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Post by Arashi Tento on Jan 8, 2024 11:49:52 GMT -5
Arashi went on a short trip to the closest place in the mainland, Moonglade, He had decided to read as much as he could after the events with Vulcadreaus, he didn't take the word of the crown, not even for a second, and he also does appreciate the fact of the gods, or at least the most influential ones, being dead. Still he doubts everything 'Divine' is out of the question, he had a suspicion that they didn't see the last of the usurper god Ziev, and even if that were the case Vulcadreaus was a surprise, a forgotten piece that could've spelled the end of everything, had the area not be serendipitously crowded with adventurers. it was a hard fought battle, he knew it first hand... He had to get stronger, to avoid anyone having to go through such a fate, and a part of that was being ready, knowledge is power after all, and if he could even get an inkling of which other things had been forgotten, what creatures, demons, and so called deities, could be lurking, waiting, gathering energy and power as they prepared for the moment to pounce. He shook his head, no he can't allow it to happen. He needs to be ready... He has things to protect, people who he wants to keep smiling... even if he isn't there to see it.
You could say that mentally he was as prepared as can be, he doesn't feel hesitant even to make the ultimate sacrifice, but he has been talked to, and asked, by several people even, to not be so rash and hasty with such decisions, after all even if he felt it was his duty, there seemed to be people who wanted to see him smile as well... So he needed knowledge, anything he could hopefully use to predict what could happen next, any weakness or method to avoid or stop it would be extremely appreciated, even then it is likely he won't find anything reliable or even relevant, but he had to try.
So here he was, reading a book in a dusty library in Moonglade, managed by an old man who had been collecting any manner of tomes and odd books he could find, apparently his family had been doing that for generations which is why the man's house had several rooms which had more dusty books than free space. He wasn't used to getting much business at least not for the books, he had a small bakery in front with his wife as well... But as rumours of the man's impressive collection rivalling that of most crown researchers and scholars, he was happy to lend Arashi a hand by letting him parse through whatever he thought might be relevant, The man believed in the free spreading of knowledge after all, and since it would take a while, Arashi would help them by buying their pastries and drinks.
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Post by Granth on Jan 9, 2024 1:39:30 GMT -5
Unfortunately, the rumors of the old man's collection had reached even the ears of ill-fated men.
The old man's wife was running the bakery when a large man kicked the door off its hinges. Bald and overweight with an eyepatch, the ogre-like man marched through the door, scowling at the poor baker. She screamed for help and was about to run into the rooms in the back where the library was when a sling stone slammed into the other door right in front of her face. She fell back to the floor in shock, and a wiry young black haired woman with a sling grinned at her, casually loading her weapon.1
"Hello, lovely!" said the girl with the gap toothed smile. "King Granth has come for his tithe. Money and food on the table, and call out to your old man that if he tries anything, the next pastry that gets baked will be made out of old hag!"
The elderly woman could do little but cry. She was in shock, both physical and mental. Her old heart just wasn't made for such violence.
Scratching the back of her neck, the girl shrugged and pulled a sack off her belt. She started looting various pastries and loaves of bread while more men walked in.
Granth the Bandit King, the dread archer of the Devils gang, self proclaimed bandit king of the Moon Glade, entered with his bow in hand. The public menace cast back his hood and regarded the room with a cold stare.
"Mazz, hold the fort," Granth ordered the skinny woman. She gave him a cheeky salute, and he turned his attention to the bruiser. "Brick, you and Ludwig are with me. We'll find the old man, get the books and get out. The sooner we're out of here, the sooner we can put miles between us and the knights."
As he spoke, a middle aged man with a graying beard and ragged, dust colored robes stepped in, his hand clutched tightly around a magical focusing crystal.2 The mage was followed by a pair of wolves,3 and Granth leaned down to speak to them while holding a necklace of teeth bound about his neck.4 The beasts seemed to understand, and one took up a position guarding the room while the other followed the rest of the robbers further into the building.
Granth was a careful man. He'd had the robbery planned for a while and had timed the attack for when the nearest knight patrol would be furthest away. His bandits had been able to make it into the outskirts of the town unnoticed and he had a clear window of opportunity in which to act. He had backup plans in case anything went wrong, and he had overwhelming force on his side. There was no real risk of failure in his plan. It was a clean smash and grab.
