Private - Fleeting, Fading Fires and Furious Fracas

Another job, this time a solo contract. Although, it was quite likely that she would meet up with a group of sorts. The girl giving the contract out had seemed quite desperate, no doubt worrying over her uncle's safety. Who could blame her really? While the rich landscapes and good weather made for an enticing place to start a life, the wandering packs of Gnolls made it much riskier. At least the job was relatively simple, get to the village foolishly settled in Pormont, protect it from Gnolls until they were convinced to leave by some sort of group that would be arriving some time later. Given the strict potential time limit and her own lack of mount, she had to set a brisk pace for herself to arrive in time. There was no telling when the village would be attacked as information was scarce, as per usual. Her newly bubbling pyromancies certainly helped, letting her blaze along the path at incredible speeds. Although they did tend to leave her quite worn out, the extra distance was much appreciated. When she arrived close to the village, the faint plumes of black smoke did little to assuage her worries that she had not been fast enough. The lack of any sort of noise, outside from a fire and occasional creaking and cracking didn't help.

Stelluna watched as the last few parts of the village were consumed by the fires. It seemed she was just a few days too late to stop a Gnoll Warband from destroying the village, while she technically hadn't accepted the job, it still left her with a bitter taste in her mouth. Well, there was the second part of the contract to fulfill, vengeance. If the village had been destroyed, she would get payed a small sum of gold for each Gnoll ear she brought back. Definitely an enticing offer, especially considering the fact that Gnolls had two ears. The girl didn't seem to care however, potential grief and worry making her resort to drastic measures. Her lust for battle would not be sated today, the job stipulated that she needed to bring back some sort of proof of death. Given the crushed and burned remains scattered around, combined with the toll time and weather would take, it seemed like she would need something more like a heirloom or signet as proof. Well, no point in standing around doing nothing, she got to work. With her traveling hood and cloak drawn, she would undoubtedly look like a bandit or scavenger picking out the remains of the hollow husk of a village. Which wasn't entirely inaccurate considering what she was doing.

 

Yet again, the ravages of chaos stormed through the land. A bastion of civilization in Pormont devastated by a pack of foul creatures known as the Gnolls. This affront to order must not be ignored, the monsters responsible for the massacre shall be brought to justice as an example to all. However, the white-haired Justicar didn't believe those simple creatures would even understand, the intricacies of civilized living were too much for their small mind. Nevertheless, she shall not suffer the Gnolls to live.

Arriving at the hamlet proper on her steed, Merlin the chestnut stallion with flaxen mane, Eldhi's red eyes scanned the pillaged remains of the once peaceful town. It was just as the Overwatcher reported. By the time she arrived, it'd be too late. Her self-given mission today wouldn't be rescuing, nay, it would be enacting cold hard vengeance. Of course, as always, Mistress informed her to gather any prism gems or shards she found along the way. In this case, the Gnolls might have a few from all the looting they had done. The animals wouldn't know what to do with it anyway, better for them to be in the hands of her Mistress.

"Hmm..." Eldhi slowed Merlin down to a light trot as she rode through the destroyed settlement, searching for any clues or tracks that could aid her hunt. With one hand on the reins, her other was pressed against her temple, activating her Investigation Mode. The knight saw nothing except burnt houses, empty carts, corpses on the ground, and... a lone cloaked figure. "A bandit? No, they don't travel alone. Just a scavenger then... " Unfortunate but the 'drifter' was her only possible lead, at least one that could talk.

"Greetings, stranger, have you any information regarding the raid? Perhaps the whereabouts of the felons responsible for this carnage" The Justicar hailed the fellow as she approached, looking at the tall figure. The telltale signs of blazing red hair underneath her hood and those... familiar fiery eyes. Eldhi knew her... The pirate ship, Graybeard... "Stelluna?" The girl quirked an eyebrow, yes she was indeed the Yladian Gladiator wielding the power of flames she partied a while back, way before Eldhi was recruited by Vermillion. "What are you doing here?"

