It was suppose to be a field trip [Job/ Samira and Hebi]

"Mages come in all shapes and sizes. Where one may falter at something, another may excel."

A free trip to the zoo on its opening day. It had sounded like a good idea when it was suggested to her. A good idea that only sounded good on paper when the one being asked to tag along was a creature that was half snake. In practice it was actually quite an awkward and disturbing thought. What made her think that a certain Lamia would enjoy seeing animals in cages was beyond even her level of comprehension. It just sounded like a fun thing to do, and perhaps there was the possibility she just wanted a good excuse to go.

Samira did not know Hebisha very well. The one time they had even been in the same room with each other was back when they were clearing out some new land mass of monsters and setting up a location for a new branch of the guild. It wasn't exactly the best way to get to know one another, especially given they were separated throughout most of that mission and had different tasks. However, as an ace of the guild she really wanted to get to know who may as well have been a mascot for Lamia Scale. Not just for that trivial reason, of course, but also because she found the Lamia to be rather interesting. Aside from one of her newer spirits that was also one, Samira had never actually seen one before aside from what was in books. So, why the adventure to Clover Town for a zoo opening? Simply put, the summoner believed Hebisha needed to get out and interact more with people that were not just from Lamia Scale or Hargeon. It probably would have been a good idea to check into her history beforehand, but what was done was done.

Samira had arrived at the zoo slightly earlier than her half-snake zoo viewing buddy. It was done purposely at the request of some of her spirits to ensure that the zoo staff did not try and lock up Hebisha the moment they saw her and turn her into a new attraction. Something that the young woman thought was unnecessary, but it was indeed logical as a just in case measure. Upon arriving, Samira walked up to the ticket counter and asked to speak with the owner of the zoo as well as the head of security. There were some awkward stares and looks at her making such a request, but Samira did not take no for an answer. The last thing she needed was to slap a few idiots for getting the wrong impression when seeing her fellow guild member when she arrived. She was there to have some fun while getting to know someone, and they were not going to be causing her any problems. That and she really didn't want to hear her spirits calling her an idiot at the end of the day either for actually taking a Lamia to a zoo.

"I can't believe she actually suggested to snake-girl that they visit a damn zoo." Susano commented while facepalming. The spirits were all kind of tuning out what was going on outside the mind space since listening and watching Samira speak with security was a tad bit boring.

"You're the dumbass that suggested it to her."

"It was supposed to be a joke! I didn't think she'd listen to me!"

"Just be glad I wasn't around when you made that 'joke.' As a serpent myself I am highly offended."

"If you were really offended you would have thrown him out of the room by now. From what I can see he is very much still here and sulking over how he once again underestimated our summoner's ability to be the most gullible person in this part of Earthland."

"Well what did you all expect? We're supposed to be the all knowing spirits that guide her in the right direction or...something. I missed that part in orientation."

"I think most of us should be disqualified if that's what we're really supposed to be doing."

Back in the real world, Samira had made arrangements for the zoo staff to treat Hebisha as any other guest so there would be no problems there. Unfortunately, as the Lamia arrived and slithered her way over Samira could not help but notice the stares that were being given. Nothing could really be done about that without starting some kind of scene and making it worse. Ignoring the stares, Samira greeted her fellow guild member and proceeded further into the zoo where they could actually begin what would hopefully be an enjoyable time.

The zoo was a little small, but there was room for expansion. There were even areas that were blocked off since they were still under construction and not fully ready for random customers to walk through. Naturally Samira was curious but went past those areas to focus on the areas they could access without getting into trouble. There was a random man in a lab coat near one of the animal exhibits, but Samira paid him no mind. Surely he was part of the employee roster and not up to anything suspicious. Her eyes went back to focusing on the large lion that seemed to be the main attraction for the zoo at that point in time. It was earned. The predatory feline was very large and intimidating, and made her wonder if it came from the same line as one of her spirits.

