Excellent, he'd located a school of fish. Pinpointing the spot that he had located, Sefira took a deep breath.

"Thank you. Now, get ready to start collecting them," she said.

This was going to be a lot faster then regular fishing, and plenty more efficient. Her mana reserves were plentiful, and this was plenty enough for some fishing.

Why wait for fish to bite when you can just get them all in one move?

Sefira raised her staff, and a blue circle of light suddenly appeared above the spot Souji had indicated, encompassing the entire school of fish as another circle of light appeared several meters above it, both drifting in opposite directions away from one another as the air seemed to vibrate between both circles, bubbles appearing in the lake, the fish trapped in the radius of the spell as the light built. Warm energy flowed through blonde elf's arm, down to her fingertips and to the tip of the staff, which gave off a light like a small star.

"Celestial Flare!" cried Sefira.

Indeed, the fish stood no chance, as the air and water between the circles exploded in a brilliant flash of blue magical energy.

Sefira had not, however, accounted for anything else that would be churned up by the blast...

@Sho Minazuki@PKMNB0Y

Having the theoreticals of chopping trees down, simple as they were, meant that Kokoma's attempts to lop one down with her spear were not in vain. The make of her weapon made making headway into the trunk less efficient than it might have been had she used an axe, but both she and Eunice could most definitely see that her efforts were making headway.

A few more heavy swings would leave the tree precariously swaying from side to side, the large indentation on its side making clear that it would fall away from where the two standing by were watching. Slowly, steadily, what remained of the narrowed-out hollow of the tree trunk would begin to buckle from the weight and snap, bringing everything above with it.

Unfortunately for the tree's residents, this would include one sabertoothed cat cub of some variety, who had chosen the tree as its resting place of choice. Its parents were nowhere to be seen, of course, but the startling awakening it had been given coupled with the yowling made clear that it was both stuck and calling for help.

"Ah... Hm," Eunice would enunciate, glancing between the leaves of the fallen tree and Kokoma. "I certainly hope this won't end poorly for either side..."

Given that there was someone far more suited for handling animals, the mage would choose to let the Shenke do as she thought fit... Whatever that ended up being.

@Rune_Alchemist

---

Given the amount of magical firepower directed at the lake, it would come as no surprise that the fish were caught thoroughly off guard. More than a few were launched high into the air, with no small number of them damaged by the blast itself. The sky rained a mix of blood, water, mud, and fish lucky (or unlucky) enough to be launched into the air, and unfortunately for the two standing by the shore, physics did not discriminate. For what it was worth, though, there were a sizable number of fish left stunned in the water or falling towards the two that were left rattled but not damaged in any way.

But as the blood from the blast began to mix throughout the water, a darker shadow would barely make itself out from beneath the depths for but a moment, stirring ever so slightly as something breached the surface for a moment before sinking away from prying eyes.

At least, for a moment.

Another pass of the shadow would confirm that there was indeed something lurking in the depths, and the sudden spray of blood-soaked water as the source of it all—a large leviathan-esque monster—reared up and roared at the pair before shooting a high-pressure torrent of water towards them. Though the attack did not seem to be one with any intent to fight, the withdrawal of the beast back into the lake made it seem as though it was gauging the response of the two before it, it's eyes periodically breaking through as if to continue monitoring them.

Whether it was angry because of the explosion, their encroachment upon its territory, or something else seemed to matter little at this point; the option to retreat certainly existed, though, restrained to water as the beast seemed to be.

@VitaVitaAR@Sho Minazuki

---

The smell of rabbit was not one that Anastasia was all too familiar with, given how she had never actually tasted rabbit meat before in her life, but the tantalizing scent wafting through the air was undeniably enticing to her. The young woman felt her stomach growl, and an embarrassed blush crossed her face as she moved in closer to get a better look at the meal being prepared.

Unfortunately, though, the scent of such a delectable meal spreading throughout their campground would bring with it a few monsters eager to loot some for themselves—namely, a small group of hobgoblins spearheaded by one with a red cap on its head. The leader apparent and those behind him peeked out from behind the bushes, and more than a few ended up licking their lips as they slowly attempted to sneak further in. The cook looked busy, at least, and the one beside her looked like easy pickings...

