The day was… fine in his opinion at least, there were no rain so no wet fur… no raids so no need for him to fight and the village he was currently in was peaceful. All in all, it was a nice little day for Hans… very nice in fact ‘…it would be much nicer if I didn’t need to do this job…’ he sighed as he trekked through the packed dirt street of the village.

The job that was offered was very nice, they wanted teams of volunteers to go scout out certain areas, chart out dangers and opportunities for an upcoming wave of new settlers to create a new village in the wildlands ‘like that worked out for them in the past’ Hans pondered as he felt the hot dirt on his paws.

The first problem was that it was in the wildlands, which was an unexplored uncharted area where many strong monsters like the Yao Guai frequent, there were even rumors of dragons living in the wildlands or even the dreaded undead.

The second problem was the location they advertised the job at which was in the areas nearest of the wildlands where the people are experienced but not eager in the prospect of entering the dangerous area ‘They’re smart… and not desperate enough unlike me’ he thought as he looked at the only tavern in the village where he’ll meet his party and the one paying him to go.

‘They say they wanted teams of 8 or something… hopefully I’m not paired with 7 idiots who are barely coherent in their ramblings nor a team of complete newbies. It’s bad enough that my savings got low enough for me to get out of my ass and do this job’ He pondered as he waited for a bit.

‘At least the pay was good though’ he thought as he remembered what was offered. Five gold pieces up front for you to buy any new equipment or whatever you need for the expedition. You were also given 10 gold pieces if you do return and half of it goes to whoever you signed as your holder if you don’t return so a bit of an insurance.

It was a very hefty sum and if you don’t come back, half the money would go directly to whoever you signed as your holder if you do die or go missing which would make it popular with a couple more desperate folk ‘Kind of like a down on his luck mercenary like me’ Hans decided as he still thought about whether or not he’s going to come in.

There was also a bigger prize if the area chosen for the new settlement was in your group’s area in which each member would receive an extra 15 gold pieces making the pay 30 gold pieces in total for each member of your assigned group if you did manage to survive and the area you chose get chosen.

‘There’s probably only people who were desperate for money, travelers from faraway lands, wide-eyed newbies, green kids barely turning 13, a couple of bored locals and a few down on their luck veterans took the job like me’ he thought as he eyed the tavern doors again.

He rechecked his gear to make sure nothing is missing ‘It would be terrible to make the impression that you are too poor to even buy a worn gambeson or a chipped dagger’ he thought as he rechecked everything.

‘Let’s see here, Brigandine… checked, my Kettle helm… that’s also checked, is my orange brown fur brushed right… of course it is, what about… nope I have both my spare weapons on my belt… Goedendag is as good as it can possibly be… all the other pieces of steel strapped to my limbs aren’t falling off so that’s good…’ He thought as he rechecked everything.

It’s funny since it’s the first time he’ll actually wear most of the equipment he’ll be wearing for real ever since that fateful day a year or so ago ‘I am completely out of shape… though I did retrain myself somewhat for a week in preparation for the job’ he thought as he went back to looking at the door.

He let out a sigh as he walked towards the front door ‘Come on Hans Harbert Haai, you don’t get two lives and it’s useless just standing here. The sooner I finish the job the sooner I can go back to crying my sorrows out whilst drunk in a tavern’ He told himself as he went into the tavern squeezing his 6ft 2inch frame through the door.

As he stepped into the tavern and elicited a reaction from everyone within… he let out a long sigh and shook his head at what he was seeing ‘Okay… not looking very good here’ He thought as he surveyed the 7 obvious people who also seem to come here to get a job with his reddish orange eyes.

‘Let’s take a glance here, group consists of… a standard human, there’s always a standard looking uninteresting human, some kind of flipping nature spirit that’s rare, has a bit of a marsupial look as well… same with my species.

There’s also the two avians there, both seem to be way ahead of everyone else in terms of competence since they both wear fucking helmets… the one heavily armored one with a medical bag seem to be a military medic of some kind and the other one with the long bow staff seems like an archer.

Hmmm… we also have an alchemist of some kind judging by the 1… no 2 bandoliers of whatevers strapped to his bag… seems like an older fellow… hell he’s older than probably anyone else if I’m not mistaken... definitely hard 40s.

The lizard with the oversized crossbow is also noticeable… can’t really be discreet when you’re packing a weapon that large anyways… seems impractical but he’s seems like a Telarion so… yeah that gets a pass. Lastly is the… finis out of water… the Deidrin… of course there’s a Deidrin here… at least it isn’t a male one…’ Hans thought as he observed the room with a glance.

