[Elys] Tale of Exile

[Oath]

It had been a long time. Elys had been exiled from a small town in a faraway land as is custom when someone commits a serious crime. They are thrown out with the clothes on their back and whatever weapon they used to perform the deed. In Elys case, it had been a pistol. She was not entirely at fault though. She had simply snapped. 

She was the daughter of a traveling merchant and as such was often taken out to see the world. It was hard to just leave a young child alone for long periods of time. On one such adventure her father was killed by a group of brigands, and Elys was left to die as a child of just four years of age. She was found by a rather well to do family, face down in the mud clutching tight to the only memento she had from her late father; a ring.

As time went on, the adoptive father was not the paragon of virtue and kindness that everyone thought that he was. It was a society that Elys had no idea about, the customs odd. Yet every time she made even a simple mistake, punishment came her way. Over the years the beatings became more frequent and seemed almost as if they were a natural part of her daily life. Nothing she ever did was good enough. So one day, she simply snapped.

The adoptive father came into the room, in a blind rage ready to attack for the newest little mistake. This time, Elys had had enough. As he attacked, she grabbed the pistol that had always been on the display in the room along with the powder horn hanging next to it. She had seen it loaded and fired many times by people around the village on hunting trips. She worked from memory and then she pulled the trigger. The bullet struck true, piercing the man's heart. He fell on the ground with a shrill shriek  blood pouring out of his wounds and dirtying the floor. He reached out towards Elys, and seemed to be trying to say something but could not quite muster up the strength to do so. The last thing he saw was the look in her eyes, a combination of hate and fear as she wrapped her hand around the barrel of the pistol and bashed him in the temple with the handle.

Elys was not sure what she was doing. She felt the impact of the pistol butt hitting the man in the head several more times and her hands were covered in blood. When she looked up, she saw many villagers who had rushed over to see what was amiss. The majority stood with faces frozen in horror. How could such a young girl do such a terrible thing to a man, that to everyone's knowledge was an upstanding citizen of the village.

Again they relied on tradition. Rather than stain their own hands with blood, they followed the ritual that had been around for generations. Elys was handed the pistol, walked to the town's gates and told to walk. She was never to return. Exiled.

After some time of walking, Elys managed to stumble upon a merchant caravan that was engaged in fierce combat with a group of goblins. She quickly drew her pistol and filled it with powder while on the run to the wagon. She hid behind it as she aimed a shot and as the goblin noticed her she pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed through the air striking the goblin right in the eye. It was down, but there were still many more. While she may have known how to use a pistol, she was not yet comfortable loading it during the heat of battle. She sprinted towards the goblin's body and grabbed the blade out of its hands. The grip was weak, so the creature was surely on its way out. dodging some stones thrown, she made her way to the next goblin to engage in melee. In her 12 years of life in the village, she had gained at least some skill in the art of swordplay. She parried the blow from the goblin, spinning and slashing at the sword-arm of the creature. She connected and it dropped the weapon it was holding. Elys then ran it through and went on to the next. Each goblin she encountered fell in much the same fashion. At some point, there were not many left and they began to run.

Looking about for the first time since she arrived, Elys noticed a wave of relief wash over all of the other people present. The leader of the caravan approached her.

"I don't know who you are, but thank you for helping us. We didn't know what was happening at first, with your magical stick there, but we sure appreciate what we did. Is there some way we can repay you? We don't have much... but we do at least owe you something."

Elys looks at the man perplexed, she is not used to people treating her as an equal, or even feeling that they owe her gratitude in any way.

"I'm Elys. A hot meal and perhaps directions to the nearest town would be more than enough. you see, I am lost and don't really have much on me in the way of goods."

Upon closer examination, Elys indeed did not have much. At some point over the course of her journey she had picked up a lantern, but other than that she just had the clothes on her back and a pistol. The caravan head looks at her in awe.

"I'm not sure what happened to you, nor am I sure I want to know. How does this sound though? We will supply you with some new clothing, a place to sleep at night and food daily if you can assist us for the rest of our journey. Your skill in battle seemed to be quite something, and having an extra hand when the situation goes bad is never a poor idea."

