WQ - Strong to the Finish

STRONG TO THE FINISH

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How many days has it been since the Ancient Dissonance, Titanius, made its mark on the people of Astorea? It took a lot of them to beat that monster, massive groups of heroes and adventurers laying their lives down on the line to ensure the future, yet even after it was gone, Titanius was still making its mark on the people of Astorea. People were still rebuilding their lives, restoring the great nation of Astorea. Some of them were driven out of their homes, other lost their homes, and more lost greater things. Iván himself lost a life, only to come back, but this time, unable to access his user interface.

Along with his speech inspiring people from all over to help contribute in Astorea's restoration, King Astor's proclamation to turn his great nation into democracy followed unexpectedly. Naturally, with such change, such progress, comes resistance. Even though Iván had no real interest in politics, he did remember that Astor had technically endorsed his curry house, allowing him and his friends to help the evacuation efforts in Vintergard. That was stretching it a bit but if Iván had to pick sides between the rebellious nobles and the former king, his allegiance would lay closer to the one with whom he had at least a sliver of interaction.

That was why, Iván aided in the efforts to thwart a rebel army. It was a successful effort, but it was not the end of his contribution to Astorea's restoration. Iván knew that if he wanted to continue with his curry house, sustainability would be something he needed to turn his attention to, which was why he found himself joining forces with an old ally, a Witch Ops teammate, and one of the greatest nature mages he has known, ever work with, @Janet Reilly.

Titanius' presence had impacted the agricultural industry in Astorea negatively. For a restaurateur like Iván who valued organic ingredients, in place of virtually nonexistent commercial ingredients, contributing in some way to nurturing nature, to fertilizing these fallowed lands, was an investment he needed to make. Thankfully, he was one of those few minds who dabbled in both science and magic. Either method could've been singularly useful in this endeavor, but Iván had both methods in his disposal.

Along with newfound allies in @Libitina Cerin and @Babushka, their efforts started with one farm, a spinach farm, Farmer Jean's farm in east Astorea, where they were currently spending their time. In time, they could very well continue traveling all over Astorea, but for a while, they needed to focus on one place, on one farm, to make sure they can perfect their process.

"I have been tinkering with a formula," Iván had welcomed several of the farmers, including Farmer Jean, to his makeshift laboratory, a spare room the farmers had given him as an investment to his magical and scientific attempts to help with fertilization. Janet had been quite the key to his so-called formula, aiding him with her knowledge and expertise in nature magic. He turned to her, standing in one corner of the small room, with a nod. "Think of it as some sort of supplement to the vegetable's growth."

Iván demonstrated to the farmers, to Janet, to Libitina, and to Babushka the progress he has made, carefully feeding a potted spinach plant with a drop of his formula. The plant had a leaf that had wilted, an ominous sign that the entire thing could be dying any time soon. Everyone watched for a minute or so but nothing happened. When all was on the brink of disappointedly moving on, Iván raised a hand in the air. The wilted leaf of the plant slowly became healed, no traces of its then-impending death anywhere. The farmers applauded Iván with glee as he nodded back to them, acknowledging their praise.

"The formula still needs to be monitored for a few more days, sadly," Iván deadpanned, staring at the plant with inquisitive eyes. "...and it's specifically inclined to the spinach plant, but it's a good start, if I dare say so myself."

Farmer Jean walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder, "It is a good start. We can't thank you enough." She turned to Janet, Libitina, and Babushka with a smile. Iván couldn't have done it without the other three, to be fair, and the fact that they were able to help in the actual cultivation and fertilization of the farm, actual physical work, more so than him, motivated him greatly to focus and give his formula his all. Iván nodded at his allies and then at Farmer Jean who continued, "The farmers and I will be honored to continue hosting all of you in our humble farm. We also appreciate your help in tilling our fields, with general farmwork. You have all been extremely helpful to us."

 

Libitina was present when the speech was given. She was able to witness the stunned look people held when the King claimed to remake the nation as a democratic one and resigning from his post. 'He truly is a kind king' She thought, a smile playing on her lips. If the king wanted to make a new and better place, Libitina did not see the harm in offering help.

She was sure that most of the nobles would not be pleased at the king's sudden decision and would most likely try to stop the country's transformation. She could try and ensure that no one interferes but she wanted to go for a more relaxing task and what's more relaxing than spending your days working in a farm?

On the course of the task, She had noticed two of her allies, Janet and Ivan's, frequently visiting a room and she did not know the reason. In her mind, she thought the two were love birds and well...certain things might take place when love birds go alone in a room. So seeing that the two were actually trying to make a formula to help in plant growth, she was surprised to say the least.

She watched with curious eyes as Ivan's demonstrated the formula, wondering whether it could work or not. Disappointment filled her amethyst eyes when no results were shown. "It's alright you tried your best" With those words she was about to turn around to go back to work until she noticed Ivan's raising his hand, a motion to stop everyone from moving. She was amazed as the plant began to heal itself and became completely healthy. This formula would most definitely be useful. She applauded along with the farmers at the amazing medicine they had created for plants.

