Patience ran thin as the over sized cat crouched in effort to charge in. However, and perhaps just in time, the priest stopped Amane and him from involving themselves with the situation further. No doubt Alonso needed that interference. A sigh escaped the man's lip, allowing the priest to do his task. The Felis was concerned for the well being of his party members, although he still brought it upon himself to trust the holy man's words. By no means had the priest made Alonso feel unwelcome or rejected. In fact, at this point the stoic feline was beginning to concern himself over the priest's well being. Whether or not his emotional instincts became the death of him would have to be discovered at a later time.

"Fine, but don't wear yourself thin," Alonso said. In reality any sort of protection against malevolent forces was much appreciated. Extending such defenses towards the belligerent professional would have been great as well. Yet, not everything could be made easy in this world, or the one beyond this fantasy. Glancing at Amane, the large Felis spoke, "Much as it pains me to say it, we better follow that hired tracker for now. It's our best chance at finding this elf in question and stopping him from doing anything severe in time." Alonso gave a nod to the priest, and began to rush off after the professional.

His eyes were kept firm on his current target. Narrow, fierce even. Refusal to control himself was not the best attitude to have still, and even a growl was far from desired. The big man could always go full on berserk later if need be, and did he love going nuts in combat at times.

Tags: @Amane Hirota @Dempsey Fabijain @Kess

 

Amane halted, glancing back at the direction of the commotion, hesitation marring her face. They were going to abandon Dempsey? Sure, the rogue was the most experienced player out of the both of them — if anyone could handle themselves it would be she. Furthermore, the temple didn't look like there were much trained fighters within; Demps was probably safer off in there than she would be hunting down the elf. But even if she was unlikely to come to harm, leaving her behind left a bitter taste in the sorceress' mouth, almost as if they were committing some kind of personal betrayal by leaving her behind. Shaking her head, Amane pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. Dempsey would want them to continue, and just in case she managed to sneak off and wanted to rejoin back with their party, the mage made sure that she set her location to viewable by the more senior player

"Thank you," she told the priest after he finished his blessing, giving a short dip of her head in gratitude. That was one less buff that she would have to cast, and another strain off her energy bar. And even though, if everything went well and the elf accepted their help, they would hardly need the resistance against their own ally, it was a thoughtful gift to grant nonetheless. With that thought, she realised that she didn't know where Alonso stood, and how he wanted to accomplish this quest — on Falderen's side or Yladia's. "Good idea," she agreed, hurrying after the two large warriors, her fingers flying across her UI as she multitasked. Lowering her voice such that the professional wouldn't be able to hear her, she added, "I don't trust him, and I don't want him finding the elf before we do." As she finished speaking, a message should appear in Alonso's interface as well.

Amane Hirota

Did you see the quest briefing? It looks like there's a hidden way of clearing the quest, and I'll bet that its helping the elf escape Falderen. Regardless if its part of the quest or not though, actively dragging someone back into slavery is not something that I can condone, and I would rather save them than condemn them to a caged life. So I would like to ask, would you like to go with Yladia's side of the quest, or stick with Falderen's? We can always get rid of the expert, then free the elf.

OOC: @Dempsey Fabijain, @Alonso Thorlion, @Kess

 

Dungeon Master

The Priest clearly received Alonso's concern with a full heart and open mind, not dismissing the man's cautioning words as overreaction nor trying to placate him with empty reassurances. Instead, the older man gave a firm nod, the kind that had a firm but at the same time reassuring trust in it before patting the larger Felis man's shoulder. "Go now adventurers, no matter the trouble, I'll not let harm come to the innocent so long as I can continue on." He spoke words filled with a solemn tone, unaware that the intruder was someone who meant no real harm, he approached the unforeseen situation with every ounce of caution and preparedness as he could muster as he made way into the office to try and understand what had gone on. Upon arriving, he'd endeavor to figure out Dempsey's purpose and identity, uncertain if she was one from the Elf's group or some new unknown assailant, regardless he would not make rash actions. As a man of peace he prioritized safety and well being.

