Chasing Whispers [challenge|c]

The Tower of Babel was truly a sight to behold, and it made Emeline feel even more worried about whether or not she could complete this mission successfully. She was incredibly relieved to see that she wasn't the only one taking on the quest, and a small breath leaved her glossy pink lips as she walked inside the tower to meet with the group she would be a part of. After greeting them with a friendly smile and conversing for a short while, the young Minstrel took noticed of two twin brothers heading their way, turning her head to face them. The black haired male had faked an accent in which she believed was real, but Emeline couldn't help but crack a smile as his twin explained what he was doing.

Bowing her head politely in greeting, she proceeded to listen to the plan, only for her to feel as if it was completely rushed. She couldn't blame them for feeling like they need to rush, but still, they had to be careful. Her gaze soon met the leering eyes of Doth, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. Why was he looking at her and the fellow woman like that...? It made her incredibly uncomfortable, and she wanted to return the glare. However, instead, she turned to him completely and the sweetest smile formed on her lips.

"I would recommend you stop glaring like that if I were you." Her voice was surprisingly gentle, yet it was also laced with venom. "Since we're working together, we should try to at least be civil. Wouldn't you agree?"

 

Levi Ishrat

Heavy was the burden one must feel for loss. Levi, only on account for his subtle and mostly unrecognizable sympathy for the loss of the boy did he take up the job. Despite this, he still remained relatively quiet, keeping his hands and arms tucked into the opposite sleeve of his robe as he silently passed among the group. When introductions were being given, he remained reticent, only giving his name once to the other's who would be accompanying him, or so he presumed.

His face was ever complacent, remaining somewhat autonomous in expression. His eyes were emeralds lost to the pitiful mirages of the desert, only uncovering themselves to glimmer between the lids of Levi's sandy skin. He entered the tower with haste, not wanting to waste a single moment in the Dungeon longer than necessary. Approaching the alleged additional members, Levi began to mentally map out the course they might take to reach the 5th floor as efficiently as possible, though it seemed the brothers had thought ahead of time. Saving Levi the brain power, he shut his eyes and nodded gently in their direction to give assent of the plan.

His lips opened slightly as he quietly eyed the interaction between one of his female members, Emeline as he recalled her introducing herself as. Candid, he too interjected slightly, though more speaking to himself in a mutter than in response to Emeline.

"... Civility is a pointless measure to take. I would rather skip the pleasantries and be on with the day."

His response was blunt, refusing to cut any corners or sugarcoat his words. While getting along was fine and dandy, this was about the precise outcome of proper decision-making to achieve a common goal. While the smart thing would be to make a light attempt and make it out safely, his heart did in fact shatter from its frozen state and throb with sympathy. He too endured a plight similar in his past to those he was serving on this quest now, and he wished not a fate so horrid on them as well. Returning the body was the least Levi felt he was responsible for, if nothing else.

 

It hadn't taken much convincing for Aaron to accept the job. While he was doing it for selfish reasons, the reward was more of a side bonus to getting an excuse to venture into the Dungeon again, and he very quickly proclaimed himself just the Adventurer that this family needed. When meeting the others, Aaron was extremely open and friendly, giving everyone a cheery smile and a bright "Hey there!", although he made sure to keep his last name to himself. Even the more muted responses of his fellow Adventurers did little to dim his cheerful demeanor, though the chatter quickly dimmed down to simple small talk once introductions were done.

When meeting with the two supporters, Aaron's mood remained largely the same, giving the twins a wave as they approached, and nodding along to the more professional seeming one's plan of action. He was about to respond to Ertas' words, before Emeline butted in, giving Doth a sickeningly sweet smile that obviously was not meant to be taken seriously. He held his hands up in a 'slow down' gesture, trying to play the mediator. "Hey, come on now, we're all going to be working together, so let's try to get along, huh? It'll be better for all of us if we don't end up killing each other before the monsters even get to us. Come on, uh... there... Doth," Aaron stalled for a second trying to place the man's name to his face, which was really rather hard considering they were twins he'd just met. "It's probably better if you don't peek at girls who carry pointy swords, eh?"

