(Alright, let's give this a try...) The southwest parts of the Kingdom of Kaminnor The Hills of the Drunk God, named so because of an old legend that a drunk god created them, are the most sparsely populated area in the Kingdom of Kaminnor, due to how rocky and dry the land is. Numerous dirt roads wind between the hills, connecting a few large cities and a few dozen small villages and towns. Overall it is not a particularly exciting part of the kingdom, but even so many people pass through it. Beatrice (@majus), since morning you have been following the winding road, steadily heading north towards an inn named “The Giant's Rest”. It is a place you have not visited in many years, since before you got married. You recall that back then the owner was a man old enough to be your grandfather, and wonder if he is still there, or if someone else has taken over the place. Finally, about a hour before sunset, after yet another turn of the road, you see your destination... and immediately notice that a lot has changed since you were last here. The inn is now four stories tall, compared to the three stories from your memories, and the stable right next to it is twice as big. But it is the other changes that really catch your attention. Where previously there were just the inn and its stable you now see about a dozen stone buildings. As revealed by their signs two of them are shops: Victoria's Potions, which sells nothing but potions, and Jack's Mercantile, which seems to sell everything except potions. The rest of the buildings seem to be small stone houses, with a single room or at most two rooms. You also notice a house that is under construction and some large stones on a nearby hill, as if someone is planning to build something there, possibly a watchtower. The only thing that has not changed at all is the large well in front of the inn. While you take your time to examine the small village that has sprung around the inn several people notice you, but ignore you, focused on their jobs. Clearly they are used to adventurers passing through. Kagami Yura (@Auraicide), you too are making your way to “The Giant's Rest”, but looking at the sun you guess that you won't be able to get there before sunset. Suddenly the area around you is bathed in dark purple light. It lasts only a few moments, then vanishes just as quickly as it appeared. Silence follows for several seconds... then the quiet is shattered by shouting coming from behind one of the nearby hills. It is a woman's voice, the words quick and thus difficult to understand, but you manage to make out “idiot” and “old fool”, repeated multiple times, often in quick succession. Joshua (@Daylan), you are following a different road, though your path is also leading to “The Giant's Rest” - or at least it is supposed to, but you are starting to wonder if you are following the correct road. Another turn, another hill left behind you... and then you stop as you see another person on the road. It is a rather busty and wealthy-looking woman. Currently she is holding something – possibly a map – and looking at it, thus she has not noticed you yet. Despite her apparent wealth she seems to be alone, no guards or servants to be seen anywhere. (For comments and discussion: https://forum.chyoa.com/threads/on-the-road-to-greywood-discussion.2810/ )
Beatrice smiled recalling nights she spend with her husband, sleeping or fucking like rabbits. Their first child was convinced in the place - she suspected. She wondered if the old man or his younger leather son was still around. She remembered quite a few times when the son of the owner ogled her... She looked at the setting sun and smiled - The sight sure brought her memories... Nodding to herself, she walked to the tavern with the intention of renting the room. She could walk around later, for now, she needed to secure a place to stay.
Off in foreign lands was a conflicting feeling. On the one hand, the scenery was nice. The culture was interesting..as unrefined as it might be. There was a mixture of fascination with the outside world and homesickness, tied with the fact that she stuck out sorely for someone meant to operate on stealth. She still had to find her way to the person who was supposed to give her the assignment orders...redundant since they could have just told her at any point where to go and cut out the middle man, but the royal family sure loved to do things the hard way. She already had the sneaking suspicion of what they wanted done, but it wasn't confirmed. But it was the most likely case, anyway. They wanted General Gosakue dead. Exile wasn't going to cut it. And all odds were, the Kagami family wasn't technically actually asked to hunt and kill him and that was just something the elders decided they needed to do themselves. But while she saw it as the most likely outcome, the only way she'd know what her purpose was for sure when she found the informant. Wondering about the most efficient way to do it, her thoughts were disrupted by the sound of screams. On instinct, her hand went backwards to grab at the spear she had readied before her more tempered method of operation dissuaded her. She'd need to have a proper understanding of what the situation was before she decided on what to do about it. Clinging to the shadows, she kept a cautious pace, silently unsheathing one of her blades in case she'd need it as she decided to survey the situation.
