A Cornered Rat (Open)

[Scar]

"A perfect kill", shouted Scar as the deer went down! He was probably more excited than the meat bag was. For Scar it was a rewarding moment. Here was this useless meat bag who did not know the basics of hunting taking down a fresh deer and on the first shot no less. If only Scar was so lucky on his first hunt. At this point it was a matter of getting the deer out of the open and to a spot where they could butcher it. However those skills would take super long to teach. Scar would let him learn it from somebody else.

"Alright we need to cut the guts out and take it back". With that Scar pulled out a stone knife he made not to long ago. He had another one in the past, but when he came to the mainland he lost it. He mainly used it to cut his hair and slice open fruits, which he rarely ate, but it was also perfect for hunting. Using the knife he carved open the deer and removed the guts. They could be eaten but they had no use for it. They needed the hide and the meat. Guts were not the ideal food. Not to mention some of them were poisonous. The gallbladder for one. After removing what was needed Scar thew the deer over his shoulder. "Alright back to town", spoke the burly man as he looked at the new killer.

"Do you have any salt. Your going to need to salt the meat if you want it to last long. You might want to talk to someone in the city about tanning hide, oh you should also talk to some wise women about learning how to make clothing from fur. Finish products trade better than raw material."

[Lysander]

Garnering Scar's praise was an unexpected feat, though Lysander was no longer a pupil. He could manage to aim elementary spells, and that is generally what tended to matter on the battlefield. Except he had never participated in anything beyond a skirmish. He had read about and heard tales of battles, of course, even sieges lasting months on end. As a mage, he was fortunate enough to have not yet witnessed the front lines of combat. Wearing little more than robes and padding, he'd be cut to ribbons if not for his dexterity.

With the deer sufficiently cleaned and gutted, Scar slung its carcass over his shoulder with seemingly little effort. He was strong, stronger than virtually any other human Lysander had come across, even the strongman in his troupe. Lysander recalled his late night discussions and mead-filled rabble with Gorman fondly. It had been years since the two had crossed paths. Correspondence was out of the question, as Gorman was illiterate.

Jerking himself back to reality, Lysander addressed Scar's inquiries as they approached the city gates once more. "Salt is easy enough to buy cheaply. A lot of people need to preserve meat, so it's in high abundance. The rest I'll have to do on my own time. Thank you for your instruction. It was useful."

[Scar]

"Very well then", spoke Scar as he gave the meat bag his prey. Despite how much Scar thought it was going to be a complete drag he had some fun. Teaching a cub how to hunt was annoying but there was a reward in seeing there first kill. Scar might have enjoyed the trip more than the meat bag. Still he was going to have to catch his own food tonight. Scar was going to have to apply the lessons he taught this afternoon. As Scar walked away from the city he saw the would be hero again. The man had a bandage on his head and was leaning on a female human. Probably a sibling or a mother. Scar doubted that the man could get a mate with him being so weak.

"Hey that is the guy", he spoke as Scar walked out the gate. Scar left the city behind. He had a lot to do and the town did not have what he needed. At the same time he did not want to deal with the stupid meat bags at the moment so Scar broke out into a sprint. As he ran he left them behind in the dust. His body followed his command and moved to his war form. Now on all fours Scar disappeared into the wild. His nose sniffed the air for new target. Deer were so boring now. Scar felt a bit of guilt, but the scent of bear smelled nice to him. It was not one of his people so it was fare game, but Scar grew up around bears. The growling of his stomach however changed his mind. Scar ran off into the woods. "Looks like I am eating bear tonight."

[Scar exits thread}

[Lysander]

Very well then, Scar had said. No farewell, no well-wishes, nothing that would have merited a proper farewell. Did all of his kind eschew pleasantries? Perhaps this was customary for them. Either way, it was none of Lysander's affair. When the young mage had strode through the city gates once more, Scar was gone, scurried off into the forest, no doubt to procure his own prey. Whatever. People come and go. Such was the transience and essence of life.

