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Ceolfric's eyes followed Ermes along the path, half-lidded with dry annoyance. The boy hardly looked old enough to be conscripted into a throwaway peasant levy, let alone be hired as a professional mercenary, and yet he was already goading his competition. At least Freckles' sister was nursing a prior dislike for him before she started making comments. He almost woke the gatekeeper up on purpose just to spite them, but there were easier ways to handle a teenager and a masked jester that wouldn't end up a hinderance to Ceolfric himself.

Not that the old man would have any way of stopping him from just walking right past anyway.

His scarred brow shot up as Jenson jerked in his sleep, only reaching for [i]Goredrinker[/i]'s hilt when the tip of the guardsman's spear swung a bit too close to his arm for comfort. Only once the fit of equine paranoia passed and Jenson was sleeping comfortably again did Ceolfric's stance straighten out and his hand stray from his weapon. Good thing, too; dropping his severed head in the middle of the Bounty House floor would certainly be one way to make a memorable introduction, but not quite the one Ceolfric wanted to make. Maybe the senile senior citizen had sharper senses than Ceolfric had given him credit for, if he was startled by Freckles' ghostlike passage. Or maybe it was sheer coincidence. Either way, he wasn't going to dawdle and be forced to make good on his threats.

The bandit placed a steadying hand on his scabbard to ensure it wouldn't sway against his leg and generate unnecessary noise, then crept confidently past in deliberate, measured strides. Once past the gate, Ceolfric nearly stumbled at the sudden tingle of aether that loomed before him, barely having the courtesy to stand still while he collected himself rather than selfishly barrel ahead. There was a demon in there. There had to be. It didn't feel like the other demons he'd encountered, but it certainly couldn't have been a mortal. Even that thrice-damned rock mover wasn't this intense. What was wrong with this forest? Either it was a lodestone for every aether-rich creature in Othard, this was the norm and Dranir was remarkably dull compared to the rest of the continent, or there was something fishy going on. And honest, Ceolfric didn't particularly care to be patient any longer.

Once he felt he'd put enough distance between himself and Jensen to let his present company pass without blaming him for anymore of the codger's episodes, he broke into a determined march for the door past the Tainted siblings with hardly a glance their way. They'd served their purpose, now he wanted answers from the source - or at least to meet whatever creature was saturating the very air around the House with its aether.

[hr][@McMolly][@Obscene Symphony][@Hero][@Trainerblue192]