Hunting a Zephyr on the Wind

Schneider has put out word through Scale that there are air elementals to be fought, but it's not a huge turnout. He's dressed to his ostentatious fullness, as is the prerogative of a wizard, and his long, pure white hair floats gently in an updraft felt by no one else. Also a wizard's prerogative. "So what we have here," he says, looking at three houses and possibly a barn, "is technically a small town, being terrorized by air elementals of some sort. So, we are here to solve their air elemental problem. Any questions?" he asks, having completely failed to mention anything like a plan or intel.

Jayu, who is quite possibly the newest to the Scale Emblem Alliance, is a go-getter with a get-things-done attitude. On the way here, he maintained a jog while making practice punches. When they came to a stop for the briefing, he began to jog in place. He finally stops jogging when Schneider asks for questions: he raises his hand, "Ah, hey! Question on our entrance strategy. Are we using the tried and true, 'Group up and hit it til it dies' approach, or are we going for something more nuanced?"

A hunt for air elementals? Miho could use drops from those sorts of thing and well a small hamlet is in trouble? She can get behind fixing that up she was clad for battle rather than a forge and was leaning on a Nagitnata as she looks to Jayu and so here she is. She also liked to keep some idea of what people in SEA were up to, she's not forgotton about the currently stalled Tower Pushes and their effects. Still for now it was time to hunt things.

"Loud or sneaky ye BASTARD?"

SHe looks over to Schneider for a moment with a smirk. She also looks at Jayu sizing him up for a moment.

"Name's Miho best weapon smith in Yamato, and you are?"

Schneider approves of Jayu's go-get-em attitude and nods, "You have described our strategy perfectly," he says. When Miho asks 'Loud or sneaky?' he shrugs. "As you like," he replies. But he's got no stealth skill, minus the one spell.

And so with that settled, he will lead the way in to what is only technically a town because it is called Blinken Town on a map of the town. As we get closer, there is no chaos of elemental attacks visible. There is a blacksmith shop with a hammering sound coming from within, and in the fields in the distance, it seems there are one or two Landers. Presumably they are doing something related to farming. Schneider walks into town, when nothing obvious presents itself, but because nothing obvious presents itself, he will look to Jayu and Miho and shrug. "This is the right location," he says, showing a paper map given to him by the Guild. "Any ideas? I see nothing like an air elemental."

Jayu clears his throat before peering down at the land, "Ah. My name's Jae Gu. I am... ah... a pugilist, I suppose? I haven't really picked up any hobbies lately. Er... I can do this?" He reaches into his hat and pulls out a Beef Wellington that is cooked to perfection, and is still the perfect temperature. "Only once a day, though. Uh, you hungry?" He offers the dish to either of the two. "Oh! Maybe are air elementals attracted by food?" He begins to set out several more plates from the interior of his hat, and eventually, an entire feast is laid out on the ground picnic style.

Miho Says "All right, lets make some noise and get it's ttention.

"Elementals don't really eat normally but thank you for the food." She'll take it and start to ear it with a look of glee on her face. This lady likes her meat and she's digging in.

"THIS IS AMAZING!"

Schneider ohs as Jayu pulls a banquet from out of his hat. "That's a good trick," he says, impressed, and it looks like we will pause the mission to have lunch. It's close enough to lunchtime, he supposes. He pulls a blanket from his inventory and spreads it out, and weights down the corners with odds and ends from his inventory.

Sitting down cross-legged, he will begin with a prayer in thanks for the lunch. "Thanks Jae Gu." That concluded, he says, "Since there's no air elementals here just now, I suppose we have time to eat while we wait." Sadly, the noise of their imprompu luncheon and Miho's own efforts does not attract any air elementals. Though after a few minutes a Lander does come out of the smithy.

"Oh! You folks are ... here for a picnic?"

Schneider shakes his head. "We're here about your air elemental problem."

"I see. Well, mainly they come out at night, but you're welcome to hang around until then."

