Noct Yaegir The Warning in the Woods

[Marisa Thalren]

The Village of Neddas

Marisa nudged the council chamber door open with her hip because her arms were full: maps, notes, a half eaten apple, and a spear she probably should not have been carrying indoors.

She flashed the three council members her brightest smile, the kind that tended to disarm nervous guards and overconfident clients.

"Good evening! Afternoon? Whichever. Lovely time of day. I hear you have a monster problem."

The councilors looked at one another with the exhausted dread of people who had been arguing for hours. Marisa bounced on her heels, setting her things down on the nearest table with a clatter. Her spear slid, she caught it, spun it once, and propped it carefully against the wall.

"Right. So. Before we talk about fees and danger pay and hazard bonuses, I need two things from you. First: everything you know about this creature. Not rumors. Not my cousin's wife's brother saw it in a dream. Actual sightings, actual tracks, actual evidence."

Three slow blinks. One awkward cough.

She continued anyway, waving a hand airily.

"Second: snacks. Drawing up a proper contract requires food. And the trek up here was long. And one of your guards stole my last piece of jerky. Yes, I saw him. No, it wasn't subtle."

The oldest councilor cleared his throat. "Mistress Thalren, the beast has killed four people. We aren't sure it's safe to linger in the open at night."

Marisa leaned forward over the table, eyes shining.

"Exactly why you need a professional. Or several professionals if some of my colleagues turn up today. Lucky for you, I'm competent, and very reasonably priced. So. Tell me about your monster. And if someone could bring bread or something, I would be incredibly grateful."

She smiled again, warm and bright, as though death and danger were simply part of the evening program.

"Let's get your village sorted, shall we?"


OOC/ This is going to be a monster story with a twist. Open to a few more Noct!

 

[Callius Vox Mauricus]

To be woken by the morning chirp of birds and the sound of a busying village beyond the open window of a fair maiden, freshly bedded, was something Callius oft dreamed of and sometimes made a reality. This was his expectation, the fair maiden, yes, the morning chirp of birds and the sound of a busying, waking village, not so much. A low groan drifted from his lips, ribs popping as he roused and rubbed bleary eyes with the palms of calloused hands; another soft shove by the woman beside him, and he blinked, a quizzical look, a moment of clarity.

“Oh ffff-” The curse cut short by a leg being caught in the sheets as he rolled from the bed in a sudden half-conscious realisation, flesh against wood, a fresh groan of pain.

“Weren’t you supposed to meet the council milord?” The maiden asked, bunching the sheets across her vulnerability as the man who had absolutely forgotten her name busied with putting on his leathers the wrong way round. Sucking his teeth as he regarded the woman and weighed up whether his person even held value at the table, if Marisa even needed him. He could get used to being called Lord.

“Well of course I’ll be at the meeting, they’ll be waiting on my expertise, skill, my knowledge, sometimes it’s best to arrive late, so as not to seem as though one takes the job too seriously,” Callius forced a smile as he fastened his belt and threw on his tunic, his sword was thrown over one shoulder and a quick, chaste kiss was given to his fair maiden, a flash of teeth in a charming smile and a practiced false swagger, “Do not forget the Obberwack beast I slayed, nor the nefarious Nilhara on the Isles of Sheketh, I’ll have many more tales to tell upon my return.” He assured her as she fastened his cuirass and tightened the straps.

___

By the time Callius arrived at the council chambers, he was red-faced and puffing, but a mere few moments to get his composure, and he pushed the doors open with a nonchalant dip of his head to all present, casting a wary eye to Marisa and hoping upon all six of his Gods that he had not missed anything too important. Like the whole meeting. Not the first time, most definitely not the last.

“Greatest apologies for my delay, councillors," he offered to those present, tightening the strap on his sword, “The outskirts of town are secure, and all is well.” He assured them, lying through his teeth and subtly digging some sleep from the corner of one of his eyes with a thumb, “Please, by all means, continue.” He swept a curt bow and dropped himself into one of the chairs, kicking his plated boots onto the table and reclining, loosing a low, slow breath. If all went well, he would have nailed it and they’d be none the wiser to his tardiness.

 

[Marisa Thalren]

Marisa leaned sideways in her chair as Callius slid into the room like a man pretending he had not just sprinted across half the village.

The elders muttered politely at his apology. Marisa gave him a bright little finger wiggle of a wave.

"Perfect timing," she said cheerfully. "We just finished discussing the part where you all finally let me help before someone else gets eaten."

Three elders crossed themselves. One coughed.

Marisa clapped her hands and stood, the bundle of parchment she had written earlier tucked under her arm. It was crisp, neatly penned, and tied with a green ribbon she thought made it look incredibly official.

"Right then. Before anything tries knocking on your doors again, we should settle the contract. Do not worry, I know none of you read, so I will walk you through it."

