A few close calls, and a little bit of coordinated maneuvering got them to a safe place where they could at least catch their breath. As they watched the flame pass, returning to the town was the best option, and they did so. The plain of grass that they had initially come in on was burned to the ground, ash and soot remaining from the intensity that was the prairie fire. The ground in the direction that they were heading was blackened, and in fact, the smoke makes it difficult to breathe slightly.
Nevertheless, they manage to make it back to the edge of the village with no encountering any trouble. On the way, they find that the fire died out a ways before they could reach the village. Not long after they reach the edge of the village, on their way to the inn, they are met by the constable. His manner is casual, but he looks a bit expectant. "Concluded, is it?"
"Well...It's gotten complicated." Aska pauses to think how best to phrase the mess that just happened. "We killed a few undead, probably the ones that were spotted before. Up to there everything went well. We decided to do a sweep of sorts to make sure we didn't miss any, and that's when everything went sideways." Aska looks over her shoulder in the direction they had come. "I'm not sure if you could see it from here, but right around that time a fire elemental came setting everything on fire. We're equipped for undead, but not so much elementals. That'd take more preparation at the least. So we ran. Only just managed to escape the flames too. Doesn't look like the village is any danger at the least, but we're not rightly sure what happened at his point."
Ian shifts back to human form well before they see anyone from the village. With the boost in fortitude gone, he is breathing heavy, even after they meet with the constable. "What she said. Have to wait for the fires to die down. At least your undead issue is likely over. Should make finding the ghoul easier too." He looks back to the smoke on the horizon from the burning fields of grass. "Every seen an elemental do that here?" he asks the older man.
Ellison looked at the cloud of smoke that could be seen lingering in the air from where they were, and shook his head with a dubious expression. [b]"Haven't ever seen one, so I could not say. Was it just one?" He was wearing a relieved expression, though.
Now that it was day, the two of them were garnering some attention, though people gave them a wide berth. Ian, with his strange weapon, gets more of the looks than Aska, but standing with the Constable allows some deference from the attention that they would undoubtedly be getting. The city is out today, bright colors worn by some passerby, perhaps to offset the gloom of the coming night, some local social foible. On the air are several scents, all of them foods of varying quality along with the dust of the road and some other fragrances. The overcast sky was grey, but at least there was no smell of soot or ash.
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"Maybe. Only saw the one." Ian ignores the eyes of the crowd. He was used to far worse treatment when he was forced to change in front of civilians. "We'll wait here I guess and ask around some more. Try again tomorrow if the fire's out." He looks to Aska for confirmation of the plan and then heads back for the inn. He didn't know how long it would take for the fire's to burn out but he wanted to be close to town if it flushed anything nasty towards them.While patrolling he gathers some more information on the ghoul sighting and the elemental.
Aska nods in confirmation to Ian and sets about her own preparation. Aska heads back to the inn as well and tries to find Ask You in the hopes that he might know something about the fire elemental. If she was lucky he may even know the elemental's language, which may or may not prove useful.
(Early Afternoon)
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"We found what we were looking for and then some." Aska tries to answer light heartedly. No need to spread news about the fire elemental just yet. "Any chance Ask You is here?" She raises her voice a bit, directing her question both at Jussin and at the remaining fairies. Realizing Jussin may not recognize the name, "Ask You is the fairy I was speaking with last night."
"Elemental kin are more likely to show in our world than the Elementals themselves, I believe", she had said between sips of her tea. "Elementals have to be called."
You hear a tiny raspberry directed in his general direction from the bottles on the bar before you feel something light land on your shoulder. "It's so nice to see you again friend! Do you have need of me?"
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"I do actually. Do you know where Askew is? I'd hoped to be able to speak with him." Aska is a bit annoyed by the deception, but things like this just seem to be the way of their race. She tries not to take it personally and just carries on.
