Beist was relieved and happy, his emotions clearly showing from his smile and the swishing of his tail behind him. Leni would help him finish what he'd started. He wouldn't be stuck dealing with this mess all alone. Well, alone might not be exactly correct. He looked down at all the little critters still clinging to him for safety as he and Leni rushed along back to his wagon. He also had his pets back at the wagon waiting for him. But, it was far more comforting having Leni around. He trusted her to know a lot more about combat than he or any of his pets did. She was a seasoned warrior even if he couldn't help thinking she was adorable with her rabbit-like lower half. She'd certainly held her own against those masked men.

"Thank you." Beist said simply, nodding to Leni appreciatively. He didn't want to get all emotional on her. They were kind of in the middle of running from a crime scene, after all.

Soon, they made it back to the wagon. It looked like no one had robbed it this time, thankfully. The wheals were still attached unlike another time Beist had visited Darkveil. Dora stood guard, at the front of the wagon. He'd unharnessed her so that she could fight or flee effectively if anything happened while he was gone. The others were safely inside, the shop window and the back door closed and locked.

Dora looked to see Beist coming, the giant man very noticeable. She looked a little perplexed by the assortment of small creatures clinging to him and nestled inside his robe, and the canine-bear lumbering behind. She also noticed Leni and Nimbus and seemed happy to see them.

Beist unlocked the back door and opened it. "Alright, everyone in. Behave now, no fighting each other or breaking anything, alright? Get along with my companions that are already in there." He quickly instructed the critters that poured off of him and into the door. The canine-bear climbed in last and he shut the doors before running to the front to begin reattaching Dora's harness so they could get out of there.

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Protect the Hideout
Chapter: Two
Description:
One of our hideouts have been discovered and some helpers of the rich are on their way to destroy it and ruin our progress. Please help defend the warehouse, fending off any attacks or attempts to destroy the building. You can be as creative as you would like, but combat may be needed. If we are to pull off the great Heist, we need these warehouses safe and in tact.

Requirements:
- Requires exactly two people (you and one other, can be doing opposing quest)
- You must make at least 5 post to complete the mission with each post being at least 200 words
- Once you complete this mission you gain access to chapter three. (which needs to be a separate topic)

---

Bringing Pets
Snow Owl
Big Bee
Griffon (Sleigh Bell)
Woolful (My Best Friend)
Lightning Mephit (Stables)

She nods after receiving Beist’s thanks, “I could not leave you in this mess on your own in good mind.” She admits quietly; she glances out at the clingy crowd of anxious eyes and strange beasts holding onto him; but now is hardly the time for small-talk. With Nimbus resting on her shoulders, Leni-Aura follows Beist all the way back to his wagon— which, still looks exactly how Leni-Aura remembers it looking.

The rabbitaur smiles, a rare sight indeed, when she spots Dora. “Hey big girl,” she greets the griffon warmly; she reaches out to her, letting her sniff her hand if she so desires, while Beist shuffles around the back of the wagon to deposit his small hoard of anxious creatures. Leni-Aura gently pets Dora’s neck, “How have you been, Dora? Keeping Beist in line?” She wonders; Nimbus chirps excitedly, flapping his wings playfully on Leni-Aura’s shoulder as he reaches out with his nose to touch Dora with his snout in greeting.

She looks to the side when Beist hurries back around to the front, looking like he’s in a rush— which is fair, given they have literally left the scene of a break-in. Leni-Aura pats Dora one last time before joining Beist; she hops up onto the rider’s seat, pulling out her javelin, in the case that they may need self-defense. “Nimbus? Will you scout the way we came? Flash if anyone is coming.” She murmurs, holding out her arm in a crooked V to allow Nimbus a perch from which to take off.

Nimbus chitters, climbing out onto her arm before launching himself into the air; he circles around the wagon a few times, before zooming down the alleys which Leni-Aura and Beist had originally run down.

