Aeterna Rebirth - IC

[WriggleRid3r]

Residuum Steppes | Time: 1:51 AM

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"Well let me tell you one thing before I continue." El suddenly turned around and stared at Jason. "I hate people who go back on their words."

"You see, this tome was located deep in the Mysdia Mountain Range, in some old decrepit cemetery. It was full of traps and whatnot; had to use the clothes I was using as bandages when a spear trap grazed me on the shoulders. I still have the scar, too."

"Anyway, I grabbed the tome and got to my client expecting payment. But this old fool was stalling; saying he left the pouch of gold here, there, somewhere. I was dubious, but I saw the money before I took the job, so I knew he had it in his possession. But then this asshole decided to bring me to the center of his manor and decided to cast a spell from the tome."

"Apparently this tome was a summoning portal for a giant otherworldly tentacle monster. Let me emphasize on the fact that it's a tentacle monster. Tentacles. AM I SAYING IT LOUD ENOUGH FOR YOU?" El at this time was eagerly reciting her episode. She had a lot more episodes like that, where she was set up by bad guys who usually wanted to extort her for money or something more primal, but could not fulfill their plan thanks to El's quick thinking and quicker feet. "This old pervert was seeking to create a harem by subjugating this monster and using it to enslave women, with me being his first target. Me being here means that I managed to escape that day, but he really took me by surprise. That tentacle monster was like centimeters close from raping me, but I managed to kill it thanks to a nifty trick I learned."

[S121]

Residuum Steppes | Time: 1:52 AM

"Oh...", Jason uttered when he heard about the tentacle creature El had to face.

Just from the very, very little time he knew her, it seemed that she got into a lot of situations that left her rather.. exposed and vulnerable. This thought made Jason blush just a little enough to be almost unnoticeable, but he continued the conversation.

"So how did you get out?", Jason asked El.

[WriggleRid3r]

Residuum Steppes | Time: 1:55 AM

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"The monster was fast; but not too fast." El recalled, shuffling the two knives she had with her hands effortlessly. "I have this cool trick called Shadowstep where I can get from where I am to a shadow in the blink of an eye. I can only cast it ever so often, but it helped me get out of numerous sticky situations."

El could see the bandit hideout growing closer and closer. Still need another 10 minutes to get there. "This tentacle used sights to hunt for prey, which meant that my Shadowstep would affect it a lot more than if it relied on scent or hearing. Right when it was about to thrust its' tentacles in me, I saw a shadow cast by a torch nearby, and Shadowstepped there to safety. Long story short, I slew the monster, killed the client, grabbed the sack of gold I deserved as payment, and snuck out."

[wonderweiss]

Everbloom Forest

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Fergus was going about half sleeping. But now it was time for him to wake once more.

"You put the lime in the coconut and drink it all up ~ you put the l-*GAAAASP*"

Whenever he wakes up, it always seems as if he were recovering from an exorcism. He caught his breath once more.

"Gah... Huff... I swear, if it weren't for the fact that humans need sleep to live..."

He stood up and stretched. After that, he cracked his neck and did some exercise to alert himself. After that was done, he was ready to be on his way.

"Alrighty... HELL MASTER'S UP, BABY!!!"

[S121]

Residuum Steppes | Time: 1:56 AM

"Shadow.. Step?", Jason questioned in slight confusion.

To be honest, he had never heard of someone having such a specialized ability like El had. Usually it was of the usual magic types and techniques, but there was certainly something a little different about her ability.

"So is it like the opposite of Light Magic?", Jason asked.

[WriggleRid3r]

Residuum Steppes | Time: 1:57 AM

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"Well... not really." El denied Jason's question by shaking her head slightly. "I don't know a lot about magic; all the fancy little spells and whatnot is too complicated for me. But one thing I know is that a magic is applicable in a myriad of different ways. My ability, however, can only make sneaky plays."

"But hey, even if I could trade my ability for something else, I wouldn't. Too many times have it been oh-so-useful."

[S121]

(Sorry for short post, couldn't think of much.)

Residuum Steppes | Time: 1:57 AM

"Huh... I suppose I can see. I doubt many other magic types would have allowed you to escape like you did.", Jason said to El as they continued to walk.

Although Jason was still slightly wary of El, he at least seemed a little more comfortable around her than before. At the very least, she was rather open and friendly.

[WriggleRid3r]

Residuum Steppes | Time: 2:05 AM

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Jason and El talked a bit more afterwards... or at least it was El who did the talking most of the times. The two felt a bit more comfortable with each other as El told more of her treasure-hunting stories. The more and more stories Jason heard from her, the stronger the argument of her not being as notorious as others might suggest became.

Eventually, the two made it to the hideout. There were a whopping six guards protecting the entrance: after El's escape, they must have decided to up the security on their hideout. The Red Baron bandits may not look like the smartest bunch, but there sure were a lot of them. Additional to the six guards, two extra bandits took up on watch duty on top of a watch tower near one corner of the rectangular walls that surrounded their underground hideout. They looked like they were equipped with crossbows, which would prove to be a dangerous threat in case of a fight considering their high-ground advantage.

