[Commerce]Frantic Preperation [NO]

[Shuwen]

Words: 636

Shuwen was briefly overwhelmed by the decision. He at least needed a moment to think about it before answering. Fortunately, the storyteller seemed to realize that and gave them some time to think it over themselves, which was just as well. Fallout didn't seem to be doing much better then himself. As for @eleri , despite not taking much of a part in the conversation, seemed to be embarrassed by it how awkward it was indirectly. All things considered, Shu couldn't blame him. And once he did, the monk was able to come to a decision fairly quickly. Jacobin looked like he needed some convincing though. A role Fallout was all to happy to take.

"We might as well go. It's not like we have anything better to do. Do we?" Fortunately the looks on his teammate's faces indicated they didn't, and Shuwen's confidence began to build. "I mean, it's an area we haven't been to, right? It's like getting more new content in a game, new quests, monsters, characters, and all that. And this is our way to unlock it." After a moment, he realized that comparison had been a tad insensitive, and he began to look sheepish. After all, despite the similarities, you couldn't really consider it a game anymore. "Err - No offense intended." He added allowed, forgetting that it was unlikely that any of the people present were the type of individual to be offended by it. That's right old boy. Open mouth, insert foot.

Regardless of what they planned to do in the long run, the sudden entrance of some rain gave them a more immediate goal; get under cover. At Fallout's prompting, Shuwen took cover under a nearby building. The assassin had already gone ahead, and he assumed Jacoben would soon follow.

"Alright, if we're going to be going, we need to gather supplies like he said." Shuwen began. Having taken shelter from the rain, the three of them began to hammer out a game plan. "I'll take charge of food supplies." It was a fairly assertive statement, but a logical one. After all, Shuwen was the party's resident chef, and a fairly well leveled chef at that. He assumed that he was the natural choice for that. If anything, his role was probably the easiest to determine, as food was both vital on trips such as these, and something his character was well suited for preparing. It was fairly likely the other two were going to have a harder time with their preparations, as they had not leveled their crafting class to the extent that he had.

"I can make food while we're on the road; I already have all of the - well most of the equipment I need to do that." He changed his statement in mid-sentence upon realizing he'd probably need an extra mana shard battery or two. If he was going to be cooking for so many people on a constant basis, he needed to make sure he had enough power to use his portable stove for that long. "All I need is to buy ingredient items. I have some that I keep on hand, but not enough for a trip like this. Any requests?" He couldn't guarantee that he'd be able to find and make whatever they wanted, but he was reasonably experienced that he ought to be able to take a few simple requests. "Also, if there are any foods you want don't want showing up on your plate, now's the time to tell me." As a fairly picky eater himself, Shuwen was more tolerant of that sort of thing then most player chefs, which was why he wanted fair warning before making any missteps.  Of course, either of them want any perticular consumables, such as in-battle consumables, now was also the time to request them.

[Deleted]

Jacoben HP: 100% MP: 93%

"Any treasure you obtain without ever having to work for it is no treasure at all."

It seemed to Jacoben that the other two were getting increasingly excited with the prospect of going up north, and the Sorcerer was unsure how he felt about that. His tail waved from side to side in agitation as he tried to weigh the pros and cons of making such a trip, before finally showing his consent with a simple nod as the talk turned to preparing for the journey. As a Chef it made sense for Shuwen to handle the food for the trip, not only would he know better than they what would be good to bring, but he could prepare items that might help in battle.

"Umm, if you can make any mana restoratives that would be useful for me. Being able to replenish my mana in the middle of a fight would help in tricky situations," Jacoben responded tentatively, not really wanting to put the Monk out by asking. "As for food preferences... as long as it's not too spicy I won't complain."

The Foxtail then began to ponder what he could do for preparations to help the group out. Most of what he did as an Artisan wouldn't really be of use for an adventure so that was a bust. Well, there was one thing he supposed he could do, with his Artisan's eye and skill he would be able to locate the best quality gear at the lowest cost. They would be travelling quite far and carrying many provisions, so it was definitely something that would help them out.

