Kojiro remained silent as the events unfolded, yet his eyes never left the sight of the one wrapped in bandages. As he departed, the warrior would turn his attention to the others. Having spent enough time in this land, he had a decent grasp on the language... But all that was spoken held no interest for him. His training in the aerial arts were more then enough to keep up with the feathered land mounts, if not surpass them. Still, he stood up from his position on the wall as he spoke in his broken form of the language of this land, "Quicker we move, quicker we get paid. Land birds for the rest, I will provide scouting. Outside when needed."

As his speech drew to a close, he'd bow his head briskly before turning to the door and exiting the room. Never the one to hold conversation, Koji was more focused on completing his tasks. Which- for now- included finding the bandaged one. Crouching down as he gathered strength in his legs, his form could be seen rocketing off the ground as he leapt. In a matter of moments he was now perched atop the nearest sentry tower, scanning over the crowds for any signs of his target. Though the streets housed the hustle and bustle of it's daily routine, having trained to pinpoint the one shimmer of a dragon's scale in a lush forest, this was not an issue. Still, he kept glancing back to the court as he waited for the others to exit.

Though he did not mention it, he did understand Cid's request for a leader... It would not be Koji. The whole point of this journey was to avert the mantle of leadership until the warrior felt he was ready, and now was not the time. 'If I am unfit to lead a small band, I'm not ready to lead an entire clan,' he thought silently to himself as he continued his search.

As the subject of the party crossed his mind, he couldn't help thinking about them all. An elder with an air of magik about him, an under-dressed woman that seemed to radiate it, a floating toy, a badger man, a blue skinned creature, an armored one with normal skin, his land bird, and a bird woman... This place was vastly different then his homeland. Still, if these were his allies, he'd see them through this.

After the introductions were finished, Galren looked to the moogle as he entered the room. After Cid and Greg were done with their bickering, he heard Cid ask his question to the room.

"To me the situation calls for a leader who is more than capable of settling squabbling among party members. Who believes oneself qualified for this position?"

“Hmm” Galren thought to himself. “I’ve never led a band of people before, but if no one else speaks up..” he thought, but kept silent for now.

He’d have preferred to walk wherever he went, to experience the world under his own feet, but he understood that he would have taken much longer than the others to reach their destination. There were only a few times that he had ridden a chocobo, and that was out of absolute need.

Galren turned his head as Koji left the room. He seemed to be an isolated warrior, which Galren respected.

He looked at Cid, the then Greg, raising his hand a bit in front of him. “If you need a leader, and no one else thinks that they are qualified, I will do it” he said with an air of confidence in his voice. He knew, at the very least, he could traverse any language barriers that might be presented on their journey.

“I will be waiting at the stables” he said. Afterwards, he turned and walked out the door, heading back through the bustling market towards the chocobo stables. He used the time before the others gathered to check his satchel, making sure that he was stocked with rations, and a few potions, as well as some small camping gear.

(Posts are going a bit slow, we're moving on and assuming a conversation happened where the Chocobo Situation was explained.)

The instructions in short: Cid left the Geomancer in charge of the party except for three individuals who will instead tail the party, keeping watch for anyone following the seven ahead.

The three behind were meant to be a couple hours behind, on foot instead of mounted. It seemed as though Katakura, Kevess and the one named Cassius (Cassius is the one who has not yet posted a CS but will "tomorrow" e.e).

Greg hovered over his pack. Reaching inside for a moment, he found himself squeezed into the pack. His legs stuck out, wiggling like ruffling branches in the wind. But by luck he was pulled out by the Ice-Elf Paladin from earlier. The moogle was holding a large wad of greens.

"You should be more careful with that Pack of Hoarding, little summoner."

"Oi! I'm not little, you're just titanic!" Greg said, struggling while upside down. "Now lemme go!"

"Greens for the runners?" The Paladin asked, swinging the moogle right side up.

"Yup yup! I've a lot more in there too, 'case the runners get hungry."

"Hmm you've an odd accent, little summoner." The paladin walked away, heading toward the sanctuary. More screams came from the building. "Don't mind my leave, I've got issues to attend to." He started a swift run.

"My.. my accent? What's he mean?" Greg hovered toward the stables where the rest of the party was supposed to meet. "Like I have to call everyone Kupo like my cousin does?" The moogle hovered over the heads of the runners, kept and maintained well but trained to scout and sprint for a long day's travel. Their spaces was shared but each had its own nest separated by walls when one was near the other, making for a sort of border around the stable. Greens fell from the moogle's arms falling like feathers for each of the runners. He quickly realized that only six runners were needed since he was sharing a spot with another person in the party. "Hmm, I guess you'll just get to munch and stay in." He looked for the Geomancer in the stable, no doubt that it would be pretty simple to do.

