Marcus
~~~
The man's eyes snapped to the man in the back as he sensed a shift in the air, the kind one learned to pick up on around armed drunkards. Instinct on the mark, Marcus shoved one of the nearby patrons back so that they'd be clear of the man's attack on the girl while he himself ducked back behind the counter to stand between Abby and the danger. Just as the man had predicted, the girl causing the trouble was a witch, conjuring winds that attempted to rip the very structure away... A feat easier said than done considering the effort the town put into their anti-hexes. Ultimately the woman ended up retreating which left behind a rather irked hunter who decided his anger was better directed at the creature he had been torturing moments before he flipped around.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Marcus groaned at the image before him. It was a lot of work, work no doubt about to be pushed on to him by the ever charming Abigail. He listened with a grain of amusement to the elder woman's comments about the broom riding witch, not all that surprised at her words by this point. Usually he would have some sort of witty or flirty retort to throw her way, but with all of the work he knew to be done, the extra energy just wasn't in him.
Marcus scratched the back of his head surveying the damage as Abby finally got around to addressing him, giving him the orders he knew to be coming... Though there was an extra tag on he was not quite expecting. "
Yeah, waiting until morning might be for the best... After what happened last time, I doubt he'd appreciate me knocking on his door at this hour for his daughter." He chuckled remembering the unfortunate misunderstanding that arose between him and the Millers man. Turning to the group, hey eyed each on in turn with a stern look. "
If any of you muscle heads give Abby any more trouble tonight, you'll find yourself as the new replacement for the door. Understand?" He growled before ducking into the back to collect some supplies to fix the door. In all, it shouldn't take him more that a couple of hours to fix it... But that was assuming their wasn't any significant damage to the frame or door itself. Sighing heavily, Marcus mentally prepared himself for the annoyance before him.
@Ellion@Dark Light@Fetzen[@Dudes In Tavern]
Avalon
~~~
Well, the last thing she had been expecting when she approached the odd man was a recount of his entire life's story... However she would have been lying if she claimed disinterest. The tale he told was intense to say the least, and Avalon had no idea whether she should be frightened or sorrowful by it; she settled for a mixture of the two. After all, how could one process so much information at once? She had a hard time believing that the man standing before her had, at one point in time, been a scholar having always pictured them as spineless idiots hiding behind hunters for protection. This man was a warrior, albeit a slightly barbaric one, but he fought like a hunter... He was driven to being a hunter because of whatever it was that he had seen during that ritual. Morbid curiosity pushed her to seek more information about the ritual itself, however she knew it to be in poor taste and thus held her tongue.
Her body tensed as his eyes locked on with hers, his voice filling the space around them as if it were the very air itself.
"After a long time, I vas able to feel somesink. As vee danced, I felt my heart palpitate, a strange varm feeling. Being near you bas better zan zee pleasure of killing or toruring. Zee vay you looked at me, not afraid by zee beast, but with curiosity... I think I have fallen in..." Silence ensued as Emmerich ceased speaking, yet she found herself unable to look away even once he had. Even as he began rambling on again, Ava couldn't easily tear herself away from the words that had almost been said. Next she knew it, he was bowing before her in apology snapping her out of her daze. Immediately her face was three shades brighter, spinning around to face the complete opposite direction from Emmerich as she attempted, poorly, to steady her voice.
"
Ha, you're hardly the first beast I've encountered. Did you think Leo was always this well behaved? Y-you couldn't scare me if you tried." An image flashed through her mind, Emmerich's words ringing in her ear as if reminding her of what had been uttered... As if she could forget. A small smile curved her lips, the kind that radiated warmth behind the eyes. It wasn't an expression worn often by the warrior woman, and had Kyrso seen it he would never have let her live it down.
Slowly turning back around, Avalon finally faced Emmerich once again, hints of the smile still left in her features. "
All my life I was trained to be a hunter. Fighting, killing; it's in my blood and really all I know... I guess what I'm trying to say-" She mumbled, eyes focused on nothing in particular as they glanced sideways. "
-is that learning how to dance for real might be fun."
