Ragnar was standing in line, hoping to get some of this food from this hot meat stand. He had only been here a short time and had no idea what the man was selling but if these many people were lining up for it there must be something to it right. Once he managed to get to the front, the man was one of the few people to not give Ragnar a look of fear as he asked for his order. Ragnar gave his order and it was handed to him on a paper plate at which point Ragnar left and turned towards the park.

Opening the front part of his helmet so he could eat, he quickly finished his meal before throwing his food into a trashcan. He finished his food before he got to the park, and his mind went dark there as he went to go look for a park bench. His mind thought about how the guy he talked to back in Oak lied to him about the jobs that were here in Marigold, but there was no job for someone like him. This seems to give him more of an aura of anger around him than normal, as people gave him a very wide birth as he went down until he found a park bench that he figured could hold his weight of him and his armor, though it clearly wasn't designed to hold a man of Ragnar's size with full heavy armor on it did hold.

Ragnar pulled the ax off his back and placed it on his lap as he pulled a cloth out of his pack and started to clean it, he didn't really even think about where he was as people around him started to panic slightly more.

It was a bright Spring day in Marigold, with chilly winds to contrast against the burning sun above, bringing the world into a nice neutral ground of hot and cold. It was on such a day that Tomoe was on a simple patrol of the city, watching out for any threats and on guard for any attacks. He had all of his gear on him in case something serious would crop up, but throughout the day so far nothing had stuck out as odd to him. That was, of course, until he arrived at a nearby park that he observed many people briskly walking away from in concern. Was it an attack from a malicious dark guild, starting their deadly killing spree? An exhibitionist? Protesters? It was the red warrior's duty to find out; and find out he did, as after minutes of walking, he found what he knew on sight to be the source of it.

There was a giant man sitting down on a strained bench, minding his own business in armor and with a large axe. People were notably put off by the behemoth though, and were gradually fleeing the scene one after one.

What the fuck?, Tomoe thought, lamenting the fact that he always had to interact with the strange ones all the time.

Dressed in crimson armor from head to toe and with a black cloak obscuring the hammer hooked on his right hip underneath and revealing the handle of a golden blade sheathed on his back, the Joyan approached. With a concerned look on the outside, resigned to his job on the inside, he stopped two meters away from the armored man before proceeding to speak.

"Uh. Hey there, bud. You need somethin'? Ya seem a bit lost there.", Tomoe stated plainly, keeping his eyes trained on the man in case he would try something but remaining optimistic that maybe he wouldn't need to break out into a fight right off the bat.

"And as you might well already realize, you're scarin' off the rest of the folks tryin' to enjoy their day."

Ragnar was enjoying thinking to himself as he polished his weapon of war, so much so that he had not noticed the people leaving the park around him as he wondered about his life and if he should continue trying to be a 'bad' guy or if he should try and maybe try being a 'good' guy. " Being a good guy kinda sucks though I would imagine... there aren't any really strong good guys that I could think of... maybe that guild master guy that lives in this town but who knows who the hell he is or where I can find him. "

He managed to come out of his thoughts at someone speaking to him, as he turned to look at him, the metal of his helmet scraping against the armor slightly making a soft whine. Ragnar looked at the.. boy. no man. that was in front of him as he looked him over quickly. He was nearly a foot shorter then Ragnar, which wasn't saying much as more then often everyone is shorter then Ragnar. His clothes were bright and very loose-fitting, with a black cloak covering what was most likely a weapon if not for the hilt of a blade Ragnar could easily see on his back. The armor he wore clearly was aiming for more agility and speed over protection like Ragnar and his mass had.

Another thing that set him apart was his hair, a bright crimson along with his oddly colored eyes. Ragnar looked him over for a moment before his brain started to put a face to something, but he couldn't be fully sure. This man might be the Guildmaster of the Penumbral Guard, a guild located in this city and was known for it's bounty hunting abilities.

If this man was the guild master, then Ragnar was not stupid enough to think he could win in a fight against him, even if it was unlikely he would intentionally kill Ragnar it is possible he could accidentally do it. Ragnar listened to the man for a moment, as his head turned around to look at his surroundings, the metal making the same sound as before as he looked back at Tomoe.