Lysander spent the remainder of the afternoon inquiring about the best ways to preserve the small amount of meat he had procured. He had pawned a vial of salt, which would preserve the meat long enough to last overnight, perhaps into the following afternoon. He knew he couldn't remain for long, lest someone recognize him. Being busted for petty, low-level larceny did not sit well with him. The thought of losing three of his fingers, the standard sentence for trivial, disruptive thievery, made his stomach churn. It was a little late to consider donning a disguise as well. Lysander coated the raw meat in a generous layer of salt and stowed it in his satchel for future consumption. With any luck, it wouldn't produce an acrid stench.

He pondered striking out on his own for a while, but he knew better. Blending into crowds is - was - his forte. Could the performer truly be losing his touch, even now? Then a commotion in the square shook him from the metaphorical clouds. A last decision remained: would he investigate, or flee?

[Bee]

It had been quite a while sice Bee had been in Bern. Her trip to Vinland involved leaving a Bern port first, but since then she had not returned. To be honest she was only back in the nation to look up a old contact and to find Dawson. She had heard things that he was here. The two of them were partners in taking down Draco, she wanted to be sure that he was still alive. Fate was telling her that there battle with the druid was not long off. He had been appearing in her life more and more of late.

"Alright Bee focus", spoke the maiden to herself as she smacked herself on the cheeks. She had not come here to think on the past, but to get some new ore. She had this idea for a new weapon that she wanted to make, however simple steel would not do. She needed metal that would bound well with magic. That was why she had come here. There was a rumor that such ore was prescent in the nearby mountains and that the smiths in the region were selling it. She wondered if she could get a good price for it.

"Alright I should head to the tradesmen area", spoke Bee as she looked over a poorly drawn map a guardsmen had given her. She would need to turn right at the fish stall and then left at the potion store, but Bee did not see no fish, nor did she see a potion store.

"Ghaa", shouted Bee in frustration. It was then that she noticed some trouble going on in the public square. Well she thought trouble. It was more like a loud sound. Curious to a default Bee moved to investigate.

[Lysander]

"Alright, we know you have it!"

A shrill, girlish voice pierced the silence, though as Lysander refined his gaze, he noticed that the voice belonged to a young man, twenty maybe. His skin was as pale as chalk and teeming with pockmarks. He was garbed in a dark red robe and carried a narrow toothpick-like blade in his left hand - a slim sword. Entry-level myrmidon, at best. At worst, a deceptively-dressed brute.

The miscreant was addressing the owner of the jewelry stall. "That trinket is property of the Red Tooth! Hand it over or be cut down!"

The proprietor, a burly redheaded man, looked strangely nonplussed. "The ruby necklace is mine to sell. You stole it from me, and I stole it back. Swift justice."

"Fool!" the myrmidon spat. "Do you not see the emblem? That is OUR emblem. And we, the Red Tooth, rule this city! Come on out, boys!"

From crevices and corners alike, three more men came out: a mercenary and two more myrmidons, none of them wielding anything above an iron sword. As onlookers began to flee the scene, Lysander dove behind a parapet, pondering his options. On the one hand, he could easily take one of the men and receive minimal injury. But four men all but guaranteed certain death. After a few moments, Lysander selected the most accurate tome to deal with swift enemies. A diversion would be the most ideal method of dealing with this issue. Peering from behind his cover, he inhaled sharply, took aim, and released a wind spell into the center of the marketplace.

[Bee]

What in the world thought Bee as she watched what was going on. This was a public place in the middle of town no less. Here were these brigands showing off what they thought was power. There little iron toys and bird like chest. It was laughable. The fools did not understand that magic was the true power in this world. There strength meant nothing in the face of her beautiful and noble flames. That being said Bee was going to need to do something. She was not going to simply let them kill the man. Well it looked like it was time for her noble entrance. ... "Did a wind spell just go off?"

"Hold on one cotton picking minute!" With that Bee rushed into the square. The maiden was not going to be showed up by no stealth mage, if there were such a thing. Bee rushed toward the square and pulled out her tome. "LISTEN AND OBEY CRIMINAL SCUM! I AM BEE THE MISTRESS OF FIRE, THE RAGING FLAIR, THE QUEEN OF PROPERTY DAMAGE! I SHALL SMITE THE EVIL DOERS WITH THE POWER OF VOLCANON AND TEACH YOU THE ERROR OF EVIL WAYS! TREMBLE IN FEAR OF THE WORLDS GREATEST FIRE MAGE!!" As Bee finished her tome lit up like a Star. The letters B E e burned in the sky above her spelling out her name."

