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The Chosen [IC / Not Accepting / PG-16]

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With Ryia and Keres being brought up to speed on the current situation that the group was in, she certainly felt for the woman in need of help. Yet, naturally, the issue of there being another chosen had to take priority over the woman's troubles, if for no other reason than the woman hadn't even asked them necessarily. Ryia was curious as well about the possibility of their being another chosen. While she was naturally skeptical of the idea of their being another chosen, having met every other chosen so far in the council's tower, the girl was still quite curious about them. The timing of someone else going around saying they were the chosen was certainly convenient to their own, and it would similarly be convenient if there actually was another chosen that could aid them on their quest to stop the demons. With Keres's words as well helping reassure that it was possible they were real, Ryia set out with the rest of the gang to go meet this supposed chosen. 

As the group approached where they were supposed to go, there was clearly a man who stood out amongst the rest of the crowd. Looking at his imposing, if not for his own appearance then because of the animal next to him, figure, Ryia figured that this was probably the man they were looking for. Looking at him, the girl awkwardly stood there, not entirely sure how to start a conversation with the man without feeling horribly awkward about it. Of course, the longer she stood and said nothing, the more awkward she'd probably feel. And with no one else breaking the ice here, Ryia stepped forward trying to free herself from this awkwardness. Approaching the man slowly, the girl asked, "um, excuse me uh...um, are you the Chosen?" 

He turned around dramatically. "Aha, another adoring fan! Yes, tis I, Geoff, the Chosen you have undoubtedly heard so much about!"

Taken aback by the sudden contrast between the figure she had just seen and loudness of the one she was talking to, Ryia said, "um, not uh, not exactly- but well, um." The girl paused, trying to figure out how best to ask him about his chosen status without just bluntly stating so. As that would be rude. As she couldn't, though, she simply fell back on what it was they were actually asked to do. "Geoff um - chosen uh - we uh, we have a request from someone - someone in town."

He tipped his hat down and chuckled. "Ah, yes, of course, many people have come to me with requests. For I am greatness incarnate. What is your request?"

"Well, um, there is a woman in town and her uh, her husband went missing - outside of the city in um...near a farm, I think."

"Ahh, I see, a woman in town, I understand." He nodded, looking sympathetic in Ryia's direction. "Never fear, I can easily take care of this task and the other 279 I have gotten from the others in town!"

Clearly stunned by this the girl blurted out, "t-two hundred?" 

"And 79, yes." He said, nonchalantly.

"Uhhh...wow...." Ryia looked at the amount, dumbfounded and impressed at the same time by the sheer amount of work this man was willing to take on. "That uh, sounds like an awful lot for one person."

"Perhaps were I a normal man it would be but I am the Chosen! A great hero of lore! It will be just like another Tuesday for me!"

"I uh...I suppose so..." The initial shock that Ryia had had when the man introduced himself was wearing off, now bearing way to skepticism as she was certain that the whole group of chosen couldn't possibly handle that many requests. Trying to wonder where it was that the man was getting such power or sheer ability to multitask from, the girl asked, "if you don't mind me asking...what uh...what chosen are you?" 

He threw his head back and laughed. "Is it not obvious?" He stepped to the side of the beast by him and gestured to it with one hand. "I am the Chosen of Buffalo!"
 

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"I'm sure you're strong yourselves but the Chosen...well, you know, they can wrestle dragons and outrun lightning right? That's what everyone says."

Luckily, their cover hadn't been blown. Did people really say that though? Hopefully it wasn't hyperbole. Pyrrha would rather like to be able to outrun lightning or wrestle dragons one day. If that sort of potential was really in Pyrrha just because the wind spirit decided to pick her up as its new champion, she'd have to strive to not let it down. Or the other Chosen, for that matter!

"Guess we should find this guy. I don't like the idea of someone taking advantage of people off our name and reputation."

Speaking of other Chosen, Reinaan was right. It was high time to go find that other other Chosen. The group eventually caught sight of him - after reuniting with the rest of the team aside from Damien - and were met with the sight of a strange man with a strange beast. Calling it strange was probably redundant. Calling the exchange between him and Ryia weird was not redundant. Something seemed off about this Geoff guy to Pyrrha. Especially with his most recent boast.

"I am the Chosen of Buffalo!"

That definitely sounded off. The rest of the Chosen here were of specific elements. Water, thunder, fire, that sort of thing. And then buffalo? This was fishy. A bit too fishy for Pyrrha's liking. Raising her hand, the elf girl inquired "Can you show us some magic, Chosen of Buffalo? I've heard that the Chosen are able to do amazing things with their element, like breathe fire or turn into stone. Compared to the hundreds of other requests you've gotten, that should be pretty trivial. I'm just curious what a Chosen of Buffalo would be capable of."

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As the trio of Chosen continued moving about town it wasn't all that long before they reunited with Keres and Ryia who had been going shopping for food. The Earth Chosen's questions made Reinaan wonder for a moment if either of them had been able to shop for actual equipment themselves yet. Well, there were plenty of shops along the way so maybe they'd find stuff as the group went about. Keres however seemed more concered with the Draken, asking what had happened to him. It seemed only Pyrrha was going to be appreciating the new look but that wasn't going to stop him from putting on a smile and twisting about in place to show off that his back, tail, and ever bit of him was just as shiny as the last.

"Just thought I'd dress up for once." Reinaan said, knowing full well he still entirely naked. Though he wasn't sure this kind of humor would register with Keres. Lindow sure, but the girl was usually on task and serious about most things that he couldn't be certain she even knew what a joke was. So he was sure to follow up with the actual explanation of having his scales polished in town while he was shopping. After everyone was filled in on this other Chosen running around they moved together to go about finding him. Eventually they caught sight of a man and a beast, presumably his mount by the wall of the city. Reinaan held back approaching the man, thinking he might get mad and attack him if he claimed to be a Chosen to his face. He figured Lindow had a plan for this sort of thing but it was Ryia that stepped forward and began speaking for the group.