"Your saying someone caused that?" Ian says pointing out the shop door in the direction of the flames. If that was true, the implications could be very bad. "My partner was sure it was an elemental. But it stopped when I stepped in front of it though. Wouldn't a summoned elemental keep going according to orders given?" Ian had limited knowledge on spells so this was a little above him.
The shop itself had an air of venerable age, with some trinkets under glass, windows open to the street to let in air and light, some of the things on shelves being small bones, oddly-shaped creations and crafts that likely have been contributed by the local craftsmen. The floor is well-worn, and the fixtures in good repair, so she does well enough for herself, you figure. There is a large bookshelf against the far wall, that is fairly well-stocked with books and scrolls, some cases and boxes, the likes of which contain items as varied as this shop.
A minute later, after seeing the light zip about the Inn's rafters, as well as upstairs-- presumably the fairy that you had spoken to initially, another fairy comes to hover in front of you, looking a bit rueful. "If Thistle hasn't found Askew yet, it's likely that the task was forgotten." This fairy moved with more grace than either of the few that you met before, and seemed to be a bit more cognizant of the disparities in perception between humans and fairies. "I'm Hazel."
Ian caught the look out of the corner of his eye as he looked around the shop. Was she gauging his response or just curious about a newcomer to her shop? The shop seemed well traveled but who would want "oddities" in this small town? As he looks around, Ian makes sure there are no other people in the shop. Wouldn't do good for someone to get the wrong idea of what was going on.
"I approached like this," Ian says. He closes his eyes for a brief moment and let the beast loose. His features become fur covered and wild, like that is a bear. He also extends his weapon to its full length. He holds the head of the axe behind him at a 45 degree angle, ready for an overhead smash or horizontal sweep. He holds it the pose for a moment, seemingly ready to take the old woman's head off, before shifting back and collapsing the weapon back and placing it in the sling on his back. "I couldn't speak its language but it seemed to get the point."
"Thanks Hazel. I'd hoped to speak to Askew, but maybe you can help me." She lowers he voice a bit. Not quite a whisper but enough to make it hard for others over hear. "We came here to deal with some undead that had popped up, but while we were doing that we ran into a fire elemental. There shouldn't be any danger to town. For now at least." Aska pauses to get herself back on track. "We tried to stop the elemental, and it said something to us. Unfortunately, neither me nor my partner speak it's language, so we still don't know anything about where or why this elemental was there. I was hoping some of you might have noticed something related to this elemental. Long shot, but maybe one of you can even speak it's language?"
It isn't certain what about the demonstration startles her, but the biscuit that she was enjoying with her tea dropped from her hands, as she witnessed his demonstration. Her eyes wide, and breathing somewhat fast, it was a couple of seconds before she could find her voice. Even then, her mouth moved a couple times before she managed to speak. "I-well, that- that was quite a d-demonstration, yes."
Her hand shaking a bit, evinced by the slight rattle of the teacup on the saucer, you could see her look at the saucer in slight confusion before a glance at the floor resolved the confusion, looking for the tea biscuit she had been nibbling on. A sip-- from which her eyes never left Ian-- before she set the cup down, fanning herself with her hand. "I daresay that the demonstration was more than sufficient to give pause to any creature possessed of intelligence!"
Eventually, she regains her composure, but now there's a bit of avarice in the glint of her eyes, and a rather intent cast about her expression. "As I've told you what I know in regards to your line of inquiry, in return I would request that you entertain a few of my questions..." The harmless expression that she affected was just that, as her body language said that she was very interested in what she had just witnessed. A larger tome was drawn up from under (and set upon) the counter, no few page markers placed in the top and bottom of the book. She also drew out an inkwell and quill. "You are not a common specimen of anything, of that, I am certain. Tell me more about yourself, please?"
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The only pause that seems to come in its words are when it pauses to take a breath, but still, the words come fast and they are a bit difficult to comprehend. Thankfully, Hazel takes note of your growing consternation and catches herself, making a visible effort to speak slower. "I'm sorry.. I get carried away sometimes. Askew is... Hm. Somewhere, I think, but he'll probably come back here.