‘Well then, at least 3 of them have helmets which of counting me means at least 4 people have actual common sense’ He thought as he groaned at the thought. There were 8 people in each team and from what he was seeing… only one or two others seems to be experienced at all.

As he glances around a bit he could at least see that all of them seem to have some kind of combat experience ‘At least we have the diversity part of a party of ‘adventurers’ or something… not sure about the competency part but hopefully they all know how to handle themselves…’ he thought as looked at the first person to catch his attention based on how boring they looks… the human.

“Goede dag to you my fellow companions, it appears I arrived a bit late today” Hans started “Course you did, you were la-Agh” The human tried to rudely speak than grunted in pain as the nature spirit to his side gave him a good kick to the shin “It’s okay, late or not you can start right now” The spirit seems much nicer in comparison.

“…Oh right, sorry for the delay, my name is Hans Harbert Haai, I’m a Lycan if that’s not apparent enough and I believe I will be travelling with you fine folks on this mission” Hans introduced himself ‘Good, looks like my social skills didn’t degrade too much’ He thought as he waited for a response.

“I will like to also make acquaintances with you folks as well” He added and the room went silent for a bit. The silence was ended when the spirit kicked the human again and muttered some words as the human went “Alright, fine, fine, I’ll go first” Which got a bit of a chuckle out of the more lightly armored avian with the bow staff.

Hans took a moment to more closely accessed the human before he speaks to him, he looks to be young for a human probably in his early 20’s or late teens but probably the former. He could see the unshaven stubs that would eventually form a beard on his boyish head with unkempt dirt brown colored hair and he also noticed that the human was a head smaller than him being 5ft 6-8 inches.

The human carries a spear which was currently hanging on a beam of wood where he used to rest, it looked well maintained if not a bit new. He also carries a sword on his hip, a small hand crossbow which he kept on the table he was sitting along with his quiver but hanging on his belt is a buckler which has seen a lot of action based on the shape it was in.

He wore light armor with a gambeson covering a good part of his body with leather bracers, gloves, pads, greaves and boots providing some extra protection for some parts of his body. Rounding out the look was a dark green cloak with a hood on though it looks particularly ragged and ill maintained.

The gambeson seems to be weathered with numerous stitches suggesting that it has seen a lot of action though it’s quite ragged as well despite how well it was maintained ‘Then again, the same can be said for my gear’ Hans thought before meeting the human’s deep brown eyes as he speaks.

“Alright… Les salutations Lykan, my name is Mark Marshside, I’m an accomplished seasoned adventurer with 5 years under my belt so I wi-Ow stop hitting me!” The human’s introduction was cut short by another kick to the shin which causes him to wince in pain.

“Only if you stop with the merde you keep spilling with your mouth” The spirit countered and they both started arguing ‘From what I can see the two seems to be brothers of some kind… and from the accent their both from Ravic city since they speak Parfumel with that accent’ Hans managed a thought before the two of them stopped.

He also took the time to more closely examine the forest spirit as well. He seems young, even younger then the human and Hans mark him as in the late teens as most though he also would likely mature faster than a human so who knows his actual age as he looks to be 4ft tall in general.

His fur seems to be light to dark yellow in coloration, he has a dog like little face with two large ears and yellow eyes along with the paws on both legs though the hands look human like or Lycan like in appearance. The long reptilian style tail denotes him as a marsupial instead of a mammal like a Lycan.

He seems to be wearing a leather longcoat died dark green alongside dark brown pants of some kind that seem a bit loose for his size and on his head lies a headband with multiple pictures or words that Hans cannot make out from the distance. He even has some charms of talismans hanging from his ears and on the butt end of his weapon.

The weapon is the most interesting part of the spirit as resting on his left hand is a type of battle axe if you look at it on a glance but Hans was surprised that the top spike seem to have some sort of yellow amber crystal which would denote it as a wand making it a hybrid type of weapon.

‘Okay so the kid seems to be armed with some sort of weird hybrid wand axe thingy but seriously… no head protection or limb protection? I don’t care that you’re a mage… actually it is because you’re a mage that you should be wearing a lot of armor, a headband and what seems like a leather longcoat is not going to cut it’ Hans complained and ranted mentally though he keeps a straight face.

“Fine, fine you win, I did nothing that could be counted as an accomplishment and I am very new to this sort of thing” Mark admitted after a short argument “Oh That would be fine enough, as long as you know how to wield a weapon” Hans commented ‘Yeah fine my ass’ his thoughts opposite of it

“Okay, I can use a variety of weapons and armor and whatnot, I also used to have an axe as well… terrible merde broke recently and I don’t have the coins to get it fixed or get a decent one” Mark answered the comment ‘Oh so he’s as desperate as I am… lovely’ Hans thought cheerfully.

