Splash, slosh, splish…

Small, muddy craters had been carved into the unpaved road as steel boots repeatedly met with soil. Having only gray clouds above and the occasional crackle of lighting in the distance to act as company, Alric was not a happy camper. Despite playing a part in saving this world being consumed by an ancient creature peace would not be coming to Terrasphere. When the proverbial meal of dealing with Titanius was finished and his plate had seemingly been licked clean by the time a celebration was held, the powers that be decided to give him a second helping of problems to solve.

---

After passing through the village gate he paused to survey the settlement. Due to the rain he figured there wouldn't be many people out and about today. As a result any rebuilding in the wake of the calamity had been halted for now to avoid any further casualties.

With the storm only picking up in intensity, Alric thought it would be best not to dawdle for too long. He made his way toward the local tavern intent on waiting out the poor weather, only to be met with a room full of adventurers and NPCs alike when he entered the building. Players had been sent all over the kingdom to aid with Astorea’s restoration, so it wasn't unnatural to see so many gathered in a place like this now. While ignoring the sideways glances he received for wearing the coat of the late Bandit King and openly displaying the two swords on his back, he made his way to an open seat at the bar.

First that monster almost kills us all and now the adventurers are trying to start a civil war by splittin' up the country? I swear things were a lot less crazy before those freaks just appeared one day...

Mind your words! Have you forgotten all of adventurers who have worked hard to help us normal folks?

It was hard not to overhear a conversation happening only a few seats away. Was this how the NPCs really felt about players? His ears perked up to continue listening, despite not looking in the pair’s direction.

Fine. Let them wage their foolish war. It might not be such a bad thing as long as they're killing each other and not us. The bandits they angered are already doing enough of that.

I suppose that's true...

I just want a peaceful life. Is that too much to ask?

He likely wouldn't be able to stop his lord, Roland, from trying to establish Oasis. The man was too headstrong and with his disatisfaction with Astor at an all time high, this wasn't going to pretty. The swordsman could at least put an end to the bandits who were plaguing this area though.

Fighting them alone would be suicide. Even in their weakened state, it was clear he needed help. After sending out a quick message over the world chat asking for help his search for a party had begun. Together they would prove the NPCs wrong. His actions thus far had only been for the good of this world and they always would be!

@Destiny Divebird @Hanno Futaba

 

It has been a very eventful week for the Faerin since the king decided to announce the changes, all those restorations were of extremely importance so he has been trying to help on as many things as he could, reaching a point that he was skipping college classes in real life. It shouldn't be a trouble though, his grades were just fine and the lives of NPCs were in game here. Also something was keeping him stuck in the game, it was the huge curiosity about a request he received from a tinker girl he met on Witch Ops. 'Something biiiig, huh?' He thought about the words of her mail as he bited the bread he was eating.

He was kind of passing the time, there wasn't any missions up for him now and the tinker girl was still doing a few adjustments on her plans before he could actually go there to help. 'Let me see...' Hanno opened his UI and checked the World chat, there were many people talking about the current events and how things seemed to be and so far everything looked good. Everyone's work was going smoothly and the Faerin almost closed the chat if it wasn't for one message that called his attention...

It was a request for a party to defeat some bandits that were on the surroundings, and seeing not many people seemed interested to join it, he instantly sent a mail to the adventurer: "Futaba incoming! We won't let those guys run away!" He typed and stood up from the big log he was using as a chair, and looked up to his Dissonant Shield. "Time to strike some bad guys down!" He said, and the Shield looked back at him with it's typical intent eyes.

The villager the person that needed help was, wasn't too far, so it didn't take too long before the Faerin could get to the tavern the adventurer was. Of course that the gargatuan Shield that had several small eyes and one big eye in the center of it along with many frightening tentacles catched a lot of attention, specially because it had physical features that were very similar to the dissonant abomination that was devastating everything a while ago.

See what I'm talking about? How it's possible to have a peaceful life with those types of freaks everywhere?

