Closed Saving the Innocent

[Claudia Blackwood]

65th of Spring , 515 AV

Claudia stood at the edge of the fortress city of peace. It was another one of those hot days in spring, where the sun was bright and shined relentlessly. She was fully clad in a full set of inner clothing, covered with an outer suit of lamellar armour. She was also equipped with her trusty gladius, and her bow and arrows. She actually had a job to do this time. The fact that she had a job in the first place was quite a lucky thing. She was new to this business, and had no prior experience in this. No one wanted to hire a new-comer with little to no experience when they had better options to choose from. It was pure luck that she got it. She was waiting for her companion who she would do be doing this job with. From what she remembered, he was quite the interesting fellow. Leaning against one of the outer city walls, she thought about how she had even landed this job in this first place.

----

It was just another day without work, and she spent the later part of the morning, sitting in one of the bar stools in the Rearing Stallion, sipping her mug of ale. The ale was nothing special and she seemed to like it even less and less the more she drank it. That was strange as she normally enjoyed her drinks. The air was stuffy, and she felt hot and bothered. Looking for any form of work in Syliras was proving to be a extremely difficult task. The city was taken care of by the knights, and so work for mercenaries were far and few in between. Any other work left for them were usually preferred to be taken up by the more experienced mercenaries with a better resume than a greenhorn like her. Most employers were not about to risk their gold and chances of success to those new to the business. Those that did, were usually very desperate and had no other alternatives, or just simply couldn't afford the better ones. Usually, it was more of a combination than just one of reasons mentioned above. The tavern was relatively quiet, with only a handful of patrons in it. You have those that just sat there chugging or sipping away their ale, and you have those that simply sat there with their companions chatting away. A combination of the two could also be found there as it was another popular activity. The tavern would only get busier and noisier much later into the evening when the rowdy crowds start to come in.

The relative quietness of the tavern was broken as the door swung open loudly. A middle-edged woman came running through. She had look of desperation written all over her face. Her eyes were wide and filled with anxiety and frustration. Her mouth quivered as she swivelled her head around from left to right, surveying the patrons of the tavern. Her worried glance moved from side-to-side as she seem to evaluate and re-evaluate the occupants of the establishment. The woman had attracted Claudia's attention, and her eyes were now fully focused on her, as she shifted her butt on the bar stool, accommodating for the shift in position on her seat. She now sat sideways, with her arms crossed, as she gazed towards the stranger. The woman stopped when she got to the middle of the tavern, positioning herself so that she could see the entirety of the tavern, which was not even half full. The lady finally spoke, and it was in a tone full of despair. "Anyone! Would any kind soul find it in them to help me? My boy was snatched away by a group of bandits. We were on the way home from the Bronze Woods, when we got cornered by bandits. Three of them. Oh my poor boy! Someone please save him! I'll pay you with whatever I have! Please!" The woman continued pleading as she began crying, tears falling down her face in ragged sobs.

Claudia took a quick glance around the tavern as she woman finished speaking. She had managed to grab the attention of almost everyone in the room, but whether that was in her favour or not remained to be seen. She received plenty of stares, but no one spoke. That prompted her to speak once more as she pleaded with more desperation in her voice than her first attempt. "Please! Someone save my darling boy! I'll pay! I'll pay whatever I have." She descended into sobbing once more as her audience continued staring at her. The silence was broken at last as a man sitting a few tables away from her spoke up. "You two went made the trek up to the woods without any protection of any sort? You were just asking for it. Bandits are known to prowl the area, looking out for any easy pickings." Another man then said "Although the knights patrol the area, they can't always be there, and if you can't protect yourself, then you're just looking for trouble." Sounds of agreement were heard within the room, and the crowd seemed to return to what they were doing, and the woman sank to the floor in defeat. None of what was said was any use to her now. What has happened has already happened, and instead of anyone offering to help, the only responses she received was chiding from the two men. She seemed to stare into nothingness as tears continued to flow down her eyes

[Avanze]

Slightly adjusting his scabbard for an easier reach, Avanze looked about, nearing the edge of Syliras. He had donned his armor that, preferring to wear it than go and request a new set. He wanted to stick with his old armor, as this one felt familiar, 'cause it was, and had saved him more than a few times on his conquests.