As the Felis pair chased after the professional, they'd find him wandering the back streets, occasionally stopping to dust off one of the cobblestones in the road, or check an occasional puddle. It was clear he was very adept at tracking, but when he noticed he had company he'd only sneer at the pair in discomfort. "Hmph, in the end I still have to babysit furballs." His tone hateful and filled with an arrogant disdain, the racism in his heart clear purely from his tone. After his harsh words though he tried not to pay much more mind to the Felis pair as if they were only going to get in his way. He did however begin to slow his advance as they neared a wider alley way, his steps growing more cautious and steady then before as he came to a stop, his stance careful and guarded as if anticipating 'something'.

OOC: I've not been sent a status update by @Dempsey Fabijain and have waited 48 hours, this round will skip her phase in the quest and allow another period of time for her to join. If there is still no response after another two cycles she may risk being kicked from the quest.

From this post on, please roll 1d100 for me in this thread, I'll list out modifiers where they apply. Modifiers:

• +5 for every rank in Rogue, Illumancy, Naturamancy and Pyromancy
• +10 for every rank in Tinkering
• +5 for Felis Races
• Astramancy does NOT count as more specific Magic types.

 

@Dempsey Fabijain @Alonso Thorlion @Amane Hirota just a reminder this quest was meant to have a 24 hour posting timer, I've not yet received a post today. Please do post a reply as soon as possible within the next 24 hours

 

In the end the party continued to deal with this abhorrent man. Yet, this professional's abilities were up to snuff as the immense Felis continued to observe him. Checking various factors might just lead them to this elf with little getting in the way. For now at least. Any true intentions their tracker had were to be revealed during their journey. In the mean time Alonso made some attempt to learn from the party's ally, taking careful, mental notes as to the process by which tracking was accomplished. Neither Rogue nor Hunting were in the player's build. Alonso knew he was made as for combat, and left the utility skills to others in his current party set up.

He ignored the comment about being called a fur ball, instead having the grace of a message appearing on his interface. This party seemed to have that functionality down at least. In addition, the professional slowed his pace, giving Alonso amble time to read through the message. It was Amane's turn for one. Giving her note a detailed observance, the Felis man began to craft a response. She had a point in the numerous endings given from context clues. Almost like the middle aged gentleman was back in English class. Still, he needed to hold back from making a hasty reaction. They could not make assumptions, and he sent his response to Amane

Alonso Thorlion

Good observation. To begin, no, I also do not condone the act of slavery, even in a fantasy setting. As much as it pains me we also cannot rush to a conclusion. We still need some form of evidence of disloyalty if we were to remove this so called professional from our sights and get this elf to a safe place. To be honest, until proven otherwise, I can bring myself to trust the priest if we have no choice other than to bring the young woman back to the church, unlike this moron in front of us. From what we were told, she is displaying hostile symptoms of some means, and as such we may have to go against what we as a party wish.

But when all is said and done, and we have the capability to complete this task as we will, I will assist you in helping this elf escape. Just don't make any sudden movements that'll catch our expert's attention.

Once he sent that message to his comrade, Alonso narrowed his eyes to observe his surroundings. Something, or someone, was bound to jump out at them at any moment.

Thrown die:

64

+5 for being a Felis

Tags: @Amane Hirota @Dempsey Fabijain @Kess

 

The longer they had to put up with the expert's company, the greater Amane's dislike for him grew. She had been quick to judge the priest and his subordinates back at the temple, but if asked she would readily admit that her judgement was perhaps a bit hasty, and despite the priest's willingness to continue keeping the elf as a slave, the fact that he did so solely in the name of protecting the kingdom from malefic forces rather than out of superiority showed that he may not have been as contemptible as she had first portrayed him to be. The professional, on the other hand? The more she got to know him, the more certain she was this man was one of the vilest NPCs she'd ever had the pleasure of meeting so far in the game. He'd even called them fur-balls, of all things!

However, when the expert slowed his steps, Amane immediately mirrored her own speed to match, her ears pricking up in alert. No matter all that could be said about the mercenary, it couldn't be denied that he was skilled at his job. Amane herself was clueless when it came to tracking, and she hadn't take up a mastery that could've aided her, so unless Alonso had hunting, they both had no choice but to follow the expert's lead and, more importantly, defer to his advice when it came to his field of expertise. And thus, when he began advancing more cautiously, she too had put up her guard, inching closer to Alonso on the off chance of an ambush.

