"Nice to meet you, Mister Skyway. My full name is Haley Wellington and... Well look at that, you've gotten me all formal and everything." Haley replied, chuckling to herself. "A male Harpy huh? We sure are getting all the male monsters, aren't we? Maybe we should just introduce you all to the Demon Lord and we'll be set for life."
Ozzy played it off. "I know, the odds of male monsters in such a place together are astronomical, but we also have two dragons. Maybe we're fated for greatness." Ozzy's fingers went to his chin as he considered meeting the legendarily imfamous Demon King. "It's not a bad idea." If there was another meaning behind it rather that diplomatic, the harpy wasn't considering.
Ozzy looked quite odd as his 'cloak? Cape? became rigid and unfolded into two wings at which he flapped and suspended himself off the ground. He checked to make sure Morgan didn't need a lift, his 'boots' being able to split apart for his raptor like clawed feet. It seemed alot of his clothing was modified slightly so that he looked mostly human, until he didnt. He didn't look like a harpy until he actually took flight.
Most of the trip was Ozzy talking to himself about Varjo, seeing how that seemed to be a big proprietor of their requested services. Ozzy did have to remark that a good portion of those requests seemed to involve atleast some kind of fighting. The Guild was mercenary, and mercenaries fight battles. It made him a bit uneasy. Would he be in a battle? Would he be asked to be a spy? Research battle strategies? Would his new friends be okay. They were dragons, and minotaur, and odd creatures, but still.
Seeing the small town, Ozzy descended landing with a soft thud. "Mahigan, I presume. I mean it's supposed to be a village." he was about to go for his tome from his back pack but it proved unnecessary. He took a few steps to admire the architecture and people watch the locals. "Alot of villages are typical of this. Meeting alot of travelers, they end up opening their doors to monsters." He was just spurting out random trivia. "Now the next silly question is who are-"
"Hey! It's you! It's a good thing I read your profiles or else we'd be spending an entire day looking for each other in Mahigan. You two are fliers, yeah? Good! I'll just make you guys carry me to Lokdar Swamp and this quest'll be finished in no time."
Ozzy turned, happy to be recognized though the sight of him put Ozzy off a little bit. It was a man, so he was in armor, alot of armor... too much armor. "Isn't that a little heavy?" He remarked and finding it quite rude that the man was just expecting them to carry him. Sure most monsters could carry a person, but he was in iron platemail, adding an additional 30-50 kg.
"Anyway, I'm Ian. Ian North. Professional mercenary. More of a hero-for-hire, really. I'm not really taking questionable jobs anymore. It must be when I saved some monsters with an Order priestess. Anyway, I have a feeling we're gonna be seeing each other more in the forseeable future."
Ozzy smiled a bit at this, giving Ian the benefit of the doubt. He offered a hand to shake. "Hello Ian, it's a pleasure working with and or for you. I'm Ozmodius Skyway, you can call me Ozzy. And glad to hear it. From the description, it sounds like it's pretty harmless." Herb tracking, but it was in that swamp. Ozzy hoped it would be that simple.
"As for the job, like I said it's taking us to Lokdar Swamp. Now I know evil hags and supervillain lairs tend to reside in swamps but I assure you that nothing really harmful will be waiting for us there. Although we might run into the Varjan refugees that just holed up in Ravager's Rest but come on, what are the odds of that? So you in?"
Ozzy added to the description. "Still we better watch our step. Had a bad run in with some of the local flora there yesterday" He took note that Varjo came up again. But they are north of that country, and Ravager's Rest was unfamiliar to him. Things must be bad. "If anything does happen, I'm sure we can handle it." Ozzy says, assuring more of himself than anyone else.
"If you're ready, I'm ready." He checked in with Morgan before flaring his wings again and then settling on Ian's shoulders, his claws gripping him on his arms at his shoulders. He tried to do it, to spare Morgan the work and discomfort. A subconsciously proper thing to do. "Thank goodness harpies are adapted for carrying off pretty heavy prey. Let me know if it's uncomfortable Ian." If there was nothing else, Ozzy would strain, flapping his wings to try to get him and Ian airborne but eventually he did. Why so much armor? If it was supposed to be a safe mission? But he was a hero, maybe it was his look.
Annalise was not comfortable with the situation she found herself thrust into; face to face with this intrusive figure. A dweller of deep dungeons, she'd little awareness of all surface-bound creatures, yet she could gleam similarities between her assistant (or partner, as he'd timidly insisted) and the one before them – primarily, that they shared a lineage as a species. Beyond that, however, her inspection ceased, as they woman grew close enough to set her predator sense on, and Annalise laid a hand upon her rapier-lance. Lowering her head in threat, she stepped forward, beyond Magnus, and into range to strike without risk of retreat. Keeping her draw discipline, Annalise took over, “Who are you to question such things. There is no cause for your questions to be answered, until you answer ours. To tell you information you’ve no privy to is to allow chaos. So, you answer first.”
Annalise centered herself. Magnus's species was volatile, when challenged.
It was only after a few moments that Bast noticed how tired Eilidh looked. Almost instantly, he stopped talking, looking at her with a confused and slightly worried expression. As she explained to him she wasn't able to sleep, Bast nodded quietly. He could understand to a certain point. After all, a lot of things happened the previous day.
Despite Eilidh's tired expression though, he let out a smile and nodded after she agreed with him regarding Varjo. More than anyone else, Bast was accustomed with political tension & etc. But Varjo was on another level. They are extremely dangerous and radical on everything they do. From their war strategies to their very own town and how it works.
"I am really glad you understood me." Bast said with a smile.
Even though Bast was glad she understood his reasons and his warning, he had mixed feelings about her accompanying him in that particular request. He didn't know what would happen, but he would have to hold himself down a bit if she was around. After all, that whole request was basically him double crossing, working for two enemies behind their back, playing with them...
Arriving in Ambran they went to a very familiar place for Bast. The watchtower, the same place he met Lady Natasha, the very woman who had contracted the guild asking to destroy one of the Barensia's most beautiful wagon. Their client arrived shortly after, in a similar manner to Bast's previous one. Unlike her though, she wasn't as polite as to invite them inside the wagon to discuss the job. Again, much like Lady Natasha Archaean, her rival, Lady Natalia Barensia had an adorable appearance, but a terrible personality... and a rather foul mouth.
Bast simply watched with a smirk and an amused expression as the clearly irritated noblewoman explained their job in a flurry of words, including some very unladylike expressions.
"Hoo~ I wonder if all noblewomen from Ambran are so... barbaric or have equally terrible personalities..." Bast said after the woman left, without even giving them a chance to speak or ask questions.
"Lady Natasha Archean was the very woman who posted the request to burn the Barensia family's wagon. The very wagon the annoying, foul mouthed little woman was just raging over. Something regarding the Barensia family being repressing the Archean family for years. Needless to say, both woman have rather.... unpleasant personalities. Although I do need to point out that Lady Natasha was better than Lady Natalia. Despite cold, she was much more professional." Bast finished, making sure he was speaking low enough so only Elidh was hearing.
"Now that you know a bit about the current situation, who do you want to side with? We will get paid regardless of our choice, so..." Bast said, shrugging.
"Letting both families tear each other to shreds is also an option... I doubt either of them will open themselves to strangers. Well... at least I know the Barensia wont, as I already met both wife and husband." Bast finished, looking to Eilidh.
The second Nagare approached Freyr, he couldn't help but think about the question she made yesterday. While he wasn't able to answer it due to being too late, he spent a lot of time thinking about it before sleeping.
"Viera who have abandoned the woods are Viera no longer. Those words lingered on Freyr's mind.
It was only after a while, looking at Nagare with a distant stare that Freyr realized her presence and that she had asked him a question.
"I'm sorry. I was just thinking about our talk from yesterday." Freyr said, with an awkward smile.
"The Varjans... They are... dangerous. Ruthless, merciless and bloodthirsty, they will do anything to get what they want. And most often than not, their goal includes blood. Not the type of people I would like to mess with..." Freyr said, with a dark expression.
"They have no respect for the nature or life itself. Their lands are soaked with the crimson blood of their allies and foes alike." Freyr finished, sighing. Talking about the Varjans always reminded Freyr how cruel the humans could be.
"It will be dangerous, but if you wish to accompany me I would be grateful. If... If things go wrong it will be nice to have someone with me." Freyr continued.