@Stelluna

 

Stelluna gave a slight jolt as an oddly familiar voice called out to her. It seems she wasn't really paying attention to her surroundings, how embarrassing. Turning to look, she recognized the voice. It was @Eldhi, the self proclaimed Paladin of Tyl she had fought alongside all that time ago, though she felt different. Perhaps it was the world weariness setting in, she'd seen it time and time again. Bright eyes, hopes, dreams dashed away after a battle or two. There was something more, however, this wasn't the time to dwell on the thought. She'd changed a bit since the raid on the raider ship, new armor, better skills and all. Well, a pair of hands would ease the burden and Eldhi wasn't the backstabbing type, from what little she knew at least. They didn't really know each other outside of that one mission.

"Out on a job. Protect what was this town or hunt down the Gnolls who did it in. Bit of gold for each ear turned in, you want in?"

Technically, it would reduce the money she got but that wasn't the main issue in these sorts of jobs. Given that it was reportedly a Warband that razed the town, she had a feeling there wasn't going to be a shortage of Gnoll ears to turn in. As she talked, she managed to salvage a ash stained ring with a distinct crest on it from under a burnt drawer of some sort. That was probably proof enough. At least it wouldn't be hard to track down the Warband though, covering their tracks was probably the last thing on their minds. If Gnolls even had minds for that matter, she honestly wasn't sure. If Eldhi was to accept her offer, Stelluna would gesture for the girl to follow her as she traced the trail. If Eldhi declined, she would go off on her own. It wouldn't be a big loss for her, she was used to solo jobs. They were probably a day or two behind the Gnolls, considering the state of the town. Catching up would be a simple matter but a question remained, should they delay their progress a bit to possibly catch the main camp? It would be a harsher battle for sure, but with the potential for extra Gnolls and potential spoils it would be a shame to waste such an opportunity.

 

Temperance found herself wandering the roads once gain, her adventure in Stokbon's sewers completed, and the giant monstrosity that lived in its depths defeated once and for all. Probably? Honestly she still had no idea what that entire affair had been about, but she had come out of it with a nifty new magical tool and an interesting story to tell. It would be a lie to say she made friends, but she had at least become better acquainted with some of the heroes from that whole volcano incident, which was ANOTHER situation she still didn't quite grasp.

Buuuuuut understanding these people and their weird adventures wasn't what brought her to the strange land. She was there to spread the word of her lord and try to expand the faith, and perhaps convince a few converts to travel westward, past Norforva and towards her homeland and the gods she served.

It was for that purpose she had been heading towards one of the villages in Pormont, to speak with the locals and show them the blessings of her lord... but it seemed that they had received destruction, instead. Moving through blood soaked streets and ash clouded buildings, Temperance investigated the destruction of the place, unable to find much in the way of survivors. The soft din of voices broke through the crack of burning timber and she marched towards the area in which @Stelluna and @Eldhi were speaking, looking the two women over. Stelluna seemed vaguely familiar... possibly she was one of those people from the gold mission that she herself had backed out of, not wanting to get involved in such petty affairs. But this raided town was different. She had no qualms about involving herself, if the other two were responsible for this attack.

Summoning some of her holy magic to hand, the young woman glowered at them both, speaking up over the crackle of fire around her.

"Did you attack this town?" she asked, not bothering with coy tactics or pleasantries. Either they were guilty and would die, or were innocent and must explain themselves. There really was no alternative.

 

Stelluna looked at the newcomer warily. While she vaguely recognized the woman, she didn't know her all that well. Still, the blazing magic and angry glare sent her way wasn't doing her any favors in her mind. Drawing her spear in case of any violence starting, she said to @Temperance,

"Flattered that you think I'd be able to do this all on my own. If you're want to find whatever did this, you're a few days late and looking for Gnoll prints."

While Stelluna normally relished a chance for a duel, she decided it would be better to save her energy to fight the Gnoll Warband. Fighting casters was also not her strong point, unless she could close the distance fast enough.

 

Temperance looked the woman over as she gave her response, gauging whether or not she and the small child beside her might have been capable of such carnage. Probably not... even the more powerful figures, like Astor and Gwyn, wouldn't have been able to pull this off so easily and Stelluna looked as though she hadn't broken a sweat or gotten any serious injuries.