The rest of the members of the caravans had welcoming faces. It felt warm and familiar. Something that had been missing for the past 12 years after her late father was killed in a similar attack, though rather than goblins it was other humans that did the deed in that scenario.

"I'm not sure I would be much help... But if you will have me I will do what I can."

The caravan master nodded, and Elys jumped into the back of the wagon. She began to clean her pistol's barrel and passed out from exhaustion.

Elys was awoken from a sensation that suddenly brought a wave of fear down upon her. As she was laying in the back of the wagon, someone was shaking her to wake her up. She quickly cowered into the corner out of pure instinct trying to escape whoever had just touched her. The caravan master's warm face showed a hint of sadness at the event, but he stood there waiting. After a few moments, Elys realized who it was and that he meant no harm. In fact he came bearing food and drink. It was hot, too. She graciously accepted the bowl and mug from the man.

"Sorry sir, I don't really do well with touching. Bad memories from home."

The man looked as if he understood and made his way off of the wagon around to other parts of the camp. Night had fallen and people were cooking, some were singing and others still were just having a merry chat and a nice evening with their companions. Sights such as these were all new to Elys, and felt much more like a family than anything she had experienced in most of her life. The days came and went, and for the most part without incident. There were a few more attacks on the road, but nothing too major and Elys helped out with that as she agreed to. They had finally reached their destination and that is where they parted ways. For the Caravan intended to head back into the territory that Elys had been exiled from, and she knew that she could not return.

For several months, Elys did what should could in the area as a mercenary. She would protect those that needed it or help caravans on their way. That lifestyle made enough coin to get by, but it was not particularly fufilling. She was looking for something greater, something more adventurous, and most of all something with a reliable group of people. Rarely did she work with the same person twice, and it was impossible to trust someone she had just met. Synergy was something that was sorely lacking in the majority of her operations and that was something she wanted to change.

One day while escorting a caravan she heard tales of a group of adventurers in Ternadan called the Guild of Galas'nor. There were many adventurers there that seemed to want something more from life. That seemed to be something she could get behind. Gathering her belongings, Elys hit the road once more. This time hopefully to find a place she really belonged.

The night that she finally arrived in Ternadan was quite crazy. A storm the likes of which she had never seen swept over the road, water poured from the sky and wind howled through the plains as she traveled. Walking on foot may not have been the best idea, but she was stuck between two rest areas and decided to just press on until she hit town.

After several hours of travel in such a storm she was in a near delirium. As she approached the gates, she had forgotten completely about her purpose, just interested in a place to rest up for the night and asked about a place to sleep. She found herself a little hole in the wall inn and rested up for a few days, her journey had left her wiped out.

Fully recovered, Elys began to inquire about town, hoping to find if anyone knew how she could contact the Guild of Galas'nor.

Feel free to jump in here as freeform RP!

[Neko]

?Ahh! Look at all this stuff Mimic! I don't even know where to begin!? Sophie exclaimed. She was on a ?mission?, to bring some groceries back to the guild. She had a large pack on her back, half of it already filled with various vegetables and spices. The raven on her shoulder simply ruffled his feathers in response to her excitement, not finding the shopping trip quite as exciting as his maid companion. He was used to things like this, though ? ever since leaving the farm, Sophie had an almost constant happy glow about her. Even the simple things in life, such as food shopping, were glorious adventures she couldn't wait to embark on. Something caught the bird's eye then, something yellow...something delicious. He bumped his head against Sophie's, staring intently at the treasure. ?Ok ok, you silly goose! I'll get you some corn.? Sophie said as she rolled her eyes. ?Don't compare me to those things.? Mimic retorted. Sophie giggled at him. He was so grumpy! But, Sophie knew he wasn't a fan of the crowds in town, so she couldn't blame him for being a bit hostile that day.

Grabbing a few pieces of corn for Mimic, Sophie continued down the isles, taking her time to pick the perfect ingredients for her guild mates. She loved cooking for them. Sure, it was her job,  but it made her happy to know they'd be full and ready for battle thanks to her carefully prepared meals! Tonight's dinner would be especially amazing! Her expression was of pure joy as she thought about it. Sophie let herself fall so deep into her fantasies of dinner preparation, she had completely stopped paying attention to where she was walking. ?Uh, hey, Sophie, wake up.? Mimic's voice rang in the maid's head, but she paid it little mind.