As she did so, a reply from the other felis popped up in her interface, and the mage scanned it over briefly, nodding unconsciously as she did. Alonso had made a good point — while she hadn't meant to suggest that they kill the expert, it wasn't right to turn against the priest and, by proxy, the expert without solid proof of their wrongdoings. For all they knew, the elf could have been secretly practicing the foulest of curses known in the game, and the only way to stop them would be to bring them back in chains. As for now, she supposed she could follow Alonso's lead, and wait till they had pieced together the full story before acting.

With deft fingers, she sent a reply back, before closing the screen and redirecting her attention to their surroundings.

Amane Hirota

I'm glad to hear that we share similar goals! This should make reaching a consensus amongst us far easier.

You made several good points in your last message. You're right, we don't know the full story, so there's no point intaking sides and favouring one kingdom over the other. Rather, we'll just have to pick whoever we agree is the most just at the end, I suppose.

OOC: @Alonso Thorlion, @Dempsey Fabijain, @Kess

Thrown die:

96

+5 Felis
+20 Illumancy

 

Dungeon Master

The expert was clearly very cautious, and no doubt for good reason. One that, unfortunately, Alonso simply wasn't equipped to deal with or even understand. It would look like a normal alley way for all intents and purposes, average to the point where it would be one he'd seen time and time again-- there might even be memories of this very lane in his mind being traveled without incident or problem.

Amane however would get a very different feeling, her Felis senses picking up nothing but pure danger and horror from the seemingly average alley way. Instinct alone would scream that this was a danger that had enclosed them-- that escape was futile at this point as if the noose had already been tied and needed only to tighten. Her talent in Illumancy would give her a unique sense and familiarity with life and positivity, one that would allow her to pick up a vacuum of light not far away. On a near by rooftop there was something dark and powerful to an extent that it might even be somewhat sickening. It was trying to keep itself concealed, in wait clearly, it's murderous intent was strong enough to make the poor girl's hair stand on end. A disturbing and perhaps eerie feeling, before she could voice this sudden discovery though, the party would see a flicker of movement from the alley way ahead of them.

All of a sudden a strange sight would occur as the walls at both sides of them would begin to slide up and down revealing a deeper wall within littered with holes like swiss cheese. The moment they were in sight, darts and arrows started pouring, their tips tinted a strange yellow color as they flew. Amane would have ample time to protect herself from the darts with a flash of magic or by hiding the deck, but Alonso would not be so lucky, being struck by the darts, they wouldn't do a lot of damage, but he would see his status change from healthy to 'Poisoned' almost immediately. The expert slave hunter who was on their side however seemed to be in good shape, his layers of armor and intense levels of equipment protected him from the lighter darts. With a hate filled gaze, he turned his head up towards the sky as he began to shout. "You honor-less savage, get out here and fight us face to face!" He roared, his eyes practically glowing red with hate and prejudice.

What greeted him though was low raspy laughter, it was low, sultry but didn't seem to come from a single place as it echoed out from around them. "Savage? Such an uncouth accusation. Fight face to face only to die? That sort of provocation is so childish-- Leave me out of your petty quarrels at least until I can return home." The voice replied with spite. Even so though, the source didn't reveal itself, not wanting to confront a squad of people trying to enslave it.

Alonso

95 HP

MAX HP

100 EN

MAX EN

Conditions - Poisoned - 3 turns remaining

Amane

100 HP

MAX HP

100 EN

MAX EN

Conditions -

OOC: Note: Time to pick a side! Do understand that indecision at this stage can lead to grave consequences!

Additional Modifiers:

• + 10 for sneak attacks without first declaring your chosen side

 

Wincing at the sudden barrage of darts, a snarl escaped his throat as his hand reached out to his shoulder to pull out the poison fueled weaponry. Of course. He sometimes cursed not opting to have Rogue within his repertoire of abilities. Part of him considered a respec, but now was not the moment to considering his character build. Well, part of him did wish to go look into a mirror later for... reasons. No no no, he needed to concentrate. Alonso's eyes scanned the area around him, but failed to see the source of the voice. She seemed to be enjoying herself. Regardless, his party still needed some ally who could assist in sorting out this mess.