Hanno blinked at the rudeness of the man and the Shield's tentacle curled, maybe that townsfolk was stressed about the changes that were happening? Well, the Faerin couldn't blame them, big changes can always be very stressful and they couldn't just log out of the game if they felt they didn't want to deal with it, they were NPCs after all. Being chill like he always has been, Hanno just smiled back at the frustrated man. 'Don't worry, I will do my best to try to give you a peaceful life.' He thought before looking around, trying to find the one that sent the message.

And it wasn't too hard to spot the adventurer, since he wore a very distinct coat and two swords, that completely matched with the description. Hanno walked at the bar and sitted beside the man, giving a quick tap on his back. "Hello! Are you Alric?" He showed a relaxed smile to the man. "I'm Futaba, Hanno Futaba. I saw your message in the chat, so I came here to help."

 

Mud, mud. Hell, Des was used to mud. She didn’t mind getting a little dirty on the road, wasn’t nothing to get worked up over. When the ground in the real world was still frozen solid as a rock (if you were lucky and someone had shoveled) a little bit of slosh and shloop from the rain was a damn welcome change.

It’d been two weeks since Destiny Divebird had signed into Terrasphere, and she was goddamn thrilled to see the messages in her inbox which declared the World Boss was dead, the raiding party had been triumphant, and—best of all—Des had successfully avoided the whole thing. Hell, it’d just been convenient timing that she’d gotten called out on a job (maybe just a little engineered. Maybe she’d finally replied to a long-overdue e-mail from a group of icefishers, who knew?) while the battle against Tittatus was going on. Titarius? Tiradius?

The very vivid, very unfortunate dream she’d had the night before in which she’d been ported into an extradimensional plane and was then eaten by rat people (don’t ask her where her mind came up with this crap—it’d been very specific and realistic) had sorta left a bad taste in her mouth, too. I mean, Christ, it seemed like a sign. Some subconscious prophecy that foretold if Destiny signed in that week, she was gonna get “accidentally” transported straight into the main World Boss battle, struggle fruitlessly, and die a horrible death.

Scrolling back through all the missed Forces depleted – reinforcements requested! alerts, Des was glad to see her intuition had definitely been right and she’d picked a good time to parka up and take a little cross-country ski trip. And now she was back, and (maybe just a little guilty about stiff-arming the ancient evil) ready to help clean up some of the mess.

“You must be Alric,” the Yladian woman drawled casually after she’d stomped the mud off her boots and edged her way around to the black-haired man. The caption ALRIC STALWART hung above his head, marking him to her Hunting skill as a player she’d encountered before. Huh! Well, a once-over on the guy's jacket cleared that one up. “Heard you were trackin’ Black Wolves.” A thin grin crossed the woman’s face as she lifted her hands, wriggling the dark-furred gloves she’d scrounged up back at Erasmus’s fortress. “Hoo! You got yourself a pretty souvenir!” Call her crazy, but coats like that didn’t come from no thrift shop!

Destiny didn’t bother taking a seat—she figured they’d be heading out sooner or later and it was easier not trying to bend her weird elf-body into a—What the hell? She scowled at the weirdest damn shield she’d ever seen, tentacles and all. “Well hey there, handsome,” she said dryly to it, peering at the central eye (which peered back.) Des pulled her head back abruptly, scowling. It was clearly not the reaction of anyone who’d faced Titanius in any form. “Jesus Christ... Anyway, I'm Destiny,” she introduced herself, clapping both men on the shoulder in a friendly way. “C’mon, let’s get bounty-huntin’ before the rain starts up again.”

@Alric Stalwart @Hanno Futaba

 

Eventful would be a weak word when describing her life in Terrasphere. She was a new player when the world boss began. She went inside a monster's stomach, faced so many tentacles to the point that she refused to eat octopus for a week, saw how gruesome death was in this world and now, the king was changing the whole country of Astorea. She didn't find it tiring or a pain though. In fact, she was really happy at the way the game progressed. She decided to provide her help to create a new, improved country, whenever she was free to do so and free time was something she had a lot in her real life. Mostly because of how antisocial she was, so the only task she would have in the real world would be going to university. Her university was pretty relaxed as well, which gave her even more free time than the average university student.