She walked towards the plant and broke a small section of the leaf before chewing on it. "It has such a juicy flavour to it. No doubt, what you made is amazing, even if it is only inclined to spinach part. There are many dishes that have spinach in them. Seafood spinach stew, spinach turkey meatballs, spinach chicken egg roll just to name a few" even though her face held no expression, her eyes filled with a sort of child like gaze just by the idea of food.

She nodded at what the farmer said. "we shall do our best to continue helping you"
With that said, Libitina turned to go back to the field to do some manual labour.

 

Applause. Excited farmers, watching the miraculous potion the masked alchemist had crafted do its work. This was restoration at its finest, magic at its greatest—when it could do something as simple as change a ruined harvest to a bountiful one, a blighted field into a flourishing one.

Janet liked to think that no one but herself could have given Iván the insight he needed to create his formula. This probably wasn’t true, but Janet liked to think it was anyway. It was having to heal those people affected by the mushrooms at his curry restaurant which was the key, of course—that, and having had to dispel Titanius's infection first-hand.

Either way, it felt good to get some of the credit. The people around her didn’t seem like video game characters—at least not while they were praising her and Iván, not while she was standing right in front of the farmers as they shouted and slapped one another on the back and celebrated the promise of a miracle. Not when she could see hope among these people who’d been ravaged by Dissonance, kindling in their eyes and spreading like a wildfire through a field.

Here, among the common people of the countryside and doing what she could, she felt the most like Janet Reilly, eighteen years old, trying to give back.

“Goodness, you’ve really done it, Iván.” Nodding, as proud of the stinky illusionist as she was of herself, Janet came forward to congratulate her friend. Libitina had even tasted a leaf and pronounced it excellent! “Oh, I know it’s just spinach, but… you made these people so happy. Besides, spinach is extremely healthy,” she added (just a little bit smug) “It’s actually one of the 14 Healthiest Vegetables in the World.” She’d read that on the internet and had the article printed out and laminated on her refrigerator.

As Farmer Jean approached, Janet became acutely aware of her own appearance. She had of course showered in the real world, but in Terrasphere… she had dirt under her fingernails, her long brown hair (bound up in a kerchief) was unwashed after several days of labor (both magical and physical), and she looked every bit as short and plain as any run-of-the-mill N-P-C. Meanwhile, Jean looked like a medieval farm version of Scarlett Johansson. Janet could feel herself growing more self-conscious by the second. Don’t be ridiculous, she owns this whole farm. She knows how hard we've been working.

The teenager cleared her throat, placing her hands on her hips. “Ahem! Yes, we all had a part to play,” she said, starting out confident. She started to slip as she went on, faltering as she realized she... was going nowhere. “Ahem. We… yes, all worked on the fields. A-and we’re happy to help out. Spinach is very healthy. A-as I’m sure you know.”

Flushing, Janet turned quickly and went to stare out of the window at the spinach field to hide her burning cheeks, watching Libitina go outside to continue working. Why was that so difficult? Ugh! She didn’t understand why she got like this.

 

Babushka had to admit to herself that she'd expected a little more from a "restoration mission". Then again, if she'd gotten the action she really wanted, she probably wasn't exactly experienced enough with the combat mechanics of this world to be of much use. Babushka made a mental note to herself to really buckle down on training herself to properly learn how the combat actually worked.

The old woman found herself nodding along as those around her talked about things she probably wasn't going to care much about. Someone had mentioned something about some great calamity ruining the lands. Murmurs of confusion at some political affairs. She smiled to herself, thinking how similar this was to that old book club she used to go to. Babushka almost laughed a bit to herself at the thought. The other old ladies had seemed so lack luster to her. She shook her head and turned her attention to the spinach plant. They'd made a big deal of its leaf wilting, but it didn't seem that awful to her. A wilted leaf was nothing more than something you would snip off. Most of the time, removing the weak and dying portions of the plant would strengthen the specimen as a whole.

Babushka hardly noticed anything happening with the plant. She was still taken aback by the detail of these NPCs. Sure, she hadn't played many up to date games, but this was intense. Every face that showed with shock was genuine and unique. If she hadn't known any better, she might think these were actual people. She frowned and shook her head slowly before turning back to look at the plant that had restored itself, right as one of the girls stepped forward and snapped off the leaf to taste it.

"Ha! I love it," Babushka cackled to herself, not really talking to anyone in particular, "It's brought from the dead to be devoured. Something's amusing about that to me."

Babushka leaned against the door, smiling politely at anyone who looked her way. She didn't really have any input for this medicine, and she didn't know enough about any current events to talk to someone about it. When Libitina moved to go back out into the fields, Babushka was more than happy to follow. She might not have been much use for a fight, but she was more than happy to just do hard labor. It was satisfying to be able to use her legs.

