"Welcome to the Yuji Estate! This magnificent waterfront home has been standing for nearly seven generations, and once served as not only a home, but the birthplace of many great heroes and adventurers in the world! Away from the hustle and bustle of the city but still within walking distance, the Yuji Estate boasts not only a very scenic location but a quiet place for one to unwind after a long day of work, a place for meditation and privacy for all your personal needs. Here at the Yuji Estate we enjoy your company and are glad to call you part of our family. Our rates are unlike any other: affordable yet not cheap, luxurious but not expensive. We have facilities to cater to your common wayward warrior as well as accommodations fit for a king! All in all, we welcome to our humble home. I hope you'll enjoy your stay here at the Yuji Estate."

A scantily clad girl spoke to a sizeable group. Her dark hair and piercing red eyes were tale-tell signs that she was from the Crimson Magic Clan, people well versed in the strength of magic. Yet her attire and the sword on her back said she was no mere mage, but more of a warrior. Smiling towards the others she beckoned them inside as she continued the tour. "Now, that's it for the introduction. The Yuji Estate is a bunkhouse, meaning that you may rest and store a few of your things here for a modest fee. We collect pay weeky, however you can instead pay a monthly rent for better accommodations and a certain few privileges only paying customers of the bunk house may have. If you need transportation to the city of Axis we have a ferryman who can take you there for a modest fee, this cost of course being waived if you can afford the monthly rent instead. Ah!" The girl stopped in her tracks and turned around, bopping her head lightly as she gave a sly smile. "How could I forget the most important thing: Introducing myself! My name is Xiang, adventurer extraordinaire!"

Doing another headcount on the group Xiang continued her tour, first showing everyone the bunk area. It was a large room with beds lining the walls. Underneath each bed was a long footlocker, big enough to store a large sword or some other items like clothing. "This is the bunkroom! If all you're looking for is a place to lay your head for the night, look no further than here. For just Ten Eris a night you can get a bed and a box to safely store your things in! You can pay up front for just the night, or you can sign a contract to keep a tab for a week. Sheets and blankets will be washed at the end of every week, however if you lose or damage the bedding you will have to pay for it." Xiang sat down on one of the beds. While it was only big enough for one person, the bed itself was nice and cushy, and the quilt was both cool yet could retain body year well. The pillow was stuffed with cloth and a bit thin, but it was better than nothing.

Next Xiang showed everyone the individual apartments. Each room had a single bed as well as a cabinet, a desk, a chair, and a window. The room itself wasn't very big as far as apartments go, but still it was your own room. "Our cozy apartments are great for people who not only need a place to sleep but also some time to themselves. You may rent an apartment for 200 Eris a month, and in doing so you gain access to other luxuries that the Yuji Estate provides, such as cleaning services, free ferry rides, and complimentary meals." As Xiang explained this she took everyone to the dinning hall, a place about as big as the bunkroom but with tables instead of beds. There was an open counter revealing the kitchen and a few workers inside who were looking busy cleaning and preparing for the meals today.

"Of course after a long day of work you need time to wash away the dust and grime of hard labor. Fortunately Yuji Estates have bathing facilities fit for royalty themselves, coming equipped with heatstones that can heat up water to a comfortable level as you wash yourselves." Xiang showed everyone the bathhouse, which were four different rooms near the river. Xiang showed them how they could use the various levers and faucets to draw and drain water, as well as one of the heatstones to warm the water. "Please do not damage these stones of the bathroom. If there is an issue please report it to the land lady. Also don't steal the heatstones from the Yuji Estate. This is suppose to be a secret, but if you do they'll violently explode and tear your body apart! I thought I should warn you because someone tried to do that and our ferryman had to take the week off to get all the blood and guts out of his clothes!" Xiang said cheerily as she skipped off to the end of the tour.

Finally everyone was brought back outside of the bunkhouse. Near the bunkhouse was a poster board with a few old flyers on it. "Now that I'm done advertising for Yuji, time for my shill! As you no doubt are aware, Axis is the city hub for adventurers all around the world, and I'm sure you've all have arrived in the hopes of starting your career. That's great! Only, there's no jobs right now. Monsters have been migrating away from the city and most of the old bounties have already been taken care of or expired. While I still encourage you to join the Adventurer's Guild, I can't promise you'll find work." Xiang rubbed the back of her head apologetically. It's not like it's her fault that monsters were smart enough to stay away from this place. Still she did offer some sliver of hope. "That being said Axis is always growing and expanding everyday! I encourage you all to find something you're good at and get paid to do it! Plenty of groups who are in need of strong arms or ship minds, like laborers or scribes. There's also plenty of vocational colleges in the city willing to teach you a trade skill if you have the money for classes. And if you are worried about money, we have honest and trustworthy banks of Eris who are more than willing to help fill out a loan for you so that you could jump start your career. Just don't forget your fees!"

Finally Xiang laced her fingers together and tried to think of what else she needed to say. She handed our a few flyers to the others that detailed some attractions within the city, as well as containing a mysterious coupon with a devilish heart painted around the words "Palace of Dreams". It was still early morning, with the sun just barely breaking the horizon. There was still much of the day left to explore. "I think that covers just about everything! If you have any questions feel free to ask. I'll be around here for a bit until later this afternoon. If you're interested in renting a bed or a room, I can help you with that too!"

@Spriggs27@Lugubrious@Skepic@Heckno12@ClocktowerEchos@Lunarlors34@DracoLunaris@Bishop@Dead Cruiser

𝓠𝓾𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓵

A perfect mirror, enveloped in a wreath of leafy green, stretched hundreds of meters before him. Its gleaming surface reflected the white-blotched blue of the cloudy sky, and the feathered face of the one who stood apart. Though one of the first to arrive, Quarel had felt the distinct and familiar urge to linger at the back of the group most keenly, and strayed away while the others assembled to the water’s edge. As so often happened, the less sociable decision was the wiser one, and in a quiet couple of moments of both figurative and literal reflection, Quarel was able to take in the exquisite beauty of Yuji Estate. In that time, he didn’t drum up any philosophical musings, nor poetic praise to heap upon the sight. Creativity wasn’t a crop he’d cultivated, but even if he had, trying to impose words on such an experience might have struck him as pretentious. Quarel liked to think he was a simple man, one not in pursuit of any higher ideals like beauty, but even he could pause and stare with eyes of brilliant gold into the lake.

