Job: The Rarest Flower [Damien]

Job Description:

The sky was dark and ominous as the dark cloaked mage approached the medicinal shop of Magnolia city. The sound of thunder echoed in the distance, a deep bass echoed by the high pitched “ding” of the bell that rested above the entrance door of the shop. Damien Marx lowered the hood of his cape as he entered the shop only to be overwhelmed by the vast amount of aromas that lingered heavily in the shop. The mage had no clue how long the shop had been here, but he felt that the very essence of the herbs had melded with the very board that made up the building. Along the left wall sat shelf displaying various different types of dried herbs and seeds.

Suddenly there was a loud clattering sound from further back in the shop. A short elderly man appeared from behind a curtain drape that lead to what one could assume to be a storage and work area. The man had obviously seen better years, with his balding head and tuft of snow white hair. However, he was surprisingly agile for his age not taking but a moment to round the desk and approach Damien. “Hello there young man I don't believe I've seen you before. Looking for some herbal medicines or tea perhaps? My wife and I prepare the finest remedies in all of Magnolia using the rarest of ingredients that most shops have never even seen and I assure you if anyone has what you're looking for it's us.” The elderly man flashed him a warm smile as he lavishly drew his arms about the room indicating his wares.

Not one bit of it phased Damien though. He saw right through that glossed over smile that the man put on for show. The man was obviously passionate about his work, but it seemed to Damien that he wasn't about the business. A simple look around showed that most of the tincture and medicines for display were merely those to treat common things. The mage easily spotted wrinkle cream, insect repellants and various other concoctions that he doubted were anything the shop keeper felt passion for. The man clasped his hands together and held them in front of himself, looking at Damien expectantly. “I'm actually here on a matter of business. I am a wizard from the guild Eclipse Soul and I have taken up your job request sir.”

Upon hearing this a different look passed over the old man's face one of distraught, grief, and anguish. “Ah.. Yes.. Well then. You will be wanting to know the details of the job I assume.” Damien attempted to give a reply but the old man turned sharply and went through the curtain again. He returned with a tattered book that was well worn from years of use and a glass jar that contained a simple white flower. “Me and my wife make many remedies for the people of Magnolia, but the rarest and most useful of the ingredients we need for true medicinal purpose are much harder to come by than others. A large quantity of our most powerful herbs comes from what locals often refer to as Spookey Forest. In our younger days we would journey through the forest ourselves to gather our ingredients, but now our bodies have grown weaker and I doubt we would survive an encounter with one of the creatures that lurks within those trees. So for the last few years we have hired various wizards from the guild of Fiore to gather the rarest of flowers for us. This one in particular is the Anu Flower. This is the what I request for you to retrieve.” The old man opened the book to a picture of the same flower within the jar. The page listed many things about the flower from it's appearance and medicinal properties were to where it grew.

After reading through the contents of the page Damien set the book down and looked up to the elderly man. “Pardon me sir but do you think I could smell the flower you have in that jar? Due to the nature of my magic I have an enhanced sense of smell and it would aide me greatly to be able to identify the flower by it's scent.” With an almost perplexed look the elderly man handed the jar over to the mage. Damien undid the lid and inhaled deeply of the flower's parfum and committed it to memory before resealing the jar. “Thank you sir. I will be back with the flower before nightfall.” Without another word Damien slipped out the door and began to make his way down the street in the direction of Spookey Forest. “Drip. Drip. Drop.” Came the sound of droplets of water as it the collided with the pavement of the road. The storm was about to begin. From the door way to the shop the elder man shouted after him. “But! The storm!” With a hint of a smile Damien turned his head to look back. “I don't mind. It just means there'll be less people out to deal with!” With those final words the mage pulled up the hood of his cloak and was loss to the elderly man's vision as the downpour began and sheets of water lost Damien to his view.

