Graded [Frontier] (Highgrove/Caelia Barony) Never too Young to be a Goblin Slayer

[Elvario]

Mentions & Character Goals:
Elvario Amice Bellamy – Deal with the goblin nest. Don't die.
Shatter Shard Thane Embers – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Spoiled Bread Aqua – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Clockwork_Magic Phoebe Penrose – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Develius Flare – Get approved. – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice. Don't die.
Elijay John – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.

================​

(Normally, a higher grade of focus (often needed to be equal to magic) would be needed to cast and move in the same post.)

Phoebe countered the tongue by sending lighting magic at it. As the magic wrapped around the tongue, it seemed to travel straight through it and into the chest. Immediately, the creature snapped its tongue back into the chest and closed it... Standing there, in the back, as if nothing had even happened. However, Phoebe would have noticed it seemed to have been fairly hurt by her earlier attack, just before it shut closed. It might be possible to finish it off, should she want to do so, yet it didn't seem to have any intention to start moving at her either. At least not right now.

================​

Tahmuras

Spoiler: full image

Aqua ran straight past Thamuras and Thane, into a pathway unknown to Tahmuras. He'd have tried to call after her, but she was already gone before he could. She had said one thing that stood out to him. “Zombies?!?” Where in the world did such foul creatures come from? Wait. No. It didn't matter. He watched as Thane went after Aqua, then decided to go his own way. Back to where he'd last seen Flare. Amice took priority over everything else.

================​

Aqua, followed by Thane, would end up running into a dead end. The chamber they arrived in seemed to be used as some sort of makeshift bathing area. Water welled up from underneath the ground along the edges. Some rusty old buckets stood near it. Perhaps even [monsters] liked to be clean?

However, upon closer inspection. Something seemed a bit off. There were a few poles sticking out of the water, which seemed to have chains coming from them. The water was pretty muddy, so it was difficult to see what was below the surface, despite it not being all that deep. Yet, well, something seemed to be below it. Something chained to those poles, perhaps?

================​

Kawisenhawe

Spoiler: full image

The woman, now freed by John, stood up and stretched. She seemed a bit wobbly and stiff, likely from having been tied up in the same position for a long time. “No problem... thank you.” She'd say, as she seemed be moving around in an attempt to get blood flowing through-out her body again.

Meanwhile, John went out ahead to go fist a corpse punch an undead. The moment his hand made contact, he'd feel, smell and see the rotting flesh tear up a bit and cover his hand in what could only be described as grossness. Whilst his attacks forced the zombie back a bit, with the small tunnel making it difficult for it to retaliate, it didn't kill. It only chopped off some lumps of rotting flesh.

“We can go this way around, if you want to go take those goblins down as well. Or I can try freezing it first.” The woman offered, seeing his predicament. “I'm Kawisenhawe, by the way. I don't think I introduced myself yet.”

================​

Flare's words did seem to surprise the goblins. Perhaps due to the fact that they were speaking them to begin with. “Crimson Knight?” One asked. “Spirit King? Die!” Another commented. “Power?!” One asked, as that word seemed to hold some leverage.

Goblin Shaman

Spoiler: full image

“Fools!” The Shaman called out, seeing some of the goons actually get distracted. “The hot one just wants to confuse and burn you. Don't listen. It's lying. Besides, don't we have... a song to finish?”

Spoiler: gruesome warning again

He'd say, as he brought the knife closer to Amice's fingers, slowly piercing a bit of skin and making some blood drop down. The immediately panicked screams from Amice, who was getting hoarse from the crying and screaming already, brought the goblins back to their sadistic reality. The goons were more than content to leave Flare's talking for what it was, as they chuckled.

“Altogether now!” The Shaman stated, seemingly having found an effective way to sway the goons back into his side.

“The Fiery one just started jabbing...
So the Shaman one shall start the...”

“Stabbing!” The other goblins replied in a choir, as the Shaman brought the knife down in order to cut off Amice's pinky finger.

That said, there were a precious few seconds during which Flare could still attempt a desperate last action, thanks to the earlier distraction, rushing in now might catch the goblins off guard, but it'd still be extremely dangerous.

 

[Develius]

​

---

Language Key:
| Common | {Sylvan} |
Mentions:
| Elvario | Shatter Shard | Spoiled Bread | Clockwork_Magic | Elijay |
​

---

Some of the goblin mooks began to grow rowdy at what Flare mentioned, shouting in protest and getting antsy. For a few seconds, Flare believe that the mad antic would actually work. With the goblins at each other's throats, they would be able to free Amice and at the very least get out of there. That was the ideal scenario. Unfortunately, the shaman was able to calm the rowdy goblins and continue with the ritual as planned. That wasn't good.

The pressure was mounting to a boiling point. They could feel their flames flaring, steam and smoke seeping out of their exhaust ports, their grip tensing. Flare was at their breaking point. And they were ready to blow.

As the wretched goblins sang about their malicious torture, combined with Amice's bloodied screams of agony, and were more than ready to pluck off one of Amice's fingers, it was at that point where Flare snapped. Without as much of a moment more to think, the silent armored figured made a mad adrenaline dash straight towards the Shaman with rage and fury bellowing from their whole being! They ran as fast as they possibly could, ignoring the other goblins flanking them. They'll deal with them later. For now, all of their attention was focused solely at the cruel shaman.

---

---

Spoiler: Actions

1. Mad-Adrenaline-Rush at Goblin Shaman.
2. -
3. -

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Aqua

Elvario Shatter Shard​

---

Aqua kept running without much regard to her surrounding. Even when her boots splashed into some shallow water she kept running ahead. Only when she almost crashed into a cavern wall the girl finally stopped, her momentum and the pond slippery surface sent her stumbling into the pond, soaking her clothes wet. Aqua didn't have much time for scolding herself though as the sound of hurried footsteps echoed behind her. Thinking it was the zombies, she raised her staff and yelled with trembling voice.

"B-back down, zombie! My brain is not tasty! Actually, I have no brain at all! Shoooo!!" Fortunately for her, the figure that came into the chamber was Thane and not zombies. Aqua let out a long relieved sigh to vent all of those bottled tension. Though remembering what she just said made her a bit embarrassed.