"The Chosen... of buffalo?" Reinaan muttered in disbelief at the man's declaration. Already the boy found himself wanting to hurt this man. That anyone believed he was a Chosen with the self proclaimed element of buffalo was beyond him. Thankfully Pyrrha had the right idea. A demonstration of his magic was the perfect thing. "Don't forget run faster than lightning and wrestle dragons." he added to Pyrrha's list as he stood up straight and attempted flexing most of his upper body and arm muscles as if inviting the so-called Chosen to prove the last part of the list immediately.

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Buffalo? Hm. That was certainly odd. Keres didn't expect such a spirit to exist. She thought she knew all there was to know about the elements of magic but was there some sort of untapped magic that she didn't know of?

Or was this some strange branch of Nature magic?

The others seemed to be skeptical, which snapped Keres back to reality. And reality was there was no such thing as a Chosen of Buffalo. As interesting as that might be. So what was this man's deal? Was he trying to get some sort of reward by acting like a Chosen? But if so why choose something as ridiculous as Buffalo?

"Oho, so you want to see my splendid power? I can't say I blame you. It is a once in a lifetime experience for most. I usually wouldn't use my powers in such a place but prepare yourself. You are about to witness true magic!"

Geoff then turned and climbed up on top of the buffalo. Standing on its wide back he urged the beast to turn towards the group. "And now you will see my grand magic. The magic of Buffalo!"

A bit of wind kicked up, causing the animal's fur to stir. Then, with a dramatic point of his weapon, he called out. "Now, Buffalo roar!"

The beast let out a loud, long, grunt.

And nothing happened.

Yet Geoff, atop of the buffalo, looked extremely pleased with himself. "You hear that? I command the might of Buffalo; no task is too large or small for me!"

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Reinaan stood staring at the so-called Chosen of buffalo as he put on his display. A coincidental gust and a sound from the beast at his command and that was what was supposed to convince people? When the Draken had heard there was a Chosen impersonator his first thought was some at least semi-talented mage who could do enough to persuade people they were who they claimed they were. But this? People were buying this? Were humans just stupid? Reinaan looked hesitantly to Keres, Ryia and Lindow in turn trying to make sure they weren't actually convinced so he could prove that idea wrong. Resisting the urge to throw this buffalo riding idiot to the nearest wall, the boy remembered Lindow felt it best to keep their actual identities hidden away for all this and so he would continue with it. That said, the woman's request couldn't be trusted to this man. And the reptilian Chosen doubted the other two hundred seventy nine requests were going to fare any better.

"You know..." he began addressing the man, shaking a bit trying to hold back some verbal venom. "It sounds like you're reaaally busy. So maybe we should just take this one and let you get to those other hundreds of people. Wouldn't want to keep everyone waiting." Reinaan said while pulling Kloqah slightly ahead with him. He wanted nothing more than to just get a move on. If he lingered much longer he was fairly certain the buffalo-rider would say something that would set him off. He didn't like the idea of there being an impersonator but so long as he wasn't hurting or taking advantage of people it was tolerable to leave him alone, just so long as they didn't have to be anywhere near him.

Edited by Klonoa

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Lindow yawned loudly as he watched Geoff's display. A large part of him had been looking forward to the prospect of testing the false Chosen in combat, but this man didn't even seem worth the effort of moving, let alone dulling his new blades.

"It'd probably be more fun to fight the buffalo..." He sighed whilst watching Reinaan vibrate with irritation. 

"You know... It sounds like you're reaaally busy. So maybe we should just take this one and let you get to those other hundreds of people. Wouldn't want to keep every one waiting." Lindow couldn't help but scoff at the how Reinaan handled the situation. In all his travels he had never came across a Draken that was half as moody as the Fire Chosen, and he couldn't help but wonder if this trip around the realm was the cause of Reinaan's colorful personality. The boy really kept his heart on his sleeve- or he would, if they ever found him a set of garments that were to his liking. 

"Let's go find Damien then." He said, turning away from Geoff and his beast without so much as a second glance. The warmness of the alcohol in his belly paired rather nicely with the cool country breeze that had blown over the area, and so even if he was disappointed with the Chosen impersonator, Lindow was content with seeing what the rest of the day would bring the group. "Hey," He called after Reinaan whilst placing a hand on Kloqah with a sleepy grin. "do you think I could get a ride? Walking is such a bother..." 

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"You hear that? I command the might of Buffalo; no task is too large or small for me!"

This guy was more and more confusing by the moment. Maybe buffalo were sacred where he came from? But even then, claiming to be the Chosen of something like that seemed off. Was this some sort of test? Pyrrha just wasn't sure what to make of this guy and his outlandish claims.

"You know... It sounds like you're reaaally busy. So maybe we should just take this one and let you get to those other hundreds of people. Wouldn't want to keep everyone waiting."

But if nothing else, the actual Chosen could at least take care of that woman's important mission themselves. Pyrrha felt a bit bad leaving one guy to do the hundreds of other tasks, and she likewise felt bad for all those people trusting someone who was probably in over his head, but sometimes you just had to grin and bear it. Lindow seemed to also have the same idea to leave this guy to his devices. She wasn't sure how well it would all work out, to be quite honest. Her gut said it probably wouldn't go so well for Geoff or the people that had entrusted him with various tasks. But this one task mattered. Pyrrha wanted to see it through, Chosen or not.

As the boys started away from the so-called Chosen of Buffalo, Pyrrha followed suit, in search of the final boy in the team. There was still a lot that had happened since getting to this island that was stirring in her mind. The run-in with Hannah from the Council, this fake Chosen, those bees... and whatever else was waiting for the rest of the day. "Do you think it was really minotaurs that caused that lady's husband to go missing?" Pyrrha couldn't help but inquire, once the group was comfortably away from Geoff. She'd never seen one herself, but Pyrrha never imagined them as particularly angry types. "And for that matter, what could be stirring them up if it was?"

