WQ - Wolf Party

Alpha sprung along, humming a little nursery tune under her breath as she jumped over rocks and fallen twigs that littered the wasteland. She was in the presence of quite some company, being that of her closest friends (consisting of a Korean rabbit, a scorched dingo, a hedgehog, a krait, and a parrot) and the presence of one Jack Anders. She still felt conflicted about the man, having been on some adventures with him despite their bad experience together at the raid. While the man looked genuinely sorry and had helped her immensely with his quick-thinking, she tentatively moved him into the category of 'frenemy' like that episode on Spongebob that she watched during the reruns last week.

She puffed up her cheeks and pouted, attempting to climb on the man's back for a piggy-back ride. As far as she was concerned, it hit two birds with one pebble, stone, rock, or whatever other synonym you want to use (her mom and dad hired a tutor for vocabulary practice and the lady was a monster at slamming words into her brain). She'd double as a nuisance for the man and she'd get a piggy back ride! Isn't that awesome? "Stop being tall!" she demanded as they continued on their journey looking for pet wolves. Terry, meanwhile, placed himself as an obstruction to Jack's path, refusing to let the man continue onward until he would oblige Alphabet for a piggy back ride. Or he might be doing it for a fish stick (as they all knew that Jack Anders had quite an extensive collection of those fishy treats). Either way, he won't be letting Jack go soon. "Bend down or something, you're too big!" she whined, once again attempting to climb the man like a ladder.

@Jack Anders
​

 

Thrown die:

83

+20 to dice roll.​

 

“Hey, hey! I need you to focus shorty!” The man let out a semi-irritated growl as he found his path barred by her smaller canine friend. “You know where we are right?... Now isn’t really time to be futzing around!” Considering how the two were headed off towards one of the newer more hostile areas charted on the map, he’d shake the girl off his person while reaching frantically into his pocket for yet another fishy treat for Terry. “Cmon, you gotta be on my side sometimes too!” He’d toss the fish stick gingerly off to the side in order to clear his path while escaping from Alphabet’s grasp.

“Seriously though, these blood wolves aren’t a joke. Apparently there’s a bigger iteration too, a lot smarter according to the bounty posting…” A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of demonically influenced hounds tearing their merry little band from limb to limb. The mere thought of an intelligent one was especially daunting to the dark haired man. “Yeah, their pack tactics might be a bit more troublesome to deal with, but let’s stick to the regular wolves and avoid the dire ones.” He’d look back at the girl to make sure she was listening; otherwise things could escalate rather quickly. “You know how to spot the difference right?”

@Alphabet Chocolate

Thrown die:

86

Result: +20​

 

Alpha pouted as the man shook her off and managed to divert Terry's attention with a well-thrown fish stick. The dog dove for it with no modesty and, as expected, gulped it down in one bite. Alpha glared at the traitor who was currently sighing in contentment at the delicious snack. Without a single thing to do, she sulked, shadowing Jack's footsteps. She listened to his words attentively, unable to find any sort of distraction elsewhere (except for the act of idly petting Fish). "It's okay!" Alpha reassured the man. "We totally got this, they can't be that different from Terry and Terry would love friends! Right boy?" she laughed as the dog gave a diligent nod. She couldn't help but giggle at the thought of all her little critters playing along with the pups that were surely a short way ahead. She could just sense it whether it was just her own imagination spurred on by excitement or because of her skill in beast-taming and naturamancy she didn't know. She did, however, find herself confused at Jack's question.

"I don't know anything bout that but wolves are cute lil dogs and cute lil dogs are friends, right guys?" she asked her tiny party and was greeted with a chorus of head shakes (although they understood little of what she was saying). "Don't worry Jack! Like, they look really friendly! Just look at them!" she grinned as she spotted some Blood Wolves in the distance. They seemed to be sniffing and staring straight at them with slit, deranged eyes. Any form of intelligence once belonging to them has been lost with time. She cooed. "Aren't they just so cute?!" Terry and crew looked unamused and stared blankly at the threat before turning to look at Jack pleadingly.

