Myrr Saga: Traverse Null

Argyle: *he nods and takes his place on the back of a grey nag, riding after Loria, eager to set off on their mission. He lets out a call and the nag rides up, catching up to Loria's horse. As the two approach the gate, the gates rise up and they ride out into the open, forest-surrounded road before them. During his preparation, Argyle was given an iron chest plate, gauntlets, and boots with leather greaves. A basic, yet effective armor set. Nothing intricate or custom crafted like the armor worn by Knights or Knight Apprentices. On his back was the Dragon Fang. While most Knights carry shields, Argyle did not since the Fang seemed most effective when held in both hands. After a few hours of riding, the weather took a turn to rain. However, an inn was in sight.* Loria, perhaps we should stop at the inn and rest until the rain finishes? Perhaps we can get more information on Ser Shagga's whereabouts as well?

Loria: *Loria sighs in exasperation, her body and hair soaked to the bone* Indeed, this rainfall tis getting my hair soaked to the bones. Come Argyle, let us rest for tonight and set off tomorrow at first light. *She tells him, already heading towards the stables to shack up their horses for the night*

Argyle: *after tying off his and Loria's horses, the two enter the inn. Its filled with travelers, be them merchants, mercenaries, mummers, and various other professions of the road. Argyle hears a loud racket in the back. Sitting in the back corner of the inn are a group of Myrrians with large bodies, long beards, and rippling muscles. Even the women with them were strong looking. They all wore different furs mixed with armor. And all of them were armed to the teeth. Because his uncle had entertained guests that looked similar, Argyle knew what they were right away* Crag Men...from the northern mountains, no doubt. *he looks over at Loria* Perhaps they have seen Ser Shagga?

Crag Man Axe Wielder: *the large man sings in a gruff, loud voice* BLOOD RAINS DOWN FROM BLACKENED SKY!

Crag Folk: *his compatriots join in his drunken singing* MY BLADE RAGES ON! MY BLADE RAGES ON!

Crag Man Greatswordsman: WINE COTES ME FROM FOOT TO EYE!

Crag Folk: MY BLADE RAGES ON! MY BLADE RAGES ON!

Argyle: Quite the rowdy bunch...

Crag Man Club Wielder: *the man smashes a whole container of ale with his bare hand, then grabs the Crag Woman next to him and the two begin to passionately kiss while their companions laugh and hoot at them loudly*

Loria:  *Her face turns red at the sight of the rowdy affections going around and she grabs her left arm in comfort.  She looks obviously uncomfortable with asking that specific bunch of traveling Crag Men*  U-umm.....L-let's just leave them alone for now....perhaps once they've....sobered up a tad.... *She starts to walk off, her clearly shot nerves obvious all over her face*

Argyle: *he nods* Good idea...I remember the Crag Men that visited my uncle's estate. They're loud, rowdy, and they are prone to drunken brawls when they're intoxicated. They also don't follow the same systems as the rest of the kingdom. Among them, there are no Lords, Kings, or Knights....To put simply, they're barbaric. I'll see about getting us some food and drink. Will you be alright to find a table? *he looks at her, his eyes showing that he's genuinely concerned for her.*

Loria: *She quickly grabs his arm, her face red in embarrassment*  U-umm....I-If you don't mind.....I-I would be much more comfortable if I....well..... *she gulps*  If I stayed near you.... *She seems genuinely uncomfortable with her surroundings and the loud, rowdy nature of the Crag Men is clearly bothering her but it's not from what they look like.  Just their behavior*

Argyle: *he seems genuinely surprised by Loria's behavior. Usually, she was so calm and noble. But then it dawned on him. She's only 17, near the same age as him. Of course the behavior of the Crag Men would bother her.* Alright. I'm your squire, Loria. Its my duty to make sure you are alright.

Crag Woman Twin Hatchet: *she glances over and sees Argyle and Loria* Oh?...Look there, Sven. Two young bloods...and from the looks of them, Knights from Silvenheim...*she gives a slight grin to them*

Sven: *the Axe wielder, now addressed as Sven, looks at them with hard eyes. He's easily the largest of them Crag Men, with rippling muscles and a long, shaggy black beard. His helm seems to be made from the skull of a large beast.* Southerners...Why the sudden interest in them, Rasha?

Rasha: *she smiles playfully at Sven* They seem cute...like frightened little rabbits in the face of wolves. Especially the girl...*she looks over at Loria, her eyes and her grin giving off a playful, almost flirtatious feeling*

Sven: You have strange tastes, Rasha. They're kids, barely seen even half the moons you or I have.

Rasha: Still, they keep eyeing us. I think Rothgar and Hilda are making them uncomfortable... *she giggles at that*

Sven: *he sighs deep and looks over at the club wielder and his woman. Then, he kicks their chair over and spills the two onto the floor*

Rothgar: *he and Hilda both tumble to the ground, hitting their heads on the floor and becoming agitated that they are being interrupted.* OI! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA, SVEN?!

Sven: Rothgar, you and Hilda take that somewhere else. You're starting to sour the mead.

