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[sub][color=7b5d92]✧     Location: Soft Haven North of the Cemetery   ✧     Purse: 20 copper     ✧  Interactions:    ✧[/color][/sub][/center]

Night was beginning to fall fast as Ermes began to approach Soft Haven. He took measure of how much coin he had left and had decided he didn't have enough to spend on a night at the local inn. From the information he'd gathered, there was a Cemetery to the east of the town, just outside its walls where hopefully none would disturb him. As he began to approach the entrance, the winds shifted slightly as the scent of herbal smoke wafted in the air. Ermes paused, wondering if perhaps there were people out at night offering their prayers, or had they just left, leaving him alone to the safety of the night and the company of the dead. He began to approach slowly, seeing a luminous glow coming from inside the Cemetery. Voices drifted along the air as Ermes realized that [i]something[/i] was within the walls of the graveyard. His instincts kicked in, hunching low as he silenced his steps to see if it was potentially the spirits of the dead or just those visiting them. 

When he finally saw the pair, he rolled his eyes and began to make his walk back outside. The grounds were already taken by others, leaving only the expanse of the forest nearby as his place to rest. He didn't dare walk much farther, his legs already tired from the journey here, his stomach growling and begging for him to grab something to eat. Ermes looked around the forest, deciding he didn't have the energy to capture, drain, and cook something. So instead he did the only logical thing he could do. He found the tree with a wide enough trunk, leaned up against it, and spent all of his Aether into creating a tent made of bones and sinew. As the last of his magic flowed out of him, he passed out from aetheric exhaustion, guaranteeing a good night's sleep.

As twilight hit, Ermes broke out in a panic. The makeshift tent had long since dissipated, leaving him out in the open. The forest was still, the sounds drowned out by the loud drumming in his ears, and the sharp shallow breaths that he took. He only dared to look out through his periphery, afraid of what he might find in the dark of this forest. Fear clung in the air and suddenly, it was gone. It stayed with Ermes, like a cold that soaked your bones, slowly draining out of him until once again exhaustion took its hold and he passed out once more. Morning came as light flickered through the canopy of the trees. A stray light managed to get past the shadowy mess that was his hair as it hit his eye. Ermes groaned in his sleep, slowly getting up as he began to stretch from the hardness of the floor.

It was in this morning light that Ermes had finally noticed the claw marks that raked the ground around him. They made their way from the base of the tree all around him until it hit the other side. His chest felt as if it was in a vice grip as he slowly stood up from his spot and gathered his things. It was too early to be wasting his magic, but Ermes feared what might happen if he stepped over the circle. He took one long shaky breath before decidedly crossing over. Whatever it was that had seen fit to find him in the night had left him alone. There was solace in that he had decided. Unfortunately for him, Ermes had no idea where the bountyhouse was. He had no intention of searching for it aimlessly and so he made his way over towards the guards outside the gates. 

As he approached the northern gate, Ermes spotted two guards standing by the entrance. Another two were inspecting a carriage, clearly focused on their work as the others stood by and watched. He took note of where they seemed to check, marking it off as potentially useful information for later while scanning the Northgates exterior. A large wooden gate was the main line of defense, followed by an iron one that seemed to hang above. Escaping it would take a bit of finesse, but it was potentially doable if ever needed. As Ermes clung to the shadows of the trees, he made his way towards one of the guards, asking them where he could find the bountyhouse. They gave him a rather skeptical look, after jumping ever so slightly from his sudden appearance, before finally answering his questions and pointing him in the right direction. He thanked the guard, his voice still sleepy, before making his way over towards his mark.