Hollow
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Everything posted by Hollow
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"I don't think you want me having a go at that one." He heard Damien speak but didn’t bother to look his way. “…” Lindow glared daggers down at the gooey organisms as they had a go at slowly devouring his legs. The first slime was now far too close to his body to risk wildly slashing at, and its accomplice would reach that point too if he didn’t act quickly. Feeling more eyes on him, the man glanced up to mages that were watching from a distance to see what kind of aid they were willing to offer. "I can't do much after they have a hold of you...unless you don't mind some seared flesh." Madelyn said. This was expected, she had already expressed a distaste for the Thunder Chosen, so why would she help him now? On the other hand, Kere’s maintained her usual silence. Though Lindow thought he could feel hesitation coming from the girl… “Tsk,” With a kiss of his teeth, Lindow returned his attention to his predicament. He’d have to handle it this himself. Sparks began to dance between his fingertips as he brought his hand up and called upon Lily’s strongest ability. In the same breath, the Third Blade had ignited and consumed the entirety of its wielder’s hand in cyan lightening. The man had slain enough magic users to know that shape and power of their spells were subject to change through their will. This knowledge of his prey and the first-hand experience he had received from the few times he managed to modify the properties of The Third Blade before now… these dire straits were a good as time as ever to try applying them both. “Let’s try this then!” Focusing the flow of energy towards his middle and index fingers, Lindow felt a tinge of excitement small precise blade was formed from his thoughts. Without wasting anytime, he quickly swiped the miniature Third Blade down his leg, wincing at the current of electricity that bit his thigh through his leather armor. The slime seemed none too pleased with his development , and quickly to pull back after tasting the sting of the Thunder spirits magic. Seeing this as an opportunity, Lindow thrusted the small blade through the creature's core, destroying it completely. "Heh, would you look that?" Beaming with satisfaction the witch hunter turned his attention to the last slime as it tried its best to hurry up his ankle to his calf. Though before he could strike at it with his magical construct, a brief flash of confusion could be seen on his face as he felt the Thunder Spirit's power suddenly flare before dissipating completely. Had gotten too excited? Nonetheless, with his right leg free, Lindow was able to twist body away from the remaining slime, before raising his short sword up high above his head a bringing it down heavily through the creature's core.
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"Well, that sure was flashy. I prefer something a little simpler myself." Damien said and ran forward. Lindow shrugged. "It's not like you have much choice." Just as the words left his lips, a paranoid whisper tickled the edge of his thoughts. Unless he had something up sleeve. Lindow watched the other man draw his blade, taking note of its seemingly magical properties and feeling a slight sense of longing for the elven steel. Though his attention was stolen by Madelyn before he could toy with any theories about the blade's true nature. "Don't nag the girl about such foolish things." He responded with a huff. For a moment appeared to have forget that they were amidst a battle. It wasn't as if he had expected to find a true warrior amidst these flooded caves... but slimes?! It felt as if they were a band of new adventures on their first outing. "If I could have moved the water myself, then I would ha- huh?" Glancing down, the Thunder Chosen watched as two slimes suddenly wrapped themselves around his legs with a third creature preparing to strike at him from a distance. The man's battle instinct quickly took the wheel. Without thinking, he brought his shield up just before the third slime's attack slammed into his chest. "Tsk," Air escaped his lips as he turned his gaze back down to the two slimes at his feet, his left hand already grasping the the sword on his back. "get off." Lindow growled as he swung the Bandit Cleaver twice in a cross pattern. The slime on his left leg was destroyed seamlessly, but it after surviving the creature on his right leg began to exert a worrying pressure. Realizing that he couldn't cleanly remove it with the unwieldy shape of the Cleaver, Lindow drew his short sword and began hacking his way to the core.
