Private - Witch Ops Initiation | Page 5

They were running out of time. Iván's words fell on deaf ears as @Emerath Katou appeared frozen by their current predicament. Whether that was out of fear or simply because the founder of Lightning Ironworks was focusing all his energy in thinking the group a way out of this mess, the illusionist would know later, if he even would get such an opportunity. What he would know, what he knew, right then and there was the fact that staying put might not be their best option.

The thing was starting to render their nature magic all for nothing, persisting against the vines and branches that were supposed to serve as its most difficult obstacle. Iván was quick to notice what happened when the thing, the slime, came in contact with vegetation. "It's acidic," he remarked dryly, noting how organic matter appeared to disintegrate with exposure to it. "No one touch it. Stay far from it."

That was when @Bradwynne reappeared. Iván had been too busy with the others to call after Bradwynne when he ran off to god knows where. His return came with enlightenment, though little of which Iván felt they could use at the moment, with far too pressing matters steadily suffocating their own security, their survival. As if on cue, @Janet Reilly grabbed one of his bombs from out of nowhere, surprising the aspiring tinkerer. Before he could say anything, @Corvella followed suit, leaving Iván with only one bomb for himself.

The plan she suggested was simple but effective. Bomb the thing, run away from the explosion. It couldn't get any simpler than that. Realizing they had no other option, Iván simply shrugged and did what he was told. It was better than just standing there. He chucked his own explosive, his last one, at the slime thing and ran towards Bradwynne, tightly holding the lantern that was with him. Hopefully, the rest can shield him from the massive explosion with their bodies. That or he would die. Whatever worked.

 

Witch Ops Initiation Trial Part 3.5.4: Fly You Fools

Hidden: 3.5 Thread Rules and Notes

• One post, 900 words Maximum.
• Post limits are now reset.

As @Bradwynne returned to the group radiating holy energy, one could imagine a similar scene in which a once grey wizard returned to their party after fighting a terrible foe, only to now be wreathed in brilliant white. Wondering aloud why they didn’t follow his lead since he was the one carrying the map, Bradwynne would quickly see just how much of a “conundrum” as the owl put it, the party was actually in.

As the group watched, The King Slime had begun to forcefully push its gelatinous body through any and all holes in the vines @Janet Reilly and @Haru had skillfully woven to trap the beast. As it did, the hissing of the plants being engulfed within its acid grew louder while streams of white smoke rose. If the burning plants were any indicator, they didn’t have much time. To expedite the process further, the Slime King had also begun to actively shift its gelatinous body into a more fluid-like form. Like, chunky soup, the beast was now pouring itself through the vine cage. Whatever their plan was, the group needed to move out of the area and fast.

Preparing for a mad dash to the finale, @Iván Carl readied his grenades. @Corvella had taken a large amount of the bombs to avoid actively burning down the forest, though that wouldn’t be as much of an issue now that Janet was spreading her fire-retardant moss around them. Thankfully, now that Brandwynne and the map had returned, the forest had stopped encroaching on them. While this would allow them much greater ease in navigating the forest, this would also allow the slime to thicken again making its attacks that much stronger.

As the foliage cleared in the area, the slime began curdling. Gurgling, the slime drew back into itself morphing from the consistency of chunky soup, to now something more akin to jello. Just as it readied a swiping attack, the group turned and ran. As the King Slime's limb came barreling through the forest, it just missed the adventurers as they sprinted onwards towards the owl's tree. If one of the adventurers shot a gaze backward, they would have seen that the area they were just in was now a smoldering heap of steaming, hissing, ooze.

Behind the group, a low but angry roar could be heard, as if the King Slime had realized it wouldn't be able to catch the group. For the moment, it seemed like the group was in the clear. Now that they were once again together, there should be no reason for the magical barrier to reject their entry. All they needed to do was keep pace, watch their footing, and the trial would be over. Just as there seemed to be some light at the end of the tunnel, a high-pitched squeal-like noise sounded from behind the group. This was wholly unlike any noise the King Slime had thus far made, so one couldn’t be sure if it was actually the King Slime, or something else.

As the adventurers advanced suddenly, somewhere in off to the side, there was a pop sound. Almost like a birthday party balloon squeezed too hard. Continuing on, the party heard another pop! This time closer. Then another, and another. And several more as if someone was actively popping a huge quantity of balloons. Moving ever onward, a familiar hissing sound rose around the adventurers.

