Private - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor...

Aldrenos Manor, Evening...

"Come out with your hands up, or we will storm the building! You have one last chance to- eep!"

A flying bolt cut off the man's threats, as a figure poked their head out of a window. Cold blue eyes simply watched the ragged bunch of conscripted guards assembled in front of the manor.

"Your storm will break on the first foray," the man spoke with a deep voice, his hands calmly reloading the crossbow as he watched the messenger at his doorstep. A stripling youth, like all the rest in the camps outside. This was turning out to be more of an annoyance than a problem.

And he leaned back into the building, closing the window tight. His answer was definitely not 'Oh, of course I give up! Please drag me off to jail for my transgressions while I lose my noble ranks and fief!', from his actions at least.

It was about evening, and there was a small camp pitched out around the Aldrenos Manor. Like with a bunch of nobles, the ones in here too took badly to the deconstruction of feudalism in Astorea, and were now trying to stage a protest. Highwaymen and mercenaries were hired by them to harry the roads around the manor which were smack on the border between Brisshal and Astorea no less, and all in all they've been creating quite a mess out there.

The camp was pretty basic, pitched outside the manor walls, one of perhaps eight pitched around the manor walls in a ragged circles. No way in, and now way out. It was a siege, but not one with any hope of success - on hearing about the soldier's approach, Lord Aldrenos had already moved to barricade himself with as much supplies as needed, while expelling useless mouths and fortifying his position. When the siege party, about a hundred or so green recruits into the army, had arrived at the place, they found a veritable fortress. Getting over the walls was easy, but the courtyard and the manor grounds were wide open, providing easy pickings for the crossbows that poked out and fired at the advance; after the first failed foray, they didn't try another one. It just so happens that the former noble was a skilled Tinker, and a practicing Clocksmith as well, complicating things even further as to the difficulty of the mission in relation to what the soldiers could do.

So now it was a stalemate, as the soldiers camp outside the opulent manor. The plan was to slowly cut off any food supplies to the place, to starve the enemy out...but the attackers were the ones with poor support, and the prospect of a drawn out siege was going to be taxing on both the men and funding. They just didn't have the menace needed for an assault...

So the commander of the whole thing decided that they were going to hire that menace, if needed. Posters were written up and distributed in Stokbon, asking for brave adventurers to assist in bringing the rogue lord down. It has been a week since they posted the request, and morale has been creeping towards breaking point all the while...

Until today. The first adventurer to arrive was a human, a boy wearing Eastern-styled robes of red and black, with copper hair and a smirk on his face. In his hands he was clutching one of the posters.

He walked up to the main camp, placed right in front of the gates to the manor, and stopped before the wary sentries pointing their halberds at him.

"Peace, lads. I hear y'all are in need of some folks to mosey over to yonder manor and smack down the people inside, am I readin' that right?" He shook the poster in front of their faces, and the guards' eyes lit up with recognition. They lower their halberds and point to the main pavilion, instructing him to speak to the commander of this whole operation. From how they spoke his name, it'd seem that they had grown to dislike him over this week.

Of course he was ready for this. A little bit of battle won't be amiss, as he puffed on the kiseru between his lips, blowing out a stream of aromatic, if intoxicating smoke. Well, he can't do this alone, but surely there will be other adventurers to join him?

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@B.P. Rumblehide @Ueno Mizuki

 

Grabbing the piece of paper which had been stuck to the wall Mizuki read it over, although she quickly got the gist of it as it wasn't the first time this issue came up. Exhaling she shook her head, rolling the piece of paper up and putting it in her inventory. Astor's declaration that he was abolishing both the monarchy and the aristocracy, returning the power to the people, had been a bold move. Unfortunately he had either been underestimating the amount of resistance the aristocracy would put up or he'd thought the need of reforming the country outweighed the costs of forcing the change so suddenly.

Mizuki wasn't fond of getting involved in politics, but it was another matter if politics resulted in former nobles acting like bandits and microscopic rogue states.

So far she hadn't really been participating in quelling the rebellion as she'd been distracted by helping Astorea in other ways, but it looked like it was time to earn her keep this way. Pulling up her map she located the name that had been on the poster, then set off at a bit of a hurry, as the poster had mentioned that they couldn't exactly afford to wait much longer...

The scenario was clearly visible from a distance, a fort which looked very closed off and a bunch of encampments around it, surrounding it so if anyone tried to get out from any side they'd immediately be noticed. Mizuki shielded her eyes from the sun with a hand as she studied the place for a bit longer, frowning as she thought of the best way to deal with this. She'd have to go and talk with whoever was in charge and see if they had useful information, because so far it didn't look like there was any option other than to scale the walls and try to clean the entire place out the hard way. Which would be an easier task for a bunch of hardened adventurers than some common soldiers, but she still hoped that wasn't the only plan available.

Approaching the camp closest to her she looked at the soldiers, sniffed the air. While she couldn't exactly smell emotion she could pick up on a lot of details which helped paint a picture. Both eyes and nose were in agreement: these soldiers weren't in a very good shape. They looked haggard, tired, and they smelled of sweat and accumulated filth, people who couldn't be bothered to keep themselves in pristine condition. Add to that the scent that people produce when they're stressed and it was clear that this wasn't a happy place. The poster certainly wasn't lying about this being something of an emergency.

