Retrieving The Package (Luceam)

It hadn’t been that long since she’d joined Sabertooth and already Brianna was on the job trail, her large copper wings gliding through the sky as she headed towards her destination. She’d always found flight to be a rather soothing mode of travel and it helped her to clear her head, which was probably going to be needed for the job at hand although how long she’d be able to keep cool was another question. She’d deliberately chosen a task that would allow her to flex her muscles a bit and she was rather looking forward to laying down the law so to speak. The Antique Dragon Slayer wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to be fighting but judging from the information that the flyer had given, they were probably going to be a group of crooks or thieves, which suited her just fine. She hated thieves and had little tolerance for them in general, so thumping them wouldn’t bother her too much.

The directions had been a little vague though and the lands that she was travelling through were completely foreign to her but she was stubborn if nothing else and didn’t let something like that get her down. They weren’t called the Unknown Lands for nothing, that much was for sure. There seemed to be a strange mist that surrounded every island and land mass which made everything look a little odd but thankfully for the slayer, her senses were keener than most and she managed to complete her journey without any mishap although her patience was starting to wear a little thin by the time she finally touched down, landing just outside of a rather large forest. The flyer had spoken of such a location and so she put two and two together, hopefully making four.

Yet, as much as she wanted to bull rush into the leafy undergrowth, she was going to have to wait just a little longer, as she was not going to be taking on the job alone. Brianna had a partner for her first job, which actually caused her to feel more anxious than the job itself. Meeting Victoria at the guild hall had helped her to relax around others a little but she was just so new to the idea of having a group of allies. Her childhood had been so isolating and she just felt this sense of awkwardness whenever meeting someone new. It was frustrating but she hoped that perhaps by teaming up with a guild mate today, she could start to come out of her shell. It might have been wishful thinking but she’d try her best.

Folding her arms across her chest, the teenager would lean up against a tree, waiting for her partner to show up. Eager to get going yet still feeling angst about teaming up, Brianna found it quite difficult to stand still, resulting in her foot starting to tap against the ground with impatience. Time waited for no slayer, especially for one with her temperament.

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Once more Luna found herself on another 'babysitting' job in which the guild asked her to accompany a less experienced member on a particularly challenging job. However Luna didn't mind this, as it got her to meet some interesting people and it was to ensure that no one was seriously hurt. Although some of the recent folks have been, less then ideal to say the least but Luna did not want to say anything negative about her guild members. As Luna was asked onto the job by the guild, the choice was already made so Luna made the best of it by learning. Of all the options, this newcomer came out of the woods with a classic bandit chase and retrieve based job to recover stolen goods. Luna was driving down the unpaved road as her iLac was broadcasting all the facts of the job and known details through an audio format.

Luna was interested to say the least, a colony of nekos that didn't reside in Joya and actually branched differently seemed to pique her interest and more. The silent car was driving at a relatively normal pace, and coupled with Luna's terragenesis to generate a road for when terrains didn't permit, such as sand, incredibly uneven paths, or water bodies. Luna sensed a life force up ahead in the vicinity of the meet up point, she figured that whatever means the other mage was using to get to the meetup point were a bit faster then hers. Like any job, Luna usually offers a grace period where she posts her departure time and location in case anyone needs to carpool with her to the job if they are also working, or even in that same area. 

Luna slowed down as she started to pull over, coming to a stop and parked her JM2 Harlem close by before she turned off the ignition and pulled out the key. She slowly came out of the car, adjusting her hoodie as she looked around and her gaze fell towards Briana, looking up at the taller woman as she slowly approached. Luna maintained her serene demeanor with a soft smile, eradiating an aura that was like an elegant spring morning. Luna looked up at the tree and sensed the life force within it, noting how some leaves were already starting to turn orange. On cue the tree started to grow a bit larger increasing the size and shade underneath, a small gesture before her focus turned back towards the slayer before her. 

