Chapter 3: Sleep

Marlow was swift to slice and dice the monster's health with some new skills he'd learned, but he tired quickly, and the fight dragged on for a very long time. He had to resort to his two refillable potions. But in the end, he'd won and the foulishly cute creature rolled over dead. He felt stronger, though, only very slightly.

If Marlow were a worrier, wise, or in any capacity intelligent, he might have realized what a bad place he was in, being in a rat-filled (and creature infested, apparently) sewer, trapped, and below ground where no one would discover his body until it started to smell.

But being as this was Marlow, he simply pined over the fact that the porcupine had rejected his overtures of domestication and that he felt significant more hungry. He doubted he'd find a turkey dinner in these filthy tunnels and longed for a real city with vendor carts ripe for thieving.

Chapter 3: Sleep

Redhold
Sewer System

The hedgehog didn't go down easily, nor without attracting attention. Luckily for Marlow, however, it was the good kind as another of the city guards that had been patrolling the sewers for any remaining Drangling heard the racket and decided to investigate. With a spear in hand and smile on his face, this was Alvar, second-in-command of the city guard. 




"Hey there, kid. Whatcha doing down here? There might still be Dranglings around so this place is off limits to civilians." He turned his gaze to the rapidly cooling Hedgehog corpse. "Well, I see someone finally killed it. Shame, it appears to be the only thing to hunt around here right now, what with the recent dragon attack and all. Name's Alvar, I suggest you remember it for the future."

Shaking his head, the guard motioned for Marlow to follow him. "Follow me, I need to take you back to the surface. Oddly enough the inn survived the attack although its roof does have a couple holes. I'll take you there and don't worry about paying, think of it as a reward for killing that thing. Now come on, let's go."

Is this what it felt like to be in love? Marlow felt star-struck at the fellow's hair that defied gravity, the long and luxurious cape. The man was so powerful his cape alone had over twenty rips and tears. Young and impressionable, Marlow found this fellow Alvar a leader he could follow.

"Allllvaaaarrrrr", Marlow repeated in a cooing voice.

"Okay!", his tiredness seemed to melt away. "Any chance of a meal, too? I haven't eaten a proper meal since I left home. My momma says that I eat so much that...", Marlow continued babbling for quite some time, telling tales of his family members around what they ate, didn't ate, the time they swore they'd eat one another because they were so angry or hungry, and a confusing tale about a grandfather who'd married a fly, or so it sounded like.

As they walked, Marlow picked up various stones and chucked them up ahead, skipping them on pools of water, or just for the sheer enjoyment of knowing something could penetrate the thick darkness that surrounded them beyond their torchlights.

Chapter 3: Sleep

Redhold

Alvar didn't know what to make of the hedgehog-killer. Honestly the way he said his name was downright disturbing and as soon as he got him to the inn he was going to ditch him. Cause seriously, this kid was like a very disturbing slime that he had the misfortune to run into a couple years back that had the tendency to ooze itself EVERYWHERE. It took weeks to get it all out after he eviscerated it.

And by all that's holy is that kid still talking? Alvar wasn't normally one for religion, but he swore to become a devout if he shut up. After all, only a goddess could make such a miracle happen, right? Oh he wished King and Peach were still around. They were sooo much better at dealing with civilians than he was.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the exit, a rung leading up to the surface that he scaled with ease, his spear not impeding his motions as he effortlessly ascended.

The sun had set a couple hours ago, and another guard was waiting at the top, handing over a torch to Alvar and heading off to do his own rounds.

The trip was unceremonious and when light emerged from the open manhole exit, Marlow breathed a sigh of relief. A new guard met them, gave Alvar a fresh torch, and headed off.

Marlow's stomach protested angrily the length without food. He tried to grab Alvar by the hand and drag him to the inn.

Soon enough, Marlow found himself seated with a bowl of hearty stew in front of him and freshly baked bread. With so much to eat, he spent no time at all talking, and focused his energy on recovering from his feeling of woozy weakness. He ate quickly, and in silence. Somehow, he even received three free refills of stew and bread. When he'd finished eating, he began to eye the shop's wares, while simultaneously longing to sleep.


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OOC: Left it super open as to what Alvar does. Would it be possible to purchase a new weapon?

Bronze           = Lv *4 (Selling Price Item Lv*10, Buying Price Lv *20)
Bronze Bow LVL 7 =>DEX+28                         Buying Price 140 Gil

Chapter 3: Sleep

Redhold
Inn

Alvar left as soon as he got Marlow to the inn, deftly avoiding the Half-human's attempt to drag him inside. As soon as the door closed, an older gentleman with a hood covering his eyes hobbled over. He had a beaten up wooden bow with a string that looked like it'd snap at a moment's notice and a barely-held-together cloth quiver on his back. Immediately after he sat down, several others enjoying their meals grabbed their food and moved to tables further away. They knew the man and weren't too keen to be involved in his latest scam.

