The Idol (Job: Riza and Zenshin)

Job: The Idol
Rank: A

Player Requirements: 2-3 players, min of 35 posts, 450 words per post

Job Requirements: Only A rank and higher may participate. Must protect the treasure hunter. Must roll a boss before before the 50th post.

Job Location: Haunted Castle

Job Description:
A treasure hunter had come upon a treasure map that leads to the location of the The Dancing Lady. This is a silver statuette of a woman dancing with its hands raised high up. Rumors has it that upon the light of the lunar eclipse the statue turns into a spirit that grants the owner a single wish. Lunar eclipse's happen once in a hundred years and it just happens that one is about to happen in 50 days so the client is offering a lot of jewels. The location is in haunted castle and the Boss is a Huge Minotaur monster.

And here is the catch, the client insists that he comes along on the journey and it is your duty to protect him at all cost. Must encounter the boss that hoards the Idol and witness how the client summons the spirit and have his wish granted.

Warning, the client is extremely curious and tends to attract undesirables.(The person posting every 5 posts must include in his/her story how the client wanders off and stumbles upon a monster hence triggering a dice roll)

Enemies:
Weak - Shadow Fiend that has the ability to be invisible for a brief period of time. They attack using their claws and teeth. Can be Chased away using light magic.
Medium - Shadow Acolyte are manipulators of shadow magic and has the ability to summon other monsters. Be careful, defeat them as fast as you can. (Ins not defeated within 2 posts of its summon roll the monster dice)
Strong - Shadow Lord is a warrior corrupted by evil. Wields a wide variety of shadow magic and very deadly when holding its shadow sword.
Boss - Dark Minotaur is the boss for that level of the castle. Massive, very strong and very tough. Can summon Shadow acolytes every 3 posts that it isn't defeated.

Reward: 20,000 Jewels, The one to deal the most damage has the chance to acquire the Mirror Mask. An item that allows the user to change his/her appearance for a short duration of time.

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The man greedily rubbed his hands together as he awaited his guards. I can't believe I'm about to get my hands on it! The guys will never believe me if I don't have my wish granted! His green eyes flickered around the room as he twisted his shirt tail in his hands. "No need to be skittish now," he muttered to himself, almost jumping out of his skin at the sound of a rat scampering across the floor boards. Normally he wasn't so jumpy, but the anticipation of a great hunt set him on edge. He couldn't wait to get his grimy hands on the treasure of a lifetime, even if it meant having a little help from a few semi-shady characters. He hadn't met his two employees, but he was sure they weren't going to be too sinister. A friend had contacted them for him, and his friend was on his side. Right? A shiver traveled up his spine at the thought of betrayal. Sam's always been jealous of my spoils...

Clapping his hands on his thighs, he stood a little straighter and moved to the window. He had told Sam to inform his guards that he would be awaiting them in a tiny, wooden shack near the haunted castle, but not he was rethinking the idea. What if some thief has this as his stash house? What is they find me here? After a moment of bated breath, he quickly dismissed the idea. "What're you doing, Keith! Psyching yourself out! You're a treasure hunter, for God's sake!" Keith released a shaky laugh and continued peering out into the darkness, awaiting any sign of life approaching.

~~

I knew this was a bad idea, Riza mused, pursing her lips. The path she was on was nothing more than a soon-to-be-overgrown dirt path with crawling insects and decaying animal corpses littering its surface. The woman crinkled her nose and trudged forwards, watching where she stepped. If I had only asked Sam for more information, I could have avoided this entire hassle! She clicked her tongue and mentally cursed the man for having suggested she take on such a task. "Leading some man to his enamored piece of junk? What the hell was I thinking!" She grumbled a few insults towards no one and tried not to let her heels sink in the dirt. "All this filth," she whined, almost cringing at the dirt soiling her boots and the hem of her dress. "Never again am I coming to some godforsaken, abandoned piece of shit building! OI!" She wasn't in the best of moods.

But it wasn't as though Riza had much choice - her old guildmaster had decided to desert his "family," leaving them all to fend for themselves. Riza was fine - more than fine, since the man wasn't exactly her type to trifle with - but she couldn't say the same for her former guild mates. "Pathetic," she spat, glaring into the darkness. "To think those fools can't live on their own - what do they expect out of life? A babysitter to wipe their asses and pay their debts?" Her ramblings made the time pass quicker, and soon enough she was standing outside of some dilapidated shack. "I am NOT coming in there! KEITH! If you're inside you better hurry up! I'm not going to waste my entire night on some treasure hunt lunacy!" Kicking the door for effect, Riza crossed her arms and looked back the way she came.

She was having some sort of partner on this job. Sam hadn't said much other than "play nice," but that didn't mean Riza was about to shake her partner's hand and take him out for a drink. They better not slow me down.

(OOC: 600-ish words. I'm gonna stop here since my fingers hurt (yeah, I'm a wimp) and I gotta make a phone call~)[/color]

Rebuilding the guild is going to be more work than I had anticipated, I hope the others are doing what they can as well Zen thought as he gained momentum on his icy path. He was using a rather handy spell that required him to point his hands down and create a path of ice wherever he moves. In addition to this, he had a pair of makeshift skates on, causing him to move even faster on a normally slippery path. One job request he took was one of a much higher rank compared to the others, this one was an A-Ranked job, the same rank as himself. Some treasure hunter needed body guards to defend him while he got some treasure that only appears every so often, or at least, that was the gist of the mission.

