed the first sign of weakness since they met him."Are you alright?"“Yes I am.” Cyrus’ palms were still sweating as he glared at the ground….. it should only be a two hour ride from here to whichever dock the pirates chose for them… it’ll be alright… they’ll be fine…Yohei couldn't sit down, adrenaline still rushing through his veins. He paces their cell slowly, peeks between the bars, stands in one place while bouncing his leg… he was dying to ask Cyrus what happened between him and what looked like the pirate captain, but the man was visibly calming down, so he had the decency to wait a bit. Well, only a bit."Don't be so worried you two! This is a pretty great situation for people who were caught by pirates! And if the captain gave you his word to keep us alive, he's very unlikely to break it…” Yohei's positivity helps Clematia relax a little. “So! What happened back there? You did amazingly Cyrus!”He straightens his back and rests his elbow on his knee as he recalls the conversation he had with the captain… “Same story I gave you, he seems to know the Enthralla’s duke so he’ll keep us alive at the very least. Don’t let your guard down though, not all his little demons intend to be obedient.”“Eeeee I’m sure it’ll be fine tho since you’re here!!”That… makes Cyrus cringe a little…“Let’s hope that’s the case…”“Waaa I’ve never been to a sea trip!! This is so exciting!!”She bounces in her place and giggles by herself.“They didn't tie us down, nor did they take away our weapons, it’s on them if they try anything funny.” Yohei says with a satisfied smile. His expression turns thoughtful, and he quiets for a bit... after a quick revision, he makes the same decision he had made back on the fishing boat. “By the way Cyrus, I think you misunderstood the last thing I told you.”Cyrus just raises an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue. It seems he’s drained his social energy for the day.“Well I phrased it terribly, I meant that I literally cannot lie.” Not since he was cursed by Vargas after he was caught lying… and now whenever he tries to, a fit of coughing overtakes him. “I meant that you can't rely on me if something involves verbal deception, I thought it is best to tell you than to end up in an awful situation."“…Okay.” It feels as if he has more to say, but not enough energy to do so.
⋅•⋅⊱༻ • Everyone roll in turns ༺⊰⋅•⋅
Roll Request: [d20]Dice results:• Clematia: “ 11 ”• Cyrus: “ 1 ”• Konran: “ 8 ”• Yohei: “ 2 ” An awkward silence overtakes the cell, the slow and repetitive sway of the ship manages to somewhat alleviate everyone’s anxiety the way a cradle would a baby. But their respite is shortlived, and they hear the thuds of a dozen footsteps making their way down the stairs…“The no leg one and the big woman should be sent to clean around keke.”“Oh definitely.”“Hm he said pretty boy’s his, that’s so boring! He’s always taking the most fun!”“You think a man’s the most fun?”“Ooooo~?”“YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT!”Their voices echo through the prison as their footsteps get closer… finally seven pirates come into view, they line up against the prison bars and eye everyone inside.Cyrus quietly stands up and makes his way towards them as they open the door.“Am I needed?”“Pretty much~”Two pirates were waiting for him, they don’t drag him nor lay hands on him as they escort him outside, yet their predatory gait and stares do not hide their hostility, as if they’re just bidding their time…...Up in the open air, the deck of the Drunken Sundowner is getting rowdy, beer is distributed and men are gathering around as Cyrus is led to the center, where the big pirate from earlier waits for him at the table…“Come, come, take a seat!”“…”The vibe is excited and jolly, almost as if it were a festival, and yet, Cyrus feels like the circus animal…“Alright.”He sits down on the other side of the table, and looks down at what seems to be a board game…“This is our ship’s favorite game, the rules are pretty simple too so anyone can play it, even newbies! Ah and it’s got a lot of gambling involved…”This bastard… he knows Cyrus doesn’t have anything to gamble with, and he's not sure but these homeless brawns and no brains idiots don’t look like the type to “follow rules”…“But I’ve nothing to gamble.”“Ah that’s true that’s true! I suppose we’ll have to go with punishments huh?”Some pirates in the background laugh and whisper to each other…“…As you wish.” ‘tsk, so this is where they were getting at…’The tension grows, the laughter gets louder, some start cheering and clapping, others are already drinking, and so the game starts… Ah.
“You lost.”
...⋅•⋅⊱༻To be continued༺⊰⋅•⋅