Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
Pasha looked at the gruffs with obvious distaste and a deep inner shame at this ever-present lustful feeling inside of her that actually liked the dirty talk these goat men were spouting. That didn't make up for the fact that they were just attempting to distract them and intent on harm.
Both her daggers slipped out of her sheaths, gripped in her hands tightly. When Doozer pointed out that they'd spotted this poorly attempted ambush, Pasha was ready to react.
"Now you see me, now ya don't!" she whispered to her sister, before suddenly spinning on her toes and launching herself past the underbrush and into the woods beyond, neatly avoiding the encircling gruffs on the left side of the caravan. Swiftly and silently, the cat thief dove behind a tree and then acrobatically tumbled and scuttled through the under brush, hiding herself from view. With so many others to concern themselves with, she doubted the gruffs would bother taking their eyes off the caravan to follow her movements, and that was if they even could. Pasha was damned sneaky when she wanted to be - almost uncannily so. It had been how Calel had trained her.
Once she was hidden, she would sneak quickly back to the battle and leap on a Gruff's back in a surprise attack.
Pasha uses Sneak skill to disappear from enemies' sight. She'll head to the left side of the caravan while doing so. On the second round, she'll run up to the nearest gruff and sneak attack stab him in the neck area.
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
"Yes, sir!" Meara responded firmly with an unusual amount of determination. Her new goal was to prove that they could do more than just pull their own weight, especially on her end as a caravan guard. Succubus or not, they'd earn their keep and make it even harder for Doozer to question their usefulness, should their secret be revealed. And may any surviving deity have mercy on those who got in the group's way, as the older sister was intent on displaying her martial skill to its highest degree. She was practically itching for a fight by now, if only so that she could prove herself before the eyes of her newest employer. The environment after the bridge further prepared her for one as she kept a hand on the weapon at her side, her ears perked up to catch the drift of any ambushes targeted at the caravan.
But the threat wasn't a particularly well-hidden one, much to the Su-Ku-Ta's surprise, and it came a bit later than she might have expected. When she did spot the three corrupted goatmen, Meara could feel her adrenaline start to flow as she gripped the handle of her coiled whip. She could already tell that the red trio would not let them pass by peacefully, despite Doozer's well-chosen words. The rustles in the bushes easily gave away the position of their companions, and while that was an important detail in of itself, the catgirl's focus had naturally fixed on that of the one in the center, with the crossbow. She wouldn't respond to her sister, not now anyway, so as to avoid any indication that Pasha was to disappear from sight and flank them. The focus had to be on her so that the stealthier of the two could do her work, and so she called out to the gruffs. Their verbal lewdness she ultimately found distasteful, even if it might have been difficult to say that their words did absolutely nothing for her. They were enemies, after her job and her livelihood, as well as her newest employer, Doozer. She stared at the bolt loaded in the crossbow intently, her lips pursed as she took a deep breath in and out through her nose. That, above all things, needed to be stopped. Sure, as a weapon it took a healthy amount of time to reload, but more importantly it could reach Doozer before any of the other guards really had a chance to react, and that in itself was a problem. She needed to draw attention to herself somehow.
"Oh? And who's to say that you could get it up yourself?" she inquired with a defiant grin forming upon her visage. "Men are all talk, most of the time, and the lot of you don't look like any exception to me. Or is it that you need to spout such nonsense before finding yourselves aroused? Hmpf... it's apparent that guys like you can't even target a more worthy adversary despite all your words about making me purr. Concerned about performance anxiety, perhaps?" With her mention of worthy adversaries, she of course was referring to the weapon pointed at Doozer, who at least appeared less capable, combat-wise, than many of his guards. Her tail bushed and went straight up as she prepared herself for battle, and she was one of the first to act, knowing that the overwhelming hostile intent felt from the satyrs was not one that would easily dwindle with any amount of negotiation. She had to be first, not only logically to protect Doozer and gain the initiative, but also to show the man that she had worth in combat, moreso than Aganzo, even more than Erasmus. It was her style to face battle head-on, and to invite it, not to cower from it, and so she made her move, dashing forward.
Her initial action was a backswing, a smooth motion that caused her whip to uncoil and prepared it for the first strike, which then came swiftly, targeting the gruff armed with the crossbow. If her words hadn't drawn his attention, perhaps she could throw off his aim by even a little. She calculated the distance of her stride such that they would be in range of her whip as soon as she struck, ensuring that the first lash found its home unless the goatman reacted quickly enough. Then, the next two strikes would find the faces of her first opponent's cohorts, disrupting the charge that they most likely intended on initiating. It was in Meara's plan that Pasha would find a way to lessen the numbers of those hiding in the shrubbery while she herself dealt with the threat that stood before them.
Meara uses Power Strike (x = 10) + Lightning Strikes, each one aimed at the trio to the front. Trading 10 points of Dodge for +10 bonus to Attack and Damage rolls, so her dodge is brought down to 43 for now.
Lightning Strikes gives her -12 to Attack rolls and -6 to Damage rolls, making the overall modifier -2 Attack Roll, +4 Damage, x 3 Attacks.
(+58) 2d4 + 42 vs. Satyr
(+58) 2d4 + 42 vs. Satyr Soldier
(+58) 2d4 + 42 vs. Satyr
If they aren't dispatched, she will repeat the process next round if distance allows. Otherwise, single-target the Soldier above all else.
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
Pasha: HP = 54, PP = 41, EP = 41, Status = Hidden. Meara: HP = 81, PP = 43, EP = 44, Status = Fine.
