[IC] Altera: Of Departures and Deliverance

[Buzzkill]

Matteo wasn’t sure what he had been expecting when he’d offered to get down on his knees and beg-- someone to stop him, someone to laugh at him, a simple yes or no-- but the knight’s request (to put it kindly) made him hesitate. He was already down on one knee, fully prepared to prostrate himself so his outrageous request at least seemed to come from a place of humility. Which it was-- in no way did the Thief think he, Ash and Muu were anywhere close to the same tier as the duo he’d approached.

But he had a story to sell. He had nothing to lose. Mocking and humiliation were the least of his concerns-- he had to prove he tried, or he would go down in his friends’ minds as the absolute loser he’d definitively proven himself to be the night before. Literally.

Yet kissing their boot represented an agreement to the knight’s demands, and that made the dark-haired youth pause more than anything else. Torn, his gray eyes flicked down to the boots before back up at the faceless stranger, lingering on their helm. From the build and voice he guessed it was a woman, but it didn’t really matter. Carrying heavy bags deep into the woods, dying for the priest… that sounds…

He wasn’t proud. He was just lazy. Despite having been the one to make the offer, he hesitated now to sign this unwritten contract.

And then suddenly, Ash was there. Matteo jerked in surprise as the ranger knelt and kissed the knight’s boots, sealing the deal and sparing him his indecision. I’m not the only one who’s desperate, he realized, and that his deprecating introduction of the group had perhaps been more honest than he'd expected. He even heard a little please from Muu. He’d dragged all three of them down to his level for this gambit, and for their sake if not his own, Matteo suddenly willed it to succeed.

The chance of success had been so slim he’d barely entertained it when he first approached the pair. Objectively, the odds seemed impossible.

Is this fate, then?

Seeming resigned, Matteo hesitantly mirrored Ash, lowering his head to let his lips brush the knight’s other shoe. An act of solidarity more than anything else. “We’ll do what’s necessary,” he muttered, heart thumping with sudden dread. What had they gotten themselves into? What have I gotten us into, rather?

He rose when prompted by the priest, grateful for her pity, and offered another mild smile. “Thank you both for this opportunity. My name is Matteo, Thief by trade.” He copied the way Etono had first introduced themselves when they’d met. As the priest spoke Matteo felt privately that any and all of the proposed targets were more than the trio had ever overcome successfully, but did not weigh in with his opinion. They were in no position to make demands or suggestions. Not yet.

[GreenGoat]

Ettamri Belarence

---

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise as not one, but two of them bent down and kissed her feet. The other one only offered a weak please. They truly were desperate then, willing to throw away even their pride to get more money. Of course, that meant they may or may not be unscrupulous enough to try and steal from her and the priest once they're asleep or the likes. Not much sense in doing that considering what they were, but she had known people dumber than that.

"Well done you scums." She nodded towards the priest. "Thank her heart she speaks for you, for I would have left all of you in the gutter. Consider all three of you in the party. Gather your items for travel immediately and meet up back here. We ride towards the southern meadows, for the toad first."

"Ah that's right, I'm Ettamri, thats Sunface." Her tone was slightly more affable now. "Trick me and I'll use you for bait next time I find you."

Without any more words, Ettamri too moved to gather her own travelling kit, as well as her horse. Where the plains and meadows were concerned, she had the advantage over any frog. Perhaps the others too will be able to persuade some of the farmers to lend them their horses for the frog hunt. As she moved, she took not one, but four of the requests posted, first the one for the toad, then the one for the undead party, then the goblin, then the slime and bear as an afterthought. There was no reason why they cannot make a circuit around to snag what rewards they could, especially now that they have the actual manpower to do so.

[ERode]

Though their antics brought no small amount of jeers and snide remarks from those who observed, the three unfortunate adventurers simply had nothing left to care about. Considering the amount of debt they were in, selling their bodies to this masked knight and their subdued priest was the least they could do, and without much further ado, the newly formed party was off, passing through the slum district of Andeave before leaving the southern gates.

The world that opened up before them was wide and windy, the tall grass billowing in the wind as the sea crashed against rocky formations. The sting of salt sharpened their senses and invigorated them, while the gray sky was beginning to promise rain. With how open the fields were, few monsters presented themselves so freely, while farmers lead their flock to graze. A couple of them gave nods to the party as they passed, but otherwise kept their heads up in the horizon. A red-striped toad was comical, yes, but it was also trouble, and its phantom scent caused the slightest of hesitation in Ettamri’s steed.

