Quest - Gold Dust II

A few days had passed since then, and despite some initial problems with organizing such a large group, once the kinks were ironed out, Operation: Dust Dusting was on at full speed, the rangers of the forest providing detailed maps of the terrain to aid in efficient segregation of the area, while the Malta Mining Company’s collaboration with the desperate poor rapidly increased the rate of gold collection. Though it was exhausting work, and both bandits and animals had to be driven off at irregular intervals, there was a certain sense of comradery that was forming between the miners and the farmer-folk. Cain, for one, greatly enjoyed the impromptu bonfire parties that sprouted up after a full day’s work, laughing alongside them while pouring bowls of soup and ale. Already, a quarter of the forest had been expunged of its aureate coating, and as skills are mastered, it was only going to get faster.

Ah, this friendship between men really was something that Cain wished he could take a photograph of. It was noon once more, a lunch break within the forest as workers plopped down on the grass, chewing on hard bread and cheese. Resting on top of a tree, as was per usual, the muse whistled a peppy little tune inbetween bites of rye bread. This virtual reality life, while time-consuming, wasn’t really all that bad, huh? The birds were chirping, warm light shone through the verdant canopy, and while a steady collection of gold wasn’t exciting for the merchant who served as a ‘Grand Supervisor’ for this operation, it definitely brought a smile on the lips of basically everyone else.

It was simply, definitely, a goo-

A sharp whistle pierced through the air, and Cain leapt off the tree, rolling to absorb the impact of the fall before his eyes flickered about. It was one of the Ranger’s signals that alerted them to inbound strangers, and already, others were picking up pans or wooden cudgels, the shuffling of leaves indicating that hidden Rangers were ready to attack. Tension filled the air, before slowly, a small group of peasant-folk walked out from the dense foliage. A few clutched pitchforks in their hands, but most of them wielded the same pickaxes that had proven themselves to be fairly useless in ‘excavating’ the gold. In the front of the group was a pot-bellied man wearing a sweat-stained tunic. Moustached and bald, he raised up his hands and cried out, “Hey, we’re here to talk, aight?”

“Talk?” Hawk spat, old prejudices flaring up at the sight of those nature-destroyers. The veteran Ranger recognized those folks as the greedy bastards that refused Aden’s proposal a while back, and somewhere along the way, his vehemence towards them became equal to that of the bandits that occasionally attempted raids, seeking vengeance against some ‘brown-faced midget slut’ that ambushed them earlier on. Leaping from one tree to another, the Ranger nocked an arrow. “Don’t think we’re blind to the men you have farther out. How ‘bout you back off before I put one in your leg?”

“Hanh?!” The disorganized farmer folk bristled at the comment, but their representative held a hand out, quelling them. “Listen, I’m trying to work things out here, alright?” He brought one hand to the side, gesturing towards the men who came with him, before eying Aden in particular. “Look, these people are destitute. We’re the backbone of society and yet we’re treated like nothing, while you bunch seem to just make gold come out of thin air! We’re here to seek our own fortunes, not to work for some out-of-town merchant, and that splitting of the gold? It’s clear that some are going to get more than others in this exchange, right? Doubt you adventuring lot are going doing this for free, after all.”

Hector Malta snorted derisively at the fat man, whispering a comment to one of his overseers, before both of them smirked at an unheard joke.

“But I’m here to cut a deal with you, aight? Something strange has been going on in the forest, something that you folks probably didn’t even notice with your large groups and all. Something real strange and real dangerous. If you deal with that, we’ll help you out from now on, yeah? Show us some of you adventurers’ goodwill and we’ll reciprocate. But if you don’t…” The representative focused his eyes on Hawk, as if gauging whether or not a pickaxe could be thrown that far. “…well, it’s just like what that tree-hugger said. You’re surrounded, and we’re desperate.”

That gaze swept now towards the four adventurers within the area.

“After what we’ve seen, mere men aren’t nearly as frightening anymore.”
@Aden @Ashiore Evretto @Eldhi

 

The progress of the past few days was heartening. After the initial tensions were eased, no doubt thanks to both @Cain Darlite's and @Aden's efforts at moderation and persuasion, it was fairly steady going with the cleanup. There was still a rather clear divide between the presence of the Rangers and everyone else but at least nobody was at anyone else's throat over small misunderstandings and miscommunications.

Cain had spoken of a growing camaraderie between most of the gold seekers, but Ashiore hadn't been aware of that. It was only logical, she supposed. Most of her time over the past few days was spent with the Rangers, more isolated from the rest of the group. Her powers over nature were helpful in making sure that the forests weren't too damaged by the gathering efforts, and it came in handy for finding lost people. Her new Possession skill was seeing quite a bit of use, as she took over the bodies of squirrels, small songbirds, and the occasional fox or two in order to scout for more shimmering locations or people who had wandered off course.

