Helping a rancher with a little problem.

[Cade_Smith]

Rumors, which was all he had heard since coming to Scara Brae, rumors spoken in soft whispers about all sorts of things. The queen was dying and there would be war to take her throne, which was the worst rumor going around. In reality, everyone with half a mind knew that Queen Valeena was in perfect health and stood no chance of being dethroned any time soon. Another rumor was that the goblins from the cove to the north were working themselves into frenzy. Truth to it was possible, since there had not been any signs of the little creatures or their war like ways for a long time. However, it also seemed that if they did attack the walls of Scara Brae would stand no matter what and the great Scara Brae Knights would be easily given any victory over the barbaric little things. There were plenty others, ranging from the demise of the Burner in the Scourges employ to the loss of the Red Halo’s armor from the treasury.

Cade didn’t know much about the new island, but he felt confident that listening to rumor-mongers would get him nothing but an unhealthy fear of every shadow. A goblin could be waiting in any alley, just laying in wait like a troll under a bridge. Children were reined in with the tales, but they did not have as much experience with the world as adults did. Cade Smith though, he was no adult yet, and his knowledge of anything outside of the Peaceful Promenade or the Milieus Cordeaux was limited at best. The young man was not experienced enough with the town to know about what kind of threat was posed to it, but he assumed that there were plenty of people that could deal with the green-skin barbarians if they had decided to pose a threat.

“The Milieus Cordeaux could crush anything that was thrown at them with a simple wave of their hand. Seen enough fireballs, magical shields, and explosions of rock and earth to know that for a fact.” Cade put down the little newspaper on the table and sipped at his coffee. The morning had been a welcome relief from his routine. Since his arrival a week or two previous he had come to learn from the mage group. As a budding sorcerer with as much concern with the outside world as it had with him, he tended to keep to himself. The headlines of the local paper screamed bold words at him, making him almost want to care about what was happening more than he did.

It was his day off though, the first of many he had been allowed as the school took some religious holiday. Cade didn’t know what kind of religious holiday it was. His family had never mentioned gods to him or forced him to take faith in any of them. The only time he had heard their names was in passing, used to curse bad fate or a deal that did not go as well as they originally had thought. Thayne, that was what the gods were called, but if it was a life and death situation he would have died every time if asked to name even one. “Don’t care what day it is, as long as I get a good week or two away from those dusty books they keep trying to make me read. They make my eyes water with how old they are and how they smell, how can I read when I can’t even see the pages?”

Quietly he picked up the newspaper again, flipping the pages to the help wanted sections. It was his way of finding out what people around the city were really dealing with. Rumors were hard to put into words, and even harder to back with money. He sipped at his coffee as he read blocks of text dealing with anything from finding lost animals to being another muscle head with a hammer needed at some smithy. Cade smirked when he thought of how weak people like blacksmiths would look when he was finally done learning all the magic that the school would offer. Then, as if a hand had slapped him, one of the ads forced him to pay attention.

GOBLINS!!!

Assistance needed by anyone strong enough to help. Goblins have been spotted near my land and I am in need of help to make sure they stay away. Pay will be given for every goblin killed. I live to the North of Scara Brae. Follow the road for five miles and take the right fork in the road. My ranch is called Ganders Game, ask for William Gander.

Cade smirked as he tore the edges of the ad out of the paper, tucking it into his pants pocket. Maybe what he was being taught at the school could come in handy with helping out the poor farmer, or whatever it was he had at his ranch. “They did say get a little experience with my spells in order to learn to control them. This doesn’t seem too dangerous, maybe I’ll get some good pay from it too!”


((Inpu is welcome to join. anyoen else can help if u want, just jump in whenever. only 3 or 4 people total tho, thnx!))

[Inpu]

There are some parts of life that are taken for granted by their very nature. Take, for instance, the feeling of familiarity: one hardly notices it when it’s there. One will never wake up in the morning and say, “I’m glad I know what’s happening today.” But when the sense of familiarity is taken away, one feels its absence quite keenly.

Indeed, Inpu felt its absence quite keenly. Every prejudiced glance at his foreign garb reminded him that he had no friends here. Every wooden sign, every stone building, every cobblestone on which he walked… every single thing was alien to him. This was not his land, and these were not his people. He was in, quite literally, another world.

