Both Grog and Scanlan began their own investigation as the two set off together, however not before the bard spoke up, "That sounds like a plan. But, uh, you're not the only one with ideas, Vex." he confidently declared as Keyleth and Percy left as well, leaving him with his barely clothed rival and the devious Half-Elf with their animals.

"Is that so? Please Scanlan, tell us yours." she motioned between herself and the Oldegårdian, smugly leaning against Trinkets armoured hide. The bear in question gritted his teeth together and growled viciously scaring the daylights out of the snack sized Gnome, making him yelp fearfully.

Quickly shuffling away from the angry ball of death, the bard chuckled nervously as Moonless, surprisingly remained passive at the behest of Ragnvaldr. "Uh, I'll tell you, when I have one." he uttered popping his hands into his pockets and slouching off as quickly as his little legs could carry him in pursuit of Grog and escape Trinket and his taunting mistress.

Leaving both Vex and Ragnvaldr alone, the human straightened himself as he idly ran a hand through long, unkempt hair, brushing a few loose strands from his face. "So. Which one of us does the talking, and which one does the beating? That's usually how these things work, isn't it?"" He inquired curiously as his usually gravelly voice took a slightly smoother tone, something which the Half-Elf was not deaf too.

"Personally, I'd much rather avoid violence were we can." she began glancing up at the much taller man, doing her damndest not to gawk at his sculpted figure, a reality of which he of course was blind to. "But if I need you, I won't hesitate to scream. For now though, all either of us needs is for you to stand back and look pretty." she joked, falling into step beside him as they too descended the steps into the winding streets below.

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Meanwhile, as the mismatched pair of animal lovers traversed the streets of Emon. Both Pike and Vax had finally made it to they desired destination. A small single story building with a domed roof stood amongst the many drably pale bricked shops and stalls of the market district. The entirety of the structure was slathered in neatly applied bright purple paint from top to bottom with a standing tented foyer just beyond it's doors with a large sign hanging above which simply read 'Gilmore's Glorious Goods' in beautifully hand drawn cursive.

It's owners obvious passion for aesthetics continued in it's interior as both Vax and Pike drifted through the purple curtains hanging in the door way topped with crisscrossing golden beads. The shop floor itself was unlike anything most citizens of Emon had ever seen, a pair of neatly arranged display tables lined either side of the open space with even more bookcases and shelving upon the walls with squared counter placed squarely behind the displays, which rather oddly remained empty.

"You have entered a realm of mystery, of magic, of marvel." a flamboyant voice spoke up with a hint of mystic layered in his welcoming tone. Quickly a dark skinned man stood at the top of the wooden stairs twisted excitedly toward the newcomers to his shop, "Welcome to Gilmore's Glorious Goods!" he exclaimed shooting his arms into the air as small pink waifs floated all around, some going as high as the dozens of lanterns hanging on the rafters.

Sunil Malhotra as Shaun Gilmore

'The Lovable Merchant'

The mans open chested purple robes with golden lining along his shoulders, collar and cuffs stood out against his mocha coloured skin, highlighting his purple eye shade and the crimson gloss on his lips. Every inch of his appearance screamed fabulous from the golden tassels tying off the braids framing the sides of his face and the single, much smaller one on his perfectly trimmed beard tying a single tight braid beneath his chin. Even his hands weren't safe as two fingers on each were decorated with golden rings a topped double bracelet to boot.

"Enchanted curials and magical artefacts at discounted prices. I take gold, silver, platinum...." he listed off swooping his way down the stair to stand in front of the counter, although as soon as his sparkling eyes landed upon the handsome Half-Elf as single gasp puffed from his broad chest. "Why, if it isn't the mysterious Vax'ildan?" he hummed with a spine tingling chuckle as he approached the man in question, both too preoccupied to acknowledge Pike whom stood right beside her friend.