“And… who might you be little Geest” Hans asked the spirit “I’m not fluent enough in Netherlynd to understand what… Geest means but I’ll assume it means spirit, Les salutations, name’s Akol Marshside, I am a forest spirit but I would prefer if you refer to me by my particular race the Hahlen… nice to meet you Hans” Akol greeted him.

“It is nice to be meeting you as well, I would love to work with you in the field as well based on your particular skillset” Hans replied back ‘My guess would be some sort of nature based magic user or maybe a frontline fighter with a special wand though that seems like an it’s different so it has to be better type of weapon in my eyes’ Hans guessed as he managed a thought and reached out a hand.

“I would too as well, you seem like a seasoned veteran and I am a 6th level nature affinity spiritual magic user so I hope we both work well together” Akol shook his hand ‘Kid seems observant and very polite as well… I like him already’ Hans thought as he shook.

“If I may… I just noticed but are you two perhaps siblings?” Hans asked curiously “Of course we are, Merci for asking, one of us is adopted” Akol answered with a smile “You didn’t clarify which one” Mark pointed out “It is alright my fellow brother in arms, I can already tell” Hans politely said.

“Bien, you’re observant like a nice little pupper, I think you’ll be a good teammate” Mark replied with a smirk “I thank you for your considerations, it is surprising that the adoptive brother is so observant in his claims” Hans said smugly ‘I am so going to kill this little bitch’ He refrained from making a scene.

A few of the others chuckled at the words whilst Mark seems frustrated and was about to speak up before Akol kicked him in the shin again “Will you stop kicking me?” Mark asked with an annoyed expression “Only when you learn proper mannerisms” Akol said with an annoyed expression as well clearly tired of his brother’s shit.

‘And they’re fighting again… ah such is the way of siblings… reminds me of my own relationship with my old pack and with my own siblings’ Hans reminiscent about the old days before noticing someone coming towards him.

“Atleisk, I sincerely apologize for the actions of these two, I hope that they don’t discourage you from joining” One of the avians, the heavily armored one with the medic bag stepped up “Ah, Goede dag to you as well, I understand that not everyone can be close companions in a pack such as this and that situations such as this will happen so you have little to worry about” Hans went back to formal language.

The avian gave a sad smile at that and seem relieved, Hans took the time to give her look over. She was young, younger than him but not by much and if he had to guess she’ll be in her early 30s. She’s also a tiny bit taller than him being 6ft 3inches and is also as well built as him physically though as an Avikarri she has better limb strength by much in exchange for brittle bones.

One of the first thing to catch his attention is that she took her helmet off and Hans wondered for a moment if he accidentally misjudged her gender as he looked in her sky blue eyes. This was because her feathers take on a light bluish white coloration with a few bright blue and teal green feathers on the top of her head whilst the avian scales on her talons where her hands and feet would be take on a pinkish coloration.

However, the overall build is all wrong and the voice of itself being a bit higher and less… flowery in general makes it abundantly clear that she’s a female and the feathers themselves are not colorful enough either ‘Huh, that’s a weird bit of genetics right there’ Hans mentally muted as he continues.

She has a Warhammer sitting by the table she used to sit at and a kite shield laying near it as well. Both of which seem to have seen their fair share of battle with the shield in particular looking a bit ragged considering the large burn scars on it suggesting a brutal engagement.

She seems to be wearing a full coat of plate and mail equipped with a steel breastplate, tassets, bracers, pads, greaves, pauldrons and even hand and foot guards. All of that is finished off by a steel helmet sitting on her table with a padded coif near it as well.

‘It’s nice to see a fellow appreciation of common sense’ Hans thought as he raised his hand and she took to shaking it “Tammy Maier, Avikarri, I’m from Latvienna, I used to run with the Latviennan military as a field madic since I have the affinity for healing magic and I’m no slouch in combat either” She introduces herself.

“It is nice to meet you miss Maier, a medic with healing magic is a wonderful addition to any pack” Hans said as he released ‘At least Wulfram’s looking up at me, military experience, seasoned, has common sense and is a certified medic with healing spells? Yeah, I like her already’ Hans mentally thought.

“I agree, no flock is complete without a type of person to tend to wounds, you seem to have a good bit of experience as well” Tammy mused “Of course I am my fellow companion, I did serve a decade as a mercenary in my old pack” Hans replied.

