Cathy
*The ranch of Lyndon village is fairly well known for providing various kinds of animals for commercial or battlefield use alike. The ranch owner, Kren Sandun, takes pride especially in the ranch's signature Sandun horses, known throughout the continent for being consistent in winning many high-stakes races, usually with loads of money at stake. A recent problem has occurred, however, one that could alter his entire business and livelihood. The stallion and the mare, named Kaze and Mistress respectively, have turned up missing a day ago, seemingly out of nowhere. A good amount of his livestock, including an Ox and a pig, had also turn up gone as well. The fence he had put on the perimeter of his house was tall enough to block any animal from jumping over, and these horses weren't the tiniest by a long shot. The day he had discovered the disappearance, Kren analyzed the entirety of the fence. The western and southern part looked relatively untouched, as far as ranch pens go, but the southern gate had a noticeable amount of blood stained upon it, with the gate itself being torn apart, seemingly by a powerful strike of a bladed weapon of sorts. Panicked, he spent the entire day setting up flyers throughout the region, posting* **HELP WANTED!** *Posters on every major town and city he could find. The three of you, Syele, Mizu, and Theron, had taken notice of these posters some time beforehand and are on the path to Lyndon currently at noon.*
David
*Syele would arrive on the scene expecting Theron not to be too far behind since they just had left from the same place not long ago. She wouldn't had packed much and was rather bundled up in her winter wear at the time.* "Well, suppose this should be a simple matter to solve... Hopefully." *She spoke out to herself calmly while taking a small break waiting to see who else had came to investigate the the situation provided on the posters.*
Carole
*Theron was a few minutes late from Syele's arrival... Mainly because he was completely baffled with Ein's confession to assassins trailing them. She wouldn't elaborate on it, and there was this quest to be done... So he decided to first get this done. The girl wasn't completely incompetent so she could handle herself for the time being.*

"... Forgive me for falling behind. I did not expect such an outcome from that, and it caught me off-guard. I'll have to focus on that matter after this quest. She is competent enough to survive for a long time if she knew to keep on the move."
Peter
*Mizu had been walking through the land for a while, mapping out any new landmarks and roads since the last time she had came here. Who knew so much could change in only a decade. However, she was starting to get bored. Sure the new terrain and places was enough to keep her interest from waning, but that was about it. She desired some spice in her life, something new and exciting.*

*She would then take notice of a* *HELP WANTED*. *Interesting, missing race horses. Now, she wasn't one to help people out of the goodness of her heart, but it's had been nearly 3 decades since she last seen a horse race. Maybe finding these horses would be a fun opportunity for her to see one again. Worst case scenario, she would get to find out how purebred horse blood tastes like. Wasn't likely going to taste better than a humanoids', basically nothing was, but tasting the unique flavors of the world was another fun pastime for her. Thus, she would head over to ranch to provide 'help' for this rancher.*

*Mizu would arrive and notice two other individuals had arrived as well. A young male air macen and a silver haired female orinate. She would lick her lips at the sight of these 2 delectable looking blood bags, but would not be seen by them due to her mask. Maybe if things turned out very poorly she might get a free gourmet meal out of this. But for now, it wold be best to hide her hunger and approach these bloodb- companions as a normal adventurer*
Adolfo
"Hello there" *Yawns* "I'm here for the missing horses job request? Assume you two are here for it as well?"
David
*Syele would lightly stare at the new arrival for a time examining her top to bottom with her dull jackal like pupils. Her ears would flicker in curiosity at her odd appearance and her tail likely swung back and forth creating a bit of breeze while it smacked up against Theron's leg by mistake.* "I suppose we are." *She stated flatly, looking around at the area now that she lost her interest in the stranger for the short frame that was held.*

"I believe we have time to stop and chatter until the owner comes out to us or we can simply go to them I suppose." *The orinate didn't quite like the third party member altogether, the mysterious type always seemed to be the most painful to deal with in a way, but still she gave the woman the benefit of the doubt for the time being.*
Carole
"Lyndon is up ahead, so we still have time to discuss each other's abilities. I feel like it would be beneficial, since we could determine how to go about finding the animals."