"Ooh, the pain," the old man moaned, although everyone but Marlow knew that for a man in his early sixties he was quite spry. "I used to be able to go out and hunt but now I'm so old and that Drangling attack along with Bahamut scared every animal around these parts off, and I don't have the strength to go far afield to find them. And now I'm left with this old bow that I can't use. Oooh, what to do."

OOC: Marlow rolls for theft.... :- P !

Marlow's eyes lit up immediately. "Oh, oh, oh!", he sounded like a whimpering dog. For all his intelligence, he might as well have been one. "I know, I know, you could give it to me!", Marlow's enthusiasm was sure to piss of someone from the inn. A happy kid looking for hand-outs who wasn't even from this town while the rest of them literally shifted through rubble to find the corpses of their loved ones. 

Marlow's eyes shone with youthful indiscretion and a lack of volume control, his weariness forgotten and his belly full.

YES

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Marlow dug out the proper coin from his purse and handed it to the man, all but snatching the rusty thing out of his hands in eager anticipation. He cuddled with it for a few moments, until he realized a bit of unsmoothed copper was scratching into his cheek unpleasantly.

All that was left on Marlow's agenda was to sleep now, but he couldn't help but wonder if he could somehow steal back his gil. As he was pondering that, he found himself thinking nothing, and then rousing from a thirty-second nap. He saw his bow, remembered, and without further ado, rented a room.

The room was little but four walls and a bed, to which Marlow fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, coddling his new bow like a little boy's new toy. When he awoke, he had a brilliant red line stretched across his face - he must have slept on the bow string. The morning light illuminated two small basins of red and blue. He tasted the liquid with his fingers. The red liquid took away his grogginess, and the blue made him feel more energetic. He refilled his SP and HP potions here.

He used the toilet facilities to perform his morning calls of nature, and to wash and dry his clothes, as much as he could. He fussed over his hair until it looked precisely like he'd just roused from the bed, and deemed it perfect.

Following the smell of food, his nose directed him to the dining hall part of the inn again, where a bowl of porridge, last night's bread, and a juice of some sort that smelt funny was set before him. He began to eat, shoveling food into his mouth as fast as refills were brought to him.

OOC: Payed & took bow. Slept. Refilled HP potions. Eating breakfast now at the inn.

Chapter 3: Sleep

Redhold
Inn

The old man greedily took the Gil and departed shortly after handing off the shoddy bow. He wasn't going to let the kid try and get a refund if he could help it. The other patrons shook their heads at the naivety of the kid for accepting such a poor piece of work for so much Gil. He was lucky his night's stay was paid for or he would be sleeping under the stars.

The room Marlow was given was, unfortunately for him, one of the ones with a hole in the roof. And it was raining that night. And although the hole wasn't over the bed, it was over the spot directly next to it.

While he was eating, one of the patrons walked over, picked him up food and all and dropped him outside. "Alvar paid for everything," he said shortly, "But if you can't even spot a decent deal a mile away then you probably don't have enough to stay another night. I suggest you do a quest or anything and come back when you are actually worth something." And with that he walked back inside, the door closing loudly behind him.

You have purchased a new item:

WEAPON
Battered Bow Lv: 7 (B)
MOVES	HP	STM	STR	DEX	MAG	DEF	M.DEF
0	0	0	0	28	0	0	0
Info

Marlow found the inn door hastily slammed behind him and the force of which rang in his ears. At least he'd eaten something. He'd also had a decent night's rest. Hole in the roof or not, a bed was more luxury than he got most nights with trash for bedding and the open stars for a blanket.

"A quest, a quest...", Marlow mumbled to himself. Where there was an inn, there had to be a quest board. He was accustomed to a tall post where people posted their jobs for hire. Usually it was just nonsense. Deliver this message to my brother for 1 gill - and spend the rest of the day as our courier, too. Kill 15 cactii because I dislike the color green., that sort of stuff.

He thought that perhaps if the inn had survived, the quest board might have, too. But then again, with the state of this town, he supposed that most of his quests would involve digging up bodies. He shuddered.

Beggars couldn't be choosers. He and his new shoddy bow went to look for a quest board.

Chapter 3: Sleep

Redhold

The board in question wasn't as populated as Marlow had initially thought. With the recent attacks, many fled and everyone with any kind of fortune got out before their wealth could be adversely affected. Naturally this meant a lot of the average citizens were left fend for themselves, and the average citizens typically didn't have the Gil to throw around for quests. Almost every piece of paper on the board had the words "Retracted" stamped on them due to the poster either disappearing or being unable to put up the reward anymore. 

Except for one.

Partly hidden, it offered a reward of 200 Gil to anyone who'd kill the bandit who made off with his prized sword. The thief in question was said to reside in Fellgrove Cave nearby, although getting there took a bit of time, as it was surrounded by other hills and similar caves that made finding it a challenge.

