Vexing Spell (with Bare Harold)

[Tangerine]

Approaching sunset painted the small town of Flatrest in reddish hues. The river that separated the town from the dense forest flowed calmly under the stone bridge. While the nocturnal predators in the woods were ready to hunt, things were relatively tame and ordinary across the town. Like usual, compared to other places, the tavern offered a somewhat nosier and more populated environment for its patrons.

Not many elves dwelled on this side of the forest. It made Elora stand out among the other customers. As her tall boots clacked across the wooden floor, a bow on her back hinted at her profession as a huntress. On top, a tunic reached down to her fair thighs and complemented her green eyes. It offered a mild cleavage, while her pointy ears pierced through her golden locks. Long elven legs strode through the sea of tables. Some people simply enjoyed their drinks, while some opted to eye the tavern wench like usual.

Ignoring the flirty comments aimed at her, Elora walked up to the bar. A lingering concern made her head fuzzy, preventing her from responding to the witty banter of some tipsy patrons. A week prior, the young elf had made the mistake of stealing from the wrong person. From the old tower that stood tall deep inside the forest, the huntress had taken some rare ingredients. This spontaneous act of greed hadn’t gone unnoticed. Upon behind caught, the witch had decided to carry out her own penalty on the daring elf. An inconvenient curse, in this case. One that followed Elora wherever she went, aimed to make her regret, and also, to belittle the prideful huntress.

Her unfortunate encounter with the witch was still at the back of her mind when the elf picked a spot in the corner to rest her hips. Her fingers were curled around a cup of ale. Blankly, her gaze wandered across the tavern, green eyes jumping from face to face. The witch’s curse required her to find someone who would make the trivial act of sitting a difficult task for the elf, if she didn’t want to spend the night running from a magical beast, that is.

“Bunch of fools.” The picky elf talked to herself, unwilling to feel any of these people’s hands on her precious behind. “Silly girl…” Taking a generous sip of her drink, she shook her head from side to side.

[Willow T Ferret]

Meanwhile entering the same tavern that Elora was currently in was A young human woman with fiery red eyes and hair flowing down to her upper back wearing A leather tunic made from wolf pelts that hide the majority of her body, A matching skirt that reaches down to her thighs, and A pair of boots and bracers with A shortsword holstered at her hips by A belt. This was Lamette, A sellsword for hire. She mostly takes on common tasks around Flatrest such as security, fetching ingredients from the forest, or what she usually takes and enjoys, extermination jobs. Going into the forest or other dangerous areas and killing what or whom the contract lists. However, to keep most of the money she earns throughout the day, she tends to shop and dine at the cheapest places she could find or places she trusts so she could get discounts.

Of course in the current tavern, there were mostly shady characters and Lamette knew it was extremely risky getting involved with any of these people even if it was as small as sitting down and drinking next to them. Continuing to scan the tavern for any seemingly empty or quiet places, Lamette notices A elf with golden hair and with A bow in the far corner of the tavern. Thinking that would be the safest place for her Lamette begins making her way towards that corner and eventually eyes the golden-haired green-eyed elf. During the walk, she could feel the stares of some of the other patrons on her including whistles and comments but she was an expert on tuning those advances out. "This seat taken?" She questioned the elf.

Upon getting A closer look she notices what she was wearing and saw just how much of her cleavage she showed and wondered if that was A good thing to do considering their current location and the people that surrounded them. However, it was entirely up to the elf's choice to choose what she wore.

[Tangerine]

Of course, like any tavern where it didn’t cost too much to order a beverage, noisy quarrels and occasional brawls were not that uncommon in here as well. Still, Elora wouldn’t describe it as a dangerous place. Its shadiness only came from having a dimly lit hall. Flatrest wasn’t a big town. Although she didn’t live here, the elf knew most of its inhabitants. She was accustomed to being checked out by some lowly patrons. Such acts of lewdness tended to be just aimless endeavours. No need to mention they were fruitless. It was no secret that she was a difficult woman. By now, most of the patrons knew it wasn’t worth it to put up with the huntress’ antics and arrogant nature in general.

An oddly uncharacteristic silence accompanied Elora that evening. Being an elf with keen senses, and also a huntress on top of that, she was an attentive woman, watchful of her surroundings and hardly withdrawn. Her current quietness and blank stares were rather unusual. The others couldn’t know that, but she hadn’t slept much for the last few days, and done quite a bit of running, away from the magical beast that hunted for her at night. In addition to being thoughtful, she looked more tired than usual as well.

The question lifted her head from her drink as half-closed green eyes searched for the face that owned the voice. It was a small table where she sat at, but it had an empty chair other than the one that supported the elf’s shapely hips. One of her parents was human, which actually made her a hybrid. It was also the reason she didn’t share the expected slenderness of elves below the waist. Shifting her gaze from the woman to the unoccupied chair across the table, she finally responded. “I suppose.” Under the table, one of her long legs rose up. Her boot pressed against the modest furniture as she pushed the chair out.