?Eyah!?  Sophie let out a frightened squeak as she went tumbling to the ground, the corn in her arms flying out of her grip. She had bumped into someone, and the heaviness of her pack set the maid off balance. She lay on her back like a helpless turtle for a moment, the backpack beneath her. ?Oh no...? Sophie thought, realizing that even though the pack had broken her fall, she had likely squished a good portion of the food she'd just bought. Scrambling to get off of it, she then turned her attention to the one she'd bumped. ?Oh gosh, I'm soooo sorry!!? She apologized, jumping to her feet and dusting the dirt from her dress. She paid careful attention to the guild symbol on her chest, making sure it hadn't been damaged. ?Are you ok!? I wasn't paying attention, I uhm...? Sophie stopped her rambling for a moment to actually look at the person. It was a tall young girl with dark, messy brown hair. Her eyes were quite pretty ? a bright blue. Sophie lifted a brow, also finding that the girl looked rather...dirty? Tired? It basically looked as if she'd been through a lot. ?I mean, really, are you ok?? Sophie asked again, her voice one of great concern. This time the question seemed more about the girl's well being in general.

Meanwhile, the raven had taken his place beside the fallen corn, holding little concern for the current situation as he munched away.

[Oath]

Elys staggered slightly but kept her balance as a strange girl ran into her. The girl was blonde, and seemed to have incredible difficulty getting up. She also appeared to be a maid of some sort.

Are you ok!? I wasn't paying attention, I uhm.... I mean, really, are you ok?

She found it odd that the one that was obviously struggling would be the one to inquire about another's well being. The girl looked so helpless as she struggled to get up that Elys wondered if there was really any point to answering her question. Thankfully the girl managed to get up under her own power.

Elys thought quietly to herself.
I'd really rather have no business touching someone even if it was to assist them in getting up after a tumble like that. Especially when they seem to be so air-headed.

Looking down slightly, as the blonde girl was far shorter than she, Elys finally responded to the question that had been asked before.

"Perhaps you should be asking yourself that question, after all, you are the one that was on the ground."

She wasn't trying to be rude, but Elys was completely perplexed. especially when it had seemed so obvious that the girl was worried about something else completely. Her eyes then turned to the raven that was on the ground pecking away at an ear of corn. She wondered if that was meant for the raven, or if it decided to just take advantage of the situation as the clumsy girl managed to drop it all on the ground. Either way she figured that it wasn't of concern to her and decided that it might be better to take her leave.

"I'm fine, so take care of yourself."

Elys figured that it was time to go to another part of the market, perhaps one that had people that watched where they walk.

[Throndir]

The large man narrowed his eyes as he came rushing into marketplace. He was looking for someone. Or more specifically, a certain set of things. Though he towered over the crowd of people, Golas still could not find the person he was looking for. Clutching a piece of paper in his hands, he moved further and deeper into the market as he continued to scan the crowd. With the muscular physique and a red cape trailing behind him, Golas was an individual that was easily recognizable, and as the large man came rushing into the streets lined with stalls filled with all sorts of products, more than a couple of individuals hurriedly moved aside, both to give the man a way through and for their safety.

Every so often, one of the guild members would venture out to the market to buy foodstuffs, and Golas had always made it a point to make sure they came back with things he specifically wanted. But today was different. He had just arrived back into the city coming home from a mission, and only then did he learn that he had just missed the shopping. Usually he would just tell them what he wanted, and hand them a few coins, but this time, he wanted to do it the right way. Unfortunately, what Golas thought of as the 'right way', wasn't going into town to do the shopping himself, but to instead write down the items in small shopping list. He grinned as he held the paper. The guild members would be proud!

"Buahahah!" He bellowed, as he finally saw the person he was looking for. The headband, coupled with the frilly outfit and small stature; it was none other than the guild maid. She was standing besides another taller woman. He strode powerfully as he closed the distance, his long legs quickly taking him to his destination.

Golas had always been brash, and unlike any normal person who would have first introduced himself to the stranger who stood beside the maid, he instead continued his approach.

