An Observation of Doogs (closed)

[Mila]

WANTED. MERCENARIES TO GUARD A SMALL GROUP OF SCHOLARS TO THE MOUNTAINS NEAR THE OSTIAN BORDER. MAGES WILL BE CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON THE REPORTS OF A PACK OF MAUTHE DOOGS SEEN IN THE AREA. TRAVEL AND LODGING WILL BE PROVIDED. REWARD TO BE DETERMINED. INQUIRE WITHIN.

Mila read the flyer to herself for the what felt like millionth time. Ugh stupid academy. As always they put too many words on the poster. How is this to attract the masses of mostly illiterate warriors? She kicked her feet up onto the nearby desk and leaned her chair to the wall. The room she was in was pretty tiny, it could barely be called a room. Felt more like a broom closet then an "office".

She sighed, and pulled her hood up. The flyer had been up for a few days, and the academy had contacted a few mercenary guilds on the subject. But so far no one had shown up and she was getting rather bored. Perhaps she could sneak in a nap with out anyone noticing. Is the prospect of potentially being mauled by monsters really that disheartening to people?

She sighed. Her mind trailed off to thoughts about monsters. She recalled in her head what her colleagues have said about the beasts. That they behave similar to that of native wolves, only far more vicious. Bites tend to lead to infection. Oh and they are far larger then any wolf. Of course her mind was just summarizing the gist of it, she didn't want to recall all of the gory scientific details. After all she was trying to take a nap here.

[Aella]

Aella had heard about this expedition by word of mouth. Finally seeing the flyer though, she could understand why so many seemed hesitant at best. It was garish and outlandish. Giant letters, guard missions, big words: all things mercenaries tended to hate. Granted, Aella couldn't do much to help, but she was extremely interested in getting her hands on one of the mauthe doog corpses. She got shaky from excitement just thinking about all the possible medical applications of the entrails, the blood, the brain, the hide, the bones. Oh, it was enough to make a girl squeal. Which she did having finally reached the place and read the actual flyer.

The poster said inquire within, so Aella felt no need to knock. Walking right in, she looked about and immediately froze. The person at the desk was asleep, falling asleep, or just waking up. "Excuse me," she called out quietly. "Is this where the Scholar Guard Job is?" Walking closer, Aella poked the lady gently. The lack of firmness and general smoothness indicated a lack of muscle. Probably not a physical fighter. she mused. Unsure of what to do, she rummaged through her bag, making sure all her current supplies were in order. Herbs, medicines, needles, rocks: it all seemed to be in the proper place. After a brief moment of pacing, Aella decided to try something different. Walking up to the desk, she knocked on it heartily. "Excuse me!" she yelled. Pleasantly smiling, she added, "Is this where I can get my hands on a mauthe doog corpse?"

[Deleted]

Flynn wandered the large halls of the academy. He felt slightly flustered. He wasn't used to such enclosed spaces. The place had more twists and turns than a maze and Flynn had to backtrack several times to find the office he was looking for. He had heard around town that mages in the academy required bodyguards for an expedition into the mountains. Flynn had learned that monsters were to be involved. He had never seen a monster in person, but his mother used to tell bedtimes stories with them. Time to see if her stories held any truth to them. But the job sounded promising enough and Flynn soon found himself stumbling around the confusing halls of the academy. He asked for directions a few times and eventually found the office. His eyes flicked over the sign on the door. Reward to be determined it said.

Flynn grumbled to himself at this. Now he had to take it. The pay could be good, the pay could be awful, but he'd never know of he didn't take it. Flynn reached for the handle to open the door, but froze for a moment upon hearing a voice in the room. Curious, the mercenary opened the door and studied the inside of the room. It was quite small, hardly fit to be called an office. A person, who appeared to be sleeping, sat at a desk, while a woman banged on the desk, asking about corpses. Flynn stared in silence for a moment before clearing his throat and speaking.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," the red haired youth said as he stepped into the room.

