*shadow Ninja*

"No, we are not part of any clan," Shizukesa responded, shaking her head slowly. "But we have heard something of clans before coming here."
"There was one clan that has caught our attention," Cinder added, referring to the White Lion Clan. "Maybe we will go with that, maybe we won't if someone changes our mind."
"You said your clan was in the village east of here. What is the name of that village?"

 

OOC: Well, It's been a while. Real life makes me real busy. At any rate, I fortunately placed my character off to the side for a moment. I suppose I can think up a new story. I rather like the running gag with the robes, though, think i'll keep that

After the meeting, Haru gets up from his chair, and exits the Council room. He walks off to an isolated room, taking off his heavier Council robe and putting on a much thinner robe, he exits to warm weather outside, due to the nearness of the volcano. Taking time to help out around the village, he mines some obsidian, helps feed and care for livestock, then picks up his ninja tools and weapons and prepares to leave, this time donning the standard Order ninja robe, used for its durability and hidden armoring, although the armor is light. Prepared for travel, Haru takes a moment to activate a ninja technique, then begins taking jumping strides, seemingly as light as a feather. With this speed, he can usually reach anywhere relatively quickly, so he usually doesn't use his technique to "fly" unless he's in an extreme hurry, such as when he needed to make it home for the Council meeting. Anyways, Haru begins returning to the Nagasaki, ready to seal the deal.

OOC: When you realize that flight may be a bit too broken. Anyways, I'll give myself time to think of something, this was mostly so that I could spring myself back into RPing

 

OOT: Hey guys, I'm back again after yet another real life interruption; thankfully, this one wasn't as long as the last one. I'm gonna get back into posting real soon, I looked over everything I've missed and I kinda sorta remember where I was going story-wise when I stopped, so I'm just going to take a little more time to collect my thoughts before I get started again.

 

"Thanks," Cinder responded to Falicita. "We'll think about it."
"Perhaps we will meet again," Shizukesa added, and the two continued on their way.

 

OOT: Okay, so I read my last post and I have a pretty good idea of where to go from here, I just need to make a couple of minor retcons.


Theodoric turned towards the entrance, raising his voice so the man behind could hear.
"You may come in now. We are about to conclude our strategy meeting."
Hearing his cue, the blue-haired warrior threw the door open and strode in with confidence and swagger, giving smile and a quick wave to Theodoric and Alkelda.
"Great! So you two worked out all the boring stuff and now you're just gonna tell me who, what, and where to cut, right?"
There was a brief pause as Alkelda stared in stunned silence and Theodoric gave a small sigh, shaking his head. Theodoric was the first to reply.
"I...suppose you could say as much, yes. Now, I believe introductions are in order" he said, motioning back and forth between the two warriors. "Alkelda, this is Ranulf Godhelm, he will serve as your bodyguard and adviser on the journey ahead."

Name: Ranulf Godhelm
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Weapons: Katana; Smoke Bombs; Longbow; Throwing Axes
Other Equipment: Armored Leather Jacket; Hunting Knife
Ninja clan: White Lion