Thrown die:

52

+20 to dice roll.
@Jack Anders ​

 

“You’re nuts.” The man could only shake his head with disappointment as he continued to listen to the girl spout delusional nonsense. “We’re just as much friends to them as I am to a nice juicy twenty-two ounce, medium rare, aged rib eye steak. It’s literally the same relationship. One wants the other in their belly.” Though perhaps not the best analogy, it was the closest the healer could think of in order to snap his friend out of denial. “They want terry-aki over friendship, just saying.”

Rather than trying to convince his companion any further, he’d simply nod with understanding while returning the pleading gazes sent his way with a look of determination. “Yeah, yeah. Ole Jack can figure something out… but you lot are gonna have to earn your keep too, got it?” Not one to waste too much time, he’d raise his arms and bring them to a pause while quickly reciting an incantation as the wolves charged at their merry band. “Damen sinur idish!”

Similar to what Alphabet had seen before, a warm glow began to radiant from the ground beneath them, cornering off their own bit of territory. As the corrupted mongrels charged forward, they’d quickly be forced to a halt as their forms slammed directly into an invisible wall of force barricading any further progress. (Sanctify) Now was the time to strike! Not wanting to delay any further, Jack would point at the nearest pup while expectantly waiting for the furry woodland creatures to charge forth. “… What? They’re not gonna kill themselves.” He’d shrug with disappoint due to realistically expecting nothing from this sorry lot.

Thrown die:

13

Result: +20
@Alphabet Chocolate​

 

Alpha shot Jack a look as she heard the wolves' yelps in pain. They had struck, well, nothing but she knew it had to be some of Jack's magic doing so. She turned to them and, frowning, motioned for her little companions to stay back. "You're so lucky I'm doing this!" she puckered her lips and blew him a Bronx cheer with a mischievous sort of energy before turning to face the blood-corrupted canines pitifully. As a beast-tamer, she could feel the emotions of the wildlife around her and, with them suffering in such a desolate landscape, she couldn't help but want to help them. If this worked, then maybe Jack would change his mind about killing them and then they could take the poor wolves to the sanctuary. She flicked open her spell menu and, quickly swiping through the options, found the one she needed.

"Purificarli! Save the accursed souls of innocents; slay the evils that burrow in bodies of flesh and bone!" she chanted, her face scrunched up from how utterly cheesy all this dialogue was. A ripple of green nature energy sparked across her outstretched arm like lightning and, with her palm facing the pack of wolves obstructed by the invisible barrier, she watched as it bolted out from her limb and whizzed past the air onto the direction of the wolves. Terry gave a howl, hiding behind her leg at the sudden burst of light, shivering. As she watched the blood magic seeping out the electrocuted wolves, flying into a flurry of smoke which dissipated. "Ha!" she spun around, chin held high and proud while she puffed up her chest, addressing Jack. She pointed to the confused pack of wolves who dispersed, no longer affected by the miasma. She hoped they knew to migrate back to the Adecus Forest as Norforva was inhabitable. "Job done and you worried about all this for nothing! See ya later loser!" she strolled off, feeling accomplished at a job well done. "But," she continued, not turning around to face him as Terry and Luna trailed behind her. "I'm totes tagging you for the next thingy! You'll need me to protect you, after all!" she giggled as she headed her way back in Brisshal. Although she wouldn't admit it, she had to internally acknowledge that Jack saved their lives back there, forming the barrier while she and her critters were caught off guard.

It took her a full minute to realize she was leaving in the wrong direction.

Thrown die:

1

+20 to dice roll.
@Jack Anders ​

 

“Uhh… you sure about that?” His voice sounded hesitant as the man snapped the girl back to reality and pointed at the gruesome sight that lay before the two. Contrary to whatever delusion Alphabet had conjured in her mind, a much more horrific and terrifying display of brutality had occurred, one far beyond even Jack’s own comprehension.

As her magic had trickled into the wolves to “slay the evil burrowed in the bodies of flesh and bone” a fine blood red mist of magic seeped out from each hound’s soon to be corpse as they let out agonizing cries of despair. It appeared as though the magic was too deeply intertwined with their existence and as such, ripping the corruption from their bones was the equivalent of slowly tearing out their own life force until nothing remained. It was a cruel and painful death to say the least. Thankfully these creatures didn’t seem to be too present in mind to fully experience their traumatic deaths.