"I'm going to go in search of some materials," the small Artisan said after a few minutes of contemplation, "and hire out a workshop. I'm going to go and find us a cart and some camping equipment, tents and the like. I also need to craft a new crystal ball for myself so I think I will work on those two things at the same time." It was a solid idea to be sure, and the only decent one that he had been able to come up with in the list of 'what can I do to help out?'. Not having gone adventuring before and only having the vaguest ideas of what might be needed beyond food it was hard to think of something he could be of use for.

With his idea put to the other two, Jacoben waited to see what was said.

OOC NOTES:
Word Count: 520 [400 +120 [1.3 NO Bonus] (-.25 AP Commerce)]
Tags: Shuwen Fallout

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[Fallout]

Now sheltered from the rain, the group had decided if they wanted to go on this journey. Fallout was glad that shuwen and Jacoben had made the choice to join him on this quest, though Jacoben still seemed unsure of this journey. The sorcerers tail was moving back and forth and face showed he was lost in thought, Fallout was a little concerned.

“Don't worry Jacoben, what's the worst that can happen?” He tried to ensure Jacoben.

‘Wonder why this guy is so nervous, maybe thats just the way he is’

Shuwen said that he was going to prepare the food while Jacoben was going to get a cart and make some personal items. Fallout wasnt sure how he could be useful, his crafting skill are low. But he was a farmer, meaning he could make reduce material cost for Shuwen.

“I will join you Shuwen, I can help reduce material cost making your cooking a whole lot cheaper. Im pretty much packed and ready to go, so I dont have much else to do. But just remember guys that we have met at the Northern Gate of Stratford in two hours” Fallout statet following Shuwens path.

‘Well, atleast I do have some uses. I wish we knew more about where we are heading so I could prepare better, for now we should make the best of what we have. God, please dont let it be hot there’

The group began to head their own ways, the sound of rain and footsteps the only sound. The rain showed no signs of stopping, large puddles started to form on the pathways and the sky only showed black clouds.

“So Jacobens pretty high level but seems rather nervous, you two worked a lot together in the past? Also, do you know how to make cookies?” Fallout asked, following Shuwens path.

---

Words-308

Tags- Shuwen  Jacoben   

 

[Shuwen]

Words: 556

@eleri made two requests of him. The first was a fairly normal one. "Mana restoratives, hmm?" Shuwen tapped his chin. It was certainly not an unexpected request. Among the mage-type classes, Sorcerers were noted for having the highest output, and as a result, the most MP-intensive abilities. Their MP was generally one of the biggest constraints to their potential DPS, so it made sense he'd want items that boost his MP. I've got just the thing. He quickly began to make a mental list of the ingredients he'd need, and how much he'd need to make the desired amount. His request against spicy food was a bit more surprising; in his experience, guys didn't have as sharp a sense of taste, and as a result, were more tolerant of spicier dishes, it was usually women who made such requests. Maybe foxtails have sensitive tongues or something? But he didn't really care enough to ask, and Jacobin had some work of his own to do.

Meanwhile, Fallout made a comment about "the worst that could happen." Dood. Tempting fate isn't going to reassure anyone. "Well," Shuwen began, his voice lightening in a "I'm glad you asked!" sort of way, "we could get eaten by monster and die. We could get back-stabbed by the storyteller and die. We could do something stupid at the wrong moment and die. We could get attacked by PKers and die. We could lose our balance and fall off a cliff and d- never mind." At that point, assuming that no one stopped him beforehand, he'd realize that what he was saying probably wouldn't help, and promptly shut his mouth.

After they separated, Fallout quickly picked up another conversation thread. "A little bit." The monk replied, once again running through his mental list. "We've done some grinding together, but nothing like this." He made a vague sweeping gesture, indicating the journey they were about to undertake. He didn't really feel like going into detail about how they'd found a common background in martial arts, and their attempts to develop a style better suited for the world of Elder Tale; it would probably sound too much like bragging.

Let's see, if his other request was any indication, he's got a sensitive tongue, so I probably shouldn't use too much citrus. Maybe blueberries or pears?

