Ah Benturo - Chapter I: The Vanishing Act

Baron Fowling · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Baron Fowling** on Sun Dec 27, 2009 12:01 pm

It was with some intrepidation that Lenoah Bran approached the Corron village tavern, the Downed Hegglur, as the dim corona of the sunset began to fade and the stars could be seen to peek through the darkening velvet of the evening sky. This was very odd, as she had been visiting the tavern after nightfall with increasing frequency since her childhood. Furthermore, after her sixteenth birthday her father had had the quiet word with the owner which had meant that she no longer needed to make use of her most endearing smile to buy a goblet of wine, nor drink it from underneath the table to avoid judgmental looks. During the winter that had just passed Lenoah had been almost a nightly visitor to the Downed Hegglur, warming her toes and hands by the largest hearth in the village. But tonight the young woman's intentions in going to the pub had planted seeds of guilt in her mind that she seemed incapable of shifting.

A cool spring breeze ruffled her azure skirt as she paused and drew a deep breath, her hand upon the tavern's strong wooden door. People were gathering in the street outside, though, so she did not hesitate for long in pushing it aside and walking with quite well-affected confidence into the common room. She waved to and greeted a number of villagers upon entry, but wasted little time in walking up to the bar itself and saying hello to the owner, Halden, with a broad and pearly smile.

"Good evening, young miss Bran," he greeted her, with only a tiny smidge of lecherousness in his smile. "And who is to have the pleasure of your company on this fine clear night?"
"Just Adria, from the Veras farm," she replied casually, preparing her prerehearsed response in case he was to inquire further. He did.
"Oh, yes? And what will be the subject of this fateful meeting?"
"Oh, nothing fit for the ears of a modest adult such as yourself," she responded, smiling mischievously. The bearded innkeeper laughed heartily.
"Another evening lost to mindless gossip and dispute over young men. Ah, to be young again," he sighed, then crooked an eyebrow. "Not that I did any of that when I was young."
"Of course not," Lenoah said, taking her bronze cup of wine and smiling again. Her initial angst was beginning to fade, but her stock of prepared response had run dry. "If you need me I shall be in my usual spot. Will you tell Adria when she arrives?" The barman grinned at her again in response, and she turned and walked to the two-seated table in the corner with a carefully measured gait, before sitting and removing her woollen jerkin. She had memorised the runes for the casting of a sound-nullifying field before she left her house, but now that it came down to it she was too worried by the prospect of someone coming over to talk to her or Adria and noticing the weird imbalance of noise. Instead, she simply cast a quick but simple spell to gradually and slightly lower the amount of light being emitted by the nearby candles. Her practice with light manipulation had been such that she could do this without needing to trace the runes into the air with her finger, instead simply focusing on the candles and visualising the arcane symbols in her head.

Taking another deep breath, followed by a sip of wine, Lenoah glanced around the pub. /I wonder when Adria will get here.../

Kiina · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Kiina** on Sun Dec 27, 2009 1:48 pm

Pushing through the door of the inn, Nazhir Tzhesad stepped inside, lowering his cloak hood as he looked about. No one that seemed to be particularly interested in him - good. It meant his reputation wasn't going to ruin what he hoped would be a peaceful evening.

Crossing to the bar, he flashed a smile at the bartender. "Evening, friend. One pint of the local brew for a thirsty traveller?"

The man behind the bar nodded good-naturedly. "Certainly, sir." Turning to fill the requested tankard, he spoke over his shoulder. "Been travelling long, have you?"

Leaning on the worn wooden counter, Nazhir nodded. "Aye, since about last winter. It's been a hard year."

The metal tankard clanked against the countertop, a few drops splashing out over the side. "Hasn't it, though," the bartender agreed. He cocked a finger at the alcohol. "Come on back if you want another - no more than three a night per person, though. This stuff is strong enough to make your tastebuds peel right off."

Nazhir smirked. "I'll keep that in mind." Moving away to one of the booths in the place, he nodded briefly to the young girl sitting in the one he intended to occupy. With a sigh, he dropped into the wooden benchseat. Yes, he definitely needed a night of relaxation.

