Astra's lost heir

Shaking his head sadly, Nabriel retired to his bed for the night. Stripping off his clothes and assuming a nightgown that had been provided, he slipped under the covers and was quickly sleeping.

Just as he had started to warm up from his meal and drink, Kendov was out in the cold once more. This time though he was following someone who had the potential to make the chilly march worth it. To Kendov, his main interest was the sense of danger the mission promised. As he held no allegiances to Astra, traveling to the kingdom that just sucker punched Astra was only for finding someone strong enough to actually make him draw his swords. Of course, the 50 gold coins were a nice bonus. The fact that Kendov was following Aaron out into the cold was his way of answering that he was willing to take the job.

A few minutes after leaving the tavern as Kendov was walking a few paces behind Aaron, he heard a crunch of snow just in time to see a lithe figure dash towards Aaron armed with a cloak. “A cloak?” Kendov thought to himself as he tried to tell if this woman posed a threat to Aaron. He could not sense any killing intent within her body language so Kendov decided to just let the situation unfold. If Aaron somehow died from this scene, he deserved it. Fortunately the situation played out as he had expected. Aaron was still alive and probably better off now that he had some protection from the elements.

While Aaron talked to the woman, Kendov recognized her as one of the people that came into the tavern while he was trying to warm himself. She had come in just a while after Aaron did. Or at least that is what Kendov tried to remember. While Aaron had stopped to talk, Kendov continued to walk forward. As he passed, he heard the women threaten to release the information to the enemy kingdom. Kendov stopped and turned his head back to look at the woman before taunting, “Go ahead and tell them. If you can get Wyndia to send a few squads of soldiers after us, it’d be more entertaining for me than what I can get for 50 gold.”

Looking forward again, Kendov started to walk ahead while speaking back to Aaron, “I really don’t want to stand outside in the cold so let’s keep going. We’re headed to the barracks inside the castle correct? I’d rather iron out the details out next to a fire place.” Off in the distance, the shadow of the castle could be seen blocking out the night sky. A few orange specks of torch light could be seen pacing about the top showing where the look outs were stationed.

Morgan thought for a moment and smiled. "How about I get to keep any thing I 'find' or 'obtain' to do with as I please, and when we get back I get paperwork on all the available property in the country. I'm sure there are many empty homesteads and I would like to choose from the best." She said, letting her finger twirl a strand of hair in thought. There were many ways this deal could be taken and if she had the chance she would use them all.

Aaron watched Kendov pass him and just shook his head. Hearing Morgan's answer he began to walk in reverse and shrugged. "Sure, that can be arranged." He said before suddenly stopping and leaning down to whisper in her ear when he got close enough. "As long as you don't piss off the big scary guy ahead. He's the muscle. You can just sit there and look pretty if you want. Well, as long as we aren't under attack, then I'd advice you to fight while looking so pretty." He smirked and then broke out into a brisk walk before she could say anything.

"Kendov, wait! If you try to barge into the castle without me, our guards will try to stick you with their spears." He called out before eventually catching up to him. The walk was long, but eventually they made it to the castle, where Lightning was. She looked up and saw Aaron with two new people. As Aaron told them both they could get some rest in one of the empty rooms, he looked towards her. "You really gonna sit in the cold and keep watch? Go find someone else to do it. Someone who doesn't have to march first thing in the morning. Besides..." Aaron looked into her eyes with a worried expression on his face. "You sometimes don't do so well in the cold."

Lightning just shrugged and then stared at him for a bit. "I...I don't really feel like we have the extra men to pull away from their posts. But if you are so worried, how about taking a shift so I can get a couple of hours of sleep?" She grinned at him. Aaron sighed, knowing very well that he would not be able to say no to that. He just nodded and then walked into the building himself to get some sleep. As agreed, he woke up early so that she could get her own sleep. Though he still got himself some sleep on that cold bench.

Eventually morning came and Lightning passed out rations to all of her volunteers. "We don't have time to eat this morning so here is something to get you going. Don't eat too much of it because it all needs to last until we finish our mission." She told them before Aaron joined her.

"Well, ours will last a bit longer...until we get to the next village." He told Kendov and Morgan.

"Ah, thank you My Goddess." Nabriel said as he took the rations, his hands lingering on Lightning's for a moment too long.
Eating a bite or two he quickly packed the food away and stood ready to go, looking out for the pretty drow as well. She may have pushed aside his advances so far, but it was only a matter of time before she would succumb to him and become his lover, at least that is what he believed.

