While Fiore stewed in her regrets and Cellica simmered in her anger, Tian-Gui, for all his imposing 'GIANT ARMORED MAN WITH BIG HAIR AND BIG FISTS' appearance, was trying to lighten up the mood with some cheery whistling. It echoed out of his helmet like a soloist in an empty concert hall, even if the technical skill was lacking, and there was an imperceptible spring to his step. Sure, the Lieutenant was going to yell at all of them after this, but that was just a part of life, wasn't it? Didn't change the nice weather or the fact that the sensor was in sight, and it didn't change the fact that what they were doing was still good for the world.
"Got it," he chimed, as Fiore reported the presence of a larger Invader somewhere. "Keep an eye on its movements, and watch out for other Invaders as well, Fi. I'll push forward to slot in the batteries now."
No point in hunting, after all. Not their job, and if the sensors were damaged as collateral for their conflict, that was just going to be another thing for the Lieutenant to rag on them about. Continuing to whistle that childish, cheery tune, Tian-Gui pushed forward past the clearing, leaving a small trail of golden Flamestone in his wake. He expanded his 'territory' as a precaution while he knelt by the sensor, swapping everything out swiftly.
Yu-Ri furrowed her brow as the stagelight drone rose up once more, dented at some parts, with its glass lights shattered by that first swooping impact, but otherwise intact. So much for doing all this quickly. A quick scan of the room revealed no one else interested in applying their psychic wizardry, but that was par course for students.
Just children after all, most of who would have never seriously considered something like this ever.
Rushing towards the hole in the door, the schoolgirl in mourning clothes expanded her own AIM field as the drone flew down to intercept once more. For a moment, it looked as if collision was inevitable, but in the next, a chunk of the machine disappeared completely, sparking, severed circuitry passing only one inch above Yu-Ri’s head as she slid below it, through the hole in the door.
The day was gray. Clouds covered the sky and the sun, draping a world of half-shadows and low contrast, and, as if infected by that dreariness, shops opened up later than usual, many remaining closed still after the bell tower rang for morning. But the plaza cared not for the weather, the motley crew that made up of the Silver Moon Army showed up regardless of what injuries and fatigue lingered from the day before. Some crowded the bounty board of the Recruiting Office, arguing over which famed monster to go for, over who’d get the right to hunt down the creature to begin with. It had been a week after the combined forces of the Imperial and Silver Moon Army had successfully took control of Thradin Fort, but with most of the Dragonscar Tribe still at large, the price for orc heads had gone up quite high in the mountainous region the Fort was situated in. Tithemal Dragonscar’s bounty was especially high, the souls he reaped amongst the soldiers’ backline boosting him past most other bounties to platinum territory, and many higher-level parties were now at each other’s necks, debating over who’d get exclusive rights to chase after that dual-wielding orc.
Still, it wasn’t all arguments. Priests held their personal rituals, hexagrams of light shining against their forehead as they offered opening prayers to Alri-Qua. Warriors ate hearty breakfasts of meat and more meat with their party, while the more focused amongst them sharpened swords of strange length, smouldering eyes hidden in the shadow of their visors. Mages checked their magical regents again, caressing spiritual existences that only they could see. Thieves stretched their limbs, cracked their digits, did a couple of backflips for the enjoyment of the towns’ beauties, while Rangers pulled out their personal maps, chewing on a charcoal pencil. It was as busy as always, frenetic as always…at least if you were part of a party.
For Ettamri, prideful and powerful, no such party was willing to put up with her attitude for long, and even those with plans of hunting down Tithemal didn’t want to deal with the knight for the entire duration of the journey to the mountain range.
For Gwyn, soft-hearted and righteous, her own appearance caught the eyes of many, but her reputation stood on the opposite end of what most soldiers wanted. Too kind, too nice, too pure. When most monsters were stronger than men, to seal off ambushes, fire, smoke, and poison as possible tactics was too limiting for the unscrupulous headhunters that most soldiers were.
They, among the handful of other party-less soldiers, stood out distinctly, much more competent-looking than the rest of the degenerates that made up the bottom-feeding soloist category. @GreenGoat@Pie Flavor
Zenon Spear (Uncommon)-10% MP Cost for Lancer Actions Cutthroat Gloves (Uncommon)+5 AGI Light’s Bane Cloak (Uncommon)Increase Hiding Chance Leather Armor (Uncommon) Fancy Clothes (Uncommon) Skirmisher’s Buckler (Uncommon)+5 AGI Power Treads (Uncommon)+5 STR Ring of Protection (Uncommon)+1% to all items' resistances Teleport Ring (Common)Teleport small distance, once per day. Jewelry x2 (Common)
Lycanbane - Increased Damage against Lycan-based Enemies
Zenon Spear -10% MP Cost for Lancer Actions Light’s Bane Cloak Increase Hiding Chance Ring of Protection Small Damage Reduction Teleport Ring Teleport small distance, once per day.
Bounty (1/Universal) User gains D10 extra Renn whenever they receive Renn from GM. Passive. Greater Bounty (5/Universal) User gains D10 extra Renn whenever they receive Renn from GM. Stacks with Bounty. Passive. Grand Bounty (10/Universal) User gains D10 extra Renn whenever they receive Renn from GM. Stacks with Bounty and Greater Bounty. Passive.