She stepped to the center table and spread the parchment with a flourish.

"Clause one," she declared, tapping it, "Marisa Thalren, licensed Noct Yaegir affiliate, will hunt and neutralize the creature currently terrorizing your outer farms. Clause two, she will attempt to preserve as much of your property as possible but offers no guarantee regarding fences, barns, or suspiciously delicious goats."

A few elders shifted uncomfortably. One muttered, "We only have one goat like that."

Marisa smiled brightly. "Which is why the clause is important."

She moved on.

"Clause three, you provide lodging, two meals a day, and a guide to show me the last known attack site. Clause four, I get paid when the job is done, and no trying to renegotiate after the fact. I do not haggle about nearly dying."

She turned the page and beamed at them all expectantly.

"Now, this tiny section here says you acknowledge everything I just said and are totally and completely agreeing to it without any surprise complaints later. See? Easy."

The elders whispered together for a moment, looked at the parchment as if it might bite them, then one by one placed shaky signatures or clumsy X marks on the bottom.

Marisa gathered the contract, tied the ribbon again, and slipped it safely into her satchel.

"Excellent. Congratulations. You have now officially engaged our services. Callius , shall we go get some food then find somewhere to wait out the night?"

She gave him a grin that was far too delighted for the grim work ahead.

Callius Vox Mauricus

 

[Callius Vox Mauricus]

Callius wondered where Marisa had gotten her way with words and people; he was pretty sure she could have convinced them to hand over deeded land should she have wanted to. He found the whole affair highly amusing. The contract was signed and sealed, and that meant one single beastie to kill, and they would have coin in their pouches and time to kill, a good combination.

With a clap of his hands, rubbing palms together, Callius gave the council a curt nod upon leaving after Marisa and followed her from the building, drawing the ball of his hand across the burnished brown pommel of the worn bastard sword hanging from his hip.

“Something tells me even the ‘guide’ you requested will not truly know of the creature we’re hunting,” he noted, “I think they fear the unknown more than what they have experienced.”

Casting a look around the village as he walked backwards a few steps, spinning back to face the way she was walking on the heel of his boot, he cast a hand out towards the north-easterly quarter of the village.

“If it’s the cattle and barns the creature seeks, the treeline makes the most sense, cover for its approach, less open ground to cover and be seen,” he suggested, flipping a blue painted pebble he fished from behind his cuirass, “I can set up some Warding stones after we’ve eaten, -good call by the way, I’m famished-, that way we can find one of these kindly folk with an open hearth.” Callius regarded the woman as they walked, “Unless of course you have an idea of your own to flush whatever this is out, a suspiciously delicious goat perhaps?”
-
Marisa Thalren

 

[Marisa Thalren]

Marisa slowed just enough for Callius to catch up beside her, the signed contract tucked safely under her arm. She shot him a sideways grin.

"Please. If I wanted their land, I would have walked out of there wearing the mayor’s hat. People get very agreeable when they think a monster is about to swallow them whole."

She stepped around a cart, boots crunching on gravel as they moved toward the northeastern path he had indicated.

"You’re right about the guide," she said. "They’re going to hand us some poor farmhand and pray he survives long enough to point vaguely at a tree before running away."

She folded her hands behind her head, stretching comfortably as she walked, completely at ease in a village terrified of being eaten.

"As for the treeline, yes. Perfect hunting ground ."

Her gaze flicked to the blue painted pebble in his hand.

"Warding stones after food sounds good."

Marisa nudged him lightly with her elbow. She started walking again, faster now, energised.

"Let's go to the food hall and tell them the town council is paying, then find our guide to see where the attacks happened."

She glanced over her shoulder at him with a grin.

"And if you behave, maybe I’ll even let you pick the goat."

 

[Callius Vox Mauricus]

"Well then, with an invitation such as that, I'll endeavour not to disappoint," he quipped, matching the grin thrown his way as he followed her towards the nearest hall. He doubted it would be any feast, but warm food in his belly and an ale would never be something he would turn down, especially not free, 'I've never been allowed to pick the goat.' He spoke in a low, soft chortle.

Callius was never one to shy from danger, should he be paid enough, and though his attitude did not quite match the care-free, fearless-in-the-face-of-imminent-threat his stoic companion exuded, the man did cast a wary gaze to the treetops beyond the village outskirts. Only a fool would be so quick to discount the threat of a creature or monster; even the simplest would leave a fool lifeless. One wrong move, and folly would lead to ruin. Something Callius was none too eager to experience.

---

Callius would eat stew and bread like a prisoner enjoying his last meal, every mouthful, though nothing special, savoured. Every bit of stale bread, enjoyed. One could never be sure when they next might eat something beyond berries in the woods.

His plan was simple: should Marisa find it agreeable, a straightforward, arcane net of stones, a novice Ward that would provide warning should anything larger than a dog pass the threshold of the village outskirts. It would mean only one needed to take watch at any given time, and unless it rained, the Warding was almost unavoidable.