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Though they almost lost Reinaan in the process, the group had managed plunge deeper into the ruins. Lindow didn’t have much of a preference when it came to where he stood in the formation the group made for traversing the flooded tunnel, so he met Damien’s complaint with a shrug and offered a jest. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they’ve been trying to set us up.” “Lovely…” When the slimes appeared, Lindow quickly pivoted around to assess their situation. The monsters had managed to slip into center their formation, leaving Reinaan and Ryia separated with the larger humanoid slime creature. Luckily, those two could take care of themselves, and it wasn’t the two mages who were caught out in the ambush. “Don’t stop on their account, little Keres.” Lindow called to Keres over the slushing water underfoot as he reached for his bandolier and took a step forward. With wave of his arm, three flashes of steel arced through the air towards the small horde of slimes approaching from the group’s flank. “The water!” He grinned, the Thunder spirit’s power already beginning to stir the moment the throwing blades had left his grasp. Reaching outward as if trying to claw the space ahead Lindow prepared to discharge a large current of lightning towards the gathering of slimes the moment Keres took care of the water around the group.
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Lindow eyed Keres with interest as she stepped out and used her illusion magic to heard the two minotaur into the tall grass at the side of the road. As the party fled the scene, he found himself pondering if the glyphs carved on his body would have any effect against such magic when it was empowered by the water spirit. He was doubtful... this was a reminder that even slight contact with the girl's water could be disastrous if they were to ever do battle. When they final arrived at their destination, he listened to the exchange between Keres and Madelyn whilst glancing around the remains of the buildings they had approached. It wasn't that surprising that Madelyn never intended to lead to tribe to anything useful, but nonetheless Lindow couldn't help but harbor a slight suspicion of the place she had brought them to now. "Well if there is something here, it's hidden real well..." Lindow addressed the group whilst he continued to check his surroundings. "this place lacks the novel bit of otherworldly malice in air that the other site had."
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Lindow felt an air of disapproval set in after he announced his stance on the matter of what to do once they destroyed the gate. He found it rather annoying that none of the other chosen chose to speak up, despite the majority of them clearly believing that it was in fact their responsibility to intervene. “…” Shrugging, Lindow plucked the freshest looking apple from his sack and placed the remainder on the mule for safe keeping. They wanted to be heroes so badly, but couldn’t even stand up to him in a conversation… After that exchange he followed along with the group silently, only tuning in again when they were confronted a new challenge. Naturally, Ryia wanted to avoid conflict but as the two minotaurs began to approach Lindow begun to think that they were better off dealing them now if they wanted to avoid having more dispatched to search for them in the future. Reinaan seemed to have similar concerns about being followed or flanked later on their journey and took up his weapon in preparation for a fight. Sighing, Lindow placed his hand on this hilt of his short sword and watched as the minotaurs grew closer by the second. "Well, if we're gonna retreat then we need to do it now... but the lad is right, if they report back we'll have trouble on our hands later."
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Once the newly reformed party set off the for the distant ruins, Ryia posed the question of what should be done about the tribe of Minotaurs after demon gate was dealt with. “You’re worried that they’d still move against the townsfolk, even without finding their boon, eh?” Lindow spoke up from the back of the formation. He took a moment to such a scenario then continued. “Honestly, if they do then I don’t think it’s our problem. There’s always going to tensions between the races…” His gaze indiscreetly fell on Madelyn when he said this. “It’s not like when that monster of a man and his bandits were picking on those starving villagers. Once the demon gate is out of the equation, I think that it’s up to the two groups settle it amongst themselves…” It wasn't the chosen's place to broker peace, nor did think that a group of strangers had the means to make any real political difference here. Still, he knew the girl felt some kind of heroic responsibility. It was admirable, but could cause them a lot of trouble if they weren't careful. "Besides, I have the sneaking suspicion that the tribe wouldn't be so desperate for power, if they thought it were possible to do something drastic on their own..." Without the demon realm's effects even a group of minotaur weren't toppling a fortified town very easily. "On a more pleasant note!" Remembering the food he had picked up in the market, Lindow shook the small brown sack of fruit before offering it around. "Me and the young drunkard picked up some grub for the road. Let's consider it reparations for last night's antics."
