[Open(3/6)][Quest]Blood Runs Deeper Than Water

[Alette]

It was a nice, soothing day. The wind was refreshing and the waves were roaring. At the coast east of Londinium, aptly named Thames Coastline, was a young girl in a simple dress. The brown hair on her head blew about gently as the wind rushed against her gently. Her expression showed her clear joy as the child ran about bare-foot on the wet yellow sand of the calm beach. The young girl ran around happily as the sand morphed around her feet and toes. She reached the water, jumping in with a soft splash as she played in a cherubic manner, full of energy. She would do this for much time, until sunset. When the sun began to set, the girl lied down on her back at the shallow end of the water, lying below the orange sky that comes from a nice sunset. She had noticed that she had lost her friend, and at this moment; she cared very little for this. She was happy at the soothing environment she found herself in.

After about a half hour, a man with long, silver hair. He kept his distance at first as he approached the girl slowly. He spoke with a soothing voice. "It is a fine night, is it not?" He smiled warmly as the girl looked to the unknown man. After a moment, she smiled as well in return and the man slowly approached her, easing closer. "What brings a girl as young as yourself here, miss...?" The man trailed off, prompting the girl to tell him her name.

The girl smiled and chimed in the answer to the blank the man had left. "Alette! Alette Caelius!"

"Alette, is it?" The man was now within close proximity of Alette. He sat down beside her, smiling. "What brings a girl as young as yourself out alone here?"

Alette spoke with a childish excitement and joy in her voice. "Adventure! I'm an adventurer!"

The mysterious man grinned a bit, unnoticeably. "Adventure? But adventures can be so dangerous. Besides... You are not a true Adventurer. You're a Person of The Land, unlike me. You People of The Land cannot become strong on your own, unlike us Adventurers. The People of The Land... So beautiful; so gentle; and so frail... Most of all, you People of The Land are so foolish." The man grinned as he grabbed the young Alette.

Alette thrashed around violently, trying to break free of the grip of the Adventurer who had assaulted her. The man's grasp was far too powerful, and as such, despite her nonstop attempts at trying to shake free, it was all to no avail. Before she knew it, she felt an extreme difficulty at staying awake. Alette's eyes slowly and reluctantly forced themselves closed as she fell asleep, under the effects of an unseen Adventurers' Astral Hypnos. Her body stopped any movement as she was forced into a deep sleep. The silver-haired Adventurer smiled and picked her up over his shoulder, murmuring to himself. "Alright, let's take her somewhere more private. When she wakes up, we can ask her if she has any kind of noble relatives or rich secrets; something of the sort." The man grinned as he walked off with her.

- 541 Words -
- Total: 541 -

[Kogeki]

As the sun set across the Thames river, a certain pink-haired samurai found himself wandering along the edge of the river, staring out over the river, watching the twinkling of the dying sun over a river that was no longer heavily polluted. Instead, it was sweet and calm, the yellow sands warm and inviting after spending the day soaking up the sunlight. Maybe there were fish here, too. Maybe in this world everything that was once broken had somehow been fixed.

"I could make a poem," he mused quietly to himself. Wasn't that something that the samurai did in the past? Something to help them come to grips with the fact that someday they would die? Either in battle or in bed, every single person would die--probably even the people here, despite the Cathedral. Can it hold the souls of people who just can't go on any longer? Kogeki shook his head, then. All of this musing wasn't helping him find who he was looking for. Alette had come here to play, apparently. Thing was, she hadn't come back, and people were getting worried. People like himself. He'd barely met her, yet somehow he felt like she was someone who needed looking over. A big brother, maybe. A role that Kogeki wanted to try to take up, because only children tend to be pretty damn lonely. But where had she gone?

It was around then that he found himself looking down and stopping, a confused frown on his face. There was one set of tracks in the sand that hadn't gone away yet; small footprints, like that of a child. They ran about willy-nilly, going back and forth from the water. Playful. That made sense, but then there was.... Another set. Approaching the child. Bigger, an adult's. Furthermore, they came to a small imprint on the sand, and then the smaller tracks... Disappeared.

"Dumah? That does not make sense. Why would he be worried if he...?" The frown deepened. Something didn't feel right. Was it Alette's? Was she the type of person to go off with someone she didn't know? Kogeki hadn't a clue. Yet he still felt there was something terribly wrong. Even if these tracks weren't hers, this could mean someone was in trouble. And wouldn't Kogeki the samurai go to help such a person?...

So he started following the larger tracks that lead away, taking a moment to draw his nodachi and rest it on his shoulder, as fear started to gnaw at his gut...

*Word Count 422*

[Deleted]

Klide has been resting on an old tree deep in the forest, almost a kilometer off the coast of the Thames. He'd had a long day of hunting boars, using only his fists this time, though he wasn't a monk. He was suddenly awakened by the sound of a child struggling in the direction of the coast, and then... silence. Only silence. Klide felt the forest holding it's breath, not a bird sang, not a squirrel squeaked, not even a boar stepped on leaves or twigs. Klide pulled his clothes on, having been sleeping in only his fundoshi. He slipped his clothes on silently, and then began jumping along the branches, towards the sound, or rather, toward the sound where the forest seemed most silent. He moved as quickly as he could, but it still took him about two and a half minutes to get there. He saw a lone figure walking the beaches, but he got the feeling that the pink haired samurai was not the man he was looking for. He stayed in the forest, watching the samurai who was intently studying the ground, perhaps looking for something. Suddenly, he looked up, a frown etched into his face. The pink-haired samurai began walking away from where he'd stood, making his way towards an unknown goal. He had drawn his Nodachi, and was now resting it on his shoulder. Klide drew both of his Katanas, and jumped down from the tree he'd been kneeling in. He sprinted towards the armed samurai, and looked at what the samurai was following, it was a trail of foot prints. Klide looked up at the samurai, and ran ahead in the direction of the footprints without saying a word. He got the feeling that something bad had happened, and he did not want to sit idly as someone was in trouble.

