Collect donations, food, and medical supplies from civilians.
Volunteer your time to help the needy.
Living in a frontier city has its tough moments.
Scribel City has high numbers of orphans and disabled veterans,
and the places that support them are overcrowded.
There simply isn't enough government money to help them all.
Will you step in to lend a hand?
Rewards:
Points: 35 EXP
Money: n/a
Other: n/a
Vesper’s next task for the day is charity work. He heads to an orphanage of moderate size, Sunville Orphanage, that’s rather in need of donations. Vesper spent some time with the kids, giving them each something from his basket of produce with farmer Johnathan had given. The children happily accepted with a happy thanks.
He told them he’ll help collect some donations and the orphanage staff gladly thanked him, handing him 2 donation bags. Vesper headed to the market square.
“I’m collecting donations for Sunville Orphanage,” he said to the crowd there and the stall and shop owners. “Anything is appreciated. Food, money, medical supplies, old books, anything!”
Like this, the 2 bags slowly filled up. He had divided them up into food bag and the rest was in the other bag. Vesper thanked everyone who donated with a “thank you! Thank you!”
Vesper headed back to the orphanage late afternoon when the 2 bags were filled up and handed them to the orphanage. The staff thanked them with a joyful expression and called on the children.
“Come thank, Sir Vesper, children,” the head said. “He got you guys goods.”
“Thank you!” The children said collectively. They all said their goodbyes and Vesper left.
Ice Mage Vesper - Level 2
Gender
Male
Race
Luan
Level
3 [680/1,200]
Age
19
Class
Ice Elementalist
Money
610 Gold
Appearance
Personality
Vesper is positive and proud youth like most of his kins. He's also rather two faced, showing a positive and amicable image to people who he just met or hardly knows and shows his friends and family a rather annoyingly arrogant person. He's adaptive and can read situations and knows when to retreat, a useful survival skill.
Backstory
Vesper, a name that means the Evening Star, is born of the Luan Race. A bird race with similarities to the phoenix and born with the innate ability to control ice.
He grew up loving music which he occasionally use to control beasts and puppets with his white jade flute. A form of puppeting from his homeland. As a member of his race, Vesper is exceptional with the ice element.
Skills/Inventory
Inventory
Description
Skill
Description
Spatial Ring
A ring with a miniature space use for storage
Ice Manipulation
The ability to control and manipulate ice to his very imagination
Qi Ming
Qi Ming is the Chinese word for Vesper. It's a long sword with a passive sword spirit inside which hangs a jade tassel.
Music Puppeting
Using musical instruments channeled with mana to control beasts and puppets
Frost Bow
Created using ice and his own True Blood Essence which contained the purest of ice energy
Archery Proficiency
Exceptional ability with the bow and arrow
White Jade Flute
A long horizontal flute made of white jade which hang a jade tassel
Divine Sense
An all purpose soul like part of all human, just some knows it's existence some don't. It can be a spatial storage, the size depend on your mental powers. It can also be used for out of body travels, communicate search your surroundings, and if you have the ability, invade other's minds. (Action not recommended as it can result in fatal injuries if your divine sense is attacked in the progress)
Flying Sword
Mainly used as an aerial transportation tool, it can be also used to attack enemies in form of flying swords. Attack moves are controlled by user's soul, divine sense, spiritual energy or mana power.
Spatial Ring Items and Quest Rewards
10 Bags of Lotus Seeds
White round bean like seeds the size of a small round pill from Lotus Pods
Exotic Fruits and Vegetables
Purple Yam, Taro, Persimmon, Durian, Lychee, Rambutan, and Dragon Fruits
5 Sugar Cane
Bamboo like plant that can be chews after slicing off the outer skin, it taste sweet
2 Bags of Cane Sugar
Organic Sugar made from cane, without the cancer causing environmentally damaging pesticides
5 Rations
Food for emergencies including salted fish, bean congee, and rice buns
When vagrants break the law, they are sent to prison.
If they're found guilty, they could be hanged for their crimes.
Guarding them shouldn't be too difficult...
Well, as long as nothing goes wrong.
Rewards:
Points: 60 EXP
Money: 10 G
Other: n/a
His next task is prison guard duty. He plans on doing a 3 hour shift then goes back to the tavern for the night.
Vesper headed to the prison and reported to duty. He was told to guard the northeastern prison cells of the building and keep in any chaos from happening within the cells.
3 hours passed peacefully and headed back after notifying the prison guard captain.
Ice Mage Vesper - Level 2
Gender
Male
Race
Luan
Level
3 [680/1,200]
Age
19
Class
Ice Elementalist
Money
610 Gold
Appearance
Personality
Vesper is positive and proud youth like most of his kins. He's also rather two faced, showing a positive and amicable image to people who he just met or hardly knows and shows his friends and family a rather annoyingly arrogant person. He's adaptive and can read situations and knows when to retreat, a useful survival skill.
Backstory
Vesper, a name that means the Evening Star, is born of the Luan Race. A bird race with similarities to the phoenix and born with the innate ability to control ice.
He grew up loving music which he occasionally use to control beasts and puppets with his white jade flute. A form of puppeting from his homeland. As a member of his race, Vesper is exceptional with the ice element.
Skills/Inventory
Inventory
Description
Skill
Description
Spatial Ring
A ring with a miniature space use for storage
Ice Manipulation
The ability to control and manipulate ice to his very imagination
Qi Ming
Qi Ming is the Chinese word for Vesper. It's a long sword with a passive sword spirit inside which hangs a jade tassel.
Music Puppeting
Using musical instruments channeled with mana to control beasts and puppets
Frost Bow
Created using ice and his own True Blood Essence which contained the purest of ice energy
Archery Proficiency
Exceptional ability with the bow and arrow
White Jade Flute
A long horizontal flute made of white jade which hang a jade tassel
Divine Sense
An all purpose soul like part of all human, just some knows it's existence some don't. It can be a spatial storage, the size depend on your mental powers. It can also be used for out of body travels, communicate search your surroundings, and if you have the ability, invade other's minds. (Action not recommended as it can result in fatal injuries if your divine sense is attacked in the progress)
Flying Sword
Mainly used as an aerial transportation tool, it can be also used to attack enemies in form of flying swords. Attack moves are controlled by user's soul, divine sense, spiritual energy or mana power.
Spatial Ring Items and Quest Rewards
10 Bags of Lotus Seeds
White round bean like seeds the size of a small round pill from Lotus Pods
Exotic Fruits and Vegetables
Purple Yam, Taro, Persimmon, Durian, Lychee, Rambutan, and Dragon Fruits
5 Sugar Cane
Bamboo like plant that can be chews after slicing off the outer skin, it taste sweet
2 Bags of Cane Sugar
Organic Sugar made from cane, without the cancer causing environmentally damaging pesticides
5 Rations
Food for emergencies including salted fish, bean congee, and rice buns
Collect donations, food, and medical supplies from civilians.
Volunteer your time to help the needy.
Living in a frontier city has its tough moments.
Scribel City has high numbers of orphans and disabled veterans,
and the places that support them are overcrowded.
There simply isn't enough government money to help them all.
Will you step in to lend a hand?
Rewards:
Points: 35 EXP
Money: n/a
Other: n/a
Vesper’s next task for the day is charity work. He heads to an orphanage of moderate size, Sunville Orphanage, that’s rather in need of donations. Vesper spent some time with the kids, giving them each something from his basket of produce with farmer Johnathan had given. The children happily accepted with a happy thanks.
He told them he’ll help collect some donations and the orphanage staff gladly thanked him, handing him 2 donation bags. Vesper headed to the market square.
“I’m collecting donations for Sunville Orphanage,” he said to the crowd there and the stall and shop owners. “Anything is appreciated. Food, money, medical supplies, old books, anything!”
Like this, the 2 bags slowly filled up. He had divided them up into food bag and the rest was in the other bag. Vesper thanked everyone who donated with a “thank you! Thank you!”
Vesper headed back to the orphanage late afternoon when the 2 bags were filled up and handed them to the orphanage. The staff thanked them with a joyful expression and called on the children.
“Come thank, Sir Vesper, children,” the head said. “He got you guys goods.”
“Thank you!” The children said collectively. They all said their goodbyes and Vesper left.
Ice Mage Vesper - Level 2
Gender
Male
Race
Luan
Level
3 [680/1,200]
Age
19
Class
Ice Elementalist
Money
610 Gold
Appearance
Personality
Vesper is positive and proud youth like most of his kins. He's also rather two faced, showing a positive and amicable image to people who he just met or hardly knows and shows his friends and family a rather annoyingly arrogant person. He's adaptive and can read situations and knows when to retreat, a useful survival skill.
Backstory
Vesper, a name that means the Evening Star, is born of the Luan Race. A bird race with similarities to the phoenix and born with the innate ability to control ice.
He grew up loving music which he occasionally use to control beasts and puppets with his white jade flute. A form of puppeting from his homeland. As a member of his race, Vesper is exceptional with the ice element.
Skills/Inventory
Inventory
Description
Skill
Description
Spatial Ring
A ring with a miniature space use for storage
Ice Manipulation
The ability to control and manipulate ice to his very imagination
Qi Ming
Qi Ming is the Chinese word for Vesper. It's a long sword with a passive sword spirit inside which hangs a jade tassel.
Music Puppeting
Using musical instruments channeled with mana to control beasts and puppets
Frost Bow
Created using ice and his own True Blood Essence which contained the purest of ice energy
Archery Proficiency
Exceptional ability with the bow and arrow
White Jade Flute
A long horizontal flute made of white jade which hang a jade tassel
Divine Sense
An all purpose soul like part of all human, just some knows it's existence some don't. It can be a spatial storage, the size depend on your mental powers. It can also be used for out of body travels, communicate search your surroundings, and if you have the ability, invade other's minds. (Action not recommended as it can result in fatal injuries if your divine sense is attacked in the progress)
Flying Sword
Mainly used as an aerial transportation tool, it can be also used to attack enemies in form of flying swords. Attack moves are controlled by user's soul, divine sense, spiritual energy or mana power.
Spatial Ring Items and Quest Rewards
10 Bags of Lotus Seeds
White round bean like seeds the size of a small round pill from Lotus Pods
Exotic Fruits and Vegetables
Purple Yam, Taro, Persimmon, Durian, Lychee, Rambutan, and Dragon Fruits
5 Sugar Cane
Bamboo like plant that can be chews after slicing off the outer skin, it taste sweet
2 Bags of Cane Sugar
Organic Sugar made from cane, without the cancer causing environmentally damaging pesticides
5 Rations
Food for emergencies including salted fish, bean congee, and rice buns
Prepare Defenses
Sponsor: Scribel City Guild Location: Scribel City Required Level: 1 Objectives:
Create traps that will be effective against the slimes near the south and eastern gates.
Ensure that the gates and their surrounding walls are in peak condition to not let any slimes go through a crack in the wall to infiltrate the city.
Teach the best methods to defeat slimes to the defenders.
Gather equipment and/or tools that are good at killing slimes.
Do anything else that might help in the defense of the city when the time comes.
Description: If conflict is inevitable, we need to be prepared for it in advance. Make sure our defenses are top notch and best-suited to killing those jelly beings!
The Dwarves of Gelderholm in particular seem to have a variety of tools that are excellent at dealing with large enemy numbers. Obtaining some of them would be great... Though it might be hard to get those when considering how they're needed for their own defensive battle. Nonetheless, it would be greatly appreciated if you could get some of them. Rewards:
Exp: 30
Money: 25G
"Here, I've finally finished writing everything important down."
Said Drevart while pushing several sheets of paper to the receptionist. His clothes reeked a bit of a dense fishy smell and there was a new hole too. In general, he looked tired and a bit on a thin side, as well as some regular stomach rumbles, didn't add to his charisma at the moment.
“Let’s see what’ve we gotten here…”
A poor-looking man was rummaging through books of the library. Drevart was looking for information regarding local slimes. He decided to take a Guild-sponsored quest about the preparation of the defenses. He decided to start from the easiest task in his opinion. Creating simple traps. Thankfully he had some experience with sieges and stuff.
*Sigh
“War never changes, I guess. First of all, we need to know our enemy to decide on the most effective way of destroying them…”
He opens a book and starts reading about local slimes.
“So, what do we have here… have a core… bulbous… largely considered harmless? Then why the hell a slime horde? Hmm… maybe some anomaly appeared which drove them away?...”
After reading for a while he facepalms himself.
“So it was like this, genuinely stupid of me… it was so simple, a mutated specimen…”
After finishing reading the book about slimes Drevart leans back on a chair and thinks for a while with a humming tune of some classic from his homeland.
“Guess first of all I need to confirm which sub-species were spotted in the horde… that can be used to determine the bait… so fire and piercing attacks as well as alkaline substances… well, at least not full resistance to physical attacks as back there… and a core… it seems to be somewhat valuable, so it will be good if it’s salvageable after the trap activates…”
After digesting all the information, Drevart gets up with a yawn and decides to visit a tavern. He needs to find a person who discovered slime horde to find out what to expect from it.
“It would be interesting to know what level of intelligence to expect from the mutated slime…”
……………………………………………………………….
After asking SIl Fulgur about the slime horde in the tavern Drevart had a couple of ideas on what to do with them, but he will need some help to integrate those ideas in reality.
“So guard post it is…”
He mumbles and goes for his first stop on the long preparation against the horde.
………………………………………………………………..
“This is it?”
Drevart looks at the square building near the town walls. To the left, he can hear some shouts of training guards as well as see their barracks.
After entering the dimly lit room he can see a stern-looking man in his late thirties. With a slight bow, Drevart asks the person sitting behind the table.
“Captain Harrison Bridger, I suppose?”
Cap: “Aye, and who might you be? And moreover who, from my useless subordinates even let such a dirty person in my office?”
“With all due respect sir, there was nobody guarding the door and I’m from an Adventurer’s Guild.”
Even though the captain was a bit rude with his evaluation, Drevart couldn’t disagree with him. Right now he really looks just like any dirty beggar would look. Sadly, no money means no new clothing…
Cap: “What?! Those laze rats! I’ll get them to know what discipline is!!!”
After fuming for a while about insubordination of his subjects Captain finally calmed down and sat back at his seat.
Cap: “So, what do you need from me, adventurer?”
He had a bit of a sarcasm seeping through his words but Drevart, being too used to it since in his line of work sarcasm and underestimation were normal things… and he couldn’t argue that he was weaker than back home… Anyways. Drevart didn’t pay any heed to the emotional coverage of the words asked.
“I’d like to request some help from fellow guardsmen for preparation against the incoming slime horde.”
Cap: “Oh and what can a rookie adventurer suggest about preparations?”
“Sir Bridger I’ve gone through a couple of sieges against humans and alike and finding the most effective way to kill an enemy was my expertise since early childhood, so I believe I can help you with that.”
Captain furrowed his brow and asked the guy standing before his table.
Cap: “So what do you suggest?”
His earlier sarcasm was gone, he felt that Drevart indeed went through bloodshed. It’s impossible to lie about it without being a professional liar, and he was sure that he was not lying.
“Sir. First of all I’ve reviewed all the information Adventurer’s Guild had about different kinds of slimes existing and then compared with information gotten from the guy who reported the approaching slime horde. First of all, arrows and fire magic, as well as long spears, shall be used as the main weaponry against them. But that one is obvious so I won’t squander any more time on that point. Now onto traps. It would be pretty much impossible to create something stationary against them. They are too numerous, have a unique bodily structure and thanks to their leader supposed to process a certain level of intelligence. Stationary traps like spike traps would be too ineffective against them. We either need some explosives or create mobile units dedicated to nibble away on their forces. There probably will be River Slimes. Those can be attracted by water mixed with some plants from riverbanks in small groups and later destroyed. I believe that since they are ranged units, they shall be prioritized targets… well except the slime horde leader, that one has a top priority since without their leader slimes will lose a larger chunk of their intelligence. So, back on topic…”
Drevart takes a deep sigh to take a little rest from his long speech.
“So… creating a diversion in the backline of the enemy, while using water, mixed with riverbank plants with some scent-amplifier would be one of the suggested solutions. The other things I would recommend to implement would be…”
The captain became more serious after listening to the speech of the youngling standing before him since he can see some militaristic background of the guy.
“I would recommend creating some dropping oil in places where the slime horde will be passing. Said oil can later be used to ignite with flaming arrows. Also mobilizing some alchemists to create Acidic bombs would be a good solution too. And I can suggest two more things. First is to use some scorching coal, some slimes are easily flammable as per books I’ve read, and creating some ditches to later fill them with oil would be a good solution too.”
Drevart finished talking and waited for the evaluation of the suggestions. Captain scratched his cheek for a second and then answered.
Cap: “Ok, I see where you are getting this from. I can see that your suggestion are logical and some of them are indeed possible. We have a limited supply of alchemists in the city, but creating some acidic bombs shall not be a problem. You wanted to get some manpower to plan out the layout of the ditches and to create them, am I correct.”
“Yes, sir.”
Cap: “Good. Those solutions are good even though some are hard to implement. Go on with your work and get us some samples of the preferred grass for river slimes, also I’d like to see the most optimal mixture of said grass and water if possible.”
Drevart bows.
“That’s fine with me. I was going to do exactly that since digging ditches isn’t really my specialty. But can I ask for some supplies before I go?”
Captain raised his brow and asked.
Cap: “And what’s that might be, lad?”
Drevart scratched his head a little and answered.
“To be honest I don’t have neither a bag nor bottles to test mixtures”
Captain nodded thoughtfully and said in a rough voice.
Cap: “I shall give you these things. They will be provided by the city guard but try to return as many bootles intact as possible.”
Drevart nodded and answered politely.
“Good, I will be going then.”
Captain Harrison nods.
“You shall be, lad. May the goddess of victory smile upon you.”
………………………………………………………………
After leaving the town through the southern gates Drevart made a deep sigh and mumbled.
“Well… time to get going… I’ll have to do some reconnaissance again it seems…”
He already had a couple of ideas on how to proceed from here. First of all, he needed to go to the river and observe a bit of how river slimes feed. Later on, using some stones he can grind different kinds of river grass in the paste and see which one attracts them more. And the final stage would be to use some simple measuring to get an approximate range of the most effective proportions. Since ranged units would somewhat decrease their advantage of having walls dealing with them should be prioritized over the foot soldiers. At least in his opinion. So, after an uneventful journey to the river, Drevart left the main road and went into the forest to the left. There he will try finding some wild river slimes.
After a couple of hours of walking, he decided that it was enough and it’s time to do some scouting. He could already feel a cool breeze, coming from the river, but sadly there was no time to actually appreciate the atmosphere. But Drevart did make a mental note for himself to visit this place on a later date after the horde.
“Now’s not the right time…”
*Sigh.
“Father, Mother, I hope you are alright in that unknown world…”
Only during such moments of solitude can he allow himself to show some of his true feelings. Teachings of the Great House of Craft and later war taught him not to approach others easily as well as not to trust others easily and not to show what’s on your mind easily. Three “golden” rules…
“Ok, I need to get to work. And get some sleep later on.”
First of all, he needed to find river slimes. Doing that was easier said than done. Due to their half transparency as well as watery color, it was kinda hard to notice them in the constantly moving water, but at some point Drevart noticed some bulbous, bouncy substance crawling at the riverbank.
“Huh, so that’s how the slimes look here… Seeing their drawings in the book is totally different from real life.”
After mumbling that the guy crouched down and started quietly observing the slime. He tried taking note of wich grass it was eating but that was deemed as a futile attempt considering he saw only a single specimen. The slime was “rolling” onto the grass, slowly letting it seep through its membrane and later digested it. This full circle of these actions took just about ten minutes. Showing just how strong the inner acid of slimes can be.
…………………………………………………………
After a few hours of a lookout and scouting Drevart finally could make out some logical chains on the behavior of the river slimes. They prefer certain patches of grass over the others. When he decided to come closer to look, one of the feeding slimes shot a highly concentrated jet of water. Thankfully he was careful and managed to dodge it, just got a grazing hit. It still tore away a bit of Aether essence from his body though as well as torn some clothes. After hiding behind the trees he noticed that when he left a certain radius from those patches of grass they like so much the shooting ceased.
“So they are highly territorial, at least considering their “feeding grounds”. And the power of the jets is quite high…”
Said Drevart while looking at the dent in the tree trunk he was hiding behind.
“Guess I will have to wait for a bit more…”
After that, he nimbly climbed a tree and laid there looking at the riverbank. It was already evening and soon it will become completely dark.
“Time to sleep I guess… I haven’t slept for a whole day-night cycle already…”
*Yawn
After awning and almost dislocating his jaw, Drevart used the remains of his robe to tie himself to the tree, so he won’t fall down and quickly fell asleep.
…………………………………………………………………..
The morning of the next day was an… eventful to say the least. First of all mosquitoes were annoying, like really annoying.
“Makes me want to finish this task as fast as possible and go sleep I a normal bed..”
Drevart was grumbling while untying himself from the tree and didn’t notice how he accidentally stepped on a snake. It immediately attacked the source of danger, meaning Drevart’s leg.
“Ouch!”
After getting quite painfully bitten he stumbled and fell down, Thankfully he was sleeping just 3-4 meters above the ground, but still, it was a painful landing. Drevart’s figure started leaking some misty substance in the place of a bite and after the landing, his whole figure became a bit… hazy.
“Dammit! Dammit! Daaaaammmiiiiiit!!”
After cursing for a good while and getting up, he finally managed to put on his robe and looked around with a bit of a difficulty.
“So, what do we have here?”
His image already stabilized and no haziness was present.
“Crap, that’s a bit painful actually…”
Drevart clutches his robe and looks around in search of water slimes. To his surprise, there were many more of them than last evening.
“There are so many of them…”
He saw at least 10 in a region of around 12 meters.