"Sophie!" He declared as he walked up to the smaller figure. His hands reaching out, showcasing his shopping list which was unfortunately crumpled by Golas' rough handling.

"I wanted- I mean... The Guild of Galas'nor requires these items for dinner tonight! " Golas said as he corrected himself. He didn't want to seem so selfish after all, and he figured that anything he'd like, the guild would defintely love. He handed Sophie a pouch filled with coins as well as the peice of paper.

[Mysticsage]

Kryas only shook his head as he walked next to the larger man. He had come along with Golas for that exact reason to make sure he kept himself a check. The man could out eat a battle cat when he wanted too which was often. From the time they had their first confrontation when Kryas had pretended to have a fight with him he had instantly felt bad about picking on him. For all his gruff and bravado he really had a heart of gold. Kryas had caught him playing with the local children when he thought no one was locking acting like a dog and allowing them to use him like a jungle gym.

Over the weeks Kryas had worked to mend any hurt feelings. It had worked and now the two were fast friends. Although Golas still thought him rather scrawny, weak and always was trying to strengthen him up or protect him.

"Heya Sophie ignore him, we're here to pick up the usual order for the guild." He said with a smile patting Golas's arm " Maybe throw in an extra stake or two as well?" he winked full well knowing what Golas was looking for.

"Noticing the girl standing next to her he said "Oh pardon us, we're guild members at the local guild my name is Kryas and this is my friend Golas. Nice to meet you miss..." Kryas putting on his signature grin stepped foward as he said this holding out his hand.

[Oath]

Eyeing the two new men that had approached as she was about to take her leave Elys felt extraordinarily unlucky. She noticed the sheet of paper that the large man was waving around, and noticed that it just said "LOTS OF MEAT" At this point in time Elys already had a bad feeling about this trio. The smaller man then extended his hand as a form of greeting, something that she dislikes. Taking a few steps back to avoid the hand that had been extended by the smaller of the two men who had identified him as Kryas, she looked between the large man who was apparently called Golas, and the small, strange girl that had started the entire mess who was apparently Sophie. As she stepped back she found herself thinking. Some luck I have, these odd folk claim that they are from the famed Guild of Galas'nor but they seem more as if they belong in a circus. A famed guild such as Galas'nor should have honorable warriors that hold themselves in high regards, not a few errand boys and a maid that make a fool of themselves and a mockery of the guild name in town.

Withdrawing a few more steps Elys looks coldly at the trio.

"Are you sure that you are actually members of the guild of Galas'nor and not simply some delusional folk that are withdrawn in fantasy and make believe, where you happen to be powerful or famous?"

Looking around she noticed that a crowd of onlookers had begun to gather, and Elys wondered how she always managed to find herself in such awkward situations.

[Neko]

Sophie laughed at the girl's response, feeling a bit embarrassed. ?I suppose you're right! Aha~.? Sure, the maid had been the one to fall, but she still felt bad for running into the girl. ?But wait! You look a little lost. I know this area really well, if you need directions or any-? Before Sophie could finish her sentence, a familiar voice broke through the marketplace chatter. Just a few shops down was Golas ? And trailing not far behind was the half elf Kryas.

?Oh, hey!? She greeted as they approached. Sophie took the piece of paper Golas had offered, lifting a brow as she read the simple message. Lots of meat? She placed the crumpled sheet in her pocket with a shrug, along with the coin pouch. Usually the head chefs would send Sophie out with a budget and list that she would follow. But, it wasn't uncommon for guild members to request specific things. ?I'll be coming out a little later for meat. I'm gathering up vegetables for now!? Sophie told both Kryas and Golas excitedly. She was reminded at that moment of her crushed pack. She quickly opened it up, examining the contents in hopes that at least some of it would still be edible. It was the guild's money she was spending, after all. She let out a sigh of relief, happy to find most of it was still good. The fallen corn was a lost cause, however, considering the raven had nom'd a good chunk of it.

?You glutton.? Sophie mumbled at the bird. Mimic lifted his head, his dark eyes looking up into Sophie's emerald ones. ?You knew I was hungry.? Mimic replied simply. He hopped off the ground, taking his place back on Sophie's shoulder. He cuddled against her neck, feeling sleepy after eating so much. The maid sighed as she gave her pet a light pat on the back.