She paid careful attention to the body language, noting slight antsy characteristics with subtle movements but Luna was not one to judge nervousness. "Hey there, you must be Brianna right? I am Luna, the guild sent me to help you out for the day. I'm a Nature Fae with specialty in plants and healing." She said politely introducing herself while sizing up the woman before her. She sensed a vibrant Life force that reminded her of dragon slayers, which didn't really matter to Luna so long as Brianna was healthy. However Luna tried sensing the woman's magical energy, and noted how Brianna was remarkably powerful in her own right, but still had a long ways to go. "I don't sense any malicious intent, and hopefully she isn't as, blind and oblivious to reality... not that I hold resentment against any of the less informed members."

Luna looked over down the road towards the area where the hunt would lead for the bandits, hoping that this would be a simple day. "I am just about ready when you are."

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PWC 598
TWC 1102

Current Outfit:

Her fellow mage was incredibly strong and Brianna could feel that from her magical aura alone. Yet, while it was strong, it wasn’t overwhelming and the chestnut haired girl could almost feel a softness stemming from the pink haired woman that helped Brianna feel more at ease. She wasn’t frightened by magical power or anything like that. There was just this awkwardness that she felt whenever she was around anyone new. It frustrated her to no end and she wished there was a spell to just get rid of it. As it was, all she could do was just do her best to handle it although after her encounter with Victoria, she thought that she was at least starting to become more comfortable. At the very least, her job partner for the day seemed to be friendly which was as much as Brianna could have hoped for.

Pushing herself off of the tree that she was leaning on, she’d perk up, nodding as Luna introduced herself, “That’s right, I’m Brianna. Nice to meet you, Luna.” Her tone was polite enough although a note of discomfort could probably be noticed, “I appreciate your help with this little job of mine even though it’s not going to be one that’ll probably test you too much.” The gulf between the two women’s magical strength was clearly massive and Brianna was well aware of that but the fact only made her feel more grateful to Luna for helping her out. “I’m a second generation dragon slayer whose magic revolves around copper, leather and steam. Most of my spells are offensive in nature and I’m at my best when I’m up close with my foes. Support is a role that I can’t play very well.” She had no qualms about admitting the faults of her own magic, knowing that it would only help the two mages work together better.

“Then let’s head out,” the chestnut haired girl replied, eager to start the job and to get into the action. Another moment spent waiting was another chance for the bandits to perform another nefarious deed. Of course, her primary concern was for the Neko village, located somewhere within the forest and she did desperately wish to remove the threat from their borders.

Leading the way into the undergrowth of the forest, Brianna’s keen slayer senses would instantly be on the lookout, trying to discern the sound of human footfalls among the wildlife. She’d be lying if she said that the nature filled landscape was her well...natural habitat and the teenager hadn’t spent all that much time travelling through such places before. She’d spent most of her time among the capital city of Ca-elum, a childhood that hadn’t left the nicest mark on her psyche. Oh, it had toughened her up but hardly taught her much in the way of social skills, much to her chagrin.

As the duo walked, she’d curiously turn to Luna and ask, “You said that you are a Nature Fae, right? Does that mean that you can change form whenever you wish?”

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Luna was glad that she was working with someone who showed some great manners and respect. She would hate the idea of coming so far only to work with someone who couldn't at least appear friendly. She noted the woman's self analysis and was impressed that Brianna was wise enough to acknowledge her own weaknesses. A lot of people aren't comfortable talking about their blindspots, weaknesses, or shortcomings but it does make teamwork hard to explain. However Luna was more interested in the unique magic that the dragon slayer had. A Slayer magic that revolved around copper, leather, and steam. Luna did not know of any dragon breed that would fit such an elemental combination off hand. "Sounds like you got a lacrima from an artificial dragon, if that somehow makes sense..." She said trying to avoid thinking of Brianna as a Dragon slayer, as in the moment the chestnut haired woman's allure seemed to spike for Luna. The Fae had an unusual attraction with dragons, which seemed to work with Dragon slayers as well.

