_____Protection detail, not exactly something Kaede herself had done before, or could say she would be any real good at since she was more designed for sneaking around or stealing things from people who stole it first but here she was. Kaede and a few others had been hired to assist moving a convoy of supplies into Norforva, and in return help the supplies from there safely return back to Astorea territory. It seemed easy enough to be honest, Kaede could do well enough on her own and with some added help to either take shifts so each could go full steam, or all work to handle threats during the trip.

_____This was up until Kaede heard the very unpleasant sound of horses neighing behind her and her ears moved up slightly and her hair stood on end. Her crimson locks blowing forward as the horse sniffed her and the girl seemed entirely terrified by it. Her body locking to freeze akin to a statue until the horse master moved the creature to the cart and set them to pull it when needed. Kaede would slowly loosen up and relax, frame slowly turning away and moving to the back of the convoy as far from the horses as she could be and with them out of view.

”Ok people start getting ready to leave, we got a long trip ahead and that is counting light resistance from the Norforva locals and common creature sightings. So be sure you ready to go because first location is not far from here and from there on it’s all chance.”

_____The person who handled the horses spoke up over any talking the group might have started as he made his final checks on his horses and the reins. Outside Kaede and the person who would be focused on the cart’s directions she could see five people total. Three others looked like players and the last two just seemed to be some hired help to keep the items inside the wagon from moving to much and tend any wounds someone might get. Rolling her shoulders slowly and adjusting her katana at her side as she heard the reins crack and the group started moving slowly.

_____Kaede would not seem to be much of a talking mood at the start of the trip, her focus more set on the area around them trusting nothing to chance and for good reason, Kaede was still never a fan of the woods, each time she found herself in these parts she got bad luck right on her heels and it was never fun to deal with that at all. Moving her hand to her hilt any time a sound came from outside the group and moving her eyes to focus on the area until given reason not to.

”If only it was not drawn by horses… magic, some low tech machine if I was lucky but horses…”

_____Kaede would shake slightly at her own comments, the end resulting in a light sigh as fate was always slightly or majorly screwing with her. Her mind blocking any more bad thoughts not wanting to give fate the idea to make this worse as she just tried to stay calm but always jumped slightly as the horses neighed or made more noise than just walking and breathing. Hoping for a nice easy trip was all Kaede wanted to think about as she walked behind the group.

_____her choice had two perks and some downsides, the main perk outside not seeing the horses was to make sure the cargo was ok, the second simply being able to make sure nobody followed. The downsides, she would likely be the only one at the back, so if something happen back here she was alone. She also would not be able to rush as fast to aid the front should it get attacked. It was just something she had to do in the end, doubting many would want to be left behind should the wagon try to outrun something attacking them. Moving her hand from her hilt to cover her mouth as she yawned and recalled another perk, not having the rising sun in her eyes.
@Comet | @Backfire | @Solaria

 

They'd only just come back a bit ago from the rescue mission, so it seemed logical to Solaria to try to get in some more practice- whether it was training with Trinity, or doing some quests to help out others in the kingdom. Surely, the rescue mission had felt like a disaster, after all. They'd rescued no one and found themselves falling a hundred feet out of the air onto an awkwardly blanketed ground. The memory sent chills upon her as she set herself up, trying to find the best place to keep herself during the security mission.

The memories sucked, and she'd be taunted by anxiety for a while most likely when it came to heights, but it had taught her a bit about a familiar woman she noticed as part of the group taking on the mission. That alone helped her decide to take a seat next to the crimson-haired swordsman in the back. She didn't know the others, but she knew leaving someone with fear like Kaede alone was probably a bad idea!

"Might want to start asking when you take on a task if there'll be horses involved," She mused. Her words were playfully said, but unintentionally harsh in her choice despite it. Although she was in Victorian garb, she sat cross-legged, knees poking clearly against the fabric of her dress. "I can always switch with someone else later at the helm, but... For now, perhaps resting back here isn't a bad idea. The rearguard is often the most vulnerable anyway."

