Xaltwind

DanMachi: Alter Oration [DEAD]

Not in the leeeaaaast~
I guess I should grab Vertigo by the ear and get starte don it though, if we want it out by next week... Might as well grab Master OwO while we're at it.

Goblin Slayer: Newblood (CANCELLED)

Thwock! Thwock! Clink!

Things were proceeding... Slowly, at best. Althhough the freezing of the spikey protrusions had indeed had some effect, it wasn't to the extent that the druid girl had hoped. Perhaps her magic just wasn't strong enough? Or perhaps the wood, despite its appearance, was tougher than it looked? Regardless, stopping now was a no-go! But what could she do? A moment of contemplation, before a proverbial candlestick lit up above her head. Quickly moving one hand to her hip, she unhooked the sickle that hung there, brandishing the curved and shiny blade like some kind of mad dentist.

With sudden swift and carefully aimed strikes, she began to sweep her instrument down at the frost-covered poles, cutting into their sides, one by one. It wouldn't take much really - if she could just carve away enough chips and splinters, the integrity of the pole would become weakened, and more susceptible to breaking off when struck with her staff, pure brilliance! Well, in her mind at least.

Unfortunately, the two pigs were none too happy with either of their respective situations. The female shook her head and snorted in discomfort after having gotten dirt in her face - not that it actually had accomplished much, since she was used to trekking through mud and underbrush, with goop and klegg going every-which-way, but having it delibaretly thrown in her face was apparently somehow insulting... The sow flared her nostrils and narrowed her eyes at the big red lumbering hulk, agitated and eneraged at him. With an slight rearing motion, she squealed loudly once more and charged again, thundering along the ground with her hooves kicking up dirt behind her as she rushed to get the lizaard back for his actions.

Meanwhile, the male was done bucking and side-hopping. He had changed his approach to the unwelcome guest clinging onto his back. If trying to throw her off wasn't going to work, then scraping her off would have to do - and to that end, he was now charging full-speed towards a nearby, tall spruce tree, intent on colliding or brushing his side against it... And unless the archer on his back had legs made out of stone, getting your limb caught between a fast-moving mass of muscles, and a static pillar of several tons of weight, wasn't likely a recipe that would end well.

The guard, over by the sidelines, had finally sprung to some kind of action. No longer standing idly by, he'd taken to run all the way back to the pyre, grabbing a thick, burning branch, then sprinting back towards the adventurers. Perhaps even he had a conscience? Or perhaps he just didn't want to get scolded by his superiors after these three gave their reprot to the guild and mentioned his apparent apathy towards their situation... Regardless, with a loud, raspy yell, he hucked the burning torch with all his manly might, launching it in a spinning motion towards the lizardman. With a thud and a sizzlign, crackling noise, it landed off to the side of the red reptilian.

"USE THAT!" THe man's words rang out over the myriad of other noises... Though he failed to explain just what exactly what the purpose of this burning piece of lumber was for... Perhaps he assumed the lizard already knew?

Meanwhile, back at the spikes, the druid had now managed to cause gashes and cuts in many of the white-laced spikes of wood. Nodding and dropping her sickle to the ground, she once again took hold of her staff with both hands. And with a battle-cry that was less than impressive, and far more too cutesy to intimidate anyone, she once again had at it! Strike after strike, clonk after clonk. However, this time, there wwere actual results. Te sound of cracking wood, the sight of the poles bending and becoming misshapen, the random piece of splintered wood-fragment going flying in a random direction. It was working! Encoruaged by her own success, she gathered all her strength and with a mighty, decisive blow to the gods-forsaken-palisade, she struck true once again and...!

CRRUNCH! CRACK!

The tip of the spike she had been striking broke off, flying downards in a spinning fashion and landing hamrlessly at her feet. The dark skinned girl's eyes went wide and an expression of both joy, relief and wonder washed across her face. Not wasting time though, she immediately dove into the newly made gap with both arms, dropping the staff as well. With rough, hurried motions, she bent and pushed the nearby poles aside and apart, before finally, finally reaching the tiny piglet stuck inside. It was like a pearl that had been hidden away inside a stubborn, unrelenting clam - frustrating and ridiculous to get to, but now it was finally within reach. Smiling, she gently took hold of the tiny creature's back and slowly hoisted it out of the prison.