Word Count: 308
Total Word Count: 308
Tags: Alette , Kogeki

[Deleted]

Dumah and Kogeki had both been resting at a small camp site near the Thames Coastline. Alette had been with them as well before she went off to play on the beach a ways away from the camp. It had been a few hours since the young Sorceress girl had left the group, and both Dumah and Kogeki both had been worried for her. They decided to go out and try to find their lost friend, but Dumah realized they'd need someone to stay at the camp in case their worries were for naught and Alette decided to simply return late. Dumah didn't want to be the one to stay, as he felt specifically compelled to be the one to go out and find Alette. She saw Dumah as a father figure, and as such, Dumah felt bad for being forced to simply sit back at camp and wait. Nevertheless, he did just that and waited for her to return... He waited... Waited... Waited... The sun had set and the sky was dark. Wanting to check on the status of the search, Dumah made a telepathic call to Kogeki, holding his left hand up to his left ear as he waited for the Samurai to answer the call. When he finally did answer, Dumah spoke up, a hint of worry in his voice. "Mr. Kogeki, have you managed to find Alette? She has yet to return, still."

- 237 Words -
- Total: 237 -
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- Party -
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Party Leader:

Dumah Iino

Party Members:

Kogeki

[Kogeki]

Kogeki flushes as the strange swordsman basically completely disregards any threat he might have offered. Of course, he's got a point--there wasn't much that he could do against someone whose level vastly exceeded his own. At the very least, he doesn't seem to present a danger. The samurai relaxes his stance and once again rests his nodachi onto his shoulder. Of course, he can't just let this settle, so he has to add just one more quip in.

"The truth of victory goes to the one who holds conviction and passion, friend," Kogeki says boldly. Regardless, the fight is over. However, when Kline reveals that he's a Tracker, and they're entirely useless at tracking, Kogeki sighs and rubs his cheekbones with his fingers. "And why, pray tell, are they named Trackers at all, then...?" he mutters to himself. "Still... If you believe that you can help me find her, I would gladly join you. I would also apologize for my actions earlier. If you'll wait for a moment, however..." Dumah's calling again, and Kogeki quickly provides the location of the two men. "Her father is coming. There will be a third who will join our hunt."

When Dumah arrived, Kogeki was momentarily taken back by the fevered look in his eyes. "Y-yes... Of course we will find her, Dumah-san. Let us go. We must make haste--it will be dangerous to wander through these forests in the dark. Stranger, if you would join us, then be welcome." To whit, the samurai turns on his heel and begins marching further into the dark recesses of the forest.

*Word Count 285, total 1,118*

[Deleted]

Klide was running past the pink-haired samurai, but he noticed Klide and turned to as what he knew about some girl named Alette. Klide did not stop in time, and had accidentally bumped the pink-haired samurai on his way into the forest. The pink-haired samurai hit the ground hard and yelped, something Klide thought was a bit odd for a samurai. However, the samurai had clearly taken offense from Klide's accidentally contact. He jumped to his feet, his Nodachi outstretched in front of him. When the pink-haired samurai shouted "Who are you? You have approached me with blades drawn--if you seek to rob me, you will find me to be an unpleasant catch, as my blade is sharp. Or have you come because you know of Alette? Tell me!" Klide understood what was going through the man's head. The samurai was low in level, and clearly fearful for his friend's safety, whoever this Alette may be. Klide was about to respond, when Kogeki started a silent telepathic conversation with someone. after he finished. he turned his attention to Klide and said "You heard? There is a child missing, likely kidnapped. If you know anything of her or her captors, I would ask you tell me for the sake of her friends and father." Klide looked at the pink-haired samurai. "Yes, I heard, though I can't really help you. Also if you are going to challenge someone who is almost twenty levels higher than you, use a better strategy than standing in their path and claiming that your sword is sharp." Klide hoped he did not sound arrogant, because that was not his intention. He sheathed his own swords, showing that he did not fear the pink-haired samurais threat, and that he was not threatening the samurai. "As for this Alette girl, I know nothing. I know that the forest went silent, and I know that there was someone who needed my help, probably this Alette girl. My skills as a tracker wont help find her. Unfortunately for me, tracker skills are not what they sound like. They grant invisibility, and silent movement, but being a tracker doesn't help with finding people. I'm just following my gut, but you're welcome to join me." At that, Klide reached out his hand. He was willing to guide this man through the forest, if the man was willing to follow. If need be, klide could even carry the man to get to their destination faster. Klide offered both, adding that he knew these forests pretty well.

Word Count: 422
Total Word Count: 308+422=730
Tags: Kogeki , @dumah

[Deleted]

Dumah's call was finally answered with a ping. "Mr. Kogeki have you managed to find Alette? She has yet to return still."

The pink-haired Samurai's voice echoed in Dumah's ears. "Just Kogeki if you please, Dumah-san. I have bad news--Alette was not at the beach." Dumah's worry intensified. "I found small footprints that disappeared into larger ones--if they are hers, I believe she may have been kidnapped." The black-haired Swashbuckler shot up from his seated position on a log, his expression showing his deep worry for the lost child. "I have someone in front of me who might have some information. If you'll wait a moment, I will discover what he knows of the child." Kogeki's conversation with the other man leaked into Dumah's ears. "You heard? There is a child missing, likely kidnapped. If you know anything of her or her captors, I would ask you tell me for the sake of her friends and father."