Rolls
For the sake of my sanity (and plus allowing the satyrs/gruffs some even ground with the mooks of the caravan, at least), any mook vs satyr/gruff rolls will be handled using a formula I made up a few days ago to handle sizable battles. Satyr/Gruff vs named character/PC will be handled as normal)
Pasha sneaks!
Despite that one of the satyrs rolled a 20, Pasha does well enough to hide!
Meara moves forward!
Hits: All three succeed.
Damage: Two are instantly KOed. The satyr soldier survives thanks to armor, taking 3 + 42 - 12 = 33 damage.
Paisley attempts to finish off said satyr soldier:
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 17 + 14 - 12 = enough damage to kill him.
Doozer uses rage + leap glomp in order to engage murder mode on the hapless gruff berserker to the right!
Attack: Success.
Grapple: The gruff berserker is placed into a submission hold.
Powerful Embrace Damage: 9.
Aganzo engages with the gruff berserker on the left.
Attacks: All hit.
Damage: 7 + 16 - 8 = 15, 5 + 16 - 8 = 13, and 5 + 16 - 8 = 13. Not enough to kill the berserker.
Erasmus puts himself ahead of the soldiers and uses scissor defense and whirling death! Takes 4 HP damage as a result of whirling death.
Lonnie uses Blood Magic combined with Explosion in order to target the gruffs hiding in the bushes to the right.
Casting: Success.
Attack: Both are hit.
Damage: (6 + 11) * 6. No survivors.
The gruff berserker attempts to repay the favor toward Aganzo, by raging and taking a swing at him.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 4 + 40 + 10 - 3 = 51 damage. Barely KOs him.
The gruff regains 17 HP via bloodbath.
Two more satyrs and one satyr soldier emerge from the back, having not been spotted from the sisters earlier (though the soldiers in the back did catch them, luckily enough).
Two sword wielding satyr soldiers go rushing at Erasmus.
Attacks: Both hit.
Damage: 8 + 14 - 25 = Nada, 9 + 14 - 25 = Also nada. He gives 0 fucks.
Counterattacks: 2x against each soldier, all four hit.
Damage against the first soldier: 10 + 29 - 12 = 27, and 11 + 29 - 12 = 28. He's dead.
Damage against the second soldier: 9 + 29 - 12 = 26, and 12 + 29 - 12 = 29. He's also dead.
And mookfightan'.
12 of the caravan guards go to handle the 4 satyrs in the back. All four satyrs are dead, 1 caravan guard is injured in the fighting.
The remaining 12 dogpile on the two unoccupied gruffs. Both gruffs are killed.
Aaand since I don't even need to roll to know that Pasha will instantly kill the gruff berserker (which happens to be the one about to murder Aganzo on the left), that happens. And that leaves one gruff berserker who was going to have his eyes gouged out anyway. So, victory is achieved with only one wounded Aganzo and one injured soldier.
4 XP, get!
"Come over here and we'll find out whether I can make you purr or not!" The crossbow-wielding satyr called toward Meara without missing a beat. Although as she made to advance, his tone quickly changed. "I wasn't being literal!" He added as he shifted the aim of his crossbow toward the catgirl. But by then it was too late, and the area immediately around the caravan exploded into chaos.
Meara's whip first lashed out on a downward path, but it missed the unarmored head of the lead satyr, which might have instantly knocked the goatman unconscious, and instead stuck him on the arm. This still worked out to her favor, however, as the pain of the lash against his arm ruined his aim and his shot hit nothing but the dirt road between the catgirl and her first target. The rest of her plan went a bit smoother, with the two satyrs beside their leader immediately making to charge Meara and engage her in melee in order to buy him time and space. She immediately met their efforts with a sideways crack of her whip, striking the first across the side of his skull with enough force to knock him unconscious immediately and send him face first into the dirt. The second underestimated the speed and force that the trained su-ku-ta could manipulate her whip with and hastened his own charge, only for her to give him the same service as the first with a backhanded lash of her weapon. During all of this, Pasha slipped into the greenery with not an enemy among their ambushers the wiser.
The satyr soldier attempted, with no small amount of urgency, to reload his weapon, but his efforts were halted as a small bolt seemed to erupt from his eye. He briefly reached up to clutch at it, maybe even try to yank it out, but eventually collapsed to the ground and ceased moving entirely. A look around for the source would reveal that Paisley's hand crossbow was present in the androgynous figure's hand, but no longer loaded. Around the same time, the gruff berserkers came charging into into the fray.
Aganzo met the one to the left. The gruff swung wildly at him with its hammer, but the swordsman dodged and repaid him by landing cuts across the goatman's tough hide. Slowly but surely, he was whittling the ferocious corrupted faerie warrior down. Unfortunately it appeared that the human combatant wasn't prepared for just how hands-on his opponent was willing to get, as eventually the berserker simply grabbed Aganzo by the shirt and reeled him in to deliver a devastating headbutt, which left the unfortunate receiver's nose busted and his face bloody and him a heap on the ground.
One of the soldiers that the sisters hadn't personally met yet was unfortunate enough to be the target of the berserker on the right. Though the guard raised his sword in order to block the oncoming swing of the charging gruff, the goatman plowed through it as simply as if the human hadn't even been there and knocked the man squarely onto his back. Before the guard could even raise his sword, the faerie's hammer was raised into the air in order to land a killing strike... And then the gruff wasn't there anymore. He disappeared underneath the huge form of Doozer, as the big man literally tackled the goatman to the ground, crushing the smaller fey underneath the hulking weight of the human and knocking his hammer away in the process, and immediately got his hands on the gruff's goat-like skull and began to gouge the faerie's eyes out with his thumbs. "Like I'm just gonna watch you kill one o' mine!"
