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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2016 6:35:07 GMT
 “Anger is like flowing water; there is nothing wrong with it as long as you let it flow. Hate is like stagnant water… Stagnant water becomes dirty, stinky, disease-ridden, poisonous, deadly. That is your hate.”
Those were words that Sayha once knew, and they repeated themselves in her head. She finally came to terms with her constantly searching for Hecate, and she was finally letting go of her hate. That, however, was easier said than done. It seemed that the search for Hecate had been what kept her going for a while. With that want gone… she felt a bit lost… but she wasn’t about to tell anyone that. Though it might have been obvious by the fact that her working on leveling had suddenly decreased. She had instead opted into reading the books in her library and simply hanging around Londinium, listening in to the rumors and speaking that was going on. At the moment, it seemed that nothing very interesting was going on.
Instead of heading into Londinium, Sayha had decided that she would go into the village of Moon Dance Forest, closer to where she lived. She didn’t expect any rumors or anything to be floating in the air… but maybe there would be something to do.
“You really need to get out of your slump,” Yuki had told her. Yuki was her ever faithful Myobu companion… she was also Sayha’s main company she had had for a while…. Other than Chifi, her noncombat wolf pet that enjoyed running around her house. Hiro was still quite busy, but that was nothing that was surprising at all. However, she did hope to meet up with him in the near future. Things seemed to be slowing down so maybe they would be able to hunt or quest together soon. Sayha considered telling Hiro about the slump that she had kind of fallen into, but she didn’t want to bother him. He had enough to deal with. Besides, the faster he finished his work, the faster they would be able to hang out more.
The undergrowth crunched underneath Sayha’s feet as she made her way down the usual path she took with Yuki following alongside. The winter months were nearly over, and spring was coming. However, winter seemed not quite ready to let go as there was a small flurry of snow floating down. Sayha wasn’t too cold for once, her jacket wrapped around her with the belts for her dual katanas outside the jacket. She decided to go back to using her dual blades… they were much more comfortable to use than her giant two-headed scythe, but she didn’t plan on abandoning the scythe. She would keep practicing with it in her dojo at home… but she wanted to go back to something familiar. The blades she was wielding were the original upgraded katanas she got when she first started leveling, but she went back to the Funeral Parlor and requested they be reforged to a higher level. She was quite happy with the results.
Up ahead, Sayha could see the trees thinning. After a few more moments, the forest was at her back, and she was now walking through the village. The village was not incredibly busy, probably thanks to the snow, but there were still people out and about… and a person she recognized. It was the girl with blue and flame-colored hair. Marashi. Sayha had met Marashi a while back when she had decided to help a girl find her lost pet. Marashi had assisted them along with the sorcerer Saiph. It had been quite an interesting adventure to say the least.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Sayha said, walking up behind Marashi. The shaman did an immediate turn to look at where the voice had come from. She noticed Sayha right away, and Sayha gave her a slight nod.
“I could say the same for you,” Marashi responded.
Sayha gave a slight smile as she felt Yuki jump up from the ground and onto her shoulders. “I actually live nearby,” Sayha explained, “Moon Dance Village is the nearest town to me. So… what brings you to this lovely corner of the Kingdom?”
“I actually just came to check out the Village,” Marashi replied, “I haven’t been here yet, and I thought I would take the chance to check it out… I’ve been so busy looking at places in Londinium, my head is spinning.”
“Looking for a place to buy?”
“I am, but it wouldn’t be just for me. You see, I started my own guild, and I’ve been looking for guild housing. I think I’ve decided, but I thought I might as well check out here as well… also I’m part Japanese and hearing about a Japanese-inspired town sounded interesting.”
‘She still thinks of this place as a game,’ Sayha thought to herself, but she said nothing. It was an amazing thing she was actually getting used to, as much as she didn’t like it. “Well, this place is quite a place,” Sayha said instead, “It really becomes a home for you if you are here often enough.”
“Oh, is that so?” Marashi commented, looking around.
That was when Sayha heard something going on. It sounded like raised voices or something along those lines. Sayha listened carefully to figure out where the sounds were coming from.
“What’s wrong?” Marashi asked, noticing Sayha’s sudden change. Sayha didn’t respond but instead headed to where she heard the noise, the shaman following behind.
When Sayha got to the ruckus, it seemed that it wasn’t a ruckus at all. There was a group of people talking quite loudly around one of the village elders. From what she could make out, she heard the words Oni and attacking. That didn’t bode well.
“We need to figure out what’s going on,” Yuki said, her ears twitching, not happy about hearing the word oni.
 Quick Draw Sets: Dual Katanas (Active) | Gekkoin Bow
Active Abilities: <Hearing Aptitude> <Tongue of Nature>
Abilities Used:    Words: 984
@serenityspace
Coding by Sayha of LH |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2016 11:25:41 GMT
 | Dorian HP: 100% MP: 100% |
I do hope you're not going to sleep in all day, Aurelia muttered, her irritable mood clear through her tone of voice as she woke the slumbered Shaman from his rest. With a loud groan, Dorian opened his eyes, emerald hues that stared up at the ceiling above his bed. "Sorry... Sorry... I'm up," he muttered under his breath, slowly lifting his upper torso from the mattress to sit up straight in his bed. Releasing a groaned yawn as his body began to awaken, he lifted his hands up to rub at his eyes, removing the small specks of dust that had accumulated in the corners during his slumber. Glancing at his window, he blinked several times when he saw specks falling past.
