No response? The mercenary was quite surprise to not even see him turn around to face him. How disrespectful of his part… But this was the least of his surprises. He could feel something odd tickling his fingers, looked upon the shoulder for what was to come. The sudden jolt made the tall man back away and remove his hand from the patron at the bar. What in the Maker’s name was that? He shook his hand lightly, the numbness setting in. It was so familiar, like when he had tried to make that lightning rod… The backfire was worst, but it resulted in the same type of feeling. His eyes wandered back to the stranger, a suspicious look upon him… How did it happen?

He would receive no answer for now, wouldn’t even have time to question him as he left his seat, still not giving a damn about his presence and walking towards Rudolf. He simply followed him with his gaze, rubbing his hands together to make his skin feel better. At least now, the patrons of the Inn were going back to their things, the scene basically over. A good thing. Most would maybe see Vordan attacking the young man, but no, he had no intentions to do so. He did however wonder upon what has just happened. The dwarf and the young man seemed to know and appreciate each other, which wasn’t a bad thing, but it left to wonder what kind of crowd the dwarf surrounded himself with. They exchanged a few words and then the dwarf motioned Vordan to follow. He did so with an odd look, but came back to the back of the Inn with them.

It didn’t take long for another person to show up just as Rudolf was looking for that someone in his head… And what a sight the new arrival was. A beautiful elven lady, just like old merchant had described in his own way. Yet, this impression of her was short lived as he saw the imminent reaction… Well, she had certainly pulled out that dagger pretty quickly. Vordan was already reaching to his greatsword, a firm grip on the handle. Oddly enough, he seemed to be the ONLY one taking such reaction. The dwarf seemed to not mind the dagger stuck to his gut, laughing to this event. Friends… Again, what kind of crowd did the dwarf attract?

He released the grip on his sword, almost thinking himself stupid for doing such a thing. A quiet sigh came to him as he came to join the circle, dropping his things behind him to be able to sit down comfortably. The map unfolded and the trail was marked. Vordan was impressed with the length of the journey; it would be something of months to get there. That is quite unfortunate, but again, it’s part of the deal, so there was no arguing on that. Ruldof continued to explain the whole ordeal, with the carts being the goods to protect and carry forth to the next continent. Wasn’t that convenient, Vordan knew exactly how to deal with situations of this sort. Easy money and easy new life right there. He stretched a smile at the words, even if he asked to then introduce themselves more thoroughly. Wonderful, the more you know.

The merchant introduce himself as a trader, not a big surprise. Next, the Wood elf described very little of herself, which was a slight disappointment. The fine lady didn’t seem to want to say any more than that. What a shame. So, it quickly moved on to the young twins… Their story should be quite interesting. He listened, initially not too taken by his words. But then, he heard the one thing he wished he didn’t hear. Syndarea. A simple twitch overcame him, a cold shiver going down his spine… His smile had dropped, and noticeably so, he did not seem happy. The scum of the earth that helped the Dark Emperor rise to power; those who helped forbid magic in this world while they still thrived in it. His people had to suffer because of THEIR aid…

When Rudolf asked who would be the next one to speak, Vordan jumped on the occasion. [b]“Well, I was thrilled about this task until this announcement of scumbag children from Syndrea would be traveling with us.” [/b]His eyes went straight to the twins, and there was nothing pleasant in his gaze… You could see this hatred in his eyes… He then returned his head to the group.[b] “As before, I am Vordan Dawarum, mercenary from the Kingdom of Ellahur. My preferred weapon is of my own invention. The Six-Bolt Crossbow. First and only of its kind. Otherwise, a greatsword and a few tricks and tools here and there to get the job done.” [/b]He kept a cheerful attitude for now, letting the next person the opportunity to speak.

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The dwarven merchant had followed Vordan in the Inn, seeming to be slightly concerned of the happenings inside. It would be best to let them settle whatever was happening on the inside. It was probably just some disturbance from a drunken man, nothing more, nothing less. And so, he saw the eagerness of the young man, but he stayed with his sister. It was still odd to see the duo, as they seemed to be so unexperienced is any kind of exploring or even of the outside world. Many people would say the same for Elrithos, but he has seen the world. He was one of the fortunate few that were able to get out of the desert often. 

With that, he looked at the small girl, given her a kind smile as he went towards the carts. There was no point to bear his weapons right now, so he detached the scabbards of his blades and also his double scimitar to lean them up against the wheel cart. Already, he seemed a lot less threatening and hoped that he would make people feel a lot more comfortable around him. He didn’t want anyone to think he was but a cold hearted warrior who is here to shed blood and get paid. He had a much greater purpose really, one he would surely share when the opportunity would show itself.

Like the others, he awaited the return of the duo. They arrived with someone else, another somewhat young man. Not like the twins, but young none the less. A new addition and he had that stern expression. He could see the experience in his face, almost the pain of something. He had seen blood and probably had shed a lot of it. It was a little disturbing actually. It was easy to see who had gone through battle and who didn’t. He was particular… His mind was taken off the issue as the dwarf noted that someone was missing. A friend of his? Probably. And at that moment, the door of the Inn opened. A young elf (for what he could tell anyway) presented herself. The dwarf had charged forth, seemingly to greet the woman… The response was quite strange. Elrithos simply seemed surprised that a blade was pulled on someone she clearly knew. Her intentions were told and clear, meaning she wasn’t exactly your friendly kind of person.

The scene passed without anything more, and so, Elrithos sat down at the gathering of people, looking over the map of the journey. Already, after seeing the route in the desert, noticed he was going around the river. There was a faster way, much faster way which he would share after. He seemed thoughtful about it, then lifted his head for the presentations. He listened to the wood elf, slightly amazed now. He had never heard of a wood elf leaving the continent, being people who loved their forests. Why would she want to leave? A simple question he didn’t really need answering to. Next, the twins. When he heard Syndarea, he was also slightly shocked, but he had no hate for them. It was odd to seem them hear after having retreated deep into the forests so that they would be left alone after the war. One of the rare kingdoms that let the magic go around more freely than others.

The next reaction was the one that made his frown… A man from Ellahur and twins from Syndarea. This wasn’t going to be a nice, quiet trip if the man from Ellahur was as most of its nation: Mad against the Syndarean kingdom for their help with the Dark Emperor. Elrithos knew the relationships between kingdoms here and knew which one didn’t get along at all. Although, there was no reason for the disrespect.. It kept going with this new invention of his, which he knew nothing about… A new weapon? Interesting. As he finished, Elrithos took his turn which his oddly deep and thick accent of the desert.

[b]“I am Elrithos Quicksilver. I work as a messenger for the High Council of the Aavikanians and am also a scout and front-line soldier for the military force. My purpose is one I do wish to share, as I might not do the whole trip with you all. I will be seeking the old continent for my ancestors and what has happened to them. But I will aid you in the desert and hopefully cut off a long route around the Great River and just go through…” [/b]He then turned his gaze to Vordan. 

[b]“Learn to forgive Vordan. I was there when the Dark Emperor took power, fighting with my brothers and sisters of the desert to defend our lands. These two have not down anything to your people. Simply those who preceded them.”[/b] He spoke in a very casual, calm tone before coming back to everyone. [b]“I am trained in many forms of combat, from spear wielding, swordsmanship and archery, but the weapons I carry with me are those I have wielded for over 250 years and am best with.” [/b]