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Resolving the Bounty

Scene details

Setting: The C-Class Vanguards take up the quest to investigate the root cause for the bounty of 'slaying 10 Reizes'. However, it is back to the Pits of Avarice. While they were at it, Reize took up multiple side-quests along the way.

Log


  The return to the Pits of Avarice... A wretched landscape, once dug in the pursuit of gold led to a miserable end in mutiny. The bleak, black scars adorn the area to represent the wages of greed. The dusty tunnels, some stopping short, is filled with a few giant ants and skeletal remains. Deeper into the mine shaft are planks used to keep the place held while mounted lapposts remain unlit.

 One can hope that another mutiny does not occur in this trip.

 Reize is leading the way with a torch aloft. His eyes appear focused as he is journeying ahead. Behind him from his wake are a few giant ants in a heap with crossed out eyes and skeletons crumpled up.

  The main reason for the trip?

 Find out who put the bounty on his head.

EARLIER

 "....WHAT?!" Back at the Vanguard Headquarters, Reize is eyeing the request board, "Kill 10 Reize Seatlans?!" He furrows his eyebrows, "I'll give the requestor a piece of my mind!"

NOW

 "Grrr, I'll show them....!" However, while that was his original intention, Reize did have an ulterior motive. There were a few skeleton bones hanging along his knapsack from his collection. He takes the moment to flip out his journal to cross out '6 skeleton bones'.

EARLIER, Chibi Theater Form

 Chibi Reize: >_> <_< *...stacks up 7 other requests while he's there*

NOW

 "Six more and that should clear the queue..." He muses thoughtfully.

 


 Ivo gingerly picks through a collapsed skeleton, occasionally coughing quietly from the dust of doing so. "Rui," he calls through his sleeve, having lifted his arm to try to filter the air a little. "Which one is the tibia again? Does your tome say? I didn't study humanoid anatomy at the academy. I'm an engineer, not a doctor."
 Glancing over to Reize, the older youth grins lopsidedly.
 "I'm as interested in this mystery as you," he remarks. "For example, where are the other nine Reize Seatlans? Lost, I presume, but where?"
 Suddenly, he blinks, before his eyes narrow.
 "Do you think..."
 That knight with the shovel seemed to know Reize. Could the others that the request specified be...
 "No, couldn't be."
 Ivo shakes his head, dismissing the thought as too overwhelming to consider.

The Pits of Avarice. Horrific pasts haunt here, of a search for gold and a munity and Ruidosa hating Reize forever for his dorkish dorkisness. Really, who wants to go on a date in a haunted hell mine, seriously. AND TEHY

The Pits of Avarice. Horrific pasts haunt here, of a search for gold and a munity and Ruidosa hating Reize forever for his dorkish dorkisness. Really, who wants to go on a date in a haunted hell mine, seriously. AND TEHY'RE BACK HERE AGAIN.

How did she dragged here? WELL SHE WAS PROMISED CRABS. Seriously, the haul from all these side quests better pan out into a huge bag of gems and gold and riches and she better have a bag overflowing with crabs by the time this is all over.

STILL THUSLY, she's here and is pouty about it, looking out for... what's the current item?

Shiny rocks?

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Riches or danger?
Roll(s): 14. Total result is 14. This is a success (by 4).


  The atmosphere is rather foreboding, leaving much to be desired of the surroundings. The path continues straight ahead, leaving for the group to get by without being impeded further.

 The young boy glances back towards Ivo, thoughtful of his friend. "...I don't know." He frowns. He feels like that he knows where Ivo is getting at. The time at the hidden temple still rings in his mind. "...Don't want to think too deep on it, other than someone put a hit on me." Then, he looks at Ruidosa, fixing her with the most apologetic look and grateful look.

 Yes. He promised her lots of crabs. The extra side quests will give her a nice haul of crabs and hopefully forgiveness.

 For Ruidosa, she will find a nice shiny rock on one corner within the cavern. It is a glittering green gem appears to be available. Next to it, however, was a skeletal remains of a merchant that looked to have been grasping for it, but dropped it.

 As for Ivo, he'll find a few fragments of gold adorning one of the walls. It appears jagged.

 For Reize, he does find another green gemstone, which is picked up.

  Deep in the depths, there are eyes watching over the group. They glimmer with a red hue, then they disappear.
 

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Experimental ore-extraction magitech
Roll(s): 1. Total result is 1. This is a failure (by 9).


