A True Variant [invite]

Kessler had been given a unique mission by the guild, one that he wasn't entirely sure about going through with. He'd taken the time to brush himself off, look over his equipment, making sure his armor was firmly fitted, all in all he was well prepared he thought. If he was uneasy about anything it would be that he wasn't sure who would be supporting him this time. Originally he'd asked Korra for a hand, but she seemed busy, busy with something he didn't dare inquire about. Even now he grimaced at the thought of her going into detail with her last excuse, an involuntary shudder shooting through his boy. Instead he was left with whatever the guild wanted to assign him which was always a worry for Kessler who had trouble with restraint when it came to people from time to time.

Trying to exhale his worry, he splashed his face with water from the fountain knowing that worrying about it wouldn't benefit him at all. He'd just have to endeavor to make everything as right as possible. His armored hands splashed water against his face repeatedly, his hair moistened enough to make his furry ears flicker at the top of his head, but he felt relief from the cool waters. He could at least think clearer about the job given to him. A weary smile came to his face as he thought back to the report he received about a possible variant goblin, goblins were weak opponents for Kessler, but variants were like well trained and veteran warriors of their weaker counterparts. He didn't want to let his guard down, specially against something so vicious and bloodthirsty.

Waiting for the one who'd end up helping him along the way, Kessler made sure his rope was firmly fastened at his waist while he watched the clock. The Guild knew his description after all, he didn't doubt the person they'd send would recognize him but still as time went on he worried. He was a member of the watch as well after all, the city wasn't always safe either.

@Marzipan Loaf

 

"UWAH?!" Kessler shouted back from the girl's calling taken aback. He wasn't exactly someone well known, but he would earn a few snickers from people watching making him a bit sheepish about the teasing of others. With a weary smile he tried to wave at Marzipan knowing that she must not've been told what he looked like like he thought. Though if she followed a few gazes of those watching she'd probably just be able to find him from the snickering. Trying not to mind, he'd make his way towards her scratching a hand through his hair a bit shy after such a scene had been created.

Hesitating briefly he finally extended an armored hand wearily. "I'm Kessler Cole... You don't have to yell quite so loudly." He answered back with a meek laugh feeling extremely awkward for a while. When he finally wrote off the embarrassing moment he gave Marzipan a firm nod knowing that this would be a rough trip, he wasn't sure if this girl would be up for it. "Did you hear everything from the guild? We're supposed to look for a variant today... It's not going to be impossible, but really hard-- We have to take it alive, so killing it won't be good either." He explained making sure Marzipan was clear on their job. After all if it died it would be a tragedy since these things didn't appear very often.

"I only have rope for this sort of thing though, do you have anything better?" He asked with a weary smile, knowing that this sort of thing was when he always ended up missing his usual support. Having the horse was an advantage he usually took for granted since it was usually around when he needed it. With rope though he at least had a means of restraining the creature when they managed to beat it. "Rope... Is sort of all I tend to take with me on these things." He admitted knowing that he was probably under equipped compared to others.

 

The more Marzipan stared into his eyes, Kessler's gaze began to list away, practically breaking out in a cold sweat from being stared at he couldn't help a meek and awkward laugh. "Y-You're staring awfully hard." Kessler couldn't help finally saying feeling a little pressured from the woman's stare. It wasn't so much that he couldn't handle pressure, he just wasn't used to women in any shape or form, it always made him insanely flustered or shy having their attention too long. There were times when it was fine, when he was familiar with them, but this stranger in front of him stared so deeply at him it made him uneasy quickly.

Being told that finding a variant would be a fun adventure though, Kessler could only let out a dry laugh, his listing gaze growing more concerned from the girl's relaxed attitude. "It's already killed a handful of people... The only reason this isn't a subjugation request was because a few survivors reported that it was a goblin so it was ruled to be within my usual ability." Kessler explained, his advisor gave him the mission to capture rather then kill because they felt Kessler could handle such a tough request for a goblin, but Kesslre remained uncertain as always since he wasn't in the fray testing himself that very second to see. Hearing she had rope was at least a plus though, at the very worst if anything went wrong they had another length of rope at least.

