Young Writers Society

Robert stifled a grumble as he roused himself from his half-sleep and started to follow after the very tall one-- Echo, was it? Unless that Kiirion person had been nodding at Saoirse's shovel instead. (Robert's eyes had been partially closed, so they couldn't tell for sure.) They had managed to catch that Kiirion was a cleric, though, which was a good sign-- two healers meant their party would probably stay alive, and that it'd be alright if Robert couldn't help nodding off occasionally.

With a wobbly gait, Robert left the room, taking a glance back to make sure the other one of non-enormous height was coming. (Not that he was intimidated by the others or anything...)

Sao brought up the rear. If she was being completely honest, this one did give her a tiny, tiny, tiny case of the shivers. If there was anyone who was actually called the Shovel in Shadow this was it. Well she'd called him Hoody Guy when she first saw him. That was a terrifying name already and she'd just given it to him.

The mysterious man led them down a narrow ally that Aeron definitely felt like they shouldn't be going down. He hid his uneasiness well, but there was a slight stiffness to his posture that hadn't been there before, and his eyes were sharp and on the lookout for danger.

The cloaked man opened a rickety wooden door at the very end of the alley and stepped to the side, not walking in himself. Inside was dark and lit only by a single candle in the center of the room. "In." He jerked his gloved thumb towards the doorway.

Aeron hoped Kiirion was content to stay in the lead, because he certainly didn't want to have to be the first in.

Sao didn't wait for anyone, walking straight in. It was utterly terrifying, but if one wants to be the Sorceress of the Shovel one has to do things that would befit a Sorceress of the Shovel.

She did keep a very tight hold on her shovel.

Robert considered the pros and cons of following Saoirse. On the one hand, the room did look creepy and of questionable stability. On the other, perhaps he could sit down inside and catch a short nap.

Predictably, the need for sleep won out. Robert slipped into the room and took a seat, closing their eyes for a blink while they waited for the others.

Kiirion paused as Saorise and Robert hurried in ahead of him. Minutes ago, they’d been slow to follow the hooded man. Now they were quick to rush to obey. Clearly, they felt they had something to prove - but Kiirion knew he didn’t have to prove himself. He knew his competence, and merely followed in seamlessly behind the two of them, going inside.

Aeron took a step towards the door, then hesitated and glanced back at Echo. Fae seemed nervous earlier. He gave a reassuring smile and nodded. "Right, then. Off we go." Then he turned and strode into the room after the others.

Echo took a deep breath and headed in too. At least Dagon was waiting outside. This seemed like the sort of thing he’d lament about. Fae stepped into the room last, keep faer staff slightly to the side of faer. Not a threatening position, but not one that made it a liability either. Fae stood slightly away from the group, but close enough that it was obvious they were together.

The creepy man slammed the door behind them, making the room dim suddenly.

Aeron blinked as his eyes adjusted and he shuffled in closer to the flickering light, which he now realized was a small wicker lamp rather than merely a candle. It was sitting in the center of a rickety wooden table, round and small.

"...So... uh..." He glanced around.

"Present yourselves." A feminine voice seemed to fill the room from all directions at once, sharp and commanding.

Aeron glanced around again, searching for the source of the voice, but it was impossible to locate. They were alone in a small room as best as could be seen.

"Tell me who you are and why I should trust you to guard something so precious to myself," the voice came again, offering no explanation as to who she was or what was so precious.

Sao jumped but managed to make it look like a tactical shovel balance related jump, swirling around towards the general direction of the voice. She brought out the shovel and bowed low. Maybe it was a little too low but she was committed now.

"I am The Shovel in Shadow, Saoirse O' Sullivan, Saoirse the Ground Breaker. I possess the power of... perseverance and various other mystic soil related things that I cannot aim. Rest assured your item will guarded and no one will be burying it under my watch."

The voice startled Robert out of his drowsiness. It also gave him the feeling that they were being hired by an underground crime boss, judging by the way the speaker didn’t bother to show themself. But that didn’t particularly matter to him, as long as they got the money.

After the Shovel in Shadow introduced herself, Robert cleared their throat. “Robert. Medic. I’ll make sure no one dies. Because dead guards means unsafe item.”

Kiirion stepped a foot forward and offered a small bow. Uttering a small spell softly under his breath, Kiirion caused his eyes to flash with a bright, radiant white light when he looked up.

"My name is Kiirion Ayair Faelar," he said, standing up straight. "I am a cleric in service of The Shining One, god of light, sun, strength, and healing. I am adept in many forms of light and healing magic and am best suited as an archer, but I have no issues with getting my hands dirty if the situation requires it. I offer you my skills and my strengths to ensure whatever precious treasure you wish for us to deliver for you remains secret and unharmed."

Show off, Aeron grumbled mentally. He couldn't one-up that one. And they all knew it. But he also wasn't going to make someone as timid as Echo follow a stunt like Kiriion had just pulled.

"Aeron Munen." He offered a bow, then straightened his shoulders, resisting the urge to glance around and risk looking foolish. "My aim is keen and my sword is swift... and my nose stays in my own business. It's no concern of mine what I'm guarding. So long as I receive my pay, you'll get no questions from me."

Echo took a deep breath. Fae didn’t have to make faer eyes glow, they already had a habit of doing that. One shimmering gold, and one pure white from cataracts. Hopefully no one felt one-upped…

Fae took a slight step forward, preparing faerself to say more words than fae would ever again. “I am Echo, a Druid raised in the forest by the hand of the warlock Nemesis. I am here not for the gold, but to assist.” Fae bowed faer head slightly and stepped back.

Aeron did a double-take. Why in the world was fae so timid if fae was raised by Nemesis? He regarded her with a newfound sense of wariness. He'd need to be careful. One wrong move and he'd have Nemesis coming after him if Echo felt slighted. He didn't want that at all. Best to be extra polite, then.

"An eclectic group," the voice mused. "But a sufficient one for the purposes of this mission, I think. Your diversity of skills and experiences will be a great aid to you in your--"


Aeron nearly jumped out of his skin, entire body tense as he whirled around on the sudden -- very loud -- thumping. He realized there was a window that had been painted over just off to their right, and the black paint was getting chipped away, revealing some light.


Suddenly a small hole shattered in the window, and a bird hopped through.

"... Is that someone's... crow?" the employer's voice asked irritably.

The crow squawked loudly and began fluttering around but not quite taking off the windowsill, sending up puffs of dust with its feathers.