Quietly, and rather awkwardly the Priestess watched as the shops curious owner pounced toward Vax and wrapped his arms around his neck, locking the Rouge into a tight yet welcoming hug. "Oh, I was hoping you would swing back through again." he laughed resting his hands on Vax's shoulders and pecking both the Half-Elf's cheeks on at a time, to which the more than willing recipient let out a chilling laugh.

"Glad to see you haven't lost you charm, Gilmore." he uttered as both men released their holds on one another, Gilmore not yet satisfied rested his arm upon his best and most handsome customers shoulder.

A toothy smile spread across his painted lips as he reeled back playfully, "Oh, listen to you. Don't stop. I can't take it." Gilmore uttered pressing his hand against Vax's chest and near instantly closing the already short gap between them. Barely an inch remained between the two men as seductive smile grew across their respective faces, "I've missed your visits." he purred smoothly running a gentle finger up and down Vax's charcoal tunic.

Although, both rather forward men hadn't taken into account the much smaller presence in the room, as Pike quickly broke the two apart with a simple clearing of her throat, catching their attention. Innocently Pike, with an unnerved expression waved her hand in greeting. "Hi..." she drawled uncomfortably, meeting the tall humans curious gaze.

Wordlessly, the shop keep turned on his heel and marched down the centre of his precious store. "So, are you here for business of pleasure?" he hummed using his magic to float a trio of ornate swords from one of the many display case, suspending them blade down in the air, then as he passed a book laying upon the opposite table, used the very same spell to prop it up ever so slightly opening it at a random page. It's cover was in no way subtle on it's subject matter, the hard backing depicted a burly, black haired Half-Orc with a blue skinned Tiefling woman leaning passionately into his chest.

Their lack of clothing becoming all to clear as Pike's eyes nearly shot from their sockets from reading a single passage from Gilmore's selected page. Of course, just as the holy woman tore her eyes from the book, she spotted the title printed upon it's front and spine alike. 'Tusk Love.' it read. Luckily though, before she could become too engrossed the men's conversation quickly regained her attention.

"Uh, business, I'm afraid. We need information on blue dragons." Vex began following his long time friend and possible lover, "Particularly, how to kill them." he finished, was Gilmore nodded in understanding swirling behind the oaken counter and reaching beneath it.

Knowingly, another widened smile stretched across his lips, "Well, for 20,000 gold, I'll sell you this..." he began as he shot up straight and conjured a large spear tipped lance with a gold encrusted, wing like decoration at its hilt, showing it off to Vax. "Handy-dandy magic Lance of Dragon Slaying. A fantastic bargain." he hummed, cracking his bracelet covered wrist.

Pike and Vax eyed the towering, ornate weapon, eyes wide with astonishment only for a nervous chuckle to escape through Vax's lips. "We can't presently afford such a weapon, but perhaps some advice for a tiny fee?" he begged as Gilmore took the Lance from it's place in the air and set it on one of the long shelves beneath his counter.

"Hopefully what you're offering isn't too tiny." he said, quirking a single eyebrow and plopping himself down into his chair, folding one leg over the other and bracing his arm against the counter top. However when Vax reached into his pocket and tossed two puny silver coins at the man, his expectant smoulder dropped instantly. "I-I suppose size isn't everything." he uttered quickly darting to examine his nails.

Stepping forth, Vax was adamant leaning both hands on the opposite side of the counter top. "We need to know if blue dragons have any weaknesses." he said hastily, leaning closer to the now seated shop keep.

"Weakness, eh? Well, to start, they're egomaniacs." Gilmore began, softly pattering his impeccable nails against the wood of his counter. "They hate being insulted and have tremendous vanity. Not that I can relate." he chuckled, his dark eyes glinting with excitement as a sly smile stretched across Vax's face. The Half-Elf in question leaned his elbow slightly upon the counter, closing the gap ever so slightly between them, an action Gilmore was more than happy with.

Once again, to prevent the pair of lust driven men from leaping atop each other Pike popped her head up over the edge of the counter, having now managed to tear herself away from the smutty literature. "Hi, still here. Is there anyway to stop them?" she demanded quickly bring their attention back to the matter at hand.

