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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on June 13, 2021 at 17:57

Not so fond memories began creeping to the front of his mind as the view around them changed. The further they went away from the city and towards the edges of Evermore, the more questionable their surroundings became. Dominic hadn't been to this side of town in a long time, but it had been a place he'd frequented often when he'd first came to the Eternal City. Being part of the Guard in the beginning wasn't a quick switch in his dubious behavior from what his life had become since leaving home and wandering the country. Somehow he'd been able to discover the seediest places of Evermore where a certain level of comfort found him. Reus had encouraged him to stay at the manor, but living in a place like that was so not his style. In fact, he'd been sleeping in his truck more often than not until he found his own slice of paradise in therian territory.

Once they arrived, Dom's eyes scanned the place. It was still a complete shithole. Not that he expected anything else. The last time he'd been here ended with him getting a black eye, but leaving the other two who attempted to rob him in far worse condition. He would rather deal with that again than having to be back in his truck with that skull. The more distance he put between him and it was a relief, even as they stepped into the bar where nearly every pair or eyes landed on them as they walked in. He knew they were going to draw the attention, after all, every single person in there was a therian and would know almost immediately that Liam was very much not. Dominic sighed out and knew this was probably going to end much like his last time here as he nodded to the bar in response to his fellow Guard. "I say we grab a drink."

Even as he sat in the stool, Dominic could still feel the gaze of the other patrons on his back. The bartender was a large man who stood in front of them, leaning forward onto the bar as he stared at them expectedly.  A large scar ran from the top of his head and over his eye which apparently had blinded him as the pigment had nearly gone while his other eye was a dull blue. The therian had the feeling they wouldn't be getting much out of him despite probably being the best person in here to get any information from. "Two of whatever bottled beer you have." Dom wasn't going to take a chance on anything coming from these taps first and foremost or giving anyone the opportunity to put something in their drinks. 

As the bartender popped the two caps off for them, he didn't seem to mind continuing staring at them for a few more moments to ensure they remained completely uncomfortable before finally walking away to help some of the others further down the bar. "Have to say I haven't missed this place," Dom said lowly under his breath before taking a long sip of the beer. His gaze casually moved about the place to see the other people inside until landing on a few of the younger therians that remained towards the back near the jukebox. The two they had encountered in the woods last night were also young and perhaps might be part of the same pack. If they could maybe catch one of them alone...

He turned back around to face the bar. "See that group over there by the jukebox? Thinking they may be our best bet. When one of them heads to the bathroom, we can have a private chat there." 

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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Liam Arbor on June 30, 2021 at 18:52

Liam hadn't had a lot of spare time to explore Evermore since he'd been here. Most of his time had been spent training, researching, or trying to keep his little sister out of trouble. He didn't have a lot of extra time these days to sit down and grab a beer. Bars had been one of his favorite places to study in college. He'd never been the friendly type, but the adrenaline rush that came from pledging to a fraternity had been interesting. It had helped him forget about all the troubles that he'd left behind at home. He accept Dom's offer of a beer and followed his mentor's gaze towards the jukebox in the darkest corner of the room. The two men who surrounded it were locked into a tense discussion. It was obvious to anyone reading the room that the pair had more than a little bit of bad blood. 

He took the cold drink and popped the cork, but waited to see what would happen before he drank any. He may have liked the occasional bottle, but he didn't so much fancy what it did to him. He tended to be a reckless person without the influence of alchohol and drinking on the job only made that instinct stronger. It was tempting, but he'd been trying lately to act less like a child. It seemed to really irritate others when he jumped head first into a situation without taking the time to guage the temperature of the waters. Luckily, the guards were patient; but, Liam didn't know how long it would be before that patience wore out. Sometimes, he felt like the burden of expectations was heavier than he could bear. It was frustrating. It made him understand why so many people spent their days and their nights in small, underground pubs. It was nice to hide sometimes. 

