A Hunter's Mark - Chapter III

Tanythe finished the majority of his minor wounds, the bruises on his back, his slit-open hand, until he was down to one. It was the dislocated leg. A huff of breath escaped his lips, and he grabbed a rag from his fallen foe, biting down on it. He popped his leg back in after a second, grunting in pain before slumping back down to the floor. He slowly got up, leaning against the stone wall for support, then opening the door with his new-found weapon. "Yeah... I think Luciea is against us now," He wiped his mouth, and handed the shotel to Pergos. "there, I don't do curved swords,"
"Holy shit, the hell happened to you, Tanythe?" Colette asked, readying a healing spell if needed, as she stepped closer.
"No no, I'm fine, don't waste it on me." He assured her, waving up a hand in defiance. "What we should be doing though, is trying to head after Lady Luciea and Valarys. They're heading to that manufacturing place, right? We can find out where it is exactly, she probably has a patron that knows," He continued going on, thinking out loud about where they should head to now.
"You done? That guy probably didn't come alone, whatever you two are doing, I'm heading off." Pergos sighed, saying goodbye to Serena, then heading off down the corridor. The two left shared a small glance, as Tanythe got to walking away. "Are you coming with me? Or do you plan on staying here for a while longer?" The half-elf asked, folding his arms whilst his friend rolled her eyes and jogged on over.
"Yeah yeah, always in a damn hurry." Colette continued with her ally down the hall, soon meeting up with Børrn, who was making sure the golems from his last fight would not return back to life. Upon noticing his friends, his face lit up, unable to be seen due to his mask though, and he'd walk towards the exit. "Are we leaving? Where to?"
"East. I think we should use those horses again, and not forget them, like last time!" Tanythe glared to Pergos, who raised his hands in defence.
"Hey, it's not my fault if our Yuan-Ti contact got hungry!" He chuckled afterwards, and the group of four got out onto the street once more. "East-wing gateway, we'll meet up there in ten minutes, right?" Tanythe glanced to the others, who all nodded in unison.

With that, the half-elf hung his bow behind him, grabbing what little gold he had left. "hmph... only 7 left." He jogged passed groups of people, pulling down his cowl and mask as a small shudder occurred, thanks to the cool breeze hitting his skin for the first time. He travelled to the food market, seeing many items on display. One caught his eye, and Tanythe went to investigate. "Crab-apples... hmmm..." He glanced up to the merchant, passing over a single gold piece, and getting a bag of them in return. He did the same with some sort of batter mix, and other necessary supplies. After finishing up, he had one last look at the town, and got to the gateway of the town. Just beforehand, however, he travelled over to a small well, using the bucket to fill his flask. Whilst he did so, he saw a kid on the other end, jumping as high as she possibly could, to reach the rope. "Hey, Kid, here," He pulled down the refilled bucket, next to her. The kid's face lit up, and she poured it's contents out into a smaller bucket.
"Thank you, Mister Hero!" She did a small bow, and then ran off with the bucket, which countered her weight. She seemed used to it though. From the small interaction, it gained a chuckle from the hunter, and he put his cowl and hood back on, finishing his small travel to the gateway.
Once he had gotten there, he saw he was last to arrive at the gateway. "Thanks for waiting for me, now, you guys got our horses back, right?" Pergos gave a nod, and climbed up onto one.
"See? I can make sure these guys get to our destination safely!" He smirked, and Colette hopped onto the other.
"well done, you must be so proud of that skill." She rolled her eyes, and watched as Børrn chained himself to the two horses, beginning to lead the way. "Looking at the map... it seems like we can keep going this way for the next couple hours, then we can look for some guide, maybe." She thought aloud, putting her glaive on the side of her horse.
"Where about, though?" Tanythe took out his map of the Northern Plains, crossed out locations dotting across the map. "How about... Mawtron Fort? or Cinyamairg? Hell... even Castle Granairg! Those are the only ones that still allow us on their grounds, of course Morden's friend owns the Fort, it's up to you three." Tanythe put the map back, and would pull out his bow, suspicious on if they'd be attacked by any other assassin, despite being in open fields of potatoes, without any space for an enemy to encounter them.
"Hey, bud. You can let your guard down for just a while, you know," Pergos called over, twirling his new weapon around his hand.
"Last time I did that, my hand got slit open, so I'd rather not," He huffed, attaching his bag to the side of his horse, as he kept watching the landscape. With a glance back to the town they came from, Dallbert, he saw that a few of the guards were staring in their direction, which he found quite odd. Børrn would take in a deep breath of the fresh air, a rare occurrence that he'd savour for as long as he was travelling.