Rearguard? There she was again, using old kendo and martial arts lingo she had no reason to be using besides habits. Realizing she might sound a bit strange, the girl could only laugh awkwardly, stretching her arms and prepping one of her swords- a newer one with a double-sided blade that she wasn't fully used to yet, and hoped to get some more practice with in this endeavor. "I'm not sure why you're afraid of them, but I promise the horses we're dealing with won't hurt you. If they try, I'll protect you. It's part of my duty, after all. So... Try to rest easy, okay? Focus on the mission, not them. On the mission and on the people at your side. It's a lot less scary then, don't you think?"

 

"Jesus, maybe I'll finally see some action for once... other than blowing up animals I guess."

Backfire was excited. It was probably the first time she might get to blow up a worthy enemy. Thoughts of enemies dropping out of the trees as she torched and incinerated them one by one raced through her head. This is what she had been waiting for. Sure, turning a profit by selling parts of animals she blew up with mines was fun, but watching an enemy get torched because the idiot thought it was a good idea to fight? Priceless. Though, of course, the cherry on top of all of this was that she had been hired to do this, which meant there would be a reward.

Backfire had decided to position herself at the front of the caravan figuring that if there was a roadblock or something, she could show off and blow it out of the way as the caravan charged through.

I seriously hope this goes totally "old west" and I get to fight someone on top of the caravan as it flies down the road. Fighting on a moving cart... Holy crap that would be so badass...

It was then Backfire noticed a familiar flash of red hair.

Hah! Look who it is. Guess I should go say hello.

Backfire headed towards the back of the caravan then approached Kaede with a grin.

"Well, look who it is! Remember me? Of course you do, I'm pretty hard to forget. So you signed up for this too huh? You're looking a bit on edge? Gotta relax, haha! It's an adventure am I right? And if we get attacked, well hell, ALL THE BETTER! I could use a little combat to stretch my legs!"

Backfire turned to the other girl.

"And who might you be? Pretty fancy dress you got on there. You a noble or something? I'm guessing those swords aren't just for show! HAHAHA, with a little luck maybe I'll get to see you use them! The names Backfire: master demolitionist, savvy entrepreneur... and all around badass. If we get into trouble, I'll probably be the flame cannon blowing anything or anyone that decides to mess with the caravan straight to hell! So that's me, now who are you?"

 

One word: money. A life revolving around the wealthiest of men and women had taken its toll on Comet's mindset. She cared less about the well-being of others and more about the rewards given for her own actions. Terrasphere made way for the spoiled young adult to learn more about continuous work to increase the amount of change in her pocket; though the roots of greed had embedded themselves into her soul. Simply for being herself Comet believed she should earn money - or at least be able to buy a form of currency out of the game to be transported to her account. Adjusting to such an inner conflict took time. At least, she told herself time and time again, hunting and the role of an archer are enjoyable to play out. As a jack of all trades when she became Violet in the real world Comet certainly wasn't a stranger to hard work. It happened to be the amount of pay for such tedious tasks that truly bothered her.

Such an attitude makes obvious that someone will do just about anything asked to see the shimmer of gold held in their hands. Desire runs through the dark blue veins that ever-so often will highlight milky skin. And, when the blood boils, this desire is prominent in words spoken with a certain tone of subtle demand. A convoy shipment seemed an easy enough effort to interest Comet who negotiated the price for hiring while emphasizing her skills of astonishing feats. Developed methods from the outside world weaved themselves into the game's - unintentionally. Violet is a long way from Comet, even if in ways that seem small to most, but it's clearly inevitable that they share similarities in the end.

Approaching the given destination the pink-haired woman caught sound of a familiar voice: An eccentric and a bit annoyingly - yet amusing - loud one. The appearance matched with such uniqueness. Backfire. A pale hand hid pink lips forming into a smile proving to be quite difficult to fight against. They'd met while hastily completing a carnival; Backfire's impression of an equally greedy person had been as intriguing as her unnoticed beauty or scary adoration for fireworks. Two other females made themselves present as Comet arrived at the caravan. With a slight wave and proper grin she took a quick moment to observe the group. Intimidating eyes, held by one of the shorter players of the group, and fiery red locks seemed to match the curves of a body Comet had almost immediately become envious of. In contrast, a bright green hue lit up the thin woman with an unfavorable style of dress that had sat herself nearby.

