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What an opportunity that had just landed in his lap! Adventurers indebted to him!

Things had been pretty rotten here since Kej, Stein, & Ilham had gone missing and the beast had come. They'd promised him they'd come back and get him before they headed south with their treasure from the tomb. Maybe they'd simply abandoned him, not wishing a confrontation with Jenks, but Josh didn't want to believe that.

"I can maybe forget it..." he started, stepping forward a little toward Rae and Galiena despite the rather frightening hobgoblin nearby. "... if I can come with you when you leave here."

Galiena's expression softened toward the boy, wondering if perhaps he'd been made an orphan by the beast. "Of course!" she blurted out before giving it any serious consideration.

The fairy shakes her head, a frown at her lips as her shoulders slump lowly. "I'm afraid not. But that is soon to change." With fluttering wings does she hover her way to Llore, seating herself atop his shoulder if permitted. "My people have a sort of... connection with all manner of beasts and creatures. An inherent one throughout us all. I was pondering the idea of showing myself to lure it. In my experience, darker beings such as this one are all too eager to devour me and my magic. But I highly doubt that is to happen this time!"

Rae can't keep from rolling her eyes at Xepil's obnoxious attempt at showing off. And her reaction to the kid is not nearly as positive as Galiena's. She realizes, however, that their choices are rather limited at the moment.

She narrows her eyes as she gives him a once-over. "Got a name, then?" she demands, "And ken ya tell us anythin' 'bout the hound an' these lots?"

Something about the whole incident with the hound just isn't sitting right with Rae, but she can't quite figure out what. A good, stout drink might help her think more clearly, and the broken padlock wouldn't likely be discovered until morning... Without really waiting for the boy to answer, she continues, "C'mon, let's gae think this through over a drink or two." She pulls the cleric around to face away from the kid while quietly mentioning, "I wonder if those parchments really include everyone's names..."

"Aww hell no! Grrr!" Xepil exclaims as he clutches his head. "Now we're stuck baby sitting human pups!? Grrr! This is some grade A orc shit! Grrr!"

The Hob gives a dismissive motion and keeps walking regardless. He's not okay with the decision but he's not going to contest it either.

"Really?" the youth looks surprised that the human woman agreed so easily and gives Galiena and Rae a genuine smile before wiping it back off his face to play it "cool".

"Josh," he says to the dwarf's first question, then shrugs to her second about the beast and the lots and looks down at the ground for a moment, then looks at the Wolf Spear Inn, then back to the ground, then at the lock-box. Was he hiding something or simply never been taught manners? "The Jarl's been doin' the lots for the last month or so. Every three days he puts on a blindfold and picks somebody's name outta there. Ol' Beacom reads it out."

Galiena raises a brow to Rae's speculation as she gestures the boy to follow along with them, walking after Xepil into the Wolf Spear. "Doubtful," she says. "I can't imagine his own name or that of one of his thegns being drawn."

---

Lloré looks suitably impressed by the fairy's bravery and her willingness to use herself as bait for the hound, though shakes his head. "Doesn't seem to be a problem getting it to Hirot. But keeping it from coming back. Ulfheonar knew... "

He looks up as the adventurers return, eyes widening as he sees the Hobgoblin and the blood on the dwarf. "Looks like these fine folks have lived to tell the tale!"

The night was nearly starless, and the nasty region had required all of his attention - John didn't want to fall right into an ambush, having all of his belongings in his backpack for now.
Since he had fled the tower, he felt like his best opportunity to restore his family's honour was to gain in experience first - and had left for the hostile region of Hirot, where he hoped to find challenge and a small town, safe from bandits but too small to interest the Templars who were still searching for him.
And there he was, a hundred meters away from one of the minor gates - at least he hoped it was minor since it looked old and unlikely any good against battering rams. As he advanced, the town's rare soldiers became visible.
"Would you mind opening that gate? Camping out here is pretty uncomfortable. And may you explain me why is it locked? I can't think of anyone who would attack.", he told the guards before they could ask him anything, hoping the mage robe and staff wouldn't make him look suspicious.