He was glad to have been in the Rearing Stallion at the time that he was, because the best opportunity had presented itself just as he had thought of ditching the place. He thought back to what had transpired back at the bar as he came upon a female figure leaning against the wall.

~~~~~~

Sitting in a lazy and comfortable position across one of the tavern's chairs, Avanze fingered the rim of his mug of warming ale, paying attention to naught but his Other, whom he was deep in conversation with. He had finally gotten away from his Patron, Naka Hirom, who was steadily worrying about him for no apparent reason.

You should just go and find someone to spar with. Someone that you have a chance of beating, because Naka always kicks your sorry arse. Honestly, you should have let me try to handle her. She wouldn't be able to beat me. This caused Avanze's lips to curve slightly in amusement, thinking back to the time when he had let Etnava have a go at her, but this had only gotten the same result; a few seconds into the spar, he was on the floor, some random part of him hurting and Nake standing above them, telling Etnava what he had done wrong.

Oh, shut up, Avanze. You had more chances at her, and every single time you were also rolling on the floor. Shamefu- Hey, what's wrong with her? Issuing a slightly annoyed sigh at Etnava's small attention span, Avanze lifted his head, looking as a woman of middle age entered the tavern in a loud manner. She looked quite desperate, which caused both Avanze and Etnava to immediately quiet as he watched her intently. Sitting slightly straighter, his mug now totally abandoned, he watched the woman closely. Erm, maybe.... We should... Go get Naka and see what is the matter with her? Ignoring his Other, the blue male observed as the woman walked to the middle of the nearly empty tavern and addressing everyone in a tone that made him sit up even more.

"Anyone! Would any kind soul find it in them to help me? My boy was snatched away by a group of bandits. We were on the way home from the Bronze Woods, when we got cornered by bandits. Three of them. Oh my poor boy! Someone please save him! I'll pay you with whatever I have! Please!" He watched the tears fall from her face as she sobbed. Avanze stared at her, pondering his options. He could either go and get his patron and they could deal with it later, but risk the boy's life, or go and see whats what and possibly go by himself, but risking his own life and the boy's life both. He was about to get up and go get Naka when Etnava gave a mental hiss, telling him to wait a second more.

"Please! Someone save my darling boy! I'll pay! I'll pay whatever I have." This made the Akalak want to forget about Naka and go get the boy himself, but obviously, it wasn't the sensible course of action.

"You two went made the trek up to the woods without any protection of any sort? You were just asking for it. Bandits are known to prowl the area, looking out for any easy pickings," one man commented, another stating right after, "Although the knights patrol the area, they can't always be there, and if you can't protect yourself, then you're just looking for trouble." This brought a multitude of agreements from the other commoners in the tavern, and all of them resumed what they were doing.

"Only the weak and cowardly allow a woman to lose her son without at least offering a bit of help." This, he directed to the entire tavern in a deep, firm voice. He sent a scathing glare at the two men who had reprimanded the woman. The tavern fell silent once more, looking back at the blue man.

"Oh, I don't see you getting up to help her, Akalak. You need to watch that tongue; this isn't Riverfall, boy," said the man who was the first to criticize the woman. Sounds of agreement once again went throughout the tavern, but they had barely started when Avanze stood up, the wooden chair squealing against the floor. He looked at the man, his glare making the guy pale slightly, but not much.

[Claudia Blackwood]

Shortly after the two men who had spoken up finished talking, she noticed that a third voice had added itself to the group. Swivelling her head around to locate the source of the voice, her eyes landed upon an astonishing figure. It was a blue-skinned man. His skin was a shade of admiral blue, topped with a crop of raven coloured hair. He was seated only a few tables away from her. How did she not notice him before? Maybe she had been too into her own boredom to even notice the big blue guy sitting close to her. From what she could see, his features were tight, with a strong jaw and beautifully chiselled facial features. She could not see much of his figure, but by his broad shoulders, she guessed that the pair of broad shoulders was accompanied by an equally toned body. She found him to be quite the peculiar sight. If she remembered correctly from her father's stories, his race was called the Akalaks. He had told her that Akalaks were great fighters and even better warriors, and having one to fight with you would make your life alot easier, and alot more difficult for your enemies. She wondered what he was doing here in the tavern. She didn't tend to see many of his kin in the city, let alone meeting one in the Rearing Stallion. If she was lucky, she would be able to get him to join alongside her in this particular mission to save the boy.

