Return to Sender [Group Mission]

Mission Details:

WC: 400

Tad wasn't always the most observant of individuals, especially right after an object of his affection invites him on a romantic getaway. Needless to say, it was now readily apparent to Tad that their getaway was in no way romantic. He presumed that Sojiro had mentioned the Cursed Lands at some point in asking him to come along, but Tad had tuned it out.

Tad was dressed in his usual attire, a snazzy coat and slacks with his cumberbund and dress shirt. And while the attire was heavily fashionable, it also had numerous magical attributes which either protected or aided the young Windrift in his adventures. He already felt a bit creeped out from the Cursed Lands, though it didn't completely disable the lanky mage, but certainly kept him from feeling at ease despite simply wandering the path with Sojiro.

"Thank you again for taking this trek with me, Thaddeus. I'm certain I would've gotten lost."

"Yeah, glad I could help." Tad's speech was unnaturally short and lacking in his eccentric flirtations. He was too focused on the creepy noises around him, constantly turning towards a perceived noise only to find nothing there... seemingly. "Did you hear that?" He would ask every so often as they walked, still attempting to find this cottage. Of all the places to hide, why couldn't this guy have chosen a 5 star hotel or a resort with hot springs?

He turned as another sound hit his ears. But, instead of finding nothing like all the other times, a square of a squirrel was just about to his face. He didn't even have time to take in the animal's grotesque appearance, though his heightened reflexes did allow him to jump to his side, dodging the evil squirrel's ferocious attack. His usual tendency to play with foes or dance around them was abandoned, likely a consequence of the Cursed Lands evil auras, as his right hand unsheathed his dagger and shoved its tip into the still-airborne squirrel's head, killing the ferocious furball before his brain had a chance to realize what had happened.

Slinging the corpse from the knife, Tad turned to Sojiro and asked "Let's hurry, this place is not to my liking."

WC: 368

Squirrel:

WC: 514
TWC: 914

Every time he heard a noise deep in the forest, a flash of that squirrel's undead face flashed through Tad's mind. It wasn't the most appealing face nor was it something he wanted to remember. Despite that, Tad wasn't sure if Sojiro was lying about why they'd come: he knew the four eyed mage was fond of being the hero, so Tad assumed he was trying to save the person who'd written the letter even though Sojiro claimed he wanted to return the letter. If it had been up to Tad, he'd have simply trashed it.

"I believe I see the hut in the distance, just over one more hill, and we should be there." Tad looked in the distance as best he could in the darkness. Damn, his glasses must have some sort of nightvision ability, or maybe telescopic. Or... maybe I need glasses. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of ghosts, of all things.

"Ghosts are real in this world? That's just terrible."

"Clearly, though not unexpected with this sort of environment," Tad responded with confidence, having long grown accustomed to Sojiro's references to 'this world'. If Sojiro was to be believed, both him and Takumi grew up in another world before somehow being transported to this one. Tad was somewhat experienced with summoning magic and it usually wasn't a permanent thing, so Tad had trouble believing their story, but he had at least grown accustomed to their references to another world. As the ghosts began toward them, Tad watched as Sojiro crafted a bow and arrows out of magic and eliminated the threat.

"I'll have to ask whatever real estate agency this guy spoke to, just to make sure we don't end up on the same cruddy local." Tad chuckled lightly, still not quite acting like his normal self. The two mages continued towards the cabin, closing in on their destination. Tad was hopeful they could complete this job... and get the hell out of dodge.

As they were within a few meters of the building, there was clearly something alive (or undead) at the door. It was making a scratching noise as it attempted to get inside. Without thinking, Tad rushed forward with impressive speed as black lightning formed in his palm. The ghoul with its slowed reflexes only slightly turned before Tad shoved his lightning covered palm into the creature's back, creating a sizeable hole where his palm had striked.

Feeling relieved to have defeated the newest obstacle, Tad didn't realize that the creature hadn't fallen over dead. It continued to turn towards Tad, the wound seemingly not enough to take the creature down. Tad started to back away when...