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The boy was finally awake. ” Yep it’s me.” Lindow answered the young draken’s call after a brief silence. Having already been up for some time now, the Thunder Chosen was completely geared up and laying lazily across his bed as if he were waiting to leave. In his hand he held a fresh apple that he had been working through as he watched the fire chosen twitch and drool in his sleep. “You really made a fool of yourself last night, lad.” His tone started off stern but softened after Lindow picked up on the state Reinaan was in. “Naturally, after you terrorized the other inn, we got kicked out. Then after that, guess which disgruntled mercenary had the pleasure of dragging your soggy scales to this fine establishment…” He motioned around the room that they had spent the night in. The furnishings would probably be rather familiar, but if that wasn’t enough, the stench of fish would be a clear indication that they were in one of the rooms that the party had rented during their first night in town. “Heads-up,” Reaching down into a brown sack at the foot of his bed, Lindow produced another fruit and tossed it Reinaan’s way. “you’ll need some water in ya at some point, but that might help with how you’re feeling. I even grabbed a few for the others as bribe. I think I like the market a lot better in the morning…” After Reinaan had a chance to speak for himself, Lindow would urge the boy to get ready. The girls were certainly looking for them by that point, and he didn’t feel like hearing any lip from Madelyn for causing too much of a delay. When the pair finally ran into the rest of the party, Lindow returned Madelyn’s sigh and responded to her comment with is usual chirp. “You know we met your prior employers, right? Even we weren’t paying more, we’re still definitely an upgrade.” Though before he could make a remark about Damien, Geoff appeared and offered his aid if they were willing to leave right away. Slinging his sack of fruit over his shoulder Lindow looked around the group to see how the reacted to the notion of leaving Damien behind again.
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Lindow’s expression sunk the moment Madelyn’s voice called over from behind the rock. “Ghastly?” He repeated without even realizing it. He finally began putting together the pieces when Ryia spoke up as well, cringing slightly at the implications of him peering into his comrade’s bath before slowly receding back behind the corner. “Right. I’ll be leaving now…” His voice trailed behind him. “Sorry.” He felt slightly daft. Of course, he recognized the stone wall… he had been on both sides of it a few times now. His cheeks were warm with embarrassment but there wasn’t much that could be done to remedy the situation. Lindow resigned to simply never talk about this again and hoped the girls would agree that it was a sound plan. Naturally, Reinaan hadn’t gotten far and within a few moments Lindow had caught up with the boy. “I think that’s enough hijinks to last us the evening, lad…” He with said a sigh as he offered the boy his should once more. “let’s get you to bed.” After what felt like ages, they finally found themselves in their room. Immediately noticing that Damien was nowhere to be found, Lindow considered going out to search for the other man but ultimately deduced that he would turn up tomorrow at some point regardless. Letting himself fall face first into the inn’s expensive bedding, the Thunder Chosen hurriedly slid off his equipment before burying himself in the silken sheets.
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Lindow turned and glared at the door to their room as Damien slipped in and shut it behind him. He felt a small prick of suspicion. It was a little bit strange that the other man wasn’t interested in seeing how the situation with Reinaan would play out after clearly enjoying the spectacle moments prior… The Thunder Chosen’s gaze lingered on the door for quite a bit as the supernatural paranoia that he had been trying to suppress prodded and scraped at the walls of his mind. Bringing his hand up to his temple, Lindow closed his eyes and took a long deep breath to clear his mind. However, it seemed that brief moment it took to shake Lindow’s doubts was more than enough Reinaan to get into some new trouble. "Woaaaaaaaah! Hang on!" The boy’s voice sounded from down the hall, followed by a low rumble and the screams of what he could only assume to the occupancy of whatever room he stumbled into. Sighing, the witch hunter begrudgingly began to make his way towards the all too familiar sound of a disturbance. “Oh boy.” With every step Lindow grew increasingly aware of the fact that he was going to have to retrieve his friend from the girl’s side of bath. “Welp, here we go…” Inches from the threshold of the room, Lindow steeled himself for entry, only to come face to face with a soaking wet Reinaan just as the boy stumbled back out into the hallway. Blinking in confusion, Lindow watched the boy clumsily swerve back the direction they came. "..." "I'm sorry about that!" Peaking his head around the corner, Lindow closed his and smiled apologetically into the room. "You see... the lad suffers from a rare condition." Tapping his forehead, Lindow opened his eye slightly to try and sell the story. "He doesn't have much longer to live... and it was his last wish to vi-" Realizing that the bath appeared to completely empty, Lindow paused and stared blankly at the wall of stone in the center of the water. It seemed familiar somehow... and where had the screams heard earlier came from?
