Grave stepped outside and into the alley next to the tavern. The air outside was clear, even if it wasn't as pure as out in the countryside. Still this is where he wanted to be, in one of the cities studying at the college and maybe start teaching. Of course he couldn't do any of that without beating these challenges and regaining citizenship status. He'd show all of them the power that Necromancy held! The figure stood in the alley alone, a dark silhouette in the already dark shadows. Much like himself in many regards. He too stood out when there was no light around, perhaps it had to do with his aura. Saliin would sometimes mention that he gave off a shadowed presence. Speaking of Saliin... Grave looked around quickly. No sign of her having followed him outside. Blasted girl! She was probably still entangled with that man, the weak willed fool. Oh well, he'd retrieve her later.
"Do you have it Eisenfeld?" He asked his contact. The figure took something out of its coat and held it out in one hand. "Very good. This puts me one step ahead of the others." He grinned under the shadows of his hood. Unseen by the other person it was a malicious smile filled with delight at the thought of suffering.
The figure stood there, hand still outstretched as Grave slipped the book inside his robes. "Your payment. Forgive me my foolishness."
The other being was smarter than the usual couriers Grave's associate sent to him. They didn't come any closer than they already were which was conveniently out of his shovel's effective range. A change of tactics then. Reaching into his robe he withdrew the pouch and a small vial at the same time, slipping the vial discreetly into the pouch he made to toss the small bag to the courier. The silhouette held its hand up in a 'hold' gesture.
"Do you take me for a fool?" The soft voice asked him. The accent of the speaker was strange. "Don't try to make excuses, Necromancer. I know what you just slipped into that bag. I will not be deceived so easily."
Grave nodded slightly, his hood moving a miniscule amount with the gesture. Taking the vial from the pouch he secured both items back within the confines of his robes. "It's about time he sends someone with a brain. Eisenfeld, if that's truly your name, you deserve a much more fitting payment than a cheap poison and a bag of rocks."
The other figure tensed, ready to defend themself against whatever attack Grave tried.

Saliin watched Grave walk out the door of the tavern, knowing that he would be displeased with her later. Knowing what that would entail she steeled herself for that fate and decided to make the best of her current circumstance. The man's warmth radiated through both of their clothes and she was slightly surprised how pleasant a sensation it was. Pressed so close to one another she could feel his chest move with each breath, smell what could be alcohol on his breath and the smell of his sweat. It was an intoxicating experience for her to say the least. He was looking at her, looking directly into her eyes. She swallowed and found that her mouth and throat were unexplainably dry at that moment. There was no way her face could get any hotter without bursting into flame.
"G-Get to know each other? W-What do you mean?" She asked innocently. She wasn't playing hard to get or acting oblivious, she truly had no idea what was going on tat he moment except that it felt nice yet incredibly awkward at the same time.

Always reflexively, Oran's slapped Lorena's bare butt, and squeezed slightly.
'As nice as I remember it being. Awesome.'

Hexy's eyes went wide - then narrowed.
She instinctively raised her hand, growled "Don't f*ck with a witch," - then summoned some sort of giant squid out of nowhere.
The squid in question seemed very confused about where it was, and decided to start poking both her and Lorena with it's long tentacles.
Everyone in the bar grabbed a drink and sat down to watch.

Tyrcestus picked up Trinity, who was still in cat form, and looked out after her.
"What the hell's a reaper...? This is a big old scary world..."
Then he concluded there was no way he could affect Sean's and Avur's battle, but was consciously aware it might destroy the pub, so he ran downstairs to get everyone to evacuate.
Then he stopped, because Hexy had gotten a lady naked and summoned a tentacled beast.
"My life's never going to be normal again, is it..?" he said wearily.

"Talk privately? O-Okay." Was this a good idea? She had no idea. But she wanted to see where it would go. "So where would we go to be in private?" She asked as a squid randomly appeared out of nowhere floating in midair, tentacles groping the naked lady and the person who seemed to have summoned it. Her mind began working and she felt herself growing excited.

Grave stared at Eisenfeld, calculating his options. Physical attacks, while effective would been hard to pull off at this distance, especially if the courier had that keen of eyesight. Spells were always possible. He knew several that could bind a person and muffle them at the same time. Enough time to get in close.
"I know what you're thinking," Eisenfeld said in that same soft almost musical voice. "Do not think to try it on me." The coat parted revealing a small loaded crossbow held in one hand. The bolt pointing at his heart.
"Resourceful of you." He admitted grudgingly.
"Go back into the tavern. You have what you want."
"But you don't."
"Oh well."
Shrugging to himself Grave turned and calmly walked back into the tavern, mild interest as his gaze fell on the squid before he went in search of Saliin.

