Graded [Sootspire Village] A Noble Hunt!

[Nero Kunivas]

Niall Riordan​

The continued filibustering of the strange pink-haired girl was grating on Niall's ears already, but he was able to keep his cool, not least of all because of the acknowledgement of his abilities by his compatriots. It was good to be recognized, though he wouldn't let it go to his head, nor would he react all that much, save for responding to Tobias first: "Don't mention it. I'll try to save some for you next time." Niall's tone held the smallest tinge of friendliness to it, still buried in his usual cool demeanour and resonant words, but it was there for sure. He then turned his head to look at Tyrmar and nodded in his direction, while saying: "We're not out of the woods yet, but hold onto that confidence. It will see us through." Niall's words to Tyrmar were intended to keep him motivated, while also staying humble himself.

Count Light's words were not unheard as Niall slung his sword over his shoulder and with his free arm, did he cross it over his chest in a sort-of saluting fashion. "Understood, loud and clear. We'll get the job done." He simply said.

As a new arrival hastily made their way towards the group, Niall would raise his voice for the second time today, if only so that Aya could hear him: "You are late! But there are yet more Goblins to slay ahead, so long as you are a capable warrior." Then he looked at the Count again; "Are we to take the new arrivals with us?" Just to make sure his technical superior was in approval.

LadyOfStars saxon AbenSur Lulidew Faynorae

 

[LadyOfStars]

Count Linneus Light​

Another addition to their party? Linneus let out a heavy sigh. but looked the late arrival over briefly. They looked capable at the very least and since they didn't know what they would find in the forest, he wouldn't turn away an extra blade. "This is that very group and you are welcome to join us. Thank you." The Count nodded his head. giving his approval to the newcomer. At least she had not caused a scene like the other woman.

The brief bit of peace that he had found was shattered by the loud mouthed woman who seemed to have something to say about everyone. Her shouting towards Linneus was offensive, but not just to him. The Count's soldiers took offense to the disrespect that their Lord was shown and as the archers raised their bows to take aim at the wench, the swordsmen drew their blades. "Stand down." Linneus nonchalantly commanded of them. "You embarrass yourself, stranger. You don't know me, nor do you know how to treat your peers, and that is sad. If you insist on continuing with us, you do so as an independent party." Linneus couldn't have such a character attached to him or his soldiers, she would be bad for their reputation and he hinder what he hoped to achieve. Hopefully the mercenaries would not be distracted by her foolishness.

"Let's move." Linneus said softly to his soldiers. The display of comradery between the mercenaries was a breath of fresh air to the Count. The fighting with goblins and the bickering between the party was irritating and very unwelcomed. His horse turned towards the forest and the group would begin their approach.

As planned, Linneus dispatched two of his spearmen, two archers, and two swordsmen to stay behind and guard the exit. The forest was a mess and no one could deny that as toppled trees, displaced earth, and bodies covered the already tricky terrain. Beneath the blanket of carnage however, there was a story being told, which would require closer inspection.

"What the hell?" Linneus looked around, taking in the chaotic scenery that only seemed to be a replica of what they had seen outside the forest. It didn't make sense at all. So many dead goblins and yet there were no human remains or corpses of other species. "Let's set up a base of operations here." Linneus told his soldiers. Right away they would start securing the area and establishing a perimeter around Linneus. "The rest of you, search the area for any clues that might hint at what is going on in this forest." He looked to the mercenaries and the loud mouthed woman. Before he could willingly drag anyone further, he wanted to know they weren't walking into something they couldn't get out of.

Anyone who committed to the search for information would be faced with portions of the truth. The goblins that were scattered across the ground bore two different emblems upon their armor and weapons. One was that of a dagger which they had seen on the signpost at the forest entrance, the other was a crudely painted coin. It was evident that these two groups had been fighting one another as their weapons lay in the bodies of their fellow goblins. But there was more to see and learn. Anyone who searched near the toppled tears would see that the trunks of those wooden pillars had large, massive handprints pressed into them. The same prints could be seen near site where the earth had been displaced and even on the backs of some goblins who it seemed had been pressed into the ground.

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[saxon]

Aya
​

Aya had closed the gap with the group; the heavily armored man in dark armor spoke up. "I think of myself as a fairly competent warrior; if you are going into the woods, wouldn't it be better to have someone who has better hearing and smell than the average human?" She inquired as her hands dropped to her side as her three tails curled upwards, the silver fur shining slightly in the sunlight; if anyone close enough paid attention to it, that is. When the man looked toward the other, she figured that the man who was called a count was leading this subjugation group.

Upon the Count's approval, Aya placed her hands one on top of the other against the bottom of her white top and bowed her head. "Thank you, I promise I won't be a hindrance," Aya vowed as she straightened herself back up for a moment. Now adjusting the white top slightly as she pulled the black and blue overcoat kept in place by some blue string that ran across from one side to the other a bit tighter.

As the silence was broken by a woman who was insulting people left and right Aya was left wide-eyed for a moment. Well, she is quite the interesting character just from that little interaction. Aya thought to herself closing her eyes and shaking her head at the group now started to move once again. Curious to see how what the woman would do next since she was basically a third party to this whole issue.

As they reached their next stop Aya pinched her nose and tilted her head upwards, the smell of goblins was bad normally. But now with this many goblins on the ground, it was stronger than ever. "Why must goblins smell so bad, even the dumbest of creatures know how to clean themselves." She stated with a rather annoyed tone in her voice as she walked over to a few of the corpses to see if she could find anything.

Taking note of the different emblems on the weapons she picked up two of them. "Well these are two different groups of goblins here, they are not all from the same clan," she pointed out before holding up the weapons to show those around her. "Now if only we could do something about the smell," she whined.