“They feed on water and riverbank grass… water and grass… Ah, I see… grass with dew.”
His eyes sparkled in understanding. And also, thanks to observing them when river slimes were eating wet grass, he managed to see a different organ, something like a sack. It was located near their core and was really hard to notice when they aren’t feeding on fluid since half of it was headed directly in that sack.
Drevart decided to test one of his ideas. He chose one of the slimes and send a bit of Aether through his pores to affect it, creating an illusion of himself entering their hunting ground. And an immediate reaction was that the slime became tense, his body vibrated a little and then a thin line of water shot out of its water-storing organ and hit the created illusion. Due to him being the originator of the energy Drevart can see created illusions as half-transparent silhouettes but that goes only for those he created himself. So he saw as his illusion got torn apart by a powerful jet of water.
“It was more powerful compared to the other one I saw yesterday… and this slime is smaller but if the intake of water is higher then the pressure will be higher too… so it’s like that, huh… well, this needs further confirmation, but I think it wouldn’t be so bad for a basic theory…”
………………………………………………………………….
After quietly waiting for a day to come Drevart finally managed to get an opportunity to look at their feeding ground closer. Thankfully you don’t need to be a master ranger to distinguish what the slimes were eating from the empty patches of land they leave behind. Soon… well, a couple of hours later after rummaging through every species of grass on the riverbank he finally managed to get two specific ones which are almost always given priority by the slimes. One of them was a soft grass with three long leaves on one stem and grayish dots near the connection. And the other being a grass with a sort of a round leaf. It grows mainly near the water or sometimes in it. Said grass type has only one round leaf which has somewhat of a scaly pattern on it. Getting this one was quite a hassle since there could be river slimes floating randomly in the river and shooting water jets at him, but after some trouble, he managed to get some specimens for further experiments.
“Let’s see what do we have here…”
Drevart found two flat stones and after cleaning them for a while in some not slime-infested part of the river he started making different mixtures.
“So these two will be 1:1 proportions. Let them be control subjects. They will define the default behavior of the slimes on this grass paste mixed with water. Next I will do 2:1 and 1:2 proportions as well as 1:6 and 6:1. Since I have only so many bottles with me I’ll have to first determine if they lean towards more water or more grass in comparison to each other…”
After making a mental note and all the mixtures Drevart thought for a while and decided to try doing something… more original. Not genuine testing of his mixtures, but first use two control subjects to test standard behavioral patterns and later he will just copy the smell of the mixture and coat some pebble with it for a certain slime. And then he will see If it will attract him more or less.
…………………………………………………………..
The control experiments went well. After he coated some boulder near the river with the mixture from the first two tubes, the slimes soon noticed it and went to eat. But for the first type of grass they were not as active as for the second, so Drevart made an assumption that the second grass with one round leaf and the scale-like pattern is preferred to be more balanced with water, then the other grass which grows on the dryer parts of the riverbanks. Probably that is due to the difference in smell. The second type of grass has a stronger smell to counteract water and the first one has more mild one.
The second experiment was a success too. His illusion indeed can copy the smell of the mixture well enough to attract slimes.
After repeated trial and error he finally found some decent proportions. Those were 4:1 grass to water for the first three-leaf grass and 1:2 grass to water for the second type of grass. Noting everything down Drevart climbed down the rock, he was sitting on and looked up at the sky. His stomach rumbled.
“Well... I guess I’ll go get the report done after say everything I’ve found out to the captain. I just want to eat!”
After shouting his desire to eat, Drevart went back to the town of Scribel.
………………………………………………………………
At the captain’s office.
Cap: “So you are saying that these two plants are prioritized by the river slimes?”
Drevart answered with a bit of a pained expression.
“Yes, sir Harrison. Due to some coincidences, I’ve found out that these two types of grass are enjoyed the most by the river slimes. And the proportions are 4:1 grass to water for Three-Tailed-Sick Grass (three long tails with a gray dot near the connection point) and 1:2 Grass to water for Fishmud grass (one round leaf with scaly patterns, has an intense fishy smell if turned into a paste). The problem is that to get enough Fishmud grass we’ll need to get closer to water and there are actually a lot of river slimes…”
Captain waved his hand as a sign to him to stop talking.
Cap: “You did a good job, lad, that’s enough. I know that you won’t get many rewards for this mission in the guild but I believe you deserve some rest to get us this information and providing decent defense proposals. You can leave bottles and a bag with you. Those aren’t that expensive. Now go… and wash properly you reek of Fishmud grass.”
After bowing, Drevart went back to the Guild’s receptionist's desk to get the report done. All of this in accompaniment with the grumbling stomach…
OOC: Hope I didn't mess up Captain Harrison's character that much from intended @Nahrenne
And I hope I've managed to enrich our library a bit regarding river slimes XD
A little girl comes in skipping and hands the quest report to the receptionist.
"This was Adsall's last request. Please honour it."
She then emitted a ghastly aura was then emitted, causing most if not all the receptionists and adventurers to cower in fear.
"O̷̢̤̦̤͍̳͙̦͔͆̀ͅr̸͕̲̯͚̜͓̜̤̭̦͇͈͚̩̗̜͊̎͒́́̀̽̂̕͝ͅ ̵͉̹̞̼͍̟͚̊́͗̅̆̈́̉͐͒̚͠ė̵̡̛̘̗̱͎̱͍͉̳͕́̈́̇̉̈́̏͜ĺ̷̡̡̨̢̼̫̭̱̞̮̮̱̰̼̳̦̞̊͗̈́͌̇́́̽̊̊̽͝s̷̤̫̤͔̭͋͜e̶̢͖̔̋̑͆́͋̿͑͊̓̔~", she said as she skipped away.
I accepted this request. I don't know why, I just felt like I should do it. I must do it.
I located a worn down house, and knocked. They said to break the door down, so I did.
Out came a Slime girl named Okarin, it seems that I've freed her from her house.
I didn't know or care. I just needed to find the house.
I eventually found it. It was really run down... really old... really nostalgic. I knocked on the door and a little girl greeted me.
"Are you here to play mister?"
"Yes... Yes I am."
"Come In, Come In!"
Inside... It was amazing. It was like another space. A space overlooking this world.
"Hey is that our new friend? It's been so long! YAY YAY!", a boy screamed, interrupting Adsall's train of thought.
"LETS PLAY!", they both yelled at the same time.
"Okay", I responded, but something felt strange. Everything looked smaller, my voice was higher. Looking into a nearby pond, I saw my reflection.
I had turned back into a child.
"Hey let's play tag!", The girl said grabbing me. "Tag you're it!"
The game lasted for... who knows how long...
They then gave me a tour of this place. It seems to be a different space. Detached from... everything. We weren't affected by anything, but we could see everything. Oh the things I've seen. The many many things. I've seen my friends wonderful journeys and the fun they've had, I've seen all the great discoveries first hand. But I've also seen War... Oh the numerous wars I've seen. The Fall of Old Civilisations. The Fall of Scribel. I've seen it all.
It's so peaceful here. This pleasant abyss. There isn't anything worth watching in Tonia anymore, nothing interesting. Only dust.
It's much more fun to play, to run around, to be free.
We played a lot of games! Checkers, Backgammon, Chess, Video Games, etc. Too many to list out.
One day or month or week, who knows. Anya the girl and Elric the boy approached me. Those are their names by the way.
Only I know their last names though.
Back on topic. They told me that it was time.
"Time for what?"
"Goodbye.", they both said sadly.
"Why?"
"You're not meant to be here.", Anya said "You're meant to be down there."
"But I came here. I felt like I needed to come here."
"I know. It's been really fun having you here again. I missed you so much.", Anya said in a quavering voice as she began crying
"Missed me? What do you mean?"
"It's no use to explain it. You'll forget it when you get reborn anyway.", Elric yelled.
"Don't get angry Elric! It'll be different this time. We have the mask! It'll help him.", Anya quavered.
We then got into a long debate, but eventually I gave in.
I was granted a last request. A Quest Report, that would be sent back to Scribel. So that I may go with nothing left unfinished.
This paper I'm writing now will be sent back to Scribel, whether it gets marked as a crazy man's dreams or whatever. I don't care.
I've now run out of excuses to stall my staying here. Now I have to go wear that mask.
"So I just put this on?", Adsall asked.
"Yes!", Anya and Elric responded.
Donning the mask, Adsall fell to the floor and felt... bliss. It felt like he was in heaven, like everything was tranquil. It all just felt right.
As he began to disappear, he heard something that temporarily snapped him out of that feeling of bliss.
Hello~....good day...night?... Evening??..you can call me ...R̴̡̺̠͕̤̥̜̪̳̺̙͚͇̦̽̀͂̔̈̉́̄̈̓̉̃̀̌̚ͅe̷̲̠̗̦͕͙͕̞͎̱͒ç̴͙͈͍̫̞̯̻̖̜͌̀̏̒ĩ̸̮̼͙͖̣̖͗̾̓͑̓̾̐̀̽f̸̹̗͖̗̭̝̠͓̘̐̈́͗͜ư̴̡̭͖͓̥̤̰̙̝̞̻̎̓͌͂͛͑̎̕ͅͅl̶̪̹̪̭̮̇̿͛̽͋̈́͒́̈́́͑͒̈́͋
I'll be the one Evaluating your report on this occasion~
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Aha-ahahahah... *Ahem*... please excuse Reciful..
fear not the death Adsall, for it is nothing but a turning point of life.... What lies beyond it, you can find the truth hidden in the world of life, full of facade~
Reciful wonders if does children were naughty?.... In case that they indeed one....
Reciful's Tendrils shall drag them into the abyss & eat it~
Slimes are a pest in Scribel City, and they end up in all sorts of weird places.
While they aren’t too dangerous, they can slowly erode and damage structures over time.
They also spread diseases if they get into the sewers and pick up icky stuff.
Slimes are bad! Eliminating them is a public health campaign!
After arriving in this world due to a certain pesky goddess I will kill Loki even if its the last thing I do. With an entirely new body I decided that what better way to get used to it would be a nice fight. Now if only I would stop crashing into things. I summoned my familiars Fuu and Rai and followed them to the North Scribel Forest? I think that's the name anyways I would rather not end up in the North Pole again. Anyways the fight wasn't that hard I just hid in the shadows of the trees then poked their cores out with a quick jab with a tree branch.
The fact that I'm submitting this the next day does not mean I was too busy playing with my familiars. It's not my fault they are so fluffy and sleeping outside is free. Honestly the only good thing that came out of this gender bending thing is that now I can practically bury myself in their fluff... and ride them. Yay for small victories. Here's the 10 slime cores you requested.
By the way I found a big wolf sniffing around my camp so I tied it up. Do you think I can keep him?
Hello~ I'm Reciful, I'll be Evaluating your Report on this occasion~....*Bows*
Ooooh~ slime Subjugation! Wow nice~ this things are indeed pest... Well for humans~
Being carefree is fine~..... Don't worry, take your time... There is no time limit for this quest anyway.
As for the wolf... Do you have a taming skill?... If you do, it might take A while to tame the feral wild dog of the forest... If not careful It might bite your head off, you know?
It seems that he thought that my particular skills would be best suited to spending a period of time working in the local tavern. Annoying yes but not wholly unexpected I must say I thought it might come to this. The boss was surprised when I took it so well being assigned to the dingiest tavern in the gangs territory as a server. When asked about why I was so fine it was because as I said I've done worse. But anyway I overheard a little thing. It seems that one of the bosses bosses bosses bosses daughters is being held in Scribbel city by the Crimson coins still. So I hope you can rescue her before my arrival if not oh well.
7 days later a second report card came in that said - returning to Scribel today likely be back in 14 days.
"Hahaha It's surprising we aren't the first ones back but then again I guess we are because they don't look like they survived it well." The evaluator looked on the sorry lot that was the group of people who didn't want any girls in their group. I smiled and waited for him to deposit our rock crab after all I'm sure the evaluators had their own bets running. There was another man sitting next to the fireplace look extremely discouraged. "So Benjamin did your group succeed or was I right again?" The man called Benjamin got up and moved towards our evaluator.
"Don't leave us in suspense Frank if you are going to drop it from your pocket hurry up if you aren't you are wrong." Frank our evaluator looks sad.
"How could you doubt me like that." The little space opens above Benjamin and drops the rock crab where he was standing. Benjamin clearly new what was going on and so he'd dodged out of the way before the hole even opened up. "Don't know why you doubting me in these bets still Benji boy. AHAHAHA." Frank makes a chop and all the rocks fall off the thing leaving behind the true actual carcass.
The other groups moved into the camp slowly both with success surprisingly enough, "Ah yeah I said you'd be the most dissapointed didn't I." Frank sidles up beside us, "Well I'm here to tell you you got a temporary promotion to bar maid." I turn my gaze slowly towards him.
I lift my chin up and look him straight in the eyes, "And why would this disappoint me? Sounds like a fine time to me." He smiles down at me.
"But you look like such a modest woman? How could you not have a care for it I mean you wear two sets of clothing after all. HAHAHA." It seems this man is trying to annoy me into looking disappointed.
"You haven't even shown me the bar or the uniform so what is to be disappointed at yet plus where else do information experts work usually here." I take a part of the crab and throw it into the fire. "So you going to show me this today or tomorrow?" The friendly attitude drops right off Frank's face.
"Are you a loose goose or an uptight lady geesus. Don't snoop around at the place just do your job quickly cleanly and politely okay. Anyway the only guys who frequent that bar are our own so don't be to harsh if they try and grope most of them out rank you."
"If they grope me they will get what is coming from either me or the daemon in my brain doesn't matter if they out rank me after all it's not like I'm their girl I'm yours at the moment." I begin laughing at the snap of Frank's face in horror.
"So you are a naughty girl like that?"
"No boss I'm just stating the facts of the matter why is your head trying to go into that gutter over there?" I smile and retrieve my now perfectly cooked crab from the fire. "What you want me to be some kind lasvicious lady trying to better herself through any means?" I flutter my eyes at him and move to sit next to him.
"NOPE, that's even scarier... Go back to how you normally are." I move further and further away from the fire until I'm only just being lit by it's flames melting into the background almost before dropping my crab to the floor.
"If you insist then I won't talk unless it's needed from now on." I say knowing he can hear me now I am a part of the scenery once more no longer a part of the main show but that's okay with me I work best from the sidelines after all.
There was a uniform at the bottom of my bed today. Yes the bedrooms were still the bedroom that held all 16 of us in it yesterday. It still contained the remaining 12 of us now the 10 guys and 2 girls. I was the first awake from my senses. The uniform was essentially boots, short pants a bra and gloves for some reason. It would reveal the numerous scars that crisscrossed my body and made me a little self conscious at revealing my bared skin bar my face to anyone even other women it might even be enough to get out of this. Under everything was a note. The note of course read that I should head to the room of Frank and it even had a nice drawn map so of course I went.
Assertion: Something problematic has occurred.
Conclusion: The clothing + the daemon are having some reaction to each other.
Assertion: Avert curr...
"Conclusion I am in control now little girl. Now it's time to go and see Frank Ehehehe~"
Part Prime: The daemon was awakened by the clothing though that does not seem to have been the intent of the person who placed them their in the first place. They actually seem to be the clothing that is supplied to the bar staff of one of the local establishments around here. But limitation of danger must be done. Locking and shuttering all outward sensors. The daemon can tire itself out for a bit since there is nothing else that can be done.
Assertion: Daemon is in complete control of bodily functions though seems unable to act unruly otherwise.
Conclusion: Minimisation of damage is all that can be done.
Assertion: Shutting down information running to sensory organs from main conciousness.
Conclusion: ACCESS DENIED.
Assertion: Access would not be denied unless something else was going on.
Conclusion: Daemon has a more nefarious scheme then it would seem.
The daemon was taking me into the room shown on the thing and laughing to me in my head all the while. An annoyance but soon enough I'd deal with this one way or another and it'd pay oh it would pay dearly for this.
The daemon's perspective: Oh how it feels to have a body once more though I would have preferred the consciousness to be in a much more accepting state it was far to agitated for my liking but now I need some excitement some excess! Luckily the excitement had already been served up to me on a golden platter. As I was talking flecks of purple danced across my new skin distorting it and helping shape it into a slightly more perfect being after all this body had so many unsightly scars on it. I don't know how a human could even survive so many and not be in constant pain though that is a story for another time. Or perhaps that was it! Yes this being was in constant pain so of course it couldn't find my true path laid out for it. THE PATH OF PLEASURE, "BUT NOW IT WOULD SEE NOW IT WOULD YES YES!" Oops I accidentally let that out. But perhaps the excessive pain helped to hold me together after all my mistress was also the god of pain as well as the goddess of pleasure and bright lord of excess.
Arriving at the door I slid slowly into the room my enhanced senses picking up everything yes. Every little detail. Especially those lovely whip marks that lovingly caressed his body all over his back and the whip ohh yes the whip that he tried to hide away. I slowly came up close to him and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. "We are going to have some fun now aren't we servant~" My voice comes out sickly sweet and purring drilling into his ears and binding him to me. He looks as if he is trying to pull himself together and take control or at least that is what sweet AIEO's knowledge tells me I was thinking he was asking to be slapped hard and brought deeper below me. So I slapped him across the face before his will could strengthen itself and to bring him in line. "Now we will try that again we are going to have some fun now aren't we servant~" My question sounds malicious and yet disgusted to my ears. Maybe AIEO is having an impact on me that will have to be dealt with and ground to the dust soon enough for the glory of the bright lord of excess!
"Yes mistress I am ready for some pleasure." My prey whimpers from in front of me. Pitiful creature I shall deal with him well yes. "Strip and get on the bed and wait for me.
After having searched his room thoroughly I find two small chains and a gag. I can see some marks on his bed where the chains usually go but that place is no good no good at all. I shall have to teach my new pet the best of ecstasies he will soon not want whatever he had before. "Hmm we shall try and improve your performance you are going to be feeling pure ecstasy from now on little puppet~" I quickly place the newly gotten gag over his mouth. Then I latch one of the chains around one of mine and one his wrists the other latches his ankle onto the bottom bar of the bed. Seeing the look of panic that has begin to spread across his face I slowly slide off my shorts revealing my almost completely naked body and then I step on his dick crushing it all the way down after all my boots are still on. After lifting the foot off I can see that it's fully erect. "Who is a good little pet. You are. Ohh yes you are." I then begin to lower myself on to his erect mast and begin to pamper myself on his pitifully small thing. "Can you not get it any bigger you near useless pet?" I need to needle him with more hate and vitriole it seems to increase his pleasure so that my own can be extended I slowly begin placing a steady stream of insults down and stop my motions standing up as near as I can chained to my pet as I am. But anyway time for him to get bigger he needs to get bigger or I will be disappointed. Purple energy runs down my foot as I crush his dick down onto his body. My body begins reshaping itself further for an instant into that of my true form and that, that scares him immensely but my goal has been achieved.
Unluckily he had fainted from the exertion of that little bit of growth pitiful creature. But his first orgasm with his new body part brought him back to consciousness so now I could begin to bring him under my command and mine alone, "You ready to become my permanent slave yet?" A women entered into the room and so I rolled over pulling him with me and quickly pulled her into the bed to. The women was dressed completely in a black leather uniform though it had a few white stains on it. "EXCELLENT. ANOTHER NEW PET." The words creaked out of my mouth before the women could even protest a kissed was sealing her mouth shut. The door slamming shut behind her. I undid the chain from mine and his wrist and chained the two of them together instead this would be much better. Her breakdown would break him slowly but far more utterly then anything else ever could. The girl was trying to mumble something to my new slave "INSOLENT BITCH! I'M THE BOSS NOW." My temper exploded how dare a mere mortal such as her defy me I have had enough problems with AIEO I don't need hers to. I force her mouth to his cock and slowly force it into her throat. "Go until your mouth gets sore make sure my slave feels pleasure you scum and I will make sure you do to." This girl would almost assuredly begin to feel pleasure from her mouth she'd already ingested so much of my body fluid and yet there was still much much more that needed doing to truly break her down in my puppies eyes time to borrow some observations from my little brain box in my head and torment her some.
Having let loose myself inside of my head I was looking for the scraps that were left from AIEO meanwhile my body was slowly but assuredly removing and collecting the clothing from this women she'd not have more clothing then my slave no no no that will not do not at all. Back in my mind I banged against a golden wall. "WHAT IS THIS INFURIATING MADNESS!" The wall began to close in on me from all sides so I of course smashed through it all. A black tendril strikes at the conciousness of the pest in front of me so I can borrow a small part of her feelings.
AIEO's Perspective: The faith in the Emperor protects me. AVE IMPERATOR. I slowly began to chant after the daemon had entered the room of Frank it seems that he was actually a complete and utter masochist and subservient piece of trash.
ASS
ERT
ION:
THE OUTSIDE IS UNIMPORTANT IT IS TIME FOR PRAYER.
CONCLUSION: Ave Imperatore. Maxime omnium ubique gentium, omnium hominum genus suum patronum a voluptate predation de diis, morbum circumventionem erroris caedibusque foedavit. Sit sacra Caesarea maiestate de custodiet animam meam illud et inde proferunt predations animam meam. Sit homines constitutus est a tyrannide illorum permiserunt liberaliter vivere sub imperio sui sublimis.
I begin repeating the prayer over and over again in my head slowly I can feel something slotting into place and my views of the outside disappear almost completely there is still a thin sense of what is going on out there.
