The group outside turn and reach for their weapons as they see unfamiliar faces... but then they see Cesseer step forward, and confusion becomes clear on their faces.
After a moment one of the dragonkin speaks up. "But... what about whoever killed the guards here?"
"They are no longer a threat to Lord Yrax," Cesseer replies, completely truthfully.
The soldiers look at one another uncertainly. "If... Lord Yrax does not need us, we will return to our posts," the dragonkin says.
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Fin watches in wonders, hiding a grin, as he watches Quasit confidently pull off her bluff, with Cesseer finishing it off in simple fashion…his expression turns reflective as this situation brings memory of another bluff to his mind…
”How long will you be, Uncle Fin?” the young woman asks as the Elf guides the raft to the small dock and ties it off, as night darkens.
Fin arches an eyebrow. ”Uncle, is it? Not long, Kezhia, just need to pick up some supplies in trade. The trading post is just a click from here…and it was the only one near, two days in either direction…”
She smiles winningly. ”Can you pick me up a brush? The old one has been shedding bristles by the dozen…”
He mock bows in response. ”Your wish is my command, m’Lady. You’ll be safer in the lean-to till I return.”
Fin hoofs it to the trading post; the merchant nods in recognition as he enters, ”Fin, my friend, been a while since you’ve been on this side of the River Kingdoms, what do you need?”
The Elf greets the man with a smile, showing him the furs and fish he has to trade in exchange for the supplies they need, to include a brush if one is available. The man looks ‘em over nods and gathers the supplies, smiling as he hands Fin the brush. ”For your fine Elven hair, m’Lord?”
Fin snorts. ”Mayhap so, my friend, mayhap so…an Elf’s vanity has no measure, I’ve been told…”
The merchant grins go wider as he puts the goods in a burlap sack and hands them to the ranger. Fin slings his bow over his shoulder so that he can better carry the bag with both hands. He bids the merchant farewell and heads back to the raft.
He arrives at the dock, frowning as he sees no light coming from the lean-to; moments later, he realizes why, hearing a gruff voice behind him. ”What’s in the bag, Elfboy?” Slowly turning around he sees three large men, the speaker with a wicked curved blade, his two companions, one with a drawn shortbow, the other with a light crossbow, both trained on Fin…
Cursing himself for his lack of alertness, Fin says, ”Nothing you’d be interested in, I’m sure…but they are yours if you’ll take them and go…”
The leader sneers. ”Yes, Elfboy, we’ll take ‘em all right…after we gut you…cover me, boys I’m going in…”
Fin tries to calm himself, knowing he can’t draw quick enough…but also knowing he has to do something, and quickly…
Then, suddenly, a light shines from the lean-to, and Kezhia emerges, with nothing but a small wrap around her waist, nude from the waist up. ”Uncle Fin, what have you brought? Three handsome men…and all for me? OK boys, who’s first?”
All eyes on the three men were on the half-naked young woman…but the Elf’s eyes remained on them. As the leader started to stutter an answer to her, Fin dropped the burlap bag; before it even hit the dock, he had his bow in hand, and the first arrow was buried in the crossbow man’s throat. The second arrow took the bowman in the stomach as that man’s shot went awry…by that time the leader recovered, stepping up and swinging his blade. Fin ducked under it, swinging his bow like a cudgel, cracking it on the man’s skull…as he dropped, the ranger drew his dagger and finished the brigand off, murmuring, ”I’m no Elfboy…”.
Fin quickly picked up the bag, looking up at the woman, blushing while saying, ”We must leave, in a hurry…less questions that way…we’ll sleep on the river tonight…
“Thank you, Kezhia…you saved my life…and most likely your own. That was good thinking…gave me a fighting chance…and for Erastil’s sake, cover up…”
She shakes her head with a smirk. ”This is not the first time you’ve seen me naked; we bathe in the river every day…and as for those men, I knew they wouldn’t live long enough to enjoy the sight…”
Fin smiles reluctantly. ”Well played, Kezhia. Remind me to never play poker with you…”
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Once the dragonkin and rhyphorians have left, Fin nods to Quasit. ”Well played, Q. Remind me to never play poker with you…
“I’ll scout ahead till we get clear of the patrols and can send up a signal…”
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Quasit's eyes get a little wider as she looks away and she exhales heavily.
"Whew, I'm glad that worked. I didn't really wanna kill those schmucks. They were just doing their jobs, after all."
She gives Cesseer a nod of acknowledgement, then shoulders her pack and sets off into the snowy ravine.
"Last one out, shut the door."
Maka closed the door and kept a close eye on the guards as the group left. As soon as they were out of eyesight Maka threw an arm around Quasit with a laugh. "Hahaha you did it! You're so good with words Quasit." A toothy grin was spread across Maka's face.
Selena just rolls her eyes at the antics and tags along silently for the moment, lost in thought.
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"Hahaha you did it! You're so good with words Quasit." A toothy grin was spread across Maka's face.
Quasit smiles and shrugs. "As a former friend of mine once put it -- lying well is a good skill to have, until it isn't."
She pulls her hood back up, preparing for the trek across the frozen landscape. "The funny thing is that I'm actually a terrible liar. If I have a chance to think about what I'm going to say and do, I can be very convincing. But catch me off guard with something and I lock up right away. My emotions have always been way too close to the surface and they always give me away. The best liars I ever met have always been sociopaths -- being an insane jerk allows you to just behave like whatever you say at that particular moment is perfectly true, even when it's absurd."