Marlow found the nearly hidden poster with difficulty, nearly walking away from it in frustration of lack of any tasks. The gig in question intrigued him and seemed perfect for his situation - it was even more than he'd paid for his bow. He took the paper off of the board, folded it, and slipped it into his pocket.

Next, he began to prepare for his journey, visiting the relief stations and what few food vendors there were. Still, he managed to stock a few days supply of food. The residents gave him dirty looks, not minding the traveler, but taking offense to a non-native using up supplies.  After conducting his after-breakfast nature-duty in the designated area (which had a long line at the time), Marlow set off, walking through the hold's paths and rubble heaps.

At the edge of the hold, he found a group of guards. He was hardly the first person to leave this place, but his bulky belongings-sack (food) and foreign appearance drew attention. One of the guards had once seen a situation like this one before and a small group of people amassed all the food and resold it at a fortune - they'd been instructed to keep an eye out for similar entrepreneurs.

"Where do you think you're going?", a guard asked.

"Fellgrove Cave.", Marlow answered truthfully.

"Oh? Why?"

"Just some spelunking."

"Awfully strange for such a little feller like you to be traveling away from a populated area and into the wilderness all alone."

"What can I say? I'm a strange feller. I like to be alone. Better than being in the company of so many dead."

One of the guards nodded solemnly and waved him on, but the one he had been speaking to held up a hand. "Mandatory searching for anyone leavin' the city. ", the guard made up, and gestured for Marlow to hand over his bag. He did and it was ruffled through, along with Marlow's pockets.

"Few days food. A paper notice. You're goin' on a quest, lad, ain't ya.", the first guard finished. "We ain't gonna stop ya, but we got enough bodies on our hands to come find your skeleton in some dumb cave. You're on your own, there, laddy boy. "

Marlow picked up his things and attempted to begin his journey out of the hold and into the hills.

Chapter 3: Sleep

Redhold

Marlow was let out of Redhold without incident, although one of the guards swiped some of his food when he wasn't looking. The lands surrounding the keep were littered with burned down buildings and the half-chewed remains of livestock that hadn't gotten away in time. No living thing could be seen for miles apart from carrion birds flying in circles overhead.


The cave Marlow was looking for wasn't connected to the network that the others surrounding it were, making it a mite more difficult to locate as there were about 20 caves in the nearby hills. It would take a fair amount of luck to find the one he was after.


In the meanwhile, one of the birds dropped its load directly above him, the excrement looking to hit his head.


Bird:
Action: Taking a crap on Marlow's head
Dmg: 0

The member 'Vangran' has done the following action : FFMSL Dice

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'Physical (P)' :

Result :

Marlow couldn't understand why his sack felt a little lighter after exiting the hold, even after searching it to make sure his inventory was all there. Never knowing where his next meal would come from, he was always hyper sensitive to all matters concerning his stomach, but the thought to check for any snacks the guards might have swiped eluded his thought process. Passing smoldering livestock, he could not resist, and used his old short sword to harvest as much meat as he thought would last, taking into account his pack's capacity, and re-shouldered his new burden.

He felt a tiny impact on his forehead as he walked and wiped the spot, smearing a sticky white over his sweat-beaded skin. He made a rude sound of disgust and tried out the new profanities he'd learned aboard The Little Lady. He wiped his face with his shirt, using a fair amount of spit. He began to hum to himself contently.

It was midday when he reached the first cave nestled away in the hills. He poked his head in and looked about, trying to determine if this cave was the one he was looking for.


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I figure two challenge dice might be adequate?

The member 'Overly Shedding Chocobo' has done the following action : FFMSL Dice

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#1 'Challenge' :

#1 Result :


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#2 'Challenge' :

#2 Result :

*Mod Note: When using challenge dice, it is one per post, never 2 times for one. Although since in this instance the first was a success I'll let it slide. Also as I hadn't initiated the actual challenge yet I can't give you exp for succeeding.*

Chapter 3: Sleep

Redhold
Fellgrove Cave

It seemed luck was on Marlow's side as the first cave he looked in was in fact Fellgrove. The cave entrance was dark and only the dim light at the end gave any hint of habitation.

A bear was lurking just inside. It had been beaten by the other human inside and wanted revenge. It turned its head when it heard footsteps at the entrance and spotted Marlow's head. Rage coursed through it and it charged!

Battle Imminent!
Update your stats and join the fight here!

The bear was big and powerful and it put the young Marlow in its place promptly with just the swings of its paws and the force in its bite. Between trying to stay alive, Marlow didn't have enough time to strike back and the bear wore him down. Marlow ran from it.

He desperately wanted to continue his quest, but he had no more potions and was tired out. He began to plan out how he would travel back to the inn, eat, sleep, and fill his potions, and then travel back when he'd rested to try again.

He imagined what the guards faces would look like when they looked at his disheveled and unsuccessful return.