Sylvari gave Videl a small, pained smile of appreciation at his agreement to her request. Trust given, even as easily as it seemed for Videl, was not a thing she took lightly.

As the pair continued trekking through the Coldwood, ^{[Chaos Touched]} Sylvari sensed the swelling of arcana in her partner as he summoned a jagged spike of ice in his palm, holding it there. She made no mention of it, only mentally acknowledging his skill with the icy magic. She was thus far only able to coat the edges of things with frost, so the thought of creating entirely new structures out of the ice seemed a daunting one.

Presently, when Videl stopped to point out the tracks of the presumed hunting party, Sylvari stooped low to the ground to scan the tracks. She was by no means an accomplished hunter, but steps as fresh as these, even light as they were, were well within her capabilities. Her martial experience served her well as Sylvari identified the tracks of two in armor, judging by the boot pattern and deeper tracks. She stood to share her fighting with Videl. "A group of five, only two in any substantial armor. Likely arcanists and archers make up the other three. If Lloyd is right, and this group is after our quarry, we need to make haste. Five indicates a group paranoid, or one supremely aware of the threat these creatures possess. Either case is bad for our research. You go on ahead. Your lighter step will be less likely to draw attention, and I can catch up nearly instantly as long as you remain within 60 paces."

Sylvari held back her other suspicion, as it wasn't a surety and would only serve to worry her companion at this time. Maybe they weren't dealing with monster hunters at all. If not, their encounter was all the more likely to turn violent, the pair likely being perceived as a threat to the group's territory. Poachers.

Videl couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow at Sylvari's skill in tracking. If this was some kind of ability that was beholden to vampires than that was one thing but to know this degree of information from simply inspecting the tracks? This kind of attention to detail must have come from experience. Truly an admirable level of skill, befitting a knight. "I've got to say, that was pretty impressive. I'm glad that you're on my side." A soft laugh would then fall from his lips as he had pushed onward.

It wouldn't take all that long for the pair to happen upon the group whose tracks they had spotted. Only five or so minutes of travel would occur before Videl had happened upon a singular armored individual. The fact that they had encountered the individual hadn't been all that worrying if he were being honest with himself. No, the issue that Videl had was that this armored individual had been looming over a shiny blue ooze whose insides had seemed reminiscent of crystallization. "Oh this one will sell nicely, that's for sure." The individual hadn't seemed to of noticed Videl at this point, likely due to the snow blanketing his footsteps. "Come on little fella. Come to papa."

Just as this individual had begun to crouch down in an attempt to collect the ooze, their companions would come through from the woods. "You found one? Nice! The Specters will pay a pretty Solar for one of these things." These were the words of one of the archers that had stood in the back. "Grab 'em and let's get going! Being out here for so long has left me positively starved."

Although he had felt as though he had no right to step in here, Videl couldn't exactly allow for these individuals to get away with the ooze. He was here to complete a mission and he'd be damned if he allowed himself to fail at this point. Especially in front of his first friend. That being the case, Videl would take the time to coat the bottom of his feet with ice magic ^{[Ice Over]} and would take off towards the archer that had just been speaking. Thanks to the glacial magics, he had managed to get behind them in a rather short amount of time. Once there, he would grab the woman with one of his arms, holding her close to his chest, whilst pointing the tip of his spike at her throat.


"Step away from the ooze and get on out of here. Only then will I allow your friend to make it out of here with her life." It was a bluff of course. Videl had no intention of harming this woman if he didn't have to. However, in a situation such as this, he knew that he would have to take a few risks to ensure that they got out of there quickly and safely. They were outnumbered when compared to the group and that had left Videl with a bit of anxiety. In his mind, this was the best course of action. 

Thanks to the rather bold call to attention Videl had issued to the group, Sylvari hadn't been seen where she crouched, 50 paces back and slight off to the side of the main trail, even in her blackened plate. She had an excellent view as he took them by surprise, icing over his feet and skating behind to threaten the archer. Although Sylvari didn't relish the idea of resorting to base threats, she had to commend Videl's quick thinking. Five against two were only good odds if you were among the five. His threat was even half-decent, not filled with the quivering tone that most adopted in their first outing, but unfortunately for Sylvari's companion, the group of poachers saw right through him.

The armored man who was previosuly stooping to grab the ooze straightened and looked to Videl, a cruel smile spreading across his lips. "You ain't got the stones, boy. 'Sides, even if you did kill her, what's your plan for the four of us?" At his words, the rest of the group emerged from various positions in the wood, an additional woman in armor, another archer, and one who bore the tell-tale robes of a mage, all staring at Videl.

