Lester
*Draagovin nodded at Evette's suggestion as he finished his food.* "Yeah, that would be for the best." *He wiped his mouth with a napkin as he looked to the door. They had some ground to cover today; Dragovin wanted to get away from the more lawless states of Tadon Barana, and Salvainia seemed to offer much more promising opportunities. For what, though, he still had not decided. Whatever laid ahead, he would still need his gear. Dragovin stood, nodding to Evette.*

"I'll be right back." *He headed down the hall to his room, ignoring the looks he received for his additional pair of arms. He'd be more comfortable in armor and a cloak. His room was close by, and let himself back in quickly. His bed was still a bit of a mess, having climbed in and went straight to sleep. His gear was left beside his bed or strewn beside the door. It took a minute to don the armor and gather it all together; regardless of what most people thought, having four arms actually made the process much faster. Maybe that's why Qua berserkers seemed so well equipped. Either way, he finished his count, assuring he had everything, and left the room, keeping his key in his hand to turn over to the innkeeper.*

*Dragovin was back in the main lounge once more, donning his armor with his cloak casting a shadow over his second set of arms. He still was an Oni, so he'd never fit in too well.*
Mario
*You had left for only a minute Dragovin to equip your armor, but when you return you see a large commotion by the front of the tavern.
A young water macen girl was crying, her light blue dress torn and covered in dirt. The adults nearby appear to be comforting her, trying to get her to calm down as she squeaks out a few phrases between her crying.* "A song!" Sob "Daddy, Mommy, heard a song!" Sob "Mommy tried to run away with me" Sob "Scary robe people came and hurt her!" Sob. *As being on the borders between Salvainia and Tadon, those of you who are aware of your surroundings would know of reports about a cult called the Cult of Aventurr. It has been going on for weeks now, and the cultist group was known for singing and human sacrifices. Guards would often be alerted to the event, but they almost always came far too late to save whoever was being sacrificed. While altruism may be a reason to leap headlong into danger for some, another reason existed to track down the cultists: their rituals also included sacrifices of silver and gold, and the city guard was quick to sweep those up when they finally arrived. There were also rumors that the cultists were using this self combustion spell to prevent capture.

For anyone looking to save a life, fight a dark cult, or simply make a pretty copper, the frightened child was weeping and desperately calling for somebody to help her family. The adults were able to coax the child into telling where she head them* "We live on edge of town, by the woods. The singing is scary..."
Lester
*Dragovin adjuster his straps, making sure all of his gear was bound tightly before arising forward to the frightened girl. He glanced towards Evette before he took a knee, getting eye level with the child.* "About how far away is that? And do you know how many of them there were?" *Dragovin was no stranger to an outright fight, but the cult rituals seemed far more sinister and cunning than the average bandit camp. He assumed Evette would want to help, even if he might have to explain what was going on later.*
Kevin
Evette watched the young girl enter the tavern, crying and clearly deeply upset. As a group of adults gathered around her, trying to comfort her Dragovin took interest in the situation and walked over to the group. Evette trailed behind him surprised that he was taking interest. He wasn't always the most social person. As he questioned the distressed child Evette offered her a friendly smile. Evette really didn't understand what was happening but was content to follow Dragovin's lead.
Mario
*The little girl chokes back her tears for a bit as you kneel besides her.* "Very far..." *As you look down you see her feet are covered in blisters. You see her counting on her fingers before she looks up to you* "2 of them hurt mommy. I don't know how many got Daddy.."

*One of the adults nearby, a male Hill Lora taps your shoulder Dragovin. His face looks grim*
"I've seen this lass before. She comes to town riding her pop's shoulders when he goes shopping. It is a bit of a trek to get to their home." 
*He eyes the little girl sadly as he leans in and whispers into your ear.* "It must've taken her more than an hour to get here. I fear it might already be too late..."*
Lester
*Dragovin rose to his feet, taking what the Lora said with a solemn nod.* "That may be, but we can try. Is it going up the common road just outside, or would we need directions?" *Dragovin turned to Evette now.* "Collect your things, we're going to need to be fast." *Dragovin remembered a contract he couldn't save in his earlier years, and he was damn sure that wasn't going to happen again. Beside, a horse could cross the distance a lot faster than a child running could have.*
Kevin
"Right!" Evette said enthusiastically back to Dragovin. She wasn't sure why all of the sudden they were rushing off but he seemed determined and she liked that energy. Looking back at the child she tried to keep up the positive energy. "If your parents are out there we will bring them back here to you. Don't worry!" She them pulled out two shiny pieces of gold metal and handed them to the girl. The metals usually seemed to cheer people up. 

