Monster Hunting (A-rank Midgame Grind)

The spirit was in full flow, tearing through the undergrowth as though it was nothing, her feline senses locked onto the overpowering scent of her target. Her yellow eyes began to dilate and as she sprinted, she began salivating, the closer she got. Her mind was overtaken by the hunt and Rengar even forgot about her mistress, who was struggling to keep up with her. All that mattered for the moment was reaching her target and as she burst from the forest and her eyes locked onto a yellow haired figure, her anticipation reached its peak and she leapt for it with full might. The force was mighty and before the mage could even cast a spell to defend itself, Rengar was upon it, lashing out with claws and teeth.

Miranda would eventually catch up, annoyed by her spirit's decision to leave her behind but pleased that her hunter had managed to capture its prey. She made no effort to pull Rengar off and simply watched as the large cat set about destroying the mage and a smile would creep across the bunny girl’s face as time passed. There wasn’t much point in trying to stop her huntress anyway once she’d started attacking and so she simply took a seat, while the sounds of the dying mage would ring out in all directions. After all of the blind wanderings the pair of them had taken part in during this mission, they'd finally found a victim.

(246 Words)

It was with a sigh that Bastila continued with her work, easily dispatching the large forest spiders that had blocked her path. Her cleansing fire easily burned through their defences and all that she could smell afterwards was the scent of burning flesh and nature. They had attacked her on sight, despite her attempts to not engage them but it had made little difference. So, she had taken the only option to her and ended their lives. Her movements were graceful and yet deadly at the same time, her flames dancing around her as though they were simply an extension of her. Every attack was timed to perfection and the phoenix mage barely batted an eyelid as foe after foe fell to her attacks. She would much rather be on the hunt for her former husband but that was going to have to wait for another day. Today, it was simply about clearing out the forest and making sure that it would be safe for people to explore it in the future. She did ponder about how her precious daughter was doing, knowing that she was around somewhere but with all of the different magical auras, it was difficult for her to tell one from another. Magical energy was in abundance today, from all over the magical spectrum. It felt quite strange to the blonde haired woman but she simply shrugged it off, striking another spider with a powerful flaming fist that hurled it backwards.

(246 Words)

Nodding in agreement, Kalama would leave her friend to it and charge at the lizards who were further away. Using her lunar powers as well as her force powers, the blonde haired warrior would dart from target to target, unleashing a dance of death that would keep the monsters well and truly occupied. All of her hesitation and doubt seemed to vanish when in combat and the expression on her face was cold and grim. She took no pleasure from defeating these things although in her heart of hearts, she honestly wished she could. Yet, that was not how it was for her. The curse had robbed her of her positive emotions, leaving her with just a void where they should be. There was no joy, pleasure or happiness, just this mass of anxiety and frustration that she could not get rid of. Damn those bastards for making the deal that had resulted in both her own and Aoi’s situation. She despised them with all her heart.

One of the lizards would manage to catch her with a powerful tail whip, knocking her backwards but she was able to stay on her feet. Annoyed, her body would become encased with a suit of moonlight armour and she would draw a second blade, a weapon of pure ice. Smashing her two blades together, she would then dive back into the battle. Unleashing a powerful double slash that cut the beast clean in two. That being done, she would lunge towards her next target.

(253 Words)

"Monsters, Monsters, oh what fun! Working hard and we'll be done!" Cetus sang. The Ego, Dubhar, was currently in the driver's seat so to speak. The rather insane personality had wrested control from Cetus. Persephone's glitching was getting more and more severe if the Egos were able to do so. Since the Ego hadn't done anything damaging as of yet, Cetus was content to sit in the back of his own mind. Once Dubhar slipped, Cetus would pull back control.

The trees around them grew tall. The sun barely pierced the trees. Dubhar snapped his fingers as he walked, letting black sparks fly. Where were all the monsters? He'd all the way out here specifically to hunt beasts of a monsterous quality. Maybe he could make a few. Things changed when they were set on fire. It made them angry, violent. Dubhar quite loved it.