But the knight seemed a bit more dangerous. If they could just sneak in and take the two near the food——!

@Hammerman@Operator Luna

---

---

Yui was quick to pick up her lance at the mere sound of leaves rustling. "Stay still, you two.", she cautioned to her companions. Slowly picking up her shield, she readied the tip of her lance in the general direction that the sound came from. It was hard to see beneath the shadows, and a constant breeze was blowing behind her, making it harder to discern who or what was there - whatever it was, it was clear that the smell of cooked meat was attracting them. "Stay near me. Can you place the meat in your inventory?", Yui asked Myrtle without looking back, keeping focus on the forest shrubbery.

Yui thought about her options. Rabbits? No, they're not normally active around this time, and they're not likely to enact vengeance. Another player? Possible, but not likely either as they would've attacked earlier. Maybe a baby animal that's hungry for morsel. Yui tried to go through a list of native creatures that lurked in these areas, but the scent of meat and persistent rumbling of her stomach made it hard to concentrate. All she could do was stand and watch, hoping whatever unwanted visitors that came to steal their bounties would scurry away.

Kokoma
Aluvera

---

Of course, felling a tree needed a definitely hearty call out to go with it!

"Timberrrr-ah?"

What she was not expecting though, was the sound of an animal being caught in it. Was something using it as a sleeping place when she had started to get to work? Well damn. How did she not notice? She was focused but...well, no, that didn't matter. If some little animal was hurt, that was just bad all around wasn't it? Kokoma would lay her spear on the ground and quietly approach the sound of the kitten yowling.

"Hey hey..." She'd say quietly as she'd locate where exactly the cries were coming from. A sabertooth kitten of some sort...aw, it was so cute. Also likely in pain. Right she needed to fix that. Had it gotten stuck under the tree branches as it fell? Easy enough problem to solve if it was. "Shh, shh, its okay I'll get you out."

That left some questions though...where were this kittens parents? What was it doing here by its self...if they were nearby then that was going to get somewhat messy real quick if they heard it. If not, then she couldn't just leave this little cub by itself, could she?

@PKMNB0Y@VitaVitaAR

---

"Hm, I wasn't sure what I was to expect, bomb fishing is it...?", Saito sighed then shook his head, before walking forward as he had stood a distance behind Sefira. He crouched down to one of the many fish that were now littered around them, some dead, others still flopping for dear life.

"Well, we'll certainly be eating fish for quite some time with this much to go off of. We'll have to preserve some of it too", he continued. From the corner of his eye he spotted movement upon the lake's surface, then slowly stood up again. As whatever beast the explosive magic had awoken emerged from it's depths he simply drew his blade as he looked upon it.

"Sefira, maybe next time you could rethink that strategy. I'm sure there are... More subtle methods that won't upset the wildlife", he quipped, pushing one foot back as he raised his katana, the tip pointing up and towards the beast as he pulled it back.

She had considered keeping the fish contained.

She had considered the output required to kill or stun as many fish as possible.

She had considered the quickest and most effortless option to procure the maximum amount of fish.

Sefira had not, however, considered the aftermath.

Long ears slightly drooping, the petite elf was now soaked with mud and water, and she was pretty sure a fish had landed directly on top of her head and was still there, flopping away on her hat.

"... A-aaah..."

She had not once stopped to consider what would happen to all that water and muck when a magical explosion went off directly on top of it. The goal of obtaining as much fish as possible with the least amount of effort had completely blinded her to the possibility of becoming a complete mess.

And that wasn't even the worst of it. They'd also drawn the attention of something in the water, something that was very interested in the sudden influx of dead fish and the loud noises.

Internally Sefira was kicking herself over and over again for not having realized just what else could come of her actions.

It seemed strong, though she didn't recognize exactly what type of enemy it was off the top of her head, and that jet of water was no joke.

"Ugggggh, there's slime in my hair," complained the blonde elf as if it wasn't her own fault, even as she raised her staff. It had been drawn by the noise, so...

"Starlight Raindrops!"

