(INV) Getting Wood

Your group, a trio of adventurers arrives at the Adecus Logging Co. camp just before dark. You are greeted by a pair of nervous and clearly unskilled guards whom demand your identity with shaking voices that imply they would sooner drop their weapons and flee than engage your party in combat. After identifying yourself as the adventurers hired by Foreman Ruzio, you are permitted access by the obviously relieved guards.

The camp itself is little more than a collection of tents, with few permanent structures that include a small warehouse that is also kept under guard by equally incompetent conscripts, a mead-hall open to the cool twilight air on one side, and a cabin that houses quarters for the foreman and a select few employees. Everyone else staying in the camp calls a small cluster of tents erected around these primary structures home. Here and there fires, torches, and lanterns have been lit in preparation for the nights darkness, and the smell of cooked meat is heavy in the air, as the workers here have just finished their evening meal, and most of them had made there way to the mead hall to attempt to enjoy the evening, but you can probably tell that tension lingers heavy in the air.

After a short wait, you are greeted by Foreman Ruzio himself, a tall thick man with piercing grey eyes, long, unkempt hair, and a bushy beard dotted with small beaded braids. He carries a double bladed ax slung casually over his shoulder, and before addressing your group proper, he seems to pause to survey the horizon. Something is obviously wrong here, but there would be time for that later. Ruzio nods solemnly to your small party and motions for the three of you to follow him inside his cabin to meet privately.

As you enter, he shuts the door behind him and formally introduces himself for the first time.

"You probably already figered it out, but I'm Ruzio, the guy that posted yer quest. I run this little operation, and best believe you're going to be earning every coin we pay ya. Coupla days back, one of our wagons broke down comin' out tha woods back ta camp. No problem, right? send a team out, patch er' up and back to business. Next day, no word, so i go out thinkin' I find em pased out drunk sleepin under my wagon. Nope. buncha bandits. told me i had a day to hand over two hundred gold or they'd burn the wagon, AND my whole damn camp. countin' taday, we's two days late, and as you can see, the whole lot of em are gettin' jumpy."

He paused to pour four glasses of some sort of liquor, offering each member of the group a glass before continuing.

"Yall gonna spend the night here, hit the bricks early, and chase them fuckers off long enough for us to get that wagon back on the road and evacuate camp. Or ya can just kill the lot of em. Do whachya' want. Now, I'm comin with ya, but but make no mistake, the bandits are yer problem, not mine. I can take care of myself, but if yall get into trouble and I hafta save ya, im dockin yer pay, get it? Once we get tha wagon nice n safe again, yall gonna stay right there while I fetch some of the boys to bring up some horses and tools. Also if ya could make sure most of us come back in one piece, that would be swell too. "

He shrugged casually as he downed two fingers of strong liquor in a single pull and smacked his glass down on the table.

"Questions?"
​

@Britta Hagen @Animus Marle @Alonso Thorlion

​

 

Reaching the area was not so much of a task as it was an annoyance. Quests which required him to walk long distances did nothing more than waste his time, but dropping the request on such a trivial matter was guaranteed to ruin his reputation. At least, the man figured there was some kind of reputation ranking in the game. Few of the NPCs so far had any scripted movements, and his mind continued to praise the attentions to detail. Perhaps some reasonable conversation with the quest giver was a possibility. The fact Alonso could arrive on his own with little to no issue improved his mood. He should be a grown enough adult by now.

Despite this, his apparent group had entered without interference. Nobody seemed to be a burden thus far. The foreman, and true quest giver, held a significant presence which part of Alonso cherished. A thick man meeting an also thick man. No, this was not the time. The Felis could fawn all he wanted to later. Ruzio had business that needed to be taken care of, and Alonso doubted the game coded in a dating simulator with NPCs. If it did there would be no hope of dating anybody of the cat man's liking. Back into reality, Alonso nodded and followed the big boss into his cabin. Quaint.

Each detail of the quest was given in, well, more detail than Alonso expected. He did not feel a need to respond in words just yet. Heavy consideration rushed through his mind. The procrastination forced the cat man's brows to crease, but at the same time figured he could not blame the crew for waiting so long. Messages had to be delivered somehow, and the risk of bandits finding out and the breaking the deal was far from wise. Alonso's eyes tracked the glasses of liquor as they were offered. He did not take it for the moment, as there were still other matters of Foreman Ruzio's information.