With a clearing of the throat Comet used the noise to make her presence more known before hopping onto the back of the caravan to join in conversation she'd heard but failed to make out. "Hi." she feigned innocence and good intentions while gripping her bow, as if awaiting some sort of approval. A flash of pearly teeth and shimmer of the eyes gave off a warm and welcoming aura that was highly preferred by the pink-haired woman for first-time meetings with others. On the inside her greed begged for compensation. No other emotion could overpower this hunger but wouldn't be allowed to distract from a practiced persona.

@Backfire @Kaede Hoshi @Solaria

 

"Eyyyy…. Look who it is! HAHA, you’re in on this mission too, eh?”

Backfire recognized Comet from their various run-ins. Like Backfire, Comet also had a taste for the finer things, which was something Backfire respected. You see, Backfire knew that there were only two ways that people ever really became friends. The first was that you shared common interests. For instance, Backfire and Comet both liked riches. Backfire had a taste for gold herself, and honestly being wealthy was tied for number one goal along with “feared and powerful.” In this way, Backfire acknowledged Comet as an ally of money, and therefore, an ally of hers.

In case you were wondering, the other way people becomes friends is when they’re forced to. For instance, when your wife forces you to hang out with her friend’s husband. Maybe he’s a nice guy, maybe he’s not, but the two of you were forced into spending time together much like mother’s put their babies in the same pen hoping they would get along. This is how Backfire viewed the other two. Maybe they were fine, maybe they weren’t. Kaede had caught a bear for her with sand, so that was kind of cool, but Backfire didn’t really know much else about her. The last girl was a mystery, though Backfire assumed by her dress that she liked money, or at the very least had some of it with that whole Victorian getup.

“I’m hoping this mission gives a payout, mama needs a new pair of shoes, am I right?”

Backfire nudged Kaede with her elbow.

“Kaede gets it. Damn, you guys hoping someone attacks, that way we can ransack their wallets? I figure we can just put everything in a pot then divvy it up evenly whenever this whole mess is over. I’m telling you, I’m really looking forward to seeing some action!”

Backfire leaned backwards and forwards doing warm up stretches.

“What are everyone’s abilities anyway? I’m guessing you with the swords probably slashes things. I know Kaede has sand magic. Comet’s got her bow. As for me…"

Backfire let a flame ignite in the palm of her hand.

I do fire things. Not just any fire thing either, deal mostly with explosions. Demolition you know, regular fireballs are… well boring. Like, shooting a fireball is so normal… but using magic mines and exploding things? Well, that’s just SOO MUCH COOLER! LIKE, AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE WITH ALL THE HEAT, THE FLAMES, THE FORCE OF THE BURST, THE WAY THINGS GOING FLYING!

Leaning to the side with a hand on her hip and her other arm over her head, Backfire continued stretching.

“Nothing else like it in my opinion! Can even do fireworks! Real cloud pleaser shooting fireworks into the sky. So what’s up, y’all like fireworks? I do obviously, but I’m rambling.”

Feeling loose and limber Backfire put her hands behind her head in a resting position.

“So, what’s up with all of you? Quiet types?”

@Kaede Hoshi @Solaria @Comet

 

Kaede Hoshi

100 HP

MAX HP

90 EN

MAX EN

_____When everyone else began talking Kaede sort of left them to that, she did not feel like talking since it would break her focus on forgetting the horses existed. Watching Backfire talk so much and assume Kaede only had sand magic made her slightly annoyed, waving her hand to match the fire trick that the girl had done more waving her other hand off her hilt to allow lightning to arc around her hair, and form a ball of arcane magic to fuse with her fire orb to stabilize the wild element in a shell. The talkative girl would get just what she wanted, and Kaede was rather annoyed by that as her ears stood up slightly and she rushed to the left side of the cart watching the motion keeping up with the slow moving group.

_____A small set of hollering before Bandits began rushing from the right and back sides of the group causing the horses to stir as fire magic cut them off. Spinning her hands around her orb before pushing her wrist to send the orb spinning towards the forest area, clashing with a over eager bandit and causing the area to first blow backwards as Arcane energy consumed it, then burning a golden light as the arcane magic caught fire like napalm, but short lived and highly effective leaving a patch of the forest area empty.