Dumah began to speak much louder and more frantically, not caring about the other man that was likely talking to Kogeki. "What?! Alette was kidnapped?!" Dumah trembled in worry, clenching his teeth and fist. "Where are you?" Dumah ran to the location given to him by Kogeki and caught up with the Samurai. He was a bit out of breath, but his face showed an intense mixture of emotions: anger, despair, sorrow, a bit of blood lust, but the emotion most clearly written on Dumah's face was... Fear... Dumah's eyes grew wet as his fear took over. His body lost all posture as he dropped to his hands and knees, holding himself up loosely on the sand. He seemed to murmur something before taking a deep breath and speaking louder in a trembling voice riddled with a mix of despair and resentment. "We will find her..." His tone made it clear that this was less of the statement of a man hoping to accomplish something, and more that of a man desperate to reach the declared goal, no matter the cost; whatever it may be. He looked to Kogeki with anger clear on his face. "We will find her! I swear we will find Alette!" Dumah stood up and walked in the direction of the tracks, pushed forward by his sheer, intense, rage-fueled determination to find and save Alette Caelius, the girl so close to him, who looks up to Dumah so much, that she would consider him her own father, and he in turn would consider the young Half-Alv Sorceress to be his own daughter. No matter what, he would not let himself give up.

- 433 Words -
- Total: 670 -
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- Party -
----------

Party Leader:

Dumah Iino

Party Members:

Kogeki

[Deleted]

After the pink-haired samurai made a witty remark, Klide felt the need to recoil. "That may be sir samurai, but as it stands, I am not one who suffers a lack from either passion or conviction." Klide agreed with the samurai that the Tracker name made little sense. While the samurai apologized and explained that a third person was coming, Klide remained silent. When the third member appeared, Klide looked at him with slight confusion. He seemed a bit young to be fathering a child, especially a child old enough to play on a beach on her own. To Klide he looked about twenty, and if her was the father of a child old enough to be on her own, at his age, then the only practical options Klide could come up with were either that he'd adopted her, or that he had been a father when he was around Klide's age. Klide looked him over, he was a bit higher level, and was obviously passionate about his daughter, from the way he shouted that he would save her again and again. The samurai responded by saying that of course they would find her, but Klide had his doubts, none of which he put into words, he didn't want to worry the father figure anymore than he already was. The Father walked in a straight line from where the tracks ended, but Klide saw a flaw in that plan almost instantly, not ten feet ahead of the tracks end, there was a fat old tree directly in their path. Klide walked over to the two men, who were both making their way into the duck lit forest. The moon would rise within the hour, though it wouldn't give much light in the thick vegetation ahead of them. Klide tapped both men on the shoulders, and said to them "I will help you find her, however, walking around blindly will not help you. I have a bit of experience with the night, as I do a lot of hunting during the late hours of the night. If you'll trust me I'll guide you the best I can. The first thing I must ask is whether you can climb trees, because that will save us a large amount of time. If neither of you can, it should still be alright. I'll guide you into the forest until we find a clearing, and then you can start a fire whilst I move ahead to search. Given my Tracker cloaking abilities, if I find anything, I can look into it and then come back for you and bring you over to where we need to be. That seems like the most practical approach to me, if either of you has any disagreements or questions, please speak up not, if now, then we'll get heading forward right away." With that Klide turned toward the forest and stood, waiting for either one of the men to speak up.

Words: 492
Total Word Count: 730+492=1222
Tags: @dumah , Kogeki

[Deleted]

Dumah stopped at the tree impeding his path and stared at it for what seemed like an eternity, while it was only - in truth - only about three minutes of silence. Dumah looked at Klide, unsure what to think of the unknown man. For all Dumah knew, he was an accomplice, working with the kidnappers. However, quite uncommon for Dumah, the rage-filled man sighed as he checked Klide's character data. His eyes opened a bit wider when he noticed he was level 19, and, being unable to think straight in the maelstrom of emotions that Dumah was being forced to experience, he was unsure of what to make of Klide's level. He was either an accomplice like Dumah worriedly thought for an instant, or he was an extremely valuable asset that Dumah could not pass up. He decided that if he were a threat, he would not just simply go away if Dumah fell for his trap. Warily, he walked to Klide with a new, serious, determined prep in his walk. He had an expression that was a mixture of threatening and desperate as he put his left hand on Klide's right shoulder. "Listen..." His eyes were half open in a sort of determined glare that intensified the obvious conviction to safe his daughter. "I do not know you. You' are offering your assistance in a desperate moment. You are either a very kind person, or a very good liar working with the kidnapper. I am willing to trust you for the sake of my daughter and because I believe all people should be trusted until they abuse that trust. Please, help us rescue her. Keep in mind however that if you do even the slightest action to impede our progress or hinder us, I will not hesitate to treat you as an enemy... I do not care if you are ten levels above me, if even a single finger is laid upon her, I will gladly be sent to the Cathedral as many times as I must to send you there once." With that, Dumah gave a soft, forced smile and made a soft pat on Klide's right shoulder. "I can climb trees, aye, but if we are planning to jump from tree branch to tree branch, we will be very slow as I use my Swashbuckler skill Fold Step to get an extra boost when leaping far or high distances. It cannot be used constantly back-to-back, I'm afraid."