"Ready as I'll ever be!" Greg said, looking happy. "Unless you need something from the market still. Everyone was supposed to pack there own things then meet here but I've still got plenty of room for supplies!" Greg looked around, happy to accommodate an encumbered members of the party.





Kevess was outside the walls already, waiting for the rest of the party to catch up. It seemed however, the the warrior, Katakura had already found him leaning against the giant stone wall.

"I see you're keen on keeping up. But sad to say we're stuck behind the amateurs." Kevess said, taking in the warrior's appearance and suspecting there was a bit more experience in this one, tales of deadly travels. "It'll be boring on the road ahead but don't make that an excuse just to get to know me. I'll stay out of your business if you stay out of mine." He looked away from the samurai, pulling a bandage on his thumb. "I'd wish they'd hurry."

By now it was obvious Kevess and the other one had been issued an order to follow the the party, but Katakura had left before he was given any more details.





The Sanctuary of Navire was alive with panic. It seemed as though the newest summoner was unable to control his familiar. An amorphous blob of glowing liquid moved about the room, crushing vases and tables within the summoning hall.

"Thamus, this is the moment, give form to it." the High Priest was instructing his student. But it seemed he was drained of magic already, the summoning wasn't going very well. Instead of a peaceful contract between the two, the familiar had ignored its summoner and tried to move around the room as if to escape control.

"Why does it fight me? Am I not worthy of Navire's summoners?" Thamus fell to one knee, unable to hold himself up. "Listen, familiar. I am your summoner and you are my... my." The blob seemed to turn around, paying attention to the summoner. But then it turned away, smashing against a wall like a wild beast.

"Imagine its form, do not let the bond go untied."

"My demon." Thamus said, imagining the familiar as an infernal creature with long horns and a body of ethereal flames.

"Demon? That is an odd choice." the High Priest wondered if his own familiar had an influence on the student. Childsnaken's familiar took the form of an statue with wings. It was his picture of Navire's Patron, a silent but holy guardian of all races. "But it is your choice."

The two witnessed the blob begin to change. At first the liquid changed from a blue-green to a red. Its shape began to stabilize where the torso formed along with the head, arms, and last the horns. The liquid started boiling until the steam itself burned with a bright red color. Its wild behavior was tamed.

"The Beast from Fire." Thamus said. "I remember seeing it in my dreams, scary as hell."

"Wouldn't be the first Terror to walk through these dungeons." Childsnaken was happy for his student. "But seeing as you're weakening, I advise that you dismiss the Beast from Fire."

"Dismiss." Thamus said, watching as the fire of his familiar fizzled out like an old campfire.





"Light of out Patron, the blessing of our provider, tonight we will offer him what he has always accepted."

A man screamed while wriggling on a stone alter. His mouth was gagged but his eyes could see the reflection of light on a blade.

"They will be here..." Koji fell silent shortly after speaking. It was obvious that this man wanted his solitude, and the samurai was to happy to give it to him. Ether it was his demeanor or visage, but nothing seemed right about this one. Yet he was a comrade... For now, so Koji would cause no problem. Yet he paused a moment, eyeing over the man "Amatuers? Are allies. Must watch over." All the while he tried to force the words form his mouth, he understood that some seemed new to combat, but there were some that seemed to be able to carry their own weight.

Shaking his head rather dismissively, Koji would sit down against the walls of the city, drawing his rather large blade form it's sheathe on his back. It was then that Koji began to polish the blade with a cloth from his satchel, shuffling about the potions and other items within. He'd continue this until the others arrived, all the while offering no words to the bandaged man.

It wasn't long before a grey suited man wearing a blue jacket with silver edges where the fabric would end. The Males Slit eyes met the burned man, as well as the samurai. "Hmm... Bandage wrapped crispy... and iron man... nice..." He said sarcastically as he silts became round to take in the light. The two could see the hazel green eyes and dark brown hair. On his back a Saber could be seen sitting by a small oak crossbow, and to the belt on him, there were several air tight metallic flask arranged neatly with a rope spear.

His tail flickered as he observed the two. "Right... Nice to meet you all for what it's worth... Which is only worth my contract unfortunately." He joked as his voice had a lisp. This Hunter's tongue was sharp as his blade, and was full of quipts as he was an arsenal of items.