Whilst on their travels, the four mercenaries had found themselves traversing simple fields, of different resources. Wheat, fruit, and other regular items, some that Tanythe would take so that they could have some more food. Soon these easy-going fields would disappear, replaced with more barren grounds. "You know guys, I don't really mind doing this! I know it can be hard sometimes... but Børrn likes to help friends!" The cultist exclaimed, before losing his footing next to a large hole in the ground.
"Hey! You okay, bud?" Pergos called over, hopping off of his horse as he jogged to his ally's side. He checked for any cuts, and then peered down the pit's contents. "wow, this going goes in deep, you're lucky that you didn't fall in!" He chuckled, before looking around. Taking one long step across the path, he grabbed a large stone, heaving it over before dropping it in. It fell... going on and on... until it made contact with the ground, the echo sending shudders to the thief. "Looks like there's something precious in there, too!" He cried out, over to Colette and Tanythe. A golden, dim light could be seen surrounded by the vicious darkness, with a low echo reaching the adventurers.
"You seriously thinking about going down there?" Colette asked, trotting on over.
"Well, we can get rich because of this! Or more rich, I suppose," The man set down his bag, uncoiling the rope on the side of it. "Big guy, hold this, thanks." He tossed over one end, before tying the other to his leather armour. "Don't worry, I'm only like... 60 kilograms, you could throw me with one arm," He assured the giant, before leaning back, until he fell into the pit.
"You see anything down there?" Tanythe called out, glancing down to see Pergos fade into the darkness around him. He readied an arrow in the correct place of his bow, biting down on the fletching, as he readied his crossbow in his other hand.
"It's dark as Carceri down here, but I'm getting much closer! just extend the rope a bit!" An echoed voice reached the other three, and Børrn lowered down more and more rope. "Wait... hold on... there's something down here!" He cried out, and a few groans could be heard, Tanythe ready to fire both of his projectiles.

Pergos felt his side get bitten into, and he slashed at whatever it was, as it flew off, circling the man as his foot grazed the magical item. An arrow fired by Tanythe had ignited as it hit the cave's walls, and Pergos saw the slender, cylindrical body of a Couatl. "Shit!" He brandished his new weapon, and began to throw it in directions, returning it to his hands soon after. Blind fighting isn't within the man's skills, and the light of the strange treasure didn't shine bright enough. "Bring me outta here, quick! Quick quick quick quick!!!!" He desperately cried out. He tugged on the rope a couple times, and Børrn would panic, beginning to pull him back up to the surface. His palms kept a firm hold, and with each pull, Pergos came up further and further. Upon looking back down, he had noticed the treasure disappeared, and instead was trailing the celestial's movements. "Your greed has devoured your soul, child. Let me purify it." A voice echoed, and soon, the tugging of Pergos' rope ended, followed by it loosening, and the Couatl would swoop out of the hole in the ground, coated in bright colours, with the rope handing from it's maw. "It ate the poor guy, don't let go, big guy!" Tanythe yelled, firing an onslaught of arrows to it, as the giant dug his feet into the ground, the creature trying to fight against his brute force. Colette got behind her half-elven friend, and would emit a beam of light onto his quiver. "that should take it down, Tanythe." She said, brandishing her glaive in preparation for conflict.
"Thank you, only one shot's needed, though." He gave a smirk, rushing up, past Børrn. "Are you losing grip, friend?" He gave a glimpse to the man, seeing his footing weaken. "give it a second, I need to line this shot..." Tanythe took a deep breath, glancing back at Colette to make sure she was ready as well. He then fired the shot.

