Ha! No fear.
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Croft also coughs.
"I wonder if they have complimentary eyeballs," Croft muses out loud. "One thing I miss about Irrisen, most places that catered to Witches had bowls of complimentary eyeballs for hungry raven familiars. Or giblets. There were always delicious giblets after execution day… Hey, maybe we ought to -- " The raven regains his balance after Asta's sudden, vicious shrug and clicks his beak. "Fine, shutting up now, boss," he mutters rebelliously.
Seraph, seeing the others pile on the wisp, moves into flanking position and swings her greatsword at the horrible thing! This time, she foregoes a chance to hit harder in an effort just to hit...!
"On it!" the raven replies, and he flies up from his Witch's shoulder, circling up higher and higher to get a good view of the surrounding land -- and hopefully, of a group of lizardmen and their captive. If he doesn't see something within five minutes, he rejoins the group.
While Torod rests, Croft tries again to find Tig... But he does not start calling out for the boy again until he is well clear of the giant!
Croft flies ahead, using the bats' guidance to find Tig if he can. He starts calling out as he flies: Tig? Tiiiig~!"
"I can fly ahead," Croft offers. "All I had to do was sit steady all night."
"What do you mean, 'ostracized'?" Croft asks. "Hey. Where are you planning to go? I'm not asking on account of her, I was just in the neighbourhood. You believe me, don't you? She didn't order me to spy."
"Hey," a voice calls down to Torod as he walks through the gate of Greenheart. "Hey, wait up!" Unless Torod objects, Croft comes flapping down and lands on his shoulder.
The raven ruffles his feathers, then continues in a lower tone: "So how'd it go? You don't look happy, brother."
"Have wings, will travel," Croft says. Before flying off, though, the raven flaps over to perch on Torod's shoulder.
If I fly in front of my Witch and yell at her to stop, will it end the suggestion?
Sorry; I forgot to save for Croft before.
Like Asta, Croft is unimpressed by the performance. With a hop and a flap of his wings, the familiar leaps to Seraph's shoulder and yells: "Wake up and smell the bloodshed!"
Thorod knows how to cast calefrans exarmatio?
Croft continues to circle overhead, searching for the scythe tree.
Meanwhile, Croft is flying high overhead, trying to distinguish the foliage of the scythe tree from the surrounding plantlife, or at least spot its tracks.
"I'm not scouting ahead," Croft says, sullen, as he slumps on Asta's shoulder. "I'm exhausted. Someone else can fly around and warn you guys about bushwhackers."
Soon, they can all hit.
Eyeballssssss..... :D
"I don't tie knots, but if you tie that rope to a piton I can try to wedge it in somewhere," Croft offers. "That or tie it to an arrow and shoot it into the wall on the other side."
No fair! You said I'd get his eyeballs after the rats were done with the rest of him!
Croft ruffles his feathers as Grigori speaks, casts a suspicious glance at the man -- and suddenly starts to caw loudly, jolting Asta: "Spellcaster! Spellcaster!"
"I'll go rally the troops," Croft says without prompting, and he launches into the sky, winging his way towards the castle rookery.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it," Croft croaks. The raven lifts off from Asta's shoulder and launches into the sky. He will perform high-altitude aerial reconnaissance, performing wide circles around and above the group, and return if he finds anything of interest. In essence, he is serving as an early warning of approaching danger.
"And cheese," Croft adds. "Cheese always goes over well, since eyeballs appear to be off the menu for the foreseeable future."
Croft returns by dusk and gives his report between sips of water and snippets of meat offered to him by his Lady. "In short, a lot of grass and boring, unless you want to hunt rabbits," he concludes.
"No, wait, don't tell me," Croft croaks, sarcastically, as he spreads his wings. "'Croft, go scout', am I right? How did I guess? And 'try to recruit more animal allies as you go', is that about the size and shape of it?" Grumbling as only a raven can, Croft flies off to scout the area on the other side of the river -- keeping an eye open for a safe place for the mammals to cross.
"S'right," Croft says, sagely. "Crows are egg-eating jerks. Ravens have first dibs around he -- !"
"Ack! Predator!" Croft screeches as he barrels down to earth and tries to hide in Asta's hair.
"Hail and greetings, the temple!" Croft calls out as he flies ahead of the group. "My lady master approaches! Is everyone awake?"
There comes a rap-tap-tapping at the conference room window and a hoarse voice speaketh: "Let me in, you sods!"
In early morning, Croft hops out of his shelter, shakes himself and sets off for his lady master. His familiar's instinct guides him to her without fail...
Croft nests at the trade-fort, comfortable and warm under a roof in the stables. He closes his eyes and lets the sound of rain soothe him to sleep...
"Their boss is a SMART Troll with Fey backing and an unknown number of other Trolls working for him. Will the fence hold against a whole tribe with proper weapons? Lady Asta wants you to be really ready."
"Then you need to step up security," Croft scoffs. "Don't go eat pie yet, Oleg, and Tom, Dick and Harry need to hear this, too; the lady master would want you all to know this. She and Seraph have encountered Trolls. Their leader says he is starting a kingdom of his own in the area and tried to recruit... well, subjugate, the Kobolds. They said no, though, which the top Troll took badly. He's smarter than a Troll should be, the lady master says he has backing from a bad Fey who was also involved with the Staglord, and he is definitely going to be trouble, and the lady master says you need to improve the fortress' defences to prepare for attacks."
"Stupid little Witch girl," Croft grumbles. "I'ma tell my lady master on her."
"Including the new one?" Croft demands. "The one that says my mistress and the others now rule these lands by royal decree? Is it here? Is it?"
"No, I do NOT want a cracker, John, Wayne, Clint, Tom, Dick, Harry or whatever your name is!" Croft shouts, angrily flapping his wings. "The little girl! The little Witch girl! She stole the land-grant for my mistress and her companions, the people who defeated the Staglord! Somebody stop her, already!"
"Oleg! Oleg!" Croft croaks as he launches himself off the tower, zipping ahead of the little Witch. "Someone stop that girl! Thief! Thief!"
Croft lands on the trade fort's pennacle and hops closer, head cocked. "I want," he says drily, "you to give me that scroll and then get your monkey self downstairs before I fly down to Oleg and tell him you nicked that. And before you even think about chucking a stone at me, you should know that Asta Blackheart, my lady master and one of the people who really earned that grant of rule, is the mightiest Witch in the land, and you don't want to cross her. Whereas you are a little thief who will get her bottom paddled at least if she makes me tell on her. Well? Hand it over!"
Croft curses at the creature that tried to eat him, flies up and up... and heads for the trade-fort. He does not think he can find out anything more useful without endangering himself...
Croft hesitates for a moment - then makes for greater altitude and follows the Trolls, to find out where they are headed.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Croft croaks. The raven flaps his wings and takes off. "Learn to summon things, cast Message-spells or make homunculi or something, woman!" the black bird shouts as he sets off for the trade-fort at best speed.
"Announce her coming, so your visitors do not cry ambush," Croft caws. "Announce her coming, for she is no mere wanderer, she is a woman of power who will rule in these lands! Winter Moon is she, descendant of the First Witch is she, Asta of the Black Heart is she! Announce her, for she is coming to visit with your king!" Cawing, the raven flies back to Asta and Seraph and makes his report.
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