Chapter 1 - Leaving Dunova

"And more importantly, what is a merchant doing down here. I can't imagine you'd find many customers in a dangerous place such as this." Jezlyn studies the woman trying to see if there's more than meets the eye.

While Velisse was very ready to jump to the defense of the fleeing woman and fend off the knights, the claim that she was a merchant threw Velisse off a little, much like what Pierre or Jezlyn wondered. The dark knight didn't attack the knights straightaway, but waited a moment, as much as the knights paused.

"I don't know what they'd want from me."

The young lady stares at the group of enemies still idling on the invisible boundary. After a few seconds, she seems satisfied that the immediate danger has passed, and pulls her hood down. The first thing you notice are a pair of bear ears, and her tanned skin. She has dark hair worn in a pair of braids, and a broad grin. She gives you the impression of a small flower with the determination to thrive anywhere.

"Well, unless they want this..."

She has a large bag on her back. She reaches into one of the flaps and draws out a rather large crystal orb. She seems to have stars in her eyes as she holds it up and the sunlight glints off it's reflective surface. After a few seconds, she pops it back in her bag protectively. Then turns to Jezlyn.

"I'm here finding merchandise, obviously. I can't always stock my inventory in a local market if you know what I mean." She elbows Jezlyn and gives her a wink. "Sometimes you have to boldly go where others won't, you know? Only my bodyguard disappeared, because I never hired them to begin with."

She pauses, blinking as though she'd just remembered something. "I'm Olivia, by the way! My shop's always open if you're in need of my wares!"

Velisse couldn't resist a little snort. This woman was a thief! She waited to see what Jezlyn's reply was going to be.

Jezlyn almost goes cross-eyed as the girl seems to have no mouth filter and is babbling from one topic to the next. "You lost a bodyguard you never hired? What does that even mean? And where did you get that crystal? I'm sure it wasn't just lying around on the floor somewhere free for the taking..." She frowns in a stern-grandmother-sort-of-way.

"Not exactly. I mean I never hired them, so I guess I didn't lose them at all." Olivia shrugs. "It's the thought that counts though, right?"

She takes off her bag and puts it down at her feet, taking a moment to stretch. You notice the scuffs and dirt on her clothes, that suggests she made it a habit of running away when the going got tough. Well, either that or she liked rolling around in the great outdoors but from a glance you can tell she's not that kind of girl. Once she's done stretching, pats the top of the bag.

"That's right, completely free for the taking. It's funny how lucky you can get sometimes, you know? And talking about luck, you're all in luck! I've got healing potions, tonics, a few bombs... how about helping a girl cut a deal, hmm?"

Pinion eyes her suspiciously; "Unless you have safe passage from this crater, I don't think we can 'cut a deal', no."

"Oh dear me, no, it's not the thought that counts. If that were true, every married man in the world would be guilty of infidelity!" Jezlyn lets out a braying grandmother laugh and slaps her knee at her own joke.

For a moment Olivia looks crestfallen, but she bounces back to her grinning state quickly enough. "Well, I was kinda hoping you'd help me with finding a way out, but that's no worries. I take zenit too, by the way."

She raises her eyebrows at the knights still watching, but unable to move closer. Given their mechanical state, they seem content to keep watching for as long as it takes. She crosses her arms and ignores Jezlyn's quip, either too young or too absorbed to consider her meaning.

"Well, as long as you stay far enough away from the big round building over there, you should be good."

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"Don't need anything right now," Strong Ail says, still keeping his eyes on the knights. "I take it the building is where you found the crystal?"

"Indeed it was." Olivia stares longingly at the building for a while. "I bet there's loads of other stuff in there too. A strong guy like you, you could carry it all! Oh, by the way, what brings y'all out this way anyhow?"

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"An airship brought us here. A blast of purple energy made sure we stopped." Pinion answers

"I think the real question is how did you get down here and how are you planning to get out? It's pretty dangerous around here, as you almost discovered fatally." Jezlyn figures this girl is probably harmless, but she likes the scolding grandmother routine and it could be good to scare some sense into people who otherwise might be lacking it.

At the mention of the building and the knights, Velisse guardedly looked up again to make doubly sure that none of the knights were advancing on them. Their inference was correct, as long as they stayed beyond a certain distance, the knights did not seem to be interested in accosting them.

"How did you get in there anyway, surrounded by so many guards? Was there a special route you took? I mean, if you were imagining that we'd be able to get inside ourselves, and might want to take advantage of that fact, you should tell us how you got past those knights." She cottoned on to what Olivia was saying, and played along.

"An airship, eh? Haven't seen one of them round here. Which way did you say you came from?" Olivia looks around, she seems suspicious of what Pinion said but doesn't dwell on it. "I got here walking. I was heading south by the Old Fortress, passing by on my way to Armorica when I spotted the crater and figured I'd take a lookie."

Her confidence trails off a little at Velisse's question about heading inside, and it's a few seconds before Olivia answers. "If you wanted to get in, really wanted, then there's a way into a lower level through those buildings over there. The Elonians don't know about it, but the monsters? They do. I ain't going back in there though, no way no how!"

"Not even for a share of what we find there that you weren't able to get your hands on the first time round?" Velisse tempted her with a twinkle in eye, now that she had figured out what motivated Olivia. Hopefully this thief could give them some advantage in making their way in and avoid some of the potential monsters she hinted at.

Olivia hesitates, turning ever so slightly toward Velissa and pouting as she deliberates the decision, then shakes her head. "No can do. I barely got out of there alive the first time!"

"Suit yourself. Guess you'll just have to climb then," Strong Ail shrugs and motions for the sides where they fell before adressing the rest of the group. "We should plan an approach."

Jez smirks. "But last time you were all by your lonesome. Now you've got us adventurers to protect you." Jez twirls her pistol for extra effect.

Pinion flinches, afraid the pistol may go off. "Maybe we should get back on task? We did come here for a reason after all.