[center][h1]ℜ𝔢𝔫𝔞𝔲𝔩𝔱 𝔅𝔢𝔞𝔲𝔪𝔬𝔫𝔱[/h1][/center]
[hr]
With battle ended, at least for the moment, the party granted themselves a quick moment to collect themselves. Wiping his blade clean using the edge of his traveling cloak, Renault lifted his sword to the waning sunlight, inspecting it for any specks of crimson before returning it to his hip. 

Shifting where he stood, Renault winced as the change in movement incensed the steady throbbing that was beginning to settle in his leg. His attention redirected by Quentin asking about his condition, Renault nodded with a simple, "Yes, I'm fine -- thank you." His tone was blunt, but not unkind, a side-effect of the solitude he'd been living under up until now. Even mundane questions asked by others had the potential to fluster him. For a man unused to explaining himself, this would be a difficult adjustment. 

Realizing the possible rudeness of his voice, Renault let a soft smile spread across his features, hoping to wordlessly assure his gratitude. With the focus of conversation now shifting towards their recent victory, Renault nodded once in satisfaction, pleased with the results despite his surprise injury. He felt little concern of any [i]real[/i] danger; Reddenbarrow was close by, and Marthan, himself declared that he would heal any injuries that befell the group. Though not all priests were taught the art of healing magic, for a village as small as Reddenbarrow, a permanent physician or even an alchemist wasn't always a guarantee. It was oftentimes up to the church to take over in medicinal matters. 

Their celebration was short-lived, however, as Gorosk voiced his concerns over the nature of rats. Their aggression seemed to grow relative to their size. Whether naturally-occurring creatures or perversions of the natural order, they had ingrained themselves into the wildlife. The Elf-Woman spoke up at this, first arguing that their party had disturbed the rats' territory before warning that rats rarely kept broods of only five. 

Renault's expression soured slightly as Tracan seemed to almost defend the rats' behavior, soured further by a fresh wave of pain shooting up his leg. Keeping any words he thought of in his own head, Renault took her advice in stead. "Well, then...we best not waste any more time." 

With that, he moved towards the most obvious feature of the farmstead - the scorched building, looking for anything of note. 

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[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/18625]17[/url]
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