<div class="floatright">(http://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.roosterteeth.com/uploads/images/54063e01-6933-4e38-b195-d0fc28595a06/md/2181220-1448930942333-Warrior_Karsten_Face.jpg)</div><br/><br/><br/>It wasn’t that he really had expected any kind of positive reaction to his lecture. There had never even been the flicker of a dream that they might accept the words of wisdom, thank him for his aid and ask some pertinent questions to widen their understanding. Honestly he had no idea what he would have done if that is what they’d ended up doing. So when the dark headed girl, he’d long since forgotten her name or if he’d even heard it, started to give him lip he was ready to take that in stride. He’d even put on what he figured was a perfectly good expression of silent patience and, if not serenity, at least a passable stoic calmness.<br/><br/>Even battered, bruised and dragged through a fetid mud bath, they had an impressive amount of fire left. When the wind turned the wrong way he got a lovely little fetid reminder of just what was smeared over their clothes and skin as the stench of rotting feces, and the cloyingly sweet scent of rotting cadaver, invaded his nostrils. When it turned the other way small chittering sounds, mixed with small squeaks and crunching bones reached him instead.<br/><br/>The little jeer about liking boys almost drew a smile out of him just for the amount of spunk it showed him. Unfortunately the rest of it was enough to make him wonder if it wouldn’t be more expedient to just slam his head against his shield, or a big fat tree, or perhaps drink for a week straight, if he wanted to punish his brain.  The fact that neither of them seemed to have taken in anything at all of what he’d said, and didn’t even bother to ask one single goddess forsaken little question instead of rejecting it all, made him truly wonder if it was all worth it.<br/><br/>They both seemed to agree at not getting it, or even really wanting to get it, though the red head made some attempt to show she might be open to learning, except he was in no way grumpy, prickish or a dick...and wasn’t that kinda the same thing anyway? His eye twitched a few times as he fought to stay calm, though some of the frustration leaked out, making his goatee bristle restlessly. It wasn’t that he’d never thought of smacking a dumb ass caster or over eager rogue now or then. But this was the first time he’d actually felt the urge to pull two of them over his lap.<br/><br/>His lips pulled in a sour grimace and he wondered whether it might be worth it to grab them both and drop them off in the mucky brown sludge in the crevasse to see if they woke up a bit. How else would they learn to swim as she had so wonderfully put it?<br/><br/>Although then of course she gathered her stuff and left, leaving him and the dark haired one left behind. At least she’d let slip the name of her friend before she left.<br/><br/>For a few seconds he pondered just grabbing hold of her and dumping her back onto her, admittedly very lovely, rear to ask them both what they really wanted out of it. But if there was something he could appreciate it was a need to be alone for a little bit and so he ran his hand through his long, unruly, hair and followed her wagging end with a pair of grey eyes as she walked away.<br/><br/>Sighing heavily, he ran his fingers once more through the sun-bleached locks and pushed away the gnawing little voice that muttered something about perhaps expecting them to pick everything up in a few minutes might be a bit like pushing a virgin into the sultan’s harem with a bag of herbs and tell him to go at it, expecting two dozen worn out women instead of a poor guy fainting at the sight of too many bare tits.<br/><br/>Really at this point he’d basically stopped wondering why he was helping them at all and with that done it was all down to the ‘how’ of it.<br/><br/>Turning his head back he locked down at the unwilling ‘student’ that still remained in his class of adventuring 101 for the really impatient, and bit his cheek for a moment as he studied her.<br/><br/>“You are supposed to remember it by doing it.”<br/><br/>He began, most of the exasperation erased from his voice, leaving mostly a dry amusement.<br/><br/>“If you cast a spell you need to know how ‘many’ you can cast without running out of energy, and how much damage you might do so you can use the best spell for the occasion. If you have a full sack and then blow every load on the first whore you meet, you have nothing left to spend on the next three”<br/><br/>One eyebrow quirked up as if challenging her to comment on that observation.<br/><br/>“I don’t know much about the planets and stars but if they are important to your casting, then ‘yes’ you should know about them.”<br/><br/>Pacing a little bit back and forth he tossed a look the way the fiery one had gone, forcing the simmering worry that she might run into something she couldn’t handle, which was most of it really, down and away. It wasn’t easy however. For some reason the pair of them put a damn torch to the worst instincts to tank and protect sleeping deep down in his warrior heart.<br/><br/>Looking over to the ravine he absentmindedly ran his fingers up and down the hilt of his sword. Maybe it would be worth throwing them a bone just to see what they would do with it.<br/><br/>“You haven’t finished the quest yet I believe.”<br/><br/>He began as he looked back to her to watch her reaction.<br/><br/>“Sure I could go down and kill them all, but according to you that time would be better spent grabbing hold of a wench…or two.Look,  Soph…Sophia was it? You can do it you know. Just stay away from the bloody swords. Attack one rat at a time if you can and be careful.”<br/><br/>His lips pulled in the faintest of smiles. He had to admit he enjoyed the mouths on these two. There was a fire there, a heat. Right now the flames were all over the place but if it could be harnessed then there might be some very fine steel to be forged. He crossed his arms, clearly showing the width and thickness of a tank’s chest and shoulders, and nodded.<br/><br/>“Okay, how about you go have a chat with your friend. Decide if you want to finish your quest. If you do, while trying to follow my instructions…I’ll throw in a little extra bonus for you that will give you a nice fat dick to slap in the face of those virgins  in the inn? Interested?”<br/>