"Cookies? Yeah." Cookies weren't particularly difficult, he'd known how to make those even before he'd been sent to the new world. The only part he had an issue with was making the dough, as he'd previously been reliant on store-bought stuff. So Fallout has a sweet tooth, hmm?

After finding the appropriate food stalls, Shuwen bought small amounts of several kinds of fruit juice, a medium-sized bag of sugar, and some medicinal herbs that were normally used to make MP potions. Of course he let Fallout handle the actual transaction, as his subclass would allow him to do so more cheaply. He probably wouldn't' need anywhere near that much sugar to fulfill Jacobin's request, but the sugar could be used to make a number of other things, like cookies. In preparation for the journey itself, he bought bags containing several basic cooking ingredients, such as salt, flour, and cooking oil, along with a few more specific ingredients such as meats, seasonings, and other such things that he could prepare later.

[Deleted]

Jacoben HP: 100% MP: 93%

"Any treasure you obtain without ever having to work for it is no treasure at all."

Jacoben left the other two once he had figured out what he was wanting to do, not wanting to wait too long and talk himself out of the idea. As he made his way towards the market district he started up a telepathic conversation, expression growing increasingly stormy as he went. Despite the fact that telepathy could be done silently (a fact he was taken advantage of) it was obvious to anyone watching that the small Foxtail was in an increasingly bad mood, ears pressed back against his skull and his sole visible tail flicking in agitation.

This foul mood became an advantage to him as he approached the merchant who was selling tents to the public. With a thought he activated the Artisan skill Attention to Detail and began to examine what the man had available for sale. It was obvious to Jacoben that the Merchant was trying to talk up his wares to get a higher price than they were worth. Normally he would have had a hard time haggling over such things, being too meek and shy to argue over something, but with the obviously unsatisfactory conversation it seemed his irritation had overcome that particular barrier.

Instead he used his magnified sight to spot and point out flaws in the various tents that the Merchant was trying to sell him, his stony faced rejection and counter-claim unnerving the man who had been expecting an easy sale. It didn't take long for Jacoben to find one that was not only within the price range he had set himself, but also of a higher quality than the others. Despite this he continued to point out the flaws in various tents, even beginning to walk away when it seemed the Merchant was becoming too pushy about the sale. Eventually the two came to an agreement and he walked away with three double-belled wedge tents at a very good price.

Shortly after that the Foxtail went in search of the various tools they would need for the trip, a wood axe, a shovel, cookware, the sort of things that would make a long trip much more likely to be survivable. Eventually he had all the things he needed except the most important, the cart. Once he found one of those he would be able to work on the crafting he needed to do. He'd only taken about twenty minutes so far, which meant he had a decent amount of time for both finding the right cart and making himself a new Combat Crystal Ball.

Looking at all the things he was now carrying, he was beginning to realise he should have bought the cart first...

OOC NOTES:
Word Count: 577 [444 +133 [1.3 NO Bonus] (-.25 AP Commerce)]
Tags: Shuwen Fallout

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[Fallout]

Fallout had tried to reassure Jacoben about the journey, but unfortunately Shuwen had taken the rhetorical question ‘Whats the worst that could happen?’ with too much meaning.

He was glad to hear the monk and sorcerer had worked together in the past, even if it was a small amount.

‘Shuwen is definitely a man who likes to speak his mind, but I guess that can be a good thing….but not this time. Good to know the two have had battles together as a team, though from the sound this is a much larger journey than the last’

Fallout and Shuwen had made it to an open market, the two began to purchase supplies for the journey. Primarily basic ingredients such as flour, sugar, vegetables, meats, spices and herbs. Fallout handled the transaction, being a farmer meant he can purchase seasonal products 10% cheaper.

The market area was rather small, most other stores had packed up. Haggling was pretty easy if you knew what to do. Different stalls sold items for different prices, Fallout moved back and forth between different stalls to ensure the best of his gold.

