[center][h2]Reindrix Games[/h2] [i]Starring Edward, Roxas, Geralt, the Ace Cadet, and Heismay[/i] [b]Word Count:[/b] 5099 (+6)[/center] As they moved through the saw mill, Edward took the time to itemize the spirits he and Blazermate had acquired. [center] [hider=Items obtained] [b][url=https://i.imgur.com/sw01Gmo.png]Storm Cloud[/url][/b] A cheerful bundle of vapor and electrostatic energy. When hurled into the air, it will gradually slow down, and when it stops moving it'll unleash a burst of yellow lightning that temporarily shrinks everyone in the radius, reducing their stats [b][url=https://i.imgur.com/f3E2Ail.png]Mangled Articulators[/url][/b] A set of robotic claws that can be worn over one's hands. Good for quick slash damage, and relatively lightweight, favoring an evasive rather than defensive fighting style. They increase energy gain when worn and slightly decrease stamina consumption [b][url=https://i.imgur.com/POBEhWQ.png]Impact-type Exospine[/url][/b] A cybernetic implant to be worn on one's back. It increases crit rate, and causes successful crits to generate arcs of unstable energy that chain between enemies, dealing additional damage [b][url=https://i.imgur.com/bRufA3f.png]IIX Syringe[/url][/b] Injecting this triples outgoing melee damage for eight seconds. It also causes mild infection that lowers max health by 10% for 5 minutes [/hider] [/center] As the man himself did that, and then offered up the item to the two robots first, and then stored what wasn't taken, his drones zoomed ahead to scout out the area, and so by the time they’d emerged from it, and he’d finished crushing, he had good news and bad news for the Seekers. [color=ea590c]”I, or rather my scout golems, have caught sight of what I believe was Reindrix in the forest. I was attempting to track them when I lost the squad though I am unsure as to what exactly took them down. There are larged armed warriors stalking those woods for one. Bigger than the rat-folk, with bare skin and skull masks. Other magical beasts for two. Regardless, it’s a clear indicator that it’s hardly a place to wander alone”[/color] [color=ea590c]”As such I’d like to request that we form a proper hunting party, for safety if nothing else”[/color] he then asked, before adding [color=ea590c]”who is interested?”[/color] That made Roxas perk an ear, [color=gold]”I’ll go.”[/color] He offered, with even Scamp offering a bark of agreement. He wasn’t sure but Raindrix sounded like it might be some kind of Pokemon. And in that case he was fairly interested in seeing one. “Could help track them down.” Geralt added, volunteering himself without directly stating it. Ace was the one who had grabbed the Pal Spheres, however, so he pointed that out as well. “Though we’ll need Ace as well for the Pal Spheres.” Said monster hunter had spent a lot of the traveling time off loading the bounty of supplies into the coach's interior. Since the carriage was slow going, [i]really[/i] slow going, there wouldn't have been a better time to divide everything up and stock the thing for whoever wanted or needed the equipment anyway. He'd since climbed out and had taken to walking alongside the massive metal coach and letting his scoutflies spread out to indicate anything interesting looking. Of course he'd been listening to the conversation as well. [i]Oh right, I still have those,[/i] he thought, collecting the Pal Spheres from his now much lighter bag. There weren't terribly many of them, but even with one remaining in the pack to take apart later it would probably be enough to catch a few of those creatures? That is if the Cadet understood their use correctly, having never seen it done before. [color=salmon]"Gotta admit, I am pretty Quru-ous about the whole thing,"[/color] Ace said. He also held out the crystal spheres to the others gathered around, a grin spreading on his face. [color=salmon]"Plus how could I say no to joining a hunting party?"[/color] [color=gold]”If they’re anything like Pokemon, we’ll need to weaken the Reindrix first.”[/color] Roxas said, unsure if the same logic applied to Pals, but offered the suggestion anyway. [color=gold]”And hey, maybe this is a good chance for Tirn to get some battle experience?”[/color] He added with a glance toward Geralt. The Witcher nodded, gently touching the Shieldon’s pokeball. Still interested in the idea of taming wild beasts with such ease, and intending to follow through on his suggestion earlier, Heismay stepped forward. “I would render whatever aid I can, if you’d have me.” Though not a professional hunter, and lacking the perceptive power of Edward’s drones, he had no doubt that he could pursue any creatures that fled and steer them back toward those who could catch them. Ace nodded at the Eugief. Heismay's species was unfamiliar to the man, but he'd spent plenty of time around Lynians and so he felt he could sort of tell Heismay's experience, or at least a vague sense of it based on his apparent build and age. He seemed almost like a veteran - though even if the hunter was totally off base, there was no way Heismay was just carrying around that sword for fun. Add that to the confidence he had in himself and the others in this hunting party, and... [color=salmon]"Five's normally an unlucky number, but with this crew? I'm not too worried. It'll be easy-freezy!"