As the two were walking on their way, Luna was enjoying the nature around her as she took in a breath of fresh air. Nature around her seemed to level or clear before her, almost as if the forest itself wanted to ease the path of the Nature Fae. She was subtly analyzing through her magical sense and ability to register life force, trying to find any irregularities. She could sense some unease from Brianna but just assumed that it was either from the awkward silence, not wanting to be overbearing or pressuring, she waited for Brianna to start a dialogue. However Luna was hoping of all things to talk about, her Fae form was not going to be on that list. "Well, sorta. It's easy to go to my Fae form as that became my default form in time. I am about half a tenth human at this point, maybe less since I'm part goddess too, Goddess Slayer. My Mother is a Fae, Nature Fae like myself, however myfather was human, a cursed one. Long story short my ancestor was a warlord who got a magical suppression curse that's heriditary, and once it was broken for me turns out I'm more of a momma's girl and my Fae blood overcame my human. This is basically a faux form, remnants of my human blood it's easy to slip out of, but takes a bit to get back in."

Luna said as she was looking about the forest. "However I have perfected partial reversions, been able to extend my wings for short glides or stability while falling but not actual flying in this size. But I don't revert often, mostly when a situation calls for it, such as a matter of size, or when my healing abilities require a bit more then what I am capable of now. She confided in the dragon slayer. "It's not something I show often. Given it's hard to return, and it makes some interactions, awkward." Luna said rubbing her kneck awkwardly, she understood that the younger woman was trying to create a dialogue but Luna knew that this wouldn't be the easiest bridge.

"I prefer to take a supportive role, trying to maintain peace, but I do have skills and summons against a variety of opponents. A band of bandits should be no problem. I am more renowned for my healing... speaking of which do you smell the delivery person?" She asked the other slayer looking around as she was hoping that they weren't too far gone. "I might be able to revive the poor thing... depends on the body and timing. They never found the body or confirmed a death..."

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The comment about the source of her magic stemming from an artificial dragon was intriguing and Brianna couldn’t help ponder for a few moments. She honestly didn’t know much about her lacrima’s history although that was something that the chestnut haired girl sorely wished to change. One of her reasons for joining Sabertooth had been to hopefully find some answers and perhaps in time, she’d figure out the truth. She liked to think that the dragon might have been a connoisseur of industry and metalwork which seemed to make sense, given the elements the lacrima allowed her to use. Brianna was tempted to ask Luna about her knowledge of dragon kind, having given the antique slayer the impression that she was pretty familiar with them but perhaps that was a topic best saved for later and so she remained quiet.

Luna’s tale was fascinating and Brianna listened keenly, her curiosity spiking as the pink haired woman mentioned that she was a slayer also and a goddess slaying one at that. It was a fascinating concept and the teenager mused to herself if there was perhaps a difference in strength between one type of slayer and another. It was another topic that she didn’t know a great deal about and she cursed herself slightly for being so uninformed. There just wasn’t much information on such topics back home and her life and her childhood had been so consumed by smithing that there hadn’t been much time for anything else. She appreciated the fact that Luna had been so open with her about herself and her past, even if Brianna couldn’t help but think that perhaps she’d again asked a question that was too personal. The way that Luna rubbed her neck seemed to give that impression and the dragon slayer felt a little annoyed with herself. She’d hoped to ease any awkwardness, not cause more. Brianna deeply wished that there was a manual on how to talk to people properly sometimes, she really did.

“I’m sorry if my question was a little too close to home,” she said, her gaze turning towards her guild mate, “I didn’t mean to cause any harm or tension and I appreciate you being honest with me. I think I was just born awkward.” Brianna tried her best to make light of her own social deficiency but it frustrated her beyond belief. She could stand up and fight someone who was twice as tall as she was but when it came to talking, everything just seemed to take an odd turn.

Luna’s suggestion about trying to sense the delivery person was a good one and Brianna was grateful for the chance to shift away from the awkwardness through action. “One moment,” she replied, closing her eyes and focusing all of her energy into her sense of smell, allowing it to become her more dominant sense. It was truly amazing to discover the scents of the forest for the first time and for a few moments, it was difficult to detect anything other than the natural vibe of the forest. Yet, a far stronger scent soon reached her nostrils and her eyes shot open, her hand rising and pointing to her right. “That way,” she uttered confidently, before taking off through the undergrowth, her draconic senses locked on to the target. She’d never been a particularly graceful person and her footsteps could probably be heard from a mile away but caution was secondary to her when a life was at stake.