Swivelling around, the Shaman clambered out of bed and out from under the covers, standing up completely and walking from his bedside to the window, leaning his hands against the sill and staring out through the glass; it would seem that over night, a light level of snow had begun to fall, merely an inch think upon the ground, the small white specks fluttering through the trees to join the rest covering the forest floor. "Well, that's interesting... Ah well, a Spring snow is as good or ill as any," he spoke outwardly, talking to himself before turning away from the window and looking out at the rest of his bedroom, giving a soft nod before getting himself ready.
Facing the mirror propped up against the wall, Dorian inspected himself in the reflective surface; reaching the level of eighty had given him quite a strong figure, lean and muscular due to the fierce work of fighting with sword in hand. And yet, there was a finesse to his frame, as was required for a dancer. Rolling his shoulders, he opened out his inventory, reaching within and retrieving his new gear that he had gotten crafted for himself. Over the top of his currently worn trousers, he slipped on leather leggings, strapping them down at the top of his thighs, then proceeded to slip on the heavy design of his boots, leather as well.
Next came his top, a leather vest which he stitched up the front of his torso, the material fitting his form comfortably and snugly. Next, he strapped on the various leather pieces that formed his arm protection, paddings for his shoulders, elbows, biceps and forearms. Then, it was just a matter of linking the two sets together across his back and chest, keeping them from slipping off while allowing for enough manoeuvrability. "Ah... Comfortable, good..." Finally, he slipped on the set of leather gloves that completed the arms, his fingers flexing to make sure they fitted well. All that was left was his accessories.
First was his hood, a cloth material which attached to the collar of his vest and allowing him to keep it tucked around his neck snugly. Then, he pulled out the belt and waist cape, attaching them around his waist where they sat comfortably on his hips. The Shaman once again rolled his shoulders, making sure his muscles were ready and awake, and his form was relaxed and calm. Are we done staring at ourselves? The Shikigami tapped at his mind impatiently, causing him to release a sharp sigh, nodding his head. "Yes. Let's head out," he replied, lifting his hands to grasp at the hem of his now attached hood and pull it up over his mane of hair.
Setting out from his bedroom, Dorian departed through the front door of his home, onto the porch where he looked out over the lake, it's waters now frozen over with ice thanks to the cold snow. The light played off the ice quite well, the morning sun peeking through gaps in the cloud cover. Shrugging his shoulders, the Shaman readied himself before stepping out into the snow, his boots quickly forming heavy tracks in the white layer upon the ground. Moving forth, his legs carried him gracefully toward the edge of the lake, letting him walk around the edge of it and traversing towards the stream that ran into it, also mostly iced over.
Using the frozen stream as his guide, he found his way along the path, heading towards the road into the village. Hopefully he may find some work there, to occupy his time for the day, but he wouldn't know until he tried; the village elder usually had something to give him, now that he had made it known he was living here in the forest. It wasn't long before the edge of the village was in his sights, the snow crunching under his feet as he entered it's vicinity. His hood still snugly kept over his head, his face was gently shadowed as he passed by various people. As he got closer to the village centre, however, he began to hear a loud turmoil building in it's volume.
Curiosity grabbing him, Dorian moved faster into the village, clutching his fingers into tight fists within his gloves as he approached the source of the noise. When he felt he was near enough, he moved to the side of a smaller building, dashing up against it and kicking off the wall to hop up and catch the edge of the rooftop. With the strength of his upper body, he lifted himself up onto the building, rolling forward silently, his feet light as his dancing skills required. From his new perch, he had a suitable position to watch the crowd, loudly talking up to the village elder, speaking of vicious attacks and the Oni spirits... Interesting.
Dorian kept his hood tightly hitched over his head, his brown ragged locks contained underneath it, his face shrouded as he watched the events that occurred below, just a short distance away from where he was crouched down, the rooftop keeping him high up and out of sight. Most of the faces in the gathering were Landers, villagers he recognised in passing, but a familiar visage crossed his vision; his emerald hues spotted the female Assassin, Sayha, and it seemed she had a companion with her, besides her animal friend. A young girl, by the looks of it, and one he had not seen before. Any day was a good day to make a new friend, he supposed.
Coded by @serenityspace of LH |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2016 18:36:28 GMT
“Wow, what’s going on?” Marshi turned to Sayha.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” Sayha responded before making her way through the villager crowds. They glanced at her as she passed them, but they didn’t say anything. Eventually she made her way to the front. Marashi was following behind Sayha, keeping up better than Sayha thought she would.
“Elder, please,” the villager standing in front of the Elder pleaded, “There are oni in the forest, just waiting to attack whoever wanders outside the village. Something needs to be done.”
“Yes, we must ask for assistance!” another villager called out. After that, all the voices began to overlap each other. The Elder sighed, or at least that appeared to be what they were doing.
