Private Tales Missing Shipment

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
Jaken looked up at Teo with a spark inhis blue eyes. "So the college knows something about your mother." he reflected "What if the college knows more about this than the information they gave you? They might know more! THINK!!" he roared, rudely grabbing Teo by his shoulders and shaking him "YOU NEED TO THINK ON THAT!!! Is there any place the student's are not allowed to go in? Any at all? The principal's office? Is there a basement? Or have you heard a rumor about a hidden room? Anything AT ALL!!??" he roared. After a few seconds, he realized about his aggresiveness, letting Teo go... "I'm sorry." he whimpered "I didn't mean to... I just... I just think they might know something. Something they haven't told you." he sniffled. Emotions were taking control of him. He breathed slowly, calming down "What was the experiment about? What was the purpose of it?"

"Yeah... maybe." he said in response to Teo's suggestion about returning to study. Maybe if schools were not the best thing, he could take lessons about anything, anywhere else. Maybe get a mentor and learn from them. "I'll think about it."
Jaken reflected on Teo's words about the difference of living and surviving, the wolf had his mind clear. "I only survive." he said "Werewolves don't get a chance to live. Especially the ones that were unwillingly bitten, like me. My life was taken away alongside with my family's. All I can do is survive. Or if I DO find a life out there, I hope i don't screw up... thanks." he said to Teo. A quick shift of emotions and attitudes from this morning. The two were respecting each other. Not challenging with an intense conversation and exchanges of insults and arguments "And I guess I could find someone with my life style, but that's be hard." he commented "It is hard to find anyone with those traits. Someone who is willingly going head first to danger. And I know that those who come along with me on my adventures, like you, are aware of the risk, but not fully. I feel like they don't know entirely what they are getting into. As I said, i am a dangerous person, so, dangerous threats would come after me. Thus, putting my compannions in danger,"

"Maybe you are right. Schools like those only care about their reputation. They won't even remember your name 2 days after you graduate." he never really thought of it. Some teachers might be kind, but deep down, he knew that schools would only care about themselves. Not the students, not the books, THEM. He didn't know how to continue with this conversation.

Jaken let Teo cut his snack from the deer. He had let good pieces of the deer intact. Surprisingly, Teo had a knife on his belt, that he used to cut out a juicy steak. "<<Damn it! He found it. Was going to kkep that for myself.... eh, fuck it, I'll hunt another deer later.>>" he though, going back to his sleeping bag.

"Well thanks." he said when Teo had placed the protective field around them. "Now... let's get some sleep. We might need it..."
Once everyone was in their respective sleeping places, Jaken kept thinking...
"<<The college.... They might know something about Teo's mother. College....>>"
He succumbed to his own sleep. Snoring in peace.
 
Teodron didn’t know how he expected Jaken to react, but it certainly wasn’t like this. As the werewolf roared and grabbed the mage, it took all the half-dwarf’s will not to flinch or fight back. After all, he didn’t really think the bounty hunter would hurt him, but it was hard to tell his mind that. “Hey, whoa, calm down. It’s okay. Everything’s okay.” Stopping himself from casting a spell to break the grip was hard; thankfully, the other man released Teodron soon enough. After that, they both needed to calm down. “Are you..okay?" The mage sure hoped so, as calming an out of control werewolf was beyond him.

Taking one more breath, Teodron forced his hands to relax from the fists they’d formed. “I know the college knows more than they’re letting on. Why do you think I joined? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love learning about magic. But I also want to find out what happened to my mother.” Sighing, the half-dwarf pinched his nose again. “I mean, chances are she was assisting a senior mage and they want to cover up the mistake. She was studying rune magic, so I’m trying to figure out what she was experimenting on at the time. But I’m being really cautious, so it’ll take me awhile to sort it out.” And in the meantime, he was growing in strength and knowledge, so he could challenge whoever was responsible. He was wise enough not to mention that to the bounty hunter though, after Jaken's earlier outburst. The mage wanted to avoid another at all costs.

Thinking about what the werewolf said, Teodron bit his lip. “I don’t know. Seems to me you’re assuming the worst, which is taking away any chance at a life you might have had.” As to the threats and the danger, the half-dwarf just shrugged. “If there are that many dangerous people out there, surely you could convince some of them to be allies instead of enemies.” Indeed, it seemed to have worked on the mage, and they had hardly gotten off to the most auspicious of beginnings.

As to the college’s motives, well, Teodron felt they’d already covered that. Besides, he didn’t want to prompt another outburst from the werewolf. Instead, he followed the other man’s suggestion and allowed sleep to claim him. They had another long day ahead of them. And maybe more beyond that, until they found this shipment.
-------
The moons danced across the sky, Lessat and Pneria following their ancient paths as the star shone around them. The fire died away to embers, and a stillness and quiet stole across the woods. Almost unnaturally so; that is, until the wards shrieked an alarm before following eerily silent.

Teodron woke immediately. He scooped up his staff and rolled to his feet, head pounding, a telltale sign that something had broken his wards. At least they’d warned him and his companion before they’d gone down. That was really all he needed them to do, but hopefully he wouldn’t have to do much magic for a bit. Granted, there was danger out there, so conserving his energy seemed like a secondary concern.

His night vision was good; his father’s people mined the deep mountains, so they were used to darkness, and though he wasn’t a full dwarf, he had enough of their gifts to let him see easily at night. The mage didn’t even bother checking to see if Jaken was awake. The bounty hunter should’ve been awakened by the wards, and no doubt was more used to these situations than the mage was. Instead, he examined their surroundings for the threat, since his wards wouldn’t have reacted to something peaceful. Scanning the trees, he could spot darker shadows, but couldn’t seem to identify them right away.

A mocking and chilling laugh sounded behind him, and he spun to face it, raising his staff in a defensive grip. “You should not have been so foolish as to hunt in our grove. And you should never have brought flames into these sacred woods.” A shape coalesced from the shadows, a tall and broad humanoid figure, with bark instead of skin and leaves instead of hair. Green fire burned where there should be eyes and the branches that made up its hands were sharpened into points.

Teodron felt the blood drain from his face as his grip on the staff tightened. Though he didn’t know what manner of nature spirit this was—and it had to be a nature spirit—he could tell that it was pissed and probably out for blood. It was made of wood, though, and he glanced at the fire which had mostly died. If he could get it going again, though, maybe he could drive them away.

Of course, that would require the things let them, and as he watched, he could see other figures stepping forward. Three, four, five, until there were six, including the first, in a circle around them. The leader (Teodron assumed, since it had spoken, stepped forward), clearly intent on attacking. Until it tried to step over the circle the mage had drawn, and shrieked in outrage, smoke rising from its foot where it had tried to cross. The half-dwarf felt a savage grin spread across his face; his spell had been two parts, the warning and the protection, and apparently the creatures had only broken one. That would buy them some time.

Not much, though, since even as he looked, the creatures raised their arms in unison, and vines erupted, striking his barrier. He staggered under the onslaught, and dropped to his knees, losing his staff in the process. Feeling blood start to drip from his nose, the mage grit his teeth. “Keep them off me,” he growled, while crawling towards the fire. Once he arrived, he picked up the kindling and started feeding it to the embers there, hoping to get it blazing again. Even as he did, a section of the wards fell and stars danced across his vision. Even so, he kept building the fire back up even as the three monsters on that side darted across his circle. The others were still probing their sections for weaknesses, perhaps not having noticed their companions had made it through.
 