- 409 Words -
- Total: 1,079 -
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- Party -
----------

Party Leader:

Dumah Iino

Party Members:

Kogeki
Klide

[Kogeki]

Sadly, Kogeki was forced to agree that trying to wander about in the dark wouldn't be very useful. Especially not for him; stumbling around and causing a ruckus with his platemail, he'd likely force away any concept of stealth when they needed it most. The pink-haired samurai frowns and nods, listening as Klide explains himself and his plans. There is, however, one small problem...

"I doubt I'd be particularly useful in climbing trees or hoping from one to another." He motioned to himself--his heavy platemail, his large nodachi. Trying to do anything particularly dextrous would only result in him hurting himself. "My feet belong firmly on the ground, I think. I can try to follow you as best I can on the ground, if you feel you must have the height advantage. Besides, perhaps there might be another clue of Alette's passing. Clothing caught on branches and the like."

It's a long shot, but at the very least there could be some form of help Kogeki can do. Especially when he doesn't have to worry about breaking his fool neck.

Then suddenly Dumah gets very particular about the things he is willing to do against Klide, and the samurai finds himself glad that it is growing dark; he turns positively green for a moment, forcing himself to suppress the shudders as he thought of having to get involved in this business.

"I believe he is being truthful, Dumah-san. Let us hurry. There are others who actually deserve our ire tonight."

*Word Count 262, total 1,380*
Tags: @dumah @blazeedge

[Deleted]

Klide didn't expect everyone to be like him, he knew they weren't. So when he learned that neither of he two men could go for a long distance by tree, Klide didn't mind, it was only a minor set back. When the man named Dumah made his threat to Klide, Klide laughed a bit. Not to insult this man named Dumah, But because he saw the determination in the man's face. "Dumah, if the time comes when you feel that you mush bring your blade down upon me, I will not draw either of my swords." In response to the pink-haired samurai, whom Dumah had called Kogeki, Klide said "Master samurai, you need not concern yourself with your heavy armor impeding your ability to climb, it will not be a problem. I do not need the height advantage as you called it, in fact, being in the trees is more beneficial because there is less shrubbery in the way, as apposed to the ground. We will all go along the forest floor until we find a clearing and start a fire, as I mentioned earlier. From their, I will take the trees to search for Alette. If I find anything, I will come back to you and we will go in together, I have a feeling that Alette wouldn't trust me on my own with what she is currently going through, so even if I did manage to get her on my own, I doubt very much that she would willingly come with me." With that, Klide began making his way into the forest, though he got the feeling that him and his two companions were not on thier own anymore. Klide silently thought to himself "What have you gotten yourself into Klide, you could be napping in some nice tree right now, and instead your going out to fight an unknown enemy, to save some little girl you've never met."

Word Count: 321
Total Word Count: 1222+321=1543
Tags: @dumah , Kogeki

[Deleted]

Dumah was a bit skeptical at first. He held his chin in his left hand, pondering deeply for quite some time. After he had finished contemplating, he looked to Klide once more. "If you would not mind, I would like you to be in a telepathy call with me the entire time you are out searching. Sound fair enough?" Dumah initiated a call with Klide, the typical ringing sounding in both Swashbucklers' ears until Klide answered the call. With that, Dumah nodded, satisfied with knowing that he could at least hear everything going on. "Alright, we would best go now." Dumah and Kogeki walked a ways away with Klide, and once they found a suitable clearing in the thick forest, Dumah began to gather wood for a fire by himself. After arranging it all in a necessary bundle to start a fire, he slid his left hand's index finger down in the air, opening the menu. He pressed a few of the buttons only visible to him, being that they were on his menu. First he accessed the Skills Menu, and promptly tapped the air to open the Magic skills. He didn't have many, so no scrolling was required. With that, he tapped another button once more, promptly causing a small ball of flame to ignite and form in his open left hand. Finished with it, he closed the menu and rest his right hand back on the sheathed Windsor Antiqua Longsword on his right hip. He then nonchalantly tossed the flaming ball into the bundle of wood, mixing the fire with the sticks and leaves. He then sat down at it as the fire flickered and danced rather lively. "Kogeki and I shall await your return, Kogeki. Please, go find my daughter." Dumah rubbed his hands together and warmed himself up against the fire he had created.

- 308 Words -
- Total: 1,387 -
----------
- Party -
----------
Party Leader:
Dumah Iino

Party Members:
Kogeki
Klide

[Kogeki]

The threats were over, finally, and Kogeki forced himelf to draw a deep, calming breath. It appeared that everything was finally settled, and they went off into the forest with no more fuss. Amongst the ancient trees the silence feels oppressive--despite being in a party with a level 19 player, Kogeki can't find it in him to relax. At least he took it upon him to sheathe his nodachi again--but the pink-haired samurai made it a point to hold it in his left hand, ready for the emergency Iaido draw if he found a target that needed it.

Deep in the dark, though, the samurai's eyes twitched constantly, and his face was pale. A tremor had started in his hands, which he forced silent by clenching them tightly on his weapon. What was he doing here, anyway? He'd only come to collect a little girl! How in the world was he constantly ending up in stupid and dangerous situations?! Well, that part was actually relatively easy to understand; he acted a certain way that made everyone think he was more capable than he actually was. Odds are if any of these people knew he was really just a coward, they'd leave him the hell alone and these things wouldn't be an issue any longer. But that wasn't really a solution either...

When they finally arrived at the clearing, Kogeki was quick to offer his assistance in gathering what firewood and tinder he could find. He didn't bother talking much; it's likely his voice would be strained anyway. When the fire was crackling merrily, the pink-haired samurai offered Klide a slightly forced smile and cleared his throat. "Your assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated, stranger. I would offer you a prize of alcohol or hand-forged armor for when this business is well and truly finished."

Now they just had to play the waiting game.

