Adventurers Guild Adventurer's Guild - Receptionist's Desk

((*pokes @Haitaka too*))

 

Task: Defeat the Black Armor Bandit
Requester: Trader's Guild
Quest rank: Rank Up Quest to D rank
Rewards: Bronze Guild Badge
Description: You are to defeat the Black Armor Bandit robbing caravans on the route north that connects to the Empire. This bandit is heavily armed and armored, and not much is known about this person... However, we only got reports of them attacking caravans whose owners were non-humans, so the guild believes them to be an ideologist from the Empire.
The reports highlight that he was able to defeat a small escort of experienced mercenaries, so caution is advised when fighting them... He is also known for psychologically attacking his enemies by saying "Tis but a scratch" whenever he is wounded. Don't let that get to you!

Raz comes back inside with his new steel shortsword and an irritated look on his face. "That bandit was annoying!" He puts his report on the table.

Spoiler: Defeat The Black Armor Bandit

"My quest to become D-Rank! My efforts have been rewarded!" Raz says in excitement and joy. Looking back at the paper, he sees what he has to do and frowns.

"I've got to go against a black armored bandit that is heavily armed and armored. Although, I don't have a sword currently. Maybe if I use Ki to enhance my body, I could cause enough damage?"

Not sure about it, he continues, "I've used it to increase my speed, so it should be alright, hopefully."

Getting out of the tavern, he thinks to himself, "Since there is the habit of attacking non-human races, I should go and offer to be a bodyguard. Firstly, I've got to find a caravan that mainly consists of non-humans first."

Going around town, Raz goes near the Trader's Guild and spots a caravan. Seeing some beastmen and orcs going in and out, he smiles. Going up to the front, he sees an orc who looks unkempt.

"Excuse me, but is this caravan going to the north towards the empire?" Raz asks politely.

Looking at Raz, the orc replies, "Yes, it is. Is there something you need?"

"There is the black-armored bandit that is on the route to the north, robbing caravans. Of course, you probably already know this. I'm an adventurer who received a quest to defeat him," saying it truthfully, he continues, "So, I was wondering if I could tag along as a bodyguard?"

Looking at his badge as the mark of an adventurer, he then nods after a few seconds.

"Another bodyguard will help during our journey. We're almost about to depart, is there anything you need before we leave?"

Elated due to finding the perfect bait to lure the bandit, he says, "I'm already prepared. I would suggest that the guards be always prepared though. He must be quite dangerous to still be alive."

He replies, "My guards should already take those measures, I paid good money for them."

Seeing there's not else much to say, Raz sits in a carriage at the front. Deciding to try and practice for the future battle, he starts gathering Ki to enhance his body. He does this over and over again to get a better feel and understanding of it.

Around half an hour passes before the orc yells, "We're departing!" and the caravan starts moving out of the town.

Manipulating his Ki over and over again, Raz stops after his stomach growls from hunger.

"Seems like it's dinner time. Luckily this caravan gives food and water to the passengers."

Taking out the food, he sees that they're rations. Sighing, he starts eating it slowly while making sure to hear any abnormalities. Around 10 minutes later, he's finished with his meal and puts it away.

Getting back to what he was doing, he decides to keep practicing, feeling like he's getting a little better each time he tries. Eventually, it becomes evening out and the caravan suddenly stops.

"What happened!?" yells Raz as he gets up to see what's going on. He looks outside and sees what caused them to stop.

There was a person in the front blocking the road. They looked like they were at least seven feet in height. All that could be seen was the pitch-black armor and their greatsword they wielded. The greatsword looked gruesome in that it has fish like hooks around the edges. All that could be thought from Raz was, "How come I feel like some people have some very odd designs for weapons!?"

"Another caravan filled with non-humans, how disgusting. It seems like I must once again cleanse this world of its filth."

The first words from the bandit's mouth were that. Their voice sounded like they were growling and very deep. It could be sensed how much disdain the person had for the passengers in the caravan.

Observing that the bandit was alone, the orc that led the caravan shouted, "Move out of the way or be met with force!"

"Hmm, trying the peaceful way, but I doubt it'll work with that person," Raz speaks to himself as he prepares himself.

Not responding, the black-armored bandit moves first and attempts to attack one of the orcs that were bodyguards. However, before he can cut him down, a figure pushes the orc and leaps back. Missing completely, the bandit looks to see who deprived him of his punishment.

To the right of the bandit was Raz, yelling, "Get back! This guy seems too tough for your bodyguards!"

Spotting that he was a human, the bandit warns Raz, "You're a human, if you leave now, you can live. However, if you get in my way, you'll die."

Shrugging, Raz ignores what he says and goes to attack swiftly. He gathers his Ki into his right arm and attempts to enhance it. Luckily, he succeeds after practicing for a while and lands a solid punch on their left shoulder.

Going back a few feet, the bandit feels the pain and shrugs it off a little, albeit having a dent in his armor now. He then replies, "Tis but a scratch."

"The hell!? Wait, how come I feel like that line is familiar in some way?" Raz says curiously.

Not responding to his statement, the knight quickly speeds up and attempts to cut Raz in half. However, due to his cultivation enhancing his body, he manages to dodge just barely.

Stepping back a bit, Raz wipes a bit of the sweat on his head. "What is that speed!? No wonder why he's killed experienced mercenaries!"

Attempting to once again try and cut him down, Raz dodges barely and closes the distance. He punches him in the chest while using his Ki to enhance his strength. Being launched back a few feet again, the bandits coughs up a bit of blood.

"Tis but a scratch!" taunting him as he gets injured, Raz starts getting angry.

"That phrase is annoying! I feel like I want to murder him!"

Getting more aggravated, Raz goes on the offensive and throws a flurry of punches on the bandit's body, dents appearing on the armor. However, the words, "Tis but a scratch," keep being said.

After around four more minutes of this same thing happening over and over again, the bandit's armor is dented in almost all areas. Once more taunting Raz, he replies with a weak voice, "Tis... but... a... scratch..."

Feeling his psyche keep being tortured, he yells in anger, "That's it!"

Rushing in anger, the black-armored bandit slashes with his greatsword. Due to snapping, Raz is barely able to avoid the slash and gets his arm cut. Not stopping due to the immense pain, he uses his remaining Ki and concentrates it into his right fist.

Landing the punch on the helmet, the helmet dents deeply and some cracks could be heard, blood spewing out of the helmet. Finally, no words came out of the bandit's mouth.

Exhausted, Raz sits down for a bit with the caravan leader checking to see what happened.

"Is... is he dead?"

"I'm not sure, but just in case..." Raz gets up and grabs the greatsword the bandit dropped and stabs it into the bandit's throat. No response is seen.

"Yeah, he's dead. It seems like it's mission complete."

Looking at the greatsword the bandit had, the orc quickly takes it. "A good sword, this could sell very well!"

Hearing what the orc said, Raz frowns. "You do realize I killed the knight, right? So, shouldn't it be mine by right?"

Noticing his blunder, the orc replies, "How about this, I'll give you a weapon of your choice that we are currently transporting!"

Hearing this, Raz says, "Do you have a steel shortsword?"

"Yes, we do."

"I'll take it."

Doing the trade, Raz sees the orc come back out after going in one of the carriages with a steel shortsword with its sheath.

"Here you go, it's brand new."

Grabbing it from him, Raz replies, "Thank you. It seems like my quest is complete, you should have a safe journey now. I'll be reporting back to the guild. Good luck in your travels."

"Yes, thanks for assisting us. Here is also 20 Large Copper Coins for helping us partway. Good luck on your way back!"

Taking the coins, Raz says "Your welcome!" before hurrying off. Raz goes back to the town while getting more used to his body. Eventually, he arrives back at the guild after some hours.

"That was tough and annoying. I swear if I hear 'Tis but a scratch' I'll flip out." Raz complains as he goes inside the tavern.

Spoiler: Notes

Traded the bandits greatsword for a steel shortsword with the orc merchant.
Raz now has an extreme dislike for anyone who says "Tis but a scratch!"

@AliceShiki

 

"I'm back. Here's a sack of 8 Fly Amanita Caps...Oh, there's something new, I see."

Spoiler: Mushroom Gathering

Ah, I haven’t really been making much progress on quests this week...I guess I’d better go make some progress before the time limit runs out…

As usual, Shiori pointed me in the direction that I needed. Her garden was filling up nicely, with the mushrooms I needed among them, but I would never think of taking them. Shiori needed those to make medicine, to sell and keep the orphanage running.

“...By the way, the children said they were interested in getting to know you, so…make sure you show up, okay?”

“...I see.”

Since the distance happened to be convenient anyway, I left the city from the eastern gate, and took a three-hour walk.

“It’s probably here...Right. The quest says three, but…”

*nom*

Plain tasting...Why anyone would want to eat something like that, I don’t know…

I plucked out what must have been way more than three, before I tied up the sack and slung it over my shoulder. It’s almost evening, I guess I should prepare to stay the night here…
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, it was an uneventful night, mostly…a Kijin flew by during the night, but otherwise, nothing important happened.

So at dawn, I packed up my belongings, took the sack of mushrooms I had, and ventured back to the city.

Spoiler: Unreported Bit

This was a mistake...I shouldn’t have came out at all, or at least tried to return to the city by night...it was a horrible choice to decide to stay the night in the forest…

The bright moon, the night sky, the smell of the forest…why do they all remind me of sensei...why can’t they let me just forget about it…

Ah, this thing is...Sensei must have forgotten to take it. She said it was called a...Record Dial? Did I pick it up without thinking too much about it back then…? I must have, it wouldn’t be in my possession otherwise…

I stared at the small circular shell, which didn’t seem like it was any bigger than my palm. It supposedly recorded sounds; just like it recorded a song before.

After some hesitation, I pushed down the ‘knob’, hoping to hear the same song. Instead, I was greeted by someone speaking.

“Hello, hello. Is this thing working? It better be, otherwise I’m going to go hunt down that shady girl and smack her flying...Ahem. Anyways, if you’re hearing this, then the package is behind that table, in your own bedroom. Don’t bother asking how I got in without the key; you should know the reason as well as I do. Ahem! Anyway, happy birthday! Hope things are still going fine on your end!”

This voice…Sensei? She sounds so much younger and so much happier, too…When was this from?

“BOOOOOOM!”

I managed to narrowly prevent myself from falling off the tree; the shell had captured the sound of an explosion perfectly.

“Ahahaha...As you can hear, things are heating up quite a bit on my end! No worries, though, I’ll just grab some items that I need over here, and head back before the week is over! Gotta run now; see you then!”

*Beep*

……

Looks like I won’t be getting any sleep tonight.

@AliceShiki

 

I fear for your mental sanity after getting this kind of weird trauma, since... Well, considering the other regulars at the tavern, chances are you might hear it often...

On the plus side you properly finished the quest, so... Well done Raz-san, you're officially a D-rank adventurer now.

*gives you a bronze badge with the guild's symbol in it* This is your new identification badge, as before, you'll need to pay a fine in case it's lost and your name is written on its back~

Take care now~

 

So... Your sensei is coming back in a week? Isn't this great Elaine-san!?

Good job clearing the quest, the rewards are 6 Large Copper Coins and 4 Guild Points~

Take care now~

((*pokes @Haitaka too*))

 

Spoiler: Quest for Garrosh

Seated at a table within the Tavern, her scales knotted in thought, Plumeria went over what she already knew about the target of her Quest.

The description given by the requester, the target's mother, Bula, had been as follows;

"I... originally came for the festival but... A-ah... since the attack... I lost my son, please, please, I beg you, I will give you everything I have... but please, can you find him..? He is... a little sweet boy... he has chestnut hair, a bit chubby, a sparkling green skin, and a beauty mark on his right cheek... his name is Shula, but sometimes... his friends call him Garrosh..."

The first thought to cross her mind had been her mission from the week before, Garrosh, unbeatable drinker. However, the Garrosh she had met was a large towering Orc with arms as thick as her waist. Not only did he not match the description given by the Quest, but he also didn't quite come off as the type of person who could get lost even if he tried.

This Garrosh, seemed to be a completely different Orc, and given that Garrosh seemed to be quite the common name, it was automatically eliminated as a search criterion. Heavens knew how many Gorrosh's were in the town...

The most likely conclusions Plumeria could think of were A) the boy had been kidnapped in all the confusion with the cultists, or B) the boy had gotten lost in the confusion. Assuming the boy was still within the town of Nagrand, it was likely he would've already come to the Adventurer's Guild himself, or whoever was taking care of him would've had the common sense to do so. With that assumption in mind, the possibility the boy remained in the town wasn't too high.