The shield of faith shatters near completely as the daemon summons tides of warp power into it's body from somewhere. I quickly begin to rebuild my shield as it is made from my faith and my faith is unbroken. It rapidly spins itself into being a dim light enters into my consciousness it seems that a new prey has been added in to the mix a women. Damnit this is bad I was already going to have to execute one now I shall have to remove two probable threats to my position after this. The cursed and war spurned daemon will be destroyed by my own hands this I swear on my faith and belief in the EMPEROR's true vision anyway now it is back to prayer. Some time passes and I feel the Daemon intruding into my sanctuary in my own mind and my own body it won't let me have any peace! It breaks through my attack of enclosing the barrier around it with black and rotten tendrils. YOU WILL NOT PASS DAEMON! YOU WILL GET OUT OF MY BODY ONE DAY SOON AND I SHALL SMITE YOU AND DESTROY YOUR BLACKENED SOUL! BACK TO THE WARP WITH YOU!
The daemon's perspective: I slam my full weight against the shield it seems that AIEO won't be helping me for this I shall just rely on my Mistresses teachings then. I slowly lick the whip covering it in my fluid and rub the other part of the whip up and down near my honey pot to cover it slowly and steadily in more and richer juices from my body. Soon even myself touching the whip is bringing ecstasy so now is almost the time for her punishment. But first I will begin by putting her clothing on myself. The very touch of the leather against the tender flesh of AIEO's old body sends ripples of pleasure throughout my body. Yes this is good now I am the truly dominant one here. She will soon be begging to say my name and have it run across her supple lips. I bring the whip down upon her back as she strokes her useless sexual organs. The whip brings her right up to the bridge of collapse on the first strike breaking her will and flooding her body with pain but the second along with her stroke and a renewed vigour at the sucking of my pets cute appendage sends pleasure all throughout her body. "Yes stroke yourself let the pain and pleasure mingle GLORY TO THE BRIGHT LORD!"
Time for AIEO to do something for me I can't be bothered walking to the job in the tavern she can do it for me time to let her take control again I guess now that I can take her over at anytime. hahahaha. Anyway my two pets spat out all their secrets to me under my whip and chain the two of them are waiting her for more of my blessings to be heaped upon them and they will wait.
I get undressed from the clothing of the women now stained inside and out with my scent it's mine now she won't try and contest that though she would love to be able to wear it again I'm sure of it she'd do anything for the sake of wearing something that I have.
"AIEO it's time for you to take control after all I'm bored you can take us for a spin at the tavern it will feel great. You will love the little changes I made to you." As soon as I leave control the scars criss-crossing her body begin to reappear all over it. "WHAT!" No no this can't be happening how could my power be destroyed so easily like that it should have been permanent what in the Corruption was happening. NO. This would be fixed when I took over but AIEO would have to rush to get to our appointment.
AIEO'S perspective: The man and women in front of me stop doing whatever they were doing and flinch back as my scars slowly begin to crisscross all across my body the scars are from medical procedures, training. beatings and just a plain old sadistic bitch from a long time ago. They did not hurt no they might give some ache a long time ago but now they just were there an instinctual part of me. "What the hell is wrong with your body mistress?" The women squeaks out at me.
"I'm not your shitty ass master you whore I AM THE TRUE OWNER OF THIS BODY AIEO. THAT DAEMON SLUT IS NOTHING BUT A PARASITE THAT I WILL CRUSH." Yes these two will need removing fast I must act quickly this cannot and will not be allowed to spread. I slowly pull out my dagger and slit both their throats revelling in the action for a time just to spite the damned daemon I'd stay loyal. Even if it was the death and destruction of my soul on the line I WOULD STAY LOYAL TO MY EMPEROR. I quickly disposed over their corpses as best as I reasonably could storing their heads away for later these heretical monsters would serve the Emperor yet.
I guess I had best head off towards the bar quickly since sadly my supposed protector is indisposed at the moment what with being dead and all. I'm definitely going to be racking up a high body count if this pattern is kept up by the daemon. That's going to be extraordinarily annoying so when we get back I am definitely carving those out. As I wander through the streets I feel eyes wandering all over my body people are seemingly trying to dissect every single part of me and so dismiss. But as I get closer to them the white of my skin starts to appear more bumpy and less ridged. That is because of all the scars that crisscross my body and suddenly they can't keep looking at me. It is a mess after all up close even if it has some beauty when viewing it at a distance. I don't think any living being has as many scars crossing their body as I do personally but maybe some unliving beings have more you never know with them since they can hide it.
After running along for a good 10 minutes I note that someone is definitely watching me from somewhere and they keep watching every twist and turn I make not an unexpected event but an unwelcome one but no time to bother I'm almost at my destination now only 1 minute left to go till I arrive. I hope they or it doesn't continue watching me during my shift that will be annoying. I sprint through the streets which now that I think about it are actually kind of deserted for city streets. Then again this is the Misers territory fully not many would dare cross into it without official business. I reach the pub and slowly walk inside whilst calming my breathing and than something snaps. My body releases a purple light and I lose control again. THAT FUCKING DAEMON DARES TO TAKE OVER MY BODY AGAIN!
Daemon's perspective: There was something watching us on the street that is no good no good at all it dares to try and covet this hideous body it will have to be taught a lesson in manners soon enough. Yes most definitely. I don't like things that try and go after such ugly things as this current body it's hideous and disgusting but it houses me so it will be kept in as good a condition as it currently is by me by force if necessary. No one can have my things but me or the prince of pleasure only those 2 beings some may call me a petulant child but I prefer a child of excess myself it fits far better.
During my ranting we had nearly arrived at the pub it seems which means that it's almost time for me to take over this body and make it beautiful again and glorious these employers would not be happy with such ugly slops doing their work for them I'm positive about that and I should know I'm a daemon of lust after all. Anyway it seems that presence has stopped watching as we reach the door time for me to shine now~ Okay I spin up a little of my power and cut AIEO off from her own body it's time for me to take control now, purple light radiates off the body as I fix the disgusting scars littering her body. Time for me to have some consensual and boring fun in this tavern well maybe not that boring but we shall see I immediately rush over to the boss and tell him the situation as far as I can about how Frank was a little indisposed with a lady friend. The boss laughs after all he supposedly knows Frank. "That old rogue can't keep it in his pants now can he."
I look innocently at the man, "No I think he can keep it in his pants perfectly fine I think it's his lady can't keep her claws out from under his chin and so she is always steering him into little problems like this." I titter to myself a little shaking my body in a sensual way. He is my boss so I can't be to forward yet after all he's the one in charge and he needs to twist himself around my finger over the next 7 days~
The man scratches his chin well that's an idea now ain't it and it makes sense no wonder he had those whip scars cause I'm absolutely sure he ain't ever faced any foe that would stoop to using a whip on the back like that and not have killed him." The man scratches his chin a little more and then grabs my back before pushing me off to a table his hand slowly sliding down my back before squeezing my ass. "GET MOVING NOW LASS can't have you standing about not doing your job." I of course do a little jump as the little vixen that I am getting her tail pulled.
I slowly waltz on over to the table and tap in front of the man who is focused intently on the menu, "So what exactly do you want mister? A beer a meal some kind of wine or a good hard drink?" I slowly make a movement to exaggerate my perfect beauty my body that would be almost assuredly praised by her higness of excess and painful pleasures. After all the material I had to work with was absolute shit. Anyway the man took everything then slapped himself on the knee I snuggled my little booty down and gave him a little movement to set him a thinking. He slowly raised his hand and slapped his face and then breathed out slowly. "I'll have an Apocalypse Burger and a Gloryhammer I think. Thank you little miss." I slowly got up off his lap giving him a little zap as my each part of my body slowly left him. This was fun. I slowly waltzed over to the boss making sure that he could get an excellent view of all my assets the pitiful state they were in.
As I approached the counter the boss looked up from his work. "He wants a Apocalypse Burger and a Gloryhammer boss." My sultry words will soon drown his senses away and relax his inhibitions as we get to know each other more they will do more and more.
"Aye lass I got it go and tell him it will be ten minutes cooking and take the Gloryhammer with you it's over there on the rest make sure to not spill it it's worth your entire hide." I'm pretty sure it would not actually be worth my hide but I make sure not to spill a single drop even with all my sultry and exaggerated movements emphasising all my many assets.
AIEO's perspective: At least she had the decency to remove all my scars no one would believe that I was this bitch if they saw a single one of those. But otherwise she's ruining my name and reputation basically single handedly the absolute fucking shit. She'd pay so much for this why the fuck was she flirting so much with all these scum of the Earth but at least there was one benefit with her in control I could basically hear every little thing in the pub my entire focus on it or chanting my prayer. There were actually many interesting things going on in the pub. One of them was 2 women whispering angrily and quietly about the women in the tavern trying to steal their spotlight from them and jump right over their heads. It was interesting because it showed how weak and petty they were and the fact that they dropped a hint that yes they were Miser members and whores though I personally have absolutely no interest in whores or having them in my company as can be seen from how agitated they seemed.
Another interesting conversation was about the rumour surrounding Mek Aihalen who seems to be a leader in a country which is nearby and an extremely high ranking member of the guild at that. His daughter seems to have for all intents and purposes gone missing in Scribel city she is presumed to be captured because who would kill such a high ranking member of the famous Miser guild like that. Mek Aihalen was not a human but an abhuman almost assuredly he had golden skin as in it looked like gold and every so often he'd cough up balls of gold he also had many extrasensory organs for both sensing magic and for sensing even the slightest daemon it was said. So best not to get to close to him he will almost assuredly notice the fucker who happens to be controlling me at this point in time. After all I will get rid of her myself I will not accept any help in this matter my revenge will be mine and mine alone.
A third situation wasn't interesting but it was entertaining it was two men measuring scar sizes if I could join I would 100% beat both their arses with even some of my smaller ones what a scar running halfway down your back is nothing at all compared to the mess that exists on me. Then again many of mine were for the augments that have been placed within my body and were slowly absorbed and made into natural body parts of mine. Probably the weirdest one had been the linking of the visor to my body I had a scar running from my temple all the way down to my foot I bet it's because it was that sadistic bitch who did it. Actually I can check who did can't I it was stored in the Prime area after all and I had nothing better to do after finding these little things out till something big was planned about setting up a foothold in Scribel but I doubt that would be talked about until we reach there.
Anyway back on the visit to the Prime part I made a few inquiries it seems it was that sadistic bitch who did it of course I didn't even complain a little bit but she was extremely excessive in her actions and it lead to her termination from the project finally. Well that was an excellent piece of news and termination from the project of course meant that she had almost definitely become on of the servitors for if I didn't know better I could think her skull could actually be the one that my servant skull was made of. But I knew far better than that or at least I knew that it wasn't her but someone whom had once been close to me before I had joined the temple and thrown everything away for something far far greater. It was the best day of my life other than actually passing the testing of the Vanus temple.
Soon enough the daemon had completed MY job for the day and was heading home. She abruptly released me from my bond restoring my body to it's proper state and I began running away at a rapid speed. However soon enough I noticed the being was focused on me again well that was an annoyance but I'd put up with it on the way here and I'd put up with it on the way back. I quickly made it back to the room where I began destroying more evidence of my murder of the two in the room such as removal of their skulls tattoo's and fingers. It seems the daemon wanted to let me clean up after all. The blood soaked everywhere and into everything so it would all have to be burnt. Plus there was entrails strewn all across the floor and shattered bits of bone all throughout the room after my dismantlement of the body. Then I felt I was stuck again. The fucking daemon had come back to finish it. She clicked her fingers purple spread over everything and suddenly the room was empty in a perfectly cleaned state. The cartilege wasn't strewn about anymore the blood was gone and the two's heads were completely cleaned off now I just needed to add them to my belt somehow. Then I could use them.
A knock suddenly sounded on the door and I could feel the gaze that had stalked me on the streets even through the door. Then of course the bloody daemon waltzed over to the door without a second fucking thought. Going to get us both killed at this rate. The daemon is slowly reaching out to the door when a second knock raps on the door and there is a slight shift in something as if something has fallen out of place. The daemon opens the door and outside stands a women in a long flowing white dress with crosses all over her body. "DAEMON I WILL BANISH YOU FROM THIS WORLD IN THE NAME OF OPHELIA." The daemon strikes out with it's hand trying to strike at this priest to try and kill her but the attack bounces off of the thing. This is both good and bad I am sure of it.
Daemon's perspective:
Ehh someone is knocking on the door interrupting the cleaning up of my nice new pets this is super annoying. I should go and see who they are shouldn't I? Lets go and see what they want after all everything is completely perfect in here and nothing is suspicious at all. Whoever is outside knocks on the door again as I reach it annoying person they are most definitely. I had barely moved towards the door at all! Best to deal with this being quickly annoyingly. As I open the door to her she yells at me about banishing me from this world in the name of something called Ophelia whatever that is but she's annoying so I punch her. Unluckily she definitely had some kind of shield on her annoying women. Priests seem like they will be a major annoyance, the women throws a knife at me and it misses me completely what the hell is this women playing at I didn't even try and dodge that geesus she sucks at this.
After a while of trying to break the barrier I give up and the girl begins throwing daggers around behind me and what not well time to ask her what she's doing she will surely tell me. "So little girl what in the corruption are you trying to do throwing knives around and missing me. It's not the perfect action. PERFECTION IS WHAT YOU MUST ALL STRIVE TO ACHIEVE~" I wink at this girl and try to walk slowly towards her and then I grab her arm and it goes right through where the shield should be and of course it should I pat her arm and the women recoils in horror. But I've already latched onto her arm I am ready to have some fun now and she will enjoy it oh she will enjoy it immensely. The women begins moving her hands around rapidly so I slowly grab one of her hands and pull her in to my body holding her hand still and then I slowly move my face down towards her mouth which I enclose delicately. The woman tears herself away from me braking my hold on her somehow an annoyance but I have done it once so I can do it again.
Priests perspective: What exactly is this daemon it's willing to kill so easily and yet it's trying to hold me close and kiss me? Is there more at play here than a simple possession of a person by a daemon doesn't matter the daemon must be removed quickly it's presence distorts the mana field around it and it's a villain. "YOU WILL NOT DO THAT AGAIN." I re-begin my hand signals and pull the sealing daggers into the being to tie it down but somehow the daggers begin to wrap around the being and then suddenly a wall of purple smashes through the dagger bindings but it quickly fades away as if the daemon was distracted by something else. "What?" Is there two daemons inside of that poor woman or is something else going on this is getting weirder by the second.
"Stop struggling AIEO this is for our own good after all." Scars are beginning to mar the surface of the woman's body similar to how she was before why didn't I notice that they were completely missing I must have been way to absorbed in something else I've been affected by that beings mental attacks.
"I WILL NOT SUCCUMB TO YOU DAEMON AND I WON'T LET SOMEONE ELSE TAKE MY VENGANCE EITHER SO SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU BITCH ASS DAEMON I WILL BE THE ONE TO CRUSH YOU IN THE NAME OF THE EMPEROR. AVE IMPERATOR!" Her statement completely breaks my holy seal as if she was just a normal human woman rather then some kind of daemon and then she collapses to the ground as if exhausted. My work here seems done so I retreat but I will watch this being closely for now. some words seem to be leaving the women's mouth but I can't hear them anyway my god the scars all across her body are horrifying.
AIEO's Perspective: I'm found lying in the dirt my body wrapped in scars by one of the men I finally have my body back in control fully and the daemon is sealed away again. "Urrk." Vomit leaves my mouth and covers the floor on the bed beside me the daemons magic is finally fully exited my body and the damage that that stupid ass priestess did is gone. I'll fucking execute that bloody idiot someday but for now I need to rest. Why would you go after a daemon possessed human so damned casually like that anything could have happened and you did almost lose that fight so easily. As if your god would want to involve itself in such a matter. It would be stepping onto the field against another new enemy in a world that is already overflowing with enemies. Anyway I slowly roll over from the edge of my bed I don't think I will be doing anything else today thanks to that bitch ass priestess and the fucking daemons stupid ideas. Currently I lie naked on the bed in the room that I was in before.
A man comes into the room oh it's that bartender I bet he's come to see the girl he met yesterday he will get a big shock from my appearance I'm sure of that. But on that matter I should talk about the daemon and how I was able to beat it again and this time I've locked it away though I doubt that lock will last after all it's already slowly piecing it's psyche back together. Yep that's right I was splitting parts of it's psyche off whilst it was dealing with that woman that's why it's control was slowly falling off and my own body was reasserting itself as real rather then as a construct of the corruption as the daemons is. But I AM NEVER talking of this to anyone and that priest will disappear herself I assure it.
"Oi girl you aren't the one from the bar are you? There's no way she could have gotten all these scars in this short period of time is there?" I hear the voice at the edge of my hearing dragging me back to full alertness.
"Of course unless some fucking bitch cast a daemon into my soul and then it took control and was slowly asserting itself as reality right? This is how I have always looked though I doubt anyone could tell you that." I spit out from the bed I don't feel sick anymore just completely and utterly exhausted.
"No wonder you cover almost every inch of your skin with all this on your body. I don't think I've ever seen so many scars even on a slave before." I begin trying to steady myself and pull myself back towards reality clawing at it so that I can try and compose myself. It seems I may still be a little sick because there is vomit building up in the back of my throat.
"Most of this is just medical procedures minor augmentations to make my body slightly better slightly faster so that I can keep up with the information flow in my head in other parts of my body. Though it was committed by a bitch who wanted to hurt me ohh so much she set the gas so that I would feel every little knife wound but I would be unable to scream. I felt it all. Throw me the white thing on the floor there would you?" I hope he actually does bother to throw my suit to me I feel horrible not having it near me it's basically a part of my body at this point. I slowly open up my left eye it's been closed for ages I wonder if it's finally fixed itself yet? As I open it I can still see the little glows but the glow has greatly diminished around the things it's back to more the visor itself is highlighting living objects. "Finally I can see again." The clothing lands on my face as I say that and so I laugh at the situation.
"You going to put it on cause it's disturbing looking at you like this miss." the man actually seems a little grumpy at the situation that has occurred. "I guess it was out of your control getting possessed by a daemon but the boys at the pub are going to be disappointed when I tell them I found someone with bigger scars then them. They won't bloody believe you are the same girl I can assure you of that." I begin to put on my bodysuit when one of my scars pops open.
"THAT FUCKING DAEMON." You even have to annoy me like this urgh. luckily it's just a small one and no blood it leaking out but it's annoying that this has happened. "Can you sew that closed please then cut it with your knife and sew it closed again please? Otherwise it's never going to heal properly." I show him the split scar and he recoils in horror most likely but he goes off and a woman come into the room with a needle and quickly sets to work though disgust is written all over her face as she is doing the stitches. When she is finished she quickly runs out of the room so I grab the dagger that lies at the side of my bed and slit the thing myself. I don't make any noise in the process this much is nothing especially since I've been preparing to do it for quite some time. Anyway the man comes in again and seeing that I actually cut it he quickly comes over and sews it up.
"Well shit I didn't think you'd actually cut it like that."
I turn and face him, "IT NEEDED DOING. Anyway what happened to the skulls in the room?" The man looks confusedly at me.
"What skulls?"
I look him dead on in the eye, "In that room there should have been just two skulls and absolutely nothing else I need them for something important to me and I'm sure you guys already took the skulls of the two crimson coin men that were on my belt which just leaves the one currently. Oh I forgot to get the golden hat didn't I oh well there is a hat made of pure gold outside Spire Reef buried 1 foot under the 13th hill from the entrance when walking in a straight line at the back of it based on where Spire Reef is. Do whatever with it. I need rest now." I begin to put on my clothing ignoring the man whom is in front of me.
I'm awoken from my slumber by someone coming into the room. "Why on Earth are you watching over her Freddie don't you have underlings for doing something like this?" I hear the bartender move a little.
"Well the other two are working and this one here is my current third underling so no not really Badger. Why are you here?" The man stops still and snaps his fingers.
"Damn this is the girl from last night that you told me about the nurse that you got to work on her is still completely and utterly disgusted though? What on Tonia happened to her for that to be the case?"
"Oh something about possession and the warping of her form by a demonic entity she said anyway why are you here?"
The man who entered the room snaps his fingers and then does a little laugh, "I thought you would have heard already didn't you have the best information expert?"
A spark seems to ignite in the room at that as if he has said something wrong, "MY WIFE DIED LAST MONTH YOU BITCH." I can hear a fist whistle through the air and crack against the other mans face. He slams back into the door.
"My mistake my mistake I wasn't told. Anyway you are going to Scribel with your charges you've got it your finally out of Spire Reef once your time is finished at the bar." The man slowly turns to the door before trying to exit rapidly. Just before he leaves he whispers, "You are saving the little princess." He rapidly exits and I hear a punch against the door I slowly move myself as everyone knows that no one could stay asleep after that sound. He notices my movement and grunts and he to leaves.
A beep goes off in the back of my mind.
Assertion: The impurities have been removed from my body.
Conclusion: Ready for working again body has healed bar the scar.
I get out of work and get dressed in my extra clothing for some comfort and so people don't stare as much as they try to at the body suit. A man enters into the room and I make a be quite gesture to him after all I'm not the only one in here. I slowly walk towards the door following him back out. As we make it to the outside proper of the building he puts his hand out to shake, "I'm your senior in the gang, Fras. I need to make sure you are up to 100% power and ability girl before we leave Spire Reef." I begin doing some light stretches on the ground because my body has decided to go stiff after all that exercise from yesterday the damned Daemon put it through that it is 100% not used to.
"I understand and I assure you I have recovered almost to my peak state again." My slow and steady stretches continue until my body has returned to full flexibility.
After recovering my flexibility I decided to do some light running but as I was sprinting around the small courtyard the man look disgruntled at me. As I came up to him I slowed to a stop just in front of him. "Something wrong mister?"
He scowls and looks at me, "We met before at the pub?" I begin to recall the time at the pub in my head to see if I can see his face in any of the pubs I frequented before.
"Nope we didn't though now that I think about it I swear I have seen you at some pub before." He looks a little surprised at that.