AbenSur Nero Kunivas Lulidew Faynorae LadyOfStars

 

[Faynorae]

Forty Minutes. Tic. Toc. Tic. Toc.​

"PEERS?!" Sariel shriek. "Excuse you I'm like ten ye- I mean like... uh. Sixteen! Unlike you old men, I've yet to lose my youthful energy and charm!" He said, flipping his hair as he walked away. Before turning back and shouting "Grandpa!" glaring at the count and his guards. As he walked over to a more isolated area. A bunch of stupid ugly boring adults.The. Absolute. Disrespectful. Unriled and Unruly nerve of that ugly ass ugly faced over the top ugly fancy pants piece of garbage Pompous Prick. Were the thoughts that ran through Sariel's head. It didn't bother him though. Not at all. Sooner or later, The Strawberry Slayer will rise to power once more and get his revenge on these thick-headed fish faces. Oh god, Sariel scoffed as he thought, he couldn't believe he actually used that nickname.

The face that had shown on Sariel's face was a death glare that would look more like a pout considering how he looked currently. Sariel wrote down in his mind, the face and the ugly nickname he gave to this person. Sariel made a point to also write it down on his palms, even though they were gloved. Back when he was alive, he had a diary which contained the names and faces of the people that have wronged him. It looked like a burn book. He might pick up that habit in this new world...

Leaving a cute and adorable girl whose seemingly weak to fend for herself? Clearly, he wants me to die. Sariel thought as he walked over to the other side of the group. He watched as the new girl sniffed around like... a dog? She had a fluffy tail... Like foxes... How would it feel if he were to touch it... Sariel brushed the thought off his mind, he was cruel tough brutal and deadly... The cuteness of a fluffy warm and comfy tail... Can't subdue his murderous intent. Suddenly the thought of cute rabbits playing in a field of flowers crossed his mind.

Wait wait, no no no, I hate animals! Animals are stupid! But so cute... and stupid! He couldn't decide what he thought about animals, ignoring the fact that he used to cherish this bunny-shaped keychain which his friend gave to him. It was really fluffy thinking back to it. Deep down, did he like this cute stuff? No way! He hated all cute things! He hated looking cute and looking at things cuter than him. "UGH!" He let out. Stupid fluffy fox person trying to divulge my morals, clearly it was an evil hellspawn sent by god or something.

He looked around at his surroundings, kicking a rock as he turn around to unenthusiastically stare at the fox-person. She had a decent haircut and her clothing... Was that a haori? Did those exist in this world too? Or did English people call it... a shawl? Whatever he was long far gone from the world he once strode on. He was now a stupid magical girl, with a stupid haircut and stupid transparent eyes. He was also naturally blonde now. He thought about it and thought it was pretty neat not having to redye his roots every month.

He looked at the floor, he stared at a small rock-shaped pebble. He kicked it with his hard ballet-flat, creating a slightly loud tapping noise as the pebble shot into the face of a dead goblin's eye. "Wooh, Headshot!" He said to himself. As he walked forward and squatted down to try and find the pebble again. It was a really pretty pebble after all. It's not every day you see a rock-shaped pebble. Upon closer inspection though, he noticed a really ugly paw print. "Ew. Are animals seriously haunting me right now? Ugh." Sariel said moderately loud, as he stood up to stretch his arms. "This is what happens when I don't put on enough sunscreen..." He muttered to himself.

Miracle♥Makeup! ~ Cooldown begins after transformation exhausts.
Mentions: Nero Kunivas Lulidew AbenSur LadyOfStars saxon​

 

[Lulidew]

Tobias​

"Oh no, you don't have to do that. The main focus is to beat up goblins. Doesn't matter who gets the most kills." Tobias responded to Niall, and he was even feeling grateful to the dark knight. He didn't mind having it easy, after all he did just join the mission for the sake of earning easy money.

Seeing Tyrmar's hand regenerate in front of his very eyes, he was impressed. "Whoa, now that's convenient." Tobias said, while shaking the hand Tyrmar had reached out. Tyrmar then complimented Niall's bladework, stating that he was confident with allies like them, to which Niall replied with a reminder that things weren't over yet.

"True, let's save the compliments for after the mission. I have a feeling there's more to this than meets the eye." Tobias stroked his chin, deep in thought about what happened earlier. "Remember what that one goblin said when they first saw us? 'Food for the beast'? Maybe there's some kind of monster out there..." He stared far into the deep forest in front of them.

The party then entered the forest, which were littered with dead goblins that emitted the rotting stench of a decaying corpse. Tobias felt the slight urge to throw up, but was able to hold himself back. Not today. Gotta play it cool. He scanned the scene, thinking of what to start investigating first, before he laid his eyes on the loudmouth newcomer that had caused a ruckus for everyone earlier. Or was she the mastermind behind it all? He still had his doubts about her, since she didn't outright deny being called the leader of the goblins back then.

The sparkly lady then kicked a pebble into a dead goblin's eye, which erased all of the suspicions he had. However, he still wanted to give her a piece of his mind for fooling around at a time like this, so he approached her while glaring at her. She then mentioned something about animals...

"Animals? You saw an animal around here?" Tobias asked with an annoyed tone while glancing around the lifeless scene, before noticing the massive paw print. "Oh... Nice find! Seems like there really were more to it than just the goblins."