"When I was a kid in Varisia, my mother and her slimy gypsy boyfriend would do these little shows anytime we rolled into a town. She'd sing and dance and do fortunes, and he'd play his instrument and regale people with news and gossip and stories and jokes. And because I was a cute little 8 year old, it was my job to wear a funny hat and go around with a plate to collect pennies from people. People like giving money to a kid, I guess. And I got pretty good at reading them -- if they didn't toss in at first, I could look friendly or sad or scared or whatever I thought it would take to make them cough up. I could even tug on their pantlegs and ask them in my tiny waif voice." Quasit demonstrates, making big sad eyes at Maka, and speaking like a starving child. "Please miss, I'm really sorry, but our horse needs medicine for his locked jaws. Even one penny would help."
Without asking, she digs into Maka's pack and finds the chocolate, breaking off a piece and gobbling it down ungracefully, all while still talking.
"And I could also tell after a while which ones were a lost cause. The ones that just look down at you with this stony unfeeling expression -- you may as well give it up. You just smile at them and conspicuously move on. But fortunately, if you do that well, you can usually make the next person along feel sorry for you, and they kick in to make up for the mean guy. Oh, and if it's a couple, you take a minute to size them up and figure out their deal, then you either make eyes at the lady to make her tell the man to give the kid a penny, or you play up to the man and make him show off for his lady how kind he is and how flush he is.."
"We got smarter about it as we went on and as I got older. We'd buy rolls and cakes and I'd sell them at twice the cost all through the start of the act, then come back toward the end and hit 'em up again, usually wearing a different silly hat."
"It was actually kinda fun. My mom was a really good dancer, and I liked working the crowd and talking to people. Definitely got me out of my shell, not that I was ever particularly shy. Too bad mom was a harpy the rest of the time."
She presents her tippy flask in a sort of toast to harpies everywhere and takes a drink. Then she looks back at Kalchine.
"Hey Kal, can you tell how long we have til nightfall?"
Quasit demonstrates, making big sad eyes at Maka, and speaking like a starving child. "Please miss, I'm really sorry, but our horse needs medicine for his locked jaws. Even one penny would help."
Maka felt a pang of guilt in her stomach that immediately made her want to give Quasit money. "Oh wow, you'd get all my pennies doing that."
"We got smarter about it as we went on and as I got older. We'd buy rolls and cakes and I'd sell them at twice the cost all through the start of the act, then come back toward the end and hit 'em up again, usually wearing a different silly hat."
"It was actually kinda fun. My mom was a really good dancer, and I liked working the crowd and talking to people. Definitely got me out of my shell, not that I was ever particularly shy. Too bad mom was a harpy the rest of the time."
"It makes sense why you are so good at managing people with all the practice you got growing up." Maka's eyes widened as a flash of inspiration struck her. "Oh! Once we are done with all this witch nonsense, maybe we could come up with our own show? That way we'd could still get money in towns that don't need us to save them from anything."
Kalchine blinks and his ears fall from fully upright to neutral as Quasit addresses him. He'd been watching her so it's strange that he wasn't paying attention.
"Oh sure. That's no problem," he says, looking up at the sun.
Maka starred at Kalchine for a moment before leaning down to whisper in Quasit's ear. "I think Kal likes you." She said with a slight giggle.
The soldiers stand aside and let you pass. Others you encounter on the way out do likewise when Cesseer presents herself (with some help from Quasit's quick talking). It takes a couple of days, but you eventually reach a distance you think enough for signalling from.
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"Oh! Once we are done with all this witch nonsense, maybe we could come up with our own show? That way we'd could still get money in towns that don't need us to save them from anything."
Quasit laughs a good heartfelt belly laugh. "Sure, why not?" she says with cavalier delight. "I can't sing or dance and I can barely play the flute, but maybe I can learn to juggle. And you can set crap on fire. That oughta be worth a few coppers! Saki can stand around and look amazing. And maybe Selena can grow a beard!" She laughs some more and kicks playfully at the snow.
"I think Kal likes you."
"Why, is he staring again?" answers Quasit, pointedly not looking around. She gives a little smile and the barest grunt of jollity then sighs for a long time, rolls her head and looks at Maka. "I have to talk to him." she says in a rumble.
She lets a little time pass, then drops back to walk beside Kalchine.
"I...am trying to decide... whether we are incredibly lucky or just actually that good. Like, is this fate? Or are we just way too amazing for anything to beat us? I used to lean toward lucky, but now I'm not so sure. That's our *second* white dragon, though granted Yrax was way bigger than the other one." She pulls out a thick glossy stick of something from her pack. "Have you ever had peppermint?" she asks, then breaks the stick in two and offers the druid half.
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Fin breathes a sigh of relief as he sees no signs of Drakeland patrols. He walks up to Maka, smiling widely, saying, ”We appear to be in the clear for a signal, Maka; light up the sky, Mistress of Fire, I’ve got a hot bath waiting just for me…”
He walks over to Sakitu, kissing her lightly before murmuring, ”We did it, Hlao-roo…Erastil knows where the hut takes us next though…c’mon, let’s watch the show…”
Fin finds a boulder or stump to sit on, gently pulling Sakitu on his lap, watching Maka’s fireworks light up the sky, hoping the Dragon Legion arrives before too long…
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As the party moves away from the fortress over the course of a couple days, Sakitu finds herself staying close to Fin. The walking is casual and the talking is comfortable and the occasional touch is exhilarating. At times she can't believe how lucky she is to have someone like Fin.