"Ranulf, this is Alkelda the Steele. She is your superior, so pay careful heed to her words."
Ranulf looked to Alkelda, gave a quick salute and nodded.
"You got it, boss man. Alkelda, was it? Looks like you and me are in for quite a road trip. What's your preference, card games or dice? Fair warning, I don't lose either one very often."
Alkelda, finally snapping out of her stunned silence, gave Ranulf an incredulous look, her face turning slightly red from anger.
"I--what--where do I even begin?! First of all, show some respect to Lord Theodoric, will you?! This man is the leader of our clan, you can't just barge in here and address him so casually!"
"What, not a fan of "boss man" or something? That's fine, let me try again...how about 'mon capitan?'"
"That's far from the only issue here..."
"How about "Caesar," that sounds really fancy."
"Of all the insolent, asinine--"
Ranulf snapped his fingers.
"Big Boss!"
"Would you stop that?! As your superior, I..."
Her voice trailed off as she noticed the poorly-hidden grin on Ranulf's face.
"...You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"More than I have any right to."
Alkelda, looking quite exasperated by this point, turned back to Theodoric with a groan. It might have just been her imagination, but for a brief moment, she thought she saw the faintest smirk on his face. She ignored it and spoke up.
"My lord, with all due respect...I can't work with him! Might I request another partner for this assignment?"
Much to Alkelda's dismay, Theodoric shook his head.
"Despite what you may think of him now, he is a swordsman of rare skill and I have no doubt that his aid will be invaluable to you in the struggles to come. Furthermore, I have a hunch that the two of you will make a better team than you might realize at the moment. Keep an open mind, be fair with him, and listen to what he has to say. You may yet draw out his full potential."
Ranulf chimed in, looking somewhat offended.
"We just became partners and you're already trying to ditch me? Ouch. That cuts me deep, Kelly."
"Kelly?!"
"You know, 'cause Alkelda--"
Ranulf was interrupted by a Theodoric's firm grasp on his shoulder.
"As for you..."
Ranulf, reading the mood, turned slowly and responded quietly.
"...Yes, my lord?"
"Behave."
"Yes, my lord."

Theodoric then called the two over to his table, pointing out their destinations on the map for Ranulf's benefit.
"As I discussed with Alkelda, I will take a small escort this way, towards the home of the Nagasaki clan. Their leader, Kaname, is an old friend of mine and I am certain he will lend us aid when I explain how dire the situation is. Meanwhile, I would like the two of you to take a separate path and investigate a certain rumor which has caught my attention. Apparently, two highly-skilled warriors from a faraway land have settled...here, near this village. They may not wish to involve themselves in a war, which is certainly understandable. However, their knowledge and experience could prove invaluable if they are willing to pass on what they have learned. Practicing a new, unknown fighting style from a distant land might give us an edge in battle. After I meet with Kaname and investigate this rumor, we will continue on and rendezvous at the homeland of the Blue Robes. This will almost certainly be...our most difficult negotiation yet. The Order tends to be somewhat isolationist, keeping out of the matters of other clans. Even so, they must be made to see the severity of this invasion. They must understand that unless we summon every ounce of our strength, this beloved land of ours will fall to ruin. Sleep well and prepare thoroughly. We leave at dawn."


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"Aw, nah..."
Red stumbled over to the horse, eyes welling up with tears.
"Nah, nah, nah...you can't die, horsey! Say it ain't so. Say it ain't so, little horsey!"
He fell to his knees, then leaned over with his head somewhere on the horse's back. It clearly wasn't the right place to listen for a heartbeat, but at this point, even basic anatomy was pretty far beyond Red's booze-addled mind. When he (obviously) didn't hear a heartbeat, he threw up his arms and yelled towards the sky.
"NOOOOOOOOO, HORSEY! You were so young...so...not dead!"
He slammed his fist on the ground, tears falling down.
"Why'd it have to be this way?! Why? Why are the gods so cruel?! It ain't right, man!"
He put a single, tender hand on the top of the horse's head.
"I shoulda saved ya...I shoulda been the one to fill yer dark soul with LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!"

 

Leo, almost toppling over from standing. grabbed Red's shoulder. "It's okay Red, It's okay." Leo was holding back tears for the fallen horse. "I'm sure it lived a good long life, There is nothing we can do for it now." He reached his hand to the side of Red to help him up from off his knees. when suddenly....

"NEIGHHHHH!" The horse stood up from the tumble it took and started to book it back to the stables.

"WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Leo was shocked at what he saw, "DID THE HORSE JUST COME BACK FROM THE DEAD! DUDE A ZOMBIE HORSE?! TONIGHT IS GETTING STRANGE, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO WHEN WE GET TO THE CANNIBAL BEARS!"