 "Hmm?" Ivo archly raises an eyebrow, still grinning. "Must be nice, dating the party leader," he teases them. "She gets crabs, and what do *I* get? I think I deserve a treat too. Oh, what's this?"
 Eye attracted by the glimmer of gold, the young man thinks for a moment before withdrawing an unusual red elesphere from his cloak, different from the one that emitted heat on their previous snowy trek. That one worked well, so Ivo shows similar confidence with this one.
 "Just wedge it in here, and..."
 ...
 .....
 ....... "Ivo... Ivo, my sweet..."
 He stirs, blinking, finding himself suffused in light. There, radiating a heavenly aura, is the Lady La Crima, smiling beautifically, her exquisite form aglow like an angel.
 "Ivo... come into my embrace... for your reward..."
 Awestruck, he reaches out into the light.
 "Ghaghghh--"
 Whereupon he is struck by a rain of rubble that sends his smoldering self collapsing to the tunnel floor as rocks tumble in every direction. When the dust clears, there is silence and stillness, save for the visible and occasional twitching of Ivo's gloved hand, all that can be seen of him.
 Then skeletons start emerging from the gap in the wall.

Ruidosa La Crima makes a beeline for the green gem. She sighs down to the skeletal remains of the merchant and goes. "Sorry gramps, but that's mine now." she says with a pouted look as she leans down to pick it up. She isn't entranced by riches, she grew up around them. So she examines the gem as she nods rapidly. "Alright. I got one." she says as she moves to give it to Reize..

Then Ivo says something and this makes her frowns. "You get a share of the profit no doubt. I wanted crabs, so I better get some when we're done here!" she chuffs, and then Ivo also does a thing, causing rocks to fall around him and ''them'' and she winces. "IVO YOU... YOU....!" and then skeletons start spilling. Are they dead? or animated? The answer seems to be 'Yes'.

So Ruidosa takes out her anger by blasting and exploding one of the skeletons on reflex immediately, with dark energy as she screams. "JERK." she finally finishes.

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=13.
Comment: Detect Reize-napping attempt
Roll(s): 11. Total result is 11. This is a failure (by 2).


  "... Let me know when you can put a curse for enraging you again, Ivo.." Reize pointedly quips back at Ivo with a sweatdrop. It was not, after all, easy convincing Ruidosa. He was on hands and knees in order to prevent a repeat of what happened a while ago. The flip side of having a vampire for a partner.

  The response from Ruidosa, however, earns a smile. "That's right! You do get a share of the profit from the requests!" He takes the gem from Ruidosa, "Thanks, Rui!"

  Everything seems well and good until...

  A sudden explosion and the rubble collapses on Ivo. "Ivo!" He calls out. Then, he notices the skeletons collapsing. Some of them get up, and this warrants the boy to charge in.

  explosion and impromptu distraction are what the group needed.

  From the shadows, multiple hands reach out to grab Reize.

  HmmM?!"

  YOINK!

  Reize is pulled right into the shadows. There is a sound of feet beating the ground as the culprits flee the scene.
 

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Detect Reizenapping Attempt!?
Roll(s): 15. Total result is 15. This is a success (by 5).

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Loot quality roll
Roll(s): 17. Total result is 17. This is a success (by 7).


 "Ughhh..."
 Ivo, face stained with soot, slowly crawls out of the rubble with a dazed expression, just in time for a skeleton felled by Ruidosa's magic to collapse next to him, breaking into pieces. From its cracked skull topples a roughly fashioned golden torc, as though suggesting this previously sealed undead had been a warrior or some manner of noble. Blinking away the lights still dazzling his vision after the explosion, ears ringing and obscuring the sounds of battle, the addled Cosmopolitan picks up the accessory, still dragging himself from the rocks.
 "What's this...?"
 Perhaps not thinking straight, he places the torc upon his own brow, only to blink as he sees Reize's body suffused in a red glow that stands out in the darkness, unlike the undead he is engaging.
 "Oh...?"
 His interest in this discovery seems to suppress the pain of his injuries. His eyes widen with curiosity, then widen further with alarm.
 "Wh-- Reize!"
 For he can now see, within the shadows, reddish blurs reacting out to grab at the boy and start to drag him away.
 "Rui!" Ivo shouts, pulling himself free and shaking off dust and bones. "Someone's grabbing Reize! They're not undead! Warm-blooded!" If he understands how this relic works right, anyway.


> Ivo has acquired "Torc of Minor Infrared Vision."
> (So, yes, he does understand how it works.)

Ruidosa La Crima is about to fire off another bolt when she smells Reize's scent suddenly start moving....away?

Wait, what!?

Ruidosa looks up and turns into a bat and starts chasing after the assailants at first as she zooms after him.