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Lindow simply smiled and nodded as Reinaan rambled on about finding the girls, the hairless man, and something about fences. It was clear that this was the boy’s first time hitting the bottle, and the best thing they could do for him his dump him in a bed with some water, and prey that Damien wasn’t on to something with his flaming belch joke… Realizing that Damien had resigned to be the comedic relief, Lindow quickly put himself in between the employees and Reinaan. As he stepped forward with authority, his shadow quickly rose from ground in a humanoid form and took its owner’s place as the boy’s shoulder to lean. The blatant display of magic was intentional, in hopes of distracting from the Fire Chosen's bare hind scales. “Please forgive the disturbance. I’m afraid my friend here lost his clothes in wager…” Lindow smiled wolfishly at inn’s employees whilst producing the golden card he had been given by the council and holding it up. “I believe you’re already familiar with associate Madelyn. We’re visiting this town on council business, so if any of you would be kind enough to arrange a room for me and my men… we’ll be out your hair in no time at all I assure you.”
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Lindow noted Damien’s strange behavior but figured there was no merit in trying to drag any information out the man. They all had their secrets after all, and he was far more interested in his companion’s weapon, than whatever he was hiding about himself. "Say what do you want to know about that council girl anyway? She left right, don't gotta deal with her, do you?” And now it was his turn to be secretive. Shrugging, Lindow responded causally whilst watching the girls wander off deeper into the building. “Who knows. We have reason to believe that the council may not actually have the success of our mission at heart… so we may very well end up having to deal with them at some point.” He felt a small smile creep in at the thought. “I guess I figured it might shed some light on that if we knew what she was up to whilst she was here.” It wasn’t a complete lie, but he was sure to leave out his desire to know more about what future she saw for him in the other Chosen. When Damien mentioned that they should probably begin making their own moves for the evening, Lindow nodded before glancing back at the doorway. “Sure, let’s see if we can find young Reinaan first though.” His gut told him that it would be much smoother if all three of them purchased their room at the same time. Evidently this was the right move. Upon seeing Reinaan belligerently stumbling down the street towards them, Lindow let out a chuckle before following behind Damien. "Hey there firecracker. Looks like you had yourself quite the night already. You weren't gone for THAT long, were you?" Whilst the other man poked fun at the lad, Lindow looked the boy over a few times. He had clearly been in a fight. One would have to hope nothing too serious, seeing as young Draken was much stronger than he looked- which was saying something considering his scaly appearance. Lindow couldn’t help but glance back behind his companion to be sure that there weren’t any burnt or mangled corpses in the street… Luckily it seemed that if there were any victims, they were well hidden or safely disposed of in Reinaan’s belly. Which meant at the very least they wouldn’t be paying another visit to the town’s holding cells. "Think he needs some help?" Damien’s inquiry pulled Lindow from his musings. He replied with a smirk, moving to support Reinaan on his shoulder to begin the process of dragging him into the expensive inn. “You’re clearly rubbing off on him.” Lindow let out another laugh as the familiar scent of booze and spices tickled his nose. “I’ll handle the room arrangements, just be sure that the future Chosen of Hangovers doesn’t relieve himself on the carpet.”
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"Ah. Um." He couldn’t argue with that. Rolling his eye, he watched Keres patter off to joint the other girls. This Hannah woman claimed to be able to see their futures. But seemed he was the only one with even a shred of interest in learning more about what she had been doing in this town… He sighed, following the conversation about the rooming situation for as long as he could endure before turning to catch Damien making a face to himself. "I was starting to like this city, but..." He waved a hand in front of face and turned to Lindow with his usual smile in place of the wincing expression he had on moments before. "People sure do like their extravagance, don't they?" “Don’t see a lot of carpet out there in the desert, eh?” Lindow smirked, remembering where they had met Damien in the first place. “Rest assured, I’m positive that the other inn will still reek of fish when we pass by tomorrow.”