[Shard]

Shard had only meant to pass through the area when word of a magical academy in need of mercenaries reached his ears. Most of the big-time soldiers-for-hire would overlook such a job, but having looked over the flier advertising the need for muscle, he decided that he needed the money, and that everyone had to start somewhere. Having left his horse outside the building, he followed the advice on the paper and entered, ready to inquire within. It was nerve wracking, being this close to so many mages as they entered and exited the building; ever since a playground incident with a fire tome had scorched him, Shard tended to treat magic with the same apprehension that normal people give snakes and spiders.

Brushing a gloved hand through his medium length blonde hair, Shard brushed the dust from his deep red cavalry armor and greaved boots at the door. He'd ridden a while today, and he had the manners to not track dirt inside a nice place like this, even if it was filled with people who could set him on fire with a thought. Yikes. Etrurian culture was known for its regality, and the academy was no exception. Entering sideways so that his sword didn't catch on the door, Shard's green eyes surveyed what was in front of him: A woman dressed in Cleric's garb was lightly poking a hooded woman, who looked to be of some sort of scholarly persuasion. There was also a swordsman, looked like someone else applying to be part of the protection detail. The Cleric was shouting something about mauthe doog corpses, and Shard suddenly remembered why he was here. He'd heard of the creatures, nasty pieces of work. Stepping forward to where he could be seen clearly, he cleared his throat lightly and waited to be acknowledged.

[Mila]

Mila jolted awake with the table thud. She nearly fell off the chair.Oh come on there hasn't been anyone all day and the moment I decide to rest SOMEONE shows up ugh.

"Yes this is where the guard job is." She muttered before getting a good look at the person she was talking to. A light blush perked up her pale face, she quickly composed herself. A cleric from the looks of things. She's cute. Wait did she say obtain the corpses?

"No sweetheart. You don't get the corpse. We're going to observe at a distance the behaviors of the doogs then destroy them. Any corpses brought back for study is under the academy's." She crossed her arms still slightly annoyed at being disturbed.

"Not too often healers come answering our calls though. What's the matter sister, you have an unhealthy fixation with monsters too?" Mila asked nonchalantly. Two more people stepped into her office. A mercenary and a blonde cavalier. At least tthat's what she could tell by their attire.

When one asked if they were interrupting Mila responded calmly.

"Nope your not interrupting sweetie." There was still some tint of red to her cheeks.

"Sorry for the cramped quarters. But yes this the information desk for the Mauthe Door guarding. We're a small group of mages. We leave tomorrow. Travel and lodging is provided. And your reward is gold to be given once were back." She counted off the things she was supposed to talk about on her fingers.

"Oh my name is Mila." She introduced herself.


"Feel free to hit me with questions."

[Aella]

"Aww, I can't even have one? I'm trying new medicine concoctions and it's so difficult to get my hands on one of those." Aella stuck her lower lip out in slight pout. This wasn't going to be any fun. Then a brilliant idea came to her. She could use the reward money to buy parts from the academy. A giant smile spread across her face as she considered this new possibility. Yes, she was going to come along on this expedition. After all, there may be people who needed healing from doog bites. A perfect time to test a new lather she had been working on! Advantages began cropping up everywhere! She must definitely join this job.

She proffered her hand in the customary greeting of a handshake. "Greetings, Mila. My name is Aella. I'm a healer by trade. I'm sure you know you can never have too many healers. Anyway, I'm always interested in expanding my abilities and this seemed like an excellent opportunity. After all, not many get a chance to approach those monsters." Turning around, she spoke to the two who had come in behind her. "You two gentlemen need not worry about any injuries sustained on this mission. I'll make sure nothing happens to you. I have herbs, ointments, skills, and in the worse case, I can use my staff for the extreme injuries." She smiled winningly and bowed. "Hopefully, this should be an easy assignment for all with a decent reward. I look forward to working with you."

