It wasn’t an easy job that Raoul was taking on, the thought of what he was getting into settling as he sat writing in his notebook on the lower deck of a merchant ship. With his recent increase in fame, it gave way to more job opportunities. Although he’d much rather it be solving some mysterious case or chasing after a sneaky bandit exploring an island and keeping some settlers safe, he was getting paid to do so. And as much as the man was virtuous he valued money over anything else, that’s why he was taking on such a troubling task. At least he wouldn’t be alone in this endeavor though he’d heard that another ship of settlers was carrying another adventurer. The man hoped that they were formidable enough to help him in case he ran into any danger on the island. For as much as the dhampir could get by in cities with his whips and wit alone usually, fighting against some giant didn’t seem like a fight that would be useful.



Eventually, after a few days of travel, the ship was called to anchor and the crew on board announced for everyone to prepare to land. He walked down the wooden ramp of the ship and took some time to unwind and stretch being on a boat for so long made him feel cramped and stuff. It was then that he spotted a familiar face, one he’d grown to associate with crazy shenanigans and bravery.

---

Quest Name: Emperor’s Favor

Participants: Two or more

Location: Arid Mesa

Post Requirements: 6 posts per person, 200 words per post

Reward: +1 Renown, Choice of 2 Common crafting materials

Description: A variety of operations have been launched since the chaos in the Arid Mesa, with all types of companies, organizations, and groups seeking to leave their mark on the mostly unexplored region. Because of this, the once abandoned coastlines have become riddled with camps, settlements and docked ships, who are now disturbing the local wildlife who are used to quiet emptiness. While most passive species have just fled inland, the mighty Emperor Akhlut has decided upon another course of action. Packs of these odd coastal creatures have begun assaulting nearby camps and ships as they attempt to set up or offload cargo. A request for body guards has been put out, seeking help in protecting employees from these creatures while they try to do their jobs.

It’s been a very, very long time since Astrid has needed to take a boat anywhere, and the whole time, she silently curses Arid Mesa for not having a proper settlement that her Elsewhere Juice can take her to. That little potion has been handy for cutting weeks of adventuring down to a few days, but now she actually has to sit on a boat. Well, at least she has plenty of little projects to tinker with the whole time.

Even still, she can’t imagine how much Cantio is going to worry with her being gone for a while. Actually, she can. She can feel every ounce of his worry all the time and thinks happy thoughts to send in return^[1] to make him feel better while also calling him every day to check on him^[2] and reassure him that nothing crazy is going to happen up in the Arid Mesa, especially now that the trolls have largely been dealt with. This time it’s just regular critters, nothing especially super powered in theory.

It’s a relief to be off of the ship when she is, and it’s even more of a relief to know that getting home is going to be quick and easy. But for now, she needs to find her partner, and lo and behold, a familiar face can be seen across the way.

“Hey, Raoul!” Astrid calls, waving to him with plenty of enthusiasm before trotting up. “It’s been a little while, ain’t it? Hope thin’s are goin’ good fer ya.” She draws little to no attention to the fact that her left arm has been replaced by an intricate metal prosthetic with glowing blue light and sparks of lightning dancing around the interior,^[3] mostly because it’s an awkward story. The way it’s designed makes it look like her arm is simply covered in full-plate armor and is completely fine beneath it but closer inspection would reveal that there is nothing below the metal plates at all besides the magic holding it together.

---

1. Eternity Ring
2. Talking Heads
3. Arcanatek Prosthetic

The dhampir waves at the young adventurer, a smile of relief appearing on his face, he was happy he got paired up with Astrid. After all, having her on this expedition would make his time a lot easier if they came across any trouble considering her vast strength. Especially knowing how uncharted and dangerous Arid Mesa trouble was most likely assured at this point.



“Hello there Astrid Stormstone”, he greets her as she walks towards him, “It has indeed been a bit since our last adventures. I look forward to working with you on this job. I’ve been doing alright, as busy as always as you can guess. How about you though? Not coming across another undead monster or finding another flower patch that makes you go flying I hope”, he chuckles softly, his voice jovial although still mixed with slight concern for the child.



He looks at Astrid, something catching his eye as he spots the glow coming from her arm, “Oh well I see that your armor is as impressive as ever my friend, I see you’ve made some interesting upgrades. Your craftsmanship continues to amaze me, someday I hope to commission you to make me a weapon”.

