"Me? Hunt?" Lupi laughs quietly, but she agrees to the rest of Tuich's statement. "I'd appreciate that. It's not too far away, though?
She looks at the holey pot granted her and hefts it.
"Better than a stick for loam, I'd think. Okay. Thanks."
She straps it to her back with a string belt that wasn't doing her much good except for in situations like this. With that, she sets out after Tuich, though not without looking at Fajra.
"She's going to show me the vegetables first!" she explains.
"Ok sounds good but like I said earlier going crazy here so I am coming with."
Fajra stops her exit to follow Tuich and Lupi.
Guiding Lupi to the patch in question is an easy task, and within two minutes (and ten metres), the woman in question already has herself situated into the dirt, gathering what she can into a pile and testing the pliability of the soil with her fingers and the pot itself. It proves soft in some places where worms have held way and hard in others where the roots of generations of plants have invaded.
The inn is still close by, and it's easy to distinguish the flower fields to the north and east.
South contains more tall grass more than anything, but there are trees in the distance, as there were from every direction before.
Xarl follows the group ready to guard Tuich at a moments notice.
"Ya know, I'm thinking the people who used to stay here had to poop too! Be careful as you're wandering around, there might still be an open outhouse hole or latrine trench."
Tuich giggles. "Even after all this time, that's a hole you especially don't want to fall into!"
She shows Lupi where she found the carrots earlier. "See? Whole mess of 'em. Maybe you can find potatoes or other stuff around here too."
She gives Fajra a 'one second' gesture and squats down in front of Lupi. "So, you'll be able to keep Kenith out of trouble, yeah?"
She giggles, then speaks in quiet tones. "They say the special ones never know they are. I've had two epiphanies and grown a bit because of you, and the day isn't even over yet. Thank you."
She gives Lupi a quick peck on the forehead, tousles her hair with a laugh, stands and turns to Fajra.
"Okay, let's go."
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"About time! All right just give me a second to cast 'alarm' then we will be off."
Fajra starts to cast then stops looks thoughtful and says.
" What should the password be? We need one or any of us will set this thing off? You just say the word at the edge of the ward and the alarm wont sound when you walk through or near it."
"Xarl, Max keep them safe... We don't need people dying on us after just meeting them. I'll do the same here, I'll make sure that this place is kept safe while you are gone."
"Well if Farja and Xarl and the now un-nice Niulamayu, then perhaps I'll stay back and maybe see if I can find some things closer in, perhaps circle the perimeter, find places attack might come in?"
"I will try to stay out of your way Divin.. Tuich, but I would like to guard you for this trip outside the safety of our new base."
"Ok everyone just to make it simple the password is going to be my name. Fajra just say that when you get to the edge of the ward and you will get through with no alarm going off."
The cloud seems to bristle somehow. "We are not un-nice!" "He's un-nice!" "Tell him to stop!" "Make him stop!" "STOP!!"
A huge wave appears out of nowhere, heading straight for Max.
Max looks at the talking gas cloud and then at the wave.
Right before the wave hits him, Max steps out of the way, deftly.
"I've been extremely nice to you, trying to understand your plight and support your battle against the Count and this entire time you've judged me as a follower of this Count and you've belittle my service to Lord Ragathiel and you've lumped me in with the hellknight, which I am not sure I want to be lumped in with, at this time. And now you've sent a wave at me, and not a form of greeting but an actual wave. Which I am not sure how you did, since I've not seen a body of water close."
"No offense Xarl, I am just not sure what you believe at this point. I have no real experience with hellknights."
Pharysene is torn between going and staying, but in the end she goes with the explorers.
"He called us un-nice!" "We didn't accuse." "Didn't judge either." "Just questioned!" "We've never heard of your Rag-gassy-yell." "Only 'nobility' we've heard of have been associated with the Count." "Yep, that's right!" "It's true."
Lupi smiles and flushes under Tuich's attention, and jokes appropriately at the aptly-timed latrine humor, but she responds with a succinct.
"Just make it back okay, alright?"
She is relieved Xarl seems to have the protecting Tuich bit well in hand, and squints at the major congregation, giving a dirty thumbs-up to the establishment of a password. That which follows, though....
"Oi. He's the least hellknight-y hellknight I've ever encountered, Max, if that's worth anything. He seems just as involved with the justice and right thing as you are... or I'd have run off to die just to keep my own volition by now."
Again, she shrinks after the outburst.
"And Niu... calm, okay? I could use your help looking for tubers..."