The words he spoke were "Only the weak and cowardly allow a woman to lose her son without at least offering a bit of help." She found herself nodding in agreement to what he had said. But his words did not go unnoticed. One of the two men who had spoken earlier rebutted his statement with "Oh, I don't see you getting up to help her, Akalak. You need to watch that tongue; this isn't Riverfall, boy." Seems like the man wasn't happy, and a fight was brewing, best not to interfere just yet.

Claudia could stand the sight of the poor woman crying no longer anyway. She placed her mug down onto the bar counter and hopped off the stool and began to approach the woman. She then crouched down and began talking to the sobbing mother on the ground. "I'll be willing to help you out, if you would have me. I'm not very experienced in this, but I'll do everything in my power to get your son back." The woman brightened visibly at the sign of hope. She turned a tear-stained face towards her as she answered desperately. "You'll help me? Really? Of course, I'll take any help I can get! I'll pay you once I get back my poor son." She then helped the stricken woman up to her feet, as she walked over to an empty table. It was there that the woman began telling her about how the two of them had made a safe journey to the woods, but got ambushed on the way back. She had described in detail the three bandits, the first was a tall lanky man that looked like a rat, the second was a fat and stout man who looked like a pig, and the third she said, for stopping for a pause. She continued after several ticks. Before continuing and informing Claudia that the third looked like a teenage boy. The boy looked like a mouse, and didn't seem that evil compared to the other two adults. But Claudia had informed the woman that appearances can be deceiving, and not to let yourself be fooled by them.

After the panic-stricken mother had told her story, it was time for Claudia to decide on the next course of action. Now that she had a clear idea on what had happened, it had made things alot clearer. Although she was not a person who planned things often, she felt that she had to do this. It was her first job, and she couldn't afford to screw this one up. She asked the woman where she would be waiting at. The lady had stated that she would be waiting right here, in the tavern, too anxious and worried to do anything else. Claudia went back to her seat at the bar, twiddling her fingers as she thought of a plan. While her skill with her gladius was somewhat decent, the rest of her skills were sub-par. The only other combat skill that was anywhere near decent lay with the longbow. She was nowhere near a skilled enough fighter to take on all three bandits on her own. That would only get her killed. But she wasn't planning on backing down either. No, she wanted to get this done. Not just for herself, but for the poor mother as well.

[Avanze]

Turning away from the man, Avanze started heading for the door, going through his head what he was going to tell Naka. He hoped she would allow him to come if she went to hunt the bandits, but it was unlikely. As he was nearing the door, he heard a female voice speak to the woman. "I'll be willing to help you out, if you would have me. I'm not very experienced in this, but I'll do everything in my power to get your son back." Turning back, he saw a lady crouching next to the mother. From his vantage point, he only saw half of her face. Her tanned skin was one not uncommon in Syliras, but the smooth look of it was. Her features looked soft, delicate, too young to go bandit hunting. Or at least, in his mind she did. He watched the youthful woman for a second, gauging to see if she would allow him to aid her, if she really was going after the bandits. He was slightly good at this, as he had always watched his father to see if he would let Avanze go hunting with him.

"You'll help me? Really? Of course, I'll take any help I can get! I'll pay you once I get back my poor son." Crossing his muscular arms, he tilted his head slightly, watching as the woman took the mother to a table. Walking as silently as he could, which wasn't very quite, he approached the table, listening as the older woman explained the situation to the younger. Three..... I'm sure we would be hard pressed ourselves.... Quieting again to finish listening to the mother, Etnava was already working himself into excitement. He was just blood-thirsty like that.

Listening to the older woman, Etnava sent a snicker at Avanze, remarking upon the mother's descriptions of the bandits. A rat, a pig, and a mouse. A mighty trio.