"In all seriousness, as long as we are not killing being that are not humans and are a genuine threat, then I go with. I also advise you to be cautious of my blade, it has been greased by poisons many times and would be unfortunate to have friendly fire. Last thing I want to do is look for something to wake you up with." On his belt, the two could see Behemoth horns dangling.

As the introductions were made Rinn eyed the group that was to be his team for the remainder of his time in this new land. Several prominate figures stood out to Rinn, particularly the man in the elaborate armor made of dragons bones. He had heard of a land farther east than Valeria who's countrymen praised dragons as patrons but he had never seen any of those men in action. The woman in scantaly armor was actually someone that he knew, although not personally. The warriors of Arcania were well known to all Valerians as they were the closest country within the grasslands, tales the prowess with their blades were only overshadowed by their mysterious nature since they kept their borders closed to any outsiders. Before he could finished evaluating the rest of his team the man known as Cid began explaining the details of their mission traveling to one of the mountains in the region known as Lux Mau.

During his briefing Cid asked if any of the assembled if they wished to lead the party. The thought crossed his mind that he would be the wisest option to lead since had lead military campagins prior to coming to Navire, but he instantly began debating weither he should or not. While he did have the experience there might be others better suited than him. Luckily his thoughts were interupted by an intruding paladin speaking of his troubles in obtaining mounts for the trip ahead. In a panic Rinn thought back to the portly shopkeep in the market and realized that he had sent the royal stock to Valeria without consulting any of the Navire hierarchy. When Cid spoke to him directly he was sure that he was going to recieve some punishment.

"M'lord, it was me that had the chocobo's released. Unfortunetly I do not have them with me. I had them sent to Valeria. The stock that I saw were mistreated and malnurished, beside the fact that most were young adolesent not yet ready to bear the weight required for riding. The only one that might have been able to be suited for riding was far too old..."

It was with then that Rinn noticed the animosity between the moogle and the bandaged man that made Rinn decided on he previous thought. As he began to submit himself for the role as leader an elderly man among the assembled took to the role faster than Rinn. Almost defeatedly Rinn lowered his hand as he kicked himself for not speaking sooner. As the group was dismissed Rinn quickly left and followed in the direction that the others had traveled. Upon his arrival his eyes rested on Kojiro, Keeves, and a new face that had not been at the briefing. Something about Keeves began to rub Rinn the wrong way so he made the internal decision to keep an eye on the man. Coming to stand beside Koji Rinn began speaking in West Common taking a stab in the dark that he was from somewhere further west than he,

"This mission to the mountain seems far too easy of a job. There is something far more sinister at work here, do you not agree?"

Cassius looked over to the Chocobo knight and cracked a smirk, so many jokes were in his head. Some of which would make others question his morality, others would probably show his as cruel, but even he cared not what others saw as his outward appearance, for on the field there was no room for weakness, only cunning. Cunning is something the poultry did not look, rare indeed, but it was a bit of an eyesore to him seeing how white it was... almost like his skin if it were in the form of feathers.

"It would seem the Dinner Knight has arrived..." He said sarcastically as he watched from a distance.
"In all seriousness... I'm just here hunt monsters and procure remedies... Or whatever I could craft... Depends what I see in the field." He sighed slightly as he did not like waiting for everyone.

"So... band-aid. Gauss... Whatever your name is." Cassius was addressing Keevas.
"What am I needed here for anyways?" He placed a hand on his hip as the other pushed his glasses up.

Selie’re quickly made a U turn once the party leader was decided and headed towards the exit.”I will meet you later at the stables too.”She stated as she headed towards the market area. This mission to a Mau had to be handled extremely well from the dancer’s side because of arcana’s very nature. The insane amount of magic in the air within the mines and caves of the Maus caused arcanas to receive a magic sickness. To simply put it, their bodies were already in dangerous state due that energy, but when exposed to a natural source of magic energy of that size, they literary got poisoned by the energy. It was a very dangerous condition that if not treated could fast become deadly. That was one of the reasons why arcanas rarely mined at the maus, despite being positioned between two of them.