She finally had some spare time in Terrasphere and decided to relax on top of one of a tree. She casually checked on her UI to see if there was any help required for the restoration of Astorea. Turns out, There was. It seemed that a group of bandits were roaming around freely and someone needed to form a group to take care of them. "the days just keep getting better" she mumbled as she hopped down the tree, a smirk playing on her lips as she walked to where the gathering was to take place.

Libitina enjoyed the rain. She loved the breeze that came with rain, she found the occasional lightening calming to hear, she enjoyed the smell of the earth during the downpour. So really, she didn't mind having mud on her boots. She already took steps in really gross situation, what was a little mud?

She entered the shop with a monotonic expression and noticed three people already standing, about to start on the quest. She walked towards them.

"Is this the gathering for the request for capturing bandits? I'm sorry for my late arrival. My name is Libitina Cerin and I have come to help to the best of my abilities. I look forward to working with you all"
She said while looking at the three of them one by one, a smile never once gracing her features.

 

• 99 HP
  

  MAX 139 HP

• 106 EN
  

  MAX 126 EN

-20 EN for Reckless Attack
-40 HP from Bandit’s Attack

For some reason Alric always had a knack for attracting interesting characters. Though in a world as diverse as Terrasphere's it wasn't something that hard to accomplish to begin with. In quick succession the three converged at his barstool and recited their introductions.

Yeah, I was lucky enough to grab the coat before someone else… Not like he needed it anymore. Anyway, I am Alric and thank you all for coming. This woman seems familiar with them already, but for you two the Black Wolf Bandits were the ones who used to occupy northern Astorea until the Lion's Pride was sent in to eliminate their leader. I guess some got away from us though, so we're going to finish off the stragglers now. First we need to find their hideout though.

As his group made their way out of the building a hooded man stepped before them. He looked at the players all in turn with a serious expression before speaking up.

Heard you're all lookin’ for the wolves. Being a traveling merchant, I hear things I probably shouldn't; like where those guys are. If you wanna find ‘em you'd best follow me.

Well, you heard the man.

With that he turned and started toward the village gate, with Alric following close behind without hesitation. The circumstances of the arrangement was suspicious, sure, but did they really have any other leads to go on? With someone offering to lead him straight to the bandit’s den he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity, trap or not.

---

They wandered through the forest for what felt like ages before finally stopping at the mouth of a cave sporting the Black Wolf Insignia carved into the stone. He wanted to thank the man for his help, but when Alric turned to face him the merchant was nowhere to be seen. He did say he would only take them to the hideout; not that he'd be going in.

Okay let's-

Before he could finish, a sharp pain in his leg cut him off. When he looked down an arrow had been lodged in the spot and another one had whizzed through the air, hitting the ground shortly after. About thirty armed men emerged from the surrounding foliage and circled the group, getting closer by the second.

Kill 'em all!

Ignoring the pain, he forced his two swords free from their scabbards and charged at the closest bandit; blades digging into the man's chest after closing the distance. But when he fell another simply took his place and retaliated against the player's vulnerable form with a spear jab to the side.

Reckless Attack - Bandits (Roll)
20 + 2 + 15 = 37
Bandits: 363/500 HP

 

• 108 HP
  

  MAX 128 HP

• 93 EN
  

  MAX 103 EN

-10 EN for Stable Attack
-20 HP from Bandits Ambush.

"Nice to meet you guys, My name is Futaba, Hanno Futaba!" Hanno grinned, looking at @Destiny Divebird and @Libitina Cerin. The Faerin nodded at the excitement of the woman that already came telling to everyone go fight the bandits, after all every single second they wasted there could mean another victim being made by the ruthless outlaws... But it didn't take long until @Alric Stalwart took the lead and explained the situation. "So these bandits are old news, huh?" Hanno frowned.