“Oh that’s great, I was afraid of being the only person here being an ex-mercenary, it’s good a well since we can both do our best to keep most of these id-I mean fine folks alive” Tammy caught herself as she gave a weak smile ‘I really like her now, she even shares my thinking’ Hans thought as he smiled back.

“It is only natural for us more experienced people to teach these companions of ours to greater heights” Hans smiled as he said reassuring her in which she seems relieved and just nods at that “Either way, it is good having you here Hans, I hope we work well together, it is good to work with someone of the same trade… also don’t ask about the longbow” She advised as she took her leave before going back to where she was sitting.

As she went back Tammy taps the other Avikarri who was watching Mark and Akol fighting on the shoulder and gestures at them ‘Hmmm… no not siblings, no muttering or anything, seems more like someone just nudging someone else’ Hans thought as the other Avikarri saunters over.

The other Avikkari of the group seems to be a Wrona, the most common Avikarrian race in the Garrick Empire. She seems to be younger than Tammy but a few years more seasoned than Mark though it doesn’t seem to show at all as he looked into her dark blue eyes.

Similar with other Wronas, she seems to be clad in feathers ranging from dark blue to black and even her avian scales and talons seem to have this coloration as well. Unlike Tammy who seems a bit more male, she is definitely female being monotone in coloration with no extra feathers.

The most noticeable thing about her however is the large bow staff that seems a few inches taller than her impressive 5ft 11inch height. It has the telltale sign of constant usage and passage from generations and seem to be an old Wronan Longbow which would denote her as a very serious threat at range.

She is also wearing a dark blue gambeson, leather bracers, greaves, half gloves, a dark blue cloak and a steel helmet as well which is also sitting at the table. On her belt is a sheathed Messer, a cheaper kind of knife hilted sword though this one has a modified guard on it and there’s no missing the quiver of arrows on her back which is probably a quiver of holding based on its design.

‘Okay, she seems well seasoned, it is clear that she’s seen action before, also has a helmet which is an extra point in my book’ Hans thought as he looked her up and down which she seems to noticed “Liking what you see Lycan?” She asked which got him out of it a bit.

“Ah excuse me for looking miss…” “Just call me Amelia miłość” “…Amelia, I was admiring the expert craftsmanship of your longbow” Hans commented ‘Good save Hans… good save’ He told himself as he waited for her to respond.

“Oh you mean my friend here? Well let me show you, she’s a beauty isn’t she, 180 pound draw weight and she still has a good kick even though she’s been passed down for 7 generations” Amelia said as she pointed towards her bow… which got Tammy to shake her head as she covers it in her talons in the back.

“Ah I suppose you’re an expert with the thing if I may be correct” Hans decided to play along and gave her a wink of ‘Sorry’ “Yup, as they say with any archer whether Lokarthi, Sagitarin or Artasoforie… you want a good archer or in this case a longbow user? You look towards their ancestors and you bet my ancestors were good longbow users” Amelia boasted.

“Well it will be a pleasure working together with you miss Amelia, I sincerely hope that your aim is true when we are in the inevitable engagements in our journeys” Hans mused “Tak, you shan’t leave it to anyone else but me when it comes to ranged support miłość” She said as she laughed a bit.

“But then again, I heard you worked in a mercenary conspiracy for a decade or longer Tak? If that’s the case than you probably worked with some of my kind using longbows Tak? Then you probably seen how we shoot Tak?” Amelia asked.

“…Ja, I worked with Wronan Longbow users both male and female before and I must say the power and accuracy of the longbow is nothing to underestimate. It would be wonderful to be travelling with such a skilled archer” Hans replied in formal ‘Even if they are a bit enthusiastic’ he mentally added.

“Tak, you have it at that Hans, I am all but skill, accuracy and upper arm strength… how about you, how good are you in a scuffle?” Amelia asked intrigued “Oh I used to serve as a lieutenant in my old pack and I am no stranger to close quarters combat” Hans answered truthfully.

“Hmmm… well hopefully you’re as good as I am because I sure don’t want some officer who think they’re better then what they’re actual worth fail at holding the line against a couple of pygmies” Amelia mused ‘…fair, most officers are just that… but also that’s a bit rude’ Hans felt annoyed but his expression was still all smiley.

“Ah I get that reaction sometimes, it is hard to actually know how skilled someone really is in the role they provide you until you see their experience first-paw” Hans commented at that “Well I think you’re not lying, it will be fun to go back into the wildlands again with some actual experienced folks watching my back out there” Amelia mused.