"YOU CAN'T KEEP HIM FROM ME." she shoots out, in a squeaky bat voice. "I CAN MAKE THIS HARD FOR YOU, DON'T MAKE ME MAKE IT HARD!"

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: Break free?
Roll(s): 19. Total result is 19. This is a success (by 7).


  As Ruidosa pursue the kidnappers, she will find the confirmations of Ivo's warning: They're warm-blooded. In fact, Ruidosa can make out that they look like large, man-sized furry creatures. If not more obvious, there is a curled tail, not unlike a rat's tail. They are carrying the boy.

  One hisses at the sight of the bat, then it scoops up some dirt from the ground in the midst of the run and flings it out towards Ruidosa to knock her off course.

  Squeak! Squeak! Hiss!

  is flailing, "mmph!"

  As slippery as he can be, Reize wiggles himself out of the grasp and he rolls himself over to the ground and shifts his weight forward to trip up one of his attempted kidnappers. The creatures trip and fall, rolling on the ground and they notice.

  Crap! He's free!

  Now they are on the run.

  Dust in the eyes!
  "They're large ratmen!... A bit different from Faruja."

 

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Avoid blinding?
Roll(s): 7. Total result is 7. This is a failure (by 3).


  "AAhhhhhhh! I can't see!" cries Reize.

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Avoid Pocket Sand
Roll(s): 12. Total result is 12. This is a success (by 2).

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Avoid tripping over skeletons
Roll(s): 10. Total result is 10. This is a success (by 0).


 Ivo is slower to pursue, given his circumstances. "There! That way!" he calls, pointing to help as best he can with the aid of his trusty new accessory as he finishes extracting himself from the pile of rubble. "Whoops! Whoa!"
 He hops and staggers, somehow seemingly having survived that collapse without any broken bones of his own, though the broken bones of the skeletons felled about him do prove something of a hazard.
 "How many skeleton bones did we need, Reize?" he asks, still blinking dust from his own eyes. "Any chance they'd pay more for extra?"
 There may be some higher priorities right now, Ivo.
 "Try to bar their path, Rui!" Ivo then calls, limping after her as quick as he can. "I'm on my way!" Fishing a blue elesphere from his cloak (blessedly a normal-looking one this time), he draws Hauteclare and begins to load its pommel, making an effort to catch up so that he can be of more use in the capture of these miscreants.

Ziiiip. Ruidosa Manages to stop dead before a spray of dirt and dust can obscure her vision when Reize gets free from... horrible furry beings. Luckily, Reize can break away on his own, if also get blinded. She huffs and transforms back to her humanoid form and runs over to Reize. "Reiiiizeeey. They almost took you. We're those the men that put the hit out. I bet it was." she says with a huff.

"Come on. Let's chase after them." she says as she continues on after the small group of ratmen on foot.

"I'M GONNA SHOVE YOU ALL ENTIRELY INTO MY MOUTH." she yells.

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Blindly fulfilling a request?
Roll(s): 13. Total result is 13. This is a success (by 3).



  "Uhhh, 6, actually." He thinks over, "I mean, we can try to see if they'll take anymore." Despite being blinded, he is casual about the components that they need for the other requests. He gives a thoughtful look, "What was it that I picked up again....?"

- 6 skeleton bones (DONE)
- Clear the path from the giant ants that are blocking a path (DONE)
- 3 rare gems (DONE)
- Establish proof of the rainbow beetle

  In a moment, Reize feels his fingers touching something. It flutters. It shimmers around and it flutters around Reize. After flying around the boy a few times, the beetle then flies off. There is something left on Reize's hand. A piece of a shimmering shell.

  I think I completed a request!"

  Soon, Ruidosa arrives and gets his attention, "Oh?! Those were them?!" He stands up, pointing outward. "Let's go after them!" Reize runs forward...

  Into the wall.

  _WHAM_

  "OW!"

  Meanwhile, the large man-mouse are running off, hissing out at the girl as she pursues them. They pull a lever, letting loose a set of flower monsters. They stand in Ruidosa's path, hissing out at her. The tendrils are wiggling around, daring her to get closer.
 

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Time to put these flowers *on ice*
Roll(s): 3. Total result is 3. This is a failure (by 7).

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: I'm a Big Brave Dog, I'm a Big Brave Dog....
Roll(s): 10. Total result is 10. This is a success (by 0).


