Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Exotic Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Rotochron on 12-02-2017, 23:27:01</h2>
		<dl id="posts">
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>12-02-2017, 23:27:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was whatever year the Church said it was and King James sat the throne, the lands and their people were taxed from both ends and who knew what problems lay on the horizon. People were besieged by hunger, poverty and people always seemed to be doing their best to survive, which was something. <br><br>It was always harder for the common folk though because even if the Crusades were over and the Church wielded the Templar order to take care of any and all supernatural threats, there were still the every day regular monsters. Trolls and giants, ogres, gryphons you name it if it wasn't demonic the Church wasn't doing it. That was where the Hunters came in. Not hunters like for deer or other game but Hunters. Brave men and women devoted to driving away and destroying that which would prey on humanity from the darkness... For a price. <br><br>Nathanial Wallace was one such Hunter, a stocky sort of man with a solid build beneath layers of hardened leather armour. He wore a hide cloak over his body to keep the weather out and a wide brimmed hat similar to that worn by the church's witch hunters kept the rain and sun from his honey-hued eyes. He wore a brace of knives and daggers crossways over his shoulder on a baldric that also held a pair of shortswords against the small of his back. Pouches and such adorned his belt along with a pair of heavy gloves tucked behind it, all holding the trapping of his kit to be used as needed. <br><br>In the darkening dusk he peeked over a ridge in the forested land he'd been stalking, peering at a monster that another hunter had been harrying. Nate wasn't above poaching the kill if need be but he was mostly keeping an eye on the other hunter to make sure she didn't bungle the job. Why they hadn't given it to him was beyond the man, since he knew he could handle it. All she'd done so far was tire this thing out and piss it off. If it went south he'd be able to swoop in and claim it, but until then it technically wasn't his gig and Nate knew as well as any hunter that you didn't work for free. <br><br>England was a dangerous place filled to the brim with monsters, whether local or foreign. With all the trade going on sometimes folks brought them back as weird pets or sideshow attractions, but ultimately they got loose and bred and then it became a big issue. This thing, this.. Bulette it had been called, was a ravenous six legged beast the size of a draft horse that liked to burrow through the earth. The only way to see it coming was a ridge on its back like a shark's fin that split the earth above it. If you weren't wary it would leap up and simply tear you apart. <br><br>Friendly sort, that. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>13-02-2017, 00:44:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The huntress he was watching was too caught up in her target to notice she had an audience, probably a good thing really because Mairin MacEachairn wouldn’t appreciate having another hunter encroaching on her territory. And if she was working here, she considered it her territory. She was a pretty woman, beautiful by some standards, but not in the classic, popular way. Mairin was not slight and slender, she was tall for a woman, with a powerful build and strong features. There was nothing soft about her, from her sharp blue-gray eyes to the point of her chin and the point of her nose. Her shoulders and hips were broad, but her waist narrow, and she had a habit of standing with her feet planted apart, like she was expecting to be attacked at any moment.<br><br>At the moment that was very much the case, her shield up and a longsword in her other hand, scanning the ground for the tale tell sign of the bulette’s approach. Her long dark red hair fell out of the back of her helmet in a braid to keep it out of her way, the visor down so all you saw were her eyes. Her arm was leather based, but reinforced with steel bands for extra protection. A weighty thing to wear for a woman, but she managed, it had more flexibility than plate, but was more durable than just plain leather. There was a flintlock pistol on her hip as well, ready to be used if she needed though this rain would make that nearly impossible.<br><br>Finally the thing’s fin broke the earth, streaking to her left and she whirled with it, shield up, ready and as it erupted from the ground near her feet she just dove right it, slamming her shield on it’s flat, shovel-like head. It was stunned for a moment and Mairin took advantage to try and drive her sword into one of the weak points at the segments of its body as the rest was covered in thick hide almost like natural armor. She had gotten sprayed with dirt though and had her eyes half shut so her strike missed for the most part, only managing to slash the creature. It let out a roar and bowled her right over in a blind rage to get away from her.<br><br>Mairin let out a grunt as she got knocked on her ass and the bulette kept going, the huntress jumping to her feet to give chase as it took off and started to dig its way back below the surface. She was letting out a long string of curses when she actually grabbed one of the beast’s legs and hauled on it, dragging the bulette back a bit. It let out a bellow and tried to turn back to get at her, but its build made that impossible so it was left flailing and thrashing about and Mairin was now too afraid to let go and get bitten by its wide, gaping mouth full of rows of sharp teeth, like a shark itself. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>13-02-2017, 05:10:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The watchful man hidden a ways back watched as she did battle with the bulette. Head first as always, Nate sighed to himself and checked for his crossbow in case he'd need it. Things seemed to be going Mairin's way for the first few moments of the fight before the landshark tried to dive back below the earth. Nate smirked when she grabbed it and hauled it back out, but then she found herself stuck between a rock and a hard place as it were. <br><br>Not how he'd have done it, personally. Nate had done his research and knew the things had a taste for flesh, such that they'd ignore most things in favour of an easy meal. Scavengers as much as predators, these bulettes. A paralytic or soporific treating a fresh farm animal's corpse would do nicely, leaving the thing easy pickings for a clean takedown. As it was he'd had to stay well back just so the thing wouldn't scent him. Supposedly they could smell fresh blood for miles so long as it had struck the earth. <br><br>When she still hadn't killed the thing Nate cursed and stood. He stalked forward, reaching into one pouch and drawing one of the short, thick blades on his back. It was wickedly curved for slicing deep wounds that would bleed horribly, weakening larger prey or killing small stuff outright. He passed a hand over the blade, smearing a garish yellow green paste over the gleaming steel. Nate broke into a run as he neared the two and leaped onto the bulette's back, driving the blade deep into its neck and sawing into the soft flesh between armoured plates. It didn't take him long to silence the thrashing creature, in part due to the noxious poison he'd coated his blade with. <br><br>When it shuddered to a stillness only death brought, he swung off of it and turned to Mairin even as he wiped his sword clean on the beast's hide. <br><br>"Just what the hell did you think there? Grab the toothy bastard and hold on til it got tired? You tryna get yer ass killed?" he knew who she was, she very likely know him or of him, "Haste gets you eaten, girl."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>13-02-2017, 05:29:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin was stronger than she looked, she was stronger than most actually, something that always seemed to take people by surprise. Her strength and speed were what she used in her fights, patience was not a virtue she possessed, so it was not something she tended to use in her tactics. She’d only been a hunter for a few years, but she had quickly climbed the ranks and gained notoriety. First she had been notable for being one of few women in the Hunters Guild, then she’d been noted as the best woman in the Guild, and now she was one of the best hunters, period. <br><br>There were a few who were generally considered the best though, even better than her, and one of them was Nathaniel. But while Mairin was at least somewhat likeable (helped in part perhaps because of her looks), nobody liked Nathaniel. So while he had some of the best kill rates in the Guild, he would never win a popularity contest.<br><br>So when Nate came seemingly out of nowhere and leaped on her beast, she let out a shout, “Damn it Nathaniel! Back the hell off!” she snarled, her Scottish midlands accent thick. The bulette was dead soon enough though and she took a couple steps back, panting heavily, splattered with dirt. Mairin pulled off her helmet, her dark red hair a bit of a mess underneath. Dirt was smear across the bridge of her nose and around her eyes where it had gotten through her visor, competing with the freckles on her fair skin.<br><br>“I dinnae need your help!” Mairin snapped at him angrily, sheathing her sword and hooking her shield on her back so she could pull a cloth out of one of the pouches on her belt and wipe her face a bit. “You’re just bitter I got here first!” She pointed a gloved finger at him, glaring hotly. Everyone knew Nathaniel was competitive to a fault, if he wanted something, he considered it his even if someone else had laid claim, and he clearly wasn’t above poaching off someone else.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>13-02-2017, 14:00:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Not that Nathaniel would admit it to her face but Mairin was indeed an impressive example of putting your mind to a task and making it your own. She had the poise, skill and looks to be exactly what the guild needed in a representative. Shame about her temper though. Probably the Scot in her. Between them and the Irish he wasn't sure if there was some sort of problem out that way or the bogs made em habitually angry. Could be simply that the red hair signified their nature, if he were given to believe the ramblings of soothsayers. <br><br>Sure, magic was quite real and faith had concrete evidence but some things were just too hard to believe. Like the colour of a person's hair or skin determining what they were like. Nate didn't quite understand it because people had ways of being raised that were so vastly different that it was absurd to think it boiled down to colour coding. <br><br>She was already yelling but he scoffed and sheathed his sword. "Right. Totally my fault. I mean from my vantage point it looked like you almost let it get away and then grabbed the tooth monster by the leg to keep it pissed at you. Then, and correct me if I'm wrong here, your options were hold on and pray to whatever pagan gods your swamp folk pray to that it tires out before you do or let go and get bit for your trouble."<br><br>There was a good reason that people didn't much care for him, but then Nathaniel wasn't in the business of making friends. He typically worked alone and made a point of hunting the most dangerous game. Ostensibly so that his rating would rise faster, but he'd never correct folks and tell them he was keeping greenhorns like Red there safe from themselves. <br><br>"My humblest apologies Red, I must have let my seething cauldron of self loathing overflow at seeing you so readily handling this beastie." he spread his hands, tone dripping with condescension, "Now if you'll fuck right along, this thing needs skinning and dressing."