Staggered positions with intersecting sight lines. All well-equipped and hard edged. Damn, I have to hand it to them, they're well-trained to be prepared for a situation like this. Combatting them will be tricky. Maybe, Videl can talk his way out.

Sylvari's hopes were quickly dashed as the man spoke again. "Your interruption was mighty rude, boy. Cost me time, and that costs me money." He stepped closer to Videl and the woman. "I'm not fond of those who cost me money." Had Sylvari not been intently staring at the man, she might have missed the way his hand glided down to the sword on his hip or the subtle nod to the mage preparing a spell in the background. Sylvari was vigilant, however, and as fast as the man and his compatriot sprung into action, she was faster. ^{[Knight, Rushing Charge 1/2]} In the blink of an eye, Sylvari closed the distance between herself and the group, shoulder-charging into the leader with enough force to send him bowling, heels over head, and ^{[Mage Slayer, Spell Drinker 1/2]} opening her mouth wide to absorb a ball of magical fire that had been slung at Videl.

"Now, now, boys. It's rude to gang up on others. I can't let you get away with that. Apologize, leave the boy alone, and I'll consider letting you retreat." To the group's credit, none of them recoiled after her impressive display, but they did take a moment to consider. As they paused, ^{[Mage Slayer, Sworn Enemy]} Sylvari took the time to mark the mage; he would be the most dangerous enemy.

The leader rose slowly from his sprawl in the snow, clearly hurting form the blow he'd received. "Little lady, I reckon you're the rude one, getting involved in something that don't concern you. But it does now." That grin spread across his face again, and Sylvari got into her fighting position, ^{[Cold Touch]} subtly forming small shards of ice along the head of her massive warhammer to add piercing threat to its bludgeoning capability. 

Much as he had been expecting, but truly hoping would not occur, the leader of these monster hunters had called his bluff. Videl hadn't been counting on the fact that the man before him hadn't cared less about his subordinates. It was truly an unfortunate world that they had lived in. That being said, as a slight panic had begun to overtake him, Videl had pushed to prove his point. The tip of his ice spike would further press in against the woman's throat, enough to leave a small trail of blood from its entry point. "I-I'm not playing with you.. I'll surely do it!"

Even with the threat that Videl had uttered, the rest of this group had made their presence known. Not only did they believe his threat to be an empty one but they had all been prepared to put the young T'saya down. Videl would have lost his way if it wasn't for the fact that he had believed Sylvari would come to his aid. And come to his aid she did, only a moment later, charging towards their leader and knocking him to the ground. His vampiric companion now being on the scene, all of the composure that he had found himself losing would finally come back. Add on the fact that Sylvari had swallowed up a fireball and things were starting to look up!

Or so he had thought. Not long after Sylvari had stepped in, the leader would rise back up from the ground. No matter how prepared the two might have been for this situation, a fight against so many others was sure to be difficult. If Videl was going to act than he was going to have to act now. That being the case, Videl would rotate the tip of his ice spear and jam it into the foot of the archer that he had been holding onto. Upon doing so, the ice spear would shatter and a rather sizeable chunk of ice would be left within the woman's foot ^{[Ice Spike]}. Videl would proceed to push himself away from woman and off towards the other archer, the soles of his feet still coated in ice and increasing his speed as he does so ^{[Frozen Feet]}. 'No time to think. Only to act.'

Sylvari heard the cry from the woman behind her in a distant sense. Some part of her was relieved Videl didn't stain his hands with her life, but she was too pressed by the enemies before her to be able to look back towards her companion. She could only hope that by holding the attention of these four, he would have an easier time with the archer.

The enemies in question sprung forward as one, like a pack of wolves that had been hunting together all their lives. First came a pair of arrows, shot in quick succession by the archer in front of Sylvari, one flying wide, but the other requiring her to bring up her shield ^{[Shield Hit Preventions 1/3]} to prevent its direct collision with her face. As Sylvari lowered her defense to again survey the field, the two melee combatants were already upon her, one on each side. The woman's axe swipe was too far to the side to parry, so Sylvari caught the strike ^{[Gauntlet Hit Preventions 1/2]} on her gauntlet. More concerning was the leader, whose low slash Sylvari was able to jump over, but he carried his momentum on a path to charge at Videl. Damn. 

Sylvari's cuirass ate up two strikes ^{[Cuirass Hit Preventions 2/2]} as she turned to chase down her escaped foe, one from another axe swing, and the other from a second arrow, both meant for her heart. Sylvari growled feeling their impact grinding her chest armor down, but remained on course and, with a mighty swing of her warhammer, crumpled the man's legs out from underneath him, sending him once again sprawling into the snow. Sylvari noted the sounds of crunching bone under the weight of her blow. He should have a harder time rising from that one.

