It was early morning when Jan entered the woods, the sense of forboding filling him as he traveled with firm steps. No sign of the wolves yet, but he could sense them near, watching him, hungering to destroy him, but held back by something as he carried on towards the village.
The village, as he arrived, was much as he left it. Old and abandoned...save for one feature. An old man, traveling about, seeming to be examing the place unmolested by the wolves. He was recognizable to Jan as the old man who used to tell odd tales at the tavern.
Dracos
"Sir! Why are you here, it's much too dangerous for the unweary." Jan exclaimed as he ran up to the old man, worry in his eyes.
OOC:Damn forgetting.
IC:
The old man continued doddering for a moment about before he turned, and his eyes widened for a moment, the slightest hint of shock playing across his wrinkled features, his eyes narrowing a hairs breadth in comprehension before going back to the kindly old dodger that Jan knew well, almost fast enough for Jan to totally miss it. "What in the world are you doing here?" He was evidently a bit surprised to see Jan regardless. "'Tis dangerous for youngin's to head out."
Dracos
"I'll be alright. Those wolves can't do anything to you if you sit up in a tree in the night." Jan explained what he learned from his friends. "But what about you? Why are you here?"
"Why am I here..." The doddering old man pulled himself up to his full height, the shapeless mess he always called a hat ponderously perched upon his head as he ran his hands through his beard. "Magic...no," He seemed to be struggling to remember almost...until a chance gust of wind blew his hat off his head, tossing it a little ways away where he promptly chased after it.
Dracos
Jan blinked, running after the old man to help him out in catching the hat. The faster they get the hat, the faster he got the answer.
A few minutes later, they had retrieved the hat.
"Thank you, m'boy. Appreciate it." He smiled absently. "Now, what are you doing here?"
Dracos
"I'm investigating these woods. Call it community service." Jan looked at the old man. "So, what were you saying about magic?"
"magic, magic, magic..." He seemed to be equal parts pondering and remembering and just plain dodering about. "I was talking about that? Ah...something changed in the magic here. That was right. Coming to check it out, I was."
Dracos
"Well, let's go some place more secure. Something seems to be holding back the wolves for now, but I'd rather not risk them attacking us out in the open." Jan led the way to an intact house which they could hold up at.
If not, he'd lead them to some nearby trees where the old man can be set up. He could go golem, afterall. As they walked, he continued. "You can feel magic, ol' man? Never figured you the type, then again this whole situation has grown more surreal by the day."
"eh? magic? Ye young whippersnappers don't appreciate the elderly. Why I'm a fine magician, you hear." He rambled, following Jan into the building. "Know lots of good spells too, like..." He seemed to be trying to remember.
Dracos
"Magic is all well and good, if you got food. I don't see anything on you, old timer." Jan set his pack down and began pulling supplies out of it to secure the building for his guest and himself.
"The front pouch has some stuff. Help yourself."
"Ah, good good." The geezer sat down and helped himself to a bit of the food.
Dracos
"How long have you been here? Don't you know it's dangerous?" Jan asked as he got the windows barred up first. "There's wolves in these woods that are vicious and insanely powerful. They could've torn you to shreds!"
"Eh, just got here...and I haven't seen any... Why, I think I've got a good spell for wolves...let's see," He pulled out a book and seemed to be fingering through it. It was quite ancient and seemed to be barely holding together.
Dracos
Jan decided to not speak up for now, taking the opportunity to continue securing the house. Best not distract the old man, or he might destroy his book.
"Ah yes...Dognip...to tame dogs, you see!" He chortled a bit after a while.
Dracos
"Aren't dogs technically a whole new species seperate from wolves now?" Jan asked as he continued working.
"eh...you may be right." He nodded. "Well, I could turn them into dogs first. Wouldn't that work?" The doddering old man answered.
Dracos
"I don't think you have the time to do that. Unless you can cast instantly." Jan responded. "At least this is going to make a good story for you when we get back."
"true, true... Why are you here again?" He said absently.
Dracos
"I'm looking for the reason this town was destroyed so long ago."
"Ah...Mmm, let's see...village village...what's the name of this village?" He pondered.
Dracos
"I'm not sure either, but I came across it with those new guys a few months ago. Seems like a terrible disaster happened here recently when those new guys and I got here."
"Nothing recent here... and its been pillaged... long ago...so those must be the footprints around here."
Dracos
"But...I saw those blood stains. They were fairly recent." Jan muttered, staring at the old man a bit disbelievingly. "Who raided this town, anyway?"
"I...who are you again?" He mumbled. "Ah, yes...who knows?" He responded.
Dracos
"Okay. Well, just stay here, sir. It'll be safe for you here. I'll be right back after I give the town another go over." Jan rose up and made his way outside.
"Aye, if it suits you." He nodded, his eyes far away.
Dracos
"I'll go check out the main building in town." Jan shut the door after him and made his way to what he figured had to be the mayor's home or something. Hopefully he'd have an easier time checking it out this time around.
