Beneath the Shadows Prologue: With a Single Step

[eclipse]

"I hadn't had too many bad encounters with dwarves until now, either," Raelyn replied to Malachi. "First there was that idiot recruit who thought that being an ass was a wonderful way to introduce himself, then there's that psycho that Andre seemed to think was a good hire. You seem reasonable enough. Didn't catch your name. Mine's Raelyn. What's yours?"

(OC: Now she's playing dumb)

[scorri]

Toqua spotted Andre walking around the village and dove down to just above head height. Circling there, he called out, "We got bout 30 bandits headin in. Largest group headin north, rest are splittin off in bout even groups round 7 each. Orders?"

[Parrhesia]

"Mine's Malachi, but you can call m- I bloody heard that!" he turned to snap at Mira. "If you can't control yourself, you're nought but dead weight! Keep in line and stow it!"

He spat on the ground, and turned back to Rae. "Yeah, uh, Malachi Sadler. Mal, if you want to. Is now really the time, lass?"

Edited July 30, 2013 by Parrhesia

[Snike]

Looks like he would be seeing Sayina out there, after all, judging by his announcement. Excellent. Jacob finished donning his armor, and raced out to the northern part of the village. He came to the gathering of Andre and most of his mercenaries just moments before Brader the axeman and Charlie the monk took off towards the western side of the village. The leader looked relaxed, despite the chaos of the young band.

"Accompany Brader and Charlie," Andre said to Toqua, as he took a pull from his tankard. Once his subordinates had gathered, more or less, he spoke once more.

"Listen up, our job today is to repel a bandit raid on this village," the half-dwarf said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "You all and Sayina will be guarding the north and taking on a good part of their forces. I expect each and every one of you to work together to show them why pillage doesn't pay, the hard way. Keep your weapons sharp and eyes peeled, and this should be a breeze. Good luck to you all, and welcome to Harrop's Harriers."

And with that said, tankard in hand, the mercenary known as Andre Harrop began to head for the southern side of the village.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Snike

[Rothene]

Riding up next to Sayina, Caslan called out, "S...sir, I...err, I...I 'm Caslan Song from Inthus." Then in a softer tone, "I, I, I want to kknow how erm, how...well, for advice living away from an elven community. From a fellow elf, yeah."

Caslan was quaking slightly in his saddle, perhaps he should get off Joey, but, it was not an easy thing to do while on the move. Caslan didn't want to risk breaking something before even getting into a fight.

[eclipse]

Raelyn suppressed a chuckle. "Malachi, eh. I like knowin' who the sane ones are, and you seem to be one of 'em. Good ta hear that you'll be the one providin' covering fire, and not that sassy lil' girl over there," she continued, jerking her head towards Mira. A small smile played at the corner of her mouth. "Oh, an' before ya get the wrong idea. . .I don' care for mixin' work an' pleasure, if ya know what I mean."

[Parrhesia]

"Never even considered it," said Malachi, lying through his teeth.

[eclipse]

"Then I'm glad we have an understandin'," Raelyn said with a wink. "I'd wish ya luck out there, but I don' think ya need it!" With a giggle, she walked off.

[Lyunn]

Not all that eager to chase after Sayina or be the first on the field of battle, Mira kept her distance from Sayina who was supposedly leading them northward to the bandits who surely by now had noticed something was a miss. It was sort of hard to miss a wyvern scouting in the air after all, though she supposed Toqua could have been more tactful and sneaky than he looked. Either way their objective was clear, and as others started to follow after Sayina, Mira noticed another straggler hanging back.

"Isn't that the guy that was pointing his mini sword at Adari?" Mira asked, tugging on Ernce's sleeve to get his attention as she pointed out Zeff who seemed to not quite be there. She wasn't sure if it was the way he walked or the starry look in his eyes, but it was almost as if he were off in another world, reminiscing in something besides the present. It didn't surprise her that the nosy elf-lubbing humans were avoiding her, but for some reason they seemed to be unwilling to approach Zeff as well, and Mira couldn't figure out why. She briefly felt a flutter of hope that he was a fellow Elf-hater, but such hopes didn't last long as she recalled how Zeff had been shaking hands with Caslan earlier..... though then again, he didn't seem too happy to be having elf germs smeared on his shirt, so maybe.....?

