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"I'm fine." His voice is stern as he walks back downstairs before anybody can respond. He obviously struggles to not say something, and his entire being seems tense and held back. He seems to be suppressing things, as the insanity aura that forms off of him has dimmed dramatically, even though it still lingers.

Sitting at the bar, he converses with some random girls. One is snake like and the other is a tiefling with a more slutty look to her.

"Yeah, we should definitely rest for a while," Lyra agreed, tired from the long day. She pulls her jacket tighter around her. "Are there no good clothes here?" she mumbles.

Pondering deeply, Randle watched the young party fizz around him. Some of the Sage Dires were scouting ahead, and the redheaded girl, who turned out to be changeling, went after them for a bit. Meanwhile, the lupine gal sat by the vixen, claiming not to be much of a fighter. A lot of things happened without Randle even noticing. He was thinking, coming up with a plan, but as soon as something solid formed, the kids around him did something that made it fail instantly. Another wolf killed or send back to the forest. They truly made a mess of the place.
"Yeah that's why I took my shirt off. I don't want to hold any infection in her wound. It would just hurt more. I've dealt with this stuff a lot. That's why I wasn't going to keep it on. So I'm not stupid. I could feel you looking at me judgmentally." What? Who? Oh, wait. Randle was taken out of his mind palace for a second and glared at Dylan, raising his eyebrow. Of course he knew the intention behind stripping himself and binding his shirt around the wounds, but what the fox-tail failed to realize was that mortals left traces of sweat and other stuff that could encourage infection.
But Auren had just returned with a nice bottle of liquor. The type of liquor that was so awfully strong that even the heaviest drinker wouldn't dare going near the shot glass.
Dylan poured some alcohol into the vixen's wounds and then set off, going after the changeling who had taken on the form of a Dire herself. Randle didn't have the faintest idea what they were trying to do, and even though he'd happily go with any sort of plan at the moment, he didn't like it that the youngsters around him ran off and back without even thinking about the others. Sure, the lupine girl preferred to stay with the injured fox, nothing wrong with that, but Auren and he were just standing there.

Eventually, Dylan and the shapeshifter returned, smelling of blood and the Woods, but didn't look like people who just won a fight. Randle doubted that there had been a fight at all.
"Yeah, we should definitely rest for a while," the wolfgirl concluded after a while. She pulled her jacket closer to her body. "Are there no good clothes here?" The sleuth plucked at his overcoat for a moment. He didn't really need it anyway, or at least, not right now.
"Take care of it, kid, I'll be back." With a little chortle, he gave her his over-sized trenchcoat and then went downstairs, giving Auren the chance to follow him if he wanted to. Dylan was sitting at the bar, the changeling at a table, resting her head on her arms. The fox-tailed man was chatting with some dames, nightly creatures by the looks of it. The Husk wore his typical frown, the earnest, brooding frown he was used to wearing while on a case.
He didn't speak to the members of his group, giving them the rest and privacy they needed. With one last glance at the quiet inn, Randle walked out the door, greeting his mate behind the bar.
"So long Vadr, keep an eye on these rascals when I'm away, will ya?"

Following their scent into the deep Woods, Randle was glad he took his trusty crossbow with him. After making a little detour to his apartment, in which he kept his weapons and protective waistcoat, he made sure no stray Dires were still skulking around the city. The others did their part though, the Kingdom of Wood Capital was free of brain-washed giant wolves.
But the forest was not. At a certain moment, when the trees were so high and ancient that sun or moonlight would never reach the ground, the Husk lost track of how many individual Dires and Beastmasters he had smelled, but he was positive that the Sage Dires had grown in numbers, drastically.
Maybe he should've asked some assistance. As a Husk, he was kind of unable to die, mindless animals couldn't slaughter him, but the Beastmasters were still sorcerers and he was prone to their magic. Randle put a steel bolt into his crossbow and watched his surroundings.

