Tide of Shadows

[LadyTevar]

"You've been wanting me too," Ceridwen replied. "try it."

[Academia Nut]

Garxon looked around at all of those gathered and roared in frustation before he turned and pointed to the barkeep and shouted out, "YOU! Label your gods damned bottles! The last time I had frenzy water I woke up on the wrong side of the continent with no idea how I got there and a hangover that would drive lesser men insane! I'm out of here!"

[Rogue 9]

Bartel left his table and rushed to where Fehl had landed, soft blue spell energy already coalescing around his hand. He kept a wary eye on Garxon and was careful not to seem aggressive as he laid a hand on the duskblade's ruined face, discharging healing magic into his wounds.

[Charon]

Eight had glanced back at the commotion, but other than that did nothing. He wasn't getting paid to be involved and thus it was not his problem, and if Fehl was enough of an idiot to actually try to fight Garxon it was doubly not his problem.

The construct stepped away from the doorway though, just in case Garxon did decide to leave.

[SirNitram]

The Sqiure was confronted with many things in a short time. Giants of metal, a smelly man whose handsomer bits were red dragon(A good way to determine someone is so ugly only a nesting mother can like), and lots of chaos. Auntie Ceridwen pushed around, and another down. Time to try something.

"Hey, sure. Where's the Frenzy Water? Been forever since I had some! Hey, you travelled after that too!" Friendly, mildly clueless, and harmless. And out of his path. Volemack was many things, but 'Stupid' wasn't one.

[Academia Nut]

Garxon stared at the squire for a moment, blinked, and then burst out laughing, doubled over from the exertion. After a while he seemed to get it together again before looking up at the squire and breaking out into body wracking guffaws. Eventually he had to sit down, tears streaming down his face from laughing so hard. Finally, while still chuckling, he looked up at Volemack and managed to not let out another bout of explosive laughter and said, "You? Frenzy water? Ahahaha! Oh... oh wow. Tell me another one there boy, I haven't laughed that hard in years!"

[LadyTevar]

Ceridwen didn't know whether to hug her squire or smack him for being an idiot. However, it had calmed Garxon down a bit. "My squire," she said by way of introduction, waving Volemack closer. "Since you've drank all the ale, and the mystery bottles are better left mysterious... did you leave any wine?"

Again, it was clear Volemack was kin to his 'auntie'; the silver hair, the sapphire eyes, although the youth's hair had a more metallic sheen, and the eyes were more vibrant even in this dim light. It could be his youth, it could be his dragonic blood was stronger.

[Charon]

Eight looked over at the Paladin and her squire. The Construct couldn't tell they were related, mostly because as far as he could tell most flesh-bags looked the same. But there was definitely just a little bit of the supernatural that flowed in the veins of those two. Perhaps not as strongly as it did with Garxon, but it was still an oddity to humanity.

The giant metal man's chuckle produced the noise of scraping rocks, "I almost feel like I'm the normal one here."

[Academia Nut]

Hearing Eight's comment, Garxon made a dismissive noise and said, "You think this is weird? You should see some of the places out in the planes. I really should visit some of them eventually..."

A sudden thought seemed to burst into Garxon's mind and he shot back to his feet. "I know! Since this place's modd has turned all sour, I'm going to find a real party place. Who's up for finding a way to Ysgard? Anyone? Anyone? Bah! Okay... hmmm... this is going to take some thought here..."

Garxon then started to just sort of absentmindedly wander out of the bar, deep in thought, probably about how to break the dimensional barriers and go bar hopping across the multiverse.

[Charon]

The construct snorted back. "Never said it was weird. You flesh-bags are just all odd enough to make me feel like I'm an everyday occurrence."

Eight was somewhat surprised by Garxon's sudden desire to leave for Ysgard, and the Construct actually wondered for a moment if the barbarian could actually do it. The construct watched Garxon carefully, preparing to follow the barbarian out of the bar if he made it that far before he changed his mind.

[Academia Nut]

"I... wait... no. Damn it, I need to find a forest for that... huh... okay, so either I have to hit the library or head north for a while. Hmmm... I wonder if that forest I burned down has grown back yet... or if I have any kids up there. I should probably check into that before some half-elf comes looking for me with a chip on his shoulder about how 'daddy wasn't there'. Hey! Yeah, that one needs a bunch of people too and... yeah!" Garxon seemed to come to some conclusion in his mind.

Turning to the crowd, Garxon announced, "Hey everybody! I know we had a fun party here tonight, but I've just realized that there are some things I should catch up on and I should probably skip town further on. Incidentally, if any angry red dragon mothers show up looking for me, tell them I'm headed towards the elven lands with the intent of skipping over to another plane of existence for a few years. If you're feeling particularly brave and/or stupid, you can add on that I said, 'Hahaha, I took your kid's head as a trophy and I'm not telling you where its hidden', but the only guys who I've suggested that to who can get away with it are other dragons."

Garxon then took stock that he had everything he wanted to keep and kicked up a merry little whistling tune before he started to stroll for the door.

[LadyTevar]

"You're leaving town now?" Ceridwen asked, surprised.