It was then she heard Hebisha's voice call her name and mentioning how she noticed something odd. "Odd?" Samira repeated as she turned towards the Lamia with confused blinking eyes. Everything seemed normal to her thus far. Just as Hebisha was about to explain, her words were cut off by the sounds of terrified screaming. Her gaze left the Lamia and looked around to see people running around in a panic. There were also animal-like sounds coming from different areas of the zoo, but they were not normal sounding. It was slightly different and a lot more monstrous. In no time the pair of Lamia Scale members were surrounded by a pack of very large...wolves. Or at least, that was what they were at one point. Now they were nothing more than dangerous monsters, having been turned by some mysterious and unexplained force. A wild fit of laughter could be heard, it belonging to the man in the labcoat that had been see earlier. He took off running to another section of the zoo. "That is not strange at all," Samira commented to herself as she had half a mind to follow. She was stopped by one of the massive wolves running in front of her though and then slowly approached closer as it snarled. "A wise decision," Samira replied to Hebisha in regards to the question that was interrupted earlier. Now she just had to hope they didn't die for whatever reason before the question could be asked. That would have been most unfortunate.

Much like Hebisha, Samira had not brought any weapons to the zoo visit. Granted, the girl rarely even used weapons to begin with, and even if she did she could just access the storage of her spirit's for basic ones. There wasn't a whole lot of time for target practice though. It was best to just take the easy way until they figured out what the hell was going on. Hebisha had made her move that drew the attention of most of the wolves. The one in front of Samira still had its focus on her and lunged forward with snapping jaws, but it had missed its much smaller prey as she evaded, although a bit clumsily as she fell forward immediately after. At the very least the creature had yet to take notice, giving her time to grab one of her keys and summon a spirit. “Open, gate of the Avatar, Cernunnos, The Horned God!”

A swirling green portal opened up as the key was held out and the spirit called. Flowers and plants began to spawn from the created portal, all of them releasing a glowing sort of misty pollen that took to the air around them. The wolves near the portal breathed it in and soon began to collapse onto the ground, sleeping. The satyr spirit that appeared helped Samira up from the ground now that the current danger was dealt with. The rest of the wolf pack that Hebisha had not taken care of herself would soon fall under the same slumber as the magical plantlife spread. A shame it couldn't cover the entire zoo. From the sounds of things, there was chaos all over the place.

"We should probably refrain from killing anything here unless it poses a serious threat." Samira told her Lamia companion, having learned at some point in the past to take the time to figure out what was going on before causing a massive slaughter. The animals at the zoo were not born monsters; they were transformed. If there was a way to revert them back to their normal forms then it was worth some time to figure it out. "We should probably also be on the lookout for people that require assistance in escaping. I doubt everyone here is a mage capable of defending themselves. Lets keep our focus there until we can find out what is really going on around here."

"Mages come in all shapes and sizes. Where one may falter at something, another may excel."

After seeing Hebisha stop squeezing and let the wolves go, Samira would have given a nod of approval for the Lamia listening and choosing the no kill option. That is, until she saw the snake-girl just whack them unconscious with a few punches. Her green eyes widened in surprise and in her stunned silence she could only blink. Jeez, she herself really was the only one incapable of physical fighting to such a degree. Even the Lamia could throw a few punches. Somehow she doubted her own method of slapping perverts and annoying bastards would be an efficient method of handling the mutated animals. Closer screams echoed around them, although the sounds were being overpowered by another that was more thunderous and powerful. The ground shook and it was soon to be revealed that the source was a stampede of mutated...elephants. The day was getting better by the second.

The summoner noticed Hebisha quickly taking action to rescue a father and daughter that were in the middle of being chased by two of them. She even noticed the Lamia using a magic that seemed to be rare for her to use, but now was not really the time for her to be impressed or allow her curious nature to ask about it. As unfortunate as it was, she had her own mutated enemies to deal with and people to evacuate. Two more stampeding elephants burst through another exhibit behind her with no obstacles along the way to slow them down whatsoever. Cernunnos had tossed his glaive in the direction of one of them with the result of the weapon bouncing right off and hitting the ground the moment it collided with the abnormally tough hide the beasts now possessed. With there being little time before the two were ran over, the satyr grabbed onto the summoner's wrists and tossed her aside and out of the way, ignoring her surprised cries. He himself erupted into green magic particles as the elephants collided with him.

