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First Day
Topic Started: Mon Jul 4, 2011 5:16 pm (509 Views)
Vyse
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Vyse grimaced, he had just inherited his father's legacy, he had thought about quitting, but then he realized he would have put over one thousand people into unemployment, not to mention the network of trading was so vast and complicated he could barely wrap his head around it. He needed to hire mercenaries for protecting caravans, ships and sailors to deliver cargo, not to mention lengthy background checks to make sure the people weren't going to rip him off. It was a funny thing, one night he had been a wanderer killing bandits and living the good life... then after killing his father he inherited everything, stuck behind a desk while trying to sort out the slaughter he made. Most of the paperwork was about his own adventures hunting down the pills, destroying them, he was now refunding money and firing and cutting contracts with those he knew were evil, trying to get more to help pay for those that worked for him, he was barely hovering above the red, could this day get any worse?

A young lad walked into his office, handing him a piece of paper, oh it could get worse indeed, he needed more bodyguards for the next caravan leading out of Cascadia and going to Kellen, it was one of the weapons contracts he had with the guard there, replacing weapons that were stolen and other things, he gave the lad a few coins, handing him a large stack of papers, "Put these everywhere boy, you'll get a few more silver when you get back." The boy smiled and ran off, no doubt to plaster all of Cascadia with his fliers for more guards and mercenaries, if the caravan went through he'd be clear of the red, if it didn't... well he would have to cut some costs to keep this place afloat.
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Auron DeBrouchet
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The lightness of normal clothing, the lack of weight brought on by his armor, was a freeing feeling. His clothes were presentable enough, though tattered by the road and rough use beneath said armor. It had been a long while since he'd been among men, spending his time around beasts and bandits, sleeping in dried sweat and blood, in the heat of his armor. If he was a moment outside of it, he would be a dead man. Paranoia, perhaps, but a paranoia that kept him well alive.

Civilization felt alien to him now, the ease of living, the flowing trade of coin instead of food or material. Watching the marketplace, he felt his own purse, reminded of just how little coin he had. What little he had saved for his occasional forays into town had been dwindled by pay for room and board, as well as a little extra for safe storage of his armor. The set had slowly become a holy object unto itself for the man. As he gathered scales from greater drakes and dragons alike, he had the pieces etched with the scripture of his people, their book of war. When he wore it, there was no room for a man.

The sunlight bore down, clouds sparse in the sky around them. Many wore bright clothing or sported parasols, protecting themselves from the heat. A few glances lingered on Auron, with his dark skin and many scars, almond-shaped eyes, and most of all the color in them. Disregarding the looks, he pushed his sleeves up, enjoying the light.
There was small bustle around one of the posts, few people stopping to read the newest addition. Disregarding all politeness society may be bound by, he slipped an arm between two of the watchers and easily parted them, inserting himself. Reaching forward, he pulled the flier from the post.

The warrior struggled his way through the words, picking out key phrases in them, unable to piece together the whole. Grunting, he picked out the location of the contract. “May as well ask the man himself.” He rolled up the flier and tucked it into his belt. 'would you like me to read it to you, barbarian?' one of the men he had pushed aside grinned, missing a front tooth, red hair tousled. Auron gave him a glance, shrugging and gripping his collar in one hand, moving him aside with a little more force than necessary. Smiling at the off-balance man, he left without comment, moving into the crowd with ease.

* * * *

Shortly after the encounter, Auron arrived at the door he was looking for, raising a hand to knock, the first sign of any knowledge of polite action the desert man may know. “I've come regarding the flier” He called through the door, waiting with his head lowered, listening.
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Vyse
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Vyse looked up, waving the man inside, "Stand by the rest of them, I'll be with you all shortly." He looked through his paperwork, signing some of them, and throwing others to the ground, he growled in frustration as he sent more papers to the ground, useless notifications, he already knew about them, he needed to vent some anger before interviewing them... and this will also test the courage of the applicants. He whistled, calling out for someone, "Umbriel, come on in, I have papers you need to shred, also it's time to start testing the applicants." He smiled as Umbriel walked in, she was a majestic creature, tall, graceful, and most importantly deadly. The dire tigress stalks into the room, using her long claws to shred the papers, it had cost him a bit of coin, but he had the office doors re-sized so he could keep Umbriel with him.