"Oh shut up", spoke one of the villains. He needed to find the person who shot the spell not listen to this nut case. The man tossed a knife in Bee's direction. The maiden saw the attack coming and moved, but the sharp edge sliced the side of her shoulder leaving a nice gash.

"Ahh", shouted Bee as she grabbed her shoulder.

"Consider yourself lucky dame! Now get out of here before ..." That was all the man could say before Bee snapped her fingers and the fire spirits jumped into action. Following Bee's command they gathered together than rushed away violently. For everyone else there was a sudden explosion of fire and the fool who threw the knife was running around with his entire body on fire.

[Lysander]

The intervention came as a surprise to Lysander. A young pink-haired woman entered the fray, eyes blazing, fingers arched delicately. Her voice was belligerent; a fiery staccato of emotion and... well, hubris. There was no other way to put it: this newcomer sounded positively bonkers, though the fire spell she slung at her would-be assailant was nothing short of impressive. Mental note: don't leave a gash anywhere on her body.

Lysander disliked fire. He hated its volatile nature, loathed the way it made everything it consumed stink to high heaven. It was an essential constituent element, but at what cost? He was nearly charred to a crisp once, and that would make even the hardiest of men recoil at a sudden uptick in temperature. Still, the way this newcomer (Bee, according to the stylized lettering in the sky) commanded the element of fire was commendable, if a bit flashy.

A myrmidon flew at Lysander, his slim sword raised, though the young mage could tell he was poised to whiff. A mere sidestep on Lysander's part confirmed this, and he brought another wind spell sashaying barely a second later. Still dazed by the overstep of his lunge, the myrmidon turned around, only to be greeted by a faceful of gale. An array of cuts and gashes appeared on his cheeks, down his jawline, and along his neck. The myrmidon doubled over, howling in pain. Then, for theatrics, Lysander kicked him in the stomach, eliciting a further groan from him.

Finally, he turned to his newfound ally. "Huh," he began, unable to find the proper words at first. "A fellow mage. You look competent enough. Shall we end this?"

Suddenly Lysander had an epiphany that he should have, in all likelihood, had sooner: wind and fire were a powerful combination. If the fire went awry and set things ablaze, the wind would nullify it if cast with enough focus. Lysander felt adept enough to do so if the opportunity presented itself.

[Bee]

"Oh so the stealth mage shows himself". spoke Bee as Lysander walked up to her. The brigands were on the move. One was trying to tell his burning friend to fall to the ground and roll, and the other was charging Bee. The maiden however was calm about the entire ordeal. Summoning up her magic Bee heated the tip of her metal rod and pressed it against the gas burning close the wound. /'You.. kind of .. stole my thunder." Bee continued to speak through the pain as she finished her work of sealing the wound. "I was suppose to be the hero of the day. Still I guess that the importa.." Bee stopped and jabbed her rod forward breaking the myrmidons path to strike.

As Bee stabbed her rod forward the myrmidon rolled out to the right dodging the heated tip. His blade cut in at a low angle causing Bee to step back and raise her rod in defense. The blade clashed with the metal rod, but the swordsmen was ready with a counter. He pulled back on his sword and stabbed forward with his weapon. The blade poked at Bee's unarmored chest. The maiden was forced to twist the rod to redirect the stab. Instead of getting stabed in the lungs Bee took a shot to her side. The sword sliced through some flesh.

"Damn it", growled Bee through the pain. The maiden jumped back and used her tome to summon up a small wall of fire. Her opponent not wanting to burn up like his friend chose the crazy path to get around the new problem. With the tenacity of a rabid dog the man jumped through the fire. His blade leading the way as he moved to slice through the mages face. Bee, no novice to fast pace combat, reacted discordantly. The flames skewered his vision. Bee knowing this took advantage of his altered aim and dashed to her right. The blade missed its mark giving the maiden the opportunity to strike. Calling upon her magical power Bee placed both of her hands infront of herself and fired off a stream of crimson hot flames. The myrmidon rolled to his right and dashed, but Bee's hands were faster. The swordsmen was then drowned in a sea of fire as Bee turned him into a ash pile.