“I’ve been doin’ alright,” Astrid says with a chipper tone. “Took a break from adventurin’ fer a little while ta do some craftin’. I even started a guild fer folks that like ta tinker an’ wanna learn more!” Hands on her hips, Astrid looks as proud as ever. “So that’s kept me pretty busy. Far as flowers go…Nah, nothin’ much.” She trails off somewhat sheepishly. No, no, she hasn’t found any more flower patches that send her flying through the air, but a particular satyr and her flowers sure have made her flutter in other ways.

Quickly pivoting back, Astrid flexes the prosthetic, showing off the range of motion with a grin. “Thanks! I’ve gotten ta give this thin’ one good field test, so I’m hopin’ ta test some other features while we’re here! Maybe y’all get ta see some of it in action fer the first time! The folks here need some guardin’ while they’re workin’ on the coast, so I’m ready ta watch their backs. Somethin’ easy ta ease back in. Ready ta go find our damsels an' fight some sea bears?” Of course, she's teasing when she says it, but it's a bit fun to play that up. Luckily, she's had the time to do some reading on these creatures while on the boat.

---

Emperor Akhlut details:

SPOILER: Click to show

The Emperor Akhlut, once thought to be a form of Avianbear, has recently been discovered as its own species, as it bears no feathers, and has a different method of breathing than the Aukbears of the Luna Sea. The Akhlut is a water-dwelling species that hunt porpoises, seals, squid, and other large marine life. They live and hunt in matriarchal groups known as pods, and have been known to attack fishing vessels for an easy meal, ramming the broadside of the hull to force the contents and crew of the ship into the icy water.

Certain pods are extremely adept at hunting creatures who try to seek safety on the shore, riding the waves as they crash to shore to sweep their prey back out to sea. They make their nests on land in pairs, though it is the job of the whole pod to mind and train the young-- because of this, even though Emperor Akhlut's do not tend to pose an immediate danger to people, they may seek out individuals close to the shore to help their young practice their hunting techniques.
Abilities
Crafting Material
- Gargantuan Size
- High Intelligence
- Pack Tactics
- Vicious Talons
- Powerful Bite
- Keen Senses
- High Swim Speed
- Deep Diving

“That’s good to hear at least, alright is better than bad”, the dhampir’s worry calms a bit, he knows the kid is more than capable of taking care of herself but still he can’t help but be concerned, “Crafting is fun although I’ve never been too much of a craftsman myself I’d like to give it a try someday. You’ve started a guild? That’s amazing Astrid! You know maybe someday I’d like to join you folks once I get stronger though. After all, I’m not exactly the most technically skilled as you tinkerer folks”, he says already knowing he’d have to get much much stronger.



“Good that you’ve been clear of tricky flowers, I’ve heard that they’ve started to sprout all across Charon and causing folks a bunch of trouble. Hopefully, that’ll get figured out soon, although I’ll say it’s made business boom on my end”.



Raoul looks stunned and marvels at the young adventurer’s piece of equipment, “Woah, that looks amazing the craftsmanship and technology on that is past anything I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen a pauldron or gauntlet that real before that looks almost grafted on your arm. Although why do you only have one of them? Did you use some sort of rare materials and only were able to create one of them?”, he asks, not realizing the truth about Astrid’s new arm.





“Anything will be good to take down the matter of creatures on the island, I’ve heard we’re in for a real wild ride during our stay. And of course, I’m ready although I’m not exactly sure how helpful I’d be taking down an Akhlut”.

Astrid grins up at Raoul. “Luckily, technical stuff is a skill that can be learned. Ya ain’t gotta be strong, just gotta have the mind fer it. I’d be happy ta teach ya – if yer interested a’ course. I want folks ta join, but I won’t push it on ‘em if it ain’t somethin’ they’re passionate about, y’know? Fightin’ monsters an’ bad guys an’ helpin’ folks is somethin’ we both care about, which… I s’pose is why we’re both here!”

As she shows off her arm, she realizes that it isn’t immediately apparent that this thing is not, in fact, a piece of armor. Her prideful grin fades away into a shock of realization and then into something sheepish. “Ah… Long story, but… It’s a prosthetic. Used golemancy an’ lightnin’ ta make it work the way it does. Not ta worry though, which I know ya will, I didn’t lose it in a fight or nothin’. It was fer a good cause.”