Slipping away from Ernce, not bothering to check if he was following, she tottered over to the white haired youth, staring at him for a few seconds before recognizing him as the elf germ victim she'd cleaned herself off on earlier. Perhaps everyone was avoiding him because he had elf germs? The idea was of mild amusement, but the elven bacteria had pretty died away by now, so she didn't have too much of an issue approaching him.

"You're the guy that tried to stab Adari earlier right?" she asked scampering up beside Zeff, curiosity written all over her face as she tried to keep up with each stride Zeff took. "Does everyone hate you too because of that or did you do something to make people avoid you too?" she continued, smiling mischievously to see what sort of reaction she could provoke from the young man. Unlike some people who didn't have anything better to do than watch and complain about her, Mira hadn't quite had the chance to sit back and observe others, so she didn't quite know if Zeff had gotten himself into some trouble she wasn't aware about. But either way he was one of the few humans who weren't stickybeak enough to come over and complain to her about her views.

[Oersted]

Ernce could easily tell that Mira didn't mean half of what she said to him but he didn't really care so long as she didn't go spouting his secret. It was a mistake on his part to tell her something like that and expect no repercussions. Maybe he should've told Adari about that when he applied; then maybe he wouldn't have told Mira on a spur of the moment decision. But alas, it was too late now and he'd have to deal with the consequences unless he planned to silence her. As they continued walking north another mercenary whom he didn't recognize walked up and shot him an apologetic glance before setting off on Mira again.

Am I really that pitiable? Ernce thought to himself not bothering to pay attention to the conversation between Mira and the other mercenary. Soon enough Andre himself told them what was going to go down before he himself headed south as they continued north. As they continued north he sort of zoned out from a lack of stimuli until he heard Mira ask something and he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to see Mira pointing at the white-haired recruit although he didn't know why she was pointing at him; it probably wasn't too important since she didn't yell something or another about elves, which he was was thankful for; it was rather annoying whenever she openly slandered the entire elven race. What he didn't understand was why the majority of the other mercenaries bothered to try and correct her on it; it was probably a ploy for attention or something like that so he just ignored it.

He continued walking for a bit until he realized that Mira was no longer walking by him. Ernce groaned in annoyance as he turned around to locate her, hoping that she wasn't near anyone who hadn't said something to her about how she was wrong about elves or else it was entirely possible that she'd be telling them his secret. He spotted her talking to the white-haired guy at the end of line but decided against walking down to the end of the line for reasons no simpler then he didn't want to and that the white-haired guy had interacted positively with Caslan. Besides, his hand still hurt from when Mira nearly crushed it and he was hoping someone would heal it before the battle. Sayina was the closest to him so made his way over to him to see if he'd heal his hand.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Oersted

[scorri]

Sayina glanced, a bit surprised, at Caslan. "I would be delighted to talk with you about it. However, I think it best that for now we focus on the battle ahead. You are a water mage, yes? Since there are no streams around here, I suggest that you utilize the barrels near the houses here. Those are used to collect rain water and as such should be full of water. Stay strong and calm. Remember, we are calm and collected. We do not let anger overtake us in battle. We are elves." He patted Caslan on the shoulder and then turned to Ernce. "Do you need something?" Looking him up and down, he noticed a bruise forming on the man's hand. "Hmm, let me see that." Taking the hand gently, he inspected it with gently probing fingers. "Hmm, no serious damage here. Let me just..." He reached into his bag and pulled out a healing salve. Spreading it over the man's hand, he smiled gently at him. "That should take away any pain in a few seconds and heal any basic damage. It does not feel as if any damage was done to the bones, but if it still hurts in a minute or so, just let me know. I would prefer to save as much magic for the battle as possible, but it would not serve to have someone enter into the battle injured."

Toqua flew over Brader and Charlie and called down to them. "Bet I can take out more enemies then you can. Shall we make a wager on it? Loser buys round o' drinks fer the other two?"

