Lessons in Beetle Bashing

Eva lay on the soft, grassy hill near the golden fields of grain waving back and forth in the breeze. Even in her lightest tunic, beads of sweat formed across her brow, threatening to drip down her face. She lay there, pistol in hand, looking across the swaying waves of grain, waiting for any sign. A buzzing sound erupted from the fields as several large Beetles emerged above the grains.

"There's one!" Shouted one of the boys behind her. Eva closed one eye and tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth, squeezed out a couple of shots. Each bullet escaping the pistol with a sound comparable to lightening. The first shot clipped the legs off of one of the beetles, the next two missed, hitting nothing but clouds, and the last struck a beetle down but Eva could still hear it buzzing around in the field. She dropped her head in embarrassment and sighed.

"Bullocks! Well I'd say that's enough of shooting for today." Eva smiled warmly at the village children surrounding her. They all had been following her around Oakfield as soon as she stepped into town. Many of the children had heard stories of Heroes' adventures and vowed one day to become Heroes themselves. The boys carried around toy swords made from driftwood while the little girls begged to be saved from the monstrous trolls that roamed the land.

Most of the adult villagers were thankful that Heroes were emerging once more. They felt safe knowing someone's occupation in life was protecting the people of Albion. Other villagers still feared the power Heroes possessed; the super human Strength, exceptional marksmanship Skill, and especially the ability to use Will.

The young Guild Master tried to portray all that was good in a Hero to encourage any doubters to support Heroes once more. For some, it was a losing battle. So for now she made it a small quest of her own to be a role model for these, bright-eyed children following her around like ducklings. "All right then, Heroes-to-be," Eva swung her mace across her shoulders, "let's get a lesson in beetle bashing. Who thinks I can bash one all the way across this field?" A few hands shot up along with shouts of encouragement.

Eva walked into the field, children in tow, to find where the beetles had gathered. She caught a glimmer of the shiny black body and motioned for the children to stand back. Eva brought the head of her mace to ground level, swung up behind her, and followed through. A loud CRUNCH was followed by a beetle flying through the air in a large arch. She looked back at the looks of shock and admiration and smiled broadly. "Now to get rid of the rest of these things." Eva took her mace and smashed beetle left and right, she was like a whirlwind tearing through the farmer's fields.

She finished stomping the last beetle as the owner of the fields walked up behind the children. The farmer took of his hat and held his hand to his head in disbelief. "Well would you look at it. My fields are clear! And to think you ended up entertaining the children for an afternoon as well. I don't know how I could thank you enough, Sage." The children jumped around excited to tell their folks what they had just witnessed. Eva humbly shook her head. "You don't owe me anything sir, I'm always happy to help."

In a tree not far from the fields that Sage was protecting, Mystic stretched out lazily on a large branch. Having finished a first official quest, she was enjoying the battle-high by lounging in the shade, the leaves shadows playing across her face, her eyes closed. One leg hung down, and her equipment lay at the base of the tree. Here in Oakfield, there was no imminent danger of thieves or bandits coming to steal away her stuff. The only person to worry about was her brother. Unfortunately, she had left him unattended.

An unusually full bag of gold jangled at Hammer's hip as he came out from behind the bar, whistling nonchalantly. His weapons, too, were left with Mystic at the tree, but he didn't need those. He made sure to take big steps so the guards wouldn't suspect him as the person who slaughtered the game master behind the Sandgoose. He leaped over a fence, taking a shortcut through a field. A buzzing noise rang in his ear, and he narrowed his eyes, looking around. A large beetle flew right in front of his face, baring it incisors at him before a bullet came and pierced it's weak armor, sending it hurtling past his head. Blinking dumbly, Hammer looked to his right and saw Sage dismantling beetles to the delight of children. But, to his dismay, when she finished she accepted no gold from the farmer, not even any renown. Charity work. That made it less impressive. Never the less, he made his way through the field towards the Guildmaster.

"Oy! Sage! Ms. Bane!" he called out to her. He was clad in civilian clothes, even discarding of his gloves. He bore only a white tunic and brown traveler's pants, his black boots still slightly stained from the hobbe quest the day before. "That was some sharp shooting," he complimented gruffly. While he thought that Sage was far too merciful to those that were undeserving of power and life, he had to admire her strengths. She had control he still lacked.

