Maid on the Run

It just another average day. Unless you count the dust cloud being stirred up in the disance Something is moving quickly and out of the dust clous is a person pulling a cart, dressed in maid outfit of all thigns. She take a quick look behind her. Doesnt look like she going to stop and might even hit something or someone.

Goldenblade is hanging around the viaduct because that's where -all- the cool poeple hang out, right? But she's a builder, and so studying buildings seems pretty natural. Hard to say what specifically she's looking at, or looking for, she's just generally observing, it seems. One of the major differences between older constructions and modern building is they weren't able to play so close to the catastrophe curve as far as minimizing material use, and a lot of older things were much much more durable than they 'needed' to be, based on a projected lifespan of however long a thing was expected to stand. She does not se the oncoming Vespa.

Haru is here with complete purpose and resolve! No, no he isn't. There is a heavy chance that he went for a walk to clear his head, saw Miho, and ended up following along with where the Salamander was going so that it leads back to her shop and where he is doing super cool super fance super powerballnumber42 kind of work. Then when he realizes the destination is not the forget, it is all too late. Still he isn't one to worry about the small things. The tall Enchanter has a notepad out and is working through stray thoughts and theories while lating the natural splendor of architecture guide the brain power. Much like Goldenblade, he is not paying attention. Two bowling pins in a lane ready to be hit by the wrecking ball of maid goodness.

    Merek looks around a bit, seeming to notice the way that dust is coming up on the cart. The man thinks about it, then he checks on his weapons, adjusting that hat which he wears with cavalier style. He does take a look to people that are about, "Do you think it's Palace Landers?"

Miho had been checking Viaduct for certain crafting materials related to enchanting. She just didn't want pay for it so here she was, she was not expecting this turn of affairs nope not at all. She ended up being followed by Haru and is okay with that. she pauses for a moment, a maid outfit? WAit no she's look all wrong to be someone else she's heard of.

"Might have to go look into that."

She takes note of Vespa but can't yet inspect her. She's alreayd making for her tail swishing as she goes.

Vespa looks behind her again. What is she looking for? She then notice Goldenblae and Haru. "Look out", she says passing by Miho as she push her feet into the ground tryin to stop here momentum of her cart. She manges to but intera keep her going and she slams into Haru and Goldenblade. "Everything is spinning..", she says laying on the ground.

Goldenblade leaps aside from the onrushing cart, nevermind that she wasn't looking in that direction. It's insanely hard to catch Goldenblade at unawares. Eyes in the back of her head is only a part of it. Not literal eyes, but she leaps aside as if she saw the wagon coming and knew exactly where it would be. Hopefully Haru is similarly agile?

Now Haru is normally very agile. When you wear cloth your options are dodge or die. However Haru is not normal and even less normal right now. He is working through a train of thought. What were people thinking when they built this? What was the utility in mind? Did it work? Speaking of trains, he gets slammed into by Vespa in comical trope moments worthy of a Chrono Trigger introduction. It also has him also on the ground. "World has gained Spinning effect and its super effective," he asides with Vespa as his one non-monocled eye has that swirly 'I may have a concussion now' effect to it.

    Merek watches as the cart comes careening into people, at least trying to while he begins to take his time to step away. He tries looking to see what she might be running from, while he walks up towards the cart, and takes a look to inspect. "You okay?" he asks.

The cart itself is a food stand it all sealed up for the moment for travel. Vespa now on of Haru quick get back up looking at Haru. "Ahh I'm sorry about that!", she looks a bit embrassed by what happend. She looks around to gather her bearings . "Ah sorry about that.", She start to dust herself off. She looks at Merek. "I'm fine. Only thing hurt is my pride.", she looks in the distance she came as if looking for something..

Goldenblade reappears from the sidelines, coming over to inspect the damage. "Well," she says. "That's quite a solid cart." Because it hasn't expoded all over Haru, which she would have expected. She looks to Haru, then looks to Vespa, then asks Vespa, "You running from something?" She looks out to see if, indeed, something was chasing her.