 

ENTER: THE NIGHTMARE WOLFMASTER

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Iván appreciated what @Libitina Cerin had said about trying his best. He did. They all did. The success was their collective own. Without each and everyone's help, he wouldn't have been able to come up with the formula. Not the final, more successful version of it. @Janet Reilly provided better knowledge of Nature Magic, even heavily contributed with the actual magical aspects of the concoction, while both Libitina and @Babushka provided the support and camaraderie that the team needed to save the day.

On this farm, anyway. There were still a lot of farms throughout Astoria that needed their help, this formula, and frankly, Iván wasn't sure he could mass produce this miracle. Not without a lot of help, anyway.

"I wouldn't have done it without you," Iván dryly responded to Janet's praise, acknowledging the rest of their party for their much bigger contributions. On his own, Iván wouldn't have probably gotten this far. The man's appearance wouldn't exactly have inspired the farmers to allow him to work with them. With the three women by his side, however, his weakness, socialization, was greatly taken care of. Plus, without Janet's Nature Magic, the entire thing wouldn't even have been possible in the first place. "All of you."

Iván simply nodded at Farmer Jean's words of continued support, his eyes following Libitina as she left the room to perhaps do more work. The young girl, the smallest of their crew, impressed Iván with her hard work and determination. Most girls her age, and perhaps her size, would have been less helpful and more of a baggage, so he was extremely glad that she had proven his first impression of her, a complete stereotype, incorrect.

As soon as Libitina vanished outside, his eyes stayed with Babushka. He nodded at the old woman who reminded him so much of his grandmother, so full of wisdom but in a strange, eccentric kind of way.

His thoughts were interrupted when a male farmer came in the room, panting, as if he had just run all the way to see them, to see Farmer Jean more specifically. "My apologies for the intrusion, Farmer Jean. It's not my intention to be rude, but something came up, something important."

Farmer Jean took a step forward, in the middle of Iván and Janet, towards the male farmer, concern and fear and doubt in her beautiful blonde face, "What is it?"

The farmer swallowed air, to which Iván made a mental note that something truly terrible was happening, "She's here."

Without another word, Farmer Jean made her way outside, the male farmer giving way to her before immediately following behind. Iván turned to Babushka and then to Janet. He followed suit, realizing that whatever was happening, it was happening outside, where Libitina was. She could be in danger. They could all be in danger.

As Iván's eyes adjusted to the bright light of the fields, the farms, daylight washing his face with heat as well, he noticed, heard first, screams of terror from familiar faces, the farmers, as the stench of smoke, something burning, invaded his nose. People were running. People were screaming. People were getting attacked by pests, some sort of insects, scorpions, maybe?

Iván quickly brandished his hammer and swatted one of the pest mid-air as it tried to launch itself towards one of the farmers. He smashed a couple more, two or three, on the ground, running towards him. It was chaos out of place in a setting that was made for peace.

"What's going on?" the masked illusionist asked everyone, anyone, and no one in particular, tightly gripping the handle of his uncommon hammer, ready to smash more of the pests.

A wolf howled, stealing his attention. His eyes searched for where it was, and he found the creature, bigger and greener than any wolf he has ever seen. An illusion? No, it seemed too real. Or maybe its master was just that learned in the arts. It could've been just painted green or perhaps it was an actual summon, a corruption of nature magic itself with black magic. What ever it was, it stood its ground menacingly beside a woman, shapely, also drowning in green.

"What did I say about you idiots farming MY lands," the woman screamed, all while more of the pests attacked the helpless farmers.

Iván was not amused. He gritted his teeth. He began walking towards their attacker, his anger evident in the way his hands were turning red against the handle of his hammer, crystallized spikes discreetly growing underneath his clothes, but he was stopped by a lone outstretched hand from Farmer Jean.

"This is OUR lands," Farmer Jean responded with conviction. She didn't seem afraid. In fact, she looked like she was ready for a fight. With the way Iván knew her, however, that would've just ended terribly. Still, that fact didn't seem to dawn on her, to make her less courageous, convicted, more scared. "This has always been our lands. Leave, demon. Be gone! You have no right here. You have no power over us!"

The woman in green, with the massive green wolf, looked confused at Farmer Jean's statements. She looked around them, seemingly emphasizing the destruction she was already causing on the hapless, helpless farmers. Laughing out loud, she turned to Farmer Jean with a scowl, "Are you blind, woman? Do you not see the hell I have brought upon you and your kind? No... Not blind. Maybe you're just dead."

She pointed a finger at Farmer Jean and the wolf, snarling, charged towards her. Iván instinctively grabbed Farmer Jean and put his body in front of her, fully intending to use himself as her human meat shield, which he was regretting in his head as the giant wolf came closer and closer.

Iván was not that great physically. He wasn't going to be much of a human meat shield. They were both going to die right then and there. Purple god, what was he doing? He was a caster, not a soldier, certainly not a hero. How many more times was he going to die before he learned that lesson?