Adriac · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Adriac** on Sun Dec 27, 2009 9:11 pm

The horse slowed to a trot as she reached the city limits, kicking up a small shower of pebbles as she slid slightly out of her gallop. With a pat on the head, Adria silenced the light neigh that the young horse let out as she looked nervously at the armed guards on duty. They barely even looked at the rider or her horse. It wouldn't have mattered if they did, Adria was not one to feel nervous or scrutinized under the eye of an unaware stranger. The tavern was close to the entrance of the small town, honestly..everything was close in this tiny place.

Therefore it only took about two minutes before the horse trotted slowly to the doors of the Downed Hegglur. With one fluid motion Adria kicked one leg over and dismounted. Her horse walked to the stables on her own and the attendant put her in one of the stalls to await the return of the master. Adria didn't even look as this occured, and she walked in through the doors silently and approached the bar.

"Why, hello there missee..are you Adria?" the barkeep asked in a friendly, deep voice. "Yes, I am..how are you tonight?" she replied with a smile. It was nice..to be nice to people, ironic eh? "I'm doing very well, your friend is over there," the man said and pointed towards a woman in a booth towards the back. "Thank you sir," Adria replied politely and he just smiled and began wiping the bar with an old rag. Adria stood up and walked to meet her contact.

"Hello, I'm Adria."

Baron Fowling · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Baron Fowling** on Mon Dec 28, 2009 12:24 pm

(Sorry guys, but I just want to be clear before I reply; Has Nazhir just sat down next to or opposite Lenoah?)

Kiina · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Kiina** on Mon Dec 28, 2009 1:53 pm

(He's in another booth entirely, but the one next to where Lenoah and Adria are. That way, he can still hear what's going on, without being an actual party to the conversation.)

Baron Fowling · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Baron Fowling** on Mon Dec 28, 2009 3:41 pm

(Okay cool.)

Lenoah watched with barely disguised intrepidation, frozen halfway through taking a sip from her goblet of wine, as the cloaked stranger made his way over to her part of the inn. She managed to recover in time to return his nod with a slighty purple-lipped smile, though, before calming herself down again. /Don't worry Lenoah, he's just some traveller from out of town. And by the looks of it not a great gossiper. He'll not think twice about anything you say tonight that he might overhear,/ she thought to herself, idly wiping her wine-specked chin with the back of her sleeve.

Moments later, Adria entered the tavern. Lenoah watched, almost bouncing in her seat as the other young woman moved to the bar and was directed towards her by Halden. This part was easy; no-one paid any attention to the interactions of the young women of the village, not even the other young women. There would be no raised eyebrows directed towards the two, even if any potential witnesses were aware that Adria was known as something of a recluse from out of town. Even if the two of them were huddled together like conspiring revolutionaries, the presumption would just be that they were talking about potential suitors. The realisation just led to a slight dejected feeling for Lenoah, as she considered just how much time she actually did spend in the Downed Hegglur talking about potential suitors.

The young woman smiled at Adria as she sat down, eager to begin discussing their plans for the journey. The two of them had already talked about their shared interest in a voyage across Adaxia, so all that really remained was to agree on technicalities such as their route, the date of their departure and what to take along.

"Hello," she replied to the other woman's greeting. "Beautiful evening, isn't it?" Well, that and small talk.

Baron Fowling · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Baron Fowling** on Mon Dec 28, 2009 3:44 pm

(Sorry that I ignored the fact your character was introducing herself, Adriac. I didn't think it made much sense for them to have not met before. And also sorry that you don't really have much to work off for your next post, Kiina. :>P If you want you can wait for our characters to actually start talking properly before you post again. Up to you!)

Kiina · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Kiina** on Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:52 pm

(Is what I was gonna do anyway, luv. No worries! ^^)

Adriac · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Adriac** on Wed Dec 30, 2009 10:23 am

Adria agreed and then took a seat across from Lenoah. "So, all that you've really told me is we're going on an adventure..what exactly do you have in mind?" Adria did not share Lenoah's caution and did not speak in a hushed tone or through her hand in any way. It was hard for the young woman to hide the excitement that had been bubbling inside of her ever since she had been asked on an adventure. This was her dream was it not? To use the skills she learned to travel the world and fight monsters, never staying in the same place for long and never caring.