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>13-02-2017, 22:15:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin had been hesitant to come down into England, the English and the Scottish didn’t exactly get along after all. But she had wanted to get out of her home town so badly, and the opportunity to become a hunter had arisen and it had been too good to just pass up. She did get the occasional moron who thought that she was little more than a dog for being Scottish but she usually set them straight pretty quick. As it were, Mairin definitely did fit the Scottish stereotype to a degree with her red hair and her temper, so people were quick to call her a highland barbarian. Which always pissed her off as she was neither a barbarian nor from the Highlands.<br><br>She bristled more and more as Nathaniel started going on about how she’d been fucking everything up. “I’m no from a swamp!” Mairin snapped at him, swelling angrily. About the worst thing you could do to a Scotsman (or woman) was insult their family. She had half a mind to try and knock his teeth out, especially when he kept going, “I was handlin’ it! Git yer own marks ye witless bloody cocksplat!” Mairin turned and stomped off through the mud angrily, muttering and cursing.<br><br>Mairin didn’t stop until she got back to the village to retrieve her horse and her things, snapping angrily at the mayor when he tried to ask her if she had succeeded and left at a hard gallop. It was a few days ride back to London, but when she arrived she went right to the guild hall, still fuming over her run in with Nathaniel. She didn’t stop until she was knocking on the door to the guild leader’s office, as he was one of the few people that Nathaniel would actually listen to and she a few things to say about him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>13-02-2017, 22:32:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Yeah yeah, run along then Red. Next time you wanna botch a job maybe take it up with the fuckin Jeter's Guild huh?" he watched her go and shook his head, getting to business after scratching lightly at the thick stubble on his chin. He shaved it off daily but it grew back like weeds in a ditch. <br><br>&nbsp;Thankfully for someone as physically capable as Nate skinning out and butchering down a bulette wasn't that tough. He had a thickset body, muscular but in the way of folks who got that way through grueling work more than specifically trying to build muscle. He knew he came from logging stock and he supposed that helped even if he'd only ever felled trees on the irregular for traps and such. He was slimmer through the hips and had toned legs, thick through the calf and thigh,&nbsp; that came more from overland travel and constant drilling with weaponry. Beneath his armour Nate didn't bear a single scar despite his dangerous career. Every time he got ripped up he healed fast and didn't show the damage. Some folks would have had him hung for that, he'd been told, so he kept that to himself along with many other things. As it was it was getting later in the month than he'd like. <br><br>Maybe he could have been nicer to Mairin, but then she'd start to wonder. Better to keep her pissed and distant. He was gone by evening, the carcass of the bulette left for scavengers while he'd taken the hide, organs and assorted claws. The head he'd deliver as proof of completion and then he supposed he'd head back. It was about time to go away for a day or four. <br><br>Days later when she knocked at the guildmaster's door it was cheering sunny and more than a little cool. Unlike many in his position Daniel Fields wasn't simply a glorified clerk running the show. He was a premier hunter and had bagged some of the most dangerous marks the guild had ever seen before retiring his sword for the pen used to lead. The older man had neatly brushed brown hair shot through with grey and wore a short beard. Willpower and determination shone brightly in his stormy grey eyes, which met Mairin's when he opened the door to his office. <br><br>She looked angry. Wonderful. "Ah, Mairin. I trust all is well? Please come in, we can discuss whatever has brought you here in trust." he wore a fine linen shirt tucked into snug black pants, the outfit completed by a thick leather belt around his trim middle although he wasn't wearing any footware. Age hadn't softened the man, though experience had long taught him to be a gentle hand to guide his blades. He waved Mairin in and closed the door behind her, an affable smile on his lips. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>13-02-2017, 23:29:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin stepped inside when the guildmaster opened the door and stepped aside to let her in, sweeping in like the wind heralding a thunderstorm. She was scowling and clearly still very annoyed, the hard soles of her boots clipping on the floor. She wasn’t wearing her armor anymore, opting for a dark green tunic and a black vest with a pair of black trousers that hugged her legs nicely, tucked into her boots. Her long hair was half pulled back, leaving it all to fall down her back. <br><br>“Nathaniel,” she barked angrily, prefacing what all she had to say, “He poached a kill right off me! That bloody bulette out east, I hit a snag with it and he just jumped right in!” There was a chair but she didn’t sit in it, starting to feel worked up all over again now that she was thinking about it all again. “The bounty on that beast was seven pounds and the pieces would have fetched a good price!” Mairin growled at Daniel, clearly pretty pissed off on the loss of money Nathaniel’s poaching had cost her. All the trouble of going out there, for nothing!<br><br>She respected Daniel a great deal, but unfortunately part of being guildmaster was having to be the one to handle issues that had nothing to do with him, not directly. And unfortunately for him, he was one of the few people that Nathaniel actually listened to. It’d always been that way, even before Daniel became guildmaster.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>14-02-2017, 00:18:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The man nodded sagely even as Mairin barked out her problem, stomping around his office like she was looking for something to take her anger out on. Fortunately for him and his belongings, as he had no interest in a physical confrontation of the nature her temper required, Daniel would be able to handle this simply enough. "Seven pounds plus damages for the eastmarch bulette. I will pen that in the ledger and bring Nathaniel in for questioning on the matter." knowing the boy it had nothing to do with the money and Mairin would find that and more waiting for her eventually. <br><br>He sighed, "I apologize for his reckless disregard for protocol. It's hard to explain what's going on in that fool head of his but I know he means well enough." like any parent, Daniel wished to believe the best of Nate even if he wasn't of his own loins. He'd taken the boy in years ago while investigating a reported werewolf sighting. One butchered woodland family and a small lost child later he had had, for all intents and purposes, a son. Nate knew, as did the former Guildmistress, but the former didn't speak of it and the latter had long since comfortably retired and had little to nothing to do with the guild beyond formalities. <br><br>"I know he will tell me that he only jumped in to aid you, but Guild charter dictates that the kill goes to the one finishing it. What happens afterward is up to the individual contractor. Some work alone, like Nathaniel. Others will group up and split the spoils." he was stalling for time to think, "Do you believe your snag is one you would have recovered from without incident or injury? Bulettes are notoriously ill tempered beasts. If he were simply poaching I will have to make an example of him."<br><br>He clearly didn't wish to punish anyone overly, but if he didn't do it then no one would respect his or the Guild's authority. Daniel steepled his fingers as he sat at the desk, meeting the pretty Scot's eyes, "In the heat of anger we can often miss the subtle cues, Mairin."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>14-02-2017, 01:20:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin faltered when he simply said she’d be compensated for the loss of her target, blinking a little then glaring. “I don want money I didnae earn,” she growled, that Scottish pride ran deep in her. Her family were all farmers and fishermen, surviving on an island off the west coast of Scotland. That took tough folk, and that toughness often meant being a bit pig headed at times, help was rarely asked for, just as rarely accepted. But whether she stuck to that stance or not, it did seem to calm her down and she sat heavily in the chair in front of his desk, arms crossed under her bust with a slight scowl on her face. Mairin was still pissed off but she wasn’t on he verge of punching anything that moved anymore.<br><br>She scoffed and rolled her eyes when Daniel insisted that Nathaniel had meant well, doubting that. The man was a grade A asshole and everyone knew it, and considering the fact that he’d sooner insult you than tell you good morning, Mairin seriously doubted any of the shit he pulled was out of goodwill. <br><br>Mairin was just frowning at him as he went on about how some hunters operated, a ‘why the hell are you telling me this?’ sort of expression on her face. She bristled though when Daniel questioned her on whether or not she thought she’d have been able to bring down that bulette on her own without getting hurt. “That’s nae the point!” she growled, “I didnae ask for his help!” But she didn’t directly answer right away, sitting there glaring at him with her arms crossed for a moment before she gave a rough sigh. “The hunt was nae goin’ how’d I’d have liked,” she admitted, “But if help is what he was offering maybe he shouldnae go insulting people for the hell of it!”<br><br>The huntress let out a frustrated noise threw her hands up in the air, “I don care if you punish him or nae, that’s nae what I’m after. Just tell that fucking asshole to stay away from me.” That was all Mairin wanted, she wasn’t in here wanting him flogged or anything, she wasn't the petty or vindictive sort unless you gave her a very good reason, she just wanted Nathaniel to stay away from her. “Next time will be different, so just tell him,” next time Nathaniel decided to try and muscle in on her mark she wouldn’t be so tolerant, that she could guarantee. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>14-02-2017, 03:45:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I'd say that's between you and him," Daniel folded his hands on top of his desk, meeting Mairin's gaze with a flat stare of his own, "I have a den of incredibly deadly monster hunters to oversee and business interests to keep alive so that we all have access to the best steel and craftsmen England has to offer. Being a mediator for what is looking increasingly like a personal complaint is not even remotely my job." anyone else may have sounded angry, fed up with Nate and the raw bullshit he caused but Daniel sounded as if he were ticking items off a ledger. <br><br>"If you are angry that he intervened and killed your mark, that is for you to handle. From what I have heard he poached a bulette that was going to have a nibble and leave you about fifteen pounds or so less from an area you couldn't stand to lose the weight. He shouldn't have killed it, no, but I'm not going to trot him out to make a point about attitude. We aren't here for popularity, Mairin, we are here to keep people safe, if they have the capital to afford us."<br><br>Daniel leaned back in his chair and sighed, "If you wish to have him know something you're going to have to tell him. I'm putting him down for poaching. His reward will be confiscated and either given to you or added to the surplus Guild stores. You will receive marks on your record for two thirds of the hunt's value for tracking and wearing it down."