He looked up at the applicants, there were seven men including the one that just came in, he only needed three, "I need three guardsmen to protect a caravan from Cascadia to the village of Kellen where the items will be traded or sold, you will get a cut of the profits instead of the average sum, so just a warning, the sum right now is below average, but if the supplies and weapons sell well enough it will be quite a bit above average, though to qualify I have four tests, the first test will be to pet Umbriel, who wants to try and pet the ornery and flustered dire tiger? Any takers?" He knew Umbriel was tame enough, even if she was a bit ornery at the moment, she wouldn't rip anyone to shreds, probably grow and maybe nip at their heels... though a nip from her would take quite a large chunk of meat.
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Auron DeBrouchet
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Auron opened the door and entered, closing it behind himself. Taking a spot on the end of the line of men, he crossed his hands in front of him, observing the other applicants with an inspecting eye. They seemed rather run-of-the-mill, mercenaries off the street looking for a quick coin and an easy job.
Admittedly, he felt a little hesitant about so much as touching the huge cat if he didn't have to, but he would if he had to.

The other men looked a bit more shaky about the task, putting on a brave facade, glancing at each other from the corners of their eyes. Several times one of the bigger men, a leather-skinned barbarian with long hair, moved his foot forward gingerly.

If the man was asking them to put themselves in an obviously dangerous situation, he could either be looking for the courageous ones, or weeding out the stupid ones. Auron planted a hand in the small of the back of the man next to him, a scrawny looking man with the look of an archer, and gave him a shove with a bit of extra power behind it.
He stumbled forward, unable to dig in his heels.
Go on then, pet the cat.” He smiled encouragingly at him. The man gave a confused look at his feet, then glared at Auron.

shrugging, Auron stepped forward with a hand outstretched, and moved to stroke it down the cat's neck. “Easy, love.” He murmured to the tiger.
Edited by Auron DeBrouchet, Tue Jul 5, 2011 5:27 pm.
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Vyse
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Umbriel purred, letting him stroke her neck, she looked him in the eye before laying down. Vyse smirked, he tested the cat's reflexes and anger by pushing a man forward, he was cautious, that's good. After seeing the tigress lay down and purr like a house cat, the long haired barbarian walked over, his hand going for Umbriel's belly, she growled a bit at him, almost taking off his entire hand. Vyse grimaced, he was weak and stupid, large muscles but no skill or smarts, he didn't need a meat shield, he needed a guard, "You failed this test, you're done, get out of my office." The barbarian growled, taking a step towards Vyse, "There's four tests, I bet I'd pass the other three, would you... reconsider letting me stay?" His hands curled into fists, his arms raised slightly like he was going to throw a punch. Vyse sneered, the man was an idiot, Umbriel would rip him apart... though maybe it was time to show that he wasn't any ordinary merchant.

Vyse stood up, opening up a sliding drawer in his long desk, he took out his cutlass and longsword, "What weapon do you use?" He kept his voice calm, sliding his sword into the loops on his belt, adjusting them as needed. The man smirked,"A great axe, I can cleave chain into pieces." He seemed way to proud of that fact, Vyse himself couldn't cut chain, it took great strength, though he himself could easily pierce it with his swords. He whistled, a man with dark skin walks in, wearing a long white robe over his pudgy form, he gives Vyse a questioning look, "Get this man one of our great axes Qadaj, he'll need it." Qadaj nodded and smirked, he seemed to know what was already happening. He left for only a moment, walking back with a great axe in his hands, handing it to the barbarian.