He remembered his comrades among the Nightcrawlers—how they thought of his coin-colored peepers as omens of good fortune, hinting at the wealth that all lowlifes longed for. That hope –the hope of a golden day, far off in the future but sure to come- kept them going, even after the weeks and months of hungry bellies and miserable accommodations piled up. Quarel hungered with them, able to piece together with a discerning mind that few would ever wake up to find that their golden day would come. Many would be arrested, or die, as criminals so often did, before the dawn ever peeked above their horizons. They labored, Quarel knew, for the sake of the bosses, who reaped the rewards while keeping their minions just hungry enough to not give up. Even knowing this, the strigiforme managed to keep his wits by promising himself that he, loathsome and pathetic being that he was, could rise above the common crook and make something of himself. That had been a while ago; now, his choices led him here, hoping to expand his horizons beyond the meager confines the Night Bosses allotted him.

Someone began to speak, her voice loud and authoritative. It was time to begin. Moving with characteristic silence, Quarel hurried up from the lakeside back toward the group, which had grown substantially. Noting with some perturbation the guide’s extravagant lack of clothing, and wondering if that was appropriate for her species, he mostly tuned her out and instead scrutinized Yuji Estate with his own bright eyes. He examined the roof in particular, spotting several nooks and crannies that might make for a good nest. After a short while the group headed inside, where Quarel got a good look at the cramped bunkhouse. Yech. Hearing Xiang go on and on about fees reminded him of the emptiness of his own pockets. He’d spent most of his money getting his gear patched up and buying provisions with which to begin this new career, and now he was expected to scrounge up what little he had left just to stuff himself in here? No way, lady. Birds and cages don’t mix. The roof’s good enough for me. Just like that, most of the complications were washed away. All that might bother him would be storage, but he guessed he wouldn’t have much to store for quite some time. His mind already made up, Quarel followed the succubus idly through the exorbitant apartments. Bathing wouldn’t be an issue either, since like all strigiformes he preened himself rather than getting wet. If these other people didn’t like his natural musk, they could stuff it. His brow-tufts rose ever so slightly as Xiang discussed a person being blown apart like she might a fun circus act, before skipping off. Okay, psycho lady. Readin’ ya loud and clear.

He did actually emit a deep chuckle when the succubus decided it was time to shill. What’ve you been doin’ for the past quarter-hour, exactly? Her news, however, dampened his spirits considerably. There were no jobs available for low-level, wannabe adventurers. Instead, everyone was supposed to find something he or she was good at and work until an opportunity arose. “Typical.” His anger smoldered; what a waste of time! He had no money for any of these ‘colleges’, but he wasn’t about to be skinned by some loan shark, either. Sure, with his pretty good strength, dexterity, and intelligence he could find work, but why bother with a civvie job when he already had at least a foothold with the mob? Prospects as an adventurer looked even sourer than with the Nightcrawlers.

Once back outside, he glared at the sky irritably. For all his dreams of going legit and making it big as an adventurer, it was the deadest end yet. With a resigned expression he wondered how long it would take to get back to Axel on foot, and where he might be able to find some trouble. Too early for drunkards, he mused. The ‘Hyenas’ have been making more noise in the residential district lately. It would be dangerous to stick my neck out when we have so little info, but if I find a couple I could rough ‘em up, rob ‘em blind, and maybe take one back for questionin’. Fat chance they have anything juicy, but who knows. I bet I can get Lars and Glenn to help me. He found himself looking at the happy, smiling face of some cultist-looking guy, and it made him mad. Complacent moron. How do you get to be that old and not know that slavery’s pretty much the only thing worse than this? We're the dregs! At least I have a hole to scurry back to. That was the last straw. Arms crossed, he turned his head this way and that, too pissed off by the whole ordeal to focus on what to do next.

”what do you mean it costs 40 Eris? Just gimme the card!”

“If it’s not paid for it won’t be official, you won’t get any of the benefits from the card as it will be considered stolen from the guild.”

Luna was rather relieved when the goblin let go off her and dropped back to the floor. The small unkempt creature wearing rags, a small harness for her hammer, various poorly made bone and copper jewelry, a dire raccoon’s tail and a completely out of place ruby ring and satchel of books looked up at her in bemusement. She swore she had seen that bag and ring somewhere before.

”...”

There was a pause as the goblin worked all this through in her head. Suffice to say this took a little while but eventually she sighed, her long ears drooping in sadness.

”I didn’t think this through did I”

“You're also a monster in a building that hosts people trained to kill monsters, I suggest you leave before”

At this very moment the door to the guild swung open and a young man who was missing a finger and wearing a floppy red hat with a white feather in it stepped inside, hungry for some breakfast. There was another long moment of silence as the man and goblin stared at eachother in shock. Then the man drew his sword, his face distorting into a picture of fury.

“You!”

”oh bugger”

---

One of the windows of the adventurers guild shatters as a cruddy hammer is flung through it, closely followed by green blur. A moment after Rita lands outside a jet of flames burst through the ruined window, barely missing the goblin lass. Grabbing her hammer with her mouth the goblin scampers away from the enraged mage as fast as she can, running like a dog with a stick in it’s mouth until she breaks line of sight. Once she is shure her pursuer can't see her she scrambles up the side of the buildings and onto the rooftop to hide inside one of the chimneys.

After a few suspenseful minutes she is pretty sure she has lost her pursuer and the soot covered goblin climbs out of the chimney. Then sits down with her back to the chimney, glumly looking over the strange human town she had come to. How was she supposed to get those stupid metal pieces humans valued so much? The book talked about going on quests and such to get them but she couldn’t do that without getting the card. Which she needed Eris to get.

”Gah, why is everything so complicated now! Stupid humans and their stupid rules that make them powerful.”

It was while she was staring over the town that she saw the lake beyond and realised she was A. hungry and B. covered in soot. She should probably solve those problems.

---

A little while later after she had snuck out of the town, washed herself in the lake and managed to surprise a small fish with a well flung hammer (on the 27th try), the slightly damp goblin spotted the group of oddly clad humans (and a few non humans) that were unmistakably adventurers. By their general lack of equipment she guessed maybe they were new at this and so she snuck after them to find out how they were going to be getting money.