Evette had all of her things at the table so she was ready to follow Dragovin to wherever they were going.
Mario
*The Lora quickly pulls out a piece of parchment, marks the edges with the cardinal directions and begins hastily drawing a map of the city. He hands it to you Dragovin and you see it marked with where you currently are and a circled area marked 'Lass's house' toward the north east. It surprisingly has enough details for you to figure out how to get there given the short amount of time.* 
"I wish you luck lad. I don't have anything to pay you, but I will call the guards over. They will reward you for the cultists you kill. I pray you save the lass's parents in time..."
*With that, you see the Lora calling over other people in the tavern and they all seemingly head out to get the guards. The remaining adults continue to comfort the child while the others look on from the distance with apathy. It seems like you two are the only ones heading out to save this child's parents.*
Lester
*Dragovin nodded, then moved quickly to the door, waving Evette over. He couldn't really tell her to take the 2 gold pieces back from the child, be he reminded himself to stop postponing the money conversation they needed to have. Outside, he walked towards the stables as he spoke quickly to Evette.* "Here's the map, though you can just follow me if that works better for you. I'll ride my horse, and Odin will run along."

*Dragovin stopped for a second. He hadn't told Evette about the dog yet. It was supposed to be a surprise* "Right, also, Odin is my Greyhound, I bought him last night during Auctobalfest. The two of you can get acquainted after." *Regardless of what Dragovin said, a large, healthy Greyhound came from the stall next to Dragovin's horse, happily licking at Evette's hand.* "Time is of the essence. I hope you're every bit as fast as you say you are, Eve." *Dragovin climbed onto his horse, ready to lead the way once Evette had done... Whatever it was that would make her as fast as a horse. He hoped she was't exaggerating.*
Kevin
Evette looked at the map as she walked along side Dragovin, not knowing how to decipher it at all. It was all symbols and lines to her. "Mhmm, it seems like we're in a hurry so I'll follow you." 

Her expression changed from confusion to mistrust as she was introduced to Odin. The beast licked at Evette's hand before she could snatch it away. She glared daggers at the hound before responding to Dragovin. "No worries. I'll be right behind you!" They would have to talk about this addition to the group later.