"Blessings upon you, then," the priestess said as she went about her business and left for the next village.

 

Interesting, it seemed both Stelluna and her were going on the same quest. Unfortunately, both were also too late to save the town judging by its currently devastated condition. Still, it didn't mean they should give up on enacting righteous vengeance upon the monsters responsible. "A commendable effort." Eldhi gave a genuine nod of respect at the fiery-eyed lancer. "My sword is with you for this endeavor. Let us hunt down the savage creatures."

So there were rewards involved, hmm... gold coins for each slain Gnoll ear, not an alien concept but it didn't make a difference to Eldhi, gold or no, all that mattered to her was cleansing the Gnoll plague. "You can keep the ears, Stelluna, I do this not for gold." She paused for a moment, remembering Mistress' message, "However, in exchange, I will be keeping any Prism Gems or Shards we find during the mission." That should be a fair deal, Stelluna kept all the gold, Eldhi would settle herself with the arcane jewels.

"I think there's nothing left for us here, shall we depart?" The Justicar would offer the armored Yladian to ride on Merlin, whether she took the offer or not, Eldhi gestured to the path ahead, "Please lead the way."

@Stelluna

 

Stelluna accepted Eldhi's offer of assistance but declined the ride, citing her distrust of animals. At the most, she would ride a carriage drawn by a horse. To ride on a horse itself, was akin to presenting your back to an assassin, as far s she was concerned. Her natural fortitude and Pyromancy were more than enough to keep up with @Eldhi, especially since top speed was not an issue. All they had to do was trail the Warband and take shorter rests, in fact, getting too close might jeopardize their ability to find the main camp. Stelluna was fine with Eldhi taking any Prism Gems or Shards, should they happen upon any. It wasn't like she had much use for them, sure they could enhance her fire spells but she never relied on magic to get work done. It always came down to her skills with a spear and the drive to push through. Pyromancy was a tool rather than a crutch for her style of combat.

As the pair followed the Gnoll's tracks, Stelluna decided to ask Eldhi a question. She wasn't familiar with very familiar with Prism Gems or Shards, having never seen one up close. She'd heard of them and their effects, but in terms of physical characteristics, she had practically no knowledge. The closest she had gotten to one was under locks in a steel chest, they were valuable, rare and coveted even by those without any sort of magical ability.

"So Eldhi, what do these Prism Gems or Shards look like?"

 

So the redhead preferred to walk on her own two feet, understandable, not everyone was comfortable with riding a horse. The more Eldhi thought about it, she came to the conclusion that it'd actually be better they didn't ride with together. Considering they were hunting deep into Gnoll territory, there was a high risk of being ambushed and if such attacks happened, the duo's reaction time would be hampered compared to them traveling separately. Besides, they weren't in a hurry anyway since the trail wasn't fresh, the event had happened days before. The village's rather isolated location doomed itself.

Two fingers pressed against her temple, her red eyes lighting up dimly as Eldhi activated her Investigation Mode, searching for any clues. While hers was no way enhanced like those who possessed the Hunting mastery, the Gnoll's tracks were quite obvious enough... so much that she didn't need the mode actually. Removing her hand, she focused on keeping an alert watch over their surroundings while Stelluna led the way.

So the Yladian Spearwoman had never seen a Prism Gem before, quite peculiar as they were quite a riot among adventurers but Eldhi guessed the same standards couldn't be applied to everybody, exceptions always existed. "They look exactly as they are named, Stelluna. Jewels bearing all seven colors of the rainbow, sometimes with slight variations such as one particular color being more dominant than the others." Eldhi explained, basically rephrasing the information that could be gathered in any decent library, "Each Prism Gem can enhance a specific Arcane school, for example, Pyromancy, Hydromancy, Illumancy, and others." That was all there was to the gems. They were quite valuable among mages and nobles, the former because of their arcane potency, the latter because of their eye-catching beauty.