In that case...she would need a bit more information. It would be far too time-consuming to run around town questioning individuals about 'a chubby orcish boy with chestnut hair, and sparkling green skin', there could very well be a million and one of those around town. But, more importantly, if Plumeria's guess was correct, then her client was in grave danger; she'd entered a race against time itself. She would need results, and with all due haste. The swiftest way to do that would be to take advantage of her own senses.

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

"Don't worry Madam, I'll find your ssssssson. You can count on it!"

Gently closing the door behind her, the Lamia lifted a small bracelet she had wrapped around her wrist. This was not one of her own serpentine ornaments, it was instead an accessory item that Plumeria had procured from her client, Bula, that would aid in her quest. Since it hadn't rained in the past day, and the quest had been posted rather quickly, right after the festival in fact, it was likely that the scent of the boy would still linger around the town. After procuring a 'sample-scent' from Shula's mother, as well as a list of locations that the duo had been to during the festival, Plumeria could comb those locations for the boy's scent and begin tracking.

Lifting the bracelet to her face, her deeply forked tongue begun peeking from her lips to capture the scents wafting from the accessory. She took multiple 'licks' of the air, ensuring she was intimately familiar with the boy's smell. After smacking her lips together, savoring the 'taste' for a while longer, she pocketed the bracelet.

"The last place they'd visited was...the food stalls?"

It would appear the mother and child had been separated amidst the throng of stampeding civilians, and it was Plumeria's mission to rectify that situation.

She'd chosen to head to the last place they'd visited because the scent there would be the freshest, as the time between the boy's presence there, and his disappearance would've been the shortest. It'd only been a day since the Festival, so the boy couldn't have gone far.

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

Slithering around the streets of Nagrand, tongue flicking from her mouth unceasingly, the near 8m long Lamia was quite a scene. She was practically a road-block all on her own, as people had to skirt around her tail before they could continue walking. Woe be unto the carriages, which couldn't get past the Lamia at all as she brazenly obstructed traffic in her search.

On the bright side, she only took 15 minutes before locking onto the boy's scent, but on the downside, traffic in Nagrand screeched to a halt for those 15 minutes.

Unconcerned with mere civil disorder, Plumeria carefully began tracking the faint trail that remained from Shula's visit the night before. Luckily, Nagrand, the Land of Winds, was as windy as the name would imply, and scents could travel great distances on the wind, allowing the Lamia to track her prey from leagues away.

Most of the first day passed as the Lamia spent it side-winding in hot pursuit of her foes...she couldn't even catch their shadows. Of note though, was a particularly thick cluster of scents among which was the boy's. Through a combination of her heat vision and a keen sense of touch, she discovered a smoldering pit buried beneath the dust. The ground around it was yet still warm, and Plumeria guessed it should've been the location of a camp-fire. One that had been put out only a few hours back.

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

Day two passed without incident.

She found more campsites, and judging by their temperature, she could tell her quarry was even closer. She would be able to catch up by midday tomorrow.

A bit concerning, however, was that they were heading towards the Caves of the Dead.

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

Day 3, 10 Am; The Outskirts of the Caves of the Dead.

Hiding within the foliage, Plumeria could, from a distance, lock onto three heat signatures with her thermal vision. She couldn't see them with her eyes, but judging by their general shapes, one of them was a child, and quite possibly the target of her search.

She flicked her tongue once...twice...thrice...each telling her that the scent she'd been following for the past three days was ahead of her. They seemed to be taking a break; gathering their strength before making a push past the Caves of the Dead.

Tracing her bifurcated tongue across her lips, Plumeria slithered forward, intent on staging an ambush.

For 20 minutes, she slithered belly-to-the-ground, encroaching upon her prey in absolute silence. She took her position south of the group, lurking behind an undergrowth of shrubbery. From this much shorter distance, she could confirm that Shula, the one also known as Garrosh, lay trussed up with rope in a corner of the camp. Although the boy was asleep -or unconscious, Plumeria couldn't tell- the tear stains on his cheeks told of his hardships. Soon...

Scoping out the party for a few minutes more, she devised a plan of action. The moment one of the kidnappers held their back to the Lamia, she struck. Springing on her coiled lower half, she leaped into the open, whisking her dagger from its sheath and sending it sailing through the air, right into the back of her would-be victim.

"Arrrggghh", the man -judging by the gruff voice- went down with a painful grunt, while Plumeria rushed his partner rearing up on her serpentine lower half to appear as tall as she could, and hissing as loud as she could. The effect was immediate, the man she was charging flinched, and retreated reflexively.

Plumeria knew that the man she'd nailed with her Knife was down, but not out. A simple stab to the shoulder would not kill a grown man. She however, could not attack her downed foe while his partner was present, that would be inviting an attack on herself. Her ploy was to first pretend to rush the man's partner, and when he retreated, swiftly switch targets. Her plan worked brilliantly, and as the partner (Henceforth Bandit B) retreated, Plumeria could dive on Bandit A, her mouth widening into a gaping maw of re-curved teeth.

Her venom-dispensing fangs, the longest of the bunch, flipped themselves open, and while stretching her jaws in ways only a snake could, she sunk all her teeth into Bandit A's thigh, delivering a dose of venom and just a dash of flesh-rending pain. She drew her head back quickly, not too keen on taking her eyes off Bandit B.

What had once been a painful grunt crescendo-ed into agonizing wails. As Plumeria had drawn back, her teeth -designed to keep things in her mouth- had torn into Bandit A's thigh, or rather, torn out. Her fangs had shorn off a chunk of flesh, which she promptly spat out. She made no habit of consuming humans.

Leaving Bandit A with what Plumeria felt was debilitating injury, enough to keep him from the fight, she returned to Bandit B, who at this point had unsheathed his short sword.

The duelist circled, man angling her sword's lethal edge towards the serpent, and serpent taunting with hisses and snaps of her jaw. Plumeria tried to be as attention-grabbing as possible and painted with Bandit A's blood, she'd done an excellent job. With his full attention on her upper-half, he was a tad too late to react to a whiplash of her muscular tail. As the scaly club collided with the man's knee-joint, the resounding CRUNCH of bone was quickly drowned by a new wave of agonizing shrieks.

While Bandit B crumbled to the floor, Plumeria pounced, eager to finish the man off. Man and snake grappled across the ground, the Lamia's much larger body quickly wrapping coils around the man.

Minutes later, the Lamia uncoiled herself, Bandit B falling limp from her grasp. For her efforts, she'd gained two new sword wound. One shallow, from where a jab at her torso had been deflected by her scales, and a much more gruesome wound were the blade her pierced her waist.

Pressing her palms to the bleeding wound, she got to work stopping it. She stripped Bandit B of his clothing, and tearing them into strips, managed to make a suitable wrap. Although both the cloth, and the scales below it were still dyed in red, she would manage.

Retrieving her dagger, and using it to free the still unconscious Shula, she begun her journey back to the Guild.

As for Bandit A? She left him for dead, her own venom, bloodloss, or the wild animals; whichever got to him first.

The return trip was another two days, cut a bit short as she'd managed to hitch a carriage heading to Nagrand. Nothing eventful happened, but her bleeding had finally stopped. She did, however, hope the wound wouldn't become infected.

Slithering through the guild's doors, somewhat hobbling from her injuries, Plumeria made her way to the Receptionists Desk, an Orcish Child in tow.

"I'm back~ Thosssse cultissssst are more trouble than they're worth. Perhapssss a clean-up missssion ssssshould be issssued. Wouldn't want any sssstraglersss causssing trouble."

Gently prodding the back of the Orcish Child, Shula, the Lamia nudges him before the Receptionist. "Thissss child needssss to be reunited with hissss mother. Here's my report Miss Aria~"

@AliceShiki

 

Target: Phery Otton, Bandit Leader
Degree of Threat: B Rank
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Rewards: 1 Silver Coin for the Leader's head. 1 Large Copper per member of the gang, 15 Small Copper for leads towards their hideout, 10 Large Copper for its definite location.
Deadline: Nothing established.
Last Seen in: Roads Between Hero's Port and the Rainband Tower.
Description: Phery is a deserter of Ternus' army that turned to banditry, he is a very well-trained knight that is adept at fire magic, has a full plate armor and stole a flaming sword from his captain before killing him and running away.
He quickly amassed a large amount of followers and is now a plague that we currently can't deal with, as he hides very well whenever knights get near, he knows our methods well after all.
Direct engagement with him is not recommended as you'll probably be outmatched in both skill and numbers, the bounty will be considered over in the moment his hideout is located, as we can take care of him ourselves then.
- Kroenen, Leader of the 3rd division of Ternus' army.
Leads In their Moves: Nothing concrete. Though the Leader doesn't seem to participate in any assaults unless the target seems very wealthy, yet not guarded enough.

Spoiler: Report (Wall o' Text Warning)

"I need a freaking holiday."

A gourd complained at his garden, diligently sprinkling some tarvine water onto the soil. It's darkening quite well now, bordering pitch black which was the ideal state for further cultivation. But that's not his main source of complain, no.

He missed the thrill of the hunt.

He hadn't got a good fight ever since that drake in the dungeon. Anything after felt like a chore, like reaping wheat without the slightest resistance; Soren was close but that's a spar at the end of the day. He'd be in a lot of trouble if he tried to poison the guy to death during the match, much less if he actually succeed. So the frustration built up - he'd never expected that combat had conditioned his mind so much that he grew restless without it.

That's how he wound up at the guild's rather deserted bounty board, staring rather seriously at a particularly aged notice.

"Hunting men, huh? Haven't had a decent one for quite a while... perhaps this will do."

*****

Having made a decision, the gourd immediately start preparing. A good hunter would be equipped to deal with any situation that may erupt, and a sentient prey tend to do the most unpredictable things.

Well, to a reasonable limit anyway. They wont suddenly sprout wings and fly to the sky.

First thing first, he went to one of the surviving market district. It wasn't any outlandish item he bought, merely skewers used to roast meat. He left with several bundle of them, making a sizeable arsenal of thousands, but that's to be expected with his estimated targets.

The gourd returned to the garden to prepare the most important tool on his arsenal. What else other than poison? He was raising a rather considerable amount of them, mostly the hardy tarvines but also a decent number of more common plants. There was a jar of the sap stored within his shed, as well as a small amount of sundried nightshade leaf.

Packing everything and enough food supply for a few days, the gourd departed on a slow trek south toward Doylors. He'd be gone for quite some time, so he hired a random herbalist apprentice to take care of his garden. Nothing much, just water it once a week and to not touch anything because they're all horribly poisonous. It should be fine.

*****

He didn't actually enter the city, skirting east through the woods instead. He took turn immersing the bundle of skewer into the pessmud every night, letting the potent poison seep slowly into the wood. It would last several weeks unattended provided that it's covered from heat and rain, and even then it should still retain at least half the time.

The ten days journey from Nagrand was continued by another two weeks prowling the woods between the Hero's Port and Doylors. He survived on snaring small critters and mushrooms, eating the edibles and storing the deadlier ones. Eventually he caught the trail of the bandits, heavy with loot after they heavily extorted a caravan.

Having confirmed their presence, he slowly tracked them back to their base. The men were surprisingly alert but couldn't find him since he had camouflaged himself with shrubbery, gourd and all. He followed the bandits for well until the next day before finally reaching the base, with plenty of traps spread on all place save for the main path.

It was a well-hidden valley with a small creek flowing through it. The gourd, now knowing where the lair was, made himself a secluded post on a hill nearby as he prepared himself for a long term expedition.

*****

The first two weeks was spent absolutely trapping the whole hill with poisoned skewers. Dig a hole about half a foot deep, just the right size for an adult's foot, then set up several skewers upright. Conceal a slope with shrubbery and plant a bunch of skewers below it. Sometimes he just left a bunch jutting out of a tree, barely visible amidst the green. His mental map was rather powerful to remember all that, but he did.

Aside from that, he also followed out any excursion of the bandits. He had to admit the forward thinking of the leader - the guy didn't waylaid all the caravans, but only arrange a seemingly randomized attack pattern. Then he didn't massacre them outright but gave a chance to pay a heavy toll instead. It's ruinous for business, but life was more important. And finally, there was fence merchants that regularly came to trade the looted goodies for supplies and luxury items. No wonder the group prospered so much, it had outside support to continue operating. Merchants having more greed than sense was the same everywhere.

