A Player Killer - Part 2 (Q)

Questline Details: A Player Killer (Questline)
Quest Part I: A Player Killer - Part 1

Hidden: Current Quest

Having gathered information on the infamous PKer, you put all of it together and discover he is affiliated with a unknown group who call themselves the Convicted Saviors. With knowledge that there are more than one possible PKer to deal with here, you head for The Brisshal/Norfova border where the group may have set up camp. Anything around Norfova is as dangerous as always and you could encounter player killers at any time... be careful.

Objective:

• Find and make your way to the Convicted Saviors camp and defeat anything that impedes your progress.

Difficulty: Rank D (4-5 posts per person)
Repetition: Non-repeatable

Party: @Roland Rutledge, @Kaede Hoshi
Method: Brisshal Side of Border: [Stays away from the more dangerous encounters, however you will take longer to reach your destination. Mostly sparse woodlands]

---

It certainly had taken some time for the crow Roland sent out to return with information, but the wait had not left them unrewarded. Harveste happened to get a sneaky look at the response received, sitting at a table in the tavern she'd followed her party to relax in during their respite. She read as she sipped quietly at her liquor- a light drink, but still strange looking when someone so small was the one drinking it.

"So, it says there's a group called 'Convicted Saviors' causing this mess, and they've set up camp over on the border of Norfova. I don't really know my geography of that area well besides the Arena, but if I recall, isn't that whole place pretty dangerous? Since it's on the border, we might be best off staying on this side of that area..."

Sure, she was being a bit of a coward in her stance- but with her last memory being part of a test at the Stone Tor arena with Roland and another fighter far better than she was, Harveste knew that caution was probably not a bad method in all this madness. Besides, this way she was less likely to put a strain on her teammates, wasn't she? "Plus, Brisshal has a lot of greenery comparatively if I recall. We might be able to use that to our advantage once we get there, if there's still enough green on our side of the border at that point."[/spoiler]

 

Roland took the letter from the crow when it arrived, reading it carefully before setting it down, and rubbing his temples. He hadn't heard of the "Convicted Saviors" but this greatly implied what he had original feared, they weren't dealing with a singular serial killer, but rather a group fulfilling a hidden agenda. Silently Roland eye'd his little group, at first glance both Harveste and Kaede didn't seem the type that could handle such a task. That said from his brief interactions with the two of them he could tell there were somethings hiding beneath the surface of their innocent appearance. He just hoped it would be something strong enough to survive.

With a cough, Roland refocused on the task at hand, listening to Harveste words while not bothering to worry about when she had read the letter. "I disagree with your reasoning, but I agree with your conclusion. Considering we are already in Brishal it makes sense to head from here, tracking back to Norfova from this location would end up taking more time anyway. If it happens to be the eaiser path, good. My guess is we will need every break we can get." Glancing at his half finished wine Roland stood up with a grin, "I say lets get going right away while there is still light out."

-----------------

A few hours later the group found themselves on the trail towards Norfova. Much like their note had anticipated the path was relatively easy with only a few boars and goblins baring their path. With the combined strength of the three of them, however, none of the obstacles had proven to be much more than a minor annoyance. However, as they strayed further and further towards the border, the creatures would increase in size and ferocity, and with the sun looking to set the group had a few options on how to proceed. "Well" Roland said, "We can keep going through the night, it will be more dangerous but the killer's camp will likely be asleep and make scouting it easier. On the other hand its much safer to travel these roads during the day which will make things easier, but we run an increased risk of running into the killers as we get closer. What do you two think we should do?" It was clear by Roland's monotone voice he cared for neither decision heavily, relying on what the other two felt more comfortable doing.

 

@Kaede Hoshi

 

_____Kaedé was likely the one showing the most emotions among her group. A dangerous mix of pure anger and annoyance after hearing word from the two it was more than one person causing trouble and they had the nerve to form a group about it. She would not bother to say anything, just simply following with her weapon raised and her mind trying to keep her temper in check along the way. When something attacked them Kaedé was likely always the first to rush off and end the conflict.