 

Ah, but such was the responsibility of the Guild to supervise things like these. At least, Lyonet thought. Not much for conversation, the Runarl hadn't yet admitted she was one of the Guild's registrars to either of the twins or the assembling party members. But it was only a matter of time before they figured it out. In any case, she was there for the sake of investigation. What had really happened to Karzama was in the interest of all adventurers and explorers: if there was a particularly dangerous monster on the loose, or perhaps even a backstabbing rogue down on the fifth floor, it would behoove everyone to stomp it out before it became a problem.

Not that the fifth floor wasn't dangerous on its own.

Making her best attempt to ignore the staring Doth, she nevertheless pulled her jacket closed as she inspected her things. Her stiletto, Carnwenhau, was obvious enough: but she'd made sure to suggest that other supplies be taken. Torches and rope among other things, though materials that could be used to mark locations would also be of use if it came to that. It was important to be prepared, and Lyonet had every intention of keeping her group members alive. That included their overall strategy as well, and she raised her hand to catch everyone's attention.

"Skipping the 'trash'..." she mumbled, wanting to expound on her own thoughts. "We should establish each others' strengths and weaknesses first so we know how to fight together as a group."

Glancing to the rest of the group, she pulled her weapon from her belt for everyone to see. The dagger had its own implications: Lyonet herself was a melee fighter, but not the kind equipped to absorb damage or stay on the front line. Rather, her calling card was that of an agile striker, one who kept on her toes and looked for opportunities before committing to an action.

 

"Lyonet Fairlight. I'm with the Guild."

She'd forgone introductions up until that point, but she supposed it was better that they knew sooner than later, just in case anyone had a problem with the Guild representative also partaking in the mission. Not that she imagined anyone would. In any case, as they proceeded, she made sure to carefully coil her tail around her body so that the rather large group didn't find themselves tripping on it. As a result, she looked like a puffed yellow marshmallow of sorts, with a propeller of some kind consisting of the stray locks of blonde hair atop her head.

"And like Doth, consider me the kind of fighter who can't take a hit. Rather, I'll strike from behind, because that's where I do the most damage."

Balancing the stiletto on her finger precariously, the edge looked as if it could draw blood just from the pressure of gravity. When applied with great force, one could only imagine the damage it could cause to armor, if not flesh. She'd considered other weapons before, but piercing ones made the best use of her momentum and speed: with little effort, she could poke holes in a monster's defense. That was the plan, anyway, and Lyonet stowed away the dagger for the time being, not expecting to fight anything for at least another floor or two.

She couldn't help but try to make guesses about the other three in the meantime, hoping that the composition would be something that favored both her and Doth's style of fighting: hit and run was the name of her game, and she excelled at it. The twins might have believed the same thing too, she speculated from the way they presented their abilities. Between all of them, however, it seemed that none had taken on heavy armor or shields, leading her to believe that their tactics would indeed fall to playing keep away from the more deadly monsters on the fifth floor.

 

Levi Ishrat

Levi left his eyes shut, simply following the group via vibrations in the ground and the sound of their voices as they began to approach the entrance. From what he heard, it was becoming time for introductions. Levi opened his eyes, carefully studying the group he was being acquainted with. Names and abilities were the topic of conversation. He decided to be concise on his own.

"Name, Levi. I fight best at a long-range, making use of precision striking, and I specialize in tracking. It's a pleasure, Lyonet, Doth, Ertas, others."

From what Levi could discern, the people he was surrounding himself didn't seem to be that experienced. Levi himself was significantly weaker than a lot of the people here, and it became somewhat clear once he noted things like gear and their demeanor. Much like himself, a fair share of the group was equipped without any real armors or high-end weapons. It was becoming apparent the team as a whole, aside from the two assigned brothers, were most definitely inexperienced. Was there nobody else to take the job?

"Mmm... mmm..."

Whether or not his knowledge was correct, he decided not to inquire further and began humming to himself. Perhaps it was because he already knew that at this point, whether or not they were inexperienced, the job they were undertaking did not require a job of high-tier Adventurers. They were investigating and searching, not per se looking to pick any fights. Levi shuffled among the group, sticking to the back of it. His eyes darted briefly to the larger group of people they passed by, mentally noting the bag. As laughter lightly erupted behind him, Levi simply sighed quietly to himself, sticking to his own group.

