Private - Sleeping Sister of the North [ Q ]

The huntress did not often find herself so far south. Neither in the waking world nor the virtual one did she particularly care for beaches and the crowds of port towns and larger cities were the antithesis of the wilds she called home. She felt small, but one with something greater when she was lost between the trees, wandering with the ghosts of greater times in fallen ruins, or walking along the spines of mountains. Here the animals were as sharp-eyed as the people in a desperate sort of way. Less wild, more feral in an odd sort of way that unsettled her. She felt just as on edge as they looked when they darted from shadow to shadow between the feet of passing sailors and peasants bustling about their days. Too many bodies. Too many faces and eyes. Too many dangers.

However, a posted missive had caught her attention where it had been posted with a dagger through the top. Gwyn wasn't the most educated in the underbelly of business, but it struck her as odd that whoever had posted the quest needed it done in the first place. Most smugglers were, well, good enough to smuggle without anything amiss. Whoever was transporting something that couldn't be hidden to the point of such means meant business. Normally the attraction of a morally nebulous job wouldn't overly appeal to her, but she had to admit she was curious. Their insistence that the lighthouse keepers be left unaware and unharmed was interesting by itself. A smaller part of her could admit to wanting to see the mysterious barge that did come into port when they lowered the lights. The ranger didn't mind a test of just how keen her sight was.

So as dusk began to fall and night crawled its way across the sky, Gwyn made her way to the point of meeting. She sat on top of a large pile of crates in the shadow of a warehouse on the water's edge. The docks of the port stuck far out into the night in the distance, like spines on a dragons crooked back. She waited for her chosen partner @Corvella, one hand on her midnight longbow, and stared out at the sea past the watchful gaze of their chosen lighthouse. There was something about the ocean at night that humbled her. Nature was one and the same in her eyes, but where the wilds and harsh terrains were dangerous, they welcomed nimble feet and clever eyes and respectful prayers in the form of labored breath and blood shed to water the soil. The sea was different. She was a dark and heaving beast in repose, languid until she deemed it fit to swallow whole all the world. Hanging from the lip of a cliff countless stories above solid ground by three fingertips was not near as terrifying as imagining the wrath of such a thing.

She was immeasurably glad they would not be braving such a thing at night. No, only the lighthouse was their target. Hopefully the secondary team would be able to pull their weight as well and see their mission a success.

 

Her arrival in the southern part of Falderen, particularly Dunnstads was exhilarating. She have never seen any of those port towns in her life. Might as well stay here for a while, look for a place to stay and find something to do. As soon as she passed a bar, a piece of paper flew off from where it was hanging; a quest notice post by the bar.

She grabbed it just before it reaches the ground and read what's written in it. A job, not like a business 'job', but more like a inside 'job'. Not a fan of this kind of shady things, but then she realized she have no coin at all to rent a place to stay for the night. Coincidentally all other quests were already taken, so she isn't in the position to refuse. Now all she need are contacts.

The moon has risen, and off she go into the meeting point. She crept from crate to crate, avoiding any potential unwanted attention from the vicinity of the docks. A silhouette cast by the moonlight of a woman caught her eyes, as she approaches the woman sitting in a pile of crates. There she finally met up with @Gwyn ap Herne, her partner for this quest. "It seems that I kept you waiting." she remarked, with he sounds of the water crashing the edge of the port almost hides her voice.

 

Gwyn straightened as she heard the approach of her partner in probably but possible not crime for the night. She rose to move down the crates, putting away her longbow once she was sure the woman wasn't one of the more unsavory characters that populated the ports be it day or night. "Not at all, I was just enjoying the view," she said as her boots finally hit the ground with a hop off the last of the throne of shipping crates behind her. The woman was quiet, but it was no trouble to pick up with the heightened sense her Hunting mastery offered her. It certainly wasn't the only thing she'd be using it for tonight considering their task. "Name's Gwyn. It's a pleasure to be working with you. How about we grab a bucket of seawater and made our way up top?"

She rolled her shoulders and scanned over the assorted crates, tools, and miscellaneous junk left in the warehouses until she found a serviceable bucket. It was likely used for scrubbing down the floors or tools when finished working if the bristled horsehair brush nearby it meant anything. She hauled it over her shoulder and began making her way closer to the lighthouse's position. Along the way she drifted slightly to reach a place where the water's edge was accessible and scooped up the only real thing they would hopefully need for their quest. The salty brine was strong enough in the air, but hauling around her own parcel of it had her nose screwing up at the smell. Gwyn glanced over at the other woman as she carefully carried it to avoid any spills. "I'll focus on putting out that light if you can keep an eye out for the lighthouse keeper, yeah? I'm stealthy enough, but if that fails me I don't have a way to deal with a problem that isn't... well, lethal. Even if it wasn't a stipulation in the quest, I'd still have an issue hurting some random dude just doing his job." She paused for a moment in consideration. "What do you think lighthouse keepers make? It's either got to be nothing at all or enough to make it worth sitting around one building while the sea tries to tear it down for years."