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Ryia looked dumbfounded as the "chosen" before her declared just what it what he was the Chosen of. The girl hadn't the faintest idea of how to respond to something that sounded quite as ludicrous as this. This wasn't helped by the simple fact that she didn't even know what a buffalo was, though, she could very well guess it was the beast Geoff was aboard. As she grew more and more skeptical of his claim to power, it had seemed that the others had been as well. Seeming to not want anything more to do with this man, they started to simply go about trying to find Damien and leave Geoff to his devices. Ryia could understand why, and she was certainly of a mind to just let this sleeping dog lie. Of course, there was something about the man that made him seem quite earnest. And not just that, quite serious about the requests he had taken. And in that, Ryia could only assume he actually meant to take this on. And was very likely to get himself killed. 

She looked to the others as they started walking away and said, "um, uh, I'll uh, I'll catch back up with you guys..." Turning back to Geoff, the girl seemed a bit unsure of how to proceed. Starting with, "I um, apologize for their bluntness, they're a bit...antsy, I guess? Um..." Looking to the beast he was aboard, then back to him she asked, "is that uh...is that your spirit?"

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" He said, pause between each laugh. "It is indeed. A mighty steed and mighty beast."

Ryia glanced over, her spirit not actually being out but still being more comfortable with looking away from Geoff as she mentally asked her spirit a question. "Ackrin is...is that actually a spirit." 

"It is not." The goat's reply was blunt. 

"Right..."  Pausing, she then said, "um...of the 200 requests that you took...what, um, what kind are they usually?"

"Many things! Lost items, man-eating monsters, mapping out a potential trade route, finding a pretty flower, getting a magical horn," it seemed Geoff was going to list off every single request

As she had thought, he certainly seemed to have a zeal to him. Trying to stop him from going on much longer she asked, "uhh...don't you think all of that's a little...too varied...for one person? Even a chosen?"

"Maybe for others, it would be, but I plan on handling this within the week!"

"I see..." Thinking on it for a moment, the girl took a deep breath before saying, "I would um, humbly request that you cut down on the requests you have taken...and try not to do anything too dangerous."

"I understand your concern, and you seem like a kind young lady, but alas I cannot. It's my duty to help the people and help I shall. Starting with the request you so humbly brought to me."

"I...I see. But well, I'm sure my friends and I can handle it...but you truly mean to tackle this request alone then?"

"Well I can't just let others risk themselves when I can handle it can I?"

Her assumption of Geoff was feeling more and more correct by the moment. "Then perhaps..." Ryia looked to Keres, trying to find some affirmation in her companion before she asked fully.

Keres shrugged. "We're going that way...anyway, right?"

Ryia nodded, before turning back to Geoff saying, "then perhaps you'd, um, like to work alongside us then?"

"Haha! I see now. You want to see me in action, I understand...hm. Perhaps I can go along with that. I shall wait here for you to get your companions but not for long before I set out."

Ryia involuntarily let out a nervous chuckle but just said, "ah...um, right...Well, we'll see you..." Turning away, moving to catch up with the others, the girl looked to Keres saying, "they'll uh, they'll understand right?" 

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Geoff watched as the group left and chuckled to himself. "They're quite the odd ones, aren't they?" He said to the buffalo at his side. "But, I suppose it might be nice to have some company this time."

---

"they'll uh, they'll understand right?" 

Keres and Ryia were behind the others, the talk with Geoff having given some distance between them. Though not so far they couldn't follow where the three were headed. "I don't know...I don't think they like him much." Keres responded.

She waited, thinking, for a bit longer before. "Um." More waiting. "Never mind."

Keres wanted to ask about Lindow. She had to know if she was the only one with concerns about him. But no, they were still to close to the others, this wouldn't be a good time.

So she stayed silent again as they hurried to catch up.

---

Eventually they would find out where Damien was. The bar likely had seen better days. The door was only barely hanging on and made a loud creaking noise, alerting everyone inside whenever somebody came in, when it opened. There wasn't much light inside beyond the light that filtered in through the doorway and a singular window near the back. And what light there was mostly shone on those entering.

The people inside were mostly non-humans. Dwarves, orcs, the occasional halfling, and so on. Those with good enough eyes would be able to spot Damien. He was sitting at a table in the corner. Or rather he was leaning against the wall, which seemed the only thing holding him up, with a drink in his hand.

He was telling some kind of story, with many hand motions, to a grey-haired minotaur beside him. One with an eyepatch, a missing hand, and one broken horn, and a heavy mace at his hooves.

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After some looking around, the group had found Damien! He was in the corner, having some drinks and hanging out with a minotaur! This place had probably seen better days before. At least, Pyrrha certainly hoped so. And the guy Damien was hanging out with also looked like he'd seen better days. Quite frankly, he looked dangerous, but Pyrrha didn't want to judge him just off appearances. Maybe he was a nice guy despite the rough and battered appearance. Like a cozy old shack you'd find along the road on a rainy day. And so, Pyrrha took the initiative out of the Chosen assembled in this seedy tavern, heading over to where Damien and this minotaur were apparently sharing stories? Or at least, Damien was telling a story.

"There you are," Pyrrha smiled as she walked up to the table. "We've been looking for you, Damien. So uh..." Eyes moving back and forth between Damien and this minotaur, the elf asked "Who's your new friend?" Not anyone hostile, she hoped. Though if he had been, would he be here right now? Pyrrha had questions for this mystery guy too, but time and place and all that.