Unless, of course, whatever they were dealing with was smaller than a dog... Or more intelligent than one.
___
Marisa Thalren

 

[Marisa Thalren]

Marisa wiped her bowl clean with the last scrap of bread and leaned back with a satisfied sigh, patting her stomach. The stew had been decidedly average, but better than road biscuits and dried meat.

"You know," she said, tilting her chair onto its back legs, "between your enthusiasm for dinner and your tragic lack of goat-picking experience, I'd almost forgoten the stones and what you're here for."

She tapped her spoon against the rim of the bowl, thoughtful. Marisa sat forwards and this time her expression became serious.

"Get them set, I'll go and inspect the town. I'll meet you outside the elder's house to wait for nightfall."

Her smile returned again.

"And if it’s smaller than a dog, we’re going to feel very silly."

Marisa stood, stretching her arms up toward the rafters.

"But I don’t think that’s our problem. Whatever hit those barns didn’t nibble politely. It chewed. With enthusiasm. That takes weight and power. Or a very bad attitude."

She grabbed her cloak from the chair back and slung it over one shoulder, nodding toward the door.

"Let's get to work."

---

Marisa sat on the gently sloped roof of a house that faced the forests. The sun was setting on the horizon. The traps were set. She had seen the barn and the blood. She had seen a house where the door had been scratched. The family inside hadnt been hurt but they had been terrified.

"These woods," she said, clutching her pendant. "I do not like the feel of them. Not evil. Raw. Old."

Callius Vox Mauricus

 

[Callius Vox Mauricus]

Sometimes the simplest plans were the most effective approach. Complicating things introduced more points of failure, like a sword: a sharp edge and a point were really all one needed; fancy filigree and pommels could only get a swordsman so far. It was action that truly mattered.

"I would be deeply saddened if all I was here for was my stones, I have a large sword and know how to use it," he had retorted, the smile spreading across his lips revealing crows' feet and the rough features that told of an age older than his looks might have shown, "Not to mention my rakish charm."

Throwing the faded orange-red fur cloak, gnoll fur if anyone ever asked, across his shoulders, he shouldered his sword and stole a half load of bread before leaving with her to begin their watch. He did wonder who would have the worse attitude, the beastie or the woman in front of him.

His coin was on Marisa.

---

Callius lifted his head from his blade, the slow, drawn-out scraaaaape of his whetstone down the oiled length being the only sound they made from the roof until she spoke. He cast his gaze across the tree tops and gave a low 'hrm'.

"Old and raw are sometimes worse than evil," he agreed. He sensed something, too, even if he was not someone subtly attuned to the magics of the world, he was not like the Dreadlords and their unlimited magical potential, nor was he learned like the scholars and mages of Elbion, the magic he held was the unshaped arcane, no fancy spells, no flashy bolts, an explosion of energy that he had grown adept at directing.

He lifted the upper half of his bastard sword and checked the edge with a gloved thumb, dipping the same thumb into a pouch of thick sky-blue paste by his waist and drawing arcane symbols down the length, five in total with practised precision.

"Do you think the forests create these creatures and monsters, to punish those who encroach upon what they see as their lands?" He asked idly, wiping the paint on his leg and tapping his roughly stubbled chin, leaving a blue smear, "After all, they were here first, the trees, insects, animals, the grass. Is it not simply nature to fight back as we do?" Resting his hands on the crossguard of his sword, chin on the pommel, he gave the woman a look. "I suppose it matters not when we're paid to kill it."
____
Marisa Thalren

 

[Marisa Thalren]

Marisa sat with one knee pulled up to her chest. She had a heavy crossbow set beside her. There were several spears leaning against the building below. She was quick, but being prepared was always better than being quick.

Night had turned the forest into a single, heavy mass of black. Even the wind seemed to think twice before touching it.

Callius’s question drifted between them, and for once, she didn’t answer immediately.

"You know," she said softly, "I used to think there were only three kinds of monsters. The hungry ones, the angry ones, and the ones people make up because they like being scared."

"But the longer I do this, the more I think some things really are born out of places. Out of the land itself. Old grudges in the soil. Old magic sitting in a broken jar somewhere. A forest doesn’t have to hate us to spit something out with teeth."

Her eyes flicked to the symbols on his sword.

"Whatever the truth is, everything can be killed…"

She leaned back on her hands, staring at the tree line with something close to excitement.

"I like the part before we know. The guessing. The maybe it’s this, maybe it’s that. The world feels bigger when the answers aren’t in yet."

A distant crack sounded from the woods. Not loud. Not close. Just definite.

Marisa straightened, expression brightening as though someone had told her a delightful secret.

"Want a wager on what's coming?" she asked. The sound could have been anything. They would find out shortly if the trap went off.