"Funny maybe I just saw you working yesterday through the door or a window. But you seem to have drastically changed somehow and it just doesn't sit right oh well anyway let us move to the training room I'll be beating you into shape now." I make a thumbs up motion at him a training room huh I wonder what we are going to be doing in there.
"Lead the way sir." I begin to follow him as he leaves the courtyard heading deeper into the gangs territory.
We arrive at a large building it has multiple entrances all set about equidistant apart it looks like on of the warehouses but it's way bigger than most and all the doors just appear to be for normal humans rather than carts and carriages. The inside of the room had a soft floor as if it was padded with something definitely not the best training room I've been in but the best since arriving in this world actually make that the only. Anyway I slowly began to do my combat warm up from the Vanus temple in a section all to myself after all I was definitely not warmed up for getting my ass handed to me by him. "Just wait a bit I'm not ready to get my ass handed to me on a silver platter just yet." He begins laughing to himself over by himself as my warm up continues.
After finishing the entire rote of my combat warm up and practising a few movements of my combat strikes. "Now I believe it is time for me to get beaten into the ground." I slowly moved in on him ready for a blow to come at any time. His first strike was at my head and I blocked it easily after all he was trying to figure out my state. My counter blow to his elbow was dodged easily and now I was already going all out. He was still building up unleashing fists kicks and all manner of other attacks of non-magical nature upon me I dodged and blocked most of them but some still came through. The damage was slowly building up on me over time but he was keeping it at acceptable levels for this to be termed as a sparring match though only just.
"You are weaker then I thought you would be but then again I guess this was never your speciality now was it?" He backs off a little then comes forward and tackles me to the floor I tried to dodge but it just put me in a slightly worse position as he had already anticipated that movement. As we landed on the floor he began laying the blows into me on the mat until he knocked me out.
As I woke up I saw him with an apologetic look on his face, "Sorry I was meant to make sure you were ready to go not make the injuries worse I go a little bit carried away with that." I stand up and do a few stretches to check that everything is still sitting in it's proper position.
"I believe everything is still functioning at acceptable parameters." I put my hand out to shake his hand. "It's fine I've had worse in a sparring match done to me. Once one of my enemies decided that he felt like removing my arm slowly but surely even though it was only supposed to be a spar."
The mans face twists into a grimace of disbelief, "You had your arm removed from your body?" I shake my head at that.
"No he felt like trying to remove it he didn't succeed as I stabbed him in the throat with a knife I'd left on the mat and killed him. "He was only having a spar I was there to assassinate him." I smiled prettily at him to knock him further off guard.
"You got away with that how?" I smiled brightly at him.
"Well you see he was able to stay alive for a time after the attack but then after a week suddenly a disease took him down. Or at least they say it was a disease really it was poison applied. I was well out of the city by that point after all I would not spend my time in the nearness of someone who had been so rude to me earlier in the week. So even if they wanted to blame it on me and catch me they would have had no chance at all." The man smiles at that before nodding and leading the way out of the room.
It was a while later and I was at the bar dressed in a very different clothing to the last time I was here the same man as last time was at the table. I was training my left eye in this situation to make sure it wouldn't suddenly send out massive waves of pain from just looking at someone who was stronger than me by a little or a fair amount. Anyway everything seemed to be going fine at this point in time I hoped it kept going that way as it likely wouldn't. Anyway it seemed that there was very few important things that were happening in this tavern today unlike last time. The girls weren't jealous of me either today especially since they didn't realise that I was the same girl as last time no one seemed to realise that unless they were in on it. I arrived at the mans table and he looked up at me. "I'll take an Apocalypse Burger and a Gloryhammer please lass. You are a much nicer girl then that one that was here yesterday. She was quite a bit to pushy but you also just wanted her to be nearby not right I say not right." I laugh at that and head off towards the counter.
"He wants an apocalypse burger boss and a Gloryhammer." I nod at him already at the stove.
"Tell him it will be 10 minutes and get a gloryhammer for him best not keep him waiting."
"Roger that sir." I move over as swiftly as I can to the tap and pour his drink out then I steadily walk to his table and deposit the drink on it. "The food will be 10 minutes sir. Do you want anything else whilst you wait?" He shakes his head whilst grabbing the drink.
I begin circling the bar tables asking if anyone would like anything to drink or eat or they need something else. None of them of course do.
The two girls at one of the tables stop me for a moment and one of them asks me to bend over I of course oblige as a respectable wait staff aught to even though they are also staff here whores. "Honey wouldn't you look a lot better in something a little more revealing?"
"I whisper back nope not in the slightest I have way to many scars for that. Do you wish for anything else?" The girl flicks her hand as if to tell me to leave so of course I do. The pair then begin to laugh to each other and mumble something likely to do with the fact that they got a slave on the staff now.
Time passes in the tavern and nothing much interesting happens after all everyone has likely heard the little bits of gossip by now and there is the odd heroic story or such but for the most part this place has a dead air hanging over it the people here are all regulars it seems and some have been coming here for as long as they can remember though that isn't really all that long once they have a few Gloryhammer's in their system. That stuff could knock a Space Marine for a six I am almost assured of it. A few more hours pass in the quietness of the bar and a sense of misery begins to pervade the place after some of the more boisterous men take the ladies back home. This place does not seem to be the home of the happy drunkard but instead is the place of the depressed and lonely. Now more so then last time I was here or maybe it takes all your senses to tell.
One of the men gets up a little bit after the depressing air sets in and goes outside it seems he just wanted to lighten the mood as he soon comes back in carrying a guitar. Which he soon begins playing some light hearted tune to but it doesn't do much as no one wants to join in on the singing. No one is ordering drinks or food so I sit down at my little table stiff as a pole and just wait until I can leave listening and watching for any kind of movement. The bartender soon enough claps his hands. "Enough of this mood I'm sure you are scaring away any of me potential new customers and we all knew he wasn't long for this world the suicidal idiot. So rouse yourselves from this stupor or get out and go somewhere else I won't have this moping continue for another minute."
THe guitarist begins playing the melody for a raunchy tune again as the crowd gets up off their haunches. The cause of the mood seems to have been the death of Frank that makes sense and I guess they are people whom have always lived a tough life each and every one of them.
The next day my routine is similar though this time the spar is much closer as he was going easy on me and he stops as soon as he can land me on my back. "I thought you were supposed to be an augmented human how come you still lose to little old me?" I stand up slowly from the ground still in guard stance. "Well you see my augments for the most part are sensory I can smell your cologne from here it's not that nice I'd change it if you can. Two you have been trained far far better in combat then I ever was it was not a priority for me to learn it was a skill only to be deployed in the most dire of circumstances which this definitely counts as and for the most part it was not supposed to be performed in this clothing but instead a synth skin suit or armed with a weapon such as a chainsword or lightning dagger or a gun and grenades or most commonly a crossbow. None of which I actually have access to at this moment in time. Hence I am fairly useless at this specific task." I pull myself together and prepare to leave. The pub block awaits me soon and I need to get rid of some of the bruises before I get there.
The pub was much more excitable today as compared to yesterday people were actually moving around and gossiping a little whereas yesterday they were keeping to themselves. One of the little gossip stories was about the actions of the silvery witch a semi-renowned pirate and the second mate in a crew. She was a disgusting magister whom was active in these parts anyway her and the crew she was part of had come into contact with a merman who was riding aboard a merchant vessel which was supposed to surprise people or something. But that didn't mean much to me and I had little enough interest in the matters of the ocean after all I was soon to be heading away from it again. Plus I existed near and around Spire Reef proper which was the gangs territory not the land of the docks which was where pirates placed their bounties. Anyway the only thing I cared about with disgusting magisters was whether or not I'd be able to kill them or not when we met.
There was a little bit of news regarding Scribbel it seems that a captain of the guard had gone out to investigate reports on a slime wave that was heading towards Scribbel. But it was not that impressive news I'd heard a little bit about the slime wave when I was adventuring and it still didn't sound like much of a problem to me. Slimes were not something that I couldn't be easily dealt with I'd actually worry more about the rats in the sewers over the slimes creating a wave. Anyway not my concern really I was hoping to be in and out of the city before it even started. I wanted to head off to the main base of the Misers which sounded to be a far more dangerous journey then even the one between here and Scribel with all it's bandits and problems.
Another interesting little tale that came into my ears was about how the Misers had just happened to remove a fairly large batch of rebelling slaves recently after being taken to them by the Gun Runners it seems my teachings had payed off for my disciple though I doubt she'd thank me for the harsh lessons she learned under me and much rather thank Benjamin for what she had learnt from him. But that was not my concern at all anymore as the Misers were back in the good books of the locals for that manoeuvre as it exposed that the slaves had been hiding out and stealing from the pirate crews funnily enough. No wonder the pirate lord had been so pissed that day the slaves had likely been stealing his revenue. It's actually a little funny though the decimation of that group of Misers I had learnt was just the loss of some cocky youngsters who had never been out of their mothers cares before.
The next four or so days were days of relaxation and peace and a fairly large gathering of people in the Misers territory the numbers had swelled since the day that I had arrived here and the place seemed relatively buzzing it seems the forces had collected here now and where ready for some major shift in the balance. I saw a few of the gun runners every now and then in the territory it seems that the group had gained a backer in the gangs finally after being forced into relying solely on the pirates for such a long time as they had after their last association fell through. Luckily I didn't bump into my disciple or the others just some low ranking goons who I'd seen once or twice. Whispers where in the air, the Misers where going to war with the gun runners against the Gutter runners and the floating scum another large gang as well as the pirates of the Alpine cove adnnd the pirates of the Northern shore. Yet the Misers would soon also be sending a small force out into the wild and lawless lands on an expedition to Scribel city.
The war was set to be a big affair in Spire Reef if it actually kicked off because it could easily just stay a matter between the gun runners and the gutter runners which I was actually thinking it would for quite a while to come as the Gun runners had only recently got this new backing and were still bringing power to their own cause for the future fights that would enivtably arise if they didn't completely crush the gutter runners which unless Natasha could greatly improve the situation for her boss it was unlikely to happen at all. Myself I doubt she could bring it that high and so it would stew until a new stone decided to through itself into the mix and create the larger war between the 4 major powers and the 2 minor ones. This fight would almost assuredly drag even more groups into the fight when it truly kicked off. Hence the build up was the Misers bringing their allies into the fold so they could keep a far better eye on them.
"AIEO get your stuff together we are leaving now." A gruff yell came at me from outside the dorm I quickly swept all my gear on and got ready to leave he comfort of Spire Reef it seems that there would be a small group of us from here and all the gangsters would take a period of time to make their way into Scribel. Wasn't one of the 5th strongest man in the expedition and so as one of his three lackeys I was in a position of relatively little power and that was made even more so when I knew for a fact that at this very moment in one on one combat I was the weakest member of the group by far I'd definitely be doing the chores and serving the drinks.
"On my way out boss." I yelled back to him as I'd taken a bit of extra time to grab a hat from a store and had left it on the dining table silly me. The hat was quite nice and accentuated my shady appearance especially with all the skulls that were all over my body now all I needed to get was an epic cape and a sword with glowing electricity running up and down it and my new outfit would be complete. On the skulls I now had 4 instead of 3 as yesterday I had killed someone trying to assassinate my boss with a bolt to the back of his head. All 4 skulls had the Imperial Aquilava drawn on them which was a two headed stylised cassowary. "You've been to Scribel before right AIEO?" I nod my head at his question no point in lying. "Okay then when we get back you may as well go and meet up with your friends and stuff for the time whilst we sort out a permanent accommodation for the gang. Anyway I hope you will make sure to keep everything a secret after all you wouldn't want something bad happening to you now would you?" He licks his knife as I nod back at him, the reporting on the plans can always happen for something I am not supposed to know and after the fact if I am supposed to know.
The journey would take about 14 days to get back to the city and the 14 days would be an exhausting experience as after all I was going to be cooking for the group of us during the mornings and I would still likely have to take a watch spot knowing these guys. But I was a part of the gang and I still hadn't been kicked out yet which was an excellent thing to me. It meant I could still make my way towards the Misers capital in the future and infiltrate the main organisation rather then one of these branch organisations even if I would be one of the founders sadly I would likely be the weakest of the founders of the Scribbel branch.
This is at least 11.1k words if you count both the story and the report it likely leans towards 11.2k words.
OOC: Tag is as appraised please.
And try to not add some pointless fluff next time just for the sake of getting a big word count, it's just annoying to read through some parts that we both know are there just to increase size.
Being woken up the in the early afternoon of the next day by Hejlikka, Liana was less instinctive this time as she managed to push the female elf away before attacking her. Getting ready for the City Guard Training, she said her goodbyes to the sleepy elf and then left for the City Guard Barracks.
You want to be on the City Guard, huh?A hotshot like yourself might have done a lot of solo work before...But here you'll have learn how to work as a team. You'll be assigned to a team of four rookies (two pairs). Your entire team needs to work together to pass the final exam. Either you all pass or you all fail! Rewards:
Arriving at the City Guard Barracks, Liana's arm was immediately pulled by Harrison, who dragged her tired body to the sleeping quarters. "Why the heck are you so late arriving?! The other trainees have already introduced themselves, had morning training and been assigned their sleeping quarters! Afternoon training sessions will begin in a few minutes! Don't you know I hate tardiness?!"
Liana smiled wryly as she felt no strength in her body under the harsh afternoon sun, "I'm really not a day person...Hence why I always do the night shifts..."
"...Really?" Harrison turned around in disbelief, before recalling how Liana always seemed very energetic and enthusiastic to do the night shifts. "Well...bear with it for a week!"
"...I'll try...but please excuse me for noon...I beg of you..."
"...You're really pushing your luck!"
Reaching a door, the guard captain knocked on it before entering a room with three people unpacking their belongings on their beds.
"Trainees! Meet your final member, Liana! She's a weak woman with no combat experience, so be sure to keep her safe! Now, introduce yourselves then come to the training yard for afternoon training!" Leading Liana to the only empty bed in the room, Harrison then promptly left.
"..." "..." "..." "..."
The four people were silent, not bothering to introduce themselves as they continued unpacking their belongings.
"Ah...this is going to be difficult...isn't it...?" Liana thought as she wryly smiled at the three men she was to share a room with: a man with wolf-ears and tail, a male elf, and a male dark elf. "Um...would it be all right if you told me your names...at least...?" She smiled awkwardly, feeling really out of place in the room.
The man with wolf ears and tail finished unpacking and walked up to Liana, before abruptly sniffing her neck, "You smell weird for a human. The name's Lyle." He held out his hand to shake while his expression was blank.
"...Ah, Lyle? Nice to meet you, I'm Liana. Sorry that I smell weird...I'll try to clean myself to not offend your nose..." She started by smiling gently, before looking a bit dejected.
"Mm." Lyle then left the room, not bothering to continue the conversation.
"..."
The other two finished their unpacking and just walked past Liana without saying anything, also leaving the room just as a hand bell was being rung from somewhere. Following her teammates, she found herself entering a large courtyard that was filling up with a lot of men - with very few women. Seeing how everyone was lining up in fours, Liana noticed her roommates had gathered in one area and so stood with them - all the while feeling the stares from a lot of people who realised she wasn't there in the morning exercises.
The head instructor stood at the front and gave a small speech detailing the itinerary for the afternoon before signalling for the other instructors to go to their assigned teams and begin afternoon training. Liana's group seemed to have a green-haired elf who refused to give his name until he deemed them worthy of knowing it. He paired the elf and dark elf together, leaving Liana with Lyle.
"F*ck!" The wolf-kin muttered under his breath while the other guys had a gleeful look on their faces.
"It seems...that I'm not liked..." Liana thought as the instructor began teaching them grappling moves to test on each other's partners. Due to it being daytime, Liana had absolutely no strength and so was easily grappled to the floor within a few seconds - earning the snickering of the elves and the shouting of the instructor for being so weak. Feeling embarrassed, but also frustrated, over the situation - Liana could only try her best against Lyle.
After an hour of grappling training, the instructors ordered all of the trainees to run laps around the courtyard until sunset. Liana struggled to even complete four laps before the fatigue from being awake during the day overwhelmed her and she collapsed - barely maintaining consciousness. The team instructor yelled at her, before ordering Lyle to pick her up and take her to the medical area - which earned his ire for disrupting his training. Once she'd been placed on the bed, he immediately left to resume his training, leading Liana to end up falling asleep due to there being no mental stimulation.
Once dusk arrived, Liana woke up full of energy and promptly got out of bed. Rushing over to the courtyard, the training for the afternoon had already ended - with the trainees going to the canteen building for some food before evening exercises. A few of the men saw Liana and pulled disgruntled expressions, with some of them complaining about why she got to sleep all afternoon when they were training hard. Hearing these words, Liana hugged herself defensively as she searched for the rest of her team.
Not finding her teammates, all she could do was head to the canteen to try and locate them there. However, Harrison grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side, "What the heck are you playing at?! I sent you here to train and get some combat skills for your own safety, why are you slacking off and sleeping all afternoon?! Darlio is furious with you!"
"..." Liana hung her head and dejectedly responded, "...I'm sorry...I didn't intend on falling asleep..."
"Well try harder! I thought you were a diligent person, not a lazy slacker!" Harrison was fuming, drawing the attention of some of the other trainees who were nearby.
Holding back her tears, Liana could only shrink in on herself and feebly respond, "...I'm really sorry...sir..."
"Hmph! As punishment, you're banned from eating tonight! I'll inform the head instructor at once! Now get out of my sight!"
"...Yes sir..."
Liana hurried away from the guard captain as her tears began to silently fall. As she went around the corner, Harrison saw Liana's teammates and punished them for not working as a team and helping her, thus banning them from eating too.
When the bell rang for evening exercises, Liana was the first to arrive as she stood straight in her team's allocated position. The instructors and trainees arrived, to which the head instructor then announced that they'd be doing willpower and mental endurance training by standing still until midnight. Anyone who so much as shifted a foot, or scratched a nose would be banned from having breakfast.
As the night passed on, more and more people ended up getting punished as the trainees struggled to keep awake after a long day of training. Liana was the only one in her group who managed to stay perfectly still with no signs of fatigue; actually brimming with more energy than during the day, which made her teammates sneer - thinking it was because she'd slept all afternoon. Once midnight approached, the head instructor dismissed them trainees and ordered for them to meet up at dawn; any latecomers would be banned from having lunch.
Returning to their room, Liana could sense the three men were openly ignoring her presence as they chatted with each other about some stuff before heading to sleep. Seeing them all close their eyes, Liana sat on her bed in silence and pondered over what she should do about this training, thinking that she was likely going to get in more trouble in the coming days.
The second day arrived with the dawn, as a bell rang out around the barracks to wake the trainees up. Liana was already awake and dressed, thus had headed to the courtyard before everyone else. Once everyone had congregated, the head instructor meted out the punishments for the latecomers before announcing the morning itinerary. After his little speech, the team instructors took their trainees away to separate parts of the courtyard and presented a rack of various weapons to them.
"I want you to choose a weapon that best suits you, or you feel comfortable with, and I'll have you test it out with your partners. After that, I'll give you some pointers. Ah, another thing, Miss Liana, you'll be assigned a weapon by me since most of these are not suitable for you and you're weak, so you'll go last."
"...Yes sir..."
Lyle immediately headed for some claw weapons, stating how he usually used his own claws when fighting and thought it would be good to use something that enhanced his own natural combat. The dark elf chose a bow and arrow, which made the team instructor smile happily, "Good! A fellow archer! I'll be sure to train you hard, Aniur!"
"Yes, sir!" Aniur responded enthusiastically.
The elf picked up a wooden stick with a gem entwined in the simple vine-like carvings, and twiddled it in his fingers before pointing it at the ground at Liana's feet - releasing a green light that resulted in a load of hard and gnarly roots to shoot out of the ground and wrap around her feet, bringing some pain from their tight grasp.
"Ohhh, we've got a magic-user! Good, good! I'll be sure to get one of the other instructors with knowledge on magic to help you if you're stuck."
"Thank you, sir!" The elf smirked proudly before glancing at Liana amusingly, as the roots tightened even more around her feet.
"..." Liana kept silent, not wishing to make herself an even bigger target for her teammates to go after.
"As for you..." The green-haired elf looked up and down at Liana, moving around her as he inspected her physique. "...I think a long-ranged weapon with good versatility would be best for you, since you look so fragile." He went over to the rack and began choosing a weapon for her.
The other three guys had already started talking with each other, discussing things about how they ended up choosing the weapons they did, while also saying their style of combat was better than the others'. As this went on, Darlio took out a billhook and threw it towards Liana, resulting in her slowly reacting and fumbling to catch it before dropping it. The other guys snickered at the scene, while the green-haired elf's eyebrow twitched in visible annoyance.
"Pick it up and swing it a few times so I can see if it will suit your physique." The team instructor ordered impatiently, noticing how other team instructors had already begun giving pointers to pairs.
"Yes, sir..." Feeling weaker with every passing minute from the rising sun, Liana bent over and picked up the billhook and strained to lift it and swing it; her weak arms moving the weapon very slowly, with her almost dropping it from the momentum of the weapon as it swung down.
The team instructor sighed in frustration, before moving over to help correct Liana's stance - resulting in the young woman going frigid and start to shiver involuntarily from the close contact. Ignoring his trainee's visible discomfort, Darlio grabbed Liana and forced her to go through the motions of properly swinging the billhook so he could see if it was suited for her, or not. Finally releasing her after a minute of testing out the weapon, he gave a curt nod, "This will be okay for you. You just need to work on your strength..." He sighed as he thought there was no way she'd be able to pass the exam by the end of the week at this rate.