The actual location of the quest was none other than, arguably, the spookiest place in all of Fiore, the Haunted Castle. This castle was infamous for its ghost stories, legends, mysterious happenings, the works. Not only that, but a good portion of anyone who was brave, or foolish, enough to explore the castle have gone missing. Others reported that the aura inside made them feel so uneasy, they were forced to leave. Around the perimeter of this extremely old structure, lied an unnatural darkness, making it a challenge to even get to the place, though, if anything, Zenshin could just make him and the two others accompanying his a bird to fly on.

He was getting rather close to the meeting point according to the different reference points on his map, this partner of mine better not get in my way... Looking around, he believed he saw the person that he was supposed to be partnered with, so he took a sharp turn in between some trees and down the slope, making a sharp turn to stop himself. "You must be the one I'm supposed to be partnered with, name's Zenshin, nice to meet you". Zen kept his cool around her, but when he was making his screeching halt, he recognized exactly who she was, the leader of the newly found dark guild, Riza. This job was probably in their mutual interest, as he needed to boost the reputation of Eclipse Soul, after what happened in Magnolia Town, and she needed to boost the reputation of her guild, Eternum.

Both of them found themselves standing outside a run down looking shack in the outskirts of the Haunted Castle, where the client was. The door seemed to have been kicked open, seems like she has quite the temper.... "Finally! Both of you are here, I feel like I've been waiting ages. Come, lets not waste time here, we have a dancing lady to find" said Keith when he saw Zenshin peering in through the side of the door frame. That's when he began to lead them up the beaten, dirt path to either a big reward, or their death.

It wasn't long before Riza was joined by some ice mage, by the looks of it. She raised an eyebrow as he skidded to a halt, wondering if he was capable of handling himself on this mission. I wonder who he's affiliated with or if he's a rogue... If he proves useful, maybe I'll offer him a spot in Arachne Orchid. She eyed the boy semi-curiously, wondering where on his body a tattoo might be hidden.

"Finally! Both of you are here, I feel like I've been waiting ages. Come, lets not waste time here, we have a dancing lady to find"

A vein protruded from Riza's forehead at the mere sound of Keith's voice. What the hell is he so chipper about? The fact that his statement rhymed made the situation even worse. Normally such a person wouldn't get on Riza's nerves, but tonight wasn't her night. Once the trio began walking again, Riza let out a heavy sigh. Might as well be semi-comfortable... With little effort, she lifted herself about three feet in the air and floated up the path on her back, arms behind her head, staring at the stars. Maybe I can just pretend --

"Ack! We're here at last!" Keith sprinted the final ten feet to the door and brushed his palms against its splintered wood. He tried prying the door open with his fingertips, only to curse as the wood easily broke off. Riza rolled her eyes and softly stepped back onto hard ground. "Please tell me you didn't hire us just to watch you get your hands into everything." Taking a few steps forward, she jerked the man to the side. "Out of the way," she grumbled, placing her palm on the door. She stretched her fingers and pressed a short burst of wind into the fragile wood, causing a hole to break in the middle. Splintered pieces shot into the building, but Riza paid them no mind. She eased the door open and stepped inside, her heels clicking on the granite-tiled floor. "Well isn't this place fancy. Maybe I'll relocate here after we knock the ghosts outta this place." She trailed her fingertips on the right wall as she continued inside. "Are you guys coming or not?

Keith blinked rapidly for a moment before following Riza inside. "Right, then! Let's wait a moment while I check the map! Keith patted his vest pockets for a moment before reaching into his cargo pants pocket and retrieving a crinkled, folded paper that had yellowed with age. He unfolded the paper with delicate hands, surprising Riza since he had just tried to mangle the door a moment earlier. "Let's see here... Keith pointed to a location on the map. "We go this way!" The man snapped his head up and starting a brisk pace into a darkened corridor. "This way, you two! I've got a keen sense of direction" Riza watched the man depart for a moment before releasing a sigh. "Zen, was it?" She turned her eyes to the man now beside her. "Feel free to follow him. I'll take the back."

"Well isn't - fancy. Maybe I'll relocate - after - this place" Zenshin overheard Riza say quietly as she scanned the foyer of the castle. Could she be talking about her guild? Yes, that's probably it, what else would she be wanting to relocate into a spooky castle? "Are you guys coming or not?" the mages voice echoed from within the walls of the castle, "Yeah, I'm just scanning for anything strange around the outside". Slowly and very cautiously, Zenshin entered the castle alone with the client and was surprised to see how well it held up, considering the ghosts that roam around the place freely. Throughout the mission, Zen was determined to keep his guild a secret, lead the guild master to believe he was unaffiliated, as the less she knew about him and the guild, the better.

The main room of the castle was actually rather nice, aside from the dust and cobwebs that painted the walls a dull shade of grey. There seemed to be a red velvet carped sprawled out along the center of the room, continuing up a large staircase that split off into two separate, parallel ones that both led to the second floor. A wooden door, which was completely shattered by what seemed to be a wind mage, had been the only front entrance that he had seen while outside. Above him and Keith, who were still standing in just inside the castle, was what appeared to be a golden chandelier, though it was dull because of the aforementioned dust. All in all, it didn't seem like a bad place to live, although Zen preferred a much colder environment, this wasn't bad at all.