What she managed to garner from what the the woman leading the group about said, using her large goblin ears to listen in while hiding in various places like round corners, outside windows and in bushes, was not encouraging. Who would pay a goblin to build or write? Who would consider her a good investment for a loan? Even if she got the adventuring card there was little in the way of that kind of work nearby. In hindsight this should have been obvious, after all she had had to walk for days to get here and up until a month ago she was part of one of those contracts.

At least she wasn’t going to have to pay for lodgings like the humans. The humans and other non humans. The big people. civilized folks. Unlike the Big’uns she was used to living it rough and had no idea as to why they would waste money on things like beds, warm water, cooked food and roofs. The estate was however conveniently far from the town and suitably forested for her to maybe avoid being found by humans while sleeping. A random tree or bush would be perfectly fine lodgings for her.

She stayed hidden in a nearby patch of greenery, ears straining to hear anything else that was said that might be useful, while pondering as to how she would get those 40 Eris. She could maybe try robbing the various new adventurers. That’s how she got the ring after all, thought that was a mixed blessing and curse. Trading her mob for brains was an unwanted bargain that she had yet to see whether it was beneficial or not. These next few weeks would no doubt be telling in that department. That might make her unwanted enemies however. Or get her killed. She was going to need more time to think about this.

Daveon had frequented the city many times with his parents in the past and it was always a beautiful destination to visit, now was no exception to this particular reasoning. Indeed the city was a grand place to begin the tale of adventure for many a new face that dared to seek greater heights in life. Too bad the cost of living was unbelievable. Needing some sort of residence to call his own it had been with great reluctance that Serpenthelm Junior was briskly walking along with the others touring what he would later call 'the ball and chain'.
Having lived on the road a great deal in the last few years the idea of paying to sleep in such an place left a bad taste in the young clerics mouth.
His silence was only to be polite as the tour continued on through the housing.

When at last it was over and the group was allowed to disperse, Daveon offered a simple thank you and promptly departed the large abode. If it would shackle him in debt to take a loan to get started and pay for his Adventurers licence then the choice seemed obvious. Monster quests were not nearly as readily available now as they had been in his fathers time on the road, so that left the option of getting a more mundane job that would squander his training or find a way to make his own money. Thankfully anyone with a skill could always be counted on to make a quick chunk of Eris on the free market by selling goods to vendors.
The problem was what to sell.

As he strolled out of the building and along the dusty trail towards the city proper a multitude of ideas went through his head.

Perhaps I could sign on with a lumber mill. No, that would only leave me with more hardship.

Maybe there is a church that needs a practitioner? Again no. Odds are other adventurers have taken residence to fill that need.

His thoughts occupying his mind fully as the idea of what he could do for money rolled about in various ways, Daveons body was on full auto-pilot to the nearest spot he knew that would prove relaxing and offer him plenty of time to think on this particular dilemma. Down by the riverside about a half hours walk from the nearest bridge, well off the beaten path, was a small clearing along the riverside.

With practiced efficiency Daveon had struck down a few low hanging tree limbs and quietly constructed himself a makeshift lean-to.
Two long sticks ending in a Y had been placed 7 feet apart and deep into the soft soil, the dirt and some rocks packed around it to make sure it would be secure. After that a long piece of wood, arguably the hardest part to find, had been laid across the two branches. More and more sticks piled on in a slant until it was almost like a wall of wood, with more rocks and dirt placed around the bottom to keep it in place. Next was grabbing foliage. long leafed plants and branches were laid across thickly. This was to make sure that if it rained while he slept, he would not suffer too badly for it.
With the forest trees overhead, Daveon honestly doubted he would be troubled even if it DID rain but better to be safe than sorry.

Bedroll unraveled, a campfire pit ringed by heavy stones ready to be lit, and his pack resting nearby, the cleric was ready to brainstorm in comfort.
Right after he took up a proper position of course!

Taking out his skinning knife from the travelers bag he sheared off the ends of a stick until it was fairly sharp. It wasn't going to be pretty but it would work eventually. Daveon took up his position as he tentatively walked into the water. His boots were stashed in his bag on his back along with his pants, so for now he was just in his robes. The river would supply him with dinner, and maybe some extra if a passerby happened upon his little slice of happiness, but the issue of money still danced in the back of his mind. What could someone sell to a merchant that would never be unwanted, easily found, and could be readily supplied without a lot of needless exertion..
Patience played a big roll in spear fishing as he stood motionless in the cold water, the fish swimming by slowly becoming accustomed to his presence.
When one wandered just a little too close.. He would strike.

As Xiang gave the new group of Adventurers a tour around the bunk house, Yuji was making her way back to it, knowing that there would be people there, most of them new arrivals to this city. Yuji didn't even need to be in the bunkhouse to know how Xiang was giving them a tour around the place, as she crested a hill, the sight of her home standing tall gave her a sense of happiness and made her crack a smile before she began trotting then broke out into galloping. While she charged down the hill and towards the front doors, Yuji's mind began to fill with the ideas of the heroes that would be there she didn't think of having mages or rogues in the bunk house she figured they'd be too good for the likes of the place, but the thought of many strong warriors came to the front of her head as she stopped hard enough for her hooves to dig into the dirt road.

Once she opened the front doors, Yuji was surprised by the people there, instead of only warriors, they had a mixed bag of different people with some looking like they were far from fighters. As her hooves met the wooden floors behind of the group, Yuji looked down to the small humans, and other creatures, some of which she didn't think exist, like the Owl man and bird woman. The centaur knew not to judge a person on their appearance it was something they couldn't control, but some people like one of the humans was a knight, like the centaur herself, some of the others were harder to read, but Yuji felt that a majority of them were good people at the end of the day.

Before she announced her presence, the centaur let Xiang continue her grand tour of the bunkhouse, even letting her call it the Yuji estate, something the centaur disliked and made her shake her head. Once the tour wrapped up and Xiang told them to ask her any questions, a person called her "Thicc." something the centaur never really heard before, then asked her if it's possible to stay by the bunk house but not use its beds. Since she was already here, Yuji stepped in to answer the boy." Well, we do have tents and camping supplies, but why would you want to sleep outside Chum?" She asked, with the idea of them having no money going over her head.

Then the idea hit her instantly, and she then noticed that most of the people here might be in a similar position, getting a clue Yuji reached around her back grabbing a large sack sitting on her back, she set it down on the table in front of Xiang." I can see you're new here pal, let me give you a hand." The centaur pulled out forty Eris from the bag and handed it to the young man, after giving him the money the centaur coughed into her fist before speaking out loud." If you have your adventurer card, please present it now!" She crossed her arms and waited for someone to show theirs, but when not a single person showed a card, Yuji grabbed and opened the sack." Everyone, please take the Eris you need in order to get your card."