Gilmore twisted around to face them properly, his legs disappearing beneath the counter as he folded his sleeve covered arms. "Honestly, there's no simple way to kill a dragon. Even in tomes of old, legends of their destruction are largely poetic drivel." he sighed clicking his fingers and summoning the old gold encrusted book with an ornate dragon roaring welded upon it in a clod of purple smoke. The rare tome plopped down between them as Gilmore delicately held it in both hands, and taking a deep breath, unleashing a plume of air and blowing centuries of dust from the books cover.

Both the Cleric and Rouge alike were struck by the cascade of greyed particles, both doing little to prevent themselves from unleashing retching coughs as Gilmore flicked through the many hundreds of passages. "Ah, here we are. 'The Wyrm shall only find defeat, in the gorge where the twin rivers meet.' " he composed shooting dramatically to his feet as if he were reciting lines from a grand ballad, though as he finished, while his hand glided down the ancient parchment, Vax caught sight of a simple boldly drawn illustration resembling that of a fork in the road. "See? Cute, but..." Gilmore stated only to be cut off by his muse.

"Useless..." The Half-Elf sighed turning the opened and flicking through the pages himself, hoping to all the Gods he noticed at least something.

Meanwhile, Gilmore sat himself down on the thin, sanded edge of the counter, leaning over ever so slightly. "While dragon anatomy is a topic for many a scholar, anyone close enough to find out seems to get themselves snapped up." he remarked conjuring a small illusionary dragon and swishing it toward Vax's head, which puffed from existence as soon as it made contact. "Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, but you get what you payed for." he pouted, turning his attention back to filed nails, a balancing one of the coins between his many gold encrusted fingers.

"Gilmore, this all very helpful. Even the bullshit. If we survive this..." Vax began straightening himself up with an oddly inviting smile, "I owe you dinner." he laughed quietly, all while Pike stood silent next to him.

Flicking the coin right into his palm, quick as a flash Gilmore braced his elbows atop the counter and interlocking his fingers, flattening his hands and bracing his chin against them. "You owe me more than that, my handsome Half-Elf." he moaned, lidding his eyes as Vax shot the man one last flirty wink.

"All right, you two, foreplay's over. We should probably go find our friends." Pike quickly intervened, intent on not watching their courtship any further. Gripping her small hand on Vax's wrist she yanked him away with a surprising amount of strength and marched back towards the building door, all while Gilmore kept his flirty eyes locked upon the Half-Elf one last time.

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"It all happened so fast... Never even got a good look at the thing, before it..." A young, blonde haired soldier babbled, his near catatonic eyes spoke a thousand words to both Vex and Ragnvaldr listened to his account of the previous nights battle. The Oldegårdian sat himself beside the scarred man while his partner in crime stood standing with their animals either side of her. "Oh, Gods... None of us stood a chance. Most were dead before they even hit the ground. The General warned us, but I never thought it would end like that." he uttered as he bowed his head in his hands.

All around the noise of the Tavern luckily drown out their conversation making it difficult for anyone to hear their current conversation. The three had nestled themselves in the furthest corner of the homely room at the table surrounded by a multitude of wooden chairs, and got to talking after buying the soldiers next few rounds to try and loosen his tounge.

At the mention of Emon's illustrious General, both Ragnvaldr and Vex shared a knowing look. "Where was Krieg during all this?" the Outlander inquired trying his best to stifle his usually demanding tone, keeping his rather sympathetic gaze on the young warrior.

The young man swallowed deeply as he glanced between the two, "Don't know. I lost tack of him during the battle. Only saw him after when we were gathering the survivors. Why do you ask?" he sniffed, slightly confused by the strange interrogators. Neither the Half-Elf nor the Oldegårdian answered as he sighed and pushed himself to his feet, grabbing his axe from it's place propped against the leg of his chair.