One the purchase was complete Fallout packed the food up and made his way to Shuwen. “Right, we got the stuff so we you just have to cook it. We also need to get mana restoratives for Jacoben, got any ideas on how to get hold of those? And is there anything else you want?” Fallout asked Shuwen

It had stopped raining, though dark clouds still gloomed overhead. He was hopping for the weather to fully clear up before they set out on the journey.

‘If I can get hold of a bow I will a much more useful member of this team, there must be woodcrafter or weapons store around here’

Fallout turned to Shuwen “I think I should get hold of a bow, it will make me more effective if we get into combat. Any idea of where we can get hold of one or do you think I won't have time?”

---

Words- 342

Tags- Shuwen  Jacoben  

[Shuwen]

Words: 463

Fallout 's efforts to buy supplies at a reduced price seemed to go off without a hitch, and Shuwen gladly either moved them into his remaining inventory space, while carrying the rest by hand. It was a slightly awkward affair, but it wasn't anything beyond his adventurer strength. The issue was more one of size then of weight; there were a fair number of boxes and bags he needed to carry. "I already have everything I need to make medicinal pastilles for @eleri . I think I'm pretty much set for supplies. I just need to use them." He began looking around for an unobtrusive space in which he could do so. "As for the rest of it, I'm planning to cook on the road, so there's no need to worry about that now."

As they were walking, Fallout mentioned that he wanted a bow. The Monk sighed. "You... probably should have brought that up sooner. Artisans like Jacobin can make bone equipment, he ought to be able to make a bow for you. It would certainly be more efficient then buying something from a shop." He quickly found an unobtrusive spot on the side of the road where he could briefly put down the supplies he was carrying by hand. With his arms free, he raised one hand to the side of his ear, then hesitated for a moment. "He may already have enough on his plate, but I'll see if he has time." With that, he put his hand to the side of his head and opened up a telepathy conversation with Jacobin. <Hey. Fallout thought he could probably make decent use of a bow. He's probably not wrong; with his defense, he'd probably do more good in the back row, but do you have enough extra time to make one?> He then listened to Jacobin's reply and relayed it to Fallout.

"Now then, I ought to start working on those pastilles." After a few minutes of searching, he found an unused table, one presumably intended for customers at a nearby cafe. They probably won't appreciate it being used by someone who isn't a customer, but I'll try to keep this short. He quickly retrieved the bag of sugar, a container of raspberry juice, and the medicinal herbs that he'd had Fallout purchase for him earlier. He also pulled out a bowl and a tray, and his portable stove. He dumped in the raspberry fruit juice, the sugar and the medicinal herbs into the bowl. The sugar quickly dissolved into the red liquid, while the herbs began to glow for a short amount of time before doing the same. The result was a slightly syrupy red concoction. It's getting done faster then I thought. This may not take too long after all.

[Deleted]

Jacoben HP: 100% MP: 100%

"Any treasure you obtain without ever having to work for it is no treasure at all."

With all the camping supplies bought Jacoben made his way to the cartwright's workshop to purchase transportation up north. It was going to be difficult, he needed to find something that was cheap enough to be affordable, large enough to carry the group and their supplies, and suitable for the Scottish countryside. It would be no tall order to find something that suited their purposes perfectly that was for sure.

Still in a poor mood from his earlier conversation the Foxtail wasn't in any mood to play around with bargaining and haggling, thankfully it seemed that the cartwright was either perceptive enough to realise this or was a straightforward enough woman that there wasn't going to be any of that sort of nonsense. She took the obviously agitated foxtail to her collection of vehicles and showed him what was available for purchase. With his Attention to Detail skill active he looked at all the ones within his price range, examining the way they had been constructed and seeking out any flaws that might cause them problems.

Eventually he settled on a two wheeled cart that seemed to have room for about six or so people and the driver, as well as a covered frame that would protect them from the sun. With only two passengers and the storage space above the axle they should be able to carry all their supplies without much of an issue, and it was light enough that his secondary pet would be able to pull it without much issue. Not to mention it was well crafted and seemed to be quite sturdy, perfect for a trip into the unknown.