The centaur knew that her kindness right now would be very expensive in the long run, but she wanted to help these people get on their feet. The money she was handing out was a reward for completing a hunt for an older man. While the hero in Yuji wanted to do this to help the up and coming heroes, the other side knew that she would have them in her pocket paying her money, if not that then have them wanting to give back and paying her more than the money she's giving." Please, take it, I would've if someone offered me the money for my card." She flashed them a motherly and caring smile.

𝓠𝓾𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓵

A few moments passed while Quarel tried to distract himself from his ire. He stood still with his arms crossed and cycled through everything he could see in order to calm down, turning only his neck. Naturally, the strigiforme's glinting eyes fell on those around him, and for the first time to gave the other foolish hopefuls a good look.

One, skinny and garbed in robes as flowing as his dark hair, gave off the impression of a mage, but having heard him talk, Quarel likened him more to a costumed student. He possessed none of the reservation, pomp, or mystique that one might expect of a wizard. Then again, he looked young -as best Quarel, with his limited experience with humans, could guess- so maybe he didn't know any better.

Not too far away, but on his way out in a rather amusing anticipation of Quarel's own intentions, was s staff-bearing individual garbed in a unique mix of robes and armor. Not an inch of his skin was visible, so while Quarel assumed he was human given his general shape, nothing could be said for sure. What he could discern, however, was that in only a few moments the stiff, well-clothed man would be out of sight beyond a riverside copse. What a fascinatin' fellow. No hello, no goodbye...guess he likes his own company. Armor meant wealth, but a staff meant a cleric. Didn't he know that well-to-do healers plus lonely roads equals bandits? Don't wait up, sir, but I'll be on your tail. On second thought...if he was walking away from this scene, it seemed very doubtful that he could cough up much for any thieving marauders. Drat. I'm so mad, I'm not thinking straight. He resumed his omnidirectional watch

Onto the scene trotted someone new and, to Quarel, very strange and unusual. With long, blonde hair, fair skin, and a distinct weak spot in her steel cuirass that left her heart dangerously unprotected -perhaps baring skin in such a way is customary for females of this region?- she appeared human...from the waist up, at least. Below the belt, this woman had the body of a horse, her torso emerging from where one's neck would normally be. The sight befuddled and amazed Quarel, and he didn't like the sensation. What in the world? What is this freakish combination of human and animal? Pick one or the other, dammit. He fixated upon the sack slung over her 'back', whose soft clinking noises suggested the presence of an attention-grabbing amount of coin. Its owner seemed intent on butting in now that Xiang's show was over, and the look in Quarel's eyes warned her that she wouldn't be spared his irritation if she disturbed him while he was busy being upset. Eyes narrow, he watched as she traded a few words with the sappy necromancer, but all of a sudden she reached back for her bag of treasure, brought it forward, and withdrew a handful of money she held out to Shiroe without hesitation.

Quarel's brow-tufts shot up. What. His mind raced with questions, as well as a pointed anger at himself for not paying attention to what he was asking, and like everyone else he stared at Yuji as she asked for everyone to produce their 'adventurer cards'. Not having a clue what she meant, but desperately wanting to, Quarel followed by his first instinct to rummage around in his pockets, pretending he was looking for something. A moment later, though, the centaur seemed to come to a realization, and after plopping down the sack of cash she invited everyone present to take as much as they needed to get a card.

A lot ran through the strigiforme's mind in the instant that followed. The hubbub between his eartufts included, it's about time!, music to my ears!, how interesting and of course, yesyesyesyesyes. In the end, he stepped forward with a comical lack of hesitation and with a “Don't mind if I do,” made his withdrawal. A look of thankfulness came over his face as he stepped away again, but he stopped well short of fawning. It didn't take a genius to know that money was the manipulator among manipulators, spent to buy favor as easily as food or fine things, and he wondered what agenda this horselady had in mind. Then again, not even the Nightcrawlers' bosses played money games with their underlings; it was a waste of resources, and these mobsters were more businessmen than sadists. Smiles could be faked, but Yuji's looked real, even if Quarel couldn't say he ha much experience with human faces. He decided to incline his head in a polite bow, and to say, “Your generosity will not go unremembered.”

Of course, remembering a good deed and paying it back were two different things. Quarel had no intention of reimbursing his benefactor. She'd made the decision to throw her money away to this gaggle of misfits, so he figured she had more where that came from. Yuji lacked the sharpness in her eyes, the gauntness in her face, the forward, seeking bend of the body—she did not share his hunger. He did not resent her, but he felt no urge to put on the mask of an altruist for a lucky bolt out of the blue.

So, he was to buy an adventurer card. The temptation to put these fortunate funds elsewhere was not insignificant, but the gift had weighed on his indecisive mind and started to tip the scales. Even if it looked like a dead end, he could give this adventuring thing a try. That much he could do in gratitude, at least. There was only one small problem. “So, Miss. Where might a poor lad purchase such a card?” After all, Xiang hadn't mentioned any specific headquarters building for Axel's adventuring folk.

Bella was torn by the display of the amenities available at the Estate. On one hand, they were obscenely expensive by her reckoning, and staying here would drive her further into debt, and delay her return to the coven. On the other hand, she and her sisters survived in the forest by relying on each other, and she did not have the skills and resources to live off the land on her own. So for now, Bella decided that she would mull it over and come to a conclusion by the evening.

That led into other issues, such as where she would be getting the money. She wasn't particularly strong in the body, so manual labor would mostly just exhaust and weaken her. Her skills with herbs and magic weren't to be overlooked, but being a witch from the wilds, most people in Axel didn't even deign to speak to her, much less hire her to perform such skillful and sensitive work.

However, the centaur's offering of funds to begin an adventuring career was readily accepted. Bella eagerly took the forty eris, pocketing it away to use at her next opportunity. Even if all else failed and she adventuring wasn't the lucrative experience that she was imagining, she was still forty eris richer than she had been a minute ago.

It was while Rita was pondering how to get money for her card that the strangest thing arrived. Rita had seen horses before, she had seen humans, she had never seen this odd combination of the two. Was it a half breed or some mad mages creation. She was not sure why either creation method would occur. How would the former even work.