The daily activity of the camp was rather simple. The whole group of nearly a hundred and fifty people was divided into five, doing a set of activities in turn. One was doing some decent combat drills, one doing chore works such as laundry and cooking and maintenance, one having guard duty, another out stalking the trade route, and the last one seemed to have their day off. The cycle changed every five days, and so far it's been done without fail.

The gourd glanced his main target several times. It was quite annoying, the man's clearly had some feeling of being watched despite the distance. He sometimes showed up for drills and such but otherwise he did his own thing in the largest semi-permanent hut in the base. Whatever it was. Not once he left for a raid, leaving everything to a number of subordinates that had more discipline than the rabble. Ex-military, probably. Followed him in desertion. It won't matter in the end.

*****

By the third week, the gourd had a reasonably good grasp on the bandits' schedules. He waited for the shift change as the raiding squad returned and the next one in turn departed. He stalked after the departed group for a day until they're far enough from the base and started splitting into smaller teams for better coverage, spread far through the trade route.

It was the familiar arrangement of bowmen and protector, but in a five man team with two-three arrangement instead. He waited for the second night to fall, when the bandits started camping. Then the small team split further in shift to watch the trade route. That's when a gourd struck.

It was a massacre, one after another. Each camp had only one sentry, which would never expect a man to literally drop from the sky and opened or otherwise twisted their neck. The sleepers ended up never rousing again, and the route watch was ambushed in the dark.

He didn't manage to get everyone, initially, thanks to people being unpredictable - specifically, a surprisingly sturdy ki-user that fought him off for a few minutes for the rest of his team to escape -. But for a long term, it's not difficult to predict their actions. He had a massive mobility advantage and camped on the route they usually took to return to base, and this time all the survivors were turned into casualties without fail.

The base was quiet for the next two days until it's passed the time for the raiding party to return. Then it turned into a startled beehives, where a group of scout were sent out to find out what happened. Again the gourd stalked them for a day before going to slaughter them, however another ki-user and a mage worked rather well together to fend him off. The former escaped with one arm short but the latter, alongside with most of the scouts, were buried on the spot.

"So much for my plan. Oh well, I have contingencies." The gourd nodded, examining a new dent on his shield. "...and I just had this fixed."

*****

The very next day, a massive warband consisting more than half of the remaining bandits set off to track him down. Alas for them, he already returned to his watchpost and was munching on baked mushrooms as he watched the group depart.

"Well then. Let's see if I can take your home from you?"

Turning to a small pile of thinly sliced and dried deathcaps, a cruel grin split through his face.

*****

The base was woefully undermanned with most of the bandits leaving. Those left barely had any worry in them, sloppily believing that their leader would see the problem solved.

That, was a mistake.

Going back a bit during the observation period, the bandits tend to cook their meal in several huge pots for communal eating. Usually there'd be plenty leftover during dinner that it'd be used for breakfast after adding a bit water and spices.

Waiting for the third night to let the sense of complacency sink in, the gourd watched until the last embers died and most of the bandits called it a day. The sentries were watching for threats outside, in which they're doing a rather decent job of it, but there's no way they're prepared for a man in black falling to the sky half a kilometer away, looking not much different than a slightly large bird, before darting through to arrive above the center of the base. He descended speedily before a last application of Vertigo slowed his descent, crouching low and ascertaining that nobody spotted him before dumping the small sack of diced deathcaps into the pot. He gave it several stir to conceal the addition before leaving much the same way, blending into the night sky.

"Deathcap is truly a wonderful thing."

Sure, there were methods to differentiate them upon picking, but if the mushroom ever ended up in a cooking pot then there's practically no way to notice the problem until it's too late. For one, it tasted damnably good for something so poisonous. Half a cap would be enough to kill a man, and smaller doses would only means longer period before death was certain. It destroyed the liver and kidneys too thoroughly to survive.

Aside from that, the mushroom also took a considerably long period to take effect. Could he half a day before the first symptom showed, and by then it's way too late to do anything. It was initially similar to food poisoning even, further obsfucating the truth until people started collapsing unconscious.

There should be some people with knowledge of the mushroom. It should be all but confirmed by then, and suspicion turned into paranoia as the poisoned majority turned onto the few lucky enough to miss breakfast. After all, there's no way an outsider could sneak into the camp, was there? It nearly came to blows several times, would, had it not for the ki-user the gourd relieved of an arm taking control of the situation. By some bizzare coincidence, he managed to miss breakfast and thus the poison altogether.

They sent messengers to warn the main troops. Unfortunately the gourd was ready and waylaid them all, a rather stinging twist of irony for the bandits. He also started being more and more audacious, slaying sentries during the night and even a whole tent worth of sick men at one point. It got so bad that the remaining five-odd healthy bandits huddled together at all times, afraid to even take a piss alone. Afraid of sleeping too long. Afraid of the flickering shadow at the edge of their vision.

About one week after the main force departed, a gourd fell from the sky straight onto two of the sleeping men. They never wake up, and the three that were still conscious joined in eternal sleep not long after. The remaining sick were next, a mercy kill if anything - nothing but slow and agonizing death await those who consumed the deathcap.

*****

Someone the gourd assumed to be Phery Otton was throwing a great fit in anger, three days after the hideout was massacred. The gourd had a first seat view from his watchpost, crescent wave of flame lashed out onto the vegetation near the furious bandit lord. That was quite understandable. He went out to fight back whatever perpetrator killing his posse only to realize thst he was chasing smoke while the remaining half was decimated. There's probably someone he's personally close to among the deceased. Personally, the gourd doesn't give a damn.

"Let's make this more... interesting."

Nocking on a rather nice composite bow he salvaged from the hideout, he loosen a random arrow toward the general direction of the bandits. It didn't actually killed anyone, not even a scratch, but people started pointing and eventually spotted the black dot that was the gourd atop the hill. He did a mocking bow toward Phery and ran a thumb across his own neck. The murderous gaze he got in return was almost palpable, with the remining posse entirely mobilized to comb every nook and cranny hidden in that hill.

The game of cat and mouse continued even as casualties began to mount, the first stepping onto the countless mini spike traps scattered around the hill. It went through the soles of his shoe, and just like that one man was out of comission - it's unclear whether infection would take him in the coming days.

That incident slowed the search to a crawl, the bandits soon realizing the insanity that was the number of traps spread around the whole place. Who could even nagivate through that? Surely the trapper himself would trip on his own creation?

Regardless of what they're thinking, the causalties didn't stop. The slow slog means they're perfect target practice for a bowman, and after plundering an entire hideout the gourd had stocked enough arrows to shoot each person dead five times over. To make things worse he kept on moving and randomly switched target, dealing a continuous blow to the morale as time passed. Well, until an incident happen.

"Bastard, I'll tear you into a thousand pieces!"

Namely, a particularly furious ex-knight bandit lord that charged forth out of the mob, quite literally clad in flaming armor. With wings of flame. While he wasn't truly flying he didn't have any problem gliding with a light tap on the ground, rendering the traps completely moot.

A single swing of the blazing longsword sent a widely spreading wave of flame that set the trees ablaze upon contact. The gourd ducked beneath it and shielded himself to avoid the worst brunt, but still came off slightly smoking as the result. He rapidly retreated to the side of the hill, zigzagging across trees and rocks away from the knight.

"That's a bit too much, no? My clothes aren't cheap!" Taunt the gourd.

"Let's see how well you talk on fire!" Roared Phery in return.

He thrusted forward this time, sending an explosive fireblast forward at an impressive speed. Exquisitely timed when the target was mid-leap, normal man would've get a terrible burn from it.

A normal man, that is. Which was one of the last thing to describe the gourd.

"Dart."

He jettisonned himself downhill, straight into the thinly spread posse as the fireblast impotently set some tree aflame. He killed two men before they could rally toward him, but by then he's already skipping through the woods with experienced ease while the bandit lord had to awkwardly bulldoze through the obstacle while avoiding his own underlings.

"Come here and face me like a warrior you coward!" He bellowed in frustration.

"May I suggest you to come later tonight and face me like an assassin?" Returned the gourd.

Two minutes later the bandits were scattered far enough from the two. Immediately another fireblast was brought forth, but this time several lances of fire followed. The gourd Darted out of the way but the lances were homing, he clicked his tongue and slashed his Branded hand.

"Hardlight!"

The lances were explosive, but not billowing like the fireblast. Thus they collided and blew up with the Hardlight platforms, dealing naught but a blast of hot air toward the gourd.

The bad news, though, was that a flaming knight charged through the explosion like it's spring breeze. Finally entering melee, it was unlikely he'd allow the gourd to recover his distance.

"Balls."

Attempting to parry the first sword strike resulted in an explosion that must've ruined his shield again, while knocking him away like a ragdoll. Phery followed closely without giving any breathing room, pressing the attack with the magic sword that constantly spit out flames.

The gourd ducked under a swing, the scalding heat licked through his armor and clothing nyway. An armored boot kicked him in the chest but his cuirass took most of the blow. It still sent him flying, barely darting out of another wve of flame.

The gourd glanced down as Phery rushed closer. He was grinning, despite being outmatched in power, speed, and equipment, but that's the whole point wasn't it? It wouldn't be a hunt without the chance of the prey killing the hunter. That's what husbandry's for. The triumph would be all the more sweeter against a powerful foe.

"Redshift!"

This would be the turning point, whether he'd snowball an advantage into a landslide victory or he'd need to flee like beaten dog. Even a sabaton wouldn't fully cover the soles. The bandit lord was stepping onto a hidden pitfall, but his wings mean he's not heavy enough to collapse it. But that only mean he needed but a small push.

The Redshift wall materialized, awkwardly deflecting a follow up strike even as it cracked rather badly from the strain. Meanwhile the gourd's own overhead strike slammed down, dealing nonexistent damage to the bandit's shoulder but at the same time drove the guy's foot into the trap.

A pained grunt rang, the bandit lord stumbled from the underhanded blow. The gourd laughed in triumph as he Darted away, carving a bloody path through the posse as Phery tried to follow but failed. The blood lost from abusing his Brands were worth robbing his foe's mobility, meaning he could once again hold the upper hand.

"Good fight, truly." He stopped top a branch halfway uphill, clapping at the murderously angry Phery Otton. "But unfortunately I'm a bit outmatched, so I'll wait the poison to take your leg before I return for a rematch. Good evening!"

If smoldering, hatefully intense gaze could kill,the gourd would be dead a hundred times over. Truly the burning rage of a thousand white-hot blinding sun of hateful fury.

*****

Why'd he escaped? Would it not be a landslide victory?

A gourd could be seen slinging several quivers worth of arrows to his back, their tips laced with muddy water mixed with his last bit of poison.

Because to the gourd, a landslide victory would be the death of every single bandit in the valley, nothing less than that. Well, he'd accept a few escape but definitely not the fifty-ish left around at the moment.

The sun's setting, the bandits were defeatedly moving back to their base. Since the gourd had two whole days to prepare there's no reason to make it easy for them - the supplies was splashed with mud, bedding and sleeping bags filled with sand, and the corpses left inside their water source upstream with traps filling the way. They'd still get to use those with some effort, but it would be another severe blow to their morale without routing them en-masse. Phery, in particular, threw another wrathful fit after he saw the head of the ki-user mounted on a pike outside his quarter.

It'd take several days at best even with potions for the pessmud to break down completely, and until then the bandit lord would have one paralyzed foot to work with. The gourd intended to fully abuse the short lul where he's untouchable by the enemies' strongest fighter.

"In the end, endurance matters the most in a hunt. Who cares if you could flee to the other end of the world or demolish boulders with your bare fist if you're too tired to even move after several days of exertion?"

Thus, the terror attack began promptly. Anyone leaving the base never returned, mainly the few left to gather clean water. Then the sentries were picked off, tainted arrows coming from the woods that promised painful death over the coming week. The source of the attack changed dramatically with every shot, giving the illusion of number hiding amidst the woods. It went on, and on, and on, the arrows never stop even after a full day passed.

They tried stationing bowmen on their own. Phery and two of his remaining lieutenant even sallied forth once, but they were left eating dust as the gourd Darted past them and slaughtered the sickbay before vanishing into the other side of the camp.

The situation was so glum that on the third dawn, twenty men - practically all that were still capable of fighting - deserted and fled.

A mistake.

Without the palisade covering them, they were peppered with arrows until the whole group broke and scattered. The gourd swooped in at that moment, killing most of the terrorized men and quickly hunted down the rest.

It took less than an hour, by which the gourd were back at the hideout. He reckon he'd murder the rest of the injured to further rile the bandit lord, but apparently he'd fled with his lieutenant and abandoned everyone else behind.

