Complete Western Brisshal Long Fang Training

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki brought her hands to her mouth and gulped down the water she had gathered from the river. It was cool and refreshing, which was a particularly welcome sensation on this warm day. Standing up from her crouching position next to the river she looked around as she waited for her companion to arrive. While it was a warm day the skies were overcast, grey clouds promising rain but having yet to deliver it. The humidity was already high, which combined with the heat meant that there was an oppressive feeling in the air. Not so bad that it made things truly unpleasant, but nevertheless Mizuki hoped that it would rain soon so things would cool down a bit.

Of course, her partner might disagree with this, especially given the purpose for calling @Cleo Looker out here. Their first meeting hadn't been the most stellar, as they had some strong disagreements about Terrasphere as a whole, but they'd agreed to train together and Mizuki had decided that now was as good a time as any. She was standing at the edge of the forest named Western Brisshal, the more dangerous twin to the starting area Eastern Brisshal. While they could train by just fighting each other Mizuki figured that Cleo might also appreciate it if she could try out her skills on some targets that she wouldn't mind actually hurting, such as the monsters that lurked in the wilder, magically charged woods. Goblins had taken over a large chunk of the area and were all too happy to attack Travelers and Landers alike for nefarious purposes, so culling them a bit could only be seen as an ethical deed. Unless, of course, you were one of those people who thought everything had to be resolved with diplomacy.

As she waited Mizuki stretched her legs and arms, looking up at the sky in an attempt to gauge how long it would take before the raindrops would finally come down. Before Cleo arrived, or after? If it happened in the middle of the training the detective might not be happy with it, although the huntress figured that it would be good to train during less than optimal conditions as well. Being able to hold your ground when the weather was good and the ground firm was one thing, but you also had to know how to deal with mud and rain and strong winds.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Of all the days that Mizuki could have contacted her for training, she had to do it on the one day that was all hot and humid, but looked like it would rain at any given moment? Cleo had frowned at the sky when she'd received the message, almost considering telling the wolf girl to get bent and pick another day, before she'd agreed to meet her. She couldn't help that she just wasn't capable of turning down an offer for training, especially an offer that would take her to Western Brisshal and probably give her some more actual combat experience, for a change of pace. Sparring with people was great, but it seemed that she grew way faster when she was in actual danger.

She'd heard that more dangerous things ran a bit more rampant in this place, though. It meant that they might get interrupted in the middle of training, unless Mizuki had planned to hunt down monsters for training, which wouldn't have been a bad idea even if she did feel like training her close combat against somebody so clearly accustomed to close combat would have been a huge boon, she would let it go in exchange for the ability to thin the monster numbers here.

Maybe if they were all wiped out, more people would be safe...?

It still wasn't raining when she arrived, though there was the slightest rumble of thunder in the distance. Cleo shook her head as she walked over to Mizuki, her arms crossed underneath her bust as she stopped a couple of feet away.

You sure did pick the nicest possible weather to invite me out on a date in. Sweltering heat followed by a potential torrential downpour?

She shook her head, before giving Mizuki a small nod.

So what's the plan for today, then? Close combat like you said? Or monster hunting?

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki was listening to the rumbling in the distance when her ears perked up and she looked towards the direction from which Cleo was arriving. She stopped her stretching and instead placed a hand on her hip as she raised her other hand in greeting, her tail swishing from side to side behind her as she studied the detective's expression and pose. From the looks of it the beautiful redhead wasn't exactly happy with the weather in which they would be training, but she hadn't declined the invitation, so...

Well, you did accept the invitation, and if you only ever train under ideal conditions you won't be prepared for when you have to deal with difficult terrain and bad weather.

She gave Cleo a smile.

But it's nice to see you again. Now, as for our training... I was thinking a little bit of both.

Raising her arm Mizuki pointed towards the forest they were standing at the border of, the dense greenery allowing little to no sunlight to illuminate the woods.