[/color] Five, unlucky? That was news to Heismay. He shivered slightly from the cold. “Very good. Shall we be off then?” “Right, your hunters stuck to groups of four from what I remember, didn’t they? Don’t think I ever got the story for that one while I was in your world…” Geralt commented off-handedly. [color=salmon]"Yeah,"[/color] Ace said to Heismay as the small group prepared to split off from the larger contingent. Then he glanced at Geralt and said, [color=salmon]"it's a little bit truth and a little bit folklore, I can tell you on the way!"[/color] After leaving the black steel stagecoach and the Midnight Walk behind, and learning a little more about Ace's culture by way of the tale of two lovers and tragedy always striking hunting parties of five, it did not take long for the posse of poachers to find themselves some Reindrix. A makeshift trail just off the beaten path pointed them past wooded ridges and between a pair of [url=https://i.imgur.com/ng9k7Wk.png]giant stone greatswords[/url], at which point the area opened up into a snowy valley several football fields in length, the broad but shallow ditch that ran along its center a natural path between opposing armies of snow-draped shrubs and pines. Right away, they spotted their quarry; with majestic cerulean antlers, fluffy fox tails, and voluminous light-blue fur, they were unmistakably Reindrix. Three of them straddled the fine line between forest and snowfield as they dug out edible lichens, shoots, and plant morsels from the wintry underbrush to subsist on. Of course, it wasn’t just Reindrix inhabiting this area at the moment. On the other side of the clearing a [url=https://i.imgur.com/fHUsBB2.png]frozen void dragon[/url] slumbered in a sort of cave formed by a giant, hollowed-out stump. Bubbles rose from its nose as it snoozed, a cute contrast to the dozens of ash piles that surrounded its sleeping place within a radius of about fifty yards, which included the exit to the valley. Upon taking this in, Edward crouched down in the underbrush a fair ways away from their prey. In the name of stealth he’d already had his inferno hound stay back, and recommended that armaments with his searing weapon enchantment attached stay sheathed lest they give the game away to their quarry. [color=ea590c]”Well, that seems like it will be a problem, and one best dealt with in the future I think”[/color] Edward suggested quietly, mentally adjusting the sensibility of using one of his guns in this hunt from ‘not very’ to ‘absolutely not’ Instead he placed a hand on, but did not draw (so that it would not light up their location and give them away), his Illumina Baton, a melee weapon capable of firing stunning flames over very short distances, before asking the experts on monster hunting and catching [color=ea590c]”So, how shall we go about this?”[/color] Though not an expert, Heismay chimed in first. He stroked his chin with his little claws as he reasoned, “Twould be prudent, I think, to flush them this way rather than toward that sleeping behemoth. In my world, such beasts are dreaded harbingers of disaster, and seldom worth meddling with.” He crossed his wings. “To that end, twould be no trouble for me to get behind them, and rout them without making noise.” The hermit glanced at the others to see what they thought, happier to play a role in one of their plans than to enact any of his own. [color=ea590c]”Might want to take at least one other person with you, assuming anyone is capable of matching your stealth. Those might not be quite as skittish as mundane deer”[/color] Edward speculated. “Hmm, good point,” Heismay murmured in agreement. He then glanced at the others quizzically, as if looking for a suitable volunteer. Roxas, realizing who all was on this trip, tentatively raised a hand. [color=gold]”I… think I’m probably your best choice for that.”