Schneider shrugs, nods, says, "I suppose we will."

Jayu his glad that his trick isn't going to waste. He waves to the lander with his trademark nervous smile that tends to be a little contagious, "Hey, ah, if you'd like some food, we have more than enough to go around. We have all day to wait, I guess. Heh."

Miho says "Well Jae Gu, if we have to wait we might as well feast!" She grins and will offer some food to the Lander who has shown up with a grin.

"Have some if you like!" She seems to be in good spirits very good spirit with this. She laughing a bit as she now devoures more.

"Also with a name like that, Korean?" She looks to Jayu and then back to Schneider.

"So if I might ask? Do you have any information on the elementals aside when they come out. Which I'd like to thank you for."

The Lander is surprised, but quite pleased to have some lunch, and smiles as he takes a bite. "Ah, this is excellent!" He's genuinely surprised by the quality of the food.

Schneider is also pretty happy, he wasn't expecting this. New Guildie now best friend! "We've got to do more lunches, I mean missions, together."

The Lander, between mouthfulls of food, says, "They come out at night, throw things around, wreck fences and scatter animals. We can't leave things outside anymore, it's bad! My shed got flattened two nights ago, and it took me all day yesterday to find everything."

Jayu nods with his everpresent nervous smile to Miho. "Oh, yes. Korean. I recently came from the Palace Lands. Uh... My girlfriend picked me up." he says that statement like it explains everything. He begins eating, but he does pay very good attention to the lander as he talks. "That's rude! A shed counts as inside. They shouldn't be messing with your inside things."

Miho listens to the Lander gives them the details she makes note of that.

"Okay humm we'll have to lure it away from the homestead when we fight it if we can."

She keeps thinking on plans.

"Oh really romance in another world mmmm?"

Schneider looks askance at Jayu, advises him, "You shouldn't mess with girls in the game. Most of them are guys in real life, and the ones that aren't are married." He looks to Miho. "Or, y'know, not human. Sorry." Seems that's a barrier for Schneider. But it kind of explains why he's not playing the Schneider trope of chasing all the women and flirting shamelessly.

He nods as the Lander explains about the elementals coming out at night, and nods as Miho mentions luring them away from the homesteads. "That sounds like a plan."

Jayu shakes his head, waving his hands in front of him, "Oh, it's not like that! We were dating before we started playing. Actually, the Apocalypse was the first time either of us played. You see, I live in Korea, and she was going to School in Japan, so we were going to use this as a way to stay in touch... And... Well, we ended up being apart for longer than we planned... Heh..." He seems to lose a little bit of energy for a brief second before he grabs a ham roll and starts chewing on it, "So yes, I know that she's a girl. And very attractive. And a wonderful person. And... I... don't want to sound like I am bragging."

Miho looks at Schneider and her face gets rather unkind.

"I'm sorry ... what!What do you have problems with ladies who have horns and a tail?!"

Miho stares lasers at Schneider for a moment longer. Jayu distracts Miho from geting angry further and she seems to calm down a bit.

"Oh really so whose your girlfridn then my horns are burning."

She does shoot Schneider a look but seems to be done.

Schneider gives Jayu a skeptical look about dating girls. "If I had a girlfriend, I wouldn't spend time in videogames," he says, thhough the long distance thing does make sense, he guesses. He can only shrug to Miho, and says, "Sorry, horns and a tail are turnoffs for me. And the scales." He shrugs helplessly. "I can't help what I like and don't like. I'm sure you're a fine person. I just can't see you as a romantic partner."

This whole conversation seems to puzzle the Lander, who concentrates on the good food.

Jayu blushes a little as he scratches the back of his neck, "Ah. Yeah. Her in-game name is Yeowang. It means Queen in Korean. Which is funny, because all her friends called her Queen too, given her position in the Wilds' competition and such. It's... An MMA thing. It was really important in Korea." He shrugs. "I... I am not saying that video games are a waste of time... I just wouldn't have played them at all if it hadn't been a perfect option to hang out with Yeowang a country away. I can't go walking a hundred miles EVERY time I want to see her. I don't swim that well." He chuckles to himself.