Not that they're difficult to track.

Phery Otton was many things, but a survivalist he's not. A knight always had a squire catering to their every need, and would be the best supplied in any army. However, out in the wild he's just another lost man. His two lieutenant weren't that much better either, both coming from military background and normally enjoyed an unbroken logistic line.

Still, it took a whole day to find their track. Then it split apart, as if they're not annoying enough. His first guess brought him to a lieutenant wearing Phery's armor, which was slain within minutes. Even with magical arts to enhance his physical strength he's not used to wear heavy armor, much less full plate - he was exhausted by the time the gourd reached him.

Backtracking a bit, his second guess brought him straight to the bandit lord.
A pleasant surprise, since the trail was a day old. And the guy's sleeping so soundly, hugging his sword. That was just asking for it.

An areow to the throat ended it... not. The guy parried the arrow and savagely locked onto the source, apparently well-rested during the time the gourd systematically pick his subordinate apart. Flaming wings sprouted on his back and he dashed forward. Joy, he seemed to have recovered his mobility as well.

"Aww, you do love me." The gourd skipped away, Darting without even trying to fight.

Phery didn't deigned the words worth replying, hoeling savagely instead as he dashed forward. He was considerably faster too after shedding his armor, the gourd wouldn't be able to keep up even with constant Dart usage.

Unfortunately for Phery, there's other brands to use.

"Sorry mate, not interested in men! I admire your fiery passion though! Vertigo!"

And with that, the rogue knight dumbly watched as a gourd rapidly shrunk into the sky. He only snapped out of it when arrows started raining, parrying and dodging the blow while blowing lances of fire at the gourd sitting on a blue platform. Ranged attack wasn't his speciality though, he didn't have much else other than the lances which was intercepted by Hardlight platforms winking right in front of them.

The attrition continued for a few minutes before Phery abruptly stopped and turned to flee. But how could he got far? The gourd allowed some distance to build up before descending himself, taking time tracking the prey.

Over the next few days, the contest of endurance continued. The gourd easily lived off nature while his counterpart struggled to find anything to eat, eyeing every single berries and mushroom with distrust. Then there's the fact that the gourd constantly harrassed him whenever he tried to sleep, arrows flying true toward his vitals. It was three days since Phery's last meal or good night sleep, and he wasn't able to fight the contest of endurance any longer.

The next time the gourd attacked, he was met with an all-out pursue by a rather skinny Phery. There's determination in him, but at the same time desperation; he knew that if he fail to kill this specter haunting him, he will be hounded to death.

"What's the matter? You're sluggish." The gourd laughed as he skittered away, always so slippery, just a little bit out of range.

"Go to hell!"

The gourd again used the tried-and-true escape to the sky. However, his foe seemed to have one last trick up his sleeve. The man took a stance with his sword raised up high, chanting something in obscure language.

"What he's doing..?"

An arrow was shot, but some kind of sweltering heat surrounded the rogue knight and sent it off course. Then, as scripted, the first ray of sunlight peeked through the horizon.

"Infernal Pyre!"

He stabbed the sword, glowing crimson now, into the ground. The earth rumbed and cracked, temperature rapidly increase as flaming red light leaked from the cracks.

"Oh boy."

That's the last thing the gourd said before a fiery explosion erupted, cleansing the entire area in magical flames.

*****

"Seriously, that's ridiculous. No man should wield thst kind of power." The gourd idly, and shamelessly, complained. He was falling from roughly two kilometers up high, having used a combination of Redshift, Vertigo, and numerous Dart Brands to survive and escape the blast zone. His left arm wasn't responding at the moment, having most of its blood drained to fuel the Branded Runes. He'd still need to tap Vertigo once more to break his fall, he wasn't looking forward to that.

"Should be about now... Vertigo."

He misjudged the distance a bit, ending up falling through a tree and some shrubbery. Brushing off the dirt, the gourd groaned as he stood, hobbling toward the ground zero where the apocalyptic explosion took place.

The crater was magnificently smooth and still wafted an almost unbearable heat. The only thing remained was a naked Phery Otton, still in the same stance than plunged his sword into the ground, completely unconscious. The sword itself survived the ordeal, although noticeably way less glowy than before.

"Not exactly my plan but I do have some good shrooms remaining..."

*****

"You cowardly scum! Release Sir Phery at once!"

A gourd was halfway done tying up his still unconscious prisoners with salvaged vines - a process that took way longer with only one arm - when suddenly the last lieutenant burst out of the woods screaming bloody murder. The explosion was quite eye-catching, however the man's loyalty was admirable to rush back into the fray.

"Really? Look, I'm a bit tired today-" he hopped back out of a zweihandler swing. "-so if you'd just leave I'll pretend you doesn't exist."

"Not possible! Sir Pherry lost everything to save us from the dishonorable captain, he have the true knightly spirit!" Another swing dodged, then the man stood protectively between the rogue knight and the gourd. "Are you an assassin sent by that noble bratling's family?"

The gourd scratched his gourd.

"Just a random bounty hunter. You seems to miss the fact that you're terrorizing a major trade route."

"This kingdom is rotten! They abandoned us first, it is their just desert for us to turn on it."

"Ookay? Cool. Kingdom bad, Phery Otter good. Got it. You seems to miss the part where it's supposed to concern me. Life is unfair, deal with it."

A vein popped on the other man's forehead.

"Very well, seems that there's no more use for words. En garde!"

He sprint forward, his sword humming with ki. Probably thinking that the gourd wasn't in top fighting condition after surviving the blast. Technically that's correct, but he overestimated just how much exactly.

"Arcane Armament. Arcane Armament. Arcane Armament."

The broken blade glowed, deeper and deeper purple with every passing moment, before solidfying into a long triangular shape over the broken part as if it's whole once again. Then the gourd just wantonly swing the thing like it weighted nothing, any clash of weapon resulting in a chip on the other man's sword even through the ki coating reducing the damage.

Within a minute the zweihandler broke right at the middle, at the same time leaving an opening where the gourd sliced off the man's right arm right on the elbow. He tossed away the half-sword and right arm holding it, trembling as he drew out his sidearm.

"T-tis' but a scratch!" He said, a shorter sword raised even as his lifeblood leaked from his wound.

"I don't care."

The blade flashed, another arm flew off, then a head followed immediately.

*****

The gourd breathed heavily after he's done. Thankfully the guy wasn't as strong as the previous ki-users, otherwise he'd may be in a real trouble. While the manapool was untouched during the fight with Phery injuries and fatigue had their own way to chip on one's own focus. He blew most of his mana on the enchantment so that he could overpower and kill his foe as fast as possible.

He returned to tie up Phery, then force-fed the guy some slices of dried psychedelic mushrooms to keep him knocked out. That done, the gourd mounted his prisoner on a makeshift travois and started to pull.

*****

Regrettably he wasn't able to find the loot cache in the hideout, so the gourd made his best to grab whatever valuables he could. Top on the list would be the Phery's sword and armor, followed by several decent steel weapons and a nice composite bow. That much - and a living prisoner on top - already strained his carrying capacity so he stopped at that, wondering if he could return there for further looting at later date.

Humming a merry tune, he laid some salvaged tent cloth over a new travois made out of sturdier woods taken off the palisade. It's filled with his loot as well as a drugged and paralyzed Phery, ready to deliver to Randgriz.

*****

"Ah, you finally wake up. You were trying to cross the border right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush. Same as us, and that thief over there I imagine you're having terrible headache. Nausea perhaps? That's normal, you were under drug for almost a week. I've also kept your limbs pralyzed with poison so don't try moving, don't want you to fall out."

The gourd idly tossed another branch to the flame, ignoring the persistent grunt of a praplegic trying to untie himself.

"A bit heads up, there was no survivors from your little posse. That one included, didn't ask his name but aging, sideburn, had a slight limp on the right leg? Tried to save you after you blew us up but he fell short. Unfortunate."

The gourd stretched, slowly turning to face a hummiliated and furious Phery Otton tied next to him.

"We'll arrive at Randgriz tomorrow. I'm turning you in for money, they'd do whatever they want with you. Unresigned? Too bad, that's how life work. But I'm a generous man and I enjoy a good hunt. See, you're like this cornered best snared in a trap, only waiting for death. I'm going to fray the trap, just a little bit. Perhaps it won't make a difference, up to you."

He took out a small nail and carefully tied it with Phery's rather long hair, hidden from sight.

"Go, amuse me. Tear out of that trap and start searching. Try to hunt me back in return. Perhaps I can still squeeze another entertainment off you yet." He patted the other man, ignoring the deathly glare.

"Welp, that will be all. I sincerely hope we'll meet again, Sir Phery Otton."

It may come out as completely sarcastic to the bound man, but the gourd couldn't care less. He tossed a bunch of dried mushroom into the flame and fanned it toward the prisoner, soon enough sending the guy into another psychedellic dream.

"It had been a fun month." The gourd mused, grinning under his helmet. He really look forward for the rogue knight to come and find him in the future. Shouldn't be hard, few people wears a gourd on their head.

*****

"Phery Otton in the flesh, alive. Also wiped his posse out, pretty sure to the last man but a couple might be free, I'll mark the location or even lead you there to confirn it. I'd like to collect my money today if that's possible."

Spoiler: Notes

-I was bored so I might as well drop another economy bomb on your lap.
-Please help determining the final bounty value.
-Also tell me whether the government would forcefully buy the knight's equipment back.

@AliceShiki

Just a bit over 5.4k words!

 

My my, I'm surprised the child didn't think you were going to eat you after that approach~

Great job Plumeria-san, hopefully those were the last of the stragglers... As for a clean up, Grom-san already issued a quest for it, hopefully it will be solved soon~

In any case, you did a wonderful job, I'll ask Tsu to escort him home.

The reward will be of 15 Large Copper Coins and 4 Guild Points, take care now~

 

Task: Heir Escort
Requester: Baron Kuin
Quest rank: Rank Up Quest to D rank
Rewards: Bronze Guild Badge
Description: Baron Kuin, which was thought to only have a daughter, has discovered his long thought dead first son. You are to escort this child from the Town of Doylors to Nagrand safely, protecting him from the dangers of the journey and the possible political enemies that might have gotten wind of this and want to eliminate the threat.

Spoiler: Reports

"Doylors? But I just came back from there..." A gourd complained at the pingpong trip, cursing the lack of reliable long-range communications. There were stuff he needed to do, ensuring his garden didn't murder their temporary caretaker being the priority. He sighed, and makde his way to his rented plot.

Surprisingly, it wasn't a burning mess. The whole thing's adequately watered and the tarvine would still bleed out their sap naturally, albeit greatly slower than aided spread. Nodding in satisfaction and passing some coins to the young apprentice, he gave a bit extra and added more for the next week. He'll be gone again pretty soon.

After dropping his loot in the shed and securing it with poisonous traps, he left for Lakeside Village because "Fetch the boy at Doylors" were the vaguest of vague instruction. He was met with the same butler as last time although the attitude was rather different, and he was led to the baron and the wizard in the garden.

Long story short, the little heir had a disagreement with his father about ruling because he wanted to be a great magician instead. Not long after he disappeared during a trip with his personal bodyguard and it was rather unclear whether he ran away or was kidnapped, after so many years without news the baron lost hope and accepted his son as dead.

But then the old bodyguard appeared again, almost fifteen years after. He claimed that the young master was a certified mage of the Tower and already married with a child of his own, and felt that his father should at least get a chance to see the grandson. The baron was understandably elated and vowed to mend their relationship, but there surely were several parties that don't want a viable heir to come back.

So the exact location and identity of the son were intentionally obsfucated, and the bodyguard would accompany the adventurer back. The job was to ensure that the baron's heir return safely, by any means necessary.

Not needing too much preparations, the gourd rode along on a provided carriage by the baron as they head south. The day trip was rather uneventful, but the gourd slipped out of camp at night as they near the mountain crossing service.

His target? A small group that were watching them and trailed after from a distance.

He snuck around silently atop the treeline, leaping from one platform to another to ambush the watcher. He leapt down behind the first, the rustle stratled his target like a rabbit.

"Explain in ten words why shouldn't I murder you."

The explanation comes in the shape of a dagger flashing to his throat.

"Well, action speak for a thousand words so too bad. You went over the limit."

He headbutted the incoming dagger with his gourd, jarring it out of the grasp before slicing the man from shoulder down to his waist. Unfortunately the guy managed to let out a shrill whistle before the cut was made, and immediately some movements could be heard. Might be passed by a civilian, but the gourd knew his way around the woods.