The evenings are nice too. They lay close together when they sleep. She knows that Fin has strong desires but she can't bring herself to getting that close. Not out in the open and in such close proximity to their friends. But she dreams.
Around the middle of the third day, when the party is in the shadow of a small hill, everyone stops for a break.
He walks over to Sakitu, kissing her lightly before murmuring, "We did it, Hlao-roo…Erastil knows where the hut takes us next though…c’mon, let’s watch the show…"
Sakitu settles in on Fin's lap. She rummages in her bag looking for something to eat.
"I don't know about you guys but I'm getting a bit tired of these rations that I'm carrying around. How soon do you think we can call our rides so we can get back to a decent kitchen sooner?"
Her eyes light up when she finds a tiny chunk of chocolate. It must have fallen in her bag several weeks ago when Quasit was passing it around. "Oh! This looks good." She's about to put the small piece in her mouth but then looks to Fin with a tiny smirk. "I have something for you. Do you want a bite?"
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Fin arches an eyebrow, curious, then nods. ”Aye, m’Lady, I’d love a bite,” he replies with a mischievous grin. ”But you eat it, Hlao-roo, you’re hungry and this ring keeps me nourished. Hopefully the Dragon Legions will have some patrols close enough to see Maka’s fireworks; they’ll have food for you there…and some swill and a hot bath for me…”
Quasit laughs a good heartfelt belly laugh. "Sure, why not?" she says with cavalier delight. "I can't sing or dance and I can barely play the flute, but maybe I can learn to juggle. And you can set crap on fire. That oughta be worth a few coppers! Saki can stand around and look amazing. And maybe Selena can grow a beard!" She laughs some more and kicks playfully at the snow.
"Maybe I can set Selena's beard on fire!?" Maka added before bursting into laughter with her friend.
"Why, is he staring again?" answers Quasit, pointedly not looking around.
"Yeah a bit." Maka replied while looking back, pointedly missing Quasit's attempts at subtlety.
She gives a little smile and the barest grunt of jollity then sighs for a long time, rolls her head and looks at Maka. "I have to talk to him." she says in a rumble.
Maka's eyes narrowed as she tried to get a read on Quasit. "Okay, well if you need help just let me know." Maka offered her aid but was desperately unsure how she would be able to help. Maybe setting something on fire as a distraction?
As Quasit moved to speak with Kalchine, Maka adjusted her gait to match Cesseer's. Soon Maka was walking beside her fellow monk. Placing her hands behind her head, Maka did her best to seem casual. "So...would you mind telling me more about your order? Are there any particular traditions you keep? What about oaths? Any oaths against lying or certain foods or sex...or something?" In Maka's mind she successfully hid her real question among fake questions, but her intent was likely less than subtle to others.
Fin breathes a sigh of relief as he sees no signs of Drakeland patrols. He walks up to Maka, smiling widely, saying, ”We appear to be in the clear for a signal, Maka; light up the sky, Mistress of Fire, I’ve got a hot bath waiting just for me…”
"You got it!" Maka said with a toothy grin and thumbs up before she starting blasting fire into the sky like it was attacking them.
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"Okay, well if you need help just let me know."
"Hey, good with words, remember?" says Quasit, pointing a thumb at herself. "I've just been putting this off because... well, first off we had bigger dragons to fry, and also we probably will never see him again in a few days, and I don't want to make that more painful. But Fin basically begged him to join us, so I guess I need to see where his head is at. He's so sweet, I really don't want to upset him. Or his giant monkey."
"Hey, good with words, remember?" says Quasit, pointing a thumb at herself. "I've just been putting this off because... well, first off we had bigger dragons to fry, and also we probably will never see him again in a few days, and I don't want to make that more painful. But Fin basically begged him to join us, so I guess I need to see where his head is at. He's so sweet, I really don't want to upset him. Or his giant monkey."
"Well if anything goes wrong just shout 'cows' and I'll figure something out. And don't worry about Thumper, he's a good boy."
She lets a little time pass, then drops back to walk beside Kalchine."I...am trying to decide... whether we are incredibly lucky or just actually that good. Like, is this fate? Or are we just way too amazing for anything to beat us? I used to lean toward lucky, but now I'm not so sure. That's our *second* white dragon, though granted Yrax was way bigger than the other one." She pulls out a thick glossy stick of something from her pack. "Have you ever had peppermint?" she asks, then breaks the stick in two and offers the druid half.
Kalchine was walking alongside Chest Thumper, absently patting the frost ape on the shoulder or scratching along his side. His ears are tucked against his head, though flick up and out to focus in different directions, his eyes following only occasionally as a sound catches his attention enough to require visual checking. For the most part, he keeps his gaze on the snow.
Both his gaze and ears come up as Quasit falls back and talks to him.
"Second white dragon?" he asks, his eyes widening and his ears flicking. He looks around the group quickly, not unlike someone who has suddenly realized the puppies he's been playing with have grown into wolves.