There's a camp of goblins nearby which has been harassing travelers, the non-capitalized kind. There's enough of them that it'd be a good idea for us to work together to wipe them out, and afterwards if we aren't hurt too badly we can move onto one on one training. That way we also learn a little bit more about how the other fights so we don't waste training time figuring that stuff out.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Cleo could only sigh. She did only have herself to blame. It's not like she couldn't have looked up at the sky to see what the weather would be like for their training. And Mizuki had a point too. If she only trained under ideal conditions, she'd be pretty screwed the first time she had to fight somebody under a thunderstorm or in the middle of a blizzard.

Yeah you've got a point. That's the main reason I even came. Opportunities to fight underneath a storm aren't exactly all that common, so it's better to get some training in whilst the chance is here.

She nodded at Mizuki's greetiing and her idea for training, her gaze following Mizuki's arm as she pointed to the forest. Though her face did tighten at the description of goblins attacking people, though she was less inclined to care if the majority of their victims were Landers, there was still a chance that they had attacked a player or two.

Sounds like as good a plan as any to me. And a good target for us to exterminate too. Do you want me to fight how I normally fight, or how I'm aiming to improve during our training?

After all, she specialized in throwing her spears, but she'd planned to work on her CQC with Mizuki today. She wondered if Mizuki wanted to see how good in close quarters she was already, or just how competent of a combatant she was overall.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

With Cleo agreeing to the importance of training under less than ideal circumstances the two of them could focus on the training itself. Mizuki folded her arms and tilted her head slightly as the detective asked her a question.

Given the terrain I think it'd be better if you relied more on melee combat, but you're free to add some ranged attacks if you think they'll work. The vegetation here is a lot denser than in the east and the goblins will try to surround you and close the gap.

Walking over to the nearest tree she placed her hand against it, closing her eyes as she listened to a... voice of sorts. Those who practised Nature Magic gained a kind of attunement with plantlife the same way Beast Arts gave you the ability to communicate with and sense animals. It was a strange sensation, however, since plants were rarely sapient or even sentient in the way animals were.

I don't know if you're familiar with goblins, but to give you the rundown: they're short, clever, and while not friendly even with each other they're good enough at team tactics to make up for their individual weakness with numbers. The tribes which are claiming sections of the forest as territory are more coordinated than average, which means we'll have to be careful.

Aside from teamwork they can use magic, traps, and a variety of weapons. They'll try to capture us alive if possible, so watch out for bindings and the like. They're also inclined towards using poison, but I can cure us if necessary. We're going after a relatively small group so as long as we don't mess up we shouldn't have anything to worry about.

She hesitated for a moment.

In the unlikely scenario that something does go wrong prioritize your own escape. I'm more suitable for keeping them busy and escaping once you're safe.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Well that made sense, though it stung a little bit to know that her main method of attacking wouldn't be as effective in this kind of environment. Dense trees would intercept her throws though and there wasn't really anything she could do about that, not that she knew of anyway. She'd yet to discover a method of controlling the trajectory of a spear after she'd thrown it, even the ones that she'd made using her Arcanamancy kind of left her ability to control them after a certain distance had been travelled.

The description of the goblins matched about what Cleo expected, humming as she nodded. It was a little disturbing to hear how they would likely try to capture the two of them alive, for what reason Cleo really didn't want to know. She didn't really want to be eaten or tortured or anything of the sort, so long as she could avoid it.

Though, Mizuki's suggestion to prioritize her own escape if things went wrong rubbed Cleo the wrong way. She shook her head at the thought.

If things go wrong I'm not just going to leave you to hold off a goblin horde by yourself. That's not the kind of thing I could ever allow myself to do and then be okay with myself afterwards.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki wasn't surprised that Cleo would protest at her instructions. The detective had made it clear that the main, perhaps only, reason for her being in Terrasphere was that she had been assigned here and because she wanted to protect the people that played this game, even from their own bad decisions.

It's a matter of pragmatism. I'm not planning to fight them all alone, but if things go south we need to be smart if we want to get out of there unharmed.

Her fingers pressed harder against the trunk of the tree she'd been communicating with, the nails digging into the rough surface. Suddenly, with one powerful movement, she pulled herself up while using her Nature Magic to anchor her hand against the tree, allowing her to propel herself with enough force that at the end of her short flight she was crouched on top of one of the tree's thicker branches, looking at Cleo who was still on the ground.