Personal responsibility. He could work with that concept. No point in taking a reward if work was not one to earn it. A hum rumbled in the large man's throat, contemplating the specifics. His wide hand reached down, grabbing the offered liquor, and swirled it around to examine its contents. "While I doubt these bandits are strategic intellectuals, might I ask just how prepared they are to form other back up plans? For all we know they might have sent a spy or two in order to gauge what your group is doing," Alonso said. The glass rose to the large Felis's lips, taking a sip of the liquid with little health benefit. Well, he would assume so unless game mechanics told otherwise.

Once more the shirtless mountain of muscle swirled his liquor glass a few times before taking another sip. He was not the sort to fidget, but sometimes it helped, "If it took this long for us to respond, there's a good chance one of these idiots discovered you requested for help. It might throw this task in a direction we don't want if that's the case. No need to wander in senselessly just to get ambushed and outnumbered."

Tags: @Britta Hagen @Animus Marle @evilandlazy

 

Sometimes, Animus didn't understand this game: why have us walk when we can just teleport there? For the realism? The walk with the group had been a fairly quiet thing: they had exchanged names and not much else, but Animus felt confident in the group nonetheless... but admittedly, he felt a little out of place in it. He had chosen a build that was a little more sneaky but lightweight: Animus, more than anything with this group, felt the need to pull his weight. He had also just bought a real-deal weapon for the first time: the Investigator, custom-made for him.

Animus looked over the camp as they met it it, taking screenshots of the tents and people quietly. Animus got the feeling a lot of his quest-mates thought he was a quiet guy, but in actuality he was always working. Animus could definitely use this, and took a quick shot of the quest-giver as he approached them. An thought he was around average height in this world but this guy- well he towered above him. Large men were a semi-common occurrence but this guy rattled Animus's nerves a bit, especially eying his gigantic axe. Still, this was a friendly NPC, he needed the group's help. Animus took a deep breath and heard the man out.

The plan was about as Animus expected, and quietly nodded along to what the man had to say. Politely, he took a sip of the liquor given to him before smelling it. It was like mead, but a hell of a lot stronger. It reminded Animus of a college roommate that returned from winter break with about a half a dozen bottles of mead his dad had made, and often cut it with stronger alcohol. That kid was kind of a moron but at least the mead he brought back was good.

Naturally, An didn't have the taste for stronger liquor and pretty much choked on it. He looked up, embarrassed at the hulking quest giver and wiped the drink off of his face.

"Uh, sorry."

 

This quest was one that especially jumped out at her, for among the list of quests available at the time, this particular one seemed to be aimed at newer players, and that was just the type she needed right now. Without any proper armour or weapon, and just having the cruddy equipment she had on hand, this was really the way to go without endangering Britta’s life so often. Besides, did you see the group members she had with her? She had a hulk of a felis, a literal tank of man.

If he couldn’t be a gigantic help in dealing with the bandits, I honestly don’t know what would.The walk with her two other group members had been rather uneventful, the trio doing nothing more than simply exchanging names and other trivial details. Their arrival at the logging camp was one fraught with tension. The uneasiness of the guards was palpable and they seemed more afraid than intimidating to her. Britta didn’t know if that was because they were expecting an attack, or the sight of the hulk of man beside her that frightened them.

Perhaps, it was a bit of both. She certainly wouldn’t want to fight him, in any case. She didn’t even think he even needed a weapon if he didn’t want too. Those fists are most definitely hammers of destruction on their own. Just look at them! As they made their way deeper into the camp, it was there that the group met the foreman and their quest giver. Another hulk of a man that was probably just as thick and bulky as her group member, Alonso over here.

Her eyes caught the sight of his huge double bladed axe and her eyes widened in revelation. That was a weapon of a warrior, a fighter, not a lumberjack. There was definitely more than meets the eye when it came to Foreman Thick over here. He then went on with the quest briefing, detailing out their objectives and what they had to accomplish. When he was done, he poured some sort of liquor into four empty glasses, taking one for himself, leaving one each for the three of them. No stranger to alcoholic beverages, Britta took a whiff before taking a hearty sip of the drink. “This is good stuff.” Just as soon as she said that, her other party member, Animus choked on his drink, prompting her to retort back.

“What? You don’t think so?”