Flesh and bone literally dissolved into this fine mist. Jack cringed with disgust while raising a sleeve to mask his face. “You know what? On second thought… don’t look.” After confirming that their enemies were no longer of the living, he’d quickly move forward to gather the heads. For one reason or another, only things a hunter would consider a trophy had remained. Perhaps this was the game’s way of allowing them to provide proof of their bounty’s completion?


“We’re not out of the woods yet though…”

A small notification blipped across both their interfaces, indicating that only half of their due diligence had been seen to. “We need to kill like two more… I think?” He’d pause for a moment while scratching his head and surveying their surroundings.

(PS: We need to each post 6 times...)

@Alphabet Chocolate​

 

Thrown die:

96

Result: +20​

 

Alpha hummed, proud of herself that she had saved the lives of those poor wolves. She grinned ear-to-eat, enthusiastic and revived with energy. Unbeknownst to her, the wolves were currently screaming in agony and, later, were silent in death from her spell. Juno, however, made sure to squawk extra loudly and Terry distracted her from the sights. She continued obliviously, ready to leave Norforva and head out back home at a job well done. As she walked past, she could hear Jack saying some unintelligible words, unable to distinguish syllables from the fervent noises made by her party. "What'd you say?" she tried to turn around, only to be stopped by Fish who, despite his good intentions, began to strangle her. She choked for a bit until the snake relented in its constriction and, by then, she had missed all of what Jack had said. She groaned, giving Fish a scolding which was basically a small rub on the head.

"Oh?" her interface pulled open to see a blip on the screen. There were more wolves? And the wolves she had cast the spell on had already left. Maybe they still had some residue in them that gave them super speed or something like Barry Allen or Wally West! She smiled at the thought before, finally, turning to Jack. She didn't notice as her companions used their bodies to block her vision access to the gruesome scene before them. "Looks like we have more wolves to save, Jack!" she grinned, excited for this new development. The more innocent wolves she helped, the better! Luna and Corn flinched at her words, much to her bewilderment.

@Jack Anders

 

Unbelievable. It was absolutely unbelievable. The fact that this girl had somehow managed to magically ignore everything that had just unfolded left the mage mind blown at the sheer thickness of her skull. That or her actions were entirely intentional and she was well aware of what had occurred but simply denied it for her own mental health. It had to be the latter as far as Jack was concerned. He found it hard to come to terms with someone genuinely being this dense. Such a thing simply wasn’t capable of self-sustaining life.

He’d pause for a moment while reflecting. Perhaps she wasn’t capable of sustaining life. Had the world faltered to such a level that such a creature could exist through excessive coddling? The thought caused him to gag slightly as he’d pull himself together and return back to reality. Jack needed to focus before they engaged in combat again. The dark haired man needed to prepare himself before witnessing another scene where Alphabet attempted to “rescue” the wolves once more.

“Yeah… more wolves to save…”

The man shot a pitiful glance towards Corn and Luna upon witnessing their reactions. Despite it being a rather sad sight to behold, a job was a job. Gritting his teeth, he’d begin to survey the immediate surrounding area for their next pack of victims. “Uhhh… Alphabet. Let’s try doing things my way this time, okay?” He wouldn’t force the issue too much should the girl refuse. It was whatever. He had tried… right?

@Alphabet Chocolate

 

Although Alpha was perfectly content with doing things on her own, she never really preferred taking the lead and, while she didn't approve of most of Jack's methods, she still respected his planning and decision-making skills. Hesitantly, in the span of a minute of intense thought, she craned her head back to hear what Jack had to say. "What do you think we should do?" she asked curiously. Her parents always told her to be polite and the first step of that would be to listen to whatever anyone offered to tell her, regardless of her prior opinions thereof. She just hoped he wouldn't try to convince her to murder the wolves or something though. She shivered and, upon turning back and seeing the frightened eyes of her crew, she immediately deduced that they had expected Jack to come up with something terrible. Whether or not they felt so was nothing of import.

Alpha pouted, tapping her feet against the ground in repetitive thumps, hoping it would hasten his reply. "Like, they're gonna go come soon! Let's end it quick, right? And send them back home and on their way!" she suggested.

