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Post by Doku3Fate{Marik} on Oct 13, 2022 19:59:40 GMT -5
There was a slight chill in the air, the sun hard started to set and Marik made her way to the local tavern. A friend, a word she used loosely, has asked to meet her there apparently she had a job she though Marik would be interested in. Always on the hunt for a new adventure, and come coins she agreed to hear her out. Though when she mentioned that she needed to get the fine details from some researcher Marik did get a little worried if this would actually be a job for suited for her. Walking into the tavern, she scanned the room, no sign of Shaleen so she headed to the bar to grab a drink. She found a empty table, though it was close to sundown , the tavern wasn’t to busy yet. She looked around hopping to see Shaleen somewhere but still no luck. The sun set, the tavern started to get more crowded and Marik started to get more agitated. Paitiance was not a virtue she possessed. Finally Shaleen walked thru the door, she looked around till she spotted Marik, walking towards the table with some papers in her hand she greeted Marik with a smile. Shaleen was a half-elf that worked here at the tavern,she was more bubbly then Marik really cared for, but had got her on to a few jobs thru out the last couple months. Marik had also helped her out with a issue she was having, so though she wouldn’t go as far as to say friend, Shaleen was okay. She laid the papers down on the table -okay so, this probably ain’t your normal gig Oh Marik really didn’t like the sound of that -but just here me out, I know this guy his name is Lloyd, he’s a monster hunter and I guess kind of researcher of sorts. Shaleen looked up at Marik, to see her reaction. Marik raised an eyebrow very unsure of where this was going. -well he needs some help, he has been looking into this creature called the Ooze. He is looking for some people to go out into the field and get some more information. -He wants me to stalk a ball of slime? That is the job? -Uhm well no, he wants to know how they are created. Apparently this is completely unknown information, and he has th[is whole guide thing he is working on . -Your were correct this is most definitely not my normal gig -I figured, but he said that it could get dangerous, and I thought you would defiantly be able to handle it. -He wants me to watch some slime procreate, how exactly is that dangerous? Possibly disturbing not exactly dangerous. -I have no idea, but are you interested? Come on he is a good guy and he could really use the help. -what exactly am I getting out of it? -well that’s the thing, I don’t know. -what do you mean, there isn’t a payout for this information? -there is, he said and I quote, “I will reward who ever is foolish enough to go on this venture with random and odd things I have created or discovered while they are out in the field” Marik stared at her for a moment, took a long swig of her drink, very unsure of this job. This is definitely not something she would normally pursue, and she generally preferred solars in payment. And let’s face it, random and odd things did not sound like a reassuring payment. She had a feeling she was gonna regret this.. -Alright fine, I do it. I better not end up wasting my time on this. Or I’ll kick your butt. A big smile spread across Shaleen’s face. -Awesome, I’ll go tell him now! As Shaleen left the tavern, Marik chugged the rest of her drink. -I am most definitely going to regret this.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Oct 13, 2022 23:04:14 GMT -5
At a corner table of this tavern sits Astrid, a girl of not more than twelve-ish human years old, but a girl not of human blood. Her short stature was both tall enough to be an adult dwarf and too short to be an average human adult. The thing that gives her away though, is the two red horns sitting proudly atop her head. All day she's sat at this table eating meal after meal and getting distracted by the happenings around her. The waitress wonders if her stomach is a bottomless pit.
She's spent a lot of time in Moonglade doing a few quests and odd jobs and has slowly started to make a name for herself. When she first heard about a man studying oozes, well she took a particular interest being that she's made a decent friend who's an ooze. Though that part's a secret - mostly. She thought she might see that friend around to help with the study, but to her surprise, they haven't shown their armored face. She supposes that's alright, and when she overhears the word "ooze" come up in conversation, it piques her interest. So, being the absolutely shameless and not shy twelve-year old that she is, Astrid stands up, pulls on her gauntlets, adjusts her greaves, and tromps right on over to the bar where Marik sits.
"Hiya!" she says, mostly pretty perky, in her dwarven accent. "Heard ya talkin' 'bout oozes with yer friend that ran out. I'm Astrid. I'm tryna do ooze research too!" She offers her hand to shake, a thing most folks seem to do. It's a funny thing, her bulky hand proportioned against the rest of her child build. "Maybe you and I can work together on this study?"