Taking his ax he lifted it up and slammed it, blade first, into the dirt next to him as he stood up to his full height and walked over to the man. Ragnar towered over him by nearly a foot and most likely doubled his weight without the armor, but Ragnar was not really fooled. If he was who Ragnar thinks he was, he would most likely be able to kill Ragnar before he could blink.

Ragnar reached out his hand and said simply " My name is Ragnar Asegir, what is your name? " He said in a very thick Icebergian accent.

Tomoe stood unflinching as the giant of a man slammed his axe into the ground and approached. He thought to himself that he had seen these types before - the ones who got what they wanted with their size advantage and physicality. Growing up on the streets of Joya, Tomoe had seen many of that same type all his life: people who thrived on the idea that they were the strongest, untouchable, and that nothing could drag them down from their position of power. While the warrior couldn't claim to hate the approach as it made sense to him, it was not one that would spark fear in him anymore. Still, he wasn't a fool, and remained on guard in case the giant could back up his own brimming confidence with action.

It was unfortunate to Tomoe, though, that his height and appearance had changed so drastically in the past year. It was enough of a difference for him to appear much younger than he really was, and at times it would prove annoying. Being treated like a child by some who he was the same age as or older was never fun to him, and made it harder to woo the ladies in the process. The Joyan was never one to turn down a challenge, but it was also a tough hand he had been dealt with such drastic changes.

"I'm Tomoe. Listen, man, I just gotta say that you need to be a bit more mindful of your surroundings. You've got people scared and evacuating the area, y'know? Try to be a bit more mindful of those types of things.", Tomoe spoke, not accepting the man's handshake but instead lecturing him on the importance of appearance.

The man looked like a death knight, in all truth; something spoken of in horror stories as a spectral warrior who brought disaster. Tomoe couldn't help but mentally make the comparison even if he knew those types of things were in the imaginations of famous writers and storytellers.

"And that bench. Look at that thing. You know who has to pay for repairs on that kinda stuff? The city. The city does. And I can assure you that the city's budget is stretched pretty thin as it is. It's nice that I didn't walk up here to see some poor mother gettin' beheaded or somethin', but no offense meant, that's the sort of vibe you give off.", Tomoe finished, pointing at the bench and then gesturing at the man's overwhelmingly heavy and bulky armor and intimidating greataxe.

Tomoe wasn't the type to care about what people thought of him, particularly after he's said what he really means to say. He was almost fully expecting a fight to break out right then and there, but he would let the other man make the first move if that were to occur; it was, after all, bad for publicity if the 'guild master' of Penumbral Guard was seen attacking some random person in public no matter how suspicious they were. Self-defense was the great equalizer in this new world of public image, and such was the crutch that a warrior like Tomoe relied on.

Ragnar was not surprised when the smaller man did not react to him approaching, he knew the man was a fighter and one that would not be scared of someone like him no matter how scary he might look. He was surprised when the man did not take his hand and instead started to lecture him. Ragnar put his hand down at his waist as he listened to what the man had to say.

He looked back at the bench when he said it was bent, and then looked around at the people around him. They seem to know instantly who the boy was, which was to be expected and they seemed less worried about the 'death knight' looking man now that the guild master of the Penumbral Guard was here. After he heard what Tomoe had to say, he waited for a couple of moments before a noise came out of Ragnar that had not come out of him since he left home.

A laugh.

Ragnar's laugh sounded like thunder rolling, but it also had a level of joy of a man who knew what it was like to have a good time. Inside that laugh though seemed to be a slightly darker tone to it, as if he was laughing at seeing a city being burned to the ground. This seemed to put people off around him as it appeared that the man was not intimidated by the Guild Master before Ragnar turned his back on the boy and walked to his axe and pulled it out of the ground.

He then turned around and walked back towards the guild master, the axe in one of his hands though he could not wield it one-handed effectively in combat, Tomoe could most likely see that based on how he held it in his hands. He then stood much closer to the Guild Master, close enough that he could smell Ragnar and see the cracks and dents in his brass and red armor. Placing the top of the axe against the ground and the hilt on his chest, he knelt down onto one knee so that he could look the man in the eyes as he said his words to him. The hilt of his axe was now at his shoulder at this point, making it basically impossible for him to grab the axe in a fight if he wanted too, less so because he was way to close to the Guildmaster to be able to react if a fight did happen.

