_____Embers of red and orange danced in the gleam of the girl’s eyes as she watched the faint flames drifting off her gauntlet. The black cloth covered in red cracks glowing the same vibrant flame color as she waved her hand slowly to bend the fire to her desire as she waited calmly. Apparently some people had been asked for adventurers in the area of Astorea to come over and help out with something they did not bother to mention or spread with the rumors. Kaede also slightly assumed that it was lost during the time it was spread from each person but she was here now and just had to wait for the others who seemed to have got the news. _____It was never Kaede’s nature to be early or on time but today she was here fairly too early as the sun was yet to even rise at all. Her flame the only source of light in the area as she slowly moved to sit down in the grass with the back of the own wall at her back. The cold dawn breeze her only company as she watched the embers flickering and slowly dying down, her eyes growing heavy and eventually as the flame magic in her hand died out she passed out into a light sleep. _____What woke her however was something not so light, the sharp pain of someone or something pulling her hair violently to the right causing her to fall over and her scarlet eyes to flare open with rage. Gaze moving quickly towards the culprits as a group of kids scattered and ran away laughing, despite the rude action kaede’s expression softened and she slowly rose up to catch a eye full of sunlight causing her to look down rubbing both eyes rather then one at a time like she would normally do. Arms reaching up shortly after as she stretched her muscles and regain her focus on what was around her fully. “Seems I fell asleep… that is what I get for playing all night training I guess ha-ha.” _____Her voice mellow and drained as she moved to cover her mouth and yawned lightly overlooking the town area. If she had to take a guess she assumed it was noon by now, moving to open her UI to double check before she started to rise to her feet slowly still waking herself up and stretching her locked up muscles. Turning her head slowly to gaze around the area searching for anyone who stood out as a player or person of interest for the time being. Eyes setting on the kids who kept an eye on her, a slow wave causing them to scatter and laugh to go play with some other person. ”I think this was the spot they said the person would come to look for people to help them with the task. But I can’t recall the time or what they had been said to look like at all.” _____Kaede moved her heavy gloved hand to scratch her head near her ears, clearly making every effort not to touch them by staying a inch from them. With clear skies and decent warm air for the season it seemed perfect for hunting. If the group showed up Kaede would be none the wiser it seemed, Her calm and relaxed air returning slowly as the girl moved to sit back down and drew her katana to clean it lightly while she waited. _____She did not always take the time to clean her weapon, that fact showing as the once silver blade was stained red and black from countless uses without proper maintenance since she got it. Looking it over as she wiped a rag along it gently she could only come to the single idea she would need to replace it soon and take better care of the new one. This one had a few fights left in her before she broke or dulled to much to work. Working carefully to try and make today would not be that day Kaede waited for fate to stir events up. @Emerath Katou | @Rodger Clemens
Rodger grimaced as he opened his map for what felt like the hundredth time, trying to remember where the meeting place was supposed to be and cursing himself for not making a way-point. He thought that maybe the game would do it for him, and maybe it could, but Rodger hadn't figured that part out yet, 'Guess it's the learning curve, since there is no tutorial to speak off.' Despite the many setbacks and dangers that Rich encountered since logging in as Rodger, he was very much pleased with the game. It didn't hold his hand much or bog him down with countless windows and messages on how to do things. No whoever created this game assumed the player knew what they were doing, and ultimately left them to figure it out if they didn't. What resulted was a lot of organic interactions that left him with a feeling of true satisfaction.That was how he heard about this quest in the first place. Rodger had been sharping his skill set by hunting predators and selling their pelts for gold. While he was in town, he found a man he'd never seen before dressed in peasants clothes pleading for adventures to help kill some goblins that had been causing trouble. Of course Rodger agreed to do it, who didn't want to kill some goblins? In doing so, he also found that he'd be working as part of a group which didn't exactly thrill him, but he figured that was just how these things worked. Now if only he could find the starting point. After another hour of travel, Rodger found himself on the outskirts of a small town. There were several children running about as they played some made up game, and the bowman couldn't help but wonder if all of them were NPCs or if maybe there actually were kids playing the game. It was really hard to tell without prolonged interactions. Looking past the children, he found his gaze wandering to a woman with eerily familiar red hair cleaning a sword. She looked like an adventurer, but then maybe she was the NPC to get this quest started. Either way, Rodger figured she'd be able to point him in the right direction if these goblins were infamous around these parts. With a greeting, he approached, "Hello there. My names Rodger, I'm an adventurer come to offer aid for a small village. Could you tell me if this is the meeting place for the goblin hunters? These lands are new to me, so I think I might have gotten turned around."
