Reports stated that the once lush, plentiful forest of Zalra had fallen victim to a mystical malady. That was the long and short of the Guild's assessment on the matter, and they seemed to care less than he did for a more elaborate explanation. The one thing they knew was that the miasma that set in attracted new, more dangerous beasts that plagued merchants and bystander alike. Of these, one creature soared above all others. Terror still chilled the veins of his informant as Kijin led the way back to where it had purportedly been sighted. The stout man stank of fear as he glanced from side to side, body seized with trepidation. "Stop that," the Swordsman growled. The merchant jumped out of his skin. "I beg your pardon?" he tittered in a high pitched voice, then swallowed and let out a measured, "stop what?" "They smell fear," Kijin explained without a glance back. "I came for Garuda, I'm not interested in the ensemble. If we're attacked, I'm leaving you to it." He promptly wrinkled his nose as the acrid scent of ammonia wafted across it. "Quaint." "Now see here," the merchant chirped. "I paid a pretty penny to get someone out here to deal with this bastard-" "And deal with it I shall," Kijin rounded on his benefactor with a thin smile. "Have some faith. This isn't some easy game we're hunting. Oh no." If it were, I wouldn't be here. The bearded, middle aged midget gulped. "That's what I'm afraid of."
After a couple of hours of travel by foot, which Bradwynne was accustomed to do since he was also huntingor anything on his way, he reached this bizarre place. This area was once said to be a lush forest, but now it was as if he was in a cave which had its top removed. The surroundings were riddled with crystals of various sizes, sparkling as he walked along the glassy path. The crystals looked very pretty to the sight, which could make the onlooker forget that this situation was more of a malady than a boon to the area. The crystals were a testament to the sickness pervading the area which made it quite hard to live in. But some of the creatures here managed to survive, only to be riddled with these crystals that made them hard to attack without injuring oneself. Fortunately this sickness did not turn them into ferocious beasts that would attack anything on sight, they function more or less like the normal fauna found in the surrounding areas when undisturbed. So it should be quite safe to walk around here, except the occasional threat of beasts getting berserk and attacking a passerby, or the rarer encounters of naturally aggressive creatures in the area. Bradwynne had himself ready for such things, since he was also searching for a rare oddity in this area, to hunt it down. Rumor had it that mystical creatures had started to appear in Crystallized Zalra, apparently drawn by the malady that had stricken the resident flora and fauna in the area, and those creatures were making it harder for the merchants and travelers to travel through this area. One particular of those beasts that started to harry the passers-by was apparently called Garuda, maybe just a word that originated from players, and it imposed a greater threat to the people than any other beast combined. Intrigued with this rumor, Bradwynne set out to this area to see for himself. Hopefully a handful of players would also be there, since he was not that confident that he could tackle it all by himself. After a short while, he reached the place where the supposed Garuda was spotted recently. This should be the first spot to look for clues as to where its current whereabouts might be. as he trudged forward, he noticed two people in that same spot where the Garuda was last spotted. And it was a coincidence: he knew one particular person of the two. He was one of the former commanders of Southwatch and companion in the guarding of transporting Falderen soldiers. With one such helper to vanquish the Garuda, what more could he ask for? The second person was quite unassuming, maybe he was an informant of sorts. Bradwynne then moved towards the two, and then asked, "You're here for the Garuda too?" just to confirm his thoughts.