The big man had no life, no connections here. He had no reason to be here. Inpu tried hard to ignore the blatant stares from a pair of men from across the street as he walked. Uncomfortably he shifted the simple white robe he wore, his hand unconsciously seeking out the staff strapped across his broad back. No friends, no family, no purpose. The only thing that kept him going was a burning desire to return to his home, but that desire nonetheless flamed like a distant star; no matter how high he climbed, he would never, could never reach it.

Gradually something else pervaded his sense of misery. The passersby who were not intent on gawking at him seemed just as intent on one other subject, and he listened for a moment as he walked. One word seemed to be repeated over and over again: goblins. Curiosity overtook his unhappiness, and he finally mustered the courage to ask about it. He picked out a man whose glance did not seem so hostile. He was a small fellow, hair and beard snowy with long years, but the spring in his step and the glimmer in his eyes belied his age. Inpu pulled him aside.

“ I have heard much talk today about ‘goblins.’ What are they?” His deep voice carried an imperious tone that Inpu didn’t notice. It wasn’t his intention to be impolite; rather, it was simply a reflection of the status he held at home. Had he asked a question of one of his own subjects, it would have been viewed as an honor to supply him with an answer.

The man, however, didn’t seem to object. Instead, he chuckled. “Ye mean to tell me ye live on Scara Brae and ye don’t know what a goblin is?” Abruptly his laughter faded as he looked up at the imposing man’s stony face. Clearly, Inpu really didn’t know what a goblin was. “Sorry,” he apologized, “jus’ thought everybody ‘round here knew about ‘em.”

The old man pulled back one of the long sleeves on his dark brown tunic, revealing several faint, white scars written into the otherwise tanned skin. “Nasty little brutes!” the man explained. “Picked up these beauties in my younger years, goin’ adventurin’ in the mountains. They’re little fellas, little more than waist-high to a big fella like yerself, and they’re no big danger alone. ‘Course, you’ll never find ‘em alone. Travel in packs, they do, and they’re cunning, real cunning.”

Inpu’s eyes narrowed as he digested the gabby little man’s information. “They’re evil creatures, then?” he questioned.

The man shrugged. “Don’t know if I’d go so far as to call ‘em evil, but they’ve been enough trouble here lately. There’s a ranch up north, run by a man by the name o’ William Gander, been having some problems with ‘em. Nothing he couldn’t handle by hisself so far, but he fears it’s only a matter o’ time before it gets worse.” The old man’s bright blue eyes narrowed appraisingly. “Ye look like a sturdy fellow, friend. If yer lookin’ for a bit o’ work, ye should go check it out. Gander’s not a rich man, but he’s bound to be grateful for the help, if ye get my drift.”

Inpu pondered that, his expression unchanging. He had no love for these people, and in return they had none for him. Still, there was merit to the old man’s suggestion. Perhaps if word got out that he had performed this task, he wouldn’t be viewed so coldly whenever he walked down the street. And face it: what else was he going to do with his time?

“It may be as you say,” he said finally. “I will seek out this William Gander and offer my aid.”

He spoke with the old man for a few more minutes to get directions before he set out for the city gates. It was peasant work, work far beneath him.

But it was a place to start.

[Cade_Smith]

((i’m leavin this open 4 anyone to join whenever. gonna go ahead and post tho to get it movin))

Morning was finally fully upon the small city of Scara Brae. The sun was beaming from behind a solitary cloud, casting light shadows on the cobblestones below. People wandered past the café and the people sitting outside, sipping their morning drinks and eating whatever it was that the place was serving. Cade, seated outside but in no mood for food or drink, watched the people pass him. Some were carrying weapons and wearing armor, but the majority of them were nothing more than simple lower class peasants. He smiled at the children that looked his way, nodded politely to the women that caught his eyes, and attempted to keep from meeting gazes with any of the larger soldiers. Scara Brae did not seem to notice the danger that was aligned against it, or they simply did not care, Cade could not figure out which it was.

Crowded though it was, the young sorcerer still found his way easily into the flow of citizens. He tucked one hand into a pocket of his pants, fingering the small piece of paper hidden away. The other hand was firmly wrapped around his oak staff. He had been told by a friend he had met his first time in the Promenade that those that carried staff’s were mages. However, the Milieus Cordeaux had laughed when they heard him ask if it was true. “If all people that have staffs are mages, then there are thousands of farmers, travelers, and vagabonds that are just holding back.”