Jaken had gained back control over his fury. Maybe some type of wolf instinct took him over, he was desperate. He knw the college had some information that might help find Teo's mother. They had to... After Teo asked about his state, the werewolf stood up and walked in circles, with his hands on his hips, grabbing some air to calm down "Yeah... I-I'm ok." he said "It's just that... I know there is something the school is not letting you know. Something they want to hide. A dirty secret. And i can't live with that. If there is a way to get your mother back, I WILL FIND IT. I just can't bare that someone you love is not here, especially when they couldn't had helped it. Your mother was in an experiment that went wrong. She is presumed dead. PRESUMED. So maybe she is just lost in... I don't know. Some alternate dimension." he sighed "You might wonder why am I so interested in helping you. I want to help you because I don't want you to feel what I felt. My mother is 100 percent dead, your's may not." he looked down, recovering air "I'm sorry. I-I don't know what happened to me back there. When I... shook you... I'm sorry." he said, looking at Teo's eyes.

Jaken's eyes brigthened as Teo explained one reason he joined the college "So you ARE onto them. You know something is up. Maybe we can find it together, you and me! Maybe there is a report that the college is hidinf. Maybe I can break in while the college is closed and search for that file. Did the experiment had a name or-or a code assigned to it?"

The werewolf did not respond to Teo's comment about getting a partner. He really didn't know how to feel about it. He could have a point, but right now, he didn't want to think on anything else. He had his mind full of thoughts right now. Sleep would do just fine to get Jaken's mind rested and thinking more clearly. He turned his back on Teo and went to sleep...

The field that Teo had raised made an alarming sound, waking up both men at the same time. Something was around here. Jaken slowly got up as Teo did too. He remained as quite as possible, to hear better out in the woods. He wanted to ask Teo if he had seen anything, but it was better to stay quiet. The quiter it is, the better Jaken can hear. Everything was quite, occasionally some owls broke the silent ice, leaves wandering off on the ground due to the wind, but then. A laughter. Behind him. Jaken turned around to see Teo facing outwards, looking to an entity. Wooden skin, leaves for hair, and burning green eyes. It could ba a nature spirit, but the wolf wasn't sure about it. The entity mocked them for apparently breaking peace on its land. Suddenly 5 more figures appeared from behind the trees, surrounding them, though, not touching them due to the circle.

Jaken snarled, showing his fangs and extending his claws ready to attack. The monsters made the first move, attacking Teo's barrier, which made the half-dwarf drop to his knees. Jaken concluded that Teo was the one that kept the barrier up. So he'd have to attack. "HOLD ON TEO!!" he roared. Noticing some monsters breaking through the barrier. It was strong, but not enough to keep them out. Jaken howled to the air and launched to attack. 2 monsters were fighting him. The creature were agile, but Jaken could do more than that. The werewolf jumped, dodged, clawed, even bit. But the monsters wouldn't give up easily. Jaken had taken down one, but it seemed it was still alive. Before he could give the final blow, the werewolf noticed that the other monster was going towards Teo. If it attacked him, Teo would be a goner. He sprinted on his 4 limbs towards the hostile, jumping at it and pinning him down to the ground. Then, lifting it up in the air and throwing it to its compannion. For some reason, Teo was trying to keep the fire up while maintaining the barrier. "HOLD ONE LITTLE ONE!! I'VE GOT AN IDEA!!" he leaped to his equipment taking out a crossbow and some arrows. He took 3 of them to the fire, igniting the spike immediately, then aimed to a monster inside the circle. "<<Hope this works...>>" he prayed. He shot, hitting the monster in the chest.
 
The vehemence with which the werewolf insisted there was something going on with the college shocked Teodron. Until that day, it had simply been a horrifying suspicion in the back of his mind; indeed, he’d never actually voiced his concerns outloud, too afraid someone would mock him for being a paranoid fool. So having someone else agree with him made him reconsider just how serious his suspicions were. Given the general secrecy of mages, and the danger of experimental magic, he found it quite likely there was something more to the story of his mother.

However, he was thinking so hard about his beliefs—and didn’t want to encourage Jaken further—that he didn’t respond right away to the bounty hunter. When he did, it was quiet, but firm. “You don’t need to apologize. And I appreciate your help, but the college doesn’t allow outsiders. And even you, skilled as you are, can’t get through the incredible number of wards that have been placed there over the years.” Smiling, for the first time in a long tim, the half-dwarf added, “But when, when not if, I see you again, I’ll let you know what I’ve discovered, if anything, and maybe you can help me parse through the clues. So far, though, I haven’t been able to discover anything, more’s the pity.” It would be good to bounce his ideas of someone; Teodron always did his best work that way.

------
Jaken, to his credit, took on the three creatures without hesitation. Teodron didn't know how the other man did it. It was all the mage could do to get the fire up, and he almost cried when the flames started flickering again. However, the fear and pain coursing through him wouldn’t allow it. Instead, he moved carefully and methodically to build up a strong inferno, worried about what might happen if it collapsed or went out. So far, the remains of his ward were holding, and he sent up a fervent prayer to Metisa that it would stay up as long as he needed it to.

Hearing noises behind him, the mage saw that a monster was closing fast, and his hand closed on his staff in a futile effort to defend himself. However, then the werewolf was there in a flash of movement, and the half-dwarf earned a few more moments due to his friends bravery. Indeed, the bounty hunter hurled one of the creatures, then used the flame that Teodron had built up to ignite his crossbow bolts. The monster he targeted shrieked in agony as embers started spreading across its bark.

Then the rest of the creatures broke through the remains of the mage’s ward. Teodron’s vision went white, and he may have actually passed out momentarily. When he regained consciousness, it was to see the three remaining monsters closing fast. Without thinking, he thrust his hand in the fire; his fingers closed around a burning branch and he ignored the feeling of his flesh burning. Staying alive was far more important. Staff in one hand and torch in the other, he thrust the fire towards the nearest monster while using the staff to try and put some distance between him and the other two. While he was lucky enough to score a blow with the torch, one of the others swatted the staff contemptuously aside before rushing in with its ally to close with the mage. Teodron prepared to blast them with the meager supply of magic he had remaining to him. He might die here, but he'd take them with him if he had to.
 
"Im not talking about walking in like if it is my house." Jaken said to Teo "If I am going to break in the college I would certainly bring something to take those guards out of my way. I know a person neabry Elbion's plaza that sells... stuff that might make slide through. I'm talking about tranquilizers, instant ones, lock picks. The bodies shouldn't be a problem to hide, I could hide them under a desk or in a bush. Teo... I could ACTUALLY MAKE IT." he smiled "I could actually find something that might give us a lead to your mother's whereabouts."

