A Leisurely Stroll Through the Woods

Job Description:

Our favorite gray haired spirit mage was enjoying one of the best days he's had since he joined Lamia Scale. Dmitry Kazakov was happily trekking through what his guild had called the "Spooky Forest", though he didn't actually see what was so spooky about it. In fact, he felt quite at home here. Sure, it was a bit darker in here than most forests and one could hear the occasional unexplained noise, but Dmitry had traveled through forests like this for most of his life. There was also a certain draw to places like this that the nature spirit mage found hard to resist. So when he found the request to journey into said forest to find a rare flower, he all but jumped for joy. For proof of this joy, one needn't look any further than the uncharacteristic smile on Dmitry's face, replacing his usual lazy frown. After having to live in the city for a few weeks, the young mage couldn't possibly pass up the change in scenery.

'My, but you certainly seem to be in a good mood today.' The wolf spirit Hati said.

'Of course. It's been a long time since I got to walk through a proper forest.' Dmitry replied back. 

'Aren't you going to use Huginn and Muninn to find the plant?' Hati asked.

'They probably wouldn't find much in this thick of a forest.' Dmitry answered. 'Besides, I wanna take the long way.'

He continued to make his way through the dimly lit forest, taking in the immense spirit activity that was abound here. Every so often he could here an animal rustling in a bush or the birds calling through the trees. He missed the feeling of freedom it all gave him. It truly brought him back to older days.

'Reminds me of when you truly were just a little boy.' The old wolf said, reminiscing.

'Way to make yourself sound even older, old man.' Dmitry responded jokingly.

He closed his eyes; it had been quite a long time since then. Back then, it was just him and Hati and he didn't even have the magic power to summon the spirit into physical being. He was alone in the physical plane, but Hati taught him what he needed to survive. Dmitry reopened his eyes and continued to follow the directions given to him by the shop owner he was getting this flower for. A lot happened lately, to him and the guild. He had joined the magic guild Lamia Scale, quickly becoming attached to it. His abilities were tested when he fought Scourge in Quanny village alongside Seikatsu. And most importantly, the guild had lost it's master, Zuo Cii. Though they were still recovering both physically and mentally from the attack, Dmitry knew they would get through it. They had that kind of strength. Suddenly, Dmitry heard some noises and prepared for a fight.

The member 'Dmitry' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Monster Dice' :

Dmitry decided to make the first move. "I invoke the Great Wolf: Hati!" The spirit wolf appeared in his smoky form and stood fast for the enemy's move. However, he was quite disappointed when they revealed themselves to be nothing more than goblins. Hati sighed and ran at the grotesque little creatures, running them into the ground with his Predator's Sprint. As the cretins tried to get up, Hati casually walked over, grabbed one of them with his mouth, and threw it at the other two, knocking them all unconscious. 

"That's stupid!" Hati shouted in a childish manner. "It should have been something deadlier than that!"

Dmitry rolled his eyes at the pouting spirit before dismissing his physical form. Dmitry figured it would be best to limit his use of Hati until he was done with this job. It seemed this place was more dangerous than he originally thought. He would likely need an extra pair of eyes. Dmitry grinned. How about two?

---

Hp: 100%
Mp: 90%

Goblins - Defeated

Spells Used:

"Invoke the Twin Raven's: Huginn! Muninn!" The two spirit birds flew forth and into the forest. They would let him know if they found anything that looked like this particular flower. He continued to walk through the woods while they searched, still enjoying the environment. Dmitry realized there was likely some danger to this place, but that didn't really bother him. He had been in far worse situations than this and it was good to keep in practice despite how weak the goblins were. 

'I can't believe your satisfied with just that.' Hati said scornfully.

'We're not here for your fun, remember.' Dmitry responded.


That's right. Dmitry didn't come out here for a good time and he needed to focus on the job at hand. It was easy for him to forget that he was earning his living. This place might seem frighting to many, but for him, it seemed to distract and draw him in. Dmitry shook his head and continued on.

