Wolves' Den

[Exploration Post]

About ten paces away from the entrance of the den, Rein squatted eerily looking at the cave's mouth with a smile plastered across his face. Rocking slowly back and forth in the place he flexed his hand sending small tendrils of electricity up his forearm as he pulsed his mana. It was an exercise they had taught him at the cloister; it was meant to help develop one's mana at a small age. When he had first learned spellcasting, it was all he could muster, and even then it left him exhausted. Now, it barely affected his stamina at all, allowing him to cast it all he wanted, numbing his hand as the mana coursed through it. It helped him mitigate the stress of standing still or waiting, though it could only do so much.

"Where the hell are they?" Rein thought with an audible growl. He had been waiting at least four minutes already, and there were no signs of those minions he had arranged to come in here with. He didn't pick up petty errands like this, but the chance to kill a bunch of puppies appealed to him for some reason. It was likely the caring nurturing person deep down inside of him, wanting to commune with nature. His infinite compassion surprised even himself at times. With a laugh, he stood up shakily eyeing the dungeon. What was he waiting for? Something about mints. It didn't matter.

Bursting with confidence Rein headed straight into the cave, not bothering to look around for anyone following him. However, as he reached the entrance of the cave he quickly began to realize he'd need some sort of light to be able to see clearly. So, rather than moving forward, he began to snoop around the area immediate to the opening, as well as the opening itself for some sort of discarded flammable object he could use a makeshift torch. Worse came to worse he could use his magic, but even he would get a headache from the strobe light effect after some time.

((OOC: Reins currently alone, searching entrance))

@Pandora

 

It was the most common of quests, the slaying of the proverbial nuisance-beasts. Be it boars rooting through the fields, hare eating up the crops, wolves marching in the forests, or frog-men scaring off all the fishermen in the area. It was a common technique to introduce new players to a game’s combat system and economic mechanics by sending them running to the hills in search of tusks and pelts, which when gathered would reward them with enough coin to start actually making something of their starting character. A bronze sword instead of a wooden one, for instance.

Unfortunately for the wolves, Earley appeared to already be slightly prepared and grown for this encounter. True his magic was designed for attack from range, but it was powerful and if he could rogue his way into the trees then he could smite them from up above while they remained helpless below. There would be others there as well according to the quest information, to help him slay the beasts. As he approached their den he heard a disturbingly familiar voice coming from it, and the sounds of rooting about. Somebody had already arrived to poach, then? Well there was no sense in delaying the action any further if that were the case. Stepping into view of the entrance he looked the fellow up and down and… most damned luck. It was Rein. For a man with such a name, it seemed awfully ironic that he wasn’t able to rein in his temperament or censor his actions. There was no way this was going to end nicely for everyone.
He stepped into full view of the den’s entrance and interlaced his fingers in an arcane fashion, chanting under his breath as they glowed with purple light, creating a floating purple orb to illuminate things.

“I suppose we should introduce ourselves, if we’re going on this quest together… I am Earley, thief and mage. Do we have any idea who our final members are, or when they might show up?” He began into the cave, searching it for signs of fallen men and the trinkets they might've left behind, or any sign of the wolves.

@Gwyn ap Herne
@Pandora

• OOC: using one search

 

The trip out to site of the dens hadn't been too exhaustive. Gwyn had immediately accepted when offered a chance for a hunt with a purpose, especially one many players wouldn't have the heart to take. She understood some would be unsettled by the necessary deaths of the wolves, but when push came to shove it was necessary. The same way the wilds would kill man and monster alike, so it would kill innocents. The circle of life was a sacred thing, but it was incredibly messy. A delicate balance existed that had to be protected and if stomping out an infestation of invasive predators was what was called for? Well, the hunter would certainly oblige.

When she finally arrived, the mouth of the den was not empty as a figure bowed to enter. Even with a hunter's sight it was difficult to tell exactly who or their build, but only one of the other players that had accepted the quest would be venturing into the den. She trotted quicker to catch up and huffed irritably to herself over the size of the entrance. She was a whopping six foot two inches and the wolves had not had her stature in mind when digging. Obviously.

The swallowing darkness was lit suddenly by an arcane light that highlighted the initial figure she'd spotted and Gwyn cleared her throat behind him to alert him of her presence. No need to get blasted for spooking someone. "That would be me. Gwyn ap Herne, at yo- well, our collective service." As for her class? She lifted the longbow from her back and settled it firmly into hand before she dropped her gaze to the den's floor, the hunter's eyes sweeping toward the the depths to seek out tracks or beady eyes in the distance.

