Boris was moving through the moonlit streets of this great city. Iroas. That’s what the people called it. However, the minotaur did not care. He finally had a target. Something to hunt! Something worthwhile in this mass of bricks and stones, populated by soft skins.

Alydrezea walked along beside him. Just as eager to get the job done and get out of the city. It was a wonderous place but, giant city walls always made this dark elf feel cramped and cornered. Still, it was real pretty, and the start still shined down on them. The odd couple was stopped by Grukk.

“Hey now. I’m as willing to kill to get out of this city as you are, but don’t you think we should plan a bit first?” The half-orc asked with a look of slight concern. “I mean, charging into enemy territory requires a plan.”

“Course Boris has a plan!” Spouted the druid, moving locks of unkempt, silvery white hair from her eyes. “Right, Boris?”

The minotaur nodded. “I do. Track them down and kill them quickly.” That comment, delivered with such assuredness from the barbarian earned a confident nod from Alydrezea, and a moment of pause from Grukk. It would be a bit risky, but it was also the fastest way to complete the job and get out. If they were out of the city, Grukk could perhaps find what the library talked about. He rubbed something within a small pouch on his belt.

“Yes, a wonderful plan. Charge in there like a buffalo and hope they stay and fight to the death.” Kara spoke up, having caught up to the lot of them. Annoyance glinted in her amber eyes. “These aren’t some wild animals out there. These are street thugs. When things look bad, they cut and run.”

“Cowards.” Boris grunted in disgust. “But I do love a chase.”

“A chase on foot would be a poor choice. If only I had a horse! Chasing them down on horseback would be exhilarating! Or if I were about ten feet taller…” Grukk spoke, drifting off in a light daydream.

Poor Ms. Marsh just rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Stuck with a bunch of morons...Okay! Listen up. Cities are my territory, so we’ll do this my way.” Her confidence shrunk back; the shadow of a large minotaur being cast over her.

“Are you telling me how to hunt my prey?” Boris growled. Moving back as Alydrezea got in between them.

“No Boris! We’re in a pack now. We have to work together, ya know! Like a pack!” Her voice drew the attention of Boris, who quietly looked from his dark elf companion, to the thief who still stood her ground.

And so, the brute moved away from the two ladies. “You said ‘pack’ twice.”

“Buut…she is right.” Kara began anew. “The druid and I can keep a look out for any who try to escape, or any incoming guard patrols.” She drew out a small map of the Ironian docs on a piece of scrap paper. Displaying a small group, with arrows showing where Boris and Grukk and the rest of them would be. With her own symbol over fifty feet off to one end of the port. “You two big fellas can take care of the fighting.”

Grukk was taken out of his daydream and looked over the makeshift battle map. “Right! Yes. But, what if we need backup?”

“I’ll send the dark elf ditz.” Kara said, pointing a thumb at Alydrezea.

“I am not a ditz!” Alydrezea protested with a pout. Boris lightly patted her on the head to keep her calm. His huge hand covering the whole scalp of the small drow. “And why don’t you come and help us out as well?”

Kara paused, clearing her throat as she thought a moment. “I just, I don’t feel like getting into a fight this late at night. I am rather tiered. And the ditz – sorry, drow. She can turn into animals, right? So, she can get there faster than I could.”

The two warriors gave each other a look and seemed to be convinced. The rogue sighed. “Wonderful. Lets get moving then! The docs are just on the other side of this fish market, following the east road.”

They split off into two teams, as per the plan. Kara down the north road, and Alydrezea down the south road. After a minute, Boris and Grukk could spy their targets. Maxie and about four others. All were crouched over the ground, throwing dice and gambling. Empty bottles of liquor littering the ground around them. They forked over coin and arguing over if the dice were loaded or not. They wore cheap clothing; some didn’t even have shoes. But all of them were armed with short swords and knives.

The one throwing the dice right now seemed clean shaved compared to the others. Bald man, human, wearing a bright feather cap and wore some nice leather armor. With a mace on his hip.

