Heroica RPG - Quest#92: The Prophetess and the Warrior

[Palathadric]

Arthur (Darkness, Sir Roderick's Sword vs. Daniel, Front Row)

But, Daniel is knocked out, right?

[Zepher]

Okay, so, round is fixed. Arthur is doomed and his negative effects removed (Abel wasn't stunned as he is immune to negative effects). But he's pretty near downed. I'll give everyone a few hours to fix up their actions if they so choose. Sorry for the confusion.

[Flipz]

Arthur, his head spinning, attacks Abel with Darkness from the Front Row through Sir Roderick's Sword.

OOC: Reiterating since I forgot to change it earlier, but I've also gone ahead and fixed it in the Battle Order listing.

[Zepher]

OoC: Sorry for the long wait, all! I didn't realize two days had passed. You have permission to poke me if 24 hours pass and I fail to post! I am in school, so it may not always be perfect, but I'll always try my best!

Order Imperial Trail by Combat Round Three

>Pretzel v. Abel - Hit (([6+26]*2)-7=51)

>U'Voros does nothing

Tarn v. Abel - Critical Hit/Steal (([13*2]+25)-7=95, KO)

Arthur v. Abel - Enchantment/Special Damage

Pretzel and Tarn close in on their final foe, who after two harsh hits is dropped to his knees.

"It looks like the Lord of Light has chosen to share our Orders secrets with the world," Abel sputters out, his mouth dripping blood, his hand pressed to his side. He glances at his fallen brethren. "One banner, one lord, one country. Long live the Order Imperial. But, you know, I don't think my service is quite done." Abel heaves himself up and tosses the smoke bomb! When the smoke clears... Abel is gone. In a neat pile, however, are the things that he must have been carrying. A sort of offer, perhaps?

The Party

Tarn Valco *Party Leader*

Level 25 1/3 Raider *Natural Respite* *Immune to Weakened* *Immune to Magic and Healing*

Power Bonus

: 0

Defense

: 6

Health

: 41/41 (7+24+7+3)

Gold

: 2039

Equipment

: Great Blade (WP:25, cannot be equipped with a shield, greatsword), Darksteel Armor (SP:6, Max. Health +3, Immunity to Weakened; bodywear), Duplovian Helmet of the Guard (SP:2, Immune to Magic and Healing), Amulet of U'Kin Nobility (Grants Diplomacy to wearer when addressing a U'Kin)

Inventory

: Helbaerend (WP:10; water-, ice- and lightning-elemental; hollow (Great Potion); axe), Lion’s Heart (WP:13, darkness-elemental, stun-effect; greatsword), Bagpipes (WP:8, wind-elemental instrument), Fauxthril Spear (WP:6, spear), Skull Shield (SP:6; immunity to darkness; suitable to Black Knights only), Horned Hat (SP +1, Power +1, suitable for barbarians and beast warriors; headwear), Potion, Grand Potion, Health Core, Grand Tonic x3, Remedy, Elixir, Phoenix Essence x1, Mead x4, Nostrum x4, Venom x2, Deadly Venom, Smoke Bomb x2, Shovel, Pickaxe, Bucket, Bone x2, Gladiator Trident (WP: 11, Spear, causes bleeding effect; unsuitable),

Unlucky Horseshoe

(WP:13, retrievable, causes

Jinxed

-effect; throwing weapon), Spider Leg (WP:8, doubled against flying enemies; spear; unsuitable), Noble Mask (Wearer gains gold equal to the number of enemies after each victorious battle; headwear), Counterstrike Gloves (handwear, after the wearer is struck by a Free Hit they counter with strength equal to their level)

Arthur Justus Regulus VII

Level 29 2/3 Mystic Knight

*Immune to

Fragile

and all

Poisons

*

*Only Receives One Negative Effect At A Time*

Power Bonus:

0

Health:

44/44

Ether:

29/34

Defense:

17

Gold:

413

Equipment:

Sir Roderick's Sword (WP:12, Longsword), Overkill Gloves (

Gives the wearer 1 gold for every point of damage they do extra when they defeat an enemy. (Example: Enemy has 50 HP left, you do 75 damage, you earn 25 gold.)