Nevertheless she had to know where to go, so Mizuki approached one of the soldiers and asked them where she had to go to get more information about the situation. The soldier reacted with irritation and suspicion, showing the results of having been here for a while with no end in sight. Mizuki did her best to stay calm and not respond to irritation with more irritation, and eventually she managed to convince the man to explain that she had to find the commander in his tent, nodding at him before quickly moving along. The other soldiers didn't seem happy to see her either, the caenis glancing at them once she passed them by before looking ahead.

Arriving at the biggest pavilion she saw that the people here were in slightly better shape, although they were still on their guard until Mizuki remembered to just pull out the poster and show it to them, at which point they all decided there was no reason to waste any more time arguing and instead told her to just get in.

As she walked in Mizuki spotted someone who wasn't in uniform and not in the attire of a commoner either. Like all adventurers he had a bit of a distinct appearance to him. He was also heading for the pavilion, but since Mizuki didn't want to deal with suspicious guards asking her why she'd immediately leave after just entering she just waited inside, wondering how many other adventurers would be helping out in this endeavour.
@Cyriac Felix @B.P. Rumblehide

 

Stokbon, now that had been an interesting place to say the least. It was full of different places to see and things to do. Though for him, it had also seemed to serve as some sort of checkpoint. Why? The answer had been easy, it was the fact that it was the first major city that he had seemed to encounter after the first spawning into the game. It had been a little distance to reach it, but it had been a checkpoint non the less. It was almost as if the silver haired Yladian was making a mental map of all the places in the game.

It was there that he had found the poster. Seemed that the people had a bit of chaos going on and needed brave adventurers to assist in bringing the rogue lord down. Well, it was on his way so he didn't see why he couldn't go and stop by to assist. Should he do such, maybe just maybe it would earn him favour among someone powerful. Power, now that was something-- he wanted a powerful pawn to move around as he seemed fit. People were all pawns to be manipulated, it wasn't like he had need for things such as friends.

Though he had come across others of his own race and a very interesting Faerin already. People just weren't something he actually thought highly of. Players and even the NPCs were all people that he only kept around him should they be useful. Now he wasn't one who would just cut down anyone he didn't deem worthy either, though he wasn't against having to do what he had to in order to continue forward. He did take a strange liking to a few things. The first was pain, in general. He loved to feel the realistic pain of the game almost as much as he enjoyed inflicting it on others. Though that side of him wasn't on full display, it was normally hidden behind a smile.

He wouldn't be able to get what he wanted if he didn't wear the smile. The smile was a way to make a person think he was warm and friendly. It was a trap and once they were in it, he would snap down and see if they were useful. That was if something else didn't test this for him of course. It kept life interesting to say the least. Now the next thing that he had a strange liking for was for the beasties of this game. They had so much variety than they did in the world outside of the game.

As he found himself on the path towards the location upon the poster he was humming to himself.It was that same tune, it never changed. It was slowly gaining more and more of a creepy feel to it, he could only imagine what it would be like after awhile within this game. It might even change to include a different melody. It was strange, the humming just came to him-- though he didn't choose anything having to do with music. Maybe it was some strange quirk he had come to have here.

Finally, there it was. He had come upon the main gates shortly after another seemed to have gotten there. He smiled as he almost pranced up to the thing and up to the guards. "I've arrived just as requested" he spoke as he went to bring out his own poster to wave it at the guards. His approach had been so much different than the man that he had caught the tail end of. His ears twitching as he had heard it all, it wasn't like he had been that far away from him as he had spoke. He didn't know who the guy was, but it was something about the way he spoke that seemed different. Maybe he would be of interest.

Were there others? Were they the only ones? Could two people take down a rouge lord? Well maybe, anything was possible. With his knowledge alone they could do it, but this he didn't say just yet. The guards' eyes seem lit up still , almost excited that their plea had been answered by another one aside from the man before him. Though this wasn't a fact he knew just yet, he had no idea that they were the only ones so far. Though he could have probably done it alone, he was that confident in his own abilities. He was just here for his own reasons, not because he cared or anything about these people.

He would tap his right hand upon the hilt of his long sword that he had at his side. "It seems easy enough, take down the wall by force and slay the people inside. Gotcha." Before the soldiers could reply back he had moved over to where he had seen the other male go towards. He would like to speak to this commander as well, especially if he was going to be assisting in this little task. What would be in it for him? Would he get glory and have the people bow down in thanks to him. That was what he deserved.

His smile never faded from his lips as he approached the other. This guy was taking a puff of something, seemed relaxing. Might as well get to know the guy. He got closer to him "seems we are the only ones here at the moment. Unless they are hiding some special force somewhere, if they are I don't see em." His crimson eyes had taken a look around the place before going to analyze the other. He appeared normal. He didn't have pointy ears or was short, he appeared average. "Name's Camus by the way. To think they are allowing others to assist with them. Wonder what the inside is like." His eyes lit up in excitement with that thought.

