[h2][center]Byron Cauna[/center][/h2]
The beastman glanced at Malachi as the older man began to panic and simply let out a sigh. He was not wholly dismissive of the half-elf's panic; no, there was some part of him that was also gnawing away at the back of his mind, asking if this was really the right decision. But all the young man could do now was rationalize that decision—that, if he had stayed behind, he might have been made an example of, and his family might have followed suit.

But it was definitely too late for any regrets now, after the deed had been done.

Aerarius' own comments were a sound suggestion to Byron, and he nodded in agreement. Had the old sage been in his [i]usual[/i] condition, it might have proven just as well to pose as an old hermit and his disciple, emerging from the mountains after years of ascetic training. Something to that degree might have been plausible, and it would mean that he wouldn't be wandering into town without direct support.

"That makes enough sense. I guess we should count it a blessing that there weren't any assassins to try and assassinate us the second we stepped out," he remarked, nodding his head in agreement. "While I'd be a bit more willing to scout ahead, the old man down there doesn't seem to want to wait. I'm going to follow and make sure they don't cause too much of a panic; I'll regroup with you in a bit."

Opting to slide down the mountainside to catch up with the others as they moved off towards the town, Byron quickly made his way to the front of the group before deciding to start walking again.

"I'll take point here; as Aerarius pointed out before I got here, everyone else stands out a bit [i]too[/i] much for people who just popped out of nowhere," he said, making sure to not fall behind the half-elf in doing so. "I'm going to see if we need to con or bribe our way in first, though given how the place looked, I'm not sure how necessary that will be."

[hr]
The town itself seemed to have the most basic of fortifications at first glance, which caused Byron to frown in mild concern as he pressed forward ahead of the group. There were a pair of guards at the gate closest to them, which itself seemed to lead to a worn dirt path into the forest. It was certainly not the most impressive display of military might, given that their equipment seemed vastly inferior to anything that he had seen even among the rank-and-file soldiers of the Alliance, but at the very least it meant that they might be easier to convince without further issue.

As soon as he stepped onto the path and began walking towards the gate, though, the two guards—one male, one female, upon closer inspection—seemed to straighten their backs and stood at attention.

"Welcome to the town of Lefine!" the man said, almost as if reciting from a script. "Are you and your... Er... Companions over there... Adventurers, by any chance?"

[i]"Adventurers? What sort of asinine response—actually, no, this is something I can use."[/i]

"Mmm... I guess you could call us something like that? We're more freelancers, though, and we kind of... Got lost a while ago. Lefine, was it? Do you mind if we enter?"

"Well, the entry tax is five copper per person if you're adventurers or merchants, but since you don't have IDs, it should be forty copper for the four of you," the girl responded. There was a brief pause (and a bit of wide-eyed staring) as Byron pulled out a single silver coin from his pouch and handed it off to the female guard.

"I really don't feel like waiting any longer to explore this fine place, so you two can keep the change," he said, leaving the slack-jawed guards behind as he walked back to the group. Their reaction, of course, was not lost on him, but it was probably better that he had paid a silver coin rather than fishing for nonexistent copper pieces instead.

All things considered, it would probably come back to bite him later—doubly so given that neither of the guards were paying as much attention to the other people with him as they were the coin that they had been handed. Gauging their reactions as ones of confusion and mild worry, Byron took the chance to move ahead and push his luck a little bit.

"Well, I assume there are no problems here, correct? Or are my companions unwelcome here?"

"Oh, no, nothing of the sort, good sir!" the man said, the arm holding his spear visibly shaking as he spoke.

[i]"Good sir? I don't like the sound of that."[/i]

"Most certainly not! P-please, by all means, explore our humble home to your heart's content!" the girl followed, with both soldiers now moving to the side to allow them to pass.

With a somewhat forced smile, Byron simply nodded and walked forward, the rest of the group following close behind.

"Okay, that worked, but I'm not sure if I like the outcome. You three should probably split up and try to gather some more information; let's meet at the town square over there once you're done."

[@Rune_Alchemist][@Raineh Daze][@Lugubrious][@Crimson Paladin][@VitaVitaAR]