Her close association with the Rangers made her mostly an outsider to the gathered groups of miners and peasants. But, she could live with that now that it looked like their arrangement was solid enough to not implode from one angry outburst.

She did get a bit lonely sometimes. She saw Naixi often, and the lioness would return to her at the end of each day. But just as she and the others had their duties, so did the lion. Naixi was far better suited to driving off intruders and feral animals, defending the camps and making sure that everything was in order. As a result, Naixi spent quite a lot of time with @Eldhi, still remembering her prior orders to keep the girl safe, as well as her mount if Merlin was around.

Apparently, Naixi had been getting treats from some of the miners who had grown fond of her, helping to save a small mining group from a pair of wild bears. Ash got the full story later that evening, after her lion had come to her with a very satisfied look on her face and with a large chunk of meat in her mouth.

"I hope you don't get lazy. People won't just hand you food all the time," she said, ignoring the irony of the fact that often, Ash was the one handing bits of meat to the lion. Naixi just huffed and enjoyed her feast.

Alas, it looked like their period of relative peace had come to a close. Ash was coordinating the next stage of the with a few of the Rangers when a shrill whistle filled the air. Recognizing the signal, Ash jerked in surprise, turning to face the apparent source. The two Rangers she was with took off in that direction, and after a brief moment to collect herself, Ash followed.

Returning to the camp, she was faced with a rather aggressive scene. Hawk had his arrow nocked already and it didn't look like things were going well. Her three quest partners had already made their way here, and Naixi quickly returned to her side, glaring at the mob of intruders.

"What's been happening?" Ash asked, trying to defuse the situation before it could escalate. "We know that there have been a lot of animal attacks recently, but that's not what you're talking about, is it?"

 

Quest Details: Link
Quest LFG: Link
Quest Part 1: Link

Participants: @Cain Darlite @Ashiore Evretto @Eldhi @Aden
Team Approach: Other
---
The joint mining operation proposed by Cain had been underway for a few days now. The peasants were now employed by the Malta Mining Company and given proper training, preventing them for recklessly damaging the forest. The Company in return would get extra labor as they professionally scoured the massive forest for the scattered precious metal dust. With Cain in charge of keeping the negotiations smooth, Ashiore keeping the Rangers amicable and help to restore what the damages inflicted to the forest, and Aden being a figure of the people, keeping the peasants under control. It seemed all would be well.

As for Eldhi, she was assigned - or specifically, assigned herself - to patrol duty, guarding the forest along with the ranger patrols to keep the occasional bandits and hostile monsters away from the miners. Along with her stubborn but mighty steed and the fierce lioness, no scoundrel, nor creature would claim any innocent lives.

However, there was a little saying regarding how you can't please everyone, the phrase rang true that very afternoon as a warning whistle echoed through the area. "Hmm...?!" As appropriate to her role, Eldhi was among the first combat-ready personnel to respond, galloping Merlin to where the whistle came from. There, she could see Hawk up a tree branch, already aiming his bow towards one of the employed peasants and said peasant was apparently leading a group of his kin, they didn't look too happy, ready to launch into a reckless charge at a moment's notice. Ashiore was also there along with her feline companion.

"What's going on here?" Safe to say, Eldhi wasn't pleased about it, at all. The operation had gone well so far, why were the people complaining again? Taking them on was out of the question, not because they were too dangerous to fight, instead, they were innocent people, there would be no honor in fighting the very people she wanted to protect. Parking Merlin next to the druidess and Naixi, Eldhi dismounted from Merlin, giving a brief glance at @Ashiore Evretto , "I'll go talk to them." But before that, "Have you seen Cain and Aden?"

 

While everyone was busily toiling the forests collectively (and responsibly) gathering the gold dusts, Aden was with a group of Rangers hunting for some game and gathering edible fruits and crops to bring home to the Join Operations Headquarters. After all, with most of the professional miners, and their fledgling counterparts focused on quickly yet carefully scrounging up all the gold they could find, someone has to gather food for the entire crew. After all, a starving worker is an inefficient worker.

Even so, the arcane archer was quite satisfied with the outcome their impromptu plan had produced. Not only did they convince the destitute people and the professionals to cooperate and have the latter teach the former about the proper techniques one must employ to efficiently gather the gold while preserving the but from what he's observed thus far, it seems that a brotherly bond was developing between the two groups. Heck, even the reclusive Rangers were getting alone fine with the very people they wanted to drive out not too long ago and were making active efforts to protect them from the occasional bandit attack.