(At the fight)

When he fired the burning bolt, he wasn't sure how the creature would react. However, he deducted something out of Teo's behavior: the half-dwarf was devoted to keep the flames alive, so maybe the monsters were weak to the fire. Besides, wood is known for catching fire when in contact with it. As he suspected, the creature screamed in agony when the bolt stroke him. It was a high-pitched screech. That confirmed it, he was right "<<That's it!!>>" Jaken reloaded the crossbow and shot the creature in the head, killing him, once and for all. He ppicked up a big stick from the fire and charged the remaining the remaining monster with it. Swinging with the torch to its chest, and then driving it to its mouth, sticking it to the creature's throat, who lighted up few seconds later. Then collapsing to the ground, dead. The last monster managed to hit him in the head, disorienting the werewolf. The monster knocked Jaken to the ground, where it proceeded to punch the wolf many times, since the hands were made out of wood, the blows felt hard on the werewolf's head. Jaken fought back, scratching the monster. But one thing the werewolf did not saw coming: was the monster digging large wooden spikes to Jaken's chest, causing blood to come out. That was it for Jakne. The wolf gave a huge roar, and propelled the moster with his paws right into the fire, lighting him up as soon as he came in contact with the flames. The job was not done. There were more. Teo had given him some time to kill the monsters behind him, but there were more in front of the half-dwarf. In fact, the barrier had broken. Teo went to the ground, for a moment there, Jaken thought Teo was unconscious. That theory was taken out when Teo stood up and sacrificed his hand to the flames, grabbing an improvised torch and swinging it to the monsters. He grabbed a bolt and held it to the fire, igniting it. He loaded his crossbow and shot. The bolt nearly touched Teo's cheek, however, the bolt impacted in a monster's head. One down, two to go. He grabbed another torch and joined Teo. He could take care of the spikes later...
"C'mon." he encouraged "Don't you give up on me..." the werewolf kept swinging the torch at the monsters "Your mother needs you. Don't die on her..." he threw the torch like a spear, hitting a monster on the torso. In fact, the torch got stuck halfway through the monster's body, making it collapse slowly. One was remaining.

The werewold roared and went for the kill. He leaped to the monster, pinning it to the ground, and, fast as lighting, tore off the head of it. The body stopped moving. And so did the fight. It was over, he looked up, searching for the mysterious figure that have sent the attack, but there was none. It had escaped...
"Damn coward. Who was he?" he asked Teo, turning back to look at his compannion, who was weak. The werewolf limped to Teo's place, crouching to him "You ok?" he panted, taking the torch Teo had in his hand and throwing it to the fire "You weak? Hurt?" he grunted due to the spikes on his chest.
 
Teodron just stared at Jaken as the werewolf went on and on about tranquilizing people and picking the locks. Honestly, it was a bit disturbing how much the other man knew about breaking and entering; then again, Jake was a bounty hunter, and the half-dwarf supposed it came with the territory. Regardless, as enthusiastic as the other man was becoming about the possibility, the mage knew it wasn’t happening. “The physical barriers are by far the least of your worries. And as the expert on magical wards, I am telling you it’s not possible. End of discussion.” Hopefully it would be. Though Teodron was loathe to dampen Jaken’s enthusiasm—misplaced as it was—better that then the bounty hunter foolishly get himself killed (or worse) trying to get into the College of Magic.
-------
The rest of the fight went by too quickly for the half-dwarf to follow. It was a nightmarish mix of monsters—on both sides, since Jaken certainly looked monstrous as he efficiently dispatched the plant creatures—pain, and fire. Indeed, it would only be later that the mage was able to put it all together into a coherent whole. Maybe this was what all the guards at the college were talking about when they discussed how battle was a haze. It certainly seemed that way to the mage.

Indeed, the bounty hunter’s words failed to register for a long while. While Teodron acknowledged they’d killed—or whatever—the last of the monsters, it took a while for his body to catch up with his mind, and for his heart to stop pounding. Of course, once it did, all his myriad aches and pains—from his head to his hand, which was definitely the worst of it, to the scratches he didn’t even know when or how he’d picked up—made themselves known. Idly the half-dwarf noted the rustling leaves (hopefully from just the wind), to an owl hooting in the distance, the normal sounds of the forest having come back, although barely audible over the crackling flames. “I’m okay,” he finally responded faintly and unconvincingly, before his eyes finally focused on the werewolf, who looked in much worse shape. “You’re not, though, You're hurt,” and without thinking the mage tried to lurch from where he’d been swaying, fully intent on helping the bounty hunter.

That proved to be a mistake: his headache spiked and he collapsed to the ground, moaning. It was all he could do to prevent himself from passing out again. He’d expending too much magic in too short a time, and then gone through a battle on top of that, after having hiked all day. It was simply too much for him to handle on top of his injuries. While not severe, between them and the backlash, it was quite debilitating. And maybe he was just a little bit in shock from his recent brush with death.
 
Jaken grunted while looking away from Teo. The half-dwarf wasn't really enthusiastic about the wolf's plan to break in his college and look for answers about his mother. "Whatever." he grunted "Just remember, if you want help... I'm here. <<Still gonna do it. I can get help from someone who knows about the college.>>"

(After the fight)

"I've had worse believe or not." Jaken chuckled at Teo's concern "I can easily cure myse-" the half-dwarf collpased "Ey, ey, ey. You ok?" he placed him on his arms, making sure if he was still alive. He was. He could hear Teo breathe. Weakly and slowly, but he was still alive "Ok, ok. You're alive." he felt relieved "It's ok, it's ok." he patted him "You did a great job... get some rest... you'll need it." he started to hum a song to put Teo straight to sleep "<<This song...>>" he thought as he hum "<<This song brings back so many memories: mom, my bedroom, innocents times... so far away... seems like an eternity. Teodron... I will find your mother. Count on it."

After Teo had gone to sleep (or at least, that's what Jaken thought), the werewolf attended to his wounds, the spikes were not that deep into his body. He would survive them, he just pulled them out and bandaged them. Afterwards, he laid down besides Teo.
Jaken closed his eyes and went back to sleep, thinking on who that entity was, and why was it so interested in killing them...
 
The light filtering through the trees woke Teodron, though not fully. No, what fully woke him up was the throbbing pain from his hand. It would not be ignored, and got worse the more conscious he became. Cracking his eyes open, the mage groaned. For some weird reason, he was laying on the ground, every part of his body hurt, and it weirdly smelled like fur and burnt wood. This was highly unusual, even for a student at the College of Magic.

As his head flopped to the side, he saw the black fur. Then, of course, the memories of last night came rushing back, and he bolted upright, fear overpowering the pain. But the danger had passed, and he let out a hissing sigh of relief. Once his heart calmed down, he glanced down at his hand.

Almost, he wished he hadn’t: it was covered in an ugly and red looking burn. At least the headache was receding (which was also a sign his magic reserves might be returning), allowing him to think a little more clearly. First things first then. He needed to treat his injuries, starting with the burn. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had the foresight to pack a medical kit, which was something he would never forget in the future. Luckily, his education covered at least rudimentary healing, so, after double-checking he was fine to cast basic magic, he started a healing chant under his breath. It would slowly repair the damage to his hand, which was all he could handle at the moment. Also in general, seeing as healing magic wasn’t his specialty.

Sparing a glance at his traveling companion, Teodron examined the werewolf for injuries, but all he saw were bandages. Apparently, the bounty hunter had taken care of anything too serious before exhaustion claimed him. Upon reflection, it would’ve been good for the half-dwarf to do the same; then again, he’d passed out, not gone to bed by choice, so it wasn’t like he had a say in the matter.
 
The werewolf slowly woke up, softly grunting as he opened his blue eyes, Teo was not in front of him, which made him a bit worried. He sat swiftly, making his injuries ache due to the abrupt movement. He let out a small growl of pain. He looked around and saw Teo using a spell to heal himself. He exhaled in relief. "Hey." he greeted "Are you ok? Sorry for not tending to your wounds, but I was exhausted. Sleep claimed me, so...."

Jaken stood up slowly to not experience his injuries bleeding again. From what he could feel, the cuts were closed, but the pain was still there, however, better safe than sorry. He looked up to the mountains, the sun was coming out slowly. "Excuse me for a second." he stood up and took a pack of smaller bandages and limped to the tree were his clothes had been all nigth. He hid behind the tree and let the reverse transformation take place. The wounds made for a slightly painfull situation, but it had to come. He couldn't remain a werewolf forever. Once back in human form, he bandaged his naked torso and dressed up again. He stepped out from the tree to see Teo. "Hi." he greeted again.