*Word Count 318, total 1,698*
Tags: @dumah @blazeedge

[Deleted]

Klide led the two men through the forest, around twisted roots, and gnarled branches. Neither of the men behind Klide seemed comfortable in this dark forest. Klide got the feeling they didn't even know why they were uncomfortable. He had been in the wild long enough to recognize signs in the forest. They were being watched, and it was not just one thing watching them, nor was it something friendly. What ever it was, it had malicious intent. and Klide got the feeling that the unknown adversaries would make their move soon. most likely when he left the other two in a clearing. Klide finally found a clearing that suited his personal tastes. It was round, and rather small, with a 6 meter radius. Dumah and Kogeki had already begun collecting wood, and then Dumah ignited the fire. Klide looked around the perimeter of the clearing, and saw one pair of eye, which was to slow to escape the light, glimmer before it disappeared into the darkness further out. Klide walked back to his companions, where he was thanked by the samurai, and reminded of his goal by the other swashbuckler. Dumah was warming himself by the fire, though it was a relatively nice night. Maybe he was warming himself because he felt something was off. Kogeki interrupted his thoughts with his offer of liquor and armor when they were done. "Good samurai, I am sorry, but I do not drink. I would recommend you do not as well, but I am not one to take away a man's pleasures in life." Klide smiled a bit maliciously "Though I suppose that when we end whoever kidnapped this Alette girl, we will be taking away their pleasures. I'm more than willing to end a kidnapper if you are." With that Klide turned to leave, but he turned around very quickly. In a whisper he offered some more words. "We were followed, they will attack when I leave, though I doubt they are any threat to the two of you. Just be warned that there are more than eight of them. I'm sorry I can't stay and help, but I assume you'll agree that finding Alette is our top priority right now. Once I find her, I'll return and if there's any one left, well lets just say there won't be once we leave." With that, Klide turned and left in The direction his gut told him to go. He was up in one of the trees at the edge of the clearing when he turned and said "I'll be off then, Dumah. we are still connected via telepathy, I'll contact you when I find her." Klide disappeared into the tree branches above his blades still sheathed at his sides. He ran across the branches and though about the men he had left behind. He couldn't hear any combat from the telepathy, but he thought he heard Dumah and Kogeki chatting with each other.

Klide jumped a larger gap between two branches and was amazed to see two more men below him, they appeared to be sentry soldiers. Klide activated his silent movement ability and got to the branch directly above them. He got low to see if he could hear anything. "...hear the boss is planning on waking the girl up soon." "What a dastard! You know he's really mysterious about his work, it's very creepy." "Don't talk about the Boss like that, He's a good man, and honestly I wish I was in his shoes when that girl wakes up." "You are sick, you're almost as bad as the boss. after this job, I think I am going to go back the stealing, I do not want to deal with kidnappings anymore" "You ass! How dare you call me sick! I should report you right..." With that, Klide leaped  from his branch, both swords drawn. He drove the first down through the body of the guard who kept saying he respected the boss. And with his other sword he lobbed of the other guards right arm. He let go of the sword stuck in the dead guards body, and covered the other one's mouth before he could scream. "Now you are going to tell me where your boss is, and then you will become a respectable member of society, or you will just end up like your freind there" Klide indicated toward the bloody corpse. "Fine fine, the boss is to the east of here... He is in the big stone building no more than a kilometer from here. In that direction..." The soldier pointed to the south. "Thank you, everything you said was true, but i don' believe you know your directions well." Klide drove his sword though the man's jugular veil as the man's eyes filled with terror. Klide wasn't focused on what he heard on the other end of the telepathy link, maybe it was fighting, maybe it was a just a shouting match. Regardless he shouted to Dumah. "They have guards. I believe that she is being held in a compound, I am going to go find the compound and then I will come back to you. I would assume the guys around you range from level three to eight, Kogeki might have a little trouble, but I think he should be alright if he sticks to taking out the lower level ones. Remember the value of team work in big fights. Stay alive until then." Klide ran towards the east, ready to fight any more guards who thought they could handle a man who's deepest passion was the sword.

Word Count: 934
Total Word Count: 1543+934=2477
Tags: @dumah , Kogeki
Note: good luck with the guys on your end.

[Deleted]

Dumah nodded in response to the information Klide had given to him. "Understood. And you believe they have got-" Before Dumah count complete his sentence, his question had been answered as two unknown Adventurers had emerged from the nearby greenery. One wielding a sword, shield, and plated armor, while the other had naught but cloth armor and a wooden staff. Dumah quickly got up and drew his Windsor Antiqua Long sword from his right hip, holding it in his left hand. "Nevermind that. Klide, we have got enemies over here as well. Two enemies spotted: One seeming to be a Guardian, the other seeming to be a spell caster." The Guardian had a full set of armor on, and as such, his entire body was covered in metal. The spell caster, however, was covered head to toe in a nice, yet simple, robe that almost seemed a bit too large on him. He was using his staff as a walking stick, even though it was obvious that he was capable of walking without using it as such.

The spell caster talked in a calm manner to the Guardian. "Two melee type fighters. A Swashbuckler and a Samurai. They're around our level, but the Samurai is only level one." With a grin, he gave his orders to the Guardian accompanying him. He held his staff up and conjured a small ball of flames. Dumah had recognized this spell as Orb of Lava, a spell that Alette was also capable of using. This meant the spell caster was a Sorcerer. "Keep the Swashbuckler off of me. I'll handle the weak Samurai first."

The Guardian nodded. "Understood!" With that, he got into a defensive stance and stood between Dumah and the Sorcerer, his shield prepared for battle.