He hefted it, made sure it was a strong and balanced... for an axe. Vyse unsheathed his blades, not bothering to activate their enchantments, "If you can hit me with the haft or blade of that axe, you're hired, the same goes to the rest of you, if you fail two of the tests or the test with Umbriel, you can challenge me to a fight, I respect strength, speed, smarts, and luck. If you have none of these then you won't be able to beat me." Vyse felt confident about his speech, petting Umbriel was all about luck and smarts, cats hated to have their bellies rubbed, the barbarian had no smarts and no luck, what could he possibly do. The barbarian quickly swings his axe, going to take off Vyse's head, Vyse ducked it, leaning forward as he ran, slashing across the man's chest, arms, and then swinging around him to slash a large cross on his back, "You've lost, if I had been serious I would have killed you or crippled you four times over." He pointed to the door, "Get out and get those scratches healed before I call the guards for trespassing." The barbarian left, dropping the great axe, confusion plastering his face.

Qadaj once again came into the room, taking away the axe and closing the door into the back room. Vyse sighed, he was down to six possible guardsmen. He took out a piece of cloth and cleaned his blades before sheathing them, keeping them on his person. The others passed the test with flying colors, stroking the back, chest, head, or her neck. Vyse smiled, that's good, now for the next test, "The next test is accuracy. Qadaj, roll the dummy in!" Qadaj appears once more from the back room, rolling a dummy on wheels, it has deep marks from a blade all over its body, certain areas are dotted with red ink, "This is the easy one, just hit the red dots with a bow, sword, spear, whatever you use, Qadaj, roll in the rack." Vyse kicks his feet up onto his table just as Qadaj runs out, wheeling in a rack of weapons, plenty of different choices. The men move to pick out the weapons they'll use.
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Auron DeBrouchet
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Auron frowned, watching the fight with some amusement, part of his gaze studious. He observed Vyse's style, making notations for later. It came as little surprise when the barbarian lost horribly. To a common man, brute force and the ability to carry a large weapon counted for a lot, but anyone with some skill at using their own weapon could run them up and down with it in the span of a few seconds. Most bandits were just desperate citizens, but the only type they had to worry about on this contract was the type that saw the caravan had guards, and attacked anyway. Anyone willing to attack would be either skilled, or incredibly desperate. Either way would prove disastrous for anyone who couldn't handle their tool of choice well.

As the large man passed him, blood beginning to show on the minor wounds, Auron reached out briefly and slapped his back near the wound. All traces of the movement were gone as the man looked to see who had touched him, but Auron was already smiling, rubbing his hand on the tiger's neck and scratching behind its ears.
What he had left behind, though, began its work a few seconds after the man had left, sealing the wounds without so much as a hint there had been any damage at all.

Auron stood, rubbing his own neck at the sight of the dummy. He was a fair hand with the sword, but if he was going to get the job, he had to be swift and precise, work that he wasn't quite sure he could do admirably without letting go a little. The other men would be better at this than he was.

The lanky archer smiled, taking a bow and a quiver of five arrows. Standing the bow upright, he bent it and strung it, pulling on the string to test it. The shortbow would work for the purposes of the test. Swiftly, one arrow after another, he pulled and shot, one arrow to one dot, not quite dead center, but it wouldn't have to be.
Another chose the sword, spinning it to show off a little, hoping to improve his chances at getting the job. Darting in, he stabbed the point in each dot, barely making it in the confines of each dot.
Auron took up a lightly curved blade, frowning at his own choice. He'd always preferred a straight blade before, but he found the motions in a curved sword smoother, easier to maneuver.
Looking at the dummy, he frowned, running a thumb over the back of the blade.

"What are the other two tasks?" He asked, pondering if he could get out of it.
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Vyse
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Vyse smirked, the archer was good, he had some smarts, some luck, and deadly aim, even though it was a fraction of an inch off, he still hit all the areas where the common bandit had no armor. Though his smile quickly faded, the swordsman who got fancy made him slightly angry, if a style was showy and effective it was fine, but the man was show boating because he wanted style points, pathetic. Then the applicant who last came in asked what the other two were... he was trying to get out of his weakness, prudent but frowned upon, "I will not tell you, if I did you would slack off and only try your best on the ones you were good at, this way I'll see the full scope of your abilities, so take every test as if it was your last, for all you know, it could be." He liked that idea, fighting as if it was going to be your last, never giving up, it was his own motto, giving up was inviting death.