Evette walked out from the stables, on to the main street. Making sure she had all of her belongs on her, she focused her magically energy into herself. A hazy green energy enveloped her form and she could feel her bones begin to crack and her skin start to tear. The green energy grew in intensity and after ten seconds she was transformed into an nine foot tall white tail deer. She pranced around in a small circle, stretching her legs, and looking to Dragovin to set off.
Lester
*Dragovin nodded, trying to not look as astonished as he was that Evette just turned into a giant deer. Magic was an incredible thing. Lowering the visor on his helmet, he drove his horse forward down the path and following the directions on the map. His hound and, hopefully, Evette would follow behind; Dragovin drove the horse at a quick stride of 34mph, a pace he knew his hound could follow, even if it would be a bit tiring. He trusted Evette could keep up. Along the way, Dragovin would be casting his spell, Warrior's Burden. It'd lighten the weight of his sheathed weapons and make the run easier for the horse. He'd stop casting halfway there, however, giving his mana a chance to recharge before the fight. They'd slow down once they were close enough to hear the singing.*
Mario
*As you get closer to the forest, you realize you no longer need the map and can easily tell where it is coming from. It actually sends a shiver down both your spines. The song seems to seep into the air, and its tune is sickly beautiful as its melody wraps its fingers around your neck. As you get closer it is alarming how loud it is. There is still plenty of daylight around, meaning it would be difficult to sneak it. Scanning the area, you see a small hut atop of hill behind the dense forest. It would be safe to assume that was the girl's house. However, as the two of you are just about to enter the forest you both suddently notice a large burst of light from deep within. You both are then filled with dread as the singing in the area suddenly stops.*
Lester
*Dread or not, Dragovin wasn't going to let someone die without trying everything he could to save them. He pushed his horse as close to a sprint as would be possible as they rode into the woods, taking as clear as a path as he could find. His hound would follow right behind, snarling in what was likely appearing to him as a hunt. Dragovin drew his bow and a single arrow from his quiver, pushing his visor up for better visibility.* "Evette," *Dragovin shouted,* "They'll light themselves on fire if you trap them. Either knock them out cold or kill them!" *Were the situation different, Dragovin would have tried for stealth. However, he was starting to feel like he was too late. Again.*
Kevin
A nervous knot began to form in the pit of Evette's stomach when the area descended into silence. The singing was unlike anything she had ever heard before and was decidedly a very bad thing. Evette couldn't speak to acknowledge what Dragovin was telling her but she decide that she would try to do as he asked. She wondered what sort of madness afflicted these people to lead them to set themselves on fire. She followed along the same direction as Dragovin, twenty feet to the right.
Mario
*You both charge through the forest, trying to find the girl's parents and save them. You look side to side looking for clues, when suddenly you smell the scent of blood Evette. You turn to look and see two hooded figures in ornate robes stained in blood. In their hands are daggers, but they don't appear to be taking any hostile action. Instead you are rather unsettled as you hear them cackling to themselves.*
Lester
*Dragovin wouldn't smell the blood, with his senses being nowhere as strong as Evette's but he would hear the laughing. Quickly, he'd turn the horse to stop, facing the direction of the cackling voices. Dragovin was never one to kill without hesitation, but arrows to the leg rarely killed. He'd nock his arrow on his bow and aim at the one closest to Evette. This would be easy for him, settling the horse with two hands and firing the bow with his additional set of arms, aiming for the thigh. He also didn't want to risk a suicidal flaming charge.*
Kevin
Evette reared as the sent of blood filled her nose. She turned her head to see the two shrouded figures, covered in blood, each holding a dagger. She couldn't make out what they were saying but they made no movements towards her. Just as she had noticed them, it appeared Dragovin had too. Seeing him take aim at the unsettling figures she charged at the one to her left, attempting to knock him down.
Mario
*Your arrow flies true Dragovin and sinks deep into the figures thigh. However, the figures doesn't even appear to flinch and instead starts laughing.*
"You're too late! Too late I say! We've done it! We've won! Our brothered has brought a new order to the world! Ahahahahaha!" 
*The cultist then takes the daggers in his hands and throws them both at Dragovin. 
The one to the left of Evette sees her charging for him, but instead of trying to dodge away or even defend himself, he spreads open his arms in a hugging fashion as his body self-immolates.* 
"Join us in our gloriest hour! Rejoice and be glad! Welcome to our paradise! Kekekekekeke!"
Lester
*Dragovin raised both of his left arms, covering his face and side. Unless the daggers were thrown with immense strength, they'd glance off of his plate armor. At that, Dragovin would sling his bow back onto his horse and hop off, taking his quarterstaff with him. He spoke as he quickly moved into a sprint.* "Don't even think about lighting up, I'm not done with you."
Kevin
Evette was caught off guard by the burst of flame that erupted around the man despite the warning that they could do so. She was large and moving to quickly to avoid slamming into him. She attempted to maneuver so that she would slam into him with the side of her body in an attempt to knock him to the ground, hopefully extinguishing some of the fire.

That's totally okay!
Mario
*The cultist facing Dragovin cackles again "Not done with me? We haven't even started!" And against your warning he lights himself aflame. However, due to the arrow you shot in his leg, as he attempts to charge toward you his leg is unable to support the pressure so he trips and falls over. 
The cultist that you body slam Evette is sent flying and collides with a tree behind it. The flames burn the side of your body and singe the fur. From what you can tell though, the cultist is clearly out cold but the flames are continuing to consume the body.*
Lester
*Dragovin took a second to twirl the quartestaff, building momentum before striking the downed cultist in the head and retracting his weapon. He looked back to his horse, seeing his half empty waterskin: nowhere near enough to douse either of the cultists. He took another look around to make sure no one else was present before moving towards Evette.*
Kevin
Evette whined as she felt the fire singe her fur. She took comfort in the fact the madman had been knocked out from the force of their impact. The body lay unmoving at the base of a tree. Thinking the danger had passed she revert back into her humanoid form. She would then crossed the distance between her and the unconscious man. Taking off her cloak she would start trying to pat out the flames. She would look at Dragovin approaching, not knowing if she was supposed to be helping. "He is on fire."
Mario
*The cultist that fell over was clearly knocked out from Dragovin's swing, but his body continues to slowly turn to ash.
 Much to Evette's dismay, fanning the flames with her coat made the flames on the unconscious cultist by the tree grow a bit larger but quickly die out as they have run out of fuel. The cultist now lays dead.*

