Visage grunted as Ox walked past him. That would save him the work of summoning mules, at least. At the sight of the tree being woefully replanted useless, he moved up to it, placing his hands on it as he focused. Channeling some of his energy, he returned it to life once more, restoring the broken root system before walking back to the rest of the group.

"Well, Rudy, let's get everything up and onto the sleds inside the entrance of the church. The mechanoid will be doing the hauling for us."

Rhea clapped her hands together and stood up from the couch, "glad that's settled then." She gathered her belongings and made for the door before turning back to Aurea and Lera, "if you two need me, I'm going out for a walk in the woods." Her first destination would be the cabin the boar smashed into, mostly because she was curious and had nothing better to do.

Rudolph looked at the golem. "Where'd you get the golem laddie? That ain't a run-of-the-mill bot ya can just buy from da gnomes. From tha look of it, thing's from the war period or restoration period at the earliest. From its 'ands 'n build, Oy'm guessin it's a construction bot or a siege bot. Weird choice for company, ya know they make music bots now right? They also make security bots, less clunky." The dwarf stroked his beard. "Well anyways, get a move on." He turned around and walked back into the church, making sure the bundles were tied down properly before heading back down into the basement to pick up his coat that he had left behind inside the empty tub. Putting the heavy apparel back on, he walked back up and began dragging the sleds to the entrance.

Ox and Rook proceeded to help loading the weaponry onto the sleds. Once the dwarf returned from his trip inside the church, Ox decided to answer is question. "Well, I came across the big guy while traveling. You see, I got myself into a bit of a pickle and he was there to get me out of it. You could say we're more like travelin' buds... Though I don't really know where he comes from. He ain't the most talkative guy I know." Ox patted the golem on the shoulder before walking back towards their campsite. He grabbed the brown cittern that Rook left laying on the floor and threw the black cittern he was holding up into the air. Once the instrument was airborne, it suddenly disappeared from existence, leaving behind a cloud of purple glitter that slowly descended to the floor.

"If you really want to know, you should ask him yourself. I'm sure he'd be happy to tell ya all the dark secrets 'bout his past." Ox said, hopefully loud enough for the dwarf to hear, as he slung the arms of a backpack over his shoulders. Rook, on the other hand, was gathering all of the sleds together fully outside so he could pull them.

Rudolph grunted, "It don't seem much like da sharin kind, so Oy'll take yer word fer it." As they finished packing up and Ox began putting on his backpack, the dwarf grabbed him by the elbow with his mechanical arm, the half-elf could feel the heat from the metal seep through his clothing. "By the way laddie, would think this would go without sayin, but Oy'll say it just in case as a friendly warnin. If ya try to do that magic on m' again, I'll start by breakin yer arms." His grip tightened slightly for emphasis. "Do Oy make m'self clear? Want ya to say crystal, flash me one of dem dashin smiles of yours so we just look like two chums, then Oy'll let you on yer way." Rudolph gave him a smile about as fake as the one Ox will give him. "So we clear knife-ears?"

Ox smiled, letting a small chuckle escape his lungs before looking down at the dwarf. Rook watched the two of them from his position near the sleds, waiting for a signal to be given or any other reason to come in and crush the dwarf's head. But, Ox waved his hand at the clockwork, which signaled to him that he had the situation under control.

"Crystal." his eyes glanced back up at Rook before he continued, "I'm sorry about that, pal. Us elves got magic flowing through us like blood and, sometimes, I just can't keep it in. I'll try the keep it under wraps from now on, yeah? That way we can stay out of each other's way and get along just fine." After he finished, he patted him on the shoulder and lightly pulled his arm back, hoping that he would release him.

Rhea decided to head out. Lera looked as the ranger slowly disappeared from sight.

"I'll be checking my stock, then." The young adventurer gathered her belongings and headed toward the shop. It was an excuse. All she needed was a quiet place for her to recount the potions she had in stock, taking notes on when she should best use them, and maybe gather some perfume bottles for pesky lycanthrope.

"So no one is willing to help..." Aurea murmured, her judging gaze jumping from mayor, to both Rhea and Lera as they left. People either lost hope, were afraid or it simply wasn't their business. "Very well then..." As if in acceptance, the knight slightly lowered her head, staring at the spot in front of her feet for a longer while. Her body tensed up as she held her elbows and her frown turned into a plain grimace. She bounced her leg a few times before finally making the decision and straightening back up like a spring with a simple "No." on her lips.

"Gather your men. Those who can still fight, and only volunteers. We're departing as soon as they're ready. I just need a few...and maybe someone with tracking skills." Her voice thundered as she gathered her equipment, leaving only the little package alone, and walked across the hall to the exit. "I-....We'll hunt them down by daylight, and cut the problem at its root..." As per usual, Aurea wasn't interested in listening to any response, complaints or her own better judgment even, and walked out the building leaving her ridiculous statement behind.

The person she sought was still within her sights. "Ranger!" Aurea called out from afar, and whether the girl stopped or not, she still caught up to her without need for running. The knight stopped by her, and stared at her smug face in silence for a while, contemplating whether its even worth it or not. "Let us walk." She finally exclaimed, and with a simple move of her free palm encouraged Rhea to lead the way. As they walked quietly for a while It didn't take long before Aurea moved on to the merits. "Despite what you may think, I'm not your enemy here." She was facing forward and her gaze seemed to have lost itself somewhere in the void. "I understand that a woman has to eat, and by no means I expect you...or anyone else to do their job for free. You're all here for one purpose and I get that, but those people need help...If not yours, then mine...And it is I that ask you for help, not them." The knight paused for a brief moment. "So I ask you to help me find the den of the lycanthrope. Nothing else."