Your build is excellent for large-scale fights, where you can either unleash powerful singular attacks or suppress enemies with a a continuous rain of smaller projectiles. My build is more suited for surviving in the midst of battle and moving about in difficult terrain. Between the two of us, I'll stand a better chance at first keeping them busy and then slipping away once you're safe. (She shook her head.) I doubt it'll even become an issue, but better to be prepared.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Cleo frowned. She couldn't help it. Even if she knew that Mizuki was better suited to being surrounded and still fighting, it rubbed her the wrong way to even think about leaving an ally behind to deal with something themselves. The distaste at the thought probably shwoed on her face, though it vanished when Mizuki decided to show off my propeling herself up the tree.

I still don't think I can just up and leave you to fend for yourself. That would go against literally everything I stand for and I'd much rather stay and fight alongside you if things go wrong than risk being chased down by myself. I'm not exactly the fastest person alive, after all.

She was built for fast attacks and AoE attacks, but she was not built to actually move fast and get to places quickly. She was no more mobile than the average Lander without using her Chronomancy to enhance her own speed.

We'll figure something out if things go wrong. We could just as easily say that I'd be better at keeping them busy because my wide range attacks would keep them focused on me.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki looked Cleo in the eyes as the beautiful redhead continue to disagree. The wolfess's tail swished from side to side behind her as she considered the detective's words before finally sighing.

I won't force you to run away if you want to stay, but just keep in mind what would happen if the goblins got a hold of you. They're not known for their mercy. Also, if the terrain was different I'd agree that your ranged attacks would be useful for keeping them at bay, but... (She knocked on the trunk of the tree she was currently inhabiting.) Not the ideal environment for that.

With that said, she dropped back onto the ground and landed on all fours. Ignoring Cleo for a moment she sniffed the air and the ground, then pushed herself up until she was standing on two feet once more.

But I agree that we might as well just give it a shot and see what happens, if we're not going to come to an agreement anyway. Just don't get cocky and it won't even be an issue.

She'd lead the way into the forest, quickly leaving the overcast sky behind as the dense trees obscured the heavens above, leaving them walking amidst shadows.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

I'm pretty sure I have the idea of what they'd do to me. Probably cook me alive and eat me or something like that. I'm not too afraid of it when the same might happen to you if I leave you behind and things go wrong.

Also, again, there was the whole issue of Cleo not exactly being a fast runner or having any real movement options, so things would probably be able to keep pace with her, if they weren't outpacing her completely. That was the downside of the build that she'd ended up producing, though. She couldn't really think of many artillery units that also had exceptional mobility.

Her eyes tracked Mizuki as the wolf girl dropped from the tree and landed, before sniffing the air and the ground. She was probably trying to track the goblins via scent. Cleo watched, before following after Mizuki as they ventured deeper into the forest.

It was as they were walking that Cleo felt the first drips of water against her face, as the clouds broke and the rain began to fall, softly at first, tiny droplets that were picked up and carried by the wind.

Great. Well hopefully this doesn't mess with your ability to track their scent? Feels like we only have a few minutes before the real downpour starts.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki raised her eyebrows as Cleo rather accurately described the dangers of getting into trouble with goblins. Well, they were rather stereotypical savages, after all.

That's pretty likely, yes. From what I've heard they sometimes let merchants go because they're smart enough to realize that if the merchants survive they can be robbed again in the future, but for adventurers like us it's either food or entertainment.

Western Brisshal wasn't only more hostile because of its inhabitants, but the terrain itself was also rougher. Rather than the level ground of Eastern Brisshal the two of them had to make their way around large roots that tore up the ground, small cliffs where the earth appeared to simply have sunk or risen up, and riverbeds where the only remains of the river were the steep sides and the small creek at the bottom.

As the rain began to fall the trees kept them dry at first, but as the load began to build up water began to drip down from the canopy, causing larger droplets of water to splatter against the dirt. The stifling sensation they had to put up with before was replaced by the refreshing feeling and scent of rain, cooling down the area somewhat in exchange for covering everything with water and more water.