Dumah tightened the grip on his sword, and as the Sorcerer unleashed his Orb of Lava in Kogeki's direction, Dumah rushed towards Kogeki and with a soft shout, activated one of his skills. "Fold Step!" Dumah made a quicker dash to Kogeki and tackled him out of the way of the oncoming Orb of Lava. "Are you alright, Mr. Kogeki?" After Kogeki had answered, Dumah whispered to him. "I will focus on the Guardian. He cannot be in two places at once, so while I am focusing on him, I want you to rush the Sorcerer and attack. The Sorcerer is a long ranged class, and as such, it will be difficult for him to engage in close ranged combat. If all else begins to fail, I can use my skill Ante Up to keep the Guardian busy and join you to attack the Sorcerer. Understood?" Dumah waited for Kogeki to answer before standing back up firmly and rushing the Guardian, assaulting him with a quick series of slashes and thrusts.

- 465 Words -
- Total: 2,152 -
----------

- Party -

----------

Party Leader:

Dumah Iino



Party Members:

Kogeki

Klide


= Battle Status =

-- Allies --
- Dumah Iino -
HP: 100%
MP: 98%
- Kogeki -
HP: 100%
MP: 100%

-- Enemies --
- Guardian -
HP: 97%
MP: 100%
- Sorcerer -
HP: 100%
MP: 96%

[Kogeki]

Klide's words sent shivers through Kogeki's spine, and the Samurai found himself gripping his knees in the gathering gloom to still his shuddering. He wasn't under any illusions anymore; this was going to involve blood. People were going to get hurt now--possibly even die. Eyes wide, they stared into the flames despite the brightness while he breathed shallow breaths. Klide retreated into the darkness to find Alette... And then there were two against God knows how many others. Even when the enemy charged through the underbrush, Kogeki's movements were wooden and stiff, and he gripped his sheathed nodachi as if it were the only thing keeping him from falling into the void. He stood and faced his opponents with a slack face and haunted eyes.

When the Sorcerer cast his spell, Kogeki was still barely able to move, and it's only by Dumah's intervention that he wasn't struck. With the sound of blood in his ears, he didn't even hear Dumah's command. Instead he nodded dumbly; once again coming to stand on shaky legs to face a foe far beyond his strength, and a lot more courageous than he. This was going to be a massive goddamn problem. At least his body is beginning to react now; his shaking body settles into a combat stance, with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, held to his side, ready to be drawn.

There's one thing that Kogeki knows for sure, however; he won't be able to kill that Sorcerer. The moment he attacks, either the Sorcerer is going to have something up his sleeve, or the Guardian will interrupt. Furthermore, Kogeki's low level means that he's not going to be able to deal enough damage as fast as he needs to. It's probably a good thing he never heard Dumah's commands. Instead, he can only do the one thing that might actually save him in the long run.

"And lo, I stand before two of the wretched!" Kogeki's voice suddenly bellowed through the dark forest. Releasing his nodachi's hilt, Kogeki raised his fist to the sky. His body began to glow. "Cowards and kidnappers of children, you have found yourself in action against one dedicated to justice and love, and for your crimes, in the name of the Moon so beautiful above us--" His fist comes back down as he extends a finger to point towards his two enemies. His body's burning light grows to a fever pitch as the world's magic obeys his silent urging. "I WILL PUNISH YOU! I CHALLENGE THEE, BUSHI CHOUSEN!"

The bright light flashed and spread outward as his taunt skill went into effect, locking the two enemies and forcing them to bring their attention to him. Now all he could do was wait for them to come into range. Chain 1!

*Word Count 484, total 2,182*
Tags: @dumah @blazeedge

[Deleted]

Klide continues his run toward the east. He was not too concerned about the affairs on his side of things, but he could hear something he did not like on Dumah and Kogeki's side. There was a new voice could be heard speaking, only moments after Dumah had said "Nevermind that. Klide, we have got enemies over here as well. Two enemies spotted: One seeming to be a Guardian, the other seeming to be a spell caster." the other voice was very calm when it said "Two melee type fighters. A Swashbuckler and a Samurai. They're around our level, but the Samurai is only level one." Klide thought he heard the sound of fire in the air. "Was the spell caster already attacking?" he though to himself. Klide listened on, sorry that he was unable to help the others. The other voice once again spoke, this time saying "Keep the Swashbuckler off of me. I'll handle the weak Samurai first." Klide didn't like the way this man, who he assumed was the spell caster, was talking about Kogeki. His companion, who Klide assumed was the guardian, said "Understood!" Klide thought about how Kogeki would be a huge asset in the fight ahead. It was true that he was only a level one, but even a level one player can be effective, especially if they can get over mental barriers of thoughts like "I'm only a level one, I can't do it" Klide was living proof that level ones could be useful. When he was just a beginner, he had stayed out in a forest for a nap in a tree, and by the time he awoke it was noon. He had then met a fellow swashbuckler by the name of Icyferno. Though they did not hit it off instantly, Klide had agreed to help the man hunt a field boss, a reckless action really. Though he didn't fight the boss directly, Klide was able to keep the smaller foes away whilst Icyferno dealt with the boss, unfortunately getting gored by a few tusks in the process. If Klide could do that as a level one, why couldn't Kogeki? Suddenly, more action on Dumah's end. Dumah had activated his skill "Fold Step" and then said "Are you alright, Mr. Kogeki?" and then went on to say "I will focus on the Guardian. He cannot be in two places at once, so while I am focusing on him, I want you to rush the Sorcerer and attack. The Sorcerer is a long ranged class, and as such, it will be difficult for him to engage in close ranged combat. If all else begins to fail, I can use my skill Ante Up to keep the Guardian busy and join you to attack the Sorcerer. Understood?" 