Still, he couldn't help but try to get a reduction to the price, spending about five minutes haggling before coming to an agreement with the woman. Shortly after that he loaded up the cart with the supplies he had already purchased and pulled it out of the barn (a nearly comical sight considering his deceptively small frame compared to his adventurer's strength).

It was at this point that he received a telepathic call from Shuwen, his hand rising to his ear instinctively as he continued to pull the cart towards the crafting sector of the town so he could make his Combat Crystal Ball before they went north. <Well.... I might have time, it depends on how long it takes to make my own weapon...> the Foxtail started hesitantly, <but wouldn't it be better to wait until he's gained some more levels so he's not having to replace it too quickly? I have the tools to make one on the road, and I can get the materials before we leave if he wants to wait that long.>

There was no doubt in Jacoben's mind that Fallout's level was going to grow exponentially on this trip, and he'd rather not have to be constantly upgrading the Assassin's bow as they went along.

OOC NOTES:
Word Count: 630 [485+145 [1.3 NO Bonus] (-.25 AP Commerce)]
Tags: Shuwen Fallout

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[Fallout]

“Yeeeaaaaahhh, I didn't really think of it at the time. I then realised im probably best fighting from a distance.” Fallout stated, face palming himself.

‘Im an idiot’

“Agreed, if he doesn't have time I understand. Worst case I will buy a cheap one from a store, thats means I can at least be useful for long ranged combat. I can also still scout ahead and assess situations without getting caught, not to mention I still have my dagger and throwing needles” The assassin said, following the monk “For now let's get the necessities out the way”

‘I got the spare coin so I might as well use it, maybe we will come across a trader whilst on the road’

Shuwen placed the ingredients on a table outside of a cafe, pulling out a portable stove and other equipment, he began to cook up some grub. Fallout walked to the cafe door and peeked inside, the only thing to be seen was the cafe worker cooking in the kitchen.

Making his way back to the chef Fallout said “While you finish of the cooking i'm going to and help Jacoben pack up the rest of the supplies, we can meet up once you're done” before leaving.

The assassin wandered across the wet paths to the crafting section of town, knowing the sorcerer would be there since he was crafting. He was in a pretty good mood, since his first real journey was about to take place, all previous adventures were small. Mostly just jobs for individuals who need something retrieved or delivered. Fallout looked to the sky to see the clouds had started they were lighter then before, hopping for clear skies before they had set out with the mysterious individual.

After a couple minutes of walking he found the man he was looking for, Jacoben was pulling a two wheeled cart along the road. Somewhat funny to see the small framed foxtail pulling it along, Fall grabbed hold of the cart to help him pull it.

Fallout took note of his expressions, he showed signs of being annoyed. “You okay? You seem kind of annoyed" He questioned.

‘Well I guess he has been tugging this thing around, god knows for how long’

“Good job, since Shuwen only has the cooking and crafting left I figured I should come help you. Anything I can help with or should I take this over to the north gate while you finish off making some personal items? Im also assuming you have something that can pull this thing, because im not doing it”

---

Words-435
Tags- Shuwen @eleri

[Shuwen]

Words: 416

Jacobin's response was more or less what he expected. The foxtail didn't refuse, at least not outright, but it didn't sound like he was keen on the idea either. It sounded like he was already busy with the tasks he'd given himself, and wasn't too keen on the idea of taking on even more work. Shuwen made a small sigh as he relayed the message.

Fallout gave him a self assessment, highlighting the roles in which he thought he would be the most useful. The monk was slightly annoyed, as he was trying to concentrate on the cooking, but he didn't disagree with anything the assassin said. He's probably a better judge of his own abilities then me anyways. Probably. Depends on how large his head is I guess. "For now, I suggest you rely on your throwing needles for ranged combat; they're not as good as a bow, I know, but they're not terrible either. You'll probably be able to make do until you level up a bit more. And you already have them, so you might as well make use of them. That will probably put Jacobin's mind at ease about your growth rate." Once the conversation was over, Fallout seemed to lose interest in staying with him, and went off to help Jacobin pack. By that point, Shuwen was more-or-less fully engrossed in the cooking, and only barely managed to respond with a disinterested "Mhmm." to acknowledge the assassin's departure.