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Lindow's request caused Reinaan to reexamine him. Something was definitely off about him. He was trying to think what might be the issue. The only thing he could think of was how some of the adults in his village would get after having some of a certain drink he'd yet to have. For one it was claimed to be made from plants so that alone disgusted him but it was also because he hadn't proven himself a man yet to the village and they kept alcohol from children. Humans probably had less rules around the stuff then if the Thunder Chosen had been partaking. Regardless, Reinaan didn't mind offering his friend a ride though Kloqah seemed resistant. With a little persuasion from her small lizard rider she let the buzzed man onto her back. She wasn't going to be happy about it but she'd do it and that was enough. As they began moving away from the ridiculous Chosen of Buffalo Pyrrha asked a question concerning minotaurs and the woman's request. Reinaan wasn't an expert but he had some ideas.

"Well, we encountered some monsters that got worked up just 'cuz they sensed magic in Keres. And Hannah was here earlier so maybe she pissed em off without even realizing." The young Draken began offering in explanation. Really this was just an excuse to blame the council for everything. "But it could be... the demon gate's influencing them." he continued, shuddering at the memory of what proximity to a gate had done of the sand sharks. What supposed cow-people hybrids might become around one was not something he wanted to experience. After a bit more walking about the group had found Damien in a bar that was crawling with non-humans. It seemed strange to find in the middle of a human city but then this city had a little bit of everything it was so big. Reinaan did little more than peer into the door with Pyrrha before stepping back outside. He figured it best to stay with the less than sober Lindow outside the establishment that served alcohol. 

"So... what's the drink like?" Reinaan asked of the witch hunter atop his mount while they waited. He lacked the proper phrasing no doubt. Sounding dumb would be annoying but at least it was with someone who wasn't all there at the moment. It was mostly small talk anyway. He kept his eyes scanning the area and caught sight of Keres and Ryia bringing up the rear of the group. It was good they hadn't gotten lost. And no sign of the idiot fake Chosen either. No doubt off saving the world, two hundred menial chore requests at a time.

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As Ryia walked alongside the Water chosen, Ryia couldn't help but give a defeated sigh as the girl made her comment. She had already figured that the others were probably not fond on the idea, but as Keres seemed to drop the topic, Ryia couldn't help but feel as though she had made a great mistake. All the same, she wasn't sure if she could just let the man, fake or not, go out and do something that would get himself killed in good conscience. As such, it was her responsibility to tell the group about this, and her responsibility to also keep him safe. And who knew, maybe he would turn out to actually be capable? Maybe he was just a bit overeager but still able to hold his own, and would be a worthwhile addition to their team to solving this issue. 

"That seems very unlikely."

"Yeah...I know..." The girl's mental voice was as downtrodden as could be at her spirit's comment, but all the same,  she could hope. Eventually, Keres and Ryia had managed to reach the rest of the group, or at least Reinaan and Lindow. Assuming that Pyrrah had gone into the bar herself, the girl walked up to the other two saying, "hey um...hi. Glad we caught up and...is uh...Are we um...uh..." Ryia found herself stumbling over her words, likely for the same reason I child who did something wrong would in front of their parent would. Without finishing her statement, the girl looked into the building to see that Damien was also there, which was good. That meant they were all together now. Which meant she could tell them all at once. Which was good. Good. 

Freezing up near the door, the girl seemed to not move, and more just stare into space which happened in Damien and Pyrrah's general direction before turning around. Looking to Reinaan and Lindow, clearly struggling with something but still keeping a force smile on her face the girl said, "so um...we were...we weren't gonna...leave immediately...right? The city, that is. For our...yeah..." 

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"So... what's the drink like?"

"The drink?" Lindow grunted. It took him no small amount of effort shift so that he could face Reinaan whilst still remaining sprawled across Kloqah's back, but when he was finally looking at the boy he smiled lazily. Aware that this could likely be young Reinaan's first talking to about the subject, Lindow dutifully stepped up to the plate by giving his best impression of a responsible adult. "In moderation it's great for supplementing an experience, but if consumed irresponsibly it can very easily lead to death... blindness... pregnancy!" 

He wagged his finger in the air rather responsibly whilst listing off the dangers of drinking as they came to him. Though by the time Ryia and Keres had finally joined the pair outside the pub, the Thunder Chosen had fallen way off topic, and simply telling bar stories from his past inquisitions.

"hey um...hi. Glad we caught up and...is uh...Are we um...uh..." Ryia stumbled over her words just a little more than usual, causing Lindow to turn and begin studying the Earth Chosen.

He watched her peer into the bar for a few seconds before turning back to the boys with a smile that seemed to not wanna be there. "so um...we were...we weren't gonna...leave immediately...right? The city, that is. For our...yeah..."  For a moment he couldn't help but scoff at the fact that her timid inclinations didn't suit her caliber as a warrior at all. On the battlefield she was quite the force reckoned, perhaps even more of a threat than Reinnan if one were to consider her monstrous endurance and armor. It was oddly fascinating to see her mouse around social situations after wrestling a shark a few days ago... 

Staring at the Earth Chosen blankly for a moment, Lindow tilted his head and pointed one his slender index fingers. "Hurry up and tell us what's the matter, love. My heart couldn't bare to see you hold it in any longer..." 

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"We've been looking for you, Damien. So uh...Who's your new friend?"

"Heeeey!" Damien said, pointing at Pyrrha with his mug. "It's, it's P...P....it's the elf!" Damien said. He gestured around him, sloshing a bit of alcohol onto the table in the process, and said "I've been here this whole time. Good job at finding me." He glanced behind Pyrrha. "The others don't wanna come in?" He asked.

Then, as if just remembering the minotaur was there, finished off his drink and slammed the mug on the table, indicting for a refill. "This is Ara...ara ara...Arastos!" Damien said. "This is Arastos, say hi Arastos!"

The minotaur rumbled something that Pyrrha couldn't understand, in a language that sounded strangely like the noises cattle made, and Damien laughed. "Yeah it really is like that at times isn't it. But no, it's fine, nothing to worry about."