And, as if to avoid more details on the topic, she starts walking toward where some gathered workers are. “Ya fought a bogaboo, so I don’t think ya’ll have much issue fightin’ a sea bear. Real big, live in groups, swim fast, an’ alla that. It’ll be fine. I might call me drake in fer a ride or some help if we need it. I’m thinkin’ since they live in the water, they’ll be easy ta zap with lightnin’.”

As she approaches some of the workers, Astrid waves at them and meets up with Raoul. They briefly explain that the beasts have been more aggressive and are coming ashore more and more lately. They’re not sure if they’ve disturbed a nesting area or if food is scarcer because of the fishing nearby, but the Emperor Akhluts have been problematic and dangerous for people. On one hand, if that’s truly the case, Astrid feels like the creatures have a right to be angry and lash out, and she recommends that the work moves off the beaches, but the workers explain that the beaches being terrorized are the only real place for the ships to dock and people to come ashore since the land is so unpopulated.

“Well… Guess we’ll figure it out,” Astrid says with a shrug. “We’ll keep an eye out while yer workin’. Let's go keep an eye out, Raoul.”

“It is? I’ve seen some blacksmiths in action and their craft looks like some sort of magic gift in itself. By the way, they swing those hammers and equipment I figured you had to be some sort of strong person for it so call me surprised”, the dhampir responds curiously.



“I would be happy to learn from you in a heartbeat Astrid, your skill is indeed excellent and I’d be honored”, Raoul wasn’t embarrassed or worried to learn from the child like most people would. The man was always ready to learn and gather any knowledge he could from whatever resources he could. ‘Knowledge was the most important weapon a person could have’, was what his mentor, the person who inspired Raoul to become a detective would always say.



“Reasonable and wise words my friend, I hope the guild goes well and I’d be happy to join sometime. Ambition drives people to make the world a better place and that same ambition is what will lead us to make this expedition a successful one”, he says confidently.



The dhampir’s shock is ever present on his face as Astrid explains her prosthetic, “Oh…um gosh that is both an incredible feat of craftsmanship and that’s good to hear that it was for a good cause but also HUH? WHAT?”, he says in confusion and concern.



Before he could go on with his worry and questions he notices the look on her face and realizes that the kid’s been through enough and doesn’t need him badgering her with reminders and a lecture about the responsibility of keeping your limbs intact. He decides to drop the topic and just say in a calm voice, “Well I admire your positive attitude and spirit Astrid that’s incredibly important to have plus”, he tries to offer a cheerful grin, “ You now got a kick-ass arm to boot”.



“An undead bag of bones who if you remembered had me destroyed with a single punch is a little different than a tough and alive freaking sea bear. I’m truly glad to have your help with this mission I’ll say. You having a dragon is probably the least surprising thing about you honestly”, he chuckles as he follows Astrid to begin their search.

“Physical strength ain’t a bad thin’ ta have, ‘specially since the materials an’ hammers can be heavy. Some projects require more technique than anythin’. Besides, ya tend ta build up muscle over time as ya practice more,” Astrid explains. Then she smiles at Raoul. “I’d be happy ta teach ya whatever ya like!” Her smile turns more wry as she continues, a playful note in her voice. “Fer the low price a’ joinin’ the guild a’ course.”

As she explains the prosthetic sheepishly, Astrid tries not to wince at Raoul’s shock and horror. “Ah, don’t worry about it. It’s fine.” And then immediately turns the topic to the mission at hand.

Once they gather information from the workers, Astrid sets off with Raoul to start checking the coastline for anything unusual. She can’t help giggling at the way he describes getting a good gut punch from the bogaboo, and she turns to look back at him, rapping her knuckles against her cuirass. “Ya need some armor ta help protect ya from that. Or ya just need ta get good at turnin’ their weight against ‘em. Some folks are real good at that. Keeps ‘em from gettin’ smacked around so easily.”

As she patrols with him, Astrid manifests some magic to summon forth a massive white drake with a spell that ripples reality and pulls the creature from another place. Purple swirls and sparks dance harmlessly off of his scales, and he looks less than impressed at the fact that she has once again summoned him without warning.^[1,2]

“Big Frizole, this is Raoul. Raoul, this is Big Frizole. He’s super smart, an’ he’s got good eyes. I think we could spot the pod from above if it gets close. Wanna go fer a ride?” Big Frizole lifts his head very pridefully at the compliments and looks at Raoul with a studious stare.