Emerath had spent far too much time goofing off, and so little time questing. But to be entirely fair, this world made that easy. It was so vibrant and easy to get lost in the events going on around him, with the next one taking him in yet another direction. It wasn't until he heard a man shouting in town for aid that he found himself pulled towards yet another event. This time, with goblins. Emerath couldn't help but wonder what goblins in this game actually looked like. He supposed if he took the quest, he would find out. And so he agreed to it with the old man, and he explained that the village was just outside of the city, and a group of adventurers would be waiting along the walls. Simple enough instructions that Emerath hoped he could follow. So he made his way in the direction that the man had pointed, hoping to keep himself going straight and not get distracted or lost so that he could actually reach his destination. He did have to walk around a few houses here and there, but for the most part, he managed to make it. That was when he saw a familiar figure walking through the fields to another redhead. "Huh, didn't expect to see Rodger out this way. I'll take a familiar face though," he commented to himself, before running after the man towards what he presumed was the meeting spot. He managed to catch up right as Rodger was introducing himself, and at the tail end of his explanation, Emerath said, "Well, at the very least me and you are working together. It's good to see you again Rodger." Emerath gave the man a smile before turning to the other redhead, "I'm also here hunting goblins. An old man was calling for assistance with goblins or something. I'm curious what goblins look like, and I suppose I should do my civic duty and help clear them out anyway, so here I am. I do hope you're here for the same thing. Or at the very least know where we're going in an easy enough way that someone as directionally challenged as me can figure it out."
_____After the other two had arrived at the location it seemed some parts of the game reacted like a normal game might have. A male with a large claymore across his back and light metal armor marched over to them and gave them each a look over. Kaede growling at him lightly as she stood up quickly and moved her blade to keep him a fair distance from her. The male scoffing at her actions before waving the group to follow as he started to march off a fair distance ahead of them only lightly looking back when he spoke to address them. ”My name is Icarus, I’m the group leader, do as I say and you might live to get a reward.” - ”AKA, don’t do as he says and he will ‘accidentally’ swing his weapon at you and kill you and claim he did all the work.” _____Kaede would speak up shortly after he had, a low hostile growl towards the male as she kept herself between him and the two likely newer players. She had fought alongside him enough times to see him kill other players and NPCs to get all the glory, she herself having a few close shaves with him but despite that he was a monster in his own right and if he was here they likely could use the extra muscles. ”He might be an asshole, but he can do the job, just stay away from him or behind me and he won’t try anything, last thing he wants is another death affiliation at the hands of a girl.” _____Kaede would chime almost teasingly as Icarus growled at her and turned to face her. The air almost sparking as the two reached for their weapons dareing the other to start something and not exactly looking like either could be stopped if they started fighting. Thankfully, or rather unlucky for them the fight would be set on hold as the sound of goblins screeching could be heard and the two traded one last glare before rushing off towards the sound, to hard headed pissed off warriors without any sort of plan. ______As the group passed a few bushes and, if they chose to look over the ledge they would see a large camp of goblins, not exactly what they would be expecting to see for something that seemed like a simple quest. Icarus and Kaede exchanging a glance before turning to the other two in seeming agreement. ”I’ll take care of the bulk of them, leading them away, after that… - ”We take actions, feel