Seven silver though. Seven silver for a single monster that probably wasn’t nearly as frightening as an intelligent ambusher that wasn’t afraid to use fire in a forest or a party of undead that still retained the skills they had when they were alive. With Ettamri’s warhorse, they could chase it down. With Gwyndolin’s healing, they no longer had to worry about crippling infections. With Ash, they stood a good chance of tracking it even after it escaped. With Matteo and Muu, they…could find something to do as well.

The further away the group travelled from Andeave, the taller and wilder the grass became, until it was almost impossible to tell what you were stepping into. From atop their horse, the white knight felt the telltale shifts of a steed moving through surprisingly uneven terrain, while for those bound to walking the way, there were more than a few times when they ended up stepping in a shallow pond or a slanted rock. Ash, who served as vanguard and scout, even ended up stepping on poop a couple of times, but her shit-smeared soles at least served some purpose: the poop she found was giant-toad poop, and using that as a guideline, she soon became able to track the massive indentations upon the grass that the toad left in its wake.

And after a four-hour trek, they could see it.

From such a distance, it was hard to gauge the size of the beast, but the splash of red against the gray day was more than enough to confirm its identity. At one hundred meters away, the Red Striped Toad hopped around merrily, unaware of the presence of its hunters.

Now, it was simply a question: how do they proceed?

[GreenGoat]

Ettamri Belarence

---

"Well done, hunter."

The destrier strode silently through the grass, its sheer size making it tower over most of them. While not as large as some draft horses, its musculature and agility was evident even with the barding and the rider's weight on it. Far stronger and more reactive, it was no surprise it wasn't keen on getting close to a large toad it sensed was dangerous. It did not, however, get spooked, for war horses were trained to charge fearlessly into the midst of battle, ignoring the cacophony around it. It also did not make for a comfortable ride all the way here, considering it was bred for war, not gait and posture to make riding comfortable. Ah, for her to be able to accommodate another proper riding horse than Horsey here...

With the greatsword and lance both in special fittings to accommodate their transport and quick unsheathing, she pulled out the lance, before leaning over the side and pulling up Ash with barely any effort onto the back of her horse. Ettamri wasn't about to be courteous and give warnings now that the prey was in her sights.

"You, with me. You, the bladedancer, and you, the thief, you're both fleet of foot, am I correct? Pursue the toad, protect Sunface. Sunface, don't hesitate to order them around, and try not to get too close to the toad if possible. Good hunting."

Without waiting for any sort of reply, obviously expecting them to follow orders, she rode the destrier at a faster, and yet more leisurely pace towards the right of the frog, ready to head it off if it tries escaping towards difficult terrain.

"Aim well, or I'll throw you in the toad's mouth to weight it down." Ettamri spoke to Ash. "We start as soon as they spook the creature. Hit the eyes and we'll be as good as done."

[OwO]

With the casting of protection from the gang's priest, Ash's body felt nominally better. It wasn't much, but every bit counted. When you were as weak as they were, anything was an improvement. Tracking the beast had been fruitful and Ash's efforts were commended. She was validated for her choice as a hunter, so to speak. Such a toad wasn't scary. They'd already been stabbed, beaten, and thrown into rivers. Mauled by a bear, even. A toad was easy. What did the toad have? Poison, if the bright colors were any indication. If it was poison, that meant that all Ash needed to do was fire arrows at it. If they didn't sink far in, wouldn't that mean it was a free poison arrow? And it wasn't like a meal. She didn't have to be super accurate with a bow on this one. As long as the toad's body was completely demolished, they would get money from it.

Careful now. Like a machine, she raised her bow. She'd get used to the movement of the horse first. It shook a bit, so she had to get used to firing while moving on a horse. An arrow nocked and she carefully aligned it. Not a full pull, but still enough pressure to become accustomed to horseback archery. The eyes, though? A bit of a rough shot from a shaking field. Rather than that, she aimed dead-on to the beast's face. On a frog, that was center of mass. Even if the wind knocked it a bit off path, she could still hit. She accounted for the wind, the drop, everything she could. She emptied her mind. No sense trying to think too hard about. She pulled arrow back as far as she could while remaining accurate. Ettamri's harsh language did nothing to throw the young hunter off her game. She was used to it.