Once at the market, the blade dancer quickly began to search all the stalls for status remedies. She had money prepared as she expected something like this, but she hoped that the mission within the mines won’t prolong too much as for her to run out of medicine. “Hmm…”She finally made a sound once she found a place that sold proper remedies. “This… “She said, pointing at a remedy potion that would do the job.”20 of them…” She said to the vendor. It was quite the pricy purchase, but a needed one. Otherwise she may not survive the mission. After buying the potions and neatly placing them within her bag, she bought some basic herbs that were good for dealing with fever, nausea and the like. If by chance her potions that gave her 5 days within the mines ran out, the herbs would at least allow her to get away from the mau before the symptoms worsen to the point she can barely move.

With the medicine prepared, on the way back the arcana passed to buy some basic food rations. Dried and salted meat, dried fruits and all along with some spices just in case she needed to cook. With the dried meat she would be able to make some soups and stews for the group if needed. With all the buying done, she found herself quite loaded. With 2 big handbags along her small backpack where she kept the potions, the herbs and the spices, and her waterskin. At least with the chocobos it was going to be easy to carry all the additional food stuff.

“…Everyone was supposed to pack there own things then meet here but I've still got plenty of room for supplies!" The arcana heard the moogle say once she finally reached the stables. With a smile she approached raising up the two heavy and loaded with food bags.”Very good master Greg! I will gladly make use of that offer. “Placing the two loaded bags on the ground, Selie’re took of her backpack and opened it, revealing all the potions inside.”Can you store about 15 of these? I feel like they may break if I get into a fight later and I have all of those dangling in my backpack.”

"Bold of the little kitten." Kevess said. He was leaning forward and reaching for a pocket on his back. The mummy's eyes were locked into eye contact with the fellow hunter. "Poison? How easy it must be to hunt like that." He pulled out his weapon, holding it out so that his blade was away from his body, reversed from the conventional sword.

"Where all the Magicite is at, it'll take more than poison to take down a target." Kevess's eyes narrowed, as if studying the hunter. "Perhaps it would be better for an amateur like you to stay behind." At this point it was hard to tell what the man was thinking for his tone was low and his joints were bend as if crouching only to jump forward in a flash of movement.

"Oi! Let's get this show on the road!" The moogle seemed more eager than the others. He shared the runner with the Caulum woman. The remaining members of the party arrived as well. Each had obtained all they needed for the long trip. Some had chosen to carry their own supplies but just a couple were comfortable with using Greg's Pack of Hoarding. In all there was food, water, and medicine for twenty days suited for over twelve party members.

The plan of action however was clear at this point. The two hunters and the eastern warrior would be a distance behind the party, making sure that the ones traveling in front were able to call reinforcements in the case of an ambush or tense situation. The runners would carry the main group ahead as to move quickly over the land.

---

Time had passed, getting as far as the edge of Navire's border everyone could see the magical wall rising from the ground. This was the marker of a kingdom. That wall was a barrier protecting the land from the creatures of the forest. It was not that monsters could not pass through that barrier but instead it weakened all beings that were predators such as Dire Wolves.

"Hey! Look there, some people are laying on the ground!" Greg pointed out people who were scattered about the path ahead. The road's dirt was brown but the clothes of those people were brighter colors such as red and blue. Grain on either side of the road was only a few inches tall but as the party approached they could see there'd been some movement. A new path in the grain ripped through the new fields.

When Wallace approached, having Libra cast, he noticed something particular about these people. In an instant he could identify these people. Humans who's health had left them. All at once he'd realized blood was covering these humans and the path in the grain was covered in spots of the red liquid. To those who'd seen a battle in the wilds, this much had been obvious: a creature passed through the border but retained much of its power still.

(Any actions thus far are not under time limit. Feel free to ignore or investigate this scene.)

Cassius flaunted his Behemoth horns. "No 'mature' flaunts just anything band-aid. But if you feel so insecure, maybe I should stay behind since my so called superior thinks I should stay... How about that? Perhaps you'll company will fair less burned man... or is that a risk you're willing to take? Will you put your comrades at risk...? Simply for bravado...? Or will you swallow your clear pride like anyone who is vouching a contract. I do fine hunting behemoths and making problems disappear. As far as I care, I need not prove anything to some man in bandages who lacks the balls to introduce himself... or did those get burned off?" He chuckled.

"Either way, I am eager to hear your argument. Your insecurity fascinates me." Cassius smiled at how clearly flawed the man's logic was.

Eventually they were finally on the road towards their destination, Lux Mau. Selie’re didn’t get to ride with the cute looking moogle, but on other hand, her chocobo turned out to be quite the good partner. It was ‘Kweh’-ing whenever she said anything to her in different intonations, as if it could understand her… and it most likely did… not to mention chocobos were so comfortable to ride… and fluffy cause of their feathers.