"Dang it", she spoke as she stopped and held her bleeding side. What was with her today. She was off her game.

[Lysander]

As the final myrmidon was reduced to little more than a pile of cinders, Lysander turned to assess the situation. There appeared to be some general panic among the townsfolk, who had taken to scurrying every which way in order to avoid the fracas. Finally, he spied the pink-haired mage bleeding heavily.

"You wouldn't happen to have a vulnerary on you, would you?" Lysander asked. "That gash looks... rather deep. Anyway. I'd clear out of here before the guards show up. We ought to get you to safety."

Taking his own advice, Lysander strode back over to Bee's side. He wasn't particularly drawn to helping out strangers, especially wounded ones. But he could admire arcane talent, and losing a fellow mage would be a blow to his ego. Besides, he had never seen anyone command elemental flames so potently. Nevertheless, selfless acts were still not second nature to Lysander. The notion of whether or not he had friends outside of his lost troupe was often hotly debated.

"Also, I didn't 'steal your thunder'. Neither of us used that element," Lysander replied, smirking a little too much at his own joke. He gestured towards a vacant alleyway, not the same one from which he entered the scene. "Shall we move, if you're able?"

[Bee]

"Dang it", spoke Bee as she called upon the power of her tome again. As she prepared to seal off another wound the stealth mage began to talk to her. "I have a elixir", grunted Bee as she used the fire spell to scorch her own flesh. The maiden sealed off the wound and feel to her knees. The pain was almost unbearable. "However I need to save it to remove the ... burn wounds", she moaned as she pulled herself to her feet. She could have sworn that there were four brigands. The stealth mage took one down and she had taken down two of them. That left one unaccounted for. well since he was not charging Bee could only assume that he was not up for a fight. The maiden needed to get her act together.

"I am alright", lied Bee as she forced herself to her feet. The alleyway was a better place than in the middle of the street. Bee's side still hurt, but that was not enough to keep her from moving. On paper the two of them were allies, but in the back of her mind she was a bit worried. It was true that he stood up for justice in the square, but Bee was a mage. A mage with a powerful tome. He could be aiming to rob her, though considering the situation that was crazy talk, which was the main reason why Bee was not acting on it. She knew better than to trust her blind doubts.

"The name is Bee by the way", she spoke as she entered the alleyway. "Spelled B E E, just like the insect minus the stinging."

[Lysander]

"I saw," remarked Lysander plainly in response to Bee giving her name. "I saw the little spectacle you did with the flames earli- you sure you're okay?" he asked with the slightest twinge of concern laced within his tone. "Better quaff that elixir soon. But you're cauterizing the wounds, which is good."

The alleyway was quiet and deserted; a stark contrast to the square they had narrowly escaped. It was true that they had left one of the men still standing, but he appeared to be the youngest and most frightened-looking, for when Lysander met his gaze, the latter looked as if he might soil himself. When the youth faced the two of them in tandem, his knees had looked to be on the verge of buckling, as if the only applicable action to take at that point was the evasive one. Perhaps he was being forced to fight against his will? Or perhaps the promise of a lucrative wage played more of a role than he initially thought? Stopping to lean against an arrangement of crates, the black-garbed mage spoke again.

"Well met, Bee. My name is Lysander. At least, it was last time I checked," Lysander said thoughtlessly. He didn't want to acknowledge the fact that he could be meeting a budding ally, especially given his inclination towards distrust. But also given the day he'd been having so far, the new face might be a welcome sight. Of course, barely half the day had gone by. If he got hungry, he had the preserved deer meat coated in salt lodged within the bowels of his knapsack and he'd need only make or locate a fire for cooking purposes. Between two mages, the task would be the precise obverse of difficult. Much as he loathed the spell, he could stand to acknowledge its usefulness once in a while.