The gruffs on the right side were dumbfounded by the sight of Doozer overpowering one of their strongest with his bare hands, and Lonnie took the opportunity to casually incinerate them. She drew a knife along her hand and pointed it toward them in order to cast a spell and the very ground beneath them exploded in a storm of fire. Normally, perhaps, a fire in a forest would be a bad idea, but this fire incinerated all the fuel in its radius so quickly that it impeded its own ability to spread, and was soon naught but small flickering flames left on the few pieces of greenery that remained able to feed them. There was very little left of the gruffs, as well.
Though Meara nor Pasha could see it very well, Erasmus effortlessly dispatched two satyrs in the back of the wagon, and the guards rallied at how efficiently the corrupted faeries were being slain and quickly rushed to find their own opponents, resulting in the death of two more gruffs and four more bow wielding satyrs in the back, some of whom the sisters hadn't caught when they had initially spotted the ambush. Before long, the berserker underneath Doozer was dead with his skull crushed by the big man's hands. And finally, thanks to the efforts of Pasha, the fight was ended without any casualties at all, as before the berserker could finish off Aganzo, the more subtle catgirl smoothly emerged from her hiding place just in time to rapidly and repeatedly thrust her knife into the side of the gruff's neck. He lasted just long enough to drop his hammer and clutch at the wounds in his neck before falling to the ground, effectively ending the threat of the ambush as the stealthier of the catgirl sisters slipped away from the berserker she had stabbed.
"Lonnie, wounded," Doozer ordered after he rose to his feet, but after he confirmed that all their opponents were down. The bespectacled mage nodded and moved to Aganzo first, checking his wounds and beginning to heal the man. "Everyone else, loot the dead, finish the unconscious, rest, do whatever yer gonna do. We're gettin' out of 'ere as soon as possible." And most of the guards did just that, rushing to loot the bodies. The only ones who didn't, besides the two injured men and Lonnie, were Doozer, Erasmus, and Paisley, with the first looking out for more trouble, the second relaxing by sitting on the back of one of the carts, and the third doing much the same as the first. If the catgirls had any conversation to make, or wanted to try to secure their share of the loot, they would want to do so quickly, because they'd soon be on the march again.
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
Pasha regretted that she could not be of more immediate use to her sister and the rest of the caravan, but she wasn't built or trained for melee. She worked best as an infiltrator and as a cutpurse. If she needed to kill, she would never try to fight fair. As a member of Calel's resistance group, she and her mentor-come-boyfriend, their work had always been from the shadows, hunting the weaker members of the invaders that had become separated from the pack. When facing a stronger enemy, you had to divide his strength, nettle him and fall back. The death of a thousand cuts was her forte, but in a desperate melee, there was no time for that. Meara had always been the stronger one, and if a quick decisive battle was needed, the knightly sister was always the one to step up.
Pasha had quickly ducked and weaved through the underbrush and could safely see that none of the gruffs she'd rushed by had noticed her movement. Crouching low, she came around and tried to see where she would be of most use. It wasn't hard to spot where she was needed. Most of the enemies on her side had been taken care of, except for Aganzo, who had taken a nasty hit from the berserker. Without hesitation, Pasha sprinted silently forward, leapt onto the berserker's back and dug her dagger into the fighter's thick neck again and again, drawing fresh sprays of blood with every thrust, coating her hand in sticky gruff blood as she stuck him a final blow all the way to the hilt. The enemy dropped to the side and Pasha neatly slid away from him.
With her unbloodied hand, she reached down to offer it to Aganzo. The man didn't take it, and as Pasha peered more closely, she realized that the poor caravan guard was knocked out.
"Ouchies." she said with a wince, seeing the blood still gurgling from his nose. "Um, medic?"
As Lonnie came over to sort Aganzo out, Pasha knelt to pick the pockets of the berserker at her feet. Her kill, her spoils she figured. After looting the dead gruff, she sought out her sisters. As to be expected, her sibling had done one better than her, confronting the enemy head on without even getting herself dirty. Pasha was proud of her, and after she'd got done wiping off her hand and dagger on the dead gruff's ragged clothing, she went to stand by Meara as the caravan took stock of itself.
"Hey," she breathed, brushing her disheveled hair back into place as she approached. "Guess everyone's going to be okay, huh?"
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
While there was a fair amount of tension that had built up in Meara's chest during the standoff with the grunts, it all dissipated for her the moment she finally allowed her body to move. Would the whip reach? Would her first strike fail? No--it was not the time for such thoughts, and she was quick to shed them as she allowed her training to take over. The only thing she could do now was to believe in her own abilities, as well as those of her teammates, and so she did. Resolve replaced doubt, and thanks to the proper shift in her mental state, her first attack landed, enough to ensure that nobody in the party had to deal with fighting while stuck through with a bolt. She restricted the follow-up to her initial blow to a small loop rather than a full, overhead swing, making it a priority to strike again before one of the two charging goatmen could get their hands on her. Still, it was enough to deliver a sufficient amount of force to the first guard. And though her follow-up reserved for the second was something of a half-cultivated stroke, he did her a favor by running right into it, removing himself from the fight in the process.
While it would likely take the reddened soldier another few seconds to reload his weapon, Meara understood it to remain a threat regardless. After all, at this current range, she was probably the only one who could stop him in time, since the others were too busy dealing with the ambush--or so she thought. She coiled her whip back, twirling it once overhead for a more potent blow, only to find herself interrupted by a sudden, masterful shot of a bolt being released, the source of which she could hear not too far from her. It certainly wasn't his... no, it was Paisley's. But it was enough. Similarly, everyone else in the caravan had followed her into action. Out of her peripheral vision she spotted a rather large gruff bringing Aganzo down, and immediately she turned and rushed to help him. She wasn't about to let any of their group die here, certainly not now--especially when it was thanks to him that she was even hired to begin with.