"Hey! Look there, some people are laying on the ground!" The arcana heard the moogle say and her nose twitched. She sensed the smell of blood in the air. Not to mention there was a lot of red at the place. As they approached Wallace approached and seemed to be casting libra on them. The blade dancer, quickly jumped from her chocobo and with some fast steps found herself next to Wallace and the corpses. She crouched to check the wounds better, her hands not leaving the handles of her swords.” That’s not good… Whatever caused this was strong… and I mean quite strong. I advise to be alert.” She stated, taking a good look around the area. She went as far as concentrating on her trained hearing." Anyone of you recognizing the wounds?" She asked the people who were from Navire. She was quite well informed about the beasts around her country, but this was a continent away. There were different creatures here and she didn't recognize what left those wounds.

After asking that, with one hand she drew one of her swords and with the other she touched one of the bodies to check the temperature of the closest body. She needed to check how long ago were those people killed.

A worried look spread across Wallas' face as he examined the damage done to the bodies. There was no doubt in his mind that these people were dead, and Libra only confirmed that. Selie're approached him cautiously and looked at the corpses, the same worried expression was present on her face as she addressed the party.

Wallas had certainly seen wojmds like these before.

"I have seen marks such as these before, I'm afraid you're right Selie're, this creature is powerful indeed if it is similar to one i have encountered previously."

He moved closer to the body nearest him amd kneeled down, the claw marks were of similar size and number to ones he had seen back home.

"This is bad news for us all, this is a most likely a creature spawned from magicite exposure... it's power taints the very soul of all things living if one is around it too much. We all must be on alert and all must look after one another, this is a road not for the faint of heart and all who are not prepared or wosh to go no further speak now, for there will be no other chance..... This.... is where our journey truly begins"

He grabbed at his axe and pulled it from its sheath as he walked away and climbed atop his Chocobo once again.

Wallas decided to move closer to the front of the group and ride with the leader, he was sure he knew whatvwas coming and wanted to be the first into battle if it was as he knew how best to handle the situation. He stopped briefly and turned back to the group.

"Please cast any buffs you have now just in case... and have your healing spells ready."

Koji eyed over the new comers as they spoke, doing his best to remain silent as he simply reflected on his own thoughts... But it was when the bandaged one and the tailed one began to posture, that he merely shook his head. Standing as he sheathed his blade, his eyes would turn to the gatehouse as the rest of the party could been seen venturing out.

"Peacock, later... We move." Bowing his head as he stepped past the hunter with the horns, he'd take a mighty leap from his position to the top of a tree near the road. Though he remained in sight of the party, his eyes continued to scan the area about them. He didn't expect many to be able to keep up with him... In fact, he would be surprised if they did, but he would act as the scout for his party as they ventured forth.

------------------------------------------------------------------

As time drew on, Koji continued to leap from treetop to treetop, pausing every so often to ensure that the caravan was within range- in case something had ambushed them. Though something seemed odd... The badger had stopped the caravan to investigate something. Curious to the discovery, Koji leapt across the field, landing with a audible thud and the shuffling sounds of his armor settling. Though he was behind the small-stature man, he could clearly see now what got his attention.

As his eyes focused on the scene, he could hear everyone babbling on in their own tongue, utterly lost as to their meaning... Instead his attention now turned to the trail of blood and it's origin. Cautiously, he'd begin following the trail with a hand upon the pommel of his blade. Though scanning the scenery visually, he kept his ears open for any sounds- whether it be beast or man.

Outside the barrier the forces of nature were the engineers and architects. Towering Trees were not close to the magical wall but as the party moved through the dark green grass and around the rampant roots of the trees the could see that the canopy was reaching higher and higher with every few meters of travel. The sounds of nature were alive with birds chirping in the howling winds above, beasts barking and roaring in the echos of the vast forest, and most loud of all were the sounds of the runners underneath the party. They were already sensing the dangers around them but the leader of the party, carrying Greg and Lume, was more experienced in the forest and could remember a few of the routes it had taken through this very area.

Unlike the fields of Navire, the sunlight was scattered with barely a single beam reaching the floor. Whatever plant grew on the ground was desperate for the light above, trying to climb the trees around them or finding a new way to consume energy.