Rothgar: Hey-

Hilda: *she grabs Rothgar's arm and pulls him away* Come, lover! We can go somewhere else...

Rothgar: *he looks back at her and slowly grins* Very well. We'll be in our room. Don't bother us, Sven, or I'll crack your skull open!

Sven: *he grins at Rothgar's statement* Not if I cleave your arms off first! Now get out of here!

Rothgar: *he and Hilda drunkenly stumble off towards the stairs to the rooms*

Sven: *he looks over at Rasha* Happy now?

Rasha: *she grins slyly at Sven* Very. Now, I'm going to say hi to the little rabbits...*she stands up, revealing her full form. She's tall, with tan skin and long lavender hair. She wears a mixture of white furs with an iron chest piece, boots, and an iron gauntlet on her arm. Her eyes are a burning fiery blue color and her voice is quite pleasing, in a rugged and strong sort of way. She walks over to Argyle and Loria slowly yet calmly, a grin on her face*

Argyle: *he notices Rasha walking towards them and tenses up* Looks like we have company...

Rasha: *she stops next to Loria and sits down at the bar behind her, her back to the bartender and her elbows resting on the bar surface as she leans back on the stool. She looks up at Loria and grins* Well now, what have we here? Two little iron rabbits on their way north?

Loria: *She takes a deep, shaky breath before her shoulders relax a little bit, the anxiety she was feeling from earlier slowly starting to leave along with the two Crag Men that had just stumbled off.  She tries her best to sound confident, the shaking in her voice betraying it*  I-I am Loria Craronte.  This is my squire Argyle.  W-we were sent to search for Ser Shagga of the brave companions but were forced to seek shelter from the rain outside.  *She gulps and takes another shaky, deep breath to calm herself some more, not really succeeding but at least looking a bit calmer than before*  Would you....know anything about Ser Shagga's whereabouts Miss....?  *She is unable to finish her sentence, not knowing the Crag Woman's name to do so*

Rasha: "Ser"? *she laughs loudly* "Ser Shagga"?! Oh that's rich! *she slaps her knees and wipes a tear from her eye* Nobody from the north adheres to titles or lordships! But aye, I know Shagga Giants-Bane. My friends and I actually fought a few Giants with him when we were up north. The man was like an unstoppable storm! We managed to kill about five of them, but Shagga...he must have killed at least twenty. Ripped their legs off with that catch pole of his then used its spear end to drive a hole in their hearts and heads! Bloody, screaming, cursing...*she smiles dreamily and blushes as she remembers* I feel weak in the knees just remembering it...any Crag Woman would have begged for him! But, oh well, it was in the past. That was about three days ago. He said he was hunting a Giant raiding party, four Giants that seemed smarter than the rest. We pointed him towards the Ice Drake Peak, the largest mountain in the north. Its about a four days' ride from here. I bet he's having fun, slaughtering all those giants on his own...*she looks up at Argyle and Loria again* So, your king sent you to bring Shagga back?

Argyle: *he nods*

Rasha: *she grins, stands up, and wraps her arms around both Argyle and Loria. She then plants a kiss, first on Argyle's cheek, then Loria's* Then I wish you both the best of luck! *she places a pouch of gold coins on the bar and addresses the innkeeper* A room and all the food and drink you can muster for my two young friends here! *she lets them both go and turns around, walking back to her companions. She stops briefly, half-turns, and winks at both of them* If you two are even in the north, look me up. I just love young, strong warriors...both boys and girls. *she blows one last kiss to them, and then sits back down with Sven*

Loria: *She squeaks in fright and surprise when the Crag Woman hugs and kisses them, her face turning an even deeper shade of red when the Woman turns around for a moment to wink at them before she nervously glances at Argyle* U-ummm....I-I'm unsure of what just happened but....I-It would seem that we shan't need to worry over food and drink for tonight.  What a strange woman.... *She seems less uneasy now but the loudness of the bar is still making her a bit nervous*

Argyle: *he looks around, then turns and talks to the innkeeper* You wouldn't happen to have a quiet room, would you?

Innkeeper: *he's a large Ogre with short cut orange hair and deep purple veiny skin, with a large gut but big powerful arms. He looks over at Loria, then nods* Yeah. Since your Crag friend is paying for it, we got a very quiet one. Top floor, on the right. Want me to have your food and drink brought to the room?

Argyle: If you could, that would be very kind, sir.

Innkeeper: No trouble. The Knights keep the roads safe, which means my inn gets plenty of business. Plus, I know Rasha and her gang. They travel a lot, but my inn is a place they stop regularly. They may seem rough, but they're not bad people. *he hands Argyle the key to the room* Enjoy.

Argyle: Thank you very much. *he turns back to Loria and offers her his arm* The room is ready. Lets head up and rest a bit. We've got a long ride ahead of us in the morning.