Setting it down on teh ground, up out of the ditch beside her, she let out a sigh and then closed her eyes once more. Almost at once, the piglet's eyes went wide and its eear perked and twitched. It looked around itself confused, then witnessed the scene unfolding before it... Then turned its head to see the human behind it. In an instant a panicked squee was unleashed from the babe as it barreled towards its parents... Well, barreled wasn't the right word... More like, clumbsily tripping forward...

"IT'S FREE! GET AWAY FROM THE PARENTS YOU TWO!" The druid called, worry again spreading across her face as she watched her allies dance with senraged beasts. Hopefully, the sight and sound of their approaching offspring would steal their attention away from her comrades.

DanMachi: Alter Oration [DEAD]

If you want. Just hit me up in the Ayame PM-convo we already have and we can go from there.

Goblin Slayer: Newblood (CANCELLED)

Lol, yeah that was pretty much what I thought when I read through that post too. xD
Well, at least you're not half-naked and trying to wrestle it.

EDIT:

Important update. Thw Quest Board in the original post will now feature a system to denote whether a quest has been taken or not. When the tag [TAKEN!] appears next to a quest's name, that means it has been 'claimed' and is currently underway.

When [TAKEN!] appears in bold, like this, it means our party is the ones doing the quest.

When [TAKEN!] appears in italics, like that, it means an NPC party has claimed the quest and are doing it.

Goblin Slayer: Newblood (CANCELLED)

Both the Druid Girl and the guard stood silent, staring almost agape at what had transpired before them. The lizardman had let out a bellowing, thunderous roar that echoed so loudly and intensely that one could be forgiven for having mistaken it for a lion, or something even fiercer! But, that wasn't the main reason why they were gawking in disbelief. The main reason was the foreign girl, who had somehow managed to intercept a charging boar, latch on and swing herself on top of it, and was now trying to ride it... Or at least hang on to it. While the guard looked more to be in disbelief and somewhat impressed by the astounding feat, the druid looked far more concerned and worried.

Boars had excellent stamina, and while they couldn't buck as well as horses, the fact that they were far wilder and more prone to crashing into things without a care, made them ill-suited for mounting. Plus, while holding onto its tusks made it temporarily unable to gore anyone, a single slip of the hand, or the boar slamming its head into the side of tree, would cause serious damage to the girl's fingers and palm, and it was very unlikely that she could hang on with just one hand.

Unfortunately, while the brave steppe girl's plan had managed to occupy the male boar from attacking their lizard-friend, the same could not be said for the sow. The reptile's beastial warcry had left an impression of danger and alarm in both hogs, and they had seemingly deemed him to be the single most potent threat out of all the gathered bipeds. As such, while the galt bucked and shook and made dashes in zig-zags to try and shake its unwanted rider off, the female boar locked eyes with the lizard, let out a snarling squeal, and charged! Dust and dirt kicking up behind it as its powerful legs propelled it forward at high speed. If the red giant wasn't careful, he'd get a nasty gash for sure!

However, this wasn't all bad. With the male being occupied and the female now charging the immediate threat, the druid was free to act wihtout fear of being charged in the back. Not wanting to waaste the efforts of her allies, she turned back to the trapped piglet and, though not rushing, did her best to hurry to its side. Kneeling down, she began to tug and pull at the various wooden spikes and poles that kept the little critter locked in. The babe merely stared at her, curious and confused - as if it wasn't sure what was going on, or if this was a dream perhaps. Still, many of the wooden protrusions proved to either be too heavy, or too rigid and solidly stuck in placce to move, at least with her strength. The lizardman could probably have yanked these sharpened poles out with a bit of effort, but she sadly did not possess the strength to wrestle bears in the nude.

Then, an idea dawned on her. She might not be strong physically, but there were two things wood in general was weak to.

Rising up again, she took a few steps back and to the side, away from the tiny boar. Breathing out slowly, she unhitched the staff on her back, holding it in her left hand, firmly placing the butt-end of the shaft on the ground. With her right hand held out infront of her, fingers spread wide, she opened her eyes and began to chant in an uncharacteriscally forceful and commanding voice.

"May winter's touch chill your bones, shiver in the icy cold, frost fingers!"