[/color] He volunteered, knowing Geralt and Ace were bigger than him and probably less capable of moving silently with all the extra weapons and stuff they typically lugged around. He crouched down and gave Scamp a pet and recalled the hound to his Poke Ball for the time being to not risk any unnecessary noise. “Not a bad idea,” The Witcher added, his plate certainly being unsuited for stealth. Were he wearing lighter gear, he might have been quieter, but as it was he would be much more liable to accidentally spook the Reindrix too early. Roxas was certainly right about Ace too, as the hunter was not built for stealth. The Cadet studied the Reindrix from afar (what beautiful coats, and those horns!) before looking at the sleeping dragon on the far end of the valley. He'd learned that the dragons of other worlds were not necessarily as disastrous as the monsters dubbed "dragons" from his, but they could still be pretty dangerous. His own suggestion would have been the same as Heismay's, to flush the Reindrix further away from the scaly beast. Towards them was all well and good, but... Ace stroked his chin for a moment. [color=salmon]"We got a bunch of traps we can use, so if we set those up somewhere first then you two can push them towards our ambush,"[/color] he said. After a moment he added, [color=salmon]"but I wonder where they'd run to if they were spooked without being driven. How many do you think we'd need to pull the coach? Maybe they'd flee towards a bigger herd."[/color] Though no expert when it came to beasts of burden, Heismay felt confident about his assertion. “We'll need more than this, I'm certain.” All the more reason for the hunters to hurry and set up their traps. He readied himself to move out alongside Roxas once more. [color=ea590c]”Hard to tell without directly testing their strength”[/color] Edward replied, before asking [color=ea590c]”how many spheres do we have to catch them with?”[/color] as that would rather influence their tactics he expected. [color=salmon]"About ten,"[/color] Ace replied, which included the spheres everyone had already taken. Before Roxas and Heismay took off he told them one more thing while pointing out an area nearby between them and the forest. [color=salmon]"If you can get them over here, we can set up on the tree line assuming they'll try and head for more cover."[/color] They could lay their traps in a small area to catch them unawares as they fled, so long as nothing unexpected happened. Though they should probably plan for exactly that. Ace slung his bag from his back and popped it open so he could withdraw some of the devices he'd bought so he, Geralt, and Edward could get started. And though he knew that everyone else would prefer they left that drake alone, he said as an aside, [color=salmon]"if we have the time, we could hunt that sleeping monster too. Or imagine if we could get it to pull us around though, how radalos would that be?"[/color] Getting one big beast to pull the coach would also be faster than getting a lot of small ones, and if these spheres that Roxas and Geralt used could just tame small monsters upon capture, he'd like to see if it tempered a large one's attitude... [color=ea590c]”I have… some experience working with wyverns and dragons. Some. The latter are a people, who incidentally claim they, or rather their ancestors, gave the initial shape to the worlds I travelled before Galeem, and can be reasoned and allied with. The former can be tamed. Neither have I ever known to tow carriages, chariots or the like”[/color] Edward said, before seculating [color=ea590c]”I suspect the long tail might make harnessing it quite difficult, and that is before you get to the waste that it is to tie sandbags to a flying creature. It’d be far more valuable as a steed, I think. Or carrying a smaller carriage beneath it”[/color] “Dragons from my world are sapient. Fully capable of thought, speech, and can absorb magical energy. Draconids, like wyverns…not so much.” Geralt added of his own experience. “How we fight will depend on just how intelligent it is. A mere beast, we can handle. Target its wings and force it to the ground. Sapient? We’ll need to get creative. Either convince it a fight isn’t worth it, or outright ask it to join us. Don’t fancy our odds, especially if we ambush it.” He took a Pal Sphere all the same, focusing on the Reindrix. Ace nodded at the two men while they talked about their experiences with dragons. He'd figured it was too big of an ask to try and wrangle a beast of that size and power into towing them around, but it still would have been pretty cool. Of course even in his own world there were stories and rumors of certain elder dragons, particularly the forbidden class of them, being as intelligent as humans and wyverians if not even more so. Ace wasn't sure if he really believed that, but the thought of whole swaths of dragons being sapient like in Edward and Geralt's worlds was kind of chilling. Oh well, for now it'd probably be best just to stick to capturing the deer. With traps from snares to footholds to set up, the three shuffled towards the treeline where the Reindrix wouldn't easily be able to spot them when they were driven over. Once the ambush area was set up, they could take a crack at weakening the animals and getting them into those spheres. Meanwhile, Roxas and Heismay had already begun their stealthy approach toward the Reindrix herd. Roxas’ shoes made light crunching sounds on the snow, while Heismay didn’t appear to make any sound at all. Either that or the sounds his steps made were light enough to go unnoticeable. [color=gold]”How do you want to do this?”