Their first mission would find their hideout, and the Faerin couldn't agree more with that course of action. The best way to solve a problem is destroying the roots of it... If they don't have a base to stay, it would only be a matter of time before all their organization collapsed. "Let's go then." Hanno said before they walked out of the inn and got halted by a hooded man.

The Faerin looked at the man, he was kind of suspicious... But it didn't matter if they were bringing the group to a trap. Hanno smiled relaxed. 'If it's actually a trap, it will just make our job to find them easier. As long as I keep one eye open for the danger and protect them, it should be fine.'

...
...
...
​

After walking deep into the forest, the group finally found themselves in front of a cave. Hanno looked up at the insignia and nodded. 'Hehe... The man just walked off, after all... We are already where he wanted us to be, right?' He thought before hearing the sounds of arrows hitting the surroundings.

Hidden: Battle Theme

"And the wolves are here- Let's turn them into crying puppies!" The Faerin raised his gargantuan Shield and darted out toward the bandits. "COME HEEERE!" He charged toward one of them, slamming the Shield on one of the bandits face, while a tentacle stretched out, grabbing another bandit before smashing him against a tree.

"You guys still have time to surrender!" He yelled at the bandits, before getting an arrow cutting on his cheek as retaliation. 'Tch!' He frowned... Why the villains never give up?

Shut up you little brat- You are all doomed!

Stable Attack on Bandits! (Roll)
2 + 28 + 20 (Mastery) + 15 (Dissonant Shield) + 10 (Stable Attack) = 75
Bandits: 288/500 HP

 

• 107 HP
  

  MAX 127 HP

• 101 EN
  

  MAX 121 EN

-20 EN for AoE Damage Buff
-20 HP from Fragmented Bandits

Destiny nodded along with Alric's summary of the situation, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "That's how it went," she agreed. Well, eliminating them wasn't exactly what she had in mind-- pretty violent for a bunch of criminals-- but she sure as hell didn't want 'em coming back. Leave 'em be and a new leader would replace Erasmus and the cycle of nasty dealings would continue.

As they followed the traveling merchant, a hooded man who claimed he knew the Black Wolves' location, Destiny found herself thinking about the bandits' hidden smuggling den she and Emerath had found beneath the ashes of Honeyhome Inn. If it had just been gambling and sneaking around in tunnels, sure, she'd say live and let live-- but lockin' up their own mascot to use in pit fights and pillaging local villages was trouble, and the more fragmented a group of players could keep the furry bastards... Well, we gotta do it. Even a severed head has fangs.

The long-legged Yladian stepped up once they reached the mouth of the cave and looked the insignia up and down, eyes narrowed. "Mhm. That's it," she said-- the same snarling wolf face as the wall sconces in the hidden tunnel, as the heraldry found in the rubble of the Bandit King's fortress. Unmistakable. Still... she squinted. "Seems pretty convenient, mm?" Like they were asking for a group of do-gooders to saunter in the front entrance. "Might want to--"

Aw, hell! Destiny's pointed ears twitched as she heard the faint whistle of an incoming arrow volley and hit the ground barely in time. "Dammit! They got us!" She rolled, feeling a burst of pain as she felt a bolt skim her chest, glancing off her sternum. She stooped to pick it up and stuffed it into her own quiver, eyes darting around as the bandits emerged from the undergrowth. Oh hell, where do we even start? She'd been reaching for her crossbow out of reflex, but stopped. We're outnumbered. It looked like they had a couple melee fighters, but that didn't do nothing against a bunch of guys who could hit from fifty feet away!

If she was gonna have any chance at all, she needed some kinda height advantage on the rest of these archers. Destiny hauled herself to her feet and took a bounding leap up a boulder near the cave mouth. The ledges there were enough to stand comfortably on and take a defensive position while the group figured out a plan. Ambushed! Go figure! Count on a bunch of criminals to come up with a dirty strategy that might just turn the tide, mm?