Arcana Napalm

_____Moving to reach for her sword and charging the clearing as more bandits began rushing out. Kaede was going to yell at backfire later for jinxing the bad omen but for now she herself had work to get done. Lifting her sword over her head as a bandit fell from one of the trees trying to cut her down before pushing them away and moving one hand to aim at his torso and began a quick chant as sparks trailed from her air across the outreached arm to her fingers before blasting a bolt of lightning to his sword and turning him into barbecue.

Lightning bounce

”Not my fucking day! Someone take care of the fire mage who is holding the fire wall so we can advance, doubt we can handle the numbers if this drags out.”
@Solaria | @Comet | @Backfire

 

The woman with a notable energy had talked to her with swift words that left her stunned- the woman was as intent on excitement as she was likely longing for it, making the inner martyr that tugged at Solaria's soul cringe and twist. "My name's Solaria. I'd appreciate if you try to be careful on this trip. I'm all for a battle, but if we have one, please pay heed to your safety. I'd rather not lose my mind." Giggling nervously, she held out a hand to offer a a proper response to @Backfire, head leaning on her shoulder.

"This dress... I just thought it looked nice, though I do have a title for Astorea, actually. I'm a viscountess, not that I care about it much. I find the alchemy shop I run much more pleasing than that. All I did was pay money for either, but at least my shop is helpful to others overall."

She was proud of her pharmacy, to say the least. Her lips were curled in a notable smile when @Comet said hello, fingers moving to wave in greeting as she relaxed her form further, waiting for whatever might come after them with a sigh.

Wanting to say no to 'wanting a fight', Solaria had to admit she wasn't against it either, making her pale lightly in her mind. I wanted to train, after all... A fight would be good for that... Partially lying about her interest, she mused quietly, "I guess a fight might be nice..."

Hearing the question about skills, she replied, "As noted, I'm an alchemist and have fair amount of skill with a blade. In fact, I'm fairly close to a master with my sword. I also have healing magic, in case anyone gets hurt... It doubles as a booster to attacks if we fight anything dark and ungodly, if wanted. Pretty handy, in the end, even if I'm still not used to playing support."

When the bandits arrived and the fire mage afar began to continue to bring in more troops of them, Solaria jumped to her feet with a growl. Nodding to @Kaede Hoshi, opted to take the problem head-on herself. Fire wasn't weak to light, but it surely wasn't strong either... Especially when she could sense evil intentions, which might help make him a good target for the gods.

"Follow the light into the future!"

Fate's Force

She sent a ray of light at the mage when requested, seeing it pierce his skin like an arrow, bursting through his cloak and singing him like the holy sun. "There's a healer involved, I can tell! Someone get the cleric, or I won't be able to finish this one off!" She growled, glaring at the bandits that continued to run towards them. "Damn! If only I could kill a fellow cleric with light!"

 

Backfire watched as the magical colors fused in Kaede’s hand.

“HAH! SO YOU CAN DO MORE THAN SAND. NOT BAD! IT’S PRETTY, BUT CAN IT STAND UP TO MY FIRE?! HAHAHA!

Backfire grinned.

“Honestly, I’ve seen a lot of other magic types with pretty spells that kind of lack the… oomph of the gold standard. Though I’ll be real, if I could get my hands on some lime-green fire, that would be pretty killer!”

Turning back to Solaria, Backfire let out a hearty chuckle.

“No one ever made history paying heed to safety! HAHAHA! Not saying I’m trying to make history, just saying it’s better to live how you want! Haha! Viscountess? You can actually be royalty in this game? Damn… so if I wanted to be a Baroness, I could do that? I don’t really know what a Baroness would do in this world, I just think the title would be sweet. Did that have anything to do with your shop? You know, I do a little trading myself, mostly in animal parts mind you. Business ain’t bad, could always be better but I’m sure you know how that goes! Haha!”

In a flash, bandits were on them. Kaede had gone out running towards some of them yelling about how it was a bad day. How could it be a bad day when you get to put some boot too trouser? That’s what Backfire thought anyway. After Kaede, Solaria had sent a light beam at the mage that had been causing trouble. She said something about not being able to handle the cleric though.

Guess I’m on cleric duty.

“ @Comet , BACK ME UP! HAHA! LOOKS LIKE I’M GOING TO HAVE TO PLAY DEVIL ON THIS ONE!"

Backfire turned to the cleric cupping her hands and shouted.