free to blast him with something or another if you get the chance, he deserves that much. -”Bitch!” - ”Dick fiddler~” ____Traded insults before Icarus rolled his shoulders and jumped down the twenty foot drop into the deepest part of the encampment shouting for a challenge and getting an uproar of replies, Kaede rolling her eyes before waving for the two to follow her around the area. Her Katana resting at her side with hand on the hilt as she slightly glanced back remembering she never did greet them or reply to what they had said. A hand tapping her skull as she stuck her tongue out and acted the fool, entirely different from her previous actions. ”I’m Kaede Hoshi, and I guess that would reply to your previous questions about this being the group. I’ll take front for you guys, overall just try not to bite more than you can handle and work together. All we need to do is try to clear the numbers who don’t take the loud asshole bait down there or try to run away.” _____Kaede would speak calmly, her frame sliding to a halt and springing backwards towards the two, more to the cliff as she quickly drew her Katana holding it sideways to deflect a arrow and moved to focus on getting closer to the ramp into the goblin’s camp. As much fun as magic was Kaede refused to use it and outside that had no ranged combat. She was going to make sure the two players enjoyed this, or try to make sure. Moving her weapon back to the sheath to refocus on covering ground. @Rodger Clemens | @Emerath Katou
Before Rodger got his reply, he found a familiar presence suddenly among them, "Emerath? Good to see you! You going on this quest as well? I figured my bow could use some work. Been a little while since those wolves, how've you been?" Sure enough it was his first....friend? Emerath, the redheaded fighter from the woods. He looked better since their first encounter, no lasting injuries that he could spot anyway. Before long another male approached the group, a rather...aggressive male who introduced himself as Icarus, the group leader. Rather than give a reply, Rodger just gave a short nod. Apparently the female member of their group knew Icarus, or at least heard his reputation as she explained some rather immoral things about their group leader. "Right. Well, I'll just make sure to uh, keep my distance." Player-killers. He never really thought about how that was handled here, was there a system for it? 'Well this is supposed to be a fairly realistic game. If there is no script for anything, and the NPC's are programmed to believe death to be final, then maybe player-killing is handled as murder?' He tried to pry himself from his thoughts while they traveled with limited success. Before he knew it he was looking over the edge of a cliff with some very ugly creatures gathered below. Seeing Icarus and the female redhead nod at each other, Rodger was able to confirm his thoughts. Goblins, a whole mess of them, "Hurray for bad intel~", he sang, a nervous laugh escaping his throat. Apparently, there was a plan in place. Icarus would jump down to be the bait, while the trio would mop up from the flanks. Rodger couldn't help but shoot a smirk at Emerath, "Better him than you, yeah?" Ah, how he loved banter. Rodger couldn't help but put his forefingers to his temple, activating the Investigation mode to gather information on the goblins. His skill was much to low to tell him anything other than some poultry data such as their race as goblins, but Rodger knew that the more data he gathered the better. He did spy a few archers among the creatures, so he made a mental note to target them first. Kaede the swordswoman introduced herself while instructing them that she'd take point in this charge, "Right, leave the archers to me. I'll make sure they don't have an easy time targeting us." Rodger held his bow firm, arrow already loaded and waiting for a taste of goblin flesh. As they began to move, Rodger would lag behind to fire his first arrow at the now alerted goblin archer he found. His arrow hit home, knocking the goblin from its platform and onto the ground below. The hunter didn't have time to waste celebrating though, he would have his hands full making sure his other shots were also successful.