"There are worse things than being hit on by cute maids," Haru says to make the whole thing that much worse. "Or hit," he continues on. It looks like his mind is processing the difference between the words while looking right at Vespa. Weirdo gotta be weird, yo. The white haired human makes his way to standing, brushing the dust and dirt out of his hair first. It is as if he is just now noticing other people are here. There is a stare at Goldenblade as they look at each other. Like they are transmitting secret code via their eyes. In truth, Haru is thinking about the nuances of blunt force trauma, but he looks deep and thoughtful while doing it. Finally he asks, "What?" like the person in a meeting that spent the entire time reading emails instead of paying attention.

"I'm not that cute...", she mutters looking at Haru. She turns to Goldenblade. "Yes.", Vepsa says plainly. "That.", she says pointing to a large creatue twice as big as a person round in shape with spots of fur sticking out of it and scales in other spots. Has a few slases on it body, someone was trying to fight it. The creature lets out a roar open it mouth which it about as size of it body consting of nothing but teeth. It's mad ugly and heading this way!

Miho now only catches the warning from Vespa, she's not fast enough as she gets caught up in the whole mess. She goes flying and will end up face first, tail straight up in the air missing some HP for her trouble.

"What... just happened...."

    Merek looks to the cart, then he takes a look to the creature. "Ah, well that's..." The man takes a moment to lift up a hand, and will begin to charge the Wave Arte into the palm, "Fireball!" Then he blasts along into it with the magic. He nods to the party, "We should probably take care of that thing!"

Goldenblade arches a brow to Vespa at the succinct answer. Haru gets a look of concern, but then she spots the monster Vespa points out, and suggests to Haru, "Now's not the time to lay down on the job." She will rush to meet it, though, which will hopefully give the others a bit of reaction time. Merek's fireball blasts it just before she begins laying in with rapid thrusts from both of the blades she carries, giving it a one-two combination that can overwhelm less fearsome opponents. Strictly speaking, it goes well past one-two, going to maybe six or seven, there's a lot of rapid swordplay involved.

Miho looks up to see a maonster she now gets what's going on she gets up looks at the thing draws her bow and takes aim.

"BURST SHOT!"

She lets the arro flw and wioll get to moving as there seems to be more exciting day than she thought it would be.

"The only time I lay down on the job is when my job is sleeping," Haru replies in a 'that sounded better in my head' sort of way with an emphatic finger point at Goldenblade, who is mysteriously missing by the time he responds and is instead pointing at Vespa. The Enchanter pivots on his heels like a mobile statue to point towards the foe before them. "And I haven't slept IN DAYS!" he summons his inner Duke Nukem deep voice of badassery, which as a young Japanese man does not come off as entirely as menacing. His finger pointing gains a thumb like a hand gun. "Pew!" Yes. Pew. A super soaker like beam of water shoots out towards the creature's eyes. Take /that/, foul beast. Water. So you will be less foul, and thus just a beast!

FHOOM! The fireball hit the creatres it roars in pain and now its on fire! Goldenblade slashes it the creature it stumbles back from the slashes and miho arrow hit it. The water hit directly in the eyes the creature stops for a second shaking itself then looking around for something then looking at Vespa and start to head toward her! "Why is it after me??!", she gets behind Haru putting her between him and the creature.

The creatue turns away from Vespa now heading towards Goldenblade. She breathes a sigh of relief it not going try and attack her anymore. Thought Goldenblade might be in trouble..

Goldenblade grumbles as the creature tries to move past her, to go after Vespa and Haru, but Goldenblade is apparently sufficiently tanky, in the aggro-holding sense, that when the critter goes past, she assumes a stance that threatens mayhem if the monster tries to conitnue past her and to attack the others. Something in her demeanor, or her steady gaze, or the threatening way she holds her blades, promises to make trying to get away from her a poor plan. But it's coming back, and she smiles broadly. Now to get into it.

