- Location
- Philippines
i am simple man
i see looming debt
i make arete
1337 words
also
[X] The Ring of Power - Avenger
[X] Treachery
get me oooouttttttttt
i see looming debt
i make arete
"We could make something good out of this!"
Viktor exclaimed as he podded the cadaver of the Rotspawn. Most of the mercenaries in the company received mass-produced equipment. Stuff that one could buy off the market without much effort. However, individuals who had either distinguished themselves or the equivalent resources could commission personalized gear that increased their ability to Hunt. Of course, such equipment could only be manufactured with the remains of beasts that roamed the Voyager Realm.
"Marcus could probably use an upgrade. Then again, Boris did call dibs..."
The Axe that Viktor used was one such example, commissioned by the company due to the man's exemplary service. Nine had heard stories straight from the man himself, of how he had hunted down a particular beast that almost took his life. The corpse of that monster ended up being smelted to create the axe responsible for butchering the cadaver in front of him. Which is why it wasn't a surprise to hear Viktor mumbling to himself about calling for an extraction team. Rather, Nine instead busied himself with examining the distance.
Nothing looked to be out of the ordinary. Except maybe for the flashes of lightning from far away. His gut told him to avoid it, on top of his self-preservation screaming at the back of his head. Something to add to the report, he supposed. A more experienced contingent would fare better; more intelligence gathered than this scouting operation he was on.
"Alright kid. Coordinates locked. Transmission sent. Just gotta sit tight for a couple of hours, and an extraction team will get this mess harvested!"
Nine saw the axe head flash before his ears registered the thunderous roar. He turned towards the source, a thrum of something within his chest. Both mercenaries shared a glance. Nodded. And set off towards the source. Viktor pulled ahead, his physical aptitude outshining Nine's despite the latter's growth. Still, the younger of the two refused to be completely overshadowed. The red eyed lancer doubled his efforts, pushing each motion further than the last in an attempt to keep up.
Nine's leaps landed him further and further. Quick enough that he didn't lose sight of Viktor who bulldozed anything that stood in his way. It was a straight dash from the lizard's corpse to wherever the howling came from. And as they came closer and closer, the wails only continued to intensify. Each one was like a lance through Nine's gut. Had he been on his own, the younger mercenary would have kept on going with little heed for much else.
Viktor, thankfully, had been there to curb Nine's tendencies.
With an arm outstretched in front of him, the red eyed lancer ground to a halt. With the earth too loose, Nine found his feet digging into the mushed soil to bleed the momentum. Any more and he would have found himself flung off the ledge. Quick orders from Viktor had Nine immediately falling into routine and observing the situation below.
Wide. The only word that could describe the plateau. It held the staples of any Rotbeast infested land. Geysers of noxious gas. Pools of acidic fluids. Broken stone outcrops. Yet the cause for their haste could be seen pounding against the already flattened earth. Massive arms, as tall as a tree and as wide as a car, struck the ground with enough strength that Nine could feel the reverberations. Its squat legs enough to provide an unshakeable foundation to match the strength. Red hair covered patches of its belly, with the rest of its body protected by such a solid looking carapace that even Nine doubted his lance could pierce through.
Across the humongous beast were...civilians? The figures looked to be around his age; the recognizable ones at least. They were dressed in flashy clothing, so eye catching that even a blind man could find them. Nothing that looked practical for trying to delve into Rotbeast territory. There was also something of a monster on the civilians' side. It looked feline in nature. White fur all over, with black stripes across its body. Long claws, sharp fangs, and...quills as long as his lance on its back. It looked to be some unholy breed between a tiger and a porcupine. Its grizzled look only accentuated by a bloody stump where its left arm was supposed to be.
Faintly, he could make out crying from the backline. There was something transpiring between the what he guessed was the team's medic and the injured. Bright globes of green light fluttered about. Some kind of magic? Whatever their medic was doing though, Nine was confident that trying to heal the injured was nothing but an exercise in futility.
No amount of magic in the world could restore that corpse-to-be's entire left side.
An expedition gone wrong? Some overzealous adventurers? Inexperienced children wanting to play hero? Whatever they were, Nine was confident that there was no happy ending waiting for the lot of them. He turned to face Viktor and found the man, always so jolly, visibly frowning. The unfamiliar contours of his expression enough to make Nine double check the scene.
The monster lifted its hand from a rock, leaving behind a bloody smear. Even from this distance, Nine saw the fresh corpse dashed against the outcrop. A possible source for the earlier wails. If it was one of desperation and anguish, the tiger-porcupine might have been responsible. The armoured gorilla looked far too imposing to have been on the losing end.