“Oh, you been in the wildlands before?” Hans intrigued ‘That would certainly be a useful asset to have in the current job’ he thought “Tak, the Wildlands is my hunting grounds, I’ve been killing monsters and anything aggressive in there since I turned 13” Amelia explained.

“If that is the case then you would be a lovely person to be working with” Hans mused “Of course, everyone will treat you well if you have something to bring over to the table” Amelia said ‘Okay, I like her but this has been awhile now hasn’t it’ Hans figured as she started talking again though he didn’t pay attention to it.

It was then that he spotted the Telarion walking over towards him as well ‘Oh, it looks like someone else is coming to help me… thank you Wulfram’ Hans prayed as he looked him over. He was about 6ft tall or something and though he couldn’t define the age of a reptile he could take a guess that the Telarion was in the mid to late 20s with green colored eyes.

They were covered head to to-er… claw in dark to light blue scales and he also seem to have a mane of dark red feathers flowing from head to tail. Obviously, the first thing Hans noticed for the second time was the oversized crossbow, it looks to be well used, worn yet still well maintained when looked at closely and there was no mistaking the quiver of holding on his back.

For armor he wears a Gambeson with a more eastern design alongside bronze bracers, half gloves and a steel reinforced rattan hat that most eastern skirmishers wear. He also has a belt on which hung an Eastern sabre with a D guard. His gear seems well fitted but also very patchy with various quick fix jobs which suggest that he’s seen a good bit of time in battle with large beasts in particular based on the marks.

‘Standard for a Telarion, I was never well acquainted with a Telarion before but I do know that they’re head over heels into crossbows or something’ Hans thought as he noticed him nearing him “Xi-sorry for erm… you are taking too long… Amelia” The Telarion put a clawed hand on Amelia’s shoulder.

“Oh come on, it hasn’t even been 10 minutes yet” Amelia countered “He’s right you know, you’re hogging the new guy for yourself” The Varmilleon in the back also said as well “dobrze, dobrze, I’ll let off now” Amelia said as she deflated a bit.

“Well… xi-sorry, but I guess I was already here so… g-gre-greetings, my name is uh… just call me Anh, I’m a Telarion from the west no east, sorry east, I’m from the east yes… I come from Vietruvas” Anh introduced himself in broken middish.

“Goede dag as well my eastern friend, it appears you don’t speak much in terms of middish” Hans pointed out ‘That will be a problem but it makes some sense I guess’ “Ah… I am very sorry about my… bad middish speaking skills, I has been practicing but… I’m still not good” Anh explained.

“It is okay my friend, you’ll eventually learn how to speak it fluently and if you practice day and night then no one will even know that you even came from the east based on accent alone” Hans assured him ‘Seems like a meek shy little kid at first… should be alright if not a bit problematic when it comes to holding the line’ Hans thought as he waited for a response.

Amelia nudged him with her elbow which got him talking “Oh… Ừ-yes, I… I will try to erm… learn from your compliment mister… Harbert Haai Hans” Anh thanked him “Do not fret my friend, though that is a weird way of spelling my name” Hans noted.

“Oh it’s the common in my… language… my full name’s Nguyễn Lộc Anh by the way… it will be erm… very not bad to be working… no nice to be working with you mister Har-” “Just call me Hans, all my friends do and we’re friends if we work together” “-Y-Yes mister Hans” Anh explained.

“Either way, since you are a Telarion I figure that you would know how to shoot the crossbow you set on the table Ja?” Hans asked “Oh… well Y-yes! I do, we’re not all great… shooters but we all know the basics and I train extensively with mine” He replied picking his words carefully ‘Well that’s comforting to know that not all Telarions can fire through 2ft of Akir wood’ Hans thought optimistically.

“And boy can the kid shoot” Amelia slapped him on the back a bit “We came a bit early so I took him out to a range a bit, his arbalet of a kusza has higher power and accuracy than even my longbow though he sucks at reloading the damn thing” Amelia pointed out.

“Nhưng… but I already explained it, I cannot shoot it quickly… it is because the erm… loading? Ừ, ca-the loading mechanism is hard to… do fast without breaking so I have to do it… not quickly” Anh explained “So you say but I bet you can load it even faster dobrze?” Amelia nudged a bit.

‘Well it looks like they basically forgotten about me already’ Hans figured as they went back to talking about crossbow or bow stuff, things that Hans barely even understand at all ‘And the two siblings are still fighting talking about… getting bit in the ass or something’ Hans thought as he turned away.