If one of the group members happened to look to the side, they may have noticed something looking similar to the King Slime but much smaller, about the size of a watermelon. Rushing forward, the adventurer may have noticed another one, then two. After a few more moments it was obvious that smaller slimes were now chasing them. These slimes seemed much less dangerous than the King they had left behind them, but all at once, Pop! One of the slimes burst like a balloon, droplets of its acidic body flew out from its location. If any adventurer happened to get any of their flesh, they would have felt a sharp burn, but thankfully the droplets were small enough to not cause any real damage.

Obviously, these slimes had been the popping sound the adventures had heard, and by the number of pops that had rung out earlier, there had to be an enormous amount of slimes in their wake. Even so, one blaring question remained. Why were the slimes doing this? It would be one thing if this was some sort of suicide attack, but the slimes had begun popping far off in the distance. Even when one of the slimes had popped near the party, the attack had sprayed but was nowhere near life-threatening. So why? What were they doing? If any of the adventurers found themselves searching for an explanation to any of these questions, they would soon have their answer.

North-east of the party two more slimes popped. Though harmlessly out of range, anyone who saw the slime would have noticed something peculiar. The popped slimes were not actually dead. Though now little more than liquid stains on the ground, the remnants of the two slimes merged into a liquid. As they did, they became faster.

Any adventurer with a bit of logic could venture a guess at what was happening. The slimes were quickly shedding their congealed forms so they could…

Behind the group could be heard something flowing like a wave towards them.

… ah, so they could merge into a wave to catch the group. The high-pitched sound they heard earlier was probably to signal the other slimes to attack. Now, the race was on. With each popped slime, the ooze wave became that much larger. There would be no hiding, as the wave would definitely be large enough to sweep down trees. The howl of the Slime King had not gone unheard. The situation was now do or die.

Hidden: Part 2

With every ounce of strength, the party charged forward. If any of them threw one of their bombs backward it would have been swallowed by the wave and exploded, but woefully would have done precious little to stop the oncoming ooze.

As the adventurers plowed through the brush, branches, and leaves while avoiding any slimes that happened to pop up near them or in their way, Bradwynne would have noticed that they were getting very, very close to the barrier he had discovered earlier.

Carving their way through the forest using every means they had at their disposal, the barrier came into view and beyond a picturesque forest clearing with a semi-gnarled but otherwise beautifully aged tree. If any adventurer squinted, they could probably identify a certain owl, lazily cleaning himself.

The wave was almost upon them. If any of them tripped it would be all over. If they slowed by even a tiny degree, they would be caught. The ooze literally licked at their heels. A sizzle and bit of smoke rose where the ooze licked at Corvella’s greaves. It was so close, so close… and then…

“CAWWWW!”

“LEAP YOU FOOLS!”

One after another, the party crashed through the barrier. Not even a second after the final adventurer flung themself through the barrier did the wave barrel into it like a tsunami slamming into a retaining wall. The living wave grumbled and slopped around the barrier’s perimeter, but even so, the barrier held. The slimes could not enter. The party was safe. The trial had been passed.

Hidden: Part 3

Hidden: Part 3 Rules

• You, the player, should probably come up with your Witch Opp Codename, (unless you want me to use the one I posted in chat).
• The party has made it and everyone is now safe.
• There will be one more round of posts after this which will be the end.
• You can't hurt the owl, so don't bother >.>

Now safe, the party could let out a sigh of relief. The trial had been passed, all that was left was the initiation. Flying down from his perch, The Cawing Owl of Brisshal flew down from his tree perch onto a rock to overlook the party.

"CAW-CAWw-CAWww-CAW. CAW CaW Caw. CAWWWW. Caw, CAW caw cAW CAWW. Cawwww. CAW-Caw. Caw. CAw-caW. CaWw. CawW. CAW, ca-cawwwW. CaWW-CAW CAAW. CAAaW CA-CA-CAWWW. CAW-CAw-CAww-CAW, CAW CaW Caw. CAWWWW. Caw, CAW caw cAW CAWW. Cawwww. CAWWWWW. Caw. Caww. CAw cAw caW. CaWw. CawW. CAW ca-caw."

