[u][b]Siwon, Ettamri, Katya, Argen, Renault - Meeting Up[/b][/u]

Katya was sorta sad that Siwon didn't throw rocks with her, even after she practically invited him. What a sulky loser. He probably has baby arms anyways. Fiend Knights always had baby arms, after all. Her Master said so. Every day was leg day, but no day was arm day. With a slight [color=6ecff6]'hmph'[/color], the small priest turned back to her stone-slinging duties, her body plenty warmed from exercise, even as her face grew rosier and rosier as a result.

Soon enough, Argen and Renault showed up again, neither of them looking to require healing. The fire that Ettamri and Siwon coaxed into life was crackling merrily at this point, blessed warmth drawing them in like moths to a lamp. They gathered around the fireplace soon enough, the horses stomping impatiently against the ground at this point; it had been almost two hours now, and it was tragically boring. Up above, the heavy skies have become a couple shades darker than before, night approaching gradually, rapidly. It wasn't a terrible idea, just camping beside the river, but on the other hand...this certainly wasn't the amount of progress they'd want to make on the easiest leg of the journey.

And as minutes ticked and ticked away, Oscar and Muu continued to be absences none of them could account for.

[color=6ecff6]"Oh hey, Arg, Ren,"[/color] Katya said, ignoring all the boring logistics, [color=6ecff6]"Watch this!"[/color] She hopped by the riverbank once more, pulling out a smooth stone from the folds of her robes before whipping it out in a motion that was now wholly fluid.

[i]Splish-splish-splish-splish-splash-splat![/i]

It wasn't her seven splash miracle, but she wheeled around to face them again and flashed a victory sign. [color=6ecff6]"I'm the best, right!"[/color]

And indeed, the blue-haired stonethrower certainly was the best. Was it intentional, or was it accidental? No matter what it was, it was hard to argue with the results of her miraculous throw; those who paid attention to the streaming river could all see a thick trail of blood blooming through the clear waters, a bulbous, dark form drifting lower and lower until it lodged itself against the rocks.

[hr][u][b]Oscar and Muu - Proceed or Retreat?[/b][/u]

It wasn't even a challenge. With graceful steps polished over half a year of combat, Muu shot through the snow like an arrow, white clouds bursting up with each step as her scarlet scarf trailed behind her. In one elegant swing, she drew her short sword through the goblin's neck, the edge of the blade never touching hard bone. It passed through flesh and fat easily, and moments later, blood geysered out. Before he could even strike once at the prone Oscar, the mud goblin fell onto the man's leg, sanguine ichor dying his boot and pant leg a disgusting color.

If a healthy goblin could be slain instantaneously by Muu, one with an arrow in his gut posed even less of a challenge. Though it was valiant enough to heft up his weapon in the face of certain doom, valor without strength to back it up was merely foolhardiness; he too was dispatched in a singular stroke, a scarlet trail arcing through the air.

For a moment, the two adventurers anticipated a second wave.

But that wave never came. Goblins may be idiots, but they weren't fools. Even if they still outnumbered the adventurers three to one at the very least, Muu's display of martial skill was enough to convince them that taking her down would be much too costly. While their weakest died seeking glory, the rest made a prudent retreat, disappearing deeper into the forest. No doubt, proceeding further would mean another encounter with that band of goblins, and this time, they may be prepared for Oscar and Muu. But they were simply goblins, their numbers whittled down to size quite easily. And there may not be an ambush after that skirmish; humans knew to let sleeping dogs lie, and so did goblins.

Still, the whole encounter had taken no small amount of time, and they had yet to scout into the forest itself. Would it be prudent to continue into the forest, or to simply return, lest they be left behind by an impatient knight?