@Alonso Thorlion @Animus Marle @evilandlazy

 

As soon as Alonso had spoken Two words, Ruzio interjects:

"Sweet Muther, IT CAN TALK!!! Hello. There. Friend. Please. Dun. Eeet. Meh."

Ruzio cackles and gives the man a jovial slap on the shoulder, though it could be noted that this is one of the first times he's ever had to look up to say something to someone. He listened in silence as Alonso finished his questions, nodding from time to time, and once pouring himself a second glass of liquor, and wordlessly offering to refresh the drinks of the others. once it was apparent that Alonso was finished with his questioning, the almost-as-large lumberjack responded:

"All good questions, and ones that ah've asked m'self a few times. See, the mistake yer makin' is assumin' that I run tha whole show, and i dun. Ta make it worse, the folk tha do are bumblin' morons onna good day.

Short version, Tha bandits are either rank amatuers, or they really good at fakin' it. Prolly split off from a bigger group ta try their luck on they own. Ken tell cuz tha way they din' make good on thar threats, an seriously, what thay thinkin' takin a cart a' logs hostage? Annyone not a idiot would think ta take the men what come fix tha cart hostage instead?

Tha secon thing ya sed is tha real prolem tho, in'nit? Whatn' if they knows ya comin? Sees, when everythin started goin down, I had ta let the bosses back in Stokbon know that was what, an when they got back t' me, they jus'said 'Ey, get some 'venturers to clear em out, n break camp. Git anything worth a coin back to Stokbon so's we ken hire some mercenaries n whack down'na banit population juss'abit.'

So thar's tha'. Evn'if they din't see'ya trudgin through tha wood, Ya ken assume thay know ya comin, but ya professionals, rite?"

Satisfied that he's answered any questions the group had, he offered them simple lodgings for the night with a little more instruction to go along with it.

"We'll be takin' off'at first light, n i'll have a watchman or someone comm'in get ya up bout an hour before. Meadhall's open fer a coupla more hours if ya wanna grab a bite n a drink or two, but iff'nz ya too hungover ta do ya job in tha mornin, i'll have the lot of ya tied to a tree n floged. Company policy n' whatnot. grabba bite inna mornin, an we'll be off! Ya tents'll be waitin, juss find Smitty, cook for tha meadhall an he'll show ya. He's got tha shit luck'a bein' camp cook, but he's ma' secon in command here, an tha quartermster. Keeps tha place from burnin to tha groun while we got teams out in tha wood."

He turned and pointed at Britta with a stern look and a pointing finger, hoping the display will drive home his point as he addressed her specifically;

"Dun stay thar too long. That sword ya got'll keep em half civil, but most these men ain't seen a woman in a good while. Couple might even be hard up enough ta take a run at the little guy too."

He turned to address the group as a whole one last time before holding the door open and showing his guests out.

"Anyhoo, git som food, git som sleep, and we'll be off'n tha mornin"


OOC: If you have a hard time translating the language Ruzio invented while he was trying to learn english, get ahoold of me and I'll clear up any misunderstandings. Your meal at the mead hall is on the house, though a second portion will cost 3g Drinks at the mead hall are 2g each. make sure to figure out what you spend and post it OOC at the bottom of your next post, and the sum will be deducted from your share of the quest reward. If nobody in the party wants to stay at the hall any longer than possible, my next post will begin with the next morning to keep things moving quickly
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@Alonso Thorlion @Britta Hagen @Animus Marle

​

 

Growls swarmed within his throat upon being interrupted. He was certain there were no indicators of his being illiterate or barbaric, yet the foreman decided to throw vocalized jabs. So far his two party members were attracted to the alcoholic offerings more so than the conversation on top of that. By no means could Alonso read their minds, however, and the situation ended up being nothing more than a harmless joke. The jovial slap on the shoulder did not force the massive Felis to tumble over to the side. Good thing too, as he already took up a good portion of room due to his wide body and shoulders.

In the end a mass of information was given without hesitation. Alonso should not have been surprised. For a man who interrupted a discussion which should have been serious, Ruzio knew how to make up for it. The Felis decided to leave any aggravations caused by his client alone. "As professional as we can be I will guess. It might prove beneficial if take it slow and find the best opening. Of course, that plan may be ruined due to unforeseen circumstances, since as you said the true behavior of these bandits is unknown," Alonso said.

