A mounting expedition

Setsuna
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    The jungles of Eastal are dark and deep , but some adventurers have promises to keep, so they are out and about today as they hike along a river bank. It would appear Setsuna had finally gotten around , to wanting to hunt his mount. To be fair he had other things on his mind lately but finally he was making it happen and so as the cool fall breeze blows through the tree branches and the noises of the jungle surrounds them they arrive at their starting point.
    A little research and some discussion with Shiruba had led Setsuna to choose this spot for his expedition. The river slowed here so it had become a fresh source of moving water even as the air was cooling and even better the foliage wasn't best so the ground was muddy, which means it was covered with tracks. So this was where Setsuna had chosen to start and he was simply waiting for the others to arive for now.
Goldenblade
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Goldenblade arrives at her friend's request for assistance in hunting a mount. She normally rides a horse she located at great expense, but it's not at all special, and it certainly wouldn't do well in this environment. A jet-ski would be nice, for up and down the river, but for the swamp and jungly area, she can only imagine.

"What are you trying to summon, an alligator?" she wonders curiously.
Shiruba
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"Fortunately the corrupted from the Wave Combo hasn't reached this far," Shiruba remarks, her tail flicking a few times. "Not that it matters with how grim and overgrown -any- forest in Eastal can be." Then pffs softly at Goldneblade. "Just because we are near the water doesn't mean we are necessarily looking for an aquatic creature. Many animals and monsters come to a source of water to drink.... Or to prey on those that do."
Setsuna
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    Setsuna looks among his party-mates and smiles to see them, " Yeah no summoning today, Goldenblade. Well at least not for our purposes. No today we are trying to track down a dire wolf pack. " Setsuna steps forward and gestures to the tracks around them. " Which is why we are starting here and have brought expert tracker Shiruba with us. Hopefully one of us can find some tracks to follow. " As he begins to search for any clues himself a thought flashes through his head, " Oh yeah before I forget, since we are hunting for monsters we will likely have to slay a few, but lets leave one alive at least."
Shiruba
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"Precisely. Wolves prey on deer and such, which come to the river to drink. Dire Wolves may even prey upon other predators that do so." Shiruba takes a few strides up the bank, down again, and then turns and seems to be wandering back towards the tree line. Though it's more deliberate than that, as she stops and crouches for a moment. "Here." She points at the ground. "Large canid tracks, leading away from the river. There's a different set of tracks stamped over by them, with a few broken branches and trampled brush suggests they were pursuing something away from the river."
Goldenblade
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Goldenblade nods about not summoning, but hadn't expected to find wolves in a swamp. That just goes to show how out of touch she is with things. She smirks about slaying monsters, and says, "That's pretty much what I'm here for, I think," because she's looked around the area, and has only found two things. Jack and shit.

And not much of those. But she will look around anyway, so it's not like she's slacking, but there's a reason she wasn't brought on as the tracker.
Setsuna
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    Setsuna's head shoots up extra excited as he rushes over to the tracks that Shiruba has found. " Oh yes, oh yes indeed these are the tracks. Yes they are. Shiruba I could kiss you, but I think there aren't enough drunken patrons around for that." As he raises his hand to cover his eye for a moment and activates a spell, "Hunter's eye!" His eyes take on a magical glow as they highlight the tracks of the wolves for Setsuna's own vision and begins to follow them.
     As the expedition continues on following the tracks and signs of dire wolves, they can tell they are close. Whether it is due to the smell of the creatures, the sound , or even just the fact that a shadow passes among the tree here or there. If they are quite or conceal themselves in darkness they may be able to get themselves in position for a surprise attack.
Goldenblade
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Goldenblade creeps forward with the group, her strategy not to fight our way through the jungle, but to catch our quarry at unawares. To do that, stealth is required. Luckily, that is one of Goldenblade's strong suits, and she'll carefully pick her way through without making a sound, hardly disturbing a leaf. The birds seem unaware of her passage, which doesn't stir so much as a breeze. Shadows crossing leave more trace than she does.
Shiruba
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"... You're welcome, but lets not fan the flames of any -more- rumors, please." Though a slight annoyance at the choice of gratitude is quickly forgotten as Setsuna puts a spell technique to use she's not seen before. "Wait, what was that? Is that a new ability?" The wolven cait sith is quick to follow after, her own curiousity stoked.