Ragnar smelled surprisingly clean for a man who wore his armor everywhere he went, but there was a smell of copper and metals that was under that the wind seemed to carry off his armor, Tomoe would instantly know the smell of as a warrior. It was the smell of blood, and it ranged from the smell of new blood to the old dried blood that came off Ragnar's entire body. This could be from his armor or it could be from him as a person but it was now very close and in his face now. It wasn't quite enough to make anyone gag but it was odd that he smelled like this but also very clean at the same time.

Ragnar's brown eyes stared into Tomoe's as he said as clearly as possible " I am not sure who you think I am Tomoe, Guild Master of the Penumbral Guard but let me explain this to you. I do not give a damn what the people of this city feel or think, even less what they think or feel about me. The weakness of these citizens is the only reason they fear me, and their weakness is their problem, not mine. You did not fear me, and you are the only person in this city to show some level of spine and that is to be expected of a Guild Master of Bounty Hunters."

" As for the bench if the city can not afford to fix a single bench in this park then they should not be running this city. Even Oak, a city filled with some of the vilest people and criminals I have ever seen is capable of handling this so I assume your city could deal with it as well. The next question is simply, how stupid do you think a person has to be to decide to go and start killing people in a public park in the same city that a well-known bounty hunter guild is located? A place where the Guild Master of said guild could be walking around, fully armed and armored in fact. So, how about you give me the kindness I gave you and not judged the book by the first page of it. "

Ragnar then stood up from his kneeling spot, the handle of his ax staying where it was but once he rose to full height it was resting at his waist before he said down at the man. He then turned around, grabbing the hilt of the ax behind his back as he went back to his bench and sat down before going back to cleaning his ax with the rag from his waist pouch.

As Ragnar approached with his axe in one hand, Tomoe was half-expecting a fight to break out once he got close enough; however, due to the man's clumsy wielding of it in a single hand, the Joyan also knew better. Such an action was not the kind that would be made with the intent of swinging it, but rather to make a point of some kind. As such, the crimson cutthroat would allow the man to approach as he did, confident that if necessary his fists would be enough to break through the rusted armor that the behemoth wore.

The giant smelled of a mixture of blood and rust while also somehow giving off a more pleasant aroma. It was odd to Tomoe, but he could understand the feeling of wanting to surpass one's own barbarism to still maintain a healthy level of hygiene. The life of a warrior wasn't always all that it was cracked up to be, compared to life as a mage.

"Oh hey, welcome to my personal space.", Tomoe muttered as the giant closed in on him, wondering how many flags would need to be raised before a true fight would break out.

The man went off as he would, making statements about weakness and strength that Tomoe could agree with all too easily. He nodded his head as the man made his points, but waiting for him to finish before making a vocal response of his own.

"You've got a bit of sense to ya. Though I wouldn't go around callin' people weak just because they can't get down for a fight. Strength comes in all kinds of ways, it's strength of character that's most important to have. Weakness ain't so cut and dry as to be purely related to battle.", Tomoe responded after Ragnar had concluded, crossing his arms with a knowing look as if this wasn't the first time he had engaged in such a conversation.

"But fine. What's your story, then? You ain't a part of Penumbral Guard, but you're definitely not a regular civilian. Another warrior lookin' to get his share of the loot, maybe?", Tomoe questioned plainly, shrugging his shoulders as he wondered at what someone unrelated to his guild and not a resident would be doing in Marigold of all places.

Ragnar sat back down on the bench as he listened to the man, at which point he laughed to himself as he heard is reasons why strength doesn't matter. The only thing that allows the people of this city to not having to fight and be warriors is because they have a guild filled with warriors who are willing to fight for them. Without those people, they would all be dead, and Ragnar knew that as well as anyone. Then he heard the guild master as him a question and that made him stop cleaning his ax as he thought about his answer for a moment.

Why was he here? He was here to find work, but that seemed like a very odd reason to come all this way, but Ragnar guessed he should start from the beginning. " My Clan back in Icebergia is gone, everyone had to split up due to fighting other clans and we didn't have enough people to survive another winter so to allow the clan to have a chance to live we all left. First I ended up in Oak, doing some work in there to make some money and get stronger, only to run out of jobs there and I was told this place would be where there would be jobs. That asshole lied to me because there doesn't appear to be any jobs like the ones I am used to, yesterday I had to help some young women escape a castle or something. Either way, I have no interest in looting this place, just to get stronger and then leave to go to the next city and do the next until I am strong enough to go back home and rebuild my clan though that would require me to most likely be able to defeat entire clans by myself. "