For purposes of blame, the hulking cat man considered these higher ups of the crew the true fools in this endeavor. A situation like this was no task that allowed an easy fix. Further instruction was given, a nod coming from Alonso, "Understood. I do not plan on fooling around tonight, and concerning myself with the necessary preparations." He took another swig of his drink, still on the first shot, finishing it up and requiring no more of the mentality destroying nonsense. Being sober was priority. His feline eyes gazed towards the other party members.

Pausing, he spoke up, "As for the two of you, I will accompany you to the mead hall and then our quarters for the evening. I don't want some unscrupulous people causing trouble for us when there's a job that needs to be down in the morning." Alonso gave a nod to Foreman Ruzio, further indicating he understood the implications behind what they were hired for. The man waited for the other two to leave first, as it was polite for the young lady to exit before a gentleman, remaining true to his word and going to the mead hall with whoever decided to go.

@Britta Hagen @Animus Marle @evilandlazy

 

@Animus Marle has been inactive for 48hrs. Continued absence will result in their removal from the quest.
@Britta Hagen Please post,

 

Britta listened to the hulk of a foreman as he spoke, further detailing out and answering the questions posed by her party member, Alonso just several moments ago. She did agree on the points that it was really foolish and dare she say stupid for the bandits to take the cart of logs hostage. It was not like these were just special golden logs or something that were absolutely essential or could be sold for plenty of money. No, she was pretty sure that these were just ordinary logs felled from the trees around the area. Unless like what Ruzio had said, these bandits were simply feigning to be the amateurs they were, and their true target were the people would come then to fix the damage caused by the cart instead.

Maybe they had some beef with one of the repair crew? Who knows. Anything could be possible with the lack of information any of them had about these so-called-bandits. As he ask in questioning tone, wanting to reconfirm that they were indeed professionals, which she actually wasn’t, she then replied. “I-We-’ll try to be professional as we can.” Agreeing with Alonso, Britta continued.

“I rather we take it slow, and figure this out as we go, then rush in blindly expecting one thing only to be surprised by another.” She’d realised in many occasions before that rushing in recklessly achieved nothing good. The foreman ended by saying they could have a meal on the house in the mead hall before proceeding for an early night as the group would be leaving at first light.

“That’s fine for me. I don’t plan on staying any longer than I possibly need to. A quick meal and then we can all be off to tents to have a good rest before we head out tomorrow. Sounds good?” Alonso then spoke, announcing his intent to the group that he will be accompanying them to the mead hall followed by their quarters to ensure that they did not get harassed before their job tomorrow. “Thank you Alonso. That’s real nice of you.” As he gestured for her to leave, Britta gave him a warm appreciative smile and began making her way towards the meal hall to have her meal before heading to their quarters.

@Alonso Thorlion @Animus Marle @evilandlazy

 

It's still dark out when the tree of you are roused from your sleep, but the camp is already bustling with activity, and the sounds of tree birds in the distance further confirm your suspicions that it is, in fact early morning. The smell of sausage hangs thick in the air, and after taking a few moments to dress and make yourselves presentable, you are lead to the mead hall where a bleary eyed handful of workers still linger. the three of you are served a heaping portion of biscuits and gravy by the quartermaster, along with a grunt and nod of encouragement. Shortly after, You are joined by Ruzio, who inspects the three of you briefly, then makes his way to the quartermaster turned camp chef with some brief instructions;

"Have a team reddy with tools and a spare wheel. Ahl sound mah horn when it's time. Ahm takin off ah first light. Iffnz ahm not back in few tays, burn this fucker to tha ground and get tha men outta here. Tha bosses can piss n moan all they wan' but they can't bring tha dead back, hm?"

Again silent, the quartermaster simply nods. It would be a sign of things to come, as your meal was shared in silence. The heaping portion leaves the group well fed and ready for what may come, but also desperate to crawl back into bed and have a good old-fashioned food coma nap. As you emerge from the mess hall, the sky is already beginning to light. Ruzio leads the three of you toward the outer gate, stopping to speak occasionally with one of his team about this mundane detail or that. Finally, he stops at the gate ad addresses the guard.

"Remember tha plan and dun be a hero if they attack. Ya spo'st look like guards, not ac' likem. Ahl be back in two deys'"

and with that the group sets out. into Acedus Forest, heading east along a rough and obviously temporary wagon track.

