[IC] Labyrinth

[Dawn]

It is a bright, sunny morning.

The air is filled with the bustle of a developing city, a town built out of necessity by the Descent of the Gods. Presided over by the Gods with the express purpose of being designed to allow for a base of operations from which to lead expeditions into the Labyrinth, this city has found itself split into "districts".

To the North, the Coliseum of the war god, Ares. It is here that warriors have tested their mettle against one another in the preceding days. Presided over by Ares, it can be called the landmark of the northern district. Also in the northern district is a much less imposing sight: the alchemical lab of the god Thoth, a minimalistic structure dwarfed by the grandeur of the Coliseum.

To the East, the temple of Vishnu and the workshop of Hephaestus. It is here that one can go to enhance themselves. Vishnu stands ready to heal those who need it...for a price, of course. Present in a similar fashion is Hephaestus, whose creations boast a quality and price tag beyond mortal conception.

To the West, the academy of Heka and the office of Hermes. While Heka would seem to be the autority on all things magic, she has declined to answer any questions directed to her about the practice of that arcane art, dismissing it as "something to be discussed later". Hermes, on the other hand, has been as helpful as possible, but useless nonetheless. The only noteworthy aspect of Hermes's administrative zone is its proximity to the central district, where the market of the town is located.

To the South, that unsealed tomb lies in wait, the cave that serves as the boundary between sin and salvation. It is this hell that self-appointed heroes wish to venture into, to claim the glory and treasure that lies within. Consequently, in the southern district of the city, there are few buildings out of fear that something will crawl out of that damnable cave, and no God has ventured to make that zone their base of operations. Nothing of the sort has happened yet though, but all the same, that sparsely-populated area of the city has unofficially become the domain of the remaining two Gods, the tricksters with appearances of mere children. While neither have identifiable buildings, they are often seen idly wandering the streets of the southern district, and seem to pop up at the most opportune, or inopportune, times.

This day is a noteworthy one because it is the day on which all prior-made preparations will come to fruition. The humans who have gained the blessings of a God and since waited idly will, at last, be allowed to act. It is on this day that the Gods have agreed to allow their Guild members into the Labyrinth. None have entered previously under the command of the Gods, none until today.

Perhaps visiting your God would be a commendable action. If you are in their good graces enough, you may be given something to help you in your exploration. Of course, you may not.

Oh, and for those normal humans who have yet to gain the superior physical ability gifted by a God's contract? If you venture into the Labyrinth without gaining such power beforehand, do not blame us for your certain death.

There is little else to be said. You know your abilities, your possessions, your goals. Go forth and descend into the Labyr-

"Kyaaa, that chuuni expository voice is talking agaaaiiiin!"

-A frustrated screech from the South end of the city rudely cut me off sliced through the relative silence of the area, the cry of the Goddess Loki that faded away a handful of seconds later, returning the South to a state of quiet.

...Well regardless, I wish you luck in your endeavors.

Just...just go already.

[Yuri]

With a stretch and a yawn, Senna Small-stalk wakes up for the day of adventuring at precisely sunrise.

Staring up at the hole-ridden, collapsed roof of her small residence, the tiny Ranger goes over the previous day's events, and prepares herself mentally for the trials soon to come. Nestled in the crook of her arm was her trusty bow, which she slept alongside each and every night. She could feel the familiar weight of her equipment at her back, and instinctively knew that she had received no unwanted visitors.

As she rises and goes about her short, daily routine: checking everything she owned for wear, brushing dust off of her bedroll and rolling it back up, having a short sip of water from her skin.

Soon enough, she was ready. With all of her gear on person, and a slight, lasting glance towards the abandoned shack that had served as her home base, she heads out into the sleeping city with a flutter in her chest.

Her first action of the day was the most sensible. Knowing that she would soon be thrust outside of her element, she heads for the person who served as her anchor in this strange, new world. She wanders the Southern section of the City, in search of her patron Goddess, Cernunnos.