 

Libitina tied her long hair up into a high pony tail, grabbed herself a Rack and went to the field to loosen the soil and plant some more seeds. She wanted to be done with work so she could grab herself something to eat. The fact that all the manual labour worked up her appetite. The more tired you are, the more tastier the food is.

The tool wasn't heavy to the girl. She was already used to carrying two swords, but she did find ploughing the land difficult. It was one of those tasks that made her wish she hadn't made her character so small. If she was taller, the force of her tool would be greater, making her job much easier. She did not let that knowledge bring her down though. She used that disadvantage of her's as a motivation to work harder. With a sigh the girl straightened her back and wiped the sweat that formed on her forehead. She noticed an insect flying towards her. Before it could settle on her arm, she squashed it. "damn pests" she mumbled. She was about to get to work until she heard loud buzzing of insects, as thought there were multiple of them. She turned to the direction of the sound only to see a wave of insects blocking her view as they approached towards her. Whichever insect were in front of her, she squashed them by rapidly spinning her gardening tool in her hand. The ones who past her began attacked the farmers who ran and scream for their lives. Honestly, she couldn't decide what annoyed her. The buzzing of the pests or the pitiful screams of the farmers.

Just at that moment, she noticed Farmer Jean and her teammates exit the house. Before she could ask Jean what was happening (since it was her farm), the wolf's sound rang in her ears. She turned to the direction of the sound to see a large wolf and a lady that resembled plants. The green woman, who reminded Libitina of a female version of hulk, began screaming like a child about how it was her land. Her screams seemed to have caused the pests to become more active in their attacks, which caused even more howling from the farmers.

Slowly but surely, her patience was running thin. The thing that pushed her over the edge was when she was about to attack some of those weird looking insects, a farmer accidentally go in her way which caused her to miss her target

"ENOUGH! If you want to be useful then grab a tool and start attacking! but if you all are going to interfere and break my ear drums, just take shelter! go into the house and lock all entrance" She shouted at them, her face showing obvious signs of anger and annoyance. The only thing that calmed Libitina down was the bold Jean who actually stood her ground, unlike the other farmers. But it seems Jean's words only angers the green with envy woman.

Libitina tried to run to Ivan's and Jean's direction with the garden tool being her choice of weapon. Unfortunately, her view was blocked by the pests, so she couldn't get to them.

 

Looking out the window at the freshly-plowed fields, ready for planting, Janet felt the sense of peace she’d had since coming here descend. Her discomfort from before faded as she let herself watch Libitina and Babushka return to work. They’re both quite capable, she thought with approval, regretting her initial skepticism when the two women had first arrived to assist with the farming efforts. Libitina was strong and willing to put her muscle to the test, and Babushka was the very picture of a weathered farmer who could put on her boots, stomp outside at four in the morning, and have all the chores done by noon. This is all very nostalgic. Makes me want to visit home—

“She’s here.”

The eighteen-year-old turned in a swirl of straight brown hair, brows drawing fiercely together. It was not the man’s words, but his tone which reeked of foreboding. “What do you—” she started, making eye contact with Iván (where she thought his eyes were in the mask) briefly before she stopped. It’s better we see for ourselves. Who could be here? Janet bit her lip as she followed after the others. Whoever their guest was, they were clearly unwelcome…

Oh! How awful!

Janet’s feet were rooted in the doorway as she took in the scene with horror—pestilence, locusts, the wrath of God seemed to rain down on the cheerful spinach farm from the skies. The screams were the worst part. Over the last few days, Janet had gotten to know the men and women of this community, interacted with every one of them to make sure the necessary steps were taken to clear Titanius’ blight from the earth. From all around her, those voices raised in pain and panic, pitched and piercing. How horrible!

“A demon,” Janet breathed, lifting a shaking finger to point at the apparition. What is that?! Larger than the most horrible mutt at the pound, its fur edged with prickles and wiry noxious weeds, the green wolf was a mishmash of textures that was nonetheless frightening. In any color, a giant animal with teeth was intimidating. And who was that curvaceous Jezebel posed alongside it, screaming nonsense about farming at the others? As if she knew! Over the hum of insects in the air Janet could not make out their exact words, only saw the beast lunge forward towards Farmer Jean—

...

PLONK!

If @Iván Carl looked up to the shadow which fell over himself and the blonde damsel in distress, he would see the squared bottom of a crude wooden shield buried in the soft dirt, bark-side facing out. Janet’s heels threatened to stomp the alchemist's toes as she slid back in the newly-plowed soil, both hands clutching the wood as she held off the barrage. “EeeEEEEEEEK!” the teenager shrieked girlishly as her muscles flexed and she flipped the shield onto its side, shoving the animal back. “Get away!” Snarling, scratching claws, flashes of eyes and teeth from above and around the red-stained wood. “Fiend! Go back where you came from!”