Tomoe's expression perked up when the man mentioned looting, him mentioning it so casually as for it to be a regular thing for him. The Joyan thought that if it came to it, he probably would need to watch this man more carefully in the future and step in if he did indeed become a problem. Looting wasn't the worst offence ever - Tomoe had even engaged in such activities in the past - but it wouldn't happen on his streets, that much he was confident of. Things nevertheless sounded rough over in Iceberg, and he would have no desire to venture into a place that, quite frankly, sounded like another world from Fiore or Joya. Nevertheless, the warrior nodded in acknowledgement once the giant had concluded his explanation.

"Sounds like a hell of a goal. Gotta ask, though: what's strength mean to you? Is it just how hard ya can hit a guy, or is there more to it?", Tomoe inquired, raising a hand to his chin in thought.

While Tomoe couldn't claim to be the philosophical type, he could attempt to be for the sake of seeing where it would take things. He did always like adding a new flavor to things, including discussions.

"To me it sounds like there might be more to it than something simply for the good of your clan. Everybody's got their own personal shit to run after. Whaddya got that you personally want to accomplish, eh? There has to be something.", the Joyan finished, crossing his arms as he looked with an interrogating stare at the man, not convinced that he had an entirely selfless goal of reclaiming his clan's glory.

Ragnar thought about this for a moment as he looked up at the sky. He had his own plans and ideas, but he wasn't about to tell this stranger in a park, more so because of his goals required a lot of blood to be spilled and for the pacts to be made with various things to get closer to ascension.

" Well going back to your first question, how hard you can hit a guy is the first part of someone who is strong and in some ways the most important. If you are strong in combat, physically or magically doesn't really matter, but with that strength, it can be used to protect what you hold dear most. Take this city, for example, say someone like me decided that I was going to use my strength to take what I wanted from anyone and everyone at some point in order to stop me from doing that you would have to be able to beat and restrain me to make me stop. "

Ragnar hadn't thought it about this very much so was just speaking mostly off the top of his head but he knew what he was saying to be the truth at least to him. " Then at some point, the strength of your character comes into effect, once you are strong enough to impose your will on others, that will bring good or bad doesn't make a difference. Because even if you can beat everyone under your rule in a fight, you will then rule only out of fear. You need fear to be able to rule over large amount of people, but you also need them to respect the reasons you do the things you do. Without that respect, the beatings and putting people in line will happen more often and at some point, the enemies you have been making will stab you in the back when you are at your most weak. So to answer your question yes, everyone eventually distilled down to its base essence requires you or someone you control to be strong enough to punch someone in the face and stop that threat. "

Ragnar did not answer the question about his clan, as he did not wish to tell him the dark path that he walked and how it was a razor's edge from ruin and exaltation.

What Tomoe was looking at was a man with a very similar worldview to his former self. It wasn't a mindset he could disagree with, but at the same time, he had been fighting himself to break from it over the past year. His mind drifted to the Midnight Cult and the various methods they would use to get what they wanted. People would be slaughtered time and again for the purpose of their goddess' love and appreciation. The Joyan was one among many, though in his case he quite literally owed them his life. Being brainwashed, he fought in the name of power and fear, forcing people to his whims or else killing them outright. The sort of world in which such power was the only thing that mattered was an ugly world; one he wanted no part in.

"I'm all for whoopin' some ass, but some people take it way too far. Nothin' good will ever come from a society ruled by fear, or by whoever is the strongest. There's strength in all kinds of people, and you're foolin' yourself if ya think you're better than them because your strength is found in violence.", Tomoe replied with a shrug, simultaneously adamant about his ideals and dismissive of them in an uncaring fashion.

"Guys like me and you, who fight and keep fighting? There's nothing there for us at the end of the line. The world is growing more and more into the kind of place that doesn't need dudes who swing big weapons. The way of magic and the wisdom that all of it brings could very well be the way forward, y'know?"

Digging some wax from his left ear and blowing it away, the warrior reflected on the idea that people like him would become obsolete eventually. If he emerged victorious from enough battles, it would make sense that eventually he would have nobody left to fight that was worth fighting. His cause wasn't righteous like many of his fellow colleagues, but he nevertheless acknowledged that there would come a time where the major evils of the world would be wiped out. Either that, or society as it was currently known to be would crumble and die. In either case, fighting would cease eventually. Warriors were on borrowed time, both due to their very nature and due to the concept of what conflict really means.