But not so much she gets careless. If there is one thing an Eastal forest is good for it's shadows, and she's got plenty of choices to slink around in for keeping out of sight while using her own skills to keep a trail on their potential subjects. Hunters hunting hunters.
Setsuna
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    Setsuna smiles at Shiruba's interest, " Oh this old thing, I needed something to help with hunting. You ever play some of those games with special vision to see the clues. Yeah that was the inspiration." As he looks over at the others he allows them to go forward first as well he is the loud one in the woods to be certain. Nor can he manage to cover himself in enough darkness to make up for it.
    As they approach there are a few moments where it looks like the wolves were on to them. However they never really stirred and so they can get in to position. Setsuna looks at the group and tosses out a suggestion over the chimlink , " Ok so the biggest flashiest move you can come up with. We really want to make the pack scatter."
Goldenblade
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Goldenblade is advised to do the biggest, flashiest move she has. Well, being a fire-user, that's a lot of choices. She could go with her big attack, but, no. They'll scatter for less than that, she thinks. And so she leaps in from the depth of cover, springing into the middle of the group, suddenly shouting even as her blades both ignite into blazing flames. She spins around, both blades out, making as much noise and commotion and fire as she possibly can.
Shiruba
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Shiruba nods at Setsuna's explaination, but doesn't comment back because talking is something that's going to get noticed. There will be time to ask more questions later.

Ears perk up, and she snickers a little to herself. Flashy and loud, yeah, she can do that. She slinks into position, and pulls one of the yellow and white fletched arrows from her quiver. She's still waiting on the longbow that will directly channel her elemental magic, so for now she's still got to do this the way she's learned. She aims a bit in a slight upward arc and fires.

The arrow flies to about over where she's calculated the dire wolves are near, and then detonates. Not in an explosion, but in a release of elemental energy, resulting in a downburst of screaming wind and lightning sparks! Shiruba looks over towards Setsuna with an expression that just asks 'Flashy enough?' without actually saying anything.
Setsuna
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    Setsuna himself sends a rumble through the earth, a quake that any animal would run from. With the sudden blaze of flame from Goldenblade and the very storm of lightning and wind from Shiruba'arrow, the pack of wolves is in complete disarray. The young pups and several of the older looking wolves running off while several of the dire wolves remain. However the group is rather fortunate as they can see a pack bonus being applied to each wolf and each time another runs off the buff decreases. So the group now is no longer facing an insurmountable pack of wolves, but still a few. However the group seems to get a chance for first blood, Setsuna grins, " Flashy indeed. Ok so we need to deal whatever damage we can. The moment we are down to just a couple I will try to make the capture."
Shiruba
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"Fortunate for you," Shiruba replies in an almost casual tone as she draws another noticably more detailed arrow from her quiver and notches it. "I know how to deal with pack mentalities." This one has several arcane runes etched in the shaft, which light up with sparks as she draws it back in the bow. "You might want to keep your distance though..." She fires the arrow right into the ground in the midst of the wolfpack. It starts to spark even more. Shiruba thrusts her hand overhead as if reaching to the sky...

"LORD. OF. VERMILLION!"

Thunder rumbles somewhere above the dark forest. Followed by a flash visible even through the thick canopy seconds before a massive bolt of lighting comes crashing down, homing in on her arrow and then blasting out in a radius of lightning and superheating air once. Twice. THREE times before the spell ends. That should thin the numbers down a fair bit.
Goldenblade
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Goldenblade is impressed by the complimentary nature of the attacks, particularly since it was un-rehearsed. "I love it when a plan comes together," she observes, and now that we're down to just the steeliest-nerved, direst wolves, she will try and thin the pack in another way: hack and slash.

