The Hordes of the Blight - The Adventure

Zakhar gives a slight chuckle. "Baby man is bigger fool than I thought. Drinking contest is bad idea. We have town to protect. Hangover is bad for fighting. You want I should just punch face repeatedly now? Similar effect, much quicker."

Mitsuna chuckled at the Lokira's proposal.

"I'd like to see that. I know a trick for the hangover... I'll tell the loser tomorrow."

Persuasion:

Mitsuna's Streetwise Result:

The barkeep says, "I'm not sure that's such a good-"

"You're on!" Lorez says. "Whiskey!" she turns to the barkeep, who sighs before obliging and filling her mug with the same drink as Aparix.

[Endurance check, if you will.]

"Eh, no big deal," Aparix waved off Zakhar's advice as his own glass was mysteriously refilled by this strange man at the bar. "I'll do that old what's the thing, er, the anti-hangover trick. Take a shot of water for each shot of whiskey. Dehydration's what does it, you know. That and thinking it's gonna happen."

This small speech made, he downed his own shot.

Spoiler:

AProcrastinatingWriter wrote:

Spoiler:

Due to their small size, Lokira aren't known for their ability to take in large amounts of alcohol. Their significantly lower body weight means a greater blood alcohol level, and they as a race haven't taken to drinking as much as their larger counterparts, leading to a lower racial alcohol tolerance.

These factors are why Lorez is currently slumped over the bar, with the barkeep shaking his head and taking away her glass. "I'ze okay..." she mumbles. "Juz a little... zleepy..."

Fury of the Tempest wrote:

Heal check:

Paladin gets about halfway through nothing in particular before his Ki fizzles out. The Blight, for its part, is untouched.

Zakhar laughs as this goes down. "I knew baby men could not take liquor. So tiny. Is like watching children compete. Reminds me of story. Perhaps I will tell some time."

Mitsuna chuckled quietly as she watched the scene unfold. She herself had never been a heavy drinker; but, she suspected even she could probably do better.

Although she was not especially inclined to find out...

Dusk Raven wrote: "I'ze okay..." she mumbles. "Juz a little... zleepy..."

"Feelsh like I cheated," Aparix says, a bit wobbly and a bit slurred, but still mostly in control of his faculties and certainly not pass-out drunk. "Sheee had a hea-start."

"What is wrong baby man? Too much to drink? Ahahahahaha." Zakhar can hardly contain his laughter as he looks at the two wrecked Lokira. He slaps Aparix on the back in a friendly manner, but it's probably a bit too forceful for the small, slightly drunk Lokira. "You are idiot, but you entertain me. I like you baby man. You have guts. I show you hangover trick tonight. Always works for me."

Having finished her breakfast, Mitsuna stood up and turned towards the door; she needed to go back to the woods to find her favorite herbs for the upcoming trip. No doubt she could find them on the way if she had to; but, she reasoned, the road was liable to be much more dangerous than the forest surrounding the town.

She checked herself. This night-child intrigued her; she felt an undue curiosity at the pains she suspected he carried with him. She tapped his shoulder to return his attention to her.

"I'm going out into the forest for a while now... would you like to accompany me? As you said, two might best the weather; and the woodlands are a better place for stories than the inn."

Zakhar gives the girl a confused look then nods. "Very well girl. I will accompany you," he says as he rises from the bar. Standing at 6' 8" with decent bulk, the nightchild truly presents an imposing figure. He picks up his hammer from beside the stool where he sat and straps it to his back. "Lead way, girl. You know land better than I."

((Not gonna bother with skill checks for any of this unless GM asks. Given the relatively inconsequential nature.))

Mitsuna looked slightly upwards to meet the night-child's eye. He had not seemed so tall when seated...

"Just let me get my new basket from my room," she stipulated, skipping up the stairs. She came back down with a small, but sturdy looking basket on one arm, and a brown, wool cloak over the other. Her robe had also changed; a mental command kicked the runes in, turning it a muted green.

"This way," she said, going out the door and leading her night-child towards the woodlands.

Once they were well into it, she breathed a sigh of relief. Even the nicest towns she found stifling after a while, in spite of all their attractions; the forest offered more breathing space.

She went over her mental checklist of things to watch for. Dill weed, rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, some onions if there were any... watercress of course... She espied some creeper vines growing on a nearby tree trunk. The vines could be braided into rope; after making sure she had not mistaken it for poison ivy, she pulled some off and stuffed it into the basket. She then noticed the tree was evidently a walnut; there were dozens of the nuts on the ground. She made a note to come back to it if she did not fill her basket. She went along, quietly and carefully, scanning the ground for the tasty herbs... and keeping her ears open for any sign of potential danger. There was some thyme. Next to it she noticed

She turned back to look at her companion.