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Post by Doku3Fate{Marik} on Oct 15, 2022 13:06:56 GMT -5
Marik stared at the hand stretched out to her, thinking to herself What is with all these perky people She slowly reached her hand out and shook the very young-looking girl's hand. Working with others wasn't exactly her cup of tea, more times than not they get in the way. And some of her experiences in the past have been with less than confident people so she ended up having to protect them on top of doing the mission. Marik wasn't one to judge a book by the cover she is well aware one's stature does not affect their skill level. But it's kind of hard to tell that skill level prior to an altercation. This mission was just supposed to be a research mission, but anything can happen. On the flip side this girl might know SOMETHING about these Ooze creatures, and the knowledge would at least be worth the risk of having to add in watching out for another individual if things did for whatever reason go badly. Marik knew nothing about these creatures, she had heard about them, but she couldn't even recall seeing one on any of her adventures. So, in all honestly this could be the right move. Marik stared at Astrid for a few moments, after releasing her hand, arguing with herself. -Before I agree to this, you said you were trying to research Ooze yourself, does that means you have knowledge that could be useful on this little research mission?
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Oct 15, 2022 16:39:08 GMT -5
Astrid is pretty energetic about shaking Marik's hand, but there's a point where her grip feels like it might rip Marik's hand right off her wrist. It doesn't seem intentional though, just that the girl doesn't know her own strength. When Marik lets go, Astrid pulls herself up into the bar seat beside the potential new friend. "I s'pose I know more 'bout oozes than the average person who's never seen one before," she says cheerfully. "I don't s'pose ya hafta agree to goin' along with me, though I figured if yer lookin' fer the same thing as me, four eyes are better than two."
She orders a big glass of milk from the bartender, and the bartender -who has been watching her eat and drink all afternoon- provides a huge stein for the half-dwarf. Astrid goes ahead and puts a handful of miscounted solars on the counter for the bartender to cover the tab she's wracked up throughout the day. With a slight grimace, the bartender starts counting the coins out and leaves the difference behind. Astrid, meanwhile, picks up the half-gallon stein of milk in one hand and starts drinking it. When she sets it down, a little milk mustache decorates her lip. Then she looks at Marik again.
"I've got a bit of an idea of where we might be able ta find them oozes too," she continues. "I've been lookin' fer a few days, so I definitely know where not ta look. Some folks mentioned there's some sketchy guys hangin' around in the forest, and I've found a few traces of 'em, but I ain't scared of no puny swordsmen." She hefts her battle hammer from her waist to show it off. "I need a bit of help lookin', and I'll keep ya safe and sound if yer worried about that. What'dya think?"
Bull's Strength
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Post by Doku3Fate{Marik} on Oct 15, 2022 20:59:14 GMT -5
Marik watches Astrid as she takes the seat next her, flexing her had a little. It didnt hurt she was just a little caught off guard by the strength, which was a good sign at least.
She watched as this scene unfolded before her, as the bartender arrived with a very large glass milk. This bartender did not look too thrilled when she counted out her solars, though was impressed she only took what Marik assumed coverd the tab Astrid had. Which honestly was still quite a bit of coin.
Before the bartender left Marik motioned for another drink for herself, which was placed in front of her shortly thereafter. Marik laid down a few Solars to cover her drinks. Looking back over at Astrid who was now rocking a lovely Milk-stache, made a few good points. Seeing as how Marik had no history with these creatures, she would have been grapsing at straws by herself, and wasting time.
Astrid seemed to have some good information at least for where to start, and it sounded like there could possibly be a fight involved which made it way more interesting for Marik.
Marik nodded acknowledging the battler hammer, that the girl was clearly proud of, then smirked a little in amusement when Astrid offered her protection if these swordmen made an appearance. -Alright I will take you up on your offer, so where are we headed then?
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Oct 15, 2022 22:03:19 GMT -5
With that, Astrid reaches into a pouch at her waist and whips out a crumpled piece of folded parchment that she unfolds and sets out on the counter. It seems to be a crude map of the area with several X's centralized around Moonveil Village, which is where they are currently sharing a drink. The map also has a couple of frowny faces in three scattered places. "The X's are places I already went lookin' fer oozes," she explains. "And the frowny faces are where I found old fire pits and camp remains. This bit way down here leads ta Shadewood. That's where my friend and I killed a buncha Displacer Beasts and their king! But there weren't any oozes in that area, and it's pretty dangerous, so I'm tryna avoid it. I think this area here" -she draws her finger across an area east towards the Marshflats- "might be a good place to start lookin'. I don't have any X's over there."