From up here the Yladian could see the tide of battle clearly-- as well as something significant. Thumb and forefinger to her temple, her Hunting mastery activated and zoomed in on a vulnerability. [SOFT SPOT] The simple jerkin each bandit wore for armor had a weakness, a thin seam just below the breastbone. She cupped her hands around her mouth to holler. "Alric, you got a big guy closin' in at seven o'clock! Futaba, on three--watch out! He's quick!" And where was Libitina?! Hopefully not dead as a doornail with fifty arrows sticking out of her back! "Aim for the chest, the armor's weak there!"

Damage Buff @Alric Stalwart & @Hanno Futaba for 7
14 + 0 = 14
Roll / Note: Buff lasts 3 Turns

 

• 80 HP
  

  MAX 100 HP

• 90 EN
  

  MAX 100 EN

-10 EN for attacking
-20 HP from getting ambushed by good for nothing bandits

Libitina nodded at the information given to her by Aleric. The bandits did peek her interest. 'I should really decide on which faction I am going to join.' She mentally noted. When the merchant came, offering his help, Libitina was a bit confused by the willingness of the merchan to take them to the cave. Which man (or npc) in their right mind would willingly put themselves in danger when they have no reason to be involved? It seemed a bit fishy.

'Then again, he's a merchant. Perhaps the bandits are troubling him. That, or he is the type to poke his nose in everyone's business.' She thought, but never once did she let her guard down. She was never the type to trust people too easily and she was right in doing so. Just as the merchant disappeared, they got attacked by arrows. Luckily for her, she managed to dodged the ones that came towards her.

Unfortunately for the girl, she was so focused on the arrows that she did not notice one of the bandit's behind her until he grabbed her by the waist with one hand. His other hand held a knife which he tried to plunge into her body. Before he could, Libitina managed to grab the knife from the sharp blade, causing her hand to bleed. 'Better than getting stabbed in my heart' She thought as she punched the guy in the chest, using her elbow. Her attack was enough to give her time to maintain distance. "Why you little-" he growled, taking a step to get closer to her. She jerked her hand in such a manner that the blood that oozed out of her skin, entered the man's eyes,an attempt to temporarily blind him. That small amount of time was enough for her to go behind the man and grab his arm, pinning it behind the man. It seemed luck was on her side since an arrow was coming directly towards her. She used her hostage to she defend herself from the attack.The arrows went directly to the man's head, instantly killing him. She let go of the body.

She went towards Aleric and handed him a handkerchief. " You should really take that arrow out from your leg. It looks painful. You think you can still fight?" She asked the male, raising her eyebrow.

Attacking the bandits (Roll)
49 + 15 = 64
Bandits: 224/500

 

• 59 HP
  

  MAX 139 HP

• 86 EN
  

  MAX 126 EN

-20 EN for Reckless Attack
-40 HP from Bandit’s Attack

I'm fine.

A grimace was plastered across his face as Alric yanked the arrow free causing even more blood to stream from the now fully exposed wound. He took the handkerchief and wrapped it around his leg. With all eyes on him it was the best he could do as a treatment in the midst of fighting. Any attempts at using his magic would likely just get interrupted so they needed to finish the bandits sooner rather than later.

Heeding Destiny's words, he tightened the grip on his swords and rushed toward the man to his left. Towering slightly above the player the bandit smirked while rearing husband hatchet back to cleave his foe in two. With the help of his parry skill though Alric used one blade to lock the man's weapon in place while the other one broke through the armor and entered his chest. Blood ran down the sides of the bandit’s mouth while all signs of life left his eyes. Now just a corpse he slumped over on the weapon, only for Alric to kick him off and rush toward the rest of the crowd.

I guess now is as good a time as any for this!

Both swords remained parallel as he started the motion for the skill he recently developed. The metal gave off a pale light and then the Blade Dance had begun. One slash, two slashes, a third, and a fourth… Again and again his weapons tore through any who dared to approach the flurry. Blood mixed with mud as their bodies began piled in front of him until they just stopped coming altogether.

Only a seconds had passed but it felt like an eternity. When the skill was over Alric dropped to one knee, a good chunk of his energy now depleted. The fight was taking its toll on him and the strain of using such a skill wasn't helping.