[Deleted]

Flynn nodded in response to the mage's reassurance. It was good to know he wasn't simply barging in on private affairs. He watch the cleric and Mila's exchange for a moment, becoming more and more perplexed as it continued. The young man couldn't stop staring at the cleric in front of him. It was baffling how obsessed she was with having a dead monster corpse. Mila didn't appear to be much different on the subject. It looked as those it was shaping up to be quite the possible friendship between the two women. Aella, as Flynn learned she was called, seemed to be a strange woman, but she would be the one keeping him from dying of blood loss. That was a much appreciated service. The mercenary nodded in greeting towards Aella as she spoke.

"I would certainly hope I can count on you," he replied as she finished. "Dying is not currently on my list of things to accomplish." A confident smirk settled into its usual home on his face as he continued, "Likewise, Aella. My name is Flynn. I'll be certain to keep my sword in between you and the monsters we're going to face. No need to lose the person keeping our insides inside us."

The mercenary shifted his attention to Mila, nodding in greeting as he did. A small thought nagged in his head as the mage opened the floor for questions.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mila. I do have one question. What influences the pay for this expedition?"

The question did seem forward and a bit pushy, but Flynn was curious. He wanted the know what needed to be done to maximize his pay. Very important to know. Finally, the young man turned to the cavalier next to him and extended his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you as well," Flynn said, his cocky smile shifting to one full of warmth and excitement.

[Shard]

Shard looked the small group over with a keen eye. The woman in the Mage's robes, Mila, seemed an analytical sort. More than likely, she would be the one leading the party, and she carried herself well. "Good to know. Pleased to meet you Mila. And all of you." Turning as he spoke, Shard contemplated the priestess. Aella seemed the sort that had some sort of scientific fixation, and Flynn looked like he knew which end of the sword was the pointy one, so that was solid too. He nodded to Aella, and shook Flynn's outstretched hand. "Good to meet you, Sister. I'm generally better at taking things apart than putting them back together, so... yeah. Glad you're coming. Flynn, right? Good to meet you. Oh yeah, my name is Shard."

Having introduced himself to them all, Shard relaxed a bit. It was easier to talk to people when you knew their names, and his sister had always told him that trust was essential for a fighting unit. "I suppose you'll want to hear my qualifications, yes?" he asked Mila rhetorically. "I'm what some people like to call a social knight, or a cavalier. I fight best from horseback, and Jasper- sorry, my steed, can match any monster speed for speed. Use me where you will."

[Mila]

Mila shook the hand of the cleric in-front of her. There was a bit of a soft smile to her. This is great. A sword hand a cavalier and a Cleric. We've never had this sort of diverse luck before. She recalled a particularly nasty incident where nothing by large boorish ax men came to answer their call. A slight chill went up her spine at the thought. Gods they were annoying.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the red haired mercenary spoke about payment.

"Oh oh, right! Well Payment was to be determined depending on how many people would show up. I guess since there is the four of us, the estimate for 4-5 was about 5000 gold to be divided. We each get 1000 gold for our experience. I know what your thinking. Shouldn't we be getting more then 1000 each. Well part of the funding has to go to our lodging and ride." She looked up hoping her answer pleased them. She had a tendency to complicate her explanations, it's a trait she picked up after her study in the academy.

She shook her head.

"Let me try that again. We each get 1000 gold, provided we make it back alive." She gave a cute smile hoping to boost up morale.

"So.. I guess for qualifications. Your all pretty much hired. The group of scholars consists of myself, a Sage. The sage elderly good sir who will be supervising. Mostly. Provided he isn't napping. We are to bring back 1 corpse. To be used for academy study. The rest, we burn. We are experienced in this sort of thing."

"Right. So do I need to explain what a Mauthe Doog is? Or are you all vaguely familiar with giant walking hell hounds." She kept the same happy sort of tone though out the whole explanation.

[Aella]

Only one corpse would be brought back? And they were burning the rest? The injustice of it all! Aella decided to try one last time to voice her indignation. "Aw come on! If you're burning them, can't I have like five, maybe ten minutes with one of the remaining corpses. I swear I won't take up any extra time. You won't even know that I'm digging through the doogs." She scrunched up her face in disgust. Maybe that wasn't the best description. Though she would be tunneling into the corpses, it didn't exactly sound proper for a cleric. Regardless, she had her desires on the situation, and she was more than willing to voice them.