He leant closer to Dominic as the situation by the side door continued to heat up, but before he could say anything, the larger of the two men threw up his hands and walked out of view. There were more chambers in the back. Clearly, whatever had been said was not the end of the argument, but it just might be their chance to confront someone without getting stopped. The ambience of the entire place wasn't exactly friendly. "They seem to have reached an impasse." He said quietly. It did not seem like the best idea for the bartender to overhear them. "It looks like the older one had enough with his firend's reckless bull." 

Liam snickered. "I can't say that I blame him, but perhaps we should step in?" 

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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on July 27, 2021 at 22:03

Looking over his shoulder to the arguing men, he watched along with Liam as they dispersed towards the back. "How are your flirting skills?" Dominic asked with a bit of a mischievous grin as he stood without saying another word and nodding his head to follow. He put the beer to his lips again which was absolute shit causing him to make a face of disgust. Thinking he was going to get anything digestible from this place was his own fault, really. His expectations were entirely too high. The people that came here weren't exactly going to be paying to find themselves a decent beer. Or decent company. His company, however, was going to have to do another thing Guards needed some training on; Gathering information.

Dom leaned on the side of the jukebox and looked at the table of younger therians who he had a feeling would be the ones that could tell them something about the cult if they weren't part of it themselves. His eyes moved from the group and went to flipping through the different songs the player had to offer, speaking low to Liam. "We know they are taking people for sacrifices, right? Think you can present yourself as bait? There are more girls at that table than guys, so one of them is probably single. You might be able to talk your way into being an easy mark, especially once they realize your human." Dom pulled a quarter from the loose change in his pocket and slipped the coin into the machine, putting on the Rolling Stones. "They aren't gonna talk to me. One, I'm an outside therian and they seem to be a pack and two, I'm older. I'll head to the back room and see if one of those guys feels like talking." He gave Liam a hard pat on the back before walking off to do just that and not giving him the choice to argue it. Sometimes you just had to learn things in a crash course when the moment was presented. He turned back and mouthed a few words for a vote of confidence. "You got this."

The music began to fade out as he made his way to where the restrooms and a few separate rooms were in the bar. He slowly opened the doors and saw they were mostly used for storage, but then noticed one of the men heading outside through another door as the second went into the bathroom. Dom doubted they had any loyalty to the much younger therians out there and would possibly be willing to give him some of their own information. Questioning a man while he was using a urinal was never the right option, so Dom chose door number one.

Making his way outside, the therian noticed the man was pacing as he smoked on a cigarette like it was his source of oxygen. Dom could relate to that feeling well. Especially when there was a lot going on in his mind like it seemed his target's was too. "Got an extra?" he asked, hoping to maybe spark up an easy conversation, though it wouldn't surprise him if this man was just as unfriendly as the bartender was to strangers.

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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Liam Arbor on August 2, 2021 at 17:34

When it came to being a guard, Liam had some natural traits that made it easy to slip into the role. He was observant. Always had been. Ever since he was young, it had been easy to pick up pieces of conversation in a place like this. Part of that came from overhearing his mother and father get into so many arguments and the other was simple curiosity. It made him feel that he had a small advantage over others to know privileged information. Coming from a world where he’d faced many a disadvantage, this was comforting. However, his habit of listening behind doors had gotten him in trouble more than once. The last time it had lead to him waking up in a large mansion with a red headed girl passed out beside him. 

The other patrons of the bar were clearly not used to strangers. Nor were they thrilled by it. The looks on their faces varied from caution to contempt, although a few of the younger crowd simply seemed curious. Like him. Liam took a sip of the beer, noticing Dom’s disgust. If his mentor was anything, he was a connoisseur of fine alcoholic beverages. It tasted the same to him, but finery had never exactly been his area of special interest. 