“Where are we taking the creatures, Beist?” She asks the beast man; she looks over her shoulder, seeing a few of the anxious little things scampering around in the back of the wagon through the small window separating the rider’s seat from the wagon’s interior.

---

^{Bringing: Nimbus (Baby Drake) & Cirrus (Woolful)}

Dora pressed her beak into Leni's hand lightly and then stood tall, in a dignified stance as if she was saying "Of course" in response to Leni's question. She looked at Nimbus as he pressed his snout against her in greeting and let out a small trill. She was happy to see the two of them as well. But, she was aware that Beist didn't like to stay in this kind of place for long. There was no time for the Griffon and baby drake to play with each other. As if on cue, Beist rushed over and buckled her harness into place before getting into the driver's seat.

"Dora, let's get out of here." He said to her with urgency and she started to pull the wagon. Beist leaned to the side to peak back behind them as Nimbus flew off to see if any of the men at the shop had gotten away from Pretzels and followed them, but he didn't see anyone at the moment. That was a relief. Maybe they'd managed to get away more cleanly than he'd thought.

"Hmm..." Beist hadn't actually thought that far ahead of what to do with the animals once he'd rescued them. THis rescue mission had been a bit spur of the moment. Where would he take them? He certainly couldn't keep them all. His wagon was already crowded enough. But would they be alright released into the wild? Would they survive? "I'm not sure... I need to think about it, but first, let's just get far away from here, yes?" Beist answered, looking to Leni.

Leni-Aura reaches out to steady herself on the wagon when Dora begins pulling the cart; she tilts her ears towards Beist, but looks around the wagon to try and find Nimbus’ silhouette through the alleyways. She doesn’t see him. “Hmm?” Leni-Aura repeats; she looks over her shoulder, expression somewhat exasperated; he raided a pet store without knowing what to do with the pets…?

Well… she supposes that makes sense.

She doesn’t question it in the end; from what she can see of him thus far, Beist already seems nervous… and she does not want to discourage him any further than he might be. “Far from here will work,” she agrees, keeping an eye out for any flashes from Nimbus as Dora rushes them away from the scene of their crime. She leans back in her seat, keeping hold of her weapon just in case; she looks up at Beist, ears perking up towards him. “We can talk about it once we get somewhere safe and quiet… but what about your snake?”

She looks away from the beast man again, narrowing her eyes out towards the darkness they’re leaving behind. She still doesn’t see any flashes on the horizon. “Will it be able to find us if we go far?” She finishes, but suddenly cuts off; a flash in-between alleyways catches her eyes, and lightning streaks into the air. It branches through the sky in reverse before gradually fading; Leni-Aura narrows her eyes towards the alleyways they’d left behind.

“We may have company.”

Beist nodded and looked at Leni with a reassuring smile.

"Oh, Pretzels will be fine. Actually..." Beist reached into his scruffy neck fur and pulled out the tiny white perpent. "He's already returned."

"Hmph." Pretzels pouted in Beist's mind and hung a bit limply in Beist's hand. He was obviously embarrassed and annoyed. He must have finally run out of energy to stay large and been overtaken by the enemies. Well, that was what Beist had expected to happen. The ridiculously prideful little reptile would never admit it though.

"I'm more worried if Nimbus will be alright." Beist mumbled, glancing back at the lightning forking in the sky behind them. Was Nimbus fighting them? But he's just a baby! It wasnt his place to question Leni's parenting, but... He's a baby!

"I think you're right." Beist agreed. It looked like they'd need to defend the wagon as they went. Beist didn't have much in the way of long-ranged attacks though. He looked into the window at the front of the wagon.

"Sorbet!" He called into the window, and after a moment, a large white cat with long, fluffy white fur, six legs, and wings like a pale blue and white patterned moth folded up on her back emerged from the window and climbed onto the top of the wagon and stretched lazily.