"High Elementalists."
Again, Nine doubted his senses. Viktor? Disdain?
"Just some dumb brats. A few fireballs and they think they're the next Astral. Thinking all their problems could be solved with a wave of their hand." The older mercenary pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Shitty locals from the Elixir Sovereignty, one of the territories who've been trying to stick it to the Rotbeast. Only good for their hotsprings. Military strength is declining so hard that they're tossing kids into the grinder. And these are just a bunch of idiots who think being spunky enough is to win the day."
Nine was inclined to agree. He may have been in the same age bracket as these High Elementalists, but he's definitely lived a different life. Too different to compare. Too different to care.
Still...
---
[9] Wailing Roar and [9] Fanged Ferocity has won! A fairly uncontested vote, but given Nine's tendencies to get overwhelmed it was probably the logical choice. As of this update, Nine has accumulated 0.35 Apostle Credits.
[ ] Unnecessary Expenditure: "If they die, then they die. The resources we can harvest from the thing we killed earlier's gonna do us more good than wasting our time with these brats."
- Nine and Viktor ignore the situation in front of them, effectively leaving these High Elementalists to their fate.
- Provides Progress to +August due to ensured full harvesting of earlier kill, +Viktor for knowing your priorities.
[ ] Fringe Benefits: "Gonna play hero huh? Well, you do you kid. Just make sure to wipe your own ass."
- Nine lances to the fray!
- A Big damn hero moment. Nine teams up with the tiger-porcupine and the other High Elementalists to fend off the Armored Gorilla.
- Provides 3 Picks if successful.
- Lowers Viktor Loyalty by 1.
- Increased chances of lowering August Loyalty by 1.
[ ] An Apostle's Burden: "You want to what? Huh. Didn't think you had it in you, kid! I might even give you a bit of live coaching!"
- Nine waits for when the Armored Gorilla has been substantially weakened by the High Elementalists before going in for the kill.
- Even Viktor didn't see this coming!
- Provides: ++Heartlessness, +August due to harvesting of two notable monsters, 1 Pick after success, progress to +Viktor
- Nine will not intervene even if the High Elementalists are in danger of dying if the opponent is not sufficiently weakened.
- Nine hears the laughter of war-torn widows. +0.4 Apostle Credits.
Viktor exclaimed as he podded the cadaver of the Rotspawn. Most of the mercenaries in the company received mass-produced equipment. Stuff that one could buy off the market without much effort. However, individuals who had either distinguished themselves or the equivalent resources could commission personalized gear that increased their ability to Hunt. Of course, such equipment could only be manufactured with the remains of beasts that roamed the Voyager Realm.
"Marcus could probably use an upgrade. Then again, Boris did call dibs..."
The Axe that Viktor used was one such example, commissioned by the company due to the man's exemplary service. Nine had heard stories straight from the man himself, of how he had hunted down a particular beast that almost took his life. The corpse of that monster ended up being smelted to create the axe responsible for butchering the cadaver in front of him. Which is why it wasn't a surprise to hear Viktor mumbling to himself about calling for an extraction team. Rather, Nine instead busied himself with examining the distance.
Nothing looked to be out of the ordinary. Except maybe for the flashes of lightning from far away. His gut told him to avoid it, on top of his self-preservation screaming at the back of his head. Something to add to the report, he supposed. A more experienced contingent would fare better; more intelligence gathered than this scouting operation he was on.
"Alright kid. Coordinates locked. Transmission sent. Just gotta sit tight for a couple of hours, and an extraction team will get this mess harvested!"
Nine saw the axe head flash before his ears registered the thunderous roar. He turned towards the source, a thrum of something within his chest. Both mercenaries shared a glance. Nodded. And set off towards the source. Viktor pulled ahead, his physical aptitude outshining Nine's despite the latter's growth. Still, the younger of the two refused to be completely overshadowed. The red eyed lancer doubled his efforts, pushing each motion further than the last in an attempt to keep up.
Nine's leaps landed him further and further. Quick enough that he didn't lose sight of Viktor who bulldozed anything that stood in his way. It was a straight dash from the lizard's corpse to wherever the howling came from. And as they came closer and closer, the wails only continued to intensify. Each one was like a lance through Nine's gut. Had he been on his own, the younger mercenary would have kept on going with little heed for much else.
Viktor, thankfully, had been there to curb Nine's tendencies.