"Right, then! Let's wait a moment while I check the map!" Keith exclaimed as he removed a small piece of parchment from a pocket on his vest and unfurled it to find out the general direction they needed to be going. "We go this way! This way, you two! I've got a keen sense of direction" Keith yelled again, causing yet another echo so sound out through the desolate and decrepit castle. I doubt were going the right way, this guy just seems... so ridiculous. Is he for real or is this some kind of prank? Disregarding his previous thought for now, he and the dark mage followed the questionable treasure hunter through a corridor to the right of the main stairwell. This part of the castle was definitely a less glamorous part of the structure, only being narrow and having two...four...six...eight... there seemed to be quite a few rooms in it. After a bit Zenshin stopped counting the rooms on both sides of the three man party and arrived on what seemed to be a crossroad.

Inside a castle? What even is that? This place is definitely much larger on the inside then the outside. Since Keith stopped leading, Zenshin took the front of the group and kneeled down onto the dirty and dusty wooden panel. Whispering, "Ice make, snakes...", a glowing circle of a mix between cyan and purple appeared under him, causing dozens of snakes to hiss and crawl up his body, and there were no enemies to be targeted. "Spread out guys, go search for ways that aren't dead ends for me" he commanded. All of the snakes hissed in unison and spread out through each corridor. After about five minutes, they came back to him, hissing, some separately and some in unison. "The only way that isn't blocked by rubble is the right, Keith, let's go"

Riza watched curiously as Zenshin created ice snakes and controlled them with ease. The animal didn't disgust her, as it might have others, but she found herself fond of the little creatures. They reminded her of spiders - misunderstood, deadly animals. That was all. She took a breath and glanced back the way they had came. Doors lined the hallway in a way that almost made her dizzy, so she turned back to Keith. The man seemed eager to keep moving but patient enough to await Zenshin's order. He was standing near the mage, seeming to peer into the darkness, awaiting the snakes' return. The light tap tap of his shoes as he bounced on his heels was only mildly irritating to Riza.

After a few minutes, the snakes returned and somehow their commander understood that the right path was the correct one. Keith bounded off immediately, causing Riza to purse her lips and quickly catch up to him. "Don't," she hissed, gripping his right forearm tightly, "be reckless. The only reason I'll save your ass is because I'm obligated to. For the job." Giving him a quick glare, she released his arm and watched him timidly creep forward. How the hell has this man lasted this long? A moment later, the map was out and Keith was eagerly scanning its contents once more. "Right!" he exclaimed loudly. "We're coming close to a door on the left we'll need to enter. The man shuffled forward, map in one hand, squinting in the dim light. He chose a door and lightly pushed it open. The door gave rather easily and opened with a steady creaaaak. Keith shivered at the sound.

Riza followed the man into the room, her arms now crossed. How long was finding this artifact going to take? Didn't the map tell him its exact location? She wandered to a mostly-boarded up window and peered out its dingy glass. A full moon glowed faintly, but Riza couldn't see anything else. A long clatter startled her, and she turned on her heel to find Keith standing by a tarnished silver platter rotating on its edge on the floor. "Keith," she growled softly. "If you don't stop messing around--" Before the woman could finish, a shadow appeared from behind a tapestry and moved towards Keith. Narrowing her eyes, Riza raised her arms in front of her, palms facing the creature. "Like hell you're ruining this for me! Bullet Barrage!"

The monster thing attempted a swipe at Keith, but it was unsuccessful as Riza's spell took hold. Two magic circles appeared in her palms, and Riza took a fighting stance. She shot four wind bullets at the creature, two from each hand, and watched it slink away from Keith. Her attack hit a nearby table and caused bits of wood to fly in the air. Keith seemed a bit stunned and backed into the wall behind him. Clicking her tongue, Riza kept her eyes on the monster and shot her last two remaining wind shots. Dust kicked up in the room, but the shadow acolyte managed to block her attacks with some kind of shadow. "Great, we've got a dodger."

Spoiler:

Monster dice
Monster attack dice
Riza defend client dice
Riza attack dice
Monster block dice

The member 'Riza' has done the following action : Dices roll

#1 'Monster Dice' :


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#2 'Damage Dice' :


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#3 'Block Dice' :


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#4 'Damage Dice' :


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#5 'Block Dice' :

Zenshin watched as his partner on this mission informed the client that she didn't want him to be reckless and that the only reason she would save him was for the job, if he died, both of them wouldn't be payed, so she had a point. To be honest, he really didn't like this guy either, he had a rather, unnatural cheeriness to him that was to the point of irritating sometimes. How in the world is this man still alive? Does he do things differently when others aren't around, or does he have a good eye for mercenaries? "Right! We're coming close to a door on the left we'll need to enter." Keith said happily as they approached another rotten door, just like all the other rotten doors in the hallway. What made this one any different was for Keith to know and his information to do with as he pleases.

