Duty Session 75: Goblin Scouts in the Field

A porcelain quest has been offered to the Hunters Guild. There's reports of Goblin Scouts in the Eastal Free League region, close to the ruins of a place called 'Shibuya'. The region is largely open fields, with a lot of tall weeds. But there's old roads in the region that still carry some people who go to that region to gather some special herbs that can't be found anywhere else. The request requires the disposal of these goblins.

Difficulty:    Moderate
Rec. Party:    3+
Rewards:       1
World Rewards: None

Bushi Kamuto
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0

No one likes goblins. Not a single person, be it Adventurer or Lander. Which is why the Hunter's guild has a quest to deal with them.

So thus, our group of three heroes have set out to deal with the green menace. Their first challenge being a set of tall grass and probably a metric ton of traps. Because goblins are not friends of justice and are sneaky little shites.

"Alright. Well then, let's get this started, shall we?"

     Bushi just kind of talks to the group as a whole as he adjusted the straps of his sword sheathes. He already has a plan. The plan is he has no plan. The best answer to an obvious trap is to just brute force it. At least, that's what Bushi Kamuto believes.

So he ust sort of fades in an out as he dashes across the field, leaving behind a trail of lightning as he runs fast enough to avoid activating anything. Because screw being getting his leg stuck in a bear trap and looking awkward.
Count V
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0



"Don't you think... this one is a bit sketchy?" Count V wonders aloud towards his two party members, as they trudge through tall grass towards the 'broad area' of where they suspect they'll encounter their intended quarries.

Nobody likes Goblins... but they already suspect the Landers are running a racket of some kind, after all.

There is a SNAP from beneath him as he steps on something. A length of wire wraps itself around his ankle, digging vicious barbs into his skin. He swears, hopping forward on one foot and managing to brace himself against his staff long enough to disentangle the thing, bloody and swearing the entire way.

It doesn't seem to bother him that he looks awkward about it, though. Instead he just sets about laying down a heal that's simple enough to dull the pain, without costing him a lot of magic power.

Whiskey Sour
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0


Whiskey Sour had pointedly requested Count V to accompany her (slime-soggy) to find a river outside of town to unfunk herself. She had made some mention of being terribly itchy, along the way - something she had been grumbling for a while, really, and and more-or-less dragged V along out of the city limits.

Finding a river, Whis unceremoniously threw herself in and floated on the surface, face down.

Then she turned over and backstroked back - robe and all - upstream, her hood down around her neck and her hair tumbling down. The exhaustion ahd partially 'washed off' of her as well, her overall complexion far improved after her dip in the river.

She had dried off by casting Aero, before getting squirreld across the countryside by herbs--

All the way to the fine Bushi Kamuto standing near a farmer who had goblins maruading in his field.

"I'm Whiskey Sour. I play a support class. Please take care of me!" She offers brightly, before following the rather 'direct' player into the tall grass. The snapping sound of the beartrap puts her on edge, dropping into a crouch, and sweeping the ground with her staff.

"Definitely sketchy. Why would goblins bear trap some Lander's field?"
Count V
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0



Just a small ways beyond the traps, lying in wait, is a patrol of goblins. There aren't many of them -- five in total -- and they're armed with crude weapons of bone, and no armor at all. But it's clear that they're there to prey on anyone who manages to make it through the field full of traps-- it's not enough of them to constitute a true raiding party, but it's plenty enough to prey on some poor lowbie who has gotten a Slow and a Bleed effect slapped on them without wisely turning back.

The Goblins spot the gently hobbled Count V, and advance on him with crude spears and clubs raised threateningly--!

On an immediate basis, they're a lot less interested in his less damaged (and more successful) party members. Truly, Goblins are the worst cowards.

Whiskey Sour
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0


"V!" Whis calls, when he limps out of the field and the cowardly goblins do exactly what cowards do and fall upon him. Picking up a rock to get the Goblin's attention, she tosses inexpertly, the rock wooshing past the diminutive monster's frame.

"A-chaa, I'm a magical druid!" She chides herself. "... But druids don't get Anchor Howl, either."
Bushi Kamuto
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0

Count V gets caught and is immediately posed to get accosted by goblins. That is not cool in Bushi Kamuto's book, and thus he turns around to rectify it.