Samira had landed and rolled until she was lying flat on her belly after being tossed. She heard the shouted advise from her companion and agreed with it due to what she had just witnessed. A spirit capable of such a thing just needed to be called. As she placed the palms of her hands on the ground and pushed herself up, she noticed the two elephants continuing their charge, ignoring the fact they had missed their original target. They had found some new ones in the form of a group of children huddled together who showed signs of being frightened while also oblivious to the two large beasts coming for them. Screaming at them to move was a waste of time and effort in her eyes. Instead, her words were instead used to call on another spirit. Quickly back on her feet, Samira unhooked more keys. “Open, gate of the Avatar, The Shining Light! Amaterasu!”

In a flash of brilliant white light, the spirit left her own plane of existence and entered the mortal one. Just as all of Samira's spirits were, she was connected to her summoner's mind even before being summoned; she already knew what to do without having to demand for instructions. The light spirit teleported herself in a blink of light, creating two additional copies of herself made of light in the process. With the power of the three combined, they all hit one of the elephants on its side with their blades, although still sheathed to avoid fatally injuring the creatures. It ran into the other one from the force of power from the magic spirits and in turn their direction shifted to a point they had ran smack into a building of one of the other exhibits. Right through the walls and right through the thick glass that contained whatever was inside. The elephants finally collapsed when they smacked into the rocks of a cave. A ton of destruction just to take out two elephants, but it was a consequence for taking the less bloody route.

"Samira, is dealing with rampaging mutant creatures a typical outing for your guild? Would this be considered practice?" The light spirit questioned as Samira approached the spirit. The summoner almost facepalmed at the question. Typical. Members of a monster hunting guild having to deal with monsters even on a day off. It may as well have been considered practice. "I approve of this method. Hands on practice simulation is the best way to improve yourself." Amaterasu patted her summoner's head of green hair, ignoring the growing sweatdrop and the awkward expression on Samira's face. All the while the clones of light gathered the children and helped them to the exit. Just as Samira was about to remove Ama's hand from her head and mention Hebisha and herself were not at all practicing their monster slaying skills, there were roars and pounding of chest sounds, much like earlier but much closer. Then the sounds of something large soaring through the air. A large letter "Z", likely from a sign farther in the park, landed right by spirit and summoner. Samira nearly had a heart attack as it barely missed her, meanwhile Amaterasu barely even blinked. Another soaring sound with an "O" landing near Hebisha. The last "O" landed on the building the elephants crashed into earlier. "It would appear the simulation has upgraded to the slaying of monstrous letters."

"Ama...," Samira replied with twitching eyebrows. "You are connected to my mind. I know that you are aware that is not what this is. Why are you acting otherwise?"

"It amuses me," came the reply, her lips forming a small smile at the thought of how annoyed her summoner must be with her. Alas, such fun could not last for long. Amaterasu could sense something rather powerful and large coming from behind. No fear or concern showed as she picked up her summoner bridal style without so much as a word and light blinked her way over towards Hebisha. Immediately after the spirit acted, a very large gorilla had landed right where they originally were standing, giant fists pounding onto the concrete and forming two craters. Five more gorillas appeared in various styles, either from smashing through walls of nearby exhibits, and thereby releasing more of the animals that hadn't started wrecking havoc, or by jumping and pounding anything they wanted to. They appeared to be very strong physically, more so than even the elephants. "I count six of them," Samira stated towards her spirit and Hebisha, her green eyes narrowed and focused as she watched the mutated gorillas act chaotically. Thus far, they were too distracted to take notice of their location, but it wouldn't last for long. "If you think you can handle three on your own, we will split them up evenly. Otherwise, do what you can and I will cover you." Samira said as she looked towards Hebisha. "They appear to be very strong so stay out of range if you can. If you must get in close then be quick, and do not get hit or grabbed. I fear the result that would come from that." Looking back towards the spread out gorillas, Samira said one more thing before taking off to deal with her part. "Remember, do not take on more than you can handle. There is no telling what else is running around. Call for aid if you need it."

"Mages come in all shapes and sizes. Where one may falter at something, another may excel."