A bright blue light flashed from the tip of her staff, and out over the lake near to where the beast had surfaced a set of blue-gray clouds seemed to materialize, roiling for a moment as what appeared to be brighter blue stars ignited within them. Then, quite loudly and with a lot of flashing lights, these stars suddenly rained down on the lake in a barrage of magical energy.

"Blegh, there. It'll get distracted by the noise and surface again, we can get a good look and decide what to do next..."

@PKMNB0Y@Sho Minazuki

As was to be expected from a wild animal, the cub did not take kindly to human contact. Despite being injured and apparently having just woken up, the small creature had more that enough energy to flail about in an attempt to escape from beneath the tree. Of course, when the person who had cut the tree down came near, its subsequent choice of action—namely, to cry out and attempt to look big enough to scare it away—seemed only natural.

There was no sign of its parents anywhere in the immediate vicinity, for better or worse, but leaving the cub be would leave its life up to the whims of fate. It would be hostile towards anything approaching it aside from said parents, it seemed, but...

Well, was that something worth risking right now...?

@Rune_Alchemist

---

As predicted, the scattered bolts of magic had done well enough to draw the creature back out of the water. Breaking through as it had before, the beast simply locked back onto the pair—being the only two others present as they were—before loosing another roar at them. Given how the one in the front seemed to be pointing a weapon at it, the monster seemed to take everything until now as a challenge—one that it was more than willing to oblige. With blue-black scales shimmering in the afternoon sunlight, the leviathan reared back and fired another high-pressure jet of water at the pair—this time, sweeping across the ground in an attempt to attack the two rather than simply attempting to ward them off.

@Sho Minazuki@VitaVitaAR

---

Overhearing the order to put the food away, one of the hobgoblins found that it could wait no longer and charged out from its hiding place. Its fellows, not quite willing to either let another one of theirs beat them to the punch or run away, decided to simply charge in afterwards. With the knight in their way, though, the best that they could do was attempt to charge in from all sides.

She couldn't stop all of them as they went for the food, right...?

@Hammerman@Operator Luna

@PKMNB0Y@Operator Luna



Unfortunately, the weather mage _{or culinarian} was too preoccupied with her cooking to notice the hostile hobgoblins encroaching their camp. I'm fact, she was now bending over in the most unladylike manner over her roast, busy seasoning it to perfection. Anastasia stood beside her, with rumbling stomach and watering mouth.

In short, only the paladin's words alerted them of the incoming threat.

"Hmm?" Myrtle straightened herself and looked at the paladin. "What's wrong?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she ordered her to stay near and put the now cooked rabbit meat into her inventory.

"Well, if you say so." Myrtle gave her a confused look.

She carefully took out the still hot meat from her grill. Focusing her mind, she willed it to enter her inventory, and it immediately disappeared in a puff of light.

"Is something the mat—aaahhh!"

Anastasia's question was cut short as suddenly, a group of hobgoblins charged towards the party! Taking the poor girl completely by surprise!

"Myrtle!" She hugged her friend's arm.

"Y-yes, I can see them! Stand back!"

Wait, why am I saying that?! I'm still in my Culinarian outfit! I can't fight in this state!

As swiftly as she could, with trembling hand, she navigated her menu, desperately trying to change her class back to Weather Mage.

Leaving the Paladin to fight all on her own for now.

Kokoma
Aluvera

---

"Heheh, aren't you a cute thing." Kokoma would take her time a bit, not wanting to spook the cub a bit too much. There was a method to this sort of thing, wasn't it? In the game she'd just have to defeat it under special conditions, or rarely find the egg or cub of some creature since she doubted this was some special thing like an Arachne. Hmm, well, since this was no longer looking to be a game...Probably no different than treating it like a normal wild cat? Slow, gentle...and then if it decided to get feisty, just look bigger and if it turned out that wild cat was a lion - pile drive it into the ground and show no mercy.

Wait no, that wasn't right.

"No need to be afraid. I'm not gonna hurt ya. Where are your parents at?" She'd question, stopping her attempts to free it for the moment. Instead, she'd get low to the ground, crouching not far away and holding out a hand. "See? I'm a friend! Not scary in the slightest!"