Truly, there are not many people in the bar at present, and there seems to be a certain amount of lassitude in the air, such that a couple of patrons have unhooked their hammocks from storage and are currently napping through the early afternoon. Jussin seems unaffected by the ambiance, and the dog near the hearth is still asleep, so the effect does not seem to be a directly magical one- that is, an intended effect. It could just be something that happens when a bunch of pixies take a nap.
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Well that was one suspect out of the way. Of that he was sure. Few people could conceal their true self when they gave way to fear. He felt somewhat guilty for startling the old woman but in his line of work it paid to be thorough. Well, technically it didn't. Going above and beyond usually meant expending more and getting paid less but money was the motivator. A dark night many years ago was.
"I guess you could put it like that but I was human a long time ago. I am certainly not common now." To while away the time and appease his conscious he spends an hour going over his abilities and the night he received them. At certain points it appears difficult to continue but there was another reason for talking. In return for the info he gives to the shop owner, Ian asks his own questions. He wanted to know if anything he said rang a bell to her, no matter how obscure or unlikely the link. He and Aska vowed to hunt down any remnants of the cult that took their home.
"It's alright, I think we all get carried away sometimes. Unfortunately, I don't know much about elementals myself, so I can't answer any of those questions. But thank you for trying." She smiles and nods at the little fairy. "I'll probably wait here for a while, at least till my partner shows up. If you see Askew or happen to hear something about the elemental could you let me know?"
As for your question, she is thoughtful for a while. "With a name like that, and the occurrence that happened with you, have you looked into any lunar religions or pursuits? They can't be that small a group, can they?"
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Straightening and folding their arms, Hazel nodded decisively and hovered a little closer to your face. "I'll be happy to be your ears while you're here, but it is customary to reward those that work for you, right?"
Nearby, Jussin quirked an eyebrow in barely interested curiosity, no doubt listening in.
"Of course." said Aska brightly, feeling more curiosity and amusement than any real concern for the price. "I'm assuming you had something in mind?"
"Obviously. But supposedly all the cultist died that night too, to whatever they summoned or caused. THe temple of Sarenrae had never heard of them before the incident either. We haven't been able to look into it much since so things have gone a little stale."Ian thanks the woman for her time though he got little out of the conversation. He wanders back to the edge of town one last time to make sure the fires would be done by tomorrow before heading back to the inn.
You also notice a large amount of the other fairies currently listening in, as unobtrusively as little heads, shoulders, and wings could be in The Black Flagon.
"I believe it was." Aska says with a smile. It was hard not to like these happy little creatures. "Jussin, can I get an order of curd for my new friend here?" Aska notices the other fairies interest. "Ah hell, can you get me a couple orders? Might as well share a bit with everyone. But Hazel has first pick, got it?" She looks pointedly at the other fairies.
He should have expected this, or at least expected something from the noise. But no. He still got caught off guard and starred at the odd sight like a greenhorn. After all the odd monsters he'd seen, you'd think he'd be prepared for anything. Seeing Aska as queen of the pixies was not something he'd ever expected. He sits as close as he can to the swarm without disturbing it. Most colorful beehive he'd ever seen. And were they hovering around a few plates or curd? "Any luck?" he asks, bobbing out of the way a flying pixie.
While they are certainly aesthetically pleasing creatures, the sight of the entire lot of them hovering around a couple scoops of cheese curd is a bit mesmerizing... All of their colors, and the shimmer of their wings along with the way they are moving around is something that was pleasant to follow. So much so that it takes a negligible bit of effort to look away from for the two of you, though Jussin is staring, his jaw slack. There are many exclamations of delight and a proportionately-sized din from the plate where the several scoops of curd are rapidly diminishing. It actually takes a bit of effort to track them all, if indeed these are all of the Pixies in the inn.