"SAY YOUR PRAYERS HOLY MAN! NO GOD IS SAVING YOU TODAY!"

Quick Burst

​

Backfire used to bursts in succession to charge the cleric. The first closed the distance, the second charged the cleric hitting him and knocking him into the ground.

Fire Mine

​

Backfire quickly casted a fire mine on the cleric’s chest. She pulled him up by the collar.

“HAH! What you got on you right there is a bomb cleric. I can’t set it off any time I damn well please. Now you got two options, first is you work for me now. Then, maybe I let you live. Second option is you going “pop.” So, what’s it going to be? HAHAHA!"

 

@Solaria , revealing herself as a Noble, immediately piqued Comet's interest. Both her title and alchemist work were the reasons behind this sudden shine of the eyes. However, only a wave of the hand and a few words were taken in though Comet noted to ask more about nobility later on. While enjoying @Backfire's flamboyant, loud and talkative personality, Comet quickly jumped to her feet in disturbance upon picking up the sound of the reckless bandits. Her bow rested comfortably within the tight grip of her hands that began an expected shaking. Working through the setback that'd become second nature she prepared herself for battle. The impressive abilities - especially the flashy magic shows, as she called them - of the rest of the group had her set on proving her might in combat as well. Arrows pierced men one by one, at a steady rate, some taking more hits than the others, as Backfire recklessly worked her way towards the cleric. Rolling her eyes in response Comet managed to protect the brunette as much to her ability as possible before focusing on the other women.

She remained in what could be considered the back of the group to ensure her Ranged mastery would go to good use. Up-close combat never seemed to be quite in her favor, unfortunately. Scanning all around, locking onto any nearby enemies, she picked them off as quickly as possible to get the job down. Furrowed brows and pursed lips gave no reply to anyone. During fights she rarely chose to spoke unless spirits needed lifting or orders needed to be given. Otherwise, body language and gestures seemed to serve as enough communication for the pink-haired woman who now had slicked back her long locks. A sign of being prepared and eager for further combat if deemed necessary. Nobody would get in her way of payment. If given the time she would prep a few traps and hastily place them for protection. She noted to track the behavior of the enemy and use IM to ensure the group's safety every once in a while.

@Kaede Hoshi

 

_____Kaede Let her mind filter down, she was no stranger to fighting against larger odds and one key thing she learned was to forget what you do not need to think about at the time and focus on the combat. Where each was, what they seemed to have with them, how fast they could move and attack, and who deemed the focus target. Sword slowly spinning as Kaede lowered her stance and dashed forward, frame spinning to the right as she start to cut down the ranks of the rushing bandits. One of the perks of mastered rogue showing clearly.

_____Kaede’s movement was almost liquid when it came to evading, Body bending every which way and able to perform flips and spins on the tip of a hat to evade every attack while clearing out the foes. Magic would not be useful to her as it was, contacting a spirit and getting their help with a spell was a waste of time when she could move and evade so quickly just with her weapon and body. Passing one of her teammates and hopping over them to impale a bandit before hopping away to her next target.

”Get on!”

______As the fires began to die down the convoy leader cracked the ropes sending the horses to start picking up speed advising the group to get back to the wagon before it left them behind despite the enemy ranks still numerous. Kaede mumbling to herself as she rushed to each member away from the wagon from the farthest and teleported them back to it before herself. She knew the odds had not been in their favor and while it would simple mean the bandits would be waiting for them to return it was going to be to much for them currently. Falling over as Kaede exhaled and tried to move her arm, turning to see it stuck in a box she sighed lightly.

”Hard as hell to aim that when moving I swear… Good news it does not hurt and i can feel my hand so that’s a plus. Just stuck for now…”
@Solaria | @Backfire | @Comet

 

In a flash, Backfire was back on the convoy.

"HAHAHA! Huh, are we back on the convoy now?"

Backfire looked over the edge of the cart and saw the remaining bandits fade into the distance behind them.

"We not fighting them anymore? Guess we need to get this thing going already. Not bad for the first skirmish. HAHAHA! LOOKING FORWARD TO SOME MORE SCUFFLES LIKE THAT, AM I, RIGHT TEAM?! DAMN, IT FEELS GOOD TO JUST LET YOURSELF LOOSE SOMETIMES. LIKE, IT JUST REALLY TAKES THE EDGE OFF OF ALL THE TROUBLE IT TAKES TO TRY AND SELL PEOPLE CRAP THAT PROBABLY DON'T NEED! HAHAHA!