One of the bandits saw this as an opportunity to avenge husband fallen comrades. With axe in hand he closed in and swung toward the adventurer’s head. Alric managed to scramble to his feet in time to avoid being decapitated, but as he went to block the force was more than he had been expecting and his body was sent flying across the field and into the rocky wall with an audible 'crack’.

Reckless Attack (Roll)
78 + 23 + 15 + 14= 130
Bandits: 94/500 HP

 

• 68 HP
  

  MAX 128 HP

• 83 EN
  

  MAX 103 EN

-10 EN for Protective Attack. (Protecting @Libitina Cerin)
-40 HP from Throwing Himself on Bandit's Attack. (Reckless Status)

Hanno was focused fighting other bandits "Thank ya, Destiny!" He thanked @Destiny Divebird before dodging a attack that was warned by his teammate. Then he suddenly heard a loud impact sound that made him look back only to see @Alric Stalwart slamming into a rock. His expressions turned worried as he yelled for his comrade's name. "AAALRIC!" The Faerin pushed one of the bandit's away with his shield and darted out to try to support the knocked down man... But the bandits, believing that Alric was knocked out, began charging toward Libitina.

The Faerin frowned in rage and began charging at the bandits that were trying to surround the girl.

HEROIC DESIRE

"No, you won't. You don't dare." A determination aura covered Hanno as he raised his shield in front of him, running with some much strength that every step sounded like a huge stomp on the ground while he slammed him and his shield on the bandits- "Kukuku..." The shield laughed darkly, while Hanno trampled all the bandits that were on his way until he reached to a bandit that was almost reaching Libitina throwing a powerful blow on his face that made him knock down instantly.

But suddenly the same bandit that sent Alric flying toward a rock appeared from behind while attempting to hit Libitina, and with a movement of instinct the Faerin threw himself in front of the attack trying to hold the bandit's arm. The hold stopped the bandit from completely cutting him in the middle, but the axe's blade still cleaved half of Hanno's shoulder. He supressed the scream of pain, while his blood boiled in rage as in a fit of strength the Faerin headbutted the bandit's stomach and grappled his head. "GRWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Holding the bandit's head as firmly as he could, he tripped the man around and slammed the bandit's head with all his might on a closeby boulder, crushing the bandit's skull.

Normally Hanno would be a very chill guy. But nobody mess with his friends.

After releasing the lifeless man's head, he raised his loyal Shield while ignoring the wound on his shoulder. His eyes were filled with a burning will as he stared intently at the bandits that were now unsure if it was worth to attack or not. "You won't hurt anyone anymore... DIE." He stared fiercely at his enemies.

Protective Attack (Attacking Bandits and Protecting @Libitina Cerin) (Roll)
19 + 20 (Mastery) + 15 (Dissonant Shield) + 7 (@Destiny Divebird Buff) = 61
Bandits: 33/500 HP

 

• 87 HP
  

  MAX 127 HP

• 81 EN
  

  MAX 121 EN

-20 EN for Critical Attack
-20 HP from Fragmented Bandits

Holy hell, combat got gritty fast.

Here was @Libitina Cerin using a bandit as a human shield against an arrow that went through his skull. There was @Alric Stalwart like a dual-wielding Tazmanian Devil that you'd have to be goddamn suicidal to venture near. And there was @Hanno Futaba with footsteps like thunder, literally crushing a man's head with the strength of his hands. Christ! I know we got ambushed and were out huntin' them to begin with, but--

She looked up and locked eyes with someone. Another bandit, on the same rock ledges as she was, firing from above down at the battlefield. A sniper, probably ready to put an arrow through one of her party's heads. Des felt her heart lurch as she swung her hand crossbow around, bolt already primed and locked to go. At the same time he turned his shortbow on her, surprise and anger on his face.

They couldn't have been more than twenty feet apart from another, but with ranged weapons, it was deadly. "Drop it, I don't wanna--" she started to call when she saw his arm flex and the bowstring release. Damn it! She dropped to one knee, reflexes just a tad quicker as she fired the crossbow bolt. The two projectiles almost brushed in the air as they shot by and then the opposite archer staggered, bolt sticking out of his chest. Simultaneously, Destiny gave a wet, bubbling cough as she looked down and saw the feathered arrow protruding from her ribcage.