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Lindow gave a wince as if burnt by Damien’s gest. He met man’s glance with a shrug before following a little bit behind the three girls. “There weren’t any doubts that you’d follow, sergeant libertine.” Despite the fact that he was skeptical about the minotaur actually trying to make a move on them in town, he had no objections when it came to making use of this building’s luxuries when given the opportunity. As long as the party had their cards, they were living off the mage council’s gold anyway. The way he saw it; if death was around every corner, they may as well live comfortable whenever their journey permitted... Upon stepping foot inside, Lindow let out whistle as his boots tracked a fresh dirt over the newly cleaned carpet. “I can certainly see why you wanted return to this place.” He called over to Madelyn whilst glancing back to see his footprints had already been swept away by the workers. “We should probably ask the management about that corpse from the council while we’re here as well.” This time he spoke to Keres in particular. His eyes lingered on her back as recalled her connection to the vampire that claimed to see the future the very first time they arrived in town. “Hannah, right? If she was staying anywhere in town, it’d be here.”
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"This is absolutely terrible news. Well in that case. Perhaps I could show you the way. Though, there is still the matter of that beastly minotaur tribe..." "right...them...hm..." “Let them do what they want...” Lindow finally spoke up once the exchange between the girls begun to slow down. He had grown particularly silent when the conversation found itself lingering around the spirits, careful observing the whole exchange from his tree. “They seemed to be completely reliant on you in the magic department, so I don’t think they’ll have much luck by themselves.” He nodded towards Madeyln. “And with you helping us now, we should focus our efforts on finding the Demon Gate. As long as they’re not messing with the thing or anything similar, then it’s no business anyway.” As he spoke Lindow looked around the group. He found his gaze lingering on Ryia for just a bit longer than the others. She seemed to be the one who was must invested in interfering with the tribe, even going as far as come out her shell for the cause. "This isn't like when we protected that village. I think the only way we should interfere is by protecting Madeyln and destroying the gate."
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Having reappeared from the shadows soon after the group made their escape, Lindow lingered against a tree as everyone began to settle. Damien’s absence coaxed tendrils of paranoia from the corners of the man’s mind. Though he appeared to be idly listening to the conversation between the girls, Lindow was actually straining to sense any movement in the brush around them until Reinaan finally stole his attention. “Forgive me if I end up putting my gold on the other guy…” He smirked at the boy’s jest, forcing himself to be present in the interaction by turning his ear away from the path they had taken. “Judging by their reaction, I think it’s pretty clear that they’re looking to use the Demon Gate for their own purposes and hired miss Madelyn to aid in the magical aspect of affair.” As he spoke, Lindow turned his gaze over to sorceress. “When Damien and I snuck into the tower, she triggered some kind of boobytrap… despite her quirks, I think she might be of some help. You said you only cared about the money, right. What kind of services did the tribe hire you for specifically? We'll buy them out.”
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The silence that hung in the air after words left lips had the distinct weight of moments right before a situation turned violent. Lindow felt both hands move over to his blades seconds before the three beastmen surrounded him. Their demeanor was now unambiguously aggressive, making the witch hunter considered himself thankful that they hadn't just outright tried to trample him. "You want to take the artifact. Then you are an enemy to all minotaur. No more talk now you must die." As the leader spoke, Lindow called to his shadow in preparation to defend himself. There was no question of the tribe’s objective anymore, which meant that these men had officially declared themselves enemies of the Chosen. “I take it back. I guess we do have some things in common after all…” Welcoming the catharsis of battle after the tension of trying negotiate, Lindow sneered at the opposition. Though before anyone could make the first move, a familiar confusion suddenly broke out amongst the minotaur trio. It took only a single glance at little Keres to deduce that it was the work of her magic. For moment Lindow considered using this as a chance to try and kill the leader the group, but after seeing Madelyn break off and make her escape, the man quickly remembered that she was the key objective here. With the three minotaur clearly too distracted amongst themselves to notice, Lindow allowed himself to sink into the murky shadow that had been gathering bellow him. After swallowing the Thunder Chosen whole, the rogue shadow began slivering flat across the ground to follow the fleeing sorceress.