Feeling the first droplets as well Mizuki frowned, then shook her head in response to Cleo's question.

I've already got their location pinned down. But yes, maybe we should hurry.

Upping the pace she'd lead Cleo further into the woods until they reached something artificial: a crude palisade was raised up in the distance, nearly invisible amidst all the trees and in the shadows of the deep woods.

Their scouts have retreated because of the rain, otherwise we wouldn't have reached their fort so easily.

Mizuki turned to look at Cleo. By this point, the real downpour had already begun, and the two adventurers were quickly getting drenched, Mizuki having to pull some of her hair out of her face.

I'll break down the palisade, and you start shooting anything you see that isn't me. Agreed?

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

She wasn't sure she wanted to know what the goblins thought of when the word 'entertainment' was brought up, though she imagined that no matter what the answer was, the next time somebody saw an adventurer, after they'd been captured by the goblins, was when they respawned at a temple, curled up in the fetal position or something along those lines. Cleo simply shuddered at the thought and continued moving deeper into the forest, all too aware that Mizuki was the only one that she could rely on here.

The rain forced them to increase their pace, before Mizuki ran the risk of losing the scents and leaving them stranded without any clue as to where to go, double timing it over fallen trees and around thick, sturdy logs, until they finally came up to some kind of crude wooden pallisade. And as Mizuki spoke, the pieces fell together and Cleo realized that the rain was part of the reason they'd picked today to come here and do this.

Clever wolf. The rain gives us the ability to catch them off guard better. I wouldn't have thought of that, if I'm being totally honest.

She pulled her wet fringe out of her face, grimacing as her bodysuit clung to her every time that she moved. It'd be uncomfortable to fight in, but the protection was better than nothing. Maybe being so wet would help her defend against any fire magic.

Agreed. You bust down the door and I'll light them up. Are they likely to have any hostages or captives that I should avoid hitting?

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki smirked as Cleo commented on the cunning of attacking the fort in bad weather. Truth be told, there were significant downsides to these circumstances as well, but having the element of surprise was worth it.

It's not a flawless plan, since we also have to deal with slippery terrain and poor vision ourselves, but the longer it takes for them to realize what's going on, the more we can thin their numbers.

Her tail wagged briefly, her heterochromatic eyes also studying the lancer's full body now that the rain was making her outfit more clingy and even slightly transparent, before coughing and turning her attention to the palisade. Her own clothes were thicker than Cleo's, so rather than being revealing, they clung to her like dead weight.

I haven't heard of anyone disappearing here the last couple of days, so it should be fine. But to be safe avoid shooting at anything which is larger than a child.

Goblins were small creatures, with only the diminutive faerin being comparable. Mizuki was pretty sure that there were no captives, otherwise, she'd have suggested a more careful approach than busting in with force.

Raising her arms she let out an annoyed growl at the feeling of her clothes hindering her movements. Motioning for Cleo to wait a bit longer the wolfess got to work shedding most of her clothes and tossing them to the side. She was quickly left wearing little more than a fantastical/medieval equivalent of a sports bra and shorts, the huntress letting out a relieved sound as she stretched before entering a stance like she was about to pounce. Her hands curled into claws, her nails turning darker, thicker, and sharper while dense fur covered her hands and forearms. A similar phenomenon occurred down below, where her feet turned digitigrade and fur covered her legs up to the knees.

Ready?

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

There was no plan that came without any kind of downside at all. After all, something always had to be traded away to obtain some form of advantage over the usual state of things. In this case, the price they had to pay for not being spotted by scouts was having to fight in adverse weather conditions. Cleo could only nod in agreement, hopping from one foot to the other in an attempt to warm herself up a bit before the actual combat began.

It's good to hear that there shouldn't be anything to worry about, even though the advice to shoot for child sized targets is a bit on the odd side considering everything I've been taught in my life.

At the very least it wasn't actual children, or even actual living beings, that she was shooting at, so she was free to be as indiscriminate as she wanted, since they weren't expecting there to be any other people there held captive.