She turned just in time to see a crackling ball of electricity lobbed at her, and barely managed to absorb it ^{[Mage Slayer, Spell Drinker 2/2]} before it crashed against her. That damned arcanist needs to go. Dodging and absorbing a few more blows from the poachers on the way ^{[Shield Hit Preventions 2/3], [Greaves Hit Preventions 1/2]}, Sylvari was upon the mage before he could ready another spell. In a twist of misfortune, the man's foot caught a patch of ice, causing him to stumble. The blow that was meant for his shoulder to render his arm useless, found purchase in his skull instead, creating a sickening sound of bone giving way to singing metal, killing him instantly. Sylvari grimaced, but she could not drop her guard, turning again to face the remaining foes.

As he had pursued the unharmed archer, several arrows would let lose from the archers bow. One of them had been met with Sylvari's shield but thankfully the other had gone wide. The distance between Videl and the archer would close after that and Videl would spot an opening in her attacks. In the time that it would take for her to draw forth any additional arrows, Videl would call forth yet another spear of ice ^{[Ice Spike]} before thrusting the tip of this one into the archers wrist. It was a calculated attack that quite frankly almost failed but thankfully managed to find purchase. With a sizeable chunk of ice now dwelling within their wrist, there was no way for the archer to make use of their bow.

'Got to keep going. Can't allow Sylvari to fight alone.' With such a strong desire to protect his newfound companion, Videl would push past the turning feeling in his gut that would occur each time he had to stab somebody. From what he could now see, there was but a single individual that had remained unharmed. An armored woman that had seemed to be holding an axe. It was dangerous for Videl to combat an armored opponent whilst in melee range but he didn't see many other options at the moment. If he was going to get through this than he was going to have to be a bit more cautious.

In an attempt to try and bring down this armored combatant, whilst securing his own safety, Videl would charge towards her at accelerated speed ^{[Frozen Feet]}. Upon closing the distance with her, he would slide along the ground whilst dragging a single hand along the ground. Two things had managed to occur during this time. As Videl had slid by, he had incorporated his magic into the ground, causing a thin layer of ice to coat the ground beneath the woman ^{[Ice Over]}. Whilst this had been happening, the woman would swing her axe down towards the T'saya. Thanks to Videl's efforts, this would cause the woman to slip forward, thus narrowly missing Videl and managing to catch herself in the shoulder. Naturally, the woman would begin to scream as the pain had overtaken her.

The head of her warhammer sullied with blood and skull fragments from her recent kill, Sylvari paused to take brief stock of the battlefield. For one so armored as she, she was painfully aware of how Videl skirted death or serious injury in his acrobatic fighting style. However, for all her distaste of its risky nature, it was hard to deny Videl's fighting style was effective, rendering useless one of the archers and then the armored woman in short order.

Sensing the oncoming danger, Sylvari ran forward to catch an arrow on her shield ^{[Shield Hit Preventions 2/3]} that had been meant for Videl as she turned to glare at the archer who loosed it. The archer temporarily lowered her stance in response to Sylvari's intimidation, and she took the opportunity to march over to the leader who was trying to crawl away with his legs rendered useless. Sylvari hauled the man up by her armor straps to be at eye-level with herself, noting that Videl still held the armored woman at his mercy.

"Call off the hunt," Sylvari practically growled at the man, "And no more blood needs to be shed this day."

A choked chuckle escaped from the man's lips as he struggled to breathe against her grip. "Just like that? Don't want to finish the job, claim our supplies, and take our quarry?"

Sylvari eyed the man coldly. "Do not mistake me for one of your ilk. I take no pleasure in what was done here today, but justice demanded its execution." She pulled the man closer, practically inches from her face, to where he could see the orbs of crimson under her veil. "But hear me, criminal, if we cross paths again and you are not the epitome of a reformed man, I will strike you down without a second thought. Mercy is a virtue, but extending it to those who would abuse it is foolishness. GO, NOW."

^{[Powerful Presence]} Sylvari imposed her will on the man through the weight of her piercing gaze, forcing his fragile mind to bend over backwards in capitulation. The man nodded, the fear in his eyes evident. "Stand down, you lot. We're leaving." In appreciation for their discipline, Sylvari noted the rest of the group's lack of protestation, whatever their personal thoughts of the matter were. She tossed the man into the snow at one of his companion's feet.

This work done, she walked over to Videl with concern evident on her face. "Are you hurt?"