"Regarding your unanswered question from yesterday... Yes, in the eyes of my kin, I am no longer a Viera. I may still be able to hear the voice of the woods, the very woods may still long for it's son's return, but my presence is no longer accepted by my own kin." Freyr completed.
After a long silence, an enthusiastic voice interrupted them. It was Yang Bethlehem, punching a hole through the request as she announced she wanted to go to that one. Bast couldn't help but smile at that.
Bowing her head in a rather polite way, that reminded Freyr of that shady Bast fellow, only a lot more... honest, Yang said she would be under their care, calling Freyr 'Madam Freyr'. Looking at her with a rather confused expression, he tilted his head, his ears twitching a bit as he tried to understand what she had just said.
Even though a Viera's constitution was taller, leaner and rather elegant for both females and males, it was still somewhat hard to confound a female Viera with a male one. Vieras had a much more smoother and more delicate voice. Even though, for humans, confounding a male and a female's voice wasn't impossible, it was still different. A male Viera's voice sounded like the sound of leaves rustling through the wind while a female's voice was more delicate and melodious. Other than that, the males had more defined muscles and slightly longer claws.
"Oh, uh... Thank you. I will be under your care as well. Even though I'm a male." Freyr said with a really awkward smile.
"We... We should be careful though. Varjo isn't a place were it would be wise for us to walk leisurely." Freyr said, looking to both Nagare and Yang, trying to make the atmosphere a bit less awkward.
Finally arriving on the road where the caravan would pass through, the group hid themselves behind a small hill, waiting for the right moment. A brief moment after they did so, a large caravan consisting of two prison wagons and a good number of soldiers, some of them on horseback and some of them being normal footmen began to cross the path. Between those who were riding horses, two were obviously higher ranked than the rest, being one a high knight and the other, a warrior wearing a strange, menacing red suit of armor.
While outnumbered, they still had the element of surprise. The two higher ranked warriors and the other knights could prove to be a problem, but the rest were simple soldiers. They would need to be smart and engage them carefully.
"We need to be careful now. They greatly outnumber us, but a lot of them are mere soldiers. Between them, the only two we need to be especially wary of are the two armored ones." Freyr whispered to both Nagare and Yang.
"We have advantage on this terrain. Stealth isn't an option though, since we are in an open area. We have the element of surprise but there aren't that many places to hide once we show ourselves. So we have to use this advantage very well. A hard first strike to lessen the numbers to make the ongoing fight at least manageable." Freyr explained.
"My arrows can easily pierce the other knights armors, but I doubt I will be able to do anything at this distance to the two heavy armored knights, both the red one and the high ranking knight." he finished, looking to the group. They still had a few minutes before the caravan passed in front of them, but they needed to discuss the strategy right now.
Magnus froze as his companion spoke, nervously sweating at the very obvious threat made by Annalise, as well as her incredibly hostile attitude towards the holstaur before them. Their information gathering for the past hour or so had been fruitless, and if they lost this lead before them, it would make clearing this quest almost impossible. As such, Magnus gently pushed Annalise back by her chestplate, shaking his head. "What are you saying!? I-I'm sorry Miss." he said, now occupying the space Annalise had once taken up. Bashfully scratching the back of his fluffy white locks of hair, Magnus was beyond embarrassed to have to bail someone out of conversational suicide with a cousin of his own race. He hadn't personally talked to a holstaur since he left home, and so figured that he'd try a far...friendlier approach than Annalise had.
From that simple shove, Annalise could feel for certain that Magnus was strong, even for a normal monster. If his physique didn't already betray that. Also evident was how much he was holding back, given that it was just a light shove that got her to move. The Minotaur before her smiled at the woman, saying: "S-So, basically, we've been hired by Jeb Blanck to find someone. We were hoping to find him, or someone that knew his farm south of Ambran, but so far nobody has had any information. Do you happen to know where we can find him, Ma'am? We'd really appreciate any help you could give." the burly minotaur said, bowing his head to try and appeal to the woman, despite him still towering over her while bowing.
[Who Are You To Judge?]
A9A9A9
Nephele tensed up when she realized that she had been seen. She'd hoped that the foliage would provide sufficient coverage for her to not be noticed right away, but it seemed their scouts had keen eyes. The man with the ridiculous helmet was the first to speak, directly mentioning her race and questioning her intentions. It seemed that he certainly knew how to recognize a monster, but had little to no fear of them. While she probably could simply emit her poisonous fog and kill them while helpless, the town was just within sight and no doubt someone was watching. As such, Nephele hatched a plan to get out of this via conversation; Naturally, an excuse such as someone just talking a walk through this wartorn area would not suffice. However, judging from the haggard look of the town, she knew one thing any starving populace needed. Saying she was from Boreal would rouse suspicion, since she was approaching from the east and all.
"I am here from Artenni's Emporium's Mahigan branch. We'd gotten a request some time ago for a caravan to be dispatched here, and I was to find the path to Sonarra for them. Best to have a monster cut through brush after all." she said, trying to play into both their obvious need of supplies, as well as the potential that these soldiers may very well try to rob her. "If you'd grant us passage, we can stop and provide our goods to your people in about an hours' time. If that is agreeable, that is."
"S-So, basically, we've been hired by Jeb Blanck to find someone. We were hoping to find him, or someone that knew his farm south of Ambran, but so far nobody has had any information. Do you happen to know where we can find him, Ma'am? We'd really appreciate any help you could give."
The Holstaur's mood was soured from Annalise's earlier threats but she stuck around fortunately. "Well if you're looking for Jeb himself, why don't you go to his farm south of Ambran? Why're you looking for him here?" The bovine monster was a bit confused from Magnus' explanation. "And you say Jeb's looking for someone? May I know who is he looking for?"
"And also what's the deal with your friend over there?" The Holstaur asked about Annalise. "If she's looking for a fight, I know a warrior who's living here as well as a Salamander who'd love a good scrap."
"I am here from Artenni's Emporium's Mahigan branch. We'd gotten a request some time ago for a caravan to be dispatched here, and I was to find the path to Sonarra for them. Best to have a monster cut through brush after all. If you'd grant us passage, we can stop and provide our goods to your people in about an hours' time. If that is agreeable, that is."
"...You are a bad liar, Dragon." The warrior instantly saw through your lie. "Caravans may be crazy enough to come to Varjan territory, yes, but to send a monster to search the path? Ohhhh, no one is that stupid or ignorant. Especially not an emporium from the north."
He and his men slowly reached for their weapons. It seems you had a fight in your--
"HAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!" The warrior and his men suddenly burst into hearty laughter, pointing fingers at you.
"Relax, aking kaibigan! Relax!" He told you. "Welcome to Sonarra, ate! Let's come, eat, drink! And then we'll talk." The warrior then motioned you to follow him. He and his men led you inside the dreary town. The streets were barely clean and there was a slight stench of decay and refuse in the air.
The warrior motioned you to sit with him on a table in front of a shoddy, poorly-built bar. "My name is Felipe de Santa Anna. A proud warrior of Emilio Hari's rebellion against the iron oppression of the Varjans." He introduced himself. "Perhaps you have heard of him, Dragon? Emilio Hari?"
"Anyway, what is a Dragon like you doing so deep into Varjo? Who are you? Are you really from an emporium from the north?" Felipe asked. "Or are you from the guild? I posted a request there, you know?"
"We have advantage on this terrain. Stealth isn't an option though, since we are in an open area. We have the element of surprise but there aren't that many places to hide once we show ourselves. So we have to use this advantage very well. A hard first strike to lessen the numbers to make the ongoing fight at least manageable. My arrows can easily pierce the other knights armors, but I doubt I will be able to do anything at this distance to the two heavy armored knights, both the red one and the high ranking knight."
"Sounds like we need a distraction. To maximize the effect of the ambush." Haley said from out of nowhere.
"Hey, guys!" The Siren greeted the party with a sheepish smile. "I followed you not long after you left. Don't worry, I wasn't seen. I mean, come on. If they saw me, they'd be acting all alert and all that." Haley then took a glance at the prison caravan. "And they seem pretty docile right now."
"Anyway, I agree with Freyr. All we have to ourselves is the surprise and we have to make that count since there's only four of us and a bajillion of them." Haley continued. "I have an idea, I can focus all attention of the caravan on me while you guys sneak up from behind and take them out one by one stealthily. We'll keep the facade as long as we can. If it breaks, hopefully you'll have taken enough of them down to even the playing field."