I open my eyes and notice my head was in my arm and I was on the edge of the table, about to fall off. I get up, yawn and stretch my limbs. My arms cracked and my knuckles the same, I put my hand to my neck as it was soar. 'Maybe sleeping in that position was a bad idea...' I thought to myself. I look over at the She-Fox and she was sleeping((I could only assume, if you aren't then sorry 'bout that!)), I move the blanket over her more to keep her warm. I look out the window and the sun had fully come out. Birds were chirping and there was no sign of the Wolven Beasts to be found. I walk out of the tavern in search of a Tailor. I was lucky to find one not far, it had a Victorian look on the outside with mannequins on the display area with dresses and men's clothing. I walk in and look around for a good piece. There was an old woman at the desk sleeping, then something catches my eye. It was more simple than the other women's clothing. I pick it up and go into a fitting room. After putting it on, I remove the neck piece and feel how my body fits it. It was soft and felt like polyester and cotton. I through the other clothes into the trash bin and walk to the old woman at the table. "Hello, I-" I had forgot she was sleeping and startled her. She screamed and jumped, then put on her glasses and smiled, "Oh my! I am very sorry! Today has been a slow day, what can I assist you with?" I nod and smile.
"I would like to purchase this outfit, I am wearing it out." She smiles and look at it as if she were trying to put a price on it. "Ah, I forgot we had that... How about 30 Gold?" I look at her in surprise, this was the cheapest clothing item I had ever purchased! And, it was a full outfit, so this was a good deal, "OK! Thank you!" I hand her the gold and exit the place. I was holding the cloak from last night and almost forgot to return it. I walk to the tavern and went into the room to put it down. After returning it, I walked out and went for a walk out in the woodland area. The trees were beautiful at day time, I was on the look out though, I didn't want one of the Wolven Beasts to turn up, or one of the Orcs that lived with them. I walk to a pond and washed my face, and as I put my hand back in the water a Vampire Eel had bitten my arm and wouldn't let go. It sucked my arm and I started to freak out; I grabbed a rock and bashed its head and grabbed the neck but it still wouldn't come off. I bashed my arm into a tree and heard a crack. My arm had broken and the eel fell off and slithered off. I held my arm and screamed, the wound was as bad as it could get, I leaned across a tree and ripped a part of my new clothes and grabbed some sticks. I sat down and tried to fix my arm, then, with the four sticks, I put them on my arm and tied them down with the ripped piece of clothing. I grunted in pain and held my arm. "Son of a b*tch!" I screamed, more Vampire Eels were swarming around the area the other had slipped into. I was getting mad, and my arm bulked up, my eyes started to change color and I started to feel my spine crackle and pop. I took off my clothes and felt wings rip out of my back. My nails got larger and I coughed up fire; My chest was solid dragon scales now and was getting bigger. I grabbed the eel that bit me and burned it as fire spured out of my mouth. Horns were forming and I jumped into the water and killed the others. I tossed the bodies out of the water and started to cool down.
I put my clothes back on and tied the eels together and hung them from a tree. I was still mad, my eyes didn't change back for a while. My teeth still stayed pointed and I took a longer walk than expected to get back to the kingdom. I had gotten lost on the way, but when I returned, I went to the court physician so he could heal me. She removed my bandages and took a good look at it, "You really did break your arm, but it isn't as bad as you described it. The Vampire Eel's bite can be taken care of, but that break is going to take weeks, maybe even a month if you don't take care of it, to heal up." She explains to me as she heals the bite and break how to take care of it. I squinted in pain as she corrects the break and wraps it in cloth and better, clean sticks than before. "Take this everyday for three weeks, and come back if it has gotten worse." She says, I nod and hand her a heavy pouch of gold. I take the elixir and walk back to the tavern. I sit at a table, the one I sat at the first time I arrived and grabbed a drink, I sipped it slowly and only drank a little.