Sayha knew that the village was mostly Lander people. There were a few adventurers that also lived in the area, but they would revive if they died. Though most of the Adventurers she knew that lived in the area were actually of higher level. Herself being one, Hiro being another, and her friend Dorian being another. She had not been to Dorian’s house, but he had told her he lived in the area, on the opposite side of the village than her. However, she wouldn’t necessarily need help eliminating the oni. They were low enough level for her alone to take care of alone… as long as the oni attacking were the kind that normally appeared.
The first time Sayha had seen an oni, she had been level 13 which was about what Marashi’s level appeared to be now. Thankfully though, Hiro had been there as well. She had seen two oni combine into one monster which made their level much higher than normal. However, no one had mentioned extremely high leveled oni so the likelihood of them were low.
“Elder,” Sayha said loud enough to be heard over, “I would like to offer my services for eliminating the oni.” Her comment quickly quieted the villagers.
“You would be the one called Sayha,” the Elder responded, “Trained under Elder Yamamoto, correct?”
“Yes, that is correct,” Sayha nodded. Sayha had met Elder Yamamoto the same day she first saw the oni and had later returned to her with Hiro to train under her to master her skill <Swift Sakura Slash>.
“Will your friend behind you be assisting as well?” the Elder asked. Marashi stepped out from behind Sayha and glanced back and forth between the elder and Sayha.
“I would like to assist if I can,” Marashi confirmed.
The elder nodded at the two of them, “I will accept the help of both of you. However, I believe that due to the amount of oni that need to be taken care of, you need at least one additional companion.” The elder paused for a moment, “On top of taking care of the oni, I will request that you find the source of the oni.”
The later part could prove difficult. The way oni manifested in the world was different than any other place. They appeared and manifested based on someone’s intentions. If their intentions are not pure, the chance of oni to appear goes up quite high. With as many oni as that have appeared… there was just no coincidence.
“There is someone watching you,” Yuki said quietly in Sayha’s ear. Carefully, Sayha glanced around at the people around her. The crowd was beginning to disburse since Sayha volunteered, but there were a few people who were sticking around… and one caught her attention. There was someone on top of one of the roofs, a hood over his head. She couldn’t make out much more than that though.
“So Sayha,” Marashi’s voice made her stop looking around, “Will you be asking Saiph for assistance this time?” Saiph was a sorcerer they both mutually knew. He was a good guy to a certain extent. He was Sayha’s rumor source most of the time. In a fight however, he was too low of a level to be of any real use.
“I think it is best not to ask him for help,” Sayha responded, “He’s probably in Londinium, and it would take too much time for him to arrive. Besides that, he’s not that high of a level. He won’t be of much help here.”
“I’m not that high either,” Marashi replied.
“Neither is Yuki,” Sayha gently pet the head of the Myobu who was still on her shoulders, “Yuki will stay with you during the fights. You will just have to make sure you don’t overextend yourself. In the meantime…”
Sayha took the chance to open up her interface and went to her friends list. It was a very short list. Fletcher, Hiro, Dorian, and Saiph. Fletcher… Sayha hadn’t seen Fletcher in a while so he was a no. Hiro was busy, and Saiph was too low leveled as she pointed out to Marashi. That left Dorian. Hopefully he wasn’t busy.
Quick Draw Sets: Dual Katanas (Active) | Gekkoin Bow
Active Abilities: <Hearing Aptitude> <Tongue of Nature>
Abilities Used: Words: 825
@serenityspace
Coding by Sayha of LH |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2016 23:54:04 GMT
| Dorian HP: 100% MP: 100% |
Oni in the forest... Attacks on villagers attempting to leave... From what he could pick up from his vantage point, this was definitely a crises that needed attention, and it looked like the elder had their hands full with the Landers who feared for their lives. The poor people were not blessed with the longevity of the Adventurers, after all. This could be something worth looking into; Oni don't usually act out unless they've built up a decent number, Aurelia murmured, bringing her voice to attention as they watched. She was right, of course; Oni were spiritual creatures, and they never acted without purpose or reason. They were never kind creatures to begin with, but someone was pushing them just that little bit too far.
It wasn't long before Sayha spoke up and enlisted herself as aid, the girl behind her quickly following suit; the elder seemed to know the Assassin, though 'twas to be expected, considering she had told Dorian she was also living here in the Moon Dance Forest. He needed to get out more, visit some of his friends; a fair few of them lived in the vicinity, after all. However, the elder positioned Sayha further, with two interesting demands; one, she referred to their party size, two not being enough, as it were. The Shaman wasn't sure if the elder was bluffing, sincere, or had noticed him and was dragging him into it whether he liked it or not. A light chuckle passed his lips, as he nodded slowly. He wouldn't put it past her.
The second was her affirmation of Dorian's suspicions, asking Sayha to find the source of the Oni; it seemed she was also of a mind that something was causing this, and she wanted it stopped. He had always admired the elder for her calm demeanour and yet calculated demands, and this time was no different. "Looks like we'll be working with Sayha again; she'll likely be happy to have our spirit knowledge alongside her," the Shaman muttered to himself, speaking of course to the Shikigami residing in his mind. Aurelia nodded, rubbing her hands together metaphysically and curling her lips into a devilish smirk. I'm ready, she muttered, gesturing for Dorian to head out and approach the duo who now remained on their own.