Unfortunately for the bandits, Granth did not account for the possibility of a wandering warrior being inside the old man's library.
1. Warlord minions; 2. Earth Domain Apprentice; 3. Exotic Canine; 4. Necklace of Animal Speech
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Post by Arashi Tento on Jan 10, 2024 13:50:00 GMT -5
While flipping through a few pages, with a cup of tea and a plate of pastries. Arashi heard a commotion, or that's what it sounded like... As he got up to check what that was, the old man, owner of the library, motioned for him to wait as he thought this could maybe be resolved in a civilized way, Arashi not being too sure of that being a good idea, cast quicken[1] on himself readying for whoever was at the other side of that door. He didn't wonder for long, as before the owner even got close to the door to try and open it, it was kicked off it's hinges. The old man flinched back, suddenly realizing the severity of the situation, and with a terrified expression turned around to try and hide. But deeper into the room was Arashi ready to sprint, he looked at the man who kicked the door down, and in a powerful gust of wind and burst of lightning[2] he charged towards him faster than the eye could see, in less than a tenth of a second he was crashing into the bandit, taking himself and his first opponent outside.
"Nothing better to do than stealing and threatening an old couple? you scum..." he grabbed his teleporting dart, and threw it towards the bandit girl, aiming for her forehead[3] but also as a plan to quickly get back inside in case it was necessary. Regardless of whether that hit, he would begin drawing his Katana. "Normally I would go easy, try not to start with lethal force... But your cruelty shows me you don't desire nor deserve mercy" He was outnumbered and flanked, but he was used to that. "Let's see if you idiots are worth your salt." He raised his voice "Come at me!" he yelled to taunt them.
1: Quicken (double speed for this post) 2: Bullet Dash (normally makes the user move fast enough to be blurry and hard to see, thanks to quicken I'm guessing he's moving faster than what most people would be able to see.) 3: Teleporting Dart (Aimed at the slingshot bandit girl's forehead, but mostly with the intention of sticking it in the wall behind her)
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Post by Granth on Jan 11, 2024 9:51:30 GMT -5
Brick was bowled right through, and Mazz only barely managed to duck out of the way in time to avoid getting a dart stuck in her face. Instead, it struck her in the shoulder, which wasn't much of an improvement.
The bandits cursed, but their leader, Granth, just narrowed his eyes. He assessed the situation, nocked an arrow to his bow, and nodded toward Ludwig the mage.
"Kill him," he told the wizard.
Ludwing began conjuring flames in his hand and hurling them toward the swordsman, one after another, depending more on quantity than on quality of shot.1 His attacks were supported by the bandit slinger loosing a couple of fiery sling bullets in the swordsman's direction, trying to get revenge for the wound she had been given.
But the big brute in the back wasn't engaging. Nor were the wolves; no, Granth whistled to them and whispered some word with his enchanted necklace once more,2 and they instead took up defensive positions near the door, ready to attack Arashi if he got close to the bandits.
As for Granth... he had no intention of playing a waiting game with the swordsman. He was going to force the man to act. With a casual motion as if it was the most boring thing in the world, Granth raised his bow and shot his arrow into the old woman's thigh. She screamed in agony, writhing and rolling about as the acid-coated arrow ate away at her flesh, hissing loudly and making steam rise into the air.3
"I think you've got more important things to worry about than us!" the Bandit King called outside. "This old wench has maybe ten minutes to live! I suggest you let us go and save her before something worse happens."
