Stumped for Time [Closed; Kazuko, Fernweh]

[Kazuko]

Standing on the edge of the swamp Kazuko looked out over the murky waters that used to be the Thames as she waited for the other adventurer to meet her. They agreed to venture out together and kill anything they could find of their level in an attempt to gain some much needed EXP, for this outing it was the local Possessed Stump population. A stationary target will be perfect for the girl to practice shooting at and being in a party would help her to support fellow adventurers better. Finding a tree close by a group of the stumps they were supposed to kill Kazuko proceeded to climb up to one of the upper branches and creased her skirt down to keep it from riding up.



Taking a small band out from her inventory she placed it in her mouth as she gathered her hair up to the side before tieing it up into a ponytail. Opening the interface again Kazuko activated her racial ability causing the fox ears and tail to disappear from view. “That’s better, never thought I’d get this much use out of hiding my features though." She spoke softly to herself. With the last of preparations done the girl lifted the longbow off of her back and notched an arrow in it so it would be ready when her partner got here, whenever that would be. Holding the notched bow and arrow down at her left side she closed her eyes and looked up at the sky feeling the wind pass through hair before shaking her head and opening her eyes again.

[Fernweh]

Fernweh raised his arms over his head before letting out a slow yawn, causing his ears and tail to tense up for a moment. How did he end up here, he couldn’t help but wonder as he followed the young girl from a distance. At least he thought it was a young girl. Maybe. –Ugh… One can never tell nowadays…- Honestly, the fact the voice was young had probably been the selling point for him to offer his assistance and, to be honest, Fernweh himself wasn’t exactly strong either. Leveling up, even if he only received a bit of experience from this, was the direction he needed to head in.

Yet, to head off into these swamplands seemed a bit… Courageous… More so than Fernweh had really intended. He may not have given off the appearance due to his yawn, but one could tell on close examination of his hands as they clenched the basic grimoire and hilt of a long sword with every fiber of his being. This was different than a game now. Combat was personal in a way, regardless of the fact one was immortal, it was no longer slaving away behind some monitor. It could get brutal fast.

The thought of having to respawn sent shivers down Fernweh’s spine as his ears attempted to flatten themselves to is skull. He’d rather not risk not coming back if he could avoid it. –One does not tempt Fate more than one absolutely must…- passed through his mind as it often did. Risks were worth taking, pointless risks were not. Just because one would respawn if they died didn’t mean he wouldn’t be fighting tooth and nail to survive. –Ha, tooth and nail- Fernweh realized that now, more than ever before, that statement was fitting.

Today’s target should be easy, something he insisted upon when speaking with the young female Fox Tail. Possessed Stumps were weak, they couldn’t move, and weren’t particularly hard to find. The biggest threat they held at their disposal was getting off a well-aimed stone. Even then that wouldn’t deal too much damage to either of them. What Fernweh feared were Slimes. He had read through the beastiary prior to the update, and the fact they were attracted to mana was a huge threat. That meant that even if they avoided them, once they made contact with their targets it would only be a matter of time before Slimes would converge on their location.

Noticing his companion having taken up a position in a nearby tree, Fernweh paused to survey the area. Three stumps, close proximity to one another, and no Slimes in sight. –Looks clear then…- Motioning to the young girl, Fernweh held up 3 fingers and gave the signal for on his mark. Granted this was probably all obvious to the adventurer he wanted to ensure it was clear. Time was of the essence once they engaged after all.

Sucking in air, Fernweh held out his left hand with the grimoire facing the ground. “Ignite, Salamander!” he shouted, giving away his position with a burst of light and flames. Salamander was his first Follower, an elemental spirit blessed with the characteristics of fire, a perfect match for an opponent made of wood. Patterns etched themselves into the ground, illuminating the area as the summoning was completed. On edge and ready for combat was a partially see-through salamander the size of a dog.

‘First Tier summonings are weak, but so are summoners. Only difference is that summons can be regenerated or recast when they expire, summoners will return to a cathedral.’ Fernweh noted from the manual of the game. “Strike, near target, flame breath” he barked to the creature as it shot off. The mana cost for the use of fire breath would increase momentarily but if they kept the encounter short it should be enough to finish it without issue.