Heading out, he found the building abandoned as it was the first time, the door wide open as he'd left it, slight footprints near the entryway, as if someone else had been here though.
Dracos
"Hmph. Well, isn't that interesting." Jan softly muttered as his hand lowered to his right side where he had one of his twin revolvers at the ready. He silently went inside.
The place was silent. Undisturbed from how he had left it the last time, at least in this room.
Dracos
The negotiator headed into the kitchen to the east, best check through this route because it'd keep his back to the wall when he went north to the abandoned bed room north of the kitchen.
The kitchen was also how he left it. Nothing had been touched. Not even the wolves had been here.
Dracos
Jan suddenly had a flash of insight as he made his way to the closet near the study, drawing his other revolver as he did so and making sure to keep his back to a wall no matter what as he crept through the house.
The closet was the same shattered wreck, revealing the cave behind it and the still deceased bodies.
Dracos
Jan frowned, leaving the closet alone for now in favor of checking the books out in the study more thoroughly. He kept an open eye at the door of the room to make sure no one got the drop on him.
There were no books. Whatever had come before had been pretty thorough in collecting every bit of information they could. Totally stripped bare.
Dracos
"Feh. Typical." Jan holstered one of the revolvers as he sighed, running a hand through his hair. He paused for a moment.
Maybe the old man had them?
The man turned about face and decided to quickly give the closet a once over. Maybe there was something on one of those dead bodies or near them that might have a clue.
The dead bodies seemed to be soldiers, their armor and weapons marked by hundreds of claw marks.
Dracos
Jan continued down, trying to pick out if there was any special markings on the armor. Like a crest or something like that he could use to identify these soldiers by.
It was hard, but they all seemed to have the same type of crest. A lion, standing on it's hind legs holding a flagpole with an orange flat. These were on each of their shoulder guards.
Dracos
Jan took one of the shoulder guards for later inspection. He continued downwards towards the bottom of the closet, checking for any other signs of people having come down here.
In the darkness, it was impossible to tell.
Dracos
Jan lit up a flare as he entered the bottom level of the closet slash cavern to see better.
It was much as he left it, the sand under his feet...no wait...there was the slightest hint of another set of footprints here. Someone else had been here since he was last here.
Dracos
"Someone was trying to get the box..." Jan muttered as he traced the footsteps. Good thing he had it on his person. Turning, he started back to where he and the old man were staying.
The old man seemed to have dozed off against the wall.
Dracos
Jan went to check on his pack, making sure the crystal box was still in there.
Yup, it was. It glowed a bit as he pulled it out.
Dracos
Jan put it back in his pack, throwing it on his back. "Hey, old man?" He shook the elderly gentleman awake. "Did you happen to go into the big building in town before I did?"
"Big building...what...where are we?" He said, his eyes milky.
Dracos
Jan sighed, "We're in the wolf village, for lack of a better term. Seems this place had someone else visiting before us, and they completely ransacked what valuable information the town had to offer."
"Long, long ago, there was a town that guarded something important beyond measure... they knew not what it was... but only that it must be kept for all time until it was meant to be used." The old man rambled sleepily.
Dracos
'You'd think they'd tell them what that thing was.' Jan thought to himself as he listened at the old man. His stories were always interesting, afterall.
"A king in a far away land heard of this treasure that was guarded by the people and sent forth two squads of men to take it and kill all who resisted them. These men fought their way through the forest and came to the town and demanded the treasure. The townspeople refused to give it up."
The old man dramatically sighed.
"And so they killed them. And killed them. And killed them some more. They looted, they pillaged, they plundered. They piled up a treasure of everything that the village owned. Still, the village chief would not relent and tell where the treasure was... So they killed him...and he shed a single tear which formed, on hitting the bloody ground, into a bell of golden earth. One squad left that day, carrying the ill gotten spoils they'd acquired. The other though stayed for the treasure had clearly not yet been found. They searched high and low before finding a cave of darkness hidden beneath the city..."
He brushed his beard.
"Here it was said that the villagers rose up to defend their treasure, their angry spirits becoming like wolves, clawing and biting and tearing them apart until not a man stood...Their treasure lost to the ages."
Dracos
"Old man, I have to hand it to you." Jan passed the torn up shoulder guard to the storyteller. "Here, you can have this in exchange for the story. This is the emblem of the same knights in your story."
"eh, what story?" He absently replied as he shook off his lethargy and stood up, pocketing the odd knicknack.
Dracos
"Eh, nevermind. That and the food should cover things. You rest a while and I'll escort you back to New Brunswick, okay?"
"No, no, mmm, but yes... things are moving now and these old bones shouldn't rest too long."
Dracos
"Well, whenever you're ready we'll go. I'm not going to rush you, sir." Jan politely responded.
"ah, but we travel the same route..." He smiled and gestured for Jan to lead the way.
Dracos
"Oh well. At least it wasn't a waste of time." Jan shrugged and began leading the way out of town.
Traversing to Brunswick.
Dracos