With the weapons all chosen, the team was made to go against their partners to see what the overall skill level was like. Aniur and the elf split far apart from one another, due to them both being long-ranged attackers. Lyle immediately charged in and swiped his metal claws towards Liana's face, which narrowly missed as the billhook somehow caught the tips from her instinctively raising it in defence - albeit a bit too slowly. Lyle then followed through with his swing by using his momentum to do a spin kick into Liana's abdomen.
"Khrgh!" Liana got knocked backwards and fell onto the ground, becoming dazed in the process.
"Heh." Lyle smirked before running up to her and going to swipe at her again with his metal claws.
"That's enough!" Shouted Darlio as he fired an arrow from his bow, which hit Lyle's claws pushing him back. The green-haired elf looked angry as he glared at the wolf-kin, "Your opponent is already knocked down, there's no need to continue since this is supposed to be a mock battle - meaning no actual killing." He emphasised the last three words, since he'd sensed the malicious intent from Lyle's aura and movements.
Lyle clicked his teeth with a blank face before making a show of dragging Liana back on her feet. Seeing that the pair had no injuries, the team instructor told them to continue practising while he went to observe the other pair.
***
A few minutes before noon, Liana could barely keep conscious as her lethargic movements caused her to gain injury after injury from Lyle's aggressive attacks. The instructor had admonished how weak she was and complained about how she didn't seem to be taking the exercise seriously from her lacking enthusiasm. By this point, Liana had become exceptionally detached as her eyes were a dull red.
Rushing to attack the young woman for the nth time, Lyle changed his action at the last minute and moved to attack her from behind. Noon arrived at that moment - with the sun reaching its apex - and Liana collapsed onto Lyle. The wolf-kin reflexively caught her limp body and fell onto the ground, then complained about it before noticing his partner looked dead.
***
Waking up as soon as the sun set, Liana saw that her surroundings had changed, with her in one of the medical room beds. Outside, she heard the sound of a bell ringing which - no doubt - signified the end of afternoon training. Sitting up, she saw no one was around and so got up and left for the training courtyard. Stares bored into her sides and back as she stepped into the courtyard and saw some instructors still there. Searching for her own instructor with detached, dull red eyes, she noticed Harrison was talking with the head instructor with a stern expression and shied away.
Not wanting to draw the guard captain's attention, she slunk into the growing shadows of the nearby building and hid behind the corner of the wall.
"What are you doing?"
"..." Liana turned around and saw Lyle with Aniur and the elf covered in bruises and bandages with disdainful expressions plastered on their faces. Not responding, she walked away from them with a detached look and decided to try and find something to eat since she was starting to feel a little hungry.
"Hey! Where're going?!" Lyle grabbed Liana's arm and yanked her back to face him, "I asked you a question? The decent thing is to answer!" His eyes glowed gold as his pupils changed to a wolf's before he shoved her against the wall.
"..." Liana just stared at him with detached eyes, not seeing the point in answering his hypocritical words.
Lyle grew angry at this as he growled lowly and grabbed the front of her dress, "B*tch! Do you realise how much trouble you keep getting us in because of your antics? I got severely reprimanded for 'knocking you unconscious' this morning, even though I did nothing to you!" He slammed his hand against the wall beside Liana and glared into her dull red eyes, "Why don't you f*ck off and f*ck the guard captain like you usually do, you b*tch! Why else would he be so protective of a slut like you who only knows how to collapse from a little exercise?!"
"Oh? So she's my woman now, is it? That's news to me. Hey, Anthony, did you know I had a woman?" The gruff voice of Harrison chilling with ice coldness sounded behind Lyle and the others, making them all turn around. They saw the guard captain and head instructor standing there with sour expressions.
The head instructor replied, "If you did, the whole barracks would be talking about it."
Harrison looked at Anthony and raised his brow, "Has they?"
"No, the only gossip has been about the missing Lord Wiscard Bruhn and the slime horde that's getting closer."
"Ah, right. So..." They both looked at Liana and her teammates, "Why are you treating an innocent woman like this? Aren't you supposed to be her teammates?" The guard captain's face looked beyond angry.
Lyle finally let go of Liana and refuted, "But, sir! She's done nothing but cause problems for us since she got here!" The elf and Aniur nodded in agreement.
"About that, Harrison's spoken to me about some stuff and we've decided to change your itinerary compared with everyone else."
The four trainees looked at the head instructor, then the guard captain before looking at the head instructor again.
"For the rest of the training period, Liana will only work with you during the evening sessions, where you'll focus on teamwork. For the morning and afternoon sessions, the three of you will work together as normal without Liana since she is too disruptive. I sincerely hope that you will be able to put aside any grudges by the end of the week. Don't forget, you'll be marked as a team; if you don't help each other I'll straight out fail you even if you complete the task we'll give you!"
With that, the head instructor left while Harrison motioned to the woman, "Liana, come with me!" before promptly turning and heading for the training courtyard.
Liana weaved her way around her teammates and followed after the guard captain, a little unsure of what was going to happen. Reaching their destination, Harrison stopped and glanced over, "You know, I knew you didn't have any combat skills...but to even collapse during the initial weapon training?" His face expressed disbelief and surprise before smiling wryly. "Look, I know you said you weren't a day person but don't you think you've been a bit too pathetic? You realise that the other trainees are talking about how they can't understand why you're here, right?"
"...How would I, when they don't talk to me?" She responded with a detached voice.
"...Ah...you really drew the short straw with those teammates...No one else wanted to be in their team..." He scratched the back of his head, "They kind of have a bad reputation for being loners, or trying to take the credit for others' work. Anyway, I brought you here to explain your new schedule." The bell rang for the evening exercises, forcing Harrison to explain as quickly as possible, "I discussed with Anthony and we've concluded that you'll do your training at night under close supervision by me and some other guards. During the day, you can sleep from late morning to late afternoon."
The first wave of trainees started arriving from the canteen area as Liana asked in a detached tone, "...Why do this?"
"Because I don't want to lose face in front of the others for sending you here!" He then stormed off in a huff, leaving Liana to go to her team's designated spot for team exercises.
***
As midnight approached, the trainees finally ended their training for the day and left for their rooms. Lyle, Aniur and the elf looked at Liana with displeased eyes, since she managed to keep up with them when making combat formations. They then ignored her as they returned to their room, leaving Liana behind to continue training with Harrison and the supervisors assigned to keep watch.
Once dawn approached, she was moved indoors to study team tactics while the other trainees began their morning exercises. As late-morning arrived, her new instructor told her she could go to bed now, which she did. Reaching her empty room, she fell asleep straight away - completely segregated from the rest of the trainees.
Waking up to the sound of knocking at the door, Liana sluggishly got out of bed and opened the door.
"It's time for some theory lessons before the evening team exercises! Follow me!" Harrison said as he marched off without waiting for Liana to respond.
Quickly washing her face with a cloth provided by the barracks, she swiftly caught up to the guard captain. Glancing through the windows, she could see the other trainees practising with their weapons against their partners. A nice scent wafted through the window, making Liana feel a bit thirsty, but the wind blew in the other direction taking the scent with it. Pausing at the window, Harrison noticed her stop and turned to see the young woman gazing longingly at the trainees.
"You'll get to train with them in a few hours. For now, you need to brush up on your abysmal knowledge on combat theory!" The guard captain then resumed his march down the corridor with Liana sluggishly following behind.
***
As soon as the sun set, Liana began feeling energised again, resulting in her detached face perking up a bit. Hearing the bell to signify the start of the evening exercises, Harrison stopped the theory lesson and guided Liana to the courtyard. Upon arriving, several trainees noticed her and began whispering with their teammates. Finding the spot where her own team was situated, she saw their moods immediately sour after seeing her - clearly not enthused about having to work with her.
Until midnight came, Liana, Lyle, Aniur and Frode struggled through the many different team formations and tactics the head instructor ordered them all to perform. It was during this exercise that Liana finally learned the name of her third teammate - however it was only due to Aniur shouting it when the elf moved to the wrong position and not because the elf chose to introduce himself. When the evening exercises were over, the trainees once again left for their sleeping quarters while Liana stayed behind to do weapon training.
Although she was more energised and had much more strength to lift the billhook, Liana noticed how she was definitely weaker than she had been a few days ago. Bearing this thought in mind, she realised that she hadn't eaten anything since the day before she arrived at the barracks. Thinking this, she could only smile wryly inside as she wondered how she was going to solve this problem. Once dawn approached, Liana's movements turned sluggish again and Harrison called an end to the weapon training.
Hearing the bell for trainees to wake up and head to the training courtyard, Liana left said location and followed after the guard captain to their usual study room for more theory lessons. As soon as the mid-morning bell rang for trainees to have breakfast, Harrison ended the lesson and allowed Liana to go to bed. Returning to her room, she took her clothes off, cleaned herself up and then promptly fell asleep on the bed.
With a routine established for herself and the trainees, the rest of the week went by quickly as people got more used to the different times for activities, breaks, eating and sleeping. Liana managed to successfully get her stance right for thrusting her billhook, but the effort it took to use her muscles to powerfully move the weapon forward was getting more taxing as the days went by. As for the combat theory lessons...Liana was still struggling a bit with it due to not fully understanding the various technical terms the guards used for manoeuvres as well as the reasoning behind why certain tactics were used when.
Although her theory lessons were slow-going, her teamwork training was abysmal. Lyle constantly rushed to the front of the formation without paying attention to where the rest of the team was; Aniur was more bothered about getting a good position for sniping rather than covering; Frode focused more on tripping Liana up with roots and vines rather than on helping everyone by hindering the training enemy; and Liana could barely do anything since she didn't know what the best tactic to use was, nor had much skill with wielding the billhook - as well as the fact her footwork kept getting messed up by Frode. As a result, the team constantly bickered with one another while Liana just silently watched and listened with a detached expression. She had little hope of them ever getting along for the exam...plus...she was really hungry.
Since the exam was going to be the next day, Harrison told Liana to go to bed with everyone else, which earned the ire of her teammates for being in the same room as them when they were sleeping. Entering the room, Lyle immediately grabbed Liana's shoulder and pushed her against the door.
"You better not get in our way during the exam tomorrow. I don't want to step back and find your weapon stuck in my back because you let go while swinging aimlessly!" He said, as he recalled the situation the day before of that exact thing almost happening - if not for the green-haired elf instructor's timely intervention with his bow and arrow.
"...I will try not to get in your way..." She responded in a detached voice, before pulling Lyle's hand off her shoulder and heading straight to bed.
"...B*tch!" He muttered under his breath before getting ready for bed himself.
The other two guys ignored the conversation and went to sleep, clearly not interested in trying to keep a team mentality. Noticing all of this, Liana turned over so her back was to the others and went to sleep.
Dawn arrived and the familiar sound of bells rang through the barracks, waking all of the trainees up. Harrison arrived and knocked on the door, to which Frode opened. Entering the room, the guard captain saw that Liana was still sleeping like the dead while the others were fully dressed and ready to leave. He glared at them before moving to wake the young woman up.
Shaking her awake, Liana groggily woke up with dull red eyes and instinctively grabbed Harrison's hand however - since Harrison was so strong from years of training, and Liana was so weak from not eating - he easily brushed her hand away and dragged her out of bed. "Get up, or else I'll fail you for tardiness!" At this, the other three team members left in a rush while Liana lethargically got out of bed and was dragged to the training courtyard by the guard captain.
Upon arriving, everyone was stood in columns in their teams - the head instructor, Anthony, stood at the front with the other instructors. Once everyone had arrived, he gave a little speech stating how the week's training had culminated into this day and that the experience they gained - no matter whether they failed or passed - was still a valuable thing to learn. He then explained the process of the exam: two teams against each other, with the losers having a second chance to fight against another team that lost. The second exam would be pairs within teams against the other pairs in their teams. He never stated the criteria for passing the exam but most assumed it meant beating the other side with team work. With that, head instructor Anthony listed off names from a clipboard and assigned them to a location. After reading out everyone's names, the first exam for the trainees took place.
The exam for Liana's team started as well as she expected: poorly. As soon as the bell rang to signify the beginning of the fight, Lyle ignored the rest of the team and rushed straight into the other team's defences. Liana was feeling weak from the rising sun and hunger, so didn't move from her spot while waiting for the other side to get closer for her to not waste energy. Aniur fired his arrows at Lyle to hinder him so he could take the glory of beating the other team instead. Meanwhile...Frode decided to entangle the entire teams' feet in roots...their team, not the opposing team.
Suffice it to say, the other team did remarkably much better: one of them was clearly the established leader of the group and effortlessly ordered the team into a defensive formation to counter Lyle's charge. They then split in two and surrounded him - attacking from all sides. One of the team members had a large shield and was using it to protect another member from a stray arrow of Aniur's, while the one being protected fired an arrow back at Aniur. They successfully incapacitated both Lyle and Aniur, then switched their focus to Frode and Liana.
Liana watched everything with a detached expression, however when her teammates got some injuries she reacted by instinct and headed towards the bleeding Aniur. Thinking she was going over to help, Frode didn't want his teammate to get back up and steal his glory, so he created a wooden stake and fired it with his magic into her shoulder to keep her away.This action was followed by the other team reaching Liana, where the one with the shield bashed her and knocked her out. The other teams' magic user then used fire magic to burn away the roots around Frode, as well as his wand, causing the elf to scream in pain and frustration before the instructors observing called the end of the battle.
The rest of the day passed by with Liana stuck in the medical room due to her shoulder injury and being anaemic - thus passing out. The other members were reprimanded and immediately told they failed completely on the grounds that they all attacked their own team members and didn't use any team tactics at all. Once the day ended, a majority of the trainees actually passed with flying colours, with Liana's being one of the worst examples of teamwork shown to the instructors. Some of the guards were calling for Aniur and Frode to be forbidden from ever working with the guards for their selfishness and maliciousness - however Darlio, the green-haired elf instructor argued their case by saying they were just impulsive and prideful without the experience of being in a situation that truly required teamwork. Thus, they were begrudgingly allowed to continue having relations with the guards in quests.
Once dusk arrived, Liana woke up and found Harrison sitting by her bed. Seeing her wake up, he sighed exasperatedly, "One week really wasn't long enough for you. As for your team..." He sighed again, "...it wasn't entirely your fault but you didn't help it." He got up from his seat and headed for the door, "Go back home and think about what you've learned this week. If you intend on continuing as a member of the adventurer's guild then you need to seriously get in shape and learn how to use that billhook Darlio recommended to you. As for how, just come back here for the training. See you when you next do a Night Watch quest." He waved his hand at her and left.
Getting out of bed, Liana briefly glanced out of the window where the award ceremony for those who passed was being held, before leaving the barracks. Heading for the guild, she thought about how weak and pitiful she was compared to everyone else. How she was heavily restricted by a lot of factors and she needed to find a solution for them if she intended on not suffering from those who had more skill and power. She thought of Jasper and shuddered, yet there was also a bit of longing there. As soon as such a feeling appeared, a sharp pain assaulted her mind before all she thought about was her master.
Reaching the guild receptionist desk, she wrote her report with a detached expression and handed in the signed note from the head instructor, stating that she had failed the exam exceptionally with not a single positive thing to mark her on. As for Liana...she just wanted to eat something...
[OOC:
NPC's mentioned:
- Lyle, a wolf-kin
- Aniur, a dark elf
- Frode, an elf
- Darlio, an elf guard (@Epsil mentioned him in Vysic's training report and thought it would be nice to mention him again)
- Anthony, guard chosen to be head instructor during the training and exam
- Harrison Bridger, a guard captain
Liana has gained negligible combat training
Liana has gained negligible billhook weapon training]
Hello~ I'm Reciful, I'll be Evaluating your Report on this occasion~....*Bows*
Ooooh~ slime Subjugation! Wow nice~ this things are indeed pest... Well for humans~
Being carefree is fine~..... Don't worry, take your time... There is no time limit for this quest anyway.
As for the wolf... Do you have a taming skill?... If you do, it might take A while to tame the feral wild dog of the forest... If not careful It might bite your head off, you know?
A little girl entered the guild hall, she is moving step by step more awkwardly than usual.
The little girls trade mark clothe her 'plain white one piece dress' is in complete tatters, barely holding her body from being seen bare naked.
Her whole body is covered by her own black blood. As a large burn cover haft of her body & many deep cuts from sword can be seen clearly.
The little girl is also missing her right arm for some reason.. but, if one look closely they can notice its regenerating at a very slow rate
The little girl name is Reciful... She currently standing in front of the guild receptionist counter, which she barely reach's.
Her iconic Black writing canvas is nowhere to be found.. Reciful give her report to the receptionist with her still intact left arm... & Absurdly left without even waiting for it evaluation wherever its success or fail.
The Receptionist just silently watch the little girl leaves the building, unable to form any words from that sight... & Look upon the report that may contain the answers....
A flare is shot 16 hours ago from somewhere outside Scrible city...
Reciful's task is to look & find where the one who makes the distress signal.
Reciful entered the shadows travel's through the darkness of the dead of the night, since its much faster than going on foot, Reciful is still not yet completely comfortable walking with humans feet's.
Ignoring some slime, boars, & Goblins in the distance. Reciful just focus traveling to the location of the Distress signal, in Northwest direction... Since the Receptionist said its urgent.
From the distance Reciful saw something shining in the darkness of night & also sounds of shouting & metal clashing.. So Reciful went towards the direction of the light.
*****
After a few minute
What Reciful found is 3 carriage one is shallowed by flames, 12 people wearing armour, 5 of them is gravely wounded. They are protecting 4 people not wearing armour.
The 3 of the 4 people, are golden haired & have blue eyed pupils. They are people that wears fancy yet funny looking dress... & The last one is a Old man wearing a robe like those magic guys in the guild.
They are against a rather large group of slimes, in various size & type variety... From Reciful Observations there are plenty of Poison Slime, Acidic Slimes, & Even some Herb/Healing Slimes is present attacking the humans, they are in great disadvantage.
why so?.. the knight guys armour is useless against the Acidic Slimes, & there is many Poison slime too! waiting for a ambush at any given moment, they won't be able to constantly heal its poison forever.
Since Reciful can't find right timing to Join them!... Reciful thought of an Idea!
While in the cover of night, deep in the shadow of the forest. Reciful gathered stones, pebbles, rock & Boulder! Many-manyyy~ of it!!
Then, Reshaping Reciful tendrils/tentacles producing many vacuum suction cup like that of a Octopus! To Vacuum the small stones, like pebbles & fist sized rock. then aiming it at the group of slime! & Bam!! Shooting in rapid succession! Upon the slimes!!
*RAT-TATATATAT-TATATAT!!* Rapid sounds of stone and Pebbles projectile, cutting through air all in high-speed!
The humans were alarmed of the sudden unknown sounds, then immediately they were left dumbased upon the spectacle happening in front them.
Many slimes jelly bodies, were helplessly punctured! By high-speed pebbles projectile. Shaving a chunck of their body in each hit, while other die immediately when their core get shot!. soon after, large boulder rock suddenly rain down killing each & every slime who luckily survive the shooting... Only to be crushed from above.
The slime is still way too many! But, as if they are being command by someone, they immediately retreated somewhere.
The human fell on their knee in relief. They survive the slime attack.
Seeing the coast is clear! Reciful decided to greet the group of human! In a friendly way...... naively, Innocently, foolishly.
****
Oh the slimes run away~
Reciful did a good job!! Reciful is a genius!!.
Since the humans is now slime free!... Reciful shall greet them & ask them if they are ok & also if they are the one who make the distress signal~
Reciful walks towards them, waving Reciful's hand & tendrils as an act of hello greeting~
while still in her partial humanoid form...
" Thank you for saving us! what your-----name--!!!! "
The Blond haired guy who is a noble approach Reciful & gives thanks.
Reciful, writes on her Black Writing canvas to reply...but then..
"M...M-m-MONSTER!!! A DEMON!! AAAAHHHH!!!"
Eh?..... there is still slimes? Reciful is about to attack the monster, that the noble guy mentioned with Reciful Tendrils.. but then
... A large ball of fire suddenly approach Reciful at the front.....
.......Eh?
" Young master!! come back here! the slimes is just its minions the true evil finally appear!!" Said by the old wizard man
*BooooooOOOOM!!!* The large fire ball exploded at Reciful sending her body flying & clash in a nearby tree.
"Uuuuaaaghh!!" Reciful Vomited black blood, as Reciful twist in pain of magic attack.
Eh... Eh?... What happen?... Eh... Why Reciful is in pain?.... It hurts..It hurts...IthurtsIthurtsIthurtsIthurtsIthurts!!!
When Reciful looks up another magic attack is in coming this time smaller fire balls.
Eh........why....why...why... they attack Reciful...why?
*Bam**Bam*bam**Bam**Bam*bam* many explosion echo as each & every fire ball hits Reciful's small body~
"!!!!!!!!! Uuugghh!!!!!!" Reciful felt her body is being burned by magical fire.
" I-I-It still alive!? Knights!!... Attack the evil Demon!! "
Reciful is about to reach her Writing Canvas to write a massages saying she is not demon that she is not a enemy..... Unfortunately.
When she reach her Canvas in the ground.. her right hand has pierced by a throwing spear... Skewering her right hand & the Canvas to the ground.
Soon after, many more spear came raining down on her body.
*Thud**Thud**Thud**Thud*
"Uuuugahh!!" Reciful Vomited a large amount of blood. as many spear punctured her body to the ground.
" DIE MONSTER!!" *slash*
"THIS IS YOUR END DEMON!!" *slash*
"DIE-DIE-DIE-JUST ALREADYY!!" *slash**slash**slash*
Knights approach Reciful and Keep stabbing, & slashing her body repeatedly! Her dress is torn, her flesh is chip off, her black blood sprayed like a fountain.
It hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts please stopp!!