 

Cyriac stood in the pavilion, smoking a bit more before he saw a second figure approach him. He didn't budge from his place though, and instead glanced at the manor, just in case this man was an envoy from there or somesuch. When he arrived and began to speak though, Cyriac understood that this was one of his fellow adventurers, here to answer the call.

Cyriac held the kiseru with his left hand, and reached out with his right hand, for a handshake.

"Indeed we are. Early arrivals, I reckon. And no, this sorry lot didn't really expect the manor to be fully prepared for everything short of a war machine assault. Buuuut they can't be blamed, aye. It seems they want us folk to work light-handed on this here business - ofttimes, a few can accomplish what many could not."

"Felix. And I reckon that inside, there's a dozen crossbowmen or so waiting to ventilate us, which is the only reason nobody's charging in."

It was then that he turned around to feel the gaze of a third person on them. Another adventurer was also there with them, but she had been so quiet that he almost didn't notice her. Or perhaps she wasn't an adventurer?

A subtle manipulation of his Palm Menu was enough to confirm that two players were nearby, and a third was...approaching? Whatever. He tipped his head towards the Caenis female in greeting.

"Apologies! Didn't notice ya there, what with the dim light in here and all. Are you one of the volunteers for the assault?" He lifted the hand with the kiseru up, a slight motion that was meant to hail her, as well as beckon her to come forward. She looked like the wary type, though - he just hoped he didn't simply call out one of the other adventurers out on an unfounded hunch.

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@B.P. Rumblehide @Camus Varic @Ueno Mizuki

 

"There's no honor in murder," the faerin barbarian mumbled as she adjusted the wrists of her forearm protectors.

The spirit walking by her side nodded in agreement, but still had more to say on the matter. "Of course not, my child. But perhaps you need to consider the honor of others just this once?"

Lingering in the distance, the manor faded into view. All seemed quiet at the moment, but that would soon change.

"These nobles would continue to oppress a free people," the spirit reminded the Battle Princess as it gazed at the structure. "They do not adhere to the wishes of their former king. They will not give up their lands, their titles... And they will do whatever they can to hoard this perceived power, including oppress hundreds if not thousands of free people."

Its ethereal gaze drifting over to the focused warrior, the spirit continued, "Surely, you do not forget your own history?"

Of course she didn't. In the past, the faerin had been captured en masse and sold off as slaves to the nations of Terra. For countless years they worked themselves to death building cities, farming the lands, tending the livestock, and fighting the battles of man. Rumblehide's own tribe escaped from the clutches of their masters generations ago, hiding in the wilds of Brisshal and coming into their own as a group of battle-hardened shamans.

(At least that's the backstory Nick Donato gave himself to make it easier to lose himself in the world of Terrasphere.)

Rumblehide nodded and produced her great axe from her inventory. The blade was sharpened earlier in the morning, after the faerin read the poster asking for assistance with the siege and the dealing with the renegade nobles. As she approached a trio of adventurers standing in the main camp, she felt the chilling caress of the spirit's hand squeeze her shoulder.

"Do not concern yourself with how this story will remember you, Princess..."

"...for countless more have yet to be written," she finished.

The leather grips on the axe creaked in protest as Rumblehide's fingers tightened around them. Next to her, the spirit drifted away, fading into the aether. All around her the quiet storm of preparations were under way for the assault that was to come. Soldiers giving orders, generals bent over maps of the nobles' expansive manor and grounds. Blacksmiths sharpening and repairing gear. Nurses and healers tending the wounded.

A pair of guards with halberd guarded the main gates, before with the other three people stood. One in red robes, one with thick salt and pepper hair and the distinctive ears of a caenis, and a yladian clad in white.

The Battle Princess nodded at each of them in turn and pulled the bleached kobold skull that served as her helmet down over her emerald eyes. "Sorry I'm late," she said flatly, the excitement and bloodlust bubbling in her stomach masked by the flatness of her voice. "Th' name's Rumblehide. So what's the plan?"

 

It didn't take long for another adventurer to enter the pavilion, Mizuki watching the tall yladian as he stepped inside and quickly headed over to the human who was already present. For now it looked like she was left to her own devices, the officers in charge of the whole situation being too busy to redirect their attention to the adventurers. While the officers had it better than the grunts they still looked like the siege was getting on their nerves, weary expressions dominating their faces as they argued and the commander tried to keep everything orderly.

It was only when @Cyriac Felix hailed her and beckoned her over that the caenis joined the other two, giving the both of them a polite smile.

Don't worry about it. And yes, I found one of those posters which mentioned that they were in need of some help and decided to see if I could be of use.

She briefly fished the poster out of her inventory to indicate it before putting it back, after which she tilted her head slightly as she studied the pair.

Well, my name is Ueno Mizuki, and iI hope we'll get along. If you're right and there's a bunch of crossbowmen waiting for us inside we'll have to find a way to get in that won't get us perforated.