---

As they pushed deeper into the grassy plains of Pormont, Eldhi's gut told her to be prepared for a looming threat. Whether it'd be Gnolls or something else. Her right hand rested on her longsword's grip. Merlin noticed as well, his eyes darting in caution. "I think we are close..." The white-haired knight whispered to her Yladian partner.

@Stelluna

 

Stelluna listened to Eldhi's exposition, then gave a slight nod. She doubted that they would find such a rare object but it was good to know what to look for. But, if the town had any such items, the Gnolls surely would have taken it. Even if they had no clue of its true power or use in magic, things that were shiny tended to be looted by the simpler minded creatures. Seeing Eldhi and her horse tense up, she ignored the whisper and focused her hearing. A soft yet strained breathing could be heard but she couldn't exactly pin point where. That wasn't her breathing, it wasn't Eldhi's or her horse's either. No, something was watching them. Closing her eyes, she took a wild guess and lunged into a patch of tall grass. She felt something, and that something started screeching at her before jamming something sharp into her arm. Letting out a hiss of pain, she braced herself then ripped whatever she had grabbed out of the grass and into plain sight.

Unsurprisingly, it was a Gnoll. Said Gnoll had various bits of plant matter attached to his clothes, no doubt to try and ease concealment. That meant that it was either a lookout or a scout, probably the former since they were following a trail. Well, it was time to shut it up before the entire camp came down upon them. Throwing it to the ground, she stamped her foot down onto its throat. As the Gnoll choked, she got her spear and drove it deep into its skull. It twitched once, then went limp. Turning to Eldhi, she said,

"They're close for sure. I don't speak Gnoll or know that much about them but I'm pretty certain that was a lookout."

She paused to plant her spear tip first into the ground, and to pull out the dagger the Gnoll had planted into her arm. The wound stung, but was far from the worst blow she had been dealt. Muttering a short incantation, her wounded arm smoldered with a furious light before she pressed it to her chest. As the glow in her arm faded, her eyes blazing bright as she looked towards Eldhi with a wrathful gaze.

Draconic Fervor

"That means that the camp is nearby. Let's put these vermin down."

 

"...!?" When the fiery Yladian suddenly thrusted her massive spear into a patch of thick grass, the Justicar raised her blade in high alert. Deceptively strong slender limbs already tensing for combat as Merlin dropped any pretense of haughtiness in favor of self-preservation instinct. "Gnoll..." The pesky little bugger had escaped both rider and mount's notice but fortunately not Stelluna's keen Elven senses. "Hmph..." Eldhi watched for any additional Gnolls in their immediate surroundings while the spearwoman finished off the pest. None... So it was alone and this time, she was sure of her assessment. If there were more than one scout, they'd already be scramming away by now and unless they could move like wraiths, the grasses would rustle. Such was not the case.

Flinging a quick healing spell to close up Stelluna's minor wound, she was quite pleased to see the Yladian's blazing aura, reminding her of the tales of mighty dragons, overshadowing her prey, burning everything in its path. "Excellent job, Stelluna, had that thing reported back to its cohorts, the whole camp would know of our presence." The white-haired knight nodded in agreement, "We will turn their advantage against them, the element of surprise is ours." Her blade shone brighter as she gripped them, red eyes narrowing in zealous fervor, hungry for righteous vengeance for the massacred innocents.

"Merlin, let us ride!"

With a powerful neigh, the stallion charged forward alongside their draconic companion.

Hidden: Music

Moments later, the sight of a makeshift tribal-like settlement could be seen on the horizon. The barebones construction and small huts were enough signs that it was their target, they were still unaware but by the time they did, it would be too late for them.

"Law quells Anarchy!" Eldhi chanted mentally as her azure crystalline blade charged up with the power of Illumancy, "Order triumphs Chaos!" The golden sheen enveloped the whole blade, quaking with unreleased power, "Harbinger of Justice!" The Justicar raised her blade with both hands, keeping herself steady as Merlin galloped.