"Could you give us a bit of cover? You too, Moe." Beist said, and another critter appeared. A little purple fox with yellow underbelly, paws, and tip of its bushy tail. Both creatures looked like they understood.

A static buzz filled the air around the wagon and clouds formed behind them as they drove through the streets which began to snow heavily.

---

Heavy Blizzard- Snow Owl
Static Field- Lightning Mephit

“What do you mean?” Leni-Aura asks, brows furrowing slightly when she looks over her shoulder; she notices Pretzels and seems confused. “Huh? How did he…” she trails off, another flash of lightning catches her attention from the corner of her eyes and Leni-Aura shifts slightly in her seat. This one is closer, telling her that Nimbus is zooming back to them; but she seems a little nervous about the drake’s absence.

“Nimbus knows to return to me when he runs into trouble,” she answers, “We’ve taught him to be careful— I don’t want him starting fights that will get him hurt.”

Tail flicking back and forth, Leni-Aura reaches out with her arm when she spots the silhouette of the drake on the horizon— and before long, Nimbus’ talons cling to her. She brings him back into safety, “Good boy,” she murmurs, scratching the top of his head while she looks towards the window.

Beist beckons a couple of names she doesn't recognize; and she… definitely hasn’t seen either of these creatures before.

“You made new friends?” She guesses, unsurprised that Beist would have more animal companions; but she is impressed nonetheless at the cognition of the two creatures. She blinks, holding out an open palm to the snow when it begins to fall around them; she watches it fall onto her palm, melting with the warmth of her skin. “Thank you,” she remarks to the two of them; she shakes off the water left behind on her palm. “That should give us something to work with at least if they come after us..."

She lifts a hand towards the sky, focusing her intentions on the wind overhead; before long, clouds form overhead the wagon as well— covering the already partially shadowed moon— and giving them a blanket of darkness with which to hide beneath. ⁽¹⁾

---

^{(1) Overcast}

Beist reached out a hand to pat Nimbus on the head. He was glad the little drake had returned safely, but he looked to Leni with a little surprise. "We?" He repeated curiously. Someone else was helping her to raise the baby drake? Was it Orym and the rest of the caravan? No, but she didn't seem like she was letting them do that the last time he'd seen her. She seemed like she had her hands full despite being surrounded with potential help. Did she meet someone she trusted enough to help her raise Nimbus, or had she grown more trusting of the other members of her caravan recently? Hmmmm....

"Yes, I've gained a few new companions in my travels. I'd be happy to introduce you to them all, but now doesn't seem like the time. How about you? Have you made any new friends since we last met?" Beist not so subtly tried to get a little information about Nimbus's potential other caretaker.

Suddenly, a crossbow bolt whizzed past Beist's chest, the electric hum deepening for a moment. The bolt went off course thanks to the little lightning fox's magic and missed Beist entirely. Still, he was startled as he looked over to see a man had emerged from an alleyway connecting to the street they were now travelling down. It didn't take long though, for a chunk of ice to come down and hit the man square in the face, knocking him on his back. Sorbet purred from atop the wagon.

Dora didn't need to be told anything after seeing that. She began to move faster, hurrying to get them all out of there as more masked men emerged from alleyways with weapons in hand.

---

Static Field (1/2 projectiles)
Heavy Blizzard (turn 1/3)

“Huh? I…” Leni-Aura trails off, pursing her lips tightly when Beist repeats her words back at her; she seems reluctant to look at him, focusing instead on Nimbus with an anxious twitch in her fingers— who is more than delighted to receive a pat on the head from the big beast man, and Leni alike.

Her brows furrow a little more when Beist pries further into the slip-up— she looks sheepishly reluctant— but before she could even think to respond, electricity crackles and interrupts their one-sided conversation.