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[AbenSur]

Tyrmar
​

Shaking Tobias’ hand with a firm grip Tyrmar simply grinned at their words “Aye there’s still more battle to be fought, but no reason not to appreciate good company!” Hearing the words of their patron about surveying the area he quickly turned to his new ally. If he’d been in his old world he would’ve been astounded at the level of authenticity the Foxgirl cosplayer showed in her outfit, knowing that the eastern style haori and geta sandals were simply a standard form of dress for people in this new world just made him even happier.

Though smaller than the rest of the party like Niall she carried herself with a sword and armor of an admittedly lesser grade, he couldn’t help but be excited thinking about how many different weapons and styles exist in this world.

But for the moment they needed a little team cohesion.

“It’s good to hear you have plenty of skills to put to use, good to have you here.” A small part of him had wondered if her ears had any advantage except for being adorable and he was glad to be proven right, her senses would be a definite advantage. Before they made their way forward once more he addresses the rest of the party, and the magical girl if she so happens to hear it.

“While we made it through alright the first time I think it’d be good to figure out a formation of attack beforehand, I was thinking that Tobias and I could stand at the front to combat them at close range while Niall and Aya remain at our flanks to protect at mid range. Meanwhile the Magical Girl can support us with whatever magic she has.” She was a magical girl with a transformation and all so she had to have some type of ranged magic right? “Thoughts?”

After hearing their replies Tyrmar made his way with the party to an even more devastated battlefield covered in the bodies of more goblins, from the observations of the others they were obviously from separate factions but this just raised more questions in his mind.

“If these goblins were from separate groups and killed each other, then why are they still here? None of the bodies have moved or even been looted for armor, and these footprints are obviously too big to be anything but a large beast.”

Hearing Tobias’ musings he couldn’t help but bring his hand to his chin to think, the prints were on goblins for both sides and from the displaced environment whatever came through must’ve been belligerent to say the least.

“Hmm, Could it be possible that the Goblins that had been in the middle of a feud were waylaid and surmounted by an even greater threat? If they’re trying to feed this ‘Beast’ they may be trying to appease it and that’d mean much worse news for that village.”

LadyOfStars Lulidew saxon Faynorae Nero Kunivas

 

[Nero Kunivas]

Niall Riordan​

As the new arrival, Aya, approached, it would become clear that she was not exactly human. What she was, Niall couldn't tell exactly, but her tails shone brilliantly like the Moon at night over a serene lake, the silence of the beautiful scene being rapidly painted in Niall's mind's eye almost overtook him...before he realized what in the hell's he was doing and shook himself out of it. Now was not the time to be mesmerized by shining tails and beautiful Fae(?) women. Thank the Gods he was wearing a face-covering helm, what a shameful display.

To outsiders, Niall was just standing almost completely still for a few moments, before returning to action, letting out a short, cool chuckle towards Tobias's response and setting himself up along the team's leftmost flank at Tyrmar's suggestion. "Not a bad idea. I'll keep you safe." He spoke with an air of affirmation, particularly when he spoke his promise, assuming a stance that allowed him to get ready to attack at a moment's notice, yet still allowed him to move should they need to advance.

"So, who are you then? How'd you find us?" Niall turned his head back to Aya, speaking his inquiries. The latter likely had the same answer as everyone else present, but he was still curious.

LadyOfStars saxon AbenSur Lulidew Faynorae

 

[LadyOfStars]

Valley Forest​

Linneus let out a heavy sigh, surveying the area he could see that perhaps they were ill-prepared for what lay ahead. The destruction caused here was more than just some goblin squabble and as the mercenaries found their clues and made their assumptions, he had to agree with them. Tyrmar especially had put forth a very sound theory and Linneus was inclined to agree with him. "Lord Linneus." One of the soldiers called as they returned to the path. "We did not find any immediate threats in the area, it seems the fighting has..." Just when the woman was about to declare that the area was safe, a loud horn blasted through the forest, rattling the trees and drowning out any other noises.

The Count covered his ears and started to look around, but saw nothing on the horizon. Then, shadows were cast down on the party as several goblins descended from the trees, roaring their obnoxious battle cries.

The goblins weren't entirely accurate in their skydive from the forest canopy, but they were able to latch on to a few people. Linneus let out a shriek when one goblin landed in front of him, seated on the neck of his horse. Again he was thrown from his horse and this time the large mammal took off with a goblin riding side saddle. "On me!" One of the spearmen called out to the other soldiers.

Sariel was another target of the goblins and one landed directly on her head, wrapping its leathery green fingers through her hair. The flitty monster laughed wickedly and boisterously as if it took joy in its actions.

More goblins hit the ground, immediately swarming to attack the others. Two of them rushed Nial, throwing themselves into his legs and knocking the knight down. "Crack him open!!" One of the goblins cheered while also trying to steal the man's blade. The other goblin bashed against Nial's helmet with the blunt end of his dagger.

A scream came from one of Linneus' female soldiers, her voice breaking as two goblins landed on her and quickly started to stab her. Their knives plunged into her sides and her chest, emptying her body of its blood in seconds.

One of the green bastards would land on Tobias, grabbing the warrior in a tight headlock and squeezing even tighter. His jaw snapped multiple times as he tried to bite, Tobias and rend his flesh.

The Count rushed to his feet, holding his head as he looked around. Again they were being caught off guard and this time even his soldiers were picked off. "Don't just stand there, help them!" He demanded of his soldiers. They were so focused on protecting him they stood idle, avoiding helping the mercenaries.

Tyrmar would find himself surrounded again, four goblins standing around him, their daggers raised and ready. One of them rushed from behind him and sliced at his tendons, crippling the man. "Aha!!" He let out a savage laugh, feeling overcome with pride.