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Lindow was quick slink out of the remnants of the tower the moment Reinaan provided him with an opportunity. Sighing, he approached the group from the side, stopping when he felt he was close enough to step in if a fight broke out, but still far out of each for the minotaur that was eyeing him. Listening to the other chosen struggle to remain diplomatic was painful, but he resigned to stick with it for the sake of cooperation with the others... It didn't seem to be sustainable for much longer anyway. There was no way Damien would give up that elven sword of his, and the look that Reinaan was sending around made it clear that the boy was already set to switch gears. Lindow met the look with a slight shrug. He had accepted that they would be likely be fighting at this point. "Hey," After watching the three minotaur talk amongst themselves for a moment, he addressed Madelyn. "We're not interesting in whatever they're searching for. If it's money you want then we've got plenty, just help us find the Demon Gate will ya?" The best they could do is try and convince the mage to join them before the violence broke out. "We're here to destroy it."
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Lindow tried is best to follow the multiple conversations that had broken out whilst still keep his eyes on the minotaur at the doorway. It seemed like he had made the right decision by not acting aggressively out the gate, and now they also had an opportunity to learn some new information if they played their cards right. “Maybe slip in that this building is gonna fall on the lot of us any minute now…” He urged Damien quietly before tuning back into the exchange between Ryia and Madeylyn. From what he could tell, it wasn’t completely out of the question that this woman might have information that would lead them to the Demon Gate. The only problem was that the minotaur didn’t seem like they had any interest in letting the group borrow her… “She might be our only chance at a lead.” He spoke again through his teeth, low enough for Damien to hear. For now he could only hope that the other three chosen wouldn’t let this opportunity slip, and be ready to use force if came down to it.
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The explosion triggered by the booby trap was quite loud. Too loud to afford them more than a minute before the minotaur outside came storming in. Springing forward from the entrance, Lindow quickly closed the distance between himself and the girl without a sound. Though instead of subduing her like he originally planned, he found himself tightly gripping her shoulder. “What do you think you’re doing?!” He barked with the gruff authoritative tone reserved for his men in the field. There would be no chance of diplomacy if the men outside stumbled into a hostage situation… “UnHAND me you brute." Was her response. Followed by a swift smack to the face that surprisingly compelled him to let go despite the fact that it didn’t actually hurt. "I'm leaving this broken-down old tower and I'd suggest you do the same." Keeping his hand hovering in the air near the strange woman, Lindow narrowed his eye and growled. "We would, but it seems you've parked three reasons not to outside... what are you searching for out here? His tone was stern now, but her demeanor made it hard to consider her a threat. "We're not here for a fight, but if you're planning to introduce the tribe to the Demon realm, then I'm afraid it's over for you." "All I'm doing is what they hired me to do." She snapped back. "I do not threaten easily. Especially not because of some brutish thug like yourself." "We're no ordinary thugs, and that wasn't a threat." He sighed, relaxing his posture. "We have reason to believe that the tribe is looking for something that's best not be messed with. If you can just confirm that it's nothing of concern, that would be lovely- because then me and my people could leave." The tower rumbled and she rolled her eyes. "I don't care if you leave or stay to get buried if this place falls but I'm not sticking around." With that, she began making for the entrance. He glanced towards the unstable structure above them. She was right, this wasn't a smart place to be standing at all. "Clearly bullheadedness is rampant around here... I'm telling you all this to avoid a full scale battle breaking out." The Thunder Chosen persisted a final time before the minotaur appeared in the doorway. "I'm just trying to get paid here." She remarked with finality before addressing the figures at the entrance. . "You lot sure took your time." Backing up slightly, Lindow moved his left hand to one of the swords on his hip whilst bringing his right up to show he meant no harm. All that was left to do was watch to see what would happen.
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Though he hadn't expected to find another human when the entered the tower, Lindow didn't visibly react to the sight of the woman. Holding his hand up slightly to signal Damien to halt. He observed as she used magic to reveal some kind of treasure chest that had been hidden amongst the ruins of the building. For a moment he contemplated grabbing her from behind and placing a blade to her throat. She hadn't them noticed them yet, and given the circumstances, it was very likely that she was here with the lovely crowd outside. However, after playing at the notion for a few moments, he decided to risk waiting to see if she actually managed to open the chest before making his move. If it came down to it, they would just have to try taking her hostage... they clearly needed her for whatever they were planning, and that made her valuable. It wasn't like one of the brutes outside would be able to fill in if she were compromised after all. Holding his breath, Lindow watched the women carefully as he silently took a step closer, his body ready to spring into action the moment he sensed a disturbance.