"Wait, I think she spotted us," Dorian muttered under his breath, spotting Sayha staring up at him for a brief moment, no doubt attempting to discern who he was. Part of him wanted to flip back his hood right there and then, reveal himself from afar, but when would he next get the chance to test his dancer's light feet to catch the Assassin unaware? It would be a good test for him, and she'd likely get a kick out of it too. He waited until Sayha's attention was grabbed, the young girl beside her drawing her vision back towards herself, giving Dorian his chance to quietly slip down and fall off the side of the roof, quietly landing on the grassy ground in front of the building he had climbed on top of.
Keeping his hood up, he began to quietly approach the pair of people, his feet making little noise as he utilised the skill of his Dancer subclass to remain light and almost weightless when in motion. Eventually he managed to sneak up and stand properly behind the Assassin, just to one side. "I hear you're looking for a third," he muttered softly to announce his arrival, hands clasping together behind his back as he puffed himself up into a more presentable posture. He bowed his head to the young girl, who would likely spot him first, before bowing his head to Sayha when she finally turned to see him. "I think you'll find my experience with spirits valuable, if you'll have me... Sayha," he finished speaking, stating the Assassin's name.
Unclasping his hands, he lifted them up to his visage, clasping the hem of his hood and pulling the cloth back over his head and drawing it down to nestle around the back of his neck, pressing comfortably against his nape. He shook his curly brown mane free, the locks puffing out to a ragged yet attractive mess that he always knew how to pull off, and of course his trademark braids were dangling contently behind his right ear. "Good to see you again," he spoke, curling his lips into a grin as she would undoubtedly recognise him. His emerald hues turned on the girl behind her, as he moved to step out and stand between them to make a triangle, offering his hand out to the stranger.
"Dorian, miss... Any friend of Sayha's is a friend of mine," he spoke, waiting until she would take his hand and lightly shaking it in greeting, before releasing their palms and lowering his arm down to his side. Glancing between the two girls, he lifted his arms to cross them over his chest, gesturing towards where the elder had been standing earlier. "I see you two are interested in this mess, and I'm willing to lend a hand; like she said, you'll need a third person if you're going to take on the Oni," he cautioned, repeating the words of the elder to emphasise he had been listening to the whole thing from his perch. "And whatever is causing their erratic behaviour, it's not going to be pretty."
Coded by @serenityspace of LH |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2016 1:47:25 GMT
Just as Sayha was about to call Dorian, she heard something… or at least she thought she heard something. Movement? Yuki wasn’t saying anything which was abnormal for the fox if there was someone around. Despite that though, Sayha chose to stay on guard even then, making her interface disappear. She placed her right hand on the hilt of her sword, and Marashi gave her a puzzling look.
Sayha was about to do a full turn and draw her sword when a familiar voice spoke quietly behind her. She had pulled out the sword slightly before letting out a sound that was like a sigh with a slight growl rolling at the end. No wonder Yuki didn’t say anything. Her fox companion had recognized the person. Marashi was already looking at the voice, and Sayha turned to see that it had been the guy that had been on the roof… it was also the exact person she was about to call.
“Sneaking up on an Assassin,” Sayha tilted her head slightly at Dorian, “Not one of your brightest ideas, Dorian.” Sayha smirked as the Shaman pushed back the hood that was over his head to reveal his real appearance. He used that chance to introduce himself to Marashi as well as used that opportunity to offer his services on the quest.
“I was actually just getting ready to call you when you snuck up on me,” Sayha responded. She gestured to Marashi, “Dor, this is Marashi. Marashi, this was the Shaman I was talking about when we first met. You see, she’s a Shaman as well.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dorian,” Marashi nodded at the other shaman.
“Anyway,” Sayha said once Marashi was done talking, “It would be great to have you. Having two higher-leveled people should make this quest go by much faster.” Sayha took the opportunity to send out the Party invitations to both Dorian and Marashi. After the two of them accepted the party invitation, Sayha noticed something that made her somewhere between mad at herself and impressed. It seemed that Dorian had surpassed her in level, only by two but still… that was impressive considering that she had tutored him. Though it had proved Yuki’s point that Sayha needed to go out and do something. Rather than say anything about the levels though, Sayha turned to Yuki who was still on her shoulder.
“Yuki, where should we begin the search?” Sayha asked the fox spirit.
The Myobu’s ears twitched a few times. She didn’t respond right away, and Sayha waited patiently. After a moment, the fox responded, “I can’t give you any precise directions, but when all else fails, start north and work clockwise.”
Sayha nodded before turning her attention back to Marashi and Dorian and relayed what Yuki had said, “Yuki’s suggestion does sound like a good idea. Do you guys have any other suggestions? If not, we’ll just go with heading to the northern area first.”