Unfortunately there would be no asking the man who worked here if they did this right. She'd trust @Corvella to watch their back and offer whatever skills she brought to the table as they trespassed on the property and slid in the unlocked door at the bottom of the tower. Gwyn noticed a candle burning in the window of the attached home where the keeper lived, but saw no movement before it was hidden behind the wall of the sturdy Sister. No movement yet at least. The ranger nodded to her companion as they carefully began their climb up the stairs and hoped whatever skill the other possessed could keep them out of trouble. There was always a risk working with unknown players, but how else was anyone supposed to get a measure of a person? The thrill of risk and reward. The rush of a challenge, a hunt, or a fight. Those were the real windows into the soul after all.

 

She gazes in awe as the huntress steps down from the crates. The woman looked.. hardened? veteran? seasoned? She can't seem to find a suitable word for it, yet the woman feels so much a different person than her. But this is no occasion to be impressed, they need to secure a job. "I'm Corvella, pleasure to be working with you too." she replied before they then search around for the tool they needed : a simple bucket. It was not long before Gwyn found one, apparently used for cleaning.

They carefully stroll their way into the lighthouse with Gwyn hauling the water-filled bucket carefully while she scans the surrounding. She doesn't necessarily useful, but she prefers doing nothing over having to cast a spell to the poor lighthouse keeper. Wonder how they would hold onto their job after this night.

Then there they are in the front of the Sister. So far so good, considering she doesn't have affinity in sneaking or something like that. After they did some reconnaissance for a bit, they noticed the lighthouse keeper wasn't in the place they suppose to be. Weird, but it doesn't account for a plan change. They stick to sneaking their way from the bottom of the tower, climbing the stairs slowly. She almost forgot to close the door back on their way up, that would be suspicious. One bad step and they could leave a spill in the stone stair. @Gwyn ap Herne looked so calm as she steadily carry the bucket up the tower, that made her think that she might have done something like this many times before. She have so much to learn.

Almost halfway to the top (she can't tell, she didn't quite grasp the estimated height of the lighthouse) they still make their way, with Corvella watching the back and occasionally looking through the gaps or going down few steps. Then in a split of a second, she heard noises from both above and below. She believe Gwyn also noticed this, but just to be safe she tapped her left shoulder lightly and whispered "What do we do?" The keeper could be in the top, or could just have entered. Rats, maybe? She's sure Gwyn' would sense whatever it is better than her.

 

The young woman was polite enough and seemed perfectly capable despite the newer tier gear she had on her. The sword and shield combination meant a melee DPS fighter or perhaps a flexible tank, but if @Corvella had taken this particular job she likely had something along the lines of Rogue or perhaps one of the magical masteries to think herself useful on it. She appreciated the company either way.

Between the two of them, things were going smoothly. It wasn't exactly a difficult quest, but it was a nice break from the usual adrenaline pumping fights or terrifying delves into death's cold embrace. The challenge of the chest? Fun. The failure to get it? Acceptable learning experience. The plummeting from a sea of clouds? Fun. The going splat? Not. The dead thing and the resulting terror that crawled under her skin and echoed in her bones, as if they were hollowed, when she saw ruins? Not any fun in the least. The temple had pulled it from her, a poison wisp loosened from her mind and cast away into the aether from which it game. She was happy to not experience that kind of phobia again, considering how often she boasted her fearless nature. Someone with her level of adrenaline junkie didn't normally feel any fear like those of more mundane walks of life.

No, here it was quiet. The risk of being caught was there, but it didn't hound her heels. It was relaxing to not find herself all tied up in knots. Corvella was a steady company that reminded her fleetingly of others in the game she had met. Her former guild came to mind in passing, but she didn't care to linger on it. She had been right to be hesitant and with the mess of the siege she was happy to have left. There were still people she called friends there, but without the scent of pine and loam... it just wasn't home.