Rayil nervously followed Sayina, taking a deep breath as he went. Reaching behind his back, he slowly unsheathed his sword. Gripping it loosely in both hands, he stopped as the elf leading them did. He closed his eyes and breathed out. Clearing his mind, he calmed himself down. He could do this. No reason to worry. It was nothing he hadn't done before.

Meanwhile, Adari was bored. Waiting around, she did some last minute checks to her bow and then sighed. Where were those bandits? She hoped that some would come here way. It was boring to miss out on the fight.

[Vestige]

Lost in thought, Zeff was startled when he heard a voice call out to him. Snapping back to reality, he recognized the person as the girl who he had seen being led away by that boy not too long ago. As she spoke, he couldn't help but take a moment to stop and simply look at her. She had bright blue eyes that were filled to the brim with wonder and excitement. Complemented by an equally brilliant head of flaming red hair. She was much shorter than him in stature however, but it was an aspect that added to her charm. He could see why the boy from earlier had taken such a liking to her, and he smiled a little as she continued to address him.

"I wouldn't say I tried to stab her, quite frankly I wouldn't be here right now had that have been my intention. She's quite the fighter, and I know that even without having seen her in battle." The way she drew her sword out was simply astonishing. Not a moment after stating her intention for a duel, she had unsheathed her sword and pointed it at him before he had even had a chance to register what was going on. He was slightly ashamed and a tad bit jealous that being a male, he lacked the tenacity Adari displayed. Still, that was why he was here, wasn't it? To change himself. But alas, these were thoughts that would occupy him another time as he realized he was once more drifting away from reality.

"As for everyone hating me...I'm not quite sure, I haven't really gotten a chance to speak with anyone so far," he could see the smile plastered on her face and he immediately knew what was going on. Though he didn't quite look the type, working in his shop had given him the opportunity to meet a great deal of people, and he had picked up awareness of a few quirks people displayed when they needed or wanted something. Hoping to turn the tide of the conversation to where he was the questioner rather than the questionee, he asked, "Do you hate me?"

[Lyunn]

Raising a questioning eyebrow as Zeff mentioned that the little display of swords hadn't been done with the intent of stabbing Adari, Mira could completely understand that Adari wasn't someone to mess with. Like Zeff, Mira had yet to see the woman in action too, but there was just something about the way she spoke, and carried herself, perhaps even some invisible aura that made one know instinctively that the woman would be standing over your corpse within minutes if she wanted.

Looking around to see that Ernce was no where in sight, she frowned a bit, wondering if she'd been lied to earlier about him looking out for her, but didn't really give it much thought beyond that. It wasn't like she needed to have someone babysit her, and there was something about Ernce that didn't come off as quite natural to her. Something about him that felt like an act, or as if he were holding something back. It didn't take much to figure out what that something was if he did have issues with her, but at least he was considerate enough to keep his mouth shut. It was sort of ridiculous how so many others had sought to tell her off. It should be completely up to her how she acted in her free time, as it wasn't like she'd killed anyone.... yet. Several other Mercs had been drinking ale like crazy earlier, and she couldn't remember one person telling them off for guzzling the stuff down like water prior to a potential job. It was essentially the same thing. If she was hired to be a mercenary and work with the group as Raelynn had told her, that was during missions. Standby time was her time, and she realized that having that infringed upon was what had probably annoyed her the most so far.

Shaking her head and trying to focus back on Zeff, Mira looked around to see if anyone was nearby, but unsurprisingly everyone seemed to have already formed their little cliques, and most were up near Sayina, eagerly anticipating battle. "I've had lots of people talk to me, it's not something to be envious of though" she laughed, picturing the faces of all the humans she'd interacted with so far. She'd already pretty much decided which of those faces were approachable, and which were just plain nasty experiences for to deal with. Dislike and contempt was often a two way street.

Pausing a moment and looking at Zeff she stared him in the eyes briefly before shrugging her shoulders, "I don't know" was what she blurted out, before tipping her head to the side and looking at Zeff sideways as if inspecting him from a new angle. "If it's between hating you and liking you, I guess I like you?" she paused, giving Zeff a wide sweet smile, she was well aware she wasn't too welcome amongst the majority of the band and it was refreshing to have someone ask for her opinion instead of having them trying to force their opinion on her.