Marashi didn’t say anything right away and ended up sighing under her breath, “I think just heading north to begin with is a solid plan.” Sayha wasn’t too surprised by the response. Marashi was still a lower level so she wouldn’t have too much of a spiritual perception. She did hope though that the Shaman would pick up a few ideas on how to Shaman from Dorian. He was a good Shaman, and he knew what he was doing.
Quick Draw Sets: Dual Katanas (Active) | Gekkoin Bow
Active Abilities: <Hearing Aptitude> <Tongue of Nature>
Abilities Used: Words: 573
@serenityspace
Coding by Sayha of LH |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2016 2:38:18 GMT
| Dorian HP: 100% MP: 100% |
Dorian couldn't help but notice how on edge Sayha was when he appeared behind her, picking up the slight gesture of her hand on her weapon; no doubt he had startled her somewhat with his antics, and she affirmed as much when she finally spoke her reply. The Shaman merely chuckled under his breath, nodding his head understandingly and in agreement before relaying his own reply, "True, not one of my best decisions, but I needed some practice with remaining unseen; your Hearing Aptitude was good practice for me and my dancing feet." With a playful smirk, he bumped his shoulder against the Assassin's own, giving her a teasing wink before turning on the younger girl on his other side.
"Marashi, is it?" His eyes glanced up and down her frame, inspecting her as Sayha explained she was also a Shaman. "The pleasure is all mine," he finally replied, meeting the younger Adventurer's eyes with his own before closing them to respectfully bow his head once more. "It's always good to meet a fellow Shaman; I hope Sayha wasn't as hard on you when you first met as she was with me, though." With a quiet laugh under his breath, he glanced over to the Assassin, tilting his head as he felt the buzz of the party invitation arriving in his interface. Opening his menu, he quickly accepted it, watching as his name popped up in the smaller party section under Sayha and Marashi's titles.
Noticing Sayha's expression, he glanced between their names, blinking as he realised just as the Assassin did; his level was just a few numbers above her own. "Well well... The student becomes the master," he cooed teasingly, curling his lips into a mischievous smirk before calming himself to get back to business; they had an Oni infestation to deal with, after all. "Like I said, you have me. I'm happy to lend any assistance I can, and I'm sure I can just as well help Marashi with her techniques as a Shaman, if she would like," his eyes turned back to the smaller Shaman, giving her a soft, reassuring smile; her level was much further below their own, so his focus during their quest would be keeping Marashi alive.
Before they went anywhere, however, they needed a solid direction, though it seemed Sayha was of the same mind, turning to her animal companion to ask Yuki her suggestion; of course, how could he forget the Myobu that Sayha now kept around, the delightful fox creature relaying words to the Assassin who passed them on to the group. "Yuki has the right of it, I agree; apologies for not greeting you earlier." He spoke his last sentence towards the Myobu itself, crouching down to give the small companion a soft stroked pet on it's head. Standing up from his greeting, he turned back to Marashi and Sayha, nodding in agreement with their devised plan. "If we get lost, I can always grab Aurelia and ask for her aid."
I'm always happy to help. But for now, I agree with the Myobu; us foxes have to stick together, after all. Dorian had forgotten that Sayha had not met his new Shikigami, nor even known he had acquired a new one, but he spoke nothing of it for now. If the Assassin wished to know more about his new companion, she was more than welcome to ask, but for now, Dorian concentrated on the task at hand. "North it is then; Sayha, I suggest you take the front, Marashi and I can follow on behind you," he relayed, gesturing for Sayha to move on ahead of them both before turning to smile at Marashi, walking on to follow the Assassin whilst making sure his steps were at a pace enough for the younger Shaman to follow.
Coded by @serenityspace of LH |
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2016 3:35:55 GMT
It seemed that Dorian was rather proud of the fact that he was able to sneak up on Sayha, but she just rolled her eyes at his response. Carefree as always she supposed. After teasing Sayha a bit, Dorian greeted Marashi politely… and he also added in that he hoped that Sayha wasn’t as hard on Marashi as she had been on Dorian. Sayha smirked a bit at that comment while Marashi gave her a puzzled look. The first time Sayha had encountered Dorian was actually during an excursion in the Londinium Underground with Dumah (unfortunately) as well as Fletcher and Noctis. Dorian had been… overeager to say the least. A level 1 fighting a bunch of mobs higher than he was. He hadn’t been as calm as he was now back then. Though she thought that it was due to her help he kind of calmed down. The second encounter was during Halloween, and she had been out hunting the event monsters. She had seen Dorian, and he had asked to tag along with her. She had agreed, mostly to make sure he didn’t kill himself doing something stupid. She didn’t think that she had been too hard on him. She made him fight some of the higher monsters in the area, with her help of course. Apparently it had helped… not that she was going to take all the credit. He apparently had a smart head on his shoulders and realized some things of his own while adventuring.
“I actually haven’t mentored her yet,” Sayha responded after a moment, “She hasn’t asked me to. We actually met up by accident while doing an interesting quest. Saiph was there as well. I’ll just let you imagine the lovely chaos that ensued.”
After a moment, it seemed that Dorian noticed what Sayha had noticed before. “You may be two levels above me,” Sayha responded, “but I’ll surpass you again. Just you wait.”