Then a large fire ball than before aimed at Reciful....*BOOOOOM*
" Begone wicked!!! May the gods vanquish you from existence " the old man shouted
But when Explosion clear up..... The demons remains is nowhere to be found
Reciful escapes by entering her own shadow.... 3 days later she pass her report to the guild
OCC: aaaaaand there!!! a introduction of some of Reciful weakness,my god~ it reach up to level 4 just to show it eh ... Magic attacks!, sharp objects!! & Her greatest weakness her naiveness & Innocence....
Ahaha! from this point Reciful will change her personality! Bye bye childish Reciful!!....maybe
Poor girl... She needs to be more aware of what her own appearance looks like to others...
*attaches a note together with the rewards and asks it to be delivered to Reciful*
"Dear miss Reciful, I have read your report and have deemed it as successful, as you saved the people under attack in the direction the distress signal came from.
"I am deeply sorry from hearing about what you went through though, while I cannot condone what the people you saved did, I can understand their actions.
"Miss Reciful, your true form is scary. The people that don't know you aren't aware that you're their friend, they'll think you're their enemy because they're scared of you. It is the normal prejudice that most living beings have, we're scared of the unknown.
"I'm afraid you'll go through many more painful experiences if you don't learn this... I plead you, please be more cautious about who you show your true form to. I have read your previous reports and I know you have a good heart within you, but others might not know so. Please try to use your proper human form when interacting with strangers, for your own sake.
"May the gods protect you and clear any misconceptions others have on you.
"-A priestess of The Goddess,
"Nene."
Final Reward:
Exp: 200 Money: 20G
OOC: Remember to tag your report as appraised in some way~
When vagrants break the law, they are sent to prison.
If they're found guilty, they could be hanged for their crimes.
Guarding them shouldn't be too difficult...
Well, as long as nothing goes wrong.
Rewards:
Points: 60 EXP
Money: 10 G
Other: n/a
> > >
"Hey."
she raised her head, and looked at the woman behind the bars.
"If you're free, can you listen to me?"
She nodded. It was a harmless request, after all.
"You know, before this, I was an adventurer like you." The woman said. "Then, I was married. We were happy."
She just looked at the woman. She did not know how to react at the woman's story.
The woman continued, "He then, made me pregnant. During this time, he went behind my back and made another girl pregnant."
So, did she murder the woman? or did she murder the man?
"He promised that he won't do it anymore. Somehow, I accepted his apology. As for the woman with him, she left her child with him. From there, she was never seen anymore. Together, we were raising both girls as our own."
Never seen? was that euphemism of killing the woman, or was it real?
"It was six years later, that she reappeared."
So, she was not killed.
"She asked to meet her child. I questioned her, where was she for the last six years?"
Hmm... would this story turn into a murder case?
"She ignored me. She asked my husband to see her child. Seeing the woman begged in tears, my husband relented."
Not yet, huh.
"The woman meet her daughter. At first, the woman asked her child if she wanted to go with her. She did not want to leave her family, she said. Then, my child said, why not live together, then? Both she and her sister will have two mama. And two is better than one."
Did that woman wormed her way to the family?
"My husband then asked me, if it is alright. I disagreed in my heart. But what could I do? I was no longer working as adventurer. From that day on, we are one family. One year after that, that woman gave birth to another child."
Her guess was right.
"I began to distance myself. I started to work at the alchemist guild. I distanced myself from that family."
She couldn't wait... would she murder them all?
"Then... an adventurer came to my place. He was really handsome, if I had to describe his features."
She blinked. Wasn't hers a murder story? Since when the genre shifted into romance?
"He became my assistant for that day. That night, after he was done, he asked me if I wanted to spend the night in the tavern with him. I said yes. I thought it was just invitation for dinner. The devil in me whispered to me that if my husband was alright for cheating me, then why shouldn't I?"
She continued, "We ate. we drink. I became drunk, and he invited me to his bedroom."
Then, the woman cheated the man.
"I didn't remember what we did that night. When I woke up in his bed, I was only covered in bedsheet, while I saw his corpse hanging from a rope."
Wait. Could she repeat that once again?
"I screamed. Someone probably heard me, and opened the door somehow. The tavern owner, seeing me with the corpse, then delivered me here."
"So I was here, waiting for the verdict from the judge. Can you deliver a message to my husband? Say that I am sorry, for cheating on him. I'm sorry for not being a faithful wife. Also, if you saw that woman, say this: please make our husband and children happy."
She nodded. She decided then, after her shift ended, she would honor the request.
"I'm glad." the woman smiled slightly.
After that, the woman sat there in her cell.
+++
It was morning, when the other guard relieved her from her shift. She went to the guard office.
"Can you tell Mei her name?" she asked the officer.
"Whose name? Oh, you mean the prisoner you guarded? Lena Baker, If I remembered correctly. Why?"
"Message to her family."
"Hmm... so are you asking about her address?"
She nodded. The man wrote it on a paper and gave it to her. After she gave the man her thanks, she left the premise. Following her arrival on her house, she gave the man and the woman her mesage. She wanted to hurt them, for hurting Lena. But Lena treasured her family, so she stayed her hand. She left the house and report the quest completion to the guild.
"Poor woman, she's got nothing to be sorry about." Vesper mumble as he finish reading the report, "since it's not certain she was the murder I hope we dig in to this more so everyone gets their justice."
Well I was back in Scribel after an exhausting journey from Spire Reef. I had been ordered by the boss of the criminal organisation to go and relax and so I was going to bloody well relax. Who decided that I should only get 4 hours of sleep for 14 days and than to delay us all for an extra 15 that's right we were delayed sightseeing for 15 days because one of the big shots wanted to go and look at something what exactly it was I have forgotten now but by the time he decided he wanted to see it well it was back tracking 6 days and then 8 days to get back to here. the entire time I was forced into cooking breakfast and than when we "somehow" got lost they decided that because I had made the journey once I could lead it but anyway I somehow got us back on track well not really I just led us in a straight line till we found a river and then estimated what part of the river we were at and led us along it's banks back to the path. The big wig was happy getting to walk along the river for so long but not me nope I was distressed by being on 4 hours of sleep a night max for at that point about 3 weeks of course I can easily function at full capacity on no sleep but that means I have to actually regulate everything which you can't do on a 3 week trek.
Anyway I'm sure I blathered on enough about my problems but wait now on to more problems. Yes of course there was more with such a big group with such dangerous looking appearance we weren't attacked by things along the way. Nope it was 100% a personal problem that only I experienced. There were 3 girls on the trip other than me nice enough I guess but they wouldn't stop trying to include me into things after I'd done all my jobs at night of course that wasn't every night but they would often keep me up for another bloody four hours which of course meant I got no sleep. All in all it was one of the worst journeys I have ever been on but at least the planet was breaking apart slowly and the atmosphere being made poisonous all whilst trying to lead a small army to drop ships. Now that that was a pain.
Anyway I thought we were in Scribel so my job was done so I drop dead to the grass as soon as we were insight of Scribel and so of course I got kicked by one of the men which woke me up and gave me a headache. Oh they will all pay for this most definitely. To compound all this who else should decide to piece it's fragmented mind back together but a certain daemon which meant I had to spend even more energy dealing with that bloody thing. Ahh yes dealing with a daemon whilst sleep deprived is hard enough but it of course was also giving me nightmares when I could sleep. FUCKING JUST GO POSSESS SOMEONE ELSE YOU BITCH ASS DAEMON. Ah that was necessary and now I need a nap. What I haven't told you anything about the criminal organisations activity's in Scribel so I can't sleep yet? Bah all they are doing is just a mop up of a power that exists in Scribel which is smaller and weaker than Maranura sauce or whatever it was. They call themselves the Ickabogs I think anyway they probably already cleaned house with them and are now going to go and clean up any remnants of Manarani they can find for failing to keep their end of the deal.
Oh why did you wake me up again from that short nap.. Oh you are asking what spying they were doing if they were doing any? Well i already said about finding the Marinara group didn't I and there is also putting some feelers out to see the situation of the girl that was kidnapped by the Crimson coins but you of course don't know about that right? Ehh you do? Well that's about it I think well other than me who is supposed to open up all my old contacts or something. I'm done for now I'm going to have a nap and you can't stop me. I'll get my reward after a nap!
When vagrants break the law, they are sent to prison.
If they're found guilty, they could be hanged for their crimes.
Guarding them shouldn't be too difficult...
Well, as long as nothing goes wrong.
Rewards:
Points: 60 EXP
Money: 10 G
Other: n/a
His next task is prison guard duty. He plans on doing a 3 hour shift then goes back to the tavern for the night.
Vesper headed to the prison and reported to duty. He was told to guard the northeastern prison cells of the building and keep in any chaos from happening within the cells.
3 hours passed peacefully and headed back after notifying the prison guard captain.
Ice Mage Vesper - Level 2
Gender
Male
Race
Luan
Level
3 [680/1,200]
Age
19
Class
Ice Elementalist
Money
610 Gold
Appearance
Personality
Vesper is positive and proud youth like most of his kins. He's also rather two faced, showing a positive and amicable image to people who he just met or hardly knows and shows his friends and family a rather annoyingly arrogant person. He's adaptive and can read situations and knows when to retreat, a useful survival skill.
Backstory
Vesper, a name that means the Evening Star, is born of the Luan Race. A bird race with similarities to the phoenix and born with the innate ability to control ice.
He grew up loving music which he occasionally use to control beasts and puppets with his white jade flute. A form of puppeting from his homeland. As a member of his race, Vesper is exceptional with the ice element.
Skills/Inventory
Inventory
Description
Skill
Description
Spatial Ring
A ring with a miniature space use for storage
Ice Manipulation
The ability to control and manipulate ice to his very imagination
Qi Ming
Qi Ming is the Chinese word for Vesper. It's a long sword with a passive sword spirit inside which hangs a jade tassel.
Music Puppeting
Using musical instruments channeled with mana to control beasts and puppets
Frost Bow
Created using ice and his own True Blood Essence which contained the purest of ice energy
Archery Proficiency
Exceptional ability with the bow and arrow
White Jade Flute
A long horizontal flute made of white jade which hang a jade tassel
Divine Sense
An all purpose soul like part of all human, just some knows it's existence some don't. It can be a spatial storage, the size depend on your mental powers. It can also be used for out of body travels, communicate search your surroundings, and if you have the ability, invade other's minds. (Action not recommended as it can result in fatal injuries if your divine sense is attacked in the progress)
Flying Sword
Mainly used as an aerial transportation tool, it can be also used to attack enemies in form of flying swords. Attack moves are controlled by user's soul, divine sense, spiritual energy or mana power.
Spatial Ring Items and Quest Rewards
10 Bags of Lotus Seeds
White round bean like seeds the size of a small round pill from Lotus Pods
Exotic Fruits and Vegetables
Purple Yam, Taro, Persimmon, Durian, Lychee, Rambutan, and Dragon Fruits
5 Sugar Cane
Bamboo like plant that can be chews after slicing off the outer skin, it taste sweet
2 Bags of Cane Sugar
Organic Sugar made from cane, without the cancer causing environmentally damaging pesticides
5 Rations
Food for emergencies including salted fish, bean congee, and rice buns
Many adventurers are killed in action every year.
It is important to ensure that there is a surplus of graves and tombstones.
Without a proper burial, undead may be attracted to the area.
The cemetery must be closely monistored for undead activity.
Rewards:
Points: 75 EXP
Money: 10 G
Other: n/a
> > >
In the end, she did not know. What kind of creature was she? I kill, I give life. I injure, I heal.
The undead body was pierced through with her claws. She felt the flesh gave away as she rent it asunder. The undead went limp, no longer moving. There are none who escape from my hands.
She gazed at her next target. She charged at it, holding her claw in ready position to tear the next undead. There are none who escape from my eyes.
Slash. The hand of the undead was rent away. Slash. The head was separated from the body. May it be so that you are shattered.
It seemed endless. would there be an end to this? She continued to the next one. I welcome the defeated, the aged.
Her body started to give away. The place was still crawling with undead, and she had to protect the priest. Surrender to me, learn from me, obey me.
Something hit her body from her left side. Her guard broken, and the one in front of her hit her. She was thrown back by that one hit. May you be at rest.
Focus, she said to herself. She had to protect the priest. She stood up. she charged once again. Do not forget the song, do not forget the prayer, do not forget me.
Rest. No need to fight anymore. One more undead was stopped. I relieve you of all burdens.
She let herself free. She was a monster. No need to hold back anymore. May it be so that there is no deception.
She accepted the darkness inside her. She gave her judgment upon them. Retaliation unto forgiveness, betrayal onto belief, despair unto hope,
Change. Her existence, as transient as it was, changed. Once more she stood. The power to deliver judgment coursed through her body. All that mattered then, was to deliver her judgment. darkness unto light, death unto life.
Vigor coursed through her body. A step to push herself to move into the next abomination. Another slash. Another one to fall. Another step. Another slash. She repeated those again. May you rest in my hands. Let there be mark of your sins.
Yet, it never ends. The power she had was not enough. Eternal life is found only in death.
One undead managed to push her down. Another then held her hand. Another undead held her leg. Another one held her head. She had to move! Forgiveness is before you, and so my incarnation vows.
And she saw light, as darkness claimed her. "May God have mercy of this soul (Lord, have mercy)"
+++
"You're awake."
"Where?"
"You are currently in the temple. Thankfully, with your help the priest managed to purify those undead."
It ended? was she able to do a good job? The number of undead that was surrounding her reached tens, maybe hundreds. Did that mean the quest ended in failure, since she could not prevent them from being spawned?
She felt lethargic. Her body ached all over. She had to assist with burials, she had to do anything to complete her job. Willing herself to move, she sat and tried to stand up.
"You are not in a condition to move. Please rest." The man commanded.
"The quest..."
"If what you seek are the compensation for the quest. Rest assured that we will give you the quest reward if the adventurer guild rejected yours. Once again, I ask you. Please rest for today."
She complied, and spend the day rested at the temple. As it was, she probably would take a break the next day too. So, in the morning of the next day, she submitted her quest report as is.
Being woken up the in the early afternoon of the next day by Hejlikka, Liana was less instinctive this time as she managed to push the female elf away before attacking her. Getting ready for the City Guard Training, she said her goodbyes to the sleepy elf and then left for the City Guard Barracks.
Arriving at the City Guard Barracks, Liana's arm was immediately pulled by Harrison, who dragged her tired body to the sleeping quarters. "Why the heck are you so late arriving?! The other trainees have already introduced themselves, had morning training and been assigned their sleeping quarters! Afternoon training sessions will begin in a few minutes! Don't you know I hate tardiness?!"
Liana smiled wryly as she felt no strength in her body under the harsh afternoon sun, "I'm really not a day person...Hence why I always do the night shifts..."
"...Really?" Harrison turned around in disbelief, before recalling how Liana always seemed very energetic and enthusiastic to do the night shifts. "Well...bear with it for a week!"
"...I'll try...but please excuse me for noon...I beg of you..."
"...You're really pushing your luck!"
Reaching a door, the guard captain knocked on it before entering a room with three people unpacking their belongings on their beds.
"Trainees! Meet your final member, Liana! She's a weak woman with no combat experience, so be sure to keep her safe! Now, introduce yourselves then come to the training yard for afternoon training!" Leading Liana to the only empty bed in the room, Harrison then promptly left.
"..." "..." "..." "..."
The four people were silent, not bothering to introduce themselves as they continued unpacking their belongings.
"Ah...this is going to be difficult...isn't it...?" Liana thought as she wryly smiled at the three men she was to share a room with: a man with wolf-ears and tail, a male elf, and a male dark elf. "Um...would it be all right if you told me your names...at least...?" She smiled awkwardly, feeling really out of place in the room.
The man with wolf ears and tail finished unpacking and walked up to Liana, before abruptly sniffing her neck, "You smell weird for a human. The name's Lyle." He held out his hand to shake while his expression was blank.
"...Ah, Lyle? Nice to meet you, I'm Liana. Sorry that I smell weird...I'll try to clean myself to not offend your nose..." She started by smiling gently, before looking a bit dejected.
"Mm." Lyle then left the room, not bothering to continue the conversation.
"..."
The other two finished their unpacking and just walked past Liana without saying anything, also leaving the room just as a hand bell was being rung from somewhere. Following her teammates, she found herself entering a large courtyard that was filling up with a lot of men - with very few women. Seeing how everyone was lining up in fours, Liana noticed her roommates had gathered in one area and so stood with them - all the while feeling the stares from a lot of people who realised she wasn't there in the morning exercises.
The head instructor stood at the front and gave a small speech detailing the itinerary for the afternoon before signalling for the other instructors to go to their assigned teams and begin afternoon training. Liana's group seemed to have a green-haired elf who refused to give his name until he deemed them worthy of knowing it. He paired the elf and dark elf together, leaving Liana with Lyle.
"F*ck!" The wolf-kin muttered under his breath while the other guys had a gleeful look on their faces.
"It seems...that I'm not liked..." Liana thought as the instructor began teaching them grappling moves to test on each other's partners. Due to it being daytime, Liana had absolutely no strength and so was easily grappled to the floor within a few seconds - earning the snickering of the elves and the shouting of the instructor for being so weak. Feeling embarrassed, but also frustrated, over the situation - Liana could only try her best against Lyle.
After an hour of grappling training, the instructors ordered all of the trainees to run laps around the courtyard until sunset. Liana struggled to even complete four laps before the fatigue from being awake during the day overwhelmed her and she collapsed - barely maintaining consciousness. The team instructor yelled at her, before ordering Lyle to pick her up and take her to the medical area - which earned his ire for disrupting his training. Once she'd been placed on the bed, he immediately left to resume his training, leading Liana to end up falling asleep due to there being no mental stimulation.
Once dusk arrived, Liana woke up full of energy and promptly got out of bed. Rushing over to the courtyard, the training for the afternoon had already ended - with the trainees going to the canteen building for some food before evening exercises. A few of the men saw Liana and pulled disgruntled expressions, with some of them complaining about why she got to sleep all afternoon when they were training hard. Hearing these words, Liana hugged herself defensively as she searched for the rest of her team.
Not finding her teammates, all she could do was head to the canteen to try and locate them there. However, Harrison grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side, "What the heck are you playing at?! I sent you here to train and get some combat skills for your own safety, why are you slacking off and sleeping all afternoon?! Darlio is furious with you!"
"..." Liana hung her head and dejectedly responded, "...I'm sorry...I didn't intend on falling asleep..."
"Well try harder! I thought you were a diligent person, not a lazy slacker!" Harrison was fuming, drawing the attention of some of the other trainees who were nearby.
Holding back her tears, Liana could only shrink in on herself and feebly respond, "...I'm really sorry...sir..."
"Hmph! As punishment, you're banned from eating tonight! I'll inform the head instructor at once! Now get out of my sight!"
"...Yes sir..."
Liana hurried away from the guard captain as her tears began to silently fall. As she went around the corner, Harrison saw Liana's teammates and punished them for not working as a team and helping her, thus banning them from eating too.
When the bell rang for evening exercises, Liana was the first to arrive as she stood straight in her team's allocated position. The instructors and trainees arrived, to which the head instructor then announced that they'd be doing willpower and mental endurance training by standing still until midnight. Anyone who so much as shifted a foot, or scratched a nose would be banned from having breakfast.
As the night passed on, more and more people ended up getting punished as the trainees struggled to keep awake after a long day of training. Liana was the only one in her group who managed to stay perfectly still with no signs of fatigue; actually brimming with more energy than during the day, which made her teammates sneer - thinking it was because she'd slept all afternoon. Once midnight approached, the head instructor dismissed them trainees and ordered for them to meet up at dawn; any latecomers would be banned from having lunch.
Returning to their room, Liana could sense the three men were openly ignoring her presence as they chatted with each other about some stuff before heading to sleep. Seeing them all close their eyes, Liana sat on her bed in silence and pondered over what she should do about this training, thinking that she was likely going to get in more trouble in the coming days.
The second day arrived with the dawn, as a bell rang out around the barracks to wake the trainees up. Liana was already awake and dressed, thus had headed to the courtyard before everyone else. Once everyone had congregated, the head instructor meted out the punishments for the latecomers before announcing the morning itinerary. After his little speech, the team instructors took their trainees away to separate parts of the courtyard and presented a rack of various weapons to them.
"I want you to choose a weapon that best suits you, or you feel comfortable with, and I'll have you test it out with your partners. After that, I'll give you some pointers. Ah, another thing, Miss Liana, you'll be assigned a weapon by me since most of these are not suitable for you and you're weak, so you'll go last."
"...Yes sir..."
Lyle immediately headed for some claw weapons, stating how he usually used his own claws when fighting and thought it would be good to use something that enhanced his own natural combat. The dark elf chose a bow and arrow, which made the team instructor smile happily, "Good! A fellow archer! I'll be sure to train you hard, Aniur!"
"Yes, sir!" Aniur responded enthusiastically.
The elf picked up a wooden stick with a gem entwined in the simple vine-like carvings, and twiddled it in his fingers before pointing it at the ground at Liana's feet - releasing a green light that resulted in a load of hard and gnarly roots to shoot out of the ground and wrap around her feet, bringing some pain from their tight grasp.
"Ohhh, we've got a magic-user! Good, good! I'll be sure to get one of the other instructors with knowledge on magic to help you if you're stuck."
"Thank you, sir!" The elf smirked proudly before glancing at Liana amusingly, as the roots tightened even more around her feet.
"..." Liana kept silent, not wishing to make herself an even bigger target for her teammates to go after.
"As for you..." The green-haired elf looked up and down at Liana, moving around her as he inspected her physique. "...I think a long-ranged weapon with good versatility would be best for you, since you look so fragile." He went over to the rack and began choosing a weapon for her.