Haru, stalwart defender. His cloth is made from the FINEST of cotton, which is the fabric of our lives. His outstretched finger turned into a hand that produces the palm of 'halt!' while being the worlds most ineffective meat shield for Vespa. "It has a hangering for your bits," the Enchanter offers with helpful non logic. "Maid life is a hard life," he acknowledges as Goldenblade does Tank life. Which means that Haru feels like Enchanter Life needs to appear now as his hand switches to palm up and summons the smallest of black cats. Chibi-Eve, the Dark Sprite, who is NOT amused by her Chibi form. "Go for the eyes, Eve!" Staaarre. Slow turn from the monster summon to the other monster as a blackish mistbolt hurls towards the enemy for debuffing times for helping dat Tank life.

    Merek looks along to the creature and will take his time to begin charging it, lifting up his weapon which is a greatsword, swinging that into the flank of the creature. Then he's adjusting that position to keep on assisting the party. "I will do what I can to take away HP from the thing!"

Miho is going to have to get in close now, her bow is put away. She then readies her Katana. She stares the monster down for a moment, it seems like she's not moved but in a flahs he KAtna is out and she's dashing at the thing slashing as she goes.

"BEAT CRACK! GET AWAY FROM THE MAID!"

"I have no desider to be eaten.",Vespa says. "I don't think I'd be very tasty anway." Haru attack hits it in the eye. It roars flaling about in pain. Merek attack slashes as it side as does Miho's. It appears with a few more hits the creature will meet it's end.

Keeping the offensive up is important, but so is self care! Haru turns to Vespa and says, "Well this big monster," as battle continues on behind him, "thinks otherwise! So you are more delicious than you think. Fifty one herbs and spices levels," the human exclaims with a smile. Rar, sounds of battle. Even Eve, the small cat is running towards to do literal scratch damage with the tiny claws. Meanwhile Haru's battle is with hunger on all this talk of food, giving a growl of 'my dude, when was the last time you ate?'.

    Merek lifts up a hand while he begins to draw the thorns along the creature, then he nods to Goldenblade. "It will increase the damage and hold it for you, do what you need to do!" he calls. Then he's going to keep that in place for the woman.

Goldenblade has baited the monster off the fleeing maid, and the impromptu party has done some significant damage to it, but it looks like it's time to put this one away. That is when Goldenblade slips out of sight, literally. The players may be confused, the monster is almost certainly confused because she just taunted it, and now she's gone, and Merek's keeping it from going anywhere.

In any event gone doesn't last. Goldenblade fades in from an entirely different angle, striking with both blades, deep thrusts that are, if not deep enough to strike the heart, slam at least deep enough to cause major hemmoraging and massive internal bleeding, her aim improved by Merek holding the monster still.

Miho is about done with this creature she's ready to bring it to an end and her Katana bursts into flames as she does so.

"This ends here and now!"

She'll leadp at the thing with her burning blade.

"FORGE'S FURY!" She'll then pull the blade down across the monsters body as she drops back to the ground.

Vespa looks at Haru with a look a puzzlement on her face. "Let's never test that idea okay?" Merek's thorns hold the creature as Goldenblade blades strike deep as do Miho's as well. The creature lets out a final roar and it slupms to the ground dead and dissapears in a flash of light...

    Merek looks to that creature when it falls to the weapons of the party, then he sheathes the weapon of his, with a nod to people. A look then to Vespa, "Ah... What exactly were you doing which brought that creature to you anyway?" he asks.

Goldenblade looks around to the others as the monster vanishes into pixels. "Well, that was a thing," she observes. What /kind/ of a thing, she does not speculate on. Instead, she asks, "Everyone OK?" She looks around, but the general look of things is that no one got hurt /too/ badly. Echoing Merek's question, she says, "Yes, what /was/ that about?"

Haru is on the What? wagon just as much as anyone else. "Spices," he offers as a reason for all of this. Spices make everything better except when they dont.