As the woman's narration came to an end, Avanze stepped back, thinking for a tick. While these bandits sounded like ones that lacked fine gear, appearances, as the young woman told the mother, can be deceiving. He raised a finger to his chin, tapping thoughtfully. The most opponents he had faced were two, one less than the amount of bandits that abducted the boy. He wasn't stupid enough to try his luck against them; that was just inviting Dira to pay him a little visit. Which he'd rather not happen.... Ask the lady if we can tag along. Might be a good way to start developing our fighting style we always talked of. Lakan and fist is all we need. Rolling his eyes, Avanze decided not to respond, though the thought about the unique fighting style had crossed his mind a few times. He watched as the younger lady walked back to a seat at the bar, probably where she had been sitting before.

Just go and ask her, wuss. I'm bored sitting here. This ale is getting warm. Giving a small hmph but nodding slightly at the same time, he started walking towards the bar. As Avanze got closer to the young woman at the bar, he gave a small, respectful nod in her direction, as if saying he was going to approach and speak to her.

He spoke with a deep voice in broken Common, struggling with a few words, "Hail. My name be Avanze, yes. I was.... Thinking.... If might come along, hunt bandit?" As always, his speak was straight, blunt and straight to the point in Common, as he hated sounding rather idiotic when speaking a language he only knew the basics of. Konti was even worse, and he rarely spoke it unless his mother commanded him to. Pulling out a stool next to the young woman, he sat, leaning forward and watching the lady, his grey eyes watching her intently.

[Claudia Blackwood]

As Claudia continued pondering over what she should do next, twiddling her fingers as she went along with her thinking. Her multitude of unsure thoughts were broken by the sound of a deep voice. Turning around, her eyes came to rest upon the muscular figure of the Akalak she had sighted earlier, several tables away. He was standing behind her in a simple black shirt and pants. She had guessed right earlier, the torso that accompanied his broad shoulders were definitely toned and well-muscled. She licked her lips unconsciously at the sight of the body, but quickly shook that thought from her mind. A slight tinge of redness rose to her cheeks. She didn't know the guy, and this was neither the place nor the time for that. The blue man had spoken. "Hail. My name be Avanze, yes. I was.... Thinking.... If might come along, hunt bandit?" His competency with the language, Common, wasn't very good, and he spoke it broken. She could detect a hint of excitement though, not by the words he had said, but by his tone of voice. Shortly after all the staring, he proceeded to move forwards before taking up the seat right next to her.

Now, with the both of them seated, it seems like the staring games had resumed once more. He had promptly began staring at her once more, his grey orbs locked onto her. Her green eyes returned a stare of her own, not wanting to let the stare upon her go unchecked. As she stared, she thought about what the guy had said earlier. First things first. His name was called Avanze, and he wanted to come along to hunt the bandits the lady had mentioned earlier. So he was listening after all. And she didn't had to be the one to approach him after all. That was great. She thought to herself, her mouth spreading into a smile unconsciously.

There was no way at all possible, that she would be able to take on three bandits by herself, with her mediocre skills. She would be extremely glad to have this strong warrior-looking Akalak around. It would dramatically improve both her lifespan as well as the success rate of the mission making it feasible now. His grey eyes stared at her ever so intensely that she felt that she should just say something now to break up the glaring silence between them.

Claudia stretched out an arm over to him for a handshake, and introduced herself. "My name is Claudia. It's nice to meet you Avanze." Regardless of whether he would shake the hand or not, she would then withdraw it and begin to fold her arms, shifting in her seat and she continued speaking. "I would be most delighted to hunt the bandits together with you. I feel that would be very important in having each other to watch our backs." With that said and done, she slid of her stool, getting to the floor in a quick step. Turning around to face Avanze, she remarked "I'll be heading home to prepare and get dressed. There's no way I can fighting bandits just dressed in this." She gestured to her unarmoured self, just dressed in clothing. Even while armed, it would still be a tough fight, let alone being without any armour of any sort. She then continued "I suggest you do the same. Let's meet at the city gates in about thirty chimes, hope you'll be ready by then." There was no point rushing. While time may be of the essence, preparing properly was more important. She was dressed in just a worn white shirt and brown pants. The very same pair she could usually be seen in. She moved towards the exit, leaving the tavern, proceeding to head back towards the room she called home in The Herald's Arms.