Backfire turned to Kaede and gave her a congratulatory slap on the back.

"NOT BAD MOVES! I LIKED THAT WHOLE FWOOSH, WATERY, YOU CAN'T HIT SHIT STYLE YOU GOT GOING THERE. COURSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL THE EFFORT DODGING IF YOU JUST VAPORIZE 'EM HAHAHA!"

Backfire's eyes went wide as she remembered.

"AH! DAMN! WE LEFT BEHIND MY HOSTAGE! HE WAS A HEALER! THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN USEFUL TO HAVE! Man... and after all the trouble. Well, whatever. I guess he survived the day. Was going to blow him up if he did anything stupid. HAHA!"

Backfire looked around to everyone.

"NICE MOVES ALL ROUND, I'M LIKING THE HUSTLE! MAN, I'LL TELL YOU GUYS, FOR A SECOND I WORRIED THIS WOULD BE BORING! THESE THIEVES CAN BRING THEIR WHOLE DAMN BANDIT GUILD! HELL, I HOPE THEY DO! MAKE A LITTLE EXTRA STEALING THE THIEVES GEAR! HAHAHA, YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY, MORE MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS!"


@Backfire @Kaede Hoshi @Comet @Solaria

 

At the moment, Solaria was starting to think she saw why @Backfire chose the name she did. She was, after all, really fiery- and perhaps likely to let herself fail because of being almost more reckless than the martyr was. Her energy boomed triumphantly through the air, surprising the woman a bit. Something about the magic user's voice was just... Well, like fireworks against her ears.

"I became a Viscountess because I donated a lot of money to help rebuild the castle. That might as well be a waste now, though, to be honest. And I don't know anything about nobility and whatnot either. I just kind of got it. It's fun to say, but it's pretty useless otherwise... The main perk I got was a discount building my apothecary."

She laughed timidly, until the battle escalated- and they were pretty close to being annihilated, or so it'd seemed. Everything was starting to feel like a blur until the moment she found herself teleported abruptly away from the scene, and saw @Kaede Hoshi collapsing to the ground to catch her breath, the rest of the group in the same spot, as if they'd been saved by invisible forces- even if it was really their own teammate.

When Backfire noted the need for a healer, Solaria raised her hand with a grin. "Actually, I'm an expert in illumancy myself. We didn't need a guy like him for anything but leverage. We may not have that now, but..." With a deep breath, she chanted her favorite spell- one that, though normally meant for a single target, could help heal an entire group when needed, such as a time like this.

"Let's look back to before harm's way found you."​

Fate Rewind

Light left her hand and entered her comrades, her eyes reopening as she fell to her knees to take a breather herself. She made sure to glance at the entire group, first to the tired Kaede, then to the ever energetic Backfire, and finally to the quietest to her, @Comet. "I can do it a couple more times if needed... Tell me how much more you want, and I'll do my best to supplement. I might have some health potions on me too that I made this morning. I don't run an apothecary for nothing, you know!"

 

The rush back to the convoy, as it'd continued on without them, proved to be as tedious as fighting the bandits. She decided to remain in the carriage next time because picking off targets wasn't - and wouldn't be - a problem with a bow alongside praiseworthy eyesight. Jittery legs refrained from allowing the strained woman to sit herself down thus Comet remained standing after hopping back on; hardly any anxieties muddled her mind on this particular day, seeing as combat and interesting company were enough distraction from just about anything else. "The castle in Dormant?" her ears perked up as @Solaria spoke, and though Comet hardly knew much about the world she still mustered the courage to ask about it. Mainly, she found herself far more interested in the scenery and people and creatures. The history or problems only concerned her greed or loyalty to protecting the freedom to roam around as she desired. Somehow a faithfulness to Astorea planted itself in her heart among the very few areas she cared about. If Solaria answered with a yes then a newfound respect could grow for the thin, Noble woman.