This whole room wreaked of death and dark things, though difficult to explain, anyone who was in that room would know exactly what that statement meant. There didn't seem like there was much to see in there room, to the right was what seemed to be a scorched bookshelf and nightstand, and to the left, a destroyed bed. The only interesting part of the room was parallel from the door they came through, a completely unscathed grandfather clock, what went on here...? Over the bed to the left, or the remains of a bed anyways, was a darkly tinted window, but when he tried looking outside, he couldn't see a thing, as if someone painted the windows black. It wasn't too urgent to demand immediate attention, but still, it was rather unsettling when you couldn't see out of a window.

After a while of hastily scouring the room, none other than what seemed to be a solidified shadow using a solidified shadow staff popped out and attacked Keith without so much as a warning. Luckily, Riza was able to get in the monster's way and block the attack that was being targeted on the client, but her counter attack wasn't so lucky. The monster simply phased out and phased back into the room, not giving the attack a second thought, and that's where Zen came in. Holding out his hand, the one where his guild tattoo wasn't on, he fired a barrage of tiny ice shurikens at the enemy, who again, phased out of the room, and back in. This time, though, when he came back in, he dashed at Zenshin with his long staff.

It was too quick for him, so a block he was trying to go for simply failed, leaving a long, shadowy staff being jammed into his stomach. All the air quickly escaped Zenshin's body as he recovered from the blow and looked around the dark room, as this particular opponent was good at hiding in such a place.

Zenshin's snakes attack
Monster's block
Monster's counter attack
Zenshin's block

The member 'Zenshin' has done the following action : Dices roll

#1 'Damage Dice' :


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#2 'Block Dice' :


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#3 'Damage Dice' :


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#4 'Block Dice' :

Riza was a bit miffed, to say the least, at her attack not giving any damage. Zenshin shot a few ice shuriken at the monster and Riza was even more irritated when those were deflected as well. She was preparing to attack again when the monster phased out, and Riza clenched her fists in frustration. "Why the hell can't this be a normal castle full of dust bunnies and shit..." A moment later, it happened.

Riza clenched her jaw as the monster attacked and hit Zenshin. "Shit," she whispered, watching the creature phase out and go into hiding. "Zenshin, keep an eye out. We've got to get Keith out of the room or beat this bastard before he can come after him again." She took a few steps to her left, keeping her back to the wall. In all honesty, she didn't really care for her partner's safety much more than the client's. It was a nuisance to have to help either of them, for Riza believed that individual strength was a wizard's most valuable asset. She felt a chill in the air, and the breath leaving her mouth formed tiny puffs of smoke-like clouds. The room was eerily silent, and Riza could feel her heart hammering in her chest. The adrenaline was starting to kick in, and Riza was savoring every drop of it. Taking a deep breath, she took a step towards Zenshin to see if he would be a hindrance to her. "If you need to leave, I can take care of this--"

A blur to her left caught her attention, and suddenly a shadow ball came hurling towards Riza, causing the mage to duck out of the way. A slight growl passed her lips as she rose, lifting herself in the air after standing. Two magic circles appeared at the soles of her feet, causing a foot long wind blade to form beneath each of Riza's feet. The woman rushed the shadow creature thing, attempting to swipe it with her ice-skate type blades. The monster was quick to move, however, and blocked her strikes with its staff. Riza pushed off of the pole and back flipped to the far wall from the creature, hovering a few feet in the air. Why the hell can't I land a hit on this thing?!

She watched as the creature slunk into the shadows once more, and she glanced at Keith. The man looked more pale than a rice cake. It took all the willpower Riza had not to roll her eyes. "Instead of cowering like a baby you should learn a little about, oh, I don't know... COMBAT." It was too late to give the fool a crash course on basic offense and defense, so she would have to rely on herself to pull though the job. Well, herself and Zenshin. What a strange concept, relying on others...

Monster attack
Riza block
Riza attack
Monster block

The member 'Riza' has done the following action : Dices roll

#1 'Damage Dice' :


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#2 'Block Dice' :


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#3 'Damage Dice' :


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#4 'Block Dice' :

"If you need to leave, I can take care of this--" said his partner on the job before dodging an attack sent by the monster, and it was apparent that she was frustrated that she couldn't hit it. In her attempts to strike the monster down, she had failed, as it simply just blocked all of her attacks, though, it couldn't really land an attack on her either. Zenshin was also getting frustrated, in the fact that his partner thought that he was such a problem that he would simply get in her way. To make matters worse, it seemed as though this, shadowy creature, split into two, but what came out of it was significantly stronger, oh great, this thing multiplies after a while. Clenching a tight fist, he decided it was time to stop screwing around with all of his weaker spells and start using the tools at his disposal, the thing that made his creations different from the other ice makers, and why he wasn't in an 'actual' legal guild.

"Dark ice, pillars!" he yelled, causing a dark wind to come from his now sublimating hands and spin over both enemies. In an instant, two pillars shot out from the wind and slammed straight into both monsters. The larger and most likely stronger of the two seemed to be distressed while blocking an attack of such speed and strength, while the other was simply crushed under the pillar, it dispersing into the shadows afterward. This was also one of those rare instances where using his dark ice caused him to go into a bloodthirsty rage that wouldn't subside until his enemy was dead. Sticking his hand out, an icy wind picked up again, much like when his pillars formed, but this time, took the shape of a sword, the ice shard, his weapon of choice.