With an arm outstretched in front of him, the red eyed lancer ground to a halt. With the earth too loose, Nine found his feet digging into the mushed soil to bleed the momentum. Any more and he would have found himself flung off the ledge. Quick orders from Viktor had Nine immediately falling into routine and observing the situation below.
Wide. The only word that could describe the plateau. It held the staples of any Rotbeast infested land. Geysers of noxious gas. Pools of acidic fluids. Broken stone outcrops. Yet the cause for their haste could be seen pounding against the already flattened earth. Massive arms, as tall as a tree and as wide as a car, struck the ground with enough strength that Nine could feel the reverberations. Its squat legs enough to provide an unshakeable foundation to match the strength. Red hair covered patches of its belly, with the rest of its body protected by such a solid looking carapace that even Nine doubted his lance could pierce through.
Across the humongous beast were...civilians? The figures looked to be around his age; the recognizable ones at least. They were dressed in flashy clothing, so eye catching that even a blind man could find them. Nothing that looked practical for trying to delve into Rotbeast territory. There was also something of a monster on the civilians' side. It looked feline in nature. White fur all over, with black stripes across its body. Long claws, sharp fangs, and...quills as long as his lance on its back. It looked to be some unholy breed between a tiger and a porcupine. Its grizzled look only accentuated by a bloody stump where its left arm was supposed to be.
Faintly, he could make out crying from the backline. There was something transpiring between the what he guessed was the team's medic and the injured. Bright globes of green light fluttered about. Some kind of magic? Whatever their medic was doing though, Nine was confident that trying to heal the injured was nothing but an exercise in futility.
No amount of magic in the world could restore that corpse-to-be's entire left side.
An expedition gone wrong? Some overzealous adventurers? Inexperienced children wanting to play hero? Whatever they were, Nine was confident that there was no happy ending waiting for the lot of them. He turned to face Viktor and found the man, always so jolly, visibly frowning. The unfamiliar contours of his expression enough to make Nine double check the scene.
The monster lifted its hand from a rock, leaving behind a bloody smear. Even from this distance, Nine saw the fresh corpse dashed against the outcrop. A possible source for the earlier wails. If it was one of desperation and anguish, the tiger-porcupine might have been responsible. The armoured gorilla looked far too imposing to have been on the losing end.
"High Elementalists."
Again, Nine doubted his senses. Viktor? Disdain?
"Just some dumb brats. A few fireballs and they think they're the next Astral. Thinking all their problems could be solved with a wave of their hand." The older mercenary pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Shitty locals from the Elixir Sovereignty, one of the territories who've been trying to stick it to the Rotbeast. Only good for their hotsprings. Military strength is declining so hard that they're tossing kids into the grinder. And these are just a bunch of idiots who think being spunky enough is to win the day."
Nine was inclined to agree. He may have been in the same age bracket as these High Elementalists, but he's definitely lived a different life. Too different to compare. Too different to care.
Still...
---
[9] Wailing Roar and [9] Fanged Ferocity has won! A fairly uncontested vote, but given Nine's tendencies to get overwhelmed it was probably the logical choice. As of this update, Nine has accumulated 0.35 Apostle Credits.
[ ] Unnecessary Expenditure: "If they die, then they die. The resources we can harvest from the thing we killed earlier's gonna do us more good than wasting our time with these brats."
- Nine and Viktor ignore the situation in front of them, effectively leaving these High Elementalists to their fate.
- Provides Progress to +August due to ensured full harvesting of earlier kill, +Viktor for knowing your priorities.
[ ] Fringe Benefits: "Gonna play hero huh? Well, you do you kid. Just make sure to wipe your own ass."
- Nine lances to the fray!
- A Big damn hero moment. Nine teams up with the tiger-porcupine and the other High Elementalists to fend off the Armored Gorilla.
- Provides 3 Picks if successful.
- Lowers Viktor Loyalty by 1.
- Increased chances of lowering August Loyalty by 1.
[ ] An Apostle's Burden: "You want to what? Huh. Didn't think you had it in you, kid! I might even give you a bit of live coaching!"
- Nine waits for when the Armored Gorilla has been substantially weakened by the High Elementalists before going in for the kill.
- Even Viktor didn't see this coming!
- Provides: ++Heartlessness, +August due to harvesting of two notable monsters, 1 Pick after success, progress to +Viktor
- Nine will not intervene even if the High Elementalists are in danger of dying if the opponent is not sufficiently weakened.
- Nine hears the laughter of war-torn widows. +0.4 Apostle Credits.
1337 words
also
[X] The Ring of Power - Avenger
[X] Treachery
get me oooouttttttttt