"Pretty voice in my head? Where are all the monsters?" Dubhar asked finally, frustrated. I do not know, oh wise and powerful Master of mine. I do not have thine beautiful eyes to see. He percieved she said. The dark mage scowled even as the trees broke their silent watch. A clearing appeared, filled with huts. Dubhar clapped. "Oh! A city of Orcs! Splendid! Target practice."

That is definately a city, not a hamlet, of Orcs, not humans. Well done, master! Dubhar smiled at the affirmation of his thoughts. He gathered a black fireball in his hands. "Let the party begin!" He cackled, tossing the fireball. The frail huts immediately burst into flame. Dubhar continued to laugh maniacally as he advanced into the village. Maybe this trip hadn't been a complete waste after all.

WC: 279

Taylor’s sword began to glow from all the magic channeled into it, heating up to absurd levels and releasing more distortions of electricity. It was a steady form and style that she possessed, but damn, was she ruthless in her assault at the worms. The view of ruthlessness that he saw wasn’t something that he would associate with someone with rays escaping their faces like her, but her attack appeared unstoppable.

And she didn’t stop, so neither would he.

He bent over to avoid a swing from a new worm’s end that was slung about, and he just cut off its rear end and ended its attack with a huge backfire. With that one cut, it bled to death quite quickly, but others were showing up from beneath their feet. One worm appeared nearby, and Mura tightened his grip on Harusame as he was about to charge, but BLITZ!

Taylor cut through the imagery like a raijū, slicing the worm in two right in front of the shaman. Apparently, they weren’t that huge challenges to her or to him, but they were numerous… and he could prove it. “Not when they don’t have us outnumbered,” he commented to her remark before clapping the ground underneath his feet with both hands. A magic circle faded in and out of view, and the earth began to just open up holes where the worms had been digging around underground. They were pushed up by the earth itself, exposed by Mura’s magic and fully hostile… about 7 more worms around them.

“Try and watch this…!”

Mura flicked Harusame around like he was dancing, not really hitting anything but still standing in the midst of the horde. Swift waves of pushed air could be seen escaping the blade, but the worms were still advancing. Only when Mura’s dance was done and he sheathed Harusame again - on the very moment the handle of his ninjaken hit the scabbard - did a wave of immeasurable slashes expand around, surrounding Taylor but only cutting through 3 of the worms around. The targets laid killed revealed the lack of regard for the distance, for Mura’s attack wasn’t any ordinary expansion of magic akin to an explosion.

MG4 WC: 368

"The locals sent out a request for mages in Fiore to do some population control of the island's wildlife and monsters. A lot of people showed up for the jewel. I'm here to provide first aid and to study everyone's magic," Percy explained in an understanding whisper, this stutter thankfully disappearing with the quieter sound. While she was still a woman, she was just a confused and hungover one. Surely he could help her. His hand dug out a bottle of water and a bottle of pills. After checking the label to make sure he had the right one, he held them up in a more presenting way. "Would you like to take something for that? Both of these should help with the pain..."

Whether she took them from him or not, he'd still begin his light questioning. "If you didn't come here on purpose, any idea how you might have gotten here? Can you teleport yourself? Or were you drinking with someone who might have accidentally teleported you?" Percy asked. He'd like to think he was just trying to help her, maybe solve some of the mysteries, but he was a little more selfish than that. Studying the mages' magics was one of the main reasons he was here, after all.

Despite his curiosity, Percy's eyes wouldn't linger on the afflicted lady. No, his discomfort was still pretty obvious as he looked around, trying to play it off like he was watching for danger and not awkwardly searching for a place to rest his eyes.


[256]

Katsumi ran a whetstone over her blade. The edge had dulled over extensive use. Chips marked the length of the weapon. She'd need to see about requisitioning one from the armory upon her return. Going into battle with a weak blade nearly always guaranteed it would break when you needed it. The rasp of the whetstone relaxed her nerves. Even if it broke, she'd jam the jagged end into her enemy.