Her ears twitched to indicate how she'd overheard that little tidbit, the wolfwoman also nodding to @Camus Varic in greeting before looking over at the commander and his officers.

I hope they have a plan for us, or at least useful information.

Her ears twitched again as she heard light footsteps approach the pavilion, lighter than that of the soldiers. Looking around Mizuki spotted an unusually short figure, wearing a skull helmet and looking like a child unless you'd seen fae before. With a human, and yladian, a caenis and a faerin the only thing left would be a felis and they'd have the full set, although Mizuki didn't say that out loud as she instead waved at the barbarian-looking woman as she approached.

We only just arrived ourselves, so no need to apologize. I'm Mizuki, and we don't really have a plan yet. Now that there's four of us I think it's time for us to have a talk with the commander and see if he's got something useful or if we have to figure out how to get inside without being shot on our own.

Technically they could still wait a bit longer, but four adventurers should be sufficient. With @B.P. Rumblehide added to the group they might as well get on with it.

 

Crimson eyes would look at the hand that was offered him. 'Well that was an interesting gestured.' He wasn't used to someone actually doing something so... civil. Yes, he had a tendency to get on a person's bad side, especially when he had first spawn into the game. Though this person didn't seem to mind him so much, what more he seemed to buy the smile and his words. He had given him no reason to not believe it, he seemed like just another adventurer that had answered this calling. His hand would go out to grasp the other's in a firm handshake.

He listened to the other's words, and for once in his time he actually found himself agreeing with someone. This guy got him-- well somewhat. A lot more had yet to be seen from Felix, the mission that they were about to embark on would show a person's true colours. "Pleasure to meet ya." This was as far as he would get within his speech as Felix would beckon another over. He hadn't noticed the other who was quiet. He might not have noticed the Caenis female should Felix not have mentioned her.

He offered a smile to the Caenis female as she approached them. He couldn't say that he had even had the honour to meet someone like her. There was just something about her that drew her in, he had a feeling he would enjoy working with the one whom he hadn't noticed until recently. So it seemed like slowly their team was beginning to form. "There are always ways to get into places like this. Sure it seems like it has a solid guard, but there are always secret passages. Than again where would the fun be if we weren't met with a bunch of crossbowmen." His voice held some of the arrogances that it normally did-- but for the first time he was actually performing well with others.

"I'm sure they would or they wouldn't have made those posters." If the commander and his officers didn't have a plan, he was sure they could figure something out. Was he actually wanting to work as a team, he would try anything once. It might not have the best flavour to taste, but he would take it upon his tongue and taste it. He knew he didn't truly get along with that of his own kind to say the least, those were stories he would keep to himself of course.

His ears would twitch slightly at the sound of another pair of footsteps. It was because he had been so engrossed in things prior that he hadn't noticed Mizuki approaching them. This was a mistake that he hadn't made again. His crimson eyes would glance in the direction of what looked to be a child wearing a skull helmet. However, he had already met a Faerin before so he was aware of their smaller structure. Something told him this would be the only other person who would have come to answer the call from the poster. Well weren't they a ragtag bunch, all they lacked was a Felis and all the races would have gathered. It was an odd thought to think about, but it would have truly been like some Terra version of the Lord of the Rings. Well, minus the fact that they weren't trying to get a ring to Mount Doom.

They made an interesting bunch, but would they be enough to take down the rouge king and get the mission completed. He could feel it, the blood-lust that seemed to drift off of the newest addition, Rumblehide-- or maybe it was just his imagination. Though her voice seemed flat, unemotional even-- it had to be his imagination, right. "Yes, not a reason to apologize. I'm Camus and welcome to our little party. So shall we move on with the show and see what the commander can tell us." He had yet to call anyone by their names yet, the reason was because he wasn't sure what might come out of it. Though it wouldn't be long before he would give someone a nickname, but who would be the first 'victim' of it?

 

Cyriac looked around and nodded at the assembly. Four. Four was always a good number; the UI suggested four people in a party for default, four was small enough to sneak past things but large enough to overpower opponent forces. They should at least start collecting information on how to proceed before night falls - the faster they acted, the more of a surprise it will be. He raised his hand in greeting towards the Faerin as well, smiling at her. "And you may call me Felix. As for the plan-"

And that was when a burly figure strode into the pavilion as well; speak of the devil. The two guards in front saluted him, and he walked right past the assembled adventurers with a grim expression.

"Good evening, brave ones. I'm sorry if my reception is either tense or curt, but time is of the essence."

The man strode over and stood by a table, a map of the estate spread out on the surface. Chess pieces of different colors were scattered over the map to indicate the different camps, all of them pawns. Right in the center, five bishops sat, along with a castle and a king - the figurative and literal stronghold.

"I'll keep this short and simple. Right now, we outnumber the people inside the manor, and could easily overwhelm any opposition inside the place if we begin an assault. The problem is getting close enough to do that - the crossbownmen on all the windows are lethal shots, each and every one. None of them have missed a single bolt so far, unless it was deliberate, and they wither down any charges in front of them to nothing before one of us could even reach the door. As long as they're there, we're doomed to fail an assault."