"But, I don't know yet, don't know you well enough" she stated matter-of-factly. "But I guess we've got plenty of time to get to know each other. Misfits have to look out for each other I guess." she giggled, implying that Zeff not only didn't look much like a mercenary, but also teasing his passive ability to ward away potential social banter from himself.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Lyunn

[Vestige]

It had been a while since Zeff had engaged in proper conversation with anyone new since leaving his home in Senia. Sure he'd spoken to contacts and associates on his way to Celise, but they were nothing more than talks about business and world affairs. He laughed a bit when he heard her say that she liked him. "I wouldn't say that too loud," he put a hand up near his mouth, as if to shield the words he was saying from onlookers and eavesdroppers, "he might get upset".

"But still," he continued "you're quite the interesting little girl I have to say". Misfit? It hasn't even been a day and people are already saying things? He sighed. He knew it would be tough not have people notice his apparent lack of battle prowess, but he hadn't thought people would catch on quite so soon. Plus, hadn't he won the the approval of at least some of his fellow mercenaries by agreeing to Adari's request? Perhaps the dwarf girl was simply mistaken. But alas, he didn't quite care much. He had steeled himself to these things long ago. Testing his resolve was only going to make him stronger, so he welcomed any doubts harbored by his companions. Soon enough, he hoped to dispel them.

"So tell me, you say we're misfits together, but what makes you so different from the others? You're much more talkative than I, that's for sure. And you seem to be quite the fighter yourself," he said as he made a nod to the hammer she was carrying with her. A weapon that put his sword to shame and then some. The difference was like a tree and a twig, and made Zeff a tad embarrassed to say the least. "Unless of course, you don't want me to know. Which is fine by me. Everyone has secrets to keep, although it seems as though you may have already figured some of mine out," he added, smiling as he spoke. He found himself enjoying the dwarf girl's company, blissfully unaware of the havoc she had caused earlier with over half the group members.

[Lyunn]

Raising an eyebrow at Zeff's words, she honestly couldn't think of who 'he' might be. She'd spoken to a few guys, and while Ernce might have been the most pleasant altercation she'd had with the group so far, in Mira's mind he was nothing more than a fellow group member who was more fun to interact with than most others. Ernce was just a friend, if that, and she couldn't imagine for the life of her why he'd be getting upset over her liking anyone. On the contrary if he was a friend, he'd probably be happy she was getting along with at least one other, especially after he'd seen how she interacted with other members of the group. She considered asking Zeff about it, but concluded in the negative, deciding that whoever Zeff was referring to could get upset for all she cared. It wasn't like this would be her first time upsetting someone in the group anyway.

What she couldn't let slide though was the Zeff calling her little, her cheeks puffing up in a pout as she looked at the white haired man with a look which was supposed to be stern. "I'm not little, everyone else is just big" she stated, shifting the problem to the rest of man/elf-kind.

Mira didn't know much about Zeff's capability in battle, but what she did notice was that Zeff didn't seem to carry the same air of confidence that many others seemed to excrete with every breath. Whether it be silent confidence, boastful cheer, or simply an eagerness to prove themselves in battle. The same could be said for his confrontation with Adari. At the time a spectator might have been impressed by Zeff's bravery, but after hearing how Zeff thought of Adari, it was quite clear that his evaluation was one of him being inferior, and not a worthy adversary to the second-in-command.

Mentioning the others though probably was a tactless slip though, something dark and sinister flickering in her eyes for a brief moment before being assimilated back into the childish curisoity and smile. "I'm nothing like those pointy-loving sillies, for one I'm not dumb enough to be fooled by pretty appearances and cheap trickery." Pausing she looked to her hammer and then naturally at Zeff's sword as if to compare. "I'm not a fighter, I'm a blacksmith" she frowned, not liking the way he referred to her by what she considered the inferior job. "And I don't like or agree with what you just thought" she stated, looking genuinely annoyed this time. Mira wasn't a mind-reader by any means, but she knew the look a customer made when they were picking out weapons. And the brief flutter of Zeff's eyes indicated that he felt his own weapon didn't meet up.

