At the end of the yellow brick road (P)

Continuing his travels to put some distance between himself and the Phoenix Mountains, his last stop in the Beanstalk village had been a rather eventful one, though that was how things seemed to always turn out when he got himself involved. Whether it was simply because people started feeling anxious when he popped up and had to somehow prove themselves, it almost always turned out as something that just ended up drawing attention to him. As such, he had already become known to the people of certain portions of Fiore as the "Pale Demon", the "White Flame" or the "Black Swordsman". There were all names that made him sound like someone to be feared, which was not something he altogether loathed about it. At least with a moniker like that, people would know better than to start trouble when he was around, thus saving him the hassle of having to intervene and get his hands dirty. With the village in sight, he continued along at a steady pace, figuring he'd get there soon enough without having to move any faster than he did right now.

The Hunting village, which had aptly yet uninspiredly been called that because of all of the hunters and gatherers that made it their home, was one of the few places Solmar actually frequented. Here, the people only knew him as a fellow hunter, which was not something he had any problems with. In the past, he had been here for a very long time, learning more about how to hunt and utilize traps in ways that did not damage the pelts. Given how he ate the meat and used the pelts for clothing or just to sell them to someone who knew how to fashion clothes out of them, it was thanks to this that his thick fur coat was made out of a grizzly he had slain with his bare hands. Back when his magic was still developing, all he really had to rely on were his gladius, as well as his physical prowess and wit to kill such enemies with. These days though, he had plenty of tools that made foes such as bears not even worth actually calling a threat. When he had last been here, he had taken a bunch of pelts with him, though that was not the case this time.

A while ago, he had taken on a job posted at the Beanstalk village's notice board regarding people who went from there to Cedar or Hosenka using the main road leading through Sakuramori. Since people were starting to go missing rather frequently, he had been asked to investigate, finding that a risen dire wolf had been the cause of it. After killing it, again, he had started tracking it back to where it came from, finding that it had been brought back by a Necromancer that used it to kill and bring back bodies for him to tinker and experiment with. After dispatching the one responsible for this with another mage called Amalie of the Rune Knights, he had returned to the Beanstalk village in order to share the news. Unexpectedly, many of the people had scolded him for returning with this kind of news as they'd rather live on believing that their loved one might still come back some time. Though most of the people were happy to know that the body had been returned to the earth and the man responsible had been taken care, it were the people that scolded him that stuck with him in mind.

Knowing from the notices posted on the board that people had gone missing in Sakuramori from the Hunting village as well, he had come back there this time to spread the word and let the people know that the missing folk would not be coming back home. Dreading the thought of him getting scolded again just like last time, he had hope that the people from this place were more down to earth. What with many of them getting injured at times or even killed when taking on something larger and more powerful than themselves, he believed that the Hunting village's inhabitants were at the very least more used to the concept of death. Still, part of him felt like he could use a drink before going to the ealdorman and sharing the bad news with the rest of town. Continuing his stride, he figured he'd get to the village in roughly ten more minutes, meaning he'd need to wake up Fellis soon, who was still sleeping inside the hood of his large coat. For the time being at least, he would just keep following the rocky road, making sure not to stray too far from it as the Monsterlands were not far away, and any unweary traveler might get snagged by something dangerous.


(805)

Morgan enjoyed adventure. Really it was what drove her to wake up every morning, the uncertainties of what the day might have in store for you, a new obstacle around every corner. Today was no different from all the rest, she had plans to visit a small village, one that lacked certain modern resources of the world. The people worshipped the earth, believing that they were equals with nature, part of some mystical design. Morgan was interested in this, as a fatalist, she believed that most things were completely out of her control, that things were destined to happen in order to trigger the next sequence of events. No matter how big or how small, it had a purpose. From stepping on a butterfly to someone being murdered. Fate's a strange thing, something that can't truly be calculated or predicted. It's always changing depending on your choices, but no matter which path you choose, you almost always end up at the same door you were meant to reach.

With pep in her step, she slipped into her normal attire, a black dress that showed off her shoulders and wrapped around her neck, long, open sleeves revealed her hands and shoulders, a short skirt with a white frill and long high-heeled boots that curl upwards at the toes topped off with a black witches hat that coiled around at the top. It was very obvious that Morgan wasn't trying to fit in, her outfit made her stand out but she didn't care. As a witch, she was very proud of her heritage and she wanted to make sure she showcased it in any way possible. Now that she was ready, she went downstairs and paid the innkeeper for the night she stayed, once she was outside Morgan mounted her broom and took to the skies. The hunting village wouldn't be that far, not like it mattered. She was flying not walking!