The monster disappeared, phasing out like the one he had just defeated, but this time, it appeared behind him and lunged it's weapon forward, attempting to run Zenshin through from behind. But, suspecting that it would try and take him from behind, the ice mage had already turned around and readied his weapon, so when the Shadow Lord tried to attack, he was ready. Taking a step into the monster, he jerked his right hand to the left, deflecting the blow successfully. Rushing it with the newly found opening that was created, he took a horizontal slash to the shadow creature's neck, but to no avail, as he ended up hitting a wooden shelf instead. Sure, it was good at dodging, and attacking, but Zen wouldn't give up until this thing was the equivalent of dead, his current state would see to that.

Monster dice
Zenshin's attacks
Monster's blocks
Monster's counter attacks
Zenshin's blocks

(Left row = Shadow Lord / Right row = Shadow Acolyte)

The member 'Zenshin' has done the following action : Dices roll

#1 'Monster Dice' :


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#2 'Damage Dice' :


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#3 'Block Dice' :


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#4 'Damage Dice' :


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#5 'Block Dice' :

It was safe to say that her partner's most recent attacks had Riza impressed a smidge. Now that's much better than what he had lead me to believe. The mage had successfully defeated the shadow acolyte, but the new monster was a bit trickier. He had landed a hit, thankfully, but there was something... different about him. Sinister, almost. What happened? Riza eyed him curiously. His entire aura has changed... Zenshin had used some kind of dark ice, something Riza could easily say she hadn't seen before. After that, he created an ice sword of sorts. It was odd - where was he from? Riza pursed her lips; she would have to pursue the topic later.

Turning her attention back to the shadow warrior, she braced herself for whatever he might throw at her. "Alright, then. Let's see exactly what you are..."

She waited. And waited. ...Is he frozen? Her ears perked up at a scuffle behind her, and she whipped around just in time to see a sword slashing horizontally towards her, the warrior solidifying from the shadows. What the hell?! She pulled her legs up and pushed her skate blades against the sword, successfully blocking the strike; however, the force from the swing pushed Riza back until she almost hit the opposing wall. Not wasting a single second, Riza flipped until she was on her front in the air, using her blades to shove off of the wall and towards the warrior. The force of her shove caused the wall to crack where her blades made contact, and she sped towards the warrior almost as fast as a bullet. Twisting midair, she turned her body upright and attempted to slash the shadow warrior with two powerful, horizontal, kicking strikes. The warrior easily deflected with his sword, and Riza was left with even more frustration as she only left scratch marks on the weapon. Spiraling away from the monster, she landed near Zenshin. I guess it's time to try a new approach, she thought, watching the warrior turn towards his two enemies.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the shadow warrior she had been eying earlier dissolve into shadow itself. "A clone," Riza muttered. The thing must've slunk through the darkness to end up behind me somehow... Maybe if we had more light this would be going smoother. To think we still have to find that damned statue after this.

Keith had managed to slink to the edge of the room and rummage through drawers of some antique-looking furniture, deciding to ignore the battle ensuing a mere 15 feet from him. He was stashing little trinkets in his pockets and making his own kind of ruckus, irritating Riza even more. The woman snapped her head towards the man and glowered at him. He probably deserves to die, the brute!

Monster attack
Riza block
Riza attack
Monster block

The member 'Riza' has done the following action : Dices roll

#1 'Damage Dice' :


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#2 'Block Dice' :


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#3 'Damage Dice' :


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#4 'Block Dice' :

By this point, Zenshin was pretty sure that he had raised at least on red flag on his partner's danger sense, as dark ice was something that people didn't respond too fondly to, as he could tell you from personal experience. Then again, this was a dark mage that was partnered up with him, so it was pretty safe to assume that instead of fear, she was just really curious as to what exactly it was. To be honest, he himself didn't exactly know what it was, just how to activate it and the effects it had on him those few times were he did activate it, not to mention his Benumb spell... which he hopefully wouldn't need to activate on this job. If he knew how to just, somehow deactivate the negative side of using his ability, he would probably be in an actual legal guild, but he didn't have that luxury, and actually came to really like Eclipse Soul. Right now, however, there was the monster that they needed to kill, and Zen was already in a state of full force, so it wasn't a matter of if they were going to do it, it was just a matter of when.

Riza had managed to weaken it even more even though she couldn't actually land a hit on the damn thing, she just kept sending in attacks that would end up being blocked or dodged by the creature, evidently frustrating her. Taking her place as the attacker of the monster he leapt and jabbed his right hand forward, only to be blocked by that shadow sword that the creature had been wielding. Landing firmly on the ground, the creature disappeared again, reappearing the the same place it had disappeared from, as Zen expected an attack from behind again. Realizing it was too late, Zenshin could just simply braced for impact as the monster cut a horizontal cut all along his back, sending in falling forward out of pure shock and the force of the attack. Landing on his hands, he pushed and and took an elbow to the face of the creature, but it simply faded away when he made contact.

With his back faced to Riza, she could probably be able to see the large ridge of ice that had been created over Zen's back to stop the bleeding, yet another reason why he loved the ice make magic over others. Get out here and fight me he yelled in his head, as the monster was probably hiding, and taunting them from the shadows, and that's when he got an idea of how to bring this thing out. Running over to the bed, Zenshin punched the window open, and the the one on the other side of the room, letting the light him and really pissing off the shadow creature. That should even the ground. Now I can really tear this thing in half.