Samira watched Hebisha take off, admiring the Lamia's willingness to fight and even listening to her words. After a few seconds, she took off as well with Amaterasu alongside her. Taking out a few gorillas was easy as long as she did it carefully. She was not as strong physically as her companion or her spirit, and it was doubtful she could take as much pain and hits as them. It would have been so much easier if she could kill the animals and go on an all out offensive, but she knew it was more right to try and do what she could to spare them and find a way to turn them all back. Amaterasu went after one gorilla. Her sword remained in its sheath so she didn't end up killing it, but she did have to use a great amount of force to even hurt it in some how. Using one of her abilities, the weapon glowed, giving her more power to her attacks. Her speed then increased to a point that it was hard to even watch and make out all of the strikes she had landed on the creature. Eventually, the gorilla fell unconscious from the pain it had received from its injuries. As for Samira, all she had to do was summon yet another crowd control type spirit.

“Open, gate of the Avatar, God of the Underworld! Hades!” She shouted as she raised the key belonging to the spirit and opening the portal. What came out was not some intimidating figure that could be seen in images and stories of the god. What came out was a smaller and cute doll sized version. An effect from a fellow spirit that had yet to fade away. Nonetheless, his power was to take possession of another creature's body and soul, and just that he did. The closest gorilla was his target and he made good use of it. The last gorilla had spotted the Lamia Scale Ace, but just as it jumped her way to turn her into a gooey mess on the cement, the controlled gorilla leapt forward and gave it a good punch in its ape face. The strength sent the other flying where it ran into the unconscious body of the third. The enemy gorilla stood up and roared before grabbing hold of its lost comrade, lifting it, and smashing it into the ground. Another roar as Ama joined in to help by giving it a kick to its head and then a whack with her weapon before she fully retreated. It had tried to grab her as she passed its shoulders, but she was a quicker moving spirit and it was no match for her. The two gorillas continued fighting until Hades was ejected out and sent back to the celestial realm. The controlled gorilla passed out. That left one more weakened gorilla, but a call from Hebisha caught the attention of both summoner and spirit. The lamia was in trouble, not by one of the gorillas, but by possibly the most powerful animal in the exhibit; the lion. What a fearsome beast it had become! It shocked Samira and even Amaterasu. "Hebisha!" Samira cried out, worried for the safety of her fellow guild member.

Filled with concern and actual anger, Samira left Amaterasu to deal with the gorilla, who had actually been grabbed by the moment of pause and tossed aside like a rag doll. The light spirit could handle it just fine however since there was barely anything left to the creature, and she was a stronger spirit than others. As for Samira, she ran towards the mighty beast without fear or care. She didn't even summon a spirit right at that point. The woman was acting on seeing someone that she was supposed to protect in situations like this get harmed to such a degree. The power of her spirits flowed from her keys and onto herself, giving her a sort of magical glow that amplified her normally fragile body that was incapable of doing more than a slap. The girl just wasn't all that good when it came to athletics. However, with her spirits giving her their strength, the combination made for a powerful attack that even she could pull off. The transformed lion roared and began to turn towards the woman that was quickly approaching it. Before it could fully face her, Samira landed a single punch on its side, creating an explosion of magical energy as her fist struck the furry flesh. The thing was sent forwards into a closed exhibit, buying some time to aid Hebisha.

'Summoner, call upon me. I want to speak with that one. She is important.'

"That is actually a good idea," Samira said before taking hold of Nu Wa's key as well as He Bo's. "I want you to stay with her and keep a watch so this does not happen again. He Bo will heal her and from there I will likely have Kukulkan take his place. Since that thing has wings we are going to need something that can fly."

'As you wish, Samira.'

Both spirits were then called upon. The spirit known as He Bo appeared as nothing more than water. Although, really it seemed most spirits would be invisible to the poor injured Lamia due to their lack of heat signatures. A portal opened, allowing the celestial water he was made of to pour out and fuse with the water Hebisha's body was in. The water began to heal her snake portions first as it closed the wounds and repaired the white scales to perfection. Then it traveled higher to her human portions. The broken arm took the majority of the focus. With an explanation that could only be "it's magic so don't question it" the celestial water fixed the broken arm and healed her so she could resume her fighting. "You are now healed, young Lamia," the spirit spoke before fading away. He wasn't entirely sure how old she was, but he could sense she would be much younger than the Lamia of legend.