Upon completion of the incantation, an azure-white glow eminated from her palm, and in a sudden burst of luminous light blue, a short-ranged wedge that looked to be the very essence of ice and cold shot forth infront of the caster. The wispy, gassy, mist-like energy spread out and enveloped several of the spiky extensions, causing frost and even small amounts of ice to immediate form upon them. The druid had been careful though, stepping far enough aside so that the spell hadn't touched or harmed the piglet, but still being close enough to effect the palisade poles close to it. Letting out another breath, she now firmly grasped her staff with both hands.

"NOW, TAKE THIS!" She called out, apparently believing the inanimate spike-defenses were capable of hearing her...

With that though, she began to whack at the now-frozen woodwork. Hopefully, the cold from her spell would have made them more brittle... That was her plan anyway. If she couldn't pull them out, she could at least try breaking them. Sadly, this would have been easier if she'd had an axe or a hammer of some sort... She only hoped her allies could hang on long enough without getting hurt. Once the piglet was free, she could release her hold on its mind, and then the three boars could run off - without anyone needing to take a dirt-nap.

Goblin Slayer: Newblood (CANCELLED)

"If I step away or break my concentration, the piglet will squeal for the parents again!" The druid called back to the archer, promptly explaining the situation. She was using some kind of empathic druid ability to keep the little one calm and docile, but in doing so she was also grounding herself to mostly one spot. If she stepped away or broke her focus, the tiny chub would squeal anew, and most likely the parents would be none too keen on that.

Luckily, the archer's arrow drew some of the bigger pigs' attention, and when the large, hulking reptilian approached, their snouts flared and their eyes narrowed. His suggestion was a bit of a pipe-dream though. She might be fit and spry, but she wasn't some kind of ranger who could just tumble outo of the way of on-coming boar-charges or leap out of the way like a master assassin! She could probably dodge a thrown punch or a wide swing from an axe, but something that barreled at you with speed you could only hope to achieve? Not so much...

Luckily though, the stench from the red lizard's body and weapon seemed to draw the parents away from the druid... Or at least one of them, namely the larger of the two. The papa boar wasn't too happy with this looming giant approaching his sow and babe, and now turned to prepare itself for an attack on the big fellow. The mother-boar was caught between keeping an eye on Druid Girl as well as on Steppe Archer, though slightly more focused on the former - since she was still close to the piglet.

Meanwhile, the guardsman was cursing under his breath, asking whatever gods above why he always drew the short end of the stick. Displeased with his situation, the man hollered back to the trio.

"You won't get paid extra for those! But if you gut the lot, you can keep them for yourselves!" Apparently though, he had no intention of helping, nor leaving his post to fetch equipment per the lizard's request. Apparently, following orders and not leaving his post was far more important than the lives of some three, random porcelain-ranks on ditch-duty. He didn't even make the effort to assist them himself.

"Archer! Can you distract the mother a bit more? If she isn't looking, I can free the piglet and let it run off from here! That'll probably make them leave!" She called to her female companion. Then looking over at the galt who was now preparing to charge her reptilian ally, she called out to him as well. "Mr. Lizardman! Stay on your guard! Just keep the big male busy, okay? I'll heal any injuries you get, so just dance around and keep your distance for awhile!" She shouted, opting for a end-result where neither her allies, nor the boards, needed to die needlessly.

DanMachi: Alter Oration [DEAD]

Err, yes! Of course I did. That was my plan all along. I'm pleased you noticed my intention, for it was intentionally intended. Yup, magic words that's for sure. *nod*

On a different note, I apologize if my post contains a bunch of spelling errors. I write all my posts in the RPGuild text-window and I honestly don't always proof-read everything once I'm done. It doesn't help that it's close to bed-time, but I'll try and comb through and get rid of any major eyesores tomorrow after I get home. ^^;

DanMachi: Alter Oration [DEAD]

Considering Brozar had already walked down the stairs and gone to greet Ayame at her table, your post works fine, Vertigo. I also went ahead and replied. Master OwO will have to wait until my next post, or for a collab, before I do anyting to/with/for Dahlia though, I'm afraid.

DanMachi: Alter Oration [DEAD]

Southe-western streets of Orario:

"Hm? The way ba- Oh, you must mean the home of the Familia where you met my br-err... Kids, yes? That isn't where we're going, sir. Athena's Familia lives over in the south-west." The woman explained, hefting the basket of laundry up - only to have it snagged by the giant. She at first looked perplexed, but soon came to realize he was only being considerate. "T-thank you." She gratefully stated with a small smile.