She turned her attention to Kryas as he introduced himself to the girl Sophie had bumped into. For whatever reason, the girl seemed to react rather negatively to his introduction, and attempt at a hand shake. She then proceeded to dish out what seemed to be an insult. Sophie pulled the pack onto her back, a feeling of embarrassment washing over her again. This really hadn't been the best of first impressions, had it? "Some of us aren't the most prim and proper but...The guild houses a wide variety of people, you know." Sophie replied. "You really aren't from around here, huh?" She questioned, her tone more of curiosity than anything else. The towns people weren't new to the antics of the guild members - and in general, they accepted it, considering they often risked their lives to protect everyone.

Even though she wouldn't say it, Sophie really wanted to know more about the girl. Someone so worn down looking had to have an interesting story.

[Lance]

And the moment Sophie had finished speaking, an almost deafening roar, unmistakably one of a raging lion's, resounded through the marketplace. A few moments later, the door of a nearby shop opened and an elf bearing a triumphant smile walked out.

"-guess that's it. Been a pleasure meeting you!" he said as he left, while waving back towards someone in the shop. With his free arm, he held onto a raven, which was glaring at him like no tomorrow. "I hate you," it muttered briefly before resigning itself with a sigh and flying back to its usual spot at the elf's shoulder. Lyolf chuckled at his familiar's action and paused, looking out before him.

Apparently, the elf had caught sight of the odd gathering nearby and he waved once more, this time towards the group. "Sophie! Kryas! and-"

"Buahahaha!" the raven completed. The mage laughed. "Greetings, Golas," he said while making his way towards them. "By the way," the elf continued, "who's she?" Lyolf indicated the unfamiliar one as he approached.

His raven coughed at his side, however, and Lyolf finally caught himself. "Ah, sorry sorry. That was rude." The mage smiled as he went on to introduce himself with a slight bow.

"The name's Lyolf and the bird's Uli. Pleasure to meet you."

[Oath]

Listening to the interaction between the trio, Elys found it hard to believe that they could fight much more than a domesticated animal. At best they looked like the service staff for the Guild of Galas'nor as they claimed to be representatives. Though they all had a similar emblem on their person, that did not mean anything to the girl as she did not know the emblems of various organizations in the city.

As the girl, Sophie finished talking a loud roar erupted from a nearby store. Perhaps this city was a bit more than she had bargained for. Elys took notice of the elf, thankful that he was a bit more sophisticated compared to his companions. Looking Sophie in the eye, she slowly reached into one of her pockets and brought out her unloaded pistol. She spun it around her fingers a few times and then held it out sideways in the palm of her hand. Glancing to her left and right, she noticed that some of the crowd seemed to be a bit scared, they may or may not have realized what she had but it did obviously look like a weapon.

"I believe this would be an answer to your question."

While holding out the pistol, she took a closer look at Lyolf. It seemed that at least one of these supposed members of the Guild of Galas'nor had a trace of civility. It was a bit of a relief, but Elys was still perplexed how a man could keep such company.

"It is reassuring to see that at least some of you know how to act proper."

Elys continues to eye Lyolf and decides that he seems far more reliable and trustworthy than the rest of the group.

"Elys."

She simply states her name and continues to look at the ever growing group of people gathering in the market.

[Throndir]

A wand? was the only thought running through his head as Golas listened in on the conversation with fading interest. He was curious about the strangely shaped metallic rod or wand that the woman carried, but in the end he dismissed it as another enchanted trinket, it probably held some sort of magical trick. He shrugged as he took into account the woman. She was tall, had rough hair, and had eyes which looked wary. Though, as Golas noticed the garb she wore, was too heavily burdened to have been any normal type of mage.

"Are you sure that you are actually members of the guild of Galas'nor and not simply some delusional folk that are withdrawn in fantasy and make believe, where you happen to be powerful or famous?"

Golas had come there for the future dinner that was to be cook for them and had certainly did not expect to come running into and hear a traveler's view of the guild. He grinned as he realized that her very words implied that to the outside world the Guild of Galas'nor was something marvelous.

"It is reassuring to see that at least some of you know how to act proper."