@Alonso Thorlion @Animus Marle @Britta Hagen

 

He waited for his party members to fall asleep the night before, checking on things to make sure nobody was spying on them. Not that Alonso held a distrust of the crewmen from the get go, however, but the man was keen on making sure their quest went as smooth as possible. Failing simple quests this early on would just be an omen that was far from desired. Alonso did not keep himself up too long, otherwise he would risk oversleeping or cause fatigue to settle in soon after they woke the next day.

For the most part the morning remained silent. Once again the foreman gave the party a meal on the house, prepared for the long haul. Despite the lack of questioning the night before, the Felis did not notice any extreme traits from his two companions that would force their plans into a chaos filled nightmare. Alonso continued to muddle over possible inquiries he could bother Ruzio with. The lack of information aligned withe the mirage of a lot of information was still not satisfying. Once light hit they would be off to settle matters irregardless.

The mood throughout the camp remained grim on top of everything. Preparing for the worst seemed to be top priority. Even the hulking cat man was not fond of the pessimism, but he was in no place to say otherwise. He was forced to admit that cart was the livelihood of these men. As the group left the camp site, the forest's silence was culled by nothing more than the sounds of natural creatures. It was not out of place, but unnerving all the same. They were running out of time to formulate a real plan.

Despite Ruzio not wanting to have to save their bacon if things went south, it would be wise if the big man was still given a plan. Alonso observed the trees surrounding their group a moment, keeping his volume low, "If we can we should split the group into two even pairs once we're close enough and have not been seen yet. Getting the jump on these bandits should help take care of the problem, or at least remove some of the threat." Recalling what the foreman had told them, the man added, "Yes, I do understand you said the bandits were our problem and not yours, but if you feel it acceptable an unseen distraction may be beneficial to us as well."

@Britta Hagen @Animus Marle @evilandlazy

 

The biscuits and sausage had honestly been a godsend for Animus, as he had decided not to eat anything last night for some dumb reason that he had immediately regretted. He heartily scarfed up the food before they were off and made sure everything was all taken care of on his end: didn't want his dagger unsharpened if anything went south. While his focus was largely on the meal at the beginning, the grim feeling of the camp quickly gave him the nerves. An attempted to swallow his cowardice, but it was a bit too big for one gulp.

As hunger subsided, sleepiness came back in. Why the hell wasn't there any coffee here? Was coffee not a thing?

Animus moved along with the cart, taking a look around the forest they were moving around, taking little snaps here and there of things that'd be interesting to the folks who read his website. Animus overheard Alonso's plan and decided to finally speak up a bit.

"I can scout up a bit if you'd like. I'm a rogue by trade, so helping to get the jump on them wouldn't be hard. I'll just jump into the trees and look a bit ahead, alright?"

Animus waited a moment before doing anything, to make sure that his idea fell into the other's plans.

 

The trio spent just the short amount of time in the mead hall before they retreated to their quarters for the remainder of the night and morning. It hardly felt like any time had passed at all, but soon it was time to wake, and Britta woke, expecting a dull sense of lethargy to overcome her, but instead, she felt visibly refreshed. That took her by surprise, but hopefully, that was a sign of good things to come, and this day might very well turn out to be a great one after all.

After washing up and getting dressed, the team headed out to the mead hall as they began to have their breakfast with the rest of the workers around the camp. Despite the very early hours of the morning, the camp was already bustling with activity that showed that everyone was ready to get this task and quest of theirs into order. These bandits would be taken care of today, by hook or by crook. The golden brown biscuits were fresh and aromatic and the savoury gravy was mouthwatering delicious, yet a dour gloominess hung about the air in the mead hall, with the usual chatter of the people left relatively quiet.

It was like as though the people were preparing for a last meal before battle. Britta wasn’t about to let that happen. This was just the beginning of things to come, and supposed to just be a simple quest. In an attempt to boost her spirits and the morale of those around her, she began to hum a lively tune, trying to drown out the gloominess with liveliness. When breakfast was done, the entire quest group began to head out, the streaks of first daylight sown upon the sky like paints on a painter’s canvas. As they set out and were well on their way, Foreman Ruzio took the time to remind that about their objectives again, and Britta listened in silence. Walking alongside Alonso and Animus, she listened as the felis suggested they split up in an attempt to ambush the bandits.