 Ivo squints at the glittering fragment of shell in Reize's hand as he watches the boy bounce off of a wall, continuing to limp by as quick as he can, sword aloft and blue elesphere loaded and ready.
 "Oh! Looks good, Reize! I think!"
 He idly wonders how the boy could possibly know it was a fragment of beetle shell in his hand given his inability to see.
 ELSEWHERE
 The jewel eyes of Kernunnos's new statue in Aurita Meloda, in which the eidola now comfortably resides, gleam knowingly and, somehow, with satisfaction.
 HERE AND NOW
 "Haaah!"
 As Ivo unleashes Hauteclare's blade to send it spinning toward the flowers that have begun to harry Ruidosa, its edge frosted with magic, he also idly wonders how flowers could survive in a dark place like this, so removed from the sun. He soon gets a clue, as the writhing vines seems to absorb the ice magic, only growing more frenzied as they try to bar the vampire girl's path.
 "Hmm," he murmurs. "Interesting."
 He can't exactly say "as anticipated," here.

Ruidosa wants to shove these rats down her gullet for trying to kidnap Reize. How would they hunt ten Reizes anyways!? Like. How do you even collect on that quest!? Still. She's angry. Until plant monsters.

Why did it need to be plant monsters!? She stops and swallows. She's a big brave dog...she's a big brave dog..

She raises a finger and tries to dark chain lightning the plant monsters in their frenzied state. Zort!

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: trying to fry plants.
Roll(s): 1. Total result is 1. This is a failure (by 9).

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Reize Damacy to Save the Day?
Roll(s): 9. Total result is 9. This is a failure (by 1).


  As Ivo comes to find out, the plants, as he spins the blade encased with frost magic, manages to strike down on the flowers. However, they are absorbing the essence of the ice magic and have become more frenzied. Even as Ruidosa musters her bravery, they bat away the dark chain lightning.
  It no longer appears to be a set of plants. What emerges is a large, bulbous head. The budded head opens, revealing a massive teeth. The 'plants' appear as its tendrils.
  It is a BOSS FLOWER!
  ...Meanwhile.
  Reize, currently at the top, after hitting his head, is muttering. "... Still can't see." He pokes around and he reaches for something. A hand holds onto a skull. "...Uh, this feels odd."
  The skull belongs to an animated skeleton, nonplussed by his poking and prodding.
  "...I think I found a different treasu----" And the boy starts to slip back. "....Ah..?!" Reize, grasping at the skeleton for dear life, is falling along the path where Ivo and Ruidosa are impeded by the flowers. The skeleton gathered, the boy finds himself rolling down, picking up a giant ant along the way, and another skeleton. It is a ball of doom coming for the large flower.
  The Cool Beauty, as the flower is called, reaches over towards the large ball and then chucks it over to the wall.
  WHAM!
  Now, the wererats emerge, hissing out. "Now! We got you all, see!" They finally are showing their presence. It is a trio of large wererats. In their hand is a cage that has...
  The Godfather Rat, who is trapped!
  "We are taking over, see! Squeak!"

 

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Hauteclare sneak attack trickery
Roll(s): 13. Total result is 13. This is a success (by 3).


 Ivo, calmly surveying the situation, comes to a conclusion.
 "This," he remarks, "is a mess."
 Reize is an indistinguishable jumble with chunks of skeletons and a flailing giant ant, at least until they crash like a bowling ball and go flying every which way like bowling pins. Ruidosa's lightning spell does not seem to have gone well and the vampire girl is likely being menaced by a massive underground boss monster flower who *someone* recently fed some ice aether it liked (hard to say whom, no use pointing fingers now).
 "Well, it seems you've gotten the better of us," Ivo says to the wererats, raising his hands as though in surrender. One hand is empty, the other holds Hauteclare's hilt. "We're trapped like rats in a cage. Which is to say--"
 Hauteclare's blade, still loose after his failed attack, comes spinning out of the shadows, slashing at the cage in which the Godfather Rat is trapped, shearing away bars and lock with the last of the aether charging its blade as it returns to Ivo, his upraised hand twitching subtly to guide it.
 "--not at all!"

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>15.
Comment: I'm...I'm a big brave.. *swallow* Dog.
Roll(s): 7. Total result is 7. This is a failure (by 8).

Ruidosa La Crima doesn't seem to be doing much to the plant, which means this thing must be tougher than thought. She trembles as it starts to transform and grow...

"I'm...a..I'm a big brave dog..."

It grows teeth...

"I'm a big brave... dog..."

It gnashes.

"I'm a scardey cat...!" she calls out as she starts to retreat and hides behind Ivo.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT, YOU BEAT IT!" she begs, pleads and commands all at once.

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Claiming Another Sidequest!
Roll(s): 12. Total result is 12. This is a success (by 2).


  The wererats delight over their victory. "Kekekee... Squeak! We needed to take the champion of this rat out."