), Duke's Coat-of-Arms (Protects against

Fragile

and all

Poisons

, SP; 5, suitable for knights, dragoons, skirmishers and regulators; bodywear), Unicorn Helmet (SP:1; the wearer can only receive one negative effect at a time, with a new effect replacing the old one; usable by barbarians, knights, dragoons, infiltrators, regulators, skirmishers, and winged warriors; headwear), Arm Shield (SP: 12)

Inventory:

Weapons:

Sword of the Vampir (WP:17, user is

Jinxed

), Staff of the Cultist Battlemage (WP: 7,

50% chance of Fleeing upon being KO'd; suitable for Mages and Clerics

), Hollow Blade Dagger (WP:6, dagger, hollow-blade [smelling Salts]), Healing Staff (WP:5;

heals instead of damaging

), Duplovian Swift Halberd (WP:3,

stuns

on successful hits, Hollow (Empty) halberd)

Artifacts:

Lens of Speed Reading (

Accessory, Allows a scroll to be read in addition to a normal action. Suitable for scroll users

.

), Scarf of Misfortune (

Accessory, Wearer deals the

Jinxed

effect on every third round

), Shackles of War (

Accessory, Prevents anyone from fleeing battles

), Cloak of Deception (

Backwear, Free hits against the wearer have a 1/6 chance to be redirected to a random opponent

), Jester's Hat (

Headwear, Wearer may choose to gain one immunity from targeted enemy

), Stingy Gloves (

Handwear, wearable by everybody. Prevents enemies from ever stealing gold from you.

), Zap-Tap Badge (Artefact, Accessory. Has a 1/2 chance to deal

Electric

damage to an opponent who has dealt damage to a hero, equal to the hero's level.),

Gems:

Opal (

Ice

), Amethyst (

Darkness

), Topaz (

Lightning

), Diamond (

Light

), Garnet (

Earth

),

Tools:

Bedroll, Telescope, Shovel, Magnifying Glass, Pickaxe, Magic Compass

Scrolls:

2x Scroll of

Blindness

, Scroll of

Sealing

(

Lent to De'kra

), 2x Scroll of

Confusion

, Scroll of

Sleep

, Scroll of

Frailty

, Scroll of Armor Sundering (

Reduces target’s SP by 5 and has a 50/50 chance of success

), Scroll of

Poisoning

(

Grants target’s weapon the

Poisoned 10

effect for one battle at the cost of 5 ether

), Scroll of

Luck

(

Grants target the

Lucky

-effect for one battle. Costs 10 ether.

), Scroll of

Weakening

,

Consumables:

Grand Potion x10, Potion, Remedy x9, Elixir x4, Nostrum x4, Smelling Salts x2, Mead x4, Jinxy Juice x2, Ether Core, Noxious Venom (

When used on a weapon, the weapon deals the

Badly Poisoned

effect for the duration of the battle and the

Confused

effect for the next three rounds, for the duration of one battle.

), Zoot's Plaything, Chaotic Bomb (Causes 100 random elemental damage to all opponents), Tesla Bomb (

Deals 20

Lightnng

-elemental damage to all enemies when thrown. Can only be used once

), Tonic, Grand Tonic x8, Double Rainbow (

Causes the Encouraged- and

Lucky

-effects, but also the

Confused

- and

Poisoned

-effects

), Bright Polish, Ambrosia, Exterlate, Grating Stone, Smoke Bomb x5, Hurricane, Pumpkin Bomb (Causes stunned-, poisoned-, asleep-, blinded-, sealed- and confused-effects to all opponents when used.), 3 Bones, Mulled Wine

Monk Pretzel and His 99 Pieces

, the Super Sleuth

Level 26 1/3 Paladin

Power Bonus:

+5, (In the Front Row)

Defense:

27 (+5, in the Back Row)

Health:

47/47

Ether:

33/35

Gold:

361

Equipment:

Dual Staff (WP:8,

Ice

,

Lightning

,

Fire

,

Wind

,

Light

; dual strike; staff), Mythril Shield (SP:20), Strategist's Shako (+5 power while in the front row, +5 SP while in the back; headwear), Ethereal Cloak (SP:2, Max Ether +4; backwear), Heavy Armour (SP:5, Immune to Fragile)

Inventory:

The Muckraker (WP:13,

Earth

,

Water

,

Wood

; causes weakened; greatsword), Heavy Flail (WP:5, causes fragile; mace), Flying Cross (WP:6;