Easy. Just like the deer; just like a tree stump.

[Buzzkill]

Fresh air filled his senses, bringing Matteo a curious sense of discomfort. The wind ruffling his hair should have been invigorating, but all he could think about was how uncomfortable it would be to get caught out in the rain. The unwashed stink of his own clothes and body seemed all the more foul by comparison. Maybe the rain would do me some good after all, the youth thought as he trudged along, tall grass tickling the backs of his legs, and then his elbows, and then his chin.

He forced a smile instead of a grimace as the toad was finally spotted. Perhaps he could talk his way out of this, work out some kind of compromise without appearing utterly incompetent. “Certainly, Muu and I are quite… fleet,” he said, tone pleasant, “But If I may, we could discuss--” It seemed there was to be no discussion. The Thief’s words faded as Ettamri wheeled and trotted off without another word. Peeved, Matteo looked at Muu, irritation briefly passing across his face before he gave the bladedancer another bland smile.

“I suppose we have our… orders, then. Maybe you should stay closer to Sunfa-- er, the priest, since you’ve got the sword.” Resigned, Matteo gave a slight shrug and nodded at Gwyn.

The youth ducked down, letting the grasses part around him as he moved forward towards the red-striped beast. He didn’t bother drawing his dagger, not yet-- if anything, the encounter with the goblins had shown him that he’d just drop it if he wasn’t already fully committed to using it. He hadn’t been told to stab the toad, just to get its attention. He’d just focus on dodging it for now. Maybe it’s just placebo, but the priest’s blessing makes me feel a little less tired. Irrationally, he felt a little stab of jealousy towards Ash for having earned a seat on the horse so soon.

Creeping forward, making as little sound as possible while still moving fairly quickly, Matteo paused, muscles tensing as he nerved himself up. From his place crouching in the tall grass, for the moment he couldn’t see the strange-looking amphibian, nor the warhorse supposedly circling around it. All right. Here we go.

The Thief burst out of the grass, charging the toad as fast as he could before peeling off like a game of chicken. The bright blue robes he was wearing under his breastplate seemed ostentatiously colorful in the gray weather, and would probably draw its attention. He put one hand on his dagger as he whirled to face it again, hoping he hadn’t just made a beginner's mistake.

[Pie Flavor]

Gwyndolyn

---

The trip itself wasn't much to talk about, walking through the countryside as Gwyn watched the scenery. Passing time with whatever she could distract herself with, looking towards the grey clouds rolling over the sky, as the thought of rain crossed her mind multiple times. With the four hours that it took to travel from town to the outskirts of where they were, finally paid off as their steps got slower and slower until Ettamri spoke up towards the party.

As the game plan was laid out for the party, Gwyn herself contributed a small gift before the two on horse back departed. Reciting the words necessary for the blessing... A shame that it was cloudy but this would do for everyone, as even a little bit of everything was needed to push the odds in their favor.

" O Keeper of the Sun, Alri-Qua, ever-reaching in touch... "
" By the power of the sun that always rises... "
" Grant safety to those underneath your gaze... "
" Protection "

And with that prayer, Gwyn bestowed the magic of her blessing upon her companions, with [Protection] boosting the entire party's physical capabilities. It was best for her not to approach, having the lack of combat skills to even think about defeating the toad. She delegated herself towards the role of supporting the others, but in order to circle around the toad, it seemed she had to put her own effort in trapping the toad. Looking over towards Muu with a smile.

"Time to go shall we? I'll be able to handle myself for right now, just focus on the toad. I shall support the two of you.

Taking the first step to spur action, but ensuring that Muu would be the one in front of the two of them. She had a variety of skills to defend herself, with a toad, she'd be confident to at least hold it back long enough for the others to swarm it if needed. But a variety of options ran through her head as she headed into position, her hand gripping her staff while repeating a few select prayers in preparation for battle. Her eyes were focus for any change that could occur for their ongoing situation, ready to make any split decision to ensure they would succeed for the good of them all.

[Skyswimsky]

Protect sunface? The long journey hadn't taken a toll on the physical fit Muu, and she had luckily managed to eat a meal before departure. Thus, up until now, even if she had been worried, things had been more-or-less fine. But now? If worst came to worst, how was she supposed to protect?