But Meara was not alone in that sentiment. Much to the older catgirl's surprise, Doozer himself had charged into battle, not only saving the swordsman in the process by way of uprooting his attacker's stance, but making a gruesome display of the opponent he selected afterwards with a simple, but effective, approach. She couldn't help but wince as the shocking scene unfolded. The Su-Ku-Ta was no stranger to shows of violence, having witnessed her fair share thanks to the invasions, but she was still blindsided by it all, considering that the normally fat, jolly-faced gent had suddenly shown the shade of a warrior himself, effectively subverting her expectations. There was little left of the berserking satyr for her to capitalize on, and so she turned an eye towards the other enemies--who, again, turned from valid threats to nonexistent ones as Lonnie's explosive, fiery spell reduced them to little more than charred remains. And with the chaotic exchange between the two factions, the battle had ended almost as quickly as it had begun.
During the aftermath, Meara looked around once more. She thought to start looting, just as Doozer suggested, but she made it her priority to check on Pasha first, whom she hugged tightly. They had been in battle together many times, but even then, she couldn't get used to the thought of her younger sister in danger as much as she was. Meara would go to great lengths to avoid such a loss above all else, so she promised herself. "Looks that way," she finally managed to reply after a prolonged embrace. "I'm glad though. But I can't say I expected to see that outta Doozer, myself. Remind me not to piss him off, okay?" She forced a smile, stroking the other catgirl's shoulder for a moment before doing a quick search of the two she had knocked out. Afterwards, she did her best to drag them by their horns, bringing them to the caravan leader.
"These two are alive, but out. I can finish them, but... I was thinking maybe we could take them as prisoners and use them as chips if anything goes wrong later down the road?" Or sources of energy in a pinch, so she thought, but she would leave that minor detail out of her inquiry for the time being.
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
Pasha: HP = 54, PP = 41, EP = 41, Status = Fine. Meara: HP = 81, PP = 43, EP = 44, Status = Fine.
Pasha didn't find anything of value on the gruff she searched. Looking around, however, she noticed a few of the caravan guards taking blunt weapons to the horns of the fallen satyrs and gruffs in order to break them away and carrying the items off. The catgirl could choose to do the same, although she'd have to use the heavy mace of the berserker in order to accomplish as much.
After the two su-ku-ta had exchanged words, Meara would manage to drag the satyrs toward the cart just in time for Lonnie to have healed Aganzo and the other guard, although both remained unconscious, and for a number of the caravan mercenaries to hoist each fallen man onto one of the carts. "I s'pose," Doozer responded uncertainly when she made her suggestion. "They're your responsibility though," he continued as he moved to the back of one of the wagons, pulled out two coils of rope, and then tossed them her way. "Get 'em tied up, we'll toss them in the cart 'til they're conscious and then they can walk the rest of the way."
Regardless of whether or not Meara decided to go along with that choice, Erasmus would make a quick appearance. "That went well, I would say," he said with a flash of his customary smile as he sauntered up to the warrior catgirl and her sister assuming that Pasha was present, then offered a hand in the work of securing the two prisoners if Meara had chosen to take that route. When the satyrs were tied and the guards had hoisted them onto one of the wagons, or whether the martial catgirl never chose to undertake that endeavor at all, he would produce a few of the faeries' horns afterward. "Gifts. I earned a few extra, so I thought I might share the wealth since my fellow guards can be a bit greedy and rush to loot the fallen before everybody gets their fair share. These have a bit of magic in them, if you're not familiar, they're worth a pretty penny and some craftsmen like to craft things from them," he would present them to each of the catgirls for them to take. It seemed like the rest of the caravan was getting ready to move again, so they wouldn't have much time to converse with Erasmus before they were on the road. Still, if they had anything else to speak with each other or any other member of the group about, they had a few precious moments to do so before the road took them wherever it would.
Pasha gets 1 faerie horn if she chooses to play whack-a-gruff's-skull with the hammer. She may actually also choose to loot teh two-handed mace if she so likes, but it's not worth a whole lot.
Erasmus also offers each 1 faerie horn apiece that they may choose to take.
Finally, Meara gets 2 satyr slaves! They're worth, like, 2 cows apiece!
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
Taking a cue from the other caravan guards, Pasha hefted the large mace and knocked off the horns of the dead gruff. He didn't need them anymore and in his present state, she doubted if there would be anyone who bemoaned the desecration of his corpse. She stuffed the horn bits into her coin pouch, dropped the heavy mace, and joined her sister.
"Are you sure you want to keep these two as prisoners?" She asked Meara, wrinkling her nose as she sniffed at them. "They're dirty."
She wouldn't argue with her sister about it though, knowing that Meara wouldn't kill a defenseless opponent, no matter how much they deserved it. She just prayed that she wouldn't have to associate too much with the 'horny' goat men.
As Meara bound one of their wrists, Pasha took the other. Her ears perked up though as she heard Erasmus' approach and watched with raised brow as the man made his gift offer to Meara.
"Ahh, so that's why they broke 'em off." She said. "Magic? Hmm. Well thank you." She pocketed the second horn to go with the two tips she'd already broken off for herself. Later on, she'd hand one back over to Meara so they'd each end up with a full pair.
