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[IamanElfCollaborator]

"Roux is right. He's gone, and you need to rest. You risk....overtaxing yourself."

[CrimsonEon]

Climbing up the hill to the spot the bandit leader last blasted him from, Kaldach grimaced even further to see the area now empty. Turning around, he glared in the direction of Roux and Bertholt.
: "Then I'll need to borrow one of your horses. Fifty gold says we're seeing him again unless we take care of him right now."

[GiglameshDespair]

"Ask nicely."

[Aliemma]

Farra had come to her senses by now, still clutching her wound, but at least aware of what was going on.

   "And have her diplomacy be for nothing? You're certainly in no great shape if things go wrong, and we're all still getting patched up... Even if he does come back, we can deal with him better than before. if we just wait."

[CrimsonEon]

Kaldach shook his head.
: "Tch."
The mercenary turned around and quickly raised the blackened sword in his hand for a brief moment before swinging it directly into the spot where the Bandit Leader had stood. The metal of the sword screeched for a brief moment before being driven into the ground.

[GiglameshDespair]

"'Ow borin'."
She turned her emergency rations horse around and began riding back towards the group as a whole, reaching out and slugging Bertholt in the shoulder (though lightly) as she passed.
"Told yer to be more careful. Dumbass."

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Bertholt, despite being pained and exhuasted from healing everyone and the wounding he'd received, retorts with a light, teasing smile.
"I had thought my knight in shining armor would protect me better."

[GiglameshDespair]

Despite herself, Roux snorted with amusement.
"Yer wan' it shiny, yer can polish it yerself, blueberry. I ain't promised no refunds."

[Swordstar]

Sharne laid on the ground, staring up at the sky. Nothing had changed. Once again she had been useless in protecting those she needed to protect. Nothing she had done, nothing she had bargained for was enough. Her honorwas well and truly stained. She covered her eyes with her arm, wishing for the world to go back to when it was simpler times, the heat of the sun taking her back to the easier days in the sands. If only it could still be that easy.

[Twinwolf]

Sharne would have the sunlight interrupted by a shadow as a certain familiar silouhette bent over to look at her.

"...How long you going to be resting? Should I get Bertholt?"

[Blade Master Model 42]

Some time later, the group continued on their way. Due to the long delay, and having a majority of their number on foot, they didn't see any sign of the merchant they'd assisted at any point. Days passed, and as they did, the great mountain at the heart of the city of Fang grew larger and more imposing, a steady column of black smoke rising from the top. For some time, irrigated farmland dominated the landscape, with great swaths of growing fields as far as the eye could see. Carts were becoming more prevalent as well, either passing back past the group, or travelling ahead of them. Those that went toward Fang were weighed down with food, and many of them happy to trade some away to the group for tales of far lands.

As the group approached the foot of the mountain, the sky was darkened by smoke billowing from the top of the mountain, and clouds just as dark in the sky. Occasionally, lightning would flash in the column of smoke, deep and red. This didn't seem to bother any of the farmers or travelers on the road, however, nor did it seem to dampen the spirit of the guard who was prepared to greet them at the city gates. "Ho there! Welcome to Fang, the great forge of the north! Please present the number among you, and your business for visiting the city!" The man standing behind him with a quill at the ready seemed somewhat less enthused, even to the point of exhaustion. His eyes traveled over the group, and he soon began writing, even before the group had a chance to respond to the questions posed to them.

[Lucus Casius]

Martyn glanced only once up at the sky as the lightning flashed above, wrapping his cloak tight around himself as he and the others stood before the gates.  Fang.  It'd been some months since he'd last set foot here, and a part of him had hoped that the situation in Izzarra might have improved enough that he wouldn't have cause to return.  No such luck; if anything, the opposite.  Still, this time, he was in a position to do more than merely hide.  And perhaps some he had worked for, then, could be persuaded to lend their aid.

  "Ten, as you can see, here to discuss matters of international business with the guilds."

He paused for a moment, thinking.  They had been rather slow in getting here, between their lack of mounts and number of wounds.  And it was the most likely stop in this direction...

  "Ah.  Did a damaged-seeming caravan pass through here, earlier?  We assisted them in escaping from bandits, and I was wondering if they had made it safely through the walls."

[Blade Master Model 42]

"Mmhm, yes ten, here on guild business. Very good." The man standing behind the speaker wrote quickly, but stopped to nudge the speaker at the mention of the caravan. "Hm? Oh right, I suspect these people might be the group in question. Yes, one mister Creos did arrive a few days ago. Potts, do we have a record of him leaving the city?" The man taking dictation shook his head. "Brilliant. Mister Creos did ask that should your group arrive before he was forced to leave that you be directed to him. He's staying at the Molten Rock, just ask Wendy to see him. Anyway, you said you were here on guild business? Which guild are you with, and who are you meeting with? We can pass a message along, let them know you've arrived."

[Lucus Casius]

  "Ah... You're misunderstanding a bit, but that's fine.  If you're willing to send a message to the Farmer's Guild, let them know Martyn Taine from the Talian Wholesaling Company wants a meeting.  That should be the easiest place to start."

[Blade Master Model 42]

The speaker turned to the scribe. "You get all that?" A nod. "Alright then." The speaker turned back to the group. "Alright, you're admitted to the city of Fang as visitors. You have a one week leave for the city. If you need more time, you may request an extension not extending beyond four weeks at a guardhouse or other government building. Please move along, we have other visitors to process." The speaker waved the group to the gateway behind him that led to the city proper.

Inside the walls, the city of Fang was made from rough, dark stone, with a thin layer of ash on every surface. Here and there, men and women cleared walkways and wiped down surfaces, but the gentle fall of ash from the sky continued unabated. Despite this, the streets were alive with traffic as carts of food traveled up the street, and carts filled with iron and steel tools and goods flowed down the opposite direction.

~Chapter 6~
~The Burning Fang~