Chapter Text
Standing behind the bar of the Nine Shrines: Adventures and Dines Aesling swept a rag lightly across the wooden surface, while, Markus, one of her companions in adventuring sat across from her. His one hand propping his head while the other gestured animatedly as he talked. She, of course, want listening to a word he said.
This was a fairly familiar scene. The group had taken to role-playing scenarios one would see in a normal bar to pass the times they had no customers or adventures to embark upon, of which there were many. In this instance, The Great Markus Valafi, was playing the role of talkative patron. Unloading all his worldly woes, most of which were fabricated for the sake of the exercise, onto an inattentive Ashe who had fallen into the role of barkeep but was in reality trying to rid the bar of the months with of dust it seemed to have collected in only a few short hours.
As if coming answering Ashe's prayers the door of the Nine Shrines swung open and put a stop to the tieflings tragic ramblings.
"Uh! Hello!" Ashe called to the stranger, still finding herself startled when someone they didn't recognize entered the bar.
"Hello." The man returned the greeting with much less enthusiasm. He's a tall blond, long hair pulled into a purposefully messy ponytail, and clad in a neatly trim black and blue three price suit.
He surveyed the bar with a look somewhere between disinterest and disgust.
"Um." Marcus shared a glance with Ashe before jumping down from his seat with a flourish. "What can we help you with today at The Nine Shrines: Adventures and Dines? Pick your poison. We've got it all!" He said cheerily as he made he way behind the bar. Briefly, he tried to move Ashe aside. She didn't budge, but let him try for a moment before stepping back herself.
The mans eyes snapped to them and he suddenly seemed to remember why be was there. "I've been told I can hire... Mercenaries here?" He trailed off near the end as if unsure.
"We're not mercenaries, exactly." Ashe chimed in. "We're adventurers."
"Who take cash." Markus added helpfully.
"Right." The man seemed unconvinced and maybe a little unimpressed.
"I'll, uh, I'll go get Thog." Ashe hurried off to round up Thog and Gregor, leaving Markus alone with their newest client.
"Can I get you a drink while we wait?" Markus offered, attempting to lighten the heavy and uncomfortable atmosphere.
"I don't drink." The man said coldly, blatantly eyeing Markus's horns.
"Okay." Markus conceded, briefly before trying again. He was determined to be a good host despite this man's refusal to be hosted. "Something to eat then? A snack, maybe?" They didn't actually have much by way of food at the Nine Shrines but he was confident he could make something... Edible, or at least his imps could.
"Alright!" A deep, assertive voice boomed from the back of the bar. "What's the gig?" Thog marched across the bar with Ashe and a slightly damp Gregor trailing behind him. Markus muttered a small ' oh thank gods' as they approached, glad to no longer be the target of their guests intense gaze.
The man suddenly seemed to wilt, his shoulders dropped and his eyes grew worried. "It's my fiancé. There's a small market town near our own she often travels to. But recently the forest has become overrun with monsters and she's been gone much longer then usual. I'm worried that she cannot return or that, maybe she tried..."
"And you want them," Thog jabbed thumb towards his team. "To go see what why can find." He paused. "And what are you payin'?"
"Thog!" Markus gasped, apparently aghast. "The love of this mans life has gone missing in a den of monsters-"
"Ten thousand." The man interrupted bluntly. "Each."
"Oh yeah, we'll take that for sure." Markus, dropping the act.
Thog raised a brow. "Each." He repeated slowly. "And how many of 'em you want?"
The man shrugged. "As many as you deem necessary." He said. "Money isn't an object here."
Thog paused and seemed to think for a moment. "Kier! Get in here!"
A series of thumps and a crash sounded from somewhere in the back of the bar before a slightly disheveled engineer popped into view. "What's up!? What's happening!? Is it the hug machine, is it extorting people again!?"
"You're going on adventure." Thog
"Oh! Okay!" He pauses a moment suddenly growing concerned. "…What kind of adventure?"
"We're going to help this poor soul get the love of his life back!" Marcus said, dramatically swooning before giving a real explanation. "It's basically an escort mission. We find the girl we bring her back. Easy!" He flashes a thumbs up.
"Oh!" Keir cheers a bit. "That doesn't sound super deadly at all! I'm in!"
"He did say there would be monsters." Ashe pointed out.
Keir waved the comment off. "Pfft! Monster are nothing! I'm in!'