She kept quiet and let Meara do the majority of talking with Erasmus, following her big sister's lead as to how she'd treat with the smooth talking caravan guard. He was handsome enough she supposed, and a better option than the prisoners if she ever needed a recharge. But he seemed to be primarily interested in Ra-Ra, and though she felt a little jealous, she was used to this, and acknowledged that Meara was truly beautiful, not blaming him for his choice.
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
"Yes, sir," Meara replied firmly, hiding her giddiness. "I won't let them out of my sight!" It wasn't so much that she was excited about having prisoners, but more that the leader of the caravan apparently trusted her enough to keep several potentially dangerous grunts about. She nodded to Pasha. "It's better to keep at least a few alive, as customary in the ways of war." Or so the knightly Niran taught her. "For added leverage." The older catgirl caught the rope he tossed her and went to work, making sure to be extra thorough with their bindings. The satyrs would have their arms tightly fastened behind their backs, and while their legs were left free for the most part, Meara also made sure to leave a six-foot length of rope linking the two prisoners. This would allow her to manipulate them both by grasping it like a leash of sorts. In addition, it could make it somewhat more difficult for the two males to escape if they weren't on the same wavelength in terms of where to go and at what speed.
"Alright, ready to go," she reported aloud, moving them into the cart. She also bound their ankles for the time being, figuring that those could simply be undone when the situation called for them to walk on their own two hooves like Doozer implied. "Be good," whispered Meara to the goatmen whether they were conscious or not. "You lost, so you are now my prisoners--such is the law of combat. I'd appreciate it if you could adhere to such principles. If you behave well, I might even make it worth your while," she added with a smirk. Of course, whether or not she truly intended to deliver on that was another matter, but a bit of incentive never hurt to add, so she thought to herself. The gruffs seemed to be sexually motivated, if nothing else, and if there was anything that Meara had confidence in providing, it had to be either in the realm of sexual pleasure or thorough beatings. The former would be a possibility for prisoners who behaved, while the latter was a certainty for those who did not. It was simple enough.
After securing her new prisoners, the green-clad catgirl sauntered back over to where the others were, only to find Erasmus on the way there. The relief she experienced from seeing him in one piece was plain to read upon her face, and she returned the smile he gave her almost instantly. "All things considered, it could've gone much worse than it did... so yes, I'd have to agree," she replied in a light tone. "Unfortunately Aganzo's seen better days, but I think he should be well with a bit of proper healing and rest. And did you see Doozer? I had no idea he had it in him," remarked the older of the two sisters in a quieter voice. Her eyes widened when she saw his gift to her, and while it was something of a morbid offering, she wasn't one to simply refuse it. "Oh, wow. It looks as though you held your own and then some. Thank you," said the Su-Ku-Ta graciously, observing the horn for a moment before stashing it away on her figure.
"Glad you thought of us." Meara kept a sly grin upon her face. It won him some points with her for sure, if only because gift-giving was a frequent and appreciated gesture for courtesans in Su-Ku-Ta culture. "I wasn't aware of these horns' various uses. You'll have to tell me more when we set up camp tonight," said the catgirl, her tail swishing as she slipped an arm around Pasha's waist, intent on not letting the younger sister feel excluded by any means. If Erasmus was going to associate with Meara, he would have to do the same with Pasha--no other terms would be acceptable. But she would leave it at that. Further conversation with the red-eyed stud would have to wait until later, as they had to continue moving before long, and understandably so. No use lingering for too long in what now appeared to be a fairly dangerous forest.
The goatmen proved to be just a little bit too unconscious to respond to Meara's demands and promises. Erasmus, on the other hand, proved more talkative after the business with the satyrs and the horns had been handled. "Ah, I'm afraid to say that I missed seeing the big man in action. We had our hands full with crossbowmen in the back. I can't say I'm entirely surprised, as I can only imagine what it takes to run a caravan and survive on the roads given the state of the world." After the business with the goat horns was handled and Meara pulled her sister in closer, he gave the two a knowing smile and made his next reply. "You two seem so natural at it that it's easy to forget that you haven't been in this business for long. I would be happy to give you both the crash course on all the odds and ends that we travelers love to harvest for extra coin on the side later tonight." A whistle from Doozer along with with a call that it was time to get moving interrupted the conversation, however, and so Erasmus gave one parting comment before nodding and returning to his place. "It's a promise."
The two were able to return to their spots at the forefront of the caravan without any issue, and before long they were on the road again. The pace and general wariness of the guards had been elevated noticeably after the first ambush. The air was so tense that it felt like if a pin dropped in the forest it might be shot, burned, bludgeoned, and otherwise abused by the on-edge group. It was the case for the entirety of their renewed journey, and it was a long, long journey. They probably spent another few hours traveling through the forest, and though it felt like much longer with every minute seeming to stretch into eternity the sun itself had only traveled so far across the sky.
This general atmosphere combined with the amount of time spent in it meant that even Doozer was on edge when after those few hours, and with freedom from the ever-present trees in sight, they found more figures waiting for them on the road. There were at least four of the gruffs among them wielding swords and shields, but unlike the earlier ambush the goat-peoples' fur was the color of freshly tilled earth and their horns were far less pointed. Also unlike the earlier ambush, these gruffs were led by a figure wearing full shining plate armor made that was gold with green accents. Her helmet was tucked under her arm, revealing striking features similar to those of Ephsana and Caitir including pointed ears. But unlike the two faeries, her skin was a color similar to the bark of an oak tree and she had medium length curly green hair. Off her back hung a forest green cloak affixed to the shoulders of her armor by two metal clasps in the shape of flowers. A pair of swords hung on her hips, the blades hidden in oddly shaped scabbards.