@13orgKyrso
The goofball contemplated waiting around for Avalon to finish talking to the stranger however it seemed that he had quite a lot to say. Chuckling, Kyrso dusted himself off and called Leo to attention. Making their way through the town, Kyrso traded their kills for the money and spent the rest of the time wandering around a bit. It was the first time the small group had ever been to Seren's Folly before, having heard about it from other hunters along their travels. It was said to be at the base of a mountain containing the ruins of a witch held keep, once belonging to one of the most well known covens to ever walk the Earth. Granted it had been quite some time since anyone had noted any activity from the Bloodrose Coven, but many a hunter seemed to think there was some kind of storm coming.
Kyrso never put much stock in the stories, as it really wasn't of much interest to him. He was here simply to look after his sister. If she wanted to pursue the idea he wasn't going to stop her... But he wasn't exactly going to encourage her either. Deciding to return back to the tavern from before, he was astonished to see it in such a state. Some how he had completely missed the commotion caused by a witch within the confines of the town. Scratching the back of his head, he ducked inside curiously, leaving Leo to wait outside patiently. "
I feel like I've missed out on the party. I take it the target escaped." He chuckled, sinking down at the bar gratefully. "
Hey, just let me know if you need any help with that. Seems like I'll be here for a little while longer." He offered to the barkeep.
@Ellion@Dark Light@Fetzen[@The Rest Of The Tavern]
Nymphadora
~~~
Nymphadora sighed, this was going to be an interesting time indeed. Suddenly she stopped moving altogether, the echoes of her footsteps fading into nothing. Holding her hand up, she motioned for the group to be silent... Not that it would be very hard for Ceilia as she'd noticed. There was something just beyond their current position, the view blocked by the curved staircase that would lead them down to their final destination. Whatever creature was down there, she wasn't particularly thrilled to encounter it. Pulling out a couple of bottles, she held two yellow in her left hand and one light blueish solution in her right.
Shaking the blue liquid gently, the bottle began to softly glow. Holding it out in front of her, Nymphadora began walking once again, though this time a lot more carefully than she had before. Silently she made her way down the stair case which opened up at the bottom into a massive hall. How such a structure could fit without being noticed was beyond her, but it was certainly the least of her worries. The cavernous space before them was near pitch black, the soft light from her makeshift lamp only enough to light the small space around the trio.
The only sounds she could make out was a disembodied dripping sound and the light breaths being taken from herself as well as her companions. For a moment she almost considered the possibility that Rose had been messing with them, sending them off on some wild goose chase... But she could sense it. Somewhere in the room, somewhere close by.
Jumping into action, Nymphadora grabbed Arden by the shoulder and yanked him out of the way as a large object slammed down where he was standing, seemingly out of nowhere. Springing to life from the motion in the room, torches began lighting up the space to reveal the hideous creature they had come for. Somewhat a spider, some bit a centipede, the creature had no eyes but certainly a mouth large enough to devour the group without issue.
"
What magnificence! Did a witch really create you? The design could use a fair bit of tweaking but incredible all the same. The sheer size... " Nymphadora couldn't help but be slightly amazed at the creature. Such magical prowess was beyond anything their small gathering of witches could conjure... It was true, olden magic. How much of it was original design and how much was just the allowed time to grow was unknown but it didn't matter much to her. That's when she noticed it, the source of the dripping sound. Falling from the monster's mouth was a green tinted liquid that sizzled when it hit the ground. "
And venom, how extraordinary." She carried on, having to scurry out of the way of another jab from one of its long legs. "
Such a shame to have to dispose of it." Nymphadora sighed, stuffing the blue bottle away to palm a yellow one into each hand. "
Alright then, who's ready to get to work?"
@Rune_Alchemist@Dark Light