The rustling were conveying on two groups. The first had six people dressed like civilians, however the camp had a collection of sinister devices like caltrops, bolas chain, crossbows, and a small alchemical station with some familiar herbs being processed.

"Arcane Armament."

Too bad for the assassins, he caught them unprepared. What few resistance they mustered was sliced through wholesale along with themselves, the arcane-imbued blade cared not about hastily raised daggers. The gourd didn't stop and charged into the next camp, more prepared this time, but they're playing poison with the wrong man. Four knives flashed in, resulting in debilitating paralysis within minutes before he charged on Hardlight platform. Crossbow bolts shattered against the mystical barrier, then he was upon their rank and started the reaping of lives.

*****

"...where'd you get that?" The bodyguard asked incredulously when the gourd returned with a large chest in hand.

"Some generous stalkera donated it." He lighy replied. "Let's get going."

*****

The rest of the trip went mundanely smooth, retrieving the heir and his family. Both husband and the wife were qualified mage of the circle, the gourd just smile and waved as he did not understand the significance of the title.

Spoiler: Notes

-Got a portable alchemical kit
-Looted several tools to prevent people from escaping a murder attempt
-Also nabbed some vials of refined poison
-The baby seemed to be attracted to the gourdhead. Everyone's definitely hallucinating on that matter.

@AliceShiki

 

((Holy Fuck Rea-chan, what am I supposed to do when you deliver a really fun read that was very well-made... That would pay you 2.5 silver worth of coins!? >.<

... Without even considering the loot that is... Gaaaaah, you're nuts, girl! >.<

Well, I'll see what I can do... Damn, I honestly expected a party of crazy murderhobos would actually kill him, but not someone alone! Don't bring me those crazy bombs... orz))

Kroenen was surprised... After weeks and weeks without any leads in the movements of Oton, he definitely did not expect to be greeted with the deserter's body brought in by a... Gourd? And with a notice that the entire bandit group was wiped out at that...

"Oton is here, no doubt... That's 1 whole silver... Then there is all the things you brought in as loot and the claim you got all the bandits at that..." The knight seemed to be pondering heavily.

"If you want the money now, we can't confirm the truthfulness of your words, nor how big was Otton's group. We assumed he had grow to over 80 men already, so I can pay you... 30 Large Copper for their deaths. Otton's Knightly gear is property of the Kingdom and you cannot keep it and should not receive anything for it...

"However, as a show of good faith as you didn't attempt to steal it, we'll pay you a generous amount of 50 Large Copper for it. The gear you brought in is also filled with stolen goods, no doubt, but... I suppose we can pay 70 Large Copper for it.

"The total are 2 Silver Coins and 50 Large Copper Coins, take it or leave it." He finished.

 

Seems like even noble children took a liking to you~ *giggles*

No rumors about the girl that you taught divine arts to though? How... Unexpected, maybe they're trying to keep a close lid on it...? Well, they're not being very efficient though, the rumors already spread by now... >.>

Oh well, great job out there Jack-san, you're now officially recognized as a D-ranked adventurer, so please take this. *gives you a bronze guild badge*

This is the proof of your current rank, as before, be careful with it as a fine will be issued in case it's lost, your name is also carved in its back, though you'll probably notice it's not a shody job like the one I did last time...

Well, this will be all, good luck in future quests, you certainly have talent, but don't let it get to you~

Take care now~ *bows*

 

"That's fine, I can't find where they kept their money and wasn't too inclined to search so I just grab the most expensive pieces." The gourd nodded. "Let me mark it on the map, around here... you should maybe hurry, there are several caravan worth of silk and spices and whatnot there. Oh right, dont wander the hill near it. It's filled with traps."

(Nobody want to party since yesterday so I got bored and wrote all that.

*laughs in money allergy* don't worry, he'll end up spending most of it within the week!

Also, the prisoner's alive and would be quite well once the drugs and poison wear off in a few days. Could be nothing. Could be a sequel hook.)

 

*memory of a boy and a girl running out to the garden shouting "Uncle gourd!" And performed divine lightshows resurfaces*
*suppressing memory.....*
"Rumor? What rumor? What girl? No rumor or girl whatsoever. Nay. Nada. Zero."

 

"Done! Here's the heirloom that was requested, I hope whoever commissioned that request will find more use out of it than just ornamental value."

Elaine sets a small box on the counter, followed by a report.

Spoiler: The Item Through the Looking Glass

Skip forward two days, and Elaine had discovered the bandit’s lair, thanks to her incredible deductive skills.

Just kidding. She just walked across the bandit outpost by accident, while chasing a rabbit in the immediate area. Thankfully, the bandit on duty was heavily inebriated (Don’t drink on duty, kids) and was already midway to dreamland. So Elaine sent him there permanently.

“That’s one. I’m guessing there’s another inside the shack on sleep rotation, so let’s take care of that, too.”

Entering, she found the dozing bandit mumbling in his sleep.

“Five more minutes…”

“Don’t worry, you can sleep forever now. Farewell. Now that’s two.” - E

Entry problems temporarily solved, she sauntered into the hideout casually. It was late afternoon, the time where most people were either napping, or too lazy to bother moving. A perfect time to steal---errr, liberate---the quest item.

It took her some time to move through the winding tunnels, before a glint of light caught the corner of her eye.

“Oh, could that be it?” - E

She hurried over, leaning forward for a closer inspection. The item in question was a huge mirror taller than herself, more than large enough to show her reflection.

“Oh...Nothing worth being excited over, this is just common iron painted over. And here I thought it was some precious material...Hmph.” - E

Next…she caught sight of a small edge peeking out of the pile of stones and copper in the corner. A chest, perhaps? The excited adventurer hurriedly brushed aside the loose stones, lifting it up to reveal...a wooden box.

“Oh, it’s just some box. Lame.” - E

Casually setting the box aside, Elaine didn’t notice as the edges knocked over a pile of copper coins, causing them to tumble onto the table. One of the coins even fell off.

And of course, that loose copper coin she knocked over just so happened to trip a trap.

*GONG*

The drums echoed throughout the hideout.

“Oh, great. I guess this will save me the trouble of needing to be stealthy, at least.” - E

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

Cut to two minutes alter, and she was cornered. The passageway was big and had at least 4 routes, but there was a bandit occupying each. Fantastic job. She certainly wasn’t looking forward to fighting her way out.

One of them, the one closest to the mirror, lifted their weapon...

“Wait, wait, wait! Put down your axe!” - E

“What? We’re not sparing you even if you surrender, lass!”

“Huh? No, I’m not talking about that! Didn’t you know? That if you break a looking glass, you’ll have bad luck for 7 years!” - E

“Haaah? What do you mean?”

“Well, I’ve heard this from an old friend, but it seems like when you break a looking glass, the reflected image of yourself in the glass, which represents your soul, breaks as well. Then…” - E

The bandits shared a pensive look.

“T-Then what, lass?”

“Well, there are two theories. First one is that the broken soul becomes powerless and is unable to protect its owner against bad luck any longer. The second theory states that...well, the shattered soul would return with a vengeance…” - E

The bandits stared at one another, whispering quietly among themselves. The girl, however, could hear snippets of the ongoing conversation.

“...You know…Old Tom did die mysteriously last week…”

“...Looked as if he was pushed…”

“...Broke a mirror and laughed it off…”

The more they discussed about it, the scarier it became. It was almost as if something supernatural was truly related to the mirror, and the bandits begun edging backwards, distancing themselves from the mirror leaning against the wall. Save for one.

“Shut it! So what if there’s bad luck? I’m not scared of something like luck---Watch this!”

The disgruntled bandit chief picked up a club, before swinging it at the antique mirror.

“No! Don’t!” - E

Too far away to stop it, she could only watch as the club struck the looking glass, shattering it into pieces. The distressed girl pushed past the bandits, running up to the mirror to examine the damage. The hairline cracks were extensive, making it pretty impossible to get a proper reflection. Meanwhile, the bandit chief gestured, proud.

“There, see? Nothing happened! It was just a myth, a story! Nothing worth being scared about!”

Then all hell broke loose. The cracked mirror broke into thin shards, levitated in midair…And launched themselves towards the bandits.

Within minutes, most of the bandits were slain, bleeding from over a hundred cuts, mainly from the chief offender; slit throats. Slowly, they fell one by one, like stacked dominoes.

“What the---?!” - E

F-Fast…I didn’t even see anything move!

Wary, Elaine pushed her senses to the limit, looking out for anything hostile nearby. Still, even after she had done so, the only hostile being she could feel was the bandit chief, who had just tripped and fallen on his rump. He was bleeding from deep lacerations on both ankles, but even with all those injuries, he was still scrambling to get away from her.

“I apologise! Please don’t come any closer!”

“I’ve barely moved from my original spot, though…” - E

“No, not you! C-Can’t you see her?!”

“Her? Who?” - E

“The lady in the mirror! N-No! Don’t come near me! Stay...Stay away! Sta---ARRRRRRRRGH!”

The bandit chief screamed, and right before her very eyes, he begun crumpling. It was as if two giant invisible hands had caught him, and begun folding him in half like paper...There was a pretty nasty crunch as his spine snapped, but it wasn’t over. The whimpering bandit begun compressing, getting compacted smaller and smaller until…

*Crunch*

The mangled mess fell onto the floor, lifeless. Blood was oozing out of any orifice that hadn’t already been destroyed, and any limbs that had been connected at the joints had long since twisted beyond saving. And all this while, the horrified girl had seen it play out in full view, step by step.

“...What in the…” - E

As she glanced around uneasily, something finally registered in her mind; the shattered pieces of the mirror, which had been lying around on the floor just a few minutes ago, were gone.

The lady in the looking glass. I was standing between him and the looking glass, but I somehow doubt that he meant me…

Suddenly, her own breathing seemed extremely deafening, in the long since dried up mine. Goosebumps begun working their way up to her back, and Elaine could feel a chill on her neck.

Somebody was watching her.

She didn’t want to, but she slowly did a one-eighty to take a look at the mirror. As the mirror’s surface slowly appeared out of the edge of her vision, she could see her own reflection doing the same, slowly turning to gaze at her.

The mirror was untouched, polished brightly, and did not bear a single trace of damage. And she was pretty sure that there wasn’t a smile on her face…She instinctively jumped backwards.

“Damn, looks like you’re a clever one, lass. Unfortunately, it seems like I won’t get to kill you then.”

“What...are you?” - E

“Tsk, tsk, use your brains, lass. I am you. Or to be exact, a looking glass reflection that takes form according to your alter ego. Heard of that term?”

Elaine took a few moments to process that sentence.

“Alter Ego? You mean, I have one of those?” - E

“Well, you did just murder all of them viciously, so I would certainly reckon so. Unless you mean that you’re two-faced, but I honestly doubt that.”

“I didn’t kill anyone. They just died of blood loss, that’s all.” - E

“You certain about that? Look at their wounds.”

Elaine glanced back at the nearest bandit, sizing up the noticeable injuries. Various slash marks and puncture marks caused by broken glass shards.

“I don’t see anything.” - E

“Take a closer look.”

Puncture and slash marks caused by glass shards…Or a very fast, very sharp rapier…

Then a sudden soreness struck her joints, all at once. She could barely stay on her feet with the help of her rapier.

“No way...I did this?” - E

“Figuratively speaking, yes, but literally, no. This is what those peons would have ended up looking like if you had gone up against them with your rapier. What do you think? Or rather…How do you feel? Seeing the results of a completely merciless slaughter…And the weariness that would have arose if you had fought thus.”

“That’s not…Also, I don’t have the kind of strength needed to crush that bandit into small pieces.” - E

“Ah, that bandit chief? He was annoying, plus he tried to smash the looking glass, so I killed him. It was all me for that one, so don’t worry.”

“That doesn’t exactly comfort me…Also, since you’ve shown yourself, does that mean that you intend on killing me? You know, to silence any witnesses and all that?” - E

“Hah! Everything has a price, lass. Including asking other people to kill you. I don’t have to do anything unless I want to; no, I don’t really care if you report about the mirror to your guild, or whatever. Just know that I only move with a purpose in mind.”

The girl in the reflection stretched lazily, her fingers moving about seemingly randomly. On closer inspection, however, there were strings attached to the loops on her fingers. Each of the strings were linked to several shards of glass that Elaine could not see on her own side of the mirror.

“Remember, lass. Everyone has two or more sides to their personality, and I’m the reflection of your darkest aspect, the one that you keep tucked away, deep within yourself.”

