Ash had seen pictures on the internet, warning hikers and campers of the differences between poison ivy and other similar-looking plants. It took a good minute or two of staring at the black and white diagrams to be able to see the difference between them, and that was way back then. No way was Ash going to remember the difference now. The principle of collecting all these plants was pretty similar. Splitting up with @Harveste and @Gwyn ap Herne, Ash went down over to the side of the forest further away from the coast. There was a clearing here she had come across a few times where some rare flowers grew. Checking over the list, there were three flowers here that she could probably find in the clearing. Of course, many of the flowers were quite similar to one another, meaning that this part of the task involved a lot of going back and forth to check whether they were indeed required for the quest or not. Naixi came along with her, acting as a deterrent against any possible animal attacks. Though lions weren't exactly native to Brisshal's forests, most creatures recognized a predator and were willing to keep their distance. Not that Ash really noticed, as she was searching very carefully for plants and other special items. She arrived at the clearing with a rather full pouch, as Brisshal's forests held quite the rich variety of collectables. But there would definitely be enough space for some rare flowers. Looking over the clearing dotted with dozens of different colors, Ash sighed. Naixi huffed as a bit of fluff landed on her nose. Talking out loud usually helped her, while she was working through problem sets for homework in real life. This was somewhat different, but having something mindless to do while she was doing something as mind-numbing as searching for flowers helped. "Okay! So..." Ash crouched, getting level with her targets. "Yellow-faced Orchids... Not an orchid, not an orchid, not yellow and also not an orchid..." Normally, Investigation Mode would help, but there were just so many different unique plants here that she would just end up staring at a scramble of letters across her vision. It wouldn't even do nothing, it'd just clutter up her sight. A good amount of time passed by, and Ash finally got a few different samples of most of the flowers, enough for all three of them. She marked a few things off her own list, carefully perusing it again just to check that she hadn't missed anything. Nope, looked clear! Standing up with a cheerful hum, Ash wondered what to do. Gwyn had said that her two dogs would give a signal when she was ready, so Ash had a bit of time to kill. "What do you think, Naixi? Good progress?" she asked her lion. She got the equivalent of a shrug. Yeah, she wasn't really expecting much else. After a bit, Ash heard some distant howling. Aha! That would be it. Smiling, she and Naixi started off back in the direction of Gwyn's location indicator. Hopefully Harveste also had some good fortune with her gathering.
She seemed lost in thought as she took her time to lurk for mushrooms, having taken what Gwyn said quite literally for the moment. Ash had taken on the flowers, so what other things would they need outside shrubs and spores? She surely knew what they needed thanks to the handy list she'd gotten. Surely she'd find them, right? Rogue was an unusually helpful ability this moment. She was able to ask help of animals by merging their minds for a small bits of time, getting better views of some of the things they needed thanks to birds in the trees. She climbed trees with haste, though regularly found herself struggling at points to get down as vines tried to tangle around her, picking at moss and leaves that she needed to find, along with some flowering foliage and the mushrooms that found themselves hidden in the underbrush below. "Thanks for the help, friends!" She'd chime regularly. She thanked each animal she'd managed to get help from, having controlled them for moments to better find the more frustrating loot. Squirrels scurried away as she took nuts they gave to her with partially their own will. She wandered on, deeper and deeper, seeking more mushrooms. Though she was attacked a few times, she was mostly left unharmed for this portion of the hunt. Her mind had wandered during those times. How were @Ashiore Evretto and @Gwyn ap Herne doing in all this?