Felix opened his mouth, perhaps to interject, or suggest something, but a raised hand and a stare silenced him - the commander had a knack of appearing in command without offending others, for Felix wisely declined to interrupt.

"Please leave your questions for the end. We've already formulated a plan, and I need to explain it as soon as possible."

He cleared his throat, and pulled out four knight pieces, placing them inside the manor walls on the map.

"My men are not trained in working alone, or with stealth or any degree of improvisation, but you adventurers are perfectly suited for all three. Which is why we're offering a reward if you can participate in this task, and help us. All you need to do is make your way into the manor by the cover of night - this night, preferably."

He glanced pointedly at the entrance to the pavilion. The light outside was fading, turning reddish-gold as the sunset approached. He then took the four knight pieces and moved them right next to the cluster of pieces in the center of the manor.

"Once you're in there, I need you to eliminate the crossbowmen first and foremost. That's all you're required to do, but I do not think you can avoid a fight indoors with whatever retainers Lord Aldrenos keeps. Just succeed in the mission and bunker down, preferably in a room or someplace defensible."

He reached into his pocket, and placed down a ring - gold, with an inlaid emerald gemstone. There was writing around the ring as well, faintly glowing red-hot lines that seemed to fade as soon as he placed it on the table. And then, he swept aside the bishops on the table, replacing their positions with the knights.

"Once you're done, siphon a bit of your mana into this Stun Ring, and hurl it out of any of the windows. Make sure to look away because the Stun RIng explodes into concussive light and noise...or as a signal, if needed. That will be the signal we're looking for to charge in."

He gestured to all the pieces around the manor. He quickly moved each pawn into the center, and knocked down the castle as well.

"We'll breach and enter, mop up the place, and if you're pinned down, we'll clear the way for you. Leave Lord Aldrenos to us, but if you manage to get to him first, you have my permission to put him down like the dog he is...no offense, of course."

He gave a sheepish nod to the Caenis, before clearing his throat and straightening up. Now, the map was changed. It was eight pawns and four knights around a solitary king. With a flick of his finger, the king fell as well.

"You have to understand, I'm not being too specific with the methods and means because you are not my soldiers - I do not wish to restrain your style or actions without a good reason. Take the map and the ring along - the ring should be handled by someone with competent skill in magic, and the map by anyone who can read it and plan out a path. This is all the information I can give you regarding the opposition you may face in there - even we're in the dark, and we've been here for a week now...so in the end, the plan boils down to this: get close, get in, take out the crossbowmen, signal us, then sit tight."

His shoulders slumped, and he sighed, leaning on the table. Everyone was preparing for this day's proposed assault, but mentally, everyone was weary. If the fight won't end today, or tomorrow, people will start to desert, and the siege will break.

"Now is the time for questions. If you wish, discuss among yourselves on how to proceed. I'll be right here..."

He walked away from the group, and to a table, where he began reading up the scrolls and missives that had piled up on his table. Despite his appearance of being occupied, we was willing to answer any legitimate questions and concerns that he was aware of.

Felix sighed. The briefing wasn't too long, very one-sided, and clear enough. He was studying the map already, and he had an idea of how to proceed, at the very least - he should perhaps discuss it with his party members.

And speaking of party members, a few manipulations of his Palm Menu was all he needed to open the Party and Quest systems, swiftly sending out two requests.

Level 5 Quest: A Plan Like Clockwork

Objective: Successfully assault the Aldrenos Manor.
Please Note: This quest is best attempted with a party.
Do You Accept?
[Yes] | [No]

Party Invitation

Cyriac Felix has sent a party invitation.
Assault Team
Current Members:
Cyriac Felix
Do You Accept?
[Yes] | [No]

The other three players should be receiving the invitation to join in now.

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@Camus Varic @Ueno Mizuki @B.P. Rumblehide

 

As the commander apparent quickly and stiffly laid out the basic plan. Rumblehide scratched her chin. It didn't seem like too involving of a mission; just another sneak and smash. The latter came easy to her; it was the former she was more concerned with.

The man in armor suggested that the four adventurers wait until the night fell before they made their move. Fine by her, of course. The last thing she wanted to find out was whether or not the skull helmet she wore could protect her from a crossbow bolt whizzing through the evening air.

Rumblehide was rather under-dressed for the mission to begin with. Her leather arm guards, greaves, and chest protector did well to stop the slashing and piercing of talons and teeth; but her usual fare wasn't nearly as powerful as a trained soldier with a sense of undying loyalty to some rich bastard who treated him like a pet dog meant to protect him.

A pleasant ping rung in her ear, signaling a new notification waiting on her UI. Flicking her palm menu open, the faerin quickly found the two invites Cyriac sent to her. With a couple quick taps of a forefinger and a nod aimed at the man in robes, the Battle Princess closed her menu and began steeling herself for the bloodshed that assuredly awaited them inside the manor's walls.

Now, her only concern was how they were going to get inside. Even when cloaked in darkness, there was the chance that an eagle-eyed bowman stationed at a window would notice the shifting shadows and take aim.