_____Moving towards Norfova, not as peaceful as Kaedé recalled it to be. Something seemed to be causing the mostly peaceful creatures of Brisshal to act up and this in turn only made Kaedé more enraged thinking what possibly could cause such a stir. Thankfully chopping them down along the way did slightly help her stay calm enough by the time Roland spoke again to fully listen to what he had to say.

”The longer we take to find them the more likely players will be killed.”

_____Kaedé's voice was slightly exhausted, even if she was recovering from her hangover all the movement still played a part to her as she kept moving not fully caring if the group chose to follow her or not. Mostly she wished they would stay back a bit, if Kaedé did find one of these player killers she would not be so willing to stay calm or civil in her approach. Naginata slowly spinning in her left hand as she walked along the path searching for any signs of a target.

_____Eyes catching movement from the left as she took stance and rushed off the path to chase down something to hopefully vent more anger. What she found however was just a fleeing deer causing the girl to growl and slam her fist into a tree. She was letting her emotions get the best of her because other females had been at risk. She wanted to protect them but likely had already failed some causing her this current state of mind. A few deep breaths and another fist slamming to the tree before she would start walking back to the group a slight bit better composed.
@Harveste

 

The further along the trail they got, the paler she began to feel. Her pallor hadn't actually changed, but she felt a slight pain in her cheeks, as if the blood was rushing out of them. Roland, after all, had mixed danger and concern together in his recommendation.

He had a point, however. Before she could really make a plausible conclusion in her mind, which raced to think of the best plan for the puzzle, she noticed the sound of @Kaede Hoshi growing further away once more. She rushed a bit closer to @Roland Rutledge to tug on the hem of his clothes the best she could to get his attention.

"I think I'm more worried about what we'll do once we find them or vice versa...And particularly, at this moment, Kaede." She pointed in the direction she'd heard the woman's feet flee. Kaede was clearly more attune to sounds than Harveste somehow, because she hadn't even felt a small reason to rush that way. However, as she worried, she heard a loud sound and rushed towards the woman, seeing she'd hit a tree.

A frown tugged at her lips as she got closer, hugging onto her from behind. "The tree didn't do anything wrong, Kaede. And neither did you. We're all working as hard as we can to stop them, aren't we? You're here to help us, right? So don't start feeling defeated already. Let the anger bubble inside and save it for the people that caused the mess."

The downcast expression on her face slowly turned upward, her frown rotating into a grin. "Unlike the people we're after, the trees are my friends. I bet even in the dark, we can have them help us. Let's keep going, right to the border and right to their camp. We'll make them pay, but as a team. If we stick together, we're less likely to die before we get there, you know?"

 

Most of Kaede's outbursts during the journey had gone unnoticed to Roland as he focused on merely traveling so it was a bit of a surprise when it culminated in her attacking a tree. However a part of him did understand the frustration with the situation, which caused him to mostly hold his tongue while Harveste spoke, leaving his thoughts about to it, "A true tree hugger" that he muttered under his breath. With a soft sigh Roland leaned against a nearby tree and let the two talk it out, not feeling comfortable interjecting with his own opinion.

Once they had hashed it out Roland did speak up, responding to Harveste's earlier words, "You did have a point there earlier, we need to decide how we are going to deal with these player killers." Looking around the rather dark woods Roland felt a bit uneasy, "I think if we head in without a reliable plan we could wind up dying ourselves, and that won't help anyone." Shaking his head Roland pushed himself off his tree as he faced the two of them, "We should walk in with the expectation that we need to kill them. Anything less is to dangerous."

Roland stood there for a moment clearly waiting for a reply, before one could be had however there was a distinct howl nearby. The movement that only Kaede had heard had turned out to be a wolf, circling around them as it waited for its back to fill in. The howl had indicated it was time to strike reveal a handful of wolves slinking forward to the characters. With a hiss Roland drew both his blades cursing himself at being so careless, he had just mentioned it was dangerous here after all.