To his surprise, yet another had been loosed and managed to make its way towards him. By the time he had noticed it, it had been too late for him to take action. Thankfully he had managed to acquire a companion that was willing to step in and take the blow for him. Much like throughout this entire fight, Sylvari had made use of her armor in ways that he couldn't have anticipated. It was much like he had stated previously. She had indeed been amazing.

With the ordeal with the archer had been taken care of, Sylvari snag the leader of this group and proceed to put the fear of the gods into him. He might have made a snide remark for a moment but inevitably, the man had risen from his location and headed off alongside his companions. There aren't all that many people that were capable of taking charge in such a manner. In the eyes of the young T'saya, this was a woman that had been worthy of respect. Someone that he could only aspire to be like. "I.. Yeah." Whilst his words had been true, the internal conflict that was warring within him had been rather prevalent. His words would warble a bit and his eyes had seemed to have grown rather tired. "This is just.. new to me. That's all."

Hoping not to display how shaken up he might be at the moment, Videl would attempt to laugh it off. "That was pretty crazy though, huh? We were totally badass back there. How about you though? Are you alright? I know that you're all armored up but it seemed like you took a few blows." It was then that Videl would recall why they were there in the first place. The ooze.. Just where had it gone? Although he would continue to listen to what Sylvari had to say, his eyes would begin to search for the ooze that the man had been preparing the capture. It must have decided to depart during the scuffle because as far as he was concerned, in this moment, he couldn't find it. Then again, it's entirely likely that he just wasn't looking hard enough.

Sylvari smiled in relief at her partner's statement. "Good. You handled yourself like a seasoned warrior. Although, I may have some notes about your fighting style's unnecessary risk in the absence of armor..." Sylvari gave a light laugh and shove on Videl's arm.

"As for my own welfare, my armor did its job. No serious injuries to speak of, only the inevitable bruising of combat that I have long since grown accustomed to. I am glad that I had such a capable partner. Using my full power is... unpleasant for all involved, and mercy would not have been an option." Sylvari adopted a faraway look in her eyes as the corners of her mouth turned down sharply.

"In any event," she began again, the livelier tone in her voice returning, "We have dealt with the hunters, and we may again return to our observation. The one they were cornering earlier seems to my mind too small to be of reproductive age, but its presence may indicate a 'mother' if you will close by. Let's take a look." 

Sylvari began combing the nearby woods for their quarry, trying and failing to get the sickening crunch of the arcanist's skull out of her mind. Why did he have to slip? It's been so long since I've killed...

Sylvari intentionally devoted much of her mind to the task at hand, desperately ignoring the part of her that wanted to go back and drink deeply from the man's carcass.

Videl could certainly agree with her about the fact that his fighting style had come with its own risks. Given that this was something that he had only ever fantasized about, up until this particular encounter, it was bound to have its flaws. Even with the risks that are associated with it though, Videl had suspected that this was the best way for him to play things out for the time being. As long as he was faster than his opponent, and could deal a big enough blow, than things would more than likely work out for him. So as to mitigate the risk factors though, he was going to have to come up with some way to either enhance his speed or deter his opponents from noticing him. All things that he would dwell on when he had the time.

"I know that you said you were capable of handling these things mostly on your own but.. I'm really glad that you're still okay Sylvari. I'm not quite sure what I would do if I were to lose my first friend. So.. I'll do what I can to better myself and lower the risks of my combat style. When we have the time, maybe we can even train together or something. After all of this is said and done." Having said his peace, Videl would continue to search for the ooze alongside the vampiress. It was no easy feat to start off with, considering the fact that their fight had disturbed whatever tracks were previously lain out, but it wouldn't take all that long for them to come across what they had been searching for.

Much like Sylvari had mentioned, the ooze that they had initially encountered had been too small to have been an adult. Or in the best terms that they might have had for the aging process of an ooze anyways. After several minutes of combing through the snowy woods, the pair would come across small trail that could only have been impressed by the ooze. Following it to its end, the pair would come upon a pair of oozes. One of them having been the one that they had tracked down to this point, whilst the other was of a larger variety.

In as hushed a tone as he could muster, but still loud enough for Sylvari to hear, Videl would point them out. "I believe that we just found what we were looking for." A bright smile had overtaken the T'saya, this discovery being enough to wipe away most of the turning feeling that had remained up to this point. "So I guess we.. Just wait and hope that it reproduces..?" It was an odd sentiment to be sure. Waiting around to see if something was going to mate with another. Not the kind of thing that Videl was used to doing, let alone with another individual by his side. The mere thought was enough to tinge his cheeks a shade of pink. "..what do you think?"

Sylvari marveled at Videl's words. His first friend? Was he truly so isolated in his upbringing? As she tried to shake away the surprise of that revelation, she focused on being content that he was open to critique.