(Thank you! I'll try another roll, sorry for the confusion)

Naven was back to guarding the gate, alone this time since Mocle had been injured in the fight against the beast. With little fear that the hound would return this night, he'd let his mind wander while warming his hands at the small brazier and didn't notice John walking up to the gate.

"Would you mind opening that gate? Camping out here is pretty uncomfortable. And may you explain me why is it locked? I can't think of anyone who would attack."

Naven swore beneath his breath that he hadn't been paying attention, then looked down from the platform at the robed figure below. "You with that trader?" he asked, wondering how one of them had gotten outside the gate.

"No sir, I do not travel with this merchant but on my own. I have a magical staff and iron dagger with me, but no other weapons. Can I get in?"
John hoped he wouldn't have to go through the whole process of showing his bags entire content, as it would be a waste of time. He knew this town had other rules about magic, and that the Templars wouldn't spread the news of a couple mages on the run since it would give them a bad reputation. Since the guards didn't raise their weapon nor tell him to stop, he continued advancing towards the gate.

"It is under the Jarl's direct orders the gate not be opened until daybreak, traveler," Naven said, looking down over the wall at the approaching man, one hand on the horn that hung around his torso in case he should need to call for aid.

"If it is not an emergency, I would not advise waking him," the guard continued. "But there should be no further attacks by the beast this night."

"Attacks? From what? And if you cannot open the gates, why not let me in through a ladder or rope? No need to wake up your Jarl, I'm sure he needs his rest if you're being attacked."

"That would be ill-advised, friend," Naven said, putting some emphasis on the word 'friend', as if to point out that that designation could change quickly. He was growing suspicious of this mage and his insistence on Naven bending the rules in his favor. "A ladder or a rope might earn us both a stay in the stocks, at best."

"There's a beast been attacking Hirot," he continued cautiously, trying to gauge the traveler's reaction. "But he's been turned away this night."

"Aye, we 'ave," Rae responds to the bard's exclamation as their group returns to the inn. "Would be nice ta know 'ow that story begins, though..." She motions for a drink, "Somethin' strong, friend! I've a mind t'forget 'bout them teeth."

She hardly even notices the pixie as she ponders over some of the more troubling aspects of the night's encounter. Why haven't they reinforced the wall? Built it higher? Why did none of the watchmen sound an alarm before the hound was tearing at houses in the town? How had they not noticed such a beast leap the wall? Did it come from within? But then how would it get to the sacrificial grounds? And what the divil was with the thing vanishing into oily mists?

Xepil's never been in the mood to listen to bards. The Hobgoblin walks in the bar along with the others looking sleepy and somewhat annoyed.

"Why are we sittin' round drinkin' instead of hitting the sack? Grrr!" He complained. "Did everyone forget the plan to attack the beast at dawn already? Grrr! We gotta be up bright and early if we want a shot at this! Grraa!"

In his frustration, he also didn't see the tiny pixie sitting on the bard's shoulder. Or maybe he did and just mistook it for some fancy bard ornament.

"Guh, I'm bored, can't wait to get back to the killin'. Grrrr!" For all his talk about resting, Xepil still had plenty of energy and didn't feel like going to bed just yet. In his restlessness, he walked up to a nearby bullseye and started playing darts to brush up on his atl-atl throwing.

So the Jarl has seen decided to let none pass after the sunset because of beast attacks? Wouldn't that make travelers an easier target for this creature and keep on feeding it? What kind of ruler is this Jarl? thought John, whilst maintaining his usual curious face.
"Your Jarl surely knows more on the matter of defense than I do; I'll keep out of town for now if necessary. What is that beast you are talking of? And if it is mighty enough to attack whole towns, do you know whether the Jarl would like to hire a trained mage to help hunt it down?"