[Zombehs]

There certainly was a buzz in the air and Alexander was able to pick out anticipation, worry, excitement and more on the expressions of those he passed by. A small smile formed as he continued on his way, content to take in the scenery once more before he would return and prepare. The city’s development had frankly startled him and he wondered how much it would change in the time he would be gone; he’d seen buildings rise in mere days so it wasn’t a wholly unwarranted thought. Maybe his first expedition into the Labyrinth would be less than a day, or it could take several, or perhaps he wou- With a sharp shake of his head he drove the negative thought aside as he came to a halt and then sighed. “Already worrying…” He clicked his tongue in annoyance he turned his gaze towards the Colosseum that marked this district of the city.

“Shoulda wore my armor…” he muttered as he finally stumbled from the crowd and through the massive building’s gates. His return to the landmark had proven far more difficult given the number of citizens that had come out to the Goddess’ building, excited to see the departing Adventurers or something along those lines. He couldn’t fault them of course, the entire city was abuzz due to the event after all. His walk through the torchlit corridors were rather quiet, a deviation from the normal sounds of battle and sparring that came from the sandy arena within. ‘Guess people are taking it easy and resting up...’

The barracks that housed those who chose to live closer to the Goddess was surprisingly empty and Alexander had to blink a few times before the sight registered. “Huh…” Proclamation of surprise aside, he went about his business in a rather speedy fashion. It didn’t particularly matter that no one else was around at the moment, but just a bit out of the norm; then again today was a great change to the Guild members’ privileges. His belongings and supplies for the trip had already been packed, so he only had to arm himself. With practiced ease, he stripped down and donned the gear that he’d laid out prior to his walk around the District.

Clad in his full armor, Alexander wasn’t nearly as quiet when he walked through the Coliseum's halls this time around. Though his steps were remarkable soft, the pieces of plate clinked and clanked as they shifted with his movements. Well it wasn’t an attempt at stealth anyways and the noises would serve to alert Ares of his approach. He paused in front of her door and nonetheless gave a sharp knock before waiting for permission to enter; the first time he hadn’t done so and it had almost been his last. It was a good thing the double doors were vastly heavier than they appeared since he hadn’t managed to budge it an inch before the promise of pain had made him back away.

Evidently, the war God had not been paying attention to the approaching clatter of metal on metal, as upon Alexander's entrance, she seemed to be lost in thought, her brow furrowed in concentration in a manner unbecoming for one of her temperament. Regardless, after the passage of a moment, Ares rounded about to face the new entry, both of her hands going to her hips as she tilted her head back slightly and gave out a hearty laugh.

"Ahaha, good! You're the first to come! Initiative! Will! This is what I want to see!" She declared brashly, obviously jumping to a conclusion as to the reason of Alexander's visit; of course, it was hardly a stretch, logically. "Today, you will go forth as a class of warrior that this world hasn't seen in countless ages! Make me proud to have you as a member of my Guild, and slaughter everything in your way!"

He blinked in surprise at the sight of Ares so deep in thought and halted instantly, unwilling to disrupt the Goddess. It was quite different, and… rather nice he supposed, but the moment passed and Ares was once more her boisterous self. “Really now? I wonder where the others are then…” His voice dropped down to a mutter, but the concern could wait until he was out of her presence. In light of her declaration Alexander smiled brightly at that, dropped to a knee, and replied, “I will cut down those that stand in my way Goddess.”

In preparation for this day, Ares (as with many of the other Gods) had readied "gifts" to members of their Guild, tools to aid them in the introductory floors, though some were more useful than others. It was thusly that the next words spoken by the God were decidedly predictable.

"Weapon or consumable?"

The follow-up question was hoped for and Alexander clenched his fist in delight as he looked up. "Weapon if you would spare some of your time to allow me practice with it. Otherwise consumable please." Regardless of the simple strength that could crush any that challenged her, Ares' mastery with her weapons was beyond any he had ever witnessed. It wouldn't be too hard, he imagined, for him to familiarize himself with whatever piece she decided to grace him with if she were to lead the spar. In the case that she couldn't spare the time for him, he would settle for whatever consumable she'd chosen instead. A pity to leave behind a new piece of equipment, but he wasn't about to explore the Labyrinth with an unfamiliar weapon in his hands.