“Hoo-hoot. It would seem you have succeeded. Well then, I know you would all along didn’t I? Yes, of course, the witch has always been a good judge of character. Well then, catch your breath and let’s be on with it, shall we? I’m sure by now all of you would like to return to the cottage, correct? Of course, rightly so. Quite the display."

The owl used its leg to point towards the mass of slimes.

"CAWAWww-CAW. CAW CAWW. Cawwww. CAW-Caw. Cawwww. CAw-CaWw. CawW. CAW, ca-caW. CaW-CAW CAAW. CAW CA-CAWWW. CAW-CAw. CAW CaW Caw. CAWWWW. Caw, CAW caw cAW CAWW. Cawwww. CAWWWWW. Cwaw. Caww. CqqAw cAw cwaW. CaWw. CawWw. CAW ca-caw."

“Never seen them do that… hoo-hoot. Oh well, I’m sure they’ll disperse soon. Can’t stay here all day, now can they? Hoo-hoot. Well then, catch your breaths and once you are prepared to, grab a stone.”

Use it’s leg again to point, the owl motioned to a small pile of smooth looking stones. Each was in a different shape though they all looked fairly similar.

"CAwwwwwwwWw-CAWwwwwwwwwwwwwww-CAW. CAW C-Caw. CAWW. Cawww, CAwW cawWW cAAAW CAWW. Caww. CAW-Caw. Caw. CAw-caW. CaWw-CawW. CAW, ca-cawwwW. CaWW-CAAW. CAAaW CA-CA-CAWWW. CAW-CAw-CAww-CaW Caw. CAWWW. Caw, Caww. CAWW. Caw. Caww. CAw cAw CawW. CAW ca-cawwww."

“Once you have chosen your stone, you will approach the tree. I will ask you your Witch Name. Once you have recited it, leave the stone at the foot of the tree. Once that is completed, you will be an official member of the witch’s team. After everyone has finished, we will make our way back to the cottage where your reward awaits."

@Nom Nom @Janet Reilly @Emerath Katou @Iván Carl @Corvella @Freja Sitka @Haru @Bradwynne

 

As soon as Iván threw his share of his own explosives, he bolted out of there, allowing @Bradwynne to lead them towards the path he had made for them. He should've just ran, his eyes towards the direction they were going, but his curiosity could not be contained, and so he had to look behind them, witnessing that where they had been before had now turned into something they would perhaps have regretted staying in. Even as they moved forward, Iván could still hear the anger the King Slime had for their group. Fortunately, they were now far from its grasp. Iván kept his pace steady, feeling everything just in case something surprising happened.

That something surprising turned out to be a mysterious high-pitched squeal. Was it the King Slime? No, it couldn't have been. That thing was roaring, not squealing. Pop! Iván immediately turned to where the source of the noise should've been but another pop sound distracted him and another and another and another. They were getting closer to them, as if the hundreds of balloons a creepy clown was holding while it was tracking them down were exploding one by one by one. Then the hissing came.

Iván looked to the side and noted something that resembled the King Slime, only it was smaller. He shone his lantern's light towards its direction and found another. And another. And another. "Looks like we're still not alone. There are tiny slime drops following us, chasing us," he warned the others and was caught surprised when one of the slimes, the one closest to him, popped. Bursting like someone's boil, droplets of its acidic body flew out, some of them finding themselves on Iván's sleeve. "What the..." Those three droplets, tiny as they might have been, burned holes, tiny holes in the Mirage Gear's right sleeve. "Do not get any of these slimes on your clothes or skin. They're still very acidic."

So the slimes were the popping sound they were hearing... Does that mean, that because of how many pops they heard earlier, that there were a lot of these slimes around? What were they doing? What were they planning on accomplishing with this? They were too tiny that their suicide attacks might not even hurt a lot of them, and far too many were too far away from the group. If this was an attempt on their lives, then the slimes had failed. Unless...

As two more slimes popped, Iván turned to their direction. They were far from the group but something was happening with them. They did not seem dead. They were but liquid stains now, both on the ground, but then they started merging together into some sort of liquid. And faster. "Hmm," Iván muttered to himself. He turned behind the group when he heard something flowing like some sort of wave towards them. Like a river's, though he knew what it really was. "The slimes' suicide attacks... They weren't meant to kill us. They just meant to transform themselves from their congealed state to that." Iván pointed his lantern's light towards the wave of what had previously been separate tiny slimes.

