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The sun rises over the Grand lodge and what would be a relaxed morning is interrupted by a mountainous stature standing in the doorframe.
My apologies to bother you all so early in the morning, but has any of you seen a Large Panter? Black coat, missing an eye with a large gash in his front leg?
I have been looking for him all night yet he continues to elude me like the rascal he is.
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The Imposing figure lands on the ground with a noticable thud, his face visable filled with as much annoyance as an old man could have
Daikyou and I are brothers by spirit and bond, he got that Gash or a scar by now about......hmm 124 years ago, we were traveling through the wall of heaven and ran into a feral yeti. The yeti sent him tumbling down the slope and he gashed his leg on on of the rocks below.
Sadly like the excitable child he is, as soon as we arrived at the Grand lodge, he ran off.
I asked around in the Common room, and while I did have a great conversation about youth and family with Sir Jet, he had not seen the rascal anywhere.
We have know eachother for over 300 years and he still acts like a cub at times, what am I to do with him...
The figure slumps, noticable sighing and burying his face in his hand.
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"Awwww you poor thing" she says, patting his stony head. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Pathfinders are used to all sorts of furred and feathered friends, and furred and feathered pathfinders for that matter. We should find him before he wanders off the grounds though. Whens the last time you saw him? I can probably track him from there, or if you have his blanket or bedding i can get his scent from.
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Well we exited the vessel we used to get to Absolom, but once we arrived at the Grand lodge he pretty much leapt onto the roofs and dashed inward, such an excitable child he is.
The mere thought of his brother in a blanket is enough to force a chuckle out of the old man
That raskal, in a blanket? My dear, he would sooner tear it to pieces than sleep in it.
His visage switching from joy to annoyance and frustration, the giant adds :
Any help in tracking him would be appreciated, I hope you have more luck than I do
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There is a faint smell in the air, though wat is easier to see is a trail of claw marks all over the rooftops, seemingly trailing around the lodge and heading into the Coins District.
Did you find anything up there miss errhm, oh we have not introduced eachother have we? I am Sakuchi the Tiny but my colleagues in Tian-Xa called me Tiny for convenience.
Anyway, any idea where he went?
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Sakuchi attempts to chase but is obviously not that quick
That appears to be the direction of the coins district, that rascal, we had breakfast after we hit land....
Later in the Coin district ; The streets are busy as ever though the tracks cease to stay on the rooftops and appear to take to the marketplace, but with a crowd of this size, following these tracks would be near impossible.
Miss! Could you please land, for I cannot follow you through this crowd!
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Over here. Oh dear. He came into the crowd. I don't smell any blood or see any guards at least. Please tell me he was fed before he went wandering off?
"I'll start asking the crowd, see if you can find some other pathfinders to help us look, there's usually a bunch around town running some errands" Hold the wayfinder up nice and high.. even in this town they should be able to see you over the crowd.
Oh. right. I'm flutter hi nice to meet you wish it was under better circumstances. I don't spend enough time shape-shifted to figure out how to talk and cast like that.
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Ah yea, we had breakfast but the child is a glutton unlike any other, I shall try to gain some assistance.
Sakuchi turns away before saying one more thing : A ring of eloquence can help you with any communication problems I think.
Sakuchi heads to a clearing in a less crowded area and grabs his wayfinder before holding it high.
While normally softspoken, when yelling Sakuchi's voice carries the volume of an avalanche.
Excuse me, are there any pathfinders among you?! I require some assistance and any help would be appreciated!
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Catching his eye while performing on a street corner, the bard sees the wayfinder and hears the question. Packing up his things, he then approaches with light steps towards the call for assistance.
"You called for Pathfinder, how may I help a fellow member?"
Looking at the person, it seems that he is dressed in fine silken clothes that seem to hug the body, yet loose enough for flowing movement. Hair of the purest of white and eyes of the bluest skies, his appearance was almost unnatural.
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A halfling wearing a set of black and yellow O-Yoroi, helmet blazing like the sun, and a shield bearing a wasp makes his way through the crowd. As he arrives in front of the giant, he looks up and smirks.
No need to yell. You called for Pathfinders in the Coins, be ready for a crowd. What do ya need lad? The ladies of the temple await, but I've time to help a fellow agent.
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Sakuchi breaths a sigh of relief, thankful for the extra agents ready to help.
Getting a better look at Sakuchi it's hard to miss him ; He appears to be at least 8 feet tall is carved from extremely ornate green stone, wearing a a simple grey and blue haori and black wooden geta's.