[Rothene]

With Sayina's words in mind, Caslan scanned the area for water sources he could use in the upcoming battle. A barrel here, a puddle there, the elven mage had to plan carefully which way he would have the water strike from. The desert had precious few water to work with, hence Caslan was well adept in accumulating the water as well as controlling them over a long distance. Directing them combatively would be unfamiliar territory.

The elf hoped he could at least hit his mark with his level of skill. Noticing Ernce nearby, Caslan smiled weakly and said, "May your ancestors be impressed with your prowess in battle today."

[Oersted]

Ernce clenched his fist a few times and once he no longer felt the pain in his hand he turned to Sayina. ""Thanks a lot, sir," Ernce said, "I'd best return to the formation, excuse me." Before Ernce left he fought the urge to salute the more experienced mercenary. "This isn't the military Ernce, he reminded himself. You left it all behind and there's no hope of returning without severe consequences." Besides, dying in a war he didn't start was pointless; it's why he deserted after all.

Just as he was about to leave he heard Caslan wish him luck. Or that's what he thought it was anyway. "Thanks, I appreciate it." Ernce said sincerely. "Make sure you watch yourself today, It'd suck if one of our offensive magic users got killed right off the bat." Ernce chuckled at that, he and his comrades said that too each other all the time. With that in mind he left to return to the formation.

On his way back to about where he had been standing before he allowed himself a glance towards Mira and the white-haired guy. Surprisingly, they seemed to be talking to each other with relative ease. Perhaps it would be in his best interests to introduce himself and get to know him as a precaution; there was always the chance that Mira would spill his secret, it was one of the reasons why he was being so nice to her. Didn't want to give her a reason to go spouting his secret out of spite. Besides, all of the other mercenaries seemed to have their own little groups and after associating with Mira and seeming to take her side he figured he wouldn't be welcomed by the other mercenaries.

Ernce sighed as he moved out of the others way and stopped so that he could join up with Mira and the other guy. It seemed that his mistake would follow him for a long while. Maybe even until Mira wasn't so hostile towards elves. As the pair walked passed him they didn't seem to notice him so he wenr out of his way to introduce himself the white-haired guy. "Hey, I don't think we've met yet," Ernce said as he extended his hand. "My name's Ernce. Care to tell me yours?"

Edited July 31, 2013 by Oersted

[Snike]

"It's on," Brader said, as the first of their bandits came barreling in through the western gate. Said bandit was promptly blasted right off of his horse by Charlie's light magic.

"I don not believer your coin pouch is going to get any heavier at this rate, Brader," the monk called over to his unamused friend. The axemen then charged into the remaining six bandits. He'd be damned if he'd let a mage and a half-dwarf on an overgrown lizard get the best of him.
***
Andre had been waiting for only a few minutes when the group of eight bandits had finally arrived. He took a drink from his tankard, closed the lid, and drew his sword with his free hand.

"Alright then, go ahead and flee, or surrender, if you value your lives," the mercenary leader said, pointing his sword at the ruffians. They immediately laughed.

"Haaaah! 'Dis all your hamlet has got? Alright boys, we flay the drunkard in shinin' armor, then help ourselves," the apparent bandit in chief said, pointing his axe at the half-dwarf.

"Dibs on his sword," another one said.

Andre sighed as the bandits began rushed towards him. "They never learn, do they."
***
Just as Jacob was starting to wonder when the targets were coming, three riders charged into the village, followed by ten of their comrades. These enemies began to split off to break down the villages, but quickly changed directions and advanced towards the mercenaries.

"Hey, looks like we have new blood, boys," a blond-haired bandit by the name of Christopher said, as he stepped past the gates. "This'll be an' easy payday! Cut'em down!"

As his men charged, the leader began to head to the nearest house to start the pillage, since these new guys weren't worth his time. Jacob lowered his lance, and began to meet the thugs head on.