The faint sounds of movement snapped her from her steady progression. Gwyn paused, shifting her hold on the pail of water to make up for the short stop and forcing the water to turn and lap back inward. "Press toward the wall, but don't touch. Sidle as you climb," she whispered lowly in response. As soon as silence fell, she focused. After the initial stop she wasn't about to pause and let them get caught halfway up the stairs of the tower. They would have to climb it one way or another. The lighthouse steps were smooth and worn, quiet and sturdy. The empty space in the middle of the spiral helped focus the noises up and Gwyn activated her Investigation Mode without pause. It was primarily an advanced UI and helped her spy things she normally wouldn't. However, it honed her attention in with the combination of her Hunting mastery and the extra sensory information was all she needed. Either the keeper had seen or heard something amiss enough to come snooping after them. Above the muffled movements of what could have been cloth gained new clarity. The rustle of feathers, not cotton, fleece, or silk.

Gwyn smiled calmly at the woman and angled to muffle what of her whisper was to loud as she spoke. "There are birds roosted above. Think you can trick him into thinking he just heard them?" If the other could pull it off it would be little trouble to ascend the last few steps, open the door to the top of the tower, and let either of them snuff out the flames. All they had to do was convince some exhausted, underpaid lighthouse keeper that the birds roosting atop the Sister were having just as much trouble sleeping as he was.

 

Seeing such magnificent feat, Corvella cannot help but to pause awhile to comprehend all the things that happened. Wow, seriously. That's what advanced hunting prowess does? If anything, she's really glad that someone like Gwyn is her partner. Otherwise she might have been caught by now.

She quickly snaps back into reality. She was tasked to trick the lighthouse keeper into thinking that the noise was just birds minding their own stuff. Corvella nodded, and she fell into a complete silence of concentration. As she opened her eyes, she begins to quietly chants the incantation of the illusion spell that she thought is the best for the situation, the Fear spell. It's quite difficult for a novice illusion caster to manipulate someone's sense, but it isn't difficult to scare some birds. The birds are not in her view, but she is confident that the spell will affect at least one of them. With her skills being tested and trust put into her, she finally completes the spell by bringing her right index and middle finger into the direction of the birds above as pointed by Gwyn.

"Fear"

A purplish faint glow which cannot be seen through the eyes whose haven't been trained in the art of Phantasmia shines through the gaps in the ceiling. Then suddenly flapping noises were heard, along with bird chirps echoing through the spiral stairs of the tower. After few seconds of flapping, a bird left the top of the tower, shedding a feather in the process. The other birds chirp occasionally, still feeling restless by how a fellow bird freaked out in front of them. Gwyn and Corvella stayed silent as occasion chirp echoes. Wooden screech noise were heard for a while from the bottom of the tower, along with a door-shutting 'BLAM' sound. It seems that the lighthouse keeper saw the bird flying away or the feather and also coupled with the echoing flaps and chirps made him think that he caused the birds to throw tantrums for disrupting their sleep and decided that some birds are not worth his time.

After the sounds turned into silence (both from the birds and the presumed lighthouse keeper) she exhales in relief. She then smiles to @Gwyn ap Herne and cracks a small joke.

"You were right, apparently he doesn't get paid enough."

Well, now the only thing they have to do is to let the Northern Sister sleep.

 

Gwyn watched her cast curiously. She had refrained from taking any magic when she had created this version of herself. Playing a virtual reality video game for the first time was intimidating, playing a first video game at all was intimidating. The realism of it had been astounding, but something about taking magic had just seemed off to her. The fantasy setting was already to other to her that the thought of some strange foreign power connected to her was unsettling. It was beautiful to watch though. She had gotten to see casters of all kinds work. The ethereal chanting, delicate or harsh movements, runes carved in the air, grimores alight with power, and charms held on high. The ranger could see the draw.

The spell was completed and @Corvella sent it flying upwards toward the rafters within the northern of the two Sisters. There was a moment before a bird startled and reacted. Its panic was enough to unsettle and upset the rest of the nested avians. While the birds acted a fool and the lighthouse keeper below took their ploy at face value, Gwyn grinned over at Corvella. "Nice! That the illusion one? Phantasmia if I remember right." She jerked her head slightly to motion them back into movement. The door below was shut and the danger gone. She carefully continued to haul the bucket up and nudged open the door at the top of the lighthouse open. The wind off the sea was the nearly overwhelming. All at once the smell of salty seas had strengthened once more, the unique feel of a seaward breeze skated over her skin, and the damp of sea spray carried even this high up dotted what of her wasn't covered in armor. Perhaps the ocean wasn't so bad.