Joshua comes to a stop, glad to see another human face after so many trees, rocks, and bushes. When his master had told him it was time for his first excursion, he had been so excited. Many hours and equally as many examples of his terrible sense of direction later, his enthusiasm had dulled somewhat. Fortunately, he had read the various books the library had about which plants were safe to eat, so he was currently only starved for company or at least something visually stimulating. This woman looked like she could fit both those things, though he was curious how such an extravagantly dressed lady would be without some accompaniment, so he cleared his throat softly. "Excuse me, mam. Are you from around these parts?"
You take barely two steps inside before a fat, bald man approaches you. “Ah, a customer! Welcome, welcome! I am Bardas, the owner of this place! Welcome to my humble establishment!” The innkeeper greets you, a wide smile on his face. “haven't seen you before, so here are the rules: No touching my wife or daughter,” he points at a redheaded woman who is just as fat as him, but has hair and tits, and a fat girl that looks like a younger version of her mother, “no touching the staff unless you pay them first, and no causing trouble for the other guests, as long as they are paying for a room here. Once they leave they are of no further concern to me.” He says all of that with practiced ease, clearly having said it many times before. “Now for the prices: 1 coin if you want to sleep in the stables, 100 coins for our Standard Rooms, 250 for a Merchant Room, 500 for a Noble Room, and 1000 for one of the Royal Suites on top – currently both are free. Prices are not open for negotiation. Oh, and Basic Rooms are 10 coins, but currently all are taken, sorry. All of that is per night, of course. If you need other services – talk to the staff. And if you need a job, whether because you need the money or because you're bored – talk to Victoria, the owner of the potion shop, I heard her say she needs an adventurer.” The man finally leaves you alone and goes to the bar to speak to his wife. Now alone your first thought is that prices have increased significantly since you were last here. You take a quick look around the common room and note a few things: First there's a busty elven woman, possibly a bard, who is clearly ogling you with a hungry look in her eyes. You are willing to bet that she's stripping you in her mind. Then there's a group of eight adventurers in the corner, sitting around two tables that have been pushed together. There's some sort of barrier around, clearly indicating that they do not wish to be disturbed. Four men are sitting around another table and playing a round of “Conquest Of Irian” while six women and two men are watching the game carefully. None of them pay any attention to you. There are two men, one with a beard and one without, each sitting alone at his table. Last, but not least, you notice four waitresses, their tight uniforms emphasizing their large busts. On this floor you do not see anyone who could be the son of the previous owner.
Sneaking up to the source of the screams is easy, nothing getting in your way. As you get closer you start making out more words, and by the time you finally see the young woman and the man she is screaming at you have managed to piece together their story. Apparently the man is a mage and tested some sort of new teleportation spell. It worked... mostly. It teleported both him and the young woman, who appears to be his daughter, just as planned. However, they were transported even further than intended, bringing them to the middle of nowhere, and the spell left behind everything that was in their possession: money, weapons, clothes... that last part is odd, because as far as you can see both the father and the daughter are clothed... In any case they have not yet noticed you, though with the young woman gradually calming down that might soon change.
As you move closer you realize that the lady is even bustier than you thought: “Wha- Oh!” The unknown woman almost jumps when she hears your voice, apparently having not noticed you at all until now. The thing she's holding turns out to indeed be a map, probably of the surrounding area. You see a backpack on the ground behind her. “Sorry, I did not notice you... anyway, no, I am not from these parts, I am just...” She pauses as she looks you over. “Well, let's just say I am here on business. What can I do for you, young man?” She asks, apparently having recovered from her initial surprise.