Ah, Crystallized Zalra. That brought back nice memories. Mining the Prisms with Eldhi, adventuring in the passageway with Magi…wait a second here. Wow, he really did have some shitty encounters here, huh? Nothing but conflicts, eh? But in a land as diseased as this, perhaps it only made sense that all he could find was the broken and the insane. The winter chills were subdued now, northern winds replaced by the spring breeze, only small mounds of snow remaining now. Dark eyes naturally slid over to the mountain peaks of Hyland. Deva, and now Garuda, hm? Maybe he should make a collection out of this after all. Slender fingers brushed against the moonlight feather pinned in his hair, and Cain smiled slightly at the frozen chill that persisted in there. A reminder of past glory. Encouragement for the next monumental task before him. Following rumors of an avian with wings wreathed in crystal, he had travelled a great distance to bloody its nose. Gwyn wasn’t with him, but Cain wasn’t weak enough to be cowed just because he had not a single powerful companion alongside him. She had carved into the body of the Deva of Frozen Lightning with her hands alone, and that…that, he wanted to try. A crystalline growth creeped up on his cheek, and without even thinking about it, Cain tore it off, the warmth of blood seeping out of the torn flesh. The unique affliction of Crystallized Zalra, hm? It encroached upon his body faster now, but it was still no concern. The very fact that the phantasmal noose hadn’t strung itself around his neck was indicative of that. No worries. No alternative paths. Not yet, at least. Brushing past the petrified foliage, the midnight haired muse grimaced reflexively when he realized that others had already made it to last known location of the Garuda. Familiar faces, both of them. Kijin, the melee range warrior with a chip on his shoulder the size of Australia, who probably used the game as a way to release all the homicidal impulses that he gathers from his horribly shitty life. At least he looked motivated? Yup. More prominent than Bradwynne at least, that weirdo that showed up out of nowhere to fight the Convicted Saviors. What was his shtick again? Cain did his best to puzzle it out, but ultimately, all he could come up with was “someone who used swords and sunshine”. As far as he was concerned, neither of them were heroes or legends, or even veterans, but perhaps that was for the best? Yeah, he was fine with seeing what sort of gems are forged under the pressure of crystalline death. “Heyo,” the Harmonics Master waved cheerfully, an easygoing smile on his face, “You bunch here for the kill as well? We doing this co-op? Or competitive?” A pause, a more curious glance, as he took in their composition. “You two waiting on a third or brought a bow or something? Not sure if you can throw swords all that far.”
Seriously... was this a curse or a addiction? Maybe it was just that everywhere else except maybe Norfova or the Hylands had nothing but wimpy stuff to shoot dead. Saving every little critter and random person that passed by was not very effective and just drained energy. It was fun early on but Tenebris was ready to do something else today. Go hunting. That may seem strange considering it was a waste of time in the overall. Tenebris though... Tenebris just needed something like this sometimes. Maybe it's built up stress from her grieving, pain wracked body. Or just that she was building more and more grudge for one reason or another. Something she had discovered was that for some reason... a lot of her grief was coming from elsewhere. The rose really had that much grief in it? Wasn't it her own? Whatever. She was here to shoot things, have fun, and maybe give some much deserved painful deaths to the creatures that did actually live... naw, existed here. Living in this place was a stretch. Leaping from the top of a jagged crystal unto the long thin crystal platform that was probably the branch of a giant oak at one time. She looked around from her perch and began to charge her black mana some. Gee whiz, of course that was a major reason she was doing this. She had no idea how some guy could just grab her by the chin and her mastery list would change nor why her menu that was already all jumbled and looked like a glitched mess was now practically unreadable. It was nice to be free from that temporary healing and recovery crap though! That fake and ineffective healing was just no longer worth it. Much better, faster, and more pleasant to just let the needy enjoy the suffering before she frees them. Black Magic was perfect for that purpose. "....Hmmmm." Gertrud appeared with a flourish into her right hand. Instantly pain zapped up her arm yet her face barely registered it. The cursed pleasure of the bow was old hat by now. Now... what was the best target in this place for her practice? "HEEELLLLLLOOOOOOOO!!!! BAAAAAAADDDDDIIIIIEEESSSSSS!!!!!!! EEEEEAAAAASSSSSSYYYYYY TAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGEEEEEEET!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed in a high pitched voice like a little banshee. It echoed off the crystalline landscape. Surely this will bring all the crystal thingies to her! @Kijin Shihaku @Bradwynne @Cain Darlite