"I'd say it has to be 'good' and not 'luck.' I don't know that I believe in fate. I know I've only heard of a few people who have survived fighting a dragon and even fewer who have slain one, let alone two. It's almost a shame you're not staying. You could win the war for us," he says, but then looks around again, now watching Maka closely.
His ears come forward as she offers the stick. "We have peppers and mint but I don't know that word together," he says.
He pops it in his mouth and his eyes widen and his ears flick. "It tastes cold, but it's not cold!" he exclaims.
Before he can say any more, he staggers into Quasit. "Sorry," he says, righting himself and casting a glare at his brother.
"That's not how we ask," he growls, but Chest Thumper just holds out one big paw, walking on the other three.
Kalchine bites off half of what he's been given and places it in that enormous hand.
Without a moment's hesitation, Chest Thumper puts the whole thing in his mouth. He chews and crunches then snorts and grunts before spitting it all out, leaving a red and white gob in the snow.
"Ah! You're not supposed to chew...no, don't waste...big dumb..." Kalchine berates the frost ape but Chest Thumper just gives the two of them an accusatory stare as though he caught them trying to trick him and picks up his pace to leave them behind.
"Sorry," he apologizes to Quasit again. "He doesn't always understand things."
With some days to prepare, Kalchine makes the transition easier. He digs into the snow and catches a bug the morning of the second day. Whispering to it, he tosses it up in the air. Dormant wings sprout and it buzzes off in the direction of Spurhorn
[b]"That'll let them know to be on the watch," he says.
The next day, he prepares the spell that will let him turn Chest Thumper into a tiny statue to make it easier to transport the group.
"Maybe I can set Selena's beard on fire!?" Maka added before bursting into laughter with her friend.
"I don't have a beard, but even if I did, I'd just turn into a snow bank and engulf you! I'd show you how hard it'd be, but you sparring doesn't seem like it'd prove anything." Selena responds somewhat playfully, like she felt challenged but tried to deflect it.
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"Second white dragon?" he asks, his eyes widening and his ears flicking.
Quasit nods. ”Yup. The witch trying usurp Baba Yaga kept one in a bell tower of the capital city to frighten the population. Saki actually gets a lot of the credit for that one, she cast some kind of freaky light-show spell that discombobulated it so much that it literally fell out of sky and smashed into the ground. At least that’s what they tell me — I missed most of the fight trying climb the outside of the tower so I could surprise it. But I got a great view of it crashing!”. She laughs at the memory.
"I'd say it has to be 'good' and not 'luck.' I don't know that I believe in fate. I know I've only heard of a few people who have survived fighting a dragon and even fewer who have slain one, let alone two. It's almost a shame you're not staying. You could win the war for us,"
Quasit considers this idea seriously. ”You might be right, but that might be a good argument for us to leave. I’m not sure it would be good for your society if a little group of aliens prominently and decisively led your war effort on one side. I can think of about a dozen bad complications from that scenario.”
”Of course without Maka, that would have been a very different fight, dragon-killing spear or not. I don’t know what we’d do without her and Fin.”
”You know, Fin and Saki and Bulvi and I all met in some crummy little village looking for a missing girl, and that led to all of this. And we just happened to run into Maka along the way when she stumbled through the same magical portal that we did. If that’s not fate, it sure is incredibly lucky. But I think I agree with you generally — from what I’ve seen in life, I don’t believe in fate. But I do think some people have a knack for throwing themselves in the way of interesting events.”
He pops it in his mouth and his eyes widen and his ears flick. "It tastes cold, but it's not cold!" he exclaims.
Before he can say any more, he staggers into Quasit. "Sorry," he says, righting himself and casting a glare at his brother.
Quasit looks pleased that Kalchine appears to like her candy, and giggles merrily when the druid is shoved into her. ”Awwww, I’m sorry Chest Thumper, I didn’t mean to leave you out! How do i tell him I’m sorry? Is there some kind of hand gesture I can do?”. She laughs some more as ape huffs off to sulk. ”He’s so sensitive! I really like him.” she adds, after which she falls quiet for a moment, allowing the mood to calm a bit before returning to her main point.
”Kal, I don’t know how you feel about the offer Findurel made to you. You know, about joining us on our hunt for Baba Yaga. I had personally always assumed that you’d want to stay here — that this is your home, or that you’d feel a duty to stay here while the war is on. But I want you to know, officially, that everyone in the group likes you… I mean, I’m not sure Selena likes anyone, but otherwise… and that, if you really did want to join us— well, you’d be welcome. And Chest Thumper too, of course. The invitation is for real.”
“And I know that’s lot to think about, and I don’t want you to feel pressured if you’d rather not come, for any reason. We’d all understand.”
Here she pauses, and seems to be carefully measuring her words, chewing her lip a little as she thinks.
”And… I suppose as a topic related to our thoughts about the future… we should talk about you and I.” She glances carefully at him, to see how this lands. ”I don’t want to embarrass you, but… well… everyone has kinda noticed that you seem — interested in me. Which is completely ok. But i think we should talk about it, if it factors into your decision about coming along with us.”. This last bit she says as gently as she can, trying to project friendly sympathy as she awaits his response.
"I don't have a beard, but even if I did, I'd just turn into a snow bank and engulf you! I'd show you how hard it'd be, but you sparring doesn't seem like it'd prove anything." Selena responds somewhat playfully, like she felt challenged but tried to deflect it."Maybe I can set Selena's beard on fire!?" Maka added before bursting into laughter with her friend.