Unfortunate as it were, the man's first thoughts went towards their professional. The guy's failed taunt proved this hired hand was too hotblooded for his own good. Nobody with a logical sense would throw the 'Come out you coward' line into play and figure it to have the best chance of tracking down a foe. If somebody was sneaky, he or she was going to remain in that state and take full advantage of the concealment. It pained him, but Alonso needed to get that man's head together. Having one potential ally lost his mind for no reason would push the mission two steps back.

The Felis rushed up to the armored man, his own mass towering above any of the average folk, "You better have a better idea than that. If you're going to call yourself a professional I would hope you have a better idea of how to defend yourself. Stand down for the moment and don't do anything to make the situation worse." Alonso did his best to continue eyeing everything in his field of vision. He did not want to be caught off guard again. Still, now that he knew someone's presence was around, the plus sized Felis called out to the dark newcomer, "As for the person who decided to set up traps, end it now. If you want a discussion we can meet in a neutral area if you'd like."

((Rolling dice just in case.))

Thrown die:

34

Tags: @Amane Hirota @Dempsey Fabijain @Kess

 

Walking into the alley was akin to strolling in a forest glade illuminated by warm sunlight, before a thick wad of clouds blotted out the sun, casting the figures of the once viridian trees into sinister shadows. She had only been cautious before, walking carefully behind the expert, eyes flicking in wary glances at dark corners, but any vigilance she had felt was second-hand. Amane was only on alert because the professional was, and she didn't want to be caught off guard when her allies were clearly on the lookout for danger. But upon stepping into that alley, her body seized up in instinctual fear, foreign alarms blaring in her brain, her game-given senses — so alien in her mind, yet already a part of her that she welcomed, after weeks of dodging attacks and participating in life-or-death combat — alerting her in no uncertain terms that this right here? This was danger.

She hadn't realised what she had been sensing until she had felt the complete absence of it, but the buzzing vibrancy that she now realised was life was completely missing from a spot on a rooftop several feet in front of the party, and in its place was something dark and eldritch. A shiver ran down her spine, and her tail unconsciously puffed into the air. Whatever that thing was made her uncomfortable in a way not unlike horror movies did. It was disturbing, creepy, and it unsettled her like an off-tune note in an orchestra, only a million times worse, as if that one note had evolved into an entire cacophony. Filled with that strange, absurd terror, she opened her mouth to scream a warning.

But before she had the chance to, a section of the walls opened, a spray of darts descending on the party, and the sorceress had to swap from delivering a warning into casting a spell instead, the words leaving her lips in rapid succession as her hands threw up a minor light shield, the weak spell serving as more than sufficient to stop the darts in their tracks. In her rush, however, Amane had only managed to summon a single-target one, and with a wince she watched helplessly as several darts pierced Alonso, his status in her party changing from normal to poisoned. "Sorry!" she called out when the barrage ended, a stab of guilt bothering the felis. She should have predicted something like this and casted the buffs beforehand — any good support would have, at any rate. It was too late to do so now, but the least she could do was fix the problem.

Chanting out a mantra that sounded half Japanese, half fantasy words, rings of glyphs would begin to surround Alonso, engulfing him in a golden glow. As it subsides, if casted correctly his poisoned status should have recovered. With that done, Amane would redirect her attention to the words exchanged between the expert, Alonso, and the hidden assailant, who she assumed was the elf they were sent to find.

"'Until I can return home'?" She quoted when Alonso was done. "What do you mean by that? We're just passing through, you've no reason or right to attack us. So why'd you do so?" As she spoke, she backed away from the professional and closer towards Alonso, though still within the range of both of them in case she needed to throw up a heal. It sounded like the hidden figure was the elf that they were charged to find, but Amane didn't dare announce her allegiance like she had planned to in the beginning. The dark, disconcerting aura was still settled around the person, and the unnaturalness of it made her hesitate to throw her lot in with the stranger. Not that the expert was much better, racist bigot that he was.

In the best case scenario, she hoped that her words, coupled with Alonso's clear disapproval of the expert's actions, would tell the stranger that the two of them at least meant no harm, and that they could be reasoned with and weren't a threat, even if the expert couldn't be. At the very least, claiming that they were innocent could buy them some time or provide them with information. If it didn't work then, well, she tried.