In the alley Eisenfeld pulled the hood back, revealing soft fur covered features. The Cat Kin put the small crossbow away and retreated into the depths of the alley. She would keep her eye on Grave. The only reason the necromancer would be interestedi n that text was if he was up to something nefarious.

Zalia looked at Beelzenef with a puzzled expression on her face. "Goblin crab?" She questioned, not knowing what it was. She then lowered her gaze to the floor, as Beelzenef led her into the underground city. "I'm sorry, I'm not well versed in battle tactics, and the like."

******

"Oh good God..." Arisa groaned in frustration, and exhaustion. She looked at Zerron. "I'm going to get some air." She said to him, then grabbed Shadow's reins, so he wouldn't be caught in the cross fire, and led him outside.

Tyrcestus planted a kiss on the kitten's head.
"Ah, don't worry. Just stick by me and we've got this."
He watched the pirate chop the poor helpless squid into pieces, and said a prayer for Alfie the squid as its soul sped to heaven.
"Farewell, my tentacled prince, and may a choir of angel-fish glub thee to thy rest," he said solemnly.

Hexy noticed that the female pirate was all sticky, noticed everyone in the bar was staring, realised that the woman was pissed off - and promptly kissed her hard.
Every man in here will protect me now. Plus, she doesn't taste too bad. Lots of rum, and perhaps a bit of seamen.

Grave huffed in frustration before retaking his seat in the shadowed corner. Taking the book from within his robes he opened it, the spine crackling softly as the bindings were tested. The sweet aroma of old book filled his senses and he began reading fervently. All thoughts of Saliin temporarily forgotten.

Saliin gave a small squeak of surprise when Steve kissed her cheek. It was so quick that she didn't really know how to express the feeling of it. However his arm around her waist holding her to him seemed to keep some kind of tension in her body. Nervous anticipation filled her as the two of them climbed the steps to the upstairs. "Do you do this often?" She asked him nervously.

Eisen slipped discreetly into the tavern, her eyes roving the shadows for Grave and finding him relatively quickly. Now then. There's supposed to be a girl too... She thought to herself. But of her there was no sign. Maybe the two of them had split up?

Oran crouched done by the two, a pressed a gun to Hexy's head.
'That's quite enough now, don't you think?'

(OOT: Pub manager is fainted on the floor in a traumatized state)

Tyrcestus gave the kitty a cuddle to reassure both himself and her.
Then he turned to Zerron.
"Yeah, Sean's going to reduce this place to rubble. Him and some old guy are tearing everything apart up there! Help me get people out, any ideas?"
He looked down at Trinity, in case she had any ideas.

Hexy was only now starting to get ruffled.
Fweep moved to the side of Orran's head and cocked like a rifle.
"...Fine," she grumbled. "Mine are better than yours. More perky," she remarked to Lorena, as her clothes rematerialized back on her. Only now, they were all florescent pink.
"Happy?"

OOT Then we took it from behind the bar. while he was unconscious.

Saliin's heart beat fast, this was... it was...she didn't know what it was. She couldn't understand this. Couldn't understand what her body was doing or why it was feeling this way. She felt incredibly hot at the moment, so unbearably hot she didn't think anything would be able to cool her off before she burst into flames. He had kissed her, that's what he had done after picking her up so unexpectedly. It had been the most unexpected feeling, it was soft yet firm in a bizarre mixture that made it feel as if nothing had happened at all. It was rather anticlimactic, her rational mind whispered to her conscious, something that had been so hyped up in conversations between older women and in books, for it to feel so rather pointless was a shock.
But that didn't matter right now as she seemed to act without any thought. She didn't know what she was doing, only that it was good.

Grave sat there in his corner. He looked up as something unidentified splatted onto his table. He saw the cut up pieces of squid plopping to the floor. A thought came to him. Putting a finger in the small droplet of squid fluid he drew an arcane rune, one that he had just learned about. The results might be interesting if the book was correct.

On the ground at Lorena's and Hexy's feet, the squid began to knit itself back together as Grave's magic took over the recently deceased body. Once it was back together he discretely wrapped tentacles around both of their legs and had the zombie squid pull, dragging both of them off of their feet.

OOT sly move lully


Trinity shook her head she didn't know what to do, at least not in that form and she was to sjy o transform into her human or catgirl form to comply knowing all the men in the bar would stare at her


Lorena looked at her clothes
"No I want them back as they were"
she then felt something wrapping around her leg and before she knew it she was being lifted off the ground
"You have got to be kidding me"
she looked over at Oran
"A little help here"

Oran sighed. 'Gimme a minute...'
He walked over to the bar, and hopped it, before pulling down a keg of rum. Returning to the girls, he drew his sword and cut he tentacles off them. From there, he opened the keg and poured the contents onto the squid. Drawing one of his empty pistols, he struck the hammer down near it, igniting the booze, and incinerating the squid.
Oran, satisfied, turned to Lorena. 'Happy now?'