Then the minotaur spoke again, this time in the common tongue. "As this man creature says I am Arastos. Not often have I seen your kind in this place. If you came for him I cannot say he will be of much use in the way he is now."

---

"so um...we were...we weren't gonna...leave immediately...right? The city, that is. For our...yeah..." 

"Hurry up and tell us what's the matter, love. My heart couldn't bare to see you hold it in any longer..." 

Keres watched as Ryia stumbled over her words. Was she as nervous about Lindow as she was? Yet even if that were the case she shouldn't have such trouble speaking. She had talked perfectly clear earlier. Was she worried how they would react to the news?

Keres realized that might have been her fault. For her less than reassuring response before. Feeling guilty, the mage decided it was up to her to make it right. So she patted Ryia's back once as to tag herself in and stepped forward. "The Ch-er, Geoff. He will accompany us on this task you've obtained. As long as we leave soon. Which I thought was the plan." Her eyes trailed into the bar. She only barely make out the inside but she saw Damien, and noticed how slovenly he looked. Much more than usual. And her brow furrowed. "He doesn't look so good." she noted.

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Reinaan squinted at Lindow's comments about alcohol. This was just like the adults in his village when they drank. They said and did silly things. Not that it was out of line for the Thunder Chosen to joke with him but  it just felt weird and different. It seemed to him very unlikely that any drink could kill, blind or impregnate a person. But then it was plant based. Maybe Lindow was on to something. However the man wasn't done as he continued rambling about other risks involved and eventually lost track of what he was saying and devolved into telling from other times he'd gotten drunk. A bit of a nasty cycle all of this seemed. The draken didn't say much, simply humoring his friend wondering how long it took this stuff to wear off. Thankfully Ryia and Keres' arrival gave the boy someone else to interact with. Though the Earth Chosen seemed particularly incapable of speaking for some reason. So much so that the Water Chosen for once spoke up and clarified.

"Accompany us? That idiot?" Reinaan questioned aloud, thinking the girls were playing a trick on him. He wasn't particularly fond on the idea of watching someone else die and doubted the man's abilities in the utmost after his so-called magic display. He watched as Keres looked into the bar before commenting on Damien's condition. No doubt he was even more out of his mind than Lindow. The reptilian chosen let out a sigh before continuing. "I don't see much point to waiting. Guess Damien can sit this one out." he stated to the group, looking for their thoughts on the matter. It was a matter of weighing what annoyed him more. Damien he distrusted more but at least the man had already proven himself capable of combat. Geoff he doubted could hold his own and was obnoxious to listen to but seemed to have no ulterior motives. Either choice felt like a loss for the Draken so getting on with things sooner rather than later felt better. Reinaan shifted his weight from the waiting stance he'd taken while listening to LIndow to get ready to walk. The boy then bent over searching for the end of Kloqah's reigns, the movement casting momentary glares of reflected sunlight in nearly all directions.

Edited by Klonoa

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"Heeeey! It's, it's P...P....it's the elf! I've been here this whole time. Good job at finding me. The others don't wanna come in?"

Pyrrha wasn't sure why nobody else followed her inside. Maybe they weren't the social types? Ryia and Keres definitely didn't seem like much for conversation. Reinaan kind of came off as a bit overly wary to her. And Lindow was also drunk. That just left Pyrrha. She would have preferred at least one of the others to come in with her, but she could handle this herself. Just some friendly conversation.

"This is Ara...ara ara...Arastos! This is Arastos, say hi Arastos!"

"As this man creature says I am Arastos. Not often have I seen your kind in this place. If you came for him I cannot say he will be of much use in the way he is now."

"Ahh... that's fine. Nice to meet you. We can come back for Damien if we have to. I'm mostly just glad to have found him." It would probably be fine to leave him for a bit, to take care of that mission. Pyrrha started as if she was going to turn to leave, but stopped. Arastos was a minotaur. If anyone could clue her in on what was wrong with the tribes, then surely... "Is it alright if I ask you something before heading out, though?"

The minotaur stared at the girl for a long moment before responding. It felt as though he was looking through her in those moments. Then, with a grunt, he inclined his head. "Go ahead."

Don't ask if you can touch the horn. Don't ask if you can touch the horn. "I heard there's some trouble with the local minotaur tribes. Sorry if it comes off the wrong way, but being a minotaur yourself, I figured you might know if that's true, and if so, what's the problem they're having?"

His eye narrowed. "We do not cause trouble." He responded. "The tribes are keeping to themselves. If this causes trouble it is not the fault of them."

"Got it." It wasn't much, but at least it was a more definitive account that the minotaurs weren't the problem. Something else was at play here. "Thanks for the quick answer, Arastos! I'll leave you and Damien to whatever you were doing." This place smelled like beer. Pyrrha kind of wanted to get out as quickly as possible. She'd never had any of the stuff, despite multiple groups she used to travel with insisting, and she wasn't about to start today. She stepped outside to join the other Chosen.

"Damien won't be much help right now," she explained, quickly and to-the-point. "He's... really drunk. So I guess it's just us taking care of that request."

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As Lindow told her to speak what was on her mind, the girl looked to the side saying, "um, well, that. I um, well I'd actually..." Both wanting to wait for everyone to be present and wanting to just wait to say anything in general, the girl then felt a small pat on her back. Looking over as Keres seemed to step up and explain for her, the girl braced herself for the reaction of the others. As Reinaan seemed less than pleased with the idea, Ryia simply bowed her head saying, "I'm sorry." Looking back up at Reinaan and Lindow she said, "he just seemed really earnest and like he was going to go do it on his own anyway so I uh...I..." Looking to the side again she said, "sorry. I, um, probably should've, uh, talked to you all about it. First."