<br><br>The man raked his fingers through his hair before looking to Mairin once more, "Now then. Is the matter settled?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>14-02-2017, 04:00:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin bristled again when he more or less dismissed the matter, and continued to swell and bristle until she no doubt looked like a redheaded porcupine. She stood suddenly when he basically asked if she was done, looking like she was about ready to punch him instead of Nathaniel, her hands curled into fists. Mairin looked about as livid as one could get and just not physically explode, and oddly enough, there was even an odd, almost unnatural gleam to her eyes, making them look more silvery than usual.<br><br>“Nae yet it’s no,” she all but spat at Daniel before she turned and marched out of his office, praying hard that maybe Nathaniel would be out in the entrance hall and she could deck him like he deserved. It was a testament to how pissed off she was at Nathaniel that she was acting this poorly. Mairin had a temper to be sure, most everyone knew that, but she was not generally a trouble maker, nor the type to be so disrespectful. She could be a bit rebellious at times, but for the most part, Mairin had been raised a good enough Catholic that she respected the general concept of authority.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>14-02-2017, 04:14:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Daniel's chair scraped on the wooden floor as he stood to follow Mairin, well aware of how angry the woman was. It was more than just her heritage and upbringing.. She was a woman in a land where women weren't valued and being mistreated by someone likely hit twice as hard for her. "Before you go off half cocked, I have a task for you and you alone Mairin." the guild master expected to be heeded and obeyed in the confines of his guildhall. <br><br>"The contract is here," he handed over a folded piece of vellum, waiting until the redheaded woman took it, "A troop of goblins has taken over a mining camp near one of the quarries in the north. The overseer there will pay a few shillings for each ear you bring back and ten pounds if you drive them off entirely." goblins weren't the worst out there but the fact remained that many of them could be a terror. <br><br>"Reports show that they are being commanded, likely by a larger goblin or perhaps a hobgoblin." Daniel met the woman's gaze, "The overseer is a local count by name of DuLac. He will meet you in Miller's Ridge, the town near to the quarry. Unless of course you're not looking for work?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>14-02-2017, 05:04:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin stopped when she heard the guildmaster behind her, muttering a few unintelligible curses under her breath as she turned to look at him, still glowering. It was true that being a woman in this line of work and in this country was a challenge unto itself and you had to be twice as tough and twice as capable as any man to be taken seriously. She’d had to work very hard to be taken seriously, so to have a man like Nathaniel swoop in and ‘save’ her and then insult her was particularly infuriating. <br><br>Daniel’s offer of a contract was met initially with a glare, as if she didn’t believe him, but she took the piece of vellum and shook it over to read while he explained. She looked back to him as he finished, meeting his eyes, “Nae, I’ll take it,” she told him firmly, folding the vellum back up and pocketing it. “I’ll leave tomorrow,” Mairin told him by way of thanking him since she was still too angry to do so and turned, walking away quickly.<br><br>And she did leave in the morning, having returned to her barely used flat to sleep for the night in her own bed (which she rarely got to do) before she left again. It seemed she was ever on the move these days, and returning home (no matter how briefly) was a treat she only got to enjoy for a moment. What Mairin had really wanted was to come home from that bulette hunt and stay home for a few days, relax, maybe take a nice hot bath, buy some wine, things like that. Instead she was back out on the damn road heading for some middle of nowhere mining camp to fighting some goblins. She was going to knock Nathaniel’s teeth out next time she saw him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>14-02-2017, 05:12:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Daniel shook his head as the woman departed, wondering just what the hell that fool boy was thinking. He paused, then nodded. Probably not thinking at all, given the time of the month. The moon was fat and soon it'd be very prudent to have the shackles checked and the other restraints doctored. He went back to his office and sat down, suddenly somewhat tired, looking across the way at the portraits of other guildmasters staring judgmentally down at his desk. "Oh fuck off. Like you'd have done any different."<br><br>-<br><br>Edmund hadn't lured the goblins to his mine, nor had he commanded the villagers to panic and basically be useless about it. Of course they had and they were, which had left him to send a missive to the Hunter's Guild for assistance. He wanted the filthy little bastards gone so that the ore could be mined again and business could continue apace. This village was known for only two things and barely at that. They had water mills on the river and they had the quarry, which sent huge blocks of stone down on river boats for whatever project the King Fool had planned. <br><br>Edmund wasn't a fan, but then he rarely had cause to leave his villa. This was one such rare occasion. The pale nobleman was relaxing in the village's only tavern, absently sipping a glass of wine while he read from a book of poetry he had taken a liking to. It seemed the guild hunter would be arriving within the day, if he was to believe the scouts he'd left watching. <br><br>All according to plan. A smirk curled his lip, cruel and alien on his otherwise kind features before that melted away to the studiously neutral expression he typically wore. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>14-02-2017, 05:54:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It took about a week to reach Miller’s Ridge to the north, it gave her some time to calm down at least, so when she arrived she managed to at least feel more professional. She dismounted around the back of the tavern so that a stablehand could take her house and went inside. Mairin hadn’t bothered to put on her armor yet, wearing her usual tunic and trousers, and she had had a wide brimmed hat on her head but took it off when she went inside and her long dark red hair was braided back to keep it all out of her face. <br><br>She approached the main desk of the tavern, glancing around the people sitting about and her eyes pausing on a pale man in nicer clothes than the rest of the patrons. If she had to hazard a guess, that was her contact, but Mairin would rather err on the side of caution and not assume things. That was a dangerous thing to do in her line of work. So she looked at the man behind the desk, “Excuse me, I’m supposed to be meeting with Count Du Lac?” she told him politely enough.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>14-02-2017, 06:05:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The tavern was a standard single story affair, not catering to travellers so much as it did the locals. The village was on a river yes but not on a major roadway and thus didn't see many through traffic. It was a solid building of stone and masonwork with a wood and thatch roof that seemed tight enough to keep the rain out. The man behind the counter looked up from his cleaning and met Mairin's gaze for a moment, "That'd be him at the table over yonder. I expect you're here bout the goblins aye? Well in any case."<br><br>Edmund stood graciously and pushed out another chair for Mairin as she approached him, sketching an elegant bow and offering her a smile. If anything the man seemed self satisfied and more than a little bit aloof, "You are the one the Guild has sent, yes? Excellent, excellent." he was a somewhat more slender sort than those the guild employed, with classically aristocratic features involving sharp high cheekbones and a slightly hooked nose and strong chin. Instead of making him appear waspish or rodent like though his features were actually quite aquiline. <br><br>He was lithe and wiry, not built like he could wrestle an ox but rather of a form that suggested he would be able to move about in a fight long enough to tire one out. Edmund's skin was quite pale indeed, a shade pinker than milk perhaps with slightly sunken eyes which upon closer inspection were not quite brown but more of a nearly garnet shade. Must be a trick of the light. All in all he seemed rather austere, though he was dressed in finery befitting his station. A waistcoat of black silk over a pressed linen shirt with a high collar, that tucked into snug fitting riding pants of a deep forest green. He wore a halfcloak thrown back over one shoulder, grey and black on the outside but striped with the same green as his pants within, with an elegant fencing foil at his hip alongside what was clearly a very fine eating dirk. <br><br>"I am Count Edmund DuLac, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, madam."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>14-02-2017, 07:10:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin turned to look and saw that she had guessed right about the identify the pale man sitting at one of the tables. He looked about as typical as one could get for a noble really, she had hoped that maybe she was just being prejudice but he really did look exactly like one would imagine when they heard the word ‘count’. He was pale and dark at the same time, lithe and handsome, very handsome, but she was trying to be professional here.<br><br>She nodded when he stood to greet her with a bow then introduced himself which made her nod her head sharply, about as close to a bow as she ever got. English lords expected people to scrape and bow she never did, she hated them more than most any other Englishman since it was they who kept coming up into Scotland and trying to act as if they own the place. <br><br>“Mairin MacEachairn,” she told him, the name rolling off her tongue naturally though people down here tended to trip over it, “And aye, I’m with the Guild. I hear you have a goblin problem.” She sat down to hear what he might have to tell her that could help, since getting as much information as possible often helped with a job. It was stupid to go in blind, blade flashing. Nathaniel might think her incompetent but she wouldn’t have made it this far if she was really so clueless as that. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>14-02-2017, 20:25:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The Count couldn't help but smile slightly when she only nodded to his genteel bow, tilting his head to one side and regarding the woman before she sat. She was every bit as stunning as he'd expected and while she might have been trying to be professional, Edmund had never had to be anything but aristocratically charming. His brows raised when she said her name, approaching the widow's peak that accentuated his thick dark hair and how it was backswept as if ready for motion. <br><br>"A distinct pleasure to make your acquaintance Mistress MacEachairn, I trust the road was an easy one?" he sat as well, folding his hands on his lap even as he watched her. He moved with a fluid grace that dancers and other beguiling athletes tended to have and while he hadn't said or done anything untoward there was an air of predation surrounding him. A wolf among sheep, at least in how he presented himself. <br><br>"My quarry is responsible for much of the stones that go toward building the watchtowers the Crown employs to keep the orcs and barbarians at bay, as well as ore for fittings and river stones for paving the King's Road." he sighed as if this were all a matter of course, "The goblins moved in under cover of darkness during a festival day when my miners were away. Several were wounded when they returned and spoke of a very large goblin with wolf's eyes." <br><br>"I will pay handsomely for the removal of the goblins and half again as much as I advertised if you bring me the head of this strange leader of theirs. I can provide you with a map of the area and keys to the facility."