The target struck the ground, and Børrn's footing found itself again, as he swung the rope overhead, bringing the Couatl down into the ground. Lunging forward, Colette struck her enemy with her polearm, and dragged it across the body of the celestial. With that, Pergos managed to slip out, coated in a purplish blood. With a huff, he sliced off the tail of the creature, which tried to coil around the two. Screams of the ancient creature echoed from the nearby cave, as it barged into the two, sending them a couple paces away. With it's wings damaged, it slowly fluttered in the air, not enough space between the party as Tanythe would ready a spell. A fleet of vines, thorny all over, would entangle around the creature, bringing it to the ground. Pergos would toss his shotel into the air, diving underneath a set of vines, under the legs of Børrn before shoving his hand into the Couatl. "You have no idea what this'll do, pathetic adventurers!" A howl came from the celestial, as Pergos simply smirked.
"I know, but I can't wait to find out," He activated his shotel, it returning to his hand, through the Couatl's head. It died on the spot. "Hell yeah! That was great." He got up, wiping off some of the blood on both his outfit, and his weapon.

A few moments later, everyone had collected themselves, seeing that the main path was now blocked off by their fallen enemy. "So... should we take stuff from it?" Børrn asked, tilting his head as he walked towards the body of the creature. He began to examine it, wondrous thoughts entering his head. Tanythe thought for a moment, and then jogged to the tail that was severed. He took out his hunting knife, and began to sever the magical item from it. "aren't Couatl's good creatures? And green?" He began to scrape off some of the outer layers of skin, soon finding a darker, crimson layer. "Hmm... Colette, you're the celestial geek, mind filling me in?" She took a deep breath, and walked over, getting on her knees, poking the skin. "it's boiling hot... this thing might've been a fiend, modified by a devil, probably." She ran her glaive along it's skin, scooping some of of it off.
"Hmm... it doesn't explain this thingy though," Tanythe looked to the treasure on the tail, soon ripping it off. "seems to be an artifact," He began to examine it, a sphere with movable ridges in it.
"Could I try it out?" Colette asked, extending her gloved hands. Tanythe thought for only a mere moment, before handing it over.
"Tell me if you find out anything, we can sell a lot of this crap in the next trading port," He offered, getting back to harvesting anything of importance.

Pergos and Børrn were dragging the main slab of celestial carcass off of the route, about to dump it into the same hole as before. "What does big snake taste like?" Børrn asked, ripping off a chunk of it's skin to look at the raw meat.
"You can take some, if you want, it's not like it'd mind!" Pergos laughed, leaning against the creature's body. Børrn would take a bite out of it, chewing for a few moments. "it's pretty good! Probably needs cooked... I think..." He mumbled, spitting it out after a few moments.
"Alright, get to cutting then, big guy," Pergos took a breath, and began harvesting more parts as well. A few minutes later, they had taken anything of use, before Børrn kicked down the body back into the hole. "There! That wasn't bad!" He declared, putting the meat into his backpack.

Each of the party members packed up their new supplies, securing them to their own horses, and they got back onto the road. "So, that snake thing, how'd you know so much about it?" Pergos turned himself around, facing Colette.
"I'm sorry?" She averted her gaze, fixated on all of the small things they found along the road.
"Cowtels, whatever they are called," He murmured, getting handful of water from his flask to clean off his face. Colette returned his murmuring with a glare, huffing.
"They are called Couatls. They're usually patrons for temples. Basically, angels but weaker." She bluntly stated, glancing between the others.
"Right, and how come you know so much about them?" He asked, more out of curiosity at this stage, instead of to make conversation.
"I just know a lot about them." Colette replied, her arms crossed soon after. She'd bring out a book, similar to Tanythe's on the Blight. "I started reading this, back in Ebermold. Just a hobby, but it's come in handy. Especially for worshipping. It makes for a good way to kill time at night," She had flipped to a chapter, with an illustration of the mighty couatl, spiralled around a singular, lone mountain.
"Who made it? You can try to get it signed?" Tanythe offered, remembering her exhaustion of the nights before. "Must be reading it a lot, too," He commented at the end, to which he was given a minor glare, before Colette focused once more on the path ahead of them. "Anyways... Pergos. That lady, Serena. You can't be serious about her, can you? I mean, you still haven't ended it with Beckah, Irina, or Maeta, even," Tanythe turned his gaze over to him.
"Your point? I'm just saying... if it means we can get a discount, or extra information, then that I will keep. Plus, I can't go break their hearts, I'd feel awful!" He defended himself with, rubbing a hand against the back of his head.
"Right, or, like the rest of us, you get information in a sensible way, with proper informants. Speaking of informants, I'd like to stop by one later,"
"Why? Serena told us everything we need to know!"
"She could've, but come on, she was a maid, one of the dozens for Lady Luciea. She didn't even know too much, or even that an assassin was just a few rooms over," Tanythe huffed, crossing his arms from Pergos' defending of the not so useful lady. Upon hearing their arguments, Børrn turned around his armoured head. He stopped in his tracks, the horses stopping soon after.
"There was an assassin? Did he have that sword that little guy has?" The giant pointed to Pergos' new shotel, to which he was given an affirmative nod.
"Pretty nifty, ain't it? I'm lucky that Dimir's House already gave me a wrist-piece, or else it'd be useless," The rogue tossed his magical weapon high in the air, before it returned to his hand without hesitation.
"Woah.... I wish I had something like that! Imagine if these chains can just go anywhere..." Børrn fantasised of the idea for a few moments, whilst getting back on track, still dragging the other horses down the pathway.