There was little Janet could do but hold the beast at bay, protecting Iván and Jean. She could only pray that @Libitina Cerin and @Babushka would be able to save the farmers from the insect horde!

 

The air was warm and delightful to Babushka as she followed Libitina outside, practically skipping behind the girl. Normally, people wouldn't be so delighted to have manual labor in a video game, but she found herself relishing in the ability to use her entire body again. Upon stepping a few feet away from the shack's door, Babushka put her arms high above her head and stretched with a yawn. She decided to take a moment for herself before getting back to work. Except, there wasn't much of a moment to be had before chaos began.

It started with a low, incessant buzzing sound. However, the noise grew exponentially and soon the whole farm was something akin to ant hill under attack by wasps. Farmers screamed in panic and scattered about like headless chickens. Babushka had to suppress the urge to laugh, really. While she wasn't vocal with her amusement, anyone who looked at her face would probably see the sadistic curve of her lips as she witnessed the situation. Babushka was truly content to just sit back and watch until one of the over-sized bugs of nondescript species flew into her face with a thwack.

"Oh, delightful," the old crone took in a deep breath and struck her fist out quickly, savoring the crunch the insect's carapace made upon contact with her knuckles. Babushka licked her lips as the creature crumbled to the ground and she looked up to the swarm that was befalling the farmers, "I suppose I could do with some practice."

Babushka practically shoved farmers out of the way of the attacking swarm, snatching insects from the air and crushing them. Swatting them to the ground with her bare hands. She absolutely adored herself for taking the Martial Arts mastery. Even without a weapon, she felt pretty strong. Then, the wolf showed up. It was rather difficult to pay attention to what was happening as dialogue between the wolf lady and Farmer Jean, but Babushka believed she got the gist of it. Ancient magic lady, mad at population because vague magical reasons and encroachment of property. It was some pretty cut and dry plot device nonsense.

She wasn't really paying attention until the canine beast charged forth, intent on killing the person Babushka was pretty sure was going to pay them for this. She reacted instantly, shoving a farmer to the ground as she bolted to intercept. She made a mental note to be impressed later by Ivan's blatant protective motion. She also added on to the note to chastise him for his decision. He was probably not tanky enough to put himself in harm's way. Then, Janet was in front of Ivan. That was a much more suitable choice for a protector.

Normally, Babushka wouldn't rush in like she had, but she had already begun the sprint; there was no point in stopping now. She drew in a breath and let it out slowly before closing the distance without losing momentum. Her left foot planted firmly in the soil beneath as she brought her right knee from behind her, directly upwards into the beast's jaw. Then, she jumped backwards. She was sure the damage would be minimal, but just letting a massive beast like that wail on a single person would be a massive mistake for the party as a whole.

 

Under his breath, Iván heaved a sigh of relief when he realized @Janet Reilly had saved him and Farmer Jean. He swallowed air, willing his knees to maintain their composure, even though they were close to buckling, forcing him to the ground, down on the ground.

But the battle wasn’t over yet. There were still some pests around, with the few braver farmers doing their best to keep the damned things at bay. The wolf and its master were also still standing, though Iván was more concerned with how he himself was still standing.

“Thanks,” Iván mumbled to Janet, nodding instinctively to acknowledge her valiant effort. In a span of seconds, Janet and @Babushka were on the wolf. Iván was pretty impressed at the old woman uppercut-ing the beast, but their efforts only served to anger the beast. It was all for a few seconds of respite before the damned thing snarled at them. “What is it doing?”

It was inhaling as much air as it could, preparing for a massive howl that was as loud as it was powerful. In fact, it was so powerful that Iván, Janet, and Babushka were all blown away, finding themselves flying into the air some distance before crashing either against a tree or simply on the ground.

Farmer Jean would have joined them, too, but Iván was able to instinctively push her aside to save her. Or maybe he was trying to grab on to her but his hands failed him. Either way, Farmer Jean was left sitting on her butt on the ground.

Iván felt the bulk of that attack, though perhaps the same could be said for his party mates. The only difference? He got hit in the head by Janet’s crude wooden shield while they were flying through the air. The man was knocked out even before he could land on the ground. Dude really needs to invest in some physical training. Simply picking a hammer up and wailing on things just won’t do. He needed some cardio.

“Well, well, well…” The wolf’s master was definitely gloating by the sound of her voice. There was no fear, no doubt, no concern in her. It was, as if, she believed she had already won. Perhaps she did. “Looks like you dumb hillbillies made enough money off my land to hire yourselves some muscle.”

She grinned arrogantly as she turned to the fallen “so-called” muscles. The woman seemed like she was holding laughter back. Perhaps because she didn’t want to waste any more time with these fools. “Unfortunately, you can only ever get your money’s worth.”

Despite things looking bleak, Farmer Jean did not seem to know the meaning of defeat. And sound strategy. She stood straight up and furiously looked the woman in the eye, only to get slapped hard in the face with a powerful backhand that sent her back down on the ground.