Zenshin attack dice
Monster block dice
Monster attack dice
Zenshin block dice

The member 'Zenshin' has done the following action : Dices roll

#1 'Damage Dice' :


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#2 'Block Dice' :


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#3 'Damage Dice' :


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#4 'Block Dice' :

The ice on Zenshin's back almost looked as though it were glowing in the moonlight. Riza blinked, allowing her eyes to adjust. The glass from the shattered windows was scattered across the floor, crunching under her feet as she slowly side-stepped into the light. The light reflected off of the glass shards, making it seem as though the stars of the night sky were embedded into the floor boards. Riza's breath were tiny wisps of smoke in the room - the only thing appearing and disappearing in seconds. The woman stopped, contemplating what spell to use on the monster next. Her blades didn't have that much longer left, and she was pretty sure they weren't getting the job done. "Zenshin, be careful - we don't want you getting any more banged up than you are." As if on cue, a shadow snaked out and grabbed Riza's feet, tugging the mage to the ground. The fall knocked the wind out of her, and the glass piercing her skin didn't help the situation. She managed to sit up and take a breath, but as soon as she was upright, a shadow beam hit her square in the chest, pushing her back into a fallen chair, breaking the furniture in the process.

The pain wasn't mind-blowing, but it was enough to add more fuel to the fire. The glass was shoved deeper into her back, and the backs of her legs were now scratched from the rough floor. Her chest ached, and she was sure her dress wasn't in the best shape, but she was up and standing in the blink of an eye. The shadow lord was hiding again, but the light in the room made it easier for her to determine its location. She clicked her tongue in impatience and raised her right hand, palm facing out. "Come out, you little--" With a flick of her fingers, a burst of wind shot out of Riza's palm and into a darkened area of the room. Dust stirred, and Riza could see a darker shadow than the others sliding across the floor. She sprinted forwards and was determined to slice the hell out of the thing, but it ended up slipping away and materializing at the other side of the room. "This is taking too long!" With a growl of frustration, she raised her left arm towards the monster. "Have fun in the pit," she exclaimed. A tiny, dark hole appeared in her palm and a strong force started sucking in air. The furniture in the room rattled and a swirl of wind caused the taller structures came crashing to the ground. The force grew, causing the shadow lord to slide on the floor closer to Riza. The mage twisted her wrist and the force intensified until the creature faded into shadow, being sucked into Riza's palm before anyone could say sayonara. Riza clenched her palm shut and the wind suction stopped. "Problem solved."

She arched her back and forced it to pop, causing a few pieces of glass to fall out. She winced, the stinging intensifying whenever she moved. Great, just what I need... She rubbed her chest and cursed at her ruined dress. The white was blackened from the monster's attacked, and the material was singed in a few areas. Pursing her lips, she released her skates spell and moved besides Zenshin. "You alright? We should get a move on it before something else shows up. I'd rather not stop unless necessary."

Monster attack and Riza block (left)
Riza attack and monster block (right)
Finishing lineage move if that fails (o-o) probably

The member 'Riza' has done the following action : Dices roll

#1 'Damage Dice' :


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#2 'Block Dice' :

After the monster was defeated, Zenshin came back to his regular self, immediately seeing  the broken glass and the lack of monster's he knew exactly what happened, aw crap, I lost it again didn't I... Looking to his partner, he saw that she was bleeding a bit from her arms, but nothing too serious, just some minor cuts and bruises on her arms, oh that goodness I didn't attack her, that would've been, catastrophic, to say the least. Breathing in air to through his teeth while turning around again, he realized that there was something on his back that was far from comfortable. Zen looked over his shoulder and saw the long ridge of horizontally placed ice that ran from one side of his back to the other, well then, it seems like that bastard actually got me while I was being reckless. "Sorry you had to see that, I don't really like showing strangers that side of my magic. Come on, let's move, I'm sure the statue can't be too far from here".

"Right then! Good work you two, couldn't have done it better myself, lads! I will make sure that both of you are payed handsomely for your contribution to this little, expedition of mine!" Keith said while looking at his map and walking forward, only to hit a wall. "What is this? The map says that the path should lead through here, but, there seems to be some, magical, camouflaged barrier of sorts blocking the way" the 'leader' of the job said. Oh... my... god... if this guy is serious, he must be the luckiest man alive Zen thought before letting out a retort to Keith's comment, "Keith, it's called a wall. A wall of rotten wood". Zen walked up to the grandfather clock that had caught his eye and began to run his hands on both sides of the thing, feeling for any kind of switch. *click* there it is!

The grandfather clock slowly separated down the middle, opening up a path down to the depths of a cavern that he didn't even think could be under such a huge, haunted, ominous castle. This damp and rather spooky tunnel led them to a huge, HUGE, room with a tiny crack of light shining on a small stone structure. "There it is! That's it!" Keith exclaimed while running recklessly to where it was. "Idiot! What if it's...!" booby trapped he thought with an audible sigh at the trap Keith just triggered. Two familiar shadow creatures and two new, but weaker looking enemies appeared out of the floor, as if they came out of the floor. Walking forward, now aggravated at this man's stupidity, he decided to get serious and push his magic to it's limits.