 

Sat atop his warhorse on the path to Nagasaki Village, Theodoric carefully scanned his surroundings, unable to shake the feeling that something was amiss. Taking a small entourage of guards, he had left his keep early in the morning and made steady progress towards the village; the sun was positioned a little after midday now. The journey had been fairly uneventful up until this point and his horses, hearty and quick as they were, kept a brisk pace until Theodoric motioned with his hand for the group to slow down. As his eyes darted around, more suspicious than ever, one of the guards spoke up.
"Milord, is something wrong?"
Theodoric responded in a hushed tone.
"Listen closely. What do you hear?"
"Well...nothing, milord.
"Precisely. Absolute silence in the middle of a crowded forest, does that not seem strange to you?"
Hearing this, the guards all took a defensive posture, hands on their weapons.
"You're right, milord...the animals are not stirring at all. Why would that be?"
"I suppose because...something or someone has scared them away."
One of the soldiers, spotting a shadow out of the corner of his eye, gave a slight gasp of surprise as she drew her bow. Looking closely as she reached for an arrow, she saw a figure hiding in the trees, dagger in hand. Staying silent so as not to alarm her target, she drew her bow and fired in one swift motion, striking her target before it realized what was happening. As the figure slumped down and fell out of the tree, she yelled to the others.
"Ambush! Ready your weapons!"


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After about half a day's travel at a somewhat hurried pace, Alkelda and Ranulf arrived without incident in the village spoken of in the rumor. Unfortunately, they had no idea exactly where the two foreigners lived, only that they lived nearby, so they took a brief rest upon arriving to discuss the next course of action. Alkelda spoke up first.
"Now that we're here, we need to start gathering information on where these two could be. If we split up, we can cover more ground and hopefully find what we're looking for more quickly."
Ranulf rubbed his chin and nodded.
"Sounds good to me. I'm pretty sure we passed a tavern on the way here and I'm dying to see what they've got for drinks around here."
Alkelda, clearly unamused, gave him a stern look. Ranulf, looking slightly offended, raised an eyebrow.
"...What? I wouldn't only be going there for drinks, you know. Taverns are a great place to gather information! That's where all the best rumors go around, you know?"
"Never mind what I said, we're going together."
"Aw, come on. Now it sounds like you don't trust me at all!"
"That's because I don't."
"Well, damn. I mean, even if you feel that way, you didn't have to come right out and say it."
"We're going together, end of discussion."
"Alright, fine. Still not sure why we need to be out here in the first place, to be honest. If the boss wants someone to teach people some sword skills, he could've just asked me."
"You're rather full of yourself, aren't you?"
With a cocky grin and a click of his tongue, Ranulf responded confidently.
"You can get away with saying stuff like that as long as you can back it up."

OOT: Hey Core, if you want your characters to run into mine, you can go ahead. Otherwise, they'll find you in the next post.

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After being helped up by Leo, Red dried his tears and stood silent for a few moments. When he realized that Leo was yelling about something, he gave Leo a confused look.
"Slow down, whatcha yelling about-- AAAHHHH!!"
He turned around and, seeing the horse get back up, began to stumble backwards while screaming like a madman.
"AAHHHH! AAHHHH! AAAAAHHHHHHH!! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUUUuuUUuuU--!!!"
Stumbling even harder than before, Red ended up falling flat on his back, interrupting his freakout. With a quiet "ow...ugh..." he slowly managed to sit back up and answer Leo's question.
"I dunno, man."
He couldn't help laughing a little.
"That was cool, though. Heh. Zombie horse, that's pretty badass."