A momentary flash of dissatisfaction showed on Ares’s face at Alexander’s answer, but this was wiped away an instant later. The God’s hand became a blur as it darted forwards, tossing an item through the air towards Alexander at a surprisingly fast pace. At least, it would do a number on him were it to hit him in the head, but he’d hopefully be able to catch it. Upon catching the thrown item, he would find it to be a small, gold-colored disc about two centimeters in diameter. It didn’t seem to have any markings on it to indicate it as something special, and if one had severe visual problems they might even confuse it with a gold coin, but it also seemed to...exude “pressure”. Not enough to where it was stifling or even noteworthy, but something in a sense beyond sight distinguished the disc as different.

“Bind it with your blood.” Ares explained. “It’s a magic artifact, so if you want to activate it, you’ll need to have it bound to you. Just put a drop on it, and you’ll be able to feel that it’s bound. ‘f course, you can unbind it if you ever want to. As long as it’s bound to you, you can activate it by willing it. It’ll disintegrate after being used once. Temporarily...hm, I guess the best way to put it is that it “doubles your physical ability”, if that makes sense. Strength, reaction time, physical defense, everything gets doubled for a little bit. Once the effect runs out though, you’ll probably pass out from the stamina drain; even if you don’t pass out, you’ll barely be able to move. Be careful with it.”

‘Damn.’ Internally he winced as his smile fell at Ares’ reaction, though it didn’t bother him enough to get brained by the object thrown at him. It made a nice sound against the palm of his hand and Alexander was quick to hold it up and examine the gift. There was definitely an odd sensation that seemed to emanate from the otherwise mundane object and his attention passed it as the Goddess began to speak.

He unsheathed his blade, ran a finger against the edge, and pressed the drawn blood against the artifact as instructed. A small glow surprised him, but he held the disc tight even as it began to heat up against his skin. Like Ares had said as the object began to cool down Alexander could certainly feel some sort of connection with it. Not particularly notable, but present and distinct if he chose to focus his attention on it. With that done, the object was slipped into his coin pouch as Ares finished with her explanation of the object’s use. ‘Dangerous...’ While a powerful boost for certain, the drawback made its use highly limited. If used alone he would be left defenseless and even in a group there was no telling what the others would do if he was left at their mercy. Nonetheless he gave a bow towards Ares and thanked her for the gift before he turned to leave.

There was still a bit of time before the Labyrinth was officially open for Guild Members to explore… perhaps he could find some people to form a group with.

[Dawn]

Cernunnos

As the young Senna Small-stalk began scouring the Southern district in search of Cernunnos, she would be completely unaware as to the truth of the matter.

This truth was, predictably, that Cernunnos had been walking behind her from the moment she had entered said district. As was her divine right, the idea of being noticed by a mere human, even one enhanced by her own power, was laughable. Among the gods, her skill for "concealment" was unquestionably the highest; even that damned other God with that stupid "see the truth of the world" power would be hard-pressed to find Cernunnos when she did not wish to be found.

As such, Senna's search continued for several minutes without bearing fruit.

Ah, but one might ask, is Cernunnos not always busy? How does she have enough time to spend to where she can waste time doing this?

The answer is simple: this is not a waste of time, this is entertainment. And, after all, why be busy with things if they are not entertaining? Such is the mind of Cernunnos.

After a decent stretch of time, still walking behind Senna, Cernunnos deactivated her concealment and spoke aloud.

"What are you looking for, little girl?" Asked the little girl.

...

...

...

"Eheheh, kidding, kidding! You're heading out today, right? You want a present?"

[Double Capybara]

Amanda

Amanda still had to get used to the new room, after spending most of her life on the same house it was odd to suddenly live in a new city, but that would be worthy it, not only because she liked the idea of being an adventurer but also because she could hear the sound of coin flowing trough her hand as she turned the dangers of the labyrinth into profit.

After dressing herself properly she left to see her guild, the city was bustling with life and that was always a nice sight to see and a terrible scent to smell. "The first thing I should open has to be a bathhouse, even if it won't turn a profit it will be for a great cause" the truth was that she had plenty of plans, every time she walked a new one would form, yet they were mostly silly.