Everything was going better than he had expected but the skeptic within Aden still had doubts about how long this sort of relationship will last. Part of him wanted this operation to last long enough to ensure that these bonds and kinship that had developed between these men would transcend the call of fortune and necessity. On the other hand, he realized that no matter how cautious they were in this operation, the wildlife of this area would still be heavily affected by the density of human presence. It is in everyone's best interest if they could finish this job as soon as possible.

By this time, Aden and the group of Ranger's that comprised the Hunting Party were already on their way back to the encampment after half a day of gathering food for all the workers. They've managed to hunt down 5 Wild Boars, Half a dozen Wild Chickens and Pheasants, and a full grown Elk aside from various fruits and vegetables as well as herbs and spices the Rangers expertly located. With the amount of food they've gathered, he could have sworn he already heard his stomach grumble more than once as he kept looking forward to tonight's dinner.

Just before they reached the clearing where their base of operations was located, a distinctive whistle was heard, the telltale signal of the Rangers detecting "unknowns" or strangers that could potentially be hostile forces. Tension filled the air as everyone dropped their catches and reached for their weapons. Surprisingly, Aden spotted majority of the group of poor gold gatherers that had initially refused his offer. Armed with pickaxes useless for gathering gold dust and wearing ragged clothing, they cautiously approached the group knowing full well that they were severely outnumbered.

Hearing one of them voice out their complaints regarding the system delivered mixed feelings for Aden. As much as he wanted to feel a sense of pride seeing the people who refused his offer now groveling for gold and even attempting to undermine everything everyone had worked on.

"Seeing as you rejected my offer, I see no reason for you to complain now that you see your companions earning their fair share of gold for their hard work. Didn't you see what you were doing? You may be destitute but that is no excuse to destroy nature itself for the sake of lifting yourself out of poverty." Aden said, chastising the rebel group.

"The Malta Mining Company are composed of professionals that could collect the gold in a way that would not forsake the well being of the forest. Together we struck a deal with them to hire most of the poor and teach them how to effectively harvest the gold while doing as little damage to the environment. Every one of you was given such an offer and yet you refused honest pay for honest work. We had everyone's interests in mind when we came up of that deal so please understand that this joint operation is for the benefit of all the parties involved. " continued the red-haired archer in a much milder tone.

"But very well, you were saying something about an urgent matter that we have failed to take into account, yes? I would ask that you clarify what exactly you have seen..."

"Y'see, ever since we left this place, we've been trying to find other places that could hold fortune. That's when we stumbled into this old mine. By the looks of it, it was hastily abandoned so we figured that there should still be plenty of minerals inside. But not long after we entered that gods-forsaken mine, we saw them! The vile creatures that want nothing more than to murder anything other than their own. We lost more than a dozen men in that mine. I can confirm that a dozen were dead, half a dozen more were taken and are now possibly dead. Probably being eaten by the fuckers as we speak." said one of the miners in a jittery voice, obviously still shaken by what he saw.

 

Woah, those were some harsh words Aden had just dropped down. Cain supposed that it was the red-haired archer that had the biggest bone to pick with these pugnacious peasants; after all, he was the one who gave them the proposal, and whose proposal was also rejected. Still, the uncharacteristic flash of anger from the otherwise calm Aden passed quickly, everyone more or less fine with listening to the thickly-built man’s words. A few of the farmers didn’t appreciate the verbal lashing they received from the red-haired archer, a couple of dark glares turning from Hawk to Aden, but ultimately, they held their own tongues. Whatever they were here for, it was more important than the emergent grudges formed by words spoken unwisely.

An old, abandoned mine and the foul beasts that staked it out as their territory. Though a more rational part of Cain wondered why the farmers had even chosen an abandoned, most likely empty mine shaft as something worth searching through, those too were meaningless thoughts. He was a hero, after all! No matter how much of a detour it was, a hero’s task was to purge all monsters that feasted on the flesh of men! More than a dozen lost, with many of them being ‘captured’ to be eaten later. This truly was a dire situation. Nodding at that, the midnight-haired muse sprang into action immediately.


“Understood,” he said, taking care of the situation, “Your request has been heard and accepted. As long as there is no treachery in your words and no darkness in your intent, we shall set off immediately and purge the fiends that have made this forest our home.”

Relief, genuine, tired relief, flashed through the man’s face. The other farmers loosened their grip on their pickaxes as well, before their ringleader spoke up once more. “The mine’s off northwest from here. Follow the river upstream until you see a white tree, and then go right. You’ll know you’re close when you see cobwebs in the area.”