WC: 446
TWC: 446 + 368 = 814

WC: 298
TWC: 1,212

Tad felt a movement next to him and his head began to turn as a chill ran down his spine. It wasn't as pronounced as something like a Spider Sense, but it was definitely a sense that something bad was about to happen. He turned and saw the ghoul's teeth, but Sojiro's arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him from those gnarly gnashers before they could do either mage any harm. Tad instantly realized that he and Sojiro were locked in an embrace, totally unaware of the four-eyed mage's magic-fueled, head-obliterating uppercut.Naturally, Tad's arms had been pushed against his body with his forearms and palms pushed flatly against Sojiro's well defined chest.

"You have to be close, Thaddeus," were the words that Tad heard the man speak as they stood close to each other, nearly face to face. His imagination playing a little trick on him, as those weren't the words that had been spoken. Sojiro then let him go and stepped back, Tad remained somewhat in his reverie, not quite hearing Sojiro's request for him to check inside. The Cursed Lands' aura began to permeate back into Tad's brain, suppressing the rush of love that had temporarily taken over Tad's thought processes.

He then replayed the scene that had occurred, understanding what had truly been said and what task he had to perform now. As Sojiro rushed off to take care of another ghoul, Tad turned to the door, kicking the beheaded, lifeless corpse that lay in front of it out of the way. "Uh, excuse me?!" Tad called out. He knew it was a bit silly, as the sounds of Sojiro and numerous ghouls that were battling outside could clearly be heard even through the wooden walls of the cabin. He poked his head in, seeing someone sitting at the desk that sat in the corner. "We got your letter sir," he announced, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

As he approached the man who seemed to be either deaf or in a trance, the creature (as it was no longer a human) turned and snarled at Tad. "Eeek!" Tad called out involuntarily. Tad was, by no means, a macho man, but even if was a bit embarrassed by the feminine shriek that he let out as the creature snarled and began moving towards him. "I'm ok." He quickly responded in a voice that likely sounded an octave deeper than Tad's normal voice. He wanted to let Sojiro outside know that he was not in need of saving again, though he had been truthfully startled. Tad didn't know how the man, who seemed to be stuck inside the cabin all alone had been transformed into one of those things like the ones outside, but the evidence before the lanky mage was pretty clear.

The newly transformed ghoul got to its feet and started across the small cabin. Tad, feeling the Cursed Land's negative auras wasn't in the mood to play. He quickly charged both palms with Yin lightning, black in color before utilizing his spell Fire! which launched a bolt of that lightning directly at the ghoul's face. It was Tad's most powerful spell and he hoped it was strong enough to stop the creature in its tracks, though he could launch another one from the other palm if needed. The fact that the two of them were only feet from each other played a role in the lightning's ability to pierce straight through the ghoul's head, even scorching the cabin wall behind it. The formerly undead ghoul was now well and truly dead, as it slumped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Tad called out "We're too late, this guy was like those out there." The lean mage headed to the door, his palm still imbued with lightning while his other hand rested on the hilt of his knife, in case he needed it.

WC: 652
TWC: 652 + 446 + 368 = 1466

WC: 140
TWC: 1352

The two closed the door as they began their search. A desk was their first target and the pair looked over the papers spread across the desk of the person who had invited them. There was a series of interesting things, but only two things seemed to stand out. The first had been how the man had decided to contact Sojiro, having somehow heard about his fight in an arena with a warrior not too far from their current location. The second, and much more disturbing, was the fact a different letter seemed to indicate that the people of the nearby town could be threatened by this curse.

Tad almost wished that Sojiro hadn't seen the letter, because he knew what his reaction would be: he'd naturally want to go to the town to save everyone. A real hero at heart, that one is, the lanky mage mused. Tad was much less heroic and was actually hoping to head home after this scary forest incident, but he knew that wasn't really an option. He tried to sneak a peek at his companion, waiting to hear the words that he knew would be coming.

WC: 193
Group Total: 3011