---

1. Summon Mount
2. Drake Hussar

“Armor wouldn’t be the worst thing I’ll say, I mean you’d be surprised but that’s not the worst beating I’ve taken recently. I almost got my head bitten off by this rune bear that was causing problems in the woods. If it wasn’t for that powerful paladin of the undead being there I wouldn’t be standing here today. Although it does seem difficult to wear I’d rather keep my speed and maneuverability up high considering all the running across rooftops I do. Turning people’s weight against them sure does sound like a good idea maybe I could do something like that with my whips?”, he ponders the potential of such a technique.



The duo continues looking around the coast for any threats but so far they find nothing save for some pesky seagulls and and a cranky crab. Suddenly he looks over and sees Astrid gathering some magic and before he can even question what she is doing he is immediately answered as a huge snow white drake appears before them without warning.



The dhampir is in complete awe as he looks up at Big Frizole barely uttering, “Uh hello there, and yes I would love to if possible. Where’d in the world did you manage to just find but tame an adult drake Astrid?” he questions looking at the tinkerer.

“If the armor is tailor made fer ya, then ya can maneuver around in it just fine,” Astrid says. Admittedly, none of her own armor is tailor made, she’s just gotten so used to wearing it, that none of it impedes her. She isn’t wrong though. A perfect set of armor, whether leather, metal, or anything in between, is quite easy to run, jump, and roll around in. Training doesn’t hurt either.

With Big Frizole summoned and looking at the two of them with a less-than-impressed expression, Astrid walks over and pats his massive leg. The drake is twice the size of an average drake and could be mistaken for a dragon if one didn’t know the difference. “I didn’t find or tame him,” Astrid says. “I’m part a’ the Winged Expeditionary Force, an’ after I helped take down a nasty Nightcaller Troll not that far from here, I earned me own drake from them. He’s a little grumpy, but I love him all the same.” The drake snorts pridefully, and a puff of smoke and ice escapes his nostrils.

“Anyway, up we go!” Astrid climbs up into the saddle and offers a hand to Raoul to help him up. Once they’re both settled in the saddle, Big Frizole lifts off into the air and flies out over the ocean. Astrid fishes out a pair of goggles with special lenses that telescope^[1] and offers them to Raoul. “Keep an eye out fer dark shapes in the water!”

---

1. Drake Hussar - Telescopic Goggles

“Hm, tailor-made armor wouldn’t be so bad, although the thought of me running around in some suit of armor during my investigation is a little funny. It’d be a bit of a silly sight I’d say”, the dhampir chuckles at the thought although it does put the idea in his head perhaps for another day.



He is still a little nervous at the sight of Big Frizole such a colossal drake was just casually in front of them. If he didn’t know it was Astrid’s he’d probably immediately try to run away in fear. But he stays strong and acts serious not trying to look too phased by it as he looks the drake over.



“Ah, that makes sense, kind of knowing you Astrid. I'm not exactly surprised once again to hear that you’ve done something so incredible. Being a member of the Winged Expeditionary Force isn’t exactly an easy feat. And fighting a Nightcaller Troll is even more crazy but still, that’s great to hear. Certainly seems that you must be quite busy with so much work at hand”.



He is a little hesitant as Astrid offers him a hand up but decides to ignore his uneasiness about it and takes her hand settling in the saddle. Quickly the drake takes flight the air flows through his hair as he has difficulty even seeing in front of him. He has enough thought to taking the lenses that Astrid is giving to him.



“Thank you very much”, he says, placing them on and immediately feeling great relief as the goggles allow him to see not just well but to zoom in.



“Woah this is amazing”, he mutters out loud immediately trying the telescopic abilities of the Goggles to see the water below them. He zooms in further it's almost like he’s right down there himself.

Astrid often forgets that all the things she’s done mostly for fun are incredible acts. For her, she’s just doing something new and interesting. For people who have been adventuring and taking their time learning what they need to throughout their adult lives, she’s apparently been moving at a breakneck pace.

Once they’re in the sky, Astrid takes a deep breath of the cool air hitting her face. It feels great to fly again, and while she could have flown to Arid Mesa, Big Frizole needed a break after the cross-Charon trek alongside Leandros not long ago. The ship was a fine way to travel, but nothing in comparison to flying through the sky – drakeback or not.