Darkness

; broomstick), Steak (WP: 1; instantly kills vampires on successful hits; suitable for all), Impervious Shield (SP: 5; grants immunity to Fire), Duplovian Helmet (SP: 2; Immune to Magic and Healing; headwear), Bumble Fanshirt (SP: 1; Vermin with level less than half of the wearers are scared and won't directly attack the wearer; bodywear), Soothing Slippers (meditation restores 5 ether; footwear), Magic Viper Skin (heals 1 health to wearer each round of battle unless knocked out; accessory), Shackles of War, Scroll of Sealing, Scroll of Blinding, 2 Potions, 5 Grand Potions, 5 Tonics, 2 Ether Cores, 6 Remedies, Neutralizer, Grand Elixir (Restores full health and ether to target and remedies all negative effects), 4 Phoenix Incenses, 2 Smelling Salts, 5 Venoms, 5 Deadly Venoms, 2 Paralyzing Venoms, 3 Smoke Bombs, Fire Bomb, Holy Bomb, Bedroll, Pickaxe, Magic Shovel (will always find something when used, limited to three uses per quest), Magnificent Magniscope (Magnifying Glass/Telescope), 7 Bones, Raw Meat (+5 max. health upon consumption), Ammit (Greatsword, WP 6, gains 5 Ether for each kill), Staff of Ennon - (WP: 5,

Light

-Elemental, Restores 2 ether on a roll of 2, 3, or 4), Healing Staff (WP:5;

heals instead of damaging

), Military Grade Fire Bomb

U'Voros (Controlled by Rumble Strike)

Level 11 Knight

Power Bonus: 0

Health: 20/20

Defense: 7

Gold: 37

Equipment: Dastan Spear (WP: 7), Fashionable Shield (SP: 7)

Inventory: Grand Potion

Loot

-Remedy

-Potion

-Grand Potion

-70 Gold

[Palathadric]

"Hmm...well, I don't know why the smoke and all, but they did seem honourable enough. Are you quite alright, princess?"

[Flipz]

"That. Was a terrible waste of two perfectly good consumables," he grumbles. He sighs and passes his Overkill Gloves to Tarn. "You'll make better use of 'em than me." He equips his Lens of Speed-Reading in their place, before passing his Cloak of Deception and Jester's Hat to U'Voros. "You look like you could use some more protection, my friend. You can hang on to these for a bit, if you'd like."

[Zepher]

"Hmm...well, I don't know why the smoke and all, but they did seem honourable enough. Are you quite alright, princess?"

"Of course I'm alright, my dear Monk. A little tomfoolery never hurt anyone, and clearly that's what that was." She shrugs and smiles. "They hardly put up a fight." She makes her way over to the two fallen soldiers and murmurs some words as she closes their eyes. "I will never understand the Gods outside of Dastan. They make mortals do such silly silly things. Now, shall we leave these hovels of yours and make our way forward?"

U'Voros accepts the cloak, but shakes his hands frantically when offered the Jester's Hat.

"I am not a fool, Arthur! Do not make me dress as a fool as I am not one! Humph!"

The heroes make their way back through the main gate, this time only getting a strange look from the guards there. As they near the ocean and the docks the wind begins to blow - cool, but refreshing.

"So tell me, heroes, what have you seen since I saw you last. Any great wonders? Any new lands?"

[Flipz]

"Well, Cronk and a few other Heroes you probably haven't met fought a fragment of Ennoc in Ennon, and of course we beat Wren, but not before having to defend Eubric from a load of rampaging Pongcanae, Chimaera Guards, Chaos Beasts, and demon cultists--and not without losses. Heavy ones. Good people died that day--because I was too stupid and weak to know my own path. Or maybe I was on the right path, and I just didn't know when to lay down and die when I should have." Arthur's face wrinkles, contorted with memories of rage and anguish. "Anyway, after that I spent a couple of Quests dealing with the Wolfgang as part of the Town Watch, before handling a diplomatic crisis in R'klif that ended in a pair of battles against a Dread Pirate and a horde of Pongcanis, and Mopag warlord who had gotten too stuck-up for his own good. Not much else to tell--I mean, I could prattle on about the details, my bad dreams, or even the weather, but folks tell me I talk too much as it is."