With that settled Thog took a few moments to draw up the contract going over what each member of his team would be receiving by the end and the perimeters that must be met for a mission complete. Most everyone was more then happy to take the money though Markus couldn't help but inquire about any magical artifacts they might come across.
"It's a simple trek through the forest." The man replied, unimpressed. "It's a days journey at worst."
"That doesn't matter." Thog stated blandly. "These guys are very good at finding magical bullshit. If there's magic, or bullshit, anywhere near them. They'll find it."
"It's true!" Markus exclaimed.
"It's like a super power." Gregor offered and the others muttered their agreement.
It was agreed Markus would be allowed to keep any magical bullshit he might obtain while under contract.
"So this girl. Uhm. You're Fiancé." Ashe started, once the contracts had been squared away. "What exactly are we looking for?"
"Oh! Yes." The man suddenly seemed to jump to attention from his daze of disinterest. "She shouldn't be very hard to find. She's tall. Very tall. 6 feet?" He stops to think for a moment. "Easily. She also wears a bear pelt. Loves the silly thing. Takes it everywhere. And she has… the most beautiful white hair." He pauses, his eyes drift over Aesling. "Much like yours."
"Okay…" Ashe, desperate to put his attention elsewhere, pushed for more. "Anything else?"
"Yes." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "She has a tattoo. On her shoulder. Proudly displayed. You'll see it." He unfolds the paper and shows them a meticulously drawn but simple image of what appeared to be tombstone with a circle in the center with two small triangles pointing to the north and south.
"Ah." Markus reached out and took the paper. "A tattoo, huh? This is interesting. As you can see Aesling here prefers a more tribal influence herself."
Ashe rolls her eyes.
"I can see." The man muttered. "I would love to stay, and await your news with baited breath," He started as he stood. "I do have affairs to tend." Form his coat he pulled a crystal from his coat. "There is a wizard in our village. He uses these crystals to send and receive messages. Please let me know when you've found her."
"So, and I might be wrong here, I'm not real good at reading people." Kier started once he'd left and Thog had set about making their travel arrangements off the isle. "But was that guy a little… Skeevy, right? He was Skeevy?"
"Oh thank gods." Ashe sighed, slumping in her seat. "You noticed that too. I though it was just me."
"Yeah." Markus agreed, though he seemed distracted by the image of the tattoo.
"Is it magic?" Gregor asked. "You're making the 'I taste magic' face."
"See?!" Keir started. "There's a face! I told you there was a face!"
"Hmmm. Well."
"Yeah?" Ashe urged.
"I did notice our new client was just drenched in magic. Tons of it. Just getting everywhere. All over the floor and the bar. Real messy actually."
"Wait. For real?" The Guardian furrowed her brow. Markus nods. "Then why does he need us to fight a bunch of monsters for him?"
Markus shrugged. "Maybe doesn't have very good offensive magic." Gregor offered. "Maybe all he can do is like… turn plants into mice, but he can doing it really well."
"That's always a possibility." The tiefling mused. "I also noticed." He help up the paper. "Is a Necromantic symbol."
Gregor's eyes narrowed while Ashe and Keir stared blankly. "Necromancer's aren't really around anymore, are they?" The outrider asked.
"Well, people still practice it sometimes. But Necromancer's like this." He motions to the paper. "Like form the stories. No ones heard from them for years." Markus shrugged. "But this is definitely one of theirs. What it means it beyond me. But it's Necromancy alright."
"I'm sorry." Ashe cut in. "Necromancers?"
"Thanks." Keir muttered, bumping Ashe with his shoulder. "I didn't wanna look dumb if I was the only one who wasn't following."
"Do you two not- You don't know what Necromancers are?" Markus asked, slightly baffled. "But really, by now I shouldn't be surprised. Necromancers-"
"Necromancer's are evil magic users who steal your soul and add your corpse to their army of the dead!" Gregor interrupted.
"What?!" Ashe cried. "Steal your soul?! They can't do that! Can they?!"
"I didn't sign up for soul stealing!"
Markus held up his hands to quite everyone. "That is… what some of the stories say, yes. BUT!" He pushed forward before Ashe and Keir could start up again. "There's no definitive proof of that. It's all… he said she said type of rumors. Boogeyman stories, really. No ones seen a Necromancer for a long time and there are no documented incidents of soul stealing." He paused before adding. "That I know of."
"That you know of." Gregor added.
"So… No soul stealing?" Kier asked. Clearly worried.
"No… Probably."