Rita was thankfully pulled out of her train of thought by the horse lady pulling out a bag and offering money for people to get adventurer cards. It was like they the universe was taunting her with easy solutions to problems then adding massive roadblocks in the way. Maybe she could disguise herself as a short human by stealing bed sheets and making a robe?

Wait. Where did the bush go?

It was at this point Rita’s conscious mind caught up with the fact that she was making a beeline for the bag. She hadn’t quite got the hang of this whole thinking about things before she acted deal yet. As a result the hyper aggressive bit of her goblin mind had seen a thing she wanted and had got her body to charge it without consulting the more logical part that was taking advantage of the ring’s stat boost.

The wee goblin committed to her course of action, her cover now blown anyway and increased her scampering pase. She crossing the space between her hiding spot and the horse lady in 3 seconds, dodging through the legs of the Big’uns as she went before leaping up past the bag, plunging a tiny hand inside and grabbing as many coins as she could manage.

If the jumping were viewed in slow motion it would be seen that the goblin approached from the side of Yuji, then leaped in a flip so that she passed by the woman's field of view upside down, a toothy reckless grin on her face, as she plunged her hand down into the bag and withdrew some coins before landing nimbly on her feet.

”Thankyouverymuchgoobye!”

She shouted as she flew through the air. Then, carrying her momentum from the run-up and leap, she attempted a get away, sprinting for the closest embankment that lead to the lake, intending to lose any of her armored pursuers in the lake's waters or the surrounding foliage. She had shoved the random coins into the waterproof satchel and was running on all fours again, clawed hands and feet digging into the ground as she fled.

”I’ll pay you back later!”

If unhindered she would cannonball into the lakes shimmering waters and make for the closest heavily foliage area along the shore.

Light.

Then falling.

Then pain.

Lot's and lot's of pain. Like, fuck man.

Anna awoke with a start in the fields outside of Axel. It was as if she had been simply shoved out that strange room when that slyly smiling goddess "granted" her one wish to come to this strange fantasy world. Sitting up with a grown, her body seem to feel sore all over. Her eyes squinted at the sun shining high in the sky as she pulled herself to her feet, rubbing her head. "God damn... Wasn't expecting this whole reincarnation thing to hurt so much.... Gah.. even my head feels dizz...."

Her hand stopped, resting on something foreign. Very carefully, she traced the strange new.... feature on her head. Quickly looking around, she spotted a small pond nearby. Rushing over, she soon learned why she felt so sore.

The Anna she had known was nearly gone. Her hair was longer, with tiny white highlights. But more importantly, she saw the two small wings on her head, and the larger... much larger wings and a tail on her back. Carefully and slowly, she tested her new found... features. The wings gently flapped upon command, her tail angling up and down, and it seemed that her headwings could slightly tilt and twist. It was surreal, truly to move and feel the wind and air on her wings. In fact, her headwings seemed to be particularly sensitive to touch and the wind. For moment, she wondered why she had been reincarnated with these new wings and tail, but then it hit her.

"...Really? So that goddess decided to go all 'Monkey's Paw' on me with my wish? Wonderful... Well I hope that the people of this world are used to bird people. Or I'm gonna have a lot harder of a time defeating this devil king."

---

"Huh, guess they really don't have a problem, considering there is a literal owl person not a few feet away."

Anna was standing with a group of new, wanna be adventures. It was already off to a bad start when it was quickly revealed that there was little in the way for work for adventures, all the local monsters hunted into extinction and what not, as well as the pricing of the lodging house being steep. To top it all off, to even become an adventure, you needed 40 Eris, which, as Anna had learned, was the running currency... something she had none of. With a sigh, with not discourage, she was about to leave to find work, when suddenly a centaur offered some charity. Anna quickly got in... okay it was more a semi-organize mob of essentially medieval hobos as oppose to a line, and quickly accepted the generous gift.

"Thank you so much!" Anna said upon grabbing the needed 40 Eris to become an "adventure", whatever that constituted. She was about ask if the horse lady was from around here, as she intended to give back the first 40 Eris she earns from a quest to this kind soul, but alas, with the other adventure hobos pushing past, Anna sighed and decided to back off for a second and let the crowd dissipate before asking again.

"Ah, so many questions, so little time!" Xiang said with a chipper tone. She was no stranger to people giving her cute little nicknames, and these people seem so fresh they're practically premature. First she answered the mage looking man (Shiroe). "Not sure! I can certainly see the appeal of sleeping out in this lovely countryside, but it tends to be a bit dangerous at night. The undead, vampire bats, and wilderness golems tends to prowl the countryside. They aren't a real menace and usually know better than to get close to the bunk house, but if they see easy prey I'm sure they'll take a bite! On the bright side, this would give you a good chance to experience what it's like to fight monsters, since other monsters tend to stay even further away from the city." Fran remembered fondly her times trying to slum it outside the city. She figured it was better than sleeping in the streets, but that was just a social stigma. Out here in the countryside, monsters roamed the night, and even places like farms weren't safe. Not only did the produce fight for their lives but sometimes wild monsters or animals would just wander around looking for an easy meal. And either way, city or country, it was still going to be cold.

As for Shiroe's next question Xiang rubbed her head. "Sowwy. I don't know. I've certainly taken quests from professors and other students at the college before, so I guess they might have a job for you. But officially? None that I can think of. Still it's a nice way to earn pay and usually pretty harmless. They usually just want you to gather some ingredients for them, though some of the more exciting professors may allow you to be part of their experiments!" Xiang had a lot of fun experimenting with different types of polymorphing spells. She only had to be a rock for 67 hours! It was a very enlightening experience. Glancing over at Shiroe and his card however, Xiang noticed something off. She didn't really bother looking closer or explaining and instead just blurted it out. "That card's fake. If you had negative stats that would mean you're dead! Even negative luck would be something super unlucky would've happened to you, like the moon losing a bit of it self and on the the rocks landing on your face and killing you!" Xiang has seen this happen before when someone was cursed with a Luck of -1. He should have just given the old lady his bread.