The talkative half-dwarf takes a deep breath and looks at Marik. "What d'ya think about that? It's my best idea, but if ya have a better one, I'm glad ta hear it." She feels the tickle of the milk mustache and quickly wipes it from her face. "Whoops!" she says with an awkward chuckle.
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Post by Doku3Fate{Marik} on Oct 16, 2022 18:34:34 GMT -5
Marik fallowed the areas on the map as Astrid explained all the markings, she wouldnt admit it out loud, but the frowny faces were quite amusing. When she finally took a breath, Marik was getting slightly concerned she would pass out from lack of oxygen, she nodded. Marik had no reason to object with this plan, it seemed just as good as anything she could come up with. Not to mention she hadnt had a chance to explore some of the area's Astrid had mentioned, and she seemed to know them fairly well. If of course what she has told Marik was true. She had no reason to doubt her, but also no reason to trust her. Looking back up to Astrid, just as she wiped the milk off. -Seems like a good plan to me, no sense in back tracking where you have already been. Start in a new area, see what we find, and where it takes us. Marik took a quick glance around the bar, something she was in a habit of doing, never know who may be around. -So seeing as there isnt much known about these ooze creatures, when they have been spotted was more during the day? Or night? a mixture? or are those mystery as well?
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Oct 16, 2022 18:58:53 GMT -5
Astrid rubs her chin, thinking a little about what she knows about oozes from her adventures. "Every time I ran into an ooze, it was daytime. I don't think they can see in the dark. Maybe of 'em can." Once she gets her change, she rolls up her map and hops off her stool. "They're pretty much acidic blobs, so ya don't wanna touch one or it'll melt yer face off. And they're hungry. This Lloyd fella just wants ta know how they reproduce, so we shouldn't hafta get too close to any. Just watch and take notes. Easy enough!"
Astrid starts out of the bar, not really paying any mind to if anyone was listening or not. If they were, she doesn't really care. No one better mess with her, she'll kick their butts. As she reaches the threshold for the exit, she turns and looks at Marik. "Oh yeah, I'll have one friend with us on this trek through the woods," she says. "He's nice. His name is Charles. Hope that's alright, but he follows me around everywhere and carries my stuff."
Without waiting on her answer, Astrid swings the door open and exits the tavern where in the center of town, a humanoid made of metal with a somewhat backpack-shaped contained attached to its back seems to be observing a pair of horses posted outside. When the door swings open, it beeps, some robot version of a startled yelp, and turns to face them with glowing red eyes. Each movement is followed by a short release of steam from each joint.
"Mistress Astrid, greeting: Welcome back. Query: Who is your new companion?" it speaks in an electronic voice from an unmoving mouth.
"This is Marik," Astrid says. "She's gonna search fer oozes with us."
"Very good." The Blixtbot™ mechanically turns its head towards Marik and the light in its eyes seems to focus on the tiefling. "Conscript Marik, greeting: Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am C.H.A.R.L.E.S., a Blixtbot™ Type-I Pawn Model."
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Post by Doku3Fate{Marik} on Oct 17, 2022 18:52:15 GMT -5
Marik threw a few coins on the counter, enough to cover her tab and little tip for the bartender. And fallowed Astrid, taking mental notes of all the information she was sharing. However, when she mentioned there would be someone else joining, she wasn't too thrilled. She was already heading out with one person she didnt know now she had to add another one to the list, before Marik could protest to this Astrid exits the tavern.
Marik exited the tavern and was met with... glowing red eyes? This 'person' that Astrid was referring to, was a robot? Thats a first.
The robot greeted Astrid, and in turn Astrid introduced them to Marik. A robot with better manners then most people in fact She thought to herself She raised an eyebrow and nodded in the direction of C.H.A.R.L.E.S. Pleasure to meet you as well? She said, in more of a question then a statment.
Marik looked back at Astrid for a moment, this was defiantly a curious individual.