They would need an alternate way in...

Rumblehide looked around. "Who has the map? We should take a look at it while the sun is still out." The faerin glanced up at the sky. They still had an hour or two of daylight left to prepare.

"I would imagine that this manor has several points of entry that not even its lord would suspect us arriving through, where he would've posted less guards. We should try and identify where they are and how easily we can sneak into the manor from there."

 

Had the commander not come out right at that point, he might have become impatient. He didn't do well with waiting, nor did he like actually taking orders-- though he did make exceptions. One couldn't always be in charge, couldn't always be the one holding the strings of all the pawns-- that was how plans were made. He could easily plan along with this and be a 'good' sport about it all. If he was a team player, everyone wouldn't expect anything ill from him. It didn't help that the company that he had been paired with for this mission wasn't that bad either. They hadn't rubbed him off the wrong way the moment they had appeared.

There were no members that dared to steal his spotlight, at least from what he had read through from how he had met this group. They were simply a group of different races and they would work together. Why would he want to make that go downhill, at least this early in the game that was. He wanted to complete this mission, he wanted the reward that might-- no would come out of it. The power , the possible people to manipulate, he wanted it all. Though for any of that he had to be patient and be a team player.

He listened to the commander as he spoke, and the more he spoke the more excited he got. They could take people out and the commander had even been as nice as to give them permission to end the Lord's life should they get to him first. Now that would be who he was aiming for, he wanted to be the one to slash the guy's throat. Depending on just how the Lord was when they met, well it would depend on rather or not he actually would extend the killing process. He wondered if he had competition in his group for other's who might try to beat him to that goal.

He had listened to everything , but his mind had gone to instantly imagining the cruel death he could lay out for the Lord. The commander even knew that they weren't his soldiers and that won him a bit of respect from the silver haired Yladian. It was odd for him to respect a man, and not have some other reason or sarcasm behind it. He had asked for questions, but he honestly didn't have one. He was ready to get started with this mission, he was craving it so much he could already taste the blood of his enemies.

His crimson eyes was looking over the map, he was making sure to memorize it. That was when a small beeping noise would be hear-- he was sure only he could hear it-- and the yellow light was instructing him to open his palm menu. He did so and he had sent out two requests. He read them before clicking accept to both of them and exiting out of the palm menu. He would look at the other male "I can easily memorize the map, therefore it isn't important for me to hold it. Though I will, if that is what the group so decides. As for the ring, I can't do much with it." The Yladian hadn't bothered to pick a magic mastery at the current time.

He looked at the map for a few second more-- perhaps a minute-- before his crimson eyes would look to Rumblehide who had begun speaking about the manor and how to get into it. He had strolled over to her taking in the manor's walls. There were always weaknesses within walls, even the best ones had a weak point that would send it crumbling down. That just wasn't what they needed to do, they needed stealth not a big bang. The bangs would come later when they were inside, he was sure of it. He had a smug look upon his lips as he planted his knee high boots firmly to the ground.

"You have a good approach actually, Rumble. The several points of entry should be fairly easy enough to find. More than likely on the map they might be indicated by blank or blacked out areas. Hidden rooms and passageways are always installed within these type of places. Usually they are used for mistresses to sneak out during the night, therefore I doubt guards would even be placed at these should we find one. Typically I would say they are underground or linking to the woods" there he went with both a nickname and showing off his intelligence. Though he was trying to hold back his arrogant all knowing attitude-- at least for now. He wondered if he was stepping out of bounds already or being helpful. He wasn't exactly used to being helpful or a team player.

 

It looked like everyone had adequate motivation to help out and work together, so the focus for Mizuki could be laid on the actual task and how to accomplish it.

The commander quickly joined them an explained both the situation and what he expected of them, laying out a simple plan with a straightforward objective for them but leaving plenty of opportunity for them to fill in the gaps and improvise if they saw an opportunity. It looked like the commander really needed their help but was uncertain how to use them, so he'd let them figure things out on their own. When he apologized for the dog comment the caenis just shrugged, giving him a quick grin to show that she didn't mind. Under other conditions she might have been offended, but it was just a term of phrase and it was thought up by people who weren't very familiar with the idea of sentient canines.

So our task will be complete once we've disabled the crossbowmen so the soldiers can safely storm the fort.

With the expectations laid out so clearly they shouldn't have much difficulty executing the plan, as long as they worked together and didn't mindlessly rush in. Mizuki stepped forward and took the ring, studying it for a moment before pocketing it while giving the commander a nod before turning back to the others.

I'm more of a fighter than a mage, but I think I know enough about magic that I can detonate this thing when it's time. Unless one of you would rather take care of that... Although I don't use maps often so someone else should hold onto that.

Since they didn't have to move out just yet she nodded in agreement with the faerin, looking over the map and trying to figure out which approach they should use. For a moment she had entertained the thought of just climbing the walls, but even in the cover of night that wouldn't be very sneaky, and if they were caught in the middle of ascending or descending they'd be sitting ducks for those accurate crossbowmen. Pinged for the invite to the party and the quest Mizuki accepted both without her eyes leaving the map, her brow furrowing as she listened to the others.