As she got closer to the guild tension rose up, she had always to look around the street to see if there was any incoming airhead goddess, luckily she had never had a crash but she had seen what happened to those windows and vases on the office.

[Yuri]

Senna jumps in surprise at the sudden appearance of her Goddess, but quickly recovers, turning to face her with an amused smile on her face.

"Hiya, Cern." She greets the dark-skinned girl cheerfully, and with a slight air of resignation.

The young ranger was very proud of her stealth abilities, but ever since she first met Cernunnos, she has had to deal with the fact that this sneaky little Goddess had her completely beaten. Up until she came to this city, the only person who could sneak around her without her noticing was her father. It was for this reason, not Cernunnos's status as a God, that Senna regarded the Goddess so highly.

So, even when she kidded her like this, Senna couldn't bring herself to be annoyed.

"Yeah, the Labyrinth is opening up today, right? I thought I'd wake up early, and try to get down there before anyone else. Maybe I could find some neat stuff before anybody else has a chance to set up... at least, that's what I was thinking."

At the mention of a present, Senna perks up. "A gift? For me?" She wasn't used to receiving things for free, so the prospect of being given something by this amazing Goddess felt exciting to her. Cernunnos's Blessing was already so incredible... what else could she have to give, Senna wonders.

"Sure."

A simple response.

It didn't matter what kind of troublesome trickster this girl was, a present could only mean good news.

Probably.

[Dawn]

Cernunnos grinned wryly, swaying her weight from one foot to the other as her right hand reached behind her back. "Weeeeell, it's not really all that special, but I figure it'll help you out a bit~" She hummed, stepping forwards until the distance between the two little girls had become utterly scarce. "Alright, now, listen veeery carefully." She chimed. Never dropping her grin, the God leaned forwards, as if to whisper a secret into Senna's ear...

-Only to drag a quick lick along said ear and then vanish from sight once more.

Fuck's sake, Cern. She's eleven.

After Cernunnos vanished, Senna would probably be able to catch sight of a wooden bow on the ground in front of her, similar to the one Senna herself already owned save for being just a pinch larger. After a brief couple of seconds, a familiar voice with an upward lilt melted inside would be heard inside of the ranger's mind, though its speaker was still nowhere to be seen.

'Magic bow! How about that? These things actually used to be standard loadout for my beginning Guild members back in the day, but I've only got a couple now. Had it shrunk a bit for easier use. It's magic, so it's really, reeeaaally strong; no matter how hard you pull the bowstring, it should be a-okay! Also...eh, there's a second thing, but I don't wanna tell you until you've got magic, or you might accidentally kill yourself by overusing it. Have fun out there, kitten~'

[Yuri]

"Hmm?" Hearing that Cern had something to tell her, and excited for whatever the gift was, Senna leans closer, listening eagerly.

It was at about that point that, in the corner of her mind, she suspected that Cernunnos was about to do something other than whisper in her ear.

And it was at that point that Cernunnos licked her ear.

A shiver runs through Senna's spine and she flinches slightly away from the wet contact against her earlobe, but about as quickly as it started, the encounter abruptly ended. Cern disappears, and there, in front of her, sat a neat looking bow.

Only slightly flustered by the preceding events, Senna quickly glances around and kneels over the bow, picking it up reverently with her hands. She consciously notes the words being transported into her head, and responds with a simple, satisfied nod.

"I'll be off, then! Thanks, Cern."

She turns, and heads off to the Labyrinth, all the while examining her new bow. She already had a bow, and while it help sentimental value, it wasn't magic. She had been scared, what with her enhanced strength in all, to try and use her personal bow, lest she risk breaking it. This way, she wouldn't run into that problem.

Once she begins to approach the entrance to the Labyrinth, she slows her movements to a slow, careful pace, observing her surroundings completely. She would approach the entrance with silence and grace, taking a look at the area in its immediate vicinity, and ensuring she kept out of sight of anybody standing guard.

New bow in hand, Senna would attempt to sneak around and into the Labyrinth without anybody else noticing.

And so, she would approach floor 1.

Probably.

Like, unless she was stopped or anything.