"Gotta say. For a first time combat, you didn't do so bad." he said while munching on the raw deer again for breakfast, this time in his human form "You gave me time to fight the monsters, so, I tip my hoody at you. By the way... who was that? That entity of wood, leaves for hair and burning green eyes? Any creature you've read about in college?" he asked as he chewed.
 
The grunting sounds coming from behind him made Teodron a bit worried; he turned his head to regard Jaken as the werewolf woke up. Apparently, neither of them were in great shape, although given the odds they were facing, it was remarkable either of them were even alive. No. The half-dwarf needed to stop thinking like that. They’d faced peril and overcome it, not certain death. Still, his limbs shook from remembered fear. As the bounty hunter sat up and addressed the mage, Teodron broke off his chanting momentarily. “It’s okay. You kept me alive, which is all that really matters, and you had your own injuries to tend to.” And they’d been much more severe than the half-dwarf’s, which were mostly self-inflicted and a result of magic backlash. While the mage wasn’t sure he remembered everything from last night, the vision of branches impaling his traveling companion was too vivid to forget.

In fact, Teodron was almost ashamed at how pathetic he was acting in the aftermath of the fight. As Jaken went off into the woods—the half-dwarf didn’t know why, exactly, nor did he ask or respond—the mage simply resumed his nearly inaudible chanting. As he did, he reflected on his performance the night before, and came up with only one conclusion: useless. He’d been taken out only immediately, and while his wards had bought them warning and maybe a few extra moments, Jaken had done the bulk of the work. The half-dwarf didn’t even know what he’d been thinking, just blind panic and some vague notion that fire would scare off the monsters. They’d been offended enough by it, and it had worked out in the end, but it hadn’t been the most rational reaction.

As the bounty hunter emerged from the trees, the half-dwarf was startled to see the other man as a human. Apparently Teodron had gotten used to the werewolf. Or maybe the terror and relief of being saved by Jaken had eliminated any last lingering doubts the mage had about the bounty hunter’s other form. Regardless, the half-dwarf would have to readjust to this. Just nodding in response to Jaken’s greeting, Teodron hunched down as the other man complimented the mage’s performance, pausing his chant momentarily. “I don’t know...it doesn’t feel that way to me.” He spoke quietly, under his breath, as if he didn’t want the bounty hunter to hear. And the truth was, Teodron didn’t really want Jaken to hear, not when the mage knew he’d panicked. He’d taken down one while the werewolf took down five, hardly an equal performance.

Shrugging, Teodron ran through his list of potential creatures and came up short. “Honestly? No idea. But if I had to speculate, I’d venture to say they were some sort of corrupted dryads. Which means we should move on, since they can only be permanently killed when their trees are destroyed.” At least, that’s what he remembered, and it was entirely possible it was something else entirely. It wasn’t as if nature spirits weren’t a broad category that sometimes defied classification. Yet another area in which the mage was coming up short. Regardless, it wasn't safe to stay here, since even if the trees didn't attack again, their fighting might've attracted other unwanted attention. Even the inexperienced half-dwarf knew that much.

Sighing, Teodron gave the now human Jaken a once over. “You need any healing? I don’t have much stored up, but I’d rather have you as healthy as possible before we move on.” Hopefully the werewolf wouldn’t be too stubborn about injuries, but the mage really didn’t know his companion that well, despite the bonding they’d done last night, in more ways than one.
 
"Yeah... I guess..." he said when Teo commented about his injuries "But this is nothing comapred to a broken arm or paw. Believe me, that shit leaves you almost useless for a month or more. And, like I said, you weren't bad at the fighting, you bought me time to deal with the monsters. Five at a time... they would've killed instantly, just look how I handled myself with just one." he said, looking to his bloody bandage."You don't have much experience on fighting, I could get that. However, there may be a way for you to fight wihtout risking your health. You are mage. Sure, you are still learning. But maybe there is something you can do about it. Learn some offensive spells while enhancing your defensive ones. Rune magic is extense, so I'm pretty sure there is something you can take out of it. A curse, or something like that. Mm.... but that would be dark magic: curses, and all, and I'm sure you are not up for it."

"Then it's an unknown creature, which makes it far more interesting, and more dangerous. We don't know it's rules and limits. So far as we saw yesterday, it could be linked to nature, if its physical appearance did not gave him away, I'm sure that his minion wooden monsters would. Maybe it's a nature spirit or something else. Hmm... that's your homework now: investigate what that son of a bitch. I want a 900 word essay with drawings." he laughed.

"No, I'm ok." he said when Teo offered him to heal "The pain will wear off eventually, just give me some hours and I'll be good to go. I don't think we'll engage in combat right now. But if we do, I guess I'll rely on my throwing knives and my crossbow." he glanced at Teo's burnt hand "Hold on here." he ordered. He went for a piece of cloth and a bandage "I think I heard a lake nearby here, in my wolf form, but I couldn't reach it with the fight going on. I'll be right back." he wandered off in the woods.

Minutes later, he came back with a soaked piece of cloth. "Give me your hand." he grabbed Teo's burnt limb and placed the cloth on it "It may be not as effective as your spell." he said as he bandaged it "But better safe than sorry. Is it too tight?"
 
The half-dwarf had broken bones before—accidents happened in masonry, after all—so he knew what Jaken was talking about. Still, being impaled must’ve been awful. Somehow the mage had escaped that particular fate. As the conversation swung back around to Teodron’s combat performance, he bit his lip. Of course, when Jaken brought up curses and dark magic, the student in him felt compelled to speak up automatically. “Actually curses aren’t really dark magic. Instead it refers to a category of spellcasting that covers a variety of effects employed to debilitate foes. Just because it hurts someone doesn’t make it dark magic. It has to do with the source, remember?” The half-dwarf knew the theory behind it, even if hadn’t practised it extensively. He also knew he was focusing on the familiar to avoid the inevitable. “I know offensive spells. But rune magic requires extensive preparation, which makes it hard to adapt in the middle of a fight. Generic protection spell is therefore much easier to set up than generic destruction spell.” At least, that's how he'd always felt about it.

Frowning, the mage went over the events of last night once more. “Huh...I wonder.” Turning to Jaken, Teodron furrowed his brow. “Do you remember how they used roots to take down my barrier, but then attacked us physically? I wonder why they didn’t just bury us in vines.” He was probably just trying to make himself feel better, but it was also possible they’d used up all their magic breaking through his defenses. He had sunk a lot of power into it—as evidenced by his reaction when they were broken—which would’ve required them to know a counterspell or for them to have brute forced it, which it had felt like they did. Still, he knew better than to voice such a silly belief to the werewolf.

Actually, sketching the creature was an excellent idea. Luckily, Teodron’s left hand, the non-dominant one was the damaged one, so he nodded and pulled his pack closer, rummaging for another piece of parchment and the charcoal. Smoothing it out with his hand, he laid it in his lap and started drawing. Jaken probably hadn’t meant to complete the task right now; however, the mage wanted to take notes while it was still fresh. Luckily, the other man didn’t need healing, and busied himself with going to find a lake (the half-dwarf just nodded his assent when the bounty hunter departed). That left the mage alone for a few precious seconds. Instantly, without the pressure of having to stay collected around Jaken, Teodron felt himself shaking and tears sprang to his eyes. Apparently he wasn’t reacting well to last night at all.