Morgan nodded with his agreement. When he spun to her suddenly however, she nearly put an unseen blade in his gut. Then came his light flirt and it made her laugh lightly. "Trust me, he's not the only one who can take care of themselves. I enjoy the blood too much to let him get all the glory from this."

Once the reached the castle she was directed to an empty room. Empty...and it had a bed. She didn't know what to think. She walked over, pushing on the matress with an open hand. It was soft! She normally only felt this sort of confort when seducing a target.

With no one too see she laughed so light it neared a giggle as she plopped down on the bed laying across it once her boots were free of her feet. Her giddiness only grew when the thought of her newfound freedom reached into her mind. The joy relaxed her and for for the first time she could ever remember she slept soundly not out of exaugstion but out of comfort.

*edited

Morgan awoke early, long before the others. She was almost chipper as the joyous feeling of the previous night lingered over her. She took her time getting up and starting a small fire to heat water to wash with. Once clean she dress in her gear and went out, finding Arron on watch, napping. Sighing and the show of incompitance, she took a position on a nearby wall above him, keeping watch in his stead.

Once the others gathered she joined them taking the food gladly. She knew all too well how to pace herself. Taking only a couple of bites she put the rest away for a later time. She kept towards the back and off away from the bulk of the group by a small space, not liking being crowded. It felt unsafe to be encircled be others.

Ardreth strode through the foliage around the town with a tired expression, his eyes droopy and his limbs sluggish. He had only just arrived in the region a day ago, and had spent the previous night sleeping in a ditch cause he was too tired to make the final stretch to an inn. His back hurt, his stomach groaned with hunger, and his money pouch fell characteristically light. He needed to make some coin and fast, otherwise he’d be starving for a great while longer. Therefore, he decided to frequent the bushes and vegetation around the castle before he paid a trip to it, hoping to find some alchemy ingredients such as roots, mushrooms, and other plants to craft into potions. Healing and sickness potions were his main source of revenue, selling it in bulk to local stores who then sold it to travellers and other locals.

There were many different ways to make a potion of healing, with its countless ingredients that could be mixed and tempered for its preparation. The half-elf was in a small ravine now, now a few dozen steps from the road between the castle and the village, where he was stooped over glancing at the ground. His clothes were tattered but held together well enough, with many different patches of color and fabric showing how often it needed repairs, mostly rudimentary. His pouches clinked with alchemy bottles, fill or not, and he had several more pouches filled with collected ingredients so far. A scuffle with some brigands not a few days ago had cost him his current stash, forcing him to seek for another before he could make any sales to earn some coin. He hoped with the protection of the nearby castle that he might be able to accomplish this better.

He was also hooded up, trying to capture some warmth in the early morning sun. With a walking stick in one hand, Ardreth would often stoop to the ground to examine it, snarling his mouth when he found nothing or the ground too trampled by feet to make anything useful. He did find some mindrak roots, and the kel-sir mushroom which was necessary for making antidotes to the poisons he carried. He had once been careless, mixing the two up without labels and costing him dozens of good coin in having to remake both batches cause he was too frightened to taste test them. Ah! Another ingredient in the making of health potions. Perhaps he would be able to make his quota before the noon hour. Already his stomach was growling, and though he had a few coins left he did not want to use it in case of emergencies. He could, however, pawn off his alchemy tools for a decent price if he really needed too, but acquiring a new set would be too expensive to accomplish. For now, he had to live with the hand that was dealt to him.

Jin gave a kind nod while taking the rations, proceeding to consume hardly a few bites before stashing the rest. Patiently leaning against a nearby wall, waiting for Lighting and the others to take the lead. Casually his eyes examined the surroundings, studying everyone in site to remember their facial features, possibly even predict combat style(Class) due to weapons they carried.

Preferring meditation after eating and sleeping, the idea of immediately leaving wasn't the most appealing. Yet fifty gold in exchanging for clearing then securing a trade route from sell-swords and bandits? The latter event definitely possesses higher desire for the monk. Not because of the gold either.....

Still the monk remained silent, they were good at that. Merely awaiting for the time to depart...

Rations? That was even better!

Avery had woken from the sounds of others getting up, and after a quick stretch and a yawn worthy of a house cat he pulled on his boots and belt, strapping on the one thing of value that he owned, his sword, and sliding his dirk into the side sheath on his thigh. His brown hair fell over his eyes and he pushed it back, eagerly squinting at the light streaming through the window.