[Dawn]

From the look of it, Senna was not stopped or anything. Thus, she arrived at the first floor without incident. Just outside of the entrance to the Labyrinth was a stone statue, carved in the shape of a humanoid...thing. It didn't seem to have any defining traits, seeming like a misshapen mannequin more than anything else. It had probably been worn down by time.

Regardless, the cavern was entered, and the sprawling landscape of Hell itself appeared before the eleven year old girl.

Well, not really. It was just floor one, after all. It was just a cave, a long tunnel that laid out in front of her. A bit musty. Not too damp. Kinda dark but not super-dark, for some reason.

"Kikikikikikiki..."

The moment Senna's footsteps struck the cavern floor, a weird-ass laugh reverberated throughout the cave. Like seriously, it was a weird fucking laugh.

-And mere moments later, the shadows bent, and out of the darkness stepped...

The first guardian of this damnable crypt.

A green-skinned man...thing, standing at about four feet in height, wearing rags that may or may not have been made out of toilet paper, and wielding a very poor-looking rusty sword.

[Monster Species "Goblin" has been discovered!]

[Item Designation "Goblin Sword" has been discovered!]

"Kikikikiki...."

[Zombehs]

There was a noticeable spike in both activity and the energy level as he entered the Central District. Merchants had set up their stalls and were busy hawking their wares to the passing crowds and the market’s atmosphere was lively. While he did want to enter the Labyrinth and get the show on the road, he allowed himself to enjoy the walk. Perhaps a bit more than he had expected to in the first place given he left the district with his helmet under his arm and a meat wrap in hand. The snack was delicious though and hit just the spot…

With such a thing in hand as he entered the South District and approached the entrance, Alexander had to be a bit careful. The noise from behind had faded with the distance and the clank of his armor was most notable, no doubt audible to anyone nearby. The two tricksters were well-known to loaf around in this area and members of other Guilds were hardly exempt from their attention, if they somehow attracted it in the first place. His eyes were peeled, but he didn’t glance around as if paranoid; simply a healthy wariness. With any luck he’d be able to make it to the Labyrinth’s entrance without encountering either of the Goddesses. The lack of other Guild members was somewhat odd though, he imagined there would have been a steady flow of Adventurers to jump on the opportunity presented to them.

As what little development there had been gave way to a small paved path towards the mouth of a cave some distance off, Alexander could just spot the guards that had been stationed to prevent entry. Again, no other Guild members though… Well it looked like he would have to roll solo this time around unless he found some willing individuals within the Labyrinth. Approaching the four guards, he fished around in a pouch for the symbol that proved his allegiance to Ares. He couldn’t recall if there had been a specific time at which the Gods had deemed entry to be allowed, but hopefully this would be enough. Stealth certainly wasn’t an option for him...

[Yuri]

"What is..." Senna takes a sharp intake of breathe, as the mysterious, green creature crawls out from the darkness of the Labyrinth, laughing terribly with each movement.

It was wrong.

This being, this "Goblin", was something unlike anything the young hunter had ever seen. It was a Monster, something not of this world, something which she couldn't have possibly been prepared to face. For the first time in Senna's life, she was being confronted by something that was completely and utterly "Alien" to her.

Instinctively, Senna steps backwards a few feet, a feeling of "danger" overtaking her senses for an instant. And then, just like that, her body and hands leap into action. She couldn't afford to waste time here, not with death staring her right in the face, from behind the eyes of this smelly, green little man.

There was only one possible response to the appearance of the Monster.

With the quick, practiced movements of an expert hunter, Senna reaches behind her and picks an arrow from her quiver, quickly bringing it in front of her and to the string of the bow in her hands. All the while, her eyes never leave the shape of the Goblin in front of her. Before she even raises her bow, she is already taking aim in her head.

The string is drawn.

Too slow, she realizes. This bow was unfamiliar to her, so despite her skill and training, there had still been a slight delay in her preparations. Realizing this, she adjusts her aim minutely, leading her target for a split second... before-

"Ha!"

-an arrow is loosed. Her target was the Goblin's center of mass, where a hit would all but be guaranteed.

Hopefully.