[/color] The Nobody asked in a small whisper, hoping not to startle any of the Reindrix to their presence. Right now, Heismay was more worried about the frozen void dragon. Circling around their quarry would put them definitively within earshot of the slumbering beast, and he did not dare put its faculties to the test. When the hermit replied, his response could scarcely be heard above the frigid wind. “If the appearance alone of Thief is not enough to drive them, we may need to get creative. My dark arts, or perhaps…” Heismay studied Roxas’ keyblade. “Your magic might suffice, if it is not too loud. Or, if you possess some manner of illumination, we could startle them with light reflected by my blade. In the Shadowguard, we sometimes used such techniques to signal one another across long distances–the glint of steel is unmistakable.” [color=gold]”Hmm, illumination…”[/color] Roxas pondered quietly before snapping his gauntleted fingers, [color=gold]”The lamp, from the viking treasure chest!”[/color] He whispered, fishing the butterfly lamp from his bag and holding it up, [color=gold]”Now… how do I turn this thing on…?”[/color] He muttered as he fiddled with the lamp in an attempt to light it, managing to do it completely by accident. Once the two received their signal from the trappers, it was go time. As foolproof as the plan seemed, and as low-stakes as this side story was, Heismay couldn’t help but be a little nervous. With a final glance over his shoulder at the dragon, so close and yet so far, he transformed. “Thief,” he whispered, assuming his Archetype form. He and Roxas then stepped out from his hiding place and began to approach the Reindrix. Their wide field of vision caught him within a few moments, and all three turned to stare at him. Their hostile, suspicious gaze seemed to be gauging whether or not they could take the two of them on–a far cry from skittish deer liable to flee the moment they spotted movement. When Roxas shined the concentrated light of his new butterfly lamp onto the large blade of Thief’s curved greatsword, though, the powerfully scintillating glint seemed to convince the Reindrix they were under attack. Together, the beasts bolted in the opposite direction, straight for the treeline where Geralt and Ace had laid their traps. “Here they come.” The Witcher whispered, Odysseus’s bow at a low ready. He didn’t want to spook them before it was time to attack, but it wasn’t long before the pals had reached the traps they had set. The first into the ambush area ran headlong into a snare, the wire closing tight around one of its massive antlers. It was jerked backwards before it could get too far, and upon realizing it had been caught the reindrix reared up onto its hind legs in a show of intimidation. The other two continued to flee, and since being pals they were a bit smarter than the average animal they knew now to try and avoid traps. At least, the ones they could see. Both reindrix stumbled to the ground when their steps triggered hidden leg traps, and though they were quick to stand back up they couldn't go anywhere without breaking the iron clamped around their limbs. Once he was sure they were trapped, Geralt rose and expertly fired an arrow into the neck of one of the Reindrix, which brayed in anger and pain while trying to forcefully pull its leg from the trap. “Get them!” He called, both to Ace and Edward by his side, as well as Roxas and Heismay in pursuit. Ace opted to get in close to the wrangled deer. He knew a cornered monster, small or otherwise could be pretty dangerous, but if they needed to weaken the reindrix for sphere capture without killing them then he thought stunning them like hunters would a kelbi would be his best bet. With everything so far having gone according to plan, the Cadet rose from cover and swiftly approached the reindrix tangled in the snare. His sword and shield was drawn, and he spoke to the pal as he got close. [color=salmon]"You've got snow-where to go and you're getting captured one way or another, so let's not make this harder than it has to be,"[/color], he said to the pal as he got close, his sword and shield drawn. The reindrix eyed the weapon and decided it was definitely going to make things hard for its assailants. When its hooves slammed back down onto the ground, a chill instantly swept over the immediate area as ice crystallized underfoot and frozen spikes exploded up through the snow. [color=salmon]"Whoa-ho!"