He had a job. He had slept in a bed that night - life was looking up.

So as he stood with the others and accepted the food from Captain Lightning (Was she a captain? He couldn't remember.) he felt like he had stumbled onto some kind of destiny or fate that would all make sense eventually. He scowled at Nabriel's flirtation with their leader. After staring at the cocky elf for far too long the lad turned to move away from the crowd, nearly bumping into the monk. Truly it was more a compliment on the monk's reflexes than his own.

"Oh, excuse me. Sorry." He looked up and was immediately captivated by what looked like tattoos on the man's face. How had he not noticed those before?

He turned and looked at the others in the group. Good God - they looked like they could be a dangerous bunch! And with their only true loyalty being to the gold, it was uncertain who was the most at risk there, the bandits or their fellow mercenaries. As Avery tucked his rations in the side-sling pack he carried he wondered about that. Was he a mercenary now? He didn't like to think of himself that way. For some reason the term 'mercenary' and 'merciless' always went hand-in-hand in his mind, and he didn't want to think that he'd ever be the kind to cut down someone just because he was paid to do so.

His stomach growled but the took a sip of water to still the noise. Food would wait. It was too precious to eat right away, especially since he ate so well last night. No, one day he'd have three or more meals a day and think nothing of it, but he had gone too many days with nothing to eat and no prospect for the next meal to be careless with making these precious rations last.

It was a long and cold walk before they arrived at the castle. The stone insides were hardly better as the building was still frigid and drafty. Taking his leave after Aaron had told him to take one of the vacant rooms, Kendov found a room at the end of the hall. The furnishings inside were sparse with only a bed, a dresser with a wash pan, a small fire place on one of the walls, and of course a chamber pot. Igniting a small fire, Kendov took his bed roll out of his pack and unrolled it beside the fire. He was used to sleeping on the ground and preferred sleeping somewhere familiar instead of on a strange bed. With the warmth of the fire next to him it did not take long for Kendov to drift off to sleep.

The next morning, Kendov awoke a bit early in the morning. Taking his time, he poured some water into his wash basin to wash his hands and face. It was always good to clean up when he got a chance. After rolling up his bed roll, Kendov made his way down to meet up with Aaron and the others. Upon arrival, Kendov noticed Aaron and Morgan from last night, but now there were a lot of other people standing around. There was a female clad in armor, a flamboyant magic user, a stoic monk, and a man with a sword slung on his back that seemed a bit skittish with the whole situation.

After getting the short briefing and his rations, Kendov couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous of the other group’s mission. They were on their way to fight some bandits, while he was stuck on an escort mission to find the heir. The big man’s priorities were definitely reversed, but such behavior suited his chaotic alignment. Noticing that almost all the others were only taking a few delicate nibbles from their rations, Kendov wolfed down nearly half his portion while giving a savage smirk. As a seasoned traveler, he always kept a few pounds of dried meats, desiccated fruits, nuts, and tins of crackers in his pack to at least give him a week’s worth of food if he could not scavenge enough along the way. It was easy enough for him to snipe a bird or a squirrel out of a tree with his bow while he traveled, so he was not too worried about running out.

Walking over to Aaron and the armored female, he asked, “Are we ready to head off? With our smaller group we should be able to make good time if we don’t get distracted.” He was already getting a bit anxious knowing that they only had so much sunlight to travel by before the cold night set in. He would like to be well on their way and set up for the night by then.

"Ahh geeze. Alright, alright..." Aaron said to Kendov lazily before the short woman nudged him in the arm. "What?" He asked as he looked down at her, seeing her narrow her eyes. Those strange multi colored eyes always scared him into action. She looked from him to Kendov, and he sighed giving her a shrug. Kneeling over the small woman he whispered in her ear. "He's a mercenary, not a soldier. As if he would tolerate me trying to scold him on those rations. He'd chew me up and spit me out!" He said lowly.

Lightning sucked her teeth and then said out loud without any qualms of the man in front of them hearing. "Don't be a coward. If there is not any order or respect, then you will die. If you die, you fail your mission. If you fail, then our kingdom will collapse and-."

Aaron cut her off but placing his finger to her mouth. He looked down at her sadly and then sighed. "Look, I get it. This is important and I need to succeed. But just let me do my own thing, okay?" He looked at Morgan and Kendov. "Let's go. I believe Lightning is waiting on a wolf or something to join her." With that, Aaron started moving out with those two trailing behind. When he got outside of the castle walls, she saw a man stooping to the ground occasionally as if looking for something. What the hell was he doing? If he kept acting strange someone would surely accuse him of mischief. Hell, it might as well have been him.

