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Post by Fanged on Dec 24, 2019 23:18:37 GMT -6
Fanged was feeling the winter blue’s in full force. The cold weather made her scar’s ache and the sensation affected her mental health rather drastically. In order to distract herself and pull herself out of her funk, she decided to head over to the quest board. This time she was alone as she headed towards the board. The crowd was larger than she would have imagined. Feeling a little uneasy, Fanged found herself backing away from it all. Had she made a mistake coming here? Before she could entertain the thought further, a strange voice called her over.
The individual was faceless and difficult to read. The whole situation screamed of uncertainty and danger, but Fanged had to admit that they had caught her attention. She listened to their spiel and in the end, found herself agreeing against her better judgement. The individual disappeared quickly, but she was certain they would be back once the quest was complete.
(1)
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Post by Fanged on Dec 31, 2019 15:02:46 GMT -6
The key to finding a specific individual was first to gather information. This quest caused her skin to crawl, but she figured she’d better bring her A game. After all, the more efficiently she worked, the faster she could scrub her hands clean of this mess. She felt uneasy as she headed over towards the seedier parts of the city. She steeled herself, not wanting to look vulnerable in the stranger areas.
“Well, if I ever want to get this quest done, I’d better make a plan.”
Fanged hadn’t exactly been told what object she was to retrieve. Instead, she’d been given a vague description of what it looked like and a few things that it could potentially do. She had been rightfully confused, but she supposed that the vague description would be relevant to someone who already knew what the object was. With that thought in mind, she’d headed into a seedy looking bar.
(2)
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Post by Fanged on Dec 31, 2019 18:23:44 GMT -6
Fanged was not normally one to hang out in such a place, but bars were a treasure trove of information. She wasn’t exactly dressed like the other bar patrons, though she wasn’t entirely out of place. Besides, nobody should care to examine her too harshly in the low lighting of the bar. She scanned the area, searching for someone that looked like they’d know a thing or two about the object she was searching for. She took a good look at the bar patrons, noting the scantily dressed girls and the men that ogled them. Such people were of no interest to her right now. They appeared too drunk to remember much of anything, let alone whether they’d seen a dark figure or not. She moved away from them, venturing further into the bar. She made sure to remove her coat and reveal the clothes she had on underneath. They’d serve her better to blend in.
(3)
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Post by Fanged on Dec 31, 2019 18:25:57 GMT -6
She felt her skin heat up in embarrassment as a few onlookers gazed in her direction. She supposed her scars weren’t all that out of place in an establishment like this one. She glanced around, trying to familiarize herself with the layout of the place.
“Hello there miss, you look a little out of your element.”
Fanged was snapped out of her thoughts by the voice of another patron. His face was kind. He was taller than her and his gut was certainly larger. A grey beard covered his chin and his hair matched in colour. A grizzly scar marred his face in a way that was not unlike her own. The sight immediately set her at ease. She relaxed her body language, figuring she’d look a bit more in place if she did so.
“I suppose it has been quite a while since I’ve been in a bar,” she remarked.
(4)
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Post by Fanged on Dec 31, 2019 19:13:57 GMT -6
She tried to make herself appear smaller and less threatening. Though she supposed she had already been doing a decent enough job if she’d been approached even with her scars. She took a cursory glance around to ensure that she was still in a safe position.
“Woah there, you keeping an eye out for someone? I hope you haven’t gotten yourself into trouble miss. Keeping an eye out for an ex are you?”
Fanged had been a bit obvious about her unease, she realized that. “You can say it’s something like that. Can’t ever be too careful, can we?”
Fanged did her best to flash a charming smile. She was rusty, but she was slowly easing back into her old habits. The man chuckled kindly at her.
“Well you seem much too interesting to allow you to drink alone. What brings you here tonight?”
Fanged considered her response carefully, taking her time to think.
(5)
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Post by Fanged on Dec 31, 2019 20:15:46 GMT -6
Telling this man at least part of the truth seemed safe enough. He didn’t look like the type to participate in anything too shady, but he might be able to point her in the direction of someone who was involved in that sort of thing.
“Have you been to the quest board lately?” She continued the conversation casually, not wanting to give too much info away too quickly. “Well I was there earlier and I was approached by a strange individual. They asked me to retrieve a stolen item and I really need the cash so I agreed to look for it.”
She might have given away a bit too much information, but her summary of the events didn’t exactly indicate her of anything. She bit her lip in consideration. The man listened intently and he nodded in understanding.
“It seems like you’ve got yourself into a bit of a mess but I understand.”
(6)
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Post by Fanged on Dec 31, 2019 20:23:07 GMT -6
“If you’re looking for someone who knows a bit more about this, you should seek out a man named Shadow Wrath. The name might spook you but I promise he’s rather harmless. He’s a simple thief, but one of those steal from the rich and give to the poor types. He won’t hurt a hair on the top of your head.”
Fanged was glad she couldn’t move her top pair of ears. They might have pricked forward like a pair on an alert animal. She couldn’t risk appearing too eager about the whole affair.
“I suppose it won’t hurt to hear him out. Do you know where I might find him?” She tried to look as sweetly as possible, though she suspected she looked more worn out than charismatic.
“He should be deep in the area of Calsten. You’ll come across a wooden building with a specific symbol on the outside.”
(7)
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Post by Fanged on Dec 31, 2019 20:31:03 GMT -6
The patron took a moment to sketch out a symbol onto a napkin for her sake. He handed it over and tapped it with his pen.
“Make sure it looks exactly like this. There’re other buildings that will be marked similarly, but this is the one you’re looking for. When you get there, tell them that Ax Cutter sent you. Don’t be alarmed, I get that name from this.” He gestured at his scar. “The bloody axe slipped when I was cutting down a tree. Caught me right across the face.”