The girl was a Bladedancer. What did the Knight think that entailed? If worst came to worst, it meant she had to simply kill the enemy fast enough to never lay a finger(or tongue) on the priest. It was a stupid toad anyway, right? So if she were to stand back, wouldn't she be fine? But what if not? Ultimately, compared to these two veterans, their life was expected to be expendable. Sure, Muu could serve as a meatshield, a very, very, fragile meatshield.

It was only after Gwyn spoke to Muu that the brunette managed to calm down a bit. The smile of the masked woman radiated a familiar feeling of comfort. "Y-Yes!" Muu stammered out to Gwyn as she smacked her own cheeks. "Thank you." She also whispered to Gwyn, although not sure if she even heard. Finally done with pitying herself as the weakest, she drew her sword.

Moving closer and closer in prone position towards the general direction, the brunette sooner or later saw the toad. Was it really that dangerous? Poisonous, right? She didn't even wanna think about what this thing could do considering her experience with the goblins. Instead, she concentrated on the only thing that mattered. Dashing forward at quick speed just to break off to the side opposite of Matteo, her scarlet scarf waving behind her.

[ERode]

They broke off into a mad dash, but as they got closer and closer, Muu and Matteo both experienced the same thing. The sheer size of the monster before them was insane. It may not have looked all that impressive at a distance, but up close, the gears in their skulls began to churn. An ordinary toad ate insects, and they stood at ten to fifteen centimeters in length. They had no teeth to chew or grind, so they end up simply swallowing whatever they ate.

In that case, how massive was a toad going to have to be, to swallow livestock whole?

It towered above them all, a monster five meters tall, three meters wide, the sheer size enough to block out a portion of the gray sky. Far from being threatened by the two children running at it from the fields, it regarded them with a lazy blink, an irreverent nonchalance that wasn’t even disturbed when Ash’s arrow sank three centimeters into its slimy, sinuous flesh. In the distance, that horse looked tasty, and there was a snack along the way as well. Shifting its heavy form towards its left, the creature crawled over in a plodding manner, almost uncaring for the presence of Matteo and his suddenly inadequately sized knife.

But of course the toad cared.

Insects, small as they are, were still food, after all.

With no hesitation, and barely any telegraph, its pink tongue flickered out with bone-pounding force and gale-like speed, ready to grab Matteo and fling him into its open mouth.

[GreenGoat]

Ettamri Belarence

---

"Tch." Had it not been for the helm, it would be obvious Ettamri had an annoyed look on her face, though her voice carried all the disdain and contempt she was feeling at the moment. "Eyes bigger than saucers, yet you still miss."

Letting go of the rein, she grasped the lance by both hands, the sharp blade at the end glinting in the sunlight as Horsey turned towards the frog. There was no real need for the rein, not when both rider and horse were in sync, communicating through their body. The destrier could feel the pressure of her legs, urging it to turn and gallop. She felt its steps adjusting, moving through the best path it could find, trusting it and its instinct to do so.

And gallop it did, as it turned almost on a dime to charge towards the right of the frog. "Hunter, if you miss the shot on this pass, pray the frog eats you, for I will skin you alive after this."

She did not charge straight at it, to pierce its hide through, for she would only lose a lance in the process. Instead, with the charge towards its right, and both hands on the haft of the spear, she aligned the edge of the spear as she braced herself in her saddle, swinging the spear towards the fleshy part of its back leg. A precise maneuver, made both because of how long the lance was without being cumbersome, and allowing space for Horsey to react should the toad try something.

[OwO]

It wasn't enough. Ash needed more. More power. More accuracy. Another deep breath as she stabilized herself on the horse. It's true, it was a failure. The soft skin and large body of the toad proved that her arrow was nothing more than a splinter. If they had some rope, they could have used that to restrain the beast. If the arrows were barbed, they could tear out flesh with the rope. But she didn't have any money for that. No, all she had was the insults of the knight. They didn't phase her. She was used to it. Nothing that the knight could say would scare her. Compared to being mauled by a bear, it was nothing. Compared to being stabbed by a goblin, it was nothing. Words were meaningless.