Foxy tried to move a bit, but it caused her to have pain and she yelped loudly

Blood. That was the first thing he noticed when the world around him took on a familiar form. Rain. The next thing he felt streaming down his face. Death. Now that was the third thing he smelled.
Out of breath, Randle sat upright, his head filled with sheer bewilderment and confusion. Where was he? Tall, ancients trees, covered in soft moss. Faint rays of light shimmered between the age-old roots, while soft drops of rain trickled down his cheeks.
And then he saw the Dires. Four of them, warriors by the looks of it, as dead as they could possibly be. Was this his doing? Randle got up, very slowly and cautiously, and touched the softened belly of the dead Dire. They were slaughtered; their faces were torn to shreds by claws and some of them showed teeth marks on their paws. The sleuth crouched by the body of a black-and-white wolf and let his fingers slide across the claw marks that ripped through its nose bridge.
No. This couldn't be.
"Shit.." Randle stammered. He backed away, his bloodied hands trembling with shock. He slaughtered them. Like animals. Animals slaughtered by another animal. The Husk clenched a bloodstained fist. No. This was the result of a mind-controlling charm that had been casted on him, which meant the Beastmasters controlled the Esscence-branch of magic.
Too disorientated to even speak, Randle scooped up his crossbow, smeared some blood on his pants and walked back towards the city walls. He and his team had underestimated the Sage Dire terribly. They were more than just a beast-controlling gang right now. They were an imminent threat.

"I'm positive we got ourselves a job," Randle announced as he walked back into the tavern again. Everyone was there; Dylan, the redheaded girl and Auren, and since the scent of the vixen and the lupine gal weren't fresh, he assumed that they were still staying at the inn too. "Now that I've.. accidentally slaughtered a load of 'em, more will return, and in greater numbers. This city's in danger, 'cause they know that their biggest enemies - that's Dylan, you and me," he nodded at the redheaded girl, "are staying here and they won't let anything stand in their way until they get what they want. An eye for an eye." He walked up to the counter, still facing the people he recently teamed up with. "So we've got two choices: we either prepare this city for a war between the Sage Nation and the Kingdom of Wood, or we draw them out to the nearest choking point and take them out one by one."

Foxy whimpered a bit

"Well either way, we'll end up dead, so take your pick," Lyra said. How had she managed to end up in this?

"Before we make anything happen, we need to speak with the queen! She is allied with the Kingdom of Ember, if she believes us and doesn't through us in the dungeon, the people can get going now and we can prepare." I stand up, people in the tavern started looking at each other in worry, "And we can't let word get out yet. No need of an up-roar..." I whisper to the cat. "And does anyone know some powerful healing?" I say as I hold my arm up.

Foxy tried to stand up

Dylan at this point still hasn't slept. He runs upstairs to check on the vixen, disappointing the other two females. Seeing her pained expression he softly rubs her cheek in a comforting manner. Speaking softly, he seems calm and cool on the outside, with his words of encouragement. "It'll be alright. It'll heal. We'll replace the bandages in an hour or two and reapply alcohol to clean it a bit more."

Underneath his cool expression, he gave off a feeling of anxiety and uneasiness. He knew something wasn't right and that it wasn't going to be OK.

"Well either way, we'll end up dead, so take your pick." Those were the actual first words the lupine girl said to him. She was obviously not a talkative gal, but turned out to be pessimistic one too. Maybe she never got some proper training, or maybe she was ashamed her powers weren't as flashy - in fact, her powers were mostly unknown to the group as far as he knew.
"Yeah, and so will many others if we don't do something about this," he growled, his tone sounding way harsher than he wanted it to. He wasn't try to scold the girl for being insecure, or well, being cautious, but she had to think beyond the six of them. If no-one stood up to these magic-wielding brutes, the Kingdom of Wood would be wiped off the map in a jiffy.
"Before we make anything happen, we need to speak with the queen! She is allied with the Kingdom of Ember, if she believes us and doesn't throw us in the dungeon, the people can get going now and we can prepare." That was the redhead talking. Randle let his eyes run over her arm for a second. Wait, limbs weren't supposed to bent that way... "And we can't let word get out yet. No need of an up-roar..." That would be a tall order now that she'd announced their plans to the whole tavern. Thankfully, most of the regulars and gossips were still in bed, so before the rumor was given a change to spread, the battle was already over. If everything went according to plan, that was.
Suddenly, the gal got a little closer and whispered to him: "And does anyone know some powerful healing?" In fact, he did know a couple of folks who could fix her up.