“Well… I won’t blame you if you decided to just up and go Ja?” The varmilleon in the back spoke up catching Han’s attention “Greetings, my name is Hans though you already got that. It will be nice to have you as a companion in our travels together” Hans greeted him as he looked him over.

He was an older Varmilleon, definitely hard 40s now that Hans got a closer look, he was covered in greyish white fur except for the tail which was a pale pinkish color. He had a Varmenion like face like all Varmilleons with the large roundish ears, multiple whiskers though he has Blackish eyes.

He seems to not be wearing much of anything at all, no armor whatsoever though he did have a leather coat, beige pants and a satchel of some kind probably filled with alchemicals sitting on the table. The most notable part of his attire is the two bandoliers filled with pouches which would denote him as an alchemist.

Unlike his clothing which seem quite new or untested, his weapon of choice the spear resting by his hand has obviously seen use in many scenarios more so than Mark’s. He also has a quiver with a hand crossbow on the table and some kind of sword holstered on his belt.

‘He seems more like someone who would hire people to get stuff rather than someone who get stuff themselves. Also he has no fucking armor? What the hell is wrong with him? Sure you’re an alchemist and you don’t expect to get into a scuffle every day but still, he could’ve at least bought a cheap gambeson and helmet and it would’ve only costed him a score or two of silver coins’ Hans grumbled though he didn’t show it much.

“Ja, name’s Ren, nice to meet you Hans, of all of ze people here today, I trust zat you would be one of ze more… competent types” Ren muttered the last bit “It is nice to meet you as well Ren, it would be wonderful to have an experienced alchemist like you on our team though I do worry about your lack of proper equipment” Hans pointed out ‘Seriously, what gives?’ he annoyingly wonders.

“Ah, you best not worry about zat, I assure you that I Can take care of myself in ze field” Ren assured him “I guess that is good enough for me then, may I ask why someone such as you would be going on such a dangerous journey such as this… not that I am complaining or anything” Hans asked.

“It is quite simple actually… I need ze money” Ren answered “And I don’t appreciate it when some Lycan wiz an upper class-ish accent ask me about my personal motivations” Ren said with implied threats “Noted, have a good day mister Ren” Hans said as he left ‘That could’ve went a lot better, I’m not good as this reading between the lines type of thing as… he was back then’ Hans thought as he continued walking.

He found himself on a trajectory with the last remaining person he has not met yet… the Deidrin ‘Well then… here goes’ he thought as he gulped down his throat “Ah, Goede dag, it is good to meet you, may I have your name?” Hans asked as he stared the Deidrin in her deep ink black eyes.

She was about as tall as Amelia and probably just as old as well though instead of being covered in feathers, she’s covered in light to darkish blue leathery skin which seem to have some sort of secretion as well.

Like a finis, she has fins in multiple places in her body noticeably the fin which traveled from the top of her head to the tip of her tail. She also has gills which are visible just under her neck and her clawed hands and feet also are webbed as well.

She seems to be lightly geared with only a brigandine being anything as of note which is weird as most Deidrins prefer scalemail with their iconic nasal helms in place of which she has a headband with some shapes unknown to Hans. The rest of her clothing seem to be dark blue in coloration including her belt which hung a northern styled arming sword.

The most noticeable thing in her reach is the weird 7ft long polearm she is currently holding on her right hand. It looks to be a weird mix of a staff with a sword attached to one end equipped with a crossguard and a spike on the other end which Hans identified as a Swordstaff, a common polearm used primarily by the Deidrin and the Ardatti to the north.

“…Larec…” She answered “…Excuse me but I may need some more information in order to get what your role would be in our temporary companionship out there” Hans explained as he gave a weak laugh and smile ‘Please don’t tell me she can barely speak a lick of Middish’ Hans hoped as he studied her.

“Allt í lagi, the name I was given is Larec fæddur af eldingum… just call me Larec, I came from the… norður which is… north and I am a warrior I guess, I can wield my sverðsfólk or swordstaff in your language in battle” She told a bit more about herself.

“Ah so you are perhaps a frontline combatant from what I am assuming” Hans said “It would be nice to know you a bit further so we could inevitably work together side by side” Hans added ‘Okay… so far so good’ Hans thought.

“I can catch finis… I can swim in vatn, I should be the expert when it comes to water based problems such as a pond or river” Larec said “And I guess… Ja that’s it I guess” She added “geweldig, it would be nice to be working with you in matters in which you are proficient at” Hans replied.