With the syrup complete, it was time for him to move on to the next step. Adding minced raspberries to the mixture, he poured it in a pan, held it over the stove, and quickly brought it to boiling temperature. Placing a cover over the pan to keep the liquid parts of the mixture from evaporating, he let it wait for a number of minutes until he believed it was ready. Turning the heat off, he waited for it to cool. Once that was done, he began pouring the liquid into a a trey-like mold that he usually used for making this particular type of food. He wasn't making many of them; he probably could have easily made twice that amount without running out of room on the trey, but that would have probably been overkill in regards to quantity. Jacobin probably wouldn't want that many of them after all. When he'd poured out all the liquid he'd prepared, he simply waited for them to finish cooling and solidify.

[Deleted]

Jacoben HP: 100% MP: 100%

"Any treasure you obtain without ever having to work for it is no treasure at all."

Just as he was reaching the crafting sector it seemed that Fallout had wandered away from Shuwen and found him instead. His left ear twitched as the assassin seemed to rather bluntly point out his agitation. "It's nothing, don't worry about it," the Foxtail commented brusquely, trying not to regain all the irritation that he had slowly been getting rid of as he went about the town. Even the act of helping pull the cart (something that Jacoben would normally appreciate even as just a gesture) seemed to irritate the small sorcerer for some reason, though he tried very hard not to take it out on Fallout as he knew it wasn't the Assassin's fault.

"I've already got just about everything I thought we'd need, so I don't need help there. I think you should just take the cart to the gate. Also grab some materials on the way so I can make a bow on the road, it's better to be prepared after all..." the Foxtail paused mid sentences to pull out a sheaf of paper and a small charcoal stick to write down a few notes before passing it to Fallout, "there's a general list of materials I'll need to make bows up to my current crafting level, purchase whatever level bracket you want me to make in preparation for you."

With that said he let go of the cart and turned to head to the nearby workshops, the tenseness of his body showing that he still was a little agitated but trying not to show it. Turning to look over his shoulder at Fallout he added "and yes, I have something that will pull the cart, so you don't need to worry about that"

And with that he ducked into the nearest Artisan workshop and hired it out for the next hour. It would take him time, quiet, and concentration to make a suitable Combat Crystal Ball but he was confident that he could do it in the time he had left.

oOo

Leaving the workshop with about 10 minutes to spare Jacoben would make his way to the northern gate where hopefully the rest of his party and their guide would be waiting for him. He felt much more calm after the nearly meditative crafting session and he was hoping to depart before he lost all nerve and decided to go back home to Londinium, which was seeming more and more likely as time went on.

OOC NOTES:
Word Count: 533 [410+123 [1.3 NO Bonus] (-.25 AP Commerce)]
Tags: Shuwen Fallout

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[Fallout]

Fallout could easily tell the fox tail was irritated, hearing that everything was in order he took the cart and left Jacoben to finish his crafting. Tugging along he made his way through the market district, keeping an eye for crafting supplies.

‘Right, bow material. Bone wouldn't be a bad idea, but wood sounds more simple’

The market was mostly garbage, the occasional food stool. Moving through the crowds (trying not to run anyone over with the cart) Fall eventually came across two Pittered Boar tusks being sold by two young men, after haggling and a small argument he eventually got it down to a reasonable price.

Placing the tusks into the cart, Fallout proceed to make his way back to the north gate. On the way he purchased wooden crates to help organise supplies and a spare wheel for the cart, just in case.

‘You never know when a bumpy round might break a wheel off, happens all the time on these sorts of journeys

Making it to the north gate Fallout spotted Alasdair and his cart, pulling up just behind the medicine man's cart. Setting it down he took a breather before Alasdair approached him, a small grin on his face.

“So you decided to join me north then, good choice my friend. Its gonna will be a great experience, did the other two not want to come?” Questioned Alasdair

“No, they will be here soon. They are just crafting a few supplies for the journey, they should be with us shortly” The assassin said looking about to see if they were nearby.