[SUPGIRL]

Sage was waving goodbye to the farmer as he gathered the village children to take them home for dinner when she heard someone calling her name. She turned to see a beast of a man standing by the fence that surrounded the farmer's field. She bid the farmer and children adieu before jogging over to her fellow Hero. The young Guild master stood a whole foot shorter than Hammer but her Strength could rival his. His style of fighting depending mostly on smashing, which was limited to how hard he could hit something. Sage, on the other hand, used the momentum in a situation to her advantage. She had her fighting down to a science.

She wiped her brow with the edge of her tunic before greeting Hammer. His gruff compliment almost got her laughing out loud. "If you want to call that shooting! I might as well have been shooting with my eyes closed!" She had always been a hand to hand fighter ever since the day her father told her to choose a weapon on her tenth birthday. She kept a pistol at her side as a precaution, to get people's attention or just for show. Some villagers saw her mace and Strength Heroes as one of the more brutal Heroes to roam Albion. Her fierce golden eyes looked up at Hammer and suddenly widened. "Blast! Seems one of my stray bullets nicked you in the ear. Probably didn't feel it though, tough gent like yourself. I'm surprised I didn't shoot myself in the foot."

As she spoke she pulled him down by his tunic and cupped her other hand close to the bleeding ear. A green glow emitted from her hand as her Will power healed him. "It's good to see you though. I heard you and your sister joined that pirate on the Quest to destroy the Hobbe den in Rookridge." By 'heard' she meant her Guild Seal revealed the location of the three Heroes as they ventured through the Hobbe infested caves. She also sent out the gold reward and recorded their Quest in the Guild archives. "How did it go?"

Sage smiled at his awkward disposition. It was always the big ones who were misunderstood. As much brutality Hammer could leave in his wake, she still believed his heart was in the right place. She patted his arm encouragingly. "Ah you don't have to do that! I'll take your compliment. It warmed my heart. Thank you."

She finished healing up his ear in moments and let him get back up on his feet. Sage looked up him once again as he spoke. It was true that most of her work around Albion was without reward. She felt that her father would have wanted her to bring as much good into this broken land as she could. "Ah yes, money certainly isn't an issue for me." A shadow of sadness passed over her eyes as she spoke of the vast amount of gold she inherited from her father. She paused a moment, caught in the memory, then shook her head to clear her thoughts. "But um, all the gold that is distributed to Heroes for completing Quests doesn't all come out of pocket. Some of it is donated from the towns around Albion. They rely on the Guild to find Heroes to help keep their towns safe. I was just glad to have the gold to start paying Heroes, to rebuild the Guild." Sage walked passed Hammer towards the fence and leaned her slender yet robust frame, against it, looking out across the small farming town.

She sighed and closed her eyes, smiling to herself, breathing in the freshest air in all of Albion. This small community was the only town seemingly untouched by the evil and corrupt. It stood pure against the grime of Rookridge and Westcliffe. It was her haven.

Sage continued to look across the quiet community, watching the lamps being lit as dusk approached. Hammer made some sort of noise behind her, no doubt feeling awkward as thoughts of her past interrupted their conversation for only a moment. She was usually pretty good about keeping her emotions at bay. When it came to her father, it just happened to be a much touchier subject. It's never easy having a parent taken from you in such a harsh and hurtful way. Her father not only took care of her but lent his heart and compassion out to anyone who passed through the doors of the Guild.

"The people of Albion will always need our help, whether they want it or not. In order for Albion to continue to exist, we need to defend it or else it will be engulfed by the evil that's ever-growing."

After the Guild was destroyed and her father's disappearance, Sage had almost nothing. But she picked herself back up and vowed to rebuild the Guild, and find her father. She believed he was still alive even when those around her tried to tell her otherwise.

And part of rebuilding the Guild was to scour the land and bring all the Heroes back together. Sage knew Heroes still existed by way of her Guild Seal. All Heroes inherently carry some form of the seal which gave her an idea of where they were hiding. The simplest way to bring them out was to offer Quests that rewarded gold.

"One day we will have the respect of the people as the ancient Heroes once did." Sage turned around to face Hammer, now resting her elbows on the wooden fence. She watched Hammer as he spoke but out of the corner of her eye she saw a girl running swiftly towards them. That must be his sister, she thought to herself. "Celebrities, eh? That's up to the people to determine and some Heroes let it go to their heads. Making the rest of us look bad. Hah. Hey is that your sis-"

Mystic bust in with a flurry of words demanding to know what her big brother was up to. She finally stopped long enough to notice the Guild Master standing before her. The young Will user apologized profusely. Sage waved her hand aimlessly, dismissing any idea that Mystic had offended her. "No worries. Your brother and I have just been chatting and he's been showering me with compliments."

