An old man, his hammer, and a set of outdated armour. If it werent' for the fact that that was his reality, Arnold would have sworn to the ends of the Earth that he'd heard it as a setup to a joke before. Regardless of the fact that his armour was creaking worryingly frequently and that the hammer's balance was just a little bit off from how he liked it, he pressed on, his sense of self-preservation not entirely intact. Sure, he would defend himself if the need arose, but something inside him just seemed to be... missing. It wasn't a stretch to say that Arnold was focussed on the mission. Or, rather, the vague objective he had of just poking about the first floor in the hopes that he would find something interesting. A monster, maybe, or some treasure that some adventurer had missed or decided wasn't worth hauling back. Anything to break up the tension that plagued the darkness in the cave - something only amplified further by the claustrophobic nature of the entire place. Not a great environment for a weapon that required an arc, he had to admit, but hammers were all he knew how to fight with. Well, them, his bare fists, and a broken bottle, but neither of them were particularly well-suited to taking on monsters. He turned his head back to face his partner - though an ear was kept out for any approaching threats. "You doing all right back there?" He asked. He knew that it was stupid of him to ask - she was in her prime, he was past it. Her stats dwarfed his, and her equipment was of a notably higher quality than his. Even so, he couldn't help but be concerned about her. He'd seen too many good people injured because of stupid reasons, and he didn't want her added to the list. "Heard a group say that there's some nasties up ahead. Want to make sure we're ready before we charge in." ((@Marzipan Loaf))
@Arnold Stoutheart Marzipan's ear twitched and swiveled as she tried to pinpoint noises within the Dungeon. She knew that monsters could appear at any moment, especially knowing that the very walls could birth them. It had become commonplace ever since she started dungeon delving, being on her guard. And she was glad for it, for it helped her stay alive without much injury. She turned to her partner, a dwarf man who had just started dungeon delving. He was strapping in his armor and his hammer, giving off an air of some sort of superiority and knowledge. He was much older than her, older than her mother and father actually. At least, that was what she assumed. Still, the dwarf was new to the entire thing, so it was only natural she would help him out whenever necessary. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, staring at him easily. At least she was able to see him eye to eye without staring upwards. She gave a curt nod as he began to say that there was something up ahead. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be able to handle them," she said, her hands going to the sword hilts by her sides, "Let's get going, yeah?"
Arnold nodded firmly. "Agreed. That treasure isn't going to find itself." He chuckled heartily, and continued on his way, glancing to his sides every now and again - and, occasionally, up at the ceiling and behind them. He was unfamiliar with the dungeon, but after something resembling a bear had fallen on his face during an expedition, he'd made it a point to keep an eye on any direction that a threat could pop out from. Any direction. This stopped, however, when he seemed to hear something in the distance. He squinted, and groaned to himself, before murmuring to Marzipan. "You hear that? Goblins. Over there." He waved his hammer in their general direction. It was difficult to make them out, but there was no doubt in Arnold's mind that the glinting and chattering in the distance was the result of goblins. They certainly weren't adventurers - as bad as his sight and hearing were, he at least knew that much. He paused a moment to observe their actions; to make sure that they didn't know that they were there. "Seems like they haven't spotted us. Not yet, anyway. Way I see it, though, if you want us to ambush them? You'll need to go on ahead a little." He tapped his armour lightly, making it clank quietly.Though it echoed off of the walls, it was summarily drowned out by whatever background noise the cave had to offer. "I'm too slow to rush in there with you, and this armour'd let them hear us a mile away. I'm not sure if you can sneak in what you're wearing, but chances are, you've got a better chance of doing it than I do. 'Course, we can always do this the old-fashioned way." He gripped his hammer, and held it up for her to see, grinning wildly. "Just make sure to let me buff you before we go charging in." ((@Marzipan Loaf))
@Arnold Stoutheart Marzipan looked over at Arnold before glancing back at the caverns that twisted and winded. "Yeah, I can hear them," she said, her ears swiveling, "An ambush, eh? I don't mind that, it would make things easier on our end." Indeed, it would have, for it would mean less injuries on their part. She definitely liked the idea of not being injured in the fight. She nodded at Arnold as he suggested that she would do the sneaking and give them the jump. "Alright, will do. Let's be careful, okay?" And with that, she was off, sneaking towards the group of goblins that were in their way. It was a pack of five, easy enough to fight. None of the goblins noticed her as she pulled out both her swords and waited for the perfect opportunity to jump them. ...There! She darted forward and immediately slammed into one of the goblins, using her sword to stab it through the stomach. It squealed before it disappeared in a flash and left a soul stone. The other goblins immediately turned their attention on her and she couldn't help but smirk. "You wanna fight?" she asked cockily as one charged at her and she dodged.