“I’m not interested by the way.” The elf turned her head towards the armed woman. Given her appearance, Lamette looked like a mercenary of sorts. They sometimes visited the town to offer their swords to escort a client through a dangerous path or just to protect their goods. The social aspect of the tavern made it a good place to seek a job. “I’m not interested in hiring anyone.” Elora elaborated on her previous statement.

[Willow T Ferret]

Hearing the response from the hybrid elf Lamette nods her head and then sits down across from the elf as now they begin the waiting game for A tavern wench to approach them to take their order. During the wait, however, Lamette was taken from her silent wait hearing some words from the elf. "What was that?" She questioned before them hearing the comment being repeated and now she knew what the elf meant and got a bit annoyed with her. "Look it's late. I'm not trying to get any more jobs for the day, if anything I'll save it for tomorrow. But if you hear any good ones let me know about them." Lamette said. She honestly wasn't going to go out on any jobs right now outside the village since by nightfall all manner of beasts and creatures prowl for the weak and foolish.

Meanwhile, during their small talk, A brunette-haired brown-eyed tavern wench approaches them wearing A blue and white dress that shows off some cleavage and her long legs which the skirt barely covers underneath her bottom, and whatever else she had underneath as she was wearing black shoes. "Good evening ladies." The wench greeted the pair of women as she pulls out A notepad and quill pen ready to take down what they would order. "What will be your choices for the evening?" She questioned the two with A smile.

For Lamette her choices were pretty much simple but still always edible. "I will take two roasted pork as well as A bottle of fine wine." She ordered. The meat was to get something warm and good into her stomach while the wine was to not only wash it down but also help with going to sleep easier since she tends to do so with alcohol in her system. She then looks towards Elora to see what would she be ordering, mainly to see what taste in food she has.

[Tangerine]

For someone who couldn’t tell with absolute certainty that there would be a tomorrow for her, it was understandable that the elf showed the signs of anxiety and a quick temper. To tell the truth, she couldn’t be considered all that cheerful and pleasant in the first place, but her unpleasant personality traits stood out more because of the curse she suffered. In fact, because of these traits, the witch in the woods had opted for such a humbling spell. So far, Elora hadn’t been so keen on carrying out the inconvenient demands of her curse. At the moment though, she knew she was too tired to run from her magical predator.

Her mug wasn’t quite empty. And she wasn’t particularly hungry. It was safe to say the huntress had been suffering from a loss of appetite lately. Thus, she wasn’t really interested in the tavern wench, or watching someone chew on a juicy piece of roast pork right in front of her. Except for fish, the huntress didn’t consume meat. It had something to do with her profession. And she surely wasn’t there to enjoy a meal before a good night’s sleep. “No, I’m fine.” Accordingly, Elora responded to the waitress. Admittedly, she had briefly considered the funny idea of working at the tavern for a single night. Given they filled their modest attires well, those who served drinks in this place tended to receive some good smacks throughout the night, which was actually what her curse demanded of her. Because of the sheer ridiculousness of it though, she had got the idea out of her head rather swiftly.

Leaning back against her chair, Elora studied her spontaneous companion with squinted eyes. She was confident that she hadn’t seen this one before. Otherwise she would have remembered those haunting red eyes. It wasn’t a common trait among humans, if she was a human, that is. “Let’s say there is a mythical beast right outside.” Elora riddled to have a little brainstorming session with the redheaded warrior. “Half bear, half wolf.” It was an unhuntable beast, an entity of magic and not flesh. “Could you slay it,” after a short pause, the elf continued, “what was your name again?”

[Willow T Ferret]

"Very well then." She said hearing that elf chose not to order anything as she just focuses on Lamette. "I'll be back with your drink and then your food." The tavern wench said as she then walks away and towards the counter to give the order to the chef. The wench then disappears into the sea of rowdy men and other patrons as an uncomfortable silence once again falls down on the table.

While waiting for the return of the wench with either her drink or food or both, to arrive Lamette was distracting herself by just staring at the ground until she was surprised to hear the somewhat quiet elf now beginning to hear her speak for the first time. "An unhuntable beast made from magic? Never heard of such A thing." She questioned never hearing of such A thing. "My name is Lamette, and the question of slaying it is difficult but possible. Whatever the weakness that the beast has should be exploited. Drain whatever magic powers it." Lamette questioned however after hearing such A question piqued her curiosity now more than ever.

"Answer me this, what kind of beast are you referring that sounds like it came from the underworld and plans to wipe out all mortals across the land?" Lamette questioned the elf. The human herself knew about all the wild beasts and creatures native to these parts of the world and has battled nearly every single one of them. To hear about such A creature now did create A tinge of fear in her body and know wanted to know everything about it so she could fend it off.