Sage stood back watching the brother and sister pair argue back and forth. The conversation became less innocent once Mystic discovered the bloody bag in Hammer's pocket and a scream echoed in the distance coming from the center of town. Both women instantly made the connection, Sage looking sorrowfully in the direction of the chaos and Mystic glaring at her brother. Mystic continued to interrogate her brother, Hammer trying to defend his heinous actions, and Sage trying to come up with a solution that would be right in her mind and yet not condemn Hammer.

Sage always believed to each his own, so even though she considered what Hammer did to be very wrong, he was his own being and should be able to conduct his life as he pleased. A Hero was a Hero, whether good or evil, pure or corrupt. Her role as Guild master was to provide shelter for the Heroes regardless of what path they chose. The death of the game master, no matter how crooked, brought out Sage's innermost compassion. That game master, probably a cheater and a liar, still had a family and life. She cherished and respected that aspect of all beings. Hammer clearly did not and Sage learned something new about this Hero.

The twins continued to bicker at one another until Sage held her hand up to silence them. She spoke, clearly but gravely "As Guild master it is not my place to judge your actions. The path you choose to become a great Hero is your own. But the predicament you are in now has left you at my mercy. The town guards will be looking for the one responsible for this murder and you, Hammer, will be a primary target." Sage knew that in this delicate time, the opinion of Heroes was still on the edge for most villagers. She wanted to prevent any negative exposure since the memory of the citizen burning of the Guild was still fresh in the minds of the people and Eva. "You must hand over the money to me."

Sage's concerned gaze turned into a fierce glare when Hammer refused to hand over the gold right away. Although she was a Hero who aimed towards the good, she was not always a gentle soul. She grabbed Hammer by the collar with her right hand, forced him down on his knees and grabbed the wrist holding the bag with her left hand, cramping his muscles and thus releasing the bag into Mystic's hands. Sage took the bag from Mystic, still holding onto his collar and not turning away from Hammer, her piercing eyes still fixed on his. A few moments passed by as Sage tried to decide what to say, if anything at all. She was fuming and her temper rising. She did not understand why any Hero would turn down the path of Evil. Was it really because it was so easy?

"I'm not quite sure what I can say. This probably will not go over well no matter how I handle things." She addressed this statement to Mystic, relaxing a bit. She looked down at the bag of gold, soiled with the Game Master's blood, sympathizing with what his family was experiencing. The feeling of sorrow pained her.

All Hammer had felt for the instant was excruciating pain shooting up his arm through his wrist, which Sage had so gently twisted, causing his fingers to lose control and weaken. This allowed Mystic to grab the back from him, to his dismay. Scowling, he said nothing, even as he was released. He rubbed his wrist, refusing to look at Sage and instead choosing to direct his silent rage at Mystic, who looked a little dismayed at Sage's lack of proper plan. Then again, she was a Guild Master. And anything she said, even if it was that the Game Master turned into a Balverine and attacked them, would be believed by the guards. "I'm sure we can think of something before they get here. The guards aren't quite bright."

Hammer rose to his feet once his collar was released, fixing his shirt as it was now ruffled and disoriented. "What if we told the guards he was a cheat?" he began, hand still tending to the sore wrist, starting to swell a little bit, "Like..he had been swindling the people of Oakfield, and was planning to swindle the owner of the Sandgoose? So he had to be stopped, and that's how it escelated?" Mystic stared at her brother for almost an entire minute, mouth open, jaw to the ground. For once, Hammer had a good idea. He wasn't the thinker of the pair but on occasions where he was at fault he could always come up with some excuse. Every time it baffled Mystic, though this was not the first time Hammer said wise words.

"Er, well, I suppose that would work," she said thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her finger. "Just, I don't know if they'll believe YOU of all people." While Hammer frowned, he knew his sister spoke the truth. He had a reputation of being untrustworthy, save for when he did quests. He was always honest when the end result was violence.

[ack, sorry it took so long. I could have sworn it said I was the last one that posted. the guild seal never changed colors!]

The sun had finally set below the rolling hills in the distance and the stars twinkled into existence, brightening the darkness enveloping the tiny town disrupted by the death of the Game Master. Eva watched as the local guard knocked on every door searching for the culprit. Eventually they would make their way across the field to see if the murderer decided to escape to the next town over. Her eyes remained fixed on Oakfield, it's picture perfect cottages and shops nestled in the valley, as Hammer shared an idea that could possibly work. They had be careful executing the plan. Eva knew some of these old farmers and bored soldiers liked nothing more than a spectacle. She turned back to the pair who were awaiting her input with baited breath. "Alright. That may work. We'll have to speak with the owner about the situation and to support us in our defense.