Emerath had been happy to see Rodger, though a man by the name of Icarus had left him little time to respond to his friend. Emerath shrugged, figuring that catching up could wait, but he gave Rodger a thumbs up in the meantime, as he listened to Icarus and the other redhead trade insults and banter with one another. Emerath scratched his neck nervously. Whether these two knew each other or not, things were going a bit far. Not that it was really Emerath's place to say so, so he just kept his mouth shut. As they rounded some bushes, there were plenty of goblins. More than Emerath would have thought. The had some time to build a camp here, that was for certain. Emerath pressed his temple for Investigation Mode to realize that they weren't exactly the run of the mill starter quest kind either. They would have a bit of a fight on their hands. At least one thing had been expected. These things were damn ugly. Emerath gave a bit of a sarcastic laugh at Rodger for his comment, but smiled at the man nonetheless. He did like Rodger, and he was glad that he knew a familiar face on this quest, especially if it was going to be life threatening. At least their banter was going better than that of Icarus and the woman. But the time for banter had passed, and Icarus entered the fray. Emerath rubbed his chin, a bit intrigued by how the man would fare, but refocused his attention on the woman, who finally introduced herself. Emerath ducked an arrow, and said, "A pleasure to meet you, Kaede. Better late than never, right?" He saw Rodger take out an archer as he said, "I'm on your flank Kaede. I'm a melee fist fighter, and have some tinker gadgets. If we can get me in position, I can put up a turret to take out some of the stragglers. Otherwise, I'll follow your lead and command."
_____Kaede did not exactly like the idea of being the leader of the clean up group but nodding slowly she rushed off to do the job nonetheless. Reaching a bit before the ramp Kaede would hop over the ledge and start running down into the area, her Katana resting in the sheath with hand on hilt ad she ducked her head to stay against the wind and give her some spring should she need it. If the others looked to the far side Icarus would be handling himself just fine, every so often a goblin would be sent flying towards them and his ever loud laugh echoing in the space around them. _____Not wanting to take all the threats for herself Kaede would move her hand to point to a sword goblin rushing them to leave it to Emerath, skipping another one slightly past that before taking up combat with the third one she encountered. Speeding up as she slid her right leg out and began a low gravity slid, her extended leg guiding her into an arc around the goblin before one high speed movement of her hands. Her weapon clicking against sheath as she rose with her back to the goblin who froze in place before falling over almost cleaved in two at his upper torso. _____Moving to double check on the other two hoping everything was fine before Kaede had to jump over to the right, a goblin corpse getting thrown from the deeper parts drawing her to look over to Icarus. He was starting to clear out the large group and as a result those with less backbone began looking towards the ramp wondering if they had a shot if they all rushed the group trying to keep them from escaping. ”You guys might want to get ready, they are about to start trying to get past us and if any do that is a chance for another camp like this getting formed but don’t get reckless to stop them… Do what you can and we can clean up another time or others can.” @Rodger Clemens | @Emerath
Still a bit behind his companions, Rodger continued to fire arrows into the goblin horde, though most missed there marks. He was still trying to adjust to using a bow. To be fair, he never really fought with anything other than his fists in real life, so any weapon would probably be awkward in his hands. He watched as Kaede began to charge deeper into the mob, bypassing a pair of goblins as she took the third one out. Deciding that Emerath could probably handle the closest one with his fists, Rodger took the second goblin into his sights. His first arrow fell short, sticking into the ground a couple of feet in front of the goblin, spooking it as it altered its course. It didn't look like it wanted to fight, but he wasn't about to let it slip away. Notching another arrow, Rodger began pulling the projectile back as he felt the game guide his posture, held his breath, and fired. He was rewarded with a shriek of pain from his target as it hit the ground, health bar significantly drained. One more arrow put it down for good. He took a glance at Emerath to make sure he didn't need assistance, but then he noticed that more goblins were starting to retreat toward them. Kaede called out, warning them not to be reckless, but to kill as many as they could. "Right," he shouted, "I'll do my best to cover you guys and keep them from slipping by or surrounding you two." Arrow at the ready, Rodger let a few more fly into the rushing masses. He hit one, but there were plenty more.