Loria: *The redness on her face fades slightly but doesn't completely disappear as slowly nods and takes his arm, following him up to their room.  She doesn't speak through the entire thing, still too nervous about the loud volume of the bar and the general rowdiness of the atmosphere&

Argyle: *he and Loria arrive to the room. Its a decent size, with two beds, a table, and a burning candle on the nightstand between the two beds. Argyle closes the door behind them and sits down on the bed to the left, taking off the Dragon Fang and resting it against the wall* It was rather nice of that Crag woman...Rasha, the Innkeeper said her name was...to go to all this trouble for us. *he breaths easy, the room quiet and peaceful*

Loria: *She takes her Greataxe off of her back and sets it up against the wall before turning to Argyle, her face still a bit red and her breathing slight.  She averts his gaze as she speaks to him*  U-umm....can you...turn around..?  J-just for a moment....I um....I have to take off my armor and put my gown on..... *She tells him rather nervously*

Argyle: *he blushes bright red, then stands up and quickly walks out of the room, closing the door so the two are separated* S-sorry! Take as long as you need! *he stands out front with his back to the door, as if he's guarding it*

Loria: *She sighs as Argyle leaves, her shoulders and body in general relaxing much more now that she was alone.  It doesn't take her long to get her armor off, setting it with her Greataxe before digging around in her bag for her favorite white nightgown.  She doesn't seem to be wearing much underneath her armor, never seeing much of a point in clothing as protection against attacks, only really wearing her underwear.  She pulls her nightgown over her head and moves her hair out of it before sighing in relaxation as her face returns to its natural color.  The moonlight coming into the room shines onto her nightgown and makes her body shine beautifully, increasing her natural looks as she turns to the door and calls back to Argyle*  You may come back in Argyle.  I am decent now.  *She tells him reassuringly*

Argyle: *he comes back in and takes his own armor off. He is wearing a green doublet and black cloth pants under his armor. He lays back down on the bed, stretching out as he relaxes. Um...Loria...if you don't mind me asking...did those Crag Men scare you?

Loria: *She gives Argyle a rather odd look before going to lie down in her own bed, stretching out underneath the covers* It wasn't their size that bothered me so much as their behavior to be completely honest with you. *She turns to face him from underneath the covers, clearly willing to have a conversation. It was a rare thing to have some quiet time to talk amongst themselves after all*

Argyle: Behavior? Oh...you mean the two that got kicked out by their leader? *he sits there, thinking about it* Oh....That's right...when Ser Zorrin found you, you had been...*then he realizes what was going on and looks almost shocked* They made you think of back then...I'm sorry about that, Loria...*he climbs under his covers and turns to face her.* If those Crag Men were so restrained, I wonder what Ser Shagga will be like? From what Rasha said, he sounds like a complete monster...

Loria: *she sighs* If brute strength were enough to call someone monster, how would you be so different with that Dragon's Fang of yours? *she asks him honestly*

Argyle: *he curls up in the covers a bit* I'm not sure what I am to be honest...I've been thinking about it for a while now...how when I fought that Shadow Knight, I just kept hammering at him. Again and again and again, until his armor was nothing but crushed...I don't know if I wanted to kill him, if I was just protecting myself...I just knew that he wanted to kill me like my uncle, and that for some reason I couldn't run or die...If I am a monster, though...I'm a monster that wants to protect this kingdom. *he looks up at Loria* its the same when I stopped Desmond's attack. I thought that he was going to kill you and Ser Hue...I thought that if I lost you, my only friends that I have left, that I wouldn't be able to go on...*his eyes turn serious* I may be your squire, Loria, but you're my friend. You're my mentor, and you helped save my life. You, Hue, Ser Zorrin, the company, you're all precious to me. And, I would gladly fight any foe if it meant keeping you all safe.

Loria: *She blushes a bit gentler than the last, smiling at Argyle with something new in her eyes: admiration* So....that's why you moved without thinking that time. Here I had thought you had done so only in an effort to serve my beauty. *Her eyes shine with true happiness for the first time in a long time, or at least as long as Argyle had seen her* I fear I've misjudged you. But to do my curiosity a satisfactory favor, perhaps you might tell me what you might do should I find myself harmed without any way in which you might take vengeance for my injuries?

Argyle: I...*he thinks for a long while. Loria being hurt was never something he thought about. If she was hurt and there was nothing he could do, what would he do?* ...I don't know. If you were hurt and there was nothing I could do to avenge it...I would focus on protecting you over hurting whoever hurt you. I know it sounds reckless...But if its all I can do, I would do it. Even at the cost of myself...Because our company is a family. And as long as one of us lives, the family will never die. I feel that whenever I'm with you and the others.

Loria: *She gives a small laugh that sounds more like a surprisingly girly giggle to him* I've severely misjudged you it seems. I can say nothing more than what is on my mind right now. I am impressed Argyle. You are only the second person to have me feel such a thing, the other being Master Zorrin. To lay down your life to protect something so.... *She stops suddenly, a thought crossing her mind* Argyle....tell me....do I truly mean as much as family to you or....do you consider me something more precious than that? *She asks curiously*

Argyle: *her question catches him completely off guard and he turns a deep shade of red* Um...uh....*he hides in his covers* I think...I think you're really strong...and brave...and kind...and I...I really admire you, Loria...I think...you're the most precious person in my life right now.