@Alphabet Chocolate Dempsey choose to spend her afternoon hunting low level monsters in Adecus Forest. For some reason, the knowledge that she probably wouldn't run into any smiles up here reassured her. Something about them was just completely unsettling to her. She was convinced that slimes have no soul. she shook hear head to clear her mind, then got back to work, doing her best to stalk silently through the forest. She wasn't having much luck closing to melee range, but she'd gotten quite good at taking her previous marks by surprise at least. She'd need to work on that more so than ever, now that she'd respecced and exchanged her Astralmancy mastery for dual wielding. Losing the ability to blink meant that if her plans went sideways, she'd have to dodge on her own, or risk death or injury. In the distance, a deer burst through the undergrowth and raced across her field of view. Though she wasn't here for deer, the sight was a promising one, that deer was running from something. She ran in the direction it came from and readied herself. she'd done a fairly thorough job of clearing this section of low level enemies, and evading the ones she wasn't ready for yet. there were a trio of common trolls that she'd been forced to evade twice already, and she wasn't looking forward to a third encounter today, but she hadn't seen them for quite a while, and assumed they had moved on. After a bit of exploring, she found what had caused the disturbance. A human, and a short one at that. She seemed to be out doing the same thing Dempsey was, looking for low level monsters to hunt. For a minute she just sat and watched, paying no mind to the urge to stalk as close as she could just for sport.Instead she simply tapped at her palm menu and sent a group invite as she walked out from behind concealment "Hi! you out here monster hunting too? Let's group up!"
Alpha jumped in surprise when the girl popped out of nowhere with the distant hum of her game interface signalling a group invite. Terry gave a suspicious growl, eyeing the stranger warily. Alpha gave the wol—dingo a pat (despite learning that her pet was, in fact, not a wolf and just a really dirty dingo, she still forgot about it once in a while) to calm him down. Then the words the white-haired woman had spoke finally clicked in her head and her tense shoulders slackened. "Monster hunting? Oh, I was just walking around with Terry here," she gestured to the dingo who was now complacently sitting on her foot. "I don't really hunt animals." And that was true. After obtaining her beast-taming skill, it was too heartbreaking to see innocent creatures walk up to her full of trust and warmth without the expectation of her betraying that display of affection. It went her way too; she found a strong connection and empathy for these creatures, more so than the NPCs who ran the shops and towns. She flashed the cat-eared woman a charming smile and an outstretched hand. "If you want, you can go with Terry and me on our walk! It'll be nice to have a friend!" she laughed. Terry, however, simply squirmed nervously against her. @Dempsey Fabijain
@Alphabet Chocolate She accepts the handshake, careful not to stab, cut, or otherwise injure the short girl with the katar strapped to her wrist with a nod. She scanned the horizon behind Alphabet quickly, just to be sure all was well before relaxing her guard and diving into conversation. She seemed to have the worst luck in meeting new friends who weren't pacifists. The last person she grouped with had a nervous breakdown after killing a guy, and now the girl who didn't want to hunt monsters. she shrugged mentally, and figured that just meant more for her. The enemies here didn't just respawn, and although there were plenty to go around, she had already noticed a marked drop in concentration through the area. It wouldn't be too long before she'd have to trek for a day or two just to reach a fresh hunting ground where she could hone her skills. "Sounds alright. Might want to be careful though, I've seen some higher level monsters around lately. I think they're migrating in because the new players have thinned out the weaklings. who knows though. Saw three trolls running around earlier, and I had to hide in a tree for a while. Kind of dull out here by myself anyway. Names Depsey Fabijain.. You?" She bounced on her toes and waited expectantly for a reply.