“I’ll gladly take any Shaman advice that you are willing to give,” Marashi spoke after Dorian had offered to help her, “I mean, I’ll take advice from either you or Sayha. Though I will say I have played Elder Tales before. I’m familiar with how the system works… or at least how it used to work.”
Sayha refrained from her comments on the fact that it wasn’t a game, but she figured it would just fall on deaf ears. Besides, they had more important things to do than argue semantics. Dorian had agreed with what Yuki suggested, and he greeted the little fox. Yuki chirped in reply, her version of saying thank you. After, Dorian suggested that Sayha take the front with Marashi and him follow behind.
“Sounds fine to me,” Sayha nodded at the two Shaman. After making sure her swords were fully in their sheaths after her pulling them out slightly, she set off through the village heading north. She passed by a few people who were talking about the oni, but Sayha pushed her curiosity away. As much as she wanted to get recon data before heading out, speed would be of greater service.
Once Sayha had lead them out of the village, it was only a few steps before they entered the forest. Despite being underneath the trees, there was plenty of snow on the ground so their footprints were quite visible. Then again, the trees were only starting to peak green now so there wasn’t that much cover. Sayha had mentally pictured the forest in her head and decided to head to one of the clearings she knew that was north. That would be a good place to start at least.
“So Dorian,” Marashi said after a while as the group of three trekked through the forest, “I don’t see too many Shamans around Londinium. I think it’s because Shamans prefer preventing damage over healing damage. What do you think?”
Sayha zoned out Marashi and Dorian’s conversation, mostly because it didn’t mean that much to her. After all, she was an Assassin, not a Shaman. It was kind of sad though now that she thought about it. She didn’t know many Assassins, only recalling Saber and Kuro as the other Assassin she knew. Kuro she had only met once, and from what she knew, he was still a fairly low-level one. Saber wasn’t exactly a people-person, and she really didn’t care whether she knew him or not. In the end though, Sayha realized that all three of them were going different Assassin build paths. What was really surprising about that though was that Assassin was considered a popular class in the game, being the top DPS of the Weapons Specialist class group.
Just as Sayha finished that thought, she saw the clearing up ahead… and there was a dark shadow. It was most certainly an Oni. However, it wasn’t just one. She could make out at least three shadow masses.
“Three oni up ahead,” Sayha turned her head to the two Shamans, “Get ready to fight. I’ll draw their attention.”
As Sayha turned her attention back to the three monsters, drawing both katanas in one quick movement. As she walked into the clearing, she let them hang at her side for now. She had opted to go back to using swords instead of her giant dual-headed scythe. She loved her scythe and kept it as a back-up weapon, but she decided to go back to her dual swords which she felt more natural and more comfortable with. Also, it allowed her to move faster… which would be good in this particular situation.
Sayha activated two skills that would be useful in her situation: <Shadow Arts Invigoration> and <Malicious Intent>. Shadow Arts wouldn’t do anything for the moment, but Malicious Intent caused her aura to generate aggro, making the Lesser Oni take notice of her standing there. “Let’s get started, shall we,” Sayha said under her breath before the first Oni decided to attack her. Just as the attack was about to land, she quickly ran off in another direction to dodge the attack. Then she targeted the Oni that had attacked and activated <Quick Draw>, dashing towards it and landing a slash. Because of the level difference as well as her buffs, it was an instant kill. As the first Lesser Oni exploded into bubbles, the other two took aim at Sayha.
Shadow Counters: 0
Quick Draw Sets: Dual Katanas (Active) | Gekkoin Bow
Active Abilities: <Hearing Aptitude> <Tongue of Nature> <Fall Defense>
Abilities Used: <Shadow Arts Invigoration> <Malicious Intent> <Quick Draw> Words: 1059
@serenityspace
Coding by Sayha of LH |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2016 14:04:13 GMT
| Dorian HP: 100% MP: 95% |
Idle chit chat was clearly out the window today, as the lack of conversation between the Adventurer trio quickly evidenced; Sayha had always been one for more of a serious approach to things - or at least that was what Dorian had observed - but given the dire situation, this time it was more than necessary. Speed was of the essence, and so without further ado, the two Shamans followed along behind the Assassin and her animal companion, the journey northward into the forest beginning quickly.
As they made their short jaunt through the outskirts of the village, Dorian took some time to focus his hearing on the Landers bustling about with hushed voices, causing him to fall back a few paces behind Marashi while they walked. His hearing wasn't as strong as Sayha's was, with her Hearing Aptitude, but he managed to get a few snippets of information here and there. Most of it was white noise, repeated fearful tones from earlier and scared whispers of what might happen to them should they dare leave the safety of the village, but a couple conversations peaked the older Shaman's interest, his eyes glancing across as he caught enough of them to gather some decent information.
"The Elder said there was a source," one hushed Lander whispered to her conversation partner. "Could we be seeing an Oni infestation?" The female, an older woman, probably later 50s, early 60s, was talking to what seemed to be her husband, a gentleman of similar age and weariness. Grumbling under his breath, he shook his head before responding with, "We already have an infestation, if what the passers through say is true... What we'll be looking at is invasion." Dorian blinked at the thought of the demons becoming a large enough force to threaten the entire village... it was not a pretty thought. The other conversation was more of the same speculation, as he listened, though a little bit more bewildered given the younger age of the teenagers conversing.