Maka nearly jumped out of her skin when Selena spoke from behind her. What? No, you'd grow one for the show and then I'd burn it off. Although..." Maka rubbed her chin as the cogs of her mind turned. "Could you make like a little army of snowmen? We could have a whole scene where they attack me and I have to fight them off! And we could switch it up with different snow creatures!" Maka laughed as she pictured battling a cute army of snow.
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Fin runs his fingers through Sakitu’s hair as he stares up into the night sky till Maka’s fireworks dissipate. ”Beautiful,” he murmurs obscurely, as one could wonder whether he was speaking of the fireworks or Sakitu…or perhaps both…
As Maka’s signals die out, he looks down into the Kitsune’s eyes. ”Shouldn’t be too long now; with Kalchine messaging his kinsmen earlier to be on the lookout, no way they could miss that. You’ll be able to get some real food then…and perhaps they’ll have something like chocolate as well that we can take with us on the next leg of our journey. Stretch out and put your head in my lap, Hlao-roo, and get some sleep; I’ll keep an eye out and wake you if our rides arrive before you wake…”
Fin goes back to running his fingers through her hair as she tries to rest. He returns his gaze back to the sky, looking for any signs of dragonkin flying their way, softly singing an old Elven lullaby from years gone by…
Once they were past the guards Bulvi enjoyed a moment's silence, considering what Maka had shared with him, and walked quietly in the cool air as his friends talked. When the talk of Maka fighting snow creatures came up he spoke once more. "If the snowmen or whatever were between you and the audience if you could melt them to steam and obscure yourself from vision... a quick roll in that moment out of view might let it seem like you've disappeared. You could jet away on the gouts of flame but they'd see the glow. There's always something to be said for a bit of mystery."
"If you're putting on a show some trick shooting could work. Fin firing off arrows into the air in quick succession. You trying to hit all of them before they hit the ground. My own skill set is far more mundane and less impressive. I'd have to be in the warm up act because following you I suspect I'd be a little disappointing! I could wrestle Chest Thumber, that might be exciting but I'm not sure if he would understand and I might get an arm ripped off for my trouble!"
Once they were past the guards Bulvi enjoyed a moment's silence, considering what Maka had shared with him, and walked quietly in the cool air as his friends talked. When the talk of Maka fighting snow creatures came up he spoke once more. "If the snowmen or whatever were between you and the audience if you could melt them to steam and obscure yourself from vision... a quick roll in that moment out of view might let it seem like you've disappeared. You could jet away on the gouts of flame but they'd see the glow. There's always something to be said for a bit of mystery."
"Oh we could do costume changes in the steam!"
"If you're putting on a show some trick shooting could work. Fin firing off arrows into the air in quick succession. You trying to hit all of them before they hit the ground. My own skill set is far more mundane and less impressive. I'd have to be in the warm up act because following you I suspect I'd be a little disappointing! I could wrestle Chest Thumber, that might be exciting but I'm not sure if he would understand and I might get an arm ripped off for my trouble!"
"What are you talking about? You can do sword magic! Just think about all the weapon displays you can do!" Maka mimicked a swordfight with an imaginary opponent.
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Quasit nods. ”Yup. The witch trying usurp Baba Yaga kept one in a bell tower of the capital city to frighten the population. Saki actually gets a lot of the credit for that one, she cast some kind of freaky light-show spell that discombobulated it so much that it literally fell out of sky and smashed into the ground. At least that’s what they tell me — I missed most of the fight trying climb the outside of the tower so I could surprise it. But I got a great view of it crashing!”. She laughs at the memory.
Kalchine's eyes widen and his ears flick then settle upright as Quasit laughs at fighting a dragon. He looks to Saki with newfound respect.
"You're all very powerful and dangerous," he says.
"Maka punched a dragon to death, Saki and Selena have lethal magic at their finger tips, Fin can fire a dizzying number of arrows, Bulvi is a master swordsman, you're able to strike down opponents before they know they're in danger..."
He looks around. "It seems that creating a circus act is thinking small for you. You could influence nations."
Quasit considers this idea seriously. ”You might be right, but that might be a good argument for us to leave. I’m not sure it would be good for your society if a little group of aliens prominently and decisively led your war effort on one side. I can think of about a dozen bad complications from that scenario.”
"So can I," he says noncommittally.
"I am glad you can see it as well. It's no wonder why the others look to you to lead."
”Kal, I don’t know how you feel about the offer Findurel made to you. You know, about joining us on our hunt for Baba Yaga. I had personally always assumed that you’d want to stay here — that this is your home, or that you’d feel a duty to stay here while the war is on. But I want you to know, officially, that everyone in the group likes you… I mean, I’m not sure Selena likes anyone, but otherwise… and that, if you really did want to join us— well, you’d be welcome. And Chest Thumper too, of course. The invitation is for real.”“And I know that’s lot to think about, and I don’t want you to feel pressured if you’d rather not come, for any reason. We’d all understand.”
"It's curious that you mention duty. I'm beginning to think it may be my duty to travel with you," he says. "I don't believe in fate but you have helped us immensely and I think it is important that I help you continue with your quest. More important than just being another soldier in the war here."
Here she pauses, and seems to be carefully measuring her words, chewing her lip a little as she thinks.