"L-look! Chains! The goblins must have take it from someone. They dont have the tools to make it." Aqua tried to change the topic, acting as if the chains was the most interesting thing ever. Though upon closer inspection she did notice something chained down at the bottom of the pole. Raising her staff once again, Aqua tapped the chain while casting a spell on it.

"Bleaching." She whispered the spell's name. Out of all the spells she had, this one might be the closest to what she would be able to call as her trademark spell. Its something that she learned by herself and she never saw other caster use it or read the spell on any book. Its a spell that turns object into salt, and since the chain was drowned in water it would immediately dissolved away by the liquid.

Action:
1) Bleaching - Magic F, Transmutation F, Focus F - Temporarily transmute an object into a pile of salt - F grade - 0 cooldown
2) Retrieve the chained object​

 

[Elijay]

John

Elvario Shatter Shard Develius Spoiled Bread Clockwork_Magic​

As John’s fist smashed into the undead goblin, its guts would splash all over his hand, filling his nose with a pungent stench. “AHHHH!” He shrieked in terror, his hand trembling like a leaf. He didn’t know fighting disgusting scary creatures were a part of the job. If he had known earlier, he never would have came on this adventure! He cursed under his breath, realizing it was too late to back out of it now that Amice had been capured. After this adventure ends, the adventurer’s guild had better make him a fully fledged adventurer. Otherwise he would have suffered greatly for nothing!

That was when the blue woman gave him some advice before introducing herself. Desperately wanting to run away from the zombie, he’d reply to her promptly with a calm facade. “Ahem, there's no need to bother with this slow pest. Let’s head for the goblins first, I do worry for little Amice. But before that, let me introduce myself too. I am John, just a regular guy who’s been roped into all this mess. I guess I’ll be counting on you from here on out, Kawi.” He smiled sheepishly at her, before making his way down path 2 with a brisk pace.

 

[Clockwork_Magic]

Phoebe Penrose

Interactions: Elvario
Languages: Common | [Terran]​

---

Phoebe breathed out a sigh as the Mimic's tongue retracted back into its maw and snapped shut. Thank goodness that seemed to have worked, but it didn't kill it. Now was a good a time as any to finish the job, but there was no time to do that in this situation. After all, Amice is still in the goblins' hands!

Before the Mimic could come after her again, Phoebe dashed out of the dead end back down the path she had come from. Hopefully she could regroup with the others soon!

---

Actions:

• Run

Cooldowns:

• D Grade Abilities: 1/2

 

[Shatter Shard]

Thane Embers
"Cleric of the Axe"

Strength
Precision
Intelligence
Vitality
Speed

{ C }
{ F }
{ F }
{ F }
{ D }

E

Active Titles:
Human | Mundane | Holy Order of the Axe Apprentice | Law Cleric

-Ryken-
Sadek County, Highgroove Barony, Faeremeadow

Code by: Shatter Shard

Thane caught her breath as he and Aqua reached a dead end. "Aqua! You ought to stop..." He heaved. "...running around like a headless chicken!" He felt a pang of shame from the statement, as he himself is currently unsure of what to do. He panted as he looked at Aqua incredulously, talking about chains as if she hadn't mistaken him for a zombie. He would've told her to go back when she went ahead to the water, as he too have noticed the pole and chains. He did not know what significance such things would be, or what they'd get from interacting with it, but Aqua had already began her move. He sighed as he leaned on the cave wall to catch his breath, tapping his foot impatiently all the while.

He watched as Aqua bleached the water and retrieved an item beneath, but Thane's patience was running then. He was honestly awed by her Transmutation, but now was not the time for praise. He grabbed Aqua's shoulder, as gentle as he could despite the trembling frustration in his hand, and tugged her. "Now let's go. We can't waste much more time!" He urged Aqua to go back and through Path 7, pleading her to stay on course this time with his desperate eyes.

SCROLLABLE

Mentions: Shatter Shard Elvario Elijay Spoiled Bread Clockwork_Magic Develius

 

[Elvario]

Mentions & Character Goals:
Elvario Amice Bellamy – Deal with the goblin nest. Don't die.
Shatter Shard Thane Embers – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Spoiled Bread Aqua – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Clockwork_Magic Phoebe Penrose – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Develius Flare – Get approved. – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice. Don't die.
Elijay John – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.

================​

As Aqua predicted, turning the chains into salt and having them dissolve in the water was the easy part. Trying to retrieve the chained object was the more difficult bit, as it was buried partway into the mud and surprisingly big... and she would probably realise that she was trying to pull out the half-rotten corpse of an Elf before she'd finishing dragging it out. It seemed whomever had been chained up here had been less fortunate than the woman freed by John.

It also seemed like they had spent their time confirming what they likely already knew. These goblins had been here for a while and they'd been up to [monster] business through-out.

As Thane and Aqua would (presumably) head back towards path #7, they'd notice that three of the zombies had somewhat caught up. However, they were being distracted by gnawing on the body of one of the half-roasted goblins.

Phoebe, having been able to escape the Mimic, would run into the same issue, yet from the opposite side of them. There were three goblin zombies munching on a Vulpix-fried goblin on the path towards Thane, Aqua and hopefully Amice.

For now, it seemed like the zombies were fully invested on eating the deceased Goblin, although they were going through it pretty quickly. Perhaps even enough to sneak past..? Or perhaps not. She'd have to decide it quickly though, before the zombies would finish up the last bits of goblin and start looking for livelier food again. Either way, the situation remained. Phoebe was stuck on one end, with Thane and Aqua on the other.

================​

Kawisenhawe

Spoiler: full image

She nodded at John's reply. Allowing the one that got her out to give her a nickname and to pretend he wasn't running away from having to punch through a zombie were the least she could do. “Amice? Did one of your own get captured by the goblins?” She asked, unsure what he was talking about.

She would lead John into a room further ahead, although he'd soon see it was almost entire flooded. Using the catalyst given to her Aqua, Kawi formed a bridge of ice across the water. “Try not to fall in. The currents here are rather strong and unless you know some water magic or have some aquatic blood in you, you'd likely be dragged into the underground waterways and drown.” She stated pretty clearly.