Leni-Aura turns sharply, ears lowering with hostility at the shadow of a man emerging from the alleyway; and although he’s knocked back, more arrive as back-up. “Keep guiding us,” she remarks. “Nimbus, watch Dora!” Leni-Aura is quick to stand, bouncing up onto the top of the wagon where Sorbet sits with one effortless leap ⁽¹⁾. Using Moe’s existing electricity as a backbone, the rabbitaur’s silhouette begins to crackle and pop with a similar electricity.

Crackling from her fingertips, she claps her hands together, and pulls a long length of light from the base of one of her palm ⁽²⁾.

Lightning cracks through the air, branching in illuminated veins, when she snaps it high into the air above the wagon— hoping that the display is intimidating enough for the incoming men to target her rather than Dora, Beist, or his two companions.

She would rather take a hit than allow harm to come to them.

Pulling back, the lightning whip crackles and sparks from within her palm; and as the wagon rushes past an oncoming silhouette, Leni-Aura cracks the whip forwards. The man, who had taken their crossbow aim at Dora, shrieks when the whip curls around his arm and shocks him; the momentum of the wagon pulls him sharply off his feet and into the nearest pile of garbage; where Leni-Aura pulls the whip back towards her.

She catches its sparking end, searching the alleyways for her next target.

Nimbus, meanwhile, chitters nervously from where he’s sitting next to Beist; his wings flap anxiously, but he seems ready to take flight at any moment.

---

^{(1) Long Stride}

^{(2) Chain Lightning}

Moe, the lightning fox, leapt over to sit atop Dora's back, focusing on keeping her safe from the attacking crossbowmen with his buzzing field of static electricity. Lying down on top of the wagon, Sorbet kept the hail and snow coming down around them, pelting the approaching enemies with the large chunks of ice while the piling snow slowed down the ones trying to follow behind them or get close. The large cat-moth was fairly safe up there, the wagon's roof too high for any of the crossbowmen to get a good angle on. As long as she laid down, she was practically impossible to hit. It was a good thing lying down was exactly what the lazy feline loved to do, even in the middle of a chase.

Beist put a hand around Nimbus protectively when he noticed him chittering nervously. He kept his upper pair of hands on the reigns, making sure to guide Dora down the best route he could. Straight would be the fastest, but they had to turn on occasion to avoid dead ends or a large crowd of people. While he steered, Beist trusted Leni to keep their enemies at bay. He'd never seen her create a lightning whip before, but it worked wonderfully. He really should think about learning some offensive magic himself sometime.

Once they were on the main city street, headed out of town was just a straight shot forward!

Nimbus looks up in a fuss; he flaps his wings, squirming a little when Beist puts his arms around him. He squawks up worriedly at him before looking back out towards the rapidly passing darkness.

Another crack of lightning splits the sky overhead, thunder rumbling amongst the elemental maelstrom that has become Beist’s wagon. ^{(1. Thundering Boom)} As Sorbet’s ice magic sends crossbowman sprawling across the cobblestone, and Moe’s lightning keeps the passengers from further harm; the elements are joined by a third. The wind begins to pick up around Beist’s wagon; and although silent and calm to those inside the eye of the storm, the razor-sharp blades of air howl on the outside. ^{(2. Howling Gale)}

Those who aren’t knocked down by Sorbet’s ice are cut into by the gale; crossbows shatter, and fired arrows split into mid-air, knocking into buildings and debris in the backroads of Darkveil. Leni-Aura makes a point to pick off the standing for good measure; and lightning crackles from her cyan gaze as she lashes out, landing a hit on a man that she pulls into the gale from afar. She hears his screech of surprise fade as he’s buffeted away, tumbling in a tangle of limbs as the wagon shrieks away from him.

There is a concern, though... in the back of Leni-Aura's mind...

Who exactly did Beist rob?

These... are a lot of people, right? More than there should be for an average pet shop? She grits her teeth.

“Beist, how much farther until we're out of town?” Leni-Aura calls, pulling her whip back in towards her before she looks down at the beast man.