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Lindow peered back and Damien for a moment before nodding. He felt the paranoia from earlier bubbling in his stomach once again. “Let’s give them a second…” He said whilst ducking down and observing the other group’s attempt at distracting the minotaur. He couldn’t hear them from this distance of course, but after a few a minute or so it seemed that Reinaan of all people had managed to rope the guards into some kind of game. “Looks like the boy has finally found his audience.” The witch hunter remarked dryly before motioning Damien to follow. “Let’s play the wind. See if we can spot anything if we circle around. If not, perhaps we can see about getting inside whilst they’re distracted..." Though this wasn't his first time infiltrating enemy territory, for some reason the man felt nervous as began his brawl towards the other side of the tower. Steading his breathing, he was careful to keep any eye on the other group with each step.
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Luckily Damien wasn’t too off put by their peculiar morning greeting- or if he wasn’t showing very much. Lindow’s morning would only get stranger from there though. Pyrrha’s disappearance seemed to be almost too perfectly timed to be a coincidence, and though he tried not to show it, the man found himself on edge. Even when after Reinaan’s trinket was presented, he simply feigned interest, for a moment before slipping the stone into one of his pockets. He didn’t want to let the words from his dream effect him so easily. Nonetheless during the trip to search for the minotaur group, he found himself looking at the remainder of his allies with some suspicion. When the party finally arrived at their destination, it became necessary for them to solidify how they’d approach their first meeting with the tribe. Naturally, the kinder of the chosen wanted to try diplomacy, and from that Reinaan moved for the party to be split into two groups. Eager to get some space, Lindow was quick to finally speak up after an entire journey in silence. "I'll hang back then. Maybe see if I can scout around whilst you have them distracted."
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"Just save some for the morning..." Lindow yawned with shrug. Turning away just as the other man began to undress, he fell back into his bed and drearily peered up into the ceiling for a moment. He felt glum. Though mercenary in him was satisfied by simply writing it off as product of the fish stench, rather than try working out the source of the melancholy. There was part of him that wanted to pry about Damien's fixation with the elven blade that he carried around everywhere. But the timing just seemed off, and the fear of getting stuck in a fruitless conversation served as a strong deterrent for the Thunder Chosen. This wouldn't be the night he learned their mysterious allies's secrets. It didn't take long for Lindow to drift into sleep once both the men had settled into their sides of the room. His dreams were shrouded in a darkness, that felt almost familiar, yet unnerving just the same. As he wandered around in the dark, he half expected to be met with the grey woman. Lindow's senses reached into the infinite shadow, straining through an uncountable amount of nothing for quite some time before finally confirming his suspicion. "There's something else here." He thought to himself, weary to break the silence and possible give away his position. Nonetheless, a voice called out in response. "What are you doing? You're too trusting. You don't know these people. You don't know what they want from you. Or if they'll betray you." Lindow's eyes widened at the realization that it was man's voice. Quickly sliding into a low ready stance, he peered off towards where the voice had came from. He wouldn't respond. So long as he didn't reveal his location by taking the bait, the advantage was his... Then the voice came from another direction. "And they're so weak. They'll give up or die and the power given to them will go to waste? Are you going to let that happen?" "You saw it didn't you? They won't last. You know some are thinking of abandoning this right now don't you? Why not just take care of the problem now?" The voice seemed to moving all around him, faster than what should have been possible without ant signs of... well anything. In a slight panic, Lindow began to call on Lily's power, his glowing eyes furiously darting about as sparks danced in the air around him. The voice then was right behind him. "You're the only one you can trust." Turning to meet his tormentor face to face, Lindow froze in his tracks. Inches from his face, he was staring back at himself. Without warning, Lindow feverishly shot up in bed with gasp. Glazed in a cold sweat, he stared forward with a look of terror, eyes still glowing cyan with magic. Once again recognizing a second presence around him, Lindow ferociously turned towards Damien with the aura of a cornered animal. Driven by instinct, his right hand reached out and grabbed the hilt of his Bandit's Cleaver, only to be halted by his left. The sight of a face that wasn't his own was enough to bring Lindow to his senses. With his left hand still tasked with subduing his sword hand, Lindow took a moment to process this what had just happened whilst staring into Damien's face. "Excuse me." Lindow finally said after releasing his grip on his sword, and then his arm to let himself relax his shoulders. "It was terrible dream. Just another perk of our luxurious occupation, I'm afraid..."