Eva motioned for the pair to follow her across the field and into town. The air was always sweet in the evenings as the aroma of evening tea boiled over the many fires in the cottages of Oakfield. The soft grass turned into a beaten path leading to the gravel road into town. As Eva predicted, the local guard were knocking on doors questioning the townsfolk. She turned to the twins and spoke. "Now you must listen to me. We're going to make our way to The Sandgoose. If we encounter any guards let me handle them. I urge you not to speak a word." Eva directed this last comment to her new large companion, accompanied with a glare. She may have been more harsh than usual but this was a delicate situation. Eva wanted to help these fledgling Heroes find their way but also needed to keep the respect of the people. It would not be easy letting a murderer go free with the exception that he is a Hero.

It was hard to hide Hammer. The fields, with their abundance of corn and wheat, were tall, but Hammer was taller. When he wasn't hunched over, you could see from his shoulders up, towering over the bobbling white that was Mystic's veiled head. While he wasn't wide, he was still a giant, and numerous times Mystic hissed at him and smacked him in the stomach, causing him to double over and lower himself in the field. The trio made their way quietly, Mystic easily weaving through the stalks while Hammer crashed through them like a clumsy elephant. "Honestly!" Mystic burst out, exasperated, "we might as well just let you go to jail, you're being such a pill." As Eva Bane dispersed her plan to the pair, Hammer raised his eyes up just slightly. As evening was settling in, the hard working farmers of the day were making their way to the Sandgoose. Not long, the village of Oakfield had been ravaged by hobbes, saved by a mysterious hero who had disappeared as soon as he had come. It had taken a few days for the place to build back up, but Hammer could just smell that tragedy was just around the corner for them again. As the home to the Temple of Light, he knew it would be. Whether he would be tagging along or not, though, he hadn't decided. He thumbed at the letter in his pocket, bearing his name in goat's blood, asking for his assistance. It wasn't signed, saying only to report to the Temple of Shadows.

Mystic tugged at Hammer's tunic, drawing him back to the reality. "Did you hear that? No talking. Just be the giant, dumb idiot you usually are." When he frowned at her, she gave a winning smile and tapped the side of his face. "Good boy." She turned and watched Eva appear into the street. Checking both sides and taking Hammer by the hand, Mystic stepped out, trying to be nonchalant, pulling Hammer behind her. The three had reappeared behind a weapons stall, the merchandise new, but so weak and poorly made she wouldn't be surprised if the merchant paid you to buy them. It wasn't even worth stealing, Hammer thought to himself dully. Mystic moved behind Eva, knowing that her garb, as opposed to Hammer's, made her stick out like a sore thumb. So it was no surprise...

"Halt!" the guard's voice barked out at Mystic, causing her to jump and release Hammer's hand. She turned to her left, eyeballing Eva. They were only a few feet from the Sandgoose. "I'm sorry to disturb you and your companion, miss," he began, his eyes shielded by the large hat on his head. The feather stuck out at an odd angle, large and red, as if compensating for something. His tunic was freshly cleaned, a dark blue and red, showing the man wasn't a man of action.This relaxed Mystic a bit. "But as you know, there's been a tragic murder in Oakfield this afternoon. We've searched all the homes and questioned all of the villagers, but I haven't seen your face before.." He had pulled out a long piece of parchment, and he followed the list of scratched out names with a pen. Mystic swallowed the lump in her throat. If Oakfield was small enough to have a list of villagers on one piece of parchment, they were done for.

Her eyes wandered to Eva's position, hopefully seeing that they had been stopped.

Eva let her hunting instincts kick in as she made her way down towards the village. She crouched low and stayed on her toes, making as little noise as possible, which wasn't too hard since the grass was as soft as angel's hair this time of year. She stayed close enough to the road to keep an eye on any approaching obstacles. As she closed in on the sleepy village, the knocking on doors from village guards became more and more audible. The crack of their knuckles on the hard surface split through the calmness of the air like a whip. Eva's focus never wavered as they neared the Sandgoose. The lights in the main floor remained lit, this was a good sign. There would still be a few people congregating and gossiping, it wouldn't be unusual for a few more weary travelers to join them.