“Same here I guess, I don’t speak much but… may I ask why you’re oddly nervous around me?” Larec asked ‘shit… SHIT’ Hans thought as he tried to get himself out of it “I’m sorry but I do not know whatever you mean with that” He responded though his outer expressions finally betrayed him.

“I see… It is alright, I will not push much more deep with that, whatever is in your mind, I hope it is not detrimental to the group as a whole… kveðjum” She said as Hans looked down but left without another word ‘That… that went horribly bad’ he thought as he went over towards the one person who he thinks he has made a good connection with, Tammy.

“So… did it went well or terribly? I couldn’t exactly get into her that much” Tammy asked as Hans went to sit next to her “Nee, I did not… I think I made her think I’m some sort of speciest or something” Hans admitted as he sat down.

“That’s… šiurkštus, I can’t really hear what you said or do to make her think that so… I’ll just assume that it was accidental wasn’t it” Tammy mused “Bedankt, I am grateful for you for keeping an open mind Tammy, it is a nice thing to have during our travels” Hans complimented her.

“Ačiū, you may be sidestepping the problem but I won’t press any further… so tell me about your thought about our… companions… instead” Tammy suggested “I would gladly love to, I feel that all of them will make wonderfu-” “Sorry but please drop the accent and say it bluntly so I can better understand it” Tammy cut him off which caused Hans to stare at her blinking a bit.

“…Oh alright then… the others are a bunch of incompetent kids who has barely made it out of the kindergarten of all things” Hans started “Firstly you have the human, seems a decent enough guy until you meet him personally and he is a massive aars! And to top it off, he didn’t even have a helmet.

His brother the spirit is much better and I personally like him… but he thinks that a headband is a good substitute for a helmet, has some sort of weird hybrid ‘It looks cool so I’ll use it’ type of weapon instead of something conventional and have I mentioned that he wears no fucking armor of any kind?” Hans stated truthfully and bluntly “Uh… Hans?” Tammy tried getting his attention but failed as he went back to ranting.

“Not done yet, the Wrona is next, she’s professional…ish and has seen action but she’s overly passionate and easily distracted and keeps talking about archery or some shit I don’t fully understand. She at least wore decent armor and has the courtesy to by humble except I feel as if she’s trying to flirt me with every single sentence.

The Telarion is fine all things considered but it’s as if he cannot even speak a lick of middish… nor any other language I know in a sense. He’s also somewhat meek, shy and those are terrible properties to have in someone who is expected to fight and hold even if his experience tells otherwise”

“Hans I think you might need t-” “And then there’s the Varmenian, he wears nothing… NOTHING AT ALL, same as the spirit Akol but at least he has extra points because of his personality, this aars has only negative points in my eyes.

The Deidrin is cold, seems to not know a lick of middish as well, barely speaks when asked, seems uncooperative and she has the same mindset of thinking a headband is good head protection of all things!” Hans finally finished his ranting.

“So yeah, of all of the people in the room here… I think you are the most competent and crucial member in the team. It will be an honor working with you, lady Maier” Hans returned to his upper class accent he was using before.

“Yeah… hahaha… it will be an honor working with you as well, Hans… I think you might want to… Patikrink savo… check your rear” Tammy managed as she raised both hand up in a placating manner ‘…Huh… why did I feel like I verklooted all of the sudden?’ Hans thought as he realized something… HE doesn’t hear the sounds of arguments between the two siblings nor the banter between Amelia and Anh anymore.

…

“Fuck!” He said out loud as he glanced behind him to see basically everyone else looking at him “…I mean… he isn’t exactly wrong or anything” Tammy defended him “They do say the truth hurts more than the lie… Taip?” She added though seems unsure.

…

“Now listen here you little Lycan la petite Chienn-Agh! Fuck why do you keep kicking me?” Mark started but didn’t get far at all “Because you are acting like a petite chienne yourself” Akol answered with an expression of disappointment.

“I mean… he does have ze right to be annoyed and… yeah I have the same feeling as well” Ren agreed “I am personally sorry if I’ve been… rough during our talk, I was not having a good time today and I didn’t want to deal wiz another idiot like zem” Ren apologized.

‘Erm… what?’ Hans said nothing but looked incredibly confused “Sa-Same here as well, I will try to erm… be better at my speech and well… I’ll try my best in the near future” Anh also gave a quick apology “Well… Przepraszam for my… way of speaking, I’ve been getting too into drinking for a bit now… I’ll stop and try not to be so… overly enthusiastic as much” Amelia also apologized a bit.

“Your words are harsh but… I do understand many of them… ég er sammála, I really should get a hjálm… a helmet or head protection of some kind” Larec admitted as she takes a hand to scratch the back of her head.