[Tangerine]

Although Elora was confident that her charming visage, and the parts that her green tunic failed to cover, should be infinitely more pleasant to look at than the unassuming tavern floor, she didn’t attempt to steal the woman’s attention from the ground. It was a bit difficult to make mention of the dark beast without sounding like a deranged elf. It was real, however. Granted they liked travelling and venturing, anyone could come upon magic in some form. To be able cast a spell that could summon such a beast regularly, one had to master the dark arts though. Like the very witch she had been foolish enough to confront.

It wasn’t unusual for someone like her who held the traces of self-importance to be confident of her skills. Not for lack of trying, but the huntress had failed to hunt this one, hence she declared it unhuntable. Finding a way to interrupt the witch’s magic could have indeed undone the beast. However, it was also a long shot. With a snort of ridicule, the huntress continued. “Not all mortals.” She argued. This one was only after one person. “Only me, I’m afraid.” To provide further insight, Elora was willing to elaborate on the topic.

“I don’t know about underworld, but it emerges from the ground.” She took a generous sip of her drink. “Clawing its way up.” For the full story, Elora obviously had to confess why it was after her. Or what it wanted from her. That part was a bit shameful as she elected to skip it for the moment. “Shows up at midnight. Vanishes with the first light.” The huntress-turned-prey offered more explanation. “I’d say it’ll be here in a few hours. So, enjoy your meal, darling.” Unless the necessities of her curse were satisfied to keep it at bay, she doubted the flimsy door of the tavern would stop the magical entity. “I’m Elora, by the way.”

[Willow T Ferret]

Lamette tried her best to not look directly at the chest of Elora but did steal some glances every now and then. To hear that this menacing beast was only interested in her and then it actually emerges from the ground Lamette was now more confused than ever. If such A creature does exist then why was it that she has such vast knowledge on it when no one else seems to know about it. Hearing the comment about the creature arriving here by midnight and to enjoy her meal, Lamette got serious for A moment as she looks towards Elora.

"Hold it right there, Elora. For such A beast to be so threatening that can wipe this entire town no problem, why exactly would it only make you its main focus? And if you know what time this beast emerges, couldn't you have tried to trap the beast or think of some plan to defeat it? What exactly is it that makes you so special?" Lamette questioned the elf. There was definitely something that Elora wasn't telling her and she wanted to know what it was as it seems that it could be either the weakness of the beast that she didn't want to share or it could be that she had some sort of connection with the beast.

[Tangerine]

Beneath the tunic dress Lamette occasionally tried to peek through, the elf had a rather fresh claw mark that ran down her back. It was safe to say that Elora knew a thing or two about how fast that magical creature could move. Not intended to give the witch the satisfaction, the huntress naturally had tried to slay the beast. Her arrows hadn’t fared well against it. It was not so different to shooting a living oak tree. After her failed attempt, she had wisely chosen to run away from it during the following nights. Perhaps, that wasn’t the wisest choice. After all, the witch had also offered a subjectively easy way to prevent the creature from showing up. A less dangerous, but more indignifying way.

Other than that, there was a rather simple explanation why the beast specifically wanted her, and didn’t really care much about others if they were not on the way. “Oh, you would’ve wanted to be on the spotlight instead?” Rolling her emerald eyes, the elf leaned back. “Because of my hair.” Elora offered a vague explanation next. The sheer mention of her golden locks made the elf run her fingers through them. “The witch who summoned it used a strand of hair to set the beast on me.” It was quite a sinister thing to do, but was not without reason. “For borrowing a few items from her tower.” The elf admitted with a quieter voice.

No matter how it sounded, Elora didn’t see it as an act of crime, stealing from a witch that is. The tower in the forest couldn’t be considered part of the town. And to practise her twisted studies, the witch denied the laws that regulated the use of magic, which practically made her an outlaw. “So, I’m cursed you see.” The elf suggested. “To either face my demons, or do that thing she wanted from me.”

[Willow T Ferret]

The sarcastic reply from Elora didn't make this conversation any easier as which each passing second, the beast gets closer unless Elora fully shares the story. She then begins to explain about A witch took one of her golden hairs and make her the beast's target. "Why exactly would she do such A thing?" Lamette questioned and she then gets an answer which Elora said under her breath. "Are you sure your right to use the word "borrow" and not something else like "stole"?" Lamette questioned the golden-hairedelf. Now she was understanding the whole thing. "So you wanted to know if there was an easier way to defeat the beast and get out of what you did." She said leaning backward with her arms crossed looking quite stern at her.

"And what exactly is it this thing that this witch wants from you?" Lamette questioned. After being told of what Elora was dealing with, she figured that whatever it was possible couldn't be any worse than fighting some shadow beast. If anything she might even force Elora to do whatever it is as it might be much more safer and keep the general area safe from getting destroys in some revenge plot by some witch.