Should he (dare) make it across the slippery ice bridge, she'd point at a man-made tunnel heading into a dead-end. “Normally, the wall there is.. well, not there. They must have activated some ancient mechanism to close it off. However, it can't be much of a wall... perhaps we can find a way to open it our break through. After all, if they got one of yours, them I'm sure they'll be just behind it somewhere.” She stated, as she looked around.

“If only I had my own catalyst, then I'd be able to cast magic that would make a wall like that meaningless. Right now, a single spell like that would break this one instantly...” She mumbled.

================​

(Characters normally can't move and cast in the same round without having a sufficient amount of [Focus], equal to magic grade used.)

As Flare snapped, stepping across the roasted goblin in front of them and rushing at the Shaman, they made it surprisingly far. However, the Shaman's smirk would only grow. He'd been luring Flare out on purpose, after all, so he was prepared to deal with the results.

Goblin Shaman

Spoiler: full image

Stepping back, he'd get Amice fully behind himself and Flare, which even though she was smaller, was possible by her being on some sort of altar. However, that much wasn't even needed. As Flare stepped into the room, they'd feel their legs getting caught up by vines sprouting from cracks in the tiles below. Similar to the vines they'd seen from the tree back in the forest. They'd entangle Flare's legs before they could reach the Shaman, having ran straight in to the [Trap E] that had been laid for them.

“Should've just enjoyed the show.” The Shaman stated, with a wicked smile. “Get it, before it starts using its flamethrower!” The goblin commanded, after which the other goblins moved to surround Flare and got ready to attack from all sides. It seemed, however, there was one thing stopping them. Namely the fact that they knew that the first goblin to attack Flare might get burned to bits. None of them was eager to risk being that particular goblin. “Stop waiting, get it while it's trapped!” The Shaman shouted in anger.

Tahmuras

Spoiler: full image

“Flare! AMICE!!” The voice of a familiar fox could be heard, a Thamuras had managed to make his way over. Sadly enough, he was too out of breath (no Focus) to cast right now, otherwise he'd have already fire-balled the bunch of them.

 

[Develius]

​

---

Language Key:
| Common | {Sylvan} |
Mentions:
| Elvario | Shatter Shard | Spoiled Bread | Clockwork_Magic | Elijay |
​

---

As Flare rushed forward, ready to sink their hands into the shaman's neck, a trap would set off from right under them. Flare felt it activate underneath their feet, as something began to hold them down. They had a hunch a trap was placed for them, if it wasn't just the goblins surrounding them, but to what nature was unknown. For a split second, anything was on the table and in Flare's hyper-fixated rush, they imagined the worst. Meaty tentacles strangling their armor. A pitfall trap about to drag them down into a floor of spikes. Or a nasty monster constricting them as they readied ready to suck their essence. Feeling them wrap around their legs and arms, Flare began to struggle as they took a look at the culprit winding around their arms-

Wait. This again?

The shaman began taunting Flare as he ordered the goblins to descend upon the armored figure. Meanwhile, the fire elemental was hit with a sudden burst of deja vu. The struggling nearly ceased as they studied their situation almost as if unconcerned. Soon enough, they noticed the goblins surrounding them with their blades raised... but simply stood there. Flare glanced around and saw the goblins hesitating to strike them, some of them shaking in their boots. Even with numbers on their side, the goblins feared them. For none would wish to be the first to get burned. Not even the shaman's angry order convinced them to sacrifice themselves for his glory.

But it got better. Right on cue, they would hear Tahmuras finally reaching the entrance of the dungeon.

Flare audibly exhaled, flame and smoke licking out of their visor. "Heh..." There was a chuckle. "Heh heh heh..." Then a snicker. Before long, there was a rapturous fit of laughter as the fire elemental's maniacal fit echoed through the room as if they heard the funniest joke all week. Flames shot out of exposed vents, as if the devil himself was watching this unfold while getting a good laugh. "Now THIS... is funny." Flare blurted ominously. Before long, the vines holding them down would suddenly combust into flames, practically melting off them as the OVEN's legs began to glow hot and steamy through [Flame Touch F].

"Did you really expect this little trap of yours to actually work against ME?" Flare asked the shaman boldly, taking a few slow, yet ominous steps in his direction, "How futile." They were a hellish sight, looming over the goblins with blazing fury in their eyes. But Flare's wasn't going directly after him. Not yet anyways. For right in front of them, situated on the altar, was their prize. Amice was within their grasp. And with her guardian fox watching this unfold, the vengeance against the goblins would have be delayed... for the moment. They glanced around at the surrounding goblins. "Anyone tries to do something funny," they called out coldly, their head cocking towards Tahmuras' direction, "We'll smoke the whole lot of you."

Having demanded her case, Flare would get to work on setting the hostage free, keeping their body close to her in case some half-wit attempted to strike either of them in the process. "{Hold still, Amice}." Flare calmly comforted Amice in Sylvan, "{Bare with me; it might get a lil' hot for a second}." Their gauntlet grabbed ahold of the connected chains binding the gnome girl down, lifting them slightly. Again Flare produced [Flame Touch F] on the chains, attempting to heat up and melt the iron chains to finally free Amice.

---

---

Spoiler: Actions

1. [Flame Touch F] the vines.
2. Slowly approach Amice.
3. [Flame Touch F] the chains to free Amice.

- [Flame Touch F] - [Magic F, Continuing F] - +0 Cooldown - Flare can set objects on fire by touching them with their hands.

 

[Elijay]

John

Elvario​

“Why yes, it is a long and sad tale. A tale of adventure, curiosity and tragedy…” John spoke with a solemn look in his eyes. On the inside though, he was glad that the blue woman didn’t mind being called Kawi, because in truth her name was too long to remember for him and so he had to call her by the first 2 syllables for a nickname.

Hearing the warning from Kawi about crossing the ice bridge, John couldn’t help but to only feel more FEAR from crossing it. Why did she have to say that?! Now all he wanted to do was to go home and take a nice, long good rest, and the last thing he wanted was to cross this damned bridge! “Hahaha… Don’t worry, I’ll be f… fine…” His legs trembled as he took each step carefully crossing the ice bridge.