-
For the most part Lindow was satisfied by each person's response to his question. Naturally, Keres seemed to be the only one who actually realize what kind of disadvantage they were facing statistically. Though Damien likely also had a pretty good idea, but would choose to keep up himself in favor of sticking to character. He already knew Reinaan mean't what he said about wrestling the minotaur, and that the boy was eager to make another tale to exaggerate for some grubby villagers in the next town over. Something about the tone of Ryia's response peaked his interest however. It was rare to see her so resolute about anything, and he couldn't help notice that she wore confidence well. Pyrrha's silence during the discussion was probably warranted, given how the girl had been through quite a rough first day being a protector of the realm. Lindow found himself studying her a few times throughout the night. From what he could tell, the girl had a good head on her shoulders. But for some reason the question of if she were cut out for this new life kept presenting itself to him. Whilst the others discussed the sleeping arrangements, Lindow stood beer in hand as he watched with a bored expression. With his belly full, and the possibility of death on the horizon, the witch hunter was much more concerned with how long he would get to sleep, rather than who he'd be sleeping with. He so very much enjoyed the deep slumber that alcohol gave him, and he didn't want to waste a moment of quality napping an actual bed. Luckily, it didn't take long for the group to break off into pairs amongst themselves. Realizing that this meant Damien and him would be paired be default, Lindow felt a slight tension within himself. "Welp, now that that's settled..." He said with between gulps has he finished his drink and placed the tanker on a nearby ledge. Having already known that he didn't completely trust the other man, Lindow smothered sliver of unease with a dreary smile. "I think it's safe to say this meeting is adjourned, then? We have another big day of playing hero tomorrow... I think the realm owes us at least twelve hours!" The witch hunter yawned whilst motioning to their server that the group was turning in for the night.
-
"Make that three order of the potatoes, and I'll have beer too when get a chance." Lindow leaned back in his chair after placing his order. One didn't last long in his kind of work if they had a weak stomach, but now the man was certain that he'd rather swamp stench over sea stench any day of the week. The fish smell wasn't unbearable, but it didn't lend itself at all to creating a very appetizing environment. The the booze would certainly take his mind off it, if he tried hard enough. "Um, uh. Well, I know it might not be - it might be awkward to talk. Over food. Or before food. But I think we should well, um, figure it out. Where to go...that is. And well..." Ryia finally pipped up to continue the discussion from outside. "I think we should go to where the Minotaur are." Just like that, the smell fish in the air was replaced with that of blood, as Lindow's memories took him through the battles he'd seen a single minotaur smash through with ease. It was rare, but not impossible to find them amongst the ranks of mercenaries. Given their hulking anatomy, they were undoubtedly physically well suited for the trade. An unquestionably formidable race, a group of minotaurs was big a step up from the beast men they had been ambushed by at the farm. Hearing Reinaan's thoughts on the matter made him smile, but for a second Lindow couldn't help but wonder how well the boy actually sized up to a battle ready minotaur, even with the fair bit of size he'd put on since they first met. It would be quit fight if one where to break out between the chosen and the tribes with the demon gate in play, that was for sure. "We'll need to play it smart if we're going after them." Lindow addressed the table whilst studying the room be sure nobody was listening in. "The minotaur won't be offering us a drink when we show up crash their little dip into the occult, and a straight confrontation could be... messy. They aren't bandits, or monsters this time, friends. Hesitation amongst the group could mean death for them all, and it would be pointless to throw his live away in such a manner. "I'll cut down any warrior that stands before me. But is everyone else here prepared for the scenario where they have found the gate?"