The head runner, bravely sprinting ahead was becoming worried. It slowed down catching the scent and sound of something sinister ahead. Forcing the party to stop, they al could begin to smell a foul odor of rotten meat, droppings, and spoiled milk. They'd crossed into the territory of a insidious creature and the forest was clearly showing the signs of decay around the monster.

"Ew what in the world is that smell?!" Greg asked, trying to cover up his nose.

The runners began to panic, turning around but in their attempt the foul odor became much stronger then a thumping and thundering in the ground caused them to scatter through the forest with their riders still on top of them.

Wallas, Greg, and Lume managed to stick together but unfortunately for them, they discovered the foul odor's source. Libra gave it a name, Malboroba. Its huge mouth had spike teeth inside. Its breath was visible with a purple and orange tint escaping like the steam of a boiling pan of water. Tentacles beard its eyes as well as its suction cups, making it hard to tell if it was looking at something or trying to grab it. But the Malboroba wasn't paying attention to the runners when they came around. It seemed they still had the element of---

It turned to look at them, then as the runners stopped to turn around the monster let out a wave of sound and sludge. The grotesque roar reached as far as the feat of the three. It seems they weren't going to escape easily since their runners fell underneath them, fainted from the terrible odor.

"EEP!" Greg said, he was unsure what to do, he'd never seen anything like that monster.

"We shall slay this foul beast!" ume said, getting out her harp. "You are the one called Wallace? Tell me, can you see its weaknesses using your magical ability?" She asked, hoping to use her musical spells to cast an elemental storm over the creature.
(Weakness: Earth | Strength: Wind, however its health and power are a bit above the talents of you three party memebers. Normal final fantasy type battle will not end well, you need to be crafty in the forest in order to defeat the creature.)

Meanwhile the others sitting on the runners were still carried by their panicking runners. When they reached the edge of the creature's territory the smell vanished but they were already a great distance away from the last two runners. Ahead of them were some other form or runner, with four legs with hooves they were galloping around the area with large horns on their heads. They seemed to be unaware of the party since they were still eating grass. In total their were five roaming around the forest. This area seemed peaceful as the runners of the party where were calmer than in the territory of the foul beast.

The two hunters and the warrior were far behind, walking with a descent speed. They came upon the territory of the creature, smelling the foul odor for themselves.

"Heh. Looks like we're in some danger now." Kevess said, leaping over roots in order to gett a better view of the area. He managed to find a slime path on the ground, covering grass that seemed to die underneath the green sludge. "Poisonous to the area, meaning its a foreigner to this forest. Malbo maybe. Nah this is a big one." The shadow hunter seemed wrapped up in his own assessment.

Cassius seemed to hand Keevas a vial. The substance itself was green and oily; a greasy looking substance.
"Whatever it is, you best be prepared. Unlike you I'm immune to all forms of toxin, you however are not. But if it is what we think, this should hopefully neutralize some of it's toxins. Just concentrated remedy. If it works, it will need a lot of water, so unless there is a lot of it under the ground, or if there is a lake near by, it will dehydrate and die, or be severely weakened. But you'll still have to deal with it in combat. It's breathe will be halted severely."

It seemed in the wilderness his tone had completely shifted; this attitude he had was why he had the Behemoth's horns. Oils, poisons, greases.

He seemed to survey the wilderness around. Grass was quite tall compared,animals seemed spooked, in hiding really. Meaning what they are going to be fighting is possibly foreign or some kind of mutation. It really just depends, and it is too early to draw conclusions.

He readied his crossbow as he began applying the greasy like substance to but a handful of arrows. Not the strongest in his gear, but ideal against a large foe; easier to strike with poison and get ideal effects rather than running in mad.

Cassius grabbed an empty flash as he bottled some of the sludge. "Should come in handy..." He said in a low voice.

"Better to follow the trail from the side, you'd know where it has been or hasn't been based on its trail, meaning it should be an easier hunt than others would make it out to be." He began to walk on the trails side, mostly to avoid damaging his shoes from it's properties.

“What the…!?” Selie’re exclaimed when her runner went berserk and started running away from the monster. It was clearly a strong monster and she had heard of that monster in the past. Never met one herself, but she had heard of them. Poisonous monsters with lots of tentacles, they were very dangerous from what she was told, not a thing to be engaged alone without any kind of support. The chocobo ran as if it’s life depended on it and it did, but that put her away from the battle she needed to help out!