Gwyn spent the time waiting for the other two to make their way to her clearing out the extra Dire Wolf and checking that her various traps had enough durability to hold their respective prey. When she found herself wondering if killing them off would automatically complete it for the others she paused to pull up the quest list. Gwyn laughed to herself as she watched the items check off one by one as @Harveste and @Ashiore Evretto did their respective work. It was odd getting to see their little victories through the impersonal GUI. Earlier she had worried they needed to get a hit themselves on the goblin warband, but she had fussed for nothing. So long as they were in a party together it counted. And to think she'd bothered with harvested drops previous. The ranger rolled her eyes and dropped them to look at the dogs still on edge in the presence of their caught quarry. If they were checking things off then she didn't need to wait around. She also wasn't sure how the two Naturamancers felt about the method of catching and slaying beasts so methodically. It would be easier to go ahead and fell them. Helpless to do anything but snarl and desperately snap at the dogs as they moved in to help, Gwyn laid low the second Dire Wolf and the Warg. The howl of the creature buffed it and its packmate, but it wasn't enough. They went down quick, easy, and with as little pain as she could manage. She enjoyed the chase and the hunt, but torture was not her something she ever wanted mastery points in. That left the deer and the Owlbear. She motioned for the dogs to bay again, cluing her two teammates into where their position was as they moved to the Pitfall trap Gwyn had left the monstrous hybrid in. Whatever fuckery had to happen to produce something like an Owlbear was a frightening thing to imagine and she was happy not to know. The fantasy setting was strange, but so was the real world. Sometimes it was easier to just gloss weird biology over. The archer got no help from the dogs with her next kill, instead sinking a single Precision Shot into the beast's eye. It went down without a sound. They could go ahead and kill off the cervine, but with a appetite the dogs were working up she felt she should at least wait to offer Ashiore's lioness a piece of the prize. A quick snack might be something Naixi would appreciate and if not then Hati and Skoll would share with each other instead of the larger predator. Gwyn straightened up and turned from the yawning mouth of the pit to watch the rustling of underbrush nearby with a curious, but cautious eye. Either another beast on their list found her... or one or both of the other women.
So, Ashiore did not have the greatest track record with not getting lost in the forest. But, looked like today was an exception! She only had two moments of paralyzing indecision about whether to go one way or another, which was far better than last time she tried wandering through Brisshal's forests. Having the sound of Gwyn's dogs as a sort of marker was very helpful indeed. Still carrying all the flowers for the rest of the team, she made her way back to where they had gathered. But, it looked like there weren't any of the monsters around. She could see Hati and Skoll sniffing around a pit in the ground, and Gwyn was standing there with her bow still out, but it appeared that there was nothing else. Ash blinked in surprise, looking around the clearing. Naixi sniffed the air and wandered over closer to the two dogs. "Hm? Did the traps not work?" After the misunderstanding regarding how the quest objectives worked were cleared up, Ash laughed. "Ohh, that's really handy. So I guess I gathered all these flowers for nothing then." She did a bit of a shuffle to let flap of her pack fall open, showing the dozens of flowers that she had gathered, in addition to the bunches that she was carrying by hand. "Well, want some anyway?" Gwyn was free to take any of the flowers that she wished, and Ash set the remaining ones on the ground, for Harveste to peruse if the other woman decided she wanted some as well. When the situation regarding the Owlbear was explained as well, Ash offered Gwyn a large smile. "Oh, that's really thoughtful! Thank you. I'm sure Naixi appreciates it as well." While the animal companions feasted, it wouldn't be long before Harveste showed up and they could continue on as well. When they were all gathered together again, Ash smiled and stood up from where she had sat down on a nearby tree stump. "Great! So, is it the Beginner's Cave after this?" she asked the other two, unaware of a gentle, unnatural glow emanating from behind her: the elusive Will-o-Wisp that was the last unchecked box on the Forest Enemies list.
The faerin had fallen into a pit trap of some sort and ended up needing aid getting out, causing her to use one of her newer skills to borrow the body of a nearby coyote to come help dig a path for her to get out of the hole, letting go of it mostly from her forced bond, leaving only a small bond between them to be friendly for the moment. Her small body used the path almost like a crawlspace, feeling unsteady still from her fall from before- but, with help from her temporary companion, she was able to steady her body despite the cakes of dirt and mud keeping her balance iffy. Howling in the distance caught her attention. She turned towards her buddy, happily getting it to help lead the way to the sound's source. Following the echo of the howling lead her back to her group. "Sorry for the wai-" She paused herself as she tried to speak. While she was originally going to thank @Gwyn ap Herne for the help in leading her back to them with the howling canines, the sight of something fiery behind @Ashiore Evretto had caught her attention as well as her tongue. She rushed to the woman's side, back against her back. "Okay, who here knows how to beat a flamey ghost? Because the only thing I know about fire is it's dangerous." Paled under the ghastly glow, she tried to think of what she could do. Her only ability to fight involved using the leaves around them- leaves that a flame, ghost or not, would just burn. Actually, why was there a flame near the trees without it being hot or burning things? To her, it appeared as if it was just sitting there, watching them with it's supernatural light. Simply watching it for a moment, her eyes glistened with wonder. "It's eerie because it's quiet and I've never been good with flames, but...Somehow, it's light is so gentle, I almost feel bad being afraid of it...But what should we do, you two?"