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Fascinate resist rolls:
Out of mere curiosity Aska tries to keep track of them, in particular Hazel. She wants to be able to pick her out of the crowd again if she needs to.
She hears Ian's question but doesn't look away from the fairies. "No luck. I've managed to make a new friend or two who may hear something, but as of yet nothing." She focuses a bit and her tone gets more serious. "I'm not sure what's going on here, but the fact that we're basically feeling our way around blind does NOT bode well."
"A few huh," Ian says, starring at the mass of pixies. For some reason he can't stay on task and just has to ask. "What...did you do?"
Once the pixies calm down he gets down to business. "I think you're right. Someone might be actively working against us and the town. I met with the owner of Alessa's Oddities. She said that elemental's rarely appear on their own and likely the one we came across was summoned, probably for the purpose of scarring us off or burning us alive. We should go back to the same place tomorrow." Then as a n after thought. "Did you see where Vernon went?"
"I thought Vernon went home, but I'm not certain. He lives away from the village though so it's likely." She turns to speak with Ian properly. "I agree we should go back, but how should we prepare? We aren't likely to find much to help us against a fire elemental and I haven't finished learning how to make frost bombs yet. This could get rough if we try and tackle this head on."
Ian sighed. He felt terrible for thinking it but he had to at least present the possibility. "His disappearance seems oddly coincidental...don't you think?" As odd as of a case this was turning into, he couldn't rule anything out. "I don't know. We could go and see if something threatens us again. We could try disguising as hunters. I could go sniff around tonight, alone. I can change a few more times. All I know is there seems to be few in town who know anything. We could ask the constable if anyone new has shown up. Ask who knows magic, specifically summoning magic."
"I have doubts about Vernon's guilt, but it pays to be cautious. We can check with the constable, but I think someone might have mentioned if someone THAT suspicious had shown up." Aska drops her voice to a whisper. "Either this guy has hidden himself from the town, or he's been part of the town for long enough to not arouse suspicions. If you want to try checking around quietly I can brew up a couple Disguise Self extracts for us."
Ian raises a skeptical eyebrow. "Will they last long enough? It was a few hours out."
"I wasn't planning on using them immediately, but it depends on who we're trying to hide from and where we're trying to look. If you think it's someone in town, snooping around here could be good as would using the potion to mask our leaving. If you think that they are out there waiting for us, I don't think pretending to be hunters with or without my extract will help. They'll just try and kill anyone who gets too close. It's what I'd do."
Ian holds his hands up to concede the point. "Then let's go see if they try and kill us again. If there were any undead left in the area, the blaze likely removed them. All that will be left is our summoner. Or some ridiculous undead capable of withstanding an inferno. Either way, should be interesting. If that turns up nothing we can pretend to leave and snoop around disguised after." He then pauses for a moment, looking over his companion. [b]"It's what you'd do huh?"[b]
"What? Would YOU risk you evil lair being discovered when you can just as easily kill snoopers and then blame it on the undead? If he's a necromancer he could even animate them to back it up." Aska shrugs. "Then do you want to try and get there during the day or at night?"
"But the undead and deaths eventually bring people like us. And that's never good having adventurers poking around. Best just to keep a low profile." Though it was originally a joke, now the he was starting to think about this seriously. He spoke quietly. "We weren't scared off by the undead. Nor by the elemental. Someone is trying to keep us away, not kill us. Someone with something to hide. You're right, we probably have a necromancer. Or at least someone trying to be one. Maybe not someone too far gone if all they are doing is scare tactics. They are making ghouls though. We have to stop them before they get to anything stronger or move. Load up for combat tomorrow." He may have been thinking too far ahead but it made too much sense. And if what he said was true, they'd have to find them tomorrow or they'd disappear and make more undead somewhere else.
"We'll find out one way or another. Better turn in early. Looks like it's gonna be a long day tomorrow." Aska will get some food from Jussin and pay to stay for another night.