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>15-02-2017, 00:44:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Once Mairin was settled, a barmaid came bustling over, a pretty young thing with big doe-like brown eyes. She looked shy to say the least, asking if they wanted anything in a quiet voice but she kept giving the count furtive glances. It was doubtless that in an area like this, it was the plan of many a common girl to catch Du Lac’s eye and reap the benefits of being a count’s mistress. It helped that he was certainly a very handsome, perhaps even beautiful, creature and she was sure he was probably very charming on top of that. His type tended to be. <br><br>“Just some ale, thanks,” she told the girl before turning her attention back to Du Lac, nodding a little at his question, “Yes, it was a quiet trip.” Main roads tended to be rather safe, you ran some risks when you went off them, from highwaymen and beasts alike. She glanced over the count quickly, finding that he didn’t have that useless air about him that so many nobles seemed to possess. <br><br>She sat and listened as Du Lac explained the situation and gave a little extra information while he was at it. She didn’t need to know all of that but she supposed it helped a little to know the context of all of this. The huntress frowned a little when he mentioned a large goblin with wolf’s eyes, rubbing her chin a bit. His additional offer of a map and keys brought a nod though, “That would be helpful, yes,” Mairin told him, the barmaid bringing her ale and whatever the Count ordered over and setting them down quickly before leaving again.<br><br>“How far is the mine from here, would you say?” Mairin asked him, not sure if it was close enough for her to walk or not.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>15-02-2017, 04:52:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The Count was well aware if what the populace thought of him, especially those of eligible age for such thoughts. Oh, he didn't dissuade them and in his time the odd maiden had found themselves in his court, such as it was. Oh, they hadn't been entirely pleased at the end but he'd made sure that they were always ready and willing to serve his ends. While Edmund's disappointment in their aptitude was rampant he was loathe to throw aside valuable tools. <br><br>"The quarry itself is an hour's journey along the river, though the path leading directly there may not be the safest. Of course I will defer to you when it comes to actually completing the task." he wasn't about to hire a professional and then deign to tell her how to do her job. There was a reason she was a monster hunter and he wasn't, after all. She had the skills and he had the coin to purchase them. <br><br>The Count was there for any other questions Mairin may have had but it seemed as though beyond pleasantries their conversation was at an end. He wasn't exactly dismissing her, but the goblins in his kind definitely awaited.. They weren't going anywhere until the redheaded warrior did something about them. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>16-02-2017, 05:00:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin nodded when he answered her question, drinking some of her ale, “I’ll finish this and head out then. Do you have the map and keys with you?” she asked. She’d been on the road for days, she figured she deserved to just sit and relax for a minute and enjoy a drink before she got right back into it. So she took the map and the keys, whether Du Lac stayed or not was his business but she just spread the map out and looked it over while she drank her ale quietly.<br><br>When she was done, Mairin got up, gathered her things, and set out after paying for her ale and a space for her horse. She wouldn’t pay for a room just yet, she didn’t know how long she was going to be gone. She’d pay for one when she got back to have a night to rest. Riding her horse out there had been considered but again, she didn’t know how long this would take, it wouldn’t feel right to tie the animal up outside the mine and then leave it there.<br><br>So Mairin set out on foot, and roughly an hour later she arrived towards the afternoon. She paused outside the mine entrance, sighing a bit before she walked in, spotting the door to an office just inside and going inside quickly to retrieve a lantern and a few other things that looked like they might be handy. That done, she headed further in, sword drawn and tense, listening for any sign of movement, but not yet lighting her lantern so she wouldn’t just immediately give herself away. There were lights in the walls at regular intervals but they were dim, and a few had apparently gone out.<br><br>Goblins weren't a huge threat, they could be a challenge in large numbers but they weren't very smart, and it was easy to intimidate them. They had no real industry of their own, they were scavengers at best. They never made their own homes, they took over abandoned mines or caves or tunnels, or scared off inhabitants if they could. Their weapons and armor (if they wore any) were usually stolen, or discarded by others, though they would also use clubs if they found a nice-sized bone or what have you. Mairin wasn't looking forward to this though, since she had no idea how many were down here, but she wasn't overly worried.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>16-02-2017, 19:55:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The Count had seemed content to hand over the things he'd thought she would need for the job, then to sip at his wine while he observed her preparing. The man was almost unnaturally still when he stopped moving and those dark eyes would seem to take in every detail. One could almost see the wheels at work when it came to Edmund but ultimately when she left he wished her well and settled back to read after standing to see her off with a bow. <br><br>The quarry was quiet for the most part and barely showed any sign of goblin habitation. One could usually tell when goblins were about from the piles of assorted junk and refuse as well as the scorch marks that would inevitably mar the place. Goblins, after all, had short attention spans, poor hygiene and above all else they adored fire. Fire and hats. <br><br>The deeper Mairin got into the mines though the more she'd be able to pick out the raucous din of a hearty party going on deep within. Smoke roiled along the top of the tunnels and metallic clanging joined the jarring din of scratchy, screechy goblin voices raised in a chanting song. Whatever they were singing about was entirely in their own barking pidgin tongue, which seemed composed of little words picked up from nearly every language of Man and then some, mixed in a grammar style that was all their own. It sounded awful though. <br><br>By the time she got close to the hub room they were using as party central it was clear that this was a smallish band of perhaps eight goblins along with their leader. The larger goblin did indeed have weird eyes and while he was cavorting with his lessers they seemed entirely a muddy yellowish colour while the other goblins seemed more inclined toward reds and browns. Still, they were setting fire to things and throwing one another around and having a good time, so they clearly hadn't noticed the hunter yet. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>16-02-2017, 23:45:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin moved down the main tunnel slowly, starting to wonder if maybe the goblins had moved on already. They didn't tend to work hard to keep a place after all so if they thought it was going to be too much trouble they'd just leave, but soon the sound of goblin “music” (if you could call it that) reached her and she knew they hadn't cleared out yet. Too bad for them, because Mairin had a job to do that was going to cost them dearly, not that she felt bad for them or anything. Goblins were nasty, horrible creatures that would overpopulate quickly given the chance. One of two things tended to happen when a given goblin population got too big, either they started infighting and killed one another until there was only a small group left or they split and one group went off to find a new den. There was no telling where this one had come from. <br><br>As she cautiously approached the source of all the noise, Mairin crouched low and tried to make as little noise as possible. The goblins were making more than enough noise to mask her approach but all it would take was one hearing something to change that given how paranoid goblins could be. They were stupid but that sometimes meant they saw a threat in every unknown factor. Mairin peeked her head around the corner to try and get a look and a head count. It was impossible to know an exact number but there were almost more than she could handle on her own, thankfully she had something for just this kind of situation. <br><br>She edged back carefully and pulled off her pack, digging through it until she found a small metal case and pulled it out. Inside were two metal spheres, snugly secured in the case with thick cushioning, too much jarring and she’d probably never walk again. Marin took one out and closed the case and put it away, handling the sphere carefully. The huntress spied around the corner, trying to judge where best to aim, and decided that that big goblin should definitely be taken out if nothing else. So she gripped the sphere, purposefully pressing three fingers into intentions in the surface until she felt something inside the sphere click and rolled it into the goblins, who were too busy to notice the ball rolling past their stomping feet. <br><br>Mairin ducked back around the corner quickly and covered her ears just in time for a loud bang and a flash of yellow-green light followed by the squeals and screeches of the goblins who were having their little dance party ruined. Mailing grabbed her sword quickly and backed up, waiting for some of them to come rushing out. There was no way all of them had been killed or injured enough to be incapacitated.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>17-02-2017, 00:53:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The goblins were noisy and distracted enough that not a single one noticed Mairin until the explosion went off. Several thin, reedy screams rose from the carnage around the way that were quickly silenced in a terribly final fashion. If Mairin looked she'd see the chunks and other assorted giblets which were all that remained of the bigger goblin pile themselves onto a pair of injured ones and subsume them entirely before bursting from the bloody pile looking mostly fine for the trouble. <br><br>Several goblins chattered amongst themselves before the deeper voice of the larger goblin shushed them. A few grunts later, which were likely him directing his remaining minions and the noticeably singed and smoking wolf eyed goblin came peering around the corner. <br><br>He spotted Mairin banging back with her sword out and shouted in alarm, suddenly charging out followed by several of the goblins who hadn't died in the initial blast. They weren't the bravest creatures or the smartest but being led by someone who they feared more than whatever was around the corner galvanized them. <br><br>A pair of the small ones lobbed small stones her way even as their leader waded in. He didn't hold the usual club or small jagged stabbing implement but he did have filthy, wicked looking claws and a snarling mouth filled with sharp fangs. Whatever he was he wasn't any kind of normal goblin. Even then he seemed to have recovered somewhat from the blast of that weird thing she'd thrown in, his flesh sealing over slowly, although much more quickly than anything natural should have. <br><br>Whatever this thing was it was a bit more than just a goblin. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>17-02-2017, 03:56:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The last thing Mairin was expecting to immediately come around the corner was that strange, large goblin. She’d aimed that grenade right at it, it should have been blown to pieces, but there it was, coming right at her. The thing was damaged for sure, badly so, but it was healing up right in front of her eyes, flesh mending unnaturally. Her eyes went wide, and she was surprised enough that she was a bit slower in reacting that usual, but she finally got her wits back about her and dodged the creature as it tried to attack her.<br><br>One of the goblins that had been immediately behind it got its head lopped off for its trouble, and she kicked another away from her before getting out of the way. This was why she had wanted to get rid of that thing, goblins were skittish and stupid, they were easy to intimidate and when they did attack in numbers it was just a sort of disorganized mess. They were only dangerous in overwhelming numbers. Without their leader they would have been easy to deal with but the damn thing had survived! There was more going on here than a simple goblin infestation. <br><br>She turned and ran quickly back down the main tunnel, digging in her pack as she went, trying to find… “Ah ha!” she let out as her hand clamped around what she was looking for. Mairin stopped long enough to insert the rune in her hand into a slot in her handle, making the blade suddenly shine a soft blue-white. The goblin was clearly infernal in some way, possibly undead, this rune would nullify whatever magic or curse was giving it that nature. The grenade was from the alchemist’s guild, but the rune was from the mage’s guild, tools that Hunters got for a deal thanks to the arrangements between their guilds.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>17-02-2017, 14:54:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Well Mairin wasn't exactly wrong about whatever was causing this goblin to still be an issue. It hissed in a feral, predatory manner at the soft light shining form her blade and rather than simply lunge at her, it waited. With cunning befitting a much more advanced intelligence than one would attribute to goblinkin, it began to circle her, lunging now and then to see if it could fake her out and get past that sword. <br><br>Whatever remained of its ragtag band of minions they weren't sticking around, not after watching their friends get eaten and blown up and altogether too dead to be any fun at all. The large goblin scooped up a jagged rock about the length of a human hand and weighed it before hurling it in her direction. Hopefully Mairin would be too preoccupied with the rock to stop him, was his lime of thinking, but the large goblin had been top of the pile for too long and was woefully underestimating his opponent. <br><br>Deeper in the mine though something altogether different and more dangerous was taking note of whatever was decimating its creatures. It could sense their lives winking out and while they were eminently replaceable it still didn't like the idea of having to waste time enthralling others. With a languid sigh it stepped from its perch and vanished into the inky blackness that followed it about. It would watch and wait before capitalizing on this newcomer's mistake.. After all, one didn't invent a smokescreen of goblins and then reveal themselves without cause. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>17-02-2017, 18:14:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Without the right tools this Goblin would pose a serious threat to anybody he came across it thanks to its infernal nature, but now that Mairin had her sword properly equipped it didn't really stand a chance. The goblin seem completely unaware of this though, having apparently lived too long in the security of being a big fish in a little pond. That was no longer the case though, but the creature seemed too stupid and unaware to realize this. Its efforts to distract her so it could get in past her weapon weren’t successful, and finally she took an opening, cleanly slicing the goblin’s arm off.<br><br>When it fell back, screeching in pain, she pressed, knocking its legs out from under it and pinning it to the stone ground under her boot. A sharp stab down with her blade into the creature’s chest through its heart and it was dead. Mairin cut the goblin’s head off and walked out towards the entrance, hanging it up to let it bleed out while she cleaned out the rest of the goblins so she could take it back with her.<br><br>Unaware of the larger threat at hand, Mairin went back into the quarry, a little annoyed now that she was going to have to search for the goblins that had run off. This was going to be a tedious job now that their leader was dead. First things first though, she returned to the chamber where the goblins had been grouped up to collect trophies to take back with her to collect on that reward as much as possible.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>17-02-2017, 18:42:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin didn't have any problems dispatching the leader of the little band of goblins, but the thing that had led them wasn't exactly happy about that. It wasn't happy about much of anything, really. Even as she moved about the cavern looking for goblins and their remains, it stalked her in the darkness. Completely silent in its element, it watched her and waited, hungry for every bit of warmth and life within her.. <br><br>Finally when she was stooping it flowed out of a number of shadows and cracks and roiled over the floor. It shrieked as it rose up and lunged to engulf the woman, ripping stones off the floor as its bulk chambered up into sight. Eyes and teeth and who knew what else morphed fluidly along its surface even as it reached her, flowing up her legs as a huge gnashing mouth went for her torso. <br><br>It did avoid her sword though, wanting nothing to do with the glowing blade even as it began squeezing at her limbs and ripping at her armor. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>18-02-2017, 05:07:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin was oblivious to the danger stalking her in the darkness, although occasionally she thought she saw something flicker in the shadows out of the corner of her eye. But she thought it was just the light playing tricks or at worst a goblin, but one alone was no threat to her so either way she didn't worry. She found the chamber again and collected what she needed before she continued on her way, seeking out the rest goblins so she could get this done, get paid, and go home. <br><br>Admittedly it was stupid of her to lower her guard so much but she was was frustrated and really just did not want to be here. So when something came streaking and shrieking at her out of the dark, Mairin didn't even have time to react. She was frozen for an instant in time, and then the thing was clawing up her leg, digging into her armor with claws and teeth solidified from shadow itself. The huntress let out a terrified scream of pain, trying to push the thing away, off of her, but her hands sank into it and burned like they were being doused in acid. <br><br>Her blade flashed next, stabbing into the thing over and over, baring her teeth in a primal display of fear and pure effort as it ripped into her. All the while she screamed, the sound so sharp as it bounced off the walls of the tunnel that it hurt her ears. Pain became her entire world and then finally, the creature fell away, dissipating. But the damage stayed, and Mairin could feel hot blood pouring down her legs. She dropped her sword and stumbled back, gasping for breath and shaking as her body went into shock and she collapsed, clutching at the gaping wounds in her torso before she simply black out on the floor of the tunnel.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>19-02-2017, 00:23:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				At about the time Mairin slaughtered the leader of the goblins Count Edmund was already headed toward the mines. Unlike most his means of travel weren't solely limited to the ambulatory. As it was, the night air was cool and welcome over his small, furred body as he soared less in the manner of the common bat he resembled and more like the great hunting raptors whom he matched in size. It didn't take him long to reach the site and touching down was as simple as willing his form back to humanity and shedding the magic that had changed him. He sniffed at the air, not surprised by the dingy scent of goblinoid ichor but there was something else as well.. <br><br>Finding Mairin was easy enough, although given the amount of blood and the damage she'd sustained, he was honestly surprised that she still lived. The residual despair told him volumes about what had attacked her, so he was further surprised that she'd managed to kill the thing. Curious.. And that mote of whatever it was in her blood. Exotic but poignant and familiar. The Count knelt to examine the woman's wounds and raised a brow, finding them not only staunched but beginning to crust over. Unheard of in humans. <br><br>By the time the Count had finished examining Mairin and bundled her off to the same inn in which he'd met her, day was beginning to break. He got inside before the sun rose, thankfully, and paid the maiden who was serving at the time to have a wash tub hauled up to a room for which he paid, taking but a moment to ensorcell the woman so that she'd remember nothing but vague details of the encounter. <br><br>Later that morning, the shutters closed and curtains drawn, room lit by candlelight, the Count regarded the situation. He'd only really expected to find someone that would have the willpower and joie de vivre necessary to facilitate the apotheosis into what he'd have her become.. But this was something else entirely. It was both a delight and an unexpected surprise that Mairin had such heritage as she did. <br><br>As it was he had drawn a bath to clear the blood and filth from the woman, figuring that scented soap would be preferable to lye based. It was almost casual how easily he stripped off her ragged armour and clothing, setting that aside and lifting the woman easily. Soon he had her in the tub and was gently cleaning her wounds, such as they were. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>19-02-2017, 05:26:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin lay bleeding and unconscious on the tunnel floor for what felt to her distant mind like an eternity. Dreams more like visions swam through her, ethereal and hard to understand, full of impressions and emotions more so than images. When Edmund arrived, she didn’t stir, her body too exhausted from surviving the grave wounds that would have killed anyone else. Her blood soaked the ground around her, but she managed to live on, though she might have eventually succumbed if he had not arrived. Mairin was strong but she was not invincible.<br><br>She only stirred the smallest bit when Edmund lifted her, before falling back deep into unconsciousness and staying that way until they were back at the inn. She started to wake then, but his influence kept her well under, and she stayed that way for a while longer. Even when he stripped her of the remains of her armor and clothing and gently lowered her into the tub of hot water. The water turned murky with blood and dirt, but she only stirred a little before going still again, looking almost peaceful resting in the water.