Nausea rose sickeningly as Des was suddenly harshly reminded what it felt like to get shot. Impact. Shock. Pain, slowly phasing in like a tightening fist. "Damn it," she said softly. The other archer whispered something similar as he fell to his knees, falling off the ledge. She saw his limbs jerk as he hit the ground. Destiny reached up with numb fingers to touch the arrow and cringed at the aching pain that was beginning to spread through the area. I-- Goddamn, that hurts.

Tearing off a strip of her shirt and stuffing it into her mouth, she gritted her teeth and broke the shaft off. The burst of pain sent tingles racing up and down her arms. She could feel herself beginning to shake and forced herself to nerve up. There was still bandits attacking-- hang on. Looked like they were retreating (the ones that were well enough to sprint away) or dead already.

Nasty. Blue eyes slightly glazed with shock, Destiny wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth. Nasty stuff. It reminded her of the Bandit King's Fortress, of the slaughter in the main hall and the sense of loss that had permeated the courtyard once it was all done. Criminals, sure. Did it have to be done? Sure.

But hell, did it really have to be like this?

Critical Attack (Roll)
13 + 10 = 23
Bandits: 10/500 HP

 

• 60 HP
  

  MAX 100 HP

• 70 EN
  

  MAX 100 EN

-20 EN for reckless attack
-20 HP from bandit(protected by Futaba)

The girl shook her head and let out a sigh, seeing just how dedicated her teammate was to beat those bandits up. So much that he refused to focus on his health. Even so, she had to admit, @Alric Stalwart swordsmanship was splendid. 'I need to ask him to teach me some of his skills' She thought.

She heard footsteps making their way towards her. On turning to the direction of the sound, she noticed many bandits trying to corner her. The girl narrowed her eyes and prepared herself, wondering just how she would manage to attack all of them. Luckily for her, @Hanno Futaba came to her help. Within a blink of an eye, all that were trying to attack her were injured by Hanno. Unfortunately, protecting her got him injured. The girl was thankful of Destiny for getting rid of the bandits annoying sniper.

She glanced at her teammates to see Hanno worrying about Alric and @Destiny Divebird trying to take out an arrow from her leg. The number of bandits now reduced to a mere three because of which they were trying to run away. Libitina did not want that to happen though. If those three escaped then their mission was a fail and her teammates had worked hard. The girl took out one of her swords and attacked one of the men, reducing the number to two. Seeing their companion killed made the two survivor trip and fall. A typical horror movie scene. "P-please let us live. We won't harm anyone again. Just spare our lives!" one of them said, going on his hands and knees. "Let you live? " she snickered as she walked closer to the men. The girl felt a sharp stab on her leg. She clenched her teeth in pain and looked down to notice one of the men, who she assumed was dead (since he was lying lifelessly on the ground) actually alive. He had jabbed his dagger in her leg.

She glared at the male, stabbing him in the head to put him to rest . "You are bandits. You have killed and robbed many, yet never felt an ounce of regret. How does it feel like? Being the ones who are about to die?" She questioned stabbing the groveling man in his heart, leaving only the leader alive. "I-I am regretful now. Just spare me this once! I will change my ways! I will give all of you my loyalty. Anything" he cried out. A sigh left her lips as she offered her blood covered hand to the man. The man's eyes brightened with hope as he grabbed her hand and stood up. "I am forever grateful to you all! Thank you for giving me this chance"

The girl gave a smile as she turned her back towards the man, as though she was going to walk away. She had only taken one step ,before she turned around and sliced the man's head off, some of his blood covered her clothes and cheek. Her smile turned into a scowl as she grabbed the detached head and threw it far away. "I am not that nice or stupid" she stated before limping back towards her members. "I believe that is the end of those bandits." she walked over to Destiny and offered her shoulder. "We should head back and inform that the bandits are wiped out"

Recklessly attacking the bandits (Roll)
76 + 94 + 15+5 = 190
bandit= -180/500 HP

 

When he finally came to again the battle had been over. Bandit corpses littered the ground and the drizzle that started up again did well to wash the blood away before it had a chance to dry. Alric slowly got to his feet, grabbing his swords and sliding them back into their scabbards before limping toward the others.