 One of them even steps forward and point to the cage. "We're taking over his land and gang! You can address us as the Ratto Brothers!" The three are even doing a little dance as they celeberate their victory. With the plant monster keeping the group at bay and Reize currently taken out, their victory is assured.

 ...That is, until the cage is slashed against, freeing the Godfather Rat.

 SKRREEEEEEE!!! The other two, in panic, attempt to grab the Godfather Rat, but he proves too squirrely for them.

  Meanwhile...

 There is a descent from the sky as the boy starts slamming down at the plant monster by its head. His heel digs down on the large creature's head, striking its core and it collapses.

 "I completed another request! Take down the Cool Beauty!"

  And then.. the boy finds himself with the Godfather Rat on his head and he looks at both Ivo and Ruidosa. He's able to see again.

  "Did I miss anything?"

  Meanwhile, the trio of rats are trying to tip toe sneak away.
 

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Cutting off escape
Roll(s): 2. Total result is 2. This is a failure (by 8).


 "Heh."
 Ivo, a confident grin on his sooty smudged face, reaches up to run a gloved hand through his tousled dark hair as Hauteclare's blade returns to its hilt with a satisfying click, the Godfather Rat safely freed. As Ruidosa hides behind him, the young man turns that grin toward her reassuringly.
 "Never fear," he says. "I'll take care of this."
 He tries to avoid using fire when there's any risk of the vampire being caught in the crossfire, as it were. Now that she's behind him, he can cut loose. With a little flourish, he loads a red elesphere into the magitech sword's pommel. "Magitech Fencing Art!" he calls. "Flame Wheel!" Wait, since when does Ivo shout his attack names? Regardless, his blue cloak whirls as he unleashes a blade blazing bright, spinning toward the Cool Beauty--
 "Ah."
 --and missing entirely as Reize lands on it, collapsing it, causing Ivo's very awesome attack to embed uselessly in the tunnel wall.
 "Well, I'll just..."
 He looks toward the sneaky wererats, noticing them with the aid of his torc, and pulls, trying to free the blade from the wall at a distance, but it merely quivers, not budging from its place in the rock.
 "Ah."

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Cursing Wererats
Roll(s): 14. Total result is 14. This is a success (by 4).

Ruidosa La Crima shakes Ivo. "Stop it, stop it. stop it...." deeep breath. "Stop it...!" this probably doesn't help with his aim. Still. She angrily pokes from around Ivo and looks at the escaping Wererats. "HEY YOU CAN'T JUST RUN AWAY AFTER KIDNAPPING TWO OF OUR FRIENDS! I CURSE YOU." she calls out, pointing a finger out as a bolt of dark blue energy zorts out of her finger, turning at least one of the wererats into a frog.

She yells out.

"NOW YOU ARE BITEDSIZED." she hollers out.


  Reize looks rather confused over what's transpired. He does look over the fallen Cool Beauty. "And I can mark that as done..." He rummages for his journal and crosses it out. What was the reason he came here before?

  Oh! The 'slay 10 Reize' quest!

  He glances back at the rats, "Oi! You three got some explaining to do!" He looks quite angry.

  Ivo's struggle to free the blade gives them time to tiptoe away, but there is one person who does appear to give them any rest. They see the angry Ruidosa, squeaking in fright as she calls upon the curse.

  POOOF!

  Now one of them is a frog.

"Nooooo!"
"My brother....!"

  In a moment, Reize starts to approach the two, looking oddly intimidating. His eyes lower, giving an admonishing glare at the other two rat.

  You will have to repay your debt. I will make you an offer that you can't refuse."

  ...Where is the Godfather rat?

  Well, he's actually standing atop Reize's head, moving his ahoge around, as if steering the boy. In fact, as the boy glares down, it is revealed to be the Godfather Rat's glare.
 


 "Well," Ivo remarks as he finally finishes extracting Hauteclare's blade from the tunnel wall, regarding the combined glowers of Ruidosa and the piloted Reize, "that's that."
 He pauses, reaching up to idly adjust his new torc.
 "Whatever... that was."
 After a moment, he begins to glance about curiously.
 "...Where did the Lady La Crima go, anyway?"

Ruidosa La Crima is angry and has turned a Wererat into a Frog, She looks set to do the same to the others, but is instead approaching the frogged rat and picking it up. "I could eat you." she narrows her eyes. "Instead. I'm going to let you go in some swamp and you're gonna be ''happy'' being a frog" she says angrily.

"Until some princess takes pity on you and kisses you and no, you can't have ours. ''Someone already kissed her.''" she says, shooting Ivo a ''glare''.