Eventually the bird finally calmed down quite some distance from the fight behind them. The birds clearly wouldn’t go back so they needed to either run to aid the others or to find another way to move… and well there were these creatures here. Runners of sort, four legs with hooves and horns on their heads, it looked quite similar to one of the type of creatures the Arcanas used for battle mounts. Well, the blade dancer needed a new mount, so there was no choice here. She quickly jumped from her chocobo and pulled a rope. Making a knot at one end and a lasso. Besides she was more used to riding four legged creatures. First she needed to know if it’s hostile, so she approached one of the creatures. The time was lacking, so she just hoped that the people fighting the tentacle monster will be able to hold out till reinforcements arrive.

With one hand holding the rope and the other one of her swords, she showed herself to the closest of the creatures. If it tried to run, she was going to have to quickly throw the rope around it’s neck and jump on it’s back.

Falling back to play the role of rear guard, Koji had merely remained silent as the warrior strode across the road. Having seen no sign of trouble (aside for the dead bodies a time earlier) he had decided to defend their path of retreat. Rather not flee into a horde of monsters... Still, it was rather pleasant, gave the warrior plenty of time to reflect on his thoughts... That is until a putrid odor assaulted his nostrils like a putrid wall. Snapping back to reality, he'd glance around as he now realized the state of the path they traveled upon. Decay was abundant and the smell gave no hint to it's departure or origin.

At least until the bandaged one spoke. Though not able to follow alot of his speech, he did hear one thing that caught his attention- danger. At once the warrior cursed himself, 'If only I were at the front-'. Though he noticed the change in the beast hunter's demeanor as he consulted the bandaged one, this would not keep Koji's attention for long.

"I will find beast and others! You know monster? Make plan!" And with that, Koji would rocket himself into the forest, aiming to bound from treetop to treetop while attempting to keep the trail of slime in sight. The strength of the smell was getting stronger... He had to be getting closer. Though this continued travel at this pace would begin to fatigue him, his determination supressed the feeling. After a few more moments, a familiar sight fell upon him.

'The flying-woman!' at once his spirits rose, seeing the sight of an ally and then the other two that came into view shortly there afterwards... However, that joy gave way to anger as he eyed the beast that stood before them.

"Fear the wrath of the Dragon!" the warrior shouted in draconic, the forest and the area around resonating and echoing with the mighty roar that to the unfamiliar was no different then that of an actual dragon's bellowing. As he drew in to engage, his hand at once snapped to his blade, his fiery gaze focused on the creature before him.

Wallas fell from his ride and rolled to his feet, he knew he had to act fast. If that Malboro used it's bad breath on them they would be finished.
He darted in front of Lume and Greg and told them not to move, he looked for weak spots and tried to figure out a strategy to bring down the fearsome creature.
His eye flicked over to Lume.

"It is vulnerable to Earth. Please say you have some earth based spells?"

His gaze returned to the huge fiend before him and studied its movements looking for signs of aggression but found none, yet.

"Lume, I'm going to cast Sleep, if im successful follow up with earth based magic, if im not then spread out and keep your distance. ... we need to surround it."

Before Wallas had the chance to cast sleep the fiend suddenly dashed across the forest floor toward him, diving out of the way he shouted for the others to encircle the beast and try using long range attacks. He quickly returned to his feet and drew his axe, he began swinging and flailing stylishly to try and intimidaye the creature, it would not work with a fiend of this level, it dashed again with its rows and rows of teeth agape. Wallas dived again and rolled as the creature advanced on him. He had no escape. He holstered his axe and with bared hands began to burrow under ground as the Malboro thundered into a tree. Wallas doubled back on himself and jumped up through the earth to strike the fiend with his axe, the creature let out a monstrous roar and readied its next attack.

Wallas screamed for everyone to turm and run out of range as the Malboro began to spill its bad breath across the field of battle. Wallas tirned and managed to let loose a Sleep spell which only managed to lull the beast and fail to actually knock it unconscious.

"Damn it, missed.... Lume are you ok? Where are the others? We're going to need them" He asked across the battle field

(@drummer-dan please do not control the actions of the monsters. As you post is, this is an accurate representation of a mindless beast attacking whatever threatens it, however a Molboroba isn't just mindless. I don't want it to be a simple battle.)

The brave warrior vaulting through the high tree canopy arrived at the battle scene just in time to see the monster ready to consume Wallace. The badger's magic hadn't worked correctly, only slowing the creature's mind instead of putting it to sleep. Then the roar of the warrior caught it's attention. It turned with its mouth leaking an green gas. Wondering where the warrior was hidden it spit out steams of green sludge into the canopy. None hit the warrior however, the creature could not keep up with his movement.