Not wanting the werewolf to see him like this, the half-dwarf took several deep breaths and sank into one of the meditation exercises he’d been taught. It calmed him enough that by the time Jaken returned, hopefully there was no sign left on Teodron’s features. The other man’s hands were gentle as he bandaged the mage’s burn. “It’s perfect, thanks,” Teodron responded softly. With that, there wasn’t really anything left to do but get back on the road, he supposed. The healing could continue as they hiked, after all.

Kicking dirt over the remains of the fire, Teodron stood up. He had no appetite, but he forced himself to choke down another handle of jerky, before stuffing everything back in his pack, picking up his staff, and turning to face the direction they’d been going before they’d stopped for the night. At least, he hoped that was the direction; between the fighting and his lack of wilderness skills, he was completely lost. Hopefully Jaken was ready and knew where to take them.
 
"Then I guess I'll take your word for it." he commented at Teo's clarification of dark magic "You know better than me on this things, so, I'll just take your word." the half-dwarf knowledge about magic was abundant, sure, but at Jaken's eyes, it doesn't help on the life outside books. It was good knowing the difference between one type of magic and the other, but explaining that to your hostile during a fight was not going to let you off the attack. That is why Jaken did not cared for the teacher's explanation. He cared for something that might be usefull outside of that field. Something that might help on combat. Not just knowing the difference between 1 and 2. "So maybe you are not ready to use offensive spells.... humm.... I think I can work with that. You can cast defensive spells, staying on the back lines of the attack while I can go in the front lines. You could back me up, I don't know, placing some type of barrier to buy me some time while I get rid of the others. However, if a hostile is nearby you, call me out and I'll protect you. Maybe that could be usefull. Sound good?"

"Fire." Jaken said "Their weakness is fire. When I used fire against them, they backed up. Maybe their plan was to indeed bury us on vines, but since we had that fire with us, it could have make them second guess themselves. Maybe they tried to get closer and kill the fire, that's why they engaged on us physically. However, it backfired terribly. Those monster could probably feel what the vines and wood would feel since they are connected in a way. So that is something to keep in mind: fire can save our lives."

"Well." Jaken said once everyone was ready "Shall we continue?" as both men hiked, Jaken's head popped with a question "Wha type of spells can you cast? Can you only cast defensive and healing spells? Or do you something more on your arsenal? I need to know so that I can strategize better next time."
 
Eyeing the werewolf out of the corner of his eye, Teodron bit his tongue. He didn’t want to lash out at Jaken, but this felt like ground they’d already covered. Granted, they were probably both on edge from last night—the half-dwarf knew he was—and granted, the bounty hunter was probably just trying to help in his own way. No doubt Jaken just thought of the world in terms of how something could be applied in a combat situation. The mage tried to be a little bit more versatile than that, but in this particular case it was rubbing against his insecurities and making him irritable. Still, they’d come a long way since yesterday, and the half-dwarf figured the other man didn’t mean to make the mage feel inadequate. “Sounds good,” he replied simply, not trusting himself to say more than that. Unfortunately, he knew he wouldn’t be up for much major spellcasting for a while yet.


Fire saved their lives, but it was a fluke; besides, these magical creatures had seemed sentient, or at least capable of speech. That meant they might be able to adapt to any threat. Besides, they hadn’t seemed afraid of the fire at all. If anything, it had enraged them, caused them to charge the mage and the bounty hunter, as if snuffing out their lives and the flames were all that mattered. All Teodron really knew was that he’d feel a lot better once they were far away from this clearing. “Something to think about, that's for sure.” Actually, the half-dwarf had a lot to think about, and he didn’t particularly want to talk about most of it.


Again, the mage would’ve been content to just hike in silence, lost in his own thoughts. Sadly, Jaken had other ideas: now that the idea of battle strategies got into his mind, he seemed to want to go over and over them. Teodron rubbed his temple with his free hand, trying to fight off a growing headache that had nothing to do with magic. “As I told you yesterday, I specialize in defensive magic and rune magic. However, the college requires everyone to get a foundation in college magic, which is just a catch-all term for general magic effects. So I can cast basic spells of pretty much any kind in a pinch.” If he had to, the half-dwarf would elaborate, but he really hoped he wouldn’t have to.
 
"Ok. I get it." Jaken said "Let's see what you can do on dangerous situations. But for now, let's hike. Maybe we could encounter the shipment."

The pair went on hiking, this time, with little to no speech. Jaken had cleared all his doubts about Teodron, so maybe for now, it wasn't the best time to talk, he had nothing to ask, and noise could be a factor that might get them discovered. And after the battle from last night, Jaken knew for sure that this lands were a bit dangerous, so maybe discretion was the best way to continue with the journey. Minutes turned into hours, the forest had no end. Trees and bushes were everywhere, sometimes, it made Jaken suspect that someone or someTHING was spying on them. That those tree monsters were stalking them and ready to attack when they had their guard down, maybe sleeping. If these monsters adapted to threat, they could find a way around Teo's protection. An angle that Teo could have not been aware about.
On the afternoons, the pair occasionally stopped to eat and get a little rest, their legs were exhausted, all that hiking plus the damage they received last night, it made the body not be as atrong as they had to be for this type of adventure.

Dusk came before the two could realize it, there was no sign of the shipment or something that mmight tell them where it is. It had been a plain forest for the past days. Jaken wasn't bothered with it. After all, he spent almost everyday on big forests like these. However, he couldn't stop thinking about Teo. As far as he saw, Teo had always been a city boy. And a sudden change of environmet may lead to a reaction on all living organsims, no exceptions. Though, Jaken was not enitrely sure about Teo's reaction, in any case, he needed to take care of the half-dwarf. While resting up, Jaken heard something that made him jump. It was something unusual. Dead leaves being crushed, it was unusual because none of them were moving. Then a whisper. Then, actual speech.
"Suck it up princess, it's close."
Jaken crouched, putting his hoody and bandana on, he looke back at Teo. Closing his fist, except for his index finger, to which he slowly sticked on his lips. Telling Teo to be quiet. "I'll be back. Just gonna check out what's going on." he whispered "If I tell you to run. You run, no questions asked. Got it?"

Jaken stealthily walked through the forest, making sure to not make the leaves crunch. Sooner than later, he saw someone, a man with a torch walking by himself.
"This cargo must be important. They better pay me well. I hate forests." he said to himself.
"<<A cargo? Could it be the one we are looking for?>>" he thought. He slowly approached the man, avoiding the tree branches and leaves. He slowly got closer to the man. He was already on his back.
"Who's there?" the man reacted. Jaken was faster than him, hitting the man on the head, knocking him out. For safety measures, he took out the torch.
"Alright bastard." he whispered "What cargo are you talking about." the man was unconscious, so dragging the body was the only way to move him.

He got back to Teo, dragging the body. "He's not dead." he clarified "Just sleeping. Help me tie him up. He might know something. He was mumbling to himself about a cargo."
 
Considering they’d have to stay out here until they recovered the shipment or got some concrete proof it was no longer out here, Teodron sincerely hoped they’d encounter it soon. Beyond that, the half-dwarf very much doubted Jaken would get paid if they didn’t find anything. The mage might not know much about bounty hunting, but he did know the College of Magic was stingy with his funds. It was probably why a student was out here: he was essential free (and slightly expendable) labor.

Thankfully the werewolf finally seemed to get the sense that Teodron didn’t want to talk, or perhaps the other man also needed some peace and quiet. Whatever the reason, the mage thanked Metisa. They trudged along in an uneasy, but companionable silence. As they walked, he played the battle over and over again in his head, considering where he’d misstepped and wondering how to improve. Unlike earlier in the day, however, where he’d essentially been wallowing in pity, now Teodron was earnestly trying to make some improvements. It was hard on his own, but the mage didn’t want to get the bounty hunter riled up all over again.