*You both then hear a scream from up on the hill. It seemed to be around the girl's house*
Lester
"Evette, come on!" *Without another word, Dragovin sprinted towards the house, leaving the horse and the hound in the small clearing. He carried his staff in his hands and snatched his kite shield off his mount with another, drawing his bastard sword with his last free hand. Climbing up and onto his horse would take too long, especially if someone was still in danger.*
Kevin
Evette looked down at the burned corpse at a loss for words. Who would do something like this to themself? She didn't understand Dragovin's passion for fighting these men. Bringing her staff to bear she followed Dragovin towards the sound of the screaming, easily keeping pace.
Mario
*As you both run up through the forest you come across a clearing. Coming closer you see 4 figures lying on the ground with a multitude of fancy chalices, gold, and jewelry in small piles scattered around. However what is most alarming is the large ritual circle. Approaching it you can feel heat from the center, as if something was recently burning, but there are no scorch marks or ashes nearby. At closer inspection of the figures, you can clearly see they are cultists. However, they are dead. What confuses you though is that their bodies aren't burnt up. You scan the periphery and see an extremely well dressed cultist wearing some armor. You can safely assume him to be the cult leader. His skin looks very pale and on his neck are two puncture marks surrounded with dried blood. The girl's house is not that far ahead and Evette, with your keen hearing, you can hear some commotion going on inside.*
Lester
*Dragovin twirled the quarterstaff once again, walking towards who he assumed was the leader. Not hearing the commotion, he assumed whoever was screaming was already killed.* "Evette, I'll handle him." *At this point, Dragovin put his shield on his back, held his sword with one of his right arms, and spun the quarterstaff with one of his left, leaving his lower pair of hands free. Dragovin knew of vampires, though had never seen one in person.*
Kevin
Seeing the lone figure standing within the creepy ritualistic circle and hearing that Dragovin was confident he could handle it Evette took off in the direction of the home. She would place two fingers on her amulet, activating the armour enchantment before trying to find the front door, intending to enter if it wasn't locked.
Mario
*The cult leader smiles with dry chapped lips.* 
"I see you've come to witness the birth of a new era. Do you tremble in fear from my reborn form?" 
*The cultist opens his mouth wide and you can see two long fangs.* 
"I see I was the only lucky one to be gifted this grace from those two sacrifices. They must have not been worthy. Rejoice as you become my first meal!" *And the leader charges at you with terrifying speed, it's fangs aiming for your neck.* 

*Evette, you enter the house with ease as the door was actually already open as you arrived. You hear two distressed voices inside, a male and female.*
"Stop it! Stop packing! We can't leave her Alfred! She is still a little girl! Our little girl!" *Frantically yells the female voice*
"I know that! I don't want to leave her, but look at us! Is this what you want her to see? We're monster now Lily, we can't be around her anymore!" *Screams the male voice in a tone filled with agony*
Lester
*Dragovin stepped backwards while swinging his twirling quarterstaff upwards, meaning to strike the vampire directly in his chin. With him lunging forward to bite, his head would likely be leading the movement and exposed to an attack from below. Fast or not, Dragovin had been preparing to counter a charging attack since he saw the lone figure.*
Kevin
Evette pauses by the door, listening to the couple argue. These must be the little blue dressed girl's parents. While they appear to be upset from their tone she wouldn't guess that they are physically injured. Evette is puzzled as to how they managed to survive the horrible masochists. Evette slowly and deliberately steps through the door, keeping the palms of her hands visible. "Hello? Are you the little blue girl's parents? She sent us here to help you. Are you alright?" As she steps into the door she glances around as much of the room as she can.
Mario
*The cultist takes the blow from under the chin and halts his advance as he staggers back a few steps to regain his bearings. He looks utterly shocked that you were able to hit him.*
"How? Why? I have ascended to a whole new level of power, I'm suppose to be untouchable! A fluke, it must've been a fluke!" *He angrily reassures himself as he lowers his body and claws appear from his hands. He then swings his arm diagonally in an attempt to lop off one of your arms.*