More slimes popped and the ooze wave grew larger. Hiding was no longer an option. This ooze wave could grow large enough to sweep down trees. Iván sighed as the Slime King's howl mocked them where they stood. "Everyone run! This time faster!"

Iván bolted once more, faster than he could, than he had. He no longer had anything with him, but if he had, he would most definitely throw it towards the ooze wave to try and slow it down. Not that anything could do. It looked too massive now to be stopped. So he ran, using his lantern to help light the way, helping Bradwynne clear some of the foliage he could.

Soon enough, they came upon a strange tree. Iván squinted and found the talking owl from before. He looked behind them. The ooze wave was so close, the owl didn't have to tell him again. Iván leaped, crashing through what seemed to be a barrier, as the wave was kept at bay by some strange force that was perhaps the owl's magic. Whatever. What was important was they were safe. For now.

Iván listened to the owl's words, which sounded so clear to him. He turned to look at the small pile of stones, all smooth from where he stood, all fairly similar. Iván did not hesitate to choose his stone, wanting to get all this over with. The cottage would be a much-needed respite from all this trouble. He approached the tree and left his stone at its foot, but not before reciting his Witch Name, "Bound Prince."

He waited for the others to finish, noting their chosen Witch Names for future reference.

 

It looked the the barrage of bombs worked. There's no signs of any movement, only smoke and sizzlings. Wasting no time to escape, Corvella ran with the group towards the earlier path Bradwynne opened. Things seem to be just fine before the group heard a noise coming from behind, presumably the work of the Slime King. But since she's certain that the thing's already dead, Corvella did not bother to look back.

Pop.

Pop, pop, pop.

Okay, those poppings start to sound suspicious. What in the world is happening?

Her green eyes spotted smaller slimes along the way, suddenly popping when they got close, lesser acids splattering on the group. Is it a desperate attack? They couldn't hurt us with that kind of-

Pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop.

Tens, no, hundreds of popping sounds echoed all around the forest, even from far off the distance. Did they just commit mass suicide out of their King's death? Soon it all makes sense when Corvella looked behind. A wave of oozy, merged slimes were chasing with a very impressive speed. They thought they were close to the magical barrier, but soon enough the wave was able to close the distance. "Run faster!" She shouted. She could feel some of the watery ooze start to sprinkle on the back of her armor.

Then everything happened so fast. They were suddenly in the other side of the magical barrier, safe from the wave of slime. She looked at her burnt greaves, realizing if she was half second too slow the wave would have claimed her legs. The owl flew from the tree to congratulate them on their success, before guiding them for the last part of the initiation. That's right, she haven't thought of her codename yet. All she know is Bradwynne chose to be called 'Sword Priest', a pretty straightforward name for him.

The earlier masked bomber went first to take a stone, go through the procedure before reciting his Witch Name, Bound Prince. The name sounded really cool and gives a mysterious vibe that goes along with his character. It's her turn? Crap. Her brain suddenly works in a superspeed trying to think of a name. Should she pick a cool-sounding name that describes her? Dark Avenger, or Doom Rider, maybe Black Knight? Too edgy. Her armor's full black, so what about something that's quite white colored, holy-sounding for a change? Angel... Archangel? That's more like Bradwynne's thing. Valkyrie maybe?

Eventually, she gave up on thinking a cool, unique name and just went on to grab a small stone, specifically the smallest one. Walking up to the tree, the wise owl proceeded with the initiation and asked her Witch name. What came to her and went out from her mouth was something simple, much to her own surprise. "Titan." She recited, kneeling before putting the stone on the foot of the tree. The girl then turned and walked back to the group.

 

Boom. That was the noise Janet Reilly had learned to associate with explosions, from Saturday morning cartoons and magazine comic strips. In reality, it was much less of a sound and more of a wave, a burst of sonic that overwhelmed her eardrums and hit her like a wall of force and heat. She felt her feet leave the ground for a moment before she caught herself, stumbling across the forest floor, throwing a desperate glance over her shoulder. Her heart sunk—despite the bombs, the liquefied sludge had swallowed the flames whole, snuffing them out as easily as a rug thrown over a matchstick. We waited too long! Her chest heaved and Janet couldn’t help but give a hysterical little sob as an acid bubble burst near her, spattering messily. She felt pain blossom across her skin as she threw up her arms to protect her face, burning hot and red as fire-ant bites.