The boat bumped into a beach. Katsumi leapt over the side and stored the whetstone. Time for some hunting. The swordswoman hoped to find a few answers here. A recent mission had revealed a criminal organization using altered animals for crimes. Murder ran rampant to keep the connections under wraps. Maybe the monsters here would provide more clues. Failing that, she'd bring this investigation to her superiors. EC had some brilliant minds but they weren't the best at police work sometimes. SO could probably track down these bastards.

Something growled from the nearby treeline. Katsumi raised her blade. "Let the Quest begin!" she murmured under her breath. A lupine shape charged forward. Nothing strange about it unfortunately, besides its massive size. Katsumi didn't let that deter her. She stepped forward and dropped into Arashi Style Stance One. The monster howled viciously. Katsumi barely let a smile grace her lips. She flowed around the monster, slashing its side. It crashed into the sand, writhing. Katsumi spun, stepping into the second Arashi Style Stance. The blade flashed twice. The monster fell silent, its heart and brain pierced through.

WC: 258

Masha stepped through a portal. A list was crushed in her fist. Different monsters filled the paper. Research materials for various procedures she wanted to start. If she could find a way to give people animal abilities, she might give some people hope that magic wasn't the only way. For some reason, leveling the playing field per say was a desire that gripped the redhead. She hoped that by pursuing it, some of her memories would return.

Aodhfin stepped through the portal as well. His humanoid form was wreathed in flames. "This is a bad idea. I don't think your memories will return if-" Masha chuckled at her best friend, cutting him off. "I still need to try. My memories connect me to my past. I want to know who I was and from there learn who I want to be." Aodhfin opened his mouth but the redhead shook her head. She used her magic to dismiss him. While the phoenix meant well, Masha didnt want to hear it. She needed this. Something to hold on to that didnt make her feel like she was floating in the wind.

Masha didn't let herself keep down the train of thought. There were monsters to hunt. Procedures to create and study for. The world since her amnesia was like an oyster. Rediscovering it all once again through fresh eyes. She was excited to see these monsters. Masha skipped across the sand, ready to begin her adventure.

WC: 245

He was a pretty skittish looking thing. The girls shot a glance at the soft looking boy who was receiving some treatment from the tan skinned woman. He was kind of banged up but nothing that would require any kind of intervention on a doctor's part. Jellisha smirked, reminded of that time when her sister had run headfirst into the knife grass on a job and got entangled for a solid minute and a half before getting up with more cuts than a slice of bread. "You're fine, huh?" Jellisha repeated, furrowing her brows. "You look like a lot and things, and fine definitely isn't one of them. Afraid is definitely topping that list though." A light bump from the edge of the scanning device came to her side as the wielder behind it gave her a dirty look. "Stop being mean. Look, you're scaring him even more." Just as Grappa's hand had waved over towards the two, the twins were eager to see the outline of Ling and his companion, currently racing away from them at top speeds. A moment was shared at the two as their mouths could only stand agape. After a few seconds, Jellisha would break the silence and point at the silhouette of the boy. "D-Did he...That guy just kidnapped that girl who was helping him?! We gotta go after them!" She looked to Grappa and they both shared a nod before holding their gauntlets to the sky, reaching out to extended a hidden antennae towards the top and hitting a button on the screen.

In an instant, there came a glint of steel as GOLIATH would come careening down towards the ground, propelled by the rockets as the top hatch containing the seats for both girls would open prematurely. The girls would wait until their metal companion would draw closer and then leap into the air at the final moment as the top of GOLIATH angled upwards to catch them upon landing. Grappa slid the screen back into a hatch on the interior and with an audible click, two sticks would come out from a hidden box down beneath. "This will get us all caught up in no time!" Grappa cheered, holding onto her seat as Jellisha would pull back on the sticks, the magic furnace roaring in response. With another toothy grin that only a Sinclair could give, the hulking robot would take off in the direction that the man had fled with his friend. The twins were skeptical of that had any idea of what could be going on in the island, but they were the closest thing to a lead that they had gotten.

WC: 443

@Pimwadee @Ling