Cain tilted his head to the side. “Cobwebs…do arachnid monstrosities make that area their home as well?”

“Yeah,” one of the others spat, old grudges rising once more. “We didn’t just go and then abandon our friends, you know? Tried to rescue them a bunch of times, but all those bodies, all that blood…those eight-legged freaks came in soon after, and now…”

So that was the ‘other’ layer to this. Either destroy those giant spiders or get around them. Either way, it was yet another obstacle in a mission that was becoming more and more complex. “Well, it’d take more than a fuzzy little monstrosity to make me turn back on my word. Hawk, Master Malta, we’ll be leaving the operations to you.”

The Leader of the Rangers, perched up on a tree, arched a brow. “Sure you don’t need to bring some of our Rangers?”


“No. Please, allow me to indulge in my romance with high stakes and unknown dangers,” the muse replied, not a trace of sarcasm in his tone, “I haven’t flirted with Misfortune in some time, after all.”

Turning to Aden, Ashiore, and Eldhi once more, he tilted his head vaguely towards the cave they were to be searching out. “Shall we be off them, friends?”

 

So. Monsters making their homes in an abandoned mine, kidnapping people, and probably eating them. And of course, what fantasy adventure would be complete without the requisite giant spiders everywhere?

Ash's brow furrowed in concern as she listened to the head of the group of villagers speak. Things seemed to go from bad to worse for them, didn't it? Sure, they were the ones to reject @Aden's proposal in the first place, but if such a thing as karma existed, surely it was too much to then end up as a monster's lunch.

@Cain Darlite agreed without consulting the rest of them, but Ash didn't feel like objecting anyway. Neither did Aden nor @Eldhi, it appeared. "Right!" Ash chimed in. "We'll deal with the kidnappings, don't worry about it. Yes, let's go."

Ashiore hadn't heard of giant spiders nearby this area before. She hadn't even seen anything to suggest the slightest hint of webbing during one of her many scouting runs. That suggested that the spiders were quite a ways from their camp, and getting there on foot would probably be very time consuming. If people really were being held captive and able to do nothing but wait to be eaten, they didn't have that time to waste.

She looked towards Eldhi, remembering how her horse had appeared after blowing a whistle. "Maybe we should ride there? The faster we get there, the better. If you're all right with calling Merlin, then I can summon my own horse, Tianma."

If they were in agreement about the plan, Ash pulled out her own whistle, that had thus far gone unused since purchasing her gorgeous mare. A quick high-pitched note and a minute or so of waiting later, a white mare trotted into the outskirts of the camp, whinnying happily and immediately poking her muzzle into one of the tents.

Otherwise, there wasn't much to do but start walking.

 

The situation certainly looked ugly, judging by the rather tense conversation @Aden had with the peasant leader. "Hmm..." Their dissatisfaction with the Malta Mining Company aside, Eldhi was very concerned with the news regarding hostile creatures residing in this abandoned mine. She imagined once they had a taste of human flesh, whatever horrors in there would figure out there might be more humans outside... and then they'd have a monster infestation. Better to cull the threat before it grew too big.

@Cain Darlite seemed to be handling things just fine with the peasants, Eldhi was content to listen, noting down important information given by the portly leader. Northwest, white tree, right from there, and cobwebs. Spiders, most likely the oversized variety, time for some bug extermination then. The thought of going around the arachnid nest didn't even come to the Paladin's mind, that'd be just solving one problem while leaving another to fester. If they were going to get it done, the whole mine must be purged of monsters.

Eldhi was about to say that the Rangers should stay here and keep watch in case any monsters already slipped out the mine but Cain got that covered too. She didn't expect any less from the suave Muse. "Of course." The Paladin nodded with a confident smile, "My sword and light are ready."

"Oh?" @Ashiore Evretto the Druidess proposed an excellent idea, yes they could get there faster with mounts. Two people on each horse so it'd be perfect. "Yes, please. Merlin can take one more." The stallion neighed in protest, "Shush, I'll give you extra apples later, okay?" Then with a grumbling huff, it acquiesced. Gosh, this brat of a stallion... what could she do to get him to listen? Well, besides apples. Eldhi would get her answer soon enough as Ashiore summoned her own mount. Which turned out to be...

---

Oh my, who was this beautiful mare? Her white fur and alabaster mane was the example of equine beauty, little could compare. Merlin was quite charmed by Tianma's firm body and long slender legs. "Brrr..." He huffed, approaching Tianma. The chestnut stallion neighed, getting her attention while swishing his flaxen mane in return as he trotted around the mare, much to the chagrin of his knightly owner.