OOC: Tried to cure Alonso of his poisoned status, asked the hidden person some questions, and pretended that they were here for innocuous reasons. @Alonso Thorlion, @Dempsey Fabijain, @Kess.

EDIT: I did not mean to write this much whoops. I swear I'll do shorter posts next time!

Thrown die:

19

 

Dungeon Master

The professional with them only snorted when Alonso told him to try and calm himself, as if calm were impossible the man shrugged his shoulder trying to distinguish himself from the pair as quickly as possible. "Hmph, calm is doing nothing to make the situation any better-- no, I'm going to go, find this monster, and take it back in pieces if I have to." His rage growing stronger, the eye sockets of his helmet grew brighter. His rage didn't seem to center wholly on the mysterious person shouting back at him. "Either you are with me furball or you are dead. I care little-- One or three bodies isn't much of a difference. I only feel bad for the guard having to come wash the blood after." He sneered without care for the darts, clearly unphased, his armor was of an absurd standard and quality, clearly not something easily acquirable, his intense rage also seemed difficult to match as it slowly simmered up to the surface in fits of rude and backhanded words as if it couldn't be contained any more.

On the other hand, the dark presence similarly shifted it's focus to the pair as well, it's ire being directed at them similarly as it continued to speak out at Amane who tried to buy time. "Don't play games with me little sister there-- You all reek of the Church. They were a kind and pleasant people, truly, if things were different... I might have let them poke around until they were satisfied." The woman admitted, there was a bitterness in her tone but she seemed to detect their purpose with her own keen senses and abilities much like Amane sensed the traps that had appeared. "Humans-- no, All of you foreign folk all seem to think that just because it is black it is evil. Just because I am finely sharpened and must kill I am a monster. I've no time to argue the ethics of my actions when there is a war being fought in our woods. One that I have been kept from long enough, now, will you continue to argue and complain about this or will you stand aside?" She spoke, though her tone was icy and collected, it clearly had a measure of spite and anger even if it wasn't directed in a particular direction like the expert.

Alonso

90 HP

MAX HP

100 EN

MAX EN

Conditions -

Amane

100 HP

MAX HP

90 EN

MAX EN

Conditions -

OOC: Note: Warning, by not picking a side in the next post you will be declaring yourself an enemy to humans and elves both.

Additional Modifiers:

• - 10 the next rolls from Indecision

 

"You're being unreasonable," the Felis said, eyes narrow at this fool who dared to flaunt his expertise. Thus far attitude began to override the tracking abilities of the man before him. Anger wrought itself upon this person on the verge of no longer being called an ally. Someone deemed a professional would at least tone the backlash down, and perhaps even educate those in cooperation on the matter at hand. No, Alonso did not want to give the one in his sights a second chance, his own anger beginning to dig its way out. He was a patient bear of a man yes, but even the most quiet person in the world had a breaking point. This job was changing sides at a rapid pace.

The attitude of their mystery assailant was no better, yet she at least gave some manner of reasoning. Unlike the man in armor she was willing to give the party a chance to step aside. What the priest had mentioned lined up with this woman's claim, and there was no need to call her a liar. Uncouth reactions were not the appropriate thing in anyone's time of need unless, of course, something came up and risky consequences were needed. "Know what, no, I will not argue and complain about this any further," Alonso said as his words directed towards their suspect. His fists clenched together, the immense figure looming over most here radiating a sense of hostility.

Giving Amane a stern look, he said, "I think our decision is made now." That was it. His body swerved around, raising his arm and throwing a punch at their armored companion, "The only monster here is your ignorant mouth not giving a damn about the number of bodies lying around!" The Felis wanted this to land, hard, and then harder, showing his devotion to a purpose he considered a higher standard than to simply murder an escapee.

Thrown die:

39

-10 from situation

Tags: @Amane Hirota @Kess

 

The longer the expert spoke, the more offended her expression began to twist into, the simmering detest that she'd felt earlier blowing into something bordering loathing. At first, Amane had been willing to write off the professional as one of those traditional warriors that were a frequent sight in Falderen; strong and noble in their own ways, but ignorantly cruel and close-minded. She'd been willing to mistake his bloodlust for the eagerness of glory, of stamping out what he perceived to be evil — though such a mindset settled ill with her, she wasn't about to critique a stranger's life, an NPC's who had been raised in a medieval and prejudiced environment, at that. But now the expert was seeming more and more of like the savages she'd read about in fantasy books, willing to plunder and kill for his own sick enjoyment, with every word that came out of his mouth. Threatening to kill them both was the last straw, and the almost tangible aura of rage that she could feel emanating from him cementing that between the elf and him, Amane was inclined to believe that the expert was the more evil of the two.