1. Fire Bolt (Bandit Mage); 2. Necklace of Animal Speech; 3. Blighter's Arrows (x1)
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Post by Arashi Tento on Jan 11, 2024 17:34:48 GMT -5
They seemed way more organized than he expected, following orders and sticking to them without complaint. As they began shooting firebolts and Slingshot slugs in a rather disorderly and inaccurate fashion, he began to doubt their abilities again, half of the firebolts would miss if he just stayed still, and they didn't go fast enough for him to not be able to see them coming, mostly due to the haphazard way they were being thrown at him, the slingshot was slightly more accurate as well as its ammo travelling faster, but Arashi was used to dodging and blocking all manner of projectiles and attacks so much so that he almost forgot he could make this easier on himself. Some wind began picking up around him[1], just enough that it could slightly alter the trajectory of projectiles, it moved in odd almost smart patterns making sure to always guide the projectiles away from him, it had almost no effect on the firebolts though, so Arashi still had to dodge those, which he did with small sidesteps and positional adjustments. But Arashi's confidence, was shattered as the so called bandit king began to Aim at the old lady, "Don't you Da-" he wasn't even allowed to finish the sentence as a sense of urgency was instilled deep within him. "You Absolute garbage!" He was mad, way more than he usually got, Without moving he outstretched his hand and pointed at Granth, a lightning bolt arcing through the air towards him, but even though it seemed like it, it actually wasn't aimed towards The bandit leader. the lightning bolt hit slightly behind Granth as Arashi disappeared teleporting right to the point the lightning bolt hit[2] he was likely to have confused the bandits since his disappearance was sudden, but due to how close to their leader he appeared, and the fact that he seemed to be smarter than the rest he was likely to notice Arashi, still he would waste no time, slashing towards Granth twice in incredibly quick succession[3] a diagonally downwards slash aimed at his torso, and an upwards slice specifically targeting the wrist, he wouldn't be able to shoot arrows if he couldn't move one of his hands... After those attacks he would quickly glance at the arrow in the woman's thigh and immediately cast a spell that should buy them time, the arrow and the liquid oozing out of it, became duller in color, seeming to lose their interaction with most of the world[4]. The arrow remained lodged in her preventing some of the blood loss, but the important part was neutralizing the effect of the acid, helping her regain her composure and lowering her pain. "Go hide with your husband, I'll cover you. And don't take out the arrow until we can heal you, the spell should last long enough"
1: Path of the Elementalist: Windtalker 2: Path of the Elementalist: Bolt Dancer 3: Katana Enchantment: Double Strike 4: Space Domain: Suspend Item
Electrical Surge: 2 charges
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Post by Granth on Jan 12, 2024 2:57:51 GMT -5
Granth, cruel though he was, had accepted the possibility that the swordsman might attack him... and he was prepared.
The first slash of the blade came in quicker than Granth could have anticipated, yes, and he did get caught across the chest with a slice of that sword. It wasn't as deep as it could have been; the archer was excellent at keeping his distance, even when he should've been caught by surprise. A backwards step was enough to change what could have been a fatal blow into a glancing blow. Then a second strike came down, and...
SHING! The lightning quick swordsman's blade found itself striking not Granth's wrist, but rather the waist of the bald bruiser, Brick. The huge man had shoved his boss out of the way and taken the hit for him.
"Sod off," the injured brute growled. He was badly injured and was probably going to die, but that didn't stop him from fighting. The thug snarled as he swung his mace in a swift and vicious arc towards the hero's shoulder.
Granth, though, was not done. As Mazz loosed a focused, more accurate shot with a flaming sling bullet toward Arashi, Granth leapt over the counter separating the bakery from the rest of the old couple's home. He slammed the back door shut, and then... kicked a large crate in front of it to barricade it?
"Now, Ludwig!" he shouted over to the fire mage. "Burn it down!"
Ludwig grinned, then shot a blast of fire toward the ceiling, igniting it immediately.1
Granth glared across at Arashi then with a look so baleful, so full of malice that it would've given even the most elite of warriors pause. Beneath his dark hood were eyes that gleamed with a cold and calculating determination, the sort of eyes only killers - true killers, blackhearts of the worse kind - could possess. The very sight of those eyes was enough to turn a man's blood cold.2
And then Granth loosed one of those black headed arrows that smelt of acid towards Arashi's chest.3
"You were warned," he snapped at Arashi, nocking another arrow. "We could've finished this without hurting that crone, but you had to irritate me. Then you decided to keep fighting, and that pissed me off. So now their whole damned home is going to come crumbling down atop their heads, it's all your fault, and you ain't got the time to save them AND stop me.
"Enjoy being a hero, boy. Maybe next time you'll mind your damned manners."
Then Granth snapped his fingers, and his wolves went rushing at Arashi, snapping their jaws and leaping for his throat. The dread archer hopped back over the counter, heading for the door at a slow, relaxed pace. He grabbed Mazz by the shoulder, snapping, "Get the loot and go!"