 

[Exploration Post]

Reins hand punched into something soft and sticky. The smell of animal droppings immediately hit Rein's nose as a disgusted look washed across his face. "RAGGGHHGAHGGHH!" He yelled in rage as he tried to shake the feces from his hand. As he did so, the ground was illuminated by an irritating man with an irritatingly awesome orb spell. He concisely introduced himself and promptly asked where their third was, who was more than eager to reply. Moving to the side of the cave Rein tried to wipe the dung off his hand using the rocks protruding from the wall. After he had been somewhat successful he raked the bladed tips of his iron gauntlet against the stone producing a cringe inducing screech as the metal gouged the surface of the wall.

Rein's back arched back as he discarded his earlier revulsion, turning it into unbridled enthusiasm as he let out a howl of laughter before screaming, "OK, LET'S DO THIS HAUAHAUHA!" Thrusting his hand forward Rein shot a small line of electricity forward into the cave, illuminating the path forward briefly before the energy dissipated. And with that, he began to tread quickly into the cave.

Wasn't there something he was forgetting?

Oh right, those people.

They'll catch up or something.

Probably.

Or we'll get lost again.

You know one of the two.

Rein let out an annoyed growl as he turned around after a few paces into the cave, glancing at his teammates with a glare, before yelling "I SAID. LETS. DO. THIS. ALREADY!"

((OOC: Rein pretty much runs around in a circle whilst screaming))

 

It seemed she'd found some rather interesting characters for their particular task. And interesting loot apparently as the first of the trio to enter had literally run afoul in the form of wolf droppings. Bear feces were worse. Gwyn snorted softly to herself as the strange man oscillated through various stages of some brand of insanity. She straightened and put on a neutral face, nodding firmly along with his declaration. "I can see this'll be fun already," she said to the hooded man with a far calmer demeanor. The ranger bumped her elbow out toward his arm in a casual nudge before she moved forward.

Between the light from Earley and Rein's bolt of magic streaking off down the den, she got enough of the lay of the land. A den. Surprise. She settled her hand tight around the soft leather handle of her worn bow and moved further into the tunnel leading onward. She really needed to put more effort into her hunting, the dark giving her sharp eyes more trouble than preferable. At least her bow was sturdy and her strikes sufficient to keep her from death's door as far in her admittedly tame travels. If she was going to aspire to glory then she'd eventually need to toe the line and with such a bold personality that was only a matter of time. The dangers of ivory teeth, clever eyes, and darkened paths were the gifts of the hunt and a thrilling energy skated over her skin like she imagined their magic might.

She winced at his shout, but a chuckle was quick to follow. "Stealth not in your purview?" While her stance had been withdrawn and careful beforehand she loosened it. No point creeping about if he was going to be abrasive about it. Everything ahead of them had surely heard. Wolves were only stupid compared to some people. "Let's get it done then." Gwyn moved on with her left shoulder brushing the walls of the den to keep her firing arm free, but herself guided in the dark. Hopefully he'd at least be quiet enough for them to hear anything coming (and themselves thinking). For now, she'd keep an eye on the walls for tunnels branching off and the space between hoping to see the wolves before they saw her.

[ OOC: Gwyn uses a Search Point! ]​

 

Things were off to what he would call "the typical Rein start" as the man began to screech and try to free his hand of... feces. As soon as Rein produced a metal gauntlet Earley accessed his menu and turned the Sound Effects volume to zero, unaffected by the screeching of metal on stone as he was spared its awful dissonance. When Rein had worked that out of his system he turned the volume back up, feeling a bump from Gwyn as she nudged his arm playfully and walked into the cave behind Rein. So far, things were off to an excellent start, considering nobody had taken damage. The light from his orb was not far-reaching, only a mere thirty feet or so, but it did allow him to see in whatever direction he required. He could adjust it to a flashlight perhaps? But then it would be a conical area which would reach farther, but blind them to other angles of attack. No, it was better this way.

"Rein, wait for us," he cautioned in dry dull tones, not really caring if Rein heeded them but feeling it was necessary to say them none the less. Sort of like a sarcastic parent telling their child not to eat their ice cream too swiftly, lest they suffer a brain freeze. Well in Rein’s case it would be brutal death, but the metaphor stood regardless of its shortcomings.

Staying beside Gwyn, he kept the orb of light burning, hands folding calmly in front of him as he was ready to punch the first wolf to come into view. The woman beside him seemed to have armed herself with a bow, which made her the ranged attacker. Rein was muscle and tank, and Earley could play either scout, DPS, or spell support. Considering they were here to actually kill a lot of creatures, however, it’d be nice not to have to do too much scouting. Frankly he just wanted to fire off a few spells and be done.