"They really bolstered their defenses after I escaped." El commented as she hid behind a boulder to monitor the hideout from a safe distance without her or Jason being spotted. Turning to Jason who must be behind her or hiding somewhere near her, she asked: "I think we need a distraction of sorts to thin them down a bit. Got any ideas?"

[S121]

Residuum Steppes | Time: 2:05 AM

Jason felt a sense of dread overcome him when he realized that they might have to fight to get through the bandits. That was the last thing he wanted to do, especially since that was what he was trying to run away from before. Unfortunately, it looked like he would have to do this once again. After thinking to himself for a moment, Jason looked over to El and whispered to her.

"Well, I guess we can lure them out here then kill them. Either that, or I kill the bandits up in the towers with some well placed spike throws.", Jason whispered to El as he pulled out two throwing spikes and showed them to her.

[WriggleRid3r]

Residuum Steppes | Time: 2:05 AM

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El looked at Jason's throwing spikes, then at the two crossbow-wielding bandits on top of the watchtower. It seemed pretty far away from the other guards, although their screams would still be audible... if they scream as they die. The throwing spikes shown by Jason seemed small and quick enough to allow a stealthy kill. Multiple scenarios ran across El's head. If Jason could kill the guards up top with the throwing spikes without them screaming at the top of their lungs as they died, Then El can climb the tower from the outside without the guards noticing her and plan their course of action from there. Even if they did alert the guards, the doofuses down below would not be able to locate where she and Jason are because of how stealthily the kills would be. Some of them will have to split and check out the watchtower, allowing El and Jason to split the fight into two or three quick and easy skirmishes.

"Right. Let's see how that goes." El nodded, concurring with Jason's plan of sniping the two guards on the watchtower. Hopefully he doesn't miss... that would be embarrassing, not to mention jeopardizing their location.

[S121]

(REAAAAALY HATE MYSELF FOR NOT POSTING HERE FOR A WHILE!!! DX)

Residuum Steppes | Time: 2:05 AM

With El's confirmation, Jason silently nodded at her, then carefully laid a spike in each of his hands. After that, he carefully brought each of his hands back and aimed at his targets. It was just like when he was bored as a kid and threw sticks at paper targets, only instead his targets were bloodthirsty and fleshier. After achieving maximum focus and predicting where the spikes would fly once they left his hands, he swung both arms forward and let them fly. The only thing was, the spikes seemed to move MUCH faster through the air than how hard Jason appeared to throw them, almost as if something was influencing them.

[WriggleRid3r]

Residuum Steppes | Time: 2:06 AM

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The spikes landed cleanly on the two watchmen's temples, felling them instantly. Unfortunately, they emitted a short URK before they died, which alerted the guards in the front gate. After talking to each other, the six split into two groups of three, with one group walking over to the watchtower to investigate what happened.

"Clean." El raised an eyebrow. Either the guy had a really good throwing arm, or he had some supernatural force behind it. "Too bad it wasn't as stealthy, but at least it thinned out the guards in the front. Now let me take the three out and we can barge in with an eviction notice."

[S121]

Residuum Steppes | Time: 2:06 AM

Jason simply nodded at El before focusing on the three of the six he was tasked with taking care of. Just like before, Jason pulled out three spikes, pulled his arm back, and lobbed each one at the guards, accelerating them as they flew through the air.

[WriggleRid3r]

Residuum Steppes | Time: 2:09 AM

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Poor bandit gatekeepers; they had no idea what was coming for them. All three spikes struck their targets dead on; two died immediately as their temples and solar plexus, respectively, were punctured; one managed to survive, although a spike that embedded itself onto his left shoulders must be a very crippling damage to him as he cried out, collapsing on the ground.

The other three didn't manage to live another day. El strafed off to the side, keeping away from the guards' peripheral visions until it was an opportune moment to strike. She gripped her daggers tightly, and Shadowstepped behind the first victim's back. He didn't last long as El grabbed his shoulders and cut his throat. Before the other two noticed the sudden ambush, El was ready to strike as she leaped towards the second victim, her daggers reaching for the bandit's heart and skewering it. By the time third victim realized what was going on and drew his weapon: a crude cutlass of sorts, El was ready once more. A few parries later, El's superior swordsmanship prevailed as she was able to claim the third kill, one as ruthless and merciless as the other, her every movement a dance of death for her enemies.

"Good stuff." El smiled and stood up, amidst the dead bodies. El didn't feel remorse; it was kill or be killed in the world of Aeterna. Besides the bandits aren't truly dead; they're just... permanently logged out. Glancing over to Jason to find that he too have cleanly dispatched his victims, El walked over to him, her hands soaked in the blood of her enemies. "You did pretty good. You left one, though."

[S121]

Residuum Steppes | Time: 2:09 AM

Jason merely looked over at El with a rather nervous smile before looking back at the bandit. While El was rather relaxed despite the fighting, Jason looked a little more tense. To the untrained eye, he looked calm and collected, but his apprehension was still somewhat present. The stiffness of his shoulders and the posture he stood with were almost dead giveaways that although he showed skill, he was not accustomed to combat. When El mentioned that there was one more remaining, Jason looked over to the bandit from the shadows, and pulled out another throwing spike. After taking a light breath, Jason reared the spike back and threw it at the still living bandit, augmenting its speed and sending it through the air with the velocity of an arrow.