[Rumble Strike]

In distributing the loot,

Tarn gives the Remedy, Potion and 35 gold to Pretzel and the Grand Potion and 35 gold to Arthur. He also gives his Counterstrike Gloves to Pretzel.

"They were honourable fellows. It shoupd not have come to violence." Tarn said sorrowfully.

He then responded to Ella's question. "You know of my adventures, princess. In fact, you mentioned one in your letter. We had just failed to defeat the 108 Stars of Destiny and lost Jun Ji Pei in the process, but later we regrouped and rescued him. Both times we flew to Xu in an airship. You would have loved that, Ella. A truly amazing experience."

[Palathadric]

"A little tomfoolery never hurt anyone, and clearly that's what that was."

"I can't agree with you there. If you call this 'tomfoolery,' obviously a number of their party were hurt by it. One must always consider the consequences of ones actions, even if the original act is made only in jest."

"I will never understand the Gods outside of Dastan. They make mortals do such silly silly things."

"Gods stuck in Dastan are no gods at all," I retort. "God is not limited to borders and boundaries the way humans are. A 'god' thus constrained is merely a weak impostor. Also, it's not your place to judge whether what these men did was really silly or not. From their honourable ways, I believe they may likely have been trying to act in the best interests of mankind to the best of their ability. They may have made errors in their judgement and I pray to God they did, but who knows? Let's hope that this quest does not bring a problem on our hands."

[Zepher]

"Or maybe I was on the right path, and I just didn't know when to lay down and die when I should have."

"There is no right or wrong path for anyone, Arthur. Sometimes it takes seeing the future to know that. But most of the time it doesn't, so I'm not letting you off easy."

"They were honourable fellows. It shoupd not have come to violence." Tarn said sorrowfully.

He then responded to Ella's question. "You know of my adventures, princess. In fact, you mentioned one in your letter. We had just failed to defeat the 108 Stars of Destiny and lost Jun Ji Pei in the process, but later we regrouped and rescued him. Both times we flew to Xu in an airship. You would have loved that, Ella. A truly amazing experience."

"I see bits and pieces, but not all that happens. It is different in visions that seeing it with your eyes, and most certainly different than feeling it yourself. I hope to fly on a ship one day. Maybe you can find me one, Tarn." She laughs.

"I can't agree with you there. If you call this 'tomfoolery,' obviously a number of their party were hurt by it. One must always consider the consequences of ones actions, even if the original act is made only in jest."

"Gods stuck in Dastan are no gods at all," I retort. "God is not limited to borders and boundaries the way humans are. A 'god' thus constrained is merely a weak impostor. Also, it's not your place to judge whether what these men did was really silly or not. From their honourable ways, I believe they may likely have been trying to act in the best interests of mankind to the best of their ability. They may have made errors in their judgement and I pray to God they did, but who knows? Let's hope that this quest does not bring a problem on our hands."

"You're right," says Ella somberly. "It isn't right for me to jest at them. I sent them off as I would send off any warrior, because they were warriors however misguided. Those who attempt to block knowledge from others, however, must be stopped. How are we to learn from the past if we don't know it? How can we plan for the future?" Ella turns to Arthur. "I believe the Monk makes longer speeches than you, when allowed."

The heroes find themselves at the warehouses. They follow Ella as she makes her way down alleys. U'Voros hughs in a panic. Clearly this is a seedy part of town, but apparently Ella knows where she is going.

The heroes finally come to a door.

"Do you think we should knock?"

"No need." Ella throws open the door, and the heroes pile into a strange workshop. The creature within turns to them.

"Hello," says the creature, his voice strange and metallic, muffled by whatever he has on his face. "I am Doc Daneeka. Who are you?"

OoC: Flipz, to answer your previous question (not sure I ever did) this warehouse is not from 53... but is instead where the entirety of 39 took place.

[Flipz]

"Arthur Regulus VII, of Heroica, and these are my companions Tarn of Valco and Monk Pretzel, the Super Sleuth. Both also of Heroica. We are here escorting Princess Ella and her faithful guardian Master U'Voros on their mission." He extends a hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Doctor."

[Palathadric]

"There is no right or wrong path for anyone, Arthur. Sometimes it takes seeing the future to know that. But most of the time it doesn't, so I'm not letting you off easy."

"No right or wrong path?!? That borders on blasphemy! There are right and wrong paths just as there are right and wrong choices. The choices you choose determines the path you take. To say there are no right or wrong paths is to say there are no right or wrong choices."