He watched one of the others step forward, he was a stout man wielding a hand axe, he easily hacked quickly and accurately at the dots, he was good, him and the archer were his top picks. He smirked, three were left to take the test. The next man had a blank look on his face and crimson hair, he kept a spear in his hand, thrusting clumsily with it, the point barely missing the dot everytime. Vyse sighed, the man wasn't that skilled, he'd hope for him to do better, though he doubted it. The next man hefted a mace, it was a basic weapon, easily used and needed little skill, a good choice for a beginner or someone used to working a club. The mace was basic, a metal ball with a few studs, he struck the spots quickly, using the mace's large surface area to hit large portions of the dummy, allowing him to hit every dot.

Vyse chuckled, smart guy, use an easy to wield weapon and use the large surface area to bash away, it didn't matter if he barely missed it with the center of the mace, the rest would take care of it. Now the only one left was the one that tried to weasel out of the test, Vyse stroked Umbriel as he thought about the applicants, the few that were left all had something desirable, except for the man with the blank stare, he would probably be useless. Though if the last man was competent he would probably have a good number of guards, a few extra on the payroll wouldn't hurt.
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Auron DeBrouchet
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Auron shrugged, hefting the curved sabre. With his free hand, he pulled down his sleeves and tightened his collar. The man's last words, however, gave him pause. “A threat?” He grinned. Lifting, he slapped each area with the flat of the blade, on the mark, but none of them deadly, had the dummy been a living man. The action was open, prompting for a response.
He would not have performed the action, had he not been confident in his ability to defend his position on the guard.

The Istani shrugged, lowering his blade. A faint smile played his lips as the tip of the blade touched the floor. The man with the mace had done well enough, though the simplicity of his moves would likely end him. Personally, Auron disliked blunt weapons. Iron knuckles worked well enough for plain punches, but clubs and maces could be deflected. A glancing blow from a sword might sever an artery, a glancing blow of a mace would bruise, maybe just knock one off balance.

The axeman was well enough, axes were heavy, but more maneuverable, able to take a chunk out of a man. Less striking surface than a mace, true, but all the same, it was a fair weapon. He wouldn't mind working with the archer either, it was always good to have one around, able to keep extra enemies off the back of a melee fighter, lighten the enemy crowd.

Have I passed?
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Vyse
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The man used the flat side of his blade, no fatal wounds, while he did pass the test he didn't finish off his foe, that was dangerous. He nodded, "You've all so far passed... except for the one that tried to be flashy, you failed miserably, if you ask why or get indignant, it's because you felt the need to show off, doing that against any opponent of decent skill will leave you wounded and probably bleeding to death on the ground... now onto the next test." He stood up quickly, walking over to them, "I'm going to test your endurance and foot speed." Vyse quickly handed them some coins, "I want you all to run four streets over towards the east and buy me some bread, it is not a race to get first, though it is a race to not get last, the flashy swordsman will be trying the hardest since if he loses once more he's out of here."

Vyse sat back down, taking out a small hourglass, he turns it over, allowing it to start timing, he watched as some rushed out. Three of them stayed behind, he hadn't told them which place or what kind of bread... smart kids. He smiled and took out three scrolls of paper, tossing them the scrolls, "The kind of bread and the store is on it, good luck, you three have the best chances, now move on." He chuckled as they ran off, he had found quite a few good soldiers, today was his lucky day.