She moved around the side of the lighthouse's top until they could enter to half-room where the flames and silvered mirror to enhance them were housed. "You ever been to a sauna?" The huntress asked over her shoulder before she lifted the bucket up to drench the fire. Immediately she dropped the bucket over the weak remainders to deprive it of oxygen. Luckily the leather gloves on her hands were enough protection from the beginnings of warmth that made it through the metal before the final life in the lighthouse was snuffed out. She lifted it carefully to check beneath and was content to see only some glowing embers and coals hidden in the fuel still present. It could eventually light back on its own provided it took to the fuel well enough. If not, then the light keeper would eventually clamber up and fix it. However, they had done their part. It was up to the second team to deal with the southern lighthouse.

Before she made to leave, Gwyn approached the railing. Her fingers curled around the metal bars and she looked out once more over the sea. "Beautiful." She smiled wryly out into the dark. Down below on the violent waves was the shape of a barge lingering outside of the port. Perhaps that was their mysterious taskmaster? Even with her sharp eyes and mastery she couldn't see more than the outline of the thing. There was a faint glint of gold she could see from the light still cast by the other Silent Sister, edgings on the ship gilded it looked like. Fancy.

The woman stretched for a moment and took a deep breath of the salty air. She would leave the lighthouse and likely leave the shores for her preferred terrain after this. There wasn't much more to keep her out this way for long. Gwyn turned to Corvella and gestured towards the door. "Let's away, shall we?"

[ OOC: If you would like to end it on your post, make sure to post in Mod Services that the thread is completed. If not, I'll wrap it up on my next one. ]​

 

They finally reached the top of the lighthouse. The smell of saltwater travels through as Gwyn opened the door to the lighthouse fire. It came to her how she had never been in any ports or beaches before; her parents would rather take her to museum or some Victorian-esque attraction. The feeling of the wind on the surface of her skin feel so real, she realize that she need better clothing also. Well, with the leftover of the pay from this job maybe.

She watches as @Gwyn ap Herne lifts the bucket, ready to put out the fire. Sauna, huh? Some girls at the college went there regularly, but she was never invited. Add that to the list of the place she must go. Then the sudden realization of the sauna question came...

Splash.

She was close enough to the fire for its hot steam burst into her face, now reddened. Okay, maybe cross sauna off the list. At least now the fire's extinguished, their job's complete. There's still small embers glowing through the pile of coals, but it won't light up soon. They took their time admiring the ocean in the moonlight, before deciding to leave before the poor keeper finally collected his will to climb flight of stairs for a mediocre pay grade.

Not forgetting everything including the bucket, they made it back to the meeting point leisurely. To be honest, the job was more thrilling than she had expected. She also enjoyed the brief partnership with Gwyn, even she might not see her anytime soon, it's always great to make friends. After returning the bucket to where it was, Corvella smiled to Gwyn "Looks like port towns' my thing, I'm going to stay in the town for a few nights while appreciating the view."


[ OOC : I don't think I can make a great ending post yet, I'm passing the opportunity for now :) ]

 

Making their way down the long staircase of the Sister's stone spine was easy enough. The birds had settled back to sleep considering the late hour and she smiled up at them, wondering idly for a moment what it would have been like to tame those when she was still learning her mastery. She had waited and missed out on many of the more common animals, but Nathair had been worth the wait. She would need to fetch the green anaconda before she left town, but she was sure it was happy to get fat on rats caught in the warehouses where she had left it to wander.

She approached the door at the bottom and pressed her ear to it carefully, listening for the keeper of the lighthouse. Nothing but the wind and sea and distant bells of ships calling out to one another in the night. Gwyn cracked it open slowly to mitigate the sound of the creaking wood and the two snuck out on careful feet. The short and peaceful walk to their initial meeting spot went smooth as silk. The archer whistled into the night and waited for a breath as her tame moved like liquid shadow from within. Its sides heaved for a moment as it swallowed something further down and she gave the snake an amused look. She had been right on that account then. The sailors were lucky it was too lazy to hunt them instead of the rats that plagued their warehouses and ships.

With the quest completed and chance of discovery gone? All was well. Gwyn offered a hand for @Corvella to clasp and returned her sentiment. "Well, I'll trust you to hold down the fort then. The wilds are calling my name. Hope we run into each other down the line, I look forward to seeing what you can do with that sword and shield in a fight." She gave an informal, two-fingered salute and turned away. She snapped her fingers and the anaconda followed her as bade. Both peeled away into the night with fresh mountain air on the mind rather than that of the salty seas.