“Even so, you’re not evil.” - E

She wasn’t sure why she was so certain about that, but Elaine said thus anyway. Her reflection in the looking glass raised an eyebrow.

“Whatever gives you that impression, lass?”

“Well, if you were evil, that storm of glass shards would have killed everyone. I was directly in front of the looking glass at that point, so there was no way you couldn’t kill me if you meant to do so. Also, if you’re me, then I’m confident of that much. Was never a fan of doing bad deeds.” - E

The reflection blinked a few times, then started laughing in genuine mirth.

“...Pffft. Still, I suppose it was fair enough. You didn’t try to attack me, and that story of yours was also rather entertaining, so it would have been very un-kingly behaviour if I killed you as well. Go grab your prize and go.”

“Eh?” - E

“What, you thought this was the heirloom you were looking for? No way. Plus, were you planning on carrying this all the way back to the guild without preparation? A full-length looking glass? Come on! I might be a reflection of your darker self, but at least I’m still sane!”

“Then, could you point me in the right direction? I have no idea who this heirloom belongs to, so I don’t have any inkling on how it looks like, either…” - E

“Hmm, but you do.”

“Pardon me?” - E

“I said, you already know what the heirloom is. Or at least have a pretty good guess on what it might be. Try to remember. What’s important enough to be antique, yet fragile enough to warrant a special quest, but also unnoticeable enough that it hasn’t been sold yet? Come on, move those brain cells, because I’m not giving any better hints~”

“...Ah! I know!” - E

Quickly stepping over the corpses of the dead bandits, Elaine hurriedly went over to the pile of sloppily strewn barrels, and begun tossing out handfuls of pebbles, looking for the wooden crate she had seen earlier. Soon enough, she had found it.

“Hmm…” - E

It was fairly easy to pry apart the already loose crate; upon which she fished out a smaller wooden box from within.

The box was small enough to fit into her hands, and looked simple enough, possessing naught but a smooth wooden exterior. In fact, the only thing that might indicate at some treasure within was the intricate lock face, followed by the carved insignia on the lid.

There was no key.

“Say, how do I open this? Is this what I’m supposed to look for?” - E

The reflection shrugged.

“Why are you asking me? I can only affirm what has already been known, lass. Nothing more.”

Elaine shrugged; it was worth the try. She stared at the lock again.

Hm…The lack of a key. Something tells me that there isn’t one. But…why not?

“Onto something, aren’t you? I can almost see the gears turning. Quickly, let me know, let me know.”

Elaine looked at the locked box in her hand, and then at the mirror once again. Her reflection stared back at her.

“Say, since you’re a reflection of me at my worst, you should know how the box mechanism works, no?” - E

“Wh-What do you mean?”

“Don’t play innocent. I might be cheerful most of the time, but I have my belligerent moments as well. Knowing myself, if I ever lost my temper over something, I would probably try to push through with brute force, which often results in the issue getting even worse. So, since you’re me, surely you’ve tried smashing this box? They do say hindsight’s a bitch, after all.” - E

Her reflection averted her eyes, but Elaine just smiled and stared at the mirror, not saying a word.

“...You got me. There’s a cleverly hidden latch behind the insignia, the lock was just there to confuse people. You have to tap the insignia thrice, push the lock face once, before pulling out the insignia. Then you’ll be able to access the hidden latch.”

*Click*

“Well, this is open now…wait, what. That’s it? A bracelet made of finely carved glass shaped like interwoven vines, with some metal parts to form some kind of fancy pattern…Oh, the box was lined with several layers of cotton and silk. I guess I could carry this back to the guild if I had to, then…” - E

“You don’t seem very excited.”

“Of course I don’t. It’s objectively a circular piece of glass. If someone could get excited over this, then there’s probably something wrong with their brain. But well, a job’s a job.” - E

“Well, I assure you that that’s what you’re looking for, so you better hurry along, lass. If fate allows it, we’ll meet again.”

Elaine held the small box to her chest, ready to go, but just as she stepped out of the room, she stopped, turning back.

“Say, so did I pass the test?” - E

The reflection didn’t say a word, instead just settling for a smile before reverting back to a plain old reflection, in a common looking glass.

“Well, so much for that. Now, with this heirloom in tow, let’s return! It’ll only be a steeper climb from now on, after all!” - E

@AliceShiki

 

Task: The Light Is Way Too Bright! [Taken by @Razogul ]
Requester: Lyra, the Alchemist
Quest rank: D
Rewards: 18 Large Copper Coins
Description: Hai hai, Lyra again, with yet another quest... I have a feeling I have been burning too much money on those...
Anyways, I think everyone remembers the bright light ritual that happened like... Yesterday, right? Pretty neat and all, Ophelia's temple looked super pretty and what not, but... Did you bother with looking West? Like... The West is super duper bright, aaaand... As far as I know, there is only one place that can shine super duper brightly to the West... The Holy Tower of Babel.
My current theory is that such a huge gathering of Light Energy in one go from the Temple ended up resonating with the tower's energy and made it actually go a bit out of control... And well, you know how Nyllia is, it's not very nice to have any of its elemental energies getting out of control, the entire place can become a mess if it does.
And well, this will become a huge thorn on our side if things go awry in Nyllia, so... Travel to the Holy Tower of Babel and investigate the matter. Bonus rewards are in for anyone that solves it~

Coming back a little exhausted, Raz puts his report on the table.

Spoiler: The Light is Way Too Bright!

Looking at the destination for the next quest, Raz laughs to himself. The Holy Tower of Babel! It's so far away that even at normal travel it could take around 10 days!

Thinking for a while, he ponders, "If I run with all my might with my new cultivation, could I possibly make it in a shorter time? I have been testing my new speed lately, so it's possible..."

Trying to be optimistic, he nods. "It'd also help train me in my manipulation of Ki as well if done right!"

Remembering about food, he looks for his brown sack and checks the contents.

"Some rations, water, and clothing. Since it's very far away, I should go to the inn and ask the owner if I could get some leftovers. It should be fine, right?"

Leaving the tavern, he goes to the inn he's staying at and tries to talk to the lady who owns the place.

"So, I was wondering if I could have some leftovers that aren't used for rations. I need to go far away for this quest and such, would you please give me them?"

Hearing him say this she waits a few seconds and then replies, "If you get me some souvenirs while on your way, I'll give you some."

"That's nice, what do you want while I'm out!?"

"Give me something from that region that is not obtainable."

Not sure about this, he asks nervously, "A plant, jewelry, food?"

"Some flowers will do."

Relieved that he only has to get flowers, he promises her, "I'll do that. So, can I have some leftovers?"

Nodding, he waits for around an hour and spots her coming back with a few small boxes. They appeared to be in some basic brown packaging. Taking them from her, he says, "Thank you."

After saying he'll be back, he leaves the inn. Walking a few more steps, he remembers that he doesn't know how to get there.

"I should probably get a map, otherwise, I'll get lost."

Going to the library for a bit, Raz looks for a book about the general geography of the land. Looking around for a few minutes, he finds one and opens it up.

Trying to memorize it after a few hours, he closes the book and puts it back where he found it. "Okay, I should be fine, hopefully. I hope that I don't get lost accidentally."

Walking outside of the library, he checks all of his equipment and nods. "I'm prepared, time to leave."

Going outside Nagrand, he begins his trip. Some people who he passes by are generally confused at seeing a person going at that speed. That, and the person's reason of why he's traveling by foot.

The person unaware of their thoughts is currently running at a great speed. He smiles as he is delighted at his effort is truly bearing fruit.

After hours pass by, Raz rests nearby the road due to exhausting himself from the continuous travel. He takes out some of his water and rations to replenish himself. Eating slowly as to make sure he eats properly, he sits down in the lotus position.

Finishing his meal, he decides to cultivate to replenish his Ki. This process takes a few hours but is shown to be effective as he gets back up.

Going back onto the road, he continues this process for the rest of the day. He managed to get a third of the way there by the time night arrived. Looking at the moon, he talks to himself, "It seems like it's now night, I should make a camp."

Going near the woods, he finds some firewood quickly and makes a campfire. He then makes some bedding to make him get off the ground and makes sure he's close, but not too close to the fire. Satisfied with his work, he goes on the bedding off the floor and goes to sleep.

A few howls can be heard from the wolves as the night goes on.

The night quickly passes and Raz wakes up. He gets up and stretches a bit, bones cracking as he does so. The campfire was now filled with ashes, evidence of the fire running out of fuel.

"I should eat and then continue going west to my destination." Taking out more rations, he eats and then picks up his belongings and gets rid of the campsite.

On the road again, he continues moving at a fast pace, continuing the same method as before. This proves to be quite effective in both his training and progress towards his destination.

In the middle of the second day, he finds a small fox on the road. Stopping to look at it, he notices it has two tails on its body. It was white in color and looked like it has a cut on its leg.

Getting closer by, he finds that it wakes up immediately and attempts to bite him. Noticing this, Raz stands still and feels it bite his arm, it tickles.

"I'm not trying to harm you, calm down."

Trying to calm it down, it doesn't let go and he sighs at this. Deciding to forcefully grab it to hold it in place, he makes a small Water Ball soaks part of his robe. He starts cleaning the leg a little and after a few scuffles, gets rid of most of the blood.

Looking at his work, he grabs a part of his robe going down his arm and rips off some cloth. Raz then proceeds to use the cloth to be a makeshift bandage on its leg. Successfully applying it, he's happy.

Letting go finally, the two-tailed fox starts running away. It looked back for a few seconds and went into the woods nearby.

Noticing it looked back, his eyes went wide. "Did it have intelligence? No matter, I just hope that helped."

Returning on his path, another day goes by. Raz makes camp yet again and the night passes with no issues.

After the third day arrived, Raz crossed a bridge going over the water and eventually wound up at the Holy Tower of Babel.

Embracing the scenery for a little while, he smiles. "It seems like I reached my destination, good! Let's go and check out the problems they may have!"

Going closer inside, he spots robed figures around a portal and a few very bright elementals trying to break through a barrier of some sort. Seeing some partial cracks, he rushes in with his sword and asks, "What's the situation!?"

Seeing another person show up out of nowhere, one of them says, "A portal opened and we're closing it! However, it's proving to be difficult with whatever made them more powerful!"

Remembering that bright light before, Raz wryly smiles.

"I'll help! I just have to hold them off, right!?" saying this with confidence, Raz rushes in and focuses his Ki into his sword. The sword soon has a bluish-white glow to it. Not noticing the change in color due to the situation, he fights them.

One of the robed people suddenly yells, "Regular weapons don't work against elementals!"

"Wait, what!?" Not given this information until it's too late, he slices at one and notices that it gets cut, hurting it.

"..."

"..."

"I take it Ki related stuff helps, doesn't it?"

Coming to this realization, the people and Raz eventually manage to push them back into the portal and close it up. Seeing they're done, some of them are relieved.

Looking towards the person who just showed up, one of them comes up to Raz. They immediately begin questioning, "Who are you and why are you here?"

"I'm Raz and I'm an adventurer from the Adventurer's Guild. I've come to see what the huge light that came from here was."

Looking at him, they simply reply, "The situation was just finally handled, that was the last portal that randomly came up. We should be fine now, you can go back."

"That's it?" Raz confusedly says due to the traveling he did just to come here.

"Yes, thank you for your assistance."

"I... I see." Seeing how anti-climatic his quest was, Raz turns back and shrugs. "Another three-day travel back, fun."

Done with his quest, he starts going on his way back to the guild, using the same process to get back. This long process eventually makes him get used to his movements finally.

Arriving at the guild, he goes to deliver his report.

Spoiler: Notes

Helped clean a wound of a two-tailed fox somewhat and bandaged it. It looked back with some intelligence.
Turns out, they had the situation under control by the time I got there.

@AliceShiki

 

Well, the requester will surely be happy about it, though I wonder just what this reflection was... Well, it's none of the guild's business, not really something we should meddle with, too dangerous~

Congratulations though, you're officially a D-ranked adventurer now Elaine-san, please take this. *gives bronze guild badge*

This is your new identification badge, as before, you'll need to pay a fine in case it's lost, so be careful with it. Your name is also in its back~

Take care now Elaine-san, good luck on your future quests~ *bows*

 

Well... So apparently a lot of minor portals to the Light Realm were opened? But the people in Nyllia were already working on closing them? Glad things were solved swiftly then~

The normal reward would be 18 Large Copper Coins, but you helped close it so you get an extra... At the same time, Nyllia's mages were already doing the job, so... Final reward will be of 22 Large Copper Coins and 8 Guild Points~

Take care now~

 

Lethe wandered in, singed tail and all, and proceeded to quickly slide his report onto the desk.