Flexible (1/Lancer) Whenever an opponent misses a melee attack against the user, user may immediately move backwards or counterattack to deal low damage. Passive. Practiced Steps (5/Lancer) User gains a low chance to evade melee attacks if the target is holding a short-ranged melee weapon. Passive. Polearm Mastery (10/Lancer) User's normal attacks deal additional damage. Passive.
Iron Pull 90 (100) MP – Moderate piercing damage + pull target closer at Goblin Brute 2 Devastating Charge 180 (200) MP – Ignore movement impairment + High piercing damage at Goblin Brute 2 Piercing Lift 90 (100) MP – Moderate piercing damage + disables at Goblin Brute 2 Cleave 45 (50) MP – AOE low bladed damage at Goblin Brute 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Heavenly Talon Strike 180 (200) MP – 2 low piercing damage + disables at Goblin Brute 5 Uses superior movement speed to back away, positioning herself amongst the ruins, partially covered.
Immortal object? Was the world just shitting on her? No, were the Obsidian Crusaders really that incompetent? For a moment there, Cecilia felt a spark of anger fight against the bubbly personality she constructed.
That disappeared soon enough. The situation may have been dire, but with Willow and River going full tilt with their healing, practically erasing all her injuries within the breadth of an instant, Cecilia found herself free to not worry. Her Light Speed Escape had not triggered yet. She still had more than half her MP, all her defensive equipment, and her legs. If they were going to have to do it the standard way, then that was just what she’d have to do.
“This one’s for you, backline cutiepies!”
Kicking off from the indestructible Totem, Cecilia sailed over the heads of the Brutes that crowded around Tower and Karuu, and immediately began her assault. The Zenon Spear struck down like lightning, digging into the shoulder of one Brute and pulling him upwards, before the Lancer kicked off thin air, slamming him back into the ground.
It was another application of Devastating Charge: the ability to ignore all movement impairment effects, including gravity and inertia.
Underneath her spear, the creature cried in savage rage and tried to counter, only to be thrust into once more, the spear digging deep into his ribs this time. She twisted, grinned, and then called out, “Homeeeee RUN!” Her muscles flexed as Cecilia wheeled around, lifting the Brute up and swinging him towards his friends like a bowling ball, following it up with a wide arc that sliced into them all. At this point, the brute she targeted was on its last throes, if not already dead.
So, like any carnivorous woman, Lycanbane wheeled up to her next target, the Brute that punched her on her way in. “Hey,” Cecilia called with a wave, a wink, and a grin, “Remember me, big guy?”
Three quick thrusts later, and she sent him into heaven (or the sky, and only a couple feet up), before backing off from the moshpit of melee violence, with plans of retreating further if any of the Goblins gave chase. The pursuit was an art, after all. No way was she going to let those classless beasts get a hold of her, not when they dressed up like discount barbarians!
"Oh, huh," Tian-Gui remarked, midway through their short trek to the next sensor array, "Just remembered. The Lieutenant said we were only doing two. Guess eight hours to get this operation done really was excessive."
Yeah, it really was. If it was like this, it probably wouldn't be nearly as hard for Fiore to overlook Cellica's shenanigans and let her complete the mission with the rest of them, huh? Scanning about, the golden monolith looked for signs of yet another pack of Invaders sweeping around behind them, but thankfully, there were none. The terrain they found themselves in was open and less damaged than the rest of the district, after all, a path plotted to make it easier for Cellica to travel in. And though open space was terrible for purposes of cover, his own Psychic Drive made up for that terrain disadvantage.
Real nice, all things considered. But there was one thing he was forgetting...
Oh, right, R.R.
"Yo, this is Tian-Gui from Team Afterglow," he spoke, turning on global comms again, "Just giving y'all a heads up that we found Cellica, and that we also found Riyame, from Team Chaotix. If anyone knows where R.R. is, feel free to give her a message."
Somewhere out there, a bell chimed, the first gongs of the morning.
Somewhere out there, adventurers woke, gathering in the plaza to discuss their bounty of the day.
Somewhere out there, pots clanged, a sister rousing the rabble for their breakfast of thin soup, the homeless leaving the Churc to do what they’ve always done.
But in the deeper corridors of the church, the outside world seemed like nothing more than the fragment of a dream. It was quiet in the morning as Muu stirred from her long and fitful slumber. She could feel the decay of her body, worn out from fighting off whatever disease had taken her, as well as the general lack of nutrition to begin with. Her head still ached, doubly so when sunlight cast over her eyes, while there was a general sense of lethargy weighing down her mind, but…she was a live. She still breathed. And her thoughts were her own.
Peeking under the covers would reveal that she was practically naked. Looking over to the side would reveal that her equipment had been laid on the floor, leather armor, red scarf, and short sword. And, scanning the corner of the curtained-off ‘bedroom’, Muu saw Ash and Mateo as well. Ash looked wilder than she last remembered, a certain savagery in how she carried herself with her dirtied clothes and tangled hair. Matteo too looked different, but in a more ephemeral manner; the Thief was absolutely exhausted, his complexion drained, his stance empty.
It had been a long time since the three of them had talked to each other.
But it was only with talking that they could come to a consensus on their next approach.
On the stone window-slit, a small bird hopped off, and disappeared. Whether they flew or fell, no one knew.
Yankee
Altered Tundra
Alisdragon911
stone
VitaVitaAR
Animal
LanaStorm
Ohm
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Shovel