*Theron walked along, since there was still some time to travel till they reached Lyndon. It was good that they conveniently met up here, he guessed, since he could share hisskills with them and see if they could enhance each other.*

"I have some enhanced senses, so it could be easier to find the animals if they were just spooked off by predators... But it is a possibility goblins had stolen them as food sources, maybe even bandits."
Peter
*Mizu would take a liking a to the young female orinate. It was not often she got to meet one of her kind, and her eagerness to get things done reminded Mizu of her earlier days. The young orinate was likely less than a century old. She reminiscence about her earlier days where she would have the same enthusiasm and energy, but alas it was all in the past now. She has since learned that she had more than enough time to wade through life, too much time in fact. If she went though life too quickly she would likely die of boredom for the rest of it.*
*The male also seemed to be one dedicated to hard work and getting things done in a timely fashion. But that was expected given he was a macen. Those poor things have trouble moving about after only 6 decades. However, she was always impressed by how much they could do in that short-time. Anyhow, she let her mind stop wandering and redirected her focus on what the macen was saying.*
Adolfo
"Ah, I see. It's good to hear that I'll be in the company of such a skilled tracker. I too can enhance my senses, but only for a short time. I'm more of a hunter" She would then motion to her spear. "How about you young miss?"
David
*Syele tilted her head for a time pondering on what she actually offered to the group before speaking out softly.* "I am a healer and a fast runner, I also tend to be a bit of a talker when it comes to handling situations while also my lesser form is that of a jackal with a keen sense of smell and hearing that would likely be more on peer with Theron or slightly better. As for in a fight? Not fairly well, I normally fight dirty to begin with, so expect mostly cheap shots or... Well... Ya cheap shots."

*She would finish speaking look about the area considering if she should start walking toward the farm or not. Since it would be rude to not show up in time but at the same time there was some joy to have with talking with the two at least in the planning-phase.*
Carole
"I could handle myself in a fight, but I don't think I could last against a group.. I'll be relying on you.. Eh.. Stranger. As my ally stated, it my name is Theron. It would be easier to communicate if you told us yours."

*Theron continued a slow pace as they had begun to walk towards the area mentioned by the poster about missing animals. It seemed like the stranger had a buff, or possibly several. Depending on how that went, it could be useful to have a mage... Or some kind of swordswoman that could buff themselves.*
Adolfo
"Ah yes, how rude of me. The name's Kyuu. Can't say I can handle a group that well either, but I suppose that is why there is 3 of us instead of 1" *Yawns* "A clever healer, a reliable scouter, and a hunter. I'm sure we'll be alright considering you two are friends and likely have worked together. I'll try not to get in your way. Speaking of your friend, I didn't catch her name"
Peter
*Mizu would hang in the back, a few steps behind the group as she didn't want to put the effort into matching their pace. Them maces have too much energy. If they just relaxed a little maybe they would live longer. Or perhaps they have so much energy cus they know they have very little time to live?*
*She would ponder the question for a bit before raising her shoulders in defeat. It's not like she needed to find the answer, but maybe she can dwell on it later to pass the time. For now she had 2 interesting toys infront of her. The orinate seemed clever, a trait Mizu appreciated. Maybe they could converse about some other things when given the chance. She suspected the jackal orinate had interesting tales to tell whether they be true or false*
David
"Syele Husen, is my name, if by rare chance the last name sounds familiar a lot of my family use to be merchants and blacksmiths. They're mostly dead or slaves now, so not like it matters too greatly to begin with." *Syele stated plainly, she was unsure if there was still any remaining members of the Husen family line... She knew her sister may still be around, but she didn't quite care about her too much, she was always so loud and brutish...*

"Anyways, we should be reaching the farm here soon, so we should hopefully be able to get right to the matter of business without much trouble at all." *She continued walking about the trail looking around the area time to time as they went.*
Cathy
*As you three approach the village, you would notice a slight air about the inhabitants that was off. Something was amiss, something was so obviously not correct. There was nearly no one outside the tiny town, and those who were outside of their homes looked crestfallen and troubled. The beggars of the street looked dejected, as they never even bothered trying to ask you for any spare change at all. You would walk past the fountain with a strange figure's idol on it, past a woman who seemed to be kneeling to the idol in solemn silence. There are children playing outside of their homes, but even they seemed to be affected with a degree of sadness. There seemed to be no guards, no sort of authority throughout the walk to the ranch. As you tread on the cobblestone roads, you would eventually arrive at the foot of a large hill with large gray walls, and at the entrance to the mountain, there would be towering, steel gates. Here, only here, were there guards stationed at the forefront. They would hold out spears in your direction, blocking the gates by making a sort of X shape with their weapons.*
"Not so fast. State your names and business, or we will have to force you off of the grounds." The left guard says, in a serious manner.
"Yeah, what the almighty captain of the ranch guard said!" The right guard said, in a mocking tone. It was clear that these two never got along.
*The left guard sighed.* "Of all the subordinates I was paired with, why did it have to be you, Dimitri?" *He turned back towards the group, a look of exhaustion in his eyes.* "Anyway, get on with it. Names and purpose, please."
Carole
`which one of the guards tells lies, and the other tells truths?`
David
"Cult." *Syele muttered barely audiblely under her breathe at an attempted theory already forming in her head. It had the entire vibe that she felt when she was dealing with the Velaria situation or it could just something of a similar nature that bared affects to it's likeness. Either way, she had her own senses as to what could had already happened to the animals or what was happening there at the town. Everyone seemed to be distraught and the woman praying to an idol did quite help her theory at the time.*