"Wha-?! Are you saying I'm fat?" Ian took offense at your question, missing its point. "I'll have you know I have a strict training regimen as well as a balanced diet of proteins and carbs and salads as was outlined in the latest issue of Monster Girl Care: How To Look Great For The Hubby.
"Thank goodness harpies are adapted for carrying off pretty heavy prey. Let me know if it's uncomfortable Ian."
"Hey, hey, no need to try to impress the ladies, Ozzy." Ian remarked. "You don't have to carry me by yourself. Let your Mothman friend here help out. After all, being in a relationship doesn't mean shouldering all the burden so your significant other doesn't have to." The mercenary appeared to have jumped to a conclusion regarding Morgan and Ozzy. "Burden must be carried by the two of them together. Just like how they will tackle everything else in their lives: Together."
Ian appeared like he has shared some wise advice and not some awkward assumptions.
Titanica didn't completely trust the harpy when she mentioned how she wouldn't get pregnant so easily. She has no interests in raising a child at this point. She has no idea how potent such stuff was in humans compared to her own kind, although she doesn't want to find that out. When the Grandava offered her pills for her headache however, the Titan would take it graciously.
"Fine..." she growls as her head still continued to dizzily spin, "Just be quick about it."
It was then when she found Vara waking up, who screeched mortifyingly at their current position. She demanded for the owner to direct her to the nearest shower to wash the "shame" from her body. The titan could also use a nice warm shower as well, feeling very icky and sweaty from their intense "workout". Gina would then mention about the boy and asked if he was part of the guild. The guttural growl from the Titan clearly told the owner to get going, followed by an unexpected raspy cough that nearly choked the beast. Once the harpy was away, Titanica glared over at the demoness and went over to gripped her by the scoff of her shirt, pinning her against the wall in a wrathful temper.
"Listen closely," the Titan snarls ominously at her, "Whatever happened in here didn't happen. It. Never. Happened. We simply ate too much food, got food poisoning, and we had to sleep here for the night. That's what happened. If I hear you speak a single word of what actually transpired here to the guild - or anyone else in that matter - I will personally drag your mangled corpse back to which you've came, understand?"
Just then, she would hear Neil start to wake up and question what just happened. Titanica would loosen her grip on the demoness and walked calmly over to him. He asked if whatever happened last night actually happened.
"What really happened?" the Kaiju asked curiously, pretending to be oblivious to what happened, "It must've been a dream. Now get up. We're leaving in half-an-hour."
With that, she would head towards the shower to wash off and prepare to head back to the guild.
Morgan's partner would finally come to her in the form of Ozzy the Harpy. He seemed incredibly interested in going, although groaned when he read "Lokdar Swamp". Looks like he had some bad experiences there yesterday. The mothwoman is somewhat familiar with this location, for she occasionally has to travel there in order to find a few selected herbs and a special kind of glow-flower. However she hasn't been there in several months due to business back in Mahigan and the fact she had no use for them at that time. But she does know the dangers that lurk within the murky depths and she must be ready for whenever they raise their ugly heads.
Eventually they would arrive at Mahigan via flight and they both landed around the outskirts of the village.
"Ah!" she breathed, "It's good to be home. Even though, what, it has been 1 - 2 days since I left?"
"Mahigan, I presume. I mean it's supposed to be a village." Ozzy remarked as he rumbled through his bag briefly, "Alot of villages are typical of this. Meeting alot of travelers, they end up opening their doors to monsters."
"It's a safe-haven for us." she replies softly as she walks towards it, "I practically call it my home away from home. It's so... peaceful."
Ozzy was about to ask something else regarding her until someone called them out.
"Hey! It's you!" the voice cried with a humorous-esque tone.
The mothwoman turned to see an armored figure waving at them. Is that the person they're supposed to meet? He definitely was more... "prepared" then she anticipated. She walks over to him with a curious outlook, as he continued.
"It's a good thing I read your profiles or else we'd be spending an entire day looking for each other in Mahigan."
He must definitely be this Ian North.
"Hello!" Morgan happily greeted with a wave, "Are you~?"
She was then interrupted by the armored figure.
"You two are fliers, yeah? Good! I'll just make you guys carry me to Lokdar Swamp and this quest'll be finished in no time."
The short dainty "child" paused for a second after hearing his request. Someone of her stature along with the harpy carrying him in that heavy suit of armor? Seemed rather illogical to her, as it is for Ozzy.
"Wha-?! Are you saying I'm fat?" he retorted back offendedly, "I'll have you know I have a strict training regimen as well as a balanced diet of proteins and carbs and salads as was as... blah blah blah."
"But are you Mr. Ian North, sir?" Morgan asked again just to be sure he's actually the person they were looking for.
"Anyway, I'm Ian. Ian North. Professional mercenary. More of a hero-for-hire, really. I'm not really taking questionable jobs anymore. It must be when I saved some monsters with an Order priestess. Anyway, I have a feeling we're gonna be seeing each other more in the forseeable future."
So he is the guy. Either way, as Ozzy introduced himself properly, the mothwoman did so as well.
"And I'm Morgan." she greeted happily with a friendly smile.
With that, Ian went back with the plan regarding them to go into the swamp to find these flowers as well as being on the watch for possible Varjan refugees. The harpy remarked confidently that they can do this, with Morgan nodding the same. While Ozzy gripped the man's shoulders, Morgan grabbed onto his ankles for proper horizontal support. She admits to herself that this would've been easier if she had to grab onto a tail or something.
"Ready!" Morgan replied with a thumbs up as Ozzy would confirm to Ian.
"Let me know if it's uncomfortable Ian."
That's when things began to get a little weird.
"Hey, hey, no need to try to impress the ladies, Ozzy." Ian remarked. "You don't have to carry me by yourself. Let your Mothman friend here help out. After all, being in a relationship doesn't mean shouldering all the burden so your significant other doesn't have to. Burden must be carried by the two of them together. Just like how they will tackle everything else in their lives: Together."
Thankfully, Morgan was too preoccupied in looking at the surrounding area to properly hear him say this, but she probably would've gotten somewhat uncomfortable if she did. Either way, it was high time that they would be off.
It wasn't going to do insulting the client, even though every fiber, every fiber of his being wants to denounce that magazine and its pseudo-science. "I meant the armor, it looks as if you are going to battle." Ozzy's concern was that they expected trouble.
Ian then went on a rant partially accusing Ozzy of Chauvinism when honestly he was just trying to be gentlemanly. He listened to Ian assumption that he and Morgan were a pair. It was surprising, but Ozzy was a bit more composed when it came to the feelings of others. Had he been alone with North and the misunderstanding was made, he'd be a bit less eloquent. It appeared that Morgan did not respond in kind. She was looking around. After all, she had stated this was her village. Was her clan here? The one she spoke of last night? Ozzy gave a nervous smile, seems like Ian North was one of those eccentric types.
"As delightful as that sounds, Morgan and myself had only met yesterday. So friends for the time being I hope. Though I do agree Sir North- Morgan gave the thumbs up and he strained to get him off the ground, but Morgan actually helped quite a bit, her wings rather enchanting and curiously patterned. She was stronger than she looked. "Such things are a team effort. Is that what the job is for, helping some couple find fulfillment? I've had to do that before, but that was less flowers and more explaining how humans and monsters could live together." Ozzy asked a hopefully long winded question, one to change the subject, two, to make the trip more pleasant.
They didn't go too high, and the way Ian was being carried was probably quite humorous to onlookers. Belly to the earth while Ozzy gripped his shoulders. Figured the man needed to see where they were going. Ozzy also attempted conversation with Morgan whilst they flew. "Morgan! So you're from that little village? Were you born there? Or is that where the doctors you trained under were?"
Magnus quickly realized that his tongue had slipped in his questioning of the holstaur, panicking just a bit as he thought very carefully about what would be best to say in the moment. His mind quickly fell on it being better to be honest here, since if the woman did have information, them just going off to fight some random salamander would mean potentially never getting that info. Clearing his throat, Magnus said: "S-Sorry. What I meant to say was...we're looking for Jeb's lover. The job he sent to our guild said that she had been kidnapped, and we figured that if he came here, someone was bound to know his wife...girlfriend...lady friend. We didn't want to waste time in case she was in danger is all."
He then, whispered: "Also please go easy on my partner...she's new to this." he said, before standing back up straight, trying to at least act professional after his blundering while waiting to see if the holstaur knew anything about Jeb's lover. Right now, a good idea of what she looked like would help immensely, as well as information on whether she'd been seen in town at all recently.