“That has to be Maxie.” Grukk said to Boris in a whisper from behind a stand full of mackerel and tuna. “Alright Boris, the best way to ambush an enemy camp is to-.”

Before Grukk could even finish, the minotaur burst from behind the fish stand and charged with a braying roar. Maxie’s crew had just enough time to look up before one of them was impaled on Boris’ left horn. His mighty caped buffalo head whipped around, sending the injured street rat to the ground five feet away! The half-orc fighter could only watch with wide eyes at the audacious attack. “Huh”. Was all his smooth baritone could muster.

“What in the Hells?” “He got Tommy!” The other shouted in confusion. “Well don’t just stand there like some dead fish! Kill ‘em! We’ll have beef for dinner!” Maxie yelled. Rallied by their leader, the remaining three began to crowd raging minotaur. Surrounding him.

Grukk couldn’t react in time, and two bandits took swings at Boris with their blades! One of them caught the barbarian in the back, slicing across his shoulders. The one on his left saw a glancing blow, just missing their huge adversary. Maxie stayed behind, quickly shoving his gambling winnings in his pockets.

Finally Grukk had caught up, unsheathing his longsword from its place in his belt and quickly slashed at the scumbag that was behind his new comrade in arms, taking off the bandit’s left hand. Just in time to hear a grunt of pain from the enraged minotaur. Blood splattered the stone paths of the port as the gambler in front of Boris had caught him across the chest. But the minotaur was still standing.

Enraged, Boris flung aside caution, attacking the one before him with reckless abandon! He swung his crude iron glaive with such force that it sliced the poor bastard before him in half, just above the waist.

Grukk stood in stunned silence, coming back to reality just in time to deflect a blow from his own opponent with his shield. The sound of metal against metal rang out in the night streets.

Maxie’s face grew worried. He jumped into battle, attacking the wounded minotaur with a swing from his heavy mace! It caught Boris in the side of his face, sending some blood from his mouth splattering onto the street! But Boris wasn’t down yet, he just turned his bestial fury in the direction of Maxie.

Grukk was quick to take advantage. With a swift slash to the side, he finished off the bandit in front of him and moved towards Boris’ side, flanking Maxie. With a rush of adrenaline, the half-orc got in a quick blow to the last of Maxie’s men.

The gambler looked around, glanced behind him, and turned to run away. Bad idea, as he turned his back on the battle Boris shoved his glaive through the man’s abdomen! The man dropped dead on the docs.

Not too far away, Kara was positioned in a narrow alleyway. Laying in ambush, nervously moving a copper coin through her fingers. “They sure do make a lot of noise.” She ducked into her hiding place, hearing distance voices approach. Peaking past the corner of the alley she spied two figures lit by torchlight. Clad in the armor of the city guard. “Crap.” She ducked down the alley, and quickly vanished into the night.

On the other side of the docs, Boris and Grukk were chasing after Maxie. He may not have been the best fighter, but that bastard was a tricky one. After throwing down a smoke-bomb to cover his escape he was fleeing down the docs. But luck was not on his side, and he ran right into the jaws of black panther. It pounced on the poor fool from the balcony of nearby building, clenching jaws around his throat and ending him! Grukk was ready to fight this beast but stopped as it calmly walked towards Boris and licked his hand.

“Nice work, Drezea.” The wounded minotaur congratulated her.

Grukk was a bit confused but quickly remembered, “Right. Druid.” He put away his blade. “Well, job is done.” He picked Maxie’s gambling pouch. It had some coin in it, but there was no time to count as Kara came running from further down the alley.

“Hurry up! Guards will be here any minute!” She took off running before the others could respond. And so, bruised but victorious, the group followed their shifty coordinator back to the Candied Apple. Kara slamed opened the doors so fast that Alydrezea almost didn't drop her wild shape in time. "Joshua!" She stormed up to the bar. "Where is Joshua?!"