If she’d been less frantic, she could have tried to use her magic to move the thorns and branches currently whipping the initiates as they plunged through the untamed forest. If there’d been more time, she could have focused her abilities to try and clear a path, or try and hinder the slime. Neither of these things were on their side, however, and Janet had no way of knowing whether she would have been capable even if they had been. We’re not going to make it— and then a resounding CAW echoed around them, magical and magnified, a sound that reached out and spoke to Janet’s instinct before her intellect before the girl threw herself forward in a last leap of faith.

Janet landed surprisingly spryly, legs bending to absorb the shock and catching herself with one palm upon the ground. She whipped back, auburn tresses flying as she prepared to get up and run again, or pull Corvella through if the blonde hadn’t made it, but she stopped. It… can’t get in? Her gaze traveled up as the purple mass spread itself out against that invisible plane, deadly and disgusting. It was as if the initiates had entered a glass jar, safe from the destruction disintegrating the landscape. “We… did we make it?” Janet’s wonder was replaced quickly by relief, and then triumph. “We made it, everyone!” The rush of giddiness swept her up and the teenager was on her feet. “Praise!”

The chatter of bird-sounds began again from the owl, their goal and savior. This time, Janet did her best to listen. Ordinarily, returning to the strange cottage would not have been her first choice—looking back at the liquefied toxin still attempting to penetrate the protective barrier, however, she decided it would do. Following where the owl pointed—ridiculous as that was, Janet was now accepting it—the eighteen-year-old approached the pile, looking down at the stones. At first glance they all seemed the same, but the longer she looked, the more a particularly large one—the size of her head or so—spoke to her.

Janet picked it up, expending no more effort than if she’d picked up a soccer ball, and carried it to the roots of the tree where the owl nested. Am I ready for this? she wondered in a moment of doubt as she waited her turn, turning the rock in her hands around and staring at its grainy surface. This is really happening. We passed the test, and I’m joining the Witch Ops Battalion. Just that morning, that sentence would have been so ridiculous and meaningless to Janet that she would have dismissed it as utter nonsense. Now, it was reality. I think I’m ready. I mean, yes. Yes, I am. She would do her best to protect Astorea (was that its name?) and follow her commander and compatriots to fight against the darkness. She could not hesitate now.

At the caw, Janet set her stone down by the roots of the tree and straightened up, dusting off her skirt as she had so many times before. “Rated R,” she said firmly. The words Havoc Growth had popped into her head somewhere along the way and she rather liked the sound of it, but it seemed so—wild, and chaotic. She needed control. She needed order. She needed to warn the world that this game was filled with disgusting mature enemies like the King Slime and protect innocent children like Nom Nom from the encroaching evils Majolica had warned them about. With each use of her name, Janet would be reminded of her mission. It doesn’t hurt that it works with my last name, either, she thought privately as she gave the owl a curt nod (the most respect she was going to show to an animal that was obviously the product of some witchcraft) and stepped away again.

 

Haru leans on a tree inside of the barrier. The place felt safer than any in the forest to him, mostly for the comical way that the slimes slapped on the barrier. They looked like little water balloons at the moment which caused the corners of his mouth to quirk upwards. He couldn't do much at the moment but catch his breath. He had been taking time to move roots behind the party to loosen dirt and make holes in the ground- anything to slow those things down. Fortunately it may have helped them all as they had barely made it. What would had happened if any of the party hadn't worked as hard as they did..?

What a frightening thought. Haru feels a twinge of camaraderie for the fellows around him as he once had in that cold castle. He gets up from his seat on the ground as he joins in on the conversation. He leisurely tosses a stone to the base of the tree without hesitation from his own thoughts of if he was getting into something he couldn't keep up with. "Guide. Short, sweet, and all I need." Haru felt no need to take himself any other name. He would bring his respect to his others through service before titles.

 

Witch Ops Initiation Trial Part 4: Endings Beget Beginnings

Hidden: Part 4 Thread Rules and Notes

• No Maximum Length
• Feel free to do one final post if you want
• Post limits are now reset.