A hidden entrance would certainly be the easiest way, so I'm in favour of trying to find one. With some luck the noble preferred pretending they didn't exist over collapsing them for the duration of the siege, although we'll still have a lot of ground to cover depending on how far those hidden passages reach outwards. I thought of scaling the walls but there's no guarantee we can even do that, and it'd leave us too vulnerable.

Rubbing her chin in thought she kept looking at the map. Naturally any plan that included property damage was out since that was nearly impossible to do stealthily, especially since they were dealing with a stone structure. Assuming that they didn't have some neat trick available the secret entrance was indeed the best -or even only- option available to them.

I think we should check for any secret entrances closer to the roads. Even if the lord wouldn't want people to notice the mistresses I don't think he'd just drop them in the middle of nowhere with no way to safely get to another settlement, and with there being plenty of aggressive animals you wouldn't leave it up to chance whether your mistress made it to the road or was caught out in the open.

She'd ask the commander if he knew of any secret entrances, but given how that was the obvious solution if he had one at hand he'd have immediately mentioned it... unless he wanted to test their intelligence. Doubtful, since he really needed the help and couldn't afford to go around playing mind games with the adventurers who showed up to help him and his soldiers finally retake the fort from the rebellious noble.

If need be I could try sniffing around with my nose for human scents where there shouldn't be any but I'd still need an idea of where to start.

 

"Hmmm..."

He nodded at that idea. There was the risk that the tunnel might be booby-trapped or perhaps even the fact that they might be waiting for him, but it was still their best idea so far. Besides, an open field will have far less success on sneaking past anyways.

If one was to study the map carefully, they'd see that the mansion sat close to one of the main roads connecting Astorea and Falderen, but there was another road, a bit more distant, and running near the mountains instead - far enough to be someplace to run off to, but close enough that a solid tunnel could be dug from the mansion till there without the risk of high expenses or collapses.

One thing that the party didn't know is that Lord Aldrenos had only taken up his position in this manor after Astorea was founded and established, but the manor itself was far older.

"Spirit Magic, Nature Magic, and Beast Taming..."

He felt just a bit foolish in the fact that he really didn't have many useful auxiliary skills - sure, he was lethal in a fight but situations like this would stump him every time. But those three abilities should stack the odds up in their favor, surely. Between asking from flora, fauna and even the intangible and incomprehensible, they should find out the path easily enough.

"Ah, what the heck. If anything happens or jumps out at you folk, I'll cut in to help."

He rubbed his hands, psyching himself up. They now had a solid idea of how to proceed, at least. It was just a matter of getting it to work.

"Alright, then. That's our plan to go. We got...an hour of daylight, so we'd best hustle unless it gets too dark and we end up unable to search - tonight's a new moon, and it'll be blacker than Titanius' heart I reckon. Camus, where do you think we should be searching?"

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@Camus Varic @Ueno Mizuki @B.P. Rumblehide

 

This party wasn't going to be a bad idea at all. They all had their strengths and even if he was the way he was , he didn't actually think they he would truly be called out for it. If he was a team player here, he would be able to do as he pleased. It also didn't help that the members of this party weren't idiots-- they had knowledge and could actually use it to the best of their abilities. They impressed him to say the least. It was because of the buildup of this party that showed that this mission would be easy enough to go through with.

The task was simple enough, though he wanted to go the extra boundary. This was only made clear when Mizuki stated that the task would be completed once they had disabled the crossbowmen. He noticed how she had moved to study the ring and than pocket it. It was only a side glance, but it was good to know that someone had already taken the ring in the group. She explained herself as being more of a fighter than a mage, but unlike he she knew about magic and could detonate the thing. It was fine by him.

Secret entrances closer to the road. She had logic behind her statement. It would make sense that the lord wouldn't want to take the risk of his mistresses not being safe. He knew best of all about the beasties of the land. Though closer to a road or not, beasties would always be a problem. It wasn't just the creatures on the ground, but there was also the beasts to the skies. Though it wouldn't hurt to apply this logic in trying to find the secret entrance. Then again the commander could have known the locations and was trying to use this problem solving as a way to see how the party worked together. No, there was no secrets, he was honestly happy to have them on board.

Then she was actually offering to use her nose to sniff around for a human scent. That would come in handy for sure. Not just that , but he could actually see how Felix's masteries would come in handy. It meant he wasn't the only beast tamer in the group , if they happened upon things looking for this entrance-- this would come in handy. He had taken in both what Felix and Mizuki had stated before he had finally opened his lips to speak. "I don't think we are going to actually have any issues with this party." He still wasn't aware of the Faerin and her abilities, but something told him that she would be useful as well.

"I think Zuzu, I mean Mizuki has a good idea on what we should be searching. It would make sense if the tunnel would be closer to the road, but on the other hand it would also be good to have some cover than it being in some open field type area. Astorea is known for the flying alligators and tree cover is a good way to get away from them." He would go to take the map, laying it out for them all to see and looking over it. "If we want to narrow down the areas, well we need to think like the bastard lord."