Luminous Wave

"I am the Judge!" She launched the first crescent-shaped wave of searing light, soaring through the air as it struck a Gnoll on a rickety watchtower. "Jury!" The second followed shortly, turning another overwatch Gnoll into crisp. "And Executioner!" The third one was bigger than the two before combined, flying low above the ground, cutting through tall grasses before it reached the camp, slicing through a squad of Gnolls clean.

Through her luminous waves, the Justicar declared the battle was adjoined! Forward without fear! By fire and light these cretins shall be purged!

@Stelluna

 

Stelluna watched as masses of Gnolls fell to Eldhi's waves of light. It seemed she'd grown from the last time Stelluna had met her, where before she would primarily use her blade with magical support. Regardless, it seemed that the weaker of the camp would be of no issue.

She spotted a Gnoll with metal armor, no doubt procured from a guard and modified to fit its body. Given that the majority of her foes were unarmored or lightly armored, these were either elite soldiers or someone important. The perfect target for her to strike, it would send the rest shattered where they could be hunted down with ease. Charging forward, she aimed for a chink in the armor. Her spear struck true, it sunk deep into its shoulder and as it bellowed, Stelluna ripped the spear out before slashing it across the neck. She set it on fire with a brief grab then tossed the flaming corpse at another group to clear the path. Eldhi could deal with the weaker foes, she was hunting the strong.

She looked for the ones that were decorated, by ornaments or with higher quality weapons. Charging in and out of the fray, she struck with forceful precision and intense intent rather than sweeping hordes down. The better armored they were, the harder she struck and the more vicious her executions got. Soon, the battle began to wind down and the last few of the Gnolls fell, a sudden lightning blast from above struck Stelluna. Caught unaware and with Draconic Fervor still burning, the strike did heavy damage, and forced her to her knees. As she struggled to find the mystery attacker, a large clod of dirt slammed into her. Battered and singed, she managed to recover from the strike and finally managed to get a good look at the caster.

It was a Gnoll wearing a thick robe, a worn black demon mask, and cradling a peculiar, engraved staff close to its chest; there was an array of prismatic shards dotting the staff, giving it a crude but otherworldly feel. The figure looked at her, whispered some sort of incantation and the burnt, sliced and ruined remains of the other Gnolls started to swirl and rise before coalescing into a towering golem of flesh. Stelluna used her spear to steady herself before she gave the Flesh Golem a challenging gesture and lowered her guard. She could stall the creation while @Eldhi dealt with the Gnoll Shaman, her current wounds debilitating her mobility. She wouldn't have a hope of dodging the waves of fire, lightning and earth the Shaman would no doubt send her way if she chose to pursue it.

Icebreaker

 

Taken by surprise, the Gnolls weren't ready for combat as a lot of them were simply lounging around. The time they took to gather their weapons and regroup already put them at an initial disadvantage as the pair of Justicar and Dragoon struck swift into their camp. While her fiery companion focused on surgically assassinating the larger and armored gnolls, the Justicar complemented by keeping the others busy, preventing her from overwhelming the Dragoon Yladian.

"Perish, scum!" Eldhi roared as Merlin charged into another squad of unarmored gnolls, making a wide swing with her crystalline blade, she cut through them and also launched a crescent wave for the extra edge and reach. "Hmph!" She sliced, diced, and plowed through the ranks, Merlin's powerful hooves carrying her from one location to the next, keeping her from being surrounded.

All seemed well so far, almost too easy and going by experience, Eldhi expected a worthy challenge to spring up sooner or later. Yes, even if they were lowly gnolls. That answer came in the form of the warband's Shaman, a particular aged Gnoll wearing hide robes, a makeshift mask, and a staff decorated with... prismatic shards. "!?" Eldhi's red eyes were drawn to it like a magpie, that was it, she must slay this Gnoll and take the staff for Mistress. "Hyah!!" Cutting through another one of the pesky beasts, Eldhi was about to gallop Merlin towards the shaman when things took a turn for the worse.

"Kuh...!" The Gnoll shaman possessed some form of Necromancy, the foul arts of reanimating the dead as she had seen from the sorcerer named Lucia. Whoever practiced it, human or monster, deserved death through baptism by fire. The sin of practicing the deplorable magic alone warranted swift punishment. "Scum..." The Justicar gritted her teeth as the foul mage raised an abomination from the corpses of its kin. Desecrating the dead of its fellow gnolls... truly, she shall suffer not the shaman to live!