---

Hp:100%
Mp:80%

Goblins - Defeated

Spells used:

The member 'Dmitry' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Monster Dice' :

It seemed that the birds had found something and Dmitry headed for there location. However, on his way there, he heard several familiar growling noises from the forest around. He knew they were following him, but now wasn't the right moment to engage, so Dmitry kept moving. Eventually they would attack, seeing him as either a threat or some form of prey. If it was the latter, they would underestimate him and give him the chance to correct that perspective. Dmitry grinned as he walked into clearing with a larger amount of sunlight in it than the forest he'd been through so far. In the middle of the clearing, there were several palm sized flowers. Obviously, this was the plant he was looking for. It seemed to have a strange radiance in the sunlight. As expected, the growling he heard before began to come from every corner of the clearing. Dmitry had Huginn and Muninn fly down to him as the wolves burst from the forest and came at Dmitry in full sprint.

The member 'Dmitry' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Block Dice' :

Thankfully, they weren't in some kind of formation and didn't reach him at the same time. The wolf that did get to him first was grabbed by the scruff of his neck midair and swung around to hit the other three using his momentum. Dmitry then let the wolf go causing it to skip across the ground like a rock on water. He quickly converted Huginn and Muninn into daggers and and rushed the first wolf to rise to his feet, cutting him down before he could react. Two down, two to go. 

'Careful boy. Never underestimate the ferocity of a wolf.'

Dmitry remembered his days training with Hati. Everything he knew about fighting he learned from the old spirit wolf. The two remaining wolves had gotten back up by the time Dmitry dispatched the previous one and were preparing to strike again. Dmitry had to make absolutely sure not to go down or they would fall on him.

---

Hp: 100%
Mp: 70% 

Goblins - Defeated

Wolves - 2/4
 

Spells Used:

The member 'Dmitry' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Block Dice' :

The wolves charged one after another, just as before. The first leaped straight for Dmitry's face, a foolish move. Dmitry cut it's throat with his right blade, the animal falling to his left. The second latched on to Dmitry's right arm. Dmitry slammed the wolf to the ground and stabbed the wolf in the side with his left blade. The wolf's breathing became ragged and it whined slightly with each breath. Dmitry, his arm now free from the beasts grasp, to the blade of his right knife and sunk it into the back of the wolf's neck, ending it's suffering. He closed his eyes; most people would think them mindless beasts. But Dmitry knew they were simply protecting their home or trying to feed their young. The natural world could be far more vicious then most humans cared to remember. Dmitry, on the other hand, was bonded to this world. His psyche was intertwined with flow of nature.

---

 
Hp: 95%
Mp: 70%

Goblins - Defeated

Pack Wolves - Defeated

Dmitry looked to his arm. Though his coat lessened the damage, there was still some open wounds left behind from the bite. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out some bandages, glad that he thought to bring them. As he wrapped his arm, he realized the wound came dangerously close to his Lamia Scale Guild mark. He smiled, thinking of the people he had met since he came to this guild. Dmitry had learned quite a bit since got here and expected to learn quite a bit more. He also hoped to meet more interesting people on the way, though you might never expect that from the socially oblivious mage. The young man looked to the sky, wondering just what nature had in store for him next. Truly, from what he'd seen so far, there was no telling. But of course, that was the real beauty of it: endless possibilities.

Dmitry walked over to the flowers he had gone through so much trouble over. He had to admit, he'd never seen a plant quite like it. The spirit mage carefully removed some of the white flowers from their resting place and placed them in the satchel he was supplied with for this job. After that he left the clearing and preceded back the way he came. The sun was beginning to set as he made his way out, painting what little of the sky that Dmitry could see with a brilliant crimson light. This was his favorite time of day, when moon and sun exchange glances and the sky catches fire. 

'Isn't that how you put it, old man?' Dmitry asked the spirit.

'Aww, I'm flattered you remembered, boy.' Hati quipped back.

Dmitry chuckled with the old wolf as he got to the forests edge. Before he left, however, he looked back at the forest and smiled. Images of his life up until now flashed through his mind. Then he turned to his front and walked forward unto the dusk.