Soon after the noble owner of the estate had arrived. Yuji was kind enough to let a succubus take up residence in her home for a slightly reduced price if she did favors for Yuji. Unfortunately those favors weren't sexual, simply Xiang doing some chores around the house and handling things like tours. Still, 180 Eris a month was a good deal. Yuji was so kind and caring in fact, one of the first things she did before introducing herself was give everyone some money to buy their adventuring cards. "Aw Yuji, you're a saint! If Eris saw you now she'd let you be one of her angels!" Xiang went over to Yuji to hug her just as a the owl man asked Xiang a question. "The Adventuring Guild Hall of course! You can't miss it, it's at the center of town with this big symbol on it." Raising her hand into the air Xiang used a Silent Image to create the guild emblem for all to see. "Just follow those signs and you'll reach the place in no time."

Just then there was a disturbance in the water afar. Rita and Daveon would be the first to notice, Rita more so as it came directly at her. it was a Giant Toad! Or rather, a large-sized toad. It must have been a juvenile since it wasn't as huge as adult Giant Toads were. Still big enough to swallow Rita whole. And the trouble was that it wasn't just one, but a pack of four toads! Xiang noticed this and pointed it out to the others. "Hey look everyone, Giant Toads! Well, more like Large Toads. They must be adolescence, they're usually bigger than that. Still some one must be going for a swim, they usually aren't this frenzied unless they see prey!"

One of the toads went after Rita, his tongue not quite developed enough to shoot out a far distance, but he was still a fast swimmer. Much faster than Rita. Two more toads approached Daveon's camp, originally hunting fish but deciding to go after a more filling meal. One of the toads charged right towards him while another jumped twenty feet over Daveon to land behind him. In his camp. All 400 pounds of blue toad landing into the forest where Daveon had left his things. One more toad was coasting along the pier near the bunk house just watching. She knew better than to get close to the Bunk House knowing the dangers there, but she also wanted to see if anyone would be foolish enough to run into the water and be an easy meal for her.

@Spriggs27@Lugubrious@Skepic@Heckno12@ClocktowerEchos@Lunarlors34@DracoLunaris@Bishop@Dead Cruiser

"The clouds sure are pretty today." Anemone thought, the purple haired girl seeming to be far more interested with the sky above rather than the scantily clad crimson demon clan member. The estate that she was touring wasn't overly impressive, well not by the standards of the one she lived in with her family anyway.
Ooh, a cloud in the shape of a dragon. Oh! And one in the shape of a coronet!
Anemone continued to study the shapes of the clouds passing overhead before her face connecting with a doorway soon snapped her out of her daze. Due to her carelessness of looking up, walking forward and not paying a single bit of attention to what was before her Anemone had walked into the door-frame of the estate as the tour had moved indoors.
Having not even noticed and simply walking with the group, she now took a moment to hold her head and quickly inspect it for any injuries.
Besides a rather sizable bump on her forehead, it would seem like her pride was the biggest injury out of this. Well, unless she had a concussion.
Luckily though she had been out the back of the group, so it was unlikely anyone had noticed her. Hopefully. Maybe.
......
The tour concluded without Anemone walking into anything else, though she did feel a little dizzy now and had simply been stumbling about at the back of the group. Maybe she did have a concussion from walking into that door-frame, she couldn't really walk straight as the world seemed to be spinning around her.
As one might believe, that was kinda disorientating and making it difficult to move around. Thankfully though it would seem that the tour was over, meaning she had a chance to sit down and take a breather. She really couldn't care less about this lesser noble level accommodation, but it was certainly better than any of the alternatives in the area. Though she didn't have a clue if 200 eris, or 10 eris, was of any great concern. It seemed rather easy enough to afford.
At least, those were her thoughts till she heard the succubus mention that there were no adventuring jobs in the area, causing the spoiled girl to pause for a moment. No adventuring jobs?
Then what the hell was she even here for? She had come here to become an adventurer, to restore her family name, which she had ruined, and to enjoy all the privileges that came with being a hero. Yet, even though she had considered living in this pathetic stable, there were no jobs?
This was a waste of time. Anemone went to stand up, a little too quickly however as she soon found herself flat on her face but not having the motivation to pick herself up, even with the presence of free money. Money was worthless to her.
All she wanted to do was stab things. Was that so bloody bad?
It wasn't till she once again heard the loud voice of the succubus that she began getting back to her feet. A giant toad you say?
Finally! Something to slay!

𝓠𝓾𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓵

@Dead Cruiser @Bishop @DracoLunaris @Lunarlors34 @Heckno12 @Skepic @Zelosse

A symbol bloomed in the air that, according to Xiang, signified the Adventurers Guild to which this merry bunch of bozos would be headed in hopes of finding work. The sight of it solidified the urge in Quarel's mind, and he gave a curt nod of acknowledgment both to the succubus and to himself. Even if this road didn't look promising, he'd give it a try. He watched the others grab their gift as well, some with about the same lack of reservation as he, and almost smiled to himself. One, a young female human with a spellcaster's air about her, seemed both quiet and contemplative. Those, in combination with a disdain for the rather foolish notion of playing the selfless hero, made for a decent impression in his eyes. After all, a real goody two-shoes would refuse the generous offering, determined to live off his or her heroic determination, perhaps.

From the underbrush sprang a small green creature who, Quarel was able to discern with glittering eyes also appeared to be a scantily-clad female, nabbed an indiscriminate amount of money from the bag and sprinted off. He wondered why Yuji just let that happen; could it really be that she had an innocent, generous spirit? Of course, the goblin offered to pay her back, but Quarel assumed it to be less of a grateful guarantee and more of a ploy to throw off pursuit, and obviously it didn't factor into the centaur's decision anyway.

Ploosh

Quarel snickered, his expression hidden by the feathers that made his mouth imperceptible. Good luck with that. With Rita out of the area, the strigiforme happened to lay eyes on a fellow feathered person a few feet away, who stood apart from the crowd with her new wealth just as he didd. His brow-tufts furrowed. “Hmm.” A human with a bird tail and wings on her hips? How odd. It seemed terribly unlikely that such a bizarre physiology could ever achieve the lift and stability necessary for flight. Of course, Quarel wasn't one to talk, coming from a species of flightless birds himself. The reminder turned his gaze sour.