Checking around the corner gave him the assurance he needed. Salamander had engulfed the first target in a short-range flame momentarily before engaging it with swipes of its claws. It lasted two more hits before its movements stopped and it burst into splinters of light. –One down, two to go.- he sighed as he checked his mana bar. It had ticked down by about an eighth of the total pool, which wasn’t too bad when compared to the fact he had nearly no experience with this. With any luck he’d finish with around half his mana pool left, hopefully enough to allow them to escape in a worst-case scenario.

Possessed Stumps Left: 9
Possessed Stumps Slain: 1

[Kazuko]

At the sound of her companion running off ahead Kazuko didn’t waste any time jumping in to help. Sending the arrow she had ready at the second tree stump causing it to lodge into the damp wood. Conjuring the skill in her mind a small sphere formed in the girl’s mind. “Purgatory Barrier!" She called out from the tree throwing the sphere at the stump in the back causing it float up in the air and hover there. With a smile Kazuko reached her left hand back to her quiver and pulled out another arrow and readied to fire it at the second stump, this one falling short and stuck into one of the roots.



Taking a deep breath she pulled another arrow, but this time she dropped down to branch just below her. This branch was a bit thicker and there was less foliage, this made her more exposed but she had a clearer line of site and more stability from here. Placing her right leg forward and putting most of her weight on it as she pulled the string back the let it loose hitting the stump square in the middle. As her hand went back again a tiny projectile came hurdling toward her face, closing her eyes Kazuko raised her right arm up to her face causing the rock to hit her arm instead. With a grimace she managed to grab the arrow again, however her arm flinched at the last moment causing the arrow to glance off for less damage. Switching her stance to place her weight on the left leg to try to mitigate the forces on her arm at the moment Kazuko fired another arrow hitting the second stump and causing it to finally die. With a sigh Kazuko readied one more arrow and shot it at the last stump hovering in the air, popping the bubble and causing it to fall.

[Fernweh]

Fernweh’s ears twitched for a moment as the Possessed Stump sloshed into the mud. –Looks like the young miss left the last one for me, how thoughtful.- Without turning to address his Follower, he just uttered the word “Burn” and was rewarded with a yellowish-orange light followed by shards of white light as the monster was destroyed.

Releasing his held breath, Fernweh surveyed the area for signs of any Slimes attracted to the two adventurers. –Clear…- Sighing with relief, he watched his Salamander fizzle out and fade away as he canceled the mana stream he had been supplying it. They should move and conserve as much mana as they could, finishing off just three wouldn’t be enough anyway. It would have to be ten total, and none less, if they wanted to gain any real experience from this.

Looking up at the girl in the tree, Fernweh called out, “We need to move. We both casted spells and I don’t want to be anywhere near here when Slimes start showing up. Some of those things are above level ten and fighting those things in mass would be suicide.” The plan from here on out would be fairly simple though, engage small groups of Possessed Stumps and move out quickly. With any luck the Slimes would all be attracted to the previous area before they engage a new one which would give them some idea where their population would be.

Sloshing through the water and mud, Fernweh made his way to the top of a small incline near the clearing to search for more Possessed Stumps. –Need a few, preferably in a cluster, with no other monsters around them…- It was asking for a lot to be entirely honest, and he knew it as well. Chances were much higher that another type of monster would wander into the territory of these things simply by the fact Possessed Stumps can’t move. A small grin picked up across Fernweh’s face, easing his nerves, when he realized, -These things are just like old men sitting on their porches yelling at kids to get off their lawns.-

Picking out a few stumps from a distance, he turned back to the young girl and informed her, “Looks like a grouping of four but it’s a bit hard to tell from here. May actually just be a few stumps or there may end up being stuff we’re not exactly too keen on fighting.” A split second later, Fernweh’s ears twitched as they picked up on something moving in the mud and water towards their previous encounter. –Speaking of things that we are not too keen on fighting…- It was too early to tell exactly what it was but he was sure as hell not going to sit around to wait and see. “Let’s move before we lose them, I want to try to get this done as quickly as possible,” he added as he slid down the other side of the incline, his tail trying to keep his balance.