"Yes, boss!" she answered, grabbing her sack of ill gotten goods.
1. Firebolt (Bandit Mage); 2. Banner Lord; 3. Blighter's Arrow (x1)
Granth has the Crown of Anguish, giving him the ability to overcome hit preventions when attacking feared targets (like someone under the effect of Banner Lord).
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Post by Arashi Tento on Jan 12, 2024 13:13:50 GMT -5
As his strike hit, although not its intended mark, Arashi was surprised, why would someone... do that..? why protect someone who doesn't even care if you live or die? Who didn't do anything worthwhile? maybe they were afraid of him..? or had this 'monster' actually earned their respect? was there really so many people willing to go down this evil path of no return? for what?
It didn't matter, Arashi sidestepped the mace, the better aimed fiery slug would still miss it's mark thanks to the protective winds[1], although this time he consciously guided them to deflect the shot into the mace-wielding bandit's head, being struck by his ally's flaming steel projectile, in addition to the already major wound from Arashi's sword, should leave that man out of the picture. The door had been barricaded, and the roof set alight, he looked into the Bandit Leader's eyes, his cold murderous stare sending a shiver which turned into indecision as he wondered if he made things worse... He shook his head, this was not the time.
With a swift downwards slash aimed at Granth's arrow but released early, he mistimed hitting the arrow on purpose, a slight void forming through the path of the blade[2], which only those observant enough would've noticed, once the arrow made contact with that space it disappeared, immediately coming back behind the mage who had set the place on fire lodging itself into his back. At that point Granth decided to try and lecture Arashi, and something inside his mind snapped, he grinned "So that's what you think huh..? A damned coward of a bandit, who sends his followers to die, you have barely attacked me once and you're already going away to lick your wounds..? pathetic... you are definitely scum, in every sense of the word. not just an asshole, but a coward, and a weakling who can't fight his own battles!" as the wolves rushed at him, Arashi dropped his main sword and summoned[3] his Hidden Blossom blade unsheathing the quarter staff into a nodachi roughly the same size as him, with a single slash he cleaved through both wolves. With an absent minded stare he spoke with a sort of hatred he had rarely experienced "I'm gonna enjoy tearing you apart, limb from limb..."
1: Path of the Elementalist: Windtalker 2: Monk art: Void Slash 3: Space Domain: Summon Possession
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Post by Granth on Jan 15, 2024 4:30:32 GMT -5
The slug in the big bruiser's head was enough to leave him a bloody heap within the burning bakery. The wolves twitched and stumbled with the last few moments of their lives, letting out low, weak howls as they collapsed upon the floorboards. Fire danced around the bandit mage as he heaved out weakened breaths, crumpled to one knee, and sat there in a weakened state, barely alive. And yet... Granth cast one cold, calculating stare back at the slaughter and destruction, then looked away as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Keep moving," he commanded Mazz calmly.
The two kept running. Mazz grabbed the dart stuck in her arm and yanked it out at one point, tossing it haphazardly into a nearby alley between two homes as she retreated. Granth, for his part, paused only once to order Mazz to set fire to a couple more rooftops, the better to keep the townsfolk busy and occupy whatever guard forces might arrive otherwise. Two loosed slingstones coated in magical fire later and a pair of thatch roofed homes were starting to blaze as well. Whoever lived there didn't matter to Granth. He just needed to buy himself a little time.
Inside the bakery, the lone bandit mage, abandoned by his master, looked up at Arashi with pleading eyes. It was clear he didn't want to die. He grabbed at Arashi's feet with desperate, bloodstained hands, rasping for breath.
But it wasn't really the bandit's choice whether he lived or died, was it?
"Could've gone better," Granth mused as he paused long enough to inspect the sack of goods Mazz had lifted from the shop. "Some food will go a long way, and those two idiots were just slowing us down. Shame about the dogs, though."
"Shame," repeated Mazz, chuckling nervously as she suddenly worried how Granth would treat her own demise.
"Was hoping to get a few of the old man's books. They'd sell good - could've even had something useful in 'em." Granth pulled his hood down enough to spit off to the side, then casually reached into the sack and pulled out a croissant. He sniffed it, then took a bite as if he didn't just condemn several people to death and burn down multiple homes. Then the bandit king Blinked in surprise. "Mmm! Sourdough."