[Who Are You To Judge?]
A9A9A9
Nephele's muscles tensed as she readied herself to lunge and spill blood, the slightest shifting of her right foot being made just before the laughter echoed. Staring blankly at the lot of them, Nephele was caught completely off guard by how...goofy this nonsense was. Was she fated to just...always come to hate men in armor when she was on a quest? A sharp exhale escaped her mouth before she relaxed her shoulders. She had no reason not to follow, yet also made sure to check her peripheral constantly, looking on edge as they entered the seedy bar.
Taking her seat across from this man, Felipe, she nodded her head once. "I am indeed from the guild...though, shouldn't you keep your voice down? I haven't personally had much experience with Emilio, but members of our guild have spoken of him." Nephele replied, bearing a serious expression on her face. Gingerly, her long index-claw tapped on the wood before her as she looked at Felipe, unsure of whether the resistance had complete control of the bar, if this was all a strange elaborate trap, or just a case of the resistance members being way to mouthy, but she did want to skip straight to the point of all this. Her ebony tail was at rest below her feet, curled around the stool she sat upon as her eyes looked about the bar. "So, what exactly do you need doing, Mr. Felipe? I was under the impression that you had..."work", for me, but if it is so easy to walk about, it feels strange you should need my help. For now, in public, Yes, I am indeed from a "caravan" sent to deliver supplies."
Felipe could tell immediately that she was all business, while all Nephele saw was Ian 2.0, but with more of a beard...well, she assumed Ian didn't have one, at least. She would make it a point not to order anything nor accept any food or drink offered. She couldn't trust a thing Felipe said just yet, until the details of the contract were laid out. Or a trap was sprung. Whichever, really.
Too much was happening too suddenly, Annalise couldn't help but feel, as Magnus pushed her back, and the Holstaur offered her up for combat against a seasoned warrior and something she couldn't predict without seeing it. Her armor hid her panic, as she stumbled back a fair bit from Magnus's brute strength (even controlled), and tried to take her lance in hand; only for her “fingers” to pass through it, and absorb it back into her core. 'No! No! No! Don't panic! Don't panic!’ she tried to calm herself, but, she couldn't. ‘It doesn't change! Nowhere changes! It's still the same!’
Annalise resisted a scream in frustration, as she covered the lance's hilt-less state with her hands. How she'd struggled to travel to that Guild Hall -- hoping to live somewhere that she wouldn't have to fight against her will; somewhere she wouldn't be attacked on sight; somewhere she can wouldn't have to live in the form of a chest to survive the night; somewhere she could eat richly without risking her life in unneeded combat. 'He tricked me. I let him trick me!’ thought the Mimic Slime, as she could feel her armor thinning; being absorbed to call out a better one, a fighting one.
“Fine,” Annalise says, as she couldn’t hear Magnus whispering, and defusing the fights, “I'll accept your proposed fights.” Turning on her heel, Annalise started to leave, “I need to prepare, first,” and set off to find a secluded locate to bring up a stronger set of armor. Close-quarters combat wasn’t her forte, so she needed time to think and look within herself for the right kind of armor and weapon.
"What? Don't be silly?!" Yang laughed loudly as she waved her hands towards the Viera comments nonchalantly and seemed to hear nothing of his next word. Whether out of ignorance or disbelief, none can say. "Everyone knows that there's no such thing as a male monster in this world! Otherwise, we would be getting more of them!"
Granted, everyone here dressed so oddly that they could pass for one like. "But yes, this mission is going to be a little tough. Come on then, let's do our best."
With that, they set out on their journey.
Taking a look at their quarry, she looked at the challenges she was to be facing. With so many knights and foot soldiers, and the two at the front seemed to stand out the most.
Not good. She glanced towards the beads she had, it seemed that perhaps for once, she was reconsidering her weapons. So far, the beads served her well but against tough armored caliber opponents, she'll need something more...bigger.
Yang then tightened her fist however as she let out a low breathe, concentrating and psyching herself up. Crushing armor and metal with her bare hands is merely one part of the challenge in her road, not to mention her master can no doubt do the same.
"This is going to be hard." Yang chipped in before her ears picked up a slight wind disturbance.
Yang was mildly surprised when Haley, the siren appeared but she kept a quiet poker face as she joined them. Listening to her suggestion made her frown as she pointed out a flaw in it.
" I can knock out their ground soldiers if you keep their attention, probably some of the knights two but those two look like trouble." Yang volunteered for the close encounter among them, since she seemed like the one equipped and far more trained for it. "I'm concerned that they wouldn't see reason with you and simply fire an arrow towards you."
Ditzy began his journey with his sandbag, wondering just exactly what he would need to do even as he head out alone.
Come to think of it, this was the most he spend time alone as there's always someone near to help or guide him. He wondered if he can do this alone without anyone help.
Then a sudden surge of confidence well up from him, of course he can! That's why he's here, isn't it?
With that, he continued his journey to Ambran. So far, it didn't seem that different as he approached the town so far. There was those in the hood and those that seemed weird. Ditzy wondered about it until something snapped out of his thoughts as two people seemed to stop him.
The next words seemed unintelligible, and Ditzy tilted his head with a finger tapping his horns trying to understand what he just said. It seemed like a mumble of words but he brightened up like a lamp as he decided to introduced himself.
"Hello, I'm Ditzy Stoneclub! I'm here from the guild to help Ambran be first!" Ditzy said to them enthusiastically and innocently, though he didn't know how exactly he was going make Ambran first.
While still trying to regain her composure, Vară suddenly found herself pinned against the wall by the large reptilian woman. The young demoness was taken aback by the strength of her fellow guild member, her ominous words sent shivers down Vară's spine. What made it all the more terrifying was that she got the sense that Titanica wasn't lying... The fire demon's face grew pale and began to break out in a cold sweat. All Vară could do was gulp nervously and weakly shake her head yes, praying it would be enough to appease the large female. Thankfully Titanica loosened her grip as Neil began to awake, she acted oblivious to the whole situation and began to make her way toward the shower. Vară's back slid down the wall as she planted her bottom on the floor, she held her head down still in disbelief of the current situation.
How did all of this happen? She thought to herself. She heard Neil ask them if last night was real, or just a dream. Truthfully, Vară wondered that herself. The fire demon wanted her first time to be with someone more profound and charismatic, like a stalwart young hero or a magical prodigy. She stared at Neil with weak eyes, unsure how to answer.
"It's like Titanica said, it was all just in your imagination..." Was all Vară was able to muster, heart still pounding.
Getting on her feet, she walked out of the room as well, hoping to wash all of last night from her mind and body.
"Titanica and I will be using the shower first, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait or now." Said the demoness without even looking in the boy's general direction.
According to Freyr, they were 'bad' humans. Nagare understood that not all people were good at heart, and it sounded like that there Vajarns where the perfect embodiment of this. Honestly, going on a mission like this made her a little scared. But, being with Freyr and this Yang person made it seem not so bad. I'm sure things will work out for the best! She tried to pep herself up for the mission ahead.
After arriving at their destination, she looked on with her comrades at the knights escorting the caravan of prisoners. She like the rest of them, saw that they were clearly outnumbered. Added to that, there weren't many places to rely for cover. She listened to her guild members come up with a strategy to deal with their armored foes. Freyr could shoot arrows from afar, Yang was skilled in CQC, and Haley - who she was surprised to see - offered to be a distraction in order to make thinning their numbers easier.
If Nagare were to be honest with herself, dragon she may be but fighter she is not. She could shoot projectiles like Freyr, use her scaly limbs to fight up close similar to Yang, and she could fly around to use herself as a distraction. The problem was, however, is that she couldn't do any of these things as skillfully as her companions. This, coupled with the fact that she had never fought before, sent her tumbling down a hill of doubt and dread.
Still, she tried her best to think of a way to make herself useful. Fighting up close and personal was out of the question, given her slender and fragile frame. So, that leaves shooting from afar with Freyr, or being a distraction with Haley. Given the fact that she can't fly for very long, perhaps team up with Freyr would be the most optimal use of her abilities.
"Um...I think that maybe I could strike from afar with Freyr? I can shoot icy spears to dish out damage, and my ice breath can immobilize some of the knights. Perhaps it could even work against the two stronger fighters?
Of course, if all else fails, she still had that tuck away under her sleeve. But, hopefully it wouldn't come to that...