Greg freaked out at Wallace in combat with the creature and also at the trail of sludge covering the tracks of the monster. He could fly safely above the ground but just looking at the flowers and grass turn black underneath worried him. Whatever the creature was about to do wouldn't be good for anyone. He tried preforming a spell, his pom pom glowing light red. He wanted to aim it at wallace for protection but he couldn't see him any more. So he cast Shell on the warrior in the canopy above. Unlike the monster, Greg could spot the warrior moving around. Shell would protect him from some damage if he did get hit by any sludge.

Lume, listening closely to the warrior thought about the words for the forest. Bringing out her Harp from her strap and opening her mouth, her elegant words and strumming enchanted the area around her. As she sang and played she swayed around with her wings like a swan. Inspiring nature around her with the beautiful dance she used a bit of her magic. The high tree branches were like the rolling ocean waves, grass and vines began to dance to her enthralling sound. The warrior would almost loose his balance but he was able to balance in the canopy despite the rocking. Greg too became enchanted by her sounds, even forgetting about the monster. Then she spoke commanding words, ordering an attack against the foul beast.

The earth violently rumbled underneath the creature as roots broke out from the dirt, grabbing the monster. The warrior was now at the opportune moment to strike the beast if he could bring out the inner strength inside. (Make your attempt, remember to describe the attempt action as well as you can.)

Those roots would not last long for they drained the winged women as well as began to rot around the disgusting creature.

Cassius arrived at the scene a moment latter witnessing the forest become enchanted by the sounds of the Caelum woman. Walking took a bit of time but he was still a valuable participant in the battle against the Malboroba. One would wonder what he planned to do with his new vial of toxic sludge.

---

The four legged creature looked at the blade danger for a moment then trotted away before she could mount it. The creature was quick to avoid any of her actions. It was apparent that they didn't care for riders. One might guess that is why no one had seen anyone in Navire use them for mounts. Galren and Rinn, as well as a few others of the party were still on their riders, watching Blade Dancer from the distance. Then they would immediately notice a foul scent renter the air. The creature was still around somewhere. Close enough to drift to the four-legged mares who were galloping away.

The smell turning even more sour as the seconds passed, the Blade Dancer was the first to hear to noise. A popping, slithering, and glubbing came from the area behind a tree. If she turned to observe it then she would quickly see very small creatures, about as high as her knee, hidden in the tall grass. Upon further inspection she would see they were all ugly with big mouths and slime oozing out from underneath them. However, had she not payed attention she instead would just notice the sound and smell.

The white chocobo on the other hand would quickly realize the danger at hand and demand that her rider flee the area before anything could become of the baby Molbos. Would Rinn ignore the blade dancer though?

The Geomancer then after the chocobo would know these creature's by site. If he were indeed acting as a leader it would be in his favor to call a retreat as he knew of their toxic spit and foul breath.

"Careful!" Koji shouted to Wallace, his voice echoing through the treetops as the creature rounded upon him. With a satisfied smirk, he'd begin darting around as the creature attempted to keep up with his movements. His plan to keep the creatures attention had succeeded, darting in and around the trees to shield himself from the sludge that erupted from the creatures mouth. Having been blessed with the moogle's magic, and keeping ahead of the beast, Koji would begin to plot and plan for his time to strike.

It was then that the earth began to tremble, causing the trees to sway and buckle beneath him. Catching himself on his final vault, he'd brace himself, regaining his balance as his eyes scanned over the creature. Quickly, he noticed the winged-one's spell at work, attempting to bind the creature in place with roots and other flora of the forest.

"Perfect!" Koji shouted as he lept to the top of the tree where he landed, eyeing over the sky as if looking for something. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for- the sun and it's current position in the sky. Drawing his blade partially from it's sheath, the warrior would take in a deep breath as he steeled himself for what was to come. In an instant, he'd rocket towards the creature, veering slightly to the side as his blade caught the shine of the star. It was then that a blinding glare would radiate from the shining metal, masterfully directed into the eye stalks of it's intended target in an attempt to blind the beast. Despite the success or failure of this action, Koji had made up his mind to strike, replacing the blade fully until the creature was withing striking distance. It was then- in an action that only the trained eye could catch- his blade erupted from it's housing, aimed to cleave through the side of the creatures mouth to a depth that would sever the muslces and tendons that controlled that side. When contact with the ground was made after the attempt, one would see Koji rocket back up into the trees, repeating his tactics.