A curved sword is drawn, and the pommel is slapped, causing a heroic tune to start playing.

One goblin is struck down, and the pommel is struck again to keep the tune going.

A second goblin is struck and the Were Fang has struck a pose behind Count V, holding the sword out in front of him as he pushes the pommel a third time.

"Transform!"

There's a flash of light as Bushi's character model changes. What was once skin and flesh is replaced with chitin covering bug-like muscle.

There's no time for a heroic declaration however, as the newly transformed Bushi sends out a third strike towards yet another approaching goblin.

"Quickly! Go!"
Count V
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0



"Flame Wall!" Count V calls reflexively, thoroughly 'cornered' insofar as he can be, and not willing to risk his own safety on such a low-level encounter. A ring of flames surrounds the Goblins, at least a few of which are brave enough to step directly through it to try to reach their enemies.

Count V
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0



Step through it they do. Partially aflame, three of the goblins sally forth and bring their spears to bear on the enchanter -- one of them reeling it and their arms in defensively as THROW STONE is used at them, mostly ineffectively -- before they are intercepted by Bushi Kamuto.

One of the Goblins, still a flame, is struck down by Kamuto's curved blade. A second, moving to flank, is struck and retreats a couple of steps, wounded but not down-- yet, anyway.

The third Goblin is beset by a colossal, muscular bug man whose initial transformation buffs CRUSH it utterly.

The remaining Goblins, trapped within the Flame Wall, drop their weapons and attempt to flee-- probably dying to Damage Over Time as they go.

Count V
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0



As the goblin patrol is struck down, another sallies forth from a patch of brush that concealed it.

The Goblin Champion does not resemble its bretheren. It strides forward confidently, bearing a great blade carved from the jawbone of some monstrous creature. The armor it wears is an older bone construction, yellowed and clearly aged. Perhaps inherited. From its back hangs a prominent banner strung from a crude wooden pole, declaring some kind of tribal allegiance -- or perhaps a LACK of an allegiance -- that is probably purely cosmetic.

As the two burning goblins flee, it steps forward and strikes them down in two strokes of its blade. The smaller goblins crumble into a broken pile, and the Champion beats its bloodied, scorched jawbone blade against the bone of its chestplate, and raises it back into a readied stance.

Whiskey Sour
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0


Bushi Kamuto's amazing transformation is far more eyecatching than a few stray goblins, especially with Count V using one of his now-signature spells to ward off the attackers. "Oh! You're just like--"

Whis grimaces, a complex look of defiant disgust playing on her face before she smiles. "--Gackt!"

"Are you a hero of justice too?"

The Goblin Champion cuts down his two *allies* as they try to flee, taking a threatening ready stance.

"Oh this goblin has *class levels*. Watch out!" Whis cautions, chanting a few syllables before raising her hand and levelling it at the champion, causing a sphere of vines to burst out from thin air to grasp and entangle.
Count V
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0



In answer to the challenge of the Goblin Champion, Count V side-steps to take up a position at Bushi Kamuto's flank. He raises his free hand delicately to his mouth, clears his throat a couple of times, and then begins to sing.

It's the 'high end of karaoke quality', nothing you'd expect from somebody properly trained, but /definitely/ what you'd expect from, say...

Somebody paid to entertain lonely people.

It's also quite obvious from the lyrics that Count V's player has actually sang this semi-regularly, because his accent isn't too terribly bad, "No one's... slick as Gaston--"

Bushi receives a sudden massive buff to his Absolutely Everything, from Count V very competently singing Gason!

Whiskey Sour
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0


The Goblin Champion defeated, the entire party stands around his corpse - Whis, in particular, laughing for no adequately obvious reason and sneaking looks at V - as the goblin expires. He drops some LOOT!

It is a MAP. The map is not only fraying and obviously 'temporary' flagged... It's complete nonsense. There's a picture of a skull, some squiggly lines, an x-marks-the-spot, a single shitty patch of drawn-on grass, and a smirking goblin mug winking, like a signature.

"This is useless. I'm going to beat up whoever made this." Whis observes with a growl. Everyone agrees, this map sucks and is the worst.

So they have to search the whole damn field themselves. It's agonizing. The sun beats down on everyone. After a while, one would expect the 'I'm LOST' quest markers to show up, but it is Real Life Death Game hours, and so it does not.

