Paragon of Virtue
The recent jobs Jin had taken led him all across Fiore, and this one was no different. From islands days off the coast of Hargeon to the quaint sights and sounds of Magnolia and now to the town of Cedar, Jin had become an experienced traveler since joining up with Silver Wolf. This time around, Jin was assisting with an expedition into some caves outside Cedar. Unlike with his past two jobs, Jin did not know what to expect. Was it going to be some sort of ancient evil? Was it going to be simply wildlife?
No use fretting about it. You can take control of this mission. I don't really see this as necessary for me to get involved with.
Glad you're excited about this mission.
The Bringer of Death laughed. He was on the beach, staring at the entrance to the cave. Well, staring up at the entrance. It near the top of the cliff, and it seemed as if the expedition had already removed the rope. A torch blazed just on the inside of the cave, noting the presence of people still there. Jin sighed, activating a Shadow Rush to sprint up the side of the cliff, leaping into the cave and startling the men inside.
"You're the hired help?" the thin, glasses-wearing expedition leader asked calmly, in contrast to the shock of the rest of his crew.
"Yes, sir. Jin Auri-el, Silver Wolf. C-Rank Mage. And you are?"
He smiled, pushing up his glasses. "Lace Perkeling. I'm the leader of this motley crew. Anyways, you'll probably want to get more acquainted with Roshambeau. She's the scout party leader."
Jin turned to the silver-haired woman that now stood up. "As Lace said, I'm Roshambeau," she said emotionlessly. "I use earth magic, but it's always good to have a guild wizard as well."
Jin nodded and smiled. "You're the boss, ma'am. Where are we going off to?"
Roshambeau closed her eyes for a moment. "Further down the way, the caves splits into two paths. I'm taking my crew - Xel, Harper, and Lefty - and taking the right path. You're going by yourself down the left path. I suspect that path is more dangerous. That's why you're going alone.
Jin sighed. Of course he was going to be sent out alone.
At least you have me for company.
I think I would prefer being alone than being stuck with you.
Come on, I thought we were friends!
Jin rolled his eyes, agreeing to Roshambeau's terms. He took a torch in hand as the five went to explore the cave. It was eerily silent, no sound aside from Roshambeau's occasional orders, a light drip of water, and the footsteps of the crew. After a few minutes of walking, they reached the fork in the cave. As agreed upon, Roshambeau and her three advanced to the right path while Jin headed left.
Immediately as he entered the left path, the floor gave way, crashing him down onto a level below. He coughed, the air knocked out of his lungs. He slowly got up, grabbing his torch. He looked up to see a small, bipedal creature in front of him. It was a light blue in color, and grunted something in an unfamiliar language. After a second of eye contact, it panicked and sprinted off. Jin quickly got up, activating another Shadow Rush to keep up with the creature. Sensing a presence, he turned on his feet, warily casting Shadow Spears in defense. They exploded against the side of the cave, sending a stream of smoke. Leaping out from the smoke were taller versions of that creature. They each wielded clubs, wearing little more than rough hair tunics. One of them was noticeably taller than the rest, wielding a sword alongside the thin white horn sprouting out of its forehead and the light leather armor it wore. Jin looked around him. He had become surrounded by these creatures.
They used the kid as bait. I'm impressed.
Don't be. That's weird. You shouldn't be impressed with these beasts.
It was at this moment that Jin realized that he had left his scythe at headquarters before he left for this job. He had meant to buy a new one anyways, and figured there would be little resistance in this job.
No matter. I still have magic.
He kept careful note off all that was around him. Thirteen in all. Six on either side of him with clubs plus the apparent leader. They did not look difficult. In fact, they all looked weak. Even the sword-wielding one paled in comparison to that orc at the Demons' Den. This would be simple work.
He wheeled on his feet, crying "Shadow Spears!" as the dark tendrils fired into the creatures behind him. The bait had run off in that direction, so Jin made a note to follow after it once the remaining ones were taken care of. All of the other creatures were shocked at the ease their companions were taken down, save for the sword wielder, who dashed at the Paragon. Jin rolled out of the way, firing up a Heart Eater and slamming his fist into the gut of the horned beast, who went flying into the ceiling. The remaining club-wielders rushed at him as he recast his Shadow Rush. He weaved between them, slamming his hand into one of them in a slap, sending it crashing into the wall. He quickly fired Shadow Daggers into another, and it collapsed with ease. He scanned the battlefield once more. Only five left, including the sword wielder that was slowly getting up. The five rushed towards him all simultaneously, the club-wielders taking command over the captain, who looked to lie in wait. Jin rolled out of the way, laying a knee into one of them as it flew by him. It crashed to the ground, rolling into the wall beside its comrades. He launched another set of Shadow Spears, ending off the remaining club wielders. He followed up with a dash at the captain, slamming its face with a kick, sending it soaring into the ceiling of the cave. It crashed through, though it was back to continue the fight in mere moments. It came leaping down, its sword prepared to strike. Jin handspringed out of the way, ready to counter, firing out a warning shot with Shadow Daggers, which it avoided with ease. It rushed once more at Jin, who raised a Shadow Shield, stopping it in its tracks. He then quickly followed through with a Shadow Spear, striking down the monster once and for all.