[Dawn]

The Goblin mindlessly charged forwards. Lacking a mind, lacking a will, lacking anything that it could call "its own" besides its flesh and its blade, it burst towards the girl it had marked as its enemy. A voice that had existed since it was born screamed in the back of his mind.

"Kill."

As it moved towards Senna, sword brandished at the ready, the girl would likely note a frightening observation.

Even with the blessing of a God at her back, empowering her past the human limit, this Goblin, this introductory being, was faster than her. It was merely a sliver of difference, but that sliver was enough to pose a worrying question.

If this was the case for the Goblin, how would the later monsters compare?

Regardless, its speed carried no weight here. For, what is the purpose of speed, if one cannot make it from point A to point B? Speed is only useful to reach a destination, and thus, if one's speed is insufficient...

-The arrow embedded itself in the Goblin.

No, not even that. With the force at which it was launched, a power made only stronger by the blessing of Cernunnos, it punched a hole through the charging Goblin. Its forced used up in breaking through the Goblin, it clattered against the stone floor behind the monster, miraculously somehow not shattered from the force it struck the beast at.

The Goblin itself staggered, red blood dripping from its wound as its charge came to a halt, the force rocketing through its body.

"Kill."

And without a mind, without a will, without a desire to live, it charged forwards once more, its sword brandished to strike Senna the moment it could, even as it visibly slowed with each step.

[Zombehs]

As it turned out, the symbol was in fact enough for the guards to let Alexander pass and he wasted little time. The statue gave him a moment’s pause, only long enough to determine there weren’t any inscriptions or warnings carved into the base, before he continued into the Labyrinth itself.

His progress was slowed to a careful walk as he entered the dimly lit cave. Thanks to the lighting he could barely see a dozen meters ahead of him, and even then it was iffy. Did something move at the edge of his vision or was it just a trick of the light? Frankly he couldn’t be certain, so hence the slow and cautious walk.

Course, a rather distinct sound wasn’t impeded in the slightest by the lack of light and Alexander tensed. He thought he’d heard something clatter against the stone floor, but listening carefully he only caught the sound of footsteps. It was enough for him to investigate though, and so with his shield tucked close and sword unsheathed he sped up to a light jog.

The other adventurer quickly came into view, and despite his initial surprise at how young the other girl was Alexander’s attention focused on the goblin instead. Its injury seemed to be pretty damn fatal even if the creature refused to acknowledge it as such just yet. ‘Shit.’ There was no way he would be able to close the distance in time, so hopefully she could dodge or put the creature down first. “I’m an ally!” He called out as a warning so the girl wouldn’t mistake him for a monster, his feet slamming into the ground as he sped up to a charge

[Yuri]

Her shot connected.

For just a split second, Senna was both satisfied and a little surprised. She knew that these blessings were amazing, but to punch straight through him...

The huntress's sense of wonderment would be wiped away almost instantly, as the Goblin recklessly charges her, blood pouring from the injury in her chest. This came as an overwhelming surprise to her, so even with her normally calm, and composed nature, she was caught completely off guard.

The reason was obvious.

In nature, it is normal to assume that all animals have at least some sense of self-preservation. A dog, or a rabbit will realize that being trapped is bad news, and try to escape, even if it's futile. Indeed, an animal injured is one of the most frightening and dangerous things one can encounter in the wild, and with good reason.

But this was different. To this Goblin, which was now charging her with shocking speed, brandishing a wicked, rusty sword, the concept of self-preservation simply did not apply. It did not try to dodge her arrow, and after being struck, it did not so much as consider stopping its charge. It was attacking her with a razor-sharp, single-minded willpower. One, flaming desire fueled his actions, one which was branded into his skull so deeply that Senna could clearly read it in his eyes and face.

Kill.

And so, in a rare moment of panic, Senna preforms an act of instinctual self-defense that she normally would never so much as consider. She raises her bow, and tries to block the Goblin's incoming sword swing.

During all of this, she barely has time to recognize the voice of somebody behind her. There is no time to spare responding, as she was currently only a few inches from being skewered by the first enemy in the game.

[Dawn]

There was little to be said.