Roland drew his breath to shout something, but was cut off when one of the wolves leaped for him, aiming for the swordsman's throat. In a single fluid motion Roland cut the canine down with a lopsided arc, using the momentum to carry him forward towards the next wolf, slashing at its side. Nimbly the wolf dodged the blade, and lept forward, only to be caught by the second sword flying towards it. Taking the blow to its skull with a loud thud, the wolf dropped to the ground either unconscious or dead as Roland moved to the next wolf in the pack hoping the other two were weathering the fight as well as he was.

@Kaede Hoshi @Harveste

 

_____Kaedé wanted to calm down, but even as Harveste hugged and tried to talk the girl down she could only keep growling. Player killers reminded her of SAO, and the fact that even if the real players did not die these people had been ruining the game for them. The words from Roland drew Kaedé's focus back to him for only a moment before the wolf howl got Kaedé's main focus as the girl moved Harveste to be between her and Roland. Hands moving to both rest on her weapon as she lowered her stance and waited for the first wolves to try and show up.

______When the first one did decide to approach Kaedé she was just happy her rouge was not the same low amount it had been. Her frame moving to the right, mostly a lean and strain on her spine to make sure she evaded but also was close enough to slam her weapon to push the wolf away so it could not go after Harveste since the attack against Kaedé was evaded. Her face would slightly cringe from pain on her lower spine as she moved to stand straight and spun her weapon to her right side to block a different wolf.

_____As much as Kaedé wanted to start dicing up wolves she could only worry about protecting Harveste, she was already dealing with the weight of not saving other girls potentially so she felt and thought only to protect the one girl in the area. This would likely came back to bite her in the ass rather literally as whilst Kaedé focused on keeping the jaws of a wolf open with her weapon another chose to approach her from behind. She herself would not notice it until the moment it would likely be taking a bite out of her ass unless some helped her.

”Is it just me, or does anyone else get the feeling this pack of wolves has no alpha among them and seems trained to be hunting us out?” Kaedé would speak as she pushed the first wolf away, her focus moving either to the one biting her butt or wherever that wolf ended up.
@Harveste | @Roland Rutledge
OOC: Sorry my drive to write was lost last few days.

 

It was impossible, it seemed, for her to calm the anger in Kaede's eyes. Somehow, hearing @Roland Rutledge mention a possible need for bloodshed, the girl could only sense things were about to get worse in the warrior woman she held onto.

"Even if we kill them, we won't know their cause for this without getting a word in with them. We can't be sure there's no one else pulling the strings..." And honestly, did she have the heart to kill someone? Oh wait, she did. They weren't real people...They were characters. And since when did this particular writer like letting their lives be easy?

As the wolves began to edge inward and continue, she listened carefully to the wisdom of @Kaede Hoshi. No alpha? Under orders? That was surely a possibility. Gripping the grimoire she carried with her, she felt her lips turn into a grin, her legs moving on her own to jump into the tree's upper limbs for safety. "I should be able to find something if I look in their minds. Naturamancy lets me control the beasts of the wild if I work hard enough. Let's see if I can persuade them to let us pass..."

She took a deep breath and chanted softly. "To walk in your shoes, I must become one with you."

Mind Buddies

Her thoughts began to travel almost like astral projection, body becoming limp in the tree. There was a whiplash effect, however, shoving her mind back into her own skull. Unbalanced by the blow, she fell out of the tree, landing on her back. With a groan, she blurted out her worries rather than her woes. "I-It won't let me...Guys! I don't know if they're trained or under control, but I don't think I can try to calm them in this state! I hate to do it but...We really might need to find a way to force through them!"

 

A loud crunching sound echoed through the forest as Roland's blade met another wolf's skull. The sword were sharp enough to tear through tissue, but the best it could do was smash bone. Roland swiveled his head as he tried to get a baring on the situation, it seemed Kaede had begun to fight back only to be surrounded. Being to far away Roland could only grimace as the wolf tried to take a bite out of Kaede's ass. Meanwhile it seemed Harveste had preoccupied herself with casting some sort of spell. Sadly its effects were exactly obvious to Roland as she cried out telling them to force their way through. What had they been talking about? Someone was controlling the wolves? It might be possible but right now Roland didn't have time to think on it as he needed to focus at the task at hand.

