Monster Hunting (A-rank Midgame Grind)

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Dagda managed to dodge the bug’s first charge. He could see the dim light glint off of its exoskeletal layer, telling of a hard armor that would be tough to break. Ducking to the side, he whirled around to land a hit, but the bug had already turned and countered. He was struck in the shoulder, sending him spinning. A grimace covered his face as the spiked gauntlet-like parts dug into his skin. There wasn’t enough time to turn his shoulder into stone. Dark blood sprayed the nearby ferns.

Dagda backed off a few steps, observing the bug creature with calculating eyes. His opponent definitely had a speed advantage. To combat it, he would have to play strong and defensive. Starting from his chest, his skin began to turn into stone. The pinkish granite covered his whole body in moments. Settling into a more defensive stance, the titan waited for the next attack. The bug darted in, landing a slicing hit. It merely bounced off of Dagda’s stone. A jab hit the bug in the hip, the tough stone cracking exoskeleton like an eggshell.

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Post WC: 184 ♜ Thread WC: X ♜ Job Info: X ♜ Music: Link

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Claira, huh? That was a nice name and reminded him of citrus. It was such shame since the girl's personality and actions weren't nearly as lovely as her name, but such was the nature of criminals. Doppo firmly believed in second chances and rehabilitation, because he knew that people changed and there was always room to grow from mistakes. But some mistakes aren't easy to forgive, especially when lives are lost and ruined because of them. He became a Rune Knight because it was convenient for him at the time, who was struggling to meet his own needs with his life at Sabertooth. But, he became a leader because he saw what his role as a Rune Knight did for everyone. He saw what good came from their joint effort, and once he saw that, he knew that he had found his place in the world, even if his personality didn't quite match the fierceness that came with the title.

"Mm. That's a nice name..." Doppo started, glimpsing back at the girl he had ensnared into handcuffs. She looked pretty young. Maybe she'd find some opportunities of a turn-around after she's served her time. The redhead never found the energy to hate the villains of Fiore, only condemning their actions and choices. But once they had been defeated and sent away to prison, all that remained wasn't contempt, just great disappointment. A choice to squash out the dreams and lives of others to achieve your own wasn't a choice, it was a mistake. "It's such a shame... your guild does nothing but hurt others... people who have nothing to do with your problems... I don't know what your life has looked like up until now, but I'm going to make sure that you're stopped... then maybe things will turn out differently for you."

He couldn't say for sure that she'd recover and return to society, but he could try.

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It seemed her moment of vulnerability in an attempt to please the image of Ammi in her head fell flat. Doppo complimented her name, but the painter just kicked rocks on the path grumpily. Clem grit her teeth. Stupid! It was stupid of her to think that saying her name was a good idea. Ammi wasn’t even here, so why did she feel the need to imitate her sister’s kindly ways? The young girl had been gone from Clem’s life for years, but clearly still had a strong hold on the delinquent’s mind.

“Not all of us are like that,” Clem retorted, a fire of indignance sparking in her chest. Personally, she had never killed or harmed anyone too bad since joining the guild on the mountain. Stealing, graffiti, and vandalism weren’t out of the realm of what she would do. Those were things she’d been doing since childhood. She had to steal to survive on the streets, and graffiti was just a way to vent her frustrations and do something she loved. It just so happened that most people didn’t appreciate their buildings being painted, but that wasn’t her fault!

She couldn’t speak much for the rest of the guild. Certainly many of them had killed before and done other heinous things, but the painter tried not to think about that often. Someone like Tura she couldn’t see being a devious criminal, but others definitely were. Saraphina had killed a group of people right before Clem’s eyes shortly after they first met.

“Talkin’ as if I’m so awful,” she muttered quietly. “You ain’t even know my life man. All I wanna do is paint, not go out killin’ people ‘n shit. I’m just tryna live my life,” she ranted, swearing more as she vented.

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Post WC: 295 ◐ Thread WC: XXX ◐ Tagged: @DOPPO ◐ Music: Link

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"But even then, it's problematic..." Doppo's inexpressive face twitched just a little bit as he recalled their first encounter and the outfit that she had soiled with her spray paint. But even so, she had a point. Doppo didn't know what life she had led or what circumstances had brought her to align with terrorists like Errings Rising, but that didn't make her free of consequences. Even if all she had done was some punkish assault like spray painting his clothes and maybe some other petty offenses, at the end of the day she had aligned herself with that guild the moment she branded her skin with their emblem, and Doppo couldn't turn a blind eye to that symbol of terror and chaos—he refused to.

Doppo was a soft-spoken man at heart, although excitable and furious in a state of combat, he was a man of fewer words than others. He used to have a very passive, weak opinion on stuff like this, but seeing the atrocities guilds like Errings Rising had done to the world left him brooding with quiet, sad anger. The lack of empathy was baffling and dangerous.