Gwyn wouldn't say she was necessarily relieved that it was @Ashiore Evretto who had come walking out of the underbrush with a rustle and gentle words for her, but it was better she didn't get chewed on by something before they showed up to join the party. It looked better on her to not have some low tier monster get the drop on her. That'd just be embarrassing. She glanced down into the pit with Ashiore as she spoke before glancing down at the flowers held in her hands. "Actually, I'll take some of them. Just uhh a few here or there." It was impulsive, but she rifled through the bundle and put together an odd little bouquet while the tames feasted behind them. She tucked it away in her inventory for the moment if only to not have to look at it or think on the action. The woman straightened and stretched as they waited for @Harveste and she dropped the arms pulled above her head as the little Faerin joined them, a slightly smile of welcome on her face. Both of them seemed to speak at the same time, but Harveste cut herself off to let Ashiore finish. Or... no- Gwyn's eyes darted back to Ashiore as the odd expression on Harveste's face clicked into place in her mind. Her eyes hadn't been on the other woman. Both stared for a moment, Gwyn going so far as to lean her weight onto her right leg to peer around and behind the taller of the the Naturamancers. Their small companion darted over protectively and Gwyn snorted to herself. She was like one of those small dog breeds. Had to give herself a big attitude to make up for the feet in height she was missing then huh? The gentle curl of phantom energy around, what was now clearly, a Will-o-Wisp wavered behind them. "That is after this. Then the Beginner's Cave." She moved slowly a few steps to the side so that neither of her party members were in the line of sight to the creature. "Problem is," she began to speak as the brilliant white of the Investigation Mode flared back to life, "is just what I thought. It's immune to physical damage. Magic only. Looks like you two got your time to uhhh- to... shine..." She blinked in confusion, the skill dropping back to inactive as she stared at the gently waving 'flames' of the entity as it gave a few flickering pulses. She could swore she heard something soft and gentle. Like the rippling of water or sway of branches. They were in the woods and the branches were swaying everywhere. That was dumb. It sounded different though, but it shouldn't. How odd a sensation. It wasn't bad. Just made her feel somewhere else. The Will-o-Wips moved back a foot and Gwyn stepped forward to match it. It wanted to show them something. It was a little ways away though. They would have to leave the paths, the gametrails, the clearings. It was juuuust somewhere else. Like squinting your eyes and tilting your head to the left. And then you could be there and it would be fine! Charmed
Ash was caught off-guard by @Harveste suddenly rushing to stand back to back with her. "Huh? Wha-" Flamey ghost? What? Spinning around as well, Ashiore's eyes widened when she saw the little ball hovering in midair. And that was right behind her the entire time? Yikes! Good thing that Harveste and @Gwyn ap Herne were there to keep an eye out, otherwise it could've been bad. She remembered the last time she ran into one of these things--which was also the first time, really. Right, she had gone into the woods with Stelluna once, and she'd been nearly lured away by another Will-o-Wisp. So, they were in Brisshal as well? That wasn't good. How had they beaten it back last time? Staring at it was bad, Ash knew that much. But Stelluna had mostly taken care of it before... Gwyn's warning about the Will-o-Wisp being immune to non-magical damage was helpful. "Right! Okay, so Harveste and I can-" Her smile died on her face as she turned back to see the state that Gwyn was in. The glow of Investigation Mode faded from the archer's eyes and a sort of blankness crossed her face. Damn it! Gwyn must have been staring at the Will-o-Wisp in Investigation Mode to reveal those details about the creature. Uh, um, uhhh. Not good! Really not good! Ash looked at Harveste in alarm. "I, um- I'll keep Gwyn here, you handle the wisp?" Panicking wasn't good, but then again as Gwyn took another step forward, they didn't have much time. Ash scrolled through her spell list, jabbing her finger at her vine binding spell--making extra certain to select the one without thorns. Tanglefoot Vines burst the ground, creeping around Gwyn's legs to keep her in place. Clenching her fist made the vines tighten, hopefully ensuring that she wouldn't just rip through them. Hati and Skoll probably wouldn't be very happy about this, and she wouldn't fault them for being protective of their ranger, but she'd handle their anger later. Right now, it was more important to make sure that Gwyn wouldn't follow the Wisp and disappear into the forest.