Spoiler: Fetch My Guild Emblem

Feeling absurdly sleepy, Lethe made his way out of the tavern to meet with Kaiser to begin the journey to go retrieve his Identification Badge. The journey, the journey was long—ridiculously so in Lethe’s opinion—but so far uneventful. They had relentlessly traveled due west the entire trek, and Lethe had concluded that Nyllia was about as odd as some of those adventurers that wandered around Nagrand. Elementals here, elementals there, elementals everywhere. It was also strange that to their right everything was more like a savanna but to their left, it was like the tropics. How that came to be, he’d never know.


Well, that wasn’t what he was here to focus on so Lethe pushed it to the back of his mind and gazed up at the gargantuan mountain before him. This was going to be a long and certainly arduous climb. The menacing storm clouds that hid the peak and endless cracks of lightning did nothing to make him feel any better.


“You ready to get a groove on?” asked Kaiser all too cheerfully.


Lethe gave him a woeful look but responded with a nod and the usual “Mhmmm.”


“Well then let’s get shaking!” chirped Kaiser as he skipped towards the base of the mountain.


Not willing to fail his quest but really questioning what he was thinking when he chose it in the first place, Lethe faithfully followed.


Aside from the perpetual landslides that always seemed to occur right where they were climbing and numerous encounters with highly venomous snakes, the accent was rather smooth. The only complaint that Lethe had was Kaiser’s incessant chattering and eternally peppy spirit.


“I can’t believe it’s such a nice day today! I mean this weather! Have you seen this weather?! It’s fantastic! I mean, beyond fantastic! When was the last time you experienced such a lovely day?! Like, never, am I right?!”


Lethe was pretty sure that this was the 27th conversation he had, had with himself about the weather and its apparent goodness since they had started the climb. To Lethe, it seemed that Kaiser acted like might keel over and die if he didn’t speak. On the trip over it wasn’t bad; but now, when he actually had to stay awake for it, it was something else. If he didn’t end up falling off the mountain or eaten by some strange beast, Lethe was almost positive that this is what was going to kill him.


After a few more hours of relentless climbing, they reached a small outcropping of rocks just below the storm's edge.


“Well, buddy, this is as far as I go! Good luck! Oh, yeah, and try not to get struck by lightning: it just destroys the skin, I tell you. You’d never know, but there was this one time…”


As Kaiser continued on with his story, Lethe slowly inched away. Thankfully, Kaiser was too engrossed in his story and didn’t even notice the little adventurer’s escape.


After reaching a safe distance away from the chattering menace, Lethe quickly summoned Lesovy.


“Finally!” the emerald slime exclaimed, “So stuffy! Now what? Your plan?”


Choosing to ignore most of what Lesovy had said, Lethe replied with a single word: “Vines?”


“Ah, vines.” responded the slime not forgetting to follow up with a barrage of questions, “How many? How thick? What else? What plan?”


“Lots. Very. Nothing. You g’ first ‘n secure then I climb, r’peat.”


“Okay. Yes, Master. Will begin.”


Lesovy steadily slime-ed his way up a bit of the mountain top, careful to avoid any and all possible dangers. He almost got struck by a few bolts of lightning; but, given his affinity with nature, he narrowly escaped each instance. After securing the vine Lesovy gave it a wiggle to signify that it was secure. Lethe then grabbed the vine and started to make is way up the peak.


They moved slowly, bit by bit making their way towards where Kaiser’s badge had supposedly landed. Unfortunately for them, the storm seemed to get worse and worse the further they got up the summit. Rain poured down like a river and lightning struck increasingly nearer to their location. It was almost as if it was warning them away from where they were headed...


Lethe and Lesovy were on the final stretch when Lethe heard a thunderous crack. Sensing the danger, Lethe immediately scrambled up the remainder of the vine as fast he could.


Kaboom!


Feeling a burning from his tail, Lethe turned around to check on it. It had been singed! The lightning had glanced the tips of his tail and turned it black! Oh heavens! Lethe was overcome with such sorrow for his poor tail he didn’t even notice that he had made it to Kaiser’s gleaming silver badge.


*sigh* “Master, arrived. Time heals. Tail fine.”


Giving Lesovy a rather tearful look, Lethe proceeded to check out their surroundings.


It turns out that Kaiser’s badge had found its way to a rather sizeable ledge.


Something about this ledge was giving Lethe a weird vibe. It was like something was telling him to leave, to go away. Never one to follow common sense, Lethe wandered around trying to find the source of this feeling. As he got closer to a craggy outcropping tucked in a back corner of the ledge the feeling began to get stronger and stronger. If he was fully awake and had his senses about him, he probably would have been fleeing in terror; but, as he was in his usual sleepy state, he kept on making his way forward.


After reaching the odd outcropping, Lethe realized that there was something behind it. Carefully maneuvering himself around the rocks, Lethe came face to face with what looked like a handleless door. It was about 5’ tall and 4’ wide and had some kind of strange words written on it. It seemed like some sort of ancient writing…


“A riddle.” Lesovy stated after popping out from behind Lethe. “The Tuatha Dé Danann. Their last…”


Lesovy trailed off, almost as if he was reliving the last moments and battles of the Tuatha Dé Danann before they were forced below ground.


Lethe gave the reticent Lesovy a pat and decided he had better report this back to the guild rather than recklessly go explore it. Riddles weren’t particularly his thing and who knows what else lied within.


Scooping up the Kaiser’s guild badge, Lethe had Lesovy make an enormous vine so they could quickly make their way down and return to Kaiser.


After returning to below the storm and doing a bit of trekking, they reached Kaiser and Lethe handed him his guild badge.


“Thank you so much! This is wonderful! Now I don’t have to spend my hard-earned coin on another badge! I guess we better make our way back to the wagon then and head on back! You know last time I was heading back from here…”


Much like their journey to the mountains, nothing much happened on the way back. Just some murderous bandits here and there; but, really, does that even count?


When they arrived back in Nagrand Lethe couldn’t help but feel a little glad. While Kaiser was nice and all he never, ever stopped talking. Lethe was even pretty sure Kaiser slept talked as well…


Kaiser hopped off the wagon right as it pulled to a stop in front of the guild.


“Thanks again for all the help! Let me know when you rank up and maybe we can do some quests together! I gotta go check up on my lizard, Eustace; but I’m sure I’ll see you around in the tavern! We’ll have to share a drink or two someday! See ya later!”


With a wave, Lethe bid the already departing Kaiser goodbye and headed into the guild.

Spoiler: Notes

-Guild badge was successfully retrieved
-Discovered one of the last bastions of the Tuatha Dé Danann that was "above" ground before their defeat and relocation.
-Seems like the ever-present storm has something to do with said bastion.

@AliceShiki

 

"That was a fun quest."

Spoiler

Sol slowly explained the rules to Razer.
"This card game is quite famous in my village. I will give you the rules of 2 or 3 persons. 4 persons have different rules set.
First, you take a normal poker deck, then remove three 2, one Ace and two Jolly. Similar to poker there is the highest value card and lowest value card. Different than poker the highest is 2.

You shuffle the deck and then you separate the cards in three one at the time and each player can pick a group. The players with a 3 Club start first and he is forced to play that card. If none have that card because there are only 2 players so there is the chance the card to end up in the leftover group, the player with the lowest number club start first.

You can play one card, one pair or three of a kind. You can also play sequentially value cards. Single numbers require at least 5 cards to be played together. Pairs or three of a kind are free to be played sequentially together. Three of a kind have a special rule. They can be played together with up to two garbage cards. Mostly cards that you unlikely will find a good moment to be played like very low value cards.

After you played your cards, the next player needs to play the same type but higher value. Examples are like: I play a 3 and you can play 7 or I play 33 and you can play 99 or I play 66693 and you can play 88845. With sequential cards, they need to play the same amount of cards. If you don't have or want to play cards, you can pass. If none want to play after the last player that played a card, he can freely choose another type from the lowest value in his hand.

The last rule is the bomb. When you have four of a kind, that is called bomb. Bomb can be played regardless of current type in play. Bomb can be defeated only by another bomb.
The player that finish the cards first end the round. The remain players count their cards and they add to their score. The lowest score after x rounds win. Do you understand?"
"It seems pretty easy." Razer answered.
"Yup, it's pretty easy. What about 10 rounds?"
"Sure."


*Third round*
Sol played 10.
"Pass." Razed said.
Sol played another 10.
"Hey! Why didn't you play them as pair instead of a single card?!" Razer asked.
"Because I don't have good pair cards. Instead of letting you win with another pair, it's better for me to play them alone." Sol smiled.


*Seventh round*
Sol played 33345.
Razer played 77745.
Sol played kkk68
Razer passed.
Sol played 3456789
"What? Didn't you have a bomb? Why did you play like that?"
"To reduce the chance of you beating that."
"..."



*End of 10 rounds*

"You totally beat me." Razor said.
"Yup. I hope you had fun."
"It was interesting. I didn't expect something that seems so simple is also so deep."
Little Razor knows that the village where Sol come from there were old people that were beasts in that game. They can easily guess your hand by simply study their own hand.

@Naraku

 

Nero entered the guild and submitted the report.

Spoiler: Report

The sun was yet to rise and the city of Nagrand was asleep. Nero was standing outside the tavern, yawning as he waited for Ryul to appear. They had made plans to leave for the mountainside today. He had performed maintenance on his spears as well as prepared rations that would last for a couple of days.

Rounding the street corner, Ryul looked around for the party member that he would be joining up with for this escort mission. It wasn't too hard to find the eight-foot tall man leaning on the tavern's wall. The half-elf approached and greeted him with a wave.

"Hello, Nero! Good morning. I hope you are ready to head off soon," Ryul smiled.

"Hey man, I'm ready to go," Nero yawned, stretching all four of his arms to the max. " We should move fast. If we reach the City gates by morning, we can catch the merchant wagons as they move southeast."

Ryul was a bit surprised as Nero became much more intimidating when he stretched all of his four limbs like that. However, he immediately shook his head to break his thoughts, "Yes. It'll be wise to move with them. Let's go ahead and do that."

Ryul began leading the way to the main gates as he tried to get to know Nero better.

"So, Nero, if there happens to be an accident along the way - not that I'm expecting one, of course - what kind of role are you comfortable with taking in a fight?"

"I'm pretty good when it comes to close combat. I am also good at taking hits and can occupy multiple enemies at once. I don't have much experience when it comes to dealing with mages though."

Now that they had started to walk and talk, Nero was getting over his sleepiness. Now that they were talking about their combat strengths, he began showing curiosity towards Ryul, "They say that our carriages from the New Spice village will most likely be attacked. Do you have any precautions planned? "

"You can leave the mages to me," Ryul tapped his bow and quiver on his back.

"I also know some Nature and Thunder spells, mainly in the area of support as in enchanting and stunning, though I can attack with some small lightning bolts as well," the magic-user shared.

Ryul then addressed Nero's concerns, "I am not surprised to hear our carriages might be attacked. There's always individuals looking to make an easy buck or two, and this road is known to be prone to attacks from wild animals and monsters."

"As for precautions, we will just have to keep our guard up. We can split shifts for night vigil, talk to some of the merchant guards travelling with us, and I can summon Th'Kun, my nature elemental, beforehand if it seems like there will any signs of danger," the half-elf said.

"I've worked with summoners before. From my experiences till now, they are really useful to have in a team", Nero was quite glad to have a versatile adventurer alongside him in this mission. The sun had started to creep over the horizon and the two of them could now see the city limits.

"Were you here during the festival? I was away and missed everything." The festival as the talk of the town right now, and Nero thought that it would make for a topic to while away the time.

Ryul smiled at the indirect compliment. He only hoped he could live up to Nero's expectations.

The half-elf answered, "Oh, the festival? I was present the whole time. And it was quite a joyous event before the cultist attack." Ryul frowned as he recalled the incident and all the lives affected by it.

"There were a number of fellow adventurers that helped out during the ordeal though, so it could have been much worse if they hadn't. It also was good that we took out the golem so soon after the cultists summoned the creature," he added.

The duo exited the main gates after a nod from the guards; they tended to be more thorough when inspecting people coming in to the city as opposed to out of it.

