Annaeus adjusted his heavy brocade, the ornate patterns shimmering lightly as he moved. He'd had it made new, to celebrate his first foray into the dungeon; he'd come across several terrifying beasts when he'd come through- an enormous toad, for one, and an entire flock of horrid little bats. The delicate embroidery on the cloak showed him defeating each of these with ease.

Alder had rolled his eyes when the baron had received the cloak. Beautiful as it was, it was a far cry from what had actually happened; the baron had run screaming from the bats, and been needlessly haughty to the toad. Neither situation had involved nearly as much combat as what was shown in the cloak's intricate scenes.

Finally done preening, Annaeus gestured for Alder to take the lead. The smaller Courser moved forward, machete between his teeth. He was the baron's pathfinder, packhorse, cook...he was beginning to wonder if there was a name better than 'servant' for all the extra work he was doing.

A scream met his ears and he whirled, nearly flinging himself off his feet with the weight of the packs on his back. A massive creature had latched itself to Annaeus' back, and the lord was bucking wildly to try and free himself. Alder yanked the quick-release knot on his harness, dropping the packages to the ground, and leapt forward to save Annaeus.

The creature, for all its strength, seemed to balk when it realised there were two Coursers. Releasing the baron, it skittered off into the darkness.

A wail sounded from the baron's throat, and Alder rushed over to tend to his master's wounds.

"Where are you hurt, my lord?" Alder asked anxiously, peering into the newly-made holes in Annaeus' beautiful cloak.

"It is not a condition of the flesh that ails me," Annaeus cried. "My brocade! This took weeks to have made!"

Alder pursed his lips. Ah.