 

Shizukesa and Cinder completed making their furniture selections for their new home, and began their way back home. The furniture would be delivered by the time they arrived at home later. They were able to afford the local furniture of their choice, though most of the choosing was done by Shizukesa. Her mind's eye was able to remember the layout of the home and know what would best suit it while Cinder, whose knowledge of furniture was mostly that of utilitarian and functional nature, steered her away from the more fragile furniture.
"No way that couch would last more than a year or two with kids around." "Drop into that wicker chair too hard, and we are going to have a thousand tooth picks to clean up." "One kid runs into that book shelf, and it is done for. See? That kid just proved my point."
Because they had done quite a bit of walking that day, and had not done quite enough eating or drinking, they stopped by a nearby tavern to get food and drink. There, they both ordered a meal of steak and bread and sat at a table situated in the corner. Not being one who was interested in alcohol, or any other drink on the menu, Cinder had water with his meal while Shizukesa chose tea.
"All of our necessities have been taken care of for now. Perhaps now, we can consider the invitation the clan the young man spoke to us of." She stirred her tea, the ice tinkling against the glass.
"The Nagasaki clan, was it? It was nice to get the offer, but I expected to hear more about doing trials or something to prove we have the skills for the job."
"True, though it is not something that needs to be openly stated to us, either."
"I also doubt the strength of that clan. Their leader did not seem like a strong person, and if that is the best they have to offer..." Cinder trailed off, feeling that his gut reaction was not entirely reasonable, but had already spoken too much about it.
"Keep in mind, one's appearance and lack of strength does not make them a delicate warrior. Strength alone is not enough to determine the quality of their combat capabilities."
"Yes, I know. I should know that more than most, and that there needs to be a balance of strength and skill, but the weak appearance still bothers me. Something about it."
"I understand how you would feel that way. It is just another way of looking at the possibilities. By the way..." She took a sip of her tea and continued. "... did you hear the conversation when we were looking at the beds earlier?"
"I heard. Seems to be a rumor. Carrying eight identical swords, and is entirely covered robes and other clothes. He gives you eight chances to kill or leave him before all Hell breaks loose. Not sure what to think of it."
"That was all I heard as well. We had best stay away from anyone who fits the rumor, especially if we are away from each other."
"Yeah, that sounds good"
With that being the end of that discussion, they spoke of lighter topics and continued with their meal.

 

“PRETTY BADASS?!” Leo leaped back. “HAVE YOU LOST YOUR DAMN MIND RED?!” Suddenly he heard a voice on the side of him, he just considered it was one of the cannibals so he quickly grabbed one of his daggers and turned only to see that he man had toppled over. Leo, Didn’t think all that much in this moment considering the fantastical night he we having. He instead walked over to the fallen man, bent his body forward a bit and poke his shoulder. Once he heard a groan he smiled and looked over to red.

“Hey Red! This old man can’t hold his alcohol, and it looks like he is about to fall asleep wish his shoes on... By chance do you have anything I can use to draw something on him?” He smirked at red and then started to sing drunken songs “Say old man, I don’t know what you were asking or about who, but I think you said sister. Well... is your sister a milf?” Leo had a bad case of beer balls. “Because if she is, Red and I might be more obligated to help figure It out if she is willing to give us a reward if you catch my drift.”

 