His finger scanned over the area, his teeth going to lightly chew upon his bottom lip as he thought about the area. "According to the map there are few places that might actually be the location of the secret entrance that we are looking for. Here" he would tap one of the places located closer to the mountains.His finger would scan over the map once more "here" he had pointed out the closest entrance to the road on that one. "Then here" once more he would tap on the map in the spot that lead directly into the forested area.

"Mizuki, you said you could use your nose to search for human scents. Which place do you think would be the best place for you to search? There is four of us in this party after all, and I would sooner have everyone play to their strengths, seeing as we don't know if the beasties will come out to play or not. I indicated the spots that I did with the knowledge that sometimes land and the beasts change. If we have an hour of daylight left, you are right we need to hustle." He hoped he wasn't overstepping himself-- it was rare for him to actually be able to work as anything. Maybe it was something about this mission-- this party-- that was giving him that drive.

 

While the others were discussing their options and forming a plan, Rumblehide took a step back to do a little investigation of her own.

To the trio, it looked like she was simply standing there, leaning against the post of a nearby tent. But, she was doing something other than lazing about. In the light of the setting sun, nobody could really make out the soft glow emanating from the cracks between her eyelids catching on the corners of her skull mask. With the activity around the camp, nobody could make out her shallow breathing.

They could definitely make out the strain on her face, though--her features contorted by the sheer amount of effort she was putting into the spell.

All around her, the Battle Princess could make out the lingering spirits of the fallen Astorean soldiers that were part of the siege on the manor. Their ghosts lingered about, lamenting their untimely deaths at the hand of incompetent commanders who simply thought the best course of action was to let the crossbowmen in the windows unload on their forces.

Communing with the spirits of the dead was a nigh-impossible task. Whether her own energy was linked with the ghosts of her tribe more, or because her Spirit Magic mastery was still too low, she didn't know--but as she reached out with her mind, the spirits of the soldiers brushed her off.

"Hmm," she muttered with a soft exhale as she broke the link and opened her eyes. The flash of cerulean light faded from her pupils as she refocused on the reality in front of her. Her comrades didn't seem to notice her absence from the conversation, which suited the barbarian just fine.

They appeared to have figured out a plan anyway; and a simple one, at that.

Rumble still felt the need to speak up, though. Just to make herself a little more useful to the party. "I have Cleave, Parry, and Spirit Magic--which I use to power up my attacks and commune with the dead. I can lead us through the tunnels, if we find any."

 

It was pleasant to be working and planning together with some other adventurers, combining their smarts to figure out the best approach. All of them were strangers to one another and yet they all were getting along without a hitch. It would have been enough to make Mizuki smile if she wasn't focused on the task at hand, nodding when Camus stated that he didn't think the group would have any problems with teamwork. It looked like she wasn't alone in feeling good about how things were going.

You're right, we can't loiter for too long here. As soon as we've got a good idea of where to go we should move out.

Camus calling her Zuzu got him a raised eyebrow before she flashed him a small grin and returned her gaze to the map, her thoughtful frown returning as she listened to the yladian's explanation of where he thought the entrance was going to be. Truth be told they were working off of an assumption with no solid evidence, but it was likely enough that it was worth trying.

And while it was true that they shouldn't waste any time it wasn't like nightfall was the time limit, so even if the secret entrance couldn't be found or took longer to find it wasn't the end of the world. As long as they didn't get complacent they'd be able to try out more than one approach.

She followed Camus's finger as the elfin man pointed out the locations where he thought an entrance might be located. It was true that the lord wouldn't want the mistresses to appear where they would be easily spotted... there was a smaller road leading towards the mountains... Mizuki tapped the table with one finger a couple of times in thought, looking up at the yladian when he asked her a question. Taking a second to mull things over she replied.

I think I'd best explore the forested area since sight is probably going to be the least useful there, with the dusk and trees leaving little light and all. And you have a point that we should take full advantage of our strengths, which includes there being four of us. How about each of us heads to a different possible entrance and whoever finds one first messages the others? There's three roads to investigate and the forest as well, so there's enough places for us to search.

Looking around Mizuki focused on the one who had been the most silent of the four of them, the faerin who looked like she was concentrating on something. Given how hard she was focusing Mizuki didn't want to interrupt her concentration, but luckily before that became an issue Rumblehide had already opened her eyes, a flash of light indicating that whatever she had been doing had been more than just simple thought.

You and Cyriac must be the first people I've met with spirit magic. It sounds like an interesting ability, so maybe I could ask some questions about it once we're done. For now though...

She looked back at the two men, tapping the map.

Anyone have any objections to splitting up to speed up the search? I'll take the forest, the other three possible locations don't seem very different from one another so I don't think it's very important who goes where, unless you think you've got an advantage anywhere. Also I myself specialize in Martial Arts, Nature Magic and Hunting.

Under normal circumstances she'd have opposed splitting up the party while on a mission, but the danger didn't lie in finding the entrance but in what came after, so as long as they got together before entering it should be fine.