Matteo was now in danger. Constantly at risk, the young thief was once again at death's door. This time was less being knocked unconscious and more instantly dying. If Ash failed... No. Don't think about it. That's all that was on her mind. Worrying would do nothing. She would do her job, the priest and Muu would do theirs, and Matteo would do his. That's all they needed to do. Their own job.

Now that they were in full stride, archery was much more difficult. Ignore the difficulty. She drew the bowstring back and nocked another arrow. Deep breath. Don't think of anything. Think of even less. Only feel. She didn't have to control the horse. The range was practically nothing. She barely had to lead the shot. The vibrations were adjusted to. Move perfectly still, like a robot. Adjust. Think less. At this range, all she had to do was do it. At one lance length, she could hit it. She knew she could. Luck be damned. Thinking was useless. An empty mind was all she needed.

Twang.

[Buzzkill]

He was vastly out of his league. The word vast lingered in his mind, as it first had when he’d blindly rushed the goliath toad and realized it was both farther away and far, far larger than he’d expected.

At this point he ought to stop expecting things. It never seemed to work out for him.

Matteo felt sweat break out on his forehead as he saw the beast’s maw open and realized in a heartbeat that he was first on the menu. Unconcerned as it was with his antics, that tongue was nothing to dismiss. Continuing to whirl on the spot, Matteo took off again, pumping his arms and legs desperately as he threw himself into a second sprint. His muscles, tired from walking, burned at the sudden burst of activity-- but just two weeks ago, he’d been training in the guild to handle this type of scenario. High pressure. High intensity. If he couldn’t run, he would die, and Matteo was already in too deep to consider becoming toad bait so soon out of the hospital.

In his peripheral vision, the Thief could see the tongue coming. It stretched impossibly long and the curly-haired youth felt his heart drop as the thought I don’t know how far its range is flashed across his mind. How long was a normal frog’s tongue? At least as long as its body? I might not be able to outrun it in time--

Forgetting whatever his piece was supposed to be in this bizarre toad-killing game in favor of actually living through it, Matteo hurled himself to the side and down onto the ground face-first without warning. Bent stalks of grass poked at his face as he flattened himself, holding still and hoping the tall grasses would disguise him. A creature that big probably couldn’t change direction very quickly, and if he could just duck the tongue, it was still possible it might overlook him...

[Skyswimsky]

Muu stopped in her steps as she realized the true size of their prey. It was huge. Not just huge, but huuuge! Way bigger than she, and likely anyone else had expected. And, once again, doubt set into her mind. How were they supposed to deal with this thing? Should they just run? What could she do? What could her weapon do? Was she simply useless?

To make matters worse, it looked like the monstrosity had already set sights on a target that was not her. Muu wasn't even aware of its front view and the gargantuan maw that could easily swallow a horse whole. "Urgh..." Nonetheless, she had to do something. Anything. Shaking her head, the girl now rushed forward. Closer and closer. Clenching her fist hard enough on the hilt of her weapon that her knuckles turned white, she tried to pierce the slimy outer skin of the toad's hindleg.

[Pie Flavor]

Gwyndolyn

---

" Muu, its heavy! Keep to its back after you poke it! I'll cover Matteo "

Gwyn shouted as the the Blade Dancer took off, much faster than what she'd be able to do but she had her own objective to accomplish. With her mind sorting through the prayers fresh in her memory, she began to pull one that was quite necessary right know. Seeing Matteo quite panicked as he gave a mad dash for his life away from the tongue, she was quite the airhead to never consider the frog being such a huge size to munch on livestock whole but then again she was stuck inside a church for a few years so who could blame her?

" O Keeper of the Sun, Alri-Qua... "

She began her prayers as she continued the observation of her team mates and their positions, now placed in quite a precarious situation, there was still hope that everything could still be neatly wrapped and finished. Running towards Matteo as [Ward] was being prepared, it was because even if that tounge was avoided, Matteo was still on the ground face-first into the dirt. Vulnerable to a followup attack on the toad should its attention retain on the thief, the effective distance on her spell being adequate to protect him from a very short distance away but it was better than nothing or herself if its attention bounce over.

With its abnormally large size for a frog, it probably did not care for the cover of the grass around them, its perspective towering them and seeing through what little cover would normally be available to them. Jumping into the cover of the grass perhaps would've worked for a shorter foe, but something that size could track a moving body in the grass like nothing. Now on the ground with his ability to move being removed entirely, Matteo was an easy prey for the frog to take a second swipe with that tongue of its and he wouldn't be able to dodge it a second time with his head on the ground.