When the mage had gone to retrieve his stone runes this morning, he’d found them cracked and ruined. That meant he had to replace them; even if Teodron wasn’t up for major spellcasting, having runes handy would enhance whatever he might try to do. Therefore, every time they stopped, the half-dwarf found a few blank rocks and started using the chisel to carve patterns into them. It was similar to what he’d had before—though much less aesthetically pleasing, given his injured hand—but with some important subtle differences. While out in the field probably wasn’t the best place pioneer new techniques, but the mage honestly thought that a spell-shield with the modifications he was making would both conserve energy and be harder to overcome.

As Jaken stalked off to do Metisa knew what (the half-dwarf nodded in response to the marching orders from the bounty hunter) Teodron put the finishing touches on his new set of runes and tucked them into his belt pouch. Hopefully he would not get the chance to test them out. When the werewolf reappeared, unconscious figure in tow, the mage did a double take. Then he did another when the other man spoke. Indeed, the half-dwarf just looked between the bandit (presumably) and the bounty hunter for a while, as Teodron sputtered while trying to form words. “And what makes you think we can trust a word he says?” It was the first thought that had popped in Teodron’s head—followed swiftly by the thought that this insane stunt would alert any additional bandits, and might even bring them down on the mage and the werewolf Already Teodron was running through what to do in the event of another attack, as well as going through a list of spell that might convince the trussed up man that the half-dwarf and Jaken meant no harm.
 
"Oh, he will tell." he said "Because the werewolf is his other option." he growled "Just to be sure." he picked up his bandana and placed on the man's eyes, blindfolding him "Now tie him up and let me do the talking until I say otherwise."

The pair waited for minutes before the man showed signs of waking up, shaking his head slowly.
"Wha...? What is this? W-where am I?"
"Rise and shine princess." Jaken said "Now we were wondering something. A few minutes back, I heard you talking to yourself about a cargo and that it better be worth it. Yeah... you see... you may have intercepted my little... oh what should I call it? Items. Might wanna tell me something?"
"Screw you! I won't say a word."
Jaken looked back at Teo with a dissapointed expression on his face. From his jacket, he swiftly took out a knife and stabbed the men on the leg. Before the man could scream, Jaken placed his other hand on the man's mouth, drowning his scream and keeping their location a secret. The man 'screamed' for a few seconds before calming down "You might have something to tell me?"
The man cried "You are insane...." he sobbed "I won't tell you anything. Please, just let me go, I won't say a word."
"Ok. Maybe I'm not being clear." Jaken forced the dagger to rotate 90 degrees on the man's leg, letting out grunts from the victim "I want to know what cargo are you talking about." the man cried more "You want this to stop? Ok, just tell me what I want to know. What is this cargo you are talking about and where is it?"
"Fuck you...."
Jaken sighed, pulling the knife out and gently passing throught the man's leg until reaching a certain point "Do you know where my knife is right now? Huh? Can you answer that?" the man still cried "Do you know where my knife is pointing??!!"
"MY CROTCH!! My crotch... please, don't do it. I'll give you all the money I have, all my clothes, but please... stop...."
"I don't want your money, nor your clothes, nothing. I just want YOU to tell ME about this cargo you have..."
The man sobbed more until finally giving his answer "Go to hell." Jaken bowed his head down as he sighed "Ok." he said, forcing the knife into the man's crotch. Jaken was faster on covering the man's mouth than the man screaming his lungs out. "Is this what you wanted?" he twisted the knife, making the man scream in more agony "I can make this stop, just tell me where is it?" he took out the blade fiercely, letting the man sob even more. "Now... should I know something about this cargo...?"
 
Actually, the half-dwarf hadn’t been worried about the bandit telling them something. He’d been worried about what the bandit might tell them. Indeed, the mage felt pretty certain that answers compelled through pain were not only wrong, they were also liable to be false; after all, nothing would stop the bandit from telling them exactly what they wanted to hear. So either the man being tortured would give them false information, or they’d be led into a trap. It didn’t occur to the student that they’d get what they wanted or needed.

Doing his level best to ignore the brutality going on—though it made his bile rise—Teodron knelt down, scrambling through his pack to pull out two unmarked stones and his chisel. The pain from his burned hand went ignored as he carved three rooms in a furious, but careful, rush. He needed to move quickly before more damage was done, but he couldn’t afford to mess up Jaken would be pissed, but the half-dwarf was mad at the werewolf for not even discussing this course of action with Teodron (and for the knife making its way through the young man’s leg), so the mage couldn’t care less about his companion’s reaction. At least he could channel that rage into his spellcasting.

Once he was done, he stood up and stalked over to Jaken. “Enough!” he barked out, not willing to brook a disagreement about this. The bounty hunter might not like taking orders, but the mage wasn't asking for permission. The werewolf would step aside or they’d have a fight on their hands; assuming the bounty hunter wouldn’t hurt the half-dwarf, Teodron walked up and shouldered the other man out of the way. Kneeling, the mage placed two runes on either side of the young man’s head, and placed a third on his chest. With an effort of will he cast the three part spell: one, to make the man open to suggestions, two to make him truthful, and three to dull the pain and get his body to start healing.

Teodron was sickened at the damage that had been done, and felt this was the least he could do. “You’re alright. I’m sorry.” Too little, too late: this might’ve been a hardened criminal, but no one deserved what the werewolf had been doing to him. Turning his head, the half-dwarf spat at the bounty hunter’s feet. “Ask your questions. But if you lay another hand on him you’ll have me to answer to me.” While the threat might’ve been feeble, it was broad daylight, so there’d be no werewolf form to help Jaken, and Teodron was just mad enough to dip into his fiercest magics, no matter the cost. It was just some missing goods, not the end of the world. Hopefully getting the answers they wanted would satisfy Jaken, but the budding partnership between the two of them had just shattered irrevocably. They could still work together, but Teodron wouldn't forget this.
 
"Shut up!!" Jaken ordered at Teo when the half-dwarf told him that it was enough "Now he knows there's two of us!! Great job." he slow clapped "You have better ideas?" he stapped away from the sobbing man "Then do your thing. See what you can get out of him." he let Teo do his thing as Jaken crossed arms, waiting to see what Teo could do.

The mage placed three rocks on the man. This were different than the werewolf had seen before. This looked like everyday rocks with carvings that didn't seemed quite proffesional, as far as Jaken could tell, runes were designed a lot better than that, so he assumed that Teo had made those runes, besides, he had seen the half-dwarf poking stones with a chisel. The mage whispered something that Jaken could not understand: a spell. He was doing something with the homemade runes. "What are you doing? Would those make him tell the truth no matter what?"

"Fine." he growled at Teo's eyes "I won't promise anything..." then walking to the still sobbing man, crouching before him "What is this cargo you are talking about? Was it originally going to the College of Elbion? Who hired you?"
 
Teodron was not in the mood to defer or listen to Jaken, not after the bounty hunter’s behavior. As far as the mage was concerned, this was an errand sanctioned by the College of Magic, and that meant that—student though he was—the half-dwarf could assert authority whenever he saw fit. He’d followed the werewolf’s lead until now because it had seemed the other man knew what he was doing. Teodron couldn’t stomach this cold-blooded torture though.

