Dragon Hunters

[Crowe]

Eira

"Alright." Eira said, still holding the girl's hand. "Come with me. You must be hungry." She said as she pulled the girl towards the door. Claira followed quietly, shying away from the bodies on the floor.

Eira stopped to speak to Cirnelle before leaving. "Cirnelle, there's still the one-eyed crewman that made the deal with these guys. Try and find his possessions and see if you can find more about this operation." She had seen the way the elf moved about and knew the girl was more nimble than she was. So she left it in her hands to sneak about and find out more before dawn arrived.

[MiaKage]

"righto!" She nodded, and silently moved into the hallway. She didn't know the layout of the ship, so she had no idea how long it would be to find her target, but that's never stopped her in the past!

[FazzEagle]

He waited for all three of them to leave the room before closing the door behind them. Leaning against the door, he made sure no one was around or listening in, and once the area was clear, he finally stepped closer once again to the Drakes, all thrashing and crying before his presence.

"Now then..." he said, slowly pulling out his sword, "... where were we?"

And what followed through was a mystery, but it wasn't long until there were swift sounds of his blade swinging and slicing... before all the drakes were forced into silence and death. The swordsman himself stepped out not long after, his whole body covered by the Drakes' blood. He brushed his feet on the floor before walking away, heading back to his room. Thankfully, no one was around at the moment and he was able to pass by unnoticed... but he couldn't help but wonder where the other two went off to with the little girl. Nevertheless, he thought it was best to leave them out of his sight; the Blood Mages had been taken care of and the Drakes had been killed - he didn't think he needed to do anything else.

[Crowe]

Eira

Eira didn't have a room reserved on this ship, so she took Claire to grab something quick to eat and returned to Goraidh's room. They talked for a bit, and the girl finally fell asleep in the middle of his bed. Eira looked at her with what could be confused with an empty stare, but in fact, she was thinking about how it was when she was her age. All the things she took for granted and all the things she should have died to protect afterwards.

After a while, she sat on the floor and began rearranging her potions and traps, counting them. She needed to stock up once they arrived in Jader. And even then they still needed to cross over the border to Ferelden while posing as merchants. How would they do this with the girl in tow? It was all going to get very complicated real soon.

[FazzEagle]

By the time the two arrived in Goraidh's room, he had already removed his armor, keeping it away from the door and bed by placing them in the corner, where a half-empty bucket of water and a cloth were placed as well. Left with nothing but his shirt and his pants, his lean and well-toned form were made obvious - needless to say, he kept a body that was well looked-out after. He allowed the girl to rest on his bed and was relieved to see no wounds on her body. He did notice the somewhat prolonged stare by Eira to the girl but he didn't question it, figuring she was just probably worried about her.

"... you're lucky that she's just a child," Goraidh said, "It wasn't easy for me to get this room, you know." Leaning against the wall, he crossed his arms over his chest, attention now at Eira. "Now to the more important question: I'm assuming you couldn't find the girl's father. We can't very well bring her along since we have other things to do, and it's way beyond a place I would take a defenseless little girl to. Did she tell you anything?"

[Crowe]

Eira

Eira noticed Goraidh's form, but made sure not to stare or give off the wrong impression. She sat still, in the floor of the room, putting her weapons away. "She told me her father's name is Kirion. He's a mage working for some noble family in the Coastlands of Ferelden. She doesn't know anything about the Drakes or the Reavers's operation." Eira got up from where she sat and stretched. It had been a long day.

"Apparently, her father bribed some people to reclaim the girl before she made it to the Circle in Nevarra. I don't know what connection there is to the Drakes though." She said, taking off the cloak and placing it over her bag.

[FazzEagle]

"The Circle...? Are you saying that this girl is...?"

He looked back at the girl before shaking his head. He knew about the Circle and how they trap Mages in there - though for someone so young to be separated from their family?

"I see... A Mage whose powers have awakened at such a young age." Then, he looked back at the Rouge. "And now what? Are you planning on bringing this girl along then and bring her back to her father in Ferelden? Are we fit to guard and look after a child like this? And once she even returns to her father, what's there to say she won't be hunted down by the Templars in the future? Once people find out she's a Mage, they get taken to the Circle - that's how it's always been."

[Crowe]

Eira

"I know that..." She paused to take a breath, not wanting to have an arguement about it. "I don't know what to do with her, alright? I just know that she was part of this deal. If her father is in Jader, we'll just return her to him. Whatever happens after that...is none of our business." She didn't really know what to do as an alternative if her father wasn't there.