<br><br>Mairin’s body was as strong and impressive as one would expect, almost striking in its state of hard muscle and feminine curves. But what might be surprising to someone who was paying attention was the lack of serious scars that marred her pale skin. There were a few here and there, but not nearly as many as a person who engaged in so dangerous a line of work as this should have. She sported a few tattoos, but only those and occasional patches of freckles interrupted her nearly milky white skin.<br><br>Her face tightened a little now and then as Edmund cleaned her wounds, they were still very sensitive after all, but she slept on for the most part. But slowly, her mind began to stir, starting to wake bit by bit. She first became aware of the warm water engulfing her, cradling her with that almost weightless feeling that water was capable of. Then she began to smell… roses… but the last thing she remembered was that creature tearing into her, ripping her apart. Was she dead? Was this death? It didn’t seem so bad… <br><br>Then hands touched her and she winced in pain, no she wasn’t dead, then… Mairin’s eyes opened wide as she jerked, sloshing water around her. “What?!” she gasped, then saw a face looming over her and without thinking, she struck out, slapping Edmund hard across the face before she scrambled out of the tub, spilling water everywhere. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WHO ARE YOU?!” she didn’t recognize Edmund, and she had no idea where she was or what was going on. Mairin realized she was naked a moment later as well and ducked down behind the tub, her face turning bright red.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>20-02-2017, 00:11:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The sudden jerk back into consciousness was expected, but the Count had been more focused on trying to piece the information he had together than in leering at her impressive physique or bracing himself for it. So when she slapped him it rattled his teeth and he fell back with a grunt, landing in an undignified heap on his backside. He blinked at her in a bemused manner, raising a brow as he got back to his feet and flicked an errant clump of foamy soap bubbles from his waistcoat. <br><br>"Well, I was bathing you, to cleanse your wounds of whatever goblin related filth you may have ground into them obtaining them. Admittedly rose hips and mugwort may have been somewhat ostentatious but I felt they would be preferable to the rough lye soap the villagers have on hand." his face stung warmly where she'd struck him, though the&nbsp; imprint of her hand was quick fading even as he took a step back away from the spreading water. Until it settled the Count would prefer to avoid it and its complications entirely. <br><br>"Contracting an infection to go with the gravity of such wounds would likely have made your chances of survival much worse. As it is.." and now he did look at her ducking behind the tub with an expression very much like a wolf catching a prey creature where it shouldn't be, "Your recovery is unexpected and quite delightful. Do you know how gravely you were wounded, madam?" <br><br>The Count made vague motions along his body as he described briefly what he'd seen and what he'd cleaned, before chuckling, "You lost enough blood that I am honestly surprised you have it in you to blush." he spread his hands in an imploring manner, nodding to the&nbsp; tub of soiled water. <br><br>"I have taken the liberty of retaining some water in this ewer, should you wish to finish cleaning yourself since you are up and about."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>20-02-2017, 03:26:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin glared from over the rim of the tub at the Count, whom she finally recognized after a few moments. She was more than a little surprised to see him, to put it lightly, and was even more surprised as she realized that he had apparently come and gotten her from the quarry. It was hard to imagine him doing that for some reason, but here she was and here he was. When Edmund explained that he had been cleaning her wounds, and then described them, she looked down, remembering what had happened. That… thing had torn into her.<br><br>“Aye I had a pretty good idea since I got ripped into by some shadow thing like my armor was made of paper…” she told him with that anxious edge still to her voice. This was not a situation she was comfortable with in the slightest. Modesty was not generally Mairin’s thing but nor did she go out of her way to be showy, and being exposed like this was very uncomfortable for her. She wasn’t surprised when he pointed out that she had not only survived her injuries but was recovering from them, shrugging a bit. “I’m a quick healer, always have been. And I am nae blushing.”<br><br>She glanced at the basin he indicated with clean water in it, before she looked back to him, still hiding behind the tub. “Aye, thank ye, now nae to seem ungrateful or anythin’ but can ye please leave?” Mairin asked him, her tone agitated. She had been raised a good Catholic girl, or as good as her mother and grandparents could manage to wrangle her into being, so being naked in front of a complete stranger, and a handsome man at that, was bringing her grandmother’s voice into the back of her mind, screeching at her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>20-02-2017, 05:17:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				While the woman might have been raised a good Catholic, the Count had had many reasons to doubt that the Church had everyone's best interests in mind. Still, when she requested he leave he paused and shook his head lightly, "I mean no disrespect but I would really rather not. I can however turn around to give you your privacy while we speak further on the matter." he didn't quite understand the problem, given that he had clearly seen her in the nude and explored her body in the course of cleansing her wounds. Still, women were mercurial and the Count didn't pretend to understand every nuance of humanity let alone of the singular person. <br><br>"It sounds as though you slew not only a goodly number of goblin invaders but also.. I would guess some manner of spirit or apparition relating to the mine. I cannot say for sure, though perhaps it is spoken of in some of my more esoteric tomes." he did turn and even if he was facing away, Edmund did seem rather expressive even from that angle. <br><br>'Quick healing does not preclude the formation of scars, miss Mairin. Do you know perhaps if there is common ground relating the scars that you do have?" in his case, certain enchantments and some rare natural elements would wound him rather gravely. Call them allergies, although the idea of having the sniffles was long since foreign to him. <br><br>He chuckled at the idea and continued, "Well.. Further, it would behoove you to speak further on the matter with me. After all, you slew not only your targets but something much more dangerous and much more impressive. I have been given to believe that your kind do not work for free. Perhaps you should consider discussing payment for services rendered." his tone was soft and lilting in a pleasant manner, lulling the unwary into believing what he was saying without question. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>21-02-2017, 01:52:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin frowned when he refused her ‘request’ for him to leave, but did at least agree to turn around to give her some privacy. It didn’t matter that he had seen her naked, and touched her God knew where, she had been unconscious but now she was aware and she wasn’t comfortable with him seeing her as naked as the day she was born. Mairin lapsed often on the moral laws she had been raised to believe in but that didn’t mean she disregarded them completely all the time.<br><br>She stood back up slowly, eyeing Edmund with clear mistrust as she did so, ignoring the pain radiating through her torso. She’d opened the wounds back up a bit by moving around so much but it didn’t worry her. These might scar, she wasn’t sure, they’d certainly take some time to heal, but that they would heal at all and not just kill her was remarkable. Well not Mairin, to her it was just normal, how things had always been. So when he asked her about the scars she did have, she frowned a bit, pausing in the middle of washing away the old and fresh blood from her stomach and thighs. She was trying to remember, but she’d never really paid attention, “I’m… not sure.”<br><br>Then he changed the subject to one Mairin was far more happy to discuss. “Well,” she started, “I’d like enough to replace my armor for sure.” That stuff didn’t come cheap, and hers was destroyed from what she could remember. The vambraces and such might still be intact but the rest was likely no good anymore and that was the most important parts. “I think that maybe that should be discussed later when I can sit down and think though,” Mairin suggested, she didn’t usually talk business while naked.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>21-02-2017, 03:27:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				To be fair, up until Mairin had been aware enough to express shock at being there in the tub the Count hadn't really seen what was happening as much of note beyond her wounds' progression. Of course, now that she was up and about he was quite interested in the woman's interpretation of the events leading up to her being wounded. Her armour had been quite shredded indeed, though whatever had rent the steel asunder had been powerful to say the least. <br><br>The Count didn't worry overly about the money he owed the hunter but he was somewhat concerned about simply leaving her to her own devices right then. Given her heritage, unknown as it was, the Count wasn't sure whether or not she was exactly out of the woods or not. Of course he also had to put in a little legwork to ingratiate the headstrong Scot to him. After all, if she felt a bit as if she owed him for his kindness she would be somewhat more tractable in the end.. And if she left wearing armour created by his craftsmen, so much the better. <br><br>It would also give him a little extra time for study. Edmund did wish to know more about her heritage before he progressed with his plans for the woman. Ultimately there wasn't much that would take away from his ultimate goals, although in his opinion forging ahead without proper research was foolish. He nodded at the woman requesting armour and chuckled softly, "When you are cleaned and dressed, perhaps we could get you some food and worry about the business afterward."<br><br>Best to keep things moving along rather than letting it entirely settle down.<br><br>"How are your wounds, Mairin? Beyond the initial pain, does it feel as if something is wrong that will not heal?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>21-02-2017, 07:45:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin was oblivious to the Count’s acute interest in her, if he was giving any hint she’d likely just interpret it as the usual sort of interest a man had in a woman. She was no stranger to that interest after all, being not only beautiful but unusual and so she tended to catch the eye of those around her easily. <br><br>She looked around and spotted a towel and grabbed it, wrapping it around herself once she was done. Edmund’s mention of food made her realize just how hungry she was though, her stomach nagging at her like a child tugging at its mother’s skirts. Mairin had lost a lot of blood after exerting herself pretty strenuously, so her system was starting to run on empty. “Aye, sounds like a good idea,” she agreed, “I can get dressed now.” She went to her bags, digging through them to find a clean pairof clothes.