In an attempt to grow his strength, whilst he had been apart from his beloved companion, Videl had found himself making the rounds through the Marsh Flats. It was as he had been doing so that Videl would come upon a miniscule village that went by the name of Lilicors. The T'saya had been finishing up his breakfast, having resting within the village for the night, when he would overhear one of the rumors that had been spreading about throughout the village.

A gang known as the Mud Worms had supposedly been working to gain control over the region as of late. They had been successful in overtaking a majority of the Marsh Flats and this was supposedly in part due to their combat prowess and the Bogskippers that they have been stealing away from the regions inhabitants. These pony sized beetles were supposedly capable of propelling themselves through the bog at incredibly high speeds, making it easier for their riders to depart from the area before they had been caught. Given that the Mud Worms had been going around and hoarding these stolen Bogskippers, it was understandable that the locals had been worried.

While this situation didn't really have anything to do with him, Videl had acknowledged the fact that he had desired to be much like his beloved companion. A knight of some renown, traversing the world to aid those that needed it. To serve as a beacon of light in the everlasting darkness. Hoping that he could prove himself to be much like her, Videl had decided to speak with the locals on this matter and to offer his assistance. Unsurprisingly, they had accepted his offer with little to no hesitation. His task was to locate the Bogskippers and free them from the Mud Worms, only to return them back to the inhabitants of Lilicors soon after. Additionally, they would prefer that he dispatch any of those that might stand in his way.

Having agreed to the task at hand, Videl would soon find himself making his way through the swampy waters of the Marsh Flats. He had currently been riding astride his Frigid Steed with his spear held in hand. Rather than sink into the waters below, with each step, Lumi would emit a small cloud of cold from around her hooves, freezing over the surface of the water that she had been walking upon. All in all, the two would remain standing proud as they had set out in search of these Bogskippers.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Skip With Me

Participants: Two or more

Location: Marsh Flats

Post Requirements: 5 posts per person, 200 words per post

Reward: +1 Renown

Description: The Marsh Flats have continued to suffer under the wrath of the Mud Worms, the gang quickly gaining more and more control of the region. Recently, they have begun to steal and hoard Bogskippers, valuing their usefulness for navigating the swamps. It is believed that with an army of Bogskippers, they can outfit their gang and become more of a problem. Lilicors is asking for help in freeing and retrieving the Bogskippers, returning them back to their owners. You are asked to find a Mud Worm camp and free any Bogskippers they may be holding there, dispatching of any the members who may try to stop you.

Raoul sat in a tavern going over his notes of the case. It was fairly simple if not strange and weird. The Mud Worms being the constant pain in the neck had already made their move and captured the big skippers. He’d been assigned a case to get them back before the conniving criminals could do any real damage to the Marsh Flats. There was a Mud Worm camp he had tailed and tracked down nearby so was now just going over how in the hell he was supposed to take down an entire camp of goons. He was not very strong, relying more on guards and other adventurers to do the heavy lifting while he was the one usually behind the scenes planning the takedowns.



It was during his writing of plans that one of the locals tapped his shoulders and informed him that they had already gotten another person to help in the crusade against the goons.



He smirked before quickly tossing over some solars at the barkeep for his cup of coffee his dear partner in crime Basker the eel hound was in two barking behind him in excitement as the two made their way away from the village and towards the swamp to look for their new associate.

Continuing on in his search for the Bogskippers, Videl would urge for Lumi to pick up her pace. As she had begun to do so, Videl would be forced to grab a hold of the reigns that had been hitched to the bridle that surrounded her maw. That being said, the two would cover quite a bit of land before being forced to turn back. There were several areas within the swamp that could equate to dead ends and quite frankly, he had managed to run into quite a few of them.

It was as he had been making his rounds once again throughout the swamp that he would come upon a singular individual trudging through the swam alongside some kind of long legged creature. Honestly unsure of what the creature had been, and whom the individual beside them had been, Videl had gestured for Lumi to come to a slow stop. Once she had effectively done so, Videl would find himself gesturing the tip of his spear in the general direction of the newcomer.