She leans forward in the saddle and keeps an eye out on the water below when a dark mass catches her eye. It’s like a school of fish but bigger, and it’s heading for the beach. “Raoul, take a closer look at that!” she says, pointing in the general direction.

If he determines that’s their quarry, then she’ll take Big Frizole down to water below to intercept before they can attack the workers and their ships.

Raoul continued to fiddle with the goggles adjusting the zoom-in feature as the three of them flew through the skies. It was an incredible thing his eyes darted throughout the wild, freely able to see everything. He spotted a dolphin pod racing against the water, a colony of seagulls flying in the distance, and so much more. Before he can continue he hears Astrid’s voice and looks over to where she is pointing, remembering he was here for a job not to be carried away. The dhampir focuses and quickly looks around the area spotting a large shadow swimming through the water. It appeared to be a group of sea creatures of some kind but bigger than he’d usually seen.



He then zooms in on the goggles and squints, spotting the dark shadow emerging from the water, a large group of animals of some kind. It’s then he sees what they are as a whole pod of Emperor Akhlut all ready and looking to cause trouble. They’re led by an older-looking one who seems to be motioning for them to prepare to charge. The Emperor Akhluts looks young and energetic; he even sees two of them bump their chest and pump each other up.



He quickly yells, “Oh no! Astrid, please hurry we must go to them at once. It’s a pod of Emperor Akhlut and I think they’re up to no good. They certainly look menacing and their way of glaring makes me suspect they are not here to share food and talk about their day”.

With Raoul confirming that the dark mass in the water is indeed a pod of Emperor Akhlut, Astrid shouts, “Hold on tight!” Then she steers Big Frizole into a deep dive toward the shore where the vicious sea bears start charging toward nearby ship workers. The drake lets out a thunderous roar to announce his presence, which draws the attention of the creatures. Gathering a deep breath, he releases a spew of ice across the beach to block the front line of the pod from advancing further. Several of the Emperor Akhlut shuffle back to the water and take on making carnage by attacking the ships.

“Frizole, go take the ones in the water! We’ll drive back the ones on the beach!” Astrid shouts. The mighty drake lands amongst his spewed ice and raises his head high to challenge the intruding sea creatures that dare leave their domain. Once Astrid and Raoul are out of the saddle and safely on the beach, Big Frizole takes off into the air to defend the ships.

If they could talk to animals, maybe they could reason with them, but Astrid knows that her job here is to protect the people, so that’s what she’s going to do. She reaches into a pocket space and produces a companion that Raoul is familiar with: the massive golem, Buttfellow. With a slap on the leg, the runes on the golem’s surface light up, and the construct enters its combatant state.^[1] Then sky blue runes start glowing around its body and produce a protective layer of electricity.^[2] With two fists pounding its chest, Buttfellow charges into the group of Emperor Akhlut on the beach and starts going ham on anything that gets within its melee range.

Astrid looks at Raoul. “Don’t get smacked!” And then she rushes forward.

---

1. Arcane Activation (post 1/4)
2. Mana Bulwark (1/3) - lightning armor

“Woah”, the dhampir shouts as he holds on bracing himself against the rush of the wind, he still hasn’t even gotten close to getting used to this and he thinks he never will. The boisterous roar of the Big Frizole makes the man a little frightened even though the drake is on their side.



Raoul quickly jumps off the saddle and lands on the drake’s ice ready to help out however he can. With him and most importantly Astrid and Big Frizole he was sure that these troublesome Emperor Akhlut were no match. Before he could rush forward he sees Astrid pulling something out of space itself. ‘What could it be this time? Some sort of weapon? Knowing Astrid perhaps some sort of huge battle hammer that could wipe out the Akhluts in a single smash’, he thought. Suddenly a grin comes over his face as he looks at the giant golem that he has grown to call a friend, the illustrious and powerful Buttfellow. The golem’s glowing runes and great strength are apparent as soon as it stands in front of them and charges.



“I shall do my best not to, but I make no promises”, he jokes before gripping his whip wand and cracking it against the air causing a large thorn whip to emerge from its hilt. He grabs the wrapped Shimmering Scorpion Blade and cracks it against the air reading himself for battle. He wasn’t going to just let Astrid and Butfellow do all of the work, after all, he was an adventurer too.