The sleuth scratched his hairless chin. "How about taking a little detour to a pal of mine? He'll patch you up and after that we go to see the.. err.. queen." He knew that woman. When thinking of her, he got immediately reminded of the vigorous slap she had given him the other day. Like it was his fault her son had gone missing. If it weren't for his tight friendship with her brother, Prince Hartlock, he would've cancelled the case.
"If anyone wants to tag along, go right ahead. We'll be back in no time," Randle said while he planted his crossbow on a stray chair. Then, he walked back into the cooling drizzle.

I nod towards the cat, "What is your name by the way? I don't think I ever asked... And if I did, sorry that I forgot." I hold my arm and give the healing potion to the She-Fox, "I went to a physician, she said this would help my arm and other wound... I am sure this should help your wounds and fractured bones." I followed the cat to where ever this 'pal' had dwelled. My arm was hurting every time I moved it, but I had to bare with it if I was to walk and do other things. "Damn Eels..." I mumble to myself, I hadn't delt with one in a couple years, but I do try to avoid them as much as possible. That time, my guard was down, and it will never go down again. "What happened between you and Queen Haelga? You seem familiar with her, but in a bad way..." I ask the cat, to start some small talk at least.

"What is your name by the way? I don't think I ever asked... And if I did, sorry that I forgot. I went to a physician, she said this would help my arm and other wound... I am sure this should help your wounds and fractured bones." Did he really forget to introduce himself? Damn, so he was getting sloppy.
They walked past the town's square, and as Randle was about to introduce himself, the girl said: "What happened between you and Queen Haelga? You seem familiar with her, but in a bad way..."
Not a story to be proud of, really. The Husk looked the other way, to the castle, where the soft-hearted but frightful serpent was resting in the huge tree on top of the building. How he liked that dragon. Nothing like a pure, sweet creature to pet after a hard day of deduction.
"Her kid went missing two years ago, and I was asked to track him down. Now, every case has some interrogations in it, but let's say that Queen Haelga wasn't fond of... cooperating. She slapped me across the face when I asked if her son had been seeing peculiar people recently, claiming I was accusing him of taking part in criminal activities." He shrugged it off. She wasn't the first client who had worked against him, but she surely was the most violent. "Seemed like a friendly dame at first, but folks do crazy things when they're scared." The worst thing about the case was that Randle had been right all along; the kid had grown close to some local moonshiners and went to a feast the other night, but didn't want to go home afterwards.
"Oh and the the name's Randle Pentecost by the way, and damn, sorry about that. One year out of business and I unlearn my manners," he chuckled, extending his hand, but awkwardly lowered it when he realized her arm was broken. Maybe there was something in the mead after all. "And you are?"

(( I somehow managed to smuggle my laptop into my bed hehe ))

"My name is Vil, isn't short for anything, the origin of my species is to have short and catchy names like that with one or two syllables." I walk with my head down, "And wow. I never imagined that about her. Honestly, I thought she was nice, although, I have never met her before." I laugh slightly then stop. I notice that my shirt was damaged badly from earlier with the Vampire Eel. I tuck it in the best I could to blend it in with the rest. "Although, I can understand it. She was scared and couldn't hold her fear and anger in, so she let it out on the nearest thing or person. My dad did it all of the time, he hit my mother once, but it never happened again. He didn't show back up for a week, and when he did, he was very cautious around her..." I stopped telling the story, my eyes turned grey as the memories of him flooded my brain. Mother never meant for it to happen, but it did, and she did everything she could to protect me... I try to stop thinking of them so I wouldn't cry.

(( Sneaky sneaky!))

Lyra glanced at the cat. "Do you have any idea how to get her to do anything?" She paced around, nervous. Fighting wasn't her strong suit, but she decided she would help. After all, the kingdom was in danger.