"What are you doing?" Aaron asked, though his tone was not particularly threatening.

Lara met with the rest of her group the next morning feeling slightly more refreshed for her time spent in the court yard park. Despite her improve in mood, it did not register outwardly. The drow appeared to be her usual surly self as she peered around at her companions. When Lightening offered her the small pack of rations, Lara declined them politely. "Save them for those that need them, I can hunt and help supply our journey with food as we travel." She explained. Druids were excellent foragers and being a wolf most of the time gave Lara an excellent leg up on hunting. It was the first non aggressive act Lara had done since joining them all.

After the woman who Lightning had just named "Drow" in her head showed up, the group could finally leave. They actually took a different way than Aaron did, because the trading route was to the west while his destination was towards the south. As they walked, Lightning described the route and where the enemy was mainly stationed. They would first find themselves walking through the Indu Forest, and once they made it through they would reach a path that would eventually lead them to the White Mountains path. The only way walkable path through the mountains was narrow and it was easy to trap those trying to bring shipments to the kingdom.

It was a three day walk to the mountains, and she was sure that they would be attacked before they even got to the forest. Bandits that had no particular allegiance to anyone but themselves were also a threat. Either way, at least they were out in the open and could spot their enemy way before they could get a sneak attack on them. There was a naked tree here and there, but nothing that would provide sufficient cover for anyone trying to ambush them. "We will reach the forest by nightfall...We will stop and make camp there." Lightning told the group after some time of walking. It was a bit awkward. Since she didn't know any of them, and none of them knew each other, there was nothing but silence the entire time. She was used to being quiet, but...she was also used to hearing others talk on her travels. While them bonding wasn't entirely important, it was a bit boring not hearing a conversation or two from anyone. Yet she didn't really have the energy to start one herself.

A loud voice suddenly called out, stern and authoritative that caused Ardreth to suddenly pause. His entire body went still. If they were guards then he could merely explain who and what he did, but in a war zone like this they were more likely to do as they pleased. Though there was a profit to be made in selling healing potions in such a region, it was just as easy for the guards to relieve them for free. Raising his hands, he slowly turned around to face the individual, hoping to not appear threatening. “I’m just…looking…for things.” He explained meekly, though in his sleeve he felt one of the smaller balls of powder rolled up into a hidden socket.

Inside the round, clay-like substance was a small container with a specific liquid inside, that when coming into contact with the darker substance would cause a den, black fog to emit. It was just within reach of his fingers inside the flap of his robe and involved only enough force to break the inner compartment. He nervously eyed the figure and the two that were with him. They certainly didn’t look like any town guard or soldiers at all, but rather mercenaries. Even worse, as they didn’t seem to follow any rules or laws but their own. At the sight of them, he took a step back, as if ready to flee.

While Raquel scolded Aaron about keeping Kendov in line, Kendov himself was already heading to the gate so he was not paying attention to their conversation. Even if he had heard he wouldn’t have cared. They were just words and he was not going to do anything he didn’t want to. Kendov was essentially a barbarian in all respects, so urbane notions such as honor, order, and other words the knights liked to use so much did not apply to him. He did understand the word respect, but that was something that had to be earned. He would not give it just because of someone’s age, rank, or social status. That being said, if someone did earn Kendov’s respect, he’d become a very reliable ally.

They had barely gotten out of the gates, before something came up to deter their progress. Aaron had decided to accost a man who was minding his own business for picking stuff up off the ground. At least that is how Kendov saw it. Caring nothing for law enforcement, Kendov kept walking towards the robed man in front of them. As he walked past the man, he did so in a nonthreatening manner or as nonthreatening as someone who looks like a barbarian can. His cocky personality also didn’t register the new man as a threat. Due to this, Kendov did not notice that the man had something up his sleeve as he carelessly walked past.

Ardreth eyed the group down nervously, even more so when one of the figures started to approach him. By the look of the man, the half-elf could tell that he was a warrior of some sort. His demeanor seemed to portray him as cocky and arrogant, something Ardreth knew generally led to trouble. Was he coming now to accost him? This and a dozen other fears raced through his mind as the figure drew nearer and nearer. The other didn’t even seem to register he was there, or perhaps he was simply trying to put him off-guard. Were he to get around Ardreth, then his only escape route might be cut.