In its place, next to an single old tree, an arrow suddenly 'THWUNKS' a few inches into the tree trunk, the extremely frustrated beady eyes of a Goblin Tracker with a bow having nearly missed feathering a member of the party -- who immediately drops back into the grass and starts rustling away.

"COME BACK HERE!" Whis shouts, leaping back into the grass holding onto her staff with one hand and the lip of her hood with the other.
Bushi Kamuto
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0

The massive hulking armored goblin comes to greet them. An outcast, just like himself. It's sad, but when one is a CHAMPION OF JUSTICE, there is no room for pity outside of making their end as quick and painless as possible.

"Come, goblin! Let us end this!"

Infused with the power of GASTON and the help of Definitely Just A Healer, the massive Blade Beetle-themed Were Fang makes short work of the armored cretin, delivering a mighty double handed swing to cleave the monster in twain.

If this was a show with production value, surely, the goblin would let out a death speech before exploding in a fiery ball, but it isn't, so their death is much more mundane.

Unfortunately, the bit comes next is a lot more dull, which is trying to find the part where they're supposed to head to next. Which would be fine, except unlike what was stated last time, they actually are not an expert at finding their way in any meaningful fashion unless they have a literal map in hand. Because last time was an actual fluke.

Up until an arrow is shot at them, and the way forward is clear. The way forward being through the goblin that shot that's skull. With their sniper now revealed, the massive bug man descends upon them like some sort of gritty caped superhero with how his wings trail behind him. There's a kick to stop them and to leave them prone for the others to take advantage of, followed by them hitting some buttons on the hilt of their sword and slapping their jeweled pommel one last time.

     A song that clearly invokes a finishing move plays, as Bushi Kamuto lets out a series of blinding fast slashes, before turning around to strike an A-stance dramatically.
Count V
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0



Count V finds himself in an area bereft of enemies... and bereft of clues that he's able to use! He frowns to himself, scratching his head with the wings of his staff.

"Hey, do you think--"

A whistling through the air alerts him to imminent danger! V grabs at the air wildly, snatching the arrow out of the air /incredibly close/ to his eye. He yelps as his hand closes around it, immediately dropping it to the ground afters.

"F-F-Flame Wall!" He cries, shakily.

The contingent of the Goblin Sniper is abruptly surrounded by flame, exactly as was the last pack of Goblins. Thinking fast in spite of his twitchiness, V immediately afterwards calls, "Aero!"

The fire of the flame wall is spread sideways towards the Goblin Ranger, even as another arrow comes so close to V that it clips off his braid.

Whiskey Sour
Overworld - 5 - 0 - 0


"Are all were fangs heroes of justice?" Whis asks V pointedly, while moving to fire some harrying filler spells from her staff down after the Goblin Tracker. The agile goblin manages to dive-roll away from the magical blasts -- but is swiftly trapped by the perfectly aimed Flame Wall of the Count that is immediately windgusted into him, roasting the goblin and incinerating his bow. Whis falters, hearing V's distress, and turns. "V! Your-!" She gasps, as his braid is sliced through by the arrow. It's distressing on so many levels. A palpable feeling of reality settles into the pit of her stomach, as she staggers, clutching at her eye with the sudden onset of deep ache. "Nng..."

Thankfully, while both of KABUTO RANGER's allies are staggering and struggling, the armored bug-man surges forward with his blade, tracing a pattern that hangs in the air as he turns and poses.

The Goblin Tracker, who had gotten to his feet and was struggling towards a clearing, hangs in the air, painted with the magic of Bushi's sword.

He drops heavily to his knees, and then--

--It's not quite clear if it was Bushi's sword-rune that exploded, or the fallen Goblin Tracker.

Reaching out to take V's hand in hers, leaning lightly on her staff, Whis gives a faint smile. "Come on. At least into the clearing. That bug-man is at least as good as Algol. I think we need to eat something."

She turns to the were fang standing cool-ly across the field, just at the brink of the clearing. "You want some food? Our guild has real cookies and tea!"

She blinks a few times, remembering something. Despite it all, the weariness and the shock, she favors Bushi Kamuto with a little smile, and pumps her staff-holding fist. "Oh -- Nice fighting."