“Listen here, you insignificant, pathetic, good-for-nothing freeloaders!” the woman yelled at every single one of them who were still conscious enough, and maybe even alive, to hear her. “This is what happens when you cross the moss boss.” She pointed at Farmer Jean to emphasize her savagery. “Your so-called leader? She’s coming with me, with us. This… This is a lesson you all need to learn.”

 

After finally killing off the pests that surrounded her, she got a clearer sight of what was going on. Her teammates were blown away by the wolf's howl, Jean was still on the ground and the annoying woman still whined about how this was her land. 'What the hell is she, some sort of broken record.' She wondered as she slowly moved behind the woman. The amethyst eyes female was usually not the type to go for a sneak attack but when your enemies just attack without warning, its common curtsy to back stab them, literally.

Libitina was not attached to her teammates in any way. She hardly use to talk to them but not because she hated them. Just that, she would be busy and her social skills were below average. She did know one thing though. Her teammates were capable individual and all had something to offer. While Ivan's did not seem to have any physical strength, he did have the mental capability of a mad scientist. Janet was very knowledgeable with agriculture and old lady Babushka was an amusing elder who was fierce and wise. The point was, hearing the green female talk about her teammates as though they were just a pile of useless trash, did not please the already angered female.

With a tightened grip on her weapon, the girl ran towards the wolfmaster in the middle of her speech(She couldn't bare the torture. She would gladly go and listen to her school principle's speech for 3 hours than go through this). She jumped as high as she could, so she could aim straight for the head. Libitina felt satisfied as she saw the Rack plunging into the woman's head but her satisfaction was short lived. The wolfmaster paid no attention to the attack, as though she already expected it. She continued yammering while moving closer to Jean. The little girl tried to raise her weapon to attack once more but the weapon did not budge. They were being held by veins. Her eyes widen as she felt something. She looked down, only to see veins wrapped around her feet and before she knew it, she was thrown against the nearby tree. The impact made her gasp and her vision began to blur. She was barely conscious and to make matters tough, she got tied to the tree with veins that had thorns on them.

The wolfmaster went closer to the woman and grabbed Jean by the neck, lifting her off the ground. The farmer, grabbed the green woman's hand and tried to break free but the grip was too tight. "do not fret. I will not kill you. In fact, when I am done with you, you would wish I had killed you. For now, you sleep"
The wolfmaster tightened her grip on the farmer's neck enough to make her unconscious. She looked around to see the fallen, the weak and the scared which caused a sinister smile to make its way on her green lips. "Come now dears. No need to waste time and effort on these worthless fools" She called out to her insects, who left the struggling farmers along and circled around her, the wolf and Jean. Just like that. Gone. The three were no longer seen. Only the insects, who flew away to go into the nearby forest.

 

Janet didn’t have dogs (she didn’t see the value of pets unless they were useful) but she’d never seen one… well, breathe like that. “It’s not gone, is it?” she asked. Had @Babushka's uppercut driven it off? She peeked around the side of her shield hesitantly, ready to jump back at the first sign of teeth. The wolf’s chest was swelling, its sides expanding. The girl’s brows drew together as the creature’s prickly green “fur” stood on end. “What is that vile animal doing—"

And he huffed, and he puffed, and he blew their house in!

It had never seemed so literal.

Janet had never been in a tornado or a hurricane, but this was what she thought it would feel like. The sheer force of the howl blasted her back, ripped her from the ground as easily as if a giant hand had come out of the sky and plucked her like a leaf of spinach. She screamed, of course, and flailed wildly in the air. Her shield went flying like sheet metal left in the wind—where it went, Janet had no idea.

All she knew was that she landed with a whump like a bird shot out of the air. Fortunately, the soft, newly-tilled ground broke her fall, but the girl still needed to take a moment on hands and knees to gasp for breath, chest heaving. How in the world… She looked around herself. Where was Farmer Jean? And where was—

“IVÁN!” the eighteen-year-old shrieked, crawling towards the masked man. She pushed her shield out of the way and saw he wasn’t moving. “Iván, no!” Her Witch Ops sticker hadn’t alerted her, however, so he couldn’t be dead—just fainted. Well! Thank goodness she knew exactly what to do in this situation!

While the Wolfmaster lectured them, fought back against @Libitina Cerin, and abducted Farmer Jean, Janet elevated Iván’s legs and feet above his chest for proper circulation. Phew! Crisis averted. “Oh, are the bugs gone?” she called once she was done, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thank goodness. Who was that heathen? Iván, please wake up!” She wished she had some ant juice to revive him, but if she went looking in his vials and bottles who knew what sorts of things would turn up (alchemical bombs, namely.)