Alpha couldn't help but beam at the lady when she had agreed to accompany her and Terry on their stroll. The only problem here was that, being a dingo, Terry hasn't really liked any of the cat-people they had met on their journey up to now. Hopefully he'd warm up to the lady after a while. "Name's Alphabet Chocolate, you can call me Alpha or anything you'd like though!" she greeted, careful to watch over Terry to make sure the dingo didn't try to maul her. She doubted that the dog would be able to seriously hurt her new friend but it was better safe than sorry. Then, she noticed something. Alpha hastily pointed to the clearing up ahead. "Trolls? Uhm, they're not green and, uh, carrying clubs right?" she mumbled, staring straight at the group behind Dempsey. Terry growled, the sound menacing and guttural. @Dempsey Fabijain
@Alphabet Chocolate She brightened visibly, but made a point to avoid Terry for the time being. She actually kind of liked dogs, but this one in paticular seemed to take exception to her presence. 'Don't blame the dog, blame the trainer' she mused to herself, imagining that if spoken out lout that remark would get quite a reaction from Alphabet. At the girls mention and description of trolls, she slumped and sighed. She should have heard them coming, but was distracted. It only now dawned on her hat they were probably following her, waiting for a chance to catch her with her back turned. It would seem that they did, quite literally. "Yes. Yes they are green, and yes, they are also wielding clubs" She asked rhetorically as she turned to face the trio that she'd been trying in vain to avoid all morning. "Are they behind me?" She backpedaled until she was more or less shoulder to shoulder with Alphabet, then asked evenly "Think you can take a troll and a half, or should we make like a tree and get the fuck outta here?" While she was prepared for either option, she'd rather not start a fight unless she knew she could win, and she didn't want to have to just hope that a complete stranger could handle herself in a fight either
Alpha shrugged, still staring at the giant, wooden clubs that each of the trolls carried like a sledgehammer. Just by looking at them she had known that they were much, much physically stronger than her and possibly Dempsey. She shivered at the thought of getting hit by that but, upon glancing at Terry, the dog didn't seem to falter. Then, the dog rushed for the trio, fangs bared. "Terry, no!" she screamed, but the dingo was rushing to the trolls with his fangs bared and claws sharp. She looked over to Dempsey, determination and fear shining in her eyes in equal measurement. "I'm gonna go after him, don't feel like you have to do anything, okay?" Then she rushed towards the trolls, a spear materializing as she tried to catch up to Terry. @Dempsey Fabijain
Dempsey also watched the dingo charge in with a single eyebrow cocked. She admired the creatures enthusiasm, but didn't have a whole lot to say about the dogs decision making skills. she glanced over to Alphabet, who was already advancing. She could easily transfer both critiques from animal to owner. She paused for just a moment, trying to think of a way to rationalize running and saving her own ass without also being a terrible person for doing so, but was at a loss. One way or another, the battle was joined, and her place was here. with an aggravated growl she stepped forward and equipped her claws. Dempsey advanced with a resolute expression. She didn't feel any particular obligation to save the dog, but the trio of green skins have been a thorn in her side long enough, and this seemed like the best opportunity she was going to have to deal with them without going back to the city and hiring extra sword arms. "We can do this, but we'll have to be careful. These things are strong, but they're too slow to be any real threat as long as you're careful. I was thinking of taking them on myself, but I just didn't like the advantage in numbers they had. Just don't try to kill them with one swing. Take your time and wear them down. Make absolutely sure that no matter what happens you don't get hit, because... well... you see how big they are." She chose the one furthest to the left and circled to square off with it, positioning herself so that the other two were behind the one she stared at with an intense and determined stare. She made sure her weapons were displayed predominantly, and left no room for misinterpretation. She wanted to make it clear that today, these three have more than likely bitten more than they can chew. @Alphabet Chocolate