"Syele Husen and these are my comrades Theron and Kyuu. We're here by request of the poster that was left by the ranch owner to recover some lost animals or something like that I believe." *Syele face turned disgusted as she finally noticed that they were really pointing spears at them upon arrival. What kind of idiot hires outsiders to help with a situation and then have dumbfounded guards so idiotic to the point they would aim spears at said requested hands.* "It would be kind of you if you would lower your spears, it's a bad impression to represent your employer in such a manner to people he sought help from."
Peter
*Mizu would look at the two guards with disinterest. She didn't see how providing their names or purpose would help protect the ranch if they were actually here to cause harm. It was a rather pathetic excuse of security against criminals, and only would serve to insult those that came to help. Though this could also be just her luck. Given how few guards there are it would likely not be too difficult to snatch a bloodbag for a midnight snack later. In fact, if this was the kind of treatment she was going to recieve she may as well start her feast with these two.*
*However hearing Syele's speak, her interests in food would wane. What a clever young girl. Mizu was pleased to see that Sylene had thought the same thing she did. Perhaps all female orinates were clever? Even if it wasn't true, Mizu decided against causing a bloodbath in favor of seeing what else this young orinate would do to entertain her.*
Carole
*Theron didn't really mind that the guards were suspicious of them... They were what they would be looking out for. A group of outsiders that could have stolen their animals. He wanted to look around the walls of the estate to see if he could find any traces of footprints or tools to climb over them, but obviously that would have to be for later... So he just stood there and stared at the ground that the gate stood on. Proccing hawk-eye every time he saw evidence of animal prints, to help determine if it was fresh or not.*
Cathy
*The guards would look at eachother simultaneously, then put their spears back to their sides as the left guard spoke to them.* "Oh, so you're the adventurers that will assist Kren in his investigation? Not that he's investigating anything anyway..." *He stopped talking, looking at the ground with a small smirk on his face.* "He wouldn't look into something for shit. Always taking things at face value, you know?"
*The right guard, Dimitri, would look at the group shortly after.* "Yeah, he's fucking lazy as shit. Only time he really gets worked up is when it has something to do with the profits and welfare of the business. Honestly, he used to be so humble and considerate to us. Now, ha! Now we live off of 10 silver a week, while his horses eat and dine on grains imported from a country-I-cannot-pronounce, while we're here barely able to buy some pork off the butcher. He doesn't appreciate how far we go for him." 
*Dimitri would then fondle a key hanging from his waist, fidgeting around with it before he walked over to the keyhole of the gates. He turned it slowly in a comical manner, looking at the group with a pseudo-awed expression on his face. As the gates opened, the right guard stowed his spear to his side, holding out his arm towards the hill.*
"Kren should be pacing around the front of the building. The ranch pens and whatnot are in the back. I suggest you start looking for things there, or you could talk to 'his lordship' first. Go on now."
David
*Another thought came to her mind that maybe it wasn't really a cult causing the issues throughout the town. It seemed that the owner of the local lands may have been getting neglectful of those around him to the point that within reason that it might had been one of them. It was just a suspected idea with no evidence to hold ground, but she wanted to plan ahead and get most of her theories laid out in her mind before they even reached the scene. On her way in she paid close attention to the guards, looking at their hands, clothes, and if they had any extra weapons on hand or anything that stood out in general that may catch her eye as they walked by.*

*Once they were out of ear shot she spoke up for a moment.* "I have two underlining theories thus far, first and most likely is that some of the folks here are disdained enough with the ranch owner to take his animals. Second theory is that we're dealing with a cult like issue that plan to use the animals in a ritualistic manner, which could be connected to the town judging by other the folks were acting or of an outside manner that is inflicting the town in some way. I honestly don't have any evidence to prove what I'm saying, but it's the best I can do for the moment as a general basis as to what we should be looking for."