A slow song played on the jukebox and Liam’s eyes wandered from his partner to some of the tables in the back of the room. A few of the younger people weren’t drinking, but instead were gathered around a pile of large books with mugs. One of them was quite pretty, but Dominic’s suggestion of flirting still shocked Liam enough that he sputtered. There was not yet any defined relationship with Kaelynn. Nothing was against the rules. He’d certainly picked up a woman in a bar before, but doing it for work seemed slightly outrageous. “Sure. Why the hell not?” 

The younger man stood from his barstool to stretch his legs. He didn’t hear the other half of the plan until he had turned. So as Dom proposed his idea, Liam shrugged. He had no trouble being the fall guy. It was only after thirty seconds of reccolexfion that he’d realized what he’d agreed to doing. His voice was low to conceal their conversation, as he turned back. “Are you serious? That is your plan? Have me butter up some stranger, follow them into a damp cave, and just wait?” 

His mouth contorted into an irked line. “I swear to God, Dom. If I get turned into human steak because of you…I will come back and haunt you as an incredibly annoying ghost.” 

Did ghosts exist? That was yet to be confirmed. Even with his frustration, Liam knew that the idea was solid. Taking down this ring was a critical part of keeping Evermore safe. Including his sister. He reached for his beer, taking a large swig before heading towards the table. If he was going to be kidnapped, at least he could do it with the numbness of alcohol distorting his discomfort. 

When it came down to it, who wanted to die on a dinner plate? 

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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on September 24, 2021 at 3:24

The man stopped pacing for a moment and eyed Dominic. The look of annoyance that came from him felt like a physical attack nearly, but then his features softened slightly. Perhaps the random company soothed whatever wild thoughts he seemed to have going on. He pulled the pack out of his pocket and held it out. Dom slid one of the few that were left out, reaching for the lighter in his pocket. Cigarettes were a habit he'd mostly kicked though the stress of the last couple of years had him sliding backwards in that regard. Frankly, most of his decision making hadn't been made up of great choices lately, but being on a mission he couldn't be stupid either. Especially when there was someone else that counted on him being the guide.

Dom lit the end of the cigarette and inhaled deeply. He couldn't deny how it instantly relaxed him. Blowing the smoke out, his gaze moved to the man who was now leaning against the building. "Thanks. Been a shit kinda week." Would small talk work? No, the stranger remained quiet, but he also didn't move away to not deal with frivolous words. He knew the look on the man's face. That look was one that had probably been on his a lot at one time. "What's her name?"

This seemed to surprise the other therian. At first Dominic thought he was still going to be ignored, but the man flicked the ash of his cigarette and looked away from him to stare ahead at nothing in particular. "Brian." 

The events that occurred inside moments ago began to play back in his mind as the two men were arguing. Man, had he been way off. The passion behind their arguing before the one stormed off to the bathroom was starting to make a little more sense with context. He hadn't really thought passed that familiar look when he recognized it. Dom didn't want to get too personal, so he lead the conversation as best as he could to get the information he was hoping for. "I don't recognize you guys from the Evermore pack. New in town?"

The man nodded and pulled from the cigarette, breathing out with a sigh. "Yeah. Not looking to really join one, but he wants to. I didn't want to come to this city to begin with."

"I know the feeling." The shift in his eyes was subtle and only for a few moments to show that he was an Omega. The clouded whiteness pooled over his normally hazel hues before dissipating just as fast. This might be just what he needed. "Not really my thing either. Hope you weren't thinking of joining with those kids in there."

"Fuck no." His answer was firm that paired with a look of near disdain. "Those pups are into weird shit. They sit at that table day in and day out looking through some magic books. Had some creepy ass skull with them at times too. Seems these younger generations don't heed to 'avoiding magic at all costs' speech from our parents anymore." A visible shiver went over the therian's shoulders and Dom recognized that feeling instantly. That skull made him squirm too.