Practically grinning in horse expression, Merlin nudged Tianma once as if inviting her on this noble quest to vanquish foul monsters, he'd show her just how capable he was. Going a full flip from a bratty horse who barely listened to a full proper 'trained' stallion of a knight, Merlin trotted back to Eldhi, head held high, ready to be ridden and charge into battle!

---

"..." Eldhi's tanned features were locked in a deadpan stare as she mounted the horse. Oh wow, who could have thought the egoistical stallion would love to impress the ladies? What a surprise... "Alright, who shall go with me?" She offered either Cain or Aden, whoever picked hers, the other would go to Ashiore. As for Naixi, the lioness would take care of herself and besides, she wouldn't think horses appreciate being mounted by a predator anyway.

 

Aden's expression softened when he heard about the misfortune that had befallen the ragged prospectors inside that mine. Almost enough for him to regret the words that he had uttered just now. At the end of the day, even though these people refused his offer, that still didn't change who they were... desperate poor who were only seeking a means to lift themselves, even for a second from their destitute lives.

"I see... I am sorry for your loss. If there are monsters that are threatening to put everyone's lives here in jeopardy then I think I speak in behalf of my companions that it is our duty as adventurers to protect all of you. We will venture to this mine along with some of your group to act as guides. I would expect the place to be a labyrinth so even a shedding even a little light on the numerous pathways and passages would certainly be a big help. Fret not, we will protect these guides with our lives. We swear upon it with our honor as adventurers. The Rangers would stay with the rest to continue acting as look outs and bodyguards in the case that bandits launch an attack once again while we are gone."

While these monsters may pose as a short term problem for all parties involved, the long term problem would still linger if the group of poor gold collectors that had branched off would still be left jobless, with not even a single speck of gold to bring home to their families for all the trouble they went through. He knew he had to mediate this situation by striking a bargain again with the merchant.

"At the end of this, despite the grievances present between our groups, you will join our efforts in this operation. You will earn gold equivalent to how hard and how smart you work. Those who serve as guides and navigators would earn extra considering they'll be putting themselves in harm's way of course. After we take care of whatever's been causing problems in the mine, you must receive sufficient training from the professionals under Lord Malta's company so you may learn how to extract the gold properly. This is fine with you, right, Lord Malta?"

"Hmph, I could care less whether or not they didn't accept my gracious offer the first time. As long as they work hard and earn their keep, I have no qualms about giving them their fair share of gold." the Merchant said in a disinterested voice.

Finally, Aden regarded his teammates when he turned and began addressing them.

"Then I guess that's settled... I would ride with Eldhi so we could scout ahead for any signs of danger or hostiles in the forest, should we encounter any unexpected "delays" in the form of enemies, please support the two of us from the back line." the arcane archer told Ashiore and Cain before nodding to Eldhi and riding with her on top of her stallion.

"I suggest that we hurry. I'm not really much of an optimist but if there's a chance that somebody's still alive down there, then they're quickly running out of time and we're losing hope. As for the person who'd serve as our guide..."

"I'll do it." The pot-bellied man from before readily volunteered, much to everyone's surprise.

"I was the one who urged our group to investigate the mines in hopes of finding treasure... If it weren't for me, those men would have still been alive... helping you folk avenge them by serving as a guide would be the least I can do for my fallen brothers... and if that mine serves as my tomb then so be it... just promise me that my share is given to my family..."

"Of course... and like I said, I may not be an optimistic sort of person but rest assured that we will do our utmost to protect you." Aden told the potbellied man before regarding Ashiore to ask her about an issue that had sprung up.

"Unless our horses are able to carry three people, would it be possible for this man to ride Naixi until we reach our destination?"

 

Cain had his own qualms about putting that man in harm’s way by having him as a guide, but at the same time, he certainly did like the man’s resolve. His flint-tinted eyes sparked with a resolution that couldn’t exist unless one only had a single life, after all, and this too was something worth experiencing, worth remembering. The back of a desperate man who wished to atone for his past mistakes. How lovely. Rolling his shoulders once more, the muse listened in on the exchange between Ashiore and Aden, the former confirming that her great Milkshake could indeed serve as a mount. Inserting himself into the conversation, Cain waved, grinned and said flamboyantly, “Oh, Lady Ashiore, Queen of Felines, Brisshal’s Blossom-Daughter, Soul-Speaker of the Great Lion, I would be heavily in your debt if you could permit me to ride upon your magnificent spirit animal, the mighty and merciful Naixi.”