As she flew she kept her eyes on the sky, there was no telling what might happen. Occasionally she'd look below to see her surroundings, hoping that she was going the right way. Navigation wasn't really her strong suit and even though she had gotten directions from the innkeeper, there was really no telling where she'd end up. It wouldn't have been the first time she took a wrong turn but within fifteen minutes or so of flying Morgan could tell that she was in the right place. Something about the area just seemed very... tribal? It was the Hunting Village after all. It was incredibly large, well, much bigger than Morgan anticipated. The culture was interesting, the people wore animal skins and decorated themselves with feathers and body paint, many adventurers were here already, it was the only reason that the Village added a tavern. It was one of the largest tents in the village, and even in the sky Morgan could hear the cheers and laughter, she decided it would be the perfect place!

Her broom began to lower itself and she hopped off, leaving it 'parked' outside the tavern. When she entered, it was a very different atmosphere. At first, Morgan believed that it must have been her appearance throwing everyone off, her flashy witchy wardrobe, but upon closer inspection, the men were gawking and groveling... she was the only women in the tavern! She just shrugged. It wasn't the first time, and she didn't really mind. There was an empty table in the very corner and she decided that was a good place to start, or well, the only place to start. It was quite crowded. Unfortunately, as soon as she sat down a lot of the men followed but she decided to seize the moment. "Who wants to hear a story!" She said cheerfully. The men, of course, raised their glasses and were more than willing to listen to a pretty lady.

"Well, this ones about a bunch of men who hit on a witch in a bar and then went missing." Morgan said, taking out her grimoire and flipping through the pages as if she was looking for the real story. It took them a minute to realize what she did, but when they did they dispersed and the bartender brought her a beer. She happily drank it and laughed to herself at the event that just took place.

WC: 725
TWC: 725

Entering the village with little to no problems at all along the way, Solmar praised himself lucky. As per usual, the first thing the young mage would be doing would be to venture over to the local tavern for something to eat and drink. He felt like whenever he went to one of these places, he always heard some people complain about one thing or the other. Usually it was just something stupid like them not enjoying their boss or disliking their work, but sometimes there was something there that he could work with, literally. After all, all jobs originated from some place, and it was often when people started discussing a problem that someone would take things into their own hands and get down to business. The business obviously being the part where they put up a notice to have someone take care of it. Whether it was fighting a monster or getting rid of an infestation, these were all things Solmar himself was quite fond of doing as they tapped into his set of skills.

As he opened the door, a bunch of men beat him to it, doing so from the other side as they left the building. Hearing a thing or two with his enhanced hearing, it seemed that there was some woman inside for whom they cared for quite little. Though he didn't know what exactly had happened, it was not often that men like these let some woman scare them away, especially in this part of the world. In small villages like these, men fueled up on alcohol could do some rather harsh things to themselves, other men like themselves and to women without really knowing that they were in the wrong. But that was one of the big difference between places like these and the cities, or so he imagined. Shaking his head as he watched the men leave, he kept the door open as he slipped through the opening and made his way inside. From the look of things, a few people remained inside. From what he could tell, a handful of hunters, the barkeep and a women with some sort of book in her hands.

Not thinking too much of it, he walked past the men and sat down by the bar, ordering chicken and a pitcher of water. Not always having the chance to drink any fresh water once his canteen was emptied when on the road, he always enjoyed the taste of it quite a bit. It was bland and simple, and it made whatever he was eating along with it taste that much better. Though it might not have looked like it, as he sat at the bar minding his own business, he was actively listening on everything going on behind him. And as it turned out, the few men that had remained behind were mustering up the courage to act out. From what he could tell, the girl possessed some magical power. Though vastly inferior to his own, he could tell that she would be able to handle herself against these men quite easily, though it might come at the risk of the tavern getting banged up. As such a thing meant that his own pleasant moment of peace and quiet before he had to tell a bunch of people their relatives had died would come to an end, he decided to put an end to things before they started.

"Alright gentlemen, lets disperse and head home for now. I don't imagine it'll be worth your time, so I'll take care of it myself."

Opening up his fist, a small flicker of white fire appeared, dancing in the palm of hand and reaching up almost all the way to the top of the tent. Squelching the flame by closing his fingers up into a fist again, the fire disappeared before it could set the tent itself alight. Looking over at him for a moment, the men then looked at one another before nodding and heading back out. Luckily for him, this kind of talk tended to have results with people like these, which was something he was gradually getting the hang of. A year ago, he was still incredibly awkward around people and had no idea what to say to them without making matters worse in some way, though he had educated himself on human relations by simply being around them more than in the previous eleven years that came before it. Not wanting to assume anything as he hadn't been there the entire time, he felt that he had heard plenty as he approached the place. What with his enhanced hearing and the fact that things happened inside of a tent instead of behind firm walls, he figured that it would only be fair to ask the girl about what had happened here.

"Now that they're gone, feel like sharing what happened?"


(816 // 1621)