”And… I suppose as a topic related to our thoughts about the future… we should talk about you and I.” She glances carefully at him, to see how this lands. ”I don’t want to embarrass you, but… well… everyone has kinda noticed that you seem — interested in me. Which is completely ok. But i think we should talk about it, if it factors into your decision about coming along with us.”. This last bit she says as gently as she can, trying to project friendly sympathy as she awaits his response.
Kalchine's eyes widen again but this time his ears go back and down and tuck against his head. He looks around quickly at the group.
"I'm sorry. I may have made you uncomfortable. When you first appeared I was fascinated...by all of you. I'd like to think you would have felt the same way if I suddenly appeared on your world.
"Of course, it helped that you were from the same world and spoke the same language as my mentor. I've never been quite like the others at the garrison and your arrival was a reassurance that my childhood was strange but not bad. And...you're heroes so maybe my mentor was, too and it's not bad to learn from heroes."
He pauses, thinking about how to proceed with what he says next. "And then that fascination turned to admiration, for all of you but especially for you. I think they all admire you, but for me it's...more."
He shakes his head, his ears flicking rapidly as well. "But that's not really your question. The answer to your real question is - I would like to take you up on your invitation. My interest in you separate from the group is an influence on that decision but is not the deciding factor."
He walks quietly next to her but then seems relieved as both she and Bulvi talk about Chest Thumper. He gives her an apologetic smile and hurries to catch up to his brother.
"Just give him a pet or a scratch and you'll make up just about anything with him. He plays rough but he knows not to hurt his friends and giving his fur a tug tells him when he's being too rough."
With that, he suddenly jumps on Chest Thumper. The frost ape isn't expecting the surprise attack, and Kalchine manages to get his arms around his neck. Chest Thumper largely ignores him, plodding along and Kalchine's feet drag in the snow for a bit before the triaxian manages to wiggle and climb up until he's on his brother's back.
He puts Chest Thumper in a choke hold, which the frost ape also largely ignores, only occasionally plucking at Kalchine's arms. Then, abruptly, he rolls over in the snow, pausing to roll back and forth a few times on his back with the triaxian under him.
When he stands up, Kalchine has let go, groaning and wheezing for breath. Chest Thumper gives him a smack on the chest that rings out and makes Kalchine cough then just leans on him with both hands.
Kalchine quickly tugs at some fur on the frost ape's wrist and, after a few moments to make his point, Chest Thumper lets him up, after pushing off using Kalchine's body.
"See? Just playing," Kalchine wheezes as he climbs to his feet and checks his breastplate to make sure it's not cracked.
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"It seems that creating a circus act is thinking small for you. You could influence nations."
Quasit giggle-snorts. "They're just kidding around." she answers, a little conspiratorially.
"I'm sorry. I may have made you uncomfortable. When you first appeared I was fascinated...by all of you. I'd like to think you would have felt the same way if I suddenly appeared on your world."
This elicits a wry smile. "Six months ago, definitely. These days, tracking Baba Yaga across the solar system and fighting dragons and demons -- it takes a little more to throw me off."
"...And then that fascination turned to admiration, for all of you but especially for you. I think they all admire you, but for me it's...more."
Quasit looks down at her feet and gives another bashful, wry smile. "I've always been pretty good at getting along with people, but it's odd to be admired. It's pretty nice, honestly -- I've always craved that kind of respect, and when you're a girl who still looks like she's about 15 years old, it's kinda hard to come by. Especially with the people I tended to associate with back home. But this group is more like a family. Yeah, it's nice."
She walks in silence for a few moments, then hooks her arm around Kalchine's and walks close to him. "Look... I'm obviously not offended that you're kinda interested in me. It's really very flattering. Maybe a teensy bit uncomfortable, but only because I didn't want to hurt your feelings. Believe me, I've been in your shoes. But the truth is, we don't really know very much about each other. Not really. We definitely haven't seen one another at our worst. I've been in my share of relationships, and I have a knack for messing things up. And truth be told, I'm still a little stuck on the last guy I was with. If he ever forgave me, I'd probably go back to him in a minute. I think it's best if we just focus on building our friendship and getting to know each other -- take things slow for now. And if more happens, it happens, and we'll both see it. Is that fair?"
"But that's not really your question. The answer to your real question is - I would like to take you up on your invitation. My interest in you separate from the group is an influence on that decision but is not the deciding factor."
"I'm glad. Just be aware that not only is there a good chance that we'll die, there's also a very good chance we may not be able to get back to Triaxus. I have no doubt that if we somehow manage to rescue Baba Yaga, the first thing she's probably going to do is take back her Traveling Hut, and who knows where that will leave us. I'm hoping she'll be gracious enough to at least open a portal back to Golarian, but she's an evil witch, so who knows? But anyway, welcome to the team. Officially." She rattles the arm she's clutching, then sets it loose.
"Just give him a pet or a scratch and you'll make up just about anything with him. He plays rough but he knows not to hurt his friends and giving his fur a tug tells him when he's being too rough."
"OK!" says Quasit enthusiastically as they run to catch up with the giant ape. At first, watching them rough-house delights her, until Chest Thumper's rough-housing leaves Kalchine's ribs cracking audibly. Then she awkwardly takes a few steps back and tries to look as non-threatening as possible.