Miho says "Fair." She takes another bite but seems to ahve left things where they were. Disaster and fire breathing averted! She looks to Jayu and then just ohhs.

"Oh Yeowang huh! So your the guy she was looking for." She'll go back to munching on food.

"Honestly the game was break time from work with my Sister. I was a smith in the family forge you know."

Schneider shrugs, has never met Yeowang. "I guess if you know her outside the game, it's different," he allows. He eyes Miho, but she seems to have calmed down. "Family forge?" he asks. "Who has a family forge in 2012?" Well, Miho's player, obviously. "I guess Japan does tend to have the rare families that keep up the ancient ways. I knew a guy in school that made the kind of traditional dolls. He was /really/ weird."

Jayu nods as he swallows a bite of some stuffed chicken dish. "There are a lot of groups like that all over the world. I think they're called... Arti-zen-all goods?"

Miho looks at Schenider for a moment "We're a family of blacksmiths you know there are people who still pay very good money for properly crafted kitchen knives and the like. Both in Japan and aboard right?" She grins and lists the cost of an average knife it's fairly notable to be sure.

"Though we could be looking at the last generaion or two of people who know how to do it..."

Schneider in fact doesn't know that people will pay for hand-made kitchen knives, though maybe he shouldn't be surprised. He ohs to Miho, and says, "We weren't rich, we just had storebought, manufactured knives." He nods to Jayu, though, and says, "I maybe read about that once."

But in any event, the day is getting on toward evening, and the Lander has excused himself, though a couple others come and graze, as it were. But it's a small town. Small enough, in fact, that it seems to completely close up at night. Doors locked, shutters closed.

Jayu grazes as well, throughout the day. He'll eat something light, then go to train for an hour, rinse and repeat. He seems quite focused on throwing as many straight punches as he possibly can in a small window of time. Still, he does his best to take part in conversation while he does so.

The man seems tireless: he mentioned Yeowang being in MMA, and one would not be incorrect to assume he was part of that crowd also. He's built for it, and he doesn't seem to have a weapon with him either, though his elbow pads and knee pads look like they would probably hurt if someone were hit with them...

When sunset arrives, Jae Gu is warmed up and ready.

Miho nods to Schenider "Hey if we could make a line that was in more people's price range but this is a case. My familys blades and others like ours if taken care of properly can be left to your kids." She makes note of there's a lot of pride there but nothing hostile about using store bought ones.

"So you like to fight huh? Could give you a spar some time so long as Yeowang didn't take it the wrong way. I never want to get on her bad side."

Schneider watches Jayu train curiously. He, himself, played sports in high school, but does not train in-game. A fireball is a fireball. But sunset arrives, and while the winds do pick up a bit, there is no sign of enemy elementals. Yet. He nods to Miho about price ranges. "I guess only super rich people can afford that kind of thing."

But sudden;y, a gust or swirl of wind picks up, and flips over their picnic blanket. Luckily, the food has long since been consumed. But the blanket is blown away as the party finds themselves surrounde by buffeting winds.

Jayu grins as he makes sure his gloves are fitting snugly, "I am always up for a spar! I am sure Yeowang wouldn't mind joining us! She's out for training right now too, you know--" Jayu is surprised but not caught offguard by the wind as it takes away their blanket, but the young man floats like a butterfly as he easily gets out of the way of the attack. Does he sting like a bee, though...?

Miho did enjoy the meal and did honestly talk to the lander about the farm if they need any blacksmithing work done. Still when things get closer to night fall the landers will get to cover and she'll read ready. she takes note at the thing and she now gets up her outfit dancing in the wind.

"Your time tormenting these people." With that she'll start spinning her Naginata to deflect thewind then charging attack the thing with the intent to lure it away as she pops several taunts.