<br><br>His question made Mairin shrug, “Nae… no really… they hurt like hell but nothin’ I haven’t handled before.” Her strength and quick healing meant that the huntress was perhaps more reckless than she should be and wasn’t as cautious as she should be as a result. This wasn’t the first time she had survived wounds that should have killed her. “I’ll probably need a few days to recover though… suppose I should book a room here,” Mairin said as she got dressed, not sounding very pleased about that. <br><br>“I’m done,” she told Edmund, “Let’s get to the common room, I’m starvin’.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>21-02-2017, 16:00:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Fabulous." Edmund's chuckle was a simple, self assured little noise that spilled easily from him as he turned and regarded Mairin for a moment. He wasn't so foolish as to try to convince himself that she wasn't a remarkable beauty, even considering how exotic her looks were, that way indeed lay folly. Best not to kid oneself, after all. She'd certainly caught his eye originally simply for her poise and beauty, but now the Count had a more vested sort of interest in her. <br><br>He mentally steeled himself for the common room, knowing full well that the sun was still out. Well, he didn't have to stand directly in it nor would it be an issue for the entire meal. Mairin had been out of it for most of the day after all. The sun would set in only a few hours and he didn't doubt he could keep Mairin occupied until then. <br><br>Down the stairs and into the common room the pair drew eyes, curious and thoughtful, though they quickly slid back to what they had been doing before. The Count signalled a serving girl, moving to where he'd been sitting in that secluded nook before, tugging a chair out for Mairin and gesturing to it with a smile. "After you, miss Mairin."<br><br>Once she'd sat, or not, Edmund took a seat as well. The serving girl came over shortly afterward and dimpled a smile at the pair of them. She wasn't the same girl as before, although Edmund hadn't spent a lot of time getting to know the staff of the inn. <br><br>"What can I get you Sir, miss?" she looked between them, waiting expectantly for their order. <br><br>"Ladies first." the Count smiled softly and met Mairin's eyes, tipping his head just so. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>21-02-2017, 21:38:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin couldn’t deny that she found the Count attractive as well, and it wasn’t like she’d never mixed business and pleasure before, but something about him warded her off. She wasn’t sure what it was… he certainly had a slightly dangerous air to him but that was nothing new to her. She was a huntress, she was around dangerous people and dangerous beasts all the time, it was only surprising that a noble had that air about him. No there was something else about Edmund that made her wary of him, but se couldn’t seem to put her finger on what it was. It wasn’t so strong that she wanted him gone, but it was enough to make Mairin perhaps keep her guard up with him longer than she usually might.<br><br>Perhaps she was just more preoccupied with getting some food but she didn’t notice any unusual behavior from Edmund when they went down into the common room. There was light coming in from the windows that faced out of the front but it was low, slanting light as the sun began to set. And thankfully for him, Mairin didn’t feel like sitting in direct sunlight so she sat towards the back of the room, finding that she had a slight headache from hunger and blood loss so darkness was more appealing.<br><br>Mairin gave him a slightly questioning look when he pulled out a chair for her, not really used to that kind of behavior. She wasn’t offended though, sure that he meant nothing by it though she was known to sometimes tell men to fuck off when they treated her like she was somehow delicate just because she was a woman. Mairin sat down carefully, wincing a little at the discomfort that bending her torso brought on and trying not to disturb her bandages too much. She looked up when the serving girl, a different one than from before, walked over to see what they wanted.<br><br>Edmund told her to go ahead, making her give him another look before she sighed a bit and looked back to the serving girl. “Hmm… do ye have any stew or meat pies or anythin’ like tha? Somethin’ hearty…” Mairin asked. She’d lost a lot of blood, the craving for protein was first and foremost, and she was extremely thirsty, “Some tea to start too, then ale with the food.” <br><br>The serving girl smiled and nodded, “We have a very good stew. I’ll bring that and some bread for you.” That made Mairin look happy. The girl looked at Edmund, “And for you m’lord?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>21-02-2017, 23:23:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				All he'd meant, seemingly, was that he knew she was injured and was making small concessions for the basis of the woman's comfort. If she'd made a point of taking offense Edmund's response would simply have been that just because she was not frail did not mean that he was absolved of his gentlemanly mannerisms. The Count lifted his gaze from Mairin's face when he was spoken to and offered the serving girl an indulgent smile, nodding softly as he considered. <br><br>"The winter red from last year's harvest with something light if you please. Perhaps fruit and cheese if you have it." she nodded and flashed them both a pretty smile before leaving to take care of the order. Some in Edmund's condition may not have been able to consume food items or if they could they couldn't stomach them for long, but he was no mere filtered spawn shying away from the trappings of normality. He was possessed of ability beyond measure and consuming a simple meal was not even remotely beyond him. <br><br>He leaned back lightly in his chair and folded his hands in his lap, regarding Mairin levelly for a moment, "I do wish to thank you for routing the goblins with such haste. It is quite appreciated, your efficiency and skill that is. Although admittedly I do feel somewhat responsible for what happened to you there." he didn't really think it was his fault, but perhaps he should have been more thorough in his choice of venue for that plan. He didn't tell the Scot that though, instead spreading his hands slowly to invite her to do some of the speaking. <br><br>If all went well he'd be able to keep the woman coming back to his lands for this or that task. She was perfectly suited for his plans, even without going into the concern of her parentage. That bore further research, but could only be a benefit. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>22-02-2017, 00:05:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin gave him a dubious look at his selection for his meal, that was barely a snack for her. A healthy appetite was something that she had always possessed, in fact her grandmother had frequently scolded her for her unladylike fondness for food. She had loved to tell Mairin she’d get fat one day but thankfully she’d gotten into a line of work where she burned off most of the food she ate. If anything that appetite came in handy in her line of work, it meant she was always fueled up and ready to go. Though admittedly, Mairin’s love for food might border of indulgence at times… she didn’t want to go calling it gluttony but she almost always found a reason to skip on the ritual fasts that most of her Catholic brethren partook in, which would make her feel guilty later but never enough to really make her change her ways.<br><br>“I left the lead goblin’s head outside the mine, it should still be there since I suspended it,” she told him as she carefully leaned back in her chair, “Normally I’d worry about animals getting at it but I dinnae think anythin’ would want to touch that… there was somethin’ vary off about it. It was far too bold for a goblin and it survived an alchemical grenade that should have blown it to pieces and what injuries it did receive healed almost instantly.” Mairin frowned deeply as she recounted that experience. The serving girl returned with wine for Edmund and tea for Mairin, the huntress sipping at it as she thought, “Likely cursed, or imbued, depending on the nature of the exchange.” Either it had pissed something off or it had been some infernal creature’s lackey.<br><br>“It’s nae yer fault though that that thing was there… ye couldn’t have known,” Mairin told him with a shrug. Their food arrived next and Mairin tucked right into her stew, clearly hungry as she all but shoveled food into her mouth. She stopped quickly though after a moment, looking a little embarrassed and clearly her throat. “Sorry… used ta eating by myself,” she said, realizing that Edmund, as a Count, was probably used to people having a bit more finesse to them than she possessed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>22-02-2017, 00:21:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The Count either missed that look entirely or chose to ignore it. As it was he'd recently eaten, not that he was planning on barking out about his choice of meal or what had transpired. Instead he simply nodded softly, "If something were truly amiss you are quite correct, no normal animal would go near it. It can be retrieved later on, either by yourself or by someone in my employ." he didn't seem all that bothered by the woman's order differing so much from his own. Given that he was rather well made, it didn't seem as though this was his usual fare. <br><br>When the food arrived he thanked the woman even as Mairin simply began mowing it down. He watched for a moment, amused rather than disgusted as she might have surmised, before selecting a bit of cheese to eat with a sliced apple. She apologized and he gently waved that away, "It is no matter that is worth an apology miss Mairin. You need not change your habits simply because you are dining with me. I did not change mine after all." Edmund tipped a hand to urge her to continue. <br><br>"Eat if you are hungry. Stew is best when still hot and ale when the foam has not run away." he didn't quite see the appeal in wasting an entire evening picking at a plate of food you wanted to eat quickly. Besides, if Mairin normally ate like that and maintained such an impressive physique he certainly wasn't going to admonish her for it. He did continue speaking while she ate though, to give the woman an excuse to continue eating as he did so. <br><br>"The price was a bounty based solely on goblin kills, so I would be remiss in not offering further payment for the head of this afflicted beast and also for ridding the mine of whatever wounded you so gravely." he could still smell the blood on her, even as the wounds worked to consume her body's resources in order to heal. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>03-03-2017, 02:20:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin did go back to eating, but tried to exercise some restraint rather than eating like a savage. She didn’t go trying to be all poised and dainty, but she tried to recall what it was like to have table manners. Her grandparents had tried their best to teach them to her but they hadn’t stuck all that well, obviously. As she ate, the Count spoke and she listened, nodding a bit, “Aye, that would be best. Ye can send word to the book keepers at the guild and they’d happily come up with some figures for ye,” Mairin told him. <br><br>She assumed that he was like most people and would of course try to hold onto every penny, more than once she had had people try to underpay her. Mairin wasn’t the best with numbers, and she didn’t want him to go trying to play her so she’d just rather he dealt with people who knew about money. “You can negotiate with them on the final tally,” she shrugged, figuring that at the least she’d like her armor to be covered, if not also the cost of staying here for a few days while she recovered.