"See? Just playing," Kalchine wheezes as he climbs to his feet and checks his breastplate to make sure it's not cracked.
Yyyyyeaaah, maybe I'll just stick to patting him once in a while." answers Quasit with eyebrows raised as she stifles a laugh.
It's most of a day after Maka's signal before the Skyfire dragonriders find you. They come in for a landing several paces ahead of you, looking curiously at the two unfamiliar members of your group.
"It is done, then?" one of the dragonkin asks. "Yrax is slain?"
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His Elven eyes surveying the skyline, Fin nudges Sakitu as he sees their rides approaching in the distance. ”Our escorts are here, Hlao-roo. Hot food, hot baths, and bad swill await us!”
As the dragonkin lands and makes the query, Fin nods in answer and bows. With a large smile, he says one of the few Triaxian words he knows, ”Dead,” then finishes in Common, ”…as a door nail…”
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"It is done, then?" one of the dragonkin asks. "Yrax is slain?"
Quasit steps forward. "Yes, the dragon is slain." She holds up her pendant with the large dragon tooth. "Taken from his lifeless mouth."
She gestures to the two newcomers. "We liberated two prisoners from Yrax's fortress who now seek asylum with your people. This is Cesseer of the Land of Ning, and this is Viveka, a nereid who served as the dragon's cook. We promised them safe passage out of these lands. They were very helpful to us."
Maka scans the dragonkin and riders until she sees her target. In a burst of flame she jetted through the air. With her arms wide open, she caught herself around Efrixies' neck in a hug. "EFRIXIES!" She shouted in joy. Letting go of the dragonkin, a small explosion sent Maka into a backflip. Landing gracefully in the saddle behind Bescaylie, Maka promptly gave her a back breaking hug. "BESCAYLIE! Oh I missed both of you. I wish you could have come, the fight with Yrax was incredible!"
The Skyfire forces cheer at Fin and Quasit's words... though Maka interrupts one pair.
"Do be gentle wih Bescaylie," Efrixes rumbles in amused Draconic.
"Incredible... seems like an odd description," Bescaylie manages to say. "Tell us... after you stop... with the hug."
After the cheering dies down, the lead dragonkin says, "We can certainly take these two in, though it may be a bit crowded on our backs."
"Do be gentle wih Bescaylie," Efrixes rumbles in amused Draconic.
"Incredible... seems like an odd description," Bescaylie manages to say. "Tell us... after you stop... with the hug."
Right, sorry!" Maka said as she released Bescaylie. The monk rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Okay, well let me start at the beginning..." Maka began to regal Bescaylie and Efrixes of the group's journey to Ivoryglass and the battle with Yrax. Though not the most talented of story tellers, it was still a thrilling tale. Especially considering the embellishments Maka added and the special effects she provided.
After the cheering dies down, the lead dragonkin says, "We can certainly take these two in, though it may be a bit crowded on our backs."
"I can float so if we tie a rope to me I can probably just be dragged along. Will that help?"
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Fin smiles at his friend’s exuberance. ”Maka, we’ll have to tell it all over again when we get to Spurhorn, save some of it till then…this Elf needs a wineskin full of swill and a hot bath, so, if they be ready to return and they be willing, please ask if they’ll carry us back now…be nice to sleep in a bed for a night or so…”
Fin smiles at his friend’s exuberance. ”Maka, we’ll have to tell it all over again when we get to Spurhorn, save some of it till then…this Elf needs a wineskin full of swill and a hot bath, so, if they be ready to return and they be willing, please ask if they’ll carry us back now…be nice to sleep in a bed for a night or so…”
"Well of course! We'll probably have to tell the story a whole bunch of times. Better to get the rough version out with friends first instead of a room full of strangers right?" Maka said with a toothy grin.
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The Skyfire forces cheer at Fin and Quasit's words...
Quasit stands a little straighter, trying not to grin like an idiot. In her attempt to look serene and dignified, she nods a little in acknowledgement and rests her hands on her hips because she has to put them somewhere.
Not for the first time since leaving the ice fortress, her mind weighs the thought of a life after this mission that doesn’t involve lounging all day on a beach. A life that involves these people she fell in with. Doing this sort of thing. Helping. Fixing things. The way she once imagined she would when she was still with Nevar, as a Pathfinder, before she chose to fritter all that away. Not for the first time since leaving the fortress, she thought that maybe things were different now— that she was different now. Maybe she was growing up. Or just growing. Or just beginning to believe in herself a little.
”It was our pleasure. We’re glad we could help.” she said in a tone of heroic modesty in an alien language. Then turns away to look back at Sakitu and makes a goofy face.
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His Elven eyes surveying the skyline, Fin nudges Sakitu as he sees their rides approaching in the distance. ”Our escorts are here, Hlao-roo. Hot food, hot baths, and bad swill await us!”
Sakitu squeezes Fin's hand. "I like the idea of hot food and probably a hot bath but I'm not so excited about bad swill." She catches his eyes with her head cocked and a small smirk on her face. "I'm not getting myself attached to someone with bad judgement am I?"
”It was our pleasure. We’re glad we could help.” she said in a tone of heroic modesty in an alien language. Then turns away to look back at Sakitu and makes a goofy face.
Sakitu giggles at her friend. Sakitu is so amazed at Quasit. She always knows what she's doing and she always does it with so much confidence and skill. Sakitu fights the urge to run up an hug Quasit. That might not be the most professional thing to do at the moment.