Animus then offered to scout ahead, offering to put his skills as a rogue to good use. She then voiced out her opinion. “Why not wait until Animus return from his reconnaissance before we decide on what to do next? It’s good to know what we are up against before committing to a plan.”

@Alonso Thorlion @Animus Marle @evilandlazy

 

Ruzio listens to the brief discussion, but interjects as soon as Britta finishes speaking;

"If ya mean for us ta wait while tha little feller to sneak clear down thar n back, we ain' got time for tha. If he wantsa git a head start an then we follow, that'll work fine. I mean, It's his fun'ral n all. An, since yer honorary employees n whathave fer tha duration, we'll even send yer stuff back to ya next of kin!"

Ruzios crass interjection was maybe not entirely necessary, but served to drive home the point that they were on a bit of a schedule. Had there been enough daylight remaining yesterday, the group would have departed as soon as they arrived, but the at-least-a-little-smarter-than-he-looks Ruzio had decided to give the party a nights rest instead of leading them into a likely nighttime ambush. Today, however, all parties involved were on the clock, and the thread of an impending bandit raid on the small camp meant time was a luxury, and this was a place where luxury was in shockingly short supply on a good day.

In regards to Alonzo's strategy, Ruzio simply shrugged and remarked "Do whachya want. Maybe ah haven' made m'self clear yet but im juss along ta make sure the wagon is actually secure before I bring in a team of my finest idiots ta fix tha' thing."

He turns to address the entire group with an urgent wave of his arm

"We ken figure all'a this out on tha' way. Less talkin, more walkin! C'mon!"

As if to drive home Ruzios urgent point, the sun had risen fully, and the forest was awake with the songs of birds, the occasional rustle of the flightless ones, and a plethora of various insect sounds. The path itself was muddy and deeply rutted, and more often than not they found traveling to either side of the track easier than trying to walk directly on the rutted and poorly maintained road.


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@Animus Marle Please include a roll [ dice ] d20 [ /dice ] (w/o spaces) at the end of your next post if you choose to follow through with your plan to scout ahead; This score will play a part in determining how effective your efforts are. Remember though, that you are scouting and must behave as such or a penalty will be applied.

@Alonso Thorlion @Britta Hagen

 

"Only a suggestion," the man said, reinforcing his stance on the matter. Alonso let it be however, knowing full well they needed to meet a deadline. Staying where they were and waiting for Animus to get back would impede the group more than help. Yet, scouting ahead while they walked did have a benefit to such a plan. "Having someone go on ahead would help us to some degree. Since we would still be walking along it would be faster meeting up again," he said to Animus. The Felis wanted to say more on that, but Alonso did not want to risk their scout provoking more than one bandit to come at them, or worse, drawing the aggro failed.

His time around this quest reverted to silence, aside from nature's voice. Whether or not his rogue companion would go off do his scouting was anyone's guess. Glancing over at Britta a moment, the large man said to her, "Are you sure you're ready for this? I'd much rather not have to worry about whether you younger folks are going to run in thinking you got the perfect sneak attack for a kill shot." Alonso is not against being a morning person, but sometimes he just lets out the strict side of his being. That was the downside of being an over bearing father considering he had to deal with both his kids being on their own.

What can he say? He loves his kin a little too much.

Tag: @Britta Hagen @Animus Marle @evilandlazy

 

Thrown die:

11

"Right, well I'm going to go ahead then. I'll be back to report any kind of information to you folks," said Animus with a smile. At this point, he had felt a little useless but now it was time to show his abilities in a way he hadn't before.

Animus went up the largest tree he could find in the area they were walking. It was just a few small jumps up with the ability he'd invested in the rogue skill, and as soon as he hit the top of the tree he started jumping onto other treetops. He made sure to be smart about foot placement, not wanting to drop onto anyone or lose his cover. But Animus also needed to be quick, to stay ahead ahead of the caravan.

As he moved further away from his party the more careful he became, making sure that the sounds from the trees were nothing out of the ordinary: he shouldn't sound much different from the wind in the leaves or a squirrel climbing into his home, he decided. As he stealthed, he took screenshots of the forest from on high. Animus would stop as soon as he heard any kind of sound other than himself, and would listen quietly for any sounds and scan patiently for any sights. If there wasn't anything, he'd move a little further, and wait, and repeat until he found something.