"I'm afraid I never heard your name," she realised. "I am Channeler Mitsuna," she introduced herself, including the title she rarely cared to use for sake of completeness.

"I am Zakhar Volkoff. No titles or noble lineage to speak of. Was once smith in homeland. Was long ago."

Mitsuna nodded at the name. Zakhar. A smith? He certainly looked it. There were some onions! She greedily started pulling them up, being sure to leave a few to grow here later. Some fennel? Why not, she decided as she plucked a few.

"Didn't you want to tell a story earlier?" she asked as she rearranged the herbs.

"I have many. Do you like sad or happy stories? Many I know are not so happy."

Mitsuna shrugged. "It sounded like the sad sort."

"Very well," Zakhar says as he sits down on a fallen log. "Once, there was man who lived in town. He was smith by trade, and skilled one at that. Smith was good man, liked by many, but there was one man smith hated. I am not so sure even smith knew why he hated man. Perhaps it was because man did not respect smith, or maybe because man was obnoxious. Is not important. What is important is smith decided to kill man. Smith thought life would be better without man. He spent days planning to kill man, and succeeded. Yet, instead of happiness like smith thought, there was only blood and death. Leaders of town frowned on smith’s actions, sent smith to exile with warhammer and basic survival kit. Smith vowed to kill many monsters to atone for crimes and save more lives than he took. Now smith must wander land to atone for crime. All he really wants is to go home, but smith will never be allowed to return. That is end."

Mitsuna listened intently. Zakhar's pain was certainly justified.

"Now let me tell you a story," she said in a quiet voice, sitting cross legged on the ground.

"Once there was a young fox," she began. "When it was time for her to leave the den, her parents told her: 'You must never show yourself to anyone you don't know.' With this wisdom she went into the forest. Soon she met a bear; she hid quietly and went unnoticed. Then she saw a hawk; once again she hid quietly. And then she met a cat; 'Surely this cat can do no harm,' she thought, showing herself to the cat. But the cat scratched and clawed and hurt her badly." Mitsuna seemed to flinch slightly, subconsciously running a hand across her fore arms, covered by the woolen hand warmers.

"Shortly after she met another, older fox. She tried to hide from him; but the older fox found her. He healed her, nurtured her, believed in her..." She stopped again, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Onedaty the two foxes met a hunter. They tried to hide... but the hunter found them. They ran away, and the hunter followed. For three long years they ran and ran... until the hunter finally caught up. The older fox sacrificed himself, and allowed the younger one to escape..." There were several tears now. She sniffed as she wiped them away. And she started to shift. Orange fur started growing all over her body; her nose and chin elongated into a sort of muzzle; her twin tails sprouted from underneath her robe. A grown Therian now stood before the smith.

"I'm sorry. I really am, I didn't want to deceive you... but hiding is what I was taught... that was the way to survive... I had to be sure I could trust you first..." she started to compose herself better. "Therians fetch a high price on the black market; some believe our coats have magical properties. Maybe they do, I don't know... but you mustn't tell anyone what I really am! There are people everywhere that would kill me in a heartbeat if they knew!"

Zakhar looks surprised at first. Then, suddenly, he starts laughing, rich and hearty like he is overjoyed. "Man tells you he has committed murder, and first thing you do is show man secret. Is funny to me," Zakhar says before he suddenly stops laughing and becomes almost shockingly serious. "Do not think I make light of your woes. Secret is safe with me. You are right. I will not harm you."

Zakhar sits in silence for another moment before standing up. He offers his hand to Mitsuna. "Come, girl. Let us return to town before our absence is of notice."

Mitsuna looked up as Zakhar began to laugh. As he explained, she could not help giggling herself; it was pretty silly to trust a murderer with her biggest secret. She threw her arms around his chest and held him as tightly as she could.

"Thank you... thank you so much," she whispered.

"Come, girl. Lets us return to town before our absence is of notice," he was saying to her.

She let him go and stepped back. "Yes, of course," she replied, managing to compose herself. Her basket was now quite full; the walnuts would have to be left behind. No matter. She led the way back into town, explaining on the way about her natural shape-shifting as well as Noxa's Veil, waiting until they were nearly out of the woods to resume her human form.

((OOC: Sorry, not gonna repeat IC what has already been agreed upon. Lazy Crystallite is lazy...))

Zakhar simply follows Mitsuna back into town quietly listening to everything she has to say.

Mitsuna navigated through the town in silence; it was nearly dusk, and towns was dangerous at night. Which was shameful in her eyes; Noxa's beautiful night sky deserved to be more than a cloak for the desperate. She found her way back to the inn and opened the door...

((Okay, Procrastinator, give it a go.))