Cade had thought about it long and hard, had pondered what made a mage anything more than a normal person. The thought that one person could throw a fireball without thinking about it, while another was unable to even make his hand hot was strange. If it was not the staff that he, and other magicians, used then what was it that gave him his abilities? He pondered and wandered towards the city gates, smiling the whole way.

“Ey, don’ I ‘now you?” Without trying to stand out, the young sorcerer glanced around slowly. He had heard the voice before, but could not remember to save his life who it belonged to. With his hood down, he would be easily recognized by anyone who happened to know him. Instead of a frowning face of a Cordeaux professor, he was greeted by a stern looking guard. The man’s lips twitched at the edges, just for a second. It was as close to a smile as Cade had ever seen the man show. “Boy, ya look like yer gonna get yerself in sum troubl’ ‘gain.”

“Bert,” Cade said as he dislodged himself from the sea of people to wade towards the guard. The man was a local, born and raised on the island. He had grown up outside of Scara Brae proper, his family opting to breed horses on the plains. Cade had not gotten anything else out of the man about his life before the city guard had recruited him, he was a shut door that was bolted and boarded up. What little training with the staff that the sorcerer carried was due to what Bert had trained him, and he was more than happy to take the bruises that came with the training. “What are you doing out here? I thought you were supposed to be training more guard recruits… or did you miss beating up on a kid who can’t swing a sword?”

“Jus’ you keep goin’ along. I’m lookin’ fer som’ne.”

“So am I,” Cade dug the small piece of paper from his pocket and held it up to the guard, who barely glanced at it before continuing his search. “I was wondering if you want to help with this? I don’t know if I can fight goblins by myself. You taught me a lot last time before I went out with those other guys, but that was still with other people.”

“’ow ‘bout ya call out ‘n fin’ som’ne to ‘elp?” The man’s voice was nonchalant and obviously not serious. The young man, not recognizing the sarcasm in his tone, smiled and nodded vigorously. “No, ya dolt. I was’n s’reous!” It was too late though. Cade was standing on the ledge of a small fountain, balancing on its rounded edge. With a beaming smile on his face he started to call out for attention. A few travelers looked up to him, others ignored the clown.

“Assistance needed! Goblin hunting! Sign up now!”

[Inpu]

The big man’s dark eyes were only two of many that turned upward at the young man’s call. Most turned away as quickly as they had looked, disinterested. A few even giggled at the display of youthful exuberance. Inpu, however, maintained his gaze for a little while longer.

Once upon a time, Inpu had possessed the ultimate power of judgment – he had been the gatekeeper of the afterlife. For an honest, good man, he could grant the right to journey to heavenly Aaru, and those who completed the arduous adventure would know eternal pleasure. But for an immoral, wicked man, his sentence was utter deletion – the sinful soul was erased from existence. That power, however, was but a memory. Now, the big man was forced to admit that seeking help on this quest was probably prudent. The old man had suggested that goblins weren’t all that much of a threat, but he wasn’t willing to take chances based on the advice of a man he didn’t know.

But this boy? This boy, who seemed but a short time removed from childhood? This wasn’t Inpu’s idea of ‘help.’ He was a small thing, rather short and slender in stature. The ex-gatekeeper found it hard to envision any sort of weapon in the young man’s hands. Finally, he averted his stare in dismissal. He was not a babysitter. Better to fight alone, protecting only himself, than to fight with this boy and have to defend the both of them. He continued through the gate and out into the countryside.

Something, however, bothered him, and Inpu had just stepped out of the shadow of the city’s walls when he realized what it was. With a single, critical glance, he had dismissed this boy as a burden. In the same manner, he himself had been dismissed by the populace of Scara Brae. He stopped walking. It was unjust, then, to expect acceptance when he was unwilling to give it himself.

The sun disappeared from view once again as the big man stepped back underneath the big stone walls. It was out of character, perhaps, for him to rescind a judgment already passed. It’s who he was, after all – an adjudicator. And in the underworld, he rarely – no, he never – had reason to second-guess his decisions. He never gave a second thought to any of them.