As she entered the room in the inn, she began to prepare for the hunt ahead. The excitement was getting ahead of her. This was her first real job, and she could very well die there. But she hoped not. That was why she brought the Akalak along anyway. She had no intention of dying today. The only intention she had was to save the boy from the bandits. She had no qualms about injuring or killing the bandits if it came to that.

Whether she could do it in the first place still remained to be seen. Grabbing her lamellar armour hanging from the side post of her bed, she began to put it on, fitting in tightly before securing it by tying up the respective straps. She tied her gladius in its sheath to her belt. She put on her quiver filled with arrows, and she then slung her longbow behind her back. Now fully armed and armoured, she felt more confident than she was before.

[Avanze]

He stared at her, as if probing her with his eyes, making sure that she wasn't just a false person, like so many in Syliras were. His eyes became slightly narrowed, the change so small it could not be seen unless one was watching just as closely as he was watching her. As her green eyes fell upon his, a ghost of a smile flitted across his lips; he always though when someone returned a stare, it was someone worth fighting next to. Only too many times has he gone into battle with one who hadn't been able to return a simple stare, and each and every time he had, they'd become only a liability. Avanze rather disliked liabilities. A lot.

He watched as the human smiled, wondering if there was anything funny about. He didn't think so, but he never knew what these people were thinking; their thoughts flitted about like little birds, like a lot of other things about them.

"My name is Claudia. It's nice to meet you Avanze." He shook her hand, slightly amused at how his bigger hand almost enveloped her smaller one. He always liked how much bigger he was than most humans, and the feeling was enhanced as he walked around Syliras, with most of the population being human. "I would be most delighted to hunt the bandits together with you. I feel that would be very important in having each other to watch our backs." He watched as Claudia removed herself from the stool, turning back. "I'll be heading home to prepare and get dressed. There's no way I can fighting bandits just dressed in this." As she gestured to herself, Avanze found himself watching her bosom, staring at it, almost. Catching himself before she caught him, he looked back at her eyes, listening to her intently, removing those thoughts to the back of his mind.
Etnava gave a mental chuckle at Avanze, letting his light brother squirm slightly under his multitude of thoughts on the subject.

"I suggest you do the same. Let's meet at the city gates in about thirty chimes, hope you'll be ready by then." He gave a nod, himself sliding easily off the stool, though his feet had been flat on the ground the entire time. He'd have to sneak into the Squire dorms and retrieve his equipment, as he was sure no one would allow him to leave wearing his combat outfit. Especially Naka, his patron. He could sneak in, easy; he'd done so many times. Though, sneaking out while wearing armor was another thing entirely. Hopefully, if he was especially lucky this day, everyone would be out doing their own thing, or at least taking a good nap.

Opening the chest he was assigned next to the bunk he slept in, he shuffled through his folded things, moving his other possessions around so he could get at his combat stuffs. Taking his suit of leather armor, he placed that on the bed, shuffling things a bit more in his chest. Finally finding his back and breast armor, plus his spiked gauntlets, he placed them also on the bed, right next to his lesser armor.

Strapping himself with the leather armor as tightly as he could, he placed the back and breast armor over it, stuffing a bit of his regular clothing in to reduce the sound made from it as he moved. Finally finished with the straps and adjustments, he placed his spiked gauntlets on, a small, savage grin crossing his face. He grabbed his lakan, strapping his sheathe to his armor and sheathing his weapon.

Slightly adjusting his sheathe for an easier reach, Avanze looked about, nearing the edge of Syliras. He had donned his armor that, preferring to wear it than go and request a new set. He wanted to stick with his old armor, as this one felt familiar, 'cause it was, and had saved him more than a few times on his conquests. He headed towards the female figure leaning against the wall, a smile crossing his face as an air of excitement surrounded him. He looked at the scabbard on her hip, raising his eyebrow slightly. He wondered how good she was with that sword, slightly wishing Naka had trained him more with a sword and shield combination, so he could test his proficiency with it. Though, however much he wished, he knew he was best with his Lakan and spiked gauntlets.