[/color] Ace exclaimed as he dove out of the way. Alright, these things were going to make better steeds than he'd initially thought; if the stagecoach got attacked then they could join in its defense! He closed the distance between himself and the pal and slammed his shield into the reindrix's head. It staggered and pulled at the wire ensnaring it, though it was no use. The trap was frozen onto its icy horns, and though now rigid and weaker it wouldn't snap in time for the reindrix to make an escape attempt, or more likely try a stronger attack. With its head mostly held in place it could do nothing but suffer another blow with the hunter's shield until it was thoroughly dazed, slumping in the snare's hold. Ace had no idea just how weak a monster needed to be before the Pal Spheres worked on it. Maybe about the same as using a Friend Heart? He doubted the spheres could heal like that, so it would be best not to hurt the animals too much, right? Ace took one of the crystal spheres in hand and chucked it at the reindrix, and to his mild surprise it was absorbed into the ball with a little light show. The sphere hovered in place where it had struck the pal and wiggled, a clear sign that the monster inside was trying to get out. A moment later and the sphere broke apart, and the reindrix was back and more pissed off than before. Luckily for it, the snare hadn't been absorbed into the sphere with it, so when it reappeared it was free. Free to lower its horns and charge directly at the Cadet. Ace met the reindrix's charge with his shield, and though he stopped it right in place the antlers instantly froze the shield on impact. He could feel the ice seeping into his arm and up his shoulder, but the strong ice resistance of his outfit prevented the worst of it. Would he have been frozen too without it? Thankfully he didn't need to find out. Ace stepped forward, winning the contest of strength and pushing the pal back until it gave up. When it withdrew to go for another attack the hunter flicked his icy arm up and caught the deer with the shield on the side of its face. It lurched to one side and exposed enough of its flank for the Cadet to slash with his sword from its shoulder to its back. He didn't want to waste another sphere, but this had to be enough by now, surely! The monster hunter threw another Pal Sphere, watching the same process repeat. This time the crystal capture device didn't shatter - with one final glow it stopped moving and fell to the ground where it could be collected with its prize inside. [color=salmon]"Target captured!"[/color] One down, two to go. Everything was going well so far. But from his position, Roxas spotted one of the Reindrix wandering off course and away from the rest were being herded after managing to free itself from the foot hold. [color=gold]”Go, Scamp!”[/color] He called as he released his Boltund from its Poke Ball, [color=gold]”After that straggler, Scamp, don’t let ‘em get away!”[/color] Scamp tensed his muscles before bounding ahead after the fleeing Reindrix. With his superior speed, Scamp had no problem circling around to head off the Reindrix, barking to startle it into running back the other way. The Boltund even sidled up alongside the Pal and gave it an electrified bump, using Nuzzle to help weaken it slightly and inflict paralysis so that the next Pal Sphere thrown at it would have a better chance of a successful capture. [color=gold]”There ya go, Scamp! That’s the way!”[/color] As it started to try and veer around the other seekers rather than run straight into them, Edward came lunging out of a portal, having hurled himself out of his ambush spot. He boldly crashed into the Pal, delivering a heavy sholderbarge that threw it off balance. As it stumbled, he flapped his wings back to arrest his own momentum, and then flicked fourth his Illumina Baton, shooting out a burst of flames that thawed and stunned the already unsteady beast, sending it tumbling into the snow. The man landed far more gracefully, only to then have to hurl himself to the side and into a portal again as the Reindrix lifted its head up and formed a hovering trio of icicle lances over its head, and shot them at him in. From there it tried to rise, only to find its paralysis kicking in halfway through the motion, leaving it stunned and vulnerable. Just in time for Edward to stabilize the end of his portal dodge, draw his maglock pistol, and to shoot the beast in the leg with it. He then had his Reaver striker lash it with tentacles, keeping it knocked down as he withdrew a pal-sphere and tossed it at the thoroughly battered pal. Geralt approached the third Reindrix, bow drawn and ready to fire. He waited, watching its movements as the Pal tried to free itself from the snare. He wanted to find the perfect spot to hit the thing, rather