Though that as when Mizuki, with the same frustrations that Cleo had about the rain causing her clothes to hinder her movements, decided that she would shed most of her clothes, the redhead watching in in shock, though secretly admiring the view as it was unveiled for her. Though the admiration was, at least, short lived, as the woman began to shapeshift. It had Cleo turning her attention to her own clothes, noting with a wince that they were multiple shades darker than they had been and clinging to her body as practically a second layer of skin. At least it wouldn't hinder her too badly.

Uh, yeah. I'll try not to get distracted.

As she spoke, a pair of spears appeared, one in each hand and clutched, ready to be thrown. There were more in the back of her mind, just waiting to be brought forth into reality.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki let out a snort as Cleo commented on her advice.

If goblins existed on Earth police training would have to be rewritten drastically, although chances are we'd have wiped them out already.

It wasn't like humans had any reason to let goblins survive, after all.

Cleo's outfit really was leaving little to the imagination by this point, and Mizuki had some trouble looking away from the attractive redhead standing behind her. Shaking her head she prioritized the task at hand, and the moment Cleo confirmed that she was ready the wolfess would growl and dig her feet into the mud. Launching herself forward she sailed through the air before smashing into the palisade, sticking out one clawed hand to transfer all the momentum of her flight into the obstacle. At the same time, she also released a burst of Nature Magic, causing the individual parts of the wooden palisade to experience the impact.

With a loud cracking and groaning that actually managed to drown out the roaring of the downpour the palisade gave way, splints and large chunks of wood flying everywhere and leaving Mizuki standing in the midst of the wreckage. The huntress quickly dropped onto all fours and dashed forward, into the fort where now a whole bunch of goblins was startled at the sudden assault. The nearest goblin quickly had his throat ripped out, Mizuki snarling as she lashed out with her claws at any goblins that got in range.

From her position Cleo could see that the goblins were beginning to gather around Mizuki and the destroyed palisade, a horn sounding out from the middle of the fort as the green-skinned defenders mobilized.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

That was definitely true, though all the same, it didn't change the fact that it genuinely just felt bizarre to be aiming at child sized targets and not be the bad guy. But Mizuki also had a point. There was no way that goblins would have survived to the modern era without being slaughtered wholesale, though the thought of goblins getting their hands on modern Earth weapons, like guns and bombs, was a pretty chilling thought and one that she didn't want to consider for too long, to preserve her own sanity.

And then it seemed that it was go time, with Mizuki using her own body to batter her way through the palisade, slamming into it and causing it to shatter into pieces, though it seemed to explode in a way that was different, probably through some application of magic in some form. Every time something happened that she didn't understand, Cleo was starting to just attribute it to magic and leave it at that.

Still, as the goblins began to gather around Mizuki, Cleo burst into action, her two spears leaving her hands, as dozens more were created to replace them and thrown, a dashing of chronomancy freezing the thrown ones in the air, before she returned their time to them. Rather than fly as a barrage of spears, they became a wall of spears, with a Mizuki shaped hole so that she didn't hit her ally.

And then it rained red death onto the goblin encampment.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

Mizuki froze as she heard the whistling of an absurd number of spears flying towards her, quickly followed by every goblin around her getting hit by enough projectiles that for some it must have felt more like a hammer covered in spikes than a ranged attack. It was definitely effective: every goblin which had begun to gather around Mizuki was now dead, giving the wolfess some breathing room.

However, Cleo's field of view was limited by the trees, which meant she could only bombard a small section of the fort. Worse yet, various goblins were now leaving the fort through other exits and were moving towards the redhead to subdue her, many of them carrying crude weapons made of wood, bone, and stone, although some of them also wielded weapons of metal. Among them was also one wielding a staff, and any projectiles which were thrown towards the staff-wielder and his group would be deflected by a spherical barrier which was primarily visible because it also warded off the rain.