"Oi, Claudia. Here me is, ready for fight. You ready, also?" His anticipation for the coming hunt made him temporarily forget his hatred of his basic knowledge of Common, his face set with a rugged grin.

[Claudia Blackwood]

Lamellar armour. It was a suit of armour consisting of hundreds of small metal platelets which are pierced in various locations and laced together into horizontal rows to form the entirety of the armour. These metal platelets were known as lamellae. This was the type of armour her father had adopted in the past when he went adventuring. Unlike plate armour, it did not cover or encase the entire body in a suit of metal, allowing a great freedom of movement for the wearer. It offered adequate protection against slashes, stabs and blunt force trauma. But its weakness lied in that it was not as effective when exposed to piercing or thrusting attacks.

It required a good amount of maintenance, more so than the usual plate armour which was very common in these parts of the country. Accompanying her suit of lamellar armour, she wore a pair of studded metal gauntlets. Her boots were nothing fancy, just an ordinary pair of leather boots. Armed and armoured with all that she had, she left her room, shutting the door and making her way towards the city gates. She had a boy to save, and a mission to complete.

As she made her way to the city gates, she could see that the city of Syliras was as busy as ever. The people in the city were going about their duties, doing as they pleased, with the ever watchful eyes of the knights patrolling and standing guard in the city streets and walls. As she got closer to the city walls, she could see ever-present line of people waiting to enter and exit the city. The line entering the city was a lot longer and moved alot slower, as the knights wanted to make sure that all that entered posed no trouble and brought no harm to anyone in the city. She joined the end of the line that was exiting the city. It didn't take too long before she came to the head of the line.

Checking her credentials and giving her the green light to proceed, she was promptly waved to move forward, and she did so, exiting the city gates. Leaning against one of the outer city walls near the gates, she waited for her companion to show up. The big blue Akalak who would be instrumental in the success of her mission. She still could not believe her luck that he had wanted to join her to hunt these scum before she had even asked him. Definitely a stroke of luck, for sure. She flipped a coin into the air, catching it as it fell, before repeating it over and over while she waited.

Her hair was tied up in his usual ponytail, with her bangs kept clear of her face, to prevent any obstruction that might affect her during the mission. She suddenly felt a presence beside her, and slowly turned her head to the side. The person she was waiting for, Avanze was finally here. She saw him surveying her, looking her up and down several times. She wondered what he was thinking about. Similarly, she returned the gaze, looking back at him. He was dressed in a suit of leather encased with a metal back and breast armour. His gauntlets were spike as opposed to her studded ones. Despite the simple yet sturdy armour he wore, he looked strong. Maybe it was just his muscular build.

He then spoke. "Oi, Claudia. Here me is, ready for fight. You ready, also?" She then saw him grin, which prompted a similar grin of her own. "Ey there Avanze, here you are indeed! I'm ready. As ready as I'm going to be." Placing a hand on his broad shoulders to give him a light pad, she said "Off we go then!" before giving him a playful wink. No reason why they can't have a little fun before the serious stuff starts. She then started to walk over, waiting for him to follow alongside. The pair would then head north, walking towards the expanse of the Bronze Woods. The forest was a rather magical place. Not magical in the magic sense, but one could seem to feel an ethereal presence when one was within its forests.

Claudia was no stranger to the Bronze Woods, having been there plenty of times in the past. While she has not been to most of the woods, she has been into quite a number of the outer areas of the woods. She had an inkling of where the trio might be. Carrying a child and wandering around the woods aimlessly would not be such a good idea, and so she deduced that they would probably stop at the Bronze Watchtower which was nestled within the woods of the forests. She had never been to that area, but she had heard plenty of stories about the tower.

[Avanze]

Smiling lightly at his new companion, Avanze returned her wink, a slight humming resonating from his throat. It was rather deep, like the purring from a really big, really contented cat. He hadn't hummed in quite awhile; he never had a reason to. Usually, he only hummed when he was either happy, excited, or nervous, though sometimes a combination of both. Like this time, he was all three. Slightly happy because she had allowed him to come with her, though happy nonetheless. Excited because, well.... Who wouldn't be excited when they were off to some unknown place to hunt bandits? Well, the place was unknown to him. He wasn't sure about Claudia, who might've been everywhere around the Sylira Region, or might have never been anywhere but Syliras.