"State your name and affiliation, friend. Are you perhaps one of these Mud Worms that I've been hearing so much about as of late?" While he had doubted that the man would come right out and admit to it, if he had done so than Videl was prepared to unleash hell upon the man until he had acquired the answers that he had needed. Then again, with a group such as the Mud Worms, it was rather likely that the man before him would be boastful about the fact that he had indeed been with the gang. Either way, Videl would have no real choice but to simply wait for a response to come from the man before him.

Just because he had to wait didn't mean that he had to do nothing else though. Wary of the individual that had yet to speak, Videl had begun to run his gaze all across the man and the strange creature that had accompanied him. He had been searching for any sort of telltale sign that would indicate that the man had indeed been with the gang. A bound creature. A patch with a brown worm on it. Anything that would prove what he had suspected.

Raoul continued through the swamp intending to head straight to where he had scooped out the camp he saw the other day and wait for the other fellow hoping he was competent enough to manage that. However, during his trudge through the swamp, it appeared that he would meet the individual first. A young-looking gentleman atop a Frigid Steed was quite the sight to see even if he was questioning his allegiance.



Raoul then stood in front of the man and raised his hands in the air before saying, “Raoul O. Ardelean, Traveling Detective who was hired to take down the Mud Worms and stop their bogskipper operation before it gets out of hand. I mean no harm and am simply here to finish this job alongside my faithful Eel Hound companion, Basker. I humbly ask for your help in taking these goons down. After all, I enjoy working with other adventurers on cases that make things more fun”.



He continues raising his hands showing the other man he was unarmed save for a black umbrella in his hand. Raoul hoped that the other man was smart enough to see him for what he was: an innocent investigator who was determined to get the Mud Worms to stop their terrifying plans of domination.

The response that he had received from the man before him had been a rather succinct one. Straight and to the point, Videl was more easily inclined to believe that the mans words had been true. The fact that this man had seemingly held no weapons, save for his umbrella, had also added onto this belief, allowing for Videl to trust that the man was whom he had stated he was. Or trust that he had at least been unlikely to cause him harm at the moment. Not quite sure as to whether or not he could trust another so easily, Videl would simply nod to the man before lowering his spear.

"Is that so? Well, Mister Ardelean, I suppose that introductions are in order then." Another nod would be offered to Raoul as he had begun to introduce himself. "You may know me as Videl. Wandering adventurer. Aspiring knight. Member of Frost Gale's T'saya tribe." Videl would then proceed to lower ruffle Lumi's mane with his spare hand. "And this is my trusty steed, Lumi. Member of the Frigid Steed breed." Tilting his head slightly off to the side, Videl would pose another question to the man. "Do you think that yourself and Basker can keep up in these parts?"

While he had the full capacity to slow his travel speed through the bog, Videl hadn't been quite sure as to whether or not he had wanted to do so. The longer it had taken the pair to locate the Mud Worm encampment, the easier it would be for the Mud Worms to capture Bogskippers. At the same time however, he had at least considered slowing his pacing so that the pair could effectively work together on the case. They had both been willing to take on this job after all and it would likely be better for him to save on a bit of his energy.

Before Raoul could even respond to the question, Videl would ultimately decide that it was best for him to work alongside the traveling detective and his eel hound. With the pair of them working together, Videl was certain that they would overcome the trial with little issue. This was something that he could have done entirely on his own but with the assistance that another would provide him, they could likely cut down on the time that they would ultimately spend clearing things out.

Once Raoul had responded to him, Videl would offer the man a soft smile before gesturing for the man before him to lead on. "I am trusting you to locate the Mud Worms encampment, Mister Ardelean, so feel free to lead on. If there's any trouble that we find ourselves coming upon, I'm sure that we'll be able to take care of it." And if Raoul couldn't offer all that much assistance on his end? Well Videl would cover it.