For several years, all Adria had wanted was this moment. It was agreed, an adventure would happen. That's all that really mattered to her. Who cared where they went? Adria only asked the question because she felt that was the way things were supposed to be done. She had never been far from her home, and she had never travelled with someone like this before..what was the decorum? How could she know? Did the woman across from her even know? Was this her first adventure at all? Adria was so full of excitement she felt she would explode..but on the exterior it appeared that she was calm and collected.

Baron Fowling · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Baron Fowling** on Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:33 pm

Lenoah smiled broadly, detecting and appreciating Adria's enthusiasm. She had been confident from the moment that she'd proposed the idea to Adria that her potential companion was as attached to the idea of a country-spanning journey as she was. And if it was for different reasons, it didn't matter to the younger woman. She was just looking for a travelling companion, after all, not a loyal follower.

"Right... yes... details," she replied to Adria's question, suddenly wishing she'd brought some kind of map or at least written plan along. "Well, our... or my main destination, at least, is the town of Benoixa, about three days travel North-East of here. A group of traders came through here recently who said that they'd been there just five days before, and it was completely empty, with no signs as to where everyone had gone," she explained, a slight look of concern coming over her face briefly as the subject reminded her of her actual reasons for taking this trip. "No monster tracks or... remains, or anything like that to imply that something bad had happened. Just nothing there. I want to go and see if I can find out where everyone's gone." She cleared her throat.

"It's not a long or particularly dangerous route, but there are occasional monster attacks on the caravans which move across there, and bandits... have been known to venture that far East. So I thought it would be wise to have a reliable companion who knows something about self-defence," Lenoah said, before pausing slightly. She was suddenly worried that Adria would think that she was going to pay her. "Not that my magic is at all to be sniffed at," she added quickly. "But as I knew that you were hoping for an excuse for an adventure out across Adaxia, I thought I'd see if you felt like accompanying me."

Having said that, she leant back in her seat and took a sip of her wine, peering at the other woman over the top of her goblet intently.

Adriac · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Adriac** on Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:51 pm

When Lenoah smiled at her, Adria let her enthusiasm show freely with a smile in return. This would be such great fun! An adventure after all, was all fun and games was it not? You just walk to wherever you want and if somebody tries to hurt you you fight them and always win. No chance of dying..just good-spirited fun. It was odd that Adria knew an adventure would lead to fighting in some way, and yet did not see the possible dark side of being an adventurer. She was still so naive. She had a lot to learn about life, and the world. And unfortunately it would probably be very soon that the young woman was forced to learn these lessons.

"Benoixa eh? I've never been there." Adria started, obviously enough..she'd never left the area! "Sounds like a plan to me," almost beaming at Lenoah's comment on her knowledge in combat, "oh and of course I would never belittle your ability to use magic! Don't even suggest such things," Adria said with a little laugh. "I would love to accompany you..but there really weren't any tracks or anything? How does that happen?"

The adventure was the only thing that Adria truly cared about. But it was still interesting that there were no traces of anyone coming or leaving the town. How can an entire town disappear? It looked as if Adria and Lenoah would be finding out for themselves soon enough. How exciting.

Baron Fowling · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Baron Fowling** on Wed Dec 30, 2009 9:34 pm

"Oh, I wasn't saying that you were!" responded Lenoah to the comment about her magic. "But apart from a bit of training with the sheriff I've not really had much experience with using it to defend myself..." Actually, the town's sheriff Bander Pey had taken quite an interest in her as a possible deputy, but quickly passed over her once he deemed her character "unsuitable." Since then, Lenoah had simply taken her magic lessons from her aunt, quite a skilled mage herself. "...Anyway, I'm glad you're willing to join me. At the very lest, it wil be nice to have some good company on the road."

