DnD-style roleplay!

[Nail Strafer]

Augustine turned to look at the spot Chadin indicated. A smile tugged at the edge of his mouth.

"Yes...that looks perfect."

Augustine promptly set down his sack next to the tree and slipped on a pair of gloves, as he set to work clearing away the nettles to make a clear spot underneath the canopy the branches provided. Geoffrey stood off to the side, not really sure what he should do. Apparently while he'd done some long distance calls, he wasn't quite used to roughing it yet. Augustine wanted to tell him to do something, but he was reluctant to say anything as he was a paying customer. The canine decided to make polite chit chat instead.

"Geoffrey...if you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to start taking on beast folk as patients?"

Geoffrey blinked a couple times, seemingly caught off guard by the sudden question since the three had hardly spoken since setting out.

"Well...there are two reasons, with one of them being selfish I'm afraid. I simply need more business, for starters," he said quietly, looking at the ground. However, Augustine did appreciate his honesty. "As for the other, I believe medical care is a basic need and right of all intelligent creatures, like food, water, and shelter."

He sat down at the base of a tree, looking far off into the distance as he started to recount a tale.

"The tipping point for me was when I once witnessed a beast folk crushed and badly hurt under the weight of a cart at the bottom of a hill. Apparently he'd lost control of the cart as he brought it down the hill and it fell on top of him. All the humans passing by either ignored him or laughed at him."

He shook his head, letting out a disappointed sigh.

"I kept thinking...why can't we just respect each other as equals and get along? What's so wrong with that? Anyway, I rolled the cart off of him and tended to his injuries as best as I could on the spot. He must've told others about me, because I started to gain a bit of a reputation amongst the beast folk. Others of your kind started asking me to help them too."

It's a pretty nice story... Augustine thought. A bit too nice. He sounds like a character from one of those stories where good and evil are as clear cut as night and day, like you'd tell your kids.

Call Augustine a pessimist, but he was starting to believe Geoffrey was simply too much of a beast folk lover to be sincere. Surely his own kind hated him for his views. Why would you put up with that? Was Chadin right to be asking Geoffrey so many questions? Nonetheless, he offered a smile to Geoffrey and continued with his work.

[Chadin]

Chadin listened to Geoffrey's tale with interest. It certainly sounded convincing, but just the same, Chadin knew that while there were certainly many humans who would strongly disliked his kind, he also knew they typically aren't cruel or sadistic enough to laugh at a such a grievous misfortune. Ignore him, certainly, but not laugh in the face of a suffering soul. In the end, it mattered little to him. He would wait and see for himself what the measure of Geoffrey's character might be.

"You'd best bundle up Geoffrey, it's going to be a cold night." I cautioned our patron as I looked up at the rapidly darkening sky and the first twinkling stars. If we were camped out in a meadow, the wide open sky would be a beautiful sight to behold. But in the woods as we were, there would be few patches of visible sky, and the lack of clouds meant the night would be cold indeed.

[Giichi Twinkieland]

"Oh, of course," Geoffrey responded, as he brought out a bedroll and laid it down near the tree. He quickly settled down on it to get ready for sleep. "If you don't mind me asking... I've shared an awful lot about myself today. How about you two sharing something about yourselves with me?"

Geoffrey expectantly looked back and forth between Chadin and Augustine. The question took Augustine off guard, so he wasn't sure how to reply. After a moment of silence, he settled on a story.

"I grew up in the North. The most interesting thing about me is that I am the offspring of a wolf and an Arctic fox. Normally it shouldn't be possible with beast folk that different in species, but by some miracle it happened. That's why I look like both. Dad taught me how to use a bow to hunt to bring back food each day, and how to survive in the cold weather far out in the wilderness. Naturally, I became a guide to help earn more money."

A bit of warmth began to enter his voice, as he shifted to a new topic.

"I have a wife and two kits. Cebran, my son, looks like me, and my daughter Ellia takes after my wife a bit more. They're about seven years old now, and mom's teaching them how to hunt too."

Geoffrey seemed to appreciate the story and listened with rapt attention.

"Hah! A family man? I hate to say it but I never imagined it meeting you for the first time."