• OOC: using another search as we travel in

 

This was so utterly boring. Due to Reins restriction of not being able to see in the freaking dark, he was forced to stand somewhat near whats his face with the hood. This wouldn't be so bad if they didn't walk so flipping slow. Rein let out a frustrated growl as he shot glares at the third teammate. The manly girl with the bow had complained about his lack of stealth earlier, but instantly had quipped, "Stealth?! Stealth! Who cares about that when we are up against puppies! Not dire wolves, not some sort of blood cursed monster but puppies! Hahaha, I mean really. If the two of you were any bit smart, you should have stayed near the entrance to catch any stragglers! Maybe with a net! Haha." Since that time the humor of the situation had faded, mainly because of HoW SlOW THeY WeRE WalKinG.

The boredom began to drill into his mind like some tunneling worm had set up a band inside the back of his skull. Insitinivley he began to tense the hand he wore his gauntlet on, sending small arcs of electricity through his fingertips as he did so. The flashes did nothing more than crackle in the silence of the cave, as they weren't bright enough to add any light to the other man's orb. Restricted to the proximity of the other two characters Rein tried to use his time to study the stone floor over which they traveled. Looking for any odds and ends that would be of any interest to well, a psychopath like himself. He knew it was likely a fruitless endeavor but it helped with the ever present boredom of moving SO SLOW!

((OOC: Rein uses a search point, sticking close to the other two as they move forward))

 

@Pandora @Earley @Gwyn ap Herne

 

So far, no wolves. That was disconcerting to the man as he followed alongside Gwyn and behind Rein, his attention spent more on searching for the beasts than for whatever loot they may be coming across. He had not come in search of wealth; particularly not in the shape of shit, a stick, or a rock. Were those really the best drops in this area? Rein and Gwyn seemed to have found some interesting items to play with, but nobody had encountered any of the beasts they had come to slay. And they were making an awful lot of noise. Had somebody already come through and the instance hadn’t reset itself yet, perhaps? Did they need to leave for it to do so, and then return later? He glanced at the stick Gwyn had found and smirked.

“A most powerful artifact, indeed,” he said to the woman in mild amusement. This truly did feel like a beginner’s dungeon. Perhaps that was the problem; perhaps Rein or this woman or himself was too strong for this dungeon’s level caps and so it would not spawn the beasts until the “appropriate levels” entered it. Puzzling over this, he maintained his light spell so that they could move through the creeping darkness of the cave and make their way deeper into the den where hopefully monsters and treasures awaited. He glanced ahead at Rein’s back, the man berating them for coming into the caves rather than remaining near the entrance. Really? The man was so sure that a team was not required?

“How right you are,” Earley announced with an edge to his voice that was less sarcasm than venom.


“Perhaps we should have done that, indeed. Then you could be stumbling blindly through these caves without a light to guide you, or this woman’s bow to support you, while she and I discuss how best to tackle the pups together once they’ve finished gnawing on you.”

 

She paused in her search to pick up the root that had popped up as a medicinal item, lit by slivers of light through the pseudo-cave's walls. "700 gp and it's all yours," she said to Earley with her best car salesman's voice. After moving to Jersey with her father irl she had been mocking more than a few accents and she thought a little bit of that would add the extra layer of sleaze to it.

Gwyn found her face falling into a distinctly unimpressed set toward the back of Rein's head. The first little tangent was entertaining compared to the regular chatter of a party, but her lighter remark seemed to have been taken a little too serious for her taste. "It's a shame that mental health coverage doesn't come with guild memberships or I'd suggest that," she mouthed back blandly and cracked her knuckles one by one on both hands with a sigh. "Also, we're hunting puppies, yes. Which means there are parents and those are what I'm concerned about. Wolves are pack animals and pack animals mean numbers." Correcting an uneven cycle of predation in an area was an important task. She wasn't excited about having to cull helpless whelps, but at the same time a fight with a protective mother was going to be wild.

"For now, we're the pack. Let's not bite each other and save our teeth for cutting on the wolves." With that she plucked the taught string of her longbow to enjoy the hum of it with a faint smile. She was ready to actually do some damn work. Maybe some combat would be therapeutic for Rein's oddly manic moods? She wondered idly to herself if staying home alone without terra sphere to distract her would send her into a crazed spiral. The cabin fever had been bad, but she couldn't imagine what kind of crazy or what kind of genius this odd guy had to be to act like such a, well, character.