And so the trial had ended. With bombs, swords, axes, spells, grit, and determination the group had outrun a slime wave, escaped The King Slime, navigated the maze forest, displayed their skills to their comrades, and interviewed the Grand Witch. Now they were official members of The Witch Ops Battalion. Warriors sworn to protect the realm using almost any mean necessary. Ahead would be more challenges, more training, and even greater adventures, but for now dinner would suffice.

As the last adventurer placed their stone at the foot of the tree. The Cawing Owl of Brisshal spoke up.

"CAW! CAWWWWW! CAW-CAW-CA-CAW! Caw. Cawwwww. Caw-ca-cawww-CAWWWWW-caw."

"Well then, now that you have givennnn up your stone, you shallll receive something in return. Hoo-hoot!"

The owl waved its wing and in the hands of each of the adventurers was a stylish purple sticker with a witch hat design on it. The sticker looked better than the drawings Majolica typically made, so it could be surmised it had been designed by one of the frogs. The owl continued.

"CAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! caw caw. Caw. CAW. Caaaw. CawWwW. Cawww. Ca-Cawwwwww-ca-caww. Caww. cAwWwWwW. Caw. CAWWWW. Caw. Caaaaw. Cawww. Cccawwwwww! CAWWWWWWWWWW! Caw. CAw. CAW. Caaaw. CawWwW. Cawww. Ca-Cawwwwww-ca-caww. Caw. cAWwW. Caw. CAWW. Caw. Cwwaaw. Cawww. Cccawwwwww!"

"The stickerssss are magical, obviiiiously. They will never degrade, adhere to skin, clothing, or armor, and cannot be removed unless the wearer touches them and applies their own mana. Meaningggg, only the sticker's owner can ever remove it, and it must be done willingly... hoo-hoot! Of courseeeee, if one does remove the sticker the other memebers will be aware. The sticker also allows the witch to track you and know your movements. Such a bore explaning the stickers, honestly. Finallyyyyyy, hoo-hoot, the sticker can allow for mental communication to other memeberssss, and well let the other members know when you are injured or rapping on death's door. Now that that's out of the way, I shall guide you back to the cottage. Suuuuch an annoyance. Hoo-hoot!"

Hidden: Witch Op Stickers

Congrats! Everyone has received a Witch Ops Sticker!

Sticker Properties-

1. Sticker bearers can mentally communicate to each other at any distance.
2. Sticker bearers can tell instinctively when one member is low on health (so assistance can be sent)
3. The sticker also allows The Grand Witch to spy on you (To monitor positions or send aid typically).
4. They don't degrade and are eternally sticky (water and fireproof, etc.)
5. They are scratch and sniff. They smell like bannana.

Sticker Removal

1. Stickers can be removed at anytime. The wearer just needs to apply a shock of their own energy and the sticker will vanish into nothingness.
2. When a sticker is removed, all other sticker bearers (and Majolica) are made aware.

After a long-winded and annoyed explanation of the stickers, The Cawing Owl of Brisshal eyed the exterior of the barrier. Noticing that though the slime wave had receded many of the slimes were still writhing outside the magical barrier, the owl sighed. With a groan, the owl flew down from its perch to an ordinary and unassuming looking tree stump off to the side of the area. The owl kicked the stump with its claw, strangely similarly to how a person might kick the side of an old malfunctioning television. After the blow, the stump slowly started to open revealing itself to be a hatch.

"CAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! caw-Caw. Cawww CAW. Caaaw-CawW."

"Ho-hoot. Well, then. Down the hatch. Unlessss each of you would prefer to make your way through the slimes again."

The owl fluttered up, then flew down into the hole. From down in the hole, the owl could be heard complaining.

"Caww. Ca-Caww-caww. Caww. caw. cAW-Caw. CAWWWW. Caw. CAAAaaaw-caw. Cccawwwwww!"

"I do so detest this way. It is ohhhh so cloistered. Definitely not fit for one of avian refinement such as myself! Hoo-hoot!"

Taking the ladder down into the hole, the adventurers would find themselves in a comfortably spacious tunnel. Along the walls, candle sticks had been spread evenly to light the way. Walking forward a ways, the adventurers would pass chairs propped against the wall, along with small tables. It would have appeared that the builders of the tunnel gave comfort a high priority, as the chairs and table allowed one to sit for a nice break at certain lengths of the tunnel. At these stop areas, decorations had also been placed. On the dirty walls hung crude drawings that had obviously been drawn by Majolica, but also high-grade portraits of various Witch Frogs drawn regally.