Damien finally reached the Spooky Forest after traveling through the storm for what seemed to be ages. As he was surrounded by the thicket of trees darkness enveloped everything around him and the rain was mostly blocked out by the canopy of leaves. Damien looked around observing the forest for the first time. Never before had Damien had need to enter the Spooky Forest and thus had never wondered into it's eerie darkness. He could easily see why the locals had named it such. the trees all seemed warped and twisted as of to be out of some horror novel. It made Damien wonder if there was more to the woods than met the eye. Perhaps some horrible magic had been laid upon it at one point. Then again maybe the trees were just oddly shaped and completely natural and everyone was just letting their imaginations get the best of them. With a shrug Damien went on his way as he observed his surrounding. The darkness gave him little aid in finding something that was probably already hardly noticeable to the human eye. A simple flower in the middle of a huge forest. "Maybe they should rename their job request 'A needle in a haystack, a flower in a forest." With a deep sign Damien looked around again. "Well so much for tracking the flowers by their scent. Everything is going to smell like rain and mud." As Damien journeyed through the forest he had little luck in finding anything. The flower was obviously rare and thanks to the rain he couldn't even pick up a hint of the flowers. In a feudal attempt he inhaled deeply to try again. Nothing. Just rain, mud, and.... something else.... wet dog.

The member 'Damien Marx' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Monster Dice' :

A low menacing growl sounded behind Damien as he spun around. He spun around to see a pack of wolves all of whom looked ravished and starving. There were four of them all of which considerably the same size. Their gray fur was matted and drenched from the rain. As they growled they revealed their nasty sharp yellow teeth each of which sharp as a razor. Their plans were ultimately clear. Damien was going to be for dinner if they had their way. With a huff Damien brought himself into a fighting stance similar to that of a boxer. "Why can't these jobs ever be simple? There always has to be some monster or animal or serial killer psychopath involved." With a sigh Damien looked to his enemies and gave out a short, sharp whistle. In an instant two of them launched themselves directly at the mage there jaws open ready to rip the sinews of his flesh should the clamp onto him.

Damien bolted from his position and spun his body bringing the heel of his boot squarely into the jaw of the first wolf which flew across the grassy turf. Without a moments hesitation he brought up both of his arms and roared. "Drake arms!" Black dragon scales enveloped Damien's arms and razor sharps claws protruded from the edge of his nails. Continuing with the momentum of his kick he racked his claws through the side of the second wolf that had launched itself in the air. His claws dug deeply into the animals hide as five deep gashes began to ooze with blood. The animal fell to the ground with a soft whimper before it's last breath hissed out. The tangy copper smell of blood filled the air. The first wolf's jaw was broken but it still lived as he rose back to it's feet.

The scent of blood seemed to fuel the final two wolves as one leaped toward him. Damien barely had time to dodge to the side and a deep wound was torn through his side by the beast's claws. The fourth wolf however, took a different approach and dug it's fangs deep into his left calf muscles. With an almost inhuman roar of pain Damien dug both of sets claws into the animals throat until it's grip slackened and then gripping the head as hard as possible spun the wolf over his head and releasing it sailing into the nearest tree. The wolf's final breath was drowned out by the sickening sound of the bones of it's spine cracking against the tree. The animal fell to the ground as a mere crumpled pile of flesh as the two remaining wolves stared in horror at their would be prey.

Only did then these animals realize they had chosen the wrong person to hunt, for now they would become the hunted. With a whimper the two reaming animals began to run for the nearest thicket of trees, but they didn't make it. Damien was still seeing red from the burning sensation in his leg. He rose his arms and held his hands apart as a dark mass of energy began to form between his palms. The energy quickly grew to it's full diameter and Damien sent it hurling after the wolves, aiming directly at the uninjured one. "DRAKE WRATH!" They had just reached the edge of the thicket as the energy ball impacted the uninjured beast. With an outburst of power the orb exploded expanding to the point of consuming both wolves and tearing into the trunks of the trees. As the view cleared both wolves were gone and the broken trees laid toppled upon the ground. With a growl Damien turned his back and began to search for the flower once more.

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HP: 90%
MP: 80%
Rampage: 35% (20 for Arms 10 for Wrath and 5 for anger)
Drake Arms Duration: 3/3 post
Drake Wrath Cool down: 2/2 post

After limping along for a good five minutes Damien realized he wansn't going to get very far at this rate and stopped to take a break. He removed bandages from his back and began to wrap his leg and side so to stop the bleeding. "Pathetic... Getting torn up by a bunch of mangy mutts... What a waste of time... I just need to hurry and find the flower. After he finished applying the bandages the mage set off once again in search of the flower. The rain began to let up as he walked a long and a familiar scent drifted to him. He took off running towards the source of the aroma and was pleased when he came to a clearing. The cloud cover had broken and there in a ray of sunlight rested the flower. The same white flower as the shop keeper had shown him. After he approached he dug out the flower and slid it into a case then returned it to his bag. He rose and sighed softly. "Now I all I have to do is get out of these awful woods. But suddenly there was a growl behind him.