"Over here you want my tail don't you?!"

Schneider casts, "Damedo, Magic Shield!" and a magic shield springs up, deflecting the debris hurled at him by the elementals. Seems they saw people outside as more interesting than some old barn or shed. Jayu's agility does him credit, his ability to dodge and weave keeps him safe from a hunk of shutter hurled at him. Miho is also able to avoid a large rock hurled at her head, it shatters on her defense.

Schneider looks around for the attackers, air elementals are hard to spot at night, being just air. Normal attacks are difficult, but Schneider doesn't use many normal attacks.

Jayu throws a solid punch at the air elemental, launching a fist shaped firebolt at the creature. It misses terribly, and incinerates the picnic blanket, which had been blowing away in the wind. "Ah... Sorry about that..."

Miho is now throwing herself at the elemental hacking and slashing with her longarm and content to keep on the move but also using her raw power against it. There is no way on earth someone her size could be this strong, yet here? Yeah She darn well is.

"BEAT CRACK!"

SHe just keeps hammering away at the thing.

"Sorry I did not sleep through my dodge training!" She keeps up the taunts as she slowly keep trying to lure them from the homestead.

Schneider casts, "Zarzardo Zarzardo Bakemono! Rono sook! Burning in the depths of darkness, fires of hell! Become my sword and strike down my enemy! ... VENOM!" His Venom spell is ... kind of a horrific thing. Apart from the palpable menace it exudes, the way it surrouds the target like a whirlwind and strips it away in pieces is kind of awful, though since the target is an air elemental and not a living creatre, there's no wet explosion of blood. But there is a feeling of the elemental's agony. It is not a nice way to die.

Unfortunately, Jayu's firebolt is not on target. The blanket /was/ swirling, but in an eddy, not caught up in an elemental. Miho's attack is on target, but does not seem to affect the elemental much, and they swirl around the party more violently than before.

Jayu is just too fast for this air elemental, this time choosing to roll out of the way instead of side stepping. It's quite possible that he's showing off.

Miho is not having good luck with the Elemental she doesn't look too happy with this and makes a unhappy face as she avoids getting smacked again.

"Fine let us see how you like this!"

This time she launches in her weapon rapidly stabbing with her weapon

Jayu follows up that perfect dodge with an attack of his own, he pulls his hands to the side as if he were charging a Kamehameha, and then throws them forward together, shouting,

"FROST SHOCK!"

Icy lightning bolts shoot out at the air elemental with such speed that it is impossible for it to dodge.

After avoiding the elementals' attacks, and now having worked out what is needed to hurt these elementals, the party is much more effective. "Sukiddo Roa!" he shouts, and a fan of lightning tears into the elementals closest to him. Jayu dodges their attacks and freezes some, and they plunk out of the air in blocks of ice before vaishing in a puff of XP.

Miho is not quite done just yet, she is getting air elementa Artes seem to be working better, she's lucky she has even a pair of them. She'd have been at a horrible disadvantage otherwise as she'll make one last attack even as the things die and seem to have finally fallen.

"Well that's that..."

Schneider smiles as the party seems to have taken care of the air elementals, if a bit messily. Hopefully you don't lose points for torturing an elemental's soul. But the commotion has drawn a few curious eyes from the shuttered windows of the houses, and a cheer goes up as they realize that it means their elemental problem has been solved. "Well, that worked out," he says to Miho and Jayu.

The first Lander that came to eat with us returns, identifying himself as the blacksmith. "We're so glad you were able to fight them off, we were at our wits' end. Please, we don't have much, but it's too far to walk back to Alne tonight. If you'd like to spend the night in the smithy, I can bring in some blankets, and we can make you breakfast in the morning!"

Miho grins at the offer "That sounds wonderful though don't be suprised if I fix anything waiting to be repaired in there. I do work as a smith." She grins at this. "If you got any questions about anything your working on I'd also be happy to teach anyone interested."