If, however, it had simply been a matter of pesky morals the half-dwarf might’ve stood aside. But he knew this was not the best way to acquire the information they needed, and if Jaken had simply asked for advice instead of brushing the mage aside they could’ve avoided all this unpleasantness. Now, though, Teodron had to salvage what he could from the situation. It would be difficult to do that if the bounty hunter kept talking, so unfortunately the mage would have to do something about that. Putting a finger to his lips, Teodron indicating that the werewolf should remain silent. Assuming that the other man wouldn’t follow that suggestion, though, the half-dwarf reinforced it with a temporary silence spell. Jaken would be unable to speak for a few moments, or even make any noise at all. Teodron knew he was burning through his reserves at an alarming rate, but it was worth it.

Maybe the half-dwarf should address the werewolf’s concerns, though Teodron wasn’t much in the mood to humor Jaken. “What’s he going to do with the knowledge that there are two of us, trussed up in the woods as he is?” The mage carefully didn’t mention the injuries; nor did he talk about the fact that he could wipe the memories, given enough time, though they couldn’t be permanently removed. Actually, yes the half-dwarf did have better ideas, which is why he’d spoken up, so Teodron didn’t deign to answer that. And of course the werewolf had to spoil what the mage was doing: Teodron could’ve punched Jaken for revealing the runes, since the half-dwarf had been intending to pass them all off as healing charms. Still, maybe he could fix this. “Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no such thing as a truth spell.” Actually, there was, but Teodron wasn’t under one, just the bandit.

The mage jerked his head to indicate that the bounty hunter should step back. Then Teodron turned his attention to the fallen man. “Please. If you answer us we’ll leave you in peace. I’ll even leave you with the healing charm.” The bandit should be feeling the effects already, and though the half-dwarf was worried what his traveling companion might do to the injured man, Teodron would cross that bridge when he had to.

The bandit whimpered, head lolling to one side as strength drained from him. “I-I-I don’t know much about the cargo, okay? Honestly. All I know is Lisyt —she leads our crew, Lisyt does, and she’s a mean old—” the bandit coughed, pain etching across his features. “Anyway, Lisyt stumbled across this crew hauling a wagon up higher into the mountains, up where there’s ruins, y’know? And she didn’t much like another group shouldering in on her territory, only when she went to tell them, an’ take a cut of their haul as payment, they fought back.” The man shuddered, though from pain or from the memory, Teodron couldn’t say. “Terrible magic, and when the dust cleared the new group had disappeared. So Lisyt sent her boys combing the mountains for any sign of them. And I found…” at that moment, the bandit succumbed to his injuries and passed out.

Teodron cursed. They had gotten a lot of useful information, but he couldn’t help the nagging feeling that there was more to the story. Standing up, he wheeled on Jaken. “By Metisa’s mask and cowl, just what did you think you were doing? Hm? What were you hoping to accomplish?” The half-dwarf’s hands curled into fists and he stepped into the bounty hunter’s personal space; the mage was angry, and he wasn’t afraid to let the werewolf know he wasn’t afraid of him. Still, in the back of the half-dwarf's mind, Teodron was considering what he'd learned and what his next steps would be. His, because he wasn't entirely certain Jaken would be joining the mage for the rest of the journey.
 
Jaken stood there while Teo made the good-cop act on their prisoner. He was against it, if you were going to take information out of someone, being kind would probably lead you nowhere, in fact, the crminal would tell you a lie and you'd be taking that false-lead. Jaken did not want to speak for now. He was thinking on how he could get more information out of the criminal, maybe castration or skin alive this son of a bitch. Maybe poking fire at him. In fact, he was so concentrated on how to make things worse for the criminal that he did not realized that Teo had placed a silent spell on him. He did not noticed that he was isolated from the world. Teo seemed way to concentrated on being kind to the prisoner, so the werewolf just let them be, If he could get some information out of him it would be better. Jaken showed the middle finger to Teo when he called him out for being ridiculous over his assumption of 'truth magic'.

Jaken rolled his eyes when Teo told the prisoner that if they cooperated, he could let him go. Sure, the man wouldn't know who they were because of the blindfold, but better safe than sorry. He planned to kill the man behind Teo's back. He wasn't in the mood for fighting right now. He wanted to find the object, retreive, get paid, and then... investigate the college for information.

After the man passed out from his injuries and Teo ranted at him, he could speak again. "TAKE INFORMATION OUT OF HIM, YOU IDIOT!!!" he roared "YOU THINK I DO THIS BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT??!! Hurting this piece of shit for no reason won't make me better than those werewolves who killed my family, also for no reason. The only lifestyle I know is hurt or get hurt, now I'm sorry of this is not how you like things, princess. But I don't know all your magical BULLSHIT tricks that makes life easier. " he calmed down "But look, it doesn't matter right now. We have a lead: the mountains. You want this bitch alive with your healing spell? Then grab your shit and let's move!!" he snatched the bandana out of the prisoner's eyes and returned it to Jaken's neck "He might wake up soon." he walked off, not waiting if Teo followed him, hiking higher into the mountains.
 
Apparently Jaken didn’t like it when people challenged him. That was too bad: the werewolf would find that Teodron was not so easily cowed when his temper was roused. As the bounty hunter stalked off, the mage knelt, making a small modification to the healing charm and retrieving the truth and suggestion runes. Taking out a blank stone, he made the same mark he’d added to the healing stone; if the bandit died or threw out the charm, the half-dwarf now had a way to find out. He didn’t like the idea of leaving the injured man behind, but even the mage knew they had no choice. Still, he cut the bonds around the man’s wrists, uncaring how the bounty hunter might react. The half-dwarf knew that the bandit would be asleep for a long time; the rune would draw upon the man’s body to accelerate healing which would require a lot of sleep and rest.

Standing, the half-dwarf stalked after the rapidly departing werewolf. Their conversation wasn’t over yet—not by a long shot—and Teodron would not be ignored. Shouting after Jaken (so what if he attracted the notice of the others in these mountains), the mage picked up his pace and his voice. “I think you enjoyed it a little too much for my liking, actually! And you’re right, it doesn’t make you any better than those who tortured and killed your family. Maybe think about that, think about how they'd react to what you just did, instead of whining to me about how your life has been so hard.” Enough was enough: Teodron was done coddling the other man. So his life had been difficult. Lots of people faced unspeakable tragedies in their lives, and very few of them turned into monsters. In this case, the half-dwarf was thinking of metaphorical monsters, since Jaken’s werewolf side seemed the least of the bounty hunter’s problems.


The mage wasn’t done, not by a long shot. “My magical ‘tricks’ as you call them got us the information we needed, and if you’d stop to consult with me instead of just assuming you knew what was best I could’ve told you about them and we could've avoided all the problems you just created. Instead you brushed me aside and went ahead with the torture because, oh, I don’t know, you thought that somehow it would be a good idea.” The half-dwarf’s tone (and prior actions) showed exactly what he thought of Jaken’s information gathering techniques. Namely, that they were faulty and unnecessarily cruel. “Oh and by the way, there is something called a truth spell, but if the bandit had known that he would’ve clammed up. Thanks for almost ruining that for me by the way.”


Taking a deep breath, Teodron continued. “Then again, I should’ve expected it, since you’ve been treating me like a liability instead of a member of the team since we started, so wrapped up in your ‘lone wolf tough guy persona that you can’t see reason.’ Well that’s not going to work any more. So either you get used to treating me like a real partner and listening and working with me or you can go. If you’re going to continue to act like you always know what’s best in every situation than you’re going to be more of a hindrance to me than a help.” That ultimatum rippled through the air between them. No doubt the werewolf would just get all pissy, Teodron would get even more mad, and it would escalate until one of them finally gave up on the other.
 
