[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/QLcqYBY.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/Zm9NBje.png[/img][hr][hr][b][colour=FF3131]Event:[/colour][/b] Castle Mandelein [b]|[/b] [b][colour=FF3131]Location:[/colour][/b] Mandelein, Kerremand[hr][hr][/center]

The town meeting droned on, and Taleja was not present at the start. She didn't desire to waste her attention on the arbitrary exchange of hot air usually associated with such things. No, her interest was drawn to the corpse that was brought it. It was a grotesque and repulsive creature, reeking of degeneracy. With her expert eye, she studied every inch of the creature, meticulously taking samples to add to her collection. Once she had completed her examination, Taleja moved onto the next phase of her preparation.

The creature's thick hide was evident, as she started selecting the perfect blend of materials to create a small spread of highly toxic shot, with piercing steel pieces as the base, with the paralysing agent to coat and be absorbed straight into the blood stream via the wound. Whilst it might not penetrate as deep as an iron or steel ball, it was ideal for her purpose, perfect for disabling the creature, or in circumstances of taking down small, or agile game. With a satisfied smile, she brought out the dried herb. [colour=006633]“Wolfsbane, fitting”[/colour]. The herb was notorious for causing paralysis and respiratory failure, so much that even those who tended to it had to wear gloves. But for Taleja, it were an easy task. With practised ease, she purified the alkaloids and made her deadly preparation.

With the musket primed, Taleja stepped back from the corpse and fired. As she inspected the results, she nodded in satisfaction as it penetrated the hide. She began to produce more of the deadly ammunition, more than enough for any future encounters. All the while, the dull murmur of the town meeting continued in the background, forgotten by Taleja in her single-minded pursuit of her deadly craft.

As the sound of gunshots rang out, Ashon immediately left the meeting and headed towards the barn. He could sense her presence as he neared the entrance and greeted her with a wide, goofy smile when he opened the door. [colour=FF3131]“Looks like you're too late, it's already dead,”[/colour] he said.

Taleja's eyebrow arched upon seeing the Yasoi at the door, but she quickly put on a practised smile. [colour=006633]“They say that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, Monkey King,”[/colour] she quipped. With her task completed, she began to methodically put everything away.

He walked towards the corpse and bent over to examine the marks where she had fired. As he picked at it in curiosity, she gave him a warning glance. [colour=006633]“You shouldn't do that just yet. You are a valuable resource that shouldn't be expended so easily.”[/colour]

He tilted his head towards her. [colour=FF3131]“Did Milady deign me worthy of a compliment?”[/colour]

[colour=006633]“You are an accomplished court jester,”[/colour] she remarked, [colour=006633]“What brought you out here?”[/colour]

[colour=FF3131]“You know me,”[/colour] he boasted, [colour=FF3131]“I come running whenever there is a damsel in distress."[/colour]

She replied with a smile. [colour=006633]“You are very amiable, no doubt, but you would be charming if you would only depart.”[/colour]

[colour=FF3131]“Be kind, aim for my heart,”[/colour]  he said, clutching his chest as he inspected her. [colour=FF3131]“I came to bring you in, the entertainment is about to start.”[/colour]

She looked up at him. [colour=006633]“I suspect that was the clink of the lock I heard earlier.”[/colour]

[colour=FF3131]“You wound me, and it has seeped deep. Name your poison,”[/colour] he said, painfully clutching his chest.

[colour=006633]“Wolfsbane to paralyse”[/colour], she stated plainly, [colour=006633]“A blend with some mandrake to put it in a deep sleep, and opium poppy to minimize the pain. If we discover another one of these beasts, it shall be a simple task.”[/colour]

Ashon chuckled nervously, [colour=FF3131]“Remind me not to get on your bad side.”[/colour]

[colour=006633]“I am reserving the Curare and the Botulinum for you.”[/colour] Taleja retorted, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. Her green eyes flicked to stare into his jade ones. [colour=006633]“Mandelein has a large cultivation of fungi, we should have gathered more of those mushrooms. Fly Agaric, Prince, and the Pinkgill Mushrooms could be used to make suitable agents for inhalation. If we used the Fly Agaric mushroom, we could look at rapid onset of symptoms within minutes to effectively render the creature defenseless to extermination.”[/colour]

Jamboi rubbed his chin. [colour=FF3131]“What if I told you I could get a large amount of that?”[/colour]

She turned to peer toward him, as the Yasoi rummaged through his pockets, throwing some vials and bags toward her. She caught them, barely, as she looked at him, unamused. [colour=FF3131]“You are wearing gloves, it is fine. So that is Skuggvar poison, and it's cure with it... if it tastes bad, that is a good sign. Not sure on the bag of powder, seemed potent. Got more back in the room.”[/colour]

Taleja inspected the merchandise, it appeared to be that he somehow obtained the real deal. [colour=006633]“You have bought a stay on your own execution, Monkey King”[/colour] she said with a raised eyebrow.

Ashon grinned widely. [colour=FF3131]“Now, you're doing your best to suppress that smile.”[/colour]

[colour=006633]“Let's attend this gathering. We can discuss the details later.”[/colour] Taleja stood and then moved past the Yasoi to exit through the door, with Ashon following closely behind.

=====

Ashon's attention was immediately drawn to Jocasta's arrival, as if he had been watching a firework and suddenly heard the bang. He had anticipated her presence, but the impact was still significant. Seeing his tutor meant one of two things: either trouble was about to erupt or it had already erupted. Memories of the wrath of the Quentic Church and Jocasta's careless abandonment of Penny during their escape flooded his mind, but he didn't have time to dwell on them as the bells began to ring, signalling trouble.