She could provide some cover momentarily for the Rouge to recover but she'd have to worry about Muu on the opposite side as well, probably causing the frog to take an extra moment or two to turn around and at least backlash against the annoyance. But its heavy size and the potential gain for taking a single foe behind it versus the the assortment it had on the left, she gauged the toad's attention would most definitely be retained on them...

These calculations were done as the situation was observed, with her also taking mind of the path that the rouge took as she went ahead of him, as the words of her prayer echoed with it finishing as she approached in front of fallen Matteo as he threw himself.

" Keep the darkness at bay, Ward! "

She shouted loudly before shimmering screen of energy appeared in front of them as it covered their position from at least a single attack, providing some time to recover for the two of them. Breathing a tad heavily as she was out of shape, her feet ached a bit for the pain was temporary but the lives she promised to protect were in her hands.

[ERode]

Pressed against the ground, Matteo could practically feel the spray of slimy spit that flicked off the tongue as it whistled over his head, striking the ground in front of him with enough force to gouge the earth. There was a low rumble before the tongue snapped back just as quickly, the toad already priming itself for a second strike against its now-prone target. No telegraph, no apparent need to aim. Its tongue lashed out a second time, a mass of pink muscle lashing out a second time in quick succession.

But Gwyn was there now, a shimmering veil of light repulsing the second strike, Alri-Qua’s grace present even in a foreign land. It was a complete reversal of Ettamri’s original plans, but the nature of a priest was to protect the weak, and when they were willing to put their own lives on the line, their Ward was just as potent as a Paladin’s shield. Shards of light faded away after the second blow, but already, the third strike was primed. A Priest lived by the speed of their prayers, but against the flurry of blows that could be launched by a beast, that speed was wholly insufficient.

Twang.

At that range, what could more or less be considered point-blank for any competent Ranger, there was no way Ash could miss, her arrow sinking into the toad’s right eye. A strange fluid seeped out of the punctured eye and the toad visibly flinched at the blow, but before it could retaliate, both Muu and Ettamri connected their strikes, the lance spraying flesh and blood as the mounted warrior galloped past while Muu’s own blade buried itself deep into the monster’s hindleg. It was only misfortunate, then, that both warriors had chose to aim for the same leg, Ettamri’s sweeping strike spraying all manners of fluids on Muu’s face.

Instantly, she felt the caustic burn of poison sear her skin and eat at the flesh beneath. Blinded by this, the leather-bound swordswoman couldn’t react at all when the toad suddenly drew in air, its massive form swelling even further as its entire body inflated in a horrible ‘gruuugruk’. The expansion was fast, and pitched its own body forward, with Muu flung into the air by the sudden transformation. She struck the ground hard, disappearing amongst the tall grass.

Gwyn and Matteo, however, were far from being able to offer any assistance. Before them now was something that could only be described as a poisonous, sentient boulder of flesh, and with a powerful kick from its hindlegs, the toad rolled towards them, slowly but surely picking up speed as it crushed everything in its path.

[GreenGoat]

Ettamri Belarence

---

"GUHAHAHA! THAT'S IT!" Her excitement was palpable, making the air around her seem almost electric. "One more run and we could cripple it for good."

Once Horsey felt the pressure of her legs ease up, it had started galloping slower as it turned, Ettamri getting ready for another gallop. She had not noticed the bladedancer on her pass at all, having been concentrating on opening a wound on the leg. With the powerful hind legs weakened and its eyes blinded, they could have a far easier time to kill it.

"One more eye for you hunter."

As one, she moved as Horsey responded, galloping faster and faster, as the lance's tip seemed to glimmer even through the gunk on it. The toad was on a roll however, spinning like some sort of demented ball towards the others. Pursuing it from behind she aimed carefully at its rolling body. With a command for the horse to hold the pace, keeping them as near to it as possible, Ettamri threw the lance, the sheer strength she tthree it with making its fly as if from a ballista.

She aimed slightly lower than center, as to hit it easier figuring that it could at least deflate the toad. And even if it didn't, the frog rolling would force the lance to brace by hitting the ground, forcing the lance into hopefully vital organs.