Two goblins did flounder to the ground near Aya, but quickly dismissed the woman as a forest animal or spirit, thinking she was unaligned with the human intruders.

saxon AbenSur Faynorae Nero Kunivas Lulidew

 

[saxon]

Aya​

Aya turned her attention to the man covered from head to toe in plate armor as he spoke. "The names Aya, glad to meet you," she smiled as she gave a slight bow before continuing. "As to how I found you well I was pointed in the direction that the count's soldiers went off in. So needless to say all I had to do was follow the path until I heard fighting or could smell blood. But, that is the answer to your question," she concluded nodding her head as the screaming started causing her to draw her katana.

Looking around as the chaos ensued goblins falling from the sky or well it looked that way, in truth they were leaping from the trees. Seeing two goblins drop near her she readied herself. As they didn't try to attack her, which caused her to cock her head to the right for a moment. What is going on here, do they think I'm not a threat? She thought to herself as she gripped the hilt of her katana tighter.

Turning her head in the direction of the screaming woman, it was already too late to do anything for her. Letting out a sigh she used her quick slash ability dashing forward and attempting to slice the goblins in two with her katana.

AbenSur Nero Kunivas Lulidew Faynorae LadyOfStars

skills used: Quick Slash - Grade E- 1 post cooldown

 

[Lulidew]

Tobias​

Upon hearing Tyrmar's suggestion, Tobias nodded his head in agreement. "Sounds good to me."

A deafening horn resounded through the forest. Tobias' eyes darted all over the place, trying to look out for any incoming enemies. He was then alerted by the cries coming from above. However before he could glance up, he was already taken by surprise as a goblin had landed on top of him, grabbing him in a tight headlock. He then realized that they were approaching from above, which was already too late for them to react. They were caught in a trap! Tobias' mind was racing as he was being choked out from nowhere, but there was no time for hesitation, or he might really die here.

With the goblin weighing down on him, Tobias let himself fall backwards, attempting to slam the goblin onto the ground as he was keeping hold on Tobias from behind. Seeing the ugly monster try and bite him, he gripped the goblin arm that was wrapped around his neck with his left hand to keep it steady, while ramming his right fist into the jaws of the goblin, hoping the hardness of it was able to break its teeth. If the goblin had loosened its grip on him, he would pry the goblin's arm away with his left hand and follow up with another punch in its face with his right hand, with [Soul stealer] activated.

AbenSur Nero Kunivas Faynorae saxon LadyOfStars

Skills used: Soul stealer - Grade F - 0 post cooldown

 

[AbenSur]

Tyrmar
​

As the others fell into formation as they saw fit the part continued forward, though Tyrmar was still wary of the circumstances of their mission. Though he did feel more assured with Niall at his back, his worry soon bore fruit as the party was immediately attacked from above, the soldiers being taken off guard while the other mercenaries were individually targeted.

He was brought out of his musings as four heavy thuds sounded out from around him, immediately he could smell the unwashed smell of their green bodies and old tattered leathers. One thing he had to give them was they’d surrounded him quite well as while he’d tried to look for any gaps between them one of the goblins behind him was able to quickly slice at his heel before he could fully dodge out of the way.

Holding in a hiss he dropped to one knee to relieve the pressure as well as to give himself time for his [Regeneration] to once more take effect. Although he might not be able to immediately fight from a height advantage that didn’t mean he was down and out.

‘Breath, let your Aura flow, let the full might of your blows be felt.’ Like a mantra he repeated in his head, in the short time since the first assault he’d turned his mind to how his aura seemed inefficient, unable to be used at its most effective unless focused quite committedly.

But what if he was the problem?

Instead of focusing the power to one part of his body he let it settle over his form like a shroud emanating a bright glorious glow.

Spoiler

From his kneeled position he left no time for his opponents to take another swing at him, regardless of the state of his heel he turned behind himself in the direction of the Goblin who’d cut him.

A goblin that was also standing in front of where Niall had taken up his flank.

Putting all his weight behind his charge he let out a war cry before spearing the goblin on his shoulder and carrying it into the two goblins holding down the knight.

“You little green fuckers aren’t the only ones who can team up!” With his declaration roared out to the battlefield he made to stand back to back with his companion against the now larger numbers.

Nero Kunivas Lulidew saxon Faynorae LadyOfStars

 

[Nero Kunivas]

Niall Riordan​

The dark knight would nod in Aya's direction once she introduced herself, speaking a curt; "Niall." in reply. Aya then explained how she found them, bringing out a brief chuckle from Niall, who shook his head a little. "Makes sense." After that there was no more room for friendly banter, as a host of Goblins descended upon them, seemingly intending to trap the mercenaries and soldiers present. It worked on at least one of the soldiers, who died quickly to a pair of aggressive Goblins, nothing anyone could do to save her, least of all Niall, who was too far away to begin with, and had now been knocked down to his knees by a surprise attack from two of the little buggers.

One of them was trying to steal his sword and the other was futilely bashing against his helmet with the blunt end of their shoddy little dagger. "Is that your best?" Niall asked the Goblin in question, not in a boisterous, taunting manner, but in a very unimpressed, cold tone of voice. Soon after, Tyrmar broke out of his own predicament, charging down the Goblin that had harmed him and heading towards Niall and his own cretins.

Seeing what he was trying to do, Niall simply moved himself out of the way, letting the Goblins take the full force of the charge, all the while yanking his blade out of the other Goblin's grasp, having no care for what it would do to the little green creature's hands. After Tyrmar dealt with them, Niall took his place at the back of his fellow warrior, readying himself to fight anymore Goblins.

