Skyswimsky

Altera: Of Departures and Deliverance

These... these things were no mere beasts! The goblin didn't flail itself in pain. It didn't slow down from exhaustion. It continued. It continued and continued and continued. Even after the flames seared its flash. Under other circumstances, a drawn-out fight, surely, she could have won. But here? She wasn't alone. There were others. And what would they think of her if that kept up? Her incompetence. Her weaknesses. Her whole being. All the girl wanted was approval. And the dead did not approve of the living.

There was no time. Using her already damaged hand to block the flying knife from any potentially fatal damage, she braced herself for the pain as her body twisted around - In the same direction, the goblin ran. She still had her own blade. Free from the task of defending herself against the flying knife.

This time, she would do it. No fist. No pommel. No easy to dodge pierce. This time, Muu would slice the goblin, slice him in a way he could not recover from.

We're Killing God; Revealing Roulette Remix+ [IntChk]

All of my Yes!

Altera: Of Departures and Deliverance

It hurt. It hurt a lot. Despite a part of Muu's old self being used to some pain, she was also not. Her Mentor taught her to avoid pain in the first place. Not only did she feel a numbing throbbing, but the creature was still vivid! Muu didn't even get a moment to collect her thoughts as the goblin shifted its stance while the girl's fist was still connected to its face.

She couldn't formulate a plan.
She couldn't care about her wound.
She couldn't even think about the pain.

But... maybe this was exactly what she needed.

There was no before or after.
Only the here and now.

She didn't think. She didn't feel. Her multi-hour combat session against her master made her body act by itself. As the goblin charged forward, Muu made a quick step to the side, forcing the goblin to pass with its momentum. Muu, on the other hand, did a quick twirl to gather some force herself. Aiming with the knob of her blade, which she still held in her healthy hand, against the goblin's head. Forcing it to fall into the fire rather than herself. A fledgeling Blade Dancer indeed.

Altera: Of Departures and Deliverance

Muu's eyes were locked on the goblin as it dodged her attack, something akin to muscle memory redirecting her blow as to not hit Matteo. Damnit! The brunette thought with focus. Just how did it manage? No, it wasn't the goblin. They just had terrible teamwork.

Yet, there was no time to daddle as the monster simply changed its target. A part of Muu got weirdly upset. Angry, even. But her Master had told her to always stay calm. Maybe the blade was too dangerous. Instead, the usually shy girl pursued their attackers. They didn't pay attention to her yet again. Your body is a weapon. The sword a mere limb. An extension.

Pulling her weaponless fist back, Muu aimed with full force towards the head of one of the goblins.

Altera: Of Departures and Deliverance

Muu's freedom was only momentary. She did not relax. She did not sigh in relief. She did not take her time to get up. Her Master had drilled it well into her over the course of a week. No, even before that, the duels had felt like second nature. She had landed a successful blow against her opponent, but the duel did not end.

On her feet, the brunette gave a quick glance towards Ash before rushing off into the underbrush while drawing her blade. She could see Matteo's little legs and part of the goblin's green head peeking out above the bushy leaves, after all. One on top of the other, Muu went for a simple stab aimed at the goblin's head. Just like that.

Altera: Of Departures and Deliverance

It all happened so fast. There was the sound, then the light, and at the end a pair of arrows. Muu could feel the warm ground pressing against her back. Her blade already in hand as the goblin towered over her. It all seemed so familiar, yet unreal. Blocking the coming down strike with the flat side of her blade - reinforcing the hold further by putting her hand on the opposite end of the handle - she avoided getting her head smashed in. Unlike a certain thief, she did not have the luxury to consider her current choices.

What now?

Memories fighting against her master played in her mind's eye. She was on the ground, the small goblin towered above. Was it even possible to swipe its tiny feet like that? Maybe. But in the end, with club and sword interlocked. Muu pulled her leg up close, and put all her strength into kicking her foes stomach.

Altera: Of Departures and Deliverance

Even further protests seemed for nought. Part of her realized that the rabbit had been already taken and by now, it was too late anyway. On top of that, the brunette was hungry, too. So why was it that she barely felt like eating it? A few bites and Muu felt already... no, it wasn't quite sated, but she was certainly not in the mood to eat more. "Thanks for the meal." A dry whisper as she looked down, waiting for the others to finish.

'...which guild you ended up joining.'

Upon hearing her name, however, Muu perked up. "...?" He asked a question, did he not? "I..." Matteo had said something about a thieves guild. Wasn't that bad? Wasn't he a bad person? But the boy seemed so nice, with the exception of taking the rabbit, although! It was just an accident, wasn't it? Yeah, it had to be.

Taking a while to respond, Muu now spoke in her usual quiet voice. "I joined the Blade Dancers."

Altera: Of Departures and Deliverance

Despite Muu's silents protest having gone unheard, the girl obidiently followed the decisions of the group. Right or not, she was thirsty and hungry, yet, even after getting away without any problems, could not shake off this feeling. This gnawing, terrible, feeling of unease. It wasn't just about Matteo's action being morally wrong, it was....

"I..." Muu whispered as the boy asked about some wood. "I don't know but..." A tad louder. "I have a really, really, REALLY bad feeling about this rabbit!" In fact, Muu could actually speak with a normal volume!

Altera: Of Departures and Deliverance

With the group set on a course, the silent Muu could do nothing but tag along. Past the guards, into the taxing forest. While her stamina was superb, the brunette really hadn't expected this to be so difficult. Trees were supposed to be just small buildings! The uneven ground akin to the rough, dirt littered streets. Yet, ultimately, it was thick. Way too thick. Even her beautiful and comfortable scarf turned out to be more of a problem, although ultimately not enough to give up the comfort it provided around her lower face.

Then, there was the rabbit. "Uh... uhm..." Muu stepped forward as Matteo did what he had to do, oblivious to his real intentions. "I-I don't think we should meddle with this. It's not ours..." Although the fact remained that, even ignoring the rabbit, Matteo mingled with someone else's item without missing a beat. But who the hell cared what Muu was thinking anyway?

Altera: Of Departures and Deliverance

So, they were really going to do it, wouldn't they? Fight with their lives on the line while robbing that of another. For their survival? Because they couldn't do anything else? Because they were disposable? Muu's eyes wandered to the blade on her side, her hands shaking. She felt scared, even now, so how was she supposed to face anything? "I..." She stammered.

"Isn't a single goblin.... weaker than a group?" It seemed like goblins were the bottom of the food chain kind of beings to hunt for those new in the business. Although running away sounded like a nice alternative, too. They could run faster than them, right? "A group sounds scary..." She whispered.