Ah yes, I aquire some assistance with locating my brother, and while I consider lad a compliment, my best days are far behind me young ones
In any case, Miss Flutter is currently searching through the crowd, hopefully not finding blood stains, that welp is a glutton and a rascal
Sakuchi turns around to start searching himself, before he realizing he forgets an important detail.
Ah yes, I almost forgot, Daikyou is a large black panther missing an eye, with a large scar on his front right leg and he carries a large scabbard on his back, if you find him please call me and before I forget, I am Sakuchi, it's a pleasure to meet more of my new colleagues.
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Buzz gazes at Sakuchi for a moment.
I see we both hail from the East. Might you have visited Hongal in your travels? If it's recon you need, allow me to assist. Folks if i could get a bit of room...Don't need anyone stung, heh.
Once enough space has been cleared, Buzz places a figurine on the ground, which then rapidly grows into a medium sized Giant Wasp wearing an exotic saddle. Buzz deftly jumps astride and buckles himself in. After finishing, Buzz gently pats the insect behind the eyes.
Let's go Vespa. We're searching for a fellow companion.
The wasp flies straight up allowing for a nice panoramic view.
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"oh, excuse me, uhm, did any of you see...ahm A panther? Its kind of important that we find him before lunch. Several? One eyed, scar on his leg? OH thank you..." she walks into an alley. There's a few thumps, and then four thugs come out spinning around in a swirling ball of water , which weaves through the crowd to dump itself off the edge of the pier.
"I don't think he'd seen your kitty at all...
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Knight Captain Buzz Seeker :
While the panther in question eludes your sight, what does not elude your you is a demolished market stand surrounded by three guards and what appears to be it's disgruntled owner.
'And you say he ate your stock before running?'
'Yes that is what I said, now can you hunt that mongrel down before more honest traders like myself are jeopardized?!'
With that the guards split up, weapons drawn
what the guards do not notice however , is a trail of bones leading away from the stall and to a prominent tradehouse'
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Wandering about asking various people if they have seen the panther, Auriea's patience starts to wear thin. Looking around at stalls and crates, the bard finds a nice, climbable surface before shouting.
"Excuse me fine folk of the marketplace! It appears that a member of the society has lost their panther partner! If you all would be so kind in letting me know as to the sighting of said large cat, it would be greatly appreciated! Thank you, and good day!"
Smiling widely, before hearing the shouting of a merchant below him, the sylph poses and jumps off the stall.
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Auriea :
You hear a loud scream of anger from one of the local market stalls.
Oh Abadar be praised, of course the mongrel was with the pathfinders, you better hurry before the guards get their hands on it, personally I couldn't care less if they stuffed it or sold it as a decoration!
The merchant turns around and starts cleaning up the pile of ruin that used to be his market stall.
A local guard hails you.
We have that feral beast cornered near that tradehouse, since it belongs to one of you Pathfinders, you can have a chance to calm it down, or WE will do it for you.
With that said, the guard pulls his longspear and starts running
Flutter(sorry for being so late) :
With the thugs gone it is easy to see remnants of high quality meat cuts leaving a trail out of the alleyway.
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Buzz guides his companion back towards the ground, landing close to Sakuchi.
"I think I may have seen a clue, friend. Some Guards were conversing with what appeared to be a butcher's stall keeper. I saw the guards draw steel, and start moving around. I daresay your 'brother' may be in a bit of trouble if the guards find him first. I could airlift you the direction I saw a trail, but I do not think Vespa here can handle an earth elemental's weight. If you can reduce your weight or take a lighter form, I believe I can get you there quickly enough."
With that, Buzz reaches into his Haversack retrieving what appears to be a knot of rope, which he unfurls with a single pull. He nestles the 'heart' of the knot over the pommel of the saddle and adjusts the ropes hanging down to not be in the way of his mount's wings.
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"Awww.. you poor kitty!"
She briefly turns to the guards. "Shame on you for threatening to kill such a beautiful creature for just having snack! Poor thing was obviously hungry. How would you like it if people chased you away from your dinner all the time?"
Without breaking stride she marches right up to the ravenous beast and offers it a pet to the ears.
"Awwww. Who's a good kitty? yes you are. You just wanted a little extra lunch. Now, we'll just head outside with all of your lunch and get away from these meanies, if thats ok..."