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>04-03-2017, 12:56:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Certainly, if that is what you desire I shall send an envoy to negotiate your fees in our stead." he smiled indulgently and continued to pick at his own food, eating slowly but surely although a time or two he signalled for a refill of his wine. The Count was every bit poise and manners, grace in flesh as much as a low noble in a dingy common inn could be. <br><br>He set his wineglass down with the barest whisper of glass on the wood, absently adjusting it so that it sat between two cracks. After a moment the man's eyes left the wine to meet Mairin's, a smile curling the corners of his mouth almost like he had some sort of secret or joke he was amused by. <br><br>"If you would prefer, to make up for the inconvenience I would be happy to offer you a room at my manor until you feel better able to travel. It would be an honour and privilege to entertain such a skilled and capable Hunter." his words were honey on velvet but held no hint of malice or mockery, especially not judging by the way his gaze bored intensely into her own. <br><br>Perhaps just a touch of his Talent on her mind would weigh the decision in his favour. He tilted his head just so, projecting an idea of warmth and safety but further of a much more satisfying time than what might be accomplished in a mattress of straw. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>05-03-2017, 01:36:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin was far from poised, she was the daughter of farmers and fishermen, strong stock, proud and cunning, but certainly not poised or refined. The land had shaped the lines that formed her blood, rough, hardy land and it was reflected in her. It was a very sharp contrast to Edmund, so she was surprised when he offered to let her stay at his manor until she was ready to travel again. She would have thought that he would as soon as let someone like her sleep in one of his beds as a dog. He was not as condescending or rude as some nobles she’d met, but Mairin had still been sure that he looked down on her, given who and what she was. <br><br>She hesitated, clearly, it wasn’t really in her nature to accept such hearty shows of hospitality that bordered, in her opinion, on charity. The huntress frowned a bit, looking at Edmund as she tried to decide, leaning back in her chair. “Stay with you?” she repeated as a delay tactic, resisting the idea initially. But… Mairin glanced around the inn’s common room, it was as rough and rustic as the rest of the building. Surely Edmund’s manor would be far more comfortable… still, she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. Her independent streak spoke first but there was something else, that odd quality to the count that she couldn’t seem to put her finger on.<br><br>“I… suppose,” Mairin finally agreed despite her misgivings, for some reason, “Just for a few days. Then I’ll be on ma way.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>05-03-2017, 01:45:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Of course. I would not wish to keep you beyond the time you can afford to spend. In the interim, perhaps you would tell me tales of your exploits." he thankfully retained a loyal staff of several dozen thralls but even so, the manor was in much better repair than the catacombs below it. There, all manner of horror awaited the unwary and they all answered to Count Edmund DuLac's order. <br><br>He spread his hands gently and leaned back in his chair a bit while watching the woman with clear interest. In her or her tales it was hard to say, but he clearly didn't think she was beneath him in anything but the most societally accepted manner. He was a Count and she was common, but that didn't mean he had to treat her poorly for it. Many heroes and respectable folk came from common stock, for being common did not cheapen or worsen the quality of a person. It often often seemed quite the opposite, with aristocrats spoiled and worthless from their power and wealth. <br><br>"When you have finished your repast we can be on our way, Mairin." he usually called her by name or by a title such as Miss, followed by her name. Respect without being too overt about it. The Count picked up his wine and tilted it the woman's way a moment before sipping it once again. <br><br>It seemed even with whatever she was she was susceptible to his power. Excellent. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>05-03-2017, 02:57:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin smirked a bit when he told her that she could tell him about her exploits in the mean time of her stay with him. “Aye, I’ve got a few good stories I think,” she nodded, never one to shy from bragging about herself. Bragging was the Scottish national pastime after all, they made telling tall tales an art, able to take the most mundane occurrence and spin it into a mythical battle between good and evil over their very souls with minimal effort. <br><br>She nodded when Edmund said that they’d be on their way when she was finished, so she set back to eating, finishing up quickly and downing the rest of her ale. She was indeed susceptible to his powers, Mairin was susceptible to a lot of things, something she constantly tried to deny and resist but with minimal success. Unbeknownst to her though, and her new host, was that she had her own ability to push and pull on a subtle level.<br><br>“I… likely need some help with me bag…” she admitted hesitantly, hating it but knowing that it would better to just suck up her pride rather than bust her wound back open. “I’ll fetch me horse instead,” she told him, standing up and going out back to have her horse readied. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>05-03-2017, 03:07:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Edmund's smile was warm enough, but he did nod and stand when she did, "Certainly. It would be my pleasure to offer some assistance." it didn't take him long to collect Mairin's things, nor to pay the tab for their food and her use of the room. By the time Mairin had collected her horse the man found her outside, easily carrying her bag in one hand and walking along with his cane in the other. For a moment he was worried that perhaps her horse would sell him out by shying away but it seemed to be less skittish than most around things such as him. <br><br>"Come along, you can regale me with a tale while we walk." he eyed her with a smile and raised a brow, "Unless you would rather I lead the horse. It looks as though it could bear the two of us." he wouldn't mind it either all things being equal.. After all, it would give him a chance to ply her somewhat. He doubted that the woman would go for it though in any case so he didn't press that way too much. <br><br>It wouldn't be very far to the manor in any case, perhaps an hour or two by foot and less if they both wound up riding. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LtRipley</strong> on <strong>05-03-2017, 03:45:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Mairin looked up when the count came out carrying her bag, pausing for a moment to watch him. He really was a very handsome creature… but she looked away quickly, frowning to herself and shaking her head a bit. That was not a line of thinking she needed to be indulging in, which she could do quite easily, she knew that. Her horse didn’t shy from Edmund but it did give him a wary look, the whites of its eyes showing a little in a sign of anxiety. Mairin didn’t seem to notice though, her mount was stout of heart, it had faced far more terrifying creatures than him.<br><br>Edmund’s subtle request to ride with her made her arch her brows a bit, looking surprised. She had thought he would have ridden a horse here… did nobles walk often? She hesitated, tempted for a moment, then shook her head. “Sorry, he’s a sturdy thing for sure but I think carrying two grown people for very long would be a bit much even for him,” Mairin told him. Which was true, but mostly she was wary of being so close to him, especially on the tale end of having to curb her thoughts. So she let Edmund tie her bag behind her saddle and mounted up, riding with him walking beside her.<br><br>She told him of a few of her more impressive exploits on the way there, like the time she’d nearly drowned fighting a kelpie before besting it and finding the local mayor’s daughter down in its underwater cave. And another time when a harpie had escaped from a travel menagerie and started terrorizing a village, which had escalated to the creature carrying off a small child. Harpies were nearly human, some were said to be as intelligent as humans in fact, but most she’d encountered were merely very clever beasts. Then there was the time she had gone after a pack of wargs on her own, quite a feat. They’d come down from out of the highlands during a drought looking for new lands, she had killed almost all of them, with a few finally running away and fleeing back north. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Hunter's First Maxim: Never work for Free (Roto | Atroxa) </strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rotochron</strong> on <strong>05-03-2017, 04:03:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				If the Count were more than slightly disappointed by her refusal he had class and grace enough not to show it. Instead he offered Mairin a hand up she didn't need and walked easily along with her, leading her and the horse toward his manor. At the gates a single guard stood warily with a halberd and sporting the livery of Edmund's house as well as a stout hauberk with light chain hanging from the bottom bit.<br><br>The man opened the gate and greeted the Count with a smile, his gaze&nbsp; returning to the road as they passed. Edmund's manor was a well appointed two story structure of wooden boards and beams and what seemed like stacked and mortared stones. It was both rustic and elegant, with tended gardens and an open atmosphere, "Welcome to my home, Miss Mairin, and yours for the next few days. I do hope you find all to your liking and if I can offer something at my disposal you have only to ask."<br><br>Another young man approached the pair and smiled with a distant expression, faintly happy but for no obvious reason. "I can take your horse if it please you Ma'am." he smiled to Mairin in the same slightly detached way, waiting for her to get down before leading her horse off to the stables. <br><br>The Count took her bag again and offered her a small, indulgent smile, "I shall show you to a chamber that I hope meets your expectations." and he did, leading to he Scot though his foyer and into the guest wing which held five different rooms, although only one seemed in use, which was also the one he led Mairin to. <br><br>When Edmund's opened the door the richly appointed room was definitely over shadowing the inn with no real effort. From a rug of fine make to overstuffed chairs near the hearth the decor was similar to the rest of the house. Rustic, with that touch of class. The only thing that seemed a bit out of place was the bed, a soft looking mound of a thing with draped cloth overtop forming a canopy. <br><br>"Well? What do you think? If you need any assistance getting acquainted with anything in the room I would be.. Happy to help." he smirked, putting the emphasis on anything. He'd noticed how she looked at him after all and that was playing into his grander schemes. 
			</dd>
		</dl>
		<div id="footer" class="smalltext">
			
			<span class="smalltext" style="display: inline; visibility: visible; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?action=credits" title="Simple Machines Forum" target="_blank" class="new_win">SMF 2.0.19</a> |
 <a href="https://www.simplemachines.org/about/smf/license.php" title="License" target="_blank" class="new_win">SMF © 2021</a>, <a href="https://www.simplemachines.org" title="Simple Machines" target="_blank" class="new_win">Simple Machines</a>
			</span>
		</div>