[Academia Nut]

Garxon blinked and looked at the paladin oddly before he asked, "Well... yeah, I mean, I've kind of already managed to drink a bunch of beer, eat some exploded pig, sing some songs, I've annoyed a priest and a paladin, even if neither of them exploded quite the way I would have liked, I've had a run in with frenzy water, and I got into a barfight. Pretty much the only thing I haven't done here is get laid, and with most of the females currently pretty drunk, unless you're volunteering I've run out of fun things to do right now. And I've got another fun thing in my mind now, so it seems like as good a time as any get started on that."

[SirNitram]

"Wow! That's a great day! Bye!" The squire smiled and bowed. He wandered over to his Aunt, and maintained his look of wonder and grinning, until the barbarian left.

[Rogue 9]

"Try a sweat lodge. I've heard there's some incantation or other you can use to get there, but you have to burn it down with yourself inside," Bartel said dryly from his position tending to Fehl.

[rhoenix]

Fehl groaned as the world came insistently rushing back. Thankfully, the light level inside the bar wasn't as bright as it could be, so he didn't squint very much as he regained consciousness.

He looked up incredulously, as his vision improved, he began to recognize the healer. "Bartel? What in the nine hells are you doing here?"

[Rogue 9]

Bartel was jolted out of keeping an eye on Garxon at the voice and for the first time actually paid attention to the man he was kneeling next to. "Fehl?" An eyebrow shot up underneath his crumpled hat. "I could say the same. It's been awhile since Sternholme, hasn't it?" He chuckled. "Still have all the common sense of a muskrat, I see. Don't try to get up yet; he messed you up pretty good."

[Charon]

As it became clear that the barbarian was leaving, Eight paused and looked back at the others who had almost started a fight with him. The construct shook his head as he stomped over towards Fehl.

"I'm the bloodthirsty one and you go picking fights with barbarians. I'll never understand that."

The construct looked up at the cleric and then back around to the paladin, before returning to look at Fehl. "And you're beginning to keep weird company."

[rhoenix]

"Yeah," said Fehl, wincing as he lay still. "This time didn't work out so well as that time. I have to start remembering not to start shit after I get laid," he said, feeling his jaw.

"Damn, Big Red and Stinky sure punches like a mule," Fehl said, as he felt the rapidly-growing bruises on his face.

[Rogue 9]

Bartel would have cocked an eyebrow if he hadn't done so already. "It seems he has," he said, looking at the construct briefly before turning back to his now-patient.

"Here, let's fix you up a little more than that," he said to Fehl, placing a hand on the half-elf's bruised temple. The healing light glowed again briefly, alleviating some of the pain. "That should do the trick. Let's get you up. You should be glad he didn't tear you open stem to stern; those are some nasty claws he's got." He stood and offered a hand to Fehl.

[Academia Nut]

The town still in confusion over what had happened during the night, it was thus unsurprising that the guards were extremely worried by a lone rider galloping his horse hard in the night rushing towards their walls as the sun rose over the horizon in the morning.

However, when the nearly dead with exhaustion man told his piece to those at the gates, all thoughts of the strange and destructive antics of Garxon were forgotten. The mayor was informed immediately, and then the first person he sent for was Father Almos.

It seemed that rather than being the main show, Garxon had merely been the overture for things to come.

[Rogue 9]

[Fast forwarding since no one seems interested in further posting in the tavern.]

Bartel awoke from his fitful sleep stretched over a pew to the sound of frantic, hushed voices. The cleric sat up and looked at the door, to see a half-dressed Father Almos in rapid, hushed conversation with a guard. Seizing his hat and cudgel, Bartel stood and picked his way around the sleeping refugees to approach the two men.

"Father, Armsman," he whispered. "What's wrong?"

[rhoenix]

For his part, though the good cleric did take care of his wounds, Fehl was still very much not at his best. Walking slowly and carefully downstairs, his morning routine this morning was drinking two small beverages of surprising alcohol content, relieving his bladder, and then sitting down to slowly eat breakfast.

It usually did the trick for him after he woke up bruised and aching from a previous night's fun.

[Academia Nut]

Turning to Bartel, Almos said, "Brother, come with me quickly, as I feel this will concern you quite quickly. Come, we should speak outside."

While having both priests suddenly rush out of the temple did little for the frayed- near ready to snap in some cases- nerves of the refugees, it was better than the alternative. Once the doors were closed, Father Almos said, "A travelling merchant arrived early this morning, only he was a good two days ahead of schedule and missing his cart. He has ridden bareback from the tiny community of Blackdell in a panic. According to him, everyone with is dead. Or at least that is what I have been told. We are going to meet him and the mayor right now."

[Academia Nut]

In the aftermath of Garxon's visit, all that was happening in the early morning was the barkeep, changed over from the man last night, sweeping up some of the wreckage and those with hangovers too severe to let them sleep were sitting in what chairs remained to ponder the pain of existence.

Already though, whispers were starting to circulate as gossip was wont to. Apparently another little village had been hit, only there had been no survivors like with Greyknoll. Or at least, that was what the majority of the rumours said. Some said that there had been at least one survivor. So far though, no one knew who had done it, especially when it was pointed out that anyone with such news would have had to have come from the east, as the ferry across the river hadn't started yet.