Dom nodded in agreement. "Amen to that." He took a long drag of the cigarette that filled his lungs before tossing it in the weathered looking metal milk jug that was the communal ashtray for all those seeking some sort of refuge from the bar. Blowing the smoke through his nose, the familiar burn was comforting. "The Evermore Pack is a good one should you ever decide to budge. They don't expect much more than keeping out of trouble and they don't pry into personal lives."

"Why didn't you join then?" 

He stayed quiet for a moment. His gaze watched the dying embers of the cigarette flicker to nothingness and the wisps of smoke vanish. "That's a story for another day and a lot more alcohol. Thanks for the smoke. Hope things work out here in Evermore for you and yours. Place ain't so bad." Minus the psychotic cult that pops up every now and again.

Dom pulled open the door to head back inside, happy to have more confirmation that they were on the right track. Maybe Liam didn't have to play bait after all and they could just follow the therians when they finally left this shithole. As he stepped into the main room again, he noticed the group was now gone, including his fellow Guard. "Shit..." he murmured, looking around before just catching them outside of one of the dirty windows as they seemed to be heading to their cars. His pace quickened to hurry to the main door, wondering if Liam was with them.

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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Liam Arbor on June 30, 2022 at 0:44

It had not been Liam's idea to wander into the line of fire. In this case, it was actually literal. There was little risk that he would take a bullet wound to the head, but he was rather beginning to fear the idea that he was dinner for this rogue group of therianthropes. When he approached their table, the silver smoke from their cigars hung in the air. It could have been a trick of the light, but later he would have sworn that was the moment his eyes glazed over.  One of his best assets as a guard was his strong sense of instinct. After inhaling a puff of that smoke, Liam felt the burden of guardianship slip from his shoulders. What should it matter that he take one night off his job to get just a little twisted? The further he walked out the door with the rowdy group of patrons, the more inviting the idea became.  

It was only when a burlap bag was roughly thrown over his head that Liam realized what he'd gotten himself into. He was thrown into the back of a rusty pickup and it took every ounce of self control that he had to not fight back. Despite the psychedelics in his system, he managed to count the turns of the car. Left twice, right once, and straight ahead for a seemingly endless amount of time. Apart from the car hitting the rocks over the rough country road, there was nothing. No sounds of nature, or people, of anything. The secrets that he was attempting to infiltrate tonight were being very closely guarded. 

The truck rolled to a stop. Why was he always the one putting himself in such awful situations? Well, because Dom was in charge. He had earned his place and respect in the guard by completing missions like the one that Liam was currently undertaking. He stumbled along the path with the prodding of a sharp knife pointing at his spine. Well, at least if he were to die in this cave, there would be some sort of legacy that he left behind. Even if it was being barbequed. 

His wrists itched to undo the ropes which were tied there. It would have been easy; but easy was not smart. The other eight people in the room would quickly overpower him. The best thing was to play his part. To stay silent. 

So he waited. There were dull footsteps occasionally, and the crackling of a fire nearby. Another rope had been bound to his ankle to keep him from moving in a full circle. While he couldn't see, and could barely move, the young man did his best to continue gathering the layout of the cave in his mind. Afterall, he might have to force his way out of it. 

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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on July 19, 2022 at 2:28

Dominic watched as the other Guard was tossed into the trunk. "Leave you alone for five minutes..." he muttered and turned to be met with a double barrel shotgun to the face. His instinct reacted and he knocked the gun sideways just as it went off. The bartender apparently didn't need both eyes to try and shoot a hole clean through him. Dom swung, connecting his fist into the other therian who staggered backwards. He relieved him of the weapon, pumping it, and aimed at the man's now bloody face. "Unless you're looking to be blind or dead, I suggest you tell me what's going on."

The bartender spit on the dusty wooden floor at Dom's feet, his good eye on the gun before looking up after a few silent moments. "One of their old mans pays me to let them use the place. No questions asked."