The charging Goblin reached his destination in little time, sword poised to strike Senna down even in the monster's throes of death. However, between the distance that the Goblin had to cover and its own, rapidly weakening force of life, the original gap between the two combatant's agility had shrunk, and then flipped. By the time the Goblin had reached Senna, she was perfectly able to block its blow.

The rusted sword clashed with the enchanted bow. As the impact struck, Senna would likely notice the...weakness of the attack. While it was certainly more than an unblessed human could stand to bear, it was also leagues below Senna's own strength. While it was likely that the Goblin had a weaker strength and constitution than Senna, making it a monster focused on "agility", even that did not explain the weakness of the blow.

The reason for this was apparent, in the form of the blood splatter along the hall of the first floor. The Goblin, already possessing a weak constitution, had no chance from the beginning. It could be said that a cornered animal was dangerous as it acted without restraint, but for a Goblin, a mindless beast of the Labyrinth, it had always acted without restraint. Its fight-or-flight response was, in some sense, always active, a basis etched into its programming by the Labyrinth.

The bow was unharmed. After all, for the mere strike of a Goblin, with a weapon that could be called the weakest among mortal weapons, the hardiness of an enchanted weapon such as the bow was the difference between heaven and earth.

The Goblin stumbled, almost...gasping, as it pulled its sword back and swung again at Senna, the blow horribly telegraphed and the speed of the strike a joke. The battle had already ended. Put it out of its misery.

[Yuri]

Senna could feel the impact of the Goblin's sword against her bow and, surprising to her, the bow held up nicely. Indeed, the Goblin's strike seemed so weakened at that point, that even a small girl like her could block its attack.

You know, if she was blessed by the gods.

Anyways, regaining her composure was no big deal after the realization that her enemy was no longer in a sound condition to fight. So, reading her opponents horribly telegraphed movements, Senna raises her bow one-handed to block the Goblin's next feeble strike.

At the same time, she reaches to her side. She picks out one of her favoured throwing axes and swings it sideways, aimed directly at the Goblin's skull. This would probably finish the Monster off, if it connected, and so Senna started to feel at ease. This fight, while surprising, hadn't been nearly as harrowing as some of her encounters in the normal world.

Even now, she could feel her breathing evening out, as she began to comprehend the situation more clearly. It was also at this point that she remembered the person behind her, although she made no move to gesture to them.

She could afford time to make friends after.

[Dawn]

This time, there is actually little to say, rather than a drawn-out narrative describing a single failed action.

The Goblin's strike was blocked.

The Goblin's skull was crushed.

The Goblin's life was ended.

The Goblin's corpse was left to crumble to the ground.

May he go to the big Goblin party in the sky.

[Double Capybara]

Amanda eventually arrived on the guild with no issues, with the goddess not in sight she contained herself on doing a bit of paperwork as she helped other members organize products and calculate margins, however as noon arrived she felt a bit bored, she liked to work with finances but right now her mind was solely focused on the Labyrinth.

"Well, I think I will be checking what is going on there now, earlier it was almost impossible to reach it thanks to the masses" she said to a fellow guildsman before leaving for the Labyrinth, if nothing was to interrupt her she would probably go straight into it.

[Fish of Oblivion]

Vincent had left early in the morning, in an attempt to make it to the market before the streets filled up with bargain hunters. After spending an hour in the local tavern and scoring a cheap, early breakfast with some of the previous night's ill-gotten gains, he'd made it to the opening market to find that he was in luck; he merchant he'd been looking for had been punctual and brought his bounty of materials to boot.

Now, as it rolled over to mid-morning, he found himself heading back to his clinic with his bag full of all kinds of different plants and extracts. A few people were sleeping in the alleyway leading up to the cast-iron door built into the otherwise solid-brick wall, but none of them made a peep towards him and just kept on snoring away as he stepped over and around them.

'Bless their little vagrant hearts,' Vincent thought to himself, taking out his keys to open the door, and finding himself practically assaulted by the sound from inside as he did.

"Water... need water..." The man on the bed inside groaned as if he was an old man left in the desert to die, rather than a strapping young idiot who'd just woken up on a relatively comfy bed in a relatively upscale clinic.

Well, relatively upscale for a back-alley clinic, anyway. Vincent liked to think he had some standards.