After their long travel, through day and night, and night and day, the group had found themselves at a hamlet on the coast of a river. It had a sign, stating they only had ten miles to go until Castle Granairg. Although, Tanythe would hop off of his horse and disconnect it from Børrn. "What's wrong? We need to get there as soon as possible, Tanythe," She stated, crossing her arms in a mixture of annoyance and intrigue. Tanythe pulled down his cowl, and smelt the air around them. Wandering over to the stream, he cupped a handful of the fresh water, before throwing it onto a patch of dirt. Giving himself a few moments, he turned to face the others.
"Even though we need to be quick, we also don't want to die in a storm. Lets settle down here, I'm sure we can hold out some shelter from compassionate fishers, right?" He offered, wiping his hand on his cloak to dry it. Once they found a stable, they put their horses inside and Tanythe would lull them to sleep using a spell. "alright, there's no chance on them running, lets find somewhere now," He took a stretch, hoping over the fence as the rain would come on, just as he predicted. To the last second. "see? I told you it'd be a storm, now quick, it's too cold to loiter near this," He led the way, for once, as the other three followed suit. Each door they went to wouldn't budge. Even with lights inside, they were given no refuge. "Great, so not only are we out of a shelter, but also Luceia could be half way across the continent at this rate, all because of this storm, thanks a lot, Elderwhisk," Colette smacked Tanythe across the back of the head, and then would storm off.
"I wouldn't go too far if I were you," A voice called, out into the rain. It came from a house. "Come on, you'll be more soaked if I don't let you in!" She cried out, a door swinging open. With no other option presented, the four would go inside. Pergos seemed a bit resistant to it all, before he got grabbed by his hand by Colette, and swung inside.

A decorated, yet small home was presented to the group. A small bed was tucked in the corner, which this lady was sitting on. "Thank you for the... ahem... accommodation, but we don't want to cause you trouble. You see, we'r-" Pergos got interrupted, pushed aside by Tanythe.
"I'm sorry for him, he doesn't know how to be grateful at times," Tanythe cleared his throat, taking off his hood and mask. "I'm Tanythe, we're just passing by, we promise," He extended his hand, for her to shake.
"Tinka. Tinka Kirkwill," She took his hand, and put on her round glasses. She then sunk into a padded, wooden chair. "if there's not enough space, I can always clean out the basement. Especially for the big guy," Tinka stepped over to a trapdoor, lifting it up as a ladder sprung out.
"Why are you doing this? You're just... letting us bunk here? Without anything in return?" Pergos asked, worried on if there was a catch. To be fair, that is what Pergos was often exposed to, he couldn't help but ask it to the townswoman.
"No no, nothing it return, I promise," She smiled, delving into the basement. She activated the small button on the side of the ladder, as the room lit up dimly. There was a mattress, and a few chests with minor supplies in them. "its not much, but hopefully you enjoy it," Børrn landed down with a thud, and walked over to the mattress.
"Thanks, Miss! It is much softer than old hay bed," He sat down on it, removing the gauntlets he had on. "Can you turn off the light?" He called over, hunching his back as his helmet landed into the stone ground, part of it wedged in it. Before he could turn, the light turned off, and Børrn laid down on the mattress, sighing with relief. Meanwhile, upstairs, the other three would get more acquainted with their host. "So, Kirkwill. A decently sized house, with just you in it? Forgive me, but it seems quite strange," Colette commented, taking off her armour. Tinka took a small breath, and glanced to a picture on a desk.
"Just Tinka, no formalities, please. This house, it was my brother's, I got it in his will, 2 months ago," She exclaimed, her gaze falling back onto her guests. "Anyways! I'll go set up a place for you three to sleep, alright?" Tinka began sorting out bed rolls, that she kept above a set of drawers. She rolled them out, two on the floor opposite of one another, each roll came with a soft pillow, stuck to it's head. "The sofa is free as well, so there's enough space for you three," She smiled, leaning on a makeshift staff she had.
"Thank you, again," Colette simply stated, laying down on the closest to her, keeping her glaive tucked underneath the chair she was next to. Pergos took the other one, not bothering to take off his armour. They both got to sleep in no time.