"I wouldn't consider it too mysterious just yet," she replied to the older girl's inquiry. "The traders who went there are hardly experienced trackers or searchers, and once they realised that there was no-one about to buy their wares they probably moved on quite quickly. I'm sure we'll find a surfeit of clues once we get there ourselves." On this point, at least, the younger woman seemed resolute. And possibly slightly deluded.

"Now, let us discuss what to take along. Do you have a horse or some other steed to bring?" she asked, suddenly businesslike once more.

(Kiina, feel like cutting in yet?)

Adriac · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Adriac** on Thu Dec 31, 2009 12:36 am

Adria laughed at the companion's first comments and took the remarks about the traders to be a lighthearted jest of sorts. She got serious after taking a bit of a deep breath to end the laughing and then replied, "Yes, I have a good horse. She will do well for anything we..well, I, need. Do you have one as well?" Hopefully Adria could use her horse for riding and her own supplies and not load the poor girl down like a packmule.

ooc: dont have much time for a longer post..sorry.

Kiina · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Kiina** on Thu Dec 31, 2009 12:16 pm

Nazhir hadn't intended to listen in on the girls behind him. He hadn't intended to pay attention at all - but could he be blamed if a pretty girl caught his attention and then proceeded to start up a rather interesting dialogue with someone who was not an innocuous drinking partner?

Turning his head, he spoke just loud enough for the two of them to hear. "You'll want to be careful taking a horse into Benoixa," he said. "It's a prime market for thieves, so I'm told. A couple of unsuspecting women could find themselves in a bit of a bind."

Ah yes - and here came the opportunistic ideas. Really, all he'd wanted to do was provide a warning and maybe prevent some grievous circumstances for the two ladies. Then again . . . who was he to deny his heritage?

Turning fully, he rested both arms on the seat back, allowing a small smile to show on his face. "Now, if you had a charming young man along for the ride as a sort of - oh, I don't know - a guard, perhaps, well . . . ." He waved a hand airily. "Then you might not be so bad off."

Looking between Lenoah and Adria, he smiled again. "What do you say, ladies? It could well be worth your while."

Adriac · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Adriac** on Fri Jan 01, 2010 2:57 am

"Well, thank you," Adria replied..a little awkwardly, to the man's advice. The excitement of a sure fight was completely sweltered by the nervous feeling of having a strange man listen in on her conversation..and then speak to them about it as if he knew them.

It only got worse when the man continued to speak and got closer to her. He wanted to come along, and that was more than a little unnerving. "I don't know..I can handle myself," the young woman said boldly. This served two purposes in her mind, one..to show she was not helpless and that the man would be unwise to attack her or follow her. Two, he was not welcome to accompany her. Adria gave a look to Lenoah, expecting her to feel the same way..but also making sure she was making the right choice here.

Baron Fowling · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Baron Fowling** on Fri Jan 01, 2010 10:36 am

(Shall we establish a posting order? Kiina, Adriac, and then me perhaps? There's only three of us, so it shouldn't be too difficult to keep to.)

Lenoah was about to reply affirmatively to Adria's question about her horse, but she was surprised to find herself interrupted by the odd stranger who she had been so quick to disregard before. She recovered from the surprise in time to take some slight concern from what he said, but before she could think to thank him for the information he spoke again. /Ah,/ the young lady thought to herself. /So he's interested in coming along for the ride as well./

In truth, the idea of a second companion appealed to Lenoah, and in some ways she felt like someone from outside of her village would be preferable, not only because it meant that her secret departure would be less likely to cause incident. On the other hand, this man was clearly implying a monetary transaction, and this posed two problems for Lenoah: One, no-one in Corron was at all impoverished, but she herself had few savings which she could expend on another companion. Secondly, how could she trust someone whose only motivation was money? He would be as likely to cut both of their throats in the night and take what possessions they had with them than see them safely to their destination. And Adria was right too, Lenoah was confident that the two of them would be able to defend themselves on their journey...

Well, somewhat confident. Could thieves really be that prolific on the roads to Benoixa? And what of Benoixa itself? It was near to a Sellecian fort, but would the allure of an untouched and completely unguarded town really be passed over by any opportunists who happened upon it?