Raoul’s nerves had calmed as the other man seemed reasonable enough which was a good thing. He’d come across other adventurers who didn’t worry about things like common sense or goodwill in situations like this.



He lowered his hands seeing as the other man lowered his spear assuming at least for now that the other man lowered his weapon.



He then listened as this man who now knew as Videl introduced himself. He bowed slightly and said, “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance there Videl it appears like you have a long set of titles. An experienced and well-traveled adventurer aren't you?”, the man said earnestly before focusing on the man’s steed Lumi before answering the other man’s question, “We can keep up perfectly fine after all we scoped the area ourselves the other day in preparation for our raid today. I knew the area where their camp was set up. I hid in the bushes observing them for about two hours. It seems that they have many men there. Although they don’t do much save for eating, putting the bogskippers against each other in stupid games, and eating some more”.



He smirked as the other man gestured for him to lead. It was good that this other man wasn’t prideful or full of himself at least so far like a certain brother of his. He turned and began walking towards the encampment as he responded to the other man’s remark, “Thank you for your trust, fellow I promise you, you've placed it in good hands. As for dealing with trouble when it emerges, that should be easy. Oh, I’d better tell you how I fight so we can coordinate, I use whips for the most part to bind and grapple my enemies but I can’t do much real damage just keep them in one place. Well besides that one thing I can do but that’s more of a defensive technique. Basker over here's a real fighter at heart able to attack with his claws and teeth. What about you Videl what’d you got under your sleeve?".

Experienced and well traveled? He could understand why one might think that but had that actually been the truth? It hadn't even been a full year since he had departed from Frost Gale after all, so did he really have the right to claim such things? Something to to think on in the future. "I suppose that one could say that, sure." Of course, once the conversation had drifted off towards the topic of the Mud Worms once again, Videl would find that a small smile had crept onto his face. It had seemed as though Raoul had been rather diligent in his detective work. To have uncovered so much information in such a limited amount of time.. It was impressive. And to have the foresight to not act alone in such a situation when one wasn't sure of their strength? It said a lot about the man.

"No worries, Mr. Ardelean. Trust is more often than not earned and from what you've offered me thus far, I see no reason not to trust you." Raoul had even gone as far as to gift away his combat style for the sake of recovering the Bogskippers. A display of trust on his own end that even Videl wasn't all that certain he would repeat. Not to the degree in which Raoul had just done anyways. It was dangerous for others to know such a vital bit of information about you after all. If Videl had held any ill intentions whatsoever than Raoul would have just give away the most important aspect of himself. "I'll reciprocate in kind, since you have spoken on your combat style, but you should surely keep such information to yourself. There are those in the world that would use such information against you."

A shrug accompanying his words, Videl would continue on. "Anyways, I suppose that there are really only two things that you need to know about me in that regard. For starters, I naturally make use of glacial magics. Aside from that? Well, it should be rather obvious, but I am quite skilled with polearms as well. This here spear if we are being more on the nose," he would say whilst slightly raising his spear once more. "Any other such information might be dangerous to share. So that's all that you really need to know. That and the fact that I'll more than likely take care of the majority of the Mud Worms once we get in there. If you'd like, you can even focus on releasing the Bogskippers whilst I fight. Or you could feel free to join me. Whatever you feel most comfortable with."

“Thanks, Videl I appreciate it your reasonable mind is not one that I come across very often. A Lot of adventurers I’ve come across would much rather kick ass and ask questions later so you’re a pleasure to work with. As for combat style speaking it’s fine I don’t fight most times only grappling and trapping and getting the authorities to take criminals in. After all, I’m not some sort of powerhouse or fighter I’m a detective my mind is my real weapon”, he says being honest although he forgot to mention his two trump cards in case things get tricky he didn’t like to pull them out at the beginning just because it would mean he’d be out of energy for the rest of the fight so Videl didn’t need to know about them for now at least.