Of course, having the feather of Ma’at to aid him in his verdicts took a lot of the guesswork out of the occupation. Deciding for himself required more careful consideration.

He passed beneath the gate. The young man had jumped down from the edge of the fountain – to try to balance on the side for so long, after all, would be to risk a watery, embarrassing fate. Inpu approached him.

“I am bound north to meet William Gander,” he explained in his deep tone. “He has been troubled by the goblins of which you spoke. If this is your destination as well, then you may travel with me.” His face, as always, remained stony and expressionless. But inside, he hoped fervently that he wasn’t making an error. His stake in this decision, after all, was much greater.

[Cade_Smith]

They’re all so… stuck up. It was the only thing he could think of to assign to the general populace of Scara Brae. The vast majority of the traffic that flowed in and out of the city did not even bother to look up at the boy as he called for volunteers. Those that did see him and take notice, they barely slowed their pace long enough to pass him. It was as if nobody cared about anyone outside of the city itself. One day, he thought [/i] one day there will be a crisis here, and you know what? I might not join in to help you all. If goblins come to the town itself and attack, sure you have your Knights and your Mages, but where is the heart that makes everyone come together? [/i]

“You sir,” Cade pointed at a large man, wearing haphazardly banded together armor. He turned, knowing that he was the one being pointed out. Or perhaps, he had an ego that made him consider every random generic call sent into a massed crowd meant for him. Either way, the armored man stopped his walking and turned to the sorcerer. Chiseled chest, stout arms, defined jaw structure, he looked like just the man that would be able to truly assist an up and coming sorcerer. The massive sword on his back, with its black diamond cap, and the array of smaller arms definitely helped his appearance. “Would you be willing to assist me in a grand assault against roving goblins? I’m sure the farmer, Mr. Gander, would be more than willing to compensate both of us for our troubles!”

The gruff warrior, easily twice the age of the young adventure hawker, stroked his hand through his rough beard. He must have been one of the people that Cade had heard lived in the frozen lands of Salvar. He looked the part at the very least. The shield across his back was rimmed with a black metal, and the cloak that poked out from his sack was obviously lined with some sort of pelt. A wolf perhaps, maybe a bear. “And who is going to protect you when they put their lives on the line? You’re a petty little whelp, barely big enough to be called a man.”

Astonished at the reaction, and a bit flustered by the sudden attack on his appearance, Cade planted both feet firmly on the fountains edge. His face was turning an awful crimson color as his cheeks blushed, eyes of not only the warrior but other passing commoners turning to await his reply. “I take offense to that. I am a budding sorcerer in the school of the Milieus Cordeaux. Not a kid, despite my age. I can hold my own.”

“Right,” the warrior huffed sarcastically. He opened his arms, like a man awaiting a big hug from someone. “You would be a cause for more trouble. Hardly worth your weight in battle. Anyone foolish enough to join you in this errand would not be watching out for just goblins, but they would have to watch their own back, and yours as well. Child,” he continued as he shook his head and turned away. “Find something else to do. Wait a few years before you try taking on small armies of roving goblins. At least then you will have some muscle on your little body.”

Cade hoped down from his perch, his soapbox crushed beneath his feet before he could even manage to gain the interest of a single person. Perhaps he was smaller, but that would not stop him from at least trying to help others, ever. A few more years? What would a few more years do for me other than give me more spells to conjure with just as little control over them? The young man pulled his cloak under him to keep it out of the fountain. He dipped his hands into the man-made spring and rubbed the cold water on his face to cool him. And who knows how bad the goblins will get in a year, much less three.

Words were spoken in his direction, pertaining to his predicament and current goal. Cade looked through his covered face, brown eyes peering through small slits in his hands. A man was standing before him. He was obviously a warrior, had to be. Brown eyes, hair darker than the sorcerers, desperate need of a tan, and a massive body. He had a staff though, which according to everything that the young man had learned in his life, meant that he was a wizard or mage of some sort. “I am going that way, to meet up with William Gander and find out what is his trouble.” Cade took out the torn piece of paper from his pocket and pointed to the help wanted slip he had removed. “Says he is troubled with goblins. You ready to head out? Let’s go!”