“No need to worry, they still have a while before I set out. Until then just relax and make sure you have everything you need, I must go take care of some personal things myself” With that Alasdair walked off back to his own cart, a larger four wheel which showed signs of age.

Fallout jumped onto the cart, he began to label the boxes by carving names into them using his dagger. Food + Water, cookware, tools, camping and left one unmarked. He place the wood, spare wheel and crates towards the back, leaving enough room for at least four people to sit. After organising the supplies Fall jumped down and guarded the cart, waiting for the other two.

---

Words- 386
Tags- Shuwen @eleri

[Shuwen]

Words: 454

It didn't take long for the pastilles for @eleri to finish cooling. Once they did, Shuwen returned everything to his inventory, minus the utensils and containers he'd used; he needed to clean those first with a rag and some soap. Unfortunately, the speed at which he'd completed this led to another unfortunate problem. So... what next? Fallout and Jacobin were probably still busy, and he didn't want to disturb them. He needed something to occupy himself, something that wouldn't take too much time, as he didn't want to put the others in the same situation.

Hmm, I guess I could use.... Shuwen began to wander amongst the various shops. As they were in the economic center of the town, there were plenty of them, selling a variety of goods. I have more then enough gold on me, I might even be able to buy -- ah ha! That will do! It was a tailoring shop, selling goods of leather and cloth. While they did accept orders, they also had a fair number of ready-made items. Shuwen took advantage of the opportunity and began to rife through the store's contents. He had to go through quite a few items that he didn't want for one reason for another; they were the wrong size, they were for the wrong gender, the style didn't suit him, they were the wrong level for him, or their effects simply didn't benefit him. Still, he managed to find and buy several potentially useful items. More specifically, a cloth accessory that would boost the AoE of one of his newest skills, a satchel that would make accessing items in his inventory easier, a weatherproof cloak that would make story weather more bearable (quite useful for a wanderer like him) and... a blanket, because he wanted one. Some things one should simply not do without, after all. When he was done, he equipped the accessory, kept the satchel at his side, and moved everything else to his inventory. Looks like I'm just about out of time. I'd better get going. With that, Shuwen took off for the North Gate.

It seemed he'd taken just a bit too long, because the others were already there by the time he arrived. "Sorry I'm late, I wasn't keeping track of time." That wasn't entirely true, but it was a much simpler explanation then what actually happened, and he didn't feel like taking the time to explain that.

Once they were all there, Alasdair stepped forward. "I'm glad to see you three chose to come, and made the effort to prepare." He eyed the cart Eleri had hastily constructed. "And I certainly didn't expect you to have a cart ready in just a few hours. My compliments."

[Deleted]

Jacoben HP: 100% MP: 100%

"Any treasure you obtain without ever having to work for it is no treasure at all."

With all his affairs sorted Jacoben made his way to the North Gate of Stratford, his expression lighter than it had been, but still seemingly troubled by whatever it was that had been bothering him for the last two hours. Still, he tried to cheer himself up somewhat as he saw Fallout and Shuwen up ahead, the last thing he wanted to do was have them ask questions about his rather unhappy mood. It really wasn't the sort of thing he wanted to share after all.

"Alright, I'm here and ready to go," the foxtail stated with muted enthusiasm, taking in the sight of the packed cart and his party members standing next to Alasdair's own transport. It seemed so... final, he was really going to do this? Was it really alright to just go off to whatever Scotland was in this new world on what was basically a whim?

Squaring his shoulders he marched over to the cart and brought up one of his menus with a twist of his hand. Another motion had a small cast bar appear in his vision, followed by a loud call. Thudding into view came a large bird, it's body clearly unable to fly but built for greater strength and speed than most. This was the other pet that Jacoben had tamed, the horse sized creature eyeing the group with an almost predatory gaze.