Possessed Stumps Left: 7
Possessed Stumps Slain: 3

[Kazuko]

As soon as the stump had hit the ground it seemed Fenweh was already there and killed it. At least with someone that could use fire this go a lot quicker, was all the girl thought as the man motioned her that they’d be moving on. Taking a minute to switch her quiver to be tied at her hip instead she hung the bow on her back and proceeded to climb down the tree. With a soft patter of feet hitting wet earth Kazuko went up to where the stump that she killed had been and gathered up the arrows that had been used. She could keep these and decide if they were worth being reusable or not later, no sense letting ones ammo run while you’re in the field right?



Having finished her tasked the girl looked over shoulder to hear the bushes begin to rustle a bit with movement before moving at a quick walk to catch up to her partner. Something was definitely back there and she didn’t want to find out what it was. As they walked it looked clear that there were several Possessed Stumps here and there off their path, occasionally one was close to hurl a rock but they still kept going further in, was there a better grouping of these further in or something the young miko didn’t know.



It wasn’t until they came out into a clearing that they stopped and Fenweh had motioned that the next grouping was in front of them. Looking around the area the only thing the girl could use was a single dead tree in the clearing a short ways off from the group, less than idea but still useable for cover as she climbed up into this tree and took up a shooting posture with weight on her left leg. Hopefully with a grouping like this her friend on the ground can hit most of them with that fire spell. Does that flame breath even cover that much area, having never played anything that used fire she had no way of knowing but it definitely looked like it damaged an area in front of lizard thing.



Grabbing an arrow out of her quiver she found this new movement of retrieving an arrow from her side to be a lot easier and more natural to her as she placed it in the bowstring and pulled back. Letting the arrow go she watched as hit the closest tree stump clear in the midsection. After paying closer attention, and noting she had their threat, Kazuko grabbed for another arrow this time though after placing it in the bowstring the girl focused on gathering up the mana within her into that sphere and directed it at the arrowhead. With a smirk she took aim at the Possessed Stump on the left which was currently furthest away from the group even though they were all relatively close. “Purgatory Barrier!" She called out releasing the arrow into the stump, the arrowhead plunging in slightly as the bubble formed and lifted the creature up in the air where it floated harmlessly. One less stump to worry about till later, she thought leaving one wounded Stump, two unharmed ones, and now one hovering vulnerable in the air.



Might as well clear out one of them on my own then, she thought to herself grabbing two more arrows, one placed between the index and middle fingers ready to load while the other hung loosly between the pinky and ring fingers. Letting the first one fly she only managed to nick her bubble due to not being used to holding something else in her hand, but it was still enough to pop it and have the Stump inside begin to plummet. Without missing a moment flicked the second arrow up into position and dropped the bow sights slightly to fire her second shot which stuck into the Possessed Stumps upper portion. When the monster hit the ground the resulting fall damage was enough to finish it off and shatter apart


Possessed Stumps Remaining: 6
Possessed Stumps Killed: 4

[Fernweh]

-Huh, that Purgatory Barrier skill is an interesting choice- Fernweh noted as his speed slowed and the ground leveled out. It had a number of uses as a utility skill, something that, with a little planning, could save their lives in a swarm. –Or raise me out of harm’s way for a bit- he grinned. Up and beyond reach of some things on the ground, it made him happy he had absolutely no fear of heights what-so-ever. Not that two meters was that high of a height to begin with.

With the young girl engaging the targets already, Fernweh raised his grimoire causing an arc of mana to strike the ground charring the ground with runes. “Ignite, Salamander!” Once more his small companion of flames breached the gate into the land of the living, slowly forming from the mana stream supplied from his master. Grinning, the summoner couldn’t help but feel relieved at his choice for a first skill. He was torn between this little devil and the hardened body of a Golem or, in other words, it was a conflict between offence and defense. Golems would definitely have given him security and a bit of peace of mind but they lacked offensive capabilities until he could grab the Guardian Fist. Till that point it would have just been a small bundle of animated material to intercept damage. Salamander on the other hand was the opposite, bringing pure firepower, pun unintended, to the game. He was faster, stronger, yet lacked the health pool of golems. Not that it would matter if Fernweh stuck to the lower level monsters at first or partied up, which had become the deciding factor in the end.