As Yang started speaking about how hard it would be and saying she could knock down some knights, Freyr couldn't help but think again in what she said a while ago, saying that there was no way he was a male while laughing loudly. Still now, he didn't know what she meant by that. He was standing right in front of her... And it wasn't hard to define his gender... After all, most Vieras, be them male or female wore very little clothing both due to the vieran forest climate (and their own culture) and in order to not restrain their movements.
He would have to make sure to clear that misunderstanding after that mission ended.
Paying a bit more attention at what Yang said though, he nodded, agreeing with her. Indeed she was more fit to fight in the frontline. Freyr was a hunter. While he was incredibly agile and was as dangerous wielding his knives than he was using his bow, fighting against multiple heavily armored enemies would be much harder for him than it would be for Yang.
The plan they had until now seemed promising. Haley would be the distraction, Yang would try to knock down the ground soldiers and fight in close range while Nagare would stay far away with Freyr.
"It's something." Freyr said, after quickly reviewing the plan they had so far.
"Haley, do what you can, but promise me you will get out of there as soon as things start to get dangerous. Neither me nor Yang can do anything if they start shooting arrows at you." Freyr said, looking to Haley with a very serious stare.
"Yang, you'll be... alone down there and I don't like this idea that much... But we will have to work with it." He said, thinking.
"Nagare, you will be with me attacking them from far away, but if something happens and Yang needs help, I will have to run to help her. If this happens, try to use the hill as a cover and do not stay in the same place. Attack and move, even if only a few meters." Freyr said, looking to the dragon girl.
"Despite the fact that you guys never saw me using my daggers, I can assure you I am as effective with them as I am with my bow, so if you find yourself in a difficult situation, Yang, just call me." He finished.
"We don't have much time, they're coming. Remember our plan and remember to keep yourselves safe at all costs." Freyr said, getting in position.
"S-Sorry. What I meant to say was...we're looking for Jeb's lover. The job he sent to our guild said that she had been kidnapped, and we figured that if he came here, someone was bound to know his wife...girlfriend...lady friend. We didn't want to waste time in case she was in danger is all."
"I see." Ignoring Annalise, the Holstaur began wondering. "Although, I don't know any-- Oh. Oh. I-I think I know who he's looking for." The cow monster realized. "Follow me, sir. Let me show you Jeb's kidnapped lady friend."
You and the Holstaur walk to an isolated farm just outside of Boreal Port, passing by an area that appeared to be an abandoned part of the town. The Holstaur lead you to the farm's stables where there was a healthy horse of brown hide and white mane. "Sir, let me introduce you to Sally." The cow monster motioned to the horse. "Yes, it's the horse."
"This is Jeb's kidnapped lady friend. Me and my husband bought her from a traveling merchant when we recognized her. She was probably stolen from Jeb since you're here." The Holstaur continued. "Nice to know Jeb's still looking for her... I think. What are you going to do now, sir?"
Having excused yourself to find a secluded spot, you find yourself an area that had a well nearby but without a soul in the vicinity.
But not for long though, a person appeared. A human male in plain, villager clothes with fair skin and short, golden hair. His eyes were a clear blue and had a muscular, above-average build. In his hands was a wooden pail so he was likely there to retrieve some water from the well.
"Oh, hello there." He innocently greeted you. "I hope you're not here to cause trouble since you look like you're armed for battle and all." The man did not seem to be that wary of you despite your appearance. He then noticed that your armor was shifting into you. "Are you alright?"
"Now that you know a bit about the current situation, who do you want to side with? We will get paid regardless of our choice, so..."
"Wait, if we were hired by this Lady Natalia, why would we be paid by this Lady Natasha?" Eilidh asked, confused.
"Anyway, sounds to me like these two have been going at it for a long time." The Centaur bluntly gave her thoughts. "I really can't sympathize with either of them if all they do is tear each other down while proclaiming that they're in the right." She disdained the two houses. Eilidh was clearly unhappy right now but it seemed that it was not at the situation itself.
"I don't know. I can't choose." Eilidh finished. "You're wiser than me. What do you think we should do." Yet, everytime she looked at you, there was an earnest, bright smile on her face.
"I am indeed from the guild...though, shouldn't you keep your voice down? I haven't personally had much experience with Emilio, but members of our guild have spoken of him."
"I see, I see. Emilio, himself, has also talked about your guild. He said that you are friends of Sonarra!" Felipe laughed heartily. "And don't worry about eavesdroppers. The loyalists usually stay in their garrison at the southernmost part of the town since the entire town is actually against them. Besides, even if there were, what're they gonna do?" Felipe and his men laughed again.
A waiter approached and wiped the table clean. "Bring us some ale." Felipe ordered.
"So, what exactly do you need doing, Mr. Felipe? I was under the impression that you had..."work", for me, but if it is so easy to walk about, it feels strange you should need my help. For now, in public, Yes, I am indeed from a "caravan" sent to deliver supplies."
"The Varjans have seized the poor Sonarrans by the throat... and trying to destroy our way of life." Felipe began. "The people are scared, confused. Some of the Sonarrans think of joining Varjo since they have no hope for the town." He then firmly declared. "We must show them that Varjo is not invincible. That Sonarra can be free from its reign of terror!"
"We've received word that there is a small contingent of Varjan troops heading to the garrison to reinforce it." The waiter from earlier came back with two mugs of strong ale. "We must not let it be. We must show that the Varjans can be broken and that the Sonarrans are strong." Felipe then grabbed a mug and raised it towards you, inviting you to toast.
"It must've been a dream. Now get up. We're leaving in half-an-hour."
"It's like Titanica said, it was all just in your imagination..."
Neil paused at the responses before nodding. The boy did not appear to believe Vară or Titanica but he was willing to accept the lie. Perhaps for the same reasons they did.
------
After they were done washing themselves of last night and anymore pains taken care of, the three guild members began the walk back to their guild. Neil followed behind Vară and Titanica, and just as silent as the latter two likely were.
The awkward silence was not to last, however. Once they were on the road below Valoras Woods, they encounter what appeared to be a caravan of human soldiers and knights. On a closer look, however, the traveling troops were actually a prisoner caravan. Wagons with cages filled with prisoners were surrounded by Order footmen and mounted knights. The troops all diligently marched forward and so, did not notice the three guild members behind them.
Moments later, the entire caravan stopped and a familiar voice was heard. "Halt evildoers! You shall not take another step!"
"I'm concerned that they wouldn't see reason with you and simply fire an arrow towards you."
"Haley, do what you can, but promise me you will get out of there as soon as things start to get dangerous. Neither me nor Yang can do anything if they start shooting arrows at you."
"I don't see any bowmen with them so they're gonna have to chase me if they want to get frisky." Haley assured Yang. Her shaky tone indicated that she was likely assuring herself too. "Let's do this."
Once everyone was ready, Haley took to the sky before landing in front of the prison caravan in a rather dramatic fashion. "Halt evildoers! You shall not take another step!" The Siren raised a wing to stop the caravan. Which it did. "You have wrongly imprisoned these prisoners! And I, as a bird of justice, demand... justice!"
The Order Paladin and the Varjan Warlord drew their swords, the former beginning to converse with Haley and becoming distracted. The rest of the caravan also readied up, the footmen raising their shields and spears and the knights gripping their lances. Their attention, however, was all focused on Haley. On this seemingly delusional monster who thinks she can take on an entire caravan.
The bait was taken and now the trap must be sprung.
The trio reached Lokdar Swamp in a short amount of time, having flown there and all. Ian requested to land at the edge since he had more to say.
The wetland was nothing special. Some wooden walkways were present to help those who, for some reason or another, have to traverse the swamp. Ian, despite his heavy armor, expertly traversed the wetland and guided Ozzy and Morgan so that neither of them took dirt or water in places that they likely did not want to have dirt or water in.
"By the by, we're here to collect some grass. Don't know what they're called though. They glow so they shouldn't be too hard to miss." Ian explained the mission. "That, and some berries. They sparkle so again, not really hard to miss." He continued as you two moved into moist but still firm soil. "You'd think I'd just grab some yeast to make the wine but I'm experimenting here so anything shiny goes!"
"Also, let me tell you about--" Ian suddenly stopped and pushed both Ozzy and Morgan behind a fallen log. He motioned to be silent to them before pointing to a pack of fierce-looking and strange-looking dogs or wolves. "Varjan Wardogs." Ian whispered. "Nasty stuff. Can't be pacified with just chicken."