Striking fiercely with both blades at the snapping jaws, she'll whittle their health down until they burst into pixels or run away, either choice is good. We're looking for the toughest one anyhow, and that one will stay the longest, right?
Setsuna
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    Setsuna's own earth pillar knocks one of the wolves off their feets as the other two really go to work. If anyone really was paying attention to Setsuna's actions it would be obvious he is pulling his punches. Whether it is to avoid killing them all or just trying to conserve his mana for the next part. It was probably to hard to tell but it really didn't matter as between the crashing thunder and lightning of Shiruba's and the flickers of steel that Goldenblade wields the wolves were falling. Some are more lucky then others being able to run off , others turn to pixels, of course their is a small group still standing and they are trying to retaliate lashing out at their attackers.
Goldenblade
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Goldenblade dances around the wolves' jaws, avoiding snapping teeth with fast moves, leaving a trail of flame behind her, not unlike certain Delorean cars. The flames burn their muzzles, though it doesn't deter them. As she dances around the battlefield, she avoids the ones that Setsuna has penned in with pillars of earth, she assumes he's saving those for last. The ones biting at her, though, are fair game for a dual-bladed beatdown.
Shiruba
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There's more lightning than just in the air. It also crackles around Shiruba's feet as she zips away from one of the wolves rushing her, and then bolts in the other direction, and then zigzags back at another angle. She's specifically dodging in the manner that a prey animal like a rabbit would flee to get their attention and use their natural instinct to chase to draw them away from the one Setsuna is trying to pen in. She can't tell if their pack buff has a distance limit, but it's a good strategy to lure them away from ganging back together regardless.
Setsuna
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    As the wolves are scattered chasing their prey, one makes a charge towards Setsuna and is moments from landing a giant claw to his face before he raises a shield of bone and darkness from the ground. Everyone trying to evade and scatter does what Shiruba was hoping for as the wolves had scattered. It was at this moment Setsuna decides to go for it, " Ok I'm trying for it, try to keep the others off me. " Setsuna reaches behind him as he retrieves his new weapon of choice from under his cloak. A dagger with a rather long hilt and a spear tip for the blade, Goldenblade should obviously recognize it as she made it.
     Setsuna charges forward and stabs not at the wolf but at the shadow of the wolf.The moment that he attempts this, like a sixth sense the other wolves turn and set there eyes on Setsuna , focusing their aggression on him and trying to incapacitate him to free their comrade before he is even truly captured. The monster handler is going to need some help.
Goldenblade
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Goldenblade steps up her game as Setsuna takes in his objective, and as he makes his attempt, she will strike fiercely with rapid blows at the wolves aggroing on Setsuna. They won't have an easy time, at least, and if she can't have their aggro, she will have to settle for their blood, pruning back their HP with fierce blows from her swords, cutting them deeply as they put their teeth too close.

Her blades' thrusts are not quite fast enough to pass the sound barrier, but the game provides almost a similar effect as her thrusts blur in the air, the gold tint to her blades making it seem like ... well, not like lightning, actually, but it looks pretty cool. She thinks.
Shiruba
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The misdirection worked as intended. It quickly turns into a tactical counterstrike as Shiruba abruptly vaults off a tree trunk, and lands behind one of the wolves that had been chasing them. In the time it takes the dire beast to realize what happened and turn around, she's already got an arrow with a crystal tip loaded in her bow. "Go on, scat like the others." She fires, sinking the shot deep into the wolf's shoulder. It should be a crippling enough shot to encourage to run as well without actually killing it. They only want to capture one, and killing too many high tier predators would let the prey overpopulate, which start eating more of the plants, and an entire eco-system can be thrown out of wack.

Eastal has enough problems as it is.
Setsuna
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    The wolves had all but been slain and scattered thanks to the hunting skills of Shiruba and the rapid speed of Goldenblade's blade it would seem Setsuna should have had an easy time capturing the remaining one. However as he stabs the knife into the shadow of the wolf, it seems to slow for a moment before whatever technique Setsuna was going to use instead gives out and Setsuna is knocked away. As Setsuna does his best to get up on his feet he looks to the others. " Any help you can give, earth techniques, shields, anything to capture whatever you might have to slow it down. " Seems Setsuna may be getting a little desperate in his attempt to capture reaching out to help.
Goldenblade
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Having killed or scattered all the other wolves, there's only our target left. Goldenblade looks over to Setsuna, but he seems to be having a ... a senior moment. That's her job! But as far as help she can give, she nods, slipping around behind the wolf and sinking into shadow, then striking suddenly with the flat of the sword at its haunches, a move designed to slow it down rather than killing it.
Shiruba
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As the rest of the dire wolves are either slain or scattered Shiruba turns her attention back to Setsuna's ongoing struggle with what was probably either the alpha, or a very stubborn mid-rank in the pack trying to prove itself. "Well at least you know you picked out a tough one, right?" That's said as she draws and nocks a slimmer arrow with a head that glimmers almost like water reflecting across a water pool. "Just means you need to wear it down more..." She fires what would under normal circumstances a head shot.