Arnold's grin grew once he saw how effective Marzipan's sneak attack was. While he preferred running into the middle of a fight and swinging into the face of anything that even remotely resembled an enemy, he had always felt that there was something to be said for a well-executed ambush. Once the fight had started proper, he sprinted forward, his voice raised and shouting all manner of obscenities at the goblins ahead of him. His swing connected with the first unfortunate, sending it reeling back, and giving him a few moments to buff both him and Marzipan. Arnold planted his feet, readying himself for the impending storm of goblins. His shout would draw aggro, but with the cave as tight as it was, they would be funnelled into him. Not an ideal situation, what with hammers not being known for the speed and frequency of their attacks, but he figured that his partner and a buff to both of their attacks would be more than enough to take care of whatever came their way. "LET'S SHOW THEM WHAT WE'RE MADE OF!" He bellowed, arms raised to the ceiling. The same (and still unfortunate) goblin charged first, and once again, a solid lump of metal crashed into its skull. He shouted again, taunting the dazed monster, daring any others to try their luck against him. ((Spell cast: Battle Cry)) ((@Marzipan Loaf))
@Arnold Stoutheart Marzipan grinned as Arnold entered the scene, bringing his hammer down on a goblin. So far so good, she was pretty sure they could win this fight with minimal injuries. "Hey! Bone face!" she said as she slashed at a goblin that was trying to get near the dwarf, "You're fight's with me!" The goblin growled as it turned on her and began to lash out. The Hume Bunny backed off as she slammed one of her swords down onto the goblin's wrist. It wasn't enough to sever the hand, but it was enough to draw blood and the monster clutched at its bleeding wrist. It didn't have time to move before she repeated the move that felled the first goblin, stabbing it in the gut. It shrieked in pain as she drew the sword out and made a gash across its chest. "How're you doin' over there?" she asked her partner.
"What do you mean, how am I doing?!" Arnold swung his hammer across, sending the goblin flying into one of its comrades. "I'm doing shite! I got told that this place was dangerous, and what do I get? A load of glass-boned little morons with less brains'n a pile of-" Whatever expletive had followed his response was mixed with a loud grunt and the distinctive sound of a hammer flattening a ribcage, making it so only Arnold knew what he was saying. And he seemed to be more focussed on the three goblins that remained. One ran in, trying to beat the dwarf over the head with something resembling a crude stone club. Arnold, not in the mood to be brained by it, swung viciously at it, his own weapon connecting with the goblin's shoulder - followed by a telltale crunching noise. Naturally, it screamed in pain. "Oh, quit your whining! I'll give you something to REALLY cry about, you puke-skinned pansy!" Arnold swung again, and the result of him bringing his hammer down on the monster's skull was nothing if not cringe-inducing. ((@Marzipan Loaf))
@Arnold Stoutheart Marzipan couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter. "Ha! Just wait until you have to run into a pack of kobolds!" she exclaimed as she slit the goblin's throat. It choked on its own blood before it died, leaving a soul stone. "Course, kobolds start appearing in the third floor. But I've seen them come up here before." She grinned. "If you're up for it, we could go deeper." She turned her attention back to the remaining goblins. "Come at me!" she roared, diving back into the thick of it. One goblin got a nasty gash on its back while the other one got hit in the left eye. They both shrieked as one jumped on her, its eye weeping blood and tears. "Hey! Get off!" She tried to shake the goblin that seemed like it was tearing at her back through a hug. It was not a pleasant experience, being hugged by a goblin.
