"Hoho, I've already finished walking around the town. If I did anything else, I fear that I might have missed giving lessons altogether." The old man chuckles, "But yes, I also wanted to see what I'll be working with. It's best to burst any bubbles they might have, should they think this is an easy job." Anton then takes a series tone, heading inside with the captain to give the recruits a quick scan.
Spoiler: Lathrul's Investigation 1d100 = 27 The mercenary kneels to examine the footprints more carefully, then shakes his head. “As far as I can tell these are the same footprints we have been following so far. I guess the thief used some sort of trick to make it look like he went in two directions at once, but I have no idea what trick it might be.” Both Marda's and Avella's spells reveal the same – no spells have been used in the vicinity. Whatever the thief did he did it without using magic. “It would be unwise to split up, so I guess we will have to choose one set of footprints and follow it.” Marda comments as she keeps examining the tracks in vain. The fake attempts to block or deflect, but because they are equally fast she is unable to do so. Arthuria's blade pierces the shadow's chest causing her to grimace in pain... then pain blossoms at the same spot in Arthuria's chest, as if she too got stabbed. A moan from Sara distracts them for a moment, then the fake pulls away. As soon as the sword leaves the fake Arthuria's chest the original feels the pain vanish. It seems this isn't as simple as defeating her opponent...
Ida frowned. "I... am willing to do that." She turned to Victoria. "But that would raise the praise we talked about..." and from which the Lady seemed to be escaping from. She turned back to Edward. "I was promised a land, for successfully completing the missions... which I successfully completed." She raised an eyebrow, pausing, wondering if the man would back off from the deal.
Avella make short pray to Everlight for guidence, but if godness didn't aswer her, paladin made her own decision. "Let's go to the hills. If thief doesn't have a horse, I doubt that he would go so far away from the village. For alone traveler these lands are unsafe, so I think he would make proper hideout." She said to guessing but in the end it was lottery.
I don't got anywhere to show off the statue or the pearl, really. That bracelet might be nice. It's weird to go 'round wearin' jewelry, but I can afford it. Gods, that's so strange to think. She picks up and inspects the silver band, trying to estimate it's worth before she walks to the counter and places it with the other items. "How much for all of this, then?"
Edward nods. “Anyone is allowed to buy land in Marika, with preferential treatment and lower prices offered to those who have contributed to the village's growth.” “Ida found that mine and cleared it out, so I'd say she has already contributed quite a bit.” Victoria adds. “Indeed, indeed... and this task, simple as it may seem, will also count as contributing to Marika's growth.” The young lord reassures the necromancer. “Use the trip to the outpost and back to think about where you would like to have your future land, and when you come back we can discuss it further, after you tell me why the outpost has gone silent.” The young lord seems quite eager to learn the reason for the lack of reports. Spoiler: Avella's Prayer 1d100 = 1 Divine Magic: +30 Total: 31 To Avella's disappointment her prayer remains unanswered. It seems she will have to decide on her own. The group heads into the hills, following the footprints for a short while, before the tracks suddenly end with no explanation. Spoiler: Lathrul's Investigation 1d100 = 25 “What the hell...” Lathrul gets down on one knee and starts examining the tracks for a bit, before giving up and shaking his head. “Dammit! I don't know how he did it, but the thief managed to trick us, making us waste our time with these tracks while he kept heading south. I don't know how much time he wasted setting this up, but if we wasted even longer with this distraction, then it ultimately benefited him. Let's head back and follow the other tracks.” He gets up and starts heading back. “5 Gil for the bracelet. 1 Gil for the rest of the stuff.” The orc informs her, before adding. “Be careful with that bracelet. It has a special enchantment that, when activated, makes the wearer more tempting and desired. But it also has a side effect: Men that use the enchantment for an extended period of time find themselves horny, yet unable to cum. No idea what the effect is if a woman uses the enchantment for too long.” It occurs to Lydia that the pearl and statuette might be enchanted too... or not, hard to tell from a quick look. Spoiler: Information Gathering 1d100 = 30 Mylea gets a lot of looks, thanks to her outfit, but little in the way of info. Eventually, however, she gets somewhat lucky and finds a guy that might be able to help her. “Well, hello there, hottie! What brings you here?” The thuggish-looking man greets her, openly ogling her. When he hears what she's looking for he grins. “Well, now! You're in luck, girl – I do know something... but I can't remember what it is. My memory is not what it used to be, you see... But perhaps you can help me remember? 20 Gil should do the trick. Or you can do it with your pretty mouth instead – and I don't mean by talking, darling...” He smirks at her as he continues ogling her.