Vespa laughs neverously. "Well you know. I was doing stuff and it just well woke up I guess? I think I distubed where it was sleeping. It just would not give up. ", she leaves out the part where she threw some failed potions over the side of a cliff. "Well thanks for saving me anyway.."

Miho looks about seein the monster is handle dhe pauses and inspects Vespa for a moment and goes wide eyed.

"Wait Vespa?! As in the lady who helped the bug guilds figure out how to make food that actually had taste?!" Miho has stars in her eyes more or less at this.

Goldenblade does not know Vespa, nor did she know who taught players to cook manually. But she looks intrigued as Miho brings that up. She introduces herself, "Goldenblade. Nice to meet you." One can inspect her to get her actual name, but it's sufficently long that it spills out of the box. So she goes by Goldenblade, which is easier.

Haru knows none of this, but believes Miho. Look at the size of those stars in her eyes? Haru motions a hand in front of the Salamander. Wave. Wave wave. "So she invented taste?" he asks. Turning to Vespa he has the 'not bad!' face and nod. "Haru Nox. My taste buds thank you." More on food! Rumble from the tums.

    Merek nods a bit to people, "Merek," he offers to the party, those that don't know him. He does think about it, "Anyway, if you like, we can try to guide you about next time you need and explore likely."

Goldenblade eyes Haru skeptically. He's acting funny, but all the spellslingers do, to some extent. She smiles to Vespa at the greeting. Looking at the cart, she says, "Your skills would be welcome many places. But the recent invasion has driven a lot of people into the Tower seeking refuge."

Miho pauses "Miho Mithrilscale's the nbame and yes my taste buds thank you as as well Vespa." Miho is just about vibrating here and looking very excited. Her tail is twishing about for a bit. "Well good thing you having died. We been invaded by the Chinese servers and it's getting dicey."

Goldenblade winces at Vespa being out of touch, and nods at Miho's summary. "Yeah, whatever you do, don't get killed," she agrees. "Players and Landers from another server have overrun Eastal and Fourland, they hold cities both places. We're holding them off, but they're still reaching, and they've somehow figured out how to control the ownership of Capital cities."

Haru looks at Goldenblade and that comment. "Why would they be going to the Tower for trash," he asks, having heard 'refuse' and not refuge. It take a good moment before he snaps his fingers, "Oh! Sanctuary. Refu-GE." There is a nod. A nod nod. A sage nod. A look to Vespa. A nod. At a certain point its a bobble head effect. He stops before it gets too bad. "Getting back is a good idea," he offers up, "projects dont complete themselves." There is a look to the small cat summon as he adds in, "Unless you find means of automation and summoning." Eve hisses.

"Your welcome Miho.", Vespa looks at Miho. "What? Seriously? That sound really bad.",she looks a Haru. "Really realy bad. I didn't even know that was possible!", she also eyes Miho tail and really wants to grab it..

Goldenblade sighs at Haru. "Buddy, get it together," she says plaintively. But she nods to Vespa about the Palace Landers, and says, "Scale's holding the Tower against them, and I don't think they can take it, and Eas held them off once, but they'll be back. It's a bit touch-and-go."

Vespa nods to Goldenblade. "I really should head to the Tower myself then. Enough of being a loner. I have no interest in seeing this sever being taken over by someone else."

Haru raises and lowers his eyebrows in a waggle to Goldenblade. It is as if he is getting it together, one function at a time. Start with the eyebrows. "You'd be more than welcome," Diplomacy Haru says to Vespa. "More the merrier. And we have some stronk people around like Goldie here to keep the wanderlust and exploration times safe." A thought. "Or safe enough. Wouldn't really be adventure without some danger abound."

Miho nods "Good idea they could use the help, all the guilds right now could." She thinks for a moment and looks over to Haru for a moment and nodding. "We should stick togethere till we get to a town at the very least. Given what's going on the Palace Landers love ambushing solos, from what I know."

    "I think they are trying to keep people from doing anything in the tower, all the same I think I will go assist. We know what people take away when they're killed, so we need to protect people we can."