With a snarl, he suddenly withdrew the small object from his sleeve and through it on the ground before the man who hailed him had a chance to reply. There was a loud crack as the inner compartment of the ball broke open, spilling its contents onto the darker substance. A deep fog suddenly emitted with a hissing sound and Ardreth took that moment to spin on his heel and run for it. He didn’t get far however, as his foot caught on a tree root in the ground and caused him to stumble towards the ground. He broke his fall with an arm, but he was losing precious seconds that could be used for fleeing.

Morgan looked the lug of a man, Kendov, over as Aaron was scolded by the knight. He seemed to be nothing but skin and muscles up and down every inch of him. This is the kind of man a knight bumps into and falls on their ass. 'It would be like hitting a wall.' She thought to herself. She was quickly pulled out of her thoughts when called to leave. She took a stride not far behind Aaron and spotted the man before he did. She'd already made a curved path around some trees and came up behind the man looking him over. "From the bottles and flasks I'd say and Alchemist or potions master. Looking for ingredients most likely, his clothes are falling apart and he's covered in filth. Likely nothing on him worth the time of day. Perfect for you Aaron, a desperate whelp looking for some quick coins. That is if he doesn't pull a smoke and run from the pocket in his sleeve." She spoke plainly, looked up at Aaron from over the man's shoulder still standing just behind the alchemist.

Aaron listened to Morgan and what she had to say about the man. Because of her warning of what he had in his sleeve, he was prepared to jump back just in case the bomb he used was poisonous. Aaron watched him flea, or at least attempt to. Was this where he had to pull his bow out? Not even out of the city and being attacked by some troublemaker. Seeing him catch his foot on a root was quite a spectacle. With great dexterity, Aaron ended up right behind him, grabbing the back of his shirt and pressing one of his hidden knives against the mans neck. "You know attacking a soldier is pretty much an offense punishable by death, yeah?" Aaron asked the man with a smirk. They were about the same height, though Aaron was thinner than he was. The only thing he had on him was the blade to the alchemists throat. He would have easily been able to overpower the ranger if he wanted to risk his throat being cut.

"Anyways..." Aaron continued as he mulled over an idea for a second. He could always use an alchemist on this journey. Brewing up potions, poisons, and whatever else was a good skill to have. "If you promise not to tell anyone, I'll forgive you. And one more thing, since I saved your life by not slitting your throat, you owe me a favor. So come travel with us. Do we have a deal?" Aaron bartered, keeping the blade directly on his throat.

The first thing Kendov noticed was a bang off to his side. Glancing towards the sound, he could see the robed man for just a second before he was shrouded in a black smoke. Charging forward, Kendov burst out of the cloud while unknowingly leaping right over the fallen alchemist who was concealed by the fog. Kendov was now about 80' away from where he started before stopping and looking every which way to try and find the guy who tossed a smoke bomb at him. "Where did that little sneak go!?" Kendov roared. He was sure that he could outrun him as he could run 160' in six seconds*, but the man was no where to be seen. Turning around, he noticed that the man had tripped and had barely gotten up before Morgan and Aaron where upon him.

*Bloodrager Class ability Fast Movement: Increase base speed by 10'. Kendov's base speed=40'.

Ardreth was trying to get up, struggling to scramble back to his feet so he could continue his getaway from his perceived robbers. But when he felt himself being lurched up onto his feet, he knew he was finished. They would take all he had, perhaps even his life, and leave his carcass for the birds and bugs to feast on. His heart was thumping as he was forced to face the man who caught him, trying to ignore the sensation of cold steel against his neck. He slowly raised his hand, trying to indicate he was harmless. Already the smoke had blown away in the wind, leaving nothing but a faint smudge on the green grass.

“Soldiers?” Ardreth said in confusion and absolute fright in his eyes, looking at the two other individuals with the man. They didn’t look anything like soldiers. “You look more like highway bandits than soldiers. I-I’m sorry. If I knew, I wouldn’t have tried to escape. Honest! The smoke is harmless. Only a prompt to help move things along.” Ardreth stuttered, before gulping hard and waiting for his explanation to be ignored. But when his life was sparred and instead he was given an offer, he felt his heart perk up. “A favor?” He asked, looking at each of them. He didn’t really have a choice, as they decided to spare his life and he did owe them a favor for it. But something else seemed to urge him on. It was the first time anyone requested his companionship for anything.