The two of them quickly found a caravan traveling south and were able to convince the merchants to let them hitchhike for a part of the way. They would be traveling with the merchants till they reached the river. The merchants planned to go further south through the mountain range while the adventurers needed to travel east along the river to reach the New Spice village.

"We should reach the river by afternoon. We will then move upstream along the river and set up our camp at sunset", Nero communicated the travel plans to Ryul after consulting with the merchants. "It seems that we can reach the village by noon tomorrow."

"That sounds good to me. It's good that it didn't take too much effort to persuade those merchants to let us tag along. After all, it's always better to have more people in case something unexpected occurs," the half-elf remarked.

As they moved down the road, the party passed by a few other groups from the other direction, heading towards Nagrand. There were the occasional carriages, a few riders on horseback, a merchant caravan or two, and a number of refugees as well.

Nagrand was indeed a town that seemed to attract wanderers from all places far and wide. Ryul fondly remembered his own arrival into the town as he studied the passing travellers and thought about how far he had come since.

Nero on the other hand had slept through the entirety of the first phase of their travels. He rationalized that a well rested adventurer will be able to react better to all kinds of situations and if the coming days were to become hectic, he would need all the rest he can get.

He was woken up when they reached the river and they got off the wagon with the sun shining brightly over their head. They then decided to travel along the gently flowing river towards their destination. After an uneventful journey, they finally found a suitable place to make camp.

Ryul began taking out his camping supplies as he saw Nero doing the same. The pair had chosen a campsite close to the river itself and far enough from the treeline so that nothing may sneak up on them. Gurgling by, the wide waters held rocky banks with some sparse reeds dotting its sides.

Done admiring the scene, the half-elf began to collect firewood nearby and started making a fire. It would help keep off some of the evening chill and cause animals to at least be wary of attacking them. Ryul discussed with it Nero, and they decided the scholar would go ahead and take first watch.

Nero was woken up by Ryul in the middle of the night. It was his turn to keep watch. As he had slept all morning, he thought that he wouldn't have any issues in staying up till the morning. As he spent his time practicing with his spear and doing a light workout, he caught a bunch of shapes moving at the river bank. He moved a little closer before realizing that it was a pack of wolves.

At the moment, they were quite satisfied with simply quenching their thirst. Nero quickly made his way to Ryul and started observing the pack closely. If they left of their own accord, there wouldn't be a need for waking his partner. After a tense half an hour or so, the pack decided to move deeper into the forest, away from them. Nero did a through perimeter search around their camp and confirmed that they were indeed alone once more. He then went back to swinging his spear.

After an uneventful night, Ryul woke to a rising sun, the light shining brightly on his squinted eyes, and Nero practicing with his spear. The half-elf began packing away his camping goods into his bag.

After he was finished, Ryul approached and greeted his partner, "Good morning, Nero. Anything happen last night? It looks like you were training the whole time. You must be a bit tired."

" Looks like you slept nicely. My watch was uneventful", Nero greeted Ryul as he took out his meat rations to fill his stomach." Here, have some of this. We should get going quickly after eating our breakfast. I would like to reach the village before it gets really hot in the morning."

Ryul took the offered rations and thanked him, "Thank you Nero. It's very much appreciated."

"And yes, I agree. Let us move quickly then," the half-elf nodded and proceeded to chew on the meat.

They both travelled down along the riverbank until they reached the point where they needed to cross. There was a small wooden bridge barely wide enough for maybe a carriage to pass through, but it should be just fine for the two of them.

The two of them continued to move towards their destination at a steady pace. They were out of the woods and into the open plains within a few short hours. The hours passed as they neared the mountains. The terrain had changed noticeably and the adventurers were now traversing along the rocky banks of the river. The New Spice village was finally in their sights.

...

"My name is Ryul and this is Nero. We were sent by the Adventurer's Guild in Nagrand to escort your caravan to the town," the half-elf introduced the both of them and showed the caravan leader their badges as identification.

The party of two had managed to easily enter New Spice village after informing the guards of their purpose. The village chief had welcomed them briefly before directing them towards the man in charge of the carriages delivering the raw materials to help with Nagrand's reconstruction.

After discussing the travel arrangements with the merchants, they decided to set off immediately in order to make as much ground as possible before the sun sets. They would be taking a more direct path leading straight to Nagrand. If everything went according to plan they should be able to reach their home by midday tomorrow.

The caravan itself was five wagons long with two horses assigned to pull each wagon. Nero decided to sit at the back of the last carriage to secure the rear of the caravan.

As for Ryul, the half-elf took vanguard duty in the front. He kept his bow out and scouted the way ahead from time to time to make sure nothing would catch them unawares. Ryul still remembered Nero's warning before they started.

Eventually, the group stopped and took a short break for a meal after making good progress. As everyone ate, Ryul decided to double-check the area just in case. The half-elf found strange signs behind some trees and bushes, so Ryul thought it was best to first inform Nero of his findings and go from there.

Nero quickly instructed the merchants to pack up their stuff and equip their weapons. He then decided to take a look at the place where Ryul had seen strange tracks.

While Nero was warning the merchants, Ryul took this time to summon Th'Kun, his Nature elemental. A magic circle appeared next to him as he fused mana and spiritual energy to open a temporary door to the Elemental Planes. Th'Kun walked out from the portal, bathed in a fading green glow, as the half-elf became slightly out-of-breath due to the summoning.

Ryul drew his bow, and the three of them revisited the area with the strange signs. Upon closer inspection, there was what looked to be a set of fresh footprints, human-sized ones, leading to the East. The duo made eye contact and tacitly agreed to investigate the prints.

The adventurers did not make it too far when they discovered a small clearing with a wooden cabin. Five individuals dressed in black robes looked to be preparing to go into a fight, most likely to attack the very same caravan they were tasked with protecting.

Two of them were in the middle of a summoning spell as indicated by the two magic circles nearby and the mana wave fluctuations. An eerie-looking, freeform shade hovered near another black-clad person, showing exactly what they were summoning. A Darkness Spirit. These people were part of the remnants of the cultists responsible for the festival incident. Ryul's eyes narrowed furiously as he turned to Nero to decide their next move.

"Attack", Nero mouthed towards Ryul, not wanting to give the summoners any time to complete any more summons. He stepped out into the clearing and flung his spear at leftmost summoner attempting his summon. The cultists weren't prepared for the ambush and couldn't react quick enough. The spear hit its target and went through the cultists head, emerging from the other side. One of the summoning circle crumbled and dissipated into the air as its master's limp body fell to the ground.

Now facing the other cultists, Nero decided to run straight at the two cultists standing right in front of him with his shield acting as a battering ram. Unfortunately, the cultists were able to dodge the charge on time. They moved either side of him and turned around to face their attacker, but he was no longer there.

Having failed his initial charge, Nero continued moving and set his sights on the spirit, leaving the other cultist to his teammates. The spirit, unlike the cultists, had decided that meeting the charging adventurer head on would be the best course of action to take. As the resulting clash would tell, it wasn't the best of ideas. The spirit took the hit pretty badly and flew back a couple of meters before hitting the ground with its back and coming to a halt.

Ryul released an arrow aimed at the other cultist completing his summoning spell. It failed to hit its mark when the fifth robed person jumped in the arrow's path, and it lodged into the man's shoulder. The half-elf cursed when the Darkness Spirit ended up being able to enter this plane.

He didn't have much time to vent his frustrations as one of the two cultists who avoided Nero's charge was aiming a fireball at the four-armed man. However, the two cultists were soon caught off guard as the roots underneath them quickly grew and wrapped up their legs, causing them both to stumble and fall.

Ryul followed up Th'Kun's [Entangle] spell with an accurate arrow to one of their heads, giving the downed person eternal rest. He was able to fire off his second shot, which landed in the abdomen of the fallen cultist, before his left shoulder was grazed by a fireball from the initial cultist.

"Goddamnit," Ryul let out an expletive as an unbearable and burning pain surged through his shoulder, while Th'Kun enchanted himself with [Berserker Aura] and moved forward to engage the second Darkness Spirit quickly approaching them.

Taking advantage of the few seconds he had before the downed spirit got back up, he quickly surveyed his surroundings. It looked like Ryul was on the back foot, with one of the cultist chanting the spell for a fireball while the other began to regain his bearings while trying to fight through the pain.

Nero made his mind up quickly and decided to attack the chanting cultist. Just as he lined up his spear and threw it, his original opponent, the Darkness spirit, came back into the fight and swiped at Nero's exposed back. This managed to mess up the resulting throw and the spear spun around in the air like a boomerang as it moved forward. Luckily, the spear did manage to hit the chanting cultist flat across his back with the shaft. The struck cultist made a funny noise as he lurched forward a couple of paces due to the impact, his spell broken.

Nero, however, didn't have the luxury to focus on the cultist. The spirit swiped at him once more as he turned around, this time hitting the shield held by his bottom left arm.

Ryul was glad when Nero interrupted the cultist's second fireball spell, buying him enough time to move a bit closer to inprove his accuracy. He had abandoned his bow as the half-elf couldn't easily line up a shot with an injured shoulder and favored using his magic instead in this situation.

Channeling Thunder energy into the palm of his right hand, the scholar quickly released a [Bolt] spell after several short chant words. The small lightning bolt struck the already injured cultist, who was about to start casting a spell, and finished her off.

Th'Kun, with his enhanced strength and speed, was slowly overcoming the Darkness Spirit in a direct brawl, but it was not at a satisfactory speed for Ryul. The half-elf quickly looked around for something to change the overall situation and saw Nero within casting distance.

Ryul threw out a [Berserker Aura] enchantment on his teammate to improve his physical prowess and managed to turn back just in time to see the remaining cultist preparing to flee. He used some of his Nature energy to have nearby roots grab the man's right foot, tripping him as he ran forward.

Nero was on the defensive against the spirit, using his shield to parry the blows while his own punches didn't seem to do any damage. It was in such a situation that he received a buff and he felt strength surging from within his body. An aura of anger shrouded his figure and he decided to become more aggressive.

The spirit swung his arm to swipe at Nero, but this time his arm was caught in a vice like grip. Now, having got a hold of the spirit, Nero pulled it towards him. The spirit tried to use it's other arm to free itself. But, it didn't stand a chance. Nero caught it as well and now the spirit was truly trapped with both its arms pinned. Nero dropped his shield and started punching the spirit with his remaining free arms. Within a matter of seconds, as it stood on the wrong end of a barrage of punches, the spirit started to shrink. It wasn't long till it completely disappeared.

The fallen cultist began to untangle himself from the bindings around his feet as Ryul pulled out his sword and sprinted forward, trying to close the distance before he got up. The black-clad man managed to free himself before he got up and tried to run away.

Ryul pooled Thunder energy into his left hand and shot out another small lightning bolt, zigzagging across and briefly stunning the man. It bought just enough time for Ryul to get into striking range and stab the cultist from behind, essentially ending his life.

The half-elf checked for any more enemies left and found that both Th'Kun and Nero managed to take out the very troublesome Darkness Spirits. It also seemed like the only one left living was the cultist shot in the stomach earlier and was somehow still breathing; it might be good to capture the enemy, keep them alive and bring the prisoner back to the Guild for questioning.

Nero used the vines to tie the limbs of the cultist as well as to gag him in order to prevent him chanting any spells. It was determined that the wound wasn't really fatal and he would be treated once they reached the caravan. Speaking of wounds, Nero had a few scratches on his back that looked discolored, but he wasn't actually bleeding. Even Ryul didn't show much discomfort after they had dealt with the cultists.

Nero went about the battlefield to recover his spear and rob the corpses. Both of his spears were undamaged, although one was bloody and covered in cerebral mater, and the cultists didn't have much in the name of possessions. With Th'kun carrying the injured man, the group returned to the caravan

The merchant convoy was greatly surprised when the party of three came back with their captive and brought a story of what had occurred. Everyone agreed to double their pace back after hearing that they were almost attacked. Ryul's shoulder still hurt somewhat, but he put on a brave facade as they made their way back to Nagrand.

. . .
​

Finally seeing the town walls in their sights, the group felt immense relief after minimizing time for breaks and rushing all the way back down the main road. Letting out a breath, Ryul briefly entertained the thought that it was good that Nagrand could receive the raw materials to rebuild itself more quickly and that they managed to capture a cultist for the town to interrogate; he knows Head Priest Soren would love to lay his hands on the man after the destruction of the Church.

Spoiler: notes

-caravan arrived at Nagrand safely
-one cultist captured and given to the church
-Loot- 20 Large Copper coins
3 books of prayers and sacred texts
4 iron daggers

@AliceShiki
@Arexio