Kijin frowned only slightly when he heard another voice, and instantly he started to wonder just how many people were privy to the Intel he managed to squeeze out of his informant. He was about to round on the merchant and ask exactly how many people the poor sod had told when the familiar voice of @Cain Darlite broke his train of thought and grounded him back in reality. He regarded the self-proclaimed herald and @Bradwynne evenly, a hand on one hip. "Seems I'm not the only one who heard about this party," he conceded in a nonchalant voice, "but I'm not looking to hog all of the glory this time, so I'd be happy to work with the two of you to bring down the beastie. After all, some healing and long distance could go a long way, if the Garuda is remotely like the mythos surrounding it states." Hopefully, the other two had done half the research on the specimen that he had. At first, he mistakenly expected to find an over grown avian. What he learned when he delved into books for an answer unnerved him, if only just a bit. It also excited him endlessly. ...but that last bit, not so much. "What the hell was that?" Kijin snapped, his crimson gaze flashing from left to right on high alert. All of Zalira shivered like the Aftershock of an earthquake as the shrill voice echoed, and the Swordsman wasted no time freeing the blade from his back. "Everyone, on guard, quickly!" The sound subsided, but another rumble swiftly took its place. The ground trembled beneath a thousand footfalls as all manner of beasts vacated their living spaces and took to the canopy for safety. Those unfortunate enough to remain grounded slinked away into the depths of Flora that littered the forest floor. Kijin watched a twisted, malformed version of what might pass for an antelope gallop past, disregarding all interest in the group of four clustered at the center of the path. Other creatures followed at top speed, and the fear that irradiated them was palpable. Then, he heard something faint coming from above. Hidden Let's roll! Thrown die: 43 I'll reveal what happens at the top of the round. :D
Bradwynne was not long in the area before another person arrived. Well this person was an unknown, but Bradwynne was thankful for another person, nonetheless. As he inquired if they were also here for the hunt, and if they were doing a co-op, he said, "Well yeah, the Garuda is a rare sight. Maybe we could fetch a huge sum for this one. Also helps with the travelers too." He then felt a strange growth within his mouth while he was talking, something really hard was slamming on his teeth as he was speaking. He then put his hand in his mouth, and with a slight yell, he picked off a quite small crystal from his mouth, blood oozing from its tip. "Hey look, a jewel. How much should it fetch?" He then threw the crystal away. "Damn it stings, looks like I would have a cold sore tomorrow. Maybe I should go to the doctor... wait, I am a doctor." He then coughed dryly and then said, "Anyway it should be better if we do a co-op, and maybe it should be better if we have someone who could do ranged attacks at our side. My ability to climb and jump could only do much. But anyway, split rewards. If someone runs off with more than others do... God knows who does not pay." He gave a slight emphasis on the words "who does", so it would sound much like "Judas". As he was still speaking, he was startled by a shout. The voice was quite twisted, but it seemed really familiar to Bradwynne. He had heard that voice once in a spring in Astorea, and he could not mistake it for another. "Magi Heart?!" Bradwynne had yearned for that voice, and as he said those words, it was in a pained manner. What had just happened to her? It seemed that all the demonic persona of Bradwynne when he was still the Demon Ronin of Astorea went into her. What about that promise that they had made in that spring? Did she still remember it? Hopefully she still, and maybe somehow she heard him mutter those words in the inn a day before. Well maybe she had learned to be like him, joking even in dire situations! Hopefully it was that way, since he would be hurt if Magi had decided to discard everything that a hero meant. In that case he would... His thoughts were interrupted by a small quake that erupted quite a distance from them. Maybe Magi had called the main baddie here, Bradwynne thought as he slowly moved towards the source of the shock, his arms near his katana in a drawing stance. A lot of creatures were moving towards his direction, but they just passed by him, seemingly more afraid of the source of the shock than anything. As Bradwynne thought, there were two reasons why a shock erupted there, One, that it was a meteor that had fallen on the ground. Two, that it was a footfall of a huge creature. In the case of the latter, hopefully it was the Garuda that they were looking for. If not, then it was such a shame, for they expend their energy on something that was not their target. Hopefully it would fetch a huge amount though. Cautiously, the tsuka of the katana near his right hand, Bradwynne advanced. It would not hurt to be vigilant in this case, as any carelessness would lead to disaster, maybe even instant death. Hidden: Dice Roll Thrown die: 40