Though the underground path was long, it was a relaxing walk and soon enough, it came to end. At the end, a wooden ladder had been placed leading upwards. The owl, which had until now been walking in front of the party, flew up and out of the hole. From above, the owl shouted down.

"CAWW! caw caw. Caw. CAW. Caaaw. CawWwW. Cawww. Ca-Cawwwwww-ca-caww. Caww. cAwWwWwW. Caw. CAWWWW. Caw. Caaaaw. Cawww. Cccawwwwww!"

"Well, come on. We're already late I'll have you know! Hoo-hoot!"

Climbing out of the hole, the adventurers would be greeted with purple and orange balloons and confetti, as well as a certain owl perching on the shoulder of a certain Grand Witch. Looking around, they would see busy Witch Frogs carrying plates, dishes, glasses, and various foods to a long table with a purple table cloth. The table had been set up near the cottage and was lit with candle light. Fireflies had gathered in the area making for a enchanting looking dinner setting. At the table, enough seats had been set for all of the adventurers.

"Hehehe! You made it!"

The Grand Witch give them a thumbs up.

"Nice job! Hehe, this calls for a celebration! Since it's been such a long day, I, Commander Grand Witch Majolica have decided to treat everyone to a feast! Hehehe! The frogs have been up since early this morning cooking and getting everything ready, hehe, and now you're just in time! Hehehe!"

Sitting down, the adventurers were treated to a host of several dishes including forest boar ham, egg dishes, fish, salad, and of course mushrooms and desert candies.

"Hehehe! So what did you all think of the last part! Hehe, I thought a nice stroll through the forest would be a fun and relaxing way to bond as a group and rememeber what our group was protecting! Hehehe."

As she giggled, The Cawing Owl of Brisshal that had been lazily perching on Majolica's shoulder began to look flustered.

"Ca-cawww..."

Then the owl whispered into Majolica's ear. The Grand Witch's eyes went wide.

"What?! Hehehe, the King Slime!? Hehe, why would you do that! If they would have all died, then I wouldn't have a team you dumb bird!"

Majolica firmly give the owl a knock on the head.

"Follow directions dumb owl, hehehe, we have a deal! Hehe."

Turning back to the group, The Grand Witch gave an "oopsies" grin.

"Hehehe, well it seems like the last challenge ended up being a bit harder than what I had planned, hehe. But, hehehe, all's well that end's well! It was probably a good bonding experience and everyone seems to have come out okay! Hehehe, anyway let's eat and congratulations on making into Grand Witch Majolica's Witch Ops Battalion!"

The little witch then began stuffing her face with food.

Congratulations New Witch Ops Members! Hehehe!

​

[OOC: And thus concludes the first ever Witch Ops initiation. I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for being apart of this. Originally, Witch Ops was supposed to be a joke. I had it planned that Majolica would invite people to join up so they could be her friends, though never actually thought anyone would want to make it a real thing. So, honestly, it was because all of you wanted it that I decided to try and make the ops into a real group. I tried to make this thread as much fun as possible for all you. Going forward, there will be more events and outings (maybe not this long, haha) to be apart of, and I hope we can all continue to have fun playing together! Hehehe... ~ @Malzel ]



@Nom Nom @Janet Reilly @Emerath Katou @Iván Carl @Corvella @Freja Sitka @Haru @Bradwynne

 

Titan… Rated R… Guide… Iván couldn’t help but smirk at some of the codenames the others went with. Some of them were pretty interesting, but a few were juvenile at best. The point of a codename was to hide someone’s identity while still maintaining contact with the others. This Witch Ops Battalion… Iván noted that it was going to be performing a lot of undercover missions, quests, things that the general public would not be privy to. Codenames were essential to their success as a group, especially codenames that wouldn’t be traced to their bearers.