"This pack seems to have been released. Can't see their handler anywhere." Ian said. "These guys must be just roaming around for food. Hopefully said food ain't us." He told the guild members before glancing over the log once more and spotting something.
"Look over there!" Ian pointed to a patch of glowing grass with a bush of shining berries nearby. "It's the stuff I need. Good thing these Wardogs are pure carnivore or else we'll have to be worried more. Hehehe." The knight-mercenary chuckled at his own dark joke.
"So how do you wanna do this, you two? Do you wanna go in there, wings blazing or do you wanna play the waiting game and let them pass?"
"Hello, I'm Ditzy Stoneclub! I'm here from the guild to help Ambran be first!"
You were ignored when the other man stepped up and patted the foreign-speaking man in the back. "Very good, Ioseb. We'll make a civilian protector of our town's borders from undesirable elements of you yet." He praised the man you were speaking to.
"Sorry about that, little guy. Just a... training exercise." He then apologized to you. "You see, there's a real problem here. It's a disaster!" He exclaimed at you. "Well-motivated people eager to do any job to support their loved ones are flooding into this town and unwilling to adopt our culture."
Ioseb nodded. "да!"
"And that's why we formed... Ambran First!" The man and the foreign fellow named Ioseb then saluted to you. "But there's only us, Mister Stoneclub, so we are forced to hire your guild's shady, clandestine aid." He continued. "We have received word that there are Zipanguese men here doing their... Zipanguese stuff."
"Mister Stoneclub, are you ready to join us in keeping Ambran first?"
Once on the road, Titanica remained silent as she and the other two began the long trip back to the guild. Her eyes were fully fixed on the horizon beyond, not muttering a single word to both Vara and Neil respectively. If anyone did speak to her, she'd either flat out ignore them or vocalize a simple grunt. The shame that she felt for the night was utterly immeasurable and her entire day has been flat-out ruined. She's going to need to drink away that cursed memory with the help of what the natives here called "alcohol". And she's going to need plenty of it once she gets back.
Yet as they walked down a calm path just below Valoras Woods, Titanica would catch something ahead of them. She already heard some commotion up ahead prior, but she didn't care much for what it was. Yet upon closer inspection, she could make out what appeared to be some kind of a military cavern, with several armed footmen and cavalier knights. The titan motioned her companions to heel slowly as they treaded quietly behind them. They didn't look to be the local militia of this county. Everything about them - their armor, weapons, and even their tongue - looked rather foreign. It appeared that they were also carrying some prisoners with them, though she could only imagine what fate lied in store for them. Yet despite their antagonistic looking role, she initially made no attempts to attack them.
"Keep out of sight." she whispered cautiously, "I suppose it'll be best if we happen to~"
Then there was a sudden cry coming from farther down the road. The caravan stopped as they looked at who just happened to stand in their way. And from where she stood, Titanica was able to take a glimpse at the character who blocked their way.
A tiny lil' siren, no taller than a mere child, who demanded that the caravan release the prisoners they've took hostage.
That bird-child certainly had guts to stop an enemy task force dead in their tracks, as well as a fool to do so alone and unarmed. Neil may perhaps recognize who she was, but even if not, Titanica figured that she was an ally of some sort. The soldiers drew their weapons and pointed them in her direction, with the leading figure conversing over her insignificance in taking them by her lonesome. All the titan could do was sigh at the bird-brain's shameless behavior, but she wasn't going to leave her to die by their hands.
"Right." the titan grumbled testily, "Looks like we're going to have disperse them after all."
She'd look at both Vara and Neil while speaking directly to the latter.
"Stay here, boy." she orders bluntly before walking to the cavern, "This shouldn't take long."
And indeed it shouldn't. Titanica wasn't going to face the entire task force in her current state. If she's going to finish this quickly, she's going to need a lot more power to eliminate the competition. And thankfully for her, she knew just how to do it. As soon as she appeared from the forest brush, her body began to rapidly morph in place. Her smooth skin rapidly became covered in charcoal-black scales, as her entire posture began to morph into something monstrous. Her body became much more bulky, with thick tree-trunk legs, reptilian-looking hands, and her head began to morph into a prehistoric-looking creature. Her tail grew longer as her height grew to a massive 15 feet tall, dwarfing everything within the vicinity as her head barely reached the canopy of the nearby trees.
And when the transformation was complete, her titanic presence would be felt as her massive feet shook the ground with every step. And with that, he bursts out with a booming roar that could be heard for miles, disturbing the nearby life as the nearby birds and deer flocked to higher ground. An ancient primal creature had finally broken the restraints that had kept it down for so long. The "goddess of destruction" had come at last. And as she opens her mouth, a glowing blue aura emitted from her mouth cackles down her spines, as she unleashes her destructive atomic breath on the forces below, whilst also being careful not to destroy the prison wagons.
But her vengeance shall rain down on these helpless fools, all the same...
Yang smiled at Freyr concerns and raised a fist in assurance. "No worries, it's better I'm down there by myself. Gives me plenty of room to attack."
And if anything happens, at least no one would be hurt first. She told herself even as a small part of her said otherwise as they would only get in the way but Yang shook that notion off quickly.
"Alright." She patted her knees and readied herself to reach her position, smiling as she raised a thumbs up to encourage them.
Then quietly and keeping low, she moved silently like a panther amongst the terrain with nary a sound. Almost disappearing as she approached the unsuspecting convoy. Controlling even her breathe, she was soon close to the guards.
Then when Haley did her distraction, Yang took this chance to get even closer and peeked at the foot soldiers. In her mind, she plotted and identify the most efficient way to get through them.
Knifehand,backhand, solar plexus, neck- Yang made a list as she continued her steady breathing rhythm, muscles relaxed but readied to explode into action. Taking one last deep breathe, Yang fingers twitched as she moved from her hiding spot.
That's when she felt something off from afar, she can't pin exactly what it was but it is growing larger. Briefly, she wondered if it was some wild or untamed monster girl that decided to prey upon the convoy.
Yang instinct was half-right, as she felt something massive but was completely unprepared for the large form of a monster that seemed to appear from the mythical tales told by her master and story-tellers of old. Her mouth opened in a brief moment of shock and stupor as she craned her neck upwards.
That's when the glowing blue aura brightened and Yang felt her hackles rise, there was a large energy being built up and it didn't take long for her to connect the dots.
Changing her plans quickly, she headed instead for the prisoners rather than the guards. Her eyes quickly scanned for the warden or whoever has a key with them.
With that appearing, whatever it was, all manner of subtlety is thrown out of the window and speed was now the key. Targetting everyone near the prisoners, she was like lightning as she was among them in a flash. Swift, powerful and precise strikes aimed to knock out the guards, Yang was a blur to their eyes as she lashed out to them.
Ditzy nodded slowly as he looked at loseb, and then the man who addressed him. Ditzy wondered if this was his boss even as he listened to him.
He didn't really get how people unwilling to adopt culture was hindering them being Ambran first, it didn't seemed like it was a competition. If anything, Ditzy also wondered how does one adopt a culture when it's not even physically real.
Come to think of it, what does the word culture mean? Ditzy wondered at the back of his head before his attention came back as he was asked whether he was ready to help them.
"Of course! I'll help in making Ambran First!" Ditzy delightfully said as he raised an arm in a cheer.
Maybe they want to make Ambran the best city? It does sounds logical since they're practicing and all. So they're probably trying to make Ambran first, and the Zipanguese are not doing Ambran things but Zipanguese stuff instead.
Hmm, so I have to make them do Ambran things? That sounds easy!
"So where's the Zip-pant-geese are?" Ditzy cheerfully said despite absolutely slaughtering the pronounciation, though his mind went back to Saburo and he recalled everything about him. He seemed nice, perhaps they'll be too?
How, Annalise asked herself, for the nth time, as this random man just happened across her. There was so little in the way of seclusion, as a port town was chock-a-block with travel, but, the well had offered the best potential... and yet, here she was, besieged by another person with no sense of personal space. Back in her dungeon, she knew the layout from the first floor to the tenth, from the extravagant Lobby to Madame Lin Daw's very Bed Chamber, and could never be taken off guard by the routine happenings. Upon the surface, without her sensory puddle, even a weak human could offset her sense, and find her compromised.