The bandit's bitterness fell to the wayside, however, as a warty head breached the surface of the nearby lake. He scrutinized the beast as it rose, noting that it appeared to be a Giant Toad. Then again, it didn't seem quite 'giant' enough...maybe 'Large Toad' suited it better. He could not help but recall the fact that strigiformes such as he ate frogs on occasion, but this mottled monster looked pretty inedible. “Shame,” he muttered aloud. “Could feed a brood for a week or two if it didn't spoil.” Xiang's comment made him wonder if these fetid freaks had the audacity to think of him, a being by all rights higher in the food chain, as potential prey. Some appeared to be heading in the direction Daveon went. Noting the silence, Quarel craned his neck to look around, and to his surprise nobody seemed to be in a hurry to do anything. One -the prissy-looking girl he, having been at the back of the group, had seen run into a doorframe- looked eager for a little violence, but nobody else had so much as moved. In fact, everyone seemed more or less unhappy and unmotivated.

Something clicked in Quarel's mind, prompting him to sigh. A plan came to mind, and with a flourish he drew his knives. Their alloy surfaces sparkled in the morning light, and without delay the bandit struck them together.

CLANG! CLANG!

“Alright, losers!” he hollered. “Looks like we've got some amphibious asshats who feel like makin' this crappy morning even crappier. Things might not look bright in the long run, but we're in this together, so let's let off a little steam and dice this pond scum up. Let's show 'em what we can do, come on!” Of course, words were seldom enough, but Quarel came prepared to make a spectacle. His legs tenses, and the next instant he sprinted forward before leaping into the air. Light weight and developed muscles made for a serious jump, and with pretty good precision Quarel soared through the air. Inverting his blades, he dove down toward the toad by the pier, aiming to land on it and buy his blades in its eyes.

In the back of his head, he knew the stunt was stupid and would probably end with him in the water, but if it got the others moving he was doing his job.

Rita was beside herself with glee, the horse lady had yet to respond to her dashing in and she was convinced she had managed a clean getaway as she skidded down the embankment to the water's edge. Diving in and heading out into the blue, she charted a course straight to the adventurer's guild with her new coins. She was going to make it, she was going to become more powerful than any goblin could have possibly imagine! Wait. what were those shapes moving towards her?

”oh crud, those weren't there earlier!”

The problem with being a goblin, the one she was becoming an adventurer to try and alleviate, was you were at the near the bottom of the monster food chain, just above squirrels in fact, and these toads had just spotted a tasty looking green morsel in their territory.

There was only one reasonable response to this and it was splashing back to the shore as quickly as possible.

”ahhhhh!”

While screaming.

Rita’s panicked paddling brought her to the shoreline just in time to watch in awe as the owlman threw himself at one of the toads. She had completely forgotten about the adventurers and was now stuck between two of her natural predators.

Bad!

Bad!

So very bad!

Faced with death by toad on one side and death by various stabby things on the other Rita saw only one course of action. She had to blend in with the suicidally confidant Big’uns. She turned to face the incoming hungry amphibian and drew her hammer, crouching low, ready to leap to the side when it tried to grab her.

”Come and have a go then, you warty toad! I’ll bash your head in I will! Waaagh!”

She shouted with little confidence.

Anemone had finally steadied herself once more, eager to get into the thick of the action when she briskly covered her ears. Just what did this overgrown chicken think he was doing? Suddenly clanging together metal like that, and so damned loud too!
Of course, he was actually an owl not a chicken but they might as well be the same to the purple haired girl as she gave him a sharp look. Losers? She was no loser, she was a Fulgur! An elite amongst elites!
And she would be damned if this ruffian showed her up.
As if to show her excitement, a small amount of electricity sparked off of her now clenched fists as she got into a semi-crouched stance. Letting off a few more sparks, she released the electricity she had been generating in her legs in one, large burst. To the untrained eye, so pretty much everyone bar Yuji and Xiang, she just seemed to turn into a lightning bolt that came roaring past Quarel and Rita, and slamming into the head of the toad chasing the small goblin. Really she had just been going that fast that that was all the inexperienced eyes of her fellow novice adventurers saw. But it did contain, one small catch.
It hadn't been her intention to slam into the toad, she just couldn't apply the brakes remotely in time. You see...she could move fast, but turning and braking were completely different matters.
Bouncing rather harmlessly (well, to the toad) off of the toads head after probably dealing absolutely no damage, she flipped over the toad and skidded rather ungracefully across the water, facefirst mind you, much like one would skip a rock. She would stop about halfway across the lake before sinking like a rock, a few air bubbles coming to the surface the only sign that she was still even alive.
Though she wished she wasn't after that shameful display.

Xiang watched the adventurers spring into action, clapping at their eagerness. "Woohoo! Always good to see young adventurers spring into action! Xiang was tempted to jump in and help, but she wanted to see what these people were capable of. She still took out her sword and got ready however, wings spreading from her back. "Don't do too much damage! We'll have frog for dinner tonight!" Xiang took to the sky to observe the battle, taking note that in the distance someone else was getting attacked by giant toads too. She made a note to check on him since it seemed like he was by himself.

The toads reacted. The toad near the pier that was Quarel's quarry opened it's mouth wide, shooting it's long, sticky tongue right at the owl man. Should Quarel attempt to cut at the tongue, he'd find it much sturdier than one would expect; while his blades would cause the tongue to blood, it'll take much more force to slice the tongue clean in half. And should he fail to free himself soon, Quarrel would find himself inside the toad's mouth. Fortunately instead of teeth, the toad would simply begin crushing Quarrel with it's powerful jaw muscles. Which hurts about as bad as being beaten with hammers.

Meahwhile Rita's toad charged right at her. It leapt into the air with a mighty leap, expanding it's body to at least double it's size. So large that Rita's side-step wouldn't be enough to avoid being crushed underneath the toad's massive girth. Fortunately for her Anemone blitzed in and rescued her, albeit somewhat unintentionally. The toad was knocked back by the force of the blow and landed back into the water slightly dazed. It took a moment for the toad to regain it's barrings, which would give anyone just a moment to act while the toad's defense was down.

Meanwhile at Daveon's camp the two toads would proceed to launch their long sticky tongues at him, one aiming for his body and another at his legs. The charging toad would continue his charge regardless if he managed to strike Daveon with it's tongue, eventually crashing into the toad behind Daveon. With any luck he could react quickly enough to avoid both beasts, otherwise he'd find himself trapped between two very large, very hungry amphibians.

@Spriggs27@Lugubrious@Skepic@Heckno12@Zelosse@Lunarlors34@DracoLunaris@Bishop@Dead Cruiser

Rita simply stared in disbelief, her eyes as wide as saucers, ears drooping her once threateningly raised hammer falling to the ground, as the toad launched itself into the air and from her perspective seemed to expanded to twice its original size.