"Stand back Riza. Ice make, dragon!" he told his companion before kneeling to the ground and causing a massive magical circle to appear on the ground. After a slight delay, two huge legs came out of the circle came out of the darkly colored circle, firmly grasping onto the dirt of the cavern floor. Then, almost as if it was dragging itself up from a cliff, it's head came, then its entire body, and finally, its hind legs and tail appeared before the magical circle closed. "Sublime, frost breath!" he yelled at his creation, who responded with a nod before huffing in and out, sending a stream of frost out at three out of four of the enemies, as one of the weaker looking one phased out quickly enough. All of them seemed to block it, then, the two familiar, stronger looking ones, the acolytes went in for the attack on the dragon. "Block it with your wing!" he yelled as the dragon turned to block with its wing, but unfortunately, it was too slow to block the both of them, so an attack got through and damaged his creation a bit.

Zenshin attacks
Monster's blocks
Monster's attacks
Zenshin's blocks

The member 'Zenshin' has done the following action : Dices roll

#1 'Monster Dice' :


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#2 'Damage Dice' :


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#3 'Block Dice' :


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#4 'Damage Dice' :


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#5 'Block Dice' :

Monster Count: 3 weak fiends and 3 normal acolytes
Riza remaining MP: 80%

"...Do we have to go in there?" Riza eyed the cavern in the middle of the clock suspiciously - it was dark and damp in there. Who knew what bacteria and rodents could be lurking in its depths? And didn't we just finish with shadow creatures - why would we want to go even further into the darkness! Swallowing her sigh, Riza trudged into the gaping hole after Keith and Zenshin, blindly trying not to break one of her heels in the mud beneath her feet. She involuntarily shivered - she was going to have to go shopping after this job was over.

It wasn't long before the trio entered a huge area of open space. A tiny, almost spotlight-like light shone down on a lady figurine, something Riza thought looked no more expensive than a rock one might find at the side of the road. Keith stumbled forward towards it after making some exclamations of joyous rapture, but something wasn't right.. Riza was ready to snap the man's neck for his recklessness. A steady stream of curses littered the air as soon as the idiot Keith triggered the trap. "Are you really THAT stupid? Have you never even been on a treasure hunt before?! If you don't die today, pick a new occupation, for Merlin's sake!" Riza couldn't fathom why Keith hadn't died ten years ago, at the rate of his misfortune.

Four monsters appeared, consisting of two more shadow acolyte and two fiend-looking creatures. Riza mentally spat at them, as actually spitting wasn't very ladylike. Zenshin took over the situation, however, by creating some wicked ice dragon. "Now why is it you didn't show that kind of trick earlier, ehh?" A smile lit up Riza's face as the beast seemed to crawl out of Zenshin's magic circle, but before she could internally celebrate, two more monsters came slinking out of the darkness - another acolyte and a fiend. Riza's smile faded instantly and her aura grew colder. "Don't you things ever learn when to quit?" Quickly, Riza clapped her hands together and pulled them apart, the resulting wind rush condensing until it formed a fifty foot long chain of hardened wind. As Riza's spell took hold, two of the other creatures sauntered over and joined the two that had just appeared.

The newer two monsters rushed Riza, and she easily blocked the fiend's attack by knocking it over with her chain. She was unprepared for the acolyte, however, and it thrust a shadow fist into her side. The resulting jerking motion Riza made irritated the cuts on her back, and she hissed softly. The acolyte began to phase out, but Riza wasn't too fond of the idea of it joining the pack. She attempted to thrust her elbow into its face, but it ended up phasing out too quickly for her. That's something - I'm normally the quickest in a fight. Maybe it's the minor injuries... Pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind, she jerked her chain towards her and swung it over her head, releasing it so it would hit all four of the monsters crowded together. It seemed their strength lied in numbers, however, as the fiends hunched together and didn't take any damage, and the acolytes simply phased out of the way. The chain skidded to a loud, clinking stop as it spiraled around Riza's feet. "You think you guys would learn to take a hit every once in a while."

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2 monster dice
2 new monsters attack dice
2 Riza block
Riza attack 4
4 monster block

The member 'Riza' has done the following action : Dices roll

#1 'Monster Dice' :


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#2 'Damage Dice' :


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#3 'Block Dice' :


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#4 'Damage Dice' :


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#5 'Block Dice' :

"Now why is it you didn't show that kind of trick earlier, ehh?" Riza said, sounding glad that Zenshin was pulling out all the stops now. "Space constraints, and it leaves me a bit weak after I use it, so I need open space to dodge" he responded, thinking that her question was a serious one. Weak from using his dragon, Zenshin decided to take it easy and control it from the sidelines, get some of his magic power back in the process, as it was never bad to have an excess of that. Two MORE monsters had decided to show themselves, so Riza had her own batch of crazies to deal with, it seemed that these four were all up to his dragon, Sublime. "Spin!" Zen called out to his massive dragon made of ice, it just sublimating into the air around it, creating a foggy effect from its head all the way to its tail.

It was a strange thing Zen did, talk and command his creations, as many other maker magic users would just cast a spell and let their creations attack freely while they sat back and watched, but not him. He thought it was good that he and anything he made had a solid enough connection that they would listen to him ad follow whatever orders he gave them, and that, is what he believes separates the maker mages. Those who think their creations are just tools of battle, utility, and convenience, and those who respected their creations as much as living things. Now wasn't the time for philosophy, however, and Zenshin patiently stood aside while his dragon spun around and slammed his tail into one of the shadow acolytes, only for it to be blocked. Then, it swung its tail again, hard, into the other acolyte, but that one just flat out missed completely.