Eventually, Dorian was satisfied with the info he had gathered, making a few larger strides to match pace and catch up with the others, returning to walk alongside Marashi just as Sayha was about to lead them out of the village and into the forest. The path became wilder at first as they left civilisation, though gradually the snow took over, covering the path completely. Glancing down at the white, unstable covering beneath his feet, he noticed the footprints they were leaving behind, gritting his teeth at the cold as he instinctively began to try and walk a little lighter, using his skill as a Dancer to make his footprints less visible. Perhaps to throw off anyone attempting to follow them.
The small voice of Marashi brought the male Shaman back to reality, his head lifting slightly and turning to face the girl as he heard her question. "We are few and far between, this is true..." He thought back to his own experience, having little interaction with any other of his class in Londinium; or otherwise, really. He stifled a chuckle as he realised that Marashi was the first Shaman he had met other than himself since the Catastrophe happened - two years and his only teachings towards the Shaman arts were self-given. Impressive, yes... but lonely as well.
"Perhaps we shall give them an impressive reputation, you and I? Entice others to join our ranks," he mused, curling his lips into a smirk and giving the young Shaman beside him a wink before turning his attention away, glancing around at the forest they were now exploring. Not much time had passed since they left the village, but surely they had ventured out far enough to come across some Oni. Perhaps this was simply a case of the villagers being overly paranoid, chalking up a few selectively random encounters with the Oni as a full on invasion? No... the Elder is too wise for something like that. "I don't like this," Dorian whispered to himself, making communication with Aurelia.
Neither do I, but we won't know what's going on unless we keep going. Sayha seems confident in her abilities, so for now we trust her judgement. We may live here, but she likely knows more about the Oni than we do. This was true; Dorian had only encountered one or two Lesser Oni in the short time since moving here, so he gave a silent nod - the Assassin knew what she was doing, his job for now would be to just keep her alive. As it always was. Go go Shaman Barrier!
Just as the trio came upon a small clearing in the forest - the sun beaming in through the open canopy and reflecting off the white snow to cause a rather luminescent glow - Dorian noticed Sayha watching the shadows on the other side, amongst the trees. Before he could look himself, the Assassin called out three Oni lurking, quickly drawing her blades and moving in to 'draw their attention'. The battle started fast, with the blur of movement between both sides causing a collision of monster and Adventurer, Sayha quickly cutting one of the demons down and bursting into the familiar display of colourful bubbles of data.
"Best we leave this to her," Dorian whispered to Marashi, obviously a teasing jape at the Assassin, but of course he wouldn't let her go without even a small amount of protection. Spreading his arms out either side of himself, he activated his inventory, retrieving his crystal ball and connecting to it expediently with his mana, allowing it to float up and hover by his left shoulder, at level with his eyes. Bringing his left arm downwards to gesture through the air towards Sayha, he conjured his mana through the Snowglobe-esque ball, sending a Damage Interception barrier through the air and latching it onto the Assassin, giving her a protective field that would soak up most of the demon's damage. "For now, we keep our distance here, give her support where we can. Lesser Oni are nothing to a level 70-something Assassin."
Coded by @serenityspace of LH |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2016 4:30:25 GMT
Marashi wasn’t too impressed with Dorian’s response regarding the fact that there weren’t that many Shamans around… and she wasn’t horribly impressed with the fact that the other Shaman wasn’t going to do anything. Instead of standing there like a tree, she decided to do something productive… or at least semi-productive.
“<Summon Shikigami: Yume>,” Marashi held out her hand as her white-haired shikigami appeared in front of her, “Yume, scout out the area and check for more oni. Let me know what you find.”
“Roger,” Yume nodded with a sleepy expression on her face just before she ran off in an easterly direction.
“I hope she doesn’t fall asleep again,” she mumbled under her breath as she went back to watching Sayha.
Sayha held her own very well, but she was happy to have Dorian’s shield as a back-up just in case. However after the first Oni exploded, the other two were super unhappy with her. However, no matter how hard they tried to attack, she was able to dodge them easily. That didn’t mean that she was going to be passive though. Quite the opposite. Once she saw an opening in the attack patterns, she aimed at the second Oni, activating <Sword Rain Flurry>. The second exploded into bubbles, and Sayha quickly targeted the final one. This time, she dashed forward, practically invisible thanks to <Swift Sakura Slash>. The only thing that showed where she had been were cherry blossom petals slowly floating towards the ground. With that, the third one exploded into bubbles just like its two brethren.
“Yume, returning to report,” Sayha turned to see one of Marashi’s shikigami standing in front of her, “There aren’t any Oni I could see or sense in the area.”
“Thank you, Yume,” Marashi nodded as the Shikigami mystified and returned to Marashi. It was a good sign, Sayha thought. At least there wasn’t anything else in the area… but where were the other ones?
As she took the opportunity to sheath her swords, the companion on her shoulder spoke to her. “<Something was odd about those Oni>,” Yuki said.