[OwO]

She had succeeded. At that range, that was the only result. Ettamri's hype of the incident was awkward for Ash. Difficult for her to deal with. The knight's shift in emotion filled Ash with a feeling of disdain. It was one thing for someone to be brutally cold like her or brutally nice like their healer. For someone to be unpredictable, Ash didn't like that. She would have preferred the emblazoned knight to be more consistent. She didn't raise any objections or display this, however. When you're a bottom feeder, you take anything that life offers you. Despite the team's success, the frog entered stage 2 of the bossfight.

More attentive than Ettamri, Ash had noticed the spray of acid colliding with Muu's face and the resulting airborne launch. With her bow and arrow serving little purpose unless she could get a solid hit to the other eye, especially compared to the cannon that was Ettamri's arm.

"Muu's wounded!" She yelled. "Matteo! Healer! Scatter!" Fear was a terrible paralytic. Even if her shouts were obvious, they would help with any freeze. As long as they didn't continue to run in a straight line, the frog probably wouldn't be able to turn on a dime. Especially because of the javelin that Ettamri just launched.

She nocked another arrow in preparation of blinding the beast in case it stopped.

[Buzzkill]

His heart stopped for a moment as the freight train of pink tongue muscle roared past him, then retreated in another effortless flick. I have to get up before the second-- but Matteo realized there was no time. He made it to a crouch before-- miraculously-- the tongue slapped off an invisible barrier, shattering motes of light from the impact. What?

Magic.

Matteo was surprised only for a moment before he stood. He knew how fast that tongue could strike now-- they had to move. He didn’t even have time to phrase an appropriate Thank you to the priest. The combined attacks of the others struck at that moment and Matteo didn’t stick around to wait for the creature to finish shifting into a giant toad ball-- he grabbed at the priest’s elbow, pulling to the side. ”Come on, this way!” he urged. If she wouldn’t come with him, he’d have to sprint out of the toad’s path on his own.

[Pie Flavor]

Gwyndolyn

Current Status: Tired and Concerned

---

With the force of the attack, the shield she had placed in front of them had shattered, fragments of light flying past her as it was used as intended to provide them cover. Sighing in relief as she moved her eyes to their teammates as she watched, observing the situation- well at that was what she intended for a moment before she felt herself tugged into action by Matteo.

Following in suit as she focused herself on running, making the best of Matteo's initiative to capitalize those few seconds provided to them by their teammates. Keeping a steady pace with her breathing, there was no opportunity to recite any of her prayers as she feared that doing so would pull her behind. It seemed like there would be no stop for the action, remembering the previous times that she had adventured out with parties before. This time was a bit different, as perhaps with the greenhorns this might of been something too much for them but it was a good learning experience, right?

But right now, the time for idle thoughts was not for here as her mind realigned itself with the current developments. Not being able to see the situation developing with the three handling the toad, she grew concerned as she was instead able to hear their voices with a very vague feel of what was happening. With Ettamari's words providing of sense of security in defeating the toad, Ash's own observation concerned her with Muu and the girl's injuries, having left her behind to handle herself.

While Alri-Qua's [Protection] was still hovering over the party, it could only do so much in terms of bolstering them. The boons granted, being gains in physical capabilities was probably negligible to Ettamari and the healing while helpful to Muu, probably wasn't enough to handle whatever hit her. With precautions already set up by her, it probably wasn't enough as she would have to keep an eye out for any opportunities to circle back around.

Having her priorities already set, she could only adapt to the situation and support her teammates as their priest, allowing them to work at the best they currently could achieve. Making sure that the individual gears that made the machine that was the party were polished and in the best condition they could be.

---

[Skyswimsky]

Pain. That was the one and only thing Muu was experiencing right now. The one and only thing worth to note. The moment she had struck successfully struck the hind leg of the frog monster, the moment she was granted to feel the joy of success, was the moment everything had gone wrong.

The brunette wasn't even aware of what happened. Or how. First, everything was fine, and now, there was only pain. She couldn't see. She couldn't smell. She couldn't hear. But! She could scream. Scream. Scream. And scream. But even this was taken from Muu as her initial cry of pain turned into some sort of gurgle.

She did not even register as the toad's actions lunged her into the air, unable to employ any technique's she learned when she had to jump down from buildings. At the very least, the pain from the impact with the ground was nothing compared to what her face continued to feel.

Why couldn't she just pass out?