He then took a second to think about the other man’s fighting style, “Ice magic and a spear huh those seem to make for a formidable fighter indeed. You’ll probably be able to make good work of those Bug Worms yourself so I can just free the big skippers while they're distracted. How do you want to approach this? Charge in to get their attention while I slip into the back and get to work? Do you both sneak in together to get a surprise attack on them? Either way, it would be a good idea for you to attack them, keep them busy and I’ll free the bogskippers”.



After agreeing with Videl’s response they eventually reach the camp Raoul crouches down in a large bush and peers over the outside of the camp. There appear to be about 10 goons there messing around eating roughhousing, and just generally goon things.

A soft nod would be offered to the man before him as Videl had thought over Raoul's words. 'His mind is his weapon, huh..? I can see how such a thing might apply to myself as well. Even with all of this power, I can only find that my mind is what pulls me out of each dastardly situation that I find myself within. Still.. To act as a trapper, utilizing the best of what his mind has to offer.. I'm looking forward to seeing it in play.' Rather than further question Raoul on his methods of combat, Videl would only smile at the man. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you for your willingness to share."

A short laugh would escape his lips as he thought for a moment on Raoul's next words. "Sure, that works. I'm willing to take the front lines while you clear out the Bogskippers. Easier to blow through there on my own anyways. I'm looking forward to seeing what that mind of yours has to offer." Another short bout of laughter would peel forth as Videl continued to follow along behind Raoul. In time, they would eventually come to stumble upon the Mud Worms. He had to be ready by then.

It wouldn't take too much longer for Videl and Raoul to arrive outside of their desired location. From what he could see, atop of Lumi and not quite hidden all that well, there had been about ten of these Mud Worms within the immediate vicinity. While each of them had been playing around, as though there was nothing for them to worry about, Videl had caught on to the fact that each of them had been armed. A few of them had held polearms while others had held swords varying in size. There had even been a couple that had had a bow latched onto their back. Overall, the small group had been relatively well armed. Something that Videl would take into consideration whilst deciding on what to do.

A slight smirk would tug up at the edges of Videl's lips as he had realized something that he could make the most out of. Given the overall heat of the region, something that he couldn't exactly feel himself, each of these Mud Worms had had on an outfit that displayed comfort over anything else. While there were those that had found themselves armored, the amount of skin that had been revealed was quite staggering. Some of them hadn't even gone as far as to wear their shirts. It was really only the women in the group that had decided to keep their tops on, outside of those that adorned armor. Realizing that he could take advantage of this, Videl would gesture for Lumi to move in.

With a soft tug at the her reigns, Lumi would begin to rush out towards the group of Mud Worms that had inhabited this camp. A few had stood beside on another but for the most part, the group was mostly scattered. Something that Videl would take into consideration as he had channeled his mana through the silver circlet that hung around his wrist. Shortly after having channeled his mana into the circlet, a freezing cold gust of wind ^{[Frost Flash]} would come to blow throughout the encampment. The moment that this gust of wind had come into contact with the exposed skin of the Mud Worms, their skin would blister and freeze, becoming dry and sensitive to the touch.

“Alright sounds like a plan, you’ll take the front taking on the brunt of the attention while I take the back and make sure our little friendly critters can escape. I’ll try to help you here and there to the best of my abilities. I’m also looking forward to your performance if your initial intimidating figure is anything to be considered”, the dhampir says as he breaks from where Videl and him were hidden.



He slowly makes his way from bush to bush as he keeps his eyes on the scene before him looks like Videl is proving to be just as dependable as he had thought. He quickly made it through the bushes until he had successfully managed to slip through and stand in front of the back of the swamp house. He rolls out of the bushes and walks over to the messed up-looking backdoor, he turns the knob revealing it’s surprisingly locked. Turns out these knuckleheads at least knew better than to leave their base unsecure even if it was by a simple lock. He took out his wand whip, cracking it in the air before wrapping it around the lock and giving it a good pull causing the doorknob to break. Raoul then gives the door a good kick and it swings open now broken. He slowly approaches the inside, graffitied and in bad shape.