---

---

A war-like noise began to sound from Yui's throat as she bashed against the earth with her lance. "I challenge you all!", Yui bellowed in a thundering voice. A strange feeling would wash over these monsters. It was like their honour and pride was on the line, if they had any, and the paladin was threatening it. The single shout that questioned everything they were was effective, all of their aggro on her, and none of her group.

Exactly as planned.
Bringing herself forward a couple of steps, she slammed her shield and knelt by it. Taking a deep breath in, she activated another skill. A brightness would cover her, little hexagons would dance around her body in an odd pattern. As 'Bulwark' gave her the grit and perseverance to withstand whatever the goblins would throw at her, making her an unmovable fort, it does not make her invincible. It would not last forever, even if she kept healing herself, but it would give the girls time to either run or fight. Yui focused her eyes on the oncoming battle, waiting for their decision.

"Uugh, I want a bath but that's a bit much..."

It probably wasn't the best time to complain, but hastily generating a light barrier spell as she quickly stepped out of the way didn't make Sefira forget just how filthy she now was. There was slime sticking to her skin, seeping through her clothing. Did slime manage to get into her underwear? That was a horrifying thought! ... Wait, she was going to have to bathe as... as...

Aaah no, she couldn't even deal with thinking about that right now!

The blonde elf shook her head as she tried to to push that thought from her mind and instead focus on the threat at hand.

"... Well, if it's aquatic, then it's probably used to a lower light environment..." she commented, thrusting her staff forward, "So it won't be used to this! Star Flash!"

Light flowed down her arm, magical energy building at the tip of her staff before letting out a flash, an orb of blue light appearing just in front of the create before suddenly exploding.

It was a low-damage spell that would do very little to the monster, especially since she had deliberately aimed just in front of it instead of at its body. But that wasn't her goal.

No, instead she wished to stun the beast and give them a moment to decide whether they'd take it on or scoop up the fish and leave. She didn't exactly want to lose out on any of her catch after sacrificing her cleanliness for it.

@PKMNB0Y@Sho Minazuki

@PKMNB0Y@VitaVitaAR

---

Assuming the blinding tactic worked he already had it in his mind they weren't here to fight a large monster.

"Gather up what fish you can and dash. If it starts seeing again I'll hold it back", he responded, lowering his blade. He began wiping away some of the slime mixed with straight up lake water, then quickly turned to the area around them, just laden with fish from the earlier display.

"Even if we only take back no more than several fish it'll still be more than enough for a meal", of course... More would be nice, they'd only have to preserve them, assuming this was no longer a game at least. He set about grabbing whatever fish he could, mainly the biggest ones, and the ones that squirmed he would pierce with his katana to still them before retrieving them. It seems whatever spell the young lady cast, it struck quite deep. There were some... Impressively large fish here, ones that would only be found rather deep.

With a growl and a (failed) step back, the animal regarded the Shenke's first gesture as one of not overt aggression. There was a pause as it stared at Kokoma, eyes unblinking as it slowly looked her over. Slowly, its posture would begin to relax, and soon enough the cub began to turn its attention back towards the branches trapping it in place. If the person in front of it was not a threat, then it could focus on freeing itself... Or so one would think.

As it moved about, Kokoma would notice that the branches had done more than simply trap the animal in place. At the very least, it seemed that one leg was slightly more out-of-place than the rest, and with how the cub seemed to be yowling in pain every time it tried to free itself, pausing for a few moments before trying again.

And again.

And again once more.

It was at this point that the cub, seemingly unable to bear the pain for the moment, laid down on the ground. Staring at Kokoma, the cat watched in silence for her next move, seemingly giving up on freeing itself for the moment. It seemed to not be calling for help any more, at the very least, but whether that was because it wanted to conserve its strength to try again or because its first attempt had failed was yet unknown.

@Rune_Alchemist

---

The blindingly bright flash of light did little to the monster, as was expected, but the spell had done its job well. Though it had been charging another beam of high-pressure water to fire at the pair, the sudden change in its surroundings (at least, from its point of view) caused the leviathan to recoil back, firing the laser off-course and causing it to carve out the ground in a straight line before it flew off into the sky. Debilitated and blinded as it was now, though, the monster began to fire about haphazardly, aiming any which way it could as it attempted to regain its bearings.