Exchanging armor, as she was, she couldn't bring herself to run, 'lest she be chased, and her armor come undone fully in the pursuit, and she be revealed. Unlike most Slimes, Annalise had a flaw that prompted her to always be in a suit of armor; a flaw called: Shame. Feasting on the once, well-hidden phylactery of Madame Lin Daw, and abruptly ending the Lich's reign by sheer accident -- it wasn't her fault the phylactery was a delicious gold urn that was sealed shut with decadent platinum gilding, and placed in her mouth, while she was hibernating. -- had the unintended side effects of, firstly, bringing the death of her Dungeon Master, and, secondly, instilling her with the locked away emotions and thoughts of Lin Daw, before her Lich-ification.
That included, shame of the naked form.
Half-undressed before some random man, Annalise was nearly paralyzed with embarrassment, and did the only thing that came to mind: she leapt into the well.
Fully stripping her armor, Annalise hit the water with a lazy splash, and her thoughts raced to redress herself. She needed to focus on speed over power, in a fight with a seasoned warrior, evasion was better than brutality, as she was always on the clock. Not to mention, a Salamander sounded suspiciously like a Dragon Race, and it was always better to be faster than a Dragon, as they'd few weaknesses. If she couldn't predict the Salamander's element, and she didn't intend to overpower the warrior, then she would pick an armor that was designed around the idea of speed and generic fire defense.
Retching, she threw up the beginnings of the armor...
After three minutes, the random man, should he still be there, or anyone that was, would see a three-jointed, four-fingered hand topped with three-inch claws, as Annalise pulled herself over the mouth of the well in her new armor set. It looked like it was meticulously crafting from obsidian, yet smelt as if is forged of sulfur; encompassing her from head to foot, and letting no part of her show, beyond her luminous silver eyes – now, mixed with a glowing crimson. All too suddenly, a series of vents opened upon the helm and hind of the armor; expelling hellfire in the magical kept design of a pair of ears, long mane of hair, and a flowing tail.
The armor was clearly designed around the imagery of a Hellhound -- or, perhaps, for one -- and seemed almost impossible human to wear, yet held the potential that something human could jam itself in there. Annalise didn't give them much time to think, and she suddenly took off in a perfect bestial gait, and sensed out Magnus.
She didn't want to abandon him. Even if he did push her.
"Hm... I do have an interesting idea on what to do..." Bast replied to Eilidh after hearing her.
Just like Eildh, Bast couldn't really sympathize with neither of the families since they were simply fighting against each other. "Come, my dear. For now, we should go to the Archean gardens... Putting fire on it should be really easy... We wouldn't even need to get inside. But we will leave a small note to them though... After that, we will go to the Barensia Family manor..." Bast said, as he started making his way together with Eilidh to the Archean Manor.
Bast's idea was simple. He was going to burn the Archean's garden, of course, but he would leave a note to them... Something that would make both families meet, even if they didn't want to. Bast couldn't say he disliked some chaos, but that was getting ridiculous... The two noblewoman were looking like two kids slapping each other fighting over a small thing...
As Haley started speaking, drawing their attention, Freyr knew it was time to act. Haley wouldn't be able to keep them distracted for too long before they simply started going after her. He couldn't help but chuckle hearing Haley's speech though. It most definitely didn't suit her character.
Yang was also moving in, displaying a rather surprising skill to move herself unannounced. Even though she had said it was better for her to be alone, Freyr still kept an eye on her. If he saw that she would get in trouble, he would immediately go help her. As he watched Yang moving herself, Freyr nocked an arrow and holding four other arrows on his fingers, silently drawing his bow and waiting for Yang's signal to start. As soon as she moved in, he was also going to act.
But unfortunately for them, their plan quickly would be rendered useless, as suddenly a gigantic, draconic like monster, who somehow resembled Titanica, appeared out of nowhere. Opening it's mouth, Freyr could see it getting ready to unleash it's attack on the convoy. Luckily it was attacking them and not in their side...
Making his aim, Freyr twisted his wrist as he drew his bow so the arrow would spin more when released and holding his breath for accuracy. Coupled with the already monstrous strength of his bow, it should be enough to pierce any armor. Luckily for him, the two targets he was aiming, were still distracted, only, this time, not by Haley, but by the gigantic monster.
Swiftly letting go, his arrow flew through the air with a frightening speed, spinning as it went towards the order paladin's neck. Freyr didn't need to wait and see if he hit the target. The second the arrow left his hands, he already nocked in another one, doing the same twisting motion as he aimed for the Varjan Warlord's neck next, releasing it soon afterwards.
Taking only the blink of an eye to locate where Yang was, he nocked another arrow, the third one, aiming for a few of the guards who were standing nearby the prisoners. Luckily, one of them would be holding the keys.
The five arrows Freyr had in his hands were shot with an inhumane precision and agility. When he finally breathed again, all of his arrows were already in the air, going towards his targets. After taking a breath, Freyr drew another two arrows from his quiver, doing the same twisting motion as he aimed for the Order Paladin and the Varjan Warlord once more.
Vară walked silently alongside Neil and behind Titanica as they made their way back to the hall. The fire demon mostly held her head down in shame and couldn't even bring herself to look in Neil's general direction, trying to hide her blushing cheeks. Heeding the words of her intimidating companion, Vară refused to speak a word of what happened last night to anyone, knowing that if she did her life would more than likely be in danger. Still thinking that Titanica must be some kind of dragon kin, despite denying it, Vară knew of the race's dominant power and overflowing energy. Indeed, it'd be best not to cross the woman.
While walking, a though just occurred in the head of the demoness. She doubted that Neil used protection last night, what if his seed was able to impregnate her? The thought of bearing a son at this point to some random boy began making her mind race a mile a minute. I can't get pregnant now! Not by this kid, not like this!! She frantically though to herself. At that point, an idea popped in her head. Perhaps the bird woman they met back at the village could be of help. Surely she must know ways of preventing such things. Vară put it at the top of her to-do list to find that woman again and demand that she assist her.
That's just what I'll do! Besides, it's only right that she help me. After all, it's partly her fault I'm in this predicament in the first place! Vară began nodding to herself in agreement with her plan.
She then noticed that Titanica motioned for them to find cover. There seemed to be a caravan a little ways up the road, having knights as the escorts. She also noticed what appeared to be a siren flying daintily around them. Upon closer inspection, it was Haley, the siren she met back at the guild. Unsure as to what was going on, she guessed that Haley would be attacked by the guards if she continued with this strange behavior. Needing to let off some steam, Vară was preparing to enter her true form until Titanica ordered them to stay back. Though that order seem to be more directed toward Neil that her. After seeing her step out of the forest, Vară bore witness to Titanica's form. The woman entered a form resembling a giant, lizard-like creature with an appearance befitting a myth. Left speechless, Vară's fear of the woman's wrath intensified tenfold. Watching her breathe fiery energy upon the knights made her feel sorry for them, in addition to fueling her own fright.
Having mainly directed her order to the boy made Vară think that Titanica likely didn't care if she got caught in the blast or not...
Nagare watched as Yang made her way down to the armored warriors and began letting loose her marital arts, thanks to the distraction provided by Haley. As Yang was busy at work, she waited for Freyr's cue to begin striking from above. However, she began to sense a powerful energy radiating from just in front of the caravan.
Nagare also witnessed Titanica's giant form come into view, the roar she let out could be heard for miles. Nagare remembers her grandmother once telling stories of deep sea dwelling reptiles whose size and power were comparable to their own. She wasn't sure if the stories were true or not, but now she knows for sure. So she can transform as well. She thought to herself. Nagare's wonderment turn into worry, however, as Titanica began breathing energy at the knights. She was concerned that, while the woman appeared to be aiming away from the prison carriage, her attack might accidentally set the carriage ablaze.
"No! How can that woman be so reckless! Said the ice dragon in a concerned tone. If the caravan was unlucky enough to be caught in the blast, Nagare would just have to try her best to put it out.
Noticing that Freyr began firing arrows at the other knights, Nagare regained her focus and began aiding him. She followed suit and shot two large ice shards at the Paladin and Warlord.
Even as Ozzy and Ian north chatted about the former's relationship with the anthropomorphic moth, Morgan would continue to remain silent as she curiously looked around at her surroundings. She seemed to be clearly much more interested in the mission rather than simple gossip. And yet it also didn't seem as if she was simply ignoring their conversation. In fact, it was almost as if she didn't hear them at all, with her head high in the clouds. And within her excitement in seeing her village again - despite being away for roughly two days - she simply was focused on that alone.
