*/*/*
Life Affirming Attitude
The town was absolutely buzzing. Vesli could practically feel the near electric excitement on his skin, though Creature was clearly not bothered and remained asleep on Vesli's bunk. Something was going on, and the man had no idea what it was. That bothered him. He wasn't the best with dates, but he was fairly sure there was nothing on the calendar today. Perhaps one of the others would know? Vesli hesitated at asking Bird. He might be slightly avoiding her after that last encounter. He would ask Caillot instead. Hopefully the Occultist was somewhere easily located. Vesli fixed his ragged cloak onto his shoulders and made his way through the unusually noisy streets. The Hamlet was acting almost like an actual town and not just the convenient center for the Heir's campaign against the Dungeon. Strange how this normalcy almost made him uneasy after all the time spent in the tentacled mire.
Caillot was thankfully out in the town square, watching as the townspeople covered the Ancestor's statue with a tarp. "Did I miss something?" Vesli drew up alongside his team mate "I could swear it's not a holiday."
"It isn't," the other male answered a frown under his prim mustache. "Though I cannot honestly tell you exactly what is causing the festivities."
"I can." Both men jumped and simultaneously gave a flat look at Bird who stood there innocently.
"Bell. Getting you one," Vesli calmed his racing heart.
"What is going on, Veci?" Caillot just rubbed his temples.
"The Heir has given permission for an expedition into the Ruins," the Doctor scribbled what looked to be a detailed diagram of the statue and tarp.
"But there's been numerous expeditions into the Ruins?" Vesli was confused.
"Guys! Did you hear?! The Heir's choosing a team!" Aela raced up, a feral gin on her face "To go after the Necromancer."
"His weakest apprentice," Bird corrected.
"Still! Can you imagine how glorious that fight will be?!" Aela was almost swooning.
"I imagine the Heir already has the team chosen," came Vesli's comment.
"…yes," Aela kicked the ground.
"And it's not us, is it?" His eyes flicked to the Hellion.
"… no…" she sulked.
"I thought not," Vesli snorted.
"It is HHB one and two that will take the honor," Bird's mask-beak pointed at the team in question. "They remain the favorites."
"And there is the Heir now to deliver the official news," Caillot drawled as a carriage pulled up. "Let us see if our speculations are correct."
The Heir was equal parts terrifying and regal. "It is good and right that we gather here in celebration! For today, a team of our brave adventurers goes into the Ruins to rid us of the Necromancer Apprentice!" The townspeople cheered as the various 'adventurers' continued to gather at the Ancestor's statue. "I present to you the team that will take on this quest!" A gesture to His Holy Bastard was not surprising to Vesli.
Bastard snorted. "No." That was surprising. Vesli was stunned. Defiance? To the Heir's face? Especially of this 'honor'? The Crusader was clearly insane. "This sort of thing is beneath me. Send the rest of my team if you like, but I will not be going." The other three members of his team all stared at the Crusader wide-eyed. Her Holy Bitch seemed to side with the Crusader after a moment, giving a uncaring shrug. Dismas was shifting his weight back and forth nervously, clearly unsure of how to fix this situation. Tirel, their Plague Doctor, was nervously drawing into herself, not wanting to be involved with the conflict.
Deadly deafening silence fell on the Hamlet. The Heir turned to face the Crusader. "No?" The question was mild, and all the more terrifying for it.
If someone doesn't do something this festival is going to turn into a bloodbath, the thought had Vesli almost starting forward, though clueless as to what he'd do to save this ounce of happiness for the town's folk. Bird beat him to it. The Plague Doctor drew herself up and stepped into the open, approaching the Heir.
"Allow me and my team to rid the Hamlet of this menace," Bird's voice rang out firm and clear.
The Heir went from dangerously furious to intrigued. "Why?"
"Because we do not put self-glory over the safety of the townspeople," Vesli went to stand beside Bird.
"Because this fight will be glorious enough," Aela joined them.
"Because we have respect for you and your wishes and have volunteered ourselves where this… fellow has defied you," Caillot finished the group.
"Very well. People of the Hamlet, I give you your adventurers!" A beat of silence followed by cheers. "And as for you two," a snap of fingers had guards grabbing the Holy duo, "I'll be dealing with you personally."
*/*/*
"This was a bad idea," Vesli murmured clinging to the cup of who-knows-what someone had given him as the festival to keep his hands steady. His eyes darted from person to person as too many people came too close. The group had stayed at the festival, and the people of the Hamlet were eager to celebrate the upcoming quest with the adventurers who were giving them hope. Vesli had nothing against that notion. What he was against was the fact the people seemed to take this time of celebration as an excuse to act as if he had no personal space. He could feel It getting restless and irritated. Not good. Not good.
"Agreeing to quest? Or staying in festival?" Bird looked up from her notes. One glance at his hands had the Doctor muttering. Bird retrieved a vial from her belt and unceremoniously let it crash to the ground. "Oops," she drawled. The vapors had the various townspeople suddenly giving them a wide berth, no one wanting to risk getting near whatever concoction the Doctor had let loose. "Harmless smoke bomb," Bird was rather smug.