In the end, the group of six set off with Eldhi and Aden in the front, Ashiore and the portly man (Jude) in the back, and Naixi and Cain prowling somewhere inbetween. While it may have been difficult navigating the forest path with only vague directions, their peasant guide was quick to direct the Paladin of Tyl’s path, and they made a steady pace through the brush, the horses cresting through short bushes while Naixi bulldozed through instead. No matter how fast they travelled though, it was still an hour before they made it to the chuckling river. The sky had dipped into afternoon oranges now, and Cain was fairly sore from riding on the muscled back of Naixi. There was no saddle for a lioness, after all, and the movements of a predatory beast was much different from one of a beast of burden.

As a matter of fact, he was HAPPY when they finally reached the cobwebs infested part of Rorik Hills, where copses and trees were turned white by dense spidersilk. Dismounting Naixi with a groan, Cain gave her a rub on the head out of gratitude, before leaning backwards. Crick-crack. Oh, that didn’t sound too good. Gyrating his hips next, the tall man felt sore muscles loosen up marginally. No permanent damage then. Good. No one wanted to be the adventurer that retired due to back problems, after all.

“Alright,” Cain grinned, looking into the depths of the Rorik Hills, where an abandoned mine filled with captured human farmers laid, guarded by Kobolds and demonic spider-monsters, “How shall we begin our heroic legend today, friends? Loud and proud? Swiftly and silently? Burn this whole thing down?”

The last may have been a joke, but the gaze in his eyes, at least, was dead, dead serious.

 

So that level of praise was really quite... excessive. Ashiore blushed at @Cain Darlite's words, though it was pretty obvious that he wasn't really being serious. "Ah, right." She gave a glance to Naixi, who looked a bit petulant at being volunteered as a mount. "After this, we'll go to Astorea so you can hunt, promise," she said, giving the lioness a scratch behind the ears.

Their mount situation quickly sorted out, their group set off. Jude seemed to be able to handle himself well enough on a horse, though their slower than usual pace was perhaps a bit of help. It wasn't comfortable for either Cain or Naixi to have the lion run the entire way, so it took a good hour or so before they arrived.

The hills were blanketed in white, but this very obviously wasn't snow, but enormous spiderwebs stretching from tree to tree. Ashiore took a moment to thank whichever deities were listening--the Elysid here, she supposed?--that she wasn't afraid of spiders. This was surely going to be an unpleasant task, even without considering any potential phobias. Although the thought of spiders did set her feet twitching in her stirrups--that damn death affliction acting up again. Oh, it would feel so good to just... give a little stomp...

Focus! Focus! @Aden and @Eldhi dismounted ahead, still within the cover of trees so as not to reveal themselves to any goblin lookouts at the mines. Cain offered a few suggestions as to how to proceed, though his last suggestion had Ash glancing at him in alarm. "Uh," she began, "let's not do that last option?"

Ash gave a little glance up to the sky. Sundown, huh. The coming night would give them cover as they approached the cave. But night was also when the kobolds usually emerged to try and kidnap more people... Hmmm.

It was a bit difficult to make out at this distance, but Ash caught sight of some fluttering at the opening to the mine. Dark shapes began moving, and a swarm of bats began making their mass exit for the evening. "Oh!" So, not the best environment to test an ability that she hadn't ever tried before, but she always did work best under pressure! "I could try to possess one of the bats and scout ahead to see what the inside of the mines are like."

Though that wouldn't reveal to her any spiders that may be lurking within the woods, ready to strike if they got close to sensing prey.

 

In hindsight, it was actually good to have Merlin swooning over Tianma. The need to impress the alabaster mare made the flaxen stallion actually listened for once without the need of sliced apples. Realizing this, the Paladin lightly shrugged as she made no more comments about her steed's Casanova streak. After Aden finished his negotiation with the merchant, Eldhi offered a gauntleted hand for the redhead archer to take and help him mount Merlin. Surprisingly, the stallion didn't protest the extra weight on his back, wow, Tianma got him in her hooves without even trying, huh?

"You alright there, Cain?" The white-haired swordswoman giggled as she glanced back, seeing the Muse wobbled on Naixi's back, lions were never meant to be mounted after all. Let's just hope he didn't exhaust himself from back pain by the time they reached the mine. Ashiore and Tianma seemed to be doing fine, the white mare was quite strong despite her rather slender frame, proof? She was carrying both the druidess and the rather portly miner.

Keeping a watchful red gaze over their surroundings, Eldhi led the party onwards, serving as the vanguard at the front. Should anything attack, she was the best person suited to take the initial hit. The sun was setting down and it'd be dark soon, all the more reason to be on constant alert.

