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The ranger openly frowned at the sight of his party mates savenging their fellow Silver Moon soldiers. The act itself was necessary, Oscar knew full well that weapons and equipment would be better utilized by the living rather than the dead and may full well help save a life, but the act in itself did not sit well with him. He did not voice his discontent with the actions done, but simply walked back to the carriage and leaned upon its side while he awaited his companions to finish their grim task before they, once again, set off into the cold and unforgiving wilderness.

The small priestess was the first to return to the carriage, quiet and a sullen look on her face. One didn't need to be a psychologist to recognize that what transpired would have a lasting effect on the young girl. Oscar approaches her and takes a seat beside her. There was a few moments of silence shared between the two. But after thinking for a brief moment, the ranger decides to talk to the crestfallen priestess. Hoping, that in a way, he could relieve the burden that was never meant to be carried by a child. [color=orange]"You did a fine job back there, Katya. If I hadn't known better, I'd say you were an experienced priest."[/color] Oscar tried to smile but couldn't manage to even give a smirk; he knew it would come out forced. None of them were happy about this occurrence, most especially Katya considering her age and this being her first-ever adventure. [color=orange]"I...I know that you feel sad, but what you did for them? They're grateful for it."[/color] Oscar gestures to the ash, gently being blown away by the wind. [color=orange]"They're free now. They don't have to suffer anymore...and that's because of you, Katya. You helped them find rest. You helped them find peace."[/color] The thought garners a genuine smile from the ranger. [color=orange]"As expected from the bestest priestess the party has."[/color] Oscar hops off from his seat beside Katya and asks her to look at him in the eyes. [color=orange]"Katya, just remember. Things may seem hard now, but it gets easier."[/color] He echoed the words of his mentor when he just began training to become a ranger. [color=orange]"Everyday it gets a little easier, but you gotta believe that it gets easier everyday. That's the hard part."[/color] Oscar takes off his favorite wide-brimmed hat and sets it upon her head before giving her an award-winning grin. [color=orange]"But it does get easier."[/color]

And with that, the ranger returned to his position beside the priestess and regales her the tales of his adventures. Some when he went solo, some when he joined Renauld's old party, and others when he joined other parties...well...modified stories he found appropriate to share with the priestess where he left out the more tragic or gory parts of the story. This regaling lasted until they needed to go.
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The whole trip was terrible. From what Oscar could surmise, everyone was having an absolutely horrid time. His arse felt every little pebble the snow-covered road had. And to make matters even worse, the carriage nearly lost a wheel when the load proved too great a burden for the ice they traversed. He could still feel his pulse race when he thought about it. The night was creeping in, and the frost slowly building up on his facial hair was signs that the temperature would soon be an issue if they don't find a place covered enough to camp again without risk of freezing to death.

This wasn't about the money anymore. This was simply trying to survive long enough to get back to the city alive. To make matters worse, something smelled terrible. Oscar thought that his party mates affected by the fecal matter flinging aboms had long washed themselves of the foul-smelling substance. It was so bad that even the frost accumulating on his facial hair started to melt. Wait. What? It was then the ranger was sent back to reality and soon realized that the stench was coming from a warm and misty place. It was the hot springs the knightess had mentioned! They were close, they could literally feel and smell it. Soon they could hear the bubbling sounds and felt the humidity dampening their hair. Katya had hopped off and ran towards the hot spring. It was refreshing to see that the little priestess had returned to her more jovial state.

[i]Splash![/i]

Then something entered the spring waters. The whole party froze in their tracks as they did not expect this to happen. This was supposed to be their break. But there was something or someone in the spring and they could not visually identify from this distance. The mist from the spring made it even more difficult to discern if this was a friend or a foe. Oscar let go of the reigns and slowly brought out his bow and nocked an arrow ready to be let loose to the silhouette. Katya was still a significant distance ahead of them when they had stopped. This will turn into a difficult situation if the mystery figure proved itself to be a threat. [color=orange]"Someone get Katya out of there."[/color] The ranger whispered to whoever could hear him. His eyes never leaving the silhouette and his body ready to shoot.

[hider=Inventory]
[list]
[*]Bow +1 x1
[*]Quiver (20 Broad Head Arrows) x1
[*]Arrow Bundle (9 Bodkin Arrows) x1
[*]Trusty Machete x1
[*]Hunting Attire and Cloak x1
[*]Wide Brimmed Hat x1
[*]Durable Backpack[list][*] Sleeping Roll x1
	[*] Mess Kit x1
	[*] Tinderbox x1
	[*] Water Skin x1
	[*] Dried Rations x8
	[*] Coil of Rope (60ft) x1
	[*] Small Hooded Lantern x1
	[*] Spool of Fishing Line (150ft) x1
	[/list]
[*]Coin Pouch (3 sp, 3 cp)
[*]Dagger x1
[*]Goblin Ears x3
[*]Small Pelt (Unidentified) x1
[*]Raw Meat x1
[*]Abom Pelt x3
[*]Abom Meat x3
[/list]
[/hider]