[Inpu]

“I think it would be wise to-“

But it was too late; the youngster had taken off for the gates. Inpu groaned and hurried to catch up. He had met his new ‘partner’ not a moment before, yet he was already able to draw some conclusions about him. He was clearly impulsive; thought and deed were simultaneous occurrences. He also seemed confident and a little reckless, if his ‘call to arms’ atop the edge of the fountain was any indication. They were in the shadow of the high stone walls once again when the gatekeeper caught up to the boy.

The big man’s first impression of the kid wasn’t doing anything to ease his worries. The boy would believe he could handle anything, so he would launch himself headfirst into anything without a moment’s consideration. Inpu would be forced to look out for the youngster’s survival as well as his own.

Once they were out of the shade, the gatekeeper looked back at the sun. It was getting later in the day, and Inpu didn’t know how far the ranch was from the city. If it was any significant distance, they would arrive after sunset, and that made him nervous. He didn’t relish the prospect of meeting an unknown foe in bad light.

He turned to his new companion. “You may call me Inpu,” he introduced himself in his formal brogue. “How far away from the city does this ‘William Gander’ live?” He hoped that he could get the boy to talk strategy. He wanted to get a glimpse of the young man’s mind, of his intelligence. More than anything, he wanted assurance that his new partner wasn’t going to run into this blind.

Inpu was a God. He wasn’t willing to get killed by goblins on some ranch outside of Scara Brae because of the rash decision of somebody he didn’t know.

Feel free to bunny Inpu where necessary. I’m thinking maybe we stop to rest before we get to the ranch and get jumped by a small party of goblins or something. It’s your ship though, so sail it where you want.

[Cade_Smith]

The gate was a high archway, easily wide enough for two or three wagons to pass side to side. Cade had seen it a couple times, when he was leaving the city to practice magic. The Queen feared it, from what he was told, and he had no intentions of having the Templar Knights arrest him for practicing outside of the Milieus Cordeaux’s halls. If the mages guild was going to be watched by a group of thugs in armor, he reasoned, it would be best to go where they would not expect to see the mages. Outside the town, in the green grasses and rolling hills, he had spent much of his free time. However, spells and practice with them had not done much for him. He had spent more time reciting a verse from a dusty book than he had summoning anything of interest. So much for being a grand mage, at least for now. I’ll have to let my experience grow with missions from the city and the Cordeaux, since the mages will know what will best help me along my path anyway.

Cade had nearly rushed to the gateway, eager and ready. He had never seen a goblin before, but had been told that a mission was soon going to be coming his way straight from the University to hunt the little things. Until then, his anticipation could hardly wait. From the books he had read back at the library of the Cordeaux, a goblin was a feral creature. Normally they were at most three feet tall, had teeth that grew out past their lips, and carried and used any sort of weapon or armor they could get their hands on. Green skin was the most common, but they ranged from light green to almost black in color.

Instead of going through and letting the bright sun-light of nearly mid-day warm him, the boy turned around. His partner, the large man who carried the staff, was still behind him. His eyes were placid and his expression looked as much determined as it was uncaring. Cade calmed his composure and waited for the other man to catch up before walking beside him. “Good to meet you Inpu, I’m Cade Smith. Though, Cade is fine.”

With a motion of his hand, and a will that screamed not to wait for time to pass by, Cade and Inpu started their walk north. The road was little more than packed dirt, bordered by smooth stones and a small drain. The sorcerer remembered what the roads in Corone were like, at least nearer to Radasanth. Smooth stones, lain with care to create something that was almost like walking on grass itself. He smiled at the memory, but quickly relapsed back to the present. “Umm,” he shrugged, “The little call for aide didn’t say how far away it was exactly. It said that we needed to follow the road for five miles till the road forks. Then take the right side of the fork and we would find his ranch, though I’m not sure how far from the split it is supposed to be.”

He shrugged again, knowing that he would look like nothing more than an impulsive child to someone who was an actual adventurer. Cade, the meager sorcerer of a dead family from Corone. It was a title he did not enjoy the sound of. He would make himself known, and he would become something of note. “I supposed, since the ranch is under attack day to day, that there would be goblins roaming around the area closer to it. Before we reach the fork we should make sure that we are ready to confront them.”

((u can bunny me and the goblins that u want to attack. i don't mind if u throw in somthing to make it interesting and stuff. :)))