@Jack Anders

 

The man was at a loss for words. Sure, he had recommended a different course of action… but in reality? Jack was still scraping the floor for ideas himself. Not entirely confident on the appropriate path to take, he’d raise a hand indicating the girl ought to wait while he racked his brain for better solutions compared to well… the previous alternative. Almost anything was better than that at this point. Considering the looks of terror from her little animal companions, it seemed as though they agreed with that sole fact alone.

It was then that the light bulb upstairs would flicker on ever so briefly. Perhaps it wasn’t the best answer, but it was still a better option than the horrible deaths the previous pack of wolves had been subjected to. “How about this? You’ve got some seeds on you, right? Why don’t you use that nature magic to uhh… sprout a giant tree under them? Once they’ve calmed down and decided to be friends I’m sure they’ll be able to climb down, right?” It was a bit of a long shot, but Jack still considered it better than nothing.

He’d look over towards their animal friends to gauge their reaction. Hopefully they’d cooperate and agree with him. Sometimes one just needed to pick the lesser of the two evils, right? The wolves were most likely to fall to their deaths, but he doubted Alphabet would be aware of that fact. “Oh look! There’s the last pack that we need to take c—uhh help!”


@Alphabet Chocolate

 

Alpha tilted her head to the side and looked at Jack with a questioning pair of eyes. "Why would I carry seeds with me?" she asked. It was a silly idea to think that someone carried seeds on their person. That was like asking if they had a spare laundry detergent they brought everywhere. But after she heard Jack's next words, his idea clicked into Alpha's head and she slammed her fist down on her open palm in serendipity. "Oh! You think the wolves are hungry cause the place here has no fruits and trees!" she felt proud of herself for working it out. Jack used a silly metaphor about dogs climbing trees and Alpha knew that she'd have to take it upon herself to educate him about dogs and climbing (except Terry can climb stuff cause he's a dingo) but that'd have to be later on. She reached into her bag and, after a few seconds of rummaging through all the items stored in there, pulled out an apple.

"Here it is!" she cheered and took a bite out of the juicy fruit, cherishing every moment that the tasty apple spent tantalizing her taste buds. She wiped her mouth with a sleeve and, with a flourish, tossed the half-eaten fruit towards the pack of approaching wolves. In the same swift movement, she pulled up her spell interface and, waiting for the right opportunity to cast it, she quickly swiped her chosen magic and her lips began to chant foreign words whose meanings were unknown to her.

"Crescere!" she finished after a few seconds of intelligible speech and, at that moment, brown roots began to burst forth from the apple core that she had thrown and, with vicious speed, rooted itself onto the floor. The tree that erupted and sprouted from the apple was growing at an unnatural speed, protruding from the earth and carrying a duo of wolves with it. She giggled. "There's your meal for today!" she pointed to the fresh fruit that grew on this barren wasteland. She then turned to Jack. "There ya go! Fresh fruit and everything! Now are we done yet?" she whined, excited to leave and go to the Sweets Emporium at Stokbon which, if she remembered correctly, carried candy apples.

@Jack Anders

 

The man let out a sigh of relief as he’d watch Alphabet smoothly play along with his plan. From the look of it, she was fairly unaware of his true intentions… granted her own reasoning wasn’t exactly solidified on firm ground either. “Yeah… sure. Need more fruit trees… Let’s go with that.” He’d shrug once with a bit of apathy while watching events unfold.

Without warning, a large tree had sprouted beneath the wolves, carrying them upwards with the rising canopy as they could only look helplessly from their perch. Why the girl had thought that wolves could climb trees in the first place was entirely beyond Jack. He wouldn’t question it too much though as it served his own goals. Shaking his head with regret, he’d send a sorry look towards the stranded creatures atop the tree. Though he felt a bit sympathetic due to their victimization by Alphabet, it was something that had to be done.

By now his companion had already begun strolling back towards Stokbon. Following closely behind her, he’d start to shoot a final darting glance back at the wolves before pausing. There wasn’t much of a need to do so. The in-game interface had already let out two small blips as the bounty tracker increased in number. Apparently the cursed wolves weren’t fans of patience either or critical thinking skills. The poor beasts had already plunged to their deaths.

OOC: Done 6/6, 300+ goal met