"So what brings you here, Bee? Not many people voluntarily come to Bern these days," Lysander asked with genuine interest. He could never feign his sense of scholarly inquisitiveness.

[Bee]

The danger was over, or it seemed at least. Bee wanted to hold off on using her bottle of blue magic goo as long as possible. No point in healing up and then getting stabbed again. Opening the bottle Bee chugged half of it. She then poured the rest into her hand and applied it to the burnt flesh directly. She winched at the pain but the blue stuff did its job and turned her flesh back to the soft baby smooth quality it was before. After healing up Bee turned her attention back to the stealth mage.

"Well meet then Lysander. I see that you are using the trinity tome, a good book. When I first started I only had a fire tome, not that I am complaining. Fire is with out a doubt the greatest of all the elements. Lightning magic might do the most direct damage but Fires area of affect far out classes it. Not to mention the you can shape things out of it and use it in other places than simply the magical field. Well, let me stop. My friends tell me that I am a bit too passionate about fire. To go back to your original question I have come to Bern in search of a friend. There is a Shaman by the name Dawson. Me and him we have ... how do I put this, history with the same master. I was hoping to find him and see what information he had on our master." With that Bee gave off a long sigh. Unfortunately I can't seem to find him. I came here hoping to pick up a lead, but no luck. Maybe the town next over or a village in the region."

[Lysander]

Lysander instinctively covered his tome with a finger. He felt uneasy regarding Bee's candidness about wielding fire, but different strokes for different folks, he surmised. The trinity tome was potent, but elementary by magical standards. It was standard for mages posted in armies due to its docile nature. Eyeing Bee's tome, he noticed that she too wielded a tome that resembled a trinity tome, but it seemed to exclusively produce fire. Another tome she had carried the same emblazonment, albeit with gold trim, which seemed to denote its rarity.

"Is that... a volcanon tome?" Lysander gasped. "I've only heard stories... well, read stories. They say you must be attuned to the element of fire itself to wield such a dangerous tome." He paused for a moment, trying to gauge Bee's reaction. "Fire is... well, let's just say it's not a favorable element for me to be wielding. I... had an unfortunate experience at one point. Anyway, wind and thunder are my favored elements. Precision, accuracy, and power."

He wasn't judging Bee for her choice of element, of course. Fire took conviction and strength of mind to wield. It was not for the non-virtuous, lest you conjure up little more than smoke. Lysander was perfectly capable of wielding fire with impressive fervor, though his mind was seldom "all there" when utilizing it. Besides, he took a sadistic pleasure in shredding strands of skin into striations of wounds with wind. The sheer speed of lightning made for some intricate burn marks as well.

"I'm afraid I don't know this Dawson person, but word travels fast around here, and I'm... investigatory by nature. I'm not exactly desired in this city either, so if you like, I'd be willing to accompany you." Lysander posed bracingly. "I know the region well enough."

[Bee]

"Pshaw, don't believe that crap. One does not have to be in tune to the element to control it. Sure you have to understand the nature of fire to use it properly, but you can still use it as long as you have magical potential and have the book. As a matter of fact I used this tome once when I was a novice. Now I did nearly burn down a forest and turn myself into a roasted hen, but I could call upon the magic. Fire is easy to spread but hard to control. Trying to keep it from cooking us all is what nearly took me out."

Bee paused for a moment. This was probably not the best time to bring up the nature of her favorite element. To be honest she should save it for another day. He already mention that he had problems with fire. Though his idea of a partnership was not going to work in his favor. Fire magic was all that Bee had and used. He was going to havr to get use to it sooner or later. Traveling with Bee he was going to see a lot of fire. Maybe it might be a good thing for him.

"Very well Mr.Lysander I accept your hospitality. I could use someone who knows the area. Bern is a web of mountains and bandits. If you don't know your way it would be easy to get lost. I have to warn you though. I am kind of eccentric. I have a love for fire and blacksmithing and sometimes am easy to anger. So I am giving you the heads up before we even start to travel together. So if you think you can handle that then welcome aboard. I look forward to studying piratical application with you."