But that would change once the harpy finally called out to her directly.
"Morgan! So you're from that little village? Were you born there? Or is that where the doctors you trained under were?"
She fluttered her eyes at Ozzy and nodded rapidly.
"I've taken residence there, yes." she responded, "But I was born and trained elsewhere... far, far away from here. Although it's been so long, I seem to have forgotten where exactly it is."
Once they reached the swamp, Morgan released the armored knight and fluttered down to the floor. She'd quickly begin stretching her aching arms as she reached to the sky and then down to her toes. Even with the help of another flier, it was still very difficult to undertake regardless. It was then when Ian began to debrief on what they are to help collect.
"By the by, we're here to collect some grass. Don't know what they're called though. They glow so they shouldn't be too hard to miss. That, and some berries. They sparkle so again, not really hard to miss."
Sparkling berries and glowing grass. Morgan knew several forms of these edible foliage - each being used in various medicinal remedies or used as useful items. She knew a thick glowing bamboo-like grass, which is excellent in being used in alternate lighting - although it is very rare to come by - and glow-berries that are also used in special healing balms and used as glow-in-the-dark face-paint. She only knows one species of glow berries that are poisonous to humans, however they are also known to be a delicious delicacy by a certain tribe of lizardpeople. However, without any name or nickname to identify what they are looking for, it was going to be tough to figure out the precise foliage they needed to collect. She only had to trust on the man's instinctual judgement at this point.
Suddenly, she and Ozzy were quickly pushed behind a log as a vicious pack of Varjan Wardogs came within the area. Morgan wasn't too keen on these species, let alone anything regarding Varjans in general, but she knew that these dogs were definitely bad news, considering their infamous ferocity. Like Ian mentioned, simple treats won't deter these mad beasts from chasing you away. They were more intelligent than the average dog... and far hungrier.
And to her right, they were finally able to spot a patch of these glowing grass and berries just sitting there. That took way less time then they thought. However, now under the presence of these ravenous beasts, they'd either have to wait or fend these creatures off by force.
"So how do you wanna do this, you two? Do you wanna go in there, wings blazing or do you wanna play the waiting game and let them pass?"
Morgan peeked at the dogs as she considers trying to distract them. However, the chances of this succeeding are very small, so it was a dangerous gamble.
"I think we should wait." the mothgirl whispered unashamedly, "As long as we keep low and stay out of sight, I think they shouldn't see us..."
However, she was much more worried about their scent of smell. One quick change of the wind and they'd catch their scent. She only hoped that they won't smell them out...
"Come, my dear. For now, we should go to the Archean gardens... Putting fire on it should be really easy... We wouldn't even need to get inside. But we will leave a small note to them though... After that, we will go to the Barensia Family manor..."
Eilidh nodded at your decision and followed.
The two of you head over to the manor of the Archaneans at the southern edges of Ambran. The manor itself was definitely that of a noble's, lavish and rich. It stood alone surrounded by low stone walls and steel gates. Hired guards were posted at the aforementioned gates and diligently did their jobs. The garden was likely located right behind the manor.
From a distance that did not warrant suspicion, Eilidh began. "We are to set fire to the garden, right? How are we gonna do that?" She asked as she continued to look at the Archaneans' abode. "However it is, we need to deal with the guards." She continued.
"Being what I am, I am afraid I am less than useless in a stealth approach." Eilidh said. "However, what I can do is provide a distraction so that you may be able to sneak in more easily. What do you say?" The Centaur awaited your answer.
Titanica's mighty roar shifted the caravan's attention from Haley towards her. The troops were shaken before the awesome presence of the kaiju. The Order soldiers would have ran but the Paladin stepped forward atop his steed. "Stay strong, men! We are soldiers of the Order! Of the Chief God! We fear no monster! We only fear dishonor!"
And with that speech, the Order forces held with a proud yell. Their resolve was reinforced and battle was joined.
Your atomic breath threw the Order forces into disarray. Three Footmen and three Knights were burned while some of the Knights were thrown off their horses, allowing the other guild members to be more effective.
"You three! To me!"
The Paladin and three of the knights rode forth to fight you. The three knights all thrust their lances at you but your hide proved to be stronger, deflecting the lances and almost breaking them. However, the Paladin's sword burned with holy fire and with a single swing, managed to crack the scales on your right leg. The pain may be bearable but he showed that he was able to harm you.
The knights and the Paladin circled you, searching for an opportunity for another strike while looking out for any counter attacks. However, an arrow shot and an ice shard almost hit the Paladin as his horse got startled, opening him up for attack.
The atomic breath from the dragon-like monster scattered the Order troops protecting the wagons and allowed you to wreak havoc.
As Footmen fell one by one to your martial prowess and Freyr's arrows, your search for the keys proved fruitless. The Order forces were beginning to regroup and the dismounted Knights approaching you looked like they could match you in combat.
"Ate!" Your attention was called by one of the prisoners. "Iyong susi na kay Krik!" He pointed to the red-armored Varjan Warlord. "Na kay Krik iyong susi! Iyong susi, ate! The keys!" The other prisoners repeated his words and also pointing at the Warlord. "Palayain niyo kami and we can help!"
You saw the Warlord block an arrow shot and ice shard with his shield which he soon discarded, feeling it useless. "Get them! Someone get them! What are your horses for?!" He angrily barked at the still-mounted Knights. "Go! Go! Attack! Have no fear! I shall guard the prisoners!"
Seeing you, he pointed his sword at you. "You! You dare test yourself against Krik the Beheader?!" He challenged you. However, you sense a bit of fear in his words.
Freyr and Nagare's attacks have supported Yang as the monk battled her way through the Footmen and the dismounted Knights.
"Freyr! You two have incoming!" Haley shouted from above. And like she said, some five Knights have made their way to Freyr and Nagare's position. Their lances held high and with a battle cry, their speed picked up. "Freyr! Nagare! Look out!"
The two monsters were about to be impaled by the Knights' sharp lances if they don't do something about it.
As you stood dumbfounded by Titanica's power, you watched the battle unfold with Titanica fighting the Paladin and three knights while the other guild members fought the rest of the Order prison caravan.
You and Neil were at a distance from the battlefield. It seem it would be safe to--
"VARĂ, WATCH OUT!"
You heard Neil yell at you from behind. You turn around just to narrowly evade a spear thrust from a stray Footman. Despite evading the attack, you still stumbled to the ground after losing your footing. The Footman was about to thrust his spear again when someone tackled him to the ground and saving you from death. Or at least a lot of pain.
That someone was Neil and you watched him and the Footman wrestle and fight. The Footman may just be a Footman but he was still a bit of a fighter, something that Neil was not. The Footman gained the upper hand and with one punch to the face, he managed to stun Neil long enough for him to pick up his spear and attack the boy.
Neil recovered but he found himself holding the spear from piercing his body. His strength was not enough and the spearhead inched ever closer to his face.
"I think we should wait. As long as we keep low and stay out of sight, I think they shouldn't see us..."
"Alright then." Ian replied briefly. Thus, the trio waited, watching the Wardogs for any sign of major movement.
After several minutes, the pack began to move and leave the area. "Well, they're moving out. Let's get moving too." The mercenary knight went in once the pack was completely gone and began gathering the herb ingredients into a sack. Albeit slowly and carefully. "These things are pretty fragile so one needs care and finesse when extracting them."
"You know, you and your guild are starting to make a name for yourselves around here. The usual pub talk has you guys as one of the topics. I was there when your guild started, you know? I wasn't there-there but I was one of the first request posters. You guys grow up so fast..."
While Ian began to ramble, you then come face to face with a lone Wardog who apparently strayed from the pack. The hound stared at you for a second before pouncing on you, its sharp teeth trying to get a bite on your neck. "Hey, you guys alright there? Can't really turn around since these things require lots of attention."
"They're currently in a theater nearby. Come on, we've no time to waste!"
The two men led you inside Ambran and past its busy streets. The town had not changed much since your last visit. It was still the same, home to all sorts of merchants and strangers. You and the two men eventually reach what seemed to be a theater house. "This is the place. Get ready."
Ioseb then pointed. "вон там!"
From the theater house emerged a trio of men dressed in foreign, Eastern clothes and in their hands were various exotic instruments. "There! Get them!" The three Zipanguese men immediately noticed that they were a target for some reason and, feeling threatened, began to flee. "They're trying to escape!"
"Mister Stoneclub, do something before they get away!"