Lifting from his shoulder, Nysphina suspends herself in the air with the continued swaying of wings. "You mistake me. I intend to trap it. There aren't many creatures impervious to the slumber-inducing enchantments of my people!" Pointed ears twitch, and the fairy turns her eyes on those entering—in particular, the Hobgoblin. She carefully weaves her way about tavern patrons, ducking this way and that.

"You're attempting to attack the beast come morning?" She wonders, an incredulous note in her tone.

Naven's hand unwrapped from the horn, relaxing slightly. "Like a huge black hound. Just saw it myself this very night," he said, giving a shudder at the memory and the way its claws had torn at Mocle and its teeth had sunk into the dwarf. "Was five of us facing it," he started, taking a bit more credit than he probably deserved. "And we felled it. Dissolved right into mist! It'll be back though. Always is. You ever heard of such a beast?"

"On the house," Bull says, bringing the dwarf a drink.

"The one about Ulfheonar?" Lloré asks Rae, unable to resist a potential new audience that might want to hear his stories. He slides into the seat beside her as Galiena sits down on the other side.

"I was just telling Nysphina 'bout him. One of the great kings of the savage tribes that used to inhabit this area. That's his wolf-spear there," he points to the one hanging above the bar. "Well, a replica of it anyway. The real one's supposed to have been magic and could slay the hound!"

Meanwhile, Josh had followed the others into the Wolf-Spear, but seems not quite to know what to do with himself. And despite Xepil's obvious displeasure at having the kid tag along, Josh sits where he can watch the Hobgoblin's throw darts, an activity he used to enjoy with Kej, Stein, and Ilham. "Can I try?" he asks after a couple thows.

"Grrrr!!" Xepil's fangs clenched and he twitched almost violently when Josh asked him if he could throw some darts. "Did you just ask me for permission? Grrr!" The Hobgoblin whirled around and glared down at the young human warrior. "Listen here, pup! I'm not yer freakin' dad! Grrr!! If you wanna play darts you pick 'em up and shoot like a man! Grrr! Same goes with adventuring, out there in the field I better not be hearin' any of these 'mother may Is' grrr!"

In his own twisted brutal Hobgoblin logic, Xepil was trying to give Josh a warrior lesson. Ultimately, he couldn't afford Josh second guessing himself when it came to decisive action, and if he was asking to play darts with him like a kid then he was already doing it wrong.

Of course, as things often worked out for Xepil, the moment he starts acting like a veteran adventurer he is swiftly served a dose of his own medicine.

In retrospect, he should have known not to barge into the bar while loudly barking their plans for tomorrow since someone could be hearing them.

In this case, it was a tiny fairy who flies towards him and asks about their plans.

"Eh? GRAAA!" As soon as Xepil lays eyes on Nysphina he recoils in fear and loses his balance, falling right on his ass with a crash. While Xepil doesn't share the evil tendencies of his kin, he is still a Hobgoblin, and due to his upbringing and nature it causes him intense pain to stare directly into a fey like that. The usually fearsome Hob warrior averts his gaze from Nysphina, shutting his eyes tightly and covering his face with his hand. He looks like he's genuinely paralyzed from just laying eyes on the fairy.

"It just dissolves into mist instead of dying, and regenerates well enough to come back later? No, I have not heard or seen any such beast. It must be magical for sure, but I would need more information to know what it is."

In fact, John had already heard of demons creating a form of their own whenever they had the chance to leave the infernal places they came from, but didn't want a guard to spread rumors.
It seemed unlikely that a powerful demon would come to a small town, and even then rumors would create more panic than caution.

Due to his Mage Oath, which he respected even as fugitive, John had to protect the people from magical dangers of any kind, and saw it as an opportunity to gain in knowledge and make allies in Hirot.

"Could I get an audience with the Jarl as soon as he is available? It would be an honour to speak to him, and I might be able to identify the beast, using the Jarls libraries and knowledge of the land, maybe even fight it." he asked the guard in a both friendly and confident tone.