Tanythe would be left with the sofa, gazing up to the wooden ceiling, unable to sleep. A few hours later of aimless thinking, he got up, adjusted his elven clothes and went to the table. Maybe a change of scenery was needed. The ranger took a glance at his hunting garb, but decided to not put it on. Actually, with a second glance, he realised it was more akin to that of a more passive wanderer. He turned around, to find Tinka examining his outfit.
"I knew I should've recognised this, you're a Nythe Hunter," She exclaimed, walking closer.
"You know of my kind? At least somebody knows, now," He sighed, taking back his outfit, folding it onto the the sofa. Tinka then grabbed his hand, running outside. The storm was cleared, and she climbed out onto the roof. Tanythe soon joined her, glancing around. "It's good to see another Conclave around here, even if it is a hunter one." She chuckled, covering her mouth.
"Hey! There's nothing wrong being a Nythe Hunter, alright?" Tanythe objected, shivering lightly from the cold breeze.
"You lot are built to be mercenaries! Look, your conclave hunts down humanoid targets, plus, you're literally all hunters! It doesn't hurt to have some... variety?" She shrugged, leaning back.
"You do know a lot about us, yet I've never heard of a Kirkwill Conclave, none at all," Tanythe thought for an extra moment, still unsure. "No, nothing." He sighed, rubbing his face with his gloved hand. He felt stubble grow in, and he groaned in annoyance. "I don't suppose you have a bucket of water nearby?" The hunter asked, taking out a knife for later use. With a simple shake of her head, she tucked her knees into her chest, and glanced to Tanythe. "you're not like the other Nythes, are you?" She asked, to which Tanythe had tilted his head in response, more out of confusion.
"Do you not know? Y'know... the backstabbing, fires, and all that jazz? No? Well, at least that answers my question." She sighed, getting ready to head off the roof. Although, her wrist was grabbed by Tanythe's arm.
"I don't. Do you care to fill me in?" Tanythe wasn't very sure on what she was talking about, it all seemed wrong. The Nythe Conclave may have been a bit morally grey, the guy cannot deny it. Although, backstabbing? arson? 'all that jazz'? He just couldn't accept it as fact.
"Well, I did hear from some other passer-by's... that the Nythe Conclave worked with followers of Auril, to instate a growth from the northern tundra, which ended up with a few forests burning over, they've kind of turned into mercenaries, luckily though, people like you still seem to be good!" Tinka gave a wide grin, and a pat on Tanythe's back. If only she knew who Tanythe worked for. Of course, he isn't stupid enough to tell her.

"Before I forget... everybody had turned us away. I get that strangers aren't the best thing to have in one's home, but is there an alternative motive for that? Back in Ebermold's capital, people were so nice to us. Hell, we were given free food from shopkeepers! And now... we've been turned away by everyone except you," He relaxed his neck, his head hitting back against the roof as he gazed up into the stars. "What Conclave are you in, then?" Upon hearing this question, Tinka took a quick breath.
"Em... it's got a name in Druidic, but roughly translated... it is the Amaris Circle, in this forest. I kinda have to represent most of the civilisations around here, which is how I am a ranger, not a druid," She rubbed her head, as if she's needed to explain it dozens of times, over and over again. "But hey, Amaris isn't the best either. I guess we're both similar in that way," A hand got put onto Tinka's shoulder.
"We're not like them, you know. There has to be a reason that I'm not with the Nythes, and you not with the Amaris. I mean, you're a Kirkwill, not an Amaris," He gave her a smile, before standing up.
"Thank you, I'm glad that there's still good people around here. A nice change of pace," She sighed with relief, before tapping his back. "come on, you should at least get a bit of rest," Tinka climbed off of the roof, and waited for Tanythe. Once he got down, they both headed to their respective places for sleeping. After their discussion, the man managed to enter a deep sleep almost as soon as physically possible.