It was the armored woman who called out to the caravan. "Halt, mortals," her voice rang out with clear command. Doozer followed the command and stopped the group well short of the faerie and her cohorts, though a quick look at the man and how he was scanning the trees might suggest that it was more out of fear of being ambushed again than anything else. He didn't seem to spot anything amiss -- neither did the catgirls, for that matter -- which apparently led him to take her ensuing request a bit more seriously. "I would request that one of you come forth, so that I can speak with you." The big man looked at the faerie, and then to his group, seeming to mull something over in his mind for a moment. After that moment was up, he looked to Pasha. "You've proven yerself resourceful so far. If she's on the up and up she'll probably want to know why we're traipsing about in their forest, too, and I expect you'll be able to spin a better tale about that one than I will. Go and talk to 'er on our behalf. You 'ave my full permission to tell 'er whatever she wants to hear to get us out of 'ere." He glanced at the gruffs before turning to Meara. "I don't really care if she only wants one, you should go with yer sister just in case they're not on the up and up and give 'er some 'elp spinning that tale while you're there. If worst comes to worst, we'll break through 'ere and grab you on our way."
The armored faerie, in the meantime, waited a bit impatiently for the caravan's chosen emissaries to go forward to meet her. It was, of course, up to the su-ku-ta sisters whether they accepted their new jobs or not. If they did, though, they would first find that the faerie proved not to be particular about the number that came to greet her and second find Doozer's intuition to be correct, as the first thing the green-haired woman would greet them with was a question about how they'd arrived in the forest. "Under the orders of the high priestess of this region, mortals are forbidden to travel in this forest. How has your group arrived here?"
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
"Roger dodger, Doozer," Pasha said at being asked to be the group's emissary, but only after Meara was chosen to accompany her. Refusal seemed to be pointless, and given that her skilled tongue had gotten them into the forest, it was understandable to her that it would be used to get them out. With Meara by her side, she felt as if she would have some safety net just in case things got really bad.
Straightening herself up, she walked forward, approaching the fae and her gruff cohort. Even though this fae was also glamorous and pretty, her demeanor didn't give off the same radiant welcoming look that Caitr's had, nor the innocent and wonderful countenance of Ephsana.
This fae emanated with an air of authority, and as a trained courtesan meant to service the needs and stroke the egos of nobility, Pasha attempted to treat her with all due deference. Stopping at a respectable distance, she gave a knowing glance to her sister, taking her hand, and leading them both in a synchronized bow.
"My lady, we humbly ask your forgiveness for any error we may have made in going against the wishes of your high priestess, with whom we are unfamiliar. We came to this forest under dire need of passage. In these troubled times full of terrible invaders and depression, our livelihood depends upon us getting our caravan to our destination without delay. There was a lone guardian who attempted to bar entry, but he met only with myself. The rest of my caravan is unaware that he existed. Through minor, harmless deception, I was able to distract him while my caravan entered the woods. It is my duty to make certain that we continue to move on, else we shall surely become destitute beggars like so many of the other refugees created by this horrible war.
"It was not my intention to upset the designs of your high priestess, but if some form of punishment must be meted out. I beseech you to let your judgement fall on me alone. Just please, let us pass, for mercy's sake, for to not do so is to condemn us all to misery. We will leave this forest with our deepest promise to not return until the high priestess clears this way again for travelers."
Pasha ended her appeal with another dip of her body, this time in a curtsy, though she would wait to see if Meara wanted to add anything.
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
"Thank you. Never did I expect to even have to know such things, back when I was but a kitten in Anudor. But now that fate has brought Sha-sha and I here, we've been given little choice but to succeed. I'd be glad to learn anything you are willing to teach me in that regard," said Meara to Erasmus with a friendly smile, though she never left her sister's side.
Even when they resumed travelling, the knightly sibling wasn't far from Pasha this time, especially knowing that the woods weren't as safe as they initial thought them to be. Her ears remained perked up and swiveled to each side, so as to better catch noises coming from their flanks, and any inclination to engage in idle chatter was all but gone. Her weapon remained at the ready, moreso than ever, as she steeled herself for any surprise attacks that may follow. Certainly those couldn't be the only fae in the forest, and the caravan by its very nature wasn't a group that could claim any advantages in the stealth department.
But the encounter that followed was far from what Meara had prepared herself for. These fae stood out in the open, and they had no hidden reinforcements--none that she could hear, anyway. From the looks of how well-equipped the leader was, they didn't really need to be. While some tension still lingered in her chest, she was at least relieved to see that the group seemed to lack the immediate hostility and corruption present in the gruffs from before.
When Doozer turned to Pasha, the older sister also heeded his words just as intently, as if he were talking to her as well. Upon receiving her own orders she'd give him a solemn nod. "Yes," was all that she uttered before moving alongside her sibling. It went without saying; she would have had Sha-sha's back in the matter whether or not the stout caravan master ordered her to.
Meara mirrored Pasha's movements down to the letter, putting the manners learned from her training into practice. "It is as my sister says. We simply seek to get to the next town, and have traveled for quite some time already. I can assure that we wouldn't disturb any operations you might have in our journey, as our utmost priority is simply to pass and nothing more."
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
Pasha: HP = 54, PP = 41, EP = 41, Status = Fine. Meara: HP = 81, PP = 43, EP = 44, Status = Fine.
The armored faerie listened impassively through Pasha's flattery. The only detectable change in her attitude came in the form of annoyance when the catgirl admitted to having fooled the part-troll and slipped the caravan into the forest despite knowing that such travel was forbidden. She was even so cold that she didn't bat an eye as the more subtle catgirl's skilled tongue slipped in her remark about what the war had done to the continent, even though that same act caused at least one of the gruffs in the knight's retinue to offer a remorseful look toward the two sisters.