She turned around and and made her way to the small washroom. "I'm going to clean up, watch over her for now." She said, leaving her belt of potions behind but taking her Katana with her. "Inside the bag is some food I got for you and Cirnelle." She said and entered the washroom as she loosened her ponytail. The bag was next to the bed.

She closed the door and took off her gauntlets, boots, top and pants but kept the choker on. She sat on a barrel and began to clean herself with a wet towel. She began to unwind and reminisce about the past year. Everything seemed to have changed so quickly. She almost got lost in her own thoughts.

After dressing back up, she walked out of the washroom to check on Claira.

[FazzEagle]

Raid let out a sigh once Eira had left and then looked back at the girl. He knew what he said could have been taken as 'harsh', but he didn't want to risk endangering this one's life due to the line of work they were involved in. He brushed his hand across the girl's head before pulling out one of his clean shirts, draping it over her as a quilt just when Eira had just stepped out from the washroom. "The poor thing must be really tired," he said before turning around to face her, "Whether or not the Mages intentions were simply to return her to her father, they shouldn't have stuck her under the floorboard like that." He sighed, shaking his head. "I'd consider her fortunate if she didn't catch a fear of closed spaces like that. But... she can stay in this room as long as she likes, but it's your responsibility to look after her." He lifted an arm to rub the side of his neck. "I'm... not exactly very familiar with dealing with children, so to speak."

[Crowe]

Eira

"Nether do I, to be honest." Eira said, shaking her head slightly. "But I'll do what I can." She picked up the robe and put it back around her neck, covering the Emerald choker. Then she sat on the spot on the floor where she had made her space, placing her Katana next to her.

After a moment of silence, she looked up at him. "You say you are a noble, is that right?" she asked. "Where from?"

[FazzEagle]

"Somewhere North West in Nevarra," he replied, "The Cadwyn Family. At least... that's where it used to be. Everyone except me perished from an attack by those bloody Darkspawns. And so things took an unfortunate turn for me and so here I am: a noble son working as a mercenary... and killing off Dragons when necessary. I... really don't wish to talk about it further." He released a sigh. "And how about you? Your weapon in itself looks foreign... and you seem to have several unusual items in your possession. What... exactly is your line of work? Those things won't usually work effectively against Dragons, that's for sure."

[Crowe]

Eira

Eira listened to his story quietly. She looked at the Katana that laid by her side, wondering how to answer his question without saying too much. "I worked with a special team of dragon hunters called Dragoons. There were about seven of us..." She trailed off for a moment. "But we got separated. I haven't heard from them in months." She put the belt on the bag. "A friend of mine taught me to use these. Dragons have a better sense of smell than most think. As long as it confuses them, I can take care of the rest with this." She said as she held the Katana. "A gift from my mentor."

That was about all she wanted to say at the moment. "So, what's your deal with mages? It seems like you've had some experience with Maleficarum before." She knew she may be pushing it a little, but she had to know.

At that moment, Claira shifted and clung to Goraidh's arm. "Mmm...Daddy..." She mumbled in her sleep.

[FazzEagle]

"I see... No wonder you've been chosen for this mission."

He didn't ask any further about her story but he knew there was weight in her words when she trailed off earlier. He could assume the worse had happened to her 'friends' given their line of work, but he didn't feel like he needed to share that thought. When asked about his issues with Mages, however, he shot her a scowl.

"I don't see how that's any of your business," he said plainly, "We're merely comrades through chance after all."

Before he could say anything more though, he felt something clinging onto his arm, and saw that it was the sleeping little girl. Hearing her cal him her father made him understand that the girl truly did want to see him. He threw a glance at Eira before looking away again.

"Alright... fine," he said, his voice almost a forced tone, "We'll bring this girl along to meet her father.. but that's it, alright? Once we're done with that, we'll head straight to Drake Falls - no questions asked."

[Crowe]

Eira

Eira didn't take offense to his response about the blood mages, after all, he was right. It was none of her business and if asked something similar, she'd probably react in much the same way. She simply nodded silently.

"Alright. She said her home is in the Coastlands anyway, and Drake's Fall is farther east. We'll be able to leave her there on the way. Hopefully, we'll evade the coming Darkspawn from the South by then." She said, then turned to the wall, leaning on her bag for support, and closed her eyes.

Claira's dark hair ran down to her neck, where it looked like it had been chopped off. Some Circles believed this would prevent demons of Lust to target girls.