Finally making it to the other side a wall would greet the two of them. Great, so now after risking his life crossing a single bridge, he had to solve some puzzle in this place to unlock the ancient door?! Looks like he wasn’t gonna be saving Amice anytime soon, but hopefully the others got that part down. “Step back Kawi, I’ve got this. It’s funny that they think this mere wall is enough to stop me. By channeling the latent qi energy in this cavern, I’ll blow this wall up! HUOOOOCHAAA!” Sprinting towards the wall, he’d throw a rage-filled punch at it.


Attack, or something - Fighting style F, energized F, athletics F - user punches hard to hit a target - Grade F - 0 Post Cooldown

Actions:

1. Cross ice bridge
2. Run towards wall
3. Punch wall with [Attack, or something]

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Aqua

Elvario Shatter Shard​

---

"Eeekkk...!!!" Aqua immediately dropped what she pulling once she realize what it was, she almost instinctively hit it with her staff but when she realize that it was just a regular corpse and not and undead one she quickly calmed down. Thane scolded her for running around aimlessly and she could only silently agree with him regarding that, she didn't really say anything but her shoulders slumped down in guilt.

"R-right, let's go." She meekly nodded at Thane. Though before they resumed towards path (7), Aqua tapped her staff at the corpse and cast another bleaching. The corpse turned into salt and vanished into the water as Aqua offered a silent prayer. She wasn't exactly a religious person, but having met one of the God themself made her quite respectful to the cycle of life and death, especially considering her previous life wasteful end. Hopefully whoever that elf was can rest in peace knowing their body won't be stuck inside the dingy cave anymore.

After finishing her ritual Aqua followed Thane towards their next destination.

Action:
1) Bleaching - Magic F, Transmutation F, Focus F - Temporarily transmute an object into a pile of salt - F grade - 0 cooldown
2) Follow thane​

 

[Shatter Shard]

Thane Embers
"Cleric of the Axe"

Strength
Precision
Intelligence
Vitality
Speed

{ C }
{ F }
{ F }
{ F }
{ D }

E

Active Titles:
Human | Mundane | Holy Order of the Axe Apprentice | Law Cleric

-Ryken-
Sadek County, Highgroove Barony, Faeremeadow

Code by: Shatter Shard

Thane was surprised at the revelation of the corpse beneath the waters, which hardened his expression even more. He sighed as she sees Aqua try to bleach the corpse. "Right..." Although his face was still gloomy, there was an appreciative glint in his eyes on the gesture. If they couldn't cremate the corpse to at least give the soul peace, this was the next best thing. He walked out of the area with Aqua, but he managed to see Phoebe on the other side of the zombies. "Phoebe!" He called out in a restrained voice with a visible relief. His eyes glanced at the zombies, then back at her. "Come over here, quick!" He urged as he readied his axe.

[Defend: Speed E - Light Armor F]
He hopped a bit, preparing to dodge incoming attacks.

[Move]
He stepped forward, just hovering just at the perimeter of the zombies.

[Other: Help]
Thane stood ground, preparing himself to help Phoebe in any way he can so she could cross safely. He would even throw himself in to act as a barricade in the worst case scenario. "Stay back, Aqua." He whispered to Aqua, making sure she has enough room to retreat.

SCROLLABLE

Mentions: Shatter Shard Elvario Elijay Spoiled Bread Clockwork_Magic Develius

 

[Clockwork_Magic]

Phoebe Penrose

Interactions: Elvario Shatter Shard Spoiled Bread
Languages: Common | [Terran]​

---

Phoebe had no idea how long she was in that little dead end dealing with that mimic, but apparently it was long enough for something to have gone down. First of all where Thane was once standing now was the corpse of a goblin while Thane was a bit further away from the center of the intersection, along with Aqua. Not only that, but the goblin course was being actively devoured by 3 of the 4 zombie goblins from earlier. Luckily, it didn't seem like they noticed her right now.

Seeing as the zombies were a bit busy with their “meal,” the thought of just running past the zombies to regroup with Thane and Aqua flashed though her mind. But with that rate of eating... it was a bit risky. But it's not like she had that many options to begin with. Phoebe nodded at Thane as he stepped forwards towards the zombies. Her heart started racing as she made her way towards the group of goblins, making her way around them as quick as she could while not drawing their attention to rejoin Aqua and Thane before they noticed her. Phoebe kept her attention on the zombie goblins the entire time as she made her crossing. Hopefully they would take the time to savor their meal, but if any sudden moves were made by the zombies, she was prepared to make a full sprint to where Thane was.

---

Actions:

• Try to sneak past the goblins as quickly as possible

Cooldowns:

• D Grade Abilities: 2/2 (Ready next round)

 

[Elvario]

Mentions & Character Goals:
Elvario Amice Bellamy – Deal with the goblin nest. Don't die.
Shatter Shard Thane Embers – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Spoiled Bread Aqua – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Clockwork_Magic Phoebe Penrose – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Develius Flare – Get approved. – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice. Don't die.
Elijay John – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.

================​

Kawisenhawe

Spoiler: full image

Having been able to slip and slide across the bridge of ice, John was now facing his most dangerous foe yet. A wall. Luckily enough for him, it turned out that whatever mechanisms were used to make it open and close had made it surprisingly brittle, perhaps also due to how old it was, as after continuing to punch at it, he was eventually able to break through it.

As they entered the room behind it, they would find it large and empty. There wasn't a lot of light, but in the distance, they would see a hallway open up into another room, which seemed to have some odd bench-like structures in the middle. A feint scent of blood and rot wafted from it. More-so, however, they also would hear the pained cries of a gnome echo through the halls (stemming from the direction of 2).

“That does not bode well.” She silently stated, as she started using some magic to summon what seemed to be blade-like weapons. “Can't say I'm at my best after being chained up for so long, but if it's revenge that fuels me, I should be able to take some down.” She'd note, getting ready to face-off against some goblins. They could continue to rush in (2 move actions, 1 action left to use for battle or other); they could try to sneak onwards (3 actions to move, might allow them to remain unnoticed) or they could simply approach further whilst forming a plan (2 actions to move, 1 left for anything else that isn't engaging with the goblins).

