"Movement, buy the burnt out building," Baros says, inching closer to the movement with his spear at the ready.
Clay looks up at the building Baros indicates, a handful of legumes in her hands.
Think someone is still alive? Maybe we should get out of here before they spot us. Don't want no one thinking I did this.
She stuffs her pockets and picks a few more from the plants.
"Might be some of the bandits." Silas murmured, keeping down low with his sword drawn by his side. "Use the smoke and vegetation around us, we got plenty of cover to see what the hell is going on."
Silas would approach with his small friend by his side, using the thicker parts of the garden to help hide himself as they got closer.
Silas moves slightly forward, hiding in the grain. He circles the one wall that is left, though only about 7 scorched feet of it, peers into the house proper and he sees it.
A humanoid figure made of ashes. it moves over the remains of the house, apparently agitated. in it's hand, you see a scorched... something. it flops around like cloth but you are too far away to draw conclusion.
what do you do?
Clay looks to her fellow halfling; Should we stay here while he checks it out?
As she does so, she pulls out some tiny clay jars.
Silas watches this strange creature made of ash and anger stir around within the ruined remains of the house. Never had he seen such a thing before. Moving quietly back towards the rest of the group, he would keep low as he whispered.
"It...it is something like a man but made of ash and cinders. It has something in its hand but nothing else from what I see. I don't know if it is worth the f$*%ing fight."
Aye. Better to leave this place. You two get into enough trouble without having to seek it out.
With a hmph Baros turns away from the burnt out house."Trouble often pays better," he grumbles to himself as they continue on down the road.
Moving on, leaving the spirit in the house, you find the town easily enough. it is a quaint place. A windmill sits atop a hill, and there are a few easts of burden lashed nearby that tell you it is in use. beyond, you smell the rather rancid smell of beer being brewed and can find the brewery near the mill.
You walk along the main road and pass a physician, a general store, A Smithy, and a constable's office. then you reach the main square. On one side, there lies The Pig and Bucket Inn, on the other side, a large and rather oppulent house.
Clay sighs. What are we going to do now? she asks in her thick country accent.
Arriving in the town, Silas stretches for a moment and takes in the sights around him. A windmill slowly turns up above while the wind carries the scent of brewing beer across the main road. His trip down the main road towards the Pig & Bucket Inn. The thought of a nice night's rest helped ease the ache out of his bones when Clay spoke up in that heavy accent.
"We? Are you f+~!ing me?" Silas says with a smirk, chuckling a little. "Guess you decided to stick with us, eh? Ain't no tannery here and I'm not much of one for just doing hard labor. I hear there are bandits to hunt and a-hunting we plan on going. If you want a share, you can help Baros and me."
"Let's get our lodgings and get an idea of the town. Inns and taverns are always good for that." Silas says, making his way towards the Pig & Bucket.
Oi! F&%# ya? Not on yer life, ya scoundrel! I jus don't know anyone else but ya, and ya look like you just miiight know what yer doing. Even if ya are suicidal.
"Come on friend, you survived a demon summoning sex cult, bandits shouldn't cause too much trouble," Baros says jokingly before turning somewhat uncharacteristically somber, "life on the road is better anyway, they always find out your secrets and then ya gotta move along down the road again and again..." His eyes turn glassy as he stares off into the distance as if he was talking to someone who wasn't there.
The proprietor of the pig and bucket, a matronly woman who raises an eyebrow as you enter. Oh, strangers in town. I'm Malorie. You ain't with the harvest travelers, are ye? she asks, getting off her stool. Dinner won't be ready for an hour, but we got some breakfast cold, and beer from the brewery. Behind her, a boy, maybe 12, and a man 20 years the woman's junior are stealing glances at you as they cut potatoes.
The room at large is cool, the fire not large enough to fully warm anything but the kitchen. the hearth in the common room is out. A number of children's toys sit in one corner, but the boy in the kitchen is the youngest person you've seen. a half-dozen tables sit in the room, with a handful of chairs around each of them, and there is a counter for more space.
what do you do?
Clay looks about shyly. She does not want to be the first one to speak up, and tries to keep herself slightly hidden behind the two men she inadvertently found herself traveling with.
What the hell was she going to do? She couldn't afford a room, much less food. Sigh. Another town. Another restart. Another place where she's be forced to act like her mother (well, her not-mothet) just to survive. She really was going to turn into her, wasn't she?
"Nah, we aren't with the harvest travelers. We hear there is some issue with bandits and we hoped to offer our assistance." Baros spoke up.
The woman raises an eyebrow at the pair of halfling and the 20-something offering to deal with the bandits. Yer here to deal with the bandits? and I suppose you'll kill the monster as well? she says scornfully
Baros looks at Clay and then to Silas, mouthing 'every f$*&ing time' and with a sigh answers the woman, "Tell us of this monster and we will see if we can help."
"See? I told ya trouble comes to ya."
The woman raises an eyebrow at the trio and Silas returns it with a little smirk, giving a shrug of his own. "Don't let our appearances fool you, we've earned our scars." Silas mutters, winking at Baros while he mutters the same complaint that Silas was feeling in his bones. It was running from one trouble into another, he almost longed for the years of calm living in the woods on the road. Almost.
"We heard about the bandits...not a monster though. That something new?" Silas asked, sitting at the counter where the woman could resume cutting potatoes.
The woman's eyes go wider. Ah, I see, Mummers. she says. Well, there's been a boy snatched, as well as two sheep and a dog. It comes at night, stalks the outlying farms. It comes from deep waters it does. Lots of odd things come from that place.
"The deep waters, you say? Where are these...deep waters?" Silas inquires, leaning against the bar. He positions himself just right, settling where any mirrors and glass could be seen so he could scope the tavern out. Last time he tried to have a drink, he was accosted for immorality. He'd like to sleep in a bed for once.
Deep waters is to the north, but... Well, doubt the monster is living there. Best not to go there. she says
The bar is largely empty, and while all eyes are on you, they are curious eyes, not hostile ones.
Clay and Baros notice that the barwoman's son seems to go pale as they start talking about the monster.
Clay sees that the 12 year old boy cutting potatoes goes pale as the monster is mentioned. She doesn't blame him in the slightest; she's probably just as pale right now. Well, she would be, if she had any blood to lose. But then, an even worse thought occurred to her - these two idiots with her would probably go hunt the damn thing down. Well, best of luck to them! Good riddance!
But wait, does she really want to stay in this town, starting all over again? And what happens with these two fools don't come back? They're literally the only people that know the truth and didn't try to kill her on the spot.
She sighed. She was going to have to go with them, wasn't she? At the very least, just to make sure they stay alive. She sighed again.
"You alright boy?" Baros asks the lad when he turns white as the inside of a potato.
"Well...we're not interested in any monster-hunting. Not for free anyways. What about these bandits that have been troubling you? There's a bounty for them, right?" Silas asked, always the mercenary. If troubled was determined to follow them, he would make damn sure that he was paid for it as well. Clay's sighs were ignored as the woman stayed in her head and Baros seemed to notice something about the boy who was as pale as a sheet.
"Come closer kid, let us get a look at you." Silas said as he adjusted on the stool. The comfort of furniture was already fading when it was hard, flat wood. A bed was sweetly calling him somewhere nearby.