AbenSur LadyOfStars Lulidew saxon Faynorae

 

[LadyOfStars]

Blood would fly through the air as Aya's attack successfully landed, cleaving her way through one of the negligent goblins that had chosen to ignore her. Her katana slid through the feeble monster's midsection, causing his torso to fall backward while his leg fell like a ragdoll. "Aaah!" His friend screamed having watched the other Goblin be cut in two. Without hesitation he charged Aya, swinging his dagger with little fear.

Tobias' tactics were effective against his attacker as the powerful slam forced the green pest to release Tobias' neck His attack to the goblin's face caused the creature's skeletal helmet to fly off and its head to crash down against the ground once more. His eyes rolled back in his head, mouth agape in an unconscious state. The vampiric power of his strike would heal the abrasions left around his neck my the goblin's chokehold.

Tyrmar had defied his body and pushed it to its limits in a brilliant display of willpower. His enemies were collected in his power charge and were thrown several feet from the dup as they reunited. "Argh!" The goblins let out cried of anger and fury. Tyrmar and Nial were both up now and the five remaining goblins surrounded them, laughing and taunting them with barred fangs. Two goblins rushed Tyrmar, both attempting to stab the dark-skinned man in his abdomen and in his left thigh.

Two more Goblins targeted Nial, but after seeing that his armor was tough they knew they would have to put in work to do any real damage. As they moved together, one goblin took both daggers, holding them together as if they were one blade. The unarmed goblin threw himself upward, launching towards Nial's helmet to obscure his vision. its partner moved to Nial's side. He stabbed at Nial's ribs, only to see the daggers shatter. Fear filled his face and he quickly dropped the broken weapons and tried to flee. "He's immortal!" The weak creature cried out. It could not perceive that Nial's armor was made of sturdier material then its dagger and instead assumed that some magic was at work.

Linneus was surrounded by his soldiers, who had their hands full as they too were surrounded by goblins. The remaining spearmen and swordsmen formed a ring around the Count and continuously cut down threats that came too close. The archers fired bolts into the goblin horde, shooting to assist the mercenaries The fifth goblin that was attacking Tobias and Nial caught an arrow to the top of his head, causing his body to collapse to the ground.

Nero Kunivas AbenSur saxon Lulidew Faynorae

 

[Lulidew]

Tobias​

Seeing the unconscious goblin on the ground, Tobias' hands trembled while he panted heavily, with the adrenaline still surging through his body. He did it. He had beaten his first opponent. But things were far from over.

Without a moment to waste, his eyes glanced around the battlefield for his next target, before he noticed a group of 5 goblins ganging up on the 2 gentlemen he had just made acquaintance with. 5 on 2? These goblins sure knew how to play dirty, he thought to himself. Just then, an arrow whizzed right above his head, striking down one of them. With his heart thumping within his ears and his fists clenched in a mix of excitement and rage, he drew in a deep breath...

"OVER HERE, UGLIES!" He cried out with all his might, trying to distract the remaining goblins as he charged over to provide them with assistance. Seeing the 2 goblins rush at Tyrmar who had already sustained an injury, Tobias flung his dagger in front of the ugly creatures. Even if the dagger had missed them, Tobias intended to slow down their assault on Tyrmar while he made his way over there. He then charged for the closer target, aiming a punch right for its face.

Nero Kunivas AbenSur LadyOfStars Faynorae saxon

 

[AbenSur]

Tyrmar
​

In all his years Tyrmar had never believed he’d be in a situation like this, ambushed by enemy forces back to back with another warrior fighting goblins in the forest as everything went to shit.

Gods he loved this world. But his blessings could wait for later, the Count was down a guard already and they still had whatever was subjugating these monsters to deal with. The two small creatures came at him with whatever semblance of team work they possessed, he’d not dodge and leave Niall’s back open however he was given more breathing room when Tobias’ knife landed in front of the goblin aiming for his leg.

That moment of hesitation was something Tyrmar immediately capitalized on, reaching forward to block the blade aimed at his stomach with his left, his right hand fell down in a [Crushing Strike] slamming one goblin atop the other. A position he took advantage of as his foot slammed forwards into both of them, sending them flying.

[*]Crushing Strike - Exalted Heart Fist [Body] E, [Aura] F - Hardening his hand with his Aura deeper than before he sends a descending chop meant to slam down upon his enemies and break their bones - Grade E - 1 Post Cooldown

Lulidew LadyOfStars Nero Kunivas saxon Faynorae

 

[saxon]

Aya

​

Aya saw the blood on her katana knowing instantly she had hit her mark feeling as the blade slid across the creature. Huh, I figured there would be a bit more resistance to the cut, though I suppose they did ignore me. So they were probably not expecting me to attack. She thought to herself for a moment as she heard a scream turning to see the other goblin was coming toward her. But they really are ugly though if you ask me. She thought to herself again now focusing on the sound of a goblin's shouting.

Quickly turning to face the oncoming goblin now she took a deep breath as she waited for the creature to enter the range of her katana. "They don't seem too terribly bright!" Aya called out as the creature entered her strike zone and attempted to deliver a slashing attack to the creature's shoulder.

AbenSur Nero Kunivas Lulidew Faynorae LadyOfStars

 

[Faynorae]

​

In the name of my hair and face, I'm afraid you must now experience an excruciatingly painful death. Goodbye.
"Who in the name of Salboros gave you the right to talk to me once more, fish face?" Sariel said glaring back at the person who he perceived as basically a stranger. He was the reason Sariel got super worked up over nothing, and also the reason why he had to get in trouble with a fancy old man with a bit too many cultist followers. He was totally going on the list as well. Ugly reef tigerfish faced jerk with an ugly haircut and dated fashion sense. To cut Sariel out of his bicker-esque thoughts, a goblin suddenly jumped on the man's head after an annoying sound.