This would give the pair more than enough time to retreat from the monster, which would most decidedly not be happy if they were still present after it managed to see again.

@VitaVitaAR@Sho Minazuki

---

Emboldened by the initial panic of the two closest to the food, the hobgoblins scrambled forward, ignoring the bigger threat—at least, for a moment. The sound of the armored woman nearby moving to block their path, though, caused them to instinctively look towards the source. Though they understood not the words that she spoke, the provocations seemed to drag their minds away from the tantalizing smell of food for long enough to swing away at their new target.

With weapons ready, the monsters began to charge forward, bashing their makeshift weapons against the barrier over and over in an attempt to get at Agaue. The others seemed like they couldn't fight, given how they were reacting, which made the choice to beat up the one drawing their attention all the easier to make.

Hopefully, they could be dealt with in short order soon thereafter.

@Operator Luna@Hammerman

Kokoma

---

"Ho jeez, you're hurt pretty bad aren't you." Kokoma's tone was fairly exasperated, seeing the cub hurt in such a fashion. One of its legs was clearly broken. For once, Kokoma was now for a loss of words or actions as she'd nervously regard the creature in front of her. Right, this wasn't a game any more...or at least, probably wasn't. She had skills and stuff sure, but...how did one fix a broken bone? Aside from maybe a splint or something similar, she hadn't a clue.

"Hmm...alright, don't you worry! Kokoma's gonna help." Now that it didn't seem like the cub was going to be hostile, Kokoma would inch slowly closer to it, so she could see exactly where it was pinned at. If it would let her, she'd start finally getting to unpinning it as best she could with her hands, hoping she'd not need to cut any branches or anything. Didn't want a weapon to spook the cub again. "Just stay still, I'll get you out and fix that leg of yours."

Anastasia, not ready at all for this sudden development, cowered behind Myrtle. Myrtle herself, on the other hand, was scrambling to turn herself back to Weather Mage. Thankfully, Agaue had the insight to draw the aggro of the hobgoblins to herself, buying her precious time.

"There!"

Myrtle's shirt, apron, and skirt disappeared for a short moment before being replaced by her jacket and one piece. Her ladle vanished as well, exchanged for her staff.

"I'm ready now! Agaue! Brace yourself!"

Now, she could unleash her most powerful spells right then and there but there was a chance friendly fire was now a thing, unlike in the game. And she certainly didn't want to hurt her!

And so, she opted for the least harmful spell she had.

"Flash Freeze!"

A sudden gust of cold wind enveloped both the paladin and the hobgoblins. Not enough to kill but enough to slow or even immobilize.

---

---

"Brace yourself! Flash Freeze!"
"Wait-"

True to its name, a flash of snow enveloped both hobgoblins, and even Yui herself. Its freezing nature seeped through their bones, causing their bodies to shiver and ultimately slow down. For those unlucky and closest to Yui would be frozen at the feet, struggling to break out of it. Yui, too, struggled against the weather mage's spell, but her armour gave the advantage of blocking most of the wind. Yui didn't allow for the chance to slip away. Shivering as she stood up again, Yui gripped her lance, and took a wide step back. Taking another deep breath in, Yui concentrated her essence, mana, into her lance, and soon, a swirl of neon blue wrapped around it. Readying herself, Yui positioned herself with the lance... and thrusted her weapon in the chest of the closest frozen hobgoblin, piercing through its ribs and organs. In the same swift motion, she pulled her lance out. A gaping hole was left behind in the monster. Yui stared at it for a second, then focused her attention to the other hobgoblins; this wasn't the time to think about death.

Picking up her shield deactivated 'Bulwark', but it meant she could move if Mrytle decided to shoot her spells again.

"Let's... let's go," Sefira said, watching as the monster flailing and haphazardly fired its water beams for a moment. "I'm not fighting like this."

The elven girl had no desire to somehow get even more covered in goo and muddy water. It was already going to be a pain washing-Nope, she wasn't going to think about that! Not until she absolutely had to.

"Before it recovers, let's just get out of here," she added, trying to gather up as many fish as she could. Hopefully there was some remaining aspect of the inventory system, so she didn't have to actually try and carry this many fish back to camp. Her strength rating was low, to say the least.