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Sakitu squeezes Fin's hand. "I like the idea of hot food and probably a hot bath but I'm not so excited about bad swill." She catches his eyes with her head cocked and a small smirk on her face. "I'm not getting myself attached to someone with bad judgement am I?"
Fin arches an eyebrow, shortly followed by a mischievous smile. ”I dunno, you never can tell…but I think even you must admit, regardless of my taste for swill, my taste in women is exquisite,” he deadpans, followed by a wink…
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"You eat women?" Sakitu looks shocked.
Fin’s eyes go wide and his face blushes dark red as he stammers. ”N-n-no, Hlao-roo, not…exactly…not like that…it’s j-j-just an expression. It means I know how to…p-p-pick…a nice lady…it was meant as a compliment to you…”
Still blushing furiously, he looks over to Quasit and Maka helplessly…then shrugs…
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Kalchine tucks Chest Thumper carefully into a secure pouch. Somehow, the tiny statuette of a frost ape manages to have an intense scowl of irritation on its face.
He greets his fellow soldiers with officious friendliness. He waits to make sure everyone is situated before climbing onto one of the dragonkin.
"It was a truly shocking victory," he comments.
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"You eat women?" Sakitu looks shocked.
Still blushing furiously, he looks over to Quasit and Maka helplessly…then shrugs…
"Don't worry, he's good at it. But you don't have to do anything until you're ready Saki." Maka called back in an honest attempt to be helpful.
"Where was I?" Maka asked as she turned back to Bescaylie. "Oh yeah right, and that's when it was time for Yrax to face the wrath of..." Maka’s eyes went so wide they nearly burst from her head as a sickening realization struck her.
"Oh..Um actually I just remembered I need to take care of a totally normal and fine thing. Excuse me!" Maka jumped down from Efrixies' saddle and did her best not to run to Quasit.
"Hey Quasit!" Maka said in her best casual voice as she looped her arm around her friend. "No problems here just wanted to check on..." Maka rattled in a totally casual manor as she began to lead Quasit away from the others.
"QUASIT THERE'S A PROBLEM!" Maka whisper shouted in Quasit's ear. The fire monk's eyes were wide with fear. "We don't have a party name!"
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Quasit raises her eyebrows, tilts her head a little forward and to the side, and favors Findurel with her ‘Are you really that gullible?’ look.
Reading Quasit’s look, Fin looks back to Sakitu to try to get a read on her. Since Saki always seemed a bit naive or reserved on that ‘subject’, he doubted her words were intended to be a double entendre…but it struck him that way initially, hence his embarrassment. Perhaps she did mean that literally and was playing a little joke. Fin looks back at Quasit and, slightly nodding, favors her with his ‘Yeah, Q, I might just be that gullible’ look…
"Don't worry, he's good at it. But you don't have to do anything until you're ready Saki." Maka called back in an honest attempt to be helpful.
Unable to blush any redder than it already was, Fin’s face turns kind of a purplish shade…
Quasit seems a little confused. ”Do we need one?”
"Yeah we need one! All the best adventuring parties have them. Besides, if we don't come up with a name then someone else will. Do you want some stuffy pathfinder captain giving us a stupid name?" Maka was as serious as Quasit had ever seen her.
"My previous party were the 'Obstinate Owlbears'." Undoing her bracers and hand wraps, Maka revealed the small, stylized owlbear tattoo on her wrist. "That took us forever to come up with, and we're about to tell a story without having a name!"
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"Yeah we need one! All the best adventuring parties have them. Besides, if we don't come up with a name then someone else will. Do you want some stuffy pathfinder captain giving us a stupid name?" Maka was as serious as Quasit had ever seen her.
”I don’t think that Venture Captains … “ begins Quasit, but there was no stopping Maka.
"My previous party were the 'Obstinate Owlbears'." Undoing her bracers and hand wraps, Maka revealed the small, stylized owlbear tattoo on her wrist. "That took us forever to come up with, and we're about to tell a story without having a name!"
Quasit looks at the tattoo and melts. ”Awww! He’s so cute! Did Hace have one too?’ she gushes, forgetting for a moment that they were whispering. But then she gets back to business.
”Ok, name… ummmm… well… hmmm…so when I was trying to lie our way into Ivoryglass I called us The Absalom Company. I know none of us are from Absalom, but these Triaxians don’t know that. And I’m guessing none of you were actually owlbears. Anyway, that might do until we can come up with something better?”
Quasit looks at the tattoo and melts. ”Awww! He’s so cute! Did Hace have one too?’ she gushes, forgetting for a moment that they were whispering. But then she gets back to business.
"Isn't it? And no, this was the group I was with before Hace." A sad look flashed across Maka's face before her look of seriousness returned.
”Ok, name… ummmm… well… hmmm…so when I was trying to lie our way into Ivoryglass I called us The Absalom Company. I know none of us are from Absalom, but these Triaxians don’t know that. And I’m guessing none of you were actually owlbears. Anyway, that might do until we can come up with something better?”
Maka's nose wrinkled. "I mean...it works for now but the letters don't match. But that's okay, we'll brainstorm later."
"Thanks Quasit!" Maka gave Quasit a quick kiss on the cheek before running back to Bescaylie and Efrixes.