"You sure are something," Comet's eyes glimmered as she watched and listened to @Backfire. Absolutely no adventure could be complete or boring with the pyromaniac joining in, frankly, or so the pink-haired woman would believe. The comment might've come off roughly but she meant it as an honest compliment: one that'd been stuck among her many jumbled thoughts until now. If the subtle praise and interest hadn't already been hints. Comet's attention briefly flicked to @Kaede Hoshi, who showed off stunning moves during the bandit attack and even more so an impressive beauty. Unfortunately the red-head wasn't exactly talkative or capable, yet, of giving off a first impression that the pink-haired woman couldn't help but notice. Before being able to reach out or continue to dwell on the observations Solaria performed a group-healing spell. Though she hardly if ever held a liking for magic or its users a chuckle escaped pink lips that'd formed into a pleased grin. "Lovely work," Comet clapped for the thin woman out of entertainment and appreciation. "You were sweet from the start, so I'm not sure why I couldn't guess before now that you're a healer. Alchemy wasn't enough help, hmm?" she placed clapping hands back into her lap, retreating to a previously forged silence, but admittedly felt much safer in the presence of a player who'd taken up the Illumancy mastery.

 

"HAHAHAHA! MAN! I FEEL LIKE I'M JUST WARMING UP!"

As Backfire loudly boasted and laughed, she failed to notice a quickly approaching low hanging branch.

"BUT SERIOUSLY, HAHAHA HOW AWESOME WA--"

Bang! The branch slammed into the back of her head.

"Oooooww!"

Rubbing the back of her head she checked her hand to notice some black dust.

"Uh oh."

What Backfire couldn't see was that the injury to the back of her head and formed cracks in her growing slowly bigger down her forehead, then cheeks, and neck. Looking down at her hands, Backfire saw that the cracks were also about to spread. Slowly, Backfire began crumbling, shards of her falling off. In the cracks appearing all over her skin and clothing, a black glossy substance could be seen. As she stood there, fragments, then pieces, and finally chunks fell off her hitting the ground, shattering, then evaporating into nothing. As more and more pieces broke off of her, eventually the entirety of her shattered and in her place...

"Oh shoot."

Grand Witch Majolica awkwardly looked at everyone on the cart, then regaining her composure struck a pose.



"Hehehe! I fooled you! I was Grand Witch Majolica all along! Yes, that Grand Witch Majolica! The fiercest witch in all of Terrasphere and future ruler of the world! Hehehe! Be in awe of my immense magical powers, and be grateful that I've come to accompany you on this mission, hehehe!"

Holding out her hand, Majolica smirked. Moments later, from somewhere seemingly out of site, a broomstick flew into her outstretched hand.

"Even though my perfect illusion broke, that doesn't change anything! I'm getting my reward and any stupid bandits that try and stop me will have to face my wrath! Hehehe!"



[OOC I merged Backfire/Agatha into Majolica recently. I'm explaining this in game by saying Majolica has been using her illusion magic to take on different personas.]

 

”You don’t mind if i open this box right? I just need to check on my hand so i can try to get it out of the mess it is currently in…”

_____Kaede spoke up to double check with the convoy leader who nodded the ok. Carefully peeling the lid enough to see her hand still intact, she began to mumble a quick chant before she vanished. A moment or two after Kaede reappeared sitting on the box checking her limbs and body to make sure she did not mess up this time around also. Moving away from the front of the cart to sit at the back again and nervously look over her shoulder towards the horses before shivering and thanking her luck to not appear on one of them.

”If your illusion magic was perfect a whack to the back of the head would still have kept it up dear. I also wish you refrain from jinxing more bandits or the sort.”

_____Kaede calmly spoke up before drawing her Katana and starting to clean and sharpen the blade while they had a moment of peace. The rapid speed of the convoy was something tricky to work around but nothing she could not handle well enough to avoid cutting herself or someone else who got close to her. If the spot they likely would be going matched Kaede’s thoughts it would take some time to arrive there.

”We should decide who does what, if we just attack randomly we might catch each other or worse. Not to mention we should establish how far from the cart we get… We got lucky last fight but the next should it happen… we might not...”

_____Kaede moved her blade up to look down the weapon to double check her work before moving it back into the sheath and going over her UI calmly to stash it away and get out her daggers. This fight was not something she should take likely it seemed, not to mention she had a feeling the worst was still up ahead of the group and that slightly worried Kaede more than the horses.