-----​

"PFFFT-" Sariel spat out, almost beginning to laugh at the man before he felt the ugliness of green touching his head. Sariel's eyes suddenly lost any sparkle they once had. He put as much strength into this body's arms to grab the goblin. He would then violently try and rip the creature off of the body's head to throw the ugly green fish thing to the floor, Sariel wanted to aim directly at the man who had insulted him, but decided against it just because then he won't be able to have his way with this disgusting creature that dared to touch him. He also probably ripped out a few strands of hair as well as a few feathers from his headpiece since the goblin was putting its gross fingers through the body's hair.

With his hair, a bit disoriented, Sariel would stare down the goblin. He manifested the [Candy Cutie Staff], as sparkling light-filled his hand before creating a staff which looked like a plastic toy. The red jewel on the staff began to glow brightly, emitting a glittering luminescence, as Sariel called out with at first a sweet tone, "Full-Heart~" As he Held up the staff, his voice took upon a much more angered tone as he shouted. "Impact!" As he'd violently swing the staff down onto the goblin's head, "This is what you get for daring to touch me you filthy creature!" he shouted, intending to aim right in the middle of the goblin's face, but instead of a would-be crack from the impact of the staff onto the goblin's skull, a glittery noise emitted, as a scarlet-red glittering heart-shaped ring of mist flew out like an explosion from the place that Sariel's staff had hit.

"Huh?" Sariel let out in confusion, with a surprised face. Absolute utter confusion. As the glittering mist slowly began to dissipate. Sariel looked around for a split second. Everyone seemed way cooler than him currently, and here he was with his stupid lovey-dovey mist. His face reddened a bit, both from the slight embarrassment and anger that he had started to feel at the moment. "I'll try that... again." He softly muttered to himself, trying to keep a smile on his face. As he'd glare down at the grounded goblin once more as he began to prepare to take another swing.

Spoiler: Abilities Used/In Use

Miracle♥Makeup! ~ Cooldown begins after transformation exhausts. 15 minutes

Full-Heart ♥ Impact - Fighting Style Heart Throbbing Strawberry Sweetness F, Pretty Power F:
The fighter gathers their strength into the weapon of their choice, imbuing it with the energy inside their heart. On [contact] creates a sparkling heart-shaped ring of mist. Continuous exposure to this mist, causes the target to feel a secondary impact after being consecutively attacked by the attacker.
F Rank Attack, 0 Post cooldown. Secondary impact only affects creatures of F grade or lower after being exposed to it multiple times.

Mentions: Nero Kunivas Lulidew AbenSur LadyOfStars saxon​

 

[Nero Kunivas]

Niall Riordan​

The Goblin's assault continued, yet their lack of intelligence was really beginning to show. They had disregarded Aya and paid the price for their complete ignorance, while another attempted to attack while Niall was distracted by an unarmed Goblin. Ignoring the Goblin with daggers, Niall brought his sword back and suddenly thrust it at the unarmed Goblin, intending to impale the creature and if he did, he would force it to the ground to finish it off.

The one attempting to attack his ribs was utterly thwarted by his armour and fled in terror. Though he didn't let it show, Niall felt a degree of satisfaction from inspiring terror in his foes.

"They are fools, but they seek to use numbers to their advantage, do not let your guard down until they've breathed their last!" Niall called in reply to Aya's observation on the Goblin's and their lack of smarts.

LadyOfStars Faynorae Lulidew saxon AbenSur

 

[LadyOfStars]

Teamwork served the mercenaries well as their combined efforts help them fend off the goblin attacks when the green bastards worked in groups to attack single targets. Tobias had came to Tyrmar's rescue and for the briefest moment, the goblin he aimed for was stunned and confused. His questions didn't matter however as the man's fist slammed into his face moments later. The green pest was knocked down and grabbed his large nose in agony.

Tyrmar's quick thinking allowed him to counter his enemy before he would have been stabbed by the creature. A Symphony of violence would ring out the martial artist's fist connected with the goblin, shattering its bones, and then a loud thud as he kicked the two cretins away like trash.

The violent concert continued, reaching its crescendo as Nial's blade tore through the flesh of one goblin, impaling the creature who had expected the knight to be stabbed himself. The light faded from the beast's eyes as his blood pooled on the forest floor.

"Ahhhh!" The young kitsune's skill with a blade could not be questioned and as she brought it down on to the goblin's shoulder, she lopped off his entire arm. His cry of pain filled the trees, but even his own people ignored him as the goblin who Nial had let flee from him, jumped over the mutilated comrade and tackled Aya, delivering a powerful headbutt as the two fell backward.

Sariel had succeeded in dethroning the goblin who had made itself at home atop her head, but her retaliation didn't seem very affective...at first. The smoke and continued attacks finally played their parts and the unsuspecting goblin felt another hit that served to knock it unconscious.

Without commands from the Count, one of his soldiers rushed to Aya's side, thrusting her spear through neck of the goblin which had tackled the girl. "Hah!" She grunted as she raised the spear and hurled the corpse against a tree. "Are you alright?" The woman asked, arm extended to offer Aya a hand.

"Good work everyone." Linneus cheered softly as he and his soldiers rejoined the sell swords and blonde girl. The soldiers were exhausted abd it showed in their faces as they moved to survey the surrounding area again. "Perhaps this is inappropriate to say, but I am thouroughly impressed by the way our enemy continues to catch us off guard and continues to overwhelm us. Their numbers must be quite large." The Count stood with his arms folded across his chest, looking to each of his hired blades. "Are you all sure you wish to continue on with us? There is no shame in choosing to depart. You have helped us come this far and for that I am grateful."