Joshua smiles as non-threateningly as he can (which is pretty non-threatening given his appearance) while trying to keep his eyes level with hers. As utterly amazing as her tits are, he had been taught enough manners to know that openly appreciating them too quickly would be considered quite rude. "I'm afraid I've gotten myself a little turned around on my venture and I was wondering if perhaps you knew of, or at least passed, a place I have been looking for," he explains, "Do you happen to know if an establishment called Giant's Rest is further up this road?"
As far as she could tell, this looked like an overly complicated ploy for bandits, but she put her sword back and readied her spear as she came into proper view, keeping some distance to see how they would react and also show that she wasn't hostile. Her spear was lowered but it would be easy to use if she had to, though she doubted she would. She also angled her war mask to rest just at the side of her face, but not directly covering her just yet. If she needed to use it, she would be able to without much trouble, but using it for just any reason wasn't wise and it was more important to verify things first. "Excuse me...are you two having trouble with something?"
The woman nods. “I know the place, I spent last night there. The rooms are expensive, but worth it. Unfortunately it is several hours away from here, at least on foot. You likely won't get there before midnight at the earliest.” She gives you an apologetic smile, then her face lights up as she seems to get an idea. “Perhaps we could help each other? I'm looking for a certain place in these hills. Help me find it and in return I will provide accommodations for both of us. After that I will show you the way to the inn, as I will be going back there anyway. What do you say?” She gives you a sweet and hopeful smile.
The young woman stops in the middle of hurling yet more insults at her father and both of them turn to look at you. “A traveler! Perfect timing! Please, miss, could you tell us where we are? Are these the Hills of the Drunk God?” The man asks you, causing his daughter to roll her eyes. “Of course they are, you old fool! That much is obvious!” She exclaims, then turns her attention to you. “Forgive my idiot father, he has a habit of asking the obvious. A better question would be do you know where the nearest inn is? We need a place to spend the night, since-.” “Ouch!” The man exclaims, interrupting his daughter. “Dammit, these illusion shoes suck! I just stepped on some sharp stone and almost hurt my foot!” “Well, duh! They are simple illusions, what did you expect?” The young woman rolls her eyes again before her gaze returns to you, apparently waiting for your answer.
Illusion magic. That was an explanation. Yura knew mages who would use it on occasion. Didn’t seem practical though. At least not as flashy as the other magic styles. Hearing the question, she gave a partial nod. Yuga herself being raises to blindly follow her elder’s orders was a little stunned to see the girl talk back to her father. Was that common in this country? “If my directions are correct, I should be closing. I was heading to the nearest town, if you’d like company. They might be able to get you outfitted with some proper clothes.”
“That would be wonderful. My illusions may look good, but they offer nothing in the way of protection.” The girl agrees. “If you give me some directions I could teleport us there...” The man starts, but is promptly cut off by his daughter. “Absolutely not! Your teleportation spells caused enough trouble for one day! Besides, I doubt the lady wants to lose all of her clothes.” “She won't! The spell I will use will bring our possessions along with us!” “You said the same about the spell that brought us here.” “Yes, but that was-” “No. End of story.” The daughter declares, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Fine...” The father starts pouting, similar to a kid who was denied a new toy. With the way the two act it would be hard to tell which is the older one, if you didn't already know. “Good, then let us go... No, wait, I almost forgot because of this old fool.” The daughter stops herself and raises her hand. A small ball of green light appears above her palm and she drops it. The clearly magical ball vanishes into the ground. Several minutes pass with nothing happening, the girl waiting patiently and her father still pouting. Then, for no obvious reason, the girl takes several steps north-west, kneels down, and puts her arm inside the rocky ground, all the dirt and stone clearly no more an obstacle for her than air would be. A minute later she pulls her arm out, and a dozen gems of varying colors and sizes come out of the ground. Smiling, the girl makes her way back to her father and looks at you. “There. Now that we have some way to pay for stuff we are ready to go. Which way, miss?”