"If you care so little about both our strength and our lives, let's see how you fare against us, yeah?" She snapped at the expert, her own patience wearing thin alongside Alonso's, if the other felis' behaviour was any indication. Arrogance she could handle, but that coupled with blatant disregard for life was something Amane felt to be utterly despicable. No matter how off-putting a feeling the elf gave off, in the end the Yladian had a point — surely there were some players who picked up Malefimancy without malicious intent, and one's magic and skillset did not represent their character as much as their personality did. She still didn't trust the elf to have been completely honest about her intentions, but her words about returning to fight in the woods, or her home, Amane figured, tugged at her sympathy.

Following Alonso's lead when he jumped into combat, the mage chanted an incantation that she'd use many a times on her own self when she happened to be farming or fighting solo, but instead added a plural suffix to the end of the buff, applying it to the elf and Alonso. As she concluded her chant, a flashing icon in her interface beside Alonso's information confirmed that the damage improvement buff had been successfully applied, though she couldn't be sure if the elf has received it. "I was blatantly lying before, but this is no trick, really," she called out to the still hidden figure on the roof. "Take this as a sign of our goodwill?" If the elf ran off now, Amane supposed she'll still have succeeded in her original task, when she'd first taken up the quest. Now though, knowing what she did, the sorceress was hoping that the Yladian would be willing to share just some information about her own brand magic, to settle her own curiosity, and perhaps put some of her wariness of the dark magic to rest.

OOC: Taking the elf's side, and casted damage increase buff on Alonso and the elf. @Alonso Thorlion, @Kess

Thrown die:

6

-10 for indecision

 

Dungeon Master

When the pair began to turn on him, the armored man only sneered, as if uncaring of the result. True to his words, he didn't hold any short of humans in high esteems, the felis pair didn't seem to strike a cord with him in the slightest as true allies. Instead he no doubt saw them as useful tools up until the final moments where they turned. "Hmph." The man grunted under his face mask as Alonso's fist fell into his chest, landing squarely, but the large Felis man would realize quickly that something was wrong. The reaction of such a powerful punch was by no means typical, as if the hunter was bolted to the ground he didn't take a single step backwards. Instead, he at most seemed to sway from the impact as one might from a strong breeze. Though the armored mask covered his face, it wouldn't be hard to envision a vicious grin on his face as the red light from his eyes grew brighter from being struck. "Filthy animals!" He shouted in anger as he pulled a large axe from his side.

The large weapon swung, it's speed not necessarily lightning fast, but hard to avoid after throwing the punch. The blade swung across Alonso's chest carving a much more noticeable red line. Unlike the clever or cunning darts from before, this blade was every bit as savage as Amane considered him to be. Had Alonso's stance been just a bit weaker he might even have been lifted up off of his feet from the force of the blow. As if more monster then man as time passed, even with the supportive buff and the difference in height and size, the man remained unmoved speaking to a skill level that eclipsed run of the mill warriors. Sensing that things were going down a different path though, the Elf tried to act quickly in reaction.

A section of wall that had previously been dart traps suddenly turned, as if it were a revolving door it rotated just enough for Amane and Alonso to recognize it. "Run! That man isn't a generic hunter but a 'Hunter'." The Elf tried to explain in a hurry so that the group knew he wasn't a hunter by profession but it was merely a title given to those who relentlessly chase prey. "I can only slow him down... This one's already starting to change." The woman's voice grew sour and spiteful as if dreading the armored man's involvement as she urged the group to try and keep a distance rather then confront him face to face.