"And where do they go when they're not here in your lovely establishment?" Dom could see the man he'd been talking to coming inside, no doubt from the sound of the gunshot. His partner remerged from the bathroom a moment later, both now watching the scene with the rest of the few lost souls in the bar.

The man scoffed and spit again. "How the fuck should I know?"

Dom placed the barrels of the gun directly on the man's one working eye. "They've been coming here for a while. You've been serving them and no doubt overheard some of the things they've been talking about. Take an educated guess." When a moment longer than Dominic had patience for passed, he turned the butt of the gun and jammed the man's nose in before placing the barrel back on his head.

Chewing his lip, the bartender's body slumped and Dom knew he was about to give up the information. "Out on the border by the prairies off route three. They talk about a farmhouse." The Guard immediately turned and walked out of the bar, keeping his newly liberated weapon. 

Hurrying to his truck, Dominic quickly climbed in and started the engine, peeling out and sending a dust cloud up into the air. He reached for his phone and dialed Liam's number which expectedly went straight to voicemail. "Shit." His boot pushed the gas pedal further as he sped down the mostly deserted highway. Not many traveled it given it was heading into farmlands and mostly the emptiness of Colorado's prairies. His focus had been so acute to getting to Liam, that the sudden ringing in his head caught him by surprise. The skull was calling out for his obedience which made him grunt in response. The more he resisted, the louder the ringing in his mind. He wasn't keen on bringing the skull back to the cult, but it could be the distraction he needed in order to get inside.  

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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Liam Arbor on August 16, 2022 at 8:29

As Liam was led down the dark, muddy halls of the cave he began to be aware that something was missing. His subconscious. For some reason, he felt suspiciously relaxed for being a human being tied up walking down a corridor towards an unknown location with known voracious, even cannibalistic creatures. He should have been alarmed. In fact, he should have been afraid. But, instead, the human found his shoulders relaxed and a soft whistle bouncing out of his lips as they continued deeper into the halls. Perhaps, there had been something in that cloth they had pressed up against his face. 

He could not care less. Indeed, not only was his mind riding down candy cane lane, but his limbs were also loose and trippy. Liam had grown up four inches taller than the rest of the kids in his classes, but this made him feel like a bit of a gangly loon around these buff magical men. If that was what they were. Was he dreaming? Had he gotten trapped in another stupid booby-trapped book inside the Ailwards library again? Ever since magic had entered his life, everything that had once been completely concrete in the young guard’s life was in constant flex. The only thing that had been stable was his relationship with his mentor. Granted, stable for Dominic meant a risky, but well-intended adventure into local cults, but it was still the most active hand of leadership that he’d experienced in his life since he was a young teen. Perhaps, that was the combination of laughing gas and a few sips of alcohol were truly bringing out Liam’s childish side. The tune he whistled was one planted deeply in his mind. 

Robin Hood and Little John, running through the forest
Jumping fences, dodging trees and trying to get away
Contemplating nothing but escape and finally making it
Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally, golly, what a day.

The band of wolves was beginning to be irritated with their jolly captive and Liam was shoved further down the path. He tripped. The sudden impact of his head and the lowering height of the cave’s ceiling gave him a brief moment of clarity. What was the one thing that Robin Hood had always taught him?  Leave a trace. If you got lost, mark a path.  
Liam put his hands up as he stood, signifying that he meant no harm. They had come to a crossroads underground. To the right there was the sound of water and to the left - the sound of a crackling fire. The first of the wolves began careening right. Liam left a subtle mark in the ground with his boot before being pushed down the path. Before he knew it, he had been drenched in an underground waterfall. The sudden burst of cold water caused another fraction of his awareness to return, but as it did — there was a sinking feeling in his chest. The water could be a problem. Therianthropes used scent to track and he had just been washed of almost all of his.  