Bob and weaving Roland flashed his steel as he tried his best to thin the number of wolves down. At first it seemed more and more canines kept pouring through the forest, but with all three of them now focused on the beast's advance the wolves numbers quickly began to dwindle. Luckily or not, if the wolves were being controlled by someone known entity, it had yet to appear.


@Harveste @Kaede Hoshi

 

_____Nobody, even Kaedé did not enjoy someone biting her ass without permission. Well in this case Kaedé was not so happy as she felt the teeth lock grip with her butt. Spinning around with the faintest blush before slamming the blade of her weapon into the wolf’s head for his actions before growling. Her action left the front and sides of her open as more wolves began to go after her. Kaedé was regretting the idea of fighting still, she was a mobile fighter when all cards set down on the table. Three more bites into her frame as Kaedé could only growl and spit blood at one of her attackers.

”WHO SAID YOU COULD BITE ME! THAT’S MY JOB!”

_____Kaedé had not other real options at the time outside her motion to bite the muzzle of the closest wolf she could. Her arms weighed down by the other two but least she had some more freedom to stumble backwards to avoid another getting a bite into her and dropping her HP further down. Legs slowly stepping circles as Kaedé tried to spin herself free of attackers and after a rough drop of her HP again she was free to stumble without the weight of wolves attached to her.

_____Frame dropping slightly as Kaedé took a quick glance to her own HP, she was not going to be able to work well with others if she took another hit and was pushed to berserk mode. A light growl as Kaedé began running slight further from the group so she had room to work around in without leading the wolves to the others she was working with. A higher risk but one she would be able to manage better as some of the wounds began to close, her HP not so much recovering but allowing her pained movements of her arms.

_____It was moments against groups Kaedé was happy the location was a forest. Her frame bolting around the area with some speed over the wolves as she bounced off trees with her rogue mastery and used her quicker movement to make up for the bad aim of her weapon to land a blow or two on her pursuers before running for the next tree to bounce off from. The pattern worked for two more tries at the least before Kaedé felt claws hit her back and watched her HP, bad luck as the status popped up and her mind turned fuzzy.

_____Running for a few moments and slowing to a halt as she began to chuckle and turn to her attackers with a twisted smile. Hand moving off her weapon to lick some of her own blood that trailed down her arm as she blushed and kept laughing at them. A growl from a wolf was met with Kaedé rushing forward and impaling the target in the slightly open mouth before the laughter became words.

”Now you went and did it.~ I have to kill you all now, you ruined my play time.~”

_____Frame violently spinning and freeing her weapon of the carcass before she hopped back and laughed at the slow attempt of her attackers. Weapon spun around as she rushed forward again giving a deep cut to the wolf on her right and bashing the side of the left wolf as Kaedé moved to push it away from her.
@Harveste | @Roland Rutledge

 

While the wolves did dwindle in numbers, Harveste felt rather useless in the fight. While she found it easy enough to attack wolves from afar, it didn't change that they were harming her friends, and this wasn't something she liked seeing at all. The rambunctious biting was far too realistic, the blood she could smell suddenly making her miss her inability from the real world.

Using seeds as bullets she could control, she tried to strike the wolves that were not already in combat to keep them away from her already being attacked and injured teammates. While ignoring the violence around her was hard, it wasn't nearly as hard to participate, watching seeds break skin due to their speed of being thrown by her thoughts.

"There aren't many left, but I can't tell if that's a good or bad thing. You guys think they have reinforcements?" She glanced to the ones still fighting, calling upon plants to grip the enemy targets so they'd stop trying to escape the swords of the other two. Her face paled, however, as she saw a rather notable blinking of @Kaede Hoshi's health.

What plants did she know that helped stop bleeding again? She was lucky to know some really unusual trivia about these things, both from taking nature walks as a child and doing quite a bit of research for her own insatiable interest. Singing a song of a lovely lotus, she grew one just to rip off its leaves and rushed to Kaede's side while she had the wolf bound from movement. Pressing the leaves against her bite wound, she explained her reasnoing with care.

"Lotus are styptics, along with a lot of other plants..." Glancing towards @Roland Rutledge, she called out to check him. "Roland, any injuries? I'll grow something for you too!"