Out of frustration, his creation huffed a particularly concentrated blast of air out of it nose and turned around, staring down one of the weaker enemies as though it was a piece of meat. In an unexpected turn of events, his creation bit down onto the shadow fiend, who was trying its best to block, but to no avail, the sheer force of the jaw of Zenshin's beast was too powerful for this particular enemy. A satisfying crunch noise could be heard as the dragon snapped the fiend in half with the sole power of its teeth. I really do a great job in putting my heart and soul into my creations, don't I Zen thought with a smile on his face, watching his expertly crafted monstrosity wreak havoc. Using it's head as a weapon again, Sublime chomped on the other fiend, who also attempted to block the jaws of a dragon, threw it up into the moist air of the dark cavern, and swallowed it whole.

Wow, I guess Sublime really DID see those weaker ones as pieces of meat Zenshin thought, surprised that he had seen his spell do such a thing to an enemy. You just can't get that same satisfaction with other magic, oh no. There's nothing more satisfying than seeing your creation come to life and literally eat your foes. The two shadow acolytes didn't seem very happy that their pawns got eaten, so the one standing on the left decided to go for a strike on Sublime. Him seeing the shadow creature, the dragon flapped its wings once, but hard, and took off some feet into the air, avoiding that attack. He wasn't so lucky with the other one, however, as the other acolyte had also gone airborne and casted what seemed to be a shadow bullet into the side of Zen's dragon.

Zenshin's dragon attacks
Monster's blocks
Monster's attacks on dragon
Dragon's blocks

The member 'Zenshin' has done the following action : Dices roll

#1 'Damage Dice' :


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#2 'Block Dice' :


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#3 'Damage Dice' :


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#4 'Block Dice' :

Riza glanced at Zenshin to see how he was holding up - he seemed to be just fine, honestly. A little more winded than earlier, but she suspected that was from casting his dragon spell. Other than that minor detail, he seemed... Happy, almost. What an oddball... Keith, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. Riza found that this only added to her distaste for the man, but she figured he wasn't stupid enough to leave his two bodyguards. Right?

Sighing, the woman gripped her chain tighter and her eyes flickered where the shadow fiend used to be. Riza blinked, slightly confused. That thing can't have phased out... It's not THAT powerful. She remained still and slowed her breathing, focusing her energy on the area around her. A moment later, she held her chain in front of her, successfully blocking a clawed swipe from the fiend. It made some animalistic shriek, but Riza merely pushed the annoying creature back. "So you're one for invisibility, ehh? Wish I had that sometimes." Despite the battle continuing on and the monsters refusing to fade, Riza was having a bit of fun. It was her exercise for the day - the week, even. Work had been slow as of late, and she had been helping newer members of her guild adjust, much to her chagrin.

Two shadow acolytes rose from a darkened area behind the fiend, and Riza had to hold in her umpteenth growl of the night. Well, I WAS enjoying myself... The creatures just kept piling on, and Riza was beginning to think that they would be stuck in the dingy, germ-infected cave until sunrise. Just the thought made her shudder. It wasn't until a sharp pain in her backside that she returned to battle mode, and she quickly swiveled around to find one of the shadow acolyte looking nice and cozy with a pointed shadow blade covered in - ...is that? My fucking blood?! Baring her teeth, Riza whipped her chain around and caught the creature by the arm, but it merely brushed her attack off, breaking her chain in the process. Jerking the piece she was still holding, Riza flung the chain so it wrapped itself around her right arm in a gauntlet-like structure. "Now you've done it, bitch," Riza said softly, staring the creature menacingly in the eyes.

She kicked herself up off the ground and dashed past the acolyte, aiming for the other two behind it. The closest one seemed ready for her, and it braced itself for impact. Riza wasn't deterred, though, and enjoyed the strain in her right arm as she pulled it back for a punch. At the last second, the acolyte phased into shadow and Riza was left punching thin air, her body keeping its momentum, causing the woman to have to flip in the air and skid to a stop on the toes of her shoes. She hit the other half of her chain during the skid, and it clinked for a few seconds before she halted. "You're next, pumpkin," she sing-songed, kicking her fallen chain piece into the air in front of her and snatching it with her left hand. The force of her catch allowed it to wrap around her arm tightly, forming another gauntlet-like structure. A smirk tugged at Riza's lips and she kicked off the ground again, the force of it rupturing the dirt beneath her feet. She rushed the remaining acolyte, but it seemed less creative than its friend by mirroring its previous tactic - phasing away into a shadow. This time Riza wasn't as taken off guard, so she hit the ground with her hands, using her momentum to push herself up towards the ceiling. "Come and get me now, you sorry-ass trash!" She hovered just beneath the ceiling, planning her next move. The wound in her back wasn't deep enough to bother her when her adrenaline was pumping, but she knew that she would definitely be feeling it in the morning.

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2 Duration chains left
(Fiend miss - Acolyte hit - 2 more acolyte appear (-.- ) - all 4 block attack)

2 monster attack dice
2 Riza block
2 Monster dice (For Zen's two acolyte still kicking)
4 Riza attack
4 Monster block