The next morning, Tanythe was up bright and early. He enjoyed his time at the hamlet, but didn't want to take up any more of his tight constraint on finding Luciea. He began his usual rota of waking everyone else up. Luckily for him, however, they were all a few steps away. Hell, he managed to wake up both Pergos and Børrn at the same time, by loud knocking on the trap door. Colette only required a light tap on the shoulder, and she was up and ready for the day ahead of her. "I cannot stress this enough, thank you, Miss Kirkwill, for this," Tanythe extended out a hand, which'd be knocked away.
"Come on, formality isn't my thing. Just Tinka. Plus, no problem," She gave a grin, and the four party members would leave. Pergos had sorted out the horses, taking extra time to apply a simple rope trick to Børrn's back, and the saddles of the horses. Each of the three got on, but Tanythe? He took a look back to Tinka's house. He then glanced to a barrel on the side of his horse. "...Fuck it," He grabbed it, and jogged back to his friend's home. He ran across the hamlet. huffing and puffing directly after his immediate stop. Once the ranger was noticed, Tinka sighed. "C'mon dude, don't you guys have a kingdom to save, or something?" Tanythe paused, before suddenly placing the barrel down.
"I... uh... erm... wanted to give you this," He lifted the barrel, Couatl meat being inside, and a sizable amount of gold pieces, the rest of Tanythe's stock. Tinka peered inside, her face in a state of shock, before then lighting up.
"Thank you so much, Elderwhisk!" She was only able to say, taking out the meat. "I'll remember this, if you need anything, the hamlet and I will be right here," She hugged him, quite tightly, Tanythe taking a gasp of air from the strength of the embrace, and then she'd take the barrel inside. He took a deep breath, glancing around one final time, thinking on the night he just spent there. "Oi! Hurry up, over there!" Pergos yelled, which caught the half-elf's attention. One final sigh escaped his lips, and he jogged back to the group. 

Once they got back to travelling, the light from day soon passed a cloud, blinding Tanythe momentarily, only to be struck by a branch. "Heh, you should be more aware of your surroundings, man," Pergos chuckled, cleaning out his dagger sheath. Tanythe just groaned, scooping down and picking up a small rock. He threw it, hitting the back of Pergos' head. "Hey! The hell was that for?!" He demanded to know, groaning in anguish. 
"Maybe you should be more aware that you're a dickhead, y'know," Tanythe simply shrugged, which made both Borrn and Colette laugh. Although, a secondary light blinded them, coming from some object in front of them. It had caused Borrn to halt in his movement, covering his face. Once the light dissipated, all that was left was a familiar face, their boss, Morden. "Hello, my incredible adventurers! Good work on Valarys, getting him out. Plus, it'd be a hefty paycheck for all of us if we manage to get him and his boss, right?" He clapped his hands together, a smile forming on the mask he had on. 
"Yes, but, why are you contacting us, especially in the middle of a travel?" Colette asked, folding her arms. A second figure showed itself, from behind Morden. Donning a simple, guard-like set of armour, and a winged spear, he stepped out in front, stabbing the base of it into the ground. 
"Simple, he needs a group, just picked up the guy. His name is Gaius, I believe. Now, teach him the ropes, or whatever." Before anybody could say a word, he disappeared through the turn of his cloak. The four sat in stunned silence about this new person, practically a stranger to them, who simply walked forward, in front of Borrn, giving him a small smirk. Tanythe couldn't believe any of this, surely Morden could tell that their business was important, right? Could this person even be trusted around them? For all he knew, this Gaius could be an informant for Luciea, he most definitely had the confidence for it. Tanythe knew one thing for sure, this Gaius, he couldn't be trusted.