Other than the complete waste of resources, Aella was pleased with the rest of the deal. Lodging, food, pay: all of these were like bonuses to her. She would have gone along just to try new medicines on the two guards. She eyed her two "victims" up and down. Young and healthy, they would make the perfect test subjects. With their permission of course. Aella wasn't about to intrude on another person's body without their say so. Unless they were dead, of course. Cadavers were fair game after the looting. Such great studying capabilities. Aella smiled at the mercenary and cavalier. "Other than that, I'm all set. Are we meeting back here in the morning? Oh, and yes, I am somewhat familiar with what mauthe doogs are. Nothing like live experience to understand something though, right?" Oh yes, she was quite excited for the possibilities ahead.

[Deleted]

Flynn nodded at Shard, smiling confidently. "Pleasure to meet you, Shard," he said, letting go of the cavalier's hand. "Good to know that I won't be fighting the monsters off alone." As Shard continued and tripped up on the subject of his horse, Flynn held back a bit of laughter. The cavalier's reluctance to share his horse's name was amusing to the mercenary. For what reason, he didn't know, but it was just a little bit funny.

The mercenary turned his attention to Mila next as she explained how the payment for this expedition would work. He nodded slowly and thoughtfully, processing the explanation. One thousand gold a person, with some of the value going into food and lodging. That made sense. Flynn nodded a little quicker and understandingly, though he stopped short when Mila nonchalantly mention that they could very well die on this research expedition. The sentence sounded very strange with the happy voice that went with it. The smile she added did little to put him at ease. Flynn listened as Mila spoke again, nodding as she finished explaining who was going with them and what would happen. When she asked if everyone knew what a Mauthe Doog was, he spoke up. "What little I know is from childhood stories," he explained. "But what better way to learn than to see if myself?"

Flynn heard Aella speak up again, protesting the lack of use for the bodies. This woman was a real character, obsessed with death when her whole spiel was life. He watched her as she studied Shard and him. Her gaze was unsettling, as if she was eyeing a piece of meat that she couldn't decide what to do with it. He cleared his throat nervously. "So, Mila. Will you and the sage be fighting as well as studying the doogs or studying alone?"

[Shard]

Shard winced a bit in embarrassment. They probably weren't interested in his horse's name. Still, these folks seemed like a good-hearted lot, even if the Cleric happened to be a bit... fixated on the prospect of obtaining a demon dog's corpse. Eh, everybody needs a hobby. He listened intently as Mila explained their pay, and how it would all work out. This seemed like a straightforward mission, though as Shard thought back to all of the training he'd been through, he recalled that nothing is ever as simple as it looks on paper.

At the question of the Mauthe Doogs, Shard rolled his shoulders in a small shrug. "I've heard the same stories as everyone else, I suppose. If it bleeds like any other beast, then it can die like any other beast." He said it matter-of-factly, not meaning to sound callous, just factual. "Well, using magic on the sample Doog is a bad idea, since we don't want to burn the one we're taking back to a crisp- err, no offense Mila. Flynn and I will have to take care not to eviscerate the one that you're going to use as a sample," he mused, considering their tactical options. "If we sever the head, it'll preserve the brain and the major organs, so we'll have to coordinate in order to kill it in that precise of a manner. The rest..." He made a vaguely flame-like motion with his hands, pantomiming a spellcaster. "Well, the rest we don't have to be so careful with," he finished with a satisfied smile.

[Mila]

"Yes. Me and Old Man Sam will be joining you guys in the fray. Holy magic works well against these beasts. Sam knows how to use light based magic. Which is why I'm kinda grateful we have a healer." She pointed over to Aella.

"Anyway, yeah everyone meet up here tomorrow at the crack of dawn. There will be a caravan taking us to the village closest to the mountain border. The academy has hired these guys before so they are a trust worthy lot despite their shady appearance. There might be skirmishes with some bandits along the way." She casually went over what is to be expected on the trip. She let out a bit of a sigh after that mouthful of information.