”I didn’t think this through”

She whimpers with an air of finality just before a bolt of lightning appears out of nowhere, slamming into her impending doom and knocking it of course. Bizarrely the bolt appeared to have been a human all along as a fancily dressed young lady plummeted into the water along with her target.

She shook off her surprise in an instant, gripping her hammer in two hands and charging recklessly towards the beast, leaping an impressive distance into the air and clobbering the toad on the noggin with an flying overhead strike with her hammer. After landing onto of the beast she raised her hammer again in preparation to deliver a thorough beating, but briefly paused and called to the human.

”Thanks for saving my skin lady”

It was at this point she noticed that her savior had not resurfaced and in the place she had landed there was only a stream of bubbles. It was probably a really bad thing to let someone who saved your life die so Rita, after quickly holstering her hammer, jumped off of the dazed creature and into the water again. Wither her small but disproportionately powerful limbs she swam down into the depths after the bubbles, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman so she cold help her resurface.

Anemone contemplated life as she sank, wondering briefly as to where she had gone wrong in that she could mess up that badly. But there was another reason as to why she was sinking, she simply had stopped moving. Not because she was hurt from the impact, nor was she tired from running full speed at the frog.
She was instead taking a moment to recharge the electricity she had used to move like that. It wasn't a huge deal since she hadn't done much but run in a dead-straight line over a fair distance, but it was still enough for concern if she wanted to fight this thing. Besides, it seemed like it wasn't coming after her and if there was something she had learnt so far; it was during a fight, a moment to rest was too rare to pass up.
Though she was a little worried by how far she had sunk. Her armour wasn't that heavy, was it? It was really only quarter armour, at best, to be honest but still. Jeez.
Reaching onto her back, she unclipped the pike she always kept strapped there and now straightened herself up. A small amount of electricty sparked off of her, but it wasn't enough for the sheer volume of water around her to be effected.
The next moment, Rita would feel an incredible rush of water shoot past and knock her off-course as Anemone rocketed back up and aimed herself straight at the back of the toad, pike out in front to impale it with the sheer force of her takeoff and speed.
But if impacted upon, the result probably wouldn't be too different. She would bounce off and skid back across the lake, though this time a lot more gracefully, but her pike would become embedded in the toads flesh.
For what it was worth anyway, it might be akin to a really bad splinter or maybe being stabbed by a stick but it would still hopefully hurt the oversized bastard!

𝓠𝓾𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓵

@DracoLunaris @Lunarlors34@Lucius Cypher

Like the lid of a chest being thrown open, Quarel's intended target opened wide its rubbery mouth and shot its tongue at him. Idiot, he concluded as the sticky pink tendril zoomed toward him. I was coming that way anyway, and now you're gonna get cut. He held one arm in its path, and dutifully the tongue latched on. With very little delay it began to pull, throwing him off and preventing a good overhead chop. When the strigiforme's blade struck the tongue, it was at a bad angle, and without enough power to cut very deep at all. Knowing he wouldn't get a second chance, Quarel gritted his teeth as the monster reeled him in, and its jaws snapped shut on him almost as string as a bear trap. Unfortunately for it, the toad wasn't giant enough to fit him completely, and the bottom third of his body poked out from between its warty lips. For his head, however, the world had gone dark and slimy, and despite its age and small size the toad turned out to possess quite the set of jaw muscles after all. Its squeeze nearly caused Quarel's eyes to bug out, and he couldn't stop himself from shouting in pain. Another feeling assailed him, though—the familiar sensation of adrenaline surged through his veins, just as it did whenever he, having gotten into a fight, realized that his opponent intended to kill him.

Quarel turned his cry of pain into one of rage, and with a strength enhanced by fear and anger used his free hand to shove his knife into the soft skin on the roof of the toad's mouth. Yanking back his captured hand, he ripped into the tongue with his sharp beak. Now that it had done its job pulling prey into the toad's mouth, the tongue muscles had gone slack, and he was able to shred it badly enough to essentially free his second hand. Into the bottom jaw went the second knive, with a splash of gooey blood and a meaty shluck. All that remained then was to push, but to his chagrin Quarel found his strength unable to repel the oppressive, bone-bruising force of the toad's jaws. Clocked into overdrive by the chemicals pouring through him, Quarel's mind found and in an instant accepted that there was only one thing to do. Groaning, he pulled his legs inside the mouth and performed, to the best of his ability, a split. His well-developed leg muscles went to work trying to pry open the toad's mouth, while he used his hands to more deeply embed his knives in the toad's flesh. He'd reached the limit of what he could do; all that was left was to test his energy and endurance, and see whether the owl or the amphibian would come out on top. For the first time, he wondered why nobody else was helping. Between his incomprehensible effort noises, he mused, Guess I'm not...as good a motivator...as I thought!

Over half a dozen fish had been speared out of the shallows before Daveon had left the uncomfortable feeling of cold water flowing against his exposed legs and returned to his camp to dry off and put on his leg armor again, since you could never be too careful. Fish wrapped in a damp cloth by his unlit firepit, Daveon struck the sharpened stick into the soft dirt and took embraced his staff out of habit. It was his anchor in an otherwise unfamiliar sensation of uncertainty. There truly was nothing he could think of to make money.

Perhaps it would be better to travel to where the monsters had gone off to and hope for an opportunity to strike up some coin.

Plans changed based on new information.. The stomp of something heavy brought him out of the timid thoughts of a simple man and into the trained reactions of a warrior like his father.
Scooping up the damp fish sack in one hand he turned swiftly on his heel to bring the sack up, blocking the toad aiming for his chest. The mucus coated tongue hit the fish pouch and retracted, tearing it and his dinner along with into the creatures waiting maw. There would be time to mourn that later..
The noise now at his back didn't leave much time to think of his next move so Daveon simply jumped to the side, blissfully unaware of how close the toads tongue had come to striking him in what some might call a potentially fatal lick.
With no other options and the two briefly dealt with the plan was set; kill the frogs, eat them, catch more fish.

Getting to his feet, Daveon prepared to meet the beasts head on.. Though he was positive this ended badly for him. His staff functioned as a mace on one side and a sort of spear on the butt end, but these things were massive. Odds are the mace end would prove ineffective if it did not strike hard against an area of thin flesh..

"Maybe next time I camp out closer to town.. Damn frogs." Daveon mumbled under his breath.