Just as he was about to make a hasty exit, a hand grabbed him. [colour=006633]“Monkey King, you need to show me where this stockpile is.”[/colour] Taleja had already donned that beaked mask, and her green eyes piercing through the lens.

He taunted Taleja with a wide smirk. [colour=FF3131]“The stockpile belongs to a nice old lady who collects herbs and sells them for a profit at a shop. A Yanii institution. Haven't the Perrench brought these to Crisia yet?”[/colour]
Taleja remained impassive behind her mask, her gaze fixed on him.
[colour=FF3131]“Very well, Milady, I'll show you the way,”[/colour] he said, lowering himself to her level. [colour=FF3131]“But what's the goal with these herbs, anyway?”[/colour]
She spat her response in Kerreman. [colour=006633]“Das Ziel? Ausrottung. [i]- The goal? Extermination.[/i]”[/colour] And with that, she pushed him through the door and followed as he led the way to the trade district.

The duo arrived at the Carpenters' guild, a modest workshop located just a short walk South-East of the Square, near the Botanist's shoppe. As they approached the building, they noticed that the walls were riddled with large holes where three powerful energy signatures.

One of the beasts was viciously attacking a carpenter's wife, who appeared to be beyond saving. Another was forcefully trying to break down the door leading to a storage unit where several people were hiding. The third creature, significantly larger than the other two, an Alpha, had already spotted the group and was poised to attack.

The third beast sprang towards Ashon, who tried to dodge it. However, the creature's enormous paw clawed his arm, causing a deep gash. Despite this, Ashon managed to avoid the worst of the attack. [colour=FF3131]“Tis but a scratch!”[/colour], as he tries to reassure himself and his partner.

With her gun at the ready, Taleja fired the Pendragon, hitting the creature's exposed flank with her specialized shot. The metal penetrated deep into the creature's flesh, releasing the potent wolfsbane into its bloodstream. As the creature recoiled from the gunshot, Jamboi moved in to strike, but the creature's swift movements kept him at bay.

The creature charged towards Taleja, ignoring the other member of the group and focusing solely on her. With quick reflexes, Taleja snapped a carbon rod, a tool she used as a catalyst, and drew upon her energy for the radiation. As the creature barrelled towards her, she cast Faceless Thunder, unleashing tiny explosions that caused shockwaves and reduced the creature's momentum to a stand still.

Using this opportunity, Taleja threw a pouch towards the creature's face, activating it and causing a powdery gas to erupt into the air. The creature breathed in the gas, which quickly entered its lungs, paralysing the organ from the inside.

Panicking, the Alpha began to swipe at Taleja, but its lungs were collapsing from the paralysing effect. It found itself stuck in quicksand as Taleja drew upon the ground with binding, immobilizing it. She removed her glove and gently petted the creature, causing it to focus on escaping the trap and allowing her to obliterate its manas with miniature bombs exploding throughout its body. The creature squealed in agony as it was gravely wounded, narrowly avoiding complete annihilation at the hands of Taleja.

Undeterred, Taleja broke another carbon rod and drew upon the radiation, taunting the creature as she cast fields of fire. [colour=006633]“With your claws you create a killing spree, but even with your fangs, you cannot keep up with me.”[/colour] The Alpha began to melt and disintegrate before her, the putrid fumes filling the air as its flesh boiled and melted away. Fatality. 

While Taleja was occupied with the Alpha, Ashon shifted his attention to the other two monsters. The woman was beyond saving, but the villagers barricaded inside the nearby building still needed his help. [colour=FF3131]“Hey, big guy, watch this neat trick,”[/colour] he taunted as he cast a spatial anchor and charged towards the creature. As it readied to defend itself, Ashon suddenly appeared on the other side and struck it with his lucky staff, drawing its attention away from the villagers. The creature growled and lunged at Ashon with its jagged teeth, but he deftly slipped the staff into its mouth, charging it with static electricity and causing it to yelp in pain.

With the creature momentarily distracted, Taleja took aim and fired her rifle, striking it in the back. Ashon then used his gravity magic to launch it into the air as he delivered a powerful uppercut. He leaped up and grabbed the creature by the head, using the force of his momentum to pile drive it into the ground with a resounding impact. The creature was obliterated beyond recognition, leaving Ashon standing victorious over the remains.

The third beast was lured by the sounds of chaos from its slain companions, letting out a chilling roar that made Ashon and Taleja cover their ears. The howl reverberating as it disrupted the manas in its surrounding area, sending shivers down their spines, with Taleja dropping to her knees.

Despite being weakened, Taleja tried to ensnare the creature with quicksand by manipulating the ground beneath it, but the beast was too strong and easily broke free. Its momentary triumph was short-lived, as Ashon used temporal magic to trick the creature into choking on the gnarled staff, [colour=FF3131]“You see it, and now you don’t”[/colour]. The Monkey King swiftly took advantage of the creature's confusion, leaping onto it and wrenching the staff from its throat with a force that nearly tore through its windpipe. [colour=FF3131]“Here it is!”[/colour]

Feeling overwhelmed, the creature tried to flee, but it stumbled and fell when it found itself within Taleja’s crosshairs as she shot its leg with her musket. She began to reload as she approached the injured beast, pointing the barrel at its head and pulling the trigger without hesitation.

After Taleja patched Ashon up, and he checked on the safety of the villagers, the pair made their way to the Botanist’s shoppe. [colour=006633]“Do you remember those mushrooms I list them? Gather them for me. I will prepare pouches for the other groups to make use of. It should enable them to turn the tide.”[/colour] Ashon nodded, [colour=FF3131]“Fly Agaric, Prince, and Pinkgill right?”[/colour] She simply nodded toward him as they got to work. Ashon soon playing delivery boy to share them out.

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