With their locations now revealed, the hooded assailants quickly fell on Theodoric's group. The Warrior-King drew steel in response and with a powerful battle cry, led his group in a charging counter-attack. They fell on the enemy soldiers like a tidal wave, culling nearly half of the group in the opening exchange of blows. The assassins, lightly equipped for what they hoped would be a stealthy assassination mission, were ill-prepared for the heavy blades and broad shields of Theodoric and company. In particular, Theodoric swung his large zweihander with unnatural speed and devastating force, finding purchase on his enemies with ease. After one last exchange of blows, the assassins saw that they were clearly outclassed, so the leader called his remaining fighters to himself and they gathered in front of a large tree nearby, weapons held out in desperate defense as their backs faced the huge tree's trunk. As Theodoric and his warriors gathered around, the lead assassin scowled at him and hissed through gritted teeth.
"Damn your eyes, betrayer! Damn you and your whole wretched band of deserters!"
Theodoric pointed his blade at the assassin, staring him down with the eyes of a predator ready to strike.
"Throw down your weapons. If you cooperate with us and tell us what we wish to know, you have my word that I will not take your lives."
The assassin's face twisted from anger and contempt to a cruel smile as he laughed quietly, then loudly.
"How gracious of you, Renegade King. And what would you ask of us?"
"Tell me where you hail from."
"I think you already know, don't you?"
"Humor me. Say it with your own lips."
The assassin laughed again, louder than before, as he reversed the grip on his sword.
"Even if we told you everything we know, it wouldn't matter. His Majesty already has his sights set on this land. It's only a matter of time now."
He raised the hilt of his blade high.
"...They're coming."
Then he plunged his sword into his stomach, and Theodoric could only look on in wide-eyed horror as the other assassins followed suit. Sheathing his blade, Theodoric walked away from the grisly scene and let out a heavy sigh, whispering under his breath.
"Just as we feared."
However, one assassin was still alive. Somewhere in the chaos, a familiar blonde-haired ninja had managed to subdue one of the assassins. Theodoric walked over and gave him a nod of approval.
"Well done, it seems you have accomplished what we could not and took one of them alive."
He gave a slight smile.
"It is good to see you again, Kaname. Even in these dark times, I am always glad to speak with a friend whom I have not seen face-to-face in far too long. As much as I enjoy our letters back and forth, I must admit, this is much better."
He then noticed a slightly odd detail and gave Kaname a curious look.
"Is that a kusarigama? I never knew you took it up. For that matter...where is your katana? You wore it so often, I thought perhaps you never leave home without it."


-------------------------------------------------------------------------


Alkelda groaned in frustration, palm firmly planted on her face.
"Fine, if you say so. We have better things to do than sit here arguing."
Ranulf nodded in agreement.
"Works for me. And hey, since we're already here in the tavern, let's ask around.
"Well, I suppose the innkeeper may have heard something--what are you doing?!"
Ignoring Alkelda's angry whisper, Ranulf casually began walking to a nearby table to start asking questions. At the table sat a silver-haired man in a long red coat and a black-haired woman in a blue robe. With a winning smile and a confidence in his step, Ranulf walked up to the pair and tried to strike up a conversation.
"Hey folks, sorry to interrupt your meal, I've just got a quick question to ask. My partner and I are looking for a couple of badass warriors with sick sword skills from another land, I was just wondering if you've seen anyone like that."
Alkelda, turning beet red from embarrassment, quickly stepped in and bowed to the two stranger.
"Ahem, ah, my deepest apologies for this man's idiotic display just now."
Ignoring the confused and somewhat offended look on Ranulf's face, Alkelda continued.
"Allow me to clarify what he was saying. Truth be told, the both of us hail from the White Lion clan in Shiroyama Forest, an important detail which my subordinate-- not partner, subordinate-- failed to mention."
"Hey, I was getting to that."
"Shut up. Regardless, as he said, we are looking for two warriors of some renown who have moved to somewhere around this area recently. It was not my intention to begin harassing random strangers for information."
She gave Ranulf a glare; he responds by rolling his eyes.
"...However, the topic has already been brought up, have you by any chance heard any rumors or perhaps seen a couple of new neighbors move in recently?"


-------------------------------------------------------------------------


Red stared at the man closely, and in a moment of sheer drunken brilliance, came to an entirely different conclusion than Leo.
"Nah, dude, I dun think this guy's drunk...and trust me, I know when a guy's drunk. Like, for example, you and me? We're fine. 'Cause we're men and we can hold our liquor. Point proven.
He leaned in for a closer look.
"But this guy, like, I think he's hurt or something. And he kinda smells like a barbeque. Do you think he got back from a really bad barbeque?"
Then, realization struck.
"Wait...wait...WAIT! I'll bet them cannibal bears got him, and they were tryin' to cook this guy and eat him! Aw man, aw man...look, are you alright, buddy? Lemme getcha some water."
Red fumbled through his belongings, taking much longer than he really should have, and finally pulled out a waterskin. He put it up to his nose and smelled it.
"Hold up...damn, this is the one I filled up with booze. Lemme try again."
He went through his belongings again and pulled out another waterskin, giving it a quick sniff.
"Okay, yeah, this is the one. Here, drink up, guy.
With that, he offers up his waterskin (with actual water in it) to the burned man.