"This is Hugin, he'll be the one pulling our cart," the Animal Trainer commented as he led the large bird up to the vehicle and began attaching the various straps and harnesses to make sure that the creature would not only be able to pull the cart, but also wouldn't be too discomforted. Hugin seemed rather docile as his owner did this, preening silvery hair whenever the youth got within range. Soon enough Jacoben was done and he clambered up into the driver's seat of the cart and took the reins.

"I'm ready to go whenever everyone else is," he declared.

He might have been in a bad mood, but he didn't want to let that get the better of him. If he could just move forward with his plans and not dwell on the issues he was worried about then it would likely turn out the better for him. He just had to hope for the best.

OOC NOTES:
Word Count: 506 [389+117 [1.3 NO Bonus] (-.25 AP Commerce)]
Tags: Shuwen Fallout

Made by Sifr of GS, Synesthesia and Adoxography.

[Fallout]

The other two had finally arrived, he was glad that they could finally get moving. Watching Jacoben approaching Fallout could see that he still was not in the best of moves, deciding it was best not to question the foxtail tail the assassin kept quite. Making his way over to the cart he positioned himself in the back, getting comfortable and ready for the journey.

‘Nice to see the time has come, I hope this journey will be worth it. He said we will discover the reason behind his first third subclass, hopefully its nothing bad. It always starts off nice before something bad happens, then there's a trap and bad stuff goes down. Oh well, adventure is adventure I guess, plus I need to learn how to effectively work in a team’

Eleri walked over to the cart and opened his menu before summoning a large bird like creature, he said it name was Hugin. The fox tail moved it to the front of the cart and straped it on, once harnessed he placed himself in the cart and stated he was ready.

“Nice summon Jacoben, how many you got?” Asked Fallout.

‘Being an animal tamer is definitely useful, kind of regret not taking it myself. But I guess being an alchemist will one day have its uses, plus being a farmer means I can one day tame low level animals'

“Ready when you are Shuwen, make sure you have everything you need before we leave. This is gonna be a long ride” The assassin stated before settling down.

---

Words-260
Tags- Shuwen  @eleri

[Shuwen]

Words: 469

It wasn't until it was almost too late that something occurred to Shuwen. Jacoben had apparently gone through great pains to make sure they had their own cart ready for the trip, and he was fine with that, but there was one issue. How were they going to move it? Pulling it themselves was possible, but not really practical. I have a mount whistle, I guess I could summon it to pull the cart for a little while, but.... Fortunately, his worries were settled before they could bloom. He'd forgotten that Jacobin's subclass was animal tamer, and that he could simply summon something to pull the cart for them.

That said, the creature he summoned was one of the weirdest things he'd ever seen. It looked like a bird, but it's wings were small and pitiful. Instead, it was tall and had powerful legs capable of carrying it over flatlands with great speed and power. Shuwen had indeed heard of such birds before, it was similar to something called an ostrich that he'd heard about back on Earth. However, he'd never actually seen one in person, which turned out to be a very different experience. Of course, it didn't look quite like an ostrich, which may have enhanced the feeling. It's feathers (?) looked thicker, and it had a more prehistoric appearance overall, though he wasn't quite sure what gave him that impression. "Dang, that's a weird bird!" He said, not at all displeased with the turn of events.

He took a few steps forward, wanting to do something with the creature. He hadn't decided what yet; pet it, help strap it in, something, but as he got closer, the bird turned towards him, a predatory gleam in it's eye. Errr maybe not. Now that he thought about it, he was more of a dog person anyways, and he wasn't too keen about risking a beak to the eye. Instead, he circled around and started loading the food he'd bought out of his inventory and into the cart itself, being careful to stay out of the bird's pecking range. Whew, glad to have a place to dump all that. The food had taken up quite a bit of his inventory space. If he'd had to keep carrying it, he would have had a pretty hard time collecting anything else that came along until they got to the next town. And it would have stunk if he'd had to leave some nice loot behind.

Alasdair similarly finished loading up his own cart. There seemed to be someone else helping him, but that person seemed to be too focused to bother with conversation or introducing herself. After making last minute checks to ensure everyone was ready to go, he promptly moved out, with the adventurers following soon after.