"Aren't we all?" Doppo suddenly stopped and turned around, staring at Claira with a look of frustration in his baby blues, "Aren't we all just trying to live our lives...? Do you ever stop and look at the carnage your guild leaves...? I don't know what sort of life you've lived, but it's because of the terrorists you align yourself with that some people don't even have the chance to live a life anymore... for no other reason than because they are convenient for proving your guild's immature, selfish point..." the redheaded Rune Knight suddenly pulled his end of the handcuffs forward, looming over Claira with a tinge of choked anger and sadness in his eyes, "I believe in second chances and I think people can grow from their mistakes, but I also believe in consequences... and you won't ever get the chance to move on to something better if you choose not to face them... you having hardships is no excuse to align yourself with such an atrocious group of people, because everyone just wants to live their lives and can do it with ruining others'."

Doppo fell silent after that, his face stiffening into a solid frown. There was something about Claira's whining that made his blood boil. Even if her only offenses were just petty crimes, to completely dismiss the rest of her guild's actions was just equally irresponsible and guilty. It was so easy to blame it on other people if you didn't have the empathy to see the damage being done and how avoidable it all really is. It was all just so... so selfish.

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Clem met Doppo’s eyes with a defiant stare as he whirled around. He lectured her about how by taking the guild’s mark, she was just as guilty as the rest. In her heart, she knew it was true, but she would never admit that. In the past, the painter had been in two gangs. She knew what bearing the mark of a group meant and how it made a person look. Getting a gang tattoo was the ultimate oath of loyalty. Others knew what a person was about when seeing it.

No, this is different, Clem thought stubbornly to herself. In her mind, she’d removed herself from gang life and gone on to something better, higher. A guild was different. What the rest of the guild did was none of her business and had no connection to her. How could she be held responsible for others in that way? She wasn’t even an ace or anything.

Doppo pulled his side of the handcuffs closer, looming in Clem’s face. Leaning back, she clenched her jaw. If he got any closer, she’d headbutt him so hard he’d be seeing stars. She didn’t need some cop to give her a second chance, she’d given herself one when she decided to leave Neutral Grounds. She’d given herself a life and a future, a source of income and a place to live.

“I ain’t need to change my life ‘cause you said so,” she snapped, irritated by his self-righteous talk. “I did move on to something better, I did it myself and I did it for me. I have a home and somethin’ to do, which is fuckin' gold compared to where I was.” Clem’s words grew louder and angrier as her lingering frustrations about her upbringing came to her mind. “You think I wanted to grow up in the streets? You think I wanted to have a deadbeat-ass mom? I was born into this shitty life and I’m livin' it how I know. If they didn’t take Ammi I could have given her somethin’ better-” Her voice choked a bit at the last words. She’d said too much in her rage.

“Ugh, whatever,” she grumbled, yanking herself farther away from Doppo again. Digging her toe into the path, she kicked a rock at the Rune Knight petulantly. If she was stuck with him until she was thrown in jail, she may as well make him miserable.

In an instant, her luck would turn. From the trees nearby came a shrill screech, then a blur of scales and feathers shot from the foliage. Heading for the two, the creature let out another shriek as it barreled into Doppo at full speed. The handcuffs jerked Clem forward with the impact. As the thing came to a rest on top of the Rune Knight, she was finally able to get a good look at it. Red feathers lined the crest of its head and neck, the outsides of its arms, and the tip of its tail. Brown, gray, and gold scales covered the rest of its leathery body. It looked like one of those dinosaurs that Clem used to see in kids magazines she found in dumpsters years ago.

While the beast was focused on Doppo, Clem saw her chance. Removing a spray paint can from her belt, she sprayed black paint onto the wrist that was held by the handcuff. Wriggling her wrist caused the paint to slide between the cuff and her skin. Putting the paint can back hurriedly, she placed her fingertips in the paint. The substance began to swell, inflating and pushing against the metal to create more space around her. Twisting her wrist and putting more magical energy into the paint, Clem finally managed to eek her hand free. Not without pain of course, as the base of her thumb was now bleeding profusely.

Dropping Doppo’s cuffed hand, Clem turned to bolt for the trees. If she just left him to deal with the dinosaur-thing, she may never have to worry about encountering him again. Besides, he was probably strong enough magically to take care of himself, right? However, she didn’t want to be involved in the death of a Rune Knight. That would put her pretty high on a legal ‘wanted’ list.

“Fuckin’ dumb,” Clem cursed at herself, then removed the same paint can from her belt again. Drawing back her arm, she narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth as she aimed. Launching the can from her hand, it landed square in the face of the creature, splattering paint everywhere and creating a blueish-gray smoke around. The thing let out a squeal and clawed at its eyes, backing up from Doppo. Clem grinned in smug satisfaction as she saw that, just like last time they had met, the Knight’s clothing was covered in paint. That would definitely stain.

Snickering to herself, Clem ran for the docks. It was time to get the hell out of here so she didn’t get arrested again.

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Post WC: 840  ◐  Thread WC: X  ◐  Tagged: @DOPPO  ◐  Music: Link