"Not much farther! I think... Bit hard to see with all the clouds and such..." Beist replied as he held a hand up above his eyes and leaned forward slightly, squinting to try and see ahead better. At this point, it looked less like a large wagon was barreling down the street and more like a miniature tornado was sweeping through, leaving a trail of ice and snow behind. Curious eyes through the windows around them might not even realize they were witnessing a chase, probably just thinking it was an extremely strange weather phenomenon, especially for Darkveil.

At least Dora seemed to be fine and pulling the wagon forward without issue. Moe sat on her back, keeping any incoming projectiles that somehow managed to pierce through the firce winds from harming her and causing her to slow down or even stop. If that happened, not even the little blizzard conjured by Sorbet or Leni's attacks would be able to hold off just how many enemies were coming forward to stop them. Beist was starting to wonder the same thing as Leni. Why were there so many attackers? Just who in Charon was running that "pet shop" that could send so many to stop them? And why would they put in so much effort just to get back some lab animals?

The houses around them dropped away as the group raced out of the city, the shouts of their attackers behind them. The blizzard faded away as well, not wanting to leave a trail of snow for anyone to follow them out of the city. Beist heaved a sigh of relief, his heart pounding. He looked over his shoulder toward the top of the wagon.

"I think we made it. Is everyone alright? No one left behind?" He asked, taking a headcount. Sorbet was still up there, Leni, Nimbus. Moe was still on Dora's back. He looked into the wagon to check that all of the others were still there. He felt his pocket for the jar with the little oozeling inside to make sure it was still there. Leon was safe inside his charm. "My, that was a lot more excitement than I'd expected!"

“Right…” Leni-Aura frowns, turning her eyes back towards the maelstrom; by now, most of the strange men seem to be reluctant to approach the wagon as it very literally thunders by them. From atop the wagon, their faces are obscured: nameless, faceless; and they keep their distance as they attempt to fire off ranged weapons at the wagon— which are quickly snapped by the wind, zapped by Moe’s field of electricity, or frozen by Sorbet’s ice magic.

She sinks her claws into the top of the wagon, still embracing the relentless persona in order to keep them back; lightning cracks, spreading like veins, and electrifying the winds briefly as she snaps the whip out towards anyone who gets a little too close.

Eventually, but not soon enough, the shouts start to fade away; the electricity and wind that swirls around Leni-Aura starts to taper away; leaving her standing atop it, gazing at the silhouette of Darkveil City as they leave it behind. Her heart throbs in her chest, lips parted while she tries to catch her breath from such an extended use of magic.

Exhaustion seeps into her bones, but she shakes it off as she allows the whip in her hands to flicker away. She brushes her windblown hair out of her face as Beist shouts up at them, and she glances back. “I think so,” she calls back, offering Sorbet a slight scratch behind the ear as she walks carefully past her. “Thanks for your help.” She tells her, lowering herself down to lay against the wind so she won’t risk falling off with a bump.

She lets her forepaws hang over the edge of the roof, looking down on Beist from above him with a concerned expression.

“Do… do you know who owned that pet shop, Beist?” She asks, “That was a lot of people with a lot of weapons coming after us… What if they're not done?”

Sorbet tilted her head to get Leni to scratch the best spot behind her ears before flopping lazily onto her side, her front paws grabbing at Leni's hand playfully as he moth wings fluttered lightly and her tail flicked about. It would have been adorable if the cat-moth wasn't bigger than Leni. Okay, it was still pretty adorable.

"I'm afraid I don't. The information I'd managed to come across was vague at best, but I couldn't just ignore it. I couldn't leave all these innocent animals in that place." Beist replied somberly, looking into his wagon at the rescued creatures. The canine-bear creature was sitting, his back legs sticking forward, a bit off kilter so that one was off to the side while the other was between his front paws that were flat on the floor.