Given the bone chilling wind that had just blown through the area, the Mud Worms had immediately started to look through the area to figure out where such a wind might have come from. They had spent the majority of, if not all of, their lives within this region and this was the first time that such a wind had hit them. It wasn't that difficult to put two and two together, the group soon realizing that the wind had likely come from an external source.

As the Mud Worms had begun to survey the area, there would be two things that had caught their attention. The first had been the bronze skinned man that rode astride of a unique looking horse. The other had been a man that was making their way towards the area in which they had trapped their Bogskippers. Several amongst the group had begun to shout out in worry, speaking on their discoveries at the same time. It was this that had allowed Videl to note that the group had seen Raoul.

Hoping to ensure that Raoul remained unharmed, Videl would roll off of Lumi's back before lightly smacking at her hindquarters. "Go and protect Raoul," was all that he would say before rushing off towards the main group of Mud Worms. His spear had still been drawn from before and at this rate, it was going to be used. Before he could make it to this group though, Lumi would head off towards the location that Raoul had stood at. Several Mud Worms had been rushing off towards him and Lumi had been given orders to protect him. Rather than allow for Raoul to take a blow, Lumi would find herself exhaling a billowing cloud of freezing mist. A mist so cold that it could even extinguish flames. This mist, paired with the already dried out skin of the Mud Worms, had stopped several of the Mud Worms in their place. They hadn't been frozen.. but instead let out yelps of pain.

As all of that had been happening, Videl would come within fifteen feet of two of the Mud Worms. He could have continued to close the distance but opted not to. Instead of doing such a thing, Videl would instead adjust his grip on his spear ^{[Titanic Reach]} before thrusting it out towards the pair of Mud Worms. Within the span of a singular attack ^{[Spear, Double Strike, Thrusting]}, Videl would thrust his spear forward, piercing both of their shoulders.

As Raoul entered the base from the back he heard shouts and movement coming from the path he’d taken.



“Drat, it appears I’ve been found out, ugh must find a quick hiding spot so they won’t catch me”, the dhampir thinks as he surveys the area before him.



It looked disgusting, discarded food, piles and piles of assorted garbage, and broken equipment everywhere. It truly looked like a camp that belonged to ruffians.



Soon before he could take another step or look for a place to hide he heard a yell come from behind him, “Ey you bastard come ‘ere, boys get ‘em”.



He quickly grips the handle of his whip wand and spins back to face the small group of mud worms that were beginning to enter the broken-through door. Raoul was about to snap his whip against his opponents but stopped as suddenly the Frigid Steed that Videl was riding earlier appeared behind them. Taking some of those goons down already. He couldn’t help but smirk that Videl fellow was truly dependable, now it was his turn to play his part. He cracked his whip and swung it towards the group in front of him causing the already moaning in pain people to scream in agony. Those who were able to move quickly rushed forth at him focusing on getting him out. He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his Shimmering Scorpion Blade cracking it against the first goon in front of him. He struck another goon nearby wrapping both in his whips before pulling them forward causing them to fall with a heavy thud as he pulled his whips releasing his grasp on them.

The moment that Videl had assigned Lumi to looking after Raoul, his attention had become solely focused on the Mud Worms that were currently before him. He had just managed to pierce a pair of them in the shoulder, more or less throwing that arm out of commission for the time being. While this might not come across as the most heroic of options, it was the one way that Videl had decided he could stop the group before they caused any more harm. All whilst ensuring that they kept their lives.

Unsurprisingly, there were those amongst the Mud Worms that hadn't taken too kindly to Videl's actions. He was an obstacle that had stood in their way and to them, that was a crime of the highest degree. So as to ensure that he can no longer stand in their way, a few of the Mud Worms would attempt to rush him from multiple sides. It was clearly their intention to run him through with their weapons. Seeing that they had all been coming out towards him, Videl would immediately drop himself to the ground whilst slamming his glacial mana through his hands and into the ground itself. A snow fort ^{[Snow Fort]} would quickly burst into being around him as he had done this, the moisture in the air being used as its catalyst. In the next instant, having taken a burst of damage from three different angles, the snow fort would crumble into a heap of snow.