"You're right," says Ella somberly. "It isn't right for me to jest at them. I sent them off as I would send off any warrior, because they were warriors however misguided. Those who attempt to block knowledge from others, however, must be stopped. How are we to learn from the past if we don't know it? How can we plan for the future?"

"Yes, I have to agree that knowledge of the past can be useful if we learn from it and from the mistakes made. However, most people tend to use the knowledge of the past to gain ideas of how to suck more power. That seems to be the way of most. Many times when past knowledge is forgotten it is for a reason. The heroes of the past destroyed the knowledge because they knew that it could amount to no good and could only corrupt any who would seek to gain it. That is another thing to be mindful of: the way that too much knowledge has a way of addling and well-nigh corrupting the mind. Simplicity can sometimes be more of a strength than a weakness surprisingly enough."

"Hello," says the creature, his voice strange and metallic, muffled by whatever he has on his face. "I am Doc Daneeka. Who are you?"

I place my hand on the Muckraker.

Whatever this being is, I don't like it.

I cast a glance at the others to see their reactions.

[Rumble Strike]

Tarn smiles at the Doc whilst Arthur introduces the party, noticing again Arthur's correct formatting of his name. "Princess Ella Septrine of Dastan believes you may be able to assist us in retrieving a lost artifact," he added.

[Palathadric]

"Princess Ella Septrine of Dastan believes you may be able to assist us in retrieving a lost artifact,"

I look on.

Edited January 29, 2014 by Palathadric

[Zepher]

"Arthur Regulus VII, of Heroica, and these are my companions Tarn of Valco and Monk Pretzel, the Super Sleuth. Both also of Heroica. We are here escorting Princess Ella and her faithful guardian Master U'Voros on their mission." He extends a hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Doctor."

"Hello Arthur, Tarn, and Monk. Welcome to my lab. I have had many interactions with Heroica in the past. Most of them have been pleasant. I hope that my interaction with you will be the same, but as I know you work for the highest bidder, I assure you also that I am capable of defending myself."

"No right or wrong path?!? That borders on blasphemy! There are right and wrong paths just as there are right and wrong choices. The choices you choose determines the path you take. To say there are no right or wrong paths is to say there are no right or wrong choices."

"Yes, I have to agree that knowledge of the past can be useful if we learn from it and from the mistakes made. However, most people tend to use the knowledge of the past to gain ideas of how to suck more power. That seems to be the way of most. Many times when past knowledge is forgotten it is for a reason. The heroes of the past destroyed the knowledge because they knew that it could amount to no good and could only corrupt any who would seek to gain it. That is another thing to be mindful of: the way that too much knowledge has a way of addling and well-nigh corrupting the mind. Simplicity can sometimes be more of a strength than a weakness surprisingly enough."

"You have a habit, Monk, of putting words in people's mouths and then attacking them for them. It's almost as if you're acting against yourself." Ella gives a shy but confident smile. "There is no right or wrong path for you to walk. There are still right or wrong actions. You must make them. I can tell you, because I have had visions that have manifested themselves in ways I never saw."

"As for the knowledge that was destroyed - what right did that person have? Is there anything such as good or bad knowledge? No. Knowledge is fact. And, if you'd use your ears instead of your mouth, you'd know that a storm sunk this knowledge. No righteous nor evil storm, just a storm." Ella glances over as Tarn mentions her name.

Tarn smiles at the Doc whilst Arthur introduces the party, noticing again Arthur's correct formatting of his name. "Princess Ella Septrine of Dastan believes you may be able to assist us in retrieving a lost artifact," he added.

"I answer to no Princess," says Daneeka, but Ella steps forward and gives him a warm smile. The Doctor remains unmoved.

"That invention of your's," says Ella, pointing to the machine that Doc Daneeka is tinkering with. "What does it do?"

"This is a UBA- a Underwater Breathing Apparatus." Doc Daneeka looks into the distance for a second. "I wonder why we use acronyms for all our creations when we must spend the time explaining them. Costs us more time than it saves." He glances at the heroes. "Its name should explain what it does. Harnessing ether and using a gem, it is able to create a bubble of air in the water directly below it. You may dive. See the floor of the oceans of Olegia."

"Do you think there may be a place we can allow the good Doctor to give it a test run?" Ella asks the heroes.