Alonso

70 HP

MAX HP

100 EN

MAX EN

Conditions - Friendly Blessing - 3 Turns left

Amane

100 HP

MAX HP

80 EN

MAX EN

Conditions -

OOC: Additional Modifiers:

• +5 for every rank in Rogue or Aeromancy
• +10 for every rank of Arcanomancy or Astramancy
• +10 for Medium Armor

 

The force of his punch, Alonso could admit, was not the best in this situation, but something was off about this supposed professional Some logic proved that the armor had taken the impact with ease, but the man's reaction was far from comforting. All the attack did was anger this belligerent man even further, going so far as to wield an axe in retaliation. Alonso held his stance, and despite the fact his center of gravity was as stable as his armored foe's, the strike caused a snarl to erupt from the large cat man. He was ready to face down this foolish warrior and give him what for. Yet, reasoning kicked into gear as the rotation of allies shifted towards the elf's reaction.

Being referred to as a 'Hunter' was much more than a title given to someone tasked with tracking down a group or individual, as the elf mentioned. A good note the Felis kept in his mind, shaking his head to reduce the amount of feral instinct which insisted on crawling out from its dark cave. "Make sure you escape as well then," he called out towards the elf. Turning around, the man held out an arm as to guide Amane forward, "Hurry up and go, I'll stay in the rear so his attacks reach me instead. Only worry about healing or supporting if we have breathing room." With that, hoping his party member did as instructed, Alonso began his escape from the illogical professional.

The moments his thoughts could perform together were few and far between. At most, he could theorize a potential outcome, and then hope for the best. The oversized man grunted and spoke to Amane as he ran, "This might put more people in danger, but if we can lead him towards the church perhaps and they witness this chase, we can prove he was not fit to resolve this task without unnecessary killing."

Thrown die:

66

+10 for Medium Armor

((OOC: Not sure if you meant the mastery, or having Medium Armor equipped. If it's the latter, you might need to disregard my +10 since I obtained that equipment after the siege technically.))

@Amane Hirota @Kess

 

Amane felt her eyes widen in shock at the expert's reaction to Alonso's punch, the force of the blow easily shrugged off by their once-ally, the man looking completely untouched. Blanching, the felis was starting to think that perhaps she should have gone with a defence buff instead, especially since they knew nothing of their adversary, and rushing recklessly into combat wasn't faring them so well. So soon after casting her spell, she didn't have time to get off another chant before the professional's axe slashed right across Alonso's chest, blood spraying out in an arc as his health took a significant drop. Dealing little to no damage themselves, and taking a 20% drop from a single hit? Unless the elf was a phenomenon in battle, the three of them were going to be in a bit of a bind.

Hearing what the Yladian had to say, Amane gave a quick nod, though she knew that neither Alonso or the elf were facing her to see it, and ran backwards, halting when necessary to keep the felis male just at the edge of her range support spells. Now, a defence buff, a heal over time, or just a regular heal? Though the expert's attack had hurt, his health was still well in the green, and a another round of combat was unlikely to reduce it to zero. But the buffs and cleanses that she'd cast were taking a toll on her energy bar — with Alonso out of danger, the sorceress was more worried about whether her energy would hold for the whole length of the battle. In the end, it was their new tactic that made the decision for her. If they were escaping, a buff that would last for quite a while would be wasted, whereas a heal would be vital no matter what, when health barely recovers even if out of combat.

Clasping her hands together, she quickly incanted the words to one of her more energy-efficient heals — it was a lot weaker in power to some of the others in her arsenal, but the felis was loathe to drain her magic dry so early in the quest — and the Japanese words, similar in pronunciation to the Chinese that she had grown up with, flowed from her lips more smoothly and rapidly than she could have ever managed with English, swiftly forming a ball of light within her palms. She subsequently shot it at Alonso, the orb refilling his health as it collided with the man. "We can't, though its a good plan," she replied after a breath, panting slightly at the rushed casting. If the church redrew their support, the hunter might back off when he's no longer getting paid, and if she's still there, Dempsey may be able to help them too. Sadly, "Unfortunately, I don't think our new ally would want to go anywhere near that place," Amane said with a lowered voice, giving the elf a glance. "She might even think that this was all an elaborate ploy to recapture her. It might be better to run off to wherever she was headed previously, before she stopped to set an ambush; perhaps she has allies that can aid us."

OOC: @Kess, @Alonso Thorlion. Casted a heal at Alonso.

Thrown die:

26

+20 Arcanamancy