Jin exhaled. He had no reason to be this tense. Now that he was out of combat, he took a closer look at the creatures.
You know what these are?
Cavern Goblins. Really easy to deal with. Sometimes they'll have a cavern ogre, which can be at least interesting to fight.
Jin sighed and advanced on to follow the child goblin. As much as the two halves of Jin despised each other's mindsets, they slowly began to work together. Both of them had noticed. While in the past, the two would quarrel and jostle for control at any given moment, they had begun to learn to at least tolerate each other. The Paragon knew that the Bringer of Death was better at combat and was more knowledgeable about matters of creatures and beasts, and the Bringer of Death knew the Paragon was more diplomatic and more tactical.
Jin arrived at an opening in the cave, where what seemed to be a small village sat. He snuck around to a higher vantage point, getting a better view of the area. The village seemed normal enough. Cavern Goblins wandered around town, speaking in their unknown language. Their straw huts were poorly made, but seemed sufficient enough for living in. A few of them were similar to that captain, wielding leather armor and rusty swords. Standing in the center of town, however, were the four most interesting creatures in sight: a giant goblin - That's our Cavern Ogre. - and three staff-wielding goblins. Jin could sense a magical presence from the three, though it was tough to notice. They were barely capable of magic, perhaps even less so than Jin before the Bringer of Death was combined with him.
There's a decent amount of treasure to be had here, but the expedition may want to investigate these creatures moreso than wanting them dead.
The Bringer of Death sighed. Fine. But now we have to find a way out of here and a way to meet up with Roshambeau and her crew.
Jin returned to the spot where they had fallen in and climbed back up, making their way to the camp, where a slightly injured Roshambeau and her team had already arrived.
"Welcome back," she said in a strained voice. "What did you find?"
"There's a village of cavern goblins. There's three mages plus one ogre waiting there. There's some decent treasure there as well, but I opted to return here. Your orders, Lace."
The glasses-wearing man smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Auri-el. That should suffice. I'll send word to get your reward situated. I may post another job for you in the future. Thanks to you again!"
With the captain's smiling face, Jin left, ready to leave and take on even more jobs.
WC: 1561
The recent jobs Jin had taken led him all across Fiore, and this one was no different. From islands days off the coast of Hargeon to the quaint sights and sounds of Magnolia and now to the town of Cedar, Jin had become an experienced traveler since joining up with Silver Wolf. This time around, Jin was assisting with an expedition into some caves outside Cedar. Unlike with his past two jobs, Jin did not know what to expect. Was it going to be some sort of ancient evil? Was it going to be simply wildlife?
No use fretting about it. You can take control of this mission. I don't really see this as necessary for me to get involved with.
Glad you're excited about this mission.
The Bringer of Death laughed. He was on the beach, staring at the entrance to the cave. Well, staring up at the entrance. It near the top of the cliff, and it seemed as if the expedition had already removed the rope. A torch blazed just on the inside of the cave, noting the presence of people still there. Jin sighed, activating a Shadow Rush to sprint up the side of the cliff, leaping into the cave and startling the men inside.
"You're the hired help?" the thin, glasses-wearing expedition leader asked calmly, in contrast to the shock of the rest of his crew.
"Yes, sir. Jin Auri-el, Silver Wolf. C-Rank Mage. And you are?"
He smiled, pushing up his glasses. "Lace Perkeling. I'm the leader of this motley crew. Anyways, you'll probably want to get more acquainted with Roshambeau. She's the scout party leader."
Jin turned to the silver-haired woman that now stood up. "As Lace said, I'm Roshambeau," she said emotionlessly. "I use earth magic, but it's always good to have a guild wizard as well."
Jin nodded and smiled. "You're the boss, ma'am. Where are we going off to?"
Roshambeau closed her eyes for a moment. "Further down the way, the caves splits into two paths. I'm taking my crew - Xel, Harper, and Lefty - and taking the right path. You're going by yourself down the left path. I suspect that path is more dangerous. That's why you're going alone.
Jin sighed. Of course he was going to be sent out alone.
At least you have me for company.
I think I would prefer being alone than being stuck with you.
Come on, I thought we were friends!
Jin rolled his eyes, agreeing to Roshambeau's terms. He took a torch in hand as the five went to explore the cave. It was eerily silent, no sound aside from Roshambeau's occasional orders, a light drip of water, and the footsteps of the crew. After a few minutes of walking, they reached the fork in the cave. As agreed upon, Roshambeau and her three advanced to the right path while Jin headed left.