"It'll work out at the very least. We can get going unless you still have things you want to do? I don't want to rush after all but the longer we wait the more trouble it might cause." He admitted brushing an armored hand through his hair not wanting to be too serious but at the same time not wanting to be lax on the job.

 

Kessler felt a bit better when he wasn't being stared at, his meek demeanor was something hard for him to break. Though her apology made him feel a little bad making his voice stammer as he shook his head. "N-No, it's okay, just, I'm overly self-concious I guess?" He laughed a little awkwardly knowing that he might have taken her stare a bit more seriously then he should have. It wasn't as if she was the only one who was caught by him every once in a while, but it was hard having that much attention for the lad.

Talking about the goblin though, Kessler's expression grew grim before nodding his head slowly. "A variant can do that, just being a goblin doesn't make it any harder then a Kobold or a Soldier Ant... Variants are different, they are leaders-- Generals of the dungeon monsters you know?" He to explain so it would make sense. It was natural for a general to be strong and powerful after all, he hoped this would help her understand the gravity before seeing her turn down into the dungeon.

While they walked down the steps, Kessler was as meek as usual, following along behind her like a lost puppy or a docile lamb. Occasionally though, he'd tighten his fingers into a fist strong enough to make the metal groan from his grip. The dungeon after all was a place where he could be free-- unrestrained, where humans couldn't be hurt by his negligence or ability. Though it had taken him a while to learn when to use his power instead of not using it at all, even now he wasn't completely sure how far was too far with people, he had to restrain himself when fighting on the surface, but that wasn't the same down those steps. "It's far in, according to the last report it's heading towards the stairs though, so we should meet it on the way..."

 

Kessler laughed meekly at the girl's words about things not being good, he had to nod back, it was certainly as tough as she made it seem. Though the talk of twenty or forty goblins didn't get a reaction from Kessler, stoic as if that were normal for the hybrid man, he didn't understand her fear with a worried expression. He'd been surrounded by goblins a lot during his career, endless waves of them was nothing new, but twenty or forty seemed refreshing. "I wouldn't worry. As long as there's no kobolds, Goblins won't be much trouble-- it's the fact that this variant commands them that is more troubling-- You need power to command after all." He tried to explain that the creature's power came from charisma and ability to earn it's role and variancy.

Touching down at the bottom of the stairs, even as Marzipan would glance around to try and notice anything strange, she might feel an increasingly violent aura from behind her. Kessler tried to step past her as murderous intent and blood lust seeped out of his pores like a billowing tide. There was an ebb and flow to the violence he gave off when he was in his element, it was something that could make a person's hair's stand on end but was merely a radiant feeling it seemed. His expression was still friendly and delicate, but his hands gave off such an ominous feeling to them as he flexed his fingers back like claws causing the marks on his cheeks to grow visible showing off some of his war tiger traits. His ears flopped up from underneath his hair giving a twitch as he checked himself over one last time to make sure it was okay.

"Yeah... We'll be alright. If nothing else, getting out alive shouldn't be too hard." He reassured, but it was easy to see he was talking more to himself then anything else. Knowing he couldn't clench his fists without danger any more, he took a heavy step forward before trying to break into a small jog. Turning his head over his shoulder back to her he began shouting as he went. "We'll just force our way through until we find it-- Take care of the ones on the sides okay?" He said in passing though his request wasn't clear just yet maybe, it would be...

 

Kessler nodded back hearing her words, without having to worry about the sides, he didn't feel as much pressure going forward. Even as the normal goblins began spawning ahead of them forcing their way out from the dungeon's walls as if just being born. The lethargic creatures got their bearings quick seeing Kessler charging towards them wreathed in the blacks of his mantle and clothing and the silver of his armored hands and feet and joints. As he approached the group of five, his peculiar fighting style would come into light as the Goblins raced towards him.