The other three guys had already started talking with each other, discussing things about how they ended up choosing the weapons they did, while also saying their style of combat was better than the others'. As this went on, Darlio took out a billhook and threw it towards Liana, resulting in her slowly reacting and fumbling to catch it before dropping it. The other guys snickered at the scene, while the green-haired elf's eyebrow twitched in visible annoyance.
"Pick it up and swing it a few times so I can see if it will suit your physique." The team instructor ordered impatiently, noticing how other team instructors had already begun giving pointers to pairs.
"Yes, sir..." Feeling weaker with every passing minute from the rising sun, Liana bent over and picked up the billhook and strained to lift it and swing it; her weak arms moving the weapon very slowly, with her almost dropping it from the momentum of the weapon as it swung down.
The team instructor sighed in frustration, before moving over to help correct Liana's stance - resulting in the young woman going frigid and start to shiver involuntarily from the close contact. Ignoring his trainee's visible discomfort, Darlio grabbed Liana and forced her to go through the motions of properly swinging the billhook so he could see if it was suited for her, or not. Finally releasing her after a minute of testing out the weapon, he gave a curt nod, "This will be okay for you. You just need to work on your strength..." He sighed as he thought there was no way she'd be able to pass the exam by the end of the week at this rate.
With the weapons all chosen, the team was made to go against their partners to see what the overall skill level was like. Aniur and the elf split far apart from one another, due to them both being long-ranged attackers. Lyle immediately charged in and swiped his metal claws towards Liana's face, which narrowly missed as the billhook somehow caught the tips from her instinctively raising it in defence - albeit a bit too slowly. Lyle then followed through with his swing by using his momentum to do a spin kick into Liana's abdomen.
"Khrgh!" Liana got knocked backwards and fell onto the ground, becoming dazed in the process.
"Heh." Lyle smirked before running up to her and going to swipe at her again with his metal claws.
"That's enough!" Shouted Darlio as he fired an arrow from his bow, which hit Lyle's claws pushing him back. The green-haired elf looked angry as he glared at the wolf-kin, "Your opponent is already knocked down, there's no need to continue since this is supposed to be a mock battle - meaning no actual killing." He emphasised the last three words, since he'd sensed the malicious intent from Lyle's aura and movements.
Lyle clicked his teeth with a blank face before making a show of dragging Liana back on her feet. Seeing that the pair had no injuries, the team instructor told them to continue practising while he went to observe the other pair.
***
A few minutes before noon, Liana could barely keep conscious as her lethargic movements caused her to gain injury after injury from Lyle's aggressive attacks. The instructor had admonished how weak she was and complained about how she didn't seem to be taking the exercise seriously from her lacking enthusiasm. By this point, Liana had become exceptionally detached as her eyes were a dull red.
Rushing to attack the young woman for the nth time, Lyle changed his action at the last minute and moved to attack her from behind. Noon arrived at that moment - with the sun reaching its apex - and Liana collapsed onto Lyle. The wolf-kin reflexively caught her limp body and fell onto the ground, then complained about it before noticing his partner looked dead.
***
Waking up as soon as the sun set, Liana saw that her surroundings had changed, with her in one of the medical room beds. Outside, she heard the sound of a bell ringing which - no doubt - signified the end of afternoon training. Sitting up, she saw no one was around and so got up and left for the training courtyard. Stares bored into her sides and back as she stepped into the courtyard and saw some instructors still there. Searching for her own instructor with detached, dull red eyes, she noticed Harrison was talking with the head instructor with a stern expression and shied away.
Not wanting to draw the guard captain's attention, she slunk into the growing shadows of the nearby building and hid behind the corner of the wall.
"What are you doing?"
"..." Liana turned around and saw Lyle with Aniur and the elf covered in bruises and bandages with disdainful expressions plastered on their faces. Not responding, she walked away from them with a detached look and decided to try and find something to eat since she was starting to feel a little hungry.
"Hey! Where're going?!" Lyle grabbed Liana's arm and yanked her back to face him, "I asked you a question? The decent thing is to answer!" His eyes glowed gold as his pupils changed to a wolf's before he shoved her against the wall.
"..." Liana just stared at him with detached eyes, not seeing the point in answering his hypocritical words.
Lyle grew angry at this as he growled lowly and grabbed the front of her dress, "B*tch! Do you realise how much trouble you keep getting us in because of your antics? I got severely reprimanded for 'knocking you unconscious' this morning, even though I did nothing to you!" He slammed his hand against the wall beside Liana and glared into her dull red eyes, "Why don't you f*ck off and f*ck the guard captain like you usually do, you b*tch! Why else would he be so protective of a slut like you who only knows how to collapse from a little exercise?!"
"Oh? So she's my woman now, is it? That's news to me. Hey, Anthony, did you know I had a woman?" The gruff voice of Harrison chilling with ice coldness sounded behind Lyle and the others, making them all turn around. They saw the guard captain and head instructor standing there with sour expressions.
The head instructor replied, "If you did, the whole barracks would be talking about it."
Harrison looked at Anthony and raised his brow, "Has they?"
"No, the only gossip has been about the missing Lord Wiscard Bruhn and the slime horde that's getting closer."
"Ah, right. So..." They both looked at Liana and her teammates, "Why are you treating an innocent woman like this? Aren't you supposed to be her teammates?" The guard captain's face looked beyond angry.
Lyle finally let go of Liana and refuted, "But, sir! She's done nothing but cause problems for us since she got here!" The elf and Aniur nodded in agreement.
"About that, Harrison's spoken to me about some stuff and we've decided to change your itinerary compared with everyone else."
The four trainees looked at the head instructor, then the guard captain before looking at the head instructor again.
"For the rest of the training period, Liana will only work with you during the evening sessions, where you'll focus on teamwork. For the morning and afternoon sessions, the three of you will work together as normal without Liana since she is too disruptive. I sincerely hope that you will be able to put aside any grudges by the end of the week. Don't forget, you'll be marked as a team; if you don't help each other I'll straight out fail you even if you complete the task we'll give you!"
With that, the head instructor left while Harrison motioned to the woman, "Liana, come with me!" before promptly turning and heading for the training courtyard.
Liana weaved her way around her teammates and followed after the guard captain, a little unsure of what was going to happen. Reaching their destination, Harrison stopped and glanced over, "You know, I knew you didn't have any combat skills...but to even collapse during the initial weapon training?" His face expressed disbelief and surprise before smiling wryly. "Look, I know you said you weren't a day person but don't you think you've been a bit too pathetic? You realise that the other trainees are talking about how they can't understand why you're here, right?"
"...How would I, when they don't talk to me?" She responded with a detached voice.
"...Ah...you really drew the short straw with those teammates...No one else wanted to be in their team..." He scratched the back of his head, "They kind of have a bad reputation for being loners, or trying to take the credit for others' work. Anyway, I brought you here to explain your new schedule." The bell rang for the evening exercises, forcing Harrison to explain as quickly as possible, "I discussed with Anthony and we've concluded that you'll do your training at night under close supervision by me and some other guards. During the day, you can sleep from late morning to late afternoon."
The first wave of trainees started arriving from the canteen area as Liana asked in a detached tone, "...Why do this?"
"Because I don't want to lose face in front of the others for sending you here!" He then stormed off in a huff, leaving Liana to go to her team's designated spot for team exercises.
***
As midnight approached, the trainees finally ended their training for the day and left for their rooms. Lyle, Aniur and the elf looked at Liana with displeased eyes, since she managed to keep up with them when making combat formations. They then ignored her as they returned to their room, leaving Liana behind to continue training with Harrison and the supervisors assigned to keep watch.
Once dawn approached, she was moved indoors to study team tactics while the other trainees began their morning exercises. As late-morning arrived, her new instructor told her she could go to bed now, which she did. Reaching her empty room, she fell asleep straight away - completely segregated from the rest of the trainees.
Waking up to the sound of knocking at the door, Liana sluggishly got out of bed and opened the door.
"It's time for some theory lessons before the evening team exercises! Follow me!" Harrison said as he marched off without waiting for Liana to respond.
Quickly washing her face with a cloth provided by the barracks, she swiftly caught up to the guard captain. Glancing through the windows, she could see the other trainees practising with their weapons against their partners. A nice scent wafted through the window, making Liana feel a bit thirsty, but the wind blew in the other direction taking the scent with it. Pausing at the window, Harrison noticed her stop and turned to see the young woman gazing longingly at the trainees.
"You'll get to train with them in a few hours. For now, you need to brush up on your abysmal knowledge on combat theory!" The guard captain then resumed his march down the corridor with Liana sluggishly following behind.
***
As soon as the sun set, Liana began feeling energised again, resulting in her detached face perking up a bit. Hearing the bell to signify the start of the evening exercises, Harrison stopped the theory lesson and guided Liana to the courtyard. Upon arriving, several trainees noticed her and began whispering with their teammates. Finding the spot where her own team was situated, she saw their moods immediately sour after seeing her - clearly not enthused about having to work with her.
Until midnight came, Liana, Lyle, Aniur and Frode struggled through the many different team formations and tactics the head instructor ordered them all to perform. It was during this exercise that Liana finally learned the name of her third teammate - however it was only due to Aniur shouting it when the elf moved to the wrong position and not because the elf chose to introduce himself. When the evening exercises were over, the trainees once again left for their sleeping quarters while Liana stayed behind to do weapon training.
Although she was more energised and had much more strength to lift the billhook, Liana noticed how she was definitely weaker than she had been a few days ago. Bearing this thought in mind, she realised that she hadn't eaten anything since the day before she arrived at the barracks. Thinking this, she could only smile wryly inside as she wondered how she was going to solve this problem. Once dawn approached, Liana's movements turned sluggish again and Harrison called an end to the weapon training.
Hearing the bell for trainees to wake up and head to the training courtyard, Liana left said location and followed after the guard captain to their usual study room for more theory lessons. As soon as the mid-morning bell rang for trainees to have breakfast, Harrison ended the lesson and allowed Liana to go to bed. Returning to her room, she took her clothes off, cleaned herself up and then promptly fell asleep on the bed.
With a routine established for herself and the trainees, the rest of the week went by quickly as people got more used to the different times for activities, breaks, eating and sleeping. Liana managed to successfully get her stance right for thrusting her billhook, but the effort it took to use her muscles to powerfully move the weapon forward was getting more taxing as the days went by. As for the combat theory lessons...Liana was still struggling a bit with it due to not fully understanding the various technical terms the guards used for manoeuvres as well as the reasoning behind why certain tactics were used when.
Although her theory lessons were slow-going, her teamwork training was abysmal. Lyle constantly rushed to the front of the formation without paying attention to where the rest of the team was; Aniur was more bothered about getting a good position for sniping rather than covering; Frode focused more on tripping Liana up with roots and vines rather than on helping everyone by hindering the training enemy; and Liana could barely do anything since she didn't know what the best tactic to use was, nor had much skill with wielding the billhook - as well as the fact her footwork kept getting messed up by Frode. As a result, the team constantly bickered with one another while Liana just silently watched and listened with a detached expression. She had little hope of them ever getting along for the exam...plus...she was really hungry.
Since the exam was going to be the next day, Harrison told Liana to go to bed with everyone else, which earned the ire of her teammates for being in the same room as them when they were sleeping. Entering the room, Lyle immediately grabbed Liana's shoulder and pushed her against the door.
"You better not get in our way during the exam tomorrow. I don't want to step back and find your weapon stuck in my back because you let go while swinging aimlessly!" He said, as he recalled the situation the day before of that exact thing almost happening - if not for the green-haired elf instructor's timely intervention with his bow and arrow.
"...I will try not to get in your way..." She responded in a detached voice, before pulling Lyle's hand off her shoulder and heading straight to bed.
"...B*tch!" He muttered under his breath before getting ready for bed himself.
The other two guys ignored the conversation and went to sleep, clearly not interested in trying to keep a team mentality. Noticing all of this, Liana turned over so her back was to the others and went to sleep.
Dawn arrived and the familiar sound of bells rang through the barracks, waking all of the trainees up. Harrison arrived and knocked on the door, to which Frode opened. Entering the room, the guard captain saw that Liana was still sleeping like the dead while the others were fully dressed and ready to leave. He glared at them before moving to wake the young woman up.
Shaking her awake, Liana groggily woke up with dull red eyes and instinctively grabbed Harrison's hand however - since Harrison was so strong from years of training, and Liana was so weak from not eating - he easily brushed her hand away and dragged her out of bed. "Get up, or else I'll fail you for tardiness!" At this, the other three team members left in a rush while Liana lethargically got out of bed and was dragged to the training courtyard by the guard captain.
Upon arriving, everyone was stood in columns in their teams - the head instructor, Anthony, stood at the front with the other instructors. Once everyone had arrived, he gave a little speech stating how the week's training had culminated into this day and that the experience they gained - no matter whether they failed or passed - was still a valuable thing to learn. He then explained the process of the exam: two teams against each other, with the losers having a second chance to fight against another team that lost. The second exam would be pairs within teams against the other pairs in their teams. He never stated the criteria for passing the exam but most assumed it meant beating the other side with team work. With that, head instructor Anthony listed off names from a clipboard and assigned them to a location. After reading out everyone's names, the first exam for the trainees took place.
The exam for Liana's team started as well as she expected: poorly. As soon as the bell rang to signify the beginning of the fight, Lyle ignored the rest of the team and rushed straight into the other team's defences. Liana was feeling weak from the rising sun and hunger, so didn't move from her spot while waiting for the other side to get closer for her to not waste energy. Aniur fired his arrows at Lyle to hinder him so he could take the glory of beating the other team instead. Meanwhile...Frode decided to entangle the entire teams' feet in roots...their team, not the opposing team.
Suffice it to say, the other team did remarkably much better: one of them was clearly the established leader of the group and effortlessly ordered the team into a defensive formation to counter Lyle's charge. They then split in two and surrounded him - attacking from all sides. One of the team members had a large shield and was using it to protect another member from a stray arrow of Aniur's, while the one being protected fired an arrow back at Aniur. They successfully incapacitated both Lyle and Aniur, then switched their focus to Frode and Liana.
Liana watched everything with a detached expression, however when her teammates got some injuries she reacted by instinct and headed towards the bleeding Aniur. Thinking she was going over to help, Frode didn't want his teammate to get back up and steal his glory, so he created a wooden stake and fired it with his magic into her shoulder to keep her away.This action was followed by the other team reaching Liana, where the one with the shield bashed her and knocked her out. The other teams' magic user then used fire magic to burn away the roots around Frode, as well as his wand, causing the elf to scream in pain and frustration before the instructors observing called the end of the battle.
The rest of the day passed by with Liana stuck in the medical room due to her shoulder injury and being anaemic - thus passing out. The other members were reprimanded and immediately told they failed completely on the grounds that they all attacked their own team members and didn't use any team tactics at all. Once the day ended, a majority of the trainees actually passed with flying colours, with Liana's being one of the worst examples of teamwork shown to the instructors. Some of the guards were calling for Aniur and Frode to be forbidden from ever working with the guards for their selfishness and maliciousness - however Darlio, the green-haired elf instructor argued their case by saying they were just impulsive and prideful without the experience of being in a situation that truly required teamwork. Thus, they were begrudgingly allowed to continue having relations with the guards in quests.
Once dusk arrived, Liana woke up and found Harrison sitting by her bed. Seeing her wake up, he sighed exasperatedly, "One week really wasn't long enough for you. As for your team..." He sighed again, "...it wasn't entirely your fault but you didn't help it." He got up from his seat and headed for the door, "Go back home and think about what you've learned this week. If you intend on continuing as a member of the adventurer's guild then you need to seriously get in shape and learn how to use that billhook Darlio recommended to you. As for how, just come back here for the training. See you when you next do a Night Watch quest." He waved his hand at her and left.
Getting out of bed, Liana briefly glanced out of the window where the award ceremony for those who passed was being held, before leaving the barracks. Heading for the guild, she thought about how weak and pitiful she was compared to everyone else. How she was heavily restricted by a lot of factors and she needed to find a solution for them if she intended on not suffering from those who had more skill and power. She thought of Jasper and shuddered, yet there was also a bit of longing there. As soon as such a feeling appeared, a sharp pain assaulted her mind before all she thought about was her master.
Reaching the guild receptionist desk, she wrote her report with a detached expression and handed in the signed note from the head instructor, stating that she had failed the exam exceptionally with not a single positive thing to mark her on. As for Liana...she just wanted to eat something...
[OOC:
NPC's mentioned:
- Lyle, a wolf-kin
- Aniur, a dark elf
- Frode, an elf
- Darlio, an elf guard (@Epsil mentioned him in Vysic's training report and thought it would be nice to mention him again)
- Anthony, guard chosen to be head instructor during the training and exam
- Harrison Bridger, a guard captain
Liana has gained negligible combat training
Liana has gained negligible billhook weapon training]
The Scribel City Sewers are notorious for being invested with various critters.
Overgrown giant rats are a concern because they can spread disease.
While not too dangerous, they are agile and difficult to catch.
Reaching the makeshift graveyard, again he greeted with the same sight of the empty holes being scattered out on the ground. With the maker obviously not human if the dirt thrown all over the place was any reference. Yeah, it was definitely the slime that did this. He really needed to train it to be more discreet.
The city could let foxes and other animals pass since they weren’t magical in nature. But, if the guild ever found that a slime in the sewers gained the intelligence to scavenge in the disposal section adventurers used. There wouldn’t be a happy ending for it.
And, it was harmless. At the size it was in, it could easily harm him for the rats in his hands but it didn’t. Instead it gently pushed and begged for it. It was cute in a kind of way.
Moving to the sewers he saw a familiar head pop out of the water to greet him. Waving to it, he pulled out his sword to do his quest.
In the sewers, he moved swiftly to get the job done. While he still couldn’t see the rats themselves he could still use the sounds they made to guess where they were attacking from. If they jumped into the air he could use his sword to slam them into the wall with enough force to take them out for good. If not he could finish them with another strike if they were still alive.
If they scuttled on the ground he could sweep his sword across the floor. With the sheath covering it he didn’t need to worry about damaging the sword itself. He only needed to focus on putting enough force to put the rat out of commission for good or stun them for long enough for a follow up strike. With this method he quickly amassed twenty tails.
The disposal still was an issue though carrying three at a time made him walk back and forth at least seven times. Which was a pain when he was getting into the flow of things. But, carrying the tails back to the guild he finished his quest.
While disposing of the rats he decided to try to teach the little one how to be more discreet. Digging a shallow hole to place a rat in and piling dirt on it afterwards he pointed at it and said “Go,”
Jumping happily towards the hole, the slime changed it’s front to a stiff triangular surface and shoved it into the dirt throwing it all over the place. With the force easily shoving the previously buried rat into the air like a frisbee. He watched as the slime jumped up and the familiar crunch sounded.
Sighing he held his face in his hands and realized this might be a little harder than he thought.
So trying again with a slightly deeper hole this time. He said “go,” once more. With the slime rushing forward he watched as it shoveled it’s head in the dirt once more. But, this time he held his hand over it’s head and said “Slow.”
While it didn’t react to his words in particular it did respond to his touch. Slowing down considerably and glancing at him before going back to digging the hole. It did so much slower this time.
After it finished eating the rat in the hole, he tossed it another rat to eat. And, after spending the entire day like this he saw the mess of the holes naturally decreasing.
Although he was still the one who had to clean up all the messes that it left behind. He felt satisfied at their progress.
At least now it could move a little more discreetly without his help.
Summary:
-Hunted 20 rats with his sword
-Disposed of rats by burying them
Reaching the makeshift graveyard, again he greeted with the same sight of the empty holes being scattered out on the ground. With the maker obviously not human if the dirt thrown all over the place was any reference. Yeah, it was definitely the slime that did this. He really needed to train it to be more discreet.
The city could let foxes and other animals pass since they weren’t magical in nature. But, if the guild ever found that a slime in the sewers gained the intelligence to scavenge in the disposal section adventurers used. There wouldn’t be a happy ending for it.
And, it was harmless. At the size it was in, it could easily harm him for the rats in his hands but it didn’t. Instead it gently pushed and begged for it. It was cute in a kind of way.
Moving to the sewers he saw a familiar head pop out of the water to greet him. Waving to it, he pulled out his sword to do his quest.
In the sewers, he moved swiftly to get the job done. While he still couldn’t see the rats themselves he could still use the sounds they made to guess where they were attacking from. If they jumped into the air he could use his sword to slam them into the wall with enough force to take them out for good. If not he could finish them with another strike if they were still alive.
If they scuttled on the ground he could sweep his sword across the floor. With the sheath covering it he didn’t need to worry about damaging the sword itself. He only needed to focus on putting enough force to put the rat out of commission for good or stun them for long enough for a follow up strike. With this method he quickly amassed twenty tails.
The disposal still was an issue though carrying three at a time made him walk back and forth at least seven times. Which was a pain when he was getting into the flow of things. But, carrying the tails back to the guild he finished his quest.
While disposing of the rats he decided to try to teach the little one how to be more discreet. Digging a shallow hole to place a rat in and piling dirt on it afterwards he pointed at it and said “Go,”
Jumping happily towards the hole, the slime changed it’s front to a stiff triangular surface and shoved it into the dirt throwing it all over the place. With the force easily shoving the previously buried rat into the air like a frisbee. He watched as the slime jumped up and the familiar crunch sounded.
Sighing he held his face in his hands and realized this might be a little harder than he thought.
So trying again with a slightly deeper hole this time. He said “go,” once more. With the slime rushing forward he watched as it shoveled it’s head in the dirt once more. But, this time he held his hand over it’s head and said “Slow.”
While it didn’t react to his words in particular it did respond to his touch. Slowing down considerably and glancing at him before going back to digging the hole. It did so much slower this time.
After it finished eating the rat in the hole, he tossed it another rat to eat. And, after spending the entire day like this he saw the mess of the holes naturally decreasing.