 

Emeline listened to Doth's response with narrowed eyes, her smile fading just a little before turning to the rest of her group members. The one who called himself Levi was rather blunt and somewhat rude, but a soft yet mute breath left through her nose as she turned to the female Runarl, who suggested everyone to explain their strengths and weaknesses while moving along. She nodded in agreement, and followed the group further into the tower. The young Minstrel kept her eyes open for anything out of the ordinary, while listening carefully to the fellow Adventurers interact. When her turn came, everyone glanced at her, causing her to swallow hard before a small smile creased her lips.

"I am Emeline Fabron, and I specialize in using the Rapier." She introduced herself, placing a hand on the hilt of her sword that was attached to her hip. "What I lack in speed and strength, I can make up for it with my reflexes and accuracy. I also have the ability to heal, so if anyone ends up injured, I am the person to go to."

As they passed the large group, she quickly noticed the pouch filled with Soul Stones, taking note of it as she passed by with the others without a word. She could have sworn she heard one of the gruff men mutter something under their breathe, yet she had no way of proving it as it was soon replaced with laughter. Emeline swallowed hard, feeling uneasy yet she shrugged it off, waiting for anyone else to speak.

 

Aaron lets out a brief sigh of relief and lets his arms drop back down to his sides as the situation seems to relieve itself as the brothers argue between one another. He simply crossed his arms as he walked, nodding along as he listened quietly to everyone before seeing that it was his turn to speak up. "Well, I'll be in your tender care then, nurse." Aaron joked to Emeline with a smile. "As for me, I hit things with a sword." He draws his saber as if by way of example, holding it out in front of him and giving it a quick flourish to show off. "I mean, I guess I can do magic too, but that's a lot more boring than a sword, don't you think? I can sense it in things, and I guess I can stun whatever we come across with a spell." He gave a slight chuckle at his own joking around before sheathing his weapon again.

Aaron stepped to the side as the group of Adventurers stepped by, glancing back towards them as they passed. He tilted his head slightly as he heard them talk and laugh among themselves, but gave a shrug as he drove it from his mind. It didn't matter too much what they thought or said, especially when Ertas deserved it just a little bit.

 

Levi Ishrat

Travelling through the Dungeon was incredibly efficient this time around, not spending a moment too soon to start pushing through the first floor without any issue as small as a wrong turn or large as a stray monster from a lower level. It was a perfect trip, and that put Levi incredibly on edge. It was once they approached the group of goblins ahead of them on the second floor that Levi felt even a little tension relieve him. Perhaps this was the strange oxymoron of always thinking. When you are approached by an opponent, or even a multitude of them, you find yourself significantly safer than when there are none around. His eyes fixated on their actions briefly, before he heard the twins start speaking.


That is when it all went to hell.


If Doth had simply not spoken, but simply positioned himself, this might have gone quite a bit smoother. But instead, his rowdy and… interesting, accusation, set the goblin’s mental alarms off and sent them towards the group. Seven goblins was not entirely much to dispatch if you thought about it in a numerical way, six Adventurers, two of which had decent Dungeon exposure, and four who were still more likely stronger than a single goblin. The odds were favorable, and yet, something felt incredibly off to Levi. ‘Full-fledged Adventurers,’ Doth had said. Levi raised an eyebrow in question briefly, as not to give any suspicion away before turning to the group and returning orders to each in a hushed tone. Now was not the time to panic, as more monsters near the area might approach if they did not engage this problem swiftly and without flaw.


“Bright, Fabron, tend to the engagement head-on. Split them into a group, they aren’t a hive mind so if you can divert their attention, it’ll make the stress of combating them easier. Fairlight, if I recall correctly, it would be best you follow behind the bigger of the two groups and dispatch them that way. You prefer fighting unnoticed, correct?”


Levi looked to the two brothers as well, Doth and Ertas. If information serves correctly, they were likely the strongest two of the six here. He nodded to both of them, hoping they knew what position to take for now. Whether or not the group he was wired with decided to follow his suggested orders, Levi shifted his weight back and revealed his arms out of his sleeves, uncovering the golden ornate daggers with were delicately tied to vibrant crimson thread, which had its place looped intricately around both of Levi’s arms. It was like a bloodied spider web, with two venomous, gilded fangs seeking to strike prey. He moved back, checking his peripherals before nodding to the group to make the engagement. Those who fought best from a range had access to the rock barrier in case the goblins were competent enough to seek ranged projectiles instead of clubbing like Levi expected them to do.