As Pyrrha then came back, affirming what it was Keres had said, the girl let out a sigh. In one part, she felt bad about simply leaving Damien behind after asking him to come with them to begin with. On the other hand, she had felt like he and Geoff wouldn't get along in the slightest. Though, it hardly seemed like any of the others were going to get along with him either. Looking at Pyrrha, nervous smile still on her face, the girl said, "ah, uh, um, about that. We'll uh, be bringing Geoff along with us. Aha. Aha. Ah..." An apologetic look replacing this smile she muttered, "sorry." With that out of the way, the girl looked to the rest of the group saying, "well. Someone should um, probably tell him that we're going to be out...right?" Still feeling guilty the girl followed it by saying, "I'll uh...I'll go do that." And with that, she walked into the bar. 

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"Isn't she just the sweetest..." Lindow sighed whilst turning to avoid the glare coming off of the Fire Chosen's butt.

Realizing that they'ed be heading out soon, he readjusted himself on the boy's mount in preparation for the nap he intended to take on the way there. Although buzz from the drink he had earlier had begun to dull, Lindow was still in good spirits nonetheless.

The witch hunter had no interest in Geoff, and couldn't have cared less that the man would be joining them on their quest. What mattered to him was the fact that this excursion would potentially yield leads in their search for Gate hidden somewhere on the island. In addition to bringing the Chosen onestep closer to understanding the nature of the threat they were facing, his gut told him that if he continued down this path it would eventually lead him to the grey woman from his dreams. Lindow smiled at the notion, a satisfied smirk that creeped across his lips and caused his eyes to close in satisfaction.  

"Who knows, maybe our new friend will prove to be competent..." He addressed the group with a shrug. "If the man can fight half as well as Gilly, he'll be fine- so long as we don't stumble across the Gate." 

Edited by Hollow

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"Accompany us? That idiot?"

A very small part of Keres instinctively wanted to point out that this came from the guy who was superstitious about wearing clothing. But she didn't. She couldn't afford to tease these people. Such actions only was allowed between friends and she doubted they saw her as such. So she stayed silent as Ryia went into the bar to let Damien know of the plans.

Inside, the man had shouted as Pyrrha left "Where you goin? Don't you want a drink?" And then, moments later, as Ryia came in "A replacement! Come on in, have yerself a drink! You could do with some loosening up!"

---

Keres wasn't sure what the concern about Geoff was, exactly. Sure he seemed odd but... "He has been traveling alone this far right?" She said as they made their way back towards the gate they had left him. "That's not possible for someone weak." Even with a group of mercenaries with her they had only barely made it to the tower after all. Granted they had to go through the swamp first but even so...

As they reached Geoff they found him slumbering, laying perfectly still on the buffalo's back.

Once they neared the buffalo grunted and shook a little and the man sprang to his feet, still standing on the buffalo. "Hark, good timing! I was about to set off shortly! I see that you are prepared then, good, let us be off!"

---

The road away from the city and in the direction of the farm that the woman had mentioned seemed well-kept and free of issue...at first. Several hours into their travels the road started becoming more damaged. They even saw several corpses along the side of the road. Many with broken arrows or spear shafts sticking out of them. Clearly there had been several attacks around these parts. They were only an hour or two away from where the woman had marked the location of the farm when they stopped to rest for a few moments.

Keres, having traveled by foot due to the mule being burdened with much supplies, was starting to grow weary. Though she didn't say much about it.

Geoff, having been standing on the buffalo the entire way, seemed to be perfectly fine. "I must say I appreciate the company. I used to have a group of minstrels along with me but it got too dangerous and, well, they wanted more and more money to keep going. Imagine that? I know if I was given the honor of aiding the Chosen themselves I wouldn't be so concerned about gold. But I suppose that is just the way things are these days. Isn't that right, my trustworthy spirit?" He said the last to the buffalo who responded with a grunt.

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Reinaan stood, any movement still scattering reflections about from his polished body, having gathered Kloqah's reigns. As he did so Pyrrha emerged from the bar to confirm that Damien was essentially incapacitated. Between the two swordsmen the boy had to wonder what the appeal of alcohol was but he didn't ponder it long. Lindow expressed a positive sentiment after Ryia went in to inform Damien of what they intended to do. How well the man would recall this information in his current state was anyone's guess. More important was the idea of Geoff's competence in battle. Lindow wondered aloud hopefully that he might surprise them. As they began walking back Keres of all people expressed a similar sentiment stating one travelling alone must be fairly strong. As he knew hardly anything about the buffalo chosen, the draken found it hard to object to either statement and instead focused on leading Kloqah with the soon to be sleeping Lindow aboard her.

Geoff's buffalo was first to notice their arrival, the man himself only stirring as his mount did. Reinaan groaned a bit to himself. When Ziiyol had first appeared to him the boy had been caught up in imagining all the epic and heroic moments the band of Chosen would have. And while they'd had some very intense battles thus far, he'd never thought they'd deal with so many strange characters along the way. Ultimately, as long the buffalo rider didn't endanger anyone in the group, the boy supposed he could tolerate having him around.

On the idea of keeping everyone safe, the Fire Chosen, who had to go on foot this time while Lindow slept off his drinks, kept to the rear of the group, never letting Keres out of his sight. He wasn't about to have a repeat of the bee attack. An added bonus Reinaan wasn't even conscious of was that unless the others looked directly behind them, he wasn't likely to blind them with his scales. As time went on he could tell the exertion was tiring the Water Chosen yet she didn't complain. And given interacting with the girl seemed only to stress her, he felt it best to not prod. She'd ask for help if she needed it, surely. What was more immediately concerning was the state of the road.

"What happened here..." the boy muttered to himself as he stopped to examine one of the bodies. He was almost more fascinated than immediately horrified. These were people yes but he wanted to know more about what had happened. What predators left behind could tell a lot about them. Unless it was just people killing people, then he doubted he'd be able to gather much. The boy crouched down over one to get a better look. Immediately clear was the temperature. The body was cold to the touch. The cause of death was a well placed arrow based off the broken wooden shaft protruding from where Reinaan assumed human hearts were. But the body hadn't started to rot yet. This attack wasn't recent but it couldn't have been more than a few days old. The group decided to stop as they were still some time out from their destination and the draken hardly listened as Geoff puffed up his ego.