As they filed back in he praised the three with the scrolls, they had done well, "Good job for those who decided to stay and see if there was any other orders you passed, you others failed, you, the fancy swordsman, you lost, get out of my office." He watched him leave, muttering something about getting him back. Oh well, he had ticked off more then one man in his time and it certainly wouldn't be his last. He looked at the remainder, "The last test is a test of strength." He walked over to them, standing in front of them, "Hit me in the chest with your hardest punch, I want to know how strong you all are." He had done this before, he was a trained warrior, strong of mind and body, punches to the chest wouldn't hurt all that much and he doubted any of them had any extensive training to know how to fight like a monk. He braced himself, it was time for the weak to be weeded out.
Edited by Vyse, Thu Jul 7, 2011 9:01 pm.
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Auron DeBrouchet
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Auron took the coins, glancing at them for a second before slipping them into his purse and watching as a couple of the other candidates took off out the door. The flashy swordsman bumped into Auron as he passed, stumbling and nodding a feigned apology as he ran out the door.
The Istani took his scroll and nodded, leaving the building. Reaching down, he found no less than expected. The man had cut his purse.

Auron was not entirely upset at the turn of events, he discovered someone he'd much rather not work with. If one of the guards had a habit of thievery, it would be easy to assume he would take liberties with the wares he was defending. Taking a roundabout way to the destination, a way much more likely to take back if one didn't know which store he was going to, Auron turned into the alleyway just in time to see the flashy cutpurse enter the other side. Sweeping forward, Auron produced a short blade from nowhere, mists coming from his own figure to form into a silver metal, and snapped the flat against the man's knee, pulling up with the flat up the blade. The thin man rose with ease, auron snapping the sword around and slamming his fist into the man's gut.

Reaching down, he took both his own purse and the man's. Smiling, he nodded his head and disappeared into the market, purchasing the said loaf and returning quickly, the encounter only lasting seconds.

Back in the building, Auron kept his grin as the cutpurse entered, cradling his stomach, only to be turned out a moment later. Barely containing a grin, he watched the man leave.

His joy faded somewhat at the next task. He'd have to pull his punch, or risk hurting the man. Doubtless, the cat would take to defending her master, and whether or not he had faith in his ability to incinerate the creature, he would much rather not risk the fight.
Stepping forward, Auron's eye flashed, fist driving forward, pulling the strike back a bit at the last second, leaving it still a small amount harder than would be expected of his stature.
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Vyse
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Vyse felt a good hit, stronger then most men but not unheard of power, the man was as good as hired. He tested the others quickly, the archer was a sure shot in even though his punch was rather weak, the man with the axe was also going to be hired, his blow had slightly more power then the man with the mace. He dismissed everyone but Auron, the archer, and the axe wielder. Vyse sighed, losing any appearance as a hard pressed boss, he smiled kindly, "It's nice to meet you three, I'm Vyse Noclan, your new boss, I'm glad to have you three working for me." He slowly takes out a few pieces of paper and a bottle of ink with a few feathers to scratch out their names.

"Sign however you like. Qadaj! Get out some refreshments for our new friends, Black Water Ale if you would,"
Vyse slowly sits down, Qadaj quickly running in with four mugs of filled with an odd very potent smelling black liquid. Vyse slowly drinks his own, he had gotten a taste for the drink, it's an extremely bitter drink with a very sweet after taste... though he could never place the flavor, it made him want to drink more of it so he could figure it out... unfortunately this stuff was stronger then dwarven ale and a single flagon could floor him, so he had them in the much smaller mugs.

He looked at Qadaj who was handing out the drinks, "You're free to go for today Qadaj, I'll close up after our new friends leave," Qadaj gives his thanks and goodbyes, walking out of the room to the streets. He nodded for the men to drink, "Ah, yes, drink first then you can sign. now all we need are your names, please introduce yourselves to your new friends, after that I'll explain your duties." He stroked Umbriel slowly as he drank his own Black Water, it was like drinking heaven for him, though few liked the stuff since it was so potent.
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Auron DeBrouchet
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Auron nodded, satisfied with the results of the tests. Relaxing some, he turned to look at his fellows. Extending a hand to each in turn, he chuckled. “Glad it's come down to we three. I'd much rather work with you two than any of the others.
Turning to face his new boss, he bowed lightly.
An honor to work for you, Vyse Noclan. Auron DeBrouchet.

