[IC] Dragon Quest: Chronicle of the virtuous vagrants

[Cuccoruler]

The king of Vista had sent out his summons and was now only waiting for those who had taken on this job to arrive. The state of Vista was starting to become dire. With the many attacks on his country by monsters not to mention the curses afflicting many of the villages and towns within his kingdom. If something was not done soon Vista would go into an economic collapse causing many of his citizens to starve.

"Thank you for meeting me brave adventurers." The King of Vista stated as the adventurers entered the throne room where he was holding court. "I am glad you have chosen to take up this venture to help save our kingdom. As you know if we do not regain contact with these towns and villages we may be facing starvation. As such I shall not waste any more time. I ask that you go to the town of Gilmore. All we know of them is that there have been reports of a large number of slimes in the area. I ask that you investigate and solve this problem as soon as you can." With that the King was finished speaking for now. Though he would answer any questions asked of him.

Riley had been staring at the ceiling for half of the conversation. It was like she had never seen a ceiling before, but she was still in amazement at the wonders of the castle. And yet there was a stark contrast when compared to where she had come from which was not so grand, the floors were often even made of dirt. Riley hadn't even stopped to look at those who were around her.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Phoebe~

Slimes? Village of Gilmore? One of the adventurers standing near the front of the group, a Priest dressed in blue robes frowned slightly as monsters were mentioned. That certainly was a problem - a bit outside of her usual occupational duties but something she could handle well enough...probably. Still, it was awful light on information in regards to what they'd be doing. She wasn't fond of going into something without knowing what she was getting into, but if it was all they had...

"Hm, that is not much to go on..." She commented to herself, placing a hand on her chin in thought. "But I suppose if that is all we know, then it can not be helped. We'll have to gather information once we arrive." She continued, turning her head slightly to her supposed companions. Honestly, the lot of them didn't look too particularly...adept at their craft. They were really scraping the bottom of the barrel here with their selections weren't they? Supposed it could be helped, with all the more experienced ones out doing their jobs. Still, they were doing this together, she could try to be friendly.

[GarlandChaos]

Declan was smirking by the time the king was finished his speech. All he needed to do was visit some village and kill a bunch of slimes? Pfft. He had been doing stuff like that with his father for as long as he could remember, usually when they were off 'treasure hunting' or even just travelling around as nomads. Sure, he only recently sto- er, 'borrowed' his longbow, so he wasn't the best shot with it, but he liked to believe he had a good enough grasp on general combat. That, and there were other fighters in the group that he could probably ask for assistance if he needed it at all.

"Your Majesty," the 'treasure hunter' began, his tone rather casual, "what's the pay for this mission?" Declan then looked around the room at the other adventurers who had gathered together. They seemed competent enough, but no one in particular really stood out. Well, aside from the martial artist, at least. He looked like he had seen some serious action for sure. Redirecting his attention to the king, the young man continued. "And how will it be split?"

[Spike]

Edgar had been leaning against the wall, in silence. His head was hung down, and it looked like he was either listening very, very carefully...Or sleeping. He made an imposing site: He was tall, and he was not wearing a shirt, revealing his powerful frame. His body was covered in lean, toned muscle, engineered specifically for beating things up. He opened his eyes, leveling his gaze at the other adventurers he'd be working with. A nun and an absolutely gorgeous archer were there with him.

"Are they eating people?" He said. He wanted to make sure he understood the situation. He looked at the blue haired girl. As far as he could tell, she hadn't even looked at the King the whole time he was talking. He was a bit suspicious as to whether she was an adventurer, or some random lady who had just wandered in. On the other hand, he was in no position to talk. He didn't even know where Gilmore was.

[Jerkchicken]

Rez rose and swaggered to center of the group after the king spoke. After doing a curt bow he said, "Your Honor, if I may ask? Are these just your average slimes or the slime family as whole? If it's just your garden variety slime then it shouldn't be too hard, however if other species are involved... things might get stickier." Rez waited for the king to answer while tried to do some sort of risk/reward analysis. Having more types meant a chance of receiving better compensation, but it also hinged on the amount being manageable and or not getting bodied by tougher enemies.

[Cuccoruler]

The king was pleased with the amount of questions he was getting. It meant that these people wouldn't just run away, they were prepared. "I'm afraid that we don't have much information, nothing from inside the village atleast." He said as he put a hand to his chin to scratch it as he thought. Then the question about the payment came. "You will each be payed depending on what the problem is, if it is a significant problem it will be about 4000GP, if it isn't however then 300GP."

The next question to come was from the martial artist, Edgar. "From the reports so far there haven't been any screams of being eaten by the Slimes, no one has been able to get into the town due to the fear of the slimes."

Finally came a question from Rez. "We have heard reports of a regular slimes, she-slimes, and bubble slimes. There are also reports of a few metal slimes though we can't be sure on that." The king said.

At last Riley spoke up. "What is their reason for being?" Riley asked with an absent minded look. "That is your job to find out." The king answered. And with that the group was sent on their way.

Once outside of the castle and heading towards the village of Gilmore thanks to a map and compass provided to them, Riley spoke up again. "I fear that we didn't have much room for introductions. If we are to work as a team it would be best to know who is who." Riley said trying to give a smile but only having it show up as awkward. "I am Riley, a minstrel, and I fight at close range with fans." Riley said taking out her bladed fans to show everyone.

[Jerkchicken]

Rez internally winced slightly at the mention of bubble slimes for very obvious reasons, but it's not like they'd be out of luck. There was a priest in the group and he had bought some restoratives prior to this meeting. He silently walked along with groups as they stepped out of the castle and made their way to the village which was further away. He only stopped when he saw one of the girls in the group stop and introduce herself.

"I'd rather we'd get the job done and then do introductions after we're all tired from leaving slime splattered on the ground." Rez said. After saying that he started moving faster to the direction of the town as he re-fastened his headband. His mind was set on picturing the eventual flow of events leading to victory. First they'd arrive at the village and see all the slimes overrunning the place, a battle ensues with everyone hopefully pulling their weight, then a well deserved breather at the tavern, then a return to town to get that payment.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Phoebe~

Money? Phoebe's eyes shifted to the rogue who would dare to ask for money for something that they should do simply out of the need to help others. The priestess frowned, but said nothing. Well, if her companions were to be greedy fools, then that was what she had to deal with. She would attempt to at least, steer them on the right path but for the sake of working together she couldn't come off as overbearing or self-righteous. The Head Priest often had to tell her to reign in her mouth in such matters....

As the assembly finished, she left the room with a polite bow to the King and followed after the others. The walk was silent, and for the most part fairly pleasant. One of the others of the group decided to eventually introduce themselves, though. That was good - it seemed at least one of them were going to be somewhat cooperative.

"I am Phoebe Galanis." She introduced herself with a small frown at Rez. "Priestess, though I am still in training. I can perform minor healing arts as well as handle myself well enough in battle, and unlike some of the others," She gave Declan a sideways glance. "I am not doing this for some petty reason like money." There was definitely a bit of bite to her words as she walked, only realizing the tone of voice she used wasn't the friendliest after she had spoke.

[Spike]

"My name is Edgar. It's nice to meet you." He said, smiling slightly at Riley. "I am a martial artist. That means I eliminate my opponents by any means necessary." He said, cracking his knuckles. He looked over at Rez. "I disagree. I'd like to know the names of whoever I am journeying with." He said, before levelling his gaze at Phoebe. If she was a priestess, that was a very tight outfit for one. He stroked his chin. Maybe she was one of those nature religion types?

"Oh? What sort of god do you follow?" He asked her, legitimately curious.