A few minutes would pass before the dragon slayer would come to a halt, coming across the body of the delivery person. Taking a knee besides the fallen figure, Brianna would gently roll them over, revealing a young looking girl, around the same age as the slayer herself. A frown crossed her features as her mind honed in on the bastards who would do such a thing, before she stood up, letting Luna have a closer look, trusting in her healing abilities. In the meantime, Brianna’s senses would be on high alert and the dragon slayer would be poised to strike in case any of the bandits were still around. They couldn’t have been too far and seeing the poor defenceless girl on the ground was more than enough to put her in the right state of mind for a fight.

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Luna could sense that the younger woman was most relieved about the switch in focus from conversation to a task. She herself had some social difficulties during her early steps in her career, and growing out of most of them was simply a matter of time so she knew all she had to do was be patient.  Luna herself was looking around but her senses were on the same page as Brianna's as they found the blood traces. Luna was mentally reciting her own prayers as she was trying to keep a thought that the poor girl could be saved as she followed Brianna to the mortifying scene.

As Brianna stepped aside to take point and look around, Luna got onto her knees as she gently assessed the injuries of the neko girl, reading the embers of her life force as her hands traced along the body. Her fingers first looked around the neck. looking at a rather deep slash wound that had almost a slimly black char in the wound emitting a rather dark magical sensation. "The main wound and cause of death, appears as though her neck as slit with a rather large blade, think a hatchet, ax, or maybe a rather thick blade. But that's not the worst bit... Don't know if you can sense this ominous energy from the wound but..." Luna picked up a thick stick from the ground and swabbed off some of the black ooze before holding the stick up. Smoke came off the body as she stick up before smoke came off, the stick quickly dissolved. Luna dropped the stick as it disappeared into nothingness leaving only a few droplets of the black ooze. "Vicious stuff, favored by Pergrande Assassins but has been known to frequent a few higher end black markets. Called Shadow Acid, must be cheaper stuff a bit past expiration. Even then to coat a dagger lightly you're looking at 8 million. Mostly used to make bodies disappear. Given it hasn't dissolved the full body I'm guessing it was applied while alive."

Luna looked away the throat as she looked for other wounds, her hands tracing over the wrists as she gently picked them up, inspecting the markings. This brought Luna no joy, in fact it was tormenting her as her naturally curious mind and dutiful nature were making her process the terror. "Given the bruising, she was held by the wrists behind her back by someone much larger, with one hand, and I'm guessing the stray hairs and patches in the grass were from being held by her hair with the other... Lines up with the throat."

Luna traced down the various bruising on the abdomen, waist, and legs as well as a dislocated foot. Luna started to see the incident play out in her mind, these bandits were not just out for treasure, they had pleasure. Luna looked around and saw various kinds of footprints of different sizes. Luna could feel her stomach retract as the story playing out was so sickening. "Seems like the package was stolen before one person held her arms behind her back and pulled her hair down. Various injuries inflicted by blunt contact..."

She looked around at the footsteps pointing towards the body, clenching her teeth in anger. "These sick bastards... this was entertainment. Up until the grand finale. Looking in the wound it appears as though some insects tried eating at the flesh, but died in the process... I can see the wings."  Luna took a moment to consider the obstacles, there was a residual life force and the boy was barely intact, but before she could do anything she would need to deal with the Shadow Acid. "Alright... gonna have to get a consult. I was gonna need these guys anyways"

Luna reached her hand out to over the ground as a pink liquid oozed out of the palm of her hand as a large droplet with a diameter over the size of her hand before dropping into the ground, soaking into the ground before a patch of grass swallowed into the writhing dirt before a hoard of tiny beetle like creatures, with a brown body, glowing green eyes, and a green trim running from the tip of the horn in a line around the body came out of the ground. They circled around the body, taking a few laps before grouping up again by Luna, this time in six orderly squares of equal numbers, with one larger beetle in front of the Fae. "Brianna, meet the Soul Parasites, they are extrodiary little bugs that are nigh immortal. They reside in a special dimension where they reincarnate with full memory, and they die rather quickly as that is their goal. You see their bodies are essentially pure medicinal magic. They have self termination abilities that dissolve their bodies and allow their flesh to mesh and mold into each other and other bodies; a twelfth of these could reattach all four of your limbs, an eigth can repair almost any organ as long as you have the original, a sixth could regrow a limb or organ but it won't be like the original for a while, case by case on the timeline." She said introducing the new mage to the bugs. Luna looked down nodding, there was the a slight shrill sound of the six Soul Parasites standing out was they were looking amongst themselves and Luna as the seven were having a form of dialogue. "Alright, yeah, that was my concern too but we'll cross that bridge later, mhmm. Problem is anything we do risks a volatile reaction... Intriguing but that does have one major risk, we have about as much margin for error as if we were trying to pull a magma larva out of a metal kitten's nose. Think you can take it all?" Luna took a deep breath as she rolled up her sleeves and took a deep breath as the Soul Parasites arranged themselves into a formation.