"You can always get up and get yourself some, you great big child," The dark-haired and now dark-faced man muttered towards his patient, placing his bag down at the table near the door, before he walked over to the counter, picked up one of the bottles filled with water, and threw it at the man. He caught it with a groan and a yelp before Vincent picked the bags up and began to carry them towards the area of the clinic where the man was resting, passing him and walking towards the tables, basins and cupboards at the end of the room.

"Anyway, that little cut should be just about fine now it's stitched up," He shouted across the room to the man on the bed as he began to sort out his purchases, "Just keep it covered and try not to get stabbed again. Avoid that area of town the next time you want to screw around with prostitutes."

"God, what am I going to tell my wife?" Was the man's only response. Vincent didn't know whether he found that rude or was more relieved he didn't have to engage the idiot in conversation. He'd spent a few hours carefully removing half of a broken, rusty shiv from the man's side after he'd come staggering in panicking the night before, and whilst he'd gotten paid handsomely for it, it'd cut a big chunk out of his remaining supplies in the process. Didn't help that the payment took a lot of scaremongering and persistence to eke out.

Rich idiots being a pain in the ass. What a surprise.

"Tell her what you want, isn't my job to play peacekeeper with your missus. I'd suggest saying you got mugged, but that would just make things difficult for my regulars," He muttered back, finishing up his sorting of his materials into the appropriate places before he picked the man's clothes up and threw them at him. "You could tell her you got stabbed by a prostitute after you tried shortchanging her, but that sounds like the kind of thing that would earn you sleeping on the couch for life."

"Hey, fuck you, this is serious!" Well, clearly this fellow had overstayed his welcome.

"If it's so serious, go get dressed and think about it somewhere else." Vincent spat back, taking a sharper tone as he stepped towards his patient. "I have business to take care of, marriage counseling isn't part of that."

Before the man could even object, he found himself grabbed by the collar of his uniform and dragged from the bed with inhuman force. A few moments later, he was lying on his back outside with his coat, shoes and socks still in his hands.

"Clear off," Were the last words from the back-alley doctor that had treated him before the cast-iron door was slammed shut before him. At least, before it opened again and Vincent poked his head back out to add: "Oh, and get up off the ground quickly unless you want that to get infected. The stitches and antibiotics will only do so much."

"Man, you look like complete shit," One of the freshly-woken vagrants outside of the door snickered towards the man with a mouth half-full of rotten teeth, who promptly got up and stormed away. "And that's coming from me of all people!"
______
A few minutes later, and Vincent was sifting through the letters that had been delivered whilst he was out. Whilst mostly junk and general correspondence with old acquaintances, one thing did stick out enough to catch his attention.

"Summons?" He muttered to himself, as his eyes scanned up and down the letter from his Guild. He couldn't tell from a glance whether they were from Thoth herself or just some other high-ranking member of the guild, but nonetheless they seemed fairly insistent on his appearance

Inconvenient, perhaps, but interesting. Perhaps there were expedition teams being assembled with other Guilds? Or maybe it was to do with the Labyrinth? He'd heard it was going to be opening soon.

"Might as well," He grumbled with a shrug, getting up from the table to grab his coat. Seemed like he was in for an eventful day, at the very least.

[Zombehs]

‘Right.’ Normal sensibilities didn’t apply to those that were blessed by the gods, and this certainly was as good as a reminder as any. It should have been impossible for the girl of such small stature to block the monster’s blow, even wounded as it was, but that was exactly what happened. He began to slow down as the girl quickly drew a small axe from its sheath as she knocked aside the dying monster’s strike. As its edge was buried into the monster’s skull, Alexander came to a complete halt and hummed at the fallen corpse.

“Nice job,” he complimented her with a thumb’s up as he looked her over before he asked, “you a member of Cernunnos’? Ah, my name is Alexander, member under Ares.” Hopefully his introduction would make her more open to one of her own. While a bow was hardly limited to those of that Goddess, the damage that had been inflicted did hint towards such an affiliation. His eyes wandered from the girl to their surroundings easily enough, given he didn’t wish to make her uncomfortable and they were probably at a risk of attack.