“She done took Jean!” one of the farmers was moaning as another one put ice on his bug-bites. “Jean’s gone! Oh boy, we done it this time. Knew we was right to be scared.” Janet turned her head to frown at both of them, realization finally dawning. Oh my goodness… was that what she was saying? Why hadn’t she been paying more attention? She’d been too far away to have done anything in time, but Farmer Jean…

Janet stood up. “We have to go after her!” she ordered shrilly, intending to rally the troops. Looking around, however, the brown-haired teen realized the farmers were in no condition to form a war party, and as for them… well, @Iván Carl wasn’t even conscious! Her lips formed a hard, pinched line. “Oh, bother it all! Anyone who was hurt please come over here, now. I should be able to heal you.” She had some leftover broccoli saved in her inventory that should do the trick.

Health Boost

 

The towering green monster didn't seem to care much for Babushka's attack. If she had to guess, she would say the wolf was actually more irritated that there were so many people between it and its target. Babushka watched as it began to lift its head, the vine-laden sides twisting and expanding. The old lady widened her stance and brought herself lower to the ground, ready for anything. The beast reared back and then stomped forward, opening its mouth wide for a bellowing howl.

The blast of sound and air literally swept Babushka off her feet, sending her careening backwards. She tumbled backwards, rolling several yards away before ending with her face in the dirt. With a groan, she pushed herself slowly off the ground, spitting the tilled and loose soil out of her mouth. She did hope they hadn't fertilised it yet. Shaking her head to clear it, Babushka took note of the situation and surroundings. The howl itself seemed to not have much damage, if any. So, she assumed it was meant mainly for an area of effect crowd control.

"Right, let's not cluster up like that again," Babushka muttered to herself and stood back upright to watch the witch saunter over so casually towards their quest giver. She watched as Libitina charged and arced her weapon through the air, aiming to land a blow against the witch's head. Babushka clicked her tongue and sighed. She should teach the child that launching yourself into the air is a showmanship way of fighting. Unless you could change direction with magic while mid-air, your landing point was locked in and easy to calculate. Sure enough, vines had shot up to snatch the attack before it met its mark.

Babushka found herself irritated, angry even. She spat to the side and stood up straight, brushing herself off. Who did this little chick think she was, telling off her new found companions like that? Babushka would march right over there and give her a piece of an elder's mind, one punch to the face at a-

'This is what happens when you cross the moss boss.'

"Oh my lord," Babushka stopped dead in her tracks. Was this woman serious? She couldn't handle it. Babushka began cackling like a maniac. She doubled over from the laughter, stamping her foot a few times against the ground. That was priceless. She took a deep breath and straightened herself again before looking over the situation without her anger. Babushka shook her head and stayed her attack for now, "There's no way."

With one member knocked out cold and another tied to a tree, there was no chance in any level of Hell they would be able to fight this witch. Babushka sighed and let @Janet Reilly tend to @Iván Carl . She walked her way over to the now nearly strangled @Libitina Cerin , largely ignoring the plant witch. Babushka knew how this was going to play out. The witch would walk off with her pets to some lair, the heroes would chase down the witch to rescue the hostage and/or kill the witch. How very stereotypical. Babushka loved it.

"Are you hurt much, dearie?" Babushka walked up to the indisposed Libitina and pulled out a hunter's knife, meant for skinning animals. She began to carefully pry and cut at the vines, making sure to avoid the thorns where she could, slowly freeing the girl from the plants. When she finished, she put the knife back away and made sure Libitina could stand properly, offering her own old lady shoulder to lean against, "This was rough, but I suppose we couldn't really help it. Next time, we'll stand a better chance if we coordinate more efficiently."

 

OPERATION: OLIVE OIL

Hidden: theme

​

With the green woman gone, along with her giant wolf and pest pets, the farmers slowly and carefully scurried back to the light, scrambling to either make sense of what just happened or make sure their loved ones were okay. The brave tended to the weak, the strong tended to the old, and @Janet Reilly tended to Iván who had just regained his consciousness. “What… What just happened?”

They all looked like fertilizer, the human kind. Bruised, battered, bumps on their heads, and thorns in their skin, if it hadn’t been for Janet’s Nature Magic, perhaps they’d all still look like how they felt. Most of them anyway. @Babushka looked quite well for a woman her age. The same could be said for @Libitina Cerin... Wait, where has she been? Iván shook his head, completely out of it. Where was Farmer Jean?

“Where’s Farmer Jean?” Iván asked everyone and anyone, though no one in particular. Last time he checked, he was shielding her body with his. Now that he was awake, she was nowhere to be found and he wasn’t in the same place he had been when he was still awake. He could sense that something terrible had happened, though he still wanted, needed, to verify the worst.

Whoever answered him, however they answered him, Iván would not react positively. He wasn’t a violent man, an expressive man, so he could only grit his teeth, clench his fist, and blame himself for what had happened. He was right there, but he still wasn’t enough. Granted that the attack was a surprise, even to their crew, but the fact still remained: Iván had failed again.