One remained in a square formation at the back, while the remaining five turned into a narrower column by the throat of the neko girl. Luna used her terrakinesis, slamming her hand down raising the ground underneath the bugs to ease their access to the wound on the throat as a narrow hole three feet deep opened on the other side. Luna herself raised her other leg above the neko girl a she got on top, placing one hand over the girl's heart and the other on her forehead. Luna took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. "Alright now!" Luna declared as the Soul Parasites stormed forth, the narrow column meshed into a mass that outlined the wound before filling quickly, appearing to have absorbed the Shadow Acid as it pushed out into the hole, there was smoke coming out of the hole as the wound was cleaned, burned flesh remaining and Luna sighed relief as the last batch of Parasites took over and merged with the flesh, Luna gritted her teeth as she was starting to sweat.

The Soul Parasites melted bodies merged and seemed to take a flesh like form as Luna was focusing as much as she could into her magic, before suddenly she could feel subtle movements of the chest plate. It was a few more moments before there was a sudden gasp from the girl as her life lungs drew breath, her heart rate started as her Life Force flared. She was gasping for air before attempts at cries that came out as dry gasps. Luna removed her left hand from her head, still healing with her right hand letting Nature's Mercy calm down the woman as she spoke gently. "It;s okay, it's okay, they are gone... I am Luna Mira, Sabertooth Mage, my partner Brianna is nearby. The bad men are gone now. You're healed but I need you to breathe." Luna said as the brown mesh started to turn into blending in with the black haired Neko girl's skin.

Luna gripped her hand making the hole cover itself up, slowly getting off the girl as she helped sat her up. The Neko girl tried to speak but only the sounds of gasps accompanied the moving her her lips. Luna bit her lip as she held the Neko girl's hands. Luna knew in her heart that this girl had been through enough."I am so sorry, but I couldn't save your voice. It may come back in time but save your throat, it's still healing considerably. I can arrange for you to be escorted home, but if you could, would you try to answer a few questions?""

The Neko girl looked scared, mortified, sweating in fear but was calming down through the supportive and soft demeanor of Luna. The girl nodded slowly. "Alright... is there anything you can tell us about the wherabouts of the bandit camp?" Luna asked gently but the neko girl in response shook her head. Luna sighed as she had a feeling it was not going to be that easy. "Alright, can you tell us which direction they came from?" The Neko girl looked around frantically, before pointing South east. Luna nodded, rubbing the girl's shoulder. "Alright, thank you."

Luna stood up as pink ooze dripped out of her finger before she flicked it, mid air the droplet took the shape of a seed before burrowing into the ground. A twisted root shot forth from the ground before untwisting halfway into a spiral with the tips pointed up. A pink magic circle formed for a moment as Luna began her summoning chant. "I call forth from the forest beyond the horizon, the tempered flame that pierce through the night! The centauress archer, Savi!"


Out from the circle came forth the white centauress wielding a bow of fire, landing majestically as her eyes canvased the scene. Luna stood up, helping the Neko girl onto her feet leading her towards Savi. "Savi, mind leading this young lady back to her village? She has lost her voice and I would like if yo would relay that message, and then come find me." Luna asked of her centauress spirit before turning towards the neko girl."I trust Savi with my life, and just lead her home and she will protect you." She said as Savi smiled gently reaching out her spare hand to the Neko before both started to walk towards th village.

Luna turned back towards Brianna, slight anger in her voice as she was preparing to make the bandits pay. "Alright, I think it's time these bandits get what's coming for them..."