After he was gone, the spirit that had requested to be called materialized. A fellow Lamia she was; one that was a spirit incarnation of the actual goddess known as Nu Wa. Although if one were to be more technical one could say she was a Naga rather than a Lamia. Technicalities were so boring to deal with though. "I knew I sensed something about you," the spirit Nu Wa said in a friendly tone. She could sense the power of her original within Hebisha. Very interesting. What a small world it was. Two worlds really if one was to count the celestial realm. "The original Nu Wa has taught you this power?" She asked as she slithered her pure white scales across the grass and pavement to be closer to the other. The spirit version had no contact with the original, and so it was unknown to her that it was a monk that had been blessed and that it was he who had taught Hebisha the power. All the same it was fascinating. If Hebisha was not already prepared to enter battle once more, Nu Wa would help her rise. "I believe my original has made a wise choice to allow you to wield her power. You worry for your friends and comrades and do not hesitate to jump into battle. You still wanted to even in the condition you were moments ago. Now that you are healed, it is time to resume your battle. You have much strength inside you. It just needs the experience and time to grow. Start now, and show the king of beasts that you are not one to be considered as weak. I will be by your side."

The mutated lion recovered as it flew out of the exhibit it had crashed into. It landed, causing a minor earthquake from its weight and strength. It then roared with such power that the force sent Samira flying backwards. Her journey ended when she smacked up against a fountain, hitting her back and as well as the back of her skull. It hurt a great deal and she was quite dazed and disoriented. For the moment, Hebisha would have to do what she could with Nu Wa as the roar spread through the entirety of Clover Town. Every single animal in town was now reacting to the call.

"Mages come in all shapes and sizes. Where one may falter at something, another may excel."

Nu Wa listened quietly as the Lamia spoke. The spirit had a small smile even if the one she had been speaking to could not see it. She was confident Hebisha would not fall into a form of despair. The Lamia  had been chosen for a reason to wield the powers that had originally been given by a goddess. Mistakes would be made along the way, just as her own summoner made many. It was how one learned, and it was required if Hebisha were to grow towards her full potential. Whatever plans her original had, she was certain they would be fulfilled.

Just as she had predicted, Hebisha was not going to stand idly by while a battle was going on. Her magic had been used once more; this time with no holding back and with much skill. Nu Wa joined the fight herself. The spirit slithered elegantly through the zoo, taking the mutated animals out with ease and grace. None were killed as she used the crystals that floated in the air beside her to switch to different elemental attacks. She held back enough to do just enough damage to cause them to lose consciousness. If anything had gotten too close to her, she merely had to move her tail and give the enemy a good smack. The creatures were at a level of strength below her own even when mutated. It did not require much effort to harm one. The only issue were their numbers, which was nothing to really worry about either. With Hebisha taking many out as she fought with such ferocity, and with her own fighting methods landing a number of hits on the gorillas, wolves, elephants, and even tigers, the numbers had dwindled quickly. When the lion reappeared, Nu Wa had been ready to assist and prepared her most powerful attack as the crystals combined into one larger piece, glowing in several colors to show each element attached to it. However, the crystal broke apart as she allowed her spell to die off. Her assistance was not required. The one named Hebisha had taken care of the creature on her own. A proud moment and day for the young Lamia, and Nu Wa was sure her original would have approved of the young one.

Amaterasu had finished off the gorilla she had been fighting a while ago, and had helped clear out some of the other animals that were attacking throughout the zoo. Even better she had found the man responsible hiding behind a wall as he watched everything go on. The man had lost his mind she could only assume. He kept mentioning how he was wronged in some way when trying to prove that his experiments were a work of extreme genius. He had been laughed at when presenting his theories and so he decided to make his theories possible on a larger scale. Hence the zoo incident...or that's what she got out of his rambling at least. The light spirit didn't particularly care. She knocked him out with a good hit to the head and tied him up to a chair in the security office. A letter had even been left apologizing for the mess, and a request to take care of the man because he seemed to be slightly insane and because he also mentioned having the ability to return the animals to their original forms. It was from there that she went back to her summoner.