"The world isn't as black and white as you see it missy. Don't know what stories you heard of us, half of it is true, but I'm certain the other half is exaggerated!"

[Linwelin]

He caught sight of them almost immediately, thanks to the height of a certain member. Kin had honestly been tracking that height the whole time. Seeing that the giant had stopped, he ran up to them, with his signature larger-than-he-was sword on his back.

"Hey Sophie! Good to see Golas found you. He showed me the note earlier, and I was pretty eager about it myself, so I wanted to make sure he found you. There slight amount of sarcasm in the statement, but for the most part, he was sincere. He then patted the big guy on the back, complimenting Golas as best he could. "Nice going, Golas." He didn't mean to be condescending, but it came out that way regardless.

"So, why are we all just standing around here?" He sees dirt smudges on the back of Sophie's bag at that instant. "Well that's not good..." Kin proceeds to run over and check the contents for any damage. Luckily whatever DID get crushed was just going to be anyways, so there was nothing to worry about.

"SAFE!" He says with a chuckle, "No need for a restock."

Finally he realizes there's an unfamiliar face in the crowd. "Wait...I don't know you, do I? Name's Kin Sheel...who in the nine hells are you? And did you knock Sophie over? She's usually not our clumsy member...And what the hell is that you're holding!? A weapon!? Never seen it!" At this point the questions (finally) stopped, and his eyes simply sparkled with curiosity.

[Oath]

Elys knew that there were all sorts of people in the world, but she did not think it was unreasonable to expect a group largely regarded as great to act the part. While trying to figure out exactly how to word her thoughts, everything was interrupted by a small man with a large sword. Yet another crazy person associated with the odd girl Sophie that had started this entire mess. He seemed to be quite the happy fellow who loved to talk. However, when his attention was turned to Elys herself, he seemed quite rude. Upon hearing his final question though, she knew there was an easy way to answer that.

Smirking as she looked around at the crowd, Elys loaded her pistol with black powder from the mouth of her dragon shaped powder horn, and a bullet. She pointed her gun into the air and fired, the sound of the explosion drowning out the bystanders for a moment before many let out what sounded like screams of fear. She again twirled the pistol around her finger as she put it back into the holster on her side. Looking at the ever growing group of strangers, she spoke calmly.

"I hope that answers at least one question."

[Neko]

"What the?" Sophie turned toward the roaring sound, finding a familiar figure emerging from the potion shop. She smiled and waved as Lyolf approached the group,  Uli taking a seat on the man's shoulder. Sophie really liked Lyolf - Both for his fun personality, and the fact that he too had a raven familiar. It made her feel as if the two were connected in some way, even if they hadn't done much together yet. Mimic was only half awake at this point, his tummy full, his eyes fighting to stay open. Noticing Uli, the raven made a lazy nod toward the ground, alerting his fellow familiar to the fallen corn. Some was still left, despite his meal earlier."Is everything ok?" Sophie asked Lyolf, curious as to what kind of trouble he might have gotten into. Surely the shop didn't house a lion.

Before Sophie could find out the answer, the mysterious girl spoke again, pulling something Sophie had never seen before from her pocket. The maid had lived most of her life on a farm - There were many objects she knew nothing about. Since joining the guild she was constantly learning new things. Sophie stepped forward slightly, wanting a closer look.

Yet again, Sophie's attention was drawn away as another voice called out her name. Her face lit up, an excited smile crossing her lips. "Hi Kin!" She greeted him, clapsing her hands together as he joined everyone. Luckily for Kin and Golas, their dinner that night would most certianly be involving meat. Their need to add to her grocery list had been in vain - But she didn't mind.

Oooh the excitment!! Why couldn't it just be dinner time already!?

Sophie found Kin's concern about the contents of her pack amusing. "Yeah! I got lucky!" She told him with a laugh. She had spent so much time carefully choosing each product, it would have broken her heart if any of it had been seriously damaged! No, she couldn't even think of such a thing...A mushed up mess of tomatoes and lettuce, oh lord, she couldn't take it!

BOOM!