Harveste looked to the archer as she spoke, noting the way her stare seemed unable to waver. "W-What happened to her...?" Stuttering and visibly shaking, she rushed to @Gwyn ap Herne's side without a thought, hand waving before her face to really understand just how unresponsive she was. "Did the Willow do this?" Rushing out of the way as the plants moved to the woman from following the phantom flame somewhere she shouldn't go, Harveste hummed lightly to materialize some seeds in her hand which soon floated upon her will. Softly, she requested their aid, face towards the alarming foe without actually having her eyes open. There was something about flames that always kept her on guard, after all. She didn't need to see it to know where it was. "Fly after me, on a thought of the rain." Seed Shower The seeds followed her orders hidden in her words much like bullets in an invisible gun, smashing themselves against the flame-like entity that hovered before her. Much to her surprise, the magic in her makeshift bullets did quite a number on the specter, which seemed to disintegrate into shreds upon the numerous impacts, slowly disappearing from sight in its defeat. With a soft sigh of relief, she turned to glance at @Ashiore Evretto and Gwyn to make sure they were okay. "So, that worked better than I expected...Is everyone alright? Gwyn?"
There was a distinct, but distant awareness of being stopped. Of something standing in her way on her way to somewhere or nowhere or some place in between or other, she really wasn't sure, but it sounded so sweet. The feelings that weren't quite words had been honeyed so wonderfully. She wasn't close enough to taste yet, but the smell was on the air and the soft glow of her guide promised with a sure understanding of nothing that it awaited her. It awaited them. She could bring them, they were welcome. First, she had to move. To take the first step. Why couldn't she? The archer could barely drag her eyes away from the glow, but felt past the numb song of the will-o-wisp the vines growing to bind her legs. Her face twisted up in concentration as she tried to reach across the empathetic bond with her tames, but she couldn't find them. It was like searching in a bank of fog as great as a sea. There was an echo of something unsettled and nervous, but just an echo. Maybe fake. She wasn't sure and she couldn't drag up enough emotions to really care. Verbal orders worked just as well. "Hati... Skoll.... maim?" Her own voice sounded weak and shattered, half-empty and wandering. The dogs didn't obey her command to destroy the vines. That didn't seem right, but she felt proud, but she was annoyed. Didn't they want to go too? It would be a lovely place to take them on a walk through. Gwyn nodded in acknowledgment of the spirit's assurances. She just had to get free first. The archer ignored the words that weren't made of honey and magic and simply tugged her legs against the tension of the plants below. As soon as she took her eyes off the gentle glow to curl her fingers around the bindings, the fog lifted. The world focused, sharpening at the previously blurred edges and the colors bled back into her vision. Why had they ever been gone? The ranger blinked dumbly down at her legs, brow furrowing and lips twisting in confusion. "The fuck?" With a vicious jerk she tugged at the plant and the twins were suddenly there, teeth clamped down and shredding through the vines. Gwyn reached down to soothe a hand over both their skulls gently as she was battered through the bond with a odd mix of concern and relief and disquiet. She felt like she'd been asleep for a year and glanced up suddenly to take in her surroundings- which included @Ashiore Evretto and @Harveste? They... were in Brisshal? A quest. Right! They had finished the fields and the wooded area and what few things were on the coast were done with. It was just the Beginner's Cave now. Why were they all still standing around here? What had gotten her legs tangled? She must have walked dead into a briar patch, albeit one without thorns it looked like. Nevertheless. The cave. Focus. "Well? We going to show that Beginner's Cave what for or no?" She asked with a crack of her knuckles in jest. Both Hati and Skoll were still watching her oddly, but it was no matter. They'd been through a lot so it made sense they'd have their moments. With the vines no longer curled around her, Gwyn straightened and headed off toward the location of the simple little dungeon home to bats, slimes, and newbies.