“What makes you say that?” Sayha asked.
“<I don’t know>,” Yuki admitted, “<Just look at them next time>.”
That was not as easy as the Myobu made it sound… especially because she could be referring to any number of things to look for or look at. For now, Sayha planned on just keeping it to herself. If something actually came of “looking” at them, she would let the two Shamans know. Also if something was off about them, one of them would be bound to speak up. After all, they were more interactive with the spirit world than she would be.
Sayha sheathed her swords quickly and made her way back to the two Shaman. “So nothing else in the area means we should probably head either east or west from here,” she said when she was next to them, “Dorian, why don’t you decide where we head next and take the lead for a bit.”
Marashi didn’t say anything, but Sayha had a feeling that Dorian would ask or at least speak up about what she said. Normally, Sayha was the one up front and in charge. However with what Yuki said, she knew she needed to take a step back. Perhaps seeing the Oni from a distance would help with her perspective.
Quick Draw Sets: Dual Katanas (Active) | Gekkoin Bow
Active Abilities: <Hearing Aptitude> <Tongue of Nature> <Fall Defense> <Shadow Arts Invigoration: 1>
Abilities Used: <Sword Rain Flurry> <Swift Sakura Slash> Words: 563
@serenityspace
Coding by Sayha of LH |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2016 12:40:42 GMT
| Dorian HP: 100% MP: 95% |
Dorian crossed his arms over his chest as he finished casting the first spell, watching as the mana-infused barrier wrapped around Sayha's form and created a deflective shield for her as she made mince meat of the demonic beings around her. With one down already, it was only a matter of time before the other two were cut down by the Assassin's blades. As for Marashi, she ignored the male Shaman's suggestion to hang back and summoned her own spirit companion, commanding it to scout out the nearby area. "Smart thinking; glad to see you know not to take advice at face value," he muttered back to her, giving her a smile and a nod. "Hmm?" Sayha approached finally after clearing the field, suggesting that Dorian take the lead now and pick a direction. Squinting his eyes slightly, he tilted his head to one side and glanced towards where the Oni had been slain. "Sure, I'll find something," he replied, walking forward and then past her into the clearing, moving towards the centre and crouching down, his motions fluid and calm. Brushing his hands over the ground, the Shaman closed his eyes and focused on where the Oni had been, bringing his attention to their presence and their spiritual impact. "What can you see, Aurelia?" His Shikigami stirred and began to look with him, the sensation of both their hands impacting with the ground sending shivers up the Shaman's spine, his eyes remaining closed as he shook it off. They are dark... but something about them is different than the few stragglers we felt before when exploring around the lake... The fox tail spirit hummed as she caught onto the shadowy presence, glancing toward the trees clumped on the west side of the clearing. "Aurelia says we should go this way," Dorian remarked, finally standing up to gesture in that direction. Glancing back over to his group, he made a beckoning motion with his arm, calling for Marashi and Sayha to follow as he began to walk towards the west. As he approached the edge of the clearing, he extended his arms out, grasping at the bushes and twigs, he pulled them aside and began to clear an opening between the trees. "This way!" Stepping over and through, he found his way into the dark beneath the canopy. He kept his speed slow as he walked through the trees, waiting for the others to catch up before he began to pick up the pace. When Sayha, and Marashi, finally met up with him from the clearing, he turned his head to look to the Assassin, giving her a worried glance. "I don't know if you noticed it - you seemed rather perturbed after that battle - but these Oni seemed... odd." Dorian hummed with a thoughtful sound, before continuing his conversation. "Aurelia, my Shikigami, seemed to sense a dangerous darkness to them... greater than usual anyway." Clenching his fists, the Shaman fell in beside Sayha, walking along with her as he waited for her reply and possible input, given her up close inspection of the Lesser Oni. Given he had mentioned her a few times, and the fact that they were now in the thick of the forest as they continued walking, Dorian felt it best to summon his companion. As they moved, his hand began to move in front of him, tracing out a large runic symbol in the air which shifted and glowed as it moved with him while he walked. In just a matter of 5 seconds, the Shaman finished casting Summon Shikigami, conjuring forth the at first shimmering form of Aurelia, his fox tail companion and spiritual aid. The orange-haired girl solidified into a solid form, floating down to land on the ground and walk beside Dorian. "Welcome to reality, Aurelia," he muttered across to her, giving her a nod, which she quietly returned. Dorian blinked as he realised that his new Shikigami hadn't met his two friends, chuckling softly under his breath. "My apologies, where are my manners..." He gestured his hand towards Sayha, and then next to Marashi. "These two are my friends, Aurelia; Sayha, the Assassin, and Marashi, a Shaman like myself," Dorian introduced them, before gesturing to Aurelia herself. "And this is my new shikigami, Aurelia. Sorry for not introducing her sooner." The fox tail smiled and nodded to the others, her arms gracefully shifting back and forth either side of her as they walked. "It is a pleasure to meet you both, finally. And it is especially nice to meet another Shaman other than Dorian; we rarely see others during our adventures."
Coded by @serenityspace of LH |
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