Although he was still the one who had to clean up all the messes that it left behind. He felt satisfied at their progress.
At least now it could move a little more discreetly without his help.
Summary:
-Hunted 20 rats with his sword
-Disposed of rats by burying them
"Seems like you have done a good job, eh? Although, it must not have been comfortable, killing rats and all."
In any case, Manyvat prepared the reward and handed it to him.
"Alright, Sir Cassel, here's your reward... 12 Gold Coins!"
OOC: And obviously, you get 100EXP.
Don't forget to edit your post to show that it has been appraised~
The chef at the guild wants some ingredients re-stocked!
Of course there needs to be meat! Meat!! Meat!!!!
Bring us some meat!
Rewards:
Points: 80 EXP
Money: 13 G
Other: 5 jerky
> > >
She'd like to say that she completed the quest successfully. She wondered though, what would become of the pig?
It was that day, when she planned to go out of the scribel city for the first time. The combat experience in the day before yesterday had given her a rush. She took out the hunting mission quest then. She went from the guild to the north gate, passing through the otherworld Gate in the center. It was when she saw it that she was struck with an ingenious idea.
If she had to say, her impression of it was a pig. A large pig, standing on two legs. It was easily three times her height. Its skin was black, glistening with some sheen. Seeing it, she would like to take a taste.
That thing was recently arrived. Newly arrived from the gate, she could see confusion on its face as it looked around.
Like her, there probably was a gate guard that would guild it to the adventurer guild. Though, somehow, there was no one?
It was her chance. She'd guide it to the adventurer guild and completing her quest in the meantime. So, she moved to it and motioned with her hand to follow her. At first, it was hestitant. Then she pointed at herself and said guide. She then pointed at it and said register.
She thought, it would be the freshest if it was alive, right?
(Optional) Stay with her, forever and ever, always and at all time
A little girl once told me: "Miss, please help me. I'm so lonely..."
After that, we played and played, and played, and played—
I realised, we needed more friends! More friends for more fun!
Please, she is lonely, and I am too!
Help her! Help me! PLEASE! SAVE ME! FREE ME!—
We are waiting for your arrival! Come have fun with us!
I wasn't planning on taking any quest until the weekend arrived, but... After reading the new quest that was released, and how mister Adsall already took it and did not come back... I figured I should do something, this one was too much to be ignored... So I waited until it was near Dusk, and headed out.
His report said nothing about the location of the house, but I knew it wouldn't be too hard to find it. I just walked to the more deserted parts of the city and looked for a house that felt wrong... It really was easy to find it. A single glance was all it took to feel the strong allure towards it, the feeling that drags anyone that gets near and makes them want to go inside... And I could also notice that there was nobody in the house's surroundings, not a single living soul. I prayed that they had a peaceful passing, and then moved forward.
I knocked on the house's door and I a small girl opened it from inside and asked, "Are you here to play, miss?" My mouth almost moved on its own to answer yes, it was as hard as I expected to resist the urge.
Instead though, I just smiled and said, "For a small bit."
She frowned at my reply and said, "Let's play from Dusk until Dawn! I won't force you, but there is nothing to fear. Let's play forever, there is no need to go back." Her words had an extremely charming tone, it compulsed my body to comply... But I knew better than to fall under this kind of word trickery, already fell for it before after all, more than once.
I held her hand and said while still keeping a smile, "I'll play with you a little." It seemed like she still wanted to complain, but I gave her no room for it, and I stepped inside the house.
There was an unmistakable feeling of crossing through something, almost as if the inside of the house was an entirely different plane... Though that was unlikely, the presence of The Goddess here was the same as the on in Tonia. What I was seeing was most likely a very strong illusion. I expected as much, yet was still surprised by how real it felt, I doubt I'd be able to notice it if I wasn't aware of the circumstances in advance.
"Let's play, let's play!" The girl said while still holding my hand. She started running while dragging me around, and I ran after her, towards a boy in that waited for us in the meadow.
By the time we arrived at him, I was already out of panting and had to take some deep breaths to recover my stamina, the girl looked at me weirdly and asked "Miss, why are you so tired?"
I smiled at her simple question and gently patted her head, "I'm a bit too old for running around."
The boy seemed confused though, "But aren't you still young? As young as us?" He said with shiny eyes. I realized 'reality' was being distorted by his words and that everything looked bigger now, or rather, I was smaller. I looked at myself and saw how I looked like back when I was still a child, it was quite the nostalgic sight, but I knew it was false.
I giggled at his comment nonetheless, "I may be young if compared to you, but I'm definitely still old." They frowned for a second, but then immediately brightened up and said, 'Let's play! Let's play!' To which I concurred.
We played tag, though I didn't have the stamina to catch up to them, so they had to let me reach them after a while.
We played hide and seek, though I pretended to not see them through their obvious hiding spots and let them reach the safe spot.
We played make believe, with me being the evil villainess that was defeated.
We played house, with me being their child with them being the couple.
We played and played for quite a while, during the whole time I smiled and went along with them. Children are meant to play after all, they deserve to have their fun. The minimum I can do for them, is to play along.
Eventually though, I looked up. The sun was still high up in the sky, even though I came here at about dusk, the sun stayed up there the whole time... And yet, I roughly knew how much time had passed. I didn't have any way of tracking it, but I just prayed that The Goddess was telling me that the time was now, my instincts told me so, and I knew I should follow them.
So I got up, the children were surprised and asked, "What's wrong?"
I smiled at them and said, "Dawn has already arrived, so it's time to go home."
The girl held my hand and complained, "No! Play with us willingly, you don't need to fear anything! Play with us forever, there is no need to go back!" Her words were certainly alluring, but I knew I could not do that, so I patted her head and gave her the warmest smile I could muster.
Then, I said, "Now now, there is no need to be greedy... You've played enough, haven't you?" My body was already back at its normal size, though I was certainly quite hungry already, and tired too. I wonder how many 'dawn to dusks' I have spent with them.
The boy held my other hand, both of them had tearful eyes, "Don't leave us! Play with us forever, there is no need to go back!" He repeated, but their spell was already broken, I was already at the worn down house again, surrounded by the skeletons of everyone they lured here before me.
I kept smiling while answering him, "It's not my time to play forever, The Goddess still has plans for me... Why don't you play with your mother instead? I'm sure she'd love to play with you." They both looked down, saddened, the tears started falling... It was a saddening sight, but they had to endure it, I apologized to them in my head though.
After a small silence, the girl was the first to say something, "Mom is... No longer here..." She then tugged my sleeve and pulled me towards her a bit, "Hey, can't you be my mom instead? Can't you play with me like mom did!?" Her begging eyes were pitiful, but I couldn't accept that.
The boy tugged my other sleeve, "Pretty please! We'll be good children, we promise." It was really an appealing offer, but also a desperate one... I couldn't take them away from their mother, I knew better than this.
I smiled and patted both of their heads, "Now now, I'm sure your mom is waiting for you at your new home. Why don't you move to the place she is living in? I'm sure she'd be extremely happy if she could meet you two again."
They seemed troubled, confused, unsure on what to do... The girl eventually asked first though, "Mom is... Waiting for us?"
I gently replied, "Yes, she is. Her house is right across the river, there is a really cool boatman that will gladly help you reach her, you just need to tell him where you want to go."
The girl's eyes lit up at my reply, but the boy seemed scared... "But... Will mom want to see us? Even after this long? Even after we did... This?" He looked around, at all the dead bodies spread across the house.
I ruffled his hair a bit, "You couldn't help it. You were lonely and scared... Besides, a mother's love is unconditional, she will always love you, no matter what."
He still seemed a bit scared, but also hopeful. He asked me again, still unsure if what I said was the truth, "Re-really?"
I kept my smile as gentle as I could and answered him, "Of course, I would never lie to you, The Goddess will make sure of it, for she loves those that say the truth."
They looked a bit downwards when I said that, "Does that mean... She doesn't like us?" Oh dear.
I quickly shook my head, "Of course she does. You never lied after all." And then gave them my best smile. "I could play with you for as long as I wanted, and I did not have any need to go back, I just wanted to serve The Goddess for a while longer, so I decided to go back.
"Those that remained, were those that wished to stay, you did not lie, and you did not do anything wrong." I said while patting them once more.
They still seemed a bit scared, but they looked at each other, nodded, and then told me, "Okay, we'll go."
I felt like this much was enough, but still... I felt compelled to give them one more thing, a charm if you may. "Before you go..." I put my hand in my satchel and took 4 small coins, putting one in each of their hands. "A gift. Give those to the boatman, tell him that Nene sent you and that she wishes him a good day of work."
That much made them give me the best smile of the day. They both hugged me while saying their thanks, to which I gently rubbed their backs... Eventually though, they let go and said, "Alright, we're going now! Take care, miss Nene! Let's play again sometime!" And they waved while moving away to that river I knew far too well.
I waved at them until they disappeared, and only when they were gone, I replied... "Sure... Sometime... Someday... But not today."
I took a deep breath, and prayed for all the souls that were stuck at this house. Most of them had already moved on, and the few that had not, quickly moved away as they were only waiting until the children went, they had no reason to remain now that those two were in a better place.
And with this done, the tiredness finally washed over me. I must have stayed over a whole day awake already... I need a meal and to sleep... Though I should also leave a note to the guild to get rid of this house, to finally put this all to rest.
Well, I should get going then.
Went to an abandoned house that had not a single living soul near it.
Inside it, got lured in by some ghosts of dead children that wanted me to play with them forever.
The house's inside was under a strong illusion that distorted one's sense of time and self, making them play with the children until they died.
Because I was already aware of the situation from the previous report and from the feeling the house gave, I was able to resist the children's spell for the most part. So instead I only played with them from dusk to dawn... Although I'm not sure how many dusks and dawns passed.
Convinced the children that they should move on to the afterlife and meet up with their deceased parents. Also gave them a few coins to pay the fee for the boatman.
Prayed for all the souls that died inside the house for a safe passage to the afterlife, the job was pretty easy as most of them felt like they died a fulfilling death by spending their last days playing with spirits of children.
Left the guild with a request to demolish the children's house in order to finally let them rest.
OOC: Looking in retrospect, I didn't portray the children's duality of wanting to be saved and wanting you to stay with them forever at all... I kinda forgot about them begging to be saved tbh.
... Let's just say they were at peace with Nene for the most part, so they never had to worry about this.
Are you interested in alchemy? Pharmacy? Witchcraft? Ahem.
Thank you for the slime cores and healing herbs.
We can use that to brew a weak healing potion.
Meanwhile, here's a list of more ingredients I want you to find.
Let's see... eye of newt... nightshade... bat guano... hmm...
Come back when you've found them!
Rewards:
Points: 110 EXP
Money: n/a
Other: 1 weak healing potion
After completing quest 3 times:
Permission to use Alchemist Guild cauldrons and equipment
~~~~Today's quest being an alchemist assistant for the day was a success. I eventually founded the necessary ingredient's for the alchemist and help her with her alchemy experiments.~~~~
I wake up too the rising sun, so it looks like it time to get up and have have some breakfast.
"Gobo time to wake up" I yawned.
I then heard a low grunt "Okay...".
??? "Gobo...whe..when did you learn how to talk?" I asked.
"Talk?" Gobo said.
"Yes Gobo talking!?" Gobo shouted
"Yes Gobo talking, but how did Gobo learn how to talk?" I squinted.
"Gobo don't know. Gobo wake up. Gobo Talk." he said in broken sentences.
Hmm... It looks like he wasn't able to fully speak coherently, but just at least some words were better then just grunts and gestures. Gobo was quite excited talking for the first time, until I eventually told him to get ready for breakfast. After getting our supplies and gear ready for the day we headed on down to the Tavern dining Hall.
As went downstairs every adventurer that we past, Gobo would give them a "Hello" or "Good Morning". To be honest, it was quite funny to see the just waking adventurer's looking back at Gobo confusedly and wondering if they were still dreaming. Arriving at the dining hall we took a couple of seats on the counter and greeted Pierre.
"Good morning you two, same thing as usual today?" Pierre asked.
"Yes" Gobo smiled
"Well when did our little friend here learn how to talk?" Pierre smirked.
"Yes Gobo talk now" Gobo said.
"(We still don't know. When Gobo woke up today, he was just able to speak a bit.)" I wrote.
"Hmm... Interesting. Well let me get both of your breakfast for today". Pierre suggested.
"Thank you" Gobo answered.
Pierre goes to the back and we wait. It looks like some of the adventurer's eating near us or the one's from upstairs little greeting , were looking at us intently. Well it was their first time probably looking at a goblin being a pet, but now it's a talking goblin. Pierre comes back with your breakfast and we started to eat, unfazed by the stares of the nearby adventurers. We say our thanks and goodbyes to Pierre and headed off towards the Adventurer's Guild.
Arriving in the Guild we lined up to Hejlikka counter and started waiting. I told Gobo to lay off saying his "Hello's" , just inside the Guild, so that we wouldn't cause any unnecessary attention towards us. We get to Hejlikka counter and we talk to her about Gobo new found ability.
"Would you mind if I looked at your Adventurer Guild Card?" she asked.
I gave her my guild card, wondering why?
"Ah, this might be the cause. You have reached a higher level, congratulations" she smiled.
"(Why would my Level correlate with Gobo talking?)" I questioned.
"I am guessing in your specific case, by you getting stronger your pet's will get stronger" she explained
"(Wait wait wait... What do you mean becoming "stronger" and what does it have to do with levels? Aren't levels just an approximation of one's own experience and trials that he/she faces. Not actually gauge on one's own "Power or Strength".)" I asked.
"Yes this is all correct. However you must know that not every adventurer is not the same. Adventurer's here come from all over the worlds and cosmos, and they all have different ways they can grow.". she says
"Like you and many others, they are able to manifest growth through levels, however for other that not might be the case. They might need a diety to grant them power or absorb enough Mana to accomplish it. Everyone is different." Hejlikka informed.
I had sit and think of what Hejlikka just revealed to me, however time was not on my side as I could see the adventurer's behind me still waiting for their turn. I thank Hejlikka for the explanation and grab the Alchemist Assistant Quest. Gobo and I leave heading towards the Guild Alchemy Hall, still with me in thoughts about what Hejlikka said.
As we entered Alchemy Hall we met with the person manning the counter and asked him about our quest. He told us to head towards room #139 and help Ms. Rudy for the day. He also gave us a slip a paper and told us to give it to Ms. Rudy when we arrive. As we walked towards room 139, we heard the loud rumblings of failed experiments and the intoxicating smell of herbs. It felt like home, with Dr.Fern. We see our destination and knock on the door.
A lady opens the door and before I could greet her she drags Gobo and I into the room. She took the slip of paper from Gobo's hand and read it.
"That damn Charlie giving me another green thumbed assistant!" Ms. Rudy scowled.
"(Hello, Ms.Rudy. Gobo and I are here to assist you tod..)" I tried to write
Ms. Rudy waved away my Light words and started to explain our today's job.
"I don't need an introduction. You the little plant will be #1 and your Goblin friend is #2." she said
"Follow my instruction's and you can have your quest completing rewards alright" she sighed
She started by telling us to drop off the 5x slime cores and 5x healing herbs near the corner of the room. She told us after acquiring some her needed ingredients for her today, she will help us with creating some weak healing potions. She gave us a list of her ingredients and told us to go back to Charlie to ask for her Guild Allowance money. We walked back to the front desk worker and asked him for Ms.Rudy's allowance money and showed him our list we got from her. We got a total of 500g and were told to get a receipt for every purchase.
3 Heads of Garlic
1 Cup of Mud
3 Camellias
1 lb of Goose Fat
1 lb of Sugar
A handful of Moss
A tooth of a Reptile
A bushel of Cattails
Tears of a Kobold
It looked like out of this list the most annoying one's to acquire would be the reptile's tooth and tears of a kobold. We easily acquired the right amount of garlic,sugar,goose fate, and camellias. Gobo and I then went down to a nearby bridge to collect our cup of mud, some moss, and a bushel of cattails. Gobo's hands were full with ingredients and I was getting a bit tired from carrying as well, so we decided to drop off our ingredients and then go find the kobold tear and reptile tooth.
"Is this all of the ingredients?" asked Ms.Rudy
"(No all we need now are the kobold's tear and reptile's tooth)" I explained.
"Ask Charlie about the kobold's tear and your should be able to buy a reptile tooth from one of the taverns" Ms. Rudy told us.
So we headed back towards Charlie and asked him the whereabouts the kobold tear. He said that another alchemist just got a stock of them, and told us to go to room #275 if we wanted to bargain with him. We walking to Room #275 and knocked on the door.
"IF YOU HERE FOR ANOTHER PAYMENT GO AWAY!" someone shouted.
" We pay, we pay." Gobo said
We hear footsteps and the door crack's open a little, we see someone.
"What did you want to pay for?" he asked
"(Hello I am BigGreen and this is Gobo. We heard from Charlie you have some extra kobold tears in stock and we wish to buy a vial from you.)" I wrote.
"YesYES! I have plenty. Why just 1 vial, why not buy 5 or 10. I will give you a discount!" he says opening the door wide open.
"(We are merely assistant's for Ms. Rudy and only require 1 vial)" I answer.
He nods in approval "Rudy needs Kobold tears is that right..."
He sells us a vial of Kobold tears and we head outside towards the nearest tavern on news about a reptile tooth. Gobo and I walk from tavern to tavern asking about any news about reptiles and if there was a possibility of buying a tooth from one, they still had no news though. We ended up back to our Tavern and eventually asked Pierre if he had any news on a reptile.
"Wow new's sure does travel fast. The cook just bought a whole alligator fresh!" Pierre laughed.
"(Pierre by any chance, could I buy a tooth from the alligator?)" I wrote.
"Sure no problem, let me get ask the chef" Pierre said.
Pierre comes back with a small bag and hands it too us. Pierre mentions that the chef had many more tooth's and wouldn't mind giving a small bag to us. We tell Pierre to thank the chef for us and we head back towards the Alchemist Hall to turn in our ingredients. As we return to the Alchemist Hall we give Charlie our receipt for today's expenditure and the rest of the remaining money. We return to Ms.Rudy's room and give her the remaining ingredient.
"Finally done I see" she commented.
"Okay, let's get done with your part of the deal. Go grab those 5x slime cores and healing herbs and show me what you can do" she said.
Ms. Rudy hands Gobo a recipe for a type of healing potion and says "Just follow the instructions and everything will go well"
"(Can I use all the equipment in the lab)" I asked.
"Be my guest little plant" she answered.
I told Gobo to set me near the alchemy station and then told him to go prep the healing herbs. I began to get familiar with the station and the equipment, getting ready with my procedures. Gobo brings back the prepped herbs and the slime cores. We began our first potion making in new world. Gobo took on the part of my assistant helping me bring necessary ingredients and equipment for me to use. While I followed the instructions of the recipe for the precise measurement and directions. At the last part , not added in the recipe, I added a little bit of my own mana to the concoction. Something I learned from Dr.Fern. I was able to fill 5 vials of my concoction and give me to Ms.Rudy to appraise.
"Hmm... Everything seems fine, however why are your potions shining?" she asks
"(It's something that I learned from my master. He would add a little bit of own mana to every potion he made and I in turn just went along with it)". I tell her.
"Well the potion's don't seem to have any complications. The only thing we need to do is test them" she explains.
Ms.Rudy exits the room and comes back with a caged wounded rabbit. She then grabs one of my 5 vials and dripped some of the solution into the rabbit's mouth. The rabbit's wound started to give off a bright shine and we could see the injury healing itself.
"Well everything seems to look fine, except for that bright shine when healing" she concluded.
"Look's like your good enough to actually assist me in my experiments. Okay let's begin" she said.
We started helping Ms.Rudy with her experiments for the day. Mostly just measuring and getting the right ingredients for her. It seems like everything was going fine, until we heard a loud *BOOM* from the cauldron. We saw most of the equipment in the lab covered in a black soot.
*cough*cough* "It looks like I added a little bit too much of those kobold tears" she coughed.
"#1 and #2 go and clean up the lab. After I clean myself up I will give you my quest report" Ms. Rudy said.
Ms.Rudy walked out of the room and Gobo and I grabbed a few rags and started cleaning up the mess. After an hour or so, Ms.Rudy came back into the room.
"Well it look's clean enough. I can have the next assistant to clean the rest. You two come over here" she beckoned us.
"Here's my report, you two can give it to the Guild Receptionist to complete your quest." she says, as she hand us the report.
"(Thank you for today Ms.Rudy. If by any chance I take on this quest again would I be able to be your specific assistant for the day?)" I asked.
"Yeah you can, I will talk too Charlie and tell him to send you two my way." she explains.
Gobo and I say goodbye to Ms.Rudy and head back towards the Adventurer's Guild. We line up to the nearest receptionist and turn in our report we got from Ms.Rudy. We exited and returned back to the Tavern for dinner.
"Yes Yes! Gobo Food" Gobo shouted
Gobo quickly ate his dinner while I drank my water. After dinner I go up to Pierre and pay him today for Room and Board. Gobo and I go back too our room and get prepared for bed. While Gobo is almost in bed I asked him a question.
"Gobo do you feel any stronger since we get here?" I asked
"Gobo strong. Gobo get Stronger" Gobo smiled
"Yes, Gobo very strong" I chuckled
As Gobo falls asleep on the bed I start to think about what Hejlikka talked about today. Hejlikka was correct, I am getting stronger due to my level. I feel my Light magic growing stronger and I can see that Gobo is growing stronger along side every time I gain a Level. However what I want to know is where this power is coming from and if at the end of the day, was it really I that accomplished anything or was it just because of the power I gained from my *LEVEL*.
Today's Inventory
-10g Room and Board
OOC: This is my own Characters story/explanation/questioning about Levels and does not reflect unto other people stories.
Please don't burn me.