Ashiore let out a sigh of relief as @Harveste dispatched the Will-o-Wisp with a rain of seeds. Good. Even though the fiery creature was probably resistant to nature magic, it looked like they were of a high enough level in-game to overcome that relatively easily. Whatever weird charming thing could still affect them pretty easily, but hey, they didn't have to worry about that anymore, right? She looked carefully at @Gwyn ap Herne as she seemed to snap out of whatever effect the Will-o-Wisp was putting her under. Her dogs quickly set to destroying the vines binding her legs, and in no time at all Gwyn was free. But she still seemed a bit... fuzzy? If that was the right word for it. Ash looked to Harveste again, wondering if they should address this? "Uh, Gwyn, are you, um... do you, uh...? Do you remember what happened just now?" It took a bit of of reassurances and some explanations of what had happened before Ashiore was satisfied that things really were okay. But with that settled, their merry band could continue onwards towards the Beginner's Cave. This was unfamiliar territory for her. She'd never had the chance to run through the gauntlet when she was new and stumbling around Brisshal. But as they approached, it quickly became evident just how popular of a testing ground it was. There were people spawning in left and right, pairs and trios marching in and out of the cave in a nearly continuous flow of people. Looks like they'd reached the cave during peak hours, as it were. It was probably an unfair thought, but looking around at the newbies with their dented copper swords and flimsy-looking armor, Ash wondered if she had ever been as... clumsy? Unprepared? Well, she didn't feel all that put together on some of her best days, so she probably shouldn't throw stones. "So," Ash began, staring up at the mouth of the cavern looming up ahead. "Shall we?" A few weeks ago, she would've felt nervous. But not anymore! They got this, easy!
While her fear had slowly subsided seeing the life coming back to the dazed @Gwyn ap Herne, but the fact that she seemed to recall nothing from the past few moments returned the anxiety two-fold. With a timid laugh, she moved to tug on the woman's hand lightly, smiling with a caution that made it seem far too faked. "Y-You weren't yourself for a bit is all. Now that you're a-okay, we can get going." Of course, Harveste wasn't as brave as @Ashiore Evretto. Even if she'd travelled Brisshal's forests and coasts quite a bit, she wasn't as accustomed to the caverns they were about to delve into. At home, the darkness of a cave would be a godsend for the petite faerin. She honestly hated the sun in the real world, feeling it far too bright to deal with on most days. In this world, though, she reveled in it, in the ability to see all around her as the plants grew under its guidance. The darkness lacked such life in this world. In this world, she was timid, but not a hermit. Without thinking, she tugged on both her party member's hands, the timid laugh not even bothering to attempt to cover her nerves. "It's darker than usual in there to me...Will we be able to get through it okay? I can't even walk in a Hollister without walking into a support beam...C-Can I hold onto you guys, just so I won't get lost? If it's okay, I'd feel better with that. I'll be able to handle it as long as we're all together."
Gwyn scowled faintly as both of the other women seemed to be a little ruffled after... well, whatever, but @Harveste grabbing her hand stopped her midstep. It was kind of odd being touched in the game and it had her quick clip of moment down to nothing in a moment. People didn't really get handsy in the game, even if it was perfectly realistic to the waking world, likely because Americans were all weird and isolated despite being unhealthy levels of touch-starved. It didn't bother her, but it was always weird when it happened. "I'm not sure what you mean? Who'd I be but me?" She laughed off the nervous look in the Faerin's eyes before @Ashiore Evretto spoke up. "Remember?" The huntress made a token attempt to wave off the mage's concern, but it was hard to dismiss either of them off-handedly and she did feel a little out of step. There was definite talk of a will-o-wisp and her zoning out like a champ, but no matter how long or hard she thought on it... nothing came of it. There was just a tiny hole in the world in her memory. A hole in the time of her memory too. She didn't mention it, merely did the thing people did when someone told them something they didn't actually hear or understand, but nodded along with anyway out of awkwardness or disinterest. It would be enough. She didn't disbelieve them. It just didn't feel real or right at all. She remembered the flowers though. A quick check of her inventory showed the stashed bouquet and that quieted the off-kilter set of her heart in her chest a little. The dogs didn't whine, but Skoll hugged closer to her heels as she walked. As they traveled back closer to Stokbon and left the canopy of the woods and the distant sound of water singing sweet dirges, Gwyn finally felt close enough to normal to really relax. The tension slowly fell from her shoulders and loosened the stiffness of her stride. The tension returned as soon as the reached the mouth of the cave and the archer took in the sheer amount of babies running around. "So are the slimes and bats extinct yet? Sheesh, that creepy fucking commercial of @Trinity's sure did work. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Any votes you two?" She raised her arms to cross in front of her chest with a sigh as they took in the crowd. She would have suggested waiting until things calmed down, but Harveste took both their hands in that moment. It would be better if they went in during a busier time then. More people, more noise, more comfort blankets to shield her from her nerves? That was fine. They could do that. Gwyn nodded and let the Faerin hold as she wished with a small smile. "If we run into mobs that the newbies don't manage to kill first I'll need that back, but I can loan it out for now," she said playfully. It was easier to fall away from the unsettling events earlier, to be a bit stronger for someone else instead and bolster herself, a bulwark against her own weakness or distraction. They headed into the cave without issue. The dark wasn't a very deep kind. The Beginner Cave was meant for beginners after all and there was a faint illumination that kept the shadows from appearing malicious even as bats flew from the ceiling to screech and claw at passersby. She had yet to see any slimes and the bats weren't an issue so far with the new players cutting an excited and bloody swathe ahead of them. "Ahhh, mindless grinding low level mobs. Those were the days. Before shit like berserker slave hunters, sieges, vampire wurms, and Azog. Good times, good times."
Okay, so Ash didn't want to admit it but she was spooked. Standing outside in the brightness, surrounded by general chatter and infectious enthusiasm of the newer players, it was easy to be confident. But as they wandered deeper into the cave, where the surrounding conversation trailed off and their surroundings grew darker, she became more and more wound up. Caves didn't... well, there was always that saying of one bad apple can spoil the barrel. And oh boy was that entire situation with Reaper in the caves of Norforva one hell of bad apple. Through their link she felt Naixi get twitchier in response to her own distress, the lion apparently also remembering the entire situation as well. The conversation helped. "Maybe," she said to @Gwyn ap Herne. So she also saw that commercial as well? Interesting. "I guess it's always good to see more people..." That the game was also highly illegal slipped her mind for the moment. So that was why she jumped a little when she felt @Harveste grab her hand. At least she didn't shriek. That would've been extra embarrassing. "Uh, no problem," she said quickly to Harveste, trying to fake her earlier bravado. "Good to always know where everyone is. And there are so many people here, so at least we can be sure that we won't get separated." They continued further into the caves. There were a few chambers branching out, creating a mini maze of multiple paths to take, but a quick peek through the corridors revealed that there wasn't much to the side-chambers aside from the occasional newbie party taking a break. And rocks. Lots of rocks. The apparent safety of the cavern was short-lived, however. It seemed that they had managed to get to the head of the pack of sword-swinging adventurers and made their way into an empty room. Well, empty save for a trio of different colored slimes, all wobbling menacingly and flanking a much larger slime in the center of the chamber. They didn't seem all that dangerous, this being the beginner dungeon and all, but now that they were a bit separated from all the commotion, it became easier to hear the little noises. Like that faint hissing sound, of the rocky ground beneath the small pale green slime dissolving. Perhaps it was acid of some sort? Well, they'd have to be careful of that. "Looks like the easy part is over," Ashiore said, bringing up her spell menu. It was probably too much to hope for that they could make it through the caves without needing to fight. Still keyed up from just being in a cave, Ash was eager to get rid of some nervous energy through a good old-fashioned fight. From the low growls coming from Naixi, so was the lion.