"Eeeyah!!" Sophie let out an involuntary screech like many of the residents beside her, the sound of Ely's magical object scaring the living daylights out of them. She automatically hopped back, her emerald eyes wide, her hands clasped over her mouth. What on earth was that!? Sophie was left speechless, her heart racing. The lion's roar not long ago had been nothing in comparison to the noise this thing created. An awkward silence plagued the market for a small moment, but was soon followed by a flurry of murmurs and whispers. Mimic's reaction had been similar to Sophie's - After a terrified squawk, the raven flew from her shoulder, large black feathers gliding toward the ground in front of the maid. He now sat on her pack, cuddled up against the back of Sophie's neck. 

[Bootman]

Chadra wanders around the corner, rubbing her eye lazily and dragging her feet. As soon as she sees the scene before her, she stops dead and just stares at the participants. A loud noise had just woken her up early. It wasn't even dinner time yet! Chadra was determined to find out who was responsible for it. The woman scratches some dirt off of her cheek passively as she glances from person to person, using her other hand to pull her sword closer.

"Who... loud noise?" She said tiredly, yawning half way through her sentence. After a moment, all the people in front of her came into focus. One in particular forced a crack of a smile on Chadra's face.

"Sophie. Dinner soon?" She asked hopefully as her eyes followed the girl's swaying dress. She took a few steps forward and noticed that Sophie seemed upset, which made the warrior upset. She gripped her sword tightly against her armored plates.

"What's wrong?" The other figures still hadn't particularly come into focus yet. but she was pretty sure they were guildmates

[Lance]

The elf accepted the introduction calmly, and smiled at Sophie's following question. He had some fun only moments ago after all, and he didn't mind sharing in that delight. Their ravens seemed to have an exchange of some sort while Sophie asked, leaving Uli to stare long and hard at the discarded corn before turning to regard Lyolf with a mixture of impatience and embarrassment.

It was an odd combination though, and the elf laughed as he bid his familiar forward, much to Uli's obvious annoyance. The raven muttered a final "I hate you," before joining the other raven dining on the fallen corn.

And with the ravens gone, Lyolf centered his attentions onto Sophie. giving her a quick pat on the head as he prepared to quickly recount his daring tale of unmatched heroism and unparalleled valor.

"Funny you should ask, th-"

But he was cut short as a small, familiar figure broke into the scene. "Kin?" he asked, both to show his surprise and to greet the energetic halfling who seemed to be moving under the effects of a haste spell. But, of course, before he could give a proper greeting, said halfling was already onto the woman who called herself "Elys," asking her a tireless barrage of questions.

"Ah, great," he muttered, as his hand met his face in an expression revealing both disbelief and exasperation.

The woman, for her part, pulled out some kind of strange device in response to the sudden questions and the elf sighed. He figured something like this would happen.

A quick, blinding light emerged briefly from the device, dazzling the growing crowd with its sudden brilliance and sending Uli flying back to her master. However, what got Lyolf the most was not the light, but the noise. It reminded him slightly of the roaring lion from before, only stronger, more powerful, and more brief. Needless to say, he committed the sound to his memory.

The elf grinned, just imagining the many ways he could later employ such a sound. However, there was a time for plotting and scheming later. Right now, a mystery still remained to be solved.

"Magic..?" the elf murmured, more to himself than anyone around him, No, he thought, that's wrong. Even an apprentice mage at his level could tell that there was no magic involved. Then what was that just now? An alarm device of some sort seemed likely, but from the ornamentation of the device and the way the woman handled it, the device seemed like it could be a weapon of some sort.

Lyolf had watched carefully as Elys added both some black powder and a round, cylindrical object into the device before holding it high. In sudden reflection, it reminded him of the alchemy he would occasionally perform while studying in the arcane academy so he braced himself for whatever reaction would occur. He had seen too many prior experiments gone wrong when least expected.

But nothing... nothing could have braced him for that,

The elf slowly put a hand next to his shattered eardrum. He decided then. That the device...

was most definitely

Spoiler

a weapon.

[close]

Looking around, Lyolf noticed another individual had joined the group. This one looked vaguely familiar, and the elf was certain that he had seen her before in the guild hall. But he was still new to the guild himself, and thus couldn't say for sure.

"Well met," he said, addressing the newcomer in as neutral a way as possible.