-Okay thats defiantly not what I was anticipated, but alright. So do we head out tonight? i know you said you havent had any luck finding these creatures at night or head out at first light? Either way works for me.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Oct 17, 2022 22:29:15 GMT -5
It would be a lie to say Astrid finds no enjoyment in surprising others with her strange partner. Charles isn't even the strangest metal man she's traveled alongside. She pats the Blixtbot™ on the back and looks at Marik. "If yer good ta travel now, then so am I!" she says with a cheerful grin. "Lotsa ground ta cover, might as well start now. To the Marshflats!" With no hesitation nor lacking any confidence, the half-dwarf child marches towards the west gate, telling Charles to come along. The fretful bot does so, quickly following at her heel.
However, the bot points out, "Mistress Astrid, statement: The east gate is in the opposite direction. The Marshflats are to the east."
She spins on her heel and marches towards the correct gate. "To the actual Marshflats!"
The group travels out of town and into Moonveil Forest. Astrid walks fearlessly even through the darker parts of the region. She's dealt with a bunch of bandits in the region, and most packed up and left at this point. Even if they do appear and try to rob her or her new companions, she won't budge, she'll just bonk them all and move on. The entire time they walk, Astrid tries to talk up a storm with Marik. It doesn't take long for anyone to realize that Astrid very much enjoys talking to people. If Marik stops responding, Astrid sparks up a conversation with the agreeable Charles, who always listens very intently.
Eventually, they reach murky land where the road starts to fade, and the ground transitions into mush not too much farther ahead.
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Post by Doku3Fate{Marik} on Oct 18, 2022 17:22:25 GMT -5
Marik watched as Astrid headed in one direction only to be redirected by Charles, not missing a step and whirling around in what she could only hope what the correct direction. I really need to remember to get a map she thought to herself. She had been meaning to pick one up but would always get distracted for whatever reason.
As they traveled into the forest, despite it being fairly dark she didn't have any issue seeing. Something she was thankful for. The forest was calming to Marik, though she always made sure to keep an eye out around her. She was still very relaxed, and honestly enjoying the travel. Astrid struck up various conversations, Marik would reply at time but honestly didnt have much to say. She never really did, years of minimal interactions with others she always figured was the reason for that.
The terrain started to change as she assumed they were getting closer to the Marsh flats; the air had changed a must like smell filled the air that usually accompanied these types of terrains. Looking around the area as they walked, she noticed the ruins that were left being after years of decay. She saw a few creatures sneaking around in the distance, though she was sure there were bigger more dangerous creatures that was outsight.
-Judging by the area, I take we are getting close to our destination? She said looking over in Astrid's Direction
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Oct 18, 2022 20:50:21 GMT -5
Astrid stops and looks around. Muck, spooky trees, fog, ruins, no road. Perfect! "Yup, this is as good a place as any ta see if we can't find any signs. I think oozes come in all different colors, so if ya see a spot of color in the muck, that's probably the ooze we're lookin' fer!" She picks a direction and starts searching, her eyes turned towards the ground and trying to check for any signs of an ooze.
Charles observes the area, slowly scanning for any visual information to process to assist with the situation. "Mistress Astrid, Conscript Marik, observation: The ground is soft. The potential for sinkholes, quicksand, and mudpits is high. Please proceed with caution." As if on queue, there's a heavy schlorp sound from Astrid's direction. Steam releases from The Blixtbot™'s neck as it turns to find see Astrid immediately get her boot stuck. "Mistress Astrid!" The bot tromps over fully of mechanical worry and immediately starts to help her out of the muck. More steam releases from his joints as he struggles to pull her out, finally freeing her. Mud flings everywhere, and luckily Astrid does not lose her boot.
"Thanks, Charles," Astrid says as she's set down on solid ground. "Marik, ya find anythin'?"