And fish weren't exactly the easiest thing to carry around even if she did have a bag.

@PKMNB0Y@Sho Minazuki

@PKMNB0Y@VitaVitaAR

---

By the time the two were running from the lakeside, disappearing beyond the trees, Saito had in his hands large stacks of fish, all held by the tail. Some of which had been pierced in a place, as Saito had pierced them with his blade to end their struggling. It was an impressive haul, even ignoring the the bountiful quantity that had laid untouched. Still, it did not seem they should be returning here anytime soon. If the rules of this world were turning for the realistic, then other monsters may be attracted to the possibility of easy food very soon.

"I'm sure this is more than enough. I hope you won't make a habit of this either", he remarked towards Sefira, as the two trotted down the way they came.

"... I... Suppose that'll have to do?"

Scratching his cheek as he mused quietly to himself, Yu looked over the results of his handiwork. The cloth that he had in his inventory was sufficient to make some basic tents for the group—three in all—but not much beyond that. As distasteful as sleeping on the ground seemed to be, though, the presence of tents was most certainly better than nothing.

On the upside, at least they seemed to be of well-enough make that one would struggle to see that they had been made by someone who had no prior experience making them.

"Maybe I should go buy some more cloth at our next stop... Hm?"

Just as he finished putting the newly-woven tents off to the side in a pile, Yu glanced off to the side. Seeing two of their group return—and with fish aplenty, no less—was a welcome sight, but...

"Welcome... Back? You two certainly have your hands full," he remarked, waving towards the pair before his attention fell towards the elven mage. "Ah... Bit of a mishap, I take it? Didn't think fishing could get that messy."

@VitaVitaAR@Sho Minazuki

---

Though it would be a bit of a struggle to actually get to the branches pinning the cub in place, Kokoma would soon find that actually freeing it would require only the breaking of a few choice wood away. The animal underneath would still react a bit apprehensively towards the Shenke's approach, but no more than that.

Once freed from its wooden prison, though, the cub would attempt to leave, only to end up almost immediately stumbling over its broken limb. At this point, though, Eunice would finally speak up, having watched the entire situation play out in silence until now.

"I can heal it, but we should set the limb before doing so," she remarked as she picked up some more of the wood lying about. "We should return and begin preparations before night falls; I assume you plan on keeping it for the near future, so unless you wish to do so here and now..."

@Rune_Alchemist

---

The unlucky hobgoblins closest to the epicenter of the spell found their entire bodies covered in a layer of frost and ice, and for good reason—with little to help against the cold in terms of clothing, being exposed to such temperatures was more than just debilitating. The bodies themselves were not completely frozen through, and so did not shatter upon impact...

But the grotesque statues did certainly stand out against the greenery.

Those that were spared the worst of the magic, though, only fared so much better. Few had limbs frozen to their weapons or were half-trapped in the ice on the ground, locking them in place to be dispatched summarily. Of course, all were aware of the threat in front of them now and were fully in 'flight' mode—not that they could really act upon that, of course.

@Hammerman@Operator Luna

@PKMNB0Y@Operator Luna



"It works!"

The hobgoblins were now completely neutralized! All she needed to do was finish them off!"

"Good job Agaue—drawing them all to one spot like that! And sorry for the cold!"

“Oh, and please get away from them! I’m going to blow them all up to smithereens!”

The moment she did, Myrtle began to chant a spell once more. Wind began to gather beneath her feet, tunneling itself towards the tip of her staff. The redheaded girl seemingly hovered for a few, almost missable inches as her hair and dress blew and flapped in the air.

And then, she fired.

“Tornado!”

The plan was simple. She would shatter them all by the impact they would receive the moment the spell died down.

She thought of using Heat Wave early on but there was a risk she would just melt the ice she just cast on them.

The powerful swirling wind immediately made short work of the hobgoblins, sucking and lifting them all up into the skies. Myrtle, unconsciously, had ordered the tornado to move away from where she and the others stood, and so, a few seconds afterwards, when the spell died, the raining hobgoblins would not harm them in the slightest.

Anastasia, silently watching from behind her, could only stand in awe at the destructive prowess her friend had just displayed.