Klide got the feeling that Kogeki was intimidated by the situation, possibly terrified. Even as Kogeki uttered his threat, Klide felt a degree of fear in his voice. "And lo, I stand before two of the wretched! Cowards and kidnappers of children, you have found yourself in action against one dedicated to justice and love, and for your crimes, in the name of the Moon so beautiful above us-- I WILL PUNISH YOU! I CHALLENGE THEE, BUSHI CHOUSEN!" Rather than pointing out the fear he heard, Klide chose to offer the fresh samurai some support. He shouted the Kogeki "YOU'VE GOT THIS PINK-HAIRED SAMURAI! TAKE THEM DOWN WITH THAT POWERFUL SPIRIT YOU TAKE SUCH PRIDE IN! YOU ARE NOT ONLY FIGHTING FOR YOURSELF, FIGHT WITH THE THOUGHTS OF ALETTE IN YOUR HEART!" Klide paused for a moment. he spoke a bit quieter now, though still enough for the samurai to hear him. "Remember young samurai, that strength only exists because we work through weakness to reach it. You are strong, now show that strength to Mister Dumah, and more importantly, show it to your foes." With that, Klide returned his focus to his advance. He passed a guard tower, but the guard did not notice him, nor was he worth Klide's time. Klide had a girl to find, and companions to return to.

Word Count: 686
Total Word Count: 2477+686=3163
Tags: Kogeki , @dumah

[Deleted]

The Guardian and the Sorcerer both were affected by Kogeki's valiant taunt. Dumah chuckled and smiled, joining in as the third and final man to give a valiant threat as well, pointing his Windsor Antiqua Long Sword at the opposing Sorcerer. "WE CARRY ON THE WILL AND STRENGTH OF THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN BEFORE YOU, PAVING A ROAD THROUGH THE DESPAIR YOU INFLICT UPON THOSE POOR ADVENTURERS AND PEOPLE OF THE LAND ALIKE!! JUST WHO THE HELL-" Dumah tightened the grip on his sword, opening his right hand as a ball of fire materialized in his opened palm, continuing with his speech, "-DO YOU THINK WE ARE?!" Dumah threw the ball of flames at the ground to the side of the Guardian, in hopes of impeding his movement at least a bit. No matter where Dumah would try to go, the Guardian would simply get in his way. Daringly, Dumah ran through the large fire he'd started on the ground; the only place the Guardian would not go. Even the best tanks would not stand in an area causing damage over time, and Dumah had hoped this would happen. Though he had taken some damage, and was still losing more as time passed, he dashed toward the Sorcerer, who - thanks to Kogeki's ability - could not defend himself by directly attacking Dumah. This gave him the perfect opportunity to attack, and he took that chance without a second of hesitation or delay. "Viper Raise!" He shouted the name of his ability as his sword pierced the arm tendons of the Sorcerer, dying the area on his robe in a crimson red.
- 270 Words -
- Total: 2,422 -
----------
- Party -
----------
Party Leader:
Dumah Iino

Party Members:
Kogeki
Klide

= Battle Status =
-- Allies --
- Dumah Iino -
HP: 86%
MP: 84%
- Kogeki -
HP: 100%
MP: 95%

-- Enemies --
- Guardian -
HP: 95%
MP: 100%
- Sorcerer -
HP: 62%
MP: 96%

[Saskia]

HP 100% | MP 80%

Guardian - Cavalier - Brewer

____________________________________________________

A thundering clap against the earth could as the stampeding colt, Icarus, dashed throughout the trees as beams of light shattered through the canopy of the forest. A magnificent white stallion with a vanilla coated tail and brilliant mane. He had a shiny white coat that exuded a healthy gleam as his hoof dug into the ground and propelled him forward.  



Atop his back, a lady and a gentleman. Both clad in armor as they returned from a rather romantic evening by the pier and after much rest at the Drowsy Drifter Inn, they embarked on a voyage to return to the gentleman's domain, a trip that would have taken three days on foot, but the trusty steed helped remedy that situation quite well. 


"I'm pretty sure there's a shortcut through here, Sir Bailin...should only be a few more hours now on horseback. Just remember to hold on tightly now! Wouldn't want Icarus kicking you in the back of the head with his hooves, I'd hate to see you vanish into the cathedral so soon..." The fair maiden chuckled as she gripped the reigns tightly, eagerly anticipating the rest of their journey.  

"So, you live alone? Must be rather pleasant not to have to pay for an inn day after day. It can be quite costly as time goes on. So, what did you do to afford a place like that I wonder? Rob a few banks, in your time?" The pink haired guardian laughed in a joking manner, looking back to smirk at the gentleman. 


After striding along for a few moments and indulging in humorous banter, the two heard a loud shouting from amidst the forest. The horse let out a violent neigh, and Saskia brought a finger to her lips, shushing the beast as she stroked it's mane gently to try and calm the beast. 


"And lo, I stand before two of the wretched! Cowards and kidnappers of children, you have found yourself in action against one dedicated to justice and love, and for your crimes, in the name of the Moon so beautiful above us-- I WILL PUNISH YOU! I CHALLENGE THEE, BUSHI CHOUSEN!"


The loud voice made Saskia feel uneasy. Something was amiss. Were people seriously kidnapping children? Wasn't this all just suppose to be a game? Who would be so cruel as to rip a child away from their innocence and family? It sent a burning sensation to her as she dismounted Icarus and spoke lightly to Bailin. 