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Knight Captain Buzz Seeker :
Sakuchi turns to the halfling, dwarfing him in size
I will gladly take your offer though forgive me, it has been a while since I swapped my form
Sakuchi assumes a meditative position and after a few seconds begins to crack and crumble. From the rubble then comes a small earth elemental with a 2 comically large opals for eyes
would this suffice?
Flutter :
Daikyou jumps back extremly quickly at the the attempted petting, though after realizing that you are not an immediate threat it focuses it's attention on the approaching guards.
Daikyou appears to be in top condition despite his alluded age, his right eye appears to be completely gone, it's socket filled by a shining opal, though his remaining eye gleams with an almost humanlike intellect.
While it is obvious that Daikyou understands and trusts you completely, he is not willing to linger while the guards approach and takes to the roofs yet again.
Daikyou gives you a look of compassion and regret before taking a sprint
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"It should suffice. Grab a line and hold on."
Buzz takes to the air while casting a spell. He allows enough time for Sakuchi to grab a line and place a foot (if he has one) into the loop at the end. As soon as Sakuchi is hanging on, Buzz directs the wasp at full speed toward the area the cat was last seen.
"Lets see what's going on."
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As the wasp nears the tradehouse, you can see a slight girl and 3 guards in the alleyway, with a large black panther sprinting across the roof.
Theres Daikyou, it seems miss Flutter kept the guards off him. And the rascal just leaves her there as a kindness, bah.
Daikyou notices the Giant wasp approaching and Sakuchi hanging from it, however instead of stopping he develops what appears to be a Devilish Grin and accelerates
Sir halfling, please make haste, if Daikyou reaches his full speed, we will be airborn for a long time
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You scared the poor thing! That is NOT how you approach a scared animal! They know what weapons are, put those away. You! You're looking directly at him, thats a challange. YOU! You're cringing in the back, obviously scared. Thats like marinating yourself when you're dealing with a predator. Smile, but don't show your teeth. Don't act happy, BE happy to see them. Embrace what a wonderful experience it is to see one of natures most majestic creatures, with rippling muscles, claws that are curved to hold their prey still for the powerful recurved jaws to snap a neck in one blow... isn't nature fascinating? "
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Buzz laughs heartily at Sakuchi's statement. It's not often you hear a halfling make nearly as much noise.
"You want to go faster? You'll want to hang on tighter, then."
Once verifying that Sakuchi has tightened his grip, he leans down, pats Vespa's thorax and gives a command.
"Let's go 'Full Tilt' m'girl. 'On the Double!'"
Vespa's response is immediate, and she doubles her speed.
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Buzz's grin appears on his face again with Sakuchi's last words.
"Easy enough. Reach up, so I can touch your hand. Tell your brother that he cannot out run us, but he is welcome to. It's been a while since Vespa has gone her fastest."
With that said, Buzz reaches into a pouch on his hip and casts another spell.
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While he would glady take you up on that offer, I for one have had enough excitement for today.
Sakuchi gears up and attempts his leap of faith.
Sakuchi leaps perfectly, diving directly for Daikyou's back with the landing as perfect as the jump.
Now listen to me Daikyou, I jumped, ran and fell because I worried myself sick, we just arrived here and you go and cause a ruckus, you should be ashamed with causing so much trouble for the people here.
Daikyou's expression is one of a child that just got a lecture and he slows down to a standstill and down to a clearing in the streets.
With all well and done, Daikyou turns back to the halfling.
Thank the spirits for you and your colleagues today, perhaps now I can properly introduce Daikyou and myself to the lodge.
May I perchance treat you, miss flutter and the other miss to tea and a meal?
Daikyou vigorously shakes his head up and down before stopping when Sakuchi's Giant opal eyes gleam crimson
Well, what do you say dearest colleague? Wich reminds me, I did not hear your names, forgive me if I did not pay attention in the heat of the moment
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"Knight Captain Buzz Seeker, Commander of Andoran's aerial cavalry, Seeker of the Society, Slayer of the Cavorting Court, at your service. This is Vespa, my trusty companion and friend. I'm sorry but I'll have to pass for now. I've already got several appointments to attend at the temple of Calistria."
Buzz says with a wink.
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Another time then, for now I must report back to the lodge and to the Venture-Captain, farewell for now, Sir Buzz Seeker and good fortune in your endeavors.
The now small Sakuchi climbs onto the back of Daikyou and rides back to the grand lodge.
Sakuchi looks for the Sylph girl but she is nowhere to be seen.
Next time we see miss Flutter, we should thank her for being the first to come to our aid.
Daikyou growls in acknowledgement.