Samira had recovered from her dazed state, although she now had one hell of a headache. The young woman rubbed the back of her head as she slowly stood, soon noting the bird that was near her. While she was out of it, she did not notice that it had been picking at her pockets. Before she could look around and see what she had missed, she found herself being hugged by her Lamia companion. The summoner made a surprised sound as it happened, her cheeks getting a pink hue on them temporarily. Such affection she was not used to, at least not so randomly. Her body tensed up, but with Hebisha saying "thank you" she relaxed, returning the hug. A simple trip to the zoo that probably should not have happened in the first place became rather chaotic, just as most of her days outside the guild hall. Still the fellow Lamia Scale member had a reason to thank her. It was confusing since she did not really know of the milestone Hebisha had crossed that day, but perhaps her spirit would explain it to her later. All she knew was that somehow the mutant creatures were taken care of and now security and zoo employees were coming back in to deal with it all.

It was then that all eyes were on the bird, the only animal that seemed to not turn. Amaterasu and Nu Wa had joined the pair of mages and also took note of what the bird had in its beak. Samira's green eyes widened as she recognized the small purse that the feathered creature held. Her hands went to the pockets of her shorts and came up empty. Just as she thought. It had stolen her wallet! Hebisha seemed confused by the bird's intent, and honestly Samira had no idea what the creature wanted with her money and identifications cards.

"Samira," Amaterasu said just as the summoner was about to reach and make a grab to retrieve her property while also likely scolding the bird. Her action was interrupted when the spirit spoke and she turned towards her. "What is it?" Samira inquired, her curiosity overpowering the annoyance she should have felt from her stolen wallet. "I wish to keep this bird. It is clever and amuses me." Amaterasu's tone suggested it was more of a demand than a request, and Samira nearly fell over just from hearing it. Serqet already had taken a monkey with her! She was not about to let every spirit have its own pet and make her room a mini zoo! Not to mention the bird looked kind of terrifying. Harmless probably since it was quite gentle at that moment, but it was possible it could turn into some killer bird at any moment's notice. Samira took a breath to calm herself down and cleared her throat before putting on a serious in charge face and saying one word. "No."

"But I want it."

"Ama, dear," Nu Wa said while slithering closer to her fellow spirit and placing her hands on her shoulders. "I think our new feathered friend has already chosen an owner." Her head motioned over towards Hebisha and the bird that was rubbing against the Lamia. Spirits and summoner stared quietly with blinking eyes. "A tiger then." Ama suggested, getting back to the important topic. "You are not getting a pet!" With an amused giggle, Amaterasu vanished into bright white and yellow particles. Annoying her summoner was even better than having a bird. "Take care, disciple of Nu Wa." The half serpent spirit vanished as well, her magic particles being the colors of her element crystals. That left Samira, Hebisha, and bird.

Samira fixated her gaze on the bird that had become to attached to the Lamia rather quickly. She also noted how it had taken her wallet and didn't exactly fly off with it. Was it trying to tell her in bird language "Hey! Buy me!"? Either way, Hebisha seemed to be showing a little more emotion than her had been before. That was considered a good thing in her eyes. Maybe having some sort of pet would help her. She wondered if the creature would be safe for her to own, but the thought was quickly tossed aside. Hebisha was capable enough to handle herself should the bird turn violent, and if the feathered creature was so insistent on being near the Lamia then she should be fine. The rest of the guild...well hopefully it wouldn't cause too much trouble. Maybe. Was the guild master afraid of strange animals or just people?

Nevertheless, Samira declared she was buying the bird, but not for herself. The guild ace had given Hebisha instructions to take care of it, suggesting that having a pet and a new friend would benefit her. She also added it was probably just going to follow them anyway since it had become so attached. Honestly that would have been the cheaper and way easier method, but she was known to take the hardway on things. The more simple tactics tended to fly over her head. In no time at all the purchase had been made. Such a thing normally would not have happened, but all it took was Samira mentioning how they had just rescued the entire town from mutant zoo animals and caught the one responsible at the first signs of an argument for the transaction. They couldn't refuse. One secretary bird bought, one zoo trip coming to a close, another chaotic day ended for Samira and the poor Lamia that had been forced to come along. At the very least Hebisha had ended her own day with having learned some things while also gaining a new ally and friend.