As Ragnar sat there, thinking about what the man had to say before leaning back in the park bench, it bending and moaning under the strain. " I believe that isn't true, though the reasons why I believe that is two-fold. One because my former gods would never allow this to happen, and second there are far more men who can learn how to use a blade and kill a mage. Mages make up a mere 10% of the total population of the world, they need us more than we will ever need them. There might be a handful of mages who could fight three even weaker warriors like myself and live, let alone the ten or more it would take to make their numbers count for anything. A lot of people would die, and the blood would flow up to our waist but none of that matters. "

Ragnar was quiet for a moment as he said simply " Our days are far from over if anything they have only just begone." Ragnar then sighed as he stood up from the bench, it moaning again, this time in relief as Ragnar walked over to the man again and said simply " Come, let's go get a drink. You must know someplace to get one of those around here correct? "

Ragnar felt a connection with the man if only to the level of two electricians get when they meet each other. They know what the other has gone through and what kind of training and hard work it takes to be one. He felt very little other then that, as he knew this man could most likely knock him out through his helmet in a single punch if he so wished but Ragnar was not about to let that stop him from learning something from him if possible.

The man wouldn't give up his own beliefs. Much like the creaking and struggling of the bench he sat on, his own personal thoughts on strength wouldn't break. Tomoe had seen the kind before, who were so confident in their ways that they wouldn't be deterred by any means. Sharing words with them on the subject was impossible, because they had made up their mind long ago and lived in the kind of world in which words didn't place as high of a meaning as actions. Tomoe knew all of this because he was one of those kinds who prioritized action, and knew that talking things through wouldn't change things. Neither would come to agree with the other, but that sort of thing also made the world more interesting. The Joyan wouldn't concede, but he also wouldn't waste more time trying to arrive at a common ground with the warrior before him. They could both use a drink.

"Yeah, I know a few places. Let's go. Just don't break out into a fight, eh?", Tomoe responded, jokingly nudging the man's breastplate with his elbow.

After walking for a while, the two arrived at a rather rundown looking establishment. Tomoe would lead the way inside into a dimly lit pub with slow, somber accordion music filling the room. People would make passing glances as the Joyan strolled up to the counter and took a seat, clearly not enjoying his presence. By extension, Ragnar would also be shot these sharp and dirty glances by association.

"I kinda have a bad rep here, but it was the closest place and it was cheap, so here we are.", Tomoe muttered lowly to Ragnar, not particularly wanting another fight to break out in the pub.

As they walked into the bar, Ragnar looked around and noticed several things instantly. One this was a bar that did not have the highest society types that he figured a Guild Master would associate with, that the people here clearly didn't seem to like the guild master and that they didn't like him my extension. Ragnar laughed internally about this as none of this mattered to him, he was used to getting dirty looks everywhere he went due to his massive size and the fact that he was oftentimes armed. As Ragnar looked around he found a bench that he figured could hold his weight before walking towards it.

Ragnar sat down on the bench before reaching up and was about to take off his helmet before he reached back down and decided against it. This was most likely not the kind of place where his face being shown would help out his cause in any real way. As he sat there he ordered two drinks, one for him and one for the other person before he turned to him and said " So why did you decide to be a bounty hunter? While it seems to be a job that pays well, only if you manage to catch the person and I assume there are stupid rules like they want them to be brought back alive or something. So how does that work anyway? I assume most of the people you would capture don't want to be taken willingly, so how do you hurt them just enough that they don't die? People with our skills normally aren't great at the non-lethal kind of combat. "

"Alive?, Tomoe blurted out with a scoff after taking a sip from his drink.

He hand-waved the notion with a flick of his wrist and chuckled a bit. There was clearly something amusing in what the behemoth said, and it was something Tomoe thought about for a moment as he put his glass down to meet the wooden counter with a clink. He would then turn to face his conversation partner with a smirk.

"Alive or dead doesn't matter for shit, as long as the crook is recognizable as who they are for the sake of claimin' the bounty. We'll obviously try to avoid killing where we can, because if we did that all willy-nilly we'd get labelled a dark guild and have the council hunting us down instead.", Tomoe responded, a hint of cynicism in his voice.