Which was the cause of nervousness, the probability that they were heading somewhere neither of them had any knowledge of. That, and the fact that he was going to hunt bandits. He never hunted anyone before, ever. Except a Zith. That was good fun, though he had almost perished horribly because his lack of skill. While he was thinking of his hunt and how it had almost lead or failure because all he knew was how to use a Lakan, which was only good in close quarters, this only made him want to choose a weapon to gain Master of, other than his awesome looking dagger. Hrm, maybe I should get Naka to teach me to use a longsword and tower shield.... She is rather good with them. Probably would help better..... Shrugging to himself, he placed his palm on the hilt of his Lakan, gripping it slightly in his gauntlet clad hand.

Walking by her side but slightly behind her, as he had no idea where to go, he followed her, watching her as she walked. Looking away, he mock-busied himself with tightening his armor straps, before looking about at their current position.

Humming a bit more, setting Etnava's nerves on edge, as his Other hated any sort of music. Can you please, PLEASE, stop that mutilated humming?!?! Sounds like a cat fell into a bush and got attacked by a screeching squirrel thing. Smiling slightly at the dark brother's response, a tad happier that he had annoyed Etnava, he looked around, smelling the fresh air glad to be away, even partly, from the disgusting smelling city known as Syliras.

He looked back at his leader, the mercenary known as Claudia.... Well, at least he thought she was a merc. Not many people took up these kind of jobs, except Knights and Mercenaries. He bit his bottom lip, wondering if she would welcome small talk as they headed towards their destination. "So, Claudia. You born Syliras, yes, he asked in politeness, as he had no other idea what to talk about. Talk about flowers and sunshine, you oaf, Etnava jested, poking slightly at Avanze in fun.

[Claudia Blackwood]

The walk along the Northern Kabrin road was a pleasant one. They were more than halfway there and it had been a smooth journey so far. They were unharassed by both man and animals alike. She attributed it to the fact that she had a tall and muscular blue man beside her. People tended not the mix with Akalaks whenever they could. They were renowned to be great warriors, and even your common bandit knew better. Well, the smart ones at least. The stupid ones engaged anyway, regardless of what they knew. Of course it helped that she was fully armoured and armed herself, too. She may look weak to most men, but she was alot tougher than people might think.

The blue guy, otherwise known as Avanze, hummed for quite a portion of the journey, his tone was deep and consistent, sounding somewhat like one might expect from a rather large cat. Though, his skills weren't impressive by any means, she was not one to judge, hers not any better either. Still, it was better than the silence the accompanied the two of them as they made their way to the Bronze Woods. He looked happy. She on the other hand, was a mixed bag of nerves and excitement. Although she had an idea on what to expect, from what the woman had told her about the bandits, meeting them in person was a whole different ball game.

She rested a hand on the hilt on her gladius, trying to keep her mind away from the nerves. Getting nervous before combat was not good, as nerves tend to affect performance. There was a pretty high chance that the trio will resist and not want to hand over their prisoner. She might have to injure or even kill them if they attacked her. She had no plans of dying today. Getting nervous during a fight was akin to purchasing an express ticket to death. Walking as she pondered, suddenly she realised that Avanze was no longer beside her. Turing her head slightly to look for him, she saw him right behind her, staring at her.

As her eyes met his, his eyes quickly diverted elsewhere as he began to start fiddling with the straps on his armour. Claudia said nothing, simply turning her head back front and grinning to herself. Was he checking her out? Who knows? She thought she had caught a glance of him briefly looking downwards before meeting her eyes. She wasn't that surprised, after all Holland had once paid compliments to her tush. She finally said something, aiming to tease him a little. "I hope you like what you see."