“I’m sorry for the actions of my brother and as much as I’m annoyed about the criticism... I do appreciate it” Akol also apologized and then kicked his brother again and nudged him a bit “Ow… okay fine… yes I was an ass… sorry about it… I know I’m an ass and I’ll try better in the future” Mark apologized… which was the most confusing part about the whole thing for Hans even though he barely met him.

“Same for me as well, I also had bad things to think about everyone and I shouldn’t have talked you into talking to me bluntly like that… sorry and sorry for not getting everyone on board from the start as well” Tammy also blurted out an apology.

‘This… the mood is somber and… how the fuck did I managed to get this to happen all of a sudden’ Hans was asking himself more than anyone in his own head but he knows what to do “I’m sorry for… suddenly bursting out like that, it’s hard to get back into socializing and acting in a courtly manner when… you have been drunk of your ass for a year” Hans admitted apologizing as well.

“… so… no hard feelings?” Akol asked to no one in particular “…no hard feelings” many people said in unison “Let’s just… forget that this even happened in the first place… and go back to doing what we were doing before” Amelia suggested and that gets a good amount of nods.

Eventually… things became quiet as everyone just shuffled back into their seats and there were a few… murmured sentences or something but Hans couldn’t make out the details “So… that somehow worked…” Hans blurted out after a bit.

“I was surprised as you were, I thought they were going to nužudymas you… it would not be pretty” Tammy admitted “Same here as well… either way miss Maier, let’s change the subject somewhat shall we?” Hans asked getting back to his accent.

“Yeah… maybe we should order a drink” Tammy said as she glanced to her back ‘Oh right… this is a tavern… and there should be a tavern owner in a tavern’ Hans realized he never noticed the tavern owner before.

The man was… pudgy, fat, looked a bit like a pig… in fact he has the head of a hog hanging on top of where he was standing in the counter “…Oh… can I perhaps get you… Leute anything of note?” He asked in a deep gravelly voice with a bit of a Garickian accent in middish.

“Oh right… you do actually exist” Anh accidentally blurted out though truth be told everyone probably forgotten about or didn’t really noticed him at all “It’s… alright… my name’s Bob… I never get noticed much anyways” He said solemnly.

“Right… can I have a Latvan dark please?” Tammy asked and the tavern owner perked up and got to work immediately “Give me some mulled wine… any type is fine” Akol can be heard shouting in the back and most of the others ordered something as well.

“So back on topic… except there was no topic” Tammy realized as she looked around a bit nervously “IT is okay my friend, there is no problems with not having a topic, we can make small praten and it’ll be fine” Hans assured her.

“That’s fine I guess, it would be a lot better than not doing anything or saying anything” She said as she took a sip from the tankard that just arrived at her table and pass a couple of coppers to Bob “It is just that” Hans agreed as he took a sip from the grog he ordered, recoiled at the bitterness but kept drinking anyways ‘It’s fine… not the best but I’ve drank worse plenty of times over’ he thought as he kept sipping.

“So, what do you personally think of the group?” Hans asked her “Oh, they seem to be a nice selection of people from man diverse places, I certainly never worked with either a Hahlen or a Telarion before… at least not in my last party” Tammy admitted.

“Ah, if I’m not mistaken then you disclosed that you perhaps worked with another party of adventurers before than” Hans mused at that “Correct, it wasn’t the best though since I had a falling out with the party leader… especially over matters of who to work for” Tammy face falls a bit at the mention ‘Probably has some sort of bad blood between the two of them’ Hans thought.

“I could see how that would’ve happened” Hans said “Yup, it is also a big problem when he thought the rest of us were okay with him using the shared funds to go towards only improving his equipment” Tammy added a bit more.

“Well that is certainly not someone I would want to be working under” Hans admitted “Neither would I but the gods threw me a hammer and I caught it and flew with it” Tammy said “Speaking of work… where the fuck is our employer?” Hans asked an important question.

Tammy shrugged and responded with a “He said he should be here soon” in which case Hans felt a bit annoyed “Soon as exactly how soon?” He asked “I don’t know actually… he just said soon” Tammy answered and before any of them can continue on… the door of the tavern opens revealing a dwarf in rich clothing as he stepped into the tavern.

‘Well this will be interesting’ Hans mentally mused as he noticed the 4 bodyguards coming in behind him and pull his hand towards his weapon as he sees the others reach as well ‘At least we’ll have a bit of a warm up before going into the wildlands I guess’ He thought as he bared his teeth and readied himself for a fight.

…