"Does your caravan's livelihood not also depend on avoiding slaughter and rape? Did the guardian you fooled not warn you about the rebels that infest this place? You have already disturbed our operations here more than you could ever know," the faerie retorted immediately after the two had made their case. She paused just long enough to let loose an exasperated sigh but continued before Meara and Pasha could get a word in edgewise. "The high priestess ordered this restriction both for the safety of travelers and to ensure that none of the rebels could flee the forest and wreak their havoc elsewhere. I have no desire to punish any of you, but whether your intrusion was innocent or not my duty now demands that I search your caravan and the other mortalkin to ensure that no rebel material is being smuggled through."
"But this benefits neither of us, as with the manpower I have on hand it will take the better part of a day to perform an acceptable search of a caravan your size and every minute spent searching is a minute spent not watching our post. Sending for others will take even longer and will divert their attention from more pressing matters." The faerie moved in closer as she began to talk about the difficulties imposed on her by the caravan's appearance, until eventually she was at a range where she could talk low enough that only the catgirls could hear her. "With this in mind, I'd like to offer a peaceful alternative. There is a favor of dire importance that I need accomplished, and I am unable to see it through while stuck in my position here and cannot ask my subordinates to do it. If you would see it through in my stead, I would be obligated to pay off my debt by letting your caravan through. Otherwise, we're going to be here until the search is done," she trailed off.
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
Pasha's heart sank a bit as the faerie didn't show any hints of sympathy for their plight and it seemed as though her excuses for bypassing her way into these woods were going to fall on deaf ears. Sometimes knight types could be too fuddy duddy about these things. Except for Meara of course. Pasha had always been close enough with her sister that she didn't let the ideals of chivalry draw the older Su-Ku-Ta away from day to day realities. This fae knight might be a different story.
As the forest guardian proceeded to talk about the need to quarantine the corrupted gruffs, Pasha did her best to avoid looking uncomfortable. She had no less than three corrupted gruff horns in the pouch at her belt, and knew that Meara carried one as well. Worse still, a quick search of the caravan would soon reveal the living prisoners that they had found. The thief didn't want to consider how much trouble they could be in if that was discovered.
"We'd appreciate avoiding a delay," Pasha said quickly, once the curious offer was brought up. If this would let them pass without a search, it would be foolish to say no without hearing the knight out.
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
"Well, we... hadn't heard of any 'rebels', to be honest," said Meara, her brow furrowing in a look of genuine concern. "At least, not as a warning of any sort," she added, glancing sideways to her sister as if to affirm that what she was saying was correct. She hadn't heard the finer details of Pasha's 'conversation' with the troll, after all. But if he had any warnings that were so crucial, there was little reason for her sibling not to share such information at the earliest opportunity.
The fae's suggestion of a search bothered the older catgirl to no small degree, as she felt the unease build up in her chest. One aspect of Meara that set her apart from her sister was that she wasn't quite as good at hiding the truth, especially if it was one of crucial importance, which limited her ability to deceive to minor flattery and the like. To be found out or caught in a lie was one of the worst feelings for her, personally, and she was quite close to admitting the truth as a result of hearing the woman's revelation about 'rebels' being loose in the forest. No, she had to. Surely, it would save additional headaches or explanations down the road if they were to encounter any others like this particular group. Besides, it wasn't as though they were directly lying, per se, and perhaps some sort of reward would be in order for the gruffs she did have in her possession...
She only hesitated after glancing sideways to her sister, who was visibly nervous about the fact. But there was a high chance that either of the satyrs could bleat upon waking. Or would they? It depended on which fate was worse for them; as a prisoner of a Su-Ku-Ta mercenary, or of a fae court.
Meara decided to bank on the latter being worse, and went along with her sister's remark instead of blurting out the truth like she had been inclined to do. "Certainly. If you can guarantee us passage, then I'm sure we could handle your little task."
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
Pasha: HP = 54, PP = 41, EP = 41, Status = Fine. Meara: HP = 81, PP = 43, EP = 44, Status = Fine.
The knight smiled when Meara and Pasha both agreed to listen to her request. It was an expression that frankly looked completely out of place on the knight, as if she had been born without the facial muscles to smile and so she had stolen the smile of a serial slasher instead. "Fantastic. I think you'll find that this will work out better for all of us in the end." She beckoned them a little closer, into a ring tight enough that none beyond the three would be able able to hear their whisperings without being overly conspicuous about it. "You see, I've lost a ring of great importance to me. It's a simple signet ring made of faeriegold and with a wilting flower as its crest, but it's more important than my very life, in truth, though not so important as the duty before me, which restrains me from going to retrieve it."
"I think it slipped from my finger just the other day, while I was in combat about a mile southwest of here. It's a very magical item, so if you have any means of detecting magics then it should be impossible to miss. If you could find it and bring it directly to me -- and I must stress only to me -- then my debt to you would be so great that I would be unable to refuse your request to pass immediately. I would even be inclined to provide a mark upon your return to ensure that all the faeries of our court know that you're on official business and that to delay you would be treason. And in the meantime, while waiting for you to see to that particular matter, I would be starting the preliminaries of the search and questioning your friends about what they've seen and done since their arrival in the forest. I imagine it will take several hours before we can even begin to peek at the carts." She eyed the two catgirls with a very fey expression, though after her smile it was difficult to say whether she had picked up on their nervousness or it was just another case of expressiveness coming oddly to the faerie woman.