"Do you think they'll want revenge for this?" Beist asked, a bit panicked. Were these people going to hunt him down for this? Not just him, but maybe Leni as well. Oh. this was all his fault for forcing her to get involved in all this. What if she was harmed because of him? He'd feel awful! What if these criminals came after his pets? What was he going to do? He's a really easy to recognize target! He can't blend into the crowd to save his life, possibly literally now!

Tears streamed down Beist's face as he sobbed and mumbled almost incoherently. "I'm going to have to move to Arid Mesa... It's so hot there... Sorbet hates sand.... How am I going to sell my potions? No one buys potions in Arid Mesahuhuh..."

He kept the wagon going, wanting to get as far away from Darkveil and any pursuers as possible.

Leni-Aura’s expression falls when Beist’s tone changes, “I, um…” she finds herself tripping over her words, ears lowering when she hears the distress in Beist’s voice. She had only meant to instill some caution in the rest of their journey; and ensure Beist and Dora were safe and aware of the potential consequences; but she had not meant to upset him so much!

An overwhelming guilt pierces her chest; what does she do now?

Nimbus looks up at him, still snuggled underneath one set of his arms; the drake trills sadly at him before nosing his snoot against Beist’s arm as if trying to comfort him.

The rider’s seat shakes a little when Leni-Aura jumps down next to Beist— is he crying!?

Oh dear Avasha, she’s made Beist cry!

What has she done!?

The Rabbitaur stares openly in silence for a moment, stunned, before shaking herself out of it. She looks away, somewhat befuddled and uncertain in how to proceed the conversation, before she turns back to him after a short inhale. “H-hey,” she objects, resting one of her forepaws on Beist’s leg. “Come on, you are not going to have to move to the Arid Mesa— you will just have to be careful, that is all. You can still…. Sell your potions in Charon, and Sorbet does not have to live on sand.” She attempts to keep her voice encouraging, but sympathy is arguably not her strong suit.

Still, she likes Beist; he was one of the first people she met upon arriving in Charon, and despite her anger and frustration at the world then, he had been nothing but kind to her. He still is nothing but kind to her, despite her failings to socialize properly, or ask for help, or... accept kindness.

Truthfully, there would be nothing worse than seeing him or the animals he loves so much get hurt; and seeing him so upset heavies her heart.

“I can stay with you for a while, and we can ensure that you are safe; and that the animals are safe.” She adjusts her posture a bit in order to look through the wagon’s window at the creatures inside. “You did a good thing, Beist, they were… they were scared. We… uh… we will figure out our next steps together, yes? One hop at a— ah… step. One step at a time.” She sets her other forepaw on Beist's leg, tilting her head up at him. "No matter who owned that place, we will figure things out."

Beist looked at Leni, his eyes swollen from crying, and tried to calm down a bit. She was comforting him, telling him it would be alright. He was old enough to be her grandfather and she was the one comforting him. Ah, how shameful. He couldn't help but be embarrassed after losing his composure so badly that Leni had to do that for him. He knew she wasn't really one to get emotional and talking like this probably wasn't easy for her.

He wiped his eyes with a handkerchief and looked apologetically at Leni. "Yes, you're right. I'm sorry I lost my composure for a moment there. I've just never been in a situation like this before, but we will figure it out. I'll be careful." He sniffled.

Beist looked down at the little drake snuggled against him and picked him up to pull him into a gentle hug. He did feel a bit better with Nimbus and Leni comforting him. He wasn't sure how willing to hug Leni would be, but he held an arm out to see if she would join in.

From the window at the front of the wagon came a buzzing sound followed shortly by a very large, very fluffy bumble bee that flew up and landed on top of Beist's head. Beist also now noticed that Dora had looked back over her shoulder at him as she'd been pulling the cart. Inside the window, a little head that looked like a brown raccoon's, but with a slightly longer snout also peeked out, little paws on the window sill. All of his pets were clearly concerned for the beast man.

Beist smiled, looking at each of them. "I'm fine. I'm sorry to have worried you, but I'm fine."