Battle 1
Enemies

Bandit A
Level 1 Journeyman
Base stats: HP: 3 STR: 4 MAG: 0 SKL: 6 SPD: 5 LCK: 6 DEF: 1 RES: 1
Weapon: Plain Sword
Base stats: HP: 9 MT: 4 Hit: 9 AS: 5 EVD: 9 DEF: 1 RES: 1

Bandit B
Level 1 Journeyman
Base stats: HP: 6 STR: 5 MAG: 0 SKL: 6 SPD: 4 LCK: 3 DEF: 1 RES: 1
Weapon: Plain Axe
Base stats: HP: 18 MT: 5 Hit: 7 AS: 4 EVD: 5 DEF: 1 RES: 1

Bandit C
Level 2 Journeyman
Base stats: HP: 3 STR: 4 MAG: 0 SKL: 10 SPD: 6 LCK: 4 DEF: 1 RES: 1
Weapon: Hit Bow C
Base stats: HP: 9 MT: 4 Hit: 14 AS: 6 EVD: 8 DEF: 0 RES: 1

Bandit Rider A
Level 1 Riding Novice
Base stats: HP: 4 STR: 4 MAG: 0 SKL: 7 SPD: 5 LCK: 1 DEF:3 RES: 2
Weapon: Plain Sword
Simple stats: HP: 12 MT: 4 HIT: 7 AS: 5 EVD: 5 DEF:3 RES: 2

Bandit Rider B
Level 1 Riding Novice
Base stats: HP: 4 STR: 5 MAG: 0 SKL: 5 SPD: 5 LCK: 1 DEF:4 RES: 2
Weapon: Plain Lance
Simple stats: HP: 12 MT: 5 HIT: 5 AS: 5 EVD: 5 DEF:4 RES: 2

Bandit Rider C
Level 1 Riding Novice
Base stats: HP: 4 STR: 4 MAG: 0 SKL: 8 SPD: 4 LCK: 1 DEF:3 RES: 2
Weapon: Plain Bow
Simple stats: HP: 12 MT: 4 HIT: 8 AS:4 EVD: 4 DEF:2 RES: 2

Ruffian A
Level 2 Recruit
Base stats: HP: 5 STR: 9 MAG: 0 SKL: 5 SPD: 3 LCK: 3 DEF:3 RES: 1
Weapon: Plain Axe
Armor: Defensive Armor C
Simple stats: HP: 15 MT: 9 HIT: 6 AS: 3 EVD: 4 DEF: 5 RES: 1

Ruffian B
Level 1 Recruit
Base stats: HP: 4 STR: 5 MAG: 0 SKL: 6 SPD: 3 LCK: 2 DEF:5 RES: 1
Weapon: Plain Lance
Simple stats: HP: 12 MT: 5 HIT: 7 AS: 3 EVD: 4 DEF: 5 RES: 1

Ruffian C
Level 1 Recruit
Base stats: HP: 6 STR: 6 MAG: 0 SKL: 5 SPD: 4 LCK: 2 DEF:2 RES: 1
Weapon: Plain Axe
Simple stats: HP: 18 MT: 6 HIT: 6 AS:4 EVD: 5 DEF: 2 RES: 1

Bandit Caster A
Level 1 Acolyte
Base stats: HP: 3 STR: 1 MAG: 6 SKL: 5 SPD: 5 LCK: 3 DEF:1 RES: 2
Weapon: Heal staff C
Simple stats: HP: 9 MT: 0 (heals for 4) HIT: 6 AS: 5 EVD: 6 DEF:1 RES: 2

Bandit Caster B
Level 1 Acolyte
Base stats: HP: 3 STR: 1 MAG: 4 SKL: 5 SPD: 5 LCK: 4 DEF:1 RES: 3
Weapon: Plain Light tome
Simple stats: HP: 9 MT: 4 HIT: 7 AS: 5 EVD: 7 DEF:1 RES: 3

Bandit Blaster A
Level 1 Apprentice
Base stats: HP: 3 STR: 1 MAG: 6 SKL: 5 SPD: 3 LCK: 2 DEF:3 RES: 3
Weapon: Plain Dark tome
Simple stats: HP: 9 MT: 6 HIT: 6 AS: 3 EVD: 4 DEF:3 RES: 3

Bandit Blaster B
Level 1 Apprentice
Base stats: HP: 3 STR: 1 MAG: 5 SKL: 8 SPD: 3 LCK: 2 DEF:1 RES: 3
Weapon: Plain Anima Tome
Simple stats: HP: 9 MT: 5 Hit: 9 AS: 3 EVD: 4 DEF:1 RES: 3