Lenoah looked the strange man in the eyes. To his credit, he didn't appear at all suspicious. But still, she could require some convincing. "My companion is right. The two of us are quite capable of defending ourselves. But tell us, what do you know of these supposed thieves, mister...?"

Kiina · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Kiina** on Fri Jan 01, 2010 1:11 pm

(Works for me. Although perhaps you and I should switch, Baron? This is your show, after all, and if your go first, you'll be able to direct the story better.)

"Tzhesad. Nazhir Tzhesad," he said, smiling in a friendly manner. "Judging form the gumption the two of you have, I would be rather disappointed if you were leave the security of the village without behind able to defend yourselves - it would be sheer idiocy."

His eyes hardened. "However, I will warn you that not all travellers on the roads are as harmless as I." He looked to Lenoah. "Miss, you ask what I know of thieves? I dare not tell some of the accounts I've heard in the presence of a lady, but the milder encounters I've heard tell of rarely end in happiness. In fact, it's extremely rare for all those involved in an attack to survive. Two innocents such as you would only be a glaring target to highwaymen."

Standing, he left his drink on the table, moving around the girls' booth and sliding into a seat beside Adria. "Pardon the intrusion, but speaking over seat backs is more conspicuous than this, and I believe that it's not your wish to draw attention." He folded his hands on the tabletop. "If you do not wish me to come along, very well, but the least I can give you is helpful advice for your journey. i know the road to Benoixa well - is there anything you wish to know?"

Adriac · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Adriac** on Fri Jan 01, 2010 5:24 pm

(ooc: posting order could easily be Baron, Kiina, me. The last two posts and mine would be following this order and we could just continue it now.)

"My name is Adria," the young woman told the man as he introduced himself. She was easing up slightly, and looked to her companion at the end of his speech. "I think we need to discuss this in private before we say anything else." Hopefully Lenoah would agree to at least discuss the issue. Adria was unsure about letting a stranger travel with them, but was still willing to say yes. Lenoah had called the adventure and therefore would have the final say. Adria was also willing to accept this, but wanted a chance to talk it out for a few moments before any decision was made regarding this Nazhir Tzhesad.

Baron Fowling · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Baron Fowling** on Wed Jan 06, 2010 3:38 pm

(Sorry I've been away for a while, I've not really been in a very creative mood. I'm back now!)

Lenoah narrowed her eyes slightly at the traveller who had just introduced himself, but it was something of a front. Nazhir Tzhesad, or so he called himself, was beginning to seem more and more trustworthy. What an odd name, though, neither Adaxian nor Sellecian as far as she could tell... Something to puzzle out later, to be sure. Either way, more would have to be found out before she would trust the man as a travelling companion.

"I know the road quite well, Mr. Thzerad..." replied the young woman, stumbling over the pronunciation only slightly. "I have made the voyage here from there myself." That was only the slightest untruth. "So I feel the most important question to ask is, if you were to accompany us on our journey, what would be your own reason for travelling to Benoixa?" That seemed a fair question. None at the table were naive enough to think that the man would offer to accompany the two of them at the expense of his own plans out of the kindness of his heart, after all. And Adria was right as well, of course, the two of them would need to decide privately whether or not to trust the man. But before that, Lenoah wished to hear more from him.

Kiina · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Kiina** on Tue Jan 12, 2010 1:47 pm

(Urk, my turn to have gone dormant, lol. Sorry!)

"Tzhesad, he corrected mildly. "And as for my reason . . . ." Nazhir smiled, spreading his hands before him. "What other reason do I need than to protect two lovely flowers from harm on what could be a dangerous trek?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he spoke seriously. "My employer - a small-time merchant - operates out of Laren, a small town near Benoixa - I have to go there to receive my next task. Travelling companions would be a matter of coincidence only."

It was, in reality, a technical truth. Nazhir's employer was indeed a merchant operating out of Laren, and Nazhir did indeed have to visit him. What he was a merchant of and what Nazhir had to get from him didn't have to be revealed just now.

Ah Benturo - Chapter I: The Vanishing Act

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