"Let's have a closer look, shall we?" Saskia nodded before kneeling down and pinning her back to a large oak tree. She pulsed out here hand, summoning the crystallized interface menu and began equipping her sword and shield, using the tree as effective cover to hide the bright light that would be emitted. 

She unsheathed her blade, and peered around the corner and saw several men shouting. 

"YOU'VE GOT THIS PINK-HAIRED SAMURAI! TAKE THEM DOWN WITH THAT POWERFUL SPIRIT YOU TAKE SUCH PRIDE IN! YOU ARE NOT ONLY FIGHTING FOR YOURSELF, FIGHT WITH THE THOUGHTS OF ALETTE IN YOUR HEART!"

A swashbuckler stood firm, as he vibrantly cheered his companions on. It seemed as if he was speaking to the first voice, seeing as he mentioned a "pink haired samurai" an odd hair color for a samurai, but who was Saskia to judge, being a pinkette guardian herself. 


Her eyes still surveying the land she spotted a familiar face amongst the crowd, it was one of the first players she ever met in the game. The self-righteous, Dumah Ilno. 


"WE CARRY ON THE WILL AND STRENGTH OF THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN BEFORE YOU, PAVING A ROAD THROUGH THE DESPAIR YOU INFLICT UPON THOSE POOR ADVENTURERS AND PEOPLE OF THE LAND ALIKE!! JUST WHO THE HELL-DO YOU THINK WE ARE! "




"I know that one, he was one of the first players I ever met when I first emerged in this world. His name is Dumah...I think he's run into some trouble..."


Saskia watched as he assaulted the sorcerer with a vicious strike. Her eyes darted around their also was a guardian, though more impressive than she was. 

"Alright, so it looks like they are up against a Guardian and a  Sorceror...Sorcerors are a bit more squishy and guardians aren't exactly very offensive in nature. I think the Swashbuckler can handle the Guardian which means...." 


Saskia paused a moment before manipulating a skill on her interface menu. She selected the toggle skill "Cool Defense" as her mana slowly began to drain. 


"I suggest we use strength in numbers to take down the Sorceror...if we are quick we can overwhelm him, let's just be wary as the guardian might interfere. I'll flank from the right, we can make a sharp pincer formation if you cover the left." 


Saskia nodded to the gentleman as she kicked up from her feet and entered the fray, sword in hand.  


"Sir Dumah, we have come to join you! Let us lend you our swords!" 

Saskia rushed to Dumah's side, before slashing a the sorceror in a diagonal arc, striking from the sorcerors right hip up to his left shoulder, doing a meager amount of damage with her auto-attack.  


"I suggest you crawl back into the wretched holes you burrowed out of and unhand whatever girl you've kidnapped! Or we'll be sending you on a one way trip to the Cathedral! " 

INVENTORY

EQUIPMENT: Starter Platemail, Starter Great Shield, Starter Longsword
ABILITIES USED: Cool Defense
Words:901



TAGS: Bailin @dumah Kogeki @blazeedge

template by caesar

[Bailin]

Bolting up and down on the horse Bailin held on tight to the lady, something he didn’t mind at all, though the lass was wearing armour, making holding on tightly not entirely comfortable, but for now it was both the only way to stay on top of the horse and probably the only time soon he’d be able to be this close to the lass. Though he’d prefer if she would wear a shirt or sweater, something that would make him feel her body heat, but for now this would have to do. ‘Hmm, a shortcut through the forest… with a lady at the rains… oh boy.’ he thought chuckling, while enjoying the bumpy ride on the horse. “Ahw that’s sweet of you, though that’s probably the worst that would happen… though… it could happen to you and that would make me sad.” he said, touched by her concern.


“Well, I don’t live alone to be honest, it’s my house but I’m letting my mates stay there. To be blunt, I’m the richest of the three of us, got some money from my mentor when I just got here. That’s why I have a lab and smithy, Nostro is the alchemist, Oddy is the blacksmith. Other than that… it’s empty bar the kitchen and a basic bathroom. To put it bluntly: I’m working on ways to get richer and buy my or our own guildhall one day. So alas nothing as interesting as robbing banks… unless you are suggesting something.” he chuckled at the thought.


After some chatter back and forth Icarus suddenly let out a nasty neigh, followed by shouts from within the forest. Gently the lady hushed her horse and dismounted, whispering that she wanted to have a closer look to the shouting. Though Bailin only heard shouting but no words, he assumed the furry races of Elder Tale probably would have better hearing, as would fit their race. Sneaking from tree to tree the two of them snuck closer and closer towards the source of the noise. Getting closer the lady hid behind a tree as she equipped her sword and shield and took another peek.


Bailin just followed her lead for now, as she was the one built to take a beating, he could hold his own but his skills were too varied to be good at a single thing, unlike the other classes. Getting closer to the shooting Bailin could make out sounds now, though vaguely.

“Oh so we know whose side we’re on? That’s useful when we want to teach people a lesson, don’t you think?” he whispered as the lady told him that she knew one of the troublemakers. Peeking around the tree Bailin also noticed a sorcerer type and something that resembled a tin can on legs, probably also a guardian, though the lady next to him was a lot more pleasant to look at. “I concur and confirm sorcerer, and killing the sorcerer would be wisest. So once more onto the breach.” He whispered as he toggled his Trained Eyes skill, following the lady’s example and drawing his rapier.


“Agreed, I’ll take the left. Let’s poke those bastards some extra holes.” He said grinning, spurting after the lady, drifting to the left. Reaching the sorcerer Bailin jabbed his rapier through the foes ribcage, but doing an amount of damage that should best not be mentioned, in fear of shame, so low it was.


WC: 572

Saskia @dumah Kogeki @@blazeedge