================​

As Phoebe got past the zombie goblins, one of them turned around and suddenly snarled at her, yet it didn't seem to go after her. For now, at least, as it still had other, easier to obtain meat to munch on.

Thane's willingness to throw himself in as a barricade turned out to be unnecessary, although he did notice the zombies finish up moments after Phoebe passed. They were slowly standing upright again and turning towards their next meal; their never-ending undead hunger still pushing them onwards for more.

The three of them (Phoebe, Thane, Aqua), would be able to make it through a large room that was mostly empty. A few signs of goblins having 'lived' here, such as remnants of food, sleeping spots, rusty tools and weapons, were visible along the walls. However, none of those goblins were here right now. As they continued, they'd be able to make it to the two goblin corpses fried up by Flare and Thamuras prior. From there, they would also hear the shouting coming from further ahead, where Flare and Thamuras were trying to deal with the Shaman. They could continue to rush in (2 move actions, 1 action left to use for battle or other); they could try to sneak onwards (3 actions to move, might allow them to remain unnoticed) or they could simply approach further whilst forming a plan (2 actions to move, 1 left for anything else that isn't engaging with the goblins).

================​

Goblin Shaman

Spoiler: full image

She shamen clicked his tongue upon seeing his trap failing due to his goons being cowards. However, when Flare directly challenged him, he didn't doubt for a second. The ritual was important, but his safety was of far more importance to him.

Spoiler: gruesome-ish again

With his knife still on the gnomes finger, he pushed it through whilst Flare was still laughing. It didn't take much force to slice through something so small from a creature so weak.

Amice Bellamy

Spoiler: full image

Languages: Common | {Sylvan}

“Aaaahh!” Amice called out, again, in shock and pain. She had barely recovered from the earlier torture and seemed to be fading in and out of conscious from the utter shock, pain and terror.

“Eheheheh.” “Hot one got cocky.” “We still have hostage, stupid!” “Ehehe. One finger went, time badly spent.” The goblin goons giggle and sang, having gained some courage from the Shaman showing them they still had a card left to play.

“Try to do something like that again and the gnome's throat is what I slice through next!” The shaman called out, bringing the knife up to Amice's throat before Flare had fully burned through his trap, as he hid himself behind the altar and gnome to avoid being roasted. Assuming Flare wasn't going to risk anything further, they'd not end up trying to free Amice.

Tahmuras

Spoiler: full image

Tahmuras was in a full-blown panic. Seeing Amice get treated like that, but knowing it could cost her her life if he'd make a wrong and careless movement. “The moment you harm her again, we'll burn you all down to ashes. Let her go with us and we'll move away peacefully!” He tried to negotiate.

 

[Develius]

​

---

Language Key:
| Common | {Sylvan} |
Mentions:
| Elvario | Shatter Shard | Spoiled Bread | Clockwork_Magic | Elijay |
​

---

The moment the goblin sliced through Amice's finger, Flare flinched as they felt a nonexistent pain at a digit they didn't possess. "YOU BASTARD-" the fire elemental roared silently, as it instinctually charged up a fireball now flaming in their hand. They had nearly given into their seething rage at this vile cretin. Of course, given the situation Amice was in with him, it would've been a fatal error had they went through with it. Flare realized, much to their horror, that they had grievously underestimated their quarry. For while the goblin shaman was not the strongest, nor was it particularly the smartest, it made up in sheer, evil cunning.

They've come to a deadlock. And they were running out of options.

Flare - being the over 6 foot tall hulking mechanical entity of flame and fury - felt utterly powerless in this situation. While the personification of wrath beamed outwardly from their exterior, inside they were an utterly nervous wreck. They couldn't risk attacking him now; not if they wanted innocent blood on their hands. And they'd feel Tahmuras in much the same manner as them, now attempting to negotiate their way in getting Amice back in their custody.

Surely the rest of the party was coming to their location... but what good would it make from their angle?

From their perspective, here was one way forward. Keep strong; keep composed.

Keep the act going.... just for a bit longer.

"I don't know what ritual you're trying to summon forth," Flare boomed towards the shaman, their voice now attempting to resonate through the chamber like a roaring torrent of flame, "Nor why you need HER exactly... but whatever it is, she's NOT worth it. Killing her will make things a whole HELL of a lot worse for everyone... ESPECIALLY you. Let the girl go and we will allow you and your remaining goblin mooks to roam free and unharmed. We'll be nice and turn a blind eye to what other poor sop you catch next. Unless you can offer a better deal, of course, which in that case you better start convincing us... FAST."

 

[Elijay]

John

Elvario​

As the wall broke under the might of his fists, John stood there blinking for a moment. He didn’t really expect the wall to go down that easily, but at least things were finally starting to go his way and no way was he gonna complain about that. “Oh thank god the wall was brittle… No way was I going to explore that room looking for a solution while walking atop more slippery ice bridges.” He muttered aloud to himself.

Entering the next room, John would hear the cry of a familiar voice. “Damn it! They’re torturing her or something!” said he, as he gnashed his teeth in anger. Just thinking about those disgusting green monsters was enough to make his hair stand on end. He was about to run right into the next room, fuelled by the rage, but he stopped himself. If he did that, wasn’t he throwing away the advantage that he had? The element of surprise? Taking a deep breath, he decided to take a more rational approach to the situation. “Let’s sneak our way in. Hopefully we can get the jump on those guys.” He suggested to Kawi, who was just getting ready herself summoning some cool new weapons.

Actions:
3x sneak into next room

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Aqua

Elvario Shatter Shard Clockwork_Magic​

---

Aqua let out a relieved sigh as they finally reunited with Phoebe. She wasn't sure why they got separated in the first place but its not important now. Continuing their trek through the cave they would start to hear shouting from the path ahead. Aqua recognized Flare's and Thamura's Voice, and while she wanted to arrive as fast as possible she knew its not like she would be able to do anything right away.