The barkeep was a bit startled. "U-upstairs. He's expecting you. fourth room on the right."

Kara quickly stormed off upstairs. The rest of them sat at the bar, spending some of the copper they got off of Maxie and his men on a round of drinks. Kara, wasn't in a drinking mood. She wanted her business deal done. He knocked on the door with a heavy hand. "Joshua! Job's done!"

From within the room, the sound of three voices cluttered about. Wooden floor creaking. Footsteps, till the man in question opened the door. he was wearing a towel around his waist. "You lot work fast. I wasn't even done yet."

The amber-skinned thief had to stop from verbally gagging. "Just keep up your end, you little pig."

"Easy now, Kara. No need to talk to a friend like that. You saved me an awful lot of trouble, and you'll get what I promised you. Tomorrow. By then, everything will be in place. Until then, I rented out two rooms for you and your friends. Pleasure doing business with you. No don't bother me again until morning." Joshua slammed his door shut and locked it.

Kara could only let out a frustrated sigh, and head back to the bar. "Kara!" The thief found herself in an embrace from her druid companion. "We did it! Our first quest!"

"Doing wet work for rich perverts is not a quest." Kara protested. "did they have anything useful on them?"

"Only some coin. 35 and 21 silver." Grukk answered from a barstool. "Which brings us to 10 gold, 21 silver and 35 copper".

Que another Kara groan, she spied boris had two empty mugs by him, and was chugging a third. "Or make that nothing if this one doesn't slow down. Three is your limit, buffalo butt." Boris set his mug down, and glanced at Kara.

"I don't take orders from the one person here who did not fight." The minotaur growled in annoyance.

"Oh, bite me." The theif quipped, much to Alydrezea's concern.

"Uh, Kara? Don't say that...he might take it literally." But the minotaur had turned his attention back to his cups. "Besides, Boris can drink for me!"

"Not the drinking type, druid?" Kara asked, curiously.

"No, I'll drink. But not here." The drow's eyes narrowed in suspicion, darting around the interrior of the brothel. "I have to keep Boris safe from all these girls." Her voice low and serious, as if it were a super important mission. Kara simply chuckled at the protective display. It gave her questions she didn't want answered right now. Setting aside some copper and silver for food and a drink of her own, the thief was quick to eat and head off to bed. She was joined in short order by Grukk.
"Good evening, Ms. Marsh." The half-orc said in a polite manner.
"Drop the proper solider act." The thief responded. She slept in her armor. "What, no boys and girls seperation?"
"I would have liked that...but Alydrezea refused to leave Boris' side. And the minotaur he...well..." The half-orc fidgited as he placed his weapons on the floor. Kara laughed as he put two and two together. "Aww, afraid of the big bad bull?"
"You didn't see him fight." Grukk retorted in short order, laying on the bed. "It was brutal."

 The pickpocket just rolled her eyes. "Not taking your armor off?" The woman asked, looking for more info on this new companion of hers.
"Solider rule number 3, always wear your armor when in unsecure territory. You never know when the enemy will strike." Grukk said, laying on his side, his back towards Kara on the large but cheaply made bed. She could see, he had a notebook in his hands.
She became quiet. "Right." She waited until Grukk was asleep before closing her own eyes and drifting off.

Meanwhile, in the next room, Alydrezea pouted. "These rooms have no windows. I can't see the stars!"
Boris licked the blood off of his glaive, then wiped it with a rag. "Sleep. There will be stars tomorrow." Boris lay his large frame on the bed, resting to let his wounds heal. He felt a shift, as his drow friend lay her back upon his front, like he was a bed. The scene was by no means romantic, not even in a place like the Candied Apple. It was more akin to little sister goofing off with a big brother. "Goodnight Boris"!
Boris picked Alydrezea up by her clothing, moved her off of him, and dropped her onto the other part of the large bed with a soft thump. "Goodnight", he grunted out, quickly falling asleep.