*As you scan the room Evette you see that is a rather plain house. You can see a few children toys in the corner and on the wall there is a small family portrait with the little girl happily sitting on a female macen's lap with a male macen wrapping his arms around both of them. You see the two figures that were yelling off to the side. They sort of look like the male and female in the portrait, but you notice their skin is very pale. They look at you in shock, but the male quickly stands infront of the female macen and opens his mouth as two long fangs appear.* 
"Stay back! Get away from here!"
*The female grabs the male's shoulder pulling him back.* "Honey wait, she said our little girl sent them for help. She made it to safety. I don't think this lady means any harm"
Lester
*Dragovin steps to the side and readies his broadsword as the vampire lowers his stance. As it makes its swing, he swings his sword to intercept the monster's hand, either stopping it or looping the whole thing off. It all came down to how tough it's armor really was. Clearly, the vampire was fresh and uncertain of what it could actually do, but Dragovin always played it safe.*
Kevin
Evette was not the most educated when it came to humans but she had yet to see one display fangs like the man in front of her. He took up a clearly defensive stance in front of the woman. She must be his mate and from the way the woman was talking the girl must be their young. Why would they consider abandoning her? 

It occurred to her that she hadn't met someone with four arms until she met Dragovin so maybe they were also something she just hadn't met yet. She attempted to calm the man by not walking any closer to the couple. 

"Your daughter is safe in the town near by. She was very worried for your safety. My friend is dealing with the last of those... Uh people. We can escort you back to your daughter. You really shouldn't stay here. There are some real psychos out there."
Mario
*In a contest of speed, the cult leader has you beat, and is able to graze your arm with its claws but your armor is able to deflect the initial impact. As your broadsword eventually makes contact with the cultist's arm, it lops it right off, cancelling any momentum being used to cut yours. The cult leader's eyes widen before howling out in pain as he stumbles back and falls over writhing in pain.* 
"This... Can't be happening..." *The cult leader stares daggers of pure hatred at you Dragovin but then he suddenly calms down and starts laughing.* "Seems like I've overstepped my bounds. But know this follish mortal. This is only the begining. The ritual has released its magic into the world. You can't stop this. And I will live to see it spread to its full glory!"
*The cult leader rolls over and makes a desperate attempt to scamper away from you*

*The male macen appears to calm down a bit and you see the fangs retract. His eyes dart between his wife and you before finally sighing*
"I'm glad our daughter is safe. You seem like a kind lady. I'm happy that someone came for us. But you were too late... Those maniacs sacrificed us. We are monsters now. We can't go back to her like this."
"Alfred, she needs her parents. We need to take care of her!" *Pleads the female macen*
"Lily, we just killed 5 people out of a hunger frenzy. Who know if that will happen again? Do you want to be responsible for killing our little girl!" *Replies the male with tears dripping from his eyes.*
"I want to raise our little girl together, but not at the risk of killing her. We've got to leave here. We got to pack our things and live our lives away from innocent people. I don't want to kill another person ever again..."
Lester
*Dragovin just hissed under his breath as the vampire attempted to make his escape. Sprinting forward and dropping his sword, the Oni leaped forward, pushing his quarterstaff its full length as he attempted as strike at the back of the vampire's head. He wasn't about to let this fiend run off, and he certainly wasn't planning on trying to tie him up while he was still conscious.*
Kevin
Evette tilted her head in confusion, looking the couple up and down. They didn't looked very sacrificed to Evette, sure the fangs were out of the ordinary but all and all they were probably more of a positive than a negative. 

"You killed five people?" Evette asked skeptically. They hardly appeared capable of such a feat. Perhaps the song entranced them to commit such an act. 

"If you believe you've been cursed with some sort of magic you should definitely come with us. There are experts in those kind of things that could help you! What would you do on your own?"