 

The couple looked up at the two strangers. Cinder immediately regretted being in such a cramped position, being trapped in the corner. Fortunately, the two people did not seem to be threats to them. Shizukesa did not sense any hostility, other than that which the woman directed towards her self-assertive underling. If they did prove to be hostile, there were more than enough water-based liquids around for her to manipulate.
Being aware of the two people first, Shizukesa was already prepared to respond to them.
"Unfortunately, we have not heard any rumors of two new warriors to the area, hailing from a distant land. And truthfully, neither have we seen the two warriors." She paused for a moment after her truthful yet misleading response, since they were the ones being rumored about. She considered playfully misleading them with her response for a short time, but decided against it. "However, we are both new to this area and have come from a place far from here. As for us being renown, I do not quite understand how that would have come to be."
"White Lion clan?" The clan name was familiar to Cinder. "We heard a little about that clan. So, why are you two looking for the two people who might be us?"

 

Leo pondered for a moment, In deep thought it came to him. “You bastard! You’re meaning to tell me I’ve been sobering up this whole time and you have MORE booze!” Though it seemed like it was a big deal, he decided to just take it upon himself to start lifting the unconscious man. He was heavier than expected but he manager to stand him up and throw his arm over his shoulder. “Look Red, I don’t wanna carry this man, especially when the bounty we have is so high, We managed to convince these fools to pay DOUBLE.” He paused.

“so here’s the deal, I’m going to move him to the side of the road, where he will be safe, and then we will continue on with this contract. Unless that is you have any better ideas.” Leo started to stumble towards red, in an attempt to get him to help carry this man. “By the way, if you don’t help me with him I will throw him at you, and when we find his milf sister and totally save her, I will reap the rewards, Got it?!”

 

OOC: Time seems to have passed, so here I am again! Hopefully I'll be able to resolve any Blue Robe story parts as long as my character is here, so that should be good. Unfortunately, that requires character interaction, so I'll have to make this one short
Haru once again arrives in the Nagasaki village, although he has a bit of trouble stopping, creating a giant dust trail as he digs his feet in the ground, and yet still he slides about 20 feet before stopping. Dusting off his cloak, Haru breathes a sigh of relief, and begins walking normally, unlike his earlier supernatural strides. Pulling off his blue robe, another blue robe is found beneath, although a bit lighter, Haru folds his larger blue robe and puts it in a small backpack.
Heading to the Nagasaki home, he knocks on the door, raising his voice, he says
"Hey! It's Haru, the representative from the Order of the Blue Robes! I've spoken to the Council, It's all finalized now!"

OOC: I'm assuming the office you're inviting Theodoric to is the same one Haru spoke to Felicita in, so here is the reentry of my character.

 

OOT: I'm fine with a time skip, I'll just tie up that loose end about the prisoner real quick.


After exchanging the usual pleasantries with Kaname and heading to the village, Theodoric deliberated on what to do with the prisoner. When they arrived, he arrived at his decision and asked Kaname if he could make use of the Nagasaki's prison for the duration and locked the prisoner away. That taken care of, Theodoric gladly accepted Kaname's offer to stay in the Nagasaki home and his group made themselves fairly comfortable, though a tense atmosphere still hung in the room from the day's events. As his soldiers took their respite, Theodoric walked with Kaname towards his office to discuss the matter that brought him here.