"Mm. Are either of those enchanted too, then? Mind tellin' me what they do?" Lydia points at the pearl and statuette. She keeps her eyes trained on the orc's face, searching for any sign of deception. Tellin' people who don't know better that somethin's enchanted's one the oldest tricks around.
Avella put hand on waist, shaking her head in disappoitnent. She know pretty well, that not every try is succed, but it was iritating. " Damit! At least we follow profesional. Amator wouldn't be able to steal such necklace about such valube. Let's go back." She said as they walk faster, to at least reclaim some of the waste time.
“Good, good.” The captain nods. Anton is made to wait a few minutes until the current lesson is over, then he is lead to the training field, where he finds a group of twenty recruits waiting, most of them looking rather tired. “Attention!” With a single word the captain gets everyone's attention. “It is time for your next lesson. Here's your teacher.” “Already? We just finished the sword fighting lesson!” A few of the recruits complain, but get no sympathy from the captain. “Should have thought of that before joining the guard. Now shut up and listen!” He cuts off any further complaints. “Like I said, this is your teacher. His job is to teach you how to use weapons other than swords, so that you don't accidentally maim or kill yourselves. And your job is to learn, no matter how long it takes. But know that the lord has hinted at coming to see how your training is going. I'm sure you don't want to embarrass yourselves in front of him...” He then turns to Anton. “They are all yours. Good luck!” Garlan heads back inside the barracks, leaving Anton with his new students. Now alone with the recruits the old man has a chance to examine them. Spoiler: Recruits Examination 1d100 = 94 Perceptive: +10 Total: 104 He quickly notices that quite a few show promise: Spoiler: Derrek Derrek, a former mercenary who has decided to try a job with a more regular pay (and relatively safer). Erica, a pretty blonde who seems quite confident in her skills. Spoiler: Iris Iris, a pretty redhead. She seems to be taking this training quite seriously. Margaret, an armored blonde who seems rather inexperienced. Solana, a busty dark-skinned elf. Tamara, another former mercenary. Zoelle, yet another former mercenary. And the last one is Cyran, a young man standing alone in the back, behind everyone else. His eyes go from one female butt to another - a fact that does not remain hidden from the rather perceptive old pervert. For now all twenty at least pretend to be paying attention and waiting for the training to start. (Cyran is in all three classes, because butts. Enania is in the Archery class only. The rest are in both the sword fighting and this class.).
“The pearl is an Anal Pearl of Underwater Breathing. Put it in your butt and you can breathe while underwater for as long as you want. At least that's how it's supposed to be. Never tried it, so no idea if it is true.” The orc shopkeeper shrugs. “As for the statuette, supposedly it's a tool to help train your combat skills. Activate the statuette and choose a skill to train. You will be presented with a challenge. Win it a few times to advance your chosen skill. Like training, but much faster. However, if you lose there's a punishment.” He explains. “At least that's how it's supposed to be. This is another item I have not tested myself, so I can't guarantee how accurate all this is.” He shrugs again. “10 Gil for the Pearl, 25 for the statuette. Or 30 Gil for both.” As far as Lydia can tell the orc is being truthful and telling her what he knows without trying to deceive her in any way.
“Well, he was hired by a rich noble family, and they don't hire just anyone... Plus he got away, which is also not something anyone can do.” Lathrul points out as they head back, Marda nodding in agreement. Soon they are back on the road, the elf leading the way as they head south in pursuit of the thief...
Avella as they follow track, make another pray to Everlight, to support their efforts. Also, she warm Marda to keep looking around area, while Lathrul will be focus on the footprints.
[I didn't expect that one! XD] Lydia laughs uproariously. "Someone enchanted a buttplug for breathin' water?! That's fuckin' great!" She listens to the man's summary for the statuette as she calms down and thinks about the items. Bracelet's good fun to give someone without tellin' 'em about the side effects and watch 'em struggle. Might be useful too, but I'll have to test how it works on me. Water breathin' could be nice, but I haven't got much reason to get it. The statue's definitely worth getting hold of. Maybe I'll finally learn how to use my sword. "I'll take everythin' but the Anal Pearl." She chuckles. "Wanna call it 30 Gil for the bracelet, statue, and the other shit?"
