[IC] Chapter 1 - Concerning Orcs

Veronica hands the boy the gold coin and laughs. "I'm hardly a baron. I know I was bitten by a vampire noble though. You are not your parents. You follow your own path. "

Dennan securely tucks away the sealed letter in his belongings. "Be assured we will not make you and Mr. Alefast a fool. Instead we will do whatever we can to reveal Antonic's corruption and deliver this news to Threshold. Thank you sir Sebastian. There is truly comfort in finding that men like you exist in this world." Dennan nods with a subtle bow and turns back toward the lobby.

Hearing Veronica call him over, he heads over to her, seeing her with the boy.

"So this is our young spy, eh?" Dennan responds to Veronica. Troubled that she said the boy was sent by Antonic but realizing they have an opportunity to get some info from the child, Dennan tries to sound tender as he asks, "What is your name boy?" Although he lacks experience dealing with children.

"Well, Fred...I haven't seen any dragons yet but I have met a vampire noble and was bitten by one when I was 16. I am now 25 but I'll always look like a teenager forever. We just came into town to rest and recover from our travels and to get supplies before moving on again. The only adventure Dennan and I had was escaping the Orcs after I sucked the life out of one and we scared another one away.
I don't think anyone would hurt your parents if Antonic dies. Corpses don't hurt others unless commanded to by a necromancer. " Veronica replied after showing Fred the vampire bite on her neck.

Dennan smirks at Veronica's direct reply. "Well, that was right to the point," he says. "I am a simple human ranger, Fred, so my life has been much more mundane than Veronica's. But I have spent much of my days protecting the good people of Karameinkos from the devastation of orcs. I have also been a member of parties of rangers and soldiers stationed at Riverfork Keep that were tasked to turn creatures like orgres and trolls back into the Achelos Woods or put them down."

Dennan watches the boy's expression as he and Veronica speak of their experience in the world. He then attempts to see what the boy has heard about orcs.

"Have you even seen the horrors that orcs are capable of inflicting on the innocent, Fred? The vile creatures are very much abound not far beyond this towns borders."

Trying to persuade the boy about the dangers of the orcs Dennan says, "Well Fred, I'm sure your pa is trying to keep you safe the best way he knows, but he is very mistaken about the nature of the orcs. They will overrun this town as soon as they feel they have the upper hand. Maybe they are cowardly until they feel empowered, but they don't just leave people alone. As Veronica told you we escaped from orcs. Do you know what those orcs were doing? They captured innocent people no different than your pa and sister and were marching them, bound as slaves, to an unknown fate. That's who were captives with us. All of us were whipped, bound, and tormented. Some of the captives were killed in a bloody ritual. We narrowly escaped when orcs happened to turn on each other. No. They will not just leave you alone. They will come for the people here when they feel an opportunity is open for them. And if someone in this town was to to even accidentally let the orcs believe they have that opportunity, the orcs will seize it. Then a copper or gold piece in your hand won't matter at all when orcs ravage your town killing most and taking the rest as slaves."

Knowing he may be less adept at persuasion than Veronica, and especially with children, he hopes Veronica might continue to try to win the child's trust. He turns to her and asks, "Is there anything I've forgotten about the vile orcs Veronica? I'm not sure your friend here completely understands their true threat."

"No, you pretty much mentioned everything, Dennan. We were to be sent to their Orc Fortress to be decided our fate by their leader but we never made it because we escaped but we would've been either sold into slavery, made to be their slaves, to fight for their entertainment like two were made to fight to the death for a sadistic religious ritual, etc. They captured me from a city just like this one. Once they have you, the only way to escape is to fight and kill them because that is the only way to survive. I'll suck the life out of anyone who tries to harm me because that's the only thing that will sustain me. I'll also kill anyone who hurts me or my friends. We are all lucky to be alive from that hell we were put through. We are survivors!" Veronica said darkly to the boy named Fred baring her fangs at him and giving him a serious look on her face.

Veronica finally said to the boy "If you think for an instance that Antonic will spare you and your parents after dealing with the Orcs, think again. He might have already sold you to them as slaves. Humans will do anything to satiate their hunger and greed. Don't be naive. Naivety is what will get you killed. Be smart, keep your wits about you, stay vigilant and trust no one. That's what has kept me alive since my turning and I only help those who cannot defend themselves and who help me. Family protects family."

She then walks away from Fred and goes to see if everyone else is alright.

Dennan whispers to Veronica, "Well, that appeared to be a dubious interaction." Then he asks, "Can you maintain your stealth and keep tabs on Antonic, maybe sneak into the mansion?? I can go after that guard and either follow him to his destination or intercept him. If we do split up...be very careful my friend. We can meet back at the Hostel."

While he attends to Veronica's reply he also tries to determine if he hears any horses moving in the nearby stall.

Veronica nods. "I can certainly try my best to do so. I'll follow him, but if he sees me, I'm sucking the life out of him and ending his pathetic life. Good luck to the both of us." She replies to Dennan before she silently follows Antonic into the mansion if he goes in there. Otherwise, she'll just follow him wherever he goes.

"Okay then. Good luck. I hope you stay invisible. Get out if it seems unsafe. Quickly, give me something of yours that the wolf could smell if things go sour and we need to track each other."