Boss: Christopher
Level 3 Journeyman
HP: 6 STR: 7 MAG: 0 SKL: 6 SPD: 4 LCK: 3 DEF: 3 RES: 3
Weapon: Offensive Axe C
Skill: Hard Hit
Simplified stats: HP: 18 MT: 10 HIT: 7 AS: 4 EVD: 4 DEF: 3 RES: 3

Layout (--'s indicate separate combat teams for bows)

Bandit A 9/9 (Passive-Aggressive) (Sword)
Bandit B 18/18 (Passive-Aggressive)(Axe)
--
Bandit C 9/9 (Aggressive) (Bow)
Bandit Rider A 12/12 (Aggressive) (Sword)
--
Bandit Rider B 12/12 (Passive-Aggressive) (Lance)
Bandit Rider C 12/12(Passive-Aggressive) (Bow)
--
Ruffian A 15/15(Aggressive) (Axe)
Ruffian B 12/12 (Aggressive) (Lance)
--
Ruffian C 18/18 (Passive-Aggressive) (Axe)
Bandit Caster A 9/9(Passive-Aggressive) (N/A)
--
Bandit Caster B 9/9 (Passive-Aggressive) (Light)
--
Bandit Blaster A 9/9 (Passive-Aggressive) (Dark)
Bandit Blaster B 9/9 (Passive-Aggressive) (Anima)
--
Christopher 18/18 (Erratic) (Axe)

Allied
Sayina
Level 1 Troubador
Raw Stats: HP: 6 STR: 0 MAG: 11 SKL: 3 SPD: 8 LCK: 4 DEF: 1 RES: 8
Weapon: Heal Staff C
Armor: Defensive Armor C
Item: Vulnerary
Skills:
Raise (T1)
Combat Medic
Sneak
Simplified Stats: HP: 18 MT: 0 (Heals for 16) HIT: 5 AS: 8 AVO: 10 DEF: 6 RES: 8
****
Battle posts: 6

Objective: Rout – 10 Pts (+5 for all solo units)
Tip: Eliminate the major threats first.
Bonus: No allied casualties at end of battle – 20 Pts
Hint: Passive-Aggressives won't activate unless attacked, the previous actives are completely eliminated, or at the end of the enemy phase. Plan accordingly.

Aina 18/18
Caslan 12/12
Chandra 12/12
Erebus 12/12
Ernce 15/15
Jacob 15/15
Leon 12/12
Malachi 12/12
Mira 18/18
Raelyn 9/9
Rayil 12/12
Rimsky 15/15
Zeff 15/15
***
Sayina 18/18 (Erratic)

Player Phase 1

Edited July 31, 2013 by Snike

[Vestige]

"Oh, of course, haha, my mistake." He corrected his statement on the girls size with an apologetic look on his face. Still, she was rather on the smaller side. Perhaps it was a trait universal to dwarfs? He wanted to ask her about it, but seeing her sensitivity on the matter of size, he thought against it.

Pointy-loving sillies? She must be referring to the elves and the other humans in our group. I kinda want to ask her about it but...He could see that she was upset over the behavior of the other group members. One of the things he learned while conducting business at home was to never question a customer directly, incessantly, and unnecessarily. Gossip was ever present when customers would peruse his wares, and it was only a matter of time before someone revealed things to him of their own accord. The worst thing he could do was pester a customer to the point where they didn't return, it was bad for business.

"Oh a blacksmith are you! That's quite interesting. So I take it that hammer of yours is used for smelting and the like? It's quite a lovely item. Perhaps I could employ your services sometime? You seem quite skilled at your trade. I'd love to wield a custom crafted sword." He was going to continue and ask her what she meant when she said that she didn't like what he was thinking. However, he was interrupted by the man who he had seen with her earlier, come to claim back his dearly beloved no doubt. Before he could reply in kind, he looked up ahead and noticed the incoming horde of enemies. Arriving at the most inopportune of times. I was just starting to get comfortable. "We'll talk later, for now it's best if ready ourselves," he said as he pointed towards the incoming enemies. His head was starting to feel light, and his stomach clenching with anticipation. This would be his first true battle, and the first time he would raise his sword and have it stained with blood. Hopefully, he would make it out alive.