Smiling, he drew himself to his full height as best he could with the knife on his throat. This was his chance to live and survive another day. Perhaps even earn a free meal and some gold. The chance was too much to let it pass. Besides, the other alternative was death or perhaps imprisonment. “Very well, I’ll travel with you. Ardreth, at your service. Brewer of potions and…other things.” He said with a coy smile. “Now if you please…I like my neck intact.”

WTF?

(Why the face?) Avery flinched at the banging sound, turning to try to figure out what had happened. Were they under attack? They just left the castle, for goodness' sake!

He looked to Captain Lightning (or was it lieutenant? He never understood these rank things) for guidance on how to act. That other soldier with her seemed to take it under control, so Avery settled down. Heck, if the people who were in charge were calm then he could be calm, right? He brushed off the front of his shirt and hitched his pack up higher on his shoulder, moving over to where the enigmatic Lightning was walking.

"Excuse me, Ma'am? What about tents and provisions? I mean... we have rations, but shouldn't we have some kind of shelter or blankets or something? I'm pretty good at setting up camp. Should we all have jobs? I mean, like night guards, cooks, medics, forward scouts... those kinds of things?"

"How rude." Aaron commented as he removed his knife and sheathed it back underneath his cloak. "Those two aren't soldiers, but I am. Is it the cloak? It's gotta be the cloak, right? Is that what makes me look like one? Or is it the big one behind me..." Aaron gestured to Kendov and then whispered. "He does look scary, doesn't he?" He then drew himself back and resumed walking again, fully expecting Ardreth to follow. "Anyways, name is Aaron. That's Kendov, and this uhh..this is...." Aaron tried his damndest to put a name to that cute face, but he couldn't recall it. "..did you ever tell me your name?" He asked Morgan, an apologetic smile on his face.

Lightning did not turn her head as she knew who was addressing her. "Hmm. Why didn't you ask this question before we left? I assume all of you are travelers, so you'd have your own bedrolls and tents if you needed them." Seriously, what bad timing. "As for jobs, all of your jobs is to take care of yourselves, and watch the backs of your allies as well as your own. I can heal, keep watch, cook, and scout. Though if someone wants to volunteer their services, they can."

"I barely had time to use the privy before we left," Avery laughed. "I mean, I did, but that's beside the point. I'm not really a traveler. I'm sort of a... well..." He glanced at her. "I don't know exactly."

Maybe it would be smarter to keep his mouth shut. What if he had been on the wrong side of the war and they were going to string him up when they found out? What if all these people were going to gut him for being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Those kinds of thoughts had a way of creeping into Avery's mind.

"Well, I guess it might not rain on us while we're chasing after bandits." He chuckled nervously. "I guess there are trees. I could find a place to sleep." He took out a ration and broke the corner off, nibbling on it to quell his empty stomach. "So. What do you know about these bandits?"

Jin walked among the group, paying no attention particular to any member of their party. Hearing Lightning's words on when they would reach camp, a feint nod is performed showing he understood. The hat which Jin wore easily blocked view of his face to onlookers. Yet Jin was excruciatingly skilled at using his peripherals to see further behind him then one would expect. The cost of this focus to his backside? Jin always seemed to be looking towards the ground before him, thus his vision forward would heavily rely on allies.

An utterly feint smile etches into Jin's expression upon hearing Avery and Lightning swap words. Commonly traveling alone, Jin was ready to survive outside at any moment, though didn't doubt the capabilities of others in his party as well. Debating on speaking, Jin holds his tongue, his skills rested in his fists not his words. Merely continuing to follow the group, quietly observing the path before him, while keeping his ever so discreet peripheral observance on the team's backside.

Ardreth was confused at first at what this man was telling him, asking about his cloak. It took a moment to realize he was using humor and finally the half-elf smiled in return. When he was released, he dusted himself off and eyed the other individual wearily. He was a scary sort, but he found that most individuals who engaged in that line of combat generally were. Though Ardreth had a stern appearance, he didn’t exactly view himself as frightening to others. “I would say it’s the weapons.” He replied as he began to follow, a bit apart from the others. He still wasn’t sure if this was a trap or genuine, but there was no harm in going along.

“Hey you got some food? I haven’t eaten anything since noon yesterday.” He mentioned, checking his pockets as if food had magically appeared. “I was trying to craft a batch of healing potions to sell, so I could make some money and buy supplies but if you’re dragging me off on a mission right now, you think we could eat first?”