Rhea heard Aurea's shout and picked up her pace, not intending on stopping. The knight fell in step behind and starting spouting off words that Rhea really could care less for. "Let us walk," she mocked and chuckled at herself, shaking her head. The two walked quite a ways from Thornwood down the road, not toward the place Rhea initially intended.

Some time after Aurea had finished pleading her case, Rhea halted abruptly in the road. The archer turned on a heel to face Aurea with a bland expression, and then a long drawn out sigh. "Did you announce your plans to the world already? Sure it was a bit out there, but the possibility of the Lycan's having an informant is very real. How many people do you bring? Do you wait for the rest of our party to arrive with the silver, if they're even coming? How long do you give them if you do? How much daylight do you burn trying to find this place? What if nightfall comes earlier tonight than last night? Do you see what I'm getting at here? Does it make sense why I would much rather not waste time with something that could go so horribly wrong we would all end up dead because of it? What if that boar wasn't the true alpha? What if there are larger ones? I say we wait for the dwarf, the changeling, and the Illumian. If they aren't back in a couple of hours, we should probably set off to do what we all came together to do anyway."

Aurea's expression mellowed down from a frown back to nothing, as her voice softened. Something inside her has shifted. "And because of all that I don't intend on dragging anyone down with me. I'll go alone if I have to." The knight shrugged, as if her statement was completely obvious and reasonable. "You don't need to fight others' battles, and I'm not gonna force nobody to do so. I just thought you'd save me some daylight, without really sticking your neck out." The woman looked up at the sun through the leaves above, and sighed. "Guess that's still too much to ask for, huh? Can't blame you...Just makes me wonder." The woman lowered her gaze at the ranger. If she didn't have anything more to say, Aurea would simply head back to the city.

Rudolph glared at the half-elf and growled. "I know ye types, rogues always tryin to get away with yer words, always sayin things that mean something else." There was a beat as they locked eyes then Rudolph cracked a genuine smile and began laughing. He let go of the bard, "Good stuff! Appreciate a boy with some grit. Can't say Oy loike how ya skirted round the fact you was at fault but also can't say Oy don't respect ya for it." The dwarf chortled. "The day Oy say Oy'm wrong to a knife ears is da day Oy don't loike grog and me mum's mutton." With that said, Rudolph made his way to the sleighs to make sure everything was secured properly before they head out.

Ox took a deep breath after Rudolph left. The only thing he felt at that moment was the relief of being out of that situation, which deeply contrasted his usual slightly annoyed inner demeanor. After he was done calming down, he smacked his forehead once and made his way towards the sleds. Rook had ropes in his hands, one for each sled, and he had them split evenly so he could carry the weight without worrying about them crashing into each other too bad.

"Alright, lead the way!" Ox said out loud, waiting for someone to lead the charge back.

Lera found herself back in her shop, she was just here before during the night: gathering medicines, doing a favor for Aurea. Now she's returned to replenish her potion stock. They were about to leave, she as sure of that. It would not take long before the party that went into the woods to return and by then, they'd be off to Highmount. She'd better prepare for the journey ahead.

Rabbit stayed at the town hall, reading his book. Mayor Roderique sighed as the others left and simply looked to Rabbit before going back to his office at the end of the hall.




Aurea walked back to the city gates, rejected by the ranger. A familiar face greeted her at the fixed gate, Sir Dreimon. The man waved at the knight and approached her.

"You're going to find the den of the lycans?" He asked plainly. A cold wind passed them, chilling the knight captain. Aurea however, only felt the familiar; the gust of the Wastes.

====

Wandering through the woods, Rhea felt a chill: a wind so cold that it she knew it couldn't have gone from here. It was summer. Focusing on the forest floor, she found flattened grass and leaves. She could suspect these came from the retreating lycanthrope since the dirt road that caravans use to and from Thornfell were quite a distance away.

The sound of chatter had alerted her however.

=====

(Time skip: The Church Group had woke an hour or so earlier than those in the city, their travel then coincides with Rhea's arrival to the forest.)

The morning of their trek back to Thornfell was more or less uneventful. Rays of sunshine fell from the canopy of leaves above, making beautiful columns of Petrania's grace carved out from Ytra's leafy allies. With the sled moving, pulled by the clockwork known as Rook, the party began to make their way back. Esther allowed the girl to sit on the sled, concerned that the child had been running all night long.

Nothing eventful had happened during their move and the forest, still, disturbingly silent. The usual chirping of birds that signal the morning are absent and amongst the creatures of the day, none have appeared. It is as if the woods had been emptied and yet Visage knew it wasn't truly so. He called for a messenger last night, didn't he? There should be animals here but there aren't now¹.

A ghastly breeze wafted through the trees and down into the forest floor, a cold that clung to the party's exposed skin before slowly disappearing from the warmth of their own bodies.

FOOTNOTES
¹For Visage: You noticed trampled shrubbery and plants that indicate hasty movement.

"Preparation done." Potions stocked, differentiated with bottle type. She would be able to grab the right bottle instantly from her bag.

Lera was primed and ready for anything. She swung the duffel bag over her shoulder and approached the front gate.

Rhea decided to follow the obvious tracks, mostly because she was bored and didn't want to return to town. She made her way through the forest with feline stealth, wielding her bow with an arrow nocked in the string. The sound of chatter could be heard through the trees, and Rhea heard it well before those responsible came into sight. Hiding among the trees was something far too familiar and easy for Rhea, which is why she fashioned her clothes the way she did. Her prey never saw her coming.