He listened intently to the magical owl’s hoots and was mightily impressed when his purple sticker was bequeathed to him. For a lack of a better term, it was pretty stylish. It also had several magical properties that enticed the tinkerer side of Iván. The witch hat design was probably a reference to the Grand Witch herself, their so-called commander. She seemed, for a lack of a better term, eccentric. She did not strike Iván as a commander, as what a commander would look like, but it was perhaps for the best. Undercover missions, stealth, illusions, all those sort of things would be quite useful for them. Having a leader that did not outwardly look like a leader was the best thing they could have hoped for.

After placing the sticker close to his shoulder, Iván was caught surprised when the owl made them aware of its tree stump’s true purpose. While the others remained to probably gawk at the surprise, Iván silently did as he was told and took the ladder down the hole, once again caught surprised when he ended up in a spacious tunnel, as comfortable as comfortable could be. It wasn’t as dark as he expected as well. Candles lit the way, through chairs propped against the wall, crude drawings and high-grade portraits on the dirty walls, and finally to another ladder that would get them back up on the ground.

Purple and orange balloons, along with confetti, greeted them as they resurfaced, the owl taking its place on the Grand Witch’s shoulder. Witch Frogs were also present and busy for what seemed like dinner. A feast? Iván wasn’t in the mood to decline such an offer. It was also a pretty great spread. Iván listened to Majolica’s words without saying anything, his eyes switching between her and the magical owl while he ate. This was going to be pretty interesting. Iván hoped he wouldn’t need to die with this group.

 

Soon the last part of the initiation was over with everyone choosing their own codename. The annoying owl distributed several magical stickers which surprisingly have good design on them. Apparently they function as some kind of trackers, and sticks anywhere from skin to fabric. She doesn't know how much Majolica would be able to spy them with the sticker on, so the knight placed it on the back of her armor; the thing she normally wears on adventures.

The well-built tunnel might be a shortcut back to Majolica's cottage, and the long walk proved it. They soon resurfaced above the ground as a certain Grand Witch congratulated them for their success of the trials. Don't forget the frogs going around helping to set up a feast.

Now Corvella is assured everything weird is over and they can just enjoy the night while resisting the urge to punch some wise bird in the face. It was revealed that the final trial was supposed to a quiet walk on the forest, contrary to the messy King Slime situation that was improvised by the cawing owl.

"Congratulations everyone!" The atmosphere of the dinner is surprisingly enjoyable, with candles and fireflies providing just enough lighting through the night. After such exhausting trial, Corvella filled her stomach with well-earned high quality foods cooked by... frogs? "Hey guys, try the salad! It's been a long time since I have eaten something this delicious." She passed the big plate of salad to the others. The blonde never actually took the group as something serious, but more like 'a group of friends toward a heroic goal' sort of thing. If only everyone she met on the game acts more like the people on this group.

 

Janet had to admit she was a bit put out that their reward for such a harrowing trial was a sticker—she wasn’t sure whether the fact that it was a “magic” sticker made it more or less juvenile—but she took it nevertheless. She wondered where she should put it—on her body seemed uncomfortable, even if it was an adhesive. She decided to stick it to her lapel like a sheriff’s badge, wishing she had a shield like Corvella’s that was practically begging for bumper sticker decoration.

As the other Witch Ops members put their stickers on, the odd magical awareness the owl had described set in—Janet knew she’d know if they were removed. What about laundry? Well, she’d just have to hope the magic held them on. She caught of whiff of banana as she applied it to her blouse, which she supposed was pleasant enough.

There was no question which way the initiates would rather take back to Majolica’s cottage, so down the stump and through the passage they went. Janet wasn’t entirely sure what the purpose of such a passageway was—a break room for the frogs?—but she frowned at every awkward portrait they passed until they ascended again and found the cottage again. The change of atmosphere and lighting could not have improved Janet’s mood more and the teenager clasped her hands to her chest, eyes lighting up. “Oh! How beautiful!” she uttered, looking around at the fireflies and enchanting setting.

A feast! One which—she felt a little guilty at this—wouldn’t go to her thighs in this world, she hoped. Oh, I’m going to enjoy this. She really had worked up an appetite with all that running and magic. The meal was delicious and Janet did her part to pass the plates around to the others, very happy with how things had turned out. “This is really lovely.” She could almost ignore the frogs. Taking the salad Corvella passed, Janet loaded up her plate and looked around at everyone around her in the newly-formed group. “Yes, congrats! I’m looking forward to working with all of you,” she said aloud. Perhaps witchcraft wasn’t so bad!