While she could sense there was a feeling of oddity from her actions, Harveste merely smiled to @Gwyn ap Herne, feeling relieved that the woman was back to normal, memory of the scenario in tact or not. It was very likely, in her mind, that the woman might have been in a trance- those didn't leave people remembering being in them. Harveste had been in those herself, though not yet in the game. Still, Gwyn was questioning their worry. She could at least be vague about it and answer, right? "A will-o-wisp had your full attention. Let's just leave it at that." While her natural inclination to keep close with a handhold seemed to surprise both her party members, she was relieved that neither actually scolded her for it. "I've always been the type who gets lost in crowds, whether online or off. Since there's a lot of people on this quest, it seems, I figured it'd be safer this way. Er, I'd be safer. The last thing we need is me getting lost and causing trouble from it, right?" And it wasn't necessarily going to be helpful to the group, she was certain it would be more harmful if she didn't. Following easily as they entered the filled cavern of slimes, bats, and other baddies, she was surprised that the mobs were so few. Gwyn's explanation rang true in her ears. "That's true, huh? I was amazed when I saw it. It seemed to interfere with anything I was watching...And Trinity seemed all too excited, don't you think?" Her ability to keep up with that conversation was short lived. She'd been responding when they got into that empty room, past the droves of newer players, past the majority of the hunt. Those three slimes, with one quite notably dissipating into a liquid on the ground, caused the girl to shiver. She was quick to let go of any hold she had, digging for her grimoire to be safe. Turning to @Ashiore Evretto, her fellow naturamancer, she pondered. "Do you think we could get in their heads? I used some animals earlier when I got stuck in a pit...If the slimes were similar enough, we could do that here, right? Though...Maybe that's just wishful thinking. Yeah, it probably is...Any idea what their weakness is, though?"
Their trip into the winding tunnels of the cave went as quickly as she had guessed it would. She remembered vague talk about it when she had been of a lower level and crossed paths with or joined the parties of other new players. Apparently the end of it had a flat wall players could carve their initials into if they wanted. It might have been meant for the newest of Terrasphere's odder population, but Gwyn couldn't help a little bit of excitement as digging her own mark into the stone to leave a signpost for times to come. A mark that said to any who saw it, no matter how simple it was, that 'I was here. I lived, I breathed, I fought. I am one of the many who have come before.' It was like leaving set anchors for all the people who would one day come to send a route you had found and christened. One those stupid, but earnestly human things. Both of the others had seen Trinity's little interruption a while back and she wasn't sure if it was good or bad that they also seemed weirded out by it. "Yeah, it cut off a show we were watching. Right after a commercial break. Was weird, but mostly annoying," she said. The ranger was quick to wave it off though and the cave demanded their attention as the first set of enemies not cut down by excited lower tier players stood before them. Well, not quite stood. Sat? Slimes were gross and weird, but nothing compared to that awful sewer monstrosity. The Beginner's Cave slimes were a little different than the oozes. They each had a singular eye floating in the jelly of their bodies. She didn't need to use the Investigation Mode, but did if only to confirm that the others weren't also acidic in nature or had any mysterious resistances. The blue of the Non Threatening tag was a pleasant and unsurprising sight. The Acid Slime burbled an awful little noise at them past the faint hiss of it eating the stone beneath it. The Magma Jelly and Tar Jelly moved closer as she scanned them over. The larger slime behind them remained where it was. The tag above it read Livestone. In white? On Par then, but in the Beginner's Cave? Perhaps it was a special monster just for those doing the Brisshal Completionist quest. On Par didn't mean much however with their combined might. It might have been a risk to a lone fighter, but they would lay it low like everything else. The name at least matched her expectations as it certainly looked like a living stone. The jellied body of the creature moved like the others, but with the perfect appearance of stone. It was entirely unnatural to watch rock ripple and jiggle like the other slimes. "Green is Acid, effect is exactly what you'd guess. Red is Magma, does fire damage, and the black one is Tar, if it touches you it sticks to you and you do not want the Magma Jelly to touch it when it's stuck to you." As soon as the Magma Jelly pulled back and threw itself forward, Gwyn had her longbow up and drawn to pierce an arrow solidly through the eye of the creature. The slimy body of it fell all to pieces, melting away with trails of steam alone to prove it was ever there. That and the skewered eyeball. "Nevermind on that last bit then. Watch out for the big one though. Looks like Livestones aren't actually made of rock, but can harden a psuedopod to hit as hard as a falling boulder." Her next arrow ignored the weaker of the three remaining enemies and instead sailed over them to meet the Livestone. The arrowhead did some damage, but most was mitigated as it shattered against the section of the body the slime has hardened in advance. "Oh come on, that's cheating! You have like negative two IQ points!"