Joshua's smile grows brighter as he nods. "What kind of place are we looking for then?" he asks. His eyes dart to the backpack momentarily to see if there is anything on it or something odd about its shape that might indicate what kind of equipment the woman has brought with her.
You take a brief look at the backpack, but see nothing special about it. It seems like a normal backpack. Then you get distracted when the woman moves closer to you, ending your examination. If the backpack is somehow enchanted, or if there are any enchanted items inside, remains a mystery for now. “I am looking for an enchanted pond that is somewhere in these hills. Unfortunately the map I found is rather old.” The busty blonde explains and shows you the map she was examining earlier. “I really[/i[ need to find that pond, due to... certain reasons I do not wish to discuss in the middle of a dirt road. I will explain when we find it, or when we set up camp for the night. But anyway, any ideas how to find it? None of the spells I know are of any use for this sort of thing.” She gives you a hopeful look.
Yura took the gems, both impressed and wary. She had some concern they would later dissolve as some kind of illusion, but from what she could gather, they were real enough to feel. “That’s an impressive skill.” The two seemed to be fairly skilled mages, all things considered. “I wasn’t really expecting payment, but this will be needed when we get to town. If I came from..” Not totally familiar with the land, she followed the basic reasoning that she just had to keep going the way she was since she was already on the road. She gestured her head to the road. “All we have to do is walk that way. Best get moving before it’s dark.”
Joshua struggles to keep his eyes on the map, the woman's closeness a bit more than he is used to regarding female attention (especially since one of those big tits is almost pressing against his arm). He tries to see if there is anything on the map that resembles their current surroundings as well as opening his senses to see if there is any sort of enchantment on the map itself that might help. "W-Well..." he says, hoping his nerves are not too audible, "If it is a source of water, mystical or otherwise, the local wildlife would probably be drawn to it or at least center their nesting grounds close to it. H-Have you noticed any unusually heavy animal activity near any of the places you've looked."
The MILF was a little disappointed, that the old owners were gone. She inquired the inn owner about them, but not too much - it wasn't that important to her. Beatrice decided on taking noble's suit and paid for it. After taking the key from her room, made her way to the busty bard. As she passed the table of gamers, she was quite surprised to see them playing “Conquest Of Irian” - she thought that the interest was so low of the game, that it would never leave the development stage. She stopped in front of the busty elve. "You can't seem to stop your eyes from wandering." She said with a smirk as she put her hand on the table and leaned forward, giving a generous view of her cleavage. "Might you have some business with me?" She asked as she checked put the woman.
As far as you can tell it is just an old map someone made many years ago, nothing special about it. Unfortunately you are not familiar enough with the area to be able to connect what's on the map with where you are. Still, you manage to memorize a few landmarks on the map and feel relatively certain that if you see them you will be able to recognize them. The busty blonde bites her lip. “Well, no... but I wasn't looking for animal tracks,” she admits, “but now that you mention it there should be lots of green around the pond. There aren't that many green spots in these hills, so it should be easy to spot from a distance... Hmm, perhaps we could climb one of the nearby hills and look from there? We might spot the pond, or some animals going to it, or at least find a good place to set up camp for the night." She suggests.
All you get about the old owner is that after he died his son sold the place for a hefty sum and moved away. The fat innkeeper gives you a wide, warm smile. “An excellent choice, if I do say so myself, miss, an excellent choice,” he takes your money and gives you a silver key with a '4' engraved on it. “Your room is on the third floor. The maid waiting there will take care of all your needs.” He waves over one of the waitresses, a busty redhead. “Anna, show the lady to her room.” The girl nods as she takes a look at the key and starts leading the way, until you stop to talk to the elf. She politely waits for you to finish, standing nearby, but not close enough to listen. The elf does not even try to pretend that she's not staring at your cleavage. “Can you blame me? A slut like you is impossible to ignore.” She licks her lips. “The name's Aniel, a bard and a bit of a warrior.” She introduces herself. “I was wondering, what it would cost me to enjoy your body... I mean, your company... tonight?” She asks directly.