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HP: 90%
MP: 80%
Rampage: 34%
Drake Arms Duration: 2/3 post
Drake Wrath Cool down: 1/2 post
Magic Regen: 4 Post

The member 'Damien Marx' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Monster Dice' :

As Damien turn a single Lone wolf leaped at him. In instinctual reaction Damein brought up his arms. The long wolf's fangs grinded against his dragon scales. With a shout Damien threw the wolf away as his Drake Arms spell broke. "Bastard... You're one hell of a big fella." The Lone Wolf was much larger than the other wolves Damien had encountered. It's body was rippled with muscle and it obviously didn't go far in bewtwen meals. It rose off the ground and growled as it slowly approached Damien. Slowly the two began to circle each other. Suddenly the two stood still and stared each other down. The Lone Wolf crouched and prepared to pounce. Damien tensed his body and prepared to counter-attack. "Come on puppy show me what you got. With a low growl the Lone Wolf launched itself at Damien.

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HP: 90%
MP: 80%
Rampage: 13%
Drake Arms Cooldown: 4/4 post
Drake Wrath Cooled down
Magic Regen: 3 Post

As the lone wolf vaulted into the air Damien spun his body as a large black dragon tail erupted from beneath his cloak. "Drake Tail!" Spinning with his momentum Damien slammed the tail into the jaws of the lone wolf as it's teeth grated against his scales. The wolf sailed a few feet away but landed effortlessly on it's feet. The wolf wasted no time in attacking again as it's paws contacted Damien's chest and forced him to the ground. The beast opened it's jaws wide and reared back and struck barely missing the poor mage's throat, and digging it's fangs into his shoulder. Before it could do any further damage Damien's tail coiled around the wolf's midsection and lifted it up into the air. As the mage stood with an outraged look upon his face the sound of bones snapping echoed throughout the forest. His violet eyes burned with hatred as he brought the retched beast that was now whimpering down to eye level. "I really am getting tired of you worthless beast getting in my way."

With a roar Damein hurled the lone wolf into trunk of the nearest tree. The animals body fell and landed in a shape impossible for it to naturally take. As Damien approached it again his tail lashed out again, and again, and again. Finally with barely audible whimper the lone wolf ceased breathing. With a sharp flick of his tail as he spun around Damien stalked off back the way he had came. "If I see one more damn mutt before I get out of these wretched woods I'm going to lose it."

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HP: 75%
MP: 70%
Rampage: 52% (Plus 20 for Drake Tail and plus 20 for damage)
Drake Arms Cooldown: 3/4 post
Drake Tail Duration: 3 post
Magic Regen: 2 Post[/color]

Damien's mood only worsened as he journeyed out of the forest. Not only was he tired and injured, but the job had taken much longer than he had planned and he hadn't brought near enough food rations. His shoulder was starting to burn from where the lone wolf had bit him, and he was starting to think the worthless beast might have had rabies. "Great. Just another thing I have to worry about." He sighed heavily as he leaned against a tree and took a drink of water from his cantine. Why are there so many wolves out here, and yet not once have I seen any animals that would be their prey. Could they solely live off of people who wander in unprepared? Damien sighed again and realized he had a bad habit of sighing whenever he had something on his mind. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and once again set off through the forest. His mood was finally lifted when he saw the light at the edge of the tree line. "Finally! Freedom."

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HP: 75%
MP: 70%
Rampage: 51%
Drake Arms Cooldown: 2/4 post
Drake Tail Duration: 2 post
Magic Regen: 1 Post

The member 'Damien Marx' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Monster Dice' :

Another pack of wolves emerged from the brush and got directly in Damien's path to the exit. Big mistake. "That's it all of you are dead meat!" Damien saw red as black wings erupted from his back. "Drake Wings!" Damien flew straight for the pack at his full speed and firmly landed in the center of them. The wolves looked confused for a moment. That moment was all Damien need as his body whirled around in a flurry of scales. His wings each struck a wolf as his tail slammed into the other two and sent the skidding across the ground. The wolfs all leaped at him at once digging their fangs into his arms and legs. His tail raised up high in the air and came crashing down with tremendous force. "Ground Pound!" A shock wave erupted from the impact tearing at the ground and launching all four wolves away from Damien. The mage instantly lifted himself off the ground and launched himself at two of the wolves at astonishing speed. "High speed!" As he hurled toward them he grabbed both with his tail and turned his body around as they were sent sailing into the wood work crashing into tree after tree. If they survived they weren't going to be getting up any time soon. Since he was done with those two Damien turned back to the remainder of the pack.