---

Moments later, the party arrived at the supposed location with little issues. However, this was where their problems would start. "..." The sight of a cobweb-infested mineshaft occupied by giant spiders, kobolds, and whatever other abominations made their home here sent a chill up Eldhi's spine. However, upon remembering that innocent lives were held hostage here, that momentary lapse of terror shifted into zealous determination. She would kill every last kobold and arachnid, all shall fall by her blade.

"I suggest we give them no quarter and charge dauntlessly into their foul lair." Eldhi suggested to no one's surprise. However, the Druidess had an unorthodox idea upon witnessing a swarm of bats venturing out the cavern mouth. "Huh?" Did she hear her right? Did she mention possession, as in, like a spirit possessing a body? If so, wow, she never heard Druids had that ability. Then again, they weren't far off from Shamans if one thought about it, only focusing on plants and animals instead of the spirit world.

"Hmm... sure, let's try that." The Paladin acquiesced, she wanted to waste no time for lives were at stake but having information on what they would face inside was an irrefutable argument.

@Cain Darlite
@Aden
@Ashiore Evretto

 

With their transportation problem sorted out, thanks to Ashiore's permission and Naixi's generosity, the group headed out towards the mine. Along the way, he felt sorry when he saw just how much discomfort Cain was feeling riding the lion, specially when he was the one who volunteered to mount the regal beast. He kinda expected such an outcome since Naixi's kind wasn't traditionally meant to be used for transportation.

Entering the dark, abandoned mine with minimal lighting should prove to their disadvantage since the Kobolds can navigate the dark passages undeterred by the lack natural lighting better than their group could. If they were not careful about hiding their presence, they could end up spoiling the element of surprise and prematurely revealing their location to their enemies. Not only would it take away the chance of ambushing their targets, but it would leave them open for possible waylays themselves.

Eldhi, on the other hand, had other ideas, proposing to charge into the dark depths of the mine fearlessly. While she could possibly tank several of the Kobolds' attacks and take down several of them by herself, she must have forgotten that not all of them are as capable in combat as her.

"Sera Eldhi, while I do not doubt your prowess in combat, it would be much more advantageous for us to familiarize ourselves with the environment first and possibly get the jump on these Killer Koboids while we have the element of surprise. It'd be far easier to kill them when we catch them off guard, and in the case that we do happen to require a quick escape, mapping the area and leaving telltale signs of where we had been would certainly be helpful." Aden told the paladin respectfully before Ashiore made a surprising revelation.

"That's a peculiar yet massively useful skill, Lady Ashiore. But perhaps I could accompany you as well. If I remember correctly, I am the only one present that has the means to sneak into enemy territory with the least chance of getting detected. I would do my best to eliminate as many stragglers as I can before giving the relaying the signal to you for the rest of the group to charge in."

 

With the majority in agreement that Ashiore’s bat possession hijinks was definitely an idea worth trying, Cain nodded at all the information that had been dispensed thus far. Ashiore, in bat form, would head out towards the cave with the assistance of Aden, who seemed confident enough in his ability to play out this mission as a stealth game, despite not being already a demon. In this particular case, however, with the sun coming down and no option BUT to break stealth with illumancy if they were to travel to the cave at night…there was definitely limitations to the idea of mapping out the entire area around them and then setting up an ambush that may not even happen.

After all, they weren’t here to kill those dog-headed kobolds. They were first and foremost here to save the villagers that were captured by those hideous freaks of nature. Trailblazing so they knew where to run off was a fair idea as well, but ultimately...this was Brisshal, and though he wasn’t certain how much the others had already familiarized themselves with the forest, Cain was confident that he could find himself back from any part of the forest to Stokbon, no matter day or night. “Ashiore, if you’re going to go ahead, fly directly to the cave,” Cain said, “And if you wish to follow and scout ahead, Aden, go with haste.”

A pause. These cobwebs were mighty large, and he’d have to depend largely on the might of the Paladin of the Ashen Blade and the Golden Lioness, but…

“Our greatest concern is time,” the midnight-haired muse continued, “Every minute we spend waiting, another life could be taken. Stealth is fine. It’s agreeable. But Knight Eldhi and I are both loud individuals who desire action above all else, and these fiendish spiders will be around even after we slay the Kobolds, thus remaining a threat to our escape route. Thus, here is the split. Aden, go ahead and scout out the exterior of the cave. I trust that your confidence isn’t misplaced. Ashiore, we’ll tie you to your steed and head off into the forest with an intent on creating a distraction. If the spiders come, drawn by the raucous sound of battle, so be it. If the Kobolds come streaming out of the cave at the sound of intruders, that’s your chance to sneak into the depths and free whatever imprisoned peasants you can find. Use our distraction to further your stealthiness, Archer of Autumnal Amber.”