The young man looked back over his shoulder at the darkness that was closing behind him and the flickering light ahead. Damn it! He surely hoped that danger was not as imminent as it felt, but as they crossed the border into the next room Liam found the source of the light from the path to the left. There was a great cooking fire with a spit hung over it. Before he could fully react, a muscular hand came behind his head and a white rag was pressed against his nose. There was only a short thought before the short, soft wave took the human down - if he didn’t die, he was going to roast Dom for the rest of eternity. Figuratively? Literally? 

That…didn’t…matter…now.

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Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on August 26, 2022 at 15:36

The ringing of the skull was now like a blade piercing the front of his head, penetrating his brain and every thought he had of free will. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles were nearly white and he had to take care not to break the thing off. The fight against the artifact was starting to turn into a losing battle. He was, after all, heading in the direction it wanted to go. It was the right thing to do.. or so it was telling him. Dominic shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to clear his thoughts, zeroing in on the real reason he was headed out to the farmhouse; to get Liam.

The dirt and rocks from the road shot out as he hard turned down the narrow path. It wasn't as hard as he was expecting it to be to find the place, given the skull was directing him. Nothing about that seemed like a good idea either. Grabbing the bag in one hand and the gun in the other, Dom looked to the farmhouse which was in serious decay. The paint job was peeling from every board and many of the shutters had fallen of the hinges. The roof looked half caved in and the foundation was assuredly rotting. Still, they could be keeping him inside, but as he took a few steps towards the house, the skull seemed to be pulling him into another direction. 

His eyes moved past the prairies and to the tree line that led through thicker woods. He didn't see anything, but he did hear the sound of water moving which had been the same kind of location they'd found the pack in before. With a grunt of hesitation, Dom turned and followed where the skull seemed to be taking him. At a cliff's edge, he could see the small waterfalls below that pooled into a lake. It didn't take his tracker sense to see the various sized footprints that led down the muddy path to the opening of a cave. 

"You smell that?" came a voice from inside. Dom pressed himself against the rocks as a kid stepped out who couldn't be much older than sixteen. He placed a finger to his lips before beckoning the teen to come forward without alerting whoever it was he had been talking to. 

"What is it?" the second voice came and then footfalls. A moment later and another teenager emerged who couldn't be much older. They both were met with the end of his gun.

The ringing from the skull seemed to have now caught both of their attention and they shared a glance between one another. Something changed within their expressions then as if they were willing to take their chances against the firearm to try and get the bag from Dominic. "Don't be stupid," he said to quell whatever silent plan seemed to be brewing in their young minds. "Where's my partner? Take me to him." There was no point in attempting to quietly go inside and not be discovered. It was impossible given he had the skull which would alert the therians inside as it called out to them. This would have to be an exchange which quite frankly, would not go in Dom's favor, he knew. Still, he had to get to Liam in any case and they would have to figure it out from there. 

Down the various paths they went. Dominic made note of every turn and could see where they had dragged Liam at points as his normal footprints changed to forcible ones. After a wall of cold water that completely drenched them, the therian looked out over the open space which was filled with more of the cult's members who didn't seem all that surprised at his presence even beyond the fact he had their precious skull. In the next room, the light made him squint given the darkness of the rest of the cave, and he saw it was a large fire. No, a spit, in fact. Given their track record of murdering humans, Dom was suddenly feeling all sorts of grossed out when two and two were being put together. 

His eyes immediately landed on Liam then. He was out cold and bound to the pole they planned on putting over the fire. The slow rising of the human's chest made him internally sigh in relief, knowing he wasn't dead. "I'm sure you can hear this fucking thing as loudly as I can right now, so I'll take my friend here and we'll make a trade. What do you say?" Dom's eyes moved about the room to the various members who remained silent and staring at him in ways that made him uncomfortable. The shotgun remained on one of the teen's while he nodded to the other one to start moving. "How about you go untie him and the three of us here will take a walk outside. Once we're free and clear, this one can scurry on back and do whatever the hell it is you all do." Maybe not letting them know they knew more about their actual purpose might be for the best. 

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