"To be honest I like you guys already. Nice and diverse. Shard you sound like you have a good head on your shoulders. But be warned that things don't always go as planned. Our last expedition led to the burning of all the carcasses and several human deaths too."

"Last time all we had to work with were some large burly axe men who couldn't take orders, it was a disaster." She shivered a bit, and covered her arms. Something she did not want to remember. Those idiots.

"I can talk about monsters until I'm blue in the face, but yeah generally fighting the beasts first hand is the best way to learn." She gave a slight shrug. Then went on explaining.

"Mauthe doogs strike very quickly and hunt in packs, our goal... After proper observation..." She paused briefly.

"Is to kill the alpha and hopefully cause confusion. So practice blocking and swift dodging. Be careful with your horse Shard, they will most likely target it first. Like I said I like you guys, I want you guys to stay alive." There was a sense of concern and sincerity to that last part.

"You are free to roam around and use the training area and check out the Library. Just don't cause a mess or trouble. I will be here in case anyone else shows up. Oh one last note, we will be gone for a few days. So wrap up any errands, pack supplies, train, or kiss your loved ones goodbye, in the meantime."

[Aella]

The crack of dawn, eh? It was early, but nothing Aella hadn't done before. In the meantime, she was hoping to get to know her comrades-in-arms a bit better. Granted, everyone was free to go about their business, but Aella had found it was good to celebrate before going a mission. It helped everyone calm down a bit. Plus, if she got to know them a bit better, Aella was sure she had some items in her bag to help the two improve. They definitely weren't greenhorns, but they weren't seasoned veterans. And everyone needed excellent support, a specialty of Aella.

"Personally, I'm headed to the local tavern. Any of you care to join me for a celebratory drink for landing a job? I'd like to get to know you a bit more since we'll be spending a few days or more together." She paused, thought about what she said, and decided to clarify something. "I don't mean getting drunk, though if any of you do have the inclination to do so, I'm sure I have something that will make you at least passable for a human come the morning." With that, Aella turned and left. She had already prepared everything beforehand. After all, she carried all she needed anyway. With nothing left to do. It was time to pass the evening. Whether that was by herself or with company was up to the others. She had given them the option.

A short walk later, Aella found herself at the Boorish Bear. She chuckled at the naming convention. The owners of these establishments were always so creative. Entering, she examined the room before picking a spot in one of the back corners. Sitting down so she was facing the door, Aella began the wait to see if anyone would join her.

[Deleted]

Flynn nodded towards Mila, "That sounds good. He'll be a big help for sure." While he was glad they'd have that level of support, he also hoped the sage wouldn't have to get too involved. Flynn wanted to be able to build some experience for himself and get as many unassisted kills as possible. The young man left his thoughts to listen to Mila again. Waking up early and traveling? Sounded like he was back with his tribe. Nothing he wouldn't be used to. At least this time, there would maybe be bandits to fight and thus, keep busy with.

"Yeesh, that doesn't sound like it was pleasant," Flynn commented. "Axe fighters could be rather stubborn and weren't usually the sharpest sword in the armory, preferring to slug it out blw for blow rather than, you know, avoiding horrible lacerations and injuries."

Flynn mulled over their goal. Kill the alpha. Easier said than done to be sure, but Flynn had some observational experience with alphas. He'd seen alpha wolves killed and usually the remainder of their pack runs off. Mauthe Doogs might act differently, but if should help in some way. The mercenary looked at Shard, "That sounds like a good base for our plans. Maybe we could try you pinning the alpha with your lance and I'll lop it's head off while it's stuck."

Flynn's ears pricked up at Mila's mention of a training area, "Let's practice a bit there, Shard. Try and find the best method to kill them quickly." He then looked to Aella, "I might join you later. I'm going to double check my belongings and my mother's stories. It be nice to know if her descriptions of the beasts were at all accurate."