"Of course, my dear. Iron sharpens iron, and warriors stand best when tested against their fellows. I would be happy to train alongside you. I daresay it would be an informative experience for us both."

Upon discovering the trail of the emergent ooze, Sylvari walked eagerly alongside Videl, happy her mission was finally back on track. She paused upon seeing the larger specimen, holding Videl's arm to prevent him from walking further. She held a finger up to her closed lips in a gesture for silence. This ooze seemed docile right now, but Sylvari knew from experience they were formidable creatures when provoked, their acidity especially dangerous for one as unarmored as her friend.

She took a seated position, half-hidden by the trees as they were, pulling Videl down with her. "Yes, I think that would be best. We don't know the conditions such creatures favor, so prepare to dig in. We can't alert it to our presence as that may impede its progress."

Sylvari casually glanced over to Videl, surprised to see a blush spreading across his face. Was it something I said? Was I too forward with my touch?

Sylvari looked away from her companion, trying to hide the scarlet flush on her own face that mirrored his.

Videl couldn't help but smile at the fact that Sylvari had decided to go along with his whims in regards to training together. Whilst it was something that he had hoped for, he wasn't sure that she would agree to it. What use would she have for one of his caliber in training, after all? It was likely that neither his magic nor his spear could never pierce through her armor. She would either devour the magic before it got to her or would tank it with her armor. He was going to need to find a way to get through her in the future. If nothing else, it would serve as a reminder of the fact that he needed to grow in power.

Upon the two encountering the ooze, Sylvari would gesture for him to stop moving, be silent, and finally to drop to the ground. Like a good little soldier that he had aimed to be, Videl would follow through with her directions to a T. Those thoughts would overtake him and he would then find himself being rather silent. What would come next was something that Videl would never have expected. About a dozen feet away from their current location, a small mass would begin to bud from the larger of the two oozes. Within moments, that mass would break off from the ooze and take on a shape of its own. Thus there were now three oozes within the clearing, each of varying size.

His voice still hushed to the point of a whisper, Videl would speak up once more. "This.. isn't what I was expecting, if I am being honest. There wasn't any mating to be done. Does that make the oozes asexual?" Having bore witness to something that he would never have experienced if he hadn't left his tribe had filled Videl with a sense of excitement. Who would have guessed that learning about monsters was this exhilarating? Not Videl, that's for sure! "We should head back and let Lloyd know what we found out. I'm sure that this is something that he'd be interesting in. Then we can decide on what we'd like to do together afterwards~ If.. You know, if you're up for anything."

Sylvari was beet red from the situation and Videl's questioning. "Well, perhaps this is better. I don't know that I would care to see ooze intimacy. Not that I'm unfamiliar with the subject; I understand it's a natural and even beautiful part of the life cycle. It's just... You see..."

In her floundering on the current subject, Sylvari practically leapt to her feet as a physical indication of her changing topics. "Videl, what a grand idea! Let's go and head to Lloyd right now with our findings. This is monumental; Lloyd can use this information to save lives! Let's not tarry any longer."

Sylvari dragged companion along forcibly from her place of embarrassment, armed with the knowledge they had been tasked to discover and a new friend that further bolstered her resolve to be a positive light in the world despite her despair.

Videl couldn't help but feel appreciative of the fact that a red hue had overtaken Sylvari's face as well. It was difficult to even make out, considering the fact that she still had her veil on, but he had managed to catch just enough of it to understand that she was just as flustered as he was. If he had been sitting in that embarrassment solely on his own than he was sure to have felt all the more embarrassed later on. Rather than discuss it though, it would seem that Sylvari was ready to depart.

Having been forcefully dragged back to the inn, back in the Pale City, Videl couldn't help but wonder what would happen next. The two had managed to all but complete their task and only had the finale to finish off. Once that was done, where would the two go? And what kinds of rewards would Lloyd provide them, in exchange for their work? A variety of things had flown through the mind of the T'saya and eventually he would find himself rolling into the tavern.

Once the two had managed to find Lloyd once again, Videl would take up the mantle of informing him of what they had seen. He had conveniently left out the part about having encountered monster hunters but did speak on the fact that the oozes had reproduced through the process of budding. As he had informed Lloyd of this fact, his voice would take on a tinge of excitement that had been rather palpable. Unlike how he had expected Lloyd to react though, the elderly scientist had simply wrote down what he was told and would silently turn his gaze towards the duo. "While I appreciate the fact that you have completed this task for me, and I assure you that you will still receive your rewards, it appears as though we've got a bit of a problem. Would you be willing to lend me your assistance once more?"

[Exit]

(To be picked up in chapter 2)