Augustine got that a lot, with how he was normally aloof and distant from others.

"Chadin, how about you?"

[Chadin]

"Sadly there's not much interesting to say about me." Chadin shrugged as he squatted down beside the fire. "I grew up the son of a wilderness guide. I suppose we were a little unique in that mother and father traveled together, working as a team. We never had a little homestead where mother stayed behind to raise the kids while father brought home the coin. We never really owned any fancy possessions or property. We merely went where the work took us, always on the move."

Chadin paused in his story to let out a lighthearted chuckle. "Ironically, some of the clients mother and father took on became nervous when they saw me as a little fawn. They feared bringing a child like me along on the kind of journey's they were undertaking would slow them down. Heh. Let's just say that none of them could keep up to a sprightly little youth like me."

[Nail Strafer]

"Your parents let you go along?" Augustine asked Chadin, looking a bit surprised. "My mom and dad were a lot more afraid for me to do that. I didn't see my first trip until I was about fifteen. It's probably because my dad always went alone while mom stayed behind to look after the house."

He had to say it didn't surprise him that Chadin would be fast, even as a child. That's why there were so many deer of both beast and the regular kind. They were extremely fast and hard to catch once they got running through the woods.

Augustine spied something behind the deer, and his eyes narrowed. Was it his imagination, or did he just see a small twinkle in the darkness back there? It looked like the eye of a predatory animal not unlike himself, reflecting the fire's light. Just as soon as he'd seen it though, the flash of reflected light vanished. Augustinel's hand slowly moved to the hilt of his sheathed sword, and he started to move his head back and right to find the unknown assailant.

Augustine hoped Chadin would take the hint on his actions and also go for his weapon. He didn't want to call out a warning just yet. The sudden noise might prompt their attackers to strike immediately, while they had the advantage of surprise.

[Chadin]

Chadin chuckled good-naturally at Augustine's surprised reaction. His reaction was typical of nearly every merchant group his parents ever brought him along on. His mirth however came to an abrupt end when he caught Augustine's eyes dart towards something behind him and begin to reach for his weapon. Immediately, Chadin's body went onto high alert. His ears perked up and swiveled back, scanning for the faintest of sounds behind him. Meanwhile, his hand slowly passed from his lap to the hilt of his knife.

[Nail Strafer]

A twig snapped behind Augustine, causing his ears to swivel around and track the noise. Whoever they were, bandits or wild animals, they had the campsite covered on at least two sides, if not all of them. Geoffrey looked around frantically, his body not moving one inch from his spot on his bedroll next to a tree.

"I can see your hands," a gravelly voice called out from Augustine's right and Chadin's left. "Draw those weapons, and you'll be impaled in the back before you can even stand."

Letting out a sigh of defeat, Augustine placed his hands on his knees where he sat.

However, he also took the time to sniff the air. He smelled fur, along with sweat and dirt clinging to it. The same scents saturated what clothes he could smell, so they were obviously dealing with beast folk rather than wild animals, or humans with dogs. These guys were smart too. They'd approached from downwind so Chadin or Augustine couldn't smell them.

[Chadin]

Chadin sighed, knowing that discretion might well be the greater valor in this case. Still, it irritated Chadin to no ends knowing someone managed to sneak up on him. He prided himself on always knowing when something or someone might be around. Serves him right for not scouting out the area prior to settling down for the night. Oh well, if these are bandit's and he lost his coin, it wouldn't be any great loss. Sure, he'd be forced to guide any expeditions during the winter instead of setting himself up comfortably someplace for the winter, but it's not like he's never been forced to resort to that before. With any luck they'll leave his possessions alone. Gold is a minor concern for one who knows how to survive in the wild without it, but a good weapon, or at least a good knife is an invaluable asset.

"Very well, whoever you are, step out so that we may see you. We mean you no harm so long as you mean us none yourselves. We are simply travelers." Sometimes it's better in a situation like this to keep a calm head rather than panic and to allow them to know it. And if it does come down to a fight, Chadin still knows a trick or two.