Eva kept up her hurried pace, thinking the others would do the same and finally reached the back wall of the local inn. She slowly stood up and was about to share further instructions with the twins when she realized they were not with her. Her eyes widened in panic for a moment and she turned to see where they had been caught up. Merely a few feet away, a burly guard had stopped the pair and began referring to his list of locals. She caught Mystic's nervous glances and nodded to her encouragingly, letting the young Hero know she already had a plan.

Eva crept further away into the darkness behind the inn. The low murmur and occasional clink of pints against one another rumbled from within the Sandgoose. She straightened up as she neared the front of the inn before slipping inside.

Swallowing the lump that formed in her throat, watching the Guild Maser, nod, smile, and then promptly abandon them into the inn was not encouraging. Her eyes widened as Eva disappeared into the laughing hall of the Sandgoose. Already, she could hear Hammer's temper rising through his words.

"I've told you a dozen times, we've just moved in, we're not on the census yet!"

"Sir, there's no need to get angry. I just need to make sure-"

A hand flew, landing a punch to the guard's face. Mystic let out a yelp. "What in the bloody HELL, Hammer!" she cursed, hands flying to her face. Hammer jumped on top of the guard, still starstruck by the punch, and promptly began wailing on him, his face red with rage. As hard as Mystic tried, wrapping her arms around Hammer's bicep, she couldn't pull him off. Just as blood was beginning to be spilled, more guards were spotting trotting up the cobblestone path, swords ablaze.

"Shit," she cursed and turned on her heel, pushing past a homely farmer woman into the Sandgoose. She looked around frantically for Eva Bane, trying to spot her through the crowded farmers. "Eva?" she called out, as the angry voices of the guards were getting louder.

Inside the inn was warm and inviting. The locals had gathered here tonight to grab a few pints and gossip. The most common topic going around was who the murderer of the Game Master could be. Stories of the typical monsters, such as Hobbes, floated around but most of the citizens felt the deed was done by a human. Talk of Balverines was out of the question since those vicious creatures rarely targeted a single victim and would simply leave after killing them.

Eva nodded politely in greeting as she snaked her way to the bar. Few patrons took notice of her as they were totally engrossed in their conversations. A murder in Oakfield was the most exciting thing that could happen in the small town. She used this distraction to her advantage while catching the attention of the bar keep. She signaled for three pints of cold beers. The barkeep handed the glasses to her absentmindedly while listening intently to the latest theory to circulate the inn. Eva left a few pieces of gold for the speedy and hassle-free service before heading towards the entrance of the inn. There was no doubt in her mind the guard would be getting suspicious by now and the twins didn't have a strong alibi.

As she neared the door to the inn she heard yelling from outside and a few villagers raced passed her to see what all the commotion was about. A large crowd had already gathered around where Eva last spotted Hammer and Mystic. She pushed her way through the crowd, trying to get to them before the angry guards did. In the center of the riled crowd was Hammer, kneeling over a helpless guard, relentlessly beating him senseless. Pure fury lit up Eva's dark eyes. She could not compose herself any longer and reacted instantaneously. Still holding the pints full of beer, Eva took the glass in her right hand and cracked it over Hammer's head, hoping that would get the brute's attention.

The bobbing head of Eva was visible over the crowds, and Mystic heaved a sigh of relief. As she emerged she stared blankly. She had left the twins to get beers? Though, that wasn't of importance at the time, and getting Hammer to stop bludgeoning the guard was the number one priority. She turned, watching as Hammer laid another blow to the guard's face. It was all but destroyed now, hardly retaining any shape resembling a face. The nose was completely smashed in, and flopping to one side sadly. Even the bones that supported the eye sockets and cheeks had been broken. She was sure it was bruised purple and green, if blood hadn't been smeared all over the face. The dirt path beneath them was stained the dark burgundy. By the time Eva had arrived, cracking the glass over Hammer's head, the guard was completely limp.

Hammer fell to the side, the mug having shattered on his hard skull. Beer and blood dripped down the side of his head, though the blow merely knocked him out, clearly not enough to take out a Hero. Mystic looked on, noting that the guard was not moving. Had Hammer really just killed another man, this time in all the glory of an entire village to watch. For having an angry and excited shouting mob around them, there seemed to be no noise, only the piercing silence of what Hammer had done hanging over Mystic's head.

The guards immediately jumped to Hammer's unconscious body, struggling to life him as he was giant, and they were little. "Thank you, Ms. Bane," one guard huffed out, shifting Hammer's weight, hoping more was resting on his companion, "You've done a great deed here, helping to accost the Oakvale Murderer." Mystic couldn't help but roll her eyes. Not even twelve hours had passed and they gave him a name.