Seeing Marzipan getting assaulted by a goblin seemed to set off something in Arnold. nothing quite as dramatic as a berserker rage, but judging by the look on his face, he was anything but pleased. Smacking the other goblin to the side unceremoniously - but not before it managed to get a solid swing at his thigh in - he dashed towards Marzipan, and with every iota of strength in his body, he tore the bloodied gremlin from her and threw it onto the floor. Arnold wasted no time with taunting that particular monster, instead opting to pound it until all that was left was the soul stone on the ground. The one remaining goblin had gotten its bearings back before then. And, after seeing what had happened to the other, it decided that the dwarf was its main target, and ran forward. Arnold didn't notice it until it was only an inch from him, by which time only his instincts saved his face from being smashed in. His arm took the brunt of the blow - not one powerful enough to break it, especially with his armour, but enough for it to be jerked back and for Arnold to cry out in pain and shock. He was open - and, though it was certainly stupid, the goblin wasn't dumb enough to not notice its chance. ((@Marzipan Loaf))
@Arnold Stoutheart "Argh!" Marzipan couldn't help but cry out when the goblin was forcefully torn from her body, the goblin having embedded something into her back. "Thanks," she said as she looked at the remaining goblin that was just getting its bearings. The goblin launched itself at Arnold without a thought to the Hume Bunny. It was a perfect shot. She darted forward and stabbed the goblin in the back. Its hissed in pain as she drew her sword out before and used her other sword to slice at the back of its neck. It was a clean cut that nearly severed its spinal cord. The second slash in the same exact spot did it in and the soul stone fell to the ground. "Whew, good work out," she said as she began collecting the soul stones, "You okay?"
Arnold waved his hand dismissively, a slight smile on his face. "I'm fine, I think. Arm's a little hurt, but I've had worse. I've got the scars to prove it, too." He chuckled heartily, and drew his gaze away from the goblin that had tried to attack him - or, rather, what was left of it. "I'm more concerned about you. It looks like that thing did a number on you. Why don't you turn around - I'll have a look. I can't heal you, but I've got some supplies with me that should stop any wounds you have from getting worse." Without even waiting for her to agree, he walked behind her, brandishing a jar of teal paste. "Oh, that's not looking good. I might be able to pull it out without making it worse, but then again, it might be better just to clean the wound and leave it there until someone can see to it..." Arnold moved in front of her again. "It's about this big, and if I know my goblin weapons, it's about this far in. I can disinfect it and bandage you up, but if you don't want it getting any worse, we'll have to pack up and go home now." ((@Marzipan Loaf))
@Arnold Stoutheart "Yeah, I'm fine though," Marzipan said as she touched her back, wincing slightly when the wounds became aggravated. She pulled her hand back to see some blood on it. "Shoot, hope it's not too bad." She grimaced as she thought about how the goblin did such damage to her. Then again, she did charge at it. "Hey, there's no need-" She paused when Arnold began applying the paste, causing her to wince slightly, "I'll be fine, really." She paused when he said that she would most likely have to go home so that it would heal properly. "Alright, let's head out the Dungeon then. We'll split the few soul stones we have when we get back outside."
Arnold's work was that of an experienced practitioner. It only took him a few moments to get used to the shape of Marzipan's torso, and how that was going to affect how the bandage got wrapped around her. Afterwards, for Arnold, it was just a matter of going through the motions, until he was sure that the wound would at least last until she could get more than just some antiseptic and clean cloth on it. "Right. Don't worry about getting them - I don't want you putting any more stress on that arm than you need to." Arnold checked their surroundings, and motioned for her to follow him. They hadn't gone far, to the best of his knowledge, so navigating back wouldn't be too difficult - provided that they were careful. "Come to think of it, there were five stones. There's no way that we're splitting them evenly unless we sell them first, but I'm nto sure if there's anywhere buying them at this hour." ((@Marzipan Loaf))
@Arnold Stoutheart He went through the process of bandaging her quickly, in Marzipan's opinion. They weren't scratches, but they didn't warrant any alarm since they were relatively shallow. She could thank her lucky stars for that. She briefly wondered how the dwarf man knew about such things before tossing out that question as stupid. He was older than her, so he must've seen many things. "Alright, thanks again," she said as she looked down at her arm, "As far as I know, the Guild is open 24/7, so we can trade in the soul stones at any time. I think it'd be better if we headed back to the Guild and split the money that comes from the stones. Sound good to you?" She looked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.
Arnold nodded at her suggestion. "Well, if the Guild's open right now, I suppose they're our best bet. Just make sure you get yourself to a healer when you can, or at least take a health potion. I did what I could, but those wounds might still be infected." He stopped himself there. Arnold knew he was being a worrywart, but he couldn't help it. On some level, he felt responsible, given that she was his partner, but dismissed the thoughts. Injuries were an occupational hazard, they were both just lucky that it wasn't more severe. "We'll have to be more careful next time, though. If that's what goblins can do if we let our guards down..."