The rest of the night goes as one might expect. An influx of patrons, though there are certainly less fairies present in the evening and into the night, most of them sleeping off the bellyfuls of curd that they had earlier. Keeping an ear out during the evening yields nothing new that was relevant to their current pursuits and only reinforces that this town seemed to be fairly secure. You do hear murmurs about the fog coming in thick this evening, and the shutters are closed tight with some sleeping nervously. Nothing happens that night, though you may have slept lightly just in case.
The fog recedes in the morning, and Aska is greeted by the sight of Askew, hovering just in front of her face expectantly. "Finally!", he says, cheerily exasperated. "You bigger folk sleep like rocks! Well, I guess it's to be expected, since you're not as light as we are..." Askew seemed almost thoughtful at that.
The next words were interjected by Hazel, hovering at a more respectful distance, having seen Ian wake up in the morning. "If you're paying us for help, we have information, but..." their expression looked a bit uncertain before it firmed. "You can pay us in honey!"
Askew's face lit up at that, and looked back at Hazel, then back at Aska.
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"Haha, you two are certainly excited. Must have been looking forward to this for a while." Aska clambers out of the hammock. Still groggy, Aska manages to remember something about honey being some kind of alcohol for fairies. She also remembers it could be a bit of a narcotic which might be bad. "I'm willing to buy you the honey, but I want you to tell me what the honey will do to you first. I seem to remember it COULD be bad for some types of fey and I don't want either of you to get hurt."
"That's only honey from certain flowers.", came Askew's explanation, brushing off Aska's concern.
"They're pretty rare, nothing to worry about.", Hazel chimed in.
Another interesting sight that greets you is several of the fairies having amassed a stack of coins on the bar, much Jussin's bemusement. After a brief negotiation, he takes most of the coins, and goes to the kitchen, coming back with a small bowl of curd. It was set in front of the fairies, and not quite like before, there is a small gathering of fairies around the bowl, which has a slight effect on the patrons that were just waking up and happened to glance over at the scene.
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"Okay, I just wanted to be sure. Then lets go get you your honey and you can tell me what you've heard." Aska heads over to the counter to get them their honey.
"Hey Jussin, looks like I'm going to need some honey this time." She leans in to him and whispers, "You may want to keep an eye on how much honey they eat. It's supposed to be kind of like alcohol for them."
When Aska comes down, Ian has found a corner table and is eating a bowl of oatmeal. Or at least he was. He seems to have frozen with the spoon is halfway to his partially opened mouth. His eyes are trained in the swirl of pixies.
The two elated pixies fly circles around Aska as Jussin gives her a nod, and goes to the back to get the honey, returning with a small saucer, serving up a generous dollop and setting it on the bar. With joyous sounds, both pull out small honey dippers, and begin consuming the honey. Askew was the first to pause and look to Aska.
"Since you were courteous to me, I wanted to see what I could find for you. All the animals would say was that what you're looking for came from after the start of the fire."
Hazel concurred, nodding. "When Askew came back, he told me, and I went to check, too. They told me the same thing."
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Aska loses herself in the hypnotic movement of the pixies.
The two of you are not too sure how much time has passed when Aska, your line of sight is blocked by Askew and Hazel, and you see Jussin chuckling and shaking his head, as he breaks Ian's line-of-sight with an empty mug. Musing to himself, you hear him say, "I wonder if I can charge for the entertainment..."
Aska shakes her head to clear it of both the fog and embarrassment. "Sorry about that. Thanks for knocking me out of it. Where were we?"
Being cut off from the bewitching sight, Ian's spoon clatters into the bowl causing him to jerk out of his starring. He looks down at the bowl and frowns. "It's cold now." Regardless, he finishes the cold meal and starts preparing for the day. They lost some time watching the pixies and they had a few hours trek ahead of them. "Let's go. Burning light," he says to Aska.
"Let's go." Aska gives a thumbs up to Askew and Hazel before turning to leave.