[Rumble Strike]

Tarn shrugged, at a loss to suggest anywhere that was private enough.

[Flipz]

Arthur coughs, realizing his diplomacy was needed. "Well...there is an old Dastanian legend of the Princess and the Warrior, whose book of knowledge accrued over their adventure together was lost at sea...perhaps if the princess could locate the position where their ship capsized, it would be a fantastic opportunity to test this new device--not to mention the wealth of lost knowledge that could be regained from recovering this journal."

He pauses. "Out of curiosity, does it have to be a particular type of gemstone, or will any sort do?"

[Palathadric]

"You have a habit, Monk, of putting words in people's mouths and then attacking them for them. It's almost as if you're acting against yourself."

"If your words are misinterpreted, perhaps it is because they were not clearly defined when stated."

"There is no right or wrong path for you to walk. There are still right or wrong actions. You must make them. I can tell you, because I have had visions that have manifested themselves in ways I never saw."

"Perhaps I fail to understand your definition of 'path.' I gather that you are saying actions are not correlated to paths, in which case, I must ask what a 'path' is to you?"

"If your words are misinterpreted, perhaps it is because they were not clearly defined when stated."

"As for the knowledge that was destroyed - what right did that person have? Is there anything such as good or bad knowledge? No. Knowledge is fact. And, if you'd use your ears instead of your mouth, you'd know that a storm sunk this knowledge. No righteous nor evil storm, just a storm." Ella glances over as Tarn mentions her name.

"He had no right, which is why we did not let him stand in our way. That does not prevent the possibility that he was right. There are many in the world who understand more, at least in certain areas, than me, you, or anyone else may. Just because we can see no harm in retrieving this history does not mean that someone else knows otherwise.

"As far as the storm is concerned, it occurred many, many years ago. How can you say with confidence that it is not an evil or righteous storm. God can use such things to His purpose and the demons can do so certainly as well. Who knows what we could be getting ourselves into..." I shudder.

[Zepher]

Sorry all, I've been a little sick all week but it finally built up all the tired I've been accumulating and whacked me with it.

"That is an old tale... but a good one. I remember the Prophetess and the Warrior from my childhood. Many years ago." Daneeka looks at his machine. "One of you will have to help me lift it. I am prepared to go test it. It runs on a Sapphire, as one might suspect."

[Flipz]

"I'd be happy to help you with it, though unfortunately I do not yet own a Sapphire. Do you know where we could go to acquire some?"

[Rumble Strike]

"Sorry Arthur, I think I should carry the equipment, it is my duty as party leader," he said, mainly to allw him to show off his strength to Ella. "I do not carry a Sapphire gem itself, but there is one embued into my battle axe, Helbaerend. Can you remove it, Doc Daneeka?"

OOC: Sorry to hear you are unwell, Zeph. Take all the time you need. As an aside, I am back from holiday now and should be able to have more input again. Thanks to Flipz for Party Leadering in my absence.

[Palathadric]

Hearing Tarn volunteer his battle axe, I hide my Dual Staff in my cart and pretend to search around a little.

"Hmm, no. No sapphire in here."

[Zepher]

"That is a kind offer. I would expect nothing less of a Hero of Heroica. However, it is unnecessary." The Doctor holds up a Sapphire. "I am not totally unprepared to use me own device."

"Splendid! Now all that's left is to secure a ship."

"I would offer Elba's services, but he is on the seas already."

"Not to fear. I think if we head down to the docks, everything will work out for the best. Let's go!"

The heroes step out of the lab with Doc and Tarn holding the device. They make it down only one alley before seeing a lost looking face looking at various closed doors.

"Ah! Heroes, I've been looking for you!" The man clears his throat uncomfortably. "My name is Henry Hinckwell- oh, hello Daneeka. I've got something to say to the heroes." The man stands staring at the heroes.

[Flipz]

Arthur, having been looking enviously over his shoulder at the technological marvel Tarn and Daneeka were carrying, is startled by the sudden appearance of Henry Hinckwell. Arthur instinctively draws Sir Roderick's Sword before realizing the new figure was not hostile and lowering the blade, though not returning it to his sheath. He casts an appraising eye over the elder man. "Hmm...apologies. You startled me." He casts a glance back to the other Heroes. "Is there something you require of us? We do have a journey to set out on."