"Stelluna!" Eldhi launched a beam of light from her palm, warm glow showering the Yladian as the holy light healed her. She needed all the help she could get if she was going to face the towering abomination alone. That done, Eldhi faced the Shaman, zealous hatred brimming in her crimson gaze. "Face me, creature!!" Merlin neighed as she charged forward, a barrier of light erected in front of both rider and mount, prepared to face any elemental projectiles the Shaman would conjure, by holy light, it shall be purged!

Luminous Bulwark

@Stelluna

 

The wave of rejuvenating light certainly helped Stelluna focus. Being mounted allowed Eldhi for a much greater degree of mobility, she would have to distract the behemoth herself. The thing was massive, yet thin. If she could knock it off balance, she would stand a better chance of finishing the beast. Or Eldhi slaying the conjurer would disperse the beast. Until then, she would have to fight on.

The beast took a swing at her, seeing an opportunity but Stelluna quickly proved it wrong as she dashed out of the way. The ground where stood a moment ago was slammed by a wave of dead flesh, bits of it flaking off due to the harsh impact. Maybe that was the key to taking down the golem, using its own force against it to wear it down.

The constant dodging and token hits continued for a while but eventually, Stelluna's luck ran out. She took a glancing blow but the few chunks that were torn off upon contact stick to her. A torn Gnoll hand clinged to her left arm, necrotic energy pulsing throughout. The draining attack staggered her enough for the Golem to land a clean blow. She was sent sprawling through the air as more of the foul chunks stuck to her. As the beast started to make its way to her, something within her burned anew. She ignored the sluggishness in her muscles, the ache in her bones and stood up. Breathe in, breathe out, let the flames loose.

Enkindle

Her weapon now coated in fire, she ripped off the larger pieces of clingy Gnoll without any other thought. One way or another, she was finishing the fight. Ears be damned, the thing was going to die now. Swinging her spear as to shake off blood, she charged forwards, an afterimage of flame trailing behind her. The flames touched her skin yet left no marks as dived into a soon to be inferno of writhing bodies.

 

The Gnoll Shaman screeched at the charging Justicar, her shining blade and barrier plowing through what remained of the band as her steed galloped towards it. Feeling both threatened and enraged at the loss of its kin, the Shaman shook its makeshift staff while chanting gutturally, the prism shards glowing in tandem as it unleashed a bolt of lightning at the white-haired human. There! It should finish her off, no one would stand to its elemental fury!

"Kaaa!" Its dark eyes widened as the dust cleared, revealing the mounted warrior was still charging forward. No, it couldn't be! "Kiiiih!" Squealing in rage, the Shaman stomped and stomped, conjuring another primal spell as the ground rumbled, creating cracks along the ground as a localized earthquake shook towards Eldhi.

The Paladin wasn't daunted, she must give it her all as her Dragoon partner did. Rider and Steed became one as the Chestnut horse galloped forward, heedless to the rumbles and charging towards the splitting earth instead of veering off. He wasn't going to be intimidated by some pesky creature with a stick! "Haaa!" Eldhi focused her power, absorbing the erected barrier as the divine light imbued both Merlin and herself.

Shining Courage

"Merlin!" Upon his rider's cue, the horse neighed then leaped! Time itself seemed to slow down as the stallion soared through the air, jumping above the cracked earth as if he had grown wings. His strong muscles, made even stronger by the Justicar's power, allowed him to quickly close in on the Shaman. In turn, Eldhi raised her longsword, then... SLICE, cut through the Shaman's robe and body in one powerful swing the moment her steed passed the creature. Literally split in two, the Shaman's body fell, blood pooling underneath its pieces, utterly slain.

"Hmph!" Eldhi grunted as the stallion landed, her sturdy body more than enough to absorb the recoil. Taking a few deep breaths, she turned her gaze towards Stelluna, see if the Dragoon had taken care of the flesh golem.