Vesli took a deep breath. "Thank you," he slowly managed to set the cup of mystery liquid down. "Now if we could somehow not be about to walk into the Ruins to face a Necromancer, that would be great."
"Apprentice."
"It is the same difference, Bird."
She shrugged. "At least shoving His Holy Bastard's ego back in his face was amusing."
Vesli chuckled "Oh yes, that was cathartic." The man sighed "I will have to find someone to take care of Creature while we're away." The only one he could even think he might trust with the not-kitten would be Face. That was going to be an interesting conversation.
"Will meet you to gather supplies," Bird replied.
*/*/*
"Wat."
"Would you please take care of Creature?" Vesli held up the not-kitten to Face. The veteran stared at Creature as if the little beast would spontaneously explode.
"Whelp, I am no nurse maid. 'Specially not ta a kitten."
"I realize this, Face, but you are the only one around that I remotely trust to keep Creature from wandering off and getting eaten."
"Dos'na' have much meat on tha bones. S'no point in eatin' it."
"That's beside the point, Face. Someone somewhere will eat Creature because they're starving. Or they will kill it because it's me who decided to keep the little thing."
Face grumbled. "S'pose ya got a point, whelp."
"Please, Face," Vesli offered the not-kitten again.
"Fine, whelp. I'll keep tha little beastie fer ya."
"Thank you."
"Ya better come back an' get it. Else I'll feed it ta somethin' maself."
"Noted."
*/*/*
A loud sneeze echoed through the quiet of the Ruins. "Apologies, this dust is simply too much," Caillot sniffed. Bird offered something for the Occultist to put under his nose.
"You lost us our surprise," Aela teased.
"I'm fairly sure that the creatures of the Ruins already know we're here," Vesli jerked his thumb to indicate the freshly dispatched piles of bones that used to be skeletons a few feet back on the hallway's floor. The Caretaker had set them through the entrance he'd claimed led to the Necromancer Apprentice's last known location. Vesli hoped the increased number of skeletons was a sign that was still the case.
Caillot recovered himself. "Well, whatever foul means the things communicate is typically quick. Let us be off then before others come and my nose draws even more attention."
"Vapors will help. Keep them under your nose. Else will lose effectiveness," Bird scolded before returning to scribbling notes.
"What are you even working on? You've been writing on that same page since the festival," Vesli walked beside the Doctor as the group worked ever deeper into the ruins.
"Names. I intend to collect my part of the deal. I am writing them as they come to me and discarding any that do not suit," Bird's hand did not stop moving.
"…I see," Vesli was sorry he asked. But, now that his curiosity was peaked, might as well continue to dig himself a hole. "When can I expect your suggestions?"
"When options are a reasonable number. Like five. Or three."
"And how many do you have currently?"
"A hundred and thirty-seven." Vesli coughed after swallowing air in shock.
"I wish you luck in deciding, Bird," he decided it was best to leave her to her task. The man noted that It was eager to hear these names. Though It was also firm that It would not accept a new title It did not like. Vesli gave it a mental pat and reminded It that Bird had said It would have some say. This soothed the beast.
The group continued through the tunnels. Groups of skeletons, cultists, and bandits were encountered in rooms and hallways. It was typical ruins fare, and the group dealt with them accordingly. It was as straight forward a trek though the Ruins as it could possibly get. This of course didn't stop Vesli from scanning each hallway and room. All four of the team were careful to keep the torch brightly lit, though sometimes it seemed like the shadows would be safer. No. That was just the pervasive darkness getting to them. Still, the gleaming beacon of light was certainly drawing attention, the price they paid for the relative safety it provided. Vesli couldn't help wondering if they would be able to encounter less resistance from the inhabitants of the Ruins if the torch was doused. He made the light flare brighter instead. It was best to not let the contaminating darkness win. Letting it close, letting it in, that would be far worse than the attention-grabbing torch chasing the shadows away.
The camp they made in one of the rooms was a quiet affair. The serious nature of their current task seemed to be affecting even Bird, who's silent state was perhaps the most unnerving. No one even reacted to Caillot creating his ambush deterrent barrier, despite the shudders it still gave the other three. Four sets of eyes looked through an archway. There was one final hallway awaiting them. And there just beyond the light cast by the fire was a tall door looming ominous in the dark. There was simply nowhere else the Necromancer could be. They had looked, charting maps of the other dead end hallways. That ancient oaken slab was the last barrier between them and one of the darker beings who threatened the Hamlet.
The four looked at each other in understanding. They would get what rest they could this night. Tomorrow… tomorrow they would open the door.
*/*/*
Two people stared at each other.
"…"
The masked one was apparently fixed on a point of the other's head.
"…"
There was a soft low rumble.
"… You have a cat on your head," Neot's mask refused to look away from the utterly baffling sight.
"Yeh. So?" Face ignored the vibrating fuzz entirely.
"It's purring."
"'m told that's a thin cats do."
The Jester stared a few moments longer. Then a jingle sounded with the shrug as training resumed. Creature somehow kept his perch the entire time.
