[SP - F2] Hunting and Gathering

[Lessa 1]

The warm sun beat down on the player and her familiar. The pair walked across the small meadow, the grass crunching pleasantly underfoot, and the soft hum of bugs floating to them from all directions. Lessa may have mistaken this place for her home, had it not been for the well-trained stoat that trotted beside her. In this warmer climate, Orion had traded his white fur for a light brown, and he looked like a whole new animal. But his frequent chattering and tendency to weave in between her feet revealed it was the same old beast that she had fed on the fourth floor.

The pair had no particular destination in mind that day - Lessa simply wanted to do a bit of material gathering. It was hard to say whether that meant mining or fighting, and it really depended on whichever presented itself first. Totally at ease, Lessa began to sing softly. She was no professional, and there was a reason why she had chosen blacksmithing over performing. But singing had always been a passion of hers, and it felt nice to finally do it again.

They continued to walk, their journey now accompanied by Bruce Springsteen's The River. It had been the song shared between her parents, and for some reason, it brought her comfort.

[Lessa 1]

They had ventured out pretty far. Lessa hardly noticed the fact that they had put quite a bit of distance between themselves and the main city. Out here, the enemies were stronger.

As if to prove her point, there was a sudden buzzing noise behind her. Lessa's song stopped mid-word, and she swung around to face the opponent. Apparently, she had ventured a bit to close to a wind wasp habitat. The hulking green and black insect hover directly behind her, the sun glistening off the tip of its stinger.

Orion scampered off to a nearby crop of bushes, and Lessa drew her claymore. Her blue eyes narrowed. This was not her first encounter with the wind wasps. "Hunting it is," she called out, before lunging at the beast with her sword.

With as much speed as she could muster, Lessa thrust her pink blade deep into the insect's midsection. It's humming intensified as her attack found a sweet spot. She watched the monster's health drop.

{Rolled a 7. Lessa deals 5 damage - base, +2 Hell Rose, +2 two-handed skill.}

Lessa: 19/19

Wind Wasp: 15/20

[Deals 5 base damage. Inflicts poison on epic failure rolls - an additional +3 damage.]

[Lessa 1]

The wasp's wings flapped madly, pulling the creature a few paces away. It hovered there, moving up and down a bit, apparently attempting to regain some of its composure. She would not let that happen.

"Come back," the woman growled, closing the distance between them in only a few steps. This time, she left her claymore pointing downward. Once she was close enough, she bent her knees and brought the blade in an upward arch. She sliced at the wasp's stinger with a soft grunt.

The creature withdrew quickly, attempting to move away once again. Now, its path was jagged, and it seemed to be having a bit of trouble remaining airborne.

{Rolled a 6. Lessa deals 5 damage.}

Lessa: 19/19

Wind Wasp: 10/20

[Lessa 1]

"Dumb bug," Lessa called out, once again taking up the chase. The wind wasp buzzed angrily at her, clearly annoyed by her blade and her tendency to follow it. But the path that it flew was sporadic, and she knew it was having a difficult time staying in the air.

She hurried after it, lifting her claymore to the ready position yet again. Truthfully, Lessa was pleased that she had encountered the insect. She had plans to craft its tough shell into armor, but she was unsure of whether it was possible or not. No way to know unless I try, the swordswoman thought to herself, taking another jab at the green and black monster. Again, her attack found its mark.

{Rolled a 5 on the d10 dice. +2 accuracy from gauntlets = 7. Lessa deals 5 damage - base, +2 Hell Rose, +2 two handed skill.}

Lessa: 19/19

Wind Wasp: 5/20

[Lessa 1]

The insect was growing random and sporadic in its weakened state. Despite the 5 HP that it had left, the wind wasp was growing unpredictable. Lessa grit her teeth. She knew that this could be the most dangerous part of a fight. She needed to be careful.

The pink lady tightened the hold on her sword, and lunged forward. The sooner she ended the creature's life, the better. She needed to put it down before it hurt her. True, it was a fairly weak enemy. But the poison could end her life fairly easily. And besides, Lessa had learned to never underestimate an opponent.

She thrust her sword toward the insect, and much to her delight, it stuck. The enemy burst into pieces of data, which rained down around her like snow.

{Battle: 5 + 2 from gauntlets = 7. Mob: 1. Loot: 19. Lessa deals 5 damage - base, +2 Hell Rose, +2 two handed skill.}

Lessa: 19/19

Wind Wasp: DEAD

[Lessa receives 100 col (20 x 5) and 2 materials.]

[Lessa 1]

"You can come out now, you baby," she called to Orion, laughing. She accepted the rewards when she was prompted to do so, then sheathed her weapon. The blonde stretched her arms out above her head, working out the kinks that combat had caused. Then she yawned, and rubbed at her eyes. "Crazy how much more relaxed I'm getting when it comes to fighting, huh?" On cue, Orion scurried out of the grass. He clawed his way up her pants, skirting her armor, and came to rest on her shoulder. The creature chirped into her ear, as if scolding her for engaging at all. "I need the materials!" Lessa cried back.

 

She began to walk, her mind again returning to her state of mind when she fought. For some reason, she felt much more comfortable fighting alone. Throwing another player into the mix threw her into a tizzy, especially when said player was Alkor. Why is that? Orion nuzzled her cheek, and the girl could not help but crack a smile. "You're the only man I need, huh?" In response, the stoat nipped at her earlobe.

[Lessa 1]

The stoat leaped from her shoulder, scurrying into the nearby brush. When it returned, it was a wolf.

"How convenient!" Lessa exclaimed, grinning. "It is almost like we experienced some sort of time jump, and now everything is different!" It really was remarkable.

Riker trotted to her side, his tongue lolling as if he had no care in the world. The blonde rested a gauntleted hand on his sturdy head, then shifted it to scratch behind his ears. Were it not for his massive size, the familiar might be mistaken for a mere dog. He certainly behaved in a way that contradicted the vicious wolf stereotype.

"You're here to work," she reminded him crisply, though her blue eyes still danced with laughter. "Is that understood?" In answer, Riker lifted his massive tail, thudding it on the hard-packed earth in a cheery staccato. With a snort of amusement, Lessa strode away, drawing her pink sword as she went. Even her blade seemed to sing, a metallic cry that filled her with excitement.