A short while later, Avanze spoke again, this time posing her a question, no doubt trying to make small talk. She had no problems with that, in fact she liked it being the social butterfly she was. He said "So, Claudia. You born Syliras, yes" She slowed down and stopped until the two of them were level again alongside one another, then she flashed him one of her adorable bright smiles. "Yes, I was born in Syliras. You? I bet you're from Riverfall. I guess all Akalaks are born there. I like being born in Syliras. It can be rather stuffy most of the times, but I also like how safe it is. I don't have to worry about getting mugged whenever I take a walk in streets, or when I go to the markets to buy stuff." It was too long later that the pair arrived at the edge of the Bronze Woods. She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Avanze. "So, ready to get the boy back?"

[Avanze]

"I hope you like what you see." Avanze looked down in slight embarrassment, his cheeks taking on a blue-purple hue as blood rushed to his face. He gave a small cough as if to clear his throat, though he didn't need to. He idly wondered what she thought of him now, seeing as he had been caught. Oi, who cares?!?! Keep focused, you lily-livered weakling! Or I'll knock some focus into you. Avanze rolled his eyes at that, his lips twitching as if he were about to smile. Oh, and how will you knock sense into me? You're not in control of anything, petcher.... Etnava gave a mental shrug, before letting loose a powerful stream of random thoughts about focus. He did actually have more than one would think is possible; a lot more, in fact. Soon, Avanze had a headache, which prompted him to focus a little more.

"Yes, I was born in Syliras. You? I bet you're from Riverfall. I guess all Akalaks are born there. I like being born in Syliras. It can be rather stuffy most of the times, but I also like how safe it is. I don't have to worry about getting mugged whenever I take a walk in streets, or when I go to the markets to buy stuff." He nodded, knowing what she meant. In Syliras, the Knights kept all of that down. He briefly wondered how other cities were keeping hold of crime and all; he knew Sunberth was a haven for criminals, but nothing on the other cities. Did they all have a small army or something? Law enforcement? Only a passing thought in his mind, before he answered her small question. "Aye, born Riverfall. Only know Akalak in Riverfall, me do. None no place else..." He briefly wondered why that was; why hadn't he seen any Akalak on his journey to the fortress of peace? It seemed a little odd. He'd think that some of his kin would be around somewhere other than home, trying to find mates and the like.

Claudia's next question brought him back from his thoughts. "So, ready to get the boy back?" He gave a small nod, affirming, though he commented, because he had more thoughts on it. "Yes. Are you? I can not wait see faces of bandits, hit where it hurts. They not take other kiddies we finish dealing with them," he said, about to bring his fist to his palm in emphasis. As he was about to, Etnava yelled Oi, stop! What do you think you're doing?!? Trying to lose a hand on the way there? Avanze looked down at his fist, remembering what kind of gauntlets he had on once he saw them again. That was quite close; it wouldn't have been very good if he had stabbed himself on the way to hunt bandits.... At least, he thought it was... Maybe faking an injury would make them try to abduct them, and it would be easier to know if all three bandits were around and where the kid was... Though, stabbing himself with spiked gauntlets wasn't really a nice idea.... Nor was it faking an injury, to be honest.... Unless you were marked by Gnora, which he wasn't.

He looked around, his eyes falling upon a hint of building far into the distance. He didn't know there were any settlements around in the woods; nor did he know there were any ruins, if that what it was. He could only see a little part of it from where he was standing, and it seemed to be a good long walk to it. Still a good amount of time before they entered the danger zone, he thought. Ambushes weren't that helpful when trying to get a lost boy back.

Before he got there, though, he wanted to learn a bit more about his companion. He looked at her, studying her face a little. He hummed a little more, thinking of a question he could ask so he could learn more about her without prying into her past; it was quite rude to do so, at least in his mind. In Etnava's though, rude was always good. Ask if she likes men, or is into women. His brow furrowed, Avanze grunted in annoyance. Of course, he wasn't going to do what he says. Who does that? Etnava was like a little evil person on Avanze's shoulder, always telling him to do wicked things. An often ignored evil creature, yes, but one nonetheless. "So, Claudia. You come often to woods? I has never been far away before." He nodded, glancing back at the little bit of tower. He wondered if that was where they were, hiding in the place.... Or just wandering around about, waiting for the unlucky passerby.