"We shouldn't stay here for long." Reinaan spoke to the general group, more particularly his fellow Chosen. He didn't trust the place after his observations. To prepare he produced his new weapon from off Kloqah's back and held onto it with his right hand while the other kept the lead for his mount. "Catch your breath but we need to keep moving." he added, already wondering how well the group would be able to keep going. Keres was the most immediate worry on that end. They didn't have much in the way of available mounts for her past Geoff's, and that was assuming it had any room after his boisterous self. Lindow waking up soon would be helpful in a number of ways.

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Hv8FblW.png

Due to unfortunate circumstances, Geoff, the so-called "Chosen of Buffalo" was also tagging along. While Pyrrha would be lying if she said she was stoked to have this guy on her team, Keres did make a solid point. Geoff had been traveling alone, hadn't he? If so, he was probably rather powerful, and able to carry his own weight. Maybe having him along wouldn't be too bad, even if he was a bit eccentric. At the very least, there were worse ideas for the sorts of people one could team up with. And so, Pyrrha tried to keep her spirits high about their new companion, as the Chosen - including the fake - departed from town. There was a quest to resolve.

A few hours later, and the group had stopped to rest at a rather grim location. This wasn't Pyrrha's first run-in with dead bodies, but it never seemed to feel any less shocking to encounter them. Although she was a bit winded herself, Pyrrha didn't mind continuing onward. If the group had to stop however, she'd make use of her current location. Pyrrha wanted to know what the hell had happened here, and took to looking the bodies over. Arrows and spears sticking out of their bodies at least told her it wasn't magic of some sort. However, something was bothering her. The lady in town had said there was trouble with the minotaur tribes, right? So why did these weapons seem perfectly normal in scale? Maybe it was just her having misconceptions of minotaurs, but it seemed odd that these were weapons she could have wielded herself if they weren't broken.

As if to confirm that fact, Pyrrha pulled a few broken arrows from various bodies, then a handful from her quiver. The size wasn't all that different. At the very least, it probably wasn't minotaurs behind this. Arastos did say they're not the type to cause trouble. Bandits, perhaps? Awfully bold move of them. Whatever it was, this was something worth getting to the bottom of. Pyrrha put the broken arrows down in a neat little line; those wouldn't do her any good. She wanted to ask Ryia something right now, but with Geoff being part of the group, she wasn't exactly eager to blow her cover as an actual Chosen.

"We shouldn't stay here for long. Catch your breath but we need to keep moving."

"Yeah," Pyrrha agreed, pulling out her new bow and resting an arrow on the string, just in case. If all these dead bodies were here, there was no telling if whoever made them that way would look to add the Chosen in disguise to their collection. "I'm ready to keep going whenever the rest of you are. I've got a bad feeling about this place." Pyrrha made a mental note of where she was though. There was something important she wanted to do here after the job was done.

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Having awoken when he felt his ride stop moving, Lindow laid lazily on Kloqah's back with his eyes closed. He couldn't really tell how long they had been traveling for, but after taking a moment to listen to the other Chosen, he realized that they still hadn't arrived at their destination. Shifting slightly, Lindow allowed himself to slide off of Kloqah, landing silently on the worn path before finally taking a moment to check out his surroundings. The bodies were the first thing to catch his interest, but that was rather short lived when he realized that those poor souls had been dead long before the group had gotten there. 

"Thank you," He whispered to Kloqah in friendly tone.

As the words left his lips, the Thunder Chosen recalled that the old women's mention of an amulet that her husband- or in a more likely scenario, his corpse would be wearing. Yawning slightly, Lindow rolled his shoulders and began strolling up to the front of the group. "Did guys happen see if any of our friends over there are sporting the other half of our client's neckless?" Not knowing exactly who had been fiddling with the bodies, Lindow addressed the entire party. 

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As the girl had walked into the bar, it had seemed that Damien had spotted her almost immediately. As he called out to her, the girl let out a sigh and made her way over to him. Offering her a drink, Ryia simply let out a nervous chuckle and gestured towards the boy with her hand saying, "ah, well, um, I'm not much of a drinker. I just came here to, um, tell you something."

"Come to an-announce your undying love for me? I already know that!" Damien said, then gave a laugh and took a swig from his mug.

"Eh? N-no, nothing like...uhhh..." The girl was caught off guard by the statement, and could only grow more uncomfortable as she figured what the rest of the conversation with the drunk male would be like. So, trying to wave his comment away she said, "no, um, see, we...we're leaving the city now."

"Oh, we are?" He started to get up and crashed into the table. Then flopped back in his seat. "I don't think I can get up."

Looking at the boy, a bit concerned and looking to his minotaur friend to see if he shared her concern at all, she then looked back to Damien. "Are you uh...well..." Well, if he couldn't move, she supposed that made things easier. Forcing a smile, as if to try and soften the blow with a positive attitude, the girl said, "well, that uh, works out great. Yeah. Because we thought that you could stay...here. In the city. While we go do outside city stuff."

"Here that A-a....buddy? I'm being left behind." Damien said, to which the minotaur responded by shrugging and saying something in his native tongue.

Ryia couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. They had been the ones to ask him to come along after all, and so she felt bad simply leaving the boy here at their first stop since joining. Still, doing her best to keep a poor smiling face she said, "oh um, no we're not uh, leaving you behind or anything. We're just  taking care of a small request. We'll be sure to um, come back and meet up with you again. Yeah. Instead you could um..." mulling over it for a bit, the girl seemed to suddenly get an idea as she said, "instead we were um, thinking you could ask around and town and uh, look into that thing. That thing we're looking for."