Nodding at Thane and Phoebe, she would opt stick close to the wall and sneaked her way towards the big room. Hopefully she would be able to asses the situation correctly and made correct decision.

Action:
1) Sneaking​

 

[Clockwork_Magic]

Phoebe Penrose

Interactions: Elvario Shatter Shard Spoiled Bread
Languages: Common | [Terran]​

---

Phoebe jumped a bit in her skin when one of the zombies snarled at her, causing her to pick up the pace, but for some reason or another it didn't seem to come after her, which she definitely wasn't complaining about. As Thane, Aqua, and her ran down another set of corridors, they eventually came across the same crossroads they saw when they first entered the cave, along with 2 dead goblins. As morbid as it was, seeing as how the zombies still chasing them devoured that other corpse back there, they'll probably be slowed down by this pair of corpses too when they catch up to them.

Hearing shouting coming from up ahead only served to fuel the adrenaline rush, but at least they knew what general direction to run in now! It sounded like some fight had already started! As Aqua went on down the path, sneaking close to the wall, Phoebe started to do the same. "If you can, try and get me an opening on the Shaman." She said to Thane. The Shaman in this cave is undoubtedly the most dangerous monster in this cave, with its ability to use magic as evident by the zombies chasing them earlier, so getting a clean shot on it with one of her specialty lightning bolts would hopefully put it out of commission or at the very least open it up for subsequent attacks.

---

Actions

1. Move
2. Move
3. Sneak

 

[Shatter Shard]

Thane Embers
"Cleric of the Axe"

Strength
Precision
Intelligence
Vitality
Speed

{ C }
{ F }
{ F }
{ F }
{ D }

E

Active Titles:
Human | Mundane | Holy Order of the Axe Apprentice | Law Cleric

-Ryken-
Sadek County, Highgroove Barony, Faeremeadow

Code by: Shatter Shard

Thane let out a sigh of relief as Phoebe crossed over. The zombie snarling at Phoebe almost made Thane jump into the fray, but thankfully it didn't come to that point. "Hurry." He urged the two as they went further to Tahmuras' general direction. When the voices of threats became clearer as they neared, Thane nodded at the two of them, though he was already resisting the urge to just charge and barge into the room axe-swinging. He clenched and opened his fists as they began to move.

[Other: Sneak]
He carefully angled his axe, and lowered his stance as he moved forward. Following the two, he stuck close to the walls just like them, making sure that his steps were light. "If I can." He replied to Phoebe's request.

[Move x2]
He moved with restrained urgency, beads of sweat already rolling down his forehead from the tension wracking his body. His muscles were pulled taut, ready to spring into action whenever the situation finally calls for it. "If you can, Aqua..." He looked at her. "See if you can help me soak damage."

SCROLLABLE

Mentions: Shatter Shard Elvario Elijay Spoiled Bread Clockwork_Magic Develius

 

[Elvario]

Mentions & Character Goals:
Elvario Amice Bellamy – Deal with the goblin nest. Don't die.
Shatter Shard Thane Embers – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Spoiled Bread Aqua – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Clockwork_Magic Phoebe Penrose – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Develius Flare – Get approved. – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice. Don't die.
Elijay John – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.

================​

Kawisenhawe

Spoiler: full image

“Got it.” She'd reply to John. As they managed to sneak their way through the rest of the room, into the hallway. Considering the goblins were highly focussed on Flare and Tahmuras, they didn't notice them. Going further would be impossible without considerable [stealth] or [undetected] abilities. That said, they managed to hide in a side-hallway, from where they'd be able to get the jump on the goblins in a single move action and with the element of surprise. Behind them seemed to be some empty cells, perhaps used for past prisoners. Kawi would nod at John as if it say 'ready when you are'.

On the other side, Aqua, Phoebe and Thane decided to approach stealthily as well. Considering the Shaman's attention was on Flare foremost, they didn't see them. That said, due to Tahmuras being there already and having some eyes on him, the final bit was the trickiest to approach from without considerable [stealth] or [undetected] abilities. It meant they wouldn't get a surprise element going for them, but it also meant that they would be able to get the the goblins within a single move action and that they'd be able to attack first, rather than that the goblins would be able to attack first.

Tahmuras

Spoiler: full image

Tahmuras, for his part, seemed to do his utmost best to pretend the others hadn't come to back him up. Instead, he'd try to get aside, partially atop the goblin corpse, to give the others room to barge in without being too clear about their presence. “As they said, give us the girl and everyone will go away unharmed.” He'd speak, hoping to not make his action seem suspicious.

Goblin Shaman

Spoiler: full image

“Bastard? Hehe...” The Shaman giggled. “You want to fry this gnome as well? Want me to slid her throat?” They'd threaten, upon seeing Flare charge up a fireball.

“The ritual is none of your concern.” They'd state. However, upon being told they didn't need the gnome, something seemed to occur to the shaman. “That's right, we don't need... HER... How about you get out of that fancy suit of yours an take her place? I bet spirit energy can do the tick.”

“Spirit energy?” “Spirit Energy!” “Ritual will be great!” The goons seemed to debate amongst themselves.

“So? How's that for a better deal? The gnome girl lives. Nobody else gets harmed. Aren't you a self-sacrificial hero? Get to it! Get to it! Your death will be noble!” The Shaman taunted Flare, too focussed on the fire hazards in front of him to notice Flare and Thamuras were no longer alone.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Aqua
​

---

Aqua could feel her stomach twisting uncomfortably. Even though the big fight hadn't started, she couldn't help but feel really anxious about it. She couldn't mess this up though, she had been burdening others for enough time today. This is the moment that she should become the reliable big sister figure for Amice! Even though she's the younger one.

"I-I will try..." She weakly nodded at Thane. However, she didn't actually know how to help him soak more damage especially if he walked out of her reach. There she go again saying yes to everything.

Looking into the ritual chamber, Flare and Tahmura already engaging the goblins, Thane was also ready to jump in. A well placed strike from Phoebe can probably obliterate grouped goblins. Yet it seemed everything was in stalemate because they had Amice as hostage. Inhaling a deep breath, Aqua came put of her hiding spot and pointed her staff directly towards the shaman. More specifically, towards the ritual knife on their hand.