[Parrhesia]

No mercy. No reason to give 'em any better than they deserve.

Malachi drew back the longbow, aimed straight for the largest and ugliest of them and let fly, the bodkin arrow catching him solidly in the stomach.

Ruffian A takes 10 damage, and has 5 left.

[Rothene]

Fight, fight, fight! Was the singular word that raced through Caslan's mind as the bandits came to view. Surveying his foes, Caslan saw the big archer in the group fire an arrow at one of the closest charging enemy that stopped in motion when he felt an inch or two of arrow burried in his stomach. Carefully, Caslan weaved his spell and caused water from a nearby puddle to rise up and slam the bandit to the ground face first, causing the arrow to bury itself deeper into his body.

Not sure if he managed to kill his target, Caslan directed Joey to a nearby corner to hide himself from enemy view.

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4154457/ 3, 1, 5

Hit 3 + 5 - 4 = 4 > 0

Damage 1 + 8 - 1 = 8

Ruffian A died!

Caslan activates Stealth!

Caslan 12/12 Hp +5 Points

Ruffien A 0/15 Hp

Edited August 3, 2013 by Rothene

[Ether]

"So this is it, eh?" Aina noted with a grin, as the bandits came into view. Obviously the best course of action was to rush the leader and scrap with him immediately.

And so Aina did so, her sword biting into the man's torso, as his axe struck back, both blows striking true and dealing noticeable damage.

"Aye, not bad. Show me yer best, ya bastard!" Aina declared, as she readied her blade for another go.

Aina(4,3,6) 12 hit - 4 evd, hit! 9 Mt - 3 def, 6 damage!

Christopher(5,5,2) 10 hit - 4 evd, hit! 15 Mt - 4 def, 11 Damage!

Aina 7/18

Christopher 12/18

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4154471/

Edited July 31, 2013 by Ether

[Bluedoom]

"Heh, time fer some target practice!" Risky said enthusiastically and aimed carefully. He didn't want to hit Aina by mistake.

Rimsky(2,6,6)- 4+ 2 Hit, (5-3+6)*2 MT= 6 HIT, 16 MT

Critical hit!

Rimsky- 15/15

Christopher- 0/18

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4154486/

"Heh, not bad fer mah first shot!" Rimsky said, chuckling.

EDIT: 10 points earned.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Bluedoom

[Snike]

"You all want to die, huh? I'll start with you, Lass," Christopher said, pulling his axe back for a heavy blow. Unfortunately for him, he never got to complete the swing, as arrow pierced the bandit's chest, dropping him for the count.

Bandit A 9/9 (Passive-Aggressive) (Sword)
Bandit B 18/18 (Passive-Aggressive)(Axe)
--
Bandit C 9/9 (Aggressive) (Bow)
Bandit Rider A 12/12 (Aggressive) (Sword)
--
Bandit Rider B 12/12 (Passive-Aggressive) (Lance)
Bandit Rider C 12/12(Passive-Aggressive) (Bow)
--
Ruffian A 0/15(Aggressive) (Rust)
Ruffian B 12/12 (Aggressive) (Lance)
--
Ruffian C 18/18 (Aggressive) (Axe)
Bandit Caster A 9/9(Aggressive) (N/A)
--
Bandit Caster B 9/9 (Aggressive) (Light)
--
Bandit Blaster A 9/9 (Passive-Aggressive) (Dark)
Bandit Blaster B 9/9 (Passive-Aggressive) (Anima)
--
Christopher 0/18 (Erratic) (Quiver)

[Eail]

As the battle started Erebus wasted no time in picking out a target, eyeing one of the archers that were nearby. Forming a dark ball in his hand, with enough power packed into it to splatter the man's guts across the field. However his foe had already spotted the dark mage and knocked an arrow. Firing it off and catching Erebus in the shoulder before he could even finish forming his spell.

Sending the dark mage crashing into the ground, writing in pain

[spoiler= Roll]

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4154536/

Erebus misses, takes 7 damage in return,

Erebus 5/12

Bandit C: Full

Edited July 31, 2013 by Eail