Fanged smiled in gratitude. “Maybe when I’m back here, I’ll tell you the story of how I got my own scars. But I certainly don’t tell just anyone about them. Safety first and all that.”
Fanged grabbed her coat and pushed the stool she had been seated on backwards. When she had enough room, she stood up and tossed her head back.
(8)
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Post by Fanged on Dec 31, 2019 20:39:16 GMT -6
“I’ll be taking my leave now. I am very grateful for the help. If you’re lucky, I’ll even update you on how everything turns out.” She flashed one last grin before making her retreat from the bar.
Ax Cutter waved towards her as she left, returning the grin she had given him. Fanged felt like a weight had been lifted off of her chest once she was back out in the open. The excursion had been incredibly helpful and now she had a clear path to the end of this quest. At least she hoped that it would be that straight forward. She had been in company of thieves before, but her moral compass had also pointed her to side with the law, not break it. But for this quest, she might have to make an exception. The strange individual had claimed that the lost item was theirs, but there was no way to verify that.
(9)
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Post by Fanged on Dec 31, 2019 21:11:16 GMT -6
Fanged wasn’t quite as familiar with Calsten as she probably should have been. She hadn’t exactly had much reason to be in the area and as such, she’d been neglecting to scout it out. At least now was a good opportunity to do so. She studied the symbol on the napkin that she had been given. Now that she was outside, it was a bit easier to distinguish. The symbol was similar to the zodiac sign for Cancer, but instead of circles, the symbol consisted of triangles. Fanged could see how it could be subtly copied. She’d need to remain careful.
“Now if I were this specific wooden building, where would I be?” She mused aloud.
There were a fair number of houses that were decisively not the one she was looking for, but Fanged remained hopeful. It took her a bit of wandering around, but eventually she came across the correct building.
(10)
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Post by Fanged on Dec 31, 2019 21:27:27 GMT -6
The building was subtly marked with black paint. In fact, if she hadn’t been specifically looking for the symbol, she wouldn’t have even noticed it. She suspected that Shadow Wrath would be the type of person who could see straight through any lies. Her strategy here was to play things as honest as possible. First, she’d scout out the perimeter. Things like these could easily go sideways, so it was best to have an escape path already in mind. It didn’t take her long to sketch out a path in her mind. She was a pro at this by now, it would be worrisome if it took her a long time to do.
“Alright, now to just work up the nerve to actually enter.”
She approached what she presumed to be the correct entrance and paused for a moment. She took a deep breath, making sure to hold it for five seconds before releasing.
(11)
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Post by Fanged on Dec 31, 2019 21:47:42 GMT -6
She knocked on the door, bracing herself for harsh words or even the sound of complete silence. To her surprise, a small window opened up near the top of the door. A pair of glowing eyes greeted her, simply uttering a single word.
“Who sent you?” The individual asked.
Fanged was quick to respond with the truth. “Ax Cutter sent me. He told me how to find this place.”
The individual studied her carefully. When he deemed her worthy, he unlocked a wide array of locks that had been keeping the door shut. Fanged was certain that the locks weren’t the only thing keeping this place secure. She wouldn’t be shocked if there were some powerful creatures lurking about. Lab created pets were commonly trained as guards.
“Sorry about the wait miss, you can’t ever be too careful these days.”
The door swung open to reveal a hooded figure. To her surprise, the individual actually moved to reveal their face.
(12)
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Post by Fanged on Dec 31, 2019 22:06:28 GMT -6
The individual was striking. She was a woman with platinum blonde hair and eyes so bright they appeared almost white. She was a lot taller than Fanged, but the woman didn’t let that intimidate her. She was scrappy, if it came down to a fight, Fanged could hold her own.
“Yes, Ax told me you would be stopping by. The pretty lady with the cat ears as he called you.” The woman examined her closely. “I can see why he likes you, but I won’t be so easy to impress. The name’s Shadow Wrath.”
Fanged was a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected Shadow Wrath to be the one to greet her. She had to admit, her respect for the woman had gone up immensely. Not many people would be willing to take a risk themselves.
“I’m looking for an object. Specifics to come, but I’ve been told that’s the sort of thing you’d know about.”
(13)
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Post by Fanged on Dec 31, 2019 22:21:42 GMT -6
Shadow Wrath narrowed her eyes as she stared at Fanged. It took her a few moments of studying the woman before she had an answer for her.
“I might know or I might not know. I can’t promise you anything. I suppose it won’t cost me anything to listen to you, but I can still choose not to help you.”
Shadow Wrath seemed a bit fickle, but Fanged was simply glad that this was going smoother than she had expected it would. She took a calming breath to steady herself before she delved into her tale.
“I was asked by a strange individual to procure a lost object. Now quite frankly, I cannot determine if this individual is telling the truth about owning the object, but I don’t really care at this point. I need money and this is how I’m going to get it.”
Truthful and a bit more blunt than Fanged was used to being, but she had gotten her point across.
(14)
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Post by Fanged on Dec 31, 2019 22:25:38 GMT -6
To her surprise, Shadow Wrath laughed in response to her plight. Fanged didn’t think it was malicious laughter, she simply seemed to have known that this was coming.
“A quester are you? Didn’t take you for a sucker, but I suppose I can’t judge too harshly. We all need to make a living somehow.” Shadow Wrath tilted her head. “I guess Old Bones is having you do his errands for him now. Lazy brute that one is.”
Fanged shouldn’t have been surprised that Wrath already had the scoop, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed that she had been read so easily.
“He was very vague. I don’t even really know what object I’m after. If you have any additional info, I’d be indebted to you.”
Fanged didn’t like the idea of owing a thief a favor, but sometimes these things simply couldn’t be helped. Sometimes you had to get a little dirty.
(15)
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