"Ah see. THERE'S THE CATCH!! FOR YOUR LIKING!!!" he roared "OK, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HEAR???!!!! I'M SORRY, OK. I'M SORRY THAT THIS IS NOT THE MAGICAL ADVENTURES FULL OF FAIRIES AND CUTE FUZZY ANIMALS AND FLOWERS YOU WISHED FOR-GROW THE FUCK UP TEODRON!!!! THIS WORLD STABS YOU IN THE BACK, NO MATTER HOW FRIENDLY AND KIND YOU ARE!!! THINK ON YOUR COLLEGE, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY CARE ABOUT THEIR REPUTATION, YOU SAID IT TO ME, NOT THEIR STUDENTS, NOT THEIR TEACHERS, NO!!! JUST THEMSELVES!!! And one last thing..." he growled "You don't get to say ANYTHING about my family. You don't know NOTHING ABOUT THEM!!!"

"I CREATED TROUBLE!!! FINE!! YOU KNOW WHAT??!! SINCE YOU DON'T WANT ANY TROUBLE BECAUSE THIS IS YOUR HAPPY-GO-LUCKY ADVENTURE, I'LL END THE TROUBLE!!! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT???!!! FINE!!!!" he shouldered past Teo and right back at the man, who was still unconscious "I'LL END THE TROUBLE!!" he took out his crossbow and aimed it to the man's head "YOU WANT ME TO SHOOT THIS BASTARD???! THAT IS HOW I'LL END THE TROUBLE I CREATED!!!!" after waiting for some seconds, staring at the pissed face of Teo he lowered his gun "Yeah... that's what I thought." Jaken returned to Teo "Now, let's keep moving." he growled.

"Newsflash: you ARE MY LIABILITY. I don't know why the college sent you with me. They SHOULD have been aware that this was a dangerous task. Yet, they sent a student in this journey. Not an experienced mage or a heavy-weilding-weapon-guy. No! YOU! A HALF-DWARF THAT DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO FIGHT!!! So, if you want me to treat you like a member of this so-called 'team', fine by me, I'll try to listen to you, I'll try to consider your skills before going on full werewolf on their asses, that's on me. But you... LEARN. HOW. TO. FIGHT. In situations, were there are just way too many hostiles for me to take on, I might not be there to babysitt you, therefore, an offensive spell coming from YOU would be much appreciated." he growled.

"Now. You want to recover this bullshit cargo or fight all night? I don't know about you, but I will go after their little package, because I won't get paid by fighting you." he advanced to the mountains.
 
For the first time, Teodron realized that he was basically alone in the woods, with what appeared to be a mentally unhinged werewolf. Indeed, Jaken’s reaction to the half-dwarf’s words was downright explosive: the other man started screaming and ranting, pulled out his crossbow and pointed it at the bandit (which made the half-dwarf’s heart pound), and accused the mage of being naive and useless. Under any other circumstances Teodron would have defended himself vigorously—and indeed, it was all he could do not to shout right back—but seeing as he was reliant on the bounty hunter to get them back to Elbion, if nothing else, Teodron was at the other man’s mercy. Still, the half-dwarf resolved once they were out of trouble to get as far away from Jaken as possible, and maybe even report the werewolf.

What the mage wanted to say was ‘maybe the reason people keep driving you away isn’t because you’re a werewolf, but because you’re a terrible person and maybe a lunatic.’ And no, not the werewolf lunacy, but the plain old kind, the kind that made individuals back away and mutter about locking people up. Instead, though Teodron’s hand tightened on his staff until he was white-knuckled, the mage raised his other free (injured) hand in a placating gesture. “Hey, whoa, it’s alright. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Lie, lie, lie: it was not alright, the half-dwarf wasn’t sorry, and he had intended to upset Jaken. But at this point getting through the rest of this ordeal in one piece was the most important thing. Luckily, the werewolf became, if not calm, at least significantly less volatile seeming. Maybe the other man had gotten it out of his system.

Still, Teodron could only bend so far. “I will do a better job in the fight next time, I promise. I’ll follow your orders and fight back. I do know offensive magic, I just was wiped out by the assault on my wards last time.” Which, the mage carefully did not add, saved their hides by warning them of the attack, separating their opponents, and buying them time. The half-dwarf thought the fact that the defenses had been useful and that his lack of further spellcasting wasn’t by choice had been apparent—especially after their long conversation about how using the runes drained the werewolf, Jaken should’ve realized Teodron’s magic had a similar effect on the half-dwarf—but apparently things needed to be spelled out very clearly for the werewolf. “But in exchange, I want you to at least consult with me on matters that are not related to combat.” That seemed more than fair to the half-dwarf, especially since it was why he'd been sent along to begin with, but he braced himself for another outburst.

As the bounty hunter hiked ahead, the half-dwarf trudged behind him, sparing one last glance for the injured bandit, who hadn’t stirred through their whole shouting match. Then, the mage returned his attention to the front. Already Teodron was running through the list of spells he could use to restrain both an out of control bounty hunter or a rampaging werewolf, whichever he might have to face. After what the mage had just witnessed, he wasn’t going to take any chances.

He was also wondering if maybe the college had sent him along on this errand not just because it was a menial task, but also because they needed to keep Jaken in line. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense—mostly because the student wasn’t sure he was up to the challenge—but it made more sense than sending the half-dwarf along on the off chance the cargo was damaged. Or maybe they’d just been worried about the bounty hunter’s loyalties. If the other man thought he could get a better deal by selling to the highest bidder, he might. Likely it was a combination of all those factors, and more; it wouldn’t be the first time the college had hedged its bets. An institution like that didn’t survive for this long without being incredibly cautious and powerful.
 
"Fine by me." he said to Teo's excahnge of 'team management' "I will be more considerate with you and your abilities." he stopped and sighed with his hands on his hips "Look, I'm sorry ok. I'm sorry that I got explosive with you. SOmetimes I just have outbursts, that's all. Just where I can't take this shit anymore. Rampages like that, they keep my at line. They keep me from going crazy. Ever heard that if you never unleash some rage, you just... loose it. You become insane, no turning back. I'm afraid of ending up like that. Or maybe I already am and have not realized it yet, in which case, I'd be more scared than ever." he reflected "Sorry. Had to... think out loud to get it out and clear my head. Ok, let's stop talking about me and my feelings. After all, I shouldn't be whinning about that right?" he smiled and winked at Teo, patting him on the back "C'mon, let's get this over with."

Another night passed. This time with no attacks at midnight, Jaken had remained in his human form throughout the transition from day to day. He did not want to hunt right now. Instead, he reflected on what he said back there. If he had already loose it, then the werewolf would be out of control, or at least, take over him without Jaken even realizing it. He knew that the wolf was inside him and could influence what he could feel, and he had experienced such feelings before, many times throughout this 7 years, and he didn't liked it. He felt angry, more than ever. He wanted to kill everyone and devour them alive. Make them suffer to their last breath, skin them alive, rip their throats, disembowel them. But he knew that if he did, he would be just ANOTHER werewolf. Not Jaken the bounty hunter. No. Just a werewolf. He kept those feelings locked up for safety measures. He couldn't bare to unleash all that frustration and wrath to innocent villagers. That was not him.
He fell asleep thinking about it...

It was noon. The pair had hiked higher into the mountains. Until then, Jaken heard something. A hammer? Striking a nail? "You heard that?" he asked the half-dwarf. He went in stealth mode, creeping through the trees and bushes until finally finding something. "Teo." he called "You might want to see this."

Far meters away, below them, was a construction site. The ruins the man had talked about. There was a small camp. And people were there two. "You think this is it? The ruins that man was talking about?"
 
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