>>6318088
Her pace slows as the mirth slowly drains from her face. “Just hope everyone turns out okay while we finish up here…”

An uncomfortable silence fills the room.

“Hey, Ant?”

Yea, Volk?

“I, uh….” She stammers, struggling to focus on her workout and the conversation, “Did… you hear how Mor negotiated for that bomb?”

You’re not really sure, to be honest–the way information is shared from other perspectives in this hackjob of a quest is nebulous at best… Why? What’d he offer? Your eyes widen in horror! H-he didn’t offer your COOL HAT, did he…!?

“No! No, never!” The Skog sputters! “He… well he mentioned something about ‘A Fresh Start’...”

You blink. Okay, cool, that isn’t your hat… what did he mean by that? The Skog shifts.

“I… think it has something ta’ do with when he first showed up at Volkir’s…” She answers, tackling each word like a stepping stone across a rushing river! “We were younger, of course, but while Ma introduced me ta’ pops, we just found Morook bleeding out in the alley one day… y’know, the one we practiced footwork in?

How could you forget? That bonus kicks ass!

“A-anyways,” Volka continues in a quiet tone, “I just wanted to say that… that Morook’s nice! And even if he DOES have a bunch of mysterious stuff in his past that he doesn’t talk about, I’ll vouch for him every step of the way!”

She looks over her shoulder at you again, but this time her face is flooding with determination! “He didn’t hesitate for a second ta’ help you when you first showed up, and he’s never done anything wrong to anyone! So please, Anton: please count on him… okay?”

The request takes you by surprise, of course–you’re not exactly sure what to make of Morook, but he hasn’t been a jerk to you yet! Still, the Skog seems to be taking it pretty seriously…

Of course, you answer with a nod, you’ll take her word for it. Volka beams in relief! “Thanks, Rook–I know it’s an odd request, but he’s my brother, y’know? And for what it’s worth, he’s never told me anything about his past either…”

You keep hearing Oti call him a ‘Dreg’, you say with a frown. Volka joins you. “That’s what they call Chytree that can’t use magic,” She explains in a low voice, “They’ve got worse words, but that’s the common one.”

So they can’t use magic? Why? A sound somewhere between an ‘uhhh’ and a squeak leaves the Skog’s lips. “ I don’t know much,” She begins, “But I think it’s something that you’re born with… and magic’s a big deal with Chytree, so… so it’d be like a Skog that…” Her expression sinks. “... that doesn’t like fighting…”

>CONTD.