Emerath had gone back to back with Kaede, as Rodger kept his distance, watching as the goblins tried to surround them, and keeping his ally at his back to prevent any sort of sneaking up on her or himself. A goblin had rushed them, and Kaede pointed her sword at it and motioned to Emerath. Emerath nodded back and drove his fist into the oncoming goblin, before ducking a swing from its club. He swayed backwards as the creature garbled incoherently at him, and Emerath drove his foot into a roundhouse kick into its head. He watched as the health bar diminished, but the creature still had a bit of fight in it as it managed to shove its club into Emerath's stomach as he lost his balance. Grunting, Emerath swept the goblin's legs, before delivering a fatal blow with his knuckles to the creature's head, hearing a solid crack from its fractured skull. That would just have to do. But there was no real time for rest, as he watched arrows sail into another nearby goblin, as well as the sound of metal sliding through flesh from behind him, only to realize that Kaede had run off. Emerath jogged over to catch up, as she called out a warning to them to try to clean up the goblin retreat, but not bite off more than they could chew. Emerath supposed it was time to put his tinkering skills to the test. He pulled his pack around his body and dug around for a second, glancing nervously at the rushing goblins, before his hand felt the smooth surface of the balloon in his pack. He had recently taken the time to craft some of his oil balloons into a more grenade like fashion, with this one in particular having a rope leading out of the oil filled balloon, to serve as a timing device. Emerath pulled out his flint and steel, and flicked it together to produce a flame on the end of the rope. Once he was sure it was lit well, he waited until the opportune moment, when the rope was at the moment before explosion, before throwing the balloon into the oncoming goblins. The balloon sailed through the air, before the fire reached the oil mid air, causing an explosion of searing oil and fire to land on the oncoming goblins. Many of the goblins screamed and rolled around on the ground, attempting to get the oil off of their skin and the fire off of their clothes. He wasn't sure if he had actually managed to kill any, but at the very least it would slow them down and injure them.
_____Kaede was over worrying it seemed, the two handling themselves just fine as she sighed with relief. Maybe she just partied with a lot of people who overthought things or just had weak stomachs. The details of such would be left for later thought as Kaede slid forward, hands quickly slashing her katana against a flying goblin who got the flat side of Icarus’ weapon. Over time the group was making progress thinning out the swarms of goblins and with a bit longer it would seem to be the end of all the fighting as the last goblins fell. _____Kaede slowly rose to stand up fully, her weapon quickly slashed at the air to clean it off before the blade itself flew into the ground and shattered. Kaede blinking a few times before noticing the strain the blade was under had finally got to high for it to keep going. Icarus walked over, his shoulder used as a perch for a large chest as he blinked at Kaede and her broken weapon before scoffing and kept walking past the group. ”Come on, I’ll help sort what he left between the two of you guys. You earned it more then me since, ha-ha my weapon is busted.” _____Kaede would grin before walking off towards the area Icarus had came from to see mostly gold and some scrap pieces of armor. Never fair share as usual with that male but there was enough here to make sure the two could pay for another mission or to travel where they could find more work. Quickly adding some of her own gold into the pile before she started to split the pile in two for them and moved to head out. Hands navigating her UI to send both contact information. ”If either of you would like to contact me, or I find a job you two might do well with I can contact you this way. Sadly I have to get back to town before long so I can log off in peace and make sure I’m not late for work once again.~” @Rodger Clemens | @Emerath Katou
Soon Rodger fell into what felt like a combat trance. He wasn't sure how long they fought, or how many enemies he'd killed. All he knew was that he kept many of the creatures from getting at Emerath and Kaede. The dreaded archer began moving as he took aim, doing his best to integrate what he'd practiced alone in the forest into live combat. He missed a lot of shots, but then they grew fewer as more and more goblin blood was spilled. Eventually, the fighting stopped, and Rodger allowed himself to lean against a stone to catch his breath. As he rested, he searched for Emerath and Kaede to make sure they were all right. Apparently the big guy, Icarus finished early and found some loot. Rodger wasn't really expecting more than a few gold coins as payment, but he figured this was good to. "Lead the way, I don't mind getting the scraps." He moved to follow the pair towards what little treasure remained. There were a few gold pieces to add into his purse, and while the armor he got would never fit him, he could see it for a few more. When Kaede gave him her contact information, he smiled before doing the same, making sure that he included Emerath as well. "Same goes for me. Jobs, Training, or just want to hang around, feel free to call for me."