His attack and defense was simultaneous as his gaze listed from one goblin to the other as one foreleg was traded for another as he advanced. "Five isn't hard-- it would take time though-- I'll handle three--" His thoughts raced as they usually did in combat, incomplete thoughts and words as the Goblins started their attack. With his hands lifted, he swatted the claws of one down to the side as his opposite hand thrust forward into the other goblin's chest. His blinted fingertips slid straight through skin as if it were made of paper, and as if in slow motion, he began sliding that hand through the goblin's body as if it were made from jelly. The action was smooth and fluid, as if there were no resistance he clawed through the goblin causing a splash of red to paint the dungeon wall as he advanced with another step thrusting his shoulder into the first goblin he parried to thrust it out of the way so Marzipan could deal with it.

Advancing over the corpse of the second goblin, Kessler's hands busy, he parried the third goblin with a small hop forward between the goblin's swinging claws thrusting his knee up into the small creature's chin. The blow was jarring, enough for the goblin to be dazed as his elbows swung inward after dealing with the first two like smashing an egg painting the floor red as well as portions of his pants. With the last pair of goblins advancing though, he took a single step back, pivoting on his heel to whirl around with a heavy fist thrusting one more to the side for Marzipan to deal with before thrusting his opposite hand forward with the momentum of his swing. Meeting with the goblin's claws, metal groaned as a nick was made on his armored hand from the contact, but the goblin wasn't in any better shape as his claw cracked from the pressure. Kessler didn't hesitate to force his way through the goblin's offensive though. That spearing strike that flew upward to parry the claw collapsed quickly into a thrust of his elbow into the creature's face to thrust it backwards. Trying not to give it time to recover, he followed through with both hands cleaving into the creature's frame once more painting dungeon walls red on each side as he tore his way through the creature's center.

The encounter lasted only a few moments, but by the time the three goblins were dead, Kessler's sleeves and pant leg were painted red along with portions of the dungeon walls. With a flick of his sleeves he tried to cast off what wetness he could before advancing in a jog that hadn't slowed down at all. "You okay back there?" He called back with concern, but the twitching of his ears told him Marzipan was probably okay.

 

Kessler grew sheepish being called cool, that wasn't typically the response he got. Though he didn't really busy himself with the stones like Marzipan did, they weren't something that came up on his radar, instead he considered whether or not he should really answer honestly. "My Mom was the one who taught me-- She was a pretty infamous adventurer in the past. People called her a 'Living Disaster' because the guild got tired of paying people for compensation when she caused collateral damage from fighting, she was considered a Natural Disaster for the purposes of Guild Insurances." He explained with a weary expression knowing that his mother's reputation was rather strong. Though his actual combat style, from his movements to his thought processes came from his father, what he thought she was asking about, the power that he used and the 'weapon' he received were inherited from her.

"My father was the one who taught me fighting-- weapons, styles, theories... I didn't really find any that suited me though." He admitted with a dry laugh knowing he wasn't someone suited for weapons, one glance at the red that stained his clothes probably made that clear. Instead, he took those lessons from his dad and used them to learn how to improvise when fighting and stay prepared in any situation. "I can't exactly fight people like that though..." He added with a somewhat self-admonishing tone knowing that he shouldn't get a fat head over his ability to rip through things when he couldn't hold back. It was a smaller weaker version of his mother's ability to cleave open the skies, there was no way he'd be able to restrain such a skill.

Giving her style some thought though, Kessler seemed hesitant on whether or not to comment or ask but in the end, he wanted to be helpful. "It must be hard killing goblins just by hacking and stabbing away at them like that though-- Doesn't it get harder for you down on the lower levels?" He couldn't help asking with a measure of concern. It seemed like the girl's style might get harder to use as time went on, he wasn't sure who taught her, but he felt she could be better with the right help.

 

Kessler couldn't help a meek laugh at her answer, it caused him endless worry once more. He wasn't sure who that old man might be, but it sounded like he taught her how to move more then fight. "A kind of 'hit them until they're dead' style I guess huh?" He asked knowing that sort of thing might get harder as time passed. Marzipan would probably find that out though, he hoped so at least, the girl was nice even if she seemed new to this sort of thing.