"Well... about those books, boss..."
Mazz reached into her jacket, not the bag of goods, and pulled out a book with strange markings on it. It had a red cover and showed a demon on the cover.
"Don't know if this is the sort of thing you were looking for," Mazz mused, "but I found this squirrel away beneath a floorboard in the bakery. I think the old man was trying to keep it secret. Maybe didn't want anyone using it?"
Granth took the book, cracked it open, and flipped through the pages quickly. He stopped on one page depicting a complex ritual circle... and he smiled beneath his mask.
"Good eye, Mazz. Maybe you're worth keeping around after all."
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Post by Arashi Tento on Feb 6, 2024 18:18:23 GMT -5
As the cowardly bandits ran away with their tails between their legs, Arashi thought to end them right then and there... but he couldn't... He had started this not to cause bloodshed but to avoid people becoming victims, and if he followed them that was sure to happen... as the flames on the building began to spread he shook his head and turned around towards the library part where the old couple should be huddled together, but as he did he felt a tug on his pants... looking down he saw the bandit mage still alive gasping for air and with a pleading stare... Arashi's eyes flared up with hatred. "You want to live??" he laughed "After all you've done? you set this place on fire! You followed the orders of the madman that led you here! you have no-one to blame your predicament on but yourself... you could've chosen better, you could've disobeyed... what tells me that if I let you live you won't just keep on with this..? Who knows how many people groveled for mercy before you and your master... I'm willing to bet that if this" Gestures around at the flames "Is anything to go by... you've never spared anyone. Hell, with your earlier display of being a mindless sheep, i doubt you'd muster enough individuality, enough courage, to dispobey his orders even if they were killing your own mother, or child!" Arashi grabs his forehead exasperated by the situation "You do not have the right to ask for mercy or help, you might've once upon a time... but not anymore..." he summoned his main blade to his hand [1] "The only mercy I can give you is a swift death." and with that he brought his blade down in a stab at the back of the neck, severing the mages head.
With that done he headed back into the library, there he found the old couple huddled together on the ground as he had thought, the smoke had yet to get low enough to make it too hard to breath, but they'd have to be fast otherwise the building would collapse on top of them... he's seen that happen before... he approached the couple "I'm sorry I didn't think they'd go this far..." he kneeled in front of the old lady "the pain from the acid has gone but I can't move..." "Don't worry ma'am I'll carry you... I'll also help your husband." he looked at the owner of the library and extended his arm towards him, he'd be able to feel a burst of energy, becoming faster and more agile for a while.[2] carefully carrying the older woman he rushed to the main door together with the old man, the increased speed allowing them to escape the building before it was too late.
He placed the old lady down on a small carriage nearby, and looked back at the mess he had caused... moments later it all collapsed as it went up in flames... Arashi wasn't sure of what to do or say... so he just apologized. "I'm sorry I wanted to avoid something like this happening, and I just made it worse... maybe if I had kept myself hidden and not interfered this wouldn't have happened... I'm sorry." he bowed to the couple they looked at each other before grinning a little as they motioned for him to stand upright. "Don't worry about it son! I was very proud of my collection but it's just some dusty tomes, I had read most of them already!" his wife nodded "Yes, besides who knows wheteher they would've left us alone even if we didn't resist! you know how those types are..." now the old man nodded "The important thing is that we're all alive! Knowledge is important but even more so is life! what good is knowing stuff if you are not alive to share or use that knowledge! Nothing truly irreplaceable was lost, and it might've been had you not been here, So we thank you." The words of the couple had managed to lift Arashi's spirit a bit he was smiling slightly knowing that at least according to them he had behaved appropriately. "Thank you both for that, I guess now we'll need to find a healer for your wife." The town was already springing to action putting out the fires and helping each other... thankfully no one had lost their life being that it was daytime no one was fully caught by surprise and had enough time to leave the other two burning buildings. the towns healer was even around and managed to heal the old lady she wouldn't suffer any side effects thanks to Arashi casting his spell before the damage was too much.
Still even with all this he was not satisfied, Arashi would remember this moment and this supposed bandit king... The ruthless coward that somehow seemed to be amassing quite a following... He didn't know who he was, but he knew he had to stop him.
1) Summon possession
2) Quicken
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