Ida frowned... but then slowly nodded. "Of course - I will go right away and find out what is not right with the outpost." She bowed lightly, then turned and left. These people... sending her time and time again, without any consideration... maybe she should demand nobility? Reka returned to her carriage and explained the situation. Soon the necromancer and two undead were making their way to the next destination...
"My, my, I can see some promising recruits." Anton chuckles as he finished examining them. "Thank you, captain. I'll take it from here." He said in a confident tone as he stands in front of his new students. "Good day to you all, I am Anton, I know you must be exhausted after finishing your other classes. But too bad, because in a real battle, you'll never know if it'll last for one fight, or a whole siege." He spoke in a strict tone as he paces around them, "Though I doubt we'll have to endure a siege, but what if a band of bandits come attacking us at night? Will you tell them to wait until you've recovered?" He asked, as he stands in front of them again. "Well, I understand if you doubt this old man can teach you anything. So I wouldn't mind giving a demonstration. Go on, does anyone want to spar?" He grins, picking up a training spear that looked too big for the frail old man.
"Okay then. I guess it's time to find those flowers." Ganith went on to explore off towards where he figures the flowers he need will be.
In response to her prayer a wave of warmth passes through each of them. Soon they notice they their bodies feel lighter and walking feels easier, allowing them to cover more ground than they would normally. Spoiler: Pursuit 1d100 = 42 But even with a bit of divine help they are unable to catch up to the thief. As the sun begins to set the group finally stops. “I think we should stop and set up camp.” Lathrul begins as he turns to face the two women. “Tracking the guy at night will be hard without the crystal, and using the crystal will make us too visible, allowing our target to see us and run away, or to ambush us. Thus I think it is better to set up camp and continue tomorrow. Any objections?” “It's an anal pearl, not a butt plug!... is what I should say, but honestly, you're not wrong. You're not the first to call it a butt plug, either.” The orc shopkeeper sighs. “Sure, 30 Gil sounds good.” He takes the money and hands her the items she purchased. “Need anything else?” The trip to the outpost is uneventful, just slow because there is no proper road yet. Still faster than walking, though. The closer she gets the more Ida gets the feeling that something is off. When she fails to spot the outpost in the distance even though she should be close enough to see it she starts getting worried. Finally Ida's carriage crosses the north bridge and arrives at the outpost... or what's left of it. The small stone keep is now a smoldering ruin. Spoiler: Encounter 1d100 = 24 As soon as the necromancer gets out of her carriage some of the dead bodies get up and turn in her direction. Ida counts a total of nine undead guards: One wearing metal armor and using a spear and shield, the second also wearing metal armor but using a sword and shield, six more wearing gambeson armor and holding bows, and the last one wearing robes and holding a staff. As the archers take aim it becomes clear that they are not there to welcome her... A few of the recruits look like they might be considering it, but eventually not a single one moves to challenge him. “Guess no one's dumb enough to fall for the 'frail old man' act.” Derrek comments when it becomes clear that no one is in a hurry to spar. Spoiler: First Herb 1d100 = 75 Spoiler: Second Herb 1d100 = 94 Spoiler: Third Herb 1d100 = 47 Despite how large the forest is the first two herbs are easy to find. The last one, however, proves a bit more elusive. Even after hours of searching Ganith has no luck finding it. Eventually he decides to take a break under the shade of the forest trees. As he rests and thinks where to search next Ganith hears what sounds like muffled moans...
"Hoho, well that's also good in its own way." Anton chuckles easily carrying the spear as he once again starts pacing around his new students. "Alright, to start our lessons, I'd like to see what everyone has got. While I don't doubt the ability of your earlier instructors, I want to see what you yourself is capable of." He said in a confident tone, wanting them to prove themselves worthy of his training. "For starters, pick out a weapon, but in respect to your other instructors, you may not use the sword, or the bow. Anything else aside from those two is fair game as long as the barracks has them for training purposes." He then waits for them to equip themselves with their favored weapon, wanting to see what they'll be drawn to without being told to pick.
"Not right now, love, but I might be back for you later." She grins, placing everything in her pack before turning and walking outside. She plans to head to the river just outside of Marika and look for an isolated spot where she can bathe and such. Better than payin' some bathhouse.