"My Dad taught me stylized fighting, offense and defense can happen at the same time so the numbers don't really bother me. If I can kill one, then more don't make much of a difference as long as I don't get tired before the end." He admitted knowing that that was why he liked having supporters so he could find time to rest without having to hurt himself to plow through. Even if he had to take a few hits to shake off his exhaustion though, it was better then dying. "I've been doing this since I was small-- I would support my dad when my Mom started getting sick. It was a lot more fun doing it that way even if it was harder." He admitted with a nostalgic expression.

The sound though made his ears twitch as well, rather then bringing attention to it, his expression grew a bit sullen as he glanced down the tunnel knowing the sound of a monster train well. The shouts and cries of a group could be heard approaching as a pair of skinny adventurers were trying to outrun a small wave of goblins. A heavier man behind them kept jumping behind them trying to keep up. The worrisome part however was how the goblins seemed to form a tight phalax formation, even without weapons or spears they advanced and moved as one. There was only a single golin at the far back with blue skin who had equipment. A large tower shield in one hand and a small sword in the other that could qualify as a knife. The goblins roared out together chasing after the group making Kessler sigh heavily knowing that this sort of thing was never good.

"We have to break them up before anything else." Kessler said reaching down to the ground carving and gouging stones from the earth with his fingers as they got closer and came into sight.

 

Kessler couldn't help hanging his head in response to her affirmation. It was a bit worrisome but he wouldn't complain about it in the present. Instead, he continued gouging out a few stones as he spoke hoping his words weren't offensive. "I'll show you a bit later if you want. My Dad dual wielded too, though his weapons were different from your's." He tried to offer hoping a crash course would be helpful for the Hume-bunny. As a person who was a walking encyclopedia for combat, he tried to offer advice whenever he encountered someone who seemed new to it. Though he quickly shook off his efforts to be supportive, seeing the adventurers running he didn't want to waste too much time. It was only when he had a handful that he felt prepared enough to stop things.

Lifting a leg, he turned his body and starting from his waist he stepped forward with a sharp swing, turning his body with his throw jerking his shoulders as he followed through, drawing his off hand back as his throwing hand swung forward letting his fingers steady and control the stone until the end. Firing the stone forward like a bullet letting it rotate through the air for precision it slammed into one of the first goblins in the formation blowing it back into the ones behind it. Like dominoes a few in the line collapsed quickly only for another portion of the line to be caught off by the second stone, then the third. Kessler didn't really favor weapons over his own hands, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to use them, that applied to throwing tools as well which he was rather adept with. "Faster!" He tried shouting over the awkward cries of those who were worried they'd be struck by the stones instead.

The handful of adventurers tried darting by quick once Kessler loosed all of his stones, he couldn't help sighing heavily seeing the formation starting to get repaired. The goblin wasn't stupid enough to charge without fixing his ranks, those goblins who were struck or disorientated began getting back up as the others waited.

 

Nodding back, Kessler continued gathering stones to continue throwing, when their formation was fixed he'd try to blow another hole in their formation to slow them down. Though he'd see her surprised expression and let out a meek chuckle, his own ability wasn't that impressive beside his mom's, if it were her she'd have torn the dungeon apart with a sweep. "My Mom's was scarier, she could cleave apart clouds in the sky." He explained thinking his ability to gouge the earth was nothing when his mom could gouge out the heavens. He was comparing himself to a higher level adventurer though.

It was only when the fleeing adventurers managed to find some safety behind them that he'd finally stop throwing stones. Glancing back to Marzipan with one last stone in hand his tone was concerned but confident. "Are you ready?" He asked knowing that there was nothing stopping them now, they would have to bring this monster in one way or another, it was best not to delay their task. He kept one last stone in hand prepared to use it to blow open their formation once more as they began their attack, but he wanted to make sure Marzipan was ready to go as he was.