Did it truly matter if criminals died? Back in Joya, Tomoe was hunted like an animal day after day and there were no laws to prevent it if the law ever caught up. Things were definitely different in Fiore, for better or worse. Downing the rest of his drink in one go, Tomoe shrugged his shoulders.

"It just kinda works out in a way where our targets don't die, y'know? Not often, anyway. Just becomes second nature after a while to know exactly when to stop. But a few deaths here or there ain't the end of the world, and we'd still get paid for it."

It wasn't something that could be explained, really. Much like the way that the Joyan warrior fought on instinct, so too did he know when an opponent was close to their limits and how much power to exert to prevent that opponent from passing away while still defeating them. It was odd, and he hadn't really thought about the logic behind such a thing before now.

"Why, you thinkin' of becoming a bounty hunter in the future?", Tomoe responded after a pause, directing the question back towards his conversation partner.

As Ragnar drank his ale and listened to the smaller man he thought about what he had to say and he never really thought about it like that. He never had that feeling in his head, where something told him that he could stop now. It was always that the blood should flow like a river and the ground should be made muddy with the liquid of human vitality. Though this may be due to his upbringing and his knowledge of other things, though he has stopped himself from killing people in the past before but normally only because something else has gotten in the way such as reinforcements coming in and Ragnar having to make a swift retreat in order not to get overrun. His Lord, while he cared about Murder and Blood, he didn't care for stupidity, if Ragnar can leave and come back later to cause more blood to be spilled all the better.

" No. Bounty Hunting isn't my calling in life, I am not very good at controlling myself and I would never get a reward because most of the time because the bodies would not be recognizable. I was a Berserker back in my old clan, and how I was trained makes it hard for me to calm down until the tanks are empty and everyone that is my enemy around me is dead.... though there were times that someone got caught by the backswing. "Ragnar touched his cheek as if he was giving serious thought to how many of his own fellows he has cut down in the field of combat before waving his hand dismissively.

" Either way, I am surprised you guys are located here... there doesn't appear to be anyone of any real note in this area of the world. Aren't most of the high bounties located in Oak and in my homeland of the North? " Ragnar said as he thought about it the names of the people he knew on the bounty list which honestly was a very small list. Kenzo Valens of Advent World and Kon, the Guild Master of the Sentinel Syndicate are the only two that he could think of off the top of this head, though to be honest that might be because those were the only two guilds in the world currently that would accept a guy like him. He wasn't capable of being in a good guild unless it was to be sitting in their guild house after slaughtering their members.

The man was unhinged. The more Tomoe listened, the less he cared to. As he went into detail about the various ways that he would lose control or slaughter with reckless abandon, Tomoe was reminded a lot of his older days; or perhaps not older as much as simply darker. A mere year ago, he was a pawn in service to a dark goddess. He was one among many heretics that served as agents of chaos to tear down the fragile shell that was Fiore. While they didn't end up succeeding in their goals, they did shake the foundation and spread fear among the people to the point of knights being ordered to kill members of their cult on sight. As Tomoe listened, he couldn't help but draw parallels from himself during those days.

"Marigold? Marigold's relaxing.", Tomoe began once the subject had changed to something that was a little less close to the heart.

"We have the support of the local royalty, and it's a place that had been struggling hard since the Demonic Incursions last year. We venture out as needed, but there's nothin' wrong with the countryside when ya need to relax. We'll take it to those sons of bitches when we feel like, y'know?"

At that, Tomoe leaned in closer to his conversation partner and muttered lowly to him after looking around with shifty eyes and a clever grin.

"Besides, didn't ya hear? Rumor and the bounty board has it that there are a few notable folks here already, in this very town. Imagine that, would ya? Sometimes they come to us.", Tomoe finished with a satisfied, beaming smirk on his face.

He'd lean in to the counter, down his drink and request another as he awaited a response from the behemoth.

As Ragnar listened to the man speak, he was not really around during that time as he was dealing with his own issues back home but he did know how hard it was on everyone including the raiders of his tribe. He then saw him lean in and speak softly to him. With a mild chuckle out of Ragnar he said simply " Who in their right mind would walk into a city of bounty hunters. Unless they knew they could fight off every single one of them at once, no one in their right mind would walk into this city with a bounty. Though I am sure that I could be very wrong on that as people are much stronger then I am and most likely could kill 99.9% of the bounty hunters that exist in this town excluding the Guild Master and other A or S rank mages. "

Ragnar thought about this for a moment before shrugging to himself as he stood up and paid his part of the tab as he started to walk outside, expecting the man to follow him out. Ragnar had a feeling that he was going to be needed in the forest here soon for something, though what that was he didn't really know.