But rather than drill a hole in the wolf's skull the arrow forms a giant bubble of water that *splorps* over the wolf's head in an effort to tire it out farther by making it harder to breath clearly.
Setsuna
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    With the wolf flailing it's head trying to shake the bubble of water covering it , it tries to even run but GoldenBlade's move topples it to the ground. With the wolf down Setsuna scrambles to press his hands to the grounds, " Vines as chines, thorns that bind. Trap this soul as mine. " With his spell cast and the chant said vines spring from the ground holding the wolf to the ground and the necromancer sighs for a moment. " Ok part one of the hard part is over. " As he looks at the others he takes a breath and then ask, " If you happen to have any food , it would help ." Itis only a suggestion as Setsuna begins his battle of will to over power the mind of the wolf.
Shiruba
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"Fortunately for you I came prepared in case we needed bait." Shiruba remarks, even as she pulls out a few pieces of lightly charred jerky and tosses it near the wolf. Showing they could provide food is how man originally tamed canine, right?
Goldenblade
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Goldenblade's skill at cooking is only soso at best, but she's familiar with campfire cooking, and she's got a couple drops from hunting. Normally, the few drops she gets, she brings in to Crescent Burger to get them cooked by someone with a clue, but this is definitely extremis, and anyhow, you don't -really- cook for a wolf. It's a matter of getting a suitable cut and cutting it right, and a few other things that she doesn't actually understand explicitly. But she's trying her best, and hands over to Setsuna quite a substantial hunk of meat. "Will that do?" she wonders. It'd better, that's pretty much all she's got.
Setsuna
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    With the food in hand it makes things much easier to distract the wolf, Setsuna takes the food from Goldenblade with an appreciated smile and tosses it in near the Jerky. Now with the food given, Setsuna begins tocast the spell to impose his will over the monster. In the battle of will Setsuna seems to be winning, ever so slowly armor of bone seems to be latching itself onto the wolf. As the battle of wills ends, a bone shape helm wraps over the top of the wolf's head, with the task done he gives a whistle calling his new mount to him, allowing his mount to eat. As the creature eat Setsuna looks at the others, "Thank you both very much, I owe each of you."
Shiruba
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Shiruba rests her bow against her shoulder and smiles. "Always happy to help with a hunt." Though don't have to be about -killing- the monster, after all.
Goldenblade
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Goldenblade watches the taming process curiously. She wouldn't want to ride a wolf in any event, but she's seen the few beast-taming types riding their ferocious mounts. It does seem pretty cool. Just not for her. It'd likely eat her as bear her. "So, can you even stable that in a regular stable? How will you keep it from eating the horses? Or, well, pekos?"
Setsuna
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    Setsuna grins as he retrieves from his inventory what could best be called a leash and as he leashes his new mount he answers GoldenBlade, " I heard Xander has a cat mount. I think I am going to stable my dog next to it." It's at times like these that one may question if Setsuna was meant to choose the imp race. Looking over to Shiruba he adds, " So if you have interest in the hunter's eye I am happy to teach it to you, maybe not today though. My's dog tired."
Shiruba
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Shiruba nods her head. "Oh, certainly, you need to finish properly bonding with the creature after all."
Goldenblade
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Goldenblade nods about Xandre having a cat mount. She was there when he captured that one, and it's why she's curious. "So, you don't think this wolf will eat your dog?" she wonders. "Personally, it looks like it's eat anything smaller than an elephant. And I think it'd have a try at the elephant." But she's no naturalist, what does she know? And then again, game world logic trumps nature.
Shiruba
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"Well," Shiruba replies to Goldenblade, "it is a predator. Predators hunt to eat. So if he keeps it well fed it shouldn't have a reason to stalk anyone else's rides."
Setsuna
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    With the captured wolf leashed he would take lead and begin the trek back to the nearest town. He would have to spend some time indeed before he could get the wolf ready for boat travel however he had some notes from some research he had helped on. It should be perfect. It had been a good hunt and success had been found.