than waste arrows and risk harming it more than necessary to capture. To that end, he had called Tirn out of its pokeball. “Tirn, use screech to weaken it.” He ordered, the Shieldon complying with an ear-piercing cry. The Reindrix shivered as it found itself overwhelmed by the high-pitched noise, and Geralt found his shot. The arrow was released, burying itself into the Reindrix’s body, and the wounded Pal let out an angry cry, its resistance doubling. By this time Heismay had closed in, positioning himself to cut off the creatures’ escape should one burst free from its trap and make a break for it. Things were looking good, though. After an unlucky initial throw, Ace had successfully captured one of them. The other two had fallen victim to steel jaws, their vicious teeth bitten into their legs down to the bone and only more painful the more the Reindrix struggled. While the Seekers hadn’t factored ice magic into their calculations, they were handling the beasts’ unexpected abilities well enough, and were weakening their quarry through both injury and status effect. Though the one shot shot by Geralt seemed frenzied, Heismay assumed that it must be on its last legs by now. “That one’s nearly spent,” he declared, instinctively glancing at the frozen void dragon to see if the animals’ noise had roused it. While it still seemed asleep, he kept his voice low just to be safe. “Avoid its thrashing, and seize it!” Geralt wasted no time throwing his Pal Sphere, and the crystalline orb absorbed the Reindrix as expected, shaking once, twice, and thrice before clicking shut. He retrieved the ball, clipping it to his belt. “And that's three.” He concluded, looking at the others. “Probably need more than this to move that huge carriage, though. Ace, your scoutflies can find more, right?” Ace was quick to regroup with everyone once all three reindrix were captured, pal sphere in hand. They should probably pick one or two people to handle and maybe keep hold of the deer going forward, but for now he tucked the crystal ball into his bag and nodded at Geralt. [color=salmon]"Yep, won't be a problem,"[/color] he said, tapping the little cage of them. The insects swarmed out of it, gathered briefly around the traps that had held the hunters' quarry, and then began to move in a line to form a softly glowing trail the group could roughly follow. Heismay let out a sigh of relief he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Ably done,” he complimented the hunters. “That said, we are far from done.” He turned and surveyed the landscape once more, keen to keep that dragon at a wide berth. Luckily, the scoutflies led not toward the monster, but through the trees, and Heismay wasted no time in crunching through the snow after them. After traveling a short ways, the hunting party emerged from the trees to find another stretch of snowy wilderness. A handful of icy rivers criss-crossed the field of withered grass and pristine snow, several once fed by now-frozen waterfalls made into [url=https://i.imgur.com/bsq4DeN.png]curtains of icicles[/url] that dangled precipitously over the water. Handfuls of old stone ruins could be found here or there, and across the snowfield loomed a trio of [url=https://i.imgur.com/uPihd7K.png]stone greatswords[/url] at the shore of a frozen lake, ringed by tall glaciers. Fewer conifers could be found on that side, but there were more Reindrix scattered around the area, a couple small herds of them, each three beasts strong. The Seekers weren’t the only people on the lookout for prey, though. Two squads of reavers stalked the area, seemingly disinterested in the wildlife, a disposition which appeared to be mutual. The most perceptive among the newcomers might also spot a small troop of demihumans, including two werewolves with swords, a [url=https://i.imgur.com/2z8PyEe.png]lithe, cream-colored fox[/url], and a [url=https://i.imgur.com/d2q0ODU.png]burly bear[/url] with greatshield and hammer, on a collision course with the reavers. Now that everyone knew the plan, they got to work. The stagecoach was slow, but every minute the five spent away was still time it was getting further away, so there was no time to waste. They quickly decided to steer clear of the feuding raiders and focus on the Reindrix, and for the most part, their plan went well. Of course, pal spheres weren’t foolproof, and neither were the Seekers’ methods for damaging the beasts without killing them. Between failed captures, accidental kills, runaways, and outsider interference, the team failed to obtain three of the Reindrix. Luckily, that still left them with a full team of eight and one extra. With the White Team’s newest recruits safely in hand, the hunters hurried to retrace their steps to the Midnight Walk and rejoin the others before the stagecoach got too far away.