Urgh… I guess that's that. Going back now sounds like a smart idea. Not sure about you but I'm not feeling so hot. However I am curious about this cave if it was being used as a wolf den. It might be useful for us to see what's inside at some other time.

At least the townsfolk would be able to rest a little easier knowing that there were less criminals running around outside their homes. That alone was enough for Alric to call this trip a success and tomorrow he would be back to investigate the cave. Whether the others wanted to join him or not, he couldn't say. But if they felt the same way he did then he knew that a story like this was best when seen through to its conclusion.

 

As soon as the last bandits pleaded for mercy, the Faerin looked back at @Alric Stalwart, that seemed very injuried and jogged hastly at him and without taking long, a holy and warm fire engulfed his hand as he aimed at his ally's wound. "We need to close these wounds!" He frowned while saying with a concerned tone.

RADIANT HOLY BLAZE

The sacred fire covered his comrade's injuries, closing them as it gave a comfortable and cozy feeling. Letting out a relif sigh, the Faerin looked up at the man that was giving his opnion about it. Hanno nodded at the idea of backing off and coming back on another time to check.

"Yes! We should come back another time... Maybe we can find something that could lead to a much bigger issue." The Faerin looked at the cave, with some curiosity. He wanted to get in there right now, but everyone seemed tired because of the ambush. 'We shouldn't be reckless now, they can be very smart... If we fall for an ambush again we can end up having someone down.' Hanno thought, rejecting completely the idea of having a comrade dying because of a rush.

He looked back at the man, giving a small smile. "Let's go back then!" Then the Faerin looked at @Libitina Cerin and @Destiny Divebird "It was a good job, everyone! Next time we will kick their butts even harder!" Hanno gave a grin with a cheer for his group.

 

And just like that, it was over. “One of you want to do me a solid?” Destiny croaked. Her fingers dug into her flesh where the broken arrowhead still protruded, skin white and bloodless against the pressure. Too much. Probably too much. But the second she let go they were gonna see red, and she had a hard enough time finding a laundress in this area who could get bloodstains out of armor. Hydromancy was a moneymaker if you knew what to do with it, honestly.

Still gripping her wound, Destiny slipped down clumsily from the ledge and stumbled, turning back to look at the cave mouth. Snarling and fierce, the Black Wolf insignia stared back at her, carved into the rock. “Hang on, you don't—” The Yladian broke off, about to object to just walking away and leaving the depths of the cave unexplored. “—Never mind. Waitin' makes sense to me after all. Could be a whole dungeon in there, for all we know.” Could be another ambush, too. Whatever it was, Destiny had a feeling it was a whole can of worms she didn’t want to dig into when half an arrow was still sticking out of her chest.

She tried not to look at the carnage. Was pretty nasty, even just for a bunch of bandits who’d tried to get the jump on them in a dirty ambush. Wolf hunt’s over. Still holding her injury, Destiny moved through the slough of dead bandits, carefully rolling each one over to check for any useful items to collect. “Looting the bodies,” technically, but to Des it was more like a sign of respect. Not killed for nothing. Dead, but their resources would be utilized—like taking the hide and meat from fresh game.

“Well. Good hunt, y’all,” Destiny said to her comrades, turning away. A final stake put in the grave of the Black Wolf Bandits, the plotline she’d unwittingly stumbled upon that first time she’d descended into the trapdoor beneath the burned Honeyhome Inn. From Brisshal to the Bandit King’s Fortress, it’d been a hell of a ride. Maybe now she could get back to wandering and doing what she liked best. “Drop me a line if y’all want to get back together later on, tackle that cave. Take care, hear?” With that, the ranger left.