He gestured wildly with his mug. "Why you think I'm ere? Kids these days don't have any respect." He starts grumbling and drinking at the same time.

"Ah, well, um, that's...that's wonderful. Um, thanks then, Damien." The girl then reached out to awkwardly pat Damien on the shoulder, as if to thank him.

His hand goes to her, swiftly, the boy tensing up a moment before relaxing and patting her hand. "No problem ssscheetheart"

"Um, right." Just standing there, awkwardly for a bit, the girl then said, "well um, I'll be going now. Thanks again. And um," waving to the minotaur she said, "nice um, meeting you." Back to Damien she said, "well, bye." And with that the girl left the bar. 


Meeting up with Geoff, the group had headed out of the city, making their way to their destination. As the group was on the road, the girl kept to the center of the group, on the look out for anything that would jump out at them from any angle. Not wanting a repeat of last time, the girl kept at the ready in case of any strange bee attacks. Thankfully, no such thing happened, however the road itself only grew more ominous the further they walked down it. Seeing bodies on the ground, seeming to  be freshly killed, Ryia kept on guard. The easiest explanation off the top of her head was that of bandits. The corpses were killed by weapons and it was the middle of a now unprotected road, so the thought wasn't out of the ordinary. And as they were attacked by arrows, Ryia kept vigil to make sure there was no one still around the scene of the crime waiting to ambush them. 

This did not stop as the group took their momentary respite, the girl still looking out for anything. As Geoff spoke up, the girl gave a small sigh but said, "well um, it's been awhile since we uh...since we've traveled with someone so, enthusiastic. But um, well, maybe it's for the best that they left. It would be bad if someone who um, who couldn't properly defend themselves was in danger...right?"

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"Did guys happen see if any of our friends over there are sporting the other half of our client's necklace?"

Keres hadn't looked over the bodies as much as the others had but she could tell that they hadn't had anything like that on them. "They don't look like merchants either. Farmers. No wares on them. Probably attacked for the food."

Why didn't they have bodyguards? At most she could count one armed person among them. Surely they should have had more with them if they were making a trip with supplies that would be targeted.

Whatever the case she had to agree that they should head out quick. They'd have to eat on the go.

Geoff didn't seem to notice much amiss about the bodies. He simply continued to stare straight ahead on the path. "Things continue taking turns for the worse no matter where you go. Alas I am but one man. Even I cannot be everywhere..."

"well um, it's been awhile since we uh...since we've traveled with someone so, enthusiastic. But um, well, maybe it's for the best that they left. It would be bad if someone who um, who couldn't properly defend themselves was in danger...right?"

"Ho! Yes, Verily so! I suppose that is the right of it. It's still such a shame. They were rather talented, too...And I could have defended them were they to stay by my side. After all where could be more safe than beside a Chosen, yes?"

---

Despite the ominous signs along the path they managed to reach the farm marked on their map without much trouble. The occasional hungry animal crept close but none that were confident, or hungry, enough to try and take them.

And they found the farm...completely abandoned. Several wagons with vegetables were sitting in the open as if left there in the middle of being moved. One had been overturned, the contents spilling out on the ground. They couldn't find any sign of a fight but neither could they find any signs of life. It was as if all of the people there had just left suddenly without taking anything with them. The closest thing to any indication of foul play were several bloodstains with no bodies nearby. After seeing these they'd notice what seemed to be a trail of blood leading off into the distance away from the camp.

Geoff's buffalo gave a concerned snort which drew Keres's attention away from the trail.

And that's when she saw them.

BGM

Several groups of hyena-like humanoids coming towards them. They looked savage but moved cautiously, with a hunter's step, and were closing in on the group by the wagons. Armed with both a shortspear and handaxe, with shortbows across their backs, the monsters were fairly well armed. Though none had more protective armor than hide.

Except one, which was separate from the rest. They sat on the back of a large, monstrous, wolf-like creature and was wearing leather armor. Though was otherwise indistinguishable from the others except that perhaps he was slightly larger.

They had been ambushed by a pack of Gnolls.

Spoiler

Map

Let me know your starting positions ASAP so I can mark them on the map.

The shapes are the wagons, the one facing the other way is the overturned one.

Except for the leader the Gnolls are within one round of movement away.

 

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Lindow had been studying the trail of blood leading away from the farm when the pack Gnolls came into view. "Hm," The man quickly brought himself up to his feet as his gaze danced amongst the groups of savage looking figures until finally landing on one that stood out as the leader. The Alpha Gnoll only seemed slightly bigger than the rest of its brethren, but Lindow could already tell that it had the potential to be a worthy opponent along with it's mount. They'd need to thin the pack's numbers a bit before he'd even have the chance to test this though...

"It seems we've been mistaken for prey..." He said whilst observing the way the Gnoll were approaching the group. Things were finally starting to pick up, and Lindow could feel a grin creep across his face as he tightened the straps on his new shield before making his way towards the mule. His movements were quick and deliberate. Within moments he had already grabbed two crossbows and prepared a pair of quivers with several bolts. "Reinaan," He called out to the boy before tossing the young Draken both weapon and ammunition in kind. "shall we remind them where they stand on the food chain, my friend?"

Already loading his own crossbow, Lindow positioned himself behind the middle cart and begun sizing up the group coming from the left. When he finally settled on a target, the man stepped out from behind his cover and took aim, firing not long after. The bolt sailed true, striking the Gnoll in the middle of left formation but lacking the power to kill the creature outright. Without wasting another moment, Lindow ducked back behind the wagon once again and begun readying his next shot. The quicker they dealt with the less Gnolls, the quicker he could see about engaging the leader.

Spoiler

Lindow equipped Crossbow x1 and Bolts x5 from the party's inventory. He also moved behind the center cart, and fired upon enemy 16, wounding but not killing it. 

 

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