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HP: 60%
MP: 50%
Rampage: 70% (10 for wings 5 each for ground and speed)
Drake Arms Cooldown: 1/4 post
Drake Tail Duration: 1 post
Drake Wings Duration: 3 post
Ground Pound Cooldown: 2/2 Post
High Speed Cooldown: 2/2 Post
Magic Regenerated: Magic Regen: 5 Post

Damien roared as he sailed straight towards one of the remaining wolves. "Drake arms! His arms once again were covered in sleek black dragon scales as his claws dug into the flesh of the wolf as he collided with it. With a jerk of his body he sent the beast into the second wolf causing them to roll across the path in a flurry of dust. The animals growled as the dust settled and the looked up towards the mage. The wolf that he had thrown was bleeding heavily and looked now more savage than ever. Damien raised both arms above his head as a dark mass of energy began to form between his hands. The wolves attempted to leap up and bite his ankles but he was out of their reach. The mage hurled the dark mass of energy at the final wolf. "Drake Wrath!" The dark mass exploded and engulfed both wolves as they let out a sharp yelp.

Damien didn't wait around to see what became of them. He sailed straight out of the trees and headed for Magnolia to give the old shop keep his lousy flower. As Damien flew he dispelled his arms and tail and calmly floated through the sky. For Damien this was one of the best perks of his magic. Being able to fly was the most pure embodiment of freedom. When Damien first learned his wings takeover spell he flew and flew until he had almost depleted all of his magical energy. He often wondered if wizards who didn't possess the ability of flight ever yearned for it. He knew that if anything, he would never give it up. No matter what your isues were you could always just.... fly away from them. Fly to freedom.

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HP: 50%
MP: 30%
Rampage: 99% During battle drops to 79% after dispelling by the end of a calming flight to Magnolia it will be set to 10% till wings are dispelled
Combat Over no longer tracking Cooldown and Duration

Damien landed in front of the medicinal shop with a grunt. The sky had finally cleared and the sun was going down which painted the sky a flare of purple and pink. Damien's body had grown stiff and sore during the long flight. He was tired and ready for a bath. As he pushed the door to the shop open the bell sounded once more, and the familiar smell of the shop flooded his nostrils. The old man was moving about with a book and pen doing what looked like cataloging his wares for the night. He seemed lost in his work and had not heard the bell so when Damien approached the man, his wings still out, the sudden rustle caused the poor man to almost leap out of his skin. "Oh! It's you son. I hadn't expected you back till long into the night." The old mans face suddenly shifted as he noticed how injured Damien was. "No no that won't do at all. Those pesky beast of the forest always making it so hard to get supplies. T'is why I had to resort to hiring wizards like yourself to get them for me." He muttered as he rummaged about the shelves until he located a glass vial full of a foul looking black fluid. "Here you are. No charge. Consider it part of my payment, and don't even try to leave it I won't take no for an answer. It'll ease the pain and help you to heal faster. Now then, were you able to find the flower? Damien looked at the old man baffled as he took the vial from him and slipped it into his pocket. It was rare that you met such kindhearted people. "Ugh yes... It took longer then I thought since the rain made it hard to track it's scent and so many wild animals got in my way but here it is. He slid the case containing the flower out of his bag and passed it to the old shop keeper. The man's face lit up with sheer joy. "Yes, Yes, this will do just fine. They don't grow well out of the forest you know. I can keep one flower alive for a few months maybe but they all begin to wilt at some point. Can't replant them either. But their healing properties are worth the effort. Good job son I'll make sure to recommend you. Now take care of yourself. Damien nodded as he drew up the hood of his cloak and exited through the door again.

The sun had finally set and the lights of Magnolia were slowly flickering on. Damien removed the vial the old man had given him and took off the cap. He looked at it curiously before quickly downing the medicine. His tongue revolted in disgust and he barely had enough time swallow the liquid before he began to gag and cough. It was [u[]awful[/u]! Regardless of the flavor Damien felt his muscles began to relax and the pain drain away. Well at least it worked. Maybe I'll have to buy some for myself. With that Damien stretches his wings out and soared up into the sky and headed back to his guild. Wonder what my next job will be.