*She finished speaking and continued to walk forward with her typical dull expression across her face.* "But if anything, maybe we should talk to the owner first and see what information he has to offer to us. It does seem like it would have to be an inside job with just the sheer amount of protection and guards this place has, so he may already have an idea on who it could be." *Her monotone voice finished echoing out in a low but audible mutter and her tail continued to swing side to side in blissful thought.*
Peter
*Ah, another one of those rich exploiting the poor villages. A common sight that she had seen in almost every sort of civilization she had visited for the past century. She could hardly blame the rich though, though she thought it was kind of a waste past a certain point. It made sense to desire more wealth as wealth meant you got to do less work. But from all the businessmen she has seen, while they were excused from manual labor by hiring slaves or whatnot, it was replaced with the constant stress of growing their business despite how big it already was. Truly foolish in her opinion to have the means turn into the end.*
*That being said, she did not know why the guards would spend effort explaining their plight. Was it a desire for sympathy? Coin? Or was it merely a means to blow of steam from their working conditions. In any of those case, she could only think of them as pathetic. If they truly wanted change they should acquire the strength to make a difference.* 
*She would walk past them, disinterested in spending a single moment longer with such weaklings. Walking over to the ranch Mizu would listen to Syelen's theories. The young orinate sure liked to talk alot, though she did say that was one of her talents so perhaps that was to be expected. Mizu only hoped it won't bite her in the tail in the future and contemplated advising her, but decided against it. The orinate was still very young, it would be best to let her make a few mistakes early on as experience is the best teacher. She would have more than enough time afterwards to learn from it. Thus, Mizu would simply chuckle and nod her head to whatever Sylene said, reflecting on how amusing it is to be filled with youth.*
Carole
*Theron would simply follow the group, also wondering why the guards at the front decided to talk to them about their lives. All it did for them was paint clearly their motive for committing the crime, so it was more of a detriment to them... Whatever they wanted, he supposed.*```diff
-Theron also guessed he couldn't see anything at the gate, since he tried to check there but came up empty handed.
```
"Creating theories from glances isn't something that's healthy, we'll need to find evidence first. You two can talk to the owner, I'll check out the area around and within the ranch... To hopefully find something that can point us in the right direction."

*Theron then took off, breaking from the group and jogging over to the walls... Beginning to follow along them in search of any disturbances among the dirt beside it. He would also take the time to examine the wall itself by glancing over at it / pressing against it, looking for loose materials or doors.*
Cathy
*As Mizu and Syele approached the main ranch building, you would notice a brown, black haired man pacing across the front grounds. He wore a lord's robe and cape, and looked very handsome as far as people went. He would've looked to be a powerful symbol of authority if it werent for the bloodshot and almost manic look in his eyes. His hair was ruffled and unkempt, and he was tapping his thigh with his index finger as you two came closer. The building behind him was lit up with luminous light, giving a lustrous impression on the rich, brown walls. There were tracks in the path that he tread, most likely because he'd been there for the entire morning, sinking his shoes into the mud as he walked. He didn't seem to take notice of you at first, but once you were within earshot distance, he would pause his perpetual walking cycle and turn towards the two of you.*

"So," He began. "You're the ones that came to help me with my dear horses?" He would look at you face to face, inching closer as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Good. Good..."

*He began to shuffle where he stood. Holding his finger up to his mouth, he would begin to gnaw and slobber on it has he continued to speak.* "You know what your jobs are. 1500 silver for the both of you for information on my dearies; they don't heed to anyone but me. Make it quick. I want them back here as soon as possible. I worry that they might've found themselves in danger, and it would be a right pain to have to scout for ponies that are of Kaze and Mistress's caliber. Although, thinking about it, I doubt there's any horse like that in the world! Everyone knows Sandun horses are the best! HAHA!" 

*He would then walk back over to the front of the building, sitting down in a rocking chair made of seemingly expensive wood, intricate and detailed carvings of various animals shown throughout the framework. Sighing, he ran his finger over the carving with a horse on it, staring as he did.*