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
Pasha huddled in close as the fey knight beckoned the sisters unto her. Out of habit, her tail curled and looped around Meara's as the two came to stand hip to hip in front of the brown skinned faerie, and listened. The tale the knight spun seemed sketchy in the extreme to Pasha's sensibilities. How could the woman have lost such an important relic and yet not have looked for it herself. And why the heck was that smile so creepy? Pasha felt her ears wilting against the blond strands of her hair just looking at the unnatural curling of fae lips.
"I see. Us to fetch your ring, and you'll wait here with our caravan. If that's the case, I cannot see how we can refuse. But ah, who exactly were you fighting when you lost your ring and what sort of danger should we two mere mortals expect to face?"
Pasha glanced at her sister, wondering if she was feeling the same hairs rising on the back of her neck as the thief was on her own.
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
Meara needed not be in sync with her sister's emotions to feel the same level of unease from witnessing the fae's change of expression. She wasn't necessarily an expert in the realm of dealing with lies, but the story they were fed did seem laced with them. The older Su-Ku-Ta was certain that there were at least one or two falsehoods in the knight's tale, but she wouldn't make a mention of it. Perhaps it was better for them to simply accomplish the task for the time being and move on--after all, they were just passing through. Whether that ring was truly property of the green-haired stranger, or what she planned to do with it, was probably none of their business. After all, she could have gotten any other mercenary to do the work, so it wouldn't make any difference, so she thought.
"Very well," she replied firmly, having gone somewhat quiet with Pasha already having asked the other questions that were lingering in her mind. From the contact of their tails, her sibling would be able to tell that she held about the same degree of suspicion, but Meara was content to know more about the difficulty that lay ahead with the upcoming quest rather than the background details surrounding the ring. The foremost priority in her mind was getting Doozer and the rest of the caravan through the forest, along with themselves. Everything else was of secondary concern.
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
Pasha: HP = 54, PP = 41, EP = 41, Status = Fine. Meara: HP = 81, PP = 43, EP = 44, Status = Fine.
"I slew a few rebels, it wasn't any great battle," she replied expressionlessly. "Obviously those ones will be of no issue, however I can't guarantee that you won't run into more of them on your way. The corrupted goats travel in small hunting parties, looking to fight and fuck indiscriminately and attempting to capture any foolish enough to be caught unaware. There shouldn't be any this close to the edge of the forest and even if you do find some most are not particularly skilled in combat, but then again perhaps neither are you?" She didn't seem to be making a judgment one way or another on the sisters' prowess, not that it was likely to help soothe the insulting nature of her comment. "You should probably avoid them as best you can if that's the case."
"You may still choose not to run this errand for me if you don't like your odds, as I would rather the ring remain where I lost it than for you to discover it and be captured with it," she offered. "But if you are still willing to help then go now and get whatever aid or supplies you feel you need from your caravan, and while you do that I will explain the situation to my soldiers. You may take others among your caravan's guard with you as well, if you like." The faerie knight's lips curled into a second smile then, though much less pronounced and less wrong-looking than the first. If the sisters did choose to go then, they would be allowed to return to the caravan and attempt seek out whatever aid from Doozer or any of the others among their traveling group that they desired, although there were obviously no guarantees as how many of their requests would be fulfilled. In the meantime, the knight would turn and move to speak with the gruffs in her retinue. If they had many more questions, however, or did choose to back down then they would find the faerie knight willing to continue speaking with them, although unhappily in the latter case.
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
"We've learned to handle ourselves," Pasha replied with as much calm dignity as she could muster. Her plunge into the world of burglary and sneak-thievery under the tutelage of Calel had changed her outlook on things like accepting insults with grace. She was much less inclined, after years of hardship, to be told that she was under-skilled or a liability. Only the trained courtesan in her kept her from rising to the bait.
"We'll get your ring in exchange for your letting us by."
Looking over at Meara for confirmation, the younger Su-Ku-Ta would change direction and head back to the caravan. All that needed to be said had been.
"We don't have any way of detecting the ring's magic by ourselves," Pasha mused aloud to Meara on their way back. "We'll need to ask the mage to come with us at the very least, so we don't waste our time bringing back the wrong object. Is there anyone else that we should ask to bring along?"
Re: A Tale of Two Sisters (Blueslime and Takimaru) GMed by Hafnium
The fae's description of the corrupted gruffs and their behavior was just about spot-on, which helped to confirm Meara's initial assumptions that the ones they had encountered were in the same pool as those that the green-haired one was looking for. Unlike Pasha, however, she carried a bit more pride in her skills as a warrior, and despite her training as a courtesan, the older sister couldn't help but appear only slightly unsettled by the suggestion that she was incompetent. She might not have been a fighter all her life, but it was a role that she had fully embraced since her time with Niran, and she'd continue to use it to keep herself and her Sha-sha from harm.
"I can handle them," she couldn't help but blurt out, "but we'll be sure to consider the advice." The way in which she spoke would have almost come off as a challenge if not for the forced smile she put on. While Meara had undergone the same degree of training that her sibling had, she was still less versed in the ways of subtlety given the straightforward method of fighting she had adapted.
Her shoulders slumped slightly as she allowed herself to relax a bit at the meeting's recess, turning to look to Pasha with a thoughtful expression. "Good point. Erasmus might be suitable for the job, too," she added. Realistically, it might be stifling to the caravan itself to pluck an apparently experienced traveler from their security roster. However, Meara hadn't yet seen the crimson-eyed man in action with her own eyes, and couldn't help but wonder if he was simply all talk and charm, or was truly able to put his money where his mouth was.