Already feeling the pull of mana, Fernweh commanded “Burn the second group, leave the weakened!” The girl had already damaged it and the Fox Tail had no intentions of stealing her hard work. Not to mention the other two were in closer proximity to one another, easy prey for the cone of flame that his Salamander could breathe. With his slide ceasing entirely, Fernweh darted for a nearby boulder to use for cover as he watched the Salamander engage the Possessed Stumps. Burn had been an appropriate term to designate to the breathe attack, as the summoner watched the small creature rear back and release a bellow of flames from its mouth. –Holy shite, it looks closer to a stunted dragon then a salamander.-

Strong as it may have looked to the adventurer, he quickly noticed the drain to his mana pools as the flames continued to spew from the creature’s mouth. “Salamander, break contact!” he barked hurriedly, which the Follower immediately responded to by cutting off the flow of fire and leaping backwards. Neither target had expired, though one was knocking on Death’s door with all its might. Stepping out from cover, Fernweh held the book out in front of him and was rewarded with a series of runes bursting into the air before releasing a simple magic bolt. It was weak, something the summoner knew and consequently avoided its usage as such, yet it was a simple and easy way to finish off a target as was evident by the now deceased stump that was bursting into light.

Possessed Stumps Left: 5
Possessed Stumps Slain: 5

[Kazuko]

Kazuko watched as the older male once again set the stumps on fire. The player’s salamander certainly looked intimidating and not like any animal the girl had seen outside of the Elder Tale game. That fire attribute though of the creature is possibly one of the most useful things one could ask for in this new life, well fire was always useful but when the enemy is a tree stump that use is two-fold.



Reaching a hand to the quiver at her side Kazuko made a note of how many arrows were still left to use. After a count it seemed like there were six left that haven’t been used, minus one or two of the ones that got retrieved that may or may not fire properly. There were still quite a few enemies left to kill before they would leave so the girl didn’t want to use too much mana on making barriers just yet. This was definitely something that needed to be remedied when the girl got more levels and able to get a new skill. Art of the Heavy Laden Brush would be useful in making zones of denial while Rebound Barrier could be useful in getting quick distance away from an enemy trying to get to close; finally her third choice was also Exorcism of a Cursed Lotus which would improve the amount of damage she could do in a short time.



Carefully drawing an arrow of the quiver she twirled in her hand once before deciding to finish off her Possessed Stump first. Drawing the bow back to its full length Kazuko lined up her sight before firing the first shot into the stump’s side. As the girl went to draw the bow back for the second shot, her body flinched as a rock flew next to the small head of the tiny player causing the arrow to skip off the top of the Possessed Stump. Muttering some curse under breath Kazuko two more arrows and placed them together on the bow, one looked it had been fired before so the miko wanted to be sure to get a hit and improve the accuracy by hopefully having them balance each other in flight. She made a soft sigh as it seemed both arrows still were able perfectly well and landed in her target after drifting just left of the center, but it was still enough to kill it.



With one enemy down her count still had two arrows left, which one was currently drawn and resting on the middle finger and bow. Breathing softly Kazuko channeled her mana once again to the arrow forming another bubble around it. “Purgatory Barrier Shot!" She called the skill name and adding  Ehot Eto this time as her own personal flair to the skill use. The resulting hit damaged the charred stump and lifted it in the air inside the bubble. Pulling the last arrow from the quiver at her side Kazuko carefully placed it on the bowstring, aimed at the floating barrier and held her breath before releasing the arrow with everything she had to make the barrier pop and dropping the Possessed Stump back to ground causing it to die from the fall damage.



With a smile crossing her face Kazuko hung from the branch she stood on a moment before dropping to the ground. Crossing the clearing to where the enemies were the young girl began searching through the debris to find the spent arrows and retrieve them. Kazuko made a mental note that when they get back town she should pick up more arrows to have a larger supply from for later. Finishing the task at hand she once more filled the empty quiver at her hip and stood at the far end of the clearing and began waving back at Fernweh “I’m all done here, let’s get going okay?" She called out to him to let the man know she was ready to move on.

Possessed Stumps Remaining: 3
Possessed Stumps Killed: 7