"..well shit." While he hadn't been expecting these Mud Worms to be the easiest to fight against, given that they were an entire group, Videl had most certainly not expected that they would be so coordinated in their efforts. Whether it was through practice or blind luck, he wasn't sure. All that he knew now was that he needed to speed along his process if he intended on coming out on top here.

Of course, while this had been happening on Videl's side, Lumi had continued to follow suit with what she had been told. In a coordinated effort with Raoul's own whip attacks, Lumi had proceeded to billow out a cloud of freezing mist. Given that some of these Mud Worms had already been under the effects of her frosty breath, in addition to having been pulled to the ground by Raoul's own efforts, many of these Mud Worms would find themselves frozen in place and lapsed into unconsciousness.

Raoul continued to whip and grapple the men around as Lumi froze them; thanks to her his attacks hit harder against their frozen skin as well as making it hard for the mud worms to move. He wraps up the battle quickly leaving the goons shivering and groaning in pain as he wraps his whips back to their original state.



He walks over to Lumi and gives her a thumbs up, “Good girl, I appreciate your help ever so much. I’ll make sure to give Videl some solars for a bundle of apples for you as thanks”.



He then turns around and hurriedly searches the area for any signs of cages or rattling noises. Soon enough after a minute or two of searching, he finds the cages against the walls covered by a blue tarp. He quickly reaches for it and pulls it back revealing the sorry state of the poor bogskipper huddled up tight and malnourished. He quickly reaches over to his pocket, pulls out his black umbrella, takes off, and carefully starts breaking the locks. Before he finishes breaking the second one he hears a loud groan as someone appears behind him.



An aasmir figure with tinted bifocals and bandit’s clothes appears behind him with a twisted grin holding his shoulders gripping them tightly, “Hey there buddy whatcha doing there? I hope not to free my little friends here? Because if that’s the case I’d be forced to hurt you for messing up my profits”, it appears that Raoul has met the leader of the operation. 

Unaware of what was currently happening on Raoul's end, Videl had continued to focus on the fight that was currently before him. What had remained around him, after his snow fort had collapsed, was three Mud Worms with varying weapons. They hadn't quite expected the snow fort from before but now that it was gone, they had every intention of getting rid of this immediate threat. While they hadn't outright acted on it yet, these Mud Worms had noticed that their companions were taken out. The quicker they removed Videl from play, the quicker they could rush towards his partner.

Given the current situation that he was facing, Videl had found himself feeling a bit annoyed. Not only did he have to check in on Raoul but he had to remove the majority of these Mud Worms on his own. If Sylvari had been here, the pair would have easily cleaned the place up by now. This had gone to show him the limitations of his own power. While he didn't want to admit it, he was going to have to continue to grow stronger if he wanted to remain by her side.

Hoping to prove his abilities to himself, Videl would make the most out of what he currently was capable of. Just as the remaining Mud Worms had attempted to thrust their weapons into him, Videl would pounce forward and thrust his weapon towards a pair of them. Each of the Mud Worms weapons had managed to pierce through his torso, causing him to bleed profusely internally. Despite this, however, Videl had continued to power through with his strikes. Given the unique enchantments imbedded into his spear, Videl would find that his spear had thrust forward with quite a bit of speed ^{[Spear, Double Strike, Thrusting]}. In the span that it would take for the Mud Worms to get a singular attack in against him, Videl would thrust his spear into the chests of both bandits before him. His unique form ^{[Titanic Reach]} had provided the necessary power behind each thrust to incapacitate the pair. As for the third? Videl would get to him in a moment. Before that moment would even come though, Videl's spear would begin to channel it's own reserves ^{[Spell Blade, Sharing Essence]} into Videl himself. This would allow for his wounds to patch themselves up in an instant, bringing him back from his critical state.