"HEEELLLLLLOOOOOOOO!!!! BAAAAAAADDDDDIIIIIEEESSSSSS!!!!!!! EEEEEAAAAASSSSSSYYYYYY TAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGEEEEEEET!!!!!!!!!!" For all the fun, cooperative talks that they were having amongst the three dudes (boring shit, really), Cain was almost glad when he heard the banshee warcry of the psychotic Witch of Scarlet Thorns. Of course she was here. Of course she was going to pull off a stunt like this. Of course, of course, of course. While the others snapped to attention, and while the beasts of Crystallized Zalra retreated from the epicenter of the vocal explosion, the Flagbearer of Miracles simply laughed and flourished his gilded Lute, fingers already in place to thrum the strings. “Oh, don’t worry about her too much, @Kijin Shihaku ,” Cain replied above the din of the escaping beasts and Magi Heart’s own dramatic proclamation, “Guess my psycho stalker followed me all the way up to Zalra too. It’s all alright though. She’s probably the strongest person here, ye?” Well, it would totally be in character for Magi not to try her best in this scenario though, if it meant that she got to enjoy all the pain and suffering for longer. So maybe, just maybe, her presence wasn’t the best thing? Naw, no way. Magi was great! And even if she may currently be enjoying her edgy goth phase, she was still a former hero, with all the teamworking abilities that such a title possesses. Putting himself at ease here, the midnight haired muse rotated his wrists, widened his eyes, and thrummed his chords. A simple, peppy song that was at odds with the beast they were about the face resounded through the shattered forest. No magic. No fury. Not yet. Only… "Hey, @Magi Heart ! It's super weird, isn't it, how I keep bumping into you here? How's it going? Caused much grief to your boss yet? Or is this still same old same old for yah, with the whole Prism farming business?" Thrown die: 59
Crimson eyes squinted with a mischievous smile as Tenebris readied Gertrud for her prey. Her arrow hand charged with energy much darker than the deep purple she used. It was more like a black fire now. Black Magic furthering her griefful descent into darkness. Was that the man who gave it to her's objective? Tenebris did not seek darkness, not at all. It was a means to a end... a means to do what she wanted to do so badly. "Wowzers,there are more of you little guys then I thought? Run, run ,run away! Tene will help end your day❤ ! Hehehehe!" She prepared to rain this crystallized forest with a black hail of love, but it was interrupted. First was a loud noise like something far above was approaching. The animals were running from something after all and Tenebris knew they were too stupid to run from just her alone. Steadying herself and maintaining balance on the shaking branch was not too difficult. Allowing Tenebris to retain her higher altitude. Her eyes scanned around marking off each tree she could leap to on the fly if needed. Her black gloved fingers twitching from irritation that she had yet to release any mana yet. This was much different of course from Magi's early days of trying to use the treetops for archery. Back then she would fall off and lose a whole quarter or more of health just by being the dope she was. Before she could do anything else, voices were heard. Close ones. Her eyes shifted straight below her where there were some guys just hanging around... Each had a different level of familiarity for the distorted Magi. First was some guy in dark clothes and a man who looked like a merchant, whom she was sure she never saw before in her life. The others were dressed in white.. a blond she could not exactly place a finger on and.... Gee whiz... "Cain. I dunno.... Are you still a loser? " Her words were a bit more bitter than normal. She wanted to fight not talk damn it. What business did he have in her private matters anyway? "I do what I want. I told you that already you tone deaf squawker. Eventually you'll get to sing your swan song, *snicker*, I promise." A magic arrow formed in her hand and it's blazing tip aimed at the group below. She smirked at him while feeling the strongest urge to just start firing. Her body emitted a shadowy translucent aura. "I'm hunting today. I have a magic I want to try out more.... see?" She quickly shifted her aim to a remaining crystallized critter that had been slow to run, a near human sized, blue spiky hedgehog crawling along the ground .A Grudeg Arrow flew. The blast of purple and black struck the creature and it's body began to rot away, instantly killed by impact and it's corpse to incinerate shortly after. "Goodbye! Hehehehe... no more crystal disease for you❤ !" Her eyes shifted to Bradwynne, but gave him nothing but a second before she focused on... Hidden Thrown die: 18