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Post by Doku3Fate{Marik} on Oct 20, 2022 14:44:54 GMT -5
Marik watched as Astrid went one direction, so she chose to start looking in the opposite direction to try and cover more ground. Careful not to get too far from her travel companions, she carefully starts scanning the trees. Looking for any pop of color. While keeping an eye on her footing as well and trying to be as quiet as possible. This wasn't exactly the easiest terrain to be walking in, and she didn't know anything about these creatures. She did guess by the fact there was little known about them. That they either didn't want to be found or they spooked easy. Not to mention Astrid mentioned something about acid, Marik was pretty fond of her skin being attached to her body so she rather not have one touch her any way. Though she did get a funny picture in her head of one getting spooked and pooping a smaller ball of acid blob. Marik shook her head to focus again and kept searching. As she eased up on to a pile of ruins with a tree growing out of it, she saw, what she though was something purple? That defiantly doesnt belong She thought to herself. She started to ease up slower, focusing on the area. It was just big enough spot poking out the side of the ruin that if you weren't focusing you would lose it. When she heard a loud sound from Astrid's direction, Mariik whipped around and due to focusing on what she was hopping was the ooze, she hadn't to notice the small dip in the ground. She slipped and fell into some mud. Sitting up and wiping some mud off her face she looked back in Astrids to see her pulling her boot out of... whatever it was she got it stuck in. She sighed and looked back to where she saw the bit of color. Nothing. She stood up, wiped herself off the best she could, careful not to fall again she looked behind the tree. If anything was there it's gone now. Astrid called out to her asking if she had found anything, Marik made her way over to where Astrid had sat down and took a seat beside her. Trying to wipe off any leftover mud. Well.. maybe? She questioned I though i had saw something purple peeking out behind those runes over there, but we either scared it off or my eyes are playing tricks on me.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Oct 21, 2022 21:31:53 GMT -5
Shaking the mud off her boot, Astrid looks at Marik, who is also covered in mud. She can't help an amused grin. "Looks like both of us are all gooped up," she laughs. Finally her boot is not so soggy she can't walk with it, so she pulls it back on. Charles continues to fret over both of them, and the bot pulls a clean towel out of his metal backpack and offers it to Marik. Astrid stands and looks around. "A bit of purple over there? That sounds like the place we oughta check out again!"
She spots the ruins with the twisted tree growing up from the center. "Oh yeah, that's a perfect spot ta check. Come on!" Astrid starts tromping through the marsh, this time being more careful about her footing, and heads towards the ruins.
Charles follows, however his steps are not fluid and he often gets stuck. "Mistress Astrid, query: Could I perhaps wait on solid land to avoid damage to internal and external components?"
"Whatever floats yer boat!" Astrid calls back. When she spots the area Marik fell in the mud, she stifles a giggle. "Ya made a perfect mud angel, didn't ya?" Finally, she steps to the ruins and grabs onto the cobbles for support. One pulls free, and she nearly falls again, but she steadies herself. "Careful, they're called ruins fer a reason!" she calls back to her companion then she peers over the ruins and looks around. There must be some purple somewhere. Maybe Marik can spot it. "Hurry up, slowpoke!"
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Post by Doku3Fate{Marik} on Oct 22, 2022 11:44:23 GMT -5
Marik took the towel from Charles, and nodded in thanks. Wiping off her face a little bit better and her hands she didnt want her dagger to slip if she needed to use it. She watched as Astrid made her way back to the area she was just in, and Charles made his way back to solid ground. Marik stood up now as clean as she was going to get without a bath, tucked the towel in her belt loop, making note to clean it and return it back to Charles. She lacked people skills... not manners. And started making her way back, careful not to slip this time. Astrid got to spot where Marik had pretty much face planted, and remarks on her imprint on the ground. "Ya know, one must have many skills in life" Marik replys Watching Astrid almost fall... again but manages to catch herself she hurries Marik along. She walks up beside Astrid and going around to the other side of the ruins to get a closer look. Marik had started to doubt herself that she had saw anything, but Astrid believes this would have been a perfect spot for one of these creatures to have been hiding so maybe she had. On the other side of the ruins she noticed a decent size hole that would have manged to have a bit of shelter. A mixture of the way the stones fell and the roots from the trees that was growing. The opening was about three feet tall, a perfect spot she thought for something to be hiding. She knelt down and looked inside, she was met with a empty hole. However she did spot something purple, she grabbed a stick and kind of poked it, and started to pull it towards her into the opening. "Well there was defiantly something here, I am assuming this is part ooze?" She somewhat stated and asked at the same time. She looked at the ground around the opening, taking note what were there foot prints. With all the mud if this ooze would have escaped there would have been some kind of indent on the ground. What she did find was some foot prints that did not belong to them, and looked like they were heading deaper into the tree line. "Tell me, how would one capture a blob of acid? Cause judging by the lack of ooze here and those footprints there," She said pointing out the markings in the mud "I am going to take a wild guess and say someone else is also looking for these creatures"
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