Terry rushed towards the first troll he spotted with his snaggletoothed glory, blissfully unaware of the troll's intent to club him down with its outstretched arm and malicious bat. Alpha knew she wouldn't be strong enough to counter it but she could definitely distract and interrupt its attack to let Terry get a hit in and get back safe. Quickly, she used her spear to gain an advantage in distance, rushing forward and managing to spear and lightly cut the troll's hardened skin. Although the spear hadn't done much damage to the troll, due to its wooden nature and the troll's leather-hard skin, she had enough proficiency in her weapon of choice to at least damage it a little and make it mess up its attack, completely missing the dog. Terry tore into the troll's shoulder with sharp teeth and an eager look, every bit as bloodthirsty and terrifying as it should have been as a wild, untamed creature. Somehow, Alpha couldn't help but feel proud that her little dingo could do such a thing. "Good job, Terry!" she smiled as the troll groaned in pain, dropping its weapon to briefly massage the wound. While the troll was big and strong, it wasn't as fast or smart as Alpha or Terry (and probably Dempsey, but Alpha didn't know much about her yet) making the battle to their general advantage. Alpha raised her spear again, ready to strike without checking back on Dempsey to make sure her friend was alright. The lady hunted the animals around here to near-extinction by the looks of it, so she was probably fine (although Alpha admitted to that slightly grudgingly). "Let's go Terry!" she shouted as she rushed towards the troll yet again, intent on jabbing the spear through its thick flesh. Terry yipped in agreement, charging alongside the girl. @Dempsey Fabijain
@Alphabet Chocolate She watched the two long enough to confirm that Alpha and the dingo weren't going to be annihilated immediately, and then set to work on two big problems of her own. She sprinted full bore toward them, then dropped to the ground and slid fee first beneath the legs of the first, simultaneously dodging an attack and taking the opportunity to open a paralel set of wide gashes on it's calf. She had little time to celebrate because immediately she was forced to roll to one side to avoid a downward two handed swing from the second. Moments later she was back on her feet and circling the two. Their range was a problem for now, but she remained cautious and vigilant until another opening presented itself. The one she'd injured initially stumbled a bit, and that was all she needed. She launched herself into the air, kicked off a nearby tree, and caught the thing with a spinning backhanded attack to the side of it's neck. while this didn't kill the creature immediately It was a mortal wound, and would go a long way toward evening the odds. "I got one!" She yelped, looking back over at Alphabet to make sure she was still with them. they didn't look like they were making much progress, but they'd drawn blood at least. She weighed her options and decided to close in on Alphabets mark from behind, possibly exposing herself to an attack behind in order to press their momentary advantage.
Alpha felt her spirits rise after hearing Dempsey called out a minor victory against one of the trolls, with Terry sharing her enthusiasm with a prideful bark as if he was the one who fell the creature himself. Alpha couldn't help but smile at Terry's antics, distracting herself momentarily from the creature they were supposed the battle. While the troll wasn't as the brightest bulb in the box, it was certainly not dumb enough to not take advantage of this opportunity. With a malicious glint in its eye, it rose its arms steady with club, preparing to quickly smash Alpha into the ground with a vicious sweep. Just in time, however, Dempsey rushed over from behind and attacked the troll, roughly stopping its attack and leaving a bloody gash on its back. Alpha looked over with widened eyes and a gasp forming when she had seen how close she had been. "Thank y-" she started but was interrupted by the sight of a troll behind Dempsey, obviously attempting to take advantage of her situation. It would be impossible for the catty woman to dodge after leaving herself exposed by helping Alpha, so she did the only thing that she should do. "Terry, go!" she called as she whipped her spear up, pointing it towards the rushing troll. Terry, however, was quicker and his teeth sunk straight in the troll's jugular, the larger creature unable to defend itself while running and preparing for an attack at the same time. Blood gushed from the wound and the troll dropped, grasping at his throat. His fingers, however, were too large and left a small opening for Alpha to reach. With her spear, she stabbed straight into the wound, driving the spear deeper in without fail as the leather skin failed to protect the green monster. Alpha tried to entertain herself with the thoughts of harvesting dingo teeth to strengthen her weapon but, alas, the joke was a bit too gruesome and morbid for her at the moment. Gasping for breath from the panic and speed of her action, she looked over to Dempsey. "Are you okay?" she asked. Terry, meanwhile, was digging into the corpse and eating whatever he could get his paws and teeth on, much to Alpha's disgust and understanding. @Dempsey Fabijain