[FazzEagle]

"Then for this girl's sake we'll have to take the safer but longer route..." Goraidh said, brushing his fingers across his own jet-black hair, "... if possible, it'd be best to avoid any fights until we get her safe. I suggest taking a safe trade route that travels to the Coastlands, and perhaps if possible get a ride with a merchant. We can't have her keep walking all the way back to her home, and I doubt any of us would want to keep carrying her the whole way either."

[Crowe]

Eira

Eira nodded, it made sense although it would take them longer. Of course, she was worried what might happen if the girl's father thought they had kidnapped her. He worked for a noble, probably a Ban, and it would be hard to explain how they came across her. But right now, all those 'ifs' were too much to try and figure out.

It didn't take long for her to fall into sleep. Her hair draped over her face as her head rested on the wall. One hand loosely clung the the cloak around her neck while the other was placed over her Katana. Her green Dragoon armor lay by her side. She hoped, in vain, that the memories wouldn't haunt her this night once more, although she knew better.

[FazzEagle]

As the others had fallen asleep, he stood back up, slowly removing the girl's hand from his arm. He stepped out of the room to leave the two for now, but stood outside his room to make sure no one else was around. The elf had not yet returned though so he figured he should look for her in case she didn't know where they went.

"I'm sure these two will be alright if I just leave them for a while," he muttered to himself, "... now where'd that elf ran off to...?" Eventually he walked away, leaving a sleeping Eira and Claira behind.

[MiaKage]

Ugh! Where are they?! Cirnelle had been wandering the cabins where she thought the nobles room was at, after returning to find no one where she had left them. As she walked through the halls up and down stairs peering into room after room, her frustration began to show in her walk. Being barefoot, however, helped keep her from making any noticeable noise as she made her way in search of her companions. Her experiences on ships certainly cemented the fact that she never wants to be on another ship again.

[FazzEagle]

Goraidh walked along the hallway currently armed with nothing, thinking that perhaps the scent or even a single sight of blood from earlier could arouse suspicion. There doesn't seem to be any panic at the moment so what he could assume was that no one had found the bodies yet, which he dumped among the pile of dead Drakes. Hearing footsteps nearby, however, the swordsman braced himself for an ambush. He quickly sidestepped to the side to confront the person... only to find out it was none other than Cirnelle.

"By the Maker..." he said, sighing in relief, "There you are, elf; I was wondering where you ran off to."

[MiaKage]

By the look on her face, she was clearly frustrated. She stopped suddenly as Raid had stepped into her path. Slightly startled she took a quick step backwards, but recognizing him, quickly went back to her carefree grin she always seemed to sport.

"Well it's about time I found you! I've been trying to find your room, but this place is too confusing!" She quickly held up papers slightly covered in blood, "I found something interesting! Where's Eira? and the little one?" She leaned to one side to see behind him, seeing of they were with him, frowning slightly when she saw they were not.

[FazzEagle]

"They are currently sleeping and safe in my room," Goraidh said before looking back at the blood-covered paper she was holding, "... and papers...? Covered in blood...?" He would try to take it from her for the time being to read it. "Where in the Maker did you find it?"

[MiaKage]

"Nuh uh! This is for Eira!" She quickly retracted and stuffed the paper into armor, "And as to where I found it, the one eyes guy had it! Found them in the big ol' smelly's room." She chuckled as she answered him. "So where is your room again? I've been having a horrible time trying to find it again! I'd like Eira to look over the notes and would love to take a nap myself."

[Crowe]

Eira

Unbeknownst to anyone, from within the room came a faint glow. It was mint color and pulsing slowly. It oculd be seen only through the edges of the door. Whatever sound this resonance made, it could not be heard outside the wooden walls for it was faint and subtle, almost like a whisper. It was so faint, it didn't seem to wake Eira or Claira at all. Then, as soon as it started, it stopped and disappeared.

[FazzEagle]

"Quiet, elf...!" Goraidh said, quickly turning to face her, "I know not of anyone with... 'one eye'... and I clearly don't want to know what business you had in a 'smelly' room either. But fine, I shall take you to my room but keep your voice down - the little girl is sleeping." Then, he turned away from her, walking back to the direction of his room. "... you are lucky that I currently don't have my weapon with me."

As they walk back towards his room, he shifted his eyes back and forth to make sure no one was following them and eventually, the two would finally arrive.

"Here. Remember it this time - I'm not a bloody tour guide."

[MiaKage]

Her expression changing as he faced away, glaring at him. "The one eye man is the man that was with our new friend Garman. And don't try to threaten me! I've heard it all, I used to live in an Alienage."

As he turned back to her, she changed back to her carefree grin "Aww, but you do such a good job at it!" She chucked again before entering the room and taking a seat on the bed waiting for Eira to wake.