[Nail Strafer]

Three bandits stepped out of the shadows around the encampment. All of them looked like beast folk dogs of various kinds. They wore rough clothes covered in mud and patches to mend the places where the fabric had torn.

The tallest one stepped out from where the gravelly voice came from. As he whipped back the hood, all would see he was a wolf with dark gray, almost pitch black fur. His black coat looked a bit cleaner relative to the others. Brown leather adorned the shoulders and the lower sleeves, while dark trousers covered his legs down to just below the knees. He wore no shoes, opting to simply traipse around with his clawed furry feet instead.

"Now," the wolf continued, brushing some dirt off of his coat's arms. "I want to know why you're bringing this human so far into beast folk territory. You know his kind is not welcome here."

While they were still at swordpoint, Augustine actually felt a little relieved. It looked like they weren't just bandits. He was worried they'd simply walk off with all the riches the doctor had, making this journey for naught. Maybe if he explained the situation all would be forgiven.

However, Geoffrey spoke up before Augustine could say anything. He spoke very timidly and quietly.

"Well you see we're going--"

"I DIDN'T ASK YOU!" the wolf roared, flashing his very sharp teeth in the light of the campfire. Geoffrey reflexively shrunk back against the tree, now sitting very still and with his eyes wide open.

"He's a doctor," Augustine started. "Someone who lives in the manor there asked for him to come."

The wolf's eyes lost their hard edge. He blinked a few times as he looked around, lost in thought. The lupine wasn't sure what to make of this.

"Why...why would a family like the Lanigiros summon a human doctor?"

Augustine guessed that was the name of the family that lived at the manor. However, he didn't say anything. When he listened to the tone of voice, he wasn't sure if the question was sincere or rhetorical.

The wolf's gaze suddenly snapped back to Geoffrey. The human actually jumped back a bit, as his eyes met that of the predator's. Augustine figured it must be quite frightening for Geoffrey to look at a beast folk like that face to face. Humans weren't used to being stared down by animal eyes.

"Who is the patient?"

Geoffrey was silent for a moment. He muttered for a bit, as he tried to find his voice.

"Well...I'm sorry but that's confidential."

All four of the bandits turned their heads towards Geoffrey, looking a bit stunned. Augustine himself felt surprised too. This man really took his patient's privacy seriously, even in such a deadly situation. Growling, the wolf drew a small dagger from under his cloak and started to march around the fire, to get closer to Geoffrey.

"What was that, you hairless meatsack?"

[Chadin]

Unfortunately, coming around the fire brought the wolf within reach of Chadin. While Chadin still harbored suspicions about his client's motives, he nevertheless is still his client. Therefore he is honour bound to see his client safely to and from their destination.

"Enough!" Chadin shouted as he sprang forward, grabbing hold of the wolf's knife hand with his right hand, and using his free arm to lift upwards on the wolf's arm, locking the joint. Then, knowing the other beast-folk might spring into action, Chadin used his own body as a fulcrum and the wolf's body as a lever to spin the leader around him and into the path of any oncoming attacker that might be attacking from behind. Chadin hoped that by throwing their leader into one of his own that it would derail any attacks for a few moments and give him the chance to calm the situation down somewhat.

"Who this man has been contracted to aid is no concern of yours. Unless you have good reason to bar us way, we have no quarrel with you. This human hired us to guide him to Provenan, and until such time as my contract is complete he is under my protection. If you seek to cause him harm, I won't show you any quarter. We can either discuss this peacefully like civilized folk, or we do this the hard way. Which will it be?" Chadin glared dangerously at the wolf leader, as he put himself between Geoffrey and the leader, his ears constantly twitching as he listened intently to the other furs around. All the while he kept one hand close, but not on the hilt of his knife in the event things turned ugly. In all the excitement, he hoped Augustine had a chance to put himself into a better position if a fight should break out, otherwise it might all be over before it began.

Honestly, he didn't fancy the odds of four against one, especially not while potentially having to protect a third. Two on two were much better odds, he could only hope Augustine was as quick on the draw as he is. Actually, he would have much preferred to have his long bow handy right about now. Unfortunately it wouldn't do him much good in such a close-quarters situation like this.