"Bleaching." Aqua casted her spell as she tried to transmute the knife.

Action:
1) Bleaching - Magic E, Magic Range F, Transmutation F - Temporarily transmute an object within 30 ft into a pile of salt - E grade - 1 post cooldown​

 

[Elijay]

John

Elvario Shatter Shard Develius Spoiled Bread Clockwork_Magic​

Seeing Kawi respond obediently to his orders, John heaved a sigh of relief. If she had lost her cool and just rushed in to take revenge on those goblins all of a sudden, god knows what he would do then! In the worst case, Amice might even be killed. At least now, all they had to do was wait for the right timing…

But wait… what was the right timing exactly? How could they rush in when the goblin shaman had Amice right within his fingertips? John was at a loss, not knowing what to do this time. His heart pounded away in his ears as he waited, and waited. He then strengthened his resolve. Even if he did not know what needs to be done, he wasn’t going to let that stop him from trying! “On my signal…” He said, raising a trembling hand. Peering out into the next room from behind the wall, his eyes scanned the scene carefully.

Spotting some magic being casted upon the goblin shaman’s knife, John waited a couple while more for the spell to finish before his patience gave out. “Let’s go.” He brought his raised hand down, before rushing into the room and charging right for the goblin shaman himself. Gritting his teeth in anger, he threw a ranged punch right for the back of the shaman’s head. That beast wasn’t the only one who knew how to play dirty here!

Actions:
1. Wait
2. Charge towards goblin shaman
3. [Attack harder, or something]

• Attack harder, or something - Fighting style F, ranged F, athletics F, appraisal E - user punches hard enough to hit a target 10ft away with air pressure, while augmenting the attack with sharp eyes to enable the right timing or placement - Grade E - 1 Post Cooldown

 

[Develius]

​

---

Language Key:
| Common | {Sylvan} |
Mentions:
| Elvario | Shatter Shard | Spoiled Bread | Clockwork_Magic | Elijay |
​

---

Flare froze upon hearing the Shaman's psychotic request. Ah, yes... Of course it had to come down to a trading of souls. Themself being the prime negotiating prize for the hostage. Once outside their suit, they would be at their most vulnerable. Lain bare and naked against the elements. The fire elemental would have mere minutes before risking an imminent demise. They'd on the clock. And even then, those minutes weren't precise. But for the sake of Amice - for the sake of the entire party - Flare knew they had no other choice. They sighed, taking a deep breath as they mentally prepared for what was to go down. Lowering their hand, the flames being extinguished right before their eyes, they submitted to the shaman's request.

Seconds felt like minutes; minutes felt like hours. But eventually, the OVEN's hands would slowly position atop the chassis' chest piece. Steam depressurized from exposed valves. Clattering metal creaked and groaned, rattling under immense pressure. Then suddenly, the hinges unlocked and the OVEN's entire chest lurched open as a roaring furnace churned out a burst of flame outwards; lighting the room in a blazing deep orange hue. This spectacle lasted for a few moments, before a flaming figure would emerge from the suit; planting themselves onto the cold stone floor.

Flare was now fully exposed in her elemental stage. What the goblins and Amice would see (alongside anyone else in their direction) was a slender flaming figure of androgynous sex. They were now significantly smaller when compared against the suit, though they gave off incredible heat upon getting being par for the course of their racial elements. Cosmetically, they chose to dull their aura to showcase their entire body, resembling more or less a person instead of something more disfigured their monstrous cousins would often present themselves. Most of the iconic humanoid facial features were present. The three hotter pale-yellow spheres were their eyes and mouth, though they lacked a nose. Their hair was represented as short cut and wavy, colored light orange as flames licked from her essence. And their body was featureless, yet sported a faint hourglass shape, leading to relatively thin legs and ending in a pool of flame. They even smelled faintly of burnt wood, despite no wood being physically present in their vicinity.

"Well? Here I am, goblin man." Flare asked impatiently, extending their flaming arms and hands across while approaching the alter. Their voice lacked that prominent boom present in the suit, but still held that same fiery spirit. "Unbound from my armor as requested. My true form lain bare and untamed." They'd point to Amice as their voice hardened. "Now... hand her over and we'll get this little ritual of yours started proper."

Yet even now, Flare could feel their energy slowly fading into the ether. For every passing second they could feel themselves getting ever so slightly weaker. They couldn't hold this up forever. Wherever the rest of the party was, whatever they were doing, now would be a pretty good time to strike while they were distracted.

Little would they know... they were much closer than they realized.

---

---

Spoiler: Actions

1. Get out of the OVEN suit.
2. Approaches Altar.
3. Orders for goblins to switch places with Amice.

 

[Clockwork_Magic]

Phoebe Penrose

Interactions: Elvario Shatter Shard Spoiled Bread Develius Elijay
Languages: Common | [Terran]​

---

Phoebe's adrenaline rush only intensified when she peered into the room where all the commotion was coming from. Flare surrounded on all sides by goblins and, even worse, Amice being held with a knife to her throat. The state of the gnome’s hand and feet caused the mage’s stomach to churn in a mix of disgust, concern, and anger. How dare it. If Phoebe had any reservations about killing goblins herself, they were gone now.

The goblin holding Amice hostage looked different than the others in the cave, so it was probably a safe bet to say that that was the shaman they were looking for. At least now she knew who to aim for, but the issue was more about how. It would be a little difficult getting a direct lighting strike against the shaman, given it was using Amice as a human shield, but it should be possible to use one of its goons surrounding Flare as a platform for a more indirect strike.

As Flare revealed their form under their suit of armor, Phoebe saw her chance. She turned and gave a little nod to Thane, conveying a message of "it's now or never" before she aimed her wand at the goblin standing at roughly 1 o'clock in the circle surrounding Flare (the goblin in front of and to Flare's right), sparks of electricity building around the wand and gathering at its tip. Her goal was to strike that goblin with a bolt and have it strike the Shaman from there as well as the goblins forming the top half of the circle surrounding Flare (the goblins at 3 o'clock, 11 o'clock, and 9 o'clock). Electricity continued to build until finally. "Chain Strike." A bolt of lightning shot forth from her wand towards the first goblin in the chain.