The two were then off, navigating the streets of Orario, passing by other pedestrians and adventurers. As they walked, the impoverished laundry-lady would take ceaselessly about most anything and everything, being sure to both complain about her disobediant rascal-children, how hard it was to walk all over Orario to do her job, how some Familia were miserly and stingy with the pay and how the Athena Familia was always fair and apparently a bright light of unquestionable integrity. At least according to her, that is. The woman didn't seem so inclined to ask much about the boaz though, or why he wanted to join a Familia, far too occupied with her one-sided middle-aged gossip-chatter to even let him have a say in their conversation.

Still, she did as she had promied, and within a short amount of time - far less so than the time Torran had spent following the little boy back home to the Daedalus street, the pair arrived at the street outside of Warrior's Rest. The woman breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Well, here we are." She said, turning her head to look at Torran's face. "Thank you again for bringing my miscreants home, and even more thanks for carrying all that by yourself." She nodded to the laundry-basket. "Your a good soul, sir. I'm sure that Lady Athena will be happy to welcome you." The mother said, confidence brimming from her expression. Still, there was one last matter to settle before going in.

"So, uhm... Is there anything I can give you as payment for all you've done? We don't have much but... I can give you some of the pay I'll get here, if you want." She asked, looking a bit uncomfortable and reluctant. It wasn't that she didn't want to give the man his just reward, but rather that she could scarcely afford to do so in the first place...

inside Warrior's Rest:

"MRAAAARGH!?"

The scene was... complicated, to say the least. On one hand, you had a dwarf with a now burning beard yelling and flailing his arms about in a panic. You had a pallum standing next to said dwarf, extending his arm trying to greet the poor fellow who was now sat on fire. And then you had the pallum girl over by the table who was tearing up and going into a fetal position on the floor, laughing so hard she could barely breathe. To top it off, the grumpy old chienthrope awoke due to the cacaphony of noise and turmoil and had nothing but a blank stare to give as he watched the scene and events unfold before his lone eye. Meanwhile, the Goddess of the home stood stupified, before being snagged and pulled away by a girl who had just set one of her children on fire... Today really was an unusual day.

Eventually though, with enough palm-patting and dunking a jug of water over his own head - obtained from one of the nearby tables in the dining room - Brozar's beard was finally safe. Singed and slightly darker in color now, but mostly saved. The dwarf let out a sigh of relief, rubbed his chin, then burst into laughter.

"That's a lively one, huh?" He bellowed, surprisingly merry considering he almost had his face incinerated. However, he soon quieted down as he seemed to remember something. Turning his head back to the pallum-boy who had come to greet him - during his state of distress - the dwarf wandered back over to the lad, smiling broadly and clasping the little one's hand in his own.

"Nice to meet ya, boy! I'm Brozar, resident smith of the Familia. After you been down in the dungeon and get your gear all banged up from monster-squashin', you come see me and I'll fix it right up!" Th man boassted, thumping his own, broad chest with his other hand. Releasing the pallum, the dwarf gave the youngster a look-over, before going on. "You don't look like an Orario-bred. Come from far away, eh?" He asked, in a friendly enough manner.

Meanwhile, Tira was still on the floor, in tears and cheeks bright and rosy from all the laughing.

Meanwhile, upstairs...

"Ah, uh... Yes..." Athena seemed a bit overwhelmed by the butterfly-effect that had just swept her home, easily being pulled along by the renard. She soon composed herself again though, and took over leading the way - showing the renard the way up to the third floor and into her room.

Once inside, and with the door shut behind them, she asked the renard - just like with Dahlia - to go over and sit down on the bed. She herself did the same, just as before, sitting down on her knees upon the covers of the relatively sturdy, but still soft-enough, bed.

"I apologize for Brozar." She said as she looked at Ayame, her face serious. "I hope you weren't offended. He can be a bit forward with attractive young women, but he doesn't mean any ill." She said, looking partly apologetic and partly embarrassed. "Now then, please sit down here infront of me, after you've taken off your clothes so your back is fully exposed." She then explained, seemingly having brushed the incident aside with relative, and likely practiced, ease.

DanMachi: Alter Oration [DEAD]

If it weren't for the fact that I really want to see wha Ayame does next, I'd smack you over the head right about now... But fine, I'll be patient and wait...

... This is a one-time thing though! Don't be expecting this kinda leniency next time! D<