The muse pursed his lips, gathering and refining his thoughts further, before nodding contently, internalizing what he knew and what he had.

“Farmer Jude,” he finished, “This is where we separate. Head back to the river and await our triumphant return. The focus is on the salvation of our fellow man. The extermination of Kobolds can be postponed to a later date. Are we all in agreement here?”

They better be. It was getting to the point where the light that poured from the canopies were of the moons and stars, not of the sun. Soon, it would be more or less impossible for Aden to navigate these treacherous woods and hills without a stealth-breaking lantern.

 

"Right," Ashiore said, nodding at the plan. She was pretty sure Eldhi could handle herself, and Cain certainly seemed confident. Though she was not disputing his diplomatic and persuasive skills, she hoped that his confidence when it came to battle wasn't misplaced. "Be careful you guys. You too, sir," she added to Jude.

She nodded at Aden. Looks like they were going to be the scouts for this mission. "Let's do our best!" she said, giving him a smile.

And then there was no more time for talk. The swarm of bat's was dispersing with every moment, and if she waited any longer she didn't think she'd be able to get any good information before being shoved back into her own body. Ashiore let the game take over her body, fingers writing the incantation into the air of their own accord. Focusing all her thoughts on the swarm, she exhaled softly and felt the spell take hold. Her consciousness rocketed out of her body until it connected with a bat, enveloping its mind.

Once the requisite thirty seconds of speed flapping were out of the way, she turned around and headed back to the cave. Bat vision was surprisingly good, and after getting the hang of the echolocation, it wasn't much trouble keeping an eye on her surroundings.

The entrance seemed empty. It was wider than she had thought. And there weren't any signs of kobolds around. There were signs that they had been there, though. The rancid stench was one clue, the pile of metal things (weapons and armor, maybe?) was another. No mining equipment like carts and such that she could see. Or hear. Or whatever.

Deeper in the cave was a small tunnel that sloped downward. Two kobolds were stationed further along the tunnel, though she could definitely hear at least a few more. There were maybe ten? It was hard to tell, exactly. Inhuman mutters filled the air, overlapping with the sound of clanging metal. So it was a fairly good chance that the kobolds were armed.

Before she could go any further though, her time was up. The spell released, and she snapped back to her own human body. Gasping, Ashiore looked around wildly, looking to see if there was anyone nearby, or if they had all left on their respective tasks.

 

Hmmm, quite interesting, it seemed her companions had alternative insights to the matter. Quite frankly, what they proposed made the rather zealous Paladin open her eyes. Charging ahead was glorious and all but she glazed over that not everyone in the party could endure hits as much as she did, also, though robust on her own, if everyone else fell, she would be overwhelmed by the Kobolds, Spiders, and whatever horrors made their home in the mines.

"I see..." She listened to their proposed plans. Aden wanted to make use of his skill at subterfuge to scout ahead and possibly eliminate any scouts and overwatches, leaving the main bulk for the rest to deal with. Sounds fine, it also lessened the chance of them losing the element of surprise and being surrounded. "I have no qualms with it." Both Aden and Bat-shiore could work together.

Cain added in his take on the matter, as usual, the Muse's quick-thinking talents played a part, confirming their plans. The Druidess and the Red Archer shall go ahead with their plan but they must do so within an allotted time or else they'd be risking the captured miners' lives. "Mhm~" The Paladin nodded gingerly as the suave Muse mentioned Eldhi and himself preferring the loud approach. Yes, no need to keep in the shadows forever, one must shine the light upon those foul creatures of darkness. Again, the white-haired girl held no protests with everything really, she was glad her party members were sensible, dependable, adventurers.

Jude had done his task, he shouldn't endanger himself further. "Please return and report to Hawk about this, Sir Jude." Eldhi added then she returned to address her party, "Then Merlin and I shall wait here until it's time for us to charge in." She curled a confident smile, "Best of luck, Miss Ashiore, Sir Aden."

A mere moment later, Ashiore's body suddenly went limp after she muttered a Druidic spell which language was foreign to the Paladin. Then, one of the bats suspiciously turned around and reentered the cave, going against the flow. The Druidess... really left her body and possessed the critter? Amazing, fascinating, and slightly terrifying. If such a power was possible, what was stopping her from possibly possessing another human being? But... she was thinking too much about this, she had to focus on the mission.

Jude helped settled herself on Tianma before giving a salute then trekked back to the Miner's Camp on his own, leaving the party of four humans, two horses, and one lion.

@Aden
@Cain Darlite
@Ashiore Evretto