Auron lifted a hand, watching the drink intently. “No thank you. No offense, I just no longer drink.” He wanted that mug terribly, to taste it, feel the burn again. Turning his head from it, he closed his eyes, gathering his resolve. Exhaling, he smiled and took up a quill, signing his name on the paper, the extent of his own literary skill.

Glancing at the cat, he smiled warmly. “Gorgeous creature you've got with you. Or that took you up.” Reaching a hand toward the tiger, he offered his palm to it. “Do you mind?” He asked, looking at Vyse. “Or you?” He turned his gaze on the tiger.
So, what do we need to know for the trip?
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Vyse
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Vyse chuckled, "We look after each other, she thinks of me as her cub while I think of her as my friend, as for petting her, it's not my decision." He smirked as Umbriel licked his hand and laid her head back down, she was just a house cat when Vyse decided to calm down. Vyse continued on, "As for the job you'll be escorting a small caravan to Kellen, the driver will pick the route all you have to do is make sure the goods aren't stolen, you will then protect the driver and merchant in Kellen as they make sales and trades, then you'll escort them back and I'll pay you. Though watch out, I have some news saying a rather odd group of bandits has been spotted out there, stay on your toes and don't hesitate to kill, the wrong move and it's over, as you all should know." He saw the archer and axeman nod in agreement, he could sense Auron knew better, he just gave him an odd feeling, fear mixed with excitement, he was strong... and Vyse wanted to test him out. He would to if he wasn't in charge of this blasted merchant company.

"You'll meet in front of this office in three days, you'll be paid fifty pieces of gold for the escort business and extra if it sells better then we thought, sound good?" He waited for his new employees to give their thoughts and ask questions, after all, he was nothing if not helpful, he would answer any questions they had and probably more.
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Auron DeBrouchet
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Auron rubbed the great cat's neck, scratching the side of its neck idly. “Understood. Caution never hurts.” He watched the other two men, assessing their attitudes.
Three days would give him ample time to prepare, the only real time he needed was enough to fetch his gear and get back, he'd been sitting about for far too long. He hadn't spent two days in the same place, outside of the action, in many weeks, most of that time being in the deserts of Istan, where one's guard had to constantly be up.

Watching Vyse with idle curiosity, he cocked his head as he ran his fingers through the tiger's hair. It was obvious the man's skill with the blade was superior to his own natural skill. It was all too little he found himself in real danger, and now was no exception, but there was always an opportunity to learn.
Perhaps one of these days we will be able to have a brief spar? I'd like to see how I measure up, if you don't mind.” Auron looked up at Vyse.

Standing, he brushed his hands together to release loose hairs. “If you do not mind, I will excuse myself to prepare for the journey. You seem a busy man, I do not mean to intrude any more than I must.
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Vyse
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Vyse smirked, sparring would be nice indeed, "Of course, when you get back after I pay you we can have a small exhibition fight, of course I won't be going easy I'd hope you wouldn't either." He smiled as he heard Umbriel purr, she was one of the few joys of being in Cascadia, "Of course you can all leave whenever you like, just be here before noon tomorrow and everything should be fine." He watched as the men filed out, he stroked Umbriel as he watched the door close, it was time to pack up.

Vyse slowly took out his blades, placing them in his belt, he nudged Umbriel to get up, he needed to get her to the stables before nightfall. He led her outside and mounted her, urging her onwards, she knew the way, she was forced to go there every night until he could afford a house of his own. She rushed past the men that had just become guards, her long strides easily outpacing most horses, she was a magnificent beast, one that needed to a bit more attention then Vyse could spare, though when he could he'd take her out with a trade caravan... maybe he'd hire Auron and the rest when he did that. Well there was no time to think of that, night was coming and Vyse's thoughts slowly went back to thinking about prices and expenses.
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