Mizuki, meanwhile, found herself surrounded by goblins with shields and clubs, their small stature making it easy for them to cover their entire bodies. Pouncing towards one of them Mizuki's body weight smashed the goblin against the ground, but the shield was remarkably resilient, refusing to yield even as Mizuki clawed at it. With the other goblins quickly closing in Mizuki grabbed the goblin underneath her, shield and all, and threw him towards the approaching goblins.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Indeed, even as she had wiped out the group that had surrounded Mizuki, Cleo found herself being surrounded by goblins that were leaving through other exits in the fort, crowding around her and approaching with crude weapons, mostly clubs and axes made of wood, stone and bone, with the odd metal weapon that they had probably looted from an adventurer or a travelling merchant that they had managed to get the better of, most likely. Most annoying, however, was a staff wielder, away from whom all of her throwm spears were deflected.

Protocol dictated that she deal with the caster first, in order to stop him from interfering with the rest of her combat, but getting to him was difficult when she was surrounded by a bunch of small fry. Multiple spears appeared around her, spinning in a circle around her hips in order to ward away any that attempted to get into melee range with her.

And then, with a hint of chronomancy applied to them, the ring of spears became a veritable buzz saw, spinning around her body, giving her the confidence to take a spear into her hands and charge towards the staff wielder. If projectiles were all deflected by his barrier, then she would simply get close to him. And it would be telling, to see if the goblins were smart enough to figure out how to deal with her spear defenses.

@Ueno Mizuki

 

[Ueno Mizuki]

The other goblins were bowled over when Mizuki threw their compatriot at them, with the wolfess herself running on all fours to make some space. Most of the goblins in the fort had now mobilized, with half of them having gone outside to deal with the attacker who had made a hail of spears come down like the wrath of a particularly violent deity, while the other half dealt with the wolfkin who had ripped through everything in her path like it was so much wet paper.

With the shields being so sturdy as to resist her claws Mizuki couldn't keep clawing mindlessly. Running past tents and huts within the roughly circular palisade she moved towards the single tower that rose up in the middle of the fort, her claws digging into the wood as she climbed all the way to the top without slowing down. Finding another goblin with a horn and a crossbow at the top she grabbed the poor sod by the neck and tossed him down at his allies, the little guy screaming in fear before his terminal flight came to an end.

The goblins that were surrounding Cleo, meanwhile, were caught off-guard when their opponent suddenly had a circle of death around her. Several of them got cut down while the rest hastily scrambled to make space, which gave Cleo the opportunity to head for the spellcaster. Seeing Cleo approaching him the staff-wielder chanted in a twisted tongue, a brown-purple glow emanating from the tip of his staff. Cleo's own mastery of Arcanamancy let her know that this goblin was trying to use the same craft in combination with another type of magic against her.

Whether she figured it out for herself or not, she'd be informed of the answer as the ground underneath her first softened and then sprouted muddy tendrils adorned with angular lines of arcane energy as they tried to wrap around her feet. While a single tendril was easily ignored, a whole mass of them would slow her down enough that the staff-wielder could retreat. The other goblins, meanwhile, kept their distance, except for two who tried to jab at Cleo with spears of their own, one little more than a sharpened stick while the other had clearly been stolen from an adventurer at some point.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

It seemed that Mizuki was heading towards the single tower in the fort, which was good, because it made it less likely that she would hit the wolf girl with any launched or thrown spears. It would have been pretty awful if she was the thing that doomed Mizuki when she wanted more than anything to just help and and succeed here. Still, she didn't have very long to think about that kind of thing at all, turning to face the staff wielding goblin and heading straight for him, which he didn't seem to appreciate much at all.

He was chanting something that she could only figure was some variant of Arcanamancy, whichg instantly put her at guard, pausing her charge in trime to feel the ground begin to soften as a mass of muddy tendrils emerged. She snarled, trying and failing to extricate her feet as tendril wrapped around them. Another try allowed her to pull herself free, just in time to avoid a pair of jabs from different goblins, their mismatched spears poking past her sides as she twisted.

And as she twisted, two spears appeared, one in each hand, flicking to point of one out in an arc that decapitated one of the spear wielding goblins, whilst the other was pushed forwards and down, impaling the other goblin and leaving him pinned to the ground through the chest.

Cleo left that spear behind and conjured another, her spinning wheel of spears suddenly pausing in their buzz saw impression to fire outwards in all four cardinal directions, whilst she tossed a spear into the staff wielder's path of retreat, hoping to cut off his escape.

@Ueno Mizuki