"As far as I know, Lord Ragathiel is is an empyreal lord a good servant of the gods who through transcendence has achieved some small measure of divine power. He holds dear chivalry, duty, and vengeance. Does this sound like a servant of your count? I do admit that I don't know everything though."
"We are calm." "Perfectly." "But we won't stand by and be bullied," "and called names!" "We will help you look for food, though." "We will!" "We will look well!" "Hurray!"
The first expedition south leads just past the now dwindling numbers of aurochs trailing off with their herd to the north. There is a slight breeze coming from the westerly direction, and what appears to be grasshoppers make their way to and fro. Upon closer inspection, however, their heads look like some sort of reptile, and they are possessed of sharp, pointy teeth.
However, they are more or less content to live and let live.
Patches of different plants appear from place to place, though a sweet-smelling brush is the most prevalent thing out here aside from grass. That, and small rocky outcropping large enough to simply make someone trip, but little more. It almost seems to be time to turn back when the adventurers begins to feel the ground shake beneath their feet.
"Hang back here with me Tuich. We'll let the hellknight get any bad guys that come."
"No argument here" she hisses, scanning the area... "I just hope it's not an auroch stampede..."
"Okay lets find out how to fortify our little inn."
Kenith looks around the immediate area and in the inn for stuff to use to fortify the inn.
ok.
No one can tell quite where it came from, but a dirt-and-rock creature emerged from the ground and took on the shape of a primordial beast, rocks making something akin to a face as it howled in Terran.
Tuich gasps as the stone creature rises from the ground.
Tuich reaches out and places a hand on her comrade's shoulder, saying in a shaky voice, "May Ashava guide you!"
Pharysene gasps.
"It's an extraplanar elemental! But, this one doesn't look like it wants to join our company."
She unlimbers a scarf almost at the same time as Tuich (almost a mirror image) and loads a sling stone.
The windspeed seems to pick up around here, blowing leaves and grass about and plucking at clothing and hair...
"Good I was getting bored with that spider swarm let's see how a rock bleeds!"
With these words Xarl charges the rock monster.
Despite the tense situation, Tuich casts a quick sidelong glance at Pharysene and smiles. "Nice to have you here, sis", she says almost inaudibly.
Raising her voice: "Is this thing hostile? Maybe we're just trespassing in its territory or something. Must it be fought?""
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"Tuich and Pharysene, I would like you to stay behind me. This rock monster seems a bit hungry and I think it may be a challenge for Xarl and I."
With that, he pulls a wand from his haversack and drops it on the ground.
"Whoever can cast cure spells, that's a cure light wounds wand, might want to pick it up, just in case."
In the same motion after dropping the wand, his right hand comes to his quiver and those with quick eyes might seem to think the arrow jumped into his hand. Max pulls a mithral arrow from his quiver and fires it at the rock monster.
Having already judged it too risky to run up to Xarl, Tuich nods in acknowledgement of Max's instructions and stays put. Not wanting to attract attention by moving about, she points at the wand on the ground and floats it to within her grasp , then tucks it into her waist sash for the time being. Perhaps she's not the most competent user but that can be sorted later, and better to not leave it on the ground to be kicked about or trod upon.
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" I don't care what you are you look dangerous"
Fajra defensively casts Ear Piercing scream on the monster.
[spoiler =Gm screen][/spoiler]
Every attack hits, though they don't do as much damage as expected. Fajra's spell takes out a few chunks, but does nothing more. Xarl can't help but notice that the thing's initial attacks are uncoordinated, either, as both miss him entirely.
"So earth elemental and not from this plane, right? Seems to have some sort of damage reduction, everyone agree?" Max says to those around him, loud enough for Xarl to hear too.
"Of course it is resisting our attacks, it wouldn't be fair otherwise."
With these words Xarl swings his falchion at the beast with two lightning fast strikes.
Reasoning that Pharysene can likely call upon her own divine patrons, Tuich reaches out and briefly touches Fajra. "Ashava's guidance to you."
Tuich scans the ground nearby for small pebbles and scoops up a half dozen in one hand.
You appear under an outcropping of a cliff near the mountains. It is clearly in the late afternoon, but this place feels... different. The trees are certainly as unfamiliar as the landscape, primeval in size and grandeur. The forest encircles, and itnis almost impossible to see the treetops.
The Half Orc Cook licks his big tusks...
"Where the ocean hell is the sea? Where the bloody islands of terror are we? Who the hell are you?"
Fajra casts Blindness defensively on the creature.
" I really really hope that this guy requires vision to be effective!"