OOC: Do not forget to include any ability cooldowns in your next posts. Sariel's transformation will expire with his next post as well.
saxon AbenSur Faynorae Nero Kunivas Lulidew

 

[Lulidew]

Tobias​

Seeing the goblin knocked down on the floor, Tobias squatted down next to the goblin. Raising his fist high up above its face, he slammed it down to deliver the finishing blow. “Lights out, sucker!”

After he was done, he glanced around the battlefield once more, only to find that the battle had concluded as most of them were just about done with their fights. He heaved a sigh of relief, now that they could relax once more. Spotting the dead body of one of Linneus’ soldiers, he shook his head, feeling remorse for the poor soldier. If only he was stronger…

As for the other sellswords, all of them seemed to have come out victorious in their own fights. The Count sure did a good job of hiring capable people. He then made his way over to where Tyrmar was. “You did good!” Tobias complimented him, while he made his way to pick up the dagger he had thrown earlier.

The Count then gave off a cheer, before asking the gang if they were really sure about continuing on. Tobias was still taking time to recover from the battle, the unfamiliar feeling of adrenaline and rage towards the goblins who ambushed them, as well as the heightened wariness towards the goblins who liked to play dirty. He took a moment to look at his new comrades, before staring straight at Linneus and giving his response.

“Well, I’m continuing. I’d rather see this job till the very end. Besides, what kind of man am I if I were to turn tail at the hint of danger?” Tobias explained. He couldn’t just leave his new comrades behind when things were about to get dangerous. It just didn’t sit well with him, and he'd never forgive himself if he did so. Plus if he were to get stronger from the experience, perhaps he could even prevent unneeded casualties in the future.

saxon LadyOfStars AbenSur Nero Kunivas Faynorae

 

[Faynorae]

​

Magical Make-Down

"Whew!" Sariel let out in a prideful tone.​

He was quite happy, even though he didn't get to do much. He kind of got to hit something. "Ohoho! The angel of sweetness claims victory once more! Now, where do I find more of these filthy creatures..." Sariel said to himself in a cheerful tone as he looked around dismissively. He felt like he was forgetting about something, but it didn't matter, now did it? He gave the goblin one final kick on the edge of his ballet flat's heel before walking away over to the other "Losers" and the super cool knight guy.

He looked over, it seemed like someone had died. Lame. He thought to himself, as he'd giddily walk over to the others. Not keeping in mind his rules and regulations, Sariel was unknowingly smiling genuinely for once. Which would look somewhat odd in the current situation. The count said something about the continuous ambushes and "overwhelming" us or whatever, but from Sariel's arrogant perspective, he was really just saying a bunch of BS. Who would wanna leave right now when they just discovered something super cool? Like a what if the goblins are sacrificing themselves to Dragons or something!

Sariel looked over to Tobias, otherwise known as MrTigerfish-Face. He felt like crying for a moment as he said something about being a man and men don't do blah blah. It's like he was unknowingly bragging. Well, that is what it would seem like to a person whose been reborn as someone they don't want to be. He showed a slight annoyance on this body's face. Putting his hands to his hips as he puffed up his own rebuke. "My my, Clearly there's no reason to retreat now that we've come so far. Rather I'd think it be best if we try to force out some info from that goblin over there!" Sariel said as he pointed over to the goblin that he had knocked out. "Oh, and we could also take some time to-" Suddenly, the red jewel tied around Sariel's neck began to shine brightly red as it emitted a dinging like noise.

"Fuck." Sariel blurted out, looking down at the jewel in confusion. He had totally forgotten about the rules set around his transformation. Suddenly, a sparkling shimmery mist enveloped Sariel's body as shining light covered the area for a split moment. If anyone was making direct eye contact with Sariel, they would now see nothing in the place he stood unless they gazed downward. "AH!" Sariel shrieked, as he began to panic. He was supposed to keep this a secret. He began his swift escape, but unfortunately for him, Child rank precision and speed would lead him into tripping over the ribbons of his shoes.

Flopping to the floor, Sariel looked around in dismay from the ground he was now on. Falling onto the hardish floor kind of hurt as a child. He began to shout in a panicking voice. "Wait a second! Don't look over here! Look over there, it's an ugly fish monster!" He shouted as he pointed over at Tobias. He'd quickly try his best to crawl away, but unfortunately for him, he was too small and too slow to get anywhere further. As he gave up and flopped back onto the floor. "If I stop moving they'll assume I'm just a dead body of a child that got lost in the woods." He silently muttered to himself in his muffled voice.

Spoiler: Abilities Used/In Use

Miracle♥Makeup! ~ 2 Post Cooldown.

Mentions: Nero Kunivas Lulidew AbenSur LadyOfStars saxon​

 

[saxon]

Aya
​

Aya hadn't seen this coming as she turned to look for a new target as a goblin headbutted her causing her to fall backward with the goblin on top of her. "Hey! Who said you could be smart!?" She yelled as the goblin was attempting to stab her with the dagger in its hand as she grabbed the creature's arm trying to prevent it from stabbing her. After what seemed like a few moments one of the soldiers rushed and stabbed the goblin in the throat with a spear. Some of the blood poured onto Aya as the body was thrown off of her. Taking the woman's hand she got up from the ground.

As she heard the question she nodded her head sniffing her sleeve which gotten goblin blood on it. Instantly pinching her nose, "yeah though I hope the smell comes out of my clothes." Aya hoped as she tried to wipe the blood on some grass. Needless to say, she wasn't thrilled about the blood and the stench, letting out a sigh she put her katana away as she saw the other goblins had been taken care of.