It was indeed true that monstrously powerful foes existed out there. At one point, Tomoe considered himself among them. The more he remembered though, of his past - his failings, even - he knew that he wasn't all that remarkable. Still, he had a 'duty' to uphold as the 'guild master' of Penumbral Guard, and that was enough for him at the moment. Even if he wasn't one of the naturally powerful out there, he was still far stronger than the coward of the past. If 99.9% of his guild would be wiped out by some demigod, he would simply need to be the 0.01% that stood against them and survived. There truly was no other path open to him aside from that.

"Those kinds of people do probably exist, it's true. But what, you think they're gonna hang around a place like this? You already said there's nothin' here. Shit, there ain't even anything for me, but I'm still here based on duty.", Tomoe replied to the man's input, bringing up the idea that no demigods would laze about in a place as out of the way and unremarkable in its own right as Marigold.

Tomoe would follow Ragnar out of the establishment and once more into the streets. The fresh air hit Tomoe in a pleasant way as he stretched in the breeze.

"So what're your plans from here, eh? Got a girl waitin' for ya?"

Ragnar laughed gently as he said " No. My life does not have time for a lover in it. It barely has time for a friend in it. I have a goal that will cause a lot of harm to the people close to me, so I refuse to have them near me. "

As Ragnar finished his sentence, he looked around for a moment before speaking a word. The word wasn't icebergian or any language that anyone of this world would know, unless they were also a following of the Dark Gods like Ragnar, then they might though they would never try to summon the beast being summoned for fear of their life. The word split the air with a crack, like thunder, as Ragnar looked down the street again and a smile creeps across his face.

Running down the street was, at least from a distance looked to be a massive brass colored bull based on the shape and how wide it was but as it got closer to Ragnar the features started to become more clear. The horn on his head was a single one, forming a T shape on it, though on top of the flat of that T were large spikes, where it appeared skulls had been placed. Its mouth was also not that of a bull at all, it appeared to be closer to a massive dog in shape and size, it's mouth appeared to be big enough to bite a man's head off with room to spare, its teeth looked like shortswords. As it continued to get closer, another thing became clear. The color of the beast was not it's fear, it was armor. Sheets of Brass covered armor covered every inch of this beast and it didn't seem to slow it down at all in any way. The chains that were used to 'control' this beast was attached to a massive spiked collar around its neck.  As it approached and slowly came to a stop, small gaps in the armor showed something possibly more terrible. This beast had no skin, it appeared to be made of machinery and parts mixed together with a living beast. What could have created this monster?

As the beast snapped and growled, sounding very unnatural to the world and not sounding like any other beast alive. Ragnar grabbed his saddle and threw himself on this mighty beast. Grabbing the chains that held the collar he looked down at Tomoe before nodding to him respectfully and then riding off into the distance and out of the city of Marigold.

[Exit]

Tomoe was speechless as the beast approached, at first ready to draw his weapon and fight to slay it. As he noted Ragnar's demeanor, however, the Joyan became cautiously at ease. Was it some kind of demon? A hellspawn from a realm not resembling the soil they currently tread upon? It was no beast that Tomoe had personally ever seen or heard of, its description not mentioned of in any books or records. It seemed it could easily begin to wreak havoc if it felt the need, but instead it had its sole determination of approaching Ragnar. It was his mount, of all things. It seemed tamed to the man's will, but that wasn't trustworthy enough for Tomoe himself.

When Ragnar hopped onto the beast and nodded towards Tomoe, he nodded in reply. There were no words to be shared, as two people of opposing views. Though due to this creature's appearance combined with Ragnar's prior statements, Tomoe let a feeling of unease sink in once the man had departed. The crimson cutthroat would stealthily follow them at a distance, keeping them within sight until he could definitively confirm that Ragnar was leaving town instead of going off to cause destruction in Marigold.

Once Ragnar had left, Tomoe breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed his tense neck with a crack.

"Just another day, huh? Fucking hell.", Tomoe muttered, sighing a deep sigh and heading back to the guild hall.

---

- Exit -