Immediately as he entered the left path, the floor gave way, crashing him down onto a level below. He coughed, the air knocked out of his lungs. He slowly got up, grabbing his torch. He looked up to see a small, bipedal creature in front of him. It was a light blue in color, and grunted something in an unfamiliar language. After a second of eye contact, it panicked and sprinted off. Jin quickly got up, activating another Shadow Rush to keep up with the creature. Sensing a presence, he turned on his feet, warily casting Shadow Spears in defense. They exploded against the side of the cave, sending a stream of smoke. Leaping out from the smoke were taller versions of that creature. They each wielded clubs, wearing little more than rough hair tunics. One of them was noticeably taller than the rest, wielding a sword alongside the thin white horn sprouting out of its forehead and the light leather armor it wore. Jin looked around him. He had become surrounded by these creatures.
They used the kid as bait. I'm impressed.
Don't be. That's weird. You shouldn't be impressed with these beasts.
It was at this moment that Jin realized that he had left his scythe at headquarters before he left for this job. He had meant to buy a new one anyways, and figured there would be little resistance in this job.
No matter. I still have magic.
He kept careful note off all that was around him. Thirteen in all. Six on either side of him with clubs plus the apparent leader. They did not look difficult. In fact, they all looked weak. Even the sword-wielding one paled in comparison to that orc at the Demons' Den. This would be simple work.
He wheeled on his feet, crying "Shadow Spears!" as the dark tendrils fired into the creatures behind him. The bait had run off in that direction, so Jin made a note to follow after it once the remaining ones were taken care of. All of the other creatures were shocked at the ease their companions were taken down, save for the sword wielder, who dashed at the Paragon. Jin rolled out of the way, firing up a Heart Eater and slamming his fist into the gut of the horned beast, who went flying into the ceiling. The remaining club-wielders rushed at him as he recast his Shadow Rush. He weaved between them, slamming his hand into one of them in a slap, sending it crashing into the wall. He quickly fired Shadow Daggers into another, and it collapsed with ease. He scanned the battlefield once more. Only five left, including the sword wielder that was slowly getting up. The five rushed towards him all simultaneously, the club-wielders taking command over the captain, who looked to lie in wait. Jin rolled out of the way, laying a knee into one of them as it flew by him. It crashed to the ground, rolling into the wall beside its comrades. He launched another set of Shadow Spears, ending off the remaining club wielders. He followed up with a dash at the captain, slamming its face with a kick, sending it soaring into the ceiling of the cave. It crashed through, though it was back to continue the fight in mere moments. It came leaping down, its sword prepared to strike. Jin handspringed out of the way, ready to counter, firing out a warning shot with Shadow Daggers, which it avoided with ease. It rushed once more at Jin, who raised a Shadow Shield, stopping it in its tracks. He then quickly followed through with a Shadow Spear, striking down the monster once and for all.
Jin exhaled. He had no reason to be this tense. Now that he was out of combat, he took a closer look at the creatures.
You know what these are?
Cavern Goblins. Really easy to deal with. Sometimes they'll have a cavern ogre, which can be at least interesting to fight.
Jin sighed and advanced on to follow the child goblin. As much as the two halves of Jin despised each other's mindsets, they slowly began to work together. Both of them had noticed. While in the past, the two would quarrel and jostle for control at any given moment, they had begun to learn to at least tolerate each other. The Paragon knew that the Bringer of Death was better at combat and was more knowledgeable about matters of creatures and beasts, and the Bringer of Death knew the Paragon was more diplomatic and more tactical.
Jin arrived at an opening in the cave, where what seemed to be a small village sat. He snuck around to a higher vantage point, getting a better view of the area. The village seemed normal enough. Cavern Goblins wandered around town, speaking in their unknown language. Their straw huts were poorly made, but seemed sufficient enough for living in. A few of them were similar to that captain, wielding leather armor and rusty swords. Standing in the center of town, however, were the four most interesting creatures in sight: a giant goblin - That's our Cavern Ogre. - and three staff-wielding goblins. Jin could sense a magical presence from the three, though it was tough to notice. They were barely capable of magic, perhaps even less so than Jin before the Bringer of Death was combined with him.
There's a decent amount of treasure to be had here, but the expedition may want to investigate these creatures moreso than wanting them dead.
The Bringer of Death sighed. Fine. But now we have to find a way out of here and a way to meet up with Roshambeau and her crew.
Jin returned to the spot where they had fallen in and climbed back up, making their way to the camp, where a slightly injured Roshambeau and her team had already arrived.
"Welcome back," she said in a strained voice. "What did you find?"
"There's a village of cavern goblins. There's three mages plus one ogre waiting there. There's some decent treasure there as well, but I opted to return here. Your orders, Lace."
The glasses-wearing man smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Auri-el. That should suffice. I'll send word to get your reward situated. I may post another job for you in the future. Thanks to you again!"
With the captain's smiling face, Jin left, ready to leave and take on even more jobs.
WC: 1561