Upon hearing the count she shook her head before replying, "nope, I'm here until I can't go any further or the mission is completed. Plus, I need a favor from a count to help me with my own goal." Placing her hands on her hips and smirking for a moment upon hearing Sariel start to shout. Walking off in that direction she saw a child's body on the ground and movement before flopping on the ground. Tilting her head a bit she walked over to the body. "Uh what was that?" He inquired though she sniffed near the body recognizing the scent. Dulcifer? She inquired waiting for a response.

Mentions: AbenSur Nero Kunivas Lulidew Faynorae LadyOfStars

 

[AbenSur]

Tyrmar
​

After taking care of the enemies in front of him Tyrmar turned to assist Niall only to see he’d dispatched his own foes quickly. Taking a look around the battlefield he saw that all the goblins had been aptly taken care of bringing a grin to his face.

“Good job all! Thanks for watching my back Niall and I appreciate that knife there Tobias.” Turning towards the Counts Guard he noted with a grief that one of their guards had died, the Count however didn’t allow that to slow him down and gathered them all together to get to know their intentions.

“I’ve never considered myself one to back out midway through, and besides this job is just a fraction of the debt I owe you and yours so I’ll see it through to the end and I welcome everyone who’s willing to join us too, drinks on the Boss afterwards! Hahahahahaha!” In the end though he’d been hurt and been in danger over and over he couldn’t help but keep a jubilant attitude about the mystery and tension of their mission.

“Although if I could give a suggestion, so far our walking plans haven’t panned out the best so I believe we should switch things up, let’s have the Guards and the Counts party several paces behind with their longer range weapons while us of the close range specialty take a further scouting position up ahead so as to not get caught off guard?”

LadyOfStars Nero Kunivas Lulidew saxon Faynorae

 

[Nero Kunivas]

Niall Riordan​

Just as before, the assault wound down with the remaining Goblins either fleeing in fear, or launching more desperate attacks against those they felt they could actually inflict harm upon, only to die quivering in pools of their own blood. Niall threw off the blood from his blade with a swing, giving it a look over for a moment; the whispers from the blade rung in his mind, it was satisfied with this bounty of blood from the Goblins, though even with Linneus giving the sellswords a way out, Niall had no intention of stopping now.

"Anytime, Tyrmar." He simply uttered to his fellow warrior. Niall was completely blocking out any and all noise from the irritating Dulcifer by this point, before facing Linneus as he spoke up again:

"Not a chance, Count Light. I'm with the others on this matter; we will see this duty to its end. And I for one am not quite finished with these Goblins just yet." Niall spoke in an unwaveringly firm tone, with a touch of excitement at the mention of the Goblins, thought it was masked by his unreadable expression and a change back to his colder tones again. "Tyrmar has the right of it, we must adapt our strategy if we are to avoid further losses. These ambushes must be turned against the Goblins from here on." The black knight spoke his addendum after gesturing to Tyrmar, then the path ahead of them, no doubt infested with more of the cretins, at least he was hoping it was.

LadyOfStars AbenSur saxon Lulidew Faynorae

 

[LadyOfStars]

Linneus was glad to hear that the mercenaries were not ready to leave just yet, he doubted that he and his soldiers could handle this task on their own. And Tyrmar's jest about drinking managed to bring a smile to the Count's face. While he wouldn't admit to it, he would gladly pay for drinks once this ordeal was done.

However it seemed that the goblins were not the only ones capable of surprising the group. Dulcifer had undergone a transformation which appeared to be perhaps her true form. Linneus didn't know where to begin as this was the first time that he had ever seen something like this. He stepped a few feet closer to get a better look at what appeared to be...a child? While the scene was confusing, the Count did have a better understanding now as to why she behaved the way she did when interacting with the others.

With a heavy sigh, Linneus pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "Get up." He commanded. "This is not the place for such antics." Although he was irritated by the sudden reveal, there was very little that he could do. Except pray to all the gods that there were no more bizarre secrets among the group. "Anyone else have something to share?"

Just then, the soldiers returned and one of them had a vexed looked upon her face. "Lord Light." She called out. "We found the goblin settlement nearby and several goblins hiding within." This was the kind of news that Linneus had hoped for. They were here to slay goblins and save the village of Sootspire from the green pests. "One final push." Linneus declared.

With everyone given time to prepare for the fight ahead, the group made their way towards the goblin village. They adopted Tyrmar's formation as the remainder of Linneus' melee force stayed behind to secure the path home. The mercenaries were now at the head of their squad with the archers trailing behind and Linneus between the two teams. Their trek wasn't long and for the first time they didn't see any corpses. The air finally smelt like that of a forest rather than a burial ground.

"There, just through those trees." One of the archers announced. What the group would see when they poked their heads through the foliage was a large goblin village that had been devastated. Plumes of smoke rose into the air as the residents struggled to put out fires lets from the fighting. One thing that they might notice was that the goblins in the village were all women and children.

"There are no soldiers here." Linneus commented as he stepped out from the tree line to get a closer look. The destruction hinted that the beast, whatever it was, had been here at some point as well. The children and women appeared to be restoring the village as best they could.

"My Lord, if the village is defenseless, now is the perfect time to strike. We could rid this area of future generations of these pests." One of the archers suggested. It was a dark thought and while Linneus would not normally consider such a thing, he could not deny that the woman was correct. However, he made no decision and instead looked to the mercenaries. "What do you all think?" They were the ones that would have to do the dirty work and kill defenseless creatures. While they were monsters, they were still only children. "The choice is yours."

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