Theodoric's face turned dour and he briefly closed his eyes to focus his thoughts and remain as calm and composed as possible. Opening his eyes again, he gave a nod and replied.
"There certainly is a reason, my friend...a reason most dire, I'm afraid. Dark times are nearly upon us, just over the horizon, and I fear for the safety of the realm and all who dwell within it."
Just then, he faintly heard a knocking sound and what may have been someone's voice in the distance.
"Ah, are you expecting someone? I would not wish to disrupt any business you may have."

Alkelda considered her words carefully. If she told them about the upcoming war, they might balk at the idea of being dragged into a large-scale conflict and flat-out refuse without listening to a full explanation. Even worse, without knowing his character, they might assume that Theodoric is simply looking for expendable mercenaries to send to the front lines, even though he certainly would have respected and desired talent such as theirs regardless of whether or not war was coming.
"Yes, well...whether or not you are the ones we are looking for, I believe introductions are in order, please pardon me for not doing so sooner. I am Alkelda the Steele, a humble warrior of no great renown myself, though I have earned my liege's confidence and permission to speak on his behalf."
She looked to Ranulf, who seemed almost surprised to be acknowledged. His surprise didn't last long as his face quickly took on a cocky grin, showing his intention to make the most of this opportunity. He cleared his throat and began speaking calmly.

"I am called Ranulf Godhelm. Well...that is merely one of the names I am called, to be fair."
And just like that, he gestured wildly and began speaking in a rather grandiose fashion.
"For you see! I am known by many names both within Shiroyama and beyond. Foeslayer. Demonbane. Trueblade. The Greatest Warrior Alive? Not yet, but that day is surely coming. My skill with a blade is--hurgleflergle--mrrf!"
His voice was muffled by Alkelda, who quickly stepped over to her table and grabbed a piece of bread, which she stuffed in Ranulf's mouth to put a quick end to his boasting, and he certainly did stop, now giving Alkelda a very indignant and somewhat embarrassed glare. Barely containing her frustration, Alkelda nonetheless spoke to the two strangers calmly, ignoring Ranulf's silent protests.
"Getting back to the matter at hand, we were seeking you-- or rather, the two warriors who may or may not be you-- because my lord is always on the lookout for exceptional talent; if these warriors are as skilled as the rumors say, he would very much like to have their blades at his side. Also, for what it may be worth...we are all outsiders as well, and we understand that finding a place to belong in this foreign land may be difficult. Strength and honor are valued in our clan, not heritage and birthplace. You would be at home among us."

She quickly corrected herself.
"That is, if you are the two travelers in question, of course."
Having finished his mouthful of bread, Ranulf spoke up.
"In other words, we're on a badass-recruiting mission. So, do you two fit the bill?"
Alkelda smacked her face with her palm.

"Heh...I'd like to reap her rewards."
Red shook his head, trying to focus on the task at hand with...a little success. He helped carry the unconscious man as he continued talking.
"Hey, wait, WAIT! We can't just leave him by the road."
He looked directly into Leo's eyes as they walked along.
"Okay, right, so, hear me out on this. Maybe this is some kind of, like, test of character or something. You know what I mean? Like the kind you hear about in crazy rumors and fairy tales and stuff like that. And if we super nice to him and we take care of him real good, he'll turn out to be a fairy or an elf, or..."
...He froze for a moment.
"Maybe he's...maybe he's..."
He gasped and his eyes went wide, practically lighting up with wonder.
"Maybe he's a unicorn! And if we help him, he'll take us to the land of hopes and dreams! And it'll have all this cool stuff, like Ye Olde Blackjacke and the fairest of strumpets! DUDE! Come on, man, if there's even a shot then we've gotta take it."
He stared up to the sky, eyes blissfully blank in a drunken stupor. He snapped out of it long enough to have a thought.
"So, like, let's take him to a place that'll make him feel better. Wait...where do you go when you're hurting and you need to feel better?"