"Nothing to concern yourself with. Get some rest, you've earned it." Vex's nurturing tone cut in, as Ragnvaldr once again joined her side. Both hid their worried looks well as they turned on their heels and marched out of the lantern lit Traven and into the blinding light of the packed, winding yet glossy streets of Emon. "What do you make of it? Those we've spoken with have all said the same." she began with a hint of impatience growing in her voice at their severe lack of progress, as the two marched away from the sloped roofed building and down the street.

Thinking for just a moment, Ragnvaldr released a steady calming breath through his nose. "The part I can't help but think about is what they say of Krieg. Why, in the heat of battle would he vanish? The man doesn't strike me as a coward to turn tail and run. You heard him in the Palace." he motioned his axe wielding hand upward to gleaming pointed towers of the keep. "Perhaps he sacrificed his soldiers to save his own hide. But still doesn't explain why he came back, instead of cutting his looses and fleeing." he uttered pursing his lips together, the more they investigated, the more Vex's suspicious of Fince collapsed.

"Guilt, maybe. Probably couldn't face it and returned once it was over." she replied as the pair weaved their way through the crowds aimlessly, having run all their leads dry.

Ragnvaldr scoffed at her words, scratching the side of his face which was beginning to become peppered with light bits of light stubble. "Speaking from experience, those types don't return to a battle. Even if it is over, most would rather flee than face the consequences of their cowardice." he grunted, nearly trampling a short Gnomish woman trotting by, minding her own business. Of course, the Oldegårdian ignored her gasp of fright as he and his partner disappeared further into the crowd.

The She-Elf simply quirked a curious eyebrow at the mans words, 'Speaking from experience' what was he referring too. First the mention of his home beyond the mountains, the mark on his neck now that. Vex knew he wasn't telling the full story, not that she could blame him, after all they had only met mere days ago. A comfortable silence fell between the two as they wandered the many pathways scattered through Emon.

While travelling the city without the company of the others, the way some elders and young reacted to the mere sight of him became all to clear to her, sending the passing man hateful glares or outright avoiding him further raised her suspicions. Vex herself was no stranger to such looks, being a Half-Elf in Syngorn, she too knew the bigotry others were capable off. Yet something about this, felt off. Releasing a preparing sigh, she glanced up at the much taller human. "You've been with us almost a full week, yet none of us know much of anything about you." she stated catching the man's rather surprised expression.

"I don't plan on staying with your group much longer, remember? There's no point in getting attached, only makes things harder when the time comes to depart. It's better this way." he insisted quickly and effectively shutting Vex's seemingly innocent line of questioning. "All I need's her for now." he finished nodding toward the large Dire Wolf keeping pace with the two.

However, the woman wasn't done as he curious eyes scanned down toward his heavily battered axe. "Haven't thought of investing in a new one?" she chuckled motioning toward the weapon clutched tightly in his hand.

"No. This belonged to my father, and his grandfather before him. It would take a hundred men to wrestle this from me." he uttered raising the weapon waist high and gripping his other hand nearest the iron head. "Besides, why replace something that works so damn well." he grinned slightly slapping the wooden handle in his off hand playfully, as he newfound companion nodded silently in agreement.

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Meanwhile, sat on the stone steps of slightly raised pavilion at the centre of one of Emon's many residential areas, Scanlan sat on the lower step situating his small form between Grog's large legs, the look of sheer dumbfounded boredom clear on his face as he let out a dreary sigh. His eyes started blankly ahead as the city's residents swarmed all around them, going about their daily lives like any other day, completely ignoring the fact that a Gnome bored right to death and a clueless Goliath again pocking and scratching at his ear sat close by.

"So, um. What were we supposed to be doing, again?" Inquired to his miniature companion as he flicked away a dead piece of ashen skin, turning his bald head to look down at the Bard between his legs.

The Bard simply dropped his shoulders as he pushed a deep groan from his lungs, "I don't know, searching for Fince or something. Gods! This is boring." he bleated leaning himself on the inside of Grogs muscled thigh, the Goliath in question not caring in the slightest. A pair