“Well,” Iván heaved a deep sigh, a mix of disappointment and fake calm. He had always tried his best to hide his feelings, believing that showing them could be used against him. Now was not the time to mourn, not publicly, never publicly. He could do that on his own time, away from prying eyes. Wincing, he got himself back to his own two feet, though barely. He almost fell back down. “I guess our job here is done.”

 

Over and over again, Janet had told people to eat her broccoli fresh or it would lose its potency, and you could certainly see that now! The florets she’d been saving in her inventory tasted fine—and were certainly a nutritious snack food—but their healing power was lessened, the magic she had used to grow them having faded over time. Still, call it placebo, the gesture seemed to help. Janet didn’t have time to see to each one of them individually, but she did what she could: healing the worst of the bites, neutralizing the poisons. Ugh! It was so exhausting, and after Janet had been thrown all the way across the spinach patch and bruised her knees too!

At least it was not thankless work. The usual skepticism her healing gifts were received with was lessened in favor of genuine gratitude. “Thank you, miss,” one of the men murmured, popping the plant into his mouth. “You’re a lifesaver, little lady,” another one agreed, chewing the mouthful and spitting it back onto his arm where a large, swollen red sore stood upraised from the skin. Janet wrinkled her nose, but the green paste quickly seemed to cool the inflamed area and she watched it go down before her eyes, more potent than she’d expected. “It’s no problem,” she assured them sternly after a moment, "Just trying to help."

“Miss Reilly—he’s awake. Your friend, the alchemist.”

Janet straightened up, dusting off her hands, and hurried over to @Iván Carl . She heard the first question from his mouth and threw out a hand, pointing past where @Babushka was cutting @Libitina Cerin free. With a trembling finger, she gestured helplessly towards where wolf-taming wretch had disappeared. “She’s gone!” There was a hysterical note to her voice. “That dog woman took her!” She wasn’t sure what response she’d been expecting to her dramatic statement, but Iván’s expression was…wooden. It was a mask. For goodness’ sake! Was that all he had to say? “What do you mean, our job is done? We have to rescue her!” Janet’s shrill declaration caught the attention of the wounded farmers and she heard them begin to mutter to one another.

The eighteen-year-old spun around, tossing her long brown hair over her shoulder as she did. “Didn’t you say the formula wasn’t perfect yet? We’re certainly not done and our host has just been…absconded with! Kidnapped! Why won’t any of you explain what’s going on, you obviously know!” Her words seemed to send uneasiness running through those gathered. They did know, but they didn’t have a leader—they didn’t have one person they could elect to step forward, to tell the tale. Well, they did. Too bad she’s been abducted! Janet pointed again where the Wolfmaster had gone. “Does anyone know where she might have taken Jean? For goodness’ sake, Iván, don’t tell me we’re not going after this woman. I know you know better!” She stomped her foot for emphasis, which just sank into the soft soil without much impact.

 

The short girl's vision cleared after a few seconds and she looked up at the person who came to aid her. She nodded as she leaned against the old lady's shoulder. "Thank you so much granny" She did not called her granny out of disrespect though. Libitina did view the fun lady as a grandmother and as such, called her that. The only visible injuries that were on was from the three thorns that got attached to her arm. When the girl felt her balance returning, she pulled away from the old woman and began taking out the few thorns that had made contact with her. She was lucky that it did not fully enter her skin and cut her badly. "you are right granny. We will get her next time. And she better pray to whatever she believes to be the higher being, not that it would be much of a help if she did because she is going to be a meal when we are done with her. Let's go to see whether our teammates are well"
Libitina walked towards Janet and Ivan's and was surprised at the sudden outburst of the woman. Judging by what she said, it had seemed Ivan's considered his job done and wanted to move on.

" I agree with Janet. Our job is not over Ivan's. I'd like to add more to Janet's reasoning to save farmer Jean. You heard the threat the veggie head gave. Do you think those scardy cat farmers would cultivate on this land after that? I highly doubt it. This land is one of the biggest amongst the cultivation lands. By not using it, this country is at a loss and that means we ultimately failed in our mission. Besides, that woman only got away because she caught us by surprised, when all of our guards were down. Does that not anger you? She threw you around like you were a husk and acted like she was all high and mighty after using such a cheap trick. I say we find her and show her who is "moss boss" Oh and while we are at it. We need to buy her a good book on how to be a good villian because seriously? Only a loser would call themselves a moss boss." Libitina's words made one thing clear. One, she hated the green lady. Second,She wasn't in the rescue operation to save Jean. The amethyst eyed female was in it for pay back. "Janet and my decisions are clear. It is up to the two of you whether you want to help us. We shall not force you further. Just do not blame us if we end up having too much fun~ After all, the world is merely but a game" She said the last words intentionally. The NPCs could take that as her being childish and naive enough to see the whole world as nothing but a game but the players would realise what she meant. After all, that was what Terrasphere was. A game.