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“You can say that again,” Brianna replied, her tone giving away a little of the immense anger that she felt. It hadn’t been a pleasant experience watching and listening to the detailed examination of the poor girl’s injuries and while of course she felt sympathy towards the unfortunate Neko, it was overridden by the sense of rage that she felt towards the bandits who had caused the horrific wounds. It almost felt like the lacrima within her was helping to churn her anger too and although Brianna was usually able to control her more primal side, that didn’t mean that it was always easy and at that moment, she sorely wished to pound the bandits to bloody pulps. How anyone could take pleasure out of treating others in such ways was a mystery to the dragon slayer and one of her goals was to remove as many of those types as she could. The sad truth was that the world was filled with them but at least Luna and herself could put an end to one camp of the bastards today.

Channeling her anger, Brianna would again allow her draconic senses to guide her path and once more set out into the undergrowth, keen to find the bandits as quickly as possible before they could cause any further harm. It was so much easier for her to concentrate when on the job and she could feel her awkwardness ebb away with each footstep. She knew that the bandits couldn’t be that far off and her plan was simply to grab hold of one of them and perhaps find out where the base was that way. Not the most complex or complicated approach but it’d never failed her before and after what they’d done to the poor Neko, they’d given up any right that they might have had to be treated nicely after that.

So consumed was she by the hunt, that the idea of speech seemed to leave her mind for the time being, fully focused on the task at hand. Still, even though she didn’t say anything at the time, she was rather astonished by the powers of her guildmate. Brianna had honestly thought that the Neko girl was going to pass on and had been truly amazed by Luna’s unique healing abilities. Her own medical power was not even close to being as powerful as that and the chestnut haired slayer had to admit to herself that she wouldn’t have been able to save the poor girl. Not only was she simply not strong enough yet but even if she was, her magic wasn’t really made for that. Support was something that was beyond her besides the basics.

Time passed but eventually a human scent captured her attention, causing her head to shoot up. It seemed that they had found their lead.

A human figure would be traversing the wooded area in front of them, heavy footfalls soon audible as the mages approached. A tall bandit, wielding a large broadsword and slicing his way through the undergrowth would soon be seen. Clearly male by the sound of his cursing and grunting, he didn’t seem to care much for the amount of noise he was making. A nasty piece of work clearly. “I’ll take care of this,” she uttered quietly to her partner, before the dragon slayer would quickly dart forward and activate her Evaporation technique. In that moment, her entire body would turn to steam, causing the bandit to turn around and naturally lash out with his sword, only to hit thin air. The next moment, she would reappear behind him, steam bursting from her form the moment she did so, scalding him.

Yelling in surprise and pain, he would spin, his blade once more trying to cut her but missing its mark as Brianna ducked underneath it. Then she would surround her fist with copper and launch herself upwards, catching him in the jaw with her Antique Dragon’s Fist attack, before unleashing a regular punch to his liver. Dropping his sword, the bandit would tumble backwards, hitting the forest floor hard. Clearly, he was just a grunt but that didn’t make knocking him on his ass any less enjoyable for the slayer.

A look of rage upon her face, Brianna would then plant her foot on his stomach, her copper coloured eyes blazing into the green ones of the bandit. “Where is your camp?” she asked grimly, “Don’t bullshit me with lies either. The truth.”

“I don’t know,” he replied, looking up at the mage, his expression fearful. “Half of us have no idea where we’re going. This forest is a nightmare to figure out. I swear that I don’t know where the base is.”

“You expect me to believe that you guys are that disorganised? I told you not to mess me around,” Brianna retorted, her expression disbelieving, “The game’s up and my guildmate and I are here to put an end to your band's horrible treatment of the Neko population. Now, tell me where your base is. The truth this time.”

“Alright,” the bandit finally said, before fishing out a piece of paper and tossing it onto the grassy ground, “That will lead you to the camp. Just let me get out of here.”

Scooping the map up into her hands, the dragon slayer would turn to Luna, “What should we do with him?” The temptation to teach him a further lesson was incredibly tempting but she deferred the decision to her more senior guild mate.

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(2663 Personal WC)
(5652 Thread WC)