---

Actions:

• Cast [Chain Strike]
  • [Chain Strike] - Magic D, Lightning Affinity F, Magic Range E, Magic Targets F, Selective Magic F, Focus F
    • Phoebe points at a target within the range of 100 feet and recites an incantation. Upon the completion of her incantation, a bolt of lightning is shot from her wand towards the target. Upon striking the target, the lightning then spreads and strikes up to an additional 4 enemies around the vicinity of the target so long as the additional targets also were within 100 feet of Phoebe at time of casting.
    • Grade D - 2 Post Cooldown

Cooldowns:

• Grade D Abilities: 0/2

 

[Shatter Shard]

Thane Embers
"Cleric of the Axe"

Strength
Precision
Intelligence
Vitality
Speed

{ C }
{ F }
{ F }
{ F }
{ D }

E

Active Titles:
Human | Mundane | Holy Order of the Axe Apprentice | Law Cleric

-Ryken-
Sadek County, Highgroove Barony, Faeremeadow

Code by: Shatter Shard

Thane peered out of the corner, but his eyes widened at the sight inside. Flare is being surrounded by the goblins, and through the shaman's threats, were forced to expose themselves from the safety of their armor. Though the literal flare from the fire spirit opening their armor stung his eyes a bit, he couldn't keep them closed.

That was because of the most damning thing that cursed his eyes; Amice's state in the shaman's grasp. Her bleeding hand and foot, both of which had a digit missing, caused Thane's anger to surge up to near uncontrollable levels. His breathing became heavy as if his chest was being constricted by some unknown force. The twitch in his hands bellied his anticipation, as if he couldn't wait to jump inside. Though he knew he needed to wait. Timing and patience, those were what he needed. So when Flare and Phoebe gave the affirmation, Thane was already moving.

[Move]
Thane did not hesitate any further as he came out of hiding and rushed out into the fray. "Bastards...!" He passed through the fire, gritting his teeth as the stinging heat flicked against his skin. He ran up towards the bottom most goblin.

[Attack: Strength E - Axe F - Swift Smite F]
Thane gripped his axe tight, sparks of golden flame manifesting once again on the axehead. Eyes of righteous fury locked on all the goblins in the room. "FILTHY SCUM!!!" He roared out as he swung wide, from the top down to the floor on the nearest goblin.

[Other: Help Phoebe by pushing Flare away]
Of course, he didn't forget what his role was. He made sure to block the shaman's vision from behind him when he ran forward, and when the cackling of lightning got into his ears, he immediately went to push Flare away to clear a line between Phoebe and the shaman. To make sure Thane doesn't get burned, he used the flat side of his axehead to push Flare, and made sure they are pushed to the direction of their armor.

Abilities Used:​

Grade F​

{F} Swift Smite (CD: 0 Posts) | {F} Fighting Style [Hellkite], {F} Blight [Divine Flame], {F} Acrobatics
Thane engulfs his axe with divine flames before flourishing it and crashing it down on the target.

SCROLLABLE

Mentions: Shatter Shard Elvario Elijay Spoiled Bread Clockwork_Magic Develius

 

[Elvario]

Mentions & Character Goals:
Elvario Amice Bellamy – Deal with the goblin nest. Don't die.
Shatter Shard Thane Embers – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Spoiled Bread Aqua – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Clockwork_Magic Phoebe Penrose – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.
Develius Flare – Get approved. – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice. Don't die.
Elijay John – Deal with the goblin nest. Save Amice.

================​

Goblin Shaman

Spoiler: full image

“Good, good.” The shaman muttered, seeing Flare get out of the suit. Their actions had caught the attention of all goblins, as they were still weary of the risk of being burned alive at any moment. Even so, it was clear the shaman felt like he'd got a clear upper hand here. He was about to call out for the goblin goons to kill Flare, now that they were vulnerable and whilst he could still hide behind the hostage.

However... Before the could give the order, he felt something hit him in the back of his head. Seeing black for a moment, he immediately tried to slid the halflings throat before he'd be knocked out by the sudden hit. Yet, for reasons he'd never know, his knife didn't harm the gnome even nearly as much as he intended. Whilst Aqua's bleaching was strong enough to turn the entire knife into salt, its sharp edge had sufficiently dulled for it to no longer manage to cut through the gnome's throat. As the Shaman was trying to recover from the surprise attack and loss of his weapon, a lightning bolt would hit him and finish off what John hand started.

Two other goblins, the one originally aimed at and the one besides it, got considerably wounded from the lightning strike as well. Both tried to run off, although there weren't exactly many places to run towards.

Thane managed to take one of the goblins off-guard, the goblin catching fire and screaming, only for its cries to be silenced by a fireball from Thamuras hitting it straight in the face, killing it and burning it and two of the goblins besides it.

Tahmuras

Spoiler: full image

Fireball – Magic School [Fire] (Range, AoE, Duration, Targets) F , Selective F – Fires a ball of fire at enemies. - E grade – 1 Post Cooldown
CD's – E 0/1

One of the hit goblins panicked and ran towards the wall, trying to find a way out. The other lunged at Tahmuras, hoping to avenge itself by planning to slam its sword at the fox.

Kawisenhawe

Spoiler: full image

Another goblin had managed to make its way past John, intending to flee northwards, only to find its head separated from its body the moment it ran into Kawi.

The two final goblins decided to fight for their lives, one trying to slash (x3) wildly at Flare before they could get back in their suit, the other trying to slash (x3) wildly at Thane's legs.

Combat Summary;
The Shaman got killed by combo attacks from John and Phoebe.
Amice was being saved then and by Aqua's bleaching of the knife.
Phoebe injured two goons that panicked and ran north-east and east.
One goblin